The Whipping, The Banks and Our Future

(Note: A piece from Nails is available immediately following this piece from Sippy Momo.)

So today is a huge day for us over here at Y2K. There are three huge stories to discuss: This past weekend in Mets baseball, the Yanks' acquisition of Bobby Abreu and today’s 4 p.m. trade deadline.

First, the weekend.

This weekend was 15 years in the making. It was the most indicative sign yet that this Mets team is the New 2006 Mets. Since really 1998, the Mets have played 2nd and sometimes 3rd, 4th or 5th fiddle to the Atlanta Braves.

They absolutely owned us. They were our momentum-killing, dream-ending, city-ripping daddies. We could do nothing against them, we couldn't touch them.

Since 1998 we didn’t stand a chance. Even if we were the better team, they would beat us. Chipper would go yard, Andruw Jones would make a great play in CF look like a can of corn, Smoltz would throw a gem and Bobby Cox would outmanage.

For some reason, though, these Mets didn’t get that memo. These Mets went into Atlanta, the house that the real Momo built, the reason that I am $175,000 poorer and about two World Series rings short and Braved them.

Three games and three wins.

And man did we pound them.

In one weekend, Carlos Beltran earned his 2005 and 2006 salaries combined.


This weekend had serious “Let down city” potential for Mets fans. Up 12 games on the Braves with 3 at their place. A sweep would be disastrous, an open ticket for them ro rejoin the dance. Lose 2 and we give them momentum.

But we couldn’t win 3. Come on, we are the Mets.

Forget all that -- as they've done repeatedly in this dream season, the New guys prevailed. They outscored the Braves 27-13. and never really gave the Bravos a chance.

Despite sub-par pitching from their starters, we got to see two games of vintage Billy Wagner. Lefties, including Y2K nemesis Adam LaRoche, simply had no shot. Righties were close behind.

Now, we are 15 up on the Braves and their NL East sails have floated away. It’s July 31st, and its officially time to start resting for the playoffs.

ABREU to the Banks.


A friend of mine who works for the Yankees shared an interesting story. Apparently, one day Jeter, A-Rod and Giambi were all hanging out in the locker room giving each other rat tails and wet willies when the OF of Damon, Sheffield and Matsui, decided they wanted to get involved.

With Wham’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go,” blasting in the background, the Yankees all giggled and laughed until Godzilla got a little too serious and gave Jeter a weggie.

That is when ARod stepped in to Brokeback his partner in crime.

“Hey Godzilla, “he said. “That is no way to treat one of your 3 $17 million infielders.”

Damon was dumbfounded. He tried to count to 17 on his two hands but was unable to do so. He looked at Sheffield, who was injecting an unknown substance first in to his rear and then Matsui's.

Then, the three affluent infielders laughed in the face’s of their respective teammates.

Johnny Damon was terrified. These aren’t the Yankees he signed up for.


So he stormed into Mr. Cashmen’s office. Cashmen was reading a book titled, “How To Te the Nerdiest Looking GM in the Game who is only Succesful Because he has an Unlimited Budget.” Damon was very upset. He stuttered for a few minutes and then expressed his discontent.

“All three of us outfielders are making $13 million when all the infielders are making $17 million. That’s not fair.”

Right then, Randy Johnson butted his head in, “Hey Johnny, don’t forget about Me and the Muss.”

Damon was more livid.

Cashmen didn’t know what to do. When Damon looked away he quickly skimmed through his book on GMing. There was the answer.

“Johnny, I got it,” Cashman said as Johnny’s face started to glow. “How’s this sound? We’ll trade for a 4th outfielder, one who makes $15 million per year. That way the 4 of you guys will make just as much as the infield and the rotation?”

“But Brian, 13+13+13+15 is less than the $60 million that our infield makes by like 12 million.”

“Well 1 out of 2 ain’t bad Johnny. I think for now this is the best we can do. Don't look now, but there are still a few hours before the deadline. Maybe we could pick up Soriano to be a weapon off the bench.”

Damon smiled and left the room.

The Yankees got Abreu. At $15 mil per he is the 6th highest paid Yankee. I yearn for that day when he earns his pinstripes cause that should be in the next week.

Unfortunately for the Banks, Randy Johnson is truly cursed and stinks. Unless Wang and Mussina can take them thru October, this could be yet another great offseason for them.

For now, though, they should easily coast into the playoffs with what is by far and away the greatest lineup ever assembled. That is what happens when every player in your lineup is making at least $11 million dollar, except your one kid.

FINALLY, THE DEADLINE

We have covered a lot of this over the last week or so. I’m still pretty mixed. As you all know, Nails is pushing hard to make a Milledge-for-Zito move, but this is the same kid that jerks off to Scott Kazmir and his chances of becoming the missing piece of U2 on a weekly basis.

I think we all read enough to know what our options are. To get a Zito or potentially a Jason Schmidt,


the two guys that can really make an impact, we need to move Milledge.

I’m completely torn by this. Nails is really for it. Others, are really against it.

I’ll throw some posts up throughout the course of the day if anything exciting happens. One thing for sure is this, today is a great day to be refreshing ESPN.com.

Back later and be sure to check out Nails' post below. The kid is one of Shea’s finest and is also emerging as one of the DC area’s premiere softball players.

VCD,

SM

Nails' Deadline Day Plea: Trade for Zito

Hey everybody, Nails here. Wanted to get a couple thoughts out on trade deadline day on why we should trade Lastings Milledge for Zito. As far as I'm concerned, it's a no-brainer.

First of all, it's very important to understand what Lastings Milledge is in order to try and project what he might be. Milledge undoubtedly has a ton of talent. Far more raw talent, I'd say then David Wright.

Some of you who closely follow the Mets minor leagues system may remember that there was a big question a few years back as to why David Wright's home stats were so much worse than his road stats.

Somebody finally came up with the notion that perhaps the fact that D-Dubya was using the time that would be stuck on a bus during a road trip taking hours upon extra hours of batting practice during home stands.

The theory, which seems to have been correct based on the fact that Wright's home hitting almost immediately straightened itself out, was that D-Dubya was tiring himself out before home games leaving himself worn out by gametime.

I bring this up because baseball happens to be a sport where you are far more likely to succeed if you work hard to build upon talent than if you don't.

Curt Schilling's career turned around when Roger Clemens bitched him out after a couple of non-descript seasons early in his career for failing to work hard and take advantage of his talent.

Well excuse me for extrapolating an isolated incident into a general statement, but I could not have found it more unimpressive that Milledge showed up just before game time to one of his first games in the big leagues.

David Wright would never pull a stunt like that. Robin Ventura would never pull a stunt like that. Julio Franco -- of diet and exercise fame -- wouldn't pull a stunt like that.

So, unlike Wright, I don't think we're talking about a perennial All Star -- and certainly not a potential Hall of Famer -- in Milledge. And if he doesn't have that ceiling, he's replaceable.

Second, there is a misconception, floated by a commentator to AFOMG's post a few posts down, that if Zito leaves after the season we are left empty-handed.

If we trade for Zito for the last 3 months of the season (how awesome is it to write 3 months left in the season sitting here on July 31? More to the point, how awesome is it that this season is going so well that we won't even have to play any of 'lil Wilpon's famed "meaningful games in September?" I digress) there are benefits that could impact us for the next 5 years.

A, We can see how he responds to playing in NYC, which will better allows us to make an informed decison on whether to sign him as a free agent.

B, we get him for the playoffs which we certainly need.

C, most importantly and the point of this paragraph, we do get something if Zito leaves as a FA. Did we end up empty-handed when Mike Hampton left after the 2000 season? No. We ended up with two compensation picks which turned into Aaron Heilman and a young fellow named David Allen Wright.

But back to our numerical list. Where were we? Third?

Third, we really need pitching. Long-term, I'm actually much more optimistic on John Maine than many other Y2K loyalists.

Back in 2003, when I was in full-fledged Scott Kazmir jocking mode, I had a long-standing argument going with my housemate Hoffman as to whether Kazmir or a young Orioles prospect named John Maine was better.

I'd send out my famed update on Kazmir's latest start which so many of you have come to cherish and Hoffman would respond with the John Maine update. And, I'm sad to report, there were many, if not most, occassions where Maine was topping Kazmir.

So this kid had big-time potential before his career got a little side tracked. Also, don't forget, one of the rumors when we traded Benson was that we'd done so because Billy Beane loved Maine and we wanted him as a puzzle piece to trade with the A's. And if Billy Beane likes a guy, he has to be a stud... seriously... read Moneyball if you disagree... the guy does no wrong.

That paragraph went off on a rant. Let's redo that paragraph picking up at: Third, we really need pitching.

Obviously come playoff time we're going to live and die with Pedro. And I'm pretty optimistic that his semi-regular mid-summer month off will pay huge dividends come playoff time. Figure he's got about 12 starts left this season... limit him to 90 pitches each start and let him go into the playoffs relatively fresh. He'll be a stud.

Now what? I am very concerned about Glavine. I am hopeful that El Duque will prove to be as clutch as he is by reputation. I don't want Traschsel on the mound and I'm not ready to trust what should be a memorable October to Pelrey or Maine at this point in their careers.

So we need a pitcher... and not a 4th pitcher to get a few starts or even a 3rd pitcher to get several starts. We need a #2 pitcher. Zito is it.

Fourth, I was reading this somewhere recently, it really sends a positive message to a team when they're 15 games in first, there's no pressure to make a trade, but you still go out and make a big one. It says "we have faith in you guys, you are legit, and we are going to go overboard to make sure you have everything you possibly could need to be successful." If the Mets get Zito, there is no reason to have any doubts about this team.

Finally, Zito is simply a great player. 3.51 career ERA in the AL, Lefty, 28 years old, pitches 35 games a season, how could you not want this guy on your team?

Let's get him over here, reunite him with Prof. Rick, let him see NYC at its most pumped up and supportive, show him how fun it is to pitch behind a lineup featuring a Murderer's Row of Beltran, Delgado, Wright, and then make him a Met to play with Reyes, Beltran, Wright, Pelfrey, Maine, and so forth for years to come.

He can be the veteran rock for this pitching staff for years to come. Face it: We're going to need one when Pedro retires since we were dumb enough to trade Scott Kazmir.

- Nails

In-Game Thoughts: Mets-Braves, July 29

Hey everyone, A Friend of Mr. Glass' here. Not here with a game log but I will be posting some thoughts periodically, so if you're checking the site this afternoon, be sure to keep checking from time to time.

Before I begin, let me plug the interview I posted yesterday with Greg from Faith and Fear in Flushing. It appears immediately below this post.

Mid 1st, 2-0 Mets

1. Is there anyone who didn't know the Braves were going to pitch out there other than Jose Reyes? You can't argue with the kid's aggressiveness, but he's gotta use his head a little bit. Early in the game, the other team knows you want to jump out early, if Lo Duca falls behind 0-1, there's a better than average chance they'll pitch out.

2. Does anyone eles realize we may be witnessing the greatest offensive season in the history of the Mets, and that the man to bring it to us was none other than Carlos Beltran?

I certainly thought that Beltran was a better player than he showed in 2005, but I'll admit I didn't quite project him to hit 40-plus home runs and drive in 120-plus runs. Really impressive, and really good to see.

End 1, 2-1 Mets

1. I know I said this wasn't going to be a game log, but for fuck's sake, El Duque, could you not bean the god damn leadoff hitter?

2. Fuck. Like the pitch out in the first inning, one could see that throwing error coming a mile away. Something about the number of steps he took between fielding the ball and throwing it just made it seem like trouble.

I'm not going to read anything into this, because Wright's fielding has been a lot better as the season has worn on, but it's frustrating that an inning that should be over, and scoreless, is now 2-1 with a runner on second and one out. What more can you say?

3. Made Ahndruw look pretty bad in that at-bat. Meanwhile, I'm not complaining that we don't have Tim McCarver today, but I can't help but notice that FOX has given us the B-team here with Kenny Albert and Lou Piniella.

Mid 2, 3-1 Mets

1. You know, I realize this is like my 9th flip flop on the issue, but I think I'm back in the don't trade Milledge camp. Unlike some of my Republican friends, I don't think it's a problem to change your mind on an issue of grave importance, so long as you end up making the right decision. At the moment, I think the right decision is to keep Milledge. Three days ago I didn't. Three hours from now I may not. But right now, I'm happy to keep Milledge.

2. You know, a small part of me died when the Mets traded Joe McEwing, but by this point Endy Chavez has really inherited Joe Mac's super-sub mantle, hasn't he?

End 2, 3-3

1. Mark Wahlberg's career hasn't really been the same since Planet of the Apes, has it? Weren't he and George Clooney like butt buddies back in the day? And then he doesn't even get to be a part of Ocean's 12, let alone Ocean's 13? I mean, Jesus, there are 13 of them by this point.

Whatever, he still has Entourage, I guess.

2. Ugh. Come on guys, what's with the sloppiness here? Two innings that should have been over without any damage done. Let's see what happens this time.

3. In fairness to Sweet Lou, that's a fine point about El Duque's fastball. It does look particularly lively today. What's that they always say about hiim being a big-game pitcher?

4. So much for that lively fastball. And so much for that lead. Three unearned runs so far. I don't care how good your lineup is, you can't keep giving the other team chances.

Mid 3, 3-3

1. I wish I were a fly on the wall when those painful Dr. Z commercials were conceived. What aspect of those are supposed to be entertaining, or if not entertaining, informative?

2. Nice at-bat from Lo Duca there. Those were some close pitches from Hudson but they weren't strikes. What was with that massive hole on the right side of the infield though? Do they really have Lo Duca pegged as such a pull hitter?

Lo Duca's a notorious late-season swooner. At what point does that traditionally begin?

3. New Julio Franco!

End 3, 3-3

1. Look, I'm not hoping that Talladega Nights fails, and it's possible that the trailers are just really misleading. But there are a bunch of guys in Hollywood right now who need to realize that it's not enough to just appear on the screen for people to laugh. As funny as he's been in some of his work, Will Ferrell is a repeat offender. His appearance in Wedding Crashers was possibly the most cringe-inducing segment I've ever witnessed.

2. Alright, good inning from El Duque.

Mid 4, 3-3

1. You're right, Lou, it is nice to have a 12.5 or 13 game lead. That said, I really want to bury the Braves. I'm really tired of their "we're the team to beat" bullshit.

2. Those three unearned runs we've allowed? Really looming a lot larger now that Hudson is dealing. Good news is that through 4 he's already thrown somewhere on the order of 60 pitches.

End 4, 3-3

1. Alright, another good inning from El Duque. Willie's right, he should have a shutout by this point.

Mid 5, 3-3

1. Man was that a sorry looking swing from El Duque there.

2. How about Lo Duca? Not just 3-for-3 but takes advantage of that no-hustling bum Andruw Jones. I really hope Beltran knocks him in here.

