Mets Kool-Aid

Jose it Ain't So

2011-12-05T00:00:00.001-05:00

Jose Reyes is now a Miami Marlin.

Nobody should be shocked to read those words. Heck, more beloved players than him have bolted their adopted hometowns for South Beach (see James, Lebron). And $106 million would entice the majority of us to relocate.

But that doesn't make it any less painful.

Like many Mets fans, Reyes was my favorite player. He was like Rey Ordonez, my teenage self's favorite Met and the shortstop Jose replaced, except Reyes could actually hit and run in addition to flashing a great glove. I'm not a jersey wearer, but I still have the faded Reyes t-shirt that I bought seven years ago. He was, by far, the most exciting Mets player I've ever seen.

Reyes was always a source of debate for Mets fans. He never walked as much as we wanted, never played as smartly as we wanted him to, and never stayed healthy enough for our liking. To some Mets fans he was a great player, to others he was a disappointment. At times he looked like a superstar, while at others he looked clueless. To this day we are split on whether or not he is worth a boatload of money and a long-term contract.

Yet despite these contradictions, Reyes has been almost unanimously considered the most exciting player in baseball since he slid into third base for his first triple. He single-handedly won countless games for the Mets in ways that no other player could, whether it was with a walk-off balk or a diving stop in the hole at shortstop. Watching Reyes hit a ball in the gap and dash around the bases was worth the price of admission (at least upper deck admission) even during the dark days of the past few seasons.

Reyes is the type of player that, because of a few faults and a long injury history, will never be fully appreciated until he is gone. Well now he is gone and will be appreciated, especially when we see him play against the Mets. And that is one of the worst parts of this whole thing: although Jose is going 1,200 miles south, he really won't be very far away at all. He will be facing the Mets 19 times a year for the next six years, and will be announced as the opposing lead-off hitter at Citi Field in nine or ten games in each of those years.

And in each of those games, the famed "Jose, Jose, Jose, Jose" chant will probably be replaced with "boos". What a shame.

Why the 2011 World Series will haunt Mets fans

2011-10-20T00:12:00.000-04:00

Just when I thought I could take a mental vacation from the Mets for a bit, at least until Jose Reyes officially hits the market, I turned on the World Series. And I was reminded of the Mets immediately.

The Cardinals and Rangers rosters are sprinkled with players who evoke, at best, bitter-sweet emotions, and at worst, bad ones. On the St. Louis side is Octavio Dotel, the now-veteran reliever who seemingly just days ago was a young flamethrower in Queens. Dotel saved the Mets in Game 5 before Robin Ventura's walk-off grand slam ever happened, but was bypassed bypassed in favor of the immortal Kenny Rogers in crunch time of Game 6. We all know how that worked out. Dotel was then shipped off to Houston for Mike Hampton, who helped the Mets reach the 2000 World Series before ditching New York for the schools (read: money) of Colorado.

Matt Holliday, on the other hand, was never a Met but will forever be linked to the team. Back in the winter of 2009, the Mets seemed to have their choice of two top free agent sluggers: Holliday and Jason Bay. The Mets chose Bay over Holliday, words that should eventually go on Omar Minaya's gravestone. Holliday has been an all-star for the Cardinals, while Bay has been, well, less than that for the Mets.

Now on to the Rangers. Nelson Cruz was originally signed by the Mets in 1998, but was traded away while still in the minors. In a rare case of a player becoming good after leaving the (*sarcasm alert*), Cruz has blossomed into an excellent hitter. However in this case the Mets can't really be blamed for missing out, as several teams gave up on Cruz before he finally made the major leagues in 2005

Here is where it gets really bitter-sweet: the players that remind us of 2006. Darren Oliver, now a 41 year old lefty specialist with Texas, was a key part of the Mets 2006 world series champion team. Or, I should say, the team that should have won the world series but didn't. Speaking of which, that brings me to ....

Endy Chavez and Yadier Molina. One (Chavez, now on Texas) should have been the hero of the 2006 NLCS, the other (Molina, still on St. Louis) a distant memory. Instead, the roles were reversed. Molina will forever be known for hitting the series clinching home run, while Chavez' seemingly game saving, miraculous catch is now only mentioned with the caveat of "but the Mets lost".

I guess it's really more bitter than sweet.

Mets Fans are Winners this October

2011-10-13T01:11:00.000-04:00

The last few weeks of the baseball season have read like a fantasy checklist for Mets fans:

Colossal late-season collapse by a rival (Braves) - Check
Colossal late-season collapse by another team in a major media market (Red Sox) - Check
Yankees eliminated - Check
Phillies eliminated - Check
October baseball in Flushing - Sorry, now I'm just getting greedy

Aside from a Mets championship parade down Broadway, I can not think of a better sequence of events that could have unfolded. Is it a bit sad to find pleasure in the choking of other teams, especially when my own team was nowhere near a position to choke? Yes. Does that doesn't make it any less great? No.

When the regular season was winding down, things looked pretty bleak. Not only were the Mets irrelevant, but our most hated rivals (aka the Yankees, Phillies and Braves) were all on the fast-track to October. Throw in the Red Sox, who I have grown to hate due to spending my college years with an abundance of insufferable Boston fans and that fact that Boston teams now win everything, and there seemed to be a 50% chance that a team I strongly dislike was going to win the World Series. I was already debating who I would begrudgingly root for in another Yankees-Phillies fall classic.

Two collapses, several A-Rod strikeouts and one crazy squirrel later, and that chance has improbably dropped to 0%. The Braves and Red Sox, the ladder of which was picked by most to win the World Series back in April, both managed to bump the 2007 Mets from the title of "worst collapse in baseball history". The Yankees and Phillies, seemingly on a collision course once the playoffs began, each played only five more games before wilting under the pressure of their understandably mammoth expectations. Oh, and thanks to the Red Sox and KFC-gate, the Mets aren't even the biggest off-the-field punchline in baseball anymore.

The end result is that I can finally watch playoff baseball stress-free. No more trash talk and gloating from Yankees, Phillies, and Red Sox fans (and those twelve or so Braves fans out there). And no more worrying that one of the teams I hate most will win it all. They are all now exactly where the Mets are: on the golf course.

No matter who takes home the trophy this October, Mets fans will be winners too.

Did the Mets step back or forward in 2011?

2011-10-04T22:22:00.005-04:00

The 2011 season has mercifully come to an end for the Mets, giving way to a barrage of major questions that Mets fans are asking. Will they re-sign Reyes? Will they bring the outfield walls in closer? Will they find a way to make the Shake Shack line go faster?

While these questions all deal with the future, I have one about the past: Was the 2011 season a step in the right direction for the Mets?

The standings and several on-field performances say no. The Mets lost two more games this year than last year, duplicating their fourth place finish. Generally awful pitching was the main culprit, as one time top prospect Mike Pelfrey looked much more like a 5th starter than an aspiring ace, youngster John Niese showed little improvement, and the bullpen was downright putrid. Johan Santana, acquired to be the savior, didn't even throw a single major-league pitch.

Mets' pitchers weren't the only ones stuck in the mud this past season. Key hitters David Wright and Angel Pagan each followed up a very good 2010 season with a mediocre-at-best 2011. Supposed catcher of the future Josh Thole regressed on defense and didn't do much on offense either. And sixty-six million dollar man Jason Bay, despite teasing us at the end, showed little to make us think that the remaining two years of his contract will be any better than the first two.

I havn't even mentioned that the Mets traded away their closer (Rodriguez) and All-Star outfielder (Beltran), and may have seen the last of their best player (Reyes). In many ways you could say the Mets took a step back in 2011.

Yet despite the poor record and subpar statistical performances of several players, the season actually felt like a step forward for the Mets franchise in some ways. Dillon Gee and R.A. Dickey provided hope that they can be reliable mainstays of the rotation and Daniel Murphy emerged as an excellent hitter before being injured. Even guys with less star potential like Justin Turner, Lucas Duda and Ruben Tejada proved they can be valuable contributors to a major league team.

But more important than the improvements of some players was the shift in philosophy of the entire organization, from the front office down to the 25th man. GM Sandy Alderson showed a commitment to getting the Mets back on track by dumping albatrosses Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo before the season, and then getting a top pitching prospect for two months of Carlos Beltran. Manager Terry Collins displayed a grittiness that seemed to trickle down to his players, who despite often being overmatched talent-wise rarely gave up in games.

In the end, the 2011 Mets' season were decidedly less than mediocre. A quick glance at the standings and statistics will likely make you think the season was a wash, especially considering the possible impending defection of Jose Reyes. Even so, 2011 was a step forward if only because it felt like a different organization than the one we have followed the past 5 years. The results may not come next year or even the year after, but at least the foundation has started to take shape.

Mets September Baseball: Don't Touch that Dial

2011-09-13T22:52:00.007-04:00

It's not easy watching the Mets these days. On the list of things to do on a weeknight, turning on SNY has fallen behind doing the dishes, constantly hitting refresh on your fantasy football waiver wire, and even watching yet another presidential debate.

But for those of us who just can't suffer enough, there are still plenty of reasons to watch the final two weeks of the Mets 2011 season. Here are just a few:

The Jose Reyes Watch - Most Mets fans are hoping Reyes wins the NL batting title, but I'm not one of them. In fact, I'm hoping he goes hitless the rest of the year. Why, you ask? Well, a 28 year old reigning batting champion shortstop sounds way to expensive for the cash-strapped Wilpons. A 28 year old shortstop with injury concerns who goes 0 for his last 60, on the other hand, sounds right up their alley.

Bay vs. Pelfrey - The battle for the biggest bust of 2011 comes down to the wire. Bay may be the heavy favorite because of his enormous contract and paltry stats (.245, 12 hrs, 56 rbi), but he hurt his chances by somehow capturing Player of the Week honors last week. Pelfrey has put up a strong underdog fight by going from staff "ace" to complete dud (7-11, 4.66 ERA), but he too has shot himself in the foot with a few decent outings down the stretch. Who wants it more?

Keith Hernandez - We now basically know what to expect from each Mets players on a daily basis, but Keith is a constant wild card in the booth. The man once questioned a woman's presence in the dugout and fell asleep during a live broadcast, so who knows what he will say or do down the stretch run of another lost season. Here's hoping it's something entertaining enough to keep us watching but sane enough to keep him from getting fired.

The Battle for 3rd Place - Don't discount the value of the Mets finishing 3rd in the NL East, ahead of the Nationals and Marlins. Pulling off this seemingly meaningless feat will go a long way in helping us argue against our friends who may belittle the Mets. After all, the Red Sox finished 3rd last year and the Rays will likely finish 3rd this year, so 3rd place can't be all that bad, right?

The First No-Hitter - If you get really desperate for reasons to keep watching. Hey, even a Mets fan can dream.

Terry's Tonic: These Mets Won't Quit

2011-08-09T23:06:00.010-04:00

"We're not going to stop the focus, we're not going to throw our hands up."

When Terry Collins uttered that quote on Sunday after the Mets fell 9 games back of the Wild Card and lost both Daniel Murphy and Jose Reyes to injury, most Mets fans probably just rolled their eyes.

We had seen and heard it all before the last couple of years - the Mets get our hopes up, dash them quickly with a bad series and a never ending string of injuries, and then the manager proclaims that they won't give up. But as the season comes to an end, the team seems like it is simply playing out the string on its way to a horrible record.

Well, if the past two games are any indication, the 2011 Mets are looking to change the ending to that script.

These Mets had every reason to be lifeless following that devastating loss to Atlanta, not to mention everything else that has gone wrong this year. Yet they rallied to victory on Monday after trailing by 2 in the 9th, something I can't remember happening the past couple of years. Then they did it again on Tuesday, coming back in the 8th to steal another victory.

The fact that two of the Mets most impressive wins of the season came after their worst game speaks volumes about this team and its manager. Their current roster may be lacking in star power and experience, but these Mets continue to show that they have no quit in them. Part of it is the ragtag nature of this team, as all the rejects, youngsters and no-names are playing for future jobs and don't know any better than to play their hardest. But a ton of credit has to be given to the manager; while past skippers have promised to keep the Mets fighting through adversity, Terry Collins is actually making sure it happens.

It may be too late for the 2011 Mets to put together a miracle playoff run, but that doesn't mean they are going to give up. These Mets are Amazin' in their own right.

The Curious Case of Carlos Beltran

2011-07-27T22:54:00.003-04:00

Carlos Beltran stands frozen at home plate, his knees buckled by a nasty curveball that ends Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS.

Ask most Mets fans what they remember most about that terrible night, and chances are that image will come to mind first. Even though Oliver Perez escaped that same fate by the skin of Endy Chavez's glove, and Aaron Heilman gave up the game winning home run, Beltran was the guy who choked in the biggest of spots.

It's really a shame, because Carlos Beltran should be remembered as one of the greatest players to put on a Mets uniform. After a rough first season Carlos rebounded with a three year stretch that was among the best in baseball, averaging 33 homers and 113 RBI while playing a superb center field. Following two more injury plagued seasons, he shocked everyone this season by regaining his All Star status AND emerging as a team leader. Perhaps only Darrell Strawberry can prevent Beltran from laying claim to the title of best Mets all around outfielder of all time.

Yet despite his stellar performance, Beltran is still thought of by many Mets fans as a disappointment. We know Game 7 stands out, but there must be other contributing factors. Maybe it's the fact that Beltran wanted to play for the Yankees, or the huge contract the huge contract the Mets gave him to convince him otherwise. Maybe it's the injuries, or the seemingly apathetic way he played the game. Perhaps it's the fact that he never led the Mets to the World Series.

Whatever it is, Beltran deserves a better Mets legacy. He helped bring the Mets back to relevance in 2005, a status that was destroyed from above by bad management. Now that he is gone, fans will likely finally realize just how great a Met he was.

Here's to hoping that Carlos helps San Francisco beat the Phillies in October and goes on to win his first ring. He certainly deserves it.

An Alternate Mets Universe

2011-07-25T21:36:00.007-04:00

With Carlos Beltran in his final days as a New York Met, there's been a lot of talk about the last five years and the end of an era. In 2006, one year after Beltran signed, the Mets seemed destined for greatness. Beltran, Reyes, Wright, and eventually Santana in or entering their prime and poised to lead the Mets to contention for years to come. Accomplished veterans like Pedro Martinez, Glavine and Delgado would round out this potential dynasty and end their careers on top of the world. These were "the New Mets".

What we didn't realize is that the only thing "new" about these Mets would be the ways that they tormented us fans. Instead of penants and rings, we got a heartbreaking Game 7 loss, two unbelievable collapses and a couple of seasons destroyed by injuries and marked by mediocrity.

But let's go back to that fateful October night in 2006, right before Beltran stood frozen at the plate on a called strike 3 and the Cardinals rushed the field, to see what could have been...

2006: In Game 7 of the NLCS, with two outs in the bottom of the 9th, the bases loaded and the Mets trailing 3-1, Beltran hits a nasty two-strike curveball from Cardinals closer Adam Wainwright for a series winning homer. Beltran is mobbed by his teammates before can reach 2nd base. The Mets go on to sweep the Tigers in the World Series. Robin Ventura cries knowing that his own "grand slam single" will be immediately forgotten and he will only be known for getting pummeled by Nolan Ryan.

2007: The Mets, about to fall victim to the biggest collapse in baseball history, are saved when Tom Glavine shuts down the Marlins in game 162. Oliver Perez then beats the Phillies in the one game playoff, further establishing himself as a fan favorite of Mets fans. Pedro Martinez says the Yankees may be his daddy but the Red Sox are his little brother who he helps raise and then beats up.

2008: The Mets win the Wild Card and beat the 1st place Phillies in the NLCS. During the offseason, Aaron Heilman calls the Phillies "choke artists" because they've blown it the last two seasons, and they prove him right by falling into a downward cycle for the next several years thanks to horrible starting pitching. The Mets are so impressed with Oliver Perez that they sign him to a 3 year, $36 million contract.

2009: Citi Field opens with 8 foot high blue walls, enabling David Wright to hit a career high 42 home runs. The Mets capture the Subway Series when Luis Castillo drops a pop up but then throws out Derek Jeter, who wasn't hustling on the play. The loss is a major psychological blow to the Yankees, who miss the playoffs and deal the lackadaisical Jeter to the Royals in the offseason. Meanwhile, the Mets medical staff is lauded for keeping their players so healthy all year.

2010: With the core of the Mets healthy and playing great the past few years, the Mets pass on Jason Bay and instead pick up a few cheaper alternatives. The starting lineup is so good that insurance pickups Gary Matthews, Mike Jacobs and Alex Cora languish in AAA and don't see the majors all season.

Oh, what could have been.

Mets Get Smart with K-Rod Trade

2011-07-14T00:04:00.012-04:00

Francisco Rodriguez and a boatload of cash for two players to be named later may go down as the best trade of 2011. And I don't mean for the Brewers.

Believe it or not, the Mets made a great move by dumping their star closer for basically nothing in return. With that $17 million option looming, it was a move they had to make.

Look, I liked having K-Rod on the Mets. He was a pretty stable force in the Mets bullpen, especially when he wasn't punching out his elders. But there was absolutely no reason to keep him around. If he K-Rod remained the closer, he would have easily finished the 21 more games needed to kick in that daunting option. If he became the set-up man, he would not be nearly as effective (see his performances in non-save situation) and probably would have become an angry distraction (again, the punching thing).

Unless the two players to be named later turn out to be Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo, I don't see how this trade can go wrong for the Mets. The extra $17 million can go towards paying Jose Reyes and other free agents. Heck, they could use some of the money to build another Shake Shack and I'd be happy.

And while many view this move as the Mets throwing in the towel, I disagree. Most closers are fairly interchangeable these days, and now we get to see what the younger and cheaper Bobby Parnell is made of. Unless (or until) they trade Beltran, the Mets can remain on the fringes of Wild Card contention, which is exactly where they were with Rodriguez on the team.

So the AARP members in the Mets clubhouse shoulnd't be the only people thrilled with this trade. All Mets fans should rejoice knowing that we finally have a GM willing to make the smart and necessary moves, even if they may not be totally popular.

And an extra $17 mil doesn't hurt either.

The $140 Million Mets: A Feel Good Story

2011-06-28T00:21:00.002-04:00

They may not be the '69 Mets, but this current crop of Amazins have pulled off their own minor miracle. Somehow, the team linked to the evil Bernie Madoff and with a recent history of countless blunders and even more overpaid underachievers on its payroll has actually become a likable and compelling underdog.

Yes, the Mets only have a .500 record, but for a team in complete disarray .500 looks pretty good. After all, they have had seemingly everything possible go wrong this year. They had a horrific start to the season (5-13), saw two of their best hitters (Wright, Davis) join their best pitcher (Santana) on the DL, and have received disappointing seasons from several key players (Bay, Pagan, Pelfrey). And that doesn't even include the off-the-field issues. Yet somehow the Mets are still treading water and keeping us fans interested, something that seemed highly unlikely just a couple months ago.

If it's possible for a mediocre New York team with a $140 payroll to be a feel good story, the 2011 Mets are it so far. The troubling complacent attitude of the last few years is long gone, thanks in large part to a group of likable no-names who have everything to prove. Career minor leaguer Justin Turner has been a huge contributor. Light hitting Daniel Murphy has held his own while batting in the cleanup spot. Unheralded rookie Dillon Gee has been the most consistent starting pitcher. A lineup full of guys who would be backups on most other teams, a rotation stocked with 4th and 5th starters, and a bullpen full of have somehow helped keep the Mets relevant.

Throw in an affable superstar like Reyes, a smooth and steady All-Star like Beltran, and resilient veterans like Dickey and Capuano, and the Mets are suddenly a compelling, appealing team. They have amazingly silenced the critics and changed their association from "Ponzi-schemers" to to "potential Wild Card contenders", even if just a little bit.

They won't be throwing any ticker tape parades for .500 teams, especially in June. But with all that's gone on this and past seasons, mediocrity is not a horrible place to be.

Confused by Wilpon's comments? Watch Major League

2011-05-24T22:49:00.004-04:00

I really hope that Fred Wilpon is a big fan of the classic movie Major League.

In that movie, the Cleveland Indians new owner attempts to put together the worst team she can find and then constantly mistreats and disses her players. Her goal is to lose as many games as possible and minimize fan attendance, which in turn will allow her to move the team to her ideal destination. But the plan backfires when the Indian's players find out that their owner hates them and rally to win the pennant.

The only explanation I can think of for Wilpon's strange decision to belittle his own team is that he recently watched Major League and thinks the plot can happen in real life.

Think about it: Wilpon, by his own admission, puts together a "sh*tty team" with the likes of Jason Bay, Willie Harris, Chin-lung Hu, Scott Hairston, and several other outcasts. This results in a losing baseball team and a major drop in attendance at Citi Field. Then Wilpon publicly disses his three best players despite the fact that two of them (Reyes and Beltran) are carrying the team and the other (Wright) has been it's most consistently good player. And although Wilpon has not threatened to move the Mets, he does seem intent on turning them into the Dodgers.

So now Wilpon has his team right where he wants them. His players hate their employer, the fans their favorite team's owner, and the team stinks in general. And if Major League is accurate (and Fred must think it is), this is the perfect recipe for success.

Now the Mets players have a cause to rally around. They will do everything they can to win baseball games, simply to prove their non-believing owner wrong. They will band together a segregated clubhouse. They will shock the world and make the playoffs. They may even construct a cardboard cutout of Fred and remove an article of clothing after each win.

Yes, it all makes sense now. Fred watched Major League and a light bulb went off in his head. Such a great movie can't have it wrong, can it?

A Yankee Hater's Dream

2011-05-18T22:15:00.003-04:00

Watching the Yankees lose almost as much as the Mets this year has been great. Watching the Yankees go through even more in-season drama than the Mets this week has been even better.

As everyone knows by now, Jorge Posada refused to play against the Red Sox after being dropped to the ninth spot of the batting order. I enjoy any bad Yankees press, so I was giddy watching the whole drama unfold. Posada wasn't cut, or even benched - he was simply moved a couple spots downi n the lineup, making his little league style freak-out hilarious. Throw in the fact that he is making making $52 million and hitting .179, and it's downright ridiculous.

While the Posada story was great in itself, even better was the fact that it showed us just how fun the next few years could be for Yankee haters.

Posada is already at the edge of the cliff, but his teammate, the icon Derek Jeter, is not too far behind. Just imagine the fallout when Jeter, already in the second year of his downfall, is demoted in the lineup and/or removed from his position. And with the Yankees "stuck" with Jeter for 3 more years, there is plenty of time for tensions to stew between Yankee management and their beloved captain.

Then there's Alex Rodriguez, who is 35 years old and signed for 7 more years. Arod may still be a great hitter, but in a couple years will be an old man (in baseball years) in a post-steroids era where old baseball players rarely succeed. Just imagine how the potential all time home run leader will react when he is batting 8th and is a full-time DH.

I know, I know, the Yankees will undoubtedly end up with a whole new batch of new stars to make the decline of their former greats a moot point. And Yankee fans will of course point to their 27 banners and remind us that the Mets only have 2. But with the Mets possibly in the midst of a few more down seasons, it's fun to think of the likes of Jeter and Arod pulling a Posada down the road and smashing another hole into the Yankees sinking ship.

I personally can't wait.

Keep Reyes, Trade Wright

2011-05-11T23:09:00.000-04:00

With talk of a potential Jose Reyes trade trending just below Osama and the royal wedding these days, it seems like a good time for Mets Kool-Aid to address the trade issue.

Let me first say this: the Mets should NOT trade Jose Reyes if they think they can re-sign him.

Then, let me say this: if the Mets think they can re-sign Reyes, they SHOULD trade David Wright this season.

In an ideal world, Reyes and Wright, both in their primes, would obviously remain together and lead the Mets' resurgence. But the Mets world is miles away from ideal. In their world massive debt and a billion dollar lawsuit rule the day, which is why trading one of their homegrown stars seems inevitable. Reyes is the name that comes up most often, but if either of them has to go it should be Wright.

Look, I like David Wright. He is the favorite of most Mets fans, from older die-hards to teenage girls. He is a very good baseball player who is rarely injured and always does and says the right thing. He will probably be an all-star and gold glove candidate for many years ahead, and will be even better if he has a great hitter behind him to take some of the pressure off him.

Finding another David Wright will be very tough, but finding another Jose Reyes might be downright impossible. Reyes can do it all - he has hit for as many as 19 home runs, stolen as many as 78 bases, and plays excellent defense. His speed and pension for hitting the ball in the gaps makes Reyes the perfect player for Citi Field, whereas Wright is a pseudo-power hitter who seems somewhat affected by the cavernous stadium and high fences.

And almost as important as Reyes' immense talent is the excitement and energy he brings. The chance to watch Reyes leg out a triple is right up there with Ike's towering homers as reasons to buy an overpriced ticket. While Wright's stoic personality is to be admired, Reyes' fiery attitude is exactly what the Mets need in these tough times.

