That 2012 team lost 88 games, how many will this year’s version lose? Shockingly, this team, now in the third year of the Sandy Alderson era, is on pace to lose 101 games.

I used ESPN’s Attendance Tracker and the team is bleeding not only money – but fans…

Average Attendance

2010 – 32,401

2011 – 30,108

2012 – 28,035

2013 – 25,895

The Mets are down an average of 6,905 fans per game since the 2010 season. That equates to over a half-million fans that are unwilling to buy tickets to see the current product on the field.

Remember how hot Subway Series tickets used to be?

In a recent article by Mark LaMonica of Newsday, he reported that the Mets are so bad and unwatchable, even Subway Series ticket sales, which at one time were sold-out in hours – are very available and selling for less than the exorbitant prices they used to go for.

The combined average price for the four-game Subway Series (May 27-30) this year is $133 as of Monday, according to TiqIQ.com, a ticket reseller that aggregates ticket prices across multiple secondary markets. That’s down 13 percent from 2012, 19 percent from 2011 and 34 percent from 2010.

Don’t think it’s the on-field performance alone. This team suffers from a severe lack of star power, and I would hate to think how much worse things would be if not for a holdover by the name of Matt Harvey. He alone is hauling in over 5,000 more fans per game than when anyone else starts.

Think those fans who opted out of buying tickets are staying home and watching instead?

Think again…

According to this Daily News article, the SNY viewership numbers are even worse and almost double the percentage of decline in attendance from last season.

The Mets on SNY are averaging a household rating of 1.91, down 22% from the same point in 2012. Among men 25-54, the key demographic, the Mets are averaging a 1.05 rating, down 15% from 2012.

Things have gotten so bad that most games are now a two-man booth. It’s no longer Gary, Keith and Ron and more like Gary, Keith or Ron.

Every minute of each telecast is a non-stop barrage of Cholula Hot Sauce and MetsBlog promos. Even the score bug has drop down ads every half inning.

It’s not just the team on the field that is sinking (and stinking)  - it’s everything on down including ticket sales and worst of all, SNY viewership.

Everything is being sponsored by someone whether it’s the game broadcast and even the posts on MetsBlog themselves. The Wilpons are trying to squeeze every penny they can and in anyway they can to stay above water. The SNY broadcast and editorial content on their blog network are both working in step with ownership on everything.

I think most Met fans are just sick of everything being done on the cheap – so they don’t pay to watch the team play, and many more don’t even bother to tune in and watch either. Except when Matt Harvey is pitching.

I don’t know how much longer they can stay in this, ummm, whatever you want to call this mode… But I do know this… It’s starting to feel a lot like 1978 around here.

GRANT’S TOMB

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas defeated Iowa 9-4.
• Binghamton beat New Britain, 8-3.
• St. Lucie dropped Dunedin, 5-3.
• Savannah lost to Charleston, 4-2.
  

Prospect Pipeline

• Zack Wheeler was back in action after missing a start due to inflammation of the AC Joint in his throwing shoulder. Wheeler looked a tad rusty from the get-go. He didn’t have great command over his pitches, and in fact, he missed the strike zone wildly a couple of times. He got hit hard throughout his five innings of work, and ended up giving up two home runs and a triple that narrowly missed being a third home run. You can see a full recap of his start at MetsMinors.net.
• Rafael Montero got sent back to Double-A Binghamton after his fantastic start on Monday with Las Vegas. Montero impressed against Iowa yesterday, going 6.2 innings and allowing two runs on four hits, one walk, and five strikeouts. While it was labeled as a “spot start”, I had a feeling that if he proved himself worthy, he would be staying with Las Vegas. Sandy Alderson squashed those thoughts on SNY, saying that Montero would be heading back to Double-A. he GM did mention he would likely return to the 51s mid-season, and went as far as saying he wouldn’t be surprised if he was in the big leagues by the end of the year.
• In his first start since earning his second SAL Player of the Week honors, Rainy Lara only lasted 4.2 innings against Charleston last night. He allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits, one walk, and four strikeouts.
• Josh Rodriguez led the B-Mets offense with a 3-for-4 day, including a walk, double, and two RBIs to help Binghamton defeat New Britain.
• Noah Syndergaard faced his former organization for the first time since the Blue Jays traded him last winter. He took the loss against Dunedin, throwing 5.2 innings and allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits, two walks, and four strikeouts.
• Francisco Pena hit a two-run homer against Iowa yesterday, and Adam Rubin tweeted that we shouldn’t be surprised if he makes his way to Flushing sometime this season.
• Cory Vaughn continues his strong start to 2013, raising his season average to .302 with another two-hit game last night in New Britain. With the mess that is the current New York Mets outfield, Vaughn could also be making his big league debut sometime this year.
• XtreemIcon covered the B-Mets in Great Britain on Monday and Tuesday and was able to spend some time with pitching prospect Logan Verrett. He wrote a must-read article about him that includes quotes from Blake Forsythe, Jack Leathersich, pitching coach Glenn Abbott and manager Pedro Lopez.
• Curious as to how the Mets’ top prospects are performing? Catch up with this week’s Top-10 Tracker.

Stat Line of the Day

Francisco Pena: 2-for-4, two-run HR, 3 RBI, 1 R

Transactions

Rafael Montero was transferred from Triple-A Las Vegas back to Double-A Binghamton.

RHP Dylan Owen transferred from Las Vegas (AAA) to Binghamton (AA)

Quote of the Day 

Cory Vaughn on his improved hitting approach:

“I think I’m just not panicking as much. I’m just going out there and having fun. Up here, if it’s 3-1, 2-0, they’re not just going to be throwing a ‘cookie’ every time. If they throw me a slider 3-1 and I’m not looking for it, or looking wherever they throw it, I’m going to take it as opposed to just swinging and getting a rollover groundout.”

(Photo credit: Michael G. Baron)

“Personally, I think if he has a couple of more starts like his last start he’ll be headed to the big leagues, and rightfully so,” Backman told Las Vegas’ ESPN radio affiliate.

We’ll have our Las Vegas beat writer Rob Silverman on hand Saturday when Wheeler takes the mound against his former teammate Aaron Laffey – now with the Dodgers Triple-A affiliate Albuquerque Isotopes.

In his last two starts, Wheeler has rebounded nicely after a rocky start to his season. In 12.2 innings pitched he’s limited opponents to just one run on eight hits and two walks while striking out twelve.

Overall, the Mets’ top pitching prospect has a 4.00 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in seven starts, and the league is batting .246 against him.

Wheeler believes his turnaround was due to an adjustment he made to his delivery. “I was keeping my shoulder square to the plate, which allows me to have a bit better command,” he told MLB.com. “Before, the command was off, and the mechanics allow me to hit spots a little bitter, sharpens up my pitches.”

