Nice weekend -- Mets take two out of three and Iron Man 2 was pretty good. Scarlett Johansson is always a brilliant casting choice.
Meet the Mets
The Giants avoided being swept, but the brilliant Tim Lincecum still got "Cained". Jason Fry explains why Lincecum is so fun to watch. Oliver Perez was the opposite of brilliant, and Surviving the Citi looked at his day through the pitchF/X lens. Its Mets for Me provides a "tribute" to Ollie, and relays this great exchange between Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez about the next Sandy Koufax:
Gary: "97 pitches with one out in the fourth. You know how hard that is to do?"
Keith: "You know how hard that is to watch?
Speaking of Keith, here's video evidence of the nap he took in the booth during Saturday's game.
David Wright let the umpire know just how he felt after being rung up in the ninth inning yesterday. Language NSFW.
Some good news on the Hall of Fame front -- Mike Piazza would prefer to be enshrined as a Met. Brian Mangan at Fonzie Forever couldn't be happier.
Brian Joura keeps banging the Chris Carter drum. Meanwhile, Smithtown's Own is now sporting a .408 OPS. His presence on the roster can only be described as managerial hubris at this point.
Via FireJerryManuel, check out the NY Mets Journal Blog. It's maintained by an artist who draws a sketch following every Mets game. Definitely something to bookmark or add to an RSS feed.
Around MLB
The Phillies beat the Braves 5-3, as Jayson Werth and Placido Polanco hit home runs. They lead the NL east and are two games up on the Mets. The Good Phight asks "what would you do to keep Jayson Werth?"
The Nats beat the Marlins, as Livan Hernandez threw another "gem". Seriously, Livan has a 2.91 K/9 and 1.00 K:BB ratio -- with a 1.04 ERA. The madness needs to end but it would be fun to see the big man starting the All Star Game.
The Texas Rangers are likely headed for bankruptcy.
The Mariners fired hitting coach Alan Cockrell. Maybe Mike Sweeney or Ken Griffey Jr. can step up and take the job. The benefit would be twofold -- they could impart wisdom upon the M's hitters while also being removed from the active roster. Mariners DH's are hitting .185/.248/.210 this year.
In case you needed more evidence that Brian Sabean is a joke of a GM, here ya go.
Outside of MLB
Check out Stark Expo in Flushing Meadows Park right outside Citi Field.