The Mets' season turned around when a player got emotional on the field when he thought he would have to leave the team. Last night, a player got emotional in the dugout when he thought he would have to leave the game. Unfortunately, Matt Harvey did not get the storybook ending Wilmer Flores got when he hit a walkoff homer two nights after thinking he had been traded. But the passion and determination of an outclassed Mets team to get to the World Series and put up a good fight against the Kansas City Royals made 2015 a memorable season.
Though the Mets went down in the series four games to one, the two teams were a lot more evenly matched than the final result would indicate. After all, the Mets had the lead in the ninth inning twice and the eight inning once in three of their losses. But when the other team comes back to win that many times, you have to acknowledge that they were the better team and more deserving of victory.
Dominant starting pitching backed by good hitting can get you to the World Series even if your defense is shaky, your bullpen is questionable, and your manager makes mistakes. But there's little margin for error against a team like the Royals, and even one of the most dominant pitching performances in Mets postseason history could not save them last night.
I liked the idea of Harvey coming out for the ninth, even though it went against his numbers showing that it was best to pull him after he had thrown 100 pitches. But at 102 pitches going into the ninth and a packed house screaming for Harvey, I have no problem with Terry Collins sending the Dark Knight out for the ninth. It also gave Harvey a chance to show once and for all that he really was willing to put Scott Boras' innings-limit circus behind him.
That said, once Harvey walked Lorenzo Cain on seven pitches, bringing his pitch total to 109, he should have been pulled. I am admittedly writing this in hindsight; at the time, I wanted Harvey to get another batter. But Collins' bullpen strategy fell apart the last few nights. He brought in Jeurys Familia Friday night in a 9-3 game to get him some work. But then he said he could not use Familia for two innings Saturday night because of the unnecessary Friday inning. And with numerous other options, Collins stuck with using Tyler Clippard as the bridge to Familia, only to see Clippard end up with the loss.
Using Familia in the Game 3 blowout was a way to enable him to regain his confidence. But maybe it was Collins who needed to regain his confidence after his bullpen moves backfired on Saturday, because he did not act decisive about what to do until after Harvey gave up the double to Eric Hosmer and another Royals comeback was underway.
Lucas Duda made a terrible throw to the plate to allow Hosmer to score the tying run, but David Wright cutting in front of Wilmer Flores to nab Salvador Perez' grounder probably also played an important role in the disastrous play. Had Flores made the play, Wright could have stayed closer to third base, making it harder for Hosmer to break for the plate. And Flores, in better position than Wright and with a better arm, probably would have gotten the ball to Duda faster, so if Hosmer still ran, Duda would have had more time to throw home and maybe would not have rushed his throw.
Duda's bad throw meant that three of the Mets' four infielders had critical miscues in this series. In five games, Murphy and Wright were each charged with two errors and Duda was charged with one (not last night, when his bad throw was not ruled an error). Only Flores, who was not even supposed to be the shortstop before Ruben Tejada got hurt, avoided an E next to his name.
Last night, the Mets got only four hits, and that was in 12 innings. On Saturday night, they got just six hits and in Game 2, only two hits. For the Series, the team hit just .193. It's hard to win a World Series with that little production.
Once the game went into extra innings and the Mets had to go deeper into their bullpen, it was hard to have much confidence, especially considering the way this Series had gone so far. A five-run twelfth by the Royals just emphasized that as close as this Series seemed at times with the Mets constantly getting late inning leads, the Royals were the superior team.
In 1984, the Mets won 90 games after years of losing, but it would be another two years before they made it to the World Series. In 2015, the Mets won 90 games after years of losing, and got to the World Series on their first try. Despite the way it ended, this season has to be considered a huge success overall.
And let's not forget who won the World Series the year after the Royals' last title in 1985. Wait till next year! Let's go Mets!
Showing posts with label Matt Harvey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matt Harvey. Show all posts
Monday, November 2, 2015
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Mets-Royals World Series Game 1: Extra painful
There's not much worse than having your dominant closer give up the lead in the ninth inning of a World Series game. Unless he went in facing the 7-8-9 hitters. And the number 8 hitter smacked a 428-foot home run. And now that the game looked lost - a deflating homer, the game now to be decided by the middle relievers, a big disadvantage for the Mets - the teams continued to battle for five more innings before the Mets lost with the help of an error by the captain who had waited so long to get to the World Series.
This is a bad loss and potentially a fatal one. But let's not call David Wright and Jeurys Familia goats just yet. Wright has made several great plays in the field this postseason, including a leaping catch in yesterday's fourth inning. Familia's blown save was that much more disappointing because he's been so dominant in this postseason. Compare that to Armando Benitez, who blew the save in the last World Series Game 1 the Mets were in before yesterday. That postseason, Benitez had two saves and two blown saves. For his Mets career, he had three blown saves in six postseason chances. That's why he's remembered as a regular-season star who couldn't get it down in the postseason. Familia is now 5 of 6 in postseason save chances with an 0.82 ERA.
The Mets really seemed destined to win the game when Eric Hosmer, winner of the last two American League Gold Gloves at first base, allowed the go-ahead run to score when a ground ball got by him on a play that naturally brought up memories of Bill Buckner in the 1986 World Series. If the Mets had gone on to win, the Royals would have been lamenting a loss due to one of their main strengths - defense - faltering at a critical moment. But one of the Mets' main strengths, Familia, returned the favor an inning later.
Along with Buckner in 1986 and Benitez in 2000, the game also brought back memories of the 1969 World Series, when Tom Seaver gave up a home run to the first batter he faced, Don Buford, in Game 1. And my friend Roger suggests that five-tool centerfielder Yoenis Cespedes' mishandling of the ball that Alcides Escobar hit that went for an inside-the-park homer was reminiscent of the 1973 World Series, when the ultimate five-tool centerfielder, Willie Mays, was struggling in the outfield at the end of his career.
Just before Cespedes and Michael Conforto mishandled Escobar's fly ball, Cespedes was a no-show for the pregame introductions. That may mean nothing and may be a coincidence. Perhaps he had an upset stomach and did not feel like sharing the details. But this is the player who suddenly came down with an injury in Game 4 of the NLCS and he's already gotten the benefit of the doubt that it had anything to do with him playing golf that day. And then he shows up on the bench in the ninth inning of Game 4 wearing a championship shirt and goggles. Even Ron Darling in the TBS broadcast booth began muttering about the baseball gods. Maybe the baseball gods were hovering over centerfield last night.
The Royals lived up to their billing as a team that keeps coming back. Matt Harvey has gotten a lot of criticism for reduced velocity and not throwing enough fastballs last night, but he had allowed just one run going into the sixth inning, and that run was the tainted inside-the-park homer. But the Royals rallied for two runs to tie the game in the sixth, and Harvey was done after 80 pitches.
The Mets lost the first two games in 1986, and did so at home, so tonight is not necessarily a must-win. But it's pretty close.
This is a bad loss and potentially a fatal one. But let's not call David Wright and Jeurys Familia goats just yet. Wright has made several great plays in the field this postseason, including a leaping catch in yesterday's fourth inning. Familia's blown save was that much more disappointing because he's been so dominant in this postseason. Compare that to Armando Benitez, who blew the save in the last World Series Game 1 the Mets were in before yesterday. That postseason, Benitez had two saves and two blown saves. For his Mets career, he had three blown saves in six postseason chances. That's why he's remembered as a regular-season star who couldn't get it down in the postseason. Familia is now 5 of 6 in postseason save chances with an 0.82 ERA.
The Mets really seemed destined to win the game when Eric Hosmer, winner of the last two American League Gold Gloves at first base, allowed the go-ahead run to score when a ground ball got by him on a play that naturally brought up memories of Bill Buckner in the 1986 World Series. If the Mets had gone on to win, the Royals would have been lamenting a loss due to one of their main strengths - defense - faltering at a critical moment. But one of the Mets' main strengths, Familia, returned the favor an inning later.
Along with Buckner in 1986 and Benitez in 2000, the game also brought back memories of the 1969 World Series, when Tom Seaver gave up a home run to the first batter he faced, Don Buford, in Game 1. And my friend Roger suggests that five-tool centerfielder Yoenis Cespedes' mishandling of the ball that Alcides Escobar hit that went for an inside-the-park homer was reminiscent of the 1973 World Series, when the ultimate five-tool centerfielder, Willie Mays, was struggling in the outfield at the end of his career.
Just before Cespedes and Michael Conforto mishandled Escobar's fly ball, Cespedes was a no-show for the pregame introductions. That may mean nothing and may be a coincidence. Perhaps he had an upset stomach and did not feel like sharing the details. But this is the player who suddenly came down with an injury in Game 4 of the NLCS and he's already gotten the benefit of the doubt that it had anything to do with him playing golf that day. And then he shows up on the bench in the ninth inning of Game 4 wearing a championship shirt and goggles. Even Ron Darling in the TBS broadcast booth began muttering about the baseball gods. Maybe the baseball gods were hovering over centerfield last night.
The Royals lived up to their billing as a team that keeps coming back. Matt Harvey has gotten a lot of criticism for reduced velocity and not throwing enough fastballs last night, but he had allowed just one run going into the sixth inning, and that run was the tainted inside-the-park homer. But the Royals rallied for two runs to tie the game in the sixth, and Harvey was done after 80 pitches.
The Mets lost the first two games in 1986, and did so at home, so tonight is not necessarily a must-win. But it's pretty close.
Sunday, October 18, 2015
NLCS Mets-Cubs Game 1: Dark Knight for Chicago
Turns out the Mets made a great addition to their postseason roster - an All-Star caliber pitcher. He replaced that guy who seemed more concerned about innings counts and preserving his arm for a future free-agent contract. Welcome back, Dark Knight!
As if it weren't enough that Matt Harvey blew away the Cubs in Game 1, he even took a line drive off his pitching shoulder in the sixth inning and waved it off. I half expected to see Scott Boras storm onto the field wheeling an MRI machine. But Harvey did not even throw a warmup pitch to make sure he was all right (Boras would have included that pitch in his pitch count).
Like many Met fans, I got fed up with Harvey in the later part of the season. Wilmer Flores cried when it looked like he was leaving the Mets. Harvey and Boras whined when it looked like Harvey would have to keep pitching for the Mets past what Boras claimed was his innings limit.
As I've said before, Harvey has every right to worry about his arm and Boras is just doing his job, though Boras did his client a disservice by making the dispute public. And I'm glad that Harvey ended up throwing under 100 pitches (97) on a cold night when his tricep swelled up from getting hit.
But this is the playoffs, and fortunately there is no debate from anyone on going all out. With all due respect to Steven Matz, who has great future potential, the Mets have a big three that needs to start the first three games of the NLCS so they all have the possibility of pitching again. That's why it's so important that Noah Syndergaard is pitching tonight in Game 2, even though he pitched in relief Thursday and warmed up four times.
