Bring Back Banner Day

The New York Mets abandoned many of their fun prmotional dates they used to have years ago. Some of the favorites were Old Timers Day, batting helmet day, and of course, Banner Day.


Jay Schreiber - NY Times - has an article in yesterday's NY Times, where he conducted his own Banner Day and had readers send in their "Banners". Many were good. Here are some of the better ones:

Thanks to Schreiber for a great article!

True Lies?

Yesterday, while filling in for Mike Francesa, Joe and Evan on WFAN interviewed Jerry Manuel in his weekly time slot.

A few things came out in the interview that I had a problem with:

On why Daniel Murphy doesn't play everyday and should he play everyday:

Jerry said Murphy is for all intents and purposes his everyday starting 1B. When followed up with why does he sit against lefties and sometimes after having a big game, Jerry responded by saying that Murphy is young, and has to adjust to a full season. He doesn't want him getting tired and wearing down. This is nonsense. Murphy is 23 years old. David Wright played everyday as a second year player...

About sitting against lefties, Manuel offered some interesting tid-bits. He said that Murphy goes well the opposite way, and he has hit well against lefties because they pitched him away, and he was able to hit the ball to LF. Now, lefty pitchers are starting to pitch him inside, and Murph has to learn to pull those pitches. Jerry admitted that Murphy is getting better at it. My follow-up would have been: how will he hit them better while sitting against lefties?

Jerry also said that he wants to keep his bench players active, so they aren't rusty when called upon. Again, Benigno and Roberts should have thrown in the question as to why Tatis is in the line-up most days, and is having a bad year.

When asked about the Mets injuries, and why they are so poor at discovering "big" injuries:

Manuel said he has never been in a situation like this, so he can't explain it. He also doesn't blame the medical staff. Joe and Evan should have asked (although it would never be answered) if it was an upper management ineptness...

Another interesting point was regarding whether there was a rift between Manuel and Church:

Jerry said he loves Ryan like a son (more like a bastard child in my opinion). Sometimes parents and kids have problems. He said he loves Ryan, his wife, and son. He also said the couple is expecting another child. He said that Atlanta will be good for Ryan because it is closer to his home. Jerry also mentioned that he has a bridge in his backyard that is for sale...real cheap.

To listen to the entire interview: Jerry Manuel On WFAN - July 16, 2009

Mets might be fresh but wind up with the same results.

In the pregame show on SNY, if you saw it, Jeremy Reed commented that everyone is fresh and ready to go and will be playing hard in the 2nd half of the 09 Mets season. Well they played hard and still lost. A couple of things that were positive did stand out.

The Mets finally just lost a game without beating themselves by sloppy play in the field. No missed pop ups. No throws over someone’s head . No throwing to the wrong base. It was nice to see if need to pull out something positive. Also Oliver Perez seemed to mature a little with his pitching. After giving back to back homers in the 2nd inning he didn’t get mad he got smart. He started using his breaking pitches a lot more and seem to keep the Braves off balance.

The Mets were down 2-0 and battled back. They still lack that big hit . I mean can David Wright just go back to old ways. No one wants a hitter batting 3rd with 5 dingers.

Bobby Parnell needs to stop relying on his fastball . I wish Bobbie Ojeda was a coach because he would beat that into Parnell's head. Guys in the majors can hit 95 mph fastballs especially Larry.

The Mets are now 7.5 games out. Omar said before the game that he spoke to 5 GM's about possible trades. It is getting to the point of why bother.

The latest injury update on F-Mart, John Maine and Carlos Beltran.

Ahh at least its news. It is not the most promising news but at least its something. According to Adams Rubins blog Fernando Martinez had surgery and will be out 6-8 weeks. He was being used in centerfield while Beltran has been on the DL. Beltran seems no closer to playing in games as of yet. The bruise has not gone done much. So doubtful we will see him at all this month.

John Maine pitched batting practice to Jose Reyes. Both could be back by the end of the month but as per the report from Omar, Reyes is not cutting on the bases.

My question is this. If all along we were told the Mets need to keep it afloat until the All-Star break, what will be the new mantra now? See you in ’10?

