Misc Links and thoughts

Very sad story in the Daily News a couple of days ago about former Mets prospect Brian Cole. Brian Cole was a top prospect in the Mets organization when he was in a fatal car accident on March 31, 2001. Jim Duquette, Mookie Wilson and Heath Bell are all testifying that Brian Cole would have entered the Major League scene around the same time as Jose Reyes and would have been a star. Very sad.

On a much lighter note Eli from Brooklyn of Mets Underground  is a very entertaining blog. In particular i enjoy two of his running posts. One is his running critique of Mike Francessa including, but not at all limited to this one and his "feud" with Jon Heyman of SI - the latest post found here.

Anyway it looks like the Mets will resign Fernando Tatis, which i blogged about earlier. I dont have anything against this move but i would have liked to see what Daniel Murphy can do for a full year.

Sad to say this but this is the best news Ive heard come out of the Mets office this off-season.

And Finally - i like Marty Noble and i love reading his inbox on Mets.com but i completely disagree with him for not voting for Roberto Alamor on his HOF ballot. Especially since he says hell vote for him next year. Is he a hall of famer or not? What will change between now and next year? Will his statistics be better? Will he be more sorry for spitting at Hirshbeck? Im sorry Marty but i agree with Ralph G. from the Bronx  (last question in the inbox)

What now?

Big day today in baseball - not for the Mets - but a lot to report. Ben Sheets signs with the A's. Ive made my opinion clear about Sheets before and ill say it again. Certainly now that he signed for 10 mill plus. Havent we had enough injuries? I suppose the two best pitchers remaining after Sheets were Jon Garland and Jarrod Washburn. As i said before i would prefer Washburn. Although apparently it doesnt matter because as metsblog.com reported earlier the Padres have signed Jon Garland and according to Foxsports Washburn is only interested in either the Twins or the Mariners. So now what do the Mets do? Lets see how the off-season has gone so far. Lackey was never interested. Wolf was too much money. Berdard is not worth the risk. They want to cut ties with Pedro. Pinero apparently wasnt interested. Washburn isnt interested. Garland wanted to go to a west coast team. The one guy who wanted to sign with them, Jason Marquis, signed with (gulp) the Nationals. Each one by itself doesnt sound too bad but put it all together and what do you got? NOTHING! Right now Fernando Nieve is the Mets fifth starter. And hes the only non-question mark. So the Mets will either go with what they got, try to tread water until the trade deadline when they can get someone, or go after - yikes! - John Smoltz? Honestly - im not sure what the best option is. Metsblog also reported that Noah Lowry will be working out for some teams. Lowry of course hasnt pitched since 2007 and accuses the Giants of misdiagnosing him so he would fit right in.

Weekend Update

Metsblog.com had a nice little weekend in review post earlier and i want to talk about some of the things in that post.
The first thing discussed is Carlos Delgado. Apparently he cant move and literally limps out to play first base. As ive said before - please lets stay away from him. Enough is enough. He should sign with an AL team and DH. About this rumor that the Mets will resign Tatis to platoon with Murphy - I dont know - i kind of liked him a pinch hitter/come off the bench guy but as a starter/platoon guy - i dont know. Also as far as Molina goes - as i said before im not crying that we lost out on him although he would have been nice to have. Now - the big question is - what pitcher are they going to pick up? The popular opinion out there seems to think that they should sign Ben Sheets. I dont know. Why sign another guy who is an injury waiting to happen? Havent we had enough of that already? Ill take Washrurn or Garland. Besides I may be the only one but Im pretty fired up about Oliver Perez.

