26
2012
3 Up & 3 Down: Destroyed By DC Edition
An article by Gregg Hopps
The Mets were swept away by the Nationals to wrap up a homestand that saw the Mets lose all six games for the first time since 2002. In fact during the six game homestand the Mets held the lead in only one game and for only a very short period of time. Terry Collins says changes are coming, let’s just hope the changes are for the better.
It’s taken some imagination to find three “ups”, but here we go…
3 Up
- Adios Duda, Nickeas and Beato: One thing that has pretty much been a constant with Terry & Sandy’s Mets is, if you don’t perform, you won’t be here. Let’s face it, Duda hasn’t been doing anything for a few weeks now, Nickeas has done nothing all season, and Beato has been horrid. Let’s hope the new guys get the job done, and these three get their acts together in Buffalo.
- Jeremy Hefner: I put Hefner here for his solid performance on Wednesday afternoon. Hef went six innings allowing two runs and striking out seven. It was a quality start against a pretty good Washington team.
- A Beltway Rebirth: Here at 3&3 we loathe giving the opposition any credit at all. That said, you have to like the job the folks in Washington have done with the Nationals. Keep in mind, the Nationals manager quit on them midway through last season, allowing the great Davey Johnson to take over. But not only are the Nationals thriving, their geographic rivals, the Baltimore Orioles are having their best season in years. Wouldn’t a Beltway World Series be wild?! It would be something we’ve never seen!
3 Down
- Extra Inning Disaster: I have to give the fans a lot of credit for sticking around Monday night through that rain storm. I was wondering if the Mets were trying to save some money by not putting the drying agent on the field. But once again the bullpen put together a sterling effort giving up six runs in the top of the tenth inning. It’s no joking matter. This bullpen stinks. It needs to be fixed ASAP.
- Too Eager At The Plate: When the Mets were playing winning baseball, they show more patience at the plate. They made the opposing pitchers work. What happened to that? The choosiness at the plate worked for the Mets, they need to go back to it.
- More Questions Than Answers: So the Mets sent some guys to Buffalo, and brought some new guys in, but they still didn’t answer any of the questions or concerns fans have. Matt Harvey is here, but is he ready? Will Rob Johnson be more productive than Nickeas? Is Valdespin only a pinch hitting threat and nothing more? Will Ike ever have a multiple hit game at Citi Field? Will the bullpen ever hold a lead? How do we fix the pen? Will Sandy do anything, or does he have vacation plans the last week in July?
Four big games in Arizona this weekend as the Mets go off on a west coast swing. Let’s hope things get back on track, and until than LET’S GO METS!!
Thoughts from Joe D.
One of the most depressing homestands in recent memory. Just plain awful. Even the players are getting on each other and pointing fingers at each other. This is not good. “I don’t think anything can get any worse than this right now,” Josh Thole said. “I can’t wait to get out of here.” He’s right. Get it together guys…
About the Author: Gregg Hopps
Gregg lives on Long Island, and has been a Mets fan since Bud Harrelson and Pete Rose slugged it out in the 1973 playoffs. "Keith Hernandez is the best defensive first baseman to ever have played baseball."
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Adios Duda, Nickeas and Beato: One thing that has pretty much been a constant with Terry & Sandy’s Mets is, if you don’t perform, you won’t be here”
Shouldn’t SANDY ALDERSON applied that himself??? Has he performed good as a GM? LAst i checked, he has done NOTHING to improve this franchise.. As the ASB came and went he stood still and did nothing… Spare me the lectures…
If you don’t perform you’re out of here. That’s a BS compliment since it is BS Mr HOPPS. If tit were true then total crap like Torres and Bay would have been long gone. Gee wiz and I guess it doesn’t apply to friends of Wilpon like Warthen or friends of Bud like Alderson.
“One thing that has pretty much been a constant with Terry & Sandy’s Mets is, if you don’t perform, you won’t be here”
Sooooo what took them so long with these changes again?
