Keep Your Hands Off The Panic Button

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• METS62FAN April 18, 2011 at 9:57 am

  Joe, you’re absolutely 100% spot-on. Aptril is that rediculous period in baseball where the shortsighted keep repeating the “on a trend to” mantras. unless your are prepared to bestowe titles upon Cleveland,KC & Colorado there’s no need to be concerned about the team who still has a less miserable record(5-11 .313) than the Bean-eaters(4-10 .286),
  everyone’s prohibitive favourite just 3 weeks ago.

  It’s always entertaining to read the misery creator’s doomsday prognostications that proclaim after less than a dozen games how the ’62 record of ineptitude will fall while similarly ignoring the pace of Colorado aiming towards 128 Ws.

  It’s never ceased to bemuse me how serious consideration is so often attended to the downward trends while humiliation is heaped upon those selecting to prognosticate on the eventuals stemming from the equally positive trenders. The search for virtuousness in the Red Light district is less foolhardy than the search for baseball relativities in April.

  I’m guessing it was MLB enthusiasts in April behaviors that prompted the design for 2 separate launch keys needing simultaneous activation while spaced far beyond a human arm span, thus requiruing at least 2 distinct individuals to turn them
• Des April 18, 2011 at 10:13 am

  Joe, nice article. Thanks.

  It was a bit amusing to me though. You said,”I’m not a pie in the sky, everything is fine, don’t look behind the curtain type of fan here.”

  Then later you added, “…and when the team goes on a 10 and 5 streak ….” Considering myself a realist, my big dream is a two or three game winning streak. LOL.
  • Metsie April 18, 2011 at 10:39 am

    It will happen Des, Even the worst team in baseball will have a run like that. The really good teams have two or three of those but there is always one point in the season that a team goes on a tear. It is the ability to maintain and repeat it that seperates the wheat from the chaff.

    Going on a 10-5 tear doesn’t mean everything is fine, just as going on a 5 and 10 rip is not the true sign of disaster!

    It’s why there are 162 games a year!

    Football requires a good start and a good finish. Because 5 weeks into the season you could be out of playoff contention.
    Not true in Baseball!
• Alan April 18, 2011 at 10:22 am

  There is no reason to panic after 2 weeks but unless the Mets are going to have the money to dive into the free agent market for pitching then it might well be wise to accept the facts. So, despite our strong lineup potential (when all are healthy) our team desperately needs pitching help. You can’t win with 5-6 so-so innings. Are there any pitchers on our staff who intimidate hitters or who overpower hitters? We know what good pitching is. We have had staffs that were the best but all we have now is a whole lot of if’s and maybe’s.

  I am glad that Sandy Alderson is our GM. He will have looked at everything including what finances will be available to him in the next off season and do what is best for this franchise….NO ONE WILL BE SAFE IF REBUILDING IS INDEED THE WAY WE WILL HAVE TO GO!
• Annie Savoy April 18, 2011 at 10:23 am

  Many of us have children the same ages of our team, and other readers here are the same age as the team players. They are trying their best to do well at their sport and sometimes it’s just hard to do.

  Let’s give the team a break and hope for the best. You wouldn’t want to be waiting for a dismissal or a trade so early in the season would you?

  Let’s go Mets, I know you are trying to make us proud of you, and I thank you for your talents and your effort
  • Metsie April 18, 2011 at 10:41 am

    I will excerpt from my post below because you got your reply in before I did…

    “Bottomline is if you TRULY love the “METS” then it is an UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, just as you love your kids regardless of how bad they start off whatever endeavor they are involved in.

    If your kid goes into little league and doesn’t hit you don’t try to trade him to the Neighbor for Two toddlers and a Zygote to be named later!

    You continue to attend his Little League games, Cheer him on and encourage him to do better the next time.
    ”
    Because you TRULY love them!
    • METS62FAN April 18, 2011 at 11:01 am

      Mtsie, well put, I’ve always thought this Franchise we love generationally purges the pretenders by forcing them to either endure misery bouts or go back to sleep on the fringe. thus we have the ebb & flow of attenda\nce these past 49 yrs. like breathing, only this time ther’s wheezing mitigated by off field hierarchal incompetance.

      On another train of of thought, I couldn’t help; but wonder why any competant investor would consider buying a piece at this point in time especially under the Wilpon control restrictions. The only viable plan I think a suitor may be contemplating is to use this initial selection period as a way to garner MLB vetting Committee acquiescence & string Wilpons along into a greater/desperate state of need & only after MLB approval as partners is viable, than with desperately sweating Wilpons berift of alternatives do they insist upon their own contingency as “managing partner status” despite minority position.
      • Metsie April 18, 2011 at 11:15 am

        Well not sure anyone bothers to read the business section of the news but two of the potential buyers has bowed out!

