The odds of making the major leagues are slim, but don’t tell the Molina brothers that.

The Molina’s, consisting of Bengie (43), Jose (42) and Yadier (35) is considered one of baseball’s royal families. Not only did the trio of siblings make it to the majors, but all three played at least a dozen years in the majors, won at least two World Series and played the same position: catcher.

Growing up in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico, baseball was life to the Molinas. Baseball brought them great joy and fulfillment, and what made it even better for the brothers was the person who taught them the game, the person Bengie Molina calls the family’s real Hall of Famer: their father.

Benjamin Molina, Sr., the patriarch in the Molina household, worked tirelessly with all three of his sons to hone their skills on the field while ensuring that they were better men off it. Though the elder Molina worked tirelessly at a Westinghouse factory by day, by night, he sought to ensure that his three sons were respectful, humble and appreciative of family and all that they were given.

On the diamond, Molina Sr. was instrumental in each of his son’s development, catering to their individual strengths and weaknesses while working hard to ensure that their grasp of the basic fundamentals of the sport was instilled first and foremost.

While most ardent fans of the sport know of the three Molina brothers, the story of the man who raised and developed the talent in the family had little to no mention in the mainstream media. The oldest of the three Molina brothers, Bengie, decided, along with his wife, Jamie, that a perfect way to give proper tribute to the man they most revered would be by writing a book as a tribute.

The book Molina: The Story of the Father Who Raised an Unlikely Baseball Dynasty sheds light on his father’s story. A therapeutic yet personal homage to a man that meant the world to his sons, Molina chronicles his relationship with his father and shares personal anecdotes of how he helped shape him into the man he became.

Beyond raising and teaching all three of his sons, Molina Sr. was a staple in Puerto Rico. He’s enshrined in the Puerto Rican Hall of Fame for his own baseball career, one that could’ve potentially amounted to a career in the majors.

Molina Sr. once had a tryout set up with a major league scout but never showed. The reason? His wife was expecting their first child, Bengie, and decided that he needed to put aside his baseball ambitions to be there for his wife and growing family.

The tale of the Molina brothers is one of perseverance, with their personal accomplishments and accolades a testament to their upbringing, which includes their loving mother, Gladys.

In the book, Molina details personal highs and lows, including the sudden and devastating revelation that his father had a massive heart attack prior to coaching a youth baseball game in 2008 and died at the age of 58.

The elder Molina never stopped coaching, even when his three sons were off living their dreams in the majors. His dedication to the children of Puerto Rico to help shape their young baseball careers adds to his legacy, one that enriched the lives of thousands. Included among the throngs of kids he helped coach were future All-Stars and Hall of Famers, including Bernie Williams, Jose Hernandez and Ivan Rodriguez.

The commitment and investment Molina Sr. made in enriching children’s lives does not go unnoticed by Bengie, who speaks admirably about the time and zeal Molina Sr. gave to aiding others. While he was described as a man of few words, Molina noted that his father didn’t need to say a whole lot to be understood, that he could tell just by a look his father gave him as to what he wanted him to do.

Leadership and being a field manager are key attributes for a catcher to have, and certainly qualities that Molina Sr. never stopped instilling to his three sons.

While the memoir offers a retrospect into the Molina household, it also reflects on Bengie’s professional career. In total, Molina spent thirteen seasons in the majors, playing for four teams and a member of two World Series champions (2002 with the Angels and earning another as a member of the San Francisco Giants in 2010, before a July trade to the Texas Rangers).

I had the privilege of speaking with Molina in mid-February, where we discussed his book and father, signing with the Angels in 1993 and how close he came to becoming a member of the Mets in 2006.

MMO: What initially made you want to write this book, Bengie?

Molina: When my dad passed away, my wife came up with the idea of doing it as a tribute to him. Everybody knows that we are the Molina brothers in the majors, and we get the glory, or whatever they want to call it. But the real hero and the real Hall of Famer for us in our hearts is our dad and mom. That was one of the main reasons why we wanted to write this book, so people out there could know the real story of the Molina brothers instead of knowing the people that played.

I think that was one of the main reasons, as a tribute to him. Plus, he was such a great man with us. He’s in the Hall of Fame for his amateur playing days in Puerto Rico. He’s also in the Hall of Fame as a coach for Little League. That’s what I wanted people to know, that he’s in the Hall of Fame as a player and as a coach for helping kids, too.

Photo Credit: John Cordes

MMO: For those who haven’t read your book, can you talk about the kind of man your father was?

Molina: My dad was a very humble guy; he never liked to brag. He used to go every weekend and hang out with his friends and play dominoes and have fun. He was very humble, very quiet.

He was a guy of very few words, but then he would say a lot. You know what I’m saying? Just [by] looking at you.

MMO: Was he a tough coach on you and your brothers growing up?

Molina: He wasn’t tough; he was quite the opposite. When I started playing baseball, the reason he made the team was because me and a couple of his friends that worked with him – their sons – didn’t make the team. We were really bad players, and that’s just the truth.

