Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Good call, Wayne

Wayne Hagin called it. In the second inning Hagin pointed out how uninvolved the defense was as Perez threw ball after ball and walk after walk. Hagin made this observation as Tom Gorzelanny was coming to the plate. Sure enough, just after that Castillo made the error on this soft grounder.

Later on Howie brought that observation up again. Hagin added to his point saying that on the pitch before Castillo's error, Reyes had his glove off as the pitch was made.

At least I have Chelsea vs Liverpool on the t.v. to distract me from the wreck in Flushing. 1-0 Chelsea at the half.

A win is a win, right?

I was expecting the win despite the extra innings. Generally I expect the worst, but not last night. Not sure why. Maybe it was the opposition, although I don't think I'd have been too comfortable if Sosa had faced McLouth.

You knew neither Wagner's nor Sanchez's run couldn't last forever. The pixie dust that they've both been covered in this season vanished in the 8th & 9th of last night's game. Sanchez didn't have it, but he gutted it out and held the lead. Wagner was done in by an error by Reyes and a wild pitch. These things happen; they're part of the game. Still, it wasn't an awful night for the bullpen and a win is always welcome.

Great that Endy got a few hits last night & scored twice. I'm glad Willie's playing him more lately because we all know that Endy will be needed throughout the season as Alou will not be ever present in the line-up.

Howie's been talking about Castillo's passivity and tonight Wayne mentioned that up until last night's game Castillo had not even swung at a 3-1 pitch. {I can't remember now, but I think he did do so in the 11th.}

Howie said it was about 75-80% positive when Delgado was announced, but the crowd sounded a lot more negative after his third failure in the 8th. Howie also explained how Sunday's homer tied Delgado with Juan Gonzalez for most home-runs by a Puerto Rican.

Ugggh. Wayne's voice and his "Kiss it good-bye" on Church's home run was just, I don't know, a little much for a 2 run homer against Pittsburgh in April.

Penguins 5 - Rangers 3

Uggh. I watched the Rangers lose - again. Looks pretty bleak now. The Garden was buzzing and the game was exciting, but Pittsburgh's late 2nd period goal and early 3rd period goal sucked the life out of the game.

I know I didn't say it here, but I was much happier when I thought the Rangers would be playing Montreal rather than Pittsburgh in this round. It looks like my gut was right.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Take a bow, Carlos

I don't understand ballplayers sometimes. I can more easily understand the fans who boo - although I would never boo a Met unless he'd disgraced himself (e.g. Mota) - than I can understand why someone like Carlos Delgado (& Beltran before him) doesn't appreciate that the booing fan is simply letting off his frustration. No one at Shea really wants to see Carlos fail, but we're frustrated seeing him struggle at the plate and in the field. We're afraid that he's not going to be anywhere near the player he was. And, mostly, we're angry that the whole team seems to be misfiring (fans are much more tolerant of a slumping slugger if the team is still winning).

Deglado should have come out yesterday and acknowledged the cheers. They were sincere. Yes, I can understand how players might think fans are fickle, but that's life. We are fickle. And it's not like Delgado has played his whole career in New York or that he didn't once choose Miami over New York? Let's fact it, both sides - player and fans - should cut the other some slack, but things don't work that way.

There isn't really a lot of scope for a nuanced conversation between the player and the fans. So, booing can mean all sorts of things (such as I'm sure Met fans were booing Randolph on Opening Day & not Santana {— OK, not Opening Day, but his first start @ Shea}). Fans have three choices when a player comes to bat: cheer, boo, ignore (sit quietly). Surely the last is the worst. The first two both mean we care and want you to succeed.

Anyway, solid win. I actually missed the last two innings due to family things. Figeuroa is really starting to convince me that he can be a solid 5th starter. Every outing is similar. I wonder if he could be a long man out of the pen? Regardless, he's been pretty good so far.

I saw Church's catch on mlb.com. Great grab. He's been everything the Mets fan could have hoped for when the Milledge trade was made. (Kudos to Omar on that one.)

Saturday, April 26, 2008

The pen does the job

The Mets should have won this game easily. Hudson was out after 3 innings, Chipper's out hurt and Escobar's hurt too. This was set up for a Mets laugher.

Despite all that, I think we have to be encouraged by the fact that the Mets didn't blow this one. They got the lead in the 3rd inning and they managed to hold on to win. Despite some shakiness, the bullpen pitched 4 innings and conceded only 1 run. Sanchez - I know I'm not the only one who's letting my hopes run wild that he really is back to what we watched two years ago.

A 4-3 win today is great, that's all I can say.

Having said that, if what Wayne said in the 8th is true and Maine was pulled simply because he'd reached 100 pitches, then that's almost criminal. Hasn't anyone told Willie that the bullpen could use even a little rest?

Chopped down at Shea

When I talked about the Rangers' inability to hold a lead, I was talking about hockey only. The Mets are more than their equal.

Howie sounded lifeless, listless in the 8th and 9th last night. I don't know if that's how the team looked, but if I were go to by how Howie sounded, I'd say they looked pretty dead.

Again, the moment for a serious change is here.

Fallen Angel? How his star has waned. "That ball is probably caught on most occasions" according to Wayne on the double by Francouer in the 5th. It is kind of surprisng how much playing time Pagan's still getting considering his cooled bat and his weak defense. All the while Endy is getting rusty.

Howie: "Pelfrey seems to pitch best when he has a lot of rest - not good on the fifth day". I thought that was an interesting - and pretty damning - observation from Howie. If Pelfrey can't pitch every 5th day, he's of no use as a starter.

Wayne was happy to be back in Shea's broadcast booth after being so high in Nationals' booth. Howie was a little circumspect, probably because his youth was spent in the upper deck at Shea.

