Series Recap - Cincinnati Reds

April 6: Mets win 2-1
April 8: Mets win 9-7
April 9: Reds win 10-8

Mets record: 2-1

The More Things Change... : THE BULLPEN HELD A LEAD!!! Omar Manaya probably chewed his fingernails right off as the Mets clinged to a one run lead in the opener. But J.J. Putz and Francisco Rodriguez did what no one could do last season and held on in the 2-1 win. To make things even better - they did it again the next night.

...The More They Stay the Same : But all chances for a sweep were quickly killed by Oliver Perez. His Thursday afternoon line - 4.1ip, 8er, 5bb. Tough to come back when your starter puts you in an 8-4 hole. And the Mets couldn't.

Go, Go Delgado : Carlos Delgado getting the season off to a good start. Hitting .429, 6rbi, and a HR in the three game series.

Back from the Dead : The debate in the preseason was who would win the NL East - The Mets or the Phillies? Despite their bullpen meltdown Wednesday, the Braves served notice that they will be a force in the NL East as well. The Braves outplayed Philadelphia for a game and 6+ innings before a train wreck of an inning cost them a sweep. The NL East could be a three team race.

Next up : three games at Florida Marlins

- SB

EARLY RETURNS PROMISING

Without making too big of a deal out of one game, I'll just say that this was exactly the type of game the Mets didn't win last year.

Five and two-thirds from Johan Santana with just a one-run lead...you might as well carve in stone the No Decision.

Especially with the Mets having trouble scratching out runs.

But the bullpen was the star of the show, and the Mets were confidence-inspiring in the final innings.

Now, there's a difference between Cincinnati in April and Philadelphia in September, and Santana starts aren't really a question (we need to see what the Mets look like the other four nights)...but I'll take it.

Because come September every little win adds up, and every loss gets magnified. And a year ago, this would have turned into a loss that would have haunted the Mets all season. Right now, it's a good win.

SURPRISES:

-I'm following Pittsburgh this week closer than I otherwise would have because of the New Baseball Pool (no, I didn't pick them, but I'm rooting for them to take out a lot of people), and that was an impressive comeback in the 9th inning. Moreso, it was a terrible outing by this guy Motte for the Cardinals.

-I think the new Twins uniforms are nice. Didn't expect to see new unis in that game. That's always fun.

-For what it's worth after one game, the Yankees looked terrible. Whoa. That was a stinker.

OPENING DAY REFLECTIONS: So I don't know if I have seasonal depression or what. But I can tell you that I'm 100% happier right now that I have baseball to watch than I was without it. I love my family, love spending time with my daughters and wife, but I missed baseball terribly. And I'm ecstatic that it's back.

TWO QUICK THINGS

1) I hate to remind everyone...but I have bad memories of the Mets opening the season in Cincinnati, as they'll do tomorrow (weather permitting...I guess it's supposed to snow there).

You might remember this, in 2005, Pedro Martinez's first start with the Mets. I guess it can't get much worse than that...

(Interestingly, in that post, I picked Jeremy Reed to be 2005's AL Rookie of the Year...he's now breaking camp with the Mets.)

2) Just took a look at the Arizona Diamondbacks' April schedule - they have a chance to jump out to a pretty quick start (not that that served them well last year) - 18 of their 22 April games are at hom. That's amazing! They have just one road series all month - 3 games in San Francisco...and have a road trip that starts on the last day of the month.

Time to get this season going!!!!!

ANOTHER RANDOM PREDICTION

I hope you remember that I've been saying that the Reds are on the come for a couple of years now.

Because now it's the vogue thing to say. "The Reds are the team most likely to be this year's Tampa Bay Rays," I've heard said in various places...like my "Sporting News" Baseball Preview magazine, for instance (though the Reds sit fourth in their standings).

Well, I'm here to tell you that I think the Reds are another year away. Let's talk Cincinnati in 2010.

This year's version of last year's Tampa Bay Rays will be the Florida Marlins. I bet the Marlins ride their strong pitching to a second-place finish in the NL East...which will probably be good enough for a National League wild card berth.

We're picking a long-shot here, and this is a long shot, but they definitely have the starting pitching depth (and talent) to make a regular season run. It's also the end of their 6-year rebuilding cycle - 1997 champs, 2003 champs, and now it's 2009. (I just thought of that - it wasn't part of my argument coming in. But I really like it.)

The holes are plenty, but the Marlins are young enough that they have a lot of players who could break through this year and show they're more than capable of filling the holes.

And heaven knows they've shown October-type intensity when they've ruined the Mets' past two seasons late in the year.

This year it could very well be another team whose playoff hopes they ruin - in the playoffs.

A RESPONSE TO THE COMMENTS: Thanks to Dave in Brighton for the comment on Chris Davis. I really think Josh Hamilton has a come-back-to-earth-type year this year, so in my mind it's not a tremendous reach to think Davis will be better than Hamilton. Remember Hamilton's second half fade last year? That might have been more of a sign of things to come in 2009.

PREVIEW: NL CENTRAL

For the first time in I don't know how many years, I haven't bought a baseball preview magazine. I peeked through it the last time I was in the supermarket, and the one I picked up didn't even have the Johan Santana deal. So I figure, why bother? And I also figure, why don't I just write my own. So this week I'll quickly preview each of the divisions, culminating in my playoff picks and my award winners. Today we look at the National League Central.

It's the NL Central that really compelled me to do these previews this year. Everyone - or at least a lot of people - loves the Cubs this year. I don't. I can't really put my finger on why. And I actually was surprised when I saw something about the Cubs defending their division title this year - I had to go look up to see that they won the Central last year. I forgot how close that division got at the end of the year.

The Cubs didn't win last year, though, because they were better than everyone else. They won because the rest of the division was worse than them. That won't be the case this year.

The Cubs are OK...but I don't think they're better than that. And there are some interesting storylines in Chicago - how will Kosuke Fukudome do? Will Kerry Wood add anything out of the bullpen? But the storyline that will not be addressed is will the Cubs win on the 100th anniversary of their last championship...because they won't.

Most of the rest of the division is a disaster. The Pirates, Astros, and Cardinals are all going in the wrong direction. The Pirates are a mess, and the Astros and Cardinals will be plagued by distractions all year. The Astros have the Miguel Tejada situation, and St. Louis has similar steroid accusations and implications on their team.

For some reason, I like the Reds. The past few years I think I might have even picked them to win the division. I'm not going to do that this year, but I am going to say this - I think the Reds are the next team to come out and surprise people. Like the Tigers in 2006, like the Rockies last year, I think the Reds are the next candidate to do that - maybe even this year. I'm not going to pick them, but they're a team with decent talent that plays in a weak division. They could end up winning the division.

But I think this year Milwaukee will finish what they started last year, and make it to the post-season. They're no great shakes either - a lot of pitching question marks - but they should hit their way through the season. I don't think they'll run away with the Central, but I think they'll win it. And looking through this division closely, I think I understand why so many people are picking the Cubs - there's not a lot else out there. It might not take more than 82 wins to win this division again - it was 85 last year. Here's how I think they'll finish:

1-1: Sunday was a big day for me, basketball-wise. Well, not for me personally, but two of the institutions from which I graduated. I'll start with the loss - Boston University lost to Hartford in the America East semifinals - always an exciting time of year as the conference tournaments get underway in college basketball. Unfortunately, BU couldn't get one more win and get into the championship game. I was especially disappointed because I thought they could really win this year (they got hot at the right time of the year) and then get smoked in the NCAA Tournament.