Rough Weekend

Maybe is was a coincidence. Maybe not. But last night I woke up in the middle of the night literally sick to my stomach and ended up breaking my "vomit streak". As a Mets and Jets fan i have endured alot worse than this loss but maybe this just pushed it over the edge - or maybe i just ate something i shoudnt have. Either way. I had pushed off writing about the Jets so as not to jinx them. Yes i am a Mats fan and a Jets fan. Allow me to just put a few thoughts down regarding the Jets. Yes i realize it was great run. Yes i realize that the Colts were the better team. But to be in the AFC championship game - up by 11 points no less - and not take it home really hurts. And heres why. In sports - as in life - and in particular in the NFL you never know whats going happen from year to year. You think the Steelers thought they were going to miss the playoffs? You think Dan Marino thought he was only going to play in one Super Bowl? No. But thats how it is in sports. Even our beloved Mets. After Molina hit the HR in '06 i was devastated. But i thought they would be back every year for the next 10 years. Young core of Beltran,Wright, Reyes ... Then they go out and steal Santana. Well here we are two collapses of epic proportions and one season to forget later and still waiting for the playoffs. Now dont get me wrong - i think theyre going to make the playoffs this year too. I think theyre going to make the playoffs every year. I cant help that. But you never know. And thats why i dont want to hear "Well, the Jets have good young core and a good head coach who really fits the personality ..." I DONT CARE!  If youre there you have to take home the prize and if you dont then dont expect people to just put you in the championship game the next year.

Now to borrow from the things i think i think department, here are 5 things i think i think after watching this years NFL playoffs.
1) ... that Revis is the best cover corner in the league and dont understand how he didnt win Defensive player of the year.
2)... that Peyton Manning is the best QB ive ever seen and i say that not just because i cant stand Tom "pretty boy" Brady.
3)... that the fact that Favre threw that pick somehow makes me feel a little better.
4)... that the Greene injury really hurt the Jets yesterday.
5)... that Mark Sanchez is going to be a very good NFL QB

Breaking News

*********UPDATE********
According to SI.com - The Mets will be paying $2 million of the $23.5 million total that Matthews is owed. The Angels will also receive relief pitcher Brian Stokes in return. Stokes went 2-4 with a 3.97 ERA in 69 games last season.

I guess thats it - i wouldn't have made such a big deal about this trade if i would have realized that there was nothing more to it than that. I thought there would be some sort of follow-up to this deal but if its just to get a fourth outfielder for a couple of months then why give up Stokes? Why not just sign Corey Sullivan or Jeremy Reed? I dont really understand this move at all unless there is a follow up move. 

*********UPDATE********
ESPN confirms the trade
http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/news/story?id=4848752


*********UPDATE********
I hope this is part of something bigger - i was hoping that Castillo was involved in the deal and that this would lead to an Orlando Hudson signing - well see ....


*********UPDATE********
According to metsblog.com according to an AL source, Luis Castillo is not involved in this deal.


OUCH! why would we do this then - i guess well have to wait and see/pray


*********UPDATE********
It is not yet known which player the Angels will get in return, though minor leagues were discussed and the Angels did show interest in relief pitcher Brian Stokes.


*********Original Post*********
This just in on SI.com

The Mets have a deal to acquireGary Matthews Jr. from theLos Angeles Angelsaccording to an American League source. Matthews has two years at $10 million a year remaining on his contract and the Angels will be paying the vast portion of that money.

The Mets are concerned aboutCarlos Beltran, their star centerfielder who underwent knee surgery last week and is expected to miss the first three weeks of the season.

Matthews batted .250 in a part-time role for the Angels in 2009. He has spent 11 seasons in the majors with six teams, including a two-game cameo with the Mets back in 2002.

Catching up

"LA's fine but it aint home" Had a nice vacation but theres no place like home.
Ok lets see - when i left about a week ago, the Mets were "very close" to signing Bengie Molina and were serious bidders for Joel Pinero. Whoops! What happened? Honestly I thought they both would have been good for the team. Molina would add a bit of power without breaking the bank and upgrade at a position that needed upgrading while also adding on the defensive side of the ball. Pinero, i felt, would have been a good fit for the Mets and Citi field. That being said - im glad to see Omar starting to stick to his guns a little bit and not giving in to every free agents demands and im not crying that Molina "got away". Im more upset about Pinero. Where do they go from here? Ben Sheets? Why? So we can have five question marks in the starting rotation? (Santana - elbow, Pelf - head, Maine - arm, Perez - all of the above and more) The Mets need someone they can depend on. At this point maybe a Jarrod Washburn or Jon Garland. I would like to see Smoltz as i dont think hes done but hes old and a former Brave and lets just say that im not thrilled about having a former Brave on the pitching staff. I try to stay upbeat as a fan but come on - give me something to work with here! So what do the Mets do from here? I dont know - i think a trade with the Reds would make the most sense although im not as down on Castillo as most people are but if they could get Philips and Arroyo for say Castillo and Maine i think i would do it and then maybe try to sign Sheets.

