Yankees 2000: Promote the Curse

57 Is the Loneliest Number

2009-07-01T09:51:00.000-04:00

Honestly, last night was a joke. I hope the team feels embarrassed; half the time I'm embarrassed just watching them.

Last night wasn't just one game, it was a microcosm of our entire season. Fernando Martinez tripping and falling in the outfield was just the latest in a string of dropped fly balls (Daniel Murphy in Florida), missed bases (Ryan Church in Los Angeles), failed slides (Carlos Beltran in St. Louis) and dropped pop-ups (you know who against you know who).

Johan Santana must hate this team.

You know what I love about Johan? I love how in the top of the fifth inning, Johan struck out swinging on a ball in the dirt, and he immediately darted out of the box to run to first, eluding a tag attempt from the Brewers' catcher. How many other players on the Mets would have even made the attempt?

It gets me thinking, you know what the worst part of Luis Castillo's dropped pop up in the new Yankee Stadium was? For me it was the near certainty that had the roles been reversed and had a Met been on first base, he would have been jogging around the bases and he wouldn't have scored. That's just the way this team plays the game.

Except one guy: Johan. Johan plays the game the right way. He plays the game like he lives and dies with every pitch, like every moment he's out there is a potential game-changing moment.

No one else on this team plays with that kind of urgency. And that's why they fail season in and season out.

- A.F.O.M.G.

The Stopper

2009-06-30T09:51:00.000-04:00

Last time I posted I wrote about Johan Santana. The Mets were coming off a victory against the Cardinals and we needed Johan to power us to consecutive wins for only the second time in June.

"When we think of the role and importance of an ace, we often think of his position as the team's 'stopper', the guy who doesn't let a 3-game losing streak turn into four games," I wrote. "When Johan Santana goes to the mound today, he'll assume a different mantle. His role will be to act as the team's extender, not their stopper."

Sure enough, Johan did his job that day, pitching 7 innings and guiding the Mets to a 3-2 victory. The win was the Mets' third in four games against St. Louis, a good team. You liked what you saw.

But then you watched what happened over the weekend and you watched what happened last night and all the positive vibes vanished. Talk of a renaissance disappeared. The question on SNY last night was whether it was time to push the panic button.

I was speaking with the newly-engaged Lister (congrats man) last night, and he made an excellent point. The Phillies being a deeply flawed team, the Mets could find themselves in a position where two hot weeks toward the end of the season are enough to propel them to a division title.

Now, we don't have a great track record of producing hot weeks in Septemeber, but the point stands. The Mets aren't buried yet. So long as they're not, it's not time to hit the panic button.

They just need to stay afloat. They've played piss poor baseball, that's for sure, but they're still in the thick of the division race.

In order to stay there we need Johan to step up today. We need him to act in that traditional ace role, we need him to be the stopper. We need him to halt this 4-game losing streak right where it is, clean the slate and get the team pointed back in a positive direction.

It's a heavy burden but that's why they pay him the big bucks. Let's do it.

- A.F.O.M.G.

The Extender

2009-06-25T09:51:00.000-04:00

When we think of the role and importance of an ace, we often think of his position as the team's "stopper", the guy who doesn't let a 3-game losing streak turn into four games.

When Johan Santana goes to the mound today, he'll assume a different mantle. His role will be to act as the team's extender, not their stopper.

The Mets have won consecutive games only once in the month of June. On it's face it's a pretty remarkable stat, but when you consider how badly the Mets have played this month, it becomes a lot easier to believe.

The Mets desperately need some positive momentum. For the past month all the talk has been of injuries and losses, one day the story is Johan getting shelled at Yankee Stadium, the next it's Carlos Beltran going down with an injury.

We hear soundbites from Alex Cora that kind of encourage you, then you hear others from Jerry Manuel that are a bit more realistic.

We've been hearing all season about this difficult stretch of games, with only one opponent with a sub-.500 record. To post a series win against St. Louis, a first place team, would be a real shot in the arm going into the weekend set against the Yankees (who incidentally have been playing pretty poorly themselves).

Yesterday's game was great. We haven't seen the Mets pull off an 11-0 stomping in what feels like an extraordinarily long time. Honestly, I can't remember the last time the Mets cruised to a victory the way they did last night.

Coupled with the Phillies' latest loss, the Mets are still in the thick of things at only 1.5 games out of first. During this stretch of injuries and tough opponents, the goal was to stay in the thick of things, and, more by luck than by skill, they've done that to this point.

A win today though would be a big sigh of relief for everyone. It'd show that we can still win series', that we can still play with some of the big dogs, that we can defend our home field. We've got our ace on the mound in the role of extender. Let's make it happen.

- A.F.O.M.G.

Jerry Manuel: A Year in the Life

2009-06-17T09:51:00.002-04:00

On the one year anniversary of his appointment, I think the man said it best himself: "I feel like I've been here for 10 years," Jerry Manuel said before the game yesterday.

He was kidding, of course, adding quickly that "time flies when you're having as much fun as I am."

A lot of people are buzzing about David Wright's talking to with Mike Pelfrey, but the real leadership story today is Manuel. Since taking over for Willie Randolph, Manuel has led the Mets to an 88-67 record.

If you're anything like me, the first time you read that stat in the Daily News you had to jump over to the Post to make sure it was accurate. 21 games over .500 since Manuel started?

Between all the bullpen meltdowns last year and the injuries and careless losses this year, it sure feels like the Mets shouldn't be 21 games over .500 for their last 155 games, but sure enough they are.

A lot of people are critical of Uncle Jerry. They don't like his bullpen management or other in-game decisions. I myself have asked where the blame belongs for our mental error-prone team.

But at the end of the day I like Jerry; certainly, I'm a lot happier with him than I was with Willie Randolph (even if I feel that ultimate responsibility for this club's failings sits in the General Manager's office).

Willie was just too defensive for my taste; it wasn't a problem when the Mets were "running roughshod over the National League," but after the collapse in 2007 and the poor start in 2008, there was simply no room for his "I've always been a winner so don't doubt me" demeanor.

The problem was, Willie was never a winner with the Mets. When his teams blew it in 2006 and again in 2007, he still called himself a winner, as if nothing had ever happened. It was completely unrealistic for one thing, but more importantly it was completely incongruous with where the fan base's head was at.

In my opinion we needed a guy like Jerry who challenged his team to consider its failures and try to overcome them. It didn't quite work out in 2008, but here's hoping about 2009.

So here's to Jerry. Criticize his methods all you want but the team's .567 winning percentage during his tenure is pretty shiny, and rather impressive when you consider its shortcomings across 2008 and 2009. Apply it over a 162-game season and you're talking about a 92-win ballclub; I think we'd all take that in 2009.

Now let's go make it 89-67 tonight.

- A.F.O.M.G.

The Kinds of Losses that Doom Playoff Runs

2009-06-15T09:51:00.000-04:00

So yesterday was pretty unbearable, but provided there's nothing wrong with Johan Santana, that's not the game from this past week that we're going to remember.

Games like yesterday happen. Sometimes you get blown out, sometimes you blow the other guys out. What matters is what you do with the swing games, and this past week the Mets pissed away three of them.

What more can you say about Friday night's debacle that hasn't already been said? I'm not going to kill Luis Castillo for it. It's a play he should have made (god knows) and it's a game we should have won, but, you know, it happened. In making himself available to the media Luis did everything right (after the play that is) on his end, and the team responded nicely on Saturday.

