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Not Gotay Too!
2008-03-03 16:55:00
The plague has hit Port St. Lucie. Now Ruben Gotay is on crutches with a sprained ankle.I say it's sabotage or voodoo from the Phillies.I hate spring training.

Injuries Already?
2008-03-03 15:13:00
Ok we all expected El Duque to be hurt. I'd even expect Moises Alou to be a little rusty. But the Mets are looking like an ICU ward out there and it's only March 3rd!Delgado has a bum hip. El Duque can't find his Centrum Silver. Ryan Church and Marlon Anderson are bumping into each other.Please people stay away from Johan Santana & Pedro Martinez!This isn't NFL training camp. Why are these guys getting so banged up? Didn't they work out during the offseason or are they just old?Please let's get to opening day before something tragic happens.
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Leave Jose Reyes Alone, Sort Of
2008-02-29 20:45:00
It's spring training. Not a whole lot going on so reporters need something to talk about now that the Johan Santana story line is getting stale. So what's the logical next controversial topic? How about criticizing Jose Reyes .Reyes slump in the last two months of the season last year caused many a critic to scrutinize his "born to hand jive" attitude in the dugout and the occasional dancing he seen doing in the midst of close games. People talk about how it's juvenile, or that it ticks off the opposing team.I say, leave my Jose Reyes alone. The Reyes smile should not (and better not) go away. It's that childish smile and attitude is part of what makes him a likable and exciting player to watch. There's no doubt when you watch Jose Reyes that the guy enjoys the game of baseball. You don't need to have the demeanor of John Olerud to be a great baseball player.However, Reyes is not excused from all criticism. If you want to criticize him about his lackluster effort running out ba...
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Beltran Speaks Out on Mets Hot Stove
2008-02-27 01:06:00
Check out this clip from SNY's Mets Hot Stove where Carlos Beltran talks about his latest comments and how it feels to be beaned by Johan Santana. What a way to start spring training. Where's my bat & glove? I feel like playing catch.

Mets Cause Marriage
2008-02-21 16:09:00
I met a guy last night who conveyed to me possibly one of the best stories of meeting a girl that I have ever heard.It all started in October of 1986 with game 7 of the World Series taking place between the Mets and Red Sox. A young man named Mike is at a sports bar in Manhattan enjoying the game with some friends. Mike notices a girl hanging out with some of her friends across the bar, but doesn't really have an excuse to go talk to her.While the Mets are fighting for baseball supremacy, Mike notices a guy with a Red Sox hat walks into the place and bumps into the girl he was eying and spills her drink on her. Mike realizes it's time to take action. He stands up on a chair and yells to everyone in the place that there's a Red Sox fan in the building a points at the guy who's just spilled a drink all over this girl.The crowd, needless to say, turns on the Boston fan and ridicules him out of the place. Mike goes over to the girl and asks if she's alright and strikes up a convers...
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Beltran is Making Guarantees?
2008-02-19 15:59:00
The man who is never "100%" stepped out and called the Mets the "team to beat" in the NL East this year.What is in the drinking water in Port St. Lucie? Has everyone gone mad?Beltran who is for the most part a very quiet and laid back guy made this extremely abnormal comment on Friday. I guess Santana is lighting a fire in his teammates just as us Mets Lifers. Think about it for a second. All of Mets fandom was psyched about the potential of getting Santana, and then elated when we finally signed him.Why shouldn't the Mets players feel the same way?I guess it's only natural, but I do hate guarantees in sports. It just sets yourself up for a major disappointment. Even if you do come through on your guarantee nobody remembers it because you're suppose to win. Now if the Royals came out and said they were the team to beat and then they won the American League pennant, that would be remembered.The Mets need to win the NL East. They need to win in the playoffs as well. Anything less i...

