The owner is obviously wealthy, a multi-millionaire probably hundreds of times over. One thing I can say is that I don’t feel sorry for the guy.

Therefore, why do I feel sorry for another multi-millionaire named David Wright?

This year David will earn $16 million. If he plays every game this season, he will earn in one afternoon more than most of us earn in an entire year: $98,765. If he plays every single inning of every single game, David will make $10,974 per inning! But yet, I actually feel bad for the man.

David’s a stand-up guy. He’s been the face of the franchise for almost a decade now and will continue to be. He’s a clean cut athlete who stays out of trouble and is never caught up in scandalous headlines or PED rumors. He’s the type of ballplayer you can have your kids look up to. After a tough loss, it’s David who sits in front of his locker and patiently answers all the repetitive questions hurled at him from reporters. While most of his teammates head off to the showers and refuse to talk to the media, David does his job by helping the media do theirs.

He has all the similar traits of another much loved and revered Met by the name of Tom Seaver.

David Wright is only 30 and has already solidified his spot as the best all-around hitter in team history. Safe to say, he will break every team record by the time he leaves. He may also surpass Ed Kranepool as the longest tenured Met.

And this past winter, Sandy Alderson, to his credit, did lock up #5 for the long term. While I do applaud Alderson’s decision and thank David for his loyalty to the blue and orange, I still find myself feeling a bit sorry for him. I feel sorry that he drank Alderson’s Kool-Aid.

Athletes, like the rest of us, want to earn as much money as possible. Unlike Mike Hampton, who accepted an exorbitant salary from the Rockies and claimed his reason for going to Colorado was for the better school system, David is a class act.

The Mets GM tells us we are rebuilding. That it will take 3-5 years. By that time, David will be in his mid 30’s, his most productive years behind him. Yes, money is important, but to a professional athlete winning is more important than money. You cant buy a World Series ring.

Ty Cobb, the greatest hitter ever, never got to win a World Series. Ted Williams would have probably given up that .406 in 1941 for even the opportunity to appear in the Fall Classic.

While I applaud David’s loyalty (I never thought he’d stay), I wonder if he regrets his decision. Let’s be honest. No one is expecting a World Series flag flying over Citi Field anytime soon. Hell, no one’s even expecting us to be competitive in the foreseeable future.

I’m reminded of a little known pitcher named Ed Lynch. Lynch was mostly a spot-starter for the hapless Mets in the early 80’s. From 81-85, Lynch tossed 708 IP and posted a respectable 3.74 era. He was a workhorse who was 38-40 for a team that was far under .500. He was here as the Mets rebuilt. He was teammates with the likes of Lee Mazzilli, Hubie Brooks and John Pacella. Lynch was injured coming into the 1986 season and on June 30, after 6 years of service and just 4 months before the Mets won it all, Lynch was traded to the Cubs for the unforgettable Dave Liddell and Dave Lenderman. (who???) Ed Lynch missed all the fun.

Will this same fate meet David Wright? By the time the Mets are competitive, Wright may very well be expendable, his best days behind him.

I also fret about the boo birds. In spite of David’s stellar career and now being named Captain even he has not been without his critics. It’s been implied that he needs to be a leader on the field as well. I, too, would like to see him assume that leadership role, a la Keith Hernandez. But simply, some guys are not made that way. They don’t have that genetic makeup. And that’s not a slam on him. Cooperstown is filled with players who were not ‘team leaders.’ But yet, now that David is making $98,765 per game, will he be unfairly expected to assume that role?

His stats over the last 4 years (09-12)  are still respectable. But they do fall short of the numbers he put up the previous 4 seasons (05-08.)

As the Mets “rebuild,” one can’t help but wonder if David’s numbers will continue to suffer. It’s very likely there won’t be anyone at the top of the batting order he can bring home. And very little protection behind him. In 2012, David’s line was 307-21-93. Solid stats. But even if he manages to repeat those respectable numbers, are those the type of stats that, along with not being a team leader, warrant $16 million?

David is a much loved Met. No doubt about that. But as we will stumble our way through another season, as the dog days of summer drag on, as attendance drops and our big battle will be beating Miami to stay out of the cellar, I wonder if Wright may unfairly be booed. It seems like there’s always a fall guy, someone to blame, be it Willie Randolph, Aaron Heilman, coaches, even trainers.