I had mostly moved on from Friday after we won that middle game 6-2, but as I watched yesterday I couldn't help but recall that this shouldn't have been a rubber game, that we should have had our two wins in the bag already.

From there I couldn't help but recall the game in LA where Church missed third or the game in St. Louis where Beltran didn't slide or the game in Pittsburgh we were leading 5-1. Those three games and Friday's are four losses we'll never get back. Right now we're 32-29, 3 games over .500 and 4 games out of first. If we'd won those four games like we should have, we'd be 36-25, 11 games over .500 and tied for first.

It's a dramatic difference. It's the difference between a middling season and an inspiring one. And those were just the gimme games I could think of off the top of my head. You want to throw at least one of those Phillies losses in there (i.e., Beltran's missed catch, Wright's defensive error) and then were' 13 games over and in first place.

We're not good enough to give wins away. I remember 2006 when Billy Wagner came in with a 4-0 lead against the Yankees at Shea and proceeded to completely melt down. We came out the next day and we were back on track; that charmed team could get away with the occasional crippling loss.

Not this team. We're just not good enough on the whole, so we need to be better on the margins. Unfortunately, that's exactly where we've struggled.

If we're going to make the playoffs, we can't keep giving games away. Simple as that.

- A.F.O.M.G.

Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda, Didn't

2009-06-12T09:51:00.005-04:00

All Mets early, all Phillies late. Where have we seen this story before?

* * * * *

Like so many other series' against the Phillies the past couple years, this one felt like a missed opportunity. After stranding 16 runners and blowing a 4-1 lead in an extra innings loss on Wednesday, the Mets blew a 3-1 lead and lost in extra innings on Thursday.

The makeshift Mets played the Phillies close this weekend, and in a lot of ways the teams seem evenly matched. From everything we've seen, there's little reason to think this season won't come down to the wire the same way the last two have.

The difference between the teams is power. The Phillies have a tremendous amount of it and the Mets have an embarrassing shortage of it. When Mets-Phillies games go into extras, the Phillies have a decided advantage.

* * * * *

I don't know what the answer is. I don't know whether the Mets have the chips to trade for a middle of the order slugger; after losing John Maine to the DL, they might not even consider that their top priority, reasoning that the return of Delgado and Reyes will provide all the boost thye need. And I mean, jeez, our rotation now features Johan, Pelf, Livan, Tim Redding, and Nelson Figueroa/Jon Niese. That's not a playoff rotation any way you slice it.

That's getting ahead of ourselves though. For now, the Mets are still in second place, still within striking distance of first and the Wild Card.

But the Mets are at a show-me kind of moment. The season's not young any more, and there are 44 games until the trade deadline. The Mets, bruised and battered as they are, need to find a way to win games like the last two. They had their chances to step up against the Phillies. They coulda won this or they shoulda won that... well, they didn't. And here we are now, losers of 2 out of 3, 4 games out of first.

We just need to do better.

- A.F.O.M.G.

Mets Games Like They Used to Be

2009-06-11T09:51:00.002-04:00

It's funny the things you can get used to. I don't typically get home until 8pm or so, so each morning before I leave for work I DVR that night's Mets game. When I get home I watch the good stuff, cruise through the commercials, and zip through the occasional inning if I'm really tight on time.

Last night it was the same routine only my DVR was slightly on the fritz. The recording happened, but for whatever reason I wasn't able to fast forward or rewind.

I still watch many games in real time, so it's not like I'd completely forgotten what it's like to watch a game the old fashioned way. But man, when you're teathered to time like that it really magnifies the drama of the game.

It also magnifies the agony, and last night was pretty tough to stomach. It wasn't just that we blew a 4-1 lead in the 7th, the two misplays that let those runs score were pretty agonizing. It would have been a great catch by Beltran, no question, but that drive to center was still a ball he should have caught, and I imagine he'd be the first to tell you that. More than Wright's miscue, that's the play that kills me from last night.

On the other side of the diamond the Phillies made the plays they had to. Off the bat I could have sworn Wright had won it the 10th, but there was Jayson Werth laying out to make a terrific diving catach to send the game to the 11th. From there, well, Chase Utley has a way of making Citi Field play rather small, doesn't he?

Tonight we turn to Tim Redding (sigh...) in what feels like a really important rubber game. This has been an incredibly hard fought series, and it'd be a real boost going into the weekend if we could get the series win. It'd also be really nice to move 2 games back in the division, rather than 4.

I'll be watching tonight, probably on DVR. As great as it was to watch last night's game in my version of real time, I hope my fast forward button works tonight. I don't know if I can handle the commercials on top of that kind of tension two nights in a row.

Let's get this done. I mean, come on, it's Jamie Moyer.

- A.F.O.M.G.

Bobby V's Fake Mustache... 10 Years Ago?!?

2009-06-09T20:30:00.003-04:00

They just announced on the SNY broadcast of tonight's Mets-Phillies game that today, June 9, 2009, is the 10-year anniversary of Bobby Valentine's famed fake mustache.

Is it even possible that it's been 10 years? I feel like me and my friends talk about that fake mustache like it was yesterday.

As a great man once said, "We're not that young."

- A.F.O.M.G.

PS -- You know who would have argued that ridiculously bad call on Tatis at home plate? Bobby Valentine.

Johnny Damon: Juicer?

2009-06-09T09:51:00.000-04:00

One of the many regrettable aspects of the Steriod Era is that it forces you to look twice any time a player undergoes an extraordinary change in career trajectory.

Take David Ortiz, one of the most lovable stars the game has. At the age of 33, Ortiz's production has completely fallen off a cliff. On its face, it's strange but not completely unprecedented. But when you couple it with the near instantaneous career makeover he experienced upon arriving in Boston, and, not for nothing, the known steroid use of his former bash brother Manny Ramirez, it makes you ask questions.

Which leads us to Johnny Damon, and the question no one seems to be asking. After all those years when journalists allowed themselves to be awed by incongruous home run production, and after all the lessons they supposedly learned, I haven't seen the question raised once about Damon and steroids.

Consider the stats. Through June 9, at the ripe young age of 35, Damon has 12 home runs and 14 doubles. The former figure puts him on pace to hit 36 home runs, well more than he's ever hit in a single season (his former personal best was 24 in 2006). This is Johnny Damon we're talking about; for context, 36 home runs is more than Carlos Beltran has ever hit in a season except one.

The latter figure puts him on pace for 42 doubles which would match the career high he set in 2000 when he was 26 years old. Consequently, Damon's slugging percentage, .551, easily tops his previous best of .482.

It's a nice little career renaissance Damon is experiencing, isn't it?

It's true that there are mitigating factors. The new Yankee Stadium is a complete joke; Damon's pop up turned home run last night is perhaps the best evidence of that. And it's true that Damon's home-road splits show that he's hit more home runs at home (9) than on the road (3). At the same time, Damon's also hit more of his doubles on the road (8-6), so it's not that he's only driving the ball in the Bronx.

Nevertheless, it's a question that should be asked. Reporters don't want to ask it because it's "not fair" to turn the steroid question into a witch hunt. But that's completely ridiculous. The players invite this scrutiny by routinely voting down proposals to toughen up baseball's drug policy, and, you know, by using steroids.