3. It's amazing to me that Smoltz hasn't won 200 games in his career. I realize it shouldn't be in light of all those years he missed with injury and when he wsa a closer, but still, just woulda thought he'd have more.

4. Damn it, Beltran.

End 5, 3-3

1. There are days when El Duque just looks nasty. You take away those two errors (and the resulting 20 extra pitches he had to throw, give or take) and we'd be thinking about a complete game shutout right now.

Mid 6, 10-3 Mets

1. Like this AB from Franco here. He's making Hudson throw a lot of pitches. He just got out. Still a good at-bat.

2. What the hell was that song they were playing during that David Wright montage? Yikes.

3. OK. Now that was a good graphic FOX just had up there, the one comparing Wright with Mike Schmidt, George Brett, and Scott Rolen. Useful information was imparted there. Are you watching, ESPN?

4. I'll tell you what, I feel like pitch counts should be a regularly posted stat in baseball broadcasts. If you're lucky you see a graphic once a game, or the announcers mention it when a pitcher approaches the century mark. But here we are in the 6th inning and I'm sure a lot of people out there are wondering how deep in this game Hudson and Hernandez are gonna be able to go. I mean, a pitch count can't tell you that, but it can give you an idea. Anyway, maybe I'll write a letter.

5. Atta boy, Cliffy. Let's get us a run here, boys.

6. YES!! Talk about a big break. Come on, Valentin, let's do this.

7. Ever since that Aquafina commercial earlier in which they said that drinking water would give you more energy when you're out I've been chugging water. I filled up this pitcher, I've since emptied it, and now I've gotta piss my brains out.

8. ENDY!!!!!!!! How about a little defensive lapse from the Braves there? That's what I'm talking about!!!!!!! Let's go, let's get us another one here, Duke.

9. Or sure, we could get two. Nicely done, El Duque, hell of a time to get that first RBI.

10. Come on, M.G., shake it off.

11. Can somebody who's watched Hudson throughout his career explain what's happened to him?

12. Franceour really did get a great jump on that ball. I was thinking triple off the bat there. Well maybe not, he's got a great arm out there.

13. Know what? I thought Beltran was gonna do that. I had a vision of it happening and a bunch of Braves fans leaving the stadium. I said it before and I'll say it again. We may be watching the greatest offensive season of any Met ever. Really amazing.

End 6, 10-3

1. There's that commercial again -- guess who's got a new pitcher going!

2. That was a pretty sorry looking bunt from Adam LaRoche.

3. I'll tell you, El Duque hsa made Andruw Jones look awful today. I'm loving it.

4. Valentin's really looked good out in the field hasn't he? I mean, not spectacular necessarily, but entirely competent.

Mid 7, 10-3 Mets

1. I'm sorry, I don't watch American Idol and it's possible that that Ford commercial isn't quite representative of his talents, but Taylor Hicks has an awful, awful voice as far as I can tell.

2. If we win today it'll be our 62nd victory of the season. Do you realize that three years ago the Mets won 66 games all season?

End 7, 10-3 Mets

1. There have been at least three bladder control commercials since this broadcast began.

2. 16 in a row set aside by El Duque. Just a great day at the office for him.

Mid 8, 10-3 Mets

1. FOX really gets a kick out of showing the price of gas all those years ago, doesn't it?

2. Alright, Julio, let's wrap this up here.

3. Nicely done. Good to see Julio heating up a bit again.

End 8, 10-3 Mets

1. I read recently that Tank was considered one of those ballplayers who was likely to be a manager some day. Even if he is a Brave I don't think I could ever really root against the guy, so for his sake, if he wants it, I hope he gets it.

2. I can understand why a fan would be wearing a Yankees hat to a Mets-Braves game. Ugh.

Mid 9, 11-3 Mets

1. I wonder how Roger McDowell is regarded in Atlanta. I'm not suggesting that their shoddy pitching is his fault entirely, but it's only natural that people would gang up on him between how bad their pitching has been and the fact that he's replacing a legend down there. I haven't read anything about it one way or another, I'd be curious to know though.

Ballgame over; 11-3 Mets, Final

1. Avodart really thinks FOX has a corner on the pissing-afflicted public, huh?

2. I get a real kick out of Bradford's submarine throws to first base.

3. Alright boys, good win. I would love a sweep tomorrow, but one way or another, this has been a very productive series.

Enjoy your Saturday night, everybody.

- A.F.O.M.G.

Know Your Blogosphere: Y2K Talks with Greg from Faith and Fear in Flushing

Hey everyone, A Friend of Mr. Glass' here. I recently extended the invitation to Greg from the Mets blog "Faith and Fear in Flushing" to discuss his career as a Mets blogger, and the role of Faith and Fear in Flushing in the Mets blogosphere. What follows below is a transcript of our conversation.

By clicking the title above, you can be connected with Greg's favorite post, "The Greg Commandments" (more on that later).

I want to thank Greg again for participating in this interview, and I hope everyone enjoys this inside look at one of the men behind the Mets blogosphere.

Y2K: How did your blog begin? How did you decide to become a Mets blogger?

Greg: Our blog is a 2-man operation. The idea of running a blog was something that my partner and I had sort of discussed in the abstract years before we’d ever even heard of blogs.

Jason and I met on AOL back in 1994 and became friends in real life. We shared a passion for the Mets and we e-mailed each other constantly about the team in the way that friends do, through good years and bad years for the Mets.

So the idea was out there and then the blog thing started taking off in the past few years. We’re both writers for a living so we decided we should write something on the Mets. In February 2005 he called me and asked if I wanted to start a blog and I said sure. We were online as of the first day of Spring Training 2005.

Y2K: You mentioned that you’re a writer, do you have a background in journalism?

Greg: I have been a professional writer in one form or another for over 20 years dating back to college. I was a trade magazine editor and writer in the beverage field, working at Beverage Spectrum and Beverage World.

Over the years, circumstances sent me out on my own to become what I call a communications consultant. I write speeches, newsletters, do some freelance writing, research reports; basically anything in the beverage field that pays the bills and frees me up to pursue baseball writing.

Y2K: What compels you to blog? What drives you to update every day?

In my case it boils down to, A, I’m a Mets fan, B, I’m a writer, and C, if I can’t find time to write about the Mets everyday I’m not fit to call myself either one of those things, in my opinion. As for what compels me to blog every day, maybe it’s my journalism background but I start to get itchy if I see our old post up hours after the last game ended.

Y2K: When you think of people who would enjoy your blog, what kind of people do you have in mind? Beyond simply Mets fans, who are you trying to appeal to?

Mets fans who like to read, that’s really what it boils down to. I know from experience looking at computers and wanting to screw around at work for a while that if I like an article I never want it to end. I think we appeal to people who get a kick out of following a storyline.

More specifically, we seem to have a slightly older demographic within the blogging community, people more around my age, 43, people who are life-long diehards who maybe never realized there were other Mets fans like them out there.

Y2K: What do you think makes your site unique? Or put another way, what do you hope to contribute to the Mets blogosphere?

Greg: Perspective is the short answer. This is my 38th season being a Mets fan. I started in 1969, a pretty good year to become a fan. Jason started in 1975. In that time we’ve seen it all, and what we didn’t see ourselves we’ve read about, so by this point we’re pretty well versed going back to 1962.

Through that perspective we’re hoping to contribute a different viewpoint for people. We’re not looking to be the 83rd site to ask “why don’t they bring up Heath Bell?” We’re not the site that panics when the Mets lose three in a row or say the season’s over when we win 5 in a row.

Y2K: Who came up with the name? Is it a nod to Hunter S. Thompson?

Greg: Jason came up with the name, and as far as I know it’s not a nod to Hunter Thompson, although I’ve never even asked.

I had a different name in mind, “Let’s Meet at Gate E”, because that’s where we always met when we went to Mets games together. Jason suggested “Faith and Fear and Flushing” and I liked his name better than mine.

Y2K: How about some vital stats – when was Faith and Fear in Flushing created?

Greg: February 16, 2005

Y2K: Number of hits per day?

Greg: We get 4,000 page views a day, which is just amazing to me. I remember this time last year we were up to 800 hits per day and now we’re five times that.

At first you’re shocked that anyone’s reading it at all, then you see your first comment, then you get your first e-mail, then you get that first report form the numbers people and you say to yourself, Wow.

Y2K: Do you have any favorite posts among those you've written?

Greg: The Greg Commandments.

(Writer’s note: Our fanbase may particularly appreciate this commandment: Hate The Yankees. "Well I wanted them to win against Atlanta." "I'm from New York, so I want both teams to do well." "They're in different leagues." Go play in traffic.” – well said, sir.)

Y2K: Yankees 2000 not included, what sites do you read on a daily basis (mainstream media and blogs)?

Greg: I used to be a big newspaper reader before the blogs started cropping up everywhere, and while I still buy the newspapers like an older person might, the blogs have taken up a lot of the function of the mainstream media for me.

These days I want to be super served. I used to say, “Hey, Sports Illustrated mentioned the Mets, that’s great!” Now, if something doesn’t mention the Mets it gets on my nerves. I need a nice orange and blue view of the world.

As for the blogs, Metstradamus is the one I look forward to the most after the games, that guy does a great job. Mike’s Mets is the second one; he runs a very clean site and captures the essence of what’s going on. The two after that are Mets guy in Michigan and Mets Walkoffs. I also really enjoy Metphistopheles and Lone Star Mets. Beyond that, I read Metsblog because it’s a great news site.

Y2K: What’s the hardest part about being a blogger in your opinion?

Greg: Finding something to say everyday and making it good; living up to your own standards. Because we’re a two-man booth, and because we’re both writers who take our work seriously, some element of it is living up to each other’s standards. If Jason writes something outstanding I don’t want to write three paragraphs of nothingness.

Y2K: What’s the best/most rewarding part of being a blogger?

Greg: It’s certainly not the money, which is non-existent (laughs).

It’s probably the feedback. When the blog gets people thinking and they start sharing their own stories, or when you touch people and they start talking about the games they went to as a kid, or when, like just the other day, we’ve got a guy commenting from Azerbaijan, saying we made him feel like he was home, that’s when I really appreciate the work we do.

Y2K: Do you have any goals for the future, either for Faith and Fear in Flushing or for yourself?

Greg: For the site itself, I look forward to the challenge of writing about the postseason, writing about clinching the division, about playoff series’, about the World Series, knock wood, knock wood, knock wood.

Beyond the site, one of the side projects I have is I’m a writer for “Mets Weekly” on SNY. I write the “Profiles in Orange and Blue,” which has been great. They’re not Yankeeographies; they tell a little story and I enjoy telling those stories.

I had the opportunity to work as Managing Editor at Gotham Baseball, and I’d like the chance to keep writing about baseball.

Y2K: What are your thoughts on the Mets’ season thus far? Any predictions?

Greg: So far, so good. It concerns me a little bit that they’ve been a .500 club since that great road trip, but then again that’s what big leads are for.

It’s funny though, but because this season has the potential to be up there with the all-time greats, you’re in that position where if they don’t go all the way, you’ll be disappointed. If all you can look back on 2006 and say is that it was an entertaining season, that’ll be disappointing.

For the Mets to have this kind of season and then get knocked out in the first round, I wonder how we would look back on 2006. Would it be like 1988 where they won 100 games and nobody ever remembers it? Possibly.

Y2K: Do you have a favorite Mets team?

Greg: 1999 – that was the most locked into a season I ever was. Like 1985, another team I adored, there was a bittersweet ending, but in 1999 they actually got to the postseason.

It was just such an unusual construction for a team. All its star power was basically in the infield. The outfield was makeshift with Agbayani and Cedeno and all those guys. The starting pitching was kind of mediocre. The bullpen was terrific.

But we got great performances and we had great personalities. We had the greatest infield ever, we had Rickey Henderson for that one magical season, we had guys like Shawon Dunston and Darryl Hamilton – everyone seemed to contribute.

We beat Cincy, we beat Arizona, I was at the Pratt game. The Atlanta series was heartbreaking for three games, then we had the great comeback in Game 4 and then again in Game 5 with the grand slam single. No matter how it ended, I thought Game 6 was one of the greatest games of all time.

I really loved that team, and to be honest, it really took me until last year to really get over that season. 2000 to me was more of an impatient type of year where you were hoping to get back to where you were in 1999. Tell you what, the minute they got rid of Olerud it felt like something wrong, everything fell apart after that, but that all changed last year. Last year got me past 1999 with Pedro and the kids coming along.

Y2K: Favorite Mets?

Greg: Current, Jose Reyes. All-time, Tom Seaver.

Y2K: Thanks again for taking the time to speak with Yankees 2000.

- A.F.O.M.G.

My MAIN man John Maine?

How Exciting Is This

When we acquired this guy it didn't generate a lot of excitement. Most people didn't even know we got him or who he was.

A pitcher in his mid-twenties that had yet to hack it in the bigs. An afterthought, maybe a long man.

Still, we knew he had the stuff, or at least that is what we read.

We knew he was a prospect who maybe could surprise us.

After his first start we didn't see it, but then he came on. He looked brilliant in starts two and three to the point where Happy Will swears this guy will factor into our rotation for the next 10 years.

That's right, Pelfrey and Humber and...







Alay Soler.

Today is one of those, let's not get too excited, instead, let's pray that we actually have a #4-5 here kinda days.

Over his last two starts John Maine has looked lights out for the New guys, tossing 17 scoreless in two Met victories.

He has relied heavily on a 90-92 mph fastball with late movement to
dominate two Central division opponents, the Astros and the Cubs.

And sure, it has been exciting to watch. The guy has looked really good.



But the train needs to stop there, guys. At least for now.

Every day at work I talk to the same 5-10 people about the Mets. Led by the king of the superlative Kenny From Camp (Note: the only person more superlative-filled than the Sip) I hear every day about how players and games and managerial decision are the all-time worst or the best ever.

By no means am I trying to make KFC look like a chump here. Instead, he is a masterful Mets fan with an enthusiasm for this team that I wish I had.

But KFC, like Happy Will, like Timmy the Kid like Sal from Queens, like pretty much every Mets fan that dons orange and blue needs to hold the fuck up with this kid.

As great as Maine has looked over his last two starts, we need to realize that this is a 25 year old kid who has floated around the bigs for four years.

He is not the new missing piece in the Barry Zito trade that will allow us to keep Lastings at Shea.

Once a top pitching prospect in Baltimore a few years back, Maine was cast away as a throw-in in the Benson-Julio deal.

Not even Baltimore's June 22, 2004's fan of the game and nominee for NYC paralegal of the year, OBF Schubes, cared about this guy leaving. And man, does this guy LOVE Baltimore.



I'm not trying to be classic pessimistic Sip. I'm actually more optimistic than you think. That Maine was once so highly regarded might mean that a different setting was all he needed.

Unlike Soler, who featured an 87 mph fastball with little movement as one of his featured pitches, Maine has a very heavy 92-93 mph fastball with which he will never have to rely on pinpoint control to dominate. Instead, this guy can just reach back and throw.