Penguins 5 - Rangers 4

The fact that the Rangers lost is not a big issue, but the manner of their defeat is what grates. I don't think I've ever seen a team that's worse at holding a lead. Last night the Rangers had a 3-0 lead and next thing you know it's 4-3 Pittsburgh.

Sure it's annoying that Crosby went down like he'd been shot when a light breeze caught his jersey, but that's not the reason the Rangers lost. Twice they allowed Pittsburgh to score a goal only seconds after they had already just scored.

Hockey Night in Canada is a great broadcast still.

What was up with the ice in Pittsburgh. I don't know which team benefited more, but the puck was bouncing rolling so much and there were a lot of mysterious trips and falls.

Friday, April 25, 2008

It's not all gloom

Anything positive to say after that debacle? Well, there's Ryan Church.

I wasn't too pleased about the Milledge for Church & Schneider trade, but listening to last night's game convinced me - for the moment at least - that the Mets were right about Milledge. Howie said it wasn't the first time this season that Milledge was late for a ball game, but the first time he was benched for it.

Meanwhile, Santana is giving credit to Schneider for the game he calls and Church has done absolutely everything the Mets could have hoped for. Last night Church made what Wayne called "such a smart play" on his steal of second in the 4th. He's hit well, he's played solid defense (despite last night's bobble in the 7th), he can run, he plays smart and, most importantly, he plays hard and he plays to win. The Mets need someone like that.

First base

The Mets have the worst first baseman in the National League. Delgado's not hitting and he's a total liability in the field. I've seen some people referring to Delgado being in a slump, but I think his problems are more severe than that. I think he has irreversibly and rapidly declined. The Mets would probably be better cutting him loose right now.

Changes needed

Even good teams go through rough streaks such as the Mets are going through now. And, it's not that long a rough streak. This is a minor blip. If the Mets are a good team.

That's really the question. Are the Mets a good team? I'm not so sure. I don't think they're as good as Arizona. I don't think they're as good as Atlanta either. I don't think they're as good as Chicago or Philadelphia (with Rollins). Now I don't think they're too far off those teams, but I do think they're below them.

How does a guy like Casanova not run hard after hitting the ball? Who is he that he's admiring his drive rather than running? I can accept that Schneider and Castro are hurt, but can't the Mets get a guy who'll at least be a smart, hustling ball player to fill in for them? This is a character issue and I don't think Omar understands what good character means, how important it is. The Mets have many players who seem to think the world owes them something, even guys like Casanova who are nobodies in the baseball world.

And Oliver Perez? He can be electric when he's right, but he's not so young that we can expect he'll suddenly become mentally stronger. He seems to implode so regularly. Is this Rick Peterson's fault or is it Omar's because he just cannot evaluate players' mental make-up.

The Mets need changes and need them now. A new manager? A trade? I'm not sure and I don't actually have sufficient trust that Omar will make the right move anyway. I think this team has too many re-treads, too many has-beens and too little spark. Omar is in love with the reclamation project, but I don't think it's helping the Mets at all.

Changes are needed. I just don't think they're going to happen.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Colorado 4 - Chicago 2

Tuned in for this game this afternoon. Good game. Great job by Cook and Fuentes, the new closer. Yup. Funny how some managers make quick moves when a key guy's not delivering. Corpas wasn't getting the job done - four blown saves already - so Clint Hurdle swapped him for set up man Brian Fuentes.

One other thing that's been getting on my nerves is that last year we heard a lot about how great the Rockie's team defense was. Well, I've listened to two games from Colorado already this year and I get the feeling that their official scorer is pretty reluctant to call misplays 'errors'. Today Aaron Cook conceded an earned run after a ball was 'waved at' by Clint Barmes at second.

The Mets needed their ace

This is why the Mets got Santana. They needed a win and they needed someone to get them a win despite the offense (the 7 runs are deceiving). He pitched a strong game and he had two doubles and a walk (not that the Mets got him for his offense). The Mets won thanks to Santana and Washington's defense.

Wayne called it right, however. It was also the Mets' speed that won the game. Reyes's hustling in the 5th to beat the throw on a double play ball was big. Tied the game. The little squibs in the 6th that caused King to rush his throws led to runs. And, Willie managed aggressively - Pagan's two steals in the 6th - trying to make things happen. It was the right thing to do with the team not hitting.

I wasn't thrilled when I heard that Willie was pinch hitting for Santana in the 8th. I thought it was a good opportunity for the bullpen to get a night 'off' (only Wagner in the 9th). Yet, it's hard to argue with the move with the impressive inning that Sanchez had. Everyday he's encouraging me more and more to believe he can get back to what he was in 2006.

"We played in the afternoon yesterday; they played last night" from Wayne. I hope it was just a slip. I don't like "we" from the announcers.

Howie is really getting too frustrated with Castillo's approach. His "Fastball down the middle for a called strike" in the 5th sounded exasperated. Wayne disagreed, gently, by pointing out that he thought the previous batter, Reyes, was too anxious jumping at the first pitch after two consecutive walks by Redding. When Castillo went after the first pitch in the 7th Howie found it "surprising". Wayne admitted he is an "enigma".

Howie had me laughing with his numerous references to the insects (mosquitos/gnats). He even tied it in with reference to The Honeymooners and then tied that to Tim Redding (his great Aunt is Joyce Randolph).

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Cincinnati 8 - Los Angeles 1

The Mets' day game meant my morning was free for another game and I opted for KABC's broadcast of the Reds & Dodgers. Started off promising enough, but Hong-Chih Kuo fell apart in the 4th and the Reds got an easy win. Edinson Volquez (my fantasy team as is Ted Lilly) was impressive again yesterday. Three strong starts to begin the year. He's out-pitching everyone's fantasy darling Johnny Cueto so far.

