For all of you that know me out there, you know there are two things that I just fully cannot stand. The first being Radiohead, and the second being the New York Rangers. Well you can now add the handling of pitching staffs by all Major League teams (especially our beloved New York Mets) to that list.

Now I know that the bullpen is an integral part of the Major League game nowadays, and that in the minors pitchers are groomed to only go seven innings. I also know that in this age of the high priced bullpen and the evil pitch count complete games are a pretty much a rarity. But let's be realistic, there is no excuse for the Mets to not have one complete game this season. None. There have been times this year where I have been watching games and Willie or Jerry (pending on time of season) would come to take out a pitcher and I would just ask myself...why? I'll tell you right now, you would have never seen that with Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, or my boy Ron Darling (keep in mind one of my ultimate goals in life is to be "boys" with Ron Darling...he just seems like such a cool dude). Seaver probably would have actually flipped off whoever it is that was trying to take him out of the game. It would have been a slap in the face of a pitcher to take him out of the game as he was pitching a shut out back in the 70's, 80's, or even the early 90's. But recently it has become an all too common trend.

There have been two games this season that I can think off of the top of my head, where both Willie and Jerry have removed Johan Santana too soon. Now I know Santana has a history of never throwing complete games, and taking himself out of games, but this is where Jerry needs to now step up. We are going to pay this man $150 million and he can't throw us a complete game shut out every now and again. I was down in Philly for the 4th of July game where Duaner Sanchez decided that you only need two outs to complete an inning. Santana had under 100 pitches going into the ninth, and was still mowing down batters. But at the end of the eighth the doors to the pen opened, and out trotted Mr. Sanchez. JD=stunned. Of course that is the only game we lost in the series (thanks guys), and in the long run its not too much of a big deal anymore, but it really makes you wonder where this non complete game mentality that the New York Mets have came from. I would also like to think that Jerry would want to use this as an opportunity to show the players that this is HIS show. Putting his foot down on his ace (who coincidentally is the best pitcher in baseball) would show me a lot, and make the Willie firing more justified.

Before I get back into this art of pitching discussion, I must make a quick comment about our new manager. Now, I had problems with the ways Willie ran things at times, but I wasn't calling for his head. But I read Jayson Stark's Rumblings column today over at ESPN, and Billy Wagner basically set me straight about Willie. In short he basically said, it is nice having a more "Met-like" clubhouse under Jerry. Wagner also said that it was a nice change from the "Yankee-like" clubhouse that Willie ran. Wags also went on to say that the players have been more relaxed, and the clubhouse has been a better place in general. Now he never trashed Willie, as he likes Willie as a person (and how could you not). But if the Mets continue these winning ways under Jerry and make a run in the playoffs, I Jersey Dan, will feel like a huge fool for supporting Willie for as long as I did. I'm already starting to feel like a huge fool with the way our bats are starting to wake up. Though I can't stand the way Jerry handles his pitching staff at times.

Back to that pitching thing. Oliver Perez on Sunday. Even before the rain delay he was going to take Perez out. Why? He's young, he was actually pitching well, let the man throw until he can't throw no more. Perez needs as much time on that mound as possible. If he is to ever get consistent on the hill, that is the way he is going to do it. Same with Pelfrey on Tuesday. People will say his pitch count is high and what not. Who cares, pitch counts are the dumbest, most useless, overrated stat in baseball. The problem is pitchers need to learn how to pitch better again. Pitchers just aren't as good nowadays. They don't have as many good pitches in their arsenal, and as the great Ralph Kiner said a few weeks back during a game "they don't pace themselves." The reason all the great pitchers could go nine innings was because they paced themselves and they only threw hard when they needed to. Let's face it, Santana is great, but he can't stand up to Seaver, Doc, Ron, Jerry, or El Sid. Those guys were workhorses. I'm sure there are times when Ron is up in the booth just laughing at the fact that Mets starters are being taken out of games that they are throwing shut outs in. I think Ron understands this new age of pitching, but at the same time I'm sure Ron thinks its weak (that's just me assuming though).

What can be done? Well it starts in the minors. Pitchers should be groomed to go nine innings. Not six, not seven, not 100 pitches, but nine innings. Nine innings should be the goal. Now obviously on some days pitchers won't have their best stuff and they will be taken out, and that is fine by me. But if a pitcher is on, he should be staying in the game and giving his bullpen a rest. And let's face it, the New York Mets bullpen could use a rest every now and again. I mean it's nice to see Jerry bring stability to the pen by giving guys certain roles, but that doesn't mean you have use those guys every night. The only guy I have seen Manuel use less is Wags, who doesn't come in nearly for as many non-save situations as he used to.

You can call me old fashioned, but I just wish we could bring back some semblance of old time baseball from the 1970's and 1980's. I mean from what I've been told by the old timers, the quality of play in todays game is nowhere near the quality of play of yesterday's game. The Mets need to start pushing their starters more, start getting them ready for the post season where they might need to throw 125 pitches in a game. If the starting pitching doesn't toughen up and start pitching more innings, this team will not go far in the post season. Not with the way the bullpen has been overworked. You could see the bullpen tiring out in May, so can you imagine what it would be like in October? Read More...

Monday April 21
Mets @ Chicago Cubs
7:05 PM
NYC TV: SNY
CHI TV: WCIU
National TV: ESPN

Tuesday April 22
Mets @ Chicago Cubs
2:20 PM
NYC TV: SNY
CHI TV: CSN Chicago

Wednesday April 23
Mets @ Washington Nationals
7:10 PM
NYC TV: SNY
WAS TV: MASN

Thursday April 24
Mets @ Washington Nationals
7:10 PM
NYC TV: SNY
WAS TV: MASN & MY20

Friday April 25
Atlanta Braves @ Mets
7:10 PM
NYC TV: SNY
ATL TV: PTV

Saturday April 26
Atlanta Braves @ Mets
1:10 PM
NYC TV: CW11
ATL TV: SPSO

Sunday April 27
Atlanta Braves @ Mets
1:10 PM
NYC TV: CW11
ATL TV: SPSO
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So when we last spoke, I called out not only the Mets line up, but the Mets bullpen to step it up in this week of games against the Washington Nationals and the Philadelphia Phillies. A week later, it seems that my challenge was answered by David Wright and company, as the Mets just completed an impressive week of baseball that included a sweep of Washington and a series victory against Philadelphia.

On Tuesday night Mike Pelfrey took the mound on yet another Jackie Robinson Night at Shea (and yes that was said in a negative way). I'm just going to make a quick public service announcement about Jackie Robinson, that I know some of my fellow bloggers share with me. Jackie Robinson was a great player, he was a great American for his contributions to not only baseball and society, and he was a great BROOKLYN DODGER. Listen I am a fan of history, and the Brooklyn Dodgers for that matter, but it seems with the pending opening of Citi Field, Mr. Wilpon is kind of forgetting that we are the NEW YORK METS. My point being, it would be nice to see some more Mets history invovled with not only this ballpark, but the organization in general. Instead of celebrating the last season at Shea with another Robinson Night, let's have a Seaver Night, or a 1969 Night, or something Mets related. I mean, we are the Mets for God's sake, not the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Now back to Tuesday's game. Ladies and gentlemen can we have a standing ovation for Mike Pelfrey please? Where has this Pelfrey been all of the past two seasons. I mean seven shut out innings from him was just what the doctor ordered on Tuesday night. That was the type of start the Mets needed, and the 6-0 victory was the game the Mets needed to kick off the new week. Pelfrey is starting to earn the respect that I so have wanted to give him for the longest time. Even though he didn't pitch as well on Sunday night against the Phillies, he still got himself out of some tough jams. Can you really fault the man for getting burned by the best second baseman in the league. I'm critical, but not that critical.

After a come-from-behind win on Saturday, the Mets and Nationals played themselves a half marathon of a baseball game on Thursday night. Just to put things in perspective, I was already at my third bar of the night once the Mets finally "pushed" across the winning run in the bottom of the 14th inning at Shea. Trailing 2-1 in the eighth inning, Carlos Delgado did something correct for the first time all season by pushing across Ryan Church to tie the game. In the 14 inning it wasn't even a heroic RBI base hit, but a wild pitch by Washington's Joel Hanrahan that ended the game. The Washington reliever, already in the midst of a sloppy inning let one get away allowing Damion Easley to score the winning run.

Sloppy was the only way to describe the game, but if there is one positive we can draw from it, that would be the bullpen. Six Mets relievers threw seven scoreless innings to keep the Mets in the game. The bullpen in general looked pretty damn solid this week. Billy Wagner looks dominant as usual (along with his awesome wad of dip), we welcomed back Duaner Sanchez, and Aaron Heilman has seemed to settle down. Once again Joe Smith is having another solid start to the season, we can only hope he keeps it up for the whole entire season this year.

