Mets had off. Bums.
Melky Cabrera came alive today with an RBI triple. Angel Berroa also had a couple of big hits. Jorge Posada, back in the lineup, had a hit an RBI. Houston left 19 runners on base. Wang put up 2 goose-eggs. CC threw some innings on the side.
Players are packing up for the WBC, aka The World Blownout-Elbow Classic. First stop will be a scrimmage against the Yanks. Phil Hughes will get the start and probably face Roy Oswalt.
New York will be sending the following players to the WBC:
____________________________________________________________________________
| player | country | number | org | b/t | ht | wt | dob |
| Cano, Robinson | DOM | 24 | New York Yankees | L/R | 6’0″ | 205lbs | 10/22/1982 |
| Cervelli, Francisco | ITA | 64 | New York Yankees | R/R | 6’1″ | 210lbs | 3/6/1986 |
| Jeter, Derek | USA | 2 | New York Yankees | R/R | 6’3″ | 195lbs | 6/26/1974 |
| Liu, Kai | CHN | 11 | New York Yankees | L/L | 6’1″ | 175lbs | 10/11/1987 |
| Marte, Damaso | DOM | 43 | New York Yankees | L/L | 6’2″ | 215lbs | 2/14/1975 |
| Ramirez, Edwar | DOM | 35 | New York Yankees | R/R | 6’3″ | 165lbs | 3/28/1981 |
| Rodriguez, Alex | DOM | 13 | New York Yankees | R/R | 6’3″ | 225lbs | 7/27/1975 |
| Vazquez, Jorge | MEX | 38 | New York Yankees | R/R | 6’2″ | 230lbs | 3/15/1982 |
| Veras, Jose | DOM | 41 | New York Yankees | R/R | 6’5″ | 235lbs | 10/20/1980 |
| Zhang, Zhenwang | CHN | 8 | New York Yankees | R/R | 6’1″ | 170lbs | 3/1/1988 |
| Beltran, Carlos | PUR | 15 | New York Mets | S/R | 6’1″ | 205lbs | 4/24/1977 |
| Bowman, Shawn | CAN | 29 | New York Mets | R/R | 6’2″ | 205lbs | 12/9/1984 |
| Cora, Alex | PUR | 13 | New York Mets | L/R | 6’0″ | 200lbs | 10/18/1975 |
| Delgado, Carlos | PUR | 21 | New York Mets | L/R | 6’3″ | 265lbs | 6/25/1972 |
| Dessens, Elmer | MEX | 45 | New York Mets | R/R | 5’11″ | 200lbs | 1/13/1971 |
| Feliciano, Jesus | PUR | 23 | New York Mets | L/L | 6’0″ | 174lbs | 6/6/1979 |
| Feliciano, Pedro | PUR | 25 | New York Mets | L/L | 5’10″ | 190lbs | 8/25/1976 |
| Figueroa, Nelson | PUR | 27 | New York Mets | R/R | 6’1″ | 205lbs | 5/18/1974 |
| Perez, Oliver | MEX | 46 | New York Mets | L/L | 6’3″ | 215lbs | 8/15/1981 |
| Putz, J.J. | USA | 23 | New York Mets | R/R | 6’5″ | 250lbs | 2/22/1977 |
| Reyes, Jose | DOM | 7 | New York Mets | S/R | 6’1″ | 200lbs | 6/11/1983 |
| Rodriguez, Francisco | VEN | 75 | New York Mets | R/R | 6’0″ | 195lbs | 1/7/1982 |
| Tejada, Ruben | PAN | 2 | New York Mets | R/R | 5’11″ | 165lbs | 9/1/1989 |
| Welch, Stefan | AUS | 13 | New York Mets | L/R | 6’3″ | 175lbs | 8/12/1988 |
| Wright, David | USA | 4 | New York Mets | R/R | 6’0″ | 208lbs | 12/20/1982 |
____________________________________________________________________________
Madon’, we’re sending half the bullpen!!! Let’s hope they hit the primo while they’re down in sunny DR, we need those arms recovered in full, thank you. Hey Metsies, you’re losing half the team. If I were a coach I’d be pissed, too. Looks like Johan Santana is a an official scratch, in case it hasn’t been declared outright already.
QUESTION: Will the Cubans be on steroids? If so, my money’s on them.
…
LibertyBoy takes a break from blogging on Monday.
Can I bring my crazy Aunt? The one with the deer-eye pendant. The one with the velvet black panther painting still hanging in her living room. In fact, I might hold my own seance in her crib!
The Mets will be ecstatic if Maine wins 17.
Levi – I don’t remember if Jerry actually specified “bunting” as opossed to getting some at bats. I honestly don’t know but that is weird.
You’re right he wants them to be able to handle a bat. Considering how brutal their bunting was last year though maybe he should focus on that.
This is whats wrong with this world.The 1st day I went to ST I went to the window to see if they had tix available for the game against the sox.She told me no they were sold out.
http://www.scoretix.com/ResultsTicket.aspx?evtid=969316&event=Spring+Training%3a+New+York+Yankees+Vs.+Boston+Red+Sox
Add it to the list of “Jerry’s Little Things”. There are certain fundamentals in baseball that have been too often neglected and they important. I guess facing live-pitching can’t hurt.
