tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70946825621586910552024-03-08T09:32:07.833-05:00Productive Outs and CrackerjackJack Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16809904649660393420noreply@blogger.comBlogger365125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094682562158691055.post-77849867912189014112022-09-28T18:33:00.001-04:002022-09-29T10:10:18.183-04:00Home Stretch<p>They aren’t choking.</p><p>I haven’t contributed to this blog in 11 years, and I’m curious to see if the subscriber list is still functional. Comment if it is.</p><p>The Braves have gone 73-31 since June 1. That’s a 114-win pace. When you give up a 10 1/2 game lead in the standings, it’s usually your fault.</p><p>But I’m not going to place the blame on the Mets for only being 30 games over .500 since Memorial Day.</p><p>Seven games to go. Three of them are against the Braves. We control our fate, and we are going to the playoffs no matter what. Let’s all try to enjoy it.</p>Jack Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16809904649660393420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094682562158691055.post-79196988497421540922011-12-07T10:23:00.003-05:002011-12-07T11:08:08.635-05:00Roster Musings - 12/7/11I've been writing a little more at Mack's Mets in the last few weeks and had just posted my thoughts on how<a href="http://macksmets.blogspot.com/2011/12/mack-and-company-where-to-spend-20.html"> the Mets might approach the off-season</a> when three transactions were announced in short order last night. The additions of Frank Francisco, Jon Rauch, Ramon Ramirez and Andres Torres gives my initial projected 25-man roster a different look from the one I posted there just 24 hours before.<br /><br />SP- Santana<br />SP- Dickey<br />SP- Niese<br />SP- Pelfrey<br />SP- Gee<br /><br />No changes to the starting rotation. If the Mets decide at the last minute to non-tender Mike Pelfrey, they can hold an audition for a fifth starter in Spring Training.<br /><br />RP- Francisco<br />RP- Rauch<br />RP- R. Ramirez<br />RP- Carrasco<br />RP- Beato/Parnell<br />RP- Byrdak/lefty specialist<br />RP- Herrera/lefty specialist<br /><br />Carrasco is under contract and supposedly Byrdak is as well, even though I can't seem to find anything confirming that. Regardless, the Mets won't break camp without two lefties in the bullpen so you can pencil in two southpaws among the seven relievers. I think Daniel Ray Herrera will be one of them mostly for PR purposes, since he's the visible return from the Francisco Rodriguez trade and won't cost more than $500K in salary.<br /><br />I do not understand why a financially strapped team that will struggle to reach 80 wins spends over $10 million on relievers in one night. Francisco (2 years, $12 million) is a perfectly ordinary closer who may be the difference between 80 wins and 82 wins this season. I'm just not sure whether he's going to have a positive or a negative effect. Ramon Ramirez is actually a very solid reliever who should be successful in Queens in 2012. I'm a little concerned about what he'll make in arbitration, but it can't be worse than the $3.5 million Rauch will be making in 2012. He hasn't been the same since being overworked by Washington in 2006 and 2007 and has dealt with injury issues annually. Things will not end well for Jon Rauch in New York.<br /><br />It appears there's only one spot left for either Bobby Parnell or Pedro Beato now. Suffice it to say, I'm hoping it goes to Beato.<br /><br /> C- Thole<br />1B- Davis<br />2B- Murphy<br />3B- Wright<br />SS- Tejada<br />LF- Bay<br />CF-<br />RF- Duda<br />C-<br />IF- Turner<br />IF-<br />OF- Torres<br />OF-<br /><br />I had Pagan penciled in as the starting center fielder, but I don't think Torres automatically has a lock on the job. Andres Torres is an excellent defensive outfielder, but he's not much of a hitter. His on-base percentage is too low for the top of the order and he doesn't have the type of base-stealing ability to make a team forget about how little he actually gives himself a chance to steal. A 6-7-8 of Torres-Thole-Tejada has a certain rhythm to it, but it's also going to be a black hole of OBP. Long story short, the Mets have opened a hole in center field by making a deal that was more about acquiring Ramirez than it was about replacing Pagan with Torres.Jack Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16809904649660393420noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094682562158691055.post-2316852732012570802011-08-14T11:34:00.000-04:002011-08-14T11:36:02.040-04:00Second-Class Citizens - Mack's MetsTom and I came to the same conclusion on a number of things that day. The first is that we both agree that the city will go absolutely crazy the next time the Mets win a World Series. The city still adores the 1986 Mets, possibly the most iconic team in New York baseball history. So many calamities have befallen the franchise since then that the celebration another championship would unleash would be legendary in scope and revelry.
<br />
<br />We also agreed that this has to happen soon, or the Mets will never regain their perch as the darlings of New York City. The longer the Mets go on playing the comic foil to Yankees' track record of success, the more they risk becoming the Chicago White Sox of the Big Apple.
<br />
<br />The Sox enjoy permanent second-class status in their own city, which remains enamored with the Cubs despite over 100 years without a championship. The Yankees have held the town without serious challenge for the better part of two decades now. The longer it goes on, the harder it's going to be for the Mets to get back on top.