The reason he made the team was so that we could play, and he told us right away, “I don’t want to win. I’m not looking to win; I’m looking to teach you the game of baseball. Just concentrate on learning, and then we’ll concentrate on winning whenever we’re ready. If you’re not ready, don’t worry about it. Just come here, go to school, respect your elders, respect your parents and teachers. If we win later, we win later.”

Let me tell you, that’s what happened! I don’t know if he saw it or not, but he trained us for a while. We didn’t win a game for probably the first couple of years. The third year we won a few, and we kept getting better and better.

He wasn’t worried about any winning; he was worried about making men out of us for the future and making us better players to have more opportunities.

MMO: An interesting part of your book was when you discuss attending Arizona Western College, with hopes of attracting more scouts to see you play. You had to take English classes and were a young man in an unfamiliar place. How difficult was that transition for you, especially being away from home?

Molina: It was very, very difficult. You wish you could speak a little bit so you can communicate with everybody on the field and become more friendly with the guys and build that chemistry. It was very difficult; I didn’t know how to order a burger! I didn’t know how to communicate.

I had a roommate who was Puerto Rican, same as me. I went to the coach, and I said, ‘Can I get an American roommate?’ He looked at me like, What, are you serious? I said, ‘If I want to be able to learn English fast, I better have one of those guys.’

And I did – I forgot his name – but he was very, very nice, and he took me under his wing. He started by asking me, “How do you say bed? How do you say toilet?” Anything that was in the room at the moment I would tell him in Spanish, and he was telling me in English. By the way, he learned Spanish; he knew Spanish by the end of his two years at junior college. He actually worked, too. It worked for him.

MMO: I didn’t know until reading your book that you didn’t catch at all until the Angels asked you to in their tryout in 1993. How difficult was it for you to find yourself in that situation, with a major league scout on hand and having to play a position that was foreign to you?

Molina: It was very difficult because of the position, but it wasn’t difficult because I saw it like a chance. I actually saw it as my last chance to be a pro baseball player. It was difficult just to adjust and to catch and throw. At the same time, I didn’t see it that way. I just thought this was my opportunity; the guy likes me as a catcher, and I’m going to make the most out of it.

Thank God that worked.

MMO: Fast forward a few years after you’ve played a couple of seasons in the Angels minor league system. You name Sal Fasano as a mentor in 1996 while playing Winter Ball. How big of an influence was he in helping form your catching skills?

Molina: Well, actually, as a catching instructor, I’ve got to give credit to Orlando Mercado, Bill Lachemann, Bob Clear and John McNamara. He was there with me when I arrived in the minor leagues in Mesa in ’93, and I had no idea how to catch. They took their time, and we were out there at 5:30 or 6:00 in the morning every day trying to learn as quickly as I could.

And here I go to Puerto Rico to play Winter Ball. If I didn’t play Winter Ball, I wouldn’t have made it, straight up. Winter Ball was a huge part [of my success]. A lot of veteran pitchers helped me out. I didn’t play as much as I would’ve loved to, but I spent my time in the bullpen with a lot of veteran pitchers.

Sal gave his time. He got there early because he knew I was there early, catching four or five bullpens before the game started. I knew I wasn’t playing because they had veteran players like him, and he was the starter. I got there early so I could catch bullpens and learn quickly and develop my skills. He took it upon himself to sit down with me for long hours, and he would watch me catch bullpens.

He would tell me, “Put this knee this way. Try to get comfortable here. Let the ball travel to you. Receive the ball; don’t snap at it.” Anything that’s related to catching he would tell me, not that I didn’t hear it, but he was reassuring that I did it.

Sal was a big, big part in my catching success, and whenever I see him, I always tell him.

MMO: Where does playing with your brother, Jose Molina, on the 2002 World Champion Angels rank in your career?

Molina: I think it’s the top. Actually winning the World Series, getting a ring, and not only are you getting a ring, but you’re getting it with your brother on the same team? Come on, man! You can’t top that. I don’t care who you are. There’s no way in the world if you’re a baseball player that you can top that!

MMO: Was it ever tough having your brother on the same team with you?

Molina: We were very close. We would’ve won another championship if they kept us together; I really, really felt that way. He helped me; we had lunch together almost every day. It was awesome having him as part of me and being there together.

It was never a competition. If he would’ve been the number one and I was number two, I would’ve been happy for him, so it wasn’t any of that. It was more of, how do we help these pitchers succeed and help our team win? We actually did it, man.

It’s pretty crazy to win a championship with your brother on your side.

MMO: At the end of the 2005 season, there were reports that the Mets had offered you a 3-year, $18 million deal. You chronicle in the book your desire to come to New York. Can you talk about what happened in that process?

Molina: The lovely part of free agency is that you don’t know where you’re going to end up. In my head, we had no teams, we had no communication with anybody. All of a sudden, my agent called me and said, “Omar Minaya wants you there for three years, $18 million.”

I said, ‘Wow! Could we get a little bit more money? Negotiate some money, and I’m in. Tell him yes so we don’t lose that offer!’

