This past season was truly a historic one with Johan Santana throwing the first no-hitter in Mets franchise history, and R.A. Dickey winning the National League Cy Young Award. There were some other bright-spots this past season, like David Wright returning to form after struggling since the opening of Citi Field in 2009, the blazing debut of pitching prospect Matt Harvey, the resurgent second half for Ike Davis, Jon Niese's successful first complete season.

There were also many spots where the Mets had trouble thus leaving voids needing to be filled. The bullpen once again was about as leaky as a Swiss Cheese sandwich. After a horrible start to his season, Frank Francisco seemed to have righted the ship until injury struck. After his return Francisco reverted back to the level of performance he opened the season with until ultimately being shut down in mid-September. The bench was a bright spot for the first half of the season but with the ineffective play of the starting outfield, the bench became worn out.

This off-season there are three things that are necessary to improve this team.

Priority #1: Re-sign Wright & Dickey

R.A. Dickey going for win #20

With two of the Mets biggest stars contracts about to expire (both had options picked up at the end of the season) it is a priority that both  David Wright and R.A. Dickey receive extensions of their contracts, Dickey more than Wright. Many have argued that Dickey should be traded for prospects to help further rebuild the farm system left depleted by Omar Minaya, but despite everything that Dickey has done for this team, he is one of the few players that has more value to the Mets than he does for anyone else. What other team out there would be willing to give up a top pitching prospect for a 38 year old pitcher? Granted this pitcher is now the reigning NL Cy Young winner but in reality the chances of receiving a bounty are slim to none.

Wright is also a player of tremendous value but that value isn't an exclusive feature to the Mets organization. With top hitting prospect Wilmer Flores waiting in the wings, Wright is potentially expendable. While Flores is nowhere near as fleet of foot nor good defensively as Wright, Flores has the potential to fill in for the offensive void that would be left by Wright if he were traded. I do not wish this to happen and I want both players to stay. I believe that would be the best thing for the fans and the organization going forward.
(It should be noted that both Wright and Dickey have reportedly received contract offers from the Mets of 6 years $100 million and 2 years $27 million with a mutual option respectively)

Priority #2: Fix the outfield

Grady Sizemore back in 2009

Due to the release of Jason Bay and ineffective play of Andres Torres and Lucas Duda, the outfield is now completely barren. Duda is likely to stay but Torres may now be a player off the bench depending on who the Mets sign. Prior to the completion of the postseason I had suggested the signing of Delmon Young, though with his successful play in the postseason Young has likely priced himself outside of the Mets range. It looks again unfortunately that the team will be bargain basement shopping. That unfortunately means no BJ Upton, Michael Bourn, Josh Hamilton (who despite everything he's done on the field I wouldn't touch with a 10 pole). That however does not rule out a big piece coming in via trade (read Justin Upton [BJ's younger brother]). That option seems unlikely though given the current financial situation. My suggestion would be to look at Grady Sizemore. Having not played all of last season and not having played a full season since 2008 due to injury he likely fits the bill of what the Mets would be looking for. When healthy Sizemore can be a good addition to the team, unfortunately that has not been the case since the 2009 season. The other spots can starting spot will likely be fought out between prospect Matt Den Dekker, and Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who after a strong start to the 2012 season hit the rookie wall and hit it hard, eventually being sent back down to AAA Buffalo in favor of Matt Harvey.

Priority #3: Rebuild the Bullpen 

Broxton pitching for Cincinatti

The bullpen once again proved to be the undoing of the Mets season in 2012. The hot and cold mentality of Bobby Parnell and Jon Rauch combined with the ineffective performance of Frank Francisco and Ramon Ramirez along with the season ending injury to the lone consistent pitcher in Tim Byrdak destroyed any chances of playoff contention for the Mets. However with the infusion of prospects Elvin Ramirez, Josh Edgin and Robert Carson plus the possible additions of either Jenrry Mejia or Jeurys Familia should help sure up a weak spot last season. One player who I personally believe would be a benefit to the back end of the bullpen is Jonathan Broxton. After receiving a one year contract last year and some success splitting time between Kansas City and Cincinnati Broxton should receive a similar type contract this offseason.

