"THE" Blog From "Vegas Rich" - All NY Mets & More

Ownership In The Way

2010-09-21T09:06:00.000-07:00

Omar is on the way out. That's certainly no secret. It's only a matter of time. His legacy will be dissected by Mets fans forever as they do whenever a Manager or a GM or just about every player who leaves this disjointed and disassociated franchise.

To say that the Mets are in disarray is putting it mildly. Recently the ownership, specifically Jeff Wilpon, has been under sever criticism and scrutiny for his meddling and trying to be too involved with the baseball operation of the team. Duh! It's his team and the last time I looked if you were the owner of any company in America you could clearly do whatever the hell you pleased whether it is determined to be good or bad for the organization. In Wilpons case it's clearly bad.

Whether you believe the Madoff scandal affected the running of the Mets organization, it didn't really doesn't matter. Would the Mets have spent more than the 130 million already this year to field a better product? Would Wilpon have left Minaya to do his job without the so called interference he's received? Who knows.

Here's my beef and whomever the reader chooses to blame for this discrepancy I will gladly leave it up to them. Flashback to 2005. The Mets were starting to make some seriously good moves in player personnel to put the team back into contention in the National League East. The Braves were getting older and falling on hard times. Much celebration in my household with that news I assure you. The Phillies were an upcoming threat based on their fine farm system that was was being built from the ground up and would surely be contenders over the next couple of years.

The 2006 Mets were without a doubt one of the two or three best teams in all baseball and you will not get any serious arguments about that. Willie Randolph, although a relatively young and inexperienced manage,r was doing well enough despite some concerns about the way he was handling the pitchers. But he had Peterson, the "Guru of Oakland" by his side and mediocre pitchers like Oliver Perez and John Maine were on their way to 15 win seasons.

The vastly better managed St. Louis Cardinals ended the 2006 dream with a called third strike which had followed the greatest defensive catch in Mets history. It was a bitter pill to be swallowed and Carlos Beltran, perhaps one of the best players of his generation has never been forgiven for that called third strike.

Perhaps here was when the ownership started to interfere with the baseball operations of the team. The collapse of 2007 and 2008, the firing of Willie Randolph, the hiring of that loser Jerry Manuel, and the rash of injuries and questions about the Mets medical procedures have lead us to where we are.

In the meantime, The Braves have become resurgent and the Phillies who was the first team in baseball history to lose 10,000 games is on their way to competing in three straight World Series. Ugh!. The Phillies we are talking about. Are you kidding me? Except for a brief spell in the late 70's through 1983 they were the laughing stock of all baseball. The fifth largest city in the United States and an ownership that was so cheap if they bought a cheese steak at Ginos or Pats they would pull out half the meat to resell it themselves.

First they build a state of the art new stadium created for the team they are building. Then the pocketbook opens up the they are able to outbid the super power houses of the baseball world, The Yankees and the Red Sox for the likes of Cliff Lee, Raul Ibanez, Roy Oswald and the best pitcher in the game bar none, Roy Halliday who just happened to win his 20th game of the season last night and virtually bury the Atlanta Braves.

Players want to go to Philadelphia. Can you believe that? I have trouble believing it because I spent 20 years 10 miles from the Vet and it was the worst stadium I ever had the privilege to attend. What a dump.

The Mets call themselves a big market franchise? That is without a doubt the biggest joke on the planet. In order to get back into the hunt it's going to take a lot more than a new General Manager and a new Manager. What it's going to take is a brand new owner or a complete turnaround on the part of Jeff Wilpon which is as likely as his money being returned by Bernie Madoff.

I am not a doom and gloom guy. Many of you know reading my "Anatomy of a Franchise" series by attending the opening day game on April 12th 1962 at the Polo Grounds that my fan hood bleeds orange and blue. That's why I'm in total despair as I see and relive 1989 all over again.

For my younger Mets fans I would say as Bon Jovi once beautifully said "Keep The Faith". However if you're a New Yorker as I am in my mind and in my heart this is not an easy process. Seriously you can probably kiss 2011 and 2012 goodbye right now as this team needs to be rebuild from the ground up. I truly believe that trading Reyes and or Wright is not the the answer because their best years are still ahead of them but with that said, major changes are going to have to take place and if that means to trade away top players for prospects and develop markets like Cuba, Korea, Japan, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican then maybe pulling the plug on Omar may not be the right thing to do.

Like it or not, the Latin players are the immediate future for the game of baseball. 10 years from now it will be China and whoever gets there first will reek the benefits. Can anyone guess why the Yankees are already getting so involved there? Let's face the facts, the bottom line is the ownership, the Wilpon's, must go. If not, I know for sure that I'll never see a championship flag fly over Citi Field.

I'm going on 66 and plan to hang around here until I'm at least 85 and I'd really like to see at least a World Series appearance. My biggest nightmare however is a recurring dream that sees the Phillies and the Braves taking turns playing the Skankees every year in the World Series and seeing Carlos Beltran in a Braves uniform hitting a Grand Slam with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th three runs behind and winning game seven. Oh my God!

Breaking a Promise

2010-09-06T07:53:00.000-07:00

I usually keep my promises and I think a did a good job on this one but I have finally broken down and decided it was time enough to make my comments about my beloved New York Mets.

The promise was a simple one I made in Spring Training because of the major conflict I was having about my rooting status for this team. You see I spent the entire 2009 season bashing the manager of this God forsaken club Jerry Manuel because, although he might be a great guy and a wonderful manager to play for, I really doubt that, but I'm not in the clubhouse, I really believe he may be, along with Art Howe, one of the worst managers not only in Mets history but in all baseball for all time.

I spent article after article after article clearly pointing out his mis use of the pitchers, his in ability to make a starting lineup where players would find themselves playing everyday to, and most important, his in game decisions that cost the Mets no fewer than 10 games last year and subsequently at least that many or more this year.

My promise however has not stopped me from watching every single game they've played this year from the first pitch until the last one but also attending road games in San Diego, LA, San Francisco, Phoenix, Colorado, and Philadelphia. I will not let anyone tell me that I don't know what I'm talking about when it comes to the Mets.

Manuel must share the blame of this teams failure to be consistent and win on a regular basis. Omar Minaya, hopefully in his last year as the General Manage,r has once again shown that he reacts to situations rather than take the initiative and make decisions regarding players prior to the disasters that happen constantly to this team.

I'm not going to rehash what should have been done after the fact because that has already been beaten to death by other more qualified writers than myself. I'd like to address what to do from this point of the season with less than 30 games left to play.

Time has run out on both Manuel and Minaya. Why bother to let them finish the season? Do they deserve to? I think not. If Ricci is or is not the new Mets GM for next year give him the interim title right now. It's not that he could do anything in the final 3 weeks of the season anyway but it would give him a head start on the winter meetings and the hot stove arena which he will be thrust into. If he's not the man for the job, well it's no big deal as a title means nothing if you're not able to accomplish anything anyway.

Jerry, bye bye as well. Lets bring Bachman or anybody else to be the interim manager as well. My reasoning for this is we have brought the main club our top players from AA and AAA for this final run to nowhere and personally I'd rather have anybody else for their induction into the big leagues than Jerry Manuel.

In addition to those two firings, (finally) I would shut down, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Johann Santana immediately. Reyes and Santana are easy ones. They are still hurt to some degree and despite their competitiveness they are susceptible for re injury more than any other players on the team. As for Beltran I'm not as concerned for him to re injure himself as I am to see what some of the new guys can show during the final weeks of the season. Besides, Beltran must be made accountable for waiting so long to have the surgery on his leg thus keeping him out for the first half of the season. He is a lame duck center fielder for the Mets next year unless he decides he will need to play his ass off in his final contract year. Having the next three weeks off should give him something to think about for the winter.

Maybe somebody should make the decision on Bobby Parnell one way or the other. He's either your full time closer or he's not. Make up your mind already. For me, if I have a guy who hits triple figures on the radar gun, I want him as my closer. That why Bard will be the closer in Boston next year and Papelbaum will be pitching somewhere else.

A number of things are for certain. Attendance is way down and you can't blame that only on the economy. We could have got Halliday and we chose the wrong guy. Enough money could have kept for us Billy Wagner who would have been our 8th inning answer and the replacement when Francisco went bazonkers on his girl friends father. Castillo should have just plain released and Jenrry Mejia should have spent the entire year learning how to start in AAA, but I promised not to dwell on the past.

Do I feel 2011 could be a turning point year? Well maybe a little. I see 2012 being the year we will actually be back in the hunt. Next year our new manager and GM will have to be on the same page and the ownership who has spent money foolishly needs to lock up their key players and show confidence in their personnel and try to sell the team so we can stop hearing about the money Madoff cost them. How about Mark Cuban? Now he would be a breath of fresh air and we would have a championship flag flying above Citi Field.

Vegas Rich is officially back!

Poll: Will the 4 unions & CCSD be able to settle the budget without any job changes?

2010-04-23T09:16:00.000-07:00

Poll: Will the 4 unions & CCSD be able to settle the budget without any job changes?

Enough Already?

2010-04-17T00:17:00.000-07:00

Those who know me, those who follow my "Sound Offs" on "Vegas Unwrapped", or on these and other hallowed Blog pages know if nothing else, I rarely hit the panic button nor do I demand change for the sake of change only or because of one incident alone.

It takes a lot to rattle these old bones especially when it comes to making changes in the Mets organization, particularly with the man at the helm, for it has always been my opinion that a manager does just that, manage. He doesn't pitch one pitch, steal one base, or score one run. He is there to use his considerable skills in motivating his players to do their best and on really very few occasions will make a move within a game that can clearly determine it's outcome.

This is a double edge sword for me. I want the Mets to do well, but I know if they don't the days of the Omar and Jerry show will soon be at an end. Yea!

Jerry Manuel clearly is an exception to that rule. He has mismanaged this team almost from the day he inherited it, because the Mets upper management felt they needed a "fall guy" for the collapse of 2007. I just wonder how many Mets fans today are sorry for the events that early June morning in California nearly two years ago.

Without prolonging and justifying for what seems like the 100th time, I have spoken not too kindly about Mr Manuel, I will say that this season is beginning to really drain my patience

I have been a Mets fan since April 12th 1962 and have gone through hell and back with them for the past 48 years. I suffered through the bad and rejoiced through the amazing but I have never for one day lost sight that this team has always been capable of doing so much better than it has done and I have clearly laid the blame at the feet of the ownership with the Wilpon's being right up there with the worst of the worst.

With that said let's get back to Jerry. I'm going to use tonight's game not with 20/20 hindsight because that is the simple way, but to tell you hear and now that I was screaming at the TV long before the incidents happened which definitely cost this team an opportunity to help get back on track which they are pressing so hard to do.

Let's start where it does start and that's the bottom of the sixth inning. The Mets were up 1-0 thanks in part to the fine pitching performance of everybody's favorite whipping boy, ( unless John Maine is pitching that game) Oliver Perez, who held the Cardinals to no runs and four hits in six solid innings on the hill. Having already made Albert Pujols seem almost human for one night while not having to face his latest partner in crime, Matt ( I should have been a Met ) Holliday, Perez held a precarious 1-0 lead.

After giving up a lead off single and a sacrifice bunt Manuel decided he had seen seen enough of Perez despite striking out four and walking three. Perez had reached 97 pitches for the night and I'm not faulting his removal. What I am faulting is Jerry's history of overusing his bullpen and tiring out his pitchers. Lets take Fernando Nieve, who was in competition for the 5th spot in the rotation with Jon Niese. He didn't win the spot but looked liked the ideal long man for the bullpen since he has already been "stretched out" to go more than an inning or perhaps two. The problem is then just how often do you use such a pitcher. The general knowledge from pitching coaches throughout the majors is to use a pitcher like that maybe 2 or possibly but no more than 3 times a week.

This was his 6th appearance in 10 games. Come on. All he did was hit Schumaker and walked Holliday leaving it open for Valdez to come in and give up the granny to Lopez, who just by the way, was available all winter long while we re-committed ourselves to that brilliant power hitter from both sides of the plate Luis Castillo.

That brings me to the ninth where the Mets tried to come back and almost did except their manager is a moron and needs to be taken behind the barn and taught a little game management. Here it is 2 out and Jerry has already made a tremendous blunder by having Angel Pagan pinch run and takes his potent bat out of the lineup. So Pagan is at second and who is standing at the plate with a chance to tie the game? Remember, the outfield is playing a little shallower because they know this "punch and judy" hitter is not going to bust one over their heads. It's none other than the 6 million dollar a season man Luis Castillo.

So you say, what are Jerry's alternatives? He thinks Castillo is the best alternative. Really? One might argue that Alex Cora is no better in that spot. Others might think Homero Blanco would be no better either. I believe either one of them would be better and here's why.

The Mets who did get on in the ninth jumped on Ryan Franklin's first pitch because it was always a fastball in and around the plate. The reason for this was because he was struggling getting his other pitchers over. Castillio's notorious for not swinging at the first pitch regardless of where it is. He hardly ever swings at the second or the third pitches either. He generally waits until he is either behind in the count or has two strikes on him, always. So what does Franklin do? He lays one right down the center of the middle of the plate, a perfectly hittable pitch, perhaps a game tying or game winning pitch to be hit by anyone who swings a bat.

But noooooo, Castillo doesn't take this opportunity to be a winner. He never does and when he gets his obligatory two strike count he weakly grounds a ball to short and is easily thrown out to see another Mets loss put in the books.

The blame here?. Directly on Jerry Manuel,s shoulders, with an assist from Omar Minaya. Those supposedly in the know say nothing will change until at least May 1st. Why? Must the Mets lose eight out of their next ten to make the change?

Do it tonight in the middle of the night. It won't be the first time and Bobby Valentine's Baseball Tonight Show has already been put to bed.

A Ray of Hope Springs Eternal

2010-04-05T22:02:00.000-07:00

Today, opening day, the optimists ruled. The naysayers out there already have their rebuttals. "You had Santana pitching, you should have won. Now lets see what you've got".

Perhaps they are right. Certainly 2009, nor this most recent spring training has given even the most loyal Mets fans some ill conceived notions that this team will win the NL East going away in a wire to wire race.

Plus the fact, regardless if you win or lose on opening day, whether it's a blow out like today's victory over the Florida Marlins or it's a walk off hit, you are always reminded that this is a 162 game season and there's still plenty of games to be played.

Fortunately the Mets have a pretty solid major league leading winning percentage on opening day despite losing that opener in it's first eight seasons. They are 32-9 since then and although you would like to believe that would carry through the 162 game schedule, more often than not, it hasn't happened that way for the Mets.

The obvious pluses, those the optimists expected to see where apparent from the very first inning. Johan Santana put the Marlins down in order. In fact he got the first seven batters out before giving up his first hit. No no hitter today!

You just had to know that David Wright has been counting down the days since last October to this day simply tired of hearing all the negativity about how he's lost his power, how his strike outs had increased, how he lunged at bad pitches and how he just couldn't keep up with a good fastball. The smile that he wore as he rounded the bases after lofting one right down the right field line to put the Mets out in front to an early 2-0 must have his legion of fans in happy tears.

Other expected positives the optimists had believed would happen simply did. Jason Bey, Gary Matthews Jr, and Rod Barajas each collected two hits and Bey's triple inspired us all to think that we can't wait for the return of Jose Reyes who is a triple machine.

Despite leaving 13 runners on base, the Mets did score seven runs on nine hits which means they hit in the clutch today something you couldn't find with a telescope last year.

I loved the play of Gary Matthews Jr in centerfield today as he seem to be roaming the outfield on a team of Wells Fargo stallions. I lost count after the first eight putouts he made while the Marlins center fielder, the much heralded Cameron Maybin, seemed lost out there in the vastness of windy Citi-Field.

What I didn't expect but what I only had hoped for was the brilliance of the Mets bullpen and how they completely shut down the mighty hitting Marlins who are supposed to challenge along with the Braves, the Phillies for the NL East crown.

After Santana who went six solid innings giving up one run on six hits, Jerry Manuel turned to Fernando Nieve who was Jonathan Niese's competition for the fifth slot in the rotation. Nieve who had impressed the Mets management last year when all hell was breaking loose also found his way to the DL and was sidelined for the remainder of the season.

Manuel didn't waste any time to find out what spot Nieve would be in. Last year, despite the injuries, the pitching staff had that major bugaboo of walking a gazillion batters putting themselves in situations that could only lead to disaster. Jerry spoke early and often that this year had to be different or else those who couldn't get those strikes and let the fielders play their game would not be around long enough to matter.

So here's what Nieve did today. Two innings, two hits, two k's, 36 pitches 23 of them strikes. That is very nice. Francisco Rodriguez closed out the ninth with one ground ball and two fly outs on 14 pitches which eight were strikes. Very optimistic results even if it was only Game One.

So now comes the fun. After a day off tomorrow the Mets will throw John Maine at the Marlins on Wednesday night and Jonathan Niese on Thursday. Friday when the Washington Nationals come to town most probably licking their wounds from the pounding the Phillies put on them today and will probably continue, they will hope to get well against Mike Pelfrey and Ollie Perez before having to face Johan Santana on Sunday with a healthy and ready Jose Reyes in the starting lineup.

By the way, I was surprised and delighted to see Alex Cora make a terrific play on a ball hit in the hole today. He's certainly no Reyes and not even as defensively sound as a Reuben Tejada but it was sparkling nevertheless.

OK then optomists, today we had our day in the sun and have the next 36 hours to bask in our victory, but beware there are those so called "Mets Realists" that are just waiting and lurking out there to try to ruin our fun. Well, you just never know, they may be waiting a long time in 2010 and may have to get some very heavy wash cloths, because from what I understand egg is very very very difficult to clean off your face.

Lets Go 1-0 Mets!

On a Brighter Note

2010-04-01T05:08:00.000-07:00

We are now a weekend away from the start of the 2010 Major League Baseball Season and New York Mets fans all over the planet are pulling out their remaining hair and saying to anyone who will listen "Oh no, here we go again"..

Well not so fast. True the season will start with a 1/3rd of their starting team on the Disabled List but unlike last year when more than half the starters seemed to be out most of the year, this year the Mets are prepared for injuries and the substitutes they put out on the field will not resemble the 2009 version of "The
Little Sisters of the Poor"..

If Spring Training has shown Mets fans anything other than thank goodness it's over,is the fact that the players down on the farm are hardly as bad as the media has depicted them to be. Players like Ike Davis, Fernando Martinez, Josh Thole, Jenrry Mejia, Nick Evans and Rueben Tejada, to just name a few, have given Mets fans an opportunity to see a brighter future even if they may struggle in 2010.

There's more. Chris Carter and Frank Catalanotto are certified Major League quality bench players who are fighting for the final spot on the roster. Further down the farm sits Brian Holt, Wilmer Florez, Reese Havens, ( I almost said Richie) and Scott Bowman.

Yes, the starting pitchers have had a rough spring but if you have followed Spring Training statistics for as long as I have you would know not to take them too seriously.

For my younger readers I'll give a prime example that you can relate to. Just as recently as last spring, 2009, a young pitcher for the Kansas City Royals was getting his ass handed to him prior to the opening of the season. In about six or it might have been seven appearances he gave up somewhere between 30 and 40 runs about a gazillion hits, more walks than strike outs and if he was on the Yankees or Red Sox squad he never would have seen the likes of a major league ball park.

His name, Zack Greinke. I rest my case.

Johan Santana is still one of the five best pitchers in baseball. The triumvirate of Mike Pelfrey, Ollie Perez, and John Maine can very well win 45 games between them and Jon Niese who may have one of the best curve balls seen in years in Queens can be a true ace in years to come.

David Wright has hit half as many home runs in 5 weeks this spring than he did in the entire 2009 season. Wright is right again and despite his .300+ average last year he very well may win the comeback player of the year after all.

Jason Bey has been nothing short of excellent this spring and is coming on strong as Monday's opener nears. He's hit 4 homers which were flat out bombs, four doubles,10 rbi's and an awesome .414 OBP and an even more impressive .673 slugging percentage.

Now the naysayers out there are probably saying "sure you can discount the crappy pitching but you throw positive offensive stats out there at the same time. Sounds like hypocrisy to me". Actually it's not, because over the years hitters with a good spring usually carry that over into the season while pitchers do not simply because they are not throwing their game pitches most of the time. Again, Zack Greinke.

Now all of a sudden the Mets fans favorite whipping boy, Daniel Murphy, is out from 2-6 weeks with a sprained MCL. "Bring up Ike Davis now" they say, but this time, for a change, the organization is not making a rash, impulsive wrong decision. They got Mike Jacobs in the off season and all he did today was slam two HR's. Fernando Tatis will serve as Jacobs backup until Murphy returns while Davis will get his valuable ab's in AAA where he belongs.

Here's the deal from Vegas Rich.

Reyes will be back by week two. Expect to see Carlos Beltran no later than May 20th. Don't be surprised to see Angel Pagan leading the National League in hitting by May 1st. Watch Gary Matthews Jr fill in for both Pagan and Jeff Franceuor and be effective off the bench. See Rueben Tejada make at least one fine defensive play each game that Alex Cora wouldn't have a shot at. Get excited about observing a Frankie Rodriguez looking like the best closer in the game and here's the best yet, and I'm going to get slammed with this prediction.

Be prepared to witness the first no run, no hit game to ever to be pitched by a New York Met in it's team history. It won't be Johan Santana either.

Let's Go Mets and let' get those fair weather fans to close their pie holes once and for all.

MLB Prediction Time for 2010

2010-03-29T10:37:00.000-07:00

The final countdown to the beginning of the MLB season has begun in earnest as we are now 6 days from opening night on ESPN where the Yankees face the Red Sox in what looks to me as it should be some of the closes races for all the divisions in recent years.

CC Sabathia vs. Josh Beckett should stir even the most casual fans as the Yankees attempt to repeat in 2010. They will be missing some key elements from last years championship club. Gone are Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, and Melky Cabrera and with Joba Chamberlain losing the battle for the 5th spot in the rotation to Phil Hughes, some of the experts are concerned that age may be creeping up on them as many of their key players, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada are all 35 years old and above.

Since the steroid issue is being monitored at it's highest level since the testing began a few years back we are seeing less and less of career seasons from this age group. It's nice to see the playing field becoming more level than in the past decade or so.

This still won't stop the Yankees, Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays from fighting it out for the two spots for October baseball. They will clearly be the favorites in the American League along with the two other division winners to play in the post season.

However don't be fooled into believing that the runner up in the Central Division won't be fighting the AL East for the lone Wild Card position. Detroit, Chicago and Minnesota are all very capable of winning 90 plus games this year so all and all this could be real fun.

The two other long shot Wild Card contenders may just come from the AL West where the Angels, Rangers and Mariners are going to have a knock em out drag down battle for that crown.

For the American League that makes it nine teams by my calculations will be battling in September.

The National League may have even more.

The Philadelphia Phiilies, the NL representative in the World Series for the past two seasons with one win and one loss, have their sights set on three straight appearances, something that has not been done in the National league since the St Louis Cardinals from 1942-1944.

Their first challenge for that appears to be coming right out of the NL East where the Atlanta Braves and the Florida Marlins are poised to challenge the Phils. I'm one of the few few writers who actually believe that if the New York Mets can stay healthy this year that they too will be vying for the division crown. Most writers are picking them fourth in the division closer to the Washington Nationals than the eventual winner of the NL East.

If that does in fact happen then there definitely will be changes in the Mets organization starting with the end of the Omar Minaya/Jerry Manuel era which quite frankly suits me just fine.

The Central Division is a crap shoot in that no fewer than five of the six teams can lay on a claim to be in the hunt. The St.Louis Cardinals are and should clearly be the favorites if for nothing else that the top of their rotation could easily win 35-40 wins from Carpenter and Wainwright.

The Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers should be right there and will go as far their starting rotation will allow. The Cubs have to get a Cy Young effort out of Carlos Zambrano and The Brewers bats will have to stay hot all season long.

The Cincinatti Reds and the Houston Astros are the long shots here but to count them out now would be a mistake in my humble opinion. each year it seems the Reds are the sexy, trendy pick to be a dark horse that succeeds but I'm not a big Dusty Baker fan. He ruins pitchers by simply over working them and if that trend continues he will be on the outside looking in perhaps even before the season ends.

The National West is perhaps the most intriguing division in all of baseball. in each of the last few years the bottom feeders of the National league have all improved their teams considerably with perhaps the exception being the San Diego Padres but the Dodgers, Rockies, Diamondback and the Giants are likely to finish the season with perhaps a few as seven games between them. The big question here should be however can any of the teams reach 90 wins?

Personally, I think not.

Ok, so here goes. These are the Official "Vegas Rich" MLB Predictions. Please feel free to pick your own and blast these. I know you will because you always do.

AL EAST AL CENTRAL AL WEST

Red Sox 95-67 Tigers 89-73 Angels 90-72
Rays 91-71 Twins 88-74 Rangers 88-74
Yankees 88-74 White Sox 85-76 Mariners 82-80
Blue Jays 74-88 Indians 75-87 Athletics 72-90
Orioles 73-89 Royals 73-89

AL Playoffs

Red Sox 3 Tigers 1
Rays 3 Angels 2

Red Sox 4
Angels 3

NL EAST NL CENTRAL NL WEST

Phillies 92-70 Cardinals 88-74 Rockies 89-73
Mets 88-74 Brewers 86-76 Dodgers 86-76
Braves 88-74 Reds 84-78 Giants 85-77
Marlins 83-79 Cubs 80-82 Diamondbacks 83-79
Nats 73-89 Astros 79-83 Padres 59-103
Pirates 74-88

NL Playoffs

Mets beat Braves in Tie Breaker Game

Phillies 3 Cardinals 2
Rockies 3 Mets 1

Rockies 4
Phillies 3

World Series: Red Sox 4 Rockies 2

The Spring Dilemma For The NY Mets

2010-03-16T03:22:00.000-07:00

This is the time during Spring Training that all Major League teams starts to cut down on its rosters sending some players down to their Minor League affiliates while others are sent on their way right out of the organization.

The funny thing about this process is that there are very few surprises as to who stays and who goes. Sometimes a young player with just a little minor league experience makes such an outstanding impression the management feels that he is ready for the big leagues and they can't see him not being with the parent club.

Steven Strasburg of the Washington Nationals comes to mind this year as he has not allowed a run in three appearances so far. It was expected that the number one overall player in last years draft would start the year perhaps even as high as AAA. He did have an advantage of playing college ball under Hall of Fame great Tony Gwinn but still there would seem to be no real reason to rush him into the fray. It's not like the Nationals will be in the playoff hunt this year.

On Sirius/XM Radio yesterday Rob Dibble, who I love as a color commentator and sports talk show host, said when he was in his first couple of years of Spring Training and he knew he wasn't going to make the Reds big club he actually asked the team to cut him early enough so he could get more work in the level he would be playing at.Amazing.

For the Mets as they start their cuts the big controversy, at least among the Mets faithful, revolves around whether or not K-Mart (Fernando Martinez)and Jenrry Mejia, the young pitching sensation, should be on the big club at the opening of the season.

It has been well chronicled that Martinez, still only 21 years old, has been the Mets best prospect for the past five years and has a history of injuries. During the injury fest of 2009 K-Mart, as he is affectionately called, had what's known as a cup of coffee with the Mets and was not very effective with a batting average just somewhat north of 100.

He was and is still slated, according to Mets General Manager Omar Minaya, to start the season at AAA Buffalo and if he does well he should see action with the Mets no later than September 1st.

The problem is, he's tearing the cover off the ball, this spring after an excellent showing in the Caribbean World Series. Right now it looks like Angel Pagan, who had a walk off Home Run yesterday, will begin the season in Center Field until the return of perennial All Star Carlos Beltran.

Newly acquired Gary Matthews Jr. is also having a torrid spring and will definitely make the team as it's 4th outfielder again once until Beltran's return. If that be the case where would Martinez fit in? Personally, and what most writers and fans agree on is that Martinez needs to play everyday and Buffalo is the obvious place for him to be.

Mejia's situation is even more complex. From here it doesn't look like the Mets organization has decided what their expectations are of the role that Mejia will play. Is he a starter, perhaps even a top of the rotation starter, or can he become a lights out closer?

There is a case for both sides. He can crank it up to 98 mph on the gun and is developing some pretty good secondary pitches. He has drawn favorable comparisons to Dwight Gooden who at Mejias age, 20, was already dominating Major League batters. That in of itself is not too shabby.

The other comparison has been to Mariano Rivera who some are already calling the greatest closer in the history of the game. His "cutter" over the years has been practically un-hittable and his post season performances have become legendary.

Former Met and Yankee, Darryl Strawberry ha said that Mejia's "cutter" is just as good as Rivera's and the Mets need to use him right now, this season, in the pen.

So what are the Mets to do. Jerry Manuel, not my favorite Mets manager, to say the least, has said Mejia could wind up as the 8th inning specialist this year if all falls into place.

What the Mets must be concerned about is not falling into what I call the "Jaba Catch". The Yankees have perhaps ruined this guys chances for super stardom as they vacillate between having him in the bullpen and as a starter. Most pitching experts agree that the transition from starter to reliever is much easier and likely to be more successful than the other way around.

So the Mets must decide which way to go with Mejia. I just want them to make a decision either way and more important, stick to it. What it comes down to, as I see it, is what's the better long term solution. You have Frankie Rodriguez as your closer for the next two years. Mejia, if on the big club, would serve as the apprentice waiting to move into the closers role in 2012 if the Mets chose not to resign K-Rod.

If he goes to the Minors he would have at least a year or maybe two to develop his arsenal of pitches and at 22 he could become the ace of the staff for the next 10 to 15 years. My opinion, which amounts to nothing more than a hill of beans, is that Mejia and Martinez need to be sent down to develop. I think in the long run that would give the Mets the best opportunity to compete for the playoffs for years to come.

Agree? Dis-agree? Your thoughts and comments are appreciated.

Way Too Soon To Panic

2010-03-14T04:03:00.000-07:00

Here it is, one day before "The Ides of March" and the so called pendents as well as the vast majority of the Mets faithful are in full panic mode and have come to bury Caesar long before the body is cold.

Come on everybody 2009 was officially over on Oct 3rd or if you believe in the Julius Caesar calendar how about 11:59PM and 59 seconds on December 31st.

Just because two out the top five players will not be in the starting lineup on opening day and the so called starting rotation has looked a trifle bit shaky three weeks into spring training, it doesn't mean we should holding our Hari Kari swords about 18 inches from the point of entry.

It's true that I have been a Mets fan since opening day 1962 and believe me there were years that the season was over before the first pitcher threw a their first fastball in February.

It wasn't until the spring of 1968 did any Met fan on the planet see this team with the possibility of showing some real competition between the lines. Seaver and Kooseman were young arms with a world of potential and the manager was a patient man who was going to observe his team very carefully for the entire season and make the adjustments to turn them into a perennial winner and contender for years to come.

But I am digressing a bit here so let's flash forward to 2010. What is it going to take from the Mets organization to put a winning and competitive team out there and challenge the Phillies while keeping pace with the Braves and the Marlins as well.

Are we closer to last place than to first?

I don't think so. Outside of Mets training camp all the talk has been about the injuries to Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes and why it's "Deja Vu" all over again. No!, it is not by a long stretch of the imagination. Let's take a better look.

In the case of Beltran who started off the 2009 like a house on fire and seemed to be heading for his best season as a Met, Carlos had his surgery in January, not May, not June of 2010, but in January. Early reports said we wouldn't possibly see him until June. Panic time? NO!

With opening day still three weeks away now we are hearing the possibility for a mid April return. Not too shabby.

For Jose we are hearing anywhere between two and eight weeks, but that started a week ago, not yesterday, and since this been a mild thyroid case, according to medical experts, a return by May 1st is certainly not out of the question.

I remember and Angels team as recently as last year that had none of it's starters ready for opening day and winding up taking the Yankees to six games for a World series appearance.

My worst nightmare is to see an opening defense with Alex Cora and Luis Castillo moving in slow motion for a ball hit up the middle. Oh no, that thought is in real time.

Rueben Tejada is a very acceptable one month replacement.

Here's what I have seen so far that has me greatly encouraged.

David Wright has three spring home runs and he is looking very comfortable at the plate and not lunging after fastballs that he couldn't catch up to last year.

I like that Mike Pelfrey got banged around against Boston in the first inning and then bounced right back and threw three almost unhittable innings striking out batters in the process.

I liked that Ollie Perez is in the best shape of his life and is also throwing strikes. Four hit-less innings wasn't all that shabby either.

I like the fact that Nelson Figueroa doesn't look 35 and would my choice as the fifth starter ahead of both Jon Niese and Fernando Nieve who are both quite capable of pitching in the five spot.

I like the energy and emotion that Jeff Francoeur is bringing to this club and for those of you who think his totals for the Mets last year were an aberration, you are all in for a big surprise.

I like that Fernando Martinez and Ike Davis are tearing the cover off the ball and with 400 ab's in AAA these two guys may still contribute to the big club before the end of the season.

I like the professionalism that Jason Bey has brought to the team. For those of you who don't believe he is a 25/100 guy, you are dreadfully wrong.

I like the way that Daniel Murphy gets better everyday both in the field and in the box. I watched every inning of every game last year and this guy doesn't know the meaning of quit. There will be a lot less pressure on him this year and I expect a very solid if not outstanding performance from him. No he isn't Keith Hernandez of John Olerude but he's only 24 and he will wind up to be a very productive player in 2010.

I like the fact that those who see our farm system as weak and without depth need to look no further than 20 year old pitching sensation Jenry Mejia who is already drawing comparisons to Dwight Gooden and Mariano Rivera.

I like the catching situation with two extremely capable veterans in Barojas and Blanco being there to mentor future catcher Josh Thole who has Major League written all over himself.

What I like the best is that this years New York Mets will be underestimated by every team they play this year and like Tampa Bay of 2008 this Mets team is going to surprise a lot of people, especially it's fans and those who cover this team in the media.

Most of you reading this are probably thinking this guy's nuts and the Mets will be closer to last place then to first by seasons end and that's your right to believe and think that way. I just want to go on record early enough to pick the team for a definite run for the playoffs in 2010. Playoffs? Did he really say playoffs?

Yes I did and living here in Vegas I get the opportunity to put my money where my mouth is. Right now the Mets over and under for the season is 81 wins. Are you kidding me? They will have 81 wins by September 10th. You heard it here first and blast me if you will but mark this one down and take it to the bank.

Let's Go Mets!

Is There a Doctor in the House?

2010-01-15T12:40:00.000-08:00

The saga continues. Once again the question arises when it comes to the Mets medical staff and the organization leadership, does the left hand know what the right hand is doing?

Obviously not. With so many players injured during the course of the 2009 season and the way the players were or were not treated medically correct sparked a very real concern among Mets fans everywhere. Of course it really goes back to the 2008 season with the handling of Ryan Church and his concussions.

