Merry Christmas, Rays Fans

(Guest post for you all today, courtesy of Nails, the world's biggest Rays fan. As Nails might say, Merry Christmas, y'all.)

Imagine you're an 8-year-old kid living in Tampa Bay. You're just old enough to start really following sports and 2008 was quite the summer for you. Huddled in bed with your transistor radio on after bedtime, you spend weeks of your formative years rooting for Longoria home runs, Upton stolen bases, and Kazmir Ks. When you grow up, you want to be a Ray.

Then you wake up on December 24, 2008, and my, oh, my, has Christmas come early for you. The Rays expressed interest in LHP Willy Ohman! Ohman, 31, was 4-1 with a 3.68 ERA in 83 games last year for the Braves. Look out, AL East, last year's defending champs have added some depth to the bullpen!

Then you look at the top of the sports page (because you're only 8 and the bottom of the sports page is closer to your eyes when you sit at the breakfast table so you read it first) and you find out the Yankees have signed Mark Teixeira to an 8-year/$180 million contract. Kinda saps the fun out of the offseason for ya.

In light of this perspective, does anyone honestly believe it is Tampa Bay's fault their fans were slow to get excited about the 2008 Rays?

Hank and Hal Steinbrenner are the Wayans brothers' version of their father. At this point, is there one Yankees fan out there who is so excited about the 2009 season starting that he is counting down the days? Goosebumps thinking about Yankees' greats CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, A.J. Burnett, Johnny Damon, Alex Rodriguez, and Xavier Naxy taking on the Orioles?

And then we got my buddy down in Tampa. Baseball's not looking all that hot to him anymore, so he spends his time doing his math homework so that 20 years from now he can come up with a complex formula to package mortgage-backed securities which earns him enough money to buy season tickets to the Metropolitan Opera which is what kids do in 2028 because none of them want to watch baseball which was ruined by the Yankees when they were 8.

You're doing a heckuva job, Selig.

- Nails

Yankees Sign Barack Obama???

Ah those Yankees. The gift that keeps on giving.

As small market teams are forced to reduce payroll, layoff thousands of employees and squirm at what the future might bring, the Yankees have signed CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and now Mark Teixiera to inflated contracts that only they can afford.

"This is great for baseball...Great...I promise." An annonymus baseball exec said.

But it wasn't the baseball moves that have Sippy Momo in shock.

It was news from sources in Washington DC and Kauai that the Yankees have agreed in principle to a 4 year-$200 million contract with President Elect Barack Obama to become their President of Baseball Operations.



While Obama could not be reached directly, sources have him quoted as saying:

"It's always been my dream to be apart of the great Yankee organization. It wasn't about the money. My name is Barack Obama and I promise you that it was not about the money. Instead, it was about the great history and tradition: Roger Clemens' and Jason Giambi's passion for needle injections; Johnny Damon's Benedict Arnold routine; Alex Rodriguez's cheating on his wife with a Toronto Stripper and then leaving her for Madonna and the good people of Kaballah; and Hank Steinbrenner pastramiing his way into the media spotlight with his charming prose. This organization has been the epitome of class and honor for years. So today, I, Barack Obama, will resign from my post as president of the United States of America to tend to my duties with the New York Yankees. My name is Barack Obama, and I support this message."

Can it really be?

Obama to the Yankees?

Does the White house at least get two compensation picks?

Baseball is really starting to get dumb. Can you even call this a Competitive sport anymore?

My stomach hurts.

Merry Christmas.

Vaya,
Sippy Momo

(Pic courtesy of clivesimpkins.blogs.com)

6: The Shoe Polish Incident

(This is the second installment in an ongoing series at Y2K focusing on topics raised in Matthew Silverman's "100 Things Mets Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die". Today's installment? Number 6: The Shoe Polish Incident.)

Why 6? Two reasons: one, Street; two, because the '06 season was the greatest season I ever followed, and the first I ever followed as a blogger.

On a scale of 1-to-10, necessity of knowing or doing before you die? 9.

An essential element of Mets fandom is a belief in miracles. If that sounds naive, well, it would have sounded naive to believe the Mets could win a game they were trailing by two runs with no one on and two men down in their last at-bat.

