There's Always Next Year Applesauce - Mets without Reyes and Beltran, Niese's fastball, Victorino's All Star campaign
by Joe Budd on Jul 8, 2009 9:53 AM EDT
in Link Dump
32 comments
I feel like I've been one of the more optimistic Met fans/bloggers out there, but it's time to get real. With the bad news surrounding Reyes and Beltran, the Mets and Omar need to sell relatively high with some of their veteran pieces and hope that no one will walk under any ladders, break any mirrors, or skin any black cats next year. I've been hesitant to do this after so many teams have had extraordinary runs, but those have to be the outliers. Play the odds. This team is not going anywhere this year.
Meet the Mets
So, the injury news out of Met camp is not good. Looks like Reyes and Beltran are a long way away still. Also, Flushing University reports that Johan has received a cortisone shot.
Everyone's talking about the possibility of bringing up Jon Niese into the starting rotation, but Metsmerized says to look again at Nelson Figueroa. Toby Hyde also does a great job dismissing the argument that Niese's fastball is too straight.
If you are in a self-deprecating mood today and/or have an unbreakable monitor, then I present to you ESPN's Not Top Plays New York Met edition.
David Wright says the Mets stink right now.
Argenis Reyes was demoted back to the minors to make room for Oliver Perez.
Around the NL East
The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jim Salisbury writes the dumbest column, most obvious column I've seen in a while. Granted I've stopped reading most of the New York tabloid columns, so my sample size is pretty small.
The Phillies did not score 22 runs and they did not win either, losing to the Reds 4-3.
Shane Victorino is campaigning to make the All-Star team. Phillies Nation says it's his intangibles that make him worthy. It's all your fault he has to even campaign.
Barry Zito shut down the Marlins, leading the Giants to a 3-0 victory.
Remember Scott Williamson? The Marlins do.
The Nationals fell to the Rockies 5-4. The Mets Not Top Plays is bad, I can't imagine what the Nationals edition would look like. Alan Embree further proved that the win statistic is worthless, as he "won" the game without throwing a single pitch.
Washington is NOT trading Adam Dunn.
Javier Vazquez continues to be awesome and the Braves beat the Cubs. The victory came without Chipper Jones who is dealing with yet another injury.
Around MLB
Carlos Gomez made an amazing catch in yesterday's Twin-Yankee game, robbing Alex Rodriguez of a grand slam.
Keith Olbermann pipes in more outrage over Manny Ramirez.
Albert Pujols is better than Ryan Howard.
Should Red shortstop Paul Janish move to the mound?
I give you a treatise on the All-American quality of grit.
Rob Neyer dismisses the recent Times article on injuries.
Tony LaRussa is no longer suing Twitter. In other lawsuit news, the fan who was kicked out of Yankee Stadium for going to the bathroom during "God Bless America" has settled his case.
Newly acquired Cardinal Mark DeRosa has an injured wrist.
Ryan Dempster may miss up to a month after injuring himself in a walkoff celebration.
The 5 living presidents will make a video appearance at this year's All Star Game. Remind me to set my TiVo.
Stolen bases are up 11% from last year.
Wallace Matthews adds to the Jeter aura while also managing to dis the Mets.
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Wally Matthews never ceases to amaze
If you want to understand the essential difference between the Yankees and the Mets, it is not in the payroll or the ballpark or some silly mystique built up by players who no longer exist.
The difference, pure and simple, is Jeter.
by James Kannengieser on Jul 8, 2009 10:07 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
That's the first thing I've ever read that's actually caused tremors.
Concerning Figgy vs. Niese, I’d call Mezmerized out on an epic wrong.
Nothing can get by him; especially in a small room: Mike Francessa
by GenJackRipper on Jul 8, 2009 10:10 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So what he's saying is
it’s not silly mystique built up by players who no longer exist, but silly mystique built up by a player who does still exist.
by Mount17 on Jul 8, 2009 10:17 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
that is my favorite article
it’s like the Thomas Kinkade of sports writing
IE didn’t render the blockquote at first, so I thought you were mocking that dude, but he ACTUALLY WROTE THAT.
I’m still a little taken aback, even after during inured to people slobbering over Jeter’s knob for going on 15 years now.
by hotspur on Jul 8, 2009 10:29 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That's really unfair to Thomas Kinckade
Kinkade’s rap is that he’s a mediocre artist who has succeeded based on pure gimmickry. But Kinckade does have some idea of how to actually put a brush onto a canvas and paint something. Matthews is just an imbecile.
Nothing can get by him; especially in a small room: Mike Francessa
by GenJackRipper on Jul 8, 2009 10:35 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Actually, Kinkade doesn't put brush to canvas.
That job has long since been turned over to “assistants”, who probably “sign” the painting for him also.
by madisonmetsfan on Jul 8, 2009 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Matthews
He also claimed that Jeter’s grission has caused the Yankees to win “dozens, HUNDREDS” of games more over his career.
by DannyMetsGeek on Jul 8, 2009 10:36 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Why stop there?
THOUSANDS!!!
by James Kannengieser on Jul 8, 2009 10:42 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not to mention the millions of lives he's saved
through his patented Ford safety technology
Nothing can get by him; especially in a small room: Mike Francessa
by GenJackRipper on Jul 8, 2009 10:43 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
That article was horrid.
"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf"
-Tug McGraw
by squid92 on Jul 8, 2009 10:39 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I threw up in my mouth a little after reading this.
You don't cheer for the Mets. You drink for the Mets.
by Kevin H on Jul 8, 2009 10:49 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I couldn't even finish it
Only Jeter could get praised for getting thrown out at 3B. Then Jeter’s smug ass response after the game when questioned, “Well, I was safe.” That’s not the point. I don’t care that the tag was missed. The reason they say, “You have to be safe” in that situation is that you have to be so safe that the unpire CAN’T blow the call.
