Baseball and New York. They go hand-in-hand like peanut butter and jelly, like apple pie and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, like Bill Belichick and his hoodie, like Phillies' bullpen coach Mick Billmeyer and his binoculars. Baseball is to New York what hockey is to Canada, what basketball is to Indiana, and what high school football is to Texas. Simply put, baseball matters in New York. Baseball is everything in New York.
So it’s only natural that New York baseball fans are the most prone to overreacting to everything – both good and bad – over the course of the 162 game grind that is a baseball season. New York baseball fans dance in the streets and walk on air during long winning streaks. When a team is at the top of the standings and on top of the world, merchandise flies off the shelves, the ballpark is filled to capacity, and fans can’t stop dreaming about what is about to come next. When a team is in the doldrums, it seems sometimes fans are on suicide alert. (100% real tweet from a fan during Monday night’s game: “I swear to God if the Mets don’t win this game I’m going to kill myself.”) When the team loses, the fans want blood. And in the case of New York baseball fans, they ALWAYS want the manager’s head on a silver platter.
But just how justified is that notion, especially in the case of the 2010 New York Mets?
My partner has suggested that the New York Mets are a talented ballclub. I, however, am not sold on the notion that this is a fair assessment. I don’t want to hear about payroll – that is a ludicrous argument if there ever was when it comes to evaluating a manager. Anybody can throw money away. But if I were to ask the question, “Who is the Mets’ best hitter right now?”, could anybody answer it? I’ve spoken at length about the streaky nature of the Mets’ hitters. Remember when Jason Bay was the worst player ever? He’s now the Mets’ leading hitter. The Mets have a first baseman who has spent one month in the big leagues, a below-average defensive second baseman, and a replacement center fielder. Can somebody give me one reason why Jerry is supposed to win with that, mixed with the historic streakiness of his superstar third baseman, his left fielder, his right fielder, and his catcher?
But that doesn’t even scratch the surface of the Mets’ problems. Their biggest deficiency is their starting rotation. This is not a new phenomenon, of course. We’ve known about it for a year now. Remember who the Mets brought in in the offseason? (I hear a lot of crickets chirping…) Nobody. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Omar Minaya failed miserably in upgrading this rotation. If anything, this rotation has overachieved, all because Mike Pelfrey has stepped up and become a new pitcher. John Maine still has nothing on his fastball and horrible body language. Jon Niese is still a rookie. And Oliver Perez is a lost cause with no fastball and no ability to gut through any adversity. How is a team supposed to win, or even compete, with three gigantic question marks in a five-man rotation?
If anything, Jerry deserves credit for his work. This bullpen has been excellent. How can we really blame him for overusing them? Is he supposed to let Maine, Perez, and Niese stay in games when they can’t even keep the team close? Doesn’t Jerry have to do everything he can to give his team a chance to win every night?
Jerry was dealt a poor hand. He was dealt a poor hand last year when his best players went down to injury. He was dealt a poor hand this year when Omar Minaya did nothing to support the rotation. I’m not going to sit here and say Jerry Manuel is the best manager in baseball. But I will say this: he at least deserves the chance to operate this club through the end of the year.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Jerry Be Gone
Well folks, the time has just about come...But before we get to the good part lets:
Firstly, summarize the 2010 NY Mets in a few words - so close, yet so far.
We can readily admit that this is a talented ballclub - our Bullpen has been stellar, we have Good hitters in the middle of our lineup - with an extra surprise from Rod Barajas, number 1 & 2 in our Rotation have done their job and we've even had Niese provide average starts.
The Mets have shown that they are a talented ballclub by going on a 9-1 Homestand earlier this year. They are a talented ballclub, that perhaps, with the addition of a middle of the rotation pitcher (Oswalt, P. Martinez, Millwood) and the return of Carlos Beltran - have what it will take to at least fight for a Playoff spot come September.
So what gives?
Why are the Mets wildly inconsistent? Why are they 6 games back in the Division? Why are good hitters like Wright and Bay failing to come up with clutch hits? Why are the talented 2010 NY Mets in last place?
Tonight's game mirrored this young season's motto: So close, yet so far. Wright NOT coming up with the big hit. Making bad defensive plays in the field. Failing to score more than 2 runs against an average pitcher in Medlen.
This team, while talented and scrappy, have so far come up empty handed. The results speak for themselves.
And with the results as they are: Its Time for Jerry to Go.
We've allowed Jerry to guide this team for almost 2 years now. He caught a tough break last year with all the injuries and must receive a pass on it. However, Baseball in NY, or any sport in NY for that matter, is about RESULTS. If the results don't show - you're outta here.
So close, yet so far. That has become Jerry's repetitive postgame mantra for the past 2 years. There are no "moral victories" or kudos for "showing some fight." Sounds like he constantly praises the team for not quitting. There are only Wins and Losses in Baseball in NY and right now, the Mets have more losses than wins during Jerry's tenure.
This talented ballclub lacks Focus - it lacks the psychological and mental attitude necessary to be consistent and win ballgames. For me, that falls solely on the shoulders of the manager. The manager should be able to focus his team - to give them that EDGE necessary to be Consistent throughout a long season. I dont see this team being consistent - just bringing Mets fans on a constant up and down rollercoaster that tempts fans into thinking the Mets have a chance before breaking their hearts all over again
Granted, Omar Minaya shares the blame with Jerry - he failed to replenish the Starting rotation after last season and made some terrible signings (see Luis Castillo or Ollie Perez) And if Jerry goes, then Omar ultimately will too
But Jerry MUST GO - Mets fans have grown weary of his obnoxious overuse of the bullpen (and he has overused the Bullpen this year - even w.o Perez/Maine being terrible,) familiar postgame mantras, and disfunctional lineups. Moreover, his relationships with players such as Castro, Stokes, and Ryan Church last season doesn't appear to help his cause.
For me, Jerry was simply a continuation from the Willie Randolph era - and he hasn't done the job.
Will a new manager be the sole cause of the 2010 Mets turnaround? Probably not. But is it too far-fetched to believe that a manager, the leader of the team, can light a fire in the bellies of his players? Can a manager focus this team to play more consistent? Can a manager hold a postgame interview without an incessant chuckle and apologetic tone? Can a manager get this talented team to play to their ability and, with a few breaks and perhaps additions along the way, make it into the Playoffs?