Indeed, the entire history of the Mets hinges upon the twin pillars of endless disappointment and improbable elation. The team's motto, "Ya Gotta Believe," hinges upon the idea that anything is possible; the team's history implores you to keep your expectations in check.

It's a dichotomy that extends all the way back to the earliest years of the franchise. The first decade of Mets history is a study in horrific play. In their first four seasons, the team's best winning percentage was .327 (1964). In 1968, the team went 73-89, easily the best mark in club history to that point.

Then 1969 happened. And 100 wins happened. An improbable World Series title over a heavily favored opponent happened. And the idea that nothing was impossible, that no situation, no matter how bleak, was irreversible, implanted itself in the DNA of Mets fans.

In some respects, it's the only ethos that could ever make sense for the Mets. Born from the demise of two prior New York National League franchises, the Mets inherited the hope and the heartbreak of millions of disenfranchised New York sports fans.

Many of those earliest Mets fans, former fans of the Brooklyn Dodgers or New York Giants, had overcome improbable odds to find some satisfaction in a new National League team.

The ghosts of those organizations endured. The Dodgers and Giants never enjoyed the success the Yankees did, and the Mets haven't either since picking up where those clubs left off.

What the Mets have enjoyed are cathartic moments of triumph aided by improbable moments of chance and fate. And the first such moment, Silverman suggests, is The Shoe Polish Incident in the '69 World Series.

For a Mets fan my age, 1969 is a bit of a funny thing. I don't remember 1986, but I feel ownership over it. I remember Doc, I remember Straw. These were the guys that defined the earliest years of my Mets fandom.

1969 has always been a relic. The only players I knew from that team and that era were the immortals (Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan), the retired numbers (Seaver, Gil Hodges), and those that went on to be coaches or managers with the Mets later in life (Buddy Harrelson).

I'd always heard of The Shoe Polish Incident, but only in a distant kind of way. It'd kind of be like having heard of the Buckner play, knowing what happened, but having no concept of Ray Knight coming around third to score the winning run.

I had no idea it was the bottom of the 6th inning in Game 5, or that the Mets were trailing 3-0 at the time. Hell, I didn't even know it was Cleon Jones that got hit (I'd always thought it was Tommy Agee). I certainly never knew that "The next man up, Donn Clendenon, homered off the auxiliary scoreboard in left, and it was a 3-2 game" (Silverman, p. 17).

Two innings later the Mets would take a 5-3 lead. Three outs later, the Mets would be World Champions.

I never had any idea of any of that. I'm glad I do now.

- A.F.O.M.G.

86: Mets Wives: Anna Other Thing

(This is the first installment in an ongoing series at Y2K focusing on topics raised in Matthew Silverman's "100 Things Mets Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die". Today's installment? Number 86: Mets Wives: Anna Other Thing.)

Why 86? Once I decided I wouldn't do all of these in order, there was nowhere else to start.

On a scale of 1-to-10, necessity of knowing or doing before you die? 2.

Ahh, Anna Benson. I remember those halcyon days when she first came to New York.

It was the fateful summer of 2004. The Mets were just decent enough to convince ownership that a couple of well-played trades could swing the NL East in their favor. Scott Kazmir was about to become an ex-Met and Jim Duquette was about to punch his ticket out of town. It was good to be alive.

"Not to digress into the tabloid and infotainment [infotainment!] world," Silverman writes (page 221), "but the wives of several Mets have kept fans entertained over the years."

He then proceeds to name, hrmm, four: Nancy Seaver, Nancy Lopez, Ruth Ryan, and everyone's favorite, Anna Ballgame.

Honestly, the Bensons would have been a nice story if Anna hadn't been so crude. He was the shy kid with a million dollar arm and a five dollar head. She was the barmaid who loved horses and her boyfriend (sweet, naive Kris), too. The couple married in 1999 after 9 months of dating (natch).

But Anna wasn't a sweet girl by any stretch. What's disappointing about this chapter is that, focusing on Anna Benson as it does, it doesn't mention her single greatest moment as a Mets wife, the time when she appeared on Howard Stern and pledged to sleep with every member of the Mets organization, including the groundsmen, if Kris ever had an affair. (In fairness, that story may be entirely too risque for the audience Silverman was trying to attract.)

