Jeff Pearlman's Awakening

Sportswriter Jeff Pearlman is the author of the classic, "The Bad Guys Won".  It's one of my favorite baseball books.  He also writes for Sports Illustrated and has several other books out.

Like most baseball writers, Pearlman got wind of the Mets Walter Reed visit and heard about the three Mets that didn't make the trip.  His perspective on their non-visit resulted in what I consider an unfortunate piece for Sports Illustrated.

I called Jeff Pearlman on the piece, writing on his blog:  

Jeff:  I just wanted to thank you, in advance, for your upcoming visit to Walter Reed. I know all of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airman and Marines there will enjoy the personally autographed books you’ll be bringing them.

E-mail me if you want me to go with you…really.

Regards,
Dave

This morning I saw this from Pearlman: "Sometimes You're Simply Wrong..."
In it he says:

Started thinking about it this afternoon, while doing my regular Friday segment on Hardly Workin’ With Greg Burton, an ESPN Radio show in Richmond. Greg asked about the column, and as I began to dump on the players it hit me: How many times have I visited Walter Reed? How many cards have I sent the troops? How many meals have I cooked? How much money have I donated?
In other words, why am I expecting more of three ballplayers than I am of myself? And why do they have a greater obligation to charitable deeds than I do?
Answer: They don’t. If they were wrong not attending, I’m wrong for doing jack shit.

Jeff Pearlman came up with a solution--do something.  He actually took the time to contact Walter Reed and offer up his time, his books, and the opportunity to sit and chat with the wounded to talk baseball, sports, books, etc.

A very good thing, by a good man.....very good indeed.

Good Morning Mets Fans!

How sweet it is!  The Mets are playing inspired baseball, they have won 10 of their last 11 games and they are a remarkable 17-5 since the 21st of May.

Yesterday Jon Niese kept the streak alive with 7 solid innings and the offense took care of the rest as the Mets beat the Indians 8-4.

Niese won his third start in a row in his hometown (or close to it) and has proven to everyone that he has the stuff to be a solid middle of the rotation starter.  In the month of June, Niese is Niese is 3-0 with a 1.57 ERA

"This is what we anticipated," manager Jerry Manuel said after the Mets tied a season high with seven doubles, two by Ike Davis. "We're built on pitching and defense. If we stay hot with the bats, we'll be a really, really good team."

The offense was solid throughout, and each starter had at least one hit.  The only down news was Jason Bay leaving the game with a thigh bruise that he received after another hustle hit.  The hustle hits have been a staple of Bay's game all year long, but this one is likely to cost him at least one game.

"It knotted up on me," Bay said. "My left leg hit his butt. We'll see how I feel tomorrow."

David Wright hit a key double to plate two.  He now leads the National League in RBIs with 52.

NL RBI LEADERS		RBI
David Wright	1. David Wright, NYM	52
	2. Troy Glaus, ATL	51
	3. Albert Pujols, STL	49
	4. Jonny Gomes, CIN	48
	5. Corey Hart, MIL	47

Angel Pagan finished the game with 3 hits and 3 RBIs--he looks like he's out of the mini-slump.  When Pagan and Reyes are both hitting at the top of the order the Mets score runs in bunches--yesterday they did just that.

And finally, another tip of the cap to Elmer Dessens for pitching two innings to close out the win.

This is Mets baseball, this is your team, and this is why we endure...it's a magical run.

Enjoy your coffee!

Scoreboard
Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
N.Y. Mets (37-28) «	0	0	5	0	0	3	0	0	0	8	14	0
Cleveland (25-39)	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	1	0	4	9	0

Player of the Game

New York
A. Pagan	AB	5
	R	1
	H	3
	HR	0
	RBI	3

Related articles

• Post Game: Mets 8, Indians 4 (metsblog.com)
• Mets 8, Indians 4: Mets Win Their Sixth in a Row (nytimes.com)
• Mets double up Indians, make it six straight victories (cbssports.com)
• New York Mets Score Plenty Of Runs For Jonathon Niese In Sixth Straight Win (bleacherreport.com)
• What to do with Angel Pagan? (metsreport.com)

Good Morning Mets Fans!

Four in a row is pretty damn good baseball, especially when those four wins came against the teams from last year's World Series.

The Mets are hot, and they have both their pitching and hitting to thank.  Let's start with the pitching.

Hisanori Takahashi is a big league starter...there is no question that he does what every manager wants his pitcher to do--throw strikes and keep hitters off balance.

