***Podcast Tonight***

Join us tonight as we talk Mets baseball from 9-10PM.

Tune in at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ivieleagueproductions/2011/04/29/the-kult-of-mets-personalities

Filed under: New York Mets 2009-2010

Defense, Schmefense

by Taryn “The Coop” Cooper

When Rey Ordonez and his lifetime .246 BA (.289 OBP and .310 SLG in case you were interested) was batting 8^th in the Mets line up, people would argue that “Well, his defense saves more runs,” somehow making up for the fact that he was pretty much an automatic out in the lineup.  But hey…He saved those phantom runs in the field!

Jeff Francoeur and his marginally better .249/.300/.383 in 2010 were defended because he had a good arm in the outfield.  Keep Francoeur around, they say.  His arm saves more runs for the ones he is not driving in, they say.  So why were people later up in arms when he’d hit into a double play or strike out when the Mets desperately needed a run?

Perhaps it was because when these particular players were surrounded by good hitters in the lineup, one could justify keeping their Gold Glove-caliber arms around.  It was when they were on crappy teams their offense or lack thereof was considered a liability.  Sadly, folks, we cannot have it both ways: lauding a guy’s defense, then complaining afterwards when they don’t get the big hit when the team needs it.  It should not be a surprise, really, that at the end of the day, scoring and driving in RUNS is where the Mets have been lacking these past few years, and not to mention these “moral victories” with these great “clubhouse guys” and their “gold gloves” don’t necessarily translate into “real” victories in the wins columns.

I can say unabashedly and unashamedly that had Luis Castillo (the “best defensive option for the Mets at second base in 2011” for most folks) or Brad Emaus (I agree that the Mets didn’t give him much of a chance, but they needed to make a statement and a Rule 5 guy isn’t going to make or break the team) been in the game, the Mets would not have won last night.  And yet, after Daniel Murphy – quite possibly one of the most divisive players on the Mets these days – hits a home run to tie the game in the 8^th inning, and before he hit a bases clearing double in the 9^th inning, people STILL harped on the fact that “He wasn’t covering second base when Jason Bay misplayed a pop-up in left field.”

Let me get this straight: a veteran left-fielder misplays a pop-up, but that’s “okay.”  The catcher allows a passed ball, allowing a runner to get into scoring position, but all of a sudden, Murphy’s miscue at second base would have been the be-all end-all of the game had the Mets lost.  Oh and I won’t mention the Nationals marquee player, Jayson Werth, miscued many fly balls in HIS NATIVE POSITION LAST NIGHT.  And he’s getting paid a lot of damn money to misplay those balls.

Well, they didn’t lose, they won against the Nationals last night in a game that anyone who was watching agreed that they would NOT have won in 2009 or 2010, they would have rolled over and died in previous years.  One of my biggest gripes with this team is that they would not beat the teams they are supposed to beat.  The Nationals are a team you need to beat.  End of story.

Now that said, I have to take on the Murphy haters with their slamming his defense.  While I have to admit that I was a little nervous in watching him play, the fact is he has not been that bad.  One of my blogging friends, Steve Keane, told us that he is a Murphy fan simply because he puts in all the extra work that’s required of him and then some.  When he’s slumping, he’s out taking extra batting practice.  He’s a natural third baseman, and when the Mets couldn’t find a role for him, they stuck him at a lot of different positions.  And he’s never complained about it.

The Mets have not had a true second baseman (save Castillo) playing for them in forever.  The quickest way for a guy to make the team is if he can play second base.  Reese Havens was being groomed for that, clearly he is not looking like he’ll make the big club any time soon not due to offense, defense or playing liabilities but rather because he cannot stay healthy.

Perhaps we are a still suffering from Post-traumatic Mets Disorder when Murphy dropped a fly ball in left field against the Marlins in 2009, when Johan Santana was pitching against Josh Johnson.  Yeah, I remember that game too, it sucked.  But it sucked mostly because the Mets couldn’t score a run off Johnson, more so than Murphy causing an error to in effect lose the game.

Next I’d like to put this whole defensive thing to rest.  I heard Florida Marlins fans in the past and Atlanta Braves fans now complain about Dan Uggla’s defense.  Yet, I think every single one of us wouldn’t mind having Dan Uggla on our team.  Why? BECAUSE OF HIS BAT!  Not to mention his performance against NL East teams.  Doing some detective work when he was traded to Atlanta in the offseason led to this eye popping factoid: at Turner Field, his lifetime stats are as follows: .319/.363/.597.  Uh, wow.  He absolutely killed it in a place where he will play 81 games a year.  Something tells me that even though his defense isn’t all that great, or perceived to be that great, he’ll certainly win some people over with his bat at the Ted.

Look at Jeff Kent.  One of the best second basemen of his generation.  Guess what he was known for?  HINT: Not his defense.  Looking at his defensive stats is a little misleading, though.  Taking into account that his range wasn’t all that great (something that is unquantifiable), chances are there may be balls that don’t put him into a position to MAKE an error.  Lastly, how good was the defensive unit surrounding Kent when he played?  If you have a good fielding shortstop next to you, if you have a first baseman who can reach for wild throws, chances are those chances are error are limited.

And you can win those games with your bat.