One more thing - On my way home from work i heard maybe the best caller i have ever heard on WFAN. his name was Mike and he was ripping Mike Fransecca. Fransecca was acting himself but this Mike was sticking to his guns telling him that when he predicted the Giants to win the Super Bowl he thought he was great but now that hes been wrong about the Jets 3 weeks in a row he claims its no big deal. Great phone call.
Once again if you have any requests for future posts please email me at brooklynmetsfan@gmail.com
Its good to be back in New York

California Dreaming

First of all once again - if you would like to receive emails when i put up new posts please put in your email address on the right and click subscribe. You can also email me requests for future posts to brooklynmetsfan@gmail.com


Second of all - i will be on vacation this week in California and so i will leave you with this. The Mets and Dodgers have many connection. In fact they partially took their team colors from the Brooklyn Dodgers. Fred Wilpon grew up a Dodgers fan. But well leave the Brooklyn Dodgers out of this for now. The Mets and the LA Dodgers have many connections as well. 
I mentioned in a previous post that i believe Daryl Strawberry to be the 4th greatest Mets player ever and that "He played for the Mets for 8 years and to this day is the only player who left the team that i went out of way to follow after he left"  The team he went to was the Dodgers. 
Oddly enough my second greatest player, Mike Piazza, also played for both the Mets and the Dodgers. 
1988 - The Mets played the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1988 National League Championship Series in a season where they beat them 10 out of 11 times but, led by Orel Hershiser, the Dodgers continued their Cinderella story season by beating the Mets in seven games.
2006 - The Mets swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2006 National League Division Series. (Included in that series was the very cool double play where Paul LoDuca (himself a former LA Dodger) tagged two runners out at the plate on the same play.


On a personal note - I went to a Mets game at Shea vs the Dodgers in Joe Torres return to NY with my Brother-In-Law a couple of years ago and its the only time i can remember cheering for someone on the opposing team. In fact i was shocked that when Torre came out to replace the pitcher he got a standing ovation from the crowd.


i will leave you with some statistics and facts courtesy of ultimatemets.com
All time Mets leaders are vs the Dodgers 
Mets who also played for the Dodgers
Mets all time vs the LA Dodgers
Interestingly Piazza and Strawberry both have 10 career HR vs the Dodgers

First of all - if you would like to receive emails when i put up new posts please put in your email address on the right and click subscribe.

Second - Now that we know more is sounds as if the team is just disappointed that Beltran didnt wait for them to get that third opinion. Its very interesting. Beltran must have been in a tough spot. He got a second opinion from his doctor - with Mets consent - and he said to do surgery. So the Mets said - well you gotta wait until we get a third opinion. So from Beltrans standpoint - hes probably thinking "Why in the world would i wait for a third opinion? The Mets medical staff doesnt know what its talking about anyway" Now i agree and i dont think Beltran meant to do anything to hurt the team. in fact he probably wanted to get better and back on the field  ASAP. On the other hand, you gotta listen to your boss. Now, the Mets would be smart to just leave this alone because the bottom line is they need Beltran and risk alienating not only Beltran but the whole team as well. On the other hand they dont want to set a precedent here. Tough spot. Its never simple with this team. Did you know that Brad Lidge had knee surgery today?  No press conference or conference calls just surgery and he'll be back in sometime in April. END OF STORY. For the Mets - the soap opera continues.

Ill leave you with some key quotes from todays conference call headed by John Ricco courtesy of The Ropolitans

Direct quotes from Assistant GM John Ricco

• "When he started to ramp up for his spring training program in early December  was when he started feeling discomfort in his knee."
• "There is an issue regarding the process that was followed regarding the surgery."
• "Surgery was performed before we had the opportunity to do that [get third opinion]."
• "I'm not going to get into the legal ramifications right now."
• "All we've done is sent a letter to the agent alerting him to the fact that we were not afforded the opportunity we asked for."
• "We're just reserving our rights under his [Beltran's] contract."
• "The 12 weeks is the time frame before he can start full baseball activity."
• "The estimate right now is 12 weeks until be can *begin* baseball activity."
• "We're clearly not done putting this team together."
• "Clearly he had a symptom. ... He had a procedure he thinks can alleviate those symptoms."
• "We found out the surgery had been done Wednesday mid-day."
• "Omar has spoken with Carlos and we've had several conversations with Scott Boras."
• "It's disappointment on a couple of different levels."
• "This was not microfracture surgery. ... He is not a candidate for microfracture surgery."

