Fred Wilpon spoke with Steven Marcus of Newsday on Monday and said he is confident in Sandy Alderson’s plan for the Mets. The Mets owner added that things will improve now that the big unproductive contracts are coming off the books.

“We’re coming to the end of the time when we have had an overhang of players who got hurt or didn’t play well, and I think that Sandy Alderson and his staff have a plan.”

“I know some people are impatient about it. But they do have a plan and they’re executing on their plan and I think things are in the right direction. It’s hard to say that when the team loses four, five in a row.”

“I get it, I suffer with it. I think that we have to see that plan become successful because in today’s world it’s not how much money you spend — although we have invested a lot of money.”

My position remains the same as always, I’ll believe they are spending when I see it. The onus is on them.

As far as I’m concerned Alderson was brought here by Bud Selig to keep the current owners from losing control of the team, and everything Sandy has done since taking over has been to that end. He has helped them to become entrenched and stave off any financial uncertainty.

Alderson actually spoke to fans on Friday and said he was ready to spend and add quality major leaguers.

“This is excruciating, I know,” Alderson said, “It is excruciating for the fans and excruciating for me. I know people don’t want to hear this, but we are approaching the end of the cleanup. I’m not using that as an excuse. I’m not writing off the season. But there are reasons why we are where we are.”

“People want to know when we’re going to have more good players,” Alderson continued. “I believe we’re about to have more good players. Zack Wheeler pitches Tuesday. And if the right trade presents itself down the line, believe me, we’ll make it.”

I wish I could believe that… But we were promised good players before the Winter Meetings. Where are they? We were promised good players after the Winter Meetings. Where are they? This is an awful team. The outfield is still a train-wreck, the bullpen is again the worst in the majors for the third year in a row, and now we have gaping holes at first base and shortstop with no solid options to fill those positions.

As for “The Plan” and the “Rebuild” that is not a rebuild, I’ll weigh in after I see at least one .500 season first. At least that would symbolize a modicum of some progress albeit a small one.

For now, the team is on pace for 100 losses. This much is true.

There’s still a lot of work to be done… We have been losing more games than we’ve been winning for three straight years now – five if you want to count the last regime. Meanwhile all we get is these semi annual pleas for patience…

It’s hard to smell any future success when we are still surrounded by the stench of failure.

Put your money where your mouth is, Fred and Sandy…

Some more encouraging news in the world of Mets injuries — Matt den Dekker is in the starting line-up for the St. Lucie Mets tonight as he looks to work his way back into the Mets outfield picture.

He is batting lead-off and playing center field. The young outfielder was cleared for game action back on June 6th so it’s nice to see him getting back into the groove. He fractured his right wrist in Spring Training this year and has not seen any game action in the 2013 season.

Thanks to Daniel Wexler for the hat tip.

Anthony DiComo is reporting that Travis d’Arnaud has been cleared to begin a running program, after he saw doctors today. That’s great news, and now you can get your minds running about the possibility of Travis d’Arnaud catching Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler in September. D’arnaud should be heading to Port St. Lucie to get his rehab started.

I’m sure all Mets fans are hoping that his rehab goes quickly and successfully. The acquisition of a potential star catcher threw most Mets fans into a frenzy when looking ahead, and I ranked him #2 on our MMN Top Prospects List in the off-season. D’arnaud was only able to accumulate 49 plate appearances before his injury in 2013, but he already racked up five doubles and a home run. He’s coming off a ’12 season where he posted a .333/.380/.595 line with 16 home runs, 21 doubles, and 52 RBI.

We’ll keep you updated…

Follow Chris and Jenson on Twitter at @TheMetsWeekly and you can subscribe to them on YouTube at youtube.com/themetsweekly.

New York Mets (25-39) vs Atalanta Braves (41-28)

Turner Field, Atlanta • 7:10 PM

Dillon Gee (5-6, 4.84 ERA) vs Tim Hudson (4-6, 4.41)

Starting Lineup

1. Juan Lagares, cf
2. Daniel Murphy, 2b
3. David Wright, 3b
4. Lucas Duda, 1b
5. Marlon Byrd, rf
6. John Buck, c
7. Kirk Nieuwenhuis, lf
8. Omar Quintanilla, ss
9. Dillon Gee, rhp

Game Notes

The Braves are 23-8 at Turner Field this season. Their 2.32 home ERA is on track to be a franchise record since moving to Atlanta, topping a 2.48 home staff ERA in 1968. It also is on pace for the best home ERA for any team since the 1988 Mets had a 2.31 ERA at Shea Stadium.

Terry Collins before the game: ”Civilization’s over. We’ve got to rebuild.”

It looks like the Jordany Valdespin one week trial has concluded and now Lucas Duda has shifted to first base.

Justin Turner has been dealing with an intercostal issue that could land him on the disabled list according to Terry Collins. If he goes to the DL, look for the Mets to replace him with Andrew Brown.

In four career starts at Turner Field, all Mets wins, Dillon Gee is 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA (six earned runs/21.0 innings). He is the only pitcher without a loss in at least four starts at Turner Field in team history. Only five Mets pitchers have ever won three games at Turner Field (Tom Glavine, Pedro Martinez, Al Leiter, Rick Reed and Steve Trachsel).

Zack Wheeler met with reporters at Turner Field on the day before his debut on Tuesday. ”I don’t think I’m the savior at all,” said Wheeler, who attended high school about 45 minutes from here, in Dallas, Ga. “We’ve got great arms here and you’ve got great players. We might not be doing too well right now, but I know the talent of these guys and hopefully we can turn it around here soon. I’m just trying to come up here and help the team any way I can.”

Wright is now three hits shy of 1,500 for his career. He already is the franchise holder for career hits. Wright would become the 30th active player to collect 1,500 hits.

Atlanta leads the NL in homers, yet has been shut out nine times this season, tied with Miami for the major league lead.

The Mets have signed the 48th overall pick righthander Andrew Church for $850,000 The Mets were slotted for $1,138,800 for their second-round pick.

Game Preview

The Mets start a four game set with the Braves tonight with the key day being the double-header tomorrow that is also Harvey/Wheeler Day but before we can get to that, we have a Dillon Gee game. Yesterday the Mets somehow won. At points yesterday the defense was so poor that it doesn’t even qualify under the word defense. Anyway Byrd hit a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the ninth and Kirk followed by a three run homer and the Mets…won. (This team is so Mets) Tonight Dillon Gee goes up against Tim Hudson.

