Its been a while since I've posted on here as it became tough to keep up and I had to cut out the easiest thing to do but I'm back because i had something I had to say. Its about Pedro. Actually, its about the media. The things I've heard about Pedro's rehab start are just the straw that broke the camel's back.   more »

I took some much needed time off and look what happened:

Swept by the Rockies
Split with the Astros
One of the longest games in recent memory ending in a win.
A ridiculous catch by Beltran.
Going into the All-Star Break on a low note.
Ollie on the DL
Dave Williams' less than stellar return
Reyes goes 3-4 in the All-Star Game

Down fired
Henderson hired
Franco cut
Milledge recalled
Reyes and Gotay go back to back to lead off
Milledge scores the winning run in the first win after the ASB.
HoJo officially named hitting coach.

I think that about covers it.

I'll be back to blogging every day now although the format may very well change.

No recap...just the stats

The Colorado Rockies defeated the New York Mets 6-2 on Monday Night. Here are the Stats and Stars of the Night.

Stats of the Night:
Mets:
David Wright-- 2-4 2B
Shawn Green-- 2-4 2B
Jose Reyes-- 1-4 2B, R
Carlos Beltran-- 0-4 RBI
Ruben Gotay-- 1-2 R
Tom Glavine-- 6 IP, 6 ER, 9 H, 5 BB, 3 K
Joe Smith-- 2 IP, 0 ER, 1 BB

Rockies:
Matt Holliday-- 1-5 HR, R, 3 RBI
Willy Taveras-- 2-4 R
Jamey Carroll-- 2-4 R
Brad Hawpe-- 1-4 R, RBI
Jason Hirsh-- 6 IP, 3 H, 2 K, BB, 2-3, 2 RBI
Jorge Julio-- IP, 2 ER, 3 H

Star of the Game:
Give it to Joe Smith who kept the game close, giving the offense a chance to wake up, something that never happened.

A lot to cover in this post, so Ill get right to it.

The 2007 National League All Stars were named on Sunday and four Mets made the squad.

As expected, Jose Reyes, David Wright and Carlos Beltran were named starters by the fans. Beltran was passed by Ken Griffey Jr. as the NL's leading vote getter but still finished second in the outfield ahead of Barry Bonds. Wright finished approximately half a million votes ahead of Miguel Cabrera while Reyes edged Milwaukee's JJ Hardy by nearly 250, 000. All three Mets starters topped two million votes.

Great to see those three guys playing this year, together, especially after last year when Reyes should have gone but had the injury.

The other Mets player to make the squad was closer Billy Wagner, not starter John Maine.

I'm dissapointed that Maine isn't going. He is more deserving than Cole Hamels, Ben Sheets, Jose Valverde, Brian Fuentes and I'd say even more so than Wagner. I mean, Brian Fuentes, come on. He just lost his job. I'm also dissapointed in Tony LaRussa. 5 pitchers on the final vote ballot and Maine isn't one of them either. Gorzelanny isn't even the best starter on his own team, that would be Ian Snell. Hopefully there's a guy that can't go and Maine gets a chance. He's been great and deserves it.

Julio Franco grounded out to end yesterday's game and kind of dogged it out of the box. He was the second to last player off the bench with Ramon Castro only staying on the bench because he is the backup catcher.

I think its time for Julio to call it quits. His at bats are predictable. He can't hit a hard fastball, apparently can't run. The Mets would be better serverd with a guy like Andy Tracy who has 19 homers at AAA New Orleans or Sandy Alomar Jr. (making Castro available off the bench.) I also saw that Shea Hillenbrand just got released. I think he'd be worth a flyer as a backup first baseman. At least he can still move.

After this weekend, the entire rotation is in flux. Jorge Sosa went down with a hamstring injury on Saturday and was DL'ed. Oliver Perez is complaining of a sore back, and Mike Pelfrey took his place with mixed results yesterday. Rumor also has it that Orlando Hernandez isn't feeling so great and won't make his next start until Sunday.