I had hoped to put the disaster of 2009 behind me and start writing positive articles about the team I love. I have been quiet during this off season primarily because there is not anything more that has to be said regarding the UGLY 2009 season.

I have ripped Manager Jerry Manuel and his boss Genereal Manager Omar Miniya to the core last season. However, I have no choice since they have both been retained to start the 2010 campaign, I have to pick up where I left off. Omar has been overall very good in the offseason. It is his "non moves", especially at the trade deadline, that has frustrated me during his reign.

I am especially happy with the acquasition of Jason Bey and despite what others may say, I believe Benji Molina would be a move in the right direction. I would also be quite satisfied adding either Ben Sheets, Joel Piniero or Gil Meche to the Mets pitching staff but all that for another article.

Now back to Carlos Beltran. Yesterday, the Mets brass came unglued when they found out that Beltran had surgery on his knee Wednesday morning. They said he didn't inform the team as they wanted Carlos to get a third opinion. This comes from John Ricco the Assistant General Manager who held the news conference to pounce all over Carlos.

Omar Miniya was not there as he, along with Jeff Wilpon, were attending an owner's conference somewhere deep inside the Earth's core because communication between these two spokesman didn't take place.

Scott Boras, Beltran's agent defended Carlos by saying the Mets knew about the surgery. According to Boras, the Mets had sent the proper Workmen's Compensation papers to the doctor in Colorado. Now, everybody hates Boras, so nobody believed him thus Carlos Beltran was now the enemy.

Well low and behold today Carlos in a written statement read to the press by Boras, said he did inform the Mets regarding the surgery on Tuesday evening speaking directly to Miniya who in turn wished Carlos good luck and a speedy recovery. It seems Omar failed to let the organization know and now there is so much egg on the face of the Mets organization they will be serving omlettes to the Opening Day crowd.

This organization's history of poor management and decisions is nothing new. The latest faupax, is nothing short of showing the incompetence of this franchise starting right at the top.

Will I stop being a fan? Do I hope the Mets will lose 100 games this year? No, on both counts. I have stuck with them since opening day in 1962 and I will be loyal to them forever.

This doesn't make me happy and if it takes another poor showing in 2010 in order to clean house, again, right from the top, I can live with that as well.

Let's Go Mets and I think someone once said 37 years ago "You Gotta Believe".

The Mets Minors Top Prospects

2010-01-08T08:54:00.003-08:00

JOHN SICKLES of MINOR LEAGUE BALL has posted his view of the Mets Top Twenty Prospects which I will gladly share with you and make some comments on his choices. My comments will be in italics

Top 20 New York Mets Prospects for 2010

All grades are EXTREMELY PRELIMINARY and subject to change. Don't get too worried about exact rankings at this point, especially once you get beyond the Top 10. Grade C+/C guys are pretty interchangeable depending on what you want to emphasize. Complete reports on these and over 1,000 other players will be in the 2010 Baseball Prospect Book, now available for pre-order, shipping on February 2nd!

Star-divide

1) Jenrry Mejia, RHP, Grade B+: He needs to refine his breaking ball and a full year of Double-A/Triple-A is necessary in my view, but he also has number one starter potential. I hope they don't rush him.

This is the highest grading I've received on Mejia which is good. we should be seeing him no later than 2012

2) Wilmer Flores, SS, Grade B+: Considering the age/competition differential, he had a pretty good year. Hard to get a handle on him saber-metrically as a result, but I'll give him some slack.

A possible replacement for Jose Reyes when his contract comes up or very possibly trade bait to get a number one or two for the starting rotation.

3) Fernando Martinez, OF, Grade B+: People are now too negative on him. The guy was the equivalent of a college sophomore last year. If a college sophomore got drafted and hit .290/.337/.540 in Triple-A, people would be drooling over him. He's made significant progress refining his tools. My main concern now is health and durability, which keeps him from ranking higher.

Durability is the key here. He's still only 21 and the Mets are still as high on him as ever.

4) Ike Davis, 1B, Grade B: Showed he could hit for power, also has a fine glove. But I think he looks more like a solid regular than a future star.

Most people in the organization who feel the Mets will stick with Daniel Murphy at first eventually see Ike in the outfield. I'm very OK with that

5) Jon Niese, LHP, Grade B: Assuming the hamstring is OK, I see him as a slightly above average starting pitcher, classic number three guy.

I agree. I see him as a call up from Buffalo this year if one of the starters goes down with injury.

6) Reese Havens, SS, Grade B-: He'll need to switch positions, and health is an issue. Has power and draws walks, and I think the batting average will come up if he stays healthy.

Organization sees him at second base for the future. So do I.

7) Kyle Allen, RHP, Grade B-: Significantly underrated prospect who deserves more attention than he's received. Breakout candidate for '10. I expect this ranking will surprise people.

It surprises me. I hope you're right.

8) Jeurys Familia, RHP, Grade B-: Like his teammate Allen at Savannah, Familia could break through big in '10. This is another ranking I expect will surprise people.

Let's hope so.

9) Brad Holt, RHP, Grade C+: I don't like the way he fell apart in Double-A, but the arm strength still deserves respect. Perhaps he might do better in relief.

I disagree on Holt. He has all the tools to be a solid two or three starter. Definitely needs more innings. I'd like to see him in Buffalo.

10) Ruben Tejada, INF, Grade C+: At worst a fine utility guy, but given his youth (age 20) and contact hitting ability he could get beyond that. I like him as a sleeper for long-term success.

In full agreement here.

11) Kirk Nieuwenhuis, OF, Grade C+: The strikeouts scare me a little, but he has a broad range of skills.

Much bigger upside despite the strikeouts. Potentially a 30 hr- 30 doubles player.

12) Eric Niesen, LHP, Grade C+: You have to love the velocity and movement on his pitches, but command still holds him back.

More seasoning looks like a Randy Wolfe type to me.

13) Jefry Marte, 3B, Grade C+: Didn't handle the rush job as well as Flores did, but he's too young to give up on. Plate discipline a big problem.

If David Wright doesn't resign with the Mets, Marte will be ready by then.

14) Cesar Puello, OF, Grade C: Excellent tools, showed speed and power potential in the Appy League but weak plate discipline worries me. Could rank much higher next year if he handles more advanced pitching.

Tremendous potential when he adds the discipline at the plate.

15) Josh Thole, C, Grade C: He can hit for average, but has no power and defense is mediocre. Sounds like a bench guy to me.

I thought he was more than adequate in his September call. He is being underestimated. Give him 1,000 AB's in the minors, he will be the Mets starting catcher in 2012.

16) Juan Urbina, LHP, Grade C: He was born a week after I got my master's degree. I'm getting really freaking old. Has the raw potential to rank higher than this but let's see him pitch first.

Lefty's are always in demand. Other teams are already scouting him.

17) Steve Matz, LHP, Grade C: I think cold-weather high school pitchers are often underrated in comparison to their warm weather counterparts. We'll see if Matz fits that profile.

Ditto from my comment on Juan.

18) Brent Rustich, RHP, Grade C: If he can stay healthy, he could help in the Mets pen sooner than expected.

Could be a September call up this year.

19) Tobi Stoner, RHP, Grade C: Could contribute in '10 as fifth starter/long relief type.

Nothing but good reports on him so far. We will see how he deals with Port St. Lucie this spring.

20) Dillon Gee, RHP, Grade C: Like Stoner, he can contribute this year, assuming his shoulder rehab has gone well.

September call up most likely.

OTHERS: (Grade C): Eric Beaulac, RHP; Shawn Bowman, 3B; Robert Carson, LHP; Zach Dotson, LHP; Lucas Duda, 1B; Clint Everts, RHP; Carlos Guzman, OF; Zach Lutz, 3B; Roy Merritt, LHP; Scott Moviel, RHP; Sean Ratliff, OF; Aderlin Rodriguez, 3B; Armando Rodriguez, RHP; Nick Santomauro, OF; Josh Satin, UT: Scott Shaw, RHP; Josh Stinson, RHP; Robbie Shields, SS; Nelfi Zapata, C.

Most of those Grade C guys could slot in the 14-20 spots depending on what you emphasize. I am rushed for time on the book and didn't spend hours and hours worrying about the 14-20 Grade C ranks, so please bear with me.

First I want to clarify something I wrote earlier about propaganda and group think surrounding the Mets system. Everyone is vulnerable to the lure of crowd opinion. Even people who regard themselves as independent observers still absorb biases, or conversely, they fight so hard against other people's biases that they go too far in the other direction. This is especially true for any organization which has a substantial media presence surrounding it and a motivated fan base. It cuts both ways: a run-of-the-mill Grade C prospect can easily get over-hyped, but at the same time a guy who is really an excellent prospect can fall victim to unrealistic expectations. Fernando Martinez, as I point out above, is absolutely still an elite prospect, yet people are disappointed in him through no fault of his own.

Part of the problem with analyzing the Mets is the weird way they have handled prospects. Some guys, particularly the Latin American signees, have been rushed way too fast, while others have been handled very cautiously. I'd be a lot more confident in saber-metrically analyzing Wilmer Flores if he'd been playing in the New York-Penn League for example. However, you write your baseball book with the data you have, not the data you wish you had.

On the pitching side, the Mets have something potentially special in Jenrry Mejia, although they really need to be careful about how they handle him in '10. His secondary stuff still needs work, and I think they are asking for trouble if they rush him. Niese is ready now, and while he's not spectacular I think he will have a good career. Holt and Niesen have upside but need to sharpen their command. There are other Grade C types who can help as utility pitchers soon, but I'm very intrigued by the pitching the Mets have gathered in A-ball. Allen and Familia look like breakout candidates to me and I'm going to rank them aggressively. Lefties Matz and Urbina provide some long-distance projection.

On the hitting side, Martinez can still be a star, but he's got to stay healthy. I think 400 Triple-A at-bats would do him a world of good. Flores' numbers in the Sally League aren't great, but he was the youngest guy in the circuit and we have to cut him some slack for that. Ike Davis should be a solid hitter, while Tejada, Havens and Nieuwenhuis can at least be contributors and maybe more. Thole is one of the guys I think is over-hyped. Marte and Puelo have potential but are too raw to rank higher at this stage.

Overall, I think the Mets system is stronger at the top than a lot of people think, but at the same time they could use more depth in Grade C+/B- types. Some of the Cs have the potential to improve greatly.

I think these ranking are very fair and accurate as most projections can be. My biggest disagreement already mentioned is Josh Thole.
I'd also like to see Shawn Bowman get a shot in Flushing.He could be a bench player who has power and could give David Wright a breather or two. I'd rather see David play 150 games instead of 162.

Only time will tell.

The 4-4 Jets Need the Bye Week Now

2009-11-02T21:19:00.000-08:00

I wonder why there is so much fuss about a team that has reached the halfway point in the season and has gone four and four. It must be a New York state of mind. Perhaps I've been away from the Big Apple too long to remember that all New York sports fans want to and expect their team to win every game no matter what. That's what makes them New Yorkers.

There are many fans out there before the beginning of the season who would have been very satisfied with a .500 record before the bye week. The fact that the team started 3-0 including a huge win against the New England Patriots raised their expectations through the roof.

Well the Jets have backed down to earth despite the fact that they totally out played the Dolphins on both sides of the ball in their 30-25 defeat. Somebody, however must have forgot to tell them that Special Teams also need to be on the same page.

This is what Special Teams Coordinator Mike Westhoff said, " this was the absolute worst performance by any of his units in his 27 NFL seasons." Ouch!

When a return artist like Ted Ginn Jr returns one for 100 yards and a score that's a pretty good deal. When he does a second one for 101 yards in the same quarter that's certainly great for him and the Dolphins, but an unimaginable for Jets Special Teams Unit.

This was the first time in my memory that this achievement has been accomplished during my football watching days.

Now Head Coach Rex Ryan has beaten himself up and down and behind the barn, he has given his team the next 6 days to get away from football. He expects that the rest is a good thing and his team will come back invigorated and ready to make a run at the playoffs in the second half of the season.

The Jets have Jacksonville, Carolina, Atlanta and Cincinnati at home and New England,
Buffalo, Tampa Bay and Indianapolis on the road.

A 4-4 record seems to be achievable but Ryan and his Jets expect more. They will need to go at least 6-2 and possibly even 7-1 to get tho this years dance. Based on the first eight games, the odds of the Jets getting to the playoffs this year are slim to none.

Jet's fans will have to demonstrate a little more patience with their patient. He is right now in stable condition with a pretty good chance for a full recovery. How long until fully recovered remains to be seen. Consider this however, they are not on life support and in many areas showing marked improvement every week.

That's OK by me.

Phillies Down, But Not Out

2009-11-02T09:23:00.000-08:00

Charlie Manuel says he's team is resilient. He points out the fact that the team has lost 22 games this season where they led after the 7th inning. That sounds like the 2008 New York Mets to me. But in this case it was the Phillies this year and not the Mets last year who ultimately wound up winning the World Series. (ouch)

I too am quite confident that this series is far from over. On the Yankee side all one must do is just look back a short 5 years when they were one game from eliminating their most hated rival,the Boston Red Sox and unless you've been hiding in a time capsule you know what happened there.

For the Yanks to close this puppy out they are going to have to do it on the arms of A.J. Burnett, who like his counterpart C.C. Sabathia, will be pitching on three days rest. If he doesn't get past Cliff Lee they will have to use Andy Pettitte once again on three days rest and if it goes to a seventh game it will be CC once more time on the short rest period.

Personally I can't see this as a formula for success therefore my unwillingness to count the Phillies out just yet.

With Cliff Lee on the mound tonight I see the Phillies regaining their swagger that has been missing in these first two games at Citizens Bank Park. Charlie Manuel has made a couple of questionable calls in this series going back to not starting Cole Hamels in Game Two in Yankee Stadium. In my opinion last night's was a doozy.

I have always been taught as a coach and listening to countless hours of Baseball Tonight, that in a tied game at home you never bring in your closer to pitch the top of the ninth inning. You save that guy for extra innings. I have seen it done too many times this year and the home team gets beat in extra innings because the visiting team is facing a much less tougher opponent.

It was also Lidge's first appearance in more than a week and after two straight very quick outs he lost control. Three runs later and another blown appearance, Lidge is anxious to get this series back to New York for an opportunity to face these guys again.

I think he will and I would like nothing better than to see him close out Game Seven. That's a long way off and the odds of that happening aren't too good especially here in Vegas. However if you want to make that prop bet that the Phillies will come back and win the next three games, I know 60 places that will take your bet and most likely your money.

Prediction: I correctly picked the "Skankees" ( " Now there's objective reporting ") to win Game 4. I stand by it will be the last game they will win. After Game Two I picked the Phillies to sweep the next three. I apologize for being premature with that pick. So now I give it again, the Phillies will sweep the next three games and repeat as World Champions and be the first National League to do that since the Big Red Machine in the mid 70's. By the way tonight's game; Phillies 7 Yanks 2

Game Four Preview: What is a Fan to DO?

2009-11-01T08:37:00.000-08:00

For the first time since they were down 2-0 to the Colorado Rockies in the first round of the 2007 playoffs, the Phillies find themselves in a very uncomfortable position. They are behind for the first time in six previous playoff appearances and instead of having their ace to bring back for a tying series victory, they are forced to start a guy who has given up only 30 home runs during the regular season.

This, and C.C. Sabathia again is what the Phillies have to face to get even in this 2009 World Series. The only saving grace is the Phillies are confident they can handle C.C. here at Citizens Bank Park. They will flashback to the last year's NLDS where Shane Victorino parked a Grand Slam Home Run on Sabathia fastball sending him and the Brewers to the showers and virtually out of the 2008 post season.

In Game One this year, Sabathia was effective going seven innings allowing only the two Home Runs to Chase Utley who by the way has disappeared since then.

Alex Rodriguez finally put a bat on the ball last night with a questionable two run homer. I say questionable only because it had to be reviewed officially being the first time Instant Replay has been used in a World Series. Given the vast number of poor calls during the post season, I'm sure we will be seeing some changes in the Instant Replay process.

Here's my dilemma regarding this series. As a reporter I'm trying to be as objective as I can possibly be by not taking sides and hopefully offering quality insight of a fan who has watching baseball since 1951. If I had to grade myself so far, and I'm a former Teacher and School Principal, I feel I'm qualified to give an unbiased grade. I would give myself an A.

The problem is I've always been an intense and loyal fan first. I have reading my favorite blogs, sports sites and as much of the media outlook as I can and one of the main topics is which team should loyal New York Mets fans root for in this World Series. For those who said I'm not going to root or even watch the Series to you I say forgetitaboutit, you're not baseball fans and I couldn't care less what you think.

There are amazing arguments for both sides. One fan friend of mine says if the Phillies win it will help them generate more income and re-sign their better players and put them in position to be more active in the free agent market which they were after the 2008 World Series. That's from a 15 year old who is as passionate of a Mets fan as I am.

Then there's another fan who says he would rather stick needles in his eyes than see the Yankees win another title and rub it in the faces of Mets fans everywhere validating their superiority once again for bragging rights in the Big Apple.

I'm perplexed, so after hours of thought after last nights game which messed up my nice predictions by the way, I have decided that I'm not rooting for either team to win, but I will delighted to see either team loss on that particular day. In the end I will be so so about the winner of the 2009 World Series and hope I covered it thoroughly but I will be overwhelmed with happiness for the team that loses. Fair enough NICK A?

Prediction: Talk about a must game for the Phillies this is surely the one. I think their over anxiousness is going to hurt them. I still like them in the series but after today’s game they will need to win three straight. Lee, Pedro,and Hamels however will still get it done and for the record how great would it be to see the “Skankees” blow a 3-1 series lead. By the way they did it before. I believe it was 1957 and the opponent was the Milwaukee Braves. Look it up.

The Need For a Must Win Contunues Sunday

2009-10-31T15:53:00.000-07:00

Why does it seem to me that every game since the Jets started the season someone in the media or on the team or talk within the blogs, that the Jets next game is a must win? I don't get it. Unless the season has been extended without my knowledge, and I can't imagine anyone doing that to me, there's still no more than 16 games and with a record of 4-3 why is this game in particular a must win?

Sure I get it. The Jets will be vying more likely than not for a Wild Card berth as we get closer to the last 1/3rd of the season. The Miami Dolphins have already beaten them once in Miami on a national media circus known as Monday Night Football. They lost that game by allowing the Dolphins to score three touchdowns in the fourth quarter with the winning score coming with 8 seconds left on the clock.

The Jets inability to deal with Miami's "Wildcat" formations has been duly noted and mouths have not been able to shut off as well since then. I also don't have to remind any Jets fans out there that it was these same Dolphins that put the nail in the Jets playoff coffin in the last game of last season at the Meadowlands that not only gave the Dolphins the Division but also knocked the New England Patriots out of the playoffs as well.

Nothing is quite like revenge when it comes to motivating a team and the Jets certainly have revenge on their minds. I expect them to come out of the gate like wild Indians on both sides of the ball during the first quarter. The question is can they maintain that type of intensity for an entire 60 minutes or come back from a deficit that may happen once again?

I really see this if anything as a must win for the Dolphins. They are 2-4 and another defeat would put them in a position where they would to have to win their remaining nine games to finish the season with the same record as they achieved last year.

I don't think so mainly because Chad Henne is still too untested to be able to carry this team on his shoulders. The Dolphins who rank number two in rushing offense believe Henne doesn't have to win games for them, he just can't lose any. Last week's come from behind win by the New Orleans Saints again in the fourth quarter gives the Dolphins some real concerns that to them must be answered this week.

Of course Mark Sanchez is no Drew Brees so this week will be interesting indeed.

For the Jets to win, they must at least slow down the Miami running game with Ricky Williams and Robbe Brown doing the damage. Although nursing an injury Jets Linebacker and defensive leader Bart Scott is expected to play. The loss of Kris Jenkins looms large today, unlike last week against the Raiders. The Jets front three will have to step up and have a big game. If the defense can keep the rushing yardage to 100 yards or less and cause a couple of take away turnovers that will lead the Jets to victory.

On the other hand if the Dolphins run wild again the Jets offense may have to play matching touchdowns to stay in the game. They fell short against this team in Miami 3 weeks ago and that loss more than any other that the Jets have been beaten this year has hurt the most.

Prediction: An old Klingon expression, "Revenge is a dish best served cold". I believe the Jets will control their emotions and put a serious hurting on the Dolphins. Another 250 yard rushing day, a couple of key turnovers by the enthusiastic Jets defense and Miami will fall too far behind early and they won't be able to go to the passing game to pull this one out.

Jets 31 Dolphins 17.

There's No Place Like Home

2009-10-31T09:03:00.000-07:00

Game Three of the 2009 World series shifts today to the new launching pad in the National League, Citizens Bank Park. It's bit ironic that the Philadelphia "Mashers" at one point in time had a far better record on the road than they did at home. They righted that situation in the second half of the season to finish nine games over .500 at home.

The post season is a completely different story as the Phillies have lost a grand total of three games over the past three post seasons. They've won 12 games and the only team to beat them at home was the Colorado Rockies.

Today they try to keep that streak going with 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels going up against one of the great post season pitchers, Andy Pettitte.

Game three has always been a critical game in the World Series. In the past 10 World Series where the two teams were tied at one a piece, the team who took Game Three went on to win the World Series nine out of the last ten times. Those are pretty darn good odds for the winner of today's game.

While pitching has dominated in the first two games which is quite usual since outstanding pitching, which we have seen from all four starters, almost always dominates good hitting. Will Game Three change that?

I believe both teams are looking for just that. Right now there seems to be two Cole Hamels. The one who looks like last year's MVP or the other one who has trouble getting to the sixth inning and has been prone to the long ball. Everyone has a reason for Cole's woes this year so I'll throw in mine as well.

He shouldn't have called my Mets choke artists in the off season last winter. The fact that they very well may be, he should have kept that gem to himself. So I put a slight whammy on him. Today, I officially take the whammy off him because I would like mine and Jimmy Rollins prediction to come true.

The Yankees have other ideas. Derek Jeter says no one should be worried about A-Rod's 0-8 so far. That was said to soothe the nerves of Yankee fans worldwide as their juiced up, lying hero may be diverting back to his previous post season blues. Anybody seen his cousin recently?

On the flip side, the Phillies big bats haven't hit their stride after the first two games either. Chase Utley has two home runs and Ryan Howard has two doubles but as said earlier outstanding pitching has virtually shut both teams down.

I like Andy Pettitte despite my dis-like of most things Yankees. He is a clutch performer whose consistency has kept him in the bigs for over a decade and he has chalked up some pretty good performances over the years in critical games. He has always been the Yankee stopper in post season as he has followed a Yankee loss with a win of his own on so many occasions, I've lost count.

Charlie Manuel has already announced that Joe Blanton would start Game Four rather than pitch Cliff Lee on short rest. That shows me how much confidence Manuel has with this team. That's why I picked the Phillies to win the whole thing. This team almost to a man played in last years World Series. They are experienced, very tough at home and unless the Yankees bats start to explode I still feel there will be no need for a Game Six at Yankee Stadium.

Prediction: I am definitely going to jinx myself right here and now. Since the beginning of the playoffs and only picking in games where the Phillies have been been involved I am 10-1. With that said I'm not going to waiver on my original World Series pick.

Phillies 11 Yankees 6 as the bats explode on a 70 degree day in sunny Philadelphia. Game time temps in the 60's.

Let's Talk Hot Dogs

2009-10-29T12:49:00.000-07:00

There are very few foods or food groups for that matter are sacred to the American Way of Life. Unquestionably the "Hot Dog" is one of those treats that has been associated with sports since the beginning of time.

As a kid going to a ball game with my Dad or any sporting event it never would seem complete unless we had a couple of dogs along with all the condiments that you could fit on a six to eight inch bun.

It seemed that these dogs were always so much better at a game then the ones served at home with a side of sauerkraut, baked beans, and loads of mustard, ketchup, pickles, onions and whatever else might be available.

I have always been very picky about my dogs. Occasionally I'd sprinkle a little ketchup on mine but more than 90% of the time it was the dog on the roll and nothing else. My family thought it strange because after they finished putting all the toppings on their dog a keen sighted visitor would have trouble identifying what was in the roll.

In my house nothing but Hebrew National dogs crossed our threshold. On the street we would only but a Sabrettes dog from a cart and those rare trips to Coney Island if anything but a Nathans dog crossed our lips I was sure I would be sent to purgatory.

So what's the big fuss about Mark Sanchez munching on a dog late in the fourth quarter and his team was up 38-0? Is there a rule somewhere hidden deep in the bowels of the NFL rule book that says there should be no eating or drinking on the bench during the game?

I think not for if there was Gatorade might just go right out of business. Let's face it. The man was hungry and he saw an opportunity to munch down a dog to curb his already upset stomach. That's what my doctor always said, if you're having trouble keeping food down and you get a little hungry it means your stomach is OK now and a hot dog, if available, is as good as it gets.

Talk about scrutiny. Give this kid a break. He didn't throw 5 interceptions again. He didn't make foolish plays and cause turnovers which would become scores against his team. He didn't shoot himself in the foot or punch out his teammate.

He had a frickin dog, so what, get over it and get your BBQ ready and lets cook some up. It's not like eating ice cream at 3:30 in the afternoon that will ruin your appetite for dinner. It just a hot dog.

It's the American way. Hey Mark, pass the apple pie will ya.

Hello? Has Anyone Seen Oh!-Rod?

2009-10-29T07:38:00.000-07:00

The boo birds are lying in wake. They are getting ready to let loose a tirade the likes of which have not been seen in a very long time in the Bronx. Last night there were rumblings, signs of things to come. Despite the fact that Alex Rodriguez was hitting over .430 in the post season and hit clutch tying home runs late in the game, here he was on baseball's greatest stage with the opportunity to completely bury his past failures and finally be accepted as a true blue New York Yankee.

The only person to stand in his way was the former Cy Young Award winner, Cliff Lee, who is having a post season for the ages. What a classic confrontation. Even I was psyched despite my disappointment in the World Series combatants.

Last night clearly belonged to Cliff Lee. Not only did he strike out A-Rod three times but completely shut down the heart of the Yankee lineup with A-Rod, Texiera, and Posada going a measly 1-12 against the crafty left hander. Lee struck out 10 and posted his first win and complete game in the World Series.

Chase Utley supplied all the offense the Fightin' Phil's needed with two home runs off Yankee ace and former Lee teammate, C.C. Sabathia. Other than the two blasts, Sabathia held the powerful Phil's bats in check allowing only those two runs in seven innings.

Then the Yankee bull pen, which I said was a course of concern for Joe Girardi's troops managed to give up four runs in two innings to put Game One out of reach. With the win, the Phillies grabbed the home field advantage and need to win three more games to repeat as World Champions. With three of the next four games at Citizens Bank Park, I like their chances.

The Yankees find themselves nearing to have their backs against the wall for the first time in this post season and will give the ball to their other gazillion dollar free agent, A.J. Burnett, who many times this season looked nothing more than an ordinary struggling pitcher. Make no mistake however, when Burnett is on his game he can be one of the most un-hittable pitchers in the either league today. He is going to have to be if the Yankees plan on expanding this series into November.

The Phillies counter tonight with my favorite pitcher and player in this past generation, Pedro Martinez. He has been nothing short of sensational since the Phillies picked him up late in the season. One of the great big game pitchers of all time, Pedro brings his expertise to a Yankee organization that he once called his "Daddy".

Don't you just love this?

If Pedro does get racked around, Charlie Manuel may be second guessed since he had a choice of starting another left hander in Cole Hamels who would have turned around the Yankee switch hitters to the right side where his patented change-up is a devastating pitch. Regardless, Hamels will start Game Three in Philadelphia and if the Yankees find themselves down 0-2 they will have to pull out of their past hat from the Series of 1999 where they lost the first two games to Atlanta only to come back and sweep the Braves from there.

Prediction; I have only missed one game in picking the right team in this post season. I expect Pedro to pitch a gem but unfortunately Charlie won't let him go beyond 105 pitches and then I expect the Phillies bull pen to implode late in the game as the Yankees did last night. The Yanks will come back and tie this series at one each. It will also be the last game the "Skankees" will win in 2009, and A-Hole-Fraud-Roid's woes will continue. You see I really believe in "what goes around, comes around" and Alex Rodriguez, once a hero of mine, is the poster child for arrogant, ignorant behavior which is too wide spread in professional sports.

Yankees 7 Phillies 3

Pedro to Pitch Game Two

2009-10-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

Asked last April who were the last two teams I would like to see in the World Series, anybody and everybody who know me well enough would have said the Yankees vs. the Phillies.

As a lifetime New York Mets fan and college student Red Sox fan nothing in baseball could be worse than to have these two rivals competing for a world title. For close to 15 years, I hated the Atlanta Braves. They gave me so many ugly nights and subsequent nightmares it's no wonder I still can't get enough sleep.

In the last three or four years or so the Phillies and their legions where I lived for 20 years has crept past the Braves to receive my ultimate disdain.

As a kid growing up in Brooklyn during the late 40's and right through 1955, the Yankees were to me, the "evil empire" long before that name became part of our lexicon.

Even after the Dodgers left in 1957, this 12 year old brain was already entrenched with loathing of the Yankees and they did nothing over the last 50 years to improve their lot with me. They always were and will always be the best team that money would try to buy ever since Curt Flood changed the landscape of the game with the advent of the free agency system.

These are and were the villains of baseball while my Mets were the lovable loser underdogs that I grew to love.

So now all that could be bad has finally happened in this first "Turnpike" series since 1950.

With all that said, I'm going to try and give a very objective preview of the coming series and will not let me personal feeling get in the way of solid reporting. At least I'll try.

Hating to admit it, this World Series potentially has the makings of perhaps one of the all time greats. Great pitching, excellent defense and a truckload of power hitting will surely make this series a classic in the making.

For this reason, I will throw away the stats, because by and large they can be interpreted in many different ways and it's been my experience that in a short World Series, anywhere between four and seven games, it's hardly ever the superstar that makes the difference. It's usually the hard nose guy who lays down a bunt, steals base, hits behind the runner and scoots home with the winning run on a passed ball or a wild pitch.

It's almost November and adrenaline can only take you so far. Most of these guys are dog tired and the prospects of playing baseball into November with temps possibly dropping into the 20's is, at least, in my opinion, no way to finish the season.

So throw out all the stats and take a pick. I have been mulling this over for almost two weeks and I started out by giving the edge to the Yankees because I thought their bullpen was deeper and I could envision C.C. Sabathia getting into three of the seven games if it went that far.

Then I watched the ALDS and ALCS and the vaunted Yankee bullpen looked very hittable to me. I can imagine Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth just licking their chops waiting to get a couple off swings against them.

The Phillies bullpen which was loaded with holes in September has closed ranks this post season and if Brad Lidge continues on his steady incline, the Phillies pen now gets the edge.

I still like the Phillies starters. I question Charlie Manuels decision to start Pedro Martinez in Game Two simply because if he had chosen Cole Hamels to go in Game Two he would have turned around all those switch hitters to the right side of the plate and Hamels best pitch, by far, is his change up which breaks in on the right handed batters and that would be a definite plus for the Phillies.

Pedro brings history end excitement to Yankee Stadium where he last pitched playoff baseball in the 2004 post season. Who could ever forget Pedro throwing 149 year old Don Zimmer to the ground. I loved it. There are risks to Charlie's move here but if the Phillies outlast Sabathia in Game One against Cliff Lee, even if Pedro is not successful, Hamels will be ready for Game Three at Citizens Bank Park and Pedro, if necessary, would get another shot against the Yankees once again in a Game Six.

I would love to see the ball flying out of both parks which we know can certainly happen and although A-Rod is having an outstanding post season so far, unless he continues it on the biggest stage of the them all, he will not be accepted as a Yankee through and through. You wonder why I hate these guys.

I do admire and respect Derek Jeter to the utmost. I would still pick him to start up any team whether it's for real of just fantasy baseball. He's the one guy you can root for on this team of Gold Diggers.

I tried to keep my feelings out of this but it's just too hard. I can live with the Phillies winning. Maybe a back to back will wake up my Mets front office to get off their collective behinds and get to work. To have the Yankees win and hear about the 27 championships is just way too much to bare. So here it comes.

Prediction: The smart pick would still be the Skankees in seven games, but no, that's just not going to happen. The Phillies in seven games will mean they will have to win two games in the Bronx. No, that's not happening either. What's going to happen is the first two games will be split even Steven, but when the Yanks arrive in South Philly, it's going to be good morning, good afternoon, and good night. The Phillies in Five. You heard it here first and while I'm at it, Game One, Phillies 7, Yanks 4.

Jets 30 Raiders 0; How Sweet it Was!

2009-10-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

My long weekend trip to the Bay Area was topped by an outstanding performance on the part of the New York Jets defense as they completely shut down and already suspect Oakland Raiders offense with a shutout performance in front of an almost half empty Oakland-Alameda County Stadium. I know, as I said, I was there.

First off before game details I need to dispel some very untrue rumors, or urban legends if you chose, regarding the fans of the Oakland Raiders. Is it true they have their own section called the "Black Hole' where even the most frenzied fan dresses up in costumes that would have any trick or treaters on Halloween looking over their shoulders? Yes it's true.

Do they have tailgating parties that start at the crack of dawn and have some of the finest food on the planet being served? Absolutely.

Do they talk smack to anybody and everybody who walks the parking lot in any jersey other than a Raiders one? For sure.

Are they miserable drunks and alcoholics that start fights, carry dangerous weapons and give you no chance to enter the stadium as they run you down in the Harley's? Not a chance.

Wearing my well worn and rather faded Curtis Martin Jersey that I dug out of storage for this rare event I was ready for the worst of it. At least I wouldn't have to hear my wife sling the "chicken*#%@" phrase at me for the rest of the trip, there I was ready to be entertained or maimed whichever came first.

The Raider fans couldn't have been nicer. Sure they had their say but it was no different from other home parks I have attended wearing the opposing teams shirt. If anything they were milder than in Philadelphia by a long shot and there I wore a Donovan McNabb jersey and I was trashed. Anyway, as I said earlier, the food was outstanding and everybody was willing to share and that was perfectly fine with me.

The game was virtually over in the first quarter. After the Jets went up 14-0 in the first quarter after two costly turnovers not only did it appear that the Raider team gave up but their fans certainly did as well. I spent most of the game listening to the Raider fans, whom I was surrounded by, blast not only their Head Coach, Tom Cable, but the entire coaching staff and the game plan that didn't seem to exist. JaMarcus Russell was replaced in the second quarter and for all intense and purposes the game was over right then and there.