Jose Reyes is MLB 2K8 Cover Boy
2008-02-16 19:29:00
As an avid gamer, I know that the MLB game series from 2K8 is by far the best baseball series I've ever played. While last year's cover boy for MLB 2K7 was Derek Jeter, the 2008 version sports our very own Jose Reyes .Check it out:
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Burning Bullpen Questions
2008-02-13 17:41:00
As we approach spring training the starting rotation is pretty much set. We know what our lineup will probably look like. We even have a good idea about who will be on the bench come April 1.But the questions that still remain involve the Mets bullpen. The root of many a loss in 2007, the bullpen did not get a massive overhaul this offseason, but did receive some changes. But there are a number of questions that I need answered about the 2008 Mets bullpen.1. Which Joe Smith should I expect?Joe Smith was lights out early in the '07 season. The rookie was getting lefties and righties out while keeping his pitch count down. Then something happened mid-season and he lost his mojo. I've read that Smith has been working out this offseason at his alma mater Wright State to improve his mechanics, but will that translate into success? If the original Joe Smith shows up and stays all season the Mets bullpen will be considered much more reliable.2. Can Duaner Sanchez stay healthy?If it was u...
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Beltran Whining Again
2008-02-12 15:29:00
There are certain things in sports that you can you predict based on the time of year. If it's NFL training camp, you can expect Michael Strahan not to show up. If it's preseason basketball, we can expect Allen Iverson not to show up for practice.And of course if it's spring training, we know that Carlos Beltran is going to talk about how he's not 100%. Here's Beltran's quote in this morning's Journal News:“I don’t feel 100 percent, but I hope to be by the start of the season. I couldn’t play anymore like that. I didn’t feel pain as much as I did weakness…I just want to be 100 percent and to be able to do a lot more.” Ok. I really like Beltran. I think he has tremendous talent and does a lot of things really well that the Mets need from a centerfielder. But come on Beltran, you're a major leaguer. Suck it up and play. How many times did we hear Piazza or Carter or Dykstra complain about not being 100%. None. They all had injuries that plagued them but they're...

Top 10 Mets Prospects
2008-02-11 14:58:00
TopProspectAlert.com has come out with their annual list of Mets top prospects.I'll give you two guesses as to who's #1 on the list. After looking at the top 10 outside of Fernando Martinez, there's not a lot of guys that we'll see in the majors any time soon.According to TopProspectAlert.com here's the top Mets prospects: #1 Fernando Martinez (AA) 60G .271, 11(2B), 1(3B), 4HR, 21RBI, 20BB, 51K, 3SB(Rk) 3G .111, 1(3B), 1RBI, 1BB, 6K #2 Eddie Kunz (Short-A) 0-1, 6.75ERA, 12IP, 8BB, 9K, .190BAA #3 Jonathan Niese (High-A) 11-7, 4.29ERA, 134.1IP, 31BB, 110K, .285BAA #4 Brant Rustich (Short-A) 2-0, 2SAVE, 2.13ERA, 12.2IP, 1BB, 11K, .095BAA(Rk) 1-0, 0.87ERA, 10.1IP, 1BB, 10K, .158BAA #5 Nathan Vineyard (Rk) 0-3, 5.27ERA, 27.1IP, 9BB, 33K, .265BAA Click here to view the top 10.

The Cleansing
2008-02-09 18:03:00
It's been 21 years since I have felt this good as a sports fan. I was just 15 back in '86 & '87 and it's hard to believe it's taken so long to duplicate that euphoric feeling I had when the Mets won the World Series and the Giants won the Super Bowl. Heck, at that time, I thought that's what was going to happen every year. With Doc & Darryl and LT and Simms, I assumed championships would become standard practice for these two teams. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Although the G-Men did pull off an upset of a different kind in Super Bowl XXV against the Bills, the Mets have come up lame for the last 21 years. 21 years...hard to believe.The truth is, the Giants championship could not have come at a better time for me as a Mets Lifer. The pain and humiliation I felt after that epic collapse racked my brain relentlessly for months. It downright tortured me...Until the Giants went on an improbable run through the post season and the Mets got Santana. As a fan, all you want is...
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The Best Subtractions of the Mets Offseason
2008-02-08 20:07:00
Lots of teams improve their rosters by adding new players, but the Mets have made a few moves to eliminate people from their team that has actually had more of an impact than adding some players.Here's a list of the top people that the Mets have let go this offseason that will greatly improve the team:1. Guillermo Mota - This is a no brainer. Mota was horrendous throughout most of 2007. It seemed like every time he came in there were at least 2 runs to be given up. Sure the Mets unloaded him for Johnny Estrada whom the Mets quickly dumped, but Mota's removal from the roster prevents Willie Randolph from being tempted to put him in close games. For some reason I have a feeling we'll see Mota ditch pitching and try and become an outfielder. Just a hunch.2. Rickey Henderson - The king of stolen bases will no longer be able to mold the minds of Mets players. Henderson, while possibly the games best leadoff hitter of all time, was not the type of role model you want influencing young ...
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It's Pay Day for Ryan Church
2008-02-08 15:44:00
Ryan Church and the Mets agreed to a $2MM contract for 2008 pretty much making him the starting right fielder on opening day in April.Here's the crazy part: Church was making $395k last year. So basically he's getting a $1.6MM raise. What were his stats again? Hmmm, Church batted .272 with 15 homers, 70 RBIs and 43 doubles.So that's worth $2MM in the majors today? What's even funnier is the incentive money that Church can get. He can earn an additional $120,000 in performances bonuses: $50,000 for 450 plate appearances; $40,000 for 535 plate appearances and $30,000 for 550 plate appearances.So basically church gets a raise if he doesn't get injured or isn't so horrible that Randolph refuses to play him.In my mind Church has got a lot to prove. This is a one year deal that could amount to something larger if Church is successful. I've always like him as a role player on the Nationals, but a corner outfielder in New York, in my mind, should be a big bat that contributes.I'd be...
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2008 Mets Strengths and Weaknesses
2008-02-07 19:23:00
I was recently asked to give my take on the Mets strengths and weaknesses as we head into spring training in a few weeks. While I could probably go on about this topic for pages on end, I've tried to compile my list in a concise manner which I'll share with you below:Strengths (a) Starting Pitching - The Mets are the only MLB team with three 15 game winners in Perez, Maine & Santana. Plus having Pedro Martinez for a full year makes it possible to have four 15 game winners in one season which would be a remarkable feat.(b) Speed - arguably the fastest lineup in the NL with Endy, Reyes, Beltran, & Wright leading the way. Bunts, steals, and hit & run are all options available from anyone in the lineup.(c) Infield defense - at pretty much every position we have a solid defender. If Delgado can keep picking balls out of the dirt and Reyes & Wright can keep his errant throws to a minimum the infield could have fewer than 20 errors this year.Weaknesses(a) Bullpen questio...
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Johan Santana: His Colors Are Orange and Blue
2008-02-07 16:26:00
Saw this on SNY last night. Who's ready for the 2008 season? I know I am.
More About: Colors , Blue , Orange , Johan Santana , Santana