While the Mets unfortunately likely won't be in the hunt for a playoff spot look for the team to be much improved from last season. Read More...

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Ahh September. The month that has given every Met fan nightmares over the past two seasons. However, this year don't fret. For the first time since 2005, the Mets don't find themselves in first place in the beginning of September. Ironically enough, the Mets were also in 4th place in 2005...but with a 69-64 record and only 6.5 back of the Atlanta Braves. The roles have changed and now it will be the Mets who look to do some spoiling. 19 games this month will be against teams in playoff contention (Colorado- 3, Atlanta and Florida- 6 each, Philadelphia- 4) and those games will certainly decide the fate of not only the NL East, but of the Wild Card.


In the meantime however, the first task at hand is the Colorado Rockies. Historically the Mets do not fair well at Coors Field. Although they are 15-3 vs. the Rockies at home since 2005...on the road they are a mere 4-8 including 1-5 in the past couple of seasons. In this injury ravaged season there is some good news however. The beloved David Wright will make his triumphant return tonight. He's expected to get the night off Wednesday before playing again on Thursday. Also, Carlos Beltran ran the bases in Port St. Lucie and is expected to have a rehab assignment for the Brooklyn Cyclones on Wednesday. This series will also feature on Thursday the anticipated debut of Josh Thole, a 22 year old catcher that had been playing the majority of the season over in Binghamton. The young fella will wear #30...last worn by the immortal Raul Casanova last season.

Pitching Matchups for the Series:

Tonight- Mike Pelfrey (9-9 4.80 ERA) vs. Jorge De La Rosa (12-9 4.76 ERA). The Big Pelf looks to rebound from a poor outing in Florida last week in which he surrendered 5 runs on 11 hits in 5.2IP in a 5-3 loss. Career-wise versus the Rockies he has odd statistics. Although he is 3-1 with a 2.35 ERA in four career appearances (all starts), his WHIP is 1.43 and the Rockies have managed to hit .282. On the road this season, Pelfrey has been dreadful as he is 4-6 with a 6.11 ERA, 1.71 WHIP and .304 BAA in 11 starts. Meanwhile, De La Rosa has been hot lately. Though he lost his last outing 3-2 to the LA Dodgers where he allowed 3 runs on 8 hits in 7IP, he is 7-2 in his last 10 starts. De La Rosa careerwise versus the Mets is 2-0 with a 4.91 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and .189 BAA in 7 appearances (1 start). At home this season, De La Rosa has been aided by run support as he is 7-6 with a 5.17 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and .265 BAA in 15 games (14 starts).

Wednesday- Tim Redding (2-4 5.94 ERA) vs. Ubaldio Jimenez (12-10 3.33 ERA). Since his return to the rotation, Redding has been solid, allowing 3 ER (all in his last start, a 10-3 win) in 11.2IP to the Phillies and Marlins. In seven career appearances (5 starts) versus the Rockies the Red Dog is 1-2 with a 4.20 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and .246 BAA. The road hasn't been kind to Redding either as he is 1-2 with a 5.77 ERA, 1.77 WHIP and .304 BAA in eleven appearances (6 starts). Meanwhile, Jimenez is another Rockie who has been red hot lately. Though he lost his last outing 2-0 in San Francisco where he allowed 2 ER and 7 hits in 7IP, he is 6-2 in his last 10 starts- all of which have been quality starts. Jimenez career-wise versus the Mets is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and .211 BAA in three starts. In 12 home starts this season Jimenez is 7-4 with a 3.21 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and .234 BAA.

