THE SOUTHERN BUREAU IS RIGHT

This may just be an artist's rendering...but Ted Robinson does have crazy eyes (see comments on the last post).

I don't know if I ever wrote this before (I searched and couldn't find it...but it rings a bell - I feel like I must have written it somewhere bfore) - but I think Ted Robinson has had considerable facial work done.

While searching, though, I discovered why I didn't like him doing games (I've been so into the Gary Cohen games that I've forgotten my beef with Robinson)...he talked too much. And there was really no chemistry with Fran Healy.

IN PRAISE OF THE ROCKIES

Just so you know, I was going to write this no matter what the result of Game 1 of the Phillies-Rockies NLDS series was. It just so happens I'm writing this tonight happier than I otherwise would have been.

Had the play-in game ended in regulation, at a reasonable time, I would have written this then. A family situation in New York postponed the posting another day. But here it is.

I am hereby throwing my support behind the Colorado Rockies to win the World Series.

The Rockies are the anti-Mets. Where the Mets tanked over the final few weeks, the Rockies surged - they won 13 of 14 to force the play-in game, and then won that game. And then they won Game 1 of the post-season against Philadelphia, in Philadelphia. I believe there is another link between the Mets and Rockies, other than the fact that one has disappointed me to the extreme, while the other has impressed the heck out of me: I think it was against the Mets that the Rockies proved their worth and started feeling their oats.

The Mets and Rockies met very early in the season - in April, and the Mets took two out of three, because back then, the Mets were supposed to do that sort of thing. But then, in the beginning of July, with the Rockies 4 games below .500, everything started to click for Colorado. They beat the Mets 6-2, 11-3, and 17-7. I sort of wrote that off as a fluke at the time, but ever since that meeting, I've had half-an-eye on the Rockies, and I haven't been surprised at what they've done....because of that meeting. (Remember, they also swept the Yankees in Colorado, too.)

Since that Mets series, which was right before the All Star break, the Rockies have gone 51-30. (I didn't even realize until right now that it was also the exact halfway point of their season. How about that?) Some people (dad) think teams have to pay their dues before they root for said team to win the World Series. I haven't had this discussion with my dad to see if he thinks the Rockies have paid their dues...but it doesn't matter to me. I don't buy into that too much, anyway (I used to take pride in the fact that the Mets were the quickest expansion team to win a championship - in existence in 1962, winning in 1969...but that's long since past).

But even if I did, I would argue that by virtue of their awful pitching and awful pitcher's park their dues have been paid. And that's why johnnymets.blogspot.com is endorsing the Colorado Rockies as world champions this year (also...whoever they play from the American League would constitute a new matchup).

ANNOUNCERS: I searched a lot for that play-in game on Monday night before I realized it was on TBS. And I was only half-listening to the game when I realized I recognized the announcer's voice...and then it took me an unusually long time to process that it was Don Orsillo, the Red Sox play-by-play television guy. Good for him for getting on the national stage. I think he's gotten to be a very good announcer over the years. Solid. Also, a nice guy - I've met him a couple of times...including when I was working a morning shift just hours after Aaron Boone's home run in 2003. He could have been a jerk that morning and I would have understood - but he was extremely nice. At an ungodly hour. That earns points in my book.

On a down note...I was watching the Red Sox tonight, and though I never got the actual name or the graphic to prove it (again, only half-watching), I could never mistake that voice: Ted Robinson. Guess I can catch up on some TiVo shows during the Red Sox series - I don't want to see/hear Robinson. I'm beyond him.

MUSIC REVIEW: I am a Matchbox Twenty fan, in that I enjoy every single song they've put out that has made it onto the radio. I've never bought one of their albums, even though I've enjoyed everything Justin From NYC shared with me of theirs when we did our radio show together, believe it or not, about a decade ago. Not a protest or anything, just didn't get the albums. Anyway, Tuesday the Matchbox Twenty greatest hits album came out, and I was all over it. "Exile on Mainstream" is awesome - the six new songs are all very, very good, and the other 11 songs are all songs I love. I highly recommend it. It was great company for me on the round trip to New York Tuesday into Wednesday.

THE BROADCASTERS - AL

I've spent a lot of time complaining about certain broadcasters (*ahem* looking at you, Ted Robinson). It occurred to me this year that I've seen a lot of broadcasters, courtesy of the DirecTV baseball package. Just how many don't I like? What does it take to be a broadcaster I like (besides being named Gary Cohen)? Well, I've compiled a list, and here's what I've come up with (grades are based on my opinion of the broadcasters, and broadcast quality):

(American League today, National League Thursday)

ANA (For the rest of this season, they're Anaheim to me...if the "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim" thing sticks past this season, I'll transfer the Angels to LAA): Steve Physioc and Rex Hudler on Fox Sports West.

