The last 24 hours really have Sip's juices flowing.
To me, Trade Deadlines and Draft Days are like those giant sunglasses that cover the entire face of girls, all over New York City. They are my vice. I just love the action. I love the buzz. I love Rumor Mills. I remember sitting at my dad's radio in February, 1992 listening to the FAN, praying that the Knicks would make a deadline move.
15 years later, not a lot has changed.
Monday was very, very exciting. It was intriguing, it was scary, it was exciting. It was a new beginning. All of a sudden the NL East is an offensive powerhouse. This is definition "shocking." Somewhere, Butch Huskey is shaking his head.
Today, we have a countdown to the deadline and three milestones in our reach, with Tommy's chase of 300 at the forefront.
And that was just baseball.
Insert the Kevin Garnett trade and we have one of the best sports days in memory. Here's a look at what has gone down so far.
Mark Teixiera to the Braves
For this one, just read Cheddar Ben's column from Monday. Yeah, I like the kid but I have no reason to compliment him.
But what he wrote on the Teixiera deal was really quality sports writing. See, I'm capable of rambling, talking some sports and maybe throwing in some jokes. But Ched's piece was just a genuinely good sports column.
My take: You never like to see the Braves get better and they just did.
Salt...alamechia
Intrigue: 9
Kyle Lohse to the Phils
This one kind of screams Adam Eaton. Lohse has always been a guy with decent stuff who has never really materialized. His numbers are bad (6-12, 4.58 ERA), pitching in a hitter friendly park.
But he has looked pretty decent of late (2-2, 3.81 ERA in July).
These guys just don't scare me. The Phils didn't give up much (P Matt Maloney- the team's #9 prospect) and they didn't get much.
But the Phils need guys to get their offense back on the field a little faster. Lohse can certainly get some guys out. Intrigue: 4
Luis Castillo to the Mets
Really, really like this. I love defense and I love speed. Castillo has both (He used to have a lot more). This is an obvious upgrade that I can only describe as "charming" or "quaint." Castillo is going to make all the plays a normal 2b should and do all the things a #2 hitter should. But he is going to go first to third on a play that LoDuca couldn't or make a play in the field that Gotay would not make and you are going to really appreciate the guy we are getting.
I love him in the #2 spot. Another switch hitter with speed. He'll make productive outs, sacrifice bunt and add even more speed to a freakishly fast top of the order.
But I love him more at 2B. He's a former gold glover. Remember when Jose Valentin manned the position. Whenever he made a play, I was shocked. This is good.
Intrigue:7.5
Kevin Garnett to the Celtics for Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Bassy Telfair, draft picks, Theo Ratliff's contract
What a trade.
Love this deal for both teams.
The Celtics for obvious reasons. Add another team to the list of Atlantic division foes that will be much better than the Knicks in 2007-2008(List already included Raptors, Nets, Sixers). The Celtics are all of a sudden the sexiest team in the NBA.
I've said it before and will say it again. KG is at his best when he doesn't have to score. He's the best rebounder in the game and one of its finest passers. In Boston, he will be the third scorer. He is going to be a monster at the high post. If teams double he will pick them apart. If teams don't double (something he has never seen)he will score with ease. Pick your poison.
Really like the deal for the Wolves, too.
The Celtics showed us a succesful way to rebuild. Stock up tons of assets and then trade them for the big parts. They traded away 5 huge assets over the last month to get Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett:
1. #5 Pick 2. Al Jefferson 3. Expiring Contract Theo Ratliff 4. Telfair and Green= 1 Asset 5. 2 future 1st round picks
These are all assets. The Knicks don't have these. They have David Lee, one. And then a bunch of shit pieces who are overhyped because they play in New York.
Now look at the TWolves.
They have Corey Brewer, Randy Foye, Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, a bunch of draft picks to work with and what will be a ton of cap space in a couple of years.
Yes, this team will suck for a couple of years, but so what. They'll stock up more top picks (assets) and still have cap space to acquire top flight talent. Three years and this team could be really good.
The Knicks will not be good in 3 years. Oh and they have sucked for 5 years, too. Intrigue: 10
We'll be back tomorrow and maybe even later tonight to cover what goes down today. For those of you as psychotic as I am when it comes to this junk, enjoy.
Vaya, Sip (Pics courtesy of Dallasnews.com, mlb.com, nba.com)
[Note: A.F.O.M.G. is plagued with self-doubt in a post below.]
There goes the neighborhood.
Here we go, folks. No longer can we call the Mets "the most talented team in the National League." No longer can we gloat about the Braves' gaping wound at first base. No longer can we feel even remotely safe with the lead in the NL East.
Hotlanta swung the deadline deal everyone in my head was fearing today, picking up Mark Teixeira from the Texas Rangers for a tasty package of three top prospects. You know at least one of them, but before we get into that, a look at the big picture is called for.
It's a great deal.
It's the type of deal that wins championships.
And it's likely the type of deal that's going to keep the Braves in the NL East title hunt well beyond the Chipper/Andruw Jones Era.
So, you can tell I'm pretty high on Tex. The vitals are everything you look for in a 1B -- a switch-hitting big bat, slick fielder, young and disciplined. He's hitting a stellar .297/.397/.523 this year despite starting off the year in an awful slump (.223 with 2 HR in April) and battling some nagging injuries.
Unlike some other Rangers past and present, his power numbers aren't an Arlington phenomenon -- Tex's line from 2004-06 at home was .299/.380/.573; on the road, he put up a .278/.367/.526. Over the same period, his numbers as a lefty and a righty hitter are nearly identical -- the guy's balanced.
Basically, if he performs anything like his career norms (and he's shown himself to be extremely dependable), the Braves have plugged a huge hole in their infield. Without further ado, your 2007 Atlanta first basemen:
Just brutal. Tex is a whopping improvement. Now, there are two potential costs that can keep this deal from becoming an unrequited disaster, though neither helps the Mets in 2007. The first is Teixeira's contract status -- arb-eligible after this year, free agent after 2008. Yes, he's going to be expensive, and there's a chance the Braves lose him after a year and change. I see the odds of that happening as extremely slim, seeing as how the team's going to have big contracts (A. Jones, Smoltz) coming off the books during that time, as well as some likely resolution to its salary-stifling ownership situation, but the possibility exists.
Then there's the chance that the Braves gave up too much. The deal looks like it's Tex and 36-year-old relief pitcher Ron Mahay for stud catching prospect Salty, shortstop prospect Elvis Andrus and two more pitching prospects, one of whom may or may not be big lefty Matt Harrison. These were the top three prospects in the system according to Baseball America's preseason rankings.
Still, you can think that all three are going to be outstanding (and there's reason to believe in all of them), and there's still very little chance for the Braves to get screwed here. In Brian McCann, they've got an even better young catcher signed to a long-term deal. In Yuni Escobar, they've got just as good, really, of an SS prospect in case they need to drop Renteria for salary reasons. And Harrison, while nice, isn't a sure thing and may be hurt -- various accounts have him not even in the trade.
In other words, get depressed. Atlanta just beat out the lethargic Angels (Bill Stoneman, you're a dead man) and added an MVP candidate for the next six years, an absolute building block of a player.
Ask me if I want the Mets to win the World Series this year and I almost don't even know. I mean, obviously I want them to win it, but this year is different for me. I just have a different relationship with the team.
They used to be my be all and end all. It's not that anything has changed for me in terms of how much I love the team, it's just a matter of how much time I have now to devote to the team.
Back in the good old days I could watch games every day and every night. Now, with the hours I keep at work, by the time I get home for the night the game is over. And I don't even have time to GameCast that shit at work.
The sad truth is my relationship with the team has changed. I still pull for them, I still desperately want them to do well, but there's a distance there now that never was before.
If you're not watching the games every night, it's impossible to be a passionate fan. That's just the way it is. But you know what, at least I'm willing to take ownership of how much I've slipped. I'm not going to be one of that guy who claims he's a big fan and then you ask him how, generally speaking, David Wright's been doing lately, and he has no effing clue.
But who knows. Maybe once I've had a few more weeks in this job under my belt I'll start getting home around the 4th or 5th inning and I'll actually be able to watch the team play on a weekday.
But as for now there's nothing. I can't remember the last time I watched an entire game on a weekday. I play catch up on the weekends but it's not the same. I just don't have what I've always had with this team. Never before in my life have I been unable to watch the games when I wanted to.
Now look, at the risk of making more of this than it is, I've only been feeling this kind of strain the past two weeks. But going two weeks without this team is a lot for me; it's certainly longer than I've ever gone before.
And all of it has me wondering what I really want from this team. I want them to do well and I want them to win the World Series. Of course that's what I want.
But in some small way, if things keep up like this at work and I never get to watch the team the way I did in years past, if they did go on to win the whole thing, there's a part of me that would feel like they did it without me, like I missed out.
That's selfish of course, and I know it is. But I don't know. You spend so much time with a team and then the first moment you have to turn away is when they finally fulfill every dream you have? Something about that doesn't sound fair to me.
But fuck me. It's not the Mets that need to change, it's me. So that's it, that's the last of this wistful tone you'll hear from me. New A.F.O.M.G.! Time to make shit happen at work, no more fucking around. I need the Mets and if they're going to win it all, and if I'm going to feel right about it, they need me. Let's get to work.
Wave goodbye, for the moment, to the Mets' baby-faced bullpen assassin. Joe Smith was sent down to New Orleans yesterday after giving up a run in 1/3 of an inning during the team's 8-4 loss to the Pirates.
Bye, Joe. Say "Ha" to Juvenile for us. Get a load of the French Quarter. Enjoy the gumbo and the AAA competition. Don't work too hard. And come back soon.
That's the plan, of course. The team has made clear this isn't a, "Son, you blew your chance at the bigs" type of demotion. Joe won't be waking up in a cold sweat tomorrow morning, "Millenium"-style. Here's Omar, as quoted in Newsday this morning.
We're talking about a young kid," Minaya said. "Physical and mental, he just needs a little bit of a rest right now. We're talking about putting a little plan in place, especially at the beginning, just to let him rest a little bit.
Exactly. His innings pitched total -- 38 2/3 IP -- isn't all that high, even for a reliever, and his season ERA -- 3.03 -- is perfectly great. I've always been a huge fan, and while the most important thing is always going to be how a guy's performing for the big-league team when it matters, it's still ridiculous to think that Smith was throwing against such Horizon League powerhouses as Cleveland State and Wisconsin-Green Bay last summer.
I mean, those CSU Vikings (14-44) are no joke. You've got leading hitter Josh Hungerman, an absolute beast of a kid who leads the squad in hitting at .278. He's actually, um, a pitcher. Then there's "Bashful" Bobby Cash, the team's best everyday hitter but a butcher with the glove (27 errors), and "Marvelous" Matt Madrid, whose team-high 6 home runs pair nicely with his .288 on-base percentage. I won't even get into the outstandingness that is Vasili "The Greek" Pahoulis.