Not with Jerry at the helm.
For a better article that supports this post: please see Mike Vaccaro's article in the NY Post - http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/last_place_mets_must_fire_jerry_lZyaVeeGwm6rZi5vz06D4J
Firstly, summarize the 2010 NY Mets in a few words - so close, yet so far.
We can readily admit that this is a talented ballclub - our Bullpen has been stellar, we have Good hitters in the middle of our lineup - with an extra surprise from Rod Barajas, number 1 & 2 in our Rotation have done their job and we've even had Niese provide average starts.
The Mets have shown that they are a talented ballclub by going on a 9-1 Homestand earlier this year. They are a talented ballclub, that perhaps, with the addition of a middle of the rotation pitcher (Oswalt, P. Martinez, Millwood) and the return of Carlos Beltran - have what it will take to at least fight for a Playoff spot come September.
So what gives?
Why are the Mets wildly inconsistent? Why are they 6 games back in the Division? Why are good hitters like Wright and Bay failing to come up with clutch hits? Why are the talented 2010 NY Mets in last place?
Tonight's game mirrored this young season's motto: So close, yet so far. Wright NOT coming up with the big hit. Making bad defensive plays in the field. Failing to score more than 2 runs against an average pitcher in Medlen.
This team, while talented and scrappy, have so far come up empty handed. The results speak for themselves.
And with the results as they are: Its Time for Jerry to Go.
We've allowed Jerry to guide this team for almost 2 years now. He caught a tough break last year with all the injuries and must receive a pass on it. However, Baseball in NY, or any sport in NY for that matter, is about RESULTS. If the results don't show - you're outta here.
So close, yet so far. That has become Jerry's repetitive postgame mantra for the past 2 years. There are no "moral victories" or kudos for "showing some fight." Sounds like he constantly praises the team for not quitting. There are only Wins and Losses in Baseball in NY and right now, the Mets have more losses than wins during Jerry's tenure.
This talented ballclub lacks Focus - it lacks the psychological and mental attitude necessary to be consistent and win ballgames. For me, that falls solely on the shoulders of the manager. The manager should be able to focus his team - to give them that EDGE necessary to be Consistent throughout a long season. I dont see this team being consistent - just bringing Mets fans on a constant up and down rollercoaster that tempts fans into thinking the Mets have a chance before breaking their hearts all over again
Granted, Omar Minaya shares the blame with Jerry - he failed to replenish the Starting rotation after last season and made some terrible signings (see Luis Castillo or Ollie Perez) And if Jerry goes, then Omar ultimately will too
But Jerry MUST GO - Mets fans have grown weary of his obnoxious overuse of the bullpen (and he has overused the Bullpen this year - even w.o Perez/Maine being terrible,) familiar postgame mantras, and disfunctional lineups. Moreover, his relationships with players such as Castro, Stokes, and Ryan Church last season doesn't appear to help his cause.
For me, Jerry was simply a continuation from the Willie Randolph era - and he hasn't done the job.
Will a new manager be the sole cause of the 2010 Mets turnaround? Probably not. But is it too far-fetched to believe that a manager, the leader of the team, can light a fire in the bellies of his players? Can a manager focus this team to play more consistent? Can a manager hold a postgame interview without an incessant chuckle and apologetic tone? Can a manager get this talented team to play to their ability and, with a few breaks and perhaps additions along the way, make it into the Playoffs?
Not with Jerry at the helm.
For a better article that supports this post: please see Mike Vaccaro's article in the NY Post - http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/last_place_mets_must_fire_jerry_lZyaVeeGwm6rZi5vz06D4J
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
A Fortnight In...
Well, now that we're two weeks into our little pet project here at Back Off The Ledge!!!, I figured I'd take a moment here to just say "thank you" for sticking with us as we try to find our voice.
As I mentioned in our first post, there are a lot of Mets blogs out there. Nobody is on top of everything Mets the way Matthew Cerrone and his staff over at MetsBlog are. I can only dream to write half as eloquently on my beloved baseball team as Greg Prince and Jason Fry do over at Faith and Fear. And nobody is as great (and as fair) as Shannon Shark is at calling the Mets out on everything over at The Mets Police. These guys and the many other great Mets bloggers have set a high standard in interactive fandom. It is our goal simply to have fun with this experiment and offer our own unique perspective on a very interesting ballclub we're proud to call ours.
So, thank you for giving us a shot!
--
Speaking of "giving people a shot"...
Jerry Manuel is still the manager of the New York Mets. Jon and I have spent infinite amounts of time on Jerry and why he should (or in Jon's case SHOULDN'T) be the manager of the New York Mets. Stay tuned - we'll spend some quality time on this issue in the next couple of days.
For now, here are two contrasting pieces. First up is Mike Vaccaro's plea for Jerry to receive the ax, from yesterday's New York Post. And here is Mike Lupica who reasons (as I do) that responsibility for this roster lies solely on the shoulders of Omar Minaya.
So, be on the lookout for more on Jerry and the Mets' current state.
As I mentioned in our first post, there are a lot of Mets blogs out there. Nobody is on top of everything Mets the way Matthew Cerrone and his staff over at MetsBlog are. I can only dream to write half as eloquently on my beloved baseball team as Greg Prince and Jason Fry do over at Faith and Fear. And nobody is as great (and as fair) as Shannon Shark is at calling the Mets out on everything over at The Mets Police. These guys and the many other great Mets bloggers have set a high standard in interactive fandom. It is our goal simply to have fun with this experiment and offer our own unique perspective on a very interesting ballclub we're proud to call ours.
So, thank you for giving us a shot!
--
Speaking of "giving people a shot"...
Jerry Manuel is still the manager of the New York Mets. Jon and I have spent infinite amounts of time on Jerry and why he should (or in Jon's case SHOULDN'T) be the manager of the New York Mets. Stay tuned - we'll spend some quality time on this issue in the next couple of days.
For now, here are two contrasting pieces. First up is Mike Vaccaro's plea for Jerry to receive the ax, from yesterday's New York Post. And here is Mike Lupica who reasons (as I do) that responsibility for this roster lies solely on the shoulders of Omar Minaya.