        Looking at the current attendance figures it would not surprise me if all the potential buyers opt out. Why buy a team that has no fan support, loses money and will force you to spend even more money to fix that on top of the initial purchase.

        Most owners who are forced to sell part or all of a team usually don’t have the attendance issues we have.
    • sarge April 18, 2011 at 10:56 pm

      Amen Metsie. Ditto
• Metsie April 18, 2011 at 10:32 am

  Well Joe, I can tell you, that nail has a splitting headache!

  Sometimes I have to wonder if some of these Met fans are truly fans of the Mets or merely Fans of the WIN! They may root for the Mets to win but it would seem they root for the Win not exactly the Mets. When they win they are the best team in baseball when they lose they should be ripped apart like a fallen tree branch in a wood chipper.

  We had a post yesterday that implied that it was time to break up the team and trade everyone for kids. I responded with a cautionary tale about the success rate of such folly.
  We have one guy who seems to think it is better to have a great Buffalo team instead of having a good NY Mets team. Even suggested that a guy hitting .277 with a .320 OBP should still be in the Minors. And there are probably quite a few that agree with him.

  While it is important to have good players being developed in the Minors, having them doesn’t mean squat if your major league team isn’t good enough for kids to help. It’s like worrying about having a roadmap before you start a long trip more than checking to see how much Gas you have in the tank or an engine that works.

  To put this season and the “Blow It Up” plan into context, imagine if Admiral Nimitz who was in charge of the forces of the Pacific in WW II had blown up the Navy because it got it’s butt handed to it early in the war and replaced every vet he had with new recruits who had no experience in fighting a war? If he had done that we would all be speaking Japanese right now!

  While I do not support a firsale I do think one is likely, not because it would make us better but because no one shows up to see the games and there is no reason to pay 140 Mil to a team who is under .500 and doesn’t draw people to the game. Add to it that many fans seem to want one, and it is my experience that businesses tend to give the customer what they want regardless of it being a good idea, product or not. (See Walmart’s success for proof!)

  Now some trades DO actually make sense. Trading Beltran at some point is likely and smart because it would be risky to give him a long term deal with his knees, and he would be much more valuable to an AL team where he could DH without issues. Signing him would not be as bad as some think it would if the price was right and the terms were risk friendly. Vut we don’t need to have first crack at Beltran to get those terms in fact being the first team to deal with him would actually make getting those good terms harder. His asking price won’t come down until a bunch of other teams reject his terms and his price drops. And there is nothing to stop us from signing him to that reduced price if we did trade him.

  What can you get for him? Well more than you can get if you let him finish the contract! So anything is a plus here because you get that plus you still have the option of resigning him in the offseason (if in fact you want him)!

  Reyes is quite another story. Whoever gets first crack at him or trades for him is likely to meet his price. Especially if you ship him off to a contender who makes the Playoffs. Winning is a very addictive habit, trumps even money, just ask Cliff Lee! Reyes says he likes being a Met. We will see how much when it comes time to Sign him.

  Speaking of Lee, he is a prime example of how trading a good player can get you OTHER good players and then be resigned at the end of the season. Phillies traded Lee who was in his walk year to get halladay who was not. Then went and resigned Lee for less than the Market was offerring.

  Do we have that kind of juice? Probably not we don’t have anyone other than Reyes who will be the top FA next season and we don’t win as much as the Phillies did to sell winning over money. But if we traded Reyes and even came to some agreement on what we would pay him then tell him yes we are going to trade you today but resign you at the end of the year it might actually work if he TRULY wants to be a Met and play in NY.

  Risky strategy to say the least and maybe even a bit unethical under Baseball’s rules.

  Some fans are complaining that Sandy did not do enough in the offseason. I believe what Sandy is doing is the same as most people do when they consider making a major purchase such as buying a house or a used car. He is still in the inspection stage and looking to see if the foundation is worth the buy or if he needs to tear it down and start from scratch.

  And while many fans here are impatient and only giving a casual glance at the structure doing only a two week inspection, Sandy is probably going to take his time and not decide what to do until the trading deadline forces him to make that decision.

  Bottomline is if you TRULY love the “METS” then it is an UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, just as you love your kids regardless of how bad they start off whatever endeavor they are involved in.