So after making waste of Washington it was off to Philadelphia for another round with the Phillies. Johan Santana made yet another important start in this young season as him and Phillies ace Cole Hamels met up for a highly anticipated Friday night showdown. Seven innings later Santana had struck out 10 Phillies and only gave up 3 runs as he led the Mets to a critical 6-4 victory, extending their winning streak to four games. Oliver Perez had himself another great start on Saturday, but in typical Mets fashion the bullpen went and made things interesting. After Scott Schoeneweis and Smith each gave up a run, Billy Wagner put the meat of the Phillies line up in their place and the Mets walked out with a 4-2 victory. Sunday night as I stated ealier Chase Utley made Mike Pelfrey look normal for the first time this season. Utley drove all of the Phillies first four runs. A solo home run in the first and a three run job in the fifth. The Mets made it interesting by tieing it up in the sixth, but the long ball was our downfall all night as Pedro Feliz hit the go ahead home run to give the Phillies a 5-4 win and end our hopes of a sweep in Philly.

This week was exactly what the Mets needed. Jose Reyes has returned to classic Jose form, Wags looks good, Wright is awesome, and even Beltran is starting to come alive. With road games against the Cubs and Nationals, and a three games series back at Shea against the Braves, it has been the perfect time for the Mets to wake up. If the Mets can win two at Wrigley, it would be a huge momentum push coming into the huge Atlanta series this upcoming weekend. Once again I would like to think that we will steamroll the Nats. All-in-all the Mets get a solid A for their efforts this week, and hopefully the effort they have put forth will continue this week.

P.S. As much as I hate to say it, well done to the New York Rangers. I still hate you though.
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In appreciation of the 2008 season being the last season for the New York Mets at Shea Stadium. I will be taking all of us back on a trip down memory road, to relive some of the great moments to take place at Shea.

Part one of my series brings right back to the beginning, on April 17, 1964. It was on that day that the Mets would take on the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first ever opening day at Shea.

Jack Fisher took the mound for the Mets that day, and the first batter he faced was Ducky Schofield (father of Dick Schofield, who would play with the Mets in the early 1990's). Though Schofield popped out for the ballpark's first out, the Pirates would eventually go on to record the first win at the ballpark defeating the Mets 4-3. Bob Friend got the win for Pittsburgh, while Ed Bauta took the loss for the Mets.

In the bottom of the first Tim Harkness took his place in Mets and Shea Stadium history as the first Mets batter to come to the plate at Shea. In his first at bat he grounded out to Schofield at shortstop. The man who made the put out at first was none other than future Met Donn Clendenon. Clendenon of course would become one of the leaders of the 1969 Miracle Mets, with that special season culminating in him being named the 1969 World Series MVP. Harkness would record the first ever Mets hit at Shea in the bottom of the third inning.

That day a few future Hall of Famers (all Pittsburgh players of course) took their place in Shea history. Willie Stargell recorded the ballpark's first hit and home run, all on one swing in the second inning. In addition to Stargell etching his name in Shea history, Roberto Clemente would be the ballpark's first strike out victim as Fisher would sit him down in the first. In the sixth inning Bill Mazeroski (one of the greatest defensive second basemen of all time mind you), would be the third Hall of Famer to be linked to opening day at Shea, as he made the first error in the ballpark's history.

It would be almost a week before Ron Hunt would hit the first Mets home run at Shea, but never the less, a new era in the great history of not just baseball in New York, but the City of New York was born. Though the Mets lost that first game, it would only be four years before Shea hosted a championship sports season, and five years before the Mets would win their first World Series. Shea Stadium, had arrived and a new era had begun.
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Another week, another wrap up, and another round of question marks regarding the 2008 New York Mets. After getting our hopes up with an impressive series against the Phillies, the Mets took another giant step backwards with a horrendous series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Mets opened up the last season at Shea Stadium in true New York Mets fashion on Tuesday, as the bullpen blew a great game for Oliver Perez. Perez threw another 5 2/3 scoreless innings for the home team, but in the end it was the classic Mets bullpen giving us another classic result. Scott Schoeneweis was the main culprit along with support from his always reliable cast of Jorge Sosa (who I guess doesn't need days off anymore), and Aaron Heilman. The Mets bounced back nicely on Wednesday though, as Mike Pelfrey helped stop a three game skid in pitching five strong innings. Pelfrey and stopper...hmmmmm. Just when things were looking good Heilman (who not surprisingly is my Dave Mlicki Award Winner of the week), nearly blows a great outing by John Maine. Well he blew Maine's chances at a win, but at the same time he was bailed out by this weeks Ed Kranepool Award winner, Angel Pagan. I love this kid. He is starting to reach levels that only the Teenage Hitting Machine has seen when it comes to young New York Mets outfielders. In case any of you Mets fans have been living under a rock this past week, Pagan is now batting .385 with 10 RBI for the season. Moises who???? Mr. Pagan delivered a game winning RBI on Thursday giving us the first series of the year against the hated Phillies. Things were just starting to look somewhat good...

And then Milwaukee rolled into town on Friday night. At first this series was shaping up to look great. The Mets as team, for the first time since the Marlins series looked great collectively. Heilman was awesome out of the pen, as were his teammates Joe Smith and Billy Wagner (and his awesome wad of dip). Nelson Figueroa gave us a ton of hope in his assignment to replace Pedro Martinez. Figueroa gave up a mere two hits and struck out six, while giving up two earned in six innings of work as the Mets looked pretty impressive at Shea on a rainy Friday night. Then Saturday hit and the wheels started to fall off. Someone needs to take David Wright onto the field before games and just have him work on throwing the ball to first. I applaud Carlos Delgado for mastering the sweep tag manauever that has become all too common in Mets games this season. The good news about Wright is that he is hitting the ball well. The bad news is, no one seems to be able to hit the ball well in clutch situations; including D-Dubs. For instance, Sunday's game. The Mets tallied 14 hits and seven runs in this game...and lost. They also grounded into five consecutive inning ending double plays. The bullpen also had a rough go at it, capping off a shaky two days of pitching that included Johan Santana giving up three home runs in his losing effort on Saturday.

Speaking of Santana. Get off his back. Does anyone really think he is going to go 65-0. Let him get his bad starts out of the way now, because they are going to happen every now and again. Point is the man gives us a chance to win day in and day out. End of story.

So my weekly progress report on the Metropolitans is an overall C+. The only reason we get the plus is because of the fact that we beat the Phillies in a series and ended that horrific losing streak against them. The bullpen was horrible this week minus Friday nights game. The starting pitching was awesome against Philadelphia, and then not so good against Milwaukee. The good thing about that is the guys who pitched poorly (Santana and Perez's Sunday start) are the guys who we most expect to bounce back in a big way in their next starts. Pelfrey and Figueroa having great outings was an awesome sign this week. The line up is still hit or miss. There are days when all hits seems to go our way, and then there are days when I feel we couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with a beach ball. I don't know if it's the HGH wearing off, but Delgado needs to wake up. Wright and Carlos Beltran are putting up soid numbers, but they need to hit more in the clutch; especially with Jose Reyes and Luis Castillo both nursing injuries. I don't know what Ryan Church and Pagan have been eating, but they both need to keep at it. They are both picking up a lot of slack that is being missed by Reyes and Delgado right now.

Looking ahead to this week, the Mets have what should be a gimme series against the Washington Nationals to close out their homestand. The Nationals win over the Atlanta Braves on Sunday marked their first win in nine games. This is the type of series where the Mets need to work out any last kinks, because a series with the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park awaits this weekend (which I look forward to seeing a lot Mets fans there, I will be looking to go to the game on Saturday if I don't acquire tickets to Game Five of the Devils/Rangers series).

All games of the Washington series will be broadcast on SNY and start at 7:10 PM. For the Phillies series, Friday's game will be on CW11 and will start at 7:05 PM. Saturday's game will air on FOX and start at 3:55 PM. Sunday's game is the ESPN Game of the Week, and will start 8:05 PM. For those of you in the Washington area you can catch the games on MASN, and for those of you in the Philly market (this guy) Friday's game can be viewed on CSN.

Looking forward to another week of Mets baseball...and playoff hockey LET'S GO DEVILS!!!!!
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On April 17, 1964 the Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Mets faced off in the first ever opening day contest at Shea Stadium. 48,736 fans saw the Pirates beat the Mets that opening day in Queens, and in the 44 seasons since many millions more have made their way through the turnstiles to see the Mets play baseball.

On April 8, 2008, Shea Stadium will host it's 45th and final home opener, as the Mets welcome the defending National League East Champion Philadelphia Phillies into town. The Mets enter the game with a 2-3 record after receiving a two game punch in the gut from the Atlanta Braves this weekend. The Mets big bats didn't come through in clutch situations, and the pitching was wildly erratic (save Mr. Santana). The Phillies enter the series with a 3-4 record, and seem to have just as many question marks as the Mets do in the early parts of the season. They are coming off of a four game split with Cincinnati, in which many holes in their bullpen were exploited.

The Phillies won the season series twelve games to six on their way to winning the NL East last season. That's all I have to say about that.

