3 Amazing Minutes

Original Mr. Met vs. Modern Mr. Met

Don't these two pictures tell us a great deal?

• 1960's: Low tech costume, hotties wore hats and gloves (albeit with a hint of sexy stocking), clowns were still considered important.
• 2000's: Low tech costume, hotties wear next to nothing, clowns relegated to the halls of Congress or in new positions as MLB umpires.

Oh how times have changed!

(or have they?)

Crazy Video: Sneaking Into Shea!

I have no idea how these two managed to sneak into Shea at this point. I mean, it's a workzone, and a dangerous one at that.

Regardless, the video is pretty eerie.

Do NOT try this at home.

Shea Goodbye Rally a Success

Today's Farewell to Shea rally was a huge success, and we'd like to send a shout out to the great folks at Baseball Fever for doing such a fantastic job.

Now all we need is for Mets management to listen to this great fanbase and finalize the roster.

Here is a clip of some of today's crowd singing our favorite song.

A Mets Memory...

I've been thinking about the upcoming season and starting to believe.

There is magic in 2009.

Who's with me?

Say Goodbye to Shea on Saturday at 12 p.m.

A dedicated group of Mets fans from the wonderful site Baseball Fever, is hosting a "Goodbye to Shea" event this Saturday at Noon.

There are a ton of great photos of the Shea demolition, but for the ultimate collection of Shea demo pictures, please visit the Shea Stadium Demolition page. The page is maintained by Eric Okurowski, a 31-year-old M.B.A. student (and lifelong Mets fan) from Babylon.

With fans this dedicated to the old girl, it's only fitting that there be one final celebration of a stadium that we cherished. Saturday's Baseball Fever tribute meeting will be near Shea's famed subway entrance. The media is expected to attend.

Baseball Fever's letter, and more details on Saturday's events are here:

To whom it may concern,

As it is evident to all from the New York Area, the end is terribly near for the ballpark that housed our beloved New York Mets for 44 years. The life of the ballpark that hosted four World Series’, a Pope, The Yankees, The Beatles, The Stones, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, and a Red Cross staging area after 9/11 is rapidly nearing its end. While it has been known since September 28th that there would be no more games in the park, the end did not fully begin to appear until the past two weeks when sections of the structure came down rapidly. Now, the steel skeleton is nearly all that remains of the park, and appears to be gone by the end of this weekend.

On Saturday, January 31st at 12:00pm, a large group of fans are planning to organize at the big blue ballpark one last time to say farewell to the old girl. There is no cost of course, and the day will include a walking tour around the site one last time, stories, photographs, and much more.

Last weekend, groups of fans and tourists flocked to the site to take pictures, share stores, and even leave notes on the fence around the demo site in what was a truly emotional two days for fathers with their children and tourists from around the world. This weekend, we would like to organize one formal farewell that was never done by the team for the fans. In the Bronx, memorabilia has been carried with dignitaries and schoolchildren from old park to new park, while no such occasion has been held for the Mets fans.

We invite you and any of your staff to attend the event and help us document the collective organization of fans at Shea Stadium one last time, not for a funeral, but for a celebration.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at any time. Your input, suggestions for greatest exposure, assistance, and support would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for the diligence in your reply and I look forward to seeing you on Saturday.

Best regards...

Shea Stadium Demolishment Video

Incredible video of Shea Stadium in mid-demolishment.

So sad to see the old girl go.

Good Morning Mets Fans! 3.5 Games Up!

If you're happy that those pesky Nats are gone from Shea raise your hand...thought so...me too.

The cellar dwellars from the nation's capitol brought their hitting sticks with them for this two-game set, but thankfully, so did the Mets.

Last night it was a wild and woolly slugfest that resembled a spaghetti western...guns blazing, shoot outs, knock down, drag out baseball.

The Mets young gunslinger, Mike Pelfrey, brought a .22 caliber pistol and left his .45 at home. Though he has pitched way above expectations this year, Big Pelf didn't have it last night.

Pelf was roughed up for 5 runs and 8 hits over 5 innings. He walked one and didn't manage a strikeout against a free swinging team.

Aaron Heilman came on to protect a 7-5 lead and he was not sharp. Jerry Manuel later claimed that Heilman has had knee tendinitis all year.

True or not, it's one more reason to love Jerry Manuel--he protects his players and doesn't leave them hanging out to dry.

"His knee has been barking a little bit," Jerry Manuel said after the game.