So, to David Wright, I thank you. Thanks for being a stand-up guy. Thanks for remaining loyal to the blue and orange. Thanks for not being all about the money and giving Alderson a chance.

He may wind up like Cobb and never win a World Series. Or Williams and never get to play in one. But hey, think of the bright side. Maybe 20 years from now the #5 will be in a circle on the outfield wall alongside #41.

Maybe…

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 we collapsed and needed to rely upon the likes of Brian Lawrence getting starts and Aaron Heilman and his cohorts blowing game after game in the bullpen.

Tonight Jeremy Hefner delivered a brilliant performance and needed the bullpen to preserve his shutout heading into the ninth. Unfortunately, things unravelled and his solid start went into the loss column.

This wasn’t the first time that Hefner was let down by his bullpen. Usually, the kid is done after five or six innings and he’s had to get 3-4 innings out of his pen. It was the perfect assignment for a true longman, but alas the Mets don’t have a true longman. In fact the Mets have not had one since Darren Oliver in 2006.

Now back to Ray. He was signed as a 19 year old bonus baby by the Cardinals in 1959 and won 20 games for them during their 1964 championship season.

In 1965, Sadecki’s record plummeted to 6–15 and his earned run average skyrocketed to 5.21. On May 8, 1966 he was traded to the San Francisco Giants for Orlando Cepeda. In 1967 he went 12–6 with a career-best 2.78 ERA and he followed that up with another solid campaign 1968 when he posted a 2.91 ERA but with a 12–18 record, the 18 losses tying him with Claude Osteen for the the most losses in the majors.

After a 5–8 record as a spot starter in 1969, Ray Sadecki was again traded, this time to the New York Mets.

In 1973 Sadecki pitched for the Mets’ National League champions who, like the 1964 Cardinals before them, unexpectedly won the pennant, trailing by as many as nine games behind the Chicago Cubs and winning the National League East title on the final weekend. (Coincidentally, four years earlier the Mets, prior to unexpectedly winning the World Series, had also won the division title by jumping past the Cubs.)

Sadecki pitched as a “swingman” for the Amazins’, appearing both as a relief pitcher and spot starter in a rotation that boasted Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Jon Matlack and was instrumental in helping the Mets win the division.

He pitched four of the seven games of the World Series, which the Mets ultimately lost to the Oakland Athletics, and earned the save in Game Four.

In his 18-year career, Sadecki won 135 games against 131 losses, with a 3.78 ERA and 1,614 strikeouts in 2,500 innings pitched.

I always appreciated Sadecki’s dual role with the Mets and realized the value of having someone like that in the bullpen. It’s not a sexy or glamorous role, but in today’s game the best teams all have a solid longman.

All the good Mets teams of the past have all had had a guy Sadecki in the bullpen. Remember Pat Mahomes in 1999-2000? And let’s not forget Roger McDowell In the mid-eighties who seemingly did it all as long man, set up man and even closer.

The versatility of a reliever like Oliver, Mahomes, McDowell and Sadecki may seem unimportant to some in the grand scheme of things. But in this age of relief specialists and one at-bat relievers, a workhorse reliever who can do whatever the team needs, is an integral part of any good bullpen.

JAYSON WERTH WHIFFS: Sit your ass down, sucker!

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 about the psychological effects of these recurring meltdowns.

Lets consider for a moment a couple of researchers who tortured some dogs for the sake of behavioral science. Like Pavlov only more twisted … they conditioned these animals to expect an electric shock after they heard a tone. Initially the dogs would leap and jerk and look for escape in an attempt to avoid the shock, but after a while the dogs became conditioned to the stimulus and quit trying to avoid it. Once the animals were thus acclimated, the researchers observed that even when the animals were presented with a lowered wall in their boxes they made no attempt to jump over it. Even with a clear avenue of escape, they did nothing to avoid the shock. The researchers were Martin Seligman and Steven F. Maier, who went on to develop a theory they called “Learned Helplessness.”

Now lets look at an unpleasant set of random shocks that the Mets have experienced over the past six seasons:

September 27, 2007

After a 3-0 loss to the Saint Louis Cardinals the Mets are tied with the Phillies atop their division. Between the beginning of their September 14th series against the Phillies and the start of last night’s game against Saint Louis, Mets relievers have given up 30 earned runs for a 6.54 ERA. The Mets are 4 and 10 in their last 14 games.