In game one of the series the Mets will send out Oliver Perez (1-0) who looked awesome in his first start of the season. Perez went six innings, struck out eight, and left a zero on the scoreboard, as the Mets dismantled the Florida Marlins last Wednesday 13-0. This game was the last we have seen of the Mets, as they have gone missing since. The Phillies counter with the ageless Jamie Moyer (0-0). Just to let you know how old Jamie Moyer is, let it be known that I have a baseball card of his from Fleer '87. He was a member of the Texas Rangers. At that point, Juan Gonzalez and Nolan Ryan hadn't joined the team yet, and they still played their home games in Arlington Stadium. That's how old Jamie Moyer is. Not too mention Moyer looked sluggish in his first start as he couldn't get past the fourth inning. This game will start at 1:10 PM, and can be seen on SNY. For those of us Mets fans in the Philadelphia market (moia) the game will be broadcast on CSN.

Game two of the series will start at 7:10 on Wednesday. The Mets send out Mike Pelfrey (0-0) for his first start of the season. With the subtraction of Pedro Martinez from the Mets rotation, big things are now expected from Big Mike. Pelfrey needs to make a statement more than any other pitcher in this series. His value is diminishing rapidly, and so is the patience of Mets fans. I really want to like this guy, but in the past year or so he hasn't given me much to like. This is a big chance for him. Kyle Kendrick (1-0) goes to the mound for the Phillies in this game. The Phillies are big on this kid, but he no doubt escaped with a win last Friday against Cincy. In five innings Kendrick gave up four runs and only struck out one. Those numbers won't get it done on most days against the Mets. Then again most days Mike Pelfrey doesn't pitch. This game can be seen on SNY in New York and CN8 in Philadelphia. It is also ESPN2's Wednesday Night Game of the Week.

At 7:10 PM on Thursday night, the Mets and Phillies will close out the first round of their 2008 season. The Mets will send Nelson Figueroa (0-0) out for his first start of the season. Figueroa has seen some bullpen work so far this season, but this is his first start of the season. Figueroa steps into the rotation in place of Martinez who pulled something or other (does it really matter at this point). Figueroa was day and night in his two appearances so far this season. He threw a scoreless inning against Florida last Wednesday, and then looked horrible in giving up two runs against Atlanta on Saturday. Figueroa will go up against Adam Eaton (0-0). Eaton looked solid in his first start of the season last Saturday against Cincinnati. In going seven and two thirds innings, he gave up three earned and six hits, while striking out two. He was awarded a no decision after Phillies closer Tom Gordon pulled a Braden Looper and gave the game to Cincinnati in the ninth. This game can be viewed on SNY in New York and CSN in Philadelphia.

The Mets and Phillies have both started 2008 off on the wrong foot. The Mets are most in need of a statement against a division team, as they were tossed around like a rag doll by Atlanta. The Phillies didn't look horrible against Cincinnati, and if not for Gordon's blow up they would have won three out of those four games. Both of these teams know that this series could set the tone for the whole season for each team. There is no love loss between these two rivals, and the crowd at Shea will most likely be more hostile than usual. Look for an exciting series with most every game being well contested. With that being said, I hope we murder them.

PS: Congratulations to the Kansas Jayhawks for winning the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. A title well deserved. Also, the Stanley Cup playoffs start on Wednesday, go Devils, Rangers Suck. JD
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After making waste of the Florida Marlins in the first series of the season last week, the Mets were quickly brought back down to reality by an Atlanta Braves team that looks like it is going to be right in the mix of things during this 2008 season. It wouldn't be fair to blame one sole person for the debacle that we saw at Turner Field this weekend, as there were many contributing factors to the lack of production we saw.

In a friendly debate with some of my fellow bloggers during Spring Training, I argued that the Mets have more pressing issues in their line up then they do in their starting rotation. Well after the first week of the season I feel both parties can claim victory in that battle. Pitching wise we lost Pedro Martinez for God knows how long. It looks like it will be up to Nelson Figueroa to help us forget about Pedro. But seriously, there can't be many of us over the age of 16 that remember Pedro in a Mets uniform. I mean I can recall seeing him in a Mets uniform about six or seven times in the past year and a half. My message to Mr. Figueroa is simple...make Pedro expendable. Besides that and a shaky first start from John Maine, the rest of the Mets staff looks great so far. Wait a second, that's less then 50% of the staff...oh man. I want to think Maine's poor performance was a fluke after that awesome spring he had. I also want to think that the Mets will throw a no hitter someday. Yeah well, I'm just going to keep hoping and praying.

Now the lineup is a whole 'nother monster. The Mets offense did not produce in big situations this weekend. We must have had six million chances to drive in runs on Saturday, and yet all we got were five small ball runs. All off season I complained that we don't have much in the ways of hitting after Jose Reyes, David Wright, and Carlos Beltran. Well you can scratch Reyes from that trio. That .238 batting average looks great at the top of the order. Wright and Beltran have looked great, and Ryan Church along with Angel Pagan are pleasant surprises. But at the same time the Mets have a mere two home runs this season. Carlos Delgado has only two RBI and that is unacceptable for him. We hired him to bat .275 and drive in 115 runs. I don't care if he's batting over .300, because in the long run that means nothing if he isn't driving in any runs. The Mets followed up their "stellar" Saturday performance with a five hit encore on Sunday. Way to go boys. This lineup needs to wake up if it plans on hanging with the Phillies lineup this week. Then again the Phillies haven't looked to hot to start the season either.

The bullpen has been overworked, overused, and at times some questionable calls have been made by Willie Randolph and his staff. Should Jorge Sosa have been relieved by Pedro Feliciano with the bases loaded on Saturday. Maybe. Is it Randolph's fault that Sosa gave up a grand slam to a guy with a girl's name. Not at all. Stop blaming Willie for trusting his pitchers. Trusting your pitchers will get you much further in the long run, and that is what the Mets need to be looking at. Plus has it crossed anyone's mind that Willie might have liked to save his bullpen for the next inning (or possibly two) of work. Keep in mind that he most likely would have seen the heart of the Atlanta lineup in those innings. Sosa didn't do his job, end of story. Not too mention John Maine recorded a mere 12 outs (for those of us that have a hard time dividing, that comes to four innings of work). On a more positive note, Joe Smith looked great in his one inning of work.

With all this being said, it is time for these bums to shake of the cobwebs of last season, and start playing like the team they should be. Santana looks great, Perez looks great, Christ almighty even Brian Schneider hasn't looked half bad. This is a huge tone setting series coming up this week against Philadelphia. The Mets we see in this series might be the Mets we see all season long. Now I ask myself, is that a good thing or a bad thing?
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In their second series of this young season, the Mets (2-1) will travel to Turner Field in Atlanta to take on that Damn Team From the South aka the Atlanta Braves (1-3).

The Mets come into the series with a 2-1 record after a solid season opening series down in South Florida. Ace Johan Santana looked great in the season opener, while Oliver Perez and the Mets line up were clicking on all cylinders during Wednesday nights 13-0 drubbing of the Florida Marlins.

The Braves enter this series with a 1-3 record after dropping the season opener in Washington to the Nationals, and two of three to the Pittsburgh Pirates back at Turner Field. Larry Jones and young shortstop Yunel Escobar have gotten off to hot starts for Atlanta as they have six RBI each in Atlanta's first four games.

The Mets and Braves split the season series last season, with each team winning nine games. The Mets were 5-4 at Turner Field last season, including a late August/early September sweep in a ballpark that used to be a house of horrors for the boys from Queens.

The series will only be a two game series, as Friday's game was rained out.

Saturday's game will start at 3:55 PM. Tim Hudson (0-0) got a no decision in what was a solid first start of the season against Washington last Sunday. Hudson was 16-10 with a 3.33 ERA last season. The Mets send John Maine out for his first start of the season. Maine was 15-10 with a 3.91 last season, and is looking to improve on that record in 2008. This game will be broadcast on Fox.

On Sunday the Braves will send out Tom Glavine (0-0). Most of us remember Tom Glavine for not showing up in his last start as a New York Met last season, thus putting the icing on the cake of the worst collapse in team history. In his first start back in Atlanta Glavine gave up an earned run in five innings of work against Pittsburgh on Monday. He will get the unenviable task of matching up against Santana (1-0), who looked dominant in his first start of the season against Florida last week. Atlanta will no doubt be Santana's first real test of the season. Sunday's game will start at 1:30 PM, and can be seen on SNY.

Out of market fans, please take note that Braves games are no longer broadcast on TBS, thus you cannot watch Braves vs. Mets game on that channel anymore. For Mets fans in the Atlanta market, the game can be seen on SPSO.

With that said Let's Go Mets & PLAY BALL!!!!!
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Well ladies and gentlemen it is April in Queens, and as usual optimism is in the air at Shea Stadium. In our season opener, Johan Santana looked great, D-Dubs was hitting the ball, and all were happy in Mets world. Then yesterday came about, and we got our smack back down to reality.

Pedro Martinez trotted out to the mound for his first start of the season, and by the mid way point of last nights game cemented his place with Moises Alou as the most worthless member of the New York Metropolitans baseball squad. What we all saw coming happened in the bottom of the fourth inning at Dolphin Stadium last night in Miami. On a routine ground ball, Pedro managed to find a way to get hurt and get himself taken out of the game. Which I was alright with, because he looked like complete garbage.

So in the next day or two we will be hearing MRI results, and that Pedro will most likely miss the first two months of the season, because he is useless. Pedro then will fly down to some small minuscule Spanish island, meet up with his just as useless buddy Alou, and begin the healing process (and by healing I mean margaritas).