In his second big league start Taktor K threw six innings of shutout ball and led the Mets to a shutout victory over the Phillies for the second straight game.

"He's a great pitcher with great instincts," Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. "He had great command of his pitches."

Manuel went on to add that Takahashi is now firmly entrenched in the rotation.

"It'd be tough to get him out.... I think his command is among the top pitchers in the league," said Manuel, who compared him to the White Sox's Mark Buehrle. "That means at any time in the count he can throw any pitch, and that's a huge advantage for a pitcher."

"I can do it," Takahashi said through a translator. "As a reliever or starter, I don't change much. I'm happy to be in the starting rotation here."

Takahashi is now 4-1 on the season with a sparkling 2.13 ERA and an astounding 44 Ks in only 38 innings.  Last night he gave up five hits without walking a batter and struck out six.

"To have a performance such as that especially against two very good teams, elite teams, it lengthens the opportunity for him," Manuel said about Takahashi's continuing presence in the rotation.

Takahashi may have been facing a struggling Philly club, but he certainly added to their misery with his array of pitches and pinpoint control.  He and Barajs were in perfect synch, and it was really fun to watch them work the hitters all night like a chess match.  I actually thought his fastball, which sat at 89-90 mph, was his best pitch of the night.  He relied on it early, and when the big spots came up later in the game he had the hitters set-up perfectly for his changeup and slider.  He struck out Ryan Howard in a huge spot with men on base.

"I know he's one of the biggest hitters in the game, and [Rod] Barajas had a good plan to get him out," Takashi said of Howard. "I stuck to the plan."

The offense was working as well.  Jose Reyes is now officially in super hot mode, with 5 multi-hit games in his last 6.  He hit his first homerun of the season, and it really lifted the entire club.

The New and Improved Rod Barajas "Now with even more A-Ha's!" had a two-run double and a sac fly in a three RBI effort and Jose Reyes had his fourth straight multihit game, with his first homer of the season for New York. Luis Castillo chipped in with two walks and two stolen bases, and Angel Pagan had two hits.

The "Strawberry Effect"???

Maybe the Strawberry talk had its desired effect after all?  It's been reported that some players didn't care for his comments, and it may be pure coincidence that the team has gelled, but it is interesting timing. Whatever the spark is, the Mets are playing very, very good baseball.  They are a hustling team, a very good defensive team, and they have removed some of the trouble spots from playing time.

Think about it--first base is now stabilized, centerfield is now stabilized, and with the addition of Takahashi to the rotation, it certainly appears more stable that it had been previously.  They have found something in Dickey as a wonderful rubber armed change of pace guy as well.

There are still issues--that is a given--but when you have professionals doing their jobs in key roles, the stars will help lift you the rest of the way.

Enjoy your coffee!

Scoreboard
Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Philadelphia (26-19)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	1
N.Y. Mets (24-23) «	0	1	1	0	0	3	0	0	x	5	7	0

Players of the Game

New York J. Reyes AB 4 R 1 H 2 HR 1 RBI 2

New York H. Takahashi IP 6.0 H 5 ER 0 BB 0 K 6

Related articles:

• Link: Takahashi Embracing New Challenge as Starter (nj.com)
• Mets deal Phillies second consecutive shutout (cbssports.com)
• Mets-Phillies:Tak Terrific Leads New York Past Philadelphia (bleacherreport.com)
• Takahashi, Mets Shut out Phillies Again (abcnews.go.com)

Former Met Alert: Ross and David Newhan Have a Blog

Their blog, "Newhan on Baseball" is a good one, and it's also very new, having debuted just this month.

I encourage you to check it out and relive the glory days of David Newham's New York Mets career as well.

The homeruns, the amazing acrobatic plays, the game-winning hits, the rejection of real Judaism, the shunning of kanish's with mustard in favor of turkey sandwiches on white with mayo.

Kidding aside, the blog is a good one.

You can find it here.

The Mets Lineup: What Would You Do?

Jerry Manuel gets beat up a lot on the blogs and on the chat boards, and I'm as guilty as the next guy of thinking, at times, that my ideas are better than his, especially when it comes to the lineup.

There are a few things I would do if I were manager:

GMJ would be shown the door on day one, that is a given.

More importantly, I would put Reyes back at the top of the order and restore normalcy to the world in an attempt to appease the baseball gods.

In fact, my lineup would be as follows:

Jose Reyes
Angel Pagan
David Wright
Jason Bay
Ike Davis
Jeff Francoeur
Rod Barajas
Luis Castillo

Batting Reyes at leadoff is a no-brainer.  The top of the Mets order is not a place for an experiment.