There are certainly reasons to be excited about John Maine.

But we all need to calm down about his last two starts. Big league pitchers pitch around 32 starts in a season.

John Maine has thrown about 10 in his career.

Cautiously optimistic.

VCD,

SM

While it didn't fit into today's piece, I wanted to give a big shout out to Waluigi himself, Jose Valentin.



Well done, Jose. Not being Kaz is already enough for me and I like to think most Met fans. But the fact that this guy has been great with the bat and for the most part, sans yesterday, solid with the glove, well, what a pleasant surprise.

A Trade 18 Years in the Making?

Hey everyone, A Friend of Mr. Glass' here. Real busy this morning so I'm gonna have to keep this brief; there's a chance I'll put up some post-game thoughts following my gamecasting experience this afternoon, but that remains to be seen.

In any event, I've been thinking a lot about this whole Milledge-for-Zito idea, and the more I think about it, the more I like it.

Now I'm sure there are some of you out there who are saying, "Well, yeah, it's an easy idea to like when your team is allowing 8 runs a game."

I won't claim that the last three days haven't had any impact on my thinking.

I won't claim that watching the Cubs beat up on Mets pitching, beat up our Nos. 2 and 3 starters no less, the last two days hasn't been really disconcerting, particularly in light of the fact that the Cubs have scored fewer runs than any team in Major League Baseball (their 409 runs are 30 fewer the team with second-least runs scored, the Tampa Bay Scott Kazmirs).

But for me, a Lastings Milledge/Barry Zito swap isn't about the last 3 days, it's about the last 18 years. See, since 1986 we've been the best team in the National League exactly once: 1988.

Yes, we won the pennant in 2000 and we might have had an even better team a year before, but both years we were Wild Card winners. If you're not the best team in your division, you're not the best team in the league, no matter what happens in the playoffs. Fair or unfair, that's the way I look at it.

But this year is different. Forget about the last three games -- I legitimately think the Mets are the best team in the National League, but I don't think they're a lock for the World Series as currently comprised.

I agree up and down with what Sip said about Zito on Monday, particularly with prefering a power pitcher in October to a finesse guy. But we all know pitchers benefit from switching to the National League, and there's no reason Zito wouldn't do the same.

If we get Zito, I don't see how we don't make the World Series unless the stars align against us and every hop goes the other team's way.

It's a unique opportunity we have this year with the National League as weak as it is. Hell, the NL East could be a powerhouse in two or three years, with Florida coming on strong, Philadelphia poised to acquire some series prospects, and Atlanta being Atlanta.

Now look, it's easy to look at that last paragraph and conclude we can't trade Milledge now given how strong the other teams are coming on. I'll concede the point, but I think there's something to be said for the higher availability of corner outfielders than centerfielders.

Look at the numbers Beltran's putting up this year -- we're set in center. Carlos Lee, Alfonos Soriano, and Gary Sheffield all figure to be available (not to mention Cliff Floyd in case we still want him); if we want to, we can cover our tracks in left or right and do so with talent that might be better than Milledge ever will be.

I don't want to sound down on Milledge. If we hang on to him and he mans left or right at Shea for the next decade, Minaya might look like a genius someday (possibly someday soon).

But for my money, Minaya looks like a genius if he wins a World Series at any point in his tenure. This year might be the best chance we see for years to come. Don't forget that if we send Milledge packing.

I want to be clear that I'm not one of those need-to-win-now type of New York fans. I don't need to win every year. I'm all for the rebuilding process when it's necessary. But if Omar trades Milledge and goes for it, I think Mets fans should understand that we have a special opportunity this year, the kind that doesn't come around all that often.

You hate to lose a guy who could be great someday, a guy who could be for us in a year or two what David Wright and Jose Reyes are today. But if Barry Zito's the guy who helps Wright and Reyes win their first championship, I think that's a price well paid.

- A.F.O.M.G.

A Sad, Sad Day

(Two posts by the Sip today...one more below)

So I was talking to my buddy T Kid, one of my oldest friends, a solid Mets fan and just a hell of a kid.

We were talking Harold Reynolds. He told me to write about it. I told him sure.

Harold Reynolds was fired from ESPN today for undisclosed reasons. Until the reason is made public, I'd like to take a few moments to praise the man.


I think Baseball Tonight may be the best sports show on television. It is one of the few remaining sports shows without the Booyas and the catch phrases and all that other mumbo jumbo.

It is a show that provides baseball highlights and gives the best analysis of the sport on TV.

Harold Reynolds and Peter Gammons are the reasons for this.

Gammons, as all baseball fans know, is probably the most respected baseball journalist of our time. He is THE insider for a baseball scoop and a hero of mine. We all is wish him a speedy recovery. Thankfully, it sounds like he's gonna be alright.

Reynolds brought a different perspective to Baseball Tonight. Unlike most former athletes, Reynolds was very well spoken. He wasn't flashy or annoying. He simply gave us perspective from a former major leaguer that a random reporter would struggle to provide.

He broke down the intricacies of the game as well as anyone in the business.

In addition, Reynolds was extremely important for African Americans.

In a media field where people like Stuart Scott, Steven A. Smith and Scoop Jackson have become famous more for the way they act than for the quality of their insight, Reynolds emerged as more of a throwback journalist.

He reported his story and did so with the class of a true journalist. His style was pure and it was driven by baseball not celebrity.

The fallout from his firing may reveal some unflattering things about Harold. Whether or not the guy is a saint, his absence will definitely be missed.

VCD,

SM

I'm BALK! Man

After what appeared to be a very depressing New Mets loss via gamecast last night(man do I hate California) I needed a pick me up.

Cocked in Palo Alto, not my home turf by any stretch of the imagination, I had no real go-to spots.

I couldn't grab 40's from Bobby and Mikey over at the deli on Amsterdam.

I couldn't grab wings from Blondies.

Hell, I couldn't even catch a beating from the sweet ladies on the 6th floor of my old NYC loft building in midtown.

Then I realized how simple it was to smile. Being such a sports fan as I am how could I not think of this?

Nope, not yet fantasy football season-my favorite time of the year.

It was Summer, which meant one thing. Summer league.

And where there's a summer league, there's a Knicks, and where there's a Knicks, there are losers, and where there are losers there is the 20th selection of this year's NBA draft: Renaldo Balkman.

Since my good buddy KFC immortalized the guy by making his fantasy football team name "The Balkmen" (Note: I set up our league in June, it's the sports geek in me)this guy has earned his way into my Pantheon of shitty Knicks draft picks.

Balkman, Jerrod Mustaf, Frederic Weis.



Not sure you get a better big three than that.

Now some may say I'm being a little premature. After all, the guy has not played a single professional game.

But the way things are looking in the summer league, he may not have to.

My good friend and fellow blogger Chad Ford put it very nicely in saying that Balkman "hustled and grabbed rebounds...but still might not crack the rotation."

My man Renaldo. If anything is going to bring me back to being a Knicks fan, it will be this guy.

He's pure comedic genius.



If he fails, we expect it. If he succeeds even a little bit, we are truly shocked.

That's a great thing to say out of your 1st round pick.

Any sort of success in the world and you are truly satisfied.

That's an awesome thing when we then look at the Knicks' other two options at 20, Marcus Williams and Rajon Rondo.

The two point guards both projected as lottery picks and passed up by the Knicks despite not having a single true point guard are destroying the summer league.

Williams is averaging 16.6 ppg, 8 apg. Not bad.


And Rondo is already being called the early "steal of the draft."


Now I'm not calling Chad Ford the bible here, but he gives me more insight than anyone else does. Yeah, I know he saw Maciej Lampe as the next Bird and he still won't shut up about the Siberian Terror Pavel Podkolzine, but still, I like Chad, he seems to be pretty likable and also has an unreal lifestyle floating between Hawaii classrooms and sweaty European basketball gyms.

My birthday is April 28th. I'd really like an RB jersey. Someone make it happen.

Do it for the Sip. Heck, I may even use the $24 we have accrued via google ads to make this one happen.

Payment plan, baby.

VCD,

SM

Zito, E and Those Damn Glasses

(Note: Apologies for the delay, server issues. Enjoy.)

Before I get going with today's piece, I thought I'd bring up a couple of things from last week that are only getting worse.

First, those sunglasses. After a Sunday morning run at SF's hardest basketball courts, I strolled through the Marina, San Fran's version of a polo ad, with teammates big Maciej and Bannon the Banker.

It was like god knew I hated those sunglasses, so out the came. Every girl's was bigger than the one before her. Girls that might be really attractive, I just couldn't tell. Girls that were probably really busted. I just couldn't tell. The reason being that those glasses cover half a girl's face.

They are quickly surpassing girls-from-Long-Island-named-Lindsay-who-went-to-Syracuse-or-GW and are "amazing" as the all-time worst girl fad.

Then there is the whole thing on Entourage with E and the 5'10 uber-hot blonde. Did anyone else see them both standing up at the pool, where she had a good 8 inches on him? Not even good camera work could hide this one. Could this be more any unbelievable if they tried? Who the hell is writing this show anyway?

Here's a more logical play, Sloane, E's already too-hot girl friend, introduces tall blonde model to E's friend, the huge movie star. He gets her and then moves on. Seems logical no?

Back to business. As rumors heat up about a potential Lastings Milledge-for-Barry Zito package, it is time to start weighing this situation more closely. Below are a list of pros and cons to the deal. I think you will be able to see which direction I lean.


The Pros

1. Simple enough: Barry Zito.

We are getting Barry Zito. The guy is one of the top 10-15 starters in baseball who has playoff experience and has looked tremendous of late.

2. Zito the No. 3.

Zito plugs in perfectly into the rotation behind Pedro and Glavine, providing the Mets with an extremely formidable 1-2-3 heading into the postseason.

What people must realize though is that the Mets would still most likely go to a 4-man rotation in the playoffs to save Pedro and Glavine. Still, what this means is that we would be getting Pedro-Glavine-Zito 4 out 5 and then 6 out of 7 in 5- and 7-game series, respectively.

3. The Mets: Intimidators.

This deal would really solidify the Mets as intimidators. This team has been the class of the NL for all of 2006. Still, the respect isn't quite there yet. Acquiring Zito would be the move that really woke baseball up to the Mets. For better or for worse.

4. Zito the innings eater.

Zito gets you deep into a game. The guy is a known workhorse. In a rotation filled with 5-6 inning guys, Zito's 6-7 inning per start would be a huge relief on an already taxed bullpen. We need Sanchez and Wagner at full strength in October, especially with the recent decline of Aaron Heilman.

The Cons

1. Bon Voyage, Lastings.

First and foremost, we are giving up Milledge. Milledge is a guy who will be ready to start next year at Shea and will be locked in as a Met for cheap for the next 6 years.


While his 3-week stint in the show had its ups and downs, it is way too early to tell with this guy. I'm not a scout nor do I pretend to be, so I'm going to have faith in the 99% of scouts who say this guy is the real deal. Giving that up could prove disastrous.

2. The ever-promising young cornerstones.

Milledge is yet another piece of the young core. After trading Scott Kazmir for a bag of shit and a slap to the junk, Mets brass vowed never to make a similar deal.

Over the last couple of years the Mets have developed David Wright and Jose Reyes who have since become the core of the team along with Carlos Beltran.

This Big Three has Mets fans not only excited for today, but also excited for the next 10 years at Shea. There is no reason why Milledge can't join them to make it a Big 4. This guy seems to be as or more highly touted than either Reyes or Wright was. Imagine if he became great? This lineup would be scary.

3. Soft-tossing in October.

Zito the Finesse Guy. Zito is a soft-tosser. His fastball tops out at 89-90 and he relies on a big hook and a changeup as well as a tremendous pitcher's IQ to dominate hitters.

We have all seen what happens in October. October is the month of the power pitcher. On those cold nights in New York it is the time of year when Josh Beckett's 96 mph fastball feels like 99. It is also the time where it is harder for "feel" pitchers to control their curve balls and off speed stuff.

Look back at Greg Maddux and how great he was in the 90's and think of which Braves pitcher was the best in October. It was always John Smoltz. Every year a different power pitcher emerges as a star.

A. '05 it was Contreras
B. '04 was Schilling
C. '03 was Beckett
D. '02 was K-Rod
E. '01 Schilling and Johnson

How many guys throwing 87 mph can you add to that list? This truth doesn't bode well for the Mets in general, but it definitely doesn't bode well when it comes to acquiring Zito.

4. Zito the Rental.

We are trading for Zito to make a push for October. The guy is a rental and could be signed by the Mets 3 months later, or he could split. You never know, especially with a guy repped by Scott Boras.

5. Zito the Rental Part II: The Mike Hampton Factor.


We all remember what happened with Mike Hampton. He led us, we loved him, he left us, and we hated him. Just imagine us getting Zito and not winning the whole thing. That certainly would suck. Now imagine the same situation, only with the following…

6. Zito signs with the Yankees.

Fresh off their first October-free season in 10 years, humiliated by the Mets stealing the back pages, the Yankees truly vow to sign every player in baseball.

They throw more money at Zito than he and the next pitcher on the market are worth combined. George Steinbrenner just has to have him, and more so, he has to make sure the Mets don't have him. He needs the back page. Now, all of a sudden we have traded our best prospect for a player who has left us for own personal cancer. That's bad.

* * * * *

One of the reasons I bring up Zito today is because all Mets fans, as Mets fans do, are now really nervous about Mike Pelfrey. They see the Jered Weaver's and Francisco Liriano's dominating the AL and don't understand why our phenom is struggling.

All I can say is, both of them are anomalies. Young pitchers don't dominate like they do.

Give Pelfrey time. We don't need him for 2006. We need him for 2008-16. We have the amazing luxury of allowing this guy to work out his kinks in the bigs now and still maintain a humungous lead. How many other times could a star pitcher get "practice" in games that actually matter?

Pelfrey's struggles should not impact our thoughts on Zito. Assuming the Mets are on pace to make the playoffs, we are essentially trading for Zito for no more than 5 starts in October.

After all the stuff I said there is still no right answer. If acquiring Zito won the Mets a World Series, I'd probably throw in my brother and the rights to my first born (daughter).

Anything short of that, though, and in hindsight the deal would look foolish. This is a tremendous risk to take. As I have said in the past, Barry Zito isn't Curt Schilling '01-'04. He's a finesse guy not a power guy. We all know that power pitchers dominate October.

Zito is not the perfect option, but he is the best option out there. Is he really worth it?

Only Wheel and Deal Minaya can make that decision. Either way he goes, we will only be able to tell come October.

VCD,

SM

Friday Afternoon Grab-Bag

Hey everyone, A Friend of Mr. Glass' here. There's a bunch of things I want to touch on today and I'm pretty positive there's no unifying theme with which to weave them all together.

For that reason you'll be getting a little grab-bag of material today, most of it baseball-related, some of it not. Let's do this.