<br />
<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Read the rest at </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://macksmets.blogspot.com/2011/08/second-class-citizens.html">Mack's Mets</a><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span>
<br />Jack Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16809904649660393420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094682562158691055.post-25189135067542498112011-08-06T18:04:00.000-04:002011-08-06T18:05:19.062-04:00Waiting for Parnell - Mack's MetsBobby Parnell pitched a perfect eighth inning back on July 28 against Cincinnati. Three up and three down on just eight pitches, with a strikeout to boot.<br /><br />The next day, Parnell was undoubtedly the subject of breathless prose from both bloggers and the mainstream media, too much of which strains credulity looking for optimism every time Parnell has a decent outing. His supporters really seem to want Bobby Parnell to do well, because they really want to believe that he is the closer-in-waiting, or at least a dominant set-up man in the making.<br /><br />He isn't.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Read the rest at </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://macksmets.blogspot.com/2011/08/waiting-for-parnell.html">Mack's Mets</a><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span>Jack Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16809904649660393420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094682562158691055.post-55069422140946207792011-08-01T12:43:00.001-04:002011-08-01T12:44:12.677-04:00More on Mets vs. Expos - Again?The Expos were done in by the strike and two ownership groups that failed to invest in the product.<br /><br />In 1990, the A's and the Royals were both in the Top 3 for overall payroll. In 1995, they were small-market teams. Montreal never spent like Oakland or KC, but like the A's and the Royals they were not the penny-pinching outfit they became after the strike.<br /><br />The club was owned by Charles Bronfman until 1991 and the family business (Seagram's) helped pay the bills. The new ownership pulled the purse strings tight after the strike and eventually sold to Jeffrey Loria, who I am sure that there is already a special little corner in hell reserved for. Loria eventually finagled his way into control of the Marlins when Bud Selig decided that Washington DC deserved a third shot at supporting a baseball team more than Montreal deserved a competent ownership group.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the Expos had never captured Montreal's fancy the way that the Canadiens still do, and after the strike there was a lot of bitterness toward MLB. Olympic Stadium remained a terrible place to play. Ownership made it clear that it was unwilling or unable to put a quality product on the field. The results were predictable: fans stayed away.<br /><br />Montreal can still work as an MLB town, but only with an ownership group willing to do the dirty work to get a new stadium built. I suspect that Selig would be more than happy to threaten Oakland, Kansas City or Tampa with relocation the same way he once threatened Montreal.Jack Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16809904649660393420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094682562158691055.post-88649899132100107842011-07-30T16:38:00.002-04:002011-07-30T16:41:57.671-04:00July ColumnsI just got back from Montreal and completed by most recent column for <a href="http://macksmets.blogspot.com/">Mack's Mets</a> about baseball in that beautiful city. You can find it <a href="http://macksmets.blogspot.com/2011/07/mets-vs-expos-again.html#comments">here</a>. My two earlier columns can be found <a href="http://macksmets.blogspot.com/2011/07/what-to-do-with-daniel-murphy.html#comments">here</a> and <a href="http://macksmets.blogspot.com/2011/07/on-former-and-soon-to-be-former-mets.html">here</a>. The plan is for me to contribute weekly columns for Mack's site, usually on Friday or Saturday.Jack Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16809904649660393420noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094682562158691055.post-70433780295847559772011-07-09T13:31:00.002-04:002011-07-09T13:34:53.570-04:00New Column At Mack's MetsI'm committing to a Friday column over at <a href="http://macksmets.blogspot.com/">Mack's Mets</a> for the rest of the summer. My latest effort can be found <a href="http://macksmets.blogspot.com/2011/07/jose-reyes-and-need-for-more-numbers-on.html">here</a>.<br /><br />The Mets have to trade Carlos Beltran by July 31, no matter how well they've played for the last few months. They aren't catching the Phillies or the Braves and Beltran is not coming back in 2012. Apparently the Mets won't even be able to reap draft picks by offering salary arbitration, so not trading Beltran will leave them with absolutely nothing at the end of the season.<br /><br />Red Bulls v. United tonight! look for me in Section 114!Jack Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16809904649660393420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094682562158691055.post-48437693867986071972011-06-27T21:12:00.002-04:002011-06-27T21:14:17.095-04:00ClownI think I've actually gotten to the point where I've completely lost interest in finding new words appropriate for insulting Jeff Wilpon. Just read <a href="http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/news/story?id=6704387">this gem</a> and continue praying for David Einhorn to save us from these fools.Jack Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16809904649660393420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094682562158691055.post-81418504411804757232011-06-18T11:54:00.009-04:002011-06-20T10:39:28.723-04:00It's Not You ... It Really Is Me.My dad and I went to two college baseball games last month. We had a great time on both occasions, sitting right behind home plate and watching St. John's University dispatch of Pittsburgh and Villanova in Big East play. My sister, my brother-in-law and my beautiful little niece also showed up for the first game, but it was just me and the old man two weeks later in the last home game of the season for the Redmen.<br /><br />Those two games, two Saturday afternoons in May spent on metal bleachers watching semi-professionals playing my favorite game to the best of their ability, marked the first time in 22 years that we had gone to a baseball game together.<br /><br />I was 12 years old on August 20, 1989, when my Dad and I saw the Mets lose to the Dodgers in heart-breaking fashion from two seats behind home plate in the Upper Deck section of Shea Stadium. (Loyal readers may remember that <a href="http://productiveouts.blogspot.com/2008/09/goodbye.html">I've written about this day before</a>.) My father is not a baseball fan, not really a fan of organized sports in general, but his son was a fanatic even then and so that meant taking him a baseball game now and again.<br /><br />By 1991 I was a freshman in high school and started going to baseball games with my new friends - fellow Stanners who loved the Mets as much I did. I imagine my father was somewhat relieved that his days of shepherding me to baseball games were over, although I do remember taking in a few high school basketball games with him at Archbishop Molloy in those years before college. The trend continued when I graduated and went to St. John's - no baseball games, but a few basketball games at Alumni Hall watching the only sports team I've ever loved nearly as much as the Mets.<br /><br />Baseball has always been my thing, not our thing. That's why he caught me by surprise when he expressed an interest in going to a game back in April, although he was adamant that he had no interest in watching professional baseball or dealing with the crowds that come with them. A college baseball game offered the perfect alternative - played at a high enough level that it would still be entertaining, but without all those damn people with the potential to ruin the experience.<br /><br />I was struck by how much he enjoyed watching the game itself - taking pleasure in the quality of a single at-bat, a well-pitched inning or even an otherwise routine 4-6-3 double play. He didn't care when the managers put the bunt on at ridiculous points of the game and didn't obsess about bullpen usage or platoon match-ups. That was my job, and he listened without comment when I expressed my ideas about such topics.<br /><br />I've wanted to write about those two afternoons with my dad at Jack Kaiser Stadium for nearly a month now, but I've struggled to find a way to frame the narrative. This is supposed to be a Mets blog, on those all-too-infrequent occasions where I find the inspiration to write something here, and I just couldn't find a way to tie the story together until now.<br /><br />The calendar helped me out, for one thing - tomorrow is Father's Day and so a post about my father and our relationship with baseball seems less indulgent than it would at other points of the year. Being Irish in emotional temperament, yet having an ability to use the the written word to convey my thoughts and feelings, allows me to say things and express emotions in print that I couldn't possibly articulate in words.