Not much time for a preview of Sunday's game, but I'll do a quick one, then jump right into my picks for the week. I was 10-6 against the spread last week...and remember, this is all for entertainment purposes only. Seriously. If it wasn't, I would have made some money last week...but one of these weeks, I would definitely lose my make-believe money. So that's why it's all make-believe. Anyway, onto the previews:
The Jets play at San Diego against the Chargers, who surprised me by beating the Houston Texans last week. I don't think the Chargers are very good, and Drew Brees played really well last week. He shouldn't play that well again. I think the Jets have handled LaDainian Tomlinson well in the games they've played him..actually, come to think of it, he may have been hurt the last time the Jets played San Diego, so they may never have faced Tomlinson. Regardless, I think the Jets can handle the Chargers. I'm going to say 24-14, covering the 3-point spread.
The rest of the NFL: I'm going to take Jacksonville getting 3 and a half at home against Denver. Denver looked really good last week, but I like the Jaguars to lose by three or less at home, because that's what home-field advantage is all about.
Baltimore let down a lot of people last week, losing to Cleveland. They didn't let me down - I've been saying they're not as good as people have been saying they'll be. But they're better than Pittsburgh, and they'll cover 3 and a half points at home.
Houston let me down last week...but I think they'll bounce back this week at Detroit, getting 3.
Indianapolis is getting a point in Tennessee...they'll win outright. Indy's the pick.
Green Bay is my lock of the week to win at home against the Bears. 8 and a half is a lot of points, but I'll take them to cover as well. Packers -81/2.
The Giants are not good. Until they show me they can win, I'll keep picking against them. Washington will ruin the home opener. Redskins, -3.
New Orleans is a seven and a half point favorite over the 49ers this weekend. I don't get the Saints, but I don't think San Francisco is very good. So I'll take the Saints.
Atlanta's a 2-point favorite over Saint Louis. I'm not sure why. I'll take the Rams plus 2.
Kansas City's giving six and a half to the Panthers. The Panthers have a bunch of injuries already - their running back and their best receiver. Gotta be the Chiefs.
Seattle's giving two and a half at Tampa Bay. Seattle tends to struggle on the road, but Tampa is not good. I'll take the Seahawks.
Dallas is a five-point favorite over the Browns. The Browns were impressive last week, and the Cowboys were not. I expect a role reversal...go with Dallas.
The Patriots go to Arizona, and are 8-point favorites. I just feel like the Cardinals will keep it close. I'll take Arizona.
Oakland's giving three and a half to Buffalo out west. The Raiders will kill the Bills.
And the Bengals, after looking impressive against the Jets last week, host Miami Sunday night. They're giving five points. I'll take Cincy.
Monday night, it's the Eagles and Vikings. I'll take Philly giving three and a half...but it'll be close.
I should be able to post a recap of the Jets-Chargers game Sunday night. Thanks for reading.
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Scott Kazmir knows I'm watching. He knows this is the first time I've been able to watch him since the Mets traded him to the Devil Rays for Victor Zambrano. He's been saving his best effort for tonight, because he knew I'd be watching very carefully, ready to write about what a crappy trade this was if he pitched well.
It was a crappy trade. What a crappy trade. Scott Kazmir is shutting out the Red Sox through six innings right now...pitching the best game of his short, short career. He's got 9 strikeouts, no runs, and he's given up just three hits. I really thought the Red Sox would knock him around - a lot. It remains to be seen at this writing if Tampa Bay holds on to win the game, and get Kazmir his second major league win...but Kazmir was very impressive on Tuesday night.
Other impressive nights - Kris Benson (so far) and David Wright. As I write this, Wright is 3-for-3, with his 12th homer of the year, and Benson has shut out the Braves through five innings. Back-to-back good starts for Benson - he knows free agency is right around the corner.
One e-mail to get to, which I'll print now since I don't know when I will get to a computer again (if you've been checking out johnnyjets.blogspot.com, which I know you have, you know my computer was stolen):
"Dear johnnymetsmail,
That cheesesteak story was disgusting. I just feel sorry for your wife having to sit next to you for that whole game. I loved the pictures from Philly, but I wish there were some of your beautiful wife.
The website is a great resource for Mets fans and extremely well done and up to date. However, seeing as how you live in the Boston area, I think that you should address the needs of Red Sox Nation also. Some Red Sox related features would be much appreciated.
What is you take on the Sox this year? Do they have what it takes to finally win it all. What did you think of the Nomar trade? Did it make the Red Sox better or worse? Wouldn't they have been better off to get some pitching in return? Additionally who do you see the Sox resigning in the offseason and who will leave? Who do you see those players signing with? Furthermore, what offseason moves could the Sox make to become a better team? Is Roger Clemens coming back next year?
Sox Fan From Shrewsbury"
Thanks, Sox Fan. First of all, get over the cheesesteak. Everyone needs to get over the cheesesteak. Sometimes, you just make a bad food choice when you visit a new city...and you have to deal with the consequences. But it's time to move on. As for the Red Sox questions, I think you have johnnymets.blogspot.com confused with "somecrappyredsoxwebsite.blogspot.com". This is a quality Mets site, and you should really respect that. However, considering that 100% of my readers are Red Sox fans, I will indulge you:
I think the Red Sox are quite good this year, however, I think they will fold at some point, whether it's over the final weeks of the regular season or in the post-season. I have no evidence to support this theory, because the Sox are a very good team, but they didn't do it last year, so they never will do it. That's how I feel. That team is cursed bad. The Nomar trade was great, because Nomar is a @#!$&!? #(!@##?>!. They're a better team without that jerk. Pitching in return would have been good, but the defense is improved, which sort of helps out the pitching anyway. Is it coincidence that since the trade Derek Lowe has been pitching a lot better (probably, since I think Mientkiewicz has been hurt, and Cabrera can't be making that much of a difference when Lowe's on the mound). As for the off-season, I don't know who the Sox will sign - I forgot to ask Theo the last time we spoke. But I'm 99% sure Carl Pavano is signing with the Yankees. I do think Varitek and Lowe are gone. I think Varitek will sign with Milwaukee, and Lowe will sign with the Tigers (random guesses - I have no friggin' clue). For the Sox to become a better team, there's really nothing they can do. They had a great team this year and last year, but they are just fated to never ever win. It's sad, really. And Roger Clemens is a jerk. I don't care whether or not he comes back next year. I hope someone throws a shattered bat at him.
Thanks for reading, Sox Fan in Shrewsbury, and everyone else. We'll see when I can access a computer again, but I'll try to do something again before the end of the week. I'm posting early, but the Devil Rays are on their way to a win, and the Mets are up 7-0. David Wright is now 3-for-4.
It was a crappy trade. What a crappy trade. Scott Kazmir is shutting out the Red Sox through six innings right now...pitching the best game of his short, short career. He's got 9 strikeouts, no runs, and he's given up just three hits. I really thought the Red Sox would knock him around - a lot. It remains to be seen at this writing if Tampa Bay holds on to win the game, and get Kazmir his second major league win...but Kazmir was very impressive on Tuesday night.
Other impressive nights - Kris Benson (so far) and David Wright. As I write this, Wright is 3-for-3, with his 12th homer of the year, and Benson has shut out the Braves through five innings. Back-to-back good starts for Benson - he knows free agency is right around the corner.
One e-mail to get to, which I'll print now since I don't know when I will get to a computer again (if you've been checking out johnnyjets.blogspot.com, which I know you have, you know my computer was stolen):
"Dear johnnymetsmail,
That cheesesteak story was disgusting. I just feel sorry for your wife having to sit next to you for that whole game. I loved the pictures from Philly, but I wish there were some of your beautiful wife.
The website is a great resource for Mets fans and extremely well done and up to date. However, seeing as how you live in the Boston area, I think that you should address the needs of Red Sox Nation also. Some Red Sox related features would be much appreciated.
What is you take on the Sox this year? Do they have what it takes to finally win it all. What did you think of the Nomar trade? Did it make the Red Sox better or worse? Wouldn't they have been better off to get some pitching in return? Additionally who do you see the Sox resigning in the offseason and who will leave? Who do you see those players signing with? Furthermore, what offseason moves could the Sox make to become a better team? Is Roger Clemens coming back next year?
Sox Fan From Shrewsbury"
Thanks, Sox Fan. First of all, get over the cheesesteak. Everyone needs to get over the cheesesteak. Sometimes, you just make a bad food choice when you visit a new city...and you have to deal with the consequences. But it's time to move on. As for the Red Sox questions, I think you have johnnymets.blogspot.com confused with "somecrappyredsoxwebsite.blogspot.com". This is a quality Mets site, and you should really respect that. However, considering that 100% of my readers are Red Sox fans, I will indulge you:
I think the Red Sox are quite good this year, however, I think they will fold at some point, whether it's over the final weeks of the regular season or in the post-season. I have no evidence to support this theory, because the Sox are a very good team, but they didn't do it last year, so they never will do it. That's how I feel. That team is cursed bad. The Nomar trade was great, because Nomar is a @#!$&!? #(!@##?>!. They're a better team without that jerk. Pitching in return would have been good, but the defense is improved, which sort of helps out the pitching anyway. Is it coincidence that since the trade Derek Lowe has been pitching a lot better (probably, since I think Mientkiewicz has been hurt, and Cabrera can't be making that much of a difference when Lowe's on the mound). As for the off-season, I don't know who the Sox will sign - I forgot to ask Theo the last time we spoke. But I'm 99% sure Carl Pavano is signing with the Yankees. I do think Varitek and Lowe are gone. I think Varitek will sign with Milwaukee, and Lowe will sign with the Tigers (random guesses - I have no friggin' clue). For the Sox to become a better team, there's really nothing they can do. They had a great team this year and last year, but they are just fated to never ever win. It's sad, really. And Roger Clemens is a jerk. I don't care whether or not he comes back next year. I hope someone throws a shattered bat at him.
Thanks for reading, Sox Fan in Shrewsbury, and everyone else. We'll see when I can access a computer again, but I'll try to do something again before the end of the week. I'm posting early, but the Devil Rays are on their way to a win, and the Mets are up 7-0. David Wright is now 3-for-4.
You stole my computer and thought you'd keep me from writing, did you? Well, you were wrong. My wife was kind enough to lend me her work computer for the night so I could check on my 1-0 fantasy football team, and my week one pool win. So I thought I'd update the site while I was at it. (And if you have any designs on breaking in again and stealing this computer, be ready to get a baseball bat across the face.) A special thanks to my sister for rooting the Jets to victory as she attended her first season opener, and then writing about some of it on the site. Thanks for being more grateful in the backup role than LaMont Jordan.
So, obviously, the weekly schedule is again in upheaval. There was no e-mail, but I forgot to print this one last week, so I'll do it now. It's signed Al Montoya, in Ann Arbor, MI...I think it's not the Montoya the New York Rangers drafted to play goalie, but since the NHL is out of business for the next couple of years, maybe it actually was him:
"There is absolutely ZERO chance that the Jets will make the Super Bowl. You know it. I know it. The American people know it. Save this email, so you can rub it in my face in January, but only if you also promise to re-print it when the Jets either a) get eliminated in the first round of the playoffs or b) fail to qualify for the postseason altogether. ("FAIL TO QUALIFY FOR THE POSTSEASON!!!" A little "Airplane" humor for you there! It would've worked better if several people could've written it at the same time. Oh well.)"
I got an angry e-mail from Montoya the next day after I failed to print this e-mail last mail day...I misunderstood. I thought I was only supposed to print this to RUB IT IN HIS FACE. That's right. I'm not backing down, buddy. You watch...just watch. And I will promise to re-print this if.....ah, it's not even worth writing...it's not going to happen.
Anyway, reading today's Daily News reminded me that I haven't even mentioned Paul Hackett in my season previews. Well, now he's been mentioned. I am not ready to give him too much credit, because he did what he's supposed to do - use his offensive weapons and win the game. The Daily News article had a weird stat in it though - Sunday's game was just the tenth time the Jets have reached the 30-point mark since Herman Edwards and Paul Hackett have been working together. That's 49 games. Just 20 percent of the time. I wonder what the league average is on that...but it seems like the Jets should be scoring 30 points a little more often. Hopefully it will be a common occurrence this season.
Last week I started a picks section, where I pick the games against the spread. I'll continue that, since I got no negative feedback (the good thing about no feedback at all is no negative feedback), and since I enjoy it. Last week, I started out 8-1, before losing every 4 o'clock game, and the last three 1 o'clockers, but rebounded to take the Sunday and Monday night games. 10-6 overall last weekend - that still would have won me some money - but, of course, this is for entertainment purposes only.
I can't make any promises about the next time I'll be writing, but hopefully I'll be able to post something again by Friday, previewing Sunday's 4 o'clock game in San Diego against the Chargers.
So, obviously, the weekly schedule is again in upheaval. There was no e-mail, but I forgot to print this one last week, so I'll do it now. It's signed Al Montoya, in Ann Arbor, MI...I think it's not the Montoya the New York Rangers drafted to play goalie, but since the NHL is out of business for the next couple of years, maybe it actually was him:
"There is absolutely ZERO chance that the Jets will make the Super Bowl. You know it. I know it. The American people know it. Save this email, so you can rub it in my face in January, but only if you also promise to re-print it when the Jets either a) get eliminated in the first round of the playoffs or b) fail to qualify for the postseason altogether. ("FAIL TO QUALIFY FOR THE POSTSEASON!!!" A little "Airplane" humor for you there! It would've worked better if several people could've written it at the same time. Oh well.)"
I got an angry e-mail from Montoya the next day after I failed to print this e-mail last mail day...I misunderstood. I thought I was only supposed to print this to RUB IT IN HIS FACE. That's right. I'm not backing down, buddy. You watch...just watch. And I will promise to re-print this if.....ah, it's not even worth writing...it's not going to happen.
Anyway, reading today's Daily News reminded me that I haven't even mentioned Paul Hackett in my season previews. Well, now he's been mentioned. I am not ready to give him too much credit, because he did what he's supposed to do - use his offensive weapons and win the game. The Daily News article had a weird stat in it though - Sunday's game was just the tenth time the Jets have reached the 30-point mark since Herman Edwards and Paul Hackett have been working together. That's 49 games. Just 20 percent of the time. I wonder what the league average is on that...but it seems like the Jets should be scoring 30 points a little more often. Hopefully it will be a common occurrence this season.
Last week I started a picks section, where I pick the games against the spread. I'll continue that, since I got no negative feedback (the good thing about no feedback at all is no negative feedback), and since I enjoy it. Last week, I started out 8-1, before losing every 4 o'clock game, and the last three 1 o'clockers, but rebounded to take the Sunday and Monday night games. 10-6 overall last weekend - that still would have won me some money - but, of course, this is for entertainment purposes only.
I can't make any promises about the next time I'll be writing, but hopefully I'll be able to post something again by Friday, previewing Sunday's 4 o'clock game in San Diego against the Chargers.
Sunday, September 12, 2004
Jets 31, Bengals 24
This is John's sister substituting for John. Unfortunately, the regular postings are going to be interrupted due to the unfortunate break-in at John's apartment, resulting in the robbery of John's laptop. Johnnyjets.blogspot.com haters are suspected.
John was very pleased with Sunday's game. Curtis Martin was unbelieveable, rushing for 196 yards on 29 carries - he's going to have a big year. Chad Pennington looked shakey at times, sharp at others, but came through in the win. And it was great to see Wayne Chrebet come back, making 2 catches for 29 yards.
The defense was good enough, playing pretty well against the run. John was a little disappointed that they didn't put a lot of pressure on Carson Palmer, because he looked too comfortable, and in all honesty, played a really good game. The defense gave up a few big plays but overall was very effective.
Next week the Jets are in San Diego to play the Chargers. Hopefully, John will be able to get on a computer and update the site again before then.
John was very pleased with Sunday's game. Curtis Martin was unbelieveable, rushing for 196 yards on 29 carries - he's going to have a big year. Chad Pennington looked shakey at times, sharp at others, but came through in the win. And it was great to see Wayne Chrebet come back, making 2 catches for 29 yards.
The defense was good enough, playing pretty well against the run. John was a little disappointed that they didn't put a lot of pressure on Carson Palmer, because he looked too comfortable, and in all honesty, played a really good game. The defense gave up a few big plays but overall was very effective.
Next week the Jets are in San Diego to play the Chargers. Hopefully, John will be able to get on a computer and update the site again before then.
Thursday, September 09, 2004
Sunday. 1pm. Jets. Bengals. I've written this before, but I think the Jets defense should be able to fluster and overwhelm Carson Palmer, and therefore, the Bengals offense. I really believe it. I know I'm usually overly optimistic, but I really think the Jets are the biggest lock of the weekend. What follows is for entertainment purposes only: The Jets are giving 4 1/2 points - usually that's too big a spread for my liking in a game where the Jets are favorites, but we'll go with the Jets - 27-17.
For my own statistical purposes - here's the rest of the NFL picks:
Tennessee-Miami: The game's been moved to Saturday because of Hurricane Ivan - the Dolphins probably wish it had been cancelled outright. Tennessee's giving 3 at Miami. Titans.
Pittsburgh, at home, against Oakland. Pittsburgh's a 4-point favorite - I don't think either of these teams are going to be too good this year...but Pitt's better this week - by 5 points. I pick Pitt.
Washington and Tampa Bay. I think the Redskins win at home in Joe Gibbs' debut. Re-debut. Whatever it is. I take Washington, giving a point and a half.
Cleveland hosts what used to be Cleveland, aka Baltimore. I think I'll take new Cleveland, getting three points at home, against the Ravens. I don't know that they'll win, but they'll lose by less than two.
Buffalo hosts Jacksonville, and is the favorite. I think the Jaguars win outright, so I take them getting three points.
Chicago, at home, giving three to Detroit. Again, I think the underdog wins the game. Go Lions, +3.
Saint Louis is an 11-point favorite at home over Arizona. I don't know, it's a big spread, I'll trust the bookies. Rams.
New Orleans is a home 'dog, getting 2 against Seattle. I'll pick the Seahawks, I think they're better.
Houston, at home, gives 5 to San Diego. The Texans will have a good year, and they'll win by a touchdown.
