Mets Mess: Collins Thinks Santana Can Start on Opening Day

First published on Blogcritics


In the alternate universe I sometimes imagine, Johan Santana has won 20 games every season for the New York Mets, Jason Bay has hit 35 homers a year, and Jose Reyes is still flashing his infectious smile at shortstop. This is the same universe where Carlos Beltran belted a homer off Adam Wainwright of the St. Louis Cardinals instead of looking at a called strike three to end game seven of the NCLS in 2006. Of course, a World Series Championship followed. Ah, that universe is a grand place to be.

Stepping back through the portal to this time and place, Santana is a rehabbed former Mets ace who now doesn't scratch his nose without Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen running over with the first aid kit. However, Santana has shown great progress coming back from his shoulder surgery, and now a report in the NY Daily News  indicates that manager Terry Collins thinks that Santana will be ready to pitch against the Atlanta Braves on April 5, 2012, at Citi Field.

We Mets fans are hungry for good news. Is Ike Davis going to be okay? Will Daniel Murphy be able to come back and hit like that again and learn to really play second base? Can 21 year old Reuben Tejada master shortstop, filling in the awfully big shoes of Reyes as a hitter and fielder? Will David Wright bounce back? Will Jason Bay remember how to hit the way he used to in Boston? Will Mr. Met get a new look, replacing the eternal smile with a resolved grimace?

Collins is an honest guy - we all learned that last year - and he is not one to play games with the press and the fans. He calls it like it is and this is admirable to say the least. Sometimes when he is speaking, I can picture GM Sandy Alderson standing in the shadows getting a little nervous, but Sandy should remember not to hide from the truth. His predecessor Omar Minaya did and it led to his downfall. Remember Sandy, the truth can only set you free.

For now Mets fans are allowed to dream a little. We can see a photo of Santana throwing the ball and be hopeful. We have to be because otherwise the season is over before it even starts. Collins says he admires Santana's work ethic, and he believes in Warthen to the point of getting the ace ready on time and in one piece. That, for now, Mets fans, is something to make us smile.

So let us move forward and watch with hope as this team begins spring training. If things get bad before April 5, we always have that alternate universe to revisit; however, the problem is that its only a temporary place to stay and then we have to come back to reality, one that has been a tough place to be for Mets fans since September 2006.

Photo Credit - NY Daily News

Mets Mess: Loss of Reyes Worse Than Tom Seaver Trade

Article first published as Mets Mess: Loss of Reyes Worse Than Tom Seaver Trade on Blogcritics.

I, no doubt like most fans of the New York Mets, am still not able to process the loss of superstar short stop Jose Reyes to the Miami Marlins. Yes, I know it has occurred, but I am still hoping that something will make me snap out of it and realize this is only a dream.

Actually, it is like some terrible nightmare. In my mind this is right up there with the worst trade in Mets history - Tom Seaver to the Cincinnati Reds, but it is in fact a more insidious and devastating move that will affect this team and its fans for years to come.

The loss of Seaver in a deadline trade in 1977 sent away the player, dubbed The Franchise by New York sports writers, who embodied the heart and soul of the Mets. It didn't matter that the Mets were a losing team when Tom Terrific was pitching. People went to see him, to watch his mastery on the mound, to enjoy his personality and his true connection to fans and team.


Now flash forward to 2011. Reyes may not have been "the franchise," but he surely was the most popular, effervescent, and talented player on the Mets in recent years. Coming off his best year ever, including a .337 average that gave him the National League batting crown, Reyes was (just like Seaver) a reason to come to the ballpark. Watching him hit a triple was like sitting back and listening to Yo-Yo Ma playing the cello. It became an ethereal experience, making for a majestic and surreal moment when all seemed right in the Mets' universe.