The good news, though, is that my high school, Holy Cross High School, in Flushing, New York, beat Christ the King for the New York City championship. That's their first championship since 1968. So congratulations, Knights. And here's where it all ties together: Dennis Wolff, head coach of the Boston University men's basketball team - mentioned just a paragraph ago - is also a graduate of Holy Cross High School.

EVERYTHING COMING UP METS

When is an Atlanta Braves celebration cause for celebration for Mets fans? Wednesday afternoon.
Let me take you through my afternoon. It was the day that I meet the students - not a full day of school - Thursday is the first full day - but a full afternoon, because the students come in, check out the classroom, meet the teachers, and hang out with one another.

Because it was such a busy afternoon, it wasn't until things settled down at 4:30 that I remembered the Mets had played a 12:30 game. 7-0, Reds. Bummer. I check the Phillies score - 8-6, Phillies, in the 9th. Bummer. Maybe the Braves will come back, I think....because I always think that way.

7pm - I get home, make sure to set my fantasy lineups, before I forget, and lo and behold, the Braves had their biggest win of the year. They apparently celebrated like they won some kind of championship...and it's the closest they'll get to some kind of championship all year.

The end result - the Mets' magic number is down from 20 to 19. Things are certainly breaking the Mets' way when, on a day they get 3-hit, and one of their aces gets rocked pretty good (John Maine, another disappointing start...but he'll turn it back on for the playoffs, I'm sure), they end up gaining ground.

The Phillies can beat the Mets...but they sure do have a lot of trouble with everyone else. And as a result, let's say it together now, 'The Phillies Don't Scare Me.'

LEFTOVERS FROM THE OHIO TRIP

Things I forgot to mention/didn't realize:

• I was reading through the Indians yearbook (the Indians don't sell programs - they sell their yearbook for about 5 bucks, and then throw in a scorecard...the Reds sell "Reds Magazine"), and I guess new this year is an area called "Heritage Park", celebrating the Indians' history. It looks very nice, and I'm sorry I missed it. It's out beyond centerfield, and it opens at 4:30 for 7:05 games. Maybe that's why they keep the other gates closed for so long (remember, we didn't get in until 6pm). But they do not do a very good job of advertising it - there were a lot of people just waiting outside the gate we were at, and no one seemed to have any inclination to check out Heritage Park.
• The Reds have cheerleaders - I only saw them make one appearance - they did a dance about a half-hour before the game started, and we didn't see them again.
• Thom Brennaman is riding the coattails of his dad, Marty...because he seems to be very popular in Cincinnati. They have all these ad campaigns, with people with signs that say, "We love Marty and Thom!" I'm sure people just really love Marty, and they don't want to offend Marty by saying, "We love Marty, and we're quite indifferent to Thom, but we don't want to upset Marty, so we'll just say 'We love Marty and Thom!'". Luckily we went on Frank Robinson bobblehead night. Sometime this month the Reds are having Marty and Thom bobblehead night.

SWEET ENDING: Thursday night's Astros-Braves game was pretty awesome. I turned it on in the seventh inning, and the Braves were up 9-5. With a man on first, there was a grounder to short, and Edgar Renteria turned his ankle bending down to field it (this part wasn't satisfying - Renteria was placed on the DL on Friday). What was satisfying was that when Renteria left the game, Chipper Jones was moved from third base to short, and Willie Harris moved from the outfield to third base. Naturally, the next player hits it to third, and Harris boots the grounder, so the bases are loaded. Pinch-hitter Mike Lamb then hits a grand slam. 9-9. Turned out the Astros took an 11-9 lead in extras, but the Braves tied it, then the Astros finally won in 14.

NL EAST/NL CENTRAL CHALLENGE: The Mets did some damage to the Brewers by taking two out of three, and now have a chance to help Milwaukee against Chicago. The Mets beat the Cubs in a good win on Friday afternoon, scoring 4 in the ninth to break a 2-2 tie...too late to support El Duque's great start - he got a no decision - but a good win nonetheless. Meanwhile, the Phillies, after playing the Cubs, swap with the Mets and now take on the Brewers. The Cubs and Brewers are tight in the Central race - the Mets are still keeping their distance from the Phillies and Braves.

INJURY UPDATE: Pedro Martinez* has thrown a simulated game, but the Mets are apparently being very cautious about his return: if and when it will be. It's sounding a little too cautious to me...it seems like the date for his return is getting pushed back further and further, and now the information is vague. Hopefully he comes back and is effective...

CINCINNATI: GREAT AMERICAN BALLPARK

Note: A temporary malfunction with the digital camera forced me to buy an overpriced disposable camera for the Cincinnati game. The flash was brutal, and not a lot of these pictures came out too well. Also, the CVS where I had the film developed does not have the capability to do a photo CD, so I had to scan the pictures. Therefore, there are not many....and the good ones didn't even come out. The above picture is not mine. I took one just like it, where the flash must have failed me. But it was a beautiful picture, of that I'm sure. Johnnymets.blogspot.com apologizes for any inconveniences this situation may have caused.

Whereas Jacobs Field is all business (you go to see a baseball game), Great American Ballpark is an experience (you go, and if you have time, sit in your seat and take in the baseball game). The park itself is beautiful, sitting right on the water. And I didn't realize this, but across the river is Kentucky, and The Wife and I actually stayed in Kentucky for our trip to Cincinnati.

I can't quite put my finger on why I love traveling to these ballparks so much...but there are a couple of conclusions I've drawn, and it could be one of these or a combination of them. 1) I'm crazy. 2) I like the new ballparks and the architecture involved. 3) I like using them as an excuse to see different cities and the rest of the country. So many of these ballparks/stadiums are the centerpieces of their cities, and I think 4) the biggest thrill for me is driving into a new city and seeing the skyline, with the beautiful ballparks in the middle. This wasn't so much the case in Cleveland, at least the direction we drove, with Jacobs Field - we drove straight towards the Browns stadium, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But when we drove into Cincinnati, and there were Great American Ballpark and the Bengals stadium, I loved it. It's a wonder we make it through these trips without me crashing the car.

We got to the ballpark early, and I had the chance to walk all around and explore (unlike Cleveland, the gates were opened an hour and a half before the game...for some reason Jacobs Field only opened at 6 for a 7:05 start). This was Frank Robinson bobblehead night, so we got our bobbleheads...but upon arriving home, discovered one was not a bobblehead at all - it was a severedhead. (As you can see in this poor photograph.) I'm considering writing the Reds a letter.



Part of my problem with PNC Park in Pittsburgh was I felt like the Pirates had a lot of history that wasn't captured in their new park. That was not a problem in Cincinnati. The Reds have a Hall of Fame right outside the ballpark (you can access it from the street or from the ballpark), and I think ticketholders get in free on the night of a game. We checked it out without actually going in - it looks great. They had a feature on Pete Rose (who was actually at the same game as us, I discovered later), and they have all the pennants the Reds have accumulated over the years. In the concourses, there are bigger-than-poster-sized newspaper headlines from Reds history hanging from the ceiling.

The concourses are gigantic. They're closed right behind home plate, open everywhere else. And they're divided. So behind a wall, down in right field, behind where we were sitting, there was a sort of playground and all kinds of activities for kids, like running to first and getting timed, and seeing how fast you can throw a ball. There's also a stage where they have live music leading up to game time.





Out in center field, there is a deck that looks like the deck of a ship. My investigative journalism (I asked the teenager taking tickets) revealed that the deck was exclusive to Cincinnati Bell employees. I don't know if he meant only that night, or if that is always the case - but that would stink if you could only get into that area if you worked for the phone company. Although, I guess our seats were better, not sitting there.

