Would a 2010 Youth Movement Be More Fun?

With the same tired, one dimensional or injured names being thrown around, (Ryan Garko, Ben Sheets, Carlos Delgado), along with the recent signing of Gary Mathews, Jr, it's becoming more and more apparent that 2010 would be a lot more fun if we could all just take a breath and resign ourselves to the fact that watching a bunch of young guys play baseball would be a lot more fun than trying to hope for a miracle on an injured arm, an older fading never was, or a broken down former star.

Let's play Thole, Nick Evans, Daniel Murphy, even Ike Davis to platoon with Murph.

Why not have Chris Carter as the 4th outfielder?

Let Angel Pagan play CF for as long as it takes to get Beltran back.

Let's look at our "youth team" to start the season and a lineup that could work well:

SS-Jose Reyes (26)
CF-Angel Pagan (28)
3B-David Wright (27)
LF-Jason Bay (31)
RF- Jeff Francoeur (26)
1B-Daniel Murphy (25) and Ike Davis (23)
C-Josh Thole (23)
2B-Luis Castillo (34)

The same can be said of the pitching: Tobi Stoner, Dillon Gee, Jonathan Niese, Jay Marshall, all young and talented. Ollie Perez is still only 28 heading into the season, and I expect Big Pelf to have a superb year.

Here is a simple question--would you rather watch Ike Davis or Fernando Tatis in 2010?

The Mets don't need to go into 2010 with any lofty expectations, because every realist out there knows that this is likely not the year, nor is it the team that should expect to win right now.

That said, it is a team that can win, and by playing the younger talent, you'll likely get an inspired brand of fun baseball that would be competitive without breaking the bank. You also just might be surprised at the results.

It's the kind of thinking that would set up the more legitimate possibility for 2011 and beyond.

Play the kids now.

I Love Delgado, But...

You're going to hear a lot from the blogs today about Delgado's HR and his lofty .364 BA and .417 OBP....those are terrific numbers for a player coming back.

But at least consider this: he hit his homerun off Todd Moser.

Yes, THAT Todd Moser (You're forgiven if you've never heard of him).

Todd Moser pitched in the Independent Leagues since 2005, the majority of his "professional" career.

The 33-year old Moser's complete stats can be found here.

Now in Moser's defense, he did lead the Chinese Professional Baseball League in saves in 2007 with 13.

And the best part, the scouting report:

"Despite his size, Moser is considered a finesse pitcher with the changeup being his most effective pitch. He also throws a two-seam fastball that sits in the upper 80s, a curve and slider."

So great for Delgado--I really want him back here, but let's at least temper our enthusiasm a bit when talking about the homerun.

What If the Mets Players Return to Form?

Looking at the Mets lineup, or the potential Mets lineup, there is definitely some reason for excitement.

For kicks, I looked looked back at the 2007 to 2009 seasons, and picked the best year for each player in our potential lineup.

In this analysis there are more than a few assumptions, so please don't take this for anything more than it is.

I think Carlos Delgado will be back, so I penciled him in at 1B.

I also think Josh Thole is going to win the primary catcher job and turn over partial duty to Santos or Blanco or whomever else looks the best in Spring Training. Now for Thole's stats I used a very scientific method...they are totally made up, and they are conservative.

So with that said, let's look at our lineup and the best season from these guys over the last three years:

	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Reyes	688	113	204	37	19	16	68	66	82	56	15	0.297	0.358	0.475	0.833
Castillo	486	77	147	12	3	1	40	69	58	20	6	0.302	0.387	0.346	0.733
Wright	604	113	196	42	1	30	107	94	115	34	5	0.325	0.416	0.546	0.962
Beltran	606	116	172	40	5	27	112	92	96	25	3	0.284	0.376	0.500	0.876
Bay	531	103	142	29	3	36	119	94	162	13	3	0.267	0.384	0.537	0.921
Delgado	598	96	162	32	1	38	115	72	124	1	1	0.271	0.353	0.518	0.871
Francoeur	642	84	188	40	0	19	105	42	129	5	2	0.293	0.338	0.444	0.782
Thole	400	50	115	25	2	3	45	40	50	4	3	0.288	0.352	0.383	0.735

Not too shabby! A nice mix of power, speed, average, OBP and an absolute ton of doubles.