Sadly, Reyes takes his wonderful smile, his exuberant spirit, and his many talents to Miami. Yes, there are those who say Reyes is too injury prone. His legs are going to go on him. Whatever the reason the Mets did not make a serious offer, it leaves Mets fans cold. Many of us feel that GM Sandy Alderson should have done whatever it took to get Reyes back to Citi Field. Now he will return with the visiting Marlins on April 14, 2012, and how much do you want to bet that there will not only be a capacity crowd but that they will give him a standing ovation?

Now on talk radio there are the rumbles about trading David Wright because Reyes is gone. Alderson is no doubt fueling these rumors with talk about using the cash that would have gone to Reyes for "rebuilding." Now, don't go get visions of sugarplums and C.J. Wilson dancing in your heads, because it is more than likely that Alderson is settling his brain for a long winter's nap.

Let's face the ugly facts: the Mets are going nowhere in 2012. We can call this the "Season of If" : if Ike Davis can return in top shape, if Johan Santana can return and pitch like he used to do, if Ruben Tejada can be a full-time shortstop, if Mike Pelfrey can ever shake the bats out of his belfry, if Lucas Duda really has thirty homers in that bat, if Angel Pagan can return from last year's disappearing act, if Jason Bay can be the guy he used to be in Boston. The "if" list can go on and on.

In the end this loss of Reyes is worse than the Seaver trade. The loss of Seaver destroyed the team and it took years (seven actually) for the Mets to start to show signs of resurgence (ironically, after Seaver again was lost to the Chicago White Sox and a young pitcher named Dwight Gooden came into the picture). Losing Reyes now is a firm and clear commitment by Mets management to giving up on 2012 before it even commences. At least Seaver was traded during a lost season; this time it is clear the season is already lost!

Now, it has been eleven years and counting since the Mets were in the World Series. Let's say with great confidence that this will the twelfth year without any shot at it. Many more lost years may be on the horizon if Alderson lets Wright go and basically waits for the Phillies players to start needing canes and walkers. With Miami poised to become the new powerhouse in the NL East, there probably will be no joy in Metville for a long time to come.

Photo Credits: reyes - espn.com; Seaver - bleacherreport.com

NY Mets on the Road - To Live and Cry in LA

Article first published as NY Mets on the Road - To Live and Cry in LA on Blogcritics.


There is no doubt about it (or as beloved NY Mets announcer Ralph Kiner used to say "No bout a doubt it") the New York Mets are Amazin’s once again - at least on the road.

The Mets look lost at Citi Field, and I can admit I do feel that way myself sometimes. It seemed like I knew every nook and cranny of good old dilapidated Shea Stadium, and I remembered where Cleon squeezed that last ball in 1969 or Rusty hit the outfield wall in 1973 or where Mookie hit the ball between Buckner's legs in 1986. These were great Mets memories, not to mention the Beatles trying to out scream the fans on a stage out near second base. Those were the days.

But Mets fans have tried to warm up to Citi Field, and it is designed way better than Shea right down to more plentiful - and clean - bathrooms. The food courts are wonderful and plentiful space is available to drink, eat, and be merry.

Still the team struggles at Citi as it did in the last home series against the Yankees, although that last game when the Mets beat Mariano Rivera was pure gold. You could bottle that and Mets fans would buy it again and again. The Mets beat Rivera - what a moment!

Now out on the road they are warriors again, taking the first two in LA. Last night Mike Pelfrey seemed like an ace who never lost a case - no, that's Perry Mason, another LA story -  but I digress.
There is a good deal to be happy about right now as manager Terry Collins has his team believing in themselves as much as he does. They have lots of guts and determination as they strike out on this last road trip before the All-Star break without Reyes and Santana and Davis and Wright.

In another universe we would be crying out there on the West Coast, where many Mets teams went 0 for 9 and came home whipped. This team seems different and they keep finding ways to win. That will definitely keep Mets fans watching and wanting to go to the ballpark. Now, if the team could just find a way to win more games at home, but that's another story.

Photo Credit: NY Daily News

Another Subway Series - Mets Verses Yankees Not the Same Anymore

Article first published as Another Subway Series - Mets Verses Yankees Not the Same Anymore on Blogcritics.