  If your kid goes into little league and doesn’t hit you don’t try to trade him to the Neighbor for Two toddlers and a Zygote to be named later!

  You continue to attend his Little League games, Cheer him on and encourage him to do better the next time.

  Unfortunatly the Remote Control has had an evolutionary affect on our species!
  If we are not made happy every second we quickly click the button to find something else to feed our need for happiness.

  And it is the reason why this country can no longer maintain it’s supremecy in the world. Short Attention span leads to lack of effort and progress.
  Throw out the Baby with the Bath water just as long as I am happy!

  When this firesale happens (and like I said it is likely) Will you TRULY be happier having a bunch of UNKNOWN KIDS losing than you are now with Reyes, Wright, Beltran and Davis?

  I doubt it. The same A.D.D. posts will be made, only the names will change!

  If you LOVE this team…
  If you want to see the GM do more in FA…
  If you want the players to play in an inspired manner…
  If you want FAs to come and play for us….

  GET YOUR BUTT TO THE TICKET BOOTH!
  GO TO THE GAME!
  CHEER YOUR BUTT OFF!
  LOVE YOUR TEAM and encourage him as you would your own children!

  People are very willing to give other people what they want in exchange for thier love!
  Maybe if we showed a little love at the stadium the team would show you some back!
  Anbd maybe Sandy would have the money to go buy you some more things that you can love and then MAYBE the team will fill your needs to WIN in a more consistent manner!
  • METS62FAN April 18, 2011 at 11:46 am

    Metsie, the Blow-it-uppers should move to Pittspuke to experience the reults of such thinking first hand. Florida under Loria is a similar case; but they aren’t the cautionary tale the once mighty Pirates were until they chose to break up “THE FAMILY” & rebuild after losing Bonds & Bonilla simultaneously. There are no rescue necklaces for MLB franchises who have “Fallen & can’t get up” I believe Alderson, certainly has a blueprint in mind that isn’t like what we saw from him in nonMLB centric locations(Oakland,San Diego); but just may more closely resemble the job done by others in TB anteing & drawing cards as opposed to folding entirely. Personally, I think he’ll tend to shop those players who’s upper echelon salary ranges are unwarranted on a noncontender, nearly ALL with salaries in excess of $15M(Beltran,Santana,Bay,K-Rod) as luxury items unnecessary until you’re only that 1 player away. Beltran & Santana were certainly prudent acquisitions in their PRIMES; but injuries & other uncontrollable acts of God derailed their abilities to contribute equal to their Payscale. For instance a key question will be baed upon their W total projections & go something like this, Does an 80W team truly have a need for a $25M/y SP likely to win no more than 17-18G? or a LF @ $17M, @ >20HR,80RBI? & a DH/RF @ 18.5M on 2 crippled knees unable to give more than 120G/Season? After considering ALL of this, is a top of the line(Payscale) Closer even a necessity?
    As to ther future, only if Reyes can be had for a backloaded contract not to exceed 15M per in any season should his retention be viable. In fact, my counter to whatever Reyes’ intitial proposal is would be a 5Y fexible for both parties deal cionstructed as:
    $5M signing bonus,
    2012 @ $11M+incentives based upon OBP,RS,pitches/ab
    2013 to be set @ 2012 earnings actual + additional incentives
    2014 13M+incentives w/ a MUTUAL opt out clause with no buyout option if exercised
    2015 15M
    2016 15M
    Even should ALL incentives be met, this configuration stands to remain both affordable by a team with a modest 115-125 payroll while the mid period mutual opt out enables Reyes to perhaps seek a richer payday after further establishing the health of his legs while giving NYM protection from more substantial MIA D/L time in ’12,’13

    The naysayers, who think Reyes greedy, will proclaim \ther concept DOA, yet I believe the proof is already there inasmuch as Reyes has remained with the same agent who advocated selling his arbi yrs relatively affordably. Unlike players, like Cano, who are seeking to maximize their immediate earnings as Furcal did, Reyes has not switched to the most likely supplier of the megadeal, Boras for representation.
    While his current rep Peter Greenberg is reputed to be much more reasonable to negotiate with.
    • Donal April 18, 2011 at 12:15 pm

      Excellent point about the agents. Greenburg has even said he’s willing to talk later on during the season.

