Mr Mets Daily

Mets win 7-0, close to 1.5 back of Philly!

The New York Mets are getting on a bit of a roll! They just finished off the San Francisco Giants, 7-0 at Shea Stadium.

Mets starter Mike Pelfrey was brilliant going seven shut out innings allowing only three hits. What's more, the Mets bull pen actually held the lead! Pelfrey is really giving Mets fans cause for optimism as he has strung together a very nice run of late (The Mets are 7-1 in Pelfrey's last 8 starts).  The aforementioned bull pen was lights out as the Giants never really mounted any serious threat after Pelfrey left the game.

The offense was in gear as well with home runs by Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and Fernando Tatis.

With the Philadelphia Phillies losing, the Mets pull to 1.5 back of the NL East lead.

Philly feeling the heat!!!!

This just in...the cheese steaks lost! The Mets are up 7-0 in the 8th. If they can just hang on to this lead, the Mets will be only 1.5 back......

Mets open series against Giants at Shea

The New York Mets, fresh off a very successful series against the Phillies, open a three set at Shea Stadium tonight against the San Francisco Giants.

The Mets need to carry the momentum from the weekend series in Philly forward towards the All-Star break and into the second half of their season. New Mets manager Jerry Manuel is fighting to have the "interim" tag removed from his name. The Mets certainly helped in that process by taking three of four in Philly. There are some signs that Manuel might have an effective approach. For one, I think Mets fans and players like his more animated personality (not what I expected).  Manuel  seems to be a more "fiery" manager.  How much that helps in the long term remains to be seen.  A second,  more practical  difference, has been his  tendency  to keep  starters  rested and  bench  players  sharp.  It has seemed  to  pay  dividends  of  late.

Lets hope the Mets recent good play is real and not a tease.

New York Mets quick hits:

• The Mets enter play tonight with a record of 45-44, in third place, 2.5 back
• The Giants are 39-50, also in third and 5.0 back
• on this date in Mets history, in 1969, Cleon Jones and Ed Kranepool led the charge as the Mets came from behind for a 4-3 win in the bottom of the 9th
• the Mets starters for the series are: Mike Pelfrey, Johan Santana and John Maine

Mets hang on for Dear life!

Whew..it was scary. When David Wright cracked a solo homer in the fifth  giving the  New  York Mets a  10-1 lead, I thought  it would be a  relaxing evening.  Nope.  The  Phillies came storming back to a 10-9  score before  Billy  Wagner  got the  pressure  packed  save  in the  ninth.

Blowing this game could have been devastating for the Mets. However, they didn't  fold; "We're back in the race. We're moving above .500," said Jerry Manuel, who was ejected in the seventh, when Ryan Howard was awarded a two-run homer after the initial ruling was fan interference for reaching over the right-field wall and a double. "All this is just a part of building character and strength and letting them know that, hey, this is going to be a difficult task."

The win gave the Mets a three of four series win and puts them just 2.5 back of first place.Before the series began, I felt the Mets needed to do exactly that to show fans they could contend. Give them credit, Philly is no easy place to play.

Now they need to build off of this and continue winning series'.

Pictures

Be sure to check out pictures from last nights Phillies Mets game. Click here or go down the left toolbar to access them!

For complete coverage of the Phillies and Mets check out Phightin' Phils Phorum, Mr Mets Daily and The Turnpike Series .

Mets need to take this series!

After yesterday's thrilling, seven hour, twelve inning victory, the New York Mets need to make it stand up tonight and win this series.

Taking three of four from the first place Phillies in Philly, would go a long way to restoring some swagger to a Mets team lacking it. A win closes the Mets to just 2.5 back of first place and with some real momentum.

It is not  overstating things to say this is the Mets biggest game of the season. Taking a big series against a rival in their  park sends a message. 