Think of this unforgettable memory: Mike Piazza at the plate against Roger Clemens. Piazza's bat shatters, and Clemens throws a fragment of the bat toward Piazza. All hell was ready to break loose. If Bartolo Colon shattered David Wright's bat today, there would probably be no emotion let alone the possibility of a fight, and that's the problem with this whole Subway Series thing: the fire is gone.


Why? Well, the old rivalry is about as dead as Old Marley in A Christmas Carol - dead as a door nail! What has happened to the emotional and confrontational times of old? Why doesn't the Subway Series create the near hysteria it used to here in New York?

For one thing, the old guard is gone at the Mets and is severely depleted on the Yankees. Piazza, Franco, Leiter, and company are happily retired and watching games from home. The Yanks have some of the old guys - Jeter, Posada, and Rivera (with emphasis on old) - still on board, but it's just not the same. No one can compare these players to their former selves; the caliber of their play has greatly diminished.

The second thing is that these games have lost any novelty that they once had. When the Mets and Yankees first met in these interleague games, there was an excitement generated by the prospect of the cross river rivals playing games that mattered (as opposed to the old Mayor's Trophy Game that was merely an exhibition). Now, the fans on both sides of town are a bit removed from the whole thing. To put it in the words of my neighbor's ten-year old son: "It just ain't fun anymore."

Finally, who is excited about a Subway Series these days? Apparently not ESPN. The network has rejected showing the Sunday game this weekend and the one the following month at Citi Field. I think that more than anything shows how far the star of the Subway Series has fallen from the firmament.

Here in New York City, instead of inspiring yelling in the stadium and the streets, the prospect of the games inspires mostly yawning.  It is merely a distraction. The games count in the standings, but they are not as critical as say a game between Boston and the Yanks or Philadelphia and the Mets. These days those are the games that give fans the most bang for their buck.

Years ago, I was as excited as anyone about the Subway Series. I went to a few of the games at old Shea, and the place was packed and the crowd was shaking the rafters. I don't know if that will happen this year. Most of the Mets main guys are on the disabled list: Wright, Santana, Davis, Pagan, and the list goes on and on. The Yankees have stars who have lost their luster. Posada is hitting a buck something, Jeter and A-Rod are struggling, and even the most sacred cow - Mariano Rivera - is starting to look all too human.

I'll probably wear my Mets shirt and watch the games on TV, but I'm not saying I won't be tempted to change the channel a few times. Years ago I would never have done that, but now I can because what used to be at stake - who has bragging rights - doesn't seem to matter much anymore.

Mets Mess: MLB Gave Mets $25 Million Last Year

Article first published as Mets Mess: MLB Gave Mets $25 Million Last Year on Blogcritics.

If the dire situation on the field was not enough for Mets fans, the situation in the executive offices can make them worry even more these days. Today, the New York Daily News is reporting that team owner Fred Wilpon borrowed $25 million big ones from Major League Baseball to help "shore up the team's liquidity." In other words this was a one-time bailout that helped the team get back on its feet.


At the heart of all this is the shadow of Bernie Madoff, Ponzi schemer extraordinaire who bilked many investors, including Wilpon, out of hard earned money. While this may make Mets fans squirm as they hear about this loan (that, by the way, must be paid back), they think about the future of this organization and fear things are quite grim indeed.

Last month Wilpon announced that he was searching for a limited partner to buy a stake in the Mets. It seems everyone from Donald Trump to Justin Bieber has been rumored to be looking to get involved, but what price will be ultimately paid besides money? How will this affect day-to-day operation of the club, and more specifically, what happens on the field?

Right now Mets fans have little if anything to look forward to this season. Johann Santana will probably not pitch until after the All Star break, and with no major trades and returning players who, besides David Wright and Ike Davis, inspire little if any confidence, 2011 is shaping up to be a long wait until next year exercise in more futility.

