Mets Blood Drive at Citi Field

Mets Blood Drive

The Mets will be hosting their annual Winter Blood Drive for the New York Blood Center on Wednesday, January 27, in Citi Field's Caesars Club from 10 am to 5 pm (First Base VIP Entrance). Donors must be 17 years of age (16 with parental permission), weigh at least 110 lbs and be in good health. Each donor will receive a pair of tickets to a select Mets game in April. Bring ID with photo or signature. Call 1-800-933-BLOOD for more information.

Give the gift of life, give blood.

Thole Time--It's a Young Man's Game

With all the hand-wringing going on over which putrid veteran catcher to sign, the Mets should go with Thole and Santos.

The more I think about Josh Thole, the more I like the idea of him as the primary starting catcher in 2010.

First off the guy can hit--just flat out rake--he sprays the ball to the gaps and is a great fit for Citi Field. He killed it in Venezuela after hitting .321 with the Mets as a September call-up.

The reason most fans don't want to see Thole as the starter in 2010 is his defense. But truth be told, his defense has improved, and one more year in the minors vice a year in the majors is of marginal difference.

Let's get his bat up here now.

Would Thole and a .370 OBP be preferable to Molina and a sub-.300 OBP? (he had a .285 OBP last year in 491 at-bats)

Could the Mets use more energy and enthusiasm?

Can't you just see Thole bonding with Beltran, Wright, Bay, Francoeur, and our young starters?

Look at Thole's last 7 games as a starting catcher with the Mets in 2009--the team went 6-1 with an ERA of 3.00.

Thole can be our Jason Kendall or Butch Wynegar--if we're lucky he can be our Ted Simmons.

All of these guys were catching and playing major roles for their clubs in their early 20s.

It's Thole time.

The Curse of Citi Field: Opponents Style

I am really starting to like Citi Field.

We get crazy bounces, a serious homefield advantage, and the opponents seem cursed, as evidenced by the Sheffield and Murphy homerun umpire replays--both of which went in the Mets favor.

As I write this the Mets are 14-8 at home and leading 5-3 in the bottom of the 6th.

With the great home fans we have, coupled with the new good luck park, we just may have found our 10th man!

Three Reasons for Excitement

Written by Andy the Lawyer....

Yes the Mets are only 3-3, but there are some real reasons to be encouraged by the team's play over these first 6 games. As we get ready to see CitiField in action, here are the positive signs as we start our first home stand:

1) Lots of guys are hitting, including hitting late in games.

Of the "big four" only Wright isn't off to a great start, and while he is struggling to show power he isn't hitting .200 either (.304/.429 ba/obp). The rest all look like they are ready to have great seasons, especially Delgado, who was probably the biggest question mark of the 3.

Secondly, the supporting cast has been better than expected. Church is positively raking the ball, Murphy is doing what we expected at the bat (if not in LF - ugh), and Castillo is non-terrible, which is all you need from him. Schnieder is the only offensive player truly to be off to a "bad" start.

Most importantly, unlike last year when the Mets scored early but not late, this year they have as many RBI's in inning 7-9 as they do 4-6, and have nearly come back in a couple of tight games already, showing some real fight. Church's fly out with 2 out in the 9th was about 1 foot away from being a hit - so even the outs are well hit balls.

2) The bullpen will be better.

Its early, so Manuel is stil trying to figure out "what he has" with some of these guys, but its pretty clear that Putz to K-Rod will be one of the nastiest 8-9 inning tandems in baseball. O'Day will probably be gone soon (he's a submariner but his ball doesn't move) and Feliciano needs to figure out how to not walk guys, but overall I like what I've seen from Parnell and the rest of the 6th-7th inning guys.

3) Santana is still awesome.

Unlucky, but awesome. Should have had a shutout yesterday, but Murphy's screwup ending his winning streak. A healthy and awesome Santana gives the Mets a head up on every other team in the NL East at the #1 pitcher spot.