What all this means? Well for one, thank god for the All-Star Break. All these guys can have some much needed rest. But it also means this week's rotation is about to become very mix and match. The only certainty seems to be Tom Glavine tonight. After that names like Jason Vargas, Aaron Sele and Brian Lawrence have been thrown around. I'll tell you one thing. I better not see Aaron Sele starting a first inning in Colorado. That would be a bad omen. Here's how I hope it shakes out.

Monday: Glavine
Tuesday: Vargas
Wednesday: Maine
Thursday: Lawrence
Friday: Pelfrey
Saturday: Glavine
Sunday: Hernandez

To make room for Lawrence on the 40 man roster, someone would have to go. I think that would have to be Sele and after Lawrence's start he or Vargas can go back down and Dave Williams would take back his role of long man.

Big Series victory, hurts not to get the sweep, but I'll take 3 of 4. Need to keep it rolling and as evidenced by the makeshift rotation coming up, the offense will need to carry the load. Let's Go Mets!

The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the New York Mets 5-3 Sunday afternoon. Here are the Stats and Star of the Day.

Stats of the Day:
Mets:
Carlos Delgado-- 2-3 2B, HR, BB, RBI, 2 R
Jose Reyes-- 1-3 R, BB, SB
Carlos Beltran-- 0-3 BB, SB
Ruben Gotay-- 1-1 RBI
Mike Pelfrey-- 5 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 3 K, loss
Aaron Heilman-- IP, 2 ER, 3 H, BB, 3 K
Scott Schoenweis-- IP, H

Phillies:
Shane Victorino-- 3-4 HR, RBI, R, 2 SB
Jimmy Rollins-- 1-4 HR, R, 2 RBI
Chase Utley-- 1-4 3B, R
Greg Dobbs-- 1-3 2B, RBI
Aaron Rowand-- 1-4 RBI
Kyle Kendrick-- 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, win

Star of the Game:
Definitely goes to Delgado, was on base all day and did all he could to keep the team in the game. Rest of the offense seemed to take the day off. Hopefully the thin air makes it a short vacation.

The New York Mets couldn't deliver the knockout blow in Philadelphia on Sunday. After three straight victories over the Phillies, the Mets were held down by rookie Kyle Kendrick and fell by a score of 5-3. Click for recap.   more »

The Mets defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 8-3 yesterday at Citizens Bank Park. Here are the Stats and Star of the Game.

Stats of the Game:
Mets:
Carlos Beltran-- 4-5 2 HR, 3R, 3 RBI
Paul Lo Duca-- 2-4 HR, BB, 3 R, 2 RBI
David Wright-- 1-4 HR, R, 2 RBI
Jose Reyes-- 1-5 R
Jorge Sosa-- 5 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 4 K, win
Pedro Feliciano-- 2 IP, 2 K, H, first career save

Phillies:
Ryan Howard-- 2-4 HR, RBI, 2 R
Carlos Ruiz-- 2-4 RBI
J.A. Happ-- 4 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 5 K, loss
Jose Mesa-- 2 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 H, K

Star of the Game:
Has to be Beltran this time. Seemed to carry the team. With Delgado still scuffling, there is no time like the present for this Carlos to break out.

If only the Mets knew that all it would take was a 2 hour trip to Philadelphia to wake up their sleep walking bats. Maybe they would have made the trip sooner. The Mets hit four homers, two by Carlos Beltran, en route to an 8-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies yesterday. Click for recap.   more »

John Maine doesn't like to talk about being an ace. He just likes to pitch like it. Maine went into the ninth inning last night before giving way to Billy Wagner in leading the Mets to a 5-2 victory and a doubleheader sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies. Click for recap.   more »

The Mets defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 5-2 Friday night in game 2 of a day/night doubleheader. Here are the Stats and Star of the Night.