Here's something else to consider: with Reyes' free agency looming this offseason and reputation for being injury-prone, he might actually bring in LESS of a prospect haul than Wright, who is under a reasonable contract for another year. Yes, Reyes will likely demand $18M or more per season, but with several huge contracts coming off the books even the cash strapped Mets should be able to afford him, especially if they know they won't have to pay Wright the same going forward.

Again, I would love to see Wright and Reyes play together in Flushing for the next decade if it was possible. But if the choice is between re-building the franchise around Reyes or Wright, then Wright has to be the one to go.

Mets Kool-Aid Month in Review: April

2011-05-04T22:11:00.004-04:00

We could dwell on yet another Mets loss, but that's just not our style. So instead, let's take a look at some of the positives from the first month of the season.

The team showed some fight. Whether in a game or the season in general, this Mets squad has shown that it will not go down easily. Their comeback win against the Nats evoked memories of Game 6 of the '86 World Series. And when the Mets were 4-11 and tempting us to start watching hockey, they kept their heads up and rolled off enough wins to keep us from searching for the Versus channel.

The stars finally aligned. No, not in the astrological sense, but in the sense that the Mets heavy hitters are FINALLY all healthy in the same time. We have been waiting seemingly forever to see what Reyes, Wright, Beltran and Bay can do together. The early returns were good, at least until Bay screwed it up again by having a baby. But with these four, plus Ike Davis, in the lineup at the same time, the Mets offense has a chance to be pretty good. At least until half of them are traded. Which brings us to...

Jose Reyes. The Mets shortstop had a great April, which I guess could be considered a negative since it might expedite his departure to another team. But after all the injuries and frustrating moments, it's been fun to watch Reyes living up to the hype again. I can't decide if I want him to keep it up so that Sandy Alderson feels the need to re-sign him, or to play worse so that his trade value declines. I'm going to move on now because writing this paragraph is depressing me.

Pleasant surprises. We all like Ike, but nobody expected him to be THIS good so soon. And several of Sandy's dollar store pickups have also exceeded expectations. Chris Young has been the staff ace, Beato and Isringhausen have been great in relief, and Chris Capuano has not been awful.

We got to watch professional caliber players play professional baseball. If nothing else, April was good because we didn't have to watch the usual collection of scrubs. Last season we saw way too much of the likes of Perez, Castillo, Mike Jacobs, Gary Matthews, etc. This season all of them are gone, and some of the players who reminded us of them (Emaus, Boyer, etc.) were shown the door as well.

So don't lose hope yet Mets fans, it's a long way until October. April was not a great month for out team, but warmer and brighter days are ahead. Hopefully in our June review we will be talking about Johan being back on the mound, Reyes and Beltran still being on the team, and the Mets being in the thick of a playoff race.

Until then, drink it up!

Ike Davis: Man-Crushing Balls Out of the Park

2011-04-29T10:38:00.000-04:00

Generation K, Alex Escobar, Matt Peterson, Lastings Milledge, Carlos Gomez, Fernando Martinez. Aside from the families and friends of these guys, there is only one group of people who will recognize their names - agonized and disappointed Mets fans. While the book is still out on FMart and I guess you can say we are getting something out of Izzy at this point, there is a strong memory of can't miss prospects that were complete misses. Emerging from behind this list though is my favorite Met, Ike Davis, who not only consistently answered every question that scouts put up about his abilities, but is now name that fans (and pitchers for that matter) across the league have come to know.

Davis came up April of last year, and unless you're a person scouring the Mets minor league reports, he's a guy you hadn't heard much about. He hit pretty well in the minors working his way from Brooklyn, to St. Lucie, to Binghamton. While he had a pretty good spring in 2010, the Mets believed he'd be better suited with another season in the minors and chose a platoon approach of some veterans to start at first last season. There was no scouts saying, "Wait until this guy gets to the show," and no one was even thinking of calling this guy the next Keith Hernandez. It was more, well, he can hit good hard line drives and play a pretty good first base. We're not sure on the power and this guy has the potential to be good. As I said earlier, this doesn't invoke too much confidence on the fan who is reading this limited scouting report seeing as we have a great past of seeing our top prospects, who have been highly touted, not amount to much - at least for the Mets. Here is a quote from Scout.com from February of last year:

Davis would benefit from another full year in the minors. However, a promotion before or after September 1 cannot be ruled out if a roster spot opens up or he simply hits the cover off the ball in Triple-A. By late summer, a strong season from Davis should entice the Mets to get a peek at Davis’ ability in the big league setting.

Ike hit pretty well in the minors and extended spring training and by the end of April, he had secured a spot as the starting first basemen for the major club. Since then, you could argue that Ike Davis has been the Mets' most consistent player - and this is a 24 year old on a team with veteran superstars like Jason Bay and Carlos Beltran and superstars in their prime like David Wright and Jose Reyes.

It's pretty easy to talk up a young guy who's on a 10-game hit streak (and 5-game multi-hit streak) and is leading the team in RBIs, but I think that Ike Davis is going to be one of the most important players on the Mets for many years to come. In a 2011 season that looks like it could be up and down again riding the wave of streaks, it's Davis's consistency and attitude that I believe will be the most important to this team.

We want Jose Reyes to be the spark plug to start our rallies, and he can be, when healthy and with his head in the game. David Wright is supposed to be the team leader and superstar, and he has been, but he's also struck out a lot and been a part of teams that have had late season collapses at a time when the best player on the team should be able to put the team on his shoulders. Jason Bay and Carlos Beltran are superstars in their own right, but we've seen instances from both that playing in New York makes them a little uneasy compared to past homes where they've seen greater successes. Johan Santana is our crown jewel, but he's getting older and is on the shelf right now. Mike Pelfrey can be a head case. Jon Niese is not there yet and doesn't have the raw skill to be a superstar.

Then you have Ike Davis. When questions were asked when he first came up if he was being rushed, he responded by hitting 19 homers and 71 RBIs in his first season (which wasn't even a full season). He filled in as the cleanup hitter in a New York lineup for much of the season. He played a stellar first base getting great consideration for the NL Gold Glove. He came in 7th in the Rookie of the Year voting for the NL. And in such a great class of rookies last year with the likes of Buster Posey and Jason Heyward and in a league that's constantly adjusting to promising rookies resulting in sophomore slumps, look who seems to be the best 2nd year player in the league right now.

At the end of such a great string of wins that coincidentally came right in the middle of Ike's hitting streak, I think it's time we all tipped our cap to Ike Davis. Call it Kool-Aid, call it a man-crush, call it what you will - I'm excited to watch Ike Davis crush balls onto the Pepsi Porch in 2011 and for many years to come. Drink it up.

What a Win!

2011-04-27T22:46:00.005-04:00

For five straight games, the Mets were a good baseball team. For one night, they were Amazin' again.

Tonight's game was one of the most thrilling Mets wins in recent memory. Making it even better was the fact that it had all the makings of so many of the excruciating losses we have seen.

Be honest: when the offense wasted a solid pitching performance by doing virtually nothing for 7 innings, you muttered "same old Mets" under your breath. When Reyes' triple was overturned by that horrible call, you remembered that the baseball Gods are surely not Mets fans. When the Nats quickly squashed the joy that Murphy's game-tying home run produced, you thought about going to bed.

And nobody would blame you if you did. After all, when was the last time the Mets came back in both the 8th AND 9th innings to win a game?

But instead of following the same tired script, the team pulled out a gutty victory that Mets fans always hope for but never expect. The best part was that almost everyone on the team was involved in the victory, from afterthoughts Turner and Hu, to former whipping boys Bay and Murphy, to youngsters Davis and Thole.

It was the type of win that makes April feel like October. It had me excitedly calling or texting every Mets fan I know. And instead of my usual corny sarcastic texts like "Who sucks? Hu sucks" that follow Mets losses, I could finally send a corny exuberant text like "Who's the man? Hu's the man".

So tonight, forget about massive debts and Ponzi schemes. It's a rare opportunity to be proud to be a Mets fan.

Drink it up!

What's Plaguing the Mets?

2011-04-19T22:49:00.004-04:00

Why is this night different from all other nights? For Mets fans it certainly isn't, as our team staggered to yet another loss. Yes, you may have been reclining and eating unleavened bread during the game, but in the end the result was more of the same.

With the Mets having already lost more games (12) than plagues (10) by the second night of Passover (the annual day of regretting passing over Orlando Hudson to play second base), it seems like an appropriate time to analyze what exactly has been plaguing the Mets.

1) Water turned to blood - We thought we were getting the equivalent of Perrier in Jason Bay. Instead Bay has turned to blood (injuries), soiling the flowing river of offense that could have been.

2) Frogs - Frogs are green, which is one color the Mets are lacking as their owner remains the target of a $1 billion lawsuit and ticket sales dwindle.

3) Lice - Also known as gnats, which is fitting considering that even the lowly Nats have tortured the Mets already this season.

4) Wild beasts - The biggest beast of them all, Troy Tulowitski, feasted on Mets pitchers last week.

5) Disease on livestock - From Bay to Reyes to Santana to Beltran, our most productive livestock has been hit with disease (injuries) way to often the past few years. They haven't produced a glass of milk or a golden egg in a long time.

6) Boils - The Mets look good from afar. But then you look closer and see all the blemishes. Whether its an all star who can't hit in the clutch, a five tool player with no baseball IQ, or a talented pitcher who is a complete headcase, the Mets are full of "boils".

7) Hail - What's worse than watching the Mets lose in person? Watching them lose in person while sitting in horrible weather. That's been the case way to often this April.

8) Locusts - Just as locusts destroy farms, most of our best crops have failed to grow to their potential. From Generation K to Alex Escobar to Lastings Milledge to Fernando Martinez, our farm has produced too many rotten products.

9) Darkness - It's been a period of darkness for Mets fans ever since Adam Wainwright turned out the lights in Game 6. And if you've ever driven past Citi Field in October, you can see just how dark that place can be.

10) Death of the first born - Johan Santana, our #1 starter who we all love like our own son, sits on the DL.

And that, kids, is the story of the Mets struggles. But now that these ten plagues have been delivered, the Mets can finally be freed from the contract of Oliver Perez and the chains of losing baseball.

After what has felt like forty years of wandering in the bottom of the standings, Sandy Alderson is finally here to hopefully lead the Mets to the promised land (a.k.a the playoffs).

Terry's Tonic: The Fight is Still There, But Maybe We've Got to Go Old School

2011-04-12T08:06:00.000-04:00

Another night, another tough loss based on mistakes, bad bullpen play, and a glint of fight in the Mets offense. When the Kool-aid is hard to come by we go once again for a mixer of Terry's Tonic to help explain what went wrong last night. Let's see what he said

“Everybody is as frustrated in this room as I am, but we’ve been in every single game but one” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “The fight is still there, but we’ve got to stop making mistakes.”

Again, Terry takes a turn from the Jerry's Juice we were used to tasting so often last year and holds the team accountable as he should. He's right. It's bad pitching and mistakes that have caused the Mets to allow teams to come back and eventually win. It's pretty much been the issue all season.

With that said, there was one bright spot in last night's game and that was the return of Jason Isringhausen back to the Mets. Izzy made his Mets re-debut last night coming in with two on and one out in the seventh and throwing a perfect 2/3 with the game tied. It seems Generation K is finally ready to make its mark. Isringhausen is best remembered as the one truly successful member of the highly touted trio of Mets pitching prospects who the Mets traded away before being given a full chance. Izzy went on to be a very successful closer for the Cardinals, and the Mets were left with another mistake in letting him go.

So what do you do when you make moves, hold your players accountable, and still see there's no one left that's not making mistakes? Maybe you go back to some of the old mistakes we've made and correct them just like we did with Izzy. No one good to play second base? Maybe we should go back and give Jeff Kent a call. Need a good fill in for Beltran on his one in every three off days? We're already paying Bobby Bonilla still, why not give him a ring. Who can play for Jason Bay as he inches his way back after injury? Why, who would fit better than, well, former Mets farmhand Jason Bay.

Of course I kid here, but something's going to have to give. It's too early in the season to get too far down, but you never want to be fighting from behind like this. The problems seem to be apparent. Starters need to go deeper, relievers need to stop giving it away, and everyone needs to think and perform a bit better in the field. We saw the accountability with the move to send down Boyer and Duda like we discussed yesterday, but I'm not sure how that will help if you bring up Igarashi and he throws away a double play ball that lead to a 2-run single by Carlos Gonzalez.

The Kool-aid is that it's still early, some things are going well, and I trust the new front office enough to think that they will make the right moves to keep us competitive. At this point, all I can do is sit back, drink my Kool-aid and hope for the best.

Can't Pitch, Hit, or Field? Goodbye!

2011-04-10T22:39:00.006-04:00

Last season we could always count on Mets employees to put a positive spin on their losses. When Oliver Perez got shelled we were told he was in great shape and making good progress. When David Wright struck out four times, we were told that he was putting great swings on the ball and was about to break out. It was a skill that helped inspire this very blog, and led to a recurring segment called "Jerry's Juice".

This season we have renamed that segment "Terry's Tonic", but the Mets manager and his colleagues are making it hard for us to find material. That's because for the first time in a while, the Mets are holding themselves accountable for their poor play.

After today's frustrating loss to the Nationals, I looked for and expected to find the koolaid-rich quotes that were so common last season. Instead, I found the following:

"This is the big leagues, and you've got to be able to make some pitches." - Terry Collins

"It's [the bullpen] been inconsistent. Probably as positive an adjective as I can use. But it's unfortunate." - Sandy Alderson

“It’s an utter letdown. You just feel disgusted with yourself. He pitched one heck of a game, and I hate that I blew it for him.” - Blaine Boyer, who lost the game.

“The ball just beat me. I made a terrible play. It probably cost us the game.” - Lucas Duda, who misplayed a ball that led helped the Nats come back.

"It’s horrible, man" - DJ Carrasco, who gave up the tying runs.

These are all harsh words for game 9, and I must say I like it. Don't get me wrong - I love a good glass of blue and orange koolaid, and there will be plenty of it poured later on in the season. But for now it's good to see that the Mets are not taking losses and poor play lightly.

While Omar and Jerry would have publicly chalked up this loss to early season jitters or a bad pre-game meal, Sandy walked the walk by demoting Boyer and Duda to the minors. When was the last time the Mets took such strong action on an under-performing player so quickly?

The Mets have talent, and we have already seen this season that they are capable of playing well in all facets of the game. But when they don't, it's good to finally see that the players will take responsibility for their mistakes and the front office will take the necessary actions to improve.

After all, accountability breeds success. I don't know if that's a saying, but it should be.

Forget this...I'm Going Home!

2011-04-08T11:29:00.000-04:00

After a great start to the second series of the year, the Mets have now dropped their last two games and sit at .500. Is it time to panic? Is Mike Pelfrey done already? Who's the real Jon Niese? Is this a team that's going to commit bonehead plays in the field and not allow themselves to stay in games? Just like we said "Stay Calm and Carry On" when we won that Phillies game, we need to do the same when we've lost the last two.

The Phillies are the favorite in the National League. Josh Johnson and Roy Halladay are two of the best pitchers in the NL. In our other loss, the team showed some fight on the road and came back after a big lead was given up early in the game. More importantly, we've played all 6 games on the road. I'm not ready to panic yet.

Home field advantage. Welcome home. Home is where the heart is. Home sweet home. Home run. Root, root, root for the home team. Well, there's a lot of little positive quotes and sayings referring to how great home is. There's a reason for that.

Last season, the Mets were 47-34 at Citi Field and just 32-49 on the road. Now, I'm not saying I want a repeat of last year, but if this team can play .500 baseball on the road and keep a nice winning record at home, we're going to be in it at the end. I think the Mets can bounce back nicely this early in the season playing the Nats this weekend opening up Citi Field for 2011.

There's going to be energy. There's going to be excitement. There's going to be..."everybody clap your hands!" (I know you just got the urge to clap your hands). If you're going out to the ballpark today or at any point this weekend, have a safe, fun, and positive time. Cheer on our boys and save the boos for later in the season when we hopefully won't need them. We'll be back on Monday hopefully pouring you some more Koolaid on how the Mets being 6-3 means they are destined for the playoffs. For now, DRINK IT UP!

That Was Phun

2011-04-05T22:28:00.000-04:00

4 games into the year and the Koolaid is flowing pretty easily. There are a lot of things to be happy with -David Wright and Ike Davis seem to be hitting just as we need them to, Carlos Beltran seems to be easing his way back into non-injured play fairly nicely, 3 great pitching performances including one by newcomer Chris Young. We could talk about all of these things, but what everyone needs today is how to answer the comments of Phillies fans for tomorrow because it's going to sound pretty familiar.

They'll say, "We're still 3 and 1." You say, "You're right." and smile.

They'll say, "It's 4 games into the season, talk to me in August when your season is over." You say, "I hope we do talk in August, September even."

They'll say, "Wait til Utley comes back. You weren't even playing our real team." You say, "You don't have to tell me buddy, we know better than anyone how tough injuries can be."

Then they'll probably throw beer on you or vomit on you if they're a real Phillies fan, but you shouldn't do that my friends. You should do like our good friends over at 27 Up 27 Down T-shirts, "Stay Calm and Carry On." The fact of the matter is it is only 4 games in. There's still a lot of baseball left. I can tell you one thing though, if there are a lot more games this season like the last 3 the Mets have played, then this season is going to be fun.

I could throw a lot of analysis back at you on the reasons for all the great things that have happened this season, but now I feel like I'll jinx it or realize how stupid I sound. Instead, I sit back here enjoying the fact that baseball is back, there's already been some excitement, and there's a lot of baseball to play. So you sit back too, take a sip of the Koolaid, because tonight, it tastes very sweet. DRINK IT UP.

Mets 1, Yankees 0

2011-04-04T22:25:00.004-04:00

The 2011 Mets season started with a bang. Despite experts basically predicting them to go 0-162 this year, the Mets took two of their first three at a division rival's home stadium. Beltran and Reyes made it through an entire weekend without getting hurt. Newcomer Willie Harris started molding his statue outside Citi Field.

But even more gratifying than the Mets two wins was their victory over the Yankees off the field.

In case you haven't heard, Yankees GM Brian Cashman complained that the Mets "abused" new Yankee pitcher Pedro Feliciano. Cashman is 100 percent correct. The Mets used Feliciano so much that it's amazing he still even has a left arm. Even Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen admitted as much, saying "That was part of the reason we decided to not re-sign - because we knew we had used him 270-some times in the last three years."

But Cashman being right is not the point. The point is that Cashman should have known what he was getting in Feliciano instead of whining about it afterwards. Does he not get the SNY channel at home? Does he not have a computer on which to check baseball stats? I know the economy is bad, but I'm sure the Yankees could have at least afforded an unpaid intern to look up Feliciano's Wikipedia page.

The Yankees may beat the Mets in the Subway Series, and will probably win more games overall this year. But the Yankees have one "abused" pitcher, while the Mets don't have any now. Chalk up a victory for the New York Mets.

Game 1: Mets vs. Marlins - LIVE BLOG!

2011-04-01T19:07:00.018-04:00

7:03pm - Pregame:
Well here we are folks, the time we've all been waiting for, Opening Day. Low Expectations and high hopes. Thanks for joining us as we watch the first game of the season. Since it's Friday night and happy hour here on the east coast, we'll be pouring you at least one shot of Mets Kool-Aid every half inning. Please feel free to comment along below. We'll check back in after the top of the first. Drink it up and Let's Go Mets!!!!

7:25pm - Mid 1st:
No hits or runs in the first, but you gotta like how the first two Met hitters worked the count. Didn't see much of that last year.

7:39pm - End 1st:
Well, one more Mets game without a no-no. A few too many pitches by Pelf, but the game is decided on runs, not hits or base runners. How do I see it? One inning down in the 2011 season, and no runs surrendered. Let's see what the return of Carlos Beltran gives us - my guess is something awesome.

7:49pm - Top 2nd:
Ike Davis, first base runner of the season! An Emaus RBI would have been nice, but hey, at least he's not Luis Castillo.

7:56pm - End 2nd:
The end of the second welcomes the first comment to the comments section. It seems TKL Research will be this season's Giuseppe Franco. I wonder if the TKL Research money goes right to the Wilpon defense fund. Either way, we got a 1-2-3 inning for the first time in 2011. Let's get a run here. I'm going to take a shot if we get a run and I encourage you to do the same. What do you guys think of Josh Thole? Let's Go Mets.

8:09pm - End 3rd:
Sorry about that, we missed a half inning to go post our URL everywhere. We're almost to 100 visits for today, so tell your friends. Johan Pelfrey seems to be on the mound throwing up 0's like an ace should. I love it. Headed into the middle part of the lineup. Did you know David Wright has multiple opening day homers in his career? Let's Go Mets.

8:18pm - Mid 3rd:
I will go out on a limb and say that if the Mets get no hit today, they will win the World Series

Also, Dan Warthen looks like an old Big Bird

8:31pm - First Run of the Year Given Up - Bottom 4:
Oh yeah, I forgot about this. Wouldn't it be weird if after giving up a grand slam that Mike Pelfrey looked into the camera at 3rd base and made a weird Jim Halpert look? 4 runs isn't impossible to overcome. What if we come back? Ya Gotta Believe?

8:38pm - Mid 5th:
Ummm. Only 3 hits have been given up here. That's not too bad. Is it possible the outcome of this game is causing the pizza we just ate to taste bad? Something good needs to happen here. Let's Go Mets.

8:47 - Bot 5th:
This call to the bullpen is brought to you by....the Fred Wilpon Help Me Afford a Baseball Team Foundation.

9:06pm - End 6th:
Pedro Beato with the 1-2-3 inning. And you don't talk about a no hitter if you're superstitious, so guess what, Johnson is throwing a no hitter here.

And it worked.

Carlos Beltran, standing on second. His knee is still between 2nd and 3rd. Big RBI double!!!!!

9:23pm - Mid 7th:
Great inning there. First runs of the year. Not sure how I feel about one of our top bench players having a .170 avg as a pinch hitter. But we saw RBIs from Beltran and Ike there. If the Mets are going to win this year, that's going to have to happen a lot more. That last at bat would have tied the game with a homer. This is not impossible. And remember, we're not going to be facing Josh Johnson everyday.

9:37pm - Top 8th:
Boyer and Beato looked pretty good. If they can bridge the gap to K-Rod and our starters don't give up grand slams, the Mets will be alright.

9:56pm - End 8th
I kid you not, someone just put on Rock and Roll Pt 2 here. I just switched to a rally cap. 3 more outs to go. Or a whole season.

10:04pm - Game
This is why they play 162 games. Remember, the last 5 years, the Mets have won on Opening Day. And the last 5 years, we've been disappointed. Takeaways include Willie Harris having a good game, Beltran hopefully making a nice comeback, and there's always tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who followed along. We'll have to do this again. See you soon.

From the Makers of Jerry's Juice Comes Terry's Tonic!

2011-04-01T10:56:00.000-04:00

One of our favorite features on the site last season was Jerry's Juice. Every loss, we'd look over Jerry Manuel's reasoning behind the team's shortcomings in that game and make sure you tasted a bit of Kool-Aid with it. Well, just because we have a new manager doesn't mean we shouldn't stop finding the positives in everything our manager has to say. Terry Collins is already stirring the Kool-Aid with an email he sent to Mets fans- here's a little piece to get you excited for tonight:

With our 2011 opener tonight in Florida, I want to make this pledge to Mets fans: our team will play the game the right way. We will always hustle on the bases, run balls down in the outfield and never take anything for granted, no matter the score of the game. We had a great Spring Training. From day one my message has been look ahead, not backward, and not to worry about what the people outside the clubhouse are saying. If we pitch and play defense like I know we can, we will surprise a lot of people, a lot of people.

Clap...clap...clap...Let's Go Mets!....oh man am I excited!

This is what we've been asking for right? We want to win, but even if we don't we want the team to have some fire, not just say they care but actually show it, and hustle. If this is the case, I think all Mets fans will be happier and the wins will come. So I guess there's just one thing to do....play ball!

Have a great season everyone and enjoy tonights' game.

PS: Stay tuned as we're planning to announce this afternoon that we will be live blogging all through the game tonight.

DRINK IT UP!

A New Beginning

2011-03-30T23:37:00.005-04:00

Mets fans, the time has finally come.

Throw away your 2010 season program. Tear up your copy of the Wilpon/Madoff complaint. Set fire to your Perez and Castillo jerseys, if you haven’t already done so.

Then kick your feet up, pour yourself a big glass of blue and orange kool-aid, and get ready for a new season of Mets baseball. Because despite a tumultuous past few years and an offseason that has led to the Mets being constantly made fun of by Yankees fans, Phillies fans, the media, Manhattan Mini Storage, and that guy in your office who doesn’t even follow baseball, there are still plenty of reasons to be excited for the 2011 season.