Thursday- Pat Misch (0-1 3.40 ERA) vs. Jason Marquis (14-9 3.60 ERA). Misch looks to build off the best outing of his career versus the Cubs- where he went 7IP and allowed just 1 ER on 6 hits. He was in line for his first career MLB victory but Brian Stokes fell apart in the 8th inning of a 5-2 Mets loss. In 5 career appearances (2 starts) versus the Rockies, Misch is 0-1 with a 4.60 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and .321 BAA. He has no decisions in his 10 road appearances (1 start) with a 2.35 ERA but 1.76 WHIP and .310 BAA. He will once again oppose an NL-All Star, this time in Marquis; who if he were to win this start would tie a career high in wins for a season. The Giants were able to get to him in his last start where he took the loss, allowing 5ER and 9 hits in 6IP in a 5-3 loss. In 22 career appearances (15 starts) versus the Mets, Marquis sports a 6-6 record with a 4.22 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and .283 BAA. In 12 home starts this season Marquis is 6-4 with a 3.59 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and .256 BAA.

This September as Mets fans, we're not expecting a miracle playoff run. All we ask for is for the players to give it their all, steal a few games and give teams a taste of their own medicine from the past couple of seasons. Just to get to .500 the Mets would have to go 22-9 down the stretch which is too much to ask, especially considering our weak August...but a good September/early October for once would give some optimism for next season.
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There are a number of viable candidates for today's ass of the day...or even ass of the past two days. Matt Wise, Aaron Heilman, Willie's fat trap, Yunel Escobar's Knee, Alou's Calf...etc. You get the point. I'm done honoring Heilman with ass of the day.  He gets the lifetime ass-chievement award. It's pathetic. The fact that Alou strained his calf muscle by merely breathing and is not optimistic about should be our first clue that 2008 is turning into a very cruel joke.

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This weekend the Mets took both games from our crosstown rivals the New York Yankees, during a rain shortened series in what may be the most important series of the year thus far. I refuse to call a two game series win a sweep, so we'll just say the Mets won this weekend's series, reclaiming bragging rights for the time being.

Of course to the Mets this weekend's series was bigger than the rival Yankees and the subway series, it was a make or break series to see how the team would react to the Billy Wagner Saga. See my thoughts on that here.

Saturday the Yankees jumped on Johan Santana early with a two run homer from Derek Jeter in the first inning. The Mets struggled early against Andy Pettite before finally breaking through in the 4th inning, batting around and scoring 3 runs to take the lead. From that point, Santana was brilliant retiring 10 straight batters at one point. The score stayed 3-2 until the 7th inning when Kyle Farnsworth came in for the Yanks, and gave up home runs to Jose Reyes and David Wright, giving the Mets 3 more insurance runs making it 6-2. Santana gave up solo home runs to Giambi and Abreu, before Willie turned the ball over to Wagner in the 8th inning for a 4 out save. The Mets would tag on one more run in the top of the ninth to make it 7-4, and Wagner once again stepped up, and shut the door on the Yanks in the 9th for the 7-4 victory.

Sunday the Mets went for the Series win, and they didn't disappoint. The Mets manufactured 4 runs off of Yanks ace Chien-Ming Wang in the top of the 4th around a controversial home run hit by Carlos Delgado which was over ruled by the umps (more on that in the next post). Then Oliver Perez gave up a single to Derek Jeter and a 2-run homer to Hideki Matsui, putting the Yanks right back in the game. But Perez settled down after that, allowing just 1 more hit to Jose Molina in the 5th. Perez was dominant, going 7.2 innings, allowing 2 runs on only 3 hits and striking out 4. The Mets went to town on Wang after that, Ryan church hit a monster home run in the 6th inning, and the Mets would bat around again in the 8th inning, off of Wang and Ross Olendorf, putting together a 6 run inning capped off by a 3 run homer by Jose Reyes. Joe Smith and Scott Schoeneweis sealed the deal, Mets win 11-2.

These were two big wins by the Mets in this series, they definitely showed up and did what they needed to do. The Mets came out and reclaimed some bragging rights for Mets fans, now they just have to go out and continue this good play in Atlanta and Colorado to try and turn this season around.
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Sorry everyone that my daily feature has been a bit scarce. I'm in the process of moving and working like a mad woman; neither are helpful in keeping up with blog posts. It is time to stop in and distribute a few of my XOXOs though. The Mets returned to Arizona tonight and I am all for possibly relocating the entire organization to Phoenix. Tonight was a great effort from the team. I love the Mets team we see every year at the BOB. XOXOs tonight must be shared by the left side of our infield. Reyes and Wright had absolutely phenomenal nights. Reyes may have been able to steal all the XOXOs until D-Wright's over-the-shoulder catch. Awesome. Period.

