I hate to take a shot at the Red Sox (no I don't), and their flagship station, WEEI (hands-down the worst sports radio station in America), but with the Mets coming to town to play three games, all bets are off - it's time to start trash-talking them anyway.
I need to qualify why I was listening to WEEI in the first place - because it NEVER plays into my radio rotation anymore. God bless ESPN Radio coming to Boston (although that was nearly ruined by ESPN Radio Boston centering its programming around Michael Felger of the Boston Herald....but I digress). I'm picking up some summer work at a baseball camp - it is during the day, and it ends at 1pm. So today, as I was driving home, I figured I'd listen to the Red Sox-Phillies makeup game...hence, WEEI 850AM is on my car radio.
With the Mets coming to town, the Red Sox are honoring their 1986 American League Champions (this seems odd to me - I don't know that you should celebrate a team that lost a World Series when the team you lost the World Series to is in town...maybe when the Angels are in town - the team you beat to reach the World Series...but I digress again). There will be a celebration before Tuesday night's game. But Monday night, with the gap in programming (it was supposed to be a Sox off day, it became a Sox day game), WEEI decided to re-air Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. And they aired a promo for this during the Sox game....and they tease it as "Tune in to Game 6 of the 1986 World Series - with a NEW ending!"
This isn't a TV sitcom, where you can change the ending....it's a piece of history - you just can't change it. Now, I'm all for honoring your 1986 accomplishments - but don't fictionalize something traumatic for your fans...instead, focus on the positives - replay a game the Sox won in the 1986 World Series. Replay Game 5 of the ALCS of that year (the Dave Henderson game). Don't change the ending of Game 6 of the World Series. Ugh. I'm tempted to switch on 850 to see what they change the ending to (apparently it was a contest won by a listener, picking a new ending) - but that would go against everything I believe in. I can't turn on 850. I'll just wait and see if it's written about in the newspaper tomorrow - I'm sure I'll hear about it somewhere.
Speaking of tomorrow - It'll be Alay Soler against Jon Lester in the first game of the series - and it can't hurt that the Sox had to play 12 innings today.
Also...the Red Sox are now 11-1 against the National League, the Mets are the best team in the National League, and they're starting to get some national recognition...this is going to be a big series. Not to mention the return of Pedro* on Wednesday.
****UPDATE: SMARTEST IDEA I'VE EVER HEARD: The Mets and Red Sox are swapping broadcasters on Wednesday night. Ron Darling will analyze the game with Don Orsillo on NESN, and Jerry Remy will join Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez on SNY. I think that's just great. I'm glad I'm not going to the Pedro* game now.****
COMPUTER PROBLEMS: I'm really trying to get pictures on - hopefully I'll have pictures of Tuesday night's Red Sox-Mets game (I'll be there)....but at the rate this computer is working, I'm lucky to even get this post up. So hopefully pictures will be on soon, but I'm just glad I can write anything.
THE KID'S KIDS: The St. Lucie Mets' 8-1 win on Sunday gave them sole possession of first place in the division in the second half of the season (3-1). Monday's game between the Mets and Brevard County was rained out - It will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Tuesday.
FANTASY UPDATE: I took 1 out of 4 versus the What If Nationals, ending the season 74-88. The Nationals did indeed clinch the Wild Card, so good for the Southern Bureau. As for Dave in Brighton's posting alluding to possible collusion, I respond by saying that I hardly think not starting the same guy for four games in a row qualifies as collusion...quite the contrary, I think it's smart What If Baseball. What a disaster this was. 20 bucks right down the toilet. Chalk one up for The Wife - she saw that coming. I'll keep you posted on the Nationals success (hopefully he'll win the whole darn thing.)
P.S. - I just got a message to play again with the same group of people. No thank you.
BEAT THE STREAK: Bobby Abreu got a hit - I'm at 2 games. I'm going with the hottest ballplayer in the majors, Jose Reyes, for Tuesday and Wednesday at Fenway.
Showing posts with label What If Baseball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label What If Baseball. Show all posts
Monday, June 26, 2006
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
FIRST TO FORTY?
As I write this, with the Mets up 9-4 in the eighth inning, it looks as though the Mets will be the first National League team to 40 wins. (Uh-oh - it's now 9-7 - I think Heilman just gave up a 3-run bomb). The balls are just flying out of Citizen's Bank Park tonight (8 total).
The bad news - Tom Glavine couldn't make it through 5 innings - getting knocked around (and falling victim to the long ball) in 4-and-a-third innings, and giving up 4 earned runs while throwing 110 pitches. Chad Bradford got the Mets out of the inning after Glavine left in a big jam. The Mets are playing the total opposite of the way they've been playing when Glavine was on the mound for them in past years. His first year with the team, he was the problem. But since then, he's been pitching well, and getting absolutely no support. This year, he's getting plenty of support - evidenced by his 9-2 record. And even when he gets banged around, the Mets have been scoring runs - tonight, too, but Glavine couldn't hang around long enough to get the win.
The Mets jumped right back on top, too, after Glavine left. Future Hall of Famer David Wright crushed homer number 12 on the season (and 53 in his career) as the Mets scored 5 times in the sixth, breaking a 4-4 tie. Earlier, Carloses Beltran* and Delgado went back-to-back with bombs (Delgado's reached an upper deck) to give the Mets a lead. Beltran* now has 18 homers (he had 16 all of last year), and in a similar vein, Jose Reyes walked twice Tuesday night, bringing this year's total high enough to surpass his season total of all last year.
OK - I have to stop writing - big computer problems at the House Sponsored By DirecTV. Hopefully there won't be a slugfest tomorrow, and no computer problems, and I can give a good summary of the game.
JUST HOW GOOD WERE THE METS OUT WEST?: Here's a great stat from the Mets' 4-game series in Arizona. The Mets jumped out to a lead in the first inning of each game, so they led in the first half-inning of each game. And they never looked back. The Mets became the second team in history to lead in every half-inning of a game in a 4-game sweep on the road - the only other team to do that was the 1943 Dodgers. Pretty impressive.
THE KID'S KIDS: Palm Beach completed the 2-game doubleheader sweep of the St. Lucie Mets on Monday, turning the 9 game winning streak into a 2-game losing streak pretty quickly. I have no info right now on Tuesday's game, so I'll update that tomorrow, but the Mets still have a 2-and-a-half game lead in their division.
FANTASY UPDATE: An e-mail having to do with the What If Mets:
"Dear Johnnymets,
More than 10 percent of your readers are wondering how many games are left in the What If Mets season. What is your record? Where does the Southern Bureau stand after his hot start? What is your record since you ditched Pedro?
