Mets Merized Online

The first half of the season is over, thankfully. And as we get back to the second half of the season, I hope we can look forward to continuing to enjoy watching New York Mets Baseball.

The past two weeks have been exciting. The Mets have been playing the type of baseball we all hoped they could. I never would have guessed it earlier in the season. All too often in the first half of the season, particularly in the beginning of June, I found myself dreading the nightly trouncing the Mets were sure to put my heart and soul through. Day games were a blessing to the fans because, for those of us who work days, at least we didn’t have to watch the devastation. I was exhausted. I can only imagine how exhausted the Mets were. Not only physical exhaustion, but the mental and emotional exhaustion they must have felt with all of the negative attention they were receiving in the media for their on-field play and front office moves. It seemed as though every week, we were watching late night series from the West coast. To boot, we were not sent to bed with a lot of wins and happy recaps. Those days appear to be behind the Mets. I hope.

A nine game win-streak is great. I just hope that the Mets continue to focus on their roles, keep working on improving their fundamentals, and keep in mind what has been working for them. All too often in the first half of the season, we would see spurts of good baseball where we all thought the Mets had “turned the corner” and that their woes were behind them. The schedule would not allow the Mets to continue their streaks because they were a team depleted of energy and emotion. The course for the second half of the season does not seem as rocky as the first.  The Mets will not see any more West coast trips, while the other teams in the division seem to face a tougher schedule which will hopefully help the Mets’ standings. In addition, the caliber of teams the Mets are set to face are not as high as the first.

The Mets are starting the second half against the Cincinnati Reds, a team that is in fourth place in the NL Central with a 46-50 record. However, they have a 7-3 record in their last ten games that took them through Chicago, Milwaukee and Washington. The hitters to look out for on their team are Dunn, Griffey, Votto and Brandon Phillips.  None of the Reds’ hitters are “hot” right now, but the Mets should not let themselves get beaten by the long ball from Dunn or Griffey.

Let’s start off the second half where we left off in the first. There is no reason why the Mets shouldn’t take this series if not sweep them (imagine how sweet three sweeps in a row would taste?). The Mets have been showing off their power the past two to three weeks. I hope this continues in the Great American Bandbox.  LGM

Some called last night’s All Star marathon a great game and an exciting game… whatever… For me it was a star-studded bore… So what else is new for National League fans who have been waiting 12 years for a win.

Of course, as fate would have it, a New York Met figured prominently in the game’s outcome; Billy Wagner. What other expletives can I use to describe Wagner’s performance that I haven’t used a thousand times already this season? In a two words… excruciatingly agonizing.

For all the fans who were outraged that Billy Wagner was chosen to represent the Mets over more worthy candidates like Jose Reyes, Johan Santana and David Wright… your outrage was justified.

Wagner held the National League’s only shot at winning the game and ending their 11 game winless streak, in the palm of his hand… his left hand… the one that blew the one-run lead in the eight inning and launched the game into a 15-inning episode of the Twilight Zone. Ugh…

Wagner pitched just a third of an inning, but quickly allowed two hits and one run to blow the 3-2 lead he was handed. It’s the second straight year he has flopped… last year he served up a two-run homer to Victor Martinez to seal the deal for the American League. His career ERA in All Star games is 10.20.

I firmly believe the Mets will be going to the World Series… and I’m expecting another Mets/Red Sox showdown. You could blame Billy Wagner for allowing the Mets to fly to Boston to play the first two games of the series in October, as well as a game seven if it goes that far.

Wagner definitely blew the save in the Mid Summer Classic, hopefully it doesn’t hurt the Mets in the Fall Classic.

LGM

If some of you are waiting to see what players the Mets might be targeting at the trade deadline, don’t hold your breath. According to Joel Sherman of the NY Post, Omar Minaya has no master plan to fill the left field or bullpen vacancy via a trade. Instead, Omar feels the Mets can fill any needs by promoting from within.