The Worst Insult Of All

Mike Silva - NY Baseball Digest has brought to light a theory, speculation if you will, that many have been rumbling about all season. The Mets will not be adding payroll to this years’ team. In fact, he goes as far as to say that the acquisition of Jeff Francoeur might very well to the only “significant” piece they will add.

Silva bases his beliefs on an article published in the NY Post (Bart Hubbuch) on July 14th, that suggests that the Wilpon’s might have lost as much as $700M to Bernard Madoff in his now notorious Ponzi scheme.

Legally and morally, the Wilpon’s conduct Sterling Enterprises and the New York Mets as separate businesses like they should, but having been burnt badly, and with the ongoing terrible economy, Fred and Jeff might be remiss to go spending oodles of dough. They have the highest payroll in the NL at $145M committed to players this year. Silva goes as far as to say, “Maybe just being shamed by a “good friend” is enough to disengage them from spending money, regardless of whether it’s the baseball team, or real estate.”

Silva states some of the well known ‘embarrassments’ the Mets have suffered: Mike Scioscia’s HR, the 'Worst Team Money Could Buy', Scott Kazmir, and the collapses – but for the Mets and their fans to accept that as of now there is no present and no future due to Madoff, that would be the “worst insult.”

Mets finally start second half in Atlanta tonight. No word on Reyes and Beltran

With the Mets finally getting the 2nd half started in Atlanta tonight we have to taper our enthusiasm since they still will not have Jose Reyes or Carlos Beltran in the lineup.

Beltran has felt better but no word when he might get into rehab games. Reyes might be the closest to come back but no date has been set.

The Mets will send Oliver Perez to the mound against Derick Lowe tonight with Mike Pelfrey going friday and Johan on Saturday.

The Mets have 75 games left in the season . Papers have said the Mets need to go at a .640 clip to make it to 90 games. Dont see it. If the Mets can get some of these boys back sooner then later I see the Mets going 42-33 in there last 75. I don't see the Mets making the playoffs being 6 games over .500. Also watch the teams that make trades before the deadline. If a NL team gets Roy boy from Toronto and its not the Phillies, the Mets might be looking up to 2010 and not the NL Wild Card.

Check out our poll about how many wins these rag tag boys will get in the 2nd half.

Meet The New Nuke LaLoosh

David Wright should be banned from talking to the press. He is nothing more than a corporate mouth-piece, and the more he talks, the more he sounds like Nuke LaLoosh , Tim Robbins character in the baseball classic, Bull Durham .

These quotes are from Today's Daily News :

On the Mets chances in the second half:

"It gives us some momentum and, more importantly, some confidence going into the second half. I'm excited the way we swung the bats and got some big hits, took some walks, (got) some big RBI."

"Of course. That's why we go out there and play the games. Hopefully everybody feels the same. Go out there, get rested up and get some of the guys on the DL back and make a nice run."

On the acquisition of Jeff Francoeur:

"Anybody that comes in and gets hits is going to help this offense out," Wright said. "We've all seen first hand what he can do when he's hot. Hopefully he can find his stroke and (be) be a new beginning for him."

David Wright needs a Crash Davis to better advise him. He is so Milquetoast that it's nauseating. I am pleading with not only the NY media, but media all over the country - do not seek out David Wright for a quote. Just go to the Bull Durham script , and insert some of Nuke LaLoosh's quotes. They are exactly the same. Remember David, breathe through your eyes!

Ex Teammate Says Francoeur Will Do Well In Flushing

Jeff Francoeur's former Braves teammate and best friend, Brian McCann, says that Francoeur will produce and do well in Flushing.

In an article by Adam Rubin - NY Daily News, he quotes McCann as saying, "Going to a new city, a new team - a fresh start - I think it's going to be great for him. He's gotten two hits both games (with the Mets). And he got three hits the game before he left. I think he's on his way back to really driving the baseball, getting some RBIs and being a run producer."

On whether Francoeur can find the success he had prior to 2008, McCann said, "One hundred percent. He's one of the best athletes I've ever been around. The guy can do it all on a baseball field. He's just got to get back to driving the baseball up the middle and the other way."