September 21. 2008

With 7 games to go and the Mets clinging to a shot at the post season, Aaron Heilman gives up a two-run double to Martin Prado that gave the Braves a 7-4 lead rendering Carlos Delgado‘s two-run home run in the ninth inning irrelevant. It was the 16^th blown save since the All-Star break.

August 21, 2011

After another masterful performance by R.A. Dickey, Manny Acosta walks Nyjer Morgan to start the inning. With runners on first and third and two runs in, Tim Byrdak is brought in to pitch to Prince Fielder who hits a routine double play ball to second base. Justin Turner makes a wide throw on the double play attempt as the winning run crosses the plate. The Mets fall to 6 games under .500.

July 18, 2012

With the Mets only 5 games out of the wild card, Miguel Batista in relief of Chris Young comes in and gets two quick outs. He then allows two singles to Jesus Flores and Roger Bernadina before allowing a 2-run double to Steve Lombardozzi putting the Nationals ahead 4-1. Riding a 6 game losing streak the Mets bullpen ranks last in the Majors with a 5.03 ERA.

April 18, 2013

The Mets are swept in a weather-shortened three game set in Denver as Met relievers give up 18 runs to the Rockies.

April 20, 2013

After coming back from three runs down in the 4^th inning to take a 5 – 3 lead, the Mets bullpen gives up 4 runs as the Nationals win 7 – 6 on a Saturday game following an inspiring win by Matt Harvey.  The Met bullpen has given up 28 earned runs so far this season. As of this writing the Mets have the worst bullpen ERA in baseball.

No escape … Learned Helplessness.

The “D” adjectives keep coming … disheartening, demoralizing, deflating … Met fans have been stuck in a perpetual electro-shock holding pattern for the greater part of a decade owing primarily to this organization’s persistent inability to construct even a league average bullpen. We know this, we’ve been over this ad nauseam … the above list is just a sampling, there were other grueling losses, too many to list.

In May of 1978, Diener and Dweck published a fascinating analysis of Learned Helplessness in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in which they concluded that helpless children showed marked decrements in performance when put in situations where they failed, whereas children who were oriented to mastery focused more on self-monitoring and self-instruction. The study looked specifically at the attribution of failure in these learners. It was posited that for helpless children (their “helplessness” was based on how they perceived the tasks), failure was internalized and attributed to a lack of ability (even when that wasn’t necessarily the case), while mastery oriented children tended to engage in more positive behaviors following a failed attempt.

Learners who are conditioned to fail, show performance decrements with each failure. They give up, they stop trying, even when subsequently presented with tasks that are well within their ability, they stumble. Like the dogs in the electrified pens, they neglect to look for a solution, they acquiesce to their condition.

Baseball players are only human and they reflect the same patterns of response to failure that any of us might, but bullpen meltdowns are unlike other kinds of failures in some very important ways. They tend to be games that were “in the bag” at some point – which is to say many other aspects of the team’s play (namely starting pitching and offense) were successful for the greater part of the contest. The team played well, the team should have won, but the game unraveled somehow at the very end. These losses are gut punches to morale, exasperating in that they reinforce a sense of helplessness … no matter how well you play, no matter how many runs you drive in or how well your starting pitcher performs, you become conditioned to believing that the bullpen will find a way to give it up.

Players can only suffer through so many games of this sort before they stop investing their heart and soul into a game’s outcome – if only to preserve their sanity. You might call it developing a thick skin, letting failure bounce off of you, turning the page — there are lots of clichés to describe moving past failure — but, in the end, acclimating to failure increases the likelihood that it will recur. As shown in the study above, failure itself can be toxic — individuals conditioned to fail show decrements in performance relative to individuals oriented towards success even when their ability levels are commensurate.

This should not be confused with the notion that a good reliever has to have the temerity to ignore the occasional bad performance … that trait is advanced by the innate confidence that the reliever will return to his successful norm. The above has more to do with players who experience repeated failure, and thus begin to expect it.

Take two kids of equal ability who are learning to play shortstop. With player one you hit 20 hard smashes always just out of his reach. Then you bounce 20 routine grounders to player two. Follow that up by giving both players an identical set of grounders at a variety of difficulty levels and you will find that the player conditioned to failure is likely to make more errors than the player who handled the easy grounders. This is why coaches like to end sessions with a few successful reps.