The Eagles are giving nine to the Giants. The Giants usually play the Eagles tight. That seems like a big spread - I'll go with the Giants, +9.
Minnesota, at home, minus 4-and-a-half against the Cowboys. I'll take the Cowboys, because I don't think they'll win, but Vinny's going to stick it to me...so I'm using some counterintuitive thinking.
The Falcons are 3-and-a-half point favorites over the 49ers. I think the Falcons will cover.
Sunday night, Denver at home, gives three to the Chiefs. I think Denver wins and covers, because it seems like they always do at home.
Monday night, Carolina minus-3 hosting Green Bay. Gotta go with Favre and the Pack getting points.
The Colts are letting my pick slip away here late in the third quarter - we'll see how this game turns out, along with the rest - on Monday. I'll have my results. Your mail appears on Tuesday - so send it along!!!
For my own statistical purposes - here's the rest of the NFL picks:
Tennessee-Miami: The game's been moved to Saturday because of Hurricane Ivan - the Dolphins probably wish it had been cancelled outright. Tennessee's giving 3 at Miami. Titans.
Pittsburgh, at home, against Oakland. Pittsburgh's a 4-point favorite - I don't think either of these teams are going to be too good this year...but Pitt's better this week - by 5 points. I pick Pitt.
Washington and Tampa Bay. I think the Redskins win at home in Joe Gibbs' debut. Re-debut. Whatever it is. I take Washington, giving a point and a half.
Cleveland hosts what used to be Cleveland, aka Baltimore. I think I'll take new Cleveland, getting three points at home, against the Ravens. I don't know that they'll win, but they'll lose by less than two.
Buffalo hosts Jacksonville, and is the favorite. I think the Jaguars win outright, so I take them getting three points.
Chicago, at home, giving three to Detroit. Again, I think the underdog wins the game. Go Lions, +3.
Saint Louis is an 11-point favorite at home over Arizona. I don't know, it's a big spread, I'll trust the bookies. Rams.
New Orleans is a home 'dog, getting 2 against Seattle. I'll pick the Seahawks, I think they're better.
Houston, at home, gives 5 to San Diego. The Texans will have a good year, and they'll win by a touchdown.
The Eagles are giving nine to the Giants. The Giants usually play the Eagles tight. That seems like a big spread - I'll go with the Giants, +9.
Minnesota, at home, minus 4-and-a-half against the Cowboys. I'll take the Cowboys, because I don't think they'll win, but Vinny's going to stick it to me...so I'm using some counterintuitive thinking.
The Falcons are 3-and-a-half point favorites over the 49ers. I think the Falcons will cover.
Sunday night, Denver at home, gives three to the Chiefs. I think Denver wins and covers, because it seems like they always do at home.
Monday night, Carolina minus-3 hosting Green Bay. Gotta go with Favre and the Pack getting points.
The Colts are letting my pick slip away here late in the third quarter - we'll see how this game turns out, along with the rest - on Monday. I'll have my results. Your mail appears on Tuesday - so send it along!!!
METS 4, MARLINS 0
HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH!! HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH! HA-LEEI-LU-JAH!!!
THE METS WIN! THE METS WIN! THEY WINNNNNN!!!!
Our lead story today - the New York Mets have won a baseball game, beating the Florida Marlins, 4-0, in Miami. The win put an end to the Mets' 11-game losing streak, and also ended a 10-game losing streak to the Marlins. Kris Benson combined with Bartolome Fortunato and Braden Looper to get the shutout.
Benson pitched well after skipping a start because of a sore shoulder. That'll just drive up his asking price as he enters free agency. But I'm still hearing that Benson wants to re-sign with the Mets, and that the talks should be picking up again soon. So that's contrary to what "Dave from Brighton" had written in his letter (you can still see that below this posting) in yesterday's mailbag...referring to Peter Gammons saying that Benson was going to test the free agency waters during the off-season. First of all, I don't know who this Peter Gammons is, and I don't know why Dave would go reading this Gammons fellow, who for all I know doesn't know a baseball from a foosball, instead of me. Trust me, Dave...trust me. Benson will re-sign with the Mets by November.
So back to Thursday afternoon's game (sorry this is in such a huge font - I haven't figured out how to fix it). David Wright - a big 2-for-4, and a stolen base. He tripled off of David Weathers (back with the Marlins - didn't even know about that one), and scored a run. Eric Valent hit his eleventh homer. I love Eric Valent. Valent's hitting .273, Wright's hitting .291. Just FYI.
I need to go write the Jets site, and get back to some kind of normal font. Enjoy the opening weekend of football - and check out johnnyjets.blogspot.com!!
HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH!! HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH! HA-LEEI-LU-JAH!!!
THE METS WIN! THE METS WIN! THEY WINNNNNN!!!!
Our lead story today - the New York Mets have won a baseball game, beating the Florida Marlins, 4-0, in Miami. The win put an end to the Mets' 11-game losing streak, and also ended a 10-game losing streak to the Marlins. Kris Benson combined with Bartolome Fortunato and Braden Looper to get the shutout.
Benson pitched well after skipping a start because of a sore shoulder. That'll just drive up his asking price as he enters free agency. But I'm still hearing that Benson wants to re-sign with the Mets, and that the talks should be picking up again soon. So that's contrary to what "Dave from Brighton" had written in his letter (you can still see that below this posting) in yesterday's mailbag...referring to Peter Gammons saying that Benson was going to test the free agency waters during the off-season. First of all, I don't know who this Peter Gammons is, and I don't know why Dave would go reading this Gammons fellow, who for all I know doesn't know a baseball from a foosball, instead of me. Trust me, Dave...trust me. Benson will re-sign with the Mets by November.
So back to Thursday afternoon's game (sorry this is in such a huge font - I haven't figured out how to fix it). David Wright - a big 2-for-4, and a stolen base. He tripled off of David Weathers (back with the Marlins - didn't even know about that one), and scored a run. Eric Valent hit his eleventh homer. I love Eric Valent. Valent's hitting .273, Wright's hitting .291. Just FYI.
I need to go write the Jets site, and get back to some kind of normal font. Enjoy the opening weekend of football - and check out johnnyjets.blogspot.com!!
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
Sorry folks. I was too sick to write yesterday. So there's no AFC East preview.
Today is the day I'm supposed to write about the Jets' opponent, and to be honest, there's not a whole heck of a lot going on in Cincinnati. The big news is that the Bengals want to get off to a better start than they did last year (duh - so do the Jets), and that they want to do better than their 3-5 mark on the road. The opener is at the Jets, so the idea is the Bengals want to win in Week 1. Not much insight out of Ohio. So I'll draw my own conclusions.
Carson Palmer is the Bengals quarterback - he was named the starter from the beginning of the preseason, unseating Jon Kitna, who had a surprisingly good season last year. Corey Dillon is no longer a Bengal (he's now with New England), but they have a very good running back in Rudi Johnson. That'll be a great test for the Jets' defense - Rudi Johnson will test their run defense, and we'll find out if that part of their game is better.
The Bengals' receivers are kind of dangerous. Peter Warrick still hasn't lived up to his potential, but Chad Johnson is the one to look out for. He's put up two very good seasons in a row. The receivers can't do anything, though, if the quarterback can't get them the ball...so I hope the Jets' D blitzes Palmer like crazy, not giving him a chance to think, and makes the Bengals offense a non-factor.
The Bengals defense is pretty good, I think...but to be honest, I couldn't name one guy on their defense. That said, time to switch into e-mail mode, the last time we will do e-mail on Thursday - from now on it'll be on Tuesday - meaning send your mail by Monday.
"Dear Johnnyjets,
The line on Thursday's season opener in New England is Pats minus 3 1/2 versus the Colts. Do you give the points or take them?
Thanks,
Bettor in Brighton"
Not that I encourage this sort of thing, but I will be making picks throughout the season, and keeping track of them, as you would see in your local paper. My disclaimer is that my picks are for entertainment purposes only, and to keep a statistic, which I love to do. So proceed at your own risk. That said, I think the Colts keep Thursday night's game close, and I think they have a very good chance to win. I think the Patriots will get called for a number of penalties, and the Colts want revenge. Bad. I take the Colts with the points.
Tomorrow we'll preview the season opener!!!!!
Today is the day I'm supposed to write about the Jets' opponent, and to be honest, there's not a whole heck of a lot going on in Cincinnati. The big news is that the Bengals want to get off to a better start than they did last year (duh - so do the Jets), and that they want to do better than their 3-5 mark on the road. The opener is at the Jets, so the idea is the Bengals want to win in Week 1. Not much insight out of Ohio. So I'll draw my own conclusions.
Carson Palmer is the Bengals quarterback - he was named the starter from the beginning of the preseason, unseating Jon Kitna, who had a surprisingly good season last year. Corey Dillon is no longer a Bengal (he's now with New England), but they have a very good running back in Rudi Johnson. That'll be a great test for the Jets' defense - Rudi Johnson will test their run defense, and we'll find out if that part of their game is better.
The Bengals' receivers are kind of dangerous. Peter Warrick still hasn't lived up to his potential, but Chad Johnson is the one to look out for. He's put up two very good seasons in a row. The receivers can't do anything, though, if the quarterback can't get them the ball...so I hope the Jets' D blitzes Palmer like crazy, not giving him a chance to think, and makes the Bengals offense a non-factor.
The Bengals defense is pretty good, I think...but to be honest, I couldn't name one guy on their defense. That said, time to switch into e-mail mode, the last time we will do e-mail on Thursday - from now on it'll be on Tuesday - meaning send your mail by Monday.
"Dear Johnnyjets,
The line on Thursday's season opener in New England is Pats minus 3 1/2 versus the Colts. Do you give the points or take them?
Thanks,
Bettor in Brighton"
Not that I encourage this sort of thing, but I will be making picks throughout the season, and keeping track of them, as you would see in your local paper. My disclaimer is that my picks are for entertainment purposes only, and to keep a statistic, which I love to do. So proceed at your own risk. That said, I think the Colts keep Thursday night's game close, and I think they have a very good chance to win. I think the Patriots will get called for a number of penalties, and the Colts want revenge. Bad. I take the Colts with the points.
Tomorrow we'll preview the season opener!!!!!
There have been big-time technical issues with blogger here, so yesterday's posting, even though I finished it nice and early - before the Mets even lost - wasn't published. It follows this posting, which will be short and sweet - and I only re-print it because it includes the mailbag, which I can't ignore.
Just FYI, as I write this, the Mets trail the Marlins 3-0, and they're not coming back to win, so they're going to lose their 11th in a row. Things have gone so horribly wrong. Mike Piazza swung the bat well that one game back from his injury, and has looked horrible since. I'm worried. No one else hits. David Wright is awesome, but even he's in a funk right now. It's really horrible. I leave you to yesterday's posting:
_____________________________________________
I'm posting early, before the Mets game ends, which I rarely do, but I'm very sick. I'm supposed to prepare to get very sick this year, since I will be exposed to tons of germs in a school setting, which I am not used to. So it's very upsetting that I have a fever and cold before school even starts. Oh well.
I don't mind posting early, especially since this game will follow the usual form. Right now it's 5-3 Marlins in the bottom of the seventh. The Mets might actually get back to 5-4, before Armando Benitez comes in to close it out. Or the Marlins will tack on ten more runs before the game is over. Either way, the Mets ain't coming back. Here's what you need to know. When Wilson Delgado singled a few minutes ago with men on first and second, it was the Mets' first hit with men on base since LAST THURSDAY. Not with men in scoring position - just with men on. Very frustrating.
Anyway, it's also mail day - just one e-mail (thanks for writing):
"Dear JohnnyMets...
I have 2 questions. Actually, one comment and one question.
First, the comment... Please don't ever talk about going to thebathroom at a Major League ballpark ever again. This also goes for NFLstadiums.
And "number two..." I'm interested to hear your take on the Zambranoand Benson deals now that they've had a chance to sink in. I read in Peter Gammons's column this week that Rick Peterson thinks he can make Zambrano a "big winner" next season by tweaking his delivery. I think that if Peterson turns Zambrano into a solid 2-3 type pitcher, then dealing Kazmir may have been worth it. Your thoughts?In the same column, Gammons says Benson will likely test the free agent market before he signs with the Mets. Is it troubling that theMets gave up prospect Matt Peterson for a guy whose contribution has been limited at best, and who might not re-sign? Follow up, what sort of money do you think Benson is worth? (He's making $6.1M this year.)
Love the site, Dave in Boston"
Thanks Dave. Mike Cameron just dropped a fly ball as I write - absolutely horrible. So anyway, in reference to your comment, your probably right, but I can't make any promises. I think we all understand I needed to write about that cheesesteak.
OK. On to your question. Over the weekend, while I was in Philadelphia, and therefore not writing on the site, Kazmir pitched again, and was OK, but again took a loss. Something like 4 runs in 4 innings - I could look it up, but, again, I have a fever. So I think Kazmir is 1-2. The thing about that that bothers me, though, is that he's not getting rocked. I think he's going to turn into a good pitcher. That said, the reason the Mets made the deal is because Peterson has said from the beginning that he could turn Zambrano into something special. He also said the same thing about Benson. Unfortunately, both guys are hurt. I'm not liking either trade right now. But I do think I will be soothed if Zambrano can be healthy next year, and give the Mets a few solid years as a number 2-3 guy. Benson kind of makes me mad. If he thinks he's going to command a whole lot on the market, I think he's kind of wrong. He's been horrible since the trade deadline, and I have to think that will make a lot of teams leery about signing him to a big money deal. (I won't get into figures because I am a very poor judge of money - especially baseball player money.) But I think the Mets need to re-sign him, just so it doesn't look like they got nothing out of the deal. (Let's not overlook Jeff Keppinger, though, who is fast, and could become a very good middle infield/utility guy in the majors.) I just hope the Mets aren't bidding against themselves when they sign Benson, overpaying for poor performance.
I keep forgetting to mention this, but I finally remembered. Ted Robinson has been off the air with the Mets for more than a month. First it was the Olympics for 2 weeks, then the U.S. Open coverage for the next two weeks. He'll probably be back next week. I must say that it's cruel irony that when the unwatchable Robinson has been away, and I might actually enjoy watching a Mets game, it has been the Mets games themselves that have been unwatchable. Tonight, I'm watching the Mets on the Marlins feed. I wish I got more of the Mets' opponents' feeds. Of course, the question remains - why am I even still watching the Mets in the first place?
Just FYI, as I write this, the Mets trail the Marlins 3-0, and they're not coming back to win, so they're going to lose their 11th in a row. Things have gone so horribly wrong. Mike Piazza swung the bat well that one game back from his injury, and has looked horrible since. I'm worried. No one else hits. David Wright is awesome, but even he's in a funk right now. It's really horrible. I leave you to yesterday's posting:
_____________________________________________
I'm posting early, before the Mets game ends, which I rarely do, but I'm very sick. I'm supposed to prepare to get very sick this year, since I will be exposed to tons of germs in a school setting, which I am not used to. So it's very upsetting that I have a fever and cold before school even starts. Oh well.
I don't mind posting early, especially since this game will follow the usual form. Right now it's 5-3 Marlins in the bottom of the seventh. The Mets might actually get back to 5-4, before Armando Benitez comes in to close it out. Or the Marlins will tack on ten more runs before the game is over. Either way, the Mets ain't coming back. Here's what you need to know. When Wilson Delgado singled a few minutes ago with men on first and second, it was the Mets' first hit with men on base since LAST THURSDAY. Not with men in scoring position - just with men on. Very frustrating.
Anyway, it's also mail day - just one e-mail (thanks for writing):
"Dear JohnnyMets...
I have 2 questions. Actually, one comment and one question.
First, the comment... Please don't ever talk about going to thebathroom at a Major League ballpark ever again. This also goes for NFLstadiums.
And "number two..." I'm interested to hear your take on the Zambranoand Benson deals now that they've had a chance to sink in. I read in Peter Gammons's column this week that Rick Peterson thinks he can make Zambrano a "big winner" next season by tweaking his delivery. I think that if Peterson turns Zambrano into a solid 2-3 type pitcher, then dealing Kazmir may have been worth it. Your thoughts?In the same column, Gammons says Benson will likely test the free agent market before he signs with the Mets. Is it troubling that theMets gave up prospect Matt Peterson for a guy whose contribution has been limited at best, and who might not re-sign? Follow up, what sort of money do you think Benson is worth? (He's making $6.1M this year.)
Love the site, Dave in Boston"
Thanks Dave. Mike Cameron just dropped a fly ball as I write - absolutely horrible. So anyway, in reference to your comment, your probably right, but I can't make any promises. I think we all understand I needed to write about that cheesesteak.
OK. On to your question. Over the weekend, while I was in Philadelphia, and therefore not writing on the site, Kazmir pitched again, and was OK, but again took a loss. Something like 4 runs in 4 innings - I could look it up, but, again, I have a fever. So I think Kazmir is 1-2. The thing about that that bothers me, though, is that he's not getting rocked. I think he's going to turn into a good pitcher. That said, the reason the Mets made the deal is because Peterson has said from the beginning that he could turn Zambrano into something special. He also said the same thing about Benson. Unfortunately, both guys are hurt. I'm not liking either trade right now. But I do think I will be soothed if Zambrano can be healthy next year, and give the Mets a few solid years as a number 2-3 guy. Benson kind of makes me mad. If he thinks he's going to command a whole lot on the market, I think he's kind of wrong. He's been horrible since the trade deadline, and I have to think that will make a lot of teams leery about signing him to a big money deal. (I won't get into figures because I am a very poor judge of money - especially baseball player money.) But I think the Mets need to re-sign him, just so it doesn't look like they got nothing out of the deal. (Let's not overlook Jeff Keppinger, though, who is fast, and could become a very good middle infield/utility guy in the majors.) I just hope the Mets aren't bidding against themselves when they sign Benson, overpaying for poor performance.
I keep forgetting to mention this, but I finally remembered. Ted Robinson has been off the air with the Mets for more than a month. First it was the Olympics for 2 weeks, then the U.S. Open coverage for the next two weeks. He'll probably be back next week. I must say that it's cruel irony that when the unwatchable Robinson has been away, and I might actually enjoy watching a Mets game, it has been the Mets games themselves that have been unwatchable. Tonight, I'm watching the Mets on the Marlins feed. I wish I got more of the Mets' opponents' feeds. Of course, the question remains - why am I even still watching the Mets in the first place?
