The 2007 New York Mets Thread

[HedCold]

i think a big reason reyes has had pointless hits is because they don't have valentine and green getting on base at the bottom of that line up anymore. reyes' rbi numbers have been stagnant since he's not getting those chances. plus with out people on base they're probably pitching reyes tougher. its nice his OBP has stayer around 400 though

[Bloody Anus]

I’m really getting annoyed at Randolph’s short leash on every starter and the overvaluing of pitch counts. I know the game has changed, bullpens are deeper, blah blah blah. But someone needs to remind him that it’s okay to allow a starter to pitch into the 8th inning or even, dare I say, the 9th!

Hernandez wasn’t his sharpest Wednesday night, but was still in pretty good control of things after 6. He walked a few more than you’d like, but was able to keep the ball down and get double plays when he needed it. But after 99 pitches and a 2-0 lead, that was it for him. So they bring in Heilman in the 7th, and he proceeds to inexcusably walk the leadoff hitter, who inevitably scored on the Rollins HR.

Speaking of Heilman, is there any doubt that he’s going to the Cubs as part of a Zambrano deal? Now that Mota’s back, Heilman’s been used in the 7th a bit more often while they test Mota and Smith in the setup role. In spite of the Philadelphia series, the bullpen is a strength so it makes sense to trade from a strength to bolster the rotation down the stretch. Sure he’s a bit of a fucking maniac and walks a ton of people, but he’s still one of the top young pitchers in the league. Plus, with all the money they saved by not overspending on the likes of Zito or Schmidt or Matsuzaka, they should be able to afford to sign him after the season.

Last night’s game is an even better example of the overrating of pitch counts. Maine pitched very well and was finally given a lead to work with. He had only 98 pitches through 7. I could see where you wouldn’t want to push Hernandez too far given his injury history and age (whatever that may be). But there’s no reason a 26-year old that’s pitched as well as Maine has should not be allowed to surpass the 100 pitch mark. It’s not like it’s early in the season anymore and he needs to work his way into playing shape or anything. What are you saving him for? September? October? These games count too. If you don’t win these games, the games in September won’t matter. As important as it is to be able to rely on your bullpen, it’s equally important to be able to have confidence in your starters to pitch deep into games. I’m sure the reason he went to Feliciano in the 8th was that the top of the order was due up - 2 switch hitters then Utley. But Maine did a pretty good job against them all game. Why not give him the chance to get through them one more time? If he gets into trouble, then I can see bringing in Feliciano to pitch to Utley and/or Howard. Confounding things even more is the fact that Maine was due up 2nd in the 7th. After Gomez reached on the bunt hit, why not use Maine to bunt him over? Instead they bring in Easley who struck out after failing to get the bunt down. Oh yeah, I also don’t know why Easley didn’t start and bat 2nd. He’s killed left handed pitching all year. Valentin’s always been awful batting right-handed, and you’re going to bring him back off the DL and immediately throw him in against Hamels? The fact that Wagner was bought in in the 8th suggests that this was a very important game that they felt they needed to win before hitting the road. Instead of extending your closer, why not extend your starter and let him prove he can get big outs late in the game?



Scott Schoeneweis has officially become Mel Rojas reincarnate. Every time I see him warming up in the bullpen, my reaction is always the same. A disgusted sigh followed by either ‘fuck’ or ‘goddamn it.’ It’s a similar response most Mets fans had when Armando Benitez entered a game. But at least Benitez saved a bunch of games and did something productive to help the team win. Schoeneweis is just plain garbage. If anything, he should be relegated to a Mike Stanton/Jesse Orosco/Mike Myers role. One lefty a night, maybe two. Either that or he should be used exclusively in blowout games to mop up. Giving him any more responsibility than that is just asking to lose the game.

Every time David Wright throws to first I cringe. It’s only a matter of time before he pulls Delgado off the bag and he ends up getting run into and injured a la Cliff Floyd/Derrek Lee.

Carlos Gomez is ridiculously fast, but has no business being in the major leagues right now. I’m assuming when Green comes off the DL Sunday that he’ll be sent down, but seeing how poor the decision making has been the last few days, I’m not too sure anymore…

[HedCold]

perez has been allowed to go to the 120 pitch mark, but yea its frustrating that they stick so closely to that 100 number with the other guys.

[Hybrid]

im pretty sure hernandez took himself out of the game his last start.

[Hybrid]

Scott Schoeneweis has officially become Mel Rojas reincarnate. Every time I see him warming up in the bullpen, my reaction is always the same. A disgusted sigh followed by either ‘fuck’ or ‘goddamn it.

i get that feeling when i see heilman warming up. meh.

Either that or he should be used exclusively in blowout games to mop up. Giving him any more responsibility than that is just asking to lose the game.

then what would aaron sele do?

[Hybrid]

an rbi single from reyes. who woulda thunk it.

[Hybrid]

how can you be a golden glove centerfielder without ever laying out for a catch?

[Hybrid]

where did everybody go :(

[Keyser Soze]

these west coast games are killing me, 3 pitches, 3 homers....kuo should get one in the ear.