Or explain Bay.
With regards to Bay, I have to wodner if you guys just started following this team this year. It’s not secret, no shock, no surprise that Bay is here. The Mets ownership, not Sandy have never been big fans of buying out guy’s contracts, or just letting them go. Just look back to Castillo and Ollie Perez to name a few. Bay will be here, and Bay will suck, because the WIlpons will not pay him to disappear, and he will not be sent to Buffalo. That’s on Fred & Jeff, not Sandy. I’m sure Terry & Sandy both know Bay sucks and they both wish he was gone.
Oh, I’ve been watching since 82. Was more a comment about the Collins statement about not performing and then your gone. He is sticking with Bay, he stuck with Ike for that looooooong stretch of suckitude, he stuck with Nickeas for this long, etc. etc. etc. Granted there isn’t much to replace them with, but that’s another point for another post.
Gregga; There just responding to the BS line that if you don’t perform here lord sandy gets rid of you, that’s all.
As a Met fan since ’62 we Met fans have a tendency to think with our hearts and fail the analytical part of the game. I conscientiously read and listen to the baseball “experts” and their preseason predictions and unless there is a catasprohic injury or injuries on a team, 99% of their opinions are correct. Take this preseason. I know of not one expert that gavae the Mets a chance at even a Wild Card and they predicted a 500 or below team with the potential to be better in 2013. We the fans became delusional after seeing the first half. Well guess what the second half is here and the pitchers have caught up with the hitters. No surprise here it is the same year after year. I am not a disappointed fan because I love my Mets and they are a 500 team at best and nothing more.
Metlou, WRONG… I know it’s your opinion to think like this, but i did not see a post from you or a lot of people like this one when the mets were 47-39 now did i? fast forward to now you come in and called the season over with they’re a 500 team at best etc, well, thing is lou, we have a GM that frankly does not give a F*** about the franchise or its fans, he stood still to watch the team crumble because of his stubborness not to make a trade etc to help the ballclub… everyone knew we needed help, why didn’t he provided? He was very pro active last year at shaving off salary, yet gun shy to pull a trade for this year? It shows all you need to know about management, he had an entire offseason to bring in players, all he did was bring up garbage to the bullpen and ronny cedeno, i mean, come on man… 2 years running and the man has no idea what to do? And spare me the wheeler trade now, as the kid is getting BOMBED in double A nonetheless, so it seems so far he’s donenothing, and i mean, NOTHING to help this team in 2 years…. as an old school fan like yourself i am disgusted with this new system of moneyballin in place.. The man cannot even find undervalue talent as he was supposed to.. SMGDH
Alex 68 I 100 percent and wholeheartedly agree with every comment you made, I would only say in my defense that I have posted at least 5-10 times throughout this season that I believed the Mets were a 500 team at best. I never waivered from that position. I am not a casual fan and I follow the Mets’ moves during every off season and knew where we were before the season started. The only surprise to me in the NL East is the poor play of the Phillies and I though the Marlins would be a better team after the addition of Reyes but the chemistry on that team with Guillen is probably worse than the Mets. I picked the NL East preseason as Nats, Phiilies, Braves, Marlins and Mets.Terry Collins, Alderson should be gone and the BEST thing that could happen toi the Mets is for the Wilpons to sell.
It’s not the GM, and its certainly not the manager. As teh saying goes “the fisg stinks from teh head”, it’s the ownership. The Wilpons could give a rat’s behind about building a winner it’s all about the bottom line. Remember, it was Doubleday who said trade for Piazza, not Fred. It was Fred who built a home for the Mets based on the loser Brooklyn Dodgers. It’s not Sandy’s fault he works for fools.
Good to see you still writing about the Mets, Lou. And still solid and steady.
I hope you are doing well.
Former NYT.
Mets2012: Thank you for your kind words. My surgeon says I am doing fine after the hip replacement but when I am at the Home Depot I still need a friend to keep me from getting stuck in the magnet isle. My fellow Met fans are the greatest. Your kind words truly made my day. God Bless you all!
Hi Lous,
As an original New Breeder as well (did you get to the Polo Grounds at all?) we’ve seen when the season started with a certain team given 100-1 odds to winning the world series and they did. And it’s not just the Mets. Remember 1991 when the world series had two teams facing each other than went “from worst to first”?
Then there is Tampa Bay. Oh, not to mention Arizona making it into the playoffs their second year of existance.
And then the “experts” picked the Mets to win it all in 2009 too. (: – along with so many other clubs that disappointed. Miami comes to mind as one that was supposed to be vastly improved this season – our only solace.
LGM
Joey D.
Ah yes True, true, true BUT if you were in Vegas during spring training and you had a 1,000 dollar gambling budget would you as a LOYAL Met fan walked up to the Sports Bet window and put a grand on the Mets to be 2012 World Series Champs? The last time I was in Vegas and placed my bets I hedged and placed bets on all wild card, division champs and WS champs. Didn’t have the GUTS to throw it all down on one team. I do the same thing at the track.
Joey D.
Went to one game at the Polo Grounds when the Mets played there but as a Dodger fan I did go to see a few Dodger Giant games. I remember Sal Magli pitching a gem. I think they called him “The Barber” but a great pitcher. I was at the game at Shea and saw Willie Mays as a MET pinch hit a home run. I have so many memories and the Mets have brought me a lot of happiness over the years. I could go on forever but my all time favorite Met was Don Clendennon. He always seemed to come through with a big hit. I honestly can say I never had a least favorite Met I loved them all , even Marvelous Marv. Oh a final though. The first time I saw the Polo Grounds after coming from Ebbetts Field was “wow this place is so BIG you could put two Ebetts Fields inside it.” And looking out at center field I thought you would have to take a subway ride to get there.
Interesting you bring up Clendenon. A trade deadline deal. A team with a lot of mediocre players overachieving, just like the 12 Mets. One difference, A GM who wanted to win and he took a risk. He traded, if you remember Lou, not one or two but FOUR prospects for a fading guy like Clendenon because he knew the team had a chance, just a chance to win. The loser lovers of today would have screamed forever about getting Clendenon, and it had to be done in June as the deadline was 15 June! Sandy alderson would never have given us the miracle Mets. And those 4 prospects, two never touched the bigs and two weren’t very good.
PS: I was in the Polo Grounds as well. The shock for me wasn’t the Polo Grounds but going to Shea in ’64. Was at the 3rd home game vs the Pirates I think. The size of that place was daunting compared to the Polo Grounds or even Yankee Stadium where I went to some NY Football Giant (as we used to call them) games.
I would’nt say Duda going to AAA is an up myself but more a down cause it means the belief many had in him to start the season was not fullfilled. I still feel he can turn it around and understand that with the team now below .500 they just couldn’t carry his bat any longer but hopefully he can turn it around.
Props on recognizing the Nats. I’ve long respected what Rizzo was doing in DC and it looks like his hard work is finally showing signs of paying off. Strasburg has looked good coming back from his surgery and as much as I hate to say it that Harper kid looks like he may give us headaches for years to come.
Disagree with your reasoning completely. The fact that the Mets are below .500 is exactly why Duda should be in the bigs and playing every day. You’ll never find out if he can figure it by having him hit in Buffalo. Next year, you gonna do the same thing when he slumps? The season s. is over. Playing Hairston, Torres, Bay is assinine. Play kids, even if their “not ready”. Dump those three even if you get nothing. They are examples of the Met failures and the past and today, not tomorrow. Ynless of course you are playing to make the playoffs in which case the rotten GM should have bought some help, which he didn’t because he sucks
I don’t worry about Bryce Harper “hittin” on us for years to come. Why? As soon as they can the Bombers will throw 250 million at him and he’ll be the AL league Big Gun!