I'm not picking on Cleveland State for any particular reason, other than I hate those clowns. But it bears repeating that one of the Mets' key seventh-inning guys, a cheap and real asset going forward, is still shaking crumbs of mediocre suburban Ohio prep second basemen out of his spikes, and anything the organization can do to facilitate the long-term transition from "Wright State closer" to "Chad Bradford in his prime" is unquestionably a good thing.
But Smith hasn't been Bradfordesque in a while -- his pitches aren't biting the way they did early in the season, Darling has been harping on his reduced velocity all summer long, and batters are able to sit back and wait for a flat slider coming into the zone. They've been getting them.
And the results haven't exactly been pretty. The Times has Smith allowing 19 of 27 inherited runners to score since May 5, which is not only awful but in fact the worst such percentage for any reliever in the bigs.
Seriously, did anyone realize it had gotten that bad? I confess to having no idea things had regressed to that point. Joe Smith, secretly killing the Mets.
But anyway, this is clearly going to be an R&R assignment. Zephyrs brass are going to be under orders not to play him that much, and Joe can just take some time off and regroup before being called back up to help the Mets for their stretch drive. I love the move, both in that it gets a weak arm out of the 'pen during a period when we can't afford to be allowing 70 percent of inherited runners to score, and protects a good young arm (and head) from being unnecessarily damaged.
In the meantime, we'll have us some Jon Adkins (?), which won't be so bad, and sit around to see if the Nats will bite on a low-ball offer for Chad Cordero. Thanks to Milwaukee GM Doug Melvin, it's increasingly unlikely they will -- Melvin dealt three young pitching prospects, including one (20-year-old Will Inman) just about on the same level as a Phil Humber -- to San Diego for Scott Linebrink and his fancy 3.80 Petco ERA and shitty strikeout rate.
Asshole. The market for a Cordero, a much better reliever and far more valuable property (under contract for a while!), just shot into the Milledge Zone, at which point I say, "Thanks, but no cheese."
More on this as the trading deadline approaches. Cheddar Ben's got thoughts ...
It feels like all day, I'm watching helicopters and tomato sauce.
For those of us who didn't catch "Goodfellas" last night on AMC--too bad for you-- I mean that I feel like I am always looking over my shoulder.
The Mets have had arguably their best week of the season. We are playing a bad team, or as my boy KFC referred to them in a very deep GChat conversation, "very Bad." Sure, the Pirates are a joke, they always are, but this is not the type of series that the Mets have been dominating this season. They dominated these series with such ease last season, to the point where all I could do was laugh. The Mets, forever mediocre, were a force. A Major Force.
And with that, congrats to Tommy on 299.
Are the Mets back? Lets give it a few weeks. But it really looks like the Mets may have found the spark that they needed. Last year he was the king of controversy. This year, he is hustling, showing emotion and playing the baseball that made him a top prospect.
Lastings Milledge, of course.
So our boys are winning, our kid is playing and the Mets are in first place, playing their best baseball in three months.
And yet, I've never been more paranoid.
Helicopters and Tomato Sauce.
The two teams that scared us before the season are scaring a newly shaved-head Sip. Of course, they are the Phillies and the Yankees.
Another night, another dramatic win for the Fightin's. The Phils' offense is just scary. Wednesday night's hero Ryan has looked over the last 6 weeks like Ryan Howard of '06. And good thing for this blogger. On a tip from my buddy Tom Donaghy I threw down a unit at 20:1 about 6 weeks ago on Howard having the most home runs in baseball. He still has a long hill to climb, in the paws of Alex Rodriguez, but, that is a much smaller hump than he had back in June when he had about 15 guys to surpass.
Then there is Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins. Utley is a star. I didn't think it would happen this year, but it did. Hitting .330 and leading the NL in RBI.
But the man they call J-Ro, the guy who put this team on his shoulders when he called the Phils the team to beat is having one of the best offensive seasons ever by a SS not named Alex Rodriguez.
The Phils have won 5 in a row and just don't show any signs of slowing down. They're getting career years from their entire lineup (Rowand, Victorino, Rollins, Utley).
We have 4 with them in Philly(Carlos Beltran is smiling) at the end of August and three more at Shea in Mid-September. Those two series could determine the season. They should be pretty awesome.
Speaking of awesome, what is going on in Yankeeland is anything but...Awesome.
The Yankees are playing like a team with a $200 million dollar payroll. They are destroying bad teams. They made the D-Rays look like the AAA team that they are earlier this week. And now that they are exposing Rob Neyer's darlings for the stiffs that they really are.
6.5 back of the Sox and we're not in August.
Unlikely to make a major move at the deadline, the Yankees still may get more help that any team in baseball at the end of July.
If Giambi can hit (read: is he back on the clear?) the lineup would add a dominant bat.
If Phil Hughes comes back and looks at all like hed did in his last start before the freakish injury, then the Yankees are adding a very solid starting pitcher.
Hot team + Key Offensive Addition + Key Pitching Addition= Salt
I am naturally a pretty nervous person. You might say I'm my father's son in this respect. Right now, the Phils and Yankees have me nervous.
When I'm nervous, I sometimes ramble, as you may have noticed above. There is some good to be drawn from all this. The Mets may finally be playing their best baseball. What's rough though, is that anything less- as we have seen all season- and we may be in some trouble.
As they say in the old country, it's time to step up.
Better development: John Maine going seven strong and earning his 11th win, or John Maine belting a two-run homer?
Answer: Of course it's the pitching that matters, and with Maine coming off his first shaky two-start stretch of the season, we can all be a little bit relieved. Not too relieved -- it was the Pirates after all, the team run by a guy who apparently thought he was going to trade Jack Wilson for Troy Glaus. Props there, stud.
Maine gives up basically just the homer to Jason Bay last night and some other chintzy shit, and now he's looking at an 11-5 record with an ERA just north of 3.00 in 127.1 innings pitched. He somewhat unnecessarily brushed back Y2K hero and good guy Xavier Nady, the X-Man, but that's entirely forgivable. Overall, he basically is averaging one bad start per month, which is going to happen, but in the meantime has absolutely anchored our rotation when we needed it.
Still, there's nothing quite as satisfying as a no-hit pitcher knocking one out of the park, and doing it to left-center at Shea is really even better. If you didn't see the highlight (or it live), the Maine Event absolutely whaled a high riding fastball from Ian Snell up in the zone, connecting at about the same point in its flight as did the Dodgers' Matt Kemp on his game-winning HR this past weekend. Way back, etc., and Willie couldn't believe his eyes in the dugout.
Now they've got a book on Maine -- don't come up and in. HE WILL OWN YOU. At least if you pitch in Pittsburgh.
Homers by hurlers are down this year, as well, with only 12 so far against a total of 36 for all of last year. Which is too bad -- dingers by random guys are a fun part of the game, and we're all for more random cool stuff happening during games. Let's have Joe Smith take Jake Peavy deep and be done with it.
Better development: Blastings going 3 for 3, or Moises Alou ALMOST ready to come off the DL?
Answer: It's a trap! Anything that decreases the likelihood of Shawn Green playing is by definition a good thing, whether it's the return of the Mack or the rise of a new one. Sorry to belabor the point, just get the dude out of my scorecard, for the love of ... well, whomever. Also, is it me, or is he getting skinnier as the season goes along? I swear, he hasn't looked like a Major Leaguer in a while, but he's starting to remind me a little too much of Adrian Brody.
And I mean in the body, the muscle-less weenie. They've always looked similar in the face.
(Speaking of whom, caught the new Danny Boyle flick "Sunshine" on Monday down at 68th St., and highly recommend it to all -- think "Event Horizon" meets one of the better Ray Bradbury short stories. Before the film, the last trailer to run was for "The Darjeeling Limited," the new Wes Anderson joint set to drop later this year. You may or may not recall that the Glass Man and I were invited to the first-ever screening of this thing back in April and absolutely hated the thing. Anyway, as the trailer went dark, I definitely shouted, "That thing sucked!" loud enough for everyone in the theater to hear, and got a couple of laughs and one disapproving "Shh!" Felt like a big man. Anyway.)
I can't be mad at all about this latest setback from Alou -- supposed to join the team last night, but he's going to hold off until the weekend due to a bursty shoulder or some such. Took a bad swing down in Brooklyn, had an MRI, is day-to-day. Whatever. He's been gone for so long, another couple of days isn't going to kill us. Just as long as when he comes back, he's ready to give us a couple of really good stretch months.
And don't look now, but young Blastings has three straight multi-hit games on the trot, and looks like he's getting more comfortable at the plate ...
Better development: The Mets not having made a big trade, or the Braves not having made a big trade?
Answer: Definitely the latter. Any time I hear something about Atlanta picking up Mark Teixeira, I immediately go numb. That would be a worst-case scenario for Mets fans -- the guy is an absolute superstar, and would go on to haunt New York and the rest of the NL East for years to come. I truly believe that.
It looks like the deal could still happen, too, depending on whether or not the team will give up that Salty young catcher of theirs, in addition to one of their two shortstop prospects (Yuni Escobar and Elvis Andrus.) I also saw a scenario flashed involving a three-way trade where Renteria got shipped out, but as good as he's been for them this year, that still terrifies me.
The real problem is that, as per this MLB.com article, there aren't many better fits for Tex than Atlanta -- all three California teams are looking elsewhere, the Yankees aren't going to give up Hughes or Chamberlain (rightly so ... dang!), and while the Red Sox might want him, getting him will involve giving up pitchers they really need to keep for salary reasons going forward (you need at least a couple players on the roster not making $6m a year) and displacing one of either Mike Lowell (.304/.355/.509, Gold Glove D at 3B), Kevin Youkilis (.314/.410/.473, dirt cheap), or a Hall of Fame DH platoon of Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz.
That's four guys in the top 27 in VORP in the AL. Yeah, the Sox may be O.K. at the corners. Whereas Atlanta has needed a 1B forever, owns the trading chips, and really could use a boost in the standings. Fuck.
At the moment, I'm perfectly fine with the Mets not having made a trade. Partly because of the players that will be coming back from injury, partly because I'm a sucker and think we're going to be getting something out of Pedro down the stretch, but mostly because I think guys like Blastings and Beltran are going to be able to pick it up, and that the team is already good enough to win as constituted once everyone starts playing together.
Not that I'm against picking up Chad Cordero from Nats for scraps if he were available (if Kevin Mulvey + Mike Carp gets it done, I'm there in a second), or wouldn't trade basically any two of Gomez/Milledge/Pelfrey/Humber for a REAL frontline starter like Roy Oswalt. But I'm just not that upset to see someone like Javy Vazquez still in ChiSox pinstripes.
Right now, the Mets are better than the Braves, and I think that ceteris paribus (big up to the Williams economics department), things are more likely than not to remain that way.
Grudzielanek has approximately $1.5 million remaining this season on his $4 million salary, but his contract also contains a vesting clause that triggers a $4 million players’ option for next season if he gets 500 plate appearances.
There are a couple of ways to take solace in the fact that the Yankees are the hottest team in baseball.
First, they are doing it behind a guy named Shelley.
Second, the Mets are coming off one of their best series of the season.
Third, you can put news and Pedro in the same sentence...
Fourth, welcome back Moises Alou, the piece that puts this lineup over the top.