Signed,
Dave in Brighton"
Honestly, Dave, you couldn't have written this at a better time. The What If Mets just took 2 out of 3 from the Braves (following up the sweep with the division-leading phillies). So the record stands at 60-63. I'm just 3 games out of the wild card - trailing none other than the wild-card leading Nationals, run by the Southern Bureau. And guess who I play next? Thaaaat's right...Big day tomorrow. Big day.
I've started to make so many moves that I decided not to keep track of records since I dropped certain guys. I don't even know if I have a winning record since I dropped Pedro. I wish I could help you with that stat...but I can't.
BEAT THE STREAK: Vladimir Guerrero ended my season-high 12-game hitting streak with an 0-for-4 against Bobby Keppel and the Kansas City Royals Monday night (for the record, Keppel didn't look bad - but he was far from impressive). Shea Hillenbrand started a new streak for me Tuesday, and I'll take one of the hot-hitting Mets, Jose Reyes, Wednesday night. I get nervous at 12 games - I wonder if I'd have heart palpitations or something if I actually threatened a 30-, 40-, or 50+ - game hitting streak.
The bad news - Tom Glavine couldn't make it through 5 innings - getting knocked around (and falling victim to the long ball) in 4-and-a-third innings, and giving up 4 earned runs while throwing 110 pitches. Chad Bradford got the Mets out of the inning after Glavine left in a big jam. The Mets are playing the total opposite of the way they've been playing when Glavine was on the mound for them in past years. His first year with the team, he was the problem. But since then, he's been pitching well, and getting absolutely no support. This year, he's getting plenty of support - evidenced by his 9-2 record. And even when he gets banged around, the Mets have been scoring runs - tonight, too, but Glavine couldn't hang around long enough to get the win.
The Mets jumped right back on top, too, after Glavine left. Future Hall of Famer David Wright crushed homer number 12 on the season (and 53 in his career) as the Mets scored 5 times in the sixth, breaking a 4-4 tie. Earlier, Carloses Beltran* and Delgado went back-to-back with bombs (Delgado's reached an upper deck) to give the Mets a lead. Beltran* now has 18 homers (he had 16 all of last year), and in a similar vein, Jose Reyes walked twice Tuesday night, bringing this year's total high enough to surpass his season total of all last year.
OK - I have to stop writing - big computer problems at the House Sponsored By DirecTV. Hopefully there won't be a slugfest tomorrow, and no computer problems, and I can give a good summary of the game.
JUST HOW GOOD WERE THE METS OUT WEST?: Here's a great stat from the Mets' 4-game series in Arizona. The Mets jumped out to a lead in the first inning of each game, so they led in the first half-inning of each game. And they never looked back. The Mets became the second team in history to lead in every half-inning of a game in a 4-game sweep on the road - the only other team to do that was the 1943 Dodgers. Pretty impressive.
THE KID'S KIDS: Palm Beach completed the 2-game doubleheader sweep of the St. Lucie Mets on Monday, turning the 9 game winning streak into a 2-game losing streak pretty quickly. I have no info right now on Tuesday's game, so I'll update that tomorrow, but the Mets still have a 2-and-a-half game lead in their division.
FANTASY UPDATE: An e-mail having to do with the What If Mets:
"Dear Johnnymets,
More than 10 percent of your readers are wondering how many games are left in the What If Mets season. What is your record? Where does the Southern Bureau stand after his hot start? What is your record since you ditched Pedro?
Signed,
Dave in Brighton"
Honestly, Dave, you couldn't have written this at a better time. The What If Mets just took 2 out of 3 from the Braves (following up the sweep with the division-leading phillies). So the record stands at 60-63. I'm just 3 games out of the wild card - trailing none other than the wild-card leading Nationals, run by the Southern Bureau. And guess who I play next? Thaaaat's right...Big day tomorrow. Big day.
I've started to make so many moves that I decided not to keep track of records since I dropped certain guys. I don't even know if I have a winning record since I dropped Pedro. I wish I could help you with that stat...but I can't.
BEAT THE STREAK: Vladimir Guerrero ended my season-high 12-game hitting streak with an 0-for-4 against Bobby Keppel and the Kansas City Royals Monday night (for the record, Keppel didn't look bad - but he was far from impressive). Shea Hillenbrand started a new streak for me Tuesday, and I'll take one of the hot-hitting Mets, Jose Reyes, Wednesday night. I get nervous at 12 games - I wonder if I'd have heart palpitations or something if I actually threatened a 30-, 40-, or 50+ - game hitting streak.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Thanks for coming...but I think I'm only going to mention a couple of things and then take the rest of the night off.
I didn't realize that Bobby Keppel (former Mets prospect) and Vladimir Guerrero (johnnymets' Beat the Streak player on Monday) were a 10:05 start. So there won't be a post after that game...I don't know if I'll even be awake for it. I will mention here that my Beat the Streak for Tuesday (hopefully to keep the streak going) will be Shea Hillenbrand, against the Orioles.
The one Mets-related stat I read today that I thought was worth repeating - Carlos Beltran* had more runs scored (10) than the Arizona Diamondbacks (9) during the Mets' four-game sweep. Beltran* was actually named the National League Player of the Week for his performances in L.A. and Arizona.
THE KID'S KIDS: The St. Lucie Mets' winning streak came to a screeching halt tonight in Game 1 of their doubleheader against Palm Beach, with an 11-5 loss. I'll update game two tomorrow.
FANTASY UPDATE: Big news here - a three-game sweep of the division-leading Phillies. Now I'm just four out of the wild card...and more divisional games are coming up. The difference? In my opinion, it's new free-agent pickup Rico Brogna, who homered in his first game with the What If Mets, and factored into the game-winning run in the 12th inning of his second game. Unfortunately, Brogna might be the last move made by the What If Mets, because the transaction deadline passed after the third game Monday. Hope the wins keep coming....
Tom Glavine opposes Ryan Madson in Philadelphia Tuesday night. The Mets are 6-and-a-half games up in the division heading into the series (also worth mentioning - The Braves are now 10 games back - tied with Washington).
I didn't realize that Bobby Keppel (former Mets prospect) and Vladimir Guerrero (johnnymets' Beat the Streak player on Monday) were a 10:05 start. So there won't be a post after that game...I don't know if I'll even be awake for it. I will mention here that my Beat the Streak for Tuesday (hopefully to keep the streak going) will be Shea Hillenbrand, against the Orioles.
The one Mets-related stat I read today that I thought was worth repeating - Carlos Beltran* had more runs scored (10) than the Arizona Diamondbacks (9) during the Mets' four-game sweep. Beltran* was actually named the National League Player of the Week for his performances in L.A. and Arizona.
THE KID'S KIDS: The St. Lucie Mets' winning streak came to a screeching halt tonight in Game 1 of their doubleheader against Palm Beach, with an 11-5 loss. I'll update game two tomorrow.