So, be on the lookout for more on Jerry and the Mets' current state.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Yogi and the State of the Mets
“It gets late early out here.” - Yogi Berra
In recent years it has become clearer and clearer that no one figure – not even Casey Stengel – is as passionately loved by both Mets and Yankees fans the way Yogi Berra is. There are times when I myself become convinced that nobody “gets” the Mets like Yogi does.
Think about that for a second: Yogi Berra, a Champion Yankee if there ever was, is just as much an embodiment of Metsdom as he is of Yankeedom.
After all, the Yogi-ism to end all Yogi-isms was authored in the late summer of 1973: “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” Yogi uttered that timeless phrase as manager of those miraculous 1973 New York Mets. The Mets that stormed from last-place on August 30th to a stunning division title, a shocking upset of the Big Red Machine in the League Championship Series, and a very-near upset of the three-peating Oakland Athletics in the World Series. The “Ya Gotta Believe” Mets. Yogi nailed it.
But back to the original quote. “It gets late early out here.” Now take that quote and couple it with the words of John Smoltz (amongst others): “You can’t win a pennant in May. But you sure can lose one.” Now match the two quotes with a 4-8 stretch in which each and every one of the losses was excruciating in its own right: 5 decided in the opponent’s last or second-to-last at-bat, 2 gut-wrenching blowouts at the hands of the sign-stealing archrival, and 1 in which the Mets had endless chances in a game that ended in a 3-2 defeat.
Welcome to crisis mode, Mets fans. You know, the mode Mets fans go into when they lose one heartbreaking game, let alone eight in a twelve-game stretch.
“It gets late early out here.”
Can you think of six words that better express the sentiment Mets fans have about their club right now? The wit and wisdom of Yogi Berra hits the State of Metsdom right on the head. Again.
--
What can we objectively say about these 2010 New York Mets? They’re definitely interesting and they seem to care a lot more than they have in recent campaigns.
The most accurate read on the 2010 Mets to this point is this: streaky. They’re streaky in terms of wins-and-losses and also in terms of personnel. The lineup is chock-full of more-than-capable hitters who, historically, are all prone to drastic streakiness. Jason Bay, Jeff Francoeur, David Wright, Jeff Francoeur, and Rod Barajas are all boom-or-bust hitters. None of the five has a batting average over .280. All of them are prone to strikeouts, none more so than Wright who is on a horrifying strikeout pace (38% of his at-bats). The trio at the top of the order hasn’t been particularly special either. “Leadoff” hitter Angel Pagan has an on-base percentage of .326. Obviously the goal is to get Jose Reyes going, but he’s hitting .221 with a horrifyingly low on-base percentage of .275. These Mets have no place to turn for any consistency in their lineup. At this point, the Mets’ most reliable hitter is a first baseman who is just now in his fourth week in the Majors.
The rotation is also quite streaky. As we’ve known for a long time, they need another reliable innings-eater to go with Johan and Pelfrey. The fact that Jon Niese and Oliver Perez in particular struggle to get through even a very modest 5 innings is scary. The bullpen is pitching way too much. Fernando Nieve has appeared in 22 of the Mets’ 35 games. He’s thrown 20 1/3 innings and his effectiveness is clearly beginning to wear off. Hisanori Takahashi has logged 23 innings of relief. (For some perspective on that, starting pitcher Oliver Perez has hurled a grand total of 30 innings to this point without missing a start.) The bullpen as a whole has been outstanding all year, but their workload is a concern.
I believe this lineup has underachieved so far – at least numbers-wise. For Castillo, Reyes, Wright, Bay, and Francoeur, I believe that there is definitely room for improvement with each. But there needs to be a driving force that can be consistent and not as prone to the streakiness that has dominated this bunch so far. The force, of course, goes by the name of Carlos Beltran. He could be the piece that puts a talented lineup over the top. He’d restore Reyes to the leadoff spot. If Reyes gets on base, Luis Castillo is a very reliable second-place hitter. Some combination of Beltran, Bay, and Wright goes 3-4-5. Ike Davis could settle in at sixth, with Francoeur and Barajas at 7-8. The bench has great potential with Blanco, Cora, Carter, Pagan, and Tatis. That team can score runs.
But nobody knows if or when Beltran will return. If he doesn’t, where do the Mets turn?
And how do they address the gaping hole in their rotation, which affects their bullpen and drags down a whole ballclub twice every fifth day?
Let’s face the facts: the New York Mets, as currently constructed, are a slightly above-average ballclub. That’s certainly what their 18-17 record suggests. Their bullpen is outstanding, and they have a tendency to fight that they’ve lacked for awhile now. But they have a pair of obvious shortcomings that will be very difficult to overcome. We can only hope Omar Minaya can make the move(s) that can make the Mets a legitimate contender.
In recent years it has become clearer and clearer that no one figure – not even Casey Stengel – is as passionately loved by both Mets and Yankees fans the way Yogi Berra is. There are times when I myself become convinced that nobody “gets” the Mets like Yogi does.
Think about that for a second: Yogi Berra, a Champion Yankee if there ever was, is just as much an embodiment of Metsdom as he is of Yankeedom.
After all, the Yogi-ism to end all Yogi-isms was authored in the late summer of 1973: “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” Yogi uttered that timeless phrase as manager of those miraculous 1973 New York Mets. The Mets that stormed from last-place on August 30th to a stunning division title, a shocking upset of the Big Red Machine in the League Championship Series, and a very-near upset of the three-peating Oakland Athletics in the World Series. The “Ya Gotta Believe” Mets. Yogi nailed it.
But back to the original quote. “It gets late early out here.” Now take that quote and couple it with the words of John Smoltz (amongst others): “You can’t win a pennant in May. But you sure can lose one.” Now match the two quotes with a 4-8 stretch in which each and every one of the losses was excruciating in its own right: 5 decided in the opponent’s last or second-to-last at-bat, 2 gut-wrenching blowouts at the hands of the sign-stealing archrival, and 1 in which the Mets had endless chances in a game that ended in a 3-2 defeat.
Welcome to crisis mode, Mets fans. You know, the mode Mets fans go into when they lose one heartbreaking game, let alone eight in a twelve-game stretch.