Monday, September 06, 2004
Another lost weekend for the Mets and their fans. And a lot of Mets fans saw the Labor Day sweep in Philadelphia firsthand. I was among them. (A really strong turnout by Mets fans in Philly - seriously. And wearing Mets stuff too - I thought most would be too embarrassed to wear Mets stuff - like me.)
So I spent the weekend in Philadelphia, and attended, along with my wife and our host, Jeff (a Phillies fan), Saturday night's 7-0, 3-hit drubbing. (Not to be confused with Friday's 8-1 drubbing, and Sunday's 4-2 beating.)
Except for the whoopings, we had a nice time in Philadelphia. Some of that good time (from Saturday night) is chronicled here, in pictures. Unfortunately, these pictures are not that good. I used a much more outdated digital camera than the one I used for my Jets site. (johnnyjets.blogspot.com - check it out today!) Also, they posted in the reverse order than how I wanted them. But I hope you enjoy them anyway. (Click on the pictures to see them in full size.)
So I spent the weekend in Philadelphia, and attended, along with my wife and our host, Jeff (a Phillies fan), Saturday night's 7-0, 3-hit drubbing. (Not to be confused with Friday's 8-1 drubbing, and Sunday's 4-2 beating.)
Except for the whoopings, we had a nice time in Philadelphia. Some of that good time (from Saturday night) is chronicled here, in pictures. Unfortunately, these pictures are not that good. I used a much more outdated digital camera than the one I used for my Jets site. (johnnyjets.blogspot.com - check it out today!) Also, they posted in the reverse order than how I wanted them. But I hope you enjoy them anyway. (Click on the pictures to see them in full size.)
This is a picture that actually isn't bad. Unfortunately, you can't make out what I actually wanted the picture to show. The sign on one of the auxiliary scoreboards could have been interpreted in a way in which it was not supposed to be interpreted. It is inappropriate, so I will not write it here. But someday, maybe if you ask me, I will tell you. Anyway, the picture showing the ballpark came out pretty nice.
This is one of just three Mets hits on the night, the culmination of David Wright's first at-bat. He hit a hard ground ball up the middle which the shortstop and second baseman smothered, but Wright beat the throw to first base by a considerable margin. That's when I took this picture. But I know what you're thinking. And you're right. It's not a good picture. Unless it was a picture of the back of that guy's head. Which it's not.
I would rank Citizen's Bank Park ahead of Arizona, but behind Houston, my all time favorite new ballpark. But here's probably the best feature of Citizen's Bank Park - the fans can get right up close to the bullpens. (I was actually much closer to the bullpen, but only remembered to take the picture after we had walked away a bit.)
The funny thing about these bullpens, which you may have heard already, is that the Phillies currently occupy the bullpen on the left, and the visiting team uses the one on the right, where you see Leiter warming up. At the beginning of the year, the reverse was true - the Phillies used the bullpen on the right. So at the beginning of the year, when the Phillies were struggling, in particular, the Phillies' bullpen, the fans were merciless. (Phillies' fans are known for being very merciless.) They were so merciless that the Phillies switched bullpens so that they were farther away from the vicious fans. But it's a neat attraction for visitors. Also, behind the bullpens (behind where Leiter is), is a little Wall of Fame, with plaques, and a wall commemmorating Phillies history. Also nice.
The funny thing about these bullpens, which you may have heard already, is that the Phillies currently occupy the bullpen on the left, and the visiting team uses the one on the right, where you see Leiter warming up. At the beginning of the year, the reverse was true - the Phillies used the bullpen on the right. So at the beginning of the year, when the Phillies were struggling, in particular, the Phillies' bullpen, the fans were merciless. (Phillies' fans are known for being very merciless.) They were so merciless that the Phillies switched bullpens so that they were farther away from the vicious fans. But it's a neat attraction for visitors. Also, behind the bullpens (behind where Leiter is), is a little Wall of Fame, with plaques, and a wall commemmorating Phillies history. Also nice.
This is a horrendous picture of a Philly Cheesesteak. But it must be shown. It is a historical cheesesteak, and it is how our evening began. We went to a little joint just outside Philadelphia called Mama's Pizzeria, because, our host Jeff said, they have great cheesesteaks. OK, said we, we'll try these cheesesteak, since that is part of the Philly experience. What we, or I should say, I, didn't know was the aftereffects of the Philly cheesesteaks. First of all, apparently Mama likes her cheesesteaks HUGE, because that's what these were. I couldn't finish mine, and I'm a freakin' pig, just so you know. Anyway, they move through you pretty quick. You know where I'm going with this. Stop reading now if you're not going to like what's coming next.
Never before had I ever used a toilet at a ballpark. (I'm not talking 'using the toilet' in the euphemistic sense - I'm talking literal here. USE THE TOILET.) Anyway, I'm crazy, and I just don't see those things as being too clean, so I don't use them. I wait until we get back home. Well, this phine day in Philly, I could not wait. I rationalized, figuring it's a new ballpark, the bathrooms must be pretty clean. So this was a history-making cheesesteak, folks. It broke my bathroom boycott. And caused me to miss the entire fifth inning. No kidding.
Never before had I ever used a toilet at a ballpark. (I'm not talking 'using the toilet' in the euphemistic sense - I'm talking literal here. USE THE TOILET.) Anyway, I'm crazy, and I just don't see those things as being too clean, so I don't use them. I wait until we get back home. Well, this phine day in Philly, I could not wait. I rationalized, figuring it's a new ballpark, the bathrooms must be pretty clean. So this was a history-making cheesesteak, folks. It broke my bathroom boycott. And caused me to miss the entire fifth inning. No kidding.
Can you feel the excitement?!?! We're just a couple of days away from the NFL season. Here's how the website will work for the rest of the season.
The Jets play on Sunday.
Monday's posting will be a re-cap of the Sunday game.
Tuesday we'll take your mail ***note the change in mailbag dates*** That means now you want to send your reaction to the game by Monday afternoon, so that I can post the mailbag for Tuesday. This week will be the final week with the mailbag on Thursday.
Wednesday we'll take a look around the AFC East - recap the previous week, preview the upcoming week. Later in the season, we'll expand Wednesday to include the entire AFC, depending on the Playoff Picture.
Thursday we'll focus on the Jets next opponent. This day may feature guest writers with inside dirt from that city, or big-time fans of the opposition.
Friday will be the big game preview, and perhaps, I'll make my picks for the week, and keep track of that throughout the season.
This week, obviously, there is no game to recap, and Thursday is still the mailbag, not Tuesday. So we've skipped the regular Monday and Tuesday postings. Wednesday we'll pick it up with an AFC East preview, then continue with the regular schedule.
No major cuts by the Jets over the weekend - they are at the necessary 53-man roster. The Jets survived the dramatic come-from-behind-meaningless-preseason game win on Friday without suffering any injuries, so they're ready to go for the regular season!
The Mets stink, but check out johnnymets.blogspot.com for my big weekend in Philadelphia recap. There are pictures, and I'm proud when I put pictures on a website. Thanks for reading!
The Jets play on Sunday.
Monday's posting will be a re-cap of the Sunday game.
Tuesday we'll take your mail ***note the change in mailbag dates*** That means now you want to send your reaction to the game by Monday afternoon, so that I can post the mailbag for Tuesday. This week will be the final week with the mailbag on Thursday.
Wednesday we'll take a look around the AFC East - recap the previous week, preview the upcoming week. Later in the season, we'll expand Wednesday to include the entire AFC, depending on the Playoff Picture.
Thursday we'll focus on the Jets next opponent. This day may feature guest writers with inside dirt from that city, or big-time fans of the opposition.
Friday will be the big game preview, and perhaps, I'll make my picks for the week, and keep track of that throughout the season.
This week, obviously, there is no game to recap, and Thursday is still the mailbag, not Tuesday. So we've skipped the regular Monday and Tuesday postings. Wednesday we'll pick it up with an AFC East preview, then continue with the regular schedule.
No major cuts by the Jets over the weekend - they are at the necessary 53-man roster. The Jets survived the dramatic come-from-behind-meaningless-preseason game win on Friday without suffering any injuries, so they're ready to go for the regular season!
The Mets stink, but check out johnnymets.blogspot.com for my big weekend in Philadelphia recap. There are pictures, and I'm proud when I put pictures on a website. Thanks for reading!
Thursday, September 02, 2004
SEASON PREVIEW
Friday night the Jets host the Eagles in their final preseason game. Then it's on to the regular season. We just need everyone to make it out of the Eagles game healthy. That's all we need. I don't care if Pennington goes 0-for-12 and throws six INT's. Those six INT's better come in the first three minutes of the game, because he'd better not be in there for long.
Chad Pennington is the key to the season. Everything revolves around him. He is so good he gives the Jets a chance to win every single game he's involved in. So if Pennington's healthy, the Jets will do well, it's as simple as that.
Of course, he can't do it alone. The defense needs to keep the team in games. Even when the defense has been pretty bad the past couple of years, they've managed to keep the team in games. So this year, with a much better defense, I expect the 'D' to be able to do keep Pennington in position to win most games.
The Jets have taken steps to eliminate some of the mistakes that cost them games last year. Remember all the time management problems? (Not getting the kicking unit on the field in the right amount of time against the Giants, not taking a knee and running out the clock against the Titans on Monday Night Football, to name a couple.) The Jets now have a coach who will stay with Herman Edwards and tell him what to do in certain clock management situations. He's all over it. The coaching staff is better - Donnie Henderson is going to make Jets fans forget about Ted Cottrell real fast. Overall, this Jets team is better.
I'm thinking the Jets will reach double digits in wins. I haven't gone through the schedule week to week, but that's my estimate. 10 wins or so. With New England in the division, I don't know that 10 wins will be enough to win the East, but hopefully it will be enough to get the wild card. The AFC is tough. But for the Jets to win 10 games, they'd probably beat the teams they need to beat in order to earn all the tiebreakers to put them in the playoffs.
OK. As promised, it's time to check the mail. Dave from Brighton wrote about a week ago, when the rumor was that Ricky Williams had called the Dolphins. Dave says,
"I read recently that Ricky Williams might be reconsidering his retirement and could return to the Dolphins this season. Would a Williams return hurt the Jets, because Miami would be a more formidable opponent, or help them, since Miami could potentially beatthe other AFC East teams twice?"
It's become clear since Dave wrote this that Williams is NOT coming back. But if he did, that team would be in such disharmony that there's no way it would help the Dolphins, it could only hurt them. The Dolphins are going to be in a lot of trouble this season. Shortly after Williams left, David Boston got hurt, which really hurts their offense. Then, to shore up the offense, the Dolphins traded for Marty Booker, who isn't going to make a huge difference. In order to get Booker, Miami traded (I forget is first name - Adelewai?) Ogunleye, one of their best defensive players last year. And he killed the Jets. So that hurts their defense. Miami's going nowhere, doing nothing this year.
Here's this e-mail:
"Hi John-
How will the Jets finish out the season? Atop of the AFC East or as a Wild Card? (I know you have them somewhere in the playoffs).
Who's on tap for the Super Bowl this year?
And after a running back, what's the most important position to draft for in fantasy football?
Thanks. I enjoy your blog.
-Kathryn from Watertown"
I kind of alluded to your first question above, and as for a Super Bowl prediction, I'll go with the Jets over the Packers. How 'bout that...Brett Favre in his one last shot. I have to pick the Jets, because that's what I do. The Packers are just a guess. As for your last question, it really depends on the type of fantasy league you're in, and it depends on the point values assigned to each position. A scrambling-type quarterback might be the way to go, or a receiver who has the potential to also score on special teams. Thanks for writing.
Mark from Miami also checks in (take it easy, Jets fans - he's not a Dolphins fan, he just happens to live in Miami):
"John,What is the progress of Jets linebackers Darrell McClover and Jarrell Weaver?"
To be honest, Mark, I haven't heard a whole lot about either, but I think McClover will make the team. As I wrote last week, I did see him at practice, and he was putting in lots of extra time working with Jonathan Vilma. McClover is deep on the depth chart, but at least he's there. Weaver got cut last weekend. Who knows, maybe he'll end up on the practice squad. Don't worry, though, Mark, I think your Hurricanes are still the most represented college team on the Jets. That is to say, there are more Jets from Miami than from any other school.
Thanks for writing everyone! Keep them coming - we'll do it again next Thursday - hopefully on time next week.
Next week we'll get into regular season mode, and I'll give you the weekly breakdown in Monday's posting.
Chad Pennington is the key to the season. Everything revolves around him. He is so good he gives the Jets a chance to win every single game he's involved in. So if Pennington's healthy, the Jets will do well, it's as simple as that.
Of course, he can't do it alone. The defense needs to keep the team in games. Even when the defense has been pretty bad the past couple of years, they've managed to keep the team in games. So this year, with a much better defense, I expect the 'D' to be able to do keep Pennington in position to win most games.
The Jets have taken steps to eliminate some of the mistakes that cost them games last year. Remember all the time management problems? (Not getting the kicking unit on the field in the right amount of time against the Giants, not taking a knee and running out the clock against the Titans on Monday Night Football, to name a couple.) The Jets now have a coach who will stay with Herman Edwards and tell him what to do in certain clock management situations. He's all over it. The coaching staff is better - Donnie Henderson is going to make Jets fans forget about Ted Cottrell real fast. Overall, this Jets team is better.
I'm thinking the Jets will reach double digits in wins. I haven't gone through the schedule week to week, but that's my estimate. 10 wins or so. With New England in the division, I don't know that 10 wins will be enough to win the East, but hopefully it will be enough to get the wild card. The AFC is tough. But for the Jets to win 10 games, they'd probably beat the teams they need to beat in order to earn all the tiebreakers to put them in the playoffs.
OK. As promised, it's time to check the mail. Dave from Brighton wrote about a week ago, when the rumor was that Ricky Williams had called the Dolphins. Dave says,
"I read recently that Ricky Williams might be reconsidering his retirement and could return to the Dolphins this season. Would a Williams return hurt the Jets, because Miami would be a more formidable opponent, or help them, since Miami could potentially beatthe other AFC East teams twice?"
It's become clear since Dave wrote this that Williams is NOT coming back. But if he did, that team would be in such disharmony that there's no way it would help the Dolphins, it could only hurt them. The Dolphins are going to be in a lot of trouble this season. Shortly after Williams left, David Boston got hurt, which really hurts their offense. Then, to shore up the offense, the Dolphins traded for Marty Booker, who isn't going to make a huge difference. In order to get Booker, Miami traded (I forget is first name - Adelewai?) Ogunleye, one of their best defensive players last year. And he killed the Jets. So that hurts their defense. Miami's going nowhere, doing nothing this year.
Here's this e-mail:
"Hi John-
How will the Jets finish out the season? Atop of the AFC East or as a Wild Card? (I know you have them somewhere in the playoffs).
Who's on tap for the Super Bowl this year?
And after a running back, what's the most important position to draft for in fantasy football?
Thanks. I enjoy your blog.
-Kathryn from Watertown"
I kind of alluded to your first question above, and as for a Super Bowl prediction, I'll go with the Jets over the Packers. How 'bout that...Brett Favre in his one last shot. I have to pick the Jets, because that's what I do. The Packers are just a guess. As for your last question, it really depends on the type of fantasy league you're in, and it depends on the point values assigned to each position. A scrambling-type quarterback might be the way to go, or a receiver who has the potential to also score on special teams. Thanks for writing.
Mark from Miami also checks in (take it easy, Jets fans - he's not a Dolphins fan, he just happens to live in Miami):
"John,What is the progress of Jets linebackers Darrell McClover and Jarrell Weaver?"
To be honest, Mark, I haven't heard a whole lot about either, but I think McClover will make the team. As I wrote last week, I did see him at practice, and he was putting in lots of extra time working with Jonathan Vilma. McClover is deep on the depth chart, but at least he's there. Weaver got cut last weekend. Who knows, maybe he'll end up on the practice squad. Don't worry, though, Mark, I think your Hurricanes are still the most represented college team on the Jets. That is to say, there are more Jets from Miami than from any other school.
Thanks for writing everyone! Keep them coming - we'll do it again next Thursday - hopefully on time next week.
Next week we'll get into regular season mode, and I'll give you the weekly breakdown in Monday's posting.
Marlins 9, Mets 6 (60-73)
David Wright: 3-for-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI, and a stolen base. Too bad he plays on a horrible team. The Mets are only 4 games better than the Expos. Six straight losses. Just awful. But I'm still making the road trip for Saturday's game. So stay tuned for Monday - I'll post some pics of the weekend.
For a team with hope, turn to: johnnyjets.blogspot.com
For a team with hope, turn to: johnnyjets.blogspot.com
Wednesday, September 01, 2004
I apologize for the lack of a posting yesterday. School meetings have begun, and things have been busy. We'll forgo the NFL preview, because, come on, we all know I'm picking the Jets to win it all anyway. So without further ado, it's time for the Jets' offensive preview.
JETS OFFENSE
Thank goodness I bring you the following news: The Jets have signed QB Chad Pennington to a seven year contract extension, worth 23 million dollars, with incentives built in to make it a 64-million-dollar deal. All that means is that Pennington's contract will not be a distraction this season. All I have to say about Pennington is this: last year was by far the worst year we will ever see from Chad Pennington. For those of us who didn't see Joe Namath, this is the best quarterback we've ever seen wear a Jets uniform, and if he plays like he did two years ago, could be one of the best ever. But let's not jump the gun....Pennington is going to lead the Jets to some very good things this year.
And he's got a capable backup. That's something that couldn't have been said two weeks ago. Quincy Carter is the backup. He's happy just to have a job, the Jets are happy to have a playoff-caliber quarterback to back up Pennington. Carter will be gone next year, so the Jets aren't investing much in a guy who has a bit of a questionable character, but if things should go terribly wrong this year, we won't have to worry about Brooks Bollinger taking over. I think Bollinger will be a good backup in another year - or at least, I'll have more confidence in him, but this year, I'm glad to have Carter on the team.