FANTASY UPDATE: Big news here - a three-game sweep of the division-leading Phillies. Now I'm just four out of the wild card...and more divisional games are coming up. The difference? In my opinion, it's new free-agent pickup Rico Brogna, who homered in his first game with the What If Mets, and factored into the game-winning run in the 12th inning of his second game. Unfortunately, Brogna might be the last move made by the What If Mets, because the transaction deadline passed after the third game Monday. Hope the wins keep coming....
Tom Glavine opposes Ryan Madson in Philadelphia Tuesday night. The Mets are 6-and-a-half games up in the division heading into the series (also worth mentioning - The Braves are now 10 games back - tied with Washington).
Thursday, June 01, 2006
A PTERRIFIC COMEBACK BY THE METS
The Mets are off tonight, but they had another extra-innings win last night. Endy Chavez got the game-winning hit for the Mets in the bottom of the 13th inning. Of course that means another no-decision for Pedro -- he'll be lucky to get to 6 wins by the All-Star Break.
I'm watching the National Spelling Bee finals right now. It's a little depressing that all these kids can spell these words and I've never even heard these words before. The kids even say things like, "Can I have the etymology of that word?" Etymology? I never even heard of the word etymology until last year.
If JohnnyMets were here, he'd tell you about how he participated in the Spelling Bee when he was a kid. I think he made the regionals or something. Young Johnny's downfall was the word "terrarium". He thought it was like the word "pterodactyl" and spelled it "pterrarium." Isn't that ptragic, putting a silent letter where there really isn't one?
THE KID'S KIDS: St. Lucie Mets lost last night to the Vero Beach Dodgers. Their record is now 29-22, two games ahead of Brevard County.
LASTING IN THE MAJORS?: Lastings is currently 1 for 8 in the majors right now. But last night, he had a great assist in the field, throwing out Craig Counsell at third in the sixth inning.
FANTASY UPDATE: In the absence of John's What If? results, my last What If? question before Johnny comes back. What If John had spelled "terrarium" right in the Spelling Bee? Well, I certainly wouldn't be able to ptease him as much as I do.
BEAT THE STREAK: John has a 1-gamer, I'm at zero. I've got Jhonny Peralta tonight, which is a silly choice on this night of the spelling bee, given that he can't even spell his own name correctly. John has Bobby Abreu.
THE WIFE SIGNS OFF: Well, John is back tomorrow, so it's time for me to bid adieu. I hope I did a decent job of maintaining the site in John's absence. If you ever have any pressing questions you'd like me to answer instead of John, feel free to email: mrs.johnnymets@gmail.com. I'll make sure John gives me the editorial space to give an answer. I'm sure you'll also be hearing random quotes from me here and there, probably under the headline, "Rants from a Mad Pregnant Woman." I'm really not that mad. Just the voice of reason in this family. :)
Until later...
THE WIFE
I'm watching the National Spelling Bee finals right now. It's a little depressing that all these kids can spell these words and I've never even heard these words before. The kids even say things like, "Can I have the etymology of that word?" Etymology? I never even heard of the word etymology until last year.
If JohnnyMets were here, he'd tell you about how he participated in the Spelling Bee when he was a kid. I think he made the regionals or something. Young Johnny's downfall was the word "terrarium". He thought it was like the word "pterodactyl" and spelled it "pterrarium." Isn't that ptragic, putting a silent letter where there really isn't one?
THE KID'S KIDS: St. Lucie Mets lost last night to the Vero Beach Dodgers. Their record is now 29-22, two games ahead of Brevard County.
LASTING IN THE MAJORS?: Lastings is currently 1 for 8 in the majors right now. But last night, he had a great assist in the field, throwing out Craig Counsell at third in the sixth inning.
FANTASY UPDATE: In the absence of John's What If? results, my last What If? question before Johnny comes back. What If John had spelled "terrarium" right in the Spelling Bee? Well, I certainly wouldn't be able to ptease him as much as I do.
BEAT THE STREAK: John has a 1-gamer, I'm at zero. I've got Jhonny Peralta tonight, which is a silly choice on this night of the spelling bee, given that he can't even spell his own name correctly. John has Bobby Abreu.
THE WIFE SIGNS OFF: Well, John is back tomorrow, so it's time for me to bid adieu. I hope I did a decent job of maintaining the site in John's absence. If you ever have any pressing questions you'd like me to answer instead of John, feel free to email: mrs.johnnymets@gmail.com. I'll make sure John gives me the editorial space to give an answer. I'm sure you'll also be hearing random quotes from me here and there, probably under the headline, "Rants from a Mad Pregnant Woman." I'm really not that mad. Just the voice of reason in this family. :)
Until later...
THE WIFE
Thursday, May 25, 2006
NO SWEEP
Phillies 5, Mets 3 (NYM: 28-18, PHI: 24-22)
The Phillies averted disaster by beating the Mets during an afternoon game at Shea. The Phillies jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first against Jeremi Gonzalez, the Mets tied it at 3 in the second on a 3-run homer by the suddenly powerful Jose Reyes, and then Pedro Feliciano gave up two runs in the seventh to let the Phillies win it. Gonzalez pitched OK, but he'll be sent down, as El Duque will take his rotation spot on Sunday. Heath Bell pitched well - and he's been pitching very well at Norfolk - I wouldn't be surprised if Bell takes Jorge Julio's bullpen spot.
Brett Myers pitched very well. The Mets are allowed to lose one out of every three to the Phillies - I'm OK with that. Now a three-game series at Florida - the Mets need to sweep. Simple as that. And Pedro* needs to get a win against the Marlins - finally breaking his string of no-decisions.
I didn't get to see much of Thursday afternoon's game - but I made it home in time to see the bottom of the ninth. And it should be noted that the Mets again managed to get the tying run to the plate against Tom Gordon. Even in a game where it didn't seem likely that the Mets would win, they had a faint threat of tying the game. Good signs, when that happens.
MEDIA CORRECTION: Since I was out all day, I was going to TiVo this game, and I said yesterday Mike & The Mad Dog were going to broadcast it on SNY. Turns out I forgot to TiVo the game, but as I was driving home, faintly I got WFAN on the car radio - and Mike and the Mad Dog were broadcasting the game on WFAN (which makes sense, since that's where their radio show is, and since YES carries it on TV, not SNY). So I ended up hearing a little of their play-by-play. It was OK. They did it for charity, so I guess I can handle that. But since it's always been my dream to do play-by-play, I still get a bit jealous when guys get these chances that would never in a million years fall my way.
ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER DEAL: Omar Minaya said Wednesday after he traded for Orlando Hernandez that he had other deals cooking. He proved himself Thursday, when he traded minor leaguer Robert Manuel to the Reds for pitcher Dave Williams. Astute readers will remember I've mentioned Dave Williams before. (In case you're too lazy to click the link, here's what I wrote:
"BEAT THE STREAK: Back to taking it seriously, after vacation. I'm on a modest 3-gamer, after a Jimmy Rollins hit tonight (actually, 2 hits, I think). I took Alfonso Soriano for Tuesday, against Dave Williams of the Reds (formerly with the Pirates). He is bad.")
He is bad - he's been sent to Triple-A, probably to learn how to pitch. The Mets didn't give up much - Manuel was in Single-A...with decent numbers, but who knows what he'll turn into. Minaya says you can never have too much pitching. We'll see what else he's got going on.
WRIGHT IN SI: David Wright is the subject of a story in this week's 'Sports Illustrated'. Everything you hear about Wright is positive. He and Derek Jeter are two of the best people ever produced by a New York city farm system (actually, you could probably throw Bernie Williams in that category too....maybe even Mariano Rivera - although I don't know much about him as a person). Wright is just such a good person - everyone raves about how humble he is, and has stayed, even with his success. I just hope it lasts - and based on the type of person he is, and was raised to be, I think it will.
THE KID'S KIDS/LAST-PLACE LASTINGS: Both St. Lucie and Norfolk entered Thursday's action with just a game difference between themselves and their next-closest competitor. The Tides were just a game away from tying for last place, and the St. Lucie Mets were just a game up on Brevard County for first place.
St. Lucie was playing too late for this writing...I'll update them over the weekend.
Norfolk is really close to leaving last place - they beat Syracuse again on Thursday, 7-2. Milledge followed up his 3-for-6 in last night's game with a 1-for-5 on Thursday - and it was a solo homer. He's hitting .291.
FANTASY UPDATE: The Southern Bureau, owner of the What If Nationals/Expos, e-mailed me to say, "What's going on with this what if league? I win 12 in a row, lose 8 in a row, it's the same team! Nothing has changed...why are they so streaky?" I agree. Wholeheartedly. A day after winning all three of my games, I've lost all three of my games. I just had a feeling it might happen. What a pain. I go back and forth between liking this game and HATING it. Right now, I hate it. But I'm still 5 games out of first, tied for second.
BEAT THE STREAK: Ichiro didn't get a hit - Rodrigo Lopez picks today to throw a gem. Wonderful. Back to 0 again. This is the most frustrating part of 'Beat the Streak' - trying to get a streak past 9 or 10 games, so that you can actually care about it. Maybe this will be the streak that gets me going. I'll take Jose Reyes against the Marlins, since he's swinging a hot bat these days.
The Phillies averted disaster by beating the Mets during an afternoon game at Shea. The Phillies jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first against Jeremi Gonzalez, the Mets tied it at 3 in the second on a 3-run homer by the suddenly powerful Jose Reyes, and then Pedro Feliciano gave up two runs in the seventh to let the Phillies win it. Gonzalez pitched OK, but he'll be sent down, as El Duque will take his rotation spot on Sunday. Heath Bell pitched well - and he's been pitching very well at Norfolk - I wouldn't be surprised if Bell takes Jorge Julio's bullpen spot.
Brett Myers pitched very well. The Mets are allowed to lose one out of every three to the Phillies - I'm OK with that. Now a three-game series at Florida - the Mets need to sweep. Simple as that. And Pedro* needs to get a win against the Marlins - finally breaking his string of no-decisions.
I didn't get to see much of Thursday afternoon's game - but I made it home in time to see the bottom of the ninth. And it should be noted that the Mets again managed to get the tying run to the plate against Tom Gordon. Even in a game where it didn't seem likely that the Mets would win, they had a faint threat of tying the game. Good signs, when that happens.
MEDIA CORRECTION: Since I was out all day, I was going to TiVo this game, and I said yesterday Mike & The Mad Dog were going to broadcast it on SNY. Turns out I forgot to TiVo the game, but as I was driving home, faintly I got WFAN on the car radio - and Mike and the Mad Dog were broadcasting the game on WFAN (which makes sense, since that's where their radio show is, and since YES carries it on TV, not SNY). So I ended up hearing a little of their play-by-play. It was OK. They did it for charity, so I guess I can handle that. But since it's always been my dream to do play-by-play, I still get a bit jealous when guys get these chances that would never in a million years fall my way.
ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER DEAL: Omar Minaya said Wednesday after he traded for Orlando Hernandez that he had other deals cooking. He proved himself Thursday, when he traded minor leaguer Robert Manuel to the Reds for pitcher Dave Williams. Astute readers will remember I've mentioned Dave Williams before. (In case you're too lazy to click the link, here's what I wrote:
"BEAT THE STREAK: Back to taking it seriously, after vacation. I'm on a modest 3-gamer, after a Jimmy Rollins hit tonight (actually, 2 hits, I think). I took Alfonso Soriano for Tuesday, against Dave Williams of the Reds (formerly with the Pirates). He is bad.")
He is bad - he's been sent to Triple-A, probably to learn how to pitch. The Mets didn't give up much - Manuel was in Single-A...with decent numbers, but who knows what he'll turn into. Minaya says you can never have too much pitching. We'll see what else he's got going on.
WRIGHT IN SI: David Wright is the subject of a story in this week's 'Sports Illustrated'. Everything you hear about Wright is positive. He and Derek Jeter are two of the best people ever produced by a New York city farm system (actually, you could probably throw Bernie Williams in that category too....maybe even Mariano Rivera - although I don't know much about him as a person). Wright is just such a good person - everyone raves about how humble he is, and has stayed, even with his success. I just hope it lasts - and based on the type of person he is, and was raised to be, I think it will.
THE KID'S KIDS/LAST-PLACE LASTINGS: Both St. Lucie and Norfolk entered Thursday's action with just a game difference between themselves and their next-closest competitor. The Tides were just a game away from tying for last place, and the St. Lucie Mets were just a game up on Brevard County for first place.
St. Lucie was playing too late for this writing...I'll update them over the weekend.
Norfolk is really close to leaving last place - they beat Syracuse again on Thursday, 7-2. Milledge followed up his 3-for-6 in last night's game with a 1-for-5 on Thursday - and it was a solo homer. He's hitting .291.
FANTASY UPDATE: The Southern Bureau, owner of the What If Nationals/Expos, e-mailed me to say, "What's going on with this what if league? I win 12 in a row, lose 8 in a row, it's the same team! Nothing has changed...why are they so streaky?" I agree. Wholeheartedly. A day after winning all three of my games, I've lost all three of my games. I just had a feeling it might happen. What a pain. I go back and forth between liking this game and HATING it. Right now, I hate it. But I'm still 5 games out of first, tied for second.