By the way, Jeff Keppinger's hitting .329, in case you're curious.

Also, in case you're curious, Joe Torre is still over-using Scott Proctor, who still isn't getting the job done.

Rick Monday is the play-by-play man for KABC whenever Vin Scully's not there. He isn't too bad. He's not the most electrifying (then again the game wasn't either), but he's got a pretty much gimmick-free approach and an easy voice to listen to. He was teamed up with Jerry Reuss and the two worked well with Monday deferring to Reuss on pitching aspects of the game, but offering his own insights to hitting.

At one point Monday brought up the topic of superstitions (it was that sort of a game). Reuss sad he had none, but did have a routine. Monday then talked about the superstitions of Baltimore pitcher Mike Cuellar, who won the 1969 Cy Young for the Orioles. (He also pitched two strong games against the Mets in the World Series). Cuellar didn't like to have anyone hand or toss him the baseball. Other teams would toss him the ball intentionally as he was coming onto the field and Cuellar would run from it "as if was being chased by a wild alligator". I love that kind of stuff.

I also learned that the Dodgers and Reds have played over 2100 games. Dodgers have won 1084 to 1073 for the Reds.

Also, Edinson Volquez was signed originally as Julio Reyes. They never explained why he changed his name. Maybe Howie & Wayne will oblige when the Mets play the Reds.

I need an off day

I turned off the game yesterday. I almost never do that, but I was so frustrated that I just turned it off. It was 4-1 at the time and I knew nothing good could come of my continuing to listen.

{It wasn't only the Mets that had me frustrated. I was trying to fix/revive my daughter's new MP3 player at the same time and that was really annoying me. I just had to get away from the computer.}

Howie is a fan as well as an excellent announcer and that's why we (all Met fans, I presume) like him. You can feel his frustration with Delgado. "0 & 2 again. Seems like every at bat Delgado is behind 0 & 2". "Most firstbasemen get to that ball".

Wayne's not as comfortable with such honesty as he seems to believe that the Delgado of 2005 is going to reappear. Howie, like all us more pessimistic fans, has no such hope. We 'know' Delgado is toast. Yet, even Wayne admitted that "Delgado's gotta cover first on that play" on that play where he seemed to just freeze (never got a clear picture of what exactly happened there).

If not for the bad defense (Pagan as well as Delgado) Figeuroa might well have had win, although where I think the runs would have come from is anyone's guess. Regardless, Fegueroa pitched well. He gave up a few runs, but I'm getting more comfortable with him on the mound. I wonder if he'll stick around in the bullpen when one of the missing starters returns (probably only for a short while).

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

2-1, 7-1 – the 8th probably didn't matter

Uh. A forgettable game against the Cubs. Highlights? Endy's double? I suppose Maine wasn't bad, but I don't get all excited about 2 runs in 6 innings, although against Chicago that's a decent performance.

Quick turn around with a day game today. The Mets are facing another lefty – one who is struggling – which should appeal seeing as they've been hitting lefties well this year.

Listening to Howie you get the idea that he's starting to figure that Delgada is just about done.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Good, but not great weekend in Philadelphia

Okay, a loss is always disappointing. I know some will be happy with the 2 out of 3 in Philadelphia, but this was a Phillies team that is really short of weapons - offensive and defensive - with neither Rollins nor Victorino. And, the next two in Chicago don't offer any sort of a rest.

On the other hand the Mets didn't just roll over when they got down 4-0. Pelfrey didn't have his best stuff which can happen, but he has to rebound from this tough start. They put themselves in a position to win the game with their 6th inning rally and then against Lidge in the 9th.

Hard to be mad at Wright after the weekend he had, but I really wanted that hit in the 9th. And then to have Beltran 'robbed' by Bruntlett, who I guess redeemed himself somewhat after all the errors he made at Shea. I was just really keen that the Mets do something against Lidge because I think he's fragile and the Mets could get in his head with a few runs against him.

I don't know how other people feel about these things, but the fact that Utley's on my fantasy baseball team does not mean I root for him to do well against the Mets (or any team, really).

I've mentioned before that Wayne Hagin still talks about the Mets as if they're the 'visiting team' (not the team he normally broadcasts for). This can cause a few shrugs, like when Wayne talks about some aspect of the Mets' game that every fan knows well ("Beltran is a very dangerous hitter".).

However, in the 6th inning it was interesting listening to him talk about the speed of the Mets. You just knew that what he was saying is how he (& others) describe the Mets to their listeners in other cities.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Counting our blessings

I'm not sure how to type a shudder, but that's what I need to express what it's like listening to the Padres' announcer Ted Leitner call a game. I'm sure this has his fans in Padre-land, but he's driving me nuts. Jerry Coleman is welcome relief when he takes over and he's kind of Rizutto-like, in an old behind-the-play sort of way.

Aaron is the Man

Who was saying that he had no confidence in Heilman? I have no idea what you're talking about. Those were two huge K's he got after he should have had an out on a soft fly to left that Pagan misplayed into a single (and almost something far worse).

That was decent job by Perez, but he really needs to go more than 5 2/3 innings there. Willie ended up using a lot of pitchers, but I don't have any complaint with any of the moves he made. I was afraid he might overuse Sanchez too quickly, but he Sanchez only went 1/3 of an inning after getting a big out to bail out Perez.

Why can't the Mets hit Jamie Moyer? If nobody was getting to him that would be one thing, but I've seen him on occasions look like batting practice, but the Mets never get to him. I was sure the Mets were going to put up a big number in the 1st inning, but the offense just petered out.