These guys annoy me. They're both seemingly more concerned about how they sound than in what's happening in the game. I watch a lot of Angels games - they tend to be my team of choice when the West Coast time slot hits (10pm), and so this opinion doesn't come from a small sample size. Hudler doesn't offer much in terms of analysis, he just likes hearing himself talk. Physioc has good pipes, but he seems conceited to me. I don't know if this works for the Los Angeles market (it probably does), but it gets in the way of the game for me. GRADE: D

BAL: Fred Manfra and Buck Martinez on Comcast (sometimes it's Jim Hunter and Martinez).

I don't have a problem with the Baltimore guys, but I don't love them. I think I prefer Manfra to Hunter, but I admit that I haven't watched enough of these games to tell the difference. I think I like the way Manfra sounds more. But I really like Buck Martinez. He's better than most analysts...and he has the experience of having managed, which really adds to a broadcast. GRADE: B-

BOS: Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy on NESN.

This is a relatively good broadcast team. My standard, obviously, is the Mets' broadcasters, and back in the Sean McDonough/Jerry Remy days, the Red Sox were as fun to watch as Mets games (they would surpass certain Mets tandems....dare I get into the Ted Robinson years....?). But Orsillo is a step down from McDonough, and I don't think many Red Sox fans would argue with that. He's still a lot better than the play-by-play guys employed in most broadcast booths around the league, and he has come a long way from his early days as a Major League broadcaster (Orsillo was killed around here, when in his second big-league game, he couldn't find the right excitement level to broadcast Hideo Nomo's no-hitter....he has since found that level). I have also met Orsillo, and he's a decent guy, which goes a long way. I have also met Remy, he wasn't as nice. But he's up there among the best analysts in the game. GRADE: A-

CHI: Ken "Hawk" Harrelson and Darrin Jackson on Comcast.

I rarely get the White Sox on the DirecTV package, and since I watch all of my games on the baseball package, I usually forget to put WGN in the rotation, so I rarely catch White Sox games. But when I do, I generally enjoy Harrelson and Jackson. Harrelson is renowned for being a homer, and it's the type of thing where I expect it, so it doesn't bother me....although maybe if I watched every game, it would bother me. He is also apparently a nickname-giver, which I read somewhere, and is responsible for nicknames such as "The Big Hurt". So he's got that going for him, too. I can't tell you much about Jackson. GRADE: B-

CLE: John Sanders and Mike Hegan on SportsTime Ohio.

I don't watch enough of these games to make an intelligent comment. I will say that I like SportsTime Ohio's graphics. GRADE: INCOMPLETE

DET: Mario Impemba and Rod Allen on FSN Detroit.

I don't watch many Tigers games anymore, mostly because I've grown tired of these two. Last year, the way things fell, the Tigers were on a lot when I was home with nothing else to watch, and I spent a lot of time watching Tigers games (maybe I had a lot of Tigers on my fantasy teams...or more likely, I was watching a lot of Mike Maroth starts). Impemba is just OK - there's nothing special about him. But I really don't like Allen. I don't like his voice, and he doesn't offer much in the way of insight. I don't know how a guy like that ends up as a color analyst....there's got to be a ton of former players better than him who could get this analyst job. GRADE: D

KC: Bob Davis and Paul Splittorff on RSTN.

I don't watch many Royals games, I'll tell you that up front. So I can't make a comment on Davis and Splittorff....but they're pretty much what you'd expect for middle-America broadcasters. Bonus points for the Royals for developing their own television network - they were one of the first - actually, they might pre-date YES. But....they basically just throw their logo over the Fox Sports logo, using most of the same graphics. So I'm not sure what the point is, really. GRADE: D+

MIN: Dick Bremer and Bert Blyleven on FSN Midwest (I think).

The "Circle Me Bert" schtick was fun for one broadcast for me. It's pretty annoying now. I don't understand the fascination with it - I thought it was a one-time deal the first time I saw it, but I guess Blyleven uses the telestrator a lot....and then, get this, he circles fans!!! How hilarious is that?!! Not very. Blyleven reminds me too much of Rick Sutcliffe, and I don't particularly like Sutcliffe. I can't remember ever hearing Bremer during a broadcast...so I can't really comment on him. GRADE: D

NYY: Michael Kay and Jim Kaat, or Jim Kaat and Ken Singleton, with a rotation of former ballplayers as third analysts on the YES network.

I haven't given the YES broadcast crew a very big chance - but there's a good reason for that. First, I have no patience for Michael Kay. I think he's an awful broadcaster, more interested in airing his stupid opinions than in what is going on in the game. That's number one (but I formed that opinion years ago based on his radio work with John Sterling - maybe that's changed...I won't find out by watching Kay). Another reason is that Yankee games bore me to tears. So I don't watch them much. Truth be told, I kind of like Ken Singleton and Jim Kaat. But they don't make up for Michael Kay. I also don't mind Paul O'Neill as an analyst, and I love Al Leiter - but I don't watch enough to know exactly who is involved in YES' rotating third-analyst spot. GRADE: D

OAK: Tim Roye and Ray Fosse on FSN Bay Area.