Dillon Gee is 5-6 on the season with a 4.84 ERA while pitching 70.2 innings. This now makes three games in a row where Gee has allowed only one run per game, leaving him with an 1.29 ERA over 21.0 innings and 3-0 record. In his only start against the Braves this year, he allowed 5 ER over 5 innings of work. The Braves have the following numbers against Gee:

Heyward 7-15, HR
Uggla 4-21, 2B, 3B
McCann 3-16, 2B
Freeman 2-14
Upton 3-11, 2B, HR
Johnson 3-5, 2B

The Mets bats get a crack at Tim Hudson who is 4-6 while pitching 83.2 innings this year while posting a 4.41 ERA. Tim had a rough May where he saw his ERA blow up from 3.86 to 5.37. So far in June though he has pitched 21.2 innings over three starts with a 1.66 ERA. In one start against the Mets this year he allowed 3 earned runs over 7.1 innings. The Mets have the following numbers against Tim:

Wright 17-79, 2 2B, 3 HR
Duda 6-23, 2B, HR
Murphy 4-18, 2B
Buck 2-16
Turner 1-9
Byrd 1-5

Lets Go Mets!

Wheeler said he does not see himself as a savior.

“I don’t think I’m the savior at all. We’ve got great arms here and we’ve got great players. We might not be doing too well right now, but I know the talent of these guys and hopefully we can turn it around soon. I’m just trying to come up here and help the team any way I can.”

He doesn’t expect to treat his first MLB start any differently than any other start and doesn’t feel he has to live up to Matt Harvey.

“He set the bar so high. Matt just took off, but I’m in majors to just pitch my game and be myself.”

“Some people expected it. Some people didn’t. I’m just going to go out there and do the best that I can. People can take it how they want it. Hopefully I’ll do well and just be up there with him.”

He feels his experience at Triple-A Las Vegas was valuable. It toughened him up and taught him how to battle.

Turner Field will be packed with plenty of family and friends tomorrow night, as the Georgia native will be playing in front of his hometown crowd.

“I grew up watching Chipper Jones, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux,” he said.

He got some advice from his brother last night who told him, “Whatever you do, don’t go up there and look up, ’cause all the lights and the fans and everybody will be moving and make you sick.”

Wheeler will wear uniform No. 45 because it’s his favorite and he’s worn it since he was 12 years old.

Here’s a video of the presser from SNY.

This is pretty damn exciting, I can’t wait…

Original Post

On Tuesday, during the second game of a doubleheader against the first place Atlanta Braves, Mets prized pitching prospect Zack Wheeler will make his long anticipated major league debut.

For Wheeler, he will feel unlike any other pitching prospect who who is making his first big league start. He’ll be wound up tighter than the guts of a baseball and those butterflies will be fluttering in his stomach. And then it all goes from surreal to real when that first pitch is fired toward home plate… Will he hear the pop of the leather or the crack of a bat?

Before Wheeler there was that other much ballyhooed Mets debut… The one from that pitcher whose stuff wasn’t nearly as good as Wheeler’s – I’m talking about righthander Matt Harvey.

He of course burst onto the scene with an 11 strikeout gem against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was the most strikeouts a pitcher has had in his debut since Stephen Strasburg of the Nationals whiffed 14 in June, 2010 against Pittsburgh.

Harvey pitched 5.1 innings, allowing three hits and no earned runs and for good measure went 2-for-2 with a double in his only two at-bats. Since that day, Harvey has become an unstoppable force and is now among the National League’s elite.

Tough act to follow? Ironically enough, that’s exactly what Wheeler will be doing tomorrow as Harvey is slated to pitch the first game of the twin-bill.

When you compare Wheeler and Harvey’s minor league numbers, the similarities are so uncanny it’s scary, but will those similarities play out at the major league level? We’re all about to find out.

Last week I asked Lynn Worthy, who covers the B-Mets and has seen both of them pitch, what differences he saw in the two and he told me, the obvious similarities were how hard they threw hitting 96 miles per hour regularly.

“The fact that they were highly-touted prospects before they got here, and how after a few starts opposing hitters just started jumping on the first fastball they saw from each of them.”

Worthy remarked that of the two Harvey was very intense. “I still recall talking to him after his final start – he went just three innings, gave up four runs and walked four – and he wanted no part of talking about the season as a whole. All he could do was boil over his last start.”

While he agreed with the scouts who all say Wheeler has the best pure stuff and plus pitches, he also noted that he struggled to command certain pitches.

“When you looked at Wheeler, he didn’t give off the intensity that Harvey did. However, Wheeler always seemed confident in his stuff even when he didn’t have his best.”

While both pitchers measure in at 6’4″, Wheeler has a lanky frame at 185 pounds, while Harvey packs an additional 40 pounds checking in at 225. Both have great frames for pitchers. Harvey reminded many scouts of Roger Clemens and in fact even Clemens himself said that Harvey is the first pitcher he’s seen that reminds him of himself. I’ve seen Wheeler compared to many pitchers ranging from Matt Cain to A.J. Burnett to Philip Humber.

Tomorrow should be an exciting day for Met fans as the future of the franchise will be on full display for the first time since Sandy Alderson became the general manager. Wheeler represents what many feel is his one singular signature move. He and the team have a lot riding on what happens tomorrow.

The scouts were all wrong about Harvey having the ceiling of a number two pitcher, but lets hope they are all right about Wheeler having the ceiling of an ace pitcher.

One thing is certain though… Tomorrow you can throw away everything you ever heard about Wheeler… You can ditch all the comparisons… Forget what he did in the minors… And even trash everything the scouts and experts had to say… Tomorrow we’ll all see what we have in Wheeler for ourselves.

Here’s to another smashing Mets debut…

The right-hander reportedly signed for $850,000, Callis said, which is $388K below slot.

Paul DePodesta described Church as having the potential for being a solid middle-of the rotation starter who logs innings, with a plus curveball and three-pitch arsenal (fastball that tops out at 93 mph and changeup).

“It was a nice mix of stuff and command,” amateur scouting director Tommy Tanous said. “I went back to see Andrew pitch in his high school playoffs and he was tremendous in that game.”

First rounder Dominic Smith should be official as soon as today or tomorrow.

Original Post 6/15

Mets 2013 First-Round pick Dominic Smith has completed his physical and will be reporting to Port St. Lucie on Sunday. He will be assigned to the team’s GCL affiliate once a deal is completed.

