91 Applesauce - Mets lose their 91st, Wilpons purging Latin staff, Pelfrey's weird year, Valentine's flexible situation

by Joe Budd on Sep 30, 2009 8:19 AM EDT in Applesauce

91 losses and counting. Just four more horror shows remaining.

Meet the Mets

Matt Pignataro reports that the Wilpons are trying to purge the Met organization of its Latin influence. Say what?

Toby Hyde weighs in on the whole Nick Evans bench riding thing.

Howard Megdal sticks up for Pelfrey on New York Baseball Digest. Fire Jerry Manuel argues that Pelfrey might be better if Dan Warthen dressed up as a clown... or just left. One thing is for sure, though, Pelfrey has thrown his last pitch for 2009.

Adam Rubin says that Alex Cora might be back next year.

Bobby Valentine says that his new ESPN contract will allow him to bail for managerial positions. He also was non-committal about the Mets.

Around the NL East

The Phillies staved off the Braves for one night, as Atlanta lost to Florida and Philadelphia beat Houston. Atlanta also fell one game further behind the Rockies.

Florida's loss eliminated them from the postseason.

Atlanta's surge has come without Jeff Francoeur. Coincidence?

There is a possibility that Atlanta could play two play-in games.

Beyond the Box Score takes a look at Nationals "outfielder" Adam Dunn.

Buzz around Miami is that the Marlins are looking to unload some of their talent.

Check out this amazing balk call from the Phillies-Astros game.

Around MLB

Colorado's wild card chase has gotten a little help from the umpires. Check out this non-catch.

Yankee Stadium will host Big East bowl games.

Chuck Knoblauch has been accused of choking his wife.

FanGraphs says that the 2009 Mariners could be the best defensive team in this decade.

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Comments

I read it somewhere else where it made more sense. It’s not "latin coaches’ it’s "Tony Bernazard coaches’.

-Ceetar, the Optimistic Mets Fan

by Ceetar on Sep 30, 2009 8:28 AM EDT reply actions

Oh no

Interesting bit from the Pignataro piece:

He said that if Minaya is canned for some reason, the rumor around baseball is that Giants GM Brian Sabean would go to New York without hesitation if the Wilpon’s hired him as, “He loves New York.”

by mnbv on Sep 30, 2009 9:50 AM EDT reply actions

If so, say farewell

to anyone under 38

by deadspy3 on Sep 30, 2009 9:52 AM EDT up reply actions

This

would drive me to get a new hobby.

by DannyMetsGeek on Sep 30, 2009 9:54 AM EDT up reply actions

you lobby for a new hobby?

by Bieser's Balk on Sep 30, 2009 10:30 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

God I hope not

"I reject your reality and substitute my own"
-Adam Savage

by blueandorange4life on Sep 30, 2009 9:54 AM EDT up reply actions

what the hell?

why would you fire a bumbling idiot and then replace him with a bigger idiot?

by JoshNY on Sep 30, 2009 11:39 AM EDT up reply actions

Funny to me

how the guy from Metsblog totally buys into Pelfrey’s W-L and ERA and basically writes him off for next season as a failure. Especially when you look at it next to Howard Megdal’s piece

"I reject your reality and substitute my own"
-Adam Savage

by blueandorange4life on Sep 30, 2009 9:54 AM EDT reply actions

Michael Baron makes Matt Cerrone sound like Keith Law

he’s the worst of the worst of MetsBlog

by englishgrey on Sep 30, 2009 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions

and that is really saying something

by Balagast on Sep 30, 2009 2:45 PM EDT up reply actions

man, that's mean but really funny

by Bieser's Balk on Sep 30, 2009 2:47 PM EDT up reply actions

That balk call is awesome

Shades of Enrico Palazzo.

by TheBigStapler on Sep 30, 2009 9:59 AM EDT reply actions

i love it.

by Pack Bringley on Sep 30, 2009 10:18 AM EDT up reply actions

Those Manuel quotes

in the Toby Hyde piece really tell you all you need to know about Jerry. An impressive mix of incompetence and incoherence.

by Bieser's Balk on Sep 30, 2009 10:31 AM EDT reply actions

Chuck Knoblauch

early reports indicate that the first 3 times he tried to choke his wife, he missed badly. On the second try, he missed so badly that he accidentally choked Keith Olberman’s mother.

"[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 Sep 30, 2009 10:33 AM EDT reply actions 5 recs

damnit

I was just formulating a Keith Olberman’s mother joke and you beat me to it. Well played

by HotChipWillBreakYourLegs on Sep 30, 2009 10:50 AM EDT up reply actions

That's just awful

Really, really, really funny, but awful

Just know, if there's ever a riot at Citi Field and Oliver Perez was the starter, I started the riot.

by meigs1414 on Sep 30, 2009 11:25 AM EDT up reply actions

ah thats so much humor packed into so few lines... rec'd

by KeithsMoustache on Sep 30, 2009 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions

fuck dan warthen

seriously

by firejerrymanuel on Sep 30, 2009 10:45 AM EDT reply actions

wow

that Matt Pignataro thing is one ugly racist piece of garbage.

by Pack Bringley on Sep 30, 2009 11:24 AM EDT reply actions

What did he say?

