Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Will Jerry Manuel ever explain his man crush for Fernando Tatis?
Alex Cora
Fernando Tatis
David Wright
Gary Sheffield
Ryan Church
Nick Evans
Fernando Martinez
Omir Santos
Johan Santana
Mets exhale No surgery for Carlos Beltran.
The specialist agreed with the Mets crack medical staff but thinks he should remain inactive through the all star break.
Mets fans can breath easier and now can go back to beating up on the Mets brass.
Awaiting News on Carlos Beltran : The Kiss of Death

Of course with reading the possibilities that some of the media has written, we hope for once that the Mets crack medical staff has it correct. Just a bone bruise.
If the Mets lose Beltran for any length of time we can tell Mr Met we will see him in 2010. This microfracture surgery that Carlos might need will render him to the DL for the remainder of this year and beyond. It is also possible that he might not be the same player he was if he needs surgery on his knee.
Of course at this point Carlos probably already knows what the diagnosis is. Maybe the Mets do as well. Will there be Omar in front of a podium today? I really hope not. I am not ready to kiss 2009 goodbye!
The More I See Reyes, The More I Miss Reyes

Below .500 oh joy
Now we hear rumblings about Beltrans second opinion. If its serious will he have to go to season ending surgery. The Mets are now 3 games out and in 3rd place.
What to do? If the Mets make a trade it needs to be big because 1 player is not going to cut it . Especially if we do not see Beltran coming back for weeks at a time. Adam Rubin jokingly makes a comment today that the Mets should sell. Hmmm is it a joke?
Monday, June 29, 2009
Carlos Beltran still holds a outfield spot for All Star Game even with being on DL
David Wright looks like a lock at this point at 3rd . They votes below.
THIRD BASEMEN David Wright, Mets, 2,049,487 Chipper Jones, Braves, 1,351,455 Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals, 1,301,577
OUTFIELDERS Raul IbaƱez, Phillies, 2,970,139 Ryan Braun, Brewers, 2,654,061 Carlos Beltran, Mets, 2,085,028 Alfonso Soriano, Cubs, 1,916,598 Shane Victorino, Phillies, 1,642,248
Hey David Wright time to change your Philosophy again!
4 home runs. The man who has hit 30 over the last couple of years has 4. 3 of those homers are at Citi Field and 1 on the road. If you have watched Wright you can tell that he is more in tune to spraying the ball.
Of course there was speculation that it was done due to the dimensions of pitcher friendly to the extreme ballpark the Mets play in now.
Well of course Wright came out this weekend when he spoke on the airwaves that he changed his Philosophy to be a gap to gap hitter. Well David time to change it again. How about hitting the ball over the left field wall. Did you see Nick Swisher do it? If not did you see Jorge Posada do it? Did you see the ball Jeter hit off the wall? Yes I know your more of an opposite field hitter and balls go to die by the bullpen some 400+_ft away. Why can’t you just hit the ball down the left field line? Lift the ball and hit it to left field. It is called pulling the ball. If you need me to I will send you a video. Why do we need these bubble heads to change to a Philosophy that does not work? He has been stuck on 39 rbi’s it seems since May. Yes I know there are 3 guys out of the lineup. Why though just give up hitting a 4 bagger?
Yes David you can hit homers here Do you want to be a number 2 hitter now? Time to change and pull the ball. If Ho Jo can’t help then he needs to go because I am sorry your choice right now stinks.
The Wasted Summer of 2009.
Jerry has said that .500 is a benchmark and you can now here comments in the clubhouse regarding the need for the Mets to add a hitter which you can read about at the NY Daily News .
Well the season started out bright but with all these injuries what happens day in and day out can be tough. We have David Wright who has giving up hitting anything in the air/long balls and is only spraying the ball for singles and doubles. We have Daniel Murphy having mental lapses trying to make a bang bang play and then dropping a throw on a double play. The game was over right in that first inning.
Of course the icing on the cake is the walk to Rivera. We finally had some decent weather here in NY for a change this weekend. Of course now we head to Milwaukee so we can see Gump smiling at the teams misfortunes.
The line that we have just hold the line until the big guys come back is just not cutting it. Hey Omar either do something or sell. 4-6 more weeks of this and this will be just the longest season the Mets have had in a long time. Don’t waste our summer Omar.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Oliver Perez pitches well in Brooklyn: No Ryan Church Tonight.
Ryan Church was scratched from tonight's lineup. Probably due to the illness that was going on around the Yankee Clubhouse.
The Mets will have Daniel Murphy leading off tonight. Followed by Cora, Wright, Sheffield, Tatis , F Mart, Schneider, Castillo and good ole Livan Hernandez.
Maybe we can get 1 win this weekend and double the 4 hit attack we have had over the last 2 games. Anybody?
Mets lose out on Mark DeRosa
There are about 5 weeks left before the end of July trading deadline. There are still many teams still involved in there divisions races so there are way too many teams buying.
No Way Jose