BEAT THE STREAK: Ichiro didn't get a hit - Rodrigo Lopez picks today to throw a gem. Wonderful. Back to 0 again. This is the most frustrating part of 'Beat the Streak' - trying to get a streak past 9 or 10 games, so that you can actually care about it. Maybe this will be the streak that gets me going. I'll take Jose Reyes against the Marlins, since he's swinging a hot bat these days.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
A NIGHT OF COMEBACKS
But it's not over yet. The Phillies just retired the Mets in the bottom of the ninth, and I need to go to bed.
This was one of the best games the Mets have played all year (from an offensive standpoint). Whenever they play the Phillies, I get the feeling that they're never out of it, no matter what the score is. It seems like, eventually, the Mets will get back even with Philadelphia - it's just a matter of when. Sometimes it doesn't happen, most of the time, the Mets at least threaten, Tuesday night, the Mets did it three different times.
Cliff Floyd is really, really swinging the bat well - he homered again on Tuesday. And Julio Franco had a key pinch-hit, getting the game to 6-5. (Full disclosure, I missed the Franco RBI double - I was watching a live in-dugout interview with Boof Bonser on the Twins' telecast.) Chris Woodward also had a big pinch-hit. And David Wright hit career homer number 48 to get the Mets' scoring started.
The negative - not a good start for Steve Trachsel. He gave up the Phillies' first 6 runs - but in fairness, could have been out of a jam tied at 2 - Endy Chavez had Pat Burrell nailed at the plate, but Paul LoDuca dropped the throw. That led to a big 4-run inning, when it should have been 3 outs. But Trachsel still gave up a 3-run bomb - he's still too inconsistent - he pitched into a lot of tough situations Tuesday.
Interesting note - the Phillies are 17-0 this season (as of this writing) when they led after 7 innings. The Mets came back on them in the eighth...when THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, Jose Reyes, hit a game-tying 2-run homer, with 2 outs.
It's 8-8, top of the tenth, and I need to get some sleep. Or, more specifically, watch the rest of the game in bed, and not blog afterwards.
MAIL: Guess who this is from?
"Johnnymets -
Pedro would have had 4 days rest and would be available to pitch Thursday against the Phillies. However, Willie has decided to give Pedro another day of rest and start him against the Marlins on Friday. This makes no sense to me. I understand that Pedro needs a few extra days here and there. But, do you think it makes sense to give him that extra day against the Phillies. What if Thursday's game turns out to be the rubber game, or worse yet, a game to avoid a sweep? Is Willie thinking clearly that Jeremi Gonzaliez should get the start at such an important game? Don't you think Willie should push Gonzalez to Friday against the mostly Triple A Marlins? What do you think?
Annoyed Mets Fan from Queens"
The "Annoyed Mets Fan from Queens" always keeps me grounded when things are going well for the Mets. He'll always find that dark lining on the cloud...but he makes sense here. The thing is, Pedro* pitches very, very well in Florida. And I bet that Willie Randolph is considering the fact that Pedro* needs to get another win, not another no-decision, just to keep things upbeat in the clubhouse. So that should come against Florida. I bet that's a factor....finally getting Pedro* to 6-0.
The other thing is, Jeremi Gonzalez has to start either Wednesday or Thursday. He's not really up for debate. Up for debate is the fact that Alay Soler, the Cuban defector, is going to start one of the games against Philly (I don't think the Mets are sure yet whether he's going Wednesday or Thursday). But I think they have enough confidence in Soler that they feel he is the best arm to go for them in this series. I am pretty excited to see Soler - he's a big guy. About 6'1'', 240 pounds. In summary, I give Randolph the benefit of the doubt here.
***Update after I wrote this...Soler will definitely start Wednesday, with Thursday's start going to either Gonzalez or Darren Oliver. Apparently, Gonzalez has been battling the flu.
THE KID'S KIDS: The big rivalry started Tuesday night - the St. Lucie Mets taking on the Tampa Yankees. Too late for me write about it here - but the Mets still have a 2-game lead in their division, entering Tuesday night's action.
LAST-PLACE LASTINGS: Apparently last place is getting to Milledge and the Tides. I didn't realize this in yesterday's posting, but Milledge sparked a benches-clearing brawl with a slide that spiked Richmond's third baseman - the son of Atlanta GM John Scheurholz. (Curiously, this isn't mentioned on the minor league website I'm checking for results.) I wonder if he's going to get suspended for that - he didn't spike the guy maliciously, it seems it was on a slide.
On Tuesday night, a big win for Norfolk, with an 11th-inning run giving the Tides a 3-2 win over Syracuse. (They're still in last place.) Lastings Milledge had a big game - going 3-for-6, with 2 doubles and an RBI. He is now hitting .286 on the season.
FANTASY UPDATE: I'm mad - the What If Mets' bullpen blew a 4-0 9th inning lead (hmm...sound familiar), and went on to lose in 11. So I've lost two straight to the Braves. I'm still 3 games back of the phillies, two behind the Nationals, and 2 ahead of Atlanta. I need to take game 3 Wednesday morning, then at least split with the Blue Jays - they're one of the toughest in the game right now.
The Wife is getting tired of the What If updates. "What If you stopped telling me about those games?" she said Tuesday night. I think it's that pregnancy, making her cranky.
BEAT THE STREAK: Of course Vlad got a hit against Texas Monday night...and he already homered early on in Tuesday's game. So I'm working on a little 3-gamer...one more night of Guerrero against the Rangers, who just can't get him out.
This was one of the best games the Mets have played all year (from an offensive standpoint). Whenever they play the Phillies, I get the feeling that they're never out of it, no matter what the score is. It seems like, eventually, the Mets will get back even with Philadelphia - it's just a matter of when. Sometimes it doesn't happen, most of the time, the Mets at least threaten, Tuesday night, the Mets did it three different times.
Cliff Floyd is really, really swinging the bat well - he homered again on Tuesday. And Julio Franco had a key pinch-hit, getting the game to 6-5. (Full disclosure, I missed the Franco RBI double - I was watching a live in-dugout interview with Boof Bonser on the Twins' telecast.) Chris Woodward also had a big pinch-hit. And David Wright hit career homer number 48 to get the Mets' scoring started.
The negative - not a good start for Steve Trachsel. He gave up the Phillies' first 6 runs - but in fairness, could have been out of a jam tied at 2 - Endy Chavez had Pat Burrell nailed at the plate, but Paul LoDuca dropped the throw. That led to a big 4-run inning, when it should have been 3 outs. But Trachsel still gave up a 3-run bomb - he's still too inconsistent - he pitched into a lot of tough situations Tuesday.