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A new edition to the Global Blog: David Wright's Pace during the season. As of tonight, David Wright is only on pace to have 50 home runs and 187 RBI this season. Personally, I expect more from our MVP and potential team leader. I mean, that's alright and all, but come on, Dave...you gotta step it up. Read More...

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So tonight was great.  Besides everyone wearing 42, which I'm sort of on the fence about, good win for the Metsies tonight.  They needed a solid victory with a nice little touch of inspiration. Everyone loves a little man tear or two.

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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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The New York Mets lost to the Atlanta Braves 3-1 on Sunday afternoon. It was the second straight defeat at the hands of their division foes as the Mets fell below .500 for the first time this season.

It was over when: Mark Teixeria killed the Mets twice, first with this homer in the bottom of the eighth and then with his glove in the top of the ninth. I have a feeling that I'm gonna start to hate this guy very quickly.

Good: This Johan Santana kid is pretty good. Santana gave up one run over seven strong innings but was the hard-luck loser as the offense and Aaron Heilman gave him absolutely zero support. For the second consecutive game, though, the Mets refused to go down without a fight. They brought home a run (finally) in the top of the ninth and had the tying run on first when Brian Schneider hit a bullet down the first base side. Unfortunately, Mark Teixeira made a fantastic play, stopping the ball and making the flip to Soriano to end the game.

Bad: I already mentioned them both. The offense was dead for eight innings and by the time they showed up, Heilman had already given a two-run homer to Teixeira the inning before. You have your ace on the hill and you don't manage to give him a single freakin' run? Maybe the Mets wanted to give Santana a reminder of his days in Minnesota. Right now, Santana is the best 1-1 pitcher in baseball.

Ugly: Reyes: 0-4. Castillo: 0-4. Wright: 0-2, 2 SO, 2 BB at least. Beltran: 0-3, 1 BB, 2 SO including a pathetic at-bat in the top of the ninth in which he didn't take the bat off his shoulder once. Hey Carlos; I'll stop riding you when you start to earn your ridiculous paycheck. Oh yeah, Delgado went 2-4 today but he also left three men on base. I'll just sum all of this up. The Mets sucked at the plate for 8+ innings today. Yeah, they were facing John Smoltz today but Blaine Boyer, Will Ohman and Peter Moylan all held the Mets scoreless today. Are you kidding me?

Overall: Thankfully, I missed over half of this game. Once again, the Braves were the better team and they deserved to win. The bats better show up against the Phils this week. Performances like this at Shea will not sit well with the home fans, boys. Then again, playing like this in Atlanta angers me just as much. If we're going to be excited when the Mets beat up on the AAA-quality Florida Marlins, we have to be annoyed when they play like a Little League team against the Braves.

Grade: D. Which is sad because Johan Santana deserved better.
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Mets win 13-0. In other words they creamed the Marlins. Lots of viable candidates for the first ever XOXO's of the Day throughout this game, but we have to narrow it down to one. Drumroll please.....

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The New York Mets crushed the Florida Marlins on Wednesday night, winning 13-0. The Mets win their first series of the season, going 2-1 in Florida.

It was over when: The Mets stepped onto the field. Seriously. They took a 3-0 lead in the 2nd inning and never looked back.

Good: Uh...where to start? David Wright had another 3 RBI game and Ryan Church drove in 3 runs as well. Jose Reyes had 2 RBI and Carlos Beltran had an RBI and his first home run of the season taken away by the umps. Even Carlos Delgado had a RBI tonight. Wow. Meanwhile, Oliver Perez was spectacular in six innings, striking out eight without giving up a single run. Nelson Figueroa was impressive in his first appearance as a Met. I could go on but if you're reading this, you can read the box score.