I didn’t have anything; we didn’t have any offers. Well, at least I didn’t know; I’m going to tell you later what happened. At that moment, I didn’t know we had other offers, but he (his agent) didn’t say that to me because he was looking for four-year deals. So everybody that had two-year deals in their head he was saying no to, instead of consulting it with me.

The three-year deal with the Mets happened with me, Minaya and Tony Bernazard. [Bernazard] was huge with me; he was Puerto Rican, so he loved me. And I’m like, ‘Okay, three-year deal for $18 million. Let’s try to hustle a couple of more million in there for the taxes.’ That’s just a joke. I told him, ‘Hey, just hustle a couple more million for the taxes and tell him yes, I don’t want to lose it.’

And he said, “Yes, all right. I’m going to call them right now.”

I didn’t hear from him for the next week. It was kind of weird because I already said yes, and everybody’s asking me, “Did you sign?” And I said, ‘Yeah, I got a three-year deal with the Mets. I’m going to the Big Apple and going to try and hit that apple over there.’

I was having fun with it, and I almost went to a hat store to buy the Mets hat. All of a sudden, I didn’t hear from my agent, and it’s kind of weird. I kept calling, no answer. I kept calling, no answer. I’m like, ‘Wow, that’s pretty weird.’

Then all of a sudden, on the news they said that they got Paul Lo Duca in a trade. Here I am, and I’m like, How the heck did they get Paul Lo Duca if they offered me a three-year deal? What happened?

I ended up calling the assistant of my agent, and I said, ‘Where the hell is Alan? I’ve been trying to call him about the contract.’

He said, “I’m going to tell him. He’s going to call you right back.”

He ended up calling me, and I said, ‘Alan, what the hell happened? I told you I said yes, and now they’ve got Lo Duca.’

His first reaction was, “Oh, you didn’t want to go there. You didn’t want to go to New York and play anyway.”

I’m like, ‘What the heck are you saying?’ He said that they didn’t want to go four years. I’m like, ‘What the hell!’ I didn’t say that; I said worse. [Laughs.]

Right away I fired the guy. I just said, ‘You’re fired, Alan. I don’t want any part with you. I don’t want any part with your organization or anything with you.’

And that’s how it happened. I was ready to go and be a Met. But all of a sudden, Alan Nero didn’t want it; I don’t know. And for some reason, it didn’t happen.

MMO: It’s crazy that you had no communication with your agent for that long of a period during a time when you had an offer on the table.

Molina: Yeah, that’s exactly what happened, man. I don’t have anything to hide. I was ready to go, and then all of a sudden he said, “I didn’t want to go there anyway.”

I’m like, ‘I don’t want to go where anyway? You’ve got to ask me; you’re not the one playing. I’m the one playing.’ Then we got into a big argument.

He went and visited me in Toronto because I ended up signing a one-year deal with Toronto with an option. I signed with like one week to go in spring. He came up to me and said, “I’m sorry about that deal with the Mets.”

And I said, ‘Hey, Alan, I told you before, I don’t want anything [to do] with you, man. I really don’t.’

He said, “Oh, but we’ve been with you for years.”

I told him, ‘I don’t care. You should’ve asked me, you should’ve asked me first. And then I’m the one who says no, I don’t want to go there, or, I want to go there.’ So that’s what happened.

MMO: I certainly think you would’ve excelled in New York, Bengie. Especially with your passion, dedication and work ethic. I think the fans would’ve gravitated to you.

Molina: I would’ve loved it. I talked to Carlos Beltran, who took a lot of heat over there from a lot of fans. He told me, “B-Mo, they’re strong fans, but you would’ve loved it. You would’ve loved it.”

MMO: Talk a little about your youngest brother Yadier. You write in your book that it was clear very early on growing up that Yadier was the best player in your family. What makes him tick?

Molina: First of all, I think he took from both of us, from Jose and myself. He took whatever he could and learned it. If I have 100 percent of my mind in baseball, Yadi has 200 percent in baseball. He’s very dedicated to it. He’s dedicated to today, which if today he faces the Cubs, he wants to beat the Cubs. He doesn’t care about any other team.

Yadier’s mind is way ahead of other people, way ahead. By that, I mean in a smart way. Maybe not so much in regards to other guys’ production, but for me, he’s so smart, way over the top. And it makes him really special.

He cares; that’s one thing people need to know. He cares about his pitchers and about his team. He cares about that jersey he wears. He wants to play every day because he cares.

MMO: He certainly brings a fiery passion to the game, and holds his ground well.

Molina: He’s defending his territory, man. You’re not going to come here and punk me [speaking about the Reds/Cardinals brawl]. It’s just very true. If they would have done it to me, we would’ve had the same type of reaction. You’re not going to come here and talk crap about my team the night before, and come here and say hi to me. I would’ve done the same thing, and probably a lot of players would’ve done the same thing.

MMO: One of the things your father told you that you could accomplish was hitting 20 home runs in a season. You came close in both 2006 and 2007 (19 home runs each). You finally accomplished the feat in 2009. Can you talk about how important that goal was for you personally?