Interesting note - the Phillies are 17-0 this season (as of this writing) when they led after 7 innings. The Mets came back on them in the eighth...when THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, Jose Reyes, hit a game-tying 2-run homer, with 2 outs.
It's 8-8, top of the tenth, and I need to get some sleep. Or, more specifically, watch the rest of the game in bed, and not blog afterwards.
MAIL: Guess who this is from?
"Johnnymets -
Pedro would have had 4 days rest and would be available to pitch Thursday against the Phillies. However, Willie has decided to give Pedro another day of rest and start him against the Marlins on Friday. This makes no sense to me. I understand that Pedro needs a few extra days here and there. But, do you think it makes sense to give him that extra day against the Phillies. What if Thursday's game turns out to be the rubber game, or worse yet, a game to avoid a sweep? Is Willie thinking clearly that Jeremi Gonzaliez should get the start at such an important game? Don't you think Willie should push Gonzalez to Friday against the mostly Triple A Marlins? What do you think?
Annoyed Mets Fan from Queens"
The "Annoyed Mets Fan from Queens" always keeps me grounded when things are going well for the Mets. He'll always find that dark lining on the cloud...but he makes sense here. The thing is, Pedro* pitches very, very well in Florida. And I bet that Willie Randolph is considering the fact that Pedro* needs to get another win, not another no-decision, just to keep things upbeat in the clubhouse. So that should come against Florida. I bet that's a factor....finally getting Pedro* to 6-0.
The other thing is, Jeremi Gonzalez has to start either Wednesday or Thursday. He's not really up for debate. Up for debate is the fact that Alay Soler, the Cuban defector, is going to start one of the games against Philly (I don't think the Mets are sure yet whether he's going Wednesday or Thursday). But I think they have enough confidence in Soler that they feel he is the best arm to go for them in this series. I am pretty excited to see Soler - he's a big guy. About 6'1'', 240 pounds. In summary, I give Randolph the benefit of the doubt here.
***Update after I wrote this...Soler will definitely start Wednesday, with Thursday's start going to either Gonzalez or Darren Oliver. Apparently, Gonzalez has been battling the flu.
THE KID'S KIDS: The big rivalry started Tuesday night - the St. Lucie Mets taking on the Tampa Yankees. Too late for me write about it here - but the Mets still have a 2-game lead in their division, entering Tuesday night's action.
LAST-PLACE LASTINGS: Apparently last place is getting to Milledge and the Tides. I didn't realize this in yesterday's posting, but Milledge sparked a benches-clearing brawl with a slide that spiked Richmond's third baseman - the son of Atlanta GM John Scheurholz. (Curiously, this isn't mentioned on the minor league website I'm checking for results.) I wonder if he's going to get suspended for that - he didn't spike the guy maliciously, it seems it was on a slide.
On Tuesday night, a big win for Norfolk, with an 11th-inning run giving the Tides a 3-2 win over Syracuse. (They're still in last place.) Lastings Milledge had a big game - going 3-for-6, with 2 doubles and an RBI. He is now hitting .286 on the season.
FANTASY UPDATE: I'm mad - the What If Mets' bullpen blew a 4-0 9th inning lead (hmm...sound familiar), and went on to lose in 11. So I've lost two straight to the Braves. I'm still 3 games back of the phillies, two behind the Nationals, and 2 ahead of Atlanta. I need to take game 3 Wednesday morning, then at least split with the Blue Jays - they're one of the toughest in the game right now.
The Wife is getting tired of the What If updates. "What If you stopped telling me about those games?" she said Tuesday night. I think it's that pregnancy, making her cranky.
BEAT THE STREAK: Of course Vlad got a hit against Texas Monday night...and he already homered early on in Tuesday's game. So I'm working on a little 3-gamer...one more night of Guerrero against the Rangers, who just can't get him out.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
NOT WHAT WE HAD IN MIND
Cardinals 6, Mets 3 (NYM: 24-16, STL: 26-15)
The Mets turned in a 3-6 road trip, making 1-2 stops in Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and St. Louis. Now they have to face the Yankees, and then the Phillies again....the difference being, they'll be at Shea Stadium. They need to take advantage of that and find their winning ways again.
The bad news is, we might yet have to suffer with Jose Lima some more. (Lima gave up 5 runs in 4 and two-thirds on Thursday afternoon.) Brian Bannister hurt his leg again during his rehab stint with Norfolk on Thursday. Sounds like he pulled something trying to cover first base - but they're not sure if he aggravated his injury or if it's just that the muscle isn't used to the work, after the time off. More information should come out Friday.
Some of the Mets' bats are waking up - Jose Valentin homered on Thursday, after getting very hot last weekend, and I feel like Cliff Floyd is ready to break out (he doubled off Jason Isringhausen in the ninth inning Thursday). And the Mets got the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning, after threatening but failing to come through in the ninth Wednesday night. There have been encouraging signs...but the Mets need to put up some W's, fast.
AROUND THE NL EAST: The Mets again got help from the Brewers, who beat the Phillies Thursday, so the Mets still lead the NL East by 2 games. The bad news is that Atlanta beat the Marlins again, so they're now just 3 and a half games back of the Mets.
THE KID'S KIDS: The game I mentioned last night turned into a 7-inning final somehow. The Mets lost to Dunedin, 3-2. Oh - it was the second game of a doubleheader, from the rainout the previous night. The Mets won the earlier game, 1-0. Must have 7 inning games for doubleheaders. The Mets are 23-15...with Thursday night's game too late for this edition. (I'm taking advantage of the early Major League game, and going to bed at a normal time.)
LAST-PLACE LASTINGS: Lastings Milledge again led off for Norfolk, and went 1-for-3, with a double and an RBI, lifting his average to .281. The Tides lost to Toledo, 8-2. (Anderson Hernandez is playing shortstop for Norfolk, by the way.) For the season, in 40 games, Milledge has 9 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, and 11 RBI.
FANTASY UPDATE: Not a good day for the What If Mets. Not only did I lose 2 out of three, but the second loss was 20-0. What a disappointment. And I don't know what I could have done differently to make it any closer. Not even 19-0. I just don't know. I'm only a game over .500 again, 5 games out of first, and 2 games ahead of 4th place in the division. And I have to face Randy Johnson, then Curt Schilling, then Randy Johnson and the Diamondbacks in the next three on Friday. This weekend will feature some great symmetry, though, when my What If Mets play the What If Yankees, while the real-life Mets play the real-life Yankees. It's like back in 1994, when the Rangers and Knicks were both playing in Washington, one day after another and they were staying at the same hotel, and there were shots of the players as one was checking in and the other checking out. Sort of.
BEAT THE STREAK: A 2-for-4 for Miguel Cabrera, and I have a 2-gamer. I'll go with Ryan Howard against Matt Clement on Friday.