Overall the Jets played well. Mark Sanchez played this game as not to lose while using his running game extremely well and his short pass game worked as well as it could be planned. The loss of Leon Washington with a broken leg will cost the Jets dearly down the road but yesterday it was Shonn Green whose performance opened more than few eyes on the Jets coaching staff.

Green had 19 carries for 144 yards and two TD's while his partner Thomas Jacobs put another big game performance on the board with 26 carries for 126 yards and a a TD. Sanchez only had to go to the air 15 times where he completed 9 for 143 yards. His highlight reel came in the first quarter as he called his own number and scampered into the end-zone on a quarterback draw.

The special teams unit was in on it as well as they completed another fake punt attempt for a first down. If I have been counting correctly on those, that makes it two out of three successful attempts so far. I'm surprised that other teams don't try that more often because you rarely see more than one guy rushing the punter and when he is blocked out of the play 30 yards down field is usually free and clear.

In any game when your defense causes four turnovers and you tandem of running backs can scamper for more than 300 yards the game gets easier. Easy enough to grab a 4th quarter hot dog? Sure, who not. That's what Mark Sanchez did yesterday after complaining as to not being able to keep food down 24 hours prior to the start of the game. So with the game well in-hand deep in the 4th quarter there was Mark munching on a dog and today that's all the New York press wants to discuss.

I am so glad to be out of there. Let's just talk football.

The Jets have their three critical games ahead along with a bye week. They will have return matches with the Miami Dolphins who blew a huge early lead yesterday to the Undefeated New Orleans Saints, and the New England Patriots who took it to the Tampa Bay Bay Bucs in jolly old England reminding our British forefathers that an American Patriot is still hard to beat even after 233 years or so.

They will also get to see the Jacksonville Jaguares a team not much like themselves whose game performances are not matching their expectations.

Should be fun. By the way, I'm picking the Phillies in seven games to repeat as World Series Champions. Look for that series review tomorrow on the NL East page.

The Jets Fly West

2009-10-22T11:16:00.000-07:00

In what some media people are saying is that the Jets, after only six regular season games, have reached the crossroads to the 2009 season. After starting 3-0 and on such a high note with victories over Houston, New England, and Tennessee, the Jets have come crashing towards the ground with three consecutive losses against better teams for sure in New Orleans and Miami and the far less competitive Buffalo Bills.

That's no knock against the New England Patriots, but they weren't the same team in Week Two as they are now, agreed?

A loss against the 2-4 Oakland Raiders this Sunday in Oakland very well might be the end of the Jets season with upcoming games against Miami, Jacksonville, a bye week and New England. At that point the Jets could be looking at a 3-7 season and a ranking among the five worst teams in the NFL.

That is exactly why, here in only week seven, that the Jets will play the most important game of their season.

They will have to do it without nose tackle Kris Jenkins who is out for the season with knee damage and Lito Sheppard who once again finds himself on the sidelines, out with an injury. The loss of Jenkins is huge and a hole that the Jets hope to fill with Sione Pouha.

On the offensive side of the ball, Coach Ryan will be looking for a bounce back game from his much criticized rookie Quarterback Mark Sanchez. With 10 interceptions so far this season, Sanchez is hardly looking like the next Joe Namath to lead the Jets to the promised land.

According to Ryan, Sanchez is "resilient" but I guarantee another repeat performance even by halftime of the Oakland game we very well might find former starting Quarterback Kellen Clemens under the center.

The Raiders are coming off their biggest win of the season, a surprising 13-9 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles who certainly played it's ugliest game of the season this past Sunday.

JaMarcus Russell played his best game of the season but he too didn't remind any Raider fans of the second coming of Jim Plunkett or Kenny Stabler or even Darryl Lamonica.

The Eagles were one touchdown drive away from winning that game all day long and if their once trusted field goal kicker David Akers hadn't missed on two early field goals attempts the Raiders would have lost this game as well.

Prior to the Eagles game, the Raider had given up enough points to lose by at least 20 in those three previous games. The Raiders have scored a grand total of five touchdowns in six games and if the Jets vaunted defense returns to the fold the Raiders won't be scoring many more this Sunday.

Over the years, the Jets playing in Oakland can only be described as a nightmare. They are 2-12-1 in Oakland since 1963 and one only has to look back to last year when the Jets visited the west four times and came away with four losses.

It's no secret in the NFL that teams don't travel well when going cross country. This team really is in a make it or break game going to the west coast to play in front of some very hostile fans.

I know there will be at least two Jets fans there as my wife and I take our annual football trip on the road to Oakland to see this game in person. We have debated back and forth as to whether or not we have enough "cajones" to wear our Jets gear, shirts, hats etc. She says "Sure, bring it on", while I tend to be more conservative about my well being. She's still annoyed at me for not getting seats in the infamous "Black Hole" section where all the crazies hang out.

Prediction: I'm still on the Rex Ryan bandwagon. He says the team has great character and they will show it on Sunday. They had better for their season and my safety depends on it. Jets 27- Raiders 10.

Phillies Need One More Win Tonight

2009-10-21T09:35:00.000-07:00

The Phillies continue on their quest tonight to be the first National League team to win back to back World Series since the Big Red Machine of the Cincinnati Reds in the mid 70's.

They are one win away from getting back to the World Series for that second straight year. Former Phillies starter Vincente Padilla, and the somewhat snake bit Los Angeles Dodgers remain standing, just barely, in their way.

After a devastating blown save and blown game by 100 mph pitcher Jonathan Broxton on Monday Night, the Dodgers are hanging on by a thread.

Manny Ramirez was quoted saying " The Phillies have just been playing better". He is 100% correct about that no doubt.

This Phillies team has one characteristic which separates themselves from any other team, at least, in the National League East. When bad things happens, at least on the outside, they do not get flustered. They bounce back as quickly as it's done and move on in the right direction.

That point was proven here in the NLCS a day after Chase Utley made a crucial throwing error that cost the Phillies a shot at Game Two. They came right back in Game Three and put an 11 spot on the board.

They hope to close out this series tonight with their former ace, Cole Hamels on the hill. I do believe that having Cliff Lee has taken some of the pressure off Cole Hamels. It's nearly impossible to top Hamels performance in the 2008 post season and I truly believe he has put a lot of pressure upon himself to do just that.

He had a very short off season this year being in demand for interviews, commercials and the like. He started a major controversy when he called the Mets "choke artists" on a New York based radio show. He then struggled through spring training and opened the year with a couple of injuries that I believe plagued him throughout the season.

We didn't get to see the vintage Hamels until after Cliff Lee was acquired at the trade deadline. Since then Cole has had a number of games that clearly resembled 2008.

He is in a great position to put the Phillies over the top tonight. Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Jayson Werth have been clutch in this NLCS and unless Padilla can repeat his best games with the Dodgers in 2009 this baby is going to end tonight.

I love Joe Torre. He actually said his team was not in such a bad situation. He basically said if the Dodgers can win tonight the Phillies will have to come to us in our home park.. Yes and face Pedro Martinez and if necessary Cliff Lee again. Yes, Joe, the Dodgers are in real great shape.

Prediction: My bad, I guess I wasn't a true believer as I picked the Dodgers in Game Four. I came close, but close doesn't get it done in the world of predictions and otherwise. So tonight, I do believe, Phillies 9 Dodgers 5 and barring any miracles from the Angels, it will be the Phillies and the Yankees in a Turnpike Series, first one of those since 1950.

Yes I was around for that.

The Jets Are Grounded By The Bills

2009-10-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

While I was getting ready to sit back and watch my two favorite teams The New York Jets, and the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon I was reminding myself why I loved living and following sports in Las Vegas.

On any given day of the year I can get in my car and in about the same time you can get to a Walmart near you I can be sitting comfortably in the Sports Book Lounge at the Alliente Station Casino and Hotel. I sure they appreciate the plug.

On two rather giant screens, I couldn't fit into my apartment, I was going to get to watch both my teams side by side for the rest of my afternoon. Other than being at either game, I figured it couldn't be better than this.

My wife, born and bred South Philly native was dressed to the hilt in Eagle gear and believe me when I tell you she can hold her own in any discussion about her Eagles for the past 25 years, she can. Besides she's amazing to look at even after 15 years.

Both teams were favored by the Vegas bookmakers. The Eagles were 14 1/2 point favorites to whip upon the hapless Oakland Raiders and the J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets were 9 1/2 points over the equally hapless Buffalo Bills.

As Flounder said in Animal House, "Boy is this great or what?"

Almost 3 1/2 hours later I once again understood why Las Vegas is still known in many circles as " The City of Lost Wages".

I have seen my share of football games live and in person with countless more on the screen since the mid 1950's and I can truly say I have never seen two more identical,lousy,uninspiring football games in my entire life. Now I'm not going to focus on the Eagles game at all here other to say, that a team coming off a bye week and traveling from the East Coast to the West Coast should have been more prepared and not to have taken their opponent seriously is a statement of contention not on just the team but the entire coaching staff.

The Jets, I'll have a lot to say about. My friend and colleague, Michael Cohen who writes for the Bleacher Report was at the Meadowlands and he completely trashed the Jets, with particular emphasis on the coaching staff especially new Head Coach Rex Ryan and called his team nothing more than "The Same Old Jets".

Is he correct? Are Jets fans after six games already disbelieving of the promises of a new and hard hitting team who will shake President Obama's hand while he is still in office during his first term?

Both the Jets and the Ravens are 3-3 but there is a world of difference between Rex Ryan's present team and the New York Jets. Joe Flacco threw close to 400 yards and had 2 touchdowns on the road in Minnesota while rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez had an embarrassing five interception day at home against the Buffalo Bills.

Here is something that is bothering me greatly. I have watched Mark Sanchez very closely in all the games he's played in. As a rookie it is not unexpected to see the young man walk off to the sidelines frustrated and angry with himself and sit by himself looking and feeling dejected by the plays that he has not made.

I ask this. Why is he sitting there wallowing by himself in his self pity. Where is the coaching staff? Where is the Offensive Co-Ordinator? Where is his back up Kellen Clemmens with his head set on talking and soothing this young QB and giving him the encouragement to get out there and try to limit his mistakes. Where the heck is everybody?

Sure he made some bad throws yesterday but a couple of his passes were tipped into the hands of the defense that might have been caught for good gains. Instead they were not and there goes Sanchez off the field with his head down dejected as he can be. Don't give him a vote of confidence the next day, give it to him then and there while he's struggling.

I don't like that and I blame the coaches.

In a recent article I said the Jets weren't as good as their first three wins indicated and not as bad as their first two losses were. After yesterday's performance I'm not that sure.

The Jets have a core of potentially great young stars. Bart Scott, Darrelle Revis, Braylon Edwards, Kerry Rhodes, Thomas Jones, Leon Washington and yes Mark Sanchez.

Kris Jenkins is now out for the season with a knee injury that will require surgery. The team has still plenty of holes to fill and needs to come together as a unit. I believe that the Jets have still yet recovered from the Miami loss and despite all the protests of taking the Bulls seriously, they did not.

Ahead 13-3 at halftime the offense was non existent in the second half despite the fact that Thomas Jones set a new club rushing record of gaining 205 yards from scrimmage. The defense barely laid a hand on a third string Quarterback who brought the Bills back to tie the game in regulation and win it in overtime with a 47 yard field goal.

For Michael and most of our contemporaries I must remind you that six games does not make a season, but I will agree with you that those early results which just three weeks ago looked so promising have fallen by the wayside and comments about "The Same Old Jets" are understandable.

With that in mind these games are played week to week and hopefully unlike the Eagles, the Jets will take the Oakland Raiders who they meet this Sunday in Oakland more seriously then their 90 mile away neighbors did.

I will be attending the Jets/Raiders game in Oakland this Sunday. It's one of two Football Trips I try to make each year. In November it will be on to San Diego to see Kimberly's Eagles take on the Chargers.

I will do a re-cap of the Jets game Monday when I get back home. I hope the results will be more satisfying then the ride home from the Sports Book Lounge yesterday. It seemed to take hours. I'm not ready to give up on this years team just quite yet. Lets talk again after this week and the after the games with Miami, Jacksonville and New England.

Let's just hope we can get a day without snow in Foxboro. After yesterday, there's no team in the NFL that wants to visit New England in the snow.

Dodgers Try To Get Even

2009-10-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

Trying to recover from last night’s thrashing, the Los Angeles Dodgers try to even the NLCS tonight, with former Philadelphia starting pitcher Randy Wolf. Wolf was with the Phillies during the time that they were starting to become respectable during the mid nineties.

Wolf started the first game ever to be played at Citizens Bank Park back in 1994. He has always pitched well in his former home park and as a visitor he sports a 1-0 record with 17 strikeouts with a 2.25 ERA in two games pitched.

The Phillies will counter with Joe Blanton who was picked up at the trade deadline in 2008 in the same fashion Cliff Lee was picked up this year. Blanton has seen post season action as a Phillie last year as well as this season.

Blanton was used in the Bullpen during the Colorado series but with this being a best of seven contest it was expected that he would get a start. Joe had a very good and quite consistent year pitching for the World Champions. He went 12-8 in 31 starts and posted an ERA of 4.05. Having the run support which most Phillie pitchers have had this year, Blanton was able to pitch late into most games he started.

The Dodgers will have to put last night’s game behind them and try to forget not the 11 runs the Phillies put on the board but the zero runs the Dodger hitters were able to produce.

The Phillies can beat you with the long ball everyday if given the opportunity. They are also getting great production from their six, seven and eight hitters in the lineup.

For the Dodgers to even the series Randy Wolf must find a way to quiet the Phillies hot bats and must find some of their own. Ethier, Kemp, Loney and even Manny Ramirez has been relatively quiet in the first three games and these guys have to come alive or the Dodgers will have played their last game at Dodger Stadium this year.

With Cole Hamels and then possibly Pedro Martinez and Cliff Lee again looming on the horizon tonight is certainly a must game for the Dodgers. On the other hand the Phillies are confident they won’t be needing to go back to LA. The only way they want to see the west coast this post season is if the Angels can come back from a 2-0 deficit against the Yankees.

Not publicly of course, but privately to a man the Phillies want to play the Yankees in the World Series. It means less travel and an opportunity to defend their world title against, who many fee,l is the best team in baseball.

Prediction: So far so good. I am 3-0 in this series and tonight I see the Dodgers rebounding from last night’s disaster and tying this series up at two games a piece. LA in a close one 6-4.

Phillies Come Home For Game Three

2009-10-18T01:17:00.000-07:00

In what might have been a game that could have put the Los Angeles Dodgers back against the wall, this series stands even at one game a piece. Charlie Manuel's decision to remove Pedro Martinez after seven brilliant innings in Game Two, only to see his bullpen give away the game in the 8th inning.

The bright side is that Pedro will certainly be ready for a repeat performance in Game Six if it should go that far. As I have mentioned in earlier stories I like the way the Phillies rotation sets up for the rest of the series.

Today in Game Three, Cliff Lee who has been nothing short of un-hittable takes the mound against eight game winner Hiroki Kuroda pitching in his first playoff appearance in the 2009 post season.

Kuroda beat the Phillies last post season in the only game won by the Dodgers. His opponent, Cliff Lee acquired by the Phiilies at the trade deadline has been sensational this post season.

In two games so far he has given up two earned runs in 16 1/3 innings winning Game One and posting a no decision in Game Four against the Rockies. If he continues on the path he has created this post season the Dodgers are in for a long afternoon.

If the series goes a full seven games the Phillies will have Pedro Martinez to pitch Game Six and Lee to pitch Game seven if necessary.

Citizens Bank Park certainly favors the hitters and the Phillies have been terrific the last two post seasons at home. Their fans are knowledgeable and very loud and the intimidation factor can't be measured but it is surely there.

Weather may play a role in the three games scheduled to be played in Philadelphia. Forecasts predict some rain and cold in the area. Right now Joe Blanton is scheduled to go in Game Four and Cole Hamels to go in Game Five. That may change if there is a delay.

Prediction: I'm going to stick with the fact that here at home the Phillies bats will come alive and put the defending World Champions up two games to one with an opportunity not to go back to Los Angeles for a Game Six. Phillies 6, Dodgers 2.

New York Jets vs Buffalo Bills Preview

2009-10-17T18:31:00.000-07:00

There hasn't been much talk around Jets land this week about this upcoming game with the Buffalo Bills Sunday. I can think of two reasons for this. One, the last time Jets players opened their mouths about an opposing team, the Miami Dolphins put a 31 on their pie holes and the talking suddenly stopped as fast as it started.

The second thought is that nobody is taking Buffalo very seriously. They have the 25th ranked defense in the league and their offense has been virtually non-existent. Ever since they blew a fourth quarter lead against New England in week one, the Bills have looked like they don't even belong in the NFL.

Bart Scott was absolutelty politically correct when he was quoted this week saying about the Bills, "They're all professionals. The last time I checked they have some great players".

I agree, they do especially their running back tandem of Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch. Trent Edwards is a proven NFL Quarterback, and the last I checked Terrell Owens is always capable of having a breakout day.

There is a reason for the expression "On any given Sunday", because it has happened so many times over the years.

The Jets can not get complacent here or they'll find themselves behind in the 4th quarter and that's not what is expected at the Meadowlands tomorrow.

Rex Ryan has called this game " A must win" which may or may not be true for a week six game but he wants to make his players understand that anything less than a win and an excellent performance will not be tolerated.

Buffalo is coming off their worst game of the season, a 6-3 loss at the hands of the hapless Cleveland Browns. I watched part of that game and I needed a quart of Mountain Dew to stay awake.

The Jets defense has got to get back on track. They haven't recorded a sack in either of their last two games but I expect this to change with Buffalo nursing a makeshift offensive line.

This could also prove to be a breakout game for young Quarterback Mark Sanchez. He will be without two wide receivers and he must be prepared to look to other receivers besides Braylon Edwards.

Buffalo will have to play close to a perfect game to beat the Jets. Are they capable? Perhaps, but the Jets at least this week seem to have too many weapons, the least of which is motivation which they are not lacking at all.

This game should be over by halftime.

Prediction: Jets 38 - Bills 10

Second Guessing

2009-10-17T08:28:00.001-07:00

I have never been one to second guess. It's so easy after the fact to say he should have done this or he should have done that. If you raise the concern before it happens then you have some validity in making a point.

I am what many would consider an "old timer" when it comes to watching baseball. It's been over a half a century and plenty of games have happenned where it's very easy to say why did you do this when speaking of a Manager's move.

I am not a "traditionalist". I like the modern game. I love Inter League Play even if it's the Seattle Mariners against the Colorado Rockies. I'm not crazy about the Designated Hitter but I do wish for consistency for both leagues.

I'm very much against the All Star Game determining who gets home field in the World Series simply because that game is nothing more than an exhibition game. I'm all for instant replay as long as it doesn't slow each game to four hours.

What really ticks me off is the Pitch Count. Here is definitely where I love the games of the fifties and sixties. Complete games, six out saves, old fashioned 300 inning seasons with 40 starts and 300 strikeouts. That I miss and what brings me to the point of this article.

Yesterday Pedro Martinez the veteran great that he was and is was on a pitch count. For whatever reason Charlie Manuel, who I like as a manager generally, decided that Pedro would only go 75-95 pitchers whether that got him into the 5th or the 8th inning. The reason for this, very vague. He hadn't pitched a regular game in three weeks.

In early September all the master did was throw 130 pitches and completely shut down his former team the Mets.

At the end of 7 innings, Pedro had given up zero runs with zero walks a couple of K's and 87 pitches. So, out he comes and the vaunted Phillies bullpen which has been as inconsistent as our economy used five relief pitchers in the 8th inning and after a bases loaded walk there went Game 2 to the Dodgers.

I ask a simple question. Why not let Pedro at least start the 8th? If he gets into trouble pull him then and give your bullpen a shot at redemption. But, no the allmighty Pitch Count was in effect and that was that.

They say baseball is a game of inches. Now it's become a game of pitches. For what it's worth, I was screaming at the TV before the 8th inning when it was announced that Pedro's day was done.

Right now it seems the only person on board to bring back the old days where pitchers earned their salaries is Nolan Ryan. He has instructed his coaches and managers througout the Texas Rangers organization to stretch these pitchers out.

I wish him luck. he will definitely need it. So will the Phillies if Game two comes back to haunt them. We will see.

The Grand Master Returns Home

2009-10-16T09:06:00.000-07:00

For Pedro Martinez this is just not your everyday post season start. This is truly his homecoming. Traded to the Montreal Expos in 1993 for Delino DeShields in one of the worst trade in modern baseball history, Pedro gets to stand on the mound where it all started for him those many years ago.

I am always reminded that baseball is is just a bunch of grownups playing a kids game and because of the ridiculous amount of money they get they really don't care what team they play for or who their opponent is. That very well may be so but in the case of Pedro Martinez I highly doubt it.

When I listen to Pedro speak on any subject I find him not only to be articulate but I sense a feeling of truthfulness and sincerity to his words.

I followed him very closely during his four not that successful years with the Mets. I was in the vast minority of those fans who felt that the Mets should have resigned him in the off season simply because Pedro said he wasn't finished accomplishing what he set out to do and I hung on to every word he said and took it as gospel.

Unfortunately as for the Mets, we all know how 2009 turned out and it may not have made one bit of difference whether Pedro was on the roster or not as far as the results this past year for the Mets but we will never know.

Pedro is a student of baseball history. Not only does he know his place, he relishes in it. Over the years he has become what they say is a crafty veteran instead of a flame throwing throwback to the days of Bob Gibson and Don Drysdale.

He had the skills to make the adjustment and prolong his already Hall of Fame worthy career. Already documented as perhaps the best pitcher of his generation, like Sandy Koufax, there was a five year period while as a member of the Red Sox that one could argue was not only the best five year period ever for a pitcher but it would put in him among the greatest of all time.

His opponent today is another pitcher who gets to get a bit of revenge on his former team. Vincent Padilla was once a young gun on the Philadelphia staff. He had a blazing fastball that he couldn't control and just as he's had problems in other clubhouses Philadelphia was no exception.

Joe Torre is an amazing manager who knows how to handle players. I would venture to say that if you had a team with all the "bad boys" of baseball and put them under Torre's tutelage they would become a dynasty. What is his secret?

I think the answer is very simple. I thinks he let's men revert back to their childhood and play the game for the fun of it and win or lose you walk away from each game like it was the greatest day of your life.

Game Two - 1:00PM PST. Prediction: My plan worked well for Game One, no need to change my formula for Game Two. The team that scores more than six runs wins Game Two. I think these runs will come after the 7th inning and I give the edge to the Dodgers to even the series at two.

Cheesesteaks in LaLa Land

2009-10-15T13:03:00.000-07:00

When I think back to the twenty years I lived just across the Delaware River in Mt. Laurel New Jersey, I always felt like a big fish out of water trying desperately to catch my breath.

It's not easy being a Mets fan in South Jersey when every living soul North to Trenton, East to the Jersey Shore and South to the twin bridges into Delaware eat, breathe, sleep with never ending Philadelphia sports talk.

Whether it was the Phillies, Eagles, Flyers or Sixers these are some of the most passionate fans in the world.

I find it ironic now living in Las Vegas and when I get to games they are usually in LA. The Dodger games start at 7:00PM and at 8:30 they are still arriving. They start a wave by the third inning and God forbid, if a beach ball finds it's way into the crowd the number of eyes watching the field is reduced dramatically. They are leaving by the 7th despite the score.

That's not to say there aren't any passionate Dodger fans. There are, and perhaps those are the fans who will attend the opening two games of the NLCS which begins today at Chavez Ravine. They also better hope that the Dodgers get out of the gate quickly because if they do not, that place will be close to empty by the end of the seventh inning.

The Phillies are attempting to become the first National League team to repeat as World Champions since the Big Red Machine in 1975 and 1976. That Cincinnati team of Hall of Fame members began to slide in 1977 as the Dodgers and Phillies played each other twice, once that year and again in 1978 for the right to go to the World Series.

The Dodgers won both of those series and it took 21 years for the Phillies to get a taste of revenge last year. They get to try it again tonight with Cole Hamels, last years NLCS and World Series MVP against 21 year old Clayton Kershaw for Joe Torre's Dodgers.

The Dodgers are slight favorites here at the Vegas Sports Books but after what I witnessed against the Colorado Rockies I wouldn't bet against them. The Dodgers, with the best record in the National League, were actually underdogs to the St. Louis Cardinals. Many people felt with Wainwright and Carpenter the Cardinals would be hard to beat. However the Dodgers swept the Cardinals like a hot knife through butter.

This will be a series decided by who can put up the most runs over six, each game. Both teams can hit a ton. The Phillies own the long ball and the Dodgers get on base with timely hitting. The Dodgers have the edge in a deeper bullpen but I give the Phillies the nod in defense.

I see this series going quite a few games longer than last year. The Phillies won in five games last year and took five more games to wrap up the World Series. This year the task will definitely be more difficult. If they do get by the Dodgers they will have the Yankees or Angels waiting in the wings.

My prediction: Seven games for sure. I like the Phillies rotation and they are never out of any game. Phillies four, Dodgers three.

Have fun! Key players: Dodgers - Russell Martin, Phillies - Jimmy Rollins

Football Hall of Fame Injustice.

2009-10-13T13:22:00.000-07:00

Football has a very interesting way they select their candidates for the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. The problem is, nobody knows how it's done.

Perhaps it's for that reason why the Defensive Player of the 1980's has yet to be enshrined.

Below is an article that my friend and mentor Phil Kohen wrote about how to get Joey Browner into the Hall of Fame. He shows how it gets done.

Joey deserves it, let's get him there.

Hall of Fame Injustice by Phil Kohen Columnist for Fan Huddle.

Former Minnesota Viking Great Joey Browner is once again on the ballot for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH.

Joey Browner, Minnesota Vikings 1982-1991, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1992. Five time Hall of Fame Nominee, six time Pro Bowl Player. Starter on ALL TIME 1980’s defensive team NFL. One of the hardest hitting defenders to EVER play the game.

Just ask any of his peers about whether Browner should be inducted and they will ALL tell you it is LONG overdue!

The fact that he has not been enshrined yet is a terrible injustice to football and to Joey Browner’s football career.

Log on to www.profootballhof.com, www.fanchoice.com, or www.lvsportsandentertainment.com.

Click on the button that says vote now. Search by team, click on Minnesota Vikings, click on "BROWNER".

You can let your voice be heard and tell the voters that Joey Browner should be FINALLY voted in to the Hall of Fame.

You can compare his stats to those on the ballot as well as those who have already been voted in.

Joey Browner, Minnesota Vikings 1982-1991, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1992. Five time Hall of Fame Nominee, six time Pro Bowl Player. Starter on All time 1980’s defensive team NFL.

New York Jets: Not Elite, Just Yet

2009-10-13T12:15:00.000-07:00

In what was one of the most exciting and enjoyable games to be played in the last few years on Monday Night Football, The new York Jets clearly answered their fans and perhaps themselves that at this point in the season they are a very good football team, very good, but not elite, just yet.

The Jets put 27 points on the board last night but also gave up three fourth quarter touchdowns to the supposed run happy Dolphins. What they didn't expect was to be beaten by new Dolphins quarterback Michigan's own Chad Henne.

Henne, for the time he was under the center was simply brilliant out playing his much noted USC grad opponent, Mark Sanchez. Mark had an excellent game as well but too many, that was expected especially after last weeks performance in New Orleans.

What was not expected was Henne's 20-26 for 241 yards and two touchdowns. The Dolphins put a total of 413 yards of offense against Rex Ryan's vaunted defense. The Dolphins also used the NFL's latest fad "The Wildcat" to move the ball repeatedly against the Jets.

Ronny Brown and Ricky Williams both hammered away at the Jets defense on the ground and Ricky Williams looked like the Heisman Trophy running back while he was at Texas.

Right from the beginning it looked like whoever had the ball at the end of the game would come out on top.

One of the few very bright spots for the Jets was the emergence of their new number one receiver,recently acquired Braylon Edwards. He hooked up with Mark Sanchez for five catches for 64 yards receptions, plus one touchdown which might have been two if he extended his arm about one more yard into the end zone on a brilliant pass and catch from quarterback Mark Sanchez.

Edwards was familiar with the Jets offense because it is a similar one that was used in Cleveland. "It really was a game of just refreshing the memory", he said after the game. Edwards who has led the league in dropped passes in the past looked like he would catch everything thrown at him by Sanchez and he nearly did. He missed a few but they were out of reach. The one he wanted the most was the "Hail Mary" at the end of the game but it came up short.

The Jets took advantage of two special teams play where they ran for first downs with fake punts.

This is a very exciting team to watch. What fans must remember is that it is still very early in the learning process and the Jets are not as good as their 3-0 start, but their not as bad as their 0-2 last two games.

With a pretty favorable schedule over the next 5 weeks the Jets have the opportunity to make a statement in the AFC east. They have a re-match with both New England and Miami and games with Oakland, Buffalo, and Jacksonville who have a combined 4-11 record.

What's next for New York is getting back home this Sunday to face the 1-4 Buffalo Bills who look like they are in disarray. It will also be an opportunity to see T.O who is struggling in Buffalo and due to sound off in the very near future.

Should be fun.

NLDS Game 5 Preview: Rockies vs Phillies

2009-10-12T14:02:00.000-07:00

As I learned during last nights game that when the temperature dropped into the 20's I was reminded why I left South Jersey 15 years ago to come and live in Las Vegas. That's just too darn cold for my blood.

Of course that didn't stop the Phillies bats as they won a thrilling game four 6-5 to take a 2-1 lead in this years NLDS.

The Phillies core Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins all played a major role and Brad Lidge did the best imitation of the 2009 Brad Lidge as Philly fans at least those who were still awake on the East Coast at 3:00 AM held their breath in the bottom of the ninth as the Rockies had the tying and winning runs on the basepaths.

But Lidge held firm the Phillies look to wrap up the series in less than an hour from now.

They go back to their game one starter, Cliff Lee who has been nothing less than sensational since coming to the Phillies from Cleveland at the trade deadline. he has the chance to become a two time winner in this NDLS. I don't think manager Charlie Manuel will not hesitate to pull Lee late in the game even if he has the lead. A complete game as he did in game one would take a Superman effort in this cold temperature.

For the record Lee is 2-0 vs. the Rockies this year sporting a 1.13 ERA. Having never pitched in a playoff game before this will be his second one in a week.

The Rockies will counter with their Game One starter Ubaldo Jimenez who match Lee for the first four innings. Then the Phillies bats took over with two in the fifth and three in the sixth.

For the Rockies to win today they are going have to score early and often and Jimenez, who is 0-2 in three stars against the Phillies this year, must be on his game.

The most exciting player on the field has been Carlos Gonzales who hitting a rather hot.615 for the series and has 8 hits in 13 attempts. What he does today along with Troy Tulowitzki who barely missed a home run last night just may determine the rest of the Rockies playoffs chances.

Prediction: We are going back to Philadelphia as the Rockies bats come to life and take a 8-7 victory.

Monday Night Football Preview: Jets vs Dolphins

2009-10-12T07:35:00.000-07:00

Tonight on ESPN these two original American Football Leagues teams will meet at Pro Players Stadium in Miami. The Jets and the Dolphins have met close to 100 times in the regular season providing a history and rivalry as good and intense as any in the National Football League.

Even my family has it's competitive hats on tonight as my son Russ is a huge Dolphins fan despite growing up in a Jets household. Good luck son.

Their most recent game literally tells the story of so many years. In order to reach the playoffs last year the Jets needed to beat Miami in the last game of the season played at the Meadowlands. If Miami won they would have finished one of the greatest turnarounds in NFL history, not only winning the Division but knocking the New England Patriots out of the playoffs.

The other main factor in this matchup was the return to the Meadowlands of former Jets Quarterback Chad Pennington who was released by the Jets upon the signing of Bret Favre. This game had all the implications of a championship caliber game.

We all know the results. The Dolphins easily won the game and the Jets who at one point in time after their victory against then undefeated Tennessee Titans were considered the best team in the AFC went home and ended their one year lease with Brett Favre.

Tonight's game has revenge written all over it, but in order for the Jets to get the job done, they are going to have to do it not being nearly at full strength.

Jerricho Cotchery the Jets leading receiver is questionable for tonight's game. That would mean that even if he does play newly acquired Braylon Edwards should see plenty of action on his side of the field.

Speaking of the new Jets "Bad Boy", the coaches have been very pleased in the just very few days since he's arrived. Coach Rex Ryan said that Braylon looked quite comfortable out there and seemed to know or be very familiar within this offensive structure.

Mark Sanchez, the Jets rookie QB is going to have to have a bounce back game in order to beat this very strong defensive Dolphin team. Last week Sanchez got a welcome call to the NFL from the New Orleans Saints who forced 3 turnovers from the Southern Cal graduate.

The Jets also are reporting that Lito Sheppard the fine cornerback formally on the Philadelphia Eagles and cornerback Donald Strickland will both be out of tonight's game as well.

For the Dolphins to continue their winning ways it's got to come on the ground. Their one-two punch of Ronny Brown and Ricky Williams are averaging almost 184 yards each game. If these guys run wild the Dolphins will not have to rely on Chad Henne who has replaced injured Quarterback Chad Pennington who once again is out for the season with a shoulder injury that could very well end his 10 year NFL career.

Keep in mind that the Jets have only allowed three rushing touchdowns against them in the first 4 games this year. This has all the makings of a low scoring smash mouth football game to be decided in the trenches.

I love Joey Porters comments saying " this league isn't big enough for too many bullies". He calls it two bullies meeting in a parking lot and dukeing it out. Should be fun.

Prediction: The Jets by a field goal late in the 4th quarter 17-14. Didn't I say that same thing last week in New Orleans?

NLDS Game 3 Preview: Phillies vs. Rockies

2009-10-11T15:17:00.000-07:00

The Philadelphia Phillies definitely benefiting from an extra day's rest sends 12 game winner Rookie JA Happ to the mound in what probably be the coldest game played this post season for sure.

The Rockies will counter with Jason Hammel a 10 game winner in what always has been a great hitters park. The Rockies evened the series by taking the second game in Philadelphia with an inconsistent performance by Phillies 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels.

Happ has been absolutely brilliant for the Phillies. He started in the bullpen early in the season but when Chan Ho Park was ineffective, Happ went into the rotation and was the most consistent pitcher for the remainder of the season.

If he's to be successful tonight he's going to have shut down Todd Helton, Brad Hawpe and most important Troy Tulowitzki.

For the Phillies to be successful they must get production from the very top of their order. If Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino are kept off the bases, I like the Rockies chances.

Game 3 of a five game series is always the most pivotal obviously because the team that wins needs only to win one more to move on.

There's no question the Rockies do not want to return to Philadelphia simply because the Phillies will have the momentum playing in front of their home crowd.

This should be a great game. Charlie Manuel may be second guessed regarding not staring Pedro Martinez whose experience in post season play has been excellent.