Of course this is a dream world, but it also presents us with hope of what could be.

Adding Jason Bay was a terrific move. If the players in front of him all stay healthy and produce, the Mets will not have trouble scoring runs.

Sure, that is a lot of "ifs", but hey, it's January, 20 degrees outside, and the possibilities are endless.

Let's Play Lineup

One of the most talked about items going into the season is "what will the Mets lineup look like on Opening day?"

My money's on...

Jose Reyes, SS, SW
Luis Castillo, 2B, SW
David Wright, 3B, RH
Carlos Beltran, CF, SW
Jason Bay, LF, RH
Carlos Delgado, 1B, LH
Jeff Francoeur, RF, RH
Bengie Molina, C, RH
Johan Santana, P, LH

While many Mets fans may be down on that lineup, there is no question it has the potential for greatness, or at least "very goodness", but it also comes with a fair share of questions.

• Will Jose Reyes come back fully healed and capable of playing 150+ games?
• Same question--Carlos Beltran.
• Can David Wright truly return to form, or will 2010 be another frustrating year?
• Will the Mets re-sign Delgado to an incentive laden deal, and if so, what will his production look like?
• Is Jeff Francoeur the .311 BA hitter the Mets had for a few months, or the .282 OBP player that was essentially let go by the Braves.
• Does Bengie Molina get done, and is a little bit of power enough for a guy that struggles to get on base and is fairly average defensively at this point? (threw out 23% of basestealers last year)

Personally, I want Daniel Murphy no where near the Mets starting lineup--too many holes in his game--if the Mets don't think Delgado is worth the risk, then a very difficult decision will have to be made, to include going with Ike Davis now.

Davis turns 23 in March, and the time might be now vice 2011. There's also Chris Carter, who played over half of his minor league games at 1B.

I'll ask you this...are you ready for another year of Daniel Murphy?

Delgado to Play Sunday

According to ESPN, Carlos Delgado will make his return to the diamond on Sunday.

Jorge Arangure reports:

After several delays, free agent first baseman Carlos Delgado will finally be making his winter league debut on Sunday, according to a report out of Puerto Rico. Delgado missed the majority of last season with the New York Mets after undergoing right hip surgery. His delay has been due to complications with that hip.

I hope the Mets take a long hard look at Delgado--the Mets need a power lefty bat, and 120-140 games of Delgado at first with an incentive laden contract is the bridge they need to Ike Davis in 2011.

Mets Days of Note

As the Mets long season winds down, it's time to look back at some interesting days on the calender, both from a team and player perspective:

May 10: Carlos Delgado's last game
May 10: Mets longest winning streak...7 games in a row
May 15: Mets last day in first place
May 19: Ryan Church misses third base and costs the Mets a win
May 20: Jose Reyes' last game
May 29: Last day Mike Pelfrey's ERA was under 4.00
May 31: Mets best record of the season...7 games over .500
June 4: Mets get swept by the Pirates
June 6: John Maine's last start before today
June 13: Luis Castillo drops game ending pop-up, Mets lose
June 28: Mets get swept by the Yankees
July 5: Mets get swept by the Phillies
July 25: Omir Santos' last homerun
August 7: Frankie Rodriguez' last blown save...he's converted 7 in a row
August 14: Bobby Parnell's last win...he's lost 4 in a row
August 20: Johan Santana's last start....seems like much longer ago
August 23: Luis Castillo's last stolen base
August 26: Mets longest losing streak...5 games
August 28: The last day Daniel "Eagle Eye" Murphy drew a walk...41 at-bats ago
September 10: Mets get swept by the Marlins

