Another day, another injury. I really don’t know what to say anymore. The only explanation I can come to is that there is a big ol’ ruthless curse on the Mets. I don’t know who put the hex on the team or for what reason … but there is definitely something going on. How else do you explain the whole team, their backups and the backups backups getting hurt all at once. How else do you explain Luis Castillo falling down the dugout stairs and then Jonathan Neise “straining his hamstring” on a warm up pitch, after doing a split at first base? The medical staff probably really is that bad, but I think on top of all the mismanagement, someone or something put the big kabosh on the Mets.
Demon: What an excellent day for an exorcism.
Father Damien Karras: You would like that?
Demon: Intensely.
Maybe it’s because the Wilpon’s totally ignored the Mets history in their new “Ebbets Field”. Maybe they pissed off the baseball Gods. Maybe it’s that rumored Philly fan who worked on constructing the new ballpark, and supposedly buried 5 Phillies jerseys around the building. Maybe Tony Bernazard stole Jobu’s rum. I don’t know. What i do know is we need an exorcism. Bring in a Priest, bring in a Rabbi, bring in a Witch Doctor … I don’t care … bring in the Ghost Hunters TAPS. Just get someone in here to get rid of the curse.
And while they’re at it … it would be a good idea to put some Mets History inside the Mets ballpark. That would, if nothing else, rid the building of a lot of negativity.
Are you listening, Mr. Wilpon? Probably not. That’s also a big part of the problem.
1 CommentLast night, Luis Castillo proved that the Mets are truly cursed. Just when you thought all the injuries were over with, Castillo showed that there were new and better ways for players to go on the disabled list. In fact, he didn’t even hurt himself on the field. Luis fell down the stairs while stepping into the dugout and sprained his ankle. 16 players have hit the DL for the Mets this season, some more than once, and now we can make that number 17 as Castillo is limping once again. Well at least, with a limp, we’ll all recognize Luis once again.
Later on today the Mets will announce that Castillo is “Day to Day” and that the ankle injury is only a slight sprain. A few days rest will do him just fine and he’ll be back in the lineup by the end of the weekend. By this weekend, Castillo will re-aggravate the ankle while doing running drills. He will then see the team doctor again, get it looked at, and we’ll be told that he’ll need another day or two. The Mets will then take Castillo on a flight for the road trip, only to send him back to New York a day later when they realize he can not walk off the airplane. When he gets back to New York he will be sent for an MRI, finally, only to find out that he’s had a broken ankle the whole time and should have been put on the DL. Soon after, Castillo will be seen sitting in the dugout in a full body cast. The Mets will tell us that the body cast is not related to the initial ankle injury and we’ll all wonder what the hell they are doing. The media will ask the Mets questions about their medical staff and how they misdiagnosed the injury, and the Mets will insist that they were correct in their initial evaluation, simply that Luis Castillo was pregnant and was suffering from nothing more than swollen ankles.
That is the Mets front office and medical staff in a nutshell.
Here is a nice video that I found on youtube. It’s from Family Guy and portrays Bobby McFerrin falling down a flight of stairs. I just pretend that it’s Luis Castillo and it makes me laugh. Try it … it will help you forget the absolute disaster that the 2009 Mets have been, even if it’s only for a little while.
Yes, I am aware that the video is 10 minutes long. It’s a 10 minute long video of a guy falling down the stairs that is played in a repetitive loop. What’s funny and sad at the same time about this, is I find more entertainment in watching this 10 minute video of Bobby McFerrin falling down an endless staircase than it is watching the Mets. It actually makes a pretty good beat if you listen to it. Maybe the Mets should make this the 2009 theme song. In fact, there is even more irony to this.
The Mets, as a team, have been seemingly falling down this endless staircase for a couple of years now. Everything about the franchise has been tumbling further and further down the stairs, from the ownership all the way down to the feelings of even the most optimistic fans. Players have been getting battered and bruised, fans have been getting angry and numb, the front office has been falling on its face, and the owners have been getting swindled.
The basement is near. As the tumbling continues and the band aids continue to do a bad job in trying to cover up the gaping wound that is the Mets, the team will start to enter National territory. Yes, the competition is on to see who will lose more games … the Mets or the Nationals. I wonder if the Wilpons even notice. Maybe they’ll give Omar another extension.
2 CommentsThe trade deadline has arrived. What that means is that it’s the time of the year when some smart moves are made by some teams along with a whole lot of bonehead moves by the rest. With the Mets losing the second game of the double header tonight, they now sit about 6 games out of the Wild Card and about 10 games out of the division. The Mets have a couple of good prospects at the lower levels, but overall, a system that is far from stacked with talent.
Translation: There is no quick fix.