Prediction: Phillies bats carry them to Game 4, Phillies 8 Rockies 2.

No Bullpen Needed: Phillies 5 Rockies 1

2009-10-08T08:11:00.000-07:00

While the parade along Broad is not quite there yet, there is a quiet confidence that for the Phillies to repeat as world champions, the less we see of the bullpen the better off they will be. One game down 11 to go and if the Cliff Lee performance in the 5-1 Phillies victory is any indication that the Phillies are even a bit concerned of their bullpen is beyond me.

In what undoubtedly the best in season pickup in baseball this year, some may disagge and point to Matt Holliday,I believe when you van put your game on the line to a former CY Young Award and 20+ game winner you should come out just fine.

There's a baseball saying in truth that to get to these guys you better get to them early for as the game progresses they get stronger and meaner and their desire to complete what they started reigns supreme. The Rockies had their chances. They put a couple of guys on early and Ibanez was matching Lee pitch for pitch through the first 4 innings.

Lee was dominant. When you through first pitch strikes to first hitters good results more often happen.It's when you walk somone so often the game falls apart and that' exactly what happend to the Rockies in the 5th.

The Phil's got two in the 5th and added three more in the 6th and so went the rockies away in game 1.

Lee pitched a complete game for his first post season victory and put himself in position to a pitch game five if neccessary.

Next up for the Phillies today is their version of Dr.Jeckel or Mr Hyde. Cole has the ability of repeating Lees perfornmance and return to the form that made him last years playoff and World Series MVP. On other days he looks as hittable as Charlie Brown. Who is going to show up today?

After today here's what we will have. Ann all out work force making plans for another Broad Street parade or can the Phillies even get out of the first round in one piece.

Key Game, today, wouldn't you think.

The Big Apple Jets Obtain an Apple of it's Own

2009-10-07T15:08:00.000-07:00

The Jets who have for the past six months having been trying to acquire a prominent wide receiver took a giant step today by acquiring Braylon Edwards from the Cleveland Browns for wide receiver Chancey Stuckey, linebacker Jason Trusnik and two draft choices.

With all the hype coming out of Michigan, Edwards for the most part part has been a flop in his first seasons. He has shown signs of greatness but his behavior off the field leaves one to wonder whether he can be pencilled in as the number one receiver each week.

There was never any doubt that Braylon would ever be on the same page as Eric Mangini. Those two guys are just worlds apart. Now if Rex Ryan is keep Mr Edwards in line in game face mode he will have to lay the law down early and perhaps often for this talented yet troubled young man.

My initial thought when hearing of this trade was if Braylon could get in trouble outside a Cleveland night club having him in New York is like being a diabetic and putting him to work at Hershey's chocolate.

Perhaps it was Rex Ryan who helped put Ray Lewis life back in order in Baltimore. He can only wish for the same thing here. When healthy and focused, Edwards will be force that other teams will have to prepare for each week. If he's a bust, then we gave up a pretty talented number two receiver for him.

The future is any body's guess. Let's just hope that if Braylon Edwards is a rotten apple, he doesn't get a chance to spoil the whole cart.

NLDV Preview: Phillies vs. Rockies

2009-10-05T15:46:00.001-07:00

Flashback to only two years ago, 2007 and these same two teams were to meet in the NL Division Series. The Philadelphia Phillies had overcome a seven game deficit with 17 games to play. Trying to erase some ghosts of their own, particularly the "Big Choke" of 1964 when the Phillies blew a six game lead with 10 games to go against the St. Louis Cardinals, this team came charging down the stretch led by their big three Ryan Howard, Chase, Utley and NL MVP winner Jimmy Rollins.

However, the vast majority of the 2007 team weren't even born in 1964, except for Jaime Moyer, when that Phillies team gave away that pennant in 1964. This team had a terrific September and beat the highly favored New York Mets to win the crown on the last day of the season.

Their opponent then as now was the Colorado Rockies who stormed through September that year like Sherman marching through Georgia to win the wild card. They lost one game in their last 50,(only kidding)but it certainly felt that way. They had a momemtum going for them that eventually swept through not only the Phillies in three straight, but then swept the Diamondbacks in four straight to head into a classic match up with the now powerful and World Series experienced Boston Red Sox.

Their luck ran out there and they have not forgotten that series just 2 years removed and nothing less than a return trip and victory there will satisfy this hungry Rockies group.

They are managed by Jim Tracy who took over for the ever popular Clint Hurdle and were 10 games under.500 as the calendar turned to June. With brilliant pitching from Jason Marquis,Jason Hammel,Jorge De La Rosa, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Aaron Cook, these 5 starters combined for 67 wins and look to be strong going into the playoffs. The only question mark may be De La Rosa who has a mild groin injury, but with Aaron Cooks excellent return the pitching rotation for round one is set.

With Todd Helton, Brad Hawpe and Troy Tulowitzki all driving in more than 85 rbi's, the Rockies have the power to compete with the Phillies. The relief pitching is excellent as well with Houston Street successfully back from injury, closing 35 out of 37 save opportunities.

This is a very well rounded team that took the Dodgers down to the final weekend to determine the NL West crown.

Ubaldo Jimenez gets the call for game 1 in Philadelphia.

These 2009 Phillies will be looking to be the first National League team to repeat as World Champions since the great "Big Red Machine" of the Cincinatti Reds in 1975 and 1976.

The road to get there will be a more difficult road then the one that got the Phillies here once again.

The regular season started off with Brad Lidge finally blowing a save in April. Considering he had perfect in 2008 including both the regular season and the playoffs through the World Series. It was no surprise that sooner or later that streak would be broken.

What was not expected was the implosion which Lidge and the Phillies have gone through since that first blown save. Over the course of this past season to look at Lidge's numbers they are so ugly that it does surprise many just how did the Phillies get to this point again. It also speaks highly for the Phillies advancing beyond the Rockies, because if not Lidge, who else?

Lidge finished the season with a record of 0-8. He had 42 save opportunities but only converted 31. 11 blown saves and 8 losses certainly seems like a major concern come playoff time for Charlie Manuel and his Fightin' Phil's.

The rotation did struggle early but with the inception of JA Happ into the rotation and the acquisition of Cliff Lee, plus the year long solid performance by Joe Blanton, the Phillies pitching rotation seems to be in good shape.

I say seems because we don't know which Cliff Lee and Cole Hammels will arrive on the scene. Both pitchers in the last two months have been both brilliant and tragic in back to back performances. It's easy to say if the "Good" pitchers show up the Phillies have the edge in the rotation but if the "Bad" guys show up a repeat of the 2007 sweep would not surprise me at all.

With all that said, one must keep in mind that on any given day the Phillies are capable and have done it frequently enough this year for you to know it's a reality, they can put a 10 spot on the board before your out of the third inning. This is a team that can flat out hit.

Despite the fact that Jimmy Rollins can hardly be found, the combination of Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Raul Ibanez and Jason Werth have been devastating to National League pitchers all year long. Those four sluggers combined for 146 hr's this year. Throw in an additional 52 from the other four starters and you know there will be no power outage on Broad Street this fall.

This is a very tough series to call. Lots of intangibles here, specifically the situation with the Phillies closer. A return to form from Brad Lidge and home field advantage in a short series certainly favors the Phillies. Obviously the longer the series stretches out the Rockies become the favorites.

Charlie Manuel has not yet named his opening game starter. That in of itself should tell you just how concerned the Phillies are with the pitching staff.

As a fan, I would personally love to see Pedro Martinez play a role not only in this division series but if the Phillies were to move on he would be a fantastic draw for baseball fans everywhere especially if it should turn out that the Phillies would make it to the World Series against either the Yankees or the Red Sox. Ah, one can dream.

I am a big believer in momentum and right now I believe the Rockies have more of that than the Phillies so therefore my prediction, the Rockies in 4 games and it's going to be quite a few more years that the Big Red Machine's back to back championships will be matched.

High Fyling Saints Grounds Jets 24-10

2009-10-05T06:51:00.000-07:00

It's no wonder why Jet's coach Rex Ryan told the media this past week he wished the Jets didn't have to play the Saints. This was very out of character for the coach who has told his team and the world that they would not bow down to anyone. I wonder what made him change his strategy this week?

Whatever it was it carried right down to his team. In a complete 180 degree reversal from the previous game against the Tennessee Titans this time it was the Saints who jumped out in front early and although the Jets valiantly tried to make a game of it coming within a touchdown early in the second half, it was the Saints who were the dominant team on both sides of the ball.

The Saints somewhere along the way found a lost defense and forced four Jets turnovers.

Darren Sharper, returned one of his two interceptions off rookie Mark Sanchez to a club-record 99 yards for a score. Will Smith forced a fumble in the end zone to produce a second defensive touchdown.

Sanchez definitely had his first wake up call and unpleasant welcoming to the NFL. He definitely seemed out of sorts as the Saints were relentless in his pursuit. He still managed to go 14-27 and 138 yards but his four turnovers were his undoing.

Darren Sharper was the defensive hero for the Saints. He had two interceptions on the day returning one of them 99 yards for a Saints club record.

Drew Brees turned in just an average day for him as he was rushed by the Jets all day long. He was held to just 190 yards on the day with zero touchdowns. However it was the Saints defense that completely ruled the day.

Pierre Thomas led the Saints offense with 86 yards rushing and catching four passes for an additional 46 yards.

I had said in the preview article that if the Jets had lost this game it would not be time to panic or have the calling for Rex Ryan's head. With that said however, I am at a loss for the selection of play calling on two separate occasions when with the Jets driving on two drives Ryan chose to have Sanchez attempt a pass on 3rd and one yard to go for a first down. This was called twice in spite of the fact that Thomas Jones was finding holes in the Saints defensive line for yardage gains that might have kept the drives going.

Maybe we should look at the Offensive Co-ordinator for these calls. To me they made absolutely no sense and with two incompletions they certainly sealed the day for the Jets. I will be watching this type of play calling in future games because if this were to become a habit, there will be plenty of noise coming from this reporter.

In the meantime, the Jets 3-1 are now tied with the Patriots on top of the AFC East. Not too shabby but still along way to go until January.

Preview: New York Jets vs. New Orleans Saints

2009-10-03T07:34:00.000-07:00

The 3-0 New York Jets, the red headed step brother, to the New York Giants, takes it's undefeated season and puts it on the line at the NFL's most prolific offense, the New Orleans Saints 3-0 Sunday afternoon in the Superdome in New Orleans.

The perfect scenario when the indestructable force comes across the immoveable object in a test of strengths between two of the NFL least most likely undefeated teams.

The Jets in the glory of their honeymoon season with their new first year head coach Rex Ryan has turned the clock back to 1985 when Rex's dad, the now infamous Buddy Ryan and his famed "46" defense ruled and intimidated the NFL.

The Jets in the first 3 games have outscored their opponents 64-33 and have held them to two offensive touchdowns. That is just flat out stifleing defense.

Led by Bart Scott and Darrelle Revis, the Jets are annoying the heck out their opponents with plenty of pre-game trash talk but have been backing up that talk with outstanding play on both sides of the ball.

The offense is led by rookie first round Quarterback and USC alum Mark Sanchez. Now nobody is going to confuse Mark with either brother Manning but he certainly seems to resemble last year's first time rookie Quarterbacks Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan.

As said in previous articles about this team, the thing that stands out most with Sanchez is his poise under pressure. Now it's one thing to handle that pressure while at home in a very supportive environment but this week figures to be the exact opposite that Sanchez has had to face in his last two games at home against New England and Tennessee.

This Sunday he will be indoors in one of the loudest stadiums in the league as 60,000 screaming Saints fans will sound more like a half a million. This will be Sanchez biggest test to date and the very future of the Jets season may very depend on how he does in this extremely hostile environment.

The New Orleans Saints is another of the NFL teams that has tugged at the heartstrings of it's fans for years. For example,last year, most writers predicted a division crown for the Saints but they came up short going 8-8 while showing glances of brilliance under the leadership and passing prowess of Drew Brees.

The inconsistency of their play and their defensive holes managed to disappoint themselves as well as the fans.

This past off season Drew Brees worked out at 5:30AM every morning with a group of Marines. While consumed by their work ethics he picked up on a number of chants they did during the workout. Brees brought these chants back to the Saints and they have adopted them as their own as he believes that these will be their jumping off point to a championship season.

So far so good.

After breezing through a rather easy opponent pre-season, the Saints turned on the burners for their first three games and have not let up since.

In their opener they ripped the Lions ( no big deal there) by putting up a 45 on the scoreboard. A great deal more impressive however were their next two road games. The first was in Philadelphia where they easily manhandled the Donovan McNabb less Eagles 48-22 which some writers feel might have been an early preview to the NFC Championship game.

Last week was their most impressive appearance to date. On the road in Buffalo they beat a determined Bills team 27-7 while completely shutting down Terrel Owens to zero completions. Now the Bills are not considered an offensive juggernaut, but the Saints were very pleased with their overall defensive effort.

In order for the Saints to win this game they will have to play another great defensive game and hold down the Jets running attack. If they keep the Jets offense off the field they feel that Drew Brees can light up any defensive scheme out there.

If the Jets are to win this game they must be relentless in putting pressure on Brees and knock him down and around and get him out of his rhythm. If they do that, the Saints still have plenty of defensive questions especially in their secondary. Remember this is still the same team that gave up 27 points to the Lions and over 300 passing yards to second string Eagles Quarterback Kevin Kobb.

Prediction: Jets 24 Saints 21 in a close game to be decided by a field goal with less than 1one minute left in the game.

The National League East Final Weekend

2009-10-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

The MLB regular season comes to a grinding halt this Sunday after 162 grueling games and some will say that in the NL East everything has gone according to plan.

The Phillies have clinched their third straight division crown. The Nats have put together two back to back 100 game season losses. The Marlins and the Braves fought for a wild card position into the last week of the season and the Mets lost over 90 games, the first time they did that since 2004.

They did what?

Yes the Mets, the preseason co favorite with the Phillies in the NL East, had what many dire Mets fans are saying was the most disappointing season in the history of the franchise.

Personally I wouldn't go that far. 1987 was the stinker of all time. Remember the 86 club won 108 games and bullied their way through the National league. Then they played what some people still feel was the greatest division series of all times against the Houston Astros. Then the miracle ending to game 6 against the Boston Red Sox in the World Series. The rest was history.

1987 was set up as the continuance to the Mets dynasty. What happened that year was that injuries took out the entire Mets starting rotation for a good part of the year ending any thoughts of a repeat performance.

2009 for the Mets also got bit by the injury bug. no, let me ref raze that. The Mets got swallowed by the injury monster in 2009. Every member of the so-called Mets core missed a good portion of the 2009 Mets season.

Carlos Delgado coming off a brilliant second half of the 2008 season started off the year like he never had a winter break. By May he was gone for the year. Jose Reyes, who I had to remind another Mets reporter this morning, who said they should cut ties with him, that in his history with this club when Reyes gets on base, the Mets winning percentage is close to .700. By June, he was gone for the year. Carlos Beltran was only having the best year of his stellar career in 2009 went down with a leg injury in June and finished the year appearing in only half the games played this year.

Even at the all star break, this team still had positioned themselves within striking distance of the Phil's because at that time the Phillies just couldn't seem to win at home and their starting pitching was in disarray.

However the Mets problems continued to grow. Their starting rotation consisted of an unsteady Johan Santana, later we would learn why, and four to ten other guys who couldn't find home plate with a infra ray night scope. By the way, the Mets pitching this year lead the entire MLB in walks by about a trillion.

So the "B" Mets stumbled the rest of the year at a less than .400 pace. Johan Santana went down with chips or something like that floating in his elbow and the final blow to the Mets core happened when David Wright's head came into direct contact with a Matt Cain 93 mph fastball.

One concussion later, a 15 day trip to the DL and a .220 average upon his return certainly was the topping to this not so brilliant season for the Metropolitans.

In future articles about the NL East, we will follow the Phillies quest to repeat as World Series Champions, something a National League team has not done since the Big Red Machine of the 70's. I actually like their chances but more about that Sunday when we review the first round Division Series that starts next week.

After the season we will look back at all the teams in the NL East. We will evaluate their year and look into my famous crystal ball and see what moves if any are going to have to be made by each team to make a run at the Phillies once again in 2010.

Being a life long Mets fan I can really be very objective about this division simply because with the Mets, I love the team but despise the organization. This way no one may accuse me as being a homer.

My congratulations to the 2009 Philadelphia Phillies. They have fought through a lot of problems and obstacles this year, the least of which has been the complete meltdown of Brad Lidge, more on him this Sunday as well, but they have prevailed and deserve all the accolades they are getting.

With that said, however, I don't think they are getting as much respect as I hear that the Cardinals will be the solid favorites in the NL to go to the World Series.

Slow down folks, not so fast, they don't call them the Fightin' Phil's for nothing.

The New York Jets: Unfamilar Territory

2009-09-30T07:23:00.000-07:00

The last time the Jets started the season 3-0 it was 2004 and optimism in Jets land was at an all time high. This is a team that hadn't been to a Super Bowl since 1969 and had disappointed it fans for decades,

That team actually won it's first five before losing two of it's next three and finishing the year at a somewhat disappointing 10-6. They were victorious on the road in San Diego and beat the heavily favored Chargers 20-17 in overtime. The Jets had a 17-10 lead with 20 seconds left in regulation and literally handed the ball to the Chargers for the tying touchdown.

The following week they met the 15-1 Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh. The Jets who had no offense against the vaunted Steelers defense had a great chance to steal the game and head to the AFC championship game. With the score 17-17 the Jets tried a 47 yard field goal that hit the crossbar and my dream for a chance to return to the Super Bowl came to an end as the ball bounced back on to the field from the direction it come from.

They had a second shot from 43 yards out in overtime but this one went wide left and the Steelers would win the game on a 33 yard field goal of their own.

I bring up 2004 as a comparison to this years 3-0 Jets. Record wise there is a great similarity and for those of us who predicted that if the Jets finished at 10-6 this year,it would be believed as a miraculous season under first year head coach Rex Ryan. I, myself predicted that 2-4 or 3-3 at best after the first six games would be a decent accomplishment.

There is a telltale difference however in these two teams. The 2004 team did not have the swagger that this 2009 edition does. It starts right at the top with Coach Ryan and it has easily filtered down to its players on both sides of the ball.

Bart Scott, doing a very good imitation of Ravens great linebacker, Ray Lewis, has every Jets defensive player believing they can pitch a shutout in every game. Darrelle Revis is also sending a message to high flying wide outs that he is a shutdown corner and has the walk to back the talk.

However the biggest difference in the Years Jets is the phenomenal beginning to rookie Mark Sanchez career as the Jets rookie QB.

What has intrigued me the most about him is his poise under pressure. There is no mistaking at times he certainly plays like the rookie he is but the vast majority of the time he looks, acts and performs like a 10 year veteran out there, unflappable in the rush of 285 pound defensive giants who want to rip his heart right out of his body.

No better example of this attitude and capability of performance came in Sundays game against the Tennessee Titans which saw the Jets fall behind 17-14 after beginning the game as if there would be a rout in the Meadowlands that day.

Not only had Sanchez gone into a funk but the whole team seemed to be coming down the roller coaster at breakneck speed with no chance to continue the ride. That's exactly when the rookie took control. After recovering the fumble on the dropped fair catch punt, Sanchez went to work. It seemed that before you let out the deep breath you took after scrambling for the lost ball, Sanchez fired at dart into the end zone and the the Jets were back on top 21-17.

His play in the 4th quarter of ball control was not lost on Coach Jeff Fischer of the Titans. Once the Titans got the ball back with time enough to get the game into overtime the defense took over. They held Quarterback Kerri Collins to zero completions in his last 13 attempts to seal the win for the Jets.

Overall, if Sundays performance was a measure of things to come for the 2009 Jets it's going to be a fun season. The party moves to New Orleans this weekend with a showdown with the also undefeated New Orleans Saints, another team like the Jets, who have frustrated their fans in a very similar manner.

This time, however they have tools on both sides of the ball to go a very long way in the NFC. I picked them to go to the NFC Championship Game this year and so far they are making me look very good.

In a very short 16 game season it's never too early to call any one game crucial and if the Jets come up short in this one I don't think anyone should press the panic button and call for Ryan's head. However on the flip side, a win here would by all means let the NFL community be put on alert that there will now be two New York teams on a Super Bowl appearance watch. A little early for that for sure, but a very nice prospect to hope for during the next 3 months.

Omar: Learn From History: Resign Carlos Delgado

2009-09-16T10:25:00.001-07:00

Does the name Pedro Martinez ring a bell Omar? It should. You were smart enough to bring him to New York and it was a brilliant move because it started a whirlwind movement by Latin players who wanted to come to New York to be in his presence. Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Johan Santana, all expressed publicly that coming to the Mets to play with Pedro was paramount in their decision to want to play in New York.

The fact that Omar had the chance to resign him this year at a much lower cost to the organization was a wasted effort on Omar's part.

Well Met fans, I screamed about this for 9 months only to see Pedro wind up in Philadelphia, of all places, and come back magnificently and literally kick our butts all over the northeast part of the US. I felt the beatings here in Vegas and the only saving grace for me was I put y money where my mouth is and collected on every game he has started for the Phillies.

I may be richer for it but I'm miserable as hell.

Now Omar is about to make the exact same mistake all over again. The chances of resigning Carlos Delgado are slim to none. Fast forward to next September and I sure hope he's in the American League because without a crystal ball I can give you his numbers going into Sept 1st. Write them down so you can choke on the paper next year.

450 plate appearances, 155 hits, 28 doubles, 3 triples, 29 home runs, 91 rbi's, .282 batting average, .372 OBP, .585 Slugging percentage .957 OPS.

Crazy, you think? I think it's as real as it can get. His had hip surgery. The same surgery as Chase Utley and Alex Rodriguez and Mike Lowell. This injury, when fixed is fixed, period.

If the Mets resign him and he plays only 120-130 games, so what. Daniel Murphy and perhaps Ike Davis are the heir apparents for the Mets at that position. I would have Murphy playing winter ball at second base and use him as the super-sub in 2010.

Delgado is a core player for a reason. He is a leader both on the field and off. He takes the pressure off David and provides motivation for Beltran Reyes, Pagan and every player on that team.

Omar now has the reputation of being a fixer of problems. That's not his job. He needs to develop the farm system through the draft and through the international market. His results as a fixer are terrible. One could even argue that K-Rod and I love him a New York Mets uniform was not the fix the Mets needed when Houston Street, Brian Fuentes, and a few others were out there last year to be had a a much lower cost and you really don't want to bring up JJ Putz do you?

I'm going to take a lot of flack on this the same way I did on taking the side of Pedro Martinez. Believe me it's not a matter of being right or even saying I told you so. I'm way too old for that. I just want to see this organization be pro-active instead of being re-active all the time.

To be pro-active would be to resign Carlos Delgado and move on from there. In Part II, I will give my opinion of what it's going to take to get back into contention for 2010. You'll be surprised, it really doesn't have to take too much.

Daniel In the Lions Den

2009-09-13T00:42:00.000-07:00

With this season finally drawing to a close, I have spent most of the past six to eight weeks listening to Mets fans and those who cover the Mets in the media trash over and over and over again the Mets first baseman, Daniel Murphy.

To me it's just unbelievable what extremes these fans take when it comes to blame and evaluation of a players year.

To a man, after last years great September when Daniel Murphy literally skipped AAA to come directly to the Mets and have a wonderful month, he was anointed the final piece of the package which would be added to the already supreme core of Mets players that would have them contend for a championship for the next 10 years.

His numbers were in fact pretty darn good for a 23 year old rookie. He hit .313 had an OBP of .397 and a SLG of .473. He had great bat control, had power to all fields and worked at his hitting like the second coming of Keith Hernandez.

The question was where to play him. A third baseman by trade, he also had some minor leagues games at first but the only place the Mets could see him in was left field, a position where he never played before and looked very uncomfortable in his limited outings there last September.

In winter ball he was going to work out at second base in case Luis Castillo couldn't come back after his disastrous 2008.

Well we all saw what happened in the spring. Murphy was clearly out of his element in left field at the start of the season and his play in the field carried over to his plate appearances.

It also didn't help that his manager, my favorite moron, who has cost this team so many games I have lost count, didn't do any favors with his now 24 year old batter. He moved him in and out of the lineup so many times and had him in every batting slot in the lineup it had to play with the youngsters mind.

He slumped miserably until two things finally happened to change things around. One, Daniel became the regular first baseman and second Jerry finally started to hit Murphy in front of Wright and Francoeur to give him some protection in the line up.

So what has Daniel done since August. All he's done is hit. His average for the last 7 weeks is over .300. His OBP is over .350 and his slugging percentage is just under.500.

Now everybody wants to see him gone. Why? The Mets don't need a guy at first to hit.260 with 35 hr's and 100 rbi's to play first base and have the team win. They need that guy in left field. Matt Holliday is who they need there.

The Mets have had three pretty darn good players at first base and won championships without sluggers. They were Dave Magadan, Keith Hernandez and Jon Olerud. Magadan was 27 in 1990 when he .328 with an OBP of .417 and a SLG .457.

Keith Hernandez was 25 in 1975 when he hit .344, OBP .417 and SLG .513 for the Cardinals in 1979

Neither Hernandez, Olerud or Magadan had as good numbers as Murphy did when they were 23.

This is a guy you build your future around. A guy who never stops to try and make himself better, who works on his game everyday and dives around the bag at first like Ferris Fane.

But the problem here is that Met fans are never satisfied. They don't want to even entertain the thought that this year made us take a good look at Pagan, Sullivan Francoeur, Murphy, and Cora. These guys are winners and if you build your core around Wright, Reyes, Beltran, Santana, Niese, K-Rod, Thole, and F-Mart and have Holt, Davies, Marte, and others waiting in the wings, we can, with the right GM and Manager, get right back into contention in 2010.

I should only be so lucky.

Vegas Rich.

Down The Stretch They Come

2009-09-01T14:38:00.001-07:00

If anyone on April 1st would have said to me that on September 1st that the Phillies would be leading the NL East by 7 or more games, I would have said, "Wow, I knew they were going to be good but ahead by 7, No way".

If on April 1st someone said to me the Braves and Marlins would be battling it out for second in the east and fighting for a wild card spot, I would have said, "Wow, both their pitching staffs must have held up pretty well."

Finally if someone told me that the Mets would be about 15 games below .500, in 4th place and completely out of the race I would have said, "What the frack, did everyone get injured?"

That brings us to September 1st and for the first time in a few years there is little uncertainty about the National League East.

The Phillies have been nothing short of brilliant. Despite early season struggles at home and much inconsistency on the part of their staring rotation, they have met each challenge and have come through like the champions they are. ( Boy, did that hurt)

The acquisitions of Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez in August have been an outstanding moves. All they've done is win 6 out of 7 games and with a month to go they should probably win an additional 6.

They have to be the favorites going into the post season despite the Cardinals surge and the late heroics by the Giants and the Roxcies.

Their biggest concern will be who shall star game 3 of the NLDS, Joe Blanton or J.A. Haap.

To me it looks like another parade on Broad Street and me sending pictures of Vegas Rich draped in Phillies gear sending those photos to every Phillies writer on the BR. Oye.

The Atlanta Braves have surprised me more than any other team in the division. I knew their pitching would be good but I didn't expect the consistency that they have shown. I was not a huge Derek Lowe fan and I'm still not sure he deserved a 4 year deal, but this year he has been vintage Lowe.

Their bats have kept them from getting any closer to the Phillies than their ever going to be. They need a boomer and I was surprised that they didn't try to get one before the trade deadline.

If they plan to be in the 2010 race they certainly will need to address that concern. I can certainly see them making a huge run at Matt Holiday. That in of itself should tighten the race in 2010.

The Marlins are always an intriguing team. They are like the David Copperfield of the MLB. They are always in the race with a payroll somewhat less than daily take from the Las Vegas casinos.

I don't see the usual fire sale at the end of this year simply because with a new stadium on the way, there will be more money available to keep their budding stars. Their young staff is impressive and it certainly doesn't hurt to have the number 2 player in all of baseball roaming the infield for the fish.

Watch out for the Washington Nationals. Not this year for sure and probably not for the next 2 years either but expect an increase of wins over the next 3 years. This is a franchise that has found it's leadership and is definitely headed in the right direction. Expect a playoff run from them by 2012.

Finally my beloved Mets. I have spent the entire season trying to look beyond the injuries because they are a part of the game. But, what those injuries have done is expose this teams vital organs and they are failing at an alarming rate. Real quick, drastic change needs to take place at the end of this season.

Omar and his sidekick Jerry need to go. They Mets need to bring back Bobby Valentine and give him complete control over player selection. I could go on for hours on this but I've done it already often enough this year and now all we can do is wait for next year.

Mack's Mets: Opinion: Don't Hang Last Night's Loss On Stokes- Hang It On Jerry!

2009-08-29T09:52:00.000-07:00

Mack's Mets: Opinion: Don't Hang Last Night's Loss On Stokes- Hang It On Jerry!

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NY Mets: Continuing on the Road to Stupidity

2009-08-21T10:04:00.000-07:00

I don't believe for one second that those fans on the BR who read my work would argue with anyone about how passionate I am about this team. It's no secret that I'm not a youngster like my three favorite proteges Mike Kent, Nick Adamo, and Nick Carlo but each one of them will tell you that the Mets are my first love and have been so since 1962.

This is not a plug for my "Anatomy of a Franchise series either.

I'm just frustrated as we all are about the current status of the Mets 2009 season. We can talk about all the injuries until we are blue in the face and we know that we can't change what has happened in the past but you would think this organization could at least learn from it. Do they? No.

The case of Gary Sheffield has me most disturbed today as I see that after all he has accomplished this year the Mets have decided more likely than not to cut the strings and let this guy, who virtually held this team together for 4 months, and send him on his way.

I have been a Sheffield fan for his entire career. Sure, there are a lot of negative comments out there about his past but no one can doubt his competitive nature and isn't that what every team needs to have on and off the field?

To this day in his 40th year he is still intimidating at the plate waving his bat and showing the bat speed of a 30 year old in his prime.

When I wrote this article http://bleacherreport.com/articles/183888-so-gary-sheffield-to-the-mets-is-ridiculous-right-wrong on May 20th I was so pleased that Gary was living up to his billing and my thought even then was if we would get back our injured players he would surely look good surrounded by Reyes, Wright, Beltran and Delgado.

However we all know that didn't happen so what did Gary do. He played well, he played hurt, he mentored just about every position player the Mets have. He provided the well needed leadership that was lacking on this team for so long.

David Wright was instrumental in bringing Gary to the Mets. He recognized long before our faithful fans that Gary was a perfect fit for this team regardless of whether he played 3 games a week or 6.

So now what do the Mets do? They put him on waivers. He was claimed by the Giants so they pulled him back. Now they have an opportunity to lock him up and finish his stellar career in a New York Mets uniform, his dream team since his uncle Dwight Gooden played for us in the 80's, and go out of here directly into the Hall of Fame.

The Mets pulled him back from waivers and now more likely than not they will release him. He will go to a contender and help them into the playoffs and what do the Mets get out of it? Nothing.

This is a continuous problem that the Mets organization have had throughout their history. The make stupid impulsive decisions without weighing the potential consequences. I have said this since they fired Willie Randolph, for all he did was win games as the Mets manager, and they continue to make these ridiculous moves as other teams help themselves we go backwards under the less than stellar leadership of the Wilpons, Omar and Jerry.

Mark my words everyone, I know this team as well or if not better than any of us out there and I can tell you for sure that unless there are major changes made in this off season in the Mets organization we will be watching World Series parades down Broad Street for the next 10 years and that's no exaggeration.

Please will someone in this organization please listen to the voice of reason and intelligence if I don't say so myself. Even my 3 amigos, I expect are going to be on my side with this, maybe. I just have to get Nick Adamo in a good mood. I'll probably have to trade him my QB or something like that.

The Mets Police: Omar Minaya: I Told You So

2009-08-13T22:26:00.000-07:00

The Mets Police: Omar Minaya: I Told You So

Omar Minaya: I Told You So

2009-08-13T07:44:00.000-07:00

Of course, one game does not make a season but one must wonder why after the struggles the Mets pitching staff have had this year why Omar Minaya, supposedly a close personal friend of Pedro Martinez, didn't sign the oft injured pitcher both before or even after the season started.

I started this bandwagon all the way back in October. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/82617-pedro-martinez-one-of-many-reasons. At that point looked upon all the intangibles that Pedro brings to a team including among others, a compulsion to win, a teacher, a motivator, a leader on and off the field, a loose fun guy that players want to have around, and a living legend who your own stars like Santana, Reyes, Delgado and Beltran look up to and respect.

Not to mention if Pedro was on the roster how hard do you think Manny would have pushed Boras to sign with the Mets and if you don't believe that you are foolish?

As the season got closer and it looked like there was going to be a competition for the number 5 spot on the rotation I brought it up again. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/132073-omar-for-the-last-time-please-re-sign-pedro.

Here I talked about the fact I didn't think Pedro was done at all and explained that the type of injury he had required about 18 months to fully heal but more important was the fact that I tried to point out that Pedro was not the type of man that would "quit" on a bad note and his legacy to finish as a star was motivation enough to put out credible performances game after game after game.

I pointed out in this next article http://bleacherreport.com/articles/124549-fighting-for-the-five-spot. that the Mets had three pitchers coming off surgeries that although appeared to be OK anything could happen. Well it did. John Maine is off the shelf for the year. Pelfrey has taken a step backwards from last year, although if you remember he wasn't the same pitcher down the stretch last year as he was in mid-season, and Ollie is just Ollie.

The 5 spot in our rotation has given us far less than Pedro could have done. In fact the second through 5 spot has given us some of the worst numbers in baseball this year. Let me share.

Excluding Johan Santana (thank goodness for him) here's some ugly numbers for you. Those who have started games for the Mets this year only Jon Niese and Nelson Figueroa have a better than 2-1 strike out to walk ratio. The rest, well check out this mess, 343 strike outs to 254 walks and that includes Jon and Nelson. That's the worst in the league. They have won 31 games and lost 32. They have a combined ERA of 5.37.

Pedro's numbers last night in his first appearance. He had 5 strike outs and 1 walk. He gave up 3 runs in 5 innings and was in complete control. He struck out both Derrick Lee and Soriano with vintage Pedro change ups and hit 90+ on the gun when he had to. Two of the hits he gave up were bloops and looked just as fresh when he finished as when he started.

Now maybe he won't go 5-1 the rest of the way but his infusion into the already solid Phillies rotation looks like a sure bet that the Phillies are primed for a long playoff run come October while Omar's band of retreads will have us fight to stay ahead of Washington's surge for 4th place in the NL East.

