I was hoping Javier Vazquez would have a good start -- I even implored Squawker Jon to start him in his fantasy league, to no avail. So much for that dopey notion on my part. Eight hits and six runs in 4.1 innings isn't exact a quality start! My friend Steve of "Was Watching" was so irate during the game, that he wrote a parody song during the game about Javy!)
But despite Marcus Thames' eighth-inning homer and ninth-inning go-ahead hit, despite the Yankee bullpen keeping the Yanks in the game, and despite Derek Jeter's game-tying hit, the biggest story in the New York media today is what happened in Flushing, where Francisco (K-Rod) Rodriguez was arrested for allegedly attacking his own father-in-law.
I'm no different -- when I saw news on the K-Rod meltdown on Facebook, I turned on the Mets postgame instead of basking in the Yankees win. To SNY's credit, they didn't sugarcoat any of it, spending a long time talking of nothing else than what K-Rod allegedly did (and yeah, I don't think YES would have been quite so candid if it were one of their own.) Bob Ojeda was very angry, wondering if Jerry Manuel has "lost control of the club, or does he just have a rogue guy with a bad temper on his hands who likes to beat up old people? I don't know, but this is the same guy that pushed Randy Niemann around..." Just in time for today's AARP Day and Senior Stroll at Citi Field!
I think it's about time for the Mets' front office to pull that emergency chute hatch, and send Jerry Manuel on his merry way (maybe with a beer or two, like that flight attendant took!) What, exactly, is Manuel good at, other than playing kissy face with the media? His in-game strategies are terrible (why didn't he pitch K-Rod in the eighth last night, as Rodriguez apparently wanted him to do?), his clubhouse is a complete mess, and now this debacle. We now know that there is a police holding cell in Citi Field, thanks to the team's closer being arrested. Oh joy.
It may be too late to salvage the Mets' season, but isn't a new face worth a try? Look at how Buck Showalter has been able to shake things up in Baltimore, leading them to an 8-1 record so far. From Bob Klapisch of the Bergen Record:
Then again, how would a threat work in Metsland, when disasters like Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo get to take up roster spots, no matter what, because of the money they make? When Fred Wilpon is making "Annie" references about keeping Omar Minaya, and bragging about the great job Jeff Wilpon is doing. If only the tough but fair criticisms that broadcaster Bob Ojeda has given time and time again were something the Mets' front office would actually listen to, this team would be a lot better off.
"Buck stood in the middle of the clubhouse, clipboard in hand, and calmly read the names of every Class AA and Class AAA prospect dying for promotions to the major league roster. The Orioles, who’d long since tuned out Dave Trembley and interim replacement Juan Samuel, listened in shock to Showalter’s thinly veiled warning: No one’s safe on a team with a .345 winning percentage."
Anyhow, the purpose of the Subway Squawkers blog is for Jon and I to rib each other about our teams -- and each other. But even this Yankee fan thinks that the Met fans deserve better. I felt the same way about seeing the then-pathetic Orioles this summer after Squawker Jon and I went to Camden Yards to see them against the Yanks and Mets. Now, with Buck Showalter, the O's - and their fans - have something to look forward to. If only Met fans had something to be hopeful over.
What do you think? Tell us about it!
You raised a couple of good points. Why did the Mets not fire Manuel and hire Buck Showalter? He takes over a pathetic team, and suddenly they're 8-1? Mets ownership really needs to go home and re-think their lives.
ReplyDelete"To SNY's credit, they didn't sugarcoat any of it, spending a long time talking of nothing else than what K-Rod allegedly did (and yeah, I don't think YES would have been quite so candid if it were one of their own.)" Amen.
Once we know all the facts regarding K-Rod, then Mets management/ownership should act quickly and decisively. Keyword is SHOULD. If K-Rod was just being a bully, then run him out of town, eat the contract if you have to, but send a message to the team that it's time to shape up or ship out.
On the other hand, if K-Rod was provoked and merely defending himself, then deal with it as such. But let's not rush to judgment until we know ALL of the facts.
I wonder if K-Rod is having doubts about coming to NY, the same way that Jason Giambi regretted his decision to play in NY?
We Mets fans are hopeful for something: that this nightmare will end soon.
I will be very surprised if the Mets eat K-Rod's contract. They won't do it for Oliver Perez, and they won't do it for Luis Castillo.
ReplyDeleteAs for the possibility that K-Rod was provoked, what kind of dope fights his own father-in-law, no matter what went down? Doesn't sound like the recipe for a happy marriage (let alone a sane ballplayer!)
Oh, the Mets probably would not eat his contract, but they SHOULD.
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of dope would fight his own father-in-law? The same kind of dope that would make up a story about getting in a fight in an elevator. Or the kind of dope that would get into a fight with Reggie Jackson, Jim Brewer, and many others.
If K-Rod doesn't have his head screwed on straight, then he needs to go.
I'm not sure Giambi regretted his time with the Yanks. Practically every interview I have ever heard of him reflects nothing but appreciation for the Yanks. God knows he took enough time and money. He should be thankful...
ReplyDeleteBuck has proven he can turn undisciplined teams around (Yankees, Diamondbacks, Rangers and now the Orioles).
ReplyDeleteK-dope should be traded (not to the Yanks).
Speaking of not sugar coating things, how about Michael Kay saying, "where is Mark Texeira?!"
I personally feel he should have been with the team for at least one of the two games. This was a very important series. Not to demean the birth of his third child, he had two already born and one was a son.
Don't look now, but the Sawx are on the move! Never count them out, not with that staff. And of course the Rays won't melt, like the Texas heat. Their staff is probably better then the Sawx!
The Yankees should let Javy walk at the end of the year, and go hard for Lee in the offseason. How about that rotation, C.C. , Lee, Hughes, possibly Pettitte, and we'll have to deal with A.J. GO YANKS!
I just watched Jerry Manuel's press conference. What a disaster. Dude, you can't say it's "not baseball related" when your closer attacked a family member on Mets property after a game, in front of other teammates
ReplyDelete'wives and children.
Is it too much to expect Manuel to show a pulse on *anything*?
On the Yankee comeback: I have to admit, I didn't think they were going to make it. I've seen a lot of games, especially on the road, where they almost make it, but don't. But they did, and, once again, despite a struggle from Javier Vazquez, we didn't need Cliff Lee.
ReplyDeleteIt also reminded me of the 2006 home game against the Rangers in which the Yanks trailed 9-0 in the 2nd, and went on to win 14-13.
On K-Rod: Yankee Fans have disliked this guy ever since the 2002 Playoffs. He's a showboat and a jerk, but if he's pitching well for your team, you overlook that. But he's been a liability for the Mets this season, and last night -- even if he father-in-law was at fault -- he did something that obscured even a typical Met bullpen blowup, the kind of game that puts the M, the E and the T in "MELTDOWN." (Paging Mel "tdown" Rojas.)
If I were a Met fan, right now I would be praying for a falling-out between Hank and Hal Steinbrenner, for one to buy out the other, and for the bought-out one to then buy the Mets from the feckless House of Wilpon and bring the Big Stein attitude. If something like what K-Rod did had happened on the Early George Yanks (1973 to 1990), heads would roll -- probably the pitching coach's as well as K-Rod's.
When the Mets had similar disciplinary issues, as well as being terrible on the field, in 1993, then-GM Gerry Hunsicker (who went on to considerably more success in that role with the Houston Astros) said, "We need to stop being reactive and start being proactive." And Channel 4's Len Berman said, "But what if they become radioactive?"
Too late then, Len, and too late now, Fred and Jeff. Blow it up and start over. If even someone as obstinate as Orioles owner Peter Angelos can do it, so can you.
That "average" pitcher Mo showed just how great he is under pressure last night. As I said .. Mo is Class..Frankie is class but with the "cl" removed.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Giambi ..he stated frequently that he wanted to stay with the Yankees in his final year with the team so I don't know where "23" gets his info from ...maybe in his own mind .. :o)
Go Yankees 2010 !!