      If Reyes really wanted to hit the Jayson Werth Jackpot, he’d have hired Boras a while ago.
      • METS62FAN April 19, 2011 at 10:02 am

        I’M SO TIRED OF ALL THESE SO-CALLED NAYSAYERS COPYING THE POLITICAL AGENDA OF “REPEAT A LIE” OFTEN ENOUGH “IT BECOMES FACT”, THE BIGGER THE LIE, THE MORE REPITITIONS ARE NECESSARY! THIS BS OF REYES ACTUALLY WANTING CRAWFORD MONEY BEGAN WITH ASSUMPTIONS & PRESUMPTIONS OF WHAT THESE EXPERTS WOULD WANT IF THEY WERE REYES. HAS JOSE, HIMSELF, NAMED A FIGURE, OR GREENBERG? NOT THAT I’VE SEEN ATTRIBUTED THROUGH ACTUAL QUOTATIONS/STATEMENTS. ALL I’VE HEWARD & READ DIRECTLY FROM JOSE IS HIS DESIRE TO REMAIN A MET NOT ANY, “I HOPE, THEY RAISE THEIR OFFER SO I CAN REMAIN A MET. WE EVEN HAVE HAD A FEW REPORTS THAT REYES IS LOOKING FORWARD TO TESTING THE F/A MARKET; BUT MANY OF THOSE ARE BASED UPON HOW MUCH HE’S SMILING WHENEVER THE TOPIC ARISES. DO THESE CLOWNS NOT KNOW, IT TAKES SIGNIFICANT INJURY & PRESUMABLY A DEATH IN THE FAMILY TO WIPE THAT SMILE OFF HIS LIPS? WHEN IS JOSE NOT SMILING? MOST LIKELY HE’S COVERING \UP HIS ESL DIFFICULTIES AS MANY ESL PEOPLE DO OUT OF EMBARASSMENT.

        EXACTLY HOW ACCURATE WERE THESE PROGNOSTICATORS CONCERNING CLIFF LEE’S DESIRES, MOTIVATIONS & FINAL DESTINATION?
        MOST CERTAINLY, I BELIEVE, A RESPECTFUL OFFER MAINTAING REYES WITHIN THE NYM PAYSCALE HIERARCHY & MAINTAINING HIS PAYROLL POSITION AMONGST SS WOULD STAND A CHANCE.
    • Metsie April 18, 2011 at 12:51 pm

      You are correct that there is no reason to pay a guy 100 Mil to be on a .500 team. Even if the player gives you your money’s worth it does not really get you what you want which is a winning team.

      The moneyball subcribers probably feel they can get a ton of Minor Talent for the high pricers and then buy some BETTER high pricers with the money that was saved.

      But the truth is you could have all the money on the planet to spend and at best the most you could have bought this year was Cliff Lee and Jason Werth!

      You can only buy whats in stock! Can’t buy a Yacht at Walmarts! Even if you had the money!

      So to think you can get rid of all the high salaries and then replace them with better options works only when there are better options for sale.

      Why did we give Jason Bay the money we did? Because thats who was available!
      He got the money he got because he was one of the top FAs available that year. Werth got what he got for the same reasons!

      Fixing a house is cheaper than rebuilding. It is also quicker which bodes well for those around here who suffer from ADD…

      If we had Reyes the sequel in the Minors then maybe you could or SHOULD trade Reyes to spend his salary elsewhere.

      But trading Reyes to fill the Minor Leagues is not only going to force you to bring up those minors faster to fill the holes but you made a NEW hole cause now you have to find a SS hole that you didn’t have before.

      The problem with the Reyes quandry isn’t so much about the money it is really about the desperation around him. Reyes is doing great so far and is probably the player who can get the most in return. That doesn’t mean it is smart to trade him just that if you subscribe to the notion that a trade for prospects works that is likely the guy who nets the best return.

      Like I said yesterday. Unless all three guys you get are going to give you MORE than Reyes himself does then it probably is not a good deal. The way to make a winner is to package as much GOOD into a SINGLE roster spot and if you do that with ENOUGH roster spots you will go to the WS!

      A team with 5 GOOD player will always be more successful than a team with 9 average players.

      I suspect we will extend Reyes around the time of the trading deadline.
      Sandy just wanted to see if Reyes still had it and so far he has. Two months to go in the audition.

      Beltran I think is a goner no matter what. I’m fine with that but believe we should get a pitcher instead of prospects. Preferably starter material which would allow us to make a further trade for a guy like Pelfrey or a healthy Young who would net us better prospects from a team who needs some pitching to make the final run.

      Pitchers are always the big WANT at the deadline. And their fragility makes them much more likely to get a win when dealing for prospects.

      We should try to keep Wright and Reyes since they are still relatively young.
      Davis should also be untouchable as well.