Yes, Omar, I told you so and told all those critics of Pedro that this mans career was far from over and I already know what their response will be. They will say two things. First, will be but he's only pitched one game and the second, will be of course, he will win because the Phillies average about a trillion runs per game.

What I would like to hear is Omar come out and make a statement like "I made a mistake, and should have signed Pedro when I had the chance". If he did something like that I would back him 100% and fight to see him return. Will he do that and finally take responsibility for any of his poor decisions? Of course he won't and that's why he will be gone no more than 5 days after the season ends.

I wonder if the next guy is smart enough to sign Pedro to a two year contract. I doubt it. Too bad, I guess some people will never learn.

"Anatomy of a Franchise" New York Mets: Part VI - Building for Greatness

2009-08-02T13:55:00.000-07:00

I want to dedicate this part of my self proclaimed series to Cathy. She is wife number two and although we are no longer together, she remains my dear friend. She gave me an incredible, bright, beautiful daughter and she deserves to be nominated for sainthood for putting up with me for 14 truly bi-polar years. Cathy who taught me that out of every bad can become a good, the only person whom I ever met that put others in front of themselves, I thank you for pointing and guiding me in the right direction. You are truly a special one of a kind person.

1981 dawned bright for the Mets and me because I began to think we were both on the same path of rebuilding for greatness. The Mets had lost 95 games in 1980 and the “streak” and my marriage to Ellen was over. By years end the talk of a possible player’s lockout didn’t strike me as a real serious possibility since Cathy and I decided to tie the knot, and that we did, on November 9th 1980.

I made her a promise that we would not attend any Mets games together and she was OK with that since baseball was not anywhere near the top of her priority list. Besides, I had a ten year old son and an eight year old daughter and they would make great partners to my many planned trips to the Vet to see the World Champion Phillies take on my Mets.

I need to clarify a point about my fanhood after I received many comments about my rooting for the Phillies during their great run from 1976-1983. I never rooted for them in any game they played against the Mets no matter how far out of the race the Mets were and although I was rightly perturbed at the Mets organization and the way they ran things then, (and still am today), I could never, under any circumstances, change my loyalties.

During the next 5 years the Mets were about to change the perception others had of them, at that time, from laughingstock to world champion and the team that everybody outside Brooklyn and Queens loved to hate.

Frank Cashen was brought in to be the General Manager in February of 1980 and although the Mets still had three straight losing seasons, one could see the handwriting on the wall and the excitement certainly found it’s way heading south on the New Jersey Turnpike.

The Mets finally got it together in the amateur draft by getting Darryl Strawberry, Roger McDowell and Dwight Gooden. His trading for Keith Hernandez, Howard Johnson, Gary Carter, Sid Fernandez and Ron Darling set the nucleus for what some have called the greatest team ever for one single season that was 1986.

The 1981 team was managed by Joe Torre. Nobody at the time could have ever possibly imagined the future success that Joe would have achieved. In 1981, he had finished a very solid career with the St. Louis Cardinals and was entering his fourth year as manager of the Mets.

Here’s the 1981 starting lineup for the New York Mets.

Mookie Wilson LF
Frank Taveras SS
Dave Kingman 1B
Rusty Staub RF
Lee Mazzilli CF
Alex Trevino C
Hubie Brooks 3B
Doug Flynn 2B
Pat Zachry P

This was a historical year for baseball. For the first time in Major League history there was a stoppage of play during the regular season. This situation began what many people have called the end of baseballs supremacy as America’s Sport and greed on both sides can, in my opinion, be spread equally causing a real mess in what was supposed to be a great year for baseball.

June 11th was the last game the Mets would play in earnest for two full months. I could not imagine myself without baseball. If it were not for the fact that I was managing my son's little league team that year, I might have gone completely nuts.

I did manage to go to 3 games against the Phillies that year in June. At this point in time I’m going to bring a new character into the series. His name is Gary. He lives in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and he simply is the most addicted Phillies fan of all times.

Gary was just starting his accounting business in 1981. He had a booth in Montgomery Ward on Route 38 in Cherry Hill and he was pimping his newly formed Tax Return business. Cathy and I were shopping there one day when she said to me “Rich, since you haven’t filed a tax return for the past three years don’t you think it might be a good idea to talk to this guy?”

What happened next is something you can only get in Hollywood. Not only did I make an appointment to talk to Gary in his office, (in the attic of his Moorestown band box of a home), but it turns out, after he mentioned a letter he got from his Grandmother, that my Grandmother and his Great Grandmother were first cousins, or something like that. I have forgotten by now the connection.

So now I find that my accountant is my cousin and worse yet, an avid Phillies fan.
From this point forward our lives would intertwine for the next 28+ years.

So it was Gary and I who went to this Phillies/Mets series at the Vet. The Phillies won two out of three; I kept looking around for Ellen during the first two games. In the first game Larry Christenson outpitched Pat Zachry but the dull pain I got leaving the stands that day was that Tug McGraw got the save for the Phillies.

That pain was still festering pretty well in 1981.

The usual suspects Pete Rose, Mike Schmidt, Larry Bowa and Gary Maddox all had two hits with Gary Maddox hitting a winning two run homer in the 8th off Neil Allen who at the time was my favorite Mets pitcher.

The next day, the Phillies and Pete Rose, who had 3 hits, beat up on Mike Scott, who later would become a Mets killer in 1986, and Ed Lynch as the Phillies beat the Mets 9-7. Gary was his usual talkative self and proclaimed the Phillies would repeat as World Champions in 1981. I have to give him credit. He doesn’t say things like that any more probably because it took the Phillies 28 years to win another championship and despite the fact that this year I think they have a great chance to repeat, Gary is still saying it’s a long season. I wonder if he realizes it’s already August.

The next game I finally got a little measure of revenge. At least we didn’t get swept and believe me Phillies fans must have pretty dirty homes because Veterans Stadium is one place that you never ever have to wonder about having enough brooms on hand.

On June 3rd we finally got to Dick Ruthven with a 4 run 8th inning to break up a close game. Neil Allen got the save and Greg Harris, who only played one year out of 15 in a Mets uniform, got the win.

The Mets finished the “first half” at 17-34 and in last place, but after a two month layoff when baseball resumed on Aug 10th, The Mets went 24-28 the rest of the way.

In 1982 and 1983 the Mets lost 90+ games each year, but on June 15th 1983, the Mets traded my guy, Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey to the Cardinals for Keith Hernandez. Keith brought to the team a certain amount of legitimacy that would carry over for the next few years which would culminate in four incredible seasons, 1985 through 1988.

Joe Torre was replaced in 1982 with George Bamberger, a nice old guy who brought absolutely nothing to the table. Perhaps a little more patience with Joe Torre is great hindsight, but it took the Mets to lose 127 games before Bamberger was replaced by the gentle giant Frank Howard to finish the 1983 season.

In 1984 Davey Johnson was hired to lead the Mets to greater heights. Johnson was known to Mets fans for making the final out of the 1969 World Series against the Baltimore Orioles.

By 1984 the Mets had a completely new look. The starting lineup looked like this.

Wally Backman 2B
Jose Oquendo SS
Keith Hernandez 1B
George Foster LF
Daryl Strawberry RF
Hubie Brooks 3B
Mookie Wilson CF
Ron Hodges C
Mike Torrez P

Mike Torrez was certainly at the end of his career when he stepped on the mound for the Mets on opening day. As it turned out he gave up six runs and six hits in an inning and a third and that was pretty much it for Torrez career in the MLB.

Dick Tidrow another pitcher at the end of his career also saw action with the Mets that day. I guess his 9.19 ERA was enough for the Mets to see that his career was over as well.

The reason I bring this up is that this seems to be a never ending problem with the Mets organization that has with them for the full 47 years of their existence. They have a dream that somewhere in their wildest imagination some over the hill player will find lightning in a bottle and lead this team to the Promised Land.

“Hey guys, The Natural was a MOVIE”.

After losing that opening game in Cincinnati the Mets rattled off six wins, then lost three in a row, won three in row and lost three in a row again. It sure looked like this was a team trying to find its own identity.

By June 1st they were 22-22 and didn’t look like a team ready to challenge anyone. June was better as they won five more games than they lost. I had already gone to 4 out of the six games the Phillies played the Mets at the Vet and the Phillies won both series 2 games to 1. Unfortunately, I went to the 4 losses. I spent most of those days searching the stands for Ellen.

By the All-Star break the Mets had won nine out of their next ten and were officially contending for the NL East. Right from the break they took three out of four from the Braves in Atlanta and were right in the thick of the race.

By July 28th the Mets were 59-37 in first place and on a roll. Then all they did was drop the next seven games and wound up finishing 2nd with a 90-72 record.

I managed to get to one more Mets/Phillies game in September and I finally got to see a Mets victory. They came from behind with three in the 7th and three in the 9th to win 8-5. Darryl hit a tremendous blast off Al Holland in the ninth inning with two out and two on to put the cherry on top of the day. Mookie, Daryl and Hubie all had two hits.

On May 5th 1983 Cathy gave me a baby girl who I promptly named after Jamie Lee Curtis. I spelled it Jaime Leigh. To see where she’s at take a look at

www.jldragonfly.deviantart.com

Part VII will deal with the four most exciting seasons I witnessed as a fan of the Mets for all 47 seasons. 1985-1988 was absolutely fantastic. I went on my own personal in game winning streak that I doubt I will ever see again. They were truly great years. I sure hope you will share them with me.

Omar Minaya: Chance For Redemption

2009-07-28T20:24:00.000-07:00

One thing has been apparent to me as a Mets fan for 47 years. The most important thing on my mind and my most important priority is for the team to win. I challenge every Met fan on site to disagree that although we care about everything that is "Mets", winning takes the prize.

For better or worse for the past couple of years we have discussed both the good and bad moves that Omar Minaya, the Mets General Manager, has made. Personally I have flipped flopped so many times I feel like a spinning dreydel not knowing which side I'm going to land on.

I loved the moves that got Pedro, both Carlos, Johan and K-Rod to the Mets. I cringed with Castillo signing and the bringing to the team to 40+ geriatrics to this club. I felt there were deals that could have happened and questioned many those that did.

Along with everyone else including Vegas Sportsbook Directors, we all thought the Mets with their improved bullpen would certainly be able to make up the ground in order to catch the Phillies, even though they improved themselves this winter as well.

We all know what happened and although there is still a glimmer of hope because Jerry has finally learned, and admitted as such, that a set lineup is the way to go, the climb back to playoff contention does not rest on a 4 game winning streak.

Omar certainly reached a low point in his tenure this week and all the damage control that the Wilpon's are trying to do, still leaves Omar in an unenviable position of having to speak to the media on a regular basis and try to convince them that he is sincere and righteous with them.

Author Poll:
Would You Make This Deal?

* Yes
* No

This is not a position any General Manager wants to find himself in especially in New York where the scrutiny is 1000 times more than any other city in the world.

OK, so is there anything that Omar can do in order to redeem himself with the Mets faithful and at the same time put his team in a better position, not only to get back into the race with 60 games to go, but to once again be considered one of the favorites for 2010?

The answer is Roy Halladay. He is available for the right price and don't kid your self, the Mets have the goods to get him, but it's not going to come cheap.

First, it's a well known fact what the Blue Jays want in return in order to get this deal done. They want a major league pitcher who is with the big club. They want another pitcher or two, one with the big club and one who is a very good prospect that will reach the major leagues within 2-3 years would easily fit into the rotation and one regular high level prospect who will be a quality major league hitter.

The Phillies have not made that offer, neither have the Angels. It was once reported the Mets did so. That wasn't true because if that original offer was made by the Blue Jays even Omar would have jumped all over it.

I like Mike Pelfrey a lot. He has shown tremendous improvement over the last three years and who really knows what his ceiling is. Could it be as high as Roy Halladay? I believe not. Here's the package that the Blue Jays would not turn down.

Why?

Simply put, it's infinitely better than what any team has offered them so far.

Along with Mike Peffrey, the Mets would send Bobby Parnell, Brad Holt and Ike Davies to the Jays. Maybe they will throw a minor prospect back at us in return. Frankly, I don't care if they do or they don't.

Ray Halladay, as we speak is the best pitcher in baseball. A combination of Halladay and Santana would make CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett look pale in comparison. I would make this offer right now before some other team like the Phillies up their offer and give them both Happ and Drabeck plus two of their top hitting prospects.

Omar, this is you chance for redemption. Make this deal and 95% of the negativity you are now receiving will do an about face. If you want to have a job next year despite your "vote of confidence", I would suggest you get on this immediately and while you're at it, I'd give your buddy Adam Rubin a call and give him this exclusive. You owe him that much.

Make You Bets Today

2009-07-26T21:38:00.000-07:00

A little change of pace here. There are some of us out there that take shots about our teams, our opponents, ownership, managers and players. How many comments have I seen where people say I could do better than these guys.

So now living in Vegas, and being right there for the action and the money that changes hands every second, 24 hours 7 days a week. I stopped at a sports book this morning and grabbed a couple of betting prop sheets. Here are some of the latest odds for baseball for the remainder of the season.

Now if you want you can put your money where your mouth is and send Vegas Rich all your money so I could place your bets. Of course I can also wind up disappearing for a while after I get the dough.

I hear Cabo is very nice this time of year.

Odds to Win 2009 National League Pennant

TEAM OPENING LINE CURRENT LINE

Dodgers 7/1 7/5

Phillies 4/1 3/1

Cubs 2/1 9/2

Cardinals 9/1 6/1

Giants 15/1 9/1

Brewers 15/1 12/1

Astros 15/1 12/1

Rockies 20/1 12/1

Marlins 15/1 16/1

Mets 3/1 18/1

Braves 12/1 22/1

Reds 17/1 29/1

Diamondbacks 8/1 90/1

Pirates 40/1 90/1

Padres 40/1 110/1

Nationals 40/1 500/1

The biggest disappointment by far for those who made their bets in April are the New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks. Both teams were solid picks in their division to go on to the playoffs and advance to the series. Neither one right now apparently to the Las Vegas odds-makers have a chance. The Dodgers due to their excellent play all season long have made the biggest jump to become the overall favorite right now but in talking to a number of bettors this morning, the sexy pick is now the St. Louis Cardinals after their recent pick ups.

I see the Phillies heading back to the series with about 60 games to go. They are pitching well enough but when a team steps on the field each day and expects to score 8 runs or more each game they know they are in pretty good shape. Vegas thinks so too.

My Longshot of longshots - The Atlanta Braves.

Odds to win 2009 American League Pennant

TEAM OPENING LINE CURRENT LINE

Yankees Even 2/1

Red Sox 5/2 2/1

Tigers 10/1 9/2

Angels 3/1 5/1

Rays 3/1 10/1

Rangers 21/1 11/1

White Sox 10/1 14/1

Twins 7/1 15/1

Mariners 35/1 25/1

Blue Jays 15/1 35/1

A's 20/1 90/1

Orioles 40/1 90/1

Royals 30/1 95/1

Indians 8/1 115/1

The biggest disappointment to date in the AL would be the Rays and the Twins. People who bet on the Tigers and the Rangers are feeling pretty good about their chances for once in the playoffs anything can and surely will happen.

I still like my April pick of the Red Sox but I'm not ruling out the Rays. New York is known for September collapses and this year will be no different. This time I see the Yankees folding like a bad hand at the World Series of poker. Sorry HBOB.

My Longshot of longshots: The Texas Rangers.

I take all types of cards except Christmas Cards.LOL.

Help From Below: Why Not Now?

2009-07-23T16:48:00.001-07:00

That certainly is not the Omar Minaya who is seen as a "Dead Man Walking" if Tony B. remains in the Mets front office, but this is not necessarily about either of them yet it's about both of them. Makes sense yet? I didn't think so.

We need to set the ground rules for this discussion if you want to take blasts at me in the comment section. First off if you believe for one second that the Mets have a chance to go about 48 wins over the next 65 games or so please move onto the next Mets article.

If you believe like I do, and was one of the first people to tell you to pack it up and "Wait Til Next Year" at my midseason report, then I would be extremely interested in your comments both pro and con.

Forget the trade deadline, the other teams don't see the Mets being able to help them get better and we don't plan to give up whatever good prospects we hope we have and totally kill a barren farm system that we have.

OK, with that said it is customary for teams, usually the ones out of the race, to start to make call ups from their farm systems when the roster is expanded to 40 players on September 1st. Then the team gets a chance to evaluate those players and see how they fare against far superior pitching and hitters if they are pitchers.

When contenders call up these guys most of them languish on the bench and by osmosis they are expected to "feel" like they are in the major leagues. Once in awhile a team strikes lightening in a bottle and someone makes a splash in September and ultimately goes on to great things.

Who would be the first player non pitcher you would bring up?

Feliciano

Thole

Tejada

Peterson

Garcia

Other

None

Those guys are sure fire prospects that are supposed to succeed.

The Mets are far from loaded down on the farm considering that both their AAA and AA teams are at the bottom of their divisions, but there are some interesting players in there that I personally would like to see take a swat or a pitch at today's big leagues.

My point is, can it really hurt? Can they do any worse than those players we have out there now? Plus if the answer is yes it would be worse, I ask you so what? The worst thing that could happen is we move up a couple of spots in the amateur draft.

So I ask you to look at these guys. I know you could make a case for each of them not to come up. I can too, but again so what? Some might say if they come up and are over matched it will hurt their confidence for the future. NONSENSE. These guys are spending their entire life's existence to play this game on the highest level. I'm not worried about their confidence and I'm sure they're not as well.

From Buffalo. That's an easy one.

Nelson Figueroa: 6-4 2.32 ERA 80/23 strike out to walk ratio.

Jon Niese: 5-6 3.82 ERA 2 complete games, 2 shutouts, won five of his last six starts, and has an 86/26 SO to BB ratio. I guess he's worked on his fastball because his curve was already ML ready.

From Binghamton. Now this is where I say "what the heck, go for it"

Josh Thole: .341 BA .409 OBP and 858 OPS. NOOOOOOO let's just keep Brian Schneider in there.

Ruben Tejada: .278, .350, .714. NOOOOO let's bring back A. Reyes and Angel Berora and Ramon Martinez, yeahhhhhhhh

Josh Peterson: .326, .409, .851 NOOOO let's keep having Tatis lead the world in double plays. Come on.

Emmanuel Garcia: .263, .315, .668. He only has 17 stolen bases. When David Wright leads the team in SB's you know you're in trouble and when was last time he stole a base? Thanks Jerry, you moron. Sorry, I get carried away. Old guy that I am.

Tobi Stoner: 2-2, 2.68 ERA 28/13 SO/BB ratio and how about a 0.87 WHIP.

Believe me, these guys may just be a spark to those guys who we don't send down in their place just to let them know we mean business and if you don't produce while 10 games behind we have taken the first steps in re-making this team which is not such a bad idea.

"Anatomy of a Franchise" New York Mets: Part V - "Grant's Tomb"

2009-07-21T20:33:00.000-07:00

1974 was a big transition year for me. For the first time in my 29 years I was venturing out of the safety net of the New York City, Connecticut, and New York State area and venturing into new uncharted Philadelphia Phillies territory down the New Jersey Turnpike to Exit 4 better known to most as Cherry Hill.

We actually didn’t live there but close enough so that when people asked me where I lived that was the most recognizable. Later, after just a few months there, it became simply known as South Jersey which in reality is a state all of its own.

Unlike North Jersey that has a healthy selection of New York Mets fans, in 1974 there was only one New York Met fan in South Jersey. Me, and here I was starting a new job, in a new area still only 90 miles away that seemed like another continent.

South Jersey starts just below Trenton, goes east to the Jersey Shore to Seaside Heights, and south to Cape May. It is completely 100% Philadelphia fans in every sport out there and maybe some time somewhere in the future during football season I will tell a similar story about the Eagles, but for this series the Phillies ultimately play a pivotal role in my life.

The Mets were coming off a pretty surprising season ending to 1973. The won the National league Pennant beating the Big Red Machine and went to game seven of the World Series before losing out to the Oakland Athletics.

Hopes and aspirations were high for the Mets and I was as excited as the rest. In those days being a fan was just that. I believed everything I read and I saw nothing but positives in the world around me. Are you listening both Nick’s and Mike Kent? The Mets were good the year before so why think they would be anything less.

Here’s their 1974 opening day line up.

1. Wayne Garrett 3B
2. Felix Millan 2B
3. Rusty Staub RF
4. Cleon Jones LF
5. John Milner 1B
6. Jerry Grote C
7. Don Hahn CF
8 Bud Harrelson SS
9. Tom Seaver P

Not a bad lineup. Nothing scary like a Big Red Machine but pretty solid offensively and a sound defense and the pitching staff of Seaver, Koosman and Matlock that wasn’t too shabby. Should have made a pretty decent year, yes? NO! The Mets finished with a 71-91 record and a 5th place finish.

The “Big Three” were terrible. Seaver went 11-11. Koosman went 15-11 and Matlack was 13-15. Tug McGraw went 6-11 in relief with 3 saves. Cleon Jones had the highest batting average for the starters at .282 and John Milner lead the team with 20 home runs and 70 runs scored. Rusty led the team with 78 RBI’s. The team just plain stunk.

I had the mis-fortune not to travel back to the NYC and see Met home games at Shea and that begin a twenty year period where I only made 5 trips to see the Mets at Shea Stadium but had the opportunity to go to over 100 games against the Phillies and others at Veterans Stadium which I’ll say at this point in time was one of, if not, the worst baseball park to watch a game in that I have ever attended.

As bad as it was, it was still a chance to watch my team for better and mostly worse at this time as a visitor in a foreign land.

The Mets got off to a terrible start that year and never recovered. By June 1st they were 8 games below .500 and by the All Star Break they were 13 games below and done for the year. I went to 2 games that year with Ellen and I wondered if her streak would now continue on the road as well.

The first game was on June 22nd and even then some faithful Met fans would travel down from the city but nothing like it would be in the mid 80’s when the Mets got back on top. The Phillies took a 5-0 lead into the fifth inning and the game was over. Mike Schmidt had a hit, Larry Bowa had 3 and Dave Cash had 2. I could tell then that they had the makings of a special team but that would come really into play during the next 5 years. The final Score was 5-2. We didn’t talk on the way home.

The second game we went to that year was in September, the first of a three game series. There was virtually no one there since the Phillies would end the season going 80-82 and when the Phillies didn’t win they hardly drew big crowds. So we sat right over the Mets dugout about 4 rows up and the Phillie Phanatic, who was just getting hit feet wet then, was the most entertaining part of the festivities.

Once again this time by the 4th inning the Mets were down 4-0 but they scored two runs in the fourth. It wasn’t enough as Steve Carlton won his then 16th game of the year and once again Larry Bowa had three more hits and I was beginning to wish that my team could have the likes of a Larry Bowa, Mike Schmidt and Greg Luzinski.

Little did I know or recognize at the time that the Phillies were coming into their own and I was intrigued by their play and the personalities on their team.

So now Ellen’s losing streak had increased to 11 straight Mets losses and I was having more misgivings about having such a bad luck charm waking up with me everyday. So, was the die cast? Not quite, that wouldn’t happen until we hit 20 but that’s just getting a little ahead of myself.

The Mets made some changes in 1975. Joan Payson the Principal owner passed away and since no one in the family had any interest in the team or baseball itself, they gave control of the franchise to one M. Donald.Grant. Grant had actually been with the Mets since its second year in existence until 1978.

Grant was far from a baseball man. Whitey Herzog who actually was the Director of Player Development when the Mets won the World Series in 1969 told Grant to his face that he didn’t know “beans about baseball”. In later years, like when I first thought of writing this article and I stumbled on this fact, I often wonder what could have happened back when Gil Hodges died if Whitey Herzog could have stepped in and managed this team. But Grant and the whole Mets organization were still so enthralled with the Dodgers, Giants and Yankee connections, (sound familiar today?) that Yogi Berra, Roy McMillan, Joe Frazier, and Joe Torre were the next Met Managers that followed Gil, while Whitey was leading the St. Louis Cardinals to championships in the 80’s.

Grant’s most famous move was the ultimate Met blunder trading “The Franchise” Tom Seaver along with slugger Dave Kingman on the now famous “The Midnight Massacre” on June 15th 1977. Met fans will never forgive Grant and this move set the franchise back many years. Shea Stadium attendance was so drastically reduced that it was common for the beat writers to refer to Shea Stadium as “Grant’s Tomb.”

The trading of Tom Seaver was like a dagger in my heart. The Phillies had already reached the playoffs in 76 and would do it again in 77. I rooted for the Mets but it was no secret that I also liked the Phillies and knowing the Mets were going in the wrong direction, once I felt they were eliminated, I openly rooted for the Phil’s.

I took my son to his first Phillies game that year. It wasn’t against the Mets. That was my first and very costly mistake. All I remember is that the Phillies won and this team in red had new young fan. What a blunder on my part that I regret to this day, but you’ll see in part VI just how much worse that situation became when I lost my son’s fan hood forever and ever.

In 1975 the Mets finished 3rd with an 82-80 record and in 1976 they improved to 86-76. Ellen and I went to 3 games in 75 against the Phil’s. They lost all three. I went to 2 other Phillies Mets games with my son who was 5 and my daughter who was three. We went 2-0. Her streak now stood at 14 and she decided that maybe she was bad luck. DUH. 0-14 and she just started to put the pieces together? OYE.

In 1976, the Phillies won the National League East and with Dick Allen, Mike Schmidt, Larry Bowa, Greg Luzinski, Bob Boone, Dave Cash, and Garry Maddox. They were a fun team to watch and heck during the season and the off season as well a week wouldn’t go by and you would run into one of them at the store, in a restaurant or in a movie. They all lived in South Jersey and this was the local team.

Ellen lost a pair of games that year moving her stellar record to 0- 16.

By 1978 Grant was gone, but he left with 2 more miserable seasons where the Mets went 64-98 in 1977 and 66-96 in 1978. I continued to go to most Phillies Mets games each year at the Vet but now mixed with Phillies - Dodger games and Phillies - Reds games.

1979 and 1980 produced two more 90+ loss seasons for the Mets and with the Phillies winning the World Series in 1980 it was no longer a secret that the Phillies were a more enjoyable team to watch and although I started each new season with high hopes and expectations for my Mets I had no trouble at all rooting for the Phillies.

I hate to say this but if this is a life story then things that happen need to be reported. By 1979 Ellen and I had gone to 23 Mets games and they lost all 23. Now this may sound silly to 99.9% of those people reading this but after 12 years of this streak plus other non-mentionables we split up. That’s life, it happens and although I have joked about the streak, any marriage breakup where there are small children involved can never have a happy ending.

I had soured on life. My marriage had failed my team stunk up the joint because there was no leadership or identity with the city I loved. By 1980 I knew that the only way the Mets were going to be a successful franchise was to totally move in a different direction and turn its back on its Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants past. They needed to establish their own identity like the New York Jets.

So what did they do? The Payson family sold the Mets to Nelson Doubleday for 21.1 million dollars. Doubleday became the Chairman of the Board and turned the team over to Brooklyn born and bred and lifetime Brooklyn Dodger fan, Fred Wilpon and named him the club President.

Now 28 years later we still have the New York (Brooklyn Dodger) Mets, and you wonder why I almost left the fold to what has now become our most feared rival since the Braves.

Stay tuned for Part VI, “The Re-Birth Theirs and Mine”

"Anatomy of a Franchise"; New York Mets - Part 1 - The Inception

2009-07-18T23:05:00.000-07:00

This is the first part of series which will tell the Mets story for the past 47 years as well as events in my life which correspond to those times. Hope you'll enjoy it as much as I will writing it.

Before I get started, for those who do not care for long articles you may want to skip this one. As I write it, I'm not sure just how long it will be, but it will focus on many things that have bothered me throughout the 48 seasons I've have watched, grown up, and loved, the New York Mets.

It was April 10th 1962. The very next day I would celebrate my 17th birthday. I was a Senior at Midwood High School in Brooklyn New York and my life was well again because baseball, real National League baseball, was back in New York City where it truly belonged.

My boyhood team, the Brooklyn Dodgers abandoned me at the end of the 1957 season seeking out greener pastures in Los Angeles California which for me at the tender age of 12 was as devastating a heartbreak that I could recall in my life.

My Dad, a lifelong Giants fan got the tickets for opening day at the Polo Grounds where he, as a kid himself, watched some of the all time greats play there in the '30s through the '50s.

He was my hero and at 17 I was not ashamed to tell anyone that I got my love of baseball and life through him. Little did I know that in a little more than two years later he would be gone from me forever.

I was so excited because the weather forecast for the Mets opener said mild and sunny with high's in the upper 50s with zero possibility of rain. I awoke early knowing that I would be at the game in a few hours and I was happy to miss a day at school.

Hell I was a senior, I had been accepted at Northeastern University in Boston as well Albany State College and Long Island University in Brooklyn. I was holding out for my first choice, Syracuse University but I knew I had to make a decision soon.

Back to the weather. When I awoke around eight it was raining like cats and dogs and the revised forecast was forgetaboutit, the game was postponed by 11:00AM. Now what?

Game two, scheduled for my birthday, was not a sellout so that hero of mine made a couple of calls and told me all was well and we would still be able to catch an opening game-day to remember.

WRITER'S UPDATE

I now see where this is going so I have decided this will be way too long for one single article, so I know pronounce this a "series" with I'm not sure how many parts, so please if you love baseball and the Mets in particular, bare with me.

So on April 11 1962, my Dad and I got on the D train and headed into "the city" to Meet the Mets. The 1962 team came about as each National League team left a few unprotected players which the Mets and the Houston Colt.45s would chose from.

These were not front line players by any stretch of the imagination and the two clubs differed on how they would stock their team.

The Houston club would stock their team with young, unproven and not well known players. Given this was Houston's first time in the majors it made perfect sense. The Mets were owned by Joan Payson and George Weiss, the man who built the Bronx Bombers of the '50s and '60s was the Mets first general Manager.

Weiss knew that by bringing in former Dodgers and Giants despite the fact that they were well past their prime would draw fans to Coogans Bluff.

Little did I know at the time that this first stroke of lousy ownership and General Manager ineptitude would be the stamp placed on this franchise that still permeates today 48 years later and the reason behind the motive to chronicle this series.

Former Brooklyn Dodgers on that 1962 Mets team. Don Zimmer, Roger Craig, Charlie Neal,and Clem Labine. Former New York Giants included, Hobie Landrith, Ray Daviault, Johnny Antonelli, and Joe Pignatano.

The starting lineup for the 1962 New York Mets.

Richie Ashburn CF

Felix Mantilla SS

Charlie Neal 2B

Frank Thomas LF

Gus Bell RF

Gil Hodges 1B

Don Zimmer 3B

Hobie Landrith C

Roger Craig P

Now if this were the lineup say five to seven years earlier they had some fine all stars in this group loaded with speed and power and decent defense. I think the average age was around 48 or so, at least it seemed to me that day. Did I care? no. With a hot dog in one hand and a Needix Orange Drink in the other I felt as alive as I have ever been.

The game itself was over before I knew what I had to eat. The Mets lost and another eight straight after that. As so many fans know, they went on to lose 120 games that year and I was 1-8 but couldn't care less.

If I remember correctly that year, I saw Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal, Don Drysdale, Sandy Koufax, Roberto Clemente, Eddie Matthews, Ernie Banks, and Hank Aaron. Not too shabby at all.

I was turned down at Syracuse and decided to go to Northeastern University in Boston. Early that fall of 1962 I got to go to Fenway Park for the first time and was completely blown away. Love at first sight.

Coming soon...Anatomy of a Franchise: The New York Mets, Pt. 2—Lost in Space.

"Anatomy of a Franchise: New York Mets - Part IV- Was 1969 a Fluke?

2009-07-18T22:47:00.000-07:00

Bob Scheffing was promoted to Mets General Manager after the untimely death of Johnny Murphy in January 1970. The Mets had just come off of their “Miracle” season of 1969 with their first Playoff, World Series, and Championship in its brief seven year history.

The two sided answer to the question, was 1969 a fluke? would be answered in the next coming months as the Mets prepared for yet another Spring Training in St. Petersburg Florida, where they shared the training facilities with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Bob Scheffing came to the Mets organization after a career as a player with a little over 500 games with the Cubs, Reds, and Cardinals. A rather pedestrian .263 career lifetime average set no fires blazing in that realm.

He managed both the Cubs and the Tigers, did a little broadcasting, and some scouting before becoming the Mets GM.

I have nothing against the man personally, and his only point of note in Mets' history is that it was under his tenure that Nolan Ryan was traded to the Angels for Jim Fregosi in what has been called the most lopsided trade in Mets' history.

Scheffing was put in a corner by Ryan. Nolan, clearly not a big city boy, absolutely hated New York and wanted out of this city in the worst way.

So what did Scheffing do?

He sent him to LA.

Now that was a real small town in 1971.

Right.

Here was a great opportunity for the Mets' ownership to build this franchise and make it a force to be reckoned with for the next decade. They went with a relatively inexperienced person in a front office position where they needed a power guy.

This, now looking back, begins the pattern of poor moves that we still see almost 40 years later.

Here is the starting lineup for the 1970 Mets.

1. Tommy Agee CF

2. Bud Harrelson SS

3. Joey Foy 3B

4. Cleon Jones LF

5. Art Shamsky 1B

6. Ron Swoboda RF

7. Wayne Garrett 2B

8. Jerry Grote C

9. Tom Seaver P

This was a pretty good team, and it was expected to be near or at the top of the National League Eastern Division.

The Mets finished the 1970 season with an 83-79 record. They had the same record in 1971 and 1972, and, although the pitchers did well, the lack of hitting and run production resulted in three straight third place finishes.

I moved to Vernon, Connecticut in August of 1970 because a good teaching job became available at a small private school specializing in Special Education. My wife, when the Mets' record was now a glimmering 0-8, was pregnant with out first child.

The house we rented had one of those huge roof top antennas, which rotated 360 degrees. So I was now able to get both New York as well as Boston TV channels as clear as day.

Life couldn’t get better than this.

Prior to the 1972 season, one of my boyhood heroes that I got to know personally, who carried himself with dignity and pride, passed away. Gil Hodges was dead at 48 years old from a massive coronary heart attack, just like my Dad.

My memories of the years (following the '69 Mets until the “Ya Gotta Believe” Tug McGraw’s rallying cry in the summer of 1973) were that of a fan who now expected his team should and could win all the games they played.

Neither the team nor I, I’m sorry to say, had a whole lot of enthusiasm.

I had an excuse. They didn’t.

When they started their great comeback in the summer of ‘73, the Mets sat in the cellar in the east with a 61-71 record. Yogi Berra, who was as much fun as Casey Stengel in the sixties, made one outrageous statement after another that kept the media close and put the spotlight on a team that seemed to cherish the limelight they were in.

Every baseball fan knows his best quote of that year, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” That was Yogi’s answer when asked about the Mets' chances that summer.

