10
2012
Random Thoughts After A Weekend To Forget…
An article by 
Talk about about a depressing weekend at Citi Field… A three game sweep at the hands of the Atlanta Braves and the Mets one game away from tying the franchise record for the most consecutive games scoring three or less runs. A loss today to the Nationals and we’ll officially be in the throws of the worst home stretch of baseball in franchise history. Mets, meet rock-bottom.
We were supposed to embrace the role of spoilers this weekend, but the only thing that was spoiled was the ton of food at Citi Field that never sold and had to be discarded. Citi Field has officilly become a ghost town.
We’re supposed to get a glimpse of Jeurys Famila and Jenrry Mejia as starters in these last three weeks. Normally I’d be jacked up, but after listening to some team people tell me again and again that Familia and Mejia are looked at as relief options. It’s hard to get pumped up when you know the only motivation to throw them starts is more of a desperate attempt to possibly sell a few more tickets than it is because they believe those two pitching prospects have any chance of being a part of the 2013 rotation. Fine, I’ll play along, but geez…
You know, one of our readers brought up a good point over the weekend on one of our threads… If the main problem we’ve had offensively all season long was the lack of a solid right-handed power bat to add some balance to the lineup, imagine how much worse it will get if we’re not able to hang onto David Wright? It would be an absolute disaster.
With Matt Harvey’s last start set for September 18th, I’m glad he was able to come up and get a taste of what it’s like to pitch in the majors. I wish his audition could have been longer and that they didn’t delay his audition for as long as they did, but at least he got some good innings in. It will make him that much better next season and everybody benefits by it.
Bobby Parnell is killing us… For two years I’ve been saying he just doesn’t have the makeup to be a shutdown, late-inning reliever. It’s simply not in him. Earlier this season in May, I wrote the following:
I’ve said it time and time again, Parnell simply doesn’t have the killer instinct you need to pitch in a big spot like that. He fails to execute time and time again. His only useful purpose on this team is to start a clean inning in the 6th or 7th and that’s it. No matter how well Parnell performs and looks in non-pressure situations, you can’t be deceived into believing that he can pull the same rabbit out of the hat by throwing him into the fire. He is not, nor will he ever be a late-inning closer or setup man. He doesn’t have the stomach for it. And when you want to be a shutdown reliever you not only need the arm, but you also need the stomach to go with it.
I got a comment from regular reader Donal who wrote: “I think you’re being a little harsh on Bobby Heat. He is a different pitcher this year. For all we know, this was just a bad day for the new version. Every pitcher has those.” It just happened to be one comment out of over 100 in that thread that basically disagreed with me. Now we’ve reached the point that Parnell becomes eligible for arbitration and he will get big bucks from the spendthrift Mets this offseason. Wow…
I thought it was interesting that on Friday I broke the news that the CEO of Digital Domain Group had resigned, the company has shut it’s doors in St. Lucie and that 280 employees are now out of a job. I did some research and discovered that the Digital Domain Group didn’t make their nearly $100,000 July payment to the Mets for the naming rights to Digital Domain Park, and that their $1.2 million a year naming rights deal was in real jeopardy. I found out that the stock value on DDG had fallen from $14 bucks a share to .60 cents on Friday. It’s big news in St. Lucie and it should be having a huge ripple effect here in New York, but not a word of this all weekend long from SNY or any other media outlet for that matter. Amazing…
Sandy Alderson has reached the halfway point of his 4-year guaranteed contract. His approval rating, much like Congress and Obama, keeps sinking. A year ago it stood at 85%, and now it’s closer to 49% in my very unofficial and unscientific poll. Only his truest die-hard supporters are standing with him now. No matter how good or bad any GM is, they will always have that 15% of steadfast support like we saw with Steve Phillips and Omar Minaya. Many of the fans who were sitting on the fence after Year One have now jumped down and joined the ones who want to see some real tangible results. Those are the fans who wish to know what the plan is moving forward. Those are the fans who say if your rebuilding then rebuild, or if you’re competing, then compete. We’ve seen things in the last two years that a rebuilding team would never do. And unfortunately we’ve also seen things that a team with a hold on a wild card spot would never do as well. If there really is a hell, we must be in it right now.
What makes things worse is seeing how far teams like the Nationals, Pirates and Orioles have come in the last two years, while the Mets continue to sink deeper and deeper into the abyss. That’s the part that really gets me frustrated…
I’ve read this weekend that some prominent bloggers were sick to their stomachs because the Mets gave Chipper Jones some ugly-ass art on Friday as a farewell gift. That’s not what gets me sick to my stomach… What gets me sick to my stomach is that we have nobody on this team that will ever get a farewell gift from one of our rivals when they retire… That’s why we only have one player’s number on our outfield wall.
