Ollie May Rip This Team Apart
Can things get any crazier in the Oliver Perez saga?
The Mets have asked Ollie to go to the minors twice and he has refused both times saying that he doesn’t see how facing minor league competition would benefit him. The Mets cannot unilaterally send Perez down due to provisions in the collective bargaining agreement. Perez must agree to go down.
I don’t know who is advising Perez but they’d best clue him in on how going to the minors has nothing to do with the level of competition. It has to do with going somewhere with less pressure so he can concentrate on fixing whatever is wrong with his mechanics.
So instead of going down to the minors to work on his stuff Perez will remain in the majors where all he’ll get is some rare mop up duty and plenty of bullpen work. If you go with Perez’s angle on the level of competition it seems to me that minor league competition would be better than no competition at all.
Add to this that other players have allegedly said he is hurting the team. You have to wonder how many people feel this way and how it reflects on team chemistry.
Ollie can keep going on about how nothing is wrong and he doesn’t need to go anywhere to right himself. But he’s got to realize that the longer he refuses to go down the worse the effect he will have on the team.
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Neyer on ARod
Though this blog post by Rob Neyer (from his Sweet Spot blog) is about the Yankees I always find something wonderful in Neyer’s work. In this case it’s mainly in the title of the post (“Sometimes six home runs are just a cigar”).
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Thoughts on Murphy in the Minors
An interesting move occurred yesterday when Daniel Murphy was activated from the DL but optioned to AAA Buffalo. This opens up a few thoughts.
First, it’s obvious that Ike Davis has made his mark. In his 32 games he’s batted .290 with 4 home runs and 12 RBIs. That translates to 20 HRs and 61 RBIs over a 162 game season. Though these are not all star caliber numbers they are definitely respectable and show promise for a young developing player. Enough promise to keep Murphy in the minors.
Next, Luis Castillo is hurting and Murphy has experience at second base. Could a DL stint be in the offing for Castillo? And if that happens could Murphy be his replacement? I’d be open to that.
Thirdly, with first and second base covered (by Davis and Castillo respectively) Murphy is a man without a position so there’s no reason to rush him up. Let him stay at AAA, get some work in, get into better shape and be sure he’s totally healthy. Then he could replace one of the more ineffective players currently on the team (Gary Matthews Jr. would be a good candidate) and become a super sub who can play almost any position on the field.
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Maine on the DL
John Maine was placed on the DL today with rotator cuff tendinitis.. So much for not having an injury. I’m surprised it took the team this long to take a serious look at him.
The guy’s a gamer and wants to play so you can’t rely on him to tell you when he’s hurt. That’s what pitching coach Dan Warthen meant when he called Maine a habitual liar. He didn’t mean Maine’s a liar. He meant he’d never sooner tell you he’s fine when his arm is falling off than tell you he’s hurt.
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Reason For Optimism, Thinking Of Doom
Winning 2 games out of 3 against the Yankees could be a big deal for the Mets. A series win against the world champions is certainly a shot in the arm going into a series against the runner up and NL East division rival Philadelphia Phillies. If nothing else it has bought Jerry Manuel at least another week on the job.
While on the topic of Jerry Manuel, I don’t think firing Manuel is the answer for this team. At least not if that’s the only change being made. With the team batting a collective .248 and striking out 320 times in 45 games this season maybe Howard Johnson should be on the hot seat too.
And what about the players? Gary Matthews Jr., Jeff Francoeur, Jose Reyes, Fernando Tatis, Alex Cora and Luis Castillo are hitting .250 or less with Matthews being the worst of the bunch at just .182. I know that Matthews is going to be gone once Carlos Beltran returns but we still don’t know when that’s going to be. So why wait to find a solution for that roster spot?
Maybe the right thing to do is make some kind of trade (any trade) to shake up the roster a little. It doesn’t have to be a blockbuster just something to show the players and coaches that the team is not going to stand pat and watch things get worse before they get better.
If that doesn’t work then it’s time for a managerial and coaching change. I put those together because doing one or the other is not enough. It simply would not have the desired impact.
But I digress. This post was actually meant as a congratulatory one on the Yankees series and to convey some optimism. The last few paragraphs will be moot if the team can use the Yankees series as a springboard to bigger and better things.
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Mets Not Necessarily Done
Some local reporters are looking at this weekend’s subway series and calling it the Mets last chance to get things going this season. If they can’t play well and get a couple of wins this weekend the Mets season is over. I have trouble buying that notion.
Do things look bleak right now? Yes. Do the Mets look like playoff material? No. Do changes need to be made? Absolutely! But we’re only 42 games into the season. In a 162 game season that’s only a quarter of the way through. There’s plenty of time to right this ship.
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I Would Gladly Tase You Monday
For the second game in a row a fan ran onto the field at Citizen Bank Park in Philadelphia. But unlike Monday night the fan who ran onto the field Tuesday night was not tased.
For those who missed the news yesterday, a 17 year old fan ran out onto the field during the Phillies game against the Cardinals on Monday and, after a brief chase around the outfield, was tased by a police officer before being escorted off the field under his own power. The teen actually called his father before running out on the field and asked him what he thought about the idea of running on the field. The father has been quoted as saying he told his son it wasn’t a good idea. I don’t think the father had any clue how bad and idea it was at the time.
There’s been a lot of discussion since this event took place about the use of tasers in such situations. Some call it extreme and it may be. But fans are not entitled to be on the field just because they bought a ticket. The other fans in the stadium, as well as those watching on TV, ARE entitled to watch a game without any bonehead interruptions. And the players are entitled to play the game without worrying about anyone coming on the field and interrupting the game and, perhaps, even threatening their safety.
The bottom line is that if you’re a fan and you step onto that field you are accepting whatever risk comes with it. That includes the risk of being tased. Think of the the next time you keep thousands of people waiting to watch the game because you choose to do something stupid.
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Gregg Zaun = Mackey Sasser
After last night’s rain out I was watching highlights of other games and saw a flashback of something I haven’t seen since the late 80s/early 90s. In the game between the Brewers and Pirates Milwaukee catcher Gregg Zaun appeared to do his best Mackey Sasser impression by mis-throwing when he tried to return the ball to the pitcher on 3 consecutive pitches. You can see the sequence here.
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Leaping Into Homeplate
If you didn’t watch the Fordham-Iona game the other night you missed one of the greatest plays at the plate ever executed. Brian Kownacki scores in a truly remarkable way. Enjoy.
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Big Pelf Leads Mets to First Win Streak of 2010
Dare I say the Mets are on a winning streak? I know it’s only two games but it’s the first time this season they’ve won consecutive games so I’ll take a moment to enjoy it before moving on.
Okay, the moment is over.
A few big performances in this game:
- Mike Pelfrey had another good outing and is beginning to establish himself as a legitimate number 2 starter. Big Pelf allowed 3 hits and 3 walks while striking out 6 over 7 innings. I’m not going to get overconfident about him, like it seems many writers and fans are, but his 3 solid starts this year (and one solid relief appearance) is definitely encouraging.
- Discouraging was Ryota Igarashi having to leave the game after 2 batters with a hamstring problem. He’ll have an MRI today. I hate to overreact but, as most Mets fans who remember last season, I cringe at the mere mention of a player having an MRI.
- Jose Reyes finally looked comfortable at the plate and had a 4 for 5 night. Reyes’ importance to the Mets offense cannot be overstated. But since it’s been over discussed I’m not going to say anything else other than I hope the old Reyes is back.
Tonight we should see a hard dose of reality as Oliver Perez gets the start for the Mets. So enjoy the 2 game streak while you can
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