Congratulations, I guess, are in order on Squawker Jon's beloved Mets getting Francisco Rodriguez to agree to a three-year, $37 million deal. After all, as my blogging partner notes, the Mets got him for a lot less than the 5-year, $75 million deal he was seeking.
K-Rod is known not just for being a great closer, but for his annoying, over-the-top celebrations. He makes Jonathan Papelbon look like a librarian, and Joba Chamberlain seem like a church mouse. And now he joins a team which already has one drama king - Jose Reyes.
So it's going to be interesting to watch how the other teams in the National League, especially the Phillies, react to seeing K-Rod's ridiculous displays of emotion.
As for how this will affect the Yankee-Mets rivalry, I'm guessing we'll be hearing about how the Mets now have the best closer in town. Good grief. And I'm also thinking that K-Rod will be, shall we say, not exactly loved by Yankee fans. I'm sure Squawker reader Uncle Mike (aka Michael in NJ) is firing up a post as we speak about Rodriguez!
I'm also wondering how having K-Rod and Reyes on the same team will affect the Mets. Will Reyes feel compelled to elevate his displays of emotion to an even more histrionic level? If so, heaven help us!
You know what I don't like about K-Rod? His nickname. Not only is it a ripoff of A-Rod, but I keep on thinking that the pitcher's first name should begin with a K instead of an F. Maybe he should just change his name to Krancisco Rodriguez. It would make a lot more sense!
What do you think of K-Rod? Leave us a comment!
I'm happy to have K-Rod on the Mets, but that still doesn't solve the middle relief dilemma. Yes, Wagner has looked like Benitez and Looper at times, and yes, K-Rod is 99% lights out (Who remembers Easley goin' yard on him last season? I do!). Yet the main problem was and still is middle relief. Fellow Mets fans, do you really want guys like Heilman, Schoeneweis or any other inconsistent arm from that bullpen entering the game? Neither do I. Minaya has to fix the rest of the pen or else K-Rod won't even come close to recording half the amount of saves he recorded last season.
ReplyDeleteOh, and Lisa, let's be honest: while I dislike over the top celebrations as well, it isn't a problem if that player is on your favorite team. Right?
ReplyDeleteQuite frankly, if your team doesn't win there are no celebrations of any kind. I'll take emotional, over-the-top celebrations over none at all.
ReplyDeleteForget about Celebrations, What concerns me about Francisco, is that crazy delivery of his, i expect one day, in a tight situation, to see him on the mound, wind up, go to throw the ball, and launch his entire arm to the plate. How he's never hurt himself badly is beyond me.
ReplyDeleteHowever, it's a good step in the right direction, we still have work to do on the bullpen/rotation, but now that we have a closer, we can start workin on that.
Oh and Lisa, Congrats on the Yanks getting C.C. i just saw a report that said he'd signed. (course it could just be rumor)
I like the nickname although it suited him more when he was striking out over 35% of the batters he faced. The Mets are talking to the Rockies about Street so we may get a decent setup man after all/
ReplyDeleteHmm ... I think Pedro fits the Dennis Eckersley profile and convert him to a closer.
ReplyDeleteK-Rod has signed with the Mets. Which means K-Rod walks home a Pennant-losing run with the bases loaded (think: Kenny Rogers in 1999), or gives up a cheap home run to some banjo hitter (think: Armando Benitez many times from 1996 to 2001 or Aaron Heilman in 2006).
ReplyDeleteK-Rod makes Papelbon look like a librarian, Lisa? Makes a little sense. After all, librarians are supposed to keep track of books. Nowhere is it written that they are required to read them!
The celebrations between K-Rod and Reyes will be truly ghastly. Imagine a football team whose receivers are Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson, and whose top defensive lineman is Mark Gastineau. Then again, what have those guys ever won? K-Rod did win a World Series in Anaheim... but so did Pedro win one in Boston, although he was every bit "just along for the ride" as Roger was in 1999 (but not in 2000).
Can you imagine the scene on October 4, 2009, if the same scenario of the last two years holds? The last day of the regular season, the Mets needing a win (or somebody else's loss) to get into the Playoffs, and, after looking like a couple of goofballs in the previous day's win, the Mets lose to the Houston Astros (I looked up the date and opponent, and the Astros have some talent), and there, in the dugout, are K-Rod and Reyes? (And for failing like that again, it might be the last time we see Reyes in a Met uniform. Maybe Wright and Beltran, too.)
Hail, Cesar, for your words are true: In order to save a lead, K-Rod must first receive a lead.
The Cleveland Indians appear to be close to signing Kerry Wood, the former Cubs starter whose brilliant career was cut short by injury, until he became their closer this year, and was reborn. Then they got rid of him. Dumb decisions like this are why, in the words of Steve Goodman (the late, great songwriter who wrote the train song "The City of New Orleans"), "The law of averages says anything will happen that can, but the last time the Cubs won a National League Pennant was the year we dropped the bomb on Japan." 1945.
Lisa, you are wrong about many things in your post, but I will only address one. I would not say that the mets have the best closer in new york. not until K-Rod proves it. Mariano is still king until further notice, although I was annointing K-Rod as the best closer in baseball last year. Met fans don't share the same compulsion as yankee fans to declare everything we have to be the best. we blew a huge number of saves last year. if 1/4 of them were saved, we would've won the division. we filled a need with one of the best closers in baseball. that is good enough for this met fan.
ReplyDelete