An Offensive Offense

Last night was a sad continuation of the Mets offensive struggles.

While they did face a very tough starter in Josh Johnson, the Mets also had their share of scoring opportunities, and they once again failed to capitalize.

Let's take a quick look at the offensive numbers for 2010:

.236 BA with runners in scoring position
.182 BA with the bases loaded
.222 BA with runners in scoring position and 2 outs

Keith Hernandez and Gary Cohen were marveling at the Padres pitching during last night's broadcast, proclaiming the staff as the reason behind the Padre's success.  Yes, their pitching has been tremendous, but there's more.

Here's the dirty little truth--the Padres lead MLB in OBP with RISP--a robust .407.  Couple that with their .467 Slg % with RISP, AND their pitching and it's easy to see why they're winning.

For the most part the Mets pitching has been good enough for the team to be 5-6 games above .500.  Unfortunately, the Mets have a .332 OBP with RISP to go along with a putrid .366 Slg %, and they are losing the close games because of it.

After last night's game Jerry Manuel said he was going to tinker with the lineup.  That tinkering better include Reyes to leadoff and a bit of Chris Carter in rightfield.  Pagan must bat second, and Castillo needs to bat 8th.

We're all getting frustrated with the Mets lack of production and timely hitting, and Jerry can take command of this thing now and help right the ship.

It's certainly still early, and with the talent the Mets have, all can be right in the world soon.

My Thoughts on Ollie Yesterday

He heard "Mother" loud and often, and the word that followed was not "Day".

After his performance he said "that will never happen again"...thankfully we've never heard that before...oh wait.

A kid with Lincecum's hair and Ollie's beard would be a mother's worst nightmare...especially if he had Ollie's control.

Ollie would have helped the Mets more by donning a jumper and grabbing a pointy stick and a bag between innings on trash duty.  Instead he added to the garbage with his arm.

If Ollie's mother, Olivia Perez, threw out the first pitch yesterday, she would have walked the official scorer.

He was the opposite of Dallas Braden...not only with his command--he also encourages the opposition to walk on his mound.

Keith Hernandez said Ollie was choking the ball...he does choke the ball, and the rest of us gag while watching him do so.

Related articles

• The Legend of Dallas Braden Continues (bleacherreport.com)

David Wright's Old Swing Video

8 K's in a row...unfathomable.

Where has David Wright gone?

I want his 2006 and 2007 swing, not this horsecrap of the past two years.

When you watch both the 2006 and 2007 swings, you see the bat stay very still at the top and not loop way back toward the pitcher, which is what he's doing now.

Keith Hernandez mentions it frequently, and this video clearly shows how little his bat moves before he begins the swing, on plane, toward the ball.

Keith Hernandez Does Have Hitting Coach Experience

Happy Birthday Gary Cohen

And a message from Gary, Keith and Ron....they have some great deals for a great cause!

A Big Happy Birthday to our own Gary Cohen!

52 years ago today, a baby boy was born in Flushing, Queens. And he never left.

Gary wants to celebrate by showing his appreciation for the GKR supporters he's gotten to know and love these past few seasons. On his day, he wants to give a gift to you!

We've still got tickets available for the final two GKR events of the season, the Pepsi Porch fest on July 29th and our extra special year-end event in the Big Apple area on October 2nd. With every order placed for GKR event tickets, you will receive a FREE GKR travel mug or a GKR recipe book - a value of over $20.00.

Don't wait - This one-time birthday offer is good only through May 13th. (Limit one gift per order.)

We expect to have a sell-out crowd at both events, so come spend an awesome day with your GKR friends. All net proceeds go toward the Nourishing Kitchen's resources for feeding New York's hungry.

Thank you, GKR-ers, for helping to knock hunger outta here!!!

Team GKR

Year 2 of David Wright Stance Changes

David Wright is back to his old tricks from 2009, changing his stance, messing with his timing mechanisms, pulling off the ball, and looping his swing back and around vice keeping it on plane.