Here are just a few:

A Major League lineup. Last season, the Mets opening day lineup featured the immortals Alex Cora, Luis Castillo, Mike Jacobs, Gary Matthews Jr., and Jeff Francoeur. No, I’m not referring to the AAA Mets. This season, with Reyes and Beltran back to go along with Pagan, Wright and Ike, and Bay hopefully healthy soon, the offense has a chance to be really good (Yes, I know that’s been said before).

Ollie and Luis are finally gone. Few Mets have been hated as much as these guys, and for good reason. For the first time in a while, we don’t have to worry about seeing Ollie walk the ballpark or Luis hopelessly limp to a ground ball three feet to his right, then complain about being benched. The 2011 Mets are almost entirely full of hardworking, likeable players, assuming of course that K-Rod has stopped punching old people.

The injuries bug has already come and gone. At this point every Mets fan knows to expect at least a couple of our stars to get injured every season. With Santana already out and Bay on the DL to start the season, the Law of Averages says that no other big players will be hurt later on. Unless of course the Law of Beltran overrides it.

The Phillies will choke. How do I know the Phillies will not win the World Series, despite already being penciled in for an NL penant? Their amazing rotation was featured on the SI cover, the kiss of death for any athlete (just ask the 2009 Mets). And if the SI jinx fails to deliver, we can bank on the fact that Werth is gone, Utley and Lidge are injured, and they were actually considering starting Luis Castillo.

You just never know. When expectations are high the Mets always come up short. So this year, when expectations are non-existent, why can’t the opposite come true? Hey, it worked for VCU.

Let's Go Mets.

Don't Mess with Terry Collins

2011-03-13T20:12:00.004-04:00

Last week, a friend called me from the Mets-Marlins game to tell me he had witnessed something that he had never seen in four years of going to Mets Spring Training games. Between innings, Manager Terry Collins had trotted onto the field to talk to one of the umpires. But instead of the jovial chat that you would expect between a manager and umpire this time of the year, Collins appeared to be engaged in a heated argument, at least by early March standards.

That story got me thinking that Collins is exactly what the Mets need.

I’ll be honest. When Collins was first hired as Manager, I was extremely skeptical. First of all, I had never heard of him. Secondly, I was hoping Wally Backman would get the job, and I’m usually against the hiring of older, mostly unsuccessful retreads anyway. Then I heard about how Angels players had petitioned their front office to fire Collins in 1999, which made me hate the hire even more.

But after hearing that story and seeing the words “fiery” and “intense” in just about every article I’ve read about Collins, the man has grown on me. Even in Spring Training workouts he appears to be demanding maximum effort from his players. They may just be saying it, but several players have noted how excited Collins has made them for the upcoming season with his high energy and little-league style pep talks. He seems like the type of manager that will bench a player for not running hard, and order his pitcher to brush back a hitter who is leaning over the plate.

At the very least, Collins brings a personality and attitude to the Mets dugout that they have not had in years. The last three Mets managers were about as exciting as Twitter was before Charlie Sheen signed up. Art Howe was practically asleep in the dugout at all times, Willie Randolph tried to instill the Yankees’ corporate way, and Jerry Manuel laughed and philosophized more than he ever yelled any anybody.

Of course, whether or not Collins’ fiery personality actually leads to the Mets winning remains to be seen. After all, that same intensity supposedly led to his downfall in his previous positions. But I think Collins’ managerial style is needed by this Mets team, one that is mostly devoid of outspoken, type-A personalities. Wright is the ultimate choir boy, Reyes always seems care-free, Beltran rarely talks, Bay is just a good ole’ Canadian, and Santana (golf course allegations aside) does and says all the right things. Each of these players is dedicated to winning and being great, but aside from K-Rod, none of the Mets big name players would ever be described as “fiery”.

With Collins at the helm, I think the Mets will finally show that they have life again. There will be no more tolerance for the sloppy play, or awkwardly laughing off a loss at the post-game press conference. If the Mets fail this season, it will be because of a lack of talent instead of poor fundamentals or lackadaisical attitudes.

Maybe we'll even see a Mets throw up and in at Howard or Utley for once. You just never know with the fiery, intense Terry Collins leading the way.

The Wilponzis Are Making Us MAD-off!!

2011-03-07T10:52:00.000-05:00

A lot of our site's readers have been waiting for us to address the Wilpons' involvement in the Bernie Madoff ponzi scheme, the resulting potential effects on the Mets organization, and what it's going to do this season and beyond. We haven't spoken up yet because this site is about positivity with our favorite team and quite frankly there is not a lot of kool-aid potential on this subject. That being said, I was thinking about it over the weekend and this site is about pouring you a cup to try and help us get through and enjoy Mets seasons on the field. So it's time to voice this blog's dissatisfaction with our ownership and try and give you some hope on a bad situation in Queens.

The facts are out already though they leave uncertain conclusions:

The Wilpons were social acquaintances of Bernie Madoff and his family.
The Wilpons did business with Madoff over a long period of time investing deferred player payments, health insurance premiums, and other costs to make back a sum of money on Madoff's seemingly fool-proof and high-return investing techniques.
The Wilpons recommended Madoff to close friends and acquaintences touting the success that they experienced with Bernie.
The Wilpons are involved in a lawsuit started by Irving Picard, a trustee for victims of the Madoff scandal looking to recover money.
The Wilpons have said they are looking into potentially selling off as much as 25% of the Mets but would not give up controlling interest.
The Mets have borrowed 25 million dollars from MLB to combat a short term liquidity problems

Beyond that, there are a lot of claims. The Wilpons said they didn't know Madoff was committing a fraudulent act and Picard says the Wilpons knew or should have known about the illegal nature of Madoff's investments. The Mets say this issue will not affect anything on the field for the team while everyone talks about how the team will be sold, the payroll will be slashed for next season, and how the hopes of re-signing Jose Reyes (who will be a free agent at the end of this season) are slim to none.

At the end of the day, I don't know what's true, but I do know this - when you're in charge, you're responsible. You're responsible for the decisions you make. You're responsible for those you put in your organization to make decisions for you. You're responsible for the good times, and you're responsible for the bad times. Therefore, I'm going to agree with Irving Picard and say that the Wilpons should have known what was going on.

In baseball, we blame management all the time for bad decisions. Why did this pitcher not get pulled before giving up the game tying home run? Why would you sign this player to so much money and so many years with a history of inconsistency? All of these questions have answers based in research and decision-making by the appropriate leader. Well, when these people are wrong they pay the price.

The Wilpons are ultimately responsible for all these decisions. Why are we paying Ollie and Castillo so much money still? Omar Minaya made a bad decision and he was hired by the Wilpons. Why did Willie Randolph get fired in the middle of the night? Omar and the Wilpons made a bad decision. Why is the Mets' minor league system ranked 20th by Baseball America? Bad scouting hired by bad management hired by the Wilpons. Either these guys are bad with gut decisions or they are really bad at doing research properly. Either way, they are responsible.

When it comes to their involvement with Madoff, the same applies. Either these guys did not take the proper diligence researching what it was about Bernie that made him so magical with his returns or they thought wrongly with their gut. Either way, this is their fault for not making the right decision. I think all of it ties together - I mean, it's easy to see how someone who'd invest 15 mil per year in Oliver Perez without taking a closer look wouldn't look closer into an investment situation that seemed too good to be true. These guys are just not good at this and it's time for them to go.

As Mets fans, we've gone through a lot of rebuilding years. This looks to be another one. Looking at the success rate, it makes you wonder what the problem is. You can look at the one constant here - the ownership. So while it's not my place to talk about the legal matters of the Wilpon family and whether it be Donald Trump, Mark Cuban, Bobby V, or someone else coming in to own the team, I'll say my kool-aid I take away from this is that maybe the jinx will be gone soon. Maybe it's the Wilpon's karma that made Timo not run out that hit in the World Series, made Beltran miss that curve ball, made Castillo miss that popup. And maybe we'll have a real fresh start soon. Either way, we'll keep hoping the Mets can put together a good campaign with all this going on in the background and we'll keep pouring that kool-aid. Drink it up.

I'll Miss You, Ollie

2011-03-04T00:39:00.001-05:00

Mets fans love to complain about their team. I know this because I am a Mets fan who loves to complain about my team. This is not a knock on us, because we have had plenty of reason to express our frustration since 1986. Whether it is overpaid underachievers, late season collapses, un-inspiring managers, giant outfield walls, or broke owners, there is always something to draw the ire of us Mets fans.

Over the past few years, nothing has caused more complaining among Mets fans than the trials and tribulations of Oliver Perez. We all feel like Ollie stole tricked us into believing in him with a great 2006 NLCS, then proceeded to steal $36 million from our own wallets. He pitches horribly, acts like he doesn't care, and seemingly refuses to try to improve.

I don't want Ollie to be anywhere near the Citi Field, let alone in their starting rotation or bullpen. For the past four years, I have read Mets news hoping to see that he was traded, released, retired, or abducted by aliens.

So why was I happy to see that he pitched well yesterday in what was widely believed to be his last chance? With Ollie's Mets career finally on its deathbed, I realized that I will actually miss him a little bit when he's gone. Not because I think he can contribute to the team in any way other than as a waterboy, but because his terribleness has been a consistent source of conversation for Mets fans. When things have gone badly for the Mets we have always been able to make Ollie the scapegoat, either to have a laugh or because it was really true. No money to sign free agents? Blame Ollie's contract. The rotation is weak? Too bad Ollie didn't live up to his potential. No chemistry in the clubhouse? Ollie must be infecting his teammates with his bad attitude. Through thick and thicker, we could count on #46 to blame.

Soon enough Ollie will probably be released, if Collins and Alderson have half a brain and any sympathy for Mets fans. I will rejoice and call it the best Mets-related news in years. But once the dust settles and Ollie is really gone there will be a void.

Sure, the Mets have countless other major problems. But none will cause us to complain as much and for as long as Ollie did. And for that I will miss him.

Expectations Kool Aid Style: Could it happen? Why not? In fact, Count on it!

2011-03-02T10:09:00.000-05:00

It's so good to be back after the long winter without baseball. Every year for the past few years, I talk myself into not putting high expectations on the boys in blue and orange. Then something happens - I smell Spring break through the winter cold, put my winter coat in the closet, catch those Spring Training games on the radio randomly in the car or flipping through the channels on television, and next thing you know I'm telling myself that this is the year.

Well this off-season was a little different...sort of different. First off, there was a huge regime change which had me pulling out my copy of Money Ball to see if these were actually names I was recognizing. For the first time in a long time, we didn't sign any big time free agents as the team showed some restraint in making a move that could handicap us for seasons to come (no matter if it was just because there was no money to spend). Then, the Phillies made moves early on in the off-season to give them potentially one of the best rotations of all time to add to their already dangerous team (NOTE: It's Spring Training and we're all working off the rust - you can expect much more negative things about the Phillies from this blog as the season begins.) Finally, no one else was talking up the Mets as a contender as in years past - not even the Mets. There was nothing to raise my expectations irrationally.

Now here we are. Spring is starting to creep in, I didn't wear my winter coat today, yesterday I heard Steve Sommers talking about "Meet the Debts," I've been checking Spring Training box scores, I pulled out an old copy of MLB: The Show as I wait for the new edition to be available, and I'm starting to feel the Kool Aid start flowing through my veins. My expectations are growing and I'm trying to keep them in check, but in the words of Harry Doyle of Major League (I and II), "Look who we've got coming back!"

At the top of the list, you've got David Wright, Ike Davis, and Angel Pagan coming back to hopefully perform as well as they did last year if not better. They helped us see that Citi Field is not as cavernous and impossible to hit home runs out of as we may have originally thought. If the other guys in the lineup can do their part, it should help these guys even more and we could see big production.

Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, and Jason Bay seem like they are finally healthy to start a season and are ready to play to their potential. Reyes and Beltran are in contract years and they have more motivation than usual to have good seasons to secure a nice contract for the future. If these guys, especially Reyes, can get back to their form, people's eyes will open pretty quickly on what this team can be. With Jason Bay, you have to hope that he has a 2nd year with the Mets like Beltran did in '06 and that he's over the pressures of playing in the big city and the big Citi for that matter. Do I expect this to happen? Why shouldn't I?

Pitching is the big question mark it seems for this team. We've got a number of new-comers, some young guys that will hopefully break out, and a superstar ace on the shelf with no real timetable for return. KRod seems like he's got his head straight a bit. All I hear is how great Chris Young is as a leader, a hard worker, and someone who's going to thrive in Citi Field as he did in Petco Park for a number of years. Pelfrey has to take the next step and become a top pitcher in the NL like he did for part of last season. Niese needs to take the step that Pelfrey took last year from young hopeful to someone we need to rely on. RA Dickey needs to play like he did last season...period. New guys in the pen will have to step up to fill the shoes of guys like Pedro Feliciano from last year. Do I expect all these things to go right? Could Pelf become an ace, KRod get back to shutdown closer, and could Johan be back before the all-star break? Why not?

It's easy to have the reflex after so many seasons of let down to say, this team is going to be terrible. We didn't do anything this offseason, the Phillies are so great and in our division, we don't have Santana, wah wah wah. These are the people who want to start the season believing this so that when June rolls around and the Mets may be out of it already, they can just try to ignore baseball and look towards football season already. Where is the fun in that though?

There is potential here. This team could perform very well. There could be guys with no expectations that break out this season. On March 2nd last year, did we even hear the name RA Dickey anywhere? Who's to say Mejia and FMart won't actually be here. We're so used to everything so bad happening we don't think the same thing can happen in the other direction. My advice to you is take that wiff of Spring, put your winter coat away, and put some stock in this team. Because if you don't, when June rolls around and we're doing great and Johan is about to come back, I'm going to tell you, "I told you so."

I mean, why wouldn't you believe me. I'm the one that predicted successful seasons last year for Mike Jacobs and Gary Matthews Jr.. If I didn't, would we be in a different place now? Of course not, so take a sip of the Kool Aid and get positive folks. We've got a long season ahead. Drink it up!

Hope Springs Eternal...Even for the Mets

2011-02-28T18:43:00.005-05:00

Hope springs eternal.

For 29 of the 30 teams in Major League Baseball that annually-spoken phrase applies once again this March. Each of these 29 teams, if you listen to their fans and/or the national media, has a shot of being great, good, or least surprisingly competitive this season. Heck, in the past week I have read articles touting the Pirates and Diamondbacks, two teams that combined for over two hundred losses last year.

What’s the one team out of 30 that has no shot according to the critics, you ask? The New York Mets, of course.

While every other team is surrounded by some level of sunshine as spring training kicks off, the Mets are being followed by a consistent forecast of doom and gloom. All of the good will and optimism brought about by the regime change quickly dissipated in favor of the Madoff/Wilpon scandal, questions about the pitching staff, the return of fan favorites Ollie and Luis, and so on. Even the news that Carlos Beltran agreed to switch from center field to right, a move that Mets fans have been awaiting all winter, immediately went from a headline of “Beltran Takes One for the Team” to “Beltran Must Still be Hurt”. All of the above, combined with two collapses, two fourth place finishes, and countless embarrassments, makes it easy and understandable to doubt the Mets chances in 2011.

But it is our goal at Mets Kool Aid to find the silver lining hidden in the perpetual dark cloud, and that’s what we are going to do this spring (even if sometimes it’s tongue-in-cheek). While most see a patchwork rotation with little chance of succeeding, we see a group made of two young studs, a wily veteran, and plenty of high-upside options with a chance to hold down the fort until Johan Santana returns. While most predict another underachieving year from overpaid hitters, we see a well-rounded lineup that, if healthy, can score runs with the best of them. While most think the Mets will be stuck in years of mediocrity, we see talented and exciting young players like Davis, Niese, and others who can ignite the Mets for the next decade.

Basically, while everyone else has very low expectations of the Mets this year, we prefer to view the 2011 season as their chance to surprise the baseball world with nothing to lose. When big things were expected the Mets failed, so why can't the opposite happen this year when nothing is expected at all? We will try to help you see the silver lining, and if that never appears we will try to help you forget that the Mets are not very good.

If that doesn’t work either, we can at least all agree on one thing – Oliver Perez stinks.

Restoring Credibilty in 2011

2011-01-24T22:41:00.003-05:00

With the dreadful 2010 season now firmly in the past and blocked from our memories, we welcome you to a new year of Mets Kool-Aid. The upcoming season far from promises to bring a World Series trophy back to Flushing, but the regime overhaul and accompanying attitude change gave us hope that the Mets are finally heading back in the right direction.

For all forgettable marketing slogans and mantras the Mets have used in recent years – "We Believe in Comebacks", "Our Team, Our Time", and my personal favorite, "Prevention and Recovery", the choice for 2011 should be easy: "Restoring Credibility".

2011 is a chance for the Mets to restore credibility to an organization that badly needs it. Of course, racking up wins is the best way to do this, but since those may be somewhat hard to come by this year the Mets need to use 2011 as a step towards legitimacy up and down the organization. That means no more accusations of journalists aiming to steal anyone’s job, no more 3AM managerial firings, and certainly no more removing shirts and threatening to fight minor leaguers.

Those are the most extreme and bizarre examples of front office blunders over the past few years, but they contributed to a larger team culture that, from the outside looking in, appeared to be unprofessional. I know that players, not managers or executives, win baseball games, but witnessing their bosses make fools of themselves could not have had a positive effect on the Mets players.

So far, the Mets seem to be on the right path towards remedying this situation, and it all starts at the top. From what I have read, new GM Sandy Alderson comes across as a no-nonsense leader who handles himself in the media very well. His hiring of two valued assistants, J.P. Ricciardi and Paul DePodesta, show that Alderson is committed to not only making the organization smarter but also more respected in the eyes of the baseball world.

We all know that wins solve all problems, and whether or not this organizational attitude makeover leads to more Mets wins remains to be seen. After all, essentially the same group of players that finished fourth last season will be back this year. But restoring credibility to the team can only help, and hopefully will trickle down in some way to the players. Hopefully by 2012 , if not sooner, the Mets slogan will Credible AND Amazin' Again.

Say No to Rebuilding

2010-08-22T22:31:00.006-04:00

In New York, the term "rebuild" is usually as accepted by sports fans as "gridlock" and "train delay" are by commuters. Yet with the Mets in the midst of yet another free fall, that hated term has turned into the word du jour among Mets fans and the media alike. Even Alex Cora, upon his release, essentially accused Mets management of secretly harboring a 2-3 year rebuilding plan.

However, despite two collapses followed by two inept seasons, the Mets should NOT enter rebuilding mode this off season. Truly rebuilding would mean scrapping some or all of the foundation of the team, also known as David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Johan Santana. While none of these three stars have lived up to their extremely high expectations in Flushing, or more importantly brought home a ring, it would be impossible to net a return that would come even close to matching the production that each provides. All four are top five players at their positions and would be coveted by just about any team, yet no team would be able or willing to part with a fair price. Trading any, even Beltran, for prospects would set the Mets back and provide no guarantee of a bright future.

The fact of the matter is that the currently constituted Mets roster SHOULD be good enough to compete next year with just a few tweaks, making a total rebuilding effort unnecessary. On offense, I think we can expect Jason Bay to perform much closer to his past and Angel Pagan to revert just a little from his career year. With those and Wright, plus hopefully fully healthy versions of Beltran and Reyes, the Mets will enter 2011 with about as fearsome a lineup as the NL has to offer. Thole and Tejada can't be expected to do much, but they can help provide some of the youth injection that supporters of a rebuilding effort are hoping for.

Pitching- wise, the Mets again SHOULD only need one or two tweaks. The bullpen could certainly use some substantial help, but the rotation has proven it is up there with the best. Rather than getting rid of any of the existing rotation parts, the Mets should be seeking a legitimate number two starter to bolster what is already a solid staff. Trading Santana or even R.A. Dickey for prospects would be like playing Russian roulette.

So call it koolaid, or just call me crazy, but I am not ready to give up on this Mets roster for the faint hope that rebuilding provides. The Mets have four all-stars in their prime, and a combination of both younger and older supporting parts that can prove very valuable. Sure, some changes must be made both on the roster in the front office, but a total rebuilding effort does not make sense. In the end it may not work out, but at least we'll know that the Mets went for it with the best players possible rather than just hoping for the best down the road.

Different Ways to End the Season

2010-08-17T10:19:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone enjoyed the Garbage Juice posts from last week. I know our friends in Atlanta, Philadelphia, and across town in NYC definitely did. Now, where do we stand? The Mets are not mathematically out of the equation, good pitching, terrible hitting, turmoil in the bullpen and a fan base calling for the heads of the Owner, GM, and Manager. There are a lot of ways the end of this season can go that will influence the offseason of both this team and the way the fans feel. In the interest of staying positive and pouring you some of that koolaid now (although most of your koolaid is probably turning green and white or blue and red at this point), here are some things that could happen as the season closes that I know would make me feel better:

1. The Mets' starters continue to put up excellent starts on a consistent basis.
Since July 1st, the Mets starting rotation (with the exception of Mike Pelfrey and a bunch of 5th starter fill-ins) has had a 1.88, 2.79, and 1.96 ERA for Santana, Niese, and Dickey respectively. What is the combined record of those starters during that time? 9 wins and 8 losses. Amid all the talks of getting another starter down the stretch as the trade deadline approached, you certainly can't blame the starters we had for the team falling off after June. And, while Pelf has struggled the second half of this season after a great first half, he's shown up his last couple starts and looks to have the confidence and command back that he had early on. Going into next season with these guys and adding a legitimate 2 or 3 starter would make this rotation a formidable one.

2. Mets hitting bounces back after a terrible summer.
After David Wright was named NL Player of the Month in June, there hasn't been much to talk about at all offensively with this club. Last year injuries were the excuse, but this year there really are no excuses. As the trade deadline approached, it was hard to find on paper a lot of places that the Mets could improve their lineup. So what is the problem? Well, I guess if I could tell you that, I'd be doing more than writing this blog. But, these are players that have been all-stars before. They need to find their stride and perform not after working hard this offseason, but now, or the Mets need to makes some changes. You'll hear things like a vocal leader is needed. You'll hear the Mets need to stop pressing. How about they start by just swinging at strikes? Either way, this has been an ingredient that's made the kool-aid go sour. However, there's still a month and a half left. If even just a couple of these players can bounce back to end the season (preferably Reyes and Wright) it could be infectious. I'm not sure how they'll do it, but if the Mets can start hitting like they did in June through the end of August and September, everyone will feel much better going into next year with a lineup that's probably not going to get much help from the front office.

3. The Mets will finish the season over .500
At 59-59 right now, it's not even close to impossible. More or less, if the above two points happen, this one will too. The hope would be that Mets fans remember their tempered expectations coming into this season and realize the Mets actually would meet most people's preseason expectations with 82-83 wins. This was supposed to be the year we didn't get our hopes up and get crushed. We got lulled into thinking this was the year again and here we sit disappointed. If the Mets can muster up more wins than losses, hopefully we get back some positive feeling.

4. The Mets will cut Ollie and Castillo and fire Omar Minaya and/or Jerry Manuel
As I read back the first 3 points, I just got more depressed. Hell yeah, they may happen. I want to believe. I do believe. This is kool-aid after all right? But what if it doesn't happen. People need to be held accountable for the mess this season has become. Why did we have those tempered expectations going into this season? We kind of saw this coming. Ollie Perez, John Maine, Luis Castillo, not knowing when Beltran would be back - all of these things had big question marks. You hear a lot in the media now, it's not that the Mets don't spend money, it's that they don't spend it wisely. Well, I'd have to blame that solely on the GM here. I'm not to the point that I think this is Jerry's fault (although I think Bobby V would manage the hell out of Jose Reyes). I do think the Mets needs someone new at the reigns when it comes to player personnel. I also think that Ollie and Castillo are becoming team cancers. Castillo came out the other day saying he should be playing everyday. Guess what Luis, you shouldn't. When you limp into 2nd to break up a double play, have no chance of hitting a ball out of the infield, and can't get to grounders, your time is done. Moves like this help to change the feeling in the clubhouse and maybe that's what the Mets need.

No matter what, there will be a next year. It's something I've learned throughout my life as a Mets fan...usually around this time of year. Next year brings rebirth, new opportunities, and the hope for change. However, when you've been consistently beaten into the ground, you need a little push to get to that hope. This season may be just about over, but there's still time to give everyone that hope. This team is capable of doing it. Finish this season with our heads held high, hope none of the teams we hate win, and let's get 'em next year. Drink it up.

Garbage Juice: Another World Series Championship? YOU'RE PHULL OF IT!

2010-08-11T22:39:00.005-04:00

At the risk of stirring up the cosmic forces that can cause a Mets fan's worst nightmare to come true in October, we are here to tell you why the Mets biggest rivals will fall short in their quest for 2010 World Series rings. In this final installment of Garbage Juice, I will explain why the Phillies will end up as losers this season.

As a Mets fan, I know a bad road team when I see one. The Phillies certainly fit the bill. They are under .500 with a run differential of minus 22 when playing away from Citizens Bank Park. Sure, they can pile on the runs at a stadium that is no bigger than the wiffle ball diamond at Citi Field. But those lazy pop-ups don't leave the yard at normal ballparks, which is why the Phillies home run happy lineup is not the same away from their home bandbox. The Reds, Giants and Padres, each of whom will be competing with the Phillies for a playoff spot, are all above average teams on the road. Winning on the road separates the contenders from the pretenders, and we know which category the Phillies fall into this year.