Yeah JRZ- but don’t you dare buy a ticket and try to sell it for more than face value. You can be sure that these teams are getting some type of kick back from these ticket brokers.
Bro, it makes me sick.And I am positive that the clubs are getting some juice.
There has to be over 1000 seats on that one site.Thats 10% of the capacity.
Yeah Jrz and you’ll go there the day of the game and the box office will mysteriously have tickets available that the brokers couldn’t get rid of. Tell me they don’t get a cut.
Mets- The problem with Jerry’s little things is that he’s been here for 5 seasons and they still don’t do the little things right. (first base and outfield coach-2005 bench coach ’06-08). So he either hasn’t been doing his job or he’s been stealing for 5 years.
Levi – You dislike Jerry, it seems, and that’s OK. I’ll judge him from his first FULL season as manager. There were 29 other teams that came up short last year so maybe they weren’t doing them right either. I honestly don’t make the connection unless you can point to specifics and how he contributed or not.
My only point is that he’s been there for 5 years. What was he doing besides undermining Randolph? He didn’t just walk in off the street to manage. Willie had his chance and dropped the ball. It’s not about him anyway. It is about Jerry and his bs spin. The team was his for 90 games and they didn’t get it done after having a 3 game lead and falling apart. It’s last year and I’m looking forward to this year just not to his nonsense.
Randy Johnson had 7 strike outs in three innings today.
Point taken. Every manager has their own flaws and Jerry is no exception. Take Girardi for instance. You think his insistance on “resting” his players in key situations was prudent? He was shifting people left & righ(literally) and I think THAT was a mistake. Even if they weren’t injured, he would state he wanted them with “fresh legs”. Any ball player, baring injury, should be able to play 150 games. Putting Swisher on 1st base with a healthy Tex sitting on the bench aint gonna cut it (unless he’s fatigued). Over-managing? Maybe! These are the things we can’t control but we all go through ‘em. Sometimes WE are the problem if we can’t deal with certain personalities. I’ve taken a step back from judging others so critically.
That was my biggest gripe with Valentine, resting his starters once every five games. I agree with the everyday thing. Take your best eight and put them out there everyday. You can’t give games away in major league baseball no matter how long the season is. Especially with the wild card as close as it is every year.
The bullpen was the Mets biggest problem last year but Jerry did a lot of mismanaging of that bullpen. He should have an easier time of it this year having more guns to turn to.
Yup – Players will be the first to let you know that they can’t produce unless they are out there on a reglar basis. For the older players, rest can do good as long as it’s not prolonged, or they’ll loose a step. You hit it, Valentine did the same shit.
We talked about the “6 pitchers in 2 inning game” last week. Omar had to get K Rod and he was bold in getting Putz too. Listen, good pitching and hitting makes all managers look good. It always comes down to players playing.
Mac – That pen was a Rubics cube. You didn’t know what to expect when you twisted it. They were over worked from jump. Look what it did to Heilman, who at his best, was productive. My only point was Randolph went 34-35 in 2008. Jerry went 55-38. I don’t like stats but there it is. I think it’s safe to say he did a decent job. It’s NOT his fault we blew 30 saves. It’s NOT his fault our starters, sans Johan, tanked it down the stretch. It’s NOT his fault Wright couldn’t get Murph in from 3rd with 0 outs. It just wasn’t.
Getting Putz was bold but I wonder if it was a good move. I think you can make the argument that Joe Smith is the better pitcher at this point in their careers. He was the one guy who was contributing when the pen was falling a part.
I forgot why I disliked Valentine so much but it was because he never had his best nine on the field at the same time. You’d go to a game and it would be hit or miss who you were going to see in the lineup. Catchers I can see resting every 5-10 games depending on how old they are. Everyone else should be out there everyday.
The only thing I didn’t like about the Putz deal is that he’s just a rental. We are NOT picking up that option next year. Bank on it…..but…I’d take him over Smith any day.
But Mets when it counted he couldn’t line any of the colors of that cube up. It kind of gets to his Church comment about doing it in April and May but you gotta do it in the heat.
Yeah Mac but Smith had his moments when he didn’t get it done and he looks like a 12 year old who just got kissed for the first time, turning red every time he lets up a hit or walk.
You know Mets you hit on something pointing out the failures. Was it just a flawed team? Is Omar really the one who should have lost his job for the failures of this team?
He had his moments but he thrived under pressure. In September, when it was all going to hell the guy put up a 1.80era and had a ba against of .167. That is pretty good, especially when you take into consideration what was going on with the pen. Naturally, you would take JJ’s career over Smith’s but would you take the next two years of Putz over Smith?
Omar is limited on what he can do when it comes to money. If he had an open checkbook like some (ahem), I’m sure he would put together a winner. Right now he’s limited to using his scouting. He’s limited to finding that Ollie or Nady that nobody is looking at. I think this affected our off-season this year too.