Brian Stokes, who has pitched really, really well for the Mets also brought a pea shooter--he gave up a 3-run jack to let the Nats climb back to within a run, but thankfully it didn't matter because a few in the Mets posse brought enough firepower to put down an Army.

David Wright had perhaps his finest game as a Met--4 for 4 with 4 runs scored and 3 RBIs. He hit a big homerun in a crucial spot and made several sparkling plays in the field...his defense in 2008 looks better than it did last year when he won his first Gold Glove.

DW, who has struggled at times with men on base, looks like he is back on the ball and ready for a big two week push to the playoffs. He's been working hard in the cage to get his timing back down.

"The at-bat that I drove in the run wasn't necessarily a great at-bat ... but you get the results. All of a sudden you get it in your head that you can relax a little bit," said Wright, who came in hitting .214 (6-for-28) for the month. "One of the biggest problems I've had with runners in scoring position is that it's been in my head that I'm putting too much pressure on myself."

Jose Reyes surpassed Mookie Wilson as the Mets all-time steals leader. Reyes had two more hits last night and leads the NL in hits with 184 and multi-hit games with 58.

The Mets speedster is on a mission to have a big month. "I didn't have a big September last year, so this year I think is the year," said Reyes, who singled and promptly swiped second in the third inning, giving him 282 steals, breaking Mookie Wilson's all-time Mets record in just six seasons. "I don't have to worry any more about what happened last year because we're still in good position now. So I think it's going to be a big September this year, not just for me but for everybody."

"I got on base three times (Wednesday night) and it's always good when I get on base," Reyes said. "I make something happen."

Carlos Beltran is on fire....how hot is he? In September he is hitting .419 with a .486 OBP and a .774 slugging percentage.

He went 5 for 9 against the Nats with 4 RBIs, 2 doubles and a homerun. This is the Carlos Beltran fans love. He is hitting, hitting with power, driving in big runs, and is 100% locked in at just the right time.

We said last month that Beltran looked poised for a big September and he is proving us right...and then some.

So the Big Four in the lineup are all clicking on all cylinders--Reyes, Wright, Beltran and Delgado....that is as good a four hitters in a lineup as anyone in baseball--they combine power, speed, average and excitement in a way that no other team can match. Toss in Ryan Church and what he's capable of, along with Fernando Tatis and his knack for the big hit, and you have a very, very potent lineup.

Joe Smith got the win last night with 1 1/3 stellar innings of relief--he has not let in a run in his last 15 outings. Luis Ayala closed out the game for his 6th save and it was another W for the books.

With the Phillies loss the Mets extended their lead to 3.5 games and they are on a mission to get this thing done.

Take a breath my friends...it's getting exciting!

Enjoy your coffee!

Here's a look at the standings and the remaining games:

2008 NL Standings
East	W	L	PCT	GB	RS	RA	EXPW	EXPL	DIV	WC	POFF
New York	82	63	.566	-	724	636	91.7	70.3	88.4	1.9	90.3
Philadelphia	79	67	.541	3.5	707	616	88.1	73.9	11.6	9.5	21.1
Florida	74	72	.507	8.5	683	712	81.9	80.1	0.1	<0.1	0.1
Atlanta	64	82	.438	18.5	677	703	71.0	91.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Washington	56	90	.384	26.5	582	737	62.5	99.5	0.0	0.0	0.0

2008 Remaining Schedule
vs. Team	PCT	H	A	Tot
ChiCubs	.600	4	0	4
Florida	.507	3	0	3
Atlanta	.438	3	3	6
Washington	.384	0	4	4
TOTAL	.476	10	7	17

Mets Sweep Braves, Extend Lead in the NL East

The Mets won again and swept the Braves. The red-hot team and extended their lead in the NL East to 2.5 games over the Phillies and 6 games over the floundering fish.

We'll have the full game report in the morning.

National League East
Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road	East	Cent.	West	L10	Strk
N.Y. Mets	71	57	.551	-	38-23	32-34	28-20	13-16	20-15	8-2	W 3
Philadelphia	68	59	.535	2½	34-28	34-31	27-22	21-14	16-12	4-6	L 1
Florida	65	63	.508	6	35-31	30-32	27-21	15-17	18-15	3-7	L 2
Atlanta	56	72	.441	15	34-31	22-40	20-26	11-24	17-14	1-9	L 4
Washington	45	83	.352	26	23-39	22-44	17-30	14-23	6-20	1-9	W 1

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.