His defection from the Red Sox to the Yankees aside, I have no problem with Johnny Damon. He seems like a good enough guy, and for years I wanted him on the Mets.

But come on, he's 35 years old and he's having the power season of his life and we're all just along for the ride. I hope he's clean, I really do. I hope it's just the new ballpark. But you gotta wonder.

* * * * *

As I write this it's pouring rain, and tonight's opener against the Phillies looks like a total long shot.

A lot of Mets fans seem to be dreading this series, but I look at it as an opportunity. We have our ace on the mound in game 1, and any time we can say that Johan Santana is pitching in a series we should feel that we have a chance to take 2-of-3.

Down 3 games in the division, this is a good opportunity to make a statement to the Phillies; bruised and battered as we are, it's an opportunity to remind the Phillies that we're still competitive with anybody in the league. We don't have to fold because Reyes went down or Delgado got hurt.

And when it's all over, hell, if we get three games in, the Mets could find themselves tied for first place. Now that's someting worth hoping for.

But that's getting ahead of ourselves. Maybe for now we should just hope it ever stops raining.

- A.F.O.M.G.

Giveaway Games

2009-06-05T09:51:00.000-04:00

"The reality is, coming here to Pittsburgh and getting swept, for me, I feel embarrassed… We need to find a way to play better and to focus more on what we need to accomplish… I mean, we have to take this personally. It can’t happen… I know the Pirates are a big-league team, but we’re better than them. We’re better than them, and we know we’re better than them... We have to do something about it" -- Carlos Beltran

Though certain to go over poorly in the Pirates clubhouse, Beltran's words needed to be said. The past three games against the Pirates were embarrassing.

First we lost a game we were leading 5-0. Then we lost a Johan start. The capper came yesterday when Mike Pelfrey got bombed and the Mets got blown out.

In SNY's pregame show leading into this series, Gary Cohen noted that the Mets had played poorly against the Pirates in recent years, getting swept by the team in late September '06 and suffering improbable, backbreaking losses in '07 and '08. Either of those improbable losses the past two years, Cohen noted, would have been enough to get the Mets into the playoffs.

You don't get these games back. You lose them in June and they kill you in September. In order to avoid the same fate as the past two seasons, the Mets need to start playing better.

Fortunately for them they have the league's beset invigorating tonic in the Washington Nationals this weekend. Sure we've got Tim Redding going for us tonight, but like Lou Brown calling on Rick Vaughn to face Clu Haywood with the game on the line, I've got a hunch Redding's due.

Personally I'm pissed at myself becuase I'd circled this series on the calendar as one I was going to get down to. I'd love to see the Nationals' new ballpark and I have a bunch of friends in DC so this is a bit of a missed opportunity, but oh well. Let's hope it doesn't turn into a missed opportunity for our Metsies as well.

- A.F.O.M.G.

... And We're Back!

2009-06-02T09:51:00.000-04:00

Seriously, what a trip. The Glass Man had never been to Spain, and hadn't been to Europe at all since the summer of 2003.

That all changed over the last 10 days as me and my girlfriend hopped from Barcelona and Ibiza before spending five days in Paris.

Although I wasn't able to watch any Mets games during that time -- strangely, they don't have Mets bars in Spain and France -- the trip wasn't without sport. Last Saturday we saw FC Barcelona in their final tune-up before their Euro Cup showdown with Manchester United (which Barca won 2-0).

The match we saw at Barca's massive, 110,000-person stadium, was only an exhibition, but it also served as a celebration for the team's having won... something.

After the game, the players did a march around the field to such American superhits as "Eye of the Tiger" (sung by a woman for some reason) saluting the fans and basking in their affection. Afterward the players and coach all gave speeches, fireworks were presented, and the key centerpiece of the celebration, a sign in the middle of the field that spelled some Spanish word, failed to light.

It was awesome to be there for the celebration, but honestly I felt a bit guilty. I pictured some random tourist at the game when the Mets celebrate winning the World Series while I sat at home, unable to get a ticket, and thought of how pissed off I'd have been. So there was some guilt there, but hey, you only live once and it was an awesome experience. Everything you've heard about the intensity of European soccer matches is true.

When we got to France we spent Thursday at Versailles but Friday was all about Roland Garros. We saw a pre-upset Rafa Nadal destroy Lleyton Hewitt; we also saw Maria Sharapova and a really bratty 16-year-old from, I think, Portugal, who inspired a piece in The New York Times the next day devoted to her annoyingness.

The French Open was amazing. We had perfect weather for tennis and great seats -- it was one of the real highlights of the trip, and now I can't wait to go to the US Open again this year.

Now, I might not have been able to watch the Metsies while on vacation, but that didn't keep me from checking in on them during my trip. WiFi access in Barcelona, Ibiza, and Paris was better than anything I've ever received in the US, so I was able to follow all the games and read all the recaps.

More than anything, I'm struck by how much changed in the 11 days I was gone. In the last game before I left, a 2-1 loss to the Dodgers, Jose Reyes led off, Ryan Church manned right field, and Ramon Castro did the catching.

Each day of the trip it seemed like something new had happened. Reyes and Church were DL'ed, Castro was traded, Carlos Beltran's stomach exploded (I know how you feel, bud).

But through it all, a few things stayed constant. People kept getting hurt but the Mets kept winning games; then I returned and the Mets lost a game they were winning 5-0 early and 5-3 in the 8th. Gotta love this team.

And it's nice being home, at least in a way. I mean, Paris is incredible and I could've spent another few days there easily, but it's nice coming home to all the little routines, including the Mets and, you know, updating the site. I know we were light on the posts in May but I'm going to try to ramp things up again in June. It's a nice thought at least.

Beyond all that, if I missed any really major Mets-related developments in the past 11 days I want to hear all about it on the comment board.

- A.F.O.M.G.

Not a Good Three Games

2009-05-20T09:51:00.001-04:00

In the last three games the Mets are 0-3 and have scored 1.7 runs per game. In that time they've hit .220 as a club with zero home runs, and they've backed up their pitchers with six errors in the field including five in one game.

In other words, it's not the happiest of times for the Metsies. As for us here at Y2K, well, we've been on a little work-induced vacation the past couple of weeks. Between my job and GMAT prep I haven't had time to bring the posts like you're accustomed to.

The truth is there's more where that came from in the offing. Tomorrow I leave for my first big trip since 2006, going to Barcelona, Ibiza, and Paris. While I'm there I'll try to find time to write a few posts, but you never want to make any promises about these sorts of things. All of which is to say that things may be slow through the end of next week, but that we'll be back in force once the calendar turns to June.

In the meantime, here are a few quick hits on our boys:

1. Generally speaking I'm as big a fan of Jerry Manuel as they come, but a few things are starting to eat at me. For one thing, I don't think he's handling the Daniel Murphy situation ass well as he could. Murphy has the potential to be a big piece of this team for the foreseeable future; it's not a definite, but the potential's there, and it's on Manuel to realize that potential.

Earlier this year, playing Murphy made a ton of sense. But between his struggles there, Delgado's injury and Delgado's contract expiration, why not put Murphy at first and see what he can do?

There's word that's the plan, and if the Mets are giving Murphy work at first in non-game situations so that he's prepared whenever he makes the move, that I support. I just wish there were a little more clarity on the topic.