Kevin Burkhardt of SNY has been calling for Wheeler’s promotion since the season began and last night he said that if he pitches two more starts like his last two, he will be here. Darling and Cohen both agreed with him and spend about 5-10 minutes of every broadcast this season talking up Wheeler with little to no concern about triggering the extra year of arbitration eligibility for Wheeler.

I actually asked one of SNY’s producers about that last month, to which he said “Wheeler is all most Met fans want to hear about regarding the minors. That’s all they care about.”

It’s been widely reported that June 4th is the cutoff this season for avoiding Super Two eligibility for Wheeler.

A team source told Mike Puma of the NY Post, that “it’s highly unlikely” that Wheeler will be a candidate for promotion to the Mets regardless of the results in his next start.

We’ll be looking forward to speaking with both Backman and Wheeler on Saturday, and as usual we will quickly post a full accounting of his performance when his night is done. We’re all hoping for another solid start as he inches closer and closer to joining Matt Harvey in the Mets rotation.

The Mets have extended their Tweet A Ticket giveaway promotion and are giving away free promenade seats for Thursday’s series finale against the Padres. You are eligible to win if you follow @Mets and @SNY on Twitter.

Here’s the link, tickets are going fast:

Click Here For Mets Tickets

Johan Santana has decided that he will continue his career and has elected to undergo surgery to repair the torn anterior capsule in his left shoulder, according to the team.

This essentially means that Santana will miss all of the 2013 season.

With no insurance to save them, the Mets will owe Santana $25.5 million for the rest of this season and an additional $5.5 million to buyout his 2014 option.

Apparently, pitching coach Dan Warthen has been trying to reach out to Santana though he’s been unsuccessful. He says he’s “sick over what happened.”

I think we all are.

Original Post 3/29

Sandy Alderson has announced during a conference call last night carried on SNY, that Johan Santana has a probable re-tear of his anterior capsule in his left shoulder and will likely miss the rest of the season.

The team said Thursday that the two-time Cy Young Award winner probably has re-torn the anterior capsule in his left shoulder and likely will need a second operation that would sideline him for the entire season. Santana missed 2011 following his first shoulder surgery.

“I am not a doctor, nor am I a medical historian, but these injuries are very difficult to recover from after one surgery, and I’m not sure what the history is of recovery from a second more or less identical surgery,” general manager Sandy Alderson said on a conference call.

Santana had surgery on Sept. 14, 2010, and did not make it back to the majors until last April 5. He went 6-9 with a 4.85 ERA in 21 starts last year and threw the first no-hitter in franchise history on June 1 against St. Louis.

He went on the disabled list for three weeks because of a sprained ankle and didn’t pitch after Aug. 17 because of lower back inflammation.

Santana hasn’t pitched in any exhibition games during spring training because of arm weakness, and he threw his last bullpen session in early March without the team’s permission.

“We don’t know when it happened, how it happened,” Alderson said. “But what we do know is that at some point symptoms appeared and they worsened rather than improved.

Santana is due $31 million between this season and his buyout, and according to Adam Rubin, his 2013 salary is not insured.

Alderson said the Mets do not know when the injury first occurred and that he will not pursue additional pitching to replace Santana for the season.

Santana was examined by  Dr. David Altchek, who consulted with Dr. James Andrews, in New York. Santana will now take the weekend to mull over his options as no surgery date has been scheduled.

Neither he or his Peter Greenberg offered any comment or have yet to address the media yet.

Thoughts from Joe D.

Well ever since December I’ve suspected something was wrong. He did not keep in touch with the Mets trainers. He failed to appear at several events he was scheduled to be on hand for. He showed up on the exact second of the reporting deadline and not a second earlier. He was pitching on the backfields rather than doing regular bullpens. The front office were monitoring his activity. Lots of wrong signals.

As John and then myself agreed, it looked like Santana was all wrong right from the start. And his stunt of going on the mound and pitching all-out to prove he was healthy, could have been career suicide. Guess what? It was.

So now what?

Nothing, that’s what.

The Mets lost two aces from the 2012 season, Zack Wheeler will not be called up early and probably the end of May and only if he’s pitching well.

Kevin Burkhardt says the Mets should call him up and that he’s ready for the majors. Unfortunately, Kevin is a roving reporter for SNY and not a pitching coach, so comments like that only confuse the fans.

All told, Santana is owed $31 million dollars. Wow… No insurance. Double wow…

He will have been paid $142 million as a Mets for a total of 109 starts.

Last night and today, I finally got a chance to do some reading and checked out a few of my regular Mets haunts like Faith and Fear in Flushing, Studious Metsimus and of course MetsBlog.

I almost wish I never paid a trip to MetsBlog last night. What I read there turned my stomach more than those two bottles of lemon-flavored sludge they make me drink every time I have to get a CT-scan. In a post entitled, Matt Harvey is on a mission, Matt wrote the following about our exciting, young righthander:

My bet is Harvey never wins a Cy Young. However, once he learns to “command an inning,” and “pitch to contact,” he’ll string together several seasons of consistent, significant and meaningful results. 15 to 20 wins here, All Star appearance there, repeatedly falling short of the ultimate award, maybe never being his team’s “ace,” but always heralded by fans, recognized around the game and touted by his teammates.

First of all, let’s get something straight right off the bat… This wasn’t a hatchet piece on Matt Harvey and in fact it was quite the opposite. There was plenty of praise thrown Harvey’s way by Cerrone, so let’s get that out of the way so that I can move onto my problems with this quote.

Needless to say, after reading the entire post and particularly that segment of it, I couldn’t wait to leave Matt my own two cents and tell him exactly what I thought about his assertion that Matt Harvey will never win a Cy Young Award in his career.

So I pulled my laptop closer to me, gathered my thoughts together, and then I started looking for the “Leave A Comment” button. However, there was a slight problem…

The comment thread had been closed… That was disappointing to say the least. I don’t really know why the thread was closed after only a day and a half, but that’s not for me to say or speculate on. But I did find it curious and frustrating nonetheless as I had a lot I wanted to get off my chest and felt deprived of that opportunity.

I decided that I would go ahead and tell Matt what I had to say in a post on MMO first thing in the morning. Lucky for him I was a lot more calmer today than I was last night.

My first reaction to Matt’s post was that of complete puzzlement. I thought perhaps it was just another typo and that somehow a word was left out, or that it may have been an incomplete sentence. We’ve all see that before on MetsBlog, right?

But that wasn’t the case at all because there was Matt, defending his posture quite passionately, right there in the comment thread – the same thread I was precluded from replying on.

Those words, coming from Matt, kind of cut deeply into me… Because when I see Matt Harvey I finally see a pitching prospect that is going to deliver on all the hype and do all those great things the scouts and experts had predicted for him.