If the Phillies do find a way to make the playoffs, they will be lead into battle by a player who has never experienced playoff baseball. That's right, the great Roy Halladay has been a spectator like the rest of us in each of his twelve big league seasons. The rest of the Phillies roster is fraught with postseason mileage, but that won't mean anything if Halladay does his best Byung-Hyun Kim impression in Game 1 of a series and gets knocked out quicker than K-Rod's father in law. It's one thing to throw a perfect game against the Marlins in May; it's quite another to do it when your season is on the line.

If all else fails, we can always count on good old karma to put up a roadblock in the Phillies journey for a championship. So far this season, the Phillies have received three extra home games from MLB (quite a gift for a bad road team) and were caught using binoculars to spy on opposing pitchers. Then there are the Phillies fans, who deserve to celebrate a World Series about as much as Ollie Perez deserves $12 million. Whether they are vomiting on little kids or getting tasered on the field, Phillies fans have surely drawn the ire of the baseball gods.

So while the Mets' season my be disintegrating, we can at least find joy in the fact that there will be no parades in Philadelphia this year. A stacked lineup will not be enough to overcome the rigors of winning on the road or the postseason inexperience of their best player. But even if it does, a team cheered on by a serial puker has to fall short before the ultimate goal.

When all is said and done, the 2010 Phillies will be remembered more for the antics off the field then what they accomplished on it.

Drink it up. And make sure to keep it down.

Garbage Juice: Yankee Repeat? Fugetaboutit!!!

2010-08-11T10:47:00.002-04:00

Well, it appears that the Braves faithful came out in droves yesterday to see why their team is not going to win this season with a record day for traffic on the blog. Let's see if Yankee fans can beat that today. I have no doubt they can check in on their iPhone 4s, iPads, Blackberries, the dashboard of their BMWs, or whatever other silver-spoon piece of technology they can afford now that gets internet. That said, let's jump into the reason that the Yankees are not repeating as World Series champions this season.

Looking at this team on paper, they look like a straight up lock for a repeat. I mean, I was actually thinking about this the other day. Just about every player that starts for the Yankees is a fantasy baseball starter - that's impressive. What's more impressive? If you tried, you wouldn't be able to get every Yankee player on your fantasy roster because they'd be taken before you could take all of them in a draft - that's really impressive. Do fantasy stats win championships though? Nope. You can't be afraid of a Yankee team because it's filled with stars. Look at 2001 through 2009 - great teams, lots of stars, good regular season success, but no role players, and most of all, no championships.

Last year the team was able to put it all together and win one - why? They had the desire to finally prove everyone wrong. They don't have that this year.After last season, everyone forgets that the reason that the team won so many championships in the late 90s was because of home grown talent and good role players - guys like the core 4, Scott Brosius, Mike Stanton, El Duque, Bernie Williams, etc. Now, it's all players that have been bought. This is an old argument, but it serves still as a good reminder that this team is not the team of the late 90s, it's still a team of egos and businessmen brought in because of their performance elsewhere. It will get you wins all season, but unless you can put it together in the post-season, it doesn't matter. The one thing they had going for them last year was that they hadn't won one in a while - now they don't have that.

Also, while this team has put together wins, they are severely under-performing this season. A first place record can often cause people to gloss over the performances of the individual players. Derek Jeter, the new Mother Teresa of sports and poster boy captain, is skating by with a .276 average and little power at this point. A-Rod and Texiera have lots of RBIs but not much else. Robbie Cano has had an awesome year, but when your average drops from the .360s to the .330s, it's from a drop in production (.276 batting average in July). And I just can't trust all of the pitching. CC is good but after that (and after he matches up with David Price who can throw 100MPH on his 100th pitch) you have AJ Burnett and his ERA of almost 5, Phil Hughes who's had a terrible 2nd half (2-3 4.88 ERA since the break), Javy Vazquez who has an ERA of almost 5, and Andy Pettite who was doing great until an injury which is just showing he's still good but old and can't keep going this late in the season. Mariano is still there and untouchable but the rest of the pen is marginal at best.

So, sit back in your $2500 seats Yankee fans. Gear up for those playoffs. Be confident. But, don't forget that the Sox and the Rays are not out of this yet, their teams hate you, they are getting healthier, and they are getting hungry for a championship because they haven't just won one. So, keep making fun of us over in Queens, and we'll be there to remind you, 2nd place is just first loser.

Again, Spiteful? Yes. Kinda convoluted? Yes. Does it make me feel better? A little.

Drink it up.

Garbage Juice: Atlanta Is Brave to Think They Even Have a Shot

2010-08-10T10:26:00.000-04:00

Here's our first installment of Garbage Juice and I thought we'd start off with a team that I've hated for a long time - the Atlanta Braves. Ever since the Braves joined the NL East, they have been a force and a team Mets fans have unfortunately had to be jealous of for a long time. All through the 90s and early 2000s, we could never beat them, they had the unstoppable pitching staff, and you know how much everyone in NYC loves Larry Jones. While they've been absent from the post-season for a few years now, it does look like the Bravos are going to make it back to October baseball. Does this matter? No. Why? Same old Braves - no World Series for them.

In the Braves historic run of playoff teams from 1991-2005, they won a single championship in 14 post-season chances. That's terrible. Well, you might say that those teams are not this team and this new team is young and ready to blast into legitimacy again. I say, this team isn't all that different than those from that 14 year span.

First, you have the exact same manager. Bobby Cox may be loved by the Atlanta faithful, but in my house, we've been waiting for him to trip and fall when running out to the dugout to yell at an umpire for years. The guy has been thrown out of more games than any manager in the majors. That's not as important as the fact that while his teams win, they don't win championships. At some point, that comes down to managing. This is Cox's last season as he's announced his retirement. It would be pretty fitting that while this team is making a run for a championship that they fall short as Bobby has always done.

Next, this team does have a pretty good pitching staff like the dominant staffs of the 90s and early 00s Braves. Sure, it's not Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz, Avery, etc., but Tim Hudson is pitching lights out this year, Tommy Hanson and Jair Jurrjens are excellent young players, Derek Lowe is pretty good for a 4th starter, and you don't really need a 5th guy in the playoffs. Well, like I said, these guys are good, but they're not the big time starters of Braves teams past. Tim Hudson has a career ERA of almost 4 in the playoffs, Hanson and Jurrjens have no experience, and while Lowe has had some success in the post-season, he's 37 now and is not the same guy that pitched in Boston or even LA. And the question comes to mind, if a rotation full of hall of famers can't get it done, how is this rotation?

Finally, Larry Jones, my least favorite player of all time. As someone who has killed the Mets year after year for most of the time I've watched baseball regularly, it's been a pleasure watching him get old and fade into the sunset. At the end of the day, Larry's batting in the mid-.200s and has 10 home runs this year. I'm pretty sure no one is scared anymore and no one outside of Atlanta cares either. He should probably retire after this season and go on a bicycle tour of America with Bobby Cox where they can hold hands and reminisce about how they couldn't win more than one championship with so many opportunities.

So, with all that, this team is a lot like the old Braves teams. There are some new additions in Prado, Heyward, etc, but that doesn't seem like enough to carry this team to a championship in 2010. The Braves will just float into the playoffs, get knocked out early, and then next year settle back to the middle of the pack in the NL East as the Mets rise to the top.

Spiteful? Yes. Kinda convoluted? Yes. Does it make me feel better? A little.

Drink it up.

Garbage Juice: Trash Talk is the New Kool-Aid

2010-08-09T10:38:00.001-04:00

Well, as much as we've poured over this season, things are not looking good for the orange and blue my friends. We've stayed positive on our team all season, kept hope as long as possible, and while a late late run is not impossible, it's improbable after dropping 2 of 3 to both the Phils and Braves in the last week. With that said, there is still kool-aid to drink. While the Mets may be done, misery loves company and we're here to keep a baseball smile on your face for the rest of the season through the failure of our enemies.

Enter Garbage Juice - the anti-koolaid for some of our least favorite teams. Sure it may have a bitter taste, but nothing's more bitter than watching your most hated ball clubs jumping all over each other (gross), spraying champagne, and winning championships while your team decides what club to use on the 9th fairway. We unfortunately learned this first hand last October.

Over the next few days, we're going to tell you why the Braves, Phillies, and Yankees, while poised for a playoff run are not going to win the World Series this year. So, get ready for spite, get ready for a little bit of ridiculousness, get ready for a little bit of hilarity, and keep drinking.

Ya STILL Gotta Believe

2010-08-04T00:15:00.005-04:00

Two days ago I swore I would take a break from the Mets. Watching them lose games in lifeless fashion was bad enough. Reading about it in the newspaper and seeing the highlights on Sportscenter just added insult to injury. I love the Mets, and am always willing to pour a glass of koolaid, but it was getting to be just too much.

Then last night I accidentally flipped to SNY in the top of the 9th, just in time to see Jeff Francoeur’s tie breaking home run against the Braves. As Michael Corleone once said, “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”

Such is the life of a Mets fan. We watch our team get pinned against the ropes and swear that this is the last straw. Then we get excited when they throw a counter punch, believing there is still a chance to come out on top. But it almost always ends in disappointment as we see the Mets take that final knockout blow.

In recent times alone the Mets have excelled at delivering that ultimately fruitless counter punch. Ventura came through with the grand slam single and then Rogers walked in the winning run the next game. Endy made the miraculous catch and then Yadier went yard a few minutes later. Santana pitched an absolute gem in game 161 and then they blew a playoff spot in game 162. The list starts in 1962 and goes on and on.

Yet there is also a very, very short list of exceptions that have kept Mets fans believing to this day. In ’69 they came from nowhere and actually hung on to win it all. In ’86 they got the Buckner miracle in Game 6 and still managed to win Game 7 too.

Hopefully Francoeur’s blast can eventually, in some small way, join that short list. It got our hopes up just a bit, and now we fully expect to see those faint hopes dashed quickly. Yet maybe this will be another exception to the Mets’ rules and last night’s win will prove to be the spark the team needed to go on a miraculous run. We have seen the 2010 Mets run off big winning streaks before, so despite their recent poor play we know it can be done. What better way to catapult that run than with a comeback victory and 3 or 4 follow-up wins against the Braves and Phillies, the teams that the Mets are chasing.

When Francoeur returned to the dugout, his teammates greeted him with the enthusiasm usually seen in a playoff game. Let’s hope that thanks to last night’s win we witness that scene again, only this time it’s in October. It's about time that a Mets counter punch knocked out their opponent.

The Mets Are Confident, So You Should Be Too!

2010-08-03T16:06:00.002-04:00

In case you had lost faith in the Mets, reading these quotes will make you cancel those vacation plans you made for October:

“We’re confident. I’m confident,” said Johan Santana.

“We’re very fortunate in the spot we’re in because we haven’t played good baseball. That’s the hope that we have, we haven’t played good baseball and we’re still in this thing. And if we could boom, run off 30 or 40 games of good baseball we’ve got a real good shot,” said Jerry Manuel

The good news is that Johan, Jerry and the gang are still confident. And why shouldn’t they be? Sure, the Mets have tumbled to fourth place and cannot seem to hit, pitch, and field well all in the same game anymore. But this is still a good team, or so we’ve been told countless times by players and management.

As Jerry says, all it takes is a “boom” to get this team off and running. I’m assuming that “boom” involves something like Bay finally going on a power surge. Or it could be Beltran returning to all-star form. Maybe it’s Pelfrey pitching like he was two months ago. I don’t know for sure what is necessary to get that “boom” going for 30 or 40 games, but if Jerry makes it sound easy it must be so.

The bad news is that if the Royals or Indians ran off 30 or 40 good games they too might have a good shot at the playoffs, so that’s not really saying much. But I bet the players on those teams aren’t confident like Mr. Santana. More realistic, maybe, but being realistic doesn’t get you to October.

Confidence does, and the Mets are full of it.

A Little Kool-Aid Left in the Pitcher?

2010-08-02T11:33:00.001-04:00

We've been pouring you the Mets Kool-Aid since the beginning of the season at this point, and even as it got watered down, we've been able to add in a little more mix, shake it up, and pour you another glass. Well, there's only a little bit of mix left, and we're going to use it all right here because these next 6 games are going to be the most important ones of the season.

The only way the Mets are going to jump back into the mix is to make up some games in the standings directly. Right now the Mets are 6.5 games back on the Braves and are tied for 3rd with Florida. That means with sweeps of the Phils and Braves, the Mets could end up right back in the mix just a couple games out of first. Of course, you say, well what are the chance we sweep these teams? We're not saying it's going to happen, but if it ever was, now is the time.

We're said it over an over again - this team is streaky, there is potential, the Braves have to lose at some point, etc etc etc. Well, the Phils are retooled and the Braves show no signs of weakness. No more excuses, no more spinning win or go home.

The team seems to realize the gravity of the situation according to a few sources:

"Simply put, Mets season on the line this week in Atlanta and Philly. Players know it, too." -Kevin Burkhardt via twitter

"We're positive heading into this week." -David Wright to reporters yesterday

This teams sees it now, this is the team, no moves, no trades, no firings, they're on their own. It's playing for the season now. If it doesn't work out, there will be plenty of 2011 Kool-Aid to be poured, but for now, it's 2010 or bust.

I'd love to go pick up a new pack of Kool-Aid with more autumn orange than the blues of a season ending, but it's up to this team to step up and win now. If they can't, we'll be ready to pour you a glass on why 2011 could be the year of the Met.

R.A. Saves the Day

2010-07-30T00:53:00.006-04:00

Readers of Mets Kool-Aid know that we have loved R.A. Dickey from the very start of his Mets career. In fact we surmised that the R.A. stood for "Ridiculously Awesome", only to be disappointed to later find out that it was really Robert Alan.

While Dickey was previously just a good story and seemingly destined to be a flash in the pan, he has recently developed into so much more. In the past week alone R.A. has emerged as a true leader of the 2010 Mets, in addition to being one of their best and most consistent pitchers.

That leadership began to shine through two starts ago when Dickey was unceremoniously pulled from the mound due to an alleged injury in the midst of a great performance. After years of watching the the fragile minds and bodies of Oliver Perez and John Maine, Mets fans probably expected to see Dickey walk quietly to the dugout once Manuel took the ball. But while most 35 year old journeymen with 61 career starts would have done just that, R.A. furiously plead his case to stay in the game and even won the argument for a few minutes before finally getting yanked. He knew that the Mets were struggling mightily and needed him to stay in the game. It was a fire that we have not seen from any current Met other than Johan Santana.

Fast forward to yesterday, when the Mets again needed Dickey to step up and stop the bleeding. After losing an absolute heartbreaker the night before with Santana getting shelled, it was as much of a must win game as you can have in July. All Dickey did was bounce back from his "injury" and respond with 8 innings of shutout ball and a win against a solid Cardinals lineup. On the day that the Phillies acquired Roy Oswalt, a loss would have been even more devastating, but R.A. would not let that happen.

Dickey's impact was not only limited to the mound. After the game, he made everyone think twice about giving up on the season just yet: “I’ve got to tell you, you can say a lot of things about the 2010 New York Mets, but you don’t ever say we don’t play hard. I mean, look at Angel Pagan's uniform and Jose Reyes after a 13–inning heartbreaker last night, coming off a 2–9 road trip. We don’t give up, and we’re not going to give up… These guys don’t give up and it’s an honor to be on the team.”

With those words, Dickey officially elevated himself to fan-favorite status and Mets leader. Hopefully he can be the Mets' version of Tim Wakefield for the next five or so years. If the rest of the Mets can think and play like him, they may be able to make 2010 memorable instead of just looking forward to the future.

Playoffs?!!! You're Talkin' About Playoffs?!!! I STILL Believe

2010-07-28T10:55:00.002-04:00

Well the return to Citi Field has (after one game) ended up being exactly what Mets fans were looking for. Not only did we see pop off the bats with the Mets but in a game where the Mets scored runs, we saw an excellent pitching performance as well. There have only been 2 games since the beginning of July where the Mets have both given up 3 or less runs and scored 5 runs or more - and they've both come within the last 4 games. Is this a sign of things to come? Or is this just a mild flare up in an otherwise disappointing second half? Well, I was reading Metsblog.com yesterday and saw a post by Matt Cerrone on New York media talking points, and it was just mix I needed to brew up some more kool-aid for all of you. That's right, I'm saying it here - despite a real down road trip - THIS SEASON IS NOT OVER.

Look at the Mets' history - while it has plenty of disappointments, it's riddled with comeback stories. Look at our most successful teams and taglines - the Miracle Mets, "I Believe," etc. Late season heroics and comebacks are a part of our history and this year doesn't have to be any different. It's at this point always that Mets fans start talking about firing coaches, firing GMs, and the cheapness of the Wilpons. We've seen this team have talent this season and we know their potential with this manager, these GMs, and these owners...this season! Just like the Mets have lost 7 of their last 10, we've seen them this season win 9 of 10 games. With the fire we saw in the bats last night, a comeback in the standings is not out of order.

With 30% of the season left, changing GMs or even the coaching staff isn't going to make the difference. This is not an instance of the Mets outwardly showing they don't want to play for Jerry Manuel. Also, getting rid of Omar may be the right move for the future, but bringing in someone right now isn't going to be the deciding factor on making a move. Winning is.

How is this team going to win? Getting Ted Lilly isn't going to make the Mets better every day. Are we going to get a big bat? Where would they play? Unless you're getting a second baseman or a catcher, there's not much space in this lineup right now. No, this team has a good lineup already. This team has a rotation that can be successful. What needs to happen is to be patient, wait for the Mets to get out of the weeds here. The Mets are going to win if Carlos Beltran starts hitting, if David Wright and Jose Reyes get out of their funks, if K-Rod can come in an close out games, and if Mike Pelfrey can regain his confidence from the beginning of the year. August is still a time when players can be gotten if need be, but this team needs to not only make the front office believe that 2010 isn't over. It's not just the fans that need to believe either. They Mets need to believe it themselves, and more games like last night will do that.

So, here we sit in limbo. I'm not saying this team is going to make the playoffs, but I'm not going to say this season is over yet either. I've seen too much fight and success out of this team to give it up yet with more than 2 solid months of play left to go. As Mets fans, we've been programmed (especially after 2007-2009) to immediately give up so we don't get our hearts broken again. It's not time for that now. It used to be "I Believe," well I say, "I STILL Believe." Put that in your cup and drink it!

PS - Speaking of being down and out before. In this game...it looked like a season was over too...but then this happened. (Thought this might perk everyone's Mets spirit)

Jerry's Juice: Home Cookin' Edition

2010-07-27T10:39:00.000-04:00

In case you didn’t hear, the Mets just wrapped up an 11 game road trip that didn’t go so well. But in times of despair we can always count on a little Jerry’s Juice to ease the pain and envision greener pastures. Jerry Manuel had this to say before finally escaping the unforgiving west coast:

“By the time we cross over the Mississippi, hopefully we'll leave all these bats here. Everything that we brought with us, we'll leave it right here, get home and get our stuff together."

"I feel that our ballpark -- despite what people say -- we feel that it's a hitting park.”

Don’t turn the lights out on the season just yet, Mets fans. The Mets may have been smoked out west, but according to Jerry there is still reason to be optimistic about the season.

First of all, as Jerry declared, the team will be leaving everything in LA. Hopefully he was not just speaking metaphorically and will actually leave behind anything associated with hitting. That includes bats, batting gloves, and maybe even some of the batters themselves

More importantly the Mets are now returning home to Citi Field, where they have played brilliantly all year. You may think that Jerry is crazy for calling Citi Field a hitters park After all it is ranked 28th in ESPN.com’s Park Factors Run index (I don’t know what that means but it sounds bad) and the Mets have actually scored more runs away than home this year.

But that is beside the point because Citi Field is indeed the perfect place for this Mets lineup to wake up from their offensive slumber. The Mets are 30-16 at home, in large part because the hitters have adjusted so well to their home park. As a team they are hitting .270 with a .757 OPS, compared to just .239 and .663 on the road. We all know that as Jose Reyes goes so goes the offense, and Jose is hitting .325 at home (compared to .237 away). Throw in Pagan’s .325, Wright’s .318, and Ike’s .298 and it’s easy to envision the Mets beginning to rake again this week. Heck, even Jason Bay has put up respectable numbers in Flushing. And now Carlos Beltran will get his first taste of home cooking this year.

So while the last two weeks were dreadful, the Mets are heading home at the perfect time. If the offense can get hot this week and stay hot heading into Atlanta and Philly, we will have an August and September to remember.

Jerry believes, and so should you.

To Trade or Not to Trade?

2010-07-23T10:02:00.000-04:00

That is the question. As the Mets have hit a pretty big slide on this road trip, a big decision is going to need to be made before the trade deadline over the next couple weeks. Our current poll asks all of you which starter the Mets should get with a trade, but today, we need to look at whether it even makes sense for the Mets to trade for anyone at this point. On one hand, no one wants to trade for a rental or a pitcher at the expense of prospects that can be good for the future. On the other hand, this team could get hot at any point in a league and division where nothing is fully decided yet. Naturally, we'll pour you the kool-aid on both, because no matter what Omar decides, this team only has room for improvement.

Making a trade is something I've personally been calling for through the hot month of June and the so-so month of July as the Mets were in a position to not only win the wild card, but catch the Braves for the NL East. Right now we find the Mets 7.5 games back of the Braves (3rd place) in the NL East and 4 games out of the Wild Card in the NL (6th place). While this isn't an ideal situation, it's one that's definitely surmountable with a big run of wins - especially at this point in the season.

The one thing I can't get out of my head is the Colorado Rockies in September 2007. As much as I really don't like to remember late September 2007, the Rockies' 14-1 run to end the season starting on September 16th that put them in a position to make the playoffs and go on to make the World Series. We know this Mets team has been streaky all year. There have been stretches like the one this team is in right now and there have been stretches that we obviously remember where it seemed like this team can't lose. It's hard to believe the Mets can get back to that, but I think a lot of that has to do with being at a low point right now. With a trade for a good starter, the Mets put themselves in a position to not only have a good rotation for a run like Colorado's, but also to have success if they got into the playoffs.

Most people will point to an ice cold offense and say that a trade for a pitcher isn't going to do anything for that, but like I said, this is a streaky team. There is one difference between the streaks earlier this season and the potential for one now - now, everyone is healthy. In the past, the streaks have been a result of the Mets playing above their potential. At this point, all they have to do is be as good as they SHOULD be and a run of wins could work. You'd hate for that to happen and have a gap in your rotation.

At the same time, everyone's always talking about prospects and not wanting to let them go for nothing. We've gone on and on on this blog about how you can't trust prospects until they do something for you and have also cited bad trades in the past, but there's something to be said for having home grown talent in the waiting. Guys like Jenry Mejia, Josh Thole, Fernando Martinez, and many others are doing well in the minors or even in cups of coffee chances in the majors. When you think about the current team and how it's still young, then think about adding top prospects like those, you have to get a little giddy about the Mets' future.

Another thing to think about is expectations. After the 2009 debacle and going into this season, everyone was calling for the Mets to be just around and maybe a bit above .500. Even without a trade, the Mets can definitely be in the mix at the end and could compete for a record to meet those expectations. It was just the hot streaks and the mediocre play of the NL this year that has Mets fans clamoring for a piece for the rotation. Maybe it's time to readjust our expectations again and get excited for next year.

Speaking of next year, I've been thinking a lot of the 2005 season before the almost-magical season of 2006. It was very similar to where we stand today. Sparkles of being a good team, small pieces missing, low expectations, and hope for the future from the previous season's let down were all things we were feeling in 2005. Then in 2006, it seemed like everything clicked. Our new piece in Carlos Beltran blew up and we could see the same from a more comfortable Jason Bay next year. We can get a key free agent like we did with Carlos Delgado, except in this off-season, we could add an arm or two to the pitching staff. Jose Reyes and David Wright started realizing their full star potential in 2006 just like Ike Davis and Jon Niese could do next year. Plus, in 2011, Carlos Beltran will be in a contract year and we all know how he performed down the stretch for Houston the last time he had one of those. Combine that with the prospect talent that's expected to come up by next season and 2011 could be the season 2006 should have been.

It's hard to tell what the Mets should do. Luckily, there are great chances for the Mets to succeed no matter what they decide. The one thing you'll know for sure is that there will be plenty of kool-aid to go around. Drink it up!

The Speech

2010-07-21T22:57:00.007-04:00

In Hoosiers Gene Hackman's told his team to be the "best that you can be". Denzel urged his players to "respect each other" and "play this game like men" in Remember the Titans. Pacino compared football to life as a "game of inches" in Any Given Sunday.

Now, thanks to Alex Cora, the words "A little respect please. They stuck it up our ass!" will live on in sports motivation lore.

