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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He's Baaaaaaack

Carlos Beltran is back on the active roster for the first time since last year. He comes back at a crucial time for the Mets as they're fighting to overtake the Braves who are four games ahead of them in the east. It'll be interesting to see if the lineup gets a major overhaul.

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Smoother Sailing?

In an article from Elias it's noted that the Mets have one of the easiest remaining schedules in the second half. The combined winning percentage of teams they face comes to .482. Hopefully they can capitalize and wipe the floor with all the scrubs.-Elias Sports Bureau

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A Word From Elias

David Wright is the only player to record a hit in each of the last five All-Star Games (2006-2010). Wright's five-game hitting streak in All-Star competition is the longest for any major-leaguer since Wade Boggs (1988-1992) and the longest for a National Leaguer since Steve Garvey (1974-1978).

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NL Takes The Midsummer Classic

For the first time dating back to 1996 the National League won the All-Star game tonight. The story of the game has been the pitching dominance shown from both sides. However, the NL definitely outshined the AL in that department. I'll tell you I'd be a little intimidated by that rotation and bullpen. Anyway, it's about time a National League team gets home field advantage during the world series. Now it's time to focus on second half baseball and the path to the finish.

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