Over the past few seasons the Mets have been conditioned to the late inning (and the late season) collapse. Beyond the hard work and talent unquestionably necessary to reverse this malaise of the spirit, this team needs individuals who refuse to turn the page, individuals who do not accept the loss. Sometimes all it takes is one guy. In 1967 it was Tom Seaver, perhaps Matt Harvey can act as this sort of catalyst in 2013. We need more Matt Harveys, we need players who refuse to acquiesce to failure.

But you absolutely have to have a bullpen that will hold it’s own and prevent these recurring gut-wrenching morale-killing failure-conditioning losses, because one thing is certain, you can only take so many late inning meltdowns before the dog decides to just stay in the box.

Danny Frisella and Tug McGraw were in heated competition for fame and fortune from the outset of the 1972 season. The late Gil Hodges remembers both pitchers begging for their manager to pick them when he signaled to the bullpen. If Frisella was selected, and won the game, McGraw would give Frisella the “cold shoulder.” If McGraw got the nod (and won) Frisella would mimic the gesture.

There is no evidence whether or not the Mets clubhouse manager made an intentional effort to put Frisella and McGraw side-by-side in the locker room, but their adjoining lockers created more fun and competition. The two Mets pitchers would sometimes switch the locker nameplates to appear that the other won the game.

While Frisella and McGraw jockeyed for their manager’s affection, that same season a rookie named Jon Matlack was granted locker space between Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman. Matlack was named 1972 Rookie of the Year, winning 15 of his 32 starts. He compiled 244 innings pitched, eight complete games and a skinny 2.32 ERA. Coincidence? Possibly. Seaver will tell you, for certain, it meant nothing then and means nothing now.

“Where you lockered really wasn’t that important,” Seaver told the New York Times in 2008. “It didn’t make any difference. Just your own little space; it could have been anywhere.”

For Seaver, locker space was irrelevant. It was a place – and space – where he took out his frustrations after a poor start. “When I make a mistake and beat myself with a bad pitch, then I get kicking mad and go after stools and water buckets,” Seaver told People Magazine.

Other times, Seaver used his locker as a prop. After getting off to a slow start in 1974, a Mets beat writer asked him if he had lost his fastball. Seaver paused, then started rummaging in his locker muttering, “Where are you, fastball? Are you in there somewhere?”

Seaver didn’t need sabermetrics to figure out the 1975 New York Mets were in for a long year. The Mets, a team renowned for their pitching stock, found themselves lacking. That spring, Seaver sat on a stool in front of his locker and looked up at the adjoining lockers. SEAVER. KOOSMAN, MATLACK.

Who are the rest of these guys? Seaver thought. “That’s Nos. 1, 2 and 3. Where are 4 and 5?” He rolled his eyes in frustration.

He knew, if something doesn’t change (and it didn’t), the Mets would not compete. The Mets were within four games of the lead in the National League East on September 1, 1975; then the bottom fell out on the season. They finished in third place 10 ½ games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Seaver’s real estate at Shea Stadium was the site where many of the organizations proudest moments were celebrated. He sprayed champagne over the heads of his teammates in 1969 from that “little space.” Seaver helped the Mets win another National League title from that hole in the wall. He encouraged and mentored Matlack, Jackson Todd, Bob Myrick, George Stone and many others within earshot.

In one respect Seaver is right; a locker isn’t important. There’s nothing glamorous about an athlete’s locker. It’s literally a hole in the wall. For the common man, a locker is a lot like an office cubicle, a place to store your personal effects while you go take care of business. But, location is valuable, sometimes educational.

“I learned an awful lot from having my locker room stuck between Koosman and Seaver,” said Matlack. “”It was a very, very good location to be in.”

Seaver’s locker was physically unique, well, maybe for its modesty. Former Mets beat writer Marty Noble described the space this way: “there was no locker to the immediate left, just a three-foot-wide panel. A trash can was placed there.” Seaver’s “little space” was nondescript. Seaver, himself, was so Seaver was so impervious to his surroundings that, to this day, he is unsure whether he had the now famous locker space his rookie year of 1967.