Cora's words of wisdom came when the Mets were laughing it up following Tuesday's brutal loss. Why is this good news for Mets fans? Because anyone who has ever seen a sports movie knows that the inspirational locker room speech ALWAYS sparks a team turnaround. And now that Cora has spoken, there is every reason to believe the Mets season will follow the same path as the teams in those movies.

With the Mets scuffling lately, Cora's outburst was a much needed wake up call. In fact, it has already begun to have it's desired effects. Unconfirmed sources reported that Mets players and coaches broke into a slow clap immediately after hearing the speech. Those same sources say the Mets came onto the field for yesterday's warm-ups chanting "We are the Metropolitans, the mighty mighty Metropolitans!" just like those Titans did.

Additionally, Mike Pelfrey stopped licking his hand and remembered how to pitch again. Oliver Perez even thought for a second about finally accepting that demotion to the minor leagues.

Even if those things didn't happen, "The Speech" will be remembered as the turning point of the 2010 Mets season. It takes a day to sink in, but look for the team to get back on track in Los Angeles. Thanks to Alex Cora, the Mets will no longer allow teams to stick anything anywhere.

P.S. We were so inspired by Cora that yesterday we bought the domain www.metskoolaid.com. Check back soon for more great changes to the blog!

Jerry's Juice

2010-07-21T07:51:00.001-04:00

Last night's game was another disappointing loss in a string of many at this point, but Jerry Manuel is back to serve some Kool-Aid in our stead to reassure us once more that all teams lose and sometimes you can't help it. After the game, Jerry had this to say:

“Maybe the young pitcher had something to do with it, too,” Manuel said. “He threw some sharp breaking balls for strikes that we didn’t seem to have a good feel for it. I believe that this lineup can get it done."

So not to worry Metropolitan fans, this is not an issue of under-performance by our club against a terrible ball club with a losing record, but really just an unfortunate coincidence of running into a young pitcher that they've never faced before. To Barry Enright's credit, he's done pretty well in his 4 career starts, but last night seemed to be his breakout game going longer than 5.2 innings for the first time with a career high 8 K's. How can you expect the Mets to win against a guy like that?

Hopefully tonight, the Mets will be able to salvage another series by preventing a road sweep as they did in San Francisco over the weekend. Tonight they face off against Dan Haren. While Haren is generally one of the top pitchers in the league, he's struggled a bit this season. On top of that, the Mets should feel some confidence as, unlike the situation with Enright last night, the Mets have faced Haren 5 times (4 of which were starts). Haren has a 1-0 record but a career 3.77 ERA against the Mets. They should be very comfortable hitting against him and get the win before they move onto LA where a probable sweep is in store to even out the series and put the Mets on a roll before heading home...you didn't think we'd let Jerry pour the only Kool-Aid today did you? Drink it up!

Pelf Struggles Kool-Aid: Now We Need a Trade

2010-07-20T08:28:00.000-04:00

There is no Kool-Aid to deny, Mike Pelfrey is struggling right now, and last night's performance was a big exclamation point on that statement. Pelfrey only lasted 1.1 innings last night against a terrible Arizona Diamondbacks team giving up 6 earned runs on 7 hits and seeing his season ERA head above 4 for the first time this season. Earlier this season, we considered Pelf the New York Mets' ace at times, but without lasting longer than 4.2 innings in 4 consecutive starts and an era above 6 during that time, it's time for a team that's going to be on the bubble for the playoffs to make a move. If the Mets make a move, it could be the bright side of this whole Pelfrey fall from grace.

Between his second half performances of past seasons and his recent starts, Johan Santana has shown he's ready for a great second half of 2010. RA Dickey and Jon Niese have continued to be consistent pieces in the rotation, but can't realistically or fairly be considered #2 starters. Pelf is the #2 right now and we've seen his potential to have that spot, but inconsistency is not something a playoff team can afford out of their 2 spot in the rotation. Plus the luster of Hisanori Takahashi in the 5 spot has worn away long ago. This is a rotation dynamic now begging for a trade. Even with Cliff Lee out of the picture, the Mets have plenty of options and a true #2 pitcher would put some completion on this rotation. Moving everyone back one spot in the rotation (aside from Johan) puts everyone in a spot they can achieve without having to overachieve. (Anyone even thinking about Ollie Perez for this role at this point should just stop reading and put down their glass of Kool-Aid, you've drank too much).

Pushing everyone back in the rotation a spot not only allows the Mets to be in a better position by inserting a good arm in their rotation, but it can help the other pitchers too, especially Mike Pelfrey. From sports psychologists to balking issues, we saw a lot of 2009 get into Mike Pelfrey's head. Judging from last night's game, he's in his own head again. Pushing Pelf back one slot in the rotation and putting a veteran who can carry some of the load in front of him will take that much pressure off Mike. We saw earlier this season that Pelfrey can pitch at a high level and all that time, everyone talked about his new confidence. This is a way to get some of that confidence back.

We've done articles on the Mets' win streaks this season and how they've often required excellent pitching to spark a streak. The same will apply in the second half of the season and if the Mets want any chance at the playoffs. Mike Pelfrey may be struggling now, but this may be a saving grace as Omar and the Wilpons won't have a leg to stand on if a good move isn't made by the deadline in the next couple weeks. Pelf is not a legitimate #2 now and it's up to the Mets to get one. Let's hope they do, that acquisition works out, and Pelf rights the personal ship. There's only one way to find out - make that trade. If you ask me, it's only a matter of days. Drink it up.

Jerry's Juice: Ollie Edition

2010-07-19T16:32:00.002-04:00

Jerry Manuel said the following about Ollie, who is re-joining the team today:

"Are we down on Ollie? No, we just think Ollie needs to continue to try to get better, try to find himself, try to get back to where he was. I think Ollie could be of value to us in the 'pen."

“You probably would like to have seen the velocity and things a little better. But I still think that as a reliever, he could offer us something -- left-on-left, kind of uncertain where he's going to pitch it. I think that's to his advantage left-on-left."

That’s a glowing endorsement if I have ever heard one. By “value”, I assume Jerry is referring to the ability to rest other relievers in blowout games by using Ollie instead. Otherwise there may some value Ollie provides to the bullpen that we don’t even know about, like giving K-Rod free massages or shining Feliciano’s cleats.

Now, if the Mets find themselves down by six runs in the 5^th inning, Manuel can bring in Ollie to “get better” and “find himself” for a few mop-up innings. And who knows, maybe he can actually become a lefty specialist with Feliciano assuming more of the bullpen role. Jerry makes a good point that lefty batters will be “uncertain where he’s going to pitch it”, because not even Ollie himself knows where any of his pitches will end up.

So maybe the Oliver Perez cloud will end up with a silver lining. After all, every team is dying for a $12 million per year lefty specialist, but only the Mets have one.

Now please excuse me while I re-fill my glass.

Looking Forward to a Great Second Half

2010-07-14T22:46:00.003-04:00

If looking forward to the the second half of the Mets 2010 season doesn't get you giddy with excitement yet, take a look back at July 16, 2009. On that day, the first game following the 2009 All Star Game, the Mets trotted out a lineup that featured these first four hitters: Pagan, Castillo, Wright, and Sheffield. Keeping in mind that was the 2009 version of Pagan and Wright and the 40 year old version of Gary Sheffield, and that Castillo was the hottest hitter of the bunch, it's easy to see why the season was basically over before July 16th even ended.

And as if that's not enough, the starting pitcher on that day was Oliver Perez.

Fast forward to today and relish the difference. The Mets open the second half of 2010 with a top of the lineup that once again includes Pagan and Wright, though this time around it's the breakout star version of Pagan and the MVP candidate version of Wright. Jose Reyes is (hopefully) back in the leadoff spot where he belongs. And then there is Carlos Beltran, who makes his triumphant return to the team and cleanup spot.

There is plenty of reason to believe that the summer and fall of 2010 will be memorable for our Mets. The revamped lineup has the potential to be lethal, especially if Reyes stays healthy, Beltran returns with a vengeance and Bay regains his form as an elite power hitter. Even if Carlos is at 80% of his normal self he can provide a huge boost, and history suggests that Bay will produce close to his career numbers when all is said and done. Bumping Ike Davis to the less-pressurized six hole makes the lineup even deeper and more intimidating.

The pitching staff has about as much potential as the lineup to dominate for the next two and a half months. Santana is one of the best second half pitchers of all time (61-19 in his career), Niese is steadily coming into his own, and the R.A. Dickey bubble has shown no signs of bursting. If Pelfrey can pitch anything like he was just a few weeks ago, and Minaya can acquire someone like Ted Lilly the Mets rotation will be one of the best in the NL. A new setup man and the return of Takahashi to the bullpen will make the games that much shorter.

Best of all, Oliver Perez is now a Buffalo Bison.

While none of this is a given, it is all very possible. So drink a glass of koolaid, gear up for an exciting second half, and be grateful that it's no longer 2009. Enjoy the ride.

Mets Kool-Aid Mid-Season Report Card: A for Amazin'

2010-07-14T14:09:00.000-04:00

As promised, we've gone down the list of Mets that needed to perform well this year for a successful New York Mets campaign and a few others that made an impact and we like what we see. Of course we do! This is Mets Kool-Aid! With that, let's see who's moving to the head of the class:

Jason Bay: C+
Being a Mets Kool-Aid post, we have to get the semi-low points out of the way early so we can end on a good note. That said, I think we all had really high expectations out of the main piece the Mets brought in during the offseason. I mean, he did lead the AL in RBI last year. We keep hearing how streaky of a hitter Bay can be, but the offensive upswings haven't been as great as his down ones in the first half. That said, we've seen some unexpected speed and defensive play from Bay reflecting his adjustment to Citi Field. Also, even though he's pricier, this team wouldn't be where it is with a Tatis/He also ended the first half with a nice run of RBIs. This makes me believe that his second half could be explosive and he could get his grade up. I also think Jason has the most to gain from Beltran being back in the lineup.

Francisco Rodriguez: B
I was talking to my friend the other day, who was bashing K-Rod, and asked if he thought the Mets would ever have a closer that anyone trusted. He said he didn't know. From a feeling standpoint, I can't give K-Rod an A, but I also look at the stats and see 21 saves, a 2.45 ERA and 4 blown saves (2 of which turned into wins for the Mets). All in all, that's not too bad. I also realize that while I always heard of K-Rod when he was in Anaheim, I never really saw him play consistently to see him be a shut down closer. He hasn't wowed me like a Mariano or a Papelbon do, but maybe that's not the way he goes. He's posting the best K/BB ratio and BB/9inn since before he started closing, he's on pace for over 40 saves which is his average if you don't count the record-breaking season, he's high energy, and if you look at it closely, he gets the job done. I don't think we can ask for much more except giving us that safe feeling going into the 9th - he does that in the second half and he would definitely earn an A.

Jose Reyes: B+
On one hand, after being out for the greater part of last season, high expectations out of someone that predominantly uses speed and agility would be unreasonable expectations. On the other hand, Jose is required to be the spark plug for a New York team that wins most of the games where he scores a run. When Jose was on in the first half, so was the team. A strained oblique has everyone worried at this point, but the book is not yet written on Jose's second half. If he can continue to bounce back like he did in the first half and get on base, this is a lineup that will knock him in.

Johan Santana: B+

Speaking of high expectations, I think only Johan Santana could post a sub-3 ERA in the first half and have it be considered a bit of a down year for him. That said, aside from a shaky June and one bad start in Philly, Santana has been as dominant as he has been since joining the Mets. People look at wins are get discouraged, but only twice in Johan's career has he won more than 16 games. Furthermore, if the Mets have a great second half, there's no reason he can't win 18-20 games building on the 7 he has now. Especially since his last few starts have been lights out. Johan has been as shaky as a legend can be, but that seems to be behind him at this point.

Mike Pelfrey: A
I really wanted to give Mike Pelfrey an A+ for his first half, but it's one of those situations where he hasn't been terribly consistent in the past and finished on a sour note which makes you nervous for the future. With that said, Mike Pelfrey was one of the best surprises of the first half. Having essentially a breakout year with his 10 wins leading the team. Also, a 3.58 ERA doesn't even reflect how he shut down so many teams earlier in the season. For a stretch there, he was definitely the ace of the team and was very close to being named an all-star. Most of all, it's been his composure and command that have had everyone talking and this is what gets you excited for the future with Pelf. With a dominant Johan and Pelf at the top of the rotation, this team not only will be a playoff contender, but a team that can win IN the playoffs. Let's just hope the few days off does Mike some good and that the second half goes just as well as the first half started.

David Wright: A
David Wright's first half could essentially be turned into a sports movie real easily. The season starts great with a home run, strikeouts and doubters pop up after a season of struggles last year, people start to question whether he'll be the player everyone expected, and BOOM!. The guy hit over .400 in June, looks better than he ever did even when he was dominating, is leading the league in RBIs, and is in line for heavy consideration for first half NL MVP let alone team MVP. David Wright is a prototypical franchise player and this season he's cementing that notion by playing up to his potential. The return of Beltran can only help in keeping that going. All the issues with Citi Field, the team, and all the other distractions are in the past and David has fallen into a groove he should keep up in the second half. Definite A+ if not for the early K's and struggles.

RA Dickey: A+
Speaking of sports movies, here's one that actually would be a great one. Former top prospect flame-out reinvents himself as a knuckleballer that no one can touch all of the sudden. I'd watch that movie - and I'd enjoy it just as much as I've enjoyed watching Dickey pitch this season. Literally, he's been almost flawless. Posting a 6-2 record and 2.77 ERA, he went from someone that I was waiting for to implode, to a trustworthy pitcher on this staff that I'd trust in any game. Not only that, but in my opinion, he's one of the top reasons the Mets' record is what it is right now - but more on that in just a second...

Ike Davis: A+
When I look at the main reasons the Mets' record is as good as it is right now, I see a few reasons. Of course, David Wright playing well, Mike Pelfrey's breakout, Jon Niese turning out consistent, Reyes returning, and many others are reasons. However, before the season started, these are things that were in the plan. This team was built hoping for and even expecting some of these things to happen in order for the Mets to contend. RA Dickey as mentioned above and even more so, Ike Davis' emergence were too unexpected things. And, it is successes like this that separates a team that can win if things go right to a team that should win. The 11 HR and 40 RBIs put Ike in line to be a ROY candidate (even though it will probably go to Heyward or Strasburg), but I think what's most important is the role he played. On top of not being expected to arrive, he filled in at the cleanup spot - something both Wright and Bay weren't able to do very successfully this season. Most top prospects come in batting 6th or 7th. He's also made some great plays in the field. Think of how different this team would be if we had a Chris Carter/Fernando Tatis/Frank Cattalanotto platoon at first instead.

So there you go. Not everyone was covered and there's a lot of others who have contributed this year. Angel Pagan, Rod Barajas and Jon Niese are just two who come to mind. Either way, I think this team has exceeded our expectations for the first half and the second half looks like it may be even better. We are out of the basement and contending for a playoff spot. Overall, I give this first half an A...for Amazin'. See you in the second half and keep on drinking the kool-aid!

5 Reasons It's Better The New York Mets Didn't Get Cliff Lee

2010-07-13T13:38:00.002-04:00

Mets fans were disappointed to hear that Cliff Lee was traded to Texas instead of Flushing. But there is a kool-aid elixir for everything, and I’m here to serve it to you. Here are the top 5 reasons why the Mets are better off WITHOUT Cliff Lee.

He can’t even handle Texas. Lee was lit up in his Rangers debut to the tune of 6 runs. If he can’t handle the pressure of a pennant race in Texas, where people care more about high school football than major league baseball, how could he have been counted on to perform well in New York City?

He will be a Yankee soon anyway. Let’s be honest, the Yankees will end up signing Cliff Lee this offseason. After all, it’s been a whole two years since they signed a big time free agent pitcher (Sabathia and Burnett) to a massive contract. By not signing Lee, the Mets spared us the heartbreak of watching him walk to our cross town rival in three months.

Remember Tom Glavine? Just like Tom Glavine was obviously sent by rival Atlanta to sabotage the 2007 Mets playoff hopes, Lee could not have been trusted if on the Mets. Sure, he only spent two months with the Phillies compared to Glavine’s 16 seasons with the Braves, but Lee was very likely brainwashed last year by his great success and playoff run in Philly. The last thing the Mets needed was to employ another rival pitcher with ulterior motives.

The past. The Mets have not had the best of luck trading for starting pitchers mid-season. Kenny Rogers, Kris Benson and Oliver Perez come to mind immediately. None of those guys will be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame any time soon.

The future. The Mariners reportedly wanted Ike Davis and/or Jon Niese for Lee. At the very least, it probably would have taken some combination of Mejia, Thole, F-Mart, and Wilmer Flores*. Hopefully in five years we will be watching these homegrown Mets succeed while a 37 year old Lee is doing his best Kevin Brown impression for the Yankees.

*Disclaimer: Mets Kool-Aid reserves the right to deny ever writing this post if these guys turn into anything resembling Alex Escobar or Bill Pulsipher while Cliff Lee becomes a Hall of Famer.

This post was written by Mike Simon.

Mets Kool-Aid at the Break: Thanks for Drinking

2010-07-12T12:15:00.000-04:00

Stay tuned for our requisite All-Star Break report card for our boys in blue and orange, but we wanted to take a second to thank all our readers over the first half of the season. Like the Mets, there have been ups, downs, days when we didn't want to pay attention, and days when all we wanted to do was write. All in all, we're real excited on how this has progressed Here's a little bit of a report card since we started Mets Kool-Aid just a few months ago:

-Mets Kool-Aid has had over 2500 unique visitors since starting on over 100 posts.

-Acceptance into the Baseball Blogger's Alliance.

-Acceptance into the Yardbarker Network (in association with MSN and FoxSports)

-Sponsorship of the Rutgers University page on Baseball-Reference.com

-Mets Record since Mets Kool-Aid established: 48-40

There's lots more to come in the second half of 2010 so keep reading and drink it up! Thanks again!

-The Mets Kool-Aid Staff

Return of the Rivalry

2010-07-09T12:03:00.001-04:00

Ask any young Mets fan who the team’s biggest rival is, and they will say the Phillies. But those of us who remember the old days, as in the 1990s and early 2000s, know that deep down the Atlanta Braves are our true enemy.

Let’s face it: the Braves have gotten the better of the Mets through the years. From Chipper naming his son Shea in tribute to his success there, to the dominance of the Braves big three pitchers, to Kenny Rogers walking in the winning run, to John Rocker’s crazy talk, most of the rivalry’s memories are bad ones for Mets fans.

Well this weekend marks another installment in this storied clash It’s a huge series for the Mets, who are three games behind the first place Braves and need to enter the All Star break on a high note. It’s also a chance for the Mets to begin establishing themselves as the dominant team of the rivalry in this new decade.

A series sweep would go a long way towards that goal. With Dickey, Pelfrey and Santana taking the mound, the Mets should take at least two out of three. In the battle of rookie phenoms, ours (Ike Davis) is steadily raking while theirs (Jason Heyward) is sitting on the DL.

If a matchup up 2010 All-Star infielders is your thing I’ll take Wright and Reyes Omar Infante, unless you have a thing for 1 HR and 22 RBI. And to top it off the Mets won’t have to deal with that annoying Tomahawk Chop at Citi Field, the most annoying stadium sound in the world before the vuvuzela came along.

And if all that doesn't make this a winning series for the New York Mets, the entire Mets Kool-Aid team will be there tonight. Mike, Dave, and I will be upstairs in Section 519 if you want to stop by and say hello. By the way, our combined record at Citi Field this year is a scorching 6-1.

So the stars are aligned for the Mets to start making some new and improved memories against the Braves in the 2010s. More along the lines of Ventura’s grand slam single, the 10 run comeback, and Piazza’s incredible post-9/11 blast. Starting this weekend, let’s make sure Chipper doesn’t want to name his next kid “Citi”.

This post was written by Mike Simon.

Jerry's Juice (with a little Alex's Ade)

2010-07-08T09:55:00.000-04:00

Last night's loss was mildly disappointing in that the Mets need to win as many home series as possible with the way they've been playing on the road and the fact that the Braves won't back down. At 3 back in the standings, the Mets do still have a shot to be in first by the All-Star break, after which, we get back Carlos Beltran who's been looking great in his rehab starts. With that though, let's see what Jerry had to say about last night's performance:

"I was very satisfied with the way [Jon Niese] pitched tonight. He had a good rhythm going, a good tempo. He pitched well. He gave up a couple home runs, but we'll take that kind of outing from a young pitcher every time."

And Jerry's right. Jon Niese's performance was definitely the bright spot of last night's performance. Since coming off the DL on June 5th, Niese has posted a 2.61 ERA with a 5-1 record. I don't think anyone is asking him to be a top starter, but it would be great if the Mets had a guy in the middle to back of the rotation that is consistent. Don't forget there is a whole second half of baseball yet to play, and if the Mets are going to contend, they'll need "this kind of out from [this] young pitcher every time." Plus, if the Mets make a move for a top pitcher before the trade deadline and do make it into the playoffs, Niese could slide right into the pen or even get a spot start in longer series. And the best part is, the guy is only 23 years old.

"He just didnt get any hits" - Manuel when asked what might have been wrong with Jason Bay last night

How do you argue with an astute baseball mind like this? It's why we always go to him for some juice after a loss! Bay has been playing better and if not for a great play in the outfield by Chris Heisey, Bay would have potentially been the hero and knocked out Bronson Arroyo who had the New York Mets' number yet again. The important thing to remember is Bay is quietly knocking in RBIs on a daily basis right now and once Beltran comes back, this lineup is really going to be something to reckon with top to bottom. I predict Bay to have a great second half. And speaking of Arroyo:

"We can't seem to solve him. He keeps us off balance, makes big pitches in the right situations. He did a good job...He has tremendous instincts for pitching."

And Jerry's right again! In his career, Bronson Arroyo is 7-2 against the Mets with a 3.31 ERA. And, if you don't count his first start against them in 2000 with the Pirates in his rookie year (2.2 inn, 9 ER), that becomes 7-1 and a 2.39 ERA. Arroyo kills right handed hitting posting the lowest average against righty's in the NL this season so far. This takes Wright, Bay, a right-handed hitting Reyes (due to injury), and many others like Jeff Francoeur to a disadvantage. However, the next time the Mets may see Arroyo, they will have a healthy Reyes who can hit lefty, a healthy switch-hitting Beltran, Ike Davis (and not at cleanup), and with that, more protection for all those righties mentioned earlier.

The only time the Mets see Arroyo again this year would be in the post season, but as Alex Cora said:

"If we get to where we want to get as a team, we may have to face him in October. Hopefully we can make the adjustments."

It's great to hear about a player thinking about the playoffs. So many times we see the politically correctness and not looking too far ahead, but Alex Cora is showing that this clubhouse has their eyes on the prize. This isn't just about a bounce-back year, it's a winning year, and this team can do it. Drink it up!

Johan Is A Gamer

2010-07-07T16:10:00.000-04:00

Yesterday as I was listening to WFAN before the game, Evan Roberts and Joe Benigno took a caller who spoke about their hopes for Johan Santana to receive run support in last night's game. Roberts responded by saying that it wasn't the runs by the Mets, but actually Santana giving up runs that he was worried about. While this, "What have you done for me lately?" attitude is pretty common among Mets fans and New York fans in general, I think this was a huge step in Johan showing that you should never doubt him and proving, once again, the legitimacy of this Mets team as a major threat in the NL this season.

I wrote last week about how the Mets should make a trade now at almost any cost with one of the reasons being that you don't know how much Johan has left. I still believe this statement, but like with Pedro, I believe Johan is also someone who rises to the occasion. I first realized this more than ever in Santana's first year with the Mets when he pitched probably the best performance I've seen by a Met pitcher when he shut down the Marlins on the second to last day of the season. In that must win situation, Johan went out and pitched 9 innings and gave up only 3 hits and no runs - sound familiar?

It seems Santana can will himself to win games when it's absolutely necessary. If the Mets are going to continue to be spotty on the road, they need to win series at home regularly. After a rough performance by Pelf on Tuesday night and with Arroyo, who kills the Mets, on the hill tonight, last night was a must-win as far as this series goes. He stepped up and not only put together a great pitching performance, but even hit a home run in the effort as well - the last time he did that, was in a video game according to Johan. I guess he really is a "gamer."

Anyway, as far as the rest of this season goes, Mike Pelfrey is going to have his ups and downs, the Mets need to still trade for another pitcher to be a true playoff contender, and the bullpen may be spotty. However, it's great to know that Johan is ready to step it up and deliver an excellent performance when the Mets need it most. Drink it up!

Jerry's Juice: Goin' Gangsta

2010-07-06T15:30:00.002-04:00

After last night’s loss to the Reds, Jerry Manuel said the following regarding his ejection:

"That's why you fight for them because they are fighting for the game, the team, the city.