The only bright side is that perhaps this revelation will lend credence to Wilpon's plea that he too was a victim of Madoff. We will have to see what happens in court in regards to that, but right now we Mets fans might as well settle in for the bumpy ride this season; from all indications things are going to get worse before they get any better in Metsville.


Photo credit: Simmons/Daily News

Rafael Nadal: A Great Tennis Player and a Very Good Sport

Article first published as Rafael Nadal: A Great Tennis Player and a Very Good Sport on Blogcritics.

I don't know about you, but I am sick of poor sportsmanship. I am really tired of all the players in different sports who don't adhere to the motto, "It's not if you win or lose but how you play the game." Sadly, in today's climate of sports becoming more and more like a business instead of it being purely a well-played game, the unsportsman-like conduct of players is overlooked in favor of the big bucks they generate.

When I look at sports players today, I see some good guys like Derek Jeter and David Wright, but then we get a story like the one about how some of the NY Jets players harassed a female reporter, and it seems like the good guys are an exception to the rule. There are more guys like Ben Roethlisberger and Plaxico Burress in the news than not. How sad for sports and all the kids who are watching.

That is why the story of Rafael Nadal is such a great one. While there are already people talking about him being the greatest player of all time, or being the biggest money-making brand in sports, the thing about Nadal is that he is the ultimate good sportsman. He is a genuinely nice fellow, just 24 years old, but he has a wisdom way beyond his years. He also carries himself like a gentleman, and that is a thing sorely lacking in sports for the most part.

Make no mistake, on the court he is a cunning and powerful opponent. No matter how much he likes Roger Federer, he knows how to take him apart and win a match. Nadal takes no prisoners, and that is as commendable as is his off the court behavior. Still, when the playing part is done, Nadal talks the talk of a good sport.

After winning the U.S. Open, Nadal was asked if he was now the greatest player in the game. It was one of those qualifying moments, those eerie silent seconds when the water dripping in the bathroom sounds like a geyser, but Nadal was ready with the perfect answer. He said that he had a long way to go for that, a long way to be as good as Roger Federer. There was applause, and his friend Federer smiled graciously on the sidelines. It was an ultimate sports moment handled with aplomb by Nadal. This is indeed what good sportsmanship is all about.

Long ago I had a baseball coach who said, "It easy to be a good sport, a good loser; the hardest thing to be is a good winner." Although I have forgotten that coach's name I have never forgotten those words. Never.

It is a shame that tennis is not a more kid-friendly sport. I wish more kids watched it because they would see in Rafael Nadal someone who is a good role model. He is a really great player, perhaps the greatest ever in his sport, but what makes him stand out is his ability to be a good winner.

These days to be gracious and humble in defeat is always a good thing, but to be so in victory elevates one to a higher level, a nobility that is truly fitting in the concept of good sportsmanship. After the U.S. Open Rafael Nadal proved that, even though he is the King of Tennis, he has the common touch. It would be a good idea for people involved in all other sports to take a page from his book.

 

To Tell the Truth: The Tale of Roger Clemens

This article first appeared as To Tell the Truth: The Tale of Roger Clemens on Blogcritics.


"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
-John 8:32

We always want to believe people, at least I know that I do. When someone tells me something, I like to think that person is being honest. We hope that this will carry over to our children because kids tend to lie, sometimes often, and if they learn the truth is better than lying early on, perhaps they will not succumb to this childhood malady consistently and then fall deeper into the truth-less abyss later on.

Who knows the truth about Roger Clemens? I am not saying this on a superficial level. We fans of baseball only know that. We certainly don't know Roger, just as we don't know Alex Rodriguez, David Wright, Mark Sanchez, Eli Manning, and all the other sports figures out there. We think we know them, but we only know what is presented to us: the persona that has been honed as the marketable entity that comes across on the field and in interviews.