Most likely a deal has been agreed to and will be announced sometime Saturday. The slot value for the 11th overall pick is $2,840,300, but he could get more.

Here are the signings from the draft so far, as confirmed by the Mets per Adam Rubin:

Rd. 6 (176), Champ Stuart, CF, Brevard (N.C.) College

Rd. 8 (236), Ricky Knapp, RHP, Florida Gulf Coast

Rd. 9 (266), Patrick Biondi, CF, Michigan

Rd. 10 (296), Luis Guillorme, SS, Coral Springs (Fla.) Charter HS

Rd. 12 (356th overall), Jeff McNeil, SS, Cal St. Long Beach

Rd. 13 (386th overall), Kevin McGowan, RHP, Franklin Pierce

Rd. 15 (446th overall), Colton Plaia, C, Loyola Marymount

Rd. 16 (476th overall), Zach Mathieu, 1B, Franklin Pierce

Rd. 18 (536th overall), Brent McMinn, RHP, Nevada

Rd. 23 (686th overall), Gaither Bumgardner, RHP, South Carolina Upstate

Rd. 34 (1016th overall), Cameron Griffin, RHP, Santa Ana College

Although not yet confirmed by the Mets, LJ Mazzilli, the son of ex-Met Lee Mazzilli, will man second base for the Brooklyn Cyclones, who open play Monday.

Smith just joined Twitter tonight and you can follow him at @TheRealSmith22.

Original Post 6/12

Mets first-round draft pick Dominic Smith is close to signing with the New York Mets, according to ESPN New York’s Matt Ehalt.

This confirms what Smith’s parents told us, who believed their son would be signed by this weekend.

“He just wants to play baseball again,” they told MMO.

So it now appears that just a physical stands in the way of an official announcement.

Smith will report to St. Lucie once everything is cemented, and will work out at the Mets complex before being assigned to either the GCL Mets or Kingsport to begin his professional career.

The Mets 11th-overall pick in the First-Year Player Draft, is just 17-years-old, but his mom also told us that he could be ready in as little as two years. Wouldn’t that be awesome…

Martino says this supports Alderson’s claim that he could be a buyer at the trade deadline and not a seller which many expected to be the case.

The GM’s decision not to shop the closer speaks to the difference in his approach this year. Despite the team’s ghastly play, Alderson is shooting for contention as soon as possible, and is ready to build the big league team; as we have reported, the Mets are far more likely to trade prospects next month than acquire them. Alderson is looking for outfielders under control beyond this season, among other major leaguers.

“What I’d like to be able to do is maybe acquire a player or two who will not only be with us this year but into the future,” Alderson told the fans. “That makes sense and is consistent with what we’ve been trying to do longer term. We’re going to keep working at it and I’m sure you’ll see some different faces between now and say the end of July or the All-Star break.”

Parnell is 5-3 with a 2.83 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP in 29 games this season. He has 26 strikeouts in 28.2 innings. He has nine saves in 12 opportunities this season.

Before the weekend, MetsBlog posted something on trading Daniel Murphy and Bobby Parnell. I found the thought of that difficult to believe and discussed it with SNY editorial producer Andrew Vazzano, who told me it was being discussed by the team. ”We’re not just pulling this stuff out of thin air. These are things that are being discussed by the team.”

My problem with trading either player is that it purges the team of two more major league talents. After listening to Sandy Alderson this weekend, it’s clear that he’s done trading established talent and has shifted gears.

He is now intent on adding the players he needs to build around David Wright, Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler.

And you can bet your bottom dollar that unlike Lucas Duda and Ruben Tejada, he DOES consider Daniel Murphy and Bobby Parnell as part of the future of this team – as well he should.

Murphy is putting up numbers at second base that we haven’t seen in a long time, and Parnell is the first homegrown closer we’ve developed since… Randy Myers perhaps?

I’m not saying nobody is untouchable, because when you’re this bad nobody should be untouchable. But let’s be real here, and lets stop creating storylines based on speculation or flimsy evidence.

Who would replace Murphy and Parnell if we were to move them? And how do you then rebuild a team around one position player in Wright and three starting pitchers in Harvey, Niese and Wheeler? That would take another five years on top of the five losing seasons we’ve already endured. Does anybody want that?

Jayce Boyd was a sixth-round draft pick by the New York Mets in last year’s MLB Draft, and has certainly made people within the organization take notice with his performance with the Savannah Sand Gnats through 62 games this season.

After signing with New York, the Florida State University product joined the Cyclones in Brooklyn for 54 games and 201 at-bats. He put together decent numbers in his first professional season (.239/.320/.368), but certainly nothing eye-popping. In 2013, he’s turned into a force at the plate, with last night’s 4-for-4 performance (including a triple, home run, and three RBIs) against Greenville as the team’s cleanup hitter as another reminder.

After the first half of the season in the South Atlantic League, Boyd is among the league leaders in numerous offensive categories:

• .361 Batting Average (1st)
• .441 On-Base Percentage (1st)
• .494 Slugging Percentage (13th)
• 46 RBIs (9th)
• 123 Total Bases (9th)
• 35 Walks (8th)

His patience at the plate has been the most notable part of his approach since joining the Mets organization. In Brooklyn, he walked 25 times compared to 30 strikeouts. The same trend is appearing this year with Savannah, as he’s drawn 35 free passes, compared to only 32 strikeouts.

While Boyd is hitting well in just about every scenario thrown his way this season, he’s especially killing southpaws when they take the mound. Only 36 of his 240 at-bats have come against left-handers, but he’s put together a ridiculous .472/.568/.611 line, good for a 1.179 OPS.

Now that he was able to participate in spring training this season and comfortably start the season with Savannah, Boyd has been pleased with how he’s been hitting, sending a clear message to the organization that he wants to be taken seriously.

In an article on MiLB.com, Boyd spoke to Jonathon Raymond about his approach at the plate:

I feel pretty comfortable at the plate, but you always go through ups and downs, no matter what. It’s about minimizing the downs and maximizing the ups, and I’ve been trying to do that all season. Tonight I had a good night, and hopefully I’ll keep it going from there. I just want to keep as even-keeled as possible. You try not to get too low when things are going bad and not get too high when things are going great. Stay there in the middle with what you can control, and good things usually happen when you have that plan and that process.

Spoken like a true ballplayer trying to get better each day. I love the approach, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the second half of the season will bring Jayce, especially since it should be at the next level.