If that quote doesn’t send chills down your spine, nothing will. I was at the game last night and witnessed all 37,000 fans in attendance go crazy when Jerry got in the umpires face for an unprecedented call reversal and eventually got tossed. In that moment he won the respect of his players and the fans.

I’ll admit that I have never been a fan of Jerry as a manager. He may or may not think there is an official MLB rule that Pedro Feliciano must pitch in every game. He is so obsessed with the lefty-righty matchup that he would probably pinch hit for Albert Pujols if the other team brought in a righty reliever. And when the Mets are struggling there is nothing more annoying that hearing him uncomfortably laugh at every reporter’s question. I, along with many other Mets fans, was hoping he would be fired after last season.

However Jerry’s “gangsta” mentality, as he calls it, has clearly rubbed off on the team this year. Just like he fought back from the verge of being canned just weeks ago his players continue to show resiliency until the very last out, a hugely important quality of winning baseball teams. Last night the Mets responded to Jerry’s fiery ejection by battling back from a 7-1 deficit, and although they didn’t win they made it a winnable game. As I’ve said before, if a team comes back enough times they will eventually win some of those games.

Seeing Jerry defend his team in person has made me a supporter. Sure, he may not always make the best in-game decisions, but he will always fight for his players. We never saw this many comebacks and near-comebacks under Art Howe or Willie Randolf, two managers who looked half asleep every game.

Jerry Manuel is laid back as well, but he is willing to go “gangsta” when needed. I’ll drink (koolaid) to that.

Post written by Mike Simon.

You Can't Go On A Roll Without Role Players

2010-07-01T11:45:00.000-04:00

With the Summer of Lebron now officially upon is, it’s easy to forget about the little guys in sports. But every Jordan needs a Kerr, and every Kobe needs a Fisher to win the big one.

Or, in the case of the Mets, every Wright, Bay and Santana needs a Barajas, a Tejada and a Dickey.

The Mets have a roster full of highly paid all-star caliber players, but they would not be doing nearly as well as they are if it wasn’t for the “role” players doing much better than they were supposed to. Rod Barajas, seemingly the consolation in the Bengie Molina sweepstakes, is second on the team with 11 homers. R.A. Dickey, embarrassingly signed after the Phillies got Roy Halladay, has been mostly lights out in his starts. Elmer Dessens, who I thought had retired five years ago, has emerged as a valuable reliever. Just last night we saw Jesus Feliciano and Ruben Tejada fill in for Reyes and Pagan and make sure the lineup and defense did not miss a beat.

With the season as long as it is, having role players step up can be the difference between playing and watching October baseball. The 2006 NL East Champion Mets were littered with star players like Wright, Reyes, and Delgado, but were often carried by the heroics of guys like Jose Valentin and Endy Chavez. In 2000 the likes of Bobby Jones, Timo Perez and Benny Agbayani helped Piazza, Ventura, and Hampton win an NL Pennant.

The 2010 Mets have their Lebrons and Wades, but they also have their Kerrs and Fishers getting the job done. Stars like Wright, Reyes, Santana, and even Ike Davis are paid the big bucks to produce. Guys like Barajas, Dickey, and Feliciano are paid little (relatively) but their contributions can go a long way. If these afterthoughts keep it up, and the stars keep playing to their abilities, the Mets will be in the hunt all season.

Cliff Lee or Generation K? Win Now or Wait Until Later?

2010-06-30T15:04:00.002-04:00

Last night I missed the first part of the game but was able to catch the last few innings, and I have to say, after a nice little comeback, a loss like that doesn't sting as bad. In fact, I think looking good in losses is the sign of a team that can win...now. Last night's game reinforced in my mind what I've wanted to believe all season - this team is ready to WIN NOW! How do we do this? A trade at almost all costs...

Going into this season, just like any other Mets fan, my expectations were low. In an attempt to keep myself sane through this baseball season, I predicted 80-85 wins with a "you never know" caveat. Well, after 9-1 runs, players breaking out, players playing to their potential, rookies making the difference, veterans showing spunk, and everything else great that's happened this season, "you never know" is within our grasp.

Last night was a perfect example. The Mets scored 6 runs and with a good start, that's a definite win and a chance to take the series tonight with Pelf on the hill. Instead, Takahashi is sent out there to start when he really belongs in the bullpen relieving someone like Roy Oswalt or Cliff Lee in that spot. It's fine to do that to try and catch lightning in a bottle, but I think we've gotten what we are going to from Takahashi.

So, it's time to stop worrying about what we may be losing for the future when we can win right NOW! Cliff Lee could just be a rental, but he could be a rental that takes us to the World Series. Also, if he wins the World Series in NY, who's to say he wouldn't stay.

Remember a couple years ago when we got Pedro? He was good for a bit, he got hurt, the hitting prospects came up (Reyes and Wright then) and then Pedro was too old to do anything about it. We end up not making the World Series and complain how we dont have starting pitching which leads to us getting Johan Santana. Well, how much longer is Johan going to be an ace? He is now, Pelf is good now, injuries are low, this team can win!

If the Mets wait for all these prospects to materialize, we could be waiting for a long time. Let me give you a list of previous "untouchables" - Carlos Gomez, Phil Humber, Deolis Guerra, Yusmeiro Petit, Matt Peterson, Alex Escobar, Jay Payton, Alex Ochoa, Generation K. How many of those guys are/were stars, let alone even regularly starting for their teams now?

I say, unless a guy has shown you he can perform well at the MLB level, no one is untouchable. Ike and Pelf stay for anything. Niese can go as long as we get a non-rental. Everyone else can go tomorrow for a Cliff Lee deal. Lee puts us in the playoffs. 3 years from now Fernando Martinez, Wilmer Flores, and Jenry Mejia could be playing great for the Mets and we'll be wondering who we're going to get to go with Mike Pelfrey and Jenry Mejia in the rotation - and that's if we're LUCKY!

Have a tall glass of kool-aid and realize this is a good team now. All they need is one more top of the line pitcher and in this so-so NL, the Mets are as good as anyone else. Let's not play the waiting game - let's play the winning game. Drink it up.

Jerry's Juice

2010-06-30T11:42:00.009-04:00

After last night’s loss to the Marlins, Jerry Manuel said the following:

"Statistically you can find some things that say, 'Hey we're this, we're that,' but I think the last road trip showed that we can play on the road.”

You can’t argue with that one. The Mets went 7-2 on their last road trip, putting to rest all talk about them being a bad road team. Critics will still argue that six of those wins came against two of the worst teams in baseball, the Orioles and the Indians, but they are still major league teams that play in major league stadiums. And we have already established that Puerto Rico is a strange place to play, so you can disregard this lost series.

For those who are still not convinced, here is the good news. The Mets have 13 more road series this season, and six of those are against teams that are guaranteed to finish well below .500 (Nats twice, AZ, HOU, PIT, CHC). If they can sweep each of those series, which is basically a given if the last road trip proved anything, that’s at least 18 more wins. If the Mets can win just half of the road games against the better teams and continue their torrid home pace, we are looking at a 90-plus win playoff team.

The math is admittedly fuzzy, but the bottom line is the Mets are in great position. They have proved they can win on the road, something that looked impossible just a few weeks ago. If you still don’t believe that road wins against two terrible teams mean anything, you need to drink more kool-aid.

This post was written by Mike Simon.

Jerry's Juice

2010-06-29T12:04:00.003-04:00

After last night's loss to the Marlins in Puerto Rico, Jerry Manuel said the following:

"I do think there was a lot of activity…There’s just a lot of, you know, the band is going on, songs going off, there’s a lot of people, and that’s OK, but you’ve still got to remain in character, and that’s something we didn’t do.

Well said, Jerry. It was exciting to see baseball played in Puerto Rico last night but the Mets appeared to be somewhat caught up in the spectacle, especially since a few of the Mets are Puerto Rican and several others are from neighboring countries. Throw in all the in-stadium distractions and it’s easy to see why the Mets were not at their best. It’s hard enough to hit a 95 mph fastball or throw an effective knuckleball when it’s deafly quiet; it’s nearly impossible when you can barely hear yourself think. Only Canadian Jason Bay seemed to be comfortable in blasting two home runs, but if the Mets played a game in Canada he would probably be flustered too.

Expect the Mets to bounce back these next two days now that it’s out of their system. They will get back “in character” like Jerry said, which means that they will be the fundamentally sound, never-say-die team that we have come to know and love this season.

But if they don’t, the good news is that after this three game series their remaining games will all be played in the United States, where they are 43-32. They won’t have to deal with loud piped-in noises while the ball is in play. After all, the craziest an American baseball crowd during a game in June is when “the wave” makes it all the way around the ballpark. And next time they face the Marlins on the road there will be 10,000 people in the stands, most of which will be Mets fans anyway.

So chalk this one up to an aberration, Mets fans. Back in the states, R.A Dickey’s knuckleball will dance again. Jose Reyes will be stealing second rather than getting picked off. And Fernando Nieve will…well, you get the idea.

Post written by Mike Simon

Finally Al-Wright

2010-06-28T12:16:00.000-04:00

Personally, I see the first Yankees series as the turnaround for the Mets this year. Since then, they are 24-10 and haven't lost a series in Citi Field. I know we had a 9-1 run in there earlier this season, but there were some losing streaks in there and you just didnt feel the same chemistry you feel now. Since that Yankees series, the Mets have proven a loss will not turn into a downward spiral. Most of all, I think we've seen that what's happened in the past, is truly in the past. Injuries, bad luck, and certain players who really weren't up to snuff all contributed to a year or so of failure. However, now that almost all the parts of this team are functioning together and healthily, we can see each of the parts working as they should - case in point, the turnaround of David Wright.

After being hit in the head by Matt Cain at the end of last season, Wright did not seem himself. Pitchers were able to pitch him up and in and then beat him low and away for the K. We are used to Wright flirting with 30-30 and hitting around .310. Early struggles and strikeouts after last year's disaster made Mets fans start to talk about how Wright couldn't lead this team, his time was over, etc. There was even talk of trading Wright and Reyes and starting over with a rebuild.

This season, until May 20, David Wright wasn't having a terrible season offensively, but he was striking out way too much and his average was not up around and above .300 like Mets fans were used to. His average was at .262 and had a respectable 8 HR and 26 RBI, but he also struck out a league leading 55 times in only 141 ABs. Since that series, he's kept up the power to hit 6 more homers, but he's exploded in just 132 ABs to hit 35 more RBIs and hit at a clip of .341 getting his average for the season up to .300.

There is no reason to think this is going to stop, but instead, he could get even better. I'm not trying to count our chickens before they're hatched here, but it's time to pour a little kool-aid of the David Wright variety. Right now, David has had only 9 games in June without an RBI. This is pretty great, but not even as great as the fact that he's had the same number of games with multiple RBIs also with 9! Carlos Beltran is coming back eventually to provide even more lineup protection for Wright who's only really being protected now by a rookie (who hits bombs) and Jason Bay in somewhat of an off year to this point.

Jose Reyes's re-emergence will also keep runners on the base paths ready for David to knock them in. Wright is leading the NL and is 2nd in majors in RBIs, is in line to hit 30 home runs, and his average just keeps going up. Sure, he's in 2nd for NL All-Star voting now, but obviously Philly has made a mockery out of the voting process here and David deserves the start. Finally, you'll hear it here first...M...V...P.

Starting in 2006, it seemed Wright could fly out and the fans would chant MVP! Maybe I havent been out to Citi Field in a while, but I haven't heard that at all - and you should. Look around the league. There is no one that much better, and like I said, Wright just keeps producing. If he keeps it up and the Mets continue to do well, there is no reason that he shouldn't be voted MVP.

I love how well this team is doing, but it makes even that much sweeter to see Wright leading the way. Drink it up.

Jerry's Juice

2010-06-25T12:52:00.003-04:00

Following last night's 6-5 loss to the Tigers, Jerry Manuel said the following about his team:

"That's one of the strong characteristics of this team -- this feeling they can come back," Manuel said. "We put ourselves in some pretty good positions. We didn't get it done, but you've got to like the fight."

Jerry is spot on. The Mets may not have won, but they showed yet again that they will fight to the end of each and every game.

Let's face it, moral victories mean nothing in professional baseball. And if David Wright had come up with a bases loaded hit, we would be talking about another stirring comeback win instead of just a valiant effort. But the ability to come back from behind is a quality that every good team must possess, and this Mets team certainly has it. Countless times this year they have overcome deficits to make things interesting, and several times they have climbed the entire mountain top to steal a victory.

Recent Mets teams have lacked this ability. Especially last year, if the Mets were losing early on you were better off watching paint dry. This year, we expect the Mets to comeback and are surprised when they don't, a sign of how far the team has progressed. Last night I missed the first few innings but made sure to catch the rest, even though the Mets were down 6-1.

The Mets pension for rallying is just another part of the excitment that this years team is creating. There is nothing like a come from behind win to spring a hot streak and pull the clubhouse even closer. More importantly, the Mets starters can pitch without trying to be perfect, knowing that a few runs won't be insurmountable.

So while last night was a loss, it was still another step in the Mets process of becoming a very good and exciting team. Next time, Wright, Reyes, Ike or someone else will come through and make it a victory. We'll all be surprised if they don't.

Please note this was written by Mike Simon.

Robert Alan "R. A." Dickey = Knuckleball Greatness

2010-06-24T09:40:00.008-04:00

Last night Met fans were treated to a stellar pitching performance by Robert Alan Dickey. This comes as no surprise to me or the rest of the Kool-Aid staff who expect outings like this when R.A. takes the hill. He dazzled batters with his fastball in the early innings when his knuckleball wasn't sharp and came back strong with the knuckleball in the later innings to completely baffle the Tigers. He pitched 8 innings of shutout ball against one of the hottest teams in the American League (which the Mets currently own) and could have easily gone for a complete game shutout. Mr. Dickey also blanked Miguel Cabrera (0-3 against R.A.) who is one of the best hitters (if not the best) in the MLB.

Dickey is now 6-0 with a 2.33 ERA, and more importantly the Mets are 6-1 when he takes the mound. Here is a fun fact for you: the most runs he has given up this year is 4 (all earned) in 7 innings to the Brewers in a game in which he won. Pretty good for guy who was a Spring Training after thought.

When called upon this year to fill in for clubhouse cancers such as John Maine and Oliver Perez, R.A. Dickey and Hisanori Takahasi (leave him for another post) have delivered big time. R.A. is doing what all good pitchers do when they take the hill and that is throw strikes, which is something that can't be said about Maine or Perez. This is a man who saw an opportunity to turn his career around and he took and ran with it. I believe he is another player who embodies the spirit of the 2010 edition of the Mets which is hard working/fun loving team.

Sell High on Angel?

2010-06-23T00:07:00.001-04:00

Today was an exciting day for the Mets and one that poses a number of questions for the future. Besides the Mets beating the Tigers tonight in a laugher, fans got some great news that Carlos Beltran is ready to start a rehab assignment. This announcement also came on a night where Angel Pagan went 4 for 6 with 4 RBIs and only a home run short of the cycle with Pagan even admitting he was motivated by the news of Beltran's return. Having too much talent on your roster is a nice problem to have, but if this is a legit breakout of Angel Pagan, let's take a look at some of the potential scenarios in the Mets' ongoing search for another top arm for the rotation:

Trade Carlos Beltran and let Angel Pagan keep playing in CF:
This doesn't look to be a likely scenario. Beltran is making way too much money to be a real option for most teams even with a contract that expires after next season. Also, I think adding Beltran to this lineup is too tempting a situation where you can now extend the middle of your lineup with quality top to bottom. Finally, he's got a no trade clause, so it'd have to be a place he'd agree to before he went. With a healthy Beltran and a move for a pitcher, the Mets would move into a situation where they'd be the favorite to win the NL.

Trade Angel Pagan when Carlos Beltran comes back:
It will be interesting to see if the news of Beltran's return spark talks of including Pagan in a deal for top starting pitching talent. With Beltran signed through next season, he's going to be entrenched in CF as long as he's healthy. After Beltran's big money comes off the books, the Mets will have room to resign him at a discount or get another top OF free agent. The Mets also have Fernando Martinez at the current time with hopes of him being the future CF star in Queens. So, while I like Angel Pagan, now may be the time to sell while he's looking like this could be a potential breakout. Pagan is only 28 and was considered a top prospect with 5-tool talent when he was the age to be still called a prospect. Even still, he could be an interesting piece in a deal with a current top prospect like Jenry Mejia and maybe another prospect for say a Cliff Lee or Roy Oswalt.

Keep Beltran and Pagan and see what you can get for just the prospects:
This gives you a lot of insurance in your lineup. Even though there isn't a lot of room in the outfield, you are left with a lot of depth. Pagan can platoon with Jeff Francoeur and spell Beltran to make sure he stays healthy or in case he gets a relapse of his injury. The Mets already planned to use the prospects to try and get a pitcher sending Mejia down this weekend to become a starter and knowing Jon Niese, Fernando Martinez, and others are options for the trading block. I still feel the Mets need to make a move for a major pitcher to become real playoff contenders (can you believe how excited we'd be to say that at the beginning of this season?), so hopefully some hodge podge of prospects will be enough to land one.

Of course, these are all hypothetical scenarios right now. Carlos Beltran is just starting his rehab, and who knows when he'll be back. Angel Pagan is on fire right now, which is why we can talk like this. Lots of pitchers are still available on the trade market. All said, the season is still in its first half, the Mets are just 1.5 games out of first, we just won a great game off of Justin Verlander, and it's a good day to be a Mets fan. So, instead of worrying who's going to play where, who we're going to get, and what's goin to happen, drink a nice tall glass of Mets kool-aid and enjoy winning baseball in Queens again. Drink it up!

A New Mindset for Mets Fans

2010-06-21T21:25:00.027-04:00

Look how far the Mets and their fans have come.

Two weeks ago, back-to-back losses would have lead to Mets Armageddon. Fans would have been rioting in the streets of Flushing. Sports radio callers would have been screaming for each player, coach, and front office member to be traded, fired, or just plain executed. Even an avid kool-aid drinker like myself would have lost some sleep.

Yet here we are after losing consecutive games to the hated Yankees, during which both of our co-aces were beaten, and believe it or not the sky is not falling in Metsland.

That's because the Mets have finally started to change our collective attitude about our team. They just completed a 7-2 road trip and are nine games over .500. They are leading the Wild Card and are three games ahead of the Phillies, our measuring stick for NL East success. But most importantly, the Mets are playing good baseball.

Sure, losing to the Yankees is about as fun as a Lady Gaga-free clubhouse. But at least this time, unlike in the recent past, we can rationally believe that the gloom and doom will not be prolonged. The 2010 Mets get solid pitching and defense just about every day, fight to the last out, and with Reyes and Wright returning to form the offense is coming around. This formula has worked wonders at Citi Field and is finally starting to pay off on the road as well.

Even the most pessimistic fans now angrily predict the Mets to finish just slightly over .500, which seemed like quite an accomplishment to most just a few weeks ago. The believers among us think that this team is actually pretty good and can become very good with just one key pitching addition.

So now the Mets come back home to face the Tigers and Twins, two more good teams from the American League. Yet rather than hoping for a split like usual, I get the feeling most fans now expect the Mets to win more than they lose.

It's about time we could have high expectations for our team.

New Writer With Mets Kool-Aid

2010-06-21T20:59:00.000-04:00

Here's the last bit of housekeeping today on the blog; good use of a Mets off day. In case you noticed a new name writing on the blog, we wanted to introduce David DeSario, our new writer. Since we have had a few lulls on the blog when Mike or I have been busy at work, we decided Dave would make an awesome addition and provide another great Met fan point of view while helping with the writing. Look for a nice Mets Draft Review coming soon from Dave.

Mets Kool-Aid Accepted to Join Baseball Bloggers Alliance

2010-06-21T20:50:00.000-04:00

We're listed on this site now. Check out some of the other blogs on there too. Good stuff.

http://baseballbloggersalliance.com

Join Mets Kool-Aid on Facebook!

2010-06-21T20:40:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone,

Come enjoy a nice glass of Mets Kool-Aid on facebook! We'll post links to the blog everytime we update.

http://www.facebook.com/metskoolaid#!/group.php?gid=129560087075699

Time for Johan!

2010-06-20T10:17:00.003-04:00

Since the Mets did the unexpected yesterday and lost a game (comeon now we all expected a sweep). It is now time for their Ace in the hole to pick this team up and put them on his shoulders once again. The last time Mr. Santana went against Yankees he dazzled the prime time crowd with a full battery of pitches. What was his line you ask? 7.2 innings (105 pitches), 6 hits,1 run (earned), 3 walks, 5 punch outs. That's just another day at the ballpark for Johan Santana against arguably the best lineup in the MLB. I expect more of the same today from OUR Cy Young winning pitcher.

So what's my prediction for Johan's line today? 7 innings, 5 hits, 2 runs (both earned), 2 walks, 9 K's.

What's my prediction for the game today? Easy a Mets victory 5-2, and another W for Mr. Santana.

A NEW Core 4 in NYC

2010-06-18T09:48:00.003-04:00

This weekend is a huge series for the boys in blue and orange. As Mets fans, we've been programmed to hate the Yankees. Really, we're one of the only franchises in existence who are made to feel like second class citizens in our own town! And, it's all their fault. It's true, we hate them. Why? They win. We've watched them win so many times with their players, lose when they tried to buy championships, and win again. What was the same through all that? The esteemed "Core 4." They are the guys we love to hate but secretly want for our own. So, here are some comparisons to the Mets' home grown core 4 that will keep us winning for years to come.

Mike Pelfrey is the new Andy Pettite:

When a team finds home grown consistent pitching, you have to hold onto it and appreciate it. The Yankees have done that with Andy Pettite since the mid-90s. With Big Pelf's breakout season in 2010, the Mets should do the same. Pettite was dominant at times, but moreover consistently good. He is a guy the Yanks always trust to pitch a big game. He's such a professional that he even made admitting to using HGH look like it was no big deal. He wasn't always #1 in the rotation, but Yankee fans know, if Pettite is on the mound, we've got a good shot to win. You hear the same things from the mouths of Mets players and fans this year. Pelf has turned into a confident professional and there's no reason to think he won't be for years to come. And as a plus, at least Pelf isn't best friends with Roger Clemens. With Pettite on the downward arc of his career, it's good for him that he is having a good season before he's finally put out to pasture and lets the new consistent professional take over in New York, Mike Pelfrey.

Ike Davis is the new Jorge Posada:

It's very early in the career of Ike Davis to be predicting anything, and I hope he turns into the new Albert Pujols instead of Jorge, but they have a lot in common. When I think of Posada, I think good power, okay defensively, and depending on the year, potential dominance at the plate. Of course it's a lot easier to do things like that when you're in a stacked lineup every year and can bat in the lower half of the order. That said, I think we can expect the same from Ike Davis looking at the small sample size we've seen from him so far. Davis has made some great plays falling into dugouts, has hit some really clutch homers, and looks like he's going to consistently kick some ass at the plate for many years to come. Granted, Davis won't necessarily have the luxury of batting 6th or 7th as he becomes the phenom the Mets hope. He's done an excellent job jumping in at cleanup for this year's Mets team. So, for the sake of this comparison, we appreciate the offense from Posada, especially out of a position like catcher, but I think we can expect even bigger things from Ike in years to come (and rightly so with him playing first base). As injuries creep in and Posada is relegated to DH'ing, his sun is setting as Ike and the Mets are ready to begin a winning generation for years to come.

David Wright is the new Derek Jeter:

Well here is the most controversial comparison because of every Yankee fans' obsession with their Captain down to the consistently atrocious job of John Sterling calling his "Jeterian" plays for "El Capitan." Jeter is probably one of the most argued about players in the majors from how overrated he is to how he's the main reason the Yankees have won so many championships. While he can't go to his left in the field and has never had to be the best player on his team, you can't deny Jeter has come through in some big spots and is the face of the Yankees. The best comparison here is David Wright. Well, Yankee fans are going to say, Wright can't hold a candle to Jeter - he's not nearly as clutch, not as good, Wright strikes out too much, blah, blah, blah - go sit in your corporate $20,000 box seats and front run some more. David Wright is the face of the Mets. He can't be expected to carry a whole team when everyone is injured (hence the down year last year), and every year other than that he's had great stats and is turning into a great leader. It's about time that the Mets give him the captain's C because this is really his team. Jeter is the face of the Yankees, but he is also on the other side of the hill at this point also, so now it's time for another pretty boy to be the leader and face of baseball in New York and his name is David Wright.

Jose Reyes is the new Mariano Rivera:

Now, when you look at this one, you're saying, "What are you talking about?!" If you think about it though, it makes total sense. Are there two players on the New York baseball teams that make you consistently say, "WOW!" Mariano Rivera has had success as probably the best closer being the MLB equivalent of a video game glitch bitch. He found one pitch that hitters basically just can't touch and has used it to make himself awesome. Sure, he's passive and calm compared to the jumpy and aggressive Reyes, but Jose and Mariano are always going to wow you and will consistently be the x-factor for their teams. If you ask Yankee fans how they've won all these years, Mariano always enters the conversation. If you're winning going into the 9th, it's over (unless you're Luis Gonzalez of course). What is the big thing the media and Mets fans always talk about with Reyes? If he scores, the Mets win - it's just how it is. When these guys get an opportunity and are on top of their game, the team has that much more chance of winning. They do things on the field that amaze you and make you happy you're a baseball fan. Mariano is almost done and is probably ready to blow at least one save this weekend, but Reyes will be running the bases in New York for many years (and wins) to come.