I do hope, though, that Collins is eventually willing to go to someone besides Jeurys Familia in relief. Let the starters pitch deep into the games if they are doing well, not just because you are afraid to go to a middle reliever. Bartolo Colon has pitched reasonably well and no other reliever besides Eric Goeddel (who is not on the NLCS roster) has pitched poorly enough to rule them out. It's reasonable to expect that Syndergaard might not have a long outing tonight, and if so, it's a chance to determine who can be trusted in middle relief.
After picking the Dodgers in the first series because of Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, I am not making that same mistake again. Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester? Big deal! Actually, it is a big deal for the Cubs to win tonight with the usually unhittable Arrieta on the mound. But even if they don't, this series is looking a lot brighter for the Mets than the tossup it appeared to be before it started. Lester was beatable in Game 1. And when the Mets turned on the bat signal. the Dark Knight rose to the occasion. Let's Go Mets!
As if it weren't enough that Matt Harvey blew away the Cubs in Game 1, he even took a line drive off his pitching shoulder in the sixth inning and waved it off. I half expected to see Scott Boras storm onto the field wheeling an MRI machine. But Harvey did not even throw a warmup pitch to make sure he was all right (Boras would have included that pitch in his pitch count).
Like many Met fans, I got fed up with Harvey in the later part of the season. Wilmer Flores cried when it looked like he was leaving the Mets. Harvey and Boras whined when it looked like Harvey would have to keep pitching for the Mets past what Boras claimed was his innings limit.
As I've said before, Harvey has every right to worry about his arm and Boras is just doing his job, though Boras did his client a disservice by making the dispute public. And I'm glad that Harvey ended up throwing under 100 pitches (97) on a cold night when his tricep swelled up from getting hit.
But this is the playoffs, and fortunately there is no debate from anyone on going all out. With all due respect to Steven Matz, who has great future potential, the Mets have a big three that needs to start the first three games of the NLCS so they all have the possibility of pitching again. That's why it's so important that Noah Syndergaard is pitching tonight in Game 2, even though he pitched in relief Thursday and warmed up four times.
I do hope, though, that Collins is eventually willing to go to someone besides Jeurys Familia in relief. Let the starters pitch deep into the games if they are doing well, not just because you are afraid to go to a middle reliever. Bartolo Colon has pitched reasonably well and no other reliever besides Eric Goeddel (who is not on the NLCS roster) has pitched poorly enough to rule them out. It's reasonable to expect that Syndergaard might not have a long outing tonight, and if so, it's a chance to determine who can be trusted in middle relief.
After picking the Dodgers in the first series because of Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, I am not making that same mistake again. Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester? Big deal! Actually, it is a big deal for the Cubs to win tonight with the usually unhittable Arrieta on the mound. But even if they don't, this series is looking a lot brighter for the Mets than the tossup it appeared to be before it started. Lester was beatable in Game 1. And when the Mets turned on the bat signal. the Dark Knight rose to the occasion. Let's Go Mets!
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
NLDS Mets-Dodgers Game 4 wrapup: Crazy to consider putting in Jacob deGrom
It was bad enough seeing the Mets fail to put away the Dodgers in Game 4. But we also had to endure the sight of Jacob deGrom warming up in the fifth inning. Does the Mets' interest in protecting their prized young pitchers depend on how loudly their agents complain?
According to today's Daily News:
The Mets have said repeatedly that Harvey would not be allowed to pitch out of the bullpen because they fear the quick warmup would be a chance for him to re-injure his elbow.
Yet later in the very same article:
Jacob deGrom could be seen throwing in the bullpen in the fifth inning Tuesday night, leading many to believe he had a chance of entering the game in relief instead of Colon. Collins said that was, indeed, the case. The team told deGrom in the afternoon to wait to throw his scheduled bullpen session until later in case they "might need him.". .
In Game 1 last Saturday, deGrom threw a season-high 121 pitches. We've heard a lot in all the Harvey hullabaloo about how some pitches are more stressful than others. I think it's fair to say that opening the playoffs in a tight game against Clayton Kershaw made those 121 pitches the most stressful deGrom has throw in his career.
And if deGrom ended up using his regular between-starts throwing to actually pitch in Game 4, are we supposed to believe that those playoff game pitches would not be any more stressful than a regular bullpen session?
I understand it's the playoffs and all hands are on deck. But thanks to the Harvey rules, all hands are not fully on deck. And last night was not an elimination game for the Mets.
Game 5 is an elimination game, so if deGrom falters, bring Noah Syndergaard into the game if absolutely necessary. But if deGrom pitched last night and ended up being unavailable for Game 5, who would be there to back up Syndergaard if Noah had to start Game 5? We already know it won't be Harvey, but now it couldn't be deGrom, either. Bartolo Colon has been dependable out of the bullpen, but he's now pitched in three straight games. If Jon Niese has to come in to Game 5 early, Squawker Lisa might as well send me a golf emoji right then, because the Mets season will be over.
Fortunately, deGrom is able to start Game 5 on full rest without a potentially risky relief appearance. Beating Zack Greinke won't be easy, but but the same can be said of beating deGrom. One game. Winner take all. Let's go Mets!
According to today's Daily News:
The Mets have said repeatedly that Harvey would not be allowed to pitch out of the bullpen because they fear the quick warmup would be a chance for him to re-injure his elbow.
Yet later in the very same article:
Jacob deGrom could be seen throwing in the bullpen in the fifth inning Tuesday night, leading many to believe he had a chance of entering the game in relief instead of Colon. Collins said that was, indeed, the case. The team told deGrom in the afternoon to wait to throw his scheduled bullpen session until later in case they "might need him.". .
In Game 1 last Saturday, deGrom threw a season-high 121 pitches. We've heard a lot in all the Harvey hullabaloo about how some pitches are more stressful than others. I think it's fair to say that opening the playoffs in a tight game against Clayton Kershaw made those 121 pitches the most stressful deGrom has throw in his career.
And if deGrom ended up using his regular between-starts throwing to actually pitch in Game 4, are we supposed to believe that those playoff game pitches would not be any more stressful than a regular bullpen session?
I understand it's the playoffs and all hands are on deck. But thanks to the Harvey rules, all hands are not fully on deck. And last night was not an elimination game for the Mets.
Game 5 is an elimination game, so if deGrom falters, bring Noah Syndergaard into the game if absolutely necessary. But if deGrom pitched last night and ended up being unavailable for Game 5, who would be there to back up Syndergaard if Noah had to start Game 5? We already know it won't be Harvey, but now it couldn't be deGrom, either. Bartolo Colon has been dependable out of the bullpen, but he's now pitched in three straight games. If Jon Niese has to come in to Game 5 early, Squawker Lisa might as well send me a golf emoji right then, because the Mets season will be over.
Fortunately, deGrom is able to start Game 5 on full rest without a potentially risky relief appearance. Beating Zack Greinke won't be easy, but but the same can be said of beating deGrom. One game. Winner take all. Let's go Mets!
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
NLDS Mets-Dodgers Game 3 wrapup: The Grandy Man Can
Amazin' Amazin' Amazin'! Ya Gotta Believe! Utley Sucks! Some inspirational slogans are more family-friendly than others, but the dirty Dodger unwittingly inspired the Mets and their fans in a pivotal Game 3 win over L.A. Not to mention Ruben Tejada doing his version of a Willis Reed entrance by hobbling onto the field with his leg cast and Met-themed cane.
The pitching-centered Mets scored 13 runs, a franchise record for a postseason game. Yoenis Cespedes and Travis d'Arnaud, both slumping at the end of the regular season, both homered. Both players also had three hits, three RBI and three runs scored, which had never been done by any Met in postseason play.
Curtis Granderson tied a Mets postseason record with 5 RBI, all off lefthanded pitchers. Granderson turned the game around with a three-run double off Brett Anderson in the second to put the Mets ahead, 4-3. In the seventh, he hit a two-run double off J.P. Howell for the Mets' final two runs.
Matt Harvey pitched well enough to win, but was not at his best. Still, it's hard to complain about anything after such a great game.
In Game 4, Clayton Kershaw vs. Steven Matz looks like a mismatch, but Kershaw is on three days rest and may not go more than six innings, so if the Mets can keep it close, their awakened bats can finish off the Dodgers once they have to go their bullpen. If not, Zack Greinke vs. Jacob deGrom in a deciding Game 5 now looks like a more even matchup than it did before the series.
But if the Mets do have to go back to L.A., we won't get to see fan signs such as "Utley ♥ ISIS." So let's put it in the books tonight!
The pitching-centered Mets scored 13 runs, a franchise record for a postseason game. Yoenis Cespedes and Travis d'Arnaud, both slumping at the end of the regular season, both homered. Both players also had three hits, three RBI and three runs scored, which had never been done by any Met in postseason play.
Curtis Granderson tied a Mets postseason record with 5 RBI, all off lefthanded pitchers. Granderson turned the game around with a three-run double off Brett Anderson in the second to put the Mets ahead, 4-3. In the seventh, he hit a two-run double off J.P. Howell for the Mets' final two runs.
Matt Harvey pitched well enough to win, but was not at his best. Still, it's hard to complain about anything after such a great game.
In Game 4, Clayton Kershaw vs. Steven Matz looks like a mismatch, but Kershaw is on three days rest and may not go more than six innings, so if the Mets can keep it close, their awakened bats can finish off the Dodgers once they have to go their bullpen. If not, Zack Greinke vs. Jacob deGrom in a deciding Game 5 now looks like a more even matchup than it did before the series.
But if the Mets do have to go back to L.A., we won't get to see fan signs such as "Utley ♥ ISIS." So let's put it in the books tonight!
Monday, October 12, 2015
NLDS Mets-Dodgers Game 2 wrapup/Game 3 preview: Chase the Disgrace
Chase Utley's rolling block that broke Ruben Tejada's leg has me thinking of Roger Clemens. Both players did something during a postseason Game 2 that should have gotten them ejected (Clemens threw part of a broken bat at Mike Piazza in Game 2 of the 2000 World Series). Both players' reckless play seriously injured a Met (Clemens beaned Piazza in July 2000). What remains to be seen is if the parallels between the Mets and the two dirty players continue in the aftermath of the respective incidents, or if this time the Mets show the other team they will not stand for dirty play.
The Mets did not respond to Clemens after he threw the broken bat piece at Piazza, and the Yankees went on to win that game and the Series. It took until June 2002 for the Mets to respond, and Shawn Estes throwing behind Clemens' back was a tepid response at best. Yes, Estes homered off Clemens in that game and the Mets went on to beat Clemens. But maybe it's not a coincidence that, after 2000, the Mets would fall out of contention until 2006.