How does Fox not yet realize that Tim McCarver is about 15 years past his sell-by date?

And, thanks to a bizarre decision by NASN (our American sports channel in Europe) I didn't get to see the 9th inning. Had to get the PC going fast to listen to Howie & Wayne for the end of the game. NASN decided to switch to the Montreal vs Boston playoff game rather than wait for the end of the Mets game.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Beating Hamels

Is there anyone more likely to cause a stomach ache than Aaron Heilman? Maybe it's the role he has, but I never feel comfortable when he's coming into the game. Like a lot of Met fans I'm really hoping more than expecting that Sanchez will be good enough to reclaim his 8th inning slot.

On the other hand, Wagner very solid so far this season.

Great start by Santana. I'm surprised Willie went so long with him in the 8th, but I think it's the right move to give your ace that little bit of leeway late in a game.

Solid game by the Mets beating Hamels.

I was late listening to this one thanks to so many things happening today. Hoping I might get to see today's game. Hope.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Zzzzz - oh, is it over?

Not the ideal way to finish a three game series before the bus ride to Philadelphia for the series there this weekend. Still, much better to head south with a win than with a loss.

The Mets got a big 2 out hit from Delgado in the 8th to tie the game, but otherwise it was a pretty dismal clutch performance considering all the chances that went a begging.

Wayne Hagin called it - he anticipated the game ending on a Hanrahan wild pitch and (before it happened) said it would be "poetic justice" in this game.

Boy does the line-up look weak without Beltran in there. I don't think anyone would be worried facing Pagan, Clark, Cassanova and Castillo.

Great fight-back by Figeuroa after giving up the 2-run bomb and then the single to Milledge. It's great to see him reassert his control over the other team's line-up. One mistake cost him. 7 strong innings. Two straight 'quality starts', couldn't ask for anything more.

Another key out from Joe Smith in the 11th and then a scoreless 12th. I'm getting increasingly confident when I hear Smith is coming into the game. I can't say the same about Sosa, who's danger even against a weak hitting team like Washington. With Sanchez's return, I'm hoping that we won't see much of Sosa other than in long extra inning games and when the Mets need early, long relief. Still, he did his job last night and gave the Mets a chance to win.

I was surprised Willie didn't hit for Figeuroa in the 6th, but I'm glad he didn't.

Pagan got off to a strong start so I understand why Willie's playing him so often. However, I'd like to see Endy get a game. I know Lannan is a left-hander, but I still would have preferred Endy to Brady Clark.

Howie seems to be getting increasingly frustrated with Castillo. "Castillo is a very passive hitter for a guy who can handle the bat well". In the 9th Howie described him as "passive and patient, almost to a fault."

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Finally some long balls

Sure it was Matt Chico and the Nationals, but still it was great to get that offensive explosion. Have we seen (okay, heard) that yet this year? Maybe that big win over Florida in the first week, but I can't remember the feeling of turning around a game like we got last night.

It's also nice that some balls off the Mets' bats left the park. Being tied with San Diego for last in homers was not what I had in mind for this year's Mets.

Maine was struggling with command tonight, but he managed to get through 6 2/3 with only 2ER against (thanks to Joe Smith too). I doubt he'd have survived against a better hitting team, but you take your good fortune and work on being better next time.

And, since I mentioned Smith, what a great job. I didn't see it, but at the time I was wondering if there was any intent in that pitch that caught Milledge. Then he comes back to get the DP.

At one point Howie said, "Everybody who's broadcast baseball has been influenced by the 'great Vin Scully'". I know, I know. I'm the only one. This was in reference to the fact that Wayne sometimes refers to "sacrifice flies" as "scoring fly-balls" as Scully does.

I listened to the New Jersey vs New York playoff game first. Exciting game, great Ranger win. And, I've never seen a guy score a goal in his own net off a face-off as Madden did late in the game with Brodeur pulled for the extra skater.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

42 – Magnificent night

The Nationals are struggling lately, but who cares? The Mets won on a "magnificent all-around night", as Howie put it. Pelfrey was fantastic; Reyes seemed like those couple of days off were just what the doctor ordered; David Wright was spraying hits around and plating runners as he does every night as Met fans dream of October glory; and Duaner Sanchez had a strong 9th inning in his return after nearly 2 years out injured. All of this on Jackie Robinson night. "Magnificent" is the right word.

During the 9th Howie recounted the events of July 31, 2006. Howie described how odd the day was as they learned about the trade that sent Xavier Nady to Pittsburgh for Roberto Hernandez & Oliver Perez and shortly thereafter the injury to Sanchez. Howie said that the Mets "have not been quite the same since. Nady was a very popular player here".

I have to say that I agree that the Mets have not been the same since, but I wasn't sure if it was the loss of Nady or Sanchez or just Omar's panic reaction that have done the most damage. (Yes, I know the trade doesn't seem so bad considering how Perez has pitched, but come on the Mets could have had him for a lot less than Nady.)

Governor Paterson was in the booth during the top of the 2nd. He's a "devoted WFAN listener". He mentioned that in 1987 he had won a gift on a Mets Extra call-in contest on a question about Randy Jones. (Howie was keen to know if he ever received his prize. He had.)

The Governor was on hand for the Jackie Robinson ceremonies. The way he talked to Howie it was clear that he knows Howie. But, of course the fact that Governor is blind means that if he wants to follow a Met game he'd listen to it on the radio.

Rachel Robinson (Mrs. Jackie) was Howie's guest in the bottom of the 2nd. She's always interesting, but because the Mets went meekly in the second her visit was short and she didn't have any reason to blurt out any excited cheers for the Mets as I've heard her do in the past.