Now I know that most Mets fans have this awesome hard on for Moises Alou, but I for the life of me cannot figure out why. From April to July the man is harder to find then the Ultimate Warrior at a wrestling match. I don't care how good you are when you're healthy, if you only play less then half a season. That my friends is what I call counter production, and last time I checked counter production does not lead to World Championships. You know what is going to be awesome though, when Captain Useless is ready to return in July and Angel Pagan is hitting like .300 (that's right I said it) we're going to welcome him back with open arms. I have a better idea, release him, and let's just rid ourselves of the problem.

The same goes for Martinez. He is most likely going to be injured for a while now, because he is old and his bones and muscles don't heal so well. So you know what I say, deal him back to Boston and let him waste away in injured mediocrity up there. Plus his heart is still in Boston anyways (less we forget the inter league disaster of 2006).

So let's review and compare. We have two injured Hispanic men who spend most of their summers on a beach rather than a ball field. When they play they are solid, but they never play. They are an asset to this team...how? Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the two most useless men on the New York Mets since the Greg Jefferies/Jeff Innis era. Give it up for Moises Alou and Pedro Martinez.
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Now that I have finally started to come down from my high over the Giants being the greatest team in the land, I can firmly give my opinions about the Johan Santana trade, and where it stands in New York Mets history. Keep in mind this is a history full of miserable trades, stupid free agent singings, and in my lifetime, many disappointments. In other words, the Mets made this trade, so they better win the World Series.

First off, not only did we trade for Santana, we got him for legit highway robbery. Philip Humber and Kevin Mulvey will never be anymore than mid rotation guys, and only time can tell with Deolis Guerra. OF Carlos Gomez, though fast and vastly talented, was dispensable based on the fact that Fernando Martinez is still waiting in the wings. The fact that we didn’t have to give up the super talented Martinez is still beyond me. For weeks it seems like that was the deal on the table that the Twins wouldn’t take, and then all of a sudden we get the trade done and Martinez is still a Met. Way to go Omar for pulling that one out your you-know-where.

The other main issue, and the most important issue, is that the trade puts us to the top of the class in not only the National League East, but the whole National League. For a team and fan base still bitter about the 2006 NLCS disappointment, and the 2007 late season stink bomb, this is the best news we have heard out the Mets front office since the Reagan Administration. Living down here in the South Jersey wilderness I’m pretty sure I heard an extremely loud GULP coming from somewhere towards the direction of the city of Philadelphia. Yeah the Phillies have the best infield in baseball, but their infield won’t do them any good when the mighty Santana continues to sit them down in order, one-by-one. You heard it here first; game over in the National League, as the Mets have no excuse to not win that elusive pennant this season.

Many Mets fans and Mets historians believe that this might turn out to be the biggest trade in New York Mets history. Now I think we might be getting a head of ourselves here, as there definitely needs to be a championship won before lofty claims like that can be made. The Gary Carter and Keith Hernandez trades in the mid 1980’s that set the veteran cornerstones for the 1986 squad still remain the biggest and most lopsided trades in team history. We got a future Hall of Famer in Carter, and a man who is still one of the faces of this organization in Hernandez. The short and long term effects of this deal can still be felt today, and they are by far the biggest trades in Mets history.

The series of deals leading up to the 2000 National League Pennant can be considered here also. Mike Piazza, Mike Hampton, Derek Bell, and Mike Bordick were all solid players that were acquired via trade. All of them had a significant hand in that 2000 pennant run. Mike Piazza was the face of the team for almost ten seasons, and will surely be the next Met to have his number hang from left field. Mike Hampton was the NLCS MVP. The 2000 Mets were a great overachieving squad, which will never be forgotten because of those players.

Basically Santana and the 2008 New York Mets still have a ton to prove, and the only way they can prove it to me is on the field.

Speaking of overachieving…I think there are congratulations in order to our football brothers in arms, the New York Football Giants. Unless you have been living in Omar Minaya’s cell phone for the past week, you most surely know that my beloved New York Giants defeated the previously undefeated New England Patriots (18-1) 17-14 in what may go down as the greatest Super Bowl ever played. This also put a blemish on the hated city of Boston, and their miracle run of sport success this decade. Here’s to the New York Giants, for bringing the top of the sports mountain back to New York. And thank you for capping the best week in New York sports history.

That’s all I got. Later. JD

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First off I would like to wish all involved in the Global New York Mets Empire a Merry Chirstmas. I hope all you good boys and girls got what was coming to you, and all you naughty children…well hopefully you got what was coming to you also. This Christmas I didn’t ask my parents for much, and I didn’t ask Santa for anything; but privately to myself, all I really wanted was to see a certain few things from not only my beloved Mets, but from some of my other beloved sports teams. Here’s what I am hoping will be a late Christmas present.

Omar Makes A Move: This was is quite obvious. It seems like our fearless leader is having a lot of fear this off season. Our top priority going into the off season was to sure up our pitching. Since then the only moves we have made involve some guy named Matt Wise (we’ll see), and resigning Juan Padilla (and here we thought he vanished). Dan Haren has gone to Arizona for a bunch of prospects, and the push for Minnesota ace Johan Santana seems absolutely useless. We still have a hole to fill in our rotation, and numerous holes to fill in our bullpen, because Aaron Heilman can’t do it all.

The Next Anna Benson: There is no man in this network of Mets fans that does not miss Anna Benson and her brilliant off field distractions. I actually dressed up as Santa Claus for little kids this year and all I could think about was “Man, I wish Anna Benson were my Mrs. Claus.” Yeah I’ve heard that some guys have hot wives, but all baseball players have hot wives, I want my Anna Benson back, and I want my sexy Mrs. Claus back.

A New York Mets Christmas Song: Can you imagine how awesome a New York Mets Christmas song would be. I’m talking all out here, with horns, and a giant choir, and electric guitars like those Siberian dudes. Too bad we won’t have the hip hop styles of Lastings Milledge to grace our New York Mets iPod play lists. I can hear it now. “Omar’s making his list, he’s checking it twice, and three times, and four times, and five times, and six times, and he’s still not going to sign a pitcher for our roster.”

A World Series Win For Our Last Season At Shea: I think this is what we all want. Shea does have to go, especially if we want attract players further down the road. It’s also about time that New York City got into building new sports facilities for their mostly awesome teams. Shea needs to go out with a bang though. It may not be Wrigley, or Fenway, or that other ballpark in New York, but it’s our masterpiece. Shea is where we built our first baseball memories as children, and the only fitting way for the giant rainbow to go out is with its third World Series trophy. So Omar, Willie, team, get it together for us, for one more run, let our stadium go out with a bang.

In Other Sports…

A Run First Offense From The New York Football Giants: In case Coach Coughlin forgot, the New York Giants have been successful in doing two things when they win championships; defense and running the ball. This philosophy was proven in Buffalo (WIDE RIGHT) last weekend when Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw made mincemeat of the Buffalo defense. Even when the legend Phil Simms was our QB, he wasn’t Montana, Elway, or Marino; but he didn’t have to be. We won ballgames by running the ball and Simms playing smart. Maybe if Eli, who is no better or worse than Simms, was able to run his offense like that, we might win more football games.

P.S. Down with New England

Rangers Fans To Stop Speaking Forever: For the past twelve years all I have ever heard from Rangers fans is “Wah the Devils play the trap, wah boring hockey, wah, wah.” Save it big guys. Let me let you guys in on a dose of reality. For the 12th straight season your team consists of overrated, over paid, over the hill, over on the wrong side of the Atlantic hockey players. For the 12th straight season you are inferior to the Devils, and the way you guys are going you are even almost inferior to the Islanders. No matter what rule changes you guys make in the NHL, there is always one constant and that is the Devils on top of the Atlantic Division (keep in mind that we let Philadelphia win every now and again). Check the stats, more total goals are scored in Devils games then in Rangers games this season…SO TRAP THAT!!!!

A New Start For Junior At Hendrick: Daytona is less than two months away, and my boy Dale Jr. is now teamed with Gordo and JJ (I smell juggernaut). Hopefully Dale can keep his car moving this year, and his engine from exploding. That alone would be an awesome Christmas present.

The End Of Isaih: You know, I’m not really a Knicks fan, but Isaihgate is embarrassing. Everyone involved in the New York Knicks upper management needs to be fired and banned from participating in any basketball management groups ever again. Isaih, you are brining shame to what was once a great basketball organization, with your stubbornness and unwillingness to just resign. Show some dignity and walk away now, before NBA fans forget how good of a player you once were.

A Led Zeppelin Show In America: Yeah I know this has nothing to do with sports, but Zeppelin has been the background music for Ultimate Highlight Reel for the past month, so I’m going to talk about it. You need to stop teasing us. You guys brought the house down in London, and you could be the best draw at Madison Square Garden this year (because nothing else really productive goes on at MSG). Get across the ocean, awaken the God’s with your power, and make my life complete.

That’s all I got. Merry Christmas and a Happy and safe New Years.


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Alright ladies and gentlemen, I know it has been entirely too long...but TUESDAY TWO CENTS is back! As a lot of you might be aware I have been computerless for quite some time now. This mainly has to do with me being poor and not being able to buy one yet, but that will be changing soon. I would like to apologize to all that have wondered where I am, considering I am an administrator in this group. It's good to be back again. Anyways, on to business.