For his career, Jose Reyes is batting an even .300 when leading off a game.  In 2008, his last healthy season, he hit .340 when leading off a game and .327 when leading off an inning.

More importantly, he scored 43 first inning runs when leading off a game in 2008.  That's over 1/4 of your season with a run in the first frame.  If you think that was a fluke, it's not.  He scored a first inning run 37 times in 2007.

I did a detailed stats piece here on why Angel Pagan must bat second in this lineup.  Memo to Jerry:  Playing second base does not mean you have to hit second.

The rest of the pieces fall in place naturally, and Alex Cora or Henry Blanco fit right in when their caddy role dictates they play.  The rest of the lineup consists of every day players.

When Carlos Beltran gets back I would actually hit him in the 2 hole, which would give the Mets a mini-murderer's row of:

Reyes
Beltran
Wright
Bay

The bottom line is this--the manager's role before a game starts consists primarily of putting out the lineup that will maximize production.

I believe Jerry has failed in that capacity.

Memo to Jerry: Fix the Lineup Now

The Mets are in an offensive funk, and the Gods of math and baseball are shaking their heads at Jerry Manuel.

It is painfully obvious what the lineup should be, yet Jerry continues to put his special brand of craziness on it.

Here's what the lineup should be and why:

Jose Reyes
Angel Pagan
David Wright
Jason Bay
Ike Davis
Jeff Francoeur
Rod Barajas
Luis Castillo
Pitcher

To whit:

• Jose Reyes has a .356 OBP with 145 SB from 2007-09, yet only a .283 OBP lifetime batting third. Jerry has him batting third.
• Angel Pagan has a .400 OBP .900 OPS 2007-09 hitting second. Luis Castillo has a .360 OBP .666 OPS in 2010 hitting second.  Jerry has Castillo batting second and Pagan leading off.  I wrote a detailed stats piece on why Angel Pagan should bat second here.
• David Wright has a .446 OBP .909 OPS hitting third in 2010 and .398 OBP .909 2007-09. Jerry has Wright batting fifth.
• Jeff Francoeur has a .313 OBP and .709 OPS in the 6 hole from 2007-09, and a .268 OBP, .568 OPS hitting 7th. Jerry has Francoeur hitting seventh.
• Rod Barajas is tied for the team lead in home runs and has an OPS 113 points higher than Luis Castillo.  Jerry has Barajas hitting eighth and Castillo second.

With Jerry's "Very special lineup" the Mets are:

19th in MLB in Runs
24th in OPS
27th in MLB in Batting Average

Jerry--fix the lineup and let math be your friend.  And one more thing--the next time you start Gary Mathews Jr you should be fired.

Good Morning Mets Fans!

A 9-1 homestand does wonders for your confidence.

It also helps push a team up in the standings, and in the case of our beloved Mets, it pushed them all the way from last to first.

The Mets, at 13-9, are a half game up in the NL East, and they now own the 3rd best record in the National League and the 6th best record in baseball.

There are many reasons for the team's success, including fantastic starting pitching, a dominant bullpen, an awakening offense, and a shot in the arm from the newest Met.

Ike Davis has impressed his teammates as much as he's impressed the fans.

“He’s given us a shot in the arm,” David Wright said. “He solidifies a pretty good lineup.”

“He’s been a good major league player,” Jason Bay said. “You wouldn’t know he’s been here a week.”

Luis Castillo remains the most consistent Met.  He has reached base safely in each of his starts, and his OBP continues to climb.

Jason Bay and David Wright have found their strokes, and each man found the gap at Citi Field with consistency over the past few games.  David Wright's OBP sits at .438, and Jason Bay is at .387.

But more than anything its been the pitching.

For all the crap Omar Minaya takes, I will once again state that the man put together a world-class bullpen anchored by one of the best closers in the game.

Toss in the mastery of Pedro Feliciano and a deep bunch of setup men for Jerry to leverage, and it's easy to see why a one run lead is often enough.  These guys are getting the job done and then some.

So we all take a breather today...read, rest, re-energize, and then head to Philly tomorrow to keep the mojo going.

It sure feels good to be a Mets fan right now--enjoy your coffee!