The food, like Jacobs Field, was nothing to shout about - notably, though, the Reds don't have souvenir cups at the drink stands. The seats, to be honest, weren't the most roomy things I've ever sat in either. And one more complaint - from our seats, when the sun was setting, the glare off the scoreboard in left was so bad you couldn't read any statistics at all.

And this is worth saying: One of the neatest things about these ballparks is how nice everyone is who works there. It's like they go through these training sessions where they make the people who work at the stadiums be nice to everyone who walks through the turnstiles (the nicest people by far were the people in San Diego...but why wouldn't they be nice? They live in San Diego.). And don't get me wrong - most of the people in Great American Ballpark were very nice - the souvenir stand girls who directed me to the 4th floor to get a ripoff of a disposable camera saved my night from feeling like it was ruined. But when we got to the fourth floor, and took some pictures from the upper deck, and asked one of the ushers if he would take our picture, we met our first not-nice person of our stadium trips.

He was standing off to the side, watching these tourists (us) take pictures with their crappy disposable camera. If you could read his mind, I'm sure he would be saying, "These people BETTER not ask me to take their picture." But we did. And he said, "I'm not a very good picture-taker." I gave him the camera anyway, and we stood and smiled. He goes, "What am I supposed to do? Press this button here?" Now, keep in mind, this wasn't one of them new-fangled digital cameras. It was a crappy green disposable camera. There's only that one button. "Yes, sir, press that button." Now, truth be told, he didn't take a bad picture - the flash failed him like it failed me (although I took note that his finger was in front of the flash...and made sure the girls behind us at our seats took another safety picture). But I guess the Reds knew what they were doing when they put this guy on the fourth floor...much less populated up there...and he was definitely not a people person.


Finally, the other attraction of the game - I guess occasionally the Reds have a former Red come and sign autographs before the game. This night it was ex-Met George Foster. I walked by him when I was exploring the park, and seriously considered stopping to take a picture. I didn't. I wanted to tell him that he was the guy who set the example from which I learned about people getting fired. But I didn't. Maybe if The Wife and Baby were walking with me I would have stopped...but I was alone, and didn't have the gumption. I felt like he might not like me. I'll say this about George, though - he looked almost exactly as he did in his playing days - which means he was a powerful, compact man. That guy on the left hit 52 homers in a season back in 1977. That's some kind of strong.

Incidentally, in the game, the Reds beat the Brewers. The Baby handled this game much better, and we stayed until the game slowed considerably after six innings.

SUNDAY THOUGHTS

It's a good thing that the Mets took 3 out of 4 from the Reds, but I'm not thrilled. I guess it's because of the way they lost the one game they lost...with John Maine giving up 4 runs before he got an out on Friday. The Mets could have very easily swept this series. All I've asked, though, is for the Mets to dominate the rest of the way, and if they play .750 ball the rest of the season, I guess they'll be OK.

It's also a good thing that Oliver Perez looked so good coming back from his back injury. Really, he wasn't hurt - he was reportedly just a little uncomfortable. If it was a different part of the season, he would have played through it. But he had about two weeks off, and came back and pitched very well on Sunday.

Perez did serve up a Cincinnati highlight, though - a bomb to Adam Dunn - I think it's the longest home run I've ever seen at Shea Stadium. Dunn hit the right-hand side of the scoreboard, which has the out-of-town scores, and hit about three scores up. He damaged it too - too bad it wasn't a night game - there probably would have been some fireworks. If you get a chance to see a highlight of the homer - check it out. The good news was it was a solo shot, and the Mets still won...so I can appreciate the homer even more. Click here to watch it now.

Lastings Milledge had a good game on Sunday...and has played well so far in his return from the DL. He was 1-for-3 in the Mets' 5-2 win, with a 2-run double. But what I've liked about Milledge in these past four games or so has been his opposite field power. His double was to the right-center gap, and even some of his outs have gone a long way the other way. Some nice hitting...whether or not scouts from possible trading partners are noticing that is another story.

TOUGH TRIP: The Mets will really show us something with their next 7 games. The Reds are/were terrible...though they had played well coming into the All Star break. Now, though, the Mets go right out to California, with no day off, and play three at San Diego and then 4 at Los Angeles (their second trip to LA - the first one was a disaster). There could be a little revenge worked into this trip, and hopefully some pride. The Mets need to establish themselves as the team to beat - because that is not what they've been the past month and a half or so.

KINER'S KORNER: I think the Mets did a really good thing Saturday night by honoring Ralph Kiner before the game. Unfortunately, the game was on local TV, so I had no chance of seeing the ceremony. But Kiner has been a fixture for the Mets, and it's nice that they took some time out to give him his due. The best thing about it is that right now, Ralph Kiner needs the Mets a lot more than they need him. And the Mets still give him some appearances on SNY, they take care of him and look out for him, and that's spectacular. They're definitely doing the right thing when it comes to Ralph Kiner. (They've also made it clear that Saturday night's celebration is in no way a retirement...just a celebration.)

I've said this before, but it's worth saying again - he's still got it. Kiner has made a lot of progress since he was struck by Bell's Palsy a couple of years ago - his speech is much clearer now. And every time he's in the booth, he makes me laugh. He tells the same stories he's been telling for years, but they're still entertaining, but he also shows he's still in touch with the game, by bringing up relevant details about contemporary players. Say what you will about Kiner's on-air mistakes and missteps throughout the years, and what you can attribute them to, but I'm glad the Mets are keeping him around, and I'll miss the day when he's gone. And that day will not be because the Mets asked him to leave - I'm sure of that.

IN OTHER BROADCASTING NEWS...: From an announcer I love to one I don't love. I had to watch the Cincinnati feed for Sunday's game, which means I was lucky enough to listen to Thom Brennaman. How about this one: In the first inning, Oliver Perez walked Norris Hopper. With two outs, he kept throwing over to first base, trying to pick off Hopper. Brennaman: "That's not a good move. Actually, that's a downright awful move." (about Perez's pickoff move). Two throws later, Perez picks off Hopper. Great call, Brennaman!

GO PIRATES: I was watching a little of the Pirates-Braves game on Sunday. They have some sort of special coming up on their success from 1990-1992. It's been far too long since the Pirates have been competitive. I want them to do well...it's a real shame. They have a beautiful ballpark and a great history - and right now they mean zero to Major League Baseball. What a disaster. I don't know why - maybe it's because I read that Roberto Clemente book last year, or because of all the Ralph Kiner attention lately, or maybe because yellow is my favorite color...but I want the Pirates to be a winning ballclub again. (In the American League it's the Royals...and part of it is because I like their ballpark too - I've always loved their fountains.)

FRIDAY THE 13TH

There's really nothing to be afraid of, if you're a Mets fan, on a day like Friday the 13th. Superstition doesn't usually work against the Mets, usually it works in their favor.

Case in point, the picture at the left, where the cursed Cubs began a tailspin from their perch atop the NL East in 1969, and the Miracle Mets overtook them, though they were as far back as 9-and-a-half games in August. The reason for the Cubs fall? The black cat, which ran out onto the field at Shea Stadium, and crossed the Cubs' path, circling Ron Santo.

Another instance would be the fact that even though the Mets were down to their last strike against the Red Sox in the 1986 World Series, facing elimination, they were still able to come back and win the game, and the series.

Now, none of this happened on a Friday the 13th - but they're evidence that when it comes to superstition, don't mess with the Mets.

That's a big heads-up for the Mets' opponent on Friday the 13th, the Cincinnati Reds...right now the Reds have a 7-1 lead on the Mets...but it's still early. And it's Friday the 13th...unluckily for Cincinnati.