2. My other main Manuel criticism is that the Mets have proven themselves to be a bad fundamentals team. They get thrown out by country miles taking extra bases, they miss bases on their way home, they make stupid errors in the field.

I don't know that there's anything Manuel ever could have said or done to have ensured that Church would have touched third on his way home the other night, but the mental miscue wasn't an isolated incident.

If bullpen woes were the bugaboo last year, errors, both mental and physical, are proving the team's weak underbelly this year. They've given away too many games already, and as we've learned the past two seasons, you never get those games back.

That all said, I hate to talk smack about Jerry, so that's enough.

3. David Wright. Wow. Dude's hitting .361 and, thanks to suddenly becoming the most clutch hitter on the planet, is on pace for 116 RBIs. I hate to talk like this but it would be nice if he could start parking some balls, but so long as he keeps driving in runs I suppose there's little difference.

- A.F.O.M.G.

The Almighty

2009-05-14T13:38:00.002-04:00

(Sip here filling in for the big fella and ready to open a can of Whoop Ass on "America's Team." It's nice to come home.)

I sat there in shock last Friday as A-Rod stepped up to the plate at Camden Yards. Why was this guy getting such an ovation? Wasn't this game being played IN BALTIMORE? Weren't we supposed to hate this guy for essentially fully ruining our faith in baseball?

Yet there it was. A standing ovation by the "holier than thou" Yankee fans.

And then he went dong. Lord oh mighty. It was like the Pope had just blessed Citi Field. The guy got an ovation unlike any I could have ever imagined and so of course, some venom began to flow thru my veins as I thought about the almighty Yankees and their perfect fans.

Aren't these the same Yankees that get people arrested for not being respectful during God Bless America?

The same Yankees that throw you out of their stadium for wearing a t-shirt denouncing a player on the other team?

And aren't these the same Yankees that tell you to take your feet off the seat in front of you or god forbid you have the best seat in the house, that you must take your soda cup off the dugout?

These are supposed to be the Yankees. They claim to be carriers of the good lord's word, blessed by the father, the son and even the holy ghost!

Yet here they were, travelling 300 miles to cheer a guy that not only cheeted their sacred game and made a mockery of their precious pinstripes, but then proceeded to lie about it.

You know the old expression, "you can't have your cake and eat it too."

Well then, welcome to the world of hypocrisy that is Yankees baseball.

Which got me thinking a little deeper. Over the last 6 months or so it seems like baseball fans have grown resigned to the notion that most players in baseball cheat or have cheated at some point in their career. That performance enhancing drugs are as much a part of the game as sunflower seeds or chewing tobacco. The A-Rod story loaded the bases and then the Manny story closed it in the 9th.

So everyone in baseball cheats, then right?

Maybe not today when testing has become so rampant but certainly in the past. The McGwire/Sosa era, baseballs saving grace has one big asterix next to its name as we are now all fully convinced that that entire era of ballplayers was doping. That era had a lot going on. Homeruns, Record Attendance and oh yeah, one last thing:

The Return of the Yankee Empire.

The Bombers won 4 world series between 1996-2000.

That run spurned the Yankees from the gutter to the "World's Team." They once again became the symbol of baseball globally and the toast of the town locally. Their fans multiplied expnonentially and immediately became the most knowledgable and sophisticated fans in the game. Their players were the best and brightest. Their owner did things the Yankee way.

But it's all a hoax.

One big giant hoax.

All that we have learned from the last 6 months is that the Yankees shot back to stardom in the heart of the steroid era.

They should be as front and center in this mess as anyone else.

Already names like Clemens, Pettite and Knoblach have been linked to steroids. But really, who knows what else was going down in the Bronx?

The fact is, the Yankees embodied basically everything that is wrong in the game and used their tainted successes to take them to where they are today.

But the walls are collapsing in Yankee Stadium.

When Derek Jeter and Mariano go, so too does the Yankee Dynasty.

See people root for Jeter and Rivera because we have all kind of convinced ourselves that despite everything that has gone wrong in the game, that these guys have been clean. We have nothing to back that up except pure hope in good. It is for similar reasons that we assume that David Wright has not so much as touched a beer can in his short stint on planet earth.

But when Rivera and Jeter go what will the Yankees have?

1. Players that came to the Yankees for money
2. A stadium built for corporations
3. An owner who is the bratty son of a prick

The Yankees and their fans will have nothing to hold over the rest of baseball and the balance will be restored. I yearn for the day when the Yankees can't make payments on their $1.5 billion dollar castle because people decide they have had enough.

Vaya Con Dios,
Sip

Side note:

Can you see the following interaction going down?

Mets Music Guy: So Carlos, ever thought about a new song? You've been bumping to that "Muevas Aqui" track for 5 years now. Ever thought of trying something new?

Carlos Beltran: No

Mets Music Guy: Muevas Aqui it is

(Pics courtesy of aarontorees-sports.com, baltimoresun.com, daylife.com)

Goin'-Goin', Back-Back, to Itha-ca-ca

2009-05-08T09:51:00.001-04:00

It was three years ago this weekend (give or take) that I made my first and, to this point, only trip to Ithaca, NY.

It was 2006, and my brother was about to graduate from law school. Those pre-recession halcyon days were a different, more carefree time for A.F.O.M.G. There was no worry about the GMAT, business school or the the next job. Life wasn't for the orgiastic future, that could wait. As a paralegal at a pre-TARP investment bank, I was working 9-to-5 and making more money than somebody who lived rent-free at home could know what to do with.

Best of all, the Mets were winning, and winning big. On this day in 2006, the Mets were 21-10. Back then there was no 2007, no back-to-back playoff misses on the last day of the season. There was only the daily joy of watching a really good team win a lot of games. For me, it was all orgiastic present.

* * * * *

This afternoon I'll return to Ithaca for my sister's law school graduation. The Mets are 14-13 now, half a game out of first place after winning four straight games against the Braves and Phillies.

It's a far cry from the heady start of 2006, but for the first time all season I've started to feel genuinely hopeful. Johan Santana is the most dominant pitcher I've ever seen. The non-Johan starters have come around and have produced a string of solid starts. The bullpen, Francisco Rodriguez in particular, has been solid.

And best of all, it looks like David Wright may have finally turned the page. As Jerry Manuel said after last night's win, a home run to dead center at Citi Field means you're doing a lot of things right. If he can keep it going, and if we can somehow get Jose Reyes to start contributing too, the offense may finally start producing the way we thought it would.

More personally, yeah I'm still panicking about what I'm going to do after my current job ends this summer, but the idea is that I'm going to take the GMAT a week from tomorrow, and from there Business School options will hopefully fall into place.

For now though, I'll take a nice weekend in Ithaca, NY (those gorges are something else, man) and some solid ball from my Mets.

* * * * *

One quick word on Manny Ramirez before I go. I know others have started saying it too, but this is the just the latest example of why baseball needs to institute stricter penalties for using performance enhancing drugs.

A 50-game suspension is peanuts; I think I read that Manny won't get paid for those 50 games, but he'll still collect every other penny of that huge contract he signed this offseason. For all the shame associated with yesterday's revelation, the incentive to use steroids was demonstrated yet again in the case of Manny Ramirez. First you get the steroids, then you get the power, then you get the mothereffin' money.