1. Those pesky Bravos.

Few things inspire fear in a Mets fan like a resurgent Braves team. Most media reports speak of the Braves, winners of 7 straight before a loss on Wednesday, as Wild Card contenders, but in some articles you still hear mention of the Braves making a run at the Mets' seemingly impenetrable division lead.

In fairness, the Braves are legitimately in the hunt for the Wild Card. They're 4.5 games off the pace set by the current leader, the Reds, a margin that's more than surmountable with half a season left to play.

Those 4.5 games, however, are trickier than they appear. There are currently 6 teams bunched between the Braves and the Reds, the Giants being the Reds' closest competition at 1.0 game out.

So things are difficult enough for the Braves when it comes to winning the Wild Card, let alone their own division.

The Braves' 7-game win streak began on July 8 with an innocent 4-1 win over the Reds. Checking the standings from July 8, you see the 39-49 Braves 13 games behind the 52-36 Mets.

Zoom forward to the present. The Comeback Kids from Atlanta are winners of 7 of 8, 45-50 on the year and what do they have to show for it in the NL East? Well, god bless 'em, they're now 12 games back of the Mets!

Apparently winning 7 of 8 isn't what it used to be, what more can you say?

So to those in the media (note: I'm speaking mostly to writers at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution here) who insist a sword of Damacles hangs precariously over the Mets even as we speak -- come back to me when the Braves are at .500. Or better yet, come back to me when the Braves are 10 games over. Then we'll talk.

2. Bob Costas will save us all.

Those of you who read this site consistently know that I despise the great majority of broadcast sports journalists.

Tim McCarver. Stuart Scott. Stephen A. Smith. My god, Stephen A. Smith.

How any of these men earn 7-figure salaries is really beyond me (and I assure you they do). The patience that sports fans have for misinformed blowhards, for catch phrases that disguise real insight, for hyperbole with no end -- all of it truly escapes me.

Me, I'm a Murray Chass kind of guy. Bob Murphy. Mike Lupica -- a legend.

Love these guys though I do, a special place in the Glass' heart is reserved for the man who called the games back when it was a game, Bob Costas.

Now look, he's a little too flowery for some people. I can see that. For some people, baseball is baseball. A chilly night in October isn't late fall's remorse, it's a pain in the ass. Fine. That's you.

Me? I'm with Costas. The man appreciates the gravity of sports, which means a lot to me, however misplaced it may seem to those who cheer heartily along with each "boom-shakalaka!" issued by their commentators.

Annie Savoy wanted poetry in her baseball. Me, I want Shakespeare. And Costas, well, he's a sucker for a big moment just like I am.

With that in mind, I was heartened to read Bob Raissman's column this morning (link available by clicking the title above) suggesting that TBS, former home of the Braves, future home of weekend baseball and the divisional series, may make a run at Costas to anchor their broadcast booth when they begin airing games next year.

Raissman's column is highly speculative, and by any practical measure it's best to take it with a grain of salt. But I don't know, a man can dream, can't he?

A return to the broadcast booth by Costas would do wonders for the world of broadcast sports; it might even be enough for me to ease up a little on the other guys.

3. Human Giant made me promise not to blog about their show last night, so nobody go telling them about this.

I happed upon the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (yes, theatre, not theater -- this is highbrow shit, people) last night with a couple friends, just in time to catch a performance by Human Giant.

For those not familiar with Human Giant, they're a three-man comedy troupe consisting of two dudes who you'd recognize from VH1's Best Week Ever! (kudos to whoever came up with that name for the show, it's perfect) and an Indian fellow by the name of Aziz.

Their show began with a bit about blogging, which naturally inspired a series of elbow prods from my friends. Calmly, I explained to them that I write for a website, not a blog. When they persisted, I conceded that, yes, fine, I'm a blogger.

So the joke was on me through those first 10 minutes or so, but afterward, they really settled in. I won't give away any of their material (and lord knows it wouldn't translate to this medium), but their sketches on PBs (Potential Bros) and celebrity magazines are quite enjoyable.

If they're coming to a venue near you sometime, check them out.

4. One last thought on those pesky Bravos.

A lot of Mets fans are thrilled, of course, that this year's team is poised to snap the Braves' improbable run of 14 straight division championships. Others though feel a little cheated, like it wasn't supposed to be this easy.

In their mind's eye, these fans always pictured a great pennant chase between Mets and Braves, culminating in the longed-for triumph of the good guys over the forces of evil, naturally.

These are the same fans who probably felt a little dismayed that we made it to the World Series in 2000 without beating the Braves (who had been eliminated in yet another NLDS, that time by the Cardinals).

I, for one, didn't really care about any of that back then, and I don't really care what happens with the Braves the rest of the way so long as the Mets finish first in the NL East and make the playoffs for the first time in 6 years.

All that said, I'll admit that there's a little part of me that wouldn't mind it if the Braves made the playoffs, advanced to the NLCS and promptly got whupped by the Mets. Just a little part.

But do I need it? Do I feel empty or cheated without it? Not at all.

* * * * *

Anyway, that about does it for today. Have a nice weekend everybody.

- A.F.O.M.G.

Sip's Pantheon and a Little Trade Talk

So a lot of things have been bothering me of late.

First and foremost are these sunglasses that apparently every woman in the country decided to start wearing. You know the ones I'm talking about. That pair that covers the entire woman’s face.

One of my hipper girl friends was in town this past weekend and all she could talk about is how she wanted an even bigger pair.

What is it about women? First Uggs, then those little mesh slippers with the flowers on them. Is there some sort of rule that inspires women to go find the most hideous fashions and make them trendy?

Sorry for that rant, but I must have seen 13 pairs of those on my drive to work.

Two things sports-related are really starting to irk me. One is Bill Simmons, the other is Marty Noble’s mailbag and the idiocy of what seems like all Met fans.

First Bill Simmons. Like Dave Matthews band in college and most other suburban legends, I jumped on the Simmons train late. I only started reading his columns over the last year or so and even read his book, Now I Can Die in Peace, about life as a Red Sox fan leading up to their World Series title.


At first I really liked Simmons. He talked to us as readers, he was one of our pals. He told us about the episode of Lost that he just watched and then tried to compare it to something in sports. I like Lost. I like sports. It worked.

But of late, I have noticed a few things. Mainly, Bill Simmons doesn’t know a lot about sports.

Bill Simmons’ decline in many ways resembles the decline of Johnny Drama in season 3 of "Entourage".

For the first two seasons, Drama’s comedy was natural. It wasn’t forced, he was just sort of there, much like Stifler in the first American Pie. He wasn’t the centerpiece of the show, yet in many respects he was able to steal the show.

In season 3, Entourage tries to pound Drama in our face. He says his Dramaesque lines even when they are not necessary, as if to fulfill some sort of quota.

I see a lot of that in Simmons. Only in the opposite way.

What made Simmons great was not his knowledge of sports. Like most Boston people, he knew a ton about Boston sports and only what he read in SI about the rest of the league.

We loved him because he wrote to us as our friend, the guy on the couch, who watched the big game with us, drank beers with us, and then watched 24 with us.

Recently it seems things are changing. All of a sudden, all Bill Simmons wants to talk about is sports.

And that sucks!

Look, the guy writes for ESPN; of course he has to sprinkle in his sports talk. But seriously, Simmons is just average when it comes to writing sports.

If I have to read about one more guy making his pantheon, I don't know what I'll do. I get it, Dirk’s good. So is Zidane. Christ. Remember back in 2000 when Carl Everett was getting close to reserving a spot in your pantheon, Billy? It’s like me adding Alay Soler after his 3rd start. Straight Pantheon.



Then there is yesterday’s article where Simmons tells us which premiere league team he will follow this year. Oh boy! A guy who knows nothing about soccer telling us about... soccer.

Mr. Simmons is slowly becoming a member of my pantheon, right there alongside Uggs, Yankee fans and those big sunglasses, Simmons will join my pantheon of things that are well, shit. And it's too bad, the dude really had something going.

Then there are Mets fans. As we approach July 31st’s deadline, we here at Y2K will give you a lot of opinions, insight and whatnot about potential deals.

The one thing I want to say is this. More likely than not, nothing big will happen.

Teams don’t just throw superstars away. So yes, it will require trading Mike Pelfrey or Lastings Milledge to get a Barry Zito or a Dontrelle Willis.

No, there is no other way to avoid this.

Unfortunately, the Mets do not have depth in their system. We have a couple of big names and not a lot else.

And I think trading Milledge is the absolute wrong move. Remember when Reyes struggled out of the chute?



There is a reason why our organization (and all of baseball for that matter) has been in love with Milledge for 3 years, which means that three shaky weeks, a terrible series at Fenway and one incident of being overzealous with fans should not change our opinions about this kid.

They are called growing pains for a reason. Did we all expect this guy to hit 30 home runs this year? That would make my pantheon of ridiculous expectations from Mets fans.

Which means that there are a few best case scenarios.

If we decide to go after Livan Hernandez, we get him because the Nats truly don’t want him and are willing to give him up for change.

The second, a little bullpen help. Truth is, I don’t really see too much available.

We all need to realize that baseball is extremely balanced this year. There are less than five teams in all of baseball that are completely out of it who might be sellers.

By the way, just saw another pair of sunglasses, these ones were especially huge.

Does Julio Lugo’s speed and defense excite me at 2b? Sure. Do we need him? Not really.

The truth is, I think the Muts will end up standing relatively pat. There is not the type of player that makes sense for us to go after, either by investing one of our big prospects, or that we can get for cheap.

What we see now, is what we will probably get in October.

You can add that to the pantheon of things that I am pretty sure of this Thursday, along with my shirt being wrinkled and my cinnabun/beef jerky breakfast combo that I have grown to love over the last few weeks.

Again, apologies for the tirade, but not really. As I get older and realize that older people are just young people with kids, I realize that the only thing different between us and them is that most of them are too pussy to give someone younger a shot at the risk of tarnishing their name.

Developing your name is the key to making it in this world.

It is why when Lindsay Lohan wears a pair of giant sunglasses, every girl in the country decides to do the same thing.

It is why people read when Bill Simmons tells us about the English premiere league, the equivalent of me taking you for my annual Tony’s preview.

My throat is still sore and I am still paying the price from the first leg workout in about a year that I did on Monday. So it goes.

VCD,

SM

New New York Sun?

(Note: Two posts for you today. The first, appearing below, is about an article in today's New York Sun. The second, appearing immediately after this post, is about how Mike Pelfrey should factor into the Mets' plans for the postseason.)

It’s not often that an article perfectly reflects your feelings on a given subject, and still less often does that article appear in the New York Sun.

Off a tip from the ever-trusty Gothamist, however, I came across the article “Mets Surpass Yanks in the Broadcast Booth” by Tim Marchman in yesterday's New York Sun (link available by clicking the title of this post).

For those of you not familiar with the Sun, it’s basically New York’s other conservative rag, New York’s other broadsheet, and New York’s only infrequently read daily.

I haven’t seen the circulation numbers on the Sun recently, but when a paper resorts to sending copies to people whose complimentary office subscriptions expired more than three years ago, you know it's getting desperate.

(That would be my house receiving free copies of the Sun every day this week, courtesy of my brother’s long since expired subscription.)

Back in the day, the Sun had about as sorry a Sports section as you can imagine. It basically consisted of AP printouts, with the occasional column by Wallace Matthews (who defected to the Sun in the wake of the Mike Piazza-gay controversy at the New York Post, aka, New York’s conservative rag) or another columnist to add some hint of individuality.

It’s been years since I read the Sun (the last time must have been when my buddy Nails was working there years and years ago), but this article from Marchman may just be enough to convince me to go back every now and then.

The Sun was always an extremely attractive paper, and back when Nails was cranking out articles on Oreo cookies and whatnot, it actually had some pretty good content. Who knows, perhaps the Sun could one day be what the Post is to me: a second rate newspaper with a worthwhile Sports section.

Whether that happens or not, I do give this article a hearty endorsement. If you've ever stood stupefied as you listened to Michael Kay call a game or as YES ran a sickeningly pompous promotion, you owe it to yourself to read this piece.

And to Mr. Marchman, a hearty bravo!

The news was not all positive out of Gothamist, however. Like many other sites, they have now highlighted the Quinnipiac University poll (Link: http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x11370.xml?ReleaseID=939) in which 46% of New York City voters responded that they would root for the Yankees in a Subway Series vs. 37% who would root for the Mets.

Pathetic. Just pathetic.

- A.F.O.M.G.

Problem Solved?

Not quite.

You know what I’m talking about, of course. That gaping hole in the back of our rotation? The leak that sprung in late April? The one we tried to fill with distinguished names like Jose Lima and Jeremi Gonzalez?

I’ll grant that Mike Pelfrey has looked a hell of a lot better, through two starts at least, than Lima or Gonzalez ever did.

And I’ll also grant that Pelfrey impressed at times last night. To read the box score this morning is to be impressed by the grand slam by Carlos Beltran, and indeed, that was the turning point of the game.

It was not the defining moment, however. That came in the bottom of the fifth inning, when Pelfrey erased a 3-1 hole against Adam Dunn to strike out one of the biggest threats in the Cincinnati lineup.

So what's it mean for the Mets? What have we got here?

In the run-up to last night’s game, there was a lot of talk about how the Mets were hoping to find a pitcher who would give their rotation a different look, not just in the remaining 2 months of the regular season, but in October as well. That is, a guy who isn’t a finesse pitcher (like Glavine, Trachsel, et al). A guy who can overpower you with good old No. 1.

As Pelfrey took his high 90s cheese to the mound last night, the question was whether he would show team brass that he was prepared to be that guy.

To my mind, the results we’ve seen from Pelfrey suggest we’ve got a guy who can hold down the back of the rotation, not a guy who should be starting Game 3 of a playoff series. (Note: Just so we're clear, I mean that strictly in the context of 2006.)

The bottom line in both of Pelfrey's starts have looked good enough, but both times out the bottom line has been somewhat deceiving.

There were many, many hard hit balls against Pelfrey last night, particularly in the early going. In fact, it is doubtful whether Pelfrey would have ever escaped unscathed through the first 5 innings had the defense behind him not turned double plays on two of the hardest hit balls of the season.

On top of that, Pelfrey once again struggled with his control. What bothered me more than anything with Pelfrey last night was that there appeared to be at-bats where he lost focus. He would walk a guy on 4 straight pitches or maybe 5, and just generally not appear to be on top of his game at random moments.

The feeling was a bit like watching Billy Wagner this season, where one pitch the guy’s throwing 98 and the next he’s throwing 92. It’s impossible to diagnose the source of the problem, but you know it when you see it, and it’s frustrating because you feel like it shouldn’t be an issue. But it is.