Good Morning Mets Fans!

Oh those old Mets!

25-year old Jose Reyes hit his major league leading 13th triple.

23-year old Daniel Murphy went 2 for 4 and drove in a run.

22-year old Nick Evans went 1 for 3, drove in 2 runs, and made a great stretch--possibly a game saving stretch--on a double play that was started by 25-year old Argenis Reyes, who flipped to 25-year old Jose Reyes, who fired to Nervous Nick.

Of course, 24-year old Joe Smith induced the double play ball.

And the Player of the Game? The Man of the Hour? The Toast of the Town?

25-year old David Wright, who went 3 for 5 and hit the walkoff homerun with two outs in the bottom of the 9th.

This was a big game for a lot of reasons.

The Mets started the day 3 games back of the Phillies...maybe it's just me, but 3 games back seems like "in the hunt" territory, while 4 games back seems like "desperate measures" land.

Johan Santana took the mound and did what Johan does--he pitched a solid game--7 innings, 7 Ks, 2 earned runs allowed.

Those are ace numbers; stopper numbers; numbers you need when you are in a must-win game.

Starting the 8th, Santana allowed back to back singles, and Jerry Manuel gave him what appeared to be a quick hook. Not to arm chair QB this thing, but a lot of folks wanted Johan to have a chance to escape the jam.

It was a tough call--Santana was at 104 pitches and the bullpen matchups certainly looked favorable for the Mets, unfortunately Duaner Sanchez plunked the first batter he saw, and Jerry went immediately to Pedro Feliciano, who induced a grounder that Argenis charged for a force at the plate. Feliciano then gave up a single to leftfield that plated a run, and Jerry went to Joe Smith.

Joe Smith got Kevin Kouzminoff to hit a sharp grounder up the middle, and "the play" began. Argenis smothered it to his right, flipped up to Reyes who, with the runner barreling into second, jumped and fired a one hopper to first wide of the bag. Nick Evans stretched his 6 foot 3 inch frame as far as he could and snared the ball with his toe barely on the bag to complete the double play.

Shea stadium and the Mets dugout erupted! Truly an incredible play!

Scott Schoeneweis was called in to close the game, lefty on lefty matchup, but Met killer Jody Gerut somehow cranked a mammouth homerun over the bullpen to tie the game. A deflating moment. Santana's chance at victory gone. The Mets on the ropes. Thoughts of another winnable game down the drain.

"I've thrown that pitch 10,000 times in my career and that's maybe happened twice," Schoeneweis said of the sinker to Gerut. "I've thrown that pitch to Bonds, Giambi, Ortiz, and that doesn't happen."

Schoeneweis also defended the bullpen, which has come under increasing scrutiny of late.

"I don't know how many teams if their closer went down wouldn't struggle," Schoeneweis said. "If you think this bullpen is bad, go follow some other teams and see what they come up with."

After Endy Chavez led off the bottom of the 9th with a single, he appeared stuck at first after Reyes y Reyes failed in their turns at bat.

Wright strode to the plate and began the battle. Guessing slider, Heath Bell threw a low and away pitch that had enough plate for a strike, but Wright had other ideas. He reached out and turned on it, sending the ball over the leftfield wall for his first walkoff homerun of his incredible career.

Shea went crazy--the Mets players stormed from the dugout to greet their young slugger at the plate, absolutely pummeling him with joy as he leaped onto homeplate....a joyful, exuberant moment in time.

"I'm always celebrating everyone else's [game-enders]," Wright said after the Mets beat the Padres 5-3 at Shea Stadium. "I don't know if it was a release of emotion or it just was everybody's chance to get some free shots in on me. I think guys were taking advantage of giving me some rib shots and some jabs," Wright said. "To get to be the one that jumps into the pile is pretty fun."

So in the end it was 2 of 3 from San Diego, the Mets are 2 games out, not 4, and the Marlins come into town for what will surely be a knock down, drag out three game series.

This is what baseball is all about my friends. This is why we watch the games!

Enjoy your coffee!