Bad: Luis Castillo didn't drive in any runs tonight. Seriously. That's it. The Mets won 13-0. You name something bad.

Ugly: The Florida Marlins. Period. The Mets should beat this team at least 70 percent of the time this season. Anything short of that is a failure. This is a AAA team out there and the Marlins have no business out there with the Mets. You almost feel sorry for Hanley Ramirez. Ok. You don't.

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The New York Mets won yet another Opening Day contest, defeating the Florida Marlins 7-2.

Good: Where to start? Johan Santana pitched like an ace, giving up two runs and striking out eight in seven strong innings. David Wright began his 2008 MVP campaign by going 2-4 with a walk and 3 RBI. All of Wright's RBI came on a two-out base hit int he fourth. Jose Reyes also came through with a clutch two-out base hit that brought home a run. You have to like how Aaron Heilman looked in the ninth, as well. Heilman sat the Marlins down in order, striking out two in the process.

Bad: Not much. Santana gave up a two-run home run, something that Mets fans may just have to get used to. Face it. Johan gives up the long ball. The bullpen created a Maalox moment in the eighth but didn't give up a run thanks to Jorge Sosa.

Ugly: Carlos Delgado and Brian Schneider. Neither had a hit on Opening Day but it really didn't matter. It's always nice when you have to be picky in this portion of the post.

Overall: This is what you like to see. Strong starting pitching, two-out base hits that drive runs home and a bullpen that doesn't give anything up. Every Mets fan is happy with this contest and it's especially nice to beat the Marlins after the final series of the '07 season.

Grade: A
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While speaking at a charity event in New Hyde Park on Wednesday David Wright was quoted as saying his former teammate and good friend Paul Lo Duca deserves "a harsh penalty" if the allegations against him in the Mitchell report are true.

"He's a guy I would go to battle for any day, but when you're talking about steroids, you're talking about something that's illegal," Wright said of Lo Duca. "Steroids are something I could never - no matter how close of a friend it is - condone."

"I'd like to think that maybe there's some fabrication [about Lo Duca in the report], or maybe it's not all true," Wright said. "But I've said it from day one - whether it's my best friend in the game or whoever, if they get caught . . . using performance-enhancing drugs or steroids, there should be a harsh penalty."

According to Wright, he keeps in touch with Lo Duca, but they do not discuss HGH or steroids.

It's very uncharacteristic of Wright to speak about other players, but for something like performance enhancing drugs, it seems as if he feels very strongly about eliminating them from baseball, hence the "harsh punishment" comment.
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It was the day a lot of us were waiting for. We all knew that A-Rod had until 10 days after the World Series to “Opt out” of his huge contract and claim himself as a free agent. Well sure enough around 10:15 last night, conveniently in the middle of Game 4 of the World Series, everyone in the baseball world got word that it was true. Mr. Rodriguez is now a free agent.

With that being said, there has now been wide speculation on where he will go. Obviously there are very few teams who can afford a contract that he will be asking for, roughly 30 million a year for at least 7 years. Brian Cashman, General Manager of the New York Yankees, has repeatedly said that he will not negotiate a new deal with A-rod should he opt out of his current deal. Well, only that remains to be seen. Could it be the Cubs who play in a big market and looking to do anything at this point to snap the “Curse of the Billy goat”? Could it be the Red Sox who could let World Series MVP Mike Lowell go and decide that they want A-Rod instead? I can leave that thinking up to you, the reader. However, here are some reasons why the Mets will NOT have A-Rod on their team next year.

Number 1: The 24-1 effect. Remember what happened last time A-Rod was a free agent? He had outrageous demands which created a 24-1 effect. I doubt the Mets need anymore egos on this team being that they already had someone who had one of their worst seasons proclaim “Sometimes we are just so good, we get bored”.