COMMENT ON THE COMMENTS: An anonymous comment, but a thoughtful and well-written one, has appeared on my post about Erik Bedard from a couple of weeks ago. Thanks to anonymous for reading, and contributing. But please don't be anonymous - throw your name on there...or an alias or something. Since you chose to be anonymous, though, and you wrote that you are also a fan of Erik Bedard, you leave me no choice but to assume that you were indeed Erik Bedard. So thanks for reading, and posting a comment Erik! Hope you come back and read some more.

SHAKEUP

The Mets had a busy day back from the All Star break - here's the breakdown:

RICKS - Down (far left) is out, Henderson (near left) is in. Rick Down was fired as the Mets hitting coach. The Mets have not yet named a replacement. Rickey Henderson is the newest Mets coach, but his specific role has not been announced. The speculation is that Howard Johnson will become the new hitting coach - he was a hitting coach in the Mets' minor league system, and was the hitting coach for the Norfolk Tides when David Wright came through (and possibly at other levels with Wright). That's the speculation. If that happens, does Henderson assume the first base coach role? Would anyone understand a word he says if he does become first base coach? Lots of questions from this move...some of the answers should come on Friday.

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE YOUNG - The Mets released Julio Franco (far left) in order to make a roster spot available for Lastings Milledge (near), back from the minors and an injury. At first the thought occurred to me that after a day or so the Mets would give Franco a coaching job, but I read on mets.com that Franco would have asked for his release in a week or so, because he has been disappointed with his playing time over the past year and a half. He wants to play until he's 50 (he'll be 49 in about a month and a half), and he needs more playing time, he says, to be ready for that. I wonder if there was some truth to the rumor that Franco was stirring up some discontent in the clubhouse. He was not upset that he was released...I haven't heard reaction from his teammates.

FALLOUT - I heard an interview with Willie Randolph before Thursday's game - he didn't seem too happy with the firing of Down, one of his guys.

Just throwing this out there...but might one of my guys become the hitting coach? Maybe bring in Gary Carter...and that's why he hasn't been working this year? Maybe the Mets knew someone like Down was on a short(ish) leash, and he's on standby for a job? This is more wishful thinking on my part...but there's some logic there.

I don't know how the team will react to the Franco release. I know lots of players understand the business aspect of the game - but one of the reasons Franco was here was to be a mentor to the young part of the team. How will those young guys react?, I wonder. The other piece of Julio Franco's release is that Ramon Castro will now get more pinch-hitting appearances. With Sandy Alomar, Jr. up, as a possible injury replacement at catcher, the Mets can spare Castro.

HISTORY IN THURSDAY'S GAME: Jose Reyes and Ruben Gotay led off the first inning for the Mets with back-to-back homers off Reds starter Bronson Arroyo - the first time in Mets history that has happened.

Speaking of leadoff men...Scott Hatteberg hit leadoff for the Reds. That's weird.

INJURIES: Oliver Perez should be back to make his start on Sunday.

How about this - I heard Gary Cohen report on SNY that Ruben Gotay started on Thursday because Jose Valentin hurt a finger trying to break up a fight over the break. Wonderful. He's already battling a sore knee...he is in really bad shape and shouldn't even be playing...but he's got incentives to meet in his contract and is trying to battle through the injuries.

BEAT THE STREAK: FYI - I'm at 10 games through Thursday. I'll highlight the milestones.

WINNING TRIP

Mets 4, Reds 2, 10 innings (NYM: 57-38, CIN: 50-46)

The Mets went to extra innings, but pulled out the finale of their six-game road trip, 4-2 over the Reds Thursday afternoon. They took 2-out-of-three in Cincy, following 2 out of three in Chicago, going 4-2 on their road trip. That's a very good road trip, the problem is that it could have been 5-1, because the Mets played awful after the rain delay late Wednesday night.

The only good that rain delay did was make for a very entertaining telecast on Thursday afternoon. It's fun when you consider the broadcasters have to perform during the 12:30 start after the midnight finish the night before. Gary Cohen played it professionally, Keith Hernandez played it comically, and was very funny. I can't really relate it to you - suffice it to say, Hernandez messed up quite a few times (i.e. calling for a double play situation with two outs...apparently Cohen signaled to him that there were two outs, and Hernandez told him he could tell him on the air - he's not ashamed...).

Anyway, the game followed the same recipe the Mets have used lately - they jump out to an early lead, and the other team comes back....and it's a bit of a nail-biter. And Tom Glavine gets a no-decision. The Mets jumped out to a lead thanks to Cliff Floyd's 10th homer of the year, and Carlos Delgado's first homer since the end of June - both solo shots. The Reds tied it off Glavine in the bottom of the fifth, and then threatened in the seventh - with the bases loaded, Glavine gave way to Chad Bradford, who struck out Scott Hatteberg (who rarely strikes out), then got a grounder to third. The Mets relievers did a great job in this game - 3-and-two-thirds scoreless innings. Glavine pitched very well also.

The Mets come back home for a series against the Astros beginning Friday night. Orlando Hernandez looks to rebound from his rough outing last Sunday when he goes on Friday.

By the way - the news on Pedro Martinez* is that now he's on a schedule to come back in Atlanta the last week of July - a little later than originally said. I'm starting to get a little suspicious....

DEADLINE NEWS: The trading deadline is but two weeks away (10 days, really), and the Mets figure to be active players. But the Braves jumped into the mix by acquiring Bob Wickman from the Indians on Thursday. I'm not sure how I feel about the Braves right now - they're hot, they're making a little run at the wild card. I'd feel better if they missed the playoffs, but I still feel like the Mets can beat them if they had to.

TRADING PLACES: The Mets got a jump on the trade deadline the other day, trading 2B Jeff Keppinger to the Royals for 2B Ruben Gotay. I'm a bit saddened by this. I really liked Keppinger, and thought he may be able to help the team at the major league level someday. The trade doesn't make a ton of sense to me either. Keppinger is two years older than Gotay, with one year less of major league experience, but other than that, I think Keppinger has more upside. Truth be told, I don't know a whole lot about Gotay, but I know that the Kansas City Royals have a guy in Keppinger who, once they trade Mark Grudzielanek, should take over their second base position and stay there for a while.

This year, Keppinger was hitting .300 for the Tides, Gotay was hitting .264 for Omaha. Long story short, I like the deal....for Royals fans.

THE KID'S KIDS: At the time I'm writing this, neither the St. Lucie game nor the Tides game were over, so we'll wait until tomorrow for updates on The Kid's Kids and Edgardo Alfonzo.

BEAT THE STREAK: Youkilis ended my streak on Wednesday, and because I knew Ramon Castro would be playing Thursday in the early day game following the night game, I took him just for s's and g's on Thursday. He didn't get a hit. So I'm still at 0. I need to get something started, so I'm going to go with Ichiro, versus the Red Sox, on Friday.

GRAND PERFORMANCE

Mets 8, Reds 3 (NYM: 56-37, CIN: 49-45)

The Mets got their third grand slam in two games, and a solid performance from rookie Mike Pelfrey, beating the Reds, 8-3, in Cincinnati Tuesday night. I'm going to make this a quick recap, so we can all enjoy a great article by Justin from NYC.

Xavier Nady, Jose Valentin, and Carlos Beltran all homered for the Mets (Beltran's was his second grand slam in as many days) off of starter Eric Milton, giving Pelfrey plenty of run support again (his first win saw 17 runs scored by the Mets). Jose Reyes made his return from a stitched-up pinky finger, going 0-for-4, but scoring twice. Cliff Floyd was also 0-for-4, temporarily cooling off, and Carlos Delgado continued to slump, going 0-for-5.