The economic landscape now dictates a high priority on prospects and young players with minimal service time, to keep cost down, even for big market teams. The Mets have to hold onto as much as they can, in terms of their farm system, or we as Mets fans will be forced to repeat the same problems year after year. Prospects like Fernando Martinez, Jon Neise, Brad Holt, Jennry Mejia, Ike Davis and Wilmer Flores are very valuable to lots of teams … and those teams will try to swipe them for a player making lots of money. The Mets need to be sensible. We as fans need to stop being so impatient, stop with the instant gratification, and start looking at the big picture.
Roy Halladay would be really nice, but at what cost? When the Mets have to pay him Santana money to keep him on the team in a year, after giving up 4 quality arms for him, will it be worth it? Will he guarantee anything? Probably not. Same goes for Victor Martinez or any other high priority player that is being shopped right now. Besides, there is a guy named John Lackey out there next year, who can be signed for money only.
To add to that, Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus wrote this concerning Carlos Beltran:
Carlos Beltran is coming back. That was always the plan, but how he’s going about it speaks a lot to where he might be in the future. Beltran has decided to accelerate the pace of his rehab, hoping to come back towards mid-August, matching up closely with Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, and Billy Wagner. That’s an infusion of talent no team will be able to match with trades, but it might also be too little, too late as the Mets continue to slip. Beltran made the informed decision based on the near certainty that he will need microfracture surgery and could miss much, if not all, of the 2010 season. He’ll do everything he can to avoid it, but that’s the worst case scenario and he’s willing to give it a go. His success will be based on pain tolerance and management, as well as Jerry Manuel’s ability to spot him in and out. It’s unlikely he can play CF, though no one has said much about where he will actually play. It’s a calculated risk that Beltran and the Mets are taking. Given the success – or lack thereof – with microfracture in MLB, it’s a big risk and perhaps Beltran’s last hurrah.
This is what makes Fernando Martinez invaluable right now. The Mets simply can not afford to trade him, since he’ll be the only major league ready outfielder who can cover center field for Beltran. If Beltran is out next year and there is no Fernando Martinez, I really don’t want to live with the likes of Angel Pagan or Jeremy Reed playing center full time. There will be no other money to pay another free agent for that position, since any trade would dictate that a player acquired, like Halladay, would be due that money. There will also be lots of other holes to fill. So that’s the dilemma. The Mets should just accept where they are in the standings and not do anything too risky.
Make a smart trade.
The Mets should look to do a trade before the deadline ends. They should try hard to move Luis Castillo. His value is as high as it can be right now, and won’t get any higher. This is a chance to move his contract and the Mets should try to do it. They can even net a mid level prospect or two for him. Yes, he’s helping the team win right now, but how long will that last? Is Luis Castillo really a difference maker? I don’t think he is. The Mets would be better off to part ways with him if they can get another team to pick up the remaining contract, and actually get something in return worth more than a bag of balls.
They have players to fill in at second base, and when Delgado returns, Daniel Murphy can slide over to second base full time. Yes, Daniel Murphy. The same Daniel Murphy that no one had any confidence in to play first base. The same Daniel Murphy who’s playing first base with the comfort of a veteran. Murph has shown enough now that he can play the infield, and he is an aggressive first baseman with good aptitude. That will translate perfectly at 2nd base, not to mention his bat, which is more of a 2nd baseman’s bat.
You can then figure out what to do at 1st base next season. The Mets can either fill it from within, sign a free agent, or move Murphy back to first when Delgado is gone, if they choose to sign Orlando Hudson at 2nd base.
The moral of the story is … be conservative, be smart.
By the way, the Mets lost that 2nd game of the double header tonight, because of this:
So for all you sunshiners who are banking on a miracle, you can blame it on Charlie Samuels for dressing our Mets in these ugly, charred looking jersey’s that look like they came out of a rhinoceros’ burning asshole. The Mets equipment manager seems to think they bring good luck and thought it was a good idea to take the white jersey’s and blue caps away from the team after they won 3 straight at home with them.
Well tonight they lost with the disgusting black. I hope he took note. Rant over.
1 Comment4 in a row… the team on the field has done a good job the past week. Still not convinced but I thought this was relevant…
1 CommentThis year, more then any other year, there is evidence that there is some evil force out to get the NY Mets.
Including the horrors of the last game of the past two seasons, the Met team has an evil spirit that seems to be growing stronger this year. Outside of Omar, being Omar and standing behind his Veterans, when there was quality young talent available. Outside of the injury bug that has hit almost every member of the original starting line-up and outside of the New Ballpark turning power hitters like David Wright into singles hitters, the MLB Umpires have seemed to jump on the ‘Destroy the Mets’ bandwagon.