Reyes took grounders before yesterday’s 5-0 Met loss to the Yankees.
Reyes when speaking of his return said, “I don’t want to get on the field and have a setback again because that’s not going to be good for me. I have to make sure I’m all ready to go. They know what type of game I play. I’m the guy who relies so much on explosiveness, and if I don’t have that, that’s not going to be me.”
The Mets, for once using common sense, are not looking to rush Reyes back, “If I get him back soon, it’s like a bonus for us,” said Manuel, also adding, “You’re talking about an explosive individual trying to be that at 85 percent. That’s a little difficult. It’s probably easier for a guy that’s not that explosive to handle 85 percent than it is Jose Reyes.”
Reyes’ workouts have been increasing, and he spent two hours in the weight room working on his lower body after practicing yesterday. The true sign will be how much discomfort he has this morning after his lengthy workout. Reyes is hoping the Mets will listen to him when he says he’s ready to return. He believes he is at about 85%, which he estimates that he would be able to score from first on a double. At this time, the Mets will hold him back, not letting him return until he is at full strength.
Although there is no date for when he will return, it is expected that he will be out until after the All Star break, which is two weeks from Monday.
Another concern Manuel has is that once he starts getting his big boys back, Beltran, Reyes, and possibly DelGado, that they will try to do too much, thinking it is up to them to turn this team around. He doesn’t want them coming back to all that pressure, and feel they have to do it all.
Source: Ben Shpigel - NY Times
Saturday, June 27, 2009
To Error Is The Mets, A Loss Is The Outcome

In the second inning of the Mets 9-1 blowout at the hands of the Yankees, they committed three errors. Wright, Cora, and Evans all participated in an inning that reminded me eerily of
Wright made an error the way he usually does, throwing the ball away while trying to field a slow roller up the third base line.
Cora, usually sure handed, made an errant throw to Luis Castillo covering
second.
Evans, not to be outdone, mishandled a routine grounder by Mark Teixiera. The ball was bobbled in his glove, rolled out, fumbled it with his hand in foul territory, and then was unable to beat Tex to the bag. After such a display of ineptitude, the Mets found themselves down 4-0.
* The last time the Mets had three errors in one inning was back on July 20, 2004 in the ninth when Mike Piazza (1B), Kaz Matsui (SS), and Todd Zeile (3B) were the culprits in the Mets 11-4 loss to the Cardinals.
*
Friday, June 26, 2009
Subway Series looking for the unexpected.
Pelfrey 5-2 vs Sabathia 6-4
Redding 1-2 vs Burnett 5-4
Hernandez vs Wang 0-6
I mean do we have to go 1-2 or 2-1? Come on wouldn’t it be more fun just to sweep the Yankees? NO one would expect the Mets in this state to accomplish that. Wouldn’t that be so much fun on Monday around the water cololer talking how the flushing feeble waxed the big bats of the Yankees. Does anyone really talk around the water cooler?
Oh come on you know that the entertainment value on the local airwaves will be priceless. People will be calling for heads. Francessa will have to sit there and let the Met fans have there day while the Yankees fans will be looking for Girardi’s head
Going 1-2 or 2-1 and it will be a ho hum series . There will be excuses made for the Mets since there all on the DL. Rather just go for the sweep. Now that would be unexpected.
Mets and Omar Minaya inquire about the Indians Cliff Lee.
In an article from Monday by Murray Cass there is a little blurb about how Omar Minaya had inquired about the Indians Cliff Lee in the not so distant past.
Why would the Mets look for another starter unless they plan to trade one in return. The timing of it is odd since the Mets have the need for a couple of bats but with Ollie possibly floundering in the minors on rehab is it that far fetched for the Mets to look for another starter?
The price for Lee is pretty steep and I doubt the Mets could pull it off. With the Mets fill in starters Tim Redding doing ok and Fernando Nieve being lights out and battle horse Livan Hernandez giving 7 innings a start as the Mets number 5 starter I really think the Mets would not be wise to give up talent for a pitcher.
Is Darling #1?