Scoreboard
Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
San Diego (44-71)	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	3	6	0
N.Y. Mets (60-54) «	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	0	2	5	12	0

Player of the Game

New York

D. Wright	AB	5
	R	1
	H	3
	HR	1
	RBI	2

New York Mets
Hitters	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Jose Reyes, SS	5	0	1	0	0	0	4	.304
Argenis Reyes, 2B	5	0	0	0	0	0	2	.255
David Wright, 3B	5	1	3	2	0	0	1	.288
Carlos Beltran, CF	4	1	3	0	0	0	1	.270
Fernando Tatis, RF-LF	3	1	0	0	1	2	4	.310
Daniel Murphy, LF	4	1	2	1	0	1	0	.467
Scott Schoeneweis, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Aaron Heilman, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Ramon Castro, C	2	0	0	0	0	2	2	.267
Robinson Cancel, C	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	.238
Nick Evans, 1B	3	0	1	2	0	1	0	.245
Johan Santana, P	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	.160
Duaner Sanchez, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Pedro Feliciano, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Joe Smith, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Endy Chavez, RF	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	.269
Totals	37	5	12	5	1	6
Batting
2B - David Wright (29, Banks), Carlos Beltran (26, Banks)
3B - Jose Reyes (13, Banks)
HR - David Wright (21, Bell)
SF - Nick Evans (2)
RBI - David Wright 2 (87), Daniel Murphy (3), Nick Evans 2 (5)
2-OUT RBI - David Wright 2 (39)
SB - Carlos Beltran (17, 2nd base off Meredith/Hundley)
Team LOB - 8
Fielding
DP - A. Reyes-Evans, A. Reyes-Reyes-Evans

New York Mets
Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Johan Santana	7	4	2	2	3	7	1	2.85
Duaner Sanchez	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3.83
Pedro Feliciano (H,13)	0.1	1	0	0	0	0	0	3.67
Joe Smith (H,11)	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	0	3.74
Scott Schoeneweis (BS,3)	0.1	1	1	1	0	0	1	3.22
Aaron Heilman (W,2-6)	0.2	0	0	0	0	1	0	5.61
HBP - Hairston (by Duaner Sanchez)
Pitches-Strikes - Johan Santana 104-68, Duaner Sanchez 1-0, Pedro Feliciano 1-5, Scott Schoeneweis 4-3, Aaron Heilman 6-5
Ground Balls-Fly Balls - Johan Santana 5-8, Pedro Feliciano 1-0, Joe Smith 1-0, Aaron Heilman 1-0
Batters Faced - Johan Santana 27, Duaner Sanchez 1, Pedro Feliciano 2, Joe Smith 1, Scott Schoeneweis 2, Aaron Heilman 2

Throwing Out the First Pitch at Shea

I bet you've all considered what stepping onto the field at Shea Stadium would be like at some point in your lives.

Who didn't dream about pitching for the Mets, hitting a homerun to the Apple, or being a part of those wonderful and always interesting Met teams?

When my friend Corey told me his fiancee, Stephanie Demonte, was asked to throw out the first pitch at Shea for a great cause, I jumped at the chance to share her experience with you.

Stephanie is a young stroke survivor, a dedicated and selfless volunteer, and an amazing role model in our community.

Stephanie, thanks for sharing your experience with us and congratulations on your selection to throw out the 1st pitch at Shea during the final season. How were you selected for the honor?

It came about through some volunteer work I've been doing in support of a great organization--the American Heart Association. I have been volunteering with The American Heart Association "Go Red for Women" Program for many years. Initially, I began at NYU Rusk Cardio-rehab and continued after my stroke in 2005.

I was nominated to throw out the first pitch by one of the Directors of Go Red, and I obviously accepted!

Can you give our readers a rundown of what the day was like for you? Did you get to meet any players or coaches? Anyone give you any pointers before the throw? Did you stay for the whole game?

After my fiancee Corey and I arrived at Shea, we were given a tour of the stadium. The tour included a stop at the Mets bullpen (where we saw Heath Bell and Guy Conti), indoor batting cage, equipment room, locker room door, and other locations. We then went to the field to wait to throw the first pitch where we had a short conversation with SNY's Kevin Burkhardt.

When my name was called on the public address system, I was laughing because it was ridiculous that I was taking the field with the rest of the Mets! After my pitch, we made our way to our seats where we watched the entire game.

Were you a Mets fan growing up, and do you still follow the team? Who is your favorite player?

I never was a big baseball fan, but I grew up in a Mets home, and I even went to John Franco's house in Staten Island when I was a kid. Corey is a HUGE Mets fan, so I sometimes watch the games when he has it on, which is basically all the time! He is truly a Mets fanatic. I don't really have a favorite player, but Corey loves David Wright and Jose Reyes.

