Mets on the Wireless

Strangest team - ever

2008-09-26T10:08:00.003+01:00

I don't know what to think or what to say. This team is ... mind-boggling. One day I can't think or work and have to go for a long walk because the loss is so devastating and the next day I can't think or work because the win so exhilarating. Sheesh.

I don't know how Howie holds it together - and there are times when he doesn't - but I'm sure I'd have been uttering only partial words during the 9th innings of each of the past two games. What the heck kind of team is this?

*****

Not only am I rooting for the Cubs to win this weekend, but I'm also keen to see Atlanta win tonight. Why? Because if the Mets & Brewers both lost the first two this weekend then Houston will still be in the Wild Card hunt. And, Chicago has one rainout with Houston to make up after Hurricane Ike. How keen do you think the Cubs will be to have to fly to Houston to play on Monday? Yeah, exactly. So, it will be in Chicago's best interest to LOSE on Sunday to Milwaukee if it comes down to that.

Of course, if the Mets just win then all this is moot. So how about a sweep this weekend?

It's not just Met fans

2008-09-05T09:45:00.002+01:00

This is what I read today about the team's ace. Not quite enough of an edge. A little too much stoicism. He's pitched a lot of innings and yet, he seems a little too cautious. That's Cole Hamels according to to yesterday's Philadelphia Inquirer.

Nothing to fear, but

2008-09-05T09:30:00.003+01:00

I seem to have less to say now that the Mets are playing well. Isn't that always the way? Loads of criticism, but little praise. I should try.

I suppose I should write about my fears now that things are going well since I have little enough to be angry about. How 'bout Ayala? How long will it be before he reverts to his Nationals' form? Or he simply joins the rest of his bullpen colleagues in mediocrity (or worse)?

What if Wagner can't come back?

What if Delgado cools off? Who'll pick up the slack?

What if Pedro's not going to be able to go again this year?

Oh, I wish I could just enjoy the hot streak. Maybe if they win this weekend's series I'll relax.

*****

I take it El Duque will not be back this year?

*****

Am I the only one who can find anything positive to say about Wayne Hagin? Okay, he's not Bob Murphy, but he's a decent announcer. He's honest, which I like. I was afraid he'd adopt the mantle of a homer who sees no wrong with the home team. When he sees something wrong in the way a Met or the Mets are playing, he lets us know. What else? Well, I think he's got a better baseball eye than Howie has. He seems to have a great understanding of pitching and he has a good sense when a hitter is about to do something special. He also does a good job of assessing the defenders and whether they're in position and whether he thinks their head(s) are in the game.

Don't get me wrong, he still drives me nuts and I still love Howie. It's just that too many Met fans are way too negative about Hagin.

*****

I listened to the San Diego vs Milwaukee game last night. (No Met game.) I know one of the announcers was Bob Uecker, but when the other guy took over I had trouble distinguishing his voice. The two of them sound so alike.

What would drive me nuts if I was a Brewers fan is how much time they spent discussing (fairly) irrelevant issues. It seemed like they talked about the farm system for a couple of innings. I mean, that's fine if your team is out of it, but the Brewers are still likely to make the post-season.

And they have GOT TO LET GO of the CC Sabathia "no-hitter". I saw the play and kind of figure a base hit was not a wacky decision. It was going to be a tough play for Sabathia. He rushed because he knew it was going to be a tight play and he fluffed it. An error or a hit - either would have been fair. The Brewers really should just let it go. What relevance does it have for their playoff run? Wrong focus, methinks.

Two and a half weeks away ...

2008-08-29T11:18:00.002+01:00

I was on vacation. In America. I should have been getting a full diet of baseball and loads of Met games, but somehow I didn't see as much of the Mets this time as I usually do. And because the scores are everywhere I couldn't do as I do here and listen to the full broadcast the next morning in ignorance of the result. Too many family commitments on this trip to get my full allocation of Met games.

