Reyes, Church DLed; FMart Promoted
Jose Reyes was finally put on the disabled list yesterday, five days after I said he should be. It’s the right move but I still wonder why general manager Omar Minaya waited and kept manager Jerry Manuel shorthanded for those five extra days. Especially in light of Ryan Church‘s hamstring strain which kept him out of action the last few days. Church ran with Reyes yesterday and was also put on the disabled list after those watching them decided that neither was healthy enough to stay on the roster.
Putting the two players on the DL allowed Minaya to put two healthy players on the roster so the team can play with an almost full compliment of healthy players. I say almost since Carlos Beltran is out for a few days to allow a bone bruise on his right leg a little time to heel. He will be re-evaluated on Friday.
One of the new healthy faces is top outfield prospect Fernando Martinez. Mets fans have been clamoring for a chance to see him up on the major league level since Carlos Delgado went on the DL but the move didn’t make sense until now. Martinez was in the lineup last night as he will probably be for most games while Church is on the DL. I’d expect this to be a cup of coffee for the young outfielder. A couple of weeks to show what he can do and give him a taste of the major league game. But he’ll probably be sent back down to AAA when Church is ready to return unless he is playing great baseball.
Church is actually a bit of an unknown. I mean we know he’s hurt and on the DL and eligible to come back June 7. But he was in Manuel’s doghouse even before the injury. He in Manuel’s doghouse even before missing third base in Los Angeles. I don’t know what he did to get there but being there clouds his status a bit as the Mets may delay his return. When he’s eligible to come off the disabled list the team could keep him on a while longer to give Martinez more time. They could send him for a minor league rehab assignment to further prolong Martinez’s stay. Regardless of what they do with him it’s clear to me that unless something major happens this is the beginning of the end for Church as a Met and I feel bad about that after they risked his long term health by totally mishandled his concussions last season.
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Book Review: For the Love of the Mets
An interesting opportunity arose recently that allowed me to merge my two favorite interests: my kids and the Mets. With the costs of taking the kids to a game being way too prohibitive in recent years and the hardships of trying to keep them interested through more than two or three batters when watching on TV it’s become very difficualt to expose my kids to the team I’ve loved since I was their ages. As if reading my mind, author Frederick C. Klein stepped in to fill the void with his new book For the Love of the Mets: An A-to-z Primer for Mets Fans of All Ages.
In this book Klein matches someone or something in Mets history to each letter of the alphabet. “A” is for the “Amazin’s”, “B” is for Beltran, etc. Each entry begins with a cute rhyme, good for the younger fans, and contains a brief paragraph of further explanation. Nothing too deep. Like the title says it’s just a primer and not an encyclopedia. Most entries also include a full page illustration by Mark Anderson.
When I sat down to read the book with my kids I had planned on splitting the reading into two sittings so we wouldn’t run too late and the kids would get to sleep on time. But they were having such a good time with the book that not only did I read the whole book once but I let them talk me into reading it to them a second time. (Rhymes only on the second reading. It was getting late and I didn’t want a hard time getting them up for school in the morning.)
Some of the entries in the book were lame (“I” is for Innings, “Q” is for Quest, “U” is for Umpires) as well as the last rhyme (“Z” is the sound someone makes when he snoozes. A loyal Mets fan stays loyal even when his team loses.) I realize those are hard letters to match. I can’t think of anything for them but I also didn’t do any research for a book where I needed to match content to a letter of the alphabet.
Be that as it may, it was a fun read for me and the kids liked it too. (I’ve read it to them several times in the last week.) The artwork is excellent. And the short foreword by former Met Rusty Staub was a nice treat.
On a scale of 1 to 5 (strikeout, single, double, triple, home run) this book was a triple (4) for me but a home run (5) for my kids. If you’re just getting into the Mets or know someone who is then this book is for you (or them).
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Book Review: Faith and Fear in Flushing
When I started this blog over 5 years ago (has it already been that long?) there were relatively few Mets related blogs around. The following year (2005) saw more blogs added to the roster and then things really took off to the point where as of this writing there are 56 active Mets related blogs in my links section (accessible by clicking “Links” in the tabbed box at the top of the sidebar). One of the blogs added in 2005 was Faith and Fear in Flushing, where Greg Prince and Jason Fry, two die hard Mets fans, muse about their favorite team. Prince’s posts benefit from the experience he has gained as a professional writer and his way above average memory of events throughout his life. As you begin reading he book you learn that this memory is particularly keen on events relating to the Mets. And by the time you finish you realize that all his memories relate to the Mets. These abilities and memories are now on display in convenient book form in the new book Faith and Fear in Flushing: An Intense Personal History of the New York Mets (released in April).
