Straight Cash, Homey

If you're expecting more of me whining about how the Mets are the biggest choke artists this side of a Lexington Steele partner, well, give it another day or two. But this post is about one of the few guys who has stepped his game up every time he has been given the opportunity.

Even after the Cubs took a 2-0 lead Tuesday night, Mets fans who packed Shea Stadium and watching on TV knew that Johan Santana was about to put the hammer down on Chicago. Johan knew that while the rest of this team may be world-class chokers, he wasn't about to let himself be grouped in with the rest of the bunch. In other words, he was about to prove that he was worth every penny of that $137 million deal.

Santana allowed just 3 baserunners and struck out 6 after Mark DeRosa's RBI single in the 3rd, finishing with 10 K's and taking the NL ERA lead in the process as well as picking up his 15th win.

Collapse 2.0 may be in its final stages, but Johan did his damnedest to keep himself out of the media's crossfire. He gets why they brought him here, that games like these are his sole purpose of being in the blue and orange, why the fans were so eager to drop the savior label on him.

After the failed efforts (and feelings) of Tom Glavine in Game 162, and the bullpen and Jose Reyes, Mets fans were (and still are) desperate to find someone who welcomed the challenge and rose to it. Johan had a very good 1st half, but has gone his usual legendary self in the 2nd half, but there was a certain degree of difficulty to this one. While the Twins were in the chase during all of his tenure there, the scrutiny (no knock on Twins fans) wasn't as intense as New York and the Twins never stared down the 2nd biggest gag-job of the decade.

Santana hasn't shied away like Tom Terrible, as illustrated in the 1st inning of Tuesday night's game as he routinely buzzed Cubs hitters up and in and establishing the inside of the plate. After DeRosa's single and a couple bad calls from Phil Cuzzi, Santana showed that attitude of "That's the last they're getting on me. Alright guys, get on my back, we're not losing this game."

It's refreshing to see a Met deliever in the big spot time after time for arguably the first time since the 99-01 squads made it a science. Now if David Wright and Carlos Beltran could follow suit, this team may have a chance. But I'm not counting on it.

Not Again

There comes a point where watching your team stops being fun and I think Mets fans have found that point the last 2 weeks.

To be 4 games back in both standings after fighting back from early season woes, turmoil and injuries would've been perfectly fine and a more than acceptable effort from this team. But to climb all the way back, go 3 and a half up with 17 to go (the bastard son of this blog), have that evaporate in exactly 2 minutes, and then commit the exact same sins of last September against the same teams, well, there's a breaking point, isn't there?

Given the way 2006 ended, the horror of last year and now the collapse in progress, you wouldn't blame any of us if we torched Shea Stadium to the groud after Sunday. Actually, come to think of it, here's a brilliant idea: Fans can take home any piece of Shea Stadium they want, so long as they bludgeon any member of the Met bullpen with said item.

Maybe I'm overreacting with 6 games left to play and the Wild Card lead, but is there anything about this team that makes you think they'll hang on? Didn't think so either.

Manny Being Traded

Red Sox ownership (and presumably Terry Francona as well) finally had enough of Manny Being Manny and sent him to the Dodgers in a 3-team deal which brought them my fellow 9/20 brother, Jason Bay.

As to whether the Sox are waving the white flag in the hopes of defending their world championship is a moot point, this is about something much more than that.

WARNING: Metamorphosis into self-righteous douchey middle-age columnist commencing now

As someone who follows the Sox, the way the whole Manny Era ended irrittates me. I'm not shocked, I knew they wouldn't renew his option, it's the reason it ended that bugs me and honestly, I don't know why, because while I am passionate about the game, how a player handles himself is his own choice.

I still don't understand why Manny felt the need to go through all of this. He's making $20+ million a year, he has 2 world championship rings, he's going to the Hall of Fame, a fan base that supports him and yet it wasn't enough for him. If you put a gun to my head, I'd say that this was about cash, but it doesn't look that way to me. It seems to me like Manny was acting like a kid who was tired of playing with the rest of the class and wanted to see how much he could do before the teachers put him in timeout. Obviously, the moment Manny stopped being a top-10 player, Theo Epstein, Larry Lucchino and Co. said enough's enough. Was it worth all the trouble, Manny? For what? To prove a point that you can get away with almost anything? That's worth getting run out of town?

Now, Manny has claimed that Sox management has portrayed him as the bad guy as they had done with Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez. The difference being is that I think Pedro and Nomar still have good standing with Sox fans, which, I can't tell you where they stand with Manny. When Pedro returned to Fenway with the Mets in 2006, he received a thunderous ovation and many tributes from fans and the Boston media. Fans appreciated Pedro and Nomar because of their constant balls to the wall effort and their appreciation of the fans. Manny, whether it's in his personality or not, just seems to be built for hitting and nothing else. That's why nobody begrudged Pedro for leaving and getting one more pay day and why Manny probably would've had the same treatment had he stayed down.

I just hope it was worth it for Manny and The Cyborg Agent. Now he's stuck on a pedestrian team that, at best, can make the NLCS and little else.

Night Before The War

I know, it sounds ridiculous to call a mid-July a series a war, but with the Mets and Phillies, it's headed that way. The Mets and Phags have always had a chance to be a great rivalry given the proximity between the two cities and that they play in the same division, Phillies fans hate the Mets because they get more attention and win once in awhile and the Mets fAns hate the Phags because Philly is like the ugly middle step-child that nobody wantes to deal with, a poor man's Sox-Yanks if you will. Problem is, the teams were never good at the same time. The closest it ever came was in 1986 when the Phils came in 2nd, granted it was 20 games and again 2006 with Philly finishing 9 games back in a division that was never in doubt.

That all changed in 2007. It started with Jiminy Rollins proclamation that the Phillies were the team to beat in the N.L. East, it looked like nothing more than cheap talk when Rollins' error led to an Opening Day victory, got interesting when the Phags came in and punked the Mets at Shea in June, became big when the Phils dramatically swept 4 at Citizens Bank Park at the end of August. The final dagger coming September 14-16 when the Phags swept the good guys at Shea to begin The Collapse.

Given the Phags' swagger and the way last year ended, The Phags have long passed the Braves for the top spot on the shit list of Mets fans. Seeing the Rockies absolutely clean the Phags' clock in the NLDS barely eased the shock of what had happened a week before. The damage had already been done, sort of like putting the guy who killed your brother in the hospital.

Since Game 162, the Mets' only focus has not been about a championship, it's about reclaiming what should have been theirs and putting the Phags in their place.

Even a 2nd week matchup felt like a chance to exact revenge, not matter how small it was. Now with the two teams tied for first, for the first time since last September, it actually means something. Both teams have their off- and mid- season arms ready for the challenge, and the Phags are bringing The Wife Beater back for Wednesday.

I honestly don't know if I'm psyched for this series or terrified. Given that nothing ever comes easy for the Mets, and especially against the Phils over the past year, there's little reason to believe it'll change now. All I know is, bring it on.

The Dark Knight

Here at 7 Up 17 To Go, I'm usually not to the type to review movies, since I don't see as many as I should. I do recommend our friend over at The Blog Cabins (besure to check the links) though for your movie fix. That said, I have to give my two cents on the record-shattering Dark Knight.