When I heard that Utley had been suspended, I thought the situation had been largely resolved. Utley did something wrong and he and his team were being punished for it. It was still a good deal for the Dodgers - winning Game 2 with the help of a bad call and costing the Mets their starting shortstop at the small price of losing a backup infielder for a couple of games. Then Utley wanted to appeal, which is his right, and MLB said they could not do the appeal today, which is ridiculous. What, are they waiting for Roger Goodell to be available? If the suspension is upheld, but is not in effect until next season, that does not do the Mets any good now, not to mention that Utley could be retired by then. Dragging it out only exacerbates the situation.
As bad as this situation is, the umpires and MLB made it much worse. After reviewing the play, the umpires should have ruled that Utley interfered with Tejada and he and the batter were out. Or, if that's too bold for a postseason play, uphold the original out call. Instead, the umpires used tortured logic to rule Utley safe, giving the Dodgers an extra out and enabling them to rally for four two-out runs.
Joe Torre then made matters worse by fumbling through a postgame news conference, seeming unsure of the rules and constantly turning to an umpire representative for clarification. As happy as I was to hear Torre's ruling of a suspension the following day, I would be annoyed if I were a Dodger fan, since Torre's initial reaction left him open to charges of overreacting to angry New Yorkers. On Saturday night, Torre should have just released a statement saying that MLB was looking into it.
I don't want to see the Mets deliberately try to injure Utley. Utley and some misguided older players have tried to muddle the issue by saying that baseball must have room for hard-nosed play, and there I agree. I don't want to see runners barred from trying to break up a double play. But it's not too much to ask for a runner to be required to slide toward the base. Or to start your slide before you are on top of the bag.
I'm also not excited about the prospect of throwing at someone like Dodger shortstop Corey Seager, who had nothing to do with the initial play.
But I'm still angry about Utley's play and hope the Mets find some way to retaliate. And this brings us to Matt Harvey, whose recent actions have made him seem more like a 24-and-1 player than someone who puts his team first. The first priority is for Harvey to pitch the Mets to within one game of the NLCS. But I'm also hoping he finds a non-dirty way to retaliate for Utley's dirty play.
If Utley is in the starting lineup, well, I know what I would like to see. But I have to concede it should not be in the second inning or whenever Utley first comes up. I can just hear Scott Boras whispering in Harvey's ear: "Hit him right away and get yourself ejected - you'll win back the Met fans and local media and still manage to keep your innings count down!
The Mets did not respond to Clemens after he threw the broken bat piece at Piazza, and the Yankees went on to win that game and the Series. It took until June 2002 for the Mets to respond, and Shawn Estes throwing behind Clemens' back was a tepid response at best. Yes, Estes homered off Clemens in that game and the Mets went on to beat Clemens. But maybe it's not a coincidence that, after 2000, the Mets would fall out of contention until 2006.
When I heard that Utley had been suspended, I thought the situation had been largely resolved. Utley did something wrong and he and his team were being punished for it. It was still a good deal for the Dodgers - winning Game 2 with the help of a bad call and costing the Mets their starting shortstop at the small price of losing a backup infielder for a couple of games. Then Utley wanted to appeal, which is his right, and MLB said they could not do the appeal today, which is ridiculous. What, are they waiting for Roger Goodell to be available? If the suspension is upheld, but is not in effect until next season, that does not do the Mets any good now, not to mention that Utley could be retired by then. Dragging it out only exacerbates the situation.
As bad as this situation is, the umpires and MLB made it much worse. After reviewing the play, the umpires should have ruled that Utley interfered with Tejada and he and the batter were out. Or, if that's too bold for a postseason play, uphold the original out call. Instead, the umpires used tortured logic to rule Utley safe, giving the Dodgers an extra out and enabling them to rally for four two-out runs.
Joe Torre then made matters worse by fumbling through a postgame news conference, seeming unsure of the rules and constantly turning to an umpire representative for clarification. As happy as I was to hear Torre's ruling of a suspension the following day, I would be annoyed if I were a Dodger fan, since Torre's initial reaction left him open to charges of overreacting to angry New Yorkers. On Saturday night, Torre should have just released a statement saying that MLB was looking into it.
I don't want to see the Mets deliberately try to injure Utley. Utley and some misguided older players have tried to muddle the issue by saying that baseball must have room for hard-nosed play, and there I agree. I don't want to see runners barred from trying to break up a double play. But it's not too much to ask for a runner to be required to slide toward the base. Or to start your slide before you are on top of the bag.
I'm also not excited about the prospect of throwing at someone like Dodger shortstop Corey Seager, who had nothing to do with the initial play.
But I'm still angry about Utley's play and hope the Mets find some way to retaliate. And this brings us to Matt Harvey, whose recent actions have made him seem more like a 24-and-1 player than someone who puts his team first. The first priority is for Harvey to pitch the Mets to within one game of the NLCS. But I'm also hoping he finds a non-dirty way to retaliate for Utley's dirty play.
If Utley is in the starting lineup, well, I know what I would like to see. But I have to concede it should not be in the second inning or whenever Utley first comes up. I can just hear Scott Boras whispering in Harvey's ear: "Hit him right away and get yourself ejected - you'll win back the Met fans and local media and still manage to keep your innings count down!
Friday, October 9, 2015
Postseason finally here for Mets
It's been nine long years, but the Mets are finally back in the playoffs. I didn't expect it this season, but I also didn't expect how great the young starters would be, especially after Zack Wheeler went down for the year. But Jacob deGrom showed he was not a fluke, Matt Harvey did better than expected in his first season back from Tommy John surgery and Noah Syndergaard fanned 166 in 150 innings. The Mets have the pitching to take them to the World Series. Unfortunately, so do the Dodgers.
Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke can be beaten - the Mets won two of the four games this season in which they faced them. The final scores were 3-2 and 2-1 and the opposing pitchers were deGrom and Syndergaard, just like they will be in Games 1 and 2 of the NLDS (during the season, deGrom faced Greinke and Syndergaard faced Kershaw). All four starters pitched well and none figured in the decisions.
Kershaw has also lost his last four postseason starts with an ERA over 7. It would seem that he's too great a pitcher not to regain his form, but David Price was expected to reverse his latest postseason struggles yesterday against Texas and instead fell to 0-6 in the postseason.
It's been such a magical season for the Mets that even a late season no-hitter against them by Max Scherzer brought up memories of Bob Moose's late-season no-hitter against the Mets in 1969, just before they went on their postseason run to the world championship. The 1969 team had two star pitchers, Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman, and a promising rookie, Gary Gentry. The 2015 Mets have deGrom, Harvey and Syndergaard. Both of these teams also could boast yet another promising young pitcher outside the top three. Granted, Steven Matz is not likely to be another Nolan Ryan, and the other starters have a way to go before we start comparing them to Seaver, but the current staff has the potential for a magical run.
What worries me is whether the same can be said for the hitters. After getting hit by a pitch on September 14, Yoenis Cespedes had no homers and two RBI in his last 16 games while his batting average dropped 22 points. When Cespedes is quiet, the Mets' rejuvenated offense is not so rejuvenated.
I hope I'm wrong, but I think Kershaw and Greinke will be too much for the Mets, so Dodgers in four. Squawker Lisa is also predicting the series will end in four.
No, my mistake, she's just yelling "Fore!" on the golf course.
Speaking of the Yankees, their late-season hitting woes ended up giving them little chance against Dallas Keuchel, which is exactly the scenario that worries me against Kershaw and Greinke. But if the Mets can manage a split in L.A. and Harvey shows in Game 3 that he's worth the aggravation, the Mets can keep the magic going. Let's go Mets!
Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke can be beaten - the Mets won two of the four games this season in which they faced them. The final scores were 3-2 and 2-1 and the opposing pitchers were deGrom and Syndergaard, just like they will be in Games 1 and 2 of the NLDS (during the season, deGrom faced Greinke and Syndergaard faced Kershaw). All four starters pitched well and none figured in the decisions.
Kershaw has also lost his last four postseason starts with an ERA over 7. It would seem that he's too great a pitcher not to regain his form, but David Price was expected to reverse his latest postseason struggles yesterday against Texas and instead fell to 0-6 in the postseason.
It's been such a magical season for the Mets that even a late season no-hitter against them by Max Scherzer brought up memories of Bob Moose's late-season no-hitter against the Mets in 1969, just before they went on their postseason run to the world championship. The 1969 team had two star pitchers, Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman, and a promising rookie, Gary Gentry. The 2015 Mets have deGrom, Harvey and Syndergaard. Both of these teams also could boast yet another promising young pitcher outside the top three. Granted, Steven Matz is not likely to be another Nolan Ryan, and the other starters have a way to go before we start comparing them to Seaver, but the current staff has the potential for a magical run.
What worries me is whether the same can be said for the hitters. After getting hit by a pitch on September 14, Yoenis Cespedes had no homers and two RBI in his last 16 games while his batting average dropped 22 points. When Cespedes is quiet, the Mets' rejuvenated offense is not so rejuvenated.
I hope I'm wrong, but I think Kershaw and Greinke will be too much for the Mets, so Dodgers in four. Squawker Lisa is also predicting the series will end in four.
No, my mistake, she's just yelling "Fore!" on the golf course.
Speaking of the Yankees, their late-season hitting woes ended up giving them little chance against Dallas Keuchel, which is exactly the scenario that worries me against Kershaw and Greinke. But if the Mets can manage a split in L.A. and Harvey shows in Game 3 that he's worth the aggravation, the Mets can keep the magic going. Let's go Mets!
Monday, September 28, 2015
Mets have champagne; Nationals have Papelbon
Sunday night was the first supermoon eclipse since 1982. It only felt like it was that long since the Mets had meaningful games in October. Finally, the Mets are back in the poststeason!
The Mets won their first World Series the year of the first moon landing. The Mets won their second World Series the last time Halley's Comet was in the vicinity of Earth. Could the stars align a third time in the year of the supermoon eclipse?
With the Mets' starting pitching, anything is possible, especially now that Matt Harvey appears to have rediscovered his willingness to put the team first, which is great news. As much as I enjoy seeing celestial events light up the evening sky, the event I really enjoyed seeing was 97 pitches of a Dark Knight.
Of course, what I enjoyed seeing most of all was the extensive coverage of the postgame celebration on SNY. A year and a half ago, Daniel Murphy received some foolish sniping over his taking three days of paternity leave. After the game, Murphy celebrated on the field with his young son. The Mets even came back on the field to celebrate with Met fans who had made the trip to Cincinnati.
Inside the clubhouse, some Mets smoked celebratory cigars. When SNY finally cut to a commercial, it was fortunately not one of those grisly anti-smoking spots.
*
The Mets trailed the Nationals by three games at the trade deadline just two months ago. Then the Mets capped off their midseason moves by trading for Yoenis Cespedes. The Nationals had recently completed their own move, supposedly bolstering their bullpen with the acquisition of Jonathan Papelbon.