      I would entertain trading Bay, K-Rod, Thole, Pagan, Young, Capuano, and Pelfrey from the ML squad for prospects. And I already think Beltran is gone no matter what the state of the team at the deadline is.

      I’m watching Mejia, Havens, Gee and Harvey closely. If they have good seasons this year then I see no reason why they should not be promoted for next year and with the money we have saved due to trades go and buy whatever ACE is available to lead them. Maybe Santana will have proved he can pitch by then. If he was healthy now he would also be on the trading deadline AVAILABLE list.

      It would be dumb to just dump the good to try and fix that bad around it.
      Better to take the patient and pragmatic approach. If Wright and Reyes do not want to resign for decent money both will likely be class A guys anyway so we get two picks for them.
      Better to get two players you can choose from THOUSANDS than to have to try and pry them out of a list of 50 owned by someone else where they dictate who you can have.

      If you really believe that a big money guy is not worth keeping then better to get the picks and the choices than the three guys someone else gave up on.
      • Donal April 18, 2011 at 1:05 pm

        “The moneyball subcribers probably feel they can get a ton of Minor Talent for the high pricers and then buy some BETTER high pricers with the money that was saved.”

        Again, so horribly wrong, I don’t even know where to start.
        • Metsie April 18, 2011 at 2:49 pm

          Yeah well figure it out or tell us your plan,
          Staop telling everyone they are wrong if you can’t explain why it is probably because they are right and your just pissed about that, hence the poor and lack of response!
          • Donal April 18, 2011 at 4:16 pm

            I have explained to you, repeatedly. You just choose to ignore it.

            “Moneyball subscribers”

            Moneyball is a book that was written once. It is not a periodical, a philosophy, or a guide to running a franchise.

            As for what you can get for Reyes, every reasonable person (ie those that don’t use terms like Moneyball subscribers) I’ve spoken with generally agree on 2 things

            1) You want good players in their prime which Reyes is

            2) Due to his contract status, you can’t expect to get value for him, even in prospects

            3) There are 2 other SS at Reyes’ level and both are locked up for the forseeable future

            You also seem to have trouble with concepts like “value”

            Paying less money for poor quality is being cheap. Paying less money for good quality is finding value.
            • Metsie April 18, 2011 at 10:36 pm

              You NEVER explain yourself you just say you are so wrong on so many levels I can’t tell you WHY.

              It’s like you cut and paste it to anyone who mentions sabers or moneyball!
      • Metstheory22 April 18, 2011 at 1:09 pm

        Not sure why you are throwing Thole in with the tradeable, since he is young and looks good as catcher.
        • Metsie April 18, 2011 at 2:50 pm

          Because it should not be too hard to find a Catcher AS GOOD as Thole…
          Can’t say that for the guys on my NO TRADE list.

          Not easy to find a Wright, Reyes or Davis.
          • Metstheory22 April 18, 2011 at 4:01 pm

            I AGREE with Wright and Reyes, Davis might be easier to find a replacement for than Thole. Not that I want to trade him, I think he could be here 10 years plus.
            • Metsie April 18, 2011 at 10:37 pm

              I think Ike has only shown the tip of the iceberg. With a little more seasoning I see him being a 40 HR guy easily. And even if he falls short of that he is about as good with the glove as we have ever had at 1B. Second only to Hernandez.
              • METS62FAN April 19, 2011 at 8:30 am

                Metsie, I believe you’ve forgotten the 1B his father, Ron, told us he ewas most similar to, John Olerud!
                I definitely see Ike as an Olerud with that extra pop to convert many of those doubles to roundtrippers!
              • Metsie April 19, 2011 at 10:36 am

                No 62 I didn’t forget him, he would be #3 on the fielding list.

                Ike has a much better range and glove than Olerud. They are very similar in Hitting but I think Ike will or can eventually be a better hitter than Olerud with the right Hitting coach to guide him.
  • metsfan April 18, 2011 at 1:50 pm

    GET YOUR BUTT TO THE TICKET BOOTH!
    GO TO THE GAME!
    CHEER YOUR BUTT OFF!

