Old Man Wagner Applesauce - Wagner may retire, Ike makes another list, 2011 Mets, Phillies advance

by Joe Budd on Oct 13, 2009 8:22 AM EDT in Applesauce

We took one step closer to the nightmare scenario: Phillies-Yankees World Series. I put my vote in to root for the Yankees, for what that's worth. I will hate myself either way.

Meet the Mets

Suddenly, the Billy Wagner trade is looking really good as the left handed setup man/kinda wannabe closer says that he's leaning towards retirement.

Ike Davis made it to #13 on Baseball America's Top Eastern League prospect list and Toby Hyde answers some e-mail.

Speaking of prospects, Chris Wilcox is looking to 2011 already.

Say what you will about the Mets, but at least when they make the postseason they tend to stick around for a little bit.

Mets Merized wants Joe Beimel.

Around the NL East

The Phillies eliminated the Rockies with a little help from Brad Lidge. There are still grumblings, however, about Chase Utley's "single" off his knee in game 3.

Former Nationals GM Jim Bowden lists Don Mattingly, Dave Duncan, Ned Yost, Jim Riggleman, and Bobby Valentine as candidates for the National managerial position.

Around MLB

The NY Post checks in on Yorvit Torrealba, the guy the Mets bailed on.

Tony LaRussa is considering retirement and the Reds.

Joe Torre talks about getting soaked by his players. What a pro.

Umpire Phil Cuzzi's excuse for blowing an easy call in the ALDS? He was too close to the play.

Tweet Comment 37 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

How friggin’ important is it that Ike and/or Fernando develop into solid major-leaguers? At some point, if you don’t get cheap production from someone somewhere, and you’re not the Yanks, don’t you just choke to death on free agent contracts?

by OlStubbleBeard on Oct 13, 2009 9:46 AM EDT reply actions

Anyone want to

throw up? And he got through the whole article without quoting an anonymous baseball executive.

by Mount17 on Oct 13, 2009 9:49 AM EDT reply actions

I had a Philly fan complain about Keith Law and Rob Neyer being Mets fans. In case anyone’s curious, Law grew up a Yanks fan, Neyer=Royals. Then he said the only fair writer at ESPN was Stark. There’s a point where it’s not even worth correcting someone.

by OlStubbleBeard on Oct 13, 2009 9:55 AM EDT up reply actions

facepalm

"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf"
-Tug McGraw

by squid92 on Oct 13, 2009 1:25 PM EDT up reply actions

What's the problem?

Stark accurately described the means by which Philly won last night: their inability to understand the meaning of the word “quit.” That is a valid, objective thesis, yeah?

"He's definitely mixing it into his repertoire. That's French for 'repertoire' " - Keith Hernandez

by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright on Oct 13, 2009 10:19 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

They didn't quit, but.....

Houston Street had a lot to do with them advancing.

Street sucks. He pitched scared. To me he is Heilman 2.0.

I’m glad Omar didn’t go after him.

by fxcarden on Oct 13, 2009 10:35 AM EDT up reply actions

pitching scared

he looked terrified. Not a good quality for a closer

by HotChipWillBreakYourLegs on Oct 13, 2009 11:08 AM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, they didn't quit

taking the lousy non-strikes or hitting the meatballs he was throwing.

by blains2000 on Oct 13, 2009 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions

exactly.

by fxcarden on Oct 13, 2009 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions

nope

Street pitched poorly in a few games. He’s not Heilman 2.0 because, you know, he’s actually a good pitcher.

ain't had enough...

by BlackOps on Oct 13, 2009 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions

Heilman too, you know, was a good pitcher

except for those times when he wasn’t.

by fxcarden on Oct 13, 2009 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions

ok

Well, Street’s career FIP is under 3. Heilman’s is over 4, so, there!

ain't had enough...

by BlackOps on Oct 13, 2009 5:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, but Heilman doesn't have fans like these....

LOOKY HERE

by fxcarden on Oct 13, 2009 7:15 PM EDT up reply actions

I couldn't get past this line:

“I’d rank this one at No. 2,” said shortstop/philosopher king Jimmy Rollins,

Emphasis mine … Once i read that I had to stop or my eyeballs were going to fall out of my head.

by Balagast on Oct 13, 2009 11:55 AM EDT up reply actions

I loathe Jayson Stark

"We must win and we must know how to win rather than win because we have statistical people."

by Evan_S on Oct 13, 2009 1:33 PM EDT up reply actions

I couldn't even get past the first paragraph.

AARGH

"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf"
-Tug McGraw

by squid92 on Oct 13, 2009 1:25 PM EDT up reply actions

One better

As soon as I clicked though and saw the title, I quit the page.

by mnbv on Oct 13, 2009 3:28 PM EDT up reply actions

I just didn't bother to link.