My only comment about the offensive line is that the Jets really lucked out when the Arizona Cardinals cut Pete Kendall. The rumor was that Dennis Green cut Kendall because he tattled to the league that Green's practices over the summer were violating some union rules. So the Jets were able to scoop up Kendall, and he's going to be the starting left guard. That means instead of having two inexperienced offensive linemen, the Jets have just one on the line, and another capable backup. One addition really made a huge difference for the Jets this year.
They'll be blocking for Curtis Martin again. Martin says he feels great, and he's had a ton of reps in the pre-season, more than he's had the past couple of years. He says he needs that to get going for the regular season. Martin's getting up there in years (relatively speaking), and might not have many more to go. I keep doubting that Martin can top the 1,000 yard mark, but he did it last year, and that was a horrible year for him. So I feel that at least this year, Martin is going to be a big factor. Martin starts ahead of LaMont Jordan, who is not happy about his lack of playing time. Jordan feels he could be starting somewhere, and feels Herman Edwards is lying to him about trying to get him the ball more. Jordan has been great backing up Curtis Martin, and can rip off a great run once in a while. But he'd better not be a distraction worrying about whether or not he's going to play a lot.
As for the receivers, Santana Moss is Pennington's favorite target, and is explosive. Justin McCareins was a big addition. He's young, and they could form a great combo for years to come. Wayne Chrebet might be done. He insists he'll play in the season opener (although that's looking more and more unlikely), but I don't think we'll be seeing him on the field much this season. We'll see. Jerricho Cotchery was a good draft pick. He won't have much of an impact this year (unless Chrebet doesn't play at all), but can step into that slot receiver role in the near future. Jonathan Carter has shown flashes of being a big-time receiver, but he has a little case of the dropsies. He sure is fast, though. TE Anthony Becht needs to be used more. I am probably the only person in America pleading his case (as I've been doing for three years), but maybe this will be his breakout year. He's playing for a contract, and is feeling a lot of heat from backup Chris Baker. But let's just remember how many clutch plays he made down the stretch the last two years the Jets made the playoffs.
Sorry my thoughts were so disjointed. I need to go to bed. I'm going to put off the mail bag until tomorrow. We have a couple of e-mails....if you want to send another couple, I'll print them all tomorrow, along with the big Jets overall preview.
JETS OFFENSE
Thank goodness I bring you the following news: The Jets have signed QB Chad Pennington to a seven year contract extension, worth 23 million dollars, with incentives built in to make it a 64-million-dollar deal. All that means is that Pennington's contract will not be a distraction this season. All I have to say about Pennington is this: last year was by far the worst year we will ever see from Chad Pennington. For those of us who didn't see Joe Namath, this is the best quarterback we've ever seen wear a Jets uniform, and if he plays like he did two years ago, could be one of the best ever. But let's not jump the gun....Pennington is going to lead the Jets to some very good things this year.
And he's got a capable backup. That's something that couldn't have been said two weeks ago. Quincy Carter is the backup. He's happy just to have a job, the Jets are happy to have a playoff-caliber quarterback to back up Pennington. Carter will be gone next year, so the Jets aren't investing much in a guy who has a bit of a questionable character, but if things should go terribly wrong this year, we won't have to worry about Brooks Bollinger taking over. I think Bollinger will be a good backup in another year - or at least, I'll have more confidence in him, but this year, I'm glad to have Carter on the team.
My only comment about the offensive line is that the Jets really lucked out when the Arizona Cardinals cut Pete Kendall. The rumor was that Dennis Green cut Kendall because he tattled to the league that Green's practices over the summer were violating some union rules. So the Jets were able to scoop up Kendall, and he's going to be the starting left guard. That means instead of having two inexperienced offensive linemen, the Jets have just one on the line, and another capable backup. One addition really made a huge difference for the Jets this year.
They'll be blocking for Curtis Martin again. Martin says he feels great, and he's had a ton of reps in the pre-season, more than he's had the past couple of years. He says he needs that to get going for the regular season. Martin's getting up there in years (relatively speaking), and might not have many more to go. I keep doubting that Martin can top the 1,000 yard mark, but he did it last year, and that was a horrible year for him. So I feel that at least this year, Martin is going to be a big factor. Martin starts ahead of LaMont Jordan, who is not happy about his lack of playing time. Jordan feels he could be starting somewhere, and feels Herman Edwards is lying to him about trying to get him the ball more. Jordan has been great backing up Curtis Martin, and can rip off a great run once in a while. But he'd better not be a distraction worrying about whether or not he's going to play a lot.
As for the receivers, Santana Moss is Pennington's favorite target, and is explosive. Justin McCareins was a big addition. He's young, and they could form a great combo for years to come. Wayne Chrebet might be done. He insists he'll play in the season opener (although that's looking more and more unlikely), but I don't think we'll be seeing him on the field much this season. We'll see. Jerricho Cotchery was a good draft pick. He won't have much of an impact this year (unless Chrebet doesn't play at all), but can step into that slot receiver role in the near future. Jonathan Carter has shown flashes of being a big-time receiver, but he has a little case of the dropsies. He sure is fast, though. TE Anthony Becht needs to be used more. I am probably the only person in America pleading his case (as I've been doing for three years), but maybe this will be his breakout year. He's playing for a contract, and is feeling a lot of heat from backup Chris Baker. But let's just remember how many clutch plays he made down the stretch the last two years the Jets made the playoffs.
Sorry my thoughts were so disjointed. I need to go to bed. I'm going to put off the mail bag until tomorrow. We have a couple of e-mails....if you want to send another couple, I'll print them all tomorrow, along with the big Jets overall preview.
Marlins 5, Mets 4 (60-72)
Another night, another loss. David Wright gets a 2-for-4. The Mets have now lost 10 of 11. Let me break this down for a minute.
There was a point, when I thought the Mets might climb back into the wild card race, where the Mets had gone 10-8 in August. Then everything fell apart. The finished August 11-17 overall. Do the math.
Pictures come to johnnymets.blogspot.com on Tuesday from a big weekend Mets trip. Stay tuned. Also, check out johnnyjets.blogspot.com. Offensive preview and mail call!
There was a point, when I thought the Mets might climb back into the wild card race, where the Mets had gone 10-8 in August. Then everything fell apart. The finished August 11-17 overall. Do the math.
Pictures come to johnnymets.blogspot.com on Tuesday from a big weekend Mets trip. Stay tuned. Also, check out johnnyjets.blogspot.com. Offensive preview and mail call!
Monday, August 30, 2004
Marlins 6, Mets 4 (60-70)
This game was typical Mets. Mike Piazza comes back from injury and homers. Al Leiter pitches well, but leaves down 3-1. The Mets battle back to take the lead. And then the bullpen gives the game right back. It's the kind of loss that makes you wish the season would just end already.
Piazza looked good. I know I'm way too optimistic usually, but he was swinging the bat with the authority he used to swing with. It resulted in an opposite-field home run in his second at-bat. He looked refreshed. Seriously. Please believe me. The Mets have to figure out a way to get Piazza appropriate rest throughout the year, and I think he'll have a few more good years still in him. OK, well, at least one more good year.
After Leiter gave up a 2-run home run to Miguel Cabrera to make it a 3-1 game in favor of the Marlins in the top of the sixth, the Mets came back to take a 4-3 lead. David Wright hit one of his best home runs of the year, shooting one straight out towards center field, with the ball just clearing the ball in right-center. So that tied the game at 3, then the next batter, Jason Phillips, homered into the left-field bullpen, putting the Mets up 4-3, and giving Leiter the chance to get a win.
That was too good to be true, though, as the Mets promptly handed the lead back, and then some. Heath Bell was the culprit out of the bullpen. Not much to say about this. As far as I'm concerned, the bottom of the sixth was the last thing worth remembering from this game. To add insult to injury, Armando Benitez came in to get the save in the 9th.
Oh wait - more good news. Kris Benson will miss his next start. Soreness in his arm/shoulder...I forget. Those deadline deals sure are looking good! I meant to write this yesterday, but I forgot. Benson gave up 8 runs (5 ER) against the Dodgers Sunday. He's only had 1 and a half (out of 5 or so total) acceptable starts for the Mets since the trade. And those other starts haven't just been bad - he's been getting rocked! And he's playing for a contract. Imagine if he wasn't a free agent at the end of the year. At least he's not driving his price up. I'll leave it on that positive note.
Check out Preview Week at johnnyjets.blogspot.com as we get ready for the Jets season!!
Piazza looked good. I know I'm way too optimistic usually, but he was swinging the bat with the authority he used to swing with. It resulted in an opposite-field home run in his second at-bat. He looked refreshed. Seriously. Please believe me. The Mets have to figure out a way to get Piazza appropriate rest throughout the year, and I think he'll have a few more good years still in him. OK, well, at least one more good year.
After Leiter gave up a 2-run home run to Miguel Cabrera to make it a 3-1 game in favor of the Marlins in the top of the sixth, the Mets came back to take a 4-3 lead. David Wright hit one of his best home runs of the year, shooting one straight out towards center field, with the ball just clearing the ball in right-center. So that tied the game at 3, then the next batter, Jason Phillips, homered into the left-field bullpen, putting the Mets up 4-3, and giving Leiter the chance to get a win.
That was too good to be true, though, as the Mets promptly handed the lead back, and then some. Heath Bell was the culprit out of the bullpen. Not much to say about this. As far as I'm concerned, the bottom of the sixth was the last thing worth remembering from this game. To add insult to injury, Armando Benitez came in to get the save in the 9th.
Oh wait - more good news. Kris Benson will miss his next start. Soreness in his arm/shoulder...I forget. Those deadline deals sure are looking good! I meant to write this yesterday, but I forgot. Benson gave up 8 runs (5 ER) against the Dodgers Sunday. He's only had 1 and a half (out of 5 or so total) acceptable starts for the Mets since the trade. And those other starts haven't just been bad - he's been getting rocked! And he's playing for a contract. Imagine if he wasn't a free agent at the end of the year. At least he's not driving his price up. I'll leave it on that positive note.
Check out Preview Week at johnnyjets.blogspot.com as we get ready for the Jets season!!
Before I continue with "Preview Week", I must note this: I'm watching the Cowboys-Titans right now on Monday Night Football, and Vinny Testaverde is making Bill Parcells look like a genius. He's throwing like crazy, and he looks good. Either that, or the Titans defense has been horrible. One or the other, I haven't been watching that long. But it seems like Testaverde and Keyshawn Johnson have the same chemistry they had with the Jets. I do, though, expect Testaverde to throw an interception any second. OK - on with Preview Week.
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS
The Jets defense was one of the biggest reasons for last year's 6-10 record. Because of that, there have been a lot of changes, and I think that most of them, if not all, make this Jets defense better than last year's.
Most notable gone are LB's Mo Lewis and Marvin Jones. Most notably added are LB Eric Barton, CB David Barrett, and S Reggie Tongue, along with first round draft pick LB Jonathan Vilma. Also likely to make an impact this season are rookie S Erik Coleman, and rookie CB Derrick Strait.
Everyone is stressing the fact that the defense is faster and younger this year. That's a big factor, but when you combine it with the fact that new defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson employs a very aggressive strategy, it becomes even more of a factor. He threw all kinds of looks at the Giants last Friday, and that was in a preseason game. So I have a feeling he has a bunch more tricks up his sleeve that he's waiting for the regular season to unveil. The past few years, the Jets would give up huge chunks of yardage under Ted Cottrell, before tightening up closer to their goal line. I think the days of opponents marching up and down the field on the Jets 'D' are over.
The D-line is a huge factor this year. Shaun Ellis, Dewayne Robertson, Jason Ferguson, and John Abraham should be the starters. Ellis had the huge year last year, Robertson had a bad rookie season, Ferguson's a solid veteran, and Abraham is coming off a disappointing season, but is going to be a big factor this year (it should also be noted Ellis and Abraham are playing for contracts this year). The Jets plan to use Abraham as a sometime-lineman, sometime-linebacker, as he'll sometimes drop back into coverage. That should be fun to watch, and I think it is a good fit for Abraham. Robertson needs to bounce back with a good year - if not, he'll be labeled a bust, and that'll be tough for him to shake the rest of his career. I have a feeling Ellis is going to have another good year, and I think the Jets are more interested at this point in re-signing Ellis than they are Abraham.
The starting linebackers will most likely be Barton, Sam Cowart in the middle, and Victor Hobson. Vilma is the next in line, and could steal a lot of playing time from Cowart, but I'm pretty sure the Jets will be starting Cowart come September 12th. This is a very improved unit - I think Hobson's going to have a great career, for whatever that's worth. He and Vilma should be playing side-by-side for a long time, and Barton's only 26 years old. I'm looking forward to seeing him play, because I don't know too much about him.
Another player I don't know much about is Barrett. He is a part of the revamped secondary, which is another area the Jets have gone to great lengths to improve. Barrett is slated at one corner, and Donnie Abraham is the other. I think Abraham is hurt, though, and won't be ready by opening day...so Ray Mickens will be the starter in his place. Right behind Mickens is Strait, who will see a lot of work in dime action, and I don't think the coaches need to much of an excuse to put Strait into the starting lineup. I think they've been impressed, and like him a lot. Another rookie they like a lot is Coleman, and I think at this point, Coleman is the starter at strong safety over new acquisition Reggie Tongue. Tongue has been disappointing, and has been hurt on and off during training camp, and Coleman has been very impressive so far. The other safety is Jon McGraw, who was never really the same last year after he got hurt in the season opener in Washington. I think McGraw is going to be very good, if he can stay healthy. I look forward to seeing him get a full year of playing time.
As I segue from defense into special teams, I will also note that on Monday the Jets cut LB Quincy Stewart, and punter Brian Simjanovski. Stewart had 15 tackles for the Jets on special teams last season, and I have a feeling he was cut now so he can try to hook on with another team before the pre-season is over. The Jets just don't have room for him on the roster. Simjanovski was signed because starting punter Toby Gowin hasn't been 100-percent healthy during training camp. With the cutdown deadlines approaching, the Jets didn't need him. They can probably always re-sign him if they need another kicker - Simjanovski had already been cut once by the Jets during training camp. Anyway, the revolving door at punter continues for the Jets with Gowin this year. He's been with the Cowboys, and replaces Dan Stryszinski. As long as he can boot the ball I'm fine with Gowin. Doug Brien returns as the placekicker, and he's solid. He had one bad situation last year, in the regular season against the Giants, when he didn't get on the field in time to kick a field goal. Brien's a solid kicker, and I think the Jets have solved their mental lapses, so I don't see those types of situations repeating themselves this year.
As for kick returns, Jonathan Carter will handle kickoffs, and Santana Moss handles punts. This should be exciting. Carter showed what he could do last year, and Moss is one of the best punt returners in the NFL. Field position should not be a problem for the Jets in 2004.
Tomorrow we'll preview the offense.
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS
The Jets defense was one of the biggest reasons for last year's 6-10 record. Because of that, there have been a lot of changes, and I think that most of them, if not all, make this Jets defense better than last year's.
Most notable gone are LB's Mo Lewis and Marvin Jones. Most notably added are LB Eric Barton, CB David Barrett, and S Reggie Tongue, along with first round draft pick LB Jonathan Vilma. Also likely to make an impact this season are rookie S Erik Coleman, and rookie CB Derrick Strait.
Everyone is stressing the fact that the defense is faster and younger this year. That's a big factor, but when you combine it with the fact that new defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson employs a very aggressive strategy, it becomes even more of a factor. He threw all kinds of looks at the Giants last Friday, and that was in a preseason game. So I have a feeling he has a bunch more tricks up his sleeve that he's waiting for the regular season to unveil. The past few years, the Jets would give up huge chunks of yardage under Ted Cottrell, before tightening up closer to their goal line. I think the days of opponents marching up and down the field on the Jets 'D' are over.
The D-line is a huge factor this year. Shaun Ellis, Dewayne Robertson, Jason Ferguson, and John Abraham should be the starters. Ellis had the huge year last year, Robertson had a bad rookie season, Ferguson's a solid veteran, and Abraham is coming off a disappointing season, but is going to be a big factor this year (it should also be noted Ellis and Abraham are playing for contracts this year). The Jets plan to use Abraham as a sometime-lineman, sometime-linebacker, as he'll sometimes drop back into coverage. That should be fun to watch, and I think it is a good fit for Abraham. Robertson needs to bounce back with a good year - if not, he'll be labeled a bust, and that'll be tough for him to shake the rest of his career. I have a feeling Ellis is going to have another good year, and I think the Jets are more interested at this point in re-signing Ellis than they are Abraham.
The starting linebackers will most likely be Barton, Sam Cowart in the middle, and Victor Hobson. Vilma is the next in line, and could steal a lot of playing time from Cowart, but I'm pretty sure the Jets will be starting Cowart come September 12th. This is a very improved unit - I think Hobson's going to have a great career, for whatever that's worth. He and Vilma should be playing side-by-side for a long time, and Barton's only 26 years old. I'm looking forward to seeing him play, because I don't know too much about him.
Another player I don't know much about is Barrett. He is a part of the revamped secondary, which is another area the Jets have gone to great lengths to improve. Barrett is slated at one corner, and Donnie Abraham is the other. I think Abraham is hurt, though, and won't be ready by opening day...so Ray Mickens will be the starter in his place. Right behind Mickens is Strait, who will see a lot of work in dime action, and I don't think the coaches need to much of an excuse to put Strait into the starting lineup. I think they've been impressed, and like him a lot. Another rookie they like a lot is Coleman, and I think at this point, Coleman is the starter at strong safety over new acquisition Reggie Tongue. Tongue has been disappointing, and has been hurt on and off during training camp, and Coleman has been very impressive so far. The other safety is Jon McGraw, who was never really the same last year after he got hurt in the season opener in Washington. I think McGraw is going to be very good, if he can stay healthy. I look forward to seeing him get a full year of playing time.