All the players were wearing Jackie Robinson's 42, which led to some flashbacks for Howie. Looking at Brian Schneider he was reminded of Ron Hodges. Mike Pelfrey reminded him of Ron Taylor ("Dr. Ron Taylor now".). However, Carlos Delgado does not come close to filling out the uniform "Mo Vaughan style".

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Pittsburgh 6 - Los Angeles 4

No, Met game so I opted for Pittsburgh's broadcast of the game between Pittsburgh & Los Angeles. Why? Well, this might be sacrilegious, but I absolutely cannot stand Vin Scully. I don't know if I'm the only baseball fan alive who feels this way, but his whimsical style just drives me nuts. I first started disliking Scully back in the 70s when he did the Game of the Week on NBC with Joe Garagiola.

Anyway, I thought it was over for Pittsburgh with Saito in the game and the Pirates down 4-3. Nate McLouth - off to a great start - hit a 3-run-homer to win it for the Pirates in Los Angeles. Too bad Zach Duke (yes, my fantasy team) didn't get the win. Not a bad game to listen to, although I hardly paid much attention because I was in the middle of a serious meltdown on the work front.

On the first Wednesday of every month Pirate fans can chat online with the Pirates' President. I can just imagine the Wilpons trying that.

Pirates' radio team is a pair of "we've gotta / we're going to" types. I don't care for that in my radio broadcast.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Uggh

What an ugly game. During the top of the 9th Howie noted that any Met fan who started the day with a full head of hair would probably be reaching for the Rogaine by the end of today. I was thinking of reaching for the Rolaids, but both would probably be in order.

I know the Mets didn't set a record for hitting into double-plays, but they did find different ways to accomplish that trick. The one in the 8th was a killer, but even with all the DP's, this one's on Oliver Perez. Any time you get a 6-2 lead you gotta make it stand up.

Ya gotta love how the Mets helped turn around Eric Gagne's season, right? Again, uggh.

Howie said they lost in "excruciating fashion". You're not kidding.

I'm trying to convince myself that the Mets are getting their tailspin out of the way early this year to save Mets' fans hearts come September.

Philadelphia 7 - Chicago 1

So, I'm listening to Chicago vs Philadelphia and in the 2nd inning I hear Chris Wheeler, "What a spectacular catch by Shane Victorino". Uggh. This guy is breaking my heart. This was doubly so because Victorino had robbed Mark DeRosa (my fantasy team) with a leaping grab at the wall.

Cubs have not won a series in Philadelphia since April 2001.

Third straight bad start by Lilly (my fantasy team) for the Cubs. Lou better have a word.

Kicking it

Okay, that's it. I'm done with Johan Santana. He's not that good. Over-hyped and over-paid. What an idiot Omar is.

No, I don't believe any of that, but there are those commenting on Metsblog ...

Tough game, but you'll get these. The defense stunk. As Wayne Hagin wisely noted early on, "I don't care who you are, no pitcher wants to have to get 4 outs per inning". All too true. Rose & Hagin were both sure that the first inning 'hit' by Weeks should have been an error. Add that to the troubles Wright had at third and a wild pitch that Schneider might have blocked, well, Santana might have wondered if he was going through some form of odd hazing ritual by the Mets.

The Mets lost. They couldn't get the big hit early on when they might have put the game away, but at least they put the ball in play rather than K'ing in big spots.

Good teams shake these off and come out and win the series in the third game.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Brooklyn beats Brewers

Now that was a solid game. Almost tension free, which I like (and needed). If not for Wright's error in the 7th it would have been a close, but comfortable win. The error just added that little bit of discomfort, but Smith took care of it.

Great job by the pitchers again, particularly Brooklyn's Nelson Figueroa, of course. But, Heilman too, which was great to see (hear, actually). Howie was great getting all excited about Abraham Lincoln High & all the other people who graduated from there as well as Figueroa (including Mrs. Rose).

So far it's tough to score runs at Shea. Howie's been discussing the winds and the effect of Citifield. Maybe or maybe it's just cold and early in the year. I like it anyway. I've always been a 3-2 guy.

I'm looking forward to another Santana start this afternoon. Going up against Sheets. I hope the Mets score more than they did the last time Johan pitched.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Angel's in the Outfield

How many of the Mets' 4 wins would they have if they didn't have Angel Pagan playing Left Field in place of Alou? I think probably only one. Last night he scored twice and drove in the game winner in the 12th. Before that he set the table for a winner with a sacrifice bunt in the 8th, but the Mets failed to score.

It was an exciting win, but let's not forget the key failures of the game: Heilman - obviously and Beltran.

Beltran got his 2nd RBI of the year, but there were a couple of big ones he could/should have had. Hagin has mentioned a few times lately that Beltran's low RBI total is a reflection of how few runners have been on base in front of Beltran, which is true to an extent. He's hit a ton of doubles with nobody on.

But this week alone he seems to have come up small in key moments. Last night in the 8th and the 10th were both opportunities for Beltran to put the Mets ahead or win the game. In the 8th all he had to do was hit the ball in the air and Reyes would have scored the go-ahead run.

Then there's Heilman. I don't know what to say. I was never overly sold on him. I'm convinced he doesn't have the mental make-up for the 8th inning.

Good job by Schoenweiss, Feliciano, Smith & Sosa. And, Wagner. I was surprised Wagner was as sharp as he was given the long lay off. Rose was excited by the pitch he used to get Howard. Rose thought it was a change-up, which would be new for Wagner.

You gotta love Schneider throwing out Victorino in the 6th.

You think Eric Bruntlett's happy to be leaving town? He couldn't get a bunt down in the 11th and that was huge.

