Reasons to Still Watch the Mets in 2009

by TheBigStapler on Jul 24, 2009 11:52 AM EDT Comment 44 comments

The Mets are 10.5 games back in the division and 7.5 games back in the Wild Card. The team's Pecota-adjusted odds of making the playoffs are 3.7%. We may sit back as fans and ask, "Why on earth would we want to put ourselves through 68 more games of this?"

1. Johan Santana. So far, Santana is 10-7 with a 3.09 ERA in the first half. Last year by that time, he was 8-7 with a 2.84 ERA and went on to pitch brilliantly, offering 3 complete games along the way to finishing 2nd in the Cy Young voting. The team may not be in the running for a division title but Santana is always in the running for a Cy Young. 20 wins to go along with his usual sterling ERA and a handful of memorable performances could earn him his first hardware as a Met. This would also be the team's first since Dwight Gooden, passing on the torch from Tom Seaver, in turn, to Johan Santana.

2. Gary, Keith and Ron. As the games become less and less important and it becomes clear that the team is just going through the motions, you can expect a lot of gems from the broadcast booth. Keith, in particular, is at his best when he's bored.

3. David Wright. Juxtaposed with the awful supporting cast, Wright's excellence should only be more stark. Who knows, he could even win a batting title.

4. The Three Stooges. There's plenty of front office faux pas in store for the second half. Sooner or later it will cease to be embarrassing and just become pure entertainment. Tony Bernazard's Grand Theft Auto-style golf cart rampage? Omar Minaya speaking in tongues during press conferences? Jerry Manuel's emergency 200 pitch bunting drill? Every stupid thing they do brings them closer to the exit.

5. The Return of the Core. It's been so long that we've forgotten what it's like to field a good team. Getting Wright, Reyes, Beltran and Delgado back on the team, perhaps sometime in August, will make us optimistic again, not for the postseason but for good, honest baseball. You've earned it.

These are my reasons for still watching, what are yours?

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6. Go Big Pelf

He had a pretty good 1st half of the season, but opened up the second half with a terrible start, bouncing back somewhat against the Nats. I like Pelfrey and he is still pretty young, I’m curious how he his number will look at the end of next season as I think he still can be a very good number 3 borderline number 2 down the road.

by Sokojoe on Jul 24, 2009 11:59 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

7. Feliciano's Rotator Cuff

The question isn’t if, but when!

by njk237 on Jul 24, 2009 12:28 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

8. Finding Painfully Comical New Ways To Lose Games

I’m going to be watching to see what news ways this team loses. We have the dodger debacle, the yankee 2 out collapse, Murphy in Left field, Beltran’s pop drop, Feliciano’s balk, getting shutout by the Nats, Frenchie getting scared of the ball in right and lots more. Those memorable moments will be hard to beat, but who knows what we are in store for?

On a more positive note I’m pretty psyched to

9. Watch Neise pitch in the majors.

10. Watch Pagan stay healthy for the rest of the year. He has been my favorite to watch recently.

by Delgado on Jul 24, 2009 1:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I second the Pagan sentiment

He’s no star but you gotta love his athleticism.

Oh and Niese, of course!

by TheBigStapler on Jul 24, 2009 2:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Niese start on saturday

I’m nervous for him because Houston has a Right handed team. The only lefty he is likely to face is Bourn. The good news for him is no Berkman.

by Delgado on Jul 24, 2009 4:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Pagan is good at very little

He’s all beardy plus the speed/athleticism combo make it look like he’s good at baseball; he’s not. His average is being buoyed by a high BABIP, he’s a bad defensive CF and he hasn’t hit a homer since becoming a Met. Dude is 28 years old, so this is what he is — fifth outfielder insurance.

by All Shook Down on Jul 24, 2009 11:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Don't get me wrong

I’m not saying I would want Pagan starting, but at least his speed and hustle make him fun to watch.

by Delgado on Jul 25, 2009 2:11 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I guess.

I personally don’t want to watch replacement level players.

by All Shook Down on Jul 25, 2009 2:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't think Pagan is that bad

He’s an above-average corner outfielder, and he’s been close to average in CF in a small career sample.

Fangraphs rates him at 1.3 WAR in a little under 1 full season’s worth of career playing time. (Jeremy Reed and Angel Berroa combined WAR, 2006-09: –3.7. Yeah, that’s almost 4 wins worse than replacement.)

by psiogen on Jul 25, 2009 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Close to average, but BELOW defensively in CF

His career minor league OPS is .714. His career ML OPS is .731.

He sucks and is 28. I don’t think that’s fun to watch.

by All Shook Down on Jul 25, 2009 4:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

11. Watching Socks! once a month (GIDP Pujols anyone?)

by Michkin on Jul 24, 2009 3:00 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

This is #1

Watching him get out of numerous bases loaded jams and then being repaid with a seat in the bullpen for the next 8 days.

I haven’t heard an apology from Billy Wagner yet either so maybe we can see Socks! beat the crap out of him in the next month or so.

Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but Jerry abuses the privilege.

by AnthonyR on Jul 24, 2009 11:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

12. I don't really know what else to do after work

by dtro on Jul 24, 2009 3:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

13. What else am I supposed to do, watch the Yankees?
14. It’s nice to have a reason to start drinking earlier in the evenings.

by anonymous on Jul 24, 2009 3:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

15. GKR drinking game

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

by squid92 on Jul 24, 2009 3:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Lol

I gotta play that.

I also thought it should be something like 3 chugs every time Keith calls someone a one handed all-star

by Delgado on Jul 24, 2009 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

YES!!!