National League
EAST	W	L	PCT	GB	HOME	ROAD	RS	RA	DIFF	STRK	L10
NY Mets	13	9	.591	-	11-5	2-4	96	72	+24	Won 7	9-1
Philadelphia	12	9	.571	.5	3-3	9-6	114	90	+24	Won 1	4-6
Washington	12	10	.545	1	7-6	5-4	93	107	-14	Won 2	6-4
Florida	11	11	.500	2	5-5	6-6	106	103	+3	Lost 2	4-6
Atlanta	8	13	.381	4.5	5-4	3-9	77	91	-14	Lost 8	2-8

Who is the Mets Mr Baseball?

Playing two today obviously made me think of Ernie Banks, the unquestioned Mr Baseball of the Chicago Cubs.

Tom Seaver is easily the best Met ever, but is he really our Mr Baseball?  As a youngster, Seaver was my favorite player, but when I see him now he doesn't even seem like a Met. Keith Hernandez is much more identifiable with the team, though with every Cards story he tells we realize, to our disappointment, that there will always be a dividing line with Keith.

The real question might be, have the Mets ever had a "Mr Baseball?"  I mean the TRUE one that is associated with the team in the same way Ernie is associated with the Cubs or Stan Musial is associated with the Cards...I don't believe so.

We all want and hope that David Wright will be that guy, but truly he's still a "not yet" answer, though it gets closer each year...speaking of DW, please stop booing him you knuckleheads!

Regardless, it's a great day to play two, and I'm sure Ernie would agree.

Our Homerun Problems are Back

I don't want to be the Debbie Downer of the bloggers, especially since the Mets are playing some inspired baseball of late.  That said, the offense is not anywhere close to where it needs to be, and I keep thinking that the house of cards can tumble down as quickly as it was raised this past week.

In a continuing theme, I'll once again look at homeruns as one indicator of offensive ability.

In March of last year, before the season began, I wrote a piece called "Jerry Has It Wrong on Power."  I wrote it because I was alarmed at the stance Jerry took on the offense during spring training in terms of how the Mets would generate enough runs to compete in the NL East.

In 2007 the team hit 177 homeruns and finished with an 88-74 record.  In 2008 the Mets hit 172 homeruns--124 homeruns in wins against only 48 homeruns in losses.  They finished second that year, with an 89-73 record. 

The 2008 homerun totals equate to  1.39 HR in each win against only .66 HR in a loss.

In 2009 the downward trend appeared, and the Mets had an awful season, finishing 70-92.  The Mets hit 95 homeruns total last year, 57 in their 70 wins against only 38 in their 92 losses.

This equates to  .81 HR in each win against only .41 HR in a loss.

And that brings us to 2010 and my worry of a repeat of an inability to have a sustained offense during the inevitable downturn in pitching.

The Mets are currently 24th in MLB in Hrs with only 13 on the season.

In their 10 wins they have 8 HRs.  In the 9 losses they have only 5.

This equated to .80 HR in each win against .55 HR in each loss.

Let's look at the last three seasons and see if there is a trend:

2008: 1.39 per W/.66 per L
2009: .81 per W/.41 per L
2010: .80 per W/.55 per L

It's a very simple level of analysis, but I believe it's worth paying attention to as the season progresses.

Bottom line is the sluggers need to slug, and they need to do so with some level of consistency.

The Mets starting pitching and bullpen have been very good thus far, but for the team to truly get to the next level, they need to channel their inner Kingman.

Good Morning Mets Fans!

5 innings, 5 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts, zero RBIs, one run...and a win.

It was scant offensive production, but on this rainy night at Citi Field, it was enough because Mike Pelfrey simply refuses to give up runs.

Mike Pelfrey is now 4-0 with a "near complete game" 5-inning laborious effort that was oftentimes frustrating to watch, but Houdini like in his ability to get out of inning after inning unscathed.  Raul Valdes threw exactly one pitch in the top of the 6th, denying Pelf the complete game--it's a strange rule, but the pitch counts.

Finally the baseball Gods had seen enough, and after 5 innings (and one pitch), the skies opened up, and it was the end of the night for everyone and the Mets 4th win in a row.

The Mets are now 1.5 games back of the Phillies, tied for second place with the Marlins and Nationals.

Big Pelf's scoreless streak is now 24 innings, he is 4-0 on the year, and his ERA is a miniscule 0.69 (insert your own joke here).  Additionally his WHIP is 1.19 and he is holding the opposition to a .200 batting average against.

Jose Reyes was responsible for the lone run of the contest...he blooped a hit, stole second, then came around to score after Jason Bay hit a sharp single to Chipper Jones.  Instead of putting the ball in his back pocket, Larry tried to throw out Bay at first, and the ball bounced away from Braves first baseman of the day Troy Glaus.  Reyes easily scored on the error.

