The street I live on is a fairly quiet residential one lane road. Three miles to the south it meanders up into the foothills that look down on the valley. It gives way to an expansive residence, the proverbial mansion on the hill. At night, the home is illuminated in a sea of blackness. There’s nothing close by and the property seems big enough to warrant its own zip code. On many Saturday nights, I [...]

Anyone out there remember Ray Sadecki? He was a starter/reliever for the Mets from 1970-1974 and was the kind of pitcher the Mets could actually use right now because of his effectiveness in that role. They could have also used Sadecki in 2007 or 2008, which is when I chose his name on the LoHud blog when John Delcos was running the site before Howard Megdal. Those two seasons will always be remembered for how [...]

You know that feeling when Scott Rice walked the first two batters in the 8th inning yesterday with the Mets clinging to a 2 run lead? Kind of a helpless sense of doom and despair where you can’t bear to watch? With a little help from Jayson Werth the result didn’t turn out like so many other late-inning debacles have, but as I exhaled and wiped the sweat from my forehead it got me thinking [...]

You can learn a lot about a baseball team from its locker room. The clubhouse is where relationships form, character is revealed and leaders speak out (or not). For the major league rookie, clubhouse real estate is valuable — sometimes priceless. Imagine being the rookie who spent eight months out of the year next to Sandy Koufax? Roberto Clemente? Lou Gehrig? Tom Seaver? These were model athletes, wise and humble men, who used their talent [...]

When I first heard rumbling during Spring Training that pitching phenom prospect Jenrry Mejia may be brought up with the big club to make Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya look good…erm, uh…I mean of course to get Mejia adjusted to major league hitting, well, I was dead set against the idea.  See, while the Mets have traditionally played in a pitcher-friendly dimensional park and have had a rich pitching history, their history of handling prospects [...]

The Arizona Diamondbacks have come to terms with reliever, Bob Howry, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic [Hat tip MLB Trade Rumors]. Terms of the deal are not immediately available, however it includes an option for the 2011 season and is rumored to be worth somewhere in the ball park of $2 million to $3 million. Last season with the San Francisco Giants, the Arizona native appeared in 63 games and pitched to an [...]

A recap of today’s hot stove news. According to Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com, the Cubs have traded Aaron Heilman to the Diamondbacks for prospect LHP Scott Maine and 1B Ryne White. Heilman finished 2009 with a 4.11 ERA and 1.41 WHIP in 70 relief appearances. The Cubs may have also found a suitor for outfielder Milton Bradley. Bob Nightengale reported that the Tampa Bay Rays are close to acquiring the problematic, but talented outfielder. [...]

Before the injuries started mounting, before the fielding and mental errors began to grow, the Mets’ front office made another error.  This error happened in the offseason and it was made by Omar Minaya.  The Mets could have acquired Jason Marquis from the Cubs for practically nothing and didn’t pull the trigger. First, as reported by Dan Graziano in the Star-Ledger,  the Mets could have sent much-beleaguered reliever Aaron Heilman to the Cubs for Marquis.  [...]

As the Mets venture South to Philly this weekend following a less-than-stellar beginning to their season, I thought it might brighten some peoples’ day by pointing out what occurred last night in Chicago. The Cubs and Marlins were locked in a 2-2 tie going into the 10th. In walks Aaron Heilman.  Heilman did not record an out, and gave up three hits, two walks and six runs. Flashbacks anyone? Up until last night, Heilman was [...]

It feels so good to have baseball back again. I have to admit it was a pretty long and boring offseason for Met fans, especially when we were left with the memory of that awful game 7 in our heads! Blah! They say the best thing to do after you fall off your horse, is to get back on again. Well, unfortunately for Met fans, the season ended and we haven’t been able to get back [...]