You have Cohen, the ever-loving Met fan, Darling the cerebral analyst, and Hernandez the true fire-in-the-belly Captain, who is prone to being distracted when the game is less than interesting. I loved it the other night when Gary asked Keith a question, and Keith replied, “I’m sorry Gar, I wasn’t paying attention, I was looking at my shoe…”
All three are tops at their craft, but Darling is emerging as not only a tremendous SNY announcer, but a national baseball announcer without compare.
In a Michael McCarthy - USA Today article, Darling is compared to former Met and former Yankee announcer Tim McCarver. McCarver could never hold a candle to Darling. Darling is well prepared, knows the game, knows the teams he is covering, and can offer better insight than McCarver ever could. Darling isn’t a gamer, and tells it like it is. He is quick to offer criticism of Mets and their opponents alike. McCarver on the other hand, has issues with the Mets years after his dismissal from their broadcasting team, much the way Steve Phillips still has animosity towards the team that employed him as GM. These emotions are truly evident when McCarver and Phillips are called to cover Met games.
According to Darling’s boss over at TBS, Jeff Behnke, when comparing Darling to McCarver and Joe Morgan, "We feel Ron is right there with those guys. Ron is not afraid to criticize players. He's not afraid to talk about umpires or managers in the course of a broadcast."
Joe Morgan might be the worst analyst on television, and McCarver is 15 years past his prime. Granted, I never liked McCarver, even when he was announcing for the Mets. He has an arrogant pompousness that is impossible to stomach. Darling on the other hand, who might be the most intelligent broadcaster out there, offers cerebral insight, while not coming across as condescending.
I am not just in Ron’s corner due to our friendship (Ron Darling & Metsfan73), but based solely on the fact that he has become the best.
SNY will show a Mets loss

According to Newsday.com SNY will show the first game of the 1969 World Series ono July 18th which will be the first time on that SNY will replay a Mets loss. SNY showed a couple of years ago the '69 World Series games 2-5 and I was like hello its ok to show a loss. It kind of builds the drama especially for game 2. I mean Kooz has to pitch after Seaver lost game 1. Talk about pressure.
Well it is nice to see that in this day and age that reality can set it for a short while. Just make sure that SNY doesn't go overboard with showing all these losses. If there was 1 other loss I would like to see is the Mets first game played that was televised way back in 1962.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Lunch time with Johan Santana.
Cora,Castillo,Wright,Church,Tatis,Martinez,Evans,Santos and the ole mighty Johan
I am surprised that Alex Cora did not get the game off. Also F Mart needs to get his stick going. He needs to find away to get on base . The Mets can’t afford to let there rookie flounder and lose what little confidence he has.
Rubin On The FAN

Tacos In The Booth?