“It gets late early out here.”
Can you think of six words that better express the sentiment Mets fans have about their club right now? The wit and wisdom of Yogi Berra hits the State of Metsdom right on the head. Again.
--
What can we objectively say about these 2010 New York Mets? They’re definitely interesting and they seem to care a lot more than they have in recent campaigns.
The most accurate read on the 2010 Mets to this point is this: streaky. They’re streaky in terms of wins-and-losses and also in terms of personnel. The lineup is chock-full of more-than-capable hitters who, historically, are all prone to drastic streakiness. Jason Bay, Jeff Francoeur, David Wright, Jeff Francoeur, and Rod Barajas are all boom-or-bust hitters. None of the five has a batting average over .280. All of them are prone to strikeouts, none more so than Wright who is on a horrifying strikeout pace (38% of his at-bats). The trio at the top of the order hasn’t been particularly special either. “Leadoff” hitter Angel Pagan has an on-base percentage of .326. Obviously the goal is to get Jose Reyes going, but he’s hitting .221 with a horrifyingly low on-base percentage of .275. These Mets have no place to turn for any consistency in their lineup. At this point, the Mets’ most reliable hitter is a first baseman who is just now in his fourth week in the Majors.
The rotation is also quite streaky. As we’ve known for a long time, they need another reliable innings-eater to go with Johan and Pelfrey. The fact that Jon Niese and Oliver Perez in particular struggle to get through even a very modest 5 innings is scary. The bullpen is pitching way too much. Fernando Nieve has appeared in 22 of the Mets’ 35 games. He’s thrown 20 1/3 innings and his effectiveness is clearly beginning to wear off. Hisanori Takahashi has logged 23 innings of relief. (For some perspective on that, starting pitcher Oliver Perez has hurled a grand total of 30 innings to this point without missing a start.) The bullpen as a whole has been outstanding all year, but their workload is a concern.
I believe this lineup has underachieved so far – at least numbers-wise. For Castillo, Reyes, Wright, Bay, and Francoeur, I believe that there is definitely room for improvement with each. But there needs to be a driving force that can be consistent and not as prone to the streakiness that has dominated this bunch so far. The force, of course, goes by the name of Carlos Beltran. He could be the piece that puts a talented lineup over the top. He’d restore Reyes to the leadoff spot. If Reyes gets on base, Luis Castillo is a very reliable second-place hitter. Some combination of Beltran, Bay, and Wright goes 3-4-5. Ike Davis could settle in at sixth, with Francoeur and Barajas at 7-8. The bench has great potential with Blanco, Cora, Carter, Pagan, and Tatis. That team can score runs.
But nobody knows if or when Beltran will return. If he doesn’t, where do the Mets turn?
And how do they address the gaping hole in their rotation, which affects their bullpen and drags down a whole ballclub twice every fifth day?
Let’s face the facts: the New York Mets, as currently constructed, are a slightly above-average ballclub. That’s certainly what their 18-17 record suggests. Their bullpen is outstanding, and they have a tendency to fight that they’ve lacked for awhile now. But they have a pair of obvious shortcomings that will be very difficult to overcome. We can only hope Omar Minaya can make the move(s) that can make the Mets a legitimate contender.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Hitting Anyone???
Tonights game against the Nats was eerily reminiscent of September 2008 - leaving runners on base, failing to get a clutch hit, taking strikes, etc.
In the end, 21 runners were left on base and the Mets only scored 2 runs on 12 hits. What is especially troublesome is the lack of production we are getting from our Big 3 - Bay, Wright, and Francouer
Understandably, Frenchy and Bay are notorious for their slumps, and also their ability to suddenly get hot and belt homers like there's no tomorrow. Wright, however, never used to be known for any prolonged slumps - but something had developed over the past few years where he believes he needs to carry the team on his shoulders.
This dates back to the end of 2007, following the team's historic September collapse. This is the first time Wright has really heard boos from the Home crowd and he is pressing. As is Bay, Frenchy, and Reyes.
Lets hope that they get hot and start driving in those runners. We surely dont need to see games like this anyway - Mets fans have had there share of them. Ironically, its been the hitting thats been a problem not the pitching.
Still, the Mets are only 2 out of first place and somehow took 2 of 3 from the SF Giants this past weekend. Our pitching will keep us going, but sooner or later these latent bats will need to wake up. Lets hope they do soon
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Citi of Wonder
“This place makes our park look like a bandbox. It’s a tough environment to play in. A lot of wind, a lot of trash. This is a frustrating place when the wind is blowing.” - Aubrey Huff, 1B, San Francisco Giants
For many years, opposing fans would refer to Shea Stadium as a “big, purple toilet bowl”. It didn’t help that the ballpark’s mailing address belonged to an area of Queens known as “Flushing”. It was big, ugly, and outdated. It lacked the amenities, sightlines, and comforts of a new ballpark. But it was home. It was without question the orange-and-blue-splashed home of the New York Mets. It fit the character of its team and its city, and when it was full (as it was quite often in its dying years) there was no better place to be. Nothing shook the ground like 57,000 crazed Mets fans during the 1999, 2000, and 2006 playoffs. It had a distinct personality and it created a distinct home-field advantage.
When Shea disappeared once and for all from the Queens skyline in 2009, the Mets relocated to a ballpark that was cozy, beautiful, and full of all the amenities a new ballpark should have. But its best feature was also its worst; Citi Field was not Shea Stadium.
It wasn’t the ballpark where the Mets made all their magic happen for 45 years. In fact, it hardly even recognized that magic. Its main entrance was named – appropriately so, mind you – for a pioneer of the game and of National League ball in New York. But Jackie Robinson never played for the Mets. Its exterior was something out of Flatbush, circa 1911. Its green seats would have been more appropriate in Coogan’s Bluff. Yes, Citi Field was a great ballpark. But in 2009, Citi Field just wasn’t home.
In the off-season, the Mets did everything they could to change that. First, the stairwells went from a nondescript gray to orange-and-blue. Then, three gates and a prominent section of club seats were renamed for Mets legends. Then, there were banners outside the park of Mets from across the whole 49 years of franchise history. Then, the apple from Shea was moved from its dungeon behind the bullpens to a prominent spot outside the rotunda. And then there was the Mets Hall of Fame and Museum, and the re-dedication of a bridge that finally honored the man most responsible for the Mets even existing in the first place. All of this helped make this ballpark – whose main attraction in Year One was a hamburger stand – suddenly a more deserving home for the Shea Faithful.