Jeff Kent could have very well been Roger Dorn’ing many balls coming his way (“It was out of my reach!”).  Hall of Famer Robbie Alomar would easily be chosen over Kent’s defense any day of the week, and he’s made his margin of errors no doubt.

I’m not saying Daniel Murphy could be a Jeff Kent, a Chase Utley or a Roger Dorn at second base.  He could be a Dan Uggla type who smacks the hell out of the ball to make up for his less than stellar defense.  In the meantime, let’s give this whole defensive liability argument a rest.  Let’s see how he pans out in a platoon with Justin Turner or whatever the future may hold for him.

Filed under: Taryn "Coop" Cooper, brad emaus, daniel murphy, justin turner, Luis Castillo, Mets 2011

Punching In A Dream

We were all aware that it is no picnic being and a Mets fan, and that there are certainly very few dull moments.  This, however, is just completely crazy.  My entire life of watching/cover sports, I have consistently heard a recurring theme amongst baseball people.  That message is being able to manage the almost absurd length of the season.  This adds in the ever expanding off-season activities through the end.  Of course, in a given season, there are going to be thrills and lowlights, and everything in between.

Now that I have stated that part of the obvious, let me add this point in.  The ideal scenario is to have as much continuity and to have the least amount of things going on that grab back headlines besides simply winning ball games.  Being able to bring it day in day out for 162 is difficult enough, so any added injuries, off the field issues, ponzi schemes, disconnects between players/front office, and anything you can think of makes that marathon a grind.

Maybe it was the long off season, maybe it was hosting our podcast, and maybe it was just me looking for a fun baseball season, but I absolutely drank the kool-aid on this team.  And I do not just mean wins and losses.  The thing that I thought we would start to put behind us was the front-office gaffes and bonehead and bad baseball fundamentals.  The prevailing wisdom was it was going to be just about baseball.

I am not somebody that flies off the handle and as I write this, (knock on wood), the Mets are in the midst of a 4 game winning streak, but you can’t even make up this first month.  Terrible fundamentals, piss poor clutch hitting, gutless pitching in big spots, and of course more injuries all have been part of the early storyline.  I could even deal with losses as long as things got away from the dramatic and heartwrenching way of things that we have all unfortunately had to deal with the last few years.

This probably sounds like a very odd argument, but though I drank some kool-aid, I am not expecting a World Series.  My expectations are to be in the Wild Card hunt, but more importantly, to quietly build the proper product of baseball and get the right philosophies in place with this new regime while we take a year to get the financials in order.  My biggest fear was after the trauma much of this roster has gone through, was to not get off to start where they immediately became a punchline……and sure enough, punchline, night after night.

Every Mets fan is probably on board with thinking that maybe the worst is just over, and getting a guy like Jason Bay back can help keep things in order.  The early returns on Terry Collins from my point of view is that the team does care, and has played with more intensity.  The fundies just have not been there yet nor has the ability to get the HUGE hit.

I know this is very early on, and the last few days have given me optimism that things could get back on the right track, albeit, against a bad D-Backs team.  I just hope this bad dream of constant negativity comes to a halt, and things are just focused on baseball….and the day in day out reclamation of this franchise.  Not potshots from every media outlet and every Met hater.

Big week ahead….Let’s get on a roll and be hot when we get get to Philly….and LET’S GO METS!

Filed under: New York Mets 2009-2010

Mets Brain Tumor Awareness Night – Saturday May 28

Were you thinking of seeing the Mets play the Phillies this season?  Well, we at Kiner’s Korner have a suggestion: why not support a charity AND go to the game?  It’s possible: the Saturday, May 28, game against the Phillies is also Mets Brain Tumor Awareness Night.

Visit the National Brain Tumor Society website for more information regarding this game, and be sure to purchase your tickets from this link to ensure that your charitable donation goes through (portions of the sales go to the NBTS).

Filed under: Taryn "Coop" Cooper, Mets 2011, Mets Brain Tumor Awareness Night, Mets vs Phillies

Why Must Rebuilding Take Years?

The Mets horrendous start has unsurprisingly been accompanied by the outcry by various fans, bloggers, tweeters, Facebook posts, and large market publications that the end of the season is upon us, the fire sale must begin, and that as fans we should expect several more seasons of Octoberless baseball.

Let’s ignore the fact at the moment that it is currently April 22nd, and the fact that no one in the NL East has run away with an amazing month. The Mets currently stand 6.5 games back. To put it into perspective, we potentially could still have 2007 in reverse, with the Mets collapsing in April but putting together the big lead through the end of the season.

Let’s assume though that the under-performances will continue, and more injuries and setback will occur. Let’s assume where will not be meaningful games in late May, let alone September.

Why do I keep hearing it will take at least 3 years to rebuild? Why are people saying to include David Wright in the fire sale, because his prime will be over by the time they contend.

If the Mets deal Wright it should be for more than one of these reasons: they don’t believe they can rebuild without the potential prospects they get from him in return, they think he can be replaced internally or externally, he is not the right fit for Citifield (that can be debated and for a separate post), or they want a completely clean slate.

If the Mets were to have a fire sale the most likely candidates to be moved are Reyes, Francisco Rodriguez, and Carlos Beltran. Less probable candidates include Mike Pelfrey, RA Dickey, David Wright, Jason Bay and any veteran signed to a one year contract.

Of the second tier it doesn’t make much sense to deal Pelfrey and Dickey. Dickey is signed to a reasonable contract through next year and his uniqueness is very valuable. Mike Pelfrey is still signed to a reasonable deal and even if he never reaches the upper echelon he has proven to be a solid back to middle of the rotation starter. That’s not to be scoffed at. If anything, as you will read further, the biggest reason to deal him may be that he won’t be necessary as early as next year.

And did we forget Johan Santana is still on this team? Yes, there is a question of how much of the old Johan will be left, but that doesn’t mean we should assume he will fail.

So the way I see it is next year the Mets will likely have a rotation that will include Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, Johnathan Niese, RA Dickey. That is not a bad front 4, even if Johan isn’t “Twins Johan.” The fifth starter will likely be either one of the Mets much top young prospects Matt Harvey or Jenrry Mejia, who are both tearing up minor league early in the season. Mejia was already discussed as a potential call up, and will likely see Citifield time before September. Matt Harvey, the Mets number 7 pick, has been so impressive some scouts believe he may see MLB time as early as this September and will likely be in the mix for the rotation spot.

With that said, the Mets may decide to trade Pelfrey to replenish the farm (as a young pitcher with potential and a very good contract he can get a hefty bounty – just look at what some comparable pitchers have received in free agency in recent seasons) and go the free agent or trade route for another pitcher. That path is very dangerous as you’ll be hard pressed to find a free agent pitcher that much better than Pelfrey among the 2012 free agents.

So the rotation seems solid, what about the lineup? If Jose Reyes is traded, the Mets can go internally with Reuben Tejada, who appears to be a match for Jose defensively but a great decline defensively, or possibly wait for Wilmer Flores to be ready in 2013 and go with Tejada or a free agent stopgap. Considering Flores unlikely to stay in the rotation, the Mets will have to determine if Tejada can be an MLB starting shortstop or if there is a suitable free agent. After Reyes, the next best shortstop is probably JJ Hardy.

As an aside, you have to wonder if they decide to make their moves whether Sandy Alderson can possibly convince Jose to pull a Mike Bordick. I see no reason why Reyes or his agent would be upset at trading Reyes to a playoff contender to increase his value during free agency and not come back to the negotiation table in the winter.

As for the other potential trade candidates like Bay and Beltran, the Mets have some interesting outfield options including Lucas Duda and Kirk Niuwenhies who may be able to take on a load in 2012, and there are a lot of options in the outfield for the short term. The Mets can also take a chance by moving Ike Davis to right field, he is said to have a cannon for an arm and go after Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols. With Yankees and Sox 1B situations taken care of, the two may be had, especially Fielder.

The biggest question is how much will Sandy have to spend? Obviously it will be more than the $10m that he had this past offseason, but how much more? The Wilpons financial issues keep things murky, but they appear to be moving closer to getting a minority owner, and I would not be shocked if eventually that owner becomes the majority.

The point is in April 2011 it is too early to say the Mets will be uncompetitive for years. Is the above overly optimistic? Perhaps it is, but it does not mean that it cannot happen. Just because things may be bad today does not mean it will always be so, and there are is so much in flux with the team that to assume anything, positively or negatively for next year let alone three years from now, is just plain silly. Do not let those who want you to feel negative about the team force their feelings upon you. It’s April, and there’s a long way to September. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. We’re barely an 8th of a way done.

Let’s Go Mets!

Posted by Robert Z

Filed under: Robert Z

An Open Letter To Brooklyn Dodger Lover Fred Wilpon

Dear Mr. Wilpon,

I was recently at the Mets Team Store on the Field Level at Citi Field looking for some Mets T-shirts. After being pleasantly surprised to finally see R.A. Dickey and Angel Pagan number shirts for sale, my jaw dropped when I saw yet another piece of Brooklyn Dodgers merchandise.

This wasn’t yet another tribute to Jackie Robinson or Ebbets Field. This was something else entirely. Ladies and gentlemen, I give to you photo documentation of the latest shirt for sale at the Mets Team Store.

A Sandy Koufax Brooklyn Dodgers shirt? Really? Let’s look up a few things about Mr. Koufax to share with our readers.

Sandy Koufax had a great career in the major leagues. He finished his career with a .655 winning percentage (165 wins, 87 losses), pitched four no-hitters (a record at the time), struck out 382 batters in a single season (also a record at the time), won three Cy Young Awards and was the National League MVP in 1963. He also was a member of four pennant winners and three World Series champions. As a result of his outstanding career, Koufax was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1972, his first year of eligibility.

That’s a lot of accomplishments for a pitcher whose career was cut short because of arthritis. But that’s not what stands out most for me on his Hall of Fame plaque. Let’s focus on Sandy himself, or rather, let’s focus on the cap he’s wearing in the plaque. What’s that on his cap? Oh, yeah…

It’s a LOS ANGELES DODGERS cap!

Now why is he wearing an LA on his cap rather than a “B” for Brooklyn? That’s because Koufax did very little in Brooklyn as a Dodger.

From 1955-1957, the last three seasons the Dodgers played at Ebbets Field, Sandy Koufax’s record was 9-10, or the same record compiled by Jonathon Niese in 2010. He was also very wild, walking 108 batters in 204.2 innings and posted a 4.00 ERA.

Once the Dodgers packed their bags and left Brooklyn for LA, Koufax blossomed into one of the all-time greats in baseball.

So why on Earth is Citi Field selling Sandy Koufax Brooklyn Dodgers shirts when he did practically nothing as one of Dem Bums? It surely can’t be because the Mets appreciate pitchers who go 9-10 while pitching in one of the outer boroughs. If that were the case, then the store would also have a full stock of Jonathon Niese T-shirts (which they don’t; what’s up with that?).

No, Mr. Wilpon. You know the reason as well as I do. Sandy Koufax was a childhood friend of yours. The two of you went to Lafayette High School in Brooklyn together. Sandy comes to spring training as a favor to you to talk to your pitchers.

We get it. You’re BFFs. Fine.

But please. Sandy Koufax wasn’t a Met. He was barely a Brooklyn Dodger. Stop trying to make it seem like he was. The Mets don’t play at Ebbets Field. They don’t have a “B” on their hats. Therefore, if you could, we’d like you to stop trying to shove the Brooklyn Dodgers down our throats. We know this is probably hard for you to do, so perhaps we can reach a compromise.

Do you remember which two players led the major leagues in home runs and RBI during the 1950s? Maybe the photos below will help.

The man in the photo on the left is Duke Snider, who played in Brooklyn for 11 seasons (1947-1957). The man on the right is Gil Hodges, who came up to the Brooklyn Dodgers for good in 1947 after playing in one game for the team in 1943.

Both men played the majority of their major league careers as Brooklyn Dodgers, winning six pennants and one World Series in Brooklyn. They also have one other thing in common. Let’s roll out the photo album one more time to assist you.

Your eyes are not deceiving you, Mr. Wilpon. They were indeed both members of your New York Mets.

Duke Snider played one season for the Mets, making the All-Star team in 1963. Gil Hodges played parts of two seasons for the Mets (1962-63), hitting the first home run in franchise history on April 11, 1962. He also did something on a grander scale seven years later. It may or may not have involved winning a championship. I’ll have to look that up.

Do you see what I’m getting at, Mr. Wilpon? Why are you selling Sandy Koufax merchandise when you can sell Duke Snider or Gil Hodges gear? They were both Brooklyn Dodgers far longer than Koufax was and contributed to more success in Brooklyn than your boyhood buddy did. Plus, they have the added appeal to Mets fans because they both donned the orange and blue at some point.

As of right now, there is nothing for Duke Snider at Citi Field and only a first base entrance named after Gil Hodges. I know I’m not the only fan who’s appalled that you’re trying to sell Sandy Koufax as a Brooklyn Dodger to Mets fans. In fact, my wife also has an opinion on the lovefest between you and the Brooklyn Dodgers, which she will share with you now:

Speaking of both teams for whom to pay homage, you also discredit the origins of the “orange” from the term “orange and blue” in your child-like fascination with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and that’s the New York Giants.

While the Dodgers were quick to embrace their new identity on the west coast with winning a championship in two years, the now-San Francisco Giants had to do nothing BUT embrace their New York roots. And why was that? Because prior to 2010, they had not won a championship in their 50 year old home and a lot of their rich history was based in New York. Even when the team won, they visited the old site of the Polo Grounds (where both the New York Giants and…oh some other team…oh yes, the New York Mets once upon a time played) with the Commissioner’s Trophy to pay homage to where their history originated. I don’t believe that the Dodgers visited the old site of Ebbets Field after winning a championship so quickly after switching coasts. The Giants embrace New York and the Mets need to embrace the Giants history as well.

It’s not so much the Koufax jersey or this blatant “to the victor go the spoils” attitude at Citi Field that is troublesome — there is also no mention of New York Giants history. You’d like to be fair, then how about this? In addition to selling Brooklyn memorabilia, why not include the Giants as well in a nostalgia store? Not to mention, one of the most storied baseball players in history, Willie Mays, played for both New York and San Francisco Giants AND ended his career with the Mets. Wouldn’t it be great to not only acknowledge those teams but to also have an actual connection to the Mets?  There’s no limitation to having Giants or Dodgers jerseys either in the nostalgia store – you can sell old Mets jerseys as well and even other items such as collectible yearbooks and souvenir cups. 

My wife and I are just two people, Mr. Wilpon. But we’re not the only ones who feel that you have overdone it with your homage to the Brooklyn Dodgers at Citi Field.

You’re the owner of the New York Mets. You also love the Brooklyn Dodgers. If you absolutely must share that Dodger love with the fans who pay their way into your homage to Ebbets Field to see the Mets play, at least share it with players who have ties to both teams. Is that so hard to do, Mr. Wilpon?

Peace, love, Mets, y’all,
Ed Leyro and Taryn Cooper

Filed under: Ed Leyro, Taryn "Coop" Cooper, Brooklyn Dodgers, Fred Wilpon

Apathy or April?

It’s April, and we’re 11 games into the swing of things (well, 12 if you count the start of a doubleheader today).  Personally, I’ve been to three games so far at CitiField, and the highlight besides attending the only win at home this season, has been congregating with fellow fans, followers of the several blog forums I frequent, and commiserating on the Shea Bridge with bloggerati.

And yet, even though there have been some massively frustrating losses this season, I find it tough to muster enough anger to write the obligatory Mets-fan-jumping-off-the-59^th-Street-Bridge post that I was personally good for during 2007 and 2008.  By 2009, I had started my first run with post-traumatic Mets disorder (PTMD), which I am convinced a lot of us still have.  Being hit with numerous injuries and an overall apathetic attitude, I wondered aloud if there was a bit of Kevin McReynolds in all of us: win or lose, it’s a win-win situation as I can still get drunk .

The only problem is, this team’s performance isn’t even doing that anymore, driving me to drink that is.  While I famously used to blame starting the likes of Jose Lima (RIP) for my drinking problem at games, the fact is, if this team doesn’t even give me enough of a reaction to drink anymore…does that mean I don’t care?

Am I apathetic?  Or is it just April?

The record as it stands now is 4-7.  It’s ugly for sure, but then again we’ve said time and again on our Kult of Mets Personalities podcast, it could be worse.  Right now, as fans, we are in a great position.  In 2009, this team was predicted to be World Series Champions.  This year, they are expected to lose 90 games by the lazy journalist beat writer geniuses.  There’s absolutely no pressure on them or us, for that matter.  They could win 100 games and we’ll be thrilled and bouncing off the walls.  They could lose 90 games and say, hey whatever.  And it could be worse (Really?).  Yes, we could be Red Sox fans, rooting for them to win their THIRD GAME of the season.  And talk about a team with high expectations.

Is this going to be an easy season for the Mets?  No.  It’s also a long season and if they are a .500 team like most of us believe, then we’ll have to take the losses in stride.

It doesn’t mean, however, that losing these games in April doesn’t hurt.  Losing to the likes of Roy Halladay and Josh Johnson is one thing.  Deciding to pitch to Troy Tulowitzki with ducks on the pond is another.  Losing to the Nationals whose marquee player is Jayson Werth (who only had 1 RBI prior to coming to CitiField).  And seeing Willie Harris not make catches that were he on the other side of the team WOULD have definitely made to screw the Mets over…

Yes!  It’s frustrating.  But what can you do about it?

The fact is, we at Kiner’s Korner and the Kult of Mets Personalities consider ourselves to be passionate fans with a gift for gab can’t even muster enough sentiment to even care about a losing streak…what does that say?

Is it apathy?  Or is it just April?

I brought up a topic to be discussed on the air about how setting the tone about 13 of 16 games played at home was important.  Then when I started talking about it, I realized something.  Setting the tone for a .500 team is kind of dumb in April.  Sure, I’d like them to win more.  But this team is what it is.  So when I started to talk about it, I wanted them to WIN THE GAME THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO WIN.  Like, sweeping the Nationals or at the very least, taking two out of three.  Losing two to them was frustrating. 

Colorado is one of the hottest teams with a stud shortstop, Troy Tulowitzki, the Brawny man with a bat, Todd Helton and one of the smokingest young players in the game, Carlos Gonzalez.  There is no shame in losing the series to this team or at the most, splitting the series, which is the best they can do at this point with a twin bill today. 

So what does this mean?  Apathy?  April?  It could be very well be a combination of both.  Sure, I’m apathetic.  I have been to three games live this season that hasn’t given me that jump out of my seat moment (well, except for Carlos Beltran’s fiery performance on Saturday night) and I walk out without feeling like “This is the one that got away.”  It’s April, therefore cold, rainy and empty at CitiField.  Hard to generate excitement, especially when a bunch of obnoxious teenagers buy $0.98 seats on Stubhub and decide that they want to make lives miserable to those around them. 

Perhaps I should revisit this question in May, when perhaps we’ll have forgotten about these frustrating losses and they move forward with more of an identity.  Who’s wit’ me?

 

Filed under: Taryn "Coop" Cooper

A McGraw/McFadden’s Connection

Frank Edwin “Tug” McGraw is one of the most beloved and storied characters in New York Mets lore.  Coining the phrase “Ya Gotta Believe,” his motto has transcended generations and Mets fans across the world.

When he passed away, he not only left his YGB legacy, but his charitable spirit as well.  Like his motto does to new generations of fans, his charitable nature has transcended to a dear Friend-Of-Coop (F-O-C), Sharon Chapman, who has been raising funds for the Tug McGraw Foundation for the better part of two years.

Our sister Sharon has raised in McGraw’s memory, mostly while training to run the New York City Marathon in 2010, as an example.  Well, now she brings this charitable spirit back home, aligning with Mets blogger brethren Faith & Fear in Flushing (authored by the esteemed Greg Prince and Jason Fry) and CitiField’s on-site bar, McFadden’s, for an event on Thursday, April 21, that you’ll have a hard time passing up!

From 6 pm to 7 pm, you get an hour of open bar for only $20 — the kicker? McFadden’s will be donating 25% of those proceeds to the McGraw Foundation, as Greg put it in his post, you can drink as responsibly as you want for $15!

The Tug McGraw Foundation’s mission is to enhance the quality of life of children and adults with brain tumors, as well as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Trauma Brain Injury (TBI).  For those of you who would like to know more, visit the Tug McGraw Foundation website for more details on their charity.

And visit Sharon and Greg at the festivities that day, as they will be representing us proud Mets fans!  Unfortunately, I can’t make it, but even if you can’t as well, you can always donate at Sharon’s dedicated fundraising website.

Filed under: Taryn "Coop" Cooper, citifield, faith and fear in flushing, mcfadden's baseball ny, Mets 2011, tug mcgraw foundation

Welcome to Flushing!

Opening weekend in MLB opened to much fanfare around the league, and of course the hullabaloo at CitiField was no exception.  Complete with the flag, the anthem, the announcing of the lineups, the booing of Mike Pelfrey and Francisco Rodriguez (one is not deserving, the other sort of is).  Moving right along, it slowly became biz as usual at CitiField shortly after, with R.A. Dickey doing his best Mike Pelfrey impression at the home opener (minus the hand-licking), Jason Bay still nowhere to be found, and of course the bullpen, with newest spare parts and all, doing it’s best impression of Mets BP years 2007-2010.

I guess it goes without saying that this first home weekend against the Washington Nationals was supposed to be a table setter.  The Nats have their 7yr/$126mm man Jayson Werth (who only had ONE RBI so far coming into Citi on Friday) but seemingly no rhyme nor reason towards their line up, not to mention their only talented position player is Ryan Zimmerman.  Hearing there was a Zim-less lineup on Sunday, easily the Mets should win two of three.  I mean, it should have been a SWEEP, but I guess even knuckleballers have bad days.

Thus far on the season, Chris Young has looked nothing short of fantastic, holding his own against the Phillies last week in the ill-fated Cole Hamels start.  He didn’t last long, but hey, the dude hasn’t pitched since 2009 and is coming off an injury.  If anyone deserved a “bye,” it was him.  Moving right along, the progress was continued on Sunday.  Of course, this ties into the whole question of “How soon till Mets fans start questioning EVERY SINGLE MOVE Terry Collins makes in a game.”  As a “for instance,” questions were raised (and rightfully so, in my opinion) about why, with the pitcher coming up to bat in the bottom of the 9th, wouldn’t he have pulled a double-switch after bringing K-Rod in a tie game in the 9th.  But wait!  That’s not all…

Chris Young left the game on Sunday with not only a lead, but pretty much putting the Nationals lineup in a kerfuffle (yes, I’ve been dying to use that word in a sentence – not sure if it makes sense, but deal with it).  Anyway, it looked like he probably could have gone another inning.  But then leave it to the bullpen to quickly allow the tying runs to pass through, complete with a muffed up play in RF by homegrown talent Lucas Duda (who was optioned back to the minors after the game today).

I guess that Young has fallen into the ranks of the likes of Pedro Martinez and Johan Santana where great starts are thrown into the wood chipper by the Mets bullpen.  Nice to know that even though the year is different, the plot remains the same.  Welcome to Flushing, Chris Young.  Just wish the Mets had told you that great starts are typically wasted by the bullpen’s inability to hold down the fort.

I guess what I’m most upset about is missed opportunities.  The team had a bizillion left-on-base opportunities on Friday, and on Sunday (outside of Jose Reyes, who is certainly playing for his contract this year), a day when Collins pulled his best impression of Willie Randolph benching Cliff Floyd by benching Carlos Beltran after a hot night at the plate, we couldn’t string a few more runs to beat the Washington F’ing Nationals.

I know, it’s April.  Weird things happen in April.  This is an opportunity to shut everyone up or just stifle the murmurs about how bad the Mets are.  Now, they are just proving it.  I hope they decide to show up against the Helton-less and Jiminez-less Colorado Rockies team.

Oh and another thing.  I blame Jason Bay for me taking the field with Scott Hairston on Saturday.

Filed under: Taryn "Coop" Cooper, bullpen, Chris Young, francisco rodriguez, Lucas Duda, Mets 2011, Terry Collins, Washington Nationals

Lazy Journalism

It’s becoming increasingly evident why I would rather visit blogs for my Mets news rather than hacks in this town who are supposedly providing an “objective” view on the team.  Basically because I am reading the same thing over and over, and not a lot of in-depth analysis like I would get at some of my favorite fan sites.  It’s hard for others to get a grasp on this but just because there are fans covering the team doesn’t mean they can’t be objective.  On the contrary, I think being a fan makes bloggers MORE objective, since they can take the good with the bad.

This seems to be a recurring theme, since I wrote yesterday about how Yankees GM Brian Cashman seems to be joining in on the Hit Parade against the Mets, and by “hit parade,” I mean they just keep on comin’.  It’s no secret that the Mets have performed very very very VERY badly the last few years.  TRUST ME, we fan bloggers know about it.  However, we also see that if this team performs based on the way it was constructed, it could be a last hoorah for a team that has been plagued with a lot of “what might have beens.”