I only listened for about five minutes before I got sick of their format. It reminds me of the conversations I would have with my friends in the stock room when I worked retail during my high school summer vacations, what’s more, they are adults.

by Coolpapabell on Sep 30, 2009 12:55 PM EDT up reply actions

some unnamed official says...

“Look up and down their minor league coaching system. Tell me how many of their coaches are Latin… there is your problem right there.”

Pignataro, trying to defend his decision to print that garbage says,

“I’m implying that these Latin coaches posed a problem to the Mets minor league system and now they are getting rid of the Latin influence through out their system. And to show that my source was correct two months ago. I wanted to put this information out sooner, but I didn’t feel the time was right.”

by Pack Bringley on Sep 30, 2009 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions

or maybe they just sucked at baseball and happened to speak spanish.

by fxcarden on Sep 30, 2009 1:21 PM EDT up reply actions

then what's the point of identifying them as Latino?

why not just say that a lot of the Mets’ minor league coaches should be fired because player development isn’t proceeding as well as it should?

by JoshNY on Sep 30, 2009 1:27 PM EDT up reply actions

because that way, he can start a controversy.

by fxcarden on Sep 30, 2009 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions

don't think he's smart enough

read his response to comments. he’s frickin clueless. hopefully he’ll learn something.

by Pack Bringley on Sep 30, 2009 1:41 PM EDT up reply actions

Why would you play a bowl game at Yankee Stadium?

Isn’t there going to be a brand spanking new football stadium opening up in the NYC area within the next year?

by JoshNY on Sep 30, 2009 11:43 AM EDT reply actions

Because

When 15,000 people show up it will look less awful in the 50,000 Yankee Stadium than in the 75,000 seat (Corporate Sponsor) Stadium

by Reg Dunlop on Sep 30, 2009 1:41 PM EDT up reply actions

15000 people will still look pretty awful in Yankee Stadium, though

by JoshNY on Sep 30, 2009 4:00 PM EDT up reply actions

well they usually get that anyway, right?

"We're investigating the investigative procedure of the investigation of Tony Bernazard"---Omar Minaya (he really didn't say it but he would"

by firejerrynow on Sep 30, 2009 5:20 PM EDT up reply actions

Does that Mariner stat

mean defense is perhaps not as important as we think, or does it mean defensive measurements still have a ways to go? A little of both I think.

by David G on Sep 30, 2009 11:43 AM EDT reply actions

Well think about it this way,

The Mariners batting has been worth -58 runs while their defense has been worth 85 runs throw in replacement runs of 198 and positional adjustment of -22 and you get WAR of ~20 for the positional players. Their pitching has been worth WAR of ~15. Put that together with the fact that replacement level wins roughly 47 games and you get 47+20+15= 82 Wins. Looking at the standings the Mariners have actual wins of 81.

The fact that the Mariners went from one of the worst teams in the league with not a very promising future to probably over .500 while having below average batting, speaks highly of not only the importance of defense but that teams still undervalue it as shown by the Mariners picking up several defensive cogs on the cheap as well as trading Washburn and his shiny ERA. Also, while defensive measurements arent perfect, I wouldn’t say they have “a ways to go” rather there is always room for improvement.

by Sokojoe on Sep 30, 2009 12:07 PM EDT up reply actions

All that sabermetrics

reminded me of why I was a history major instead of Math
WOW

Jerry and Omar assclowns for life

by Ghost of seven in a row on Oct 1, 2009 1:12 AM EDT up reply actions

I'm glad the season is ending the way it is ending.

That way, I can concentrate on other hobbies without worrying if the Mets are going to the playoffs or choke. Like hockey season or SAMCRO for instance.

Beer is good! And stuff!

by R_Adragna on Sep 30, 2009 11:51 AM EDT reply actions

whywhywhy do we need Cora?

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

by squid92 on Sep 30, 2009 1:50 PM EDT reply actions

Grission

Duh.

Just know, if there's ever a riot at Citi Field and Oliver Perez was the starter, I started the riot.

by meigs1414 on Sep 30, 2009 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Alex Cora

is the rarest of species. The non-white ambassador of grission. I look forward to the Alex Cora Rotunda at the Grission Hall of Fame

by Bieser's Balk on Sep 30, 2009 3:35 PM EDT up reply actions

Hey guess what?

Lefty starter, Nick Evans no where to be found in the starting lineup.

Just know, if there's ever a riot at Citi Field and Oliver Perez was the starter, I started the riot.

by meigs1414 on Sep 30, 2009 4:18 PM EDT reply actions

Nick who?

now you’re just making up players!

by KeithsMoustache on Sep 30, 2009 4:20 PM EDT up reply actions

He is talking about the F1 race driver.

by Michkin on Sep 30, 2009 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions

Not to beat a dead horse

But Evans has had three at bats since Sept. 12. How the hell are we supposed to know if he can be good or if he is awful if he doesn’t play?

Just know, if there's ever a riot at Citi Field and Oliver Perez was the starter, I started the riot.

by meigs1414 on Sep 30, 2009 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions

they can't

thats the point… if we never find out this season, then we can’t be disappointed. And they’ve already disappointed us so much they don’t want to make it harder on us by having us find out Nick Evans is not good. They’re only thinking of our morale! we should thank them for their thoughtfulness

by KeithsMoustache on Sep 30, 2009 4:35 PM EDT up reply actions