That all said, I’ve been very encouraged by what we’ve seen out of Pelfrey in the grand scheme of things. There’s no question that he made progress in this start compared with his last. He kept his pitch count lower, he had better command of his soft stuff and breaking balls, he didn’t allow a single extra base hit in a batter’s park and he went deeper in the game before handing things off to the bullpen.

But is he a No. 3? Not yet he's not, and I don't expect that to change any time this season.

Pelfrey has shown enough through his first two starts to remain with the big club and fill out the back of the rotation through the regular season. I don’t think, however, that he’ll be ready to start Game 3 of the NLDS/NLCS/World Series.

That could change depending on how quickly his secondary pitches develop. In fairness to Pelfrey, the fact that he appears ready to be a starting pitcher for a division-leading team is remarkable when you consider that he signed his first pro contract in early January. That he’s taken such lengthy strides in so short a period of time suggests that he’s a quick learner, and also that his raw talent is as high as we all hoped.

The guy’s a little rough around the edges though, and no matter how excited we all are about his future, we need to be more practical when we consider the season at hand. Not surprisingly, he’s got further strides to take before you can slide him into the top half of the rotation.

And that fact alone will loom large for the Mets in the 12 days leading up to the trading deadline. None of us want to pay a steep price for a Livan Hernandez or a Freddy Garcia, but right now, I don't see how the front office can count on anything other than the following to be their playoff rotation if the season ended tomorrow:

1. Martinez
2. Glavine
3. Trachsel/El Duque

(Side note: I’ve been thinking this over a little bit – I would want Pedro pitching the first game of a series played at Shea, whether that means pitching Game 1 or Game 3. I say that based on gut instinct alone. Can you imagine how crazy the place would go with Pedro on the mound in a playoff game?

I just checked his stats – 2.51 ERA at home vs. 4.25 on the road (this latter stat skewed somewhat by his ugly outing against Boston). Maybe it makes sense for him to pitch at home for other reasons, too.)

If we’re comfortable like that, so be it. But from what he’s shown us these first two starts, I don’t think management should approach the trading deadline counting on Pelfrey to emerge as a better in-house option to be the third starter come October than Trachsel or El Duque.

I’m not saying it can’t happen. I’m just saying we shouldn’t count on it.

But it sure looks like we can count on him to shore up the back of the rotation. Take heart, Mets fans, six months into his professional career, that’s pretty damn good.

- A.F.O.M.G.

What an Off Day

In a day where the New Mets were off, no trade rumors escalated and D Wright didn't even make it on Page 6 (although there was a mini-stir created by an ad he filmed, but that seems to have been resolved today), Monday remained an awesome day to be Sip.

I started this site because I hated the Yankees, it was October, they were there and we weren't. Their fans started watching, New York was flooded with shiny new Yankee caps and of probably greatest significance, I was a paralegal who had more free time in a day than the average American worker has in a month.

That is why Y2K was born. Clearly the site has evolved. The November acquisition of AFOMG, an exciting offseason, and a season filled with action has really helped to turn the direction of the site. 90% of the time we talk about the Mets here, which of course I love. After all, Family-->Friends-->Mets.

That's just who I am.

Today is another day and today we do what we originally came here to do. Today we bash.

So on Monday night I was sitting at my buddy Maxy Baseball Stuff's watching Baseball Tonight while his roommate's girlfriend cooked us some lasagna. I was content.

If you didn't catch the highlights or the Yankee game itself on Monday, well too bad. The highlight was one of the better ones I have seen in some time.

There was A-Rod. Frosted tips, lipstick, cliches pouring out, talking about his game on Monday.


The line: 0 for 4, 1K, 3 Errors in the Yankees' 4-2 victory.

And you're telling me A-Rod isn't there in the close ones?

A-Rod looked pathetic. His side arm throw, once conventional, now is starting to resemble Chad Bradford's. He looked scared in the field making his cocky smoothness look forced.

I can't really describe it. Just watch the highlights.

And then, WATCH THE POST GAME.

See, postgame interviews is where A-Rod has always flourished. He sits there all primped with 15 of those paintings with the inspirational word and their inspirational meetings (i.e. "Hope: Knowing that there is a better tomorrow") lined up right in front of him.

When asked about his game A-Rod responded: "Perfection: Never letting yourself leave anything out there."

Well not exactly, but you get my point.

A-Rod had two memorable quotes:

When asked if a foul ball that he hit off his foot affected his performance in the field, A-Rod didn't refute the comment but instead was just "happy his team won the game."


Selflessness: It's not how I do, it's how we do.

He then went on to talk about his defensive struggles, claiming that his defense comes and goes. He referred to his play in the field earlier in the week as "brilliant."

Last time I checked this was baseball, not the World Cup. Soccer players use the word "brilliant" as a word to describe the beauty of the sport.

Baseball players do not. Brilliance in baseball is saved for Tony Gwynn's hitting. Every swing looked more graceful than the next.

Then there was Ozzie Smith's fielding. The guy was a magician


That was baseball brilliance.

A-Rod's defensive performance last Saturday was not. It was "good" or "very good." This guy is not David Beckham. He is the most talented 5th best player on his team in baseball's history. The fact that he would even use those words perfectly show what A-Rod is.

A brilliant piece of shit.

I needed to get this one off my chest. I have a really sore throat right now.

VCD,

SM

Cliff a Kid Again and Our Kid Comes Home

Sunday was a huge day for the New Mets. After going down 5-0 they bounced back with an 11-run 6th inning, their biggest inning in team history to go on to beat the Cubs 13-7 and to take the series.

This series was huge. I bet my buddy from work an all-you-can-drink night of bowling on it and not only do I hate losing, especially in gambling, but I really do love bowling.

Through Friday we looked great. An easy win Friday with Glavine on the hill for us on Saturday and Sean Marshall going for the Cubbies on Sunday.

Unfortunately, Saturday didn’t work out and then El Duque threw up his second stinker of the season.

But all was not lost, as our favorite Met remembered how to hit again.

With the bases loaded in the top of the 6th, Uncle Cliffy smacked a line drive to left. I didn’t see it live, I had some friends in town, but I received my requisite text message update from my 30 year old divorced buddy.


Good for Cliffy. This homerun was the best I had ever seen via blackberry.

It wasn’t until I got home till I got really pissed at myself for missing it.

AFOMG had left a message on my voicemail talking about Cliffy’s expression as he rounded the bases. He said it was something that I had to see, so I searched the highlights and caught a look.

And there it was. From the time he hit 2nd base till the time he was bombarded at home, Cliff had the biggest smile I had ever seen.

It reminded me of my first homerun in little league as a 9-year old, an absolute rocket to left field. I was rounding the bases with a megawatt smile, hands up in the air looking at my dad. I got home and all my teammates mobbed me at the plate. I couldn’t have been happier.

Until of course, the other team’s coach came out, gave a new baseball to his pitcher's helper and insisted that he throw to 3rd base, claiming I didn’t touch the bag. The umpire of course called me out, despite us being up something like 18-2 at the time, permanently fucking up my childhood and indirectly causing me to one day become a lowly blogger.

But back to Cliff. Cliff has always worn his emotions on his sleeve. We all see him during those many times when he gets beaned. He doesn’t rub it off. He just gets really, really angry.

Cliff’s emotions are a huge reason for why he is so streaky. When he is in good spirits, like he was for most of 2005, the guy was a star. With his pals D Wright and Mike Cameron painting the town with him and a baseball that looked like a volleyball coming to him 4 at bats per game, Cliff had a monster 2005 season and was the star of our team.

Unfortunately, much of 2006 has been a struggle for Cliff. Mired through extended slumps and injuries, Cliff had 7 homeruns going into Sunday’s game on July 16th.

As good as the Mets have been, you could always tell how disappointed Cliff was in his inability to carry his share of the weight.

He wanted so badly to contribute to the magic, instead being carried for much of the season by his supporting cast.


That is why Sunday was sweet. In his homecoming to Chicago, where Cliff grew up a baseball/basketball star, a child was reborn.

Cliff’s two homeruns were integral in a big Mets victory. With the Braves surging and the Mets off to a poor start, Cliff’s homeruns were the difference in the game, the series and the week.

The thought of Cliff getting going is really scary. If the 2nd half of 2006 allows Cliff to return to 2005 form, it will only make our league leading offense that much better, which may prove huge if our pitching continues to struggle.

Welcome back, Cliffy. Hopefully, you’re back for good.

A STAR RETURNS

In one of my happier logins to Mets.com this season I saw that the Mets had signed Edgardo Alfonzo to a minor league contract.

Fonzie, often the forgotten star of the ’99 and ’00 teams, was truly a Met. The guy defined what it meant to be solid; he was the perfect 2 hitter and a very solid 3 hitter in 2000. He played great D and both 2nd and 3rd base and really never did anything but be a great teammate.


After the 2000 season, the Mets front office decided that they did not want to give Fonzie a 4th year for a contract extension. Much like the Red Sox with Pedro, the Mets thought Fonzie was starting to wear down a little bit and decided to let him go the Giants, the most boring team in the whole world.

Sadly, Fonzie could never really hack it outside of Shea.

Those liners to right field that we grew so accustomed to all of a sudden stopped falling and Fonzie really struggled.

This season was really bad. He floated around the bigs with the Angels and then Blue Jays, batting around .100 and being released by two teams.

I haven’t seen much of Fonzie over the last couple of years and I don’t really care. It is fucking great to have this guy back. Back where he grew up as a player. Back where he became a star. Back where he led a team to a World Series.

Fonzie will start his Mets career in the minors, I assume in Norfolk.

There is nothing in the world that I would want more than for September 1st to come around, Fonzie get the call back to Shea and receive a standing ovation. Then, to see Fonzie contribute in some way, on a field where he was such a special player in the late '90’s. That would really warm a Sip’s heart.

Maybe we can bring back Robin to give D Wright some defensive spells as well.

Either way, this is a nice story here.

Welcome home, Fonz.

VCD,

SM

State of the Season Part III: The Season Still to Come

Hey everyone, A Friend of Mr. Glass' here with the final installment in our State of the Season series.

The second half of the season kicked off yesterday, but for Mets fans like you and me, the second half really begins in earnest this afternoon as the Mets take to the field behind the trusty right arm of Steve Trachsel.

On Tuesday we looked back at 5 things that went right and 5 things that went wrong in the first half of the season. Today we'll take a look forward at 5 issues that figure to loom large in the latter half.

1. Who wins the National League wild card?

By posing this question I am expressing two beliefs. One, the Mets will win the National League East. This I pretty much take to be a given.

Does me saying that make some of you cringe out there? I'm sure there are some of you. Let me again remind you all of my favorite stat. If the Mets play .500 ball the rest of the way (for the sake of argument we'll say they go 36-37, slightly worse than .500 ball), they end up with 89 wins.

For the Phillies to win 89 games, they would need to go 49-26, 23 games over .500. Neither the Phillies playing that well nor the Mets playing that badly is impossible, but neither is likely. This Mets team is too good for that to happen, I'm sure of that.

My second assumption is that the Mets will finish with the best record in the National League. This is less of a gimme. The Mets currently own a 3.5 game lead over St. Louis for the best record in the NL, but the Cardinals could come on strong in the second half.

That said, I still think the Mets will finish with the best record. I think we're better than the Cardinals for one thing, but on top of that, our schedule is about as fortuitous as you could hope.

To wit, our final 20 games are against teams that currently have sub-.500 records. In the entire second half of the season, we play 6 series against teams with records that are currently .500 or better. Four of those 6 are at home. Two of those 6 are against the Rockies, who currently are exactly .500.

All of which is to say, if we don't finish with the best record in the National League, it won't be because our schedule was littered with fierce competition. And it's also to say that we've got a pretty good chance of ending up with the best record in the NL.

What that means for us come playoff time is that we'll be playing the NL wild card.

In my estimation, there are currently 6 teams with a realistic hope at winning the wild card: Los Angeles (46-43, 0 GB), Cincinnati (46-44, .5 GB), San Francisco (45-44, 1 GB), Colorado (44-44, 1.5 GB), Houston (44-46, 2.5 GB) and Milwaukee (44-46, 2.5 GB).

Of those teams, the one that scares me the most (particularly in a short series) is Houston. Their 1-2 punch of Roger Clemens and Roy Oswalt (perhaps it should be the other way around) is as good as any in baseball.

They've got third starter issues of their own with Andy Pettitte having a disappointing year, but if they could run Clemens and Oswalt out for four out of five games, they could well run the Mets (or any team for that matter) out of the playoffs.

Unfortunately, I have to imagine they're the most likely contender for the NL wild card. The Dodgers will be in it, the Brewers could be a factor, but I expect the Astros to come on strong in the second half and wrap up their second straight wild card berth.

Scary as that might be, with all the 1986 nostalgia on at Shea, I suppose a Mets-Astros playoff series would be rather fitting.

2. What happens to the Mets' rotation?

I won't dwell much on Pedro Martinez's status. Our postseason hopes hinge on his health. Beyond suggesting we rest him as much as possible, I can't really offer anything more regarding the front of our rotation.

As for the back of the rotation, the rumor mill is alive and kicking today as the Daily News heralded word that the Mets have expressed interest in Javier Vazquez and Freddy Garcia of the Chicago White Sox.

The truth is neither is having a particularly good season, no matter how flashy their names are. Both have ERAs right around 5.00. Garcia's peripherals are worse (he's averaging a paltry 5.23 K/9), and from the looks of it he's been hurt by the long ball, allowing 20 dongs in 18 starts.

As for Vazquez, there are all the New York pressure issues with him, but he's put up slightly better numbers so far this season.

Of course, either would be an upgrade over Jose Lima. But the question here is how much the Mets are willing to give up.

The Mets should think of it this way: another arm is not needed in order to make the playoffs. That being said, how much talent are we willing to surrender in order to have a third starter in hopefully three but as few as one playoff series'?

For my money, Lastings Milledge shouldn't enter the discussion, and after that, I'm not sure who we really have to give. Anderson Hernandez? I just don't think that's enough to get it done. There's more depth in our system than I'm letting on there, but I don't know who we're going to give from our system in order to make a deal work.

At that point you start thinking about Major Leaguers. It'll be interesting to see whether the club dangles Cliff Floyd. Cliffy's been coming on a bit the past couple weeks, and from everything I've read, the White Sox could use a lefthanded bat.

I'm not ready to deal Floyd. I don't think Milledge is where we need him to be for a playoff run (and yes, I'm anticipating Nails' obligatory "Milledge sucks" comment any minute now). He made too many rookie mistakes in his brief time with the Mets, and I wouldn't feel comfortable with him out there in a playoff series.

As for the pitching, the truth is I'm kind of OK with handing El Duque the ball in a playoff series. He's had some great outings for us and he's always been a big-game pitcher. If he's our third starter in a playoff series, I wouldn't be devastated.

