Question of the Day (7/31/09)

Adrian Gonzalez, a power hitting, young, first baseman is on the trading block. Should the Mets try to land him?

Question of the Day (7/30/09)

Can the Mets get Roy Halladay?



*The Phillies traded for Cy Young award winner, Cliff Lee and that solidified them as the cream of the crop of the NL and it basically closed the door on the NL East crown for them as well. Carlos Beltran is supposed to come back in 2 weeks, Reyes, possibly sooner and if....if....if...the Mets continue to win more then they lose, Halladay joining the team will do two big things other then give them a fighting chance at the Wild Card. It will bring fans to the expensive Citi Field this season and it will sell tickets for next season, because isn't it all about selling tickets???

Question of the Day (7/29/09)

The NFL has reinstated Michael Vick. Should all professional sports follow the same set of rules when it comes to felons, criminals and cheaters being allowed to have their jobs back?


*Other examples: Plaxico Burress, Dante Stallworth, Pacman Jones, Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez, Miguel Tejada, Antonio Pierce.....etc.

Question of the Day (7/28/09)

Should Pete Rose be allowed into the Baseball Hall of Fame?


*I have written an article pertaining to this, and I personally feel he should be. He is the hit king and was one of baseball's fiercest competitors. Take into consideration that him cheating, was betting on his team to win.

Question of the Day (7/26/09)

The World Champion Phillies beat the spit out of the St. Louis Cardinals yesterday (7/25/09), pushing aside the idea that getting Matt Holliday and Julio Lugo would push the Cardinals' lineup into hyper drive, while protecting Pujols and securing the NL Central. The Cards did show a lot of pop with Lugo and Holliday getting hits, but the Phillies showed how they could handle the best teams in the NL (Cubs, Dodgers and Cards).

So how good are the Phildelphia Phillies?

They said no to a deal for Halladay, so can they keep this going all the way to the end again without him?

*The Phillies are the Mets rivals through and through, but there is respect for great baseball and solid players here on my blog.

Question of the Day (7/24/09)

Omar Minaya...what are you going to do? That is my question for the day. If Omar Minaya were to answer my little blog, what would he say? Omar, are you going to sell off some chips for the future or are you going to pretend the season is still in reach and are you going to buy players before the trade deadline? Omar, you have made too many shaky decisions pertaining to contracts, how can we (as fans) trust that you are going to make the right ones now?

Question of the Day (7/23/09)

In the past 2 seasons, the Mets have collapsed in the last weeks of the season, choking away division leads and playoff hopes. This season is a whole new ballgame (no pun intended). With injuries to most of the team and with losses coming in large bunches, what will be the hand the Mets play at the trade deadline? Will the Mets sell off their pieces (whatever those might be) and try and re-tool for next year or will they try and convince themselves they can still make a run and be buyers?

*If the Mets offer a complete package of players to Toronto, they might be able to steal Halladay away from their division rivals, but that would mean throwing in the towel for this year (which is inevitable), but it would mean they could secure the two best pitchers in the league as their 1, 2 punch. One of the Mets big stars would have to be part of that package, along with Niese and F. Martinez, which should be fine if the team brass decide to turn their focus towards defense and pitching. Citi field is not a hitters ball park and if the Mets have Beltran in center, Francoeur in right and if the deal with Toronto goes the way its thought to go, Alex Rios in left. Matt Holliday could be an option, but Oakland will want real prospects in return. A solidified defense in the outfield means the infield would need to be fixed, mainly at first base. Delgado is an injury ridden star that can't be trusted to stay healthy all season and is 37 and Daniel Murphy is a huge gamble because he hasn't hit well and his defense is shaky. Minaya (if he is there next year) will have to make another deal for a first baseman, not David Ortiz and not Mo Vaughn. The Red Sox might deal, since they just traded for Adam LaRoche in Pittsburgh or maybe a guy like Nick Johnson in Washington. Whatever the Mets decide, they have to realize that this season is a bust and the future is too important to ignore. Too many NL teams are getting younger and better (Braves, Giants, Dodgers, Phillies, Marlins, Houston, St. Louis) and if the Mets don't follow suit, they will be in the bottom of the barrel for a long time.

Question of the Day (7/22/09)

Are David Wright's struggles at the plate a product of him altering his swing to try and hit for power in a stadium (CITI FIELD) that doesn't warrant any power or is it because he has no protection in the lineup and is pressured to try and carry the team on his shoulders?

*Either way, he has only 5 HRs and his average, which lead the league at one point, is dipping rapidly. Thanks a lot injuries.

Sad Days Are Here to Stay...

It has been coming for a while, ever since the Met's three big stars went down with no return date in sight, the END. It was made worse by two starting pitchers and a reliever going down with injures as well, the END. It was crazy to think that the Mets could move past these injuries and try to keep up with the rest of the division, without Beltran, Reyes, Delgado, Maine, Perez and Putz, it is the END. It sounds negative, but the reality is just setting in. The Mets, without their stars, cannot score runs, cannot get the big hits, cannot pitch past the 4th inning unless it is Santana on the mound and cannot hold games with a makeshift bullpen. The pressure on David Wright has been too much for any one player, but in his defense, he has kept up his all star numbers and even without the power he is used to having, has produced better then any other third baseman in the National League. Unfortunately, it's never enough to keep an entire afloat. The other problem is that Omar Minaya did not fill the Met's minor leagues with any efficient reinforcements to replace the injured stars. Preparation is important, losing three of your teams big stars is very unusual, but there needs to be a middle ground when it comes to keeping a team staffed with healthy, productive players. The most important next step the Mets need to make is to think about how they are going to have an everyday lineup that is younger and less prone to injury next year. Omar Minaya has a lot of work to do, while trying to keep the Wilpons from going completely bankrupt, he will have to try and make some moves that will keep the fans in the seats. Citi Field was expensive, the Wilpons lost a lot of money to Madoff and with the Mets at the bottom of the division this year, fans are reluctant to pay for the high priced tickets to watch them lose. It is a tough spot for Minaya, but that is how it goes in the life of a baseball GM in the big city. New York is town that can't wait for next year, the fans and media are impatient and if your team isn't winning now, you're going to be ripped apart daily in the news, on the radio and in the street. No one wants to be in Omar Minaya's shoes right now, he has a lot of work to do. Maybe, he should call up Donnie Walsh and find out what he did and what he said to keep from being chased by angry mobs.