On Sept. 3, 1970, Ellen and I drove to the city in my 1967 Dodge Charger with more horsepower beneath the hood than in all of General George Custer’s Seventh Cavalry.

I was so positive that “Her Streak” was going to end that day, I promised her dinner at Mama Leones in the city the next day.

The Mets had beaten the Phillies 5-0 the previous day and had won three of their last four, so the NL Eastern Division had five teams within six games of first place, all of them with a losing record.

Oh the mediocrity, or oh the parity, depending on your perspective.

The Mets led 3-2 going into the fifth inning, and I was feeling good.

Craig Swan was pitching well. He had given up a run in each of the first two innings, but we had scored three. I figured if we win the game and end the streak, I might even consider the request to have a third child, which was very much on Ellen’s mind at the time.

Barbara Lynn Marsh came to us on Jun. 25 that year, and I had her in Mets pink from day one, while my now almost 3-year-old son, Russell Michael, was sporting his first Gil Hodges first baseman’s glove.

My dream, however, was short lived as Greg (The Bull) Luzinski blasted a two run home run off Swan as the Phil’s went on to defeat the Mets 6-3.

Guess who never got to Mama Leones that next day.

She was lucky I took her to Nathans for dogs and fries.

Over 30,000 of us went home thinking that no way were the Mets going to make it to the postseason, and her streak stood now at nine.

Of course, wouldn’t you know it, after my trip to Shea, the Mets went on to win 18 of their next 25 and win the pennant with an 82-79 record.

Now this was a miracle.

Every lifelong Mets fan alive knows that these underdogs of underdogs went on to beat up the Big Red Machine in the playoffs, and Bud Harrelson kicked Pete Rose’s ass.

They also just missed winning their second World Series in five years as they led the powerful Oakland A’s three games to two, with Seaver and Koosman to pitch Game Six and Seven.

But that victory was not meant to be.

That year ended another streak in Mets' history. They finished over .500 for five consecutive years. They had the opportunity to become a dynasty with this team. The ownership made poor decisions from the GM down.

Mrs. Payson might have been a wonderful little old lady, but she knew squat about baseball and turned the operation over to people who knew little more than she did. The fact that they did as well as they did, during these five years, was because they had kept some of the talented pitching core together with the exception of Nolan Ryan.

Plus, frankly, during this time the rest of the National League wasn’t having any breakout teams as of yet.

This trend will only get worse during the next 10 years, which I call “The Lost Years” coming to you in part five of the Anatomy of a Franchise.

Thanks for listening.

"Anatomy of a Franchise" New York Mets: Part III - 1969 AMAZIN

2009-07-18T22:43:00.001-07:00

What the New York Mets achieved in 1969 was truly amazing and the world witnessed not only mans first steps on the moon but equally remarkable, the first World Championship by a National League team in New York in 14 years.

I had just turned 24 that April and I was unable to attend opening day on April 8th where the Mets lost to the newly created Montreal Expos expansion team 11-10 in front of 44,541 fans.

What had become a tradition of sorts was to try to go to the game on April 11th, my birthday, where the St. Louis Cardinals were coming to town and the proposed match-up was going to be Steve Carlton vs. Jerry Koosman. I was stoked, only in those days no one ever said the word stoked.

Jerry Koosman was a left handed pitcher who complimented Tom Seaver at the top of the Mets staff. In 1968 he went 19-12 and actually had one more victory than Tom Terrific. With 7 shutouts, I was there for one of them, and a .208 ERA I couldn’t wait to see him against Carlton.

Steve was the sharper pitcher that day and Joe Torre hit a monster homer off Koosman as my wife Ellen and I moved from the upper reaches of Shea Stadium down to the box seats right over the 3rd base dugout. You see it was pretty easy to do that since only 12,591 showed up for that classic pitching match-up.

Since my wedding on August 25th 1968 my wife and I attended five Met games. We went 0-5. Hmmm. The stirring of rumbling deep within my mind was staring to take shape. Wait until you hear my final scorecard with Ellen and me at Met games. You will not believe it. But you’ll have to wait a segment or two for those results.

By the way, a step backwards a couple of days, here is the starting lineup for the 1969 opening day New York Mets.

1. Tommie Agee CF
2. Rod Gaspar RF
3. Ken Boswell 2B
4. Cleon Jones LF
5. Ed Charles 3B
6. Ed Kranepool 1B
7. Jerry Grote C
8. Bud Harrelson SS
9. Tom Seaver P

Most sportswriters and other so-called prognosticators picked the Mets to finish near the bottom of the newly created divisions. I thought they had a chance to do better than expected. Maybe an 81-81 record, but I could never foresee this team winning 100 games, sweep the powerful Atlanta Braves team led by Hank Aaron, and then go on to beat the “unbeatable” Baltimore Orioles in the World Series.

Bing Divine who succeeded George Weiss as General Manager left after one year to go back to his beloved Cardinals. He was succeeded by Johnny Murphy. Murphy had a decent career as an American League relief pitcher. He played for the Yankees and some of his teammates included Babe Ruth, Joe D, Lou Gehrig and Bill Dickey. He pitched along side of Lefty Gomez and Red Ruffing. That’s some pretty good company.

Murphy’s promotion to the top GM position came at the same time the Mets were developing some of the best young pitchers in baseball. Unfortunately Murph never had the chance to become a long standing GM as he died suddenly from a massive coronary in January 1970.

In my opinion, this was the turning point in the Mets history that has haunted them for the next 40 years.

This team’s future which looked so bright as the new decade launched would soon be in disarray for years to come.

Getting back to the 1969 season, there were so many different accounts of what happened that I’ll only point out a few that I personally witnessed.

By May 27th, after suffering from a five game losing streak the Mets stood at 19-23 in 4th place and nine games behind the Chicago Cubs who by their own accounts were already planning on what look the playoff tickets would have. Black (cat) and blue would have been my choice.

On May 28th I was back at Shea to see the San Diego Padres. All Jerry Koosman did that night was pitch 10 innings of four hit ball with 15 K's. Tug McGraw pitched a scoreless 11th as I hoped my bud (Ted Blecher) and I wouldn’t have to sit through a 20+ inning game.

Cleon Jones reached first base on an error by Roberto Pena who was playing third. Billy McCool (one of the great sports names of all time) then struck out Ed Kranepool. Frank Reberger then gave up a single to center to Ron Swoboda. Cleon moved to third. Jerry Grote was then intentionally passed to load the bases.

Believe it or not, and I swear on all that's holy, that what happened next would change not only the Mets season but bring me immense pain and pleasure within 20 seconds of each other.

With the bases stacked, Bud Harrelson smacked the first pitch, a screaming line drive right at us. I dove, (I could do that then) for the ball, missed it and broke two fingers on the railing as my friend Teddy snagged it like he was Brooks Robinson.

I was screaming so loud (what a wimp!) that I missed Buddy’s single up the middle to win the game.

The Mets went on to have an 11 game winning streak and by the All Star Break they were 53-39, in second place and just five games behind the Cubs. They went 34-16 during that stretch. I went to one more game with my wife during June. Grant Jackson shut us out and beat Don Cardwell 2-0 Hmmm.

On August 13th the Mets came staggering home from a miserable road trip ending in Houston where the Mets were swept and fell into 3rd place 10 games behind the Cubs. This called for drastic measures.

August 16th is my brothers’ birthday and he had no love lost for the Mets but never in his life had he ever turned down free tickets to a game, especially since I was taking him to Shea as a birthday present. I’m sure he would have rather had the cash but he agreed to go. My wife stayed home. I wonder why.

The Mets went on to win that game 2-1 and by the way my brother catches a foul ball off the bat of Bud Harrelson as I was hiding under my seat.

The rest is history.

The team went on to win 38 of their next 49 games and miracles were alive and well in Flushing Meadows.

My wife and I went to one more game that season and given the play of the team down the stretch I knew my curse with her was over. If not maybe well maybe, nah we didn’t think those things. Besides, my mother would kill me dead if I came over to her place some night and I told her I was leaving my wife because she’s bad luck for the Mets.

Anyway, the game, an 8-2 loss to Bob Veale on September 19th.

I’d love to tell you that I attended playoff and World Series games that year but I promised to keep this truthful with only a touch of literary license. So, no, the best I could do was watch the games on the tube like millions of fans across the country.

You know the story for sure. The Mets went on to glory and I think it was in the second or third week in November that a couple of my childhood buddies suggested we drop in and talk to Gil. So off we went to Gil who still lived on Bedford Avenue about three blocks from our apartment on Kings Highway and East 23rd Street.

Sure enough, as he often did when we were kids, Gil and Joan were home and we sat and talked baseball with him. His house hadn’t changes a lick in almost 20 years. As we walked out the door Gil said, “Hey guys want to see something cool?”

Like we would say no.

He then opened a desk draw and flipped a ball to me. I didn’t drop this or break anything. It was just a ball signed by a player whose signature I could not read. The ball had a black smear on it. I said, “You’ve got to be kidding me?” He just smiled as I tossed it back to him.

Simply “Amazin."

"Anatomy of a Franchise" : New York Mets - Part II - Lost in Space

2009-07-18T22:36:00.000-07:00

The 1960s, among many other things, were known for the next level of television programming. If the '50s were the “Golden Age of TV”, then the 1960s were “The Teenage Years.” Oh my God!

I was a big Star Trek fan. I wanted to be Lincoln Hayes from the Mod Squad and Colonel Gallagher from 12 O’clock High. I didn’t watch the show that lent this article it’s name, however.

I was told it was about a family that was lost in space. It had an old guy (no interest there), a whiny kid (oh yeah, just wonderful), and a talking robot that Spock would have said was interesting but totally illogical.

Not for me by a long shot.

My high school years over, I spent most of that summer watching the inaugural New York Mets team lose game after game after game. Seriously, the best part of really the first seven seasons was watching some of the greatest players to have ever played the game showcase their skills at the Polo Grounds.

Case in point, I’m really not sure if it was 1962 or 1963 and the St. Louis Cardinals were in town to play the Mets. It was about a zillion feet to dead center field and Willie's catch off Vic Wertz in the 1954 World Series was still being talked about in the stands eight or nine years later.

Lou Brock was a dead red fastball hitter. His strike zone was from his ankles to his eyeballs and nobody I had ever seen or even have seen to this day could actually “tomahawk” a ball 550 feet with a swing from his eyes.

That is exactly what Brock did that day and the ball landed about 15 rows up just to the right of dead center field. To this day it was the hardest hit ball I have ever seen. Awesome doesn’t describe it appropriately.

1963 to 1968 were the years that the Mets were literally "Lost in Space." The team totaled 51 wins in 1963, In their first year (1964) at the new home of the Mets and New York Jets they won 53. 1965 produced 50 wins, actually three less wins than the previous year. 1966 was the first year that the Mets didn’t lose more than 100 games.

Wes Westrum replaced Casey Stengel in 1965, and Bing Devine of St. Louis Cardinals fame became the General Manger in 1967. So, now was the time to move ahead right? Wrong. In 1967 the Mets took another step backwards and lost 101 games again.

There were some good moments during those years but mostly more of the same from Year One. There was a game in Chicago that they won, 19-1, setting up the events that eventually led to the "Black Cat" in 1969. But more on that in part three. . .

The shiny red apple was unveiled at Shea Stadium in 1964, and every time a Met would hit the ball out of the park, the apple would rise from ground and the fans would go wild. It got stuck no fewer than five times that summer, continuing the futility of this team.

My boyhood hero Duke Snider signed with the Mets in 1963. Believe me, his better days were behind him, but oh, that swing!

I could imitate it perfectly, and in my own mind, that was the reason I made the Freshman Baseball Team at Northeastern University in the Spring of 1963. I played second base, had deceptive speed for a chubby guy, and could turn a mean double play.

In a game that spring against Boston University, in front of a rowdy crowd of about, oh, 59 fans, a guy about a foot taller and 30 pounds heavier than me tried to break up a double play and ploughed right into my rather ample gut.

He knocked himself out cold.

I turned the double play, we won the only game of that rain shortened season, and it took seven teammates to carry me off the field.

This was definitely the highlight of my college career.

That spring the Mets signed Jimmy Piersall, a true nut case whose life and antics reached the big screen in a fine baseball movie called “Fear Strikes Out,” starring our even more famous nut case Anthony Perkins; Psycho anyone?

These lost years also brought to the team the makings of, unbeknown to all of us, the Miracle Mets. Bud Harrelson and Ron Swoboda came in ‘63. In '64, it was Tug McGraw, Jerry Koosman.

In 1965, Nolan Ryan signed, and the Mets traded Houston for Jerry Grote. Duffy Dyer and Jim McAndrew came in 1965, along with Ken Boswell, too.

For the 1966 season, Danny Frisella, Amos Otis, Ron Hunt, Jim Hickman, and Don Cardwell came to town.

However, the best acquisition in New York Mets history happened when The Mets' team name was picked out of a hat, giving the Amazins the first pick in the Amateur Draft. That pick turned into a strapping pitcher named George Thomas Seaver.

For me to think that Tom Seaver could have just as easily become a Brave or a Philly makes me shudder; it would have changed the course of the Mets history, as well as mine.

In 1967, pitchers Gary Gentry, Cal Koonce, Jon Matlock arrived, and perhaps the key to the championship season to come came with the arrival of Tommy Agee along with Art Shamsky.

The lovable losers finally seemed to be going in the right direction.

My life was like a roller coaster, going ahead and seemingly backwards at the same time. In June of 1964, I lost my Dad. We had talked that spring about going to some games that summer at the new Shea Stadium, which had just opened a few months prior.

I had to leave Northeastern that year because my responsibilities and priorities were forced to change.

An interesting sidelight to those events that spring: about two weeks before my Dad succumbed to a massive heart attack on his 50th birthday, I had talked to him about changing my major to Journalism and pursuing as career as a sports journalist.

It never happened.

My baseball career ended as I broke an ankle in 1964 and my world class speed evaporated in the lobby of the Brooklyn Paramount Theater which was the gymnasium for Long Island University, which became my home for the next three years.

At least I was home to see many games at Shea and a couple of road games in Philly at Connie Mack Stadium.

Vietnam and “The Draft”, and I don’t mean the baseball draft, were on the horizon. Hippies had arrived, protests raged at college campuses, and my heroes of the '60s were gone.

The day after June 5, 1968, my best friend Teddy Blecher and I camped out all night in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in the city and waited for the casket of Bobby Kennedy to arrive.

I had walked the streets of Bedford-Stuyvesant with Bobby in 1966 when he ran for Governor of New York. For me, it was a loss of the greatest magnitude.

On Aug. 25, 1968, at the ripe old age of 23, I got married to a beautiful blue-eyed blonde from the city. She was not a Mets fan. She liked the Yankees.

I should have known it wouldn’t last.

Mets Memories: Doug Flynn

2009-07-17T13:41:00.001-07:00

Looking back into the Mets past is fun these days especially since the 2009 New York Mets are seemingly going in a different direction. Plus here is not the place to discuss the present and future it’s a place that myself and and hopefully a long list of viewers who are over 40 years old can look back and remember a different era in baseball where the news of the day was the game and not who was taking this or who was using that.

Doug Flynn’s most notoriety was the fact that he was a part of the June 15th 1977“The Midnight Massacre” which sent “The Franchise” Tom Seaver packing his bags and sending him off to Cincinatti for Doug, Pat Zachry, Steve Henderson and Dan Norman.

Dave Kingman, for all you nostalgic Met fans, was also traded the same day to the San Diego Padres ( I almost said Chargers) for Bobby Valentine and Paul Siebert.

Flynn did not receive the wrath of the Mets fans and neither did Henderson. I feel sorry for Pat Zachry who was booed mercilously as one might think he caused the trade. Pat’s nostalgic piece will be next in this series.

Doug Flynn was born on May 25th 1951 in Albany new York. He came up with the Reds in 1975 and was part, albeit a small part, of the “Big Red Machine” from 1975-1977. In his 2 1/2 seasons in Cincinnati he played in 218 games. He was never a serious threat to unseat perennial all star Joe Morgan but he was productive in his time there.

In 379 at bats he collected 104 hits for a .274 BA along with 13 doubles, 3 triples and 2 home runs. He drove in 45 runs. When he was traded to the Mets he immediately became the Mets starting shortstop but was quickly moved to second base.

He played with the Metrolpolitans for five years and became a fan favorite. He batted 8th in the order for more than 95% of the time and played 469 games at second, 165 games at short at 2 at third during his career as a Met. His overall numbers were far less than spectacular.

In five years he played in 636 games. His BA for the period was .234. He had 58 doubles, 26 triples and 5 home runs. He drove in 155 runs but he was best known for his outstanding defense and his overall hustle on the field.

After leaving the Mets in 1981 he bounced around the majors for another 5 non noteworthy seasons and retired in 1985. In 1980 he won his only Gold Glove of his career beating out Davey Lopes, Joe Morgan and Manny Trujillo.

Flynn managed the Gulf Coast Mets in 1997. He has now returned to his home in Louisville KY where he is currently a banker.

Doug Flynn played with the Mets in some of their darkest moments in their existence. He was part of “Grants Tomb” which will be thoroughly discussed in my next segment of my self acclaimed series “Anatomy of a Franchise” due out next week.

You will find it here as well as on www.rsmclosersblog.blogstop.com.

Six Degrees in it's Entirety

2009-07-14T23:17:00.000-07:00

Earlier today, I posted my part in the article called Six degrees of Separation From Charlie Manuel. I had a great time trying to follow the instructions of the originator. (Cindy Poe) here is the total article with contributions from other members of the Bleacher Report where about 10,000 of us think we're Mike Lupika or Jimmy Breslin.

Six Degrees of Charlie Manuel

By now you know a bunch of stuff about the All-Star game. You know the winner, what league has home field advantage for the World Series, and the MVP.

But in this article we’re hoping to present you with the stuff you didn’t know about the All-Stars that made the game possible.

After reading for months about draft picks, prospects, trades, players, and the life of Charlie Manuel, it occurred to me that Charlie’s been everywhere. He was even a star in Japan and that’s a feat – Barbie couldn’t even make it there.

You’ve all probably heard of the oracle of “The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.” Supposedly any actor in the world can be connected to Kevin in six steps or less.

Well, this is the “Six Degrees of Charlie Manuel.” And although Kevin Bacon was one of the top picks for actors who now look like lesbians, I guarantee you Charlie is nowhere close to holding that honor.

This project is the cumulative effort of Bleacher Report contributors Christian Karole, Bob Warja, Richard Marsh, and me. The idea is my brain-child, but I can take just a slight bit of credit for it because I have only one child and a very small brain. Most of the information I credit to the guys listed above.

You might think it’s a wussy year to do an All-Star game association between the NL manager, Charlie Manuel, and the players because the lineup is laden with Phillies, but I guarantee you, Charlie is closer to his players than you think – not quite as close as I’d like to be – but in any case, let’s get started.

The information on this first bunch of All-Star’s was compiled by Christian Karole. He’s the B/R co-community leader for the Phillies, B/R columnist, and you may not know – high school student. My hat’s off to him. After finishing up a year of school, he sat down to do incredible research for this project and I just can’t thank him enough. I think you’ll see why.

Christian Karole’s Roll Call

Chase Utley
Second Baseman, Philadelphia Phillies

In 1969, a young Charlie Manuel made his major league debut. His father had committed suicide in 1963 before his signing with the Minnesota Twins, so Manuel was determined to get somewhere in life. Although his career never panned out much, Charlie was able to stay in the majors for six seasons before leaving for Japan.

Chase Cameron Utley was born in 1978 in Pasadena, California. In April of 2003, Utley made his major league debut. Since then, Utley has played in five full major league seasons, this current one being the sixth. Charlie Manuel also played six seasons in the majors. While Utley will be playing for many more years to come, at this moment, they've both played six.

When Charlie Manuel got to Japan, he became an instant star. Utley also played in Japan as a star, just under a little different circumstance. In 2006, Utley was selected among baseball's best and traveled to Japan with a team of All-Stars to compete against Japanese players.

In 1975, Manuel played on the Los Angeles Dodgers with a man by the name of Ron Cey. Cey went on to play for the Chicago Cubs, and in 1986, was a teammate of current Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer. Of course, Moyer and Utley are now teammates, and Manuel is managing them both.

Here's another tid-bit: Utley bats left and throws right, and Manuel does the same.

Hanley Ramirez
Shortstop, Florida Marlins

Hanley Ramirez's former teammate, Arthur Rhodes, is the engine that gets this one going. Although Rhodes has not played for a single team for more than one season since 2003, he was a mainstay in the Baltimore Orioles' rotation and bullpen for quite a few years. During those years, a catcher by the name of Rick Dempsey played alongside him. An amazing 23 years before, Dempsey had made his major league debut. The year I'm alluding to is 1969, which was Charlie Manuel's first year in the bigs. Coincidentally, both played for the Minnesota Twins that season.

After their playing days ended, both Dempsey and Manuel became coaches. In 2005, Dempsey was the third base coach for the Baltimore Orioles, a former team of his. The man he was replacing was Sam Perlozzo, who had been promoted to interim manager. In this past offseason, that same Sam Perlozzo was selected by Manuel to be his third base coach.

Going back to Perlozzo's playing days, you'll find that he was a member of the 1977 Minnesota Twins, Manuel's former ball club. Even more odd is the fact that Manuel played with a pitcher by the name of Geoff Zahn in his final season, 1975, and Zahn went on to play for the Twins in 1977 with Perlozzo.

You think that's all? Sam Perlozzo wasn't a major league hit, just as Manuel wasn't, so what did he do? He followed Manuel's example and left for Japan. For his lone season in Japan, Perlozzo played for the Yakult Swallows in 1981. In 1980, Charlie Manuel's last year of any type of professional baseball, he was a member of the Yakult Swallows.

Now that's interesting.

Josh Johnson
Pitcher, Florida Marlins

Arthur Rhodes shows up again here, and for obvious reasons. Josh Johnson was on the 2008 Florida Marlins, which means that he was also teammates with Rhodes, just as Hanley Ramirez was. What does this mean? It means that the connection between Johnson and Charlie Manuel is the same as it was for Ramirez.

Yet, looking past that, there are a few more ways to connect Manuel and Johnson.

First of all, Johnson broke into the majors against the Phillies in 2005, Manuel's first year as the Phillies' skipper. Also, Johnson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Manuel's first team, as I've stated, was the Twins, who call Minnesota their home. Finally, we are left with one last bond between the two: they both bat left-handed and throw right-handed.

It's not much, but it's something.

Dan Haren
Pitcher, Arizona Diamondbacks

Dan Haren is arguably the best pitcher in baseball right now. In 2008, Haren played with Randy Johnson, who has made his case as one of the best pitchers in the history of baseball over the course of his career.

The Big Unit, Johnson, was born in 1963, the year Charlie Manuel's father committed suicide as well as the year of Manuel's first major league contract. Johnson was teammates with a third baseman named Graig Nettles in 1988 with the Montreal Expos. Nettles began his playing career in 1967 with the Minnesota Twins. His last year with the Twins was in 1969, which of course was the year Charlie Manuel began his major league career, and for the same team, the Twins. I'm sure you're sick of the Twins and the year 1969 by now.

Nettles was born in 1944, batted left-handed and threw right-handed, and played for the Cleveland Indians. Manuel was born in 1944, batted left and threw right, and managed the Cleveland Indians. Both also battled and have survived cancer.

Nettles also pitched for the San Diego Padres in 1986. One of his teammates was the memorable John Kruk, who of course went on to play for the Phillies from 1989-1994. During those years, Kruk was a teammate of Mike Leiberthal, who also went on to play for the Phillies. Cole Hamels, the NLCS and World Series MVP in 2008 for Manuel's World Champion Phillies, pitched a few of his first major league games to Leiberthal, completing the circle.

Tim Lincecum
Pitcher, San Francisco Giants

On May 6, 2007, Tim Lincecum made his major league debut for the San Francisco Giants. He took the mound against the Philadelphia Phillies, led by manager Charlie Manuel. Lincecum was replacing right-hander Russ Ortiz in the rotation due to injury. Russ shares a last name with David, a current member of the Boston Red Sox, and former member of the... Minnesota Twins. (In case you have forgotten, the Twins were Manuel's first team).

David Ortiz began his career in 1997 with the Twins, when Hall of Fame player Paul Molitor was also a Twin. Molitor was born on August 22, which connects him to me, since that’s also my birthday. Why does that matter? Well, er, I'm a Phillies fan. Does that work?

In all seriousness, Molitor played with a familiar name in 1991 for the Milwaukee Brewers: Rick Dempsey. If you have forgotten, Dempsey played with Manuel in 1969, and both later became coaches. Also, Dempsey replaced Sam Perlozzo as third base coach for the Orioles, and Perlozzo is the Phillies' current third base coach. This then continues with Perlozzo's and Manuel's playing careers in Japan.

Adrian Gonzalez
First baseman, San Diego Padres

Adrian Gonzalez is a tremendous baseball player. He has quietly put up stellar numbers in his five year career. But honestly, the man doesn't have a strong association with Charlie Manuel, except for one connection: Randy Wolf.

Randy Wolf made a name for himself in the Phillies' rotation after eight years of service with Philadelphia. During that time, he played with numerous current Phillies, and was also a player under Manuel for two seasons, in 2005 and 2006. After moving on from the Phillies, Wolf became a member of the Dodgers in 2007 before pitching for the Astros and Padres during the 2008 seasons. This means Adrian Gonzalez was also his teammate.

So after all of that, it becomes clear that the lone connection between Gonzalez and Manuel is the fact that Wolf played under Manuel and with Gonzalez, correct?

Not quite, there's more. After further investigation, I was able to find that Wolf also played with former Phillies closer Jose Mesa. Earlier in his career, Mesa was a member of the Baltimore Orioles. And one of Mesa's teammates was Rick Dempsey (see Hanley Ramirez – if not read about Manuel/Dempsey). Man, these two keep coming back to each other.

But wait, there's more. (I admit, I lied when I stated there was just one connection.) There is, in fact, another interesting group of players that connect these two.

Rene Gonzalez, who I found relates to Adrian solely based on last name, played in the majors for 13 seasons while playing for seven different clubs. Rene played for the California Angles on two occasions, in 1992-1993, and 1995. In 1992, Bert Blyleven was a teammate of Rene's on the Angels. Twenty-two years prior to that season in 1970, Blyleven was a member of the Minnesota Twins, just as Charlie Manuel was.

Ryan Howard
First baseman, Philadelphia Phillies

Ryan Howard has made a name for himself as one of baseball's most elite and consistent power-hitters. But this relationship has absolutely nothing to do with power.

Ryan Howard's current teammate, Jamie Moyer, has been in baseball for 22 long seasons. One of those came as a Chicago Cub in 1986, the year Moyer first pitched in the majors. Also on the Cubs that year was a commonly known name to many Phillies fans, and a member of one of the fastest infields baseball has ever seen: Davey Lopes.

In Lopes' third season in the bigs, 1974, Charlie Manuel was preparing to end his career in the United States. Yet, before Manuel left for Japan, he signed on to play for the Dodgers in 1974 and 1975, meaning he and Lopes were teammates for two seasons.

Today, Davey Lopes is still remembered by Phillies fans for two reasons: 1) the controversy he was involved in during the 1977 NLCS when he was incorrectly called safe at a crucial point of game three, and 2) he is the current first base coach for the Phillies.

So there’s one last little connection: Davey Lopes is the first base coach and Ryan Howard plays first base.

Orlando Hudson
Second baseman, Los Angeles Dodgers

Orlando Hudson was not signed by the Dodgers until February 21 this past offseason, as many other clubs felt he was a risky pick-up. Well, for most of this season, this "risky" signing has worked out well for the first-place Dodgers.

Speaking of those Dodgers, their manager, Joe Torre, can surprisingly be linked to Charlie Manuel. When he first began his career for the Twins in 1969, Manuel played alongside Joe Grzenda. Grzenda ended his major league career after the 1972 season, which he spent with the St. Louis Cardinals. Another member of that Cardinals team? Joe Torre.

Also, the Dodgers' third base coach, Larry Bowa, was the previous Phillies manager before Charlie Manuel joined the team.

Finally, Hudson's teammate, Manny Ramirez has two connections to Charlie Manuel. First, Ramirez played under Manuel for the Cleveland Indians when Manuel was the Tribe's hitting coach. The second is through a player by the name of Shawon Dunston, who was Manny Ramirez' teammate in 1998 with the Indians, also during the time Manuel was the hitting coach. Yet Dunston's linkage to Manuel goes further than this. Dunston, an outfielder who played for 18 seasons, was a member of the Chicago Cubs in 1985, the same year as Ron Cey. Cey, who was mentioned above within the Chase Utley connection, was a member of the 1974 Los Angeles Dodgers, just as Manuel was, along with Davey Lopes.

That’s it from Christian. This next list is from Richard Marsh aka “Vegas Rich.”

Rich has compiled quite the resume since joining B/R and I’m thrilled he joined in this task, especially since he’s a huge Mets fan and I cheer for the Phillies. But soon after I approached him with the idea, I started getting cold feet. Hey, I’ve taken my vows – the last thing any of us needed was something else to be married to. But he hung in there and just like me, found that the research this project required was actually enjoyable. I’ll put my hat back on just so I can take it off for Rich too.

All-Star Picks from Vegas Rich

(Poe’s Note: Since Carlos Beltran was on the DL, Rich choose to do Carlos Lee).

Carlos Lee

Outfielder, Houston Astros

I’m finally getting the hang of this. Let’s take Carlos Lee. This is a bad boy hitter not to be confused with Derrick Lee who also hits for a ton. Derrick plays for the Cubs who may never win a World Series in this century. Now Carlos, who swings the lumber for Houston (gee, I hope I didn’t get these two guys mixed up and I’m way too lazy to check it out) has a connection, ever so slight to Charlie Manuel.

Carlos Lee played with Carl Everett for the 2003 Chicago White Sox. Carl Everett played with Charlie Hough for the 1994 Florida Marlins. Charlie Hough played with Charlie Manuel for the 1974 Los Angeles Dodgers. See how easy that was. (Boy am I dense)

Jason Marquis

Pitcher, Colorado Rockies

Jason Marquis is tied with two other pitchers for most wins in the majors right now at 11. Not too shabby, especially when he calls Coors Field his home park. He’s connected to Charlie Manuel this way. Jason played with Tom Glavine with the 2001 Atlanta Braves. Glavine (traitor) played with Jerry Royster for the 1988 Braves and low and behold Jerry Royster played with Charlie Manuel on the 1975 Los Angeles Dodgers. Are you getting to see a pattern forming here?

Francisco Rodriguez

Pitcher, New York Mets

Lets move on to Francisco (K-Rod) Rodriguez (yeah!) and see if we can find some connection to Charlie. Oh no, can’t find one so I’ll make one up. Charlie’s sister’s college roommate’s brother’s dad stopped at the same gas station in LA where at the next gas pump K-Rod’s auntie’s brother-in-law’s son was in a frenzy because he couldn’t find the tickets for game 3 of last year’s NLCS at Dodger Stadium. When asked what he was looking for, he replied “I see your Swartz is as big as mine.” If you believe that, I have some bridge property to sell you in Brooklyn.

David Wright

Third Baseman, New York Mets

Now surely there’s a personal connection to Charlie Manuel right? None that I can find so I’ll make up one that is definitely more to be fact than fiction. David’s hitting instructor is Howard Johnson. HOJO’s manager in 1986 was Davey Johnson. Davey became a manager with the Los Angeles Dodgers and as we know at some time in the mid 70’s, Charlie played for those same Dodgers.

There you go and I didn’t need any reference guide for that one.

Johan Santana

Pitcher, New York Mets

Now we have Johan Santana, the Mets ace and Charlie’s nightmare every time the Phillies have to face him. This too will ultimately come back to the Dodgers. Johan was a teammate with Ruben Sierra while playing for the 2006 Minnesota Twins. Ruben played with Tom Paciorek (now that’s a name out of the past) for the 1986 Texas Rangers (they were pretty good back then; they just couldn’t beat the Yankees). Of course Tommy played with Charlie with the 1974 Dodgers. (What a surprise.)

Three more to go.

Freddy Sanchez

Second Baseman, Pittsburgh Pirates

Let’s see what I can dig up on Freddy (soon to be traded) Sanchez. Freddy played with 100 year-old Jose Mesa for the 2005 Pittsburgh Pirates. Mesa played with Rick Dempsey for the 1992 Baltimore Orioles, and low and behold Rick Dempsey played with Charlie Manuel for the 1972 Minnesota Twins.

It would have been a lot shorter to say that Charlie managed Jose Mesa in Philadelphia a couple of years back but that would have been taking the easy road.

Miguel Tejada

Shortstop, Houston Astros

Moving on with this assignment, I had the good fortune to draw Miguel (how old am I?) Tejada. Let’s see where this goes. This is a good one. Miguel (we’re good friends now) sang with – NO – I mean played with Kenny Rogers for the 1999 Oakland Athletics. Kenny, who is old as dirt, played with Charlie Hough for the 1989 Texas Rangers. Well, you already know the connection to Charlie Hough and Charlie Manuel (if you were paying any attention to this at all) but there’s just a little twist to this one.

No there isn’t. Gotcha. Both Charlie’s played for the 1974 Dodgers. (You are so easy.)

Ryan Zimmerman

Third Baseman, Washington Nationals

Last but not least, Ryan Zimmerman. This one is very cool. Lots of new names.

Ryan played with Tomakazu Okha (are you kidding me?) for the 2005 Washington Nationals (they really sucked). Okha (are you serious?) played with Tim Raines (now that was a five tool player) for the 2001 Montreal Expos. Tim played with another great player, Graig Nettles for the 1988 Expos and here’s the connection to Charlie. Nettles played with Charlie Manuel for the 1969 Minnesota Twins.

That’s it for Vegas Rich. You’re halfway there. The list of guys I was fortunate enough to review is below.

Mo’ from Poe

First I have to credit Baseball-Reference.com and the MLB pages for all the teams. Then I’ll credit the great Oz for giving me temporary use of a brain. And now, I’ll give you my list.

Ryan Braun

Outfielder, Milwaukee Brewers

We could start with the association between Charlie Manuel and the Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun for the fact that Braun played in the 2008 NLDS championship that the Phillies took from the Crew.

But did you know when Charlie Manuel played for the Minnesota Twins in 1972, he played with a guy named Steve Braun? Bet you didn’t care either. And Steve and Charlie both bat left and throw right. It’s also true that Steve is the name of Ryan Braun’s youngest brother who was drafted last year by the Milwaukee Brewers. But the 2009 MLB All-Star, Ryan Joseph Braun, shouldn’t be mistaken for Ryan Zachary Braun who’s an MLB right-handed pitcher even though the Brewer’s outfielder has recently been reprimanded for criticizing his own team’s pitching.

