Who Is The "Face" Of The Mets?

This question was posed recently to a group of panelists over at ESPN. It was a simple question - Who is the face of each MLB franchise? Here's the criteria that was used by the panel:

We took into consideration skill, popularity, historical and future impact and a host of intangibles to determine which current player, manager, executive, mascot or symbol best represented each of Major League Baseball's 30 franchises.

So who did they chooses as the face of the Mets? Well 4 out of 5 panelists picked Jose Reyes. The only dissenter was Matt Cerrone over at Metsblog.com who went with Willie Randolph.

Click here to see the results for the Mets.

Here are the complete results for every MLB team.

So what do I think? Without a doubt, Jose Reyes is the face of the Mets. If you ask the average baseball fan this question they will say Reyes. Why?

Well for one, he gets all of the hype and praise on Baseball Tonight and every other baseball show that exists. He's billed as the most exciting player in baseball and was even thought of as a possible top fantasy player and MVP before this season. Plus his smile is infectious, he shows personality on the field and is widely regarded as the gasoline for the the engine that is the Mets offense.

So as you can tell from that glowing (biased?) review I just gave to Jose "Hovito" Reyes, I agree with the 4 panelists.

Now while I love Willie Randolph, I think Matt Cerrone is doing some wishful thinking when they say Randolph is the face of the Mets. Sure behind the scenes, he's the one that runs the ship. But when the bright lights are on, it's Reyes who attracts the spotlight. As a matter of fact, the only managers I can think of that can be considered the face of their teams are Jim Leyland, Lou Piniella and Joe Torre. And Sweet Lou has some serious comp with Carlos Zambrano and Derrek Lee as does Joe Torre with Mr. Perfect, Derek Jeter. So sorry Willie, J-Rabbit got you beat here.

(On a side note, the guy who chose Andy Pettitte as the face of the Yankees needs to lose his right to analyze anything for the nest 2 years. Andy Pettitte? Over Torre, A-Rod, Jeter and Steinbrenner? Please.)

It's funny... if you would have asked me this question 2 or 3 years ago I would have said David Wright without question. Goes to show you how things can change in a hurry. Holla back.

Staying Positive

So I take another little hiatus from blogging... (hey it's the summertime, a brother got to get his Will Smith on!) and when I come back, guess what? The Mets have INCREASED their lead in the NL East. That's what's up, and, it's not entirely unexpected.

Here's the proof. For one, the Mets have the best road record IN ALL OF BASEBALL. Yes, better than the Red Sox, Tigers, Yankees (a mediocre road team), Diamondbacks... you name it. And the key to being an elite team in any sport is how well you are able to perform on the road.

Also the Mets are 23-10 against the Central Division this year. They beat up on the scrubs and hold their own against any team not named Atlanta. Pittsburgh and Washington were exactly the remedy this team needed to make a final push towards the playoffs. With a 5-game lead and only 35 games left in the season, the Mets pretty much control their own Destiny.

So my goal from now until the end of September is to remain positive and optimistic about the team. I want the good vibes to continue and maybe, just maybe, some good karma will rub off on this squad.

Here are a few positives I see going into the stretch run:

• The starting pitching staff is actually performing pretty well at the moment. Tommy Glavine and his 83 mph fastball is still producing results and El Duque has been outstanding. Add a (hopefully) effective Pedro Martinez to the mix and the Mets are looking pretty good going into September. Also, Jorge Sosa has really adapted to the bullpen well and Billy Wagner has been great all season.



• The bench has gotten much better since the departure of Julio Franco and once Endy Chavez returns, the bench will be great. The loss of Damian Easley will hurt, but hopefully Endy can make up for much of that. Milledge and Green will probably platoon once Delgado is back, leaving Marlon Anderson in the Julio Franco position of veteran bat off the bench.



• Beltran is heating up. We've seen this before. When Beltran heats up, he can carry a team all by himself. With Delgado struggling, having a hot Beltran and Alou in the middle of the lineup will be key to the Mets success offensively and in general. Let's hope they both can keep it up.



• The inconsistency of both the Braves and Phillies is what will really determine the Mets fate. While they should definitely make the wild card at least, it's not entirely out of reason that both the Philthies and the Bravos make late season runs. Getting Utley and Victorino back will definitely be a boost to Philly, and we have already seen the effect Texeira has had on the Braves lineup. The Mets need to protect their cushion at all costs.