There you have it - 3 things to be excited about for this season, which is appropriate given our 3-3 record. I'm excited to see Pelfrey tonight - I'm hopeful he can build on his gutsy first start and put forth a more complete outing tonight, but I'm a little worried he'll be too juiced and lose command.

Lets go Mets!

CitiField Fanwalk Bricks are Back on Sale

In one of the cooler money making schemes the Mets have thought of in recent years, the team has put CitiWalk bricks back on sale.

Was I tempted to buy one? Yes.

Did I? No, but now that they are back on sale, the temptation is just too much, and it was my birthday yesterday.

Truth be told these things are reasonably priced, you get a replica brick for your man-cave or office, and you will be a part of the Mets new home forever.

More info from the website:

LAST CHANCE -- LIMITED QUANTITIES REMAIN!
The Citi Field Fanwalk is where Mets fans can become a permanent part of Citi Field through the purchase of individual engraved bricks surrounding the main entry of Citi Field. Fans will be able to recognize their family, friends and favorite Mets moments through lasting tributes engraved directly onto the bricks of the plaza outside of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. A complimentary replica brick comes with each order and makes a great addition to your home or office.

PLACE YOUR ORDER ONLINE
• All information must be clear and complete to process your order.
• Choose the size/style of brick(s) you are ordering.
• Each order includes one complimentary replica brick.
• Additional replica bricks can be purchased at prices indicated below.
• International orders cannot be accepted using this form.
• Replica bricks will be engraved and shipped at no charge (within the continental U.S.) within 8-10 weeks of the receipt of your order.

Are Those "Sausages" Dad?

How do you explain the new Mets hat logo to your kid?

"Dad, I think those look like 'sausages'?"

"Honey, that is the new Citi Field, the Mets new home! And really, a sausage hat would look more like this":
"And in the olden days, no, not like when I went to school, when your grandmother was a girl. Yes, ladies often wore magic hats of sausages. Like this one":

"Would you wear a sausage hat Dad? I like your plain blue hat."

"Of course I like the traditional look my child. When I was your age all of the kids wore this classic Mets hat, and please, if you love your Dad, you will too."
"Now stop all that crying. The Mets will sign a pitcher soon, and we can forget all about this little chat of ours."

Derek Lowe, Oliver Perez and the $150M Budget

Walk with me for a minute Mets fans.

First, let's take a stroll through Citi Field. My apologies for the weather.

Look at the fences...look at the dimensions...look at the beautiful architecture.

Is this a dream? Are Mets fans really deserving of all this largess?

Now close your eyes for a moment....think of the warm Florida breezes in February and March. Think about the hiss of the fastball and the popping of the glove. The crack as bat meets ball. The infield and dugout chatter. Now picture opening day and a beautiful 2009 in this new cathedral in Queens.

They are the sweet sounds and smells of baseball.

Now think about a Mets starting rotation of:

Johan Santana
Derek Lowe
Oliver Perez
John Maine
Mike Pelfrey

How truly wonderful would that be? Could it be a reality? If so, what would it take? Think about that rotation, together, for the next 3+ years.

Can the Mets afford to add another $25M to the payroll? Didn't they have a ton of money come off the books from the $138M they spent last year?

Haven't they lost the services of Pedro Martinez and his $12M a year? Moises Alou at $7.5M a year? El Duque at $7M a year? Jorge Sosa and his $2M a year? Scott Schoeneweis and his $3.6M a year?

Sure they locked down KRod and JJ Putz, and that cost $18M a year, but is there not room for more?

Was $138M last year really the most the Mets will spend?

If you could have those 5 starters--3 power pitchers, 3 righty's and 2 lefty's, a wonderful mix of youth and prime, fastballs, slider, curveballs, changeups and sinkers, locked up for 3+ years, would you do it? Could you do it? Should you do it?

The answer is yes, and the possibility is more real than the papers would have you believe.