The Mets turned in a 3-6 road trip, making 1-2 stops in Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and St. Louis. Now they have to face the Yankees, and then the Phillies again....the difference being, they'll be at Shea Stadium. They need to take advantage of that and find their winning ways again.
The bad news is, we might yet have to suffer with Jose Lima some more. (Lima gave up 5 runs in 4 and two-thirds on Thursday afternoon.) Brian Bannister hurt his leg again during his rehab stint with Norfolk on Thursday. Sounds like he pulled something trying to cover first base - but they're not sure if he aggravated his injury or if it's just that the muscle isn't used to the work, after the time off. More information should come out Friday.
Some of the Mets' bats are waking up - Jose Valentin homered on Thursday, after getting very hot last weekend, and I feel like Cliff Floyd is ready to break out (he doubled off Jason Isringhausen in the ninth inning Thursday). And the Mets got the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning, after threatening but failing to come through in the ninth Wednesday night. There have been encouraging signs...but the Mets need to put up some W's, fast.
AROUND THE NL EAST: The Mets again got help from the Brewers, who beat the Phillies Thursday, so the Mets still lead the NL East by 2 games. The bad news is that Atlanta beat the Marlins again, so they're now just 3 and a half games back of the Mets.
THE KID'S KIDS: The game I mentioned last night turned into a 7-inning final somehow. The Mets lost to Dunedin, 3-2. Oh - it was the second game of a doubleheader, from the rainout the previous night. The Mets won the earlier game, 1-0. Must have 7 inning games for doubleheaders. The Mets are 23-15...with Thursday night's game too late for this edition. (I'm taking advantage of the early Major League game, and going to bed at a normal time.)
LAST-PLACE LASTINGS: Lastings Milledge again led off for Norfolk, and went 1-for-3, with a double and an RBI, lifting his average to .281. The Tides lost to Toledo, 8-2. (Anderson Hernandez is playing shortstop for Norfolk, by the way.) For the season, in 40 games, Milledge has 9 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, and 11 RBI.
FANTASY UPDATE: Not a good day for the What If Mets. Not only did I lose 2 out of three, but the second loss was 20-0. What a disappointment. And I don't know what I could have done differently to make it any closer. Not even 19-0. I just don't know. I'm only a game over .500 again, 5 games out of first, and 2 games ahead of 4th place in the division. And I have to face Randy Johnson, then Curt Schilling, then Randy Johnson and the Diamondbacks in the next three on Friday. This weekend will feature some great symmetry, though, when my What If Mets play the What If Yankees, while the real-life Mets play the real-life Yankees. It's like back in 1994, when the Rangers and Knicks were both playing in Washington, one day after another and they were staying at the same hotel, and there were shots of the players as one was checking in and the other checking out. Sort of.
BEAT THE STREAK: A 2-for-4 for Miguel Cabrera, and I have a 2-gamer. I'll go with Ryan Howard against Matt Clement on Friday.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
DELGADO, METS WEATHER WAGNER, PIRATES
Mets 4, Pirates 3, 12 innings (NYM: 18-9, PIT: 8-21)
It's nights like this that I hate the idea of a closer. (And that's just me saying that. Imagine how Pedro Martinez* must feel - story of his career, in microcosmic form, Wednesday night at Shea.) Billy Wagner didn't have it - you could see it from his first pitch, which went on to become a walk to his first batter, then 2 runs, blowing the save. Part of this could be the bad weather, but it's also the way he's been pitching lately - allowing too many baserunners (it brings back bad Looper/Benitez/bad Franco memories).
The sad thing about this is that early on, it looked like Pedro* was going to get robbed of 6-0 because the game was going to be over too soon. The rain was awful, and it seemed like the game was on the verge of being called early. But the game lasted into the sixth, when the Mets broke a 1-1 tie, and took a 3-1 lead. Pedro* was the pitcher of record...and the game lasted all the way until the ninth, when Wagner blew it. And then it continued.....into the 12th, when Carlos Delgado won it with a walk-off homer leading off the inning.
The pessimist looks at this game and says the Mets blew a lead in the 9th to one of the worst teams in baseball. The optimist says this is the type of game the Mets lost last year, after blowing a save and a sure win (and also notes that the Pirates have been a tough out this year). The optimist also looks at Endy Chavez's contributions, again starting in right field - going 4-for-5, and coming up with a game-saving headfirst diving catch in the 10th (or maybe 11th) inning, with a runner on.
The best news I can offer about this game, before I go to bed, is that in awful, wet conditions at Shea, nobody got hurt, and better weather is on the way. And the Mets won.
THE KID'S KIDS: The St. Lucie Mets had an off-day Wednesday (seems like their first one all year), but won Tuesday night, beating Palm Beach, 4-3. That's three wins in a row for the Hall of Famer's team. It also moves the Mets into a first place tie with Palm Beach, at 16-9, a full game ahead of Brevard County.
FANTASY SPORTS: The What If Sports season gets underway Thursday morning. (There are three games a day - morning, afternoon, and night). The season starts at Cincinnati, including a game one matchup featuring Tom Seaver versus Tom Seaver. I should know how the 3-game series turns out by tomorrow night's posting.
BEAT THE STREAK: I had a sinking feeling when I logged onto the MLB website that I wasn't on that website yesterday. Alas, I had forgotten to make the Beat the Streak after I declared my David Wright pick here. Wright had a hit, snapping his 0-for-17 slump, but he might as well not have. Oops. At least I didn't lose a streak because of it. Still on 0, I pick David Ortiz to rock one off of Josh Towers to get me started.
It's nights like this that I hate the idea of a closer. (And that's just me saying that. Imagine how Pedro Martinez* must feel - story of his career, in microcosmic form, Wednesday night at Shea.) Billy Wagner didn't have it - you could see it from his first pitch, which went on to become a walk to his first batter, then 2 runs, blowing the save. Part of this could be the bad weather, but it's also the way he's been pitching lately - allowing too many baserunners (it brings back bad Looper/Benitez/bad Franco memories).
The sad thing about this is that early on, it looked like Pedro* was going to get robbed of 6-0 because the game was going to be over too soon. The rain was awful, and it seemed like the game was on the verge of being called early. But the game lasted into the sixth, when the Mets broke a 1-1 tie, and took a 3-1 lead. Pedro* was the pitcher of record...and the game lasted all the way until the ninth, when Wagner blew it. And then it continued.....into the 12th, when Carlos Delgado won it with a walk-off homer leading off the inning.
The pessimist looks at this game and says the Mets blew a lead in the 9th to one of the worst teams in baseball. The optimist says this is the type of game the Mets lost last year, after blowing a save and a sure win (and also notes that the Pirates have been a tough out this year). The optimist also looks at Endy Chavez's contributions, again starting in right field - going 4-for-5, and coming up with a game-saving headfirst diving catch in the 10th (or maybe 11th) inning, with a runner on.