The Mets have are now over the .500 mark for the first time since opening day.  Of note, the win gave them their first sweep of the year and put that look we love on Bobby Cox face...he is in agony.

Pelfrey leads the major leagues in ERA...he is pitching like a terrific #2 starter, if not an ace, and battling like we've never seen him battle before.  Mike Pelfrey is a stud, and he is exuding confidence.

"I can't say I was pleased with my outing," Pelfrey said. "My command wasn't great and they did a good job laying off my pitches and made me work."

Tonight the Dodgers come into town for three with Ollie Perez on the hill.  The Mets are eager to keep the winning baseball going at home, as after these three, it's on to Philly for what will surely be an early season measuring stick series.

According to the Daily News, John Maine will make his next scheduled start.

Metstradamus approves of this sweep.

Andy Martino tips us to the class of the Mets organization--even though the fans technically saw a complete baseball game last night, they can redeem those tickets for tickets against the Padres or Tigers.

Amazin Avenue has a recap...and a nice poem by my friend Howard Megdal.

Enjoy your Monday morning coffee!

Scoreboard
Final 6th	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Atlanta (8-10)	0	0	0	0	0	0				0	5	2
N.Y. Mets (10-9) «	1	0	0	0	0	x				1	5	0

Player of the Game

New York M. Pelfrey IP 5.0 H 5 ER 0 BB 5 K 3

 Related articles:

• Mets 1, Braves 0, 5 Innings (Rain): Mets Win Rain-Shortened Game to Sweep Braves (nytimes.com)
• Pelfrey, Mets hold off Braves in rain-shortened game (cbssports.com)

VIDEO Link: Ike Davis First Homerun

Big congrats to our boy Ike Davis, who is sponsored as the official player of NY Sports Dog.

For those that haven't seen it yet, the video of the majestic blast can be seen here.

Jason Heyward can watch it this morning as he ponders his three Ks over a juice box and some Fruit Loops.

Ike is the money man.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Open Thread: Mets vs Braves, 4/23/2010 (amazinavenue.com)

Mets Stats of Note: It's the Offense (Again)

Let's take a peek at where the Mets stand against the rest of baseball.

Thus far in 2010, the Mets:

• Have allowed the fewest Stolen Bases in baseball, 3 steals against 3 caught.  Contrast this with the Red Sox who have allowed 34 steals and only 1 caught stealing.
• 9th in Team ERA at a solid 3.47.
• Struck Out the second most batters--testament to some very strong pitching early in the year.
• 12th in Batting Average Against--just .247.
• 22nd in Homeruns with just 12 on the season.  After a spring in which balls were flying out of the park, we are once again seeing a shortage of power.
• 25th in Team Batting Average at a paltry .229.   The Dodgers lead all of baseball at .311.
• 27th in OPS...ugh.
• 27th in Extra-Base Hits with only 35.  Toronto has 67 to lead MLB.
• Struck Out 5th most--a maddening 120 Ks already on the young season.  Medic!

Like Ike Davis? Thank the Braves

Many of us were up in arms when we let Billy Wagner go for a song, knowing the Mets  would have received first round compensation and another high sandwich pick had he signed elsewhere after the season.

This is exactly what happened with the Red Sox after Wagner declined their offer in 2009.  Wagner is now a Brave.

Think that doesn't matter?  Do you like Ike Davis?

The reason the Mets have Ike Davis in the first place is because the Braves signed Tom Glavine back.  Yup, the pick awarded to the Mets was the 18th in the 2008 draft, which the Mets used to take Ike.

The Mets also received Bradley Holt, the 2009 94th ranked prospect by Baseball America.

Thank you Atlanta Braves.

Ike Davis Money Shot of the Day

Ike Davis is now batting a crisp and cool .400.

Last night Ike stroked his first major league double en route to a 3 for 4 night with 2 runs scored.

Tonight Ike will arm wrestle Braves sensation Jason Heyward before the game for rookie bragging rights.

After the game Ike will drink a beer, while the 20-year old Heyward will have a juice box and pout in the corner about missing his mama.

Hundred dollar bills ya'll.

Ike Davis Gets a New Sponsor

Well he sort of got a new sponsor.

Like many of you, I am addicted to Baseball-Reference.com and their amazing stats, so I jumped at the chance to sponsor Ike Davis when his page was unveiled yesterday

My favorite page to sponsor is Keith Hernandez' page.  The other two on my sponsor "hit list" are Ron Darling and Mookie Wilson, but thus far I haven't been able to grab them.