As I segue from defense into special teams, I will also note that on Monday the Jets cut LB Quincy Stewart, and punter Brian Simjanovski. Stewart had 15 tackles for the Jets on special teams last season, and I have a feeling he was cut now so he can try to hook on with another team before the pre-season is over. The Jets just don't have room for him on the roster. Simjanovski was signed because starting punter Toby Gowin hasn't been 100-percent healthy during training camp. With the cutdown deadlines approaching, the Jets didn't need him. They can probably always re-sign him if they need another kicker - Simjanovski had already been cut once by the Jets during training camp. Anyway, the revolving door at punter continues for the Jets with Gowin this year. He's been with the Cowboys, and replaces Dan Stryszinski. As long as he can boot the ball I'm fine with Gowin. Doug Brien returns as the placekicker, and he's solid. He had one bad situation last year, in the regular season against the Giants, when he didn't get on the field in time to kick a field goal. Brien's a solid kicker, and I think the Jets have solved their mental lapses, so I don't see those types of situations repeating themselves this year.
As for kick returns, Jonathan Carter will handle kickoffs, and Santana Moss handles punts. This should be exciting. Carter showed what he could do last year, and Moss is one of the best punt returners in the NFL. Field position should not be a problem for the Jets in 2004.
Tomorrow we'll preview the offense.
Sunday, August 29, 2004
Welcome to preview week here at johnnyjets.blogspot.com.
We begin preview week with a review of Friday night's Jets-Giants preseason game. Chad Pennington was OK - but he made it through the game healthy, which is all anyone should care about. He might not even play in the preseason finale on Friday - which is a good thing. Curtis Martin had a heavy workload, I think 12 carries for 50 yards. He says he's ready for the regular season, and feels better than he did last year.
But I think the most important development from Friday's preseason game was the way the defense came out feeling about itself. After a couple of questionable outings in which they didn't prove they were a much better defensive unit than they were last year, the D broke out on Friday. They killed Eli Manning, forcing turnovers and pressuring him into mistakes. (That bodes well for the first game of the season, when they play Carson Palmer, who'll be making his first NFL start...but I digress.) But the biggest thing was new defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson's game plan. He blitzed everyone, from every angle. That's something the Jets haven't been doing much of in recent years, and it would be fun to watch in the regular season.
So the Jets won 2 out of their first 3 preseason games, and finish the preseason on Friday against Philadelphia. Don't expect to see many of the starters play, and if they do play, don't expect to see much of them. After that, the Patriots and Colts start the season on Thursday, September 9th, and the rest of the NFL gets started on Sunday the 12th - the Jets host the Bengals.
If you feel like the 12th's never going to come, I'll help you through it. First, a breakdown of the Jets - we'll do that all this week. Then next week, we'll get into our regular routine for the season. I'll break out that schedule next week. For this week, here's what you can expect:
Tuesday: Focus on Jets' defense/special teams
Wednesday: Focus on Jets' offense
Thursday: Jets season preview/thoughts on season/mail
Friday: Rest of the NFL preview
Don't forget the mail aspect on Thursday - that's when I'll respond to your e-mailed thoughts, questions, and comments. Send your e-mails by Wednesday to johnnyjetsmail@yahoo.com. We've already gotten some mail - keep it coming!
We begin preview week with a review of Friday night's Jets-Giants preseason game. Chad Pennington was OK - but he made it through the game healthy, which is all anyone should care about. He might not even play in the preseason finale on Friday - which is a good thing. Curtis Martin had a heavy workload, I think 12 carries for 50 yards. He says he's ready for the regular season, and feels better than he did last year.
But I think the most important development from Friday's preseason game was the way the defense came out feeling about itself. After a couple of questionable outings in which they didn't prove they were a much better defensive unit than they were last year, the D broke out on Friday. They killed Eli Manning, forcing turnovers and pressuring him into mistakes. (That bodes well for the first game of the season, when they play Carson Palmer, who'll be making his first NFL start...but I digress.) But the biggest thing was new defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson's game plan. He blitzed everyone, from every angle. That's something the Jets haven't been doing much of in recent years, and it would be fun to watch in the regular season.
So the Jets won 2 out of their first 3 preseason games, and finish the preseason on Friday against Philadelphia. Don't expect to see many of the starters play, and if they do play, don't expect to see much of them. After that, the Patriots and Colts start the season on Thursday, September 9th, and the rest of the NFL gets started on Sunday the 12th - the Jets host the Bengals.
If you feel like the 12th's never going to come, I'll help you through it. First, a breakdown of the Jets - we'll do that all this week. Then next week, we'll get into our regular routine for the season. I'll break out that schedule next week. For this week, here's what you can expect:
Tuesday: Focus on Jets' defense/special teams
Wednesday: Focus on Jets' offense
Thursday: Jets season preview/thoughts on season/mail
Friday: Rest of the NFL preview
Don't forget the mail aspect on Thursday - that's when I'll respond to your e-mailed thoughts, questions, and comments. Send your e-mails by Wednesday to johnnyjetsmail@yahoo.com. We've already gotten some mail - keep it coming!
Dodgers 10, Mets 2 (60-69)
If you're still reading, thanks for sticking with me. There's not much left for the Mets this season but to play the role of spoilers. That starts with a series against the Marlins beginning Monday. The Marlins are about five games back of the wild card. The Mets can pretty much knock them out of the race in the next couple of weeks.
It seems unlikely these days that the Mets would beat anyone...but Mike Piazza should be back soon during this series with the Marlins, and Kaz Matsui should be back by the end of the week. So, if nothing else, we'll get a look at whether or not Piazza is washed up in the final weeks of the season, and we'll also get a look at whether or not the Mets have been lying to us and Matsui finishes the season at second base. (I have a feeling they mean it when they say he won't play second this year, because of what happened with Joe McEwing on a take-out slide at the second base bag. But Kaz Matsui will be at second base next year, and Jose Reyes, if he is ever healthy, will be the shortstop.)
It was a busy weekend for the Mets. First, they dealt with the Astros again. The Mets traded Dan Wheeler to Houston for a minor league outfielder named Adam Seuss (insert your Dr. Seuss Who joke here). The Mets probably made the deal to bolster the minor leagues, but I like Wheeler. The most frustrating part about Wheeler's game was that everytime he came in with men on base, he let them score. But I think he was valuable as a long reliever/spot starter. Hopefully Seuss makes it to the majors, or can be used in another trade at some point. (An ironic addition to this story - when the Astros added Wheeler, they sent David Weathers, who they acquired from the Mets for Richard Hidalgo, to the minors.)
Also this weekend, the Mets signed Cuban pitcher Alay Soler. This is a deal that's been talked about since spring training. Soler is said to be 24 years old, but who the heck knows if that's true. If it is, that's a nice young pitcher the Mets got. On the other hand...we've been mis-led by the Mets international scouting staff before....(some shortstop named Kazuo).
Finally, maybe this will settle down Mets fans for a bit...or at least me. Scott Kazmir pitched again on Sunday, and pitched much more reasonably for a person making his second major league start. Kazmir gave up five earned runs in 3 innings in getting a no-decision against Oakland. His major league ERA is now somewhere around 5.62. But he's still 1-0. And Victor Zambrano is still on the DL.
(Don't forget about johnnyjets.blogspot.com. We're up and running - check it out!!)
It seems unlikely these days that the Mets would beat anyone...but Mike Piazza should be back soon during this series with the Marlins, and Kaz Matsui should be back by the end of the week. So, if nothing else, we'll get a look at whether or not Piazza is washed up in the final weeks of the season, and we'll also get a look at whether or not the Mets have been lying to us and Matsui finishes the season at second base. (I have a feeling they mean it when they say he won't play second this year, because of what happened with Joe McEwing on a take-out slide at the second base bag. But Kaz Matsui will be at second base next year, and Jose Reyes, if he is ever healthy, will be the shortstop.)
It was a busy weekend for the Mets. First, they dealt with the Astros again. The Mets traded Dan Wheeler to Houston for a minor league outfielder named Adam Seuss (insert your Dr. Seuss Who joke here). The Mets probably made the deal to bolster the minor leagues, but I like Wheeler. The most frustrating part about Wheeler's game was that everytime he came in with men on base, he let them score. But I think he was valuable as a long reliever/spot starter. Hopefully Seuss makes it to the majors, or can be used in another trade at some point. (An ironic addition to this story - when the Astros added Wheeler, they sent David Weathers, who they acquired from the Mets for Richard Hidalgo, to the minors.)
Also this weekend, the Mets signed Cuban pitcher Alay Soler. This is a deal that's been talked about since spring training. Soler is said to be 24 years old, but who the heck knows if that's true. If it is, that's a nice young pitcher the Mets got. On the other hand...we've been mis-led by the Mets international scouting staff before....(some shortstop named Kazuo).
Finally, maybe this will settle down Mets fans for a bit...or at least me. Scott Kazmir pitched again on Sunday, and pitched much more reasonably for a person making his second major league start. Kazmir gave up five earned runs in 3 innings in getting a no-decision against Oakland. His major league ERA is now somewhere around 5.62. But he's still 1-0. And Victor Zambrano is still on the DL.
(Don't forget about johnnyjets.blogspot.com. We're up and running - check it out!!)
Friday, August 27, 2004
I spent Tuesday afternoon at Jets training camp. I have to admit, the team didn't look extremely sharp. They almost seemed to be going through the motions, anxious to get practice overwith. The big news of the day was that the Jets had signed Quincy Carter to a one-year deal. He was there, working with the coaches, and stayed after practice to throw a few extra passes. I'm sure this was not the most intense Jets practice of training camp...but I haven't seen any others, so I have nothing to compare it to. Let's just say if the Jets are practicing like this everyday, it's going to be a long season. I have a feeling, though, this was just a tired team (who had the morning off), anxious to get to their third preseason game, and looking forward to the end of training camp. I'm anxious for the regular season - I'm sure these guys are too.
Here's a little of what we saw on Tuesday (Click on the picture to make it bigger, then click "back" on the browser to get back to this page):
Here's a little of what we saw on Tuesday (Click on the picture to make it bigger, then click "back" on the browser to get back to this page):
Thursday, August 26, 2004
Herman Edwards (standing) going over to talk to brand-new Jets backup Quarterback, Quincy Carter(sitting and stretching on the right).
Edwards is all about Carter getting a second chance. I really think this is a good move for the Jets, if Carter has his head on straight. More on that in the season preview, coming next week.
Edwards is all about Carter getting a second chance. I really think this is a good move for the Jets, if Carter has his head on straight. More on that in the season preview, coming next week.
Jets receivers working on a drill. From left, Justin McCareins, Jonathan Carter, Santana Moss, Ken-Yon Rambo, Jerricho Cotchery, and Terrence Stubbs. (I think #9, Matt Dominguez, is hidden behind Cotchery, but he's not making the team anyway.)
I think Moss has been missing a lot of practices thus far, but he practiced at full speed Tuesday and wasn't holding back. I'm sure he'll be ready to go by the regular season.
Noticeably absent - Wayne Chrebet. He's been bothered by injuries all pre-season.
I think Moss has been missing a lot of practices thus far, but he practiced at full speed Tuesday and wasn't holding back. I'm sure he'll be ready to go by the regular season.
Noticeably absent - Wayne Chrebet. He's been bothered by injuries all pre-season.
Padres 10, Mets 3 (59-67)
Well, if you're gonna get swept, you might as well get SWEPT. Boy, did things go downhill in a hurry. Sunday afternoon, the Mets had a chance to get right back in the thick of the wild card race. Here it is Thursday, and the Mets haven't had a sniff of a win since.
10-3. What an embarrassment. There was one good thing that came out of the past two games, at least. The Mets put David Wright into the three hole. So he's getting the experience hitting third. That'll help for next year. Wright went 0-for-2 Thursday afternoon, but he did walk twice. He is a great 2-strike hitter, just FYI.
Danny Garcia is a good little player. I don't think he should be a starter in the majors, but he is an excellent utility guy - he should definitely start next season at the Major League level.
I heard an excellent point on WFAN the other afternoon. Someone (I think it was Mike Francesa) made the point, what is the Mets training staff doing?!!? Why is it that everytime a Mets player gets hurt, he's out forever? It's a good point. And just the fact that Jose Reyes can't stay healthy is exhibit A. Cliff Floyd doesn't count because he couldn't stay healthy before he came to the Mets. Mike Piazza gets more fragile every year, but he's also getting old fast. But the point is well taken by me...do these people know what they're doing when it comes to treating injuries? Perhaps the Mets trainers are the same guys that scout Japanese shortstops. Just a thought.
OK...here it is...the big debut!! I urge you all to switch over to johnnyjets.blogspot.com for the first day of the Jets page (for real today). And keep coming back to the Mets site - we have lots more to come - post-season predictions, awards predictions, and more on the Mets!! Thanks for reading!
10-3. What an embarrassment. There was one good thing that came out of the past two games, at least. The Mets put David Wright into the three hole. So he's getting the experience hitting third. That'll help for next year. Wright went 0-for-2 Thursday afternoon, but he did walk twice. He is a great 2-strike hitter, just FYI.
Danny Garcia is a good little player. I don't think he should be a starter in the majors, but he is an excellent utility guy - he should definitely start next season at the Major League level.
I heard an excellent point on WFAN the other afternoon. Someone (I think it was Mike Francesa) made the point, what is the Mets training staff doing?!!? Why is it that everytime a Mets player gets hurt, he's out forever? It's a good point. And just the fact that Jose Reyes can't stay healthy is exhibit A. Cliff Floyd doesn't count because he couldn't stay healthy before he came to the Mets. Mike Piazza gets more fragile every year, but he's also getting old fast. But the point is well taken by me...do these people know what they're doing when it comes to treating injuries? Perhaps the Mets trainers are the same guys that scout Japanese shortstops. Just a thought.
OK...here it is...the big debut!! I urge you all to switch over to johnnyjets.blogspot.com for the first day of the Jets page (for real today). And keep coming back to the Mets site - we have lots more to come - post-season predictions, awards predictions, and more on the Mets!! Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Padres something, Mets something less (insert crappy record here)
Blah blah blah blah blah blah Mets. Blah blah blah blah blah blah future Hall of Famer David Wright. No one blah blah blah blah for the mailbag. So blah blah blah blah blah blah.
Blah blah blah blah season blah blah blah blah over. Blah blah injuries, blah blah blah blah unbelievable.
Blah blah signed outfielder Brian Buchanan. That should really blah blah blah blah blah blah like a hole in the head.
In other news, the softball team played potentially its last game of the season. It was very likely the last game for me on the team. We came into the game 8-2, and were playing a team that had beaten us earlier in the season (I missed that game due to school - but had heard that the opposing team was very unsportsmanlike - they really crushed us, apparently). Anyway, we jumped out to a 12-2 lead, then held on for a 12-10 win. Did I mention this team was also undefeated before this game? I forgot. And they didn't take the loss easily. What a bunch of sore losers. My goodness. I don't know that I'm going to play in this league next year - I just didn't enjoy it the way I should have. But it felt good to beat this team, even though they were sore about it.
Well, it's time for the big johnnyjets.blogspot.com debut (it actually existed for about six months...but now's when it gets updated regularly). Switch over there, but also tune back in for the mets blah-g. We'll start to address the down-the-road issues here. And we'll still take your mail........if there is any.
Blah blah blah blah season blah blah blah blah over. Blah blah injuries, blah blah blah blah unbelievable.
Blah blah signed outfielder Brian Buchanan. That should really blah blah blah blah blah blah like a hole in the head.
In other news, the softball team played potentially its last game of the season. It was very likely the last game for me on the team. We came into the game 8-2, and were playing a team that had beaten us earlier in the season (I missed that game due to school - but had heard that the opposing team was very unsportsmanlike - they really crushed us, apparently). Anyway, we jumped out to a 12-2 lead, then held on for a 12-10 win. Did I mention this team was also undefeated before this game? I forgot. And they didn't take the loss easily. What a bunch of sore losers. My goodness. I don't know that I'm going to play in this league next year - I just didn't enjoy it the way I should have. But it felt good to beat this team, even though they were sore about it.
Well, it's time for the big johnnyjets.blogspot.com debut (it actually existed for about six months...but now's when it gets updated regularly). Switch over there, but also tune back in for the mets blah-g. We'll start to address the down-the-road issues here. And we'll still take your mail........if there is any.
Padres 3, Mets 1 (59-65)
Due to my being on assignment for the Jets site, I did not see Tuesday night's Mets game. I didn't miss much.
I wonder if anyone even still reads this space, since NO ONE HAS E-MAILED ME YET FOR THIS WEEK'S MAILBAG!!! That's OK. I'll postpone it one more day if you have something urgent to say. Otherwise, we'll bag it for the week.
After my "on assignment" for the Jets (which will probably get posted for Thursday, so stay tuned for that), I took in a Huey Lewis and the News concert in Westbury, New York. It was awesome! The first time I saw him, and it was great - I'm going to try to go again. Just outstanding. He played all the songs you'd hope he'd play, and they were all great. So that's why I didn't watch the Mets. And also because they are frustrating, and not very good. Scott Kazmir is 1-0. With a 0.00 ERA. Victor Zambrano is hurt. But football season's a-comin', and I have now attended a Huey Lewis and the News concert.
I wonder if anyone even still reads this space, since NO ONE HAS E-MAILED ME YET FOR THIS WEEK'S MAILBAG!!! That's OK. I'll postpone it one more day if you have something urgent to say. Otherwise, we'll bag it for the week.
After my "on assignment" for the Jets (which will probably get posted for Thursday, so stay tuned for that), I took in a Huey Lewis and the News concert in Westbury, New York. It was awesome! The first time I saw him, and it was great - I'm going to try to go again. Just outstanding. He played all the songs you'd hope he'd play, and they were all great. So that's why I didn't watch the Mets. And also because they are frustrating, and not very good. Scott Kazmir is 1-0. With a 0.00 ERA. Victor Zambrano is hurt. But football season's a-comin', and I have now attended a Huey Lewis and the News concert.
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
Padres 9, Mets 4 (59-64)
Aaron Heilman: 3-and-2-thirds IP, 4 earned runs, 8 hits, 3 walks, 1 K, gets the loss for the Mets.
Scott Kazmir: 5 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 4K, and stands to get the win right now for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays against the Seattle Mariners.