• The schedule. While the next stretch of games will be key to the Mets season (7 against the Phillies, 6 against the Braves), even if they stumble, the last 2 weeks of the season are insanely easy. All of the last 14 games are against either the Marlins or the Nationals (with a makeup game against the Cardinals being the only exception). So even if the Mets are a game or so out, they stand to gain ground at the end of the year as long as they take care of these cupcake teams

So I'm being positive. I certainly think they will make the playoffs and I certainly think they will go at least as far as they did last year. But the goal is the World Series. It's time to go get it. Holla back.

The Mets Pen is Bull!!!

Man... it's hard being a Mets fan right now. I hate to be pessimistic about this team but nothing I am seeing right now has me believing they will survive and make the playoffs, let alone win the division. One day it's the lack of clutch hitting. Another day it's the lack of quality starts from the topline pitchers. And more recently and more alarmingly, it's been the lack of the bullpen to hold onto leads or keep the game close.

The last 2 games have been heartbreakers, first with Billy Wagner blowing the game on Friday and then Guillermo "Maybe I Should Have Stayed On The 'Roids" Mota surrendering a grand slam to Josh Willingham that put the Marlins ahead in yesterday's game. The Mets were able to fight back but then Aaron Heilman surrendered a two-run single to Miguel Cabrera... and that was that.

Let's face it, other than Billy Wagner, this ballpen has been horrible. After an all-star caliber first half, Pedro Feliciano has been easier to hit than Paris Hilton. So too for Aaron Heilman, Joe Smith (who is now in Triple-A), Mota, Scott Schoeneweis, Aaron Sele.... did I miss anyone? Wait that's damn there the whole freaking bullpen!

Jorge Sosa has looked good in his limited time so far as a reliever. I like what he's shown me. Maybe it's time to let him set up Wagner.

And what about Wagner? Honestly, I really can't get on the guy. Except for a few recent outings, the guy has pretty much been money. Well money in an Armando Benitez kind of way. Meaning, it seems like he has to walk a batter or give up a hit or two before he seals the deal. Whatever, as long as the end result is a victory, I'll take anything.

Here's what David Wright had to say:

"It's obviously easy as a fan to point a finger at the bullpen," said Wright, who homered twice and drove in three runs. "But our offense needs to do a better job providing a cushion. When we have these teams down, we have to bury them early in the game, and we're not doing that."

Well David I'm a fan and I'm pointing fingers. The bullpen sucks.

And speaking about the offense, they suck too. However, I'm going to state this once again. MLB NEEDS INSTANT REPLAY!!! Not only was Reyes safe last night on that slide home in the seventh inning... he was EASILY safe. Be it the Mets or any other team, I'm just tired of watching these inept umpires decide games with terrible calls. Come on Bud, step up to the plate on this one. Holla back.

I Told Y'all... Rick Ankiel Is A Beast!!!

Remember a month ago when I wrote a blog entry on the homerun prowess of one Mr. Rick Ankiel. Yes THAT Rick Ankiel, the one who was once a dominate pitcher for the Cardinals but then either through mechanical, or more likely, mental problems - could never throw a strike again in his life?

Well that guy was converted into an outfielder. And that guy was brought up recently by the Cardinals after Scott "Now We Know It Was The Drugs That Made You Color That Soul Patch On Your Chin Red" Spiezio was placed on the restricted list.

And what has that guy done in his 3 games since being called up? Try 3 homeruns, 2 in the game yesterday and a big 3-run homerun that put the game out of reach in his first game back as an outfielder. The guy is really trying his best to be Babe Ruth. Amazing.

This really is a pretty remarkable story. I say good luck to Rick Ankiel so long as he does nothing to hurt the Mets chances of making the playoffs or advancing in the playoffs.

Omar should trade for Ankiel and make him a starter again. Maybe Rick Peterson can fix his mechanics in 10 minutes like he said he could do with Victor Zambrano. Okay... maybe not. Holla back.

Today's Matchup

After a great win last night by the Mets (complete with the obligatory "get out of a bases-loaded jam that I created" by Billy Wagner) the Mets look to make it 2 out of 3 against the Braves. Here's the matchup:

John Maine (12-6, 3.27) vs. Tim Hudson (12-5, 2.95 ERA) - John Maine is coming off a horrible outing last time out and is looking to bounce back. The Braves, however, are 10-2 in games started by Hudson after a loss.