Question of the Day (7/14/09)

How will the season pan out for your NY baseball teams? Will the Yankees win the AL East or the AL Wild Card? Will the Mets even make the playoffs?

Are You Kidding Me?

So this is how Omar Minaya deals with this season? He trades one of the only outfielder producing and hitting from the left side of the plate for another right handed slumping OF with 100+ strike outs. And, he did this fantastic deal with division rival Atlanta. So now the Mets will start right hand hitting Sheffield, Francouer and Tatis in the outfield. How does this solve any problems?

Question of the Day (710/09)...BUT FIRST A RANT!

Pedro Martinez is not the pitcher he once was. Pedro is not the ace of a staff anymore. He might not have anything left in his tank to pitch in the big leagues, but why would Omar Minaya allow him to go to the Phillies? Watching pitchers like Livan Hernandez, Tim Redding, Brian Stokes, some guy named Misch, is painful to sit through. One thing Pedro was good at, was that when he got into trouble, he was usually able to work himself out of it and give the team an opportunity to fight back. Pedro was a good fit in a clubhouse, he was a veteran presence that could help alleviate the stress of losing streaks and a fan favorite (TICKET SALES).
Baseball GM's have to work the phones and look for prospective deals as if it were a chess game. Blocking their enemies from obtaining pieces that might improve their teams chances. Omar Minaya, regardless of Pedro's final destination, has been stagnant and for the past couple of seasons has made some very questionable decisions or has not made any at all. Whether it was the Luis Castillo contract, the Oliver Perez contract, not pushing for Lowe and allowing him to go to a division rival, firing Willie in the middle of the night on a West coast swing, allowing Ryan Church to travel and play with two concussions and finally giving Jerry Manuel the Managers position. Manuel is great guy, but he is soft, he is sometimes too complacent with the below average play and heartless effort from the team. Manuel also puts too much faith in a pitching coach (WARTHEN) who also seems to not know too much about getting a pitcher out when he is in the game way too long, ie...Livan Hernandez last night pitching through the 5th inning. It's understandable that the bullpen is over used somewhat, but you have to stop the bleeding before it hemmorages into another embarassing 11-2 loss.
Injuries are a way of life in professional sports and in baseball especially, as it has been apparent with the Mets, but there is always an opportunity to pick up a player from a team that is selling. The Yankees didn't really need Eric Hinske, a versatile player and former rookie of the year, but they grabbed him before other teams (RED SOX/TAMPA BAY) could. The Mets were putting guys like Jeremy Reed, rookie Fernando Martinez and Fernando Tatis as their everyday outfielders. Couldn't Eric Hinske be an option instead? Also, there is another problem that Minaya has not addressed. The Mets farm system is depleted and mediocre. Which means there aren't many bargainning chips when it comes to trades (ROY HALLADAY). So Omar Minaya has shot himself in the foot by either not making moves to acquire young prospects or for putting faith in scouts who must be getting drunk at these minor league games instead of watching out for talent. So...this rant leads into today's Question of the Day (7/10/09).....



Should Omar Minaya keep his job?

Question of the Day (7/9/09)

The Toronto Blue Jays had previously said that Roy Halladay was untouchable. Apparently, as the Yankees and Red Sox separate themselves from those crazy Canadiens in the AL East, Halladay is now on the trading block......How much is Toronto going to want in return for their ace? And which team is going to be willing to give up the deed to their stadium and their entire farm system for him?

Question of the Day (7/8/09)

Where is Pedro Martinez?

2nd Question Of The Day (7/7/09)

As the baseball season crawls to it's All Star break, should the NY Mets consider selling off some of their big name stars soon, to replenish their failing farm system and just look forward to next year?

Question of the Day (7/7/09)

Is it ok for a player like Manny Ramirez, who was suspended 50 games for cheating, to receive a long, standing ovation in his first game back from being suspended for performance enhancing drugs?

*What kind of message does that send to public, especially the young fans?

Question of the Day (7/6/09)

If having to sit through the pain of watching the Mets get pounded by the Phillies all weekend wasn't enough. I had to watch it while I was vacationing in the state of Pennsylvania on the local Philadelphia TV station. So my question for all you Philly Fanatics out there is....what in God's name is the mascot for the Phillies, Philly Fanatic, supposed to be??? He looks like a cross between a muppet and a character from Fraggle Rock. There are so many more iconic symbols from Philadelphia to choose from, why did it end up being a giant, green Fraggle?? Because when I watch my beloved Mets get their butts handed to them, I would at least like to see a mascot rubbing it in that doesnt look like Barney's bastard child.


*How about Rocky for a mascot?? I am sure Sylvester Stallone could use the paycheck!?!?

Check out the link below of Mr. Met trying to save a fan from the Fanatic's humping......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-7uKgBa3uw

Question of the Day (7/2/09)

The two NBA teams to make the biggest splash in the free agent market were both in the Eastern Conference. With the moves that the Cavaliers and Pistons have made, will there be a shift in power from West to East this season?


*Which team has the best potential, via free agency?