People say he's changing his swing, but truthfully it's his stance that changes and the difference in swing is the result.

Out of spring training I thought he had gotten over the habits of making major changes, but it's back.  I don't mind small adjustments, hitters mess with their swings all the time, but they usually don't change their stance so much.  David Wright makes major tweaks and tinkers too often with his, and he goes too far.  Ted Williams he aint.

Long a frustration of mine, here is a blow by blow:

April 5th, 2009 I wrote:

Have you noticed that David Wright has opened his stance up about half a foot?

I'm very curious as to why he would do this right before the season opens. His stance this weekend was more open than I've ever seen it, and it's changed even since the WBC.

Could this lead to a bad start by our superstar third baseman?

Anyway, no alarm bells here, just something I'll be keeping a close eye on this week and as the season progresses.

On April 30th, 2009, I followed up with:

Well we are now one month into the season, and my worst fears have been realized.  That is not a typo...he is on pace for 208 Ks and 62 RBIs.

DW has actually closed his stance back up to last year's position, but his early struggles have obviously gotten into his head and the loop is there. This has thrown his timing off, and the results have been disastrous.

Thankfully DW is extremely hard working, and he is battling to groove his swing back to keep the bat on the correct plane and recognize pitches early.

This leaves the question of when is he going to break out of this slump? For all Mets fans, the hope is that the work he has been doing with HoJo will pay off this weekend.

 Finally, on May 30th:

It's been getting better and better and better, and he broke out of his slump a while ago. The next step was for him to get fully on plane and drive the ball--that's been coming too, and last night, it all clicked. DW had finally closed his stance back to the proper position, and it looked like he was taking batting practice against the Giant's pitchers.

Keith Hernandez noticed it in the booth and commented on what a "strong hitting position" Wright was working from now that "he closed his stance". Gary Cohen paid scant attention to that comment, but we heard it loud and clear.

Line drives are popping off his bat, the outside pitch doesn't look 2 miles away to him, and right field is his friend.

 There were more references throughout the year, but you get the idea.

What happened to David Wright?  Why does he continue to mess with the stance with the resulting changes to his swing and swing plane?

Coming out of spring training I wrote about how stable his base looked, which shortened his swing and kept his head steady.

He is now back to looping the swing and pulling back as he begins his arm "drop", which causes his head to bob and slows his bat while negating any possibility of him hitting the outside pitch..

That, and he has also abandoned the little timing mechanism that seemed to be working for him.

I love David Wright, truly we all do, but for him to regain some consistency he needs to abandon the major stance changes and swing adjustments he makes.

I would tell him to look at Albert Pujols.  The man has the same stance time after time after time, and he adjusts to the pitch with his hands.  Pujols also has a stroke with little wasted motion, a stable base, and no head movement.

Please DW, get your base stable and shorten that swing.  Close the stance back up and focus on driving through the ball and staying closed.

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?

Mets Baseball Card of the Day: 1987 Gary Carter

From here to Opening Day, we'll present you with a Mets "Baseball Card of the Day" commemorating some great Mets of the past.

Today's entry is the wonderful 1987 Gary Carter--I just love cards with action photos, and this one is particularly poignant as it depicts Carter in his trademark lean forward follow through...if one had to guess, it looks like Carter just drilled a fastball to the gap.

Carter had something of an off-year in 1987 after driving in 100 or more runs the previous three seasons, but he was still a great player, albeit one that was certainly on the decline.

Keith Hernandez gets a ton of credit for the great mid-80s Met teams, but I always felt that the addition of Hall of Famer Gary Carter is what really put the Mets at the top of the baseball world.

Keith Speaks Out on Steroids

We recently spoke to Keith Hernandez about steroids, and he relayed the following story:

During one of my recent walks in the Hamptons out on Long Island, a young lad in a Yankee cap came up to me and asked me about steroids. He told me he wasn't sure what they were or what the word even meant.

He was concerned about some of his favorite players, namely Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire and Jason Giambi, and what impact steroids would have on their chances for the Hall of Fame.

