Thin Ice Applesauce - Mets put in place a shadow management team, Rollins v. Burrell, Orioles cut Mora

by Joe Budd on Oct 30, 2009 8:42 AM EDT in Applesauce

How about this for a solution in our rooting dilemma: we always root for the visiting team. That way, the sucker fans will have wasted $10,000 for tickets to a cold, rainy, losing effort. Plus, FOX will continuously cut to the silently shocked crowd. Each team can have their own photo like this. Wow, reading that back to myself makes me seem like a really bitter man.

Meet the Mets

The Mets' recent coaching staff and management moves send a pretty clear signal that Omar and Jerry are on incredibly thin ice. While some people are comforted by the transparent attempt to make an easy transition, Metsradamus wants to play Stratego against the Wilpons.

Centerfield Maz takes a look at last decade's Carlos Beltran: Kevin McReynolds.

Around the NL East

I guess I have to give some credit to Philadelphia for having some really committed fans. Second-hand ticket prices are skyrocketing, even in the face of some truly atrocious weather. They're also putting up better TV rating numbers than New Yorkers. They've even managed to stay committed to the team during this World Series drought.

Jimmy "Subtle" Rollins takes a jab at Pat Burrell.

Around MLB

So much for my dream of Albert Pujols at first base for the Mets. He wants to finish his career with the Cardinals, but is still in no rush to sign an extension.

The Orioles have cut ties with third baseman and former Met Melvin Mora. Mike Bordick is hitting fungoes in the Blue Jays system.

USA Today speculates on a return to television for Steve Phillips. You can never really pronounce a television career dead can you.

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Tidbits

1. I corrected the website that posted the piece on Kevin McReynolds. He was the center fielder on the 1984 World Series losers.

2. Omar and Jerry will never get this team to the World Series. This regime will end soon and it will be back to the drawing board. Hopefully at that drawing board they will have a better artist.

3. I guess Jimmy Rollins would never be dull at a cocktail party.

4. A possible headline for the Orioles declining to pick up the option on Melvin Mora:
“Orioles say No Mora”
5. Nothing. I just wanted to have a number five in this list.

"We praise or blame as one or the other affords more opportunity for exhibiting our power of judgment." Friedrich Nietzsche, "Human,All Too Human" (1878)

by wgarrett on Oct 30, 2009 9:00 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs

My rooting interest

is exactly like that. I just want to see the home fans cry, plain and simple. It may sound bitter, but what else do us Mets fans have at this point? Cole will be the first to cry tomorrow night. God I hate that guy.

by BigBoyJacobs on Oct 30, 2009 10:22 AM EDT reply actions

mccarver gave us a shout out last night

pointing out how much this sucks for mets fans.

thanks.

by Pack Bringley on Oct 30, 2009 10:30 AM EDT reply actions

what sucks for us? having to listen to mccarver?

by Bieser's Balk on Oct 30, 2009 10:38 AM EDT up reply actions

that sucks for everyone

who’s more smug, joe buck or jim nantz?

by Pack Bringley on Oct 30, 2009 11:10 AM EDT up reply actions

oh god, thats a tough one

id say joe buck… i cant stand that guy.

by KeithsMoustache on Oct 30, 2009 11:48 AM EDT up reply actions

yeah, i'd have to say buck

i think nantz realizes he’s uncool and revels in the fact he’s the most boring man alive. somehow, buck is under the impression he’s hip and edgy.

by Bieser's Balk on Oct 30, 2009 12:36 PM EDT up reply actions

Buck

Buck was a guest on Conan recently, and I was shocked by how charming and funny Buck was. I’m not saying he’s super cool, but he wasn’t lifeless at all. Apparently he and Conan are friends, and Conan has him insert phrases into the games he works on.

by mnbv on Oct 30, 2009 4:27 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Conan is awesome

Buck is suck

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

by Evan_S on Oct 30, 2009 4:37 PM EDT up reply actions

McReynolds

I always liked him as a kid. I know a lot of people got on him, but he was an efficient player, and had a nice arm, too. Other than Gilkey’s big year, have they had anyone as good in left since? LF has been a black hole for this team.

by Mackey Sasser on Oct 30, 2009 11:42 AM EDT reply actions

I'm a big McReynolds fan

The two batting stances I adopted in little league were his and Dykstra’s.

by Eric Simon on Oct 30, 2009 12:40 PM EDT up reply actions

Hmmm...