I've only seen A's telecasts a few times, between the late starts and the amount of times they show us A's telecasts...but from what I've seen so far, there's not much to not like about Fosse and Roye. In other words, I think I may like them...but the sample size is very small. GRADE: B

SEATTLE: Dave Niehaus and Dave Henderson on FSN Northwest.

Sometimes when the Angels broadcasters are bothering me, I'll spend some of my late-night TV time with the Seattle Mariners. This might be only because of Dave Niehaus' voice. It's gravelly. Very gravelly. He sounds so old school...I like that. But Dave Henderson doesn't add much to the telecast. Bonus points for the fact that Dave Henderson's backup (or the person he splits time with - I'm not sure) is Dave Valle - the former Mariners catcher. We went to the same high school...so I'm a fan. GRADE: B-

TAMPA BAY: DeWayne Staats and Joe Magrane on FSN Southeast.

I like watching the Devil Rays every once in a while, and I especially like that DeWayne Staats does their games. I used to like watching the Yankees, once upon a time, and Staats, once upon a time, was the Yankees' TV play-by-play guy. So that brings back a bit of nostalgia for me. Other than that, this is just an ordinary team - nothing horrible, nothing great. GRADE: C+

TEXAS: Josh Lewin and Tom Grieve on Fox Sports Net Southwest.

I don't like Josh Lewin. Everything about him annoys me. I never really liked him too much - something about his voice - but he really lost me during the 2003 playoffs (I think), when he was doing post-game interviews (and the baseball equivalent of sideline reporting), and he would interview players (he must be short) looking UP at them, I mean, his chin was pointed straight up in the air, and he'd ask his question, then have this stupid little smile/smirk/twitch on his face while the player was answering. I couldn't take my eyes off him during the interview. It was very distracting. So I don't like Lewin, and that dooms this team. Grieve is OK...a little boring. But I never really focus on him during Rangers broadcasts. The Rangers games also tend to bore me, so there's a whole lot working against these guys. GRADE: D

TORONTO: I have yet to see a Toronto broadcast in a few years of owning the Extra Innings Baseball Packages...must be something about international broadcasting rights. GRADE: INCOMPLETE

Today, November 9th, might just live on in my memory as one of the greatest days in Mets fan history. Gary Cohen, voice of the Mets on WFAN radio (and Number 2 man overall next to Bob Murphy for about 15 years prior to becoming #1), will take over as the play-by-play man on Mets telecasts on the Mets' new television network beginning next season. Ted Robinson, to coin one of Cohen's calls, "IS OUTTA HERE!" The Mets wanted someone who was exclusive to the Mets as their voice on the new network, and Ted Robinson (for some reason) is in high demand, what with all the tennis, college football, and other sports he covers elsewhere for other companies. The Mets made a great move. I wonder if Howie Rose will take over the number one spot on the radio, with Ed Coleman moving from pre-and-post-game coverage to the booth. That would be OK...but the radio won't be the same without Cohen. I'll live with listening to others on car rides to NYC, though, having Cohen for the majority of the games when I watch on TV. (There's still no word on a color commentator, but the Mets would be very wise to snatch up Keith Hernandez, who has done fabulous work in a limited role with the Mets until now. I don't mind seeing the harmless but dopey Fran Healy take a hike. And the Mets have to keep Ralph Kiner on in some capacity.)

What will a baseball season be without me complaining about the broadcasters? I can't wait...and there will actually be good baseball to watch!

A Hot Stove Update: Word out of the meetings in California is that the Mets are talking to the Devil Rays about a deal that would get them Aubrey Huff and Danys Baez. The Mets would have to give up some combination of Aaron Heilman, Yesmiro Petit, and others. Both Baez and Huff are entering the final years of their contracts. That would be OK, because Huff would fill a need opposite Mike Jacobs at first base, but I think the Mets would be better off not dealing Heilman. Too many times they've gotten rid of someone who's gone on to star with another team, and I think this might happen with him. He found his niche last year, and I would love to see him become their closer, a la Jason Isringhausen with Oakland. (Unsuccessful young starter, turned successful closer.) Baez has Armando Benitez written all over him - he just hasn't shown he can shut the door in key situations.

I should note here that it doesn't look like Braden Looper will be brought back. Also, Doug Mientkiewicz will not come back. The Mets have brought back Steve Trachsel.

One more thing - apparently, even though he says he doesn't want to come to the Mets, the Mets are still interested in working out a deal for Manny Ramirez (he has veto power). The Mets think if the Angels get Paul Konerko, they won't be interested in Ramirez (nor could they afford him), and they might be able to get back in the picture. Then they would be able to deal Baez and/or Huff to Boston as part of the Ramirez deal. This is BAD news. The best news to come out of Boston in 20 years was that Manny didn't want to go to the Mets. Leave it be.