Molina: He put it right in my head. I thought I was a 15-18-homer guy and a lot of RBIs, because thank God I was a clutch guy. But that’s what I thought I was. He said, “You could hit 20 home runs whenever you want to. You know that, right?”

I was like, ‘What?’

He put so many different thoughts into my head, and I was like, ‘Really, you think so? Do you know where I play? I play in San Francisco, buddy.’ But he said it, and he ended up passing away in 2008.

In 2009, I hit number twenty. It was a two-home run game. It was like my Hall of Fame speech. You know how kids think of speeches for the Hall of Fame? And you know how great they feel and how awesome they feel? For me, that was it. For me, that was my Hall of Fame time that I could show my dad that, hey, you were right, I hit twenty home runs in the big leagues. I never had 100 RBIs, although I came close. I never hit .300, but I came close, too.

Those are the numbers I wanted to [reach], and it was because of what you said in the beginning. You asked me about never catching before, and all of a sudden you made it as an opportunity. You made it. A guy like me that’s not supposed to be there ends up doing these things; it’s a win/win.

That’s why it was very special to me.

MMO: In your thirteen-year major league career, who were the best pitchers you had the privilege of catching?

Molina: There were many. The main ones that come to mind are Tim Lincecum, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and A.J. Burnett at his time. I caught Kevin Appier, but he was older; he was in his last couple of years. I would’ve loved to have caught him when he was in his prime.

Oh man, I caught many good pitchers, but those are probably the main ones that stand out in my head.

MMO: What was the normal day-to-day preparation for you as a catcher when you were preparing for a series? Was it a lot of scouting reports and video?

Molina: Yeah, yeah, but that’s normal. You have to do that just because it’s your job; you have to do it. If you want to become a really smart catcher, you have to do double time. If you watch one hour, I’ll be watching two. That’s what I was doing. I was watching the video and reading the scouting reports. At this time, they had a lot of paperwork that tells you what they hit in 2-2 counts, what they hit with two outs, and all of that.

I was trying to pick the best out of them. If I was facing Matt Kemp, what did he hit? Or Andre Ethier, what do they like to hit in certain situations? I went with what they couldn’t hit because if I get beat with that, at least we know they could hit that. It takes a lot of mental toughness and mental preparation to be a really good catcher.

It’s not impossible to do it, it just takes more time.

MMO: In today’s analytic world of baseball, catching stats has gotten more attention with metrics like pitch framing, pop time, etc. What are your thoughts on the new analytics in the game, and are you a proponent of utilizing them?

Molina: I’m an old-school guy, man. I’m a guy that loved the old school, talking to a pitcher and talking to hitters. I loved that more than a couple of numbers. I’m not against analytics, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying I’m against it, I’m just an old-school guy. I can work with it, and it could probably help me out, but the numbers and analytics come after it happens, right?

You can tell me Jay Bruce is 2-for-3 against Adam Wainwright, but you’re telling me something that already happened. You’re not telling me something that’s going to happen next. Does he have a better chance of hitting him? Yes, because he’s 2-for-3. It doesn’t mean he has his number or anything like that. If Wainwright makes his pitches, he’s going to get him out.

I’m not against it; I’m willing to work with it. I’m sure it’s going to make whoever uses it better because if you mix old school with analytics in your brain, you’ll be fine.

If you give me the option, I’ll go old school. I’ll go watching the player, watching his heart. Nobody has come up to me yet and said, “What number heart or what number of guts or what number of feeling or toughness does a guy have?” You can’t measure that.

I’d rather see the guys that are five-foot-eleven but have just as big of a heart as a guy that’s six-foot-six. But the six-foot-six guy doesn’t know how to play, but you’re going to get the six-foot-six guy because he has the potential of doing it. But I’ll go with the five-foot-eleven [guy] because he’s a baller. He’s a guy that’s done it and who’s played before and has the passion. I’m just giving you an example of what I think.

MMO: I heard that your book has the potential to turn into a feature film. Is that true?

Molina: We haven’t come to an agreement, but we have a couple of companies that are very interested in making the book into a  movie, so we’re in the works. We might make a documentary; we want that. It’s not there yet, but there’s a lot of talking about it.

MMO: Can you talk a little about the weekly podcast you’re a part of, “Two Birds on a Bat,” and how you initially got involved with that?

Molina: Just the same as Twitter, as you did, and a lot of people have reached out to me for interviews and stuff. Jim Cromer – who’s the main guy there – and Steve Flowers, they asked me to do an interview, because Yadi plays for the Cardinals.

The podcast is actually supposed to be a Cardinals podcast, but we talk about baseball overall, life things; it’s not only the Cardinals. He asked me to do an interview, and I said, ‘All right, no problem.’ I liked it, and he said, “Do you mind being here for next week? The fans love it, you get fired up sometimes and the fans love it.” I told them I can do that.

That’s how it started, little by little. Before you know, it I told them, ‘Hey, I’d love to do this every week.’

MMO: It’s certainly a great way for you to stay involved with the game.

Molina: Yeah, and I actually have a job. I work for the Cardinals and do the Spanish radio; I’ve been doing it the last two years. The first year I did 10 games, the second year we did 23 or so. This year we’re going to do 39 or 40 games overall.