[Hybrid]

losing is no fun

[Bloody Anus]

Maine seems to have these lapses where he thinks he’s in little league again and can just throw fastball after fastball. That’s ALL the Dodgers were looking for and swinging at early and that’s ALL he was throwing in the 2nd inning. Every single pitch from the Martin ground ball to the Kuo HR was a fastball. Then Peterson came out, reminded him he’s not 12 years old anymore, and he started using other pitches.

To quote Tim McCarver, as good as the Mets were in the first 2 months of the season, that’s how as bad they’ve been now. It’s good though, it’s refreshing. Over the last year people have forgotten what it’s like to be a Mets fan. The team is drastically different, but 2004 is still not a very long time ago. I forgot what it was like to watch a game with that kind of pessimism. It’s been a while since I’ve expected bad things to happen at every turn. Unclutch hitting, awful relief, shoddy defense. Reyes is a phenomenal defensive SS when the ball’s coming off the bat, but other than that he has some really weird lapses. He should have caught Hundley..I mean Piaz..I mean Lo Duca’s throw into CF last night. He pulled back his glove at the last second. Had he extended a couple of inches, it was a (relatively) easy catch. Earlier in the year there was a throw from either Lo Duca or the outfield where he had an easy out on a runner from first, but caught the ball on the 3B side of the bag and never bothered sweeping across to apply the tag. There have been a few random instances like this. It never happens when the ball’s coming off the bat though, so it’s very strange.

At least Sosa is starting tonight. He’s the only pitcher all month that’s won a game, so at least they’ve got that going for them. Of course, that probably just means he, like the rest of the rotation of late, is due for a pounding. Especially against Penny, who’s due to pitch well against the Mets.

[Galt]

I think Bloody Anus should be banned for quoting Tim McCarver. Even if it's a joke. That's worse than quoting Hitler.

[HedCold]

at least atlanta lost again, i guess

this is pathetic

[Keyser Soze]

this blows

[Bloody Anus]

I think Galt should be banned for thinking that was an actual Tim McCarver quote.

[Galt]

Bloody Anus should be banned again for "taking a break" from fantasy baseball this year.

[Bloody Anus]

Galt should be banned for so accurately using those quotation marks. I really wanted to take a complete break from fantasy this year, but have ended up being suckered into managing my friend’s team the majority of the year. He had me draft most of his team for him because he had to go to work after the first few rounds. He actually could have put off going for a few hours, but for some odd reason decided to show some initiative for the first time in 5 years. Then he had a 6-week training session in Florida and put me in charge of everything. Anyway, I did zero research before the draft, but still have him in 6th place in a 16-team (gay H2H ESPN) league. He’d probably be better off if he hadn’t been around the first few rounds. Here’s how the draft went: (8th pick)

1) Ortiz. I would have taken Guerrero. I hate having no flexibility at the Util slot
2) Suzuki. I would have gone with Abreu. Oops.
3) Dye. Ugh, worst pick of the draft. I tried telling him to take Peavy here, but, well, he’s an idiot.
4) Delgado. This is when he left and I took control. Oops again.
5) Sheets
6) Felix Hernandez
7) Delmon Young. Only because he wanted to draft him and this was the only chance I’d get since half the league was on autodraft and he wouldn’t have lasted any longer. Ideally I’d have probably taken a closer here.
8 - Mora. Needed a 3B and wasn’t about to take Chavez again.
9) Isringhausen
10) Harden
11) Vizquel. Needed a SS and speed
12) Podsednik. Needed speed and have always had a hardon for him. Oops³
13) Mike Gonzalez. Needed another (potential) closer
14) Jose Lopez. I hate drafting 2B
15) Estrada. I hate drafting catchers
16) Buehrle. I think I’ve drafted him every year. I was afraid he’d turn into this year’s version of Mulder, but so far so good
17) Chris Duncan. Another guy he wanted to draft (Cardinals fan), and a pretty good late sleeper
18) Shealy. Oops.
19) Pedro Martinez. I decided to draft a rotation with only injured or injury-prone pitchers. And Buehrle.
20) Sammy Sosa. Was looking for a prospect that looked familiar, but came across him and decided why not? He probably should have sold high on him after April though.

So had I drafted from the start, his rotation would be insane (especially for a 16-team league):

Peavy
Sheets
Hernandez
Harden
Buehrle

Plus I had him pick up Oliver Perez, and later added Jeremy Guthrie.

During the first couple of weeks of the season, he wisely took my advice and picked up Hardy to replace Vizquel. I also later added Felipe Lopez at 2B.

Anyway, the point of all this is that next year when I am well rested and actually invest some time and money into things, I will be completely unstoppable and dominate Galt in every facet.

[Galt]

Yeah, I'll hold my breathe. Next March you'll say you can't participate because you lost $10,000 on football

[Bloody Anus]

Yes, you hold your breathe awhile eluding two my pore gambling his story.

[Keyser Soze]

that was a much needed win.

carlos gomez is as fun to watch in the outfield as he is running the bases.