Thankfully, Anna Benson's other shining moment, the Christmas Party where she dressed up as a sexy elf or sexy Mrs. Clause or something for an audience of, I don't know, pediatric cancer patients, does get mentioned.

It's funny, when I think of the Bensons now, I like to think it's a shining example of how far this organization has come. That said, I had to give it a pretty low score on the necessity of knowing or doing meter. Anna Benson just seems like a novelty item, she doesn't seem classic in any way, though I suppose she might 30 years from now.

More importantly though, come on, no mention of Rick Reed's wife, Dee Reed? I mean, the woman had a palindrome for a name. That's infotainment!

- A.F.O.M.G.

The List: '100 Things Mets Fan Should Know & Do Before They Die'

Offseasons can be tough on a baseball blogger.

During the grind of the regular season there's always something to write about, but the offseason's a different story.

Of course, this past week's been a blogger's dream. There was the signing of Francisco Rodriguez and the big trade for J.J. Putz. On the other side of town the Yankees launched the opening salvos in their bid to sign every available pitcher. Down the interstate Cole Hamels said some pretty unnecessary things. There was no shortage of topics to cover.

The rest of the offseason figures to be more of a mixed bag. The Mets figure to have at least one more big move in them, most likely signing one of Derek Lowe or Oliver Perez. Beyond that, they may sign a leftfielder, trade their second baseman and sign a replacement, sign another lefty for the bullpen, or do something none of us see coming.

So there will be plenty of exciting days left this offseason, but we all know those will be the exception to the rule. We all remember the dog days of winter, those short February days when the hot stove's gone cold and there's little going on by way of the Mets.

With three offseasons under our belts here at the site, I've finally learned a few lessons. This offseason, I decided to call in some back up.

A month or so ago I ordered a copy of Matthew Silverman's "100 Things Mets Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die". What it means going forward is every now and then you'll happen over to the site and see a headline like the following:

7: Gil Hodges
33: Cleon Jones
78: Cast of Characters

Pretty simple concept -- I'll read the installment in Silverman's book and write a response.

Now rest assured, this won't be the only type of post you'll see on the site this offseason. If and when the Mets sign Lowe or Fred Wilpon goes completely broke, we'll write about that too.

But for those days when there's not much doing and the writer's block starts creeping in, that's when we'll go to the list.

Anyway, that's the game plan. If the book sucks, well, pity me.

- A.F.O.M.G.

Friday Morning Grab Bag

Little of this, little of that for you as we close an exciting week of offseason baseball. Let's get to it.

1. Get ready for two years of "What a Putz!" headlines

Oh, those New York tabloid scribes know how to come up with a clever backpage headline, don't they? I'm not sure what the headlines will be when J.J. Putz has good outings ("Putz 'em away", perhaps?), but the bad ones will certainly capitalize on putz's negative connotations.

I'll be honest: I'm not sure I've ever seen J.J. Putz pitch. Those who have seem to have only sparkling things to say about our new 8th inning guy. They say he's a strikeout machine, they say he might be the best closer on the Mets. As for me, I'm trying really hard to ignore the injuries in 2008, but I'm psyched nonetheless.

It's funny the way Mets bullpens have worked. Every time the Mets have a great bullpen it seems they're successful. Whether it's Turk and Cookie or Duaner and Billy, strong bullpens go hand-in-hand with success.

No matter how many times we learn the lesson though, it seems we need a reminder every few seasons. That's the thing about a good bullpen; when it's going good, it's the easiest thing in the world to take for granted. I mean, most nights they're asked to get 6-9 outs, no big deal, right?

It's only when you have seasons like 2008, or 2005 before it, that you realize how treacherous 6-9 outs can be.

The Mets' bullpen woes in 2005, highlighted by the likes of Manny Aybar and Braden Looper, led to a massive offseason restructuring that helped catapult the Mets to the top of the NL East.

In the years since, the Mets' bullpen has gone from great to nightmarish, nausea-inducing even. It seems the Mets are doing everything they can to right the wrong; it's a welcome step.

In exchange, the Mets are parting ways with a bunch of prospects none of us ever really cared about, and three familiar faces: Endy Chavez, Aaron Heilman, and Joe Smith.