Number 2: Money Money Money. With the new stadium coming and the Mets lacking PITCHING, I doubt the Mets want to throw a ton of money at one player. With Lo Duca, Castillo, amongst others, who are free agents, there are more important things to worry about than getting the best player in the game. Yes, he is the best player in the game and one of the best ever, but I am a firm believer that one player will not solve 5-6 issues.

Number 3: Let’s review what positions David Wright and Jose Reyes play. Third base and shortstop. Hmm. What positions has A-Rod played? Third base and Shortstop. Obviously, the left side of the Mets infield is taken up for the next 15 years (I sure as heck hope so). With that being said, David Wright did say during the season that he would “gladly move to Second Base” if A-Rod wanted to play for the Mets. With that being said, Dubs you are a nice guy, but Mets fans want you at Third Base, case closed.

So here you have it Mets fans, one perspective of how a Mets fan sees things. I know it will be a huge debate on our facebook group, and a quite interesting one to say the least. Needless to say, there isn’t much need, because A-Rod will not end up on the Mets next year, hell or high water.

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I dont have much to say other than:

1) Does anyone else not give two craps about Joe Torre? I certainly dont. Most Yankee fans probably dont realize they have had other managers.

2) Burgos is going to be gone all next season probably, but Sanchez might be back. That would be amazing

3) David Wright roots for good football schools..glad Rutgers is on that list Read More...

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The numbers David Wright has been putting up have been incredible since the break. After rebounding from a horrendous April, Wright has been able to break out and establish himself as a consistent bat in the Mets lineup. More recently, he has carried himself as a significant leader of this team, even at his young age. Despite the spark that Jose Reyes can provide when he's on his A-game, David Wright is the cornerstone of the franchise now and for years to come. Wright's numbers don't lie and have been talked about in excess recently as an MVP candidate. But beyond David's on the field efforts, his commitment to his charitable efforts is not to be overlooked.

Each year one player from each team is recognized with the Roberto Clemente award. Without a doubt, David will be a recipient in the future. Search through the papers and you will see Wright making a community appearance almost every off day throughout the season. Just the past week he and Howard Johnson took the time to visit firemen in lower Manhattan. When the Mets arrived home from their last road trip, David Wright and his foundation held a bowling event for children and families affected by September 11th, as well.

Earlier this season, Wright held two events on consecutive nights to help raise funds for victims of Virginia Tech. I was fortunate enough to attend one of these events and see him in his charitable mode first hand. While using his time and name to raise awareness and funds, he spent two hours shaking hands, signing autographs, posing for photographs, making phone calls to those not in attendance, and thanking those who were in attendance. He was genuinely humbled and appreciative for all those who turned out to support him and his foundation.

Two years ago David created the David Wright Foundation to raise funds for MS, children's causes, and a number of other beneficiaries. He devotes time during the off-season for a number of events, including his "Do The Wright Thing" Gala held annually in December. Although his good fortune has allowed him to reach out to those less fortunate at such a young age, it should make many of us stop and consider what we can do to help others.

If you get the chance, check out his foundation website. If you have the opportunity to attend any of his events, it is an experience you will not regret. Although the effort is on the grassroots level, each of us can earn money for his foundation by using GoodSearch for general internet searches. In the space provided for charity all you have to do is enter "DWF" and verify the charity.

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm a big D.Wright fan. Much of that respect stems from what he does beyond the baseball diamond. He has shown his ability to be an MVP of this team in more ways than one.


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The Mets seemed down and out after being swept by the surging Phillies on Thursday, three days later, things couldn't look brighter. The Mets headed into Atlanta over the weekend knowing they had to come with their A game, and they did. Turner Field has never been kind to the Mets in the month of September, but the "new" Mets we're up for the challenge.

The Mets outscored the Braves by a score of 3 to 2 in the final game of the series on Sunday to put the Braves back an insurmountable 7.5 games with only 25 games to play.

The Mets pitching was superb, allowing only 4 runs the entire series, and keeping the Braves big bats of Chipper Jones, Mark Teixeira and Andrew Jones in check throughout the series. The Braves only got one extra base hit the entire series, which was Brian McCann's double in the 9th inning Sunday against Billy Wagner. The highlight of the weekend had to be the fantastic outing by Mike Pelfrey, who earned his first win of the season on Saturday allowing just 1 run on 1 hit over 6 innings. We hope to see more of this in the future from Pelfrey.