Shame on him.

Raul Ibanez

Outfielder, Philadelphia Phillies

Of course Raul is the “Pride of the Phillies.” Literally. He’s on the “Pride” lithograph this year. But did you know Charlie Manuel was drafted by the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent in 1963 but didn’t debut in the majors until 1969? That’s the year he played with Graig Nettles. Then Nettles went on to play with Jeff Huson in 1988 with the Montreal Expos, and Huson played with Raul Ibanez for the Seattle Mariners in 1998.

And all four players bat left and throw right.

Raul Ibanez was also a favorite of Pat Gillick when he was in management for the Mariners from 2000-2005. Gillick was instrumental in bringing Ibanez to Philadelphia for a possible career record-breaking season with the signing of a 3 year $30 million contract.

On a further note, Raul Ibanez and Charlie Manuel both appeared in articles I’ve posted on B/R for their alleged use of performance enhancing drugs.

Betcha didn’t know that.

Heath Bell

Pitcher, San Diego Padres

I imagine Heath Bell was voted into the All-Star game because of his 1.49 ERA over 34 games. Or the fact that he’s one of the league’s leading closers with 23 saves in 24 opportunities in his first full year in that position since San Diego traded Trevor Hoffman to the Brewers.

He had planned on taking his kids to Disneyland during the break but Orlando will have to take a back seat to St. Louis. Wow, if I had a quarter for every time I said that.

In 2004 Bell pitched for the New York Mets along with another great – left-hander, Tom Glavine. Glavine debuted in the MLB at the age of 21 and had a career that spanned 22 years. He’s a two-time Cy Young award winner, and one of only 24 pitchers in major league history to earn 300 career wins. As we all know, Glavine was released by the Braves on the same day that Randy Johnson chalked up his 300th career win.

Glavine pitched in the league so long he played for the Atlanta Braves in 1988 with Jerry Royster. That was Royster’s last year playing major league baseball, but earlier in his career he was on the Los Angeles Dodgers roster with an outfielder named Charlie Manuel who was finishing up his last year in pro ball in 1975.

Chad Billingsley

Jonathan Broxton

Pitchers, Los Angeles Dodgers

Here’s a two-fer. During their stints with the Dodgers, both Billingsley and Broxton pitched with four-time consecutive Cy Young award winner and eight-time All-Star, Greg Maddux. But you might not know that Maddux played with Davey Lopes on the 1986 Chicago Cubs which finished with a losing record of 70-90, putting them in fifth position of six teams in the NL East – their division at the time.

Then Lopes played with Charlie Manuel for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1974, the year the Dodgers won their division and the NL championship but lost to the Athletics in the World Series 4 games to 1. Lopes, who led the national league with 77 stolen bases in 1975 and 63 in 1976, is 25th on the all-time stolen base leaders list with a career total of 557. Now he’s the first base coach for the Philadelphia Phillies, hanging with Charlie in the dugout and coaxing guys to second base with his stopwatch.

How’s that for a connection.

Matt Cain

Pitcher, San Francisco Giants

You may have known that Matt Cain had a seven-game winning streak this season that contributed to his 10-2 record, his 2.42 season ERA, and his election to the All-Star game. And you might have guessed that Matt played with Barry Bonds for the Giants in 2005. But what you probably don’t know is while Bonds may have been playing enhanced ball in 1986 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, right-handed pitcher, Rick Rhoden, was also on the roster. That was the year Rhoden pitched his way to an All-Star roster spot, tied for 5th in Cy Young voting in the NL, and won a Silver Slugger award. And in 1984 he had an eleven-game hitting streak (yes, hitting streak), one of the longest in history for a pitcher.

In 1974, Rhoden played his first year in the majors for the Los Angeles Dodgers with a guy who was one year from retiring – Charlie Manuel. Charlie only played four games that year, as did Rhoden, so I’d like to allege that he and Charlie found plenty of time to talk. Maybe Charlie, the man who’s been known to start a debate anywhere over philosophies of hitting, helped him out with his batting.

Hey, it could’ve happened.

Hunter Pence

Outfielder, Houston Astros

In 2007, Hunter Pence managed a 3rd place finish in overall voting for National League Rookie of the Year. Of course he trailed fellow 2009 All-Star Ryan Braun who was ROTY and runner-up Troy Tulowitzki by over 100 votes. But his performance was more comparable than the vote suggests. And now he’s playing in his first career All-Star game.

Good for him.

In his first major league season, he had the honor of playing with seven-time All-Star, Craig Biggio. That would be the three-time Golden Glove and five-time Silver Slugger’s last year in baseball. In his illustrious career, he played in six NL Division Series, two NL Championship Series, and one World Series but never earned a ring.

Biggio also played with Rick Rhoden for Houston in 1989, and we already know Rhoden’s 1974 connection to Charlie Manuel.

At least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Justin Upton

Outfielder, Arizona Diamondbacks

Justin and his brother BJ (Tampa Bay Devil Rays) are the highest drafted brothers in baseball. Justin joined the 1998 expansion club, the Diamondbacks in 2007, the year they won the NL West but lost the Championship to 1993 expansion team the Colorado Rockies. 2007 was also the first year veteran pitcher, ten-time All-Star, four-time Cy Young winner, World Series ring bearer, and now 300 club member, Randy Johnson, came back to Arizona after an unproductive two-year run with the Yankees.

I hope Justin got his autograph.

Anyway, Johnson has played in the big leagues so long he was a teammate on the 1988 Montreal Expos with Graig Nettles.

That’s not the first time we heard that name. Charlie played with Nettles in Minnesota in 1969.

It’s a small world.

Shane Victorino

Outfielder, Philadelphia Phillies

What can I say? I’m a huge Phillies fan, a huge hustle fan, and a huge fan of Shane Victorino. You could say I was Shane-ing when Shane-ing wasn’t cool. There’s nothing that toots my horn more than trying, and Shane is the embodiment of try. I just wish he’d try to show us more of his body.

I’m sorry, was I thinking out loud?

Shane was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 6th round of the 1999 amateur draft. Wait, that sounds familiar. Wasn’t Chase Utley drafted by the Dodgers in an amateur draft? Yup. In the 2nd round in 1997. Both were drafted straight out of high school but Shane went to the minors while Chase became a scholar.

Anyway, the connection is, Chase Utley is undeniably Charlie Manuel’s favorite player. But since Shane’s return from the World Baseball Classic where he got absolutely zero play time and came back with a healthy coat of rust, he’s done nothing but accumulate stats.

Currently he’s second in the league in runs with 62 and hits at 107, he’s tied for second in triples, and he’s batting .308. But there’s no doubt he won the last spot on the NL All-Star roster due to his performance in the days preceding the close of voting.

And at 5’9”, Shane proves size doesn’t matter.

Jayson Werth

Outfielder, Philadelphia Phillies

I could just say Charlie’s connection to Jayson is personal – Charlie personally picked Werth to replace the DL’ed Carlos Beltran, but did you also know Werth played with former Phillies pitcher, Tom “Flash” Gordon, who’s played for 21 seasons in the MLB? That’s such a long career that in 1988 Gordon played with Kansas City Royal’s first baseman and designated hitter, Bill Buckner, who played ball with Charlie Manuel in his last year in the MLB in 1975 for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Also, Jayson’s stepfather, Dennis Werth, played five seasons in the MLB, his grandfather, Dick Schofield, played 21 years in the majors, and his uncle, Richard Craig Schofield, played for 14 years. But Jayson’s 2009 All-Star appearance is the first MLB award ever earned by any of his family of major league baseball players.

And he has Charlie Manuel to thank for that.

Brad Hawpe

Outfielder, Colorado Rockies

Brad Hawpe can connect to Charlie Manuel ironically through more Charlie’s. Hawpe was a member of the Rockies when Charles Johnson played his only year with Colorado in 2004. Charlie Johnson played with Charlie Hough for the 1994 Florida Marlins, and Hough played with the last Charlie – Manuel for the 1975 Los Angeles Dodgers.

But another connection is that Brad Hawpe was 24th in MVP voting the year Jimmy Rollins was selected National League MVP in 2007, and Rollins was a member of the 2005 All-Star squad with Albert Pujols who is making his eighth All-Star appearance in nine seasons by playing on Charlie Manuel’s NL team this year.

Brian McCann

Catcher, Atlanta Braves

Brian McCann was playing for the Braves with Julio Franco in 2005, and Franco has played with the same Charlie Hough that connects to Brad Hawpe. Only this time, Hough was playing with the 1990 Texas Rangers. Over Hough’s 25 seasons in the MLB he was elected to the All-Star roster only once – in 1986 while he was still in Texas.

McCann, in contrast, has appeared in four All-Star games in his five seasons in the majors. And both Charlie Manuel and Brian McCann bat left and hit right.

And McCann, just like 2009 All-Star team member, Jason Marquis, played with Tom Glavine for the Atlanta Braves. As Vegas Rich pointed out earlier, Glavine played with Jerry Royster for the 1988 Braves, and Jerry Royster played with Charlie Manuel on the 1975 Los Angeles Dodgers.

It’s definitely a small world.

Last but not least, we were joined by the immortal Bob Warja. Bob is the Chicago Cubs B/R Community Leader, he’s ranked #1 among Chicago Cubs and MLB writers, and he sits among the front page top writers on B/R. If there was an All-Star game for writers, Bob would be there huffing and puffing, so you can imagine how humbled I was to have him join us.

And as a seasoned writer (like Vegas Rich), he took very little time to make his points.

Bob’s Job

Yadier Molina

Catcher

Ryan Franklin

Pitcher

Albert Pujols

First Baseman

St. Louis Cardinals

Yadier Molina, Ryan Franklin, and Albert Pujols have all played their entire careers for Tony LaRussa. Tony was born on the 4th in 1944, just like Charlie Manuel, albeit in different months of the year. Another similarity is that LaRussa and Manuel both were signed as amateur free agents, each played six seasons in the majors, and both finished their Bob Uecker-type careers with a batting average below the Mendoza line. Oh, and each has managed a World Series winner.

Francisco Cordero

Pitcher, Cincinnati Reds

Francisco Cordero plays for Dusty Baker with the Reds and both Baker and Manuel were with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1975. Manuel was just finishing up his career, while Baker had been traded by the Braves to the Dodgers after the season ended.

Ted Lilly

Pitcher, Chicago Cubs

Did you know that both Ted Lilly and Charlie Manuel were born on January 4th? Do you care? Are you even still reading this? Anyway, both were with the Dodgers organization, and Lilly plays for Lou Piniella, who, like Manuel, has won a division title in each league. Each has one a pennant and one World Series title as manager.

Prince Fielder

First Baseman, Milwaukee Brewers

Prince Fielder’s father, Cecil Fielder, played in Japan just like Charlie Manuel.

How’s that for short and sweet.

The End

That’s it. Thanks for reading. Again, kudos to the guys who helped. I couldn’t have done it without them.

Now I must go rest my brain.

Six Degrees of Separation: Charlie Manuel

2009-07-14T11:13:00.000-07:00

Six Degrees of Separation from Charlie Manuel

Are you kidding me? I’m not a Phillies fan, far from it. So how in G-d’ green earth did I get myself into something like this. Well there’s this girl named Cindy and I might be 64 but hell, I’m not dead. Besides she is a very talented writer and she has gone out of her way to help this old gut on more than one occasion. So OK, Here goes.

I’m finally getting the hang of this. Let’s take Carlos Lee. This is a bad boy hitter not to be confused with Derrick Lee who also hits for a ton. Derrick plays for the Cubs who may never win a World Series in this century. Now Carlos who swings the lumber for Houston (gee, I hope I didn’t get these two guys mixed up and I’m way too lazy to check it out) has a connection, ever so slight to Charlie Manuel.

Carlos Lee played with Carl Everett for the 2003 Chicago White Sox. Carl Everett played with Charlie Hough for the 1994 Florida Marlins. Charlie Hough played with Charlie Manuel for the 1974 Los Angeles Dodgers. See how easy that was. (Boy am I dense)

Jason Marquis has the most wins in the majors right now with 11. Not too shabby when he calls Coors Field his home park. He’s connected to Charlie Manuel this way. Jason played with Tom Glavine with the 2001 Atlanta Braves. Glavine (Traitor) played with Jerry Royster for the 1988 Braves and low and behold Jerry Royster played with Charlie Manuel on the 1975 Los Angeles Dodgers. Are you getting to see a pattern forming here?

Lets move on to Francisco (K-Rod) Rodriguez (yea) and see if we can find some connection to Charlie. Oh No, can’t find one so I’ll make one up. Charlie’s sisters college roommates brother’s dad stopped at the same gas station in LA where at the next gas pump K-Rod’s aunties brother in law son was in a frenzy because he couldn’t find the tickets for game 3 of last years NLCS at Dodger Stadium. When asked what he was looking for he replied “I see your Swartz is as big as mine”.)If you believe that I have some bridge property to sell you in Brooklyn.

David Wright, now surely there’s a personal connection to Charlie Manuel right? None that I can find so I’ll make up one that is definitely more to be fact than fiction. David’s hitting instructor is Howard Johnson. HOJO’s manager in 1986 was Davey Johnson. Davey became a manager with the Los Angeles Dodgers and as we know at some time in the mid 70’s Charlie played for those same Dodgers. There you go and I didn’t need any reference guide for that one.

Now we find Johan Santana, the Mets ace and Charlie’s nightmare every time the Phillies have to face this guy. This too will ultimately come back to the Dodgers. Johan was a teammate with Ruben Sierra while playing for the 2006 Minnesota Twins. Ruben played with Tom Paciorek (now that’s a name out of the past) for the 1986 Texas Rangers (they were pretty good back then; they just couldn’t beat the Yankees). Of course Tommy played with Charlie with the 1974 Dodgers. (What a surprise).

Three more to go.

Let’s see what I can dig up on Freddy (soon to be traded) Sanchez. Freddy played with 100 year old Jose Mesa for the 2005 Pittsburgh Pirates. Mesa played with Rick Dempsey for the 1992 Baltimore Orioles and low and behold Rick Dempsey played with Charlie Manuel for the 1972 Minnesota Twins. It would have been a lot easier to say that Charlie managed Jose Mesa in Philadelphia a couple of years back but that would have been taking the low road.

Moving on with this assignment I had the good fortune to draw Miguel (how old am I?) Tejada. Let’s see where this goes. This is a good one. Miguel (We’re good friends now) sang with NO I mean played with Kenny Rogers for the 1999 Oakland Athletics. Kenny who is old as dirt played with Charlie Hough for the 1989 Texas Rangers. Well you already know the connection to Charlie Hough and Charlie Manuel if you were paying any attention to this at all but there’ just a little twist to this one. No there isn’t, gotcha, both Charlie’s played for the 1974 Dodgers. You are so easy.

Finally last but not least Ryan Zimmerman. This one is very cool. Lot’s of new names. Ryan played with Tomakazu Okha (are you kidding me?) for the 2005 Washington Nationals (they really sucked). Okha (are you serious?) played with Tim Raines (now that was a five tool player) for the 2001 Montreal Expos. Tim played with another great player, Graig Nettles for the 1988 Expos and here’s the connection to Charlie. Nettles played with Charlie Manuel for the 1969 Minnesota Twins.

So ends this monumental task of trying to put together people from different generations and put them on the same playing surface today. In lieu of tonight’s all-star game this turned out to be a fun assignment even though I waited to the last minute to complete it and whined like a baby because I actually had to do some research.

Again, keep in mind, I’ll do just about anything for a cute babe, no offense Cindy but you qualify on all counts.

Vegas Rich.

2009 Mid-Season Report: New York Mets - Wait Til Next Year

2009-07-12T18:08:00.000-07:00

There are going to be a lot of Mets fans that are not going to be too happy with me after they finish this article. In fact, I'd venture to say that there will be a few who will refuse to finish it because they will say I'm not a true fan, I am being too negative, and that I am giving up the remainder of the 2009 season.

All of the above may be so, but since this is definitely an opinion piece if you don't mind, allow me to fire away.

The 2009 season started with so much promise it was very hard not to get caught up with the hype. For that alone, I plead guilty as charged. Omar did a credible job in the off season fixing the most glaring problem the team had in 2008. By adding Frankie Rodriguez, JJ Putz and Sean Green it certainly looked like, at least on paper, that the Mets wouldn't blow 29 games more or less.

If in fact they only blew half that number in 2009 and continue to smash the ball as they did in the previous year, it would not be unexpected to see the Mets be able to compete with the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies for the crown in 2009.

There was some criticism that Omar had a chance to improve the teams offense with the acquisition of Orlando Hudson and Manny Ramirez but he felt that his bench of Tatis, Cora, and Reed could get the job done and money was tight.

I expressed my displeasure at this as well as not resigning Pedro Martinez since I questioned a pitching staff whose 60% of the starting rotation was coming off surgery.

Even with all that I was right there and predicted in my article of predictions that the Mets would win the NL East and go on through the playoffs and meet and beat the Boston Red Sox in the World Series.

So I challenge anyone reading this to say that I was not on board with this team on opening day. I was also one of the first if not the first person in our Mets community to be delighted in the acquisition of Gary Sheffield. After commenting on it through very negative articles I wrote an article, I believe in May, thanking the Mets for making Gary a Met.

Then came the injuries like flies to the flypaper. Out went 3/4 of the core. Delgado, Reyes and Beltran were all out of the line up by June. JJ Putz went down. So did Angel Pagan, Alex Cora, and a host of minor players.

Even before the slew of injuries I started questioning the moves made by Jerry Manuel. Jerry had taken over for Willie Randolph last June while the Mets were struggling early which was unacceptable to management who needed a scapegoat for the collapse of 2007 and Willie was going to be that sacrificial lamb.

It was a terrible move at the time because the Mets faults were not Willies and not only did he not need to be replaced, they did it in such a non professional way the Mets organization was an embarrassment to the entire baseball community.

The rest of 2008 is history. Jerry led the team to a 3 1/2 game lead with 17 to go and let the Phillies do their September thing and let another flag get away and to add insult to injury they lost to the Marlins again on the last day and saw their Wild Card hopes go up in flames.

A correction here. Jerry didn't lead them anywhere. Carlos Delgado, David Wright, and Carlos Beltran led them to the heights they achieved and for the those who know and understand the game realized that the 2008 Mets were actually overachievers and Jerry got most of the credit as I cringed like I had a crystal ball to see into the future.

Jerry Manuel was NOT a good manager in Chicago. Yes he won a Manager of the Year award but with the team he inherited there Mike Kent could have got the White Sox to the World Series that year. BTW, that's a compliment Mike.

Jerry misused his bull-pen in Chicago and had a well known, in the public eye, feud with superstar Frank Thomas. His reputation confirmed by the Chicago media was that Jerry had a problem with veteran players simply because of all his line up changes. They did not know where their place was. Ultimately the players went over Jerry's head and as a result, there went Jerry's head as a manager in the major leagues.

Getting back to the Mets. Almost from day 1 in Spring training Jerry had Ryan Church and Daniel Murphy on his radar. For whatever reason and he never explained it to Church, the media or anyone he was not a Ryan Church fan. Perhaps maybe when Ryan was healthy he kept the Mets in the early 2008 race until he was nailed with the concussions.

His use of Church was abominable. 10 games into the season Ryan was batting .385 so Jerry benched him. He wanted to give Reed and Pagan more playing time. He took Murphy out of the lineup when he was batting .365 because he was having defensive problems in left and was trying to keep him away from facing left handers. At the time he was 3 for 8 against lefty's.

His constant everyday changing the line up gave whatever players he had out there no chance to get comfortable with their place in the order. He would say he was going to go with the hot bat and so what did he do? He stayed with Tatis after all he could do was hit into double play after double play ending so many Mets threats I lost count.

" No matter what, I'm going to rest Wright and Sheffield in tomorrows day game in Milwaukee because those guys are trying to carry the load by themselves". The fact that David Wright is hitting around .220 since Beltran left the lineup didn't seem to register with Jerry. So what happened?, Wright went 3 for 4 that night and Jerry had him in the lineup the next day. Since that game Wright is hitting under .200. Good job Jerry.

The Mets are 42-45. They are 6 1/2 games out of first place. They have lost 6 of their last 10. The Phillies are in first place. They have won 9 out of their last 10 and have put the problem of winning at home behind them.They stand at 48-38, ten games over .500.

Last year it took 92 wins to win the NL East. If the Phillies went .500 the rest of the way (doubtful) that would give them 86 wins and to beat them the Mets would have to go 45-30 the rest of the way. That is a pretty good possibility if the Mets gets their players back, but here's the problem. More likely than not the Phillies will not go .500 the rest of the way.

If they go another 10 games over like they did the first half they will finish with with 91 wins. In order for the Mets to catch them they will have to go 50-25.

Well folks, that ain't gonna happen. Not under Jerry Manuel. Not in a million years. That's .667 baseball and this team doesn't have spark or the guts to get that done.

Until A.Reyes bunted for a hit to lead off an inning the other night it was the first game it had been accomplished in the last 25 games. Until Angel Pagan stretched a double into a triple when was the last time that happened?. When was the last time you saw a hit and run attempt with a man on first or first and second? When was the last time you saw somebody move a runner by hitting to the right side? I could go on forever but I have already done that.

Despite early misgivings upon the initial announcement of the Church for Francouer trade, I decided I like it before Jeff's first start. He is 25 and his upside is far greater than Church, but it's not nearly enough.

If Minaya is still serious about making a run at this he must take a bold shot at Roy Halliday. You can not let the Phillies get him and Pedro to slam the door in our face. If it takes, Maine, F-Mart and Parnell and Murphy then so be it.

Will they even offer that deal to the Blue Jays? Not a chance. Why you ask? Because the Mets have pretty close to the worst ownership in baseball and a General Manager that has zero eye for future talent.

Now is the time for the Mets to be sellers for 2009 with the thought to rebuild this organization for 2010 and beyond. In my humble opinion there are only 3 untouchables on the Mets 40 man roster. They are the obvious ones to most. Jose Reyes, David Wright and Johan Santana. Everyone else, and yes Carlos( never hustle) Beltran my preseason MVP pick, has to go.

As far as 2009 is concerned, the Phillies are going to win this division by 10 to 15 games. The Mets will be battling out the Braves and the Marlins for second place.

They are, as of today, 7 games behind in the Wild Card race with 7 teams they have to climb over.

I have always hoped for best while expecting the worst. This is not negativity. This is reality. I swear to all of you reading this. I hope beyond belief that I am 100% wrong in my beliefs.

Do you really think I want to be seen wearing Phillie red on the Brooklyn Bridge replica under the sign for the ESPN Zone in front of the NEW YORK NEW YORK HOTEL AND CASINO in Las Vegas, Nevada this October and send those pictures to 30 Phillies writers on the BR? I don't think so. Christian will use it as a dart board. I can just see it now.

My hope is that the Mets organization, who are morons at best, will look ahead to 2010 season and start making moves that don't look like attempts at continuing to be a small market approach and be the step brother to the New York Yankees. It's finally that time to step up and become a force to be reckoned with for years to come and the best way to get that started is threefold. First the Wildon's need to sell the team. Second Omar needs to be replaced and third and best of all Jerry Manuel needs to go NOW!

Check out my series about my beloved Mets "Anatomy of a Franchise" here on Rsmclosers Blog by Vegas Rich

Mets Memories: Ron Hunt

2009-07-02T16:53:00.000-07:00

As we watch the Mets struggle with injuries and put secondary players into the everyday line up, the never ending talk of leadership reared it's ugly head yesterday when David Wright responded to a comment made by former Mets closer and hometown son, John Franco.

In a rather gentle way which is the (W)right was David basically told John that he does not go what goes on in the Mets clubhouse so he really isn't qualified to make that kind of statement.

Rather than adding fuel to that debate I thought we should look back at Mets in the past that were gritty players that defined leadership to the nth degree.

My earliest memory of such a player was the first tough, gritty, no nonsense type of player who Mets fans immediately identified as a player they could call their own.

That player; Ron Hunt.

He was born on Feb 23rd 1941 in St Louis Missouri. He broke into the major leagues as the second baseman for the New York Mets in 1963 and played there through the 1966 season.

Ron's speciality was to get hit by the pitch. In 1963 the Mets needed base runners and Casey Stengel didn't care how that happened. Ron has told reporters that they even had a signal that Casey would flash from the dugout to the 3rd base coach which actually called for Hunt to be hit by the pitch. Ouch, very big ouch. This became his signatute trademark and contribution to the game.

Ron has attributed this to be his motto, "Some people give their bodies to science; I give mine to baseball.” During his years with the Mets Ron was hit 45 times. From 1968 through 1974 he led the league in this painful category with a total of 192 HBP. In 1971 he was hit a ridiculous 50 times falling one HBP short of the major league record.

In 12, what had to be very sore, seasons Ron's had some very respectable statistics.

He played in 1487 games. In 5235 at bats he collected 1429 hits with 223 doubles, 23 triples and 39 hr's. He drove in 370 runs with 65 stolen bases with 555 walks and 382 strike outs. Striking out 7 times out of every 100 at bats is a huge statistic. Add 243 HBP and you'll find that Ron Hunt was not an easy out.

Overall his lifetime BA .273 with a .368 OBP and .715 OPS. Those are very respectable career numbers.

The following is copied from Ron Hunt's Instructional Baseball Program.

Since 1986 Ron Hunt has been teaching the fundamentals of baseball at his facility in Missouri. He is now offering group and one-on-one instruction either at his facility or he will travel to your hometown.

Dedicated players and coaches of all ages are taught all aspects of the game 'personally' from Ron Hunt, 12 year major league veteran.

Philosophy:

Over the years Ron Hunt's players and coaches have had one thing constant ….. discipline! He teaches the mental aspects of the game as well as the physical regimen. Ron's students may not always have the most ability on the field, but they do have the most heart, desire, and dedication towards the game. His credo: executing basic fundamentals on routine plays, not committing mental errors, and maintaining a never give up attitude.

What are the benefits of his program?

Ron Hunt teaches the game of baseball personally to each and every player and coach and will provide exposure to college and professional scouts if warranted.

Along with the fundamentals of baseball, there are many other principles of life that are part of the learning experience in his program. These include self-discipline, getting along with others, taking responsibility upon oneself, being a team player, and equality.

Since 1986, 95% of Ron's summer program players have received college scholarships (20 of which that did not play high school baseball) and 11 have been drafted. Nineteen players from other organizations have received scholarships through association with the Ron Hunt Eagles Baseball Association, and 9 have been drafted.

Ron Hunt was the right player for the right team at the right time. Maybe, just maybe when one of these 10 million dollar a year players get into a rut at the plate and can't hit himself out of a paper bag, he will let the pitch take a chunk out of his hide and I bet that slump ends the very next at bat.

Ron Hunt. Now there was a leader.

Mets Avoid Sweep in Milwaukee: I'll Drink to That.

2009-07-02T01:07:00.000-07:00

At least it wasn't a sweep! Mets fans are jubilant today for a number of reasons. One, the five game losing streak is over. Two, Big Pelf pitched his best game of the season. Three K-Rod seemed like he was back to normal. Four, Jerry's managing didn't cost us another game. Five, the Phillies keep losing as well , and finally six, we are one game closer to getting our regulars back.

Mondays game against the Brewers showed Mets fans two things they hadn't experienced yet. First was Fernando Nieve is not Superman and the Brewers can surly hit.

Fernando gave up more hits in the first three innings than he did in his frist three games. he was shelled for 3 runs and 11 hits after only getting one out in the fourth inning. his ERA ballooned to 2.25 which is still not too shabby at all but it still remains to be seen if Nieve will get his next scheduled start in Philadelphia on Saturday. Some speculate that if Oliver Perez is ready wouldn't that be a good place to see where he's at.

In the meantime the Brewers pounded out 10 runs on 19 hits including a Grand Slam Home Run by Casey McGee, the Chicago Cubs castoff and a 4 for 4 night by JJ Hardy.

Nine hits between Ryan Church, Gary Sheffield and Fernando Martinez was not enough offense on this night but the Mets still left the field in pretty good spirits because their ace, their stopper, Johan Santana would save them from a longer losing streak the next night.

Tuesday's game started on the right note as David Wright blasted his 5th Home Run of the year giving the Mets and Johan an early two run lead. David's shot left the park in deep right center which is a very good sign that he's staying the course and trying to hit to all fields and not trying to jerk the ball out of the park.

Some reporters including myself have said that David's participation in the Home Run Derby a few years back hurt him considerably as he always now has to remind himself about pulling the ball with an uppercut swing and keeping his swing level and trying to hit every ball right over the pitchers head.

At the beginning of the game Jerry promised that no matter happened in the game that night both Wright and Sheffield will be getting Wednesday's matinee off.

Now if only Jerry could keep his promises. David started at third today went 0-4 with three more K's. Good job Jerry, keep it up. You are managing this team right out of contention.

Johan Santana has not been the same pitcher he was at the beginning of the year. One could go all the way back to a start he had in San Francisco where he allowed a number of hr's and his pinpoint control has not been the same since then.

However if you look up the word "gritty" in the dictionary, you should find a pitcher of Johan right there. Even after a disastrous fourth inning where he gave up a bases clearing double to Ryan Braun he pitched a scoreless 5th and 6th inning to keep the Mets in the game.

In the bottom of the 7th, Prince Fielder hit perhaps the longest home run in his career and certainly the longest one hit off Johan Santana to knock the lefty ace out oif the game.

The Brewers went on to win the game 6-3 and Fernando Martinez hit his first major league home run in the ninth as the Mets losing streak extended to 5 games.

Don't get too excited over today's win. The Mets were still outscored 16-10 in the series and after tomorrows make up game with the Pirates the Mets must travel to Philadelphia where the Phillies will try to remember what it's like to win at home.

Still, with all that's churning in the NL East the Mets are only 2 games behind the Phillies and a game and a half behind the red hot Marlins who despite their seemingly negative payroll always seems to be in the race. For those who remember and care about these things, the Marlins won their first World Series in 1997 and again six years later in 2003 and correct me if I'm wrong but isn't this 2009? Hmmmn.

So Long Jerry I Don't Hate to See You Go- Who's Next?

2009-06-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

That's it, I'm done. In fact I'm well done as in overcooked the same as over-managing. This is not something new with me. I have been on this tare since Jerry threw Ryan Church and Daniel Murphy under the bus in Spring Training.

I will say I was a Willie Randolph fan. Was he the best manager in Mets history? No, not even close, but he was, at least in concept, what this team needed when he was hired. He came from a Yankee mold under Joe Torre that let the players play the game but they were held responsible for their actions. He wasn't their buddy and he was in the field on a daily basis teaching players how to play the game fundamentally the correct way.

He played the game the right way. He hustled out of the box and ran hard all the time. He knew how to advance a runner. He knew when the third baseman is charging down the line you bunted towards the first base side. He knew not to miss a base while circling the base-paths. I could go on ad nausea.

Every year his team improved. He was unjustly blamed for the 2007 September collapse. He was criticized for his use of the rotation and the bullpen during that time. He was dismissed most unceremoniously just after his team had just beat the best team in baseball at that time, the LA Angels in their park 2 out of 3 games.

Fast forward to Jerry "Gangsta" Manuel. The press loved him from day 1. Why? Because he gave good sound bytes and gave the media what they wanted. Besides he was a former "Manager of the Year" for the Chicago White Sox.

Wonder why he didn't get another managerial job after he was terminated? I'll tell you why. The reason he was terminated in Chicago was his misuse of the White Sox bullpen and his inability to get along and motivate veteran players. Not my words. I heard it spoken and verified on XM's MLB morning show this very day.

Less then 2 weeks ago, I wrote that Jerry was managing the Mets right out of of contention. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/197695-jerry-manuel-managing-the-mets-right-out-of-contention. The overall comments were in disagreement with my assessment. I would venture to say that there might be some different opinions today.

OK. I will not beat this drum anymore today. I want to give you my 5 best candidates for the opening which will probably not happen but here goes anyway.

Number 1 - Buck Showalter

All Buck ever did was create the team that Joe Torre took over in 1995 and win what? 4 World Series. Next he built the Arizona Diamondbacks only to watch Bob Brenley win a World Series a year later.

The biggest complaint about Buck is he is a no nonsense guy. Just what the doctor ordered. Maybe under Buck Carlos would charge a ball hit in front of him or David would become more disciplined and not be fooled by every pitch that has some movement on it.

Number 2 - Larry Bowa

Get the feeling I'm seeing a pattern here. Just try not busting down the line and having Bowa waiting for you in the dugout. Trust me they'll run,and run,and run.

Nobody with the exception of Pete Rose played this game any harder than Larry Bowa and he would have his players back and blast them when they don't perform the way their capable of.

Number 3 - Don Mattingly

Hmmn, more Yankees connection. I'm trying to make up to Stephen (HBOB), inside joke. Seriously, "Donny Baseball", knows how the game should be played and as a manager he wouldn't tolerate anything less.

Both he and Larry would love to be in Queens after the treatment the Skankees gave Joe as well as themselves.

Number 4 - Keith Hernandez

Can't and will not happen because Keith has become a gardener and you know those seeds are compelling.

Listening to him every night he's on the air has me convinced that he knows the make up of this game better than anyone I have heard on the subject of how to play this game. I actually feel he would be the best by far but as I said, will not happen.

Number 5 - Bobby Valentine

Another choice that will not happen. Why? Because the Mets ownership never admits that they ever make mistakes. He brought a totally overachieving team to a World Series in 2000.

He would also be the most popular choice of Mets Fans.

So here you ago. A change has to be made and now is the best time. The other choices. Wait until Aug 1st when we are 12 - 15 games out or the end of the season when we've won 72 games and brought us all the way back to 1964.

The Skankees Sweep the Mets

2009-06-28T22:16:00.000-07:00

Sorry to have to stoop this low to call Major League Baseball teams derogatory names in this day and age of professional sports writing. However the product I just viewed over the past 72 hours leaves me with little choice but to degrade these teams that pretend to be high class organizations that put out a quality product.

I guess that’s what’s expected when the combined yearly payroll of these 2 teams equals the entire Gross National Product of a dozen third world countries where poverty and starvation runs rampant.

You ask what does this have to do with baseball? It has to do with the inequities of the game I love. I’ll be less damning on the bombers because they have been trying to buy championships for the past 30 years and since they haven’t yet to win one in the 21st century it serves them right.

They have a grand total of 2 quality men on their 25 man roster. Derek Jeter is the consummate professional and the fact that he smiles during the game and shows emotion probably the same way he did 25 years ago in Little League is the reason why I would still build a team around him.

The same thing can be said about Mariano Rivera. This future first ballot Hall of Famer notched his 500 career save tonight while driving in his first RBI in the his major league career. Good going Mariano you deserve all the accolades you get. I liken him to Barry Sanders who would drag people into the end zone and just turn the ball over to the ref. That’s class, That’s Mariano.