He noticed I was snacking on a wheel of cheese and asked me innocently, "Mr Hernandez, is cheese a steroid?"

I thought to myself, "what a great question!" I tore off a hunk of the cheese, autographed it for him, and sent the kid on his way.

Let me clear up any misconceptions kiddies and tell you right now that High Cheddar is not a steroid, but it is a drug....a fascinating drug.

You stand in the box, absolutely mesmerized, and you just see this pill, or 'fastball' coming at you at 98 mph....let me tell you it's a rush like no other.

So no Mets fans, High Cheddar is not a steroid, but it does act like a drug.

Did you see that moon Gary? That's something else that has been compared to cheese.

Gary, Keith and Ron Main Event: Free Tickets!

Our friends at Gary, Keith and Ron have just announced their latest offer, and it's a BIG one!

Click Here: FREE TICKET OFFER!

When you by 6 GKR t-shirts, you get two tickets to our October 3rd main event! (think Christmas gifts) Scrumptious appetizers and snacks... You will stand on the field's warning track during the National Anthem in your GKR gear. You'll have a chance to win thrilling, one-of-a-kind prizes in our $5 raffles, and now you might even have a chance to attend a player signing! Stay tuned for details!

Plans for the GKR 2nd year-end fundraiser get better by the day.

Not to mention they have more surprises in store for you...

Act now to (Click Here) buy your 6 t-shirts or your tickets to spend this glorious day at the ballpark with your GKR friends and fellow supporters. Please tell us in the message box at check out that you are taking advantage of our crazy offer !

AND - Our 476th ticket buyer wins a visit to the SNY broadcast booth!

David Wright's Stance, Part III

By jove I think he's got it!

Back during the WBC and in spring training David Wright's stance had me very concerned.

On April 5th, we wrote "David Wright's Stance":

Have you noticed that David Wright has opened his stance up about half a foot?

I'm very curious as to why he would do this right before the season opens. His stance this weekend was more open than I've ever seen it, and it's changed even since the WBC.

Could this lead to a bad start by our superstar third baseman?

Anyway, no alarm bells here, just something I'll be keeping a close eye on this week and as the season progresses.

Well, the alarm bells did go off, and he had some difficulties adjusting--on some night's he looked lost up there. Thankfully, DW is an extremely hard worker with a hitter's mentality.

On April 30th, we did another update, "David Wright's Stance, Part II":

Back in the WBC and Spring Training I noticed that David Wright's stance had changed from last year. He was open and stood a bit further from the plate.

At the time I worried that he would struggle early as he didn't seem able to drive the fastball to the gaps and make good contact with breaking pitches.

Furthermore his swing became very upright and loopy as he tried to "re-plane" his swing from the more open position.

Well we are now one month into the season, and my worst fears have been realized.

2009 Season Stats
SPLITS	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Season	21	82	15	23	4	1	1	8	12	27	3	2	.280	.372	.390	.763
Career	724	2732	479	842	187	11	131	497	352	526	95	24	.308	.388	.529	.917
Last 7	7	29	5	7	1	1	0	3	2	11	2	0	.241	.290	.345	.635
Projected	162	633	116	177	31	8	8	62	93	208	23	15	.280	.372	.390	.763

That is not a typo...he is on pace for 208 Ks and 62 RBIs.

DW has actually closed his stance back up to last year's position, but his early struggles have obviously gotten into his head and the loop is there. This has thrown his timing off, and the results have been disastrous.

DW is battling to groove his swing back to keep the bat on the correct plane and recognize pitches early.

This leaves the question of when is he going to break out of this slump? For all Mets fans, the hope is that the work he has been doing with HoJo will pay off this weekend.

At some point he has to hit, and that time is now.

It's been getting better and better and better, and he broke out of his slump a while ago. The next step was for him to get fully on plane and drive the ball--that's been coming too, and last night, it all clicked. DW had finally closed his stance back to the proper position, and it looked like he was taking batting practice against the Giant's pitchers.