Stats of the Night:
Mets:
Carlos Beltran-- 2-5 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
Jose Reyes-- 2-4 2 BB, SB
Damion Easley-- 2-4 HR, 2 RBI, R
David Wright-- 1-3 2B, R, 2 BB
Shawn Green-- 1-5 SB, R
John Maine-- 8 IP, 2 R, ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 6 K, win
Billy Wagner-- IP, H, BB 2 K

Phillies:
Chase Utley-- 2-3 2B, 2 RBI
Jimmy Rollins-- 1-4 2B, R
Michael Bourn-- 1-3 SB, R, 2 ridiculous catches
Cole Hamels-- 5 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 5 BB, 5 K, loss
Geoff Geary-- 2 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, K

Star of the Game:
I'm tempted to give it to Beltran for a breakout type game, but John Maine just pitched too well. Is there any doubt at this point he'll be joining Reyes, Wright, Beltran and possibly Lo Duca or Wagner in San Francisco. He's big game Maine for a reason. So happy to see that 0 in the walk column again.

The Mets defeated the Phillies 6-5 in game 1 of a day/night double header in Philadelphia. Here are the Stats and Stars of the Day.

Stats of the Day:
Mets:
Carlos Delgado-- 3-4 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
Jose Reyes-- 2-4 HR, R, RBI
Ramon Castro-- 1-4 2B, RBI, R
Orlando Hernandez-- 6 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 7 K, RBI, win
David Wright-- 1-3 BB, SB, R
Guillermo Mota-- 1 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, K
Billy Wagner-- 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 3 K

Phillies--
Aaron Rowand-- 1-3 HR, RBI, R
Chris Coste-- 1-1 HR, R, RBI
Wes Helms-- 1-4 HR, R, 2 RBI
Pat Burrell-- 1-1 RBI
J.D. Durbin-- 4.2 IP, 6 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 5 K
Phillies Bullpen-- 4.1 IP, 0 ER, H

Star of the Day:
Must go to Carlos Delgado. Its amazing how well he plays in that park. Need him to keep it up for the whole series and hopefully build up his confidence.

Carlos Delgado loves Citizens Bank Park. The park continues to love him back. Delgado went 3-4 including a second inning two-run home run to lead the Mets to a 6-5 victory in game one of a day/night doubleheader with the Philadelphia Phillies. Click for recap.   more »

To anyone that missed it, last night after the rain out, Paul Lo Duca addressed the media about being questioned so much, most recently about his suspension and subsequent appeal.

Of course, the media was looking for a story after a rain out offered them nothing to work with and they got it.

From the Daily News:

So the Daily News portrays Lo Duca based on one unrelated outburst and then goes on to talk about calling out his Spanish speaking teammates.

Then of course there is this article. I'm not even sure what Lisa Olsen is trying to say. She is all over the place. Talking about the Yankees, A-Rod and Lo Duca's comments. Come on Lisa, it was a rain out. They called the game by 8. That gave you extra time to write your column. This what you come up with? Wow.

It says in Lisa Olsen's small bio under the story that she has enough frequent flyer miles to go to move to Mars. Maybe she should. Maybe there they'd get something out of the nonsense I just spent 5 minutes reading, cause all I got was that Carlos Delgado is grumpy because he's in a slump. Wow. Shocker.

Yes I'm attacking members of the media and it's only partly because they lit up Paul Lo Duca this morning like he was John Rocker. It's also because I'm a junior in college studying journalism and some of the stuff I read just makes me sick. These are the people I'm supposed to read and emulate? Ha.

As I enter my final year in school, I'll be looking for a job at one of these very newspapers. I have a resume that should be able to get me somewhere where I can start at the bottom and make an effort to prove myself as a competent reporter and journalist. But one thing I've decided I will not compromise is my morals. I will not try to make something out of nothing and use a person who grants the media interviews on a daily basis as a sacrificial lamb because a game was rained out and my original story got washed away along with it.