I did get to two games - Aug 7 against the Padres and Aug 19 against the Braves. Both exciting wins. I saw the ends of quite a few games, but missed too many innings during the Mets' good streak of 9 wins out of 10 games. (I also went to see the Pawtucket Red Sox, which was a great night out while visiting SE Massachusetts.)

I was listening to the game from Philly on Wednesday night and after Delgado hit the second home-run I thought to myself, "Is Delgado the Mets' MVP? Could he be the League MVP? Yes, if this keeps up." Funny to read that Keith H mentioned it during the broadcast and then it was all over the papers the next morning.

Talk about enjoyable? I listened to last night's Phillies and Cubs game on WPHT and the Phillies blew the game in the 8th. Again. Two tough losses in a row. This one really hurt because Hamels pitched a great game for 7 innings.

Off to Shea

2008-08-05T17:32:00.002+01:00

An annual pilgrimage ever since I relocated to the far side of the Atlantic. I love getting to Shea every year, but I can't believe this will be my last trip. I wonder if I'll be less interested in the result than in just absorbing as much as I can of my Flushing home. I'll try to keep my sentimentality to a minimum here.

What of the team on the field? Uggh. After all that July excitement it takes a week for them to return to third, 3 games back. I hope they start getting it back on track tonight. It's pretty clear that the Mets are still too light in the bullpen and that the line-up is no where near what it might have been (with Alou & Church).

I'm also disappointed in Santana, who needs to start going more than 7 regularly for me to believe he's not just way over-hyped. I'm almost wondering if he's better than Aaron Cook, who makes pitching deep in games a habit.

It's time for Beltran to take a leaf out of Delgado's book and figure out what the heck is wrong. Time for him step it up. Maybe hitting 2nd is the key.

4 out of 6 - not bad

2008-07-28T14:27:00.002+01:00

Sure more would have been better, but I'm somewhat heartened by the way the Mets played after losing on Tuesday & Saturday nights. Two tough losses - especially Tuesday night against Philadelphia - and they responded very well. That's new and another reason to believe. It's one thing to run off 10 straight, but it's another to win 2 and take the series after a stomach punch like the one the Mets took on Tuesday night.

I'm still not sure they have the horses to win, but at least they seem to have the character, which was really the bigger question.

*****

Great listening to Howie reminisce about the Jethro Tull concert back in the mid 70s this week. He cracks me up.

Here come the Phils

2008-07-22T10:50:00.002+01:00

I should be looking forward to these three games, right? I sort of am. I guess I'm still waiting to be convinced that the run before the All Star Game is real and wasn't just a function of playing San Francisco & Colorado.

Tonight's the real test. Whatever about the Mets beating Philadelphia, this is a real test for Johan Santana. He's supposed to be the ace so how 'bout pitching like one. He's been mostly good, but he's been nowhere near what I think Met fans hoped he'd be. I was skeptical before the trade because I was unimpressed with him last year when he took himself out of a game after 8 innings despite the face he had a shutout going and had 17 K's. What big time starter doesn't want to finish that one? To try for the record 20 K's?

The Phillies haven't been hitting lately. They had a tough weekend in Miami. The Mets had a mixed weekend in Cincy. I'd have been happier if they'd won a game without so much sweat and lost one after making it tough on the Reds, but didn't happen.

We all want 2 of 3, but more than that I want to see the Ace pitch like an Ace or I'll begin to believe the Mets will be a long time recovering from the Santana contract.

Nothing but 0s

2008-07-14T15:47:00.003+01:00

What a week for the pitching staff. Pelfrey - again - outstanding. It's not as sudden as some would have us believe, but his consistency has been amazing. He's shown occasional glimpses of what he was capable of, but now I'm so confident when he's on the mound. I knew - KNEW - the game was over the second the ball left Beltran's bat. I never really doubted again.