When I first heard about this book I was excited because I thought the blog angle would play a large role in it. As a blogger myself I always like to hear other bloggers discuss how they go about taking this thing they are passionate about (in this case the New York Mets) and apply it to blogging. How they take the events of a game and translate the events therein into a blog post. How they see what’s going on with the team and pick the things to comment on. How they apply their own personal experience and baseball philosophies to their team.
As it turns out the blog is barely mentioned but the book is not a let down by any means. In fact, it’s exactly what it claims to be: an intense personal history of the New York Mets from the vantage point of Greg Prince. From his childhood years in the late 60s and early 70’s through the last game at Shea Stadium, the book takes you through his life and how the Mets played a role in just about every relationship he’s had and decision he’s made.
It’s true! The book discusses how his relationship with his parents was shaped by his love of his team. How he met his brother-in-law, a one time concession stand vendor at Shea Stadium. How he met his wife at a Met game. The story of his mother’s sad death and how it relates to a stuffed dog named after former Mets shortstop Rafael Santana.
The first 20 pages or so are the most universal but probably the hardest for me to get through. This is where Prince more or less waxes philosophical about his team. As a Mets fan myself I understood everything he was saying but for some reason I found it a little hard to get through. After that, however, the book took off and overall was a pleasure to read.
On a scale of 1 to 5 (strikeout, single, double, triple, home run) this book was a triple (4) for me but a home run (5) with a few other Mets fans I’ve spoken with who have read it. If you are a big Mets fan then this book is not only for you, it’s probably about you.
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Reyes Not Going On DL But Should
After an MRI on his right leg today in New York the Mets announced that Jose Reyes has tendinitis behind his right calf. He’s listed as day-to-day and will not be put on the disabled list (DL).
Given the Mets recent history handling injuries I have to wonder whether it would be a better idea to put him on the DL now and be sure his leg is fully healed before putting him out on the field again. The injury was bad enough to keep him out of the lineup for the 4 game series against the Giants in San Francisco last weekend and he’s only played in one and a half games in the last week. A DL stint would enable him to completely rest the leg for a few days then do a few days of light workouts before playing a few rehab games.
Granted the team doesn’t have a real solution at shortstop for 2 weeks. But do they have a real solution at shortstop if he doesn’t fully heal and needs even more time off to deal with a recurrence of the injury down the stretch run? Give him the time he needs to fully heel and it’ll pay dividends as the season goes on.
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Condolences to Schoeneweis
Life transcends baseball. And so does death.
My heart goes out to Scott Schoeneweis and his family on the sudden passing of his wife. She was found in the master bedroom of the Schoeneweis house by their 14 year old daughter. The only thing sadder than a parent burying a child is a child discovering a dead parent. (When I grew up there was a girl in my neighborhood whose dad sent her to wake her mom up one morning. Her mom never woke up. She had died of a heart attack in her sleep.) The emotional scars from that may never go away.
As we Jews say “May the mourners be comforted together with the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.”
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DeRosa Available?
Jon Heyman of si.com is reporting that the Cleveland Indians may be ready to trade versatile infielder Mark DeRosa.
In light of the injury to Carlos Delgado this may be a good possibility for general manager Omar Minaya to investigate. Other possibilities that Minaya is reportedly interested in, such as Nick Johnson and Aubrey Huff, may cause the Mets a problem once Delgado returns because the team would have to find spots to play them. DeRosa, while probably not quite as productive as some of the other possibilities, can play just about anywhere on the field so his long term value over the course of the season is better.
I’m not sure if this is the solution but it’s definitely worth thinking about.
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Delgado Out 10 Weeks; Mets Out For Season?
Carlos Delgado‘s surgery went well and he’s expected to return to action in about 10 weeks. That would be the end of July. Will the Mets still be in the race by then? Probably not with their current solution in place at first base.
The tag team of Fernando Tatis and Jeremy Reed would be tolerable if Delgado would be out only a couple of weeks. But 10 weeks is a sizable chunk of the season so some help will be needed.
Despite missing third base and costing the Mets the game last night Ryan Church remains trade bait. He hasn’t been horrible this season but for some reason has been occupying a spot in manager Jerry Manuel’s doghouse lately (even before last night’s faux pas). If Gary Sheffield can find his power stroke (a question that wouldn’t need to be asked if the team had cared enough to sign Adam Dunn in the offseason once they had ruled out Manny Ramirez) then the Mets could trade Church (and likely a minor league player or two) in a deal for a proper first baseman. Such a move would also potentially open a roster spot for highly touted outfield prospect Fernando Martinez.