2008 All Stars

2008 All Stars

American League

Starters

C Joe Mauer Min
1B Kevin Youkillis Bos
2B Dustin Pedroia Bos
SS Derek Jeter NYY
3B Alex Rodriguez NYY
OF Josh Hamilton Tex
OF Ichiro Suzuki Sea
OF Manny Ramirez Bos
DH David Ortiz Bos

Pitchers
Justin Duchscherer Oak
Roy Halladay Tor
Cliff Lee Cle
Scott Kazmir TB
Joe Saunders LAA
Ervin Santana LAA
Goerge Sherrill Bal
Joe Nathan Min
Mariano Rivera NYY
Jonathon Papelbon Bos
Frankie Rodriguez LAA
Joakim Soria KC

Reserves
Carlos Guillen Det
Dioner Navarro TB
Milton Bradley Tex
Jason Varitek Bos
J.D.Drew Bos
Justin Morneau Min
Ian Kinsler Tex
Michael Young Tex
Joe Crede ChW
Carlos Quentin ChW
Grady Sizemore Cle

National League

Starters
C Giovanni Soto Cin
1B Lance Berkman Hou
2B Chase Utley Phi
SS Hanley Ramirez Flo
3B Chipper Jones Atl
OF Ryan Braun Mil
OF Alfonso Soriano Chi
OF Kosuke Fukodome Chi

Pitchers
Aaron Cook Col
Tim Lincecum SF
Dan Haren Atl
Ben Sheets Mil
Carlos Zambrano Chi
Brandon Webb Ari
Ryan Dempster Chi
Brian Wilson SF
Edinson Volquez Cin
Kerry Wood Chi
Brad Lidge Phi
Billy Wagner NYM

Reserves
Brian McCann Atl
Aramis Ramirez Chi
Matt Holliday Col
Dan Uggla Flo
Miguel Tejada Hou
Russell Martin LAD
Nate McLouth Pit
Albert Puhols Stl
Ryan Ludwick Stl
Adrian Gonzalez SD
Cristian Guzman Was

Mets blow it in Philly!

I am not going to lie, if I was Johan Santana, I would be pissed! What more does the guy have to do to get a win? In his last six starts the Mets have managed only a measley twelve runs.

Last night Santana pitched eight brilliant innings yielding just two runs against one of the best hitting teams in baseball. These days, that is considered a great start. On most teams it would be enough to get a win. Problem is, the Mets aren't most teams. If they get have the offense working and score seven (as they did against the Cards) the pitching will give up eight. If they get great pitching as they did last night, the offense goes to sleep. The Mets owe Santana an apology for wasting his performances game in and game out.

Also, Mets manager Jerry Manuel decided Santana had enough after eight innings despite retiring seven straight Phillies and only throwing 95 pitches. As Duaner Sanchez came on in the ninth, the outcome was almost predictable. The Philies broke a 2-2 tie to win it 3-2 in the bottom half of the inning.

The Mets also squandered a golden opportunity in the fifth with the bases loaded and no outs. Yet they managed only two runs. This 2008 Mets squad just seems to lack a sense of urgency.

Before the series began, when you looked at the pitching match ups, you had to love it from a Mets perspective. Johan Santana against a guy with only one MLB start! Surely this would end up in the win column! Not.

The Mets are now 5.5 back of the Phillies and if they want to win this series must take three straight. I will be watching and cheering but forgive me if I am not overly confident the Mets can get it done.

Mets open up critical set against Philly!

There are certain times during a baseball season that define who you are. I strongly feel this weekend is one of those times. Here is the situation; the Mets are 42-43, they are 4.5 games back of Philly for the division lead. They are 8.5 back of the wildcard with four teams ahead of them. It is clear that the Mets best chance of post season play lies in their ability to win the division.

They get a great opportunity to make a statement this weekend with four games against their division rival Philadelphia Phillies. I have been saying all season that the Mets are a poorly constructed, .500 team and so far they have proven me right. As a Mets fan I pray that they will now start to prove me wrong.

It has been a pretty dismal season which, as we all know, included the Mets having to make a managerial change. The saving grace for the Mets is that they play in the NL East where the first place Phils haven't proven capable of putting any real distance between themselves and their opposition. This division race almost reminds me of a football game where a superior team allows a lesser team to just kind of hang around. Then before you know it, the lesser team catches a break and finds a way to win it.