Yet all of this barely scratches the surface of what has become of Citi Field in Year Two.
As we stand here today (hot off the heels of Oliver Perez’s latest epic performance), the New York Mets have more home wins than any team in baseball. Before today they had won 9 consecutive games at home. That hadn’t been done since the 2006 World-Beaters took 11 in a row at Shea in August. Whether it’s because of the good karma the franchise has “earned” with their ballpark modifications is not ours to know. But what we do know is that Citi Field is showing its character every time the wind blows.
I sat in front of my television this weekend in awe. No, it wasn’t just because I actually got to watch the Mets. It was because there was trash on the field. Everywhere. Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow, two men who knew many a blustery day from their days covering and playing for the Giants at Candlestick Park, reminded all of us back in the Bay Area seemingly every inning that Citi Field had the look and feel of a windy day at Candlestick.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, at Citi Field in New York, the wind gusts so much that wrappers, boxes, bags, and napkins are swept onto and then all around the playing field. The wind also makes every ball in the air an adventure. In fact, it single-handedly delivered the Mets three runs and the lead in the seventh inning today after they (somehow) managed to outlast the great Tim Lincecum. (Of course, it also helped escort Aaron Rowand’s two-run shot out of the park the next inning, a homer that was the difference in the ballgame.) But suddenly, the ballpark that lacked a personality has one.
Outside of the New Mike Pelfrey (and the addition of catcher Rod Piazza… er, Mike Barajas… er, whatever this guy’s name is), Citi Field has been the Mets’ top performer this season. The Mets are surviving their own ballpark. Their opponents are not. It has created a kind of home-field advantage that is very difficult to quantify and very difficult to adjust to. Just take one look at the way the Cubs, Braves, Dodgers, and Giants – four of the more competitive teams in the National League, mind you – have kicked the ball around the park. On the other hand, the Mets – who did all the little things wrong all year last year – are making a living by doing all of them right. They are suddenly an opportune ballclub taking advantage of every opportunity their opponents – and their ballpark – give them.
Citi Field. The "Windy Citi". Proud home of the New York Mets, since 2010.
For many years, opposing fans would refer to Shea Stadium as a “big, purple toilet bowl”. It didn’t help that the ballpark’s mailing address belonged to an area of Queens known as “Flushing”. It was big, ugly, and outdated. It lacked the amenities, sightlines, and comforts of a new ballpark. But it was home. It was without question the orange-and-blue-splashed home of the New York Mets. It fit the character of its team and its city, and when it was full (as it was quite often in its dying years) there was no better place to be. Nothing shook the ground like 57,000 crazed Mets fans during the 1999, 2000, and 2006 playoffs. It had a distinct personality and it created a distinct home-field advantage.
When Shea disappeared once and for all from the Queens skyline in 2009, the Mets relocated to a ballpark that was cozy, beautiful, and full of all the amenities a new ballpark should have. But its best feature was also its worst; Citi Field was not Shea Stadium.
It wasn’t the ballpark where the Mets made all their magic happen for 45 years. In fact, it hardly even recognized that magic. Its main entrance was named – appropriately so, mind you – for a pioneer of the game and of National League ball in New York. But Jackie Robinson never played for the Mets. Its exterior was something out of Flatbush, circa 1911. Its green seats would have been more appropriate in Coogan’s Bluff. Yes, Citi Field was a great ballpark. But in 2009, Citi Field just wasn’t home.
In the off-season, the Mets did everything they could to change that. First, the stairwells went from a nondescript gray to orange-and-blue. Then, three gates and a prominent section of club seats were renamed for Mets legends. Then, there were banners outside the park of Mets from across the whole 49 years of franchise history. Then, the apple from Shea was moved from its dungeon behind the bullpens to a prominent spot outside the rotunda. And then there was the Mets Hall of Fame and Museum, and the re-dedication of a bridge that finally honored the man most responsible for the Mets even existing in the first place. All of this helped make this ballpark – whose main attraction in Year One was a hamburger stand – suddenly a more deserving home for the Shea Faithful.
Yet all of this barely scratches the surface of what has become of Citi Field in Year Two.
As we stand here today (hot off the heels of Oliver Perez’s latest epic performance), the New York Mets have more home wins than any team in baseball. Before today they had won 9 consecutive games at home. That hadn’t been done since the 2006 World-Beaters took 11 in a row at Shea in August. Whether it’s because of the good karma the franchise has “earned” with their ballpark modifications is not ours to know. But what we do know is that Citi Field is showing its character every time the wind blows.
I sat in front of my television this weekend in awe. No, it wasn’t just because I actually got to watch the Mets. It was because there was trash on the field. Everywhere. Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow, two men who knew many a blustery day from their days covering and playing for the Giants at Candlestick Park, reminded all of us back in the Bay Area seemingly every inning that Citi Field had the look and feel of a windy day at Candlestick.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, at Citi Field in New York, the wind gusts so much that wrappers, boxes, bags, and napkins are swept onto and then all around the playing field. The wind also makes every ball in the air an adventure. In fact, it single-handedly delivered the Mets three runs and the lead in the seventh inning today after they (somehow) managed to outlast the great Tim Lincecum. (Of course, it also helped escort Aaron Rowand’s two-run shot out of the park the next inning, a homer that was the difference in the ballgame.) But suddenly, the ballpark that lacked a personality has one.
Outside of the New Mike Pelfrey (and the addition of catcher Rod Piazza… er, Mike Barajas… er, whatever this guy’s name is), Citi Field has been the Mets’ top performer this season. The Mets are surviving their own ballpark. Their opponents are not. It has created a kind of home-field advantage that is very difficult to quantify and very difficult to adjust to. Just take one look at the way the Cubs, Braves, Dodgers, and Giants – four of the more competitive teams in the National League, mind you – have kicked the ball around the park. On the other hand, the Mets – who did all the little things wrong all year last year – are making a living by doing all of them right. They are suddenly an opportune ballclub taking advantage of every opportunity their opponents – and their ballpark – give them.