It’s the first time that the St. Louis Cardinals have ever done Spanish radio. I’m part of it with Polo Ascencio. As soon as the season starts, and every weekend that they’re home, we’ve got those games. I can’t wait for that.

MMO: You also get to keep an eye on Yadi and make sure he’s staying out of trouble!

Molina: [Laughs.] Exactly! I’m doing my own brother’s game. How great is that?!

MMO: Listen, your brother is one of the best catchers I’ve ever seen, but he killed my Mets in the ’06 NLCS, and that home run in Game 7…

Molina: Hey, don’t get mad at Yadi, get mad at that pitcher. [Laughs.]

MMO: You’ve been a coach for both the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals after you retired as a player. Have you ever thought about managing someday?

Molina: I would love to be a manager in the major leagues. I’m telling you straight up, I would love to be a part of a team, and I can not wait to see what I could do with 25 men on a roster. When we are in-between the white lines, I can’t wait to see what I could do with a group, and see if we can win a championship. I really, really want to be a manager!

It hasn’t happened yet; doesn’t mean it won’t. But we’ll see what happens. We’ll see who’s out there willing to give me an opportunity, that’s all it takes. Somebody that’s willing to give you a chance.

MMO: I can’t thank you enough for your time today, Bengie. Thanks for sharing some great memories.

Molina: Thank you for having me. It was awesome.

Follow Bengie Molina on Twitter, @BengieMolina1

Check out Bengie Molina’s book, “Molina: The Story of the Father Who Raised an Unlikely Baseball Dynasty” by Bengie Molina and Joan Ryan.

The post MMO Exclusive: Two-Time Gold Glove-Winning Catcher, Bengie Molina appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Before the post season started, a few people asked me which two teams I predicted would meet in the World Series. I calmly responded that I hoped it would come down to the Pirates and the Athletics. Well as we know predictions are like opinions – everybody has one, and of course mine were wrong.

So now that we are down to the final four teams, I will have to hold my nose and root for the Red Sox as well as the Cardinals to meet in the Fall Classic. Why would I choose those two teams you may ask ? Well with the Sox I can’t hold much of a grudge. I mean we did beat them in ’86 and I am eternally grateful for their coming back from being three games down in the ’04 ALCS against the Goliaths of the American League, the New York Yankees, and go on to beat the Cards to win the World Series that year.

But I have hated the Cardinals of St Louis ever since that team took what was rightfully ours way back in ’85. Everyone knew that the Mets should have been the team that represented the National League East in the post season, but the Amazins faltered towards the end finishing in second place.

As we all know, the Mets would go on to win it all in ’86, but in ’87 the Cards once again stuck a dagger into the hearts of Met fans when on the 21st of September, Terry Pendleton hit that game tying home run off Roger McDowell and winning it in the tenth..

Zoom ahead 19 years to 2006, when it seemed like the Mets had the National League all sewn up and was on the verge of heading to the World Series for the first time since 2000. Once again it was our age-old rival who delivered the crushing blow as the Mets were shutdown by the Cards – this time from a Yadier Molina homerun that ended up being the game winner and a Adam Wainwright curveball that even the great Bambino himself couldn’t hit. But Carlos Beltran – one of the best postseason players at the time and still today was fooled by that nasty curve and didn’t even attempt to swing at the pitch that was eventually called strike 3. Game over! The Mets quest to be the 2006 NLCS and World Series Champs had ended.

So here we are seven years later, and Beltran (as well as his world famous mole) are members of the hated Cardinals. He currently has 9 RBIs and two home runs this postseason with plenty of action still ahead. He seems to be his stoic self at the plate, and I just have to root for him.

As much as I want to root for the Sox if they make it to the World Series, I most likely find myself painfully rooting for the Cards if they get past the Dodgers. Beltran has yet to win a World Series ring, and I feel that he is more than deserving. He never did me wrong as a Mets fan. He always tried to play as hard as he could – even when injured. It almost always seemed like he got a hit in the clutch when the team always seemed to need one. And when he came back from knee surgery in 2011, he checked his ego at the door and switched to right field because the Mets were afraid that his outfield range would greatly be affected. He stepped aside for the younger Angel Pagan in center field while delivering an MVP type season up until his final game as a Met. He came in on top and he went out on top.

And if it wasn’t for Carlos hitting the cover off the ball during the ’11 season we may never have gotten Zack Wheeler from the Giants  – which we all know at the time and now was a steal.

So if it comes down to the Cards versus the Sox during the Fall Classic, take a word of advice – Root  for Beltran to win a ring, and try to forget that the rest of the Cardinals will be getting one too.

And with that said…. HERE COMES THE INFAMY!!!!

Mets alumni celebrating a birthday today include:

Mets third base coach from ’68-’75, Eddie Yost would have been 87 (1926).

Middle reliever from ’73-’74, John Strohmayer is 67  (1946).

Spot starter/middle reliever from ’90-’91,  Julio Valera is 45  (1968).