If the Mets are going to make any noise in the NL East, they must do something this weekend. By Monday evening, we will all know a lot more about the fate of the 2008 New York Mets. Worst case, they will be 8.5 back and fans will want blood (preferably Omar Minaya's). Best case, they will be a half game back and riding high. In all likelyhood, it will be somewhere in between. The Mets need to win this series! Take three out of four (difficult, I know) and Mets fans will have some cause for optimism.

It should be interesting.

New York Mets quick hits:

• with a record of 9-6, the Mets are tied for the best NL record in inter league play
• Jose Reyes leads the majors with nine triples
• Mets catchers lead the majors in stolen bases against with just 30
• starting pitchers for 7/4: Johan Santana vs J.A. Happ
• starting pitchers 7/5: John Maine vs Jamie Moyer
• starting pitchers for 7/6: Oliver Perez vs Kyle Kendrick
• starting pitchers for 7/7: Pedro Martinez vs Adam Eaton

For complete coverage of the Phillies and Mets check out Phightin' Phils Phorum, Mr Mets Daily and The Turnpike Series .

Mets win a laugher, 11-1!

It was never really much of a game as the Mets took control right from the outset. This game had far less drama then , say, A-Rod's marital situation.....(once in a while you have to go for the cheap shot) The Mets dominated an 11-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals giving them a split over the four game set.

The Mets busted it open with a six run third inning highlighted by a three run triple by Jose Reyes. Carlos Delgado continued his mini resurgence with a two run homer as the Mets offense fired on all cylinders last night.

Perhaps the best news for the Mets though was another solid outing by Mike Pelfrey who allowed just one run in seven innings. Pelfrey (6-6) seems to be rounding himself into the pitcher the Mets hoped he would be which is critical since Pedro Martinez seems well past his prime.

Next up, four against the Phillies.

Mets lose 8-7

These Mets are getting so predictable; win one, lose one. Last night it was their turn to lose, they did.  Despite  getting 15 hits, the  Mets  pitching managed  to  blow it.

Pedro Martinez was once again ineffective and you really have to wonder if he has anything left to offer the Mets. Pedro Feliciano was no better.

The details are irrelevant, what does matter is the way this team keeps demonstrating a stunning level of mediocrity.

The question for the Mets as the trading deadline approaches is, do you do the right thing and unload as much of their over paid, over aged talent as possible??

Mets beat Cards, 7-4

The New York Mets topped the St. Louis Cardinals 7-4 last night. The Mets were right on cue as they were due to win after a loss with this season's recurring trend.

Mets starter Tony Armas jr got the win in his debut with the team.He gave up four runs and eight hits through six innings. Not spectacular, but  luckily the Mets offense showed up. They blasted  14 hits on the night, including three by Carlos Delgado.

The Mets are now 7-7 under new manager Jerry Manuel, basically the identical winning percentage as with Willie Randolph.With a huge series against the Phillies looming this weekend, they need to take these next two against the Cards and head into that series with momentum. It is critical, I feel for Manuel to get some traction over this next week or so if he wants any hope of removing the "interim" tag from his name. He needs to demonstrate that the Mets are a better team with him as manager. 

Mets blown out by Cardinals

Here we go again...the New York Mets lost last night 7-1 in St. Louis. The team continues it's season long theme of win one, lose one. The Mets are now now 40-42 and 3.5 back of the Phillies.

Mets starter John Maine, who has pitched well, was, by his own admission, awful;  "I had no life on the ball. I had nothing," said Maine, who matched a season high by getting charged with five runs (three earned) on seven hits, three walks and one strikeout. "Just kind of a dead arm tonight. I had no life on my fastball. I couldn't get any swings and misses. And when they did hit the ball softly, they just seemed to find holes and get hits. When you're not striking anybody out, it's tough to recover from that."

Not that his teammates picked him up. The Mets mustered almost no offense and made matters worse by committing three errors.

I have to wonder if Willie Randolph is sitting some where right now saying "I told you so".

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Mets to play four in St. Louis

The New Yok Mets, fresh off a four game split against the Yankees, start a four game set in St. Louis against the Cardinals tonight at 7:05. John Maine goes against Kyle Loshe in the opener.