Talk about rubbing salt in a wound. Not only did the Mets look horrible in a game that might have just finished off any chance at a wild card run, but Kazmir makes an impressive major league debut. Kind of gives you a pain in your chest.
The Mets were horrible Monday night. They couldn't touch Jake Peavy. And Heilman is awful. It's bad. Very bad. The only bright spot was from, of course, Future Hall of Famer David Wright, who hit his 6th (of 756 career) home run. Mike Cameron also homered. That was his 27th of the season. He now holds the record for most homers in a season by a Mets centerfielder. Well, bully for him. Why don't you catch a few fly balls? (I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I'm a bit angry right now.)
Cliff Floyd left Monday's game after he got hit in the elbow with a pitch. Well, he didn't leave immediately. He came back out to left field, threw a runner out at the plate, then left the game. He's more fragile than Jose Reyes (no longer the greatest ballplayer who ever lived....unless he proves he can stay healthy. It's a sad day, folks).
So I'm officially writing off the Mets. But I'm not done writing about the Mets. So keep reading. And send some e-mail - Wednesday we'll be looking at some of what you have to say in our weekly mailbag. Make sure you get yours in! We have so many that we might not be able to print them all!! (OK, that's a lie. No one's sent anything. Please, someone e-mail me. Please.)
I'm on assignment for the Jets blog, which will get underway in a big way by the end of this week. So at the very least, the Mets bridged the gap to football season. I'll let you know when to check out the Jets site.
Scott Kazmir: 5 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 4K, and stands to get the win right now for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays against the Seattle Mariners.
Talk about rubbing salt in a wound. Not only did the Mets look horrible in a game that might have just finished off any chance at a wild card run, but Kazmir makes an impressive major league debut. Kind of gives you a pain in your chest.
The Mets were horrible Monday night. They couldn't touch Jake Peavy. And Heilman is awful. It's bad. Very bad. The only bright spot was from, of course, Future Hall of Famer David Wright, who hit his 6th (of 756 career) home run. Mike Cameron also homered. That was his 27th of the season. He now holds the record for most homers in a season by a Mets centerfielder. Well, bully for him. Why don't you catch a few fly balls? (I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I'm a bit angry right now.)
Cliff Floyd left Monday's game after he got hit in the elbow with a pitch. Well, he didn't leave immediately. He came back out to left field, threw a runner out at the plate, then left the game. He's more fragile than Jose Reyes (no longer the greatest ballplayer who ever lived....unless he proves he can stay healthy. It's a sad day, folks).
So I'm officially writing off the Mets. But I'm not done writing about the Mets. So keep reading. And send some e-mail - Wednesday we'll be looking at some of what you have to say in our weekly mailbag. Make sure you get yours in! We have so many that we might not be able to print them all!! (OK, that's a lie. No one's sent anything. Please, someone e-mail me. Please.)
I'm on assignment for the Jets blog, which will get underway in a big way by the end of this week. So at the very least, the Mets bridged the gap to football season. I'll let you know when to check out the Jets site.
Sunday, August 22, 2004
Giants 3, Mets 1 (59-63, 8 GB of Wild Card)
I feel like it's the early part of the season again. The Mets had a chance to pick up some ground in the race, they got a solid pitching outing from an unexpected source, and again their offense came up short.
In case you missed it, Future Hall of Famer David Wright was huge in Saturday's 11-9, 12 inning win. He was 4-for-6, with three doubles. His first of many 4-hit games in the Hall of Fame career. Unfortunately, he experienced a first of not-so-many on Sunday. He came up empty in a huge spot. With runners on first and second in the bottom of the eighth, down 3-1, with two outs, Wright batted against Giants' closer Dustin Hermanson, and struck out swinging. That was it for the Mets. It's a shame, because they could have taken two out of three from the Giants and kept their wild card hopes VERY alive. Now they're just barely alive.
It's also a shame because they wasted a great game by Matt Ginter. Well, a very good game, maybe not great. He gave up a solo homer to Ray Durham leading off the game, then a 2-run shot to Barry Bonds later in the first, and it was looking bad. But he gave up just those three rus in six innings, filling in for the injured Victor Zambrano. A very solid start for Ginter - looking like he did back in May. Mike DeJean pitched in two scoreless relief innings.
Now, I'm giving the Mets this one last shot here. They have four games - at home - against the San Diego Padres. The Mets are 8 games back of the Giants in the wild card race. The Padres are 2-and-a-half games behind the Giants. So they're right there at the top. If the Mets can pick up ground on San Diego, they'll keep themselves in it into September. If not, I'll officially write them off, and turn my attention to the Jets. Monday night, Aaron Heilman should be called up to make a start, so Kris Benson can be kept on his normal rest. (He was moved back a day because of Wednesday's rainout, and Thursday's doubleheader.) If the Mets can win Monday with Heilman, I like their chances with Benson, Al Leiter, Steve Trachsel, and Tom Glavine the rest of the series.
Let's go Mets.
In case you missed it, Future Hall of Famer David Wright was huge in Saturday's 11-9, 12 inning win. He was 4-for-6, with three doubles. His first of many 4-hit games in the Hall of Fame career. Unfortunately, he experienced a first of not-so-many on Sunday. He came up empty in a huge spot. With runners on first and second in the bottom of the eighth, down 3-1, with two outs, Wright batted against Giants' closer Dustin Hermanson, and struck out swinging. That was it for the Mets. It's a shame, because they could have taken two out of three from the Giants and kept their wild card hopes VERY alive. Now they're just barely alive.
It's also a shame because they wasted a great game by Matt Ginter. Well, a very good game, maybe not great. He gave up a solo homer to Ray Durham leading off the game, then a 2-run shot to Barry Bonds later in the first, and it was looking bad. But he gave up just those three rus in six innings, filling in for the injured Victor Zambrano. A very solid start for Ginter - looking like he did back in May. Mike DeJean pitched in two scoreless relief innings.
Now, I'm giving the Mets this one last shot here. They have four games - at home - against the San Diego Padres. The Mets are 8 games back of the Giants in the wild card race. The Padres are 2-and-a-half games behind the Giants. So they're right there at the top. If the Mets can pick up ground on San Diego, they'll keep themselves in it into September. If not, I'll officially write them off, and turn my attention to the Jets. Monday night, Aaron Heilman should be called up to make a start, so Kris Benson can be kept on his normal rest. (He was moved back a day because of Wednesday's rainout, and Thursday's doubleheader.) If the Mets can win Monday with Heilman, I like their chances with Benson, Al Leiter, Steve Trachsel, and Tom Glavine the rest of the series.
Let's go Mets.
Thursday, August 19, 2004
Game 1: Mets 10, Rockies 3; Game 2: Mets 4, Rockies 2 (58-61, 7 GB of wild card)
An interesting thing happened on Thursday night. After the softball game, we went to get pizza and beer at the local bar (more on the softball game later), and the Giants-Panthers NFL Preseason game is on the TV. They do a score update at the bottom of the screen, and underneath the score of game one of the doubleheader, Mets 10, Rockies 3, it says "NYM: 7.5 games back of the wild card." It could be that they just needed a stat to put there, but I think of it as an omen. Especially after the big win in game 2.
Al Leiter pitched very well, but again threw way too many pitches, so he left the game in the sixth inning trailing 2-1. It was 2-1 into the eighth, when Eric Valent, our boy here at johnnymets.blogspot.com, hits a pinch-hit solo homer to tie it. Then, with a 3-2 count and one out, one man on, in the top of the ninth, who else but future Hall of Famer David Wright with the first of what will be many dramatic game-winning homers to give the Mets the 4-2 lead. Mike Stanton pitched an excellent inning and a third to get the win.
The Mets won game one big. 10-3, a typical game in Colorado. The Mets' offense clicked, and Kris Benson pitched very well. And the Mets beat Shawn Estes, who I hold a grudge against. I don't know if the Mets do, but I sure do. Here's why. (I might have written this back when the Mets played the Rockies earlier in the year...if I did, sorry, but it bothers me so much I'm writing it again.) Estes, as you all remember, wussed out of throwing at Roger Clemens in his first at-bat against the Mets at Shea Stadium after he threw the bat at Mike Piazza (it was also the first at-bat after he had thrown at Piazza's head). Estes threw behind Clemens, because he wasn't on the team when Clemens did all this stuff to the Mets, and he didn't want to nail him. (Estes did homer off Clemens, which was good, but I wanted blood.) Anyway, that wasn't so bad.......until, last season, Estes is playing for the Chicago Cubs, it's early in the year, very early in the year, and there's a benches-clearing brawl. Who's out there, swinging away at the opponent, but one Shawn Estes?! He's been with these Cubs for a month and a half, and he's out there fighting for them, but he wouldn't throw one stinking baseball at Roger Clemens to back up his batterymate while he was here in New York??! That makes me so friggin' mad. So thank goodness the Mets beat him up yesterday.
A related situation happened in game two of the doubleheader Thursday night. Joe McEwing took a beating in the game. He had at least three Colorado runners take him out hard at second base, and after the third runner, J.D. Closser, slid into him, McEwing didn't get up. He had to be helped off the field. I don't know if he'll be back at all this season. We'll see. But anyway, Braden Looper faces Closser in the eighth inning, and he drills him good. It was a tie game at the time, and Looper put the potential winning run on first base, and got ejected at the same time, but that's good teammating. Way to go Braden! Especially considering Stanton pitched awesome in relief of Looper, and the Mets won the game. If they had lost, I might have been a little pissed.
As for Future Hall of Famer David Wright, he was 5-for-10 in the doubleheader, 2-for-6 in the first game, 3-for-4 in the nightcap. The homer was Wright's 5th (en route to at least 755), and the RBI's brought his total to 15. Piazza, Jose Reyes, and Matsui might be on the DL, but maybe Wright could be the spark to lead this team to the playoffs, or at least keep things rolling until those guys get healthy. (And now that McEwing is hurt, we need one of those middle infielders back soon.) Also on the injury front, Victor Zambrano was placed on the DL Thursday with the elbow problem. I think Matt Ginter will pitch in his place on Sunday.
Would you believe the Mets are now tied with the Phillies in the standings? The Astros trailed 7-2 late in the game on Thursday, and came back to beat Philly 12-10. So the Mets picked up a game and a half on the Phillies. The Mets can pick up some more ground in the wild card race this weekend. They trail the Giants by seven games, and they have three games in San Francisco this weekend. Steve Trachsel goes Friday night, and Tom Glavine returns from his car accident on Saturday afternoon.
As promised, the softball game. So we won big, behind the pitching of my wife! That's right. She played in her first game of the season, and took the mound no less. (She usually keeps score, but we need two women on each team, and she had to be an emergency fill-in). So she pitches two innings, giving up just two runs, catching a pop-up, and recording a strikeout. She got the win. As for the third baseman, he played better. I think just one error in Thursday night's game. So I think there are just 2 games left in the season (don't expect another appearance by the wife). We're 8-2, and I would say we are definitely in the top 3 of the league. Too bad we'll never know, since there is no playoff system.
Let's go Mets!
Al Leiter pitched very well, but again threw way too many pitches, so he left the game in the sixth inning trailing 2-1. It was 2-1 into the eighth, when Eric Valent, our boy here at johnnymets.blogspot.com, hits a pinch-hit solo homer to tie it. Then, with a 3-2 count and one out, one man on, in the top of the ninth, who else but future Hall of Famer David Wright with the first of what will be many dramatic game-winning homers to give the Mets the 4-2 lead. Mike Stanton pitched an excellent inning and a third to get the win.
The Mets won game one big. 10-3, a typical game in Colorado. The Mets' offense clicked, and Kris Benson pitched very well. And the Mets beat Shawn Estes, who I hold a grudge against. I don't know if the Mets do, but I sure do. Here's why. (I might have written this back when the Mets played the Rockies earlier in the year...if I did, sorry, but it bothers me so much I'm writing it again.) Estes, as you all remember, wussed out of throwing at Roger Clemens in his first at-bat against the Mets at Shea Stadium after he threw the bat at Mike Piazza (it was also the first at-bat after he had thrown at Piazza's head). Estes threw behind Clemens, because he wasn't on the team when Clemens did all this stuff to the Mets, and he didn't want to nail him. (Estes did homer off Clemens, which was good, but I wanted blood.) Anyway, that wasn't so bad.......until, last season, Estes is playing for the Chicago Cubs, it's early in the year, very early in the year, and there's a benches-clearing brawl. Who's out there, swinging away at the opponent, but one Shawn Estes?! He's been with these Cubs for a month and a half, and he's out there fighting for them, but he wouldn't throw one stinking baseball at Roger Clemens to back up his batterymate while he was here in New York??! That makes me so friggin' mad. So thank goodness the Mets beat him up yesterday.
A related situation happened in game two of the doubleheader Thursday night. Joe McEwing took a beating in the game. He had at least three Colorado runners take him out hard at second base, and after the third runner, J.D. Closser, slid into him, McEwing didn't get up. He had to be helped off the field. I don't know if he'll be back at all this season. We'll see. But anyway, Braden Looper faces Closser in the eighth inning, and he drills him good. It was a tie game at the time, and Looper put the potential winning run on first base, and got ejected at the same time, but that's good teammating. Way to go Braden! Especially considering Stanton pitched awesome in relief of Looper, and the Mets won the game. If they had lost, I might have been a little pissed.
As for Future Hall of Famer David Wright, he was 5-for-10 in the doubleheader, 2-for-6 in the first game, 3-for-4 in the nightcap. The homer was Wright's 5th (en route to at least 755), and the RBI's brought his total to 15. Piazza, Jose Reyes, and Matsui might be on the DL, but maybe Wright could be the spark to lead this team to the playoffs, or at least keep things rolling until those guys get healthy. (And now that McEwing is hurt, we need one of those middle infielders back soon.) Also on the injury front, Victor Zambrano was placed on the DL Thursday with the elbow problem. I think Matt Ginter will pitch in his place on Sunday.
Would you believe the Mets are now tied with the Phillies in the standings? The Astros trailed 7-2 late in the game on Thursday, and came back to beat Philly 12-10. So the Mets picked up a game and a half on the Phillies. The Mets can pick up some more ground in the wild card race this weekend. They trail the Giants by seven games, and they have three games in San Francisco this weekend. Steve Trachsel goes Friday night, and Tom Glavine returns from his car accident on Saturday afternoon.
As promised, the softball game. So we won big, behind the pitching of my wife! That's right. She played in her first game of the season, and took the mound no less. (She usually keeps score, but we need two women on each team, and she had to be an emergency fill-in). So she pitches two innings, giving up just two runs, catching a pop-up, and recording a strikeout. She got the win. As for the third baseman, he played better. I think just one error in Thursday night's game. So I think there are just 2 games left in the season (don't expect another appearance by the wife). We're 8-2, and I would say we are definitely in the top 3 of the league. Too bad we'll never know, since there is no playoff system.
Let's go Mets!
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
The Mets and Rockies got rained out on Wednesday night. They'll play a doubleheader on Thursday, and the Mets need to win both games, to take 2 out of 3. Then it's the HUGE weekend series against the Giants, with HUGE wild card implications.
So with the lack of a Mets game to write about, it's time to revisit the softball team, which I haven't written about for a long time. So we won again last night. The record is now 7-2. It must be noted that the third baseman flubbed a grounder, dropped a pop-up, and threw a ball away in the 19-5 win. He used to be flawless, making great plays, no errors at all. But now he's making all these errors, and doesn't know what to do. So he thinks maybe writing about it on his website and exposing his soul to the world might inspire him to play better defense in Thursday night's game. He'll keep you posted.
So, as promised, time to check the e-mail bag. Kevin, from Wilmington, again checks in with this:
"An off topic question...but it looks like the Mets best chances for a World Series might only happen in Cyber-World. So with the release of Madden Football....the question should be asked, why hasn't a great baseball video game been made?? MVP Baseball is ok...but its not something I stay up all night playing. The additional question....best baseball video game ever?? Tony LaRussa baseball?? MVP Baseball?? RBI Baseball?? Triple Play?? Do you have a hidden gem?? I'll hang up and listen. "
Well, Kevin, first of all, let's not write off the non-video game Mets yet. If they sweep Thursday's doubleheader.....anyway, this is something I've wondered quite often in my loser existence. Finally, EA Sports has come up with a passable baseball video game, which took entirely too long. MVP Baseball is a huge improvement over its predecessor, Triple Play Baseball. At least in MVP, you can make a double switch without the game freezing up. I'm big on stats, and you can't do much better stats-wise than what MVP offers. I actually like MVP a lot. But you're right. It's not Madden. And Madden just keeps getting better, year after year. It makes you wonder why baseball can't keep up with the advances football has made. I wonder if the baseball game is harder to make because there are many more stats and such. Anyway, as for the best all-time...I liked RBI because it was the first one to differentiate stadiums. I remember it being the first video game to have the fountains at Kauffman Stadium. And Bases Loaded was a great game, for Nintendo. And I could always be Gary Carter, or just 8 on the New York (N) in Major League Baseball, for Nintendo, which, looking back, was probably the first MLB licensed game. But MVP is the best, just because of the evolution of the game. (For the record, the new Madden is great.)
We're a little light on the e-mails today. But one final word on the Mets. Victor Zambrano was in New York today, I think, for tests on his elbow. He left Tuesday night's game in the second inning after throwing a pitch. This is a problem. Apparently his elbow never felt 100 percent even after the trade from the Devil Rays. The Mets training staff really should have checked that situation out more before giving up a big-time prospect for damaged goods. They did run tests, but obviously, it wasn't definitive enough. Not good.
Kris Benson and Al Leiter go for the Mets in Thursday's doubleheader.
So with the lack of a Mets game to write about, it's time to revisit the softball team, which I haven't written about for a long time. So we won again last night. The record is now 7-2. It must be noted that the third baseman flubbed a grounder, dropped a pop-up, and threw a ball away in the 19-5 win. He used to be flawless, making great plays, no errors at all. But now he's making all these errors, and doesn't know what to do. So he thinks maybe writing about it on his website and exposing his soul to the world might inspire him to play better defense in Thursday night's game. He'll keep you posted.