Keith Hernandez noticed it in the booth and commented on what a "strong hitting position" Wright was working from now that "he closed his stance". Gary Cohen paid scant attention to that comment, but we heard it loud and clear.

Line drives are popping off his bat, the outside pitch doesn't look 2 miles away to him, and right field is his friend.

The last piece to this is the longball, and it I fully expect DW to hit a bunch in his next 10-15 games. In fact, I'll go ahead and predict he'll be at double digits by month's end.

Welcome all the way back David, it's great to see.

2009 Season Stats
SPLITS	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Season	34	130	24	43	8	3	3	20	19	38	9	6	.331	.417	.508	.925
Career	737	2780	488	862	191	13	133	509	359	537	101	28	.310	.390	.532	.922

Jerry Manuel is a Bad Tactician

In the military wars are conducted on three levels: Strategic, Operational and Tactical.

It's much the same in sports, and baseball is no different.

The lowest level leader who controls the various pieces is the tactical leader, and in the Mets case, it's Jerry Manuel.

Jerry Manuel is not a good tactician.

His use of the starters and bullpen is very questionable.

Last night, in particular, was something of a trainwreck, and it's not the first time this year we've seen his tactics fail when there were obvious, and better, alternatives that anyone with a scouting report would know to utilize.

New York Mets
Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Johan Santana (L,4-2)	6.1	7	2	0	1	6	0	0.78
Bobby Parnell	0.1	1	1	0	0	0	0	1.26
Pedro Feliciano	0	2	2	0	0	0	0	3.46
Brian Stokes	1.1	3	1	1	0	0	0	0.68
Ken Takahashi	1	3	2	2	1	0	0	3.00

Santana gets one out in the 7th and gets pulled. He was at 108 pitches. The 100 mark seems to be some mythical number to Jerry--get near it and prepare to get pulled. Cross it, and the next guy to break a bat and get a single is your demise.

Last year Santana had 4 games with 113 or more pitches at this point in the season, and 13 games on the year in which he went over 110 pitches. So what difference does one year make? In his 7 starts in 2009, he has not been allowed over 110 pitches.

So at one point will Santana get to pitch to "one more guy"? In what tight game will he be allowed to compete in the 110-120 pitch range?

Parnell comes in, gets an out, gives up a hit, and gets pulled. Keith Hernandez quietly questions it in the booth, and that chilly hair on the back of your neck feeling begins.

Pedro Feliciano comes in, Reyes boots it, and now we're in big trouble.

Matt Diaz, who kills lefty's, comes up--who will Jerry bring in?

Manuel, for whatever "hunch" reason he had, stayed with Feliciano against the right-handed hitting Diaz, and his single to left put Atlanta ahead.

Raise your hand if you knew Diaz was going to get a hit. OK, OK, put your hands down.

Allowing this matchup to happen was absolutely the wrong thing to do. Righty's kill Feliciano, lefty's are the feast from which Matt Diaz dines.

It was the perfect storm, and Jerry forgot his umbrella.

Bobby Cox thanked Jerry, Johan Santana fumed.

JamesK at Amazin Avenue breaks down the numbers beautifully.

This season and last, righties have an OPS over 1.000 against Feliciano. Right-handed hitting Matt Diaz came up to bat against Feliciano in the 7th inning of last night's game with the bases loaded. Brian Stokes, J.J. Putz, and Francisco Rodriguez, three very good right-handed relief pitchers, remained in the bullpen unused. Keep in mind Diaz is a league average major league hitter, who performs like this against left-handed pitching:

BA	OBP	SLG
.323	.360	.497

So Feliciano isn't great vs. righties and Diaz mashes lefties. And the Mets bullpen had three above average or fantastic righties left in the bullpen. And Jerry Manuel stuck with Feliciano. Something is wrong here.

Thus far in 2009 we've seen an overused and sometimes mismanaged Mets bullpen. In today's game, this is the area in which the manager has the most influence on a game.

This is where the manager needs to be damn near perfect, and not let a situation occur as did last night, where every number in the book is so skewed against you that the chances of success are minimal.