Must remember to do that in a non-Johan start.

by meigs1414 on Jul 24, 2009 4:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

16. Tailgating at Citi Field

And maybe some kind of AA day at a Cyclones game.

by James Kannengieser on Jul 24, 2009 5:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

That'd be awesome

We can play a drinking game! We can take a swig every time a Cyclone too old for the NY-Penn League comes to the plate.

by All Shook Down on Jul 25, 2009 12:26 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

17. I still have tickets that I have to use.....

by fxcarden on Jul 24, 2009 6:28 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I'd like to add : Watch Frenchy DRIVE IN RBIs that mean nothing to Sabermetric-Freaks here....but do lead to winning ballgames which Mets fans should care about.

by MetsGod on Jul 29, 2009 3:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Do RBIs matter...yes

Do RBIs tell you something about a hitter that you don’t already know…no.

"We have to find a way to play better, there's no doubt. Overall. I'm not pointing fingers at anybody. Offense, defense, pitching -- we have to find a way to play better. The reality of this is, coming here to Pittsburgh and being swept -- personally, I feel embarrassed." -- Carlos Beltran

by EMSfan9 on Jul 29, 2009 3:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Do you realize that when he goes into a cold streak

and he will, every player does, he will be the equivalent of black hole. If he can’t make contact, he is absolutely useless. I’ll enjoy it for as long as it lasts, but I’d reserve my enthusiasm for Francoeur until there is a substantial sample size.

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

by Evan_S on Jul 29, 2009 3:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sample size.....that seems to be the Buzz word around here.

Frenchy CAN and will continue to “make contact”….he’s not David “Strikeout” Wright.

even his outs ARE LOUD.

by MetsGod on Jul 30, 2009 2:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And his outs continue to be LOUD.

Nice to see that he’s starting to take pitches. For a change.

by MetsGod on Aug 11, 2009 12:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And, just for the record

calling folks around here “sabermetric-freaks” really adds nothing to the discourse. You’ve made it abundantly clear that you don’t care for it.

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

by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright on Jul 29, 2009 3:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe if I said Sabermetric-nice-people then?

I didn’t mean the “freaks” part as any type of insult but hey…if it did offend you all, my bad. That was not my intention.

by MetsGod on Jul 30, 2009 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

How about just "people"?

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

by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright on Jul 30, 2009 4:17 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

works for me.

by MetsGod on Jul 30, 2009 4:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wow, you're obnoxious.

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

by squid92 on Jul 29, 2009 3:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

stop commenting, start flagging

Don’t feed the, um, gods.

by anonymous on Jul 29, 2009 3:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

scotties?

King of the bling come to lay down the evidence//Not George Bush, L-Millz be da president

by Sam Page on Jul 30, 2009 1:08 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Centerpedes!

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

by squid92 on Jul 30, 2009 2:07 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Scotties and centerpedes are fun sometimes though

It’s always fun to watch an idiot get trapped in his own inane logic or just sheer ignorance (Scotty)

I said RISP not OPS!

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

by Evan_S on Jul 30, 2009 7:31 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I suppose so.

But everyone is overreacting to that “freaks” part…..It was never intended to be a insult.

by MetsGod on Jul 30, 2009 2:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

"Keith, in particular, is at his best when he's bored."

Or tired. Or hungry. Or breathing heavy.

by bones_boy on Jul 29, 2009 3:37 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Or sleeping. Or talking. Or watching baseball. Or acting...

by meigs1414 on Jul 29, 2009 4:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

He's versatile

like Cory Sullivan!

by TheBigStapler on Jul 30, 2009 9:47 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's gotten to the point where

I can no longer watch other teams broadcasts because GKR spoil me.

by shwebsi on Aug 11, 2009 6:02 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Top 3 worst broadcasts

1) Nats: just utter garbage, complete whine-fest, Rob Dibble being a buffoon, and the play by play guy with the annoying “textbook” voice that’s completely fake.
2) Yanks: Al Yankzeera, Michael Kay bombastic, blowhard, boring, Paul O’Neill talks like he’s at church and Leiter and Cone are surprisingly uninteresting.
3) Dodgers (when Scully is off): Steve Lyons is the worst kind of awful, because he thinks he’s funny and you don’t know whether to stab your eyes out or pierce your ear drums with an ice pick.
4) Marlins: Don’t even know who these clowns are, but they blow. It’s like they were just hired and are watching this weird new game called baseball?
5) Braves: Chip Caray. Another fake voice with fake enthusiasm. Was there some decree where all sons of broadcasters must become sucky broadcasters and embarrass their more talented dads? (Buck, Caray, Brennamen, etc.) I want that decree rescinded.

by David G on Aug 11, 2009 1:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

top 5 because

I couldn’t stop at 3. I could have kept going.

by David G on Aug 11, 2009 1:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

agreed, Steve Lyons is absolutely awful.

But Vin Scully is so sublime that I feel it’s not really fair to put the Dodgers on this list anyhow, even on his off days. The Dodger broadcast team is sort of like the Mets’ roster — one game-changing superstar backed up by a bunch of incompetent losers.

by anonymous on Aug 11, 2009 2:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

having said that, however,

their radio broadcasts do feature ardent shill Charlie Steiner. So maybe they deserve a spot on the Awful Broadcasts list anyway.

by anonymous on Aug 11, 2009 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Personally, I never understood the fascination with Vin Scully..

I heard one of his broadcasts, and while he sounds knowledgeable, his voice just seems a bit subdued, muffled, and just plain OLD. Maybe I should look up older broadcasts back in the day when he was younger ‘cause I’m just not feeling it with Vin.

by MetsGod on Aug 11, 2009 9:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs