Rich Lederer of Baseball Analysts, was kind enough to take some of my questions this week. I frequently visit his website for some great baseball insights. I hope you check it out and add him to your favorites. Enjoy the interview.   The Mets just made great strides in upgrading the bullpen with the additions of Putz and K-Rod. Will that be enough to secure a division title?   The Mets are looking good.  Adding J.J. and K-Rod [...]

Here it is… We will have 15 games with the Washington Nationals, Florida Marlins and Atlanta Braves, but none with the Phillies. On March 5th, we play Italy, and the last two games on the schedule are against the Boston Red Sox in Citi Field.  Feb. 25: Baltimore Orioles, Ft. Lauderdale, 1:05 p.m.Feb. 26: Florida Marlins, Port St. Lucie, 1:10 p.m.Feb. 27: St. Louis Cardinals, Port St. Lucie, 1:10 p.m.Feb. 28: Detroit Tigers, Lakeland, 1:05 p.m.March [...]

While Omar Minaya, and Mets fans too, ponder the question of which free agent pitcher the Mets should sign, manager Jerry Manuel has his own thoughts on the matter. “I like Oliver Perez,” Manuel told reporters at the K-Rod press conference on Wednesday. “I think Perez is a guy that matured in our presence. I think he showed some consistency. I like the fact that when things got tough, he was very good for us. [...]

If you missed it, here is a recap from Omar Minanya who was a guest this morning on WFAN’s, Boomer and carton show. On K-Rod – It’s always great when the player you are trying to sign is enthusiastic and willing to do anything to come and play for your team. He made it very clear to me and my staff that New York was where he wanted to pitch because he loved the energy [...]

Signing Oliver Perez instead of Randy Wolf or Jon Garland should be a no-brainer for the Mets. I know how turned off some of you are by Perez, but the fact of the matter is that he is young, talented and will get better. Anthony McCarron of the Daily News, writes the following today, Re-signing Oliver Perez, which Minaya called “50-50″ at the winter meetings, seems to be their first choice, but the Mets have inquired about [...]

Last season, the Phillies had one of the best offensive lineups in baseball. They feature three perennial MVP candidates in Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins. Despite the loss of Pat Burrell to free agency, the Phillies were able to upgrade the left field position to a more consistent hitter with the recently signed Raul Ibanez, and more importantly they added yet another dangerous lefthanded hitter to their already potent lineup. In addition to switch hitters [...]

On Tuesday, the Buffalo Bisons unveiled their totally cool logo for the 2009 season. Not only does it hearken back to their earliest traditions, but they incorporated the Mets colors and signature skyline and baseball stitches in it as well. The final product is a kick-ass design that fully recognizes the new partnership between the Mets and their new AAA Affiliate. Here is what their Vice President, Mike Buczkowski had to say. “We are thrilled to [...]

 I spoke with author and Sports Illustrated journalist Jeff Pearlman, who wrote the New York Times best selling book on the New York Mets, “The Bad Guys Won”.  The book is a must read, a great gift for any Mets fan, and is available at Amazon.com. In the title of your book, “The Bad Guys Won”, who was the baddest and why? I’d say Lenny Dykstra. He had a certain I-don’t-give-a-f**k approach to life and baseball, and [...]

Kevin Kernan of the NY Post, spoke with David Wright who is hell bent on stopping the Mets’ consecutive September slides. “This winter there’s been a desire, a passion to get into the gym as soon as possible and to get back to the cages because just like last offseason, the way the season ends it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth,” Wright said. “I kind of lost a little bit of aggressiveness last [...]

On Friday, I spoke to former Minnesota Twins pitching prospect, Alex Merricks, who signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets last month, and was invited to participate in Spring Training.   During the 30 minute interview, I spoke with Alex about his return to the game of baseball after being released by the Twins in 2005.   It’s a remarkable story of perseverance and determination from a hard throwing lefthander who did not take the usual [...]

Eddie Guardado, the former closer and teammate of J.J. Putz, had glowing remarks for new newest Mets setup man during a conversation with the NY Post. The Mets acquired Putz on Wednesday night at the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound power righty will set up Francisco Rodriguez at the back end of the Mets’ now-impressive pen. Guardado, who spent two-plus seasons with Putz in Seattle, gushed about him yesterday, noting that Putz is [...]