It has since become known as the “Marshmallow Experiment.” In 1960, Stamford Professor Walter Mischel, wanted to find out whether delayed gratification, having to wait before attaining a satisfying outcome, was healthy for people. Mischel devised a study to find out.

Mischel brought together a group of young children in a test study. Each child was taken into a room where they were presented with a marshmallow. The youngsters were told they could eat the marshmallow whenever they wanted. They were also told if they waited without eating the marshmallow they would be rewarded with a second marshmallow treat.

Mischel left the room and didn’t return for 15 minutes. The children were taped. Some gobbled their marshmallow almost before Mischel could get out the door. Others waiting in agony fighting off the temptation to consume their prize wanting a second marshmallow.

In a testimony to his ability to delay gratification, Mischel, studied the youngsters for years after the experiment recording data about different facets of their lives. The results were astonishing. In almost every category, the youngsters who were capable of delaying the need to instantly consume their marshmallow outperformed those who could not. Those who showed an early ability to delay gratification had fewer behavior problems, lower stress, developed stronger friendships and social networks, and performed better academically, including SAT results.

Yale researches have also studied the topic concluding that people demonstrating delayed gratification provided more stimulation to a particular part of the brain. The Yale researchers proved a link between intelligence and delayed gratification and self-control.

This should be great news for Mets fans. Over the last three seasons, Met fans have received a more than healthy opportunity to test our delayed gratification capabilities. For many of us, that means around the corner, sometime in the future when the Mets return to respectability, we should have less of a likelihood to get into trouble, experience less stress, stop whining and complaining and maintain more friends, and, by heavens, we’re already smarter.

In his Sunday “Shooting from the LIP” column, New York Daily News sportswriter Mike Lupica signaled the days of delayed gratification for Met fans could soon be over. Lupica claims the reality for Met fans is that a three-year Sandy Alderson Cleanup, like the end of the cleanup in the Gulf of Mexico after BP, is ending. I like Lupica’s analogy but advise caution. The negative effects of the BP spill are still being felt in the Gulf.

Not to be outdone, Mark Hale of the New York Post wrote that Alderson, when meeting with season’s ticket holders, had unveiled a six-month plan. Alderson’s message to Met fans: the team will soon be adding substantial pieces to the roster and the need for patience (delayed gratification) is almost over. “I believe in the next six months or so, we’ll be in the position to make some significant acquisitions, either by free agency or trade,” Sandy told the big spending Met faithful.

There has been a lot of discussion over the last six months about Sandy Alderson’s plan to bring the Mets back to baseball respectability. I’ve always believe the Met General Manager has had a plan and that the plan would someday prove positive. I still maintain the faith.

Having said that I wish Sandy would use concise and exact language to outline the key points of his plan for Met fans. I think in some ways his meeting with the season ticket holders was a start. Still, I’m looking for an Improvement Plan Brief sent directly to fans, maybe through MetsMerized. It might be a four-point plan, a five-point plan, whatever, with each point explained simply, perhaps like this.

The Sandy Alderson Improvement Plan

Point 1 – Revamp and improve the minor league system.

Point 2 – Use the draft and an upgrade scouting and player development system to stockpile young talent, especially strong pitching arms, to build a infrastructure for future success.

Point 3 – Cleanup the roster bringing salary spending within affordable parameters while shedding unproductive salary costs.

Point 4 – Evaluate current roster and minor league prospects closest to playing in Flushing to determine the viability of a future role with the organization.

Point 5 – Strategically add substantial pieces to the roster to fill greatest priority needs.

A clear and precise list of points or indicators making up the foundation of the plan could then be evaluated more fairly. Has Alderson revamped the Mets minor league system? That would be a point of fair debate. I believe the answer is an overwhelming yes, and I feel there is good evidence to support that claim. The fact the Met minor league teams have winning records at every level this season might be one indicator. Minor league evaluations by different baseball research groups showing huge leaps in progress for the Met minor leagues might be another.

The same process can be used to evaluate each point of Alderson’s plan. Remember, this is MY summary of the points I believe are included in the Met Improvement Plan. I’m wishing the Mets would provide fans specified points and their own evaluation.

By the way, point five of my example, adding substantial roster pieces through trade or free agency was recently marketed by Sandy as something new that will occur over the next six months. For the past two years, I’ve considered it part of the plan. It only makes sense that when the Santana and Bay salary commitments concluded a cash strapped franchise desperately needing roster upgrades will seek trades and free agent acquisitions at strategic positions to improve baseball results.

The tough pill to swallow is the enormity of that task. At the conclusion of last season you could make a decent argument that Ruben Tejada, Ike Davis, and maybe Lucas Duda could be seriously considered as future roster pieces. At the moment, those assumptions would seriously challenged.

Forged and fortified by years of delayed gratification and bolstered by an Improvement Plan, Met fans are ready to rock. Even though we don’t feel smarter, are certainly not less stressed, and might be having trouble maintaining friendships, our patience is wearing thin. Come on, Front Office, how about specifying your Improvement Plan with some simple clarifying points we could then evaluate, up or down, and gauge the progress you’re making and the likelihood the Mets could be winning at least half their games next season.

David Wright, 3B

MMO Player of the Week!

Just when we thought it couldn’t get any worse, the Mets go ahead and prove us wrong. Although it’s a long shot to say that anybody was expecting to win a series against the best team in baseball (and the way this team was playing, against the Cubs), hopes were not high coming into the week. The streaky defense and simply atrocious offense were barely able to scrape out two wins in six games played. In an otherwise depressing week, one man stood out above the rest: our Player Of The Week, David Wright!

Wright sparked his offensive resurgence with a double and a homer in the Mets’ 5-1 win against Shelby Miller on Wednesday. He proceeded to single three times the following day, walk and single another three times on Friday, walk and double on Saturday and double once more on Sunday. A player getting this many hits was almost an alien concept to us; until we remembered who was getting them. He’s a 6-time all star for a reason and this week did nothing but remind us of that. His collective 10 hits gives him a phenomenal line of .529/.600/.824 for the week and a line of .297/.390/.491 on the year. Wright has been the only player contributing anything to this horrid offense as of late. It’s quite frustrating to see him waste his talents in a lineup that offers no protection around him. Thankfully, he’ll be around for 7 more years to come.