During last nights 5-4 Met victory, which wins in general only happen once a week these days, the Mets played solid baseball all around. They got a decent start behind Oliver Perez, yes thate Oliver Perez, who lasted 5 innings, giving up 2 runs, stricking out 2 and walking 7 in classic Perez fashion. They didn’t commit an error in a game, which also only happens once a week these days. And scored more then 2 runs.
Despite all of that, the evil ‘DTM’ (Destroy the Mets) demon, tried to take it away in the bottom of the fifth inning. With the Mets threatening, which again is a term used lightly, The Mets pinch hit for Oliver Perez with Utliliy Man Nick Evans. After an amazing battle lasting I believe 10 pitches, during a 3 Ball – 2 Strike Count, the home plate umpire called strike 3 on a pitch that was not only high, but outside. And as Evans, rightfully, started walking towards first, the realization hit him that he needed to walk toward the dugout.
Now, I know these guys aren’t perfect and I know mistakes happen, I mean when Daniel Murphy made that crazy behing the back toss to first, the runner was safe, but the pitch on Evans wasn’t even close.
We as Met Fans need to rise up to defeat the evil DTM Demon. So I emplore you. Fight on Met fans and fight well. This demon is increasing in power and we need to fight, fight, fight.
PLEASE!!!
Blaze Out…
1 CommentThere Really is NOTHING left to say…..
…Blaze Out
1 CommentI’ve finally figured it all out. I figured out what METS means. Menacing Eternal Trauma Syndrome. Whether it’s the ownership of the team … the team itself … or the fanbase of the team … it all comes down to the same thing. It’s this ongoing syndrome that we are all effected by. We are menaced by this trauma day in and day out and it never ends. There is no light at the end of the tunnel, it seems, so that must be what METS stands for. Some have thought it meant My Entire Team Sucks … but that’s not it. It’s much worse than that. We have some good players. That’s the whole tease of the whole thing. It’s an illusion that simply makes us “believe”. That’s our motto right? Yeah … because it’s all part of the syndrome that traumatizes us in a menacing fashion. That is the existence of the Mets.
Anyone remember the movie Wall Street? Yeah … well here’s a few quotes:
“Gordon Gekko: You’re walking around blind without a cane, pal. A fool and his money are lucky enough to get together in the first place.”
That quote right there … that quote is for the owners of this “team”. The Wilpons. Perfect quote for you guys. A rich dude and his son who know jack shit about the game of baseball. A bunch of fools with money who run the team like they are walking around blind without a cane … and first place only comes to those who are lucky … only these fools with money have only bad luck. Maybe one day these clowns will sell the team. Maybe one day real baseball people will run the Mets and they’ll be legit. Maybe one day we won’t be the laughing stock of baseball.
“Gordon Gekko: Fox, where the hell are you? I am losing MILLIONS! You got me into this airline and you sure as hell better get me out or the only job you’ll ever have on the Street is SWEEPING IT! You hear me, Fox?
Bud Fox: You once told me, don’t get emotional about stock. Don’t! The bid is 16 1/2 and going down. As your broker, I advise you to take it.
Gordon Gekko: Yeah. Well you TAKE IT!
[shouts]
Gordon Gekko: *Right in the ass you fucking scumbag cocksucker!*
Bud Fox: It’s two minutes to closing, Gordon. What do you want to do? Decide.
Gordon Gekko: [calms down] Dump it.”
That string of quotes there … that is what the Mets should do with this season. Dump it. It’s already turned to shit with the apparent voodoo curse that has been placed squarely on the bruised asses of this team and it’s fan base. Half the team is gone with injuries and the Bad News Bears have taken over. If you have a pile of shit, the best thing to do is flush it. No one likes to find a bunch of shit sitting around in their toilet. The stench in Flushing is just too much to handle. Do us all a favor and flush this team. It’s time to wave the white flag.
All I hear about lately is how the Mets need to make a trade. We need a big bat, we need this, we need that. The only trades the Mets should be making is unloading some of the petrified donkey dung that is clogging up this roster. This team needs a freakin’ enema. If any trades are made … it should be to unload guys like Luis Castillo, Brian Schneider, Oliver Perez, Tim Redding, etc. etc. etc. Unfortunately, no one wants any of our overpriced manure. You get the idea though … the only trades I want to hear about are ones like this. Unload the crap and freshen up this miserable pigpen.
Making a trade for a “big bat”, at this point, would be totally asinine. I keep hearing fans calling up the radio stating that the Mets need to trade for a big bat. Ok … so lets go ahead and trade away more of the farm for a rental like Matt Holliday, who will be here for 3 months, and basically do nothing to help this team. What is Matt Holliday going to do for a team who has 4 other holes that can’t be fixed? Here’s a better idea … Make a trade for Adam Dunn. Lets give up top prospects for this guy. He was a free agent and the Mets didn’t want to spend the money on him last winter. The logical thing to do would be to not sign Adam Dunn when he was a free agent, let him sign elsewhere, panic and give up the farm for him 3 months later. That is the definition of stupidity.