Five years ago, Mets' star closer Francisco Rodriguez allegedly assaulted his girlfriend's father at the ballpark. Sunday, Nationals' star closer Jonathan Papelbon tried to attack teammate Bryce Harper in the Nationals' dugout. Harper is only the front-runner for NL MVP. Maybe it's just a coincidence that the Nationals' collapse began when they acquired Papelbon, but considering that the move also sent demoted closer Drew Storen into a tailspin culminating with Storen breaking his thumb in frustration. At least Storen did so while slamming a locker door, not trying to slam a teammate.
Another parallel with the Mets and Nationals is that the Nationals had their own issue with innings limits for a pitcher coming back from Tommy John surgery who was represented by Scott Boras. In 2012, the 98-win Nationals shut down Stephen Strasburg in September, only to lose in the first round the following month. When the Mets face the Dodgers in the NLDS, they will continue to have Harvey's services.
But the Nationals figure to come back strong next year, especially if they have better luck with injuries and get a new manager and closer. So congratulations to the Mets for seizing their opportunity this year and capturing the NL East crown. Ya gotta believe!
The Mets won their first World Series the year of the first moon landing. The Mets won their second World Series the last time Halley's Comet was in the vicinity of Earth. Could the stars align a third time in the year of the supermoon eclipse?
With the Mets' starting pitching, anything is possible, especially now that Matt Harvey appears to have rediscovered his willingness to put the team first, which is great news. As much as I enjoy seeing celestial events light up the evening sky, the event I really enjoyed seeing was 97 pitches of a Dark Knight.
Of course, what I enjoyed seeing most of all was the extensive coverage of the postgame celebration on SNY. A year and a half ago, Daniel Murphy received some foolish sniping over his taking three days of paternity leave. After the game, Murphy celebrated on the field with his young son. The Mets even came back on the field to celebrate with Met fans who had made the trip to Cincinnati.
Inside the clubhouse, some Mets smoked celebratory cigars. When SNY finally cut to a commercial, it was fortunately not one of those grisly anti-smoking spots.
*
The Mets trailed the Nationals by three games at the trade deadline just two months ago. Then the Mets capped off their midseason moves by trading for Yoenis Cespedes. The Nationals had recently completed their own move, supposedly bolstering their bullpen with the acquisition of Jonathan Papelbon.
Five years ago, Mets' star closer Francisco Rodriguez allegedly assaulted his girlfriend's father at the ballpark. Sunday, Nationals' star closer Jonathan Papelbon tried to attack teammate Bryce Harper in the Nationals' dugout. Harper is only the front-runner for NL MVP. Maybe it's just a coincidence that the Nationals' collapse began when they acquired Papelbon, but considering that the move also sent demoted closer Drew Storen into a tailspin culminating with Storen breaking his thumb in frustration. At least Storen did so while slamming a locker door, not trying to slam a teammate.
Another parallel with the Mets and Nationals is that the Nationals had their own issue with innings limits for a pitcher coming back from Tommy John surgery who was represented by Scott Boras. In 2012, the 98-win Nationals shut down Stephen Strasburg in September, only to lose in the first round the following month. When the Mets face the Dodgers in the NLDS, they will continue to have Harvey's services.
But the Nationals figure to come back strong next year, especially if they have better luck with injuries and get a new manager and closer. So congratulations to the Mets for seizing their opportunity this year and capturing the NL East crown. Ya gotta believe!
Monday, September 21, 2015
Subway Series Game 3: Imagine if Yoenis Cespedes wanted to come out after five innings
Matt Harvey has every right to prioritize his future health and earning potential. But he can't negotiate a departure after 77 pitches of one-hit ball and claim that all he wants to do is pitch.
From Newsday's Anthony Rieber:
"More than anything, I wanted to be out there," Harvey said. "The way things were going, the tight game, the last thing I wanted to do was come out."
It was The Dark Knight at his worst. Saying things that could not possibly be further from the truth:
It may seem unfair to hold Harvey responsible for last night's 11-2 loss when he was the only Met who did his job well. If the bullpen and the defense had done their jobs, today's headlines might proclaim that the Boras/Harvey part-time pitcher plan had passed its first test.
But this plan required four innings from a Mets bullpen that has trouble handling more than two innings, and that's when Tyler Clippard is not missing time with back problems. This is the time when the starting pitcher is supposed to figuratively put the team on his back.
And that's just what Harvey did for the first five innings. On national TV, against the hated Yankees, on a day when the Met bats continued their recent quiet. If the skies had opened up after the fifth inning, Harvey would not have been brought back after a long rain delay under normal circumstances. And his quotes might not have earned Rieber's response below:
"For me, I know where I want to be and that's on the mound and in a Mets uniform."
"The last thing I want to do is not play and not pitch, especially if we get into the postseason."
For not accepting responsibility, for putting his manager and teammates in the unenviable position of having to live within the limits that Harvey and Boras put in motion, and for saying he wants to be out there when he engineered the exact opposite situation, Harvey should be nominated for an Emmy for Best Actor in a Comedy Series.
Only no one in the Mets clubhouse is laughing.
Yoenis Cespedes offered to play centerfield when he came to the Mets, even though that was not his regular position. He's stopped hitting since he was hit by a pitch last Tuesday but refuses to use that as an excuse. Cespedes may end up getting some votes for National League MVP despite only joining the Mets in August. Harvey's been around all year and has had a pretty good year. But nobody is using "Harvey" and "MVP" in the same sentence.
Harvey showed last night that he can produce after a long layoff. Going forward, the Mets should just shut him down until the playoffs (or until the season-ending series with the Nats if the Mets have not yet cliinched), then only use him in games in which he announces beforehand that he wants to pitch as much as he can.
Superhero movies are box-office gold these days. But nobody wants to see "The Dark Knight Takes Himself Out of the Game."
From Newsday's Anthony Rieber:
"More than anything, I wanted to be out there," Harvey said. "The way things were going, the tight game, the last thing I wanted to do was come out."
It was The Dark Knight at his worst. Saying things that could not possibly be further from the truth:
It may seem unfair to hold Harvey responsible for last night's 11-2 loss when he was the only Met who did his job well. If the bullpen and the defense had done their jobs, today's headlines might proclaim that the Boras/Harvey part-time pitcher plan had passed its first test.
But this plan required four innings from a Mets bullpen that has trouble handling more than two innings, and that's when Tyler Clippard is not missing time with back problems. This is the time when the starting pitcher is supposed to figuratively put the team on his back.
And that's just what Harvey did for the first five innings. On national TV, against the hated Yankees, on a day when the Met bats continued their recent quiet. If the skies had opened up after the fifth inning, Harvey would not have been brought back after a long rain delay under normal circumstances. And his quotes might not have earned Rieber's response below:
"For me, I know where I want to be and that's on the mound and in a Mets uniform."
"The last thing I want to do is not play and not pitch, especially if we get into the postseason."
For not accepting responsibility, for putting his manager and teammates in the unenviable position of having to live within the limits that Harvey and Boras put in motion, and for saying he wants to be out there when he engineered the exact opposite situation, Harvey should be nominated for an Emmy for Best Actor in a Comedy Series.
Only no one in the Mets clubhouse is laughing.
Yoenis Cespedes offered to play centerfield when he came to the Mets, even though that was not his regular position. He's stopped hitting since he was hit by a pitch last Tuesday but refuses to use that as an excuse. Cespedes may end up getting some votes for National League MVP despite only joining the Mets in August. Harvey's been around all year and has had a pretty good year. But nobody is using "Harvey" and "MVP" in the same sentence.
Harvey showed last night that he can produce after a long layoff. Going forward, the Mets should just shut him down until the playoffs (or until the season-ending series with the Nats if the Mets have not yet cliinched), then only use him in games in which he announces beforehand that he wants to pitch as much as he can.
Superhero movies are box-office gold these days. But nobody wants to see "The Dark Knight Takes Himself Out of the Game."
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Subway Series Game 2 and Game 3 Preview: Babying Matt Harvey
Boras will doubtless want to monitor Harvey closely tonight, and it just so happens that Amazon's Deal of the Day is the iBaby Monitor M6 HD Wi-Fi Wireless Digital Baby Camera.
At $139.95 down from $199.95, the Mets could even spring for the device as a peace offering toward Harvey's helicopter agent. After all, the promotional copy promises: "no more endless phone calls from the office to check on your little bundle of joy."
As for Game 2, not much good to say about the 5-0 Met loss. Yoenis Cespedes is 0 for his last 17, but his overall Met numbers remain sensational. What's more concerning, however, is that the Mets have been shut out twice and have scored only eight runs total in their last four games while Cespedes has gone cold.
The Mets now have enough good hitters that others should be able to pick up the slack when Cespedes inevitably cools off. Lucas Duda hit nine homers in eight games in late July and early August, then failed to hit another one until Friday night. Yet it was when Duda stopped producing that the Mets' offense took off. Can the Mets now similarly thrive without Cespedes' daily heroics, or is it that, as Cespedes goes, so goes the team? If it's the latter, Cespedes' free-agent price just got higher.
If Harvey does well tonight against the Yankees and shows he is in good form for the postseason, much will be forgiven. It shouldn't be too much to ask, considering that he is going on ten days rest. As Squawker Lisa would say, sounds like my blogging schedule!
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Miracle Mets turn Nationals into Walking Dead
On July 30, the Mets were ahead, 7-1, in the seventh inning, but went on to blow the game. The next day, they acquired Yoenis Cespedes. Last night, they trailed, 7-1, in the seventh inning, and went on to beat the Nationals and seriously damage Washington's chances of catching the Mets. Ya gotta believe!
My friend David and I were admittedly not believing when we left the bar where we were watching the game after the Nationals went up by six runs.Matt Harvey had gone from being the Dark Knight to giving his disgruntled fans a dark night. As I walked home, I pondered over which trade destination would be most unpleasant for him. Texas? Milwaukee? What about Colorado? Perhaps a Met ace from an earlier time could fill him in on the school system. But at least Mike Hampton helped the Mets get to a World Series. Of course, to do that, you need to pitch in October. Not that I'm bitter.
By the time I got home, the Mets were starting to rally, but it was still only 7-2. The bases were loaded, but there were two outs. Then Curtis Granderson walked to force in a run, and it was 7-3.
And Cespedes was coming up with the bases loaded.
Never mind that Cespedes' error in the previous inning turned a single into a Little League grand slam. Never mind that he is a lot closer than Harvey is to likely be leaving the Mets for a huge free-agent deal elsewhere. Right now, he's a Met, and his OPS since joining the team is 1.014. Sure enough, a bases-clearing double. Now the Mets are within 7-6, and now the Mets are going to win.