I still haven't seen the Mets (my VCR failures cost me last night's game) so I don't know what the team looks like this year. Howie said, "Delgado looks noticeably slimmer this year". Apparently Howie asked Delgado about this and he says he's around the same weight he was at the end of last season, but 22lbs lighter than he was in spring training last year. He's off to a good start, sort of, the power doesn't seem to be there yet, but I guess we'll see how this goes.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Errors and walks and wild pitches, Oh My

I don't know if the Mets needed to win last night's game, but I needed them to win. And it doesn't matter to me that the Phillies basically handed the game to the Mets with their poor pitching and inept defense. A win is a win and an 8-2 win was what was needed.

Wow, do the Phillies miss Rollins in the line-up, if only for his defense. Bruntlett doesn't have his range - didn't get the ball off Easley's bat in the 3rd and then he bobbled the grounder by Reyes and saw Wright's ground ball go under his glove (Hagin).

Pelfrey did a good job of getting that first pitch over, which he's often struggeld with. And I liked how he got out of the jam in the 2nd with only one run scored. I wish he had been able to go more than 5 innings.

Howie was as frustrated as I was in the 2nd asking, "Where's the big hit"? After another walk by Kendrick Howie said, "Beltran's gotta be looking dead red here". You could almost feel his frustration when Beltran took strike 1 and then grounded out to 2nd after looking at two strikes and two balls.

Still, all was more relaxed after the 6 run 3rd inning.

How many times over this year and future years will I hear Howie's (or Wayne') voice rise in excitement only to hear him deflatedly finish with "Victorino makes the catch". Uggh. It's wearing me out.

Wayne made me chuckle for the first time discussing possible interference by Pelfrey after his 3rd inning bunt: "The guy moves in sections; he is 6'7". I also think he (Hagin) is starting feel like the Mets' announcer. He seems more comfortable.

There were a couple of good light moments during the game. First Howie told the story of Kendrick's 'trade to Japan'. Apparently, the whole Phillie organization was in on this ruse that had Kendrick traded to a Japanese club.

Later when the game started to drag, there was some good chatter between Hagin & Rose about Wayne's ten years in Colorado and how long the games used to be there. Howie said Wayne deserved a medal for his time served there. Howie also recalled Bob Murphy, who always seemed to be in a good mood, after one long game angrily saying "I don't know what the heck you call that, but it sure wasn't baseball".

Rangers win and Mets win. A good night.

Rangers 4 - Devils 1

I figured I'd listen to the Rangers before tuning into the Mets' game from last night. Thanks to NHL.com's radio service I was able to hear the whole game without finding out anything about what happened at Shea. Now it's time for me to listen to the Mets.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

I blame Omar more than Willie

It's definitely NOT too early to be concerned about the Mets. Sure it's very early, but we have seen too little evidence that the team is in any meaningful way changed from last year's catastrophic collection of individuals.

I wrote a comment on Kranepoolsociety.com about this and thought I'd restate it here.

I get it that a lot of people question Willie's in-game management and, yeah, it's not great at times. However, the bigger problem is that this Mets team just seems to lack character.

The team was put together by Omar. There are simply too many aging, fading big name/big salary players on this team. You know all those jokes that Yankee fans (and others) like to make about how old the Mets are? Well, there's more than a grain of truth there.

Omar is responsible for this. He signed Castillo to a four-year deal. He traded Milledge and resigned Alou. He decided that it was okay to believe in Pedro and El Duque. He put together this bullpen. He assembled the squad of characterless players. And, he's presided over the understocked farm system. That's all his doing and that's a bigger issue than anything Randolph has done.

Oh, and Omar's responsible for hiring Randolph. I don't think Willie's a bad manager, but he sure looks like the wrong manager now. Bad fits, bad arms, bad legs, bad contracts - that's all on Omar.

Met fans are lucky

I'm watching Los Angeles vs Arizona right now. Oh Lord, but I don't know how the people of Phoenix can stand listening to these guys. Mark Grace is driving me nuts. And, the play-by-play guy - don't know his name - is a ridiculous homer.

By the way, Michah Owings is very lucky he pitches in Chase Field and not CBP or Great American Ballpark. The number of long, long fly outs is incredible.

McCarthy

I listened to Evans & Roberts' interview with Tom McCarthy on WFAN (get it here). Okay, okay, I'm going to give Hagin more time, but hearing McCarthy again reminded me how I wish he was still in the radio booth with Howie. Hagin is probably a better play-by-play man than McCarthy, but I think he's too dry to work well with Rose. {Yes, yes I know, it's early and Hagin will - I hope - grow more comfortable with the new role and with working with Howie Rose.}

Home Opener

This was one of those games where you're just waiting for the Mets to put up a big number. It seemed like every inning Howie & Wayne were describing a tremendous play by Victorino, but I kept expecting that eventually those hits were going to fall in/hit the wall/clear the wall and the Mets would have a big inning. Moyer seemed to survive by the skin of his teeth and the Mets rued all those missed hangers and deep outs.

Perez was also living dangerously, but he escaped thanks to Smith. Sosa, Schoenweiss & Heilman, however ...

That was the 8th time the Mets have played Philadelphia for the home opener and the first time they've lost.

Whatever about what happened during and just after the game, I thought I heard some boos for many of the Mets as they were introduced. Heilman, Schoenweiss, Pelfrey in particular. Kind of surprised me, but the first two earned those boos later.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Rockies 2 - Braves 1

Decided to go with the Rockies' broadcast rather than the Braves'. No good reason other than I wanted to hear what they had to say about Aaron Cook (my fantasy team). Thanks to that decision I learned that in in Colorado the starting pitcher decides what uniform the team wears. Cook likes the black top. I haven't heard anything like that about any team and its uniforms before.