When Harvey came up in the middle of the 2012 season, he was every bit as good as what we’ve all been told – and then some. Those ten starts were not only good from a Mets’ fan’s point of view, but they were historically significant and his debut ranked up there with some of the greatest pitchers the game has ever seen. “A dominating debut like no other, for a Mets starting pitcher”. That’s what Ron Darling had to say about it.

Now, here we are, on the brink of a new season, with most of us having Matt Harvey earmarked as one of the very few reasons to get excited about the 2013 Mets, and then you read those words from Matt Cerrone and it all goes POOF…

Why?

Why say something like that and more importantly, why now?

Even if that’s what you believe in your heart of hearts, why would you utter such a thing or put it in writing and sign your name to it?

I wouldn’t have a problem with this if it had come from Keith Law, Rob Neyer or John Sickels, those guys are experts and they get paid handsomely to be critical and objective.

Matt says in one of the comments that he was simply writing his expectations and contrasting that to what is typically used to define a great career. It’s a perfectly plausible explanation, but the problem is that oftentimes Matt presents himself as an expert with inside information from the team and MLB sources as well.

But Matt has also said on many occasions, especially in instances like this one, that he is not an expert, so why make such a claim that he must have known would pierce the heart of many a Met fan?

Then something else struck me… What if Matt Harvey read that?

If MMO has all these players reading our site and writing us to say thank you, or re-tweeting our articles just about every week, then surely MetsBlog must be getting that kind of attention from them as well and most likely double the attention if not more…

I am always mindful of anything I write about our players and in fact I included it in our MMO Writing Standards that I share with every new writer on MMO. Here is a part of what I say:

Always make your points respectfully. Think about what you are going to write when you talk about the players, coaches and executives, many of whom read MMO daily. A professional doesn’t hurl insults in a post against people that are not allowed the opportunity to defend themselves. Temper your criticism with fairness.

As our site grew, I always believed our responsibility grew with it. I thought it was important that we understand each of our roles and how important it is to support the team and especially the players.

MetsBlog made Matt Cerrone the most powerful person in the Mets blogosphere. He underestimates the significance of that.

There are literally tens of thousands of Mets fans who hang on every single word he says… Literally.

Matt worked hard to get there and it wasn’t easy to get where he is, believe me, I know. However, he can no longer use the old standby, “I’m just a fan like you,” or “I’m just a blogger posting my opinions.”

That is so untrue…

Matt, you are not just a fan or just a blogger. You are a lot more than that, and for one thing you are paid well to do what you do – that makes you a professional. Writing about the Mets isn’t a hobby for you, it’s your career. That makes you more than just a blogger, and it certainly makes you more than just a fan.

You have to be mindful of everything you say. You have to forego expediency for accuracy. Tens of thousands of fans read your site everyday. That’s mind boggling when you think about it, but it shows why you have to bend over backwards to make sure you stay on point and project a positive message about the Mets.

Most Mets fans I know have high expectations for Matt Harvey – I think you deflated those expectations for thousands of your readers by saying you’d bet Matt Harvey will never win a Cy Young Award.

Maybe you’re right, maybe he won’t, but it wasn’t for you to tell us that.

I hope Harvey racks up multiple Cy Young Awards in his career just to prove you wrong, but mostly to show Mets fans that it’s still okay to dream big and aim high.

• 2/23 Nationals – 12:10 p.m. on SNY
• 2/25 Nationals – 6:10 p.m. on SNY
• 2/27 Cardinals – 1:10 p.m. on SNY
• 3/1 Tigers – 1:10 p.m. on SNY
• 3/2  Marlins – 1:10 p.m. on PIX11
• 3/4 Braves – 1:10 p.m. on SNY
• 3/7 Marlins – 1:10 p.m. on SNY
• 3/9 Astros – 1:10 p.m. on SNY
• 3/14 Tigers – 1:10 p.m. on SNY
• 3/16 Marlins – 1:10 p.m. on SNY
• 3/17 Braves – 1:10 p.m. on PIX11
• 3/21 Cardinals – 1:10 p.m. on SNY
• 3/23 Nationals – 1:10 p.m. on PIX11
• 3/24 Tigers – 1:10 p.m. on PIX11
• 3/26 Cardinals – 1:10 p.m. on SNY
• 3/27 Astros – 6:10 p.m. on SNY

Keep it tuned into MMO as we will bring you full coverage of all the action…

On Saturday, February 23rd the Mets open up their spring training schedule with a game against the Washington Nationals. The game is schedule to be broadcast on SNY at 12:00 PM, and I plan on being in front of my TV and watching it…

Baseball is back, and what could be better?

For me, the 2103 season marks a personal milestone, it will be my 40th season as a Met fan. Not too bad considering I’ll be 50 in December. Mathematically, it means I will have spent 80% of my life rooting for the Mets.

People often ask me why… Why do I root for the Mets, they lose all the time? You live in New York, and you’re not a Yankee Fan? There is no simple answer, except to say the Mets are a part of me. I’d like to go into some reasons why I am, and will always continue to be a Mets fan.

First and foremost, I believe the Mets in many ways represent us. They go out and play with the best of intentions, they work hard, they try to do the right things, but more often than not they fall short of their ultimate goal – in their case, a World Series.

But, can’t the same be be said of all of us? Those of us who are lucky to have jobs, go to work day in and day out with the best of intentions. We do our best to excel and meet those expectations our employers have for us. But no matter how hard we try and despite our strongest efforts, we don’t always get that raise or promotion we strove so hard for.

The same goes for students who are still in school. They study, they work hard, but very few of them get those coveted 4.0 averages.

But isn’t it true that during those times when we do succeed… Those times when we do get that promotion… Those times when we do get that 4.0 average… Or those times when the Mets do win a World Series… There is no greater high or feeling in the universe.

I also like that the Mets are “counter culture”. In their infancy, the Mets were so unique, and so different from the Yankees, that they were embraced. We loved our Lovable Losers right from the start!

The same is true today. The Yankees are just a collection of pinstriped suits and wing tips, while the Mets wear their shorts and flip-flops. The Mets are, and should be unapologetic, in what I refer to as their Metscentric behaviors. This year the Yankees will have their annual old-timers day celebration, and all the all-time Yankee greats will show up at the Stadium and take a bow. The Mets, on the other hand will be having their annual Banner Day Parade. Fans from all over will march around Citi Field displaying their art work and love for the Mets. I participated in Banner Day back in the late 1980′s and what a thrill it was!

Some other great Metscentric things include: Mettle the Mule from the 1970′s, those old bullpen carts with baseball caps on them, the Home Run Apple, the Sign Man, Bob Murphy’s “Happy Recap’, Howie Rose’s ‘Put it in the Books”, the Curly Shuffle, Professor Reyes teaching Spanish between innings, Meet The Mets, Kiner’s Korner, and of course the King of all things Mets, Mr. Met! Who doesn’t smile when they see Mr. Met?