Yes it's nice that the Nationals bullpen turned into the Walking Dead, walking three more batters to force in the tying run, giving them six walks for the inning. But what makes this a magical year is that the game-winning homer was hit by a guy who wasn't even supposed to be on the team, just like Wilmer Flores. Kirk Nieuwenhuis was DFA'd, joined the Angels, released, rejoined the Mets, and hit the game-winning homer off of Jonathan Papelbon, acquired by the then first-place Nationals at the trade deadline to help them get to the World Series. Instead, with their postseason in jeopardy, the desperate Nats used Papelbon in the eighth inning, and he blew the game.
Met fans know all too well that a six-game lead is not necessarily safe, but this Mets team is special and the Nationals are a mess. Ya gotta believe!
My friend David and I were admittedly not believing when we left the bar where we were watching the game after the Nationals went up by six runs.Matt Harvey had gone from being the Dark Knight to giving his disgruntled fans a dark night. As I walked home, I pondered over which trade destination would be most unpleasant for him. Texas? Milwaukee? What about Colorado? Perhaps a Met ace from an earlier time could fill him in on the school system. But at least Mike Hampton helped the Mets get to a World Series. Of course, to do that, you need to pitch in October. Not that I'm bitter.
By the time I got home, the Mets were starting to rally, but it was still only 7-2. The bases were loaded, but there were two outs. Then Curtis Granderson walked to force in a run, and it was 7-3.
And Cespedes was coming up with the bases loaded.
Never mind that Cespedes' error in the previous inning turned a single into a Little League grand slam. Never mind that he is a lot closer than Harvey is to likely be leaving the Mets for a huge free-agent deal elsewhere. Right now, he's a Met, and his OPS since joining the team is 1.014. Sure enough, a bases-clearing double. Now the Mets are within 7-6, and now the Mets are going to win.
Yes it's nice that the Nationals bullpen turned into the Walking Dead, walking three more batters to force in the tying run, giving them six walks for the inning. But what makes this a magical year is that the game-winning homer was hit by a guy who wasn't even supposed to be on the team, just like Wilmer Flores. Kirk Nieuwenhuis was DFA'd, joined the Angels, released, rejoined the Mets, and hit the game-winning homer off of Jonathan Papelbon, acquired by the then first-place Nationals at the trade deadline to help them get to the World Series. Instead, with their postseason in jeopardy, the desperate Nats used Papelbon in the eighth inning, and he blew the game.
Met fans know all too well that a six-game lead is not necessarily safe, but this Mets team is special and the Nationals are a mess. Ya gotta believe!
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Boras client Scherzer fails vs. Mets
Last winter, Scott Boras client Max Scherzer signed a seven-year, $210 million contract with Washington. But now the most expensive free-agent pitcher ever is a key reason why the Nationals are five games behind the Mets.
In yesterday's game, with Washington's playoff hopes on the line, Scherzer gave up five earned runs, just as many as Mets starter Jon Niese. Scherzer now has a 5.12 ERA and 1.38 WHIP after the All-Star break, with a 1-4 record in 10 starts.
If Scherzer had been pitching anywhere close to his great first half - 2.11 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 150 strikeouts in 132 innings, and a 10-7 record - Washington would be closer in the standings. Even with all their injuries, the Nationals ended the first half two games up on the Mets when Scherzer was on his game.
As good as he has been, Scherzer is not in the same league as superstar pitchers such as Clayton Kershaw and Felix Hernandez. Kershaw has three Cy Youngs and was runnerup another year. King Felix has a Cy Young, two second-place finishes, a fourth place and and eighth place. Scherzer has one Cy Young but only one other year in which he received votes, finishing fifth.
Scherzer does not appear to be injured and presumably has many good years of pitching ahead of him. But he is also 31 years old and will be making $30 million per year until he is 38.
In three years, Boras client Matt Harvey is eligible for free agency. If Harvey leads the Mets to a World Series victory, I won't care how much money Boras's binders say Harvey is worth.
But it's hard to lead your team to a championship when you're shut down in October.
*
In other news, Squawker Lisa is now New York City Bureau Chief for Subway Squawkers. As New York Metropolitan Area Bureau Chief for Subway Squawkers, I am pleased to have Lisa as a valuable member of my team.
In yesterday's game, with Washington's playoff hopes on the line, Scherzer gave up five earned runs, just as many as Mets starter Jon Niese. Scherzer now has a 5.12 ERA and 1.38 WHIP after the All-Star break, with a 1-4 record in 10 starts.
If Scherzer had been pitching anywhere close to his great first half - 2.11 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 150 strikeouts in 132 innings, and a 10-7 record - Washington would be closer in the standings. Even with all their injuries, the Nationals ended the first half two games up on the Mets when Scherzer was on his game.
As good as he has been, Scherzer is not in the same league as superstar pitchers such as Clayton Kershaw and Felix Hernandez. Kershaw has three Cy Youngs and was runnerup another year. King Felix has a Cy Young, two second-place finishes, a fourth place and and eighth place. Scherzer has one Cy Young but only one other year in which he received votes, finishing fifth.
Scherzer does not appear to be injured and presumably has many good years of pitching ahead of him. But he is also 31 years old and will be making $30 million per year until he is 38.
In three years, Boras client Matt Harvey is eligible for free agency. If Harvey leads the Mets to a World Series victory, I won't care how much money Boras's binders say Harvey is worth.
But it's hard to lead your team to a championship when you're shut down in October.
*
In other news, Squawker Lisa is now New York City Bureau Chief for Subway Squawkers. As New York Metropolitan Area Bureau Chief for Subway Squawkers, I am pleased to have Lisa as a valuable member of my team.
Monday, September 7, 2015
My thoughts on Matt Harvey, who is not just a writer but New York City Bureau Chief!
 |
| Kudos to my old friends at the Daily News for another great cover! |
And you know, I still don't understand the business model for this site. How does it make money, since there is no advertising on it? Do the players pay for the access to it? Is Matt Harvey paying $$$ to get his "New York City Bureau Chief" title at The Players' Tribune?
As I have said before in this space, I never say "we" when I talk about the Yankees, as I ain't playing. But pretending to be a "bureau chief" for this publication when all Harvey does has been to have all of three ghostwritten stories published on the website is ridiculous. That would be like me calling myself a "right fielder" because I got stuck in that position in fifth grade gym class!
Is Harvey assigning stories, managing journalists, and taking out a red pencil to copy edit pieces? No? Then how is he a bureau chief? Maybe I should start calling myself the New York City Bureau Chief for Subway Squawkers! (Sorry, Jon -- I am stealing this title for me!) And speaking of Jon, he wrote a very funny column today about Matt Harvey -- click here to read it.
Anyhow, after a very controversial weekend, in which Harvey said that "This limit was 180 [innings] -- that is what Scott has, err, Dr. Andrews had said," Harvey "wrote" at The Players' Tribune that he actually would be pitching in the playoffs. (An aside: as somebody who has worked as a ghostwriter for athletes myself, there is an art to doing so. But whoever is doing this for Harvey doesn't even try to sound like him!)
Harvey only has Harvey to blame for this debacle. Maybe they ought to trade him to, oh I don't know, the Yankees or something. Seems fair to me!
The Matt Harvey Rules: Innings limits for everybody!
On advice of my agent, er, my doctor, I am instituting an innings limit. As any Met fan knows, watching this team can be very stressful, so I can't make any commitment beyond Tuesday's game.
Squawker Lisa, I know what you're thinking: I blog so little, what's the difference? And shouldn't I be excited about the chance to watch meaningful games in September for the first time since 2008, not to mention the good chance of playoff baseball?
But my agent, er, my doctor, reminds me of what happened when the Mets last had division leads in September - in 2007 and 2008. Tom Glavine, a future Hall of Famer, gives up seven runs in 1/3 of an inning in the final game of 2007 to eliminate the Mets. It took months of grueling rehab for me to overcome that debacle. What if future Hall of Famer (just ask him) Matt Harvey spits the bit in a similar situation this year?
Then there's 2006, the last time the Mets made the playoffs. Future Yankee Carlos Beltran with the bat on his shoulder. Do I really need to see probable future Yankee Harvey merely an observer as another Mets October dream dies?
As great as the 2006 Mets team was, their starting pitching was decimated by the time they reached the NLCS, forcing them to turn to lefty Oliver Perez in the pivotal Game 7. Perez actually did pretty well that game, but with team as stacked with starters as the 2015 Mets, it would be a shame not to have one of the studs not on the mound should the Mets get to the postseason and face another Game 7.
I told my agent, er, my doctor, my nightmare - that all of the Mets' young pitching stars would be capped by innings limits, forcing them to turn to another fringe lefty for Game 7 - Eric O'Flaherty.
As a compromise, the Mets have suggested that I skip any innings that feature O'Flaherty. But my agent, er, my doctor, points out that innings featuring or anyone in the bullpen not named Familia or Clippard (and Clippard didn't do so well yesterday) usually result in unhealthy agita.
One day, science will find a cure for unreliable setup men. But until then, an innings limit for me is the prudent course.
*
Update: In a post for The Bloggers' Tribune, Squawker Jon announced that if and when the Mets make the playoffs, of course he will be watching. His fear of being traded to a small-market fanbase has nothing to do with his decision.
Squawker Lisa, I know what you're thinking: I blog so little, what's the difference? And shouldn't I be excited about the chance to watch meaningful games in September for the first time since 2008, not to mention the good chance of playoff baseball?
But my agent, er, my doctor, reminds me of what happened when the Mets last had division leads in September - in 2007 and 2008. Tom Glavine, a future Hall of Famer, gives up seven runs in 1/3 of an inning in the final game of 2007 to eliminate the Mets. It took months of grueling rehab for me to overcome that debacle. What if future Hall of Famer (just ask him) Matt Harvey spits the bit in a similar situation this year?
Then there's 2006, the last time the Mets made the playoffs. Future Yankee Carlos Beltran with the bat on his shoulder. Do I really need to see probable future Yankee Harvey merely an observer as another Mets October dream dies?
As great as the 2006 Mets team was, their starting pitching was decimated by the time they reached the NLCS, forcing them to turn to lefty Oliver Perez in the pivotal Game 7. Perez actually did pretty well that game, but with team as stacked with starters as the 2015 Mets, it would be a shame not to have one of the studs not on the mound should the Mets get to the postseason and face another Game 7.
I told my agent, er, my doctor, my nightmare - that all of the Mets' young pitching stars would be capped by innings limits, forcing them to turn to another fringe lefty for Game 7 - Eric O'Flaherty.
As a compromise, the Mets have suggested that I skip any innings that feature O'Flaherty. But my agent, er, my doctor, points out that innings featuring or anyone in the bullpen not named Familia or Clippard (and Clippard didn't do so well yesterday) usually result in unhealthy agita.
One day, science will find a cure for unreliable setup men. But until then, an innings limit for me is the prudent course.