Well as we all know, the Mets blew it this season. Last Sunday was quite rough on us all, and I hope to never feel misery of that sorts ever again. Of course being the New York sports fans that we are, the first thing we seem to do is find a scapegoat. I would like to clarify one thing though, there is not just one scapegoat, but there are many scapegoats. Willie Randolph is not the only man to blame for the Flushing Flush.

While the team could have been more motivated, it is not entirely Randolph's fault. Blame must also be put on Omar Minaya who put together a bullpen that went from best in the league in 2006, to steroid users. Blame, in my opinion, must also be put on Rick Peterson. While Peterson is great at developing pitchers, he seems to take no part in managing pitchers. Willie's expertise is definitely at managing the lineup, as he was a solid offensive second baseman for a quite a long time. Willie does seem to have trouble managing the bullpen at times, but if Peterson gave him any sort of advice I think that problem could be alleviated. Instead the Jacket has his face stuffed in a computer worrying about pitch counts and all other sorts of jazz. Get your head out of your Mac and into the game Rick, and help Willie out in a place that is obviously his weakness. Then there's Tom Glavine. The name makes me want to puke. Just one day after Johnny Maine pitches damn near flawless, our "ace" decides to do his best Dave Mlicki impression. Seven runs given up in less than two innings against a team with a mascot named Billy is just horribly inexplicable. Go back to Atlanta. Thank you for three years, you basically just rendered them useless with that lackluster garbage excuse of a start.

There needs to be a lot of changes this off season. Carlos Delgado needs to go. We need to get younger at first base, and Delgado's best days are definitely behind him. I love Carlos as a player, and he won his respect back for me as a man when he decided to start standing for THE National Anthem again. Go to the American League, be a DH, and end your career. Luis Castillo was a useless acquisition this season. Ruben Gotay is without a doubt the front runner for the starting 2B job going into next season. Especially since Anderson Hernandez couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with a beach ball. If Lastings Milledge isn't starting in right field next season then I am becoming a Yankees fan...alright that was a joke, but I think you guys can understand how serious I am about that. Finally we need to get a bona fide ace, and fix that pitiful excuse of a bullpen we got.

Omar is going to be busy this off season. Mets fans are going to expect nothing less than a division title and payback on the Phillies. A pennant would be nice considering we haven't won one of those in seven years. Dare I mention it has been 21 years since we have won a World Series. Next year will show what Omar and Willie have when it comes to leading this team. They are facing a lot of pressure and are under a microscope...ummm scratch that telescope from all of the Tri State to get the job done. Here's hoping for a great off season.

In other baseball news.....

HOW BOUT THEM ROCKIES! This is without a doubt the feel good story of the year in baseball. If you would have told me that the Colorado Rockies would be four games away from the World Series in May, I would have been calling Bellevue for you. Big up to the Rock Dawgs, and I would love to see them in the World Series. Plus it was great justice to see them beat up on Philadelphia. This just goes to show that the only thing useful to ever come out of Philadelphia when it comes to sports is a fictional character that fictionally ended Communism in the USSR. Reagan didn't bring down the Berlin Wall...Rocky did.

The fire your manager wave is hot all over New York City, as George Steinbrenner, in yet another act of ignorance, will be firing Joe Torre for taking his Yankees to the playoffs every season of his 12 season tenure. Joe Torre is a class act, and he gets treated with utter disrespect by The Boss. It is not Torre's fault that Alex Rodriguez is useless in October, and the ace of his staff didn't show up to this post season. You ask any player in that Yankee clubhouse and they will tell you firing Torre is a horrible idea. Have some class George.

Finally, I'm just going to put it out there. NO ONE IS BEATING BOSTON. They are too good. They made the Angels look like the Reds in the ALDS. Their pitching is clicking on all cylinders, Manny and Ortiz look like Ruth and Gehrig, and that bullpen is awesome. Cleveland has nothing to match Boston after Sabathia and Carmona. Look for the Red Sox to take the series in 6. Rockies take out the D'Backs in seven. Both series' should be very entertaining to watch.

IN OTHER SPORTS...

I don't know about you guys, but it was very gratifying to watch the Giants front four demolish the Eagles on that horrible Sunday last week. It really saved my day, I'm not going to lie. My G-Men then followed up their demolition of Philly with a 35-24 comeback victory over the Paper Airplanes. Eli and Plaxico (STIFF ARM) looked great in the second half, and HOW BOUT THAT AARON ROSS. The G-Men, along with the whole NFC East is looking like the NFC East of the early 1990's. Everyone is good, except for the Eagles.

Also this calling time out RIGHT before a field goal is kicked. That bush league garbage needs to stop.

HOCKEY IS BACK!!!!

What seems to be the second most popular sport in the group has made it's triumphant return...unless you are a Devils fan of course. We look like garbage. Rangers are fans are already on my last nerve, as they are already running their mouths. The Rangers are the same story every season; a bunch of high salaries with no chemistry and no results by the end of the season. Until I am ever proved wrong I will continue with that philosophy. The Fishsticks are weak. I'll let Wassink handle the Pens.

THE CHASE IS ON!!!

Well not for Junior unfortunately. To add insult to injury my boy Dale blew his sixth engine of the year at Talladega (Man Race) last Sunday. At least he is sticking it to Theresa, the woman who is trying to ruin the Earnhardt name. Looks like Hendrick Motor Sports is going to be running 1-2 in points again as Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are motoring themselves away from everyone else. Wait until Junior joins that team next season...scary.

Finally I would like to give a shout out to my Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who finally won a football game this past weekend. Let's keep em coming boys. Oh and if anyone finds the Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team, please return them to Piscataway. It would be greatly appreciated. USC lost...HAHAHAHA. That's my Two Cents. Later on. JD.
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Howdy all! First off I would like to apologize for my absence this past week, as my computer stopped working last week. It is still in the process of getting fixed (much like the Mets lineup and bullpen). While gone I finally came up with a name for my weekly column though: Tuesday Two Cents with Jersey Dan. I hope you guys like it. Now off to the races.

The bullpen, yeah we got one, yeah it’s got issues; but like a Chevy it gets the job done, even if you have to tinker with it at bit. Everyone has quickly jumped on the Scott Schoeneweis bandwagon as of late. Have fun riding that wagon, because who knows how rough it will be, and who knows if it will crash or not. Let’s be realistic here, the man has shown up for two months this season, and was just despicable for the rest of the season. His ERA is still above five, and his WHIP is still above one and a half. There is no reason for us to get outlandishly excited over this recent stint of success. Let’s see where Schoeneweis is at the end of the month.

So the Schoeneweis train is full, and that is because everyone is starting to get off of the Wagner Wagon. What is everyone’s problem with Wags? He is having one of his best seasons ever (like I predicted at the beginning of the season), and has shown nothing but composure this season. Last week against Atlanta Wags loaded up the bases with none out, and Brian McCann coming up to the plate, followed by Andruw Jones. What followed was composure that only the best closers in the game show. Wagner throws great pitches and induces McCann to ground to David Wright who fires home for the force. Wagner then throws some more great pitches and gets Jones to ground into a game ending double play. If Wagner weren’t a great closer, the Mets most likely would have blown that lead. His 26 saves 1.58 ERA and 61 strikeouts can close ball games for my team any day of the week.

So does anybody want to tell me what happened to Joe Smith? The man was lights out at the beginning of the season, and then sometime a little before the All Star Break he hit a brick wall that was more solid than a Mo Vaughn turkey sandwich. Hence Smith was sent down to AAA. Normally this wouldn’t bother me, but normally Guillermo Mota wouldn’t be a middle reliever on my baseball team. Let’s face it, off the juice Mota is garbage. If Smith can get back on track in New Orleans we can bring him back up and get Mota out of there.

Pedro Feliciano: Ain’t nothing wrong with that.

Finally we get to the Met that everyone loves to hate: Aaron Heilman. This guy is having a career year, keeps us in games nine times out ten, usually cleans up the messes that Mota or Schoeneweis leave him, and yet we still ridicule him because of Game Seven of the 2006 NLCS. Get over it people, Heilman is a solid player, pitching in a role that he was thrown into last season. As far as I am concerned he has pitched very well since becoming our set up man and is the least of our bullpen worries.

Point being, this bullpen, if managed the right way can be just as good as Boston’s or any of the other top pens in the league. Now that Jorge Sosa is in the pen he will get a lot of work. Sosa, Feliciano, and Heilman looks like it could work out to be a great bullpen combo. If heaven allows it, and Schoeneweis continues to produce this bullpen could turn lethal. If Smith learns how to pitch again, we can get the steroid train out of there and have one of the best pens in the game. This last month and a half will make or break this pen, and make or break our chances of winning a third World Series.

Afterthoughts

Former New York Yankee shortstop and commentator Phil Rizzuto died today. Scooter was a legendary face to the game of baseball his whole life. He was one of the premier shortstops of his day, and his voice is among one of the most famous in baseball. His play-by-play was so exciting that he was used by Meat Loaf to do the “play-by-play” on his 1979 classic “Paradise By The Dashboard Light.” The Scooter will be missed.