McCann believes that Francoeur will be well received when he returns to Atlanta, unlike Tom Glavine when he returned to Atlanta as (Ugggggggh!) a Met: "I think it's totally different. Jeff has done so much for the Atlanta Braves organization for the time he was there, on and off the field. The charity work he did in Atlanta is more than a lot of people do. I hope he gets a pretty good reception. He did a lot for Atlanta."

Francoeur played football, and according to McCann, he was a better football player: "He's one of the best football players I've ever witnessed. He was better at football than he was in baseball in high school. He was going to Clemson to play football. I think he had like 16 interceptions in 14 games."

For once, I hope the Braves, mainly McCann, is correct.

Johan Santana did not play in All Star game. Let the speculation begin.

With no games played over a 3 days time span with the All Star game break there has to be things to write about. Well now when you turn on the boobs on talk radio there is chatter that the Mets told the Phillies not to use there ace Johan Santana. Well why you ask? Well of course because he is hurt why else!! This of course according to the radio boys.

Why would they say that unless he is on track to start this Friday and they didn’t want to him to pitch too many pitches in the 1 inning he might have played in last night. The last time during the All Star break Johan was awful in his first start back so they probably just want to keep him in rhythm . Also they did not want him to be pushed backed in his starts so that way he might have 1 less start during the second half of the season.

I mean in that case does it really matter? For the Mets to even win 90 games this year they need to go 48-27 in the second half. It might be touch since none of there big guns are due back right away

2009 Mets All Star Stats

Tonight the All Star game will be played in St Louis with 3 Mets enjoying the festivities. Below are there stats in All Star games played. We wish them and the National League luck in winning for the first time in 12 years.

David Wright has played in 3 games from 2006-2008 and has 3 hits in 9 at bats with 1 homer and 1 walk and 2 strike outs. Come on Dave don’t add to the strikeout total.

Johan Santana has also played in 3 games with the Twins from 2005-2007. He has pitched 3 innings with giving up 1 hit and has struck out 3 and walked 2.

K Rod saved the game for the 2007 AL Team. He was also in the 2004 game and the 08 game. He has pitched 1 and 1/3 innings with 3 walks and here is a shocker no strikeouts.

Mets Q&A with the boys at Baseball rumors.

If you have not read this yet check out the Q&A that Baseball rumors did with NESN.com when it comes to Pedro Martinez and The Mets for the rest of 2009.

Check out the entire Q&A here


NESN.com: Early on it seemed like Penny was a good fit for the Phillies or Mets, but a lot has changed since then. The Mets need a lot more than one starter, and the Phillies are about to land Pedro Martinez while also leading the hunt for Roy Halladay.
When you look at the Mets’ rotation, it’s hard for Omar Minaya to justify passing up on Pedro during the offseason given his staff’s current state of disarray. And now the former Met is about to join the Mets’ biggest rival and the division leader.

How significant of a signing will Pedro be for the Phillies once he finally signs on the dotted line, and how will this impact Minaya and the Mets’ front office following the season if he has a successful second half for the Phils and plays a role in keeping the Mets out of the postseason?

Ben Nicholson-Smith: The Mets probably would have been better off with more Pedro and less Tim Redding and Livan Hernandez this year, but would they be much closer to the playoffs with Pedro around? With all the injuries they’ve suffered, it seems unlikely. They’re not out of it yet but Pedro isn’t good enough to transform a 42-win team into a 50-win team.

That doesn’t mean he can’t help the Phillies, however. The Phils can’t count on Rodrigo Lopez to continue pitching like this, and while Pedro may not be much more effective than Jamie Moyer or Antonio Bastardo, he would offer the Phillies much-needed depth and he won’t cost them any top prospects.

NESN.com: If the Phillies are adding depth to their rotation, then the Mets have to do something, don’t they? This team is on the verge of missing the postseason for the third straight year after two colossal collapses and playing in a new ballpark as the second-rate team in New York. How can they not at least make a move to show the fans they aren’t giving up on the 2009 season?

Ben Nicholson-Smith: More than anything, the Mets need to see how their team looks when Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes and the rest of their disabled players return to action. They could still contend in 2009, so I’m not about to rule them out, but they can’t make a desperation move just to show their fan base they want to win.