If Barry Zito or Dontelle Willis are available, I wouldn't be devastated if we parted with Milledge (I might have reservations with Zito, Willis is a no-brainer). If it's anyone else though, I think the Mets should keep their situation in perspective. Is Livan Hernandez such an upgrade over Steve Trachsel or El Duque? I'm not sure. He'd make sailing to October smoother, sure, but after that, what's the return on our investment?

Maybe I'm just a too-often-burned Mets fan when it comes to deadline deals, but the Mets should tread carefully here. Let's see what Pelfrey can do. We've always got Brian Bannister in our back pocket (the New York Times this morning says he could be back in two-three weeks), and even if he wasn't dominant in his 5 starts, he looked credible.

As much as starting pitching has been a weakness this year, with a 12-game lead and all our in-division foes as horrible as they are, I feel like we should be dealing from strength. We don't need to panic, we need to act prudently. Here's hoping we do.

3. Is our bullpen ready for October?

Our greatest strength at the beginning of the season, the bullpen has been a bit of a question mark the past month or so. This is primarily due to Aaron Heilman, who suffered through about as ugly a June as you could possibly have.

For his part, Duaner Sanchez has been good on the whole, but he wasn't as automatic in June as he had been earlier in the year.

The struggles out of our two primary relievers have allowed other bullpen components, Chad Bradford and Pedro Feliciano most notably, to establish more defined roles. Bradford is summoned to bail out pitchers who have allowed men on base, Feliciano is the de facto lefty specialist.

As for the man at the back, Billy Wagner, he's been a bit less consistent than we'd all like, but he's our closer, like it or not.

So where does it all leave us? Well, the closer's spot is clearly defined and Sanchez is our 8th inning arm, but the rest of the setup corps could see some tinkering.

I think it's probably fair to say that there's some level of organizational distrust of Aaron Heilman, but I don't think they'll deal him in light of how highly they valued him last offseason. Rather, I expect the Mets to try and find some competition for Heilman in the 7th inning, perhaps even going so far as to pluck last year's old reliable, Roberto Hernandez, away from Pittsburgh.

Would the Mets part with a prospect to acquire a proven 7th inning arm? I don't know.

Should they? If you say no, you're basically hoping that Heilman rounds into form. I don't think it's smart baseball to do anything based on a hoped-for best outcome. What if he doesn't get it together?

The bullpen, which some consider a minor aspect of running a team, is held in pretty high esteem here at Y2K, especially come playoff time. I'd like to see the Mets pick up an arm at the deadline, hopefully at the expense of somebody none of us really care about (Victor Diaz, anyone?).

4. Jose Valentin: Love him or leave him?

Second base has been a question mark pretty much all season. It started with an ineffective (though slick fielding) Anderson Hernandez out of spring training. It segued into an ineffective (though surprisingly well fielding) Kaz Matsui. And it seems to have been resolved by Jose Valentin.

Yes, the man who was so bad that certain Mets fans created parody websites devoted to chronicling how awful he was has turned into our starting second baseman, and a not half-bad one at that.

The question though is whether the team is prepared to head off into October with Valentin manning second. I don't know what the organizational thinking is on this one, but it's pretty clear that Mark Grudzielanek, a natural second baseman, will be available. Ditto Adam Kennedy.

What's the price tag? I don't know. Are the Mets buyers in this area? I think it's possible, but there are more pressing needs. Their priority will remain acquiring pitching help, but if the right option is dangled, the Mets could bite.

Remember, Valentin is not a natural second baseman, and his defense, while passable, won't turn any heads.

If Minaya can't make a deal for a pitcher, will he feel pressured to acquire a second baseman just to have done something? He didn't succomb to that pressure last year, but this season is different. The Mets are playoff-bound: can Jose Valentin be trusted as our second baseman all season or are we living on borrowed time?

Valentin's done well for us this year, but if you told me we were living on borrowed time, I'd believe it.

5. When will we wrap up the division?

The sooner the better. No two players on our team figure to be as important as Tom Glavine, 40 years young, and Pedro, he of the bum hip/toe/etc., come October. The sooner we can get the NL East wrapped up, the sooner we can start pampering them in advance of the playoffs.

The same goes for the rest of the bullpen and our regulars as well. Willie Randolph has been criticized for overtaxing Heilman, Sanchez, and Wagner, giving them too many innings too soon in the season. A restful September should help ease the burden on any dead arm effects that could creep in.

As for the starters, I'd like to get a lot of rest for Paul Lo Duca, a notorious second half slumper. The earlier we win the division, the earlier we can start giving him regular days off to rest him up for the playoffs.

Beyond resting guys for stamina purposes, everybody sustains little nicks and bruises over the course of the season. Sipping champagne is nice, but we've got more riding on the division title than that -- let's get there sooner rather than later so we can start getting ready for October.

* * * * *

And that about does it folks. The second half begins about 30 minutes from now. It's been fun so far but the heavy lifting remains to be done. Let's have at it.

- A.F.O.M.G.

State of the Season Part II: Midseason Report Card

The All-Star Game has come and gone and tonight we enter the second half of our potential dream season.

My guy Trevor Hoffman, of whom I have a $5,000 bet with Kenny From Camp that he will make it to Cooperstown (I say yes), blew what could be a very important save for the New Mets in the All-Star Game.

At the time, I was pretty pissed off. But, then I thought back to April and what I thought might happen to our boys and I can only think of positives. The Mo, only talking in positives. Well that is the kind of mindset you get into after watching the first half of the season that the Mets had.

53-36, 12 games up in the division and a powerhouse in the NL. Save one bad week and June and people might be calling us the best team in baseball.

So back to Shea.


Our home. The place where our young stars have emerged, our veteran stars have returned to All-Star form, and our role guys have been beyond stellar.

All positives so far for the New Mets.

Here, is my 2006 report card.

C. Paul Loduca - A-

You can see why this guy is loved everywhere he goes. He plays hard, understands his role, and appears to be an excellent receiver. While his throws remind us of the Monster, he gets a ton more respect.

Teams no longer run on the Mets. He made the All-Star game in a weak NL for catchers, but all in all, the guy is a rock. He hit .300 and has replaced killer Cam in the big 3, of Wright, Floyd, and now Lo Duca.

1b. Carlos Delgado - B+

Yes, Delgado has slumped over the last month or so, but a lot of us are forgetting how huge he was in the first 6 weeks of the season.


Back when Beltran was hurt, Wright’s power numbers were down and Reyes wasn’t getting on base, it was Delgado (9 HR, 20 RBI in April) and Xavier Nady that powered the Mets offense to the team's amazing start. Yes, he has slowed down considerably, but he, along with the big two, in the rotation are the reason we became New.

2B. Jose Valentin - A-

Since he has emerged as our starting 2b, Valentin has been great. He’s shown a solid glove and an amazing bat (9,36,.275). Considering what we had before he became the starter and what we've had over the last 6 weeks, this guy should probably be getting an A.

Kaz, I hate you! Yet, I miss you too.

SS. Mr. Glass - A+

As this guy goes, so go the Mets. Reyes has really found himself in 2006, especially in the month of June. His OBP is way up, he leads the league in runs (75), SB’s (39)and triples (12), and most importantly, he is the engine that drives the Mets. He has the ability to change a game with his speed and his glove has continued to improve.

3B. D Wright - A+

Not much more we can say about this kid here at Y2K. I think his performance over the All-Star weekend has only solidified him further as a star of the game. If only he starts canoodling with Cuthbert at Marquee, Uncle and Duke bopping their heads on the side. Then life would be perfect.

LF. Uncle Cliff - B-

Really, the one down guy on the squad this year, Cliff has slumped through much of the season. He has also been riddled with injuries and hit by more pitches per AB than anyone in MLB history. Still, he remains the coolest player on the team, and the mentor to D Wright. Ok Cliff.

CF. Carlos Beltran - A-

What a 180. Just when we thought this guy couldn’t get worse from 2005, he went through much of April on the DL with what Mets fans then assumed was a strained uterus.


Since then, we have seen the $119 million investment and more. Beltran’s numbers have been dirty (25, 68, .279, 12SB's). More so, it really feels like opposing pitchers fear him and when he gets on base, he may be the best baserunner in the game.

RF. X Nady - B+

X is the pleasant surprise of the season for the New Mets. While his D has been shaky, his bat and keen resemblence to Randy from The Real World San Diego have been a major surprise. Like Delgado, Nady was a big part of our fast start. With 12 dongs at the break, you can’t ask a lot more out of a No. 7 hitter.

The Rotation

P. Pedro - B

Pedro was electric through the first 6 weeks of the season, but has since cooled dramatically. All of my fears that Happy Will pushed away have come to fruition over the last 6 weeks; Will this guy break down? He broke down at the end of 2004, he broke down at the end of last year and he broke down in June of this year.

We need this guy to get us through October, so everyone get out their healing voo-doo paraphernalia.

P. Tommy ‘The Spy’ Glavine - A


After an awesome second half of 2005, Glavine has continued right where he left off. While he has struggled over his last few starts, Glavine’s 11 wins and overall consistency have been the biggest difference for the New Mets.

P. Shitty Trachsel - B

Thanks to a ton of run support and his patented 6 inning, 3ER consistency, Shitty has 8 wins at the break. Good for me out of a #3.

P. Orlando Hernandez - A-

Another great surprise. Since becoming New, El Duque has been great. Most importantly, when the Mets started to lag over the last 3 weeks, it was Hernandez that emerged as our best starter. He came up big when we needed help from the bottom of our rotation.

P. Mike Pelfrey - TBD

His first start was shaky, but the stuff is there. We need this guy to be a #5 for this season. If he can step up and fill the hole, that would be huge. Let’s hope he only builds off his first outing.

The Pen

Darren Oliver - A+

The 2006 Pat Mahomes and one of the more pleasant surprises on the Mets. He has been phenomenal in his role as long man with a much improved cutter.

Duaner Sanchez, Chad Bradford - A

Sanchez has been incredible.


Save a few shaky outings and he has been a dominant 8th inning guy. He strikes batters out with a fastball that hits 94-96 mph and has awesome breaking stuff.

Bradford has been a miracle. He leads the league in stranding inhertited runners and has grown into a guy that can get more than 1 righty.

Pedro Feliciano - B+

Again, a pleasant surprise. The numbers have been great, but still, do we really trust this guy against a big lefty? I think this is the one area the Mets MUST target at the deadline. Could be very tough though.

Billy Wagner and Aaron Heilman - B

Wagner has looked awesome at times but has shown us way too much Braden Looper. He has blown 4 saves and looked bad doing so. Still, at the break he has 18 saves and a 2.43 ERA.

Heilman has been bright as day and dark as night for the New guys. Through May, he looked like an All-Star. June was a different story. His resurgence will play a huge role in the second half of the season and an even bigger role should we make it to October.

Henry Owens - TBD

So far, Kid looks unreal.

The Bench - A-

Lot of pluses out of the bench. Franco has hit, Woody has been all over the field, Castro roles with me at bars in Boston.

But the star of this squad has been Endy Chavez (.283BA). With all three of our outfielders missing significant time on the DL, Chavez has been the stop gap. He has played Gold Gove defense and brought a solid bat along with his amazing speed. He could be a huge factor if we make it to October as a late inning replacement on the bases and in the field.

Manager Willie Randolph - A-

I don’t know what it is about Willie. The Mets have been great under him, but I am still not sold. I don’t see the acumen of a LaRussa, the fire of a Guillen, or the poise of a Showwalter.


I feel like he is scared to make the risky move, instead, playing to the media. Again, he deserves plenty of credit for this year, but still, he’ll earn his Fresh toasted sub in October. If we get there.

The Rest -

Many have come and gone at Shea.

Kaz’s departure single handedly changed the mindset of this team.

Lasting’s homerun and a high-fiving of the RF fans was the best moment.

Heath Bell is friends with my cousin.

Alay Soler had a few good weeks in the show, just like my good friend and partner AFOMG.

Victor Zambrano, our half of what will go down as the worst trade in baseball history, may never pitch again.

Brian Bannister went on the DL for a few weeks and hasn’t returned in 3 months.

John Maine should probably be somewhere higher in this article. So far, so decent, and his last name is the state where I went to camp, so he cool.

Then there is Lima time. Never have I seen a guy like this, where even the happiest of Mets fans know that we don’t have a shot. Still, I love his flare. Lima is the symbol of the old Mets, and I like that.

Overall - A

Couldn’t ask for more out of the first half. Otherwise, you are just plain greedy. The rest of the season will be determined by the rotation. Can Glavine and Pedro return to form? Can Trachsel and Hernandez remain solid? And what about Kid K?

The lineup will score runs and the Pen has the parts to stay solid, though we can’t expect a repeat of the first half.

This team will go with its starting pitching. All we can pray is that we have a big enough lead in September to get Glavine and Pedro rested and ready for October.

As always, being the Sip that I am, I remain highly cautious, but a little more optimistic than I've been in years past.

Vaya Con Dios,

I love you guys.

Sippy Momo

Final Thoughts on the All-Star Game

Hey everyone, A Friend of Mr. Glass' here. Sip will be back with the second part of our State of the Season series here at Y2K, a midseason report card, later on today, but for now I wanted to pass along some thoughts on Murray Chass' piece today in the New York Times (link available by clicking the headline above).

The piece was of interest to me as I had originally called out Chass for commets he made in his July 11 column. In that piece, Chass had written the following:

"If there’s one viewer out there who has watched any of the past three games or plans to watch tonight because the winning league gets the World Series home-field advantage, please send me an e-mail message at mchass@nytimes.com. Include your telephone number so I can call and ask if you’re gullible about other things as well."

As Chass wrote today, "To my surprise, the idea has more support than I would have thought." (There's no word on whether he made good on his pledge to ask all affirmative responders whether they were generally gullible, but that's no matter.)

In his article today, Chass reproduces some of the messages he received from readers, and there's one that resonates with me. “A game which I never felt deserved my undivided attention, got my attention,” reader Julius Valiunas wrote.

That comment from Julius Valiunas (what a name!) basically sums up my All-Star Game experience on Tuesday.

The truth is that I hadn't watched an All-Star Game from start to finish in a really long time. I can't remember the last time I watched an entire All-Star Game (it's been at least 6 years), and I certainly can't remember ever cheering for anyone who wasn't a Met.

But both of those things happened Tuesday night. I watched every inning of the game. I was crushed when Vernon Wells nailed Alfonso Soriano at the plate. I was elated when Trevor Hoffman got the first two outs of the inning quickly, and crushed when he failed.

I'm not sure that determining home field advantage in the World Series based on the outcome of an exhibition game is fair necessarily, and I've definitely reminded myself several times that if the policy had not been implemented to begin with, 2006 would have been a year in which the American League team had home field advantage anyway.

But say this for the policy: it makes the All-Star Game matter for the fans of at least 10 teams each year. The fans of those teams may or may not give the game their undivided attention as Julius Valianus and I gave ours, but they'll be aware of the All-Star Game's outcome come October should they be so fortunate as to take home the N.L. or A.L. pennant.

Goddamn it, Hoffman.