If Pedro had gone 7 on Saturday I'd have nothing to worry about. However, his short outing is a concern. I'm not sure he can be relied on to remain healthy the rest of the season. And, if he goes down, we'll see ... El Duque? Maybe otherwise we'll see ...? Armas is out injured. Is Claudio Vargas still hanging around New Orleans? I don't even know.

Reyes should be on the All Star Team. No question. The NL Players are worse than the fans as choosing Ramirez was not outrageous, but Tejada and Guzman? Give me a break.

"As long as he's not a Met fan"

2008-07-12T20:08:00.002+01:00

I'm listening to the Giants & Cubs from Wrigley on WGN. Only half paying attention because it's 7-0 in the 6th. Harden was tremendous.

Anyway, I pricked up my ears when I heard Ron Santo say that he didn't mind if a fan was a Cardinals fan. Pat Hughes asked him about it and Santo responded that (from memory) "No, Cardinals fan is okay. As long as he's not a Mets fan".

I didn't know that Santo hated us. I say he should be booed next time he shows his mug at Shea.

Good OIlie

2008-07-12T20:04:00.003+01:00

Wow! Three straight good starts by Oliver Perez. I'm reconsidering my view that he should be dealt. I half expected the performances against the Yankees & Phillies (both lefty dominated), but last night he did well against a righty-stacked line-up.

This is the kind of roll I really like. I love good pitching. Hitting is streaky and a 7 game winning streak can become a 7 game losing streak. Pitching is less streaky. I'm feeling better about the team's future.

*****
I just want to update on Wayne Hagin: he's getting more comfortable and more forceful in his opinions. He's growing on me.

Tatis & the staff

2008-07-11T13:55:00.002+01:00

I know the Giants can't hit, but still that was as good a pitching display over three games as we've seen by the Mets in a while. Other than Maine's roughish outing - 3ER in 4 2/3 isn't horrendous - the staff really came through. That's what I anticipated at the start of the year: only I thought it would be Martinez who'd be giving Santana a run for his money as 'ace' and not Pelfrey.

You know when Milwaukee was in New York and Gabe Kapler was beating up the Mets I 'wondered' about what he'd been up to while he was out of baseball. He seemed like superman reborn. Well, Tatis has been every bit as good as Kapler.

*****
Great moment on Wednesday night when Howie described the moment Seaver came to bat in the 8th inning on July 8, 1969. Howie said it was possibly the moment he'd remember best about Shea. He set it up well with the background about life in NY in the late 60s and the Mets franchise up to that summer. Howie said it was the loudest he ever heard Shea and that was a reflection of what was going on in the game, but also how much everyone in the stadium realized that the Mets were for real. The team had come of age. And here, coming to the plate, was the Mets' answer to Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Ted Williams. The Mets own superstar, Tom Seaver.

Whew!

2008-07-08T10:14:00.006+01:00

You wanna feel good about the three wins over the weekend, but last night was way too shaky. They coasted after getting the big lead and it nearly cost them. Imagine

I remember a while back when the Mets reached .500 after a long phase below that Willie Randolph talked as if that was the last we'd see of a sub-.500 club this year. Then the Mets went on another tailspin getting swept in San Diego and, well, that's where we've been ever since. Now they've won 5 or 8 on a road trip to St. Louis & Philadelphia. They're back above .500 and they're within striking distance of the Phillies. Is this just another tease?

I would have preferred it if they had won more easily last night. I didn't like sweating the 7th-9th innings. I know Howard's HR should have been a double. But, of course, Charlie Manuel helped out by subbing Bruntlett for Utley in the 6th inning.

How 'bout Oliver Perez? I'd written him off, but maybe all he needed was a change of manager and pitching coach? Maybe? We'll see how this develops, but he's been good since Rick Peterson "went for his tea" (as they say on this side).

*****
Last night on the tag play at home where Easley was thrown out trying to score on Martinez's 6th inning single Wayne Hagin described the decoying Chris Coste as standing there like "a street-walker". Don't think he meant that.