The Mets come into play with a record of 40-41, 3 back of the Philadelphia Phillies(whom they face this weekend).The Mets could sorely use a productive series against against the Cards....(say three of four???..maybe??),before facing Philly. While the Mets are still clearly in the race, they must break out of their funk. The NL East is up for grabs. The Phillies seem willing to give away the division, but no one seems to want it.The Mets have now played exactly half of their regular season games, and if you had to pick a word to describe it, the word would be mediocre.

As a long time Mets fan, I am waiting for them to prove they are better then what they have shown so far.

New York Mes quick hits:

• on 6/30/00, the Mets scored ten runs in the eight inning to beat the Atlanta Braves 11-8
• Mets prospect Fernando Martinez was selected to the World Team and will play in the futures game at Yankees stadium on 7/13/08
• 7/1 starting pitchers: TBA vs Todd Wellmeyer
• 7/2 starting pitchers: Pedro Martinez vs Joel Piniero
• 7/3 starting pitchers: Mike Pelfrey vs Mitchell Bulgs

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Mets drop another one

So it continues, the Mets march towards mediocrity took another step yesterday at Shea Stadium.The Mets lost to the Yankees 3-2.Starter Johan Santana pitched, as usual, well enough for the Mets to win, yet they lost anyhow.Perhaps Andy Petit was just a little bit better, perhaps the Mets bats just went limp again, or perhaps it was due to yet another mental lapse.

In the bottom of the fith, with runners on first and second and David Wright at the plate, Jose Reyes was caught napping and picked off second.It killed a potential rally and when you go against a guy like Andy Petit, and he has it going on, you can't afford to give up easy outs. Especially when they are due to mental lapses.

That has been the story of the Mets season, they just seem to find ways to lose.Evidently it has no bearing on who the manager happens to be.We are near the half way point of the season and the Mets are below .500. They have been below that mark for the beter part of their last 180 games.Fact is, that is enough evidence to say the Mets are merely a .500 team.Not the worst thing in the world. Unless of course you have the third highest payroll in baseball, were built to win now and mortgaged your future to put this product together.

Time to start the Omar watch. 

Mets split doubleheader

As good as the Mets were in game one winning 15-6, they were equally bad in the night cap losing 9-0.

Pedro Serrano..aka Carlos Delgado, had his good luck charm working in game one belting two homers, including a grand slam, and setting a Mets record with 9 RBI! I have been critical of Delgado all year but give credit where it is do, that is an amazing game.

In game two nothing seemed to work for the Mets as they were blanked by Sidney Ponson, who has never been mistaken for Sandy Koufax. Mets starter Pedro Martinez gave up six runs on six hits while allowing five walks. Pedro is now 2-2 since his return and not exactly looking like the great pitcher he once was.

The Mets could have used some of the offense from game one last night. They are now 5-5 under Jerry Manuel. While I certainly understand Willie's firing, it is still the same players on the field.This team just can't seem to escape the.500 doldrums.

The Mets and Yanks hook up again today at Shea at 3:55pm. Johan Santana and Andy Petit are the starters, should be a good match up.

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Subway Series resumes today!

The New York mets and New York Yankees resume their cross town rivalry today. The first game is set for 2:05 pm at Yankee Stadium followed up with a night cap at Shea Stadium at 8:05pm. (That is a make up game from their earlier series at Shea).Maybe they ought make the trip an event...have the team buses drag race on the major deegen between games????

On a more serious note, the Mets are 4-4 under new manager Jerry Manuel, still mired in their .500 rut.They missed a great opportunity this week to really gain ground on the Phillies who slumped badly. However, 4-4 is not exactly pouncing on that chance.

I speak for Mets fans when I say, if you do nothing else JUST BEAT THE YANKEES!!!

New York Mets quick hits:

• the starting pitchers for 6/27: Mike pelfrey vs Dan Giese, game one, for game two it will be pedro Martinez vs tba
• starting pitchers for 6/28: Johan Santana vs Andy Petit
• starting pitchers for 6/29: Oliver Perez vs Darrell Rasner

Mets win 8-2!