So, as promised, time to check the e-mail bag. Kevin, from Wilmington, again checks in with this:
"An off topic question...but it looks like the Mets best chances for a World Series might only happen in Cyber-World. So with the release of Madden Football....the question should be asked, why hasn't a great baseball video game been made?? MVP Baseball is ok...but its not something I stay up all night playing. The additional question....best baseball video game ever?? Tony LaRussa baseball?? MVP Baseball?? RBI Baseball?? Triple Play?? Do you have a hidden gem?? I'll hang up and listen. "
Well, Kevin, first of all, let's not write off the non-video game Mets yet. If they sweep Thursday's doubleheader.....anyway, this is something I've wondered quite often in my loser existence. Finally, EA Sports has come up with a passable baseball video game, which took entirely too long. MVP Baseball is a huge improvement over its predecessor, Triple Play Baseball. At least in MVP, you can make a double switch without the game freezing up. I'm big on stats, and you can't do much better stats-wise than what MVP offers. I actually like MVP a lot. But you're right. It's not Madden. And Madden just keeps getting better, year after year. It makes you wonder why baseball can't keep up with the advances football has made. I wonder if the baseball game is harder to make because there are many more stats and such. Anyway, as for the best all-time...I liked RBI because it was the first one to differentiate stadiums. I remember it being the first video game to have the fountains at Kauffman Stadium. And Bases Loaded was a great game, for Nintendo. And I could always be Gary Carter, or just 8 on the New York (N) in Major League Baseball, for Nintendo, which, looking back, was probably the first MLB licensed game. But MVP is the best, just because of the evolution of the game. (For the record, the new Madden is great.)
We're a little light on the e-mails today. But one final word on the Mets. Victor Zambrano was in New York today, I think, for tests on his elbow. He left Tuesday night's game in the second inning after throwing a pitch. This is a problem. Apparently his elbow never felt 100 percent even after the trade from the Devil Rays. The Mets training staff really should have checked that situation out more before giving up a big-time prospect for damaged goods. They did run tests, but obviously, it wasn't definitive enough. Not good.
Kris Benson and Al Leiter go for the Mets in Thursday's doubleheader.
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Sorry folks. I'm not feeling so good - I think I need to go to bed. We'll do mail Thursday. That gives you an extra day to send your mail: johnnymetsmail@yahoo.com.
Monday, August 16, 2004
The Mets had Monday night off. They are 56-60, 10 games behind the Braves in the NL East.
I knew Randy Johnson was going to kick the Mets' butts on Sunday. The Mets usually play well against Johnson, but I just had a feeling that he would want to show New Yorkers (and the Yankees in particular) what he had left, and what could have been on their team. Oh well. 2 out of 3 in consecutive series for the Mets isn't bad. Now they go to Colorado, definitely a beatable team.
Here's the deal folks. As bad as things have seemed recently, the Mets are six and a half games back of the wild card. They trail the Cubs, Padres, and Giants, who are in a three-way tie for first, the Phillies and Marlins, tied for second, and Houston. The Mets own the season tiebreaker against Houston, and face each team ahead of them in the wild card standings over the next month and a half. So if you're looking for a rooting interest, there it is. The season't not over yet.
Of course, they'll have to get things going without Mike Piazza, Jose Reyes, and Kaz Matsui, who are all on the disabled list. It especially hurts not being able to see Piazza hit in Colorado - that might just cure his slump. But the Mets might have one last run in them - so don't tune out yet. My summer classes are now over...so for the next couple of weeks I'll be detailing the "Final Mets Run of the Season" for you - I'll even try to include weekends.
I'll also be starting to pick up johnnyjets.blogspot.com soon. I'll keep you posted on that. Here's a hint at what to expect - I'm even more confident in the Jets' chances this year than I was with the Mets.
Also - Wednesday's the day where we post your e-mails. So drop johnnymetsmail@yahoo.com a line today!!
Let's Go Mets!
I knew Randy Johnson was going to kick the Mets' butts on Sunday. The Mets usually play well against Johnson, but I just had a feeling that he would want to show New Yorkers (and the Yankees in particular) what he had left, and what could have been on their team. Oh well. 2 out of 3 in consecutive series for the Mets isn't bad. Now they go to Colorado, definitely a beatable team.
Here's the deal folks. As bad as things have seemed recently, the Mets are six and a half games back of the wild card. They trail the Cubs, Padres, and Giants, who are in a three-way tie for first, the Phillies and Marlins, tied for second, and Houston. The Mets own the season tiebreaker against Houston, and face each team ahead of them in the wild card standings over the next month and a half. So if you're looking for a rooting interest, there it is. The season't not over yet.
Of course, they'll have to get things going without Mike Piazza, Jose Reyes, and Kaz Matsui, who are all on the disabled list. It especially hurts not being able to see Piazza hit in Colorado - that might just cure his slump. But the Mets might have one last run in them - so don't tune out yet. My summer classes are now over...so for the next couple of weeks I'll be detailing the "Final Mets Run of the Season" for you - I'll even try to include weekends.
I'll also be starting to pick up johnnyjets.blogspot.com soon. I'll keep you posted on that. Here's a hint at what to expect - I'm even more confident in the Jets' chances this year than I was with the Mets.
Also - Wednesday's the day where we post your e-mails. So drop johnnymetsmail@yahoo.com a line today!!
Let's Go Mets!
Thursday, August 12, 2004
Astros 5, Mets 4 (53-59, 11 GB)
Well, so much for the new plan. The Marlins lost, but the Mets also lost, and the Braves, Phillies, and Expos all won. So the big experiment lasts just one day. We'll have to figure out a new scheme for the Mets to make the playoffs on Thursday.
The Mets really didn't deserve to win Wednesday night. But they almost stole one, which would have been good for a team that hasn't caught many breaks this year. According to form, though, after a wild pitch allowed the Mets to score two runs to tie the game at 4, they went on to lose the game in 10 innings. This, despite the best efforts of future Hall of Famer David Wright, who led off the 10th inning with a single, and advanced to third base before Jason Phillips ended the game by flying out to center field. He can't do it by himself folks...although if anyone was capable of that, it would be David Wright.
Matt Ginter pitched very well against the Astros for the second time this year, filling in for the injured Tom Glavine. He had to leave the game, though, after the long rain delay in the sixth inning.
It should also be noted, The Greatest Ballplayer Who Ever Lived, Jose Reyes, pinch-hit in this game and doubled, before leaving for a pinch runner. Reyes limped off the field. He's gotta stop getting these leg injuries.
Speaking of injuries, Mike Piazza is on the DL with inflammation in his knee. Of course, the knee injury wasn't suffered as a catcher, it was suffered with Piazza at first base. I swear, the Mets have won two World Series in their 42 years of existence, but you want to talk cursed? It's all or nothing with this team. At least the Red Sox contend, the White Sox contend, the Cubs, well, they've contended the past two years. But the Mets...they have a young player (Reyes) who has the biggest upside of anyone in the league (some would argue more than anyone who's ever played the game), and he can't walk without tweaking a hamstring. Then you have the greatest-hitting catcher in the history of the game, who can't even switch positions right to help save his career. Then they go out and grab allegedly one of the best Japanese players out there (Kaz Matsui), and he doesn't know how to field or throw a baseball....not to mention two Hall of Famers (legitimate Hall of Famers - Roberto Alomar and Mo Vaughn) who fall off the face of the Earth when they come to the Mets. I'll keep it at that...but there are plenty more examples. I don't want to throw around any words like "Curse"...but something ain't right.
The Mets and Astros turn right back around and play Thursday afternoon at 12.
The Mets really didn't deserve to win Wednesday night. But they almost stole one, which would have been good for a team that hasn't caught many breaks this year. According to form, though, after a wild pitch allowed the Mets to score two runs to tie the game at 4, they went on to lose the game in 10 innings. This, despite the best efforts of future Hall of Famer David Wright, who led off the 10th inning with a single, and advanced to third base before Jason Phillips ended the game by flying out to center field. He can't do it by himself folks...although if anyone was capable of that, it would be David Wright.
Matt Ginter pitched very well against the Astros for the second time this year, filling in for the injured Tom Glavine. He had to leave the game, though, after the long rain delay in the sixth inning.
It should also be noted, The Greatest Ballplayer Who Ever Lived, Jose Reyes, pinch-hit in this game and doubled, before leaving for a pinch runner. Reyes limped off the field. He's gotta stop getting these leg injuries.
Speaking of injuries, Mike Piazza is on the DL with inflammation in his knee. Of course, the knee injury wasn't suffered as a catcher, it was suffered with Piazza at first base. I swear, the Mets have won two World Series in their 42 years of existence, but you want to talk cursed? It's all or nothing with this team. At least the Red Sox contend, the White Sox contend, the Cubs, well, they've contended the past two years. But the Mets...they have a young player (Reyes) who has the biggest upside of anyone in the league (some would argue more than anyone who's ever played the game), and he can't walk without tweaking a hamstring. Then you have the greatest-hitting catcher in the history of the game, who can't even switch positions right to help save his career. Then they go out and grab allegedly one of the best Japanese players out there (Kaz Matsui), and he doesn't know how to field or throw a baseball....not to mention two Hall of Famers (legitimate Hall of Famers - Roberto Alomar and Mo Vaughn) who fall off the face of the Earth when they come to the Mets. I'll keep it at that...but there are plenty more examples. I don't want to throw around any words like "Curse"...but something ain't right.
The Mets and Astros turn right back around and play Thursday afternoon at 12.
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Mets 7, Astros 3 (53-58, 10 GB)
OK, new plan. If the Mets win every game from here on out, and everyone else in the NL East loses every game the rest of the way, playoffs, here we come! The Mets beat the Astros Tuesday night at Shea Stadium, and the Braves, Marlins, and Phillies all lost. (The Expos won, but they're so irrelevant, unless they're beating the Mets 19-13.) Anyway, that's what we'll cling to now. I know the season's over, but they're not called the Miracle Mets for nothing. Let's see what they can pull from their rears this year, these Miracle Mets. FYI, the Mets are just 7 and a half games out of the Wild Card, trailing just the Cubs, Padres, Giants, Phillies, Marlins, Astros, Reds, and Brewers. That's like the entire National League.
So, lots of highlights Tuesday night. It was actually a pretty good game to watch, or at least the first hour and 45 minutes was, which was all I got to see. I left the house after the Mets took a 4-3 lead in the 4th. David Wright had a huge game, 2-for-4, with a homer, and 2 RBI. (That's now 4 homers, en route to 755+, and 12 major league RBI for the future Hall of Famer.) Wright drove in the go-ahead run with a sharply hit single up the middle, following up the exact same thing by Mike Cameron one batter before.
Let's just briefly talk about Tom Glavine. As poorly as he pitched last year, 2004 has to be the worst year of this guy's life. First of all, he's pitching great, but can't catch a break because the Mets don't score runs when he's on the mound. He's 8-10, with a 2.92 ERA. That's just wrong. Then, there's what happened to him yesterday. His cab gets into an accident right outside LaGuardia airport, and he goes to the hospital with stitches in his cut lower lip and no more two front teeth. He's out of the hospital right now, but will miss Wednesday night's start. Just a bad year for Glavine. And now the johnnymets connection: For those of you who attended the big johnnymets wedding, you may remember my sister had a cast on her wrist. She broke that wrist in a car accident right outside LaGuardia airport. From what I hear about the Glavine accident, the accidents happened in pretty much the same spot. So I'm basically like Tom Glavine's brother at this point. (FYI, my sister is recovering. The cast is gone now. And she still has her two front teeth.)
Well, it's Wednesday, which means it's time to check the mailbag.
This e-mail comes from someone calling himself Scott, who would be my former roommate who tried to steal $600 from myself and Kevin from Wilmington. But being that I hate the man, I don't believe it's really him. But let's see the e-mail, shall we:
"John...
Does it bother you that the future "ace" of the Mets pitching staff has a girl's first name?? Check it out....Kris is short for Kristin!!! I have a girls last name...and I can tell you, its never been a problem for me. I mean...look at my life. I was a success in college, success as a roommate, and now...well, if you only knew what I was up to!! Anyways...girls first name on the ace....bother you?? Scott Salley - parts unknown"
Well, "Scott", it does bother me actually, that Kris is short for Kristin. This is an unbelievable development, folks, which I'm very grateful to "Scott" for pointing out. He refers to the ESPN player page for Kris Benson, and sure enough, that page shows his name as Kristin James Benson. There's no doubt, though, that Benson is all man. He is, after all, married to a former Penthouse model. So I guess Kristin can slide.
Well, speak of the devil - if it isn't Kevin from Wilmington. Here's what Kevin writes:
"Johnny.... Big time fan of your site. Keep up the great work. Anyways....I don't want to say "its over"....but "it don't look good" after this weekend's sweep. So....Let's look ahead to next season. With Hidalgo and Benson both free agents...will the Mets keep both or either or neither?? Will they make a run at Carlos Beltran?? What do you see the Mets lineup and rotation as for next season?? I'll hang up and listen. kevin - Wilmington, NC "
Wow. A legitimate e-mail. Well, Kevin, to be honest, I've been so focused on this season that I haven't been looking ahead too much. But next year is promising....and a little unsure. I think the Mets definitely keep Benson. Hidalgo, I'm not so sure about. As Steve from Manhattan points out every time I speak to him, the Mets wouldn't pay for Vlad Guerrero, why would they pay that much money for Hidalgo? It's a good point, but the way Hidalgo is playing for the Mets right now, they would probably hate to let him go. As for Beltran, I don't see that happening. I think everyone's happy with Mike Cameron in center field, especially lately. So here's what I'm seeing for next year:
2B Kaz Matsui
SS Jose Reyes
3B David Wright
1B Mike Piazza
RF Richard Hidalgo
LF Cliff Floyd
CF Mike Cameron
C Jason Phillips
Pitching Rotation: Tom Glavine, Kris Benson, Al Leiter, Steve Trachsel, Victor Zambrano
It's a pretty good-looking rotation, my only worry is that Leiter and Glavine might be having their last good years in 2004. But we'll have more on this in the season preview here on johnnymets.blogspot.com in March. And, yes, I do believe David Wright will be batting third in 2005. Speaking of the future Hall of Famer, Dave from Brighton writes in again:
"With David Wright on track to spend a half season with the MajorLeague club, will he be in the running for Rookie of the Year honors. If not, would he still be eligible next year, even though he'll have a half season of experience under his belt?
While we're on the topic, what would you project for him next year, stats-wise. If he can have a 6 RBI game every day, that would put him on pace for approximately 1,000 RBI. Is this impossible, or just unlikely?"
Dave, Dave, Dave. That's just stupid. Everyone knows 1,000 RBI in a season is just unlikely, especially when we're talking about Wright. As for Rookie of the Year, David Wright is going to have to go gangbusters for the rest of this season in order to add that award to his Hall of Fame resume. The rules, I believe, are a player can't have 130 major league at-bats or 45 games on a major league roster and still be considered a rookie. So Wright's a rookie right now...and won't be in 2005. As for a projection of stats, I would say he's going to be a consistent .300 hitter, 30 homers, and 130 RBI. What else would you expect?
One final note: The Mets are wearing patches on their left sleeves for the rest of the season simply saying "Bob Murphy", written around the outside of the Mets emblem. Very classy. And before Tuesday night's game, the Mets honored Murphy with a video montage - it was very good. Well done by the Mets. And on Wednesday at 2PM at Saint Patrick's Cathedral, there is a public memorial for Murphy. Just FYI.
So, lots of highlights Tuesday night. It was actually a pretty good game to watch, or at least the first hour and 45 minutes was, which was all I got to see. I left the house after the Mets took a 4-3 lead in the 4th. David Wright had a huge game, 2-for-4, with a homer, and 2 RBI. (That's now 4 homers, en route to 755+, and 12 major league RBI for the future Hall of Famer.) Wright drove in the go-ahead run with a sharply hit single up the middle, following up the exact same thing by Mike Cameron one batter before.
Let's just briefly talk about Tom Glavine. As poorly as he pitched last year, 2004 has to be the worst year of this guy's life. First of all, he's pitching great, but can't catch a break because the Mets don't score runs when he's on the mound. He's 8-10, with a 2.92 ERA. That's just wrong. Then, there's what happened to him yesterday. His cab gets into an accident right outside LaGuardia airport, and he goes to the hospital with stitches in his cut lower lip and no more two front teeth. He's out of the hospital right now, but will miss Wednesday night's start. Just a bad year for Glavine. And now the johnnymets connection: For those of you who attended the big johnnymets wedding, you may remember my sister had a cast on her wrist. She broke that wrist in a car accident right outside LaGuardia airport. From what I hear about the Glavine accident, the accidents happened in pretty much the same spot. So I'm basically like Tom Glavine's brother at this point. (FYI, my sister is recovering. The cast is gone now. And she still has her two front teeth.)
Well, it's Wednesday, which means it's time to check the mailbag.
This e-mail comes from someone calling himself Scott, who would be my former roommate who tried to steal $600 from myself and Kevin from Wilmington. But being that I hate the man, I don't believe it's really him. But let's see the e-mail, shall we:
"John...
Does it bother you that the future "ace" of the Mets pitching staff has a girl's first name?? Check it out....Kris is short for Kristin!!! I have a girls last name...and I can tell you, its never been a problem for me. I mean...look at my life. I was a success in college, success as a roommate, and now...well, if you only knew what I was up to!! Anyways...girls first name on the ace....bother you?? Scott Salley - parts unknown"
Well, "Scott", it does bother me actually, that Kris is short for Kristin. This is an unbelievable development, folks, which I'm very grateful to "Scott" for pointing out. He refers to the ESPN player page for Kris Benson, and sure enough, that page shows his name as Kristin James Benson. There's no doubt, though, that Benson is all man. He is, after all, married to a former Penthouse model. So I guess Kristin can slide.