Notes/Paraphrases from Ricco

• He was monitored by the medial staff. Ray Ramirez visited him in PR.
• Beltran visited Dr. Altchek. Had three MRIs on the knee.
• Altchek suggested backing off workouts to see if that helped
• Dr. Steadman suggested procedure, was a successful surgery. Beltran is still in Colo.
• Mets wanted third opinion on Beltran's knee and wanted to "digest" the info.
• There was communication between the doctors [Steadman & Altchek]
• Mets are most upset that surgery was done before third opinion, not that the surgery was done.

Another day in Metsland

My Post today was supposed to be completely different than the one i am about to write.  I made an effort to listen to David Wright on WFAN yesterday. I was still fired up about the Jason Bay pickup (more on that in a minute). The Mets were "very close" to signing Bengie Molina. Theyre negotiating with Pinero. A bunch of guys were getting the word out that theyre ready to go for 2010. And then the Beltran saga. At first I heard that there was some "not good news" and then this. As you know by now Beltran had surgery on his right knee. That in itself doesn't bother me too much. Have surgery now - in January - recover and be back by May/June. Dont forget that even last year the Mets were only a couple of games out in the beginning of July.  This is a good team! What bothers me is the circus atmosphere. It can be simple. It never is. They cant just fire Tony Bernazard - they have to "investigate" for two days and then hold a news conference and bash Adam Rubin. They cant just say that Reyes is done for the year - they have to first put him back in the lineup for a day and then shut him down. They cant just fire Willie Randolph they have to make him fly cross-country - win a game - and then fire him. and on and on and on.
This was the last thing they needed. BUT - lets put this into perspective  for a moment.
1) Assuming they sign Molina and Pinero, I think they can stay competitive for a couple of months. (assuming that Beltran will be back sometime in late May/early June- however if the Mets are not careful and really plan on taking legal action - i have a feeling he'll never play another game for the Mets) Pagan is a good fill-in guy. I dont like him for a whole year but i like him enough to fill in. Reyes and Pagan could be nice to watch on the bases and possibly set up fastballs for David Wright and Jason Bay.  Hopefully they stay afloat until he gets back and then go from there.
2) How much more important was the Jason Bay signing knowing what we now know?  And think of how much money they saved. I mean Bay had no leverage whatsoever. This would have given him some. I also think that the Mets will probably be more pressed to sign a power bat for their bench. (I also wonder if they will consider bringing back Endy Chavez) 
On another note -  Listening to David Wright on Miked up yesterday - theres no no doubt in my mind that Mike has a deal with someone in the Mets front office - first Reyes and now Wright are on his show and hes actually nice. I think that in exchange for this the Mets are giving him some exclusives. Thats why Mike was the first to break the Jason Bay signing and why he keeps talking about "more Mets news to come later". But putting that aside - D-Wright sounded upbeat and ready to prove himself again. What i liked was how he didnt belittle his problems from last year and write them off as a fluke or blamed others for it. He took responsibility and worked on it. I also loved how he said he "loved playing in NY" and "wouldnt ever want it any other way". Weather he like it nor not - hes the captain of this team.
Also -  I listened to Mike Pelfrey this morning. Great interview. My favorite part was this exchange:
Carton: "So .. what did you think about Rick Peterson? Did you like him?"
Big Pelf: "um .... No, not really - is that a good answer?"
Awesome exchange. He clarified by saying they had "different philosophies" He also said that everybody loves Dan Warthen. 


