Monday Morning Mets Newsstand

by Eric Simon on Oct 22, 2007 9:30 AM EDT in Applesauce

Saturday was Keith Hernandez's birthday and Babes Love Baseball gave our favorite mustachioed microphone jockey a fitting tribute.

--
In yesterday's Bergen Record, Bob Klapisch took at look at what Joe Torre's departure means for the Yankees' free agents, specifically Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte. The Mets would likely be interested in each of those guys were they to hit the open market, though the likelihood of actually signing any of them remains to be seen. Rivera and Pettitte in particular were known to be very loyal to Torre and could make life difficult for the Yankees once the World Series draws to a close.

The best fit for the Mets is likely Posada, the best catcher available at a position the Mets need to fill. He is one of the elite hitting backstops in baseball and has plenty of experience playing in New York, whatever that's worth. He isn't spectacular defensively but he isn't likely to kill you behind the plate, either.

Pettitte would be the next best fit, a very good left-handed starter who has a $16 million player option with the Yanks for 2007. He has a history of elbow problems but was very healthy in 2006 and could probably get a three-year deal somewhere.

Rivera isn't likely to sign anywhere he isn't guaranteed to be the closer, and Billy Wagner is just as unlikely to step aside for anyone, even Rivera. While using two terrific closers during the regular season would keep them well-rested as the year wears on, it's hard to conceive of a realistic scenario where it would actually work out.

Rodriguez's potential arrival in Queens faces numerous obstacles, including money, years, and defensive positioning. The Mets have no need for a player at either position Rodriguez has ever played, and imagining A-Rod playing second base or the outfield is a considerable stretch, to say the least.

--
Uhh... I'm kinda confused by this. Our SBNation Nats' blogger seems to have an axe to grind with us in a series he calls the "TOP 5 Reasons YOU Can STILL Hate THE METS!!". If you can get beyond the bizarre capitalization in the title, here are the four reasons posted so far (we'll have to wait patiently for reason #1):

The Mets fans
The Mets WANT to steal the Flat-Brimmed Closer from DC.
New York steals "The Kid"...(and now Gary Carter is remembered by most, but not all, as a Met).
What the Mets did to Jose Guillen. (An Argument in Six Parts).

This is all weird to me, to say the least. It's an interesting list so far, but it seems like this cat's hatred for the Mets goes beyond what I could have thought possible of a Nationals' fan. For a moment I thought I was living in a vaccuum; had I completely missed the many obvious reasons that an Expos-cum-Nationals fan might hate the Mets? I checked with my girl Kristen from We've Got Heart and she seemed as dumbfounded as I was.

I mean, the third biggest reason to hate the Mets is that they wanted to acquire Chad Cordero last year? Really? Someone explain this to me. The whole things seems a tad dramatic.

--
If you're a fan of the New York Hockey Rangers, go check out Blueshirt Buzz, a Rangers blog penned by my sister, Carolyn. We may not see eye-to-eye with respect to our team loyalties (I'm a Devils' fan), but she knows what she's talking about when it comes to the boys from Broadway.

Tweet Comment 6 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Lets-Go!

Dev-ils!

by kendynamo on Oct 22, 2007 10:17 AM EDT reply actions

When?

I'm confused about the post-season scheduling this year. When do the Mets get to play? It's getting late in the season, and I'm concerned about the weather.

by elliot on Oct 22, 2007 11:55 AM EDT reply actions

thoughts

Hmm, so the Washington Nationals fan who penned that rant was a Montreal Expos fan in the early 80s and thus loves Gary Carter and hates that the Mets got him? That's an odd one. I'm guessing that there aren't too many people from the DC area who just happened to be Expos fans back in the day, though I guess it's possible that some Expos fans followed the Nats down to DC. Whatever.

As for the potential Yankees free agents, I'll list them in order that I want them from least to most:

Pettitte: old, injury history, superficial numbers masked a mediocre year last year. If the Mets are going to augment the starting rotation, I want them to do it with younger guys.

Rivera: unnecessary given the price tag, though I have nightmares of hearing "Enter Sandman" at Turner Field as Rivera jogs in to finish off the Mets and clinch a division title for the Braves.

Posada: would be a big help, but he's unlikely to repeat his offensive performance of 2007, and he's getting dangerously close to the age where most catchers decline rapidly. He'd probably not be worth the contract he signs.

A-Rod: I don't care about the logistics, cost, necessity, whatever. He's the best hitter in the game. Move Wright to LF, and slide A-Rod in at 3B. The Mets lineup would be sick. Plus, should he lead the Mets to a division title and then have a monster postseason and capture a world series title, the silence of the media idiots who labeled him a choker would be priceless.

Fire Willie Randolph!

by Greenpoint Ian on Oct 22, 2007 12:56 PM EDT reply actions

L'expos never got over the Kid

Anytime the Mets would play in Montreal the official scorer would have Camera in his sights. He'd hit a triple, it'd go for a three-base error. He'd hit a DP ball with men on first and third and one out, the shortstop would kick it away -- no RBI for you, Gary, regardless of what the rules say. And no Met hurler could throw a wild pitch in Olympic Stadium; that place was passed ball city.

I hate being hated.

by Simons on Oct 22, 2007 3:40 PM EDT reply actions

I don't get it

So we TRADED for Carter? And gave up four players, one of whom was a future All-Star (for what that's worth), and two of whom were former first-round and second-round picks? And that constitutes stealing? I don't get how that's stealing, sorry.

And I don't get how wanting to trade for Cordero is stealing either. If I remember the rumors correctly, the stealing would've been in the other direction. I think they asked for Wright, Milledge and the entire Binghamton roster.

And if Guillen doesn't want to get hit so much, then he shouldn't crowd the fucking plate. It's not our fault that he's too stupid to figure that out.

I think Ian's pretty right on about the Yanks' pending/possibly pending free agents - but I can't see the Bravos ponying up the money to sign Rivera.

by Josh @ Amazin' Avenue on Oct 22, 2007 4:52 PM EDT reply actions

Hm.

Let's be honest - Mets fans, by and large, are jerks. I went to eight road games this year (living in Ohio, that's my only option) and, without exception, there was always at least one obnoxious Mets fan starting shit, rubbing the team's success in the home team's fans faces and generally being completely disrespectful. Whenever he would start, the scattered Mets fans in the crowd (myself excluded) would join in on his arrogant drunken escapades.

On neutral message boards that discuss baseball, Mets fans are mostly regarded as swaggering loudmouths, obsessed in going over the finer points of the fashion in which they'd violate certain members of the team's bullpen.

Don't get me wrong, we're not as bad as Phillies fans, or, God forbid, Yankees fans. But we are jerks.

by devo @ Amazin' Avenue on Oct 22, 2007 7:42 PM EDT reply actions