Team Win/Loss Splits

Overall
Split	W	L	RS	RA	WP
Overall	63	79	599	674	.444
Home/Road
Split	W	L	RS	RA	WP
Home	36	36	307	319	.500
Road	27	43	292	355	.386
Month by Month
Split	W	L	RS	RA	WP
April	9	12	96	97	.429
May	19	9	138	111	.679
June	9	18	108	146	.333
July	12	14	93	108	.462
August	10	19	117	151	.345
September	4	7	47	61	.364

It's Official: J.J. Putz to Miss Season

He has frayed ligaments in his forearm (Ulnar) and potential further damage to his repaired and still injured, elbow.

While he won't require surgery, he will need time to heal.

As excited as we all were in the off-season when we acquired Putz, his year, much like the Mets of 2009, has been one for the crapper.

I only hope Putz can come back healthy in 2010 to be the pitcher he once was.

With Billy Wagner gone, it's like the call for the old sage in Star Wars...

"Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope."

Get healthy JJ...in fact, get healthy ALL of you....we need to kick ass in 2010 to make all of this 2009 bullshit worth it.

Mets to Offer Free Surgery with Season Ticket Plan

The Mets have a new plan to bring their fans even closer to the action, but it comes with a price.

Just announced is the new "Dr Andrews Premium Plan."

Under the arrangement premium season ticket holders get their choice of arthroscopic surgery (knee, hip or shoulder), or an elbow cleanout.

"We feel this is the next logical step in the evolution of the Mets fan experience," said Fred Wilpon. "How better to get the feel of being a real New York Met than with some surgery by noted physician James Andrews?"

Sample packages include:

• Jose Reyes "Knee Deep in the Hoopla"
• John Maine Shoulder "Cool Cleanout"
• Carlos Delgado "Too Hip to be Square"
• Omar Minaya "Colon Cleanse" (* Diamond Prestige Level Only)
  

Wilpon went on to add, "Of course re-hab is extra and does not include your plane tickets to Port St Lucie."

Omar is Wilpon's Guy

Bart Hubbach reported the following from Fred Wilpon in response to a question from The Post's Mike Puma: "Am I going to bring Omar [Minaya] back next year? Absolutely. That's a fact."

Oh boy.

Let's look at some of Omar's memorable moves, both good and bad...as you look through the list you will see some real doozies, including the trade for Bartolo Colon in exchange for Grady Sizemore, Brandon Phillips and Cliff Lee that might be, in my opinion, the worst trade of all time!

As GM of the Expos

• March 25, 2002: Traded outfield Jason Bay and Jim Serrano to the New York Mets for infielder Lou Collier
• April 5, 2002: Traded pitcher Scott Strickland and others to the New York Mets for pitcher Bruce Chen and others.
• July 11, 2002: Traded pitchers Carl Pavano, Graeme Lloyd, infielder Mike Mordecai, and minor leaguers Justin Wayne and Donald Levinski to the Florida Marlins for outfielder Cliff Floyd, utility player Wilton Guerrero, and pitcher Claudio Vargas.
• July 28, 2002: Traded first baseman Lee Stevens, SS Brandon Phillips, pitcher Cliff Lee, and outfielder Grady Sizemore to the Cleveland Indians for pitchers Bartolo Colon and Tim Drew.
• March 24, 2003: Traded pitcher Jim Brower to the San Francisco Giants for pitcher Livan Hernandez and catcher Edward Guzman
• December 4, 2003: Traded pitcher Javier Vazquez to the New York Yankees for first baseman Nick Johnson, outfielder Juan Rivera, and pitcher Randy Choate.
• January 5, 2004: Traded pitcher Scott Stewart to the Cleveland Indians for infielder Maicer Izturis and outfielder Ryan Church
• March 25, 2004: Traded Randy Choate to the Arizona Diamondbacks for John Patterson
• July 18, 2004: Traded Carl Everett and cash to the Chicago White Sox for pitchers Jon Rauch and Gary Majewski
• July 21, 2004: In a four-team deal, acquired shortstop Alex Gonzalez, Brendan Harris, and minor league pitcher Francis Beltran from the Chicago Cubs, while sending shortstop Orlando Cabrera to the Boston Red Sox. Also involved were the Minnesota Twins.