If you are one of the 10 people who hasn't seen this movie, I'm not saying you should see, I'm commanding you. Excellent performances by all parties and did not disappoint at all. This will be the first movie I see in the theaters twice.

SPOILER ALERT

I will say I was a little surprised that they killed off Harvey Dent. When they show him as two-face in the hospital my first thought was "Well, there's the next movie."

That said, Heath Ledger has to be the odds-on favorite for Best Supporting Actor, Christian Bale for the lead and it better be in the running for Best picture, or the whole process has become a farce. No, this is not ESPN-esque hype. Trust me, go see this and get back to me.

Mets 1st Half Report Card Part 2

Before we begin, I know that people will largely will remember this All-Star Game for the fact that it nearly ended in a tie again, but that was the best played all-star game I've seen played in awhile. A lot of extra inning games can go 1-2-3 with an occasional runner at 1st for awhile, but extras last night didn't disappoint, whether it was stellar defense (except for you. Mr. Uggla) or guys stepping up even though they were out of position, it made staying up til 1:45 a little defensible. And say what you want about Billy, at least he's consistent when it comes to blowing games. Thank you and Dan Uggla for nothing. Now on with the 1st half grades of the hitters and coaches.....


Jose Reyes: B Reyes continues to be a flashpoint for the team with the media and fans. Some feel he can do no wrong and others (myself included) feel he can stand to mature a little bit. As demonstrated in 2006 and the first half of 2007, when he's locked in, this team is near unbeatable. When his mind wanders, mediocrity lurks in the shadows as seen in the first month and a half of the season. To his credit, Reyes is htting over .300 at the break and is starting to re-gain better patience at the plate that he had lost since last September which reminded fans of the 2004-2005 Reyes which would swing at almost anything and inhabited his ungodly potential. While he has still shown immature fits such as throwing his glove in the air during the game against the Hankees and storming off the field in Anaheim, Jose seems to be getting better on his focus and is fourth in the NL with 32 steals (but caught stealing 10 times, which is almost half his total all of last season) , which could be the difference as to whether this team plays in October or not.

David Wright: A While D-Dubs has yet to get on a tear of sorts, he is 5th in the NL with 70 RBI and an OBP% of .380 and a continued rock in the lineup. If not for the efforts of The People's Champ and Ryan Church, the Mets would've been behind Atlanta in June and ther optimism that is glowing right now certainly isn't happening. As stated, he and Beltran have not had their streaks yet and that's what makes this team so scary.

Carlos Beltran: B Sure, Carlos has his 4-5 game flashes of brilliance, but he has had 2004-like streaks here the last 2 years and we have yet to see that. Beltran continues to provide arguably the best centerfield defense in Mets history and the occasional 3-run blast, but we know he is capable of much more. Why a B you ask? Beacuse while it is not the 06/07 Beltran, it is certainly not the 05 Beltran and that's above average to me.

Carlos Delgado: C Ahhhhh, the man I have thrown much hateration on for the first 2 and a half months. While the real life Pedro Cerrano still can't hit a curveball to save his life (making the parallels between the two all the more eerie) and his defense is just about average, I have to give credit where its due. Delgado's recent surge is a key reason for the 9-game charge to within a half-game of the Phils. Plus, I always have to give credit to a guy who goes into "The Cathedral" (by the way, if I hear one more person say the real MVP of the All-Star Game is Yankee Stadium, I will assault them Kyle Farnsworth style) and punk the Hankees the way Delgado did in the doubleheader.

Ryan Church: B+ The only reason I'm not giving Church an A is because he hasn't been around more to produce, which is no fault of his own mind you. As I said earlier, without Wright and Church's play in the first month and a half this is already a lost cause. Whether Church plays another game this year or not (and at this point it's day-to-day), the Mets have ripped off the Nationals for this season thanks to the efforts of Church and Schenider and the contuining Alex Ecobar impression from Lastings Milledge in D.C. *knock on wood*.

Moises Alou: Incomplete The one word that sums up the Alou Era in New York.

Luis Castillo: C+ Aside from his early season struggles, Castillo continues to do what he always does, slap hits, set up Jose on the bases, leg out the occasional infield hit, play solid defense and have his knee give out every 2 weeks or so. While signing him to a 4-year deal is ridiculous on so many levels, Castillo ended up being one of the reasons Johan decided to head to Queens, well that and 137 million ducketts. If Manuel keeps the platoon of Easley/Argenis together to ease the burden on Castillo's knees from playing every day, I'm fine with that.

Brian Schneider: B I was initially against the trade since I believed Milledge could be the key to getting Santana at that point, I'd like to declare here that I am a dumbass. My friend Anthony and I came to the conclusion before the season started that he and LoDuca were a wash offensively and the difference being that Schenider is a little better defensively and isn't a hothead. Schneider has proved much more than that by often shutting down the opposing team's running game, handling the pitching staff exceptionally and growing a goatee that makes him look exactly like my friend T.O'C. The only oddity with Schneider is that his walk-up song is "Sweetest Girl" by Wyclef, which is the 2nd most depressing song of the decade behind City High's "What Would You Do?" I'm wondering if he chose that or he requested nothing and in Shea's never-ending quest to have loud noise at all times (seriously people, enough with Kevin James screaming at us) came up with it. And even then, what the hell? How is that motivational?

Fernando Tatis: A In a season full of swings and misses, Omar pulled a rabbit out of his hat on this one. Tatis has filled in admirably at the corner OF's and at 1st and 3rd, hitting .292 with 4 homers and 19 RBI. He also has 2 of the biggest hits of the season, the GW double against the Marlins to start Willie's Last Stand and the homer in the 12th in Philly two weeks ago.

Damion Easley: C+ Aside from the recent surge and the go-ahead homer against Colorado last Friday, Easley's had a par for the course: Good for a fill-in for a few gamees, but not for a month straight, provides some hitting and just enough defense.

Angel Pagan: B- Another unsung hero of April and early May and another great scrap sign by Minaya. Pagan was great in the field and excelled in the 2-spot while Castillo was ailing. I hope Manuel will give Pagan his due playing time when he hopefully returns later this month. A guy like Pagan is essential to a winning team, he certainly won't put up big numbers (after all, he's yet to homer as a Met), but does all the little things that help in the long run.

Endy Chavez: B Endy continues to do what he has always done in his time in Queens. Provide stellar defense, a steady bat that will get him on base and have his only home run come in May that always comes in timely spot.

Argenis Reyes: Incomplete I can't give a grade on him yet because we have such a small sample to go on, but I like what I see. Don't know what we'll get from his bat, but his defense has been exceptional. If the Mets get ANY offense from him, he's a modified Anderson Hernandez and that cat was just as good with the glove.

Ramon Castro: C- Average year from the team prankster. The minus you ask? Well, that's what happens when you don't know game time.

Marlon Anderson: D+ While I love Marlon and wouldn't speak ill of him, he just doesn't have it anymore, which is a shame because his old clutch hitting is needed down the stretch.

Raul Casanova/ Robinson Cancel/ Gustavo Molina: D Casanova launching a few homers was the only thing that kept this group from an F.