How hard would it have been to ask Lo Duca to clarify his statements. If this all could have waited a day, reporters could have talked to guys like Delgado, Beltran and Valentin, as they did today and gotten clarification, but instead everyone who reads the morning papers thinks Paul Lo Duca is a racist. Lo Duca said this in response this morning before the Phillies game.

“So, right now, I’m a gambler, I’m a racist and I like 18–year-old girls, that’s the perception of me in New York right now about me.  Is any of it true?  No, none of it, but no one knows that.  Do you understand where I’m coming from?  Tell me if I’m wrong.  You go ask any of the guys in the clubhouse and see if I have a problem with them, if I’m a racist.  You go to all three of my clubs and you find a problem.  Name one.  Nobody…(Courtesy Metsblog.com)

You have to feel for Lo Duca who seems to leave his heart and soul on the field every night, blew his top last weekend and has been railed for it ever since. I'm not really sure why there's a need to ask about the appeal every night either. Its been said the hearing will be next week. And if he does for some reason drop the appeal, Jay Horowitz would probably let the media know. I know that and I've never even done a story on the Mets or been in the clubhouse. It just saddens me that I can honestly say I know more about real journalism then people who have been in the industry since I was in grade school or longer.

The Mets defeated the St. Louis Cardinals, in a rain shortened, six inning game, by a score of 2-0 on Wednesday Night. Here are the Stats and Star of the Night.

Stats of the Night:
Mets:
David Wright-- 1-1 HR, 2 RBI, R, BB
Paul Lo Duca-- 1-3 R, caught runner stealing
Tom Glavine-- 6 IP, H, 0 ER, 2 BB, K, CG, SHO, win
Carlos Gomez-- 0-1 BB, web gem

Cardinals:
Scott Rolen-- 1-2
Albert Pujols-- 0-1 BB
Aaron Miles-- 0-1 BB
Anthony Reyes-- 5 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 3 K, CG, loss

Star of the Night:
Definitely goes to Tom Glavine, he has certainly asserted himself after the embarassments against the Tigers and the Yankees. To allow one hit, and an infield hit at that, when the offense is struggling is huge. Gutsy performance, he looked solid and came up big.

Tom Glavine didn't waste any time getting win No. 297, although Mother Nature delayed it as much as possible. Glavine was brilliant for six innings allowing no runs and just one hit, an infield single to Scott Rolen, in a 2-0, rain shortened, six inning victory for the Mets over the St. Luis Cardinals, at Shea. Glavine walked two and struck out one. Click for full recap.   more »

I certainly didn't see that coming last night. Brendan Ryan is to the Cardinals what Ruben Gotay is to the Mets. Quite the game by the rookie. Just stinks it had to be against us.

Speaking of Gotay, I've seen the stats, but I don't like having him come off the bench. In fact, I don't like much of our bench. I'd love to see a Randy Winn on that bench instead of Ricky Ledee.

As for Schoenweis, its really like he said after the game "What can you do?" We're kind of stuck with him at this point. He says the injury is getting better so the DL isn't really an option. I don't think he has the stuff that, say, Feliciano has and using him as a lefty specialist is probably the best option but the entire bullpen with the exception of Sele has been used the last two nights. That being said. We need another long, strong outing from Glavine tonight.

Tough luck night for Jose Valentin. He should have made both those plays and the trip from goat to hero and back must have been one heck of a roller coaster. It happens Jose, we'll still stick the blame on Show, don't worry.

I'm going to say it again. I want to see more Shawn Green at first base.

I was concerned with Oliver Perez after that first inning but I'm glad to see him adjust, respond and put together a solid start.

Where has the offense gone. It looked like a coming out party Sunday and now they can't hit a Royals cast off?

I liked the homer out of Lo Duca but is it just me or is he swinging for the fences more these days? That's not your game Paulie. Cut it out.

Beltran stealing second and third is great to see. If he can be a threat on the basepaths again it will be a big boost.