*
Update: In a post for The Bloggers' Tribune, Squawker Jon announced that if and when the Mets make the playoffs, of course he will be watching. His fear of being traded to a small-market fanbase has nothing to do with his decision.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
My day seeing Buster Posey, Matt Harvey, and some other assorted shenanigans
I had kind of a busy day yesterday, so I am going to write about it in two very long Squawks. This one will be about the crazy fun and weird stuff of the day, including meeting and interviewing Buster Posey and watching Matt Harvey warm up for the game from about 10-15 feet away, something that got me called a jinx yet again! A later Squawk will be about the honor of attending the Mets' 31st Annual New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children’s Benefit Fund Game and Family Day at Citi Field. Let's get started!
My day started out in a very weird way, when I saw the following headline from the Staten Island Advance: "Great Kills dentist accused of exposing self to teen employee." It was my former dentist! Fortunately, I only went to Dr. Alan M. Kratenstein briefly last year. But, as somebody else pointed out to me, this dentist's hand was in my mouth, which made me feel sick for the rest of the morning. Oy.
After a few hours at work, I headed to Topps headquarters to see superstar San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey in the flesh. (Thanks to my friend Joe Favorito for the invite!) Posey appeared at a presser there for bloggers to promote the fact that he is the baseball card company's new brand ambassador. And talk about perfect timing, given that he just caught a no-hitter the night before!
You hear a lot about how Posey, who has three World Series rings in five years and an NL MVP award, and who has been voted the new Face of Baseball, is the new Derek Jeter. I actually think Posey is much more charming than Jeter, who too often seemed to talk in a monotone with dealing with the media, as if he were at a dentist visit!
Posey has real star quality. Even if you knew nothing about baseball, you would know that he was somebody, the way he carries himself. Very charismatic.
Anyhow, he talked about why he signed up to promote Topps. He said it was "really special" to represent the brand. Posey said that baseball cards are "something the younger generation can and should get excited about." He also noted that his grandfather is a big card collector.
Someone asked Posey about what it was like to see himself on a baseball card for the first time. He called it a "cool moment" and "a little bit surreal," and said he would always remember that day. He also talked about how his three-year-old twins, a boy and a girl, act about seeing their father on a baseball card!
Of course, many of the questions were about Chris Heston's no-hitter from the night before, and for what it is like in general to catch no-hitters (Posey has caught three, one away from tying Jason Varitek, something somebody pointed out.)
Posey said that while a no-hitter is a "rare feat" is is "unique in its own way," there is also a "commonality in no-hitters" -- that the pitcher and catcher "are able to get on same page" and "keep that rhythm." Posey said the challenge was to be efficient. He also had a lot of praise for Chris Heston. Somebody asked him if he felt bad that he didn't catch one of Tim Lincecum's two no-hitters Posey had a very humble response, saying that there was no guarantee that Lincecum would have had a no-hitter that day with Posey as catcher!
I got the opportunity to ask Posey a question. I asked what it was about the Giants having so many more no-hitters than other franchises, and noted that they had four no-hitters in four years, and 17 no-hitters in all. Posey first responded by pointing out that the team has had five no-hitters in seven seasons. Heh! (I didn't even think of Jonathan Sanchez's in 2009 because that was the pre-Posey era!)
My fellow Yankee fans will appreciate who Posey said "gets a ton of credit" for the team having so many no-hitters. That would be pitching coach Dave Righetti, who had a no-hitter of his own with the Yankees in 1983. He also credited Righetti as being "instrumental" in his progress as a catcher.
Posey was also asked about Matt Harvey, who he called a "great pitcher" with "great stuff," and said that "we know we have our hands full" facing him last night. (Well, that didn't really happen, as you will hear shortly!)
Posey said he is passionate about baseball and said that he has no specific goals, other than to "just win." Although he did then say that he would like to set the record for catcher with most rings. (Yogi Berra has 10, though, so Posey's got a way to go on that!)
A young reporter from SI for Kids then asked him a lot of questions. The best one was what superhero power Posey would want. He said to fly, as he doesn't like to sit in traffic! He also said his favorite move was Dumb and Dumber.
Then Posey did a ceremonial opening of the new Topps Series 2 set for 2015. The very first card he saw? Ervin Santana of the Minnesota Twins, who is currently serving an 80-game suspension for PEDs. Everybody laughed over this. There should have also been sad trombone music!
We also got to hear about Topps' new Series 2 line of baseball cards for 2015, which include Chicago Cubs' Kris Bryant's rookie card. They also have some new First Pitch cards, featuring people who have thrown out first pitches at baseball games. This includes "Mad Men" star Jon Hamm and Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann of the Grateful Dead. Talk about cards that were tailor-made for yours truly! (But where was the card for 50 Cent's first pitch?)
I got a picture of the Dead baseball card, but it only showed the front side of the card. So what was on the back of the card? Someone I work with wondered: "Does the back of the card list different drugs (think LSD instead of RBI) and quantities per season?"
So I threw the question out to my Facebook friends, and received responses like: "Number of insufferable drum solos by tour," as well as "Road Trips (not W-L columns, in this case it's Good and Bad), visits to Dock Ellis' house, Toking Average, Bong Hits, Lyric Errors, etc." Other responses included "Number of times hallucinations involving fabulous furry freak brothers" and "Most joints rolled during one tour." Squawker Jon thought the Dead cards should be scratch and sniff.
When I was at Topps headquarters, I also got to say hello to Topps staffer Chris Vaccaro, who I knew from our days at the Daily News. And I got to talk to Steve Keane, my fellow Staten Islander and blogger at the Eddie Kranepool Society. Also made a new friend -- a young woman named Brandon from FanDuel.com. My phone's camera went out of whack during part of the event, so she was nice enough to share some of her Buster Posey photos with me!
Anyhow, I went back to work after this, and then headed to Citi Field in the late afternoon to go to the Answer the Call benefit game (details on that in a future Squawk.) I got to the media check-in at 5:15 p.m., as I was supposed to, but there was a snafu. Even though I had RSVPed, and gotten written confirmation on the RSVP, my name was not on the list. This could have been fixed in two minutes if the Mets' young receptionist hadn't been a (rhymes with witch). Even though I showed her this RSVP information, she simply would not listen to me or do anything about it. I wasn't surprised at how rude and unprofessional she was, given that her tank top and miniskirt getup was a very unprofessional workplace outfit, unless your workplace is on the pole!
Because of her incompetence, I had to wait 45 minutes in the media check-in area until the Mets PR person I was dealing with contacted the Mets communications director -- the same person who got us access to Citi Field for our Guideposts Spartan Race photo shoot -- to get the situation fixed, and get me into the ballpark.
Fortunately, it all worked out in the end, and I was able to get some very moving quotes from people at the picnic, including getting to talk to Rusty Staub, the founder of the benefit fund. More on that later today.
Something funny happened, though, while I was cooling my heels waiting. I saw an older gentleman with a baseball cap on his head come up to the receptionist and say that he was picking up tickets for himself, Tommy Lasorda, and Joe Torre. He then smiled at me while I was waiting -- he must have noticed how stressed I looked. His smile made me relax a little and feel better. I smiled back.
Anyhow, I saw Lasorda come in after that, and I said hello. Was glad I didn't see Joe Torre, because I would have asked him things like "Why didn't you bunt on Curt Schilling?" and "Why did you pitch Jeff Weaver in the World Series?" and "Why did you hate A-Rod so much?" and it wouldn't have ended well!
Anyhow, later on that night, I saw that same smiling, kindly man talking on the Mets broadcast with Torre during the game, talking about prostate cancer awareness. The man was billionaire Michael Milken. How funny is that?
As for the game itself, I got to see Matt Harvey warm up and was about 10-15 feet behind him -- the picnic area was right behind the bullpen. He has a real swagger to him. Like Posey, Harvey has true star quality. But while Posey has an aw-shucks demeanor, Harvey is all strut.
I joked on Facebook that I was scouting him for the Yankees, since we all know he will be in pinstripes at some point!
Of course, seeing him in the flesh, and staying for the game, meant that I got the blame for being a jinx to Matt Harvey and the Mets. Squawker Jon pointed out that Harvey had never lost a game in which the Mets had scored four runs or more. That is, until now!
I only stayed until the middle of the sixth inning for the game, but the damage was done. Squawker Jon (and others!) blame me for Harvey's poor performance!
During the game, I walked around the park, and also had a fabulous Patron margarita, as well as some carnitas tacos (without eating the shells.) Also got to meet Facebook friend Brad Kurtzberg at the game. Nice guy!
As for Harvey, it does make me laugh how irate Jon was. He texted me: "What did u do to Harvey?" Hey, don't blame me!
In all, it was a very busy day! Will write about the second half of the day later on this Thursday.
My day started out in a very weird way, when I saw the following headline from the Staten Island Advance: "Great Kills dentist accused of exposing self to teen employee." It was my former dentist! Fortunately, I only went to Dr. Alan M. Kratenstein briefly last year. But, as somebody else pointed out to me, this dentist's hand was in my mouth, which made me feel sick for the rest of the morning. Oy.
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| Buster Posey: more charismatic than Derek Jeter |
You hear a lot about how Posey, who has three World Series rings in five years and an NL MVP award, and who has been voted the new Face of Baseball, is the new Derek Jeter. I actually think Posey is much more charming than Jeter, who too often seemed to talk in a monotone with dealing with the media, as if he were at a dentist visit!
Posey has real star quality. Even if you knew nothing about baseball, you would know that he was somebody, the way he carries himself. Very charismatic.
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| Posey opens up the Topps baseball card box set. First card he sees? Ervin Santana. Heh. |
Someone asked Posey about what it was like to see himself on a baseball card for the first time. He called it a "cool moment" and "a little bit surreal," and said he would always remember that day. He also talked about how his three-year-old twins, a boy and a girl, act about seeing their father on a baseball card!
Of course, many of the questions were about Chris Heston's no-hitter from the night before, and for what it is like in general to catch no-hitters (Posey has caught three, one away from tying Jason Varitek, something somebody pointed out.)
Posey said that while a no-hitter is a "rare feat" is is "unique in its own way," there is also a "commonality in no-hitters" -- that the pitcher and catcher "are able to get on same page" and "keep that rhythm." Posey said the challenge was to be efficient. He also had a lot of praise for Chris Heston. Somebody asked him if he felt bad that he didn't catch one of Tim Lincecum's two no-hitters Posey had a very humble response, saying that there was no guarantee that Lincecum would have had a no-hitter that day with Posey as catcher!
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| This is the Ervin Santana card that Posey touched. I took it home with me. |
My fellow Yankee fans will appreciate who Posey said "gets a ton of credit" for the team having so many no-hitters. That would be pitching coach Dave Righetti, who had a no-hitter of his own with the Yankees in 1983. He also credited Righetti as being "instrumental" in his progress as a catcher.
Posey was also asked about Matt Harvey, who he called a "great pitcher" with "great stuff," and said that "we know we have our hands full" facing him last night. (Well, that didn't really happen, as you will hear shortly!)