Pelfrey was good. He pitched six innings, giving up 7 hits and walking 3, but giving up only 2 runs. He struck out 3. He hasn't looked spectacular, but looked very solid on Tuesday, and should have earned himself another start. He allowed a lot of baserunners, but got himself out of a few jams. I thought a telling moment came in the bottom of the fifth. With the Mets ahead 2-0, the Reds had runners on first and second with 2 out. Pelfrey blew a 96-mile-an-hour fastball by Adam Dunn to strike him out and end the inning, stranding the runners. Pelfrey is now 2-0, with a 3.27 ERA. He's looked good - not great, but good. It's exciting watching a young pitcher in his early stages.

THE KID'S KIDS: It took 10 innings, but Lakeland eked out a win against St. Lucie, 2-1.

In other news, Edgar Alfonzo, Jr., an occasional closer with the St. Lucie Mets, is in fact related to Edgardo Alfonzo. I think I raised this possibility earlier in the year, because Alfonzo's brother Edgar is an instructor in the Mets' minor league system. Well, now that the Mets have Edgardo back, the article mentioned all of his ties to the Mets' organization, and mentioned his nephew, Edgar, who I assume is the son of Edgar, Sr. Very confusing. I wish they would have named one of the guys Carl or something. Now we have to figure out if Eliezer Alfonzo out in San Francisco is related.

ALFONZO'S COMEBACK: Edgardo Alfonzo made his debut for Norfolk Tuesday night. He was 0-for-4, with an RBI, in the 7-2 Tides win. Alfonzo started at 3B. 0-for-4 isn't going to get him to the Majors in a hurry.

BEAT THE STREAK: Mike Piazza had a hit in his first at-bat Tuesday night, so my streak is 4. Wednesday I will be at the Red Sox-Royals game in the afternoon, so I have to pick someone from that game. With Mark Redman, a lefty, on the mound for K.C., I'll take Kevin Youkilis to get me a hit.

COMING UP: On Thursday evening I'll post the Southern Bureau's labor of love, a comparison of the 1986 Mets to the 2004 Red Sox. Wednesday evening I'll recap the second game of the Mets-Reds series, bound to be a snoozer, with Steve Trachsel on the mound.

And now, johnnymets.blogspot.com presents, An Evening With Don Mattingly, brought to you by Justin from New York City. A couple of things you must know - as Justin explains, he was given the opportunity to meet and have dinner with Don Mattingly this past Sunday evening. Mattingly is the current hitting coach for the Yankees, as well as former first baseman and legend. The last thing I must tell you is that for Justin to meet Don Mattingly, is like for me to meet Gary Carter. He's just luckier than I am, I guess. Here's his recap:


my dinner with donnie (pronounce that like andre.. and it is a hilarious
play on words)

Sunday night, my brother, noted author Peter Schrager, and I attended
"an evening with Don Mattingly" and fnj the pines restaurant in The Bronx,
New York. We were 2 of about 200 people.. who paid 1500 dollars a ticket.
(we didnt actually pay. my dad's friend bought them and gave them to us).
Being that it was such a costly evening.. we figured we had to dress nice.
We were among a very few who apparently felt that way. Nothing like a room
full of adults in jersey's to make you feel not pathetic. Anyway... the
guest of honor came in.. and the first thing that happened was a q and a.
About 20 minutes of questions.. some good, some not so good. but he
answered every one thoughtfully and respectfully. then everyone got to go
up and take a picture with him and talk to him for a minute or two. That was
the best part, because he was really nice to everyone.. and actually had a
conversation. I told him that i run like him.. and he joked that was the
one part of his game i shouldnt have copied. Then i said, "yeah, but I run
hard everytime" and he liked that.

Once that part ended, it was basically just eating family style italian
dinner with a bunch of strangers. So, that's when the Schrager boys began
phase two of the evening... the part i like to call "making fun of others".
The main target of our ire was a person we called number 12. we called him
that because he was wearing a number 12 yankee jersey. First of all, unless
he was a big Andy Phillips or Tony Womack fan.. that was a soriano jersey,
and he's been gone for four years. If i were to wear a jersey to a nice
restaurant to meet a famous baseball player, my two rules would be this
1:wear the jersey of the person i am meeting, or 2: wear the jersey of my
favorite current member of said players former team. number 12 broke both
rules. His real sin, though, was being creepy and lurky. He litterally
followed Don Mattingly around the room, and went in for the handshake on a
number of occassions. He got BACK on the picture line after his turn...
which is definitely not cool. But after that part was over.. when everyone
was eating, including don mattingly, he went over to his table and shook his
hand again. and then throughout the night did it over and over again. Must
have gone in for nine shakes. That's seven too many in my estimation.

Anyway, the whole thing was sponsored by a memorbilia company, so there was
a silent auction for a bunch of stuff. Don Mattingly bought a Mark Messier
thing, which kind of blew my mind. All he needed to do was sing a bruce
springsteen song and talk like MR T and it would have been all of my
childhood heroes rolled into one. Then, on the way out, everyone got an
autographed picture of don mattingly scooping a throw out of the dirt. Im
guessing it was a short hopped throw from randy velarde, playing out of
position at third base. I have no proof of this.

So, overall.. the most important lesson was that Don Mattingly is a nice
guy. And really, there is nothing else you can ask for from your childhood
idol. thank you and good night.

BACK ON TRACH

Mets 8, Reds 2, in progress in the 8th

Here's an encouraging sign - a really good start for Steve Trachsel. Trachsel went 6+ innings (unfortunately, the "+" was leaving with the bases loaded in the 7th), and was very, very effective. He even hit a home run!

Duaner Sanchez got Trachsel out of that 7th inning jam, giving up just one run, pitching very well in the 7th and then staying on.

After being beaten up by former Mets this weekend against Baltimore, it was a former Met who helped the Mets blow this game open in the bottom of the 7th. David Weathers came in for Cincinnati, walked a batter, gave up a 2-run homer to Xavier Nady (his first hit since coming off the DL), and allowed the Mets some breathing room....they led 8-2 after 7.

I'm going to take advantage of the big lead to get to bed early. I'll miss Wednesday's game because I'll be at the Red Sox-Nationals game, so I won't post. Thursday is a day game...I'll post Thursday night.

I'm assuming the Mets hold onto the 6-run lead with just 4 outs to go right now...that means 4 more wins to reach 16 in June!

INTERESTING NUANCE: I noticed tonight for the first time that David Wright has a little bit of a Nomar Garciaparra thing going on in between pitches when he's at bat. After every pitch, he tucks his bat under his arm, tugs on each batting glove, then adjusts the neck of his jersey, and lets out a deep breath.

I told The Wife about this, and it wasn't news to her. (Not surprising to me, I guess, that she studies Wright's every move.) I guess she watches different parts of the game than I do.

THE KID'S KIDS: Monday night Brevard County added 5 more runs after I signed off, and beat St. Lucie, 7-0 (the ol' 10-hit shutout for B.C.). It's just a one-game lead for the Mets now in the division, and it's time for Hall of Famer Gary Carter to turn on that managing skill. So far, so good - St. Lucie is leading tonight's game 2-0 in the 8th, giving up just one hit.

FANTASY UPDATE: Well, the What If Mets are officially done...losers of two out of three to the awful Chicago Cubs. They won the first game, 22-2, and I was thinking, OK, that's more like it....only to lose the next two. It's embarrassing, really. The wild card leaders right now are the Southern Bureau's Washington Nationals, so maybe we'll start following their results.

BEAT THE STREAK: Amidst the (real) Washington Nationals getting killed at Fenway Tuesday night, Alfonso Soriano got a hit off of Tim Wakefield. So a 2-gamer for me. Mike Lowell Wednesday night.