During a typical baseball season, I’ll catch between 120-130 Met games, either on SNY or WFAN. That’s a lot of baseball games, and I’ve forgotten so many of them. What I choose to remember are special moments like in 1973, when Bud Harrelson and Pete Rose slugged it out in the NLCS. The day Tom Seaver was traded. The dark days of the late 1970′s and how the magic did come back in the 1980s just as they said it would.

I’ve been to playoff games both in 1988 and 2006, what a thrill. October baseball is very nice, but Shea Stadium was a cold venue to watch a baseball game, but they never ran out of hot chocolate to keep us warm.

I still get tears in my eyes thinking about that night in September 2001 when baseball returned and truth be told, it was my proudest time of being a New Yorker and a Met fan. Last June, we received the biggest surprise of all, when after 50 years, Johan Santana threw the first ever Met’s no hitter.

As usual, the media, Yankee fans, and sadly even some Met fans are throwing in the towel on the 2013 season for the Mets. Truth be told it’s easier to be negative than be positive. But if you can’t be positive in the Spring, when you can you be?

A few years ago the Tampa Bay Rays were picked to finish last, and they shocked everyone. Last year’s Baltimore Orioles came from complete obscurity and gave the American League East a run for their money. So who says our Mets can’t do the same in the NL East? They have five very solid arms in their rotation and even Gil Hodges would tell you, “that’s where it all begins.”

The infield is set, and although it’s unpopular to say so, I think it’s a pretty damn good infield and stacks up well against our rivals. Sure there are question marks in the outfield, but what if one or two of these guys surprise us? And we didn’t exactly have a Herculean outfield in 2000, when we made it all the way to the World Series!

Why am I a Met fan? Why do I believe? Why do I have have faith in this team?

As Natalie Wood said in Miracle on 34th Street, “Faith is believing when common sense tells you not to”.

Unless the Mets are mathematically eliminated, I will always believe in them. And no matter how each season ends, every February my belief in the Mets is fully restored. For now and always; LETS GO METS!!

SNY analyst Bobby Ojeda came down HARD on the Mets new philosophy at the plate with regard to heir approach at the plate during tonight’s Mets pre-game show.

For those that missed it, Ojeda ripped into what he called “this business of taking so many pitches” that the organization has forced the players to adopt.

It started like this after Carlin shifted the conversation to the struggling Mets offense:

Chris Carlin: Are we starting to see some trends that should have the Mets concerned right now?

Bobby O: Absolutely and part of the problem is taking strikes they’ve been taking strikes all season and they continue to take strikes and that is what leads to these numbers.

SNY posted a graphic right that showed the following:

Mets NL Rankings

• Mets rank 9th in runs scored per game at 3.8.
• Mets rank 5th in bases on balls with 90
• Mets rank 1st in strikeouts with 211
• Mets rank 16th in stolen bases with 8
• Mets rank 10th in sac flies with 5

Ojeda followed up with:

“They lead the league in categories that, ironically, don’t generate runs. Walks score by default and they got lucky last time they were home due to a couple of bullpen implosions.”

“The reality is if you’re taking that first pitch strike, if you’re taking that called 3rd strike, if you’re taking so many strikes… It affects your situational hitting and you’re not getting good pitches to hit.”

Ojeda also remarked:

“Extra base hits are way down and why is that? Again, you’re not seeing the good pitch to hit. Most of your best pitches to hit are going to occur during the first 3 pitches. If you have a team that is averaging almost 4 pitches per AB (The Mets) that means nothing as far as scoring runs and winning ball games.”

He also said if the Mets don’t start getting aggressive, that they are going to silently fall behind on all of these offensive categories that really matter – and those are the ones that equals wins.

“You’ve got to have runs and they’re not generating them right now.”

Way to go Bobby-O!

Great job and I bet Sandy Alderson can’t be too happy hearing that.  Like I said before – these people like Alderson think they’re smarter than the game and the game of baseball is going to come back and bite them in the you know what.

Just PLAY THE GAME and SWING THE DAMNED BATS and let’s drive in some runs!

These are professional hitters and if there are any problems they should be treated individually on a case by case basis because not everybody is the same.  This business of having everybody follow the same philosophy is garbage and could actually lead to the ruin of some of our promising  young hitters.

This Fan Shot was submitted by MMO reader, Bayonne Met Fan. Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over ten-thousand Mets fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to GetMetsmerized@aol.com and share your opinions with an engaging community that loves to debate the Mets 24/7.

Without further adieu, I present to all of you the first look at the Mets Merized Online 2012 Mets Annual.

This 2012 Annual will feature the excellent work of over 15 of our writers and will provide Mets fans with a valuable resource to help you follow the team all season long. But hang on a second, because it’s so much more than that.

This Premiere Edition will be packed with over a dozen wonderful 1,000+ word narratives covering all 50 years of Amazin’ Mets Baseball. These are just a few:

• Engineering a Miracle by Peter Shapiro
• The Year 1 A.R. (After Reyes) by Sean Kenny
• Changing the Dynamic, One Catcher at a Time by Taryn “The Coop” Cooper
• The Good, The Bad and The Metsie by Ed Leyro (and Joey too, I think)
• End Game: All Bets Are On Francisco, Rauch and Ramirez by Jesse Elgarten
• Plus so much more!

The MMO 2012 Mets Annual will also include many great staples you would expect to find such as:

• Player Profiles, Projected Stats and Forecasts by our crack MMO Staff
• MMO’s Updated Top 20 Mets Prospects by Peter Shapiro
• A 2012 NL East Preview by Yours Truly
• Six Mets To Watch This Season by Jesse Elgarten
• 2012 Complete Team Review by John Delcos
• Future Mets: 2012 First Year Player Draft Possibilities by Nicholas Pugliese
• Are You Metsmerized? (Test Your Mets IQ) by Ed Leyro
• Exclusive Interviews, 2012 Mets Schedule & Promotions, Minor League Affiliates, More!

Of course, this issue would be nothing without our Special Tribute to Gary Carter by Rob Silverman. And let me now mention that part of the proceeds from every sale will go to the Gary Carter Foundation. The donation which we project will be made sometime before the All Star break, will go toward the Autism Project of Palm Beach County, Hospice of Palm Beach County, and Palm Beach Atlantic University Baseball. These very special organizations were all near and dear to Gary’s heart.

The On-Sale Date is scheduled for April 1, 2012, and that’s no joke! It will be available in several popular digital formats via Amazon, Barnes and Noble and the Apple iTunes Store. In addition to the $2.99 eBook format, print editions will also be made available at a yet to be determined price.