Sherman gives three great reasons for why Omar may be reluctant to pull off another big trade.

1) The organization is cautiously optimistic Ryan Church will soon return, making a righty-hitting left fielder to replace out-for-the-season Moises Alou the main priority. Minaya has been unable to identify a player significantly better than a Fernando Tatis/Endy Chavez platoon to make it worthwhile to sacrifice prospect chips.

2) The Mets are finding the asking prices for relievers they have interest in, such as Colorado’s Brian Fuentes, to be too steep.

3) To reach the level of contender, the Mets have expended a lot of prospect artillery the past three years, and Minaya recognizes he must protect the farm system and let it rebuild.

"We can’t keep doing four-for-one deals," Minaya said.

Minaya said he expects super-prospects Fernando Martinez and Jon Niese to possibly be ready to contribute in August, and also high praise for Nick Evans and Carlos Muniz who are already on the team.

He sees Evans developing into a .280 hitter with 20 homers and 80 RBI’s annually, and compared Muniz to Chad Cordero.

I don’t know about you guys, but I love the fact that the Mets are thinking this way. I don’t want to see them trade the farm for an over-priced aging left fielder who will be a free agent in a year or two.

Check out the rest of Sherman’s article which is loaded with plenty of quotes from our GM. In Omar we trust!

This week I begin the first part of a new feature. I hope everyone enjoys reading it as much as I enjoyed researching it.

JULY 14:

1916: Ernie Koob of the Cleveland Indians pitches a complete game, going all 17 innings, in a 0-0 tie with Boston

1934: Lou Gehrig plays shortstop and bats lead-off. After singling in his first AB, Gehrig is removed. He is ill but the Yankees do this so The Iron Horse can keep his consecutive game streak going.

1946: Future Hall of Famer Lou Boudreau hits 4 doubles and 1 HR for Cleveland. The Indians, however, lose to Boston 11-10 when another future Hall of Famer, Ted Williams, hits 3 HRs and knocks in 8.

1956: Mel Parnell of Boston no-hits the White Sox at Fenway.

1967: Robin Ventura is born in Santa Maria, CA.

1967: Eddie Mathews becomes only the 7^th player in history to reach 500 home runs when he goes deep against Juan Marichal.

1968: Hank Aaron connects off Mike McCormick of the Giants for his 500^th HR.

1968: Don Wilson fans 18 as the Astros defeat the Reds, 6-1.

1970: In the 12^th inning of the All-Star Game, Pete Rose scores the winning run as he knocks over Ray Fosse to give the NL the win. As a result of the violent collision, Fosse sustains a dislocated shoulder. His career is never the same.

1972: A major league first. The home plate umpire is Bill Haller. The catcher for Detroit is his brother, Tom Haller.

2005: The Giants defeat the Dodgers, 4-3. With this win, they become the first team in history to collect 10,000 wins as a franchise. Starting in 1899 as the NY Gothams, the Giants overall record is 10,000 wins-8511 losses.

JULY 15:

1901: Christy Mathewson tosses his first career no-hitter, defeating St. Louis, 5-0.

1935: Donn Clendenon is born in Neosho, MO.

1967: Bob Gibson fractures his right fibula when he is hit by a line drive off the bat of Roberto Clemente.

1969: Rod Carew steals home for the 7^th time this season.

1973: Nolan Ryan tosses a no-hitter and whiffs 17 as the California Angels defeat Detroit, 6-0.

1980: Johnny Bench hits the 314^th HR of his career as a catcher, passing Yogi Berra.

1993: Cal Ripken becomes the all-time leader in HRs hit by a shortstop. His 278^th round tripper passes Ernie Banks.

2000: A mint 1909 Honus Wagner baseball card is sold on E-Bay for $1.265 million.

2005: Rafael Palmeiro doubles off of Joel Pineiro for the 3000^th hit of his career. Palmeiro joins Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Eddie Murray as the only players with 3000 hits and 500 Home Runs

JULY 16:

1897: Cap Anson singles off of Baltimore’s George Blackburn and with this becomes the first player in history to record 3000 hits.