1. Shelley Duncan
At least his name isn't Betsy. And we mean no offense to any guys out there with female names. You don't play for the Yankees so we don't have much of a problem with you.
It always pains me when Roger Clemens throws well. Like the Duke in Major League, I wouldn't be surprised if he threw at one of his sons in a Father/Son game.
And this recent Yankee run is paining me to say the least. Over the last week I have found myself scoreboard watching a little more than usual. A perfect sign that the Yankees are winning a lot and Sip is unhappy.
2. Taking 3 of 4 from the Dodgers
I've seen a lot of the Dodgers and a lot of the NL West over the last two months. The Dodgers are the other best team in the National League.
Doing what we did to Derek Lowe is not normal. He's been unreal this year.
And taking 3 of 4 from this team is a real sign for the Mets. This was the best team in the NL and the Mets dominated a series in their home.
3. Pedro
Apparently he threw another simulated game on Monday.
All year I have told you guys two things. The Yankees will make the playoffs and Pedro will not pitch for the Mets this season. Somewhere, Happy Will is crying.
I hope I am wrong on both fronts.
To give you some perspective, I am a lot more confident in Pedro not pitching than the Yankees not making the playoffs. There are two months in the season and he is not close.
Why would the Mets be rumored to be interested in a pitcher if Pedro was coming back? They have 4 solid starters.
4. Welcome Back Moises
The forgotten man. Do you guys remember how nasty our lineup was in April? With Moises hitting at No. 6, the Mets lineup was stacked top to bottom. The whole lineup, sans D Wright, was killing the ball.
When this guy comes back, watch out. More protection for Delgado.
If he can stay healthy, I will be very confident about the Mets. And you all know me. That doesn't happen often.
It feels like forever since I've written for my beloved Y2K. As loyal readers are aware, Monday I started my new job. Good news is it's going great so far. Great group of people, really interesting work. For the first time in my professional life, I'm really enjoying what I'm doing, through one week at least.
But there's a slight downside. In my old job I was working, on average, 45 hours a week. In around 9, out around 6. Man, those were the days. New job has me in at 8, which is fine, but doesn't factor in the 2 hours beforehand spent reading the FT and Journal. Then I leave work at around 10 or 11. All told, I tallied 72.5 hours in the office this past week.
It sounds worse than it is. Honestly, I'm a lot happier now. But there is one major downside which is that I can't write for the old website as often as I could before. That's a bummer but what can you do?
So Mondays are my new gig, and honestly it's just as well that my first post didn't come earlier in the week. See, the first couple days in this job I was pretty pissed off.
I get discouraged easily if I'm not instantly good at something. Really bad trait. I attribute it to my boyhood days as a legend of the various West Side Little Leagues.
I was one of those kids who was really good at the sports that matter when you're young, baseball and soccer. They came very easily to me. To this day I feel like everything should come as easily as those did, and when they don't I get upset at myself.
Anyway, first couple days on the job I didn't know what the hell I was doing. I was working intense hours at something that I didn't feel particularly good at, and I was upset with myself.
Then I would come home around 11, and the Mets would be in the 4th inning or so. Dazed from a 15 hour day, I would watch the television and, for the first time in my life, really resent the people on the screen.
"These fucking guys," I'd mutter to myself, "how the fuck are they earning 10 million a year to work 3 hours a day when I'm earning X for 15 hours a day?"
It's the first time I'd ever had a thought like that. It bothered me that I was even thinking it, but I couldn't help it. It just didn't seem fair.
But I've had some time to get better at my job by this point -- I'm no old pro but I'm starting to get the hang of it a little bit, and so it was that this weekend I rediscovered the joy of baseball.
Out at a shitty bar Friday night, I watched the Mets close out their win as a table of pickled older men nearby looked on and cheered. Tonight I watched the end of the Mets game with my boys and loved it; loving Shawn Green in the 9th, hating Shawn Green in the 10th, cursing Wagner leading off the 10th, singing his praises after he closed out the 10th.
Then I turned on Entourage, the biggest Mets-bashing show in the game, and there was Johnny Drama wearing a vintage '86 Lenny Dykstra jersey, and I thought, cot damn, everything's coming up A.F.O.M.G. tonight.
So I'm back, baby. Back at Y2K, back to the boys, back to old school Glass Man.
Could've been that bottle of wine over dinner but I'm feeling good. I'll work my ass off over the next year but fuck it, what have I got to do that's so important on a Tuesday night?
Before I go, couple music tips for those of you out there who are in to that kind of thing. One, the new Arctic Monkeys, Favourite Worst Nightmare. I'm not someone who loved their first CD, but this one is the truth. "Fluorescent Adolescent" is my early favorite, but it's just a really solid disc start to finish.
Two, this group called Saturday Looks Good to Me has an album called All Your Summer Songs, which is perfectly breezy for these long summer days. Uncork a bottle of your favorite white and put on "Ultimate Stars" or "Alcohol" or "Underwater" or "Since You Stole My Heart" (different album) and try not to just love life.
One review I was reading likened their music to The Beach Boys; that's lofty territory of course, but I can kind of see where they're coming from with that. It's not a CD you'll listen to start to finish and love the first time around, but it's a grower. Give it a shot.
And that's it.
- A.F.O.M.G.
(Images courtesy of careerbuilder.typepad.com, astrosdaily.com and panther1.last.fm)
Stephon Marbury made a shocking revelation yesterday, saying that when his contract expires with the Knicks in two years, he's planning to play in Italy. Marbury, amidst his 38-city, cross-country bus tour to promote his discount Starburys sneakers, told The Post he wants to eventually leave the NBA after having visited Italy in May with his wife.
"I'm not just thinking of doing it, I'm going to do it," Marbury vowed yesterday. "My wife loved it there. It's like a [David] Beckham thing."
Scene: A gym in Treviso, Italy. Benetton, including its newest signing, has been practicing for an hour. Enter head coach Allessandro Ramagli, wearing a sharp designer suit and carrying a pair of espressos. An assistant blows a whistle, and drills cease. Ramagli approaches his new star player.
Ramagli: Buongiorno, Signore Marbury! Welcome to Italy!
Marbury: Thanks, coach. Good to meet you.
Ramagli: Si, si, the pleasure is entirely mine. How was your flight?
Marbury: Not bad at all. I had some of that, what do you call it, gelato? In the airport. Man, that was pretty tasty. I think I'm going to like it here.
Ramagli: But of course. Have you been able to settle into your new home?
Marbury: Definitely, definitely. LaTasha's got everything all moved in, and she loves it. There was a nice little breeze this morning. Couldn't be happier. This is a really beautiful area you've got here. I think we'll be very comfortable.
Ramagli: Well, that is our hope, Signore. Did you receive the welcoming gift from my wife?
Marbury: No, I don't think so. Actually, we did find a decapitated cat in a box on the doorstep when we moved in, but I just thought it was from a Knicks fan. I threw it to the pack of wild dogs running through the neighborhood.
Ramagli: ... ah, very well. No problem. There were be other opportunities. We serve gatto senza testa quite regularly at team functions .
Marbury: Serve what now?
Ramagli: In any case, here is some refreshment for you. [Presents espresso]
Marbury: [shakes head] Oh, no thanks, coach. I'm in the middle of practice.
Ramagli: Of course you are. [Laughs, turns to assistants]. He does not want the coffee. He says he's in the middle of practice. [All laugh uproariously]. Signore Marbury, where will you get your energy from if not this espresso? It is an Italian basketball tradition to drink at least one cup during the course of each training session, and at least two during halftime of each game. In this way, we refuel our bodies and refocus our senses. Your foul American sports drinks do nothing but chill and load the body with sugar and filth, whereas espresso is natural and invigorating. This cup, in particular, was prepared for me by the finest shop in all of Treviso. Please, have a taste.
Marbury: It's just that it's about 100 degrees in this gym, and I could really use some water ... [sees the look on Ramagli's face] ... um, okay. [Sips. Looks disgusted.]
Ramagli: Excellent. Now, all the particulars have been arranged. Your contract is to your liking, yes?
Marbury: Oh, no doubt. The contract is good.
Ramagli: Two years, $6 million American dollars, plus several plane tickets for your cousin Sebastian, the criminal. A stately sum.
Marbury: Well, not really, but whatever.
Ramagli: Never before has the club paid such an amount to any one individual. As I'm sure you know, raising the money was very difficult. We had to release many of our players. Coach Vitucci sold his vintage Ferrari to a doctor in Venice. Coach Corbani is leasing his sister to a whorehouse in Vazzola for a year as well. It has been difficult on many of us.
Marbury: [looks away nervously] Yeah, about those players. I was just wondering when the rest of the team was going to get here.
Ramagli: [looks blankly]
Marbury: You know, the rest of the pros. These guys I've been shooting around with are pretty decent, actually, for dudes at a gym, but I was hoping to meet my teammates soon.
Ramagli: Signore Marbury, this is our squad. With this team, we will capture the scudetto and the EuroLeague, mark my words! It is the finest team we have ever assembled!
Marbury: You've got to be kidding me. Where are all the other Americans? Where's that guy from Xavier, Lionel Chalmers? You've got to have at least one player from the ACC here, right?
Ramagli: They have all been sold to pay for you. This year, we will have Starbury, and a homegrown team to take the title. Forza Treviso, yes?
Marbury: But look at these clowns. That little hairy guy over there plays? He's like 5-8, and he hasn't made a shot yet.
Ramagli: I don't know who you mean. [Marbury points]. Ah, you have seen Sergio Galletti? One of my finest pupils. Two-time Most Valuable Player of the league. Scored 25 points during a single half against CSKA Moscow. Those animal Russian fans wanted to rape him after that game. And they almost did. [Chuckles to self.]
Marbury: But all he's doing is tripping guys. Look, there he goes again. He's just sticking his leg out and pushing the other dudes on the ground. I think he just spit on one of them.
Ramagli: Yes, he is very skilled. And you have seen Paolo, our young center? One of the top NBA prospects in all of Europe, but we are not so willing to give him up yet, no?
Marbury: That scrawny motherfucker with the leg braces on? He's just standing in the corner and shooting 3-pointers. He looks like Jason McElwain.
Ramagli: Ah, yes, the boy from Rochester. I hear he has a tryout with Bologna next week.
Marbury: I don't even think half of these guys are wearing basketball shoes. What are those?
Ramagli: Those are loafers. Fine local leather. Very reasonable. As Italians, we are extremely proud of our fashion sense. Would you like a pair?
Marbury: Man, I'm here to sell my own. ... Okay, hold on a second. Can anyone here even dunk?
Ramagli: Certainly! Why, what do you take us for? We are the runners-up of the entire continent! "Paolo, vieni qui e fai questo."
[Paolo limps toward the 3-point arc. An assistant hands him a basketball, gives him instructions. Paolo runs toward the rim, stops at the free throw line and shoots a jump shot.]
Assistant: Bravo, Paolo!
Marbury: What the shit?
Ramagli: [softly] Please, it is best to give him encouragement. He is, how do you say, not quite right in the head. But the new medication from France, it is very promising.
Marbury: I think I'm going to be sick.