The New York Mets salvaged their series against the lowly Seattle Mariners by winning 8-2 last night at Shea Stadium. Losing two of three is disappointing against the M's, especially at home, but at least it wasn't a sweep.

David Wright responded well to a night off on Tuesday as he cracked a pair of home runs on his first two at bats to lead the offense. Wright has been mired in a slump of late, the Mets desperately need his bat to wake up if they have any hopes of competing in the NL East.Lets hope last night was the start of his resurgence.

John Maine was outstanding as he took a no hitter into the fifth inning and ended up getting the victory and yielding just two runs on six hits.

Next up for the Mets is the return of the subway series as the Yankees are in for a four game set. If there is any time for the Mets to get on a run, doing so against their cross town rivals would be a great time for it. I for one would absolutely love to have bragging rights for a change.

Check back later for full pre-series details.

Mets lose 11-0!

Sorry Mets fans, that is not a mistake, the Seattle Mariners, yes the ones on  pace  to  lose  100  games, came into  Shea  Stadium  and  beat  the  Mets 11-0. The worst team in MLB destroyed Jerry Manuel's boys. The Mets have now lost three of four.

When you  lose like that it is obvious that nothing went right. The Mets, from  starter  Oliver  Perez  on down  were simply awful. Coming into the series, the  Mets gave fans some cause for optimism in winning four of six.Then  when you looked at the schedule and saw the Mariners coming into Shea, you had to figure the Mets had a chance to get fat. Wrong.

If the Mets revert back to the form they showed all season under Willie Randolph (basically, win one lose one, etc), people will forget the managerial change and the target will become Omar Minaya who put this bunch together.

It remains to be seen if this latest losing trend is just a bump in the road, or a continuation of the mediocrity Mets fans have witnessed all season.

         

Mets fall to Mariners

When the New York Mets entered last night's game against the worst team in baseball with ace pitcher Johan Santana on the mound, I figured we could chalk this one up in the win column. Wrong. Who would have guessed that Santana would yield a grand slam to opposing pitcher Felix hernandez of all people?

With the Mets bats going limp last night, Hernandez's blast was all the offense the Mariners would need. This loss hurts because we have the Yankees coming up and the Phillies are struggling.This loss is typical of the Mets frustrating season, every time you think they are ready to step up, they step down.

Still, all they really need to do is to keep taking two of three in these series and they will be fine.Anything less then that, at Shea against the Mariners would be disappionting. 

Mets top Rockies!

The New York Mets beat the Colorado Rockies 3-1 today to move to 3.5 back of the Phillies. Mets starter Mike Pelfrey continues to impress getting the win while pitching five and two thirds innings of three  hit ball.

Carlos Beltran cracked a two run homer to provide the  offense and Billy Wagner got his 17th save.

The Mets have now won three straight series. While I still have concerns about the team, there are certainly positives of late; the pitching seems to be rounding into form, they are getting a bit more timely hitting and some of the mental lapses we  saw  all season are beginning to vanish. How much of that has to do with the  change in management is up for speculation because I actually think they started to show signs of improvement under Willie. Regardless, the Mets are putting a bit of pressure on the cheese steaks...I mean Phillies. 

Fifth Inning Sinks Pedro, Mets

Pedro Martinez was cruising along through four innings looking strong against the Colorado Rockies. Then came the fifth where the wheels came off and Pedro looked like a batting practice pitcher giving up 6 earned runs and getting chased from the game having pitched only 4 1/3 innings. His ERA is now 6.57.

The Mets offense could not get it together in the most hitter friendly park in the league as they only had 1 hit until the eighth inning and managed only 4 total. Dismal performance all around for the Amazins as they once again drop below .500 and waste another opprotunity to gain ground on the floundering Phillies that have lost 7 of their last 10 games. Mike Pelphrey (3-6) will try to right the ship today at 3:05pm.

Mets win, 7-2

The New York Mets topped the Colorado Rockies 7-2 last night.The victory puts the Mets 4.5 back of the Phillies and the club has now won five of their last seven.