1909: Ed Summers of Detroit pitches all 18 innings of a game against Washington. The game ends in a tie, 0-0, and is called because of ‘darkness.’ It is the longest scoreless game played in AL history.

1941: Joe DiMaggio goes 3-4 and extends his hitting streak to 56 games.

2003: The Mets trade Armando Benitez to the Yankees for Jason Anderson, Anderson Garcia and Ryan Bicondoa.

2006: Mariano Rivera joins Lee Smith, Trevor Hoffman and John Franco as the only members of the 400 Saves club.

JULY 17:

1936: Carl Hubbell defeats Pittsburgh, 6-0. It is the first of Hubbell’s 24 game winning streak which will continue until 1938.

1941: At Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, Joe DiMaggio is held hitless and his streak ends at 56 games.

1954: With Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Sandy Amoros, Jim Gilliam and Don Newcombe in the starting lineup, the Brooklyn Dodgers become the first club ever to field a team with a majority of black players. Brooklyn defeats Milwaukee, 2-1.

1961: Perhaps the greatest hitter in the history of the game and the most fierce competitor to ever walk onto a baseball field, Ty Cobb, The Georgia Peach, dies in Atlanta, GA.

1974: Bob Gibson joins Walter Johnson as only the 2^nd player in history with 3000 strikeouts.

1974: One of the most colorful characters to ever play the game, Hall of Famer Dizzy Dean, dies in Reno, NV.

1976: Walt Alston wins his 2000^th game as manager of the Dodgers.

1990: For the first time in history, a team pulls off 2 triple plays in the same game. The Twins accomplish this rare feat but still suffer a 1-0 loss to Boston.

JULY 18:

1921: Baseball has a new Home Run king when Babe Ruth hits the 139^th of his career, passing Roger Connor.

1948: Pat Seerey hits 4 homers as the White Sox defeat the Philadelphia A’s, 12-11.

1952: After trailing the Giants 11-0 after 3 innings, the Cardinals come from behind and win, 14-12.

1970: Willie Mays becomes the newest member of the 3000 hit club when he singles off Mike Wegener of Montreal.

1994: After trailing 11-0 through 3, the Astros rally to defeat the Cardinals, 15-12.

1999: David Cone becomes the 16^th pitcher in history to toss a perfect game.

2006: Jason Varitek catches his 991^st game for Boston, passing Carlton Fisk.

JULY 19:

1910: Cleveland defeats Washington, 5-4. It’s the 500^th career victory for Cy Young.

1915: In the first inning, Washington successfully steals 8 bases against Cleveland catcher Steve O’Neil.

1927: Ty Cobb doubles for the 4000^th hit of his career.

1936: Bob Feller makes his major league debut, pitching 1 inning in relief.

1960: In his first major league game, Juan Marichal 1-hits the Phillies as the Giants win, 2-0.

1974: Indians pitcher Dick Bosman no-hits the defending champion Oakland A’s.

1982: A rookie for San Diego hits a double off of Sid Monge. This is the first hit in the career of Tony Gwynn.

JULY 20:

1859: At a race track on Long Island, about 1500 fans become the first spectators who pay to get in to see a ball game. They hand over fifty cents.

1906: Mal Eason of Brooklyn no-hits St. Louis, 2-0.

1925: Dazzy Vance strikes out 17 as the Cubs fall to Brooklyn, 4-3.

1933: Babe Herman hits 3 homers, including a Grand Slam, as the Cubs defeat the Phillies, 10-1.

1958: Jim Bunning no-hits Boston, 3-0.

1970: Bill Singer no-hits the Phillies, 5-0.

1973: The Yankees sweep a double header from the White Sox. Wilbur Wood takes the loss in both games.

1976: Hank Aaron hits a HR against Dick Drago. It is the 755^th and final HR of Aaron’s remarkable career.