<br /><br />Those were the two best afternoons I've had watching baseball in many, many years - and it had nothing to do with the teams on the field or the end result of the game. It had everything to do with the company. Really, what could be better than watching an afternoon of baseball with your father and having the home team come out on top? It was the first time I had a chance to do that in my adult life - and it was far more gratifying than it was as a kid.<br /><br />This week, though, <a href="http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=14275">Will Leitch wrote an article for Baseball Prospectu</a><a href="http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=14275">s</a> that really hammered home for me why I enjoyed the actual baseball games more than usual, beyond being at a ballpark with my father for the first times in over two decades.<br /><br />Will's father and mine are different people - the article makes it clear that Mr. Leitch has been a die-hard Cardinals fan for many years. My father roots for the Mets, I suppose, but only because he has seen firsthand the devastating emotional impact that the Mets losing has on his son. No one wants to see their children suffer, and bad Met teams make me suffer.<br /><br />They are similar people, I think, in that Will's father and mine care only about the final score of any particular game that favors the team they are rooting for. Unlike their sons, our fathers are not caught up in the game behind the game. From the article:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"He doesn’t know anything about the sabermetric revolution ... And he’s clueless as to how long the contracts of any of our beloved Cardinals last, or how much any of these players are making, save for 'too much.'</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">"The fundamentals of roster construction are a mystery to him ... And it's a mystery to him because he does not care. The team on the field wearing the Birds on the Bat, that's the one he's watching, and that's the one he's rooting for. He doesn't know any of the prospects, he doesn't know when everyone's contracts expire, he doesn't know what incentives are. My father is not stupid: he legitimately does not care. That's just not a factor in how he watches baseball."</span><br /><br />Leitch goes on to explain how he himself watches baseball now, contrasting his father's simple joy of hoping for a Cardinals win to his own private hell of wanting the Cardinals to win "the right way" - whatever the hell that means.<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />"Dad doesn’t care about any of this. He likes the Cardinals to score more runs than the team they are playing, and when something happens that makes that more likely, he cheers. When it doesn’t, he yells ... It just, again, makes me long to be like my father, blissfully unaware and uncaring about advanced statistics, average annual value, and no-trade clauses. There is a game on the field, and he is watching it and cheering for his team. I can't ever do that again. I don't know how he does it, but dammit, he does."</span><br /><br />I'll never find the words to thank my father enough for all that he's done for me - but at least I've found the words to tell him how special he made those two afternoons. He reminded me (with an assist from a well-written article by a baseball fan in the same boat as I am) that enjoying the game is the most important thing - rooting for your favorite team to win and being happy for them when they do.<br /><br />We went to those two games hoping the Redmen would win. The Redmen won, and we were happy. I paid almost no attention to those ill-conceived sacrifices or the bullpen mismanagement I saw from both managers. They were merely noted in the back of my baseball brain and quickly forgotten, replaced by the pleasure of my father's company and an RBI single that put the Redmen ahead to stay.<br /><br />I do not work in the front office of a baseball team and I never will. I will never have even the slightest iota of influence over the people who will make the decisions that determine in large part whether my favorite baseball team will ever win a World Series. And yet, I've spent so many years allowing my love for the Mets erode because of factors that are entirely beyond my control.<br /><br />I've stopped enjoying the game of baseball itself because the manager doesn't understand strategy, because the general manager doesn't understand roster construction and because the front office doesn't know how to maximize revenue streams. It doesn't matter that there isn't a franchise in baseball with personnel that excel in each of these areas - I get angry at the Mets for being just like everyone else.<br /><br />That has to change. And it's going to change.<br /><br />Like Mr. Leitch, my father doesn't care that the bunt is generally a bad play. He doesn't care that bullpens are overly specialized. He doesn't care if the Mets refuse to draft over-slot or if they block promising prospects with over-the-hill veterans. For him, baseball is nothing more than rooting for your favorite team to win. It doesn't matter how it happens, it just matters that it happens.<br /><br />And, of course, he's right again.<br /><br />The man has been teaching me things my entire life. On those two Saturdays in May, my father reminded me of a simple truth that I lost sight of a long time ago, about a game I know far more about than he ever will.<br /><br />The win is the thing.<br /><br />In a way, I've been Waiting for Godot for years now. The Mets have done something right 34 times this season. I haven't enjoyed any of them. They aren't going to win the division this year, and I doubt they will seriously contend for several years to come. If I put the Mets on the shelf until that time comes, I am only doing myself a disservice.<br /><br />So I am going to take yet another lesson my father has taught me to heart. The Mets are playing today, and I hope they win.<br /><br />They're playing another game tomorrow, and I hope they win that one too. I have tickets for a game against the Yankees in a few weeks, and I'm going to the game. I hope they win that one too.<br /><br />I'm not going to stop analyzing the Mets, and I'm not going to stop criticizing the organization when it does things I do not agree with. But I am not going to let that get in the way in the simple act of being a fan. When the Mets play, I want them to win. I am going to root for them to win and I am going to be happy when they do.<br /><br />The rest will work itself out.<br /><br />And next spring, when St. John's returns to the baseball diamond, me and the old man will be there. Rooting for our favorite team to win.Jack Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16809904649660393420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094682562158691055.post-85294840009075380642011-06-02T11:44:00.003-04:002011-06-02T12:02:18.746-04:00I'm Back!Well, temporarily, anyway.<br /><br />I haven't posted in over six months because I haven't cared enough to bother writing anything of substance in the last six months. There's only about 20 of you who will ever read this anyway, and I figure you can always just ask me my opinion about the Mets if you really want to know.<br /><br />That said, a few thoughts:<br /><br />* Mack has gone back to his free site at <a href="http://macksmets.blogspot.com/">Mack's Mets</a>, and if you really want to read what I think about the state of the New York Mets then you can do so over there. Mack continues to be kind enough to allow me a forum to reach a far greater audience by offering the opportunity to be a contributing member. I haven't taken him up on his most recent offer yet, but I remain hopeful that I will find inspiration again in the near future.<br /><br />* No major complaints about the front office, the manager or the roster. Next week will be the first true litmus test of the Sandy Alderson regime. If the Mets stick to slot recommendations and refuse to overpay for any of their first four picks, then we will know that it's business as usual under the Wilpon yoke.<br /><br />* David Einhorn, please buy my favorite baseball team.<br /><br />* <a href="http://www.sacbee.com/2011/06/01/3670905/los-angeles-angels-charter-makes.html">This article</a> and the <a href="http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/newsstand/discussion/los_angeles_angels_charter_makes_emergency_landing_/">BTF thread about it</a> caught my eye. MLB's plan for a catastrophic event affecting an entire team is contained within something called the Rule 29 Draft. Basically, each "non-disabled club" has to make a pitcher, a catcher, an infielder, an outfielder and a fifth player available to the "disabled club" for the purposes of re-stocking the roster. These players have to come from the active roster on the day that disaster struck. (So melodramatic!)<br /><br />So if the worst had happened and the Angels were forced to re-stock its roster, which Mets players would I have made available? Tim Byrdak, Ronny Paulino, Willie Harris, Jason Bay and Dale Thayer. You'd have to think that the Angels, with no payroll obligations and a desperate need to bring MLB quality players, would take a chance on Bay, even if it meant absorbing the remaining two years and $32 million on his contract.