I haven't mentioned it yet, but I hate seeing the Mets in those black tops.

Sheeesh, but the Rockies' announcers could hardly have been more fawning in their discussion of Tom Glavine. Left me feeling kind of queasy. At least they acknowledged that he imploded during the last game of the 2007 season.

Glavine was lights out last night. He left after a very strong 6 1/3. Remember last year's 6 runs in the 3rd at Coors? (Actually, I had to look that one up. That's not the point!) One difference is that it was very cold in Denver yesterday - temperature below 40° at game time. The hitters for both teams were swinging early as if they wanted to get back to the bench quickly.

{I know a lot of Met fans get angry - a lot. For some reason I don't get too angry at the Mets or even Willie too often. Frustrated yes, but not that angry. But Glavine makes me angry. It's unreasonable, but I don't care. I was just fuming as I listened to this game. I was relieved when Holliday went deep in the 8th to take away the W for Glavine. If only it had been early enough to allow Cook - 7 inn, 1R, 2H - to get the win. I guess, you can't have everything.}

Shortest game in Coors Field history - 2'05". Like I said, the hitters seemed to want to get back to the bench in a hurry. It was cold.

Hmm. Ads for Playboy - 'baseball preview issue out now' - during the games on KOA. Different.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Just like 1975

For the first time since I first subscribed to MLB.com audio, I feel like I did as a kid. Nothing like having the ace pitch a great game and lose because he gave up one run. And that run scored on a ball that might have been caught (according to Howie). When I was a little kid the Mets lost these sorts of games all the time. (The 2-run HR in the 8th off the reliever was also part of the plot in the old days.)

Okay, not a great week. Not a disaster either (despite what you might read in the comments at Metsblog). If the Mets had a tough week, Philadelphia had a worse one. They were roughed up again today, they play in Cincinnati again tomorrow and then travel to New York to play at Shea on Tuesday. I hope the Reds keep pounding the Phillies' pitching.

Wayne Hagin. I'm trying not to jump to an early conclusion. And, my complaint today is probably almost too petty, but ...

When Delgado got doubled off on the line drive (by Church?) Hagin was almost giddy about Kotsay's play. Still kind of grating on me. I can't put my finger on it and I'm not looking for a 'homer' in the booth, but a little less glee would be nice.

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Pitching let down in Atlanta

Not a great game, huh? You could just feel that big hit by Johnson coming. I was expecting to hear that Feliciano was coming in there, but Willie went with Sosa. Still, I'm more disappointed in Maine than in Sosa. I was hoping he'd have one of his big games today.

Uggh - Hagin: "Beltran looked like Andruw Jones on that one" on a 3rd inning on fly by Kotsay. I know what he's saying, but I don't want to hear that stuff. He has to learn that we HATE the Braves. Hagin then followed that with a comment that "Delgado has not hit as we know he is capable of". I wish I knew that Delgado is still capable of hitting like that.

Hagin did make a good point in the 9th about how Reyes's at bat in the 7th was a pivotal moment in the game. That was when the Mets needed a big hit. It got away from them after Jose failed to move the runners up with 1st and 2nd and nobody out and the Mets down 2.

Hard to believe the umps overruled the call on Reyes's hit. Rose & Hagin were both sure that the original call was wrong.

Howie was talking about Nelson Figueroa - high school at Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn; pitched in Mexico and Taiwan last year - when he let us know that after the September 11 attacks, Figueroa designed tee shirts to aid the families of victims. Wayne added that Figueroa would like to do something similar for those serving in the military. Sounds like Figueroa has a decent understanding of the world outside of baseball.

Cincinnati 4 - Philadelphia 3

I wish I was watching this game as it ended. Cincinnati had 2nd and 3rd with one out and Paul Bako hitting. Chris Wheeler described what happened as the following: 'ground ball to Rollins's right and he throws to 1st'?

What's going on here? Did Rollins forget how many outs there were or what inning it was?

Both Wheeler and color man Larry Anderson said that there was no way he was going to get Ryan Freel at home anyway, but still you have to throw home if only in hope that the runner might trip or miss the plate or whatever. Strange.

Regardless, another Philadelphia loss and that ain't a bad thing.

Philadelphia 8 - Cincinnati 4

Thanks to the rain in Atlanta I tuned into the Phillies - Reds game from Cincinnati. Not much to report. I was disappointed that the Reds only scored 4 runs. From the sound of things, they had Kendrick's number early on, but were hitting into tough luck.

Pretty annoying hearing the Phillies' announcers advertising their upcoming Sunday afternoon game. Every fan attending that game will receive a free "National East Champions" cap. Uggh. Still hard to believe.

Rained out in Atlanta

This was supposed to be the first game I could watch, but it's rained out. It's always a mystery here as to which coverage we'll get. It seems to me that whenever the Braves are involved NASN generally picks up the TBS coverage. But not last night. Nope. When I tuned in at 12:30 I saw Gary, Keith & Ron. Within a few seconds I realized the opportunity was lost and that the game had been postponed.

No televised baseball today thanks to the NCAA basketball. It now looks like my first televised Met game will be Thursday night's game against Philadelphia.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Pittsburgh 4 - Atlanta 3

No Met game, so I listened to the Pirates & Braves instead. I do that a lot. When there isn't a Met game I'll choose another NL game to listen to. I rarely listen to the AL.

Anyway, it's always good when Atlanta loses. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if Zach Duke had gotten the win because he's on my fantasy team. Oh well.