The bottom line is this: we'll get more clarification later in the day about the Mets reaction to the Beltran surgery and how much of it they knew(according to Matt Cerrone "Today at 2 pm, SNY will air the Mets conference call with reporters") , but the point is this: hes done for at least a couple of months and the Mets need to not panic and prepare as best they could. This is not the end of the world. Lets try to stay positive and hope that Omar can make another move or two and then lets go get 'em because no matter how frustrating it is we bleed blue and orange so lets get fired up! - only 34 days until Ps and Cs (hopefully with at least one more of each ;) )

WOW - Here we go again

**************UPDATE ***************
This is getting better and better
According to Joel Sherman:

Mets are definitely claiming Beltran procedure done without their blessing, and are threatening some form of action


**************UPDATE ***************
According to metsblog.com


The Mets just released the following statement


“Carlos Beltran had worsening of osteoarthritis of the right knee during the offseason.  He had not been experiencing pain following the conclusion of the season and into his early offseason conditioning. The symptoms returned to the point where pre-spring training conditioning became too painful.  He elected to undergo arthroscopic clean out of the arthritic area of his knee by Beltran”s personal physician Dr. Richard Steadman today in Colorado.  He is anticipated to return to baseball activities in 12 weeks."


Man - what a tough break. 12 weeks doesnt bother me too much but for some reason i get the feeling its going to be longer than that. As Keith Hernandez would say "Wow, just wow"

original post:
Just hitting the presses - apparently  Carlos Beltran will miss 8 - 12 weeks - ill give details as soon as i have them

Random Thoughts

I saw some interesting stuff online in the last couple of days that i would like to speak about. Im going to make this post a kind of random topic (somewhat non-Mets) post. I will try to do this maybe once a week. Some readers out there mentioned that i should discuss the Mark McGwire "confession". I will, with a slightly tinted Mets view. In addition ill give my opinion on the Mets free-agent situation and ill close with a completely unrelated fantasy sports story that was sent to me.
Ill start with McGwire. I mean - come on! whos surprised, right? Theres a reason the voters havent let him into the HOF. My opinion is that hes doing this so he can get in eventually. I guess he figures "Tell the truth, cry a little and see what happens" Its a good move on his part because hes going to be back in baseball this year. Instead of dodging the question all year he comes out and says it - and does it before spring training even starts. I give him credit for that. Try to minimize the distraction. Ive always been a big fan of Mark McGwire. He seemed like a decent guy who wanted to entertain people. And he did! When he was hitting all those long home runs nobody was yelling for his head. The guy hit 49 HR as a rookie so clearly he wasnt a fringe player trying to hold on and i would imagine that had he not taken steroids he probably would be a border-line hall of famer (assuming of course that he wouldnt have gotten even more injured than he already was) When McGwire retired he kind of went in to seclusion and claimed he didnt want any part of baseball. But now i would imagine he really  wants to be in the HOF. (In fact i would bet thats the reason why Tony Larussa made that comment about McGwire pinch hitting in September - this way he could restart his "HOF clock") So how does all this tie in to the Mets? Well - it doesnt really but Im sure you remember who gave up HR # 62 - dont you? Thats right - none other than our old friend Mr. Steve Trachsel. Bob Klapisch had a very interesting article in which he talks about a conversation he had with Trachsel after McGwire made the announcement. Things like this always intrigued me. I mentioned briefly in a previous post that i wonder how Robin Ventura feels about Todd Pratt. Well i really wondeed how Trachs feels about "Big" Mac.  If you remember - HR # 62 just made it out of the yard.As Klapfisch writes
"The ball didn’t go searing into the upper deck, like some scene in “The Natural.” Hardly – McGwire instead cleared the wall by inches, and you have to assume a non-steroid user would’ve been unable to provide the necessary lift." 
Its a very interesting article and real insight into the mind of a professional athlete.  But the most interesting thing Trachsel said was this: "He really didn’t like [Sosa] very much" HUH? WHAT? Aren't  they the ones who brought baseball back from the dead? Arent they the ones that SI said was the easiest decision they ever had for sportmen of the year? Anyway - like i said - very interesting read. Check it out if you have time.