If a first offense resulted in a 2-year suspension without pay, no one but the most borderline, hanger-on former prospect would be tempted to uses the juice. It's as simple as that.

- A.F.O.M.G.

Stop the Presses!

2009-05-06T09:51:00.000-04:00

Quick one for you all today.

Back in the day before I was one of New York Magazine's 50 Sexiest Bloggers, before I had status and before I had a pager, the young A.F.O.M.G. was a newspaper man first.

Some of my earliest memories are of a very young A.F.O.M.G. running down the hall to check, unlocking the door as fast as I could and leafing through the paper to find the sports section to see if the Mets had won or lost, the game having lasted too long into the night for me to watch to the end.

Journalism was always a passion of mine. At Nails' urging I joined the high school newspaper and became Editor in Chief. In college I worked my way up from Sports Editor my freshman year to Editor in Chief my junior year. The summer before my senior year of college I spent my nights covering the New England SteepleCats for a local newspaper and riffing with Cheddar Ben on all things NECBL.

Journalism's in my blood. To this day after Mets games I like predicting what's going to be on the back cover of the next day's Post and Daily News. I remember the old favorites ("Leit's Out!") and try to conceive of the new ones.

A private citizen, I've never been the target of blaring headlines telling me how much I suck, so that's a difference between me and members of the Mets. But come on, are they seriously going to stop providing the two New York tabloids in the Mets' clubhouse because they don't want their players exposed to "bad vibes" from the press?

Honestly, how soft is this team? Hasn't anyone ever heard of bulletin board material? Using the junk in the press for motivation?

Regardless, being a Met means being part of New York, and being part of New York means picking up your favorite trashy daily newspaper. I'm a Daily News man, Sip was always a Postie. Whatever, we had opinions and we wanted to hear what everyone else was saying about our favorite tean.

Not Mets brass apparently. In their latest effort to up the toughness quotient of the team (past efforts include signing Alex Cora and Gary Sheffield), the Mets have decided to stop offering New York's newspapers for fear that the team just can't take it anymore.

If this fails to improve their play, god only knows what the next step would be.

- A.F.O.M.G.

Over the Edge

2009-05-05T09:51:00.001-04:00

Say this about Carlos Beltran. In his first four years in New York, he's had three really good seasons with the Mets.

One of those three seasons, 2006, was truly phenomenal. Beltran popped off for 41 home runs, 116 RBI, a .982 OPS, and collected the first of three straight gold gloves.

Lost amid all the Edge-gate drama of the past several days is the fact that the Mets have a lot of talent on this ball club, and as such, they still have the capacity to do something meaningful this season. Check out the standings. At 11-13, the Mets are only 3 games out of first place.

* * * *

I agree to an extent with Omar Minaya that players on this team don't have an edge, but hold on... he's only realizing that now? What part of Jose Reyes', David Wright's, Carlos Beltran's, or Carlos Delgado's (assuming he's referring to one of those four guys) game did he only come to understand in the first 20 games of this season? Seriously, where the hell has Minaya been the past three years?

This group has a lot of talent, and I'm not one of the people who think they don't care, but they do seem to lack a certain run through a wall mentality. Nobody's a better example of that than Beltran, whose incomprehensible non-slide in St. Louis set the Mets on their way to a 3-game (or was it 4-?) losing streak.

The good news, I think, is that this has become a full-on conversation topic. As critical as you can be of Minaya for sticking with this same core group year after year, at least he's made the issue headline material.

Did you watch the post-game show last night? In between "you knows" (somebody get the YouTube, I swear to god he said "you know" in between every three words), John Maine alluded to a "different attitude" in the clubhouse. Reporters questioned him on the topic directly. I'm sure he wasn't the only one to get asked.

This is a good thing. Maybe the Mets will use it as bulletin board material. It wasn't enough for the rest of the league to call them choke artists, but if their own management doing so is enough to send them over the edge and shake off their post-2006 coma, I'm all for it.

* * * * *

But back to Beltran. Edge or no edge, the guy can play, and through 24 games in 2009, he's making it look a lot like 2006 out there.

Daniel Murphy, for all his struggles in the field, appears to be the real deal at the plate.

A big part of what the Mets are missing right now is solid production from Wright and Reyes. If we're going to fulfill our potential we need those two guys to snap out of it. I mean, they hardly contributed at all in April, so how well can you really expect the team to fare?

The good news is we saw flashes from Wright last night, who went 2-4 with a double and key two-run homer.

The dinger is never going to enter into the "is Wright clutch" debate, but why shouldn't it? The Mets were down a run against a pitcher who had been tough all game, and Wright's blast put them ahead. It wasn't a white knuckle, bases loaded, two-out, bottom of the 9th kind of situation, but it was a clutch hit all the same.

The point is, the offense showed flashes last night. If they can keep it up, maybe -- as they did in 2006 when Beltran was rolling and the sky seemed like the limit -- they can make the pitching woes seem a little less pertinent.

- A.F.O.M.G.

More of Last Night, Please

2009-04-28T09:51:00.001-04:00

Seriously, when was the last time the Mets made a win look as easy as they did last night?

As accustomed as we've all grown to the Mets scoring runs in the first inning, rarely do we see them pile on the way they did last night. Ordinarily, the Mets would have tacked on those first two runs, sent a man to the plate with the bases loaded and seen the inning die, the opposing team down but not out.

Last night Omir Santos, the savior, stepped to the plate and smacked a grand slam to make it a 6-1 ball game. Santos' slam absolved Gary Sheffield of his first inning mishap in the terrain of despair that is left field, and gave John Maine the kind of breathing room typically reserved for an Ollie Perez-meltdown-in-waiting. Fortunately, Maine was able to make it stand up.

* * * * *

Tonight the team plays its 20th game of the season, and exactly who they are is still difficult to determine.

On the one hand their hitting is both better and worse than I'd have expected. The averages are up and the power numbers are down almost across the board.

Is it Citi Field? Maybe. I definitely think David Wright is a little psyched out by the dimensions, but it's clear that his mechanics are completely screwed up right now. Things looked better last night at least, and with Wright you don't even worry anymore.

On the other hand, Carlos Beltran seems liberated by th emove to Citi Field. Big money guys are expected to put up big home run numbers, but that's not really Beltran's game.

Sure he had the 41-homer season in 2006, but looking at his resume that's clearly the outlier. He's more of a 25-35 home run type hitter. If he winds up toward the bottom of that range, Citi Field gives him cover.

The hitting aside, the starting pitching has realized about every worst nightmare any of us had coming into the season. Perez sucks, Mike Pelfrey is an injury risk and a serious case of glass-half full, and whether it's his recovery from injury, his head, or his stuff, Maine can't be trusted to win 12 games. As for Livan... well, let's just hope for more tonight than the last two times out.

I'm not sure what part of the early returns should surprise anyone, but at least it can only get better. In the plus column, the bullpen has been mostly as good as advertised.

* * * * *

Tonight it's the 20th game of the season. They say a team has until Memorial Day to show you what it's got. So far, it's been inconsistency on offense, clumsiness on the base paths, and shoddiness in the field. Not a recipe for success.

If they're going to show us they're anything worth getting excited about, it'd help if they started with a little more of last night, please. They didn't exactly put it altogether, but it was exactly the type of good, clean win that this team needs more of in order to take the edge off.