Good enough?

2008-07-04T08:40:00.003+01:00

Four games in St. Louis and two wins. You didn't expect more than that, did you? So it wasn't a lost series, but that Wednesday night game just irks, doesn't it? If it weren't for all the other games "like this" you'd just chalk it up saying "every team is going to have its games like this".

So, at least last night was an easy win. I thought Howie made a good point in the 5th when he wondered if Jerry Manuel would remove Ryan Church, who was slated to rest tonight. Manuel didn't make the move, but gave Wright half a game off.

How long will the Mets give Pedro to get it together? The velocity is there, but he can't command his pitches. Did he come back too soon? Would he go to New Orleans to work on his command? At the moment I'd rather the Mets stick with Armas for a few weeks and give Pedro time off (or in the minors) to work on his issues. There's even a chance Hernandez - remember him? - will be back to pitch and free up Pedro even more.

Medicority

2008-06-25T09:36:00.002+01:00

Is that it? The end of all hope? I doubt it, actually, but there was something eerily final about last night's performance. It was as if the last shred of doubt about this team were finally eradicated. We've now seen incontrovertible evidence that the problems with this teams were not just Willie Randolph.

Perez - a bad outing. As Howie noted (again) there are two Oliver Perezes: Good Ollie and Bad Ollie. And not a lot in between. Last night we saw Bad Ollie, who has been more and more frequently seen this season. This followed another disappointing outing from Santana (& don't talk to me about Wright's error - that was only one base-runner of the 5 he allowed). The staff is, at best, mediocre.

The offense couldn't be more streaky. I can't understand why a team with so much speed is so streaky. Speed doesn't slump, right? Anyway, this team can't hit for power and doesn't run enough to make up for that. Yes, I know Wright sat it out, but how much of a difference would he have made? Anyway, the offense is mediocre too.

A mediocre pitching staff and a mediocre offense adds up to ... yup, a mediocre ball club.

2008-06-22T11:51:00.004+01:00

It's not that they lost last night's game, but one play in particular that's annoying me today. Until last night's game I'd been feeling good about the direction of the team. It was the 4th when Jiminez had walked Castillo and Wright to start the inning and the Mets were leading 1-0. Beltran stepped to the plate and just like Howie I had visions of a big hit that would provide the Mets with a cushion. And, what happens? Beltran bunts the first pitch foul.

He bunted. What was he thinking? This is the same kind of stupidity that I was hoping that they'd left behind them last week (not that Willie ever wanted Beltran to bunt). That dumb play helped Jiminez settle and he got Beltran to ground into a force play and Delgado followed that up with a ground ball double play.

*****
By the way, great exchange between Howie & Wayne on Howie's Manhattan driving during Friday night's game. Again, there are times when I really enjoy Wayne.

I was going to abandon this, but won't for now

2008-06-19T13:22:00.004+01:00

It's got nothing to do with Willie being fired. I just find I don't have the time I used to have to write here. I'm still listening to the games, although - believe it or not - I ran out of time for last night's game during the bottom of the 9th. I found out the score from the NYTimes web site.

I was not happy with the way the Mets handled the Willie firing, but it was hardly unexpected. Reading Randolph's comments yesterday in the NY Times has me wondering if he was just feeling too sorry for himself to get this team in gear. We'll see.

By the way, didn't the Angels do a TERRIBLE job of running the bases in this series?

And for all you doubters out there, I'll say it again. Wayne's not that bad. He knows the game. His tone and manner can get on my nerves at times, but I have to admit that I'm beginning to like listening to him and Howie together. They're both critically supportive, which is how I like my announcers.

2008-06-13T09:23:00.002+01:00

Well the buzz we got from Beltran's 13th inning 'heroics' on Wedensday lasted a long time, huh? I'm not in a good mood today.

