27
2009
That Nagging Feeling
An article by Russell Zanca
It’s only late January, it’s already late January. Are you feeling as if K-Rod and the guy whose name is profane in Yiddish maybe aren’t the pieces that make us complete? Maybe eight-ten more saves and a few fewer blown games won’t get us over the hump?
Now, hold on just a minute, you say. We’ve added Tim Redding, Freddy Garcia, Alex Cora, Rob Mackowiak, and, um, er some other guys this winter. Heck, we might even sign Randy Wolf–a mediocre innings-eater if ever there was one. What’s the matter? Still not smelling success with this crew?
Well, look, it’s inevitable–probably–that we’re going to add Ollie P. or Ben Sheets, and then that, surely, will get us to the promised land. Yeah, I’m thinking what you’re thinking: somehow, it still doesn’t feel as if we have what we need. Perez the Unpredictable and/or Sheets–not another incantation of Pedro or El Duque. God, no more injury-laden stars of yesteryear!
Maybe there’s another way to look at this. Maybe this really just wasn’t a great free agent market with the exception of guys like Sabathia and Teixeira, who, it just so happens, were signed by a certain unmentionable ball club. Was Derek Lowe the guy we had to get? Well, that creep opted for the Dark Side, too. Who needs ‘em!
To be fair, this is a good Mets team going into ’09. These are not your 1967, 1978, 1993, or 2003 NY Mets. We are coming off of four consecutive winning seasons. And don’t ruin it by bringing up those collapses. We are a solid team, but we need a little oomph. We all want the playoffs this year, but none of us have this as the true goal–our third championship. Funny, Aaron Heilman was quoted in a Seattle paper saying words to the effect that NY baseball is so intense that fans don’t consider the season a success unless you win a championship every year. An exaggeration, yes, but not a huge one.
So what is the front office doing besides reminding us that pitching can be everything? I agree for the most part, but right now I just don’t see a championship pitching staff on the mound or a Murderers Row in the field. There is a one-man Murderers Row out there, and I imagine 99% of us would take him in a heart beat over Ollie P. A man of 37 vs. 27? Yeah, but this is the aging gracefully (maybe perfectly) guy against the guy who’s just aging. He’s a native son to boot, and I imagine would be every bit as thrilled to end his career playing in his city as we would be to watch him. The critical mass has been building, including fans, Mets players, and the Mets manager! C’mon front office his antics and less-than-Gold Glove performances will be far outweighed by the sempiternal crack of his bat. Get this man! Nagging feeling no more.
About the Author: Russell Zanca
11 Comments + Add Comment
NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationals | 26 | 18 | .591 | - |
| Braves | 26 | 19 | .578 | 0.5 |
| Mets | 24 | 20 | .545 | 2.0 |
| Marlins | 24 | 20 | .545 | 2.0 |
| Phillies | 22 | 23 | .489 | 4.5 |
Last updated: 05/24/2012
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Write Your Own Mets Post
ugh. Enough with the Manny love. It’s pathetic. If The Mets sign Manny they are essentially REWARDING him for holding the Red Sox hostage last year.
I’d rather tough out 89 or 90 wins in what’s gonna be the tightest division in baseball than win 93 and have to spend all year justifying Manny’s antics.
I long ago gave up on the fallacy that the guys you root for are “the good guys”, but “Manny being Manny” and his slimey agent insisting on unreasonable contract numbers are the symbols of everything wrong with free agency.
The more we publically pine for Manny, the more we sound like Yankee fans.
Hey, did I just read a Manny article without reading the word Manny?
How did you do that? lol
Neat trick!
Manny Ramirez = World Series
Oliver Perez = 85-89 wins
Yeah, the 2006 Red Sox had a whopping 86 wins, WITH Manny…and his phantom knee.
Yankee fans were pretty sure that Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano, Gary Sheffield, and Kevin Brown were gonna win them a World Series, too.
You mean that phantom knee that had him in the trainers room everyday getting treatment, confirmed by several Red Sox.
The funny thing about this argument is that no one denies how much he would help the Mets. We need a right-handed bat. We need a true clean-up hitter. We need a guy that doesn’t let the pressure get to him. We need a guy to play left field (almost) every day. Heck, we need a guy to make the Mets relevant in the national media and to compete for the back pages.