I owe my fans a final update on the events they followed this whole (second half) of the baseball season.

ELTRAN*'S: The final numbers on Carlos Beltran*'s second half, needless to say, were disappointing. 266 AB, 71 hits - .267 AVG. 45 HR, 6 HR (he hit 8 in the previous postseason!!! - this is the second half of an entire season!!), 34 RBI. 13 SB. It better be a good year next year. For those of you dying to know, over the full season, Beltran* was:
.266, 16 HR, 78 RBI, 83 Runs, 17 SB. Whoopee.

WRIGHT WATCH: It's never too late to run a Wright Watch. David Wright finished the season with 42 doubles, 2 shy of the club record. A shame. But he'll re-write (re-WRIGHT?) the Mets' record books before he's done. FYI - he dwarfed Beltran*'s numbers, catching fire over the final weeks of the season. Here's Wright's final numbers:
.306, 27 HR, 102 RBI, 99 Runs, 17 SB. That's up there in "Greatest Mets seasons ever" territory.

Speaking of which, Cliff Floyd, after that torrid start, slowed waaay down...finishing with 34 HR and 98 RBI and a .273 AVG.

I'll see if I can do periodic Hot Stove Updates throughout the off-season.

The Mets are in Arizona as I write this, in the middle of a game which started at 9:40pm. Another odd start time on the East Coast (a la Colorado), so I can't write something after the game. But I'll write something now. (I don't want to jinx the game, either, but right now it's looking good - the Mets have a 3-0 lead in the seventh inning, and THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, Jose Reyes, has a solo homer. No doubles for David Wright yet.)

There are a couple of e-mails, so I'll get to those while we wait to see if the Mets game goes final while I write. The first:

"Hi JohnnyMets-

I have another baseball question for you that's been plaguing me all day.

Let's just suppose that down the stretch, end of season, the Mets, Marlins and Phillies all tie for the Wild Card. How does it play out? You can't have a one-game playoff between three teams. Someone would end up getting screwed having to play two games.

Thanks for your insight.

-Your Wife"

OK. Good question. But first of all, this is impossible, because we all know the Phillies will choke. So let's substitute the Astros for the Phillies just so I can make this question feasible. This is a situation that almost happened in 1998, I think. Then, the Mets were eliminated late in the year in a race that involved the Cubs, Giants, Mets, and Expos for the final Wild Card spot. (In a game that year against the Expos, the Mets lost 1-0, and Jay Payton, then a rookie, making his first Major League contributions after battling injuries his whole Minor League career, made a very bad baserunning blunder that pretty much ruined the Mets' season. I've harbored a slight grudge against him ever since...made worse this year by his selfish antics in Boston.) This year is shaping up much like the 1998 race. Here's what would happen:

Let's say, for argument's sake, the three teams tied for the Wild Card are the Mets, Marlins, and Astros. The teams would be seeded, and a playoff would be held. I think the seedings would be based on the teams' results in games against each other during the regular season. So let's say the Mets and Marlins both split against Houston, but the Mets took the season series against the Marlins, 12-7. The records would be:

Mets: 15-10
Astros: 6-6
Marlins: 10-15

So the Mets would be seeded first, Astros second, and Marlins third. So then the Marlins would visit Houston for a playoff game, and the winner of that one game would visit the Mets for the right to advance in a one-game playoff. I think that's how it works. It's going to happen one day, the way these races are so tight these days, so eventually we'll see it play out and get a better understanding. But good question. And hopefully it doesn't happen this year, because I don't know if I can take a race that close - I'd love for the Mets to close it out late in September.

Another e-mail focusing on the Wild Card (partly):

"Dear JohnnyMets,

It's taken nearly 2 baseball seasons, but I must now reluctantly admit that I'm starting to enjoy John Kruk on Baseball Tonight.

If I can come around on Kruk, do you think there's hope for reconciliation between you and Ted Robinson?

Unrelated, when SportsCenter or Baseball Tonight talks about the NLwild card race, they put the Mets in the graphic, but they rarely mention them in the copy. Does this irk you, or do you prefer for the Mets to fly below the radar before gunning into the playoffs with a 22-7 September?

Signed, Dave in Brighton"

Well, first of all, No. There's no hope for me and Teddy. In comparing the two situations, though, I'd need to know the extent of your disdain for Kruk. The only reconciliation between myself and Robinson will come in a week or two when he's away for a couple of weeks doing U.S. Open Tennis. Then I won't think about him at all for a while.