Nick Evans/ Trot Nixon/ Chris Aguila/ Andy Phillips/ Brady Clark/ Abraham Nunez: F------------ I hate to lump the kid with the has-been and the never-weres, but they all equal skid marks.

Omar Minaya: B- The landing of Santana makes up most of this. He can make up for it by getting bullpen help before the deadline, which would make this team a legitimate contender as I've been saying since last November.

Jerry Manuel: B+ Whether or not the recent turnaround can be attributed to the new manager is debatable, but one thing is for sure, the Manuel Administration is definitely more hands-on than his 2 predecessors. Manuel has not felt the need to manage by the payroll and give days off from time to time and brought some stability to the bullpen by assigning roles and has actually seen some improvement. The biggest difference amongst fans has been that Manuel has shown more emotion in one month than Randolph did in 3 years. Granted, this doesn't make that much of a difference, but it has certainly won over fans and players alike.

Dan Warthen: B Now I don't know if Warthen has been the difference in the recent production of the rotation, but you can tell that they've been more relaxed than ever. As I said yesterday, the biggest change has been with Mike Pelfrey, who Warthen told to trust has fastball more, which allows him to set up his slider. The jury's still out as to whether Warthen can be renewed for next year and beyond, but he's done a solid job so far.

Willie Randolph and Rick Peterson: C- Much like two of his old pupils in Oakland, the myth of Rick Peterson was debunked in the last year and a half. Whether he was too stubborn or he put too much pressure on the pitchers, the wonders that Peterson had once worked had long disappeared by the time the hammer came down. Not that Rick really cares, I'm sure he's in a hammock in the Turks and Caicos, smoking a pipe and reading Ivanhoe. One of Willie's faults, and a Manuel strength, was that he was insistent on pretending that The Collapse never happened, where as Manuel uses it as a motivational tool. Say you get mauled by dogs while you ride your bike by the pound, you keep in mind where not to go and how to get around it, you don't just keep going past the place. Let it be said that Willie is a class guy whose only fault was that he thought if he kept doing the same thing the result would change, and we all know what the defnition of that is.

Mets 1st Half Report Card Part 1

With the ceremonial halfway mark of the season tonight (did you know that this is the last year of Yankee Stadium? They really should publicize that), I figured I should hand out my 1st half grades for the team, starting with the pitchers. For the record, the boycott ended last Wednesday and thank goodness, so I can reasonably waste $160 for the team I'm rooting for.



Johan Santana: A- You can't ask much more out of the $137 million man. With the exception of his first home start against Milwaukee and the first post-Willie Era start against the Angels, Santana has put the Mets in position to win his starts, but has often suffered the same lack of run support that hanuted Pedro at his peak. His penchant for legendary 2nd halves have many Met fans extremely opitimistic on top of the current streak. You would be hard pressed to say he hasn't been worth it so far.

Pedro Martinez: C- And that grade might be generous. Pedro has made it to the 6th inning just once in 9 starts and has an ERA of 6.25, a WHIP of 1.63 and opponents are hitting almost .300 against him. Mets fans knew when Martinez signed a 4-year deal back in December 2004 that we weren't getting the greatest pitcher on the planet Pedro of 1998-2000, but a #1 wasn't too much to ask and a good #2 upon the arrival of Santana this season. Coming into this season, we were hoping to get at least the pre-injury 2006 edition of Pedro, but even that is wishful thinking at this point. His fastball barely tops 90 and while his changeup is still what it always has been, he has had to rely mostly on smarts and grit to get by, and while this would be enough 2 or 3 years ago, it now renders him to the latin equivalent of John Burkett. Met fans can only hope for one last blaze of glory to salvage his career here, but having his health should they make it to October would suffice.

John Maine: B Maine didn't quite have the stellar 1st half he had last year, but he and Johan have been the two rocks of the staff of an otherwise unstable staff and season. Maine's knack for winning games when they absolutely have to has continued and if for nothing else, should be the top reason why Omar Minaya or if there's a new administration need to re-sign this coming winter, though I wouldn't put it past any of the parties involved not to, remember, youth isn't a strong point of theirs.


Mike Pelfrey: B+ The transformation of Pelfrey over the last month has been a revelation and proof that Minaya was extremely lucky to keep him out of the Santana deal. Throughout his struggles of the last 2 years, Pelfrey always maintained that he knew he was doing all the right things and that it would eventually lead to success, which was met with a lot of skepticism. Whether it was confidence in his stuff or just finding the right location, Pelfrey has become dependable for the last month and supplied everyone with the confidence that they can win that night. The most noticeable change in Pelfrey recently is that he's been more willing to trust his fastball in the upper 90s and go right after hitters, which sets up his nasty slider which has given him many a double play. If Pelfrey has officially turned the corner and keeps this up, the Mets have a real shot to take over the post in the N.L. East and fend off the Phils.

Oliver Perez: C+ The riddle wrapped in a mystery wrapped in an enigma that is Ollie continues. After having a solid 2007 that ended with a disappointing effort in Game 160, winning an arbitration case thanks to the efforts of Cyborg Boras and free agency looming, many felt this would be the year that Perez finally showed that he is a frontline starter, but instead has gone in circles so far. He continues to be money in big games, but starts like the ones against the Giants and the Mariners leave you going "What the fuck was that?" The inopportune walks and the frustration from him that follows have continued to haunt him. That said, he has shown marked improvement since the ouster of Rick Peterson who he reportedly did not see eye to eye with at all, whether Dan Warthen can finally be the one to harness Ollie's potential is the $6 million question that could help propel this team.

Billy Wagner: B Wagner's propensity for shooting off his mouth has overshadowed what has been a largely successful 1st half. His change to the wind-up has resulted in converting 22 of 28 saves, 3 of the blown saves coming in 4 days, a team leading 2.31 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and an opponent average of .193. With the recent announcement that Francisco Rodriguez will be a free agent, you have to wonder that even with 1 more season remaining on his deal, if this is Wagner's final season in New York.

Pedro Feliciano: B- The Other Pedro isn't the reliever he was in 2006 and occasionally gives you the shakes, but is still a safe bet out of the pen.

Duaner Sanchez: C+ The return of Duaner to the set-up role in 2008 had many Met fans (myself included) and while he went through struggles in May and early June, Sanchez has excelled since Jerry Manuel gave him the main 8th inning specialist. If he regains even 3/4 of his pre-injury 06 form, the bullpen is already upgraded from last year, then again Tug McGraw's corpse > Guillermo Mota.

Scott Schoeneweis: B+ From bullpen pariah last year to being booed at both Opening Days this year to reliable lefty now, Scotty Show has seen every emotional angle in the last 10 months. Whether he had recovered from a non-operable injury from last year or just caught the upside that relievers so often experience from year to year, Schoeneweis has posted an ERA of 2.65 aand an opposing average of .226.

Aaron Heilman: C To his credit, he hasn't whined about starting this season and given that his name is an trade rumor almost every other day, The Furher has handled it about as well as you can ask him. That said, Heilman's troubles against lefties have gotten progessively worse and his recent surge over the past few weeks is the only thing salvaged his grade.

Joe Smith: B Nasty has fit the description of situational reliever perfectly. He has an ERA under three and opponents are hitting near the Mendoza line against him. What Smitty's undoing last year was a poor 2nd half that ultimately sent him back to New Orelans and eventually a culprit of The Collapse, let's see if he learns from his mistakes.

Carlos Muniz: C+ This year's floater could be a key component of the bullpen if given the opportunity. Muniz has been called up 4 different times this season and his pitched mostly mop-up situations, save for a jam against the Dodgers at home in late May which he got out of without damage. He has the stuff and confidence to be a 7th or 8th inning guy, but he needs some experience to make it happen. I hope Manuel will give him the opportunity.

Claudio Vargas: C Grade fits perfect. Average.

Nelson Figueroa and Tony Armas Jr.: D Armas produced little following a solid opening start at St. Louis and Figueroa's most memorable moment came when he bitched out the Nationals for cheering like a Little League team. While he did have a point, it would've been nice had he not held a charity walk-a-thon every time he pitched. Thank you, Nelson, for nothing.

Jorge Sosa and Matt Wise: F In their defense, their other job is being a 2007 re-enactor, so in that sense, they're dedicated to their craft.

Hitters and coaches tomorrow.......

The Cubs Get A Hard-en

In what has to be classified as a reaction move, the Cubs traded for Rich Harden from the A'S, surrendering Sean Gallagher, the 4-year "future star" Matt Murton, Eric Patterson and minor leaguer John Donaldson. I don't think it's a panic move just yet because I think Gallagher could fit in that rotation, other than that, there's no risk involved on the Cubs' side of things.

Now given the fact that Harden makes Mark Prior look like Tom Glavine in terms of durability, the immediate comparison to former Cub overpitched flameouts Mark Prior and current closer Kerry Wood is brought up. There's a big difference between the make up of those 03-04 squads and this Cub unit and that is a competent bullpen. No longer is Joe Borowski, Kyle Farnsworth, Dave Veres, Mike Remlinger, LaTroy Hawkins or Mark Guthrie standing along the left-field line as the Cub starter apparoaches his 110th pitch. Now, 7 innings is no longer a demand but a luxury for the Cubbies. If it were up to me, I'd put Harden on a Joba-like pitch count til Labor Day and go from there, remember Grant Hill feels sorry for this cat.

If Harden should end up shattering like the glass he is made of, Billy Beane should appear on the 6 P.M. SportsCenter smoke a cigar, put it out on Josh Elliott's face, do his best Kool Moe Dee impression and shout "How you like me now?". Actually, I'll do the 2nd part myself. I'm interested to see who he gets to fall for Joe Blanton, trouble is, he's submarining his trade value this season. If I was Billy Beane, after watching Mark Mulder last 16 pitches tonight, I'd spend the next week patting myself on the back.

The thing is, many scouts, anaylsts and players believe Harden has the best stuff of any pitcher in the league. If the stars align and Harden makes it through October unscathed, the Cubs have to the odds-on favorite to win the World Series. A rotation of Zambrano-Dempster(he'd have to start at home)-Harden and a not too shabby 4th starter in Ted Lilly would be ungodly. As I said, the Cubs didn't have anything to lose because of who they gave up but I think they are still the best team even without Harden. I'm interested to see what the Cards will do in the next week or so, whether they will go after alleged "ace" A.J. Burnett. But that's another entry.

When Does Fandom Reach Insanity?

As I continue my boycott of the Mets, I'm starting to wonder whether I've legitimately lost my mind. As many a baseball fan are, I am quite the superstitious type when it comes to my teams. When the Red Sox made their epic run in 2004, I wore an old basketball tournament t-shirt with a mexican eggs stain on it, shorts with a hole and played Trick Daddy's "Let's Go" for every game from Game 4 of the ALCS through their sweep of the Cards a week later. But the last few days are starting to creep me out.

The Mets have put on an offensive explosion over the past week when I haven't been watching but when I step out to see if they can put their foot on their opponents throat, the usual foul-out at 3rd arrives with me. It all came to a head last night as I watched the bottom of the 9th to see if the Mets could finish the Phils and take 3 of 4 from the Phags. I watched with my mouth agape as the Phillies put 2 on and then Beltran's throw sail past 3rd and all of a sudden the horror of the 4-game sweep last August came rushing back. My friend in Oklahoma said it best at that moment "If they lose this game, I'm not watching them again this season." Luckily, Wagner was able to get Jayson "My facial hair is gayer than Scott Spiezio's" Werth to fly out to Endy to end the game and I proceeded to pant for 2 minutes afterwards.

I know its ridiculous to think that I have a reverse King Midas touch on this team and that the actions of one individual out of millions of fans would change a game, but this is starting to get weird. But that's why we become die-hards in the first place, because we believe we jackasses can have an effect on the game because of some stupid we're doing thousands of miles away.

Highway Robbery 2008

You have to hand it to the Cleveland Indians, for the 2nd time this decade they've been able to deal an Ace Round Mound for future cornerstones. I know, you're expecting me to make a joke about how could Minaya trade Sizemore and Lee for Colon but it's not like Montreal was going to keep any of the 3.

If C.C. Sabathia continues to pitch like he has for the last month and a half then the Brewers are a very legit threat to take the National League pennant. Much in the same way that Montreal acquired Bartlo Colon, the Brewers are going for broke this year with as balanced a team there is in the National League. With Ben Sheets a free agent following this season, Sabathia bolting town the instant the World Series ends and the inevitable trade of Eau Gallie's own Prince Fielder, this is the Brewers best (and likely only) chance of making the playoffs since they were in the American League. With a rotation of Sabathia, Sheets, and alleged postseason ace Jeff "Go To Hell" Suppan, the Brewers set up great in a short series. Their bullpen, however, still is a sinkhold of a problem that needs to be fixed.

The Indians were not able to pry away former Brevard County Manatees Mat Gamel and Alcides Escobar, but were able to get current Manatee Taylor Green, as well as graduate of the dark side, Matt LaPorta. It's not just my blind hatred of all things Gainesville, but many scouts did not think the Brew Crew were justified taking LaPorta at #7 in the draft last year. I can tell you from watching Green several times at Space Coast Stadium this season that he has the potential to be the future at 3rd Base for the Tribe. He hit over .300 until this past week, has 10 homers, 35 RBI, an OBP of .380, a SLG% of .444 which if you take into account that the Florida State League, especially Space Coast Stadium, is pitcher-friendly makes it all the more impressive.

Seeing Other Games: b-RAY-ve New World

No July 4th game, but tonight I would like to declare that, yes, I am a bandwgaon Tampa Bay Rays fan. However, if you watch this team reguarly you'd become a fan as well. They're young, talented, good chemistry and they play hard, something the Mets could really stand to try at some point.

My only previous experience at The Trop came in June 1998 when it was an unquestionable dump and the novelty of baseball being in Tampa was in full effect, not to mention the dfeinition of nosebleed seats. Needless to say, the experience sucked.

I was expecting a real forced atmosphere smilar to say Anaheim or Arizona, but that notion was immediatelty dispelled. Meeting up with a couple of friends before the game at Ferg's, a bar on Central Avenue just across from Tropicana Field, there wasn't anyone without Rays gear and the reaction in the place to the Yanks-Sox game, mostly when Jose Molina took a foul ball off the back of the neck was something can't imagine taking place even last year.

Inside, while some of the uppder deck was taped off, there were few empty seats in the place and the crowd didn't define trendy at all. The best example was in the top of the 8th when Joey "Jumper" Gathright got to 3rd with one out as J.P. Howell struggled to find the strike zone. The entire place stood as Howell recovered to strikeout Mark Grudzielanek and erupted into the bottom of the inning as Alex Gordon went down looking to end the inning, more on him in a second. Watching the Boston series during the week, you could feel the energy of that crowd coming through the TV, but I imagined that it would've dialed since it's the Royals and a series against the defending champs for 1st place is pretty big, but I was quite surprised.

Watching Alex Gordon during the game, you could tell that he's exhausted from trying to live up to the lofty expectations placed on him since the spring of last season. I remember watching Gordon get a standing ovation before his 1st career at-bat on opening day last season and thinking there's no way anyone can live up to that kind of hype and the expectation of saving a franchise as Gordon was proclaimed to do.

Evan Longoria had similar hype among scouts but he was fortunate in that he has several other young stars in the making and already established stars such as Carl Crawford and Scott Kazmir to help ease the burden.

Whether or not the Rays are able to make it to October remains to be seen, but the A.L. East is no longer just the Red Sox, Yankees and a bunch of tomato cans. The Rays are for real and with new ownership that's willing to spend money, they're gonna be here for a while.

Seeing Other Games: Day 1

Since the Mets have felt the need to do their best Miggs impression every other game this season, I'm going on a Met hiatus for the next week and will be profiling a different game every night and giving my thoughts on each game. I'll begin with last night's game between the surprisingly 2nd and 3rd place Red Sox and Yankees.

- Despite the slumps and injuries, I still the Yankees made the right decision holding on to their young guns and I say that not just because the Mets were able to land Santana. Yankee brass, well the Steinbrenners anyway, have forgotten what built the winners of the late '90s, young talent growing and the right mixture of veterans to fit the pieces. I still believe to this day that the best thing that ever happened to the franchise was Steinbrenner getting banned for 2 years and allowing guys like Bob Watson and Gene Michael to build up the farm system with capable players like Jeter, Rivera, Posada and Williams. Had George been in charge the entire time, he would've traded Jeter and Rivera for Bob Tewkesbury.

- On that note, even though he was mired in a 1-for-19 slump coming into the game, I still believe Melky Cabrera is the future of the Yankees offensively. He is a great contact hitter who needs a little fine tuning with his plate discipline. While he may never been a real power threat, he doesn't need to be with that kind of offense, his main job will be getting on base and setting up the run producers, and he and Robinson Cano (highly underrated) are perfect fot the job. Not to mention, watching him, Jacoby Ellsbury, B.J. Upton and Grady Sizemore compete for Gold Gloves for the next decade will be entertaining

- Jon Lester is becoming a legitimate top of the rotation pitcher. He may not have the most overpowering stuff, but he has a very deceptive slider and a cutter allowing him to go to the slider to give him 8-10 strikeouts, the way he's able to mix his pitches together and with his command, reminds you of Tom Glavine of the last few years, except, you know, Lester actually got it done when it mattered. No I'm not bitter about Game 162 at all. There has also been a change in his demeanor on the mound since his return last season from lymphoma and it was very evident in his complete game last night. Lester will always have a high pitch count with shorter work and he can be a WHIP killer in fantasy, he appears more confident with himself on the mound, something that first became evident during his relief stint in Game 4 of the ALCS last year and culminating with his World Series clincher in Colorado. Much like Mike Pelfrey, he now looks like he knows that he's capable of being good on a profesisonal level and that he belongs here, which can make all the difference in whether a young pitcher makes it or not.

- I conclude with a . Jim Gray-esque moment with Joe Girardi in the post-game press conference. Unfortunately, it's not the entire exchange, but enough to give you the idea that Girardi was ready to lay a wuppin to the little weasel. Idiot.

Inflated Hoop Dreams

"Some people's heads are so big, they don't have dreams, they have motion pictures."- Anonymous

With the drafting of O.J. Mayo, the top 3 draft picks all being freshmen and the saga of Brandon Jennings, the culture of high school and AAU basketball and the pampering of the players.

Mayo has come under fire recently for alledgedly taking benefits during his lone season at USC. I honestly can't blame him for taking advantage of always being told you're the man. Mayo's been getting pub since he was in the 6th grade and at the age of 14 he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the headline "He'd be #1 in the NBA Draft right now!". No one can honestly expect any kid, especially one coming from Mayo's background, to maintain a level head when you're talked about like that. In high school, the best player on the team gets rock star status at the school even if his game would make him the 8th man on a powerhouse, so you can begin to imagine the type of attention such a highly-touted kid could get. Not to mention the coaches, parents and hangers-on, you can start to see where some of this sense of entitlement and selfishness comes from. The recent proof has come from AAU teams and camps, where the emphasis is more on the indvidual performance rather than the team result. Many high schoolers play their way into college through workouts, which helps their mentality of "I'm the man and everyone else be damned."

Being on the other side of the high school basketball culture and dealing with parents and coaches, I can say that the feelings are mutual. During a playoff game last season, a parent was more concerned with her son (who was going to Liberty) getting hurt than she was about the team winning the game was still in reach. Not to mention players defying coach orders just to pad stats.

I think the one and done rule for college is stupid and is just placating to those who complain about the kids jumping straight out of high school. If the NBA was serious about the issue, they would make it 2 years. But the larger issue here is the people that surround them or we'll see more undrafted flameouts or guys like Jerryd Bayless who leave too early.

You Might Have A Bad Offense When....

Your staff can toss a no-hitter (on a technicality) and lose.

No one's ever questioned whether the Angels had enough arms to hang in contention for the A.L. crown but whatever doubts we had about their offense were answered Saturday night when Jered Weaver and Jose Arredendo combined for an 8-inning no-hitter, but still lost 1-0 to the Dodgers thanks to errors from Weaver and Jeff Mathis. Even more baffaling is that the Angels managed just one run in the series, and yet still did not get swept, which more speaks to the lack of offense for both L.A. teams.

The Angels' depth in pitching have been a fixture since their out-of-nowhere world championship in 2002. But as seen in 2004, '05 and last October, the Angels do not have enough timely hitting (or sometimes any for that matter) to be a legitimate title contender. On paper, it doesn't make sense with power hitters like Vladimir Guerrero, Garret Anderson and Torii Hunter ina ddition to good contact hitters like Chone Figgins, Howie Kendrick and Gary Matthews Jr. The problem as demonstrated in their last 3 postseason appearences, Guerrero and Figgins vanish when the calendar turns over to number 10.

One of the key factors that ultimately led to Bill Stoneman's ouster in Anaheim was the fact that every year at the trade deadline he was reluctant to tap into the Angels' abundant farm system to trade for a big bat. Given the offensive embarrasment that occured in Chavez Ravine, I wonder if the new regime will follow suit.

Welcome To The Fold Courtney

I have to commend Steve Kerr and Ed Stefanski for taking Robin Lopez and Marreese Speights and making this a much easier decision for Otis Smith. In all seriousness, a job well done taking Courtney Lee on Thursday night and adding a potentially valuable piece for next season.