<br /><br />Yes, I know its a creepy line of thought to expound upon. But what does it say about how far Jason Bay's star has fallen that it might actually take a massive air disaster and resulting loss of human life for another baseball team to take a chance on his contract?Jack Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16809904649660393420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094682562158691055.post-24391820551651579412011-01-23T10:44:00.002-05:002011-01-23T11:11:30.959-05:00First Attempt at Projecting the Opening Day 25-Man RosterSP- Mike Pelfrey<br />SP- Jon Niese<br />SP- R.A. Dickey<br />SP- Chris Capuano<br />SP- Chris Young<br /><br />Johan Santana won't be back in the rotation until the All-Star Game <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110114&content_id=16440354&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb">(at the earliest)</a>, and I wouldn't be surprised if he misses the entire 2011 season. Pelfrey, Niese and Dickey appear to the the only locks - Dickey is probably going to arbitration, even as he <a href="http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/playerbreakingnews.asp?sport=MLB&id=3252&line=311471&spln=1">looks for a two-year deal</a>. Capuano and Young will round out the rotation, provided both men are healthy to start the season. Dillon Gee, Pat Misch and *gulp* Oliver Perez will compete for rotation spots that open up as the result of injury or ineffectiveness.<br /><br />RP- Francisco Rodriguez<br />RP- DJ Carrasco<br />RP- Bobby Parnell<br />RP- Taylor Buchholz<br />RP- Pedro Beato<br />RP- Oliver Perez<br /><br />The Mets will start the season with seven relievers, of course, but I suspect at least one slot in the bullpen will be awarded to a dark horse who pitches impressively in Spring Training. Yes, I know you don't want to see Oliver Perez throw a pitch in a Mets uniform ever again, but right now they do not appear to have any viable left-handed options in the bullpen. I could see Perez filling a dual long man/lefty specialist role, especially if the Mets go into camp without a larger selection of southpaws to choose from. Terry Collins absolutely has to dance the fine line of keeping <a href="http://nybaseballdigest.com/?p=33102">K-Rod's 2012 contract option from triggering</a> without drawing a grievance from the MLB Players Association.<br /><br />C- Josh Thole<br />C- Ronny Paulino<br /><br />I really like this combination. Thole is the clear starter and Paulino is a veteran platoon partner who will hit lefties well enough to be a positive contributor, but not well enough to tempt Collins from taking at-bats from Thole even if he gets off to a slow start. I don't expect that to happen, however - Thole looks like a good bet to put up a string of .285/.360/.375 seasons in a Mets uniform. It ain't great, but you don't need much more from a #8 hitter and/or a catcher.<br /><br />1B- Ike Davis<br />2B- Dan Murphy<br />3B- David Wright<br />SS- Jose Reyes<br />IF- Brad Emaus<br />IF- Justin Turner<br /><br />The only competition is at second base, where Murphy, Emaus and Turner are the most likely players to stick with the team. I'm not sure if Luis Castillo will be with the team by the time it heads south, but he will have to hit like the the 2000 version of Castillo to have any hope of making this team. Chin-lung Hu and Luis Hernandez are in the mix as well, I suppose, but Murphy and Emaus seem pretty secure and only Turner seems vulnerable. I think he will out-play his competition and stick with the big club.<br /><br />LF- Jason Bay<br />CF- Carlos Beltran<br />RF- Angel Pagan<br />OF-<br />OF-<br /><br />The starters are set in stone, unless injuries get in the way. I'm not ready to speculate on the backups, because the race just seems so wide open. I suspect Scott Hairston has the edge for one of those positions; he hit 17 home runs in both 2008 and 2009 and has a career line of .278/.331/.498 line against lefties. Lucas Duda and Nick Evans are in the mix as well, but Hairston's position flexibility and major league resume seems more likely to block the right-handed Evans than the left-handed Duda.Jack Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16809904649660393420noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094682562158691055.post-76185367119898412062010-12-15T10:27:00.003-05:002010-12-15T12:19:27.519-05:00The Phillies and the 4 1/2 Man RotationSo the Phillies <a href="http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20101214&content_id=16320116&vkey=news_phi&c_id=phi">have sewn up the 2011 National League East</a> and the only drama to look forward to will be whether they win 105 or 110 games on their way to the pennant. The answer to that burning question will be in the starting rotation that Phillies manager Charlie Manuel decides to use.<br /><br />If the Phillies keep fifth starter Joe Blanton and rotate their four aces equally, Manuel may leave a few wins on the table during his team's march to the playoffs. If the Phillies trade Blanton and skip the fifth starter liberally when the schedule allows for it, there will be a few extra wins for the taking.<br /><br />(The following projection, of course, is based strictly on the notion that Lee, Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt are healthy for the entire 2011 season. All four made at least 32 starts last year, so this is not out of the realm of possibility.)<br /><br />The first step is understanding that the Phillies will NOT be employing a strict four-man rotation next year. Those days are over, especially considering the amount of money Philadelphia has tied up in its front four. Frankly, it would be an unnecessary risk for a team that can afford to give 20+ starts to a fifth starter and still make the playoffs.<br /><br />However, that doesn't mean the Phillies can't put Lee, Halladay, Hamels and Oswalt on a <span style="font-weight: bold;">four-day</span> rotation. Simply put, that means the ace of the rotation gets the ball every fifth day, regardless of how the schedule breaks. Everyone else falls in behind and a starter's spot in the rotation prioritizes how quickly he makes his start. Off-days are no longer seen as an opportunity for an extra day of rest - they are seen as a chance to skip the fifth starter.<br /><br />In a strict five-man rotation with no interruptions, the first two starters (presumably Lee and Halladay) will get 33 starts and the back of the rotation starters will get 32 starts. However, if you look at <a href="http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/schedule/index.jsp?c_id=phi&m=4&y=2011">the Phillies' schedule</a> and use off-days to skip the fifth starter, you can end up with a breakdown something like this:<br /><br />Lee: 36<br />Halladay: 34<br />Oswalt: 34<br />Hamels: 32<br />Fifth Starter: 26<br /><br />The chance to take six starts out of the hands of an inferior pitcher, while maintaining a traditional rest schedule of at least four days between starts, is something that more teams should consider trying. For a team with four great starters like the Phillies, it's a chance to truly get the most bang for their considerable bucks.<br /><br />It's also important to note that the Phillies should have a comfortable lead in the N.L. East by September 1, and therefore can consider going to a strict five-man rotation for the final month if they so desire. This will increase the number of appearances for the fifth starter, but it will give the big guys a little extra rest going into the playoffs.Jack Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16809904649660393420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094682562158691055.post-56916944769249690452010-11-24T12:44:00.000-05:002010-11-24T12:48:49.831-05:00Welcome to Citi Field, Mr. Collins - How Long Will You Be Staying?<span style="font-style: italic;">(This was originally posted at </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://macksmets.blogspot.com/2010/11/welcome-mr-collins-how-long-will-you-be.html">Mack's Baseball</a><span style="font-style: italic;">.)</span><br /><br />Relax, Mets fans. Terry Collins isn’t going to be here forever. <p class="MsoNormal">The Mets’ former minor-league field coordinator was introduced to the media during a morning press conference at Citi Field today, where he undoubtedly received a better reception than he would have had the most vocal components of the team’s fan base been allowed to attend.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">What those unhappy fans need to understand is that Collins has been hired as the team’s new manager for reasons that have more to do with his personality than any perception of his managerial acumen. Collins is the new Mets’ manager primarily because General Manager Sandy Alderson believes that he is the best man to completely overhaul a clubhouse that has been described with just about every negative perception you can imagine in recent weeks.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Collins was officially given a two-year contract to manage the Mets, with a club option for 2013. Don’t be surprised if the Mets choose to decline that option when the time comes and reward Collins by putting him in the front office instead. He was not hired to manage the next Mets team that plays in the World Series.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">He was hired to manage a team that first needs to be taught how to play winning baseball.