Now about those Mets. Heres what I think: the Bay signing was good. Clearly they need another pitcher. It looks like they are going after Joel Pineiro. I think this is a good move. I know he had Dave Duncan helping him out but hes a ground ball pitcher and should fair well in Citi Field. It also seems inevitable that Bengie Molina will end up here with a two year deal. Im not crazy about that but i can deal with it and dont think it will be a big problem (not in year one of the contract anyway) I am concerned about what a two year deal means for Josh Thole though. Speaking of prospects why do i get the feeling that F-Mart will end up just like Alex Escobar/Alex Ochoa/Jay Payton.  And Carlos Delgado - I like him but come on, hes done. He cant run, he cant move. Im sure he could still hit but i think hell end up in the AL where he can get some time as a DH. ( I think that Baltimore and Toronto are looking at him). Finally i think that the Mets need some pop off the bench - maybe to platoon with Daniel Murphy at first.


And finally .... this was sent to me by my buddy who is a former fantasy sports champion/die-hard Washington Redskins fan


"In 2005, Chris Cooley scored three TDs in a game versus the rival Dallas Cowboys, breaking the Redskins franchise record for receptions as a tight end.  Those three touchdowns ended up actually costing Cooley his fantasy football playoff game, because his opponent had Cooley on his fantasy team. "

Jason Bay and his D

 I know I'm a bit late on this but I'm sick of hearing people complaining about the Jason Bay signing. For weeks on end all we heard was "Why arent the Mets making a move?" Then they go ahead and sign probably the 2nd best hitter available and all anyone can write about is how hes a bad defensive player and about how his power wont translate well in Citi Field. First of all - can we give the guy a break? - I mean i know as a Mets fan were programmed to be pessimistic, but come on! - give him a chance! The guy was able to hit the ball out in Pittsburgh - i think hell he fine here. Im not saying hell hit 40 HR but hes not gonna hit 10 either. And as for his defense - give me a break! Lets say hes "OK" - so what? I guarantee he wont look like Daniel Murphy out there. With Beltran at his side and Reyes and Wright in front of him I think hell be fine. So lets stop comparing him to George Foster. And while were at it, lets stop comparing Citi Field to some 1920's style stadium where the outfield walls were 550 feet away. I saw Adam Dunn, Mark Reynolds Chase Utley and others make Citi Field look like Kiddie Field. So lets Give Jason Bay some time and lets give Citi Field a full year with a normal lineup with more than one HR threat. Lets see how they do. Im not ready to give up just yet! 
Now, if the Mets go into this year with their current starting rotation - then well have something to complain about.

Top 5 Mets

I was going to post this last night but was too tired and then i stumbled upon someone who had a similar list on their blog. Anyway - here goes - the top 5 players in Mets history. (Note: The previous list had to be a list made up of moments that occurred while i was a fan, otherwise i wouldnt be able to judge. I wasn't alive when the Mets won the '69 series so how can i compare that feeling to when Chavez made "The Catch". However players are judged mostly by their on-field performance so we can really look to statistics to back us up without having been there to see it.)

5.Jerry Koosman
4.Daryl Strwberry
3.Keith Hernandez
2.Mike Piazza
1. Tom Seaver

In my mind the top two are really no-brainers and any Mets fan would consider them the top two players in Mets history. Hernandez is generally credited with turning the franchise around when he was traded to the Mets and thus i put him at number 3 although i could hear an argument that he should be anywhere between 3 and 6. Koosman pitched in Seavers shadow but take a look at the stats - a really great pitcher who pitched for the Mets for 11 years. But i just had to put Strawberry ahead of him. In fact i thought about putting him as high as 3rd. He played for the Mets for 8 years and to this day is the only player who left the team that i went out of way to follow after he left. Holds or held virtually every offensive record in Mets history and had more staying power than Dwight Gooden. Gooden didnt make my list because he really only had two great years followed by a steady stream of seasons sending him into mediocrity.
One more note: I imagine that in 10 years this list will look very different. I imagine (and hope) that David Wright will be in the top 3. I imagine Jose Reyes will be in the top 5 as well. We will have to wait and see on them though. The most difficult decision was leaving off Gooden and Gary Carter, but after really looking at it - it made sense that Carter went in to the HOF as an Expo. I suppose i can round out the top 10 with Gooden, Carter, Lee Mazilli, HoJo and Edgardo Alfonzo.