Enough with this garbage. There is not one trade that miraculously makes this team play fundamentally sound. One big bat doesn’t make guys stop dropping balls and it doesn’t make the manager smarter and it sure doesn’t make the GM manage a roster correctly. One trade also doesn’t help the owners of this team get a fucking clue.
The only trades that help is to get rid of the garbage and stop mortgaging the future of this team. Mets fans … Just accept it. Wave the white flag.
Oh and one other thing. Mr. Johan Santana … can you please shut the hell up? You acted like a fucking child on the field tonight. The kid is 20 years old and you’re the fucking ace. Don’t walk the pitcher on 4 pitches and throw a temper tantrum. Act like a fucking ace and pick him up, and shut your damn mouth.
I’ve fucking had it.
1 CommentNow Maine to the DL. The injury bug on this Mets team has reaped havoc this season. The Mets simply can not sustain the losses from injuries. They are now 4 games back in the division. I’m just going to accept that the Phillies will win this thing. Yes it’s early, but I’m realistic.
Now the Mets after losing 2 of 3 to the Phils will have to play the Yankees this weekend with Livan Hernandez in the first game and a big fat question mark in the second game, in which Maine was slated to pitch. My expectations are low. I’ll be happy if the Mets can squeak out one win. Anything more than that is a bonus.
My message to the fans … just accept it. It will be easier on you. My message to Mets management … just accept it. Don’t make any stupid trades out of panic. That will only hurt the team long term.
As for tonight’s game … just look at the image in the post below.
No CommentsThe more things change the more things stay the same, so it seems with the Mets and the Phillies.
Last night the Mets played with toughness, played with heart, stormed out the gate strong, fizzled at the end, and made a couple of errors at the worst time that cost them the game. (Unfortunately by the two best players on the field) The Mets also left 16 on base. Another small army.
On the other hand, the Phillies were more efficient with their base runners and made a great defensive play, which saved the game while robbing David Wright of a game winning hit all in one swift dive. It was a very painful loss. It’s a real shame too, because Mike Pelfrey was so close to becoming a man, like Johan Santana.
This seems to happen a lot. In other words … The Phillies are “Mola Ram”, the villain from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom … and the Mets are the poor soul getting his heart ripped out … so are all the Mets fans. One by one … our hearts get ripped out…
After 7 innings, 5 earned runs and 4 home runs allowed to the Phillies, Jerry Manuel came out to give Santana the hook. Johan, visibly angry, screamed while storming off the field, “I’m a Man!!”.
Johan simply wanted to clarify to those of us who were not sure. Did some of us think he was a boy? A woman? A hot dog vendor? Maybe a lion or a bulldog? Did we think he was the spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi? Or maybe we didn’t think he was a man at all, because we thought he was a machine … a strike throwing machine who never loses games.
So was Johan screaming that he is a man, because he felt Jerry was questioning his masculinity, or was he simply trying to tell everyone that he is merely a mortal like the rest of us? Maybe that’s what Johan was trying to say…
“I’m just a man”.
Whatever the case may be, last night Johan looked like just that, just a man. Still, he was just a man who won again. Even on a night when he didn’t have it, he managed to get through 7 innings with a lead and got his team, and himself, another win in the books. He did so against the first place Phillies, who are no easy lineup to navigate, even on nights when Johan is more than just a man.
Luckily for Johan, the offence picked him up last night. What I liked though, about his performance, was how he wanted to stay in the game and wanted the ball. He was not happy about being taken out of the game and he let his manager know it. Jerry made the right decision, but I’m glad to see that Johan was pissed about coming out and pissed about his line. I guess those who cried about Johan not being tough can’t label him that anymore. Afterall, he’s a man.
“Nice Park”.
Speaking of offense, after a lot of hoopla caused by Chipper Jones earlier in the day, when he went to the media with a quote about David Wright on not liking pitcher friendly Citi Field … Citi Field was looking a lot like Coors Field last night. Home runs were flying out all over the place. Before the game, David had to tell the media how much he really does like Citi Field, and once the game started proved it by hitting a home run. I guess David just needed to show everyone that Citi Field isn’t a problem for his power. Come to think of it, of his 4 homers this season, 3 of them are at Citi … so take that Chipper.
It wasn’t just Wright though … it was Church and Beltran … Howard and Ibanez … Utley and Rollins. They would all like you to know that home runs are no problem at Citi Field. They all made the park look very small last night. I hope the power keeps on coming, but only for the Mets of course.
Pelfrey will have to do what he does best tonight and keep that ball on the ground. One down, two to go. The Mets won the Johan game … now they have to keep up the winning. Keep up the power and keep up the confidence. Lets go!
No Comments