While on hiatus last week, many Major League Baseball milestones were achieved.

Barry Bonds hit #756 last Tuesday. Thank God that is over, and the Giants won’t be on national television anymore this season

A-Rod hit #500 last week. I like A-Rod; he’s a great player that puts up with way too much garbage. I hope we get to see him hit many more home runs (just not for the Yankees).

Tommy Glavine wins #300. This seemed to take an eternity to Mets fans. What was pretty crazy about this win is that it took place in Wrigley Field, which opened in 1914, and only last Sunday saw it’s first 300 win milestone. Glavine is also the first Met to win 300 games while in a Met uniform. Glavine also could be the last pitcher to ever win 300 games, with these boneheaded pitch counts, and five man rotations and such. Congrats Tommy.

On a personal milestone note I must tip my cap to Cardinals OF Rick Ankiel. As much as I despise the Cardinals I cannot be happier for this guys success. If five years ago you were to tell me that Rick Ankiel would be an OF hitting home runs for St. Louis, I’d tell you take another shot of JD and keep dreaming. This is a great story for baseball, and I could not be happier for the guy.

Football is back, and the Giants are already driving me nuts. Six wins is a stretch for them. Thank God NASCAR goes until November.

Speaking of NASCAR, can somebody please instruct Dale Earnhardt’s crew on how to properly build an engine for a stock car? Four blown engines this season, and two in three weeks is just embarrassing.

That’s my two cents…Let’s Go Mets. Read More...

This weekend, a huge event in North American professional sports occurred in a small village in Upstate New York. The event was largely overshadowed by the negative events going on in the sports world. In a time where we have to worry about overrated NFL quarterbacks mass murdering dogs, an asterisk next to a home run record, and the MAFIA fixing NBA games through referees, a lot of Americans overlooked what should have been one of the greatest days of the summer; the induction of Tony Gwynn, and Cal Ripken Jr. into the National Baseball Hall Of Fame. The two of them today would be considered a rare breed. While the two men were loyal to baseball, they were also loyal to their respective teams, and respective fans, and would never dream of leaving their respective cities. So since the national media didn’t give them the honor and recognition that they deserve, they are going to get it right here.

Ripken was a player of the likes that we might never see again in Major League Baseball. Ripken was called up to the Baltimore Orioles in 1981, and by 1982 Ripken was Baltimore’s everyday shortstop. From May 30, 1982 until September 19, 1998 Ripken never took a break, amassing an astounding streak of playing in 2,632 consecutive games. Ripken’s accomplishments along the way solidified his Hall Of Fame status. Two MVP Awards, two Gold Glove Awards, eight Silver Slugger Awards, the 1982 AL Rookie Of The Year, 19 All Star Game selections (including two MVP Awards), and being named to the MLB All Century Team. Not to mention Ripken did it all with his beloved hometown Baltimore Orioles, with whom he led to the 1983 World Series title. After 2,632 consecutive games Ripken took himself out of the starting lineup in the Orioles last home game of the 1998 season against the Yankees. In 2000 Ripken collected his 3,000th hit, and during the 2001 season he announced he would be retiring at season’s end. What followed was a farewell tour, the likes that I have never seen in my whole life. Opposing ballparks would sell out when the Orioles came to town, just to see Ripken one last time. Ripken is still involved with not only the Orioles organization, but also the whole state of Maryland.

Equally as great as Ripekn, Gwynn brought as much joy to San Diego for 20 seasons as Ripekn did to Baltimore. Gwynn made his name as one of the best pure hitters in Major League Baseball winning eight National League Batting Titles, and seven Silver Slugger Awards. Gwynn was also an expert in right field winning five Gold Glove Awards. Along the way Gwynn was selected to 15 All Star Games, led the league in hits seven times, en route to becoming a member of the 3,000 hit club. By the end of his career Gwynn was regarded as the best pure hitter in the game since Ted Williams. In the strike shortened 1994 season Gwynn finished with a batting average of .394; the closest anyone has gotten to .400 since Teddy Ballgame. Gwynn also led his Padres to two National League Pennants (1984, 1999). By the end of his career Gwynn had a career batting average of .338 and had amassed 3,141 hits. In an era where power and home runs overshadowed the game, Gwynn still managed to make a name for himself as one of the greatest to ever play the game. Gwynn is still involved with baseball in San Diego, as he is the manager of the San Diego State baseball squad, and is still active around all of Southern California.

In a time where sports are ripe with scandal, it is great to see two men who exemplify what it is to be not just a great athlete, but also a great human being. Men who help in the community, who stay out of trouble, who are ambassadors to the game, and men who are loved by baseball fans all over the world. It’s time for some of the athletes and sports figures of today to take a look back at guys like Ripken and Gwynn, and take a look at how not so much to be a great ballplayer, but how to be a great human being. Congratulations Tony and Cal, your accomplishments, and contributions to the game were not forgotten.
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Honoring The Past…Do The Mets Do It Enough

I know I have brought this up in the Facebook group before, but I would like to address it here. There are times when I think the Mets definitely short change the players that represent their history. Now the Mets have had some great teams in their day, from 1969, to 1973, to 1986, to 1988, to 2000, to 2006, but at times I do not believe that the upper management rewards some of the great individual players for their accomplishments. Only one New York Met position player has had their number retired by the team (#41 Tom Seaver). This is unacceptable and an insult to some of the great Mets that have played for the Shea faithful. So here, I will start up the debate of what Mets deserve to have their numbers retired.

#7 – Ed Kranepool: Kranepool was the original Mr. Met, along with Seaver. Kranepool was a lifelong Met, from the team’s inception in 1962, to his retirement in 1979. Kranepool was there for the 120 losses in 1962, the Miracle Mets of 1969, the Amazin’ Mets of 1973, and for the Midnight Massacre of 1977. He was the steady face that Mets fans could rely on to see at first base at the start of every season for 18 seasons. Kranepool is far and away the most realistic definition of a lifelong Met, and he deserves to be remembered immortally by all Mets fans.

#8 – Gary Carter: Carter was one of the great leaders of the Mets in the 1980’s. He was one of the catalysts of the great 1986 team, and for all intensive purposes is the one of only two Mets inducted into the Hall Of Fame as a Met (though on his plaque he wears an Expos cap, we all know he should have went in as a Met). Carter, along with Carlton Fisk, and Lance Parrish was the premier catcher of his day, and is one of the premier offensive catchers of all time. His arrival, along with that of Keith Hernandez signaled an end to the days of misery in Queens. His two out, two strike single in Game Six of the 1986 World Series started the furious rally that won the game and eventually the series for the Mets. Carter will always be a favorite of Mets fans, and his #8 deserves to be eternally etched in hallows of New York Mets history.

#16 – Doc Gooden: Well there is no doubt that Gooden was the ace of those great Mets staffs in the 1980’s. He was the most dominant pitcher in the National League from 1984-86, if not all of baseball. Of course what kills Gooden’s chances of having his number retired was his numerous off the field drug problems. The sad thing about Gooden is that his drug problems also most likely cost him a chance at being enshrined in Cooperstown. If Gooden had stayed out of trouble, his #16 most likely would be hanging up in left field.

#17 – Keith Hernandez: Hernandez along with Carter is the biggest sham. Hernandez is THE greatest defensive first basemen in the history of the game. He won six Gold Glove Awards as a member of the Mets (along with five more as a St. Louis Cardinal), along with one Silver Slugger Award (he won one another one of these in St. Louis also). Hernandez was also the captain of the great Mets teams in the 1980’s, and along with Carter got the team turned around in the right direction. Hernandez is also a beloved commentator for the Mets today. While he had his off the field issues as well, they were nowhere near as serious as Gooden’s or Darryl Strawberry’s. Hernandez deserves the honor of his number being retired just as much as Carter does.

#18 – Darryl Strawberry: Strawberry was a monster in the 1980’s. After being recruited out of South Central Los Angeles, Strawberry hit the scene in 1983, winning the National League Rookie Of The Year Award. Strawberry had power that no Mets player had been able to duplicate in previous years. Straw was the first true power hitter that the Mets ever had on their team. To this day he still holds team records in home runs, and runs batted in. Like Gooden though, Straw was a product of his times, and he too fell into drug problems, that eventually ruined what would have been a Hall Of Fame career. Unlike Gooden though, Strawberry has done a much better job at fighting off his demons later in his career, and he has started to work with the Mets once again during Spring Training. His previous reputation though will forever tarnish any chances of his jersey being retired.

#31 – Mike Piazza: Piazza is still playing, so if his number retirement does come, it is a ways off. But, how could you deny what Piazza meant to this team in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. Piazza’s arrival on the scene in 1998 effectively signaled the end of the dark years in the 1990’s. While in a Mets uniform, Piazza basically solidified his acclaim as the best offensive catcher to ever play the game. And of course, who could forget his memorable game winning home run against the Braves in the 2001 season right after the September 11 attacks. That moment is still, in this guy’s opinion, one of the greatest moments in the history of sports. After his release after the 2005 season, Piazza signed on to catch for the San Diego Padres. Upon his first return to Shea Stadium he got numerous standing ovations, solidifying the fact that he had been the team’s most popular player since Seaver. Piazza’s number should be retired immediately after his retirement, and anything less would be a damn shame.