    I hope the Wilpons are paying you for your BS. Because the truest Met fan is keeping away and forcing these loser, inept, thieves to get out of our hair. They own the team but it is ours, and the best any REAL MET FAN can support the Mets is TO BOYCOTT until the Wiulpons get out. Yea, I hope they are paying you well for you line of crap.
    • Joe Spector April 18, 2011 at 2:20 pm

      I guess you must be new to the site because if you read anything from last year you’d be aware that I called for a boycott of the games at Citifield and took quite a bit of crap for it at the time. A boycott to me was a necessary albeit symbolic gesture to get fans involved who didn’t care for the current direction of the team. The team has made significant changes since then. Rome wasn’t built in an off season – relax. As to getting paid Joe D pays me in gold buillon.
      • Metsie April 18, 2011 at 2:58 pm

        Joe I remember and I admit I was one of those who railed against you for it.

        Even if you think NO CHANGE was made…
        CHANGE costs money!
        Money that won’t be available if everyone watches on SNY.

        If people think they are going to force the Wilpons to sell by not going to the game then they had better stop watching ANY met baseball at all!

        Because the Wilpons own SNY too and it is a large reason why they will not sell control of the team for fear of losing it’s exclusive rights and the only reason to watch SNY since it is the only sport other than college sport they carry!

        They can not sell BOTH the team and the Network. Time Warner is their partner in the network and they have already said they will not approve any sale of the network.

        Which means all anyone who boycotts is doing is shifting the money from one Wilpon enterprise to another!

        Only an idiot will think that not going will stop them.
        No one went to see Ishtar but Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman still make movies!

        it really makes no sense to boycott because no one would want to buy a team no one is going to see anyway!
    • Metsie April 18, 2011 at 2:52 pm

      Two years and counting…
      How that plan of yours working so far?

      EPIC FAIL apparently they still own the team and the only thing that has suffered is all those FAs you wanted us to sign were ignored due to the fact you won’t go pay to see them!
    • METS62FAN April 19, 2011 at 9:42 am

      Metsfan, that ringing u r ignoring is REALITY CALLING!

      u do realize MLB is unlike other business environements where u can choose the highest bidder as your ownershiup successor, be it ANGEKL or THE DEVIL himself!

      Any future ownership will first have to be approved by out competitors(Ownership Committee).

      Why would u seek to hand OUR team over to our enemies to select who should run it & I’m relatively confident they aren’t considering Met fans’ WANTS list; why would they choose a more aggressively competitive successor in the most influential & potentially most profitable of MLB environements? Why would the choose one with a strong desire to make this a preeminent franchise with the means to accomplish it exactly what would be the motivation behind 16 NL owners to allow a fire breathing Steubbrennerish monster in their midsst creating upheaval as well as significant, across-the-board payroll inflation wreaking the havoc they’d managed to avoid that has so disrupted their Junior League counterparts.

      metsfan, a very old; but very true adage is : “BE CAREFUL FOR WHAT U WISH FOR”, Maverick ownership change has been thwarted repeatedly by the stalwart ultra condservative owners of those majority owners residing in Pitt,KC,FL,SD,MLW,ETC.,ETC., and so forth…
      It is no coincidence that Mark Cuban’s former leadership positions in securing CHC &TEX franchises were both last minute “suprise fasilures”.
      In ALL honesty, I must tell u our best shot at what we want is the disappearance of the Picard issues & the means to allow Alderson to work unfettered with a Top 5 payroll and your suggested boycott would not allow for that contingency, if u must act out your displeasure, stop buying souveneirs & trademarked items & attend games in camoflauged pasper bags. so that u appear as a facxeless empty seat.(lol)
      BETTER YET: SIMPLY HOLD YOUR BREATH UNTIL AN IMPROVED OWBERSHIP TAKES CHARGE!
  • chinorules65 April 18, 2011 at 4:48 pm

    Great job. This is what i’m always explaining to the so-called Mets fans. Not necessarily on these blogs because I don’t type fast enough or have the time but during conversations. I really don’t understand why Mets fans are so impatient about this team. I grew up in the Bronx always happy to be a Mets fan. It didn’t matter what they did on the field. We always had fun going to the ball park hoping to get autographs and maybe a ball during batting practice. It seems that those little cheap thrills are now lost and we don’t develop the intimacy that is required to accept the product regardless of the results. It was the experience more that anything.

    I mean if you look back at the anyones favorite Mets they weren’t always the best players on the team. They were all equals, family. We loved them all and when one got traded, even for a more successful player we didn’t like it and it took some time to accept them.

    The current Mets fans feel no loyalty to these players. Including Wright and Reyes.
    • Metsie April 18, 2011 at 10:48 pm

      The point I think thats getting lost on the Boycott haters is they expect the team to played inspired yet there is no one there to actually INSPIRE them!