But today takes the prize.  I was reading my daily AM NY rag they give out at the train stations in the morning and found an interview with ESPN personality, Colin Cowherd.  Now to be honest, it’s very rare that I listen to sports radio simply because I’m in an office environment and can’t get good reception anywhere.  So anything I read or hear about is usually second hand.  I don’t pretend to listen to Cowflop, I mean, Cowherd but I can tell you he’s labeled as a “free-speaking” personality which basically only gives me an idea he could be licensed to be a buffoon.

In any case, he had a short interview about his feelings on the Mets and Yankees.  Basically how the Yankees are “underdogs” (which makes me giggle, I mean COME ON SERIOUSLY…”underdogs?”) and that the Mets suck and need to be blown up.

Now, as I mentioned yesterday, I wrote about how Brian Cashman had accused the Mets of BAA: Bullpen Arm Abuse with Pedro Feliciano, yet he seemed to be the only one in the New York area let alone baseball that didn’t know about Pedro’s Perpetual moniker not just being a clever nickname.  But Cowherd joins in on the fun, and while he doesn’t come right out and say the Mets need to blow themselves up like some people did, he does suggest that Jose Reyes is tradeable.  Oh and that Phil Hughes on the Yankees staff is “key” (I’ll get to that in a minute – see the interview here).

So Cowherd’s pearls of wisdom included the following: The Mets need to trade Jose Reyes.  See, I love this.  First of all, he’s a free agent.  He has value.  Given the construct of the Mets new front office, something tells me that if he has a good season, they are going to try to keep him OR offer him arb, and get their draft picks.  It is not that hard to figure out.  But I just love how these journalists are taking the easy way out and just saying Jose Reyes will not be a Met after this season, thus contributing to the mob mentality that occurs when the easiest thing to say is “The Mets suck.”

And another thing that Cowherd discounts is the Mets pitching.  He says that Reyes is enigmatic so he’d move him (glad he’s not our GM), but that you can’t win in the NL without pitching.  That’s true, but he’s goes on to discount R.A. Dickey, who can easily pitch over 200 innings this year which is really all you need from your starters in the weak-hitting NL, and Mike Pelfrey…now granted, I freely admit I am a big Pelf homer, but I do acknowledge that when he’s inconsistent, it sucks.  But it goes without saying the staff is a lot better when he’s doing well…not to mention, I think Cowherd is basically taking what the MSM is saying about Pelfrey being tapped as “the ace,” when I think it’s just a technicality since I mean they needed someone to be the “#1 starter.”

Oh and he doesn’t even mention Jon Niese, who pitched a helluva game on Saturday night after having the first inning shakes, and can easily win over 15 games this year WITHOUT a lot of run support (I’ll address that in a minute).  The two Chris’s remain to be seen, but if Young stays healthy he can easily be one of the top flight starters in the NL.  But nooooo.  Let’s kick them while they’re down.

Two items of note I brought up earlier were dealing with Phil Hughes on the Yanks and the notion of run support.  If anyone followed the Yankees last season (and I don’t even follow them closely but since I’m in New York, I see it all the time), is that without run support, Phil Hughes was NOT winning 18 games last season.  In 16 games started, Hughes won 14 of those games (ND in 2) where the Yankees scored 6+ runs.  Considering his ERA was 4.19, call me crazy but that sounds more like a Steve Trachsel throwback rather than the X factor Cowherd is saying.

I mean, here’s a fun fact: AJ Burnett is being paid Oliver Perez-like money for being good for maybe two years of his entire career.  Since Burnett went 10-15 last season, wouldn’t HE be considered the so-called X-factor?  Since what I hear from everyone is that “It’s World Series or bust” for the Yankees, wouldn’t Burnett be in a sense an epic fail because they didn’t make the series last year?  Why isn’t anyone bringing up that?

Look, I know the Mets are far from perfect and it’s only game four into the season (and by the way, can we please stop with the whole “this is the first test of the season?”  It’s April, for crying out loud).  There’s a lot of baseball to be played and this team isn’t even at full strength.  I’m saddened because this is Carlos Beltran’s last season with the Mets and he’ll probably be traded at the deadline if he can bring back value here.  No one is mentioning that, just lazy journalists like Cowherd stirring up the cow crunch by saying Reyes will be traded.  He could be, but it won’t be for the reasons they state.  Reyes will get more value I believe as a FA, but I do believe that the Mets will try their best to give him a fair offer and not let him walk.

It’s getting to the point for me where I don’t even want to read the paper anymore.  My cardiologist certainly won’t like that I need to up my blood pressure meds again.

By Taryn “The Coop” Cooper

Filed under: Taryn "Coop" Cooper

That FOOT Is Me

Wow.  When I first read this article, I thought it was an April Fool’s Joke.  I mean, seriously, why would Brian Cashman call out the Mets for abusing Pedro Feliciano deliberately in the press?  Then I realized the date was not only April 2, but that it was indeed real.

If you are a Mets fan who a) doesn’t live under a rock or b) don’t have quick access to a New York-based newspaper and/or blog, chances are you’ve seen the hullabaloo that Brian “Pee Wee” Cashman, esteemed General Manager of the New York Highlanders, had to remark about newest Yankee bullpen pitcher and former Mets stalwart, Pedro Feliciano.  Yes, perhaps Cashman was the ONLY person in the tri-state area let alone in all of Major League Baseball who wasn’t aware of the fact that Feliciano himself earned the nickname “Perpetual Pedro” for a reason.  No, not because at 2010, he was the most tenured Met.  It was because he asked for the ball every damn day.