As GM of the Mets

• November 30, 2004: Re-signed Kris Benson to a three year, $22.5 million deal, plus $7.5 million club option
• December 3, 2004: In his first trade as Mets GM, Minaya traded pitcher Mike Stanton and cash to the New York Yankees for Felix Heredia
• December 13, 2004: Selected Henry Owens from the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Minor League Rule V Draft
• December 15, 2004: Signed free agent catcher Ramon Castro
• December 17, 2004: Signed free agent pitcher Pedro Martinez to a four year, $53 million deal
• January 6, 2005: Traded catcher Vance Wilson to the Detroit Tigers for infielder Anderson Hernandez
• January 13, 2005: Signed free agent centerfielder Carlos Beltran to a seven year, $119 million deal
• January 17, 2005: Signed free agent pitcher Roberto Hernandez
• January 27, 2005: Traded minor league first baseman Ian Bladergroen to the Boston Red Sox for Doug Mientkiewicz
• June 7, 2005: Selected Mike Pelfrey with the 9th overall pick in the amateur free agent draft
• November 18, 2005: Traded outfielder Mike Cameron to the San Diego Padres for outfielder Xavier Nady
• November 24, 2005: Traded first baseman Mike Jacobs and pitchers Yusmeiro Petit and Grant Psomas to the Florida Marlins for Carlos Delgado and cash.
• November 29, 2005: Signed free agent pitcher Billy Wagner to a four year, $43 million deal, plus an $8 clup option
• December 27, 2005: Signed free agent pitcher Chad Bradford to a one year, $1.4 million contract
• January 4, 2006: Traded pitchers Jae Weong Seo and Tim Hamulack to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Duaner Sanchez and Steve Schmoll
• January 22, 2006: Traded pitcher Kris Benson to the Baltimore Orioles for pitchers Jorge Julio and John Maine
• May 24, 2006: Traded pitcher Jorge Julio to the Arizona Diamondbacks for pitcher Orlando Hernandez
• July 19, 2006: Traded infielder Jeff Keppinger to the Kansas City Royals for infielder Ruben Gotay
• July 31, 2006: Traded outfielder for Xavier Nady to the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitchers Roberto Hernandez and Oliver Perez
• August 22, 2006: Traded Evan MacLane to the Arizona Diamondbacks for outfielder Shawn Green and cash.
• November 15, 2006: Traded pitchers Heath Bell and Royce Ring to the San Diego Padres in exchange for Jon Adkins and Ben Johnson
• November 20, 2006: Traded pitchers Henry Owens and Matt Lindstrom to the Florida Marlins for Adam Bostick and Jason Vargas
• November 21, 2006: Signed free agent outfielder Moises Alou
• December 6, 2006: Traded pitcher Brian Bannister to the Kansas City Royals for pitcher Ambiorix Burgos
• December 7, 2006: Re-signed pitcher Guillermo Mota to a two year, $5 million deal.
• January 16, 2007: Signed free agent pitcher Scott Schoeneweis three year, $10.8 million contract
• July 30, 2007: Traded minor leaguers Drew Butera and Dustin Martin to the Minnesota Twins for Luis Castillo
• November 30, 2007: Traded outfielder Lastings Milledge to the Washington Nationals for outfielder Ryan Church and catcher Brian Schneider
• January 29, 2008: Traded outfielder Carlos Gomez, pitchers Philip Humber, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra to the Minnesota Twins for pitcher Johan Santana.

