Meet the Mets (For Mets Fans Only!)

Just 5 more hours of restraint, and the Mets will have my genuine praise. Turn your phone off and go to the beach for the afternoon, Ricco!!

Train_of_Thought said:
Just 5 more hours of restraint, and the Mets will have my genuine praise. Turn your phone off and go to the beach for the afternoon, Ricco!!

Overall, I'm in agreement with this.  I like what I've seen this year out of Matz, Wheeler, and Lugo.  Conforto is starting to look like his old self and Nimmo has been pretty solid all year. I think there's enough to build around next year so it's not time to blow it up yet.

And I don't think there's anyone else who can be traded right now.  I doubt any team wants Bruce or Frazier.  But if you can get a decent return for either, I'd be ok saying goodby to one or both of them.

I wonder if Mike Rizzo of the Nats will soon be available to replace Sandy Alderson?

After twisting and turning for weeks, late last night he finally allows word to get out that he is willing to trade Harper for a huge package.

Less than 12 hours later he is forced to categorically state on the record to a reporter that Harper is not going to be traded this year.

Reports are that Ownership put the kibosh on any trade talks whatsoever (which also may include many of the Nats other unrestricted FAs including Murphy, Gonzalez, Wieters, and Hellickson).

So either Rizzo is out of step with Ownership, or Ownership got cold feet and hung Rizzo out to swing alone.  Neither is a good thing if you are Mike Rizzo.

The Mets are making a real statement tonight. 19 so far, but it's early.

25 - 1.  But the game isn’t over and a comeback can’t be ruled out. 

just glad that deGrom is still a Met 

4 runs, 9 hits...that's a solid showing for the Mets.

Reyes can't hit and now he blew the game in the ninth.  

In the words of the great Peter Cetera, 25 or 6 to 4.

Now I know why Reyes was still on the team. I know the season is over, but why would Callaway use his lefty specialist for an inning and 1/3 in a 19-1 game? Now he won't be available today.

Train_of_Thought said:
In the words of the great Peter Cetera, 25 or 6 to 4.

While I’m bowing down in admiration, would it be churlish of me to note that the words were Robert Lamm’s?

McNeil hit his first homer!  There is hope for the future.  As Ricco said just before the game, he thinks the Mets will be contenders in 2019!

Ugh!  

DaveSchmidt said:

Train_of_Thought said:
In the words of the great Peter Cetera, 25 or 6 to 4.

While I’m bowing down in admiration, would it be churlish of me to note that the words were Robert Lamm’s?

Churl away (if that makes sense).

I confess to having first typed Terry Kath, as I naturally most associate that song with him for the solo, then realized the vocal error of my ways and edited to my bass man. Dang, so close.

Sidebar: Chicago II, from which the song came, far and away my fave Chicago album.

Sidebar II: For years I've joked about opening a pizza place using only earthy, organic ingredients and calling it Pizza Terra. Against my better judgment, I suppose it would have to be Chicago style.

Train_of_Thought said:

Sidebar: Chicago II, from which the song came, far and away my fave Chicago album.

I’m extremely fond of II, but the debut is one of my oldest, most reassuring friends.

Sidebar II: For years I've joked about opening a pizza place using only earthy, organic ingredients and calling it Pizza Terra. Against my better judgment, I suppose it would have to be Chicago style.

Still bowing. 

I appreciate the appreciation. And if we ever delve into the history of St. Louis Cardinals W.S. appearances, I'll be sure to make a Questions 67 and 68 joke in honor of your album friend.   

One of Kath’s guitars was a Gibson.

Bam!

Well, this is a whole lot more fun than talking about the Mets.

Steve Somers last eve (and I’m paraphrasing a teeny bit): you don’t really watch the Mets... it’s more like rubbernecking. 

Classic. 

And after last night's game, a pitcher was DFA'd.  He was not a Met.

Reyes threw 48 pitches in the 9th inning.  They won’t be able to use him again for another couple games.  

The Nats' Milone just beat the Mets, and the DC press is saying he had a "spectacular start" and augers good things for the Nats' rotation.

But, I mean, he beat the Mets here, folks.  These days even Sonny Gray would look like Nolan Ryan when facing the Mets.  Let's see how Milone does against MLB level hitters before coronating the guy.

The Mets are doing everything possible to get the Nationals back in the race.  I hope they send a Christmas card this year.

mfpark said:
The Nats' Milone just beat the Mets, and the DC press is saying he had a "spectacular start" and augers good things for the Nats' rotation.
But, I mean, he beat the Mets here, folks.  These days even Sonny Gray would look like Nolan Ryan when facing the Mets.  Let's see how Milone does against MLB level hitters before coronating the guy.

without Cespedes, Frazier, Bruce, Cabrera, that's not much better than a AAA lineup right now.

Joe Girardi. Next Mets manager. 

Discuss...

Soul_29 said:
Joe Girardi. Next Mets manager. 
Discuss...

Tough call.  Mickey has been given rancid dog meat to work with this year.  His few MLB worthy hitters have been on the DL most of the season, and his best hitter was just traded away.  Several key pitchers have also been injured, and the rest demoralized by a lack of run support.  This is far more a problem of the front office than the dugout.

OTOH, the team that is out there has made some bonehead plays and you kind of wonder why Mickey has not called them out and climbed all over them.  Not covering bases, allowing runners to score on pop-ups, batting out of order in the first inning--it is up to Mickey to ramp up the intensity, even when they are losing like the Bad News Bears.  Instead, Mickey seems to find limp excuses for the team.

Girardi would sure bring some intensity to the Mets.  And he would likely love nothing better than to show up the Yankees by turning the Mets around.  But given how bad the team is now; the dearth of talent in the minors; the lack of creativity from the front office; and the apparent unwillingness to spend like a NYC team by ownership, I wonder why Girardi would take this job.  I am sure he will have better prospects elsewhere.

I am not ready to give up on Callaway.  He is a first year manager, bound to make mistakes.  Will he learn from them?  That's what we see next year.  It's not like he will keep them out of the playoffs next year.  That is the job of the Wilpons.

Most managers can't hurt the team much or help the team much. Very few can make more than a 4 game difference in the W/L column. I'd put just a few in that category like Terry Francona and Joe Maddon. It's the ownership and GM (if the GM can actually operate under ownership) who make the bigger difference. Calloway is a first year manager and not horrible. Let him stay for a bit. Edited to say not even sure an average to good manager can make even a 4 game difference. But let's stay focused on crappy ownership that holds the purse strings and control. 

I don't want Girardi as Mets manager.  The game has passed the old school guys by.  And from all descriptions of Girardi, he was not embracing the new methods.

wendy said:
Most managers can't hurt the team much or help the team much. Very few can make more than a 4 game difference in the W/L column. I'd put just a few in that category like Terry Francona and Joe Maddon. It's the ownership and GM (if the GM can actually operate under ownership) who make the bigger difference. Calloway is a first year manager and not horrible. Let him stay for a bit. Edited to say not even sure an average to good manager can make even a 4 game difference. But let's stay focused on crappy ownership that holds the purse strings and control.