Ramagli: Ah, in Treviso, we have an excellent cure for weakness of the stomach. [Snaps fingers]. Marco! Bring out the gatto senza testa!
[Enter mimes, cue organ music. Red and white checked curtain falls.]
Pretend that we are in the Matrix. Free your mind of disbelief.
It's the middle of July and the Yankees are 7 games back of the Red Sox and 5 out of the Wild Card. Their pitching, banged up for much of the season, is finally healthy. Bobby Abreu, who couldn't hit for three months, is finally hitting. Jason Giambi is coming back off the DL and things can only get better for Damon and Cano. And did I mention that they apparently have two kids coming up that could save their bullpen?
Now answer this.
When does this team clinch a playoff berth?
Free your mind again.
It's mid-July and the Mets have a 2.5 game lead in the NL East. Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Aaron Heilman and Tom Glavine have been sub-par all season. The team has been unable to string together a good two-week run since April.
Now answer this.
When does this team clinch a playoff berth?
Free your mind one last time.
Now ask yourself.
Why the hell did we even watch the first 3.5 months of the season?
I know the answer is obvious. We like baseball and this is what we do. But at the end of the day, nothing has really changed since April. The Mets are the best team in their division. The Yankees will turn it up when they need to and make a run at a 146th consecutive playoff berth.
In a way, MLB has become the NBA.
So as we prepare for these last 2 months and change of the season, I warn you all in advance of a phenomenon that is going to drive Mets fans to misery. Yankee fans will have a new, very annoying cheer (much like Jose-Jose- a clear evidence of the Yankeefication of the New Mets---though i do enjoy this cheer)that will feel like a hammer to your brain much like the sounds of a nagging mother.
Get ready for:
"JOBA, JOBA, JOBA, JOBA!!!"
Joba Chamberlin, from everything I read, is going to be pretty solid. Desperate for bullpen help, this kid appears to be the first call up, along with Ross Ohlendorf, one of the guys from the Randy Johnson deal.
Peter Gammons calls Joba a Joel Zumaya type. He throws gas and strikes a lot of people out.
So just imagine the 4th Reich of Yankee stadium after this guy has a couple of solid outings. A fan base, desperate for bullpen help, because that is what Mike and the Mad Dog tell them they need finally has their savior.
How long will it take the Daily News to have a cute little caption on the backpage:
"It's Joba Time."
Again, I don't know anything other than what I have read, but knowing my luck, the luck of the Yankees and their lovely fan base, I would imagine that Joba-Mania will hit New York City in about a month.
Not sure what is more embarrassing -- that the deadbeat Blue Jays don't have the stones to throw at A-Rod after he humiliated them in their own park (This season has been a disgrace for a team that had hopes of making the playoffs. Imagine the credibility around baseball if they just rightfully threw at the game's second most hated villain?) ...
or...
The questions in Marty Noble's most recent mailbag on Mets.com.
I think back to that scene in "Clerks" where Randall talks about all the moronic questions he receives on a daily basis. The scene made me laugh a lot.
Me and my buddy Big Maciej have a running joke. It's really who is quickest. We see a moron on TV or a guido and one of us jumps:
Sip: "Hey, bro. Lets go Yanks, right bro?" Maciej: " How bout them Mets, bro?"
This is us referring to a conversation that the on-screen character might have.
Imagine watching "True Life: Jersey Shore" with a Yankee fan.
But seriously, you know how I feel about Mets fans these days.
Remember back in the mid 90's when Summer games at Shea might draw 25,000? I think about 10 percent of those people are friends of mine to this day. I would walk around the streets of Manhattan, see someone in a Mets had, yell "Let's go Mets," and they would smile and respond.
I grew up a little. But every once in a while I will do it just to see the reaction. I get none.
Shea now sees 45,000 "New Mets" fans every day. Some say this is good. I don't really know. Especially when I read this week's mailbag. It was almost painful.
Every question could be met with one of the following:
"No, you're wrong."
"No, that's not how it works."
"No. Are you serious?"
But Marty Noble is nice enough to casually explain to our 3rd grader fan base why their questions are, in fact, WRONG.
1. I saw the statistic you wrote about -- that Rickey Henderson had led off the first inning with a home run more times by the time he played with the Mets in 1999 than the Mets had in their history. How can that be true? Rickey had played just 21 years by the time he signed with the Mets, and they were born in 1962. They had all those games -- 17 [years] times 162 [games] before he was a rookie. You can't be right. Where did you get your information? -- Jon H., Sandy Hook, N.J.
No. Are you serious? Rickey is the greatest leadoff hitter ever.
2. Once Duaner Sanchez comes off the disabled list, I suppose he will be a free agent. The Mets should consider re-signing him to a two- or three-year contract. He is so valuable to their bullpen when he's healthy. With nasty stuff and a blazing fastball, Sanchez should be the prime setup man when he returns, and should be in a Mets uniform for as long as possible. -- Jordan R., New York, N.Y.
No. That's not how it works. See arbitration rules.
3. I know this is looking ahead, but what if the Mets moved outfield prospect Fernando Martinez to second base? Then they would have an outfield of Carlos Beltran, Lastings Milledge and Carlos Gomez with an infield of David Wright, Jose Reyes, Martinez and Carlos Delgado. -- Alex X., Cresskill, N.J.
No. That's not how it works. Why doesn't Sip catch? He caught in high school?
4. Now that Julio Franco is gone, do you think Ramon Castro may get some time at first base when Delgado needs a rest? The only Met with significant time at first base, other than Delgado, is Shawn Green, but he also bats left-handed and Delgado probably would be resting only against a left-handed starter.
Damion Easley probably is the only other option, and he has played 21 games there. However, he plays several positions and can get at-bats from those spots. Castro is the only other right-handed-hitting option. He has never played first, but it seems like if he can pick it up, it would be a good way to get a good hitter more at-bats. What do you think? -- Adam S., Hillsborough, N.J.
No. That's not how it works. Remember when we tried to put Todd Hundley in LF? (RIP)
5. With all the speculation about Paul Lo Duca not returning next season and a certain someone rehabbing as a catcher in the Minor Leagues out West, is there any chance the Mets could make a cheap move to get Mike Piazza as a backup catcher and -- for the World Series -- designated hitter? You would think, if Roger Clemens and Julio Franco still played hard into their mid 40s, that Piazza at age 38 still has a chance to show he can play. To have him back at Shea Stadium would be a dream come true for all true Mets fans -- Marty C., Toms River, N.J.
No. Are you serious? (Though this one bothered me the least. It would be a nice story and say what you want, but Monster would be a very nice Right Handed bat off the bench.)
6. Because Endy Chavez made that great catch in Game 7 of the NLCS last year, could he go into the Hall of Fame just for that? -- Jacob K., Croton, N.Y.
No. Are you serious?
7. Now that the Mets have been around for 46 years, why don't they hold an Old Timer's Day like the Yankees? They have had nights like the reunion of '86 team, but no games. -- Scot S., New York, N.Y.
No. When did you make the switch from the Bronx to Queens? 2006 or 2007?
8. I see the setup relief role as lacking on this team and would like to see the Mets make a move for a more reliable setup man not prone to allowing home runs like Aaron Heilman has been. What are your thoughts? It would allow Joe Smith and Pedro Feliciano to be used more situationally, and the Mets can still bring Guillermo Mota along to see if he can produce effective innings. -- Robert N., Archbald, Pa.
The Mets need bullpen help...THANKS!
Is this really our fanbase? What happened to this city?
I could write about the Mets right now. But they lost and that sucks.
I could write about the Yankees right now. But they won and that also sucks.
I could write about a lot of different things right now and you would have to read it, because hopefully me discussing what I'm not going to write about has you all the least bit curious as to what I AM going to write about.
Welcome my friends to the psychology of the blogosphere. Proceed with caution.
And Sr. said that summer class in Bloggology was a waste of money.
Today we pay the ultimate tribute to someone perfect and then offer a giant lashing to something so excruciatingly painful that there has never been a better time then NOW to write about it.
First, the angry part. "Who's Now."
When I saw Y2k legend Patrick make a post about it on Monday, I knew this column was meant to be.
This Sports Center gimmick, meant to fill a 90 minute episode of Baseball Tonight without the proper baseball analysis/WNBA highlights because it is PC, may very well be the worst television that I for some reason watch every single day.
This is the dumbest competition maybe of all time.
For those smart enough not to watch, here is what you are missing. A 32-athlete bracket, like the NCAA tournament, where the fans vote for the athlete that they feel is more "Now."
To be "now" is to be a superior athlete and pop-culture icon.
Maria Sharapova is "Now." Tim Duncan is not so "Now."
Lebron James is "Now." Carlos Beltran is not so "Now."
The first mistake ESPN made was calling this a competition to see who is most "Now." Or maybe not. I think I am going to start calling anything I see and like, "Now." And for those who know me well, you can imagine how annoying this is gonna get.
"Yo, you see that girl over. She is so NOW!!"
"I really like those sneakers, they are so, whats the word...NOW!"
Seriously, though. ESPN does so much right. But, this competition could not be more "Then." They should just take 32 colors and put them in a bracket and have the people vote.
"Blue had a great year. It had the sky and is the favorite color of hip bloggers like Sip Momo. But watch out, because blue is up against a very dangerous "Yellow." Yellow also had a great year. The sun is yellow and Paris Hilton was spotted at Spago wearing yellow shoes. We need not mention a certain Coldplay hit."
I actually am embarrassed for Sports Center when this segment comes on. I think it is horrible that ESPN makes two of its finer analysts, Michael Wilbon and Kirk Herbstreit analyze this.
I do, however, find it very fitting that the King of "Boo Yah!", Stuart Scott, is hosting this little shindig. The only thing that would make this better would be if Skip Bayless and Steven A. Smith were the people arguing for the more "Now" athlete.
That might actually cause me to read a book.
PART II
What is very "Now" for you guys is that as always, Sip comes through with a promise. He told you there would be a bitter rant. And now there is a ray of sunshine.
For those of you living on planet 20-something, you know how "Now" the hit smash Transformers is. The movie is a blockbuster and while I haven't seen it, I have heard nothing but "Now" reviews.
Within this "Now" movie is a "Now" actress that very well may change the landscape of teenage masturbation for many years to come.
And while we can't verify that this "Now" girl is a reader of our site, my sources tell me that she is very fond of the internet, which is pretty damn close if you ask me.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Ms. "NOW," Megan Fox.
I only caught her in this month's Maxim spread. But lets say that that was enough for me to comfortably label this girl, NOW! I also know that she once dated famed 90210 alum Brian-Austin Green. That is pretty NOW too, if you ask me.
No real reason to bring Ms. Fox to this little blog of ours, other than out of pure respect.
And for that, all I can say is...you guessed it:
"Now!"
Vaya, Sip (Pics courtesy of ladiescourt.com, yale.edu, beyondhollywood.com)
10:02 P.M. -- The White Phil Ivey and girlfriend finally clear out of the living room following a nice stir-fry dinner and TiVoed episode of "Hell's Kitchen." Let me guess -- Chef Ramsey cursed a bunch, and one team's food was better than the other's. "Laguna Beach" it ain't.