REDS IN THE FACE

Reds 4, Mets 2 (CIN: 38-32, NYM: 43-26)

Really, the Mets shouldn't be red in the face...they have nothing to be embarrassed about. They were flat-out beaten by a good pitcher Monday night. Bronson Arroyo is having a great year - and he handled the Mets.

Orlando Hernandez pitched very well for New York - that's about his third great start in a row now. So that's big. The bullpen let some runs in late, and it was 4-1 before a ninth inning homer for the Mets...Arroyo went the distance for Cincinnati. The bad news is that the Mets had jumped out to a 1-0 first inning lead, but couldn't build on that.

This is just one game. The Mets had won all of their series openers at home until the last home series before the West Coast trip with the Giants, and then the Orioles series, and now the Reds. They lost that Giants series, they were almost swept by Baltimore...I'll be very happy with a split with Cincinnati. I don't mind if the Mets don't play their best here against the Orioles and Reds...if the Mets are going to slump, I'd rather see it now than when they play the cream of the AL East - the Blue Jays, Red Sox, and Yankees - all three of whom are coming up next.

A big start for Steve Trachsel on Tuesday night (aren't they all big starts for Trachsel?).

ALL-STAR VOTING: Some big doings in the NL All Star voting. THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, Jose Reyes, is finally getting his due - he's now 80,000 or so votes in front of David Eckstein for the start at short. He's not having his best season - but he's lifted his average to .270...and his co-Player of the Week award last week couldn't have hurt.

His co-Player of the Week, one Future Hall of Famer, David Wright, is starting to run away with the third base vote, Wright has topped a million, well ahead of Scott Rolen.

The Player of the Week for last week, Carlos Beltran*, has climbed to the top of the outfield vote. He now deserves it...and right behind him, deservedly, is Alfonso Soriano. The outfield race is tight.

Finally, at catcher, it looks like Paul LoDuca will be starting for the NL. Not a bad representation for the Mets.

THE KID'S KIDS: They're still playing in Florida, and the Mets are trailing Brevard County, 2-0, in the 8th. I'll update that tomorrow.

FANTASY UPDATE: The What If Mets are heading in the wrong direction. We're now tied for last place...and I forget - we're either 7 or 8 games out of the wild card. All 3 games to the Cardinals today were losses. So it's pretty much over. Unless the Mets are planning an Amazin' comeback...but I don't even think the best Mets team ever is that Amazin'...the worst thing about this is how bad my bullpen has been. They have ERA's of about 7.00 each. Just been brutal. I've lost about 10 games in the opponent's last at-bat. It's very frustrating. That's the difference right there.

BEAT THE STREAK: Carlos Beltran* hit a 9th inning homer for the Mets, so I have a one-game hitting streak. Tuesday I'll take Alfonso Soriano against Tim Wakefield, and Wednesday, since I'll be going to the Red Sox-Nationals game, I'll take Mike Lowell (I like taking guys I'll be seeing live). Thursday it'll be David Wright. Just getting a jump on it - I don't know how much I'll be able to post this week - it's the last week of school - my mind may be elsewhere.

NOT SO GRANDA

Reds 9, Mets 5 (CIN 2-0, NYM 0-2)

I'll start on a positive, on a night when I'm not feeling too positive. I watched this game on FSNOhio, and I have no complaints at all. George Grande (the old ESPN guy) is the play-by-play guy (I think), and he does the games with some former pitcher named Chris (I think). They did an outstanding job - not homers, very fair, very easy to listen to. Far cry (in the good direction) from Ted Robinson and Fran Healy.

Now the bad news. Tom Glavine pitched poorly - and I think he let some bad umpiring get to him. Glavine got into a jam in the first inning - first and second, no out. He gets a double play, then loads the bases. Glavine goes to 0-2 on Joe Randa. Randa takes a pitch - right down the middle - and home plate umpire Chuck Meriwether calls the pitch a ball. Unreal. This pitch was RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE. I mean, there are close calls...but this one was a no-doubt-about-it. So, two pitches later, Glavine gives up a 2-run single to Randa, it's 2-0 Reds, and Glavine's in trouble.

Future Hall of Famer David Wright and big mouth first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz swapped spots in the batting order Wednesday - Wright hitting sixth, Mientkiewicz seventh. Not sure why that was reversed on Monday - perhaps it's a lefty-righty thing. Wednesday night, Mientkiewicz homered in the top of the second off of lefty Eric Milton - Mientkiewicz isn't supposed to be able to hit lefties well. The aforementioned unknown color guy mentioned Mientkiewicz's recent wrist problems, and how Mientkiewicz says they're behind him, and the replay showed Mientkiewicz's wrists were clearly not a problem on the homerun swing. Then unknown color guy made a joke about Mientkiewicz getting the home run ball back from the fan and keeping it, like he did the Red Sox ball. It was well done.

In the top of the third, future Hall of Famer Wright tied the game at two with a solo home run to the opposite field (career home run number 15).

The tie didn't last. In the bottom of the fourth, Glavine again threw a close pitch, called a ball, could have been a strike - definitely should have been a strike - just as much down the middle as the pitch to Randa. That would have gotten Ken Griffey, Jr. with the bases loaded. But Griffey comes back with a 2-run single off Glavine, making it 4-2, then Sean Casey made it 5-2 with another RBI single.

The Mets got the tying run to the plate in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings. In the sixth, Mientkiewicz hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded, making it 5-3, Reds. And the thing about the Mets lineup is that you feel that if one guy gets on at any time, they have a chance to score. When the top of the lineup is up, Reyes and Matsui are setting the table for Beltran*. Then it's Piazza, and Floyd, who's come out of spring training ripping the ball. Then Wright, Mientkiewicz are a pretty darn good 6-7, and in Wednesday night's case, Victor Diaz was the 8 hitter, in right field. So it doesn't seem too hard to build a rally...but the Mets couldn't on Wednesday. Beltran struck out looking at a pitch down the middle (surprised, maybe, that Meriwhether didn't call it a ball), and the Mets never got closer.

Mike DeJean came in in the bottom of the eighth inning, and a huge argument delayed the game for a good five minutes - maybe even ten. The gist of it was that Willie Randolph didn't announce a double switch before DeJean started warming up, so DeJean had to lead off the ninth inning (the Mets pinch-hit), but the delay definitely affected DeJean. He couldn't find the plate...he loaded the bases, then served up a grand slam to Joe Randa. The Mets added a couple of runs in the top of the ninth to make it a 9-5 final.

A couple of things I noticed watching baseball the past couple of days - the Dodgers weren't wearing names on the back of their road uniforms in San Francisco. Not sure if that's a permanent change or a throwback occasion or something. (If it was a true throwback game, though, they would have been playing in New York.) And I have to admit, seeing the way the Red Sox lost to the Yankees on Tuesday made me feel a tiny bit better about the Mets' loss on Monday. Just a tiny bit. Let's check some mail:

"JohnnyMets,

You told us that you expect the Mets to win the NL behind MVP Carlos Beltran and Cy Young Pedro Martinez*. But you did not tell us how you expect them to fare against your predicted AL champion Anaheim Angels.

Wait. Let me guess. 4-0 sweep.

Dave in Brighton"

My bad, Dave. First of all, let's remember that it's now the Los Angeles Angels, and it would be a five-game World Series win.

"Dear JohnnyMets-

OK. So we've been together for five years. And you've LIVED with me for one year. So let me ask you... *how* can you pick the Yankees to win the AL East this year??? Yes, they have Johnson, Jeter, Matsui and the two BALCO boys. And yes, the Sox looked like crap against them Monday night. But honestly, do you want to continue having our house sponsored by DirecTV? Because with predictions like that, it might just be shut off and we'll have the House Sponsored by Rabbit Ears Antenna.