Mike Hampton was supposed to pitch, but was scratched just at game time. The Atlanta announcers explained later that Hampton had a strain in his pectoral muscle. They were pretty downcast about it. This was going to be Hampton's first start since August 19, 2005 . Hard luck for Hampton, but I'm shedding no tears for the Braves and their pitching problems.

Before the game I heard some of Skip Carey's pre-game interview with Bobby Cox. Cox is not a fan of the maple bats. He said that too many of them are breaking and that they're a lethal weapon and pitchers, fielders, fans and others are at risk. He said the player's union won't consider banning them.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Booing Lo Duca

I was listening to the Washington vs Philadelphia game this evening. I only tuned in in the 7th inning. Anyway, Lo Duca came up as a pinch hitter in the 8th and the Phillie fans booed him. From what I could gather the Phillie fans have been booing him every time he batted. The Philadelphia announcers said Lo Duca had no idea why he was being booed, but he did offer possible explanations: (a) he was named in the Mitchell Report and (b) he played for the Mets.

I hope it's the latter because that's just so pathetic. Do Philadelphia fans boo every ex-Met?

MLB Audio went down in the bottom the 9th and I missed the Phillies' walk-off walk win.

Rx for the Pedro blues

Feeling better today? A 13-0 win will do that for you.

Is it too soon to say that the Mets are definitely improved in right-field both offensively and defensively? Wayne Hagin made a good comment after Church's throw to nail Ramirez in the 1st about how he has always felt that a good defensive play can lift a team even more than a big hit. Sure worked out that way last night after all the doom & gloom thanks to the Pedro news. Later Church hit the first HR of the year for the Mets. He's hitting lefties - a good omen.

Howie returned to a theme he mentioned frequently last year when he talked about how fragile Perez can be. Rose commented that Perez gave up "20 unearned runs in 2007 and that's not all bad luck … watch his body language … disparity between unearned and earned runs tells you something about his deportment". Good stuff.

There was an interesting exchange between Rose & Hagin on the home run records in the 90's. I was wondering what was going through Hagin's mind when Rose broached the subject after all the difficulty Hagin had after he made a steroids comment about Todd Helton. Nobody mentioned Helton, but Hagin complimented Rose's honesty and added his own comment on the current single season home-run record being the result of added juice.

Obviously, Hagin's still settling in. I'm assuming that he'll get to the point where he stops describing the Mets players as if the listeners don't know more than the basics about them. Every Met fan knows that David Wright likes to hit the ball to right field. Even during Mets Extra Hagin sounds like he's describing the 'other team' when he talks about the Mets.

Funniest moment of the night was when Wayne described Paul Hoover as a 'Jeff Cirrilo type or Nomar' due to all the time he takes outside the box after each pitch. Howie replied "he reminds me of Jimmy Qualls" a typical Howie remark. Had me laughing as Hoover was the guy who's infield single broke-up John Maine's no hitter last September. (I suspect that other than Wayne, every other listener knows exactly who Jimmy Qualls is.)

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Rose

I know I referred to it below, but I love the way Howie Rose treats Met fans as adults. He doesn't shy away from 'inconvenient truths' as he sees them.

When Florida intentionally walked Delgado Rose questioned the move based on the player Delgado is today. He seemed to think Florida was walking the Delgado from 2006, not the one from last year and what he's seen so far this spring. I think Wayne Hagin was somewhat caught off guard by this bit of honesty from Rose, but he'll get used to it.

Down, but not yet out

In my mind this was the game that would tell us more about how good this year's Mets will be. Will Pedro be the pretty darn good pitcher that most of us have been led to believe we'd see this year? If yes, the Mets would look very strong. If not, big question mark.

What can be said now? All the hope seems dashed this evening. Downcast describes the mood among the Flushing Faithful, but I think we're somewhat overreacting. I actually think the Mets were always going to have to find another starter this year.

I think the bigger worry is Delgado. Sure I haven't seen him yet, but from what I'm hearing from Howie (& Wayne) I get the sense that Delgado looks at best like he did last year. Uggh. That's a serious problem if Delgado's going to hit .225 in the middle of the order again.

Good job by the pen until the 2 out HR in the 10th off Wise. I'm almost starting to believe in Sosa.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Opening Day

I know it's a cliché, but Opening Day really is fantastic. Listening to Howie describe Johan Santana's first start as a Met was a treat. At one stage he said it was "almost sad watching those batters flail at that change-up".

I know I should have been excited when the Mets got Santana, but I wasn't. I think it was part of the hang-over from what happened last fall. It wasn't until the second inning yesterday that I really started to get excited about Santana being a Met. I prefer the Mets to be built around pitching rather than offense. The feeling of confidence having Santana on the mound was so familiar and has been absent for so long.

Nice comfortable win on Opening Day.

Introduction

I've been toying with this idea for a while now. I don't see the Mets too often because I live in Ireland and our channel for baseball - NASN - loves the Yankees and the Red Sox. For the most part I follow the Mets via MLB.com's Gameday audio, which I think is fantastic value at $15 per year for all the games for all the teams. They even let you choose whether you want the home or away broadcast and, if you want, you can choose the Spanish broadcast.

I first subscribed to MLB's audio service in 2006. For the past two years Howie Rose and Tom McCarthy have been my eyes. I think Rose and McCarthy were a great team and I was disappointed when I read that McCarthy had left for t.v. work with the Phillies. Now I'll have to get used to Wayne Hagin, who has taken over for McCarthy.

Seeing as we're five hours ahead of New York, I don't tend to listen live because most games start at midnight our time. I generally listen first thing in the morning while at my desk working. It's not hard to avoid finding out the results of the previous night's games since Irish radio news bulletins don't tend to carry baseball scores.

I hope to keep this going for at least this year, Shea's last. Let's Go Mets.