Once upon a time…there was a first baseman who played in New York. He was adored by fans, admired by teammates and respected by those who competed against him. Known for his large hands and quiet disposition, Gil Hodges led the Brooklyn Dodgers to the NL Pennant in 1952. Hodges hit 32 Home Runs that year, knocked in 102, walked 107 times, compiled a .386 OBP and slugged at .500. And then, in the Fall [...]

The Yankees beat the Mets today 3-2 in a rain-soaked game at Shea that saw the Mets fall back to two games below .500… again. The Mets wasted yet another start from their new ace Johan Santana. That is now five straight losses in games that Johan Santana started. By the time he takes the mound again, it will have been a month since he last won a game. Santana was clearly frustrated, but tempered his remarks [...]

Welcome to another installment of Hot or Not. This week was an interseting one in Mets Nation. After losing 2 out of three to the MLB worst Mariners, the Mets really picked up their game against the Yankees. Despite the 9-0 loss in the second game, the Mets offense did manage to get on base. I only hope for continued success throughout the season. Hot As FireCarlos Delgado: It’s still too early to tell whether [...]

The confidence and swagger that we’ve been accustomed to are now gone. The sight of seeing hitter’s knees buckle at the plate are gone too. Is this the end of an illustrious career for Pedro Martinez or just a bump in the road? That’s the question Pedro asked himself after last night’s loss, his second straight lousy effort and third in his last five starts. Pedro Martinez is at a crossroads in his career. He [...]

While the Mets were losing 11-0 to the worst team in baseball, one very familiar face was sitting the game out, on a managerial-imposed day off. The shutout was the worst at Shea since ’99. The next night, the same player came back and hit two home runs in his first two at-bats en route to an 8-2 victory over Seattle. Of course, I don’t need to mention any names….or I should hope not. David Wright [...]

Both the Mets and the Yankees are coming into this weekend’s subway series with records neither fan base is happy about. The water cooler has not been bearing witness to any smack-talk as it usually does this time of year. Rather, Yankee fans and Met fans seem to be avoiding each other, hugging the shadows not wanting to be noticed. Frankly, both teams have stunk it up this season. Each team finds themselves in third [...]

The one thing that I’ve already grown to like about Jerry Manuel, aside from his colorful comments, is the way he reacts to the team. Last night it was refreshing to see him run out there and jump down the umpire’s throat and protect his player. A week ago, I like the way he handled the Jose Reyes situation and not only how he stood his ground, but how he ultimately motivated Reyes to elevate [...]

Is it possible for the Mets to go on a run when almost halfway through the season their bench has been a source of subpar play and performances that would cast doubt on any chance at a division title? What kind of relief can we expect from a bench that has a combined batting average of .215? Comic relief?  If the Mets are going to make some moves before the trade deadline, they can start by [...]

Over the course of the last two weeks, yours truly has been absent from my weekly posting spot. My Mets Merized hiatus was spent scurrying the college baseball scene, taking in first hand the Super Regionals in Cary, North Carolina, and the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. The experience was spent traveling with the North Carolina Tar Heel baseball team. More specifically though, my cousin, first team All-American outfielder Tim Fedroff, who was drafted [...]