Sincerely,

Your Wife"

Wow. The wife weighing in. I think she meant the Sox looked like crap on Sunday. We'll keep this e-mail handy and re-evaluate in October.

The Mets-Reds series wraps up Thursday afternoon, 12:30, in Cincinnati. Mets need to come out with a win.

THROWN FOR (AND BY) A LOOPER

Reds 7 (1-0), Mets 6 (0-1)

I don't know what I can't believe more. Here are the options:

1) The way the Mets lost this game.
2) The fact that of all the suspects likely to blow this game, the least likely man was the one who did it.
3) The fact that I screwed up my entire tape-the-game-avoid-all-human-contact-then-watch-the-tape plan.
4) The fact that even after I screwed that up, I still watched the entire game, convinced myself I saw the wrong outcome, and worked myself up when the Mets blew the lead. (I'll tell this story later.)

The first surprise in this game was that Doug Mientkiewicz hit sixth, and future Hall of Famer David Wright hit seventh. Perhaps Mientkiewicz had good career numbers against Paul Wilson (when Wilson was in Tampa Bay).

It's getting into the realm of torturous listening to Joe Morgan. I'm not going to get into why, but for example, at the end of the game, he says, "What's that Yogi Berra saying? It's never over until the game ends?" Or something like that - he butchered it. Along the same lines...Kaz Matsui homers in the top of the first inning, putting the Mets up 1-0. A good color commentator (or me) might say "For the second straight year, Matsui homers in his first at-bat of the season." But Morgan didn't. I am starting to strongly dislike him. (Not just for missing the chance on the Matsui comment - I'm half-joking about that. But I really think he's slipping into Alzheimer's a little. Something's seriously wrong. Listen to him a couple of times and make a case he isn't slipping...I challenge you.)

Bottom of the first, the Reds take the lead off Pedro Martinez*. Adam Dunn capped a rough first inning with a three-run bomb, putting Cincinnati up 3-1.

Carlos Beltran* drew the Mets even with a 2-run homer in the third, making it 3-3. Meanwhile, Pedro Martinez* was striking out everyone and their brother. He struck out the side in the 2nd and 3rd innings, and got the first two guys in the fourth. He didn't allow another hit after Dunn's homer, and finished with 6 innings, 3 ER, 3 hits, 2 walks, and 12 strikeouts. Pedro* threw 103 pitches, and actually left the game with a chance to win. (Red Sox fans are thinking - we've seen this before.) I think I might be able to find it in my heart to root for Pedro*.

On the offensive side, I can't complain. Carlos Beltran* was 3-for-5 with a single, double, and homer. Beltran* and Martinez* are on pace to lose their asterisks by the opening homestand. My only complaint, ironically, comes against future Hall of Famer David Wright. Twice, with two men on, he grounded into double plays. (He did, though, double to the wall in right field.) We need more activity in the clutch from a future Hall of Famer.

Paul Wilson started for the Reds. This allowed for a half-inning or so of talk about "Generation K", the Mets' high hopes for Wilson, Bill Pulsipher, and Jason Isringhausen. Ah, memories.

The Mets took the lead in the seventh. After Jose Reyes, THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, led off the inning with a double, and Matsui bunted him to third, Beltran* drove home the go-ahead run with a single to left. Cliff Floyd then homered to make it 6-3 Mets. More good news on offense - first of all, Reyes didn't get hurt. He's still a free swinger, and isn't going to lead the league in walks (ever - he swung at a pitch that hit him in the foot in the eighth inning), but he showed flashes of being THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED Monday when he singled to right-center field and stretched that into a double. Great speed. And the other good sign on offense was Cliff Floyd was swinging the bat well. He had a great game - 3-for-4, with the homer (that should have provided the insurance in the win). If Floyd can keep this up, and not show signs of fatigue after the first month of the season (he looks in May like other guys look in October after a full season), the Mets will be in good shape in the outfield.

The Mets' bullpen is not one of their strong points. But Braden Looper is supposed to be the strongest part of it. Ironically, he blew this one, while Manny Aybar and Dae-Sung Koo turned in surprisingly good performances to set him up with the 6-4 lead entering the ninth. But Looper gave up a single, homer, homer to end the game, 7-6 Reds. Mets pitchers struck out 16 Reds. The Reds didn't have a hit between the first and seventh innings. But the Reds still won. Very frustrating.

Here's something else that's frustrating. I managed to make it all the way home from work without hearing how old friend Pedro* did (a tough feat in greater Boston, in my opinion). So when I got home, the VCR was still going (but I had no picture), and for some stupid reason, I turned the channel from ESPN to ESPNEWS. I came back to the TV after the VCR timer stopped, and turned on the TV to rewind the VCR. I tried not to look at the bottom line, but before I changed the channel, I saw that Joe Randa had hit a walk-off homer. My thought process was as follows:

"Hmm. Joe Randa hit a walk-off homer. I shouldn't have read that. It could have had to do with the Mets game. Good thing it was just the Royals game. So the Royals must have won, if Randa hit a walk-off. That's good, I guess. I don't mind seeing the Royals win.............wait a second. Randa doesn't play for the Royals anymore. He plays for - (mind racing) - not the Reds. No, he doesn't play for the Reds. OH YES HE DOES YOU STUPID MORON WHY DID YOU LOOK AT THE TV?!?! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU JUST DID THAT. IF RANDA HIT A WALK-OFF, YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS??!?! IT MEANS THE METS LOST, YOU *!?!$#. "

What a dope I am. And then.....and then, I watched the freakin' game. And then.......and then, when the Mets took a 6-3 lead, yes, I believed they were going to win the game. "There must be another Randa in the majors now, because I can't imagine a scenario where the Mets can lose this one," I think. Then Aybar and Koo get the game to Looper, and I think, "There's no way Randa hits a walk-off here. For that to happen, Looper would have to give up three straight hits, or something bad." Needless to say, I am not happy right now.

I don't feel too confident in Looper. I know I put up a good front, saying he's the strong point of the bullpen, but I feel like if the Mets can get someone to fill that closer spot, i.e. Ugueth Urbina, even though he got roughed up a bit on Monday, I'd feel a bit more comfortable with the Mets' chances. In that same game (Urbina's game), Dmitri Young homered three times. Watching his stats on the bottom line during the Mets game was pretty unbelievable. The more believable thing will be when he finishes with 23 homers or so, and everyone says, remember when he hit three on Opening Day?

In other Mets news, Kris Benson was placed on the disabled list with a strained pectoral muscle. Marlon Anderson replaced him on the roster. It'll be interesting to see how the Mets replace Benson when they need a fifth starter...on Saturday they traded away Matt Ginter for a minor leaguer. That would have been Ginter's spot.

A quick mailbagger: (Subject: OPENING DAY SPOILER SPOILER DO NOT READ)

"Dear JohnnyMets,

Hope that subject line was enough to keep you from reading before you'd seen the game.
A question and a comment this opening day....

The question is did you see the look on Looper's face when he gave up the game-winning homer? He looked like a horrible mix of pain and disbelief.

My comment is that Pedro has bad luck on opening day. I can think of 3 instances where the Sox pen blew his win. 12 K in his debut, by the way. Not bad.

Dave"

Dave- I did see the look on Looper's face, and though I was not near a mirror, I'd say your description of "horrible mix of pain and disbelief" would also fit the "I can't believe I just watched that tape knowing full well that Joe Randa was somehow, some way, going to hit a walk off homer to beat the Mets." I'm starting to think right now that this blog might be a little funnier if I started including profanity. I have choice words for Looper. But that's an easy trap to fall into...then all I'd be doing was cursing at the Mets. We don't need to go there.

