It's Mets For Me: Off-Beat, Tangentially Relevant Mets Ruminations

Off Base Since 2005! Mets commentary from the counter-intuitive to the unintuitive and all the intuitives in between. ** "Through the use of humor and gross inaccuracy...a certain truth can be gained." Rob Perri ** (pester me at:itsmetsforme@gmail.com or follow me @itsmetsforme on twitter)

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Mets Show they have Pride and Poise to go with their Heart, Hustle, and Fortitude

http://www.youthbaseballbasics.com/images/baseball-tee-2.jpg
Brian Stokes, warming up in the bullpen before coming in to relieve Johan Santana.

Terribly bad. Just Awful. Not good at all. By the time you read this Johan Santana, hopefully, will not be on the DL with arm trouble, and this start will be forgotten in a season of misery and bad luck. The Mets awful-fence barely made AJ Burnett sweat, loading the bases only to have their ineptitude shine through. I half expect opposing pitchers to walk the bases full against the Mets, knowing that the Mets just can't handle the pressure.

Jerry Manuel supplied the only real in-game entertainment in the 6th by arguing briefly with Umpire Jim Wolf, who should truly be ashamed of himself that he can't do his job after all the practice he's had. Since the Mets could have lost this one on their own, the umpires picked a dumb game to become conspicuous, calling borderline strikes and dip shit checked swings at pivotal points in the game. But this game was lost by a combination of Johan's terrible game and the Mets lack of offensive ability.

The Brian Bruney-K-rod dispute heated up in the pre-game. If you are having difficulty placing the name, Bruney is an absolute nobody who has done nothing in the game, unless a few drunken trips to the tattoo parlor and a make-out session with Andy Pettite count, and he believes that K-Rod's approach to baseball is unpleasant to watch. Since Bruney does a lot of watching and should know, K-Rod gave Bruney a chance to air his grievance face to face in the outfield today.

The Bruney-Krod dust-up was originally a creation of the media, but now the principle players have indulged them. But what is this crap from the Klap? Is there nothing else to write about? What the hell does Mariano Rivera's (alleged by Klap) less than classy dismissive attitude towards K-Rod have to do with last night's loss? Klap takes K-Rod's comments as fodder for a non-story: “I want to be remembered as either better than [Rivera] or equal to him” in a few years.” What's he supposed to say? "I want to be remembered as either better or equal to Armando Benitez"? The media expects players to genuflect to Rivera to the extent that they're not allowed to imagine or aim to be better than him? Rivera was great in a steroid era. We'll see if he ever gets nabbed taking PEDS along with the rest of the Yankees, but its a bad idea to invest too much of your journalistic integrity in any player, even Mr. Holy Rivera. Here's the Klap's words:

Rivera is to K-Rod as a Bentley is to a Saleen Mustang. One is eternal, a classic; the other is pure combustion, noise and fury off the red light. K-Rod is the one who raises his arms in self-congratulation after every save - and he was ready to signal to the heavens as A-Rod's pop-up descended toward Castillo.

What is the point of this? This is autopilot Yankee favoritist bull-dingy and a real waste of virtual ink. The pressures presented by the decline of the print media are real, but many established sportswriters have nothing to say. Added to the media idiocy around Raul Ibanez' "doth protest too much" slagging of a blogger who he thinks ties his elderly renaissance to PEDS (Raul can be forgiven for spouting off without actually reading the post, but can the media?), and Ken Rosenthal writing a story that alledges Jerry is losing or will lose the Mets clubhouse without even bothering to connect any evidence to his insinuations, it's been another bad month for sports journalism. It would be nice if these guys could give it a rest with the indignation and Yankee-blowing, and come up with real stories that are researched and interesting before they bitch about the integrity of mom's basement dwellers. Just like Ibanez' future drug tests, the proof is in the pudding.

***

Wondering if there is a man more hated by his teams fans than Castillo after what he did to that pop-up? Wondering what happened to Aaron Heilman? I can help you out in one fell swoop. Here's hapless poopeyface Aaron Heilman, inducing Milton Bradley into brainless play. It sure is hard to focus when Heilman pitches, but when he was on the Mets, fielders didn't normally need to worry about fieldable balls. They always get into the stands somehow.

Milton Bradley Loses Track Of Outs from Mark Townsend on Vimeo.


swiped from Bugs and Cranks via CSTB).