Mets starter John Maine pitched another very solid game. With Johan Santana being very reliable, Pedro  Martinez back and Mike Pelfrey coming around, the Mets staff is giving reason for optimism. The offense was there as well, with Carlos Delgado and Trot Nixon going deep.

With the Phillies struggling, the Mets have to take advantage right now. I am very happy with the way the club is playing (and happy that the soap opera stuff is, at least for now, behind us and we can just talk baseball).

The Mets are back to .500 and while I have stated here numerous times that I think in a lot of ways, they are a .500 team, boy would I love them to prove me wrong.

Mets soap opera opens in Colorado!

The New York Mets open up a three game stand tonight in Colorado against the Rockies. The starting pitchers will be John Maine vs Aaron Cooke. The Met enter the game 35-36, 5.5 back of the Phillies. The Mets have won four of their last six games (despite the drama....more on that in a bit). They have won each of their last two series, which is all they need to do; a nine game winning streak would be nice, but if you just continue taking two of three before you know it you are right in the mix. Let hope the Mets continue....

New York Mets soap opera notes:

It has been an interesting week for the Mets, to say the least. Former manager Willie Randolph granted an exclusive to the Daily News, which is worth reading for Mets fans. There were a few things that stood out to me. For one, after Willie was informed he had been fired, Omar Minaya gave him an envelope which contained a section from his contract reminding Willie that if he was publicly critical of the organization it could put at risk his ability to collect on the balance of his contract. The Mets have been blasted, rightfully so, for doing this 3,000 miles from New York and in the middle of the night in order(they mistakenly assumed), to avoid taking any heat. While Minaya denied this during his press conference, the fact that they thought to give this to Willie removes any doubt from the equation. They are not only cowards, but not particularly bright ones.

While Willie mildly blasted the Mets stating that "he deserved better", all in all, he took the high road. Willie thanked the Mets for the chance he had been given and showed far more class the Mets management did. While I think Willie did less then a great job as Mets manager, he is a good guy and a class act, and I wish him well!

Another rumor floating around is that now Minaya is on the hot seat (rightfully so...) bad news for Mets fans is that the heir apparent is Tony Bernazard. By many accounts by people close to the organization, he is not exactly an honorable guy.

Lets see what happens in our next episode of "As the Mets turn."

New York Mets quick hits:

• Wednesdays win was Jerry Manuel's first as manager since 9/28/03
• Manuel is the 19th mgr in team history
• despite playing Tuesday as a DH, David Wright is still the only MLB player to play every inning this season
• 6/21 starting pitchers: Pedro Martinez vs Ubaldo Jiminez
• 6/22 starting pitchers: Mike Pelfrey vs Greg Reynolds

       

Mets give Manuel his first win!

New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel got his first  victory in his new job last night. The Mets beat the Angels 5-4 in ten innings.

It was only the second time all season the Mets won a  game they trailed after eight innings.Starter Oliver Perez had a decent outing going six innings yielding four runs, but he kept the Mets in the game. David Wright had a clutch game tying RBI single in the bottom of the ninth. Damon Easley had the other huge hit, a solo homerun in the tenth to win the game.

The Mets now trail the suddenly struggling Phillies by only 5.5 and have won four of their last six games. After a day off today they play against Colorado over the weekend and if they are going to make a serious run, this would be a fine time to do it.   

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Manuel era starts with a Mets loss

New Mets manager Jerry Manuel now knows how old Mets manager Willie Randolph must have felt as they lost 6-1 to the Angels last night. It wouldn't be the Mets with out drama, and we had some. Jose Reyes led of the game with a single to center and appeared to hurt his hamstring running to first. Jerry Manuel came out to talk to Reyes and ended up pulling him for his own protection. The two had a heated discussion  on the  field until  Reyes  stormed off  the  field  angrily  flinging  his  helmet.  The two made up however;  "The one thing I love about him is that attitude. He wants to play," Manuel said about Reyes. "He wants to be on the field. He came back out, apologized - apologized to the teammates. Those types of things, the behavior is pretty much unacceptable. But the attitude, we just have to get that and put that in that direction it needs to go in order for us to win ballgames."