There are several possibilities for the Mets to acquire at first base. The most notable ones are Baltimore’s Aubrey Huff and Washington’s Nick Johnson.
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A Really Bad Day And Night For The Mets
One of the things I hate about the Mets playing on the west coast is that the games start too late for me to watch any appreciable amount of the game. From what I’ve read about last night’s game there wasn’t very much for Mets fans to appreciate. Let me count the ways:
- The Mets got 11 hits but scored only 2 runs.
- The Dodgers won the game on an unearned run in the 11th inning after errors by Carlos Beltran and Jeremy Reed.
- The Mets had a total of 5 errors in the game.
- Ryan Church was called out after the Dodgers appealed the potential winning run he scored. Apparently Church didn’t touch third base.
All this after learning that Carlos Delgado is out indefinitely after deciding tol have surgery on the bone spur and a torn labrum in his hip and Jose Reyes was placed on the disabled list with a torn ligament in his right thumb.
The Mets were built for many things in recent years but they were not built with depth. They do not have an experienced (or even qualified minor league) first baseman to take over for Delgado. Nor do they have any prospect to replace his production in the middle of the order. Gary Sheffield has been hitting very well lately in the cleanup spot but has not been hitting with power.
This team is going to have to find another solution to see them through this crisis. Whether that means a change in offensive strategy (playing small ball as a team) or acquiring a player or two to bridge them until Delgado’s return and provide depth after that. The right solution probably involves both of these possibilities.
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My Take on Last Night’s ESPN Coverage
I enter any game I watch on television with a clear mind regarding the personalities who are calling the game for the network the game is on. This even goes for games that are broadcast on ESPN despite the almost universal negative reaction fans have to the announcing team of John Miller, Joe Morgan and Steve Phillips. But last night I was treated to 3 hours of talk about the Mets lack of edge and how, if they don’t make the playoffs this season, they should be dismantled to make room for players who have edge. The pinnacle of this discussion was Phillips’s assertion that Carlos Beltran, batting .379 going into the game, should be the core player that is jettisoned in the dismantling.
I have no problem with the discussion having taken place during the broadcast. Part of the reason people watch nationally televised games is to hear the announcers talk about the teams involved so they can learn more teams they may not see very often. So despite the fact that everyone in Metsland has mostly tabled this discussion over the last couple of weeks the issue is fair game to be discussed during the broadcast. I’ll even give them the benefit of the doubt that last night’s game was not very exciting so they needed something to talk about. But this was almost 3 complete hours of the same discussion (briefly broken up by a short interview with Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti).
In the meantime Mike Pelfrey was charged with 3 balks and I still don’t understand exactly why two of them were balks. The only commentary we got was “Oh, you can’t do that” and then a return to the edge discussion. It’s the announcers responsibility to be sure that the viewers understand what is happening in the game and they failed horribly last night.
The person I blame for this is the always well dressed John Miller. (Did anyone involved in the production of the game see his outfit before the broadcast began? Who let him get on the air with that get up?) I always viewed part of the responsibility of the play-by-play guy to refocus discussion to what’s going on in the game when something happens. Not necessarily to kill the discussion but to bring it back to the game when it’s needed and even play dumb in asking the commentator’s questions for the sake of having things explained to the viewers and return to the conversation only when game play allows. He’s the quarterback in the booth and he’s got to direct his booth mates.
Though I wholly disagree with Phillips assertion that Beltran should go (I don’t believe that Jose Reyes should go either) I respect his right to have that opinion. I’m not quite as upset about it as many other fans are because I realize that his job (and perhaps his past job as Mets general manager) contribute to his opinion. But I don’t need quite as much time dedicated to the subject as there was last night.
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Andy Sonnanstine At The Bat
An interesting thing happened at yesterdays Tampa Bay Rays game against the Cleveland Indians. A lineup card error resulted in both Ben Zobrist and Evan Longoria being listed as third basemen. When the team took the field in the top of the first inning Zobrist was at third. Longoria was meant to be the DH.
But as the Rays were about to take their first swings in the bottom of the first Cleveland manager Eric Wedge pointed the error out to the umpiring crew who ruled that the Rays would have to play the game without a DH. Since Zobrist had played third at the top of the inning he would be the teams third baseman and the pitcher would have to bat in Longoria’s spot in the order.
So Andy Sonnanstine batted third for the first time since little league. He acquitted himself quite nicely in that position going 1 for 3 with and RBI double.He also won his second game of the year despite allowing 5 earned runs in 5 2/3 innings.
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