***

The difficulty Sunday's game presents is figuring precisely where it fits in on the list of the Mets most pathetic losses of 2009. Here is the tale of the tape: The Mets last remaining hope, Johan Santana gets absolutely walloped during a rivalry game, and the Yankees continue to pile on into the 7th exposing the shitty underside of the Mets bullpen. Mets load the bases to no avail early, then fold like a blanket. I see this one breaking into the top 5 possibly. Here's my prelininary ranking of the Mets stinkers, seeing as Oliver Perez has yet to truly leave his mark on this season:

1. Jerry Pulls the Goalie: Unbelievably F*cking Stupid Church Can't Find His Way Home, Mets commit 5 errors and Disrespect the Game of Baseball May 19
2. Castillo's Can of Corn Mets have big game against Yankers won, and Luis bails out A-Rod of all people, putting a point on the worst week of baseball many have seen June 12.
3. Murphy's Law Game, in a bad omen for the whole season, Daniel Murphy squanders a dominant Johan start and the Mets drop a series vs the Fish, April 12
4. Beltran Bel-trots Home in St Louis, can't be bothered to slide (he was "too close"), Murphy Breakdances in the Field April 21
5. Another Gift for the Phillies, Mets hammer Cole Hamels, but Beltran and Wright can't field worth a shit, Mets leave 16 on-base June 10

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12 Comments:

  • At 4:56 PM, Anonymous jdon said…

    I wonder why Church always strikes out on a down and in curveball a foot out of the strike zone? Is he stupid? Does he know he does not have to know how to operate the video machine if he were ever to actually look at it? Jerry should lose this clubhouse. I would like to lose this clubhouse and this front office. The mets make their statement after a HORRIBLE LOSS, then go out and suffer an EGREGIOUS LOSS a day later. Is another statement win followed by a SHAMEFUL loss the next night? I actually like Bob's columns, but he does occasionally munch on Yankee dingleberries. And he still hates the mets since BB threatened to show him the Bronx and called him a fag. How can you say that a guy who saved 62 games in a season cannot be compared with Mariano? Greatest of all time? How would Mariano have stood up to the demands of closing out games in the decades of the 60s and 70s and early 80s? How can he be the greatest if he could not been successful in any era? I love the guy. He is fantastic for his time, but he is no Gossage, who routinely pitched 6,7, and even 9 out saves. Many relief pitchers in that era threw big time innings. Mariano simply could not have done that? Just like today's starters (are you listening, Pedro-lovers?) could no have thrown 327 innings in a season like Koufax, Marichal and Gibson did. They aqe physically incapable and therefore are not as good. Back to KRod. I don't think he is Mariano either, but he did shine in a World Series and he does have the save record. So Bob's analogy is weak.He has been stellar so far in his career. Don't stare down your nose at him, Bob.

     
  • At 7:58 PM, Blogger Subway Squawkers said…

    My Subway Squawker writing partner did a whole to-do on your post ranking the Mets' losses: http://subwaysquawkers.blogspot.com/2009/06/mets-sense-of-urgency-lasts-one-day.html

    (I think today's got to be in the Top 5, though. It was Santana's worst outing ever.)

    And while I don't like Francisco Rodriguez (sorry, I refuse to call somebody K-Rod who doesn't have a K in his name), this Yankee fan saw nothing controversial about him wanting to be equal to or better than Mariano. How is that not anything but a compliment?

    Lisa

     
  • At 11:47 PM, Blogger I.M. Forme said…

    Jdon, the Klap is certainly suffering from post-Bonilla stress syndrome, which, in a way, we have all been victimized by. So I can understand your empathy. I always assume that Church is concussed and discount my expectations appropriately.
    Since I'm in the mood to bash Mariano, your theories make a lot of sense to me. We may need to start a fan movement demanding that everyone admit players from past eras were just tougher. I know we have Murray Chass and Keith Hernandez on our side. It's hard to disprove at least. We get our panties in a bunch when a reliever goes more than an inning. Old school players would get drunk, spike each other, and go off to war for Chrissakes, modern day players play video games and hit their spouses, hit the gym and have workout buddies inject their butts with who knows what.

    Well Lisa, at least you had a nice weekend. I'm with you on the K-rod, just lazy; we over here on the wrong side of the tracks usually call him "Frank The Closer" or just Frank. By the way, hope the Yanks can scrape up some taxpayer money to get your stadium fixed up--the outfield padding and certain scoreboard panels seem to need a little TLC. I heard the gold dust paint on the sconces in the Stadium powder rooms is looking a bit shabby too.

     
  • At 3:46 AM, Anonymous jdon said…

    Actually I do not like KRod, either. I do not like ARod or any Rod. I was just too lazy to type "R-o-d-r-i-g-u-e-z". I suffer spurts of temporary laziness which border on the incredible. Too lazy to scratch my ass. Ah well. IMFM, everybody says that today's players have more talent? They just have better training and better knowledge of training techniques. They also have PED's, and use them extensively. There is no better infield athlete than Oziie Smith. Is there any doubt that Luis Aparicio could win a gold glove today? What about Curt Flood? What we are really talking about is muscles. These guys have more muscles. They are not faster thqn Willie Davis or Bake McBride. They cannot hit better than George Brett. Just more of them, no, ALL of them, have muscles. And we have a pretty good idea where they cqme from, if you ask me.