The truth of the matter is that when all is said and done for the 2009 “Subway Series”, the Yankees are not as good as they looked and the Mets are not as bad as they seem.

The Yanks beat a AAA team out scoring them 18-3. Their two very rich free agents easily handled the “B” Mets as expected and Mao Tse Tung showed that he still can get minor league hitters out.

When the dust clears and September rolls into October, the Yankees will be nowhere to be found. Boston is a far superior team in every aspect of the game and the Rays are starting to heat up so when July is finished the Yanks will be looking up at them as well.

As far as my beloved Mets, they need to only make one move to keep tham alive in the already terrible NL East. They MUST part ways with Jerry Manuel who is single handily managing the Mets right out of contention. I have been saying this since April and the last three games did nothing to change my mind.

For the sense of brevity I will give just one example of his obvious lack of managing skills which never fails to amaze me.

OK, ninth inning. K-Rod, the Mets always exciting closer , never knowing quite to expect has given us some agata by putting two men on with 2 out and Derek Jeter coming to the plate. On deck sits Mariano Rivera who has a grand total of one at bat last Wed in Atlanta.

Now try to keep this in mind. the Mets are paying Frankie close to 13 million dollars a year to get out of situations just like this. Any Little League manager knows that when you’re behind one run in your last at bat you never under any circumstances put the insurance run 90 feet away. If you load the bases anything bad can get that run home. An infield hit, a passed ball, a wild pitch, shall I go on.

So Jerry starts it off by doing the right thing and pitch to Derek. First pitch 93mph at the knees, strike one. The next two pitchers just a bit outside, not Bob Ucker’s “just a bit outside” but really just a bit outside. So what does Jerry do now? He calls for the intentional walk.

Are you frickin kidding me?. Over managing again. This is what he is paid for, to get out the hard out. You could see K-Rod’s eyes come out of his head when he saw the sign.

Well, he walked Rivera putting the game out of reach. Jerry has been doing this kind of nonsense since the day Delgado left the line up.

Will the Mets leadership do anything about this? No. It was ok to fire Willie Randolph in the middle of the night after his Mets beat the Angels 2 out of 3 last June but in this case it won’t happen and this year we won’t have to wait for a September collapse again. Why? Because the Mets will be buried in 4th place by then.

Not a fun weekend for this reporter.

June 29, 2009

"The New Commish"

2009-06-28T12:57:00.000-07:00

Here's my lame attempt at a humorous article. Trust me on this one. My son Russ in his earlier years was a stand up comic who traveled and performed in many comedy clubs east of the Mississippi River and if he would have tried to make a skit out of this, he would been thrown off the stage. However, of course I liked it.

After a much self introspective and soul searching thought process, Bud Selig, MLB’s drug lord Commissioner, has stepped down today amidst baseballs' latest scandal concerning the discovery of Babe Ruth’s DNA, which showed every steroid known to man in his system.

MLB owners immediately replaced Selig with Richard "Vegas Rich" Marsh who is an analyst, writing for the Bleacher Report.

When notified of the position Marsh, who is Brooklyn-born, was heard to have said, “It’s about friggin time”.

The 15-year Vegas resident who admittedly is hiding from “Three Finger Louie," has previously written about the changes he would be making if he was in charge.

This article, was virtually ignored on the BR, getting only 40 reads and zero comments.

When asked why, Vegas Rich said that was before he learned how to pimp his articles.

Now he tells everyone when he writes an article. He spends about four times the amount of time pimping his work. Hasn’t hurt since he is ranked either first or second (to a 16-year-old do you believe that? No offense Mike Kent) on the New York Mets page.

Here is an exclusive interview with the new Commissioner from his palatial two bedroom condo in Vegas, which he’s renting.

Me: Now that you’ve been named Commissioner what will be your first action?

VR: I will immediately return Babe Ruth’s DNA to its rightful place.

Me: Next?

VR: I’m going to kick the Hall-of-Fame's butt. No more voting from the Baseball Writers presently on the job.

Only Bleacher Report writers along with members of the Mets Police, Dom D’s Mets Fan Blog, and the 7th train get to vote.

Maybe, Matt Cerrone as well. I like metsblog.com.

Me: Wow that’s a big step. Do you think the owners will go along with you on that?

VR: Frack em. I bet none of them knew who the last Cylon was anyway.

Me: What about the issue of steroids?

VR: No, let’s get back to the Hall for a minute. Immediate reinstatement for Joe Jackson and Pete Rose back into baseball. What a travesty that’s been.

Steroids, once and for all as of the beginning of the 2009 season every player will be BLOOD TESTED whenever I feel like it. If they test positive they will suspended for the next 365 days.

The second offense, bye bye birdie.

Me: Wow again, what do you think the Players Union will say?

VR: Frack them too. Let the players contribute 10 percent of their salary to a family benefits fund to all the families of deceased players. Those selfish sons of bitches.

Me: Wow you are really going to be one hell of a tough Commissioner.

VR: Are you kidding me? All of them will get an offer they can’t refuse. I’m gonna clean up this game and make it easy for the next generation to enjoy the world’s greatest sport.

Me: How are you going to get the kids more involved in baseball?

VR: The owners are going to roll back ticket prices to the 1960s.

Me: The owners are just going to love you.

VR: Frack em again, they have enough money. Those billionaire creeps, if they don’t like it, I have some dirty shorts I know they’ll enjoy.

Me: Is there anything else you would like to tell the public about your appointment and changes you plan to make to baseball?

VR: Yes there’s one more matter that I will be putting into place, sorry Christian.

I plan to cancel the month of September if the Mets are in first place. It will just traumatize the children too much if they collapse again.

Remember baseball is game we play as children and how beautiful it is when, with baseball, we never have to grow up.

Me: Thanks VR.

VR: No problem just call me anytime you need someone whacked.

This article can also be found on the metspolice.com, Dom D's Met Fan Blog and the 7th Train.

Well maybe not after this.

2009 MLB Predictions

2009-06-28T12:51:00.000-07:00

We are closing in on the halfway point of the 2009 Major League Baseball season. Let's take a quick look back just a few months and see just how bad Vegas Rich knows his baseball. UGLY

I usually don't like predictions because I am really bad at them. These are just numbers, not backed up by statistics from last year because, frankly, I don't give last year much thought. Especially because I'm a Mets' fan.

So I made these extraordinary picks. Not too many surprises, that's why I still have three out my four final four picks still in there.

I'm all for nostalgia, so I have my two favorite teams to relive some brilliant baseball history, and after another drug-filled off season, I think everyone would agree that we need some excitement this season.

So here goes; My predictions are well known to Vegas Gamblers. They see my predictions and bet the opposite.

NL East

1. Mets 2. Phils 3. Marlins 4. Braves 5. Nationals
96-66 90-72 86-76 80-82 75-87

NL Central

1. Cubs 2. Reds 3. Cards 4. Astros 5. Brewers 6. Pirates
95-67 86-76 83-79 75-87 74-88 71-91

NL West

1. D-Backs 2. Dodgers 3. Giants 4. Rockies 5. Padres
89-73 88-74 77-85 70-92 60-102

AL East

1. Red Sox 2. Rays 3. Yanks 4. Orioles 5. Blue Jays
96-66 94-68 88-74 78-84 76-86

AL Central

1. Indians 2. Twins 3. Tigers 4. White Sox 5. Royals
90-72 88-74 86-76 85-77 80-82

AL West

1. Angels 2. Rangers 3. Athletics 4. Mariners
91-71 83-79 79-83 74-88

NL Wild Card

Phillies

AL Wild Card

Rays

NL Cy Young

Johan Santana

AL Cy Young

Josh Beckett

NL MVP

Carlos Beltran

AL MVP

Evan Longoria

Playoffs NL

Cubs beat Phillies
Mets Beat Diamondbacks

Mets beat Cubs

Playoffs AL

Rays beat Angels
Red Sox beat Indians

Red Sox beat Rays

World Series

1986 Deja Vu all over again.

Mets 4 Red Sox 3

Baseball Needs a Savior

2009-06-28T12:42:00.000-07:00

Unless you are living on another planet you must know that Major League Baseball has taken a hit so hard that not only it's image but the entire game which we know and love is in serious jeopardy. "The Steroid Era" is not going away and most assuredly it never will. It's different than "The Dead Ball Era" simply because players had found a way to destroy the level playing field with illegal steroids and performance enhancing drugs. The history of the game is severely tarnished. Players who were not involved have been unfairly lumped into this group and are resentful that the numbers that they achieved righteously are questioned. Everyone is seriously pissed off. Perhaps what baseball needs is a savior, again.

The story is not. Major League Baseball, no, baseball as a whole, has suffered a critical if not mortal wound this week as the "Steroid Era" has reared its ugly head once more, only this time to take down its greatest star. Not it's greatest asset but it's greatest star. More on A-Holefraudroid later.

This mortal blow to baseball is certainly its own fault, but I need for us to go back to the other two most critical attempts of killing baseball that the game ultimately survived because there came "The Savior."

Flash back; 1919. The Chicago White Sox, clearly the team to beat for the World Series, inexplicably lost the Series with the infamous Shoeless Joe Jackson leading the way to baseball's immortality.

They cheated, they threw the World Series because a gambler was able to get "Eight Men Out." Judge Landis, the iron-handed baseball commissioner, threw the book at them and baseball seemed doomed. It sure looked like it.

Enter "The Savior," Herman "Babe" Ruth. If nothing else, just look at his stats: 142 games (they payed 154 back then), 457 ABs, 158 runs.

Are you kidding me? 172 hits, 36 doubles, nine triples, and an unheard-of 54 home runs. Plus, 137 RBI, 14 stolen bases, 150 walks with only 80 strikeouts, and a whopping batting average of .376. My God. An OBP of .533 and a slugging percentage of .849, the highest ever in his career.

The crowds came in droves to see "The Babe." Hell, they even named a great candy bar after him ( I liked "The Reggie" better). Everywhere he went, the people braved the elements just to catch a glimpse of him.

He once said, "I had a better year and I'm more popular than the President, and I make more money than him too".

Baseball was saved by "The Savior."

Flash forward to 1947. Baseball was struggling again. World War II cost the American people over 100,000 of their young men. You ever wonder how many of them could have been the next Babe Ruth? How many of those lost were African Americans? I have no clue. I could probably look it up, but for the sake of brevity I'm sure the number was significant.

Yet baseball had refused to integrate the sport and now, admittedly, 60 years later it is widely known that not all the best players at that time were playing in the MLB. Baseball was on the verge of tanking once again.
Author Poll Results

Who Could Be The Next Savior of Baseball

*
Alfred Pujols
13.3%
*
David Wright
60.0%
*
Jon Lester
0.0%
*
Write in someone else in your comment.
26.7%
* Total votes: 15

Enter "The Savior," Jack Roosevelt Robinson. I don't need his stats to justify his contribution to this game. We all should know what they were. Jackie and those who followed him led the way to what I believe were baseball's glory years.

Growing up as a Brooklyn Dodger fan, and perhaps I may be biased (Of course I am, I'm from Brooklyn), but the players of that era were beyond belief. There was no free agency and players hardly moved from team to team, and when they did, it was the result of a blockbuster trade like Rocky Colavito for Harvey Kuenn. You identified with players and they made up the team of your choice, and they became your role models and you copied their stance, their swing, their walk, their everything. I could copy "Stan the Man's" stance exactly from the left side and turn around and do the same with Ernie "Let's play two" Banks.

Baseball was saved by "The Savior."

Fast forward once again. 1994. Oye! Greed, corruption, plus the vast growing popularity of the NFL, baseball owners, the Players' Union, and perhaps the most dreaded event that was ever to take place: The players strike again!

Not the first time, either. Unreal! No, it was real and the ultimate slap in the face; no, actually a direct shot to the heart was the cancelling of the 1994 World Series. Seriously, are you kidding me? NO, I'm not. What where they thinking? MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, the proverbial root to all evil.

America's game was totally devastated. Lifelong fans, students of the game, everyday Janes and Joes swore off baseball for good. Even myself, who proclaims to be one of the greatest fans in Mets history has a blank in the years following the strike.

Enter "The Saviors," Mark McGwire and Slammin' Sammy Sosa. 1998. These two muscle-bound (scenes of things to come) players crashed their way into Americas' heart and soul doing what they did best. Slamming the hell out of opposing pitchers on their way to assaulting the magic "No. 61." Roger Maris' record was clearly in jeopardy as early as June of '98.

My take on this is, if it were just one guy alone it would have not had the impact as it did. But to have two polar opposites competing for this sacred record was too good to be true. Mark McGwire, the All-American lumberjack-looking boy, as good as homemade apple pie, against Sammy Sosa, the lovable Hispanic outsider on the world's most favorite underdog team, the Chicago Cubs, against their arch-rival and enemy, the St. Louis Cardinals. Hollywood could not have written a better script.

By September, baseball had fully returned to public adulation and, when on the last day of the season McGwire hit his 70th and Sammy finished with 66, not only was baseball history made but once again baseball needed and received "The Savior."

Honorable mention here to Cal Ripken and the streak. Sure didn't hurt to have that going either, but as future Hall of Famers Greg Maddux, Jon Smoltz, and Tom Glavine said it best, "Chicks dig the long ball."

Fast forward to the present date, Feb. 10, 2009, and once again, and maybe for the last time, baseball is near death.

MLB knew full well in 1998 and earlier that illegal steroid use was running amok in the sport and chose to do nothing about. Their saviors were juiced and, although not illegal yet in baseball, nevertheless it still was illegal and yet baseball chose to sweep it under the rug. You know when you do that sweep thing or any other means of hiding a body, it eventually starts to stink.

And so it has.

The greatest players of our era, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy "Three straight 60-plus home run seasons" Sosa, Roger Clemens, arguably perhaps the greatest pitcher of all time, 500 home run-hitter Rafael Palmeiro, and now today's greatest player (No, Katie, I never used performance-enhancing substances), Alex Rodriguez, has brought the house of cards also known as Major League Baseball to its knees, going down to perhaps the final countdown.

Baseball needs a Savior, enter?

Baseball For the 21st Century

2009-06-28T12:34:00.000-07:00

The economic times we live in have made it nearly impossible for the everyday fan to go out to the game and enjoy his favorite team with putting out an arm and a leg. The cost of running and paying for a major league team has made the owners do the only thing they see to do to keep their teams in the black. They keep raising the ticket prices and the vicious circle continues. How about a solution. Lower the costs of travel, get more bodies in the seats, lower the ticket prices and keep making money. How to do that. The hell with tradition. At the present rate there might not be a game in 20 years. Try this on for size.

Believe it or not, this is not an attempt at humor on my part. It was inspired by an article about throwing Tampa Bay and Toronto out of the American League East—so kudos to that.

With all the talk in this country of the growing concerns about the economy and how it has affected the free agency market this winter, I propose the most radical change in Baseball since the inception of the designated hitter, and after I finish, the DH change will seem like child's play.

Consider this, if the economy continues to falter and most experts predict it will be at least a year for the rebound to occur it is not unreasonable to think that baseball attendance will have it's first decrease in recent history.

I imagine that by July 4 we will see attendance plummet for those teams that are already out of contention. Loss of attendance means loss of revenue and sh*t rolls downhill can certainly put this sport in mortal danger.

So how can you be proactive and fix the problem before it happens? Total realignment of both leagues and create instant geographic rivalries not dissimilar to those already in place during inter league play. Create these rivalries and people will attend despite being 20 games out of first place in August.

Would I ever get tired of seeing the Mets vs. the Yankees 15 to 18 times a year? I don't think so, duh.

OK- here goes.

The National League Northeast

Red Sox, Yankees, Mets, Phillies, Orioles, Nationals

Would You Like To See Realignment?

* Yes
* No

The American League South

Braves, Marlins, Rays, Rangers, Astros

The National League Central

Blue Jays, Pirates, Indians, Reds, Brewers

The American League Central

Cubs, Cardinals, Tigers, Royals, White Sox, Twins

The National League Northwest

Rockies, Mariners, Athletics, Giants

The American League Southwest

Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Angels, Padres

15 teams in each league. I'll let all you mathematicians figure out a schedule that will give less travel each year. For instance, no interleague play or the need for the DH. In year one, the NL East travels one time to the west. In the next year, the NL West travels one time to the east.

People with way better computer skills than I can figure that out. What I offer are rivalries that are sure to bring folks to the park, pretty much no matter what.

The only rivalry that I can't seem to get back together, and yes I admit it is a very big one, is the Dodgers and the Giants. I am open to suggestions, but I want to keep the traveling limited to save $$$$.

Of course, I realize that something like this couldn't happen because of the purists and the traditions already in place, But maybe, just maybe, that is part of the problem that this country is already going through.

Regardless of your political affiliation, we all recognize the need for change and certainly hope that the current administration, a historic change in of itself, will lead the way out of the mess we find ourselves in.

Remember in Field of Dreams, James Earl Jones says to Kevin Kostner " Ray, it's always been about baseball". Well maybe that's so, I believe it is. I have loved this sport for as long as I can remember.

My son likes to kid me that Moses was my tutor, and baseball has always been a passion for me that is hard to describe. But frankly, it needs help. The pundits say NO, baseball is thriving, but I respectfully disagree.

I believe we are at the precipice of a downturn for all major sports because of the economic difficulties this country faces and most fans are not like me who will pay to attend a game in Phoenix to see the Mets play the Diamondbacks when I live it Vegas and the trip, game, hotel, food etc will most assuredly mean that something more important to others would have to be sacrificed.

I will do that. Most people won't.

Baseball must survive. It is American, born here, raised here, and then spread throughout the world. It is a living breathing thing of beauty and grace and unless drastic change takes place, I fear that, perhaps not in my lifetime but certainly in my children's lifetime they may see "The Day Baseball Died."

The 2009 New York Mets: Built to Compete Not To Win.

2009-06-28T12:28:00.000-07:00

Back in late January, early February obviously without any idea of how decimated this team would be from the injuries that had occurred. I took another blast ( I do this a lot) at the Mets ownership and organization ie: the General Manager. I am no profit but this situation we are in today and so many times in this teams history is a lack of bold out of the box aggressiveness. Tell me if do not agree.

I am going to make this short and sweet. The New York Mets, in the midst of two of the worst collapses in their history, seem hell bent to repeat the debacle of the last three, yes three Septembers.

Mets fans have been overwhelming in their support for the acquisition of Manny Ramirez. They have also begged ownership and their general manager to stand up and take accountability for the disaster at second base.

They are obviously enormously pleased with the bullpen overhaul, but if opening day was tomorrow they would be spending the entire season chasing the Phillies.

I have said previously as much as I loathe "The Evil Empire," I have to respect the effort they make each year to put the best possible players on the field, to get them into and ultimately win the World Series. Whether they do or don't is a matter of records and say what you will, but 26 championships looks like "scoreboard" to me.
Author Poll Results

With the current Met team, will they win the NL East in 2009

*
Yes
42.5%
*
No
56.2%
*
Whatever
1.4%
* Total votes: 73

The Mets don't operate that way. Does anybody really believe that the Wilpons do not have the money to spend? Are you serious? These are billionaires. They've got it, they're just reluctant to go "ALL IN."

This is just ludicrous and I don't mean that rapper guy. What is it going to take to wake this ownership up? Frankly, after watching the slow improvements that this team tries to make every year in order to compete, it's just not enough.

I grew up in this country's first city and that city is New York. We walk around this town like we're Tony Manero and to be on top should be our criteria. I am sick and tired of this team acting like they are a small market club and the red headed stepbrother to the Yankees.

It's the same thing with the Giants and our NY J-E-T-S Jets.

It's now or never, wake the hell up Mets. The 2009 season is just two months away and soon there will be no impact players left. You've already played your early cards and everyone knows what's left in your hand. If you play your remaining cards the way you always do you are going to lose again and again and again.

An MLB Salary Floor

2009-06-28T12:23:00.000-07:00

Way too much complaining about the lack of parity in Major League Baseball. The haves and the have nots bases on the ownerships willingness to spend the big bucks. Not every team can spend a quarter of a billion dollars to bring in 3 players to help buy them a championship. The Players Union will never agree to a salary cap and neither will the owners. The solution? I present the Salary Floor. I know it Pittsburgh and other cities this will be greatly received.

I am sick and tired of all the complaints about the big-market teams spending all their money and buying a championship.

I have been hearing that nonsense since the days of Catfish Hunter and Reggie Jackson. My buddy Schmitters, a Phillies fan, wrote an excellent article actually defending the action of the Yankees, Mets, and other teams that are willing to spend the money to make their teams competitive.

My pet peeve has to do with the ownership of Major League Baseball teams. Every single one of them comes from a business background, where they made a 'gazillion' dollars during the last 20 years. In those 20 years, more billionaires have sprouted from the woodwork than all the previous years combined.

At that time, the chic thing to do was to purchase a team so you could tell all your friends and business associates that you owned one and they could watch the games in the luxurious owners boxes and suites. The problem with these owners is that all they believe in is the bottom line.

In business, it's all about profit and loss. If you became a billionaire, loss was never part of the plan.
Author Poll

Salary Floor?

* YES
* NO
* NOT SURE
* DON'T CARE

So what happens? They run their teams just like a business that has already made them richer than rich. They don't take chances. They are not going to do anything that could possibly hurt the bottom line. They refuse to break even or, God forbid, lose a dime.

These people do not belong in Major League Baseball. Their teams never win, nor can they really compete. They'll waste hundreds of millions of dollars to build a new stadium but won't fill it with a couple of highly paid superstars.

By Memorial Day, they are 10 games under .500 and 16-1/2 games out of first place in their division. By the trade deadline, they're lowering their payroll some more so a profit can be made by the end of a season.

Frankly, it's a disgrace. Luckily, I have a solution.

It's quite simple. All owners must make a commitment to winning. They will have to have a minimum payroll of $100 million a year, with an increase for a cost of living every other year.

If they refuse, then they will have to relinquish their ownership to MLB until a suitable replacement can be found.

I don't want them to lose money, and they won't. Baseball is very healthy right now. Each owner with that minimum payroll would make a profit because their teams will remain in close races all season long and attendance will remain high. More concessions, more merchandise, and more visibility can only keep the coffers growing.

Owners must take the responsibility to make their team competitive every single year.

I heard Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman say when introducing Mark Teixeira that the Yankees felt they owed their fans their commitment to contend every year. I'm not a Yankee fan by a long shot, but the fact remains that the Yankees, win or lose, will do everything that is necessary to build and keep a team winning baseball games, including spending whatever they feel is needed.

For all the fans out there who feel that baseball is unfair because of the big-spending teams, don't complain to us. Complain to the owners who don't deserve to be involved in the greatest sport in the world today.

Pay the Damn Guys, PLEASE

2009-06-26T11:35:00.000-07:00

This was my first of many whacks I have taken against the Mets Ownership and organization. As I die hard fan it's not easy to sit by and watch your team flounder when it's time to be proactive and aggressive. The Mets are the "red headed step brother" of the New York "Skankees" (there,I've said it again)and they are right near the top of my extreme dis-like list ( I was going to say hate, but I don't know if children might read this)along with the Phillies and my least favorite the Braves.

Why is it that the New York Mets, who are considered by all to be a big-market team, act just like the opposite of one? If they want to keep the payroll around $143M, which it was last year, then tell me why they won't finish second again?

If we are to compete with the Phillies and the rest of the N.L. East for the next five years at least, they can not wait that long until it develops our farm system so it is in the top 10. The Mets have made strides in that area during Omar Miniya's tenure, but that will take at least five more years to achieve.

The Mets have to PAY TO PLAY. Do they want to win? Of course they do, and so do the fans so that they can rid the taste of the last three disappointing years. Here's what I believe the Mets need to do.

First and foremost, I cannot believe the Mets have turned a cold ear to having one of the five most productive players in the league on their radar. I say two years for $45 million to Manny, with a third-year option at $25 million, based on performance.

Who dares to disagree that most certainly would be an upgrade to a Tatis/Murphy platoon in left? I would love to have those two guys coming off the bench in the late innings.

Next, the Mets need a bona fied consistent No. 2. Most people believe that Derek Lowe is that person. OK, finalize the offer to Lowe at $39 million for three years or if Boras is a fool to take it, then how about Oliver Perez for $32 million for four years?
Author Poll

Manny Ramirez in Left at Citi Field

* YES
* NO

vote to see results

I know many fans in South Philly who cringe at the mention of Perez on the hill at Citizens Bank Park facing Utley, Howard and Ibanez three times a year.

With either of those two signed, I would go hard at Randy Wolf who very quietly had a very good year between San Diego and Houston and for $20 million for three years he would add a second or third left-hander to give the Phillies fits.

Next on my agenda and for those who regularly read my articles and for those who know you can never have enough quality starting pitchers I would most DEFINITELY re-sign Pedro. He could be had for as little as $6 million for two years and with major incentives to get him as much as $10M.

I believe that Pedro could be good for 20 to 30 wins in the next two years. He wants to finish his illustrious career on a high note and nobody will work harder than Pedro to thank the Mets for believing in him as he especially wants to make up for the last two years, particularly last year.

The other tremendous upside to this move is the very special relationship between Pedro and Manny, who, besides being close teammates from their World Series Championship in Boston, Pedro has always and will continue to keep Manny under control.

This next one is going to be a surprise and I believe that this is Omar's thinking as well. The Mets need to give Castillo until May 30 to see what's he's willing to do to save his career. He knows better than all of us if he can't change the perception that he has perpetuated by his play and his effort both on and off the field last year and if it does not change right from Jump Street, he knows that he will be through as a player in the MLB.

If the answer is still NO to Manny, which I think is truly ridiculous, then the most obvious choice is to bring in Adam Dunn to play left field for at least a year or two and then, as many reporters have suggested, he could be moved to first base upon Delgado's departure and while keeping that, as the plan having Murphy continue his work at second base if Castillo blows up.

I'd rather see a platoon of Tatis/Church in right then platoon of Tatis/Murphy in left.

Omar, you fill these holes, and the payroll will increase by around $45 million this year and barring key injuries to the core players, not only will the Mets be the overwhelming favorite to win in '09, but we should definitely be in the hunt for the next 5 years.

ONE MORE TIME: It's time to start acting like this is NEW YORK, Mr. Wilpon. You just have to PAY TO PLAY.

Rebels Upset Louisville

2009-06-26T11:29:00.000-07:00

Clearly the highlight of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels season, this was a great way to end 2008. I was literally on the edge of my couch watching Louisville make a last minute run against Lon Kruger's boys. I had visions of a final four after this game but I was smart enough to know that the lack of height in the 5 spot would limit any Rebels chances of even making the big dance.

The UNLV Runnin Rebels on the last day of 2008 turned the clock back almost 20 years to the glory days of top ranked Rebel teams of the past with a stunning one point 56-55 come from behind road victory in front of 19,000 screaming Cardinal fans at Freedom Hall in Louisville this after afternoon.

With Wink Adams sidelined with the lower abdominal strain he suffered in last weeks Rebel win over Southern Utah, Lon Kruger's stifling defense led the way to one of the most inspiring wins I have ever seen as a UNLV fan.

The first half was all Rebels. With Rene Rougeau making everyone forget that Curtis Terry is no longer the leader of the Runnin Rebels, the defense held the Cardinals to 21 first half points while opening up an 11 point lead. Rougeau is nothing short of remarkable. In his time on the court which was considerable he totaled 17 points, most of them banging in the paint with battleships to contend with.

He went 8-9 from the field with eight rebounds and four assists. What the stats don't show was his tenacity on defense and he was right there on every loose ball and seemed to reach back to keep the game close when the Rebels cooled off considerably in the second half.
Author Poll

Rebels go further than the Sweet Sixteen

* YES
* NO

vote to see results

Knowing full well that Rick Pitino would make the necessary adjustments in the second half, the Cardinals went on a 16-5 run to take the lead for the first time with three minutes to play.This Cardinal team with a 15 game home winning streak was not about to fold. At this point in the game it became the Tre'Von Willis/Oscar Bellfield show. Willis hit on six straight free throws and Oscar slashed his way in the paint to keep the Rebels close in the closing minutes of this lead changing game.

With less than 40 seconds remaining in the game Bellfield did his thing. The LA freshman drove through the lane and threw up a floater that seemed the hang on the glass forever. When it fell, the Rebels had regained the one point lead with 15 seconds to play. The defense that held the Cardinals to 29%, which was amazing all game, then closed the door with a stop with two seconds to play.

The Rebels ran out the clock and when I stopped screaming I knew for certain that 2008 was going to end on a very positive note.

With wins over Arizona and Louisville two perrenial top ten powers the Runnin Rebels have finally taken the biggest step in the Lon Kruger era by winning big games against big time opponents at home and on the road. Although they have made two very nice runs in the NCAA Tournament in the past two years, their regular season has repeatedly been marred by not being able to beat these types of teams. Today they proved they could.

The momentum created by this win today should certainly put some fear into Mountain West opponents as conference play begins next week. I can't begin to tell you how good this game was to watch. If we can continue with this intensity for the next two months there will be no doubt where we will be playing in March.

Two years ago we made the sweet 16, last year we lost to eventual champion Kansas in the second round. This year, 2009 just may start to resemble 1990 all over again.

New York Jets Epitath 2008

2009-06-26T11:22:00.000-07:00

I really liked the acquisition of Brett Favre. I was however, clearly in the minority but I thought Brett had the style, charisma and game to bring back the glory days off Joe Willie Namath. I even bought a Brett Favre New York Jets jersey. In a few years or so it will probably be a collectors item. Here's a look back.

Lets bury the New York Jets. One month ago 8-3 coming off two very impressive road wins in New England and the undefeated Titans to go into sole possession of first place in the AFC East and talk of the first all New York Super Bowl, had all the pundits out and cheering the Brett Favre sensation, risen from the frozen tundra in Green Bay, to lead Gang Green to the promised land.

Not so fast my lads, this the New York Jets were talking about. The same team that was 10-1 and lost the last five games, the same team that was field goal away from a Super Bowl appearance a few years back and for the last 40 years has been a team of broken promises and broken dreams.

We all knew what happened until today. They lost three out of the next four and should have lost all four except for a "mini miracle" in the Meadowlands, but still going into today had an outside chance of making the playoffs. Even with that, for those who know the game a win against Miami would be a plus-six wins from last year and something that a team can really build upon. But no, these were the same old Jets. Knowing at the start of the game the Pats had already won that they would have to watch the scoreboard for some help in Baltimore and when the Jaguars went up 7-3 against the Ravens at the end of the first quarter the stands were alive and so were the Jets.
Author Poll

Brett Favre 2009 Jet

* YES
* NO

vote to see results

Even going into the third quarter down 14 - 9 and despite the mistakes that would eventually seal their doom, the Jets took the lead 17 - 14 at the 10 minute mark of the third quarter. I started to think that the Jets would win and the Ravens would as well, and I would look back on this season as one of the better comebacks from a bad year to a good one in their history. I was then convinced that I could write a positive sounding article and although I knew I would take some heat on that point. I was still going to say the Jets had a great year and if Favre's shoulder could be dealt with then I believed he should be brought back for 2009.

So just to spoil my day and about at least a few million of us out there, the wheels came flying off. Miami scored the last 10 unanswered points and knock us as well as the Pats out of the playoffs and created an even better story for Chad (I redeemed myself) Pennington as he took a Miami team who won one game last year and allowed them, not the Jets to the playoff right in his old back yard. How fitting.

If you look at the final stats they were pretty even except for one glaring and telling stat that spells out the finish to the Jets season. Four turnovers, yes four including three interceptions from the legacy quarterback who looked as bad as any third string quarterback I have ever seen in the last five games. Besides leading the league in INT's, (not the first time in his career ), Favre showed why a 40-year-old is not an exceptional quarterbacks in the NFL over a grueling 16-game season. Goodbye, Brett, it's time to go. Goodbye, Eric, it's time to go. Goodbye, both offense and defensive coordinators, it's time to go.

Final thoughts. A five-game turnaround in one year is a good season. What Miami and Atlanta accomplished is a great season. What the Philadelphia Eagles accomplished is a good season. Same thoughts for Minnesota, Arizona, The Giants, Ravens, Steelers Colts, Titans, Chargers, and Carolina. You all made the Big Dance and deserve to be there. For The Jets, it's on to 2009, hopefully with more changes on and off the playing field and on the sidelines.

Despite this again, I remain a loyal fan, not a bandwagon jumper who loves us at 8-3 then hates us at 9-7. You all know what they say is true in the NFL, "ANY GIVEN SUNDAY".

Accept The Phillies Mets Challenge

2009-06-26T11:17:00.000-07:00

I did this about six months ago. I was just getting my feet wet in the Bleacher Report and reading day in and day out how the Phillies were the world champs and the Mets were nothing but choke artists had me in a tither. The response to this was pretty good and as a result almost all the Philadelphia writers on the site have become good buddies and the ranting between us continues on a regular basis.

In answering constant comments about the trash talk between the Phillie's fans and the Mets' faithful, I made a challenge to one of my counterparts down the Jersey Turnpike. Here it is, real easy, not complicated. Whoever wins will have something to really gloat about and have the evidence forever to be seen by all.

We're talking about the 2009 NL East crown because frankly that is what's at stake. If the Phillies should do it for the third straight year (and you all know how difficult that was for me to write) then all Mets fans who write on The Bleacher Report will have to wear Phillies apparel for one full week and have themselves photographed in places we all will recognize.
Author Poll Results

Who will win the NL East in 2009

*
Mets
55.6%
*
Phils
40.3%
*
Braves
2.8%
*
Marlins
1.4%
*
Nats
0.0%
* Total votes: 72

For me living in Las Vegas, I agree to have the photo in front of the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign in a Phillies uniform, which by the way is the most photographed sign in the world. Then I will certainly do the same thing in front of the New York, New York Hotel and Casino which is right in front of the ESPN Zone. Coincidentally, this happens to be located right under the replica of the Brooklyn Bridge. For me that's a fate worse than death.

However, what I expect is Phillies fans to do when they lose is to have themselves photographed in Mets blue and orange at the entrance of Citizen's Bank Park, on the top step at the Franklin Institute and in front of Geno's and Pat's Steaks. For those who agree we will post those photos on the Bleacher Report by the start of the 2009 World Series.

Now let's see who will put their photo where their mouth is.

What You Have Missed

2009-06-26T10:58:00.000-07:00

I am about to post some of the articles which I have published on the Bleacher Report that have been acclaimed by those who comment. They are more often about the New York Mets and that goes year round. I also will throw in a Eagles and Jets report from time to time but when College Basketball arrives it'g GO Runnin'Rebels all the way.UNLV looks like a top 25 team this year and I will be all home games. Should be an absolute blast.

Always looking for comments.

Thanks.