As for the Wild Card standings, it goes without saying that ESPNEWS and ESPNRadio are also guilty of this. (Of course, on the radio, they mention the Mets are however many games back, but they don't count the Mets in a discussion about which teams have a real shot at winning.) The problem here is that the Mets have to leapfrog not only the Astros, but also the rest of their division in order to move to the second or third spot in the Wild Card standings. The thing I think the ESPN people forget, though, is that they are only one or two games away from doing that. But give it a week or so, and the Mets will start entering into these conversations. To answer your question, Dave, it does irk me a little bit, because it happens all the time - the Mets need to play this way deep into September in order to make the media believe they can do it. It's like the media is making them show they can play in order for them to be mentioned. I think they've already earned the right to be talked about.

I've come to the realization that Arizona and San Francisco are not very good, and the Mets should be able to do well on this seven-game trip out West. I think I mentioned on Sunday that 17 of the Mets' next 20 games are on the road - that's a tough grind. We'll revisit this, if I remember, after the 20-game stretch, but they really need to go 9-8 or better in those games. And the three-game homes series is against Philly - so the Mets need to win that too.

Incidentally, the Braves beat the Cubs on Monday night, and the Phillies and Astros are also out West, with the Mets, so the Mets need help while they try to take care of the D-backs. Here's a disturbing number I saw during the Mets game - Tom Glavine (who's pitching well right now), as we know, is a lefty. Righties are hitting .304 against him....Lefties are hitting .341 against him!!! That's outrageous.

I think that's all I have to say for tonight. No doubles for Wright, I'll update Beltran*'s numbers tomorrow on a one-day delay.

THE KID'S KIDS: A 5-4 win for the Mets. They're now 35-16. I'll try to call Port St. Lucie on Tuesday. There are only 4 games left on the schedule.

DOING FINE AT 39-39

Mets 5, Phillies 3 (PHI: 40-39; NYM: 39-39, 8 GB)

Despite the ups and downs so far this season (and there really have been a bunch), the Mets are at .500 through June. They went 11-13 in April, 15-13 in May, and finished June 13-13. The Mets have 27 games in July, so a 13-loss month would leave them at 53-52 heading into August. I'd take it. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I just find it interesting that the Mets have lost 13 games in each month so far...if they're going to catch the Nationals, they're going to have to have a better-than-one-game-over-.500 July. I'm not starting to believe in Washington, they've just jumped out to a big enough lead that if they start struggling right now, the Mets still need to play very good ball to catch them.

The Phillies are vanishing...fast. The Mets took 2 out of 3 from Philadelphia, 8 out of 12 so far this season, and will probably pass the Phillies in the standings this weekend. In so doing, the Mets would be beating up on the Marlins, which I believe they can do, and can thus be in third place for next week's 4-game series in Washington, beginning on the 4th of July. Then the Mets go to Pittsburgh (as does johnnymets.blogspot.com - ROAD TRIP!!), before the All-Star Break.

Pedro Martinez*(asterisk could be gone after the All-Star break) earned the win in the 5-3 win over Philly on Thursday. Pedro* was good, not great, throwing too many pitches in the first couple of innings, so he only lasted six, giving up 2 ER, and striking out 6. He's now 9-2. A decent job by the Mets' relievers, pitching out of jams - Heath Bell, Royce Ring, and Roberto Hernandez, got the Mets to Braden Looper in the ninth, for a very uncharacteristic 1-2-3 inning.

After the Phillies took a 1-0 lead on a Jimmy Rollins homer, Chris Woodward hit a 2-run single to give the Mets the lead in the second inning. In the fourth, the Mets got the rest of their runs. After another Woodward hit, this time a double, the Mets had runners on second and third, and THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, Jose Reyes, lined a triple to the wall in center, making it 4-1, then Mike Cameron singled Reyes home, making it 5-1.

Interesting lineups in this one. The Phillies had Kenny Lofton leading off, and Jimmy Rollins hit fifth! for the Phillies. I found that strange. The Mets continue to keep David Wright in the 6th or 7th spot in the order. I just don't understand it. Marlon Anderson hit sixth on Thursday, and Wright 7th! I don't get it. I know Willie Randolph must have a reason he's keeping Wright low in the order, I just haven't heard it yet. Maybe I missed it. But it can't be to take the pressure off Wright anymore...he's such a good hitter. He should be hitting second, in my opinion. Heck - he's producing more than Carlos Beltran* - maybe he should be moved down to 7th in the order.

Interesting note for me. I just realized, as I watched Heath Bell give way to Royce Ring, that the Mets have a young righty-lefty combo coming out of the bullpen with great names - "Ring Bell", "Bell Ring". I call dibs on marketing rights.