As for your other comment, I do remember Pedro (no asterisk - we're not talking about him as a Met here) having bad luck on Opening Day, but if I remember correctly, at least one of those games was a 13-10 decision (or possibly no decision) to the Blue Jays in which he actually got rocked.

My hope for the Mets now is to bounce back from this very difficult loss and take two out of three in Cincy. They don't play again until Wednesday.

The blog will hopefully be daily from here on out. I am also going to try to include headlines daily (or at least on game recaps). Some will be hits, some misses. Just giving you fair warning. And because of the move, I never had a chance to do my season predictions. Here they are:

NL Rookie of the Year: Garrett Adkins (even though he just went on the DL)
AL Rookie of the Year: Jeremy Reed
AL Cy Young Award: Randy Johnson (he looked good Sunday night - might not have picked him if I did this before the season)
NL Cy Young Award: Pedro Martinez*
AL MVP: Vladimir Guerrero (not very original)
NL MVP: Carlos Beltran (not very original)

NL Champion: Mets (not very original....for me, anyway)
AL Champion: Angels

AL East: Yankees
AL Central: White Sox
AL West: Angels
AL Wild Card: Rangers

NL East: Mets
NL Central: Astros
NL West: Dodgers
NL Wild Card: Cardinals

Those are just my picks - don't ask for justifications. I will reassess at the All-Star break.

The first posting from the House sponsored by DirecTV. And it's not going to be long - I have to go to bed. Just wanted to let everyone know that the aforementioned house is now connected to the internet, just in time for Opening Day. I'm so psyched that there's actually a baseball game that counts going on right now - even if it is the Red Sox and the Yankees.

Here's the deal - I'm going to be in school when the Mets and Reds play the opener on Monday. So if you have even the slightest thought of calling me during the game and leaving a message on my cell or house phone, please don't. I am going to try to tape the game, then avoid all human contact until I get to watch that tape. Then I'll post my first recap of the season tomorrow night, and maybe check the mailbag - it feels like weeks since I've been online.

So please don't ruin the Mets game on me on Monday. I'll probably have the game watched by 8 o'clock. Enjoy the baseball season.

Mets 7, Reds 6 (38-39, 3 GB)

Thursday, July 1, 2004

Al Leiter's reactions on the mound are usually priceless. For example, one of the best I've ever seen out of him came yesterday in the bottom of the seventh inning. Cliff Floyd made a bobbling catch after the ball ticked off his glove, bounced back in the air, then Floyd gathered it in with his bare hand. Fox Sports showed a replay isolated on Leiter, where after Floyd makes the catch, Leiter throws his hands up in the air, and gives a little celebratory jump, then shoots Floyd a look, kind of like, "I can't believe you almost dropped that". Something he could only get away with, because he's so likable.

Anyway, I bet there were some less likable reactions coming out of the clubhouse after Leiter left the game. He pitched seven scoreless innings, giving up just 2 hits, and left with a 6-0 lead. Ricky Bottalico gave most of that lead back in the 8th, and Braden Looper saved it.

It was almost a horrible loss, in which the Mets would have wasted homers by Eric Valent, Shane Spencer, Richard Hidalgo, and THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, Jose Reyes. It would have also sucked a lot of wind out of the Mets before they played the Yankees. But it wasn't a horrible loss...it was a plain ol' win. And that's important.

Last week I wrote how I've been disappointed lately with Steve Trachsel. That can change 100% tonight if he comes through against Mike Mussina and the Yankees. This is the biggest game he'll pitch yet this year. Until his next start, which will come in Philadelphia.

It's so weird watching Leiter pitch. He just keeps letting guys get on base...but you just know he's not going to let them score. It's awesome...By the way, Leiter's ERA is 2.12, 0.04 ahead of Tom Glavine's, but he is 2/3 of an inning short of qualifying for the league lead...It's much easier listening to the Mets games when Matt Loughlin teams up with Fran Healy. Or Keith Hernandez teams up with Fran Healy. Notice the common denominator. No Ted Robinson. We need him to go cover tennis more often. Or at least I do. I think I actually enjoy Fran Healy a little bit. He's just so strange. It also makes me wonder if Healy and Robinson don't get along - there's an element in the booth that makes me uncomfortable when the two of them work together. Or maybe it's just that Robinson talks too much.

Just a final observation - there's nothing quite like experiencing a baseball season in Boston. Up until yesterday, I didn't enjoy it. I find most Red Sox fans annoying (I said MOST - not the faithful readers of this website who also happen to be Red Sox fans), because they almost enjoy it when their team's season falls apart, like it did these past three games in New York. It's tough to root for a team whose followers are so friggin' negative ALL THE TIME. I mean, this is a team that's 2 games out of the wild card, and the fans are done with the team. If you want to see some good turmoil, check out the Boston papers online every once in a while this summer, because this team is falling apart fast, and there are a lot of big name players who are going to be free agents at the end of the season. Those players are also not known for keeping their mouths shut. On the plus side, and to tie this in to the Mets site I run here, two Red Sox fans I know (you know who they are) have pledged their allegiance to the Mets because of the Red Sox struggles (although one of them is contingent on free agent Pedro Martinez signing with the Yankees next year). Welcome aboard, friends!

WRIGHT WATCH: David Wright was 0-for-3 last night, with a walk and an RBI. He was also caught stealing. The average is at .355.

Reds 2, Mets 0 (37-39, 3 GB)

Wednesday, June 30, 2004

Again, due to the overlapping week of work and class, I only saw the last couple of innings of last night's loss. I can't really comment on the game, because I didn't see much of what happened. But again, Tom Glavine gets a tough loss. He's 7-5 on the year. That's just awful...and not fair. The good news, though, is that both the Marlins and Phillies lost, so the Mets stay 3 games out.

The Mets went 13-13 in the month of June. That means the johnnymets guarantee from last month is wrong. After saying the Mets went 15-12 in May, and should have an easier time against weaker opposition in June, I wrote:

"Of course, the Mets being the Mets, they're not going to dominate these teams like they should. But it's safe to say the Mets should win more games in June than they did in May. That's a johnnymets guarantee."

Oops. But I'm owning up to it, because I want to brag about being the one who predicted the Mets will win the World Series when they do that in October. Gotta take the bad with the good.

The problem with the 13-13 in June, though, is that the Mets need to do better than that to compete (they went 9-12 in April, 15-12 in May). And the schedule only gets tougher from now on. July is made up mostly of NL East opponents (plus this weekend's series against the Yankees). It's contender or pretender time for the Mets.

WRIGHT WATCH: Wright went 2-for-4 with a strikeout, and he stole his second Triple-A base. He's hitting .373. There's a big write-up on Wright (wright-up?) in today's Daily News. It talks about his relationship with Ty Wigginton, and talks about where Wigginton might be traded to. It also says that Mets officials say Wright won't be up with the Mets until after the All-Star break. (Yesterday WFAN rumored he might be up on Monday.)

Also in yesterday's Norfolk game, Scott Erickson went seven and two-thirds scoreless innings - his first good start for the Tides in some time. I hope that doesn't encourage the Mets to bring up Erickson anytime soon - he's not the answer.

Finally, I forgot to write this yesterday...but maybe some of you remembered. Last night on AMC (American Movie Classics) was the new show "Into Character", in which my brother and his friend were made into the Blues Brothers. It was really great, and funny. If you get the chance to catch a rerun of it on AMC, watch it - it's worth it. The only rerun I can find right now is 5:25am next Wednesday. Hopefully there'll be another one, at a more normal time. Otherwise, we have many tapes of it.