There are so many people I need to thank that worked tirelessly with me on this, and several others who made substantial behind the scenes contributions. But let me begin by thanking Michael G. Baron, SNY, and MetsBlog.com for providing the perfect photo for us to design our cover around. Of course, my partner and my best friend Kelly Horn gets a world of thanks for the amazing graphics you will find inside the issue as well as the eye-popping cover that completely wowed our partners at USA Today and our Publisher, Movable Type Management. Special Thanks also go to my Project Manager, Sean Kenny, and to Clayton Collier who first put the bug in my ear about finally going ahead with this endeavor, last September.

Anyway, I know you’re all going to love it, and I look forward to all of your most welcomed feedback.

Hmmm… I think I just wrote my own Foreword… Just kidding…

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of talking with SNY’s Ted Berg on my radio show, “Mets Talk Live! Wright or Wrong?!?”, and and boy what a show it turned out to be.

Here are just a few of the topics we mulled over:

JS: Given the injuries to stars like David Wright, Ike Davis, Jose Reyes, and Johan Santana who’s been out all season long, the team is still a game over .500 and very much alive in the NL Wild-card race, if you had to put a grade on the Mets season to this point what would it be?

TB: Yeah you said they’ve been pretty good, right? I think that the key has been the depth of the team, they’ve been playing without some of their best players, and they’ve been playing pretty well.  You can’t call them an A team because they’re playing .500, you have to factor in the injuries what’s .500? B, B+? You may grade them on a curve because of the injuries.

JS: In all likely hood, Francisco Rodriguez is more likely than not to be dealt at the trade deadline, that being said, is Bobby Parnell the guy to replace Rodriguez as the Mets closer?

TB: I do, I think it’s a combination of him having the hot hand and he has the stuff to do it. I don’t know where the slider is at and if his secondary arsenal is up to snuff. He’s pitching well and I think the Mets realize they have to audition someone, because if K-rod is not gonna be around, and if they’re still going to be going with that traditional one inning closer, they want someone for the future, someone inexpensive. Turning that role over to Jason Isringhausen just means giving it to a guy who probably won’t be around next year and is just one pitch away from injury at any given point.

Hear Ted’s takes on all the latest hot topics surrounding the Mets in 2011 and beyond. Topics include, Ted’s grading of the Mets to this point in the season, Carlos Beltran’s pursuer’s, K-Rod’s vesting option as well as trade suitors, the Mets seven game home stand following the All-Star break, and Jose Reyes’ impending free agency.

If you’d like to listen to this and everything else Ted had to say concerning the Mets here’s the link:

Mets Talk Live! Wright or Wrong?!?

Ted is a wealth of knowledge and it was a pleasure having the opportunity to talk about the Mets in 2011 and going forward with Ted.

Here’s what Adam Rubin of EspnNewYork reported on Davis:

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According to SNY’s Kevin Burkhardt this is what he had to say on Davis:

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And finally, Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated who pointed it that this work will help the Mets and Davis determine whether season ending surgery can be avoided or not:

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Going forward this may not mean much at all, but this will certainly be a positive factor on deciding whether or not the 2^nd year talent will need season ending ankle surgery or not.

This could be the first step in a line a few steps in getting the services of Davis back at some point in 2011. If the Mets can continue to remain in the National League’s Wildcard race somehow, someway, imagine the lineup the Mets could throw out there every day down the stretch.

Combined with a return of a healthy David Wright and Jose Reyes, the Mets would no doubt boast one of the National League’s most feared lineups.

A lineup that would consist of leadoff man Jose Reyes, Angel Pagan, Carlos Beltran, Ike Davis, David Wright and Jason Bay would certainly be as formidable as any in the game, something the Mets environed early on in the season.

In just 36 games played this year, Davis is batting .302 with seven home runs and 25 RBI. Those seven home runs are still second on the team, despite Davis being out nearly two months.

According to Michael Baron over at MetsBlog.com,  Sandy Alderson spoke at CitiField today with reporters and according to SNY producer Matt Dunn, he said he reached out to the agents of Jose Reyes recently, but were told he will not negotiate a new contract until after the season. 

I find this interesting considering the story of Reyes having spoken to Scott Boras in some capacity was brought to mention by the mainstream press.  Whether anything can or should be made of Sandy Alderson having recently spoken to Reyes agent is entirely up to you the reader. 

If there ever was a player primed and prepared to massively capitalize on free agency – it’s without question Jose Reyes. First off, you have to be living under a rock not realize that Reyes has finally entered the apex of his prime.

He’s on pace to become the Mets all time single season leader in hits and perhaps the team’s first ever league MVP. Arguably, his presence alone has kept the Mets in the hunt for the Wild Card if not the National League Eastern division.

Timing they say is everything. Personally, I admit it annoys me when players seem to magically find their career years in their walk years but it is what it is. Finally and completely injury free, Reyes is able to showcase his incredible talents at a time where the focus clearly is on him, especially with the losses of David Wright and Ike Davis to injuries.

As important as it is to have guys like Wright, Beltran and Davis in the lineup, having a healthy Reyes completely changes the dynamic of the game – period. And in a contract year you can guarantee that Reyes’ agent will be sure to point that out to Sandy Alderson and ownership.

I remember watching a game on SNY and Gary Cohen mentioned that the Mets have a staggering record of something like 110 wins to barely 20 losses when Jose Reyes scores at least 2 runs in a game. Forgive me for not recalling the exact figure but it was almost comical in it’s accuracy.

It illustrates the impact of having Reyes in the lineup, however it also belies the fact that you need someone to drive Reyes in once he gets on base. Either way you look at it, the Mets have shown over the last few years, when they lose Reyes to injury, they lose…period.

The general idea is that Reyes will command a Carl Crawford type contract – something in the neighborhood of 7 years and $140 million. The Mets would be paying Reyes well over $20 million in his mid-thirties, a definite risk considering that Reyes relies on his speed as his main weapon. But with every long term deal comes some risk. If ownership’s goal is to be risk averse, then perhaps it’s time to reassess why they are owners in the first place.

I posed a question on Twitter the other day asking would you prefer if the Mets offered Reyes more money ($25 mil.) for fewer years or something similar to Crawford? I, like Joe D believe that acting like a small market will only hurt the Mets in the long term. However I’m seeing this more as a chess game then ever before.

When your owner does an interview and makes a few disparaging comments about one of his franchise players health and how he won’t get Crawford type of money, a few eyebrows tend to raise as to what their intent is long term. Now with Reyes strategically floating the idea of switching agents and joining the dark side that is Scott Boras, makes me see this situation in its entirety for what it is – a stage play.

So far the Mets made their move stating that Crawford type money isn’t where they’re going to begin negotiating and Reyes pretty much countered with the Boras card, who is notorious for securing back loaded deals for his clients. So in the end what do we want? More money with fewer years or less money over a longer term and back loaded to the gills?

Either way as fans if you do the math, we have only have 38 more games until the July 31st trade deadline, or as it may become in Mets history, the day we yet again lost our Franchise player.