Posey said he is passionate about baseball and said that he has no specific goals, other than to "just win." Although he did then say that he would like to set the record for catcher with most rings. (Yogi Berra has 10, though, so Posey's got a way to go on that!)
A young reporter from SI for Kids then asked him a lot of questions. The best one was what superhero power Posey would want. He said to fly, as he doesn't like to sit in traffic! He also said his favorite move was Dumb and Dumber.
Then Posey did a ceremonial opening of the new Topps Series 2 set for 2015. The very first card he saw? Ervin Santana of the Minnesota Twins, who is currently serving an 80-game suspension for PEDs. Everybody laughed over this. There should have also been sad trombone music!
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| Here is the front of the card. What is on the back? |
I got a picture of the Dead baseball card, but it only showed the front side of the card. So what was on the back of the card? Someone I work with wondered: "Does the back of the card list different drugs (think LSD instead of RBI) and quantities per season?"
So I threw the question out to my Facebook friends, and received responses like: "Number of insufferable drum solos by tour," as well as "Road Trips (not W-L columns, in this case it's Good and Bad), visits to Dock Ellis' house, Toking Average, Bong Hits, Lyric Errors, etc." Other responses included "Number of times hallucinations involving fabulous furry freak brothers" and "Most joints rolled during one tour." Squawker Jon thought the Dead cards should be scratch and sniff.
When I was at Topps headquarters, I also got to say hello to Topps staffer Chris Vaccaro, who I knew from our days at the Daily News. And I got to talk to Steve Keane, my fellow Staten Islander and blogger at the Eddie Kranepool Society. Also made a new friend -- a young woman named Brandon from FanDuel.com. My phone's camera went out of whack during part of the event, so she was nice enough to share some of her Buster Posey photos with me!
Anyhow, I went back to work after this, and then headed to Citi Field in the late afternoon to go to the Answer the Call benefit game (details on that in a future Squawk.) I got to the media check-in at 5:15 p.m., as I was supposed to, but there was a snafu. Even though I had RSVPed, and gotten written confirmation on the RSVP, my name was not on the list. This could have been fixed in two minutes if the Mets' young receptionist hadn't been a (rhymes with witch). Even though I showed her this RSVP information, she simply would not listen to me or do anything about it. I wasn't surprised at how rude and unprofessional she was, given that her tank top and miniskirt getup was a very unprofessional workplace outfit, unless your workplace is on the pole!
Because of her incompetence, I had to wait 45 minutes in the media check-in area until the Mets PR person I was dealing with contacted the Mets communications director -- the same person who got us access to Citi Field for our Guideposts Spartan Race photo shoot -- to get the situation fixed, and get me into the ballpark.
Fortunately, it all worked out in the end, and I was able to get some very moving quotes from people at the picnic, including getting to talk to Rusty Staub, the founder of the benefit fund. More on that later today.
Something funny happened, though, while I was cooling my heels waiting. I saw an older gentleman with a baseball cap on his head come up to the receptionist and say that he was picking up tickets for himself, Tommy Lasorda, and Joe Torre. He then smiled at me while I was waiting -- he must have noticed how stressed I looked. His smile made me relax a little and feel better. I smiled back.
Anyhow, I saw Lasorda come in after that, and I said hello. Was glad I didn't see Joe Torre, because I would have asked him things like "Why didn't you bunt on Curt Schilling?" and "Why did you pitch Jeff Weaver in the World Series?" and "Why did you hate A-Rod so much?" and it wouldn't have ended well!
Anyhow, later on that night, I saw that same smiling, kindly man talking on the Mets broadcast with Torre during the game, talking about prostate cancer awareness. The man was billionaire Michael Milken. How funny is that?
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| Matt Harvey, future Yankee |
I joked on Facebook that I was scouting him for the Yankees, since we all know he will be in pinstripes at some point!
Of course, seeing him in the flesh, and staying for the game, meant that I got the blame for being a jinx to Matt Harvey and the Mets. Squawker Jon pointed out that Harvey had never lost a game in which the Mets had scored four runs or more. That is, until now!
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| Me at the game, with a bad selfie. Jon said I look very startled! |
During the game, I walked around the park, and also had a fabulous Patron margarita, as well as some carnitas tacos (without eating the shells.) Also got to meet Facebook friend Brad Kurtzberg at the game. Nice guy!
As for Harvey, it does make me laugh how irate Jon was. He texted me: "What did u do to Harvey?" Hey, don't blame me!
In all, it was a very busy day! Will write about the second half of the day later on this Thursday.
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Subway Series Game 2: Call it a 'Lisaography' -- Let's pretend this game didn't happen
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| A toast -- to myself! -- after a grueling obstacle race. |
Squawker Jon, I actually did have an excuse as to why I hadn't written about yesterday's game, aside from it being my version of "Yankeeography." In the "Lisaography," I wish we could pretend Saturday's game didn't happen!
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| The state of my trail shoes -- and my socks! -- after the race. |
climbing obstacles, so I had to do 90 burpees in a row. (Click here if you haven't read my Guideposts article.) Anyhow, one year later, guess what? I still can't do the climby things. (Even if I had wanted to try, my arm is still messed up and sore from the chafing from my half-marathon, so I wasn't going to try! Maybe next year.) So I had to do a lot of jumping jacks -- 25 for each obstacle I missed!
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| Ranger Ropes: one of the obstacles at the High Rock Solo. Courtesy of Run & Shoot Photography |
There were a lot of hurdles -- as in literal hurdles -- to do in the race. We also had a slip 'n' slide type thing, which was great fun. Also, my trail running was more like trail walking, as I was very careful not to slip 'n' fall and hurt myself.
My biggest obstacle was the Ranger Ropes shortly before the end of the race. This consisted of two metal cables strung over a pond. One cable you hang onto with your hands, and one cable you hang onto with your feet. It looked horrible! I was about to skip it and just do the jumping jacks, as I figured I would fall off and end up in the water. But my friend Brian from the running club I belong to suggested I just try it for a few steps. Once I was on, I was hooked, so to speak, and ended up going further! I was scared the whole time, and was sure I was going to fall. But somehow, I ended up finishing -- without falling in! It was a miracle!
After finishing the race, I got a medal and also got to relax with an adult beverage. Squawker Jon, they have a High Rock Challenge for duos. Whaddaya say we do it together next year?
As for Saturday's game, I leave you with this: Matt Harvey's comments about him showing up for Derek Jeter's last home game -- the Yankees were his childhood fave team. Jeremy Schaap recently asked him about that, and why Mets fans were bent out of shape over it. He said (emphasis added):
“I definitely see that side of it,” Harvey answered. “I completely understand. But the other side is that I have bled in a Mets uniform. I’ve definitely sweat in a Mets uniform. And that’s my life. Right now, that’s who I play for.”Right now, he's a Met. In 2019 (or 2024 or something!), I fully expect Harvey to be wearing pinstripes!
Editorial note: As I wrote this Squawk, A-Rod hit No. 659. Gentlemen, start your lawsuits!
Subway Series Game 2: Dark Knight rises, CC not even so-so
The Mets walloped the Yankees, 8-2, on Saturday, but Squawker Lisa has somehow only gotten around to writing about Game 1, which reminds me of the Yankeeography retelling of the 2001 World Series, which conveniently ended after Game 5. While we're waiting for Lisa's game 2 wrapup this afternoon, here are some thoughts from the game:
Matt Harvey is great. You want your ace to the a stopper. Granted, it was only a one-game losing streak, but a loss yesterday would have given the Yankees the Subway Series and could have started the Mets on a downward trend. And Lisa would have had to write about the game.
CC Sabathia is no longer great. Sabathia is now 0-4 with a 5.96 ERA. He gave up three home runs to the Mets, who had hit ten homers all season before Saturday. Two of the homers were hit by Kevin Plawecki and Eric Campbell, who were both in the minors until recent callups as injury replacements.
I do concede that the seven-year contract the Yankees gave Sabathia before the 2009 season has turned out to be one of the better long-term deals for ace pitchers, even if this final season turns out as poorly as it appears it's going to be.
Oh, wait, the Yankees gave CC an extension - $25 million for 2016, with a $25M option for 2017 that will vest as long as Sabathia:
1) does not end 2016 on the disabled list with a left shoulder injury, 2) does not spend more than 45 days in 2016 on the disabled list with a left shoulder injury or 3) does not make more than six relief appearances in 2016 because of a left shoulder injury
Sabathia's 2014 season ended in July when he underwent knee surgery. Adam Wainwright stumbled coming out of the batter's box yesterday and may have torn his Achilles. Every pitcher these days seems to be at risk for Tommy John surgery. But fear not, Yankee fans - none of those injuries would prevent Sabathia's $25M option from vesting for 2017.
So Harvey is 4-0 (as is Bartolo Colon), while Sabathia is 0-4. The Mets are 14-4 (still the best record in baseball) while the Yankees are 10-8. Take away Harvey's record and Sabathia's record and both teams are 10-4. The way Sabathia currently looks, he's the reverse stopper - every fifth day, he gives his team a great chance to lose.
Kevin Plawecki hit his first major-league home run. The Mets announcers mentioned this fact on the telecast. On our side of town, we are allowed to acknowledge home run milestones.
Matt Harvey is great. You want your ace to the a stopper. Granted, it was only a one-game losing streak, but a loss yesterday would have given the Yankees the Subway Series and could have started the Mets on a downward trend. And Lisa would have had to write about the game.
CC Sabathia is no longer great. Sabathia is now 0-4 with a 5.96 ERA. He gave up three home runs to the Mets, who had hit ten homers all season before Saturday. Two of the homers were hit by Kevin Plawecki and Eric Campbell, who were both in the minors until recent callups as injury replacements.
I do concede that the seven-year contract the Yankees gave Sabathia before the 2009 season has turned out to be one of the better long-term deals for ace pitchers, even if this final season turns out as poorly as it appears it's going to be.
Oh, wait, the Yankees gave CC an extension - $25 million for 2016, with a $25M option for 2017 that will vest as long as Sabathia:
1) does not end 2016 on the disabled list with a left shoulder injury, 2) does not spend more than 45 days in 2016 on the disabled list with a left shoulder injury or 3) does not make more than six relief appearances in 2016 because of a left shoulder injury
Sabathia's 2014 season ended in July when he underwent knee surgery. Adam Wainwright stumbled coming out of the batter's box yesterday and may have torn his Achilles. Every pitcher these days seems to be at risk for Tommy John surgery. But fear not, Yankee fans - none of those injuries would prevent Sabathia's $25M option from vesting for 2017.
So Harvey is 4-0 (as is Bartolo Colon), while Sabathia is 0-4. The Mets are 14-4 (still the best record in baseball) while the Yankees are 10-8. Take away Harvey's record and Sabathia's record and both teams are 10-4. The way Sabathia currently looks, he's the reverse stopper - every fifth day, he gives his team a great chance to lose.