      They are practically playing to crickets.
      There were more people at Spring training than the average game and look how they played then?
• Russell Zanca April 18, 2011 at 11:11 am

  Okay, Joe S., just stop making sense!
• Metstheory22 April 18, 2011 at 11:32 am

  Very Good Joe. It’s not just about this season. I’m sure they have a “short plan” for this season, but Alderson has a “long plan” that is going to take time and patience. It might be frustating right now, but hopefully down the line it pays off.
• sarge April 18, 2011 at 11:14 pm

  trading Thole is a bad idea, lets see how easy it is to get a similar talent when we had to settle for Nickeas as backup to “Paulino”.
  Show me the up and coming catchers in our system, none mentioned, or what catching talent is available from another possible trade partner if we trade Thole?

  With Thole we have youth, under our control for a few years and at a good price for a good knuckle ball catching dude.
  • Metsie April 19, 2011 at 10:58 am

    Sarge I’m not sure if you were referring to what I said so I will clarify just in case.

    I am not supporting trading Thole nor suggesting it MUST be done. But he is not a guy who should be considered UNTOUCHABLE in the way an Ike Davis should be.

    Thole is doing a great job and I think he will get better but I have always thought of the C position as more of a powrer hitting position and you are correct we don’t have anyone to replace Thole who fits that mold but if we are having a firesale and get rid of players wholesale it could be one of the things we look to get as part the many prospects we will collect.

    Personally I think we should simply rebuild the team around Wright Reyes Davis and Niese. Then once Wright and Reyes are no longer worth signing (say 4 or 5 years) we will by then have added two more core Youth to the mix (if they know what they are doing is the assumption here) and we should be able to maintain our core by simply adding two players to it every 3 or 4 years to replenish the core that is finally too old to keep.

    This would lead to some longer term stability and competency and reduce the need to come up with 5 or 6 guys from the minors at once that we could build around.
• Des April 18, 2011 at 11:49 pm

  EMAUS and MURPHY (From Amazin’ Avenue)
  http://www.amazinavenue.com/2011/4/18/2118398/2011-uzr-numbers-are-posted-and-emaus-and-murphy-are-doing-well

  With a minimum of 50 innings played, tied for 3rd best defensive second baseman in the Majors is Brad Emaus with a 21.0 UZR/150. Emaus is tied for fourth in UZR with 1.3.

  Daniel Murphy hasn’t played enough innings to be ranked yet, but his initial numbers are an excellent 18.1 UZR/150 and 0.7 UZR. The small sample size should leave us cautious, but if looks like we’re in decent hands until (and if) Reese Havens gets healthy, and gets to the Majors.
  • Donal April 19, 2011 at 10:33 am

    Meh, UZR has the same problems as fielding percentage. Its based on someone’s perception.

    Although, I’ll agree that Emaus has looked competant out there as has Murphy. I just wish Emaus would show some more offense.
    • Metsie April 19, 2011 at 10:50 am

      Well something we agree on RE UZR….

      No matter what the fielding stats are you have to look at the affect on actual games not percentage of the whole.

      That botched DP of Emaus that cost Pelfrey the lead and extended an inning is a lot more significant than either FP or UZR would indicate.

      I hope him and Murphy get better but I still think at some point we will get a REAL 2B who also hits and those guys might even be part of that trade when it happens (Emaus not unless the trade happens after the season though)
• METS62FAN April 20, 2011 at 7:02 am

  METSIE, THE FOLLOWING WAS UNREPLIABLE; BUT CALLS FOR MY PIMPING U ON YOUR RESPONSE…
  ___________________________________________________________________________________________
  YOU STATED: Metsie says:
  April 19, 2011 at 10:36 am
  No 62 I didn’t forget him, he would be #3 on the fielding list.

  Ike has a much better range and glove than Olerud. They are very similar in Hitting but I think Ike will or can eventually be a better hitter than Olerud with the right Hitting coach to guide him.
  ___________________________________________________________________________________________
  METSIE, PARDON THE POINT OF ORDER; BUT BY SAYING U HOPE IKE EVENTUALLY EQUALS OR EXCEEDS OLERUD, AREN’T U PLACING HIM BEHIND OLERUD OFFENSIVELY AT TYHE PRESENT TIME? MAKING OLERUD, 2, IKE 3? DEFENSIVELY, I’LL GRANT U IT’S LIKELY A PUSH, DAVIS SEEMS BETTER DUE TO THOSE INTERSPERSED BET HIM & OLERUD(EYE CHART, DELGADO, JACOBS); BUT THE SIMILARITY WOULD BE SO MUCH MORE EVIDENT HAD THEY BEEN IN DITRECT SUCCESSION. BOTH SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE THE INFIELD & OLERUD WAS MUCH BIGGER THAN HE APPEARED TO BE; BUT PERSONALLY I GO OLEERUD 2, DAVIS 3 IF ONLY BECAUSE OF ENTENSIVE “BODY OF WORK” PRODUCED BY OLERUD & DAVIS JUST BEGINNING.
  • METS62FAN April 20, 2011 at 7:07 am