Middle reliever from the ’11 season, Taylor Buchholz is 32 (1981)

Some other notables include:

The New York Mets traded spot starter/middle reliever, Ray Sadecki and middle reliever, Tommy Moore to the St. Louis Cardinals for third baseman,  Joe Torre on October 13, 1974. Not a bad score for the one time N.L MVP and batting champion (’71) , golden glove award winner (’65), but by the time he came to the Mets he was often injured. Although he did hit over .300 one time as a Met ( ’75) he had morphed into a double play machine – even doing it infamously four times in one game!

Mo Vaughn is openly rooting for the Cardinals and the Red Sox – but not because he likes the teams …. It’s because he loves their FOOD !!!!!

The post This Day In Mets Infamy With Rusty: Root For The Mole, Not The Cardinals Edition appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

They Lost, They Lost 

(Sing to the music of “New York, New York”)

Start spreading the news… We’re crying today.
The Yanks wont be a part of it. They Lost, They Lost.

These overpaid boobs… Won’t have their parade.
I can’t believe how bad they were, Out-played, Out-played.

I want to throw up in that shithole in the Bronx,
Where they serve warm cups of beer… and charge twenty bucks.

These Yankeetown blues… Won’t soon go away.
They just can’t face the fact that they – were so disgraced…

If they can make one plea.
They’d get down on their knees.
Please come and save our ass… Cliff Lee.

Ah yes, it was so sweet to see their strategy of not pitching to the new “Yankee Killer” Josh Hamilton, burn in flames.

The Beard Of The Giant 

(Sing to the music of “Eye Of The Tiger”)

Packing up, there goes our season.
Took the field, got our ass kicked.
Halladay, he just wasn’t enough.
Lincecum was too freaky.

Howard choked, left his bat on his shoulder.
He has no passion or glory.
Thought for sure, that our Cheesecakes would win.
But we choked, that’s the story.

It’s like burning to ashes, with no rescue in sight.
Shrinking from all the pressures of fighting.

It’s so easy to choke, when you are counting on Chase,
And the last thing we saw was the beard… of the Giant.

Hey, a cool fun fact from Ed Leyro of Studious Metsimus, no matter who wins the series, Bengie Molina gets a World Series ring either way! Oh and Rob Neyer, would you like to take back your quote that whoever is interested in Jeff Francoeur, is not interested in winning? LMAO!

The post An MMO Tribute To The Yankees and Phillies appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Since July 21, 2004, David has moved up in the batting order and 0-fers have given way to some great numbers.

In 6 years David Wright has already assumed his position amongst the elite hitters in our history. Through August 3rd David is 5^th all-time in Runs (609), 4^th in HR’s (157), 3^rd in SLG and OBP (517 and 387 respectively). His 308 career BA is 2^nd in team history. He has 1101 hits and may move up to 2^nd by the end of this season. At just 27 years old, 3000 hits is not out of the question. He has already become our team leader in doubles with 250. And by next summer, David will be our all-time leader in RBI’s.

When you think of the Yankees you think Jeter. When you think of the Cardinals you think Pujols. And when you think of the Mets you think David Wright.

As the Mets steamrolled over the NLE in 06, David signed a contract extension. “I have wanted to be a lifelong Met,” he said, “And this is the first step in that direction.” But he also said, “To know I’m going to be a Met for the next 6 or 7 years is special.” 6 or 7 years, David? Not any more?

We hate to admit it but Baseball is a business. But it’s a business of winning. Players sign long term contracts worth tens, sometimes hundreds of millions of dollars. In addition to the financial reward, they also seek something money cant buy: A World Series ring. Even our own players such as Beltran and Santana came to NY not only due to the contract, but to play for a winner. At that time, the Mets were heading in the right direction.

However things have changed. Since Beltran and Johan were brought in–and since David signed his extension–we seem to be heading in the wrong direction. A devastating Game 7 loss, two historical late-season collapses, an abysmal 2009 and a 2010 season where we are at 500.

This is all hypothetical, of course. No one knows what the rest of this season will bring, much less 2011 or 2012. And of course, no one has any idea what David’s mindset is–or will be.

But unless we change direction and start winning, it’s difficult to imagine anyone wanting to stay here long term. This past winter Giants catcher Bengie Molina accepted less money to stay away, knowing full well that Buster Posey would soon be taking his job. Molina’s refusal to play for the Mets may just be the first sign of things to come.

Before we realize it the 2012 season will be here and we will be talking about locking up Wright with a long-term deal. But if the Mets continue down this woeful path it’s hard to picture David wanting to remain a Met.

He will be 30 years old Opening Day 2013. If this club continues to flounder, if we are continuing to struggle with dissension, if we are still second guessing managers, general managers and ownership, if we are falling out of pennant races in July, why would David want to spend what remains of his most productive years on a team such as this?

Maybe by 2013, David will grow tired of being pressured to assume a ‘leadership’ role he is clearly not comfortable with. Maybe by 2013, he will grow tired of post-game interviews where reporters run to him for the latest in a long line of excuses. Maybe, just maybe, unless things change, he wont want to grow old in a Mets uniform and be the cornerstone of a team that is rebuilding around him.