10:04 -- The Mets are 10-12 against the NL West this year, just so you know. These games are important.
10:06 -- Boomer goes for the Pads, throws two nice curveballs to Jose, who's hitting .350 as a righty.
10:08 -- And it's ol' Blastings hitting in the No. 2 slot, a lovely little twist by Willie. A discussion of what will become of Milledge when Moises Alou return ensues. Ron suggests Blastings will slot in as a fourth outfielder, but only until Endy comes back. Here's an idea ... how about he stays in the starting lineup, and the non-gentile who hasn't hit worth a damn since April hits the bench?
10:13 -- Gary on Boomer ... "He's been a rebel his entire life." Whatever. As far as I'm concerned, once you willingly conform to George Steinbrenner's dress code, your rebel cred is shot. See: Giambi, Jason.
10:18 -- Jorge Sosa quickly retires both Giles brothers as Gary informs us that the Padres are hitting .232 as a team at home. In other words, they collectively hit like Shawn Green.
10:21 -- This is as good a time as any to note that ESPN's Rick Sutcliffe was on fire during the Cubs-Giants tiff earlier in the evening. San Fran blew another game, giving up two runs in the bottom of the eighth to lose 3-2. Both runs coming via a two-out rally started by a broken-bat Ryan Theriot infield single, a little dinker just past the pitcher that Ray Durham gloved over the bag but didn't have a play on. Which was all very well and good, except that Sutcliffe reacted as if he had seen the Virgin Mary in the bat shards.
Quoting (imagine the spittle flying) ... "That is the type of player who helps you win championships. Doing whatever it takes to win. That's what David Eckstein would have done there. That's what Craig Counsell would have done. Given the big boys a chance to win it for you. Breaks his bat, and has the speed to beat it out."
Given that Durham didn't even attempt a throw, it's not clear what Theriot, apparently the Hustleniks' new paragon of virtue, had to beat, but never mind that. After the win was sealed, Sutcliffe followed up with an all-time doozy, picking up the Lou Piniella-stroking baton from where the loathsome Dave O'Brien had recently put it down. Piniella had called for a timely pitchout in the seventh to keep the Giants from extending their lead, and the ESPN crew might as well have dropped to its collective knees for the rest of the night.
But comes then Sutcliffe, following a solid 3-2 win to put the Cubs at 48-43, with this -- "They're the exact same team they were last year, but they've got that passion."
I mean, just think about that. The "exact same team?" On this planet, the NL's Chicago team spent $300 million on new contracts during the offseason, signing a number of high-profile free agents and rejiggering their lineup completely. They dumped a bunch of pitchers, and added a whole mess of new starters. They called up prospects like Rich Hill and Felix Pie. These were the types of things you might have heard about if you were paid to cover baseball for a living.
10:35 -- Former Cub Michael Barrett knocks home a pair to give the Pads a 2-0 lead and probably should have challenged Blastings' arm after Boomer slices a two-out single into left. Sosa's slider looks flat.
10:41 -- Boomer strikes out Green, of course, but gives up an avoidable double to Sosa and gets beaten to the bag by Jose on an infield dribbler. Ron and Gary call him a fat-ass in so many words.
10:56 -- SNY's Kevin Burkhardt gives us the scoop on the statue of Tony Gwynn that will be going up soon outside Petco Park. No word on whether or not the statue has been engineered to gain 15 pounds a year and manage the San Diego State baseball team into the ground. No, I kid, I kid. I love the guy, if not as much as my future roommate Blond Matt, who's from San Francisco yet absolutely adores Gwynn.
11:00 -- Sosa walks the shorter Giles, gives up a single to Gonzalez and is pretty clearly still not right in the legs. He isn't helped by Blastings, who fails to run around a lazy flyball to left and allows both runners to move up. Alomar will give him a deserved talking-to after the inning.
11:01 -- Good to see you still can't make out Mike Cameron's features from the main camera. Sosa strikes him out, escapes the frame with no damage.
11:14 -- LoDuca singles home Wright, as the Mets use three straight singles to get on the board at 2-1. Boomer looks worried. Up steps Green. Gary informs us that the Golden Jew is a career .393 hitter at Petco.
11:15 -- Double-play ball to Greene with an E, inning over. Sigh.
11:27 -- Sosa, after a 1-2-3 inning, draws a one-out walk off Wells before Jose singles up the middle. But Beltran moves to 6 for his last 48 with an inning-ending groundout, and the Mets strand two more.
11:44 -- Then, in the top of the sixth, Wright gets on with a miscommunication bloop and is promptly picked off. Dang. Incidentally, I may have to go to bed soon.
11:56 -- Sosa mows down the side again. And that's going to do it for Cheddar Ben for now ... will check in with an update in the morning. ...
7:11 A.M. EST -- It was a good time to go to bed. At least both the Phils and Braves lost. Mets now 10-13 against the West.
Lot of things in the baseball world to get a good Mets fan/Yankee hater shaking.
-The Phils lost No. 10,000. That's a lot of losses. Thank god for their cheese steaks.
-Did "Entourage" really go the medical marijuana route? Two weeks ago, it's "cougar chasing" -- last week it's chicks with dicks, this week it's docs weed and E beating someone up. (Really? Isn't he like 5'2, 125 lbs?)
Starting to get a little concerned, that's all I will say.
- As long as we are on the subject of crappy TV (Ed's note: When are we not?), Sunday featured sports' two most useless televised events: The ESPY's and the WNBA All-Star Game.
I've never been a fan of the ESPYs. I just think it's a dumb show. And the WNBA. Someone needs to pull the plug on this one. This isn't sexist and if it is, so be it. I'd rather see TNBC re-runs on NBC than a WNBA game, even when the stars are shining. Sorry, mom.
-The Braves are starting to look like the Braves of old. Buddy Carlyle is throwing gems like he was Greg Maddux and the Braves shot out from the break and made the useless Pirates look a lot like the Pirates have looked for the last 20 years. Bad.
-Young Lastings arrived. Happy Will has been creaming at the thought of Lastings coming back and dropping the old "F" bomb to all of his doubters. Well the kid had a huge weekend. TOLD YA SO!!!
No, but with Endy and Alou out it would be really nice if Milledge was serviceable. A very strong part of me would like to see what this kid could do in the #2 hole. But, I would imagine that "By the book" Willie will avoid that.
"I just went with my gut. Lastings is my guy."
Yeah, we get it Willie.
Oh, and a little bummed that Lastings ditched the giant wooden cross. That thing has as colorful as anything we have seen since Derek Bell's sleeves in '00.
- Gary Sheffield went on another tirade. He called Joe Torre out, something I always find enjoyable. And while Sheffield's most recent rant was a little off the deep end, I really do respect the guy. Few people in baseball have the balls to knock Jeter and Torre. They reached the status where it is just plain wrong to say something bad about them. So good for Garry Sheffield. The guy plays by his rules and he has carved a pretty handsome career out of it.
-And finally, my favorite. Joe Torre, eloquent as always, called the 2007 season, " his toughest ever."
Is it the losing or that you don't have Alex Rodriguez to hide behind? My question remains and I have been saying this for years: Why doesn't Torre ever get blamed for the Yankees post-season failures?
He almost singlehandedly broke the team in last year's post-season. But nothing.
Why is this guy such a hero?
He hasn't won anything in 7 years. I can't think of any manager other than Bobby Cox who has been with his team for that entire period. And isn't it the case that Steinbrenner expects a World Series every single year?
So why can't someone say that Joe Torre has done a bad job managing this team for this entire millennium?
Had to keep it snappy, today. Best of luck to my Y2k brother A.F.O.M.G. on his new job. That kid is alright.
Vaya, Sip (Pics courtesy of yimg.com, nydailynews.com, msn.com)
It's a wistful A.F.O.M.G. coming at you today. That's because today is my final day in the job I've had the past two years. I'm really excited about the new role I'm taking on at my company, but still, I'm leaving behind some pretty good friends and, frankly, a pretty cushy lifestyle.
But out with the old and in with the new, isn't that what these New Mets are all about these days? New Met Rickey Henderson is here to light a fire under Los Carloses, and if he starts a gambling ring in the Mets clubhouse, well, who am I to judge?
(I know what you're thinking... why did he pick an image of Rickey in a Yankee cap. Come on. Look at that photo. How could I resist?)
Good start to the second half last night for the boys, by which I mean the first two batters of the game. Oh well, at least El Duque looked solid -- you can't walk BroYo there though. As painful as it is to give up a hit to the pitcher in a spot like that, walking him and then allowing a base hit is almost certainly worse. This is nothing he or any of you don't already know, but still, it really chaps my ass.
Anyway, sorry to do it to you but I can't go on and on today, as per my usual wont. I've got a bunch of random crap to get through before I bid adieu to my current cube forever.
But in case this measly post just isn't enough for you, allow me to leave you with perhaps the greatest gift a paralegal can offer... Escapa!
Have you ever played Escapa!? It'll change your life.
One last time as a paralegal...
- A.F.O.M.G.
(Image courtesy of baseballguru.com... thank you.)
From the Department of Random, CB's Top 10 Movie Props
Ground rules 1. No eponymous props (ex. "The Mask," "The Tuxedo," "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants") 2. Avoid overly obvious choices (ex. The One Ring, Rosebud from "Citizen Kane," Wonderbat) 3. No weak sauce (ex. the boombox from "Save Anything," magic wands, etc...)
In reverse order ...
10. Zoltar Speaks, "Big" You know the drill -- the fortune-telling-and-granting machine that sent a young Tom Hanks into the bosomy embrace of Elizabeth Perkins and the not-so-welcoming world of corporate Manhattan. The thing absolutely terrified me as a kid, as it did everyone under the age of 15 who saw this movie. All said, the creepiest carnie toy this side of "Something Wicked This Way Comes." Too bad the star of the movie hadn't wished to never make "The Ladykillers."
9. Adam Sandler's hockey putter, "Happy Gilmore" This ingenious contraption was effectively the last will and testament of Chubbs Peterson, one of golf's true pioneers and a largely overlooked civil rights hero. Whether it was of Peterson's design or that of a hockey/golf fusion specialist (a Quebecois golf pro old friend from Chubbs' days on the Canadian Tour while he was shut out of U.S. tournaments, perhaps), the club unquestionably changed the course of the sport's history. Chubbs watched down from above alongside his former reptillian nemesis and Abe Lincoln as Sandler used the tricked out stick to discover his comfort zone on the greens and upset heavy favorite Shooter McGavin in the 1996 Tour Championship. Holy shit, this movie came out 11 years ago. How old am I?
8. Talking six-shooter, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" If only because sentient bullets turn out to be less effective than their silent counterparts. Appropriate, I suppose. Just like the new Pharoah Monche song. Also, Bullet #2 turns out to have been voiced by Eustace from "Green Acres," a sad little thrill for anyone whose babysitter made him watch the show for untold hours on end. Damn you, TV Land. Damn you.