Mets finally have laugher and win!
In a game marred by incredibly sloppy play by the Cardinals the Mets beat them 11-0. Fernando mania is griping flushing. Mr Nieve pitched 6 innings of a shut out ball on a anight he clearly did not have the command he had the other 2 starts. His ERA is under 2.00. Sorry Jerry I do not care if Ollie is back in a week. He goes to the bullpen. Nieve has the mojo now!
David Wright had 4 hits and no rbi's . Ryan Church had 3 hits including a double halfway up the left field fence. Mets slugger Brian Schnieder missed a shot of his 3rd 3run homer when he hit the ball off the wall in right field plating 2. Tatis even had 2 hits and 3 rbi's on a night he hit into his team leading 10th double play. Nick Evans got into the action with a tank of a swing that netted him a 2 run homer. Never seen the boy swing so hard.
Mets had 16 hits on a night the Cardinals sleep walked in the field making many mental mistakes. I would hate to be in that clubhouse after that game.
Hopefully the Mets did not use up all there hits when they hit against Chris Carpenter this afternoon.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Mets line up 1 for the ages. Mets DFA Jon Switzer
Cora,Castillo,Wright,Church, Double play artist Fernando Tatis batting 5th , F-Mart, Nick Evans gets a start at first , Schneider and Nieve.
The Daily News is reporting that the Mets designated left Jon Switzer for assignment and Argenis Reyes is the likely replacement.
The Latest on Jon Niese. Down on the farm
Jon Niese seems to have his act together. He back to back scoreless efforts and is working on a 18/13 innings streak of not allowing a run.
Adam Bostick was moved up to Buffalo where he had 6 appearances without allowing a hit. He was part of the Matt Lindstrom trade.
Ike Davis, the Mets first pick in the 08 draft went 2 for 2 with 2 walks upon his first appearance for the Binghamton squad who has lost 7 on a row.
Mets are not hitting homers in the Major nor in the minors. Who leads the Mets minors in home runs. F Mart with 8 , who has spend most of June with the big club . Pathetic.
Gary Sheffield hurting Fernando Tatis leads team in what?
What does Fernando Tatis lead the team in? He has hit into 9 double plays so far this year. 3 over the last 2 games with Wright on at first.
With the bullpen having some time off the Mets might bring up Argenis Reyes. The Mets have no real back up at short and second . With the Mets playing a game on Thursday we might see the week hitting infielder in the lineup very shortly.
Breakfast with Jerry Manuel. The latest on Jose Reyes.