#36 – Jerry Koosman: Koosman is the forgotten soldier of the Mets late 1960’s early 1970’s teams. Koosman still remains one of four Mets pitchers to win 20 games in a season (though he did lose 20 games the next season). The simple fact that hurts Koosman though is that his numbers just aren’t good enough, and the fact that he wasn’t a lifelong Met (unlike Kranepool) really hurts him.

#45 – Tug McGraw: McGraw was the inspirational leader of the 1969 and especially the 1973 Mets. His famous catchphrase “Ya Gotta Believe” still lives in Mets lure today. He was the first premier closer for the Mets, and one of the first “closers” to ever play the game. The fact that hurts McGraw though is that Phillies fans also fondly remember him, and it is well known that McGraw enjoyed his tenure in Philadelphia more than he enjoyed his tenure in New York. This fact is what alone keeps him off the wall for me.

#45 – John Franco: And finally, the man himself, one John Franco. Like Kranepool, Franco was a New York City boy that embraced the fact that he got to play at home. Franco, upon is retirement was and still is the Mets all time leader in saves, and upon his retirement he was second on the all time saves list (he has since dropped to fourth on the list). Franco also wore #31 before the arrival of Mike Piazza, but graciously gave his number to Piazza. It would be great to see the two of these guys (guys who embodied the heart and soul of what a New York Met is) get inducted in the same ceremony in the near future. Of course the fact that Pedro Martinez is wearing #45 right now might be delaying the retirement process.

Well there you have it, a brief history on the Mets, in their swagger days. These are players that I think the present day Mets could look up to for some inspiration. The 2007 Mets seem to be so uninspired at times, and seeing the swagger and never say die attitude of these players (especially the guys from the 1980’s) could really help them get on the right track. Swagger can be used as intimidation, it can used to boost your confidence in yourself as a player, and it can be used to build much needed character. By honoring some of these old Mets, it could give today’s Mets a clue about what it takes to win, and to win aggressively, with no holds barred. That’s a trait I think these Mets miss at times, and it’s a trait that these guys all had.

And remember Mets fans: Don’t Stop Believin’

JD

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So the All Star Break has come and gone, as have many in the New York Mets organization, including hitting instructor Rick Down and ageless wonder Julio Franco. Replacing the departed are baseball legend Rickey Henderson, who took over as the first base coach, while Howard Johnson was named the Mets new hitting instructor, and OF Lastings Milledge, whose ego and sense of cockiness in his first stints in Queens have rivaled that of Ricky in his prime (Well, at least Milledge isn’t talking in the third person yet).

While the hiring of Rickey is what’s dominating the headlines, it is Milledge that has made the bigger splash since the All Star break. Milledge finally started to show the signs of the great ballplayer that he should be this past weekend as the Mets took three of four from the Cincinnati Reds. His personal high point of the weekend was no doubt his game winning RBI on Saturday, a game which most all of us attended. The clutch performance on Saturday, plus steady performances the rest of the four games has got to have Mets GM Omar Minaya interested in what his top hitting prospect could be capable of…or sent away for.

Now, don’t jump on my back, but Milledge can definitely be considered expendable for the right price; especially with guys like Carlos Gomez and Fernando Martinez in our system also. Minaya though is smart, and will not make a move unless it is for a stud, especially an ace. The problem is, Omar doesn’t have too many options to choose from in the trade market. It definitely seems like Astros ace Roy Oswalt is generating the most attention on the market, and the Mets are serious contenders for his services. We would basically have to give up the farm for Oswalt though, who is under contract for another four years after this season. If Omar could pull off a move while not giving up too much for Oswalt, it would be one of the more impressive trades in Mets history. Earlier in the season, free agent to be Carlos Zambrano’s name was thrown around in trade rumors, but with the Cubs playing like contenders, I can’t see him being on the market anymore. There are other pitchers out there, but none that is worth our top hitting prospect.

There is also the possibility that we keep Milledge and stick him in one of the corners as a starter next season. I mean I am not against keeping him if he continues to perform, and stay out of “trouble.” The marked improvement in his behavior from his earlier stints with the parent club, has only improved his credibility to the team and fans (yes this club is still credible and classy…even with Ricky and Keith on the same payroll). Plus, if Milledge blossoms into the player he should turn out the be, himself, Gomez, and center fielder Carlos Beltran will be one of the great outfields for a long time. Extra base hits for opponents would be a thing of the past with those three flying around there. And as I said, I cannot wait to see the “positive” influence of Rickey on Lastings.

As you can plainly see, there are pros and cons of putting Milledge on the trading block. A deal for Milledge better bring in some hard-core studs, such as Mr. Oswalt or Mr. Dunn (which I am not 100% in support of), or Mr. Griffey (who is still the man). If not though, it looks like that Milledge can become one of the best in the business if he keeps up the pace he has shown since the All Star Break ended. So let me hear back from ya, do we trade Milledge, keep him, tell him to jump off of a cliff. Let me know what’s up. Have a great day and pleasant yesterday.

JD
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Howdy all. So recently it has been stated in the Facebook group that us Mets fans utterly despise the timeless Neil Diamond classic "Sweet Caroline" (bah bah bahhhhh). Well, as Mets fans, we may like the song personally, but as our sing-a-long song at ballgames, it seems like a no go. I personally agree that it should not be our sing-a-long song, mainly because it is more associated with the Boston Red Sox and not the Mets (even though we used the song first, we also used "New York, New York" first for that matter…damn American League thieves). So while discussing this in the boards, we have discussed many replacement options for the fan sing-a-long. Being the resident music major of this group, I have decided to analyze all the legit suggestions in this very post, and determine what the new song should be. I am going to start with the existing song that we have.

"Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond: Alright so who doesn't like this song. Who doesn't like going "BAH BAH BAHHHHH" and "SO GOOD SO GOOD SO GOOD." I sure as hell don't. The problem is, this is a Red Sox song, and Red Sox fans have the IQ's of a piece of Atlantic driftwood. I don't know about you guys, but I do not want to be associated with Red Sox fans.

"Rock & Roll Part II" by Gary Glitter: There are two reasons why this song can take a long walk off of a short plank. The first being that every marching band this side of the Pacific plays this song at high school football games, and without that tuba part the song is useless. My second reasoning, well, Gary Glitter is a petterass.

"Highway To Hell" by AC/DC: This is an amazing song, and is personally one of my favorite tunes ever. The WWF (note the F and not the E) used it for SummerSlam a few years back; and it was awesome. It has a great chorus to sing too; if you are over the age of 18. I'm sure there are plenty of mothers who have a problem with their children talking about riding a highway to hell. That brings the highway to hell to a screeching halt.

"Livin' On A Prayer" by Bon Jovi: What could be better? The world's greatest 80's anthem, from the world's greatest 80's band. The chorus to this song is so soaring, and so monumental, and so epic. It's also very inspiring and the chorus is a great rallying cry. Plus they talk about diners, my favorite type of eatery.

"Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses: We are at a baseball game here, not trying to get some girl with super tall hair to marry one of us. Leave the power ballads at home.
PS: Slash is the man.

"Pour Some Sugar On Me" by Def Leppard: Again we are at a baseball game, not a strip club. Nuff said.

"Don't Stop Believin" by Journey: This song like "Livin' On A Prayer" is a serious contender for a new sing-a-long. Every college student in the United States of American knows this song, and every one of his or her parents knows it also. I bet all of us have belted the chorus to this song drunk at some point and time in our lives. The word 'believe' has also been associated with the Mets for years. Plus, who doesn't like Journey. I mean not liking Journey is just cruel, wrong, and silly.

"Sweet Caroline" (Techo remix) by some DJ who thought it would be cool to remix a Neil Diamond song: Hey guys, what kind of music has no kind of real instruments and sucks?????

"Summer Of '69" by Bryan Adams: Another great suggestion with this Bryan Adams classic. It is another tune that all generations know, and it directly relates to New York Mets because of the 1969 reference. The problem is, there are so many people that just utterly hate Bryan Adams, and I really don't know why?

"The Lucas Prata Mets Song, Which I Have Never Bothered To Acknowledge" by Lucas Prata: The hell with Lucas Prata.

"Down With The Sickness" by Disturbed: Another great song, but the chorus isn't memorable enough. Though it would be cool as hell to hear 55,000 people screaming like a monkey.

"Friends In Low Places" by Garth Brooks: This song has one of the greatest sing-a-long choruses ever, but unlike the top contenders, this song has no underlying meaning to it. It's just a tune about a guy getting drunk and screwing up. This would be a great Keith Hernandez theme song though.

"Jump" by Van Halen: Van Halen is by far one of the best bands in the history of rock and roll. These guys rock hard and this song rocks hard. A mid 1980's synthesizer classic, with a crazy Eddie guitar solo is just what the doctor ordered for me most of the time. The chorus to this song would be awesome to sing-a-long too, but I would be scared that not enough people would know the chorus and when the correct time to say "JUMP" would be. Make note that David Lee Roth is a registered New York City EMT.

"It's Raining Men" by the Weather Girls: Uhhhhh…What???? (Thank you GEICO Cavemen)

"We Built This City" by Starship: "We Built This City" might be the worst song ever written in the history of music.

"Glory Days" by Bruce Springsteen: The video for this song actually shows The Boss watching the 1969 World Series if I remember correctly. The song itself though doesn't compare to Jovi or Journey, or Garth for that matter.

Something by Carlos Y. Jose: This is funny because the guys name involves the words Carlos and Jose. This is also funny because they don't speak English, and last time I checked, wait let me look down, let me check the map...yeah we are still in America, and we still primarily speak English here. End of story.

"The Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats: HAHAHAHAHAHA

"Get Drunk & Be Somebody" by Toby Keith: This song is just an awesome drinking song, but for baseball, not so much.

"Margaritaville" by Jimmy Buffet: Take note, we are not in South Florida, and we don't drink margaritas at Shea.

"Swing" by Trace Adkins: This song is good for when a player strikes out, but for absolutely no other reason.

"L.A. Woman" by The Doors: This is an old school Mets classic, but it would not work now unfortunately, because of the fact that it is not a sing-a-long type song. This song was played for Mike Piazza when he walked to the plate, and he plays in Oakland now.

and finally….

"Piano Man" by Billy Joel: Like the Toby Keith tune, this song is mainly a let's get drunk and sing loud and out of tune song. The other main issue is that Billy Joel is a huge Yankee fan, and that just doesn't fly with me.
Take Note: I am a huge Billy Joel fan.

Alright ladies and gentlemen, these are the choices that we have come up with. I would actually like to hear feedback so we could possibly start a petition for the Mets to change their tune. Personally for me it came down to "Livin' On A Prayer" and "Don't Stop Believin", and in the long run my New Jersey bias ruled supreme and Jovi was the choice. So in closing I leave you with this.

"WHOOOOOOOOOA WE'RE HALFWAY THERE, WHOOOOOA OHHHH LIVIN' ON A PRAYER, TAKE MY HAND AND WE'LL MAKE IT I SWEAR, WHOOOOA OHHHH LIVIN' ON A PRAYER"

JD
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It is with great pleasure and pride that I am here to announce the beginning of the next chapter in the global mets history book, with the launch of the group’s blog on the group’s one-year anniversary of existence.

What started out as one person’s dream to bring other fans together in one place to share the common interest and love for the greatest sports team in the world has really become more than what I could have imagined. When I started the facebook group, I figured it would get a few members, but I never knew more of it would come. After fighting off a few other rival mets groups at the start, the group quickly grew to become the largest mets group on facebook. Not only has it become the largest mets group on facebook as it approaches 14,000 members, it also happens to be the largest and most active mets-related social networking group on the whole Internet. The group has become more than just a regular group, and has turned into a community where lifetime friendships have been made. It’s no joke that people in this group have gone to baseball games together, partied together, text message each other, and more on a daily basis.

With growth comes new opportunities and new ideas. Sure we have the facebook group, but why just limit ourselves to that? With so many great members from all age ranges, it only makes sense to do more. So here it is, globalnym’s official blog. We are more than just a regular blog; we are a blog representing some of the greatest and passionate fans in the world. Any one of our 14,000 members is more than welcome to be apart of this blog and contribute. This is what sets us apart from all other blogs out there and this is what will make this project a success.

Finally, I would personally would like to thank each and every one of you for making this possible. I can’t say it enough, but it’s the members who make globalnym what it is today and without each and everyone of you, the group would be nothing. Believe me when I say this, but this is only the beginning.
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Alright ladies and gentlemen it is that time of the year where Jersey Dan gets to complain about the Major League Baseball All Star Game. The system and shenanigans surrounding the MLB All Star Game is just plain dumb, stupid, and embarrassing; and you people are going to hear about it.

The first shenanigan is the fact that this game is what considers home field advantage for the World Series. Now in most sports not involving the words foot and ball, home field advantage is decided by who has the best record in the league. Unless Major League Baseball decides to hold their championship series at a neutral site, the team with the best record should get home field advantage, simple as that. I don’t get why Buddy Selig doesn’t think this is a great idea. Of course, as most of us know, Buddy isn’t a man known for his great ideas. The point is, this game was made for the fans. It was made as an exhibition for the fans, and the fans lost out on the exhibition factor. As a fan, when I watch an All Star game I want to see players having fun and giving us the most entertaining game possible. Not only have the players been stripped of their fun exhibition, the fans have been stripped of enjoying the game.

While on the issues of the common Major League Baseball fan, I would like to get into the issue of voting. If this game is determining home field advantage for the World Series, then fans should not be allowed to vote, that way the best players get in guaranteed. I mean we are all Mets fans here, but none of you can seriously tell me that if Paul Lo Duca would have gotten voted in, that you could justify him over Dodgers catcher Russell Martin. This issue can be alleviated by one simple decision; make the game an exhibition again (notice the recurring theme here). If the game is an exhibition then the fans can vote for whoever the hell they want, and it won’t matter in the long run, because the game is just a good time for all, and nothing serious. And furthermore, fans should also be able to vote for pitchers. I mean what the hell is the deal with that? Do major league managers really think that we can only “analyze” position players? Let the fans vote for all the starters.

My third issue with this game is that David Ortiz was voted in as a starter at first base. Newsflash baseball fans of America: David Ortiz is a designated hitter. In San Francisco (the site of this seasons All Star Game) they play baseball the way it was meant to be played aka no designated hitter. The fact that Ortiz will be starting at a position he doesn’t even play is a joke. Yeah don’t get me wrong, Ortiz can hit a baseball through the walls of Attica, but that does not mean he deserves the spot over someone who actually plays the position. How about guys like Ortiz’s teammate Kevin Youkalis (you know the guy who actually plays first base for the Red Sox) who get snubbed even though he is having a great year. The man is having a career year, is one of the most popular players up in Boston, and he wasn’t even on the ballot. Hey Major League Baseball, you really dropped the ball on that one.

I’ve also been hearing in the Facebook forum from certain posters, that fans should be not be allowed to vote for the all star team. How is that a good idea? This game has been stripped from the fans enough already, and you want to strip their right to vote. I can’t think of any other sport that doesn’t give the fans the right to vote for their all star game. That would be an insult to the game and to the fans.

Also, another thing that makes me tick is the fact that every team has to be represented. Are you really telling me that Kansas City Royals starter Gil Meche deserves to be on the American League All Star team? For goodness sake the guy has a losing record. No fan would ever vote for Meche, or even want to see Meche in the game. Once again Major League Baseball drops the ball.

I ask Major League Baseball one thing, and one thing only. PLEASE GIVE THE ALL STAR GAME BACK TO FANS!!!!

JD
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It's official ladies and gentlemen; Braves fans have reached the level of Yankees fans when it comes to living in the past. The problem is, Braves fans are just cheap Yankee fan knock offs when it comes to living in the past.

As many of us fellow Mets fans know, the fans of the New York Yankees are notorious for living in the past. No matter how much better we are in the standings then them, or how many times the Yankees get swept by the Rockies, Yankee fans will come back with the same proverbial excuse: 26.

Well fear not fellow Mets fans, because now our other favorite team to hate, the Atlanta Braves are pulling the same garbage. How, you might ask, can the Braves, a team that has won a mere three World Series titles in its 125 plus year existence pull of a stunt like this? Well my fiddle/steel player in my country band is a Braves fan, and he owns a shirt that just irks me to no end. Apparently the Braves now make shirts that brag about how they won 14 straight division titles. Now don’t get me wrong, 14 straight division titles is highly impressive, but is it something you shouldn’t be bragging about when you only have one World Series to show for it. At least Yankee fans are bragging about winning the World Series, at least they have some validity, but Braves fans are bragging about winning a measly division title. Not just any division title though, but the National League East. Let’s face it, save for the Mets and Marlins being good a couple of years, the NL East was a cakewalk. Look at the Braves playoff statistics over the years of their division run:

1991: Lost to Twins in WS
1992: Lost to Blue Jays in WS
1993: Lost to Phillies in NLCS
1994: Strike
1995: Won World Series over Indians
1996: Lost to Yankees in WS
1997: Lost to Marlins in NLCS
1998: Lost to Padres in NLCS
1999: Lost to Yankees in WS
2000: Lost to Cardinals in NLDS
2001: Lost to Diamondbacks in NLCS
2002: Lost to Giants in NLDS
2003: Lost to Cubs in NLDS
2004: Lost to Astros in NLDS
2005: Lost to Astros in NLDS
2006: Bitchsmacked by the Mets in regular season

In the glory years of Maddux, Smoltz, Glavine, and Avery the Braves were a force to be reckoned with. But in this decade, the Braves division titles were basically a waste of a playoff spot. Yet, Braves fans (who don’t even attend their teams playoff games) have this need to rub the number fourteen in my face. Well I always give them this stat back. Since the Mets existence, we have won more World Series titles than the Braves, only one less pennant, and we have each beaten each other once in the NLCS. I think those stats line up very well in the Mets favor over all, and it basically renders the Braves obsession with the number 14 useless.

JD
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