I'd like to think that the person who knows Roger best is Roger. Perhaps his wife and children would fit in there, then his friends, his teammates, and so on, but the only person who truly knows Roger is Roger. It is like that for all of us. We live our lives, though surrounded by people, ostensibly alone. Within our own minds and in our own hearts, we know the truth of truths. No one else knows everything we know. No one.

If you are like me, I want to believe in the essential goodness of each human being. I want to believe that everyone has a good heart, but as reality slaps us in the face again and again, we understand that is not the case. People who strap bombs onto their bodies and walk into crowded places are not good. People who harm innocent children have no goodness in themselves. We realize that there are many fine people, but that bad ones exist and, even if in their hearts they see themselves as heroes, we know that is because something has warped their ability to discern reality.

Roger Clemens says he looks forward to telling the truth. His former trainer Brian McNamee says that he only told the truth. Andy Pettite told his version of the truth, and he will likely be the key witness in this whole thing. Alex Rodriguez, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Jose Canseco, and many more told their truths as well. It becomes a he said; he said: my version of the truth verses your version of the truth. Who can prove what? How far will it go into a person's inner sanctum? What consequences are there if somehow or other the facts are presented that your version of the truth is false?

In this case, if Roger Clemens lied, he did so under oath. Again, in my naive world, I like to think that if you raise your right hand and place your left hand on anything - the Bible, a stack of baseball cards, or even The Wall Street Journal - that you have now committed yourself to truth telling. A lawyer friend of mine joked that lying under oath happens all the time. Whew! There goes my faith in the system, but then again it becomes the court's duty to decipher truth from lies. My friend says good lawyers can pick away at the veneer of lies and get to the truth. Hmmm.

Whatever happens to Roger Clemens is going to happen. I have heard reports claiming that he could get anything from thirty years, to thirty days, to a suspended sentence. I can tell you this, and I'm saying this as a Met fan, I don't see any good coming from Roger Clemens staying even one minute in jail. What will that prove about the system and about lying? What will that teach the kids who look up to sports figures? Nothing, if Clemens goes on and still claims he told the truth, was wrongly accused and incarcerated, and then comes out and writes a book about the whole thing and makes even more money, he stands to be more of a folk hero than anything else.

I think what has to happen is a concerted effort toward truthfulness. If Roger can tell the truth, kids might think, maybe I should too. Yeah, I did take that pack of gum from the store. Oh, I did lie about not having a test tomorrow. I did break that lamp, Dad. Sorry. Like that's ever going to happen, right?

The problem is that lying is all around us. People lie and famous people make a career out of it. In the world that is professional sports and in the everyday world the rest of us know, people lie and that is never going to stop. Sadly, something like this only reinforces the convictions of those who lie to push the truth even deeper into that despicable me. It becomes a "No one will ever know what I know!" kind of thing.

None of us will ever know Roger's truth; the question is does Roger know the truth, or is it so far down and covered with camouflage stories that even he doesn't know anymore?

Jesus said, "The truth will set you free." Maybe Roger should try it and see how it feels. Hey, maybe we all should.

Mets Should Bench Beltran

This article first appeared as Mets Should Bench Beltran on Blogcritics.

Only two days ago the Mets released Alex Cora and benched Luis Castillo in favor of rookie Ruben Tejada. Both were good moves to help the team, but there is still a general malaise that seems to hover over the Mets, and I think a good deal of the problem is in center field. It is absolutely necessary for Manager Jerry Manuel to bench Carlos Beltran, and it needs to be done starting tomorrow in the game against the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field.

There has been some talk about trading or releasing outfielder Jeff Francoeur, but I think that would be a tremendous mistake. While there have been times when Francoeur has struggled this season, there have been impressive moments too (like his homer off Cole Hamels in the Mets' 1-0 win against the Phillies on Saturday). There is also the undeniable fact that Francoeur adds a positive spark to the team's chemistry, something the seemingly lethargic Beltran has never done in his time with the Mets.

All season long people were talking about Beltran coming back from the disabled list. Everything would be better then, they thought. Well, since Beltran returned to the team the Mets are 7-16. Now, we cannot blame that all on the switch hitting center fielder, but I do believe the team was doing much better with Angel Pagan in center and Francoeur in right field.