- A.F.O.M.G.

'This, If the Mets Do Not Win It, Will be a Horrible Loss'

2009-04-21T22:55:00.002-04:00

Even better than Gary Cohen's word selection was his pitch-perfect delivery. You could hear the disgust in his voice as he recounted the events that led to the Cardinals taking a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the 8th.

Beltran not sliding. Murphy sucking in the field. Perez sucking on the mound. Blowing a 4-0 lead. It was a terrible game. And the first "horrible loss" of the season.

I don't know what the answer is for this team. This was a game they had no business losing. They were rocking the Cardinals starter around through the first half of the game, they were even hitting with runners in scoring position -- but they never delivered a knock out blow.

Frankly they played tonight like they didn't give a shit. We'll score some runs here, walk in a few runs there, not slide here, lose our footing there.

It's pathetic that they lost tonight. I used to think that losses like this could teach this team a thing or two, but honestly, if they haven't gotten the fucking point after the last two seasons, they're not going to start getting it because of one loss in April.

At a point, you really have to ask yourself if the personnel Omar's assembled, and stuck with year after year, has the character to win.

- A.F.O.M.G.

Just What the Doctor Ordered

2009-04-21T09:51:00.001-04:00

No doubt about it, the Glass Man has been an unabashed booster of Citi Field. But in recent days, as fan criticism of the un-Mets-ness of the place has gathered steam, I've found myself sympathizing with that critique.

The fact is that there is extremely little in the building to remind you that the Mets play there. In the business world they'd call it a rebranding exercise, an attempt to relaunch a product in a new image.

The fact is that, for me, the experience of watching the game there is what's paramount, and from everything I've seen of Citi Field, that experience is fantastic. But as you've no doubt read by this point, the fact is that there is a noticeable absence of hallmarks to the team's history. In fact, the building feels a lot like a tribute to the bygone Brooklyn Dodgers.

The fact is that Dodger and Giant history is part of the Mets' story, and I don't mind the team making a point of it in the new stadium.

The problem though is twofold: first, the history the stadium honors is not both the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants, it's mostly just the Dodgers; second, the history the stadium honors is not both the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Mets, it's mostly just the Dodgers.

You see it in a lot of subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Just look at the seating chart: there's an Ebbets Club but not a Shea Club or a Polo Grounds Club.

When you enter the building there's the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, which is a really unique, really impressive entrance for a stadium. But just imagine if they had made a similar hall honoring Mets history -- imagine if they had a grand hallway where videos with Mets greats played on constant loop.

I'm not saying they should gut the Jackie Robinson Rotunda or anything, but it would have been really fantastic if they'd also built a shrine devoted to Mets history. God knows we won't get it anywhere else.

More subtly, they really should have their ushers wear blue or orange parkas, rather than the Phillie red ones they currently wear. And while I don't mind either as they currently are, it seems that a blue wall and blue and orange tiered seats would go a long way toward appeasing fans.

* * * * *

The fan ire came to a head this week with Gooden-gate. I was prepared to go on a major rant this morning about the idiocy of the organization for erasing Gooden's signature.

I haven't seen it in person, but in the pictures I've seen, his autograph lends an organic, history-embracing quality to Citi Field that it currently lacks. Erasing it would have been a tragedy, and I'm really glad they've decided to reverse course and keep the signature. They're going to move it to another location, but they're also going to encourage other Mets greats to write their names alongside it. This is the right move.

The team is also now saying that they will be constructing a Mets Hall of Fame or some such thing at Citi Field. It is a fair question as to why that wasn't a higher priority for them initially, and you have to wonder where they've got the real estate to do a truly excellent job, but I hardly know all the ins and outs of the ballpark yet.

More than anything, I just want the Mets to do the little things they can to squash this story so that people can go back to admiring the great things about Citi Field. As far as I'm concerned, the good far outweighs the bad, and I wish the focus were on that.

- A.F.O.M.G.

Sun Soaked, Fancy Free

2009-04-18T20:29:00.003-04:00

Quick one for you all today. The Glass Man was out there today at Citi Field with B.O.A.F.O.M.G., who was taking in his first game at the new ballpark.

I can't say enough good things about this new stadium of ours. What really gets me about it is the sense of freedom. We got up from our seats in the 3rd and toured the ballpark. Out we went to left center field where I waited endlessly for a beer on a line with a broken register.

Then it was off to the area behind the scoreboard in center where the Shake Shack is. I found a functioning beer line and ordered the first semi-exotic thing I could find... Kirin Light. Let me tell you something about Kirin Light -- it's great for group dinners at Benihana or the Bond Street Grill in Westport, but at a ball game... well, I'm not sold. Not yet anyway.

From center field it was off to right center for a tick followed by a walk up tothe Pepsi Picnic Area, a great spot to watch the game on a gorgeous, 70-degree day. Curiousities include the 900-calorie popcorn offering (to put it in perspective, the fries had something like 475 -- you really have to wonder what the eff they're putting in that popcorn).

By the time we returned to our seats it was the 6th inning, but we hadn't missed any of the action. We'd caught the whole game but had managed to see it from 4 different perspectives. It's liberating.

Saturday was the first beautiful day of 2009, the first day that makes you think winter might end some day after all. I couldn't have been happier to have spent it at Citi Field with B.O.A.F.O.M.G., Johan, and all the rest. Perfect little Saturday.

They say tomorrow's going to be lousy weather; whatever, you take a sun-drenched Saturday and rainy Sunday over the opposite every time. More important, let's hope there's no let up in our boys. 7-5 sounds a heck of a lot better than 6-6.

Before we get there though, there's still a beautiful Saturday night to enjoy. Have fun everyone.

- A.F.O.M.G.

'Paper' Tiger?

2009-04-16T09:51:00.006-04:00

Really troubling article by Jon Heyman in Sports Illustrated yesterday. Here's the long and the short of it:

"While Mets people are all understandably thrilled to be in their comfy new confines, a slow start that has revealed weaknesses in the team's rotation, defense and lineup has offset the jubilation. Although the new season is just seven days old, Mets people seem genuinely dismayed.
'We have a good team ... on paper, anyway,' lamented one top Mets decision maker."

A "top Mets decision maker" is saying that already? Jesus.

Where was this "top Mets decision maker" during the offseason? And more importantly, what part of the Mets' early-season troubles has caught this top decision maker by surprise?

Was it Oliver Perez's inconsistency? Daniel Murphy's fielding problems in left? Mike Pelfrey's struggles? Every single one of these issues was entirely foreseeable.

We all know that Perez is Mr. All-or-Nothing. It was buyer beware that Perez would suck every now and then, and we took that risk.

Murphy's a converted infielder playing left field. Did this top Mets decision maker miss the Todd Hundley show in the late 90s? Or what about the Mike Piazza-to-1st experiment earlier this decade? Picking up a new position is not as easy as it was when you were in Little League. Mistakes are going to happen, and sometimes they're going to cost you a game.

The one that sticks in my craw the most is Pelfrey. What part of his struggles wasn't foreseeable? I had this debate here and on other sites -- Pelfrey had three really good months and three bad ones last year. This offseason the Mets took the glass half full approach to Pelfrey and decided he was a No. 2 starter. However, if you took the glass half empty approach... well, the glass looked more than half empty, put it that way.