HONORABLE MENTION:

How could we forget Matt Harvey? The young stud had another great start, yielding only 5 hits and one run while striking out 7. His only mistake (yes, he can make mistakes) came on a hanging breaking ball that Matt Carpenter took full advantage of, smacking a line drive past the diving Marlon Byrd and resulting in an RBI triple. Harvey settled down after that and did not let another run cross the plate. Unfortunately for him, the lack of offense and ugly bullpen pitching undeservedly handed Harvey his first loss of the season. Hey, at least it wasn’t another no decision… right?

*Stats taken into consideration are from 6/9 – 6/15 and will run from Sunday – Saturday going ahead…

Please, join me as I throw a handful of dirt on the coffin of Jordany Valdespin’s career as a New York Met.

The one I used to call El Dramático for his ability to spark rallies and hit long home runs is getting playing time for one reason: he’s being shopped. Don’t expect him to be with the Mets past the trade deadline.

I’ve been a staunch defender of Valdespin since the Mets’ first intrasquad game. He had the tools to be a starter in 2013. He still has the tools. Whatever the case, it just hasn’t come together.

There are a plethora of reasons why Valdespin’s days are numbered. He’s batting .207/.264/..328 on the season with a 24/6 K/BB ratio and 4-for-7 in stolen base attempts. He’s 3-for-23 with five strikeouts and no walks since taking over the second base and leadoff duties. Additionally, he’s not playing well defensively and the positions he does play are better suited by other players on this year’s team (Juan Lagares and Daniel Murphy). The list goes on longer than his pimped out dingers. Even though his latest audition isn’t going well, I expect he’ll be sent somewhere for cash or packaged in a trade with some farm arms.

Saturday’s game was a microcosm of how he’s performed since receiving more playing time: a few defensive miscues and little offense. He threw a ball over Jonathon Niese’s head, something you’d see in a Little League game…maybe. He also had two force outs at second that could have seriously injured him. When a second baseman makes a force at second, he normally shifts his momentum toward the outfield to avoid a hard slide. Valdespin just planted on the bag and got upended by Cody Ransom twice. He’s just not doing the fundamentals.

Things could have been done differently during Valdespin’s time as a Metropolitan. He was mismanaged by Terry Collins, he handled situations poorly and every negative was put under a microscope by the media, myself included.

It pains me to say, but he’s poisoning the team. Whether it’s his fault or not is moot. I believe he has a long career ahead of him, but it won’t be with the Mets. He’ll probably be one of the many who leaves the Mets and enjoys success in another venue. Some players just aren’t cut out to play under the magnifying glass in New York.

He could thrive in a platoon role in hitter-friendly parks like Coors Field or Great American Bandbox. Just don’t expect there to be many more Valdespin No. 1 jerseys produced in orange and blue.

What are your thoughts on Jordany Valdespin’s recent one-week audition at second base?

When trying to assess the strategy of the post-Minaya/Madoff Mets, I have always found it a bit of a puzzler to try to put a finger on when the “money” element of the so-called “Moneyball with money” approach that had been heralded as the defining element of the Alderson/DePodesta/Ricciardi regime would kick in.

Like many, I’ve regarded Sandy’s assertions that the majority of the team’s spending restraint has been his decision alone with a bit of skepticism; after all, part of a general manager’s job is to manage perceptions about the organization as well as its personnel.

Choosing to convey to the world at large that you have accepted the necessity of a period of mediocrity while the team rebuilds is OK, but attempting to maintain the Mets’ role as a big market team along with affording the Wilpon family a degree of mystery as regards their financial strength has resulted in a variety of mixed messages to the fan base. Aiming for the team to remain competitive enough to sustain interest while doing what is necessary to revitalize a barren farm system is an admirable goal, but clearly one that requires a lot of gambles to pay off. Not surprisingly, the results have been desultory, to say the least.

If the team is now ready to rebound from its largely moribund performances of the past few seasons, we should expect that any infusion of new talent to the roster will properly address the weaknesses that are evident to anyone watching. At the same time, we have to hope that the strengths that the team does possess are not unduly compromised by any personnel shuffling that the future may hold.  Still, I would expect that most of us are ready to have some eggs broken if the resulting omelet becomes a breakfast of champions. Let’s take a look at how the promised makeover could take shape:

OFFENSE: The team’s run production has been deplorable. Other than Murphy, Wright, and the surprisingly resurgent Byrd, there hasn’t been a dependable bat to be found, leaving the lineup bereft of the elements that can generate enough runs to allow even a pitcher of Matt Harvey’s meager support requirements to win consistently. The time has come to make a judgment on the very legitimacy of some of these player’s claims to a major league roster spot. This would appear to be the case now with Valdespin, who has been given an audition at second base to see if he can inject some life into the top of the order. So far the results have been disappointing, but the sample size is pretty small. With a player like that, it might never really happen or you could have a scenario similar to what has occurred with Carlos Gomez, now a world-beater years after being merely a piece in the Johan Santana trade. I’m not sure if anyone has the patience to see if ‘Spin’s tools have a chance of translating into a consistent offensive force before his lapses on the field and in the clubhouse become too great an issue to abide. Regardless, it might well be that he is being showcased with the intention of returning Murphy to the spot he has worked so hard to master.

What has really jumped out at me this year is the inability of the “supporting” bats, that is, the 5-6-7 hitters, to get a big hit with any regularity when the game is on the line.  Even as the team struggles to hold down the opposition thanks to the as-always porous bullpen (we’ll get to them in a bit), there have been instances in game after game where “half rallies” have been staged, with runners getting on only to be left high and dry. There has been no spate of 3-run homers, bases-clearing doubles , or even timely bloops despite what seems to be regular opportunities for the lower part of the lineup. With most of these at-bats seeming to fall to John Buck and Lucas Duda, one is acutely aware of the former’s severe dropoff after his blazing start and the latter’s propensity for restricting his power displays to times when the bases are empty.  It is clear that if the heart of the order is reasonably healthy with Wright and Murphy, the lungs and liver are showing signs of distress. Duda is still young enough and shows sufficient potential for me to want to see if he can step his game up as the season progresses, but to be frank, Buck is just killing them at this point.  As we likely won’t be seeing Travis D’Arnaud before rosters expand in September, I think Terry Collins would be better off running Anthony Recker out there three times a week if only to give Buck some much needed rest. Ultimately, what we need to see is another legitimate bat find its way into the order behind the 3-4 slots so that somebody starts knocking those runners in. The most obvious spot for this to happen is first base, so the clock is ticking as far as Ike and a possible non-tender later this year.

