The most balanced lineup right now with the players we have is:
Kirk, Tejada, Murphy, Wright, Duda, Lutz (1B platoon), Thole, Turner (LF)

UNFORTUNATELY, THE THIN VENEER THAT IS THE DESIGNED DEPTH ON THIS TEAM WOULD NOT SUPPORT THE PROPER DESIGNATION OF IKE’S SEASON COMMENCING IN BUFFALO UNTIL THE RUST WAS TOTALLY SCRAPED OFF WITH DUDA @ 1B & ANY ONE OF THE OUTFIELD HOPEFULS IN RF.

RIGHT NOW, I FEAR THE ISSUE IS BEYOND CORRECTING QUICKLY & THIS COMPETITIVE YET NONCONTENDING COLLECTION OF AFFORDABLE WILPON KNICK-KNACKS WILL HAVE TO WEATHER THE RUST DISSOLVING MEASURES IKE WILL NEED TO PLAY THROUGH MEANWHILE, CAN ANYONE EXPLAIN HOW A SUPPOSEDLY OTHERWISE ASTUTE GM LIKE ALDERSON ALLOWED A CAPABLE RHH LIKE EVANS SLIP OFF THIS LH DOMINATED ROSTER?

WHO WAS IT THAT VALUED BAXTER MORE?

UNRELATED MIAMI GAME 1 OBSERVATION:

WHILE THOSE IN ATTENDANCE CHOSE TO BOO REYES VOCIFEROUSLY THE VASTLY EMPTY SEATS SCREAMED THE LOUDEST BOOS AGAINST THE WILPONS!

Sometime you have to hit a pitcher pitch!
If you can’t all the discipline in the world isn’t going to get you what you want! He will just keep hitting that spot until you give him a reason to not throw there anymore!

Your system only works with Pitchers who have control problems!
If they don’t have control issues then waiting is not going to get you the pitch you want to hit!
You have to hit what he gives you and take that pitch away, even if it isn’t a pitch that is easily hit or desirable to hit!

You go with it, make contact and do that enough and he stops pitching there and pitches it someplace you like it better!

Tuesday lineup vs. Miami: Nieuwenhuis-CF, Tejada-SS, Murphy-2B, Wright-3B, Duda-RF, Davis-1B, Baxter-LF, Thole-C, Santana-LHP

http://twitter.com/#!/Mets/statuses/194862936265732096

If you don’t but strikes are thrown then your out and discipline is useless!

SOMETIMES you have to hit pitches that are NOT great to hit and take them where they want to go instead!
Going the other way and going with the pitch is required when they don’t give you the pitch you LIKE to hit!
Waiting for a pitch that will never come is only going to lead to a caslled third strike!

Ike believes all those called strikes are balls!
he isn’t getting ANY fat strikes except maybe the first pitch which plate Discipline says you let go assuming you’ll get another…
But that doesn’t work unless you get another and Ike isn’t getting them!

Sometime you have to hit balls that are not that easy to hit!
As Keith says pick a part of the plate to own!
Inside or Outside doesn’t matter!
Take away his ability to throw strikes there and hit them when he does and they will have to pitch to the other part of the plate.

I personally like to protect the outside part and go the other way with it. Then when they come inside thier misses will more likely be down the pipe or I get a HBP!
And thats where you get the ball you can pull over the fence!

Bay is just as bad of a rally killer and I think Neu is doing well and has an attack mode that a clean up hitter should have, not the power, but the ability to get things done.

Dude has a more level and compact swing. He is less vulnerable to pitches with movement!
Ike has problems with anything that breaks and always has!
He is also taller and can not get to those low pitches.
Well maybe he can get to them but he choses to let them pass and they get called as they did yesterday!

He needs to look for something low and start hitting it!
Too much waiting for something that is not going to come!

This is why I have all these debates over plate discipline…
It only works if you can hit the balls that are called strikes!
If you don’t all the discipline in the world isn’t going to inspire fatter strikes!
And your not going to walk unless you expand that strike zone with two strikes on you!

Pitches off the plate get called strike three all the time!
Pitches just below the knees do to!
You can;t allow the Umpire to determine your faith and Ike has to learn if you really think the UMPs are killing you with called strikes stop allowing them to call them and start hitting anything close enough to call!

Plate protection is WAY WAY more important than Plate Discipline!
You protect the plate you take away a place a pitcher can throw a strike!
he has to find someplace else to get them where you can’t hit it!
And if you foul off enough he will make that mistake you were looking for when you got into the Batters box!

Turner
Thole
Murphy
Tejada

Not power hitters, just good situational hitters. I wish there were more of a role for Turner on this team. He is a serious gamer, and I think he proved it last year. He’s exactly the kind of guy a great playoff bound team should have!

Ralph actually sounded like he had a bit of insider info – implying that Ike’s stubbornness was getting in the way of improved hitting.