7. Proton pack, "Ghostbusters" and "Ghostbusters 2" Are you the Keymaster? No, don't answer that. Anyway, according to Wikipedia, "a fictional piece of nuclear accelerative machinery created by the Ghostbusters that serves as their primary tool in the 1984 film of the same name for the purpose of 'busting' ghosts. It has a hand-held wand ('Proton Gun' or particle thrower) connected to a backpack-sized particle accelerator." Outstanding. What exactly would we do without Wikipedia? Seriously, the article is really interesting. Moreover, unless you've got something else with which to fight Gozer the Gozarian or melt the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, the proton pack seems pretty indispensible. You could probably have taken down Stay-Puft with a big enough butane torch, but Gozer is another story entirely. David Bowie-looking weirdo.
6. Vincent Cassel's chain sword, "Brotherhood of the Wolf" Oh my god, this thing was dope. I can barely discuss it rationally. An outstanding film featuring several solid weapons, including courtesan Monica Bellucci's deadly steel-bladed fan (sooooo hot) and The Beast's techno-gear. Cassel, who you probably know as The Night Fox from "Oceans 12, " should have won his climactic battle with Sam Le Bihan just on sweetness points alone. Plus, the cinematography on the first shot of Cassel unleashing the full range of the sword deserves an award on its own. A sword like that, being married to Bellucci ... some guys have it all.
5. Rock-hammer, "The Shawshank Redemption" "... In 1966, Andy Dufresne escaped from Shawshank Prison. All they found of him was a muddy set of prison clothes, a bar of soap, and an old rock-hammer damn near worn down to the nub. I remember thinking it would take a man 600 years to tunnel through the wall with it. Andy did it in less than 20 ..."
4. Radio Raheem's radio, "Do the Right Thing" An old-school ghetto blaster pumping "Fight the Power" at riot-forming decibels certainly makes it onto any list of mine. Major big-time bonus points for the prop determining the name of a famous character. Now, the prop-character connection can get pretty weak if you don't watch it, but here, the radio plot is basically the narrative arc of the film. Which is part of the thing's devastating simplicity, if you think about it.
3. Chingachgook's war club, "Last of the Mohicans" An absolute killing machine, with two sides of pain for any Frog or Huron unwise enough to get on its business end. Also, took down one of the all-time great movie villains (Magua, played by the criminally underused Wes Studi) in one of the most satisfying comeuppance movie moments of the '90s. Burying the hatchet indeed, Magua. Sic semper fucking with Daniel Day-Lewis.
2. Hoverboard, "Back to the Future 2" If you could have your choice of any car available today or the hoverboard, you'd definitely take the car. But be honest -- it would have to be a REALLY tight car. You'd take the hoverboard over a Camry, right? Even a really nice one with the leather package. That's how essential of hoverboard can be. Floats on tunnel walls, water, 1955 pavement, etc., and fits inside a DeLorean with no problem. Not to mention Hill Valley didn't even have much in the way of interesting terrain or motion-generating vehicles. I can't even begin to imagine how fun it would be to take this thing around New York.
1. Indiana Jones' whip, "Raiders of the Lost Ark," etc. "Saturday Night Live" taught us that proficiency with a whip is very difficult to achieve and takes many years. (Thank you, Whipmaster). But once the whip starts working for you rather than vice versa, the level of badassery involved just goes off the charts. Whether it's taking down a dude with a sword in a crowded marketplace, swinging over an exposed bottomless pit or snagging Kate Capshaw for a big of pre-coital flirting, the whip does it all. It coils, it retracts, it sings, it stings, it is the traveling man's Nazi-slapping accessory, bar none. Can't wait to see how they work it into "IJ4," now filming up at Yale.
Honorable mentions Oddjob's hat, "Goldfinger" (a tough exclusion) The Power Glove, "The Wizard"
Worst 5 1. Jump boots, "Super Mario Bros." 2. Bond's invisible car, "Die Another Day" 3. The treasure map attached to the annoying kid,"Waterworld" (only b/c Dennis Hopper didn't succeed in cutting it off) 4. Wesley Snipes' shorts, "White Men Can't Jump" 5. Rocky's robot maid, "Rocky 4"
Fresh off the most boring day of sports of the year, Thursday leaves Mets fans with a lot to be excited about.
I think back to '99 or '00. The Mets were something like 29-30 on a Sunday night against the Yankees in June when news came that the Mets were firing a bunch of their coaches. They brought in Mickey Brantley and crew in what turned out to be just the fix that the doctor ordered.
Today starts the second half of the season, and the Mets have just made arguably the most interesting/exciting coaching swap of our lifetime, firing Rick Down and hiring "Rickey Time," himself, Rickey Henderson to be the new Mets hitting coach.
I can just see Rickey working with Carlos Delgado:
"Hey Carl, just do what Rickey do."
Then Rickey working with Jose Reyes:
"Hey Josie, just do what Rickey do."
You may have seen a very large black man walking around Shea over the last 5 or so years toting a Rickey Henderson t-shirt jersey, and thought to yourself, "sweet shirt." That shirt belonged to my good pal, J Murder, and so Rickey has always held a special place in my heart.
I am actually very excited about the move. Rickey is a fire-starter. He'll make something happen. And certainly, we will get some sound bytes.
So the second half starts today. The first half was not great, but we still enter the second half in first place. Here are a few keys to the Mets' second half.
1. Andruw Jones
This guy has been so bad and he is in a contract year. A known slacker, Jones has about $100 million dollars to play for over the next few months. If that can't motivate him, nothing will.
Think back to the year when he hit 50 home runs. He hit about 30 of them in July/August.
2. Shane Victorino/Cole Hamels/Greg Dobbs
These guys have sparked the Phillies this season. Victorino has become the third piece to the Phillies' offensive puzzle. Hamels has saved the Phillies' rotation. And then there is Greg Dobbs. Didn't see that one coming. We know Howard, Rollins and Utley will hit. But can Dobbs and Victorino continue their strong seasons?
3. Tom Glavine
Which Glavine will we see, Glavine from April/May or Glavine from June/July?
4. Carlos squared
Carlos Beltran had about 3 good weeks this season. Carlos Delgado had about 3 good games. Will they bounce back?
5. Pedro?
Will he pitch? I've been saying for a year now that the best case scenario is seeing Pedro pitch in '08. We all know the reports. Who really knows?
* * * * *
The Yankees made a very interesting move Wednesday. They changed their stance on Alex Rodriguez, offering to negotiate an extension with Alex Rodriguez in the middle of the season, with hopes that he won't exercise his option to opt out of the last three years of his contract this November.
This is a pretty smart PR move by the Yankees.
I can't see any way that Scott Boras lets A-Rod sign during the season. His value on the open market increases tremendously when the Yankees are competing with the other baseball financial powers. Not to mention, does A-Rod really want to stay a Yankee?
By switching their stance it allows the Yankees to save face with their fans. They are taking their shot at A-Rod and if it doesn't work out, it is because A-Rod said no.
When A-Rod goes to Anaheim in December for 8 years, $220 mil the Yankees will be able to spin the situation in their favor.
Until this sesaon, A-Rod was a dud. The Yankees did not have to offer A-Rod an extension because he was supposed to feel honored to be a Yankee. The Yankees now know how desperate they are to keep A-Rod.
Baseball is not the same as 5 years ago. The best player will not just end up in the Bronx cause of money. There is enough money to go around.
Speaking of the Yankees, apparently their next 28 games are against teams with records under .500. This could get really interesting. The pitching is healthy. The Red Sox have played middling ball for weeks now; if that continues, this Yankee team could be right back in the mix within two weeks. This also may be the season that wasn't meant to be.
Let's hope for the latter.
A quick thank you to Billy Wagner for setting up an October classic in Cleveland for 4 of 7 games. That's all.
Seriously, help me out here guys... That's right, the Glass Man missed most of the action from San Francisco last night. I made it through the 5th inning or so before I had to call it a night. In my defense, I don't normally go to bed that early but consider the mitigating circumstances here:
1. I've been exercising the last two days for the first time in over a week. That week was a particularly destructive one, fitness-wise, as I consumed ribs, steaks, lobsters, hot dogs, beers (brah), etc. out on Martha's Vineyard. Hell of a time but I didnt' do my waistline any favors. My return to exercising/respectability has been particularly difficult for this reason.
2. Readjusting to my 6:15 a.m. wake-up has been a challenge.
Add it all up and I didn't have it in me to keep watching a close, 3-2 game. I understand Wags allowed a crucial dinger to somebody I'm not really familiar with, and that Tony La Russa allowed Aaron Rowand to hit with the bases loaded and two men down in the bottom of the ninth with Albert Pujols (him I am familiar with) still available on the bench.
La Russa's taking a beating over at ESPN and Deadspin (thanks for the link yesterday -- much appreciated) for this decision. Let me join the chorus. Words like "idiotic" and phrases such as "completely incomprehensible" or "we lost to a team this guy managed?" come to mind.
In any event, the highlight of the game for the Glass Man was watching my boy Mr. Glass do his thing on a national stage. You could tell how much he reveled in that leadoff hit, that stolen base, getting called out on to the field by the PA before the game.
Guy ate it all up, and good for him. People love watching him play because they can see how much he loves playing the game. The man should be the most popular player in baseball, hopefully displays like his last night will make that happen. And hopefully there won't be any All Star Game jinx for him.
Highlight of the game? Byrnesy's pre-game interview from a kayak in McCovey Cove with his dog, Bruin. He's Sip's roll dog, not mine, but watching that interview really made me understand how magnetic he must be when you first meet him.
And OK, the tribute to Willie Mays was pretty sweet as well. I didn't realize I cared about Mays until I got a freaking lump in my throat when he was introduced.
Him walking through the players reminded me of "Doc" aka Moonlight Graham walking through the ballplayers after healing Kevin Costner's kid in Field of Dreams. No matter how many times I see that movie I get choked up in that scene.
"Hey Doc?"
Doc turns around slowly.
"You were good."
Holy shit dude.
Anyway, that's all I got for today. Another off day today then back to business tomorrow. Thank god. Pour some out for Sip's World Series of Poker run -- tough break, pal.
- A.F.O.M.G.
(Images courtesy of images.usatoday.com, cache.deadspin.com and filmreference.com)
(Note: Cheddar Ben reports on the Futures Game following this piece from Sip.)
I was hoping not to write this week. That would mean I was making a run in the World Series of Poker.
Not the case.
See a bad beat hurts when you play in a $20 home game. But it really, really hurts when it happens in the $10,000 Main Event.
I'll spare you the details. If you really want to know email me at Noonewantstohearbadbeatstories@Momo.com
So I'm out. Go get 'em next year, right? Salt again.
But the World Series was cool. I wasn't nervous until I woke up Sunday morning. I went for a run among other things to try to relieve some stress. I grabbed some breakfast with my cousin and then hopped a cab for the Rio.
I tipped the guy at the cab stand $3. I then tipped the cab driver another $3. 3 is my favorite number so I figured, why not?
When I got to the Rio I felt like I was at a Star Wars convention. Poker really draws an interesting crowd. Thousands of people there as fans. They wore the clothes the pros wore and talked poker like it was baseball.
To me, it's one thing to talk about Jose Reyes making a good play or the great defenese of the Knicks. It is another thing to talk about a great hand you watched on TV.