This isn’t the first time a local New York television cable provider has gone head to head with local and national channels and it won’t be the last. With a poor economy still looming in the background, broadcasting companies are losing advertising revenue at an exponential rate.

Unfortunately the bottom line, as usual in these battles between media power brokers, the everyman becomes the victim one way or another.

The symbiotic relationship professional sports have had with television broadcasting companies have existed since the days of black and white and the smooth play by play calling of the great Mel Allen. However with the dawn of the super-stations, professional sports franchises have learned – the hard way – over time, that the true financial power lies in the flexibility to provide millions of viewers, access to their favorite sports teams from the comfort of their homes.

Case in point when the YES Network was founded in part by the Steinbrenners in March of 2002, it displaced the MSG Network as the official broadcasting home of the New York Yankees which had a hold on the broadcasting rights of the team since 1989. According to advertisingage.com, the YES network earned $400 million dollars in revenue for 2009.

It’s an astonishing figure to say the very least. SNY which is partially owned by the New York Mets, Time Warner Cable and Comcast, falls under an umbrella of sports channels owned by Time Warner and Comcast which earned over $17 billion in revenue, and that was for 2008.

Broadcasting rights are the true lifeblood of any Major League Baseball team, trumping even the time old attendance figures that once were known to make or break a major league club. Take for example the Tampa Bay Rays who have finished 1st in the American League East 2 out of the last 3 years, having represented the American League in the 2008 World Series which they ultimately lost to the Phillies.

As successful as they have been, talks are abound that team owner Stuart Sternberg is contemplating moving the ballclub to a more profitable location. Attendance for the Rays in 2010 according to ESPN was at 1,864,999 million, or an average of 23,000 a game. Pitiful that a team so successful was ranked 22nd in the majors in attendance, that it even prompted star players Evan Longoria and David Price to publicly admonish fans for their lack of support.

The low attendance figures could have been offset if Tampa Bay had a more advantageous broadcasting contract in place. Unfortunately Tampa Bay resigned a contract in 2008 lasting until 2016 with Fox Sports Florida; the bulk of the advertising revenue going to FoxSports Florida and not the Rays.

Now is that the fans fault or just bad business decisions made by Rays executives with a myopic vision for the teams’ future? That’s something that not even a brand new state of the art stadium, which has been floundering about in the Florida legislature for years, could ever soothe.

All of this leads me back to the Mets situation this season, where attendance was down another 17.2% according to Adam Rubin at ESPN. As attendance plummets for the Mets, due to a variety of reasons as we all know, the flaccid arguments that many people this year made that if attendance drops, so will the Wilpons reason to spend, falls flat if you take into account the revenue which is generated by SNY.

Granted SNY isn’t the money printing machine that is the YES network, but it’s gradually becoming one of the premier sports broadcasting outlets in the United States.

Just like the argument that is currently underway with News Corporation and Cablevision , the old guard thinking that team attendance receipts determine a teams’ vitality is as false as holding television viewers hostage to get corporations to capitulate to one’s demands. In this day and age of digital, viral online access, any viewer can access any games or television shows at their will.

Obviously many executives in the sports and entertainment industries haven’t read the memo.

Tonight’s game against the Detroit Tigers will feature legendary comedian and lifelong Mets fan, Jerry Seinfeld, joining Keith Hernandez and Gary Cohen in the broadcast booth for at least three innings (and maybe more).

SNY’s vice president of production, Curt Gowdy, Jr. said the following regarding Seinfeld’s appearance on the telecast: “Jerry is scheduled for the top of the third inning, for at least three innings, and more if he wants to do more…There’s no set script.”

In addition, SNY also plans to air clips from the classic Seinfeld episode, “The Boyfriend”, in which Keith Hernandez played himself in a prominent role.   Keith and Jerry will also be discussing their experiences working together on the episode.

As a Seinfeld fan, I was ecstatic to hear about the “reunion” of Jerry Seinfeld and Keith Hernandez and wondered what it would be like to have other Seinfeld cast members appearing on Mets telecasts.   Then I thought of all the potential disasters that could cause (especially with the hipster doofus himself, Kramer) and instead came up with a Top Ten list of why Jerry Seinfeld should be the only cast member to appear in the broadcast booth.  Enjoy!

TOP TEN REASONS WHY NO OTHER SEINFELD CAST MEMBER SHOULD EVER DO PLAY-BY-PLAY FOR THE METS

10. When the camera pans into the booth, there is a chance it could catch Elaine dancing.

9. Newman would run off with Keith Hernandez’s Tootsie Pops.

8. Upon entering the booth, Kramer would trip and take down the entire set.

7. George would mistakenly refer to the Mets as the Moops.

6. Fear that a bad call by an umpire would elicit a “No Soup For You” comment from the booth.

5. Kramer and Newman would spend the telecast plotting their revenge against Roger McDowell for his magic loogie.  (Well, Newman would…)

4. Frank Costanza would repeatedly interrupt Gary Cohen to extol the virtues of Festivus.

3. Elaine would spend too much air time trying to determine if David Wright is spongeworthy.

2. No backup plan for when Newman spends three innings standing in line at Shake Shack instead of doing play-by-play.

…and the number one reason why no other Seinfeld cast member should ever do play-by-play for the Mets is:

1. Too much discussion on whether Keith Hernandez was ever master of his domain.

Be sure to tune in tonight to see the Mets play the Detroit Tigers at Citi Field.  Of course, you were probably going to tune in anyway to see our beloved Mets as they continue to make a push towards the top of the National League East standings.   But now you have another reason to watch.

Jerry Seinfeld and Keith Hernandez made a great team back in the ’90s on a classic episode of Seinfeld.  Now they’ll be together again when they share the spotlight with Gary Cohen during Wednesday night’s telecast.  It should be a true SNY Mets classic…not that there’s anything wrong with that.

I understand Perez is still owed more than 20 million dollars but he’s doing nothing at all for this team.  His presence hurts this team.

I never understood why the Mets had to sign Perez.  He had 1 good season in 2007 and that’s it during his tenure for the Mets.  Omar Minaya should have never given this guy a 3 year contract.  There was no other team even considering Perez no matter what Scott Boras said.

I understand that releasing Oliver Perez could be Omar Minaya signing his own pink slip.  Imagine going to your bosses saying we need to cut loose a guy that is making the kind of money he is?  Omar I know is not too bright but he should tell the Wilpons that it’s the best move for the team.  It will show that mediocre play will not be tolerated if you’re making millions of dollars you don’t deserve or just making the league minimum.  Of course the Wilpons would rather see Perez sit in the bullpen doing nothing and pay him instead of let him sit on his couch at home and collect the paycheck.  Jerry Manuel has said that he doesn’t foresee when Perez would come into the game.  It sounds like to me that the entire bullpen can pitch in a game, then Jeff Francoeur will pitch with Ollie appearing once Francoeur can’t go anymore.