I found out early yesterday that the Met game was on live here. Midweek, prime-time Met games on t.v. are not a daily occurrence here in W. Europe. Unfortunately, I couldn't watch the game live because the rest of the family wanted to watch soccer. {And, truth be told, I didn't want to miss either of the games either. Croatia vs Germany was great stuff and I enjoyed the 1-1 game between Austria & Poland.}

So I set the VCR. It was about 10:30 or so when I started watching. And it was enjoyable. No? I mean Santana was pitching the way we all expected him too. Even those of us who weren't keen on the deal (I think that's pretty much me on my own) expected him to be this good on a fairly regular basis.

After he got through the 7th, I figured he'd be out for the 8th. Yes, 116 pitches and all that, but he's a big boy and even a tiring Santana is better than, well, pretty much anybody in the bullpen. But, no. Santana didn't. Willie hit for him in the 7th with Chris Aguila. I'm not even sure Aguila is a better hitter than Santana, but whatever.

Look, I know baseball has changed, but still. I doubt any manager ever hit for Seaver when he had a 2-0 lead. Definitely not when Seaver was in his prime as Santana is now. I don't care about pitch counts. Santana is supposed to be the team's stopper, their ace. He MUST pitch that 8th inning after a long game the night before. He MUST. So my sympathy for him losing the W is minimal. (I love the fact that Ralph was making the point about starters and their short outings earlier in the game.)

Wright popping out with one out and the bases loaded in the 7th was huge. I could handle the lack of offense against Haren, but the 7th was the time for the Mets to put the game away. Wagner should have had the day off.

As for Wagner. I never much liked him. I remember when he was with Philadelphia he was never one of those 9th inning guys who I felt meant "Game over" for the Mets when I saw him coming in. Now he's finally developing into that pitcher, only he's no longer with Philadelphia. Yeah, it's a slump. He'll come out of it. we hope.

"Mets win the game - again"

2008-06-12T10:45:00.005+01:00

"Mets win the game - again". That's how Howie described it after Beltran's 13th inning winner. Joy mixed with relief because the Mets should have wrapped this one in the regulation 9.

I understand why Willie took Pelfrey out in the 9th. 112 pitches and he hasn't thrown that many too often. And, it was the 9th and he'd just given up a hit. I know the crowd booed, but did you really think Willie was going to leave Pelfrey in when the Mets needed to win that game?

Of course, that need is really dependent on whether you believe the Mets have a real shot still. I'm inclined to think otherwise and wouldn't have minded Pelfrey staying in for that reason. The Mets need Pelfrey to be a tough guy and trying to gut it out in the 9th might have helped there. Might have. Pelfrey has, it should be said, been showing some real toughness lately. So, like I said I didn't really mind Pelfrey coming out at that point.

Wagner's certainly lost it, unfortunately. He was untouchable before he mouthed off after that game a few weeks ago. Since then he's been all too hittable. And he hasn't been used all that much either. There have been few enough save opportunities lately.

I thought the Mets might have put the game out of reach when Webb left, but no such luck. The offense seems to have gone back to its no-late-inning-runs mode again. At least they got 2 in the 13th. Right?
*****

Howie remarked a number of times at how quiet it was at Shea after the homer off Wagner. It's what happens when your feeling punchy. How many times can Met fans take a blow to the head and answer the bell this year?

Starting the bottom of the 13th Howie pointed out that the fans had had an hour and a half to recover from the shock of Mark Reynolds's 9th inning HR. You could hear more life from the crowd when the Mets came to bat. Even after Wright was out - after just missing a pitch that he should have crushed - the crowd was a little livelier than in the 10th & 11th. Shock wears off. Eventually.

Not snake-bit, but flea-bitten

2008-06-11T14:39:00.003+01:00

It's easier when you accept it. If you keep fighting it, keep hoping it's not true, keep thinking that your eyes (and/or ears) are wrong, keep dismissing everything logic tells you the angrier and sorrier you're going to be. Because eventually the truth will sink in and you'll be left pondering how you didn't see it.