It's easy to feel sentimental about losing Endy. He'll forever be loved in this town for his miraculous catch in Game 7 of the NLCS. Easily the best catch I've ever seen live, and it seems certain that'll be as true 60 years from now as it is today.

It's fashionable to be happy to see Heilman go, nevermind that he was excellent in 2006 and more good than bad in 2007. But it was time to part ways. He wants to be a starter, he was lousy in 2008, the fans had turned on him. It was time for a change.

(Incidentally, everyone who's convinced that Aaron Heilman is going to be a disaster as a starting pitcher should take a look at the numbers Braden "Shitty as a Mets Reliever in 2005" Looper put up as a starter for the Cardinals the last two years. Dominant? No. Serviceable? Yes.)

As for Joe Smith, it's disappointing to see him sent packing. It's amazing, Joe Smith was the first really solid middle reliever I can remember the Mets ever developing (I realize Heath Bell is nasty now, but he never did it with the Mets).

Either way, Smith was always going to be a nice secondary piece in a bullpen. Putz, from all accounts, is a fearless standout. That being the case, you can't let Joe get in the way.

2. Brian Cashman: Not fucking around

The way things are shaping up, the Yankees of 2009 look poised to pose their greatest challenge yet to the 8-year Y2K Curse.

C.C. Sabathia's onboard, and the Yankees appear intent on blowing all bidders out of the water on A.J. Burnett, and possibly Derek Lowe too.

What Cashman doesn't realize is that he's only feeding the fabled Curse with his offseason spending spree. Indeed, the Curse presupposes that championships cannot be bought. If paying Sabathia $61mm more than anyone else was offering isn't buying a player, I don't know what is.

You can't fault Cashman for doing what he's doing. After all, the Yankees have >$80mm coming off the books this offseason. They've always had cash to burn, but in a year like this they're playing with house money.

So you can't fault the man. But lo, this strategy has failed before, and it will fail again. There are greater powers out there than the almighty dollar.

And you know, the Red Sox and Rays are still pretty good, too.

3. Cole Hamels: Depressingly accurate

It's easy to take great offense at what Cole Hamels said, about the Mets being choke artists. God knows the local papers and talk radio hosts are going to run with the story as far as they can.

But if you listened to what he said, it was all pretty fair. He conceded the Mets were great in 2006 when they "smoked" the rest of the league. He even went so far as to say he thought the Mets would go to the World Series that year, a sentiment a lot of us probably shared.

But when it comes to 2007 and 2008, yes, he thought the Mets were choke artists. If you don't agree with him, why not? What part of blowing a 7-game lead with 17 to play isn't the essence of choke artistry? What part of blowing a 3.5-game lead with 17 to play isn't the exact same thing?

This is New York. People are going to say how dare he. People are going to lambaste him. People are going to demand the Mets use it as motivation.

People, all he did was call a spade a spade.

* * * * *

And that about does it, folks. Hate Cole Hamels? Have clever ideas for Putz-related headlines? Think the Yankees are for real? Take it to the comment board.

Happy weekend, everybody.

- A.F.O.M.G.

It Takes a Village, Part II

In the response it generated from me, Tuesday's signing of Francisco Rodriguez was a Mets megadeal unlike any other.

There was no delirious elation, no compulsion to pick up the phone and call friends in the hope of being the first to break the news. It was more like checking a box. This is done. Let's move on.

Cosmetically, the deal had all the trappings of the euphoria-inducing deliverance that I typically associate with megadeals. Major offseason priority? Check. Premier player available at position of glaring need? Check. Reasonable contract terms? Check.

But somehow this deal didn't come together and hit home for me the way the Johan Santana deal did, for instance.

There are a few reasons this might have been the case.

For one thing, whereas I never expected the Mets to pull off a trade for Johan, I fully expected the Mets to sign whoever they damn well pleased in the closer "sweepstakes". K-Rod was the best closer available, but no matter how impatient Mets fans proved themselves, somehow the end result never appeared to be in doubt.

Another factor may be that the storyline that's developed around K-Rod, great but on the decline. People point to his declining velocity, declining K-ratio, his 1-inning rule with the Angels. It can't help but wear on you a little.