I'll say it again, the biggest gamble this season wasn't on Murphy or Luis Castillo or Ryan Church, it was on Pelfrey. Don't get me wrong, he deserves to be part of the rotation. But there was always the potential that dubbing him a No. 2 starter after last season alone was premature. Through the first week of the season we've gotten exposed for it. Let's hope he gets right fast (tendinitis probably won't help, but who knows).

* * * * *

So to the top Mets decision maker Jon Heyman quoted: great job this offseason. Your anonymous quotes in the press are super helpful.

Beyond that, jesus, the quote was given after 7 games. Did the Mets look good in that span? No. But if there was reason to start calling the team a paper tiger I didn't see it. If the negativity and fatalism of the WFAN crowd has seaped into our front office, god help us.

- A.F.O.M.G.

'They Did It'

2009-04-14T09:51:00.003-04:00

I'll say this -- I didn't expect to love Citi Field. I didn't expect to love the architecture, the attractions, the amenities. But I did.

More than anything else, Citi Field felt right. With the possible exception of the Caesar's Club that me, the Hound, Sip, and a friend of Sip's walked through on our way out, Citi Field feels like what a Mets ballpark should feel like.

It's possible this doesn't all translate on television. I got a text message from Nails a few innings in, bemoaning the architecture and its nod to the Brooklyn Dodgers, the colors of the wall and their nod to the New York Giants, and the overhang in right and its nod to Tiger Stadium. Where was the nod to Shea Stadium? To Mets history?

The truth is there's very little to remind you of Shea Stadium. They've got the new apple out in center field (the old, rotting apple can be found somewhere near the bullpen, but I didn't see it yesterday); behind the Jumbotron in center, at the Shake Shack, sits the old skyline silhouette that once topped the scoreboard at Shea. And that's about it.

I'll say two things about it. The first is that a lot of the things I expected to bother me a lot, don't. Take the color of the seats -- why couldn't they paint them orange, blue, green, and red like old Shea? The outfield walls -- why aren't they blue? The truth is, when I was there yesterday, neither bothered me. The color of the seats definitely didn't; I looked twice at the walls but ultimately I was fine with them.

The other thing I'll say is that comparisons with Shea really aren't fair. Shea was our home, and people like me, Sip, and Nails will always love it. But the experience of watching the game there just cannot compare to Citi Field. At Shea you essentially had two options for watching the game -- from your seat or on a television while on line for food.

At Citi Field you have complete freedom. After the first inning, the Hound and I took a little stroll around the ballpark, and ultimately went to an eatery out in right center field. We got our food, went to a nearby table, watched the game, talked, and ate. We didn't have to watch from our Excelsior Club tickets anymore, we could watch from behind the bleachers in right field. It was a really nice option to have.

* * * * *

There's a certain breed of Mets fan for whom embracing Citi Field will feel like blasphemy, but that's silly. Shea Stadium was a great old place, and the memories aren't going anywhere. But as Tim Riggins recently said, it's time to make some new memories, and if you're a Mets fan, holding Citi Field at arms length is just self-defeating.

The good news is that when you're there, you get it. That was my experience at least. As I walked around the promenade some time around 6:15 yesterday, a hint of exhilaration in my step, I found myself feeling relieved. The new ballpark felt great, but I was only just discovering it. "They did it," I said to myself, and hurried on my way.

- A.F.O.M.G.

On Second Thought, Hang on to Those Rolaids

2009-04-09T09:43:00.001-04:00

Tell me you didn't have flashbacks last night. Tell me you weren't screaming at the television, pacing, clenching your hands in prayer/supplication.

Anyone who tells you they knew the Mets had this one in the bag is lying to you. Two days after all the plaudits that came with their effectiveness in game 1, the bullpen sure looked shaky last night; nobody more so than Francisco Rodriguez at the end.

It was a nauseating few innings as the Reds chipped away runs against a succession of Met relievers, but say this about the bullpen: they bent, yes, but they did not break. They made you want to take some Rolaids, but they did not make you want to take your life.

To a man, each member of the bullpen I saw interviewed after Monday's game that there would be stumbles, but if nothing else, it was encouraging to see us stumble but not fall. I think a much more desirable kind of confidence develops when your bullpen comes in and slams the door, but the bullpen still has a chance to inspire that type of confidence.

What they showed last night inspires a different type of confidence. They showed last night that they can be shitty as all hell and get away with it. And that counts for something too.

In fairness, Bobby Parnell looked pretty good, and some better glovework from Delgado might have saved us all a lot of heartache. Even Pedro Feliciano looked pretty good, I thought, even if his line looks the worst in the box score.

The bullpen wasn't the only story last night. Even if he gave runs back with his shoddy footwork at first, Delgado seems to be answering the doubters with his bat in the earlygoing. The rest of the lineup did their part as well.

But the really interesting part of last night was watching Mike Pelfrey. The Pelf Man looked incredibly bad that first inning, but to his credit he really settled in afterward and he kept a lid on the damage.

All in all, it was a pretty ugly game for the good guys, but say this: it would have been pretty 2008 of us to have blown a win, leading 9-4, on the same day the Phillies pulled off an improbable 12-11 victory after trailing 10-3 in the 7th.

The Phillies showed us they've still got that tenacity yesterday. Last night I like to think we showed we have a little tenacity of our own.

- A.F.O.M.G.

2009 Buffalo Bisons Preview

2009-04-08T11:00:00.000-04:00

You asked for it ... so here it is. Actually, I'm pretty sure nobody asked for it save A.F.O.M.G., who has a secret Buffalo fetish that only emerges when the moon is full. Regardless, it's me, Cheddar Ben, chiming in from law school with a quick cameo to spotlight the Metsies' new AAA affiliate.

To recap. Long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far, away, the expansion New York Mets had a top minor-league affiliate. The name of that franchise was the Buffalo Bisons. For three years, from 1963 to 1965, the two organizations loved each other dearly. They exchanged rings, shared wonderful, blissful moments together and talked almost every day on the phone. Cleon Jones and Ed Kranepool actually walked in on the Mets and Bisons making out in a hot top in Tonawanda one night, which was somewhat awkward. But the two teams swore they would be together forever.

We know how these things often end, though, and in the fall of 1965, the scene got bad. Things were said that couldn't be taken back, and the Mets ended up walking away. The Bisons locked themselves in their rooms, listening to "Crying in the Chapel" and "I Got You Babe" over and over again. Out of spite, the Mets hid their AAA players in faraway coastal Virginia for nearly four decades, first as the Tidewater Tides and then, beginning in 1993, as Norfolk. The Tides' major accomplishment during this period was, so far as I can tell, to inspire a young David Wright to take up the game of baseball. For that, in and of itself, they deserve a round of kudos. Kudos, Tides. Kudos.

For the last two years, then, the AAA scene shifted to New Orleans, where the Zephyrs (formerly of Denver, where they were displaced by the expansion Rockies) did their thing before small crowds amidst stifling humidity and general disinterest. Not that I can blame anyone there. If I had a choice between rebuilding my city and plopping down money to watch David Newhan, I know where I'd spend my evenings. For their trouble, the baseball faithful of New Orleans got to witness the resurgence of Fernando Tatis and a whole lot more of Anderson Hernandez than any one city should be exposed to. Clearly, this was not a relationship built to last.