Kevin Plawecki hit his first major-league home run. The Mets announcers mentioned this fact on the telecast. On our side of town, we are allowed to acknowledge home run milestones.
Friday, April 24, 2015
Third time's a charm: Tom Seaver, Dwight Gooden - and Matt Harvey?
The Mets' 11-game winning streak has brought up memories of two other seasons in which they had such a streak - 1969 and 1986. But it's still hard to compare the 2015 Mets with the legends of the past. The Mets' 13-3 record ties the '86 Mets for the best Mets start ever. But when the '86 Mets beat Atlanta on April 30, 1986 to reach 13-3, here was their lineup, along with their batting averages at the time:
Lenny Dykstra .327
Wally Backman .371
Keith Hernandez .303
Darryl Strawberry .313
Gary Carter .281
Danny Heep .368
Ray Knight .306
Howard Johnson .357
Pitching that day was Dwight Gooden, and even he was hitting .214.
When this year's Mets went to 11-3, the only hitter in the lineup batting over .273 was Lucas Duda. Leadoff hitter Curtis Granderson is hitting .200 and number five hitter Daniel Murphy is at .170
Of course, this year's Mets are built around pitching, but you'd still take the '86 Mets' foursome of Gooden, Bob Ojeda, Ron Darling and Sid Fernandez or the Miracle Mets staff led by Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman that also included Nolan Ryan and Tug McGraw.
But it turns out this year's Mets do have something in common with the champions of the past. 1969 was Seaver's third season. 1986 was Gooden's third season. And 2015 is Matt Harvey's third season on the field.
Gooden was just one of several strong pitchers on the Mets that year. Harvey so far is statistically the fourth-best Met starter. But Seaver's presence turned perennial losers into winners, and the 1986 Gooden still carried the aura of his unbelievable 1985. Already Harvey has made every fifth day an event and brought excitement to a ballpark that has not had enough of it. Maybe it's not a coincidence that the park is now buzzing on days when Harvey isn't pitching. It wasn't long ago that the Mets had a better record on the road than at home. And now they have a perfect 10-0 homestand.
It's still early to be thinking about the World Series, but it's not too early to think that the Mets have another ace coming into his prime who can spark the Mets to great heights.
But for now, I'll be happy with beating the Yankees, and leaving Squawker Lisa with nothing to root for except seeing A-Rod reach 660 at home and getting a curtain call.
Lenny Dykstra .327
Wally Backman .371
Keith Hernandez .303
Darryl Strawberry .313
Gary Carter .281
Danny Heep .368
Ray Knight .306
Howard Johnson .357
Pitching that day was Dwight Gooden, and even he was hitting .214.
When this year's Mets went to 11-3, the only hitter in the lineup batting over .273 was Lucas Duda. Leadoff hitter Curtis Granderson is hitting .200 and number five hitter Daniel Murphy is at .170
Of course, this year's Mets are built around pitching, but you'd still take the '86 Mets' foursome of Gooden, Bob Ojeda, Ron Darling and Sid Fernandez or the Miracle Mets staff led by Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman that also included Nolan Ryan and Tug McGraw.
But it turns out this year's Mets do have something in common with the champions of the past. 1969 was Seaver's third season. 1986 was Gooden's third season. And 2015 is Matt Harvey's third season on the field.
Gooden was just one of several strong pitchers on the Mets that year. Harvey so far is statistically the fourth-best Met starter. But Seaver's presence turned perennial losers into winners, and the 1986 Gooden still carried the aura of his unbelievable 1985. Already Harvey has made every fifth day an event and brought excitement to a ballpark that has not had enough of it. Maybe it's not a coincidence that the park is now buzzing on days when Harvey isn't pitching. It wasn't long ago that the Mets had a better record on the road than at home. And now they have a perfect 10-0 homestand.
It's still early to be thinking about the World Series, but it's not too early to think that the Mets have another ace coming into his prime who can spark the Mets to great heights.
But for now, I'll be happy with beating the Yankees, and leaving Squawker Lisa with nothing to root for except seeing A-Rod reach 660 at home and getting a curtain call.
Sunday, April 5, 2015
2015 Mets: Time to break some streaks!
Six straight losing seasons. Eight straight years without a postseason. And, as Joel Sherman recently noted, only one season out of the last 23 in which the Mets had a better record than the Yankees - and that year was 2000. Finally, there's actual hope that one or more of these streaks will come to an end.
In 2006, the Mets had the same record as the Yankees - 97-65 - and got further in the postseason. Both teams finished 89-73 in 2008, with both missing the playoffs. So it's a little misleading to say that the Mets have been second fiddle for 23 straight years. But it's been a pretty bad stretch on our side.
In 2015, the stakes are not quite as high as they were in 2006, when the Mets and Yankees tied for the best record in all of baseball. This season, both teams are generally predicted to finish around .500 (I said 84-78 for the Mets), with playoff hopes enhanced by an expanded postseason.
Before spring training, I would have said that the Mets had too many question marks to even think about contending. Now it looks like the biggest question mark, Matt Harvey, could be an exclamation point. But the other question marks remain. Can David Wright and Curtis Granderson rebound? Can Michael Cuddyer stay healthy and at least perform at his Minnesota level? (I remain skeptical that he will come anywhere near his Coors numbers.) Can Lucas Duda hit 30 homers again? Can Travis d'Arnaud fulfill his potential? Can Wilmer Flores succeed at shortstop? Can Jacob deGrom do it again?
If Harvey's fantastic spring carries over into the regular season, the Mets will be a transformed team. But unless some of the other question marks pan out, the transformation will be limited. Despite Harvey's dominance in 2013, the Mets' record after his last game that season on August 24 was just 58-69. It's going to take more than a return to form from Harvey for the Mets to have a successful year.
It's not a coincidence that Subway Squawkers started in 2006 when the Mets and Yankees were on equal footing. Finally, the Mets once again have as much or more hope than Yankees, who are reduced to hoping Masahiro Tanaka doesn't blow out his elbow and may actually need to count on A-Rod in their ancient lineup. Our fat pitcher (Bartolo Colon) is better than yours (CC Sabathia). And we had Carlos Beltran when he was good. But don't worry, Squawker Lisa. At least the Yankees will be retiring some more numbers this year.
Let's Go Mets!
In 2006, the Mets had the same record as the Yankees - 97-65 - and got further in the postseason. Both teams finished 89-73 in 2008, with both missing the playoffs. So it's a little misleading to say that the Mets have been second fiddle for 23 straight years. But it's been a pretty bad stretch on our side.
In 2015, the stakes are not quite as high as they were in 2006, when the Mets and Yankees tied for the best record in all of baseball. This season, both teams are generally predicted to finish around .500 (I said 84-78 for the Mets), with playoff hopes enhanced by an expanded postseason.
Before spring training, I would have said that the Mets had too many question marks to even think about contending. Now it looks like the biggest question mark, Matt Harvey, could be an exclamation point. But the other question marks remain. Can David Wright and Curtis Granderson rebound? Can Michael Cuddyer stay healthy and at least perform at his Minnesota level? (I remain skeptical that he will come anywhere near his Coors numbers.) Can Lucas Duda hit 30 homers again? Can Travis d'Arnaud fulfill his potential? Can Wilmer Flores succeed at shortstop? Can Jacob deGrom do it again?
If Harvey's fantastic spring carries over into the regular season, the Mets will be a transformed team. But unless some of the other question marks pan out, the transformation will be limited. Despite Harvey's dominance in 2013, the Mets' record after his last game that season on August 24 was just 58-69. It's going to take more than a return to form from Harvey for the Mets to have a successful year.
It's not a coincidence that Subway Squawkers started in 2006 when the Mets and Yankees were on equal footing. Finally, the Mets once again have as much or more hope than Yankees, who are reduced to hoping Masahiro Tanaka doesn't blow out his elbow and may actually need to count on A-Rod in their ancient lineup. Our fat pitcher (Bartolo Colon) is better than yours (CC Sabathia). And we had Carlos Beltran when he was good. But don't worry, Squawker Lisa. At least the Yankees will be retiring some more numbers this year.
Let's Go Mets!
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Matt Harvey returns - no apology needed
Squawker Lisa, you will be pleased to know who is considered the Mets' biggest offseason acquisition, if you go by who was talked up the most at the start of Friday's telecast. Yes, it was new hitting coach Kevin Long. The Mets scored only 629 runs in 2014, and they are hoping Long can bring some of that Bronx Bombers magic over to Queens. (Last season the Yankees scored 633 runs).
Of course, the real reason I tuned in to the game was to see the return of Matt Harvey. Lisa, it turns out that not all big-name players who miss a year are required to go on an apology tour upon their return, particularly when they can dial it up to 99 MPH in their first game back. I know it's only early March, and the Tigers' lineup wasn't exactly Murderers' Row and Cano, but it's hard not to be excited after Harvey's great debut.
Yes, it's only two innings, but so far, so good for the Mets' rehab strategy with Harvey. Meanwhile, the Yankees certainly have some unusual strategies with their starters, keeping Masahiro Tanaka active with a partially torn UCL and signing off on CC Sabathia gaining weight even though he is pitching on a surgically-repaired knee. At least Sabathia could get a TLC show out of it - "My 300-pound Pitching Life."
Brian Cashman wants to honor Derek Jeter by having no captain, and during the offseason Sandy Alderson appeared to be honoring Jeter by having no shortstop, but Wilmer Flores had two hits yesterday, so maybe there's hope there as well.
Speaking of Cashman, remember when he didn't want to give up a pitching prospect for Alfonso Soriano a couple of years ago? On Thursday, that pitching prospect, Corey Black, broke Hunter Pence's forearm with a HBP.
Of course, the real reason I tuned in to the game was to see the return of Matt Harvey. Lisa, it turns out that not all big-name players who miss a year are required to go on an apology tour upon their return, particularly when they can dial it up to 99 MPH in their first game back. I know it's only early March, and the Tigers' lineup wasn't exactly Murderers' Row and Cano, but it's hard not to be excited after Harvey's great debut.
Yes, it's only two innings, but so far, so good for the Mets' rehab strategy with Harvey. Meanwhile, the Yankees certainly have some unusual strategies with their starters, keeping Masahiro Tanaka active with a partially torn UCL and signing off on CC Sabathia gaining weight even though he is pitching on a surgically-repaired knee. At least Sabathia could get a TLC show out of it - "My 300-pound Pitching Life."
Brian Cashman wants to honor Derek Jeter by having no captain, and during the offseason Sandy Alderson appeared to be honoring Jeter by having no shortstop, but Wilmer Flores had two hits yesterday, so maybe there's hope there as well.
Speaking of Cashman, remember when he didn't want to give up a pitching prospect for Alfonso Soriano a couple of years ago? On Thursday, that pitching prospect, Corey Black, broke Hunter Pence's forearm with a HBP.
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