Like most new 2-guards, he slashes very well and hes a pretty good spot-up shooter, which makes him valuable in the SVG offense. He probably won't start since Hedo will be moving back to the 2, but he could be a huge lift off the bench. From what I've heard off the court and in his conference yesterday, he doesn't look like he'll be trouble. Plus, he led a 12-seed to the Sweet 16 and gave UCLA a run for their money, so that's gotta count for something, right?

You won't hear me say this too often but, good job, Otis.

Tremendous Potential Season

I should've seen those 2 embarrassments coming, and given the upcoming schedule, this team could be finished by the all-star break. Also, if Scott Boras can still get Oliver Perez a lucrative deal if Ollie keeps this season up, then he is officially the greatest agent of all time.

But enough of that, time to cover what will be dominating the sports media for the next 3 days. It appears the Bulls have all but handed Derrick Rose his jersey and rumor has it that the Heat may pass on Michael Beasley for O.J. Mayo. Really? O.J. Mayo in Miami? That doesn't spell off-court disaster at all.

Anyway, time for me to give my two cents on who the Magic should take with their only pick of this year's draft at #22. The backcourt seems to be pretty much set with Jameer Nelson, Keyon Dooling and Carlos Arroyo at point and Maurice Evans, Keith Bogans and a possible return of Hedo Turkoglu to the 2 spot depending on what happens with the frontline. Although, the Magic have expressed interest in Western Kentucky sharpshooter Courtney Lee, and while he could evetually develop into a solid starter, he would be a great fit off the bench in the SVG offense that is based on outside shooting. The frontcourt is set for the foreseeable future with Rashard Lewis and The Daily Double holding down the fort.

The only question mark in the starting lineup is at center, a hole that thanks to a pre-season injury to Tony Battie, kept Hedo, Lewis and Howard out of their natural positions for the etnire season. With not much on the free agent market and the majority of the Magic's focus this offseason being to re-sign Hedo, it is imperative the Magic get a big in the draft.

Some of the names that have been floating for the Magic's pick include Marreese Speights of Florida and Stanford's Robin Lopez. The thought of either one sutitng up in the blue and white makes me about as comfortable as Brian Lawrence making a start in September. Living in the heart of Fatty Nation, I have seen many a Gator game with Speights the last 2 seasons. He barely made a mark during the title season of 2007 and only lifted his stats for an underachieving team in 2008 that missed the NCAA Tournament altogether and Billy Donovan seems all too thrilled to coach next season. There was nothing about his game that made me think that he could translate to the pro level. Robin Lopez is best served being picked by the Raptors so they can become the top contender to the Detroit Pistons' title as the Most Annoying Team in the NBA. Lopez is nothing more than a poor man's Joke Noah. An energy player who is effective in the open court, but has less defense than Noah.

In my opinion, they would be best served taking Memphis' Joey Dorsey. I would consider Dorsey to be a less polished version of Ben Wallace, he may not give you too much on offense save for a few cleanups, but he certainly makes his presence felt on the defensive end, averaging almost 10 rebounds and 2 blocks per game this past season for the national runner-up. Putting Dorsey at center allows Howard to move back to power forward, and give him some extra help on the glass on both ends of the floor. He also gives them another legit shot-blocker which has to count for something.

With all that said, Otis Smith has yet to have a successful draft during his tenure as Magic GM, which is now in its 5th sason. I'd put the odds of him bungling this pick at 85% and the topic of Smith being a brain-dead dummy will be a fixture here.

Gangsta's Paradise

After threatening to "go gangster" and cut Jose Reyes, the Mets have won 3 of 4 under Jerry Manuel, thanks to another solid outing from Mike Pelfrey (walks aside) yesterday. Things look good as the Mets return home for a 3-game set against the major-league worst and the reminder that we're not as much of a disappointment, Seattle Mariners.

The thing that has stood out the most to me so far is the hands-on approach from Manuel. From defining roles in the bullpen to making sure Wright and Reyes get days off to be ready for the stretch run, which all of a sudden doesn't seem so unrealistic, Manuel has done more in 5 days than the Randolph Administration did in its final 12 months.

A sweep of Seattle would be nice, but to get 2 out of 3 for the rest of the month would work just fine.

NBA Draft preview on Tuesday or Wednesday.

R.I.P. George Carlin

It's never a good start to the week when the first thing you hear is the death of George Carlin.

Many consider Richard Pryor to be the greatest stand-up comedian of all-time, but in my humble opinion, it's Carlin. While they were similar in their syles and few could go from fart jokes to everyday observations to political humor like they could, Carlin's delivery remains unmatched.

Still disturbing in a way that my introduction to him was as Mr. Conductor on Shining Time Station.

Rest In Peace George: A Legend, pioneer, and an influence.

BOHICA Kobe

That means Bend Over Here It Comes Again.

Props in order to the Celtics for leaving no shadow of a doubt who the better team was in this series. Congrats to The Truth, KG and Shuttlesworth on finally getting the title.

But that's not what this is about. This is about the ESPN hyperbole (future post down the road)on Vail, CO's most infamous resident finally being put to a rest.

Not counting Sunday night's victory, here's how Kobe's teams have fared the last 5 times they have faced elimination: Lost by 28 (vs. SA 2003), 13 (2004 NBA Finals at DET in a game that was much more lopsided than the final score), 31 (2006 1st round at PHX after a 3-1 lead), 9 (2007 1st round vs. PHX), and 39 (last night)

Kobe's performance in those games:
2003: 20 points, 9/19 FG
2004: 24 points, 7/21 FG
2006: 24 points, 8/16 FG
2007: 34 Points, 13/33 FG
2008: 22 points, 7/22 FG

In any of Jordan's elimination games in his career, MJ's Bulls never lost by more than 19, and that was Game 7 of the 1990 Eastern Conference Finals in which Scottie Pippen went 1-10 and removed himself with a "migraine". Regardless, MJ lost to 2 title teams before he started his era of dominance, but never allowed himself to suffer the kind of 1 and 2 asswuppin that the Lakers received last night. If Kobe really could impose his will in the same way Jordan was notorious for, he would not have let an embarassment like that happen, whether his teammates had shown up or not.

Now I do have my issues wiith Kobe, but this isn't what this about. This is about going toe to toe when your team needs you and Kobe basically resigned himself to defeat by the time the C's concluded their 26-6 run to close the 1st half.

And for one more parting shot. You gotta hand it to ESPN, '05 USC, '07 Pats and now Kobe, yet they refuse to quit. Even Wily. E. Coyote is impressed.

Much thanks to Colonel Angus at SOTSG for helping to supply some of the material for this post.

Same Mets, Different Day

Well, other than a possible injury to Reyes, arguing with the new manager, Santana getting hit, Old Yeller continuing to provide stellar defense at 1st base all in the course of the 1st inning, I'd say the Jerry Manuel Era's been a success so far. And it's not as if Oliver Perez is completely unpredictable every time out, so tonight's in the bag. Eeeeeeeesh.

Memo to Jose Reyes: It's not 2006 anymore, you can't do whatever you feel like doing. Feel free to dial it down a notch or two.