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">When you read or listen to the words of people in the know, the Mets’ problems go far beyond a top-heavy roster filled with bad contracts and mediocre players. There is a serious culture concern about the Mets’ clubhouse, one that has nothing to do with the “Los Mets” phenomenon observed under former GM Omar Minaya.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Mets, under the leadership of Minaya and former manager Jerry Manuel, have lost their hunger. They have become comfortable – complacent, even, despite the losing records of the previous two years. The team has been undisciplined, lacking in motivation and has generally behaved as though there would be no consequences to their actions.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Those days are over.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Think of Alderson’s decision to hire Collins as being akin to the attack on Fort Sumter that began the Civil War. Alderson’s front office is sending a clear message to the current roster – “you aren’t going to get away with the unprofessional behavior you’ve gotten away with in the past.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">That’s where Collins comes in. He has previous managerial experience in Houston and Southern California, where he managed the Angels for parts of three seasons before resigning in late 1999 after repeated clashes with his players. Collins hasn’t managed in the big leagues since, although he has managed teams in Japan and an independent league.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Collins was hired for who he is – a baseball lifer and a fiery personality with no tolerance for a bad attitude. Collins is going to set a particular tone from the first day he steps on the field during the Spring Training. A baseball player wearing a New York Mets jersey will play the game hard, will play the game right and will respect the chain off command in the organization.</p><p class="MsoNormal">If he does not, Terry Collins will work with Sandy Alderson to ensure that the player will no longer be a New York Met.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">This process was never about hiring the best tactical manager or the brightest up-and-coming star. That’s why Bobby Valentine was never called and Wally Backman is at yet another career crossroads today. Terry Collins has been handed a clean-up job, and every single player in the Mets organization should be on notice.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Get in line with what Terry wants, or get ready to leave town.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Dallas Green was thrust into a similar role when he replaced Jeff Torborg as the Mets manager in 1993. It took Green nearly three years to clean up that mess and doing so completely changed the culture of the organization. Valentine took over in late 1996 and the seeds of a successful four-year run were ready to bloom.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">(One could certainly debate that Green’s abrasive demeanor and tactical shortcomings made that process more difficult and confrontational than necessary, but that comes with the territory when you hire Dallas Green.)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Terry Collins is in the same role today as Green was over 15 years ago. Any Mets fan who seriously thinks that this team is one or even two players away from a 90-win season hasn’t been paying attention. The Mets can’t focus on winning games in 2011 – the roster is too thin and too cash-strapped as a result of bad free agent signings for the team to seriously compete with Atlanta or Philadelphia.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">No, the Mets have to focus on identifying which players they want on their team for 2012 and beyond. The expiring contracts of Carlos Beltran, Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo alone free up over $30 million. Should the Mets decide to part ways with Jose Reyes and Francisco Rodriguez during or after the 2011 season, nearly $25 million more would become available.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Only then will the Mets be ready to add a starting pitcher to a rotation that could feature Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey and Jon Niese behind him. Only then can the team look to add two position players to a lineup featuring David Wright, Jason Bay and Ike Davis.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">By then, the Mets hope Collins will have helped integrate young players like Josh Thole, Ruben Tejada and Jenrry Mejia into an environment where winning is the only priority. Collins can then give way to the next Mets manager, the man who will be given the reins of a championship-caliber ballclub.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Terry Collins has a job to do, all right – and it’s a lot more important than winning games in 2011.</p>Jack Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16809904649660393420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094682562158691055.post-66023353208714330252010-11-08T21:41:00.002-05:002010-11-08T21:44:35.156-05:00CompetenceSandy Alderson is an accomplished and competent baseball man. JP Ricciardi and Paul DePodesta are not as accomplished as their new boss, but they are also competent baseball men who will continue to get better. That is three competent baseball men in the Mets front office these days - three more then were there just one year ago.<br /><br />Now, if Alderson can simply ignore little Jeffy and the president of the Sandy Koufax fan club, this team may be ready to go somewhere.Jack Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16809904649660393420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094682562158691055.post-17130055488364670952010-10-09T12:18:00.002-04:002010-10-09T12:23:08.706-04:00Winning Back the Hearts of Mets Fans<span style="font-style: italic;">(This was originally posted at </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://macksmets.blogspot.com/">Mack's Mets</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. I made a few tweaks for my own blog.)</span><br /><br />By one measure, the 2010 baseball season ended for me on August 18. That date stands out because it was the last time I updated my blog. But my interest in the Mets really began dwindling at the beginning of June, once the World Cup in South Africa began.<br /><br />I am a baseball fan first and foremost, but every four years my love and appreciation for soccer increases in conjunction with arrival of the World Cup. The U.S. national team specialized in doling out <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsseYIrNeC4&feature=related">nervous breakdowns</a> to their supporters this summer, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVU_2TM4o3I">but a moment as special as thi</a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVU_2TM4o3I">s</a> made it all worth it.<br /><br />The reality is that the 2010 season ended much sooner than hoped - for both the Mets and for a lot of their fans. Hindsight is 20-20, of course, but any Met fan who was paying attention should have known from the start that this team was ill-equipped to overtake Philadelphia or Atlanta in the National League East. The pitching was shaky, the lineup was top-heavy and the bench was horrible. It seemed like the only three people who had no idea what was going to happen were Jeff Wilpon, Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel.<br /><br /> I take no great pride in having predicted that the Mets would finish no better than 78-84 back on <a href="http://productiveouts.blogspot.com/2010/04/opening-day.html">April 5</a>, but I did so all the same. The sad truth is that the Mets finished only outplayed this prediction is because throughout the season the front office rectified a lot of the mistakes it made with the 25-man roster that broke camp in April.<br /><br />Mike Jacobs, Frank Catalonotto and Gary Matthews were cut. Jenrry Mejia was mercifully allowed to ditch the relief pitcher experiment and continue the process of transforming into a #1 starter. Oliver Perez was banished to baseball Siberia and John Maine was pulled five pitches into the final start of his season.<br /><br />But by the time all that had happened, it was already too late. Something happened to Mets fans this summer - a lot of us just stopped caring.<br /><br />Maybe you fell in love with soccer too. Maybe you rediscovered some other joy in your life that had been neglected during the summer months. Maybe you just decided that you weren't going to spend what little money you still had in your pocket at the end of the week on a team that treated its payroll much the way that The Joker <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMkkfuSizc4">treated the money he took</a> from Gotham City's more unsavory elements.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(By the way, I've been dying to share this thought - how great would it be if a New York-based soccer club took the name "Gotham City SC?" Forget about the return of the New York Cosmos - supporting the Dark Knights would be so much cooler.)