Tell us a bit more about the charity and how folks can get involved.

The goal of the American Heart Association Go Red For Women is to raise awareness about heart disease and stroke in women. The organization is trying to change the perception so women understand that these are not "man's diseases." By teaching more and more women to talk to their doctors about heart disease and stroke, we can save thousands of lives every year.

It is very easy to join the movement on the website at http://www.goredforwomen.org, which gives all of the information on how to get involved and make a real difference in the lives of everyone around you.

Hope 4 Stroke is a non-profit organization run completely by stroke survivors and caregivers, to support other stroke survivors and caregivers. You can get information on how to get involved and how to donate at http://www.hope4stroke.com.

Last question, was it a strike down the middle or "just a bit outside"?

A STRIKE!!! Brian Schneider caught it and told me, "Great Job!"

After the throw, we were in the tunnel when Pedro Martinez let up the first pitch homerun, when the grounds crew told me to turn around and get ready to pitch in the game! I guess I am not as a big of a spaz as Corey says I am!

Thanks Stephanie! We don't think you're a spaz either, in fact, your story is inspirational, and it's our hope that readers get involved with both Go Red For Women and Hope 4 Stroke. Congratulations on the first pitch, the upcoming nuptials, and your continued good health. Corey is one lucky guy!

Remember When: The Delgado Non-Curtain Call

Image via WikipediaIt was the best of times, it was the worst of times....

How big of a turnaround has Carlos Delgado made in 2008?

From Mr. Boo to Mr Wooo!

Steve Popper of the record does a great job here discussing Delgado's revival.

Sure, his numbers against lefty's are still nothing to write home about, and he does only have 16 RBIs at Shea all year.

That said, he is smoking in July and finished June with a bang. He is absolutely a presence in the lineup at a time when the Mets needed him to be just that.

I hope he hears nothing but thunderous applause as the Mets return home on a mission.

He's earned it.

Good Morning Mets Fans! 6 in a Row!

There was something in the air that night,
The stars were bright, Fernando!

From scrap heap, to scrappy star. Fernando Tatis is baseball's feel good story of the year.

On a day the Mets learned the Moises Alou era at Shea is most likely over, Tatis, a Comeback Player of the Year candidate, did it again. He went 3 for 5 with two doubles and a homerun, while driving in 4 runs. His 7th inning two-run bomb put the Mets up for good.

He is winning over the hearts of his manager, teammates and the Shea faithful with his hustle, clutch hitting, and the energy and smile he carries around with him...he is a gamer and exactly the type of player NY fans love to cheer.

Tatis stroked a two-run double in the third inning against Barry Zito before untying a 3-3 game with a shot over the fence in left-center against Sergio Romo (0-1) in the seventh. Fans chanted "Ta-tis" following the homer and again as he came to bat in the eighth inning.

When you lose [Alou and Church] you think of replacing them with like pieces," interim manager Jerry Manuel said. "But if you look around, you might have had that piece staring you in the face."

"This is New York," Tatis said. "Sometimes they are going to boo you and sometimes they are going to clap for you. So far they've been great." "He's a good ballplayer. He's always been a tough out. He's not a surprise to the guys who know him," said Billy Wagner, who was starring for Houston when Tatis had his one brilliant year.

And the clutch stats certainly tell the tale of this unlikely hero. He is hitting 12 for 26, .462, with runners in scoring position. How about pressure? In "close and late" situations he is hitting .368.

Fernando-Mania!

How amazing were the Mets pitchers against the Giants? How about 3 runs and 9 hits in 3 games....that is staggering.

John Maine didn't have great control yesterday and his pitch count suffered, but he didn't allow the Giants much.

The bullpen, for the second straight game, was the star. 4.1 innings of one-hit ball. Yesterday it was Muniz, Schoeneweis (who got the win), Goggles and Billy Wagner.

Our young guys continue to rake--David Wright had two doubles and Jose Reyes drove in a run...not sure if you are aware, but neither player is going to the All-Star game.

So here we sit, after a 6-game winning streak, 4 games over .500, 1.5 games back in the NL East, and 3.5 games back in the NL Wild Card.

We talked about our favorable schedule earlier in the week, and how big a part that is going to play for the rest of the year. The Mets are very much in the hunt and are 14-9 under Jerry Manuel.

Guys are hitting, guys are pitching, we're running more and the results have been tremendous. Let's take it to the Rockies and close out the first half in style.