Willie Gets Whacked

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The Willie Randolph Era ended at 3:15 A.M. this morning following another solid outing from Mike Pelfrey in a 9-6 win over the AL West leading Los Angels of Anaheim of Orange County yadayadayada.

Only after the Mets had won 3 of 4, went 3,000 miles away from the circus of the New York media, won, let him talk to the media, did they have the balls (or lack thereof) to fire Willie. This management certainly hasn't reached the levels of incompetence of M. Donald Grant and pals back in the '60s and '70s but it is certainly worth mentioning.

As I have said before, had the Mets wanted to fire Willie and co. after the trauma that was The Collapse, I wouldn't have held it against them given what had happened. But to fire him at 3:15 in the morning is so many levels of disgraceful, Isiah Thomas thinks it's wrong.

What? You didn't get a chance to fondle his wife and punch his children while you were at it? Did you get to pants him on SNY to make it extra special? If he really was the good guy they always made him out to be and really had respect for him like they say, they would've done this already. These guys also think it's cool to dump a chick via text. Please. They could've done this at any point in time in the last 8 months, yet they left him swinging like a tree tire in a tornado.

The man who's also partly to blame for this is Omar Minaya, who, in time, will face a similar countdown clock and the chopping block. Omar and the rest of the baseball management are at fault for thinking that the glass case of skill that is Moises Alou and the completely finished Carlos Delgado could carry this linueup. They're at fault for thinking that a bullpen that was largely responsible for the September disaster was acceptable as it was in 2007.

What a fucking joke. Congrats to The Wilpons, I hope it was worth it. I hope the beating they take in the New York and national media is as bad as I think it's gonna be.

Jimmy Rollins, Guillermo Mota and Tom Glavine are still to blame for all of this.

Thoughts From The Weekend

Before we begin the usual nonsense, my condolences to the Russert family. Tim Russert was one of the last bastions of integrity in a new industry that's been reduced to shock journalism. He was always fair, did his research and never felt the need to force his views on his audience as so many of his colleagues have. R.I.P. Tim.

- As I type this, Tiger leads the U.S. Open Playoff by 1 stroke after 8 in Torrey Pines. Whether or not he holds off Rocco Mediate today, this is Tiger's second best performance behind his absolute demolition of the field at Pebble Beach in 2000. To go 5 rounds on a bum knee and have a real good chance to win is just inhuman. The look on his face after his last ridculous putt on Saturday says it all. He's better than everyone, he knows it, you know it and he knows that you know it.

-Brandon Marshall is a weirdo

- The NBA really didn't help the perception that the officials have ulterior moves with the way the last 2 minutes of Game 5 went down last night.

-Speaking of, not counting the free throw contest he had at the end, Kobe had exactly 5 points after the 1st quarter. Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure MJ would've had more than 5 after the 1st quarter of a do-or-die game. We can stop the comparisons now, Kobe may be the best we've had since Jordan hung it up (with LeBron a very close 2nd), but he cannot shine Jordan's shoes.

- Taking 2 of 3 from a mediocre Texas team, Willie Randolph still doesn't have a genuine endorsement from Omar Minaya. The Mets make what seems like their 20th trip to the west coast this week for a three-game set against the AL West leading Angels and another set in Denver against the Rockies, inculding a great matchup on Tuesday between Johan Santana and John Lackey. The good news for the Mets is that the Angels can be a streaky team especially on offense, so it is imperative that the Met offense come to play in this series. As proven in the Game 1 loss yesterday, they have the ability to get out of large deficits, but to have any realistic chance of catching Philadelphia, they must be consistent on a nightly basis.

- If they can continue to get efforts like they did out of Oliver Perez on Friday night and (knock on wood for tonight) Mike Pelfrey, this season is not a lost cause just yet. Also imperative are moves to upgrade the bullpen, something I've been preaching for almost 8 months.

Were We Right All Along? The Hosejob Revisited

An old conspiracy (or wound if you're from Sactown) was revisited this week when Tim Donaghy alleged that the NBA ordered that Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals have the calls largely benefit the L.A. Lakers and force a Game 7 ultimately won by Shaq/Kobe and friends.

Even if you didn't know of said conspiracy or didn't believe in them, you had to at least think something wasn't right as the Lakers went to the line 27 times in the 4th quarter as opposed to the Kings going 9 times. Not to mention, Mike Bibby fouling Kobe Bryant while Kobe re-aligned Bibby's septum.

While it is entirely possible that Donaghy is throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks and throwing Game 6 on that list hoping it may give him some crediblity, there's nothing to make me believe he's making this up. Given that the ratings were low for what ended up being a very forgettable sweep between the Lakers and Nets, the ratings between Sacramento and New Jersey, regardless if the series went longer and probably better to watch, probably would've been worse than the all-time low set the next year.

While fixing any game is an insult to the fans, fixing playoff games is a federal crime. Regular season games are conjecture depsite the ticket prices and everything else that goes with it, but the playoffs are another matter altogether. The playoffs are the reason we all become fans in the first place and the reason we watch sports. To rig what was an epic series that ultimately produced the eventual champ and probably would've anyway had the Kings hung on is just a little disheartening.

It also changed the fortunes of two franchises. The Kings haven't been to the WCF since, being halted by a C-Webb injury in '03 and an epic Game 7 from KG in '04 and the nucleus of that '02 crew has since moved elsewhere or called it a career. The idea of the Maloofs moving to Vegas still reaches the surface every once in awhile, I wonder if that idea even gets on paper had the Kings brought it home. The Lakers meanwhile were able to easily coast to their 3rd straight championship and while that cast would blow up 2 years later, their place in history had already been set in stone. Had the alleged fix not been in and the Lakers fell short, maybe the Shaq-Kobe drama reaches its boiling point earlier and this team would've been viewed a lot differently. Other than Portland outright tanking in Game 7 of the '00 WCF, this had been the Lakers biggest test during their championship run. Had the Lakers fell short, they would've been viewed as a team that had faced relatively easy competition (no disrespect to those Spurs teams) and couldn't get it done against an equally-matched team.

The only way we'll ever know if the fix was in is if Doug Christie and Peja Stojakvic admit to being ordered to fire up air balls like they were going out of style.

And I leave you for the weekend with the 2002 WCF highlight reel, a report from the Florida State League All-Star Game on Monday...

You Have To Be Kidding

Thanks to the heroics of Billy Wagner, the D-Backs were able to snatch victory from the Mets this afternoon, 5-4. It was the third consecutive blown save for Wagner, including last night's which absolutely sucked the joy out of the eventual victory and Mike Pelfrey's surprisingly dominant performance, and third in four days, and had the bullpen not imploded on Monday, he probably would've handed that one over too.

For someone who routinely runs his piehole like Billy does, you better do your damn job, especially when your team absolutely needs a win as the Mets have these past few weeks. Now closers have bad nights, even Mariano Rivera and K-Rod have days where they're not in control, but to go 3 of 4 with 2 and 3 run leads is inexcusable.

Billy honestly has got to step up and know that we've just got two outstanding efforts from our starters. He can't come in and come out there and decide that he doesn't have it today, and so be it.

Sound familiar, Wags? In the words of the great Floyd Mayweather Jr., STEP YA GAME UP!