The Mets could trade Oliver Perez if they would be willing to eat most if not all of his contract.  Perhaps there’s a team willing to swap bad contracts.  Their not going to get an ace or anything like that but maybe they can get a serviceable reliever or career utility player.  Ultimately I doubt any team in the majors is going to take Oliver Perez on.  The only solution is to cut him lose.  We’ve seen smaller market teams eat some big contracts over the years but it’s highly unlikely that the Mets will do this.

Too bad the Mets don’t have a real team leader who can organize a team intervention with Perez.  They could tell him that he’s hurting the team by not allowing the minor league assignment.  The team can explain that they need him to try and help himself so that in turn Ollie can help the team win.  With Oliver staying on the roster but not doing anything the Mets are playing with a 24 man roster.  Unfortunately there is no real leader on this team that will take the initiative and do that.

Sunday was an interesting day and not just because the Mets won a game against the Brewers.  The Mets on Sunday during the pre-game pretty much blasted Perez.  Kevin Burkhardt mentioned that the team has been pretty much begging Perez and his agent to accept a minor league assignment but they refuse to even consider that option.  Gary and Ron pretty much called Perez lazy and selfish during the game as well, dedicating a few minutes to discuss Oliver Perez.  In Monday’s New York Post 2 players that were not named called out Perez as well. Obviously the team has sent a memo to put as much pressure as possible on Oliver Perez.  Unfortunately their pleas on are falling on deaf ears.  The guy obviously doesn’t care about this team.  He has no desire to help himself or the team but the Mets are still keeping him on this team.  Makes no sense at all.

The Mets need to call Scott Boras and Oliver Perez for a meeting.  In this meeting they have to lay their cards on the table.  Clearly explain to them that they are paying a lot of money to Ollie to pitch for this team.  I suggest getting someone other than Omar Minaya to do that.  The Mets cannot back down at all in this meeting.  Tell Boras that if his client refuses the assignment they will cut him from the roster and do not back down.  Unfortunately this ball club is a mess and lacks the backbone needed to go through with this.

Bottom line is this is exactly what is wrong with the Mets.  They don’t care about putting out the best product or winning.  It’s all about the money for them and agents and players will take advantage of them until they change their way of operating.

Of course, a team’s fortunes in the won/loss column will have a direct effect on things like ticket sales, product sales, viewer ratings and sponsorships. The downside of a losing season became all too apparent for the Wilpon’s who are the majority owners of SNY. The network took a big hit in ratings and of course ad revenue after the Mets’ season took a dramatic turn for the worse last season.

The article reminds me that not only are the Mets struggling to sell ticket packages and new retro uniforms, but unless they get back to their winning ways, lower revenues from their cable network could seriously impact their bottom line and thus their ability to maintain the National League’s highest payroll.

In the past, Omar Minaya always manages to come away from each off season with a marquis name that he could dangle before our eyes. While high priced stars rallied the fan base and gave the team a quick PR boost in the media, in the end only a sustainable winning season is really what matters most. Additionally, we not only should strive to win in 2010, but also ensure that the moves we make have a positive lasting effect that carry a solid Mets team far into the next decade. 

The Mets must embrace a shift in philosophy and recognize the importance of surrounding those big stars with role players and quality depth at each position both in the Majors and the minor leagues. We must start to build a more complete roster than in years past, because in the end it really boils down to the success of the entire team and not the gaudy stats of the 4-5 stars you brought in. The bottom line is wins, and it’s important for the Mets to remember that as they try to fulfill the promise they publicly made of putting a championship caliber team on the field in 2010.

All I’m saying is that we should update that last line to read “2010 and beyond”.

The last couple of weeks Mets Weekly, a magazine show that airs on SNY on Saturday’s they have been counting down individual Mets all-time best seasons.  They have featured Mike Piazza and his 1999 season as well David Wright’s great 2007 season that is highly under-appreciated by fans and writers given the collapse of 2007 as well as Jose Reyes’ 2006 season.  Carlos Beltran, Tom Seaver and Daryl Strawberry are also in the countdown.  What these have in common is that Mets Weekly while showing clips of these former and current Mets all-time best seasons at Shea Stadium and I admit seeing all the clips have gotten me nostalgic for Shea Stadium again.

My favorite memory of Shea was Piazza’s homerun on September 21, 2001, 10 days after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  But it’s not just this one memory that makes me miss Shea.  It’s the look of the place, the energy that stadium had over the years for players like Seaver, Koosman, Jones, Hernandez, Carter, Gooden, Strawberry, Piazza, etc…

Now Citi Field is beautiful, don’t get me wrong.  It’s state of the art, the restaurants are nice, the fan walk is cool and the Jackie Robinson Rotunda is nice to experience but it does not seem like home.  To me it just seems like a new ballpark, no matter who plays there.  Now I’m not going to go over the lack of Mets history, I only mention it now because I know that it will come up in the comments and in the chat box, I’m talking about some sort of overall feeling I get from the place.

Shea had it’s problems, it was not state of the art, it was not pretty to look at but I sometimes think you can say the same things about the Mets over the years.  Even through the bad times it always felt exciting to me.  Whether it was filled or if there were only a couple of thousand people there was an energy in that stadium.  It was a blue collar place for a blue collar team with mostly blue collar fans.

I don’t know if it’s just that this season has been terrible for the Mets but I don’t feel any emotional attachment to Citi.  It’s not for the lack of history either.  When I see the clips on Mets Weekly or think back to the games I see I feel happy and a bit sad knowing that we will not see another game at Shea or that we can’t see the stadium anymore since it’s gone.  Even while the Mets were playing decent ball you just didn’t get a sense of the energy you would experience at Shea.

Obviously Citi Field doesn’t have the history Shea did as it’s less than one year old.  It hasn’t experience the miracle that was ’69.  There was no black cat circling an opponents dugout.  A Beatle has played at Citi Field but The Beatles did not grace Citi with their beautiful music.  Citi has yet to experience a routine ground ball go through the legs of Bill Buckner.  Citi Field has not experienced a Robin Ventura grand-slam single.  Citi Field has not experience the joy of a Mike Piazza homerun that made people forget the horrors for a few minutes and just smile, something that we had not done in over a week, a homerun that made children and grown ups cry in joy not in terror or sadness.

Memories will be made over the years at Citi, I don’t doubt that but the history of Shea is just part of why I miss that stadium.  It was the character that stadium had.  The battered old blue outside of the stadium.  I miss the Blue and Orange seats, I miss the Blue walls in the outfield, I miss the old scoreboard and the old facade that is now on display above the Shake Shack.  I miss the old apple coming up even though we have an apple now at Citi that is new and bigger.