So Yankee fans, enjoy your Core 4 now because they are quickly becoming the Dinosaur 4, and there is a new core in New York that will turn the tides and make us feel like the mid-80s again, when the Mets were kings of New York. Enjoy the weekend, because if you can't beat the 3rd place team in the NL East, you're not going to beat the 2nd place (and soon to be 1st place team). Drink it up!

Offense and Pitching Together Will Keep the Mets Consistent

2010-06-17T15:49:00.005-04:00

What's the difference between the Mets 9-1 run to first place earlier this season and the 10-1 run toward first they are on now? A nice balance of offense and defense.

On the 9-1 run in May, it took top notch pitching performances by everyone to make it happen. 8 of those 10 games had the Mets giving up 2 runs or less. This is something that just can't be sustained for an extended period of time. Yes, Pelf is doing awesome, we have one of the greatest pitchers in baseball in Santana, and the other three guys are doing great, but if you think the Mets as a whole will be able to limit opponents to 2 runs or less on a regular basis, you're drinking koolaid even better than you'll find here.

Over the past 11 games on the Mets current streak, the team has given up 4 or more runs 5 times. That said, the Mets have scored 5 or more runs during that span 6 times. Obviously, the Mets aren't always going to score a ton of runs either.

The big difference is the Mets are going from streaky baseball to just good baseball. Everyone is hustling, smiling, and having fun. Sure, this happens always when a team is on a winning streak, but this one feels different than last time. Last time, I think all Mets fans had in their heads was, "This is great, but when is this going to end?" This time, I don't feel this way and I'm guessing you don't either.

I started to calm down with Pelf's game on Sunday (don't you love that him giving up 3ER is now an off game for him?). He gave up a few runs and I was all ready for the Mets to not back him up offensively, but they went out there and put up 11 runs on the game and made it a laugher. This is not a streak. It's not even something out of the ordinary for a successful baseball team.

Over the course of a long season, teams are going to have great pitching performances and great hitting performances. There are going to be bad days for both too, but as long as any day can be a good day, the team has a chance to win, and the fans are going to have fun. Thanks goodness baseball is fun again for us. Drink it up.

Nice and Clean: The New Look Mets

2010-06-16T16:40:00.002-04:00

There has never been a more effective house cleaning in the history of mankind.

Since June 4th, the day that kicked off Mets Spring Cleaning Weekend 2010, the Mets have won nine out of ten games. They have swept the rival Marlins, taken a series from the first place Padres, and won four straight games on the road.

Coincidence? I think not.

You may recall that weekend marked the end of the road for two fan favorites named Gary Matthews Jr. (forever) and Oliver Perez (hopefully forever). Both were dragging down the Mets, Matthews with his total inability to hit and Ollie with his terrible pitching and horrible attitude.

With those team cancers gone the Mets look like they are playing loose and having fun, two qualities often found on a winning team. Guys like Reyes, Wright, and Francoeur have emerged from slumps and constantly have a smile on their face. Guys like Cora, Pagan, Bay and Ike are doing the little (and sometimes big) things to help the team win even when they aren’t hitting at their best. This group of Mets clearly has a winning attitude, something we have not seen in a while. It helps to know that you have a chance to win no matter who is pitching, and this current Mets rotation has fit the bill.

This confident attitude has even spread to the fans. I, for one, truly feel that these Mets can now win any game on any day. If they don’t, they will win the next day. And whatever happens, we know it will be fun to watch.

After all, Ollie can’t ruin winning streaks while in DL exile, and Matthews Jr. can’t kill late inning rallies while sitting at home on his undeserved pile of money.

Best Weekend Ever

2010-06-07T13:59:00.004-04:00

In case you blacked out this weekend (from drinking too much Koolaid, of course), I'm here to tell you that it was one of the best in recent memory for the Mets and their fans. For both on and off the field reasons, the last three days could very well serve as the turning point of the 2010 season.

On the diamond the Mets swept the Marlins, a team that gets more and more annoying every year. For some reason every Marlins player seems to take particular joy in making the Mets suffer, and they even threw in a couple of dirty slides to boot. This, coupled with the fact that neither Santana or Pelfrey threw a single pitch, made the three game beatdown even sweeter. Whether it was holding a small lead, mounting a big comeback, or just plain dominating from the start, the Mets showed they can win ballgames in a variety of ways.

But it was really the off the field news that had Mets fans giddy and hopeful. During what will forever be known as Mets Spring Cleaning Weekend 2010, the front office FINALLY took out the trash that is Gary Matthews Jr. (cut) and Oliver Perez (DL'd). The removal of these two players undoubtedly helped fuel the sweep. Heading into the games, Mets players for once did not have to think about the inevitable late inning Matthews Jr. strikeout or watch Perez hang his head in shame while getting shelled in a blowout. And while Luis Castillo is nowhere near as atrocious as those two, his placement on the DL opened the door to an exciting, young, athletic, and all-homegrown infield that can play together for years to come.

If the Mets are playing serious fall baseball, we will look back on June 4-6 as the weekend that sparked it all. They not only disposed of a pesky division rival, they also removed two major buzz kills and took another step towards getting younger.

For Mets fans, it was a weekend to remember.

According to the Dictionary...

2010-06-02T10:40:00.007-04:00

Team Cancer [teem kan-ser] noun. A player or coach on an athletic team that is not only bad personally, but has an adverse affect on the other players around them by both bad performance as well as attitude. Generally it would be better for a team to release this player but they are often kept because of a large contract. An example would be Oliver Perez of the 2010 New York Mets. See Also: Bobby Bonilla, 1992.

I'm sorry, there is just no Kool-Aid to bring up my feelings on this guy. He's gotta go.

Road Warriors

2010-06-01T15:16:00.009-04:00

By now we are all familiar with the Two-Face act the Mets are pulling this season. When the Mets are playing at home they are a thing of beauty to watch. When they hit the road, there is "bad lighting on the porch" (see Seinfeld).

The Mets are 8-18 away from Citi Field and amazingly have not won consecutive road games since last July. But here at Mets Kool-Aid, in case you didnt notice, we like to look at the bright side of things.

Take the upcoming schedule, for example. In two weeks the Mets play at Yankee Stadium, so they will not have to endure a plane ride, experience strange cultures, sleep in hotel beds, or do anything else that may be affecting them on the road. Then they have three games against the Marlins in Puerto Rico, where natives Angel Pagan, Pedro Feliciano and Alex Cora should feel more comfortable than ever. Hell, Carlos Beltran may even be inspired to play in front of his countrymen.

As for the real road games, team management might have to work some psychological magic. Let each player bring his own bed, wife, children, dog, etc. on the road. Blindfold each player before and after games so they don't know where they are. Bring water from Flushing Bay and record loud jet engines so that it smells and sounds like Queens at all times. Bribe the opposing team and umpires to get last licks. Whatever works.

With the way the Mets are playing at home, even slight improvement on the road will result in a great season. Seventeen of their last twenty-two games are at Citi Field, meaning there is the chance for exciting baseball in the fall.

Until then, the Mets must play better on the road. We need Game 7 of the NLCS to be in Flushing.

Loserino

2010-05-28T12:21:00.003-04:00

Well, Mets fans, our dream series came true. Three games against our hated rivals, three wins, and ZERO runs allowed. The last time that the Phillies scored a run, the Celtics were good and the Superbowl was a warm weather event. The only way things could possibly be better is if the calendar said October.

But even though it's only May the sweep was Amazin'. It not only announced the Mets resurgence, it also left the Phillies thinking like losers. Take, for example, Shane Victorino's account of what the Phillies talked about during their closed-door meeting:

“We just need to play with some intensity… It’s not about losing and winning. It’s about losing the right way and conducting ourselves the right way. Basically, that was the whole brunt of the conversation, nothing more than that. There was no reaming, no yelling at anybody, just understanding to go up there and if we’re gonna lose, to lose the right way.”

Wow. I'm assuming that losing "the right way" means losing without spying on the opposing pitchers with binoculars, but I could be wrong. Either way, it looks like the tides have turned. While the Mets are running off wins and talking about the need to continue winning, the Phillies are concerned with moral victories. I guess thats what happens when you get absolutely embrarrased by your division rivals.

And just for the record, Shane, the way you and your team lost these last three games sure looked "right" to me. Keep it up.

It's All About the Pitching

2010-05-27T10:57:00.002-04:00

Another great day to be a Mets fan. We have now taken the series against the Phils and have guaranteed ourselves to at least be tied with them on the season head to head going into tonight's battle between Pelf and that junky piece of garbage Cole Hamels. I will be in attendance tonight to boo him whole-heartedly. I will also be there to see what hopes to be another gem from Mike Pelfrey which would make it about the 6th game in a row with an excellent pitching performance by a Mets starter. Now, do we think there is a coincidence that in this little run of excellent pitching we've won every game? I don't think it's a coincidence as much as a statement.

Since the start of the Yankees series on Friday, Mets starters have had a combined ERA of 0.71. On the excellent 9-1 run our boys went on about a month ago, the starters combined for an ERA of about 1.64. It's no surprise to anyone that good pitching leads to wins, but this definitely gives some additional evidence that this team can do great things with good pitching. At the beginning of the month, the Mets went almost 2 weeks with their starters not marking a win - this we know was a dark time for the streaky Mets in 2010.

There is enough hitting talent on this team to win - especially if stars like Jose Reyes and Jason Bay are actually coming around like we've seen over the last week or two. David Wright will have his hot streaks, Francoeur will have his hot streaks, Ike Davis seems like one of the most consistent hitters on the team right now, Luis Castillo is probably our most consistent on-base guy, and we know the kind of power Rod Barajas has shown. If everyone gets hot together, we'll see some great stuff out of this club no matter what the pitching, but in order to keep winning on a consistent basis, it seems the Mets need to go out there and put a good starter on the hill.

What does this mean? It means RA Dickey is "ridiculously awesome" right now and Takahashi could keep these great performances up, but it can't be relied on. We need one more good arm. The Mets took a 4 pitcher gamble going into this season. Pelf has been stupendous. Niese has shown he can be the consistent guy we need him to be and can step up in a big spot once he comes back from the DL. Maine and Ollie have failed at this point. The team seems to be getting excited now that these distractions are not taking the hill to start every game. Takahashi and Dickey can keep being awesome starters for the Mets - if they do, we'll make the playoffs for sure. But, if you add a 3rd "no worries" arm to this rotation, this team is a playoff contender. You're telling me we're not going to win a 5 game series with Santana-Cliff Lee/Roy Oswalt - and Pelf starting the first 3 games? I'm getting giddy just thinking about it.

Mets management hopefully realizes this so the Kool-aid can keep flowing. This is that different brand of Kool-Aid, not just overly positive, but sure Kool-aid knowing that this team will be Amazin' with just a little tweak. Show me something Omar. Here's a pitcher of Kool-aid - now pour us a glass!

R.A. Stands for Ridiculously Awesome

2010-05-26T12:21:00.005-04:00

Seaver, Gooden, Darling, Leiter. Now add Dickey to the list of Mets pitching heroes.

Last night R.A. Dickey, a 35 year old knuckleball throwing journeyman, solidified his place in Mets lore by shutting down the vaunted Phillies lineup in the first game of a pivotal series. But two things made Dickey’s performance even more amazing than the typical dominating start.

First, the Phillies should have had an advantage before the game even started. They struggled against another knuckleballer just two nights ago, so you would have thought the entire lineup would be watching game film and adjusting during their off day. Instead, it appears that Utley, Howard and Co. were too busy cavorting with their vomiting fans and checking out the latest in taser technology to study up on how to hit a knuckleball.

Second, Dickey was hit on the elbow by a line drive early yet still persevered through six shutout innings. Imagine if the same thing had happened to John Maine or Ollie Perez. Maine would have been pulled from the game, yelled at his manager for taking him out, and then been diagnosed with some sort of major injury unheard of by most of mankind. Ollie would have stayed in to pitch three more innings, gotten shelled, and then complained about how much the injury (and slight breeze) affected him.

But not R.A Dickey. Dickey proved that, despite the funny name and the fact that he has never won more than eight games in a season, he can be counted on by the Mets to win big games.

After all, he's not named Ridiculously Awesome for nothing.

The Mets-Koolaid Koolaid

2010-05-25T09:54:00.004-04:00

It's time to get excited again folks. This blog is about to make a serious run. I mean it. So far this season, this blog has had some ups and downs. We flaked on the position by position Spring Training preview, started out pretty slow on traffic, had an amazing run of huge traffic days with lots of posts for about a 2 week span, and since then we have been lying in the weeds with some good posts at times and other days not showing up at all. Well, we're back. Things were busy, we had some distractions, enough is enough. Sure, we may be a little bit understaffed at times. We still have 2 solid writers here though even if Mets Koolaid fans think that it's time for a management change! We're ready to pledge to you at least a post a day for the foreseeable future. It's time to let the koolaid pour again!

Sound familiar?

Alright, we admit it - we've been slacking. Mike and my calendars are clearer now and that excellent performance against the Yankees this past weekend have given us a renewed spirit and a new batch of Koolaid is brewing as we enter into another crucial series with the Phils. This time, it's on our turf. What does that mean? No more popups that turn into home runs, no potential for fans to throw up on other fans or players, no potential for a mid-inning break to taze a fan.

I think the most important thing to realize going into this series is the Mets have momentum and nothing to lose. The Phillies came out and beat the Mets when we were on our best run of the season. We were in first place and they sent us down the standings. Well, now it's their turn. We have the middle of our order starting to wake up, we're at home where a battered pitching staff has the luxury of huge and deep walls to keep balls in the park, we just took 2 of 3 from the Yankees, and we're expected to lose here.

If the Mets can't beat the Phillies here, raise your hand if you'll be surprised. Okay, now explain to the person sitting next to you at work why your hand is raised. Now take a sip of koolaid and think about what this beautiful Memorial Day weekend will be like when the Mets have just come off two victorious series against our two biggest rivals and getting ready to leave on a road trip to visit the struggling Brewers. We could be sitting here next week talking about another great run that this team has gone on, except now it's for good. Some signs of life, a few wins, a quick move for another starter (out of Houston maybe?), and we're back in business. We've been saying it all along and there have been hints that this team can be good. The season is still just in its second month and it's time for a turnaround.

It's time for a run, both on this blog and on the field. So sit back, relax, and pour yourself a nice tall glass of koolaid to enjoy it. Let's go Mets!

A Thank You Letter to Oliver Perez

2010-05-17T12:22:00.005-04:00

Dear Mr. Perez,

I would like to be the first Mets fan to thank you. For the first time in three years, you did something this past weekend that made us very happy.

You easily could have pitched your usual clunker of a game, something like 5 innings, 5 runs, and 5 walks. We would have said you stink, but it could be worse. Jerry Manuel would have told us that you just made a couple bad pitches but are very close to turning the corner. Omar Minaya would have said there is no intention to remove you from the rotation at this time.

But you are obviously a way better person than we gave you credit for. Instead of just being plain bad on Friday, you gave Mets fans the gift of an atrocious performance. 3.1 inning and 7 runs, gift wrapped with 4 homers. You made it easy for the usually stubborn Mets management team to pull you from the starting rotation, something I never thought they would do. Maybe they will even decide to pursue a decent pitcher to replace you.

So again, I say thank you. Thank you for not subjecting us fans to any more of your starts. Thank you for ending the stress of buying tickets and then praying that you are not pitching. And thank you for stopping the bleeding in my ears from hearing about the great shape you are in and the amazing bullpen session you threw.

Now, if you can possibly find more room in your kind heart, please pitch just as badly out of the bullpen for a couple of games so that management will not even think about putting you back in the rotation. Maybe you could even get dropped from the team altogether. For $36 million it’s the least you could do.

Sincerely,
Mets Kool-Aid

Santana, Warm Weather, A Chance to Win a Series

2010-05-14T10:01:00.002-04:00

Looking at the title of this post, you'd think that it would be a nice tall glass of kool-aid going into yesterday's game, but there are all things to talk about today, even after another heart-breaking loss coming on a Fernando Nieve wild pitch in the bottom of the 9th. On this blog though, we don't look at the glass half empty, we don't even look at it as half full, we look at it as overflowing with koolaid. So here are some reasons why this series with the Marlins still has a chance to be a really big one for the Mets.

First and foremost, Johan Santana was dominant yesterday. For the past few years, Santana has been one of the few bright spots on the Mets and someone, as fans, we've never really had to worry about. No matter how bleak things looked, you knew every 5 days you were going to get a performance from our starter that would put the team in a position to win. Well, after Johan's last 2 starts, all Mets fans were getting very worried. In just 11.1 innings he had given up 14 earned runs including probably the worst start of his career against Philly weekend before last. Well, Johan reassured the team and the fans last night in Florida battling Josh Johnson matching his great pitching performance with 7 strong innings giving up only one unearned run and striking out 5. While the loss was unfortunate, I'd trade the win for a reassurance that Johan is not going to be an issue going forward. I think we got that last night and I'm already looking forward to his next start as I always had in the past.

Next, we send Oliver Perez to the mound tonight in a game the Mets really need to right the ship here. Normally, this would worry me a lot, but with all the talk of Ollie not pitching well in cold weather and the loud talks of him being pulled from the rotation should give Ollie more of a reason to show up big than ever before. He'll be pitching in a balmy stadium in Miami and must know this is probably his last shot before the Mets put someone like Hisinori Takahashi. There will be no excuses so either Ollie will pitch well and we'll be happy, or he won't, and we'll have a new direction to look forward to. If it was up to me, I hope he does well. We need this win and this could be something the Mets rally around going into the rest of the weekend.

Finally, even with a loss last night, this is a 4-game series and 1 loss leaves the Mets with a chance to still take the series from the Marlins. It all starts tonight. It's only 5/15 - there's no reason to get our heads down yet fans. Keep drinking the kool-aid and hope for the best.

Philthy

2010-05-13T11:05:00.006-04:00

As you know by now, here at Mets Kool-Aid we love nothing more than serving up an ice cold glass of the blue and orange good stuff. But over the past few years, baseball followers have been subject to a different kind of koolaid, one so vile it makes you want to throw up on your fellow fan. You guessed it, I’m talking about Phillies koolaid.

All we hear from the national baseball media is how great the Phillies are. They are the class of the National League, a well run organization with passionate fans, blah blah blah.

Yes, the Phillies do have a good baseball team, as much as I hate to admit it. But it’s about time that the national media love fest for all things Phillies come to an end. We have always known that the fans are horrible. After all, only one fanbase holds the record for vomiting on an 11 year old girl and getting tasered by stadium security within a one month span.

But now we also know that the organization is not as “first class” as the Baseball Tonight crew and others would have you think. Earlier this week they were caught stealing signs from the Rockies bullpen with that extremely high tech espionage device the rest us call binoculars. Class act Charlie Manuel defended the action by saying the Rockies only complained “Because we beat them… Keep crying”, and then accused the Mets of cheating too simply based on their good home record. Somebody has been spending a little too much time with Bill Belichick lately.

The Phillies have been accused by various teams of stealing signs from the bullpen for years. And what do they get for this? The cruel “punishment” of three extra home games against the Blue Jays. That’s right, Phillies fans will have three extra chances to pull off more memorable stunts.

We can only hope more tasers are involved.

Jerry's Juice

2010-05-10T12:24:00.006-04:00

Following yesterday's rough performance by Oliver Perez, Jerry Manuel said the following:

"The cool weather was definitely a factor with Ollie, and we will just have to figure it out. The whole thing with strike-throwing is balance and if it's windy that makes it very challenging."

As Jerry inferred, I think it is safe blame yesterdays' debacle on Mother Nature. We told you previously on this blog that Oliver Perez does NOT like to pitch in cold weather. Add in some hurricane-esque winds, and he must really hate being out on the mound. You can't expect someone to throw strikes when all they can think about is curling up in a snuggy, can you?

Don't worry though, because Ollie's next start will be in mid-May. Expect him to throw 7 shutout innings since it is sure to be 75 degrees and sunny, unless Mother Nature is a fan of whoever the Mets are playing at the time. If that's the case, we can always trade Ollie to Florida or Arizona.

Walk-off Wins Provide Cinematic Foreshadowing

2010-05-09T01:13:00.009-04:00

What a win in 11 innings by the Mets today as Henry Blanco closed out the game with a walk-off home run - the second in as many days coming from the catcher position for the boys in blue and orange. Not only was this a great win today, but this again shows us the fight in this team. For the second day in a row, the Mets lost a lead late in the game and still found a way to win. As Mike said in his post yesterday, these are games that this team has lost in the past. I'm ready to say, this team's luck is has turned.

While luck has something to do with it, I'm a strong proponent of saying that you make your own luck. There is something we are seeing in these games at Citi Field that we haven't seen in a while...smiles. So many times last year, with the absence of Jose Reyes and the pressure David Wright seemed to feel, it didn't look like anyone on the Mets team was enjoying themselves.

Any person who's seen any sports movie knows that teams the don't have fun get distracted and never perform to their potentials. Following a turning point, the team realizes the game should be fun, comes together, works hard, and goes on an amazing run to first place and eventually a championship. Well, here's your list:

-Lou Brown informs his team that Rachel Phelps chose them so the team would lose and she can move the team to a warm weather climate. The team goes on a crazy run eventually beating the Yankees in a one-game playoff sending them to the post season.
(Major League I)

-Henry Rowengartner breaks his arm which eventually allows his tendons to heal tight enough that he can throw a blazing fastball. He becomes the youngest kid to play for the Cubs, and eventually his joining the club reminds the team to have fun like kids even reviving the dead career for Gary Busey's well-played Chet Steadman. The team goes on to win the World Series even though their two best pitchers suffer in essence career-ending injuries in the final game of the NLSC. Why? Because they team had fun.
(Rookie of the Year)

-Billy Haywood, inherited owner of the Twins and self-made Manager and baseball wunderkind gives his team an ultimatum that he will fire himself if they play hard, have fun, and still don't win. Well, team pranks and shenanigans as well as a successful montage boosted the Twins to coming within inches of a playoff birth as Ken Griffey Jr. robs a shot hit off of Randy Johnson for the final out of a one game playoff - the fans of Minnesota stay after the game to cheer on the team in appreciation.
(Little Big League)

-Roger Bomann's dead beat dad tells him he will get the family back together when the Angels win the pennant causing Roger to pray for the impossible happening and resulting in the appearance of Christopher Lloyd and his pack of ultimate PEDs - Angels. The heavenly helpers help the team with success eventually leading them to have fun and become good ballplayers again. Tony Danza even shows the evil White Sox who's the boss as he pitches a 150 pitch game getting the Angels to the playoffs.
(Angels in the Outfield)

-Rube Baker gives a heartfelt speech about how the Indians are in the "gosh darn major leagues" in the break between a double-header where the first game displayed the entire Indians team "showing signs of life" by beating the crap out of each other. The team remembered what playing baseball was all about and went on another playoff run and making the World Series after Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn intentionally walks the bases loaded to face the best hitter in the league and struck him out. "Throw him the heater Ricky!"
(Major League II)

Now there's 5 excessively described instances where one small mid-season event can change an entire team's attitude and send them on a run into and even through the playoffs. So I say:

-The Mets struggle in a week where the team lost two bad games to their biggest division rivals and then couldn't even eek out a series win against a bad Cincinnatti team with multiple heartbreaking losses, Rod Barjas and Henry Blanco spark the team back into fun mode with back to back walk-off home runs on a weekend series with the Giants. The young stars of the Mets jump up and down at the plate as they welcome their catcher to the plate with smiles on their faces. They go on to take the sweep on Sunday with a big comeback performance by a struggling Oliver Perez and the team goes on to streak into first place passing their rivals and running full steam through the season and into the playoffs.
(2010 New York Mets)

In all my memories of the successful seasons of the Mets' past, it's always the loose, fun teams that were successful. These two games have put smiles on the faces of our players, and I'm ready for them to go on another run. It all starts tomorrow if the team can get a big performance by Ollie against Lincecum, and like the little black orphan boy said in Angels in the Outfield - "Hey, it could happen."

We Like Walk-offs

2010-05-08T09:07:00.004-04:00

Last night, I witnessed in person one of the best Mets games in recent years. Courtesy of SNY and my roomate Adam, I was able to sit in a suite right behind home plate. The suite was incredible, but what I'll remember most is something we've never seen before at Citi Field.

Twenty five men in Mets uniforms rushed out of the dugout, surrounded home plate, and then jumped up and down as one of their teamates crossed the plate. I had seen this ritual before on tv, as recently as Wednesday, but could not recall the Mets taking part in it in a long while.