Over time, Seaver’s locker took on a life of its own. After he we traded in June 1977, Bud Harrelson asked if he could move in. Not happening, said Mets equipment manager Herb Norman. The locker would be assigned to Seaver’s successor, Pat Zachry.

Seaver returned home, and to his “little space” in 1983, then, Ron Darling assumed the space from 1984-1991, followed by David Cone (July 1991-August 1992), John Franco (1992-2003), Steve Trachsel (2004-2006) and Aaron Heilman (2007).

“That locker did have history; more than any other in that place,” said Franco. “Nobody made the kind of history here that Tom Seaver made. It doesn’t matter how long anyone had it, it was always Seaver’s.”

“It doesn’t matter [who preceded Seaver],” added Darling. “It’s his.”

In some ballparks, because of some professional athletes, lockers can become hallowed ground. When Lou Gehrig died, his locker was sealed and sent to Cooperstown. Before Shea Stadium was demolished after the 2008 season, Seaver’s locker was preserved and put on the block for a cool $41,000.

That’s some valuable real estate.

In 1984, the New York Mets were on the rise. Jesse Orosco and Doug Sisk anchored the Mets bullpen on the field, roommates off the field and lived out of adjoining lockers during the team’s championship run in the 80s.

“We’re just a couple of ordinary guys who get along, and have no professional jealousy,” said Sisk. “We’re both fairly serious, but we have different personalities. But we’re not rivals. You can’t be rivals. It won’t work.”

When it does work, the team benefits – at least that’s what Mets manager Terry Collins hopes will happen by placing Zack Wheeler and Matt Harvey side-by-side in Port St. Lucie. Collins told the media he intentionally put Harvey, 23, and Wheeler, 22, at adjoining lockers to give Wheeler the opportunity to ask questions and “soak up” the experience like Harvey did last season.

“Having lockers next to each other, we’re both baseball players who have the same mindset,” said Harvey. “Getting along, I don’t think, is going to be very tough.”

Wheeler has prime real estate in Port St. Lucie. Like Harvey in 2012, he will receive a valuable education a lot by watching and listening. Harvey described the experience as “eye-opening.” Last spring he watched Johan Santana, R.A. Dickey, Jonathon Niese and Dillon Gee prepare for a major league baseball season.

“That’s something that I’ve never seen,” Harvey told ESPN.com. “Watching the preparation that those guys had in order to throw 200 innings … Sometimes it’s stepping back and realizing, ‘Hey, this is a long process. Throwing until the end of September is a long time from now.’”

Let’s be honest here, Harvey is still learning too. Collins hopes the location will be the seed to a long-term successful relationship between his two future stars.

Spring Training, which officially starts today, is always an intriguing place for reporters to take stock in how and where players are positioned. The nameplates begin to disappear as February turns to March and the minor league players are dispatched for reassignment. The last days of March mark the time for final cuts. The veteran invited to spring training is playing his heart out and biting their nails in one corner of the clubhouse while the fresh-faced 20-something is bouncing off the walls hoping this will be his year.

As Opening Day creeps closer, locker room real estate values will increase.

When it was obvious that Mejia wasn’t quite working out well and his talents weren’t being fully utilized in the majors, thank goodness Mets management saw the error in their ways and sent him back down to work on his endurance in the minors.  Most recently, he was sent to the minors, had “shoulder soreness,” now scratched with “rotator cuff strain,” but should be back and working on his stamina in no time.

(Jenrry Mejia photo credit to Sharon Chapman)

However, it did make me think of a former Mets pitching prospect whom the Mets mistreated, misjudged then quickly cast aside when it no longer suited them.  I hoped that Mejia would not go that route and it looks like he won’t, thank goodness.

That pitcher I speak of, though, is Aaron Heilman.  Aaron “F” Heilman, as some have taken to calling him in the Mets lexicon.

By now, most of you are aware that Heilman, a former University of Notre Dame pitcher, has been recently tapped to be the closer for the Arizona Diamondbacks.  In typical Coop fashion, I joked that it might be better for the D-Backs to “just forfeit.”

My joking wasn’t so much a reflection on Heilman’s abilities.  To this day, I truly believe that the Mets destroyed his chances of being taken seriously as a starter, which he had shown many times he had the goods to be, and is being groomed to be in a position that his psyche will not be able to handle.