One thing I cannot let him off the hook for is Luis’ contract. O Dog should be at Cit Field this year. We all have those bad contracts.
2010 is a long way off. Wagner will be off the books and I doubt Putz will get 9 mill from anyone. After you buy him out for 1 mill you still might be able to sign him. Let’s see how he pitches and how the Mets do before we count him out in 2010.
I’d take Putz for the next 2. I think Smith did great job but do I think he’d match up with Putz? I’d have to say NO….BUT….I can’t remember how many times I’ve been wrong. I thought Rey Ordonez would rule in NY. Bwahhahaha!
You might be right. Putz should get a lift switching leagues. He blew a lot of saves last year and that elbow has to be a bit of a concern but when he was on he was easily a top 10 closer.
Smith did have three straight shaky outings ( 2 against Nats and 1 against Braves in that 6 pitchers-in-2- innings game ). Otherwise he did pitch well in Sept, which begs the question, why were 6 of his last 9 appearances less than an inning when the bullpen was imploding?
Levi – Maybe he didn’t get the out he was brought in to get or he entered in the game late. That’s why I have a problem with these set-up and closer titles. How about going with the HOT hand. If a pitcher enters in relief and is on his game, he’d still get pulled for the set-up guy or the closer. I never liked it but that’s what it has become.
I agree with that Mets. But it’s also why the lefty-righty, righty-lefty bit is silly, not always but usually. Why not stay with the guy who just got two outs, is throwing strikes and generally looks good just to take him out and bring in a lefty to face the lefty. The Mets also had no closer down the stretch. It was Ayala,Feliciano, Heilman, Schoeneweis,etc. and none of them got it done.
I just want to point out that between the hours of 8PM-10PM, I will be doing manly things. I will be fixing stuff, drinking beer and watching Football videos. I WILL NOT be watching American Idol. Let it be known.
None of ‘em Levi. It was a mess.
This creeping LaRussa-ism has infected the game and it’s got to be cured. Managers don’t stay with hot hands because it’s easier to go to your set up guy or closer than to stay with the guy getting outs and fail. Since specialization of pitching has become the norm, managers don’t want to answer the question “Why didn’t you bring in your closer?”.
When you add that to pitch counts you have the 2 prime causes of fewer complete games in baseball and I’m not so sure they are completely justified.
The salaries are even more ridiculous. Millions for often less than 20 pitches. I wonder what the percentage of pitches thrown by a closer in a inning are.
Yeah they are ridiculous but it’s just as ridiculous to pay starters the money they get when they are no where near the mound when the game is decided.
Watching Wagner was infuriating. He blew 7 games himself last year. It’s been tough to be a Met fan watching Rivera for 14 years because he is the template for closing and the guys that have come through Franco,Looper, Benitez, Wagner, = torture.
It aint easy being US Levi. I find it tough to keep defending them sometimes so often I just make shit up! I’ll always defend them.
Franco, Looper , Benitez, Wagner……dam. I can find a spin for that.
KRod could be great.
Well Mets- I watch the Yankees as much as I watch the Mets. I actually root for the Yanks unless they are playing the Mets. (2000 was a tough year) When I see what Rivera has done and some of the guys the Mets have trotted out there it makes me queasy. The thing about Rivera is the ice in his veins. He blows a game and it is like it never happened. And the topper is he has one pitch. The mentality is what separates him. What a career!
K Rod can be great. I’m looking forward to him staying healthy.
Yankee fans who were born in the 80′s are going to be very disappointed when Mo retires. Many don’t realize how rare a guy like Mo is. I hope he pitches into his mid 40′s.
He’s had his miscues Mac but the totality of what this guy has accomplished is remarkable and I doubt there will ever be another one like him who will do it for as long as he has.
So you are the other one. My father and you watch both and root for both. When head to head, he chooses METS also. I however, dislike the Yanks (I stay away from the word hate). Don’t know where it came from and don’t care. I just don’t feel it’s necessary to go out of my way to trash ‘em. I’m not that interested in them as we only play them 6 times. I’m more focused on the NL.
I do give credit where it’s due and I can’t say anything bad about Mo. He has faltered recently on occassion but nothing can erase his history.
I agree. “What a career!”
I was a dodger fan as a kid in the seventies. So I hated the Yanks. In fact in ’78 I was in the second grade and Dent came to my school. I was wearing a Dodger hat and jacket. I still have that picture they took of me with him. After the Dodgers traded Ron Cey to the Cubs I got an early look at the business of baseball. I started rooting for the Mets when Seaver came back and Strawberry came up.
Strawberry could make a METS fan quick. One of my favorites. If anyone got up and walked away when he was up, they’re not a baseball fan.
He said some pretty dumb things recently, huh? I mean, I appreciate the honesty but some things are better left unsaid. I could see the METS sending him home with his remarks!
My brother was a Met fan and my father would take us to Shea when the Dodgers came in to town. Plus I was always watching them in the days before Espn not much choice.
I don’t think Daryl meant to condone it. I think he was trying to stand up for A Rod because he’s swinging in the wind and there are 100 guys who did the same thing (at least).
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