It just follows the NY Media formula for writing about baseball: Yankees=Right; Mets=Wrong, no matter what facts say otherwise.
by blains2000 on Jul 8, 2009 11:05 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Math is just stupid, isn't Wallace
You can throw around all the numbers you want to “prove” he has no range, or that his offensive production is down, or whatever other silly quantitative analysis you wish to apply.
Wouldn’t the world be a much better place to live if numbers just cease to exist? I’m 27 feet tall, you can use all the numbers you want to “prove” I’m lying, but that’s just silly analysis isn’t it.
I actually had to stop reading, go get a glass of juice (pomegranate-blueberry from minute-maid) and a bowl of grapes when I got to this part:
The Yankees, winners of 10 of their previous 11 games and of the entire holiday weekend against the Blue Jays, once again had taken a game down to its final inning, to their last at-bat – indeed, to their last strike.
The reason they were in that position, you could argue, was because of Jeter’s play in the first inning.
Really, how in the hell did Jeter getting thrown out in the first inning help them get into a winning situation?
How does the editor let him write this shit. How is it allowed to appear on a place where people can actually read it?
"We must win and we must know how to win rather than win because we have statistical people."
by Evan_S on Jul 8, 2009 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Wallace Matthews would say
that pomegranate-blueberry juice is for math-loving nerds who live in their mother’s basement and think baseball is played by computers.
by JoshNY on Jul 8, 2009 3:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Mathews is there to stir the pot
I don’t think that guy ever believes most of what he writes. He’s just there to play Devils Advocate. That’s been his schtick for years and it’s not gonna change. His columns are highly Op Ed pieces and not meant to be taken overly seriously.
It’s just pure entertainment.
In my opinion, Jeter has to be the most over rated player in baseball. Much of his success in the game is owed to guys like Paul Oniel, Scott Brosias, Tino Martinez etc. The reason why he gets undo praise is because his teams win.
If they didn’t he’d occupy the same place David Wright does now. I think anyone giving that article more than two seconds thought can clearly see that. And quite frankly, depsite Wright’s recent struggles, I think Wright has to be one of the most well rounded players in the game today.
by Chickendirt on Jul 8, 2009 3:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
To be fair
Derek Jeter is a much, much better player than any of those guys like Brosias and Martinez. In fact, those guys got even more overrated than Jeter, if that’s possible.
Martinez had three good to great years but was a decent, average to below average player the rest of his career (and if you factor in the fact that he played for the Mariners in the mid 90s and the Yankees at the turn of the 2000s, he’s definitely a candidate for steroid use).
Brosius was weird. He had two really great years (96, 98), but sucked the rest of his career (his third best WAR total was 1.9, in 2001).
O’Neill was a legitimately good player, but by 1999, he really only had a complementary player effect on the Yankees, but was still praised as a cornerstone of those WS winning teams.
Those dynastic Yankees were just like every other championship team, teams that were well put together, with a couple of core, star players surrounded with complementary pieces that had career years. The Yankees were only able to win because they had the money to fill in those pieces and had more and more good luck.
"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf"
-Tug McGraw
by squid92 on Jul 8, 2009 4:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Jeter is not overrated at alll
He’s already the 62nd best player by Rally’s WAR database, and he still has plenty of good seasons left. He’ll end up with over 3500 hits and go down as one of the greatest shortstops ever.
That being said, his intangible qualities are amazingly overblown.
Derosa.
by vivaelpujols on Jul 9, 2009 5:26 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Why haven't we traded Sheff to a real contender yet?
Nothing can get by him; especially in a small room: Mike Francessa
by GenJackRipper on Jul 8, 2009 10:22 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
WAR among candidates for final vote in NL through half a season
Matt Kemp: 3.6 WAR
Pablo Sandoval 2.7 WAR
Mark Reynolds 2.4 WAR
Shane Victorino 1.6 WAR
Christian Guzman 0.7 WAR
Oh wait, sorry. Victorino gets +5 WAR in grission points.
"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf"
-Tug McGraw
by squid92 on Jul 8, 2009 10:41 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Of course, didn't you know that?
"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf"
-Tug McGraw
by squid92 on Jul 8, 2009 10:44 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing.
However, the double fist pump scream that Victorino can do far exceeds everything else.
by DannyMetsGeek on Jul 8, 2009 10:49 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I personally like
how he interferes with SS and 2B on the front end of a DP attempt without getting called.
by blains2000 on Jul 8, 2009 10:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
"Johan has received a cortisone shot."
F! is injured, Johan is not himself lately, Dub is having a weird season.
by Michkin on Jul 8, 2009 2:58 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
So, WHO'S EXCITED FOR OLLIE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf"
-Tug McGraw
by squid92 on Jul 8, 2009 4:42 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I hope he is received well tonight
Here’s his 2nd chance.
by TheBigStapler on Jul 8, 2009 4:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm excited for his Pitchfx data
I done think I’ve ever done an analysis of someone who was really, really bad.
Derosa.
by vivaelpujols on Jul 8, 2009 7:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
If you do a full length analysis of it
consider comparing it with Jon Niese’s starts, to see who would have been a better call up (obvious). Or, for pure cruelty, compare it to Derek Lowe, Javier Vazquez, or AJ Burnett.
"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf"
-Tug McGraw
by squid92 on Jul 8, 2009 11:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm excited that
I can pick the Dodgers in this game on ESPN’s Streak For the Cash game. It’s an easy win. They rarely post mismatches, but this is the 2nd day in a row they’ve got Mets-Dodgers.
by David G on Jul 8, 2009 4:44 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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