1987: 1B Don Mattingly ties an AL record with 22 putouts in 1 game.

Following a spectacular win at Shea last night, Mike Pelfrey has been named "NL Player of the Week." Pelfrey has amazed everyone with his confidence and control. The 24-year-old went 2-0 while not allowing a run over his two starts against the San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies during the week ending July 13th. Over his 15 shutout innings, Pelfrey scattered nine hits without a walk, while striking out 10. He is the first Met to be named the National League Player of the week since Carlos Beltran won the award on August 19, 2007.

Congratulations to Mike! Keep up the great work!

The New York Mets find themselves just a half game behind their rival Philadelphia Phillies.  The Mets, who have won nine straight, as well as their fans, are probably wishing that somehow, some way, this mid-summer classic was an end-of-the-season classic, so as not to break this team’s unbelievable momentum.  Nine in a row is no joke.  They are doing everything right and it is paying off.  Our starting pitching is un-hittable.  And our offense is hitting everything.  And it’s not just hitting, it’s timely hitting – with runners in scoring position and two outs – which this team was not doing at the beginning of the season.   

It’s being fundamentally sound and doing the little things that win ballgames.  It’s the bench players stepping up to the plate (no punt intended) and doing their part when called upon.  It’s superb defense behind the great starting pitching.  And it’s a feeling of confidence, that had been missing for so long, that grows with every single win.

Nine in a row.  I keep saying it because it literally brought tears to my eyes on Saturday, when I knew that the Mets had won and the Phillies had lost, and our Mets could have been in first place at the break.  Unfortunately, Philly won yesterday, keeping us a half game out of first.  Also unfortunate is that Florida is only one game behind us. But in any event, I think every Mets fan on Earth is thrilled at what this team has accomplished, and at the thought of what is to come. 

Let’s go Mets!!

Fernando Martinez, or F-Mart as he is now called, represented the Mets in yesterday’s MLB Future’s Game. He played centerfield and went 1-2 at the plate.

Martinez was not having a spectacular season, and in fact he has missed a lot of time due to injures, but in 218 at-bats for the B-Mets this season, he was batting .294 with four homeruns, 12 doubles, 32 runs and 21 RBI’s.

At only 19 years old, F-Mart is the prized jewel in the Mets system. he has been often compared to former Texas Ranger, Juan Gonzalez. He was signed as an undrafted free agent at the age of 16 by Mets GM Omar Minaya who said of the signing, "What we saw in Martinez was a 16-year-old kid with power, great ability and great character, above everything else.”

Yesterday, F-Mart was asked which current player he likened himself to. His answer…

"I want to hit like Alex Rodriguez… Like Manny Ramirez… .300, 30 home runs, 100 RBI."

With the recent news that Moises Alou will miss the remainder of the season, many are hoping that F-Mart will make his long anticipated debut for the Mets. In fact, on SNY’s Loud Mouths, Chris Carlin was one of those trumpeting the call for his promotion during a segment on Friday’s broadcast.

Omar Minaya has shot down the idea, but he did say that if F-Mart had not missed any time with the hamstring injury, we may have seen him in September. He left no door open for the possibility of seeing him in the majors before 2009.

I actually agree with Omar on this one. F-Mart may have shown some raw skills and may be loaded with potential, but let him dazzle us in the minors and put in his work before giving him a crash course in the major leagues.

Where would the Mets be this past few weeks without new pitching coach Dan Warthen? It seems in just a short amount of time that he has brought this year’s pitching staff back to life and has really jump-started Mike Pelfrey. Since taking over for Rick Peterson last month, Warthen has corrected Oliver Perez’s inconsistency, dramatically changed Pelfrey’s performance, solved Pedro hat-tipping his pitches and even changed Johan Santana’s delivery to make him even more effective.