The topics that were discussed were plenty and the boys over at Eddy Kranepool society were lucky enough to be there.
Jose Reyes was brought up and to here Jerry try to explain Jose injury was quite entertaining. It seems that Mr Manuel does not understand what is wrong with his shortstop other then he his hurt. It seems that this injury will take a long time to heal and even if they talk that he could be back before or at the All Star break might be wishful thinking?
It was nice to see them do this for the Met fans but why do they never do something like this on long island? It is like we are the red headed step child.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Omar On WFAN...Same Old Same Old
Some topics Omar discussed:
Jose Reyes - Omar believes is more than a week away. He seems OK during practice, but when it comes to games, that's when the leg gives him problems.
Carlos Beltran - is on the 15 day DL, but Omar believes it will be longer, possibly after the All Star Break. He is now on crutches, and will use orthotics when he returns to action.
When discussing the injury situation, Omar says he wants to stay competitive and concluded by saying, "Hopefully we'll win some series here and there..." If that doesn't exude confidence...
On trade possibilities: There isn't much out there and more teams are in the race that were expected to be in the selling mode, i.e. the Rockies. He also admitted that the asking price for some players is prohibitive.
Fernando Martinez - Omar thinks F-Mart is ready, and can hit the fastball, but has to prove he can handle off speed pitches. He also declared he believes that Martinez will do better this time with the club. Omar, he was only down three days.
Daniel Murphy - Omar is not disappointed with Murphy thus far. He advised that Murphy is going to learn how to adjust better at the plate, and hit to the opposite field.
The lack of power this team has: He doesn't blame Gil Hodges Memorial Park. He said that the guys are not performing.
David Wright - discussing his lack of power this year, Omar said, "When all is said and done, David Wright will get his homeruns..." Time is running out Omar.
On Jerry Manuel: "Jerry has done a very good job." Hey Omar, I like Jerry, but there is no way you can say he has done a very good job. He has done poorly in managing his bullpen, he hasn't used Ryan Church fairly nor well, and his lack of using Brian Stokes is inexcusable.
On the Minor Leaguers: Omar mentioned that the Minor League system is doing well in terms of talent. He specifically mentioned
For the full interview with Omar:
Fernando Martinez starts in Center tonight. Gary Sheffield sits.
The Mets will sit Gary Sheffield another day and hot hitting Fernando Tatis back off his 2 double play outing of last night gets to bat 4th again. I know there is so much talk about his long swing from the boys in the booth do you think it gets down to him since I don’t see much of an adjustment from him. This year’s Marlon Anderson really needs to right his ship.
Cora,Murphy,Wright,Tatis,Church,Santos,Martinez,Castillo,Hernandez
17 home runs in this lineup and Murph has more then Wright!!!!
How many bats do the Mets need?
Ok when you place Fernando Tatis batting 4th with his whopping 13 rbi’s and 2 homeruns to go with his 1 for 18 batting avg with 2 outs and runners in scoring position you know your in trouble. Of course he hit into a couple of plays which of course was all the rage especially when Kevin Burkhardt interviewed Felix Millan of the 73-77 Mets during the broadcast. He looked ready to play! Of course the 4 double play game came up and Felix mentioned that Joe Torre blamed him since Felix was too slow to at least leg out 1 double! Good stuff.
Oh yeah how many bats do the Mets need ? Too many….but hey they didn’t need any extra big guns last night!
Mets new relievers Elmer Dessens and Pat Misch.
Pat Misch, who was released from the Giants Earlier this year after posting a 10.80 ERA was brought up to assist left Pedro Feliciano . The 27 year old lefty was not too effective for Buffalo posting a 6.14 ERA over 7 innings. He struck out 6 and walked 2.
Perez Pummeled As Pitching Problems Persist

Monday, June 22, 2009
Carlos Beltran heading to DL
As per Adam Rubin " The Daily News has learned that lefthanded reliever Pat Misch and outfielder Fernando Martinez are headed to the Mets, replacing Ken Takahashi and, seemingly, Carlos Beltran"
Elmmer Dessens is also being called up and Wilson Valdez has been designated for assignment. Which makes me believe the Mets might be working on a trade because they have no backups for Cora or Castillo as of right now. Or is it to help the bullpen?
Say it isnt so.....Say goodbye to 2009!
What to do with Oliver Perez.
Well then the Mets have to decide what to do with head case Oliver Perez. Fernando Nieve has been giving the Mets consistent innings and giving the Mets the chance to win. The Mets won when he pitched on Friday. The Mets do need help in the bullpen since the only lefty in the pen that has been consistent is Pedro Feliciano. Feliciano is on pace for 90 appearances .
Will Jerry slot Ollie in the bullpen to help Pedro? Or will we see a 6 man rotation since the Mets do not have any days off Until July 6th?
What you think the Mets will do with there 36M dollar head case? Check out our latest poll.
Beltran's Knee - Will The Mets Do The Right Thing?
Bobby Parnell master of the 4 hit inning.
This team is hurting.. Beltran now says he has a sharp pain in the knee. Will he be heading to the DL? At that point forget about playing .500. The Mets lost another series yesterday. In there last 12 there 4-8 and the only reason there hanging around is because the Phillies are 1-8 in there current home stand.
There is talk that Oliver Perez and John Maine could be ready to help this team soon. Not sure it’s going to help
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Fatigue Setting In?