"Can you believe he called with a 6,4 suited?"
Poker is a game for dorks who need an outlet to compete with the cool kids because they couldn't do it in real sports.
This coming from a super cool BLOGGER.
Anyway, 12:00 couldn't come soon enough. When I sat down I had butterflies in my stomach. I was nervous.
This was a $10,000 poker tournament!
It all went well for the first couple of hours. I was up to about 24,000 chips and doing fine (everyone started with 20,000 chips).
After the first break I lost a HUGE hand and was down to 9,000 chips. I was REALLY REALLY ANGRY. "Steaming" I believe is the term. I went down to about 4,000 chips and was about to kill myself. But then the Sip turned it around.
About 3 hours later I was sitting pretty comfortably at around 15,000 chips. I had outlasted some of my famous neighbors including Nelly, Greg Raymer and Jose Canseco.
(Jose Canseco may be the biggest man in the world. He was also toting a 5'2 blonde in heals that looked like she was straight out of Hustler magazine).
But I was back and feeling good.
That is when the bad beat went down that cost me all my chips. I was very upset.
I was back, I thought, and then I was gone. That's the game I guess.
I got back to my hotel and just wanted to lay down. But my friends who came out with me for the weekend wouldn't have it. They forced me to smile and it ended up being an awesome night.
My buddy Matt, up about a billion dollars for the trip, took care of dinner at Nobu. We then did a night at the Hard Rock with half of the NBA and all of Vivid's elite porn stars. Then, we hit up the casino for an hour long black jack session with Yi Jianlin.
I'll tell you guys one thing. That guy a'int going to Milwaukee. Pretty cool guy, though. And apparently in China when something good happens, like a black jack, they say "Pao!" which I have since stolen.
As I write this I reflect back on the trip. Good friends, good times, a rough poker story but a heck of an experience. The World Series of Poker is a little silly. There is just too much luck involved in outlasting 7,000 people that it becomes a competition of who can avoid the most bad shit from happening to them. I couldn't.
But last year Jamie Gold did.
I watch the ESPN coverage of the final table and I see Jamie Gold ask famous poker player Johnny Chan: "I'm playing well, right?"
Here is a guy dominating the biggest poker tournament in the world unlike anything the poker world has ever seen and he is so insecure about how he is playing that he needs to ask for approval.
Can you imagine Tim Duncan needing reassurance from Gregg Popovich right before the Spurs won the title that he is a good basketball player?
Just something I was thinking about.
No championship this year for Sip. Maybe next year.
Poker players crave bracelets. I just want the Blogger of the Year award.
Good to be home.
Vaya, Sip
(Pics courtesy of dr2000.com, genetics-and-society.org, chinedaily.com, msn.com)
So, before I delve into the woeful performances of the Mets' prospects at the 2007 "XM All-Star Futures Game at AT&T Park," which I attended on a gorgeous, sunny Sunday in the Bay Area at the tail end of a West Coast trip that included plenty of wine drinking and a close encounter with a rose bush during a killer wiffleball tourney, a few general observations.
For a 7-inning game played before a mostly empty stadium, it's an awfully fun event. Tickets to the All-Star Game proper, given the appreciating profile of the event and the big money to be had in San Fran, are running in the high hundreds -- tickets to this event could be had for $10 outside the ballpark, and probably less if you hustled a bit. And that makes for a big deal -- yeah, the Celebrity Softball Game is a colossal waste of time, but the Futures Game allows a group of kids or a guy who can't get tickets to the game or the Derby to be part of the All-Star experience. Contrary to what all us cynics out there might believe, in a baseball area like Northern California, people really buy into the totality of the week (which comes around to an area how often?) and the mise-en-scene of the thing, which includes your parades and your FanFests. I suppose my point is that the All-Star Game is good, but the Futures Game is for the children.
Yeah, the stadium is as good as advertised. If you ain't seen that bay shining in the sun while players toss the ball around on the perfect grass in front of a sea of forest green seats, you ain't seen nothin'. Also, the park provided one of the best moments of the game itself, when Reds superstud Jay Bruce absolutely SMOKED a ball about 435 feet to right center (this ball could not possibly have been hit harder or more directly) only to see it bounce off the high triangle brick wall and back in. Bruce, showing off the wheels, slid in for a crowd-pleasing triple. Boffo.
There were a couple of really live arms out there. The New Rocks' Franklin Morales, playing down for the Drillers in Tulsa (AA), threw up at 96 with a nasty curveball mixed in. In a similar but ultimately far more promising vein was the Dodgers' teenage badass Clayton Kershaw, another gassed-up lefty but one with a Texan pedigree and future Cy Young winner's profile. A fastball sitting between 93 and 96, a hammer curve, and a 2.12 ERA and 103 Ks in 76 innings in the Midwest League one year out of H.S. Naturally, he gave up a homer to (I think) the Reds' other tasty hitting prospect, Joey Votto. Oh, and the Bombers' Joba Chamberlain was good and all that (fastball at 96, sick slider, damn it).
Jacoby Ellsbury, the Red Sox' fleet centerfield prospect, encountered his own personal Trail of Tears on Sunday, showing off a noodle arm in left and going 0 for 5 in the leadoff spot. This after hitting .375 in 16 ABs with the big club last week and giving New England a collective speed boner and Johnny Damon flashback. Serves them right, gullible drunkards. Or does that performance matter more than the results of one exhibition game? Yes and now.
Too soon for the Trail of Tears jokes? Yeah? Probably.
The on-field interview with World team manager Juan Marichal was just about as awkward as could have been hoped. Marichal is a Giants hero, to be sure, and was cheered 20 different times before and during the game, but the man simply hasn't mastered the finer points of conversational English, and had to follow the top-notch promotional routine of verbose USA manager Dave Winfield. Hilarity ensued. But we all clapped.
Cheers to the bratwurst with sauerkraut served near section 310. Good spicy mustard on the rack, a bargain at $7. Jeers to the two fat chicks sitting next to Cheddar Ben who snuck trail mix into the stadium only to break down during the fourth inning and buy a Gilroy Garlic Fries and one of those fajita bowls from Orlanda Cepeda's concession stand. Come on now, ladies.
And now, for something entirely different.
Deolis Guerra, RHP, St. Lucie Mets (A), 4.58 ERA, 46K in 57 IP, Age 18
This guy sucked. Yeah, he was the youngest fella on the field, but overacheiver or not, there just wasn't a lot to like. The fastball was flat and sat at 87 most of the time, and the secondary pitches were literally all over the place. He wowed the audience by tossing an attempted curve about 15 feet onto the backstop, and bounced a couple of "changeups" into the dusty danger zone several feet in front of the plate. Texas prospect John Whittleman certainly liked what he saw of Guerra, launching a weak-ass fastball into the bleachers for the game's most predictable home run.
Now, nothing about this one outing says anything about Guerra's long-term potential or cap. Just didn't look all that good, that's all.
Fernando Martinez, CF, Binghamton Mets (AA), .271/.336/.377 in 236 ABs, Age 18
And even more disappointingly, this guy didn't even show. He hurt his hand or some shit, winding up replaced by a Canadian loser named James Van Ostrand. How embarassing. I was really looking forward to see the kid in person.
Instead, we had to deal with articles like this from the Chicago Trib's risible Phil Rogers, indicating that the White Sox were scouting both Martinez and Carlos Gomez a possible trade. For whom, Phil? A Rent-a-Buehrle? New York icon Javy Vazquez? Details, please. Then again, the Journal News' Peter Abraham seems to think dealing Fernando for Jose Contreras makes some type of sense. And people say the journalism business is in trouble.
Kevin Mulvey, RHP, Binghamton Mets (AA), 3.40 ERA, 60 K in 93 IP, Age 22
Um, I think one guy he faced didn't tattoo the ball. No, no, wait ... that was me during the wiffleball game, flying out to Blond Matt's 6-foot-9 friend from high school. EVERYONE spanked the ball off Mulvey, with his outfielders running down a couple of gappers after World catcher Max Ramirez (of the Injuns) creamed a line-drive double off the base of the wall in left field. Not much else to say -- I think he's a future addition to somebody's bullpen, but he was throwing creampuffs Sunday.
That's all for now. Anyone going to watch tonight?
The moment was over in an instant, but in many ways it encapsulated everything that had come before in the past 7 months. When Endy came down with that ball it wasn't just that anything seemed possible, it's that everything seemed probable.
For one thing, it seemed certain that the Mets would beat the Cardinals in Game 7; it was just that kind of moment.
It was the kind of moment that solidified that incredulous feeling of the past 7 months as the Mets "ran roughshod over the National League" -- the kind of moment that made you say "Oh my god... this is the year."
Anything can happen in the playoffs, you knew that, but man, when Endy came down with that ball, you just knew somehow that that team wasn't going to fold. And you knew it even after Yadier Molina hit that home run, and you knew it when the Mets loaded the bases in their half of the ninth, and you knew it every second until it wasn't so and there was nothing left to know except that the Mets had lost.
When I look back on the first half of the Mets' season in 2007, I don't think of injuries or inconsistency; no, the predominating thought in my mind is how badly we fucked things up last October.
It's unfair on some level to burden the 2007 team with the squandered hopes of 2006, but on another level it's not. The 2007 team returns many pillars of 2006. Missing are Pedro Martinez, Duaner Sanchez and Carlos Delgado's ability to hit (he's shown flashes lately I guess).
That's a lot to lose, no doubt about it, but we've also replaced Victor Zambrano/Steve Trachsel/Jeremi Gonzalez/Jose Lima with more consistent and established versions of John Maine and Oliver Perez (not to mention Jorge Sosa, who was a nice little surprise before he got injured) and that's a lot to gain.
It's not that I think this 2007 team is hopeless, I certainly don't. We're still in first place, and I still believe we're a lot better than we've played, but we're not unambiguously the best team in the National League like we were last year.
Here we are at the break and we're 9 games over .500. In an objective sense that's good, or it's fine anyway, and we're in first place, which is certainly where you want to be.
But we're in a holding pattern also, unable to pull off a sustained hot streak, unable to pad our lead in the division. What lead we have left in the N.L. East exists because of other teams' deficiencies, not because we've asserted ourselves as the cream of the crop.
And yes, a large part of it is the injuries. Basically every outfielder on our team has been injured at one point or another, and that includes several New Orleans Zephyrs.
Our bullpen hasn't been as solid as it was last year, hurt by the absence of Young Duaner and the addition of the abominable sack of shit that is Scott Schoeneweis. Wags has been nasty, so that's one positive, and Joe Smith is a pleasure to watch.
The stunning thing about this year's team is how eh the offense is. We've scored the 10th most runs in the National League and have only the seventh best OPS. Last year we were 4th and 3rd in those categories, respectively.
I don't know what the solution is, but I am, at this point, one person who feels like some move needs to be made, some shake up or another. Maybe the return of Pedro will be just what the doctor ordered. Could happen. I still don't really feel like this team has a unique identity, and Pedro can provide that in and of himself.