The noise Omar made in 2009 was primarily to throw some money around--he did this to acquire Frankie Rodriguez and to re-sign Ollie Perez. He also went cheap on the 5th starter, signing Tim Redding and Livan Hernandez. I liked the pickup of Alex Cora for the bench and the trade of Scott Shoeneweis.

The "big trade" of 2009 was an Omar creation--and I did like the trade at the time though I wish we had managed to hold on to Mike Carp, long a favorite of mine--The New York Mets sent Aaron Heilman, Endy Chavez, and Mike Carp to the Mariners and Joe Smith to the Indians in return for JJ Putz(closer), Sean Green(RP), and Jeremy Reed(OF). The Mets also dealt 3 other minor leaguers, including Jason Vargas.

The trade itself has actually failed for each team--Jason Vargas is 3-6 with a high ERA for Seattle--Endy Chavez went down for the season with an ACL--Joe Smith had a poor first half, and he is pitching well now--Aaron Heilman's been a huge disappointment. Franklin Gutierrez has been the best value of the whole deal--he's having a very good season for Seattle.

For the Mets the trade was supposed to be addition by subtraction, but it really hasn't worked out at all.

JJ Putz cost money for very little return, and his future is in doubt following surgery. Jeremy Reed is a dime a dozen player. Sean Green has flashed hot and cold.

The in-season trade of note was swapping Ryan Church for Jeff Francoeur--by all accounts this looks like a good move for both teams.

Bottom line is that Omar is from a GM school that is somewhat old fashioned--he likes to spend money--he likes older veterans--I believe he undervalues prospects and needs to learn to draft out of slot. I also think he fails when it comes to measuring players using newer, more advanced stats--something that is so commonplace these days.

The thing with Omar is it's not just the moves he makes--and again, he has made some good ones--but he has drafted poorly.

Remember, this is the guy who, in 2002, passed over Cole Hamels, Prince Fielder, Zach Grienke, James Loney, Jeremy Guthrie, Nick Swisher, Jeff Francoeur, Matt Cain, Joe Blanton and Scott Kazmir in order to take Clint Everts 5th overall.

So if we're to believe the Wilpon's it looks like the Mets will have Minaya at the helm for a few more years--that's unfortunate.

Is Jerry Manuel a Drama Queen or Just Stupid?

Last week we heard some pretty ignorant comments from Jerry Manuel in regards to Ryan Church's concussions last season. He essentially called Church out for his concussion issues and compared him in a less than favorable light to David Wright.

What really bugs me is that Church has been great since the trade--said the right things, and even reached out to DW after his concussion.

Today Church shot back...he nailed Jerry hard by saying, "I'm just here to try and make the playoffs."

For more, please go here and read the story by Brian Costa of New Jersey Online.

David Wright to the Disabled List

With a big sigh, the Mets announced that All-Star, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger David Wright has been placed on the 15 day Disabled List.

The full story from my friend Ted Berg at Metsblog:

Omar Minaya announced after Sunday’s game that David Wright has been put on the 15-day DL with his head injury.

Minaya stressed that Wright wanted to stay with the club, but that after consulting with medical experts, the team decided it was in Wright’s best interest to rest.

Wright joins John Maine, Jon Niese, Fernando Nieve, J.J. Putz, Billy Wagner, Carlos Delgado, Ramon Martinez, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Fernando Martinez on the Mets’ disabled list.

Top Five Things Left to Root For in 2009

Take heart fellow Mets fans, with almost seven weeks of baseball left, there are still a bunch things to root for besides a miracle playoff run.

1. David Wright to 40 doubles. He is currently at 30, and as I wrote here, with a 5th consecutive 40 double season, DW joins some rare company and inches his way toward the major league record of seven consecutive 40+ double seasons in a row.

2. 20 wins for Santana. He is currently at 13 wins and will make 10, and possibly 11, more starts in 2009. Go back through his game log, and it's clear he should have at least 16 wins right now. That said, 20 is within his reach, and his career splits show he is truly the best second half pitcher this side of Roy Oswalt.