Wishing the Best to Endy Chavez out for the year in bad collision

We lost him in the J J Putz deal and now Seattle has lost him for the year in an severe injury he suffered in Fridays' game.
Here is the video Season ending injury to Endy Chavez
As per MLB.com An MRI exam revealed that Chavez, who had to be carted off the field following a collision with shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt during Friday's game against Arizona, has a significant ACL tear in his right knee and will miss the remainder of the season.
The flip he took was crazy .
Everybody loved Endy and we wish him the best.
Carlos Beltran to have MRI on monday
In his last 7 games Beltran is hitting .240
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Mers Top Rays

There was something in the air that night
The stars
were bright, fernando
They were shining there for you and me
For liberty, fernando
Though I never thought that we could lose...
~ ABBA ~
Last night
Nieve pitched six innings, giving up one run on three hits while striking out four.
Francisco 'Pelotas' Rodriguez closed out the Rays in the ninth. Bobby Parnell was once again less than ordinary, surrendering 2 runs in .2 innings pitched.
Brian Schneider hit a three run HR, his first of the season, and Daniel Murphy had another three hits, raising his avg. to .256.
Today the Mets, weather permitting, will continue their series against the Rays. Johan 'All Business' Santana will face
Friday, June 19, 2009
Mets promote Nick Evans. Option Fernando Martinez to Buffalo
F Mart was hitting under .200 in 62 at bats. As per Adam Rubins blog
Rays come to Flushing for the First time Since 2000
The Mets need to pay attention to a couple of the Rays stars who are coming into NY hot.
B J Upton is hitting .346 over the last week on 9 for 26 with 7 stolen bases. The Mets catchers might be getting a good work out this weekend.
Evan Longoria, who is a pretty talented player is hitting a little over .300 in the last week.
Ben Zobrist has 6 homers in the month of June
Of course Carl Crawford is hitting a solid .280 over the last month with 5 homers
Offense does its job. Bullpen shows cracks.
Not a good time to lose a game when the Rivals Phillies lost 3 straight to the Blue Jays at home. Do we need now start worrying about the bullpen? The Mets now come home for a 10 game home stand against the Rays and do not have a day off until July 6th. That is 17 more games in a row.
The bullpen better buckle down and get back on track. There reliability is why the Mets have been surviving so far this year with all there injuries. With out the bullpen picking the offense up this season will be over before Jose Reyes gets another at bat.
The Inexplicable Power Of Metsfan73

Thursday, June 18, 2009
Oliver Perez pitches 3 innings in rehab. Mets line up tonight
The line up for the rubber game.
Cora, Murphy, Beltran, Wright, Sheffield, Church, Santos, Martinez, Castillo
Livan Hernandez takes the mound tonight.
Phillies Ibanez Lands On 15 Day DL

Ibanez, who is having a fantastic first season with the Phillies heads to the DL batting 312 with 22 homers and 59 RBIs.
Mike Pelfrey gets a pitching lesson from HOF Jim Palmer.
To have a HOF give a pitcher some insight is great. Honestly though how often do you see that from a member of the opposite teams broadcast booth where HOF Palmer works these days.
Of course Pelfrey was in shock but listened intently.
Of course Pelfrey recollection of Palmer is only from the commercials he had done which I just find hysterical. These players seem to have no appreciation for baseballs past. That’s for another day.
Pedro Is Prognosticating Again