Citi Field. The "Windy Citi". Proud home of the New York Mets, since 2010.
Bengie Who???!!!
Prior to Friday night's game, Bengie Molina informed SNY's Kevin Burkhardt that he really wanted to come to the Mets - even to the point of studying Mets pitchers. He apparently turned down a 1 yr, $5 million offer and instead settled for $4.5 million with the Giants.
Sorry Bengie, but we didn't need you here after all. We have all the Catching we need right here in Flushing!
BAJA-FRESH and Hank White
In my opinion, these past 2 games have been the most exciting games to watch in almost two years.
Moreover, the Mets haven't had this much excitement at the Catching position since Piazza moved from Catcher to 1st Base FIVE years ago!
After a long winter, we as Mets fans deserve these exciting and fun baseball games that are being played at Citi Field these days. It's about time that breaks go our way and our team shows up to provide the Baseball games that give us fans Hope - Hope that, despite pessimistic critics and difficult circumstances, gives fans a chance to believe that maybe, just maybe the 2010 Mets have something special going.
Let's Hope! Lets Sweep! And Cheers to today's game:
San Francisco Giants (17-12) vs NY Mets (17-13)
Sunday, 5/9/10 at Citi Field
1st Pitch: 1:10 PM
SP GIANTS - Tim Lincecum: (4-0) 1.70 ERA, 56 K's
SP METS - Oliver Perez: (0-2) 4.05 ERA, 20 K's
FEARLESS PREDICTION(s):
Ollie goes 6 IP, gives up 3 runs
Jason Bay hits his 2nd Homer of the YR
Friday, May 7, 2010
Breakfast with the Mets
There might be just one person in all of Northern California who is THRILLED that the San Francisco Giants are playing a pair of 10 AM games this weekend. And that person is yours truly.
I’ve been in Richmond, a dirt-poor, crime-ridden city (think: Camden, NJ) just north of Oakland on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, for the past four months. I took a semester off from my studies at Seton Hall to do volunteer work at a high school and Boys & Girls Club out here. It’s probably been the best thing I’ve ever done; I’ve had some very necessary time and space to grow and mature and help young people, my passion. There are really only a handful of things I miss from New York: my family and friends, my car, and, of course, the New York Mets.
But the last part ends at 4:10 this afternoon my time. The Mets are on the TV and the radio again.
Sure, they’ve had more than their share of national broadcasts already. But national broadcasts are really made-for-TV events, not baseball games. They’re placed in awkward time slots (even more awkward times out west than back east), filled with extra-long commercials, and fail to capture the flow and the feel of a “normal” baseball game.
Sure, I did get to watch a couple of “normal” Mets games on TV the first week of the season: DirecTV was showing their free preview of the out-of-town baseball package. But since I don’t get paid and I don’t have the cajones to ask the poor community I live in for $200 so I could watch a few baseball games for a couple months (I come home June 29th, just before the season’s midway point ), one week was all I got. (Not to mention it was the first week of the season, against less-than-stellar competition, and they went 2-4 anyway.)
Finally, the Mets are playing three “normal” ballgames. And I get to watch all three. Not on ESPN or FOX or TBS (aka The Braves Station), but on a normal local network. All is Wright with my world. Another perfect day in NorCal is punctuated with Reyes of sunshine. I can leave all my worries on the Pelf once more.
The Mets can get swept, I can lose a lunch bet, and I will still be the happiest man in America on Monday morning. Pelfrey can have yet another disastrous inning and make us all believe his spectacular April was an aberration. Johan can serve up 5 more home runs (not likely if you’ve seen this Giants offense in recent years, but with the Mets one never knows), and Bad Ollie can make yet another short and unproductive outing. Nieve can be overused and ineffective, Jerry can double-switch Wright out of the game three more times, and Jason Bay can go 0-for-15. And it won’t matter at all.
You see, it’s never been about wins and losses with me. All I’ve ever asked for from the Mets was for them to be there, 162 times over the course of six months. All I need from the Mets is three hours where everything going on in my life can take a back seat to a simple activity that I have no control over: a ballgame. And finally, that ballgame is coming to me in living color.
You can bet that I will schedule my weekend around 10 AM baseball games. Tell me, when was the last time you could say that?
I’ve been in Richmond, a dirt-poor, crime-ridden city (think: Camden, NJ) just north of Oakland on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, for the past four months. I took a semester off from my studies at Seton Hall to do volunteer work at a high school and Boys & Girls Club out here. It’s probably been the best thing I’ve ever done; I’ve had some very necessary time and space to grow and mature and help young people, my passion. There are really only a handful of things I miss from New York: my family and friends, my car, and, of course, the New York Mets.
But the last part ends at 4:10 this afternoon my time. The Mets are on the TV and the radio again.
Sure, they’ve had more than their share of national broadcasts already. But national broadcasts are really made-for-TV events, not baseball games. They’re placed in awkward time slots (even more awkward times out west than back east), filled with extra-long commercials, and fail to capture the flow and the feel of a “normal” baseball game.
Sure, I did get to watch a couple of “normal” Mets games on TV the first week of the season: DirecTV was showing their free preview of the out-of-town baseball package. But since I don’t get paid and I don’t have the cajones to ask the poor community I live in for $200 so I could watch a few baseball games for a couple months (I come home June 29th, just before the season’s midway point ), one week was all I got. (Not to mention it was the first week of the season, against less-than-stellar competition, and they went 2-4 anyway.)
Finally, the Mets are playing three “normal” ballgames. And I get to watch all three. Not on ESPN or FOX or TBS (aka The Braves Station), but on a normal local network. All is Wright with my world. Another perfect day in NorCal is punctuated with Reyes of sunshine. I can leave all my worries on the Pelf once more.
The Mets can get swept, I can lose a lunch bet, and I will still be the happiest man in America on Monday morning. Pelfrey can have yet another disastrous inning and make us all believe his spectacular April was an aberration. Johan can serve up 5 more home runs (not likely if you’ve seen this Giants offense in recent years, but with the Mets one never knows), and Bad Ollie can make yet another short and unproductive outing. Nieve can be overused and ineffective, Jerry can double-switch Wright out of the game three more times, and Jason Bay can go 0-for-15. And it won’t matter at all.