They could try to acquire Halladay or Matt Holliday, but they’d have to take on salary and give up top prospects like Brad Holt and Fernando Martinez. When your team is 6 1/2 games back and as banged up as the Mets are, no new player can guarantee they’ll contend.

K-Rod: "Baseball Is Not As Fun..."

Mets All Star closer, Francisco Rodriguez, mentioned in an article byKevin Baxter - LA Times today that since his free agency this winter, baseball isn't fun, it's a business.

K-Rod laments, "It's not sad," he says, looking sad. "But it makes you realize a lot of things." What has made him appear upset, is that the Angels never made a true offer to Rodriguez during the winter. Granted, Rodriguez expected to earn more that the 3 year $37M he finally received from the Mets, but although he says  differently, he seems hurt that the Angels seemed disinterested in him.

To the Angels credit, they were honest and straight forward with K-Rod, citing that they were looking to sign Mark Teixeira first, then they would look at the closer role. Ultimately, when Rodriguez signed with the Mets, the Angels turned to Brian Fuentes, who presently leads MLB with 26 saves (K-Rod has 23 saves). K-Rod was hurt. It was the Angels that signed him as a 17 year old out of the slums of Caracas, Venezuela. For that, Rodriguez is forever grateful, "They gave me the opportunity, and I respect them a lot and I really care about that. . . . I still have people there that I care about. And they treated me well, I can't deny that."

One can wonder if this will sour Frankie, which will ultimately affect his play, which K-Rod dismisses,  "Now you're not playing for fun, you're playing for your career. Pretty much you're an employee. Sometimes you don't want to see it that way. But that's pretty much the reality.

"The day you don't get the job done the day you get hurt, the day you, basically, [don't] do what they ask you to do, they're going to throw you away and they're going to get somebody else to do your job. That's how it is."

Pedro To Join The Dark Side?

*** Updated 7:22 PM July 13, 2009 ***

According to Adam Rubin - Surfing The Mets the Phillies have signed Pedro Martinez to be a starting pitcher.

It's being reported today by Todd Zolecki - MLB.com that Pedro Martinez, pending a physical will most likely join the hated Phillies as a starter.

Pedro, who had a miserable 2008 season, going 5-6 with a 5.61 ERA, is now 37 and looking to get back in to the pros. I guess he's not ready to relax under The Mango Tree Yet .  

I'm not too concerned about Pedro and the Phils. I do not believe Pedro has anything left in the tank. He might be able to give the Phillies a quality start or two, but nothing compared to the Pedro of years past, not to justify the reported asking price of $4M for the season. The Phillies have the third worst starting rotation ERA in the NL, which stands at 4.98, so they are looking for help wherever they can find it.

More disturbingly, the Phillies are rumored to be real interested and most likely aggressive in the Roy Halladay sweepstakes. Halladay, considered to be among the top two or three pitchers in baseball would surely (don't call me Shirley) help any rotation.

As for Pedro, he is a great guy in the clubhouse when healthy, but that is a big "if." Pedro has been oft injured since 2006, and hasn't shown that dominance in years. More importantly, having witnessed Pedro pitch many times over his Mets career, it became apparent to me that over the last two seasons Pedro looked lost/intimidated on the mound. That was one thing about Petey; he might not have a good day on the mound, but he was never "lost" or "intimidated."

Mets home run Apple joins Reyes,Beltran and Delgado on DL after Tatis Home run

There is nothing like the hometown fans booing after a home run is hit by the home town team? Why you ask ? It is NY that is why and even if the Mets hit a home run the fans count on 1 thing. The Mets apple. After the Tatis homer it did not go up . People in the stands started chanting for the Apple . It was hysterical.

Of course knowing that the Mets fans have had alot to boo at lately, after the inning was over the Mets Apple came off the DL and did its thing to a standing ovation. The power of the people!

Of course this Apple needs time to recharge after a home run and it makes its leap from its base. Close to 3 minutes. That needs to be worked on. Yes we are home run challenged but someday we will hit back to back homeruns and the fans will riot if they don't get there Apple which some fans feel is worth the price of admission!