- A.F.O.M.G.

State of the Season Part I: What's Gone Right, What's Gone Wrong

(Note: A piece about the implications of last night's All-Star Game, "That Time, It Counted", is available immediately following this post. Enjoy.)

So here we are. The Mets are 89 games into their season, 53-36, 1st in the NL East and the All-Star Game is in the rearview mirror.

With the second half of the season still around the corner, however, we here at Y2K are doing what just about everyone else is doing with this midsummer solstice: evaluating the season to this point and making projections for what will happen at points yet to come.

Our midseason coverage will consist of three parts. Part I is your standard look back at the season to date, identify what's gone right/what's gone wrong piece.

Part II is Sip's midseason report card.

Part III is my what to look for in the second half piece.

Parts IV, V, and VI? Could happen, depends on what kind of frenzy we work ourselves into over here. For now though, let's kick things off with old No. 1.

What's Gone Right:

1. The left side of the infield in general, but Jose Reyes in particular.

Coming into the season, the duo of Jose Reyes and David Wright was widely considered one of the most promising left sides of the infield in all of Major League Baseball.

The promise was primarily founded upon two precepts: Wright's breakout season in 2005, and Reyes' sheer athleticism.

Coming into 2006, Wright was the surer commodity. In his first full season in the big leagues, Wright socked 27 homers, batted .306 and knocked in a team-high 102 RBI, becoming the first Met to reach 100 RBI since Mike Piazza drove in 113 in 2000.

So what do you do for an encore? All Wright has done is emerge as a top MVP candidate in the National League on the strength of a record-setting first half. In addition to his .316 average and 20 dongs, Wright's 74 first-half RBI gave him the franchise mark for most runs batted in at the All-Star Break.

Tallies alone don't tell the whole story with Wright, who has come up with one clutch hit after another all season long.

But as good as Wright's been, the play of Reyes has been more rewarding to watch.

Reyes dazzled at times in 2005, but his first full season in the pros didn't feature as many eye-popping numbers as Wright's did.

As a matter of fact, the number that many Mets fans latched on to wasn't the 60 bags Reyes swiped (second most in franchise history), but rather his paltry .300 on-base percentage, deemed far too low for the Mets to flourish with Reyes in the leadoff spot.

Fast-forward to 2006 and Reyes is finally delivering on the potential Mets fans first got a feel for in that enchanted summer of 2003. With a .300 avg, .357 OBP, an MLB-leading 39 steals and 75 runs scored, Reyes emerged as the top-of-the-order menace the Mets need him to be and the would-be starting shortstop for the National League All-Star Team.

2. Carlos Delgado (and Julio Franco): How Beltran got his groove back.

It's impossible to quantify just how important it's been for Carlos Beltran to have his good buddy Carlos Delgado on the team. We've been told that Beltran is a guy who prefers to quietly put up big numbers, a guy who shies away from the limelight even as the spotlight shines brightly upon him.

When the Mets acquired Delgado last November, it was noted repeatedly that the Mets hadn't just acquired the middle-of-the-order slugger they had lacked since Piazza's prime ended some time after the 2000 season (either immediately thereafter or following the 2001 season, depending on your perspective), they had acquired the guy who could finally let Beltran be Beltran.

Because one thing was for certain: the guy in centerfield for the Mets in 2005 wasn't the guy the team had doled out $119 million over 7 years for.

Coming off a 38-homer season which he capped with a possibly unprecedented display of postseason dominance, Beltran brought his show to Shea and proceeded to hit the fewest homeruns, drive in the fewest runs, steal the fewest bases, and hit for the lowest average, OBP, and SLG of his entire career save one injury-shortened season in 2000.

Zoom forward to the present and Beltran is riding high with 25 homeruns, 68 RBI, and a .994 OPS. An embarrassing addition to the All-Star Team last year, in 2006, Beltran has been without question the best offensive centerfielder in the National League, if not all of baseball.

In getting to this point, Beltran got by with a little help from his friends. The aforementioned Delgado had a monstrous first 6 weeks as a Met before cooling down considerably thereafter, but by that point the pressure had been taken off Beltran, who never looked back after collecting his first hit of 2006: a pivtoal 2-run homerun in his 10th at-bat of the season.

And speaking of that homerun, who knows how things would have played out for Beltran had he not heeded the urging of Julio Franco and obliged the suddenly-smitten Shea crowd's request for a curtain call?

Hitless and betraying no signs that 2005 was a fluke, Beltran had been booed relentlessly by the home crowds to that point of the season. After the dinger, Beltran had 7 hits in his next 17 at-bats and never looked back.

3. Tom Glavine: The old mule keeps on kicking.

Rotation stability was on the minds of the Mets faithful entering 2006. General Manager Omar Minaya had traded away two middling starters in offseason transacations meant to solidify the team's porous 2005 bullpen, and the burden was on all of the starters to perform.

Unfortunately for the Mets, not many of their starters actually did perform (see below). But there's been at least one who has, Tom Glavine, the man Pedro Martinez dubbed the "old mule" in the final week of Spring Training.

After 2.5 disappointing seasons with the Mets, Tommy Ballgame underwent a transformation in the second half of 2005, thanks in large part to learning how to throw a curveball. No one knew for sure, however, whether Glavine's late-2005 brilliance was simply a temporary resurgence or if it in fact portended a late career renaissance.

Well, the results are in, and Glavine has clearly got his moxie back. The 40-year-old southpaw is 11-2 with a 3.48 ERA on the season, but better yet is that the Mets are 16-3 in his 19 starts.

Flanked by uncertainty on all sides of the rotation at points this season, Glavine has been the rock. The Mets are 17 games over .500 on the year. Take away the games Glavine has started and the Mets are 1 game over .500. Difference maker? Uhh, yeah.

4. The NL East kicks the bucket.

What a difference a year makes. After the final games of the 2005 season were played in early October, every team in the NL East had a record of .500 or better. The Braves and the Phillies were the only really legit teams in the division (based on their records anyway), but the Mets, Marlins, and Nationals each had respectable seasons of their own.

In 2006, not so much. There's one team that's 17 games over .500, that's the Mets, and there are four other teams, the "best" of which is 7 games under the break-even mark.

It's really remarkable how bad the rest of the division is on the whole, but the Philadelphia Phillies are particularly astounding to me. There is so much talent on that team that I hardly know how it's possible for them to be doing this poorly. Sure, their pitching sucks, but 7 games under? Jesus.

5. That 9-1 road trip.

Who would've guess that a 10-game road trip would prove the turning point of our season, the point at which we quit doing our season-long moonwalk between being 8 to 12 games over .500 and emerged as the unquestioned leaders of the NL East?

Not me, that's for sure. Not only do the Mets (like many east coast teams) traditionally struggle on the west coast, but we were up against some pretty tough competition. Out west it was the Dodgers and the D-Backs for the first 7 before heading back east for a jetlagged 3-game set with the Phillies.

Sparked by more first inning runs than I can remember and solid pitching performances from virtually everyone in the rotation, the Mets passed one of the most challenging tests on their calendar with flying colors.

On June 4, the Mets were 33-22, 4.5 games up on the second place Phillies. Eleven days later, the Mets were 42-33, 9.5 up on Philadelphia. Today we're 53-36, 12 games up on the Phils.

That 10-game span was the difference in both our season, and with the Phillies in free fall from that point on, it appears it was the turning point in the season of our closest in-division competitor.

What's Gone Wrong

1. Pretty much everything that happened to the 5th spot in our rotation.

Easily the most glaring weakness on the team, the fifth starter's position has been a black hole since Brian Bannister went on the disabled list in late April.

The story of the Mets' 5th starter thereafter could easily be summed up by noting that Jose Lima has made 4 starts for the Mets, but for the sake of doing this review in good faith, it's worth noting that Alay Soler, Jeremi Gonzalez, and John Maine have thus far failed to provide any answers (although in fairness, Soler showed flashes and Maine has looked fine his last two times out).

The situation got so bad that the Mets called up their prized pitching prospect Mike Pelfrey less than 6 months after signing him to his first professional contract.

At the moment, Pelfrey is the Mets' best internal hope for solidifying the back of their rotation. One way or another, the 5th spot in the rotation was the problem that just couldn't get solved in the first half of 2006.

2. Aaron Heilman loses a step.

Perhaps it was unfair to assume that Heilman would duplicate his success from 2005 this season. He was, after all, a guy who absolutely sucked throughout his career before he came on strong in a reliever's roll last year.

And it's not as if Heilman's season has been uncompromisingly bad. His season recap reads like this: he was good in April (2.63 ERA), OK in May (3.38), and horrible in June (7.43).

Heilman's struggles have allowed other members of the Mets' relief corps (Chad Bradford in particular) to shine, but we all need to keep our fingers crossed that his shakiness was only a temporary thing.

3. Where's the Sandman?

Before signing with the Mets, Billy Wagner had been one of the premier closers of the preceding decade. Since he signed, well, different story.

It's not that Wagner's been bad necessarily, it's just that he hasn't been the "Enter Sandman" worthy closer we thought we had pried away from the Phillies when we inked the guy in early November.

Four blown saves, one very memorable meltdown against the Yankees, and saves typified by putting runners on or allowing ultimately meaningless, but nonetheless nerve-wracking runs to score have been the book on Wagner so far in 2006.

Am I glad the Mets have him? Of course. Has he been the closer I thought he'd be? No.

4. Pedro's health.

Through the first two months of the season, Pedro Martinez was his old brilliant self. But injuries caught up with the Mets ace in June, and Martinez went 2-3 with a 6.23 ERA.

A playoff berth is basically in the bag right now, so at least that much success seems assured for the Mets this season. In order for them to be successful in the postseason, however, they need Pedro to be Pedro.

No one on the Mets, Tom Glavine included, can provide what Pedro can come playoff time -- a dominating, fearless ace for the team to rally behind.

For the Mets to make good on their dreams of a championship, they need Pedro's hip, toe, and whatever else it is to make a full recovery.

5. Those three games in Boston.

Ugh.

Every NL inferiority complex was seemingly confirmed as the Mets got swept by the Red Sox in late June. The Mets didn't just lose three games, they looked absolutely awful in two of those three.

A fine homestand since has made Mets fans forget about their troubles in Boston, but should the Mets be so fortunate as to make the World Series, their showing against one of the best the AL had to offer will undoubtedly be a regular topic of conversation, a memory the Mets, and their fans, would rather soon forget.

* * * * * *

And that about does it, folks. I'm sure there's plenty I forgot to mention so feel free to chime in with your own thoughts on the comment board. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for Part II of our series, courtesy of old Sip.

- A.F.O.M.G.

That Time, It Counted

As I watched Trevor Hoffman's improbable meltdown in the top of the 9th inning just now, I couldn't help but recall a Murray Chass piece I'd read in the New York Times earlier in the day.

Here's what Chass wrote (a link to the entire article is available by clicking the headline above) when discussing Major League Baseball's policy of assigning home field advantage in the World Series to the team representing the league that wins the All-Star Game:

"If there’s one viewer out there who has watched any of the past three games or plans to watch tonight because the winning league gets the World Series home-field advantage, please send me an e-mail message at mchass@nytimes.com. Include your telephone number so I can call and ask if you’re gullible about other things as well."

Now I like Murray Chass' work. He's one of the best in the business, and I want to make it clear that Chass' article is not about the now 4-years-old policy. Nor is it about how nobody cares about the policy.

But I couldn't help but recall this passage unfavorably tonight. The truth is that for fans like me, last night's game meant a lot more because of MLB's much-beleaguered policy.

Fans like me? Yeah, you know, fans of the Tigers. Fans of the Padres. Fans of the White Sox, the Red Sox, and, dare I say it, the Yankees. Fans of teams like the Mets: teams that have a chance at the playoffs, a chance at the World Series.

I am now acutely aware that the Mets will not have home field advantage in the World Series. That sucks on a couple levels.

Most obvious is that we would have to go in to the opposing team's house for the first couple games. You run the risk of an early 2-0 deficit, which requires beating the opposition in 4 of the next 5 games. Always difficult.

It also occurs to me that unless the Mets can win the World Series in 5 games, they won't be celebrating their first championship since 1986 in front of the home town fans.

Winning a World Series is all I ever ask for, but it's always more special to win it all in front of the home town fans, when the celebration takes place in front of 55,000 screaming, elated fans rather than a sorrowful mass of "there's always next year" losers.

But I should slow down. I'm getting ahead of myself here with all the Mets in the World Series talk aren't I? I'll quit it for now, but I will say that the World Series was in the back of my mind yesterday as I watched the Midsummer Classic.

I used to think the "This Time It Counts" business was just a gimmick. And for about 20 teams out there it still is. But for the 10 or so teams with realistic dreams of a playoff berth, last night meant a lot more.

And for the fans of the 5 or so teams in the National League with reasonable playoff hopes, well, if those fans are as much like me as I think they are, they'll remember last night's result when playoff time rolls around, and they'll be acutely aware that October got a little harder for their team one wet, soggy night in Pittsburgh back when the days were warm and the daylight wasn't so scarce.

- A.F.O.M.G.

A Star Is Born

Today, I planned on giving out my midseason report card. That’s going to wait. Something big happened last night; we all know what it was. And it deserves my time.

For almost two full seasons we have watched this kid mature from top prospect, to sensational rookie, to young star.

This season he has emerged as a team leader, New York City headline snatcher, and All Star.

But it took until Monday night for David Wright to emerge as a national star.


Wright’s performance in the 1st round of Monday night’s Homerun Derby put him smack on a map with the game’s biggest stars. Against the likes of David Ortiz and Lance Berkman, Wright emerged from the beginning, as the star of the night.

All it took was his first round: 16 dongs. 16 mother f’ing dongs.

The nation knew that this kid had talent. He had been hyped on FOX promos and has put up extremely gaudy numbers over the first half of the year.

But there was something else that came out on Tuesday night. We all have seen it but the nation has only heard about it.

We not only saw the extreme talent that puts few players in baseball among the elite, but we saw the charisma and likability that will put this kid on video game boxes and Gatorade commercials for the next ten years.

In my opinion, baseball has two huge stars. Neither of them is Albert Pujols. See, Pujols lacks something to be a face of the game. While he may be the game’s best player, how many times have you really heard this guy talk?

There is David Ortiz, the masher/hugger/smiler out of Boston who combines astonishing power with his Latin flavor and charm to just make one extremely lovable dude.


Until really this year, Ortiz was not the best hitter on his team -- that was Manny -- but still, for the last three years, Big Papi has been the face of the Sox, who have outpaced the Yankees for the title of America’s team.

The second star of the game is Derek Jeter. Even though his numbers have really never jumped out at you, this guy has been baseball’s star for almost a decade now.

Baseball fans have seen something in Jeter that is almost impossible to see in a baseball player: leadership. On a team filled with marquee names, Derek Jeter has so unquestionably emerged as the leader that since the age of 24.