My philosophy with Heilman is this: his psyche was more tailored to be a starter.  When he comes into a game in the first inning, there are zeroes across the board.  If he gives up a three-run home run, say, in the second inning, guess what?  There are probably at least four more innings the team can make that up to him.  If he’s coming into a game with two out, two on and the tying run at the plate, well…we all know too well what would happen in those instances with Heilman.  There’s less of a margin of error, therefore causing a more pressure-filled situation.

My point is, as a starter, which the Mets were convinced he would not serve in, he was not as bad as some people would think.

Friend-of-Coop and Mets blogger Joe Janish from Mets Today has been an unabashed supporter of Heilman.  I remember quite distinctly when he and I were having an off-the-cuff conversation where he said he believed Heilman was one of the best pitchers in the National League.  When I scoffed at the notion, I was pretty much brainwashed the way most of us Mets fans were, regarding Heilman’s development.  HE ONLY HAS TWO PITCHES!!! HE IS MORE VALUABLE AS A RELIEVER!  HE DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH PITCHES TO GO A FULL GAME.  Etc, etc.

Not so.  Janish, in my estimation, is not just a Heilman proponent but has done extensive research on the pitches he did have (Janish is also a player/coach, so I do tend to take his baseball critiques seriously).  In an email exchange we had where I asked him to summarize Heilman’s pitches, Janish writes: “He always threw a hard sinking, good moving fastball, an outstanding changeup, and an above-average slider.  His ‘changeup’ was actually two pitches — an ‘OK’ change that moved away from LH hitters and a forkball that sunk straight down that he used mostly vs. RH hitters.  And his ‘fastball’ includes a straight four-seamer, a sinker that goes in on RH hitters’ hands, and a tailing two-seamer that runs away from RHs/into LHs.  But as a reliever he pretty much focused on three of those pitches.”

In one of my favorite blog posts on Heilman written ever, Janish disputes some of the Heilman myths, circa 2007.  The big four included: Heilman is more valuable to the team as a reliever than a starter; Heilman does not have good numbers as a starter; Heilman doesn’t throw enough pitches to be a starter (see above where he explained that myth away); and Heilman is a selfish whiner with a bad attitude.  Now for the arguments set above, we see that as a reliever, he wasn’t able to use most of his pitches or get into a groove using them, so that ties into him not being able to throw enough pitches to be a starter.

What was also interesting is that up to 2007, his numbers as a starter were pretty solid, at least in the small sample set enough to give him a whirl or more of a chance than the Mets actually did:

7 GS/ 42 IP / 34 K / 12BB / 4.37 ERA / 1.19 WHIP / 2-3 record / 1 CG (SH)

Not atrocious as the media or the Mets brass would have you think.  Not phenomenal either…but decent enough to be a strong back of the rotation starter (which I’d like to point out is what the Mets were missing in the last few weeks of 2007 and 2008 while Heilman was languishing in the bullpen).

Also, I never bought into the whole selfish whiner myth either.  This is why I call Heilman a “victim of circumstance.”  Think about us at our day jobs.  Let’s say you are looking for more responsibility, and your boss tells you if you continue to excel at your current role, you’ll get a promotion or a different role.  Then as time goes on, you become a little too good at your role and you are told that you are now too valuable to vacate the role.  However, when the role you feel you are better suited for opens up, management puts someone else in who is less-than-qualified, only because they feel your contributions are better suited in the role you are already in.

Pretty frustrating, right?  Well, my theory on Aaron Heilman is he WAS that guy who was “pigeonholed,” and jerked around.  Think about how many times the Mets put someone in the starting rotation (Jose Lima ring a bell in 2006?) when Heilman could have and should have been starting.  By that time, the damage had been done.

No, he doesn’t see himself as a starter, and neither do the teams he plays on.  Quite frankly, he might be in need of a shrink more so than Oliver Perez.  And it’s sad, since as you can see by Janish’s research, Heilman had a lot of promise as a starting pitcher.  His numbers were nothing short of outstanding at the University of Notre Dame.  For brevity sake, I will use his last year at UND which was 2001, prior to being drafted by the Mets.  In 15 games started, he boasted a 15-0 record, 1.74 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 111 Ks in 114 IP.