A bonus for this game: Ted Robinson wasn't doing the TV coverage. I haven't been watching Wimbledon, and unfortunately I haven't watched much of the Mets lately: I wonder if Robinson is on assignment. Anyway, it was just Fran Healy and Keith Hernandez in the booth. Healy was his usual dopey self, but Hernandez was ON. He was great. First of all, Healy and Hernandez called out Sammy Sosa, saying they were glad the Mets didn't make the Sosa-for-Floyd trade that had been talked about last year. Then they started talking about how thin Sammy Sosa looked...then they mentioned Ivan Rodriguez (hadn't noticed his physical difference), and Ryan Klesko ("like night and day", they said, and I agree) all losing weight. Hernandez said - "You're seeing it all over baseball - it's pretty clear what's going on." Talk about saying it, without really saying it. But there was more from Hernandez: a crowd shot showed a little kid with ice cream all over his face, and they were making fun of the kid, and then at the top of the screen, some dude with a tattoo on his arm walked through the shot, and Hernandez started talking about how ugly the tattoo was. Not as entertaining as I write this. Hernandez also said he loved when fans did the wave at Shea. I must admit, when that place is packed, like it used to be, the wave did look cool. I always thought the players wouldn't like it...but it's nice to hear Hernandez did. I feel like I contributed to something by taking part all those years ago.

Here's part of why Fran Healy is a dink (but a harmless dink - like I've said, I'll take him any day over Robinson). During Wednesday night's game, Cliff Floyd sent a hard grounder through the first/second base hole, but since the Phillies had the shift on, it wasn't a base hit - it was a groundout. Healy says, "That should be illegal!" No it shouldn't, Fran. If you're a good hitter (and not stubborn, like Ted Williams), spray the ball the other way, and get yourself a base hit. Thursday, Floyd dropped a bunt down the third base line against the shift, and got a base hit. Healy didn't talk about how the shift should be illegal when it was exploited.

Also mentioned during the game on Thursday - Mets PR man Jay Horwitz celebrated his 4,000th game with the Mets. That's something. He's awesome...and very funny. He told Matt Laughlin he spilt his 3,400th Coke during the game. The Elias Sports Bureau said Horwitz had seen 2,010 wins, 1988 losses, and 2 ties (I guess games called due to rain and never made up?). Horwitz has had some low times when he's had to represent the Mets to the media (I'm thinking 1993 with Vince Coleman's firecracker, Bret Saberhagen's chloride, and more recently, with Grant Roberts' pot, but there have been many more), but he's also been with them for some good ones. Hernandez said the 1986 Mets all voted to take a cut of their Championship checks to give something to Jay because he wouldn't get a World Series check. I hope Horwitz is around for a while more...he's a Mets establishment.

CARTER COUNT: The minor league baseball website doesn't do the Gulf Coast League much justice...but so far as I can tell, the undefeated season in Hall of Famer Gary Carter's mangerial debut is over. The Gulf Coast Mets are now 5-1, so I can only assume they split their doubleheader with the Nationals today. Still, the Hall of Fame managerial career of Carter is off to a great start.

***We're not going to do a running commentary on whether or not Mike Piazza deserves the starting nod at catcher in the All-Star Game, but I just wanted to point out, first of all, that Piazza got another hit (and was robbed of a second by Kenny Lofton) on Thursday, going 1-for-4. Secondly, I don't think my numbers on Piazza added up to his current numbers. The homers are what I'm talking about...but the average, runs and RBI should be right. I think I confused my doubles and home run columns when I was looking up his stats. The bottom line is that since May 26th, Piazza has been playing very well, and is much more deserving of an All-Star nod than his numbers would indicate. Now, whether or not he deserves that nod over, say, Paul LoDuca or Ramon Hernandez is debatable. But he still has more power than LoDuca, and Hernandez is hurt. So there. Beltran* is another story - he'll be starting in the All-Star Game undeservedly, but I still think he'll finish the year with some good stats. "He's a great second-half player", so they say....

Phillies 5, Mets 4 (PHI: 7-6, NYM: 6-7)

Kaz Ishii's first inning did in the Mets Monday night. Ishii gave up a leadoff single to Jimmy Rollins, then walked two straight to load the bases. I think he threw something like 11 straight balls - he just couldn't find the plate. Then Ishii bore down, he gave up an RBI single to Pat Burrell, struck out Jim Thome, gave up a long fly ball to score another run, then got a nice play by future Hall of Famer David Wright on a foul pop to end the inning, trailing 2-0. The Mets made a run at the end of this game - but if Ishii finds the plate in the first, it could be a whole different game.

A couple of bright spots on defense to mention - Kaz Matsui went way far to his left to pick up a grounder by Bobby Abreu in the second inning and throw him out at first - he's been struggling lately, so it's good to see him do something well. Then in the third, as the Phillies expanded their lead to 4-0, Cliff Floyd made a running catch into the left-center field gap that saved a run (there was a runner on second). It's the second time I've seen Floyd cover a ton of ground like that and make the running catch - the first was one of the first two games of the season in Cincinnati. Floyd, by the way, made his first start since April 11th, after missing some time with a strain.