Favorite Moments

I mentioned yesterday that the Robin Ventura "Grand Slam Single" was one of my favorite all time Mets moments. When I started thinking about it, I was surprised that it wasnt that easy to come up with a "Top 5 moments" list. Now - just to define - Im talking about moments that truly made me happy as a Mets fan, and im limiting this list to moments that happened on the field - so you wont find the trade for Mike Piazza in here or the signing of Pedro, Beltran etc. Also these moments all occured while I was a "real fan" so i cant count the 1986 Mets or 1988 Mets in here, although I recall watching the games. Basically the list is from 1993 - 2009
After some thinking (not much - but some) here is my list

5. Al Leiter pitching a 2-hit complete game shutout to earn the win in the Mets 5-0 victory in a winner-take-all one game playoff in Cinergy Field in Cincinnati . The win put the Mets in the playoffs for the first time in 11 seasons.


4. Mike Hampton closing out the Cardinals to win the 2000 National League pennant. I remember watching Timo Perez jumping to catch the final out as if he couldn't wait either. (Sadly my feeling for Timo would change dramatically just one game later)


3. Todd Pratt, substituting for an injured Mike Piazza, hits a home run to center field with one out in the 10th inning to win the 1999 NLDS; Steve Finley nearly makes a leaping catch, but the ball just clears his glove. I remember Finley looking in disbelief at his empty glove when he came down and didnt make the catch.


2. "Grand Slam Single" - 1999 NLCS  In the bottom of the 15th inning, the Mets tied the score against the Atlanta Braves at 3–3. Ventura - always a great bases-loaded hitter - came to bat with the bases loaded, and hit a walk-off grand slam to deep right. (If you watch the clip you can actually see Ventura waiving off Todd Pratt from hugging him because he wanted to round the bases. Wonder how he feels about it now)


1. Endy Chavez - The Catch. If you dont know what this is, clearly youre in the wrong place.(The one thing i remember about that sequence was Willie Randolph walking to the mound before Ollie pitches to Rolen and first looking at LoDuca and asking how Perez is doing and LoDuca kind of gives this look like - "I dont know - ask him" so Willie turns to Ollie and Ollie says "Good" and Willie walks away and the crowd goes nuts. I have watched the highlight of the catch way too many times since then, but only once have i seen that exchange before the pitch was thrown.) Watching that catch, it was obvious to all that the Mets would win the game. Imagine David Tyrees catch and the Giants losing to the Pats. It cant be - right?


Two more notes about this list - One of my favorite Mets scenes was after the Mets clinched the NL east in 2006 seeing Wright and Reyes on the field soaked in champaign and smoking cigars. What a moment - two young stars basking in the glory of what they had just accomplished and thinking about how many times that would happen in the future. However this didnt happen during a games so i left it out. The most striking thing to me about this list is that it doesnt include Mike Piazza at all. Weird. I know people put the post 9/11 HR in there but to tell you the truth i never thought that was a great Mets moment. It was great for baseball and great for the city but it didnt really do a whole lot for the team and I barely remember it happening.

Picture of the day - 01/07/09

Here is my picture of the day - i will try to post pictures that i find interesting or relevant or just plain funny with some simple dialog attached to it. This picture is posted today in light of the fact that with yesterdays HOF voting results announced another year has gone by and still only one Met has a plaque in Cooperstown. For the record, here are the Mets related players results from the 2010 ballot with a short comment for each one.



Roberto Alomar 397 (73.7%)
Andres Galarraga 22 (4.1%)
Robin Ventura 7 (1.3%)
Kevin Appier 1 (0.2%)
David Segui 1 (0.2%)
Todd Zeile 0


Roberto Alomar - Obviously Alomar got that amount in spite of his time with the Mets and in fact his years with the Mets probably hurt him and may have cost him a shot at a first-ballot entry.
Andres Galarraga - Spent a spring with the team - didnt make it out of spring
Robin Ventura - Responsible for one of my best memories as a Mets fan (if you dont know what im talking about you shouldnt be reading this)
Kevin Appier - surprised he got one vote
David Segui - ditto
Todd Zeile - I always liked him - he was a solid player - solid hitter - good fielder plus Piazza always said he liked him as a hitter.