</span><br /><br />People stopped <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/11121/final-numbers-attendance-down-17-2">going to Mets games so often</a>. They stopped updating their fan blogs. They stopped putting their heart and soul into the Mets - and found that a life with their favorite baseball team somewhere in the background wasn't so bad after all.<br /><br />The front office has to do more than just hire a manager and a general manager this off-season. They have to find a way to make the Mets relevant again.<br /><br />That doesn't necessarily mean lavishing millions of dollars on the latest hot free agent, because that strategy has failed time and time again. The Mets always go out and get one big free agent - is this team any better off because of the contracts handed to Jason Bay, Francisco Rodriguez and Perez over the last three years?<br /><br />No, free agency is not the way. Free agency is a last resort. The signing of free agents is the act of paying players for what they did in the past, with no reasonable guarantee that they will do so in the future. A team that is one or two players away can take a risk on a free agent - the Mets have many more holes to fill.<br /><br />The process of making the Mets relevant again is a lot more complicated than that - and it doesn't have a lot to do with the team's performance on the field. The Mets aren't going to win in 2011, either. Johan Santana will miss a large portion of the season and may never be the same after shoulder surgery. Perez and Luis Castillo are still eating up nearly $20 million worth of payroll. Closers are obscene luxuries on 80-win teams, especially when they make $11.5 million a year.<br /><br />The next general manager needs to have a three-year plan to success, and the first year needs to be dedicated to patiently waiting out Minaya's bad contracts. The next manager needs to have a better tactical grasp of the game and a willingness to blow up conventional notions about strategy and player use.<br /><br />It would also be nice if the new manager instilled a sense of toughness and accountability in this team. The real problem on this club is a lack of elite talent and I'm not much for intangibles, but the Mets need more guys with attitudes like Chris Carter - guys who genuinely seem to care if they win or lose.<br /><br />Until all that begins to take shape, the Mets will remain the bad joke they've become yet again. As for me, I'm going out to Harrison to watch the Red Bulls take on Salt Lake today. I'm going to boo Thierry Henry for <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc-Tkps0jVE&feature=related">robbing the Irish</a> and cheer for fellow St. John's graduate Chris Wingert.<br /><br />Yes, I'm the guy that the Mets have to win back.Jack Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16809904649660393420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094682562158691055.post-52841417460835087242010-08-18T23:18:00.002-04:002010-08-18T23:33:42.006-04:00Bobby ParnellI have never been a big fan of Bobby Parnell. I know he has a dynamite arm, but he hasn't shown any ability to harness his talent at any level of professional baseball. All I see when I look at Parnell is Kyle Farnsworth, without the propensity to reel off three unhittable months every couple of seasons.<br /><br />Still, watching Parnell mow down the Astros in the 11th and 12th inning <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/boxscore?gid=300818118">tonight</a>, mixing a triple-digit fastball with a sharp-breaking slider, made me sit up and take notice. The SNY radar gun is obviously too fast - it clocked the fastball used to blow away Chris Johnson at 102 MPH. Even if it was, say, 3 MPH too fast tonight, that means Parnell was still locating a 99 MPH fastball against major league hitters.<br /><br />You can teach a lot of things, but you cannot teach a 99 MPH fastball.<br /><br />With Francisco Rodriguez out for the season and the Mets going nowhere fast, lame duck skipper Jerry Manuel might as well install Parnell as the closer for the last 40 games. If he racks up 10 to 15 saves, regardless of how effective he really is, it will only enhance Parnell's trade value this off-season. If he actually takes to the closer's spot well, the Mets may have finally found a role for Parnell to succeed in.Jack Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16809904649660393420noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094682562158691055.post-54419548774449823032010-08-01T13:37:00.002-04:002010-08-01T13:49:00.048-04:00Who's to Blame?Adam Rubin wrote about <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/news/story?id=5427066">the lack of wheeling and dealing</a> at the trade deadline for the Mets yesterday, and offered a reasoned perspective as to what is really wrong with the franchise right now:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">You can clumsily cite principal owner Fred Wilpon and his family supposedly being stingy for such a deal not materializing, but that would be misguided -- even if ownership isn't blameless. The bottom line is the payroll is still hovering around $130 million this season.</span><p style="font-style: italic;">The better answer: If GM Omar Minaya had shown restraint in his other salary commitments -- say, not giving Luis Castillo four years and $25 million or Oliver Perez three years and $36 million or guaranteeing seven years to Carlos Beltran -- he likely would have had the flexibility to pull off an Oswalt-type trade now.</p><p style="font-style: italic;">It's far more about no discipline than no money.</p><p>Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo will make $18 million between them both this season and next season. That is nothing less than a fiasco. The Beltran argument is a bit of a reach; he will only be 34 next season and there was no reason to believe he would have a career-threatening knee injury with two years remaining on the contract.</p><p>I have been saying all season that Beltran wouldn't play in 2010. I was wrong about that - he definitely came back earlier than expected. I will say that he is clearly not playing at full strength and nothing less than a full offseason of rest will change that. I still think the days of Carlos Beltran as an elite baseball player have come to an end.</p>Jack Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16809904649660393420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094682562158691055.post-53799659012741415882010-08-01T10:39:00.002-04:002010-08-01T10:57:08.908-04:00It's OK to Trade Bobby ParnellThis I don't like. From <a href="http://www.metsblog.com/2010/08/01/quote-omar-minaya-on-the-trade-deadline/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+metsblogfeed+%28MetsBlog.com%29">MetsBlog</a>:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(Omar) Minaya said the Mets were “close” to making a deal in the final half hour before the deadline, but considering teams were continuing to ask for Ike Davis, Jon Niese, Ruben Tejada and Bobby Parnell, the Mets were unable to find a fit.</span><br /><br />Now that is a surprisingly reasonable assessment of the situation by Minaya, except for including Parnell in that mix. It's just silly to include a pitcher who has failed as both a starter and a reliever with three guys who the Mets should legitimately be interested in retaining.<br /><br />Davis is the starting first baseman and there is no one in the organization ready to play the position competently on the major league level. I've compared him multiple times to <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/larocad01.shtml">Adam LaRoche</a>, since that is the career path I think you can expect from Ike: a .275/.350/.475 line with 20 to 25 homers a year. That's not a superstar, but the Mets won't be paying Davis like a superstar for the next six years.<br /><br />I'm more much more excited about Niese, who I think has the potential to be a good #3 starter on a playoff team or a #2 starter on an also-ran. There are very few pitchers in baseball I would trade Niese for - Roy Oswalt and Ted Lilly were not among them. I expect both Davis and Niese to be Mets five years from now and for both to be important contributors to a playoff team.<br /><br />I am more ambivalent about Tejada. His development may have been stunted by the Mets' over-aggressive promotion schemes of the Tony Bernazard regime, but the response to that idea is that Tejada may actually be a guy who really comes into his own in two years. If Tejada had been traded I would not have been heartbroken, but I am happier that he's here. He's still only 20 years old and the Mets really should commit to leaving him in Buffalo until the end of the 2011 season to see what they have in Tejada.<br /><br />Parnell, though ... Parnell is a different story. He simply has not been very good at any level throughout his professional career; he has consistently put up WHIPS over 1.400 in the minors and was knocked around in whatever role the Mets used him in last year. Parnell is being lit up against lefties this season (a .345/.387/.379 line) and looks to all the world to be a 25-year-old hard-throwing righty specialist with nothing on his resume to make a neutral observer believe he can be more than that.