You see, it’s never been about wins and losses with me. All I’ve ever asked for from the Mets was for them to be there, 162 times over the course of six months. All I need from the Mets is three hours where everything going on in my life can take a back seat to a simple activity that I have no control over: a ballgame. And finally, that ballgame is coming to me in living color.
You can bet that I will schedule my weekend around 10 AM baseball games. Tell me, when was the last time you could say that?
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Back Off the Ledge!!!
Bases-loaded walks. In some sick sense, they’re the type of back-breaking events that define a 20-year-old’s life as a Mets fan. There was the Kenny Rogers one that ended the Mets’ epic first postseason run of my life. This past Sunday night, there was the two-out, bases-loaded walk to the opposing pitcher that launched a 9-run-rally against Johan Santana – and, for that matter, this blog.
Mets fans are an interesting type. We’re unique, knowledgeable (perhaps to a fault?), and always waiting for the other shoe to drop. We desperately want to have some reason to believe – after all, Tug McGraw gave us a moral imperative to believe some 37 years ago. Mets fans long to make their voices heard. These are all undisputed facts.
However, this blog seeks to argue that, above, all, New York Mets fans are the most emotionally-charged mood swingers in all of American sport. We, as a fan base, despite our acute sense of reason with regards to baseball in general, refuse to let anybody look at the Mets as “just another baseball team”. We are at the point in our history where we can tolerate losing – just not irrelevance. (We remember, after all, what the late 1970s and early-to-mid 1990s looked like, and we refuse to let that happen again.)
Perhaps this natural defensiveness and overpowering emotion (fans on the other side of town might call this an “inferiority complex”) is why the Mets are so popular in talk radio and the blogosphere. These mediums certainly seem like they were created for and are without question sustained by this hungry fan base. When the Mets are winning, there is nothing but peace, joy, and love in Metsdom. Mets fans take New York by storm. When the Mets are losing, panic and fear take to the streets. Mets fans live only in extremes. Mediocrity is simply not available in the colors of orange-and-blue.
This blog seeks to find the cure to the bipolar nature of Mets fandom. It wants to keep things simple – it is about the simple game of baseball at the end of the day, you know. It seeks to keep people humble when the Mets go 9-1 on a homestand and demolish the Phillies on a Friday night by that same score. It also tries (perhaps futilely) to stop people from doing harmful things to themselves when the Phillies put up two huge innings against the Mets’ two best pitchers the next two days and take an early May series (hence the title of the blog, “Back Off the Ledge!!!”).
Slowly, you’ll get to know me as a Mets fan and as a human being. I consider myself to be a reasonable thinker who can watch each pitch yet still be immune to the emotional roller-coaster of every single 9-inning (20-inning?) baseball game every single day from April to October. I will try to use this blog as an effective way to combat that roller-coaster. But I think for now there’s only one place to start: Shea Stadium, May 26, 1996.
--
I was born in October of 1989, the month that directly followed the final curtain falling on the should-have-been Mets dynasty of the 1980s. The Mets would go on to win 91 games in 1990, but the winter of 1989-90 saw the departure of Keith Hernandez and Gary Carter, two men who represented the heart-and-soul of the Mets’ transformation from laughingstock to world-beaters. The following season, Davey Johnson was canned and Darryl Strawberry suited up in orange-and-blue for the final time. It was clear that this once-great organization was solidly moving in the wrong direction. In 1991, they slipped to 5th place in the NL East, losing 84 games. In 1992, they were a 90-game loser, despite the additions of Bobby Bonilla and Eddie Murray. And then they reached their nadir in 1993 with an early-‘60s-esque 103 losses. By May 26, 1996, the Mets as a baseball club were irrelevant in New York.
There was, of course, one baseball team in New York who wore blue pinstripes on their home uniforms and would reign as champions of the baseball world five months later. A long drought would be ended and joy and ticker-tape would fill the streets of Lower Manhattan. They were a team that would capture the hearts of young baseball fans for years to come. It was the perfect fairy tale beginning for a young boy’s life as a baseball fan.
That fairy tale, of course, does not belong to this young boy. On that damp and dreary Sunday at a dark, dingy, and mostly empty stadium at the north end of Flushing Meadows Park, a young boy experienced the moment of a lifetime. It’s the defining moment so eloquently described by J.R. Moehringher in his 2008 tribute to Shea Stadium:
“You walk through the long dark tunnel, you burst forth into that vista of sunlight and cool grass -- that's the moment you become a fan. It's as irrevocable, as seminal, as when you come through that other long dark tunnel, into the arms of a doctor who grabs your ankles and slaps your ass. And you have just as much choice in the matter.”
In that moment and on that day, as I emerged through the tunnel on the first-base side of the Shea Stadium mezzanine, I was born into it. And I still haven’t forgiven my mother and grandfather for that.
Those 1996 Mets did something that day they did only 70 other times that year – they won. Bobby Jones pitched 8 strong innings backed only by a first-inning Bernard Gilkey home run, which I actually missed because we were stuck in traffic on the Grand Central Parkway. What we didn’t miss was my first true ninth inning as a Mets fan. Immediately I understood what Bob Murphy meant every time he implored us, “Buckle your seatbelts, folks, we go to the ninth… on the WFAN Mets radio network.”
Two words: John Franco. Every Mets fan knows where I’m going with this one. He simply found a way to make every ninth inning interesting. In some ways, he was a master magician – he actually found a way to escape most of them. Somehow, this day would join the ranks of Johnny Franco's Great Escapes.
With two outs and a runner on first, Franco yielded a base hit and a walk. The tying and go-ahead runs were in scoring position for San Diego. The lefty was about to blow my first game. Yet, ever-so-miraculously, Franco escaped, striking out the final batter, and eliciting a sigh of relief from the 20,000 patrons who bothered to show. I had my 1-0 win. I had a team to call my own. I was officially born into Metsdom.