BULLPEN: Boy, is this getting to be a tired topic or what? Now that Dillon Gee has largely regained his form, the rotation has been one of the few strengths of the team. Still, even if you get a quality start on a regular basis, you can’t have the bullpen cough up a couple of runs as often as this one has and stand a chance of winning with the anemic offense just described. It might be overwork (certainly in the case of Scott Rice), but there are other flaws in the design of the Mets’ pen that can’t be traced strictly to frequency of use. One of these is the seeming inability to get a strikeout when it’s needed. Despite ranking 6^th in the league in relief innings pitched, the Mets’ pen is ranked next-to-last in strikeouts. The amount of contact permitted to the opposition has led to a bullpen ERA that is the highest in the league. Mr. Leathersich can’t get here soon enough, but in the meantime, reinforcements must be found in the form of anyone who can miss some bats for a change. I’m hoping that the return of Scott Atchison and possibly Pedro Feliciano can address this need to a degree, but clearly an emphasis on power arms is needed.

Looking farther ahead, if we anticipate a lineup that will eventually be bolstered by the addition of legitimate bats at catcher, the outfield, and first base (not too tall an order, eh?), and yet another makeover of the bullpen, the legitimate resources of the starting staff could be given a chance to make their presence felt in the form of ACTUAL WINS.  This ain’t gonna happen overnight, but I’d love to see something start happening soon.

(Photo Credit: Gordon Donovan)

David Wright has gained some ground on Pablo Sandoval according to the latest All Star voting update released by Major League Baseball this evening.

Last week, Sandoval had more than a 200,000 vote lead, but now Wright has narrowed that gap to just 126,403 votes.

The Mets have made an aggressive push to get the vote out, as has MMO and we are starting to make a big impact. There’s no question that Wright is the most deserving third baseman in the National League, and we should do everything we can to close the gap and get this done for one of our own!

Modest and humble as always, the Mets captain spoke out about the organization’s ambitious get-out-the-vote campaign and asked them to tone it down, saying:

“You appreciate what they’re trying to do, and they’re very good at it. But, at the same time, this is a team game. As much as I’d like to be here to represent this team in the All-Star Game, we can’t let this become an in-between inning, one-player production. Especially with the way that we’re playing as a team, I feel very uncomfortable being singled out for All-Star Game-type stuff.”

Wright’s a class act and it’s up to us to make sure he’s at third base when that first pitch is thrown during the 2013 All-Star Game at Citi Field on Tuesday, July 16.

Met fans can support Wright and the rest of the team by using this Official Online All Star Ballot until Thursday, July 4, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

*** Remember that you can vote up to 25 times, and you can cast 10 more votes just by registering with MLB.com.

The 2013 AL and NL All-Star teams will be unveiled on Sunday, July 7, on the 2013 MLB All-Star Game Selection Show, televised nationally on TBS.

#VOTEMETS

Is it me or has veteran broadcaster and baseball historian Bob Costas gone from beloved to just plain old bewildering over the last few years? He always seems to embroil himself in every controversy that comes around and not in a good way either… Sometimes he even likes to stir up his own controversies,,,

During a sports update on NBC this evening, they showed video of the Mets comeback 4-3 comeback win and the celebration that ensued at home plate following Kirk Nieuwenhuis’ walk-off homer at Citi Field. That prompted Costas to say the following:

“The Mets with four in the bottom of the ninth to win it, 4-3, and a team fourteen games under .500 celebrates as if it just won the seventh game of the World Series. Another indication of the ongoing decline of western civilization.”

Some Mets players took to Twitter to respond to Costas:

Jeremy Hefner: Hey Mr. Costas.. We will enjoy our wins!

David Aardsma: I love Bob Costas but are we supposed to roll over and die on the season? Or should we celebrate the excitement of a huge comeback?

Jim Malone: I respect Bob Costas as a broadcaster, but his comments today are a classic example of a non athlete not “getting it”

Costas’ snide remark also led to an official edict from Mets media guru Jay Horwitz:

Mets held team meeting in Atlanta tonight. Vowed no more on field celebrations after wins. Players will now yell quietly in lockers.

— Jay Horwitz (@Jay_HorwitzPR) June 17, 2013

Even retired Braves third baseman Chipper Jones chimed in and said:

“I’m thinking Mets fans will let Costas know about that little comment.”

I think Costas has lost that reverence he once held and has gotten too caught up in his own celebrity. He now spends hours with a makeup crew before each broadcast, who try desperately to make him look like hes still 30 when he’s actually 60.

Hey Bob, don’t tread on my Mets…

By the way, I’m well aware that many of us, including me, have had Chipper Jones on our Top 10 Most Hated Player list for almost two decades. But for the last 3-4 months, he has really gone out of his way to support the Mets as a team, or one of our players every chance he gets via social media.

I thought some of the things he said about Matt Harvey this season were very cool, and I thought it was classy of him to personally congratulate Zack Wheeler on Twitter last week when it was announced he was going to debut on Tuesday.

Maybe he’s not such a bad guy after all… Just a really, really, great player who used to kick our butts all the time while wearing an Atlanta Braves uniform…

The New York Mets came back from a three run deficit in the ninth to beat the Chicago Cubs 4-3 after a dramatic walk-off three run blast by Kirk Nieuwenhuis.

Things didn’t start off so good for the Mets as poor Jeremy Hefner was once again the victim of shoddy defense (2 errors) and no run support – a recurring theme now for the 27-year-old righthander. Hefner allowed just one earned run in the first and scattered six hits before being pulled for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the fifth. He struck out five and walked one in 5.0 innings, and lowered his ERA to 3.95 for the season – second only to Matt Harvey in the rotation.

What a comedy of errors for the Mets in the fifth as a David Wright throwing error followed by a Daniel Murphy throwing error allowed tw unearned runs to score. I though Terry Collins was going to puke – he looked pretty nauseous to me.

Carlos Torres made his Mets debut with two sharp innings in relief of Hefner, and David Aardsma followed up with a 1-2-3 eighth. Bobby Parnell pitched a perfect ninth and got the surprise win.

The Mets were just invisible on offense today against Matt Garza who absolutely owned them. The veteran righthander kept backing them off the plate throughout the entire game, pitching them inside and then getting them out on the outside corner. In seven innings he held the Mets to just three hits.

Here come the Mets…

With the Mets down to their last three outs, ol’ reliable Marlon Byrd, led off the ninth with his 11th home run of the season off reliever Carlos Marmol to get things started. A rattled Marmol then walked Lucas Duda and allowed a John Buck single to put the tying runs on base with nobody out.