In the bottom of the sixth, with the Mets down 5-0, Felix Heredia all of a sudden lost the plate. He was throwing all over the place, with the Mets announcers making comparisons to Rick Ankiel. He had to leave the game - it looked like he had a problem with his thumb. I'm not positive about this, but I think Heredia missed a bunch of time in spring training with numbness in his hand. If so, this could be a recurrence. I wish the announcers would have mentioned something about his problems during the spring (I know he had some problem, I'm just not sure it was the numbness), but they didn't. Fran Healy and Ted Robinson are driving me nuts again this season - but that's a topic I'll save for another night.

In the top of the eighth, the Mets were in a position to start a comeback, after a 1-out double by Victor Diaz. The key here - one out. After the next batter flew out to center field, Diaz was doubled off second - he lost track of the outs. The worse news? Third base coach Manny Acta seemed to have lost track of the outs too. Not a good thing.

The ninth inning shows why the Mets are going to be very exciting all year. I wrote down before the ninth, with the Mets down 5-0 and the top of the order coming up, if any top of the order can start a team towards five runs, it's this team. So then THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, Jose Reyes, singled, and so did Kaz Matsui, and so did Carlos Beltran*, scoring Reyes, making it 5-1. After Mike Piazza struck out looking on a pitch down the pipe (Piazza actually hit well in this game - he might be coming around), Cliff Floyd blasted a 3-0 pitch into the upper deck to make it 5-4. Unfortunately, future Hall of Famer David Wright struck out, then Doug Mientkiewicz hit it on the nose but right at the second baseman to end the game.

The problem with the Mets' winning six in a row last week was that they lost 5 in a row to open the season. Now, after two losses, the Mets are again a game below .500. They need to go on another run to put some distance between them and the .500 mark.

In order to do that, they need Wright to start hitting again. After he hit his second homer of the year last week, he has cooled way off. Teams are starting to pitch him way inside, and I think it's messing with his head. He doesn't look comfortable at the plate these days. I seem to remember a slump like this at the major league level for him last year, and I think he broke out of it with his 2-homer, 7 RBI day in Milwaukee. He needs a game like that real soon (Philly is a great park for slump-breaking) to get him back on track.

I hate to admit it, but Roger Clemens is having a lights-out season. He pitched another seven scoreless innings Monday night against Atlanta. That game, incidentally, is going to the 11th right now, still 0-0. The second straight night Atlanta has gone 9 innings 0-0.

Which brings me to another point - Sunday night, Atlanta and Philadelphia went into extras, tied 0-0. The Braves got a run in the top of the tenth, then Dan Kolb blew the save (he was horrid - he threw a ball away on a bunt, and then loaded the bases before the Phillies won it). I'm starting to wonder if the closer is going to become a less-important part of the game. I wonder if teams are just going to start getting away from gearing their whole game towards the closer. Right now, it's still the case that if you're up by 3 runs or less, the ninth inning belongs to the closer. But I think that may start to change, especially if it's a one-run game and you have a starter going good. I think Jack McKeon's view (I have a guy out there doing a great job, I'm not going to buy into this closer stuff) might start rubbing off on other people...especially if it's working. I don't think teams will start going with a closer-by-committee, I just think we're seeing the end of the dominant closer/saves category as guys like Trevor Hoffman, Mariano Rivera, Troy Percival, etc. near retirement, and the closers around baseball continue to struggle.
Sorry I didn't write yesterday - I didn't watch the Mets lose to the Marlins, so I didn't have much to say. Also, sorry about the phone problems - hope you enjoyed the wife's take on things. I have to admit, I did. I have to earn some money this week (I'm on spring break - which means work at Channel 4), so I won't be able to watch the Mets Tuesday night or Wednesday night. I will, though, try to post what I follow of those games on the AP wire.

NOT SO GRANDA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"JohnnyMets,

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

Wait. Let me guess. 4-0 sweep.

Dave in Brighton"

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

"Dear JohnnyMets-

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

Sincerely,

Your Wife"

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

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

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?

Expos 4, Mets 1 (47-48, 3 GB)

I'm starting to think the Mets may be no better than a .500 team. Luckily, that still leaves them just 3 games out of a playoff spot. But when you can't do better than a split against Montreal, let alone score more than a run in a game, you have to look at your team and think something's wrong.

I have a bunch of problems with Thursday's game. Here's a couple. Tom Glavine pitched great again, and again he gets nothing in return. At least he didn't get the loss. That went to John Franco, who served up a 2-run homer to Tony Batista in the 8th inning, breaking a 1-1 tie. That followed a dribbler of a base hit with two outs. I'm telling you, the Mets can't catch a break. Still, Franco can't keep giving up homers.