For the sheer number of hours I spend on their website, sponsoring a page or two is a nice way of saying thanks for all of their great work.

When clicking through the various Mets pages, I see a lot of my friends and fellow bloggers sponsoring pages--Amazin Avenue, Ted Berg, etc.  Its really great to see....what I truly hate is when someone spoonsors a page for nefarious purposes, like Johan Santana's page for example.  That really pisses me off!

So here is a screen cap of the newest Met and his newest "sponsor".

Who do you have?

PED Player Update: It's a NL Pitcher

Still not named, but here is the update from Craig Calcaterra:

A Major League PED suspension is imminent
UPDATE:  I have learned that the player to be suspended is a National League pitcher.

So here is what we know...

1. Not a Met
2. Mid, Not "Big" Name
3. Pitcher
4. National League
5. Not Chico Escuela

My guesses:

Jason Marquis, Wandy Rodriguez, Brad Penny, Carlos Silva, Bronson Arroyo 

Why do I hope it's a Philly?

Mike Jacobs DFA'd, Stoner...then Ike?

The Ike Davis era at Citi Field could be starting sooner then we think.

I personally love the move if it happens.  Ike is positively raking right now, and he has been for well over a year against every level of competition.

Ike can hit and he has the power to put it out of any field.  Moreover, first base has been an abysmal disappointment to this point and we all believe this move will certainly be an upgrade, both offensively and defensively.

If I were king for a day...

Ike comes up Monday, Chris Carter to first base at AAA, and fix the big league lineup.

The lineup:

• Reyes
• Pagan
• Wright
• Bay
• Davis
• Francoeur
• Barajas
• Castillo

For more on Ike, take a look at his minor league lifetime stats.

Say it with me, "I Like Ike!"

Jerry Manuel vs Livan Hernandez

I got a great chuckle yesterday when Jerry Manuel seemed confused about a lack of intensity against Livan Hernandez.

Jerry, please take a good, long look in the mirror--it's not emotion, it's math.

You DID NOT put the team in a position to win yesterday, and you certainly could have.

Here is the starting lineup and their career batting average against Livan:

Reyes-.277
Cora-.244
Wright-.333
Bay-.250
Jacobs-.267
Francoeur-.400
Mathews-.077
Barajas-.000

Why not bat Fernando Tatis and his .450 average and 1.450 OPS against Livan (9 for 20)?

How about Henry Blanco and his .381 average and .959 OPS against Livan (8 for 21)?

Jeff Francoeur has a career 1.367 OPS against Livan, yet you once again hit him behind Mike Jacobs.

Wouldn't a 3-4-5-6 of Wright, Bay, Francoeur and Tatis made a bit more sense yesterday?  Can Jerry at least acknowledge the math?  

I honestly want to know who on the Mets staff is responsible for feeding Jerry information on matchups and what the statistics say.

So here's my lineup to begin yesterday's game:

Reyes-.277
Pagan-No history
Wright-.333
Bay-.250
Francoeur-.400
Tatis-.450
Blanco-.381
Cora-.244

The margins are razor thin this year, so it's up to the manager to have every kernel of data at his disposal and put the team in the best chance to succeed at all times.

With Jerry it's all about feel, and he swung and missed yesterday.

How's that for intensity?

Must Have Mr Met Hat

NOTE:  I do not make any money posting these links.

I am a Mr Met fanatic.  In fact, my license plate is "Mr Met", and I have a great collection of anything and everything Mr Met.

This morning I found this hat, and I just had to share it with my readers.

It's a bit pricey at $24.99, but sometimes money just doesn't matter.

I just ordered it, and you can too from this website and link on lids.com.

HINT:  apply the code LIDSFGS at checkout and get free shipping!

Rare Must-Have Mets Gear--Act Quickly--12 Pairs Only!

Yes, you want these kicks--there are only 12 pairs available, and they will be sold in one location.

From the website:

• Raffles are being given out now till Sunday 6pm.
• Call shop or come in for raffle number… 718-369-7477
• The packs goes on sale Monday April 5th 11am.

Premium Goods
347 5th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718.369.7477

Vault by Vans and Major League Baseball are teaming up to celebrate the renewal of our national pastime with the Opening Day Collection. Available at select Vault accounts, Vans has created a special classic sneaker style for the corresponding hometown team. Just 12 pairs of New York’s Era LX and a matching limited edition Majestic Authentic Jersey will go on sale Monday, April 5th, only at Premium Goods in Brooklyn. More teams and store information will be announced in the coming days.