And as the stadium was rocking, it finally came back to me - this was a walk-off home run for the New York Mets!

The Mets opened up a fresh can of koolaid with the amazin' win last night. This was a game they certainly would have lost in years past, unable to get over the blown save and subsequent air being let out of the building. It would have been the game that had Mets fans swearing to not watch another game this season.

But the 2010 Mets are different, and last night they showed why. These Mets have one of baseball's clutchest hitters in Rod Barajas, who showed no ill effects from Cinco de Mayo celebrations and is quickly becoming a favorite of this blog. And they have Ike Davis, who continued to make Christian, Muslim, atheist, and especially Jewish Mets fans proud with two home runs and an incredible catch.

It was the type of win and celebration that can bring a team together and pump up the fans. Citi Field was buzzing again, and this time it wasn't just because of Shake Shack burgers or that song they play after Take Me Out to the Ballgame that everyone pretends to know the words to.

It was because everyone realized that good, exciting baseball is back in Flushing.

Rod Barajas is Electrifying!

2010-05-05T09:04:00.008-04:00

In Hebrew, "Baruchas" means blessings, and to the Mets, "Barajas" should mean just the same. Rod Barajas has definitely been a blessing for the Metropolitans this season most recently hitting a game winning home run in the 9th inning last night to lift the Mets over the Reds and get them back on track after a tough weekend in Philly and extra-inning loss on Monday.

Last night's homer marked Barajas's fourth knock in as many games for him including his second multi-homer game of the season on Friday night against he Phillies. The shot also put Barajas not only in the team lead for home runs this season, but also tied him for 13th in the majors and first among catchers overall. That's right, Rod Barajas is tied with Albert Pujols right now for home runs. He also has more homers than defending AL MVP Joe Mauer and cross town catching superstar Jorge Posada.

I took a look back at Mike Piazza's stats as a Met to this point in the season and only 3 times did he have 7 home runs by May 5th - that was in 2000, 2001, and 2002. In those season, Piazza ended up with 38, 36, and 33 home runs respectively. If we see that kind of production out of Barajas by season's end, we'll have to add him to the end of this list, if I may quote myself from our preseason catcher preview post, "From Grote to Carter to Hundley to Piazza to LoDuca, the Mets seem to thrive when they get good production from behind the dish."

As he keeps this up, he's going to electrify this Mets lineup better than a Citizens Bank Park security guard and get our boys in blue and orange back to the top of the NL East standings before you know it. Stay excited folks, drink it up, and Let's Go Mets!

Jerry's Juice

2010-05-04T16:33:00.003-04:00

With the Mets recently putting together a long winning streak, it's been a while since the last "Jerry's Juice" (Remember, they only come after losses). Here is a double dose, and hopefully the last two we see for a while:

When asked what he thought about Matthews, Tatis, and Catalanotto, Manuel said the following:

"That's a real tough one. I think the thing that would be somewhat encouraging to them is that it's still May and they have accumulated some at-bats, probably haven't been as successful as you'd like to have been."

Jerry is absolutely right, folks. Sure, neither Matthews, Tatis, or Catalanotto has been any good for a few years, but it is still only May. It will only be a matter of time before all three have heated up to at least the Mendoza line. And they have to be encouraged that their manager thinks they PROBABLY haven't been AS successful as we would have liked, rather than not successful at all. All told, things are looking up for these three valuable bench players.

"The weather was good for him. It was warm. He likes this weather. He let some pitches go, and that's what we needed to see from Ollie."

Again, Jerry's words give us reason to believe. Ollie likes warm weather, and it will be getting warmer the next few months. Put two and two together, and what you get is a big summer from Ollie Perez. We can only hope that once the cooler days of September and October come around, he will still be dominating opposing hitters.

Phillies in First? Big Deal.

2010-05-03T00:02:00.008-04:00

Phillies fans don’t really know anything, but they were right about one thing – it’s still very early in the season. Last week, all we heard from the Phlunkies was that success in late April means nothing. Well, it’s still only May 3^rd, so Mets fans can for once take the advice of their vomiting-on-each-other rival fans and not overreact to these last two early season losses.

Sure, the games were disappointing, but they add up to just a slight bump in the road during what still promises to be a great season for the Mets. There is no way that Pelfrey and Santana, two of the best pitchers in baseball, will be that bad in any other starts this season. The Phillies were just lucky to catch them on off days. Philly was also fortunate that Jerry Manuel basically gave them the rubber match by playing the B squad lineup and sitting Angel Pagan and Ike Davis. Congrats, Phillies, you beat a team consisting of Garry Matthews Jr. and Fernando Tatis. But giving a day of rest to the starters is sure to pay off for the Mets in the long run.

Even in the losing series there were plenty of positives for Mets fans to take away. John Niese showed he is better than any Phillies pitcher not named Roy Halladay. The offense continued to rake, hitting six homeruns in just three games. Rod Barajas proved once again that he is the best catcher the Mets have had since Mike Piazza. And Jason Bay and Jeff Francoeur played outstanding defense in the corner outfield positions.

So don’t worry, Mets fans. The season is still way too young to put too much stock in a couple of losses, especially when those losses were basically flukes. Santana and Big Pelf returning to their dominating ways is as certain as death and taxes. Phillies fans will probably gloat all day, but all that really matters is that the Mets are looking down at the Phillies when the calendar turns to fall.

Like that obnoxious guy in the Utley jersey told you last week, pennants are won in September, not May.

According to Phils Fans: "Santana Know Longer Scary!"

2010-04-29T16:43:00.006-04:00

Well it's pretty obvious that Mets fans are excited. We've had a record number of posts in the last few days. We've had a record number of traffic in the last few days. There's a buzz around everyone's offices, schools, homes, etc because the Amazin' Mets are Amazin' again. Not only that, but we're about to head into Philly to face a true rival, a team I hate more than almost any team out there. The Mets are about to walk into a lions den of degenerate fans, face a team that has won the NL for the last two seasons, and take on the hands down favorite to win the NL again this season. If it's good enough for the Mets, it's good enough for our blog, so we took to the message boards over at Phillies.com to pour them a glass of Koolaid and see what they had to say. As intelligent and well-spoken as I know Philly fans to be, I was pretty excited.

My first stop was to find out some thoughts on tomorrow's series opener, so I got to a thread started by user Julius May - the official thread of tomorrow's game on the message board. I had a little trouble as there were actually 2 official threads. Well, actually there was "Mets vs. Phillies 4/30/10 OFFICIAL GAME THREAD," but there was also "Mets vs. Phillies 4/30/10 OFFICIAL GAME TREAD." I guess Julius may be a little nervous about Kyle Kendrick testing his 7.71 ERA against Jon Niese in the opener tomorrow night. Maybe Kendrick isn't used to the weight in his hand anymore now that he gets to wear those rings. Hopefully Pelf and Johan won't have the same effect on them next year after wearing their 2010 World Series rings. Not to worry Julius, whether it's an official thread or tread, the Mets are going to be beating up your pitcher.

Next, I decided to post a little something up on the boards since the Philly fans are in need of a little Koolaid here. Well, the response on a prediction for Game 2 brought out the enthusiasm and positive thoughts from pfosty who said, "Game 2 goes to the Phillies (Halladay is pitching, nuff said)." Sorry to tell you this pfosty, Halladay is facing Mike Pelfrey, the best pitcher in the NL statistically right now. And speaking of statistics, I hope for the Phillies sake that the Mets can't keep up their .337 clip they are hitting against Halladay in his career. Between the short porch everywhere at Citizen's Bank, the way the middle of the Mets' order is hitting the ball, and the way Mike Pelfrey is pitching, you are going to have to love this game.

Finally, for the third game, the Sunday Night game, the ESPN game, you had to figure Phils fans would be a bit shook up considering they'll probably be facing a potential sweep with Johan on the mound. Lucky for Philadelphia, they have our good friend 1diehard pouring their own brand of Koolaid saying, "I agree santana know longer scares me either. Mark this down if phils win game 1 it will be a clean sweep." I'd respond, but I don't think that's English. Someone should go back to second grade and learn their "no" vs "know" rules. Although in Philly I'm sure they teach vomiting on opposing fans or throwing snowballs at Santa Claus instead of grammar. Don't worry 1diehard, we don't have to worry about your prediction anyway because we already know the Phillies aren't winning game 1.

So it looks like we are all set here. 3 more wins for the Metropolitans, more evidence to the abomination that are Phillies fans, and a great day for the Mets Koolaid blog. In all seriousness though, let's get pumped for an awesome series this weekend, let's get out that blue and orange shirt you haven't worn since the first week of September in 2007 (that's right we're welcoming back the bandwagon fans), and let's watch our boys extend that lead in the NL East. Drink it up, and LET'S GO METS!!!!

The "OH YEAH!" Award...Last Chance to Vote!

2010-04-29T09:56:00.006-04:00

April has been great for the Mets, so don't miss your chance to vote for the first ever "OH YEAH" Player of the Month award. The award goes to the player who inspired Mets fans to drink the most kool-aid this month.

Here is a quick rundown of the standings so far:

1 - Mike Pelfrey
2 - Jeff Francoeur

3 - David Wright

4 (tie) - Jose Reyes, Rod Barajas

No love has been shown for the likes of Santana, Takahashi, or Nieve (don't worry, Ike Davis will qualify in May).

Remember, two packets of kool-aid (one blue and one orange) and an OYPOTM certificate will be sent to the winning player. So get out and vote!

The Beat Goes On

2010-04-28T19:34:00.007-04:00

Life is good, Mets fans. Our team is officially on fire after cementing their seventh consecutive win earlier today. Gone are the days when the kool-aid had to be forced down the throat of Mets fans against their will. Nowadays, it’s flowing from the pipes of Citi Field and everyone wants a drink.

Once again, the Mets followed the recipe for success that we have been preaching on this blog. The middle of the lineup produced, the starting pitching was great, and the bullpen shut the door. The end result was another win, the best home stand in team history, and a spot atop the NL East for yet another day.

This time it was John Maine's turn to join the parade of Mets who have broken out in the past several days. Maine came back from the dead to keep a dangerous Dodgers lineup in check, striking out nine in the process. He has the talent to pitch like this the rest of the year, and if he does the Mets rotation will be one of baseball's best.

Even with the Mets hotter than an Icelandic volcano, the naysayers – “experts” in the media, Phillies fans, and even some pessimistic Mets fans – are bound to come out in full force. They will cry that the Mets have beaten bad teams and have caught good teams at the right time. They will claim that the Mets bullpen cannot survive being used so much. They will say it’s too early in the season for a good record to mean anything. After all, some people just don’t like the taste of blue and orange kool-aid.

All that matters is that on April 28^th the Mets are in first place and playing great baseball. The players seem to be having fun every single inning, something we have not seen in a long time. Fan excitement is back to levels not reached since 2006. And the best part is the fun should continue all season. We have a potent lineup, several excellent pitchers, and players who are dedicated to proving the doubters wrong.

Now it's on to Philadelphia, where the Mets can really prove they are back on top. If the Mets continue to play up to their potential, the Phillies will still be looking up in the standings on Monday and beyond.

#1 in Your Hearts and Now in the Standings!

2010-04-28T09:54:00.004-04:00

When we looked at this team at the beginning of the season, there were a few things the Mets needed to have happen in order for them to bounce back from last season.The Mets needed their lineup to be strong, their starters to step it up and give the team a chance to win, and the bullpen t be reliable to come in early if needed and finish out games. Yesterday's doubleheader sweep of the 2009 NL West Champion Dodgers (as predicted by brilliant readers DavidD and d simon) was a microcosm of everything that needed to happen this season for success, and there is no reason to believe that the Mets can't keep this up.

Across the two games yesterday, the Mets bats, especially in the middle of the lineup, were as dangerous as any in the majors. Jason Bay not only hit his first homer of the season in Game 1, but also hit a huge RBI triple in game two to help the Mets get an early lead. David Wright had baseball analysts everywhere talking about him in the last week changing his swing, after-effects of a Matt Cain beanball, and strikeout after strikeout. Well David showed that the negative koolaid by these analysts is ridiculous and he is the man to be counted on with men on base going 4-6 across the teo games yesterday with 4 RBIs. Jose Reyes has shown that he's not rusty, but needed some time to get back to his old ways and some new ones driving in runs from his new spot in the order. Ike Davis also continues to rake like
the rookie phenom the Mets were hoping for posting 3 RBIs of his own in the second game.

Bottom line, the 3 through 6 spots in this lineup are hot. This is exactly what the Mets need heading into Philly this weekend to take on the 2nd PLACE Phillies. Not only that but this is what the Mets need to hold on to their first place spot at the top of the standings for the rest of the season. Not that we need to pour any more koolaid here, but think about this 3 through 6 and add in Jeff Francoeur who has already shown flashes of offensive brilliance this year and is bound to heat up as this tends to be contagious. Now add Carlos Beltran to the mix. With reliable veterans that we're seeing at catcher and second base, this is going to be one of the best lineups in the league for the rest of 2010 and years to come.

We can't give all the credit to the lineup though as the pitching came through yesterday just as much as the hitting. You don't agree? I know. Johan only went 6 innings, even if they were scoreless, and Ollie Perez only went 3.2 innings and started walking the stadium. The thing is, not every start is going to be a gem. We love to be positive here, but even we can't say that. What you need is your starter to put you in a position to win even if he doesn't have his best stuff and then hand it over to your pen. That's what happened last night is what we need; performances like that of Fernando Nieve, Pedro Feliciano, Hisanori Takahashi, and Jenry Mejia. This will allow the Mets to win on days in between the Santana, Pelfrey, gems that we know will come more often than not, on the days when Ollie and Maine can't get it together, and to nurse along Jon Niese and let him have strong short performances until he works his way into a big league workhorse. All together yesterday, the pen went 8.0 innings giving up only 2 earned runs and striking out 9. They basically put together a gem themselves.

The Mets are picking each other up when someone is down. The team starts to hit and it make everyone hit. These are the qualities of a winning baseball team, and I BELIEVE that's what you're going to be seeing through an AMAZIN' summer. Ladies and Gentlemen, your FIRST PLACE 2010 New York Mets...drink it up!

NY Times Starting to Sip the Koolaid!

2010-04-27T13:12:00.001-04:00

Drink it up!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/27/sports/baseball/27vecsey.html?emc=eta1

Let's Play 2!!!...What do ya say? We want to Know!!!!!!

2010-04-27T09:14:00.004-04:00

With the double-header today, the Mets have a great opportunity to keep an excellent streak going and keep the koolaid flowing. With that, we want to hear what you, the fans have to say about the current streak and take an opportunity to pour some koolaid of your own. Let's hear your predictions for today's double-header and your thoughts on the season so far. You never know, maybe you'll be quoted in a future post or even be asked to guest write one?!

As David Wright says before every game at Citi Field, "Mets fans are the greatest fans in the world!" So, let's pour some koolaid together!

Back in Business

2010-04-26T12:04:00.003-04:00

It’s time to up that dosage of kool-aid, Mets fans, as the team is surging like it’s 2006 again. Just a week ago everyone except this blog’s writers and loyal readers was ready to write off the Mets. Now the team has won six of seven games, including a sweep of their tomahawk chopping rivals from Atlanta, and the blue and orange is back in style.

During the past week the entire team has been impressive, but there are a few aspects of the Mets that can be credited for igniting the resurgence. For one, Mike Pelfrey continued to stake his claim as not only the Mets legitimate number two starter, but also as one of the best pitchers in baseball. His complete game shutout last night confirmed that the Mets have one of the best one-two punches in the league in Santana and Pelfrey. With that duo anchoring the staff, the Mets will never suffer a prolonged losing streak.

Then there is Ike Davis, the young phenom whose mere presence has helped turn the Mets around. Since he was called up, the Mets are 6-1. But don’t think for a second that this is a coincidence. Ike has contributed in his own right, batting .318 with a mammoth home run and playing gold glove quality defense. Mets fans have good reason to salivate at the thought of Ike in the lineup for the next decade.

Finally, we must acknowledge that Jerry Manuel has managed the Mets back to relevance. Jerry’s idea to move Jose Reyes to the third spot in the lineup has proved nothing short of pure genius. Since the switch both Reyes and Jason Bay are batting over .400, Jeff Franceour has been smashing balls to the deepest part of Citi Field, and even Luis Castillo has been a singles machine. Once David Wright gets going, the lineup will be downright scary.

The Mets are hot at the right time, with games against the Dodgers and the hated Phillies on the horizon. They are starting to catch and take advantage of some breaks, the sign of a good team. By the time next Monday morning rolls around, we could be looking at a first place team in Flushing. Until then, all we know is that the Mets are back in business.

Unusual Opportunity to start a Breakout

2010-04-22T09:25:00.003-04:00

Many apologies to our brilliant readers for not posting yesterday after a beautiful performance on Tuesday night by Mike Pelfrey and Jose Reyes. We figured you all didn't need as much kool-aid after a great win like that because it was flowing through your veins already like it is for Mike and I at all times.

Last night's game was a rough one and I'll admit, I was a little disappointed in the loss as anyone who'd talked to me knows that since my visit to Citi Field on Monday, I was predicting a sweep of the Cubbies and giving us a ton of momentum going into the weekend. Well, my disappointment subsided this morning and the kool-aid started flowing again. Why? Well I'll tell you.

First, while last night's game was a loss, the Mets continue to show fight as a team and good individual performances continuing our hope that at some point in the future (and I think the very near future) the Mets are going to be have luck swing the other way and the W's are going to start coming. Even though we were down a number of runs, the Mets fought back with a late inning rally highlighted by back to back RBI hits in the 8th inning by Luis Castillo and David Wright. Additionally, Oliver Perez pitched another acceptable outing for a 5th starter giving up only 2 ER in 5 innings of work.

It is these continual great starts that are allowing the Mets to put themselves in a position to not only win, but have chances to put multiple wins together and go on a little run. With the wins on Monday and Tuesday night, we look at the schedule and see an opportunity. In the past, we've gotten a good pitching performance by Johan Santana and then have had many of our starters not come through for us. Today, because our other starters are stepping up, we have an opportunity to take 3 of 4 from the Cubs with Johan Santana on the mound. That has to give the Mets players, coaches, and fans confidence. The Mets are 37-25 with Johan Santana on the hill since he became a Met. Anytime he comes out to pitch, you have to love our chances. With a win tonight, we can have some great momentum going into a huge early season series with our division rivals, the Braves. With a good peformance this weekend, the Mets can literally turn some heads, get the confidence back, get the fans back, and be ready for a big turnaround on 4/30 when we head into Philly to take on the biggest bunch of scumbags I've ever seen.

Turn your TV's up tonight, grab a few beers (or koolaids), and get rowdy, because tonight is a big game, our ace is on the hill, and the Mets are ready to breakout. Drink it up.

A New Beginning

2010-04-20T10:32:00.008-04:00

As Jon mentioned, last night the entire Mets Kool-Aid blog staff got its first live look at the 2010 Mets. With all the doom and gloom feelings surrounding the team lately it was time for us to sprinkle some blue and orange powder in person at Citi Field.

We left the stadium excited, not only because the Mets had won the game but also because they showed just how good they can be when playing up to their full potential. We saw Jose Reyes work his old magic by getting on base and distracting the pitcher into grooving a fastball to Angel Pagan, who crushed it for a most timely home run. Jason Bay finally showed why the Mets paid him the big bucks by doubling off the wall for a big insurance run. John Niese continued a string of great starting pitching with a masterful performance. And last but not least, Ike Davis confirmed our belief that he is a future superstar by having a historic debut.

The Mets have the pieces, and last night was a sign that they are ready to put those pieces all together. It was essentially a new beginning to the season. Even our Yankee fan friend was impressed by what he saw (he didn't have to say it; we could tell).

Heading into this season the dream of every Mets fan was to have the Jose Reyes of old, power in the middle of the order, contributive role players, a productive first baseman, and solid pitching. Last night's game proved that this dream is alive and well.

Time to go with the hot hand...even if it's young.

2010-04-20T08:56:00.004-04:00

Well folks, as predicted, the Ike Davis era has begun. The Mets kool-aid team made it out to Citi Field for our first games of 2010 yesterday, and what a game to pick. We saw Ike Davis not only get a hit in his first major league at-bat, but we also saw his first career multi-hit game and his first career RBI. Needless to say, there was kool-aid being poured all over Section 114 last night.

Not only did we drink tall glasses of Ike Davis kool-aid, but we also saw an excellent pitching performance by Jon Niese marking an entire trip through the rotation with good pitching performances by all - an excellent development.

With these guys stepping up, we have to ask ourselves what the Mets have in store for their strategies coming up here. In this writer's opinion, Angel Pagan has deserved the nod as the everyday center fielder until the return of Carlos Beltran especially after that big 2-run shot to left center last night. No matter what you may hear from John Miller and Joe Morgan, Gary Matthews Jr. is not the answer. Furthermore, I think we can all agree that we don't want to see Ike Davis going anywhere. I think we also need to see a little F-mart up here. Mets fans want to see our future now and the flashes of Ike we saw last night have told us, the future may be now. Niese is pitching well, Pelf is showing what he can do (and hopefully will tonight too), Jenry Mejia is looking better and better.

As much as we spout the positivity, last night's game was one of the first times this season that I actually felt comfortable watching a Mets game in the late innings. This needs to become a regular occurrence and I think it will as long as the Mets go with the hot hand and not worry how much experience someone has, where they are on the popularity scale, or how much they're getting paid.

There weren't that many people at Citi Field last night, but with wins will come attendance and with wins will come popularity. And, as long as our offensive stars come around, we keep pitching like we have been, and we see more of guys that work hard and perform like Angel Pagan and Ike Davis did last night, those wins should start rolling in. I said it before, and I'll say it again - Get excited Mets fans, the tide is about to turn!

Jerry's Juice

2010-04-19T10:12:00.004-04:00

After last night's loss 5-3 loss to the Cardinals, Mets manager Jerry Manuel said the following about starting pitcher John Maine:

"His fastball had a lot of life - well, not a lot, but more. I thought he was better."

If that's not high praise, I don't know what is. There is no denying that John Maine was better last night than he has been all season. He gave up only 3 runs on 6 hits and struck out 4, which sounds like a quality start in my (and Jerry's) book. He even retired Albert Pujols, the best hitter in baseball, every single at-bat. And as Jerry so confidently said, Maine's fastball had "more" life than in previous starts.

Slowly but surely, John Maine is improving.

A FUN New Flavor of Mets Kool-Aid to hit shelves in a matter of days...

2010-04-19T09:18:00.003-04:00

You've been asking for it Mets fans and it looks like the new flavor of Mets kool-aid will be hitting shelves in as soon as a couple days.

With the rough and tumble start the Mets have had over the first 12 games of the season, we have to stay positive and look at all the potential we've seen. The Mets have had good starts to the season by Pelf, Johan, Wright, Frenchie, the bullpen, and many others. As my co-blogger Mike said in his post on Sunday, "Twelve games does not make a season." We've seen a lot to keep us positive in this weekend alone - a good start by Ollie, 20 innings pitched with one run given up in a single gameEven still though, with just one small thing in each game really deciding it for the Mets, holding Pujols to 2-14 with no homers or RBI. Even still, we look to where we need improvement and that would be at first base.

Mike Jacobs has struggled like the player who was released by the Royals, Fernando Tatis is playing like the 35-year old he is, Daniel Murphy still hasn't picked up a baseball since getting injured in spring training. This leaves us with one place to turn - the minors. In AAA, Ike Davis has crushed pitching through his first 10 games hitting .364 with 2 homers and 4 RBI staying on the hot offensive pace he displayed in March where he hit over .480 with 3 homers and 10 RBI over a dozen games.

Many are nervous to rush Davis to the majors, but in addition to a trustworthy first baseman, there has been one other thing missing from Mets games...fun. We've had a lot of fun on this blog sure and we have to be happy that just about all of the 12 games have been competitive, but where is that jumping around, smiling and laughing we saw from the club in years past? It feels like so many of these guys are back from war rather than playing baseball for a living. Why? They've been beaten up. The past few years will do that to you if you were a Met, and even if you weren't on the team, getting released by the Royals like Mike Jacobs did or going from a top contract player a few years ago to a platoon placeholder like Gary Matthews, you don't have much to be excited about.

Davis has none of those things. All he has is hope and an entire career ahead of him to play a game we all love. And, for this, he's starting at a place ahead of every Mets player on this roster. So, while many may be scared for him to pick up the the pale looks of his teammates, I see something else. I see getting excited when he steps to the plate with runners in scoring position instead of wondering why Mike Jacobs or Frank Catalanatto is batting cleanup. I see him knocking around Jose Reyes and David Wright. I see the lefty power bat we've been missing in the lineup. And finally, I see a level of freshness he can add to this club to turn some of those close L's into W's. Add that all together, us fans should expect some more fun. Get ready Mets fans and get excited. Ike Davis is coming to Queens.