Mets Win?

Man, that feels weird to type.. It's been so long, I kind of forgot what to write when they don't lose. For the special occasion enjoy this special spongebob tribute to the New York Mets

Seriously though, give the game ball to Claudio Vargas, who on three days rest threw 7 terrific innings against the Rockies. It's amazing what some run support can do for a pitchers confidence. I don't think it's any coincidence that the 5 run lead the Mets gave Vargas before he had to get on the mound gave him a relaxed feeling. It's knowing you can make a mistake here and there, knowing that if you don't throw that perfect pitch and it does get hit hard, that your not going to blow the game. Amazing.

3 of those 5 runs in the first inning came thanks to a Carlos Beltran 3 RBI double. For all the struggles Beltran has been going through this season, you should know he has 29 RBI. Since I already gave Vargas the game ball, give Nick Evans a slap on the ass (no homo). This 22 year old kid comes out of AA ball, asked to play a position that he has played less then 25 times, and goes 3-4 with 3 doubles and 2 RBI. The kid just has that natural inside-out swing, and he takes everything the opposite away. It was nice to finally see some young talent produce. Actually I was more surprised with Evan's appearance then his game today.. I've seen pictures of the kid from last year, and man, he was a chubby guy. He must have lost 20-30 pounds since the beginning of last season. That's dedication homes. Hopefully he'll be at 1B tomorrow with the Rockies throwing another lefty.

One thing I liked from the Mets this game is the bats didn't disappear. Like I mentioned, Evans had three doubles, but besides that you had David Wright with a homerun in the second inning, and then in the 8th inning putting the game away with some small ball. And this is hard for me to believe, but Carlos Delgado hit another homerun.. Honestly, how can a major league pitcher allow Carlos Delgado to hit a homerun? If I was the manager I'd make him run laps.. Seriously, throw him hard stuff he can't catch up to it. And if you can't throw hard, then throw it out of the strike zone.. The guy has no idea where the ball is, he just swings as hard as he can so he has a chance of catching up to a fastball.

Overall good game for the Mets today, but this one came a couple of games too late. This is the performance that should of happened after they lost the double-header to the Braves, or even in the 4th game of that series to avoid being swept, or even the first game of this series after being embarrassed by the Braves. But a wins a win, and if the Mets can win the rubber game of this series tomorrow they'll be going home a .500 club. I'm not holding my breath though.

The Feeling is Gone

Is hope lost? It definitely seems so with the New York Mets. The desire to work in order to win is just not there anymore. David Wright can say all of the right things during this debacle but none of them are going to change the feeling in the clubhouse. When the manager is not even doing or saying what it right, then how can you expect the players to follow David's lead when they will not even obey their manager. The Mets do not show any effort or hustle at the plate or on the field right now.

I can assure you that Willie Randolph is telling his players the right things to do. The inability for his team to execute shows that his teaching is not being absorbed by the players. That is the real problem. When the team no longer follows what the leader has to say, you have to find a new voice.

Many Mets fans have no more hope that the Mets will win when they put themselves in a hole. I really tried to watch the game in extra innings yesterday but I stopped paying attention after Wagner blew the save. I just could not bear to see them lose again. Sooner or later Randolph will run out of responses and then is when change will propel the Mets; for better or for worse.

Stems Drop 5th Straight

I just want to say that I shut the game off after Billy Wagner gave up a game tying homerun in the bottom of the 9th to Matt Holliday. I couldn't think of a reason to watch the rest of the game.

But lets rewind for a second and bring you up to date on how that situation presented itself. Oliver Perez got the start for the Stems last night and right of the bat you could tell he didn't have his best stuff. Early in the game his velocity was down around 86-88 MPH, and he had absolutely no control. But he battled. Perez had given up just 2 runs thru 5 innings even though he had walked 6.

Then in the top of the 6th the Stems battled back.. They got back-to-back homeruns from Carlos Delgado (2 run shot) and Fernando Tatis --who took over for an injured Anderson--. Instead of taking Oliver Perez out of the game there, knowing that he had been playing with fire the entire night, the Stems brought him back out there for the 6th. Perez walked the first two batters on the inning, and was replaced by Joe Smith. Smith allowed both runners to score and we were back at a 4-4 game.

The Stems were able to keep it a tie game until the 8th, thanks to two great innings out of Scott Schoeneweis, and then took the lead in that inning after a Jose Reyes sac fly. Bring on 0.00 ERA Billy Wagner. He's closing it out no problem. Right? Nope.. Like I said earlier he gave up the game tying homerun to Holliday which brought the game into extra innings.

I didn't watch the rest of the game but I'm sure the Stems had their opportunities in extra innings, but couldn't cash in, and then Aaron Heilman blew the game. Just Guessing. Tell me if I'm right.

Anderson to the DL

With Marlon Anderson heading to the disabled list, the NY Post is reporting that 1B/LF prospect Nick Evans will be called up to take his place on the roster.

The question is does he play LF or 1B?

Added By The Man..
Obviously, he was called up because he can play both positions. Though, this move does comes as a surprise to me.. I thought the Mets would call up Valentino Pascucci, a veteran who has 9 homeruns in less then 100 AB's for New Orleans, but instead they call up the 22 year old 1B/LF Nick Evans. Evans has been a non-stop hitting spree down in Binghamton so maybe he's getting rewarded, but this is an un-Met like move not going with the veteran.

See You In 4-6

Signs of Endy Chavez tonight as Marlon Anderson came up limping trying to beat out a groundball. That's what happens when you hustle. You get hurt! Seriously though, I'm hoping for the best, but you could obviously tell there was a pop, and that usually means a trip to the DL. The Mets are incredibly short handed on the bench and this injury comes at the worst time.. Not only is Marlon Anderson the Mets best pinch hitter, but over the years has been one of the most energetic guys on this team.

Again I ask myself, "why do the Mets have three catchers on the roster"?

Game #46 Mets @ Rockies; Is Time Running Out For Willie?

So I'm sure by now you've all heard the saga going on with Willie Randolph. No I'm not talking about us the fans, I'm talking about the cold shoulder treatment Willie has been getting from the Wilpon family. Basically, Willie called the Wilpons to apologize for his statements, but the Wilpons refused to answer his calls. Omar Minaya is the man in the middle and has informed Willie that the Wilpon's want to have a "sit-down" with him after the current road trip.

But it doesn't end there.. Omar Minaya is in Colorado. Nobody knows why, but the thought is that he's prepping Willie for this meeting. John Delcos made a great point... You either fire the guy or you don't, stop messing with his head.

Hey, we have a ball game today.. The Mets will take on the Colorado Rockies in a ballpark that historically they get killed in. Willie needs the Mets to win 2 out of these 3 games to have any hope of keeping his job. But he won't have his right fielder again today. Church has been feeling dizzy, I'm sure that long plane ride didn't help.

All of this talk and I haven't even mentioned that Oliver Perez is on the mound tonight. He'll be great or he'll suck it up. He's playing for his managers job so he better come out firing.

Lineup:
SS Jose Reyes
2B Luis Castillo
3B David Wright
CF Carlos Beltran
1B Carlos Delgado
LF Marlon Anderson
C Brian Schneider
RF Endy Chavez
LH Oliver Perez