Former Met Pedro Martinez is once again saying he expects to sign a Major League contract soon.
Pedro has told the Associated Press in his native Dominican Republic that he has had conversations with both the Tampa Bay Rays and the Chicago Cubs.
Speaking with the AP, Pedro said, "There's a good chance I'll be signing soon, but there still isn't anything firm."
"Chicago and Tampa Bay are the two teams that have shown the most interest and we are negotiating with them, although I've told my agent not to call me until it's a done deal."
It is not known how much money Pedro will be looking for, but up until now it is believed he has been seeking $5M annually. Teams have balked as frequently as Mike Pelfrey at such a high salary. Pedro has spent the majority of the last three seasons either injured or ineffective.
Although Pedro is still a character, and the type of personality that is adored by fans and teammates, he no longer has the movement on his pitches to be considered anything more than either a stopgap or occasional starter.
Source: Doug Miller - MLB.com
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Flushing Feeble take 2
Hope for Wiggy to be in the lineup since he is 0 for 12 against Redding. Same lineup as last night.
Cora, Martinez, Beltran, Wright, Church, Sheffield, Murphy, Schneider, Castillo
Notes from around the Mets blog world: Johan Santana knee Injury? The dreaded DH!
Have you seen the latest from Metstradamus who discusses the phantom knee injury that Rick Peterson seems to feel that Johan has. Good stuff as usual.
Don’t forget faith and fear where Greg discusses his hatred for the DH when the Mets play games against the American league teams.
The Latest on John Maine, Oliver Perez and some player named Billy Wagner?
Billy Wagner wants to contribute to the Mets this year. Warthen had mentioned that he thinks that Wags could be back with the Mets by mid August as per the latest on Surfing The Mets - NY Daily News.
Not sure if Wags will be able to help since most pitchers fight for having to find there control once they come back from this surgery.
K-Rod's Gutsy Performance

Tuesday, June 16, 2009
The Flushing Feeble Hold on and Beat Orioles 6-4

Mike Pelfrey was solid until the 5 inning where he seem to lose the ability to pitch to spots and starting getting hit and giving up walks.
David Wright had some words for Pelfrey on the mound and in the dugout tonight. It seems that Wright is comfortable talking to Pelf and tryed to boost up his confidence . Was refreshing to see Wright take that role.
The Mets scored 4 runs in the 4th inning with key hits from Wright and Schneider and even Ryan Church got in on the action.
Sean Green faced 5 batters and recorded 5outs. Green in his last 12 apperances has not given up a run. Pedro Feliciano was able to get 2 outs.
K Rod had to save it for Bobby Parnell. Parnell gave up 2 hits and then K Rod gave up a walk but was able to limit the damage by challenging the Orioles rookie Luke Scott with the tying run on second base by striking him out to end the game.
Will the Mets get game in? F-Mart another start in Left.
Jerry still is playing F Mart even though he has been having a rough time of it lately. The Mets lineup against Baltimore is below. With Mike Pelfrey on the mound.
Cora SS
Martinez LF
Beltran CF
Wright 3B
Church RF
Sheffield DH
Murphy 1B
Schneider C
Castillo 2B
Mets plan to hurry up and wait in regards to making moves.
Jerry Manuel mentions that he would like to keep the team above .500 until the all star break when we might see Reyes return. No offense to Reyes but I think the bigger key is Carlos Delgado’s bat. The Mets have 1 home run from the first base slot since Delgado went on the DL. That is what the Mets need to concern themselves with some offensive power.
“In a week the Mets have gone from leading the Wild Card chase by a game to a third-place standing, 1 1/2 games behind the Giants and one game behind the Cardinals.”
By the time the All-Star break comes this team could be in a lot worse shape then just 1.5 games out.
Mets head to Baltimore. Aubrey Huff not hitting and why does everyone have decent numbers against Livan Hernandez?
2 things that I pick out of it. The fact that Met fans have been wanting to see a trade for Aubrey Huff. Huff must realize this since he has not hit a home run in 15 games. He is getting his act together for Cit Field I take it.
Also that everyone seems to have a field day at the plate when Mr Livan pitches. Here are some numbers that the Orioles have against him.
Aubrey Huff .625, 2 HR, 3 RBI
Brian Roberts .500, 1 RBI, 8 AB
Luke Scott .333, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 AB
Melvin Mora .308, 13 AB
Ty Wigginton .278, 1 RBI, 18 AB
So I guess Mr Huff will find his stroke against Livan when he pitches. If you have not seen a game In Camden Yards and don’t feel like working this week, I suggest a road trip to Baltimore. Have some of Boog Powel’s ribs or pulled pork. It is worth the ride!
Monday, June 15, 2009
40 years 1969-2009 Mets celebrate the 69' Champs Cleon Jones