The lineups:

BRAVES

W Harris LF .326
K Johnson 2B .296
C Jones 3B .340
M Teixeira 1B .258
B McCann C .267
J Francoeur RF .306
A Jones CF .214
Y Escobar SS .325
T Hudson P

METS

J Reyes SS .307
L Castillo 2B .344
D Wright 3B .301
C Delgado 1B .251
M Alou LF .297
S Green RF .276
R Castro C .290
M Anderson CF .237
J Maine P

No Lastings Milledge in the lineup which follows a trend by Willie Randolph who seems to always sit Lasto down when there's a tough righty on the mound. Marlon Anderson gets the start instead. It's only his 9th start in CF ever for his career.

Not much more to say. Mets need to win this series in the worst way. Let's go Mets!

Bonds vs. Clemens: Who's The Bigger Cheater?

Now that Barry Bonds has finally injected his way to the top of the homerun record books, it's time to move past Bonds and focus our wrath on others who may have cheated their way into history.

Subject #1: Roger Clemens

Yes I believe Roger Clemens did steroids. Do we have any hard evidence? No. But then again, do we have any hard evidence on Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa? No we don't. But I think most people believe they juiced up as well.

So here are my thoughts on why I think Roger Clemens did steroids. First, just like Sosa, McGwire and Bonds, Clemens is huge AND a whole lot bigger than he was during the early part of his career. Don't believe me. Check this out:

http://cache.deadspin.com/assets/resources/2007/04/clemensnewandold.jpg

So if you convicted Sosa, Bonds and McGwire on their physical appearance alone, I think you almost have to treat Clemens the same way.

Next, say what you say about Jose Canseco, but Clemens makes an appearance in his book "Juiced," the book that started it all and brought the use of steroids in baseball to a more public light. Here's what was written:

http://thesteroidera.blogspot.com/2007/07/jose-canseco-and-roger-clemens-quotes.html

Canseco mentioned Rafael Palmeiro and we see what happened.

Next, Roger Clemens is apparently mentioned in the affidavit against former pitcher Jason Grimsley, who has admitted to using steroids. Check this out:

http://thesteroidera.blogspot.com/2006/10/evidence-against-roger-clemens.html

Until the affidavit is made public we'll never know. But usually when this information starts getting leaked, there's a flood that follows.

And finally, my own little personal aside... When Clemens threw that bat at Piazza back in the 2000 World Series, I've always felt like that was some sort of roid rage incident. The look on his face alone did it for me.

Add to this the fact that his career stalled in Boston and "magically" turned around once he went to Toronto and New York... I just think the guy looked for an edge and found one with the juice.

I'd go even more into more depth on this but honestly who cares? If Clemens juiced he juiced. Just don't act like Bonds is the only one who did the stuff and then single him out to be the lone villain.

Simply put, Bonds is a cheater and because of that he'll never be respected in my eyes. He's still a hall of famer, but top 5 all-time? Errrr, I don't think so. But neither is Roger Clemens. Holla back.

Congratulations Tommy!

Congratulations Tommy! You earned it.

Now as a Mets fan, I'm probably not as excited for Tommy as the rest of the world. Growing up as a teenager during the 90s, I had to endure some pretty lean years for the Mets (not to mention constant ribbing from obnoxious Braves fans doing the tomahawk chop and bragging about how many division titles the Braves had won in a row. How many World Series did that get ya tough guy?).

Plus, I always felt that Tommy was the beneficiary of a HUGE strike zone from a majority of umpires. He would get strike calls for pitches that were clearly 4-6 inches off that plate. I really hated that.

But now that I look back at it, was it really Glavine's fault that he got those calls? If anything, it just proves how precise, smart and crafty of a pitcher the guy is. He hit his spots on the regular and was rewarded for it.

Think about it, in the entire history of baseball... a game that's been around since the 1800s... only 22 pitchers have 300 wins. Glavine makes it 23. He's also only the 5th left-hander in history to achieve the feat. That in itself is amazing.

And think about it, by all accounts he did it without a dominating fastball (Nolan Ryan), without the use of steroids (Clemens maybe???) and without the help of spit, baby oil, vaseline, hair tonic or any other foreign substance that was available (Gaylord Perry).

(As an aside, having Gaylord Perry in the Hall after he admitted to doctoring the baseball and then getting on Bonds for steroids is the epitome of hypocrisy.)

But back to Tommy. He'll always be a Brave, and I'll always be a Brave hater. But I definitely respect his 300 gangsta. His 300 is just as impressive as the movie 300, which I watched for the first time on high def Blu-ray the other day. That movie was freaking sick. (Sony, you can thank me later for the plug).

So here's to the Hall of Fame Tommy Boy, you earned it. Holla back.