The New Mets Radio Announcer
2008-02-07 15:12:00
Now that the Mets signed Johan Santana, it was time for them to sign their second biggest acquisition of the off season, their new radio announcer.The Daily News reports that Wayne Hagin will become the new voice of the Mets on WFAN. Hagin has been an announcer for the Cardinals and Rockies.I was hoping for a young up and coming announcer to be signed, a guy like Dave Popkin, but Hagin's resume looks solid enough that I'm sure he'll be an adequate wing man to Howie Rose.For more on Wayne Hagin, click here to read the story in the Daily News.
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Mets Top 10 Prospect Rankings
2007-12-18 17:08:00
JP Schwartz at TopProspect Alert.com has put together his annual top 10 ranking of the Mets minor league prospects. This year the list is full of familiar names as most of them have been tossed around during the Johan Santana trade rumors.The top prospect is pitcher Deolis Guerra with Fernando Martinez and Carlos Gomez close behind him at #2 & #3. I was a little surprised to see Guerra as the top prospect as I thought Kevin Mulvey, who is ranked #4, would be higher than Guerra.I also was a little surprised that Martinez was ranked higher than Gomez since Martinez is expected to be another year or two away from being ready for the big leagues, but this list is based on potential and Martinez's potential at this point is through the roof.Mike Carp, who is ranked #9, will be a name I think Mets fans will hear about more and more in the coming season as potential trade bait or a player who may get some playing time during September call ups.For the full run down of the top 10 prospe...

Best Graphic Ever of Roger Clemens
2007-12-14 21:43:00
Mets Refugees has possibly the best graphic I've ever seen of Roger Clemens , and an excellent write up on Clemens steroid use while showing some pretty impressive stat comparisons that explain much more than I can in words.Kudos, to Mets Refugees which is the best designed Mets blog I've come across and has the second best logo. Second to Mets Lifer of course.
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Ex-Mets Can't Even Cheat Right
2007-12-14 04:34:00
The Mitchell Report is causing everyone to forget Santa Clause and start referring to winter weather as the "cream and the clear." Ironically, no current Mets were implicated in the report, but as I reviewed the list of players I was amazed at the former Mets who were named.Players like Matt Franco, Todd Pratt, Mo Vaughn, David Segui, Todd Hundely, and Paul Lo Duca were all named. However, something stands out. All of these guys really weren't any good. Sure Hundley hit 41 homer runs that one year so maybe the steroids helped out that one year, but you mean to tell me he used them for one career year and then stopped?Look at Franco & Todd Pratt. They used 'roids and couldn't even break into the starting lineup. David Segui had a decent year for the Mets in the mid '90's but nothing that would make you want to keep him as a regular.Also, I refuse to believe that Mo Vaughn did steroids as a Met. Have they found steroids to have a reverse effect on some players? Vaughn did hit...
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Paul Lo Duca Implicated In the Mitchell Report
2007-12-13 19:57:00
On ESPN this afternoon former Met Paul Lo Duca has just been revealed as using steroids based on findings from the Mitchell Report released by Major League Baseball today.Perhaps that's why a little love was lost between the Mets management and Lo Duca. Maybe someone found out something and decided they didn't want that tied to the ballclub.I liked Paul Lo Duca and it's unfortunate that he's being implicated in this. Although it does make me feel a little better about our current catching situation.More details to come.