<br /><br />I don't know what Parnell would have fetched the Mets in a trade. I seriously doubt it would have been enough to make the Mets playoff contenders anyway - were the Marlins offering Josh Johnson and Dan Uggla for Parnell? But my message to Omar Minaya is this - if someone approached you with a trade offer for Bobby Parnell, do not hesitate to pull the trigger.Jack Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16809904649660393420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094682562158691055.post-22208531946559310872010-07-31T11:28:00.003-04:002010-07-31T12:34:53.520-04:00MetropoliTONS of Fun<span style="font-style: italic;">You already know what it is</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We the Mets from Queens</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We lose a lot ...</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">but we're going to try to win</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We'll see what happens</span><br /><br />So Ron Artest has created <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maSShFAyvig">a Mets anthem</a> for the 21st century. Why is it not surprising that someone as creatively and emotionally ... <span style="font-style: italic;">different</span> as Ron Ron found a way to sum up what it means to be a Mets fan in a two-minute verse?<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Win some, lose some</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> The Mets dun dun</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> We just tell ourselves </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Success is a nuisance</span><br /><br />Success must be a nuisance, because Met ownership and the front office seem to have been allergic to it for the better part of 50 years now. The past 15 years have been particularly difficult to bear, since the playing field has been tilted in favor of big-market clubs like at no other time in baseball history.<br /><br />No matter - as is their custom, the Mets have bungled their way through most of that time period anyway. Three playoff appearances, one National League championship - that's it. Success is apparently such a nuisance for the Wilpon family that, since firing Bobby Valentine eight years ago, they've decided to employ a corporate flunkie as a general manager and a series of stooges as managers. Success has certainly been kept to a minimum around these parts, thanks to the hiring practices of Fred Wilpon.<br /><br />Today is the trading deadline - which itself has become sort of a black feast day for the Mets fans. Once I'm done here, I'm going to strap on my praying hat and beg the baseball gods to keep the Mets from doing something stupid that will only keep this team further from their third championship. The last time I forgot to do that, Victor Zambrano became a Met.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I got a ring</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> No need to be cranky</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> The Mets need 25 more </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> To tie the Los Los Yankees</span><br /><br />Shut up, Ron Ron.<br /><br />Baseball is not exactly a singing sport, anyway. Everyone knows the words to <span style="font-style: italic;">Take Me Out to the Ballgame</span>, of course, and far too many people drunkenly slobber the lyrics to <span style="font-style: italic;">Sweet Caroline</span> whenever it is foisted upon us. (Can we start a movement to ban <span style="font-style: italic;">Sweet Caroline</span> at sporting events around the country? I am convinced that footage of American baseball fans screaming "so good, so good, so good!" is shown in terrorist training camps around the world on an endless loop to whip would-be jihadists into a lather.)<br /><br />Mets fans are actually lucky in that we have two incomparable homages to our hometown team. <span style="font-style: italic;">Meet the Mets</span> is still a wonderful sing-along; created in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z4PZWj7xBQ">1962</a>, updated in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjkKLU6hyQQ">1984</a>, it is the first song I plan on teaching my little niece when she's old enough to sing it. (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4qM6K_IBfU&playnext=1&videos=QMKsxgFgRgE">War Eagle</a> will be the second song she learns - she'll be the envy of her pre-school class!)<br /><br />Then there is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ymixm6PtVBA">Lets Go Mets</a>, the soundtrack to the 1986 championship season. I have a simple request - the Mets should play <span style="font-style: italic;">Meet the Mets</span> before the bottom of the first inning and <span style="font-style: italic;">Lets Go Mets</span> right after the national anthem (minus the Joe Piscopo interlude, of course). Forget <span style="font-style: italic;">Take Me Out to the Ballgame</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Lazy Mary</span> -we have our own songs to sing.<br /><br />Now we have Ron Ron's joint, which belongs up there with the two greatest Mets songs ever written. Embrace the silliness, the ill-placed Jason Bay shout-out, the self-effacing lyrics about the Mets' limited history of success. Ron Ron has captured exactly what it means to be a Mets fan - loyalty in the face of logic, fidelity in the face of reason.<br /><br />We are all Mets fans, no matter how incompetent ownership is, no matter how embarrassing the on-field product becomes. We stay with this team, year after year, because they are our team and because somehow, in some way, they find little ways to make us happy.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We the MetropoliTONS of Fun</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We the MetropoliTONS of Fun</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">No matter how many games we won</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We the MetropoliTONS of Fun</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">1986, 1969 dot dot dot</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">C'mon y'all, let's step it up.</span>Jack Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16809904649660393420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094682562158691055.post-69625545137058193882010-07-30T17:02:00.003-04:002010-07-30T17:10:48.413-04:00Geek Trinity Approved!As you know, I am awesome. Part of being awesome, of course, is not discriminating against geeks.<br /><br />So when I found out that the boys from <a href="http://geektrinity.com/">Geek Trinity</a> added me to their Links We Like, I was humbled and honored. (They got the name of the site wrong - it's Productive Outs and Crackerjack! - but the site is still in its infancy and small mistakes can be overlooked for now.) Golden Ratio and the Jersey Pirate (aka Sarcastic Bastard) are two of my favorite people in the world, even if they both live hundreds of miles away. I haven't spent much time with Dez5908, but I imagine I'll be hoisting pints with him two weeks from now when I make my long-awaited return to the Port City. If Golden Ratio and the Jersey Pirate vouch for him, then I know he's a good guy.<br /><br />I am a little ashamed, though; the link description describes this blog as "where we go for our <span style="font-style: italic;">daily</span> dose of insightful baseball talk from a forlorn Mets fan (emphasis mine)." Productive Outs has barely been able to administer weekly doses of baseball insight this season, although God knows that I certainly am forlorn. I'll try to better, now that I am Geek Trinity Approved!Jack Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16809904649660393420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094682562158691055.post-58090659537978345412010-07-27T13:02:00.003-04:002010-07-27T13:10:43.759-04:00Brilliant Marketing StrategyThe Cardinals have an interesting and creative ticket promotion that I would jump all over if I was in St. Louis. At 9 am on game day (not sure if this for day games and for night games), the ticket office sells 275 pairs of tickets for $11 each. The catch - you don't know where the seats are until you open the envelope with the tickets inside. You might get a field level seat; you might get an upper deck seat. I'm sure the cheap seats far outnumber the good ones, but using a game day lottery system to sell off unused tickets is a great idea.<br /><br />As the Mets slip further away from playoff contention, I spend a lot more time thinking about the business behind the game. I'm starting in MPS in Sport Management this fall (as if I needed another distraction from maintaining this blog!) and ideas like the Cardinals' ticket selling scheme is the reason I am so interested in the program. When you root for a team that is so poorly run, it becomes painfully apparent that professional franchises can be run much more intelligently and efficiently.<br /><br />If there's anyone still reading - what are some of your ideas for running a professional franchise?<b><br /></b>Jack Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16809904649660393420noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094682562158691055.post-4998258184018308022010-07-12T10:24:00.002-04:002010-07-12T10:40:52.509-04:00All-Star BreakSome thoughts about the Mets as they start a three-day vacation and I get back to work:<br /><br />* I know I've been telling anyone who will listen that Carlos Beltran was not going to play in 2010, but it looks like he will be activated in time for Thursday night's game. Am I surprised? Absolutely. Am I convinced he will make it through the rest of the season? Not at all.