For several seasons, we have questioned when Wright will ‘take charge’ and assume the leadership role? But he probably never will. Some athletes have that ability. Some do not. But that doesn’t matter. Leadership is not a pre-requisite for a Hall of Fame career

The clock is ticking. With each game we come closer to the end of his contract. And come closer to his possible departure. David Wright vacating New York and leaving this organization would have just as negative an impact as the discarding of Tom Seaver. It was over three decades ago when our beloved Seaver grew tired of the direction–or lack thereof–this team was taking.

To Mets ownership, I plead with you. Do something. Do something now. Give us a winner. Don’t let history repeat itself. Lets not bid farewell to another ‘Franchise’ player.

The post Are We Living On Borrowed Time With David Wright? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Omar Minaya and company have absorbed a lot of deserved criticism for their questionable personal decisions and signings the last couple of years, but on this one they were right to stand firm and resist giving Molina the two-to-three year contract he wanted. Unfortunately for Bengie, he suffered the fallout from two of the worst signings in recent years–the misguided four-year, $24 million deal the Mets gave  Luis Castillo in 2008 and last year’s disastrous signing of Oliver Perez for three years at $12 million per.

It’s clear (not only on this move but in the signing of Jason Bay) that Omar learned his lesson regarding overpaying and bidding against himself. He was also wise not to overreact and regard Molina as some kind of compensation for losing Carlos Beltran’s home runs and the public relations hit they took for the communication fiasco regarding Beltran’s sudden knee operation. Molina would have been a good signing for one year as a stopgap while the Mets wait for Josh Thole to be major-league ready or scour the market for a new catcher next year. But committing two years or more to a catcher who will turn 36 in mid-season would have been a major mistake.

It is common knowledge around baseball that catchers start breaking down at around 35, and those are the ones who are in shape. Molina looks like he’s ready to be a contestant in “The Biggest Loser.” Watching highlight footage of him running around the bases, his beer belly bouncing around like jello, was cringe-inducing. The Mets need athletes, not out-of-shape guys a couple of years from retirement looking for one more good payday. Molina is an injury waiting to happen and that’s the last thing the Mets would need after last season when practically half the roster was on the disabled list.

On top of that, Molina has never met a pitch he didn’t like. While his strikeout totals aren’t terrible, he hardly ever takes a walk and that would not be a good fit on a club with high strikeout guys like Bay, Jeff Francoeur and David Wright. While Molina belted 20 homers for the Giants last year, that number would likely decrease in spacious CitiField, especially if he started succumbing to the age breakdown.

Would an experienced handler of pitchers like Molina have helped the Mets staff? No doubt. The team was obviously willing to have Bengie serve as a bridge while they developed or traded for a new catcher. But giving into this guy’s demands would have just been throwing good money after bad. Give this round to Omar and regard Molina’s decision to go back to San Francisco as a lucky break.

The post Losing Bengie is a Lucky Break appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Jon Heyman believes the news shows just how much Molina wanted nothing to do with the Mets. Especially, when the Mets deal was also reported to include a vesting option for a second year.

So with Molina now off the table, the attention has now shifted to Yorvit Torrealba who according to Andrew Marchand of ESPN Radio, is waiting to hear from Omar to see where they stand as far as an offer goes.

Another option could be that the Mets just stand pat. However, considering the uncertainty surrounding Carlos Beltran, I am shocked that they won’t even consider Rod Barajas who has significantly more power.

Still, the chance that we might see an Omir Santos and Henry Blanco platoon behind the plate this season, remains a strong possibility. Hopefully, they don’t do something stupid and rush Josh Thole before his time.

The post Molina Rejects Mets Offer, Signs For Less With Giants appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Heard this: Bengie Molina has turned down the Mets’ most recent offer, and the Mets are beginning to focus on Joel Pineiro.

Just last week, Jon Morosi of Fox Sports reported that the Mets were “close” to signing Molina it was expected that something was getting done in 3-4 days. The Mets and Molina have been at odds over the length of any deal with the Mets standing firm on one year plus an option, and recently Molina softened his stance from three years guaranteed to two.

I wonder if this will finally allow the Mets to look at other catching options such as Rod Barajas who might be a better fit anyway?

* * * * * * * * * *

Buster Olney also revealed on his Insider Blog that Omar Minaya was never given a budget to work with and that everything is being done on a case by case business.

This will explain why the Mets have not been able to conduct more than one or two negotiations at the same time. It’s a terrible way to operate a big market team and only strengthens the notion that the Mets front office has become very dysfunctional.

We have already seen some of the dysfunction at work in 2010, and with a an organization that now seems rudderless and without any concrete plan in place, things can only get worse from here.

Most of this comes from the Wilpon’s decision to keep Omar Minaya as the GM even though they apparently have no confidence in his ability to lead the team.

The Mets bought on some good baseball people in the off season to help out, but with Omar still the team’s GM, you can imagine how unorganized things currently are at the top of the Mets hierarchy.