Manny is perfect for this ball club and if anyone can manage him, I believe Jerry could. He is getting older, yes, but has he shown any signs of it? Give him three or fours years, so what? We are talking about a franchise that has two championships in 46 years. A franchise that has only four league championships, only FIVE division titles and only seven playoff appearances in those 46 years.
There’s no doubt that Manny makes this team a playoff team if not much more. Just making the playoffs would give this team AT LEAST the eighth best season in franchise history! If they win a World Series, which is NOT out of the question, who cares about the other years of his contract? If he brings a third championship to the Mets, the rest is just gravy!
CAPSLOCK=DISABILITY ACCOMODATION
MOSTLY, WHEN FACED WITH OBVIOUS DECISIOND NOT BEING CHOSEN BY OTHERS, I TRY NOT TO ASSUME THEY’RE STUPID & RATHER TRY TO THINK OF WHAT DO THEY KNOW THAT I’M NOT CONSIDERING. TRY THIS IT’LL HELP YOU UNDERSTAND YOUR BOSSES MORE.
UNFORTUNATLY, I DON’T BELIEVE THE PROBLEM IN SIGNING MANNY HAS ANYTHING WHATSOEVER TO DO WITH KEEPING SALARY AROUND 143M, BERNIE MADOFF, OR AS MUCH MANNY’S ANTICS; BUT MORE TO DO WITH WHAT’S CONSISTANTLY BEEN A WIPON BUGABOO SINCE HE’S BEEN AN OWNER. THE REAL PROBLEM AS I SEE IT IS “LUXURY TAXES” JOHN HARPER, YESTERDAY GUESTIMATED METS’ CURRENT SALARY @ 133M. THE LUXURY TAX LINE FOR ’09 IS 162M, FOR ’10, 170M. TO INCUR THE PENALTY A TEAM MUST BE OVER THE LINE FOR 2 CONSECUTIVE SEASONS. ALLOWING FOR THE 22.5M COMING OFF THE BOOKS BY ’10 IN WAGNER & DELGADO. THE QUESTION ISN’T HOW TO SIGN MANNY; BUT HOW DO YOU DO IT & STILL ADD A SP & REPLACE DELGADO FOR ’10 WHILE GETTING BACK UNDER THE LINE FOR THE SECOND YR TO AVOID PAYMENT? IT’LL TAKE A MIN OF 3 YRS TO INK HIM EVEN AT A RELATIVE BARGAIN OF 20M THERE’S AN ISSUE WITH ’10. THERE’S NO WAY A DEPRESSION RAISED CONSERVATIVE LIKE FRED WILL OPT TO PAY HIS COMPETITORS MILLIONS JUST TO GET MANNY.
METS62FAN – a team does not need to be over the threshold for two years to be taxed. They are taxed a certain amount based on how many times they have gone over the threshold. A first time offender gets taxed 22.5%, a 2nd time offender gets taxed at 30% and any team going over 3 or more times will be taxed at 40%.
Its is so funny how this became about Manny Ramirez… And to Mikey; I for one WANT Manny hitting 4th in our lineup. He will make everyone better and could make David Wright have an MVP year. (hes just that good and that feared) Down the stretch, you have a guy that wants to be up with the game on the line. A guy who has proven so many times before that he WILL get it done in the clutch. I truly dont care what his character is like or how he has acted with the Red Sox (whom he wanted to leave for years)
Everything that I have read about him with LA is saying he was a great teammate, clubhouse guy, and he did put them into the playoffs single handedly.
One person does not make a team a playoff team….he only comes up every 9 times. We can’t have 8 strike outs and 1 hit. We do not need him. Manny should quit his job and go pollute some other league.
Nice post. Manny would provide plenty of that oomph you refer to. Welcome to Mets Merized Online, Russell!
THANKS FOR CLEARING THAT UP FOR ME, CHRISTIAN, I DON’Y RECALL WHERE I GOT THAT NOTION FROM. I DO DEFINITLY BELIEVE THAT FRED’S THRESHOLD IS LUXURY TAX AVOIDANCE/ABHORANCE. I DON’T BUY THIS MADOFF CONCERN SINCE THERE IS A DEFINITE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LOSING OPERATIONAL MONEY & INVESTMENT CAPITAL. ONE IS IMMEDIATE, THE LATTER ONLY EFFECTD FUTURE PLANS. JUST AS LOSSES TO MY 401K ISN’T ALTERING TODAY’S LIFESTYLE; BUT MAY EFFECT MY FUTURE YEARS.