Who do you blame for last night's loss? John Maine? Could be. Claudio Vargas? Maybe. Duaner Sanchez, Joe Smith? Either would be worthy choices The offense? Well, after the first few innings you could make the case. I don't blame any of them. The team is simply not that good and teams that aren't that good lose games the way the Mets lost last night.

They build a sizable lead and then hand it back. Eventually all you're left with is a highlight of Wagner and Schoenweiss helping the grounds crew with the tarp.

*****
Even Howie seems to have resigned himself to the fate of this year's Mets. His voice is lacking any real passion now and he can see 3½ months of tedious baseball ahead of him. Wayne is probably still happy just to be working and not as concerned that the games before him will be devoid of real excitement.

Back from my short break

2008-06-10T23:28:00.000+01:00

I nearly didn't come back here. I went away over the weekend, which is what broke my momentum with the blog. I didn't miss any of the games in San Diego, in case you're thinking I was on retreat. I heard them all. Every excruciating inning.

I did write not that long ago that this team simply wasn't that good. Then they started playing better and I wondered (hoped) that my diagnosis was premature. But, no. The team's not that good. Worse, it's not likely to get better. Old & over paid is not easy to remedy, particularly when so many are under long term contracts.

Here's a question for you. Will Carlos Beltran hit 25 homers? Ever again? If not, is his fairly decent defense enough compensation to keep him in center? And, shouldn't he be batting second?

Anyway, three with the struggling, but young, Arizona Diamondbacks. The Mets could use a sweep. When was their last three game sweep. I could look it up, but I don't think it was this year. Was it?

Road trip blues

2008-06-07T09:43:00.004+01:00

How much confidence do you have when Castillo's up in a big spot? I have practically none. I was really, really hoping Wolf would walk Castillo in the 7th. He never swings at the 2-0 pitch, which is often the most hittable pitch. Two nights in a row he K'd in a key spot. At least there are only 3 2/3 years left on his contract. Right?

Anyway, another hitless affair, which is ultimately why the Mets lost. They hit a few balls hard and Hairston's catch was key. Still, one run is too little return for 9 innings' worth of at bats.

*****
As Howie said a few dozen times, why wasn't Castro hitting in the 7th rather than Cancel?

That it's up to Oliver Perez to get the Mets off the schneid does not fill me with hope.

Walking Giles & other Padres

2008-06-06T12:08:00.003+01:00

Tough one. All of a sudden Scott Schoenweiss looks all too shaky. He was solid right up until this road trip.

I wonder what it is that made it impossible for the Mets' pitchers to throw strikes to Brian Giles. It's a killer walking him in front of Adrian Gonzalez. You can only get away with that so many times before he's going to get you. He is, by far, the most dangerous hitter in the San Diego line-up.

The Mets didn't hit the ball and that's what cost them last night. San Diego's not a hitter's park, but you've gotta get more than 1 run to win.

I wasn't happy with Willie's decision to start the 9th with Schoenweiss. As Howie pointed out, Schoenweiss has asked Willie to use him exclusively against lefties. I do think Schoenweiss has to be able to get righties out, but I'm not sure if the 9th inning of a tie game is the place to make that point. And, of course, he walked Giles after walking Hairston and then hit McAnulty to end the game.

Schoenweiss pitched himself into trouble, but he couldn't get out of it unlike Pelfrey, who seemed to be in trouble nearly every inning. He wasn't great, but maybe more importantly he seemed tough. Getting Gonzalez to pop out with the bases loaded and one out in the 4th (? I think). Anyway, the Mets walked 7 in total and add Schoenweiss's HBP on McAnulty and, well, that's not a winning formula against a team that can't hit.