I think if this team makes deadline moves its going to have to be for an arm in the pen and a bat off the bench. I don't think they need Beuhrle and I'm not as into writing off Delgado as everyone else is. I think he'll be back. And like every night, I hope its tonight.

Lastly, I'm glad that after a game as dissapointing as last night's we can get some great news on Pedro throwing BP. August can't come soon enough.

Time to take game three. Big game Tommy, shut em down and let's see some offense.

The Cardinals beat the Mets 5-3 in 11 innings last night at Shea. Here are the Stats and Stars of the Night.

Mets:
Jose Reyes-- 1-5 R
Paul Lo Duca-- 1-5 R, RBI, HR
Carlos Beltran-- 1-4 RBI, BB, 2 SB
Jose Valentin-- 1-5 2B, RBI, E
Oliver Perez-- 6.1 IP, 2 ER, 5H, 3 BB, 6 K
Aaron Heilman-- 1.1 IP, ER, 4 H, 1 K
Guillermo Mota-- 1 IP, H, K
Billy Wagner-- 1 IP, 0 H, K
Scott Schoenweis-- .2 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 H, BB, HR, loss

Cardinals:
Scott Spezio-- 2-6 2B, R, RBI
Albert Pujols-- 1-4 2 BB, 2B
Juan Encarnacion-- 2-6 2B, R, RBI
Brendan Ryan-- 3-4 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB
Todd Wellemeyer-- 6 IP, 3 H, ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Jason Ishringhausen-- 1.1 IP, ER, H, 2 BB, K
Brad Thompson-- 1.1 IP, H, 0 ER, win
Randy Flores-- .2 IP, 0 ER, save

Star of the Night: (Always a Met)
I have trouble giving it to Valentin because although he had the game tying hit, two plays he didn't make were the difference in the game. I'm giving it to Billy Wagner. His last four appearances have been in non-save situations and he has excelled going five total innings allowing one hit and six strikeouts. He has been a rock in the pen this year and was a rock in the 10th. Its too bad he couldn't have stretched out for one more inning.

Brendan Ryan did his best to make the Cardinals forget about their injury woes. In just his fifth career start, Ryan went 3-4, including an 11th inning tie breaking home run off Scott Schoenweis, to lead the Cardinals to a 5-3 victory over the Mets in game two of a four game series. Click for full recap   more »

The Mets defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 in eleven innings last night. Here are the Stats and Star of the Night.

Stats of the Night:
Mets:
Shawn Green-- 1-4 HR, RBI, R, walkoff homer in 11th
Carlos Gomez-- 1-4 HR, RBI, R
Jorge Sosa-- 6 IP, ER, 6 H 2 BB, 5 K
Joe Smith-- .2 IP, H, 2 BB, K
Pedro Feliciano-- 1.1 IP, 1 K
Billy Wagner-- 2 IP, 3 K
Aaron Heilman-- 1 IP, H, 2 K, win

Cardinals:
So Taguchi-- 1-5 2B, RBI
Mike Maroth-- 7.1 IP, ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 4 K, H, SB
Ryan Franklin-- 2.2 IP. 0 ER, 0 H, K
Adam Kennedy-- 1-5 R, 1000th career hit
Chris Duncan-- 1-3 BB
Russ Springer-- 0 IP, H, ER, HR, threw 6 pitches in 11th.

Star of the Night:
I have to give it to Shawn Green. He has been scuffling a bit since coming back from the DL. The foul ball down the line was so close it was kind of discouraging, but Springer gave him pretty much the same pitch again (a little lower) and Shawn hammered it. Great to see that from a guy a lot of people wrote off coming into the year. I was pretty close to giving the nod to Feliciano who has been stellar all year and got the biggest out of the game in the 7th.

Shawn Green stepped back into the batter's box after sending Russ Springer's 2-1 pitch soaring down the right field line, just right of the foul pole, hoping for a second chance. The 3-2 pitch was his redemption. Click for recap.   more »