It's a good morning to be a Mets fans. Enjoy your coffee you wild-eyed optimists!

Scoreboard
Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
San Francisco (39-53)	0	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	3	3	2
N.Y. Mets (48-44) «	0	0	3	0	0	0	4	0	x	7	9	0

Players of the Game

New York D. Wright AB 3 R 2 H 2 HR 0 RBI 0

New York F. Tatis AB 5 R 1 H 3 HR 1 RBI 4

New York Mets
Hitters	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Jose Reyes, SS	4	0	1	1	1	0	1	.300
Argenis Reyes, 2B	5	1	1	0	0	1	5	.308
David Wright, 3B	3	2	2	0	2	0	0	.288
Carlos Beltran, CF	5	1	1	1	0	0	6	.265
Fernando Tatis, RF-LF	5	1	3	4	0	0	1	.303
Carlos Delgado, 1B	4	0	0	0	1	0	2	.246
Nick Evans, LF	4	1	1	0	0	0	2	.185
Endy Chavez, RF	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	.268
Brian Schneider, C	1	1	0	0	3	1	0	.249
John Maine, P	1	0	0	0	1	0	2	.111
Carlos Muniz, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
a- Chris Aguila, PH	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.167
Scott Schoeneweis, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
b- Damion Easley, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.286
Duaner Sanchez, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Billy Wagner, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Totals	34	7	9	6	8	2
a-hit a sacrifice bunt for Muniz in the 6th
b-grounded out for Schoeneweis in the 7th
Batting
2B - David Wright 2 (24, Romo, Matos), Fernando Tatis 2 (5, Zito, Zito)
HR - Fernando Tatis (4, Romo)
SH - Chris Aguila (1)
RBI - Jose Reyes (40), Carlos Beltran (63), Fernando Tatis 4 (18)
2-OUT RBI - Jose Reyes (21)
Team LOB - 12
Fielding
DP - A. Reyes-Delgado

New York Mets
Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
John Maine	4.2	2	3	3	5	8	0	3.99
Carlos Muniz	1.1	0	0	0	1	1	0	5.54
Scott Schoeneweis (W,1-2)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2.72
Duaner Sanchez	1	1	0	0	1	1	0	3.63
Billy Wagner	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2.43
WP - John Maine 2 (9)
Pitches-Strikes - John Maine 109-63, Carlos Muniz 20-10, Scott Schoeneweis 8-5, Duaner Sanchez 21-12, Billy Wagner 5-5
Ground Balls-Fly Balls - John Maine 2-4, Scott Schoeneweis 2-1, Duaner Sanchez 1-0, Billy Wagner 1-2
Batters Faced - John Maine 21, Carlos Muniz 5, Scott Schoeneweis 3, Duaner Sanchez 4, Billy Wagner 3

Mets National League Stats of Note: Young Gun Edition

Jose Reyes:
1st in Triples
2nd in Hits
3rd in Runs
3rd in Stolen Bases
12th in Batting Average
17th in Doubles
33rd in OBP

David Wright:
2nd in RBIs
13th in Runs
14th in OBP
15th in Hits
17th in Doubles
17th in Home Runs
22nd in Slg %

Mets Misery

Another superb start wasted, but this time there would be no 13th inning heroics, only a crushing defeat and a team that, for all intents and purposes, is starting to look defeated.

David Wright, the poster boy for accountability and optimism, looks absolutely crushed right now in the dugout. The losses are taking a toll on the Mets young star.

The Mets faithful, who have supported this team to the tune of 3 million visitors per year, are angry--and they should be.

Change is a coming my friends, and it will be Willie--it has to be Willie.

Has he done anything egregiously wrong of late in his game management? Absolutely not, in fact I would say the opposite is true.

But as we've reported here for months, accountability starts with the leader, and Willie Randolph, as the Manager, is the leader of this bunch.

It's time for a change....maybe too late, but maybe soon enough to salvage 2008.

Good Morning Mets Fans!

Yes it was just a win, but let's face it folks, it was also more than just a win. After weeks of speculation and frustration the Mets needed a shot in the arm and a distraction from all of the distractions.

They needed a win; the fans needed a win; the owners needed a win; the GM needed a win; and most of all, the manager needed a win.

Thankfully the Mets have an ace, a real throw him out there every 5 days and have a great chance to win ace. He didn't disappoint.

