It looks like he’s at it again. According to Associated Press, Commissioner Bud Selig is seriously considering adding another round of playoffs to the post-season, possibly as soon as 2011. Can someone please stop this man???? Under his proposal there would be not one but two wildcards from each league. The teams with the 2 best records that did not win a division would face each other in either a best of three round or [...]

When one thinks of storied franchises in Baseball the Yankees immediately come to mind, thanks to Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle and 27 titles. One can even think of the Dodgers. It was in Brooklyn where the color barrier was broken and in Los Angeles where for a 5 year period a LHP pitcher dominated the game like no other. However, the very fabric of our National Pastime is sewn with the Giants. Starting back in 1883 [...]

THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! When Brian Wilson (and his beard) struck out Ryan Howard looking to end the Phillies season, it set up a date in the World Series with the American League champion Texas Rangers starting this Wednesday in San Francisco. Texas Rangers The Rangers rotation is anchored by mid-season acquisition, and playoff ace, Cliff Lee. After Lee is CJ Wilson, Colby Lewis, and Tommy Hunter. Lewis has a 1.45 playoff ERA with [...]

Long before he wore a suit and was President of the Texas Rangers, long before he was enshrined in Cooperstown, long before he tossed all those no-hitters and struck out about 5 million batters, Nolan Ryan was a skinny kid with the Mets who was unable to break into our starting rotation. Born on January 31, 1947 in Refugio, TX, his family moved to Alvin when he was 6 weeks old. At age 9, he [...]

With the League Championship Series starting this weekend (and with my team not in the mix yet again), I would like to share my picks for the remainder of the playoffs. Though you could say my picks are grounded in a personal bias, much research went into these picks, and I stand by my selections. To be honest, right or wrong in my picks, I could really care less about how the playoffs wind up. [...]

This is a bittersweet moment for me, as this is my last column on MetsMerized, at least as it stands now.  I’m moving on to pursue another opportunity that includes covering the Mets, so I’ll still be involved in the scene.  But I wanted to take this opportunity to thank Joe, the other staff writers and all of you readers who made the last 15 months or so an absolute pleasure for me. I know [...]

The All-Star game is behind us, and I’d like to thank Brian McCann for the game-winning hit that will give the Mets home field advantage in the World Series. You think that’s far-fetched?  Well, it’s not.  The Mets are just 4 games back of Atlanta and have a lot to be optimistic about.  Carlos Beltran returns tomorrow in San Fran, and a lot has gone right for the Mets without him. That’s not to say [...]

I grew up in an era when interleague play was a pipe dream, or a gleam in Bud Selig’s eye.  But I always loved watching the World Series when a National League team would face off against an American League squad, and I also remember going to the Mayor’s Trophy Game, an exhibition between the Mets and Yankees each year that didn’t amount to much because both teams let their scrubs play. So I was [...]

Any day now, pitchers and catchers will begin reporting to spring training all across Florida and Arizona.  In a few weeks, all teams, including our Mets, will begin their spring training games, and then less than two months from now, Johan Santana will likely be throwing the first live pitch for the Mets since last October. Usually around this time of year, once the Super Bowl has been played and sports docket is less than [...]

Mark McGwire’s admission that he used steroids is both a black eye and a small weight off Major League Baseball’s collective shoulder at the same time.  I mean, this wasn’t something we all didn’t know, but at the same time, it’s important for guys like Mac to come clean.  After thrilling us with the Great Home Run Chase of 1998, we were owed the truth.  I’m looking in your direction, Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, [...]

Mets fans were not pleased with the opponents in this year’s World Series.  So much has been written on who we should be rooting for.  Between the Phillies and the Yankees, which is the lesser of two evils. I started out rooting for the Phillies.  But after their game one win, I started worrying about a four game sweep and how badly that would sit with Mets fans.  Having to deal with the Phillies repeating [...]