3. A .300 season for Luis Castillo. He is currently at .297. Yes it's trivial in the grand scheme of things, but don't you feel a little compassion for Luis? He's had a wild ride during his tenure as a Met, and after the drop at Yankee stadium he could have crawled in a hole and went away mentally. Instead he came back with aplomb and has worked his tail off.

4. The Carlos Delgado farewell tour. I recently wrote that when Delgado gets back, Murphy should still play. I've had some time to re-think that statement and believe Delgado should play every day if able. Murphy has the following OBP numbers by month in 2009: .373, .278, .298, .323, .308. Those are brutal--actually, they downright suck. Moreover he has a .378 Slg % on the year--pathetic for a first baseman. Bottom line is it will be a heck of a lot more fun to watch Delgado for 6 weeks, and the fans deserve it.

5. The continuing improvement of Oliver Perez. About two weeks ago I wrote that Ollie was about to break out, and after his last outing it sure looks like he has done just that. In his last 6 outings he has given up 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1 earned runs. Yes, there were some walk issues in a few of those starts, but the stuff is back. He will be a blast to watch in his remaining 10 starts. For an interesting look at Ollie's release point, please visit my friends over at Mets Today.

There are more areas of interest--the September call-ups, Beltran possibly coming back (I think we are all advising against this), the chance to play spoiler against the Phillies, etc.

The whole point is that though the potential for the playoffs is basically gone, we all still watch the games....it's what us Met fans do....I say let's have some fun with the remaining games.

Is This the Corner?

Mets fans have been waiting patiently for the team to turn the corner.

Thus far the team is a middling 7-9 in July after posting an awful 9-18 record in June.

So why the optimism?

For one, the schedule is very favorable for the team for the final 70 games of the season.

The Mets play the next two games at Washington (26-66), then travel to Houston (47-46) for three games.

The Mets then return home for a 10-game homestand against Colorado (51-42), Arizona (39-54), and the Cards (51-44).

Those are 15 games that will tell the tale of the season. For the Mets to remain in the hunt, they will need to go 10-5 in those games and creep back above .500.

After those games the Mets go back on the road for three at San Diego (37-56) and three at Arizona (39-54). The Mets need to think sweep in each series and win 4 or 5.

If they can win 4 of those 6 games the team will be 5 games over .500 and return home for 11 straight home games, including a 4-game series against the Phillies and 3 against the Braves.

In all reality this is it--this is the time for the team to start winning, and it can happen, especially if at least two of the big three of Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado come back.

So let's take this in steps.

• Step 1. David Wright needs to wake up. He's batting .200 in July with 2 RBIs. This is a big surprise as Wright has been one of the best second half hitters in all of baseball over the past 3 seasons (.334 BA, .418 OBP, .552 Slg %).
• Step 2. Find a way to win 4 or 5 games against the Nats and Astros.
• Step 3. Get Jose Reyes back after the road trip.
• Step 4. Come home and dominate--a 6-4 or even 7-3 homestand.
• Step 5. Go back on the road and beat up on the Padres and Astros--win at least 4 of 6.
• Step 6. Get Beltran and Delgado back before the homestand.
• Step 7. Come back home for 11 games and win 7 or 8.

If that happens the Mets will have a record of 8-9 games over .500 with 34 games left.

They'll have leapfrogged 4 or 5 teams and would be 3 to 4 games out of the wildcard.

It's certainly a tall order, but it can be done.

At this point in the season, every game counts--every game--and the team cannot afford to lose any of them.

David Wright: My Wish Video

For those that haven't seen this yet, here's one more reminder of why we love David Wright.

Matt Vojack gets his wish granted by New York Mets David Wright, and of course, DW hits a homerun for the kid.

I think we need to start getting kids with great story's like Matt's in front of DW before every game if it will help him hit more homeruns.

I have a nephew with a club foot....hmmmmmmm!