Oh well, it's not as if the Mets are facing a team that's crushing everything this weekend. What's that you say? Damn.



ahhhhhhhhhhh, much better.

And I leave you with a priceless Brett Myers rant from last year that never ceases to entertain.

Willie Watch Round 2

Thanks to a blown 4-run lead last night to the recent struggling D-Bags, the New York Mets suffered their 5th consecutive loss and with Arizona machine Brandon Webb on the mound against the white Ollie (aka Mike Pelfrey), the odds of it stopping don't look so good. By extension, the 2nd edition of the guillotine hanging over Willie Randolph's head in 3 weeks returns.

The debate on whether Willie should go or not is as heated as the recent Democratic nomination race, with the fervent belief on each side intense. Those who want to keep Willie say that he's not the one blowing leads late, not hitting in the clutch and not hitting a curveball to save his life (21, we're looking at you) and that he can only do so much. The Willie haters point to his lack of emotion during the event that we shall not mention that led to this blog, the its not the end of the world attiude/entitlement that his team his carried for the last 12 months and his frequent mishandling of the bullpen. While I see both sides of the argument and each raise valid points, I have become of the opinion that Willie's time has come.

When Willie was on the hot seat last October after The Event That Shall Not Be Mentioned, it seemed unfair that Willie could be punished for having 2 bad weeks after 2 years of bringing the Mets back to contention. That being said, I wouldn't have entirely faulted Minaya and Co. for giving Willie the axe after such a traumatic event that obviously is still haunting this team and fanbase a la Grady Little in 2003 (other reasons aside). I also don't blame them for letting Willie stay and try to dig his way out of such a hole, but the way Met management is handling this situation is laughable.

As the players have echoed as much, either you fire Willie and get the circus over with, or you give him the season and ride it out. But to let the speculation hover around does no good for all parties involved. Despite all their eveidence to the contrary, the season can be saved as witnessed by the Phucking Phils last year and the Red Sox and Astros in 2004 (which should be noted, fired Jimy Williams around the All-Star break), each of whom kicked it around for a couple months.

As far as Willie acting like a cyborg during games. I don't expect him to be Lou Piniella, there's only a handful of managers like that in the league. But at some point, you have to get on your players for mailing it in as the Mets have done so often these past 12 months, even "Clueless" Joe Torre did it every so often. While it's true Willie isn't at fault for Beltran turning into Flushing's A-Rod, Delgado becoming the real life Pedro Cerrano and Oliver Perez reverting back to his 2006 Pittsburgh form, at some point, he becomes like any other boss, eventually the company's failures become your reponsibility. There is plenty blame to go around for the last 12 months (Brian Bannister for Ambiorix Burgos, anyone?), but ultimately, Willie is the general and needs to be relieved of his duties before this turns into the '96-'01 California/Anaheim Angels.


On a related note, the Mets said follwing a players-only meeting last night they plan to go 62-38 to finish the season and make the playoffs (uh,playoffs?). In related news, I plan to have Carrie Underwood's baby by June '09.



Yeah, she can get it.

The Kid Gets 600

Ken Griffey Jr. finally got his 600th career home run after what must have felt like a lifetime from 599 last night in Miami in front of a packed crowd of
16,000 at Dolphin Stadium in a 9-4 Reds victory.

For the baseball fans of my generation, it was a bittersweet moment. It was nice to see "The Kid" join such elite home run hitting company after years of struggling to stay on the field, but it was also symbolic of what should've happened years ago.

I'll cover first the angle that has been largely covered today. The basis of many a great sports argument is "what if?" and while it makes for great conversation, it rarely can be definitvely applied. Baseball provides two of the best exceptions in Junior Griffey and Mickey Mantle. We can pretty much take it to the bank that if Mantle didn't tear his leg on the Yankee Stadium sprinkler and didn't go Reginald Denny on his liver that he would've likely been the all-time home run leader possibly until Barroids. The other is that if Griffey doesn't miss almost 4 years of his prime, we're not talking about whether Bonds' record should have an asterisk next to it or not. In each of his seasons in Cincinnati where he played at least 100 games, he hit 25+ and in an 83-game 2004, he managed to hit 20. THE MAN MADE THE ALL-CENTURY TEAM AFTER PLAYING 10 SEASONS! Given a clean bill of health, Griffey can still produce consistently while puhsing 40.

The other side of last night's milestone is that me and the other baseball fans who grew up in the '90s are getting just a little bit older. As I became a baseball fanatic during Griffey's peak years, he remains the most incredibly gifted player I've ever watched. In addition, from about 1992-2000, he was the epitome of cool in baseball. If you didn't mimic Junior in your swing (even as a righty)or try to slide like him in the outfield when you were playing in Little League, you really didn't pay attention to baseball. I can remember wasting many summer afternoons playing Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball on my Nintendo64, which says something sad about me, but that's a different story altogether.

With Griffey's injury-induced decline and the rise of A-Rod, Pujols, Manny, Big Papi, ANdruw Jones, David Wright, Derrek Lee, Alfonso Soriano and others, Griffey's feats have become nothing more than a footnote and a friendly reminder of childhood. Whenever he would pass someone on the all-time home run list the last few years, I know I was not the only one saying things along the lines of "Oh yeahhhhhhhh, Griffey! I forgot about him! Good for him!" and then go on a brief trip down memory lane of Griffey in Seattle white and navy blue.

With Griffey now achieving the coveted 600 mark with the team he grew up with and in the final year of his deal he signed in 1999, he is all but likely to be traded in the coming weeks to a contender, at least I hope he does. Griffey hasn't sniffed the playoffs in a decade and with the end in sight, I hope he gets one more chance on the national stage to remind us of the magician he once was. Just not with the Phillies or Yankees.

They're Goin' Back to Cali

The Celtics thanks to the possibly gritty play of Paul Pierce (arguably the series MVP to this point) and the unexpected contributions of Sir-Mix-A-Lot (aka Leon Powe) have taken a 2-0 lead to the Staples Center and a chance to bury the Lakers in Game 3.

Many point to the reason that the Celtics have largely dominated the first two games have been because of the passion exhibited on both ends of the floor and lackthere of by the Lakers, largely by Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. Conventional thinking by analysts seems to be that the Lakers now know what they need to do and will be ready to be physical against the C's in L.A. I'm not so sure.

Physicality is something entirely different than attitude. It's not like they can be like the Shaq-Kobe Lakers and flip the switch, when to be honest, that switch was never there to begin with. This team as constructed cannot play rough against team whose whole attitude is built on it. While the Lakers may get an energy burst from the Staples crowd and the sense of desperation in Game 3, it may not be enough.

The Celtics know this may be there best and possibly only shot at a title and are playing like a team possessed right now. That's not to throw dirt on the Lakers, but with the Spurs and Suns aging fast and the Mavs' window all but closed, the Lakers, with a hypothetically healthy Andrew Bynum, which adds a new dynamic to a team that hasn't had him in their starting 5 since the Gasol trade and will likely add some bruisers in the offseason, essentially have just New Orelans and the Spurs to hurdle for the next 4 or 5 years (Kobe's likely peak years), so while the Lakers desire for a title is certainly there, it is definitely not what the Celtics are displaying at the moment.