    METSIE SINCE I REFERRED TO THEIR RESPECTIVE SIZES(WINGSPAN) IT SHOULD BE NOTED THOUGH VERY SIMILAR THE SIZE EDGE LEAN\S TOWARD OLERUD AS MLB MEASURES THEM AS:
    OLERUD 6’5″ 225#
    DAVIS 6’4″ 230#

    I KNOW DAVIS APPEARS BIGGER THAN OLERUD;BUT NOT…
    • Metsie April 20, 2011 at 9:47 am

      Size doesn’t matter! In baseball bigger can even be a hinderance if your too big! lol
      • METS62FAN April 20, 2011 at 11:00 am

        hOWEVER, SIZE CERTAINLY HELPS @ 1B IN AS MUCH AS THE WIDER WINGSPAN CERTAINLY SUPPLIES THE FIELDERS’ CONFIDENCE IN THROEWING TO SUCH A HIGH & WIDE AREA(10′X12′ TARGET?). I ALWAYS WONDERED WHAT STRAW MAY HAVE ACCOMPLISHED IF TUTORED @ 1B ON THE SIDE BY MEX(STRETCH2?) THERE ARE BIG MEN WHO ARE HEAVY FOOTED & SOME WHO’S FEET ARE CATLIKE(GIL HODGES) RENOWNED FOR PERFECTING THE “NEIGHBORHOOD” SIGHT/SOUND PLAY OF POUNDING HIS FIST INTO GLOVE REPLICATING SOUND OF BALL BEING CAUGHT THEM SUDSEQUENTLY STEPPING OFF QUICKLY & LIGHTLY ACTUALLY CATCHING IT ‘SILENTLY’ LATE IN THE WEBBING. AS UMPS LOOK @ THE FEET & LISTEN FOR THE CATCH IN THE DAYS BEFORE MULTICAMERA COVERAGE/ANGLES & DAILY GAME TELEVISION.
        • Metsie April 20, 2011 at 2:55 pm

          Well yes I suppose you could say thats a plus but I still would rather have guys who make good throws to first instead of a tall guy to make up for those bad throws. LOL

          But I do conceed that it has it’s advantages both in catching errant throws and maybe even extends the dive and reach of the fielder.
          • METS62FAN April 21, 2011 at 10:28 am

            METSIE, I’D MUCH PREFER TYHE RANGIER PLAYERS WHO MAKE THOSE PRESSURED THROWS FROM FAR RANGING POSITIONS & FROM UNBELIEVABLE ANGLES. AS OPPOSE TO A NEAR 40 SOMETHING VET WITH POSTAGE STAMP SIZED RANGE WHO TAKES THE TIME TO PRACTICE ONE HIGHLIGHT THROW TO ENSURE IT’S DELIVERED ACCURATELY AS HE PLAYS VOYEUR ON REPEATED GB “UP THE GUT” FOR BH WHHILE REMAINING PRISTINE DEFENSIVELY.
  • Metsie April 20, 2011 at 9:46 am

    Yes 62 I do place him under Olerud in the hitting. But ahead in the fielding.
    But I also think if Ike corrects a few things in his batting approach he will surpass Olerud with the Bat as well.

    He already reduced the hitch in his swing he used to have and it seems to have helped his swing. He still needs to learn to foul off pitches close enough to call with two strikes instead of looking at them and then pouting when the Umpire calls them strike 3!

    I wouldn’t coach him to do this yet but at some point he needs to work on going the other way with those outside pitches.

    And to address the final part of your post, if you look I didn’t say Ike WAS the second best 1B we have ever had, just said he could be if he reaches the potential I think he can and works on the few still raw aspects of his game which is expected from a 2nd year player at this point in his career.

    Basically if he is this close to Olerud as he is now, how much better could he be if he takes one more step in his development?

    So thats not saying Ike is better or more accomplished right now, But his ceiling is high enough that he could surpass Olerud if he reaches his full potential.

    The question is WILL he do that? Until he does then you are correct Olerud would be the second best 1B we ever had.