<br /><br />That's why the news that Angel Pagan is the new starting right fielder and that Jeff Francouer is going to ride the pine may not mean all that much. Beltran is going to need extra rest anyway, so it wouldn't surprise me to see Frenchy start twice a week on a regular basis. If and when Beltran's knee succumbs to everyday abuse, Pagan will just switch back to center field and Francouer will be back in the starting lineup.<br /><br />Until then, kudos to management for realizing that Pagan is unquestionably the better player and absolutely should be starting over Francouer. They actually make a devastating platoon - Francouer has a .348/.403/.449 line against lefties and Pagan has an .333/.397/.510 line against righties. Maybe Frenchy should also start shagging fly balls in center field and right field. Bay-Beltran-Pagan is surely the best starting outfield we have, but Francouer would be a reasonably valuable fourth outfielder if he played all three positions and could platoon against lefties.<br /><br />* Ruben Tejada has shown that he has the potential to be a productive major league middle infielder, but it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if he finished the season in Buffalo once Luis Castillo returns. The biggest problem I see is that it will basically ensure that Alex Cora's contract option will vest and Cora will end up blocking Tejada in 2011 if that happens.<br /><br />Someone will also need to tell Jerry Manuel that, once Castillo returns, he has to bat eighth. Pagan has earned the #2 spot in the lineup and to move him down to accommodate Castillo's Punch-and-Judy act will hurt the team.<br /><br />The ideal lineup for this team, once Beltran returns, is Reyes-Pagan-Wright-Beltran-Bay-Davis-Barajas-2B-P. I like Ike breaking up the two right-handed bats, especially since he has come back down to earth a bit and may benefit from hitting a little lower down in the lineup.<br /><br />* If John Maine ever wants to pitch in the major leagues again, it will almost certainly include a stint in Triple-A. I can't see him getting anything more than a minor-league contract in 2011. He would be crazy not to make 10 starts for Buffalo this summer and try to force his way into the September mix for the Mets. Otherwise, you may never see him in a major league uniform again.Jack Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16809904649660393420noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094682562158691055.post-20329053984272818892010-07-09T12:30:00.002-04:002010-07-09T12:38:50.107-04:00World Cup FeverI have it bad. So bad that I haven't posted in a month. Maybe I'll be back after the All-Star Break.<br /><br />Quick thoughts:<br />* Yes, Mack, I am still alive. (Thank you for asking!) Readers, go to <a href="http://macksmets.blogspot.com/">Mack's blog</a> and consider purchasing a copy of "The Keepers." I have my copy from the beginning of the season and I know so much more about the Mets farm system because of it.<br />* I'm more excited about Jon Niese than Mike Pelfrey. All of a sudden, the top three in the Met rotation are good enough to make this an 86- to 89-win team. RA Dickey is the #5 - does this mean the Mets are one good starter away from 90 wins?<br />* Why are the Mets looking better? Addition by subtraction. No John Maine, Oliver Perez, Mike Jacobs, Luis Castillo and Frank Catalanotto? No problem. Jenrry Mejia is down in Double-A where he should have been all season. The final step? Releasing Fernando Tatis and making sure that Alex Cora's option doesn't vest.<br />* <a href="http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5569456/cliff_lee_trade_to_yankees_considered.html">Cliff Lee to the Yankees</a>? If so, we're all just playing for second place ...Jack Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16809904649660393420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094682562158691055.post-28544339637734196952010-06-09T10:34:00.003-04:002010-06-09T13:27:16.878-04:00Padres BullpenThis was going to be part of the earlier entry, but I decided that it deserved stand-alone attention. Have you seen how good the Padres bullpen this year?<br /><br />Their closer, Heath Bell has a 1.38 ERA - and he may be having the worst season among the primary relievers. Luke Gregerson is simply unhittable - the league is batting .114 off him. Mike Adams and last night's goat Edward Mujica are both striking out more than a batter an inning while also allowing less than one baserunner per frame. Joe Thatcher, Ryan Webb and Tim Stauffer (currently on a rehab assignment after a bout with appendicitis) have combined for over 50 innings of work with an ERA of 0.85 and a WHIP of 0.911. That's from the back of the bullpen, folks.<br /><br />My favorite part about the Padres' bullpen? Their salaries:<br /><br />Bell: $4 mill<br />Adams: $ 1 mill<br />Mujica: $420K<br />Gregerson: $416K<br />Stauffer: $415K<br />Thatcher: $413K<br />Webb: $400K<br /><br />The entire bullpen makes a little more than $7 million this year - which is over $5 million LESS than Francisco Rodriguez alone!Jack Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16809904649660393420noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094682562158691055.post-88058884162154153082010-06-09T10:24:00.002-04:002010-06-09T11:17:56.150-04:00Glimmers of HopeWhen a 26-year-old home-grown starting pitcher gives you nine terrific innings and a 23-year-old home-grown first baseman hits a game-winning home run, how can you not feel good about your team?<br /><br />One could say that last night's win over the Padres was the best win the Mets have had this season. Mike Pelfrey was brilliant, needing just 103 pitches to get through nine innings of five-hit, one-run ball. He deserved a win for his efforts, but Padres starter Clayton Richard combined with two relievers to match Pelfrey's brilliance step-by-step in regulation time.<br /><br />Could Pelfrey have gone out and pitched the tenth inning, considering the fact that he was due to lead off in the bottom of the tenth? Absolutely. He was pitching on six days' rest and had gotten through the ninth without incident. He was still pitching efficiently, having thrown only 28 pitches across the eighth and ninth innings.<br /><br />Jerry Manuel, of course, saw differently. Manuel is a very nice man with what apparently passes for a charming wit. His players seem to genuinely like him and like playing for him. He is not a good manager, however; a man far too devoted to the orthodoxy of conventional thought and lacking either the ability or the desire to think outside the very narrow box of baseball dogma. Manuel will not be with the Mets in 2011, not if they harbor any serious championship aspirations.<br /><br />Pelfrey could have started the tenth inning. Instead, Manuel double-switched after the ninth inning ended and brought in Francisco Rodriguez, who needed only 13 pitches to dispatch of the Padres in the tenth. Then, despite the manuever that should've allowed Rodriguez to stay in the game, K-Rod was gone once the 11th inning began. Sigh.<br /><br />In the grand scheme of things, Manuel should not be the focus today. Manuel is part of the past, and will one day be spoken of in hazy tones when Mets fans try to bridge the gap between the worst manager in franchise history and future skipper Wally Backman. Ike Davis, however, is very much a part of the future - his heroics last night will be remembered for a long time to come.<br /><br />Davis stepped to the plate in the 11th inning and put an end to Manuel's usual shenanigans. He took a Mujica pitch deep into the night, finally landing halfway up the Pepsi Porch about 15 minutes after he crossed home plate. It reminded you of some of the majestic home runs Mike Piazza used to hit - crushing blows that seemed to take ages before they fell to earth.<br /><br />The Mets were winners - a common story when they play at Citi Field these days - and moved four games over .500 for the second time this season. Toward the end of Spring Training, after analyzing the Mets' off-season moves and projecting what the 2010 roster was going to look like as a result, I picked them to finish 78-84 and to finish in fourth place.<br /><br />Since then, the Mets have replaced Mike Jacobs with Davis. They have released Frank Catalanotto and Gary Matthews. John Maine and Oliver Perez are right where they belong - on the disabled list and out of the rotation. The Mets are still a flawed team, but they are a better team today then they were on Opening Day.<br /><br />Mike Pelfrey has blossomed into a staff ace. Ike Davis is a middle-of-the-pack National League first baseman right now, with room to grow into one of the better ones in the league. Jon Niese is the #3 starter, not the #5, and showing signs that he could fill that role for years to come. Sure, there are still holes on this team. Pelfrey, Davis and Niese are filling three holes that were there when Spring Training ended.<br /><br />There is hope.Jack Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16809904649660393420noreply@blogger.com1