Well, speak of the devil - if it isn't Kevin from Wilmington. Here's what Kevin writes:
"Johnny.... Big time fan of your site. Keep up the great work. Anyways....I don't want to say "its over"....but "it don't look good" after this weekend's sweep. So....Let's look ahead to next season. With Hidalgo and Benson both free agents...will the Mets keep both or either or neither?? Will they make a run at Carlos Beltran?? What do you see the Mets lineup and rotation as for next season?? I'll hang up and listen. kevin - Wilmington, NC "
Wow. A legitimate e-mail. Well, Kevin, to be honest, I've been so focused on this season that I haven't been looking ahead too much. But next year is promising....and a little unsure. I think the Mets definitely keep Benson. Hidalgo, I'm not so sure about. As Steve from Manhattan points out every time I speak to him, the Mets wouldn't pay for Vlad Guerrero, why would they pay that much money for Hidalgo? It's a good point, but the way Hidalgo is playing for the Mets right now, they would probably hate to let him go. As for Beltran, I don't see that happening. I think everyone's happy with Mike Cameron in center field, especially lately. So here's what I'm seeing for next year:
2B Kaz Matsui
SS Jose Reyes
3B David Wright
1B Mike Piazza
RF Richard Hidalgo
LF Cliff Floyd
CF Mike Cameron
C Jason Phillips
Pitching Rotation: Tom Glavine, Kris Benson, Al Leiter, Steve Trachsel, Victor Zambrano
It's a pretty good-looking rotation, my only worry is that Leiter and Glavine might be having their last good years in 2004. But we'll have more on this in the season preview here on johnnymets.blogspot.com in March. And, yes, I do believe David Wright will be batting third in 2005. Speaking of the future Hall of Famer, Dave from Brighton writes in again:
"With David Wright on track to spend a half season with the MajorLeague club, will he be in the running for Rookie of the Year honors. If not, would he still be eligible next year, even though he'll have a half season of experience under his belt?
While we're on the topic, what would you project for him next year, stats-wise. If he can have a 6 RBI game every day, that would put him on pace for approximately 1,000 RBI. Is this impossible, or just unlikely?"
Dave, Dave, Dave. That's just stupid. Everyone knows 1,000 RBI in a season is just unlikely, especially when we're talking about Wright. As for Rookie of the Year, David Wright is going to have to go gangbusters for the rest of this season in order to add that award to his Hall of Fame resume. The rules, I believe, are a player can't have 130 major league at-bats or 45 games on a major league roster and still be considered a rookie. So Wright's a rookie right now...and won't be in 2005. As for a projection of stats, I would say he's going to be a consistent .300 hitter, 30 homers, and 130 RBI. What else would you expect?
One final note: The Mets are wearing patches on their left sleeves for the rest of the season simply saying "Bob Murphy", written around the outside of the Mets emblem. Very classy. And before Tuesday night's game, the Mets honored Murphy with a video montage - it was very good. Well done by the Mets. And on Wednesday at 2PM at Saint Patrick's Cathedral, there is a public memorial for Murphy. Just FYI.
Sorry for the lack of postings. Lots of final projects. In a week, though, summer classes will be over. Which means summer classes lasted longer than the Mets, who are done. But do not worry - the end of the Mets' season in early August does not mean the end of johnnymets.blogspot.com.
I will be working extra hard to bring you the entertainment you deserve through the World Series, which, hard as it may be to accept, will probably not include the Mets. I can't believe it either. Anyway, the fun gets started tomorrow with the Mets mailblog. I won't let you down this week.
Oh, by the way, the Mets open up a three-game series at Shea against the Astros. Let's Go Mets.
I will be working extra hard to bring you the entertainment you deserve through the World Series, which, hard as it may be to accept, will probably not include the Mets. I can't believe it either. Anyway, the fun gets started tomorrow with the Mets mailblog. I won't let you down this week.
Oh, by the way, the Mets open up a three-game series at Shea against the Astros. Let's Go Mets.
Saturday, August 07, 2004
Thursday, August 05, 2004
Mets 11, Brewers 6 (52-55, 8 GB)
Let me begin with a couple of stat lines.
First, this pitcher's line: 5 1/3 IP, 8 H, 3 BB, 7K, 6 R, 4 ER. Pretty crappy, but good enough for a win by Victor Zambrano. He got a nice little welcome to the Mets gift. Usually the Mets hang new pitchers out to dry by not scoring any runs. But Zambrano is now 1-0 in the National League (despite a 6.75 ERA), mostly because........
......of this stat line: 3-for-5, 2 2B, HR, 2 R, 6 RBI!!!! You know who put those numbers up Thursday afternoon. None other than future Hall of Famer David Wright. If you didn't see Wright's first inning home run, turn on ESPN now, and wait for them to show it. It was a BOMB. This guy's good. His line yesterday looked like something from when he was tearing up Double-A. He's really starting to find his stroke. Watch out Pete Rose and Hank Aaron. Not to mention Tris Speaker. He's the all-time doubles leader. Or should I say, WAS, the all-time doubles leader. After hitting 2 doubles yesterday, 6 of Wright's 15 hits have been doubles. In 13 games, Wright has 6 doubles. Let's just say he plays about 150 games a year (assuming he doesn't break Cal Ripken's consecutive games streak), for 10 years. That averages out to 750 doubles in his career. And we all know Wright will play at least 20 years, if not 30. That means he'll shatter Speaker's record of 792 career doubles. We're watching history here folks.
OK. So the Mets swept the Brewers. I'm very happy about it. But if they could just hit like this against other teams, namely the Braves, it would probably feel a little better. Believe it or not, statistically, the Brewers are not a bad pitching team. They rank tenth in the majors in ERA. So you figure if the Mets could hit their pitching, they could hit others. Maybe the bats are coming around. Hope it isn't too late.
Mike Cameron sure is smoking the ball. And the Mets seem to have figured out how to hit with the bases loaded. Mike Piazza is still slumping pretty bad, so that's very worrisome. Sadly, I almost prefer to see the Mets 1,2, 6, 7, 8 hitters to the 3, 4, 5 hitters lately. Hmm..no offense, Kaz, but has anyone missed Matsui these last few games? I still feel he's one of the best clutch hitters on the team - if not THE best - but THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED Jose Reyes just looks so much better at shortstop.
So neither Zambrano or Kris Benson have been too impressive in their Mets debuts. I hope that means they'll only get better for the rest of the season. But who knows, this is the Mets we're talking about. But I think Zambrano was very, very nervous before this start. So maybe it's the best possible thing that he was given a 6-0 lead, almost blew it, and then held on to get a win. Maybe now he thinks he'll only get better, and he'll be more relaxed when he pitches at Shea. I'm reaching folks, but we need these guys to perform lights out, or else it's lights out on the season.
This weekend will be yet another test for the Mets. It's the Mets at Saint Louis. Here's a refresher on how the Mets did in their last series with the Cardinals. A 5-4 win, come-from-behind, when the Mets scored 2 in the bottom of the ninth to beat Jason Isringhausen. The Mets followed that up with a 1-0 loss, and then had one of their worst games of the season on a Thursday afternoon, getting pummeled 11-4. Just an ugly game. So the Mets lost 2 out of 3, but they held their own against a very good team. Now we'll see if they can beat a very good team 2 out of three. Because the Mets can't afford to lose another series the rest of the season. The pitching matchups for this series look phenomenal:
Friday: Tom Glavine vs. Matt Morris
Saturday: Kris Benson vs. Woody Williams
Sunday: Al Leiter vs. Jason Marquis
Let's Go Mets.
First, this pitcher's line: 5 1/3 IP, 8 H, 3 BB, 7K, 6 R, 4 ER. Pretty crappy, but good enough for a win by Victor Zambrano. He got a nice little welcome to the Mets gift. Usually the Mets hang new pitchers out to dry by not scoring any runs. But Zambrano is now 1-0 in the National League (despite a 6.75 ERA), mostly because........
......of this stat line: 3-for-5, 2 2B, HR, 2 R, 6 RBI!!!! You know who put those numbers up Thursday afternoon. None other than future Hall of Famer David Wright. If you didn't see Wright's first inning home run, turn on ESPN now, and wait for them to show it. It was a BOMB. This guy's good. His line yesterday looked like something from when he was tearing up Double-A. He's really starting to find his stroke. Watch out Pete Rose and Hank Aaron. Not to mention Tris Speaker. He's the all-time doubles leader. Or should I say, WAS, the all-time doubles leader. After hitting 2 doubles yesterday, 6 of Wright's 15 hits have been doubles. In 13 games, Wright has 6 doubles. Let's just say he plays about 150 games a year (assuming he doesn't break Cal Ripken's consecutive games streak), for 10 years. That averages out to 750 doubles in his career. And we all know Wright will play at least 20 years, if not 30. That means he'll shatter Speaker's record of 792 career doubles. We're watching history here folks.
OK. So the Mets swept the Brewers. I'm very happy about it. But if they could just hit like this against other teams, namely the Braves, it would probably feel a little better. Believe it or not, statistically, the Brewers are not a bad pitching team. They rank tenth in the majors in ERA. So you figure if the Mets could hit their pitching, they could hit others. Maybe the bats are coming around. Hope it isn't too late.
Mike Cameron sure is smoking the ball. And the Mets seem to have figured out how to hit with the bases loaded. Mike Piazza is still slumping pretty bad, so that's very worrisome. Sadly, I almost prefer to see the Mets 1,2, 6, 7, 8 hitters to the 3, 4, 5 hitters lately. Hmm..no offense, Kaz, but has anyone missed Matsui these last few games? I still feel he's one of the best clutch hitters on the team - if not THE best - but THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED Jose Reyes just looks so much better at shortstop.
So neither Zambrano or Kris Benson have been too impressive in their Mets debuts. I hope that means they'll only get better for the rest of the season. But who knows, this is the Mets we're talking about. But I think Zambrano was very, very nervous before this start. So maybe it's the best possible thing that he was given a 6-0 lead, almost blew it, and then held on to get a win. Maybe now he thinks he'll only get better, and he'll be more relaxed when he pitches at Shea. I'm reaching folks, but we need these guys to perform lights out, or else it's lights out on the season.
This weekend will be yet another test for the Mets. It's the Mets at Saint Louis. Here's a refresher on how the Mets did in their last series with the Cardinals. A 5-4 win, come-from-behind, when the Mets scored 2 in the bottom of the ninth to beat Jason Isringhausen. The Mets followed that up with a 1-0 loss, and then had one of their worst games of the season on a Thursday afternoon, getting pummeled 11-4. Just an ugly game. So the Mets lost 2 out of 3, but they held their own against a very good team. Now we'll see if they can beat a very good team 2 out of three. Because the Mets can't afford to lose another series the rest of the season. The pitching matchups for this series look phenomenal:
Friday: Tom Glavine vs. Matt Morris
Saturday: Kris Benson vs. Woody Williams
Sunday: Al Leiter vs. Jason Marquis
Let's Go Mets.
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
Mets 6, Brewers 5 (51-55, 8 GB)
First of all, a big apology. This is no way to start a new feature on this site, by promising your e-mails on Wednesday and not delivering. On the other hand, it still is Wednesday as I write this, so it's not really like I lied. Next week, though, I will have the mailblog ready by Wednesday morning, to keep consistent with your regular reading schedules.
I hope everyone remembered to watch my brother's show Wednesday night. If you watched it, you missed the Mets tying the game at 3, but you could have switched over immediately afterwards and seen the Mets take the lead. I hope you watched it, that show is more funny every time I watch it.
Damn the Mets. Everytime I want to write them off, they come back and look fairly impressive. Now they're scoring runs...if they keep this up, with the great pitching we expect from the staff, they might have one more run in them. Damn the Mets. Damn me for thinking so damn positively.
Let's check out the mail, because the first e-mail illustrates my above point about the Mets' "one more run" this season:
Kathryn in Watertown writes, "I've been looking at the Braves' record and the Mets' record. Let's say that the Braves win half of their games for the rest of the year. They'll finish out at 87-75. That means the Mets will have to win nearly 2/3 of their remaining games to finish ahead of the Braves. (If they win 2 out of 3 they'll end up at 89-73). So my question is, do you think this is possible or did the Mets screw themselves out of another year this past weekend?"
Well, Kathryn, the Mets sure didn't help themselves any by being swept by the Braves this past weekend. And I think it's asking an awful lot for the Braves to win only half their games the rest of the way. But that's what we, as Mets fans, have to hope for. And to be honest, 2 out of every three is not a stretch for the Mets, depending on how Victor Zambrano pitches on Thursday afternoon. I believe we've already seen Kris Benson's worst start (on Saturday against Atlanta), and Tom Glavine is not likely to pitch as poorly as he did on Sunday. Al Leiter has been awesome, and Steve Trachsel has strung together a few pretty good outings in a row. So if the pitching keeps them in games, starting with Zambrano's first start in a Mets uniform on Thursday, who knows what the Mets are capable of.
Here's another e-mail, this one from Dave, in Brighton, "Longtime reader firsttime writer.
10 GB. At what point do you fire up johnnyjets.blogspot.com?"
Well, Dave, johnnyjets.blogspot.com will be frequently updated during training camp, and I will direct your attention there through this site as I write about the Jets. But the deficit's 8 games. So we can't give up hope on the Mets just yet. Thanks for the plug on johnnyjets.blogspot.com.
Here's another e-mail I received, which I believe to be a ruse: "Nice blog, man. Thanks for the kind words. Keep it up!
-TGBWEL"
TGBWEL, of course, stands for THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, and the name on the e-mail was Jose Reyes. But I think someone, namely Kathryn from Watertown, is playing a cruel, cruel joke on me.
OK. This is a regular weekly event, so if you want to share your thoughts, drop me a line, johnnymetsmail@yahoo.com
Just a note on Bob Murphy, who died Tuesday of lung cancer. Murphy could also be known as TGBWEL - THE GREATEST BROADCASTER WHO EVER LIVED. There was nothing like sitting by a radio on a summer day/night, listening to Murphy broadcast the Mets. He may have lost a bit over the years, but just hearing his voice was reassuring, even when the Mets sucked. I don't really know how to express how good he was. If you're a Mets fan, you know. If you didn't grow up listening to Bob Murphy call the Mets, I don't know how to express what you missed. But I'll try. Imagine listening to a baseball game, and having the perfect picture of the game painted for you. And imagine not even thinking about who was describing the game to you. I hope that begins to give you an idea of what made Bob Murphy so great.
I hope everyone remembered to watch my brother's show Wednesday night. If you watched it, you missed the Mets tying the game at 3, but you could have switched over immediately afterwards and seen the Mets take the lead. I hope you watched it, that show is more funny every time I watch it.
Damn the Mets. Everytime I want to write them off, they come back and look fairly impressive. Now they're scoring runs...if they keep this up, with the great pitching we expect from the staff, they might have one more run in them. Damn the Mets. Damn me for thinking so damn positively.
Let's check out the mail, because the first e-mail illustrates my above point about the Mets' "one more run" this season:
Kathryn in Watertown writes, "I've been looking at the Braves' record and the Mets' record. Let's say that the Braves win half of their games for the rest of the year. They'll finish out at 87-75. That means the Mets will have to win nearly 2/3 of their remaining games to finish ahead of the Braves. (If they win 2 out of 3 they'll end up at 89-73). So my question is, do you think this is possible or did the Mets screw themselves out of another year this past weekend?"
Well, Kathryn, the Mets sure didn't help themselves any by being swept by the Braves this past weekend. And I think it's asking an awful lot for the Braves to win only half their games the rest of the way. But that's what we, as Mets fans, have to hope for. And to be honest, 2 out of every three is not a stretch for the Mets, depending on how Victor Zambrano pitches on Thursday afternoon. I believe we've already seen Kris Benson's worst start (on Saturday against Atlanta), and Tom Glavine is not likely to pitch as poorly as he did on Sunday. Al Leiter has been awesome, and Steve Trachsel has strung together a few pretty good outings in a row. So if the pitching keeps them in games, starting with Zambrano's first start in a Mets uniform on Thursday, who knows what the Mets are capable of.
Here's another e-mail, this one from Dave, in Brighton, "Longtime reader firsttime writer.
10 GB. At what point do you fire up johnnyjets.blogspot.com?"
Well, Dave, johnnyjets.blogspot.com will be frequently updated during training camp, and I will direct your attention there through this site as I write about the Jets. But the deficit's 8 games. So we can't give up hope on the Mets just yet. Thanks for the plug on johnnyjets.blogspot.com.
Here's another e-mail I received, which I believe to be a ruse: "Nice blog, man. Thanks for the kind words. Keep it up!
-TGBWEL"
TGBWEL, of course, stands for THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, and the name on the e-mail was Jose Reyes. But I think someone, namely Kathryn from Watertown, is playing a cruel, cruel joke on me.
OK. This is a regular weekly event, so if you want to share your thoughts, drop me a line, johnnymetsmail@yahoo.com
Just a note on Bob Murphy, who died Tuesday of lung cancer. Murphy could also be known as TGBWEL - THE GREATEST BROADCASTER WHO EVER LIVED. There was nothing like sitting by a radio on a summer day/night, listening to Murphy broadcast the Mets. He may have lost a bit over the years, but just hearing his voice was reassuring, even when the Mets sucked. I don't really know how to express how good he was. If you're a Mets fan, you know. If you didn't grow up listening to Bob Murphy call the Mets, I don't know how to express what you missed. But I'll try. Imagine listening to a baseball game, and having the perfect picture of the game painted for you. And imagine not even thinking about who was describing the game to you. I hope that begins to give you an idea of what made Bob Murphy so great.
Monday, August 02, 2004
I need the night off from writing about the Mets. The season's just about over. These trades are looking pretty crappy right now, considering the sweep by the Braves. I was psyched going into the weekend, assuming the Mets would have won 2, maybe 3, games...at least ONE. Now I'm disappointed. More on that for the rest of the season.
Just some reminders, though. First of all, Wednesday night at 10pm, on AMC, my brother's show airs again. "Into Character" is the name of the show...enjoy it - it's great.
And don't forget to weigh in on the Mets - johnnymetsmail@yahoo.com. Share the misery - Wednesday we'll put some e-mails on the site.
Just some reminders, though. First of all, Wednesday night at 10pm, on AMC, my brother's show airs again. "Into Character" is the name of the show...enjoy it - it's great.
And don't forget to weigh in on the Mets - johnnymetsmail@yahoo.com. Share the misery - Wednesday we'll put some e-mails on the site.
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