--
In the blogosphere (if not on the field), Mets fans have proven very effective. Even when the Mets shouldn’t matter (70-92 a year ago), they matter. There are a half-a-million Mets blogs out there, and each and every Mets fan has a different perspective on the team we all can’t seem to stop rooting for no matter how hard they (and Mike Francesca) try to get us to go away. I hope this blog can capture the feel of a franchise and its loving fan base, while also staying within the Light of Reason over the course of the long draw that is a 162 game season.
It is so easy to be cynical nowadays, especially as hungry, young baseball fans who have never seen their beloved ballclub win it all. But to give oneself the title of “New York Mets fan”, one must remember to always believe. Let’s Go Mets.
Mets fans are an interesting type. We’re unique, knowledgeable (perhaps to a fault?), and always waiting for the other shoe to drop. We desperately want to have some reason to believe – after all, Tug McGraw gave us a moral imperative to believe some 37 years ago. Mets fans long to make their voices heard. These are all undisputed facts.
However, this blog seeks to argue that, above, all, New York Mets fans are the most emotionally-charged mood swingers in all of American sport. We, as a fan base, despite our acute sense of reason with regards to baseball in general, refuse to let anybody look at the Mets as “just another baseball team”. We are at the point in our history where we can tolerate losing – just not irrelevance. (We remember, after all, what the late 1970s and early-to-mid 1990s looked like, and we refuse to let that happen again.)
Perhaps this natural defensiveness and overpowering emotion (fans on the other side of town might call this an “inferiority complex”) is why the Mets are so popular in talk radio and the blogosphere. These mediums certainly seem like they were created for and are without question sustained by this hungry fan base. When the Mets are winning, there is nothing but peace, joy, and love in Metsdom. Mets fans take New York by storm. When the Mets are losing, panic and fear take to the streets. Mets fans live only in extremes. Mediocrity is simply not available in the colors of orange-and-blue.
This blog seeks to find the cure to the bipolar nature of Mets fandom. It wants to keep things simple – it is about the simple game of baseball at the end of the day, you know. It seeks to keep people humble when the Mets go 9-1 on a homestand and demolish the Phillies on a Friday night by that same score. It also tries (perhaps futilely) to stop people from doing harmful things to themselves when the Phillies put up two huge innings against the Mets’ two best pitchers the next two days and take an early May series (hence the title of the blog, “Back Off the Ledge!!!”).
Slowly, you’ll get to know me as a Mets fan and as a human being. I consider myself to be a reasonable thinker who can watch each pitch yet still be immune to the emotional roller-coaster of every single 9-inning (20-inning?) baseball game every single day from April to October. I will try to use this blog as an effective way to combat that roller-coaster. But I think for now there’s only one place to start: Shea Stadium, May 26, 1996.
--
I was born in October of 1989, the month that directly followed the final curtain falling on the should-have-been Mets dynasty of the 1980s. The Mets would go on to win 91 games in 1990, but the winter of 1989-90 saw the departure of Keith Hernandez and Gary Carter, two men who represented the heart-and-soul of the Mets’ transformation from laughingstock to world-beaters. The following season, Davey Johnson was canned and Darryl Strawberry suited up in orange-and-blue for the final time. It was clear that this once-great organization was solidly moving in the wrong direction. In 1991, they slipped to 5th place in the NL East, losing 84 games. In 1992, they were a 90-game loser, despite the additions of Bobby Bonilla and Eddie Murray. And then they reached their nadir in 1993 with an early-‘60s-esque 103 losses. By May 26, 1996, the Mets as a baseball club were irrelevant in New York.
There was, of course, one baseball team in New York who wore blue pinstripes on their home uniforms and would reign as champions of the baseball world five months later. A long drought would be ended and joy and ticker-tape would fill the streets of Lower Manhattan. They were a team that would capture the hearts of young baseball fans for years to come. It was the perfect fairy tale beginning for a young boy’s life as a baseball fan.
That fairy tale, of course, does not belong to this young boy. On that damp and dreary Sunday at a dark, dingy, and mostly empty stadium at the north end of Flushing Meadows Park, a young boy experienced the moment of a lifetime. It’s the defining moment so eloquently described by J.R. Moehringher in his 2008 tribute to Shea Stadium:
“You walk through the long dark tunnel, you burst forth into that vista of sunlight and cool grass -- that's the moment you become a fan. It's as irrevocable, as seminal, as when you come through that other long dark tunnel, into the arms of a doctor who grabs your ankles and slaps your ass. And you have just as much choice in the matter.”
In that moment and on that day, as I emerged through the tunnel on the first-base side of the Shea Stadium mezzanine, I was born into it. And I still haven’t forgiven my mother and grandfather for that.
Those 1996 Mets did something that day they did only 70 other times that year – they won. Bobby Jones pitched 8 strong innings backed only by a first-inning Bernard Gilkey home run, which I actually missed because we were stuck in traffic on the Grand Central Parkway. What we didn’t miss was my first true ninth inning as a Mets fan. Immediately I understood what Bob Murphy meant every time he implored us, “Buckle your seatbelts, folks, we go to the ninth… on the WFAN Mets radio network.”
Two words: John Franco. Every Mets fan knows where I’m going with this one. He simply found a way to make every ninth inning interesting. In some ways, he was a master magician – he actually found a way to escape most of them. Somehow, this day would join the ranks of Johnny Franco's Great Escapes.
With two outs and a runner on first, Franco yielded a base hit and a walk. The tying and go-ahead runs were in scoring position for San Diego. The lefty was about to blow my first game. Yet, ever-so-miraculously, Franco escaped, striking out the final batter, and eliciting a sigh of relief from the 20,000 patrons who bothered to show. I had my 1-0 win. I had a team to call my own. I was officially born into Metsdom.
--
In the blogosphere (if not on the field), Mets fans have proven very effective. Even when the Mets shouldn’t matter (70-92 a year ago), they matter. There are a half-a-million Mets blogs out there, and each and every Mets fan has a different perspective on the team we all can’t seem to stop rooting for no matter how hard they (and Mike Francesca) try to get us to go away. I hope this blog can capture the feel of a franchise and its loving fan base, while also staying within the Light of Reason over the course of the long draw that is a 162 game season.
It is so easy to be cynical nowadays, especially as hungry, young baseball fans who have never seen their beloved ballclub win it all. But to give oneself the title of “New York Mets fan”, one must remember to always believe. Let’s Go Mets.
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