Instant Replay Needed In Baseball

I'm convinced. Baseball needs instant replay.

What prompted me to this conclusion? Well today's Mets/Cubs game of course.

Here's what happened. John Maine gets himself in a little jam in the third inning. He has runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs and Ted Lilly at the plate.

Lilly bunts the ball to Carlos Delgado who goes to third on the play looking to get the force out. He bobbles it a little but still gets the ball over to Wright in time for the force.

Well at least the replay showed that. But the 3rd base umpire didn't see the play and only called Jacque Jones out when Wright applied a tag to him after he overshot the bag. If Jones would have been thinking right away and went back to the bag before he got tagged, he would have been called safe.

So the Mets got the out anyway and weren't burned by a bad call by the ump. But imagine if the ump hadn't called Jones out? It would have been bases loaded and no outs - a far worse situation than runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out.

Okay, moving along in the inning. Soriano grounds out to Maine, moving the base runners to 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs. Up comes Cubs shortstop Ryan Theriot.

Theriot grounds a slow roller to Jose Reyes, who grabs the ball and fires a laser to 1st. What's the call? Safe. Cubs take the lead 1-0.

After that, the floodgates open and the Cubbies go on to score 6 runs in the inning, knocking Maine out of the game and essentially putting it out of reach.

Here's the problem. Theriot was out a 1st. Clearly. Without a doubt. No question about it. Replays showed that Delgado had the ball in his glove securely while Theriot's foot was still in the air.

This was the turning point in the game. Instead of getting out of the inning unscathed, that bad call by the 1st base umpire directly led to 6 Cubs runs.

So I think it's time for Major League Baseball to get with the program and move into the 21st century with the rest of the pro sports community. Baseball is the only major sport without an instant replay system. Even the NBA has instant replay!

I understand that the umpires have a tough job... and I'm not advocating instant replay for balls and strikes. Strike zones, by their very nature, are subjective to begin with. It's up to the pitchers and batters to adjust to what's being called.

But for force outs and close tag plays, why not? How many times a week do you see an umpire get a close play at first wrong? Or call a runner out at second who clearly slid in ahead of the tag? Too frequently for my liking.

So what should MLB do? Here's what I think.

First, adopt a challenge system similar to the NFL's. You get 2 challenges a game. In football if you challenge and the play is upheld, you lose a timeout. For baseball, if you challenge and the play is upheld, you lose your second challenge. This seems fair.

Also put a limit on the number of challenges a team can make in a year. Let's say 20. That way crazy managers like La Russa and Pinella can't go hog-wild with the challenges.

Next, stipulate which plays can be challenged and which ones can't. Balls and strikes, balk calls, check swings and fair/foul balls that remain in play are a few I can think of off hand that should not be challenged.

So what should be challenged? Fair/Foul ball homeruns, tag plays, force outs and fan interference all should be able to be challenged.

You may say, "Why not be able to challenge all fair/foul ball calls?" Think about it. Let's say an umpire calls a ball foul that remains in the field of play. Then replays show that the ball was fair. What are you going to do, give the batter a single or a double? How many bases do runners who were already on base advance? 1? 2? There's too much uncertainty involved with this situation.

However, if a batter hits a homerun that goes fair/foul there can only be 2 outcomes. Either the ball is foul or it's a homerun. Plain and simple. This also goes for balls that hit over the fence and are clearly homeruns (like if they clear the yellow line on the fence) but are not called so.

Also, fan interference should be reviewable. No more Jeffrey Maier's having more of an impact on the game than the players themselves.

Baseball almost headed in this direction after the 2005 playoffs which saw A.J. Pierzynski be awarded 1st base after he ran to first on a third strike that he thought hit the dirt. Replays showed it was caught cleanly. The White Sox were able to keep the inning going and eventually win the game.

What did Bud Selig have to say about it?

"Yes, we had some incidents that certainly need to be looked at. So I'm not minimizing them. But do I believe in instant replay? No, I do not,'' Selig said. "Human error is part of our sport.''

Yes Bud, human error persists in baseball. But the key word is "error." And an error of any kind is wrong. Errors are meant to be fixed. Bud needs to fix it.

So that's it. Baseball needs instant replay in the worst way. I think the Mets would agree after what happened today. Holla back!

Willie's Stroke Of Genius (lol)

OK so on Sunday I wrote about how Willie had a serious brain freeze when he didn't allow Castro to hit against the left-handed Ray King even though Lo Duca had just gotten hurt and Castro would have had to come into the game anyway. Instead he had a "hunch" and went with Marlon Anderson instead. Anderson popped out, killing the rally.