Jerry did not put the Mets in a position to win last night, rather he set them up for failure with his tactical blunders.

I like Jerry, he is probably the best bench coach in Mets history, he has a good strategy for his team, and he has very good operational control.

That said, he is a bad tactician, and it's tactics that win or lose close games.

Mad Scientists Create Santos

After some thorough research we've discovered where Omir Santos came from.

Apparently, he is the result of a cloning experiment first envisioned by Frank Cashen, implemented by Bobby Valentine, then tweaked by Rick Peterson, and finally perfected by none other than Tom Seaver, whose "vineyards" are actually an ultra-classified breeding ground that the Hall of Famer has been running for over a decade.

First, they took some DNA from Paul LoDuca and Carlos Beltran, then combined them. After the embryo was successfully developed, Gary Carter and Keith Hernandez began teaching Santos how to play like a Met.

The results, to date, have been stunning.

Santos has a compact swing, solid catching skills, the perfect blend of fire and cool and looks equally like his "Dads".

Seaver is currently working on a lefthanded starting pitcher.

Omir Santos 2009 Season Stats
SPLITS	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Season	16	40	8	12	3	1	1	8	1	9	0	0	.300	.310	.500	.810
Career	26	46	7	11	3	1	1	6	1	9	0	0	.239	.250	.413	.663
Last 7	7	11	2	3	2	0	0	2	1	2	0	0	.273	.308	.455	.762
Projected	148	370	74	111	28	9	9	74	9	83	0	0	.300	.310	.500	.810

What Would Keith Do?

Lynn Cohen, Gary's wife, is doing some wonderful charity work.

I've posted some pictures and links over at my other site, "What Would Keith Do?" to help get the word out.

For those of you that watched the SNY broadcast last night, "WWKD Mania" is sweeping Met nation!

But in all seriousness, this is a very fun way to help out a great cause.

If nothing else, you can read all about the mystery that is high-cheddar and steroids.

2009 Mets Annual

Just finished my copy of the 2009 Maple Street Press Mets Annual, and I want to let you know what a terrific read it is.

The editors, Matt Silverman and Greg Spira, are both well-known to Mets fans. They did a masterful job writing and editing what really is the standard by which all other individual team compilations should be measured.

Matt's website, MetSilverman, is one of my daily stops. His thoughtful writing combines intellect, an analysts eye for detail, a great sense of humor, and a vast knowledge of Mets history.

In the Annual itself you'll find pieces by a bunch of our favorites, to include my good friend Ted Berg, Jon Springer, Howard Megdal (an extremely talented sports author), Andy Esposito and many more.

The annual itself is a great value, contains about 30 articles, has every number a stat-head could want, and has some really nice features on history, the new stadium, the 1969 team, a wonderful piece featuring Keith Hernandez, discussion of draft needs, a section on our best prospects, and some other terrific bennies like the schedule, stat breakdowns and much more.

So if you're looking for a quality product to sink your teeth into as we near opening day, this comes with my highest recommendation.

The book is carried at many newsstands and bookstores in the New York metropolitan areas, and you can always order it directly from Maple Street Press.

Mets Mount Rushmore: Final Fan Vote

The final votes are in, and we couldn't be more pleased with the results.

In our initial thread on this, I had the following four on the Mets Mount Rushmore: Gil Hodges, Tom Seaver, Keith Hernandez and David Wright.

I received a TON of e-mail asking about Piazza, and quite a few that said Doc Gooden and Strawberry "had to be on there". Eddie Kranepool and Mookie got some love as well.

So with that, I put it to a fan vote with the following voting results:

• Tom Seaver: 98%
• Mike Piazza: 82%
• Keith Hernandez: 74%
• Gil Hodges: 70%
• David Wright: 70%

Doc Gooden and Strawberry both came in just above 50%.

So my friends, here is YOUR Mets Mount Rushmore:

Finally, many folks have asked if they can use this picture--the answer is, "of course".

Keith Hernandez: The Real American Idol

Over at MSG they are posting about Keith Hernandez winning another mustache award.

Last year, at "What Would Keith Hernandez Do?", there was a similar article and another award for this master of facial hair.

As you'll see, the competition was fierce, but really, was there any doubt that Keith would prevail?

Apparently you can't keep the man down!

Mets Mt. Rushmore: Fan Vote

Just a reminder to please go vote.

Our post on Friday generated quite a bit of controversy, so we've decided to let the fans decide.

The current tally is as follows:

• Tom Seaver: 30 votes
• Keith Hernandez: 22 votes
• Mike Piazza: 22 votes
• David Wright: 15 votes
• Gil Hodges: 15 votes
• Darryl Strawberry: 11 votes
• Gary Carter: 8 votes
  

Mets Hat Logo Revisited

I see the hat logo is in the Daily News today.

It's also featured on MLB.com.

Loyal readers might remember the piece I wrote about it back on 12 January...I am still in horror from the telling; in fact, my heart is racing, and I feel a bit queasy.

There is just "something" about that logo.

And if you REALLY want to check something bizarre out, head over to "What Would Keith Hernandez Do?"

10 Questions with Jay Horwitz, Mets Vice-President of Media Relations

Most Mets fans have dreamed at one time or another about working or playing for the team. One such fan, the well-respected and beloved Jay Horwitz, now a Mets Vice-President, sat down with us for 10 questions.

Jay, thank you so much for taking some time from your busy schedule to join us. You've been with the Mets for, I believe, 29 years. How did you get started in the baseball business?

I was the Sports Information Director at New York University for three years and then at Fairleigh Dickinson in New Jersey for eight years. When ownership changed with the Mets in 1980 someone recommended me for the job, and I have been here ever since.

As Media Director for one of the most popular teams in all of sports, on the world's largest stage, what is a typical day like for you?

I usually get here about seven in the morning, read the papers, make calls, go down to the lockeroom, set up interviews, etc. I then watch the game, let the press know of any records that are set and go to the lockeroom at the end of the game.

How do you and your staff handle adversity? I'm talking specifically about some of the incidents that have happened with the Mets over the years, Vince Coleman, the collapse, Lastings rap album, managerial firings, etc.

Never lie. You can’t lie in New York with all the exposure here. Be up front with people even in the worst of times.

Can you describe the organizational ebb and flow over the roller coaster that is a 162 game season? Is it more even keeled then we'd imagine?

You can’t get up with each win or down with each loss. It’s a marathon, and that’s the way you have to look at things.

We're all such big fans of the guys in the Mets booth—Is this your favorite announcing crew after the Bob Murphy, Lindsey Nelson and Ralph Kiner trio?

They all are great guys. Bob Murphy was the nicest person I ever met. Ralph Kiner is a super guy too.

As we near the end of the Shea Stadium era, can you think back over your long tenure with the Mets and tell us what your favorite memory is of the Stadium?

Mookie’s ground ball that got through Bill Buckner’s legs in 1986.

A little birdie told me you are also a huge Giants fan, as are most of my readers. I thought the Giants handled the post-Super Bowl parades, interviews, etc extremely well. Is that a PR Director's dream?

I have had season’s tickets for the Giants since 1958. I thought Eli handled all the adversity well as did the entire team. Good players make it very easy for a PR Director.

What advice would you give to someone interested in sports and public relations as a career? I'm sure the competition for positions is fierce.

You can’t be a clockwatcher. You have to be ready to work long hours and give up a lot of your social life.

One of the highlights of the season was seeing you in that orange sportcoat. Can you tell us how that came about? Are you the original owner?

Johann Santana asked me to wear it for good luck. We were 3-1 with the coat. The coat originally belonged to Jeremy Burnitz.

Last question, so I'll put you on the spot—give us your fearless prediction for the rest of 2008:

I have a good feeling for this year. I think we are going to play very deep into October

Thanks Jay! We really appreciate your time, and the great job you and your staff do for the writers, fans, and everyone associated with the New York Mets.