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Florida	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	3	9	1
N.Y. Mets «	3	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	x	5	9	1

W: J. Santana (6-3) L: A. Miller (4-4) S: B. Wagner (10) HR: FLA - C. Ross (7) NYM - None

Recap/Box · GameCenter

Johan Santana pitched 7 strong innings to lead the Mets past the first-place Florida Marlins. He walked 2, gave up 8 hits and 3 runs, surrendered yet another homerun, but also struck out 7 and pitched his heart out.

Santana is tough because he doesn't give in to the hitters. He battles every pitch with a singular focus that reminds me of Tom Seaver and Greg Maddux, and truth be told he is something of a combination of the two, albeit from the other side of the pitching rubber.

Johan is now 6-3 and poised, at just shy of the 1/3 mark on the year, to win 18-20 games. In other words he has been everything the Mets needed when they signed him to be their stopper.

"That's what Johan does," Wright said. "He's a tremendous stopper. We're facing a little bit of adversity. It's good to get a win under your belt so you can take a deep breath, relax a little bit. Just get back to what the goal is and get away from some of these distractions. We needed some positive energy going through the clubhouse and Johan gave that to us tonight."

"Santana, he's a guy that we look for to stop the bleeding, and he did that tonight," Randolph said. "He's been pitching relatively well for us. I think he'll get better as the season goes on. That's what he's paid to do: come in and just get us a win so we can get going in the right direction."

"Every pitch I throw with a purpose to get people out," Santana said. "I was able to throw the right pitch at the right time. When you struggle, it's how you battle yourself out of the struggle."

There are a lot of great Sanatana articles this morning:

LoHud writes about his stopping powers.

The Daily News says Santana aces his gut check.

Is it me, or are you starting to feel like Jose Reyes is about to really start dominating games? Yes he is in a bit of a fielding funk, but he's also making some incredible plays out there and saving runs.

At the plate, Jose has been pretty sensational in May, with a .303 batting average, .360 OBP, and a stellar .525 slugging percentage.

Reyes looks like the 18 HR, 81 RBI guy of 2006 right now, and he has gotten on base in 27 straight games.

Billy Wagner had a dominant 9th...he is having a remarkable season. Wags on Wags can be found here.

How about the bench last night?

Fernando Tatis continues to provide a nice little shot in the arm (that was me doing Willie-speak), and had two hits last night, including a big two-out single to rightfield. Tatis is now batting .429 and looks positively rejuvenated. He is a solid guy to have on your bench and a professional hitter.

Ramon Castro can hit....the guy can flat out hit. I love Brian Schneider and want to see him out there 70% of the time. That said, when Castro is in, I always have good feelings when he is at the dish.

"The bench guys did an outstanding job," Randolph said. "Tatis got a couple of big hits, Castro a big two-out hit, which is huge when you're scuffling to score. It gives you momentum. Easley with a big sac fly. We need to pick each other up like that."

Damian Easley also had an RBI. Easley has looked awful at the plate this year, but coming back from injury, with his age, you figured him for a cold start and a hot finish. I thought he did a nice job at first base and looks like he can handle the spot start duties that will come with increased rest for Carlos Delgado.

Speaking of which...is it a coincidence that Delgado sat last night so soon after the Mets big meeting of the minds? I'm of the opinion that one of the outcomes of the meeting was to put Delgado on 2/3rds time. Let's hope it helps on many levels.

Here's the NY Post on the super-subs.

Some quick hits:

• Santana doubled in the fourth. Four of his five hits this year are doubles, the most doubles by a Mets pitcher in one season since Rick Reed hit five in 1997.
• Randolph rested slumping 1B Carlos Delgado, hoping to help clear his head, and said he might do so again Wednesday night against LHP Scott Olsen.
• Reyes extended his hitting streak to 12 games. He has reached base safely in 27 straight games.
• Beltran has reached safely in 30 consecutive starts.
• Church missed his seventh straight start with a concussion. After being examined by a neurologist and undergoing an MRI exam earlier in the day, he was sent home to rest and told to avoid bright lights.
• New York RHP Pedro Martinez (hamstring) is likely to rejoin the rotation early next week in San Francisco. He's slated to make a rehab start Wednesday night for Class-A St. Lucie.

Matt Wise is on the 15-day DL and it may be worse than that, and don't expect Marlon Anderson to be back anytime soon. "Paging Mr Pornstache, Paging Mr Pornstache!"

Let's see if the momentum we've all wanted is coming, or if this was just another tease in a season on the brink.

Enjoy your coffee!