After a successful bunt by Omar Quintanilla, up came the slumping Kirk Nieuwenhuis and BAM! Kirk crushes a slider over the right field wall and into the Pepsi Porch for a dramatic walk-off home run and an exciting 4-3 Father’s Day victory for the Mets… Wow!

If you had blinked, you would have missed the show because it all happened so fast.  Watch it again…

So the Mets were able to salvage the final game and avoid the sweep. Now they head to Atlanta for a big five game series that will have Dillon Gee starting things off on Monday night at 7:05 PM followed by Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler on Super Tuesday.

Great win… Lets Go Mets!

Las Vegas 11, Colorado Springs 5

How does one judge Rafael Montero‘s second start in AAA this season? Well, it was his first since his recent non-temporary call-up, and he was betrayed by his defense out there on Saturday night.

He pitched into the sixth inning, allowing seven hits and no walks, while striking out seven. All five runs were charged to him — but only one of them was earned. He pitched more than good enough for a win.

The third inning saw Greg Golson come around to score after reaching via fielding error. The other three errors on the board, including one by Montero himself, were committed in the fifth inning — which led to three unearned runs. His only earned run allowed was in the sixth, when he gave up back-to-back doubles. He was removed after 100 pitches, 70 of them being strikes, in favor of Justin Hampson. He struck out his last batter.

Sean Henn, Armando Rodriguez, Greg Peavey, and Hampson combined to finish the game without allowing any more runners to cross the plate — and just one hit between them.

Each Las Vegas 51s position player in the starting lineup Saturday had at least one hit and run scored in an 11-5 victory against visiting Colorado Springs at Cashman Field. The 51s’ 14-hit attack included four solo home runs — from Andrew Brown, Wilmer Flores, Zach Lutz and Rylan Sandoval. They scored three runs in the third, sixth and seventh innings.

Key Stats

Brian Bixler: 2-for-3, 2 RBI, 1 R

Andrew Brown: 1-for-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R

Ike Davis: 1-for-4, 1 BB, 1 RBI, 1 R

Wilmer Flores: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 RBI, 1 R

Zach Lutz: 3-for-4, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R

Rylan Sandoval: 1-for-1, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R

Rafael Montero: 5.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K

Chicago Cubs vs New York Mets

Citi Field, Flushing • 1:10 PM

RHP Matt Garza (1-1, 6.26) vs RHP Jeremy Hefner (1-6, 4.11)

Starting Lineup

1. Jordany Valdespin – 2B
2. Daniel Murphy – 1B
3. David Wright – 3B
4. Marlon Byrd – RF
5. Lucas Duda – LF
6. John Buck – C
7. Omar Quintanilla – SS
8. Kirk Nieuwenhuis – CF
9. Jeremy Hefner – RHP

Game Notes

The Mets haven’t scored more than five runs at home in their last 25 games (since April 25). It’s the third-longest streak in team history, behind a pair of 26-game stretches (1968, 1979).

Jeremy Hefner’s 4.11 ERA ranks second among Mets starters, and he’s allowed only one earned run in each of his last two starts. He also hasn’t had a non-quality start since May 18 — which came against the Cubs.

Third baseman David Wright flied out to the warning track in left in his third plate appearance on Saturday, snapping a career-high-tying streak of reaching in nine straight plate appearances. Wright, five hits shy of 1,500 for his career, is batting .455 with two homers in his last eight games, five of which have been multi-hit efforts.

Carlos Torres exercised a clause in his contract which essentially forced the Mets to promote him to the majors. The Mets had 48 hours to either promote or release Torres after he exercised the clause on Friday. Greg Burke was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas, while Collin McHugh was designated for assignment to make room for Torres on the 40-man roster.

Ike Davis was 1-for-4 with a walk, RBI and two strikeouts Saturday night for Las Vegas. He is bating .211 since his demotion.

Mets players will be wearing blue wristbands and blue ribbon uniform decals today to raise awareness for the Prostate Cancer Foundation…New york is 26-32 all-time on Father’s Day, including 1-2 vs. the Cubs.

Game Preview

The Mets try to redeem themselves today as they play the Cubs after dropping the first two games in the series. Yesterday Jon Niese fumbled through his start but left the team in a position where (under normal circumstances with a lineup that can string together hits into runs) a team could still win. That didn’t happen as the bullpen took a misstep, widened the lead and the Mets offense faded into the distance. Today Jeremy Hefner, making another audition to stay in the rotation when Wheeler arrives, faces off against Matt Garza.

Hefner has been a nice surprise on the team this season. Don’t let the 1-6 record fool you, he has been putting in work this season (sorry, I’m with my students too much and it’s changing my vernacular). Over 13 games he has pitched 70.0 innings with a 4.11 ERA walking 22 batters and striking out 51. In his last four games he has pitched to the tune of a 2.52 ERA over 25.0 innings with 21 strikeouts.His last poor start was against the Cubs where he allowed 4 ER over 4.0 innings of work. The Cubs have the following numbers against him:

Schierholtz 2-6
Castro 0-4
Rizzo 1-3
Soriano 1-1, 2B, 2 HBP
Barney 0-2

The Mets bats go up against Garza who is 1-1 over 5 starts and 27.1 innings of work while posting a 6.26 ERA. This is mostly due to his last outing where he allowed 9 ER in 5.0 innings. He wasn’t pitching yet this season when the Mets went to Chicago. The last time the Mets met up with Garza was back in 2011 where he allowed 3 ER in 7.0 innings of work. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

Buck 3-12, 2 2B
Byrd 4-11, 2 HR
Duda 0-3
Wright 0-3
Turner 0-1

Lets Go Mets!

David Wright reached base in a career high-tying nine consecutive plate appearances after walking and hitting a run scoring double in his first two trips to the plate yesterday. He also accomplished the feat, August 23-24, 2005. Wright had six singles, a double and two walks during his streak.

Since June 5, the Mets third baseman is hitting .441 (15-34) with five runs scored, three doubles, two home runs and six RBI over a span of eight games. His on-base percentage during that span is .500 and he has multi-hit games in five of those eight contests.

Wright is five hits shy of 1,500 for his career. He already is the franchise holder for career hits. He would become the 30th active player to collect 1,500 hits, but of the previous 29 players only six have collected 1,500 hits with their current team (Derek Jeter, Todd Helton, Paul Konerko, Jimmy Rollins, David Ortiz and Robinson Cano).