The hitting was equally as good, scoring 15 runs on 28 hits, with 2 home runs from Carlos Delgado, who seems to have his swing back, as well as homers from Carlos Beltran, David Wright, Lastings Milledge and Jose Reyes.

The Mets will look to keep the hot streak going, as Pedro Martinez will make his long awaited season debut tomorrow in Cincinnati, he will be faced by Reds ace Aaron Harang.
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Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran, fresh off the DL, has been named the Bank of America Player of the Week for the week of August 13th-19th.

Beltran went 9 for 24 (.375) with 4 home runs and led the league with 10 RBIs. Beltran won the award earlier in the year, after his hot start in April.

Beltran beat out his fellow teammates David Wright and Moises Alou who also had big weeks for the Mets.

Hopefully the Mets' hot hitting will continue, as they will be facing San Diego's aces Jake Peavy and Chris Young this week. Read More...

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Following Tom Glavine's 300th win, a few reporters felt it was necessary to mention they believed he would have rather won it in a Braves uniform. We all know Tom Glavine bleeds Braves blood. He has served the Mets well during his tenure in New York and allowed us to take part in a bit of his historic achievement, yet his heart is in Atlanta.

With that, the question was raised who would you call a true Met. Derek Jeter is a true Yankee. Tony Gwynn was a true Padre. John Smoltz is probably the true Brave of our day. So who is a true Met to you? Beyond that, what constitutes that title? Is it someone who began their career with the Mets? Someone who spent a majority of their career with the Mets? Someone who led the Mets to a World Championship?

Tom Seaver, Gary Carter, and Mike Piazza are good candidates for true Mets. Could David Wright and Jose Reyes become the true Mets of today, or are they already? What makes someone a true Met to you? Throw some names out there and why you think they are a true Met. Read More...

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The 78th Major League Baseball All Star game begins tonight at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) in San Francisco and on televisions nationwide on FOX. I’m sure over the next 12 hours most of you will hear more than you ever wanted to know about San Francisco, AT&T Park, the All Star Game’s history, Barry Bonds in his home town, the American League’s 9 game winning streak in the Midsummer classic, Barry Bonds and the home run record, the Home Run Derby last night, Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey, what AL manager Jim Leyland had for breakfast, Barry Bonds and steroids, the winning league taking home (somewhat literally) home field advantage in the World Series this October, Barry Bonds and the San Fran Fans, and every last random thought (whether baseball related or not) in the minds of the broadcasters, players, former players, fans, and coaches.

But the All Star Game is most of all about the players it showcases, their individual accomplishments this year, and to a lesser extent their team’s accomplishments. Let’s ignore the arguments over who does and doesn’t deserve most to be on this team and to start this game, and look briefly at each of the players on your 2007 MLB All Star Team, and what they have accomplished in the last three-plus months.

First, the “visiting” American League team:

STARTING LINEUP

CF Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners (7th All Star Game)

SS Derek Jeter, New York Yankees (8th)

1B David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox (4th)

3B Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees (11th)

RF Vladimir Guerrero, LA Angels of Anaheim (8th)

LF Magglio Ordonez, Detroit Tigers (6th)

C Ivan Rodriguez, Detroit Tigers (14th)

2B Placido Polanco, Detroit Tigers (1st)

P Dan Haren, Oakland Athletics (1st)

RESERVES

INFIELDERS

• Brian Roberts, BAL: 322 AVG, 27 SB, 111 H
• Mike Lowell, BOS: .300 AVG, 14 HR, 63 RBI
• Carlos Guillen, DET: .325 AVG, 92 H, 67 RBI
• Justin Morneau, MIN: .295 AVG, 24 HR, 74 RBI
• Michael Young, TEX: .288AVG, 22 2B, 50 RBI