Jimmy Rollins is looking like he put on some weight in that AP photo.

batting helmets. batting titles. obp.

by Durelo on Oct 30, 2009 11:43 AM EDT reply actions

I agree with the first commenter to that "thin ice" article

The Mets need to make up their mind. Fire Omar and Jerry now, so that their replacements have a full offseason to get things in order, or keep them for the whole year. Having them walking around on eggshells is just going to screw with their judgment, and if they get fired in April or May then their replacements are going to be thrown into a terrible situation.

by JoshNY on Oct 30, 2009 12:08 PM EDT reply actions

definitely,

this is just stupid, I’d rather have guys in there trying to fix the mess than guys worrying about keeping their jobs. All it does is make them either too cautious or too wild with their decisions, and it can’t be in the best interest of the team.

by KeithsMoustache on Oct 30, 2009 1:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Eh, I really don't see it that way

Most of us, we’re convinced of the suckitude of Jerry as a manager, and Omar as a GM. For whatever reason, the people in the organization aren’t. Because of all of the injuries and stuff this season, both Jerry and Omar get a free pass, because some many of their blunders were covered up by the problems that having so many injuries caused. So, they get a year that is hopefully free of injuries to show the world what they can do.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Oct 30, 2009 1:30 PM EDT up reply actions

"they get a year that is hopefully free of injuries to show the world what they can do"

that’s fine too, but the premise of the article is that they might get fired “early in the 2010 season”. that’s what I think is stupid. can them now or give them the whole year.

by JoshNY on Oct 30, 2009 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions

"they get a year that is hopefully free of injuries to show the world what they can do."

wasn’t that what 2008 was?

"[The Giants] beat us down. We were beat by a grown-man team, a team we want to be like one day. They came in here and took it to us. Out-manned us, out-gunned us. ... It wasn't even close." - Raheem Morris, 9/27/09

by cjmulrain on Oct 30, 2009 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions

Jerry wasn

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Nov 2, 2009 12:41 AM EST up reply actions

Whoops...Jerry wasn't the manager for all of 2008.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Nov 2, 2009 12:42 AM EST up reply actions

fine, Jerry can keep his job

Omar should be on the next 7 train out of Queens

by cjmulrain on Nov 2, 2009 12:54 AM EST up reply actions

I want Jerry to lose his job. Omar too.

The point was that they, being the front management office people, want to be able to grade Jerry on his managerial skills, not his managerial skills after taking over in the middle of Willie Randolph’s season, or during a record-setting injury spell.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Nov 2, 2009 2:48 PM EST up reply actions

but he IS an idiot.

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

by squid92 on Nov 2, 2009 10:04 AM EST up reply actions

I hate Joe Buck, but his general baseball understanding is much better than Sutcliffe's

That guy is probably worse than Joe Morgan

by viktor06 on Oct 30, 2009 12:45 PM EDT reply actions

Bucks

pretty damn awful

by MetsKnicksRutgers on Oct 30, 2009 1:23 PM EDT up reply actions

Man...I have a Mike Bordick T-Shirt...

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Oct 30, 2009 1:28 PM EDT reply actions

I have

a chris childs jersey. I also had a Kendall Gill on the Sonics

by MetsKnicksRutgers on Oct 30, 2009 1:47 PM EDT up reply actions

I have a tsuyoshi shinjo jersey

I wear it to every game I go to just for the reaction it gets.

by KeithsMoustache on Oct 30, 2009 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions

I was leaving Shea last year...

…and I saw a kid — about 20 years old — in a “MONBOUQUETTE 53” 1981 Mets home jersey.

So not only does he wear the shirt of a pitching coach, it’s an obscure pitching coach. Maybe it was his grandson or something.

Oh, the butcher and the baker and the people on the street: wheredotheygo?!?!?

by CharlieH on Oct 30, 2009 2:32 PM EDT up reply actions

wow now that is esoteric

gotta love it.

by KeithsMoustache on Oct 30, 2009 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions

I've been playing OOTP lately

replaying Mets history (it’s pretty awesome during the draft when you more or less know how players are gonna pan out – I’ve drafted Bill Buckner, Sparky Lyle, George Brett, and Ted Simmons in the 2nd round, and that’s not even counting the 5 real life HOFers I’ve drafted in the 1st round)

Anyway, my point in this is that I had never heard of Monbouquette before 3 days ago, then he won back to back Cy Youngs in my league, and now I find out he was a Mets pitching coach before I was born….weird.

by cjmulrain on Oct 30, 2009 6:26 PM EDT up reply actions