Missing Beltran: Enormous Impact

For all those Mets fans that still think Carlos Beltran isn't the most valuable member of the team, consider the following.

Since Carlos Beltran went on the DL:

The Mets have been shut out 3 times

The Mets have scored less than 3 runs 8 times

The Mets have scored 3 runs or less 10 times

That is a huge impact, and I for one believe it's causal despite the relatively small sample size (he's been on the DL 14 games).

Now here's the thing--I am telling you now to not give up hope.

We have to weather one more week of this and then...

Carlos Beltran comes back

Jose Reyes comes back

Ollie will be back this week, and I believe both John Maine and Carlos Delgado will be back within 3-4 weeks.

Then Putz....

Maybe Billy Wagner....

Pagan comes back soon to solidify the bench...

It is incredibly hard to be an optimist right now--and I'm not asking you for optimism--I am asking to not crucify this team right now...get to the break a few games out, and then let the health parade begin.

The Mets will win the division by 5 games.

Bookmark this and come back in late September.

I'll be here.

Death of Billy Mays Could Rally the Mets

Billy Mays, one of the great pitchmen of all time, has been lost to all of us.

The Mets have decided to honor Billy for the rest of the season by playing fundementally sound baseball.

"Billy was a perfectionist, so the least we can do is honor his memory by playing mistake free ball from here on out," said Mets second baseman Luis Castillo, owner of the full line of Oxi-Clean products.

Mets third baseman David Wright agrees. "I've molded a glove out of Mighty Putty, and I plan on using it for the season, beginning tonight. Nothing gets through the Mighty Putty webbing."

Skipper Jerry Manuel, usually reserved and smiling in his post-game press conferences, plans to "scream to my heart's content." He is also dyeing the gray flecks out of his beard.

The Mets ground crew have added the Awesome Auger to their tool bags.

Carlos Delgado refused comment, only saying, "not now my friends, not now" prior to wiping away tears through a Sham-Wow and pledging a new allegiance to Vince.

Is This the Start of Something Special?

I think so.

The Mets have suffered so much early season adversity.

There are the well documented injuries to key stars and role players, errors, both mental and physical, and of course, the new ballpark.

But here we are, on June 14th, 3 games out of first place and a scant half game out of the wild card.

And look at the stats for the team--this banged up team:

2009 National League Ranks

AVG	R	OBP	SLG	OPS	SB
.280	284	.362	.414	.775	63
1st	5th	1st	4th	2nd	1st
ERA	BAA	OPS	SV	WHIP	QS
3.96	.253	.714	18	1.37	34
6th	6th	4th	5th	8th	6th

Those are fine numbers--just imagine how much better they'll get when Jose Reyes gets back.

My friend Rob Harding at Hot Foot looks back at a few games the Mets should have won.

And that gets to my point--did we get our bad games out of the way early? Is all that early adversity over?

Speaking of Friday night, my buddy Steve over at Kranepool Society sums up my exact feelings about Luis Castillo and the Friday situation.

I was very upset for about an hour, but really, after seeing how Luis handled himself, I am really pulling for him to have a great stretch here. Adversity shows you the character of a man, and Luis has absolutely handled this like a man.

So let's play a little "what if".

What if Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, JJ Putz, Billy Wagner, and Oliver Perez all come back over the next 8-10 weeks.

If this current Mets roster can hold the fort and keep pace with the Phils, odds are that good fortune will turn their way.

What if from here on out balls will be caught, bases will be ran, and the hits will all drop?

What if the shoe goes on the other foot and the Mets catch the breaks?

Was the Fernando Nieve start the beginning of that string of good luck?

Remember--this team has competed very well against the Phils, Yanks and Red Sox...we're a hair of bad luck (and better execution) from winning two more from the Phils and the Friday night game against the Yanks.

Again, it's June 14th...let's play great ball and keep fighting--the same type of fight they showed yesterday.

They say that hope springs eternal....here's to hoping.

May Was One Wacky Month

I love this team--love them. May is one of those reasons why.