Otherwise, it was very similar to so many other Mets games this dismal season; lack of offense, poor fielding (there were gaffs by Carlos Delgado, Marlin Anderson and Damon  Easley). Johan  Santana  also didn't  have his best stuff.

While it is only one game for Jerry Manuel, and any effect he may have on this team could take a while, the problem is it is the same old...key word, old, Mets players.

Mets press conference observations

(Note: In my previous post, I made an error stating that new mets manager Jerry Manuel coached five seasons for the White Sox, it was actually six....we try to limit errors, but are only human....almost)

I caught part of the Mets press conference, unfortunately, not all, but I have a few observations:

• Jerry Manuel is far more loose and comfortable in front of a camera then Willie Randolph, he joked several times with the media, something I did not see Willie do often
• he also talked about players having fun, and creating a climate where players could have career years
• he also discussed  keeping  players  fresh, and to that  end, David Wright will  DH  tonight
• one I am VERY  happy to  hear (especially  with  the  Mets  pen)  is  that  he  is  not  a  big  pitch  count  proponent
• he  also indicated that he will be flexible with the line up, as he stated, "your cleanup hitter is not always your cleanup hitter"
• I just caught a bit of Omar Minaya, but it was enough, my lasting impression is Omar trying to convince Mets fans he did not decide to fire Willie until yesterday....yet he flew across country I guess by coincidence...give me a break   

Check back later for more Mets news.

Mets new manager, Jerry Manuel

The New York Mets newest manager (God help him....) is 54 year old former bench coach Jerry Manuel.

Manuel will take over tonight as Mets manager against the Angels at 10:05pm. He had a fourteen year career, (mostly undistinguished) as a player.He was the manager of the Chicago White Sox for five seasons with a record of 500-471. The highlight of his coaching career came in 2000 when he led the Sox to a record of 95-67 and won AL manager of the year honors.

He is a very solid baseball man, and ironically, is very similiar  to Willie Randolph in terms of personality. In fact, Willie may the more fiery of the two. Manuel is a student of Ghandi which tells you a bit about his calm demeanor, nothing wrong with that, but I do question whether a Willie clone makes sense. Much like Willie, he is a good guy, very intelligent, has a lot of baseball experience, but, again, I really have to wonder if this team is not in need of a more stern manager. But, I will reserve judgement, and wish him well....with this Mets team and front office, Jerry will need all the luck he can get!

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Mets management bungles Willie situation!

As a long time fan of the New York Mets, I am embarressed today. This post has nothing at all to do with whether or not the Mets should have fired Willie Randolph, but rather about how and when they did it.

After last seasons nightmare collapse, we all knew Willie would be on the hot seat if the Mets didn't perform. Thus far in 2008, they have not. Willie has been on the brink for much of the season with fans and media calling for his release and the Mets not really supporting him. There have many many times this season where the Mets tanked and I figured this would be it for Willie. Certainly after the four game sweep in San Diego, I thought if ever he was a goner, this would be the time.

Instead, what the Mets did was to basically let it be known that Willie's job was on the line and they left him, and the players, dangling with uncertainty.That is no way to run a ball club! You either decide he is your guy and publicly support him, or fire him and move on. For too long, mets management (or perhaps, mismanagement) did neither.

So when was the decision made to fire Willie Randolph? Was it after winning two of three over the weekend? If so, then what the mets did was to let the man fly 3,000 miles, win a game, hold a press conference to discuss the Mets win, then get fired at 3:00am New York time. Disgraceful!

If the decision was made after the San Diego series, they should have pulled the trigger right then and there. To give the Mets the benefit of the doubt, perhaps they didn't yet know what the "post Willlie" plan was. However, even that doesn't make sense.They had to see this coming.There had to be some thought that Willie might not be the man to lead the team, and must have been some discussion about what to do if he gets fired.The worst part of all, to me, is the fact they did it on the west coast. Looks like a cowardly move to me.

So here we are, the Mets have the highest payroll in the National League, they are below .500, they have virtually no farm system and an aging team to go along with management that looks clueless!Not great times to be a Mets fan.

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