Don't Cry for Me, Johnny Estrada
2007-12-11 21:18:00
Goodbye Johnny Estrada. It's like we never knew you. Okay, it's exactly we never knew you.Tomorrow is the deadline for the Mets to either sign or release Johnny Estrada. Estrada was traded to the Mets for fan favorite (by fan favorite I mean every NL baseball team but the Mets fan favorite) Guillermo Mota.The Mets do not have to pay anything to Estrada if he is released so this is the best offseason trade so far by any team. This also allows the logjam at catcher to be somewhat alleviated as the Mets will now have Brien Schneider and Ramon Castro as their primary catchers.Well Estrada, I wish you luck and hope you land somewhere. But if he ends up with the Nationals I'm going to start thinking there's a Washington conspiracy going on to steal every Mets player. Metsgate?

The Milledge Trade Looks Worse Today
2007-12-06 18:58:00
If you haven't heard there's news from the winter meeting that the Tigers and Mets are talking about a possible trade that would send Dontrelle Willis to the Mets.What's the catch? Well, the catch is the Tigers have found themselves with a payroll overload and need to cut back so any deal involving Dontrelle would also include taking Pudge Rodriguez and his +$13MM salary. Now Pudge has a no trade clause, but would waive it if he was offered a contract extension from a playoff team (i.e. New York Mets).So how does this make the Milledge trade any worse? Well we now have an overload at catcher so for this deal to happen we'd either a) have to cut one of our existing catchers under contract b) find a way to package one of them in a deal for Willis/Rodriguez. The problem with option B is we just signed Castro to a contract and just traded for Schneider and are stuck with his contract. This is not about Ryan Church. Church will bat .270 for us and knock in 60 RBIs. This is about gett...
More About: Today , Trade , Looks

Get Ready for Some Baseball Leftovers
2007-12-05 15:39:00
It's almost two weeks after Thanksgiving and the Mets are about ready to get some leftovers. The hype surrounding the Mets ability to get a top notch pitcher has quickly faded into oblivion. We started November with dreams of Johann Santana and Dan Haren. We soon switched to visions of Erik Bedard or Dontrelle Willis.Now we've been woken up from our slumber with the cold breeze of reality. The Mets are going to be stuck with leftovers.Now nothing is over until its over, but let's be frank, the Mets are getting phased out of every major discussion surrounding a top notch pitcher. The good part about that is the teams we're dealing with are probably wanting one of our core players like Jose Reyes or David Wright, and the Mets are unwilling to part with them. That I can agree with.The bad part is the Mets are going to try and overcome our shortcomings last year with mediocre arms like Livan Hernandez, Bartolo Colon, or even Freddy Garcia. I hope the Mets don't fool themselves into...
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New Mets Blog
2007-12-05 14:47:00
I just came across a fellow Mets Lifer, via Facebook actually, and wanted to let you know about the UltiMets blog.He's got some great posts and is keeping a close eye on the winter meetings so be sure to pay him a visit at www.ultimets.blogspot.com.Keep up the good work.
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What Do the A's Want for Dan Haren?
2007-12-03 19:39:00
According to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark, the Oakland Athletics have made it clear what they want from the Mets if they want to get Dan Haren .According to Stark, Billy Beane has said that it will take Carlos Gomez and top minor league prospect, Fernando Martinez, to secure Dan Haren in a trade.I found it a little surprising that Beane wouldn't require a pitcher in return since it appears he's wholesaling his entire starting rotation. If the Mets made this deal they'd in essence would give up their entire outfield of youth (Milledge, Gomez, Martinez).Long term what this means is that they'll need to make a deal next year to replace Moises Alou, and if Ryan Church has a bad season and bats .230 we might need to replace him as well. I'm hopeful about Church, but I'm cautious to give up both Martinez and Gomez. I'd much rather package in a pitcher or two instead of one of them.If the A's offer is legit it's not an unreasonable one, and you have to ask yourself is it easier to repl...