It featured the best month of May in team history, an embarrassing sweep at the hands of the Dodgers, a 5-1 homestand, the worst lineup since 1979, a couple of trades, the debut of a 20-year old superstar of the future, and a team that fought their way through a devastating amount of injuries to stay near the top of the NL East standings.

Some May performances:

• The Mets had winning streaks of 8, 4 and 3 and a losing streak of 4
• David Wright hit .378 for the month--strangest .378 ever
• Carlos Beltran hit .323 with 17 RBIs...last year he hit .306 with 19 RBIs in May
• Carlos Delgado went to the DL on May 11th
• Fernando Martinez had his first big league hit on Saturday
• Frankie Rodriguez was 10 for 10 in save opportunities with a 0.00 ERA (Pitcher of the Month!)
• Pedro Feliciano went 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA for the month in 15 appearances, and held the opposition to a .188 batting average
• Johan Santana went 4-1 with a 2.43 ERA
• Livan Hernandez went 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA
• John Maine went 3-1 with a 3.30 ERA
• Ramon Castro was traded
  

A wacky month....and a great one!

Thanks to my daughter for the picture...she snapped it on Saturday in front of Citi Field.

Bad Jerry Manuel Decision #72

Murph gets 5 RBIs on Wednesday.

Jerry sits Murph the next game.

Brilliant.

Yeah, Sean West is a lefty, so let's see...

Murph happens to be hitting .313 against lefty's this year and .346 against lefty's in his brief big league career (26 ABs total against lefty's).

Fernando Tatis is hitting .241 against lefty's this year.

Tonight's lineup:

Pagan, rf
Castillo, 2b
Beltran, cf
Sheffield, lf
Wright, 3b
Tatis, 1b
Santos, c
R. Martinez, ss
Pelfrey, rhp

Time to Get Healthy

The Mets injury woes continue, and the next day or two will provide answers to what the next month will look like.

Yesterday we heard Jose Reyes declare himself out for today. We also don't know the state of Carlos Beltran and Ryan Church.

If Church has a torn hamstring, it's like that Fernando Martinez gets called up. While we all love the kid, it's preferable to leave him in the minors to let him play every day.

Do you play FMart over one of the more experienced outfielders? He's hitting well in AAA, and he could certainly help the team right now, but odds are he'll struggle like every other 20 year old making the transition to the big leagues.

Jose Reyes is the most troubling absence this side of Carlos Delgado. That Reyes declared himself out of today's game yesterday sent shock waves through Mets nation.

If he has to go to the DL for any length of time, the team's defensive struggles become even more exacerbated.

It really is time to add DeRosa...we need the depth.

The list below isn't complete....that tells you just how banged up this club is right now.

Mets		Updated	Status	Due Back	Injury	Notes
	Church, Ryan (RF)	05/24	Day-to-day	Possibly May 25	Strained right hamstring	Missed 2nd straight game on May 24.
	Cora, Alex (2B)	05/18	15-day DL	Early June	Torn ligament in right thumb	Unable to throw in infield practice on May 18.
	Delgado, Carlos (1B)	05/19	15-day DL	Possibly mid-July	Torn labrum in hip	Underwent surgery May 19.
	Perez, Oliver (P)	05/22	15-day DL	Possibly late May	Right knee patellar tendinitis	Threw extended Spring Training game May 21.
	Reyes, Jose (SS)	05/24	Day-to-day	Possibly May 25	Calf tendinitis	Took grounders before May 23 game.
	Rodriguez, Francisco (P)	05/24	Day-to-day	Possibly May 25	Back spasms	Played catch prior to May 24 game.
	Schneider, Brian (C)	05/13	15-day DL	Possibly late May	Strained back, sore calf	Slowed by lingering calf discomfort.
	Wagner, Billy (P)	05/20	15-day DL	Possibly late '09	Torn elbow ligament	Working out at Mets' Spring Training complex.