I wasn’t so much of a fan of Pedro Feliciano, but I definitely appreciated him when he was on the team.  My thought process behind not keeping him around was simple: he was getting older and pitchers tend to not age well.  Unless he’s the Picture of Dorian Gray himself, Mariano Rivera, whose arm NEVER seems to age.  Anyway, it seems like Cashman was the only person who wasn’t aware that NEWSFLASH: Pedro Feliciano is not only older but guess what – he’s a pitcher who asked to pitch every day and never complained about it.  Perhaps there was a reason why the Mets didn’t keep him around, and that was it.  It was even sort of confirmed by Dan Warthen who said to the effect that “Why do you think WE didn’t keep him around?”

Moving right along, I guess that the Yankees have never ever found themselves overusing a bullpen arm or pitcher in general that they are surprised that a pitcher can come to them as damaged goods.  In fact, I mentioned this yesterday on Twitter, basically stating that when Bartolo Colon had gotten lit up that I wondered if Cashman would blame the Mets for that.  Ha ha.  What started off as a joke got into a minor Twitgument with some Yankees fan who said that The Mets knew they abused Feliciano.  I never disputed that.  When I did say back was because you know the Yankees have always treated their pitchers with thought process that they’re human and their arms can fall off and we don’t want to be responsible for that.

Yeah right.  The Yankees are not beyond reproach.  Two pitchers off the top of my head whom they’ve ruined or more politely put “tinkered with their development” are on the staff now, Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes.  Do I need to insult your intelligence with Joba’s so-called “Rules” that were brought on to not abuse him, but then were really in a reverse psychological way managed to F him up further?

And what about Phil Hughes?  The Yanks desperately needed a home grown pitching talent and you can ask many impartial Yankees fans (they do exist, shocking I know) and they agree he was rushed.  Sure, he had many wins at one point in 2010, but he also had a TON of run support to back him up.  Very overrated.  But which came first: the overrated pitcher or the rushed development?  Film at 11!

But wait!  That’s not all.  Scott Proctor and Paul Quantrill are two names in recent years that spring to mind and were even discussed on Joe and Evan on the FAN this morning, that they were notoriously run into the ground by the Yankees that they are deemed unemployable by now.  Huh, funny.  I wonder if a team like, I don’t know say, the Royals took on one of them, would they DARE call out the Yankees on abusing them?  No because it’s a) not cool and b) unsubstantiated.

And when Kevin Brown came to the Yankees in 2003, when he sucked for them in the playoffs in 2004 and for most of 2005, did they come out and blame the Dodgers for not telling them that hey, he might be bad AND have a bit of a temper problem?

And don’t get me started on Kyle Farnsworth.

Truth is, of course Pedro Feliciano was used quite a bit (OK, a LARGE amount) by the Mets.  But the whole shenanigans behind this suggests to me yet a larger problem within the media, Major League Baseball and just overall perception regarding our team, the Mets.

Are we just easy targets?

It’s no secret that Brian Cashman has been a little off his game over the offseason, what with how he handled the Derek Jeter negotiations in the press, how he adamantly said he did NOT want to sign Rafael Soriano and did so and managed to make everyone else uncomfortable as a result of this press conference, had to save face after losing out on the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, and how after Jeter had signed, made an offhand remark at a function in front of tons of media that Jeter could be groomed to be an outfielder.  Which you know, would have been nice to have clued in the shortstop himself about those plans.  For a place that usually runs a tight ship on their press perception and how things get leaked to the media, Cashman must be asking to be fired.

But that’s not why I’m here.  Now his latest attempt to defame the Mets and how their develop and treat their pitchers is the last straw for this blogger.

I think I can safely say that if this was ANY OTHER team, no one would be calling them out.  But they do.  As Kiner’s Korner friend Steve Keane from Kranepool Society said a few weeks back on our Kult of Mets Personalities podcast, they walk around with this “Kick Me” sign.  The Mets weren’t even asking for trouble, but the fact is, someone like Cashman is under the gun since the Yanks are being portrayed as this “underdog” type, that he needs to scapegoat someone.  Must be nice to have the New York Mets to kick around instead of maybe questioning his own signing.  Geez, ya think???  Lest ye be judged there, Pee Wee.

The Mets are easy targets.  In their opening weekend, they managed to win their first road series when it took them well over two months in 2010 to win their first then (and longer, even, to win their first road series against a National League team).  The press is still having a field day with these remarks, even though Jon Niese looked fantastic in his first start, that RA Dickey is still the MF’ing man, that Carlos Beltran looks good even in RF…NOOOOOO.  Let’s just drum up some controversy about the Mets when what we should REALLY do is look at the Yankees history of abusing pitchers before jumping all over the Mets on how they treated a BULLPEN ARM.

But when will these shenanigans stop?  I don’t know, but I do know that I, for one, know that some foot needs to be put down.

And that FOOT is ME!!!

By Taryn “The Coop” Cooper

Filed under: Taryn "Coop" Cooper