But more than anything else, I think what's salting my mood is what I wrote about the other day, the unshakable feeling that this move is nowhere close to enough. The Mets are a better team today than they were when the week began, but better isn't good enough.

Now, no one ever said this was the only major move Mets brass was prepared to make this offseason. Already there's talk of the Mets pursuing Raul Ibanez for left field, and the Orlando Hudson watch began in about the second week of Luis Castillo's 4-year contract.

These would all be welcome moves. But who's the utlity infielder? Who's the pinch hit specialist? Who's the swing man in the outfield? Who's the 6th inning guy? Who's mister long relief?

These questions seem trivial and the answers comparably simple until you start giving a combined 250 at-bats to Marlon Anderson (.210 avg, .255 SLG, .275 OBP) and Argenis Reyes (.218, .259, .245), or your right fielder suffers his second concussion in thre months, or you give 21.2 innings to Jorge Sosa (7.06 ERA).

Shit happens in baseball; teams need to plug holes. Right now, the Mets' roster has a polished sheen and a scuffed underbelly.

K-Rod is great; signing him, especially at 3 years and $37mm, is a step in the right direction.

The box is checked. Time to move on.

- A.F.O.M.G.

It Takes a Village

One of my favorite features in the apartment in a little corner of Brooklyn Heights that I call home is the vase-type thing where I keep my old wine corks.

Whenever a new bottle is done, I, my girlfriend, or whoever else should have the honor, writes the date and a little message to ground us in the time the bottle was consumed.

Digging through the vase is like taking a little walk down memory lane. Fishing through the vase yesterday afternoon I saw the corks from June 20, August 2, and, fatefully, September 26, with a simple "Let's go Mets" scrawled on.

The cork did its job, it brought me back to the where and when we'd scrawled on it. The memory wasn't all positive; the hopeful Friday of September 26 was the beginning of the final, fateful weekend of the 2008 season. We went into the weekend tied with the Brewers for the final playoff spot; anything could have happened.

In the end... well, we all know what happened in the end. Before the finality though, the singular prize of the preceding offseason, Johan Santana, proved himself equal to every penny of his contract and every ounce of his hype.

Going into his final start of the season, the oft-repeated refrain was that a game like Saturday's, with the season on the line, was the reason we brought Johan in.

Sure enough, Johan was brilliant, tossing a complete game shutout on three days' rest. But brilliant as Johan was, he wasn't enough to win the weekend.

As we saw last year, the right acquisitions can go a long way, but more often than not, one offseason acquisition isn't enough to guide a team to a World Series. Johan was a difference-maker in Saturday's game. More importantly though, and through no fault of his own, Johan wasn't a difference-maker in the 2008 season.

* * * * *

This week, Omar Minaya will be in Las Vegas with the hope of unthawing the Mets' hot stove. Who will he walk away with? Franicsco Rodriguez? Orlando Hudson? Brian Fuentes? Kerry Wood? Inquiring fans demand to know.

Honestly, each of these players would help the Mets immensely. There's a cost-benefit analysis to be run on each of them; another blog can tell you which one to hope we sign.

As fans hopeful for next year, we'll all fixate on who we sign this week. As fans chastened by the past two seasons, however, we'd all do well to remember that no one player is going to get us where we want to be.

If Johan Santana, for all that he did, couldn't do it, none of the players available this offseason are going to do it either.

We know from recent Mets history that it takes a village to execute a successful season. Signing Billy Wagner and trading for Carlos Delgado were critical moves, but where would the 2006 Mets have been without, of all people, Jose Valentin?

Baseball's salary structure being what it is and the big-market/small-market dynamics being what they are, the Mets will always be in position to have, say, five really good players on the team. But what about the bottom five guys on the team? For all their riches, the Mets have had too many flawed players on the roster in recent years.

More often than not, those guys toward the end of the bench are the real difference-makers. They're difference-makers because in a 162-game season, you're going to have a lot of games decided without Johan Santana on the mound or David Wright at the plate.

* * * * *

By all means enjoy the week ahead; something fun figures to happen. But don't go into it thinking that the answer to all our problems is forthcoming. It takes 25 guys to win a division or a championship. No matter what happens this week, there's plenty of work left to be done.