As the deconstruction of Shea Stadium got underway I refused to look at the pictures and the video’s.  I didn’t want to acknowledge that the place where my Mets played and I watched them play was going to be a parking lot.  It wasn’t until the final piece of Shea Stadium feel that I watched the video.  As I much as I didn’t want to see it I felt I had to see it, I thought perhaps that would give me some closure and get me ready to welcome Citi Field.  I didn’t experience the closure I was looking for.  I felt a little emotional, I could feel tears forming in my eyes but I did say goodbye to Shea that afternoon but I was wishing that it was not goodbye.

Maybe I just don’t like change, maybe I’m just trying to forget this 2009 season but I miss Shea.  I hope to one day feel the same way about Citi Field.  I want to feel like I’m at home at that park, that it gives me a feeling that the New York Mets are playing there the way Shea does/did.  I know there will be some disappointing seasons as well as some good seasons and I hope that the ballpark where the Mets play will help me enjoy the good seasons more and somewhat soothe me when the Mets don’t have a good season but I will always have a spot in my heart for Shea.

Shea was not much to look at but it she was home.

Following the Mets loss to the Phillies on Sunday night, SNY analyst, Bobby Ojeda unloaded on the Mets for their inexcusable play this season during Lincoln Mercury’s Post Game Live.

Unlike many sports shows on TV today, there was no yelling or screaming or obscenities. Instead, Ojeda in a calm demeanor proceed to voice his displeasure with the Mets for a number of their shortcomings this season.

He acknowledged that the team’s large number of injuries resulted in a lost season, however he maintained that the injuries were no excuse for the crucial mental mistakes players such as, Angel Pagan and Daniel Murphy have been making.

He went on to say that while covering the team in Port St. Lucie, Florida back in Spring Training, he ‘saw a lot of players having fun, and not stressing the fundamentals of the game’.

This news is not earth shattering, by any means, to anyone who follows the Mets closely, especially when you consider Jerry Manuel’s laid back attitude. However, it was nice to hear this coming from an ex-player and a respected member of the media.

Ojeda also went onto discuss that the mental mistakes that have plagued the Mets this season could very well carry over into next year and cause the Mets to miss the playoffs once again. He suggests that the Mets get ‘serious’ in Spring Training and show that they are fired up to try to capture the World Series.

Unfortunately, I, personally, think the members of the team have a long way to go in this area. As The Star Ledger’s Brian Costa tweeted earlier , in between  yesterday’s doubleheader, numerous Mets players surrounded a television. Rather than watching game tape to prepare for the game against Pedro Martinez, they were tuned into Fox’s telecast of the New York Giants football game.

What is the end result you ask? The Mets get shut out by their former ace.

Once, again I understand these games don’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, however the Mets have fans who are still paying top dollar to see their games. I find it very disheartening that there is so little effort being put into these last few weeks of the season.

Anyways, if there is one reason to watch the last remaining three weeks of the season, it is Bobby Ojeda’s stellar work on both the Pre- and Post-Game shows.

Despite this being his first year broadcasting on SNY, Ojeda comes off as a seasoned TV veteran and doesn’t sugar coat what can sometimes be a harsh reality. Kudos to Bobby Ojeda.

Last night, as I was about to watch the first game of the Subway Series, I was thinking about Mr. Kiner’s appearance in the broadcast booth during Thursday afternoon’s game.  The tarp was on the field and an ark-like object was barely visible in Flushing Bay.  SNY was going to its rain delay programming, which in this case was a Mets Classics episode featuring a 1999 matchup between the Mets and the Yankees.  It’s not the first time SNY has chosen to show a Mets Classics episode while waiting for a game to be resumed.  I have something I’d like to add to the SNY suggestion box.  How about showing classic episodes of Kiner’s Korner during rain delays instead of a Mets Classics episode?

Mets Classics is a fine program.  I’ve found myself watching entire episodes at times, smiling at the moments that I cherished as a young Mets fan and remembering what I was doing when the events on the field were taking place.  However, some of these games have their “classic” moment in the late innings.  By showing these games during rain delays, viewers could miss the moment they wanted to see the most.  After all, SNY isn’t going to keep the Mets Classics episode on when they have a live game about to resume.  Since I know this is a possibility during rain delays, I usually switch to another channel or sit at the computer planning out my next blog, occasionally checking to see if the game has resumed.

If SNY wanted to keep my attention while raindrops kept falling on their heads, wouldn’t it be wise of them to show a program from start to finish, perhaps a shorter program that has a better chance of being aired in its entirety before the rain delay comes to an end?  Mets Weekly sometimes fits the bill, but that can be seen numerous times a week.  Wouldn’t a classic episode of Kiner’s Korner, one that hasn’t been seen on any network in quite some time, keep the viewers from wandering away from the TV, especially the ones who grew up on the show like I did?  Are you listening, SNY?  It’s all about the ratings, and I believe Kiner’s Korner Klassics (if they can intentionally misspell “Korner” to get the alliteration, then I can misspell “Klassics” to get the same effect) would produce higher ratings than an episode of Mets Weekly or a sure-to-be abbreviated episode of Mets Classics.

Ralph Kiner is a beloved figure in Mets history.  He is loved and respected by fans, players and fellow broadcasters.  He has been a Mets broadcaster since their inaugural season (1962) and has one of the few areas of Citi Field named after a Mets personality, the Ralph Kiner Television Booth.  With this much admiration, a man like this deserves our attention.  He had my attention in the 80′s when I was watching Kiner’s Korner.  He certainly had former Cardinals pitcher Ricky Horton’s attention.  (For those of you who don’t know, Ricky Horton grew up watching Kiner’s Korner as a child.  When he reached the big leagues, he made it well-known that one of his lifelong dreams was to appear on an episode of Kiner’s Korner.  Despite pitching for three pennant-winning teams and one World Championship team (1988 Dodgers), he never made it onto the show during his short major league career (1984-1990).  To this day, despite the fact that he owns a World Series ring, he probably still laments never being a guest on Kiner’s Korner.)

SNY should realize that Ralph Kiner still has a fanbase.  His brief guest appearances in the broadcast booth that bears his name are among the most entertaining moments of a Mets telecast.  His recollection of players from a bygone generation is still excellent and his firsthand knowledge and discussion of events that took place on or off the field during his playing years makes for excellent television.  If the fans love him to this day, wouldn’t it make sense to think they’d love to see those episodes of Kiner’s Korner aired during rain delays?  We know the footage still exists because SNY shows clips of those episodes during Mr. Kiner’s appearances in the booth.  If entire episodes are still intact, I know I’d keep the channel on during rain delays.  What do you think, my fellow Mets maniacs?  Would you watch classic episodes of Kiner’s Korner if they were aired during rain delays?  If so, say it loudly so that SNY can hear you!