Until the team has a clear leader, how can they be led?

And what is the vision for the future, and who is communicating that vision?

The post Mets Are Rudderless And Have No Clear Vision appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The market for second baseman is very soft and in my opinion, Hudson will end up taking a one year deal just as he did last season. The Mets would still like to add the O-Dog, but probably not for more than $6 million in guaranteed money.

Meanwhile, John Morosi of Fox Sports believes that free agent catcher Bengie Molina is now willing to accept a two year deal after holding firm on three years all off season.

Free agent catcher Bengie Molina has lowered his asking price, multiple sources said Tuesday, raising the likelihood of a long-expected union with the New York Mets. Molina had been asking for a three-year contract, but one source believes he is now willing to sign for two years.

All arrows continue to point toward the Mets signing Molina. If the second year is a vesting option or a team option, it should work out okay for the Mets. I’d have a big problem with two guaranteed years.

Ed Price of AOL, posted an update on Carlos Delgado via his Twitter. He says that Delgado is not moving well while playing first base and that the Mets have already seen Delgado play twice, but will take one more look before moving on or making a decision.

Price also speculates that the Blue Jays might be the final destination for Delgado who is batting .316 in Winter Ball.

I think this latest news should close the book on Carlos Delgado who is obviously a designated hitter posing as a first baseman.

The post Latest Mets Hot Stove: O-Dog, Molina, Delgado appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

I preferred Bay as I believe he is better suited for hitting at Citi Field than Matt Holliday.  Bay is not strictly a power hitter and in Citi he can hit doubles and drive in runs as well as knock the ball out of the park.  The Mets lineup if healthy and back to 100% has now become a very formidable one.  This potential lineup is better than the 2006 team that just missed out on the World Series.

Bay’s signing is a great way to start 2010 but there is still work to be done.  The Mets need a catcher and it looks like this game of chicken between the Mets and Bengie Molina is going to continue into the new year.  I applaud the way the Mets are handling these negotiations with the veteran catcher.  Molina needs to lower his expectations as 3 years is just out of the question.  I know the Mets would like a 1 year deal with an option for a 2^nd but if you look at what other free agent catchers have gotten that is not going to be enough.  The Mets need to offer Molina a 2 year guaranteed deal, if he doesn’t want that walk away and go after another catcher.

Now that the Mets have Bay in left field the biggest concern is pitching.  This year’s free agent class is very weak for pitching.  The best pitcher on the free agent market was John Lackey and he is signed.  The best pitcher on the trading block was Halladay who we all know was traded to the Phillies.  My pick for a 2^nd tier pitcher was Jason Marquis who is now off the market so the Mets need now to be aggressive and go after the better remaining pitchers on the market.  I don’t believe the Mets will trade so looking at the free agents still available I’m thinking the Mets are going to go after Joel Pineiro.  Pineiro record last year was 15-12 with an ERA of 3.49.  He pitched 214 innings, the first time in his career he pitched over 200 innings.  I do feel that the Mets or any team that sign him is going to overpay for his services, that’s the way the market looks right now.

There are pitchers out there coming off of injuries that could be good for the Mets such as Chien-Ming Wang.  Wang as we all know pitched for the Yankees before being non-tendered last year.  Wang had won 19 games two years in a row before hurting his ankle rounding bases that ended his 2008 season.  Wang came back last season and the results weren’t pretty.  He struggled for the entire season, some thinking that the injury to his ankle forced him to change the way he pitched which resulted in him getting knocked around all last season.  Wang was sent down to Tampa to work on his mechanics and it was discovered that he had weakness in both his hips and was put on the DL.  Eventually Wang would get shoulder surgery ending both his 2009 season and his tenure with the Yankees.  Wang could be very good for the Mets but I suspect after last season the Mets are staying away from guys with injury history and won’t attempt to sign him.  I understand the thinking and if Wang does have a good season with whatever team signs him I won’t hold it against the Mets.  Wang is a big risk to a team that has really no depth in the rotation, not performing or getting injured would really hurt the Mets and they can’t afford that.

Overall Bay’s signing is a great way to start 2010 but there is still work to be done.  I believe that Bengie Molina will eventually be our starting catcher and the pitcher that the Mets do sign will not be met with 100% satisfaction whether it’s Pineiro or Sheets or Wang or whomever.

The post 2010 Off To Good Start, Looking Forward To What’s Next appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Mets would very much like to sign Molina for a 1 year deal with a vesting option for another year, but the 35 year old Molina continues to hold out for a 3 year deal.

It seems like this Molina situation is becoming a big waste of time, especially when the Mets could be considering other options like Yorvit Torrealba who suddenly is very available due to the Colorado Rockies nearing a deal with Miguel Olivo.

I’m actually not sure if he would cost the Mets less money, but it seems like a good bet. If I were Molina I would simply take the Mets’ one year deal at this point, before the Mets actually come to their senses and switch their focus to someone like Torrealba. If the Mets were to pull back their offer to Molina, what other teams would pursue him?

The post Molina Rumors False, Catcher Saga Continues appeared first on Metsmerized Online.