The best news I can offer about this game, before I go to bed, is that in awful, wet conditions at Shea, nobody got hurt, and better weather is on the way. And the Mets won.
THE KID'S KIDS: The St. Lucie Mets had an off-day Wednesday (seems like their first one all year), but won Tuesday night, beating Palm Beach, 4-3. That's three wins in a row for the Hall of Famer's team. It also moves the Mets into a first place tie with Palm Beach, at 16-9, a full game ahead of Brevard County.
FANTASY SPORTS: The What If Sports season gets underway Thursday morning. (There are three games a day - morning, afternoon, and night). The season starts at Cincinnati, including a game one matchup featuring Tom Seaver versus Tom Seaver. I should know how the 3-game series turns out by tomorrow night's posting.
BEAT THE STREAK: I had a sinking feeling when I logged onto the MLB website that I wasn't on that website yesterday. Alas, I had forgotten to make the Beat the Streak after I declared my David Wright pick here. Wright had a hit, snapping his 0-for-17 slump, but he might as well not have. Oops. At least I didn't lose a streak because of it. Still on 0, I pick David Ortiz to rock one off of Josh Towers to get me started.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
METS 12-7, 1st Place, NL East, 3 gms. up
The Giants beat the Mets 6-2 in the first game of their 3-game series in San Francisco Monday night.
As you know, the wife and I saw the A's in Oakland, but we did swing by AT&T Park (formerly SBC and PacBell Park) in San Francisco. It looks very nice:
The Giants beat the Mets 6-2 in the first game of their 3-game series in San Francisco Monday night.
As you know, the wife and I saw the A's in Oakland, but we did swing by AT&T Park (formerly SBC and PacBell Park) in San Francisco. It looks very nice:
So we'll be going back to San Fran to check out that park...probably three more name changes later. And they'll probably be playing the:
Big picture there from outside the right field gate - guess the grounds crew was getting ready for the Giants' next opponent - our New York Mets.
BELTRAN*: Carlos Beltran* has a strained hamstring. He's not going to play during the Giants series. This is why the asterisk has yet to be removed from his name.
HERNANDEZ: The latest on the Keith Hernandez flap/debacle. Suzyn Waldman, who is a Yankees broadcaster (the only woman play-by-play person in the majors, actually), has been a New York sports radio personality for years. She's a woman. Anyway, she says she expects as much from Hernandez, because he was apparently always surly to her in the clubhouse. I believe it. Here's a guy who's been around guys since before high school, at a time when women weren't around sports like they are now. He's from a different time. I'm not defending him, because he's gotta keep his dumb opinions to himself. I enjoy Hernandez's outspoken baseball opinions - but he should keep those opinions limited to baseball.
As I'm writing this, I'm remembering a game at Shea last year where the cameras caught an overweight guy eating ice cream in the stands. Hernandez made an inappropriate comment then. He needs to filter things a little more - and I expect he'll be more careful commenting on non-baseball issues from now on.
WHAT IF......?: There's a new addiction brewing inside of me. It'll take off in just a few days. Whatifsports.com. You may have heard of it - it's a site where you can compile fantasy teams using any player from any year in the history of baseball. A friend of mine knows a guy who's starting a "What If" league, in which 24 people will join, each being a separate team. These 24 people will be divided into six divisions, and there will be 6 division champions, 2 wild cards, and a full playoff and World Series following a 162-game regular season. I think it'll start Wednesday, and I hear 3 games are played a day, so I'll be checking this site constantly. It could be dangerous.
Of course, if I'm going to venture into something like this, I'm not going without the Mets. So here's the squad (with the help of my article last year of the "greatest offensive seasons by Mets"):
The Lineup
2005 Jose Reyes - SS (hopefully he'll get on base enough)
1988 Wally Backman - 2B (good number 2 hitter)
1985 Gary Carter - C (expensive but non-negotiable that he be on the team)
1999 Mike Piazza - DH (same)
1999 Robin Venture - 3B (Last year's David Wright was too expensive)
1976 Dave Kingman - LF (Couldn't afford Strawberry, so I'll take Kingman's 37 HR's)
1975 Rusty Staub - RF (Solid outfield numbers)
1976 Ed Kranepool - 1B (I needed to save some money at first)
1985 Lenny Dykstra - CF (Speed at the top, speed at the bottom)
The Bench
1995 Tim Bogar (He had a good year in a down year for the Mets)
1999 Shawon Dunston (Hopefully a good pinch-hitting option)
2001 Joe McEwing (Flexibility to play a lot of positions)
1999 Todd Pratt (Needed a good, cheap backup catcher)
1980 Mookie Wilson (Some late inning speed for the basepaths)
2004 David Wright (Couldn't leave him off the team! Not as good as '05, but still good)
The Pitchers
1972 Tom Seaver (Had to compromise, take a cheaper season - his best year cost $13 Mil)
1984 Dwight Gooden (Not his best season either, but still better than most in history)
2005 Pedro Martinez* (His numbers were among the best in team history last year)
1988 David Cone (20-3 record - how could I not)
1970 Jerry Koosman (Had to have a lefty - but not Koosman's best season)
1969 Tug McGraw
1985 Jesse Orosco
1989 Randy Myers
1989 Roger McDowell (Not a bad foursome out of the 'pen)
1962 Vinegar Bend Mizell (He's awful, but I had to fill a roster spot cheap - he's programmed to only go in for mop-up duty when I'm losing)
So that's the squad I'll hopefully win it all with. You only get $100 million to work with, and I spent a lot of that on pitching. I hope pitching truly does win championships. My offense isn't too bad, though - I can use Hall of Famer Gary Carter along with Mike Piazza, since we can use DH in this league. Needless to say, I can't wait for the games to get underway. And you better believe I'll be giving updates.
THE KID'S KIDS: I haven't gotten a final from Tuesday night, but the St. Lucie Mets' win over the first place Manatees Monday has them at 11-6, 1.5 games back. They're in second place, a half-game ahead of Palm Beach.
BEAT THE STREAK: Alfonso Soriano got a hit, so I'm working on a 4-gamer. Gotta get this one to 10, at least. For Wednesday, it's David Wright, a career .600 hitter against Giants starter Jason Schmidt. (He's 3-for-5.)
The Mets are a 3:30 game tomorrow in San Francisco, before heading for a very important road series in Atlanta. And lucky me - tomorrow is a half-day of school. I'll have a full game posting Wednesday evening. Right now, it's time to go to bed and try to stay up for a Steve Trachsel start. That'll be quite a task.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