The Mets and Baseball's Winter Meetings
2007-12-03 15:16:00
It's finally here. The most wonderful time of the year. GMs are scrambling and media's waiting to hear of a deal! It's the annual baseball winter meetings.This year the Opryland hotel in Nashville, TN is host to baseball's winter swap meet. This is the place where deals get done. Nobody wants their team needs looming over them during the holidays so every GM will be looking to have a deal done by this Friday.So what are the Mets looking to get? Pitching, pitching, pitching. As we all know a top notch starting pitcher is the number one need of our beloved Mets, but it looks like Johann Santana is out of the picture as he's now saying it's either the Yankees or the Red Sox.The interesting news is the Erik Bedard of the Orioles appears to want to get out of Baltimore ASAP, and we know that Billy Beane loves to chat up the Mets. Even Miguel Cabrera is a name that is being tossed around as someone the Mets are interested in, although I'm not too crazy about that. Unless it's for ...
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2008 Mets Lineup if the Season Started Today
2007-11-30 19:58:00
Here's what the potential 2008 Mets lineup would look like if the season started today:1. Jose Reyes - SS2. Luis Castillo - 2B3. David Wright - 3B4. Carlos Beltran - CF5. Moises Alou - LF6. Carlos Delgado - 1B7. Ryan Church - RF8. Brian Schneider - COf course you're looking at a potential platoon at catcher between Castro/Schneider/Estrada. One of them will not make it to spring training in a Mets uniform if you ask me, but which one will be gone is still up for debate. I have a feeling Estrada is the man left out the cold, but I would have told you there's no way Lastings Milledge would be traded for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider yet here we are.
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Mr. Milledge Goes to Washington
2007-11-30 19:41:00
This was not the trade we've been waiting for and it perplexes me more than interests me. Today the Mets sent Lastings Milledge to their divisional rival, the Washington Nationals, for C Brian Schneider and OF Ryan Church.Why? Who knows. And please somebody explain it to me if you do know.Now the Mets will have 3 catchers on their roster in Schneider, Castro & Estrada so I'm assuming one of them has to go. And we've replaced a potential young star in Milledge who was one of our best hitters with runners in scoring position last year with a slightly older, but still young outfielder who bats around .270.I know Ryan Church has hit well against the Mets in the past, but I think every National looked like a Hall of Famer against the Mets the last week of the season. Is there something in Ryan Church that we don't see? Would you rather see Church in right field than Gomez or Milledge?It just doesn't make any sense, but I trust Omar has a great plan in place that us plebeians can...

Don't Knock the Mets Young Talent
2007-11-30 15:19:00
I have been getting beaten up by people every time I talk about the Mets trading for a #1 pitcher. I'm told the Mets "don't have the pieces to make a deal" or "the Mets can't match other team's talented prospects." I was starting to doubt my objectivity. I mean I know we don't have a Bucholtz or Hughes but our young prospects are still top notch. At least that's what I thought.Looks like someone else does too. Scouts.com's senior baseball analyst Keith Law had this to say about people who doubt the Mets' prospects: “Ridiculous. I’ve seen that mentioned in some NY papers, and it’s absurd. Carlos Gomez is very highly-rated within the game. Fernando Martinez (who seems to be their one untouchable) is still one of the top 10-12 prospects in the game. Pelfrey hasn’t even turned 24 yet, and he’s still mid-90’s with plus sink. I have no idea why it’s fashionable to bash the Mets young players, but they have plenty of assets to go get another starter. Whether they cho...
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Are the Mets Too Desperate?
2007-11-29 22:37:00
Does anyone else feel that sensation in their hands? It's the feeling of Johan Santana slipping away.Do you hear laughing in the distance? Yup, that's Billy Beane chuckling at the fact that he now has the upper hand.I'm getting the feeling that Omar & the Mets are getting desperate to do something before it's too late. Believe me, I'm first in line to sign Johan Santana, but not if it's going to cost us Jose Reyes. I'm right there wanting to get a Dan Haren or Erik Badard, but I've got this feeling that the Mets are proving themselves to be too desperate to sign a #1 pitcher.The real problem is we are desperate. Let's say the Mets don't sign a top notch pitcher and sign some middle of the road guy like my least favorite rumored pitcher, Livan Hernandez. Let's say they sign two middle of the road guys. We'll throw in Freddy Garcia. So your starting rotation is Pedro, Maine, Livan, Garcia, Perez. Ok, not bad.But what happens when Pedro misses a month due to injury. El ...
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