OK, another problem...HUGE problem. Why don't these major league baseball players run like they mean it? Good God, you just have to run hard a few times a game, will you do it once in a while?!?! Some instances, and they definitely cost the Mets yesterday:

Bottom 4: Kaz Matsui lines one to center field leading off the inning, Endy Chavez dives for it, misses it, the ball rolls all the way to the wall. Should absolutely be an inside-the-park home run, but Kaz is taking his time getting out of the box, and only ends up with a triple. The Mets go down 1-2-3 after that, so it stays scoreless instead of 1-0, Mets. I have a couple of problems with Matsui's baserunning. I've not once seen him slide into second base to break up a double play - he bails out as soon as the bag is touched. It wouldn't kill him to show a little more hustle.

Top 6: The only run off Glavine, a solo home run. The ball just cleared the wall by a little bit. Why does Mike Cameron give up on it so quick? He just stood and watched it, when I think he might have been able to catch up to it...I'm not positive that he would have robbed the homer, but he sure has done it enough in his career that I wouldn't be surprised if he did. But, oh, I forgot, he's wearing a Mets uniform now, so mediocre fielding is good enough right now.

Bottom 6: With Richard Hidalgo on first, Mike Cameron rips a double into the left field corner, with the score tied at 1. Hidalgo is being sent home, but after a few steps around third, he stops for some reason. The Expos catch Hidalgo in a rundown. They chase Hidalgo back to third. For some reason, as he's being chased back to third, Hidalgo stops, and runs back towards home. WHEN THIRD BASE IS LEFT UNCOVERED!!!! He could have easily dove (dived?) back into third base safely. But I don't know. Maybe I'm the only one who saw this. Ted Robinson and Fran Healy were too busy talking about everything else under the sun to bother to point it out. So maybe I'm wrong. But man, the Mets are killing me.

Good news: David Wright was 2-for-4, picking up his first two major league hits. His first hit was a double. He's just 2,998 hits from the 3,000 hit plateau, en route to the Hall of Fame. By the way, Wright also scored the only run of the game for the Mets. He was driven in by his co-first-ballot-inductee into the Hall, Jose Reyes. On his plaque, it will read, "THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED". Unfortunately, David Wright's Major League Baseball winning streak is over at 1. And the Mets are now 0-1 in games in which Wright gets a hit.

This weekend the Mets host the Braves. The two teams play for the first time since early April. If the Mets don't take the series, it might be time to spark up johnnyjets.blogspot.com.

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

Thursday, July 1, 2004

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mets 3, Expos 2 (7-9, 4.5 GB)

Thursday, April 22, 2004

It's not good when you have to battle for a win for the right to earn a split with the Montreal Expos in your own park. But it's a win, and that's the bottom line. This one got off to a start that made you think the game was never going to be in doubt - the Mets loaded the bases with none out in the bottom of the first. Awesome! With Piazza, Phillips, and Cameron coming up, they'll at least get one run, right? Nope. K, pop-out, and backwards K. Looks like another long day for Steve Trachsel.

Trachsel (2-2) was great again. He's been unbelievable since his first start against Atlanta. He made just one bad pitch, giving up a solo homer to Brian Schneider to tie the game at 1 in the top of the seventh. And that's where this game differed from past Mets games recently.

Instead of making a bad situation worse, the Mets bounced back. They stopped the bleeding, kept it 1-1 into the bottom of the seventh. Then Mike Piazza and Mike Cameron hit RBI doubles to make it 3-1 (Cameron's barely missed being a homer to make it 5-1).

Then, John Franco with a very un-John-Franco-like perfect eighth inning. And the top of the ninth, the Mets stopped playing the crisp defense they had played all game, nearly causing Braden Looper to blow a save. But the way Looper bounced back after a Ricky Gutierrez error at third and Shane Spencer error in left field was great. Looper has four saves, and he was clearly irritated by those errors. But he got the outs he needed. I have more confidence in Looper, even with runners on, than in any Mets closer in recent memory.

Notes: It's good that Kaz Matsui is struggling like hell at the plate, but still managing to get on base. That wasn't supposed to be his strong point. But he reached on an error yesterday, and walked in the seventh to start the rally...Mike Piazza is swinging the bat great. And Ted Robinson and Fran Healy are going to drive me out of my mind. They've been brutal. But I have to credit Robinson with a great point - Piazza wouldn't have played yesterday (day game after a night game) if he wasn't playing first base. And even after the game, Piazza was saying the first base thing isn't such a bad idea, because it keeps him in the lineup when he's swinging a hot bat...The Mets went 4-6 on the 10 game homestand. Not good. This was their second-longest homestand of the year. They have two 11-game homestands later in the year. Big road trip. Must play at least .500 ball against the Cubs, Dodgers, and Padres. Preferably better than .500...Cliff Floyd should be back in the lineup when the Mets play the Dodgers. That's huge...And finally, if you get the chance to stay awake at the end of next week and watch the Mets at San Diego, check out Petco Park. It's a great-looking park, with a warehouse in left field that butts right over the left field wall. It's also a pitcher's park, which should benefit the Mets.