*****
The Mets finally put Wayne Hagin on the DL. Eddie Coleman came off the bench for Hagin. Wow, is Eddie stiff in the play-by-play role. And, he gets a little garbled when things are happening quickly. Such as "around second is Carlin the slide ... not in time". What's 'not in time'? The slide?

Switch to the Mets?

2008-06-06T07:37:00.004+01:00

I'm weighing going to the Met game now or sticking with the Braves & Marlins from Atlanta and then tuning in the Met game. Quite a few talking points in this game, particularly Bobby Cox's decision to stick with his starter, Jair Jurrjens, despite the fact he's given up 5 runs in 4 1/3 and has runners on the corner with one out. Met fans would be screaming bloody murder if Willie made a decision like that.

Ricky Nolasco's pitching for Florida and he helped his own cause with a single after Freddy Gonzalez took the bunt off. The single was a key hit in a 4 run inning that gave Florida the lead.

Florida's defense is just awful, but they hit a lot of homers. Second in the league with 87 home-runs.

{Gonzalez went to the well once too often as Nolasco hit into an inning ending DP and killed off the threat they had going when I first started typing this post. Two minutes later and Atlanta has the lead again thanks to a two-run homer by Brian McCann. Joy over, time for the Mets.}

Reyes's defense

2008-06-06T06:48:00.003+01:00

Just a few thoughts before I listen to the Mets' first game in San Diego. {I forgot to write about this game on Wednesday and now it's faded in my mind.}

I liked the comments from Jose Reyes about his defense. The fact that his 2-run HR sealed the deal for the Mets on Wednesday was great, but I like how he owned up to his defensive struggles during the post-game. 10 errors already. He had 12 the whole of last year. Strange.

That win in San Francisco on Wednesday was the closest the Mets have had to a ho-hum win in a while.

2008-06-04T08:57:00.009+01:00

Admit it. I will. After the top of the 4th I was already grumbling about how (a) 'of course the Mets are the only team that can't hit Zito and/or (b) of course Zito finally gets it together against the Mets. I couldn't decide which it was, but I knew it was written in the stars that the Mets weren't going to score enough to get Pedro the win.

Well, we were wrong. 8 runs in the 5th, including an RBI single from Pedro Martinez. Everyone hit that inning, which is how teams score runs in bunches. This is what we hope for (expect) from the Mets, but it's been pretty rare this season until recently. Suddenly big innings feel 'normal'.

But really it was all about Pedro and his 6 innings on the mound. It's too soon for me to be convinced, but I'd given up on Pedro this year. If he really is back that will be a great boost. Still, the Giants are not a strong offensive unit so let's not get ahead of ourselves. His next start is Monday in San Diego, another offensively challenged team.

Oh, and a big 'thank you' to Scott Schoenweiss for making it 'interesting' in the 9th. Jeez. Still, if he's going to have a bad outing, that was a good game to have it in.

*****
Eddie Coleman came out of the bullpen to relieve Wayne in the 6th. Wayne had a sore throat.

During the 9th Howie & Eddie were talking about the flight out and how awful everyone, including them, felt yesterday. Then Eddie mentioned that he'd asked Pedro what he & Oliver Perez had talked about on their earlier flight to the coast. Pedro said they didn't talk about much at all. Perez was playing with Nintendo most of the way. God forbid he might talk to Pedro and learn something, right? As Howie remarked, "Why am I reminded of Slap Shot? 'They brought their toys'".

I love listening to baseball. There are times when I think I prefer listening to watching (less frustrating). However, there are times when I really wish I could see what's going on and last night when Pedro got his 2nd hit of the night and his first RBI of the year I'd have loved to have seen Pedro's face when he was standing on first.

Howie read out a text from Tom McCarthy, who was obviously listening to the game. McCarthy texted Howie to give him the background on Dan Giese of the Yankees, who Howie had never heard of. McCarthy added that he had interviewed the Dollar Dog tonight and added, "Who says my life isn't working out"? I got like McCarthy and wish he was still there, particularly during those 10-2 games.