Optimism Schism

There may be a fan or two out there who thinks this latest 4 game string is a sign of things to come. To those I say, " Too soon friends, too soon." The season is long and the Mets still have glaring weaknesses. Let's wait to see if they can patch up the bullet and consistently rattle off impressive games from the rotation. It's a work in progress for them game in and game out. When they put up a good month they will again be worthy of praise.

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Indentity

I was just thinking about the state of the Mets and asked myself, "Jarod, Why are the Mets performing so poorly?" As an outsider looking in all I can comment on is my perception of the state of the Mets though. From where I sit that perception is not a kind one. While there are times this team looked like they could possibly possess more potential than what the label spewing media perceived them to have, they failed to continue with determination and discount those naysayers. As could be seen in last nights game when Jose Reyes was wrongfully called out on that play at second, he walked back to the dugout without any passion. Then Terry Collins came out and looked like he was trying to get thrown out but backed off and tucked his tail when heading back to the dugout just like Reyes. This same defeatist attitude can be seen in the eyes of most of the team. Where's the fire the 2006 and 2007 teams had? The core offensive players are still mainly the same (Wright, Reyes, Beltran). You would think they would rub off on some of these newly promoted, acquired or signed talents. Yet they lack the identity of the successful Mets. The 1969 team had its miracle team. The 1986 team had an attitude that couldn't be shattered. The 2006 team had a confidence and swagger. This team has nothing like that. Hopefully as the season develops they can mature as a group and redefine the team dynamic under the Alderson/Collins reign.

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Press On, Pelfrey

In an article written by Howard Megdal, Mike Pelfrey has been given credit for being consistent even though fans believe he is anything but that. What Howard certainly knows but excludes from his reporting is that Met fans are the reason he has this dubious characteristic associated with his ability. Sure Pelfrey has not been dominant year in and year out. The problem is we see how electric his stuff can be and we want to see it 99% of the time, no one is perfect which is why I dropped a percentile off. Is it fair? Nope, but then again what fan is completely fair when they are disappointed? Close to none. Sure sometimes we feel empathetic towards a player who has a bad game but when the team, as a whole, performs the way the Mets have the past few years fans lose any empathy that would have been given. It's a sad fact of playing in New York in Queens where perfection, or near perfection, is needed to displace or compete with our biggest out of league rival. So, back to Pelfrey. Hopefully he can dispel any and all criticism about his performance because let's face it, this guy is OUR guy. A Met. Slugging it out every game he is in. Standing up to critics and taking blame for his performances. A player who knows the word TEAM, and all it stands for. I for one am glad I have a chance to root for Big Pelf.


To read the article from Howard Megdal click here (A subscription is needed to view the article in its entirety)

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Here We Go Again...

This time of year brings to mind many memories and exciting feelings for all of us baseball fans. The change in temperatures, returning foliage and the sweet sound of maple or ash connecting with leather. As we in the northeast watch the progress in Florida during February, we can not feel more jealous and anxious of the daily activities and reports viewed on a daily basis. In a short time however baseball will return to many of our daily lives, as if it hasn't already.

Time to renew rivalries with our all of our friends and family who root for the enemies. It's also the time for Mets fans to renew our hope that this team will turn around their ill-fated run of either successful let downs or majorly disappointing season. That's spring! It's a yearly ritual with our Mets. You have to admit that there is part of you, me and all of the Met nation that absolutely loves every heartbreaking moment of it. It may seem self deprecating to go through such let down every year but that's what gives us our strength. So year after year we come back in February to watch what CAN be instead of what is likely to be. For a Met fan ignorance is bliss, especially come spring. It's the dream of better that drives us....

It's Spring Training fans. Wake up!, but let the dreaming continue. Let's Go Mets!

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The Sailing Ship

I'll try to do my best and not completely slam the Mets for once. People who know me know that I have always been fairly critical of the Mets as an organization, so I will do my best to be diplomatic. Here it goes...

I am a perfectionist by nature, so it is only fitting that I would come to expect the same from my team. For years I have hoped and prayed, and prayed, and prayed a little more that this organization would somehow transform into the Yankees of Queens. I understand how bad that sounds to a Mets fan on the surface, but there is far more logic buried underneath that sentiment...

I am old enough now to see plainly the dysfunction with the Mets. I have, like everyone else, been going to this circus for years, always crossing my fingers that one day the ship would right itself. Maybe one day we would have a decent general manager, a good manager in the dugout, and ownership who truly put pride into owning a professional baseball team in New York City. Maybe one day we could sustain greatness considering the wealth of resources for this franchise. These were some of my desperate thoughts when thinking about the Mets. It's a tortured love affair to a degree...