Some of my greatest memories with my father have revolved around sports. High-fiving eachother after witnessing an Islanders overtime win at the Nassau Coliseum. Sitting on the LIRR on our way to the Giants ticker-tape parade while my dad called me in sick to school; the attendance secretary not buying it for a minute. Nearly getting our heads taken off by a Skip Schumaker foul ball at Camden Yards. There are so many great memories around some of our favorite sports, yet none of them involved going to a Mets game together.

At least that was until earlier this season, when on April 1st, 2013–Opening Day–the two of us finally got out to the ballpark together, in a day I’ll never forget.

I have gone to my fair share of games, but it had always been with friends, or with groups or covering games for MMO. My father and I had always planned and promised each other that we would go to a Mets game together, but something would come up on my end or on his and we just kept putting off going.

This past year was my first year of college at Seton Hall in New Jersey, leaving my father as the last man standing in a house full of women. To keep in touch–and to keep my dad sane–I called home almost every night. Being away at school made me appreciate the time I had at home with my family.

It was March 1st, the morning that tickets first went on sale for the upcoming 2013 season. I decided that this was going to be the year. I called my dad from my dorm room and told him that we were going to a Mets game this season, and not just any game, but Opening Day, an occasion neither of us had ever attended.

I skipped my history class–history? That’s so yesterday–and sat in my bed, avidly refreshing my laptop until the clock struck ten. I snagged two severely overpriced tickets, way up in the nosebleeds for Opening Day, but I couldn’t have cared if I was being seated in Lot C. It was official, for the first time I was going to be cheering on the Mets on Opening Day with my dad at my side. I was so excited I wrote a post about it for MMO.

The Mets found out about our story and got in contact with me, telling me nothing more than to meet them outside Citi Field on Opening Day for a “little surprise” they had for me and my dad, only adding to the anticipation of that amazing day.

Finally, April 1st came, the last day of my spring break and the first of the baseball season. I had already laid out my jersey and packed my bag the night before. I hardly got any sleep and was up well before the sun.

We arrived at Citi Field around 10am and headed over to Randy Medina from ReadTheApple’s tailgate, where we were treated to hotdogs, burgers and countless tales from different fans of their favorite Mets moments, not to mention plenty of corny Cowgill puns from Randy.

After a quick run-in with Ed Leyro, The Coop, Joey and the whole bear gang, we were greeted with our Mets Opening Day “surprise”. A lovely women with the Mets introduced herself and spoke with us for a few minutes. At one point I made a comment about how we’d be sitting way up in the 500′s, to which she replied “well then, I think you’ll be very happy with these”. She pulled out two tickets and handed them to me. I took the tickets, thanked her and left.

As we started to get in line at the main gate, I looked down at the tickets, and almost fainted. Unable to speak, I started smacking my father on the arm and pointing to the tickets to which he irritably quipped ‘What?’. I finally spat out, ‘Dad, this isn’t our entrance.’ and pointed toward the Gil Hodges entrance; the VIP entrance. As I looked at my stub for the fifteenth time, my eyes starting to well up, I was in utter disbelief.

That “little surprise”, was front row seats on the third base side for Opening Day.

As we were escorted down to our seats and told to “enjoy the game”, my father and I just continued to look around, still not believing what was happening. We must have looked at each other 100 times like ‘can you believe this?!’ before we finally asked someone to take our picture.

Typically, one of the most difficult things to do is to get my father to smile normally for a picture. I sometimes resort to whispering something inappropriate to get him to laugh right before the camera flashes. However, when we got down to our seats and had our photo taken, at that moment, he was smiling ear-to-ear; we both were.

The field was beautiful, the stadium was dressed to the nines for the inaugural game of the 2013 season. I got Chase Headley’s autograph, watched batting practice and took a number of pictures for MMO’s live blog (including all the pictures in this post). When the game started, we realized just how close we were to David Wright. Niese had a nice curveball working, and Wright was feeling frisky on the basepaths as he would steal two on the day and at the time lead the majors in swipes.

In the second, third and fourth, the Mets lineup exploded. Ruben Tejada was safe at third and new-Mets backstop John Buck slid on home with the first run of the season. The hits just kept coming before they blew it open in the fourth with a three spot.

Then came the big one. The bases were loaded. After Jordany Valdespin forced out Kirk Nieuwenhuis at home, Collin Cowgill stepped up and clobbered a 2-2 pitch into the left field corner. Despite being 6’5″, I stood up on the railing to see the ball over the crowd. Assuming it was a grand slam, my dad and I immediately hugged one another and started screaming at the top of our lungs; I had never heard Citi Field so electric. It wasn’t until we saw Cowgill stop at third that we knew that there was any question to the legitimacy of the blast. The third base umpire waved him home as he completed the grand salami, putting the Mets on top a massive 11-2, which would go on to be the final. Somewhere around here, I thought, Randy is screaming “More Cowgill!”

As the game ended, everyone left in smiles; the Mets just won! As we shuffled through the sunflower seed shells and soda cups on our way out, I couldn’t help but feel the same remorse I always do that the game was over when leaving the ballpark. It was then that it occurred to me that this was my dad’s first time at Citi Field, he hadn’t been to a game since I had been born.

Evading the herds of people funneling out to the parking lot, I gave him a speed-tour of the ballpark including Kiddie Field, the Shea Bridge, the Jackie Robinson Rotunda and the Mets Hall-of-Fame. We got but five steps out of the Rotunda before it started pouring rain, forcing us into a dead sprint as we raced to the car. We passed by the markers of the bases from Shea and I continued my tour by hollering ‘there’s first base!’, ‘there’s home plate!’, as we hurried to the Jeep. Now caught in monsoon and saturated from the Flushing precipitation, we headed out to New Jersey so I could be dropped back at school.

The next morning I got a text message from my father telling me how much he enjoyed going and that he can’t wait to go again. It wasn’t until later on that I found out that my dad never got to go to a game with my grandfather. It hit me how fortunate I was to be able to experience a ballgame with him, as there are plenty of people like my dad who weren’t able to do so with theirs.It was such a special day made even better by the Mets incredible surprise for us on our first time out to ballpark together. 

So the Amazin’s aren’t so Amazin’ this year, sometimes baseball is more than wins and losses. The 2013 New York Metropolitans will always be special to me because I got to step right up and greet the Mets alongside my dad.

Happy Father’s Day!