     
  • At 5:31 AM, Anonymous jdon said…

    what is really ironic is that today's everyday player is so much stronger and today's pitcher is a pusillanimous pipsqueak. Could MONEY have something to do with this dilution?

     
  • At 8:32 AM, Blogger Subway Squawkers said…

    After seeing those two losses in three days last week, I had trouble putting on the game the next day, much less going to the ballpark again, so I can only imagine what going to all three Dodger losses must have been like.

    Maybe 2009 Met games need to come with a warning: Do not attend more than two games in a one-week period.

    Jon

     
  • At 10:17 AM, Blogger I.M. Forme said…

    Reading Cerrone this morning, I realized I left off May 2 loss against the Philmes. This was Sean Green's Walkoff Loss Spectacular and would qualify for voting because: it was lost spectacularly, it featured a miserable Ollie Perez start (2 1/3 innings) where he falsely promised to go to the minors for a tuneup, and it was vs. the Phils. Even with all its symbolism and failure, I guess it might come in a 6 or 7 when all things are considered.

     
  • At 11:26 AM, Anonymous Keyser said…

    1) Regarding the Bradley goof, it was just like the game in 2000 when Agbayani caught a fly ball, thought it was three outs, and gave the ball to a fan in the stands. Then he took the ball back and tried to throw it into the infield, but alas, the umps were paying attention. That play cost the Mets a run and actually put the Mets behind in that game, but Todd Zeile drove in the tying and winning runs that game on an XBH (May have been a HR)to bail Agbayani out. Afterwards, Agbayani said it was OK because now the fans remind him how many outs there are. Besides, who can possibly hold a grudge against Agbayani?
    2) I don't mind KRod. If you can set the single season record for saves and then come to the Mets and be perfect(* Castillo) through half a season, then the standard rules of nicknames don't apply.
    3) Im fairly certain this is not the first game that Castillo blew an easy fielding play to threaten a KRod save, but the past they havent come at such a crucial moment.
    4) Its too bad Burney doesnt come to the plate, because he needs a high, hard one from KRod. Maybe the Mets can actually throw at, I don't know, Jeter, when the Yankees come to EbbetsBailoutField to send a message. Or, God forbid, have a benches clearing brawl for once in their lives.
    5) I agree, the Dodgers game was still the worst. I have saved the ticket to that game in my baseball card album so I can tell my kids "Yep, I was there at Super Bowl 42, and I was also there when the Mets played the worst game in major league history"

     
  • At 11:57 AM, Anonymous jdon said…

    IMFM, when are you going to institute the fascist practice of individually approving comments before posting them, Like Metblog and Metsradamus do, or are you already doing that in secret? Just curious. I feel my negative, stridently anti-Omar posts were excluded from those blogs before the practice of screening for political content became public over there, Back when someone was bucking for a job. Of course, I could be paranoid. In fact, everybody thinks I am paranoid. You don't think I am paranoid, do you?

     
  • At 12:39 PM, Blogger I.M. Forme said…

    As for "K-Rod" I admit, I didn't think he was a necessary or even prudent signing, seeing as I thought trading for an uninjured Putz was good enough. I was wrong and even though i still don't care for antics, I am rallying to his side now that he has got off to a good start and is being attacked by fringe Yankee players. Also I hope he bothers the Phillmes something awful--i hope to bring back dugout dancing too if it bothers them. They may be able to beat the Mets on the field, and in the standings, but the Mets are in their tiny heads like gangbusters.

    I don't do comment verification or any other moderating for several simple reasons:

    1) its not fair to make commentators pass a test I myself could not (e.g. "feign rabbit", or is it "faion coaaif" goddamit?!)

    2) by clever tending to my own dark corner of the interweb system, or by sheer chance, i don't get too many morons coming through here.

    3) I hate when productive negativity is passively or actively censored. Negativity wants to be free, freedom doesn't need my approval, yadayada.

    4) I am not sponsored by any corporations so feel no pressure to control language or improve my product in any way.

    (ps. Jdon watch your back)

     
  • At 1:01 PM, Anonymous jdon said…

    Pretty soon I am going to make a list of all the things I hate about this team. You will be surprised. There are only about 10or 11 of them.

     
  • At 6:04 PM, Blogger katherine said…

    Well, I can't believe you didn't list the Castillo-dropped-fly-ball game as the worst. Because that is really the worst thing I have ever seen in baseball. That even edges out Tom Glavine's 7 run inning.

    The only thing good about that game was that I was so upset I couldn't watch the Mets on Saturday or Sunday, so I was spared the debacle on Sunday.

    In all my baseball watching life the only thing I've ever seen that rivals that, was Buckner's ball between the legs. Now I know how the Sox fans must have felt. Possibly all our travails are some kind of cosmic payment for that event.

     

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