I don’t read anything Stark writes…I always feel dumber for it.

"We're just as bad as the old Mets, but this time nobody's laughing"
-Dallas Green

by Stephen Schmidt on Oct 13, 2009 4:47 PM EDT up reply actions

There has to be

a special level of hell for 8th inning relievers who walk the lead-off man in a one run game, right? I’m looking at you Morales.

And I bet Tulo didn’t sleep too well last night. Two of the biggest ABs of the game and he shit it in both of them, not to mention the last out Sunday, also against Lidge. I wish they would replay Pujol’s NLCS homer against lidge every time he came in a game.

And the umpires sucked again. I would consider myself somewhat traditionalist when it comes to baseball and changing rules and what-not, but maybe it’s time for some replay. There are 54 outs in a game, and umpires in the playoffs are routinely blowing 2-3 calls per. I would call that significant. Humans make mistakes. Our replay robot overlords will not.

by HotChipWillBreakYourLegs on Oct 13, 2009 10:04 AM EDT reply actions

The Rockies and umpires choked it up but not only was Colorado the worst team in the series, it was also just a terrible matchup for them. Phillies threw all lefty starters, guys who don’t allow walks. They got outplayed. The real hurdles for an all Mets-masochism world series start now.

by OlStubbleBeard on Oct 13, 2009 10:19 AM EDT reply actions

The bonus day didn't help either

That extra day off was a pretty big help to the Phils being as they didn’t have use Pedro to start a game.

by Balagast on Oct 13, 2009 11:48 AM EDT up reply actions

potential for "the all-Mets masochism World Series"

sing it with me: I Love LA!

by JoshNY on Oct 13, 2009 1:25 PM EDT up reply actions

what to do in case of a Phils-Yanks World Series?

Emulate Hollywood, circa 2004: move to France.

by JE on Oct 13, 2009 2:11 PM EDT up reply actions

You mean Roman Polanski circa late 1970s?

by Bieser's Balk on Oct 13, 2009 3:54 PM EDT up reply actions

Screw France, I'm moving to Canada!

Beer is good! And stuff!

by R_Adragna on Oct 13, 2009 5:01 PM EDT up reply actions

Canada is the new France, which was, itself, the new Canada

by JoshNY on Oct 13, 2009 5:37 PM EDT up reply actions

I'll take a couple of early playoff exits

in exchange for a ring.

2009 Mets---Mission: Bryce Harper!

by Prince on Oct 13, 2009 11:41 AM EDT reply actions

Beimel

The commenters on the Metsmerized post don’t seem to have mentioned this, but it’s worth noting that (unlike Perpetual Pedro), Beimel’s platoon splits are fairly even: career OPS against RHB is .790, against LHB is .730. He doesn’t dominate lefties like Pedro does (.581!) but he has less trouble with righties. Might be a useful bullpen component if, for example, Charlie Manuel ever gets it in his head to put a righty or two between Utley and Howard.

Plus, he’s kind of got a crazy look about him. It might be the first time since Turk Wendell that we’d have a pitcher who might make opposing hitters think he’d shoot them and wear their teeth on a necklace if they got a big hit against him.

On the other hand, as we all know, you can’t overpay for relief pitchers. If someone is going to offer Beimel $6M/year or some ridiculous amount like that, I sure hope it isn’t the Mets.

by JoshNY on Oct 13, 2009 1:35 PM EDT reply actions

it will be

"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf"
-Tug McGraw

by squid92 on Oct 13, 2009 1:36 PM EDT up reply actions

So instead Beimel is just kind of average against both??

I’d rather they try and use Bostick as a second lefty than sign Beimel. I assume Beimel isn’t going to get 2mil and one year again, and we don’t need to be handing out the next Scotty Show contract.

Not to mention their OPS’s against RHB are virtually the same for their career (Feliciano and Beimel), so basically Beimel is just as good as Pedro with the exception that he doesn’t dominate lefty’s.

by Balagast on Oct 13, 2009 2:04 PM EDT up reply actions

yeah, basically

but there’s nothing inherently wrong with a reliever who’s league-average. you just don’t want to pay too much for him. I really have no idea what to expect from Bostick so I couldn’t say whether it’d make sense to use him instead.

by JoshNY on Oct 13, 2009 5:41 PM EDT up reply actions

If you can get Beimel for 2mil or less

that is the only way he deserves to be signed by us. My point was more that we have many more serious holes to fill than a second lefty who isn’t particularly good, especially when we have a cost efficient internal option.

by Balagast on Oct 13, 2009 6:06 PM EDT up reply actions