Then again he might not toe the rubber at Shea Stadium once this year; no matter how rosy the reports from Port St. Lucie, it's still possible.
I think what the Mets need to do is take a good long look at this team and determine what it's number one problem is. Bullpen? Offense? Starting pitching? Maybe the answer is to wait for people to get healthy, I'm not discounting that. Whatever. It's on Mets brass to figure it out and fix it.
If they do, I could easily see this Mets team pulling off the kind of second half that catapulted the 2004 Red Sox to the playoffs and, ultimately, a championship. That Boston team started fast then played middling baseball for months before realizing its potential.
The same could easily happen with the Mets. The pieces are there, it's just that too many of them haven't performed as well as we'd planned (Delgado, Beltran, Heilman, Alou, Wright to an extent). There's nothing stopping any of those guys from reverting to the form of a year ago, but they just have to go on and do it already.
It's not that I don't believe in this team, it's just that the way this season has gone with the injuries and the losing streaks, it just makes me think of what I still believe should have been last year.
Seasons like that don't come around too often around here. All the 1-run victories? All the last at-bat wins? The double play at home plate in the NLDS? Endy's catch? It was there for the taking, man -- there until it wasn't. And now all that's left is 2007 and a feeling that's been building up over the past month and change like the best days might be behind us.
The Mets have half a season to change that perception. They go nowhere for the next three days though, and so here we are with our thoughts. Some people will see positives -- we've weathered a storm of injuries and we're still on top. Some will see negatives -- we've played like shit for a considerable period of time now.
Me though, I'm somewhere in between. I'm confident in the potential we have, but I'm somewhat wary about how things have been going lately. Ya gotta believe, yes, but lately the team hasn't been giving us anything to believe in.
And so it is that in a not inconsiderable corner of my mind I'm back in the loge section on a drizzly night at Shea in October. I'm back watching Endy go over the wall before beer and popcorn and high fives go flying all around me. I'm back in a moment when anything was possible and everything seemed probable. And now I'm back in the present, and I'm hoping this year's team can make me feel like that again.
- A.F.O.M.G.
(Images courtesy of nycsportsnews.com and media.mnginteractive.com)
(We're back next Monday. Have an awesome holiday weekend)
Not sure I've ever been prouder to be an American than just now, when I watched Joey Chestnut take down 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes to beat the great Kobayashi.
This may have been the most patriotic sporting event since Rocky beat Drago.
I'm gonna go grab me a case of Coors Original and celebrate being a God Damn American!
No John Maine or Oliver Perez in the All-Star game: Bullshit.
No Eric Byrnes in the All-Star game: Boycotting
.315 AVG, 13HR, 46 RBI, 15 SB. The one player in his in his lineup doing anything worth anything. And, the most charismatic player in the game.
Carlos Beltran should give Byrnes his spot.
That's enough of that. I told you I would talk Knicks basketball today and when Sip makes a promise, there is about a 50% chance that he sees it through (at least when it comes to his blogging).
Draft Night:
1. Selecting Wilson Chandler at #23.
This pick makes so much more sense than the Balkman pick. This year, there wasn't a lot left at #23. Last year Marcus Williams was on the board. He was a top 10 talent. They should have drafted Williams.
But Isiah drafted Balkman. Balkman is considered a great success simply because he did not absolutely bust. The Knicks did not uncover the next coming of the messiah here.
They found an athletic 6'8 small forward.
They then signed an athletic 6'9 small forward to the mid level exception: Jared Jeffries
Then in 2007, they draft an athletic 6'8 small forward: Wilson Chandler
Seems repetitive.
I just think this Isiah Thomas' ego acting. When you draft a guy that no one expects anything out of, and then the player is successful, then the GM is a genius. If he fails, oh well.
So when Wilson Chandler is a bust, Isiah already has his excuse prepared: that he got a free 1st rounder in Randolph Morris.
Even with the success of Balkman if I could re-do the Balkman pick for Marcus Williams I still would.
So the Balkman pick working out is not enough of an excuse to "REACH" for Chandler, considered by most others to be a 2nd round talent.
Zach Randolph, Dan Dickau, Fred Jones, Denetrius Nicholls for Steve Francis and Channing Frye.
On paper, I think this is a slam dunk for the Knicks.
They get a 20-10 PF.
They give away Steve Francis and his exorbiant, completely untradable contract.
The one sacrifice, Channing Frye, isn't really exciting anyone.
So again, This deal, independent of all other factors is a great move for the Knicks. Kudos to Isiah for pulling it off. Pretty much his only good trade/FA signing since he took over the Knicks.
Here's the problem.
The Knicks just got worse.
Name me a succesful team with two Low post/back to the basket players who both averaged 18PPG(big men) in the last ten years and I'll give you a soda.
Now, name me a succesful team that started a power forward and center that were both considered defensive liabilities.
There are simple resaons for this:
The two can not mix.
Offensively, only one man can touch the ball inside 15 feet. This is not the same as having two guards who are similar. Guards spread the floor and can hit 20-foot jump shots. You only need one big man to touch the ball, draw the double team. Putting two in the paint simply clogs the lane. So, when one player is doing what he does best, the other will be standing somewhere he does not belong.
Defensively, it is very difficult to hide one poor defensive player.
The Suns lost their series to the Spurs because of one defensive mismatch- Nash on Parker.
The Mavs hide Dirk by surrounding him with a purely defensive center in Dasanaga Diop and a defensive stud in Josh Howard.
We all know the Pistons can defend.
When the Knicks play Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph on the court at the same time, they will need to hide two defensive players. In simpler terms, they are going to get destroyed on the inside.
Combine that with the fact that Marbury and Crawford are average defenders at best, and the Knicks are giving up 105 PPG.
Unfortunately, the Knicks are not the Warriors or Suns. This team is at best an average offensive club.
Average offense +Awful defense= ???
Oh, and how many winning team has Zach Randolph ever played for?
Projection
This deal doesn't make te Knicks better. 35 wins is a best case scenario for '08.
There is no reason to try add on to this current Knicks team. This has been Isiah's plan for the last 3 years and it has failed miserably. There are too many stiffs making too much money.
I say, blow it up. They should have done this 4 years ago and they still should now.
Trade Randolph for a young kid and an expiring contract. Package him to get rid of Jared Jeffries or Jerome James.
Send him to the Bulls for Tyrus Thomas or Joakim Noah.
The Knicks have no shot as long as they keep on trying to do what they do: Fixing their current team.
Instead, they need to start over. With the right cap room, the Knicks could sign any single player in basketball. Everyone wants to be a Knick, play in New York, play in the garden and reap the sponsorhip benefits of playing in New York.
So why not free up enough space to make a run at D-Wade or Lebron James in 3 seasons. Tank those seasons, secure a few more young kids, develop David Lee(the only legitimate prospect of Isiah's youth movement), watch Jerome James and and Marbury's deal expire and have the Maximum amount of money to throw at LeBron James.
Unless he wins a title in Cleveland in the next three years, he would come to the Knicks.
Could you even imagine getting LeBron when he was 25?
It's not unreasonable.
Any player in basketball is movable. The Knicks just traded Steve Francis, something that couldn't have been less possible if you dreamt it.
So just get rid of everyone in preparation for the summer of 2010.
That's Sip's plan.
Vaya, Sip
(Pics courtesy of Cnn.com, scout.com, slamonline.com)
Caught the new Die Hard this weekend. You see the title of today's piece. That should tell you how I felt. If not. Well, I really liked it.
Sip’s weekend in Chicago really could not have been more enjoyable. It really is a heck of a town. It’s New York with a little less ritz and a little more sports. Wrigley field for those who have never been, is a place that every baseball fan should see. She really is beautiful. Every game is an event and the bleachers are a sight to see.
But this blog is not about one man.
This was a pretty interesting last couple of days to be a New York sports fan.
To me, there is nothing more beautiful when a team comes into Yankee stadium, especially a team led by Jack Cust, Chad Gaudin, and a relatively obscure 26- year –old Cy Young candidate named Haren- who most Yankee fans think is Rich Harden- and make the Yankees look bad. Yankee fans, “The most knowledgeable fans in the world” are saying to themselves:
“Who is this Gaudin guy? Jack Cust?”
Yankee fans know their Yankees just like everyone else does. It’s not hard to know your former MVP’s and All-stars. But the A’s, toting a surprisingly high $79,000,000 payroll, are still a relative bunch of unknowns. Everyone knows Eric Chavez. But, other than the slick fielding 3B, you wouldn’t see too many A’s in pinstripes.
Which makes it so much more enjoyable when they dominate the Yankees on back to back weekend games. I don’t know what it is, but it is just a little bit sweeter when the Yankees lose on a weekend. It makes the tabloids that start the week a little more bitter and Sip chuckle just a little bit harder.
The Mets went into Philadelphia and looked great. The Brother’s Carlos were hitting, Johnny Maine looked great. We were a Sunday victory away from a very impressive 4-game road sweep of a division rival. Things didn’t go perfectly, but it was close.
Going into the All-Star break, the Mets are playing their best baseball since April. This was a statement series in as much of a way as you can have one in baseball.
Can you imagine Beltran’s numbers if he were played 81 games in Philly. Considering that he hits around the Mendoza line at Shea, it is really interesting to think about what he could be.
And with every series in Philly, you see more and more, the most poorly designed stadium in baseball. That place is truly a joke.
I'm going to come back tomorrow and rip the Knicks another asshole. Come back if you want.
Mets Extra is an independent sports website that is not affiliated with any other news outlet. Mets Extra (including its predecessor, Yankees 2000: Promote the Curse) is not affiliated in any way with the New York Mets, the New York Yankees, WFAN Sports Radio 66 ("The FAN"), Major League Baseball, the National League, the American League, or any other professional sports franchise or entity.
Mets Extra is an independent sports website that is not affiliated with any other news outlet. Mets Extra (including its predecessor, Yankees 2000: Promote the Curse) is not affiliated in any way with the New York Mets, the New York Yankees, WFAN Sports Radio 66 ("The FAN"), Major League Baseball, the National League, the American League, or any other professional sports franchise or entity.
La Russa's taking a beating over at ESPN and Deadspin (thanks for the link yesterday -- much appreciated) for this decision. Let me join the chorus. Words like "idiotic" and phrases such as "completely incomprehensible" or "we lost to a team this guy managed?" come to mind.
Highlight of the game? Byrnesy's pre-game interview from a kayak in McCovey Cove with his dog, Bruin. He's Sip's roll dog, not mine, but watching that interview really made me understand how magnetic he must be when you first meet him.
Him walking through the players reminded me of "Doc" aka Moonlight Graham walking through the ballplayers after healing Kevin Costner's kid in Field of Dreams. No matter how many times I see that movie I get choked up in that scene.
That's a lot to lose, no doubt about it, but we've also replaced Victor Zambrano/Steve Trachsel/Jeremi Gonzalez/Jose Lima with more consistent and established versions of John Maine and Oliver Perez (not to mention Jorge Sosa, who was a nice little surprise before he got injured) and that's a lot to gain.
Then again he might not toe the rubber at Shea Stadium once this year; no matter how rosy the reports from Port St. Lucie, it's still possible.