Prior to that, he had a low-3ish ERA and over-.500 W/L record.  He was an innings eater too!  (Go figure)

Far be it for me to rehash the past or wonder “what could have been.”  However, I know I had to laugh when I heard that Aaron Heilman is now the Diamondbacks closer.  Not because I thought that the D-Backs must be so bad that Heilman is their best option as closer (well, maybe I did think that). Currently, he has three saves with a 2-3 record for the D-Backs.

What I really thought was, in a roundabout fashion, that the Mets got it right with a prospect this time.  Aaron Heilman has become a cautionary tale for messing with pitcher’s mechanics when they could have excelled in other roles and been more valuable to the team in the long term.

**Many thanks to Joe Janish for his excellent research, spot-on commentary and fighting the good fight in defense of Aaron Heilman.**

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 ERA of 3.39. His K:BB ratio was 2:1 (46:23).

Throughout his eleven year career, Howry has an ERA of 3.66.

This is a pretty solid signing for the D’Backs in my opinion as it gives them a viable setup man to help strengthen a bullpen that includes ex-Met Aaron Heilman and Chad Qualls.

Although the Mets were never publicly connected to Howry, I think that these are the types of players they should be targeting. Although Howry’s numbers are not earth shattering he is a very consistent pitcher.

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.

Nightengale also reported via Twitter, that the Yankees are quietly shopping Nick Swisher. The 28-year-old outfielder batted just .249, but had a very respectable .371 OBP and hit 29 homers with 89 RBIs. Considering his age and production, I’m sure plenty of teams will be interested.

ESPN reported that Jason Bay rejected a $60 million dollar offer for 4 years from the Boston Red Sox and will now test the free agent waters. His agent did say that he will continue to negotiate with Boston. Meanwhile, a source told Jon Heyman that the Mets would have interest in Jason Bay if the price for Matt Holliday is too high.

Add the Los Angeles Dodgers to the growing list of teams that will try to acquire starting pitcher Roy Halladay from the Toronto Blue Jays. It became abundantly clear during the playoffs that the Dodgers desperately lacked an ace pitcher and if your going to get one, why not go after the best. Still, I thought it was odd that they would simply let Randy Wolf go after giving them a solid season at a very reasonable cost.

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.  The Cubs would also have paid part of Marquis’ nearly $10 million salary, but the Mets passed on the deal because they were trying to include Heilman in a deal for relief pitching.  Instead, Heilman was sent to the Mariners as part of a three-team, 12-player trade that netted the Mets J.J. Putz, Sean Green and Jeremy Reed.  Putz had been scuffling along until he was placed on the disabled list in early June. Green has been maddeningly inconsistent this season with an ERA of 5.00. Reed has been serviceable, but this Mets fan will remember him for the throwing error he made against the Dodgers while playing out of position at first base to give Los Angeles the extra-inning victory.  The irony of this story is that Heilman was eventually traded to the Cubs by the Mariners.  The Cubs desperately wanted Heilman and eventually got their man.  The Mets were left with an injury, a scrub and a defensive replacement.  Strike one.

The Mets continued to discuss a trade with the Cubs for Jason Marquis in December.  Jon Heyman of SI.com reported that the Mets could have sent whipping boy Scott Schoeneweis to the Cubs in exchange for Marquis.  For the second time, the Cubs would have paid part of Marquis’ salary to make the deal more attractive to the Mets.  Once again, the deal was not made.  Instead, the Mets traded Schoeneweis to the Diamondbacks for reliever Connor Robertson.  So what has Roberston done since his trade to the Mets?  Absolutely nothing!  He had been languishing at Triple-A Buffalo, with an 0-3 record and a 5.46 ERA and was designated for assignment in late June.  Strike two.

After the Mets failed to pull the trigger on a deal for Marquis, the Cubs stopped being patient and made a deal on their own.  They traded Marquis to Colorado for reliever Luis Vizcaino, who was eventually released and signed by the Cleveland Indians.

So why am I making such a big deal about what might have been?  After all, Jason Marquis had always been no more than a back of the rotation starter.  He was barely over .500 coming into this season (79-70) and had not pitched 200 innings since 2005.  He even found a way to lead the league in losses for a team that won the World Series, by going 14-16 for the 2006 Cardinals.