And so it came to pass that the Mets, for the 2009 season, decided to bring it all back in-state, naming the Buffalo Bisons as their AAA partner on a two-year deal. The romance was rekindled. This caused much rejoicing amongst the small-but-strange Mets/Bisons fanbase, all of whom immediately envisioned great things for the rekindled partnership. They yet may be proven right! It's too early to tell at this point. Still, we fans of the Bisons, and true love, know that there's plenty to be excited about for this upcoming season.

Change is afoot

The Bisons have responded to the Mets deal by spiffing themselves up in a bunch of different ways. The new logo and uniforms, modeled on New York's colors and designs, look fantastic. The team sensibly signed an agreement to air a bunch of games on SNY, the television home of the Mets, which is kind of cool.

Even better, the organization dumped one of the crappiest naming rights deal for a professional stadium in favor of ... a slightly less crappy one. "Coca-Cola Field" isn't all that bad, right? Right? It's not like it's demonstrably worse than "Citi Field," and it's a damn sight better than "Dunn Tire Park," its previous iteration. It's also about a million times more catchy than "North AmeriCare Park," the title from 1995 to 1998. That was a somewhat traumatic part of my high school experience, let me tell you. "North AmeriCare Park" sounds like a triangle of grass outside a nursing home where old people cruise in Hoverounds and play chess.

The team will be fun to watch

We think. The final roster isn't set yet, but fans in Buffalo will be able to watch at least two would-be Mets on a regular basis, including top starting pitching prospect Jon Niese and future reliever Eddie Kunz. Niese, most everyone is aware of at this point. A decent 3.04 ERA and 112 Ks in 124.1 innings at Binghamton as a 21-year-old last season, followed by a solid late-season promotion to the Big Easy (39.2 IP, 3.40 ERA, 32 K, 14 BB) and three rather unsuccessful starts in the Bigs. No big deal. He's got a nice sinking fastball (not a Pelfrey-esque dive bomber, but more of a moving two-seamer) and above-average control, and he may be pitching in Queens before too long, depending on how the Mets' 5th starter situation shakes out. [Shudder.]

Kunz, though, has the real thing -- a huge, heavy sinker. I've been rooting for this clown since he was pitching alongside by boy Cole Gillespie back at Oregon State, and he's going to make a hell of a ground-ball reliever before very long. He's a big boy (6-foot-5), and once he gets his control down pat, it's on.

As far as the rest of the roster, meh. I love me some fat baseballers, so it'll be good to see Robinson Cancel chug around the basepaths at Coca-Cola Field, but that's not the sort of thing that draws you out on a cold April evening. Argenis Reyes? Yawn. Nothing to see there. I hope Fernando Martinez will be up before very long, and it's possible he'll crack camp with the Bisons. If so, that'll be a huge reason to come out and watch as often as possible.

Major disappointments

Little known fact about Cheddar Ben -- the man is a certified Kansas City Barbecue Society judge. "What's that?" you say. "Cheddar is qualified to taste and evaluate competition-level brisket, chicken, pulled pork, and ribs?" Indeed he is. One day, he'll tell you the story of how he earned his stripes as a KCBS man. Here's a little teaser -- the story involves a 450-pound mentor, a rainy drive through Eastern Massachusetts, and a bag of marijuana. Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure that's how most KCBS members got their start, but never you mind.

The point is, I know my stuff in this area. And as such, I'm utterly horrified that the Bisons, after years of offering truly mediocre fare at the park, finally decided to upgrade their concessions with some barbecue only to go out like a punk. More specifically, they went national, opting to offer the horrifyingly awful Famous Dave's to the menu. Bad choice.

Talk about unimaginative. You might as well slap some sauce on a McDonalds chicken sandwich and call it barbecue. I don't know how much the chain is paying them for the concession, but it can't be much. More importantly, it can't have been enough to outweigh the far superior local options, like Fat Bob's or the plucky little Smokin' Toms.

[Note: Citi Field will offer Blue Smoke barbecue, which should be absolutely great. Expect a full food review of the park later this summer.]

That said, the team has decided to offer Tim Horton's coffee at the park, which is a step in the right direction.

NL weirdness

The Bisons had been affiliated with the Indians for a while, which has meant that the DH rule has been in effect in Buffalo for a while. Now that they're linked up with a National League club, that's going to change ... kind of. Apparently, the rule in the International League is ... well, I'll let the club explain it:

The Bisons will not be able to use a designated hitter when they take on another affiliate of a National League team. Therefore, in games against Lehigh Valley (Phillies), Syracuse (Nationals), Louisville (Reds), Gwinnett (Braves) and Indianapolis (Pirates), the Bisons pitcher must take his normal turn in the batting order. When the Bisons play a team affiliated with an American League team, both clubs will be able to use a designated hitter.

A little bit strange, right? You'd think there would be a home-away thing going on, like they have in the World Series, but apparently not. Anyways, fans in Buffalo will get to see pitchers hit a bit this summer, which will speed up games and increase the chance of a Chien-Ming Wang-type disaster, which is always fun.

Pure class

And just so everyone is aware of what type of organization the Bisons are, this is how they're going to kick off the season:

The Buffalo Bisons, Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets, today announced that they will offer up to four FREE tickets to Opening Day 2009 to any person who has lost their job.
The Bisons recognize that many of the same fans that have helped the team set numerous attendance records have now fallen on hard times with the downturn in this country's economy. With the hope and promise of Spring and a new baseball season, the team wanted to make sure that all their great fans and their families have a chance to attend Opening Day on Thursday, April 9 against the Pawtucket Red Sox (3:05 p.m.).

That's what's up. Let's go Bisons.

The Showcase

2009-04-07T09:52:00.000-04:00

It wasn't poetry out there. It wasn't, we should hope, the team's best game of the year. Everything from the elements to the play on the field seemed a tick off.

The weather was lousy. Johan wasn't his sharpest. The lineup could hardly string anything together.

But in the end, with the bullpen logging 3.1 scoreless innings of relief including dominant innings from J.J. Putz and Francisco Rodriguez, Game 1 of the 2009 season was the perfect showcase for everything the Mets couldn't do in 2008. And as such, it was the perfect showcase for everything we hope will be different in 2009.

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There are many important questions left to be answered. A big one -- is Mike Pelfrey for real -- takes center stage tomorrow night in Game 2.

But yesterday at least things turned out positively even if the steps along the way weren't all pretty. Johan didn't dazzle, but even that's saying something. He went 5.2 innings, allowed 1 run, and got the win, but still we all know it was kind of an off day for him. That's a good thing.

David Wright had an opener to forget, unfortunately. Sometimes I worry about his head -- he wants so badly to be great that I worry he takes failure too hard. Really, I shouldn't worry -- he's had a hall of fame start to his career after all. But still, I'm sure he's heard all the "unclutch" chatter this offseason, and stranding Reyes at third in the first didn't help his cause.

But these are quibbles. The story yesterday was that the bullpen did what it was supposed to do. After all that futility last season and all those dollars spent this offseason, we needed Putz and Rodriguez to come through that first time. It would have been really classic -- really Mets -- if one of them had blown it, but we'll take progress where we can get it.

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After the game, after Blondies, I came home and cooked dinner for me and my girflriend. Baseball was back, it was a great feeling.

- A.F.O.M.G.