Now, here I sit and I just do not believe that Mets' ownership has a clue. All the Wilpons have ever done is employed personnel that have made some real head scratching decisions. I'll spare everyone the time of listing off incidents in which the Mets' came off looking foolish because I think we all know them by heart. Needless to say, the Mets have never been a franchise predicated on stability. The Mets as a whole never have a clear cut direction. With the exception of a few seasons in their history the front office never seems to do the right things at the right time. The class, the sophistication, the professionalism, and more importantly the baseball acumen you see in other franchises just does not seem to exist with our beloved organization, which begs a few questions...

Why hasn't Jay Horowitz been charged with Grand Larceny and sentenced to 5-10?... Why in the world do we still pay Bobby Bonilla?... And, is he in cohoots with Jay Horowitz?... Who exactly is Jay Horowitz?... Does Omar Minaya always mutter nonsense even when not on camera?... Is that Jeff Torborg in a Jerry Manuel costume?... And finally, if Bernie Madoff has the Wilpons' money, shouldn't he really be the owner of the Mets?... Just saying....

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Minor League Profile: Corey Vaughn

The Mets used their fourth round selection on the 6'3" 225 lbs 21 year old right hand hitting OF from San Diego State. In 34 games at Brooklyn this year Corey Vaughn has been solid, to put it lightly. He's posted the following numbers...



Granted he is only in the low minors right now but keep an eye on this guy because he could very well be rising through the system very soon if he keeps it up.

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Scapegoat?

In a bit of light humor, though not so light as to not have a modicum of truth involved, I find myself wondering who the scapegoat will be this year. We all know last year there were a few different incidents or causes to the Mets failed year. The most pronounced of those being the rash of injuries and failure by the medical staff and trainers to keep a healthy and whole baseball team on the diamond. Although there was also that "incident" involving Tony Bernazard and his special brand of motivation. The year before we saw Willie Randolph get ushered out of town in a somewhat surprising manner by Mets brass after winning 3 out of his last 4 and trailing in the NL East by 6.5 games. Jumping forward the Mets currently sit at 7 games back in the division and are just 1-7 in their last 8 games after coming back from the All-Star break. If I had to hazard a guess as to the scapegoat this year I would probably finger a few different people starting with the obvious choice, Jerry Manuel. His coaching staff could also face the same axe, most notably Howard Johnson. There hasn't been a point this year where the Mets have clicked from top to bottom with the bats consistently(**See Barajas, Francouer, Bay). While I liked Hojo as a player and would hate to see him go I think the Mets could make him one of many scapegoats this year.

In a side note, Omar Minaya has pieced together a team that, at least in the first half of the year, proved they could be competitive. If they don't finish with a decent record he could also find himself looking for a new job.

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Wright's Different Approach

During today's game Ron Darling and Gary Cohen both finally commented on something I've been noticing about David Wright's plate appearances. If you didn't catch the game or didn't notice yourself David has been standing a significant distance away from the plate than he usually does. I'm fairly sure that he changed the approach in the games in Arizona but it wasn't as pronounced due to the camera angle SNY was using. I bring the point up now because it seems like the change is affecting his perception of the strike zone. It makes you wonder why he, or maybe Hojo, decided to try it out. He's been pretty successful thus far this year it doesn't make much sense to do something like this more than half way through the year.

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The Reyes Situation

Jose Reyes, the catalyst of this team, has been hampered by the "side" injury since the series in Puerto Rico(as if you already didn't know). Since then the team has floundered and lost ground in the NL East race, now 5 games back. The problem with this whole situation doesn't stem back to Reyes himself but management and team physicians. Ask yourself this...How can a visibly hurt player be allowed to play after being injured? If you answered, "He shouldn't play" or anything of the like than you speak with common sense. Something the Mets apparently lack when dealing with injuries. There was a point after Reyes injured himself when he had to dive back into second base and had to call timeout and stretch out while grimacing in pain. Team officials, in all their infinite wisdom, continued to play him. When is this team going to learn that a healthy player in the long term is far more important than sending him out to battle through and hopefully contribute.

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Will It Continue?

The Mets lost the second game in a row via the shutout. Put sinply they just don't look like major leaguers right now. The only players pulling their weight lately are the pitching staff. Yet even with some of the outstanding performances by Niese and Dickey the offense can't muster enough support to get these guys a W. It's a trend that needs to change. Is it time to start pointing fingers yet? I have heard plenty of fans say that Hojo and other coaches are not pulling their weight but I disagree to some extent. It takes a team to win and a team to lose. As a fan though I am fighting the urge to pin the blame on any one person. However, It's obvious the team needs some kind of spark. They look flat.

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