Now fast forward to yesterday. I'm sitting home on my couch, expecting to see Pedro Martinez throw against a few unlucky A-ballers, but of course, the minor league game gets rained out (gotta love Florida in the summer).

So I go to the fridge, grab a Coke and a bag of cool ranch Doritos from on top of the fridge and head back to my viewing throne. Then the lineup cards are announced.

Reyes, SS
Castillo, 2B
Wright, 3B
Delgado, 1B
Alou, LF
Anderson, CF
Castro, C
Green, RF
Perez, P

I almost choked on a Dorito. What? Are you kidding me? Marlon Anderson in center field. I don't think the guy has ever played center in his life. And he's batting 6th? What is Willie thinking. Dumb move.

(Now fast-forward to the 3rd inning)

Gary Cohen:

Here's the pitch to Anderson. And it's a high flyball, deep right field... going back is Hart, looking up... that ball is .... OUTTA HERE!!!! A 3-run homerun by Marlon Anderson and the Mets take a 1-run lead!

Need I say more. Willie had a hunch to go with Anderson. Willie's a freaking genius.

Now here's what I wrote on Sunday:

**(Check back next week when I write the exact same blog PRAISING Willie for going with his gut and ditching conventional wisdom. That's the nature of being a fan you know lol.)

Did I call it or what? Now THAT'S funny. Holla back.

Willie's Brain Freeze

OK, so I'm watching Game 2 last night. Critical point in the ballgame. 1 out, tie game, bottom of the 7th. Lo Duca gets a single and then L-Millz smacks a single right behind him. However, while rounding 2nd, Lo Duca comes up lame with a leg injury.

Now Ramon Castro was already on deck and warming up. So I'm thinking, "OK Willie is going to use a pitcher to pinch-run for Lo Duca and then let Castro hit against the lefty Ray King. Easy decision!"

So El Duque comes in to run for the injured Lo Duca. OK, just what I thought.

Then, for some strange reason, Willie decides that instead of letting Castro pinch-hit, he's going to bring in Marlon Anderson, a lefty, to face Ray King.

Willie, I love ya but WTH WERE YOU THINKING!!!!!!!!!!

I literally was in shock.

This was a bad decision for many reasons.

First, the Mets bench was already short since Anderson Hernandez was sent down to make room for Pelfrey and Carlos "The Next Alou" Beltran was unable to play with a strained ab muscle. (Seems like Beltran is either hurt or playing "hurt" all of the time).

So the bench was already short... why waste another bench player when Castro HAD TO come in the game anyway for the injured Lo Duca?

In the words of Willie:

"I was confident in Marlon," he said. "You don't want to use two players there, but you got to go for it."

Okay, so Marlon Anderson was 3 for 5 with a double and a homerun in his career versus King. Pretty good. Is it a good enough sample for Willie to insert him into the game and deplete his entire bench? Hellz to the no. Using 2 players for 1 when you are already short on the bench is a pretty dumb thing to do... unless the pinch hitter you are sending up is Barry Bonds or Albert Pujols. And Marlon Anderson is no Barry Bonds or Albert Pujols. You feel me?

Plus King is the only lefty in the Nats pen. Which means that there was a good chance down the line that Anderson could be used to pinch hit and it would be against a righty.

So of course Marlon Anderson comes in... and pops out. Hovito Reyes comes up next and does the same thing. Rally over. Bench depleted. Brain freeze.

And to make matters worse, of course the Mets come storming back in the 8th bringing the game to 6-5. But in the 9th, after a ground out by Milledge (hottest hitter in the lineup hitting 8th???), up comes pinch hitter TOM GLAVINE. That's right, Tom Glavine had to pinch hit because Willie used 2 players for one back in the 7th. When he didn't have to. Brain freeze.

I wonder if Willie is a big gambler. I mean, he goes with his gut alot, which is fine, but sometimes you have to put your gut in check and do the reasonable thing. Like, for instance, if he was sitting at a poker table with pocket 7s, and the cards on the table were king, king, jack, ace, queen - would Willie put all of his chips on the line against those odds or live to fight another day?

Willie needed to fight another day. Instead he had a brain freeze. Instead of Subway, maybe Willie should be the spokesman for Luigi's Italian Ice. Horrible.

**(Check back next week when I write the exact same blog PRAISING Willie for going with his gut and ditching conventional wisdom. That's the nature of being a fan you know lol.)

Holla back.