Cleon was born in 1942 in Plateau Alabama. The Mets signed him as a free agent in July 1962. By 1963 Cleon was playing for low class A auburn. He played in his first game for the Mets in September 1963 against the Colt 45’s.
He then spent time in the minors until 1966 and then stayed with the team for good. He had a knack for driving the ball and was an accomplished hitter for a team that did not score many runs.
In the miracle year of 1969 he hit .340 and was selected into to his only All Star game where he went 2-4. Mets manager Gil Hodges not satisfied with his hustle in one game in July of that year walked out and took him out of a game.
He is ever in grained in Mets fan lore with catching the last out off of future Mets manager Davey Johnson to win the 1969 World Series against the powerful Orioles.
He still had some good years for the Mets hitting .319 in 1971 and .280 for a lousy Met team in 1974.
1975 was a tough year for Cleon. He was caught messing around in a van in Florida and the Mets made him make a public apology to his wife. The owners of the Mets, the Payson family kind of black balled the Mets star at that point. Then his manager of the time Yogi Berra asked him to play left field and he flat out refused. At that point the Mets had enough with Cleon and released him at the end of July of 1975. He played a couple of games with the White Sox in 1976 but then called it a career.
He was the Mets leader in best average with that .340 he had in 1969 until 1999 when John Olerud hit .354
The Mets did not welcome him back into the fold until the Mets sold the team. In 1981 he was a roving batting instructor for the Mets.
He now makes appearances at Met ceremonies including last years last game where when he stepped on home plate he recreated the catch of the last out of the 1969 World Series.
He I am sure will be part of the Mets ceremony of the 1969 team later this season.
Evening Independent
Ultimate Mets database
Honeymoon Over For Manuel?

Rosenthal documents his assertion by some of the following:
- Making the absurd statement that Jose Reyes might be the #3 hitter on the team, and Luis Castillo will bat leadoff. Apparently this idea was made public to the media before it was made to Jose Reyes.
- In late March Daniel Murphy is declared the starting LF because he is a ‘better hitter’ than Ryan Church. Murphy is now playing 1B part time along with Fernando Tatis due to his poor defense in LF.On his decision, Manuel said, "I don't want him to get strictly into a platoon situation. I think he's a little better player than that."
- In April Manuel removes Ramon Castro for pinch hitter Omir Santos, who had to come in from the bullpen, and delayed the game. Santos wound up popping out to 2B. Castro had two hits in the game, but Manuel wanted to go with Santos due to ‘his shorter swing.’
- Manuel not mentioning Ryan Church by name after the Mets RF missed third base, and was promptly called out on the appeal play. Manuel said, "A guy missed third base. That's unbelievable. I can't explain, why, how or anything."
Rosenthal leaves out what preceded this. Manuel didn’t neglect to use Churches name, he was speaking on a mistake as such, not this particular instance.
The list goes on, and if interested check out the above link.
Personally, I haven’t been as happy with Jerry this year as I was last year. I do believe he has his players’ backs, unless your name is Church. He verbally doesn’t tolerate poor play, but that being said, his team play’s terrible fundamental baseball. This team needs the Jerry Manuel circa June 17, 2008 where, in his first game as Mets manager, he ordered Jose Reyes off the field in the first inning when Reyes pulled up lame on an IF hit. Manuel showed the world he was in charge. The Mets need that now. Manuel started out loving, but tough. He instituted some great ‘team rules’ such as the pitcher must wait at the mound until the new pitcher (reliever) arrives, and the pitcher being relieved hands the ball to his teammate. Another: the team took batting practice and IF practice as a team.
Although these rules might seem simple, they paid of greatly in the beginning of Manuel’s tenure. Unfortunately he abandoned them. No more do we see the pitcher being relieved wait at the mound until his teammate arrives to replace him. There isn’t a gutsy leader on this team other than Johan and Francisco, but they are pitchers, not everyday players. This organization doesn’t just need their players to step up; they need the Jerry from June 17, 2008 to step up.