Trachsel Joins Six Man Rotation
Steve Trachsel was activated from the DL yesterday ending what seemed to be an endless rehab assignment. It was also announced that he will be part of a six man rotation getting his first start Friday night between Pedro Martinez and Kris Benson.
The six man rotation is not a bad idea this time of year. I remember Bobby Valentine using it with some success several years ago. (I know, hardly a glowing endorsement.) The idea is that the starters get an extra day of rest between starts. But it’s not the kind of thing that will last very long. I’m thinking that two, maybe three times through the rotation and it’ll stop. Obviously a decision is imminent. Whether that means the team will make a trade or cut someone I don’t know but something has got to give.
To make room for Trachsel the Mets designated Danny Graves for a ssignment making it the second time this season that Graves has been DFAed. According to a report in the Daily News Graves may consider retiring.
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Steroids Won’t Stop
I saw an article by the AP this morning that says that MLB commissioner Bud Selig “believes baseball can solve its steroids problem without help from Congress“. I believe that too. Baseball can solve the problem themselves. However I don’t think they will. Why? Because it’s not in their best interests to do so. It’s in their best interests to make it look like they are doing something about it but not to actually solve it because as soon as the home runs stop being hit at record pace the game will lose some of the excitment that brings your average fan to the park.
The students of the game will always come to the park. They are draw by the stolen base, the hit-and-run and the suicide squeeze. But the average fan, that crucial demographic, is drawn by the long ball. And when the long ball stops, they’ll stop coming. And that is why steroids will remain a part of the game for a long time to come.
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The Duke of Queens
Click here for a recap of last night’s game.
The Mets 5-0 loss to the Pirates last night was sad. It’s bad enough that they lost and hurt their playoff chances but they only managed 3 hits the whole game. In fairness, last night starter for Pittsburgh, Zach Duke, has been tearing up the league since he came up from the minors in July. He’s 6-0 with a 1.87 ERA and has been the only bright spot in the Pirates lousy season. I’m not happy with the loss (you can never be happy with a loss) but to know that the guy who beat the Mets last night has beaten everybody else make sit a little easier to take even if it makes the rest of the season a little bit tougher.
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Davey Johnson in the News
Former Mets manager Davey Johnson has been named manager of the U.S. baseball team that will compete in next month’s World Cup. Good luck, Davey.
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Daily News Joins the Bashing Lloyd McClendon Bandwagon
It looks like I have some company on the bashing Lloyd McClendon bandwagon. Perhaps picking up on yesterday’s Game Comments Ian Begley has an article entitled “Lloyd dead wrong about Wright” in today’s New York Daily News. Here are the first 2 paragraphs of the article:
Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon may wish to stop getting underneath the Mets’ skin. On Tuesday night, Kris Benson – whom McClendon earlier this season predicted would falter in his first full year in New York – shut down the Bucs as the Mets took the series opener.
Last night, McClendon intentionally walked Cliff Floyd twice in order to face David Wright instead. And the Mets’ third baseman answered the Pirate skipper’s challenge each time.
You can see where he’s heading on that. Go to the Daily News website to read the whole article.
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Beltran In, Piazza Out
Click here for a recap of last night’s game.
As one player returned from an injury another player was forced to take some time off because of one. Carlos Beltran returned to the lineup and went 1 for 2 with 2 walks. But then it was revealed that Mike Piazza will need at least a few days off after suffering a fracture in his left hand on Tuesday night. Though it is unknown exactly how much time Piazza will miss as a result of the injury the Mets recalled Mike Jacobs from Double A just in case. The team designated RHP Jose Santiago for assignment to make room for Jacobs.
All this did not stop the Mets from beating the Pirates 5-1. Tom Glavine had another good outing and some heads up baserunning by Beltran set up the win.
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Take That, Lloyd McClendon!
Click here for a recap of last night’s game.
Earlier this season there was a minor war of words between Kris Benson and his former manager with the Pirates, Lloyd McClendon. The gist of it was Benson saying how he’s learned much more about pitching under Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson in less than a year with the Mets than he did in five years with Pittsburgh and McClendon replying that Benson didn’t have what it takes to be a top notch pitcher.
Benson has pitched pretty well for the Mets this year and put an exclamation point on it by throwing a very good game last night (7 IP, 7 H, 2 ER) as the Mets beat the Pirates 6-2. Though this wasn’t a playoff game and didn’t prove that Benson has ‘the heart of a lion’ that McClendon claims he’s missing, it did make a statement. That statement was “Shut up, Lloyd!”.
McClendon was a marginal player at best (originally drafted by the Mets in 1980, by the way) batting .244 with 35 home runs and 154 RBIs in 570 Major League games. He’s been a marginal manager too with a record of 332-433 for a .435 winning percentage. With numbers like that McClendon is hardly in a position to be throwing stones at his former pitcher who, for whatever reason, couldn’t get the job done on his watch. Maybe McClendon needs to look inward and learn what he could do to be a better manager before he starts criticizing his former players for under achieving while they played for him.
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Palmeiro Will Explain “Soon”
The AP ran a story today discussing Rafael Palmeiro‘s timetable for discussing the circumstances that led to his steroid suspension. Though his lawyers have advised him to keep quiet on the issue publicly while Congress investigates the perjury issue, Palmeiro said he expects to discuss it ‘soon’.
If you ask me soon is too late. I can understand not discussing it while an investigation is underway but he should have come clean from day one. OK, maybe not day one since he was busy lying to Congress on that day (allegedly). But he should have come completely clean the day the story broke. Right now he’s waiting for the outcome of the investigation so he can figure out his own way to re-write what has transpired to put his own spin on it. I’m not interested in spin. I’m interested in the greater good. Tell the truth and tell it no so others can learn from your mistakes. Don’t spin it and sugar coat it to better meet your own expectations of yourself or maximize your hall of fame chances.
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The Post Rubs It In Williams’ Face
Although I quoted from the New York Times in yesterday’s game comments in reference to people blaming Gerald Williams for losing the no-hotter for Pedro Martinez it seems like the New York Post has decided to get in on the action. In this morning’s paper the Post features a picture of Williams saving Dwight Gooden’s no-hitter in 1996. The caption reads as follows:
DÉJÀ VU: When Mets center fielder Gerald Williams missed the catch that would have preserved Pedro Martinez’ no-hit bid Sunday, it may have seemed familiar to New York fans. That’s because in May of 1996, Williams (then with the Yankees) made a leaping catch in deepest center field at Yankee Stadium in the first inning of Dwight Gooden’s only no-hitter. Williams turned the catch, off the bat of the Mariners’ Alex Rodriguez, into a double play.
To me this is saying “he did it in ’96, why couldn’t he do it now?”. To make it worse the picture is placed out of context above an article about Carlos Beltran‘s condition. It seems to be there for the sole purpose of rubbing the non-catch in Williams’ face. Not a classy thing.
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I Need More Cowbell Theme
If Cowbell Man ever starts a blog this would be a good theme for him to work off of.
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