Well, my friends, after pitching eight shutout innings last night against the Nationals, Marquis is now 11-5.  His 11 victories now lead the major leagues.  He was also recently selected to represent the Rockies in the All-Star Game.  Think about that for a moment.  He pitches in Colorado.  That’s not exactly a place where pitchers thrive.  Normally, they only go to Colorado for the excellent school system. (Right, Mr. Hampton?)  Yet Jason Marquis has not only pitched well in Colorado, but this season he has become one of the best pitchers in the league.  Along with his 11-5 record, his ERA is 3.61.  He has also only allowed nine home runs in 117 1/3 innings, while pitching half his games in a ballpark that gives up its share of long balls.

Obviously, we can’t possibly know how he would have performed for his hometown Mets (Marquis was born in Manhasset and raised in Staten Island), but every time Tim Redding or Fernando Nieve takes the mound, think of what that scene would have looked like if it was Jason Marquis on the hill.  With the Mets still somehow within reasonable distance of the first place Phillies, Marquis could have made a difference.  With the Cubs willing to pay a portion of his salary, he would have been a cheaper option than Oliver Perez without the long-term commitment.  Even if the Mets would have signed Marquis to a long-term deal, they probably could have gotten him for less than the $12 million average annual salary that was needed to sign Ollie.

Omar was slow to make a deal for Jason Marquis and is now paying for it.  The team has struggled to keep a consistent starting staff together.  No one could have predicted the injuries that have decimated the team, but a healthy and consistent Jason Marquis could have alleviated some of the suffering that the fans have been forced to endure watching this team attempt to compete.  Strike three.

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 actually pitching well, with an 0.82 ERA. Unfortunately, as all of us Mets fans know, he’s always one pitch from disaster on the mound.

Carry on wayward son.

There’s so much stuff coming out of Mets camp today and it’s only the second full day of spring training! First and foremost in my mind though, is our catcher Paul LoDuca.

Paul LoDuca has made it known that he would love a contract extension that will allow him to finish his career with the New York Mets. LoDuca, who will turn 35 in April, is entering the final season of a three-year deal that will pay him $6.25 million this season. He hit a team-leading .318 last year with five home runs and 49 RBIs, helping New York win the NL East for the first time since 1988.

Among his other contributions, LoDuca instantly became one of the leaders in the clubhouse after joining the team, and was a driving force and steady influence when he was on the field. He was also largely credited for leading an injury plagued pitching staff to a 4.14 ERA, that was ranked third best in the league.

Considering the fact that he was bedeviled with personal problems as well as a lingering thumb injury all season long, I have to credit him for gutting it out and helping the Mets win their first division title in over a decade.

There was also some other crazy story about Aaron Heilman being totally pissed off because he didn’t get one of the 12 reserved parking spots at Tradition Field. Poor Heilman, he never seems to get what he wants. I think Omar should give him a free pass to Disney World so he could go to the Magic Kingdom, where all your dreams can come true.

Meanwhile, Billy Wagner sounded like a man on a mission when he showed up. He vows to have a better season in 2007 and blamed some of his poor outings on nagging injuries. He said that this year he plans on bringing back the "old Billy Wagner." Somebody let me know when he gets here, I really miss the old Billy Wagner. Between me and you, I was quite pleased with Wagner’s performance last year. Sure he had a few too many blown saves, but when I think of Benitez and Looper, I suddenly remember how thankful I am that Wags is our closer.

Hey, I didn’t mean to go off on Milledge the way that I did yesterday, but I had to get it off of my chest. There’s nothing that disappoints me more than a guy with a million dollars worth of talent and a dime’s worth of common sense.  Milledge is one of the most exciting young talents in the game. He has one of the highest ceilings of anyone in the organization.

I guess if he didn’t have the personal problems early on he may never have fallen to the Mets with pick number 12, when everyone expected him to be a "Top 5" pick in the 2003 draft. I wonder if the Mets ever regret passing on players like Chad Cordero, Carlos Quentin, Brandon Wood, and Chad Billingsley, when they selected Milledge. OK, I’m gonna shut up now, before I get into more trouble. I’m just mad because the Mets have invested so much in Milledge, and it’s time for him to give the team some payback. Even though he was drafted 12th we paid him like he was drafted number one overall, and gave him a $1.9 million dollar signing bonus to boot. I’m not saying he has to be the poster child for the Boys Club of America, I’m just saying, smarten’ up dude, and lets play ball.