OUTFIELDERS

• Manny Ramirez, BOS: .284 AVG, 11 HR, 45 RBI
• Grady Sizemore, CLE: .280 AVG, 73 R, 15 HR
• Torii Hunter, MIN: .301 AVG, 19 HR, 69 RBI
• Carl Crawford, TAB: .285 AVG, 23 SB, 51 RBI
• Alex Rios, TOR: .294 AVG, 17 HR, 53 RBI

CATCHERS

• Victor Martinez, CLE: .324 AVG, 16 HR, 68 RBI
• Jorge Posada, NYY: .326 AVG, 25 2B, 48 RBI

PITCHERS

• Josh Beckett, BOS: 12-2, 3.44 ERA, 92 SO
• Hideki Okajima, BOS: 2-0, 0.83 ERA, 4 S
• Jonathan Papelbon, BOS: 1.93 ERA, 20 S, 46 SO
• C.C. Sabathia, CLE: 12-3, 3.58 ERA, 119 SO
• Bobby Jenks, CWS: 3.28 ERA, 23 S
• Justin Verlander, DET: 10-3, 3.14 ERA, 97 SO
• Gil Meche, KC: 5-6, 3.44 ERA, 88 SO
• John Lackey, LAA: 11-5, 2.91 ERA, 98 SO
• Francisco Rodriguez, LAA: 2.33 ERA, 24 S, 53 SO
• Johan Santana, MIN: 10-6, 2.75 ERA, 125 SO
• J.J. Putz, SEA: 0.90 ERA, 24 S, 43 SO

And now, the “home” National League team:

STARTING LINEUP

SS Jose Reyes, New York Mets (2nd All Star Game)

LF Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants (14th)

CF Carlos Beltran, New York Mets (4th)

RF Ken Griffey Jr, Cincinnati Reds (13th)

3B David Wright, New York Mets (2nd)

1B Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers (1st)

C Russell Martin, Los Angeles Dodgers (1st)

2B Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies (2nd)

P Jake Peavy, San Diego Padres (2nd)

RESERVES

INFIELDERS

• Orlando Hudson, ARI: .296 AVG, 20 2B, 47 RBI
• Derrek Lee, CHC: .330 AVG, 102 H, 26 2B
• Miguel Cabrera, FLA: .324 AVG, 18 HR, 61 RBI
• J.J. Hardy, MIL: .280 AVG, 18 HR, 54 RBI
• Freddy Sanchez, PIT: .296 AVG, 96 H, 20 2B
• Albert Pujols, STL: .310 AVG, 16 HR, 52 RBI
• Dmitri Young, WAS: .339 AVG, 23 2B, 43 RBI

OUTFIELDERS

• Alfonso Soriano, CHC: .309 AVG, 60 R, 107 H
• Matt Holliday, COL: .341 AVG, 122 H, 69 RBI
• Carlos Lee, HOU: .297 AVG, 16 HR, 73 RBI
• Aaron Rowand, PHI: .310 AVG, 20 2B, 43 RBI

CATCHERS

• Brian McCann, ATL: .262 AVG, 19 2B, 49 RBI

PITCHERS

• Brandon Webb, ARI: 8-6, 3.37 ERA, 112 SO
• Jose Valverde, ARI: 2.83 ERA, 26 S, 38 SO
• Roy Oswalt, HOU: 8-5, 3.53 ERA, 94 SO
• Brad Penny, LAD: 10-1, 2.39 ERA, 82 SO
• Takashi Saito, LAD: 1.47 ERA, 23 S, 4 BB
• Francisco Cordero, MIL: 2.86 ERA, 27 S, 48 SO
• Ben Sheets, MIL: 10-4, 3.41 ERA, 87 SO
• Billy Wagner, NYM: 1.64 ERA, 17 S, 10 BB
• Cole Hamels, PHI: 10-4, 3.72 ERA, 124 SO
• Trevor Hoffman, SD: 1.91 ERA, 25 S, 6 BB
• Chris Young, SD: 8-3, 2.00 ERA, 99 SO

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