During this current eight game winning streak, the Mets are the first team since 1900 to allow three or fewer hits in five consecutive games. It wasn’t that long ago that if it wasn’t the starters getting rocked, the bullpen would find a way to blow the lead in later innings. However recently the bullpen, and Aaron Heilman most dramatically, have found their confidence and are pitching better than they have in over a year. In the past thirty days, the Mets pitching staff is third in strikeouts, eighth in walks, and has a team ERA at 3.60.

It’s obvious that along with new manager Jerry Manuel, Dan Warthen’s ability to give defined roles to each member of the pitching staff has straightened this team out and have them within a .5 game of the Phillies for the lead in the NL East going into All Star Break. So here’s to you Dan Warthen for being a vital part of saving New York’s season and putting the Orange and Blue back in the hunt for October. Let’s keep it going!!!

The date was October 19, 2002. 44,603 screaming fans packed Edison Field in Anaheim to witness Game One of the World Series. Giants Center Fielder Kenny Lofton walked to the batters box and dug in against Angels starter Jarrod Washburn. On October 1, 1903, almost a full century earlier, a less impressive crowd of 16,242 filled the Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds in Boston to watch the Boston Americans take on the Pittsburgh Pirates in the very first World Series game. Pirates center fielder Ginger Beaumont dug in against Boston right hander Cy Young. 99 years had passed and The Fall Classic had remain relatively unchanged.

However, the commissioner and ‘the-powers-that-be’ felt a need to alter the tradition of Baseball. In an effort to increase viewer ship and revenue, they decided that the winner of the All-Star Game would have home field advantage for the World Series. This notion is ludicrous. The All-Star Game is supposed to be a celebration of the history of baseball, a chance for the torch to be passed to a new generation of heroes. From Phil Rizzuto to Derek Jeter, from Ted Williams to Manny Ramirez, from Willie Mays to…well, lets not get carried away.

Six years after the All-Star Game has “counted” and meant something, we are still confused. Is it an exhibition where the top stars are showcased? Or is it a “must win” game for each league? If it truly is a must win situation, then lets play a real All Star Game. If winning the All-Star Game is now so imperative, then why must every team be represented? Are we trying to win or are we just being fair? Managers should not be burdened with trying to get every player on the roster some playing time. If this is the case, lets just put the 9 best players on the field and let them go at it. Lets see Johan Santana duel Josh Beckett for 9 innings.

Fans, however, would not stand for this. As Mets fans, we are battling the Phillies for the top spot in the NL East. We would all be furious to see our ace “wasted” in a meaningless exhibition. One start against the American League means one less start against the Phillies or Marlins or a game that really does “count.”

If Commissioner Selig feels a need to tinker with the very nature of the World Series, here are some options:

1) Simply stated, the League Champion with the better record should host four of the seven games. If the AL champions win 97 games and the NL champs win 94, then the AL would host the Series. Plain and simple.

2) Since Selig and company are such fans of Interleague play, we can incorporate more meaning into that. Give home field advantage to the league champion who has the better overall record in interleague play. Along the same lines, why not just give home field advantage to the league that does better head-to-head? This would definitely increase interest. As Mets fans, we would actually care about a game between the Astros and the Rangers.

3) Simply go back to the way it was, alternating from year to year. This worked out well for a century.

These same individuals also claim that since “This Time It Counts,” fans across the board will watch the game. Again, I disagree. With roughly 70 games left to be played, it’s safe to say that many teams literally have no chance of making the post-season. I find it hard to believe that fans in Baltimore or Seattle or San Diego will be sitting on the edge of their seats Tuesday night, glued to the television.

I strongly believe the All-Star Game needs to be returned to what it was: a celebration of the games top players, a three day break for fans and players to rest, regroup and prepare for the pennant race. It gives us all one final chance to take a deep breath before the last push to October. The calm before the storm.

The team that has had home field advantage has won 8 of the last 10 World Series. Too much is at stake based on one game. The effects of a three hour ball game in July should not be felt in October.