Anyway, sorry for my vinegary Monday morning post, but as I stated at the onset, this weekend really sucked to be a Mets fan….
About the Author: Joe DeCaro
I'm a lifelong Mets fan who loves writing and talking about the Amazins' 24/7. From the Miracle in 1969 to the magic of 1986, and even the near misses in '73 and '00, I've experienced it all - the highs and the lows. I started Mets Merized Online in 2005 to feed my addiction. Follow me on Twitter @metsmerized.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 42 | 30 | .583 | - |
| Phillies | 35 | 37 | .486 | 7.0 |
| Nationals | 34 | 36 | .486 | 7.0 |
| Mets | 27 | 40 | .403 | 12.5 |
| Marlins | 22 | 48 | .314 | 19.0 |
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Joe D.,
I’m with you on Parnell. Time to pack his bags. Should have dealt him a few years ago after that “save” at Fenway – that is now a Mets Classic.
I’m still behind Parnell. Get a better pitching coach and get his mind right. All this nonsense about being a “shutdown closer” is just that, nonsense.
Let him just pitch and settle into any role he seems fit for.
Otherwise, it’ll be Heath Bell 2.0.
If it wasn’t for the no-hitter and watching Dickey go for 20, I’d say this was the worst season since the worst team since the Mo Vaughn years. Honestly, and it pains me to say this, when I am able to get a Mets minor league game to watch, I prefer watching that than the Mets unless Dickey is pitching. Knowing the history of this site I know that will now classify me as a hater, but it still doesn’t change the fact that Mets minors have been more fun to watch than their big brothers in Queens. I’m only sad that the minor league season has ended for everyone but the Cyclones who are still fighting in the playoffs. Watching the Mets is not fun right now. I really dont comment much here, but let me thank you for providing a great blow by blow on the Mets this season, but mostly for all your minor league offerings which is the big reason I continue to come here everyday. Great job on that front.
With the Madoff situation finally resolved one can at least put that behind them. The plan based on what your seeing on the field is to try and get out from under some of the weighted contracts while meanwhile allowing time for some of the prospects on the farm to grow. We been through what was done year 1 and year 2 saw more of the same. My biggest gripe was how do you not sign half of your draft picks I have yet to see this responded to by anyone in the FO. In my opinion there is no excuse for this.
The attempt to improve the pen was unsuccessful not that this wasn’t already common knowledge. As we head into and through year 3 it will have allowed time enough to where speaking for “myself” to see if the moves made will indeed be worth it.
If they resign Wright & Dickey along with the possible contributions Niese, Davis, Tejada, Harvey and Edgin may bring along with what Wheeler may add sometime this year these players may be the main parts of a winning team. Maybe as soon as next year with some luck.
I still believe Capt Kirk will be an everyday player in our outfield and Familia and or Mejia may be part of the pen or starting rotation it will remain to be seen. You can only have 5 starters and if Santana, Niese Dickey and Harvey make up 4/5 of the rotation the remaining spot will see at the least Gee, Familia and Mejia fight for it with Wheeler knocking on the door if all goes well sometime next Summer.
Right now the priorities I’d say is resigning Wright & Dickey along with somehow finding a way to move Jason Bay and signing a more reliable catcher. If they can do at least this that would be a very good start.
For the first part, IMO we don’t know enough about the new draft to know how that not signing those picks is an advantage in the next draft. Also with that point, I believe someone here mentioned that not having that extra minor league team means that if you could not find someone you really liked in that spot, make the pick, get a closer look and then decide if that player is better than the guy you drafted the year before.
Why exactly should we get all worked up about a company paying 100K/year to put their name on a MiL park when belly up? if they don’t pay, then the naming rights likely get sold to someone else, or they revert to the old name (was that a company or something generic and unpaid?) and at worst, mets are out of 100K, which in the big scheme of things (even for them!) is not a big deal.
I too am confused why naming rights of a minor league stadium should have ripple marks over the entire organization?
The deal was for $1.2 million dollars annually but paid monthly. The $1.2 million covered about a third of the operating cost for the facility. They closed down an entire affiliate last winter to save $2 million. If you think that $1.2 guaranteed income wont effect things, think again. I also spoke to someone willing to talk to me on Friday while I was investigating this, guess who owned much of the stock that went belly up on Friday besides the founding two? This may seem like peanuts to you, but the Mets are so desperate they are giving away free tickets for the rest of the season in the hope that they will buy a $6.00 hot dog or a $12 dollar steak sandwich. Some of you really need to start connecting the dots and realize that all of these things are inter-related.
ah, was not clear. I thought it was a 100K annual deal. 1.2mill is certainly bigger, but still not earth shattering.
do the mets get that money directly, but have to pay costs on the statium? That was confusing. PSL owns the stadium, and the mets rent, so does th enaming rights just subsidize what the mets pay in rent (meaning it does not matter to PSL as long as the mets make up the shortfall).
Yes, that was the Mets portion of the naming rights deal which they used to pay their operating costs including rent, utilities, staffing, etc. It covered about one third of the costs according to what a St. Lucie team person told me.
@ Joe D: Are you saying that the Wipons owned alot of Digital Domain stock?
With regards the Chipper Jones thing, I think the Mets try too hard to look like they are doing the “right thing” in the eye of the public, but end up turning off their fan base. I would understand if Chipper actually played for the Mets at one point of his career, but to dedicate a weekend, to a man that basically made his career by kicking our ass, is ridiculous. The Mets are completely lost. They prefer to pay homage to players on other teams and ignore the Mets history. I think it’s great that there is a Jackie Robinson rotunda, and he should be honored for everything he accomplished as a man and a player…but he was never a Met. There is a bigger area for honoring Jackie Robinson than there is for any of the other previous Mets combined. They even screwed up the rotunda – rather than honor this great man with a statue, they put a big 42 up instead. They can’t get anything right. I brought one of my friends to Citi Field for the first time this past summer (he is a Yankees fan), and he wanted to see the Jackie Robisnon Rotunda. He was standing there, and didn’t even know he was in it – he said “this is it?” I said “yep.”
On every level of baseball, I really believe the Mets are a second rate organization. At this point, the only thing that separates the Mets from the Royals, is the city they play in.
I’m with you Mitch regarding the lack of appreciation for Mets history.
I’ve asked for years why Jerry Koosman’s number hasn’t been retired???? Piazza? Keith??
Let’s move the fences out – let’s move the fences in…
Let’s paint the fences black and orange? Let’s go blue?? DUH??
I will disagree with you however about the royals – their park is absolutely gorgeous!
I love the Royals ballpark…in fact it’s in my top 5…I was referring to the Mets being an obscure team if they were in any other city aside from NY.
You’re right.
I knew what you meant, it is just that Jeffy and his daddy even screwed up the new ball park.Tough being a Mets fan.
I try not to use the word “hate” at all, but I hate the Braves, their ignorant “Tomahawk Chop” and I hate Chipper Jones. Sure you can say “Great job!” somehow, but to have a ceremony for an opponent like him is just more evidence of how screwed up the ownership/decision-makers/front office is these days.
Good thing I have a life outside of the Mets as this has been just another crappy year.
Re: Chipper Jones – I will say it again and say it with less words. He played in an era where superstars made more news about the bad they did than the good. He played the game with class, he played the game as a leader, and played the game the right way. He’s a future Hall of Famer who deserves whatever a team decides to give him. Other teams gave him much more than NYM did. There’s a reason EVERYBODY is doing it.
Re: Parnell – I don’t think “big bucks” is what he’ll make in arbitration. To give you an example, Ramon Ramirez came off a 70 games, 7-4 2.84 ERA season and signed for $1.15m to avoid arbitration in his 1st eligible year. Big bucks to us yes, big bucks to a MLB player? Not really.
Re: Digital Domain – I can’t speak on any knowledge of this but – when deals are struck at such a high level of financial impact, there is often insurance associated with it. I’ve dealt with it for minor league deals so I’m curious if the Mets got a policy that protected them in case the company did not pay.
If they had such a policy they wouldn’t have settled out of court for $50K in July rather than collecting the full $95K from their insurance company. Take it from me, I spoke to three different people about this over the weekend, the Mets want to keep this one off the radar and off the airwaves.
So just so I’m clear, they were owed $95k on the deal and settled for $50k in July?
No they settled for $50K 2 weeks ago the day before their court date. The Mets had filed a suit to collect the $95K.
Don’t blame B Parnell, he just did what he does best and has been doing for years as a Met,Blowing saves and losing close games.I’m almost sure he’ll be here next year and the year after doing the very same thing,because mgmt.does’nt have a clue as to who has talent and who does not.
I’m not overly concerned with the naming rights thing only because they can very likely find someone else to buy those naming rights pretty quickly.
Yes it was covering the cost of the stadium but the most notable problem is there is room for much more teams to use the facilities that lay empty.
They have tried to get some other team to come in and take up that space but most have moved to Arizona or the West coast of FLA.
The biggest issue is that I think only us and the Cards remain on the east coast and thats why we see so many games vs the cards in ST.
They need to find another team to work in the StLucie complex and if they get that the naming rights issue will settle itself.