Even when his numbers were only the 3rd or 4th best on his team’s it was big play ability and his stoic but charming fist pump that received credit for the Yankees' success of the late 90’s.

And of course, there is Jeter's ability to catch a ball, then run 90 feet and jump in the stands drawing blood all over pretty little face. Man, this guy is GUTSY!





Ortiz and Jeter. Not once in either of their respective careers have they been the best players in baseball. But for the last 3 years for Papi and really 9 for Jeter, they have been the stars of baseball.

On Monday night, they found themselves in new company.

D Wright always had the skills. He was always beloved my his teammates, opponents, the media, heck, even my mother.

But it really took Monday for the nation to see this.

To see Big Papi himself come out and fan Wright with a towel to “cool Wright Down” was both shocking and beautiful.

Ortiz has played Wright all of three games, that was about a week ago and I’m not sure Wright had a hit the whole series. But Papi knew what was up. He had read about this kid and seen him on Baseball Tonight and then he saw him mash 16. This was a true sign of respect.

To see the way that Bonnie Bernstein, known among my inner circles as an intense cleat chaser (spotted canoodling with Tom Glavine and Mark Grace), interviewed D Wright almost gawking at the young star brought out the celebrity in this kid.

Then there was D Wright’s interview after his poor third round where he spent the whole time praising his colleagues/competitors in the derby in a way that I would if somehow they just threw Young Sip into the derby for kicks. Wright was gracious in defeat but not corny, something that always irked Derek Jeter haters.

My good pal Maxy Baseball Stuff would go on to tell me over a post-derby feast that he understood why Mets fans can’t shut up about this kid. Baseball Stuff is a Nats fan and he hates the Mets. But with Wright, he understood.

Monday was special. It would have been nice for D Wright to win, but I submit to you now that he will still be the most remembered player from this derby, even if he lost in the end.

VCD,

SM

The Weekend That Was

Saturday was a special day at Shea. With a career 1-13 record in doubleheaders and two rookies on the hill, I was worried my losing ways may continue.

Only, one of these rookies was not John Maine. He wasn't Alay Soler. He wasn't Bartolome Forunato. And, nope he wasn't Scott Kazmir.

It was Pelfrey Time.

I switched my flight, which ended up being disastrous, so I could catch the backend of the double dip with my good friends AFOMG and New Jawn. We were so fired up it was scary. A young Mets starter hasn't generated this much buzz since the days of Jason Isringhausen. It was a picture perfect day with two of my best friends and it featured a level of an energy at Shea that only comes out when something special is about to be seen.

The first game kind of stunk. There was one moment that was truly amazing though. Jose Reyes received the loudest ovation in the history of baseball for coming in as a pinch runner.


We love the Glass but more so, we all know what happens when this guy gets on base. He ended up stranded at second, but so what. He was, as always, smiling.

When I thought that no Jose Reyes moment can be topped on Saturday, this one somehow was. This happened when, for the first time in my life, I heard Jose Reyes talk. I really never have.

I watch every Mets game every day, but still, I had never heard the man speak. So when Glass was featured in a promo teaching Shea patrons how to say "ticket" in Spanish, it was probably the best moment since Robin Ventura put on the mustache and was doing slip and slides during a rain delay at Yankee Stadium, making fun of his good pal the Monster.

Enough of Glass. Saturday was Pelfrey's day. Everything you read/heard about this kid was awesome. 6'7, 190, 95-97 MPH fastball, developing slider and change.


A future #1, the best pitcher in the 2005 draft. The list goes on and on.

Shea Stadium couldn't wait for the second game to start. Neither could I.

Pelfrey did very little to impress. His line was mediocre- 2 ER over 5 innings- and he was very wild, walking four Marlins. His command was shaky but he had a huge lead and just needed to get 5. Which he did.

While Pelfrey was off on Saturday, there was a lot that was on.

This kid throws gas. He consistenly hit 96 on the gun with what I was told from those watching at home as having some pretty solid movement. Marlins hitters looked terrible and late against Pelfrey when he was throwing strikes. Mike Jacobs had the only real hit against Pelfrey, a solid single to center.

Even when Pelfrey got behind batters, which he did often, he could reach back and fire his heat. And the Marlins could do nothing with it.

While he only had three strikeouts, I saw more bad swings by Marlin batters than I have at Shea in a very long time.

Control has never been a huge issue with Pelfrey, so hopefully we can chalk this wildness up to nerves.

All in all, Saturday was a huge positive. The kid didn't have his best stuff by any stretch of the imagination and still only gave up two ER. I don't think there is a Met fan in the world who wouldn't take that.

Sunday was huge for a number of reasons.

We now have a two-game winning streak going into the break, with a 12-game lead over the Phils.

What made Sunday so awesome though was how the game was won. With one swing of the bat, D Wright brought closure to the first half of the season.


We went on top led by our young emerging star who has made the Mets his team over the first half of 2006.

It really is the perfect way to end the first half of the season for all Mets fans and all of us Y2ker's.

I just blinked a couple of times. I can't believe where we are half way through the season. 53-36, 12 games up in the division.

I thought I was dreaming until I saw the box score of the Nationals game.

Alex Escobar, 4-4 with a dong and 3 RBI.


Alex fucking Escobar. Remeber when he was the first guy ever to be a 6 tool player? He was the greatest outfield prospect since Jay Payton. Yet somehow, he managed to have year-ending injuries in his first 9 professional seasons. Oh well, good for him.

What's next, Gregg Jeffries as a last minute contestant for the Derby?

Or maybe, the Century 21 All Star give away featuring Alex Ochoa gunning it from the warning track?

I guess anything can happen. Hopefully we'll still be scratching our heads in October.

Tomorrow is report card time.

VCD,

SM

The Pelf Man Cometh

aHey everyone, A Friend of Mr. Glass' here. It's been some time since my last post, a week to be exact. What's happened with me in the time between? Well, I went to Martha's Vineyard and basically had 6 days away from the hustle and bustle. No newspapers (save the Sunday NYT). No internet. No television. Just a sweet house, nice weather, a beach, an iStation, and an ungodly amount of "Hips Don't Lie". All in all, it was pretty sweet.

Nothing could have prepared me for my first glimpse at a newspaper/the internt Wednesday evening though.

In less than a week, North Korea had popped off some missiles, Ken Lay had 'dropped dead' in the words of the Post, Alay Soler had been sent to the minors, Pedro Feliciano had talked shit about Willie, Pedro Martinez looked as if he was headed to the disabled list, Jose Lima had returned to the Mets, and somehow, in spite of a shitty week (of this I had been made aware), the Mets still owned an 11.5-game lead on the Phillies in the N.L. East.

So I was dealing with a lot of shit, but what struck me more than anything was how quickly some things can change. As Wednesday turned into Thursday and Thursday into Friday, I was reminded of that yet again.

The Mets have now won 3 straight, and we currently own a 12.5-game lead on our closest divisional rivals, the largest margin we've owned all year. For all the doom and gloom of a week ago (and believe me, anyone who saw me at Blondies last Wednesday can attest that I was as low as anyone as I watched the Mets get their asses handed to them in Boston), things are looking pretty alright right now.

We've got Lima going tonight. Normally those five words are enough to inspire fear in the hearts of even the most optimistic Mets fan, especially on a night when he's up against Dontrelle Willis.

But obviously the story today isn't about Lima Time, and the truth is I doubt many Mets fans really care that he's going tonight.

For one thing, there's a 3-game winning streak to be happy about. Even if it came against the worst the National League has to offer, it's important to beat the teams you're supposed to, and it's equally important to prevent skids from snowballing into landslides. The Mets did both this week against Pittsburgh.

Better yet, tomorrow promises the Major League debut of the man who could potentially be the ace of this Mets staff for many years, Mike Pelfrey.

As always happens with me when a highly-regarded minor leaguer debuts for the Mets, my feelings are a jumble of fearful pragmatism and unbridled optimism.

The part that's pragmatic tells me that his debut is just one start. How he fares tomorrow won't determine his legacy. If he gets beat up, hey, it was just one start. If he gets beat up again, hey, he just needs more seasoning in the minor leagues. If he impresses, great, but we'll need to see him go a few more times before we get a handle on what kind of commodity we've got here.

But then there's the other part, the part that dares to dream that at last there's a pitching phenom who could make good on all the promise of Generation K, or maybe (possibly, hopefully) Scott Kazmir (RIP). We've been waiting a long time for our farm system to produce a legit pitching prospect, could this be the time?

Until we see the man perform, it's impossible to say. But that's not to say we've got nothing to go on here, and luckily, Pelfrey's numbers in Double A are quite impressive. 12 games. 2.71 ERA. 66.1 innings pitched. 2 home runs allowed. 77 strikeouts. There's a lot to like there.

About the only underwhelming stat with this kid is his WHIP, which, after allowing 60 hits and 26 walks, is 1.30, but that stat doesn't particularly concern me. Young pitchers are given to wildness generally, and Pelfrey's strikeout rate is high enough that he can probably afford to walk a batter or two here or there.

Word from the scouts I've read is that his hard stuff is major league ready, but his breaking stuff isn't quite up to snuff. The success Pelfrey has with his junk could determine his major league success. A good heater will get you far, but that can't be all you bring to the table.

All that said, I'm still as excited as everyone else about what'll be on display tomorrow afternoon, and I'm excited about the climate into which he's being thrust.

As much as the Mets need a solid No. 3 (apologies to Steve Trachsel, he of the second best won-loss record on the roster), Pelfrey isn't in a position where he has to come in here and play savior.

If the Mets go .500 the rest of the way (39-38), they finish with 90 wins. In order for the Phillies to finish with 90 wins, they've gotta go 52-26 the rest of the way. Impossible? No. Not bloody likely? You bet.

So the Mets don't need Pelfrey to carry this team on his shoulders, and that's a good thing.

But what if he looks like he belongs tomorrow? What if he comes up and slots himself into the No. 3/4/5 spot in the rotation? What if every Pelfrey start becomes an event at Shea?

What if... the two magic words that wrap themselves around the major league debut of all prospects. As for me, well, pragmatism can wait. Excitement will be in the air tomorrow at Shea (no matter how much Lima Time stinks up the joint tonight), and for now that's all I need to know.

- A.F.O.M.G.

Last Week Forgotten and a New Hero

So all is not lost.

Fresh off a tough series with the Bank$$$, what do my boys of the Cuyahoga do? They crush them 19-1. Many of you know, the Tribe are my #2 in the game. I was always a C Blake, Big Play Benny, and Jake Westbrook guy, but who can't love big Pronk, Handsome Grady and my newest drinking buddy at Warriors basketball games, CC Sabathia?


The tribe have struggled this year, but they really took it to last year's #2 hero, Shawn Chacon, who along with Aaron Small were supposed to be the solid back to the Yankees rotation (oh, how quickly those Yankees change their minds).

Last year, it was 22-0.

This year 19-1.

Even in the midst of a crappy season, the Tribe came through for me. They knew we needed to get those annoying Yankee egos out of our faces and they took it to them. Thanks, boys. See you in October.

As for the New Mets, well, things have looked good for the last 11 or so innings. We have won two in a row and have looked impressive in doing so.

One big reason for this mini-streak? El Duque.

El Duque was the lone bright spot of last week's misery. He gave up 2 earned over 7 in a loss to the Yankees this past weekend. He pitched a great start in a big return back to Yankee stadium.


This guy has always been a big game pitcher, and he proved it over the weekend.

Last night, he continued his hot piching. He dominated the Bucs over 7 innings going deep into a game where we needed to rest our pen.

Since acquiring El Duque there have been ups and a few downs, but all in all, he has been an outstanding acquisition. From the #4 hole in the rotation you can't ask for anything else. He can get you 5-7 innings and 4 times out of 5, he will keep you in the game.

Since coming to the Mets he is 3-4, 4.14 ERA. He has avg'd a tad under 6 innings a start. He's had only one really bad start in Toronto and has otherwise been pretty solid in his 8 starts for the Mets.

In addition to what El Duque has done, I'm excited to see what John Maine will do over the next couple of weeks.


A couple of years ago, as J Schubes constantly points out, this guy was the #3 pitcher in the Orioles organization, between big time arms Erik Bedard and Danny Cabrera. In his last start he looked pretty solid unti a rough 5th inning. But from TV, he looked like he was throwing a very heavy fastball.

As the scout in the Freddy Prinze smash Summer Catch once said, "A heavy ball don't find many bats."


We will see. Maybe Ryan Dunn is the option. After all, some called Summer Catch, "The catch of the Summer 2001.'

I'm definitely curious to see what Wheel and Deal Minaya has in his bag of tricks. I can't imagine there not being another move for a starter. I'm just curious to see how much we have to give up.

The last two days have been good ones. I'd love to see us keep it up until the break.

VCD,

SM

Everything is ok....For Now

Hey all. Hope the 4th treated you well. Sorry for the delay today. There was a problem with the server.

I wrote last week about how huge last week was. Lose 5 or 6 and we have a problem.

Well we lost 5 of 6. We lost 5 of 6 and looked horrible doing so.

Our pitching stunk. Our bats fell asleep. Our gloves, notably Lastings Miledge's, got scared of catching the ball.




A funny thing happened though. We stunk, and our lead grew. Thats how bad the division is.

It was huge that the 1 we took cam from the Yankees. The season was split 3-3 and the Mets are still at the top of New York.

But still, for the first time this whole season, we went on a skid. We stunk. We SLUMPED.

Then Pittsburgh came into town, and all was good. We could bounce back and beat up on the NL's basement. Not so fast. Pittsburgh came in and thumped us 11-1.

Sip would have been panicking. But our league remained the same. We were still up double digits over the Phils. We were getting really really lucky.

So then there was Tuesday's game. We couldn't lose two to the Pirates. We couldn't lose 7 of 8. We needed this one.

And we got it. After 7 terrible innings the Mets came back in Old New Met fashion. A big 8th inning followed by one of Billy Wagner's most dominant outings and we were back.

Wagner threw strikes and more so, he threw almost only fastballs. He looked awesome, like a shutdown closer should look.

I'm not going to say that the Mets are back. What I will say is that they are fortunate. They could have slipped but they didn't.

Still, this last week was very telling.

As many of my inside have pointed out, the Alay Soler era may be shortlived. The guy is just getting KILLED. He doesn't appear to have an out pitch. It looks like he needs PERFECT control to succeed and he may not have that.

Then, there is Pedro. This guy has looked weak and fragile.



He is everything we feared when we signed him to a 4-year deal. Petey is going to take a start off then have the All star break. Hopefully he can come around.

As we get ready for the allstar break it is important that we close the first half strong. We need to keep this lead at 10. We have been so great in this first half, still we need to take this momentum into part II.

We got really lucky. This past week did not really hurt us. We have to take advantage of this break.

Over the course of this week we will review the first half and look towards the second half, the trade deadline and the season to come.

VCD,

SM