Beltran is currently batting .197 with 1 homer and 7 runs batted in. Looking at Beltran's offensive numbers is only part of the story. He is not the fielder he once was, not fully recovered from his injury, and he is detrimental to the team when he is on the field. There are balls that should be caught that he can't get to, and this isn't changing anytime soon.

Beltran seems like a nice fellow, but he has never been the player the Mets expected him to be when they signed him. He is also not the leader he should be in the clubhouse. Jeff Francoeur's numbers are not stellar (.247 average with 11 homers and 47 RBIs), but he is an integral presence in the clubhouse, a spark plug on a team that needs a jolt to shake it out of its funk.

Frenchy, as his teammates call him, was supposed to platoon in left field with newly called up rookie Fernando Martinez until Jason Bay returns from the DL. Well, I have a better idea for Manuel and the Mets' brass. Send a message to the team that no one has a lock on an every day job (and that should include David Wright and Jose Reyes as well).

They should bench Beltran on Tuesday against the Rockies. Pagan should be in center, with Francoeur in right, and Martinez in left. Beltran should stay on the bench for a week, and then we can see if the team wins more games without Beltran than with him. The way things are going for the Mets, they have nothing to lose and maybe, just maybe, a few more games they can win.

Mets Lose To Lowly D'Backs; No Trade in the Wings

Article first published as Mets Lose To Lowly D'Backs; No Trade in the Wings in Blogcritics.

As pro-Mexican immigration demonstrators stood chanting across the street from Citi Field in New York last night, inside the Mets were blowing yet another game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Of course, the demonstrators were there because of the controversial immigration law in Arizona, with which I am certain none of the Diamondback players have any tangible connection.

The Way This Guy Runs, Maybe the Mets Should Sign Him Up

Besides David Wright's two homers (17) and five RBIs (74), the biggest excitement of the night probably came when two pro-Mexican protesters ran onto the grass at Citi Field with a big Mexican flag flowing from their hands. As hapless Mets security members reacted as cluelessly as Keystone Kops and struggled to corral these invaders on the field, one could only think of Jose Reyes's error that sent the Mets from a 5-4 lead to an eventual 9-6 defeat.

The Mets have looked terrible in many ways since the All-Star Break, and their 6-11 record since then is actually worse than it seems. The pitching can at times be brilliant (like R.A. Dickey's 8.1 innings allowing just three hits in a game against the Cards on Thursday), but as in last night's game, Mike Pelfrey seemed in trouble all the way until Reyes's error sealed the deal.

Is any help on the way? As usual, Mets GM Omar Minaya is like a teenage boy at a high school dance sitting on his hands in the corner. While other guys are out dancing with the best picks on the floor, Omar seems content to bop his head to the music and see everyone else having fun. How sad for the team and their fans that Minaya continues to disappoint as someone who cannot get the job done.

We hear rumors that the Mets have been "inquiring" about Ted Lilly, who is now like the last girl on the dance floor as the last song of the night is being played. Now that Minaya has seen all the best prospects get up and dance, he is listening to George Michael's "Careless Whisper" and wondering if he should get off his hands before the party is over.

Lilly's stats with the Chicago Cubs this season certainly are underwhelming: 3 Wins and 8 Losses with an 3.69 ERA. There's obviously a reason he is the last choice on the dance floor, but according to all sources Omar is not going to budge from his place in the corner. As George Michael's voice fades away, Lilly might walk off with some other partner, but it looks like poor Omar is going home alone again, naturally.

How sad for the Mets and their fans as this 2010 season continues to spiral into oblivion. Excuse me while I go start dreaming about possibilities for the Jets and their acquisition of Mark Brunell as back-up quarterback for Mark Sanchez. Hey, that gives Rex Ryan a better arm than the Mets can hope to acquire, and at least the Jets know how to make a move that will help the team.