Me, I'm hoping the Mets sign K-Rod and Hudson for second base.

But when I really think about it, I can't get away from the idea that what this team really needs is a Chad Bradford for the righthanded hitters in the 7th and a Joe Orsulak-/Matt Franco-type for the bottom of the 11th with a runner on 3rd and 2 men down.

- A.F.O.M.G.

Citi Field: Wednesday Night Salt

Sorry to slack on the posts since Thanksgiving, but the Glass Man was down in New Orleans over the weekend and I've been slammed with work ever since.

Don't really have time to write an entire post, but a few things have been bothering me on the Citi Field front and I wanted to vent. So in no particular order:

1. The Citi Field naming rights controversy

What bothers me about the whole situation is not so much the situation at Citi itself. Yes, it leaves us open to all sorts of cracks about collapses, failures, etc., but you know, we were subject to those to begin with.

What's unfortunate, to my mind, is that the name risks eliminating that sense of refuge from the outside world, from its responsibilities and from its trials, that you can get at the ballpark.

At the ballpark it's supposed to be all about the game. When you involve a corporate sponsor, some element of that dissipates, it's now the game, brought to you by the corporate sponsor.

Bill Shea devoted a part of his life to bringing National League baseball back to New York; that's what passion's all about. So when they named the Stadium "Shea", it meant something. Over the years the story of Bill Shea became the dominion of oldtimers and Mets fans with a thing for history, so that eventually when people came to think of "Shea" there was really nothing else to think about but baseball.

Unfortunately with "Citi" right there in the name, that can never be the case for Citi Field. "Citi Field" will always be associated with baseball of course (the Mets will play there after all), but it will also be associated with the world of finance, high flying or troubled as the case may be.

I suppose some day when the boom years come back around (and if Citi is still in business), the "Citi" part of our new stadium's name won't be cause for derision, it might even be a source of pride. But one thing the "Citi" part will never be entirely synonymous with is the word "baseball". Those days are gone.

2. The Citi Field seats controversy

I'm heartened to see other websites take up the call for blue-in and orange-ing the seats at Citi Field.

Green seats work great in some stadiums, Fenway Park for one. But with its Irish heritage, green has always made sense for Boston.

Making the seats at Citi Field blue and orange (if not blue, orange, green, and red) would have been such a kiss for the fans, a reminder of the stadium they grew up in (and judging by the reaction to Citi Field at the "Shea Goodbye" ceremony, a stadium they didn't want to leave behind). Somehow it would have made the whole stadium feel more like home.

Instead we have the same generic dark green seats they have in Philly and Colorado and Arizona, and basically every other new ballpark you've seen lately.

In the end, a simple nod to the team's history was just too much to ask. I guess some people thought the orange seats were tacky, or something like that. For me they were vibrant, particularly on those sun-soaked days that baseball was made for.

3. The Citi Field logo controversy

I don't have much to say that wasn't said when the logo was first unveiled, but the Citi Field logo continues to confound all comprehension.

Here's the thing: whatever company designed this bland, lifeless logo would have submitted a few other potential designs. That's just the way the industry works; a company is selected to design a logo, they come up with maybe five designs and the interested party selects the best option.

Somehow, what you see above was deemed the best option available for the logo. Look at it again. You really have to wonder how that is even possible. (Does it all reflect more poorly on the company who designed the logo, or the team that selected it as the winner? Never mind.)

They say the blue part is evocative of a baseball diamond. It's not.

See the blue part above? That's evocative of a baseball diamond.

4. The Citi Field skyline silhouette controversy

Everyone else begged for the apple.

Here at Y2K, the main concern (people, the apple was a given -- even for the cabal running the Mets) is with the skyline that sat atop the old scoreboard at Shea.

I always loved that skyline silhouette; something about it has always appealed to my sensibilities.

For me, the skyline silhoutte captured something about the scale of the city and the million stories lurking in those randomly lit rooms amid the skyscrapers. It appealed somehow to the part of me that's always had an image of New York bathed in a certain shade of jazz-cool blue.

I want to say I read somewhere that they were going to be bringing the skyline over from Shea. I really hope they do. Sometimes the less obvious trappings of home are the ones that mean the most.

- A.F.O.M.G.