New Addition Off To Hot Start

Newest Met, Jeff Francoeur, is off to a nice start in Flushing. Francoeur, obtained Friday in a trade with the Braves that sent RF Ryan Church to Atlanta, is 4-9 in two games, with a .444 average. He has also knocked in two runs.

The Mets are also 2-0 since obtaining Francoeur. Has he made that much of a difference? I don't think so. What the move might have done is put the team on notice that the front office will not stand still while this team flounders.

Personally, it's nothing but propaganda. Church, for some unknown reason was never accepted by Manuel and the Mets. He was given the shaft, and it is unfortunate. Now it's time to turn the page, and hopefully not just the players, but the Met higher ups realize that this season is slowly slipping away, and if not careful, could find themselves out of the play-off picture quicker than a Jose Reyes triple.

Francoeur is a talented RF, and has some much needed pop from the right hand side of the plate. Maybe the change of scenery will help. All we can say in the early days of this trade is that so far, the Mets are undefeated, and their new RF is hitting .444 with two RBI's in two games. The Mets right now are three games under .500 going into the All Star break. It's nice to see that they've won two in a row going into the break, and finished the first half 3-3 against the Dodgers and Reds. Not great, but we'll take it.

Mets new addition Franceour taking balls at Citi Field and will bat 5th tonight

The Mets new addition to the roster Jeff Franceour is already getting acclamated to the right field corner at Citi Field . He is spending his afternoon learning the nuances. He will bat 5th tonight against the Reds. Line up below courtesy of Adam Rubin.

Pagan
Castillo
Wright
Sheffield
Francoeur
Murphy
Santos
Cora
Santana

Nick Evans Starting At 1B Today...For Buffalo

Adam Rubin has reported ( Adam Rubin - Surfing The Mets ) that the Mets have sent down 1B/LF Nick Evans to the AAA Buffalo Bisons.

Evans is scheduled to play 1B today for the Bisons against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Evans has batted .250 with one HR and 6 RBI's in 15 games for the Mets this year.

Barring a trade, I'm sure we will see Evans before the conclusion of the season...er the conclusion of the schedule. The season might have already concluded. Hey, at least we have Argenis Reyes still on the Major League roster!

What Could Have Been (Take II)...

As you have read



Here and other other places on the web, the Mets traded much maligned RF Ryan Church to the hated Atlanta Larry Jones'.

In return, the Mets received another much maligned RF, Jeff Francoeur. Not to get on Francoeur, he is a talented defensive RF, but he has regressed over the last few years. Will he find his Mojo in Flushing? Maybe. But, Howard Johnson has not proven that he can "turn players careers around" with their hitting woes.

My problem is: what could have been? Ryan Church comes to play every single day. He is a very good defensive RF, and has ability as a hitter. General Manuel treated him like a bastard child. I have been in Jerry's corner since his first game as Mets skipper, but he is quickly starting to lose my support. This entire Met organization totally screwed up Church's injury (concussion) last year. Instead of putting him on the DL when it happened, they decided to put him on a plane to Colorado. If any of you have had a concussion, you will know that being on an airplane is among the last things you want to do.

Church fought to come back, and didn't play great, but he did come to play everyday. This year, in Spring Training, Manuel showed his support for Church saying that he wasn't the hitter Daniel Murphy was. Church is presently batting .280, Murph is batting .243. Church is among the best RF's in the NL. Maybe not quite as good as new Met, Jeff Francoeur, but is a quality RF. Manuel never gave Church the chance. I don't know if Church is an unlikable character, or is that he is just not one of Jerry's Kids, but he was unfairly mistreated. Church should have been given the opportunity to play every day; against righties and lefties.

I for one am sorry to see Church go; I am left to wonder What Could Have Been. I believe he will excel as a Brave under the management of Bobby Cox. I'm sure he will be given the opportunity to play everyday, and I believe beyond any shadow of a doubt he will do well. No offense to the young Jeff Francoeur, I hope you excel as a Met, but Church really could have been the diamond in the rough in the Lastings Milledge trade, but was never given the chance.

Best of luch Ryan Church. Unlike the present Mets management, we respect the job you did, although it was incomplete. I for one really enjoyed watching you patrol RF. I don't think I am alone in that assessment. Feel free to chime in.