a total waste. i dont see how there arent more “fun” game shows like this as apposed to the now beat to death and never that sweet ‘reality’ game shows like survivor. friggin ninja warrior is like the best show ever, how much can that cost to make? and its perfect half rediculous people falling, half awesome athletes pwning obstacles. but im sure if a US netowrk ever did theyd completely ruin it like they did with the american gladiators remake. WHY AM I NOT IN CHARGE OF ALL TV I WOULD BE THE BEST PROGRAMMER EVER.

Utley and Wright aren’t facing off against each other because they play different positions.

Wright’s competition:
Chipper Jones
Ryan Zimmerman
Aramis Ramirez

Utley’s competition:
Orlando Hudson
Skip Schumaker
Brandon Phillips

(I’m excluding the ballot stuffed Brewers)

Hudson and Phillips are fine players but aren’t exactly household names to the casual fan.

They’re voting for the fact that he’s just titty-slapping awesome at being a baseball player, and he’s head-and-shoulders above everyone else at the position.

If Joe Morgan 1975 were playing today, would that make Utley less of a “like they used to be” dude since he’d be getting fewer votes?

It should be really easy to write about Chase Utley without reverting to horrible White Boy Bonus Points cliches, but there you go.

I just threw 25 votes Joe McEwing’s way.

And I feel this way about Carlos Beltran; the fact that he’s so underappreciated in general makes it easier for me to admit it.

I actually WOULD rather have Beltran than Nate McClouth!

I think the All-Star selection process should represent something of a balance between in-season performance, career achievement, and fame (for lack of a better word), but when you’ve been as putrid as Rollins has been this season, you shouldn’t be anywhere near any kind of All-Star team… it cancels the other two factors out.

when he talks about pitching.

“yeah, don’t worry, ok, it’s only swine flu”

But some of her points are relevant and refreshing, considering the media tension regarding the team. She definitely glossed over the shoddy defense, I think a lot of people have, since we’ve all been assuming its bound to get better and it just hasn’t, especially, at least it seems, in the outfield, where Carlos Beltran and Ryan Church haven’t seemed to be nearly the pluses we expected them to be.

As for the offense, I think the point is relevant insofar as it means the Mets offense really isn’t the biggest issue, or at least the one that most demands correction. Run prevention is a far larger issue for this team. Trading for a first baseman would be a Mama’s of Corona style panic move, and its hard to imagine any match where the Mets get a fair return, unless the asking price for Nick Johnson or Aubrey Huff is minimal. The injuries are clearly a monster problem, as are the middling production for the secondary regulars, but for the most part, Jerry really has had 13 pretty decent options to mix and match his offense with even through the injuries, he just hasn’t done a great job of said mixing and matching.

She also had some nice things to say about Fernando Nieve, which I’m semi-willing to buy into. And she’s a Jerry hater, which gives her automatic bonus points in my book

Part of the problem here is what’s the fix? Do you let Oil Spill play in place of Castillo more? The defensive issues seem to be stemming from guys like Wright, Beltran, Sheffield, and Castillo, the first three of whom are essentially the whole reason the Mets have something resembling a good offense. And even if they finally bite the bullet on Castillo’s contract, which seems unlikely, who do they replace him with that really helps?

The only obvious short-term defensive patch the Mets might actually kind of have if you squint is to hope F! starts hitting and can play LF every day. His 1.2 UZR in LF is stunningly good for just eight games, and it gels with the scouting report that he’d make a fringey CF but very good corner guy defensively.

Otherwise, you just have to hope that Beltran’s knee stops barking and Wright gets back to his former above average if unspectacular defensive self and Church gets a few more chances to flash his cannon. Reyes returning should help too, as Cora hasn’t been particulary good at SS, but he’s been fine at 2B, and you can bet he’ll see some time there after Reyes comes back.