Oprah Winfrey And Nick Swisher You Both Just Got Served A Knuckle Sandwich!

So I reported yesterday that the Mets Tricky Dickey is a big fan of reading and before his starts he likes to sit in the dugout with his shorts and flip flops on and just read. He takes out his current flavor of the week and he'll just read that novel for 45 minutes or so before game time. I didn't know what book Dickey was reading before he faced the Brew Crew but today I found out. And my mind was blown. It's one of Michelle Obama's favorites “The Life Of Pi” by Yann Martel. Who knew Dickey would be intrigued by a book about going on some sort of spiritual journey? Ehh I guess it makes sense. So with this I say the following:

R.A. Dickey’s Book Club is now in session. The first book on the agenda well duh it's “The Life Of Pi” by Yann Martel. Suck on that Oprah! And what book will he assign to the book club before his probable start against the Marlins this coming weekend??!! I can't wait to find out.

So now on the squad we have Dickey the book worm and Chris "The Animal" I'm kind of also a genius Carter. If you guys remember Carter went to Stanford University, he studied neurology and graduated in only 3 1/4 years. And he wanted to be a DOCTOR. So with that I say who cares that Nick Swisher just got an iPhone application, that takes you on the field, in the dugout and behind the scenes with the Swish!!?? Apps or well "Bips" as my Dad thinks they are called are overrated!

Let's now learn why R.A. Dickey is much cooler than The Swish and Oprah:

The R.A. stands for Robert Alan, and his middle name might just be PERSEVERANCE (folks you'll see why this is in just a few lines down.

Dickey majored in English at the University of Tennessee.

If baseball wasn't in the cards for him, Dickey planned on becoming a high school teacher.

In 1996, he won a bronze medal with the U.S. Olympic baseball team.

Dickey was taken by the Rangers with the 18th pick of the 1996 amateur draft.

Ripley believe it or not, in 1996 team doctors for the Rangers discovered that Dickey did not have an ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing arm!

After a back injury early on in his career that dropped his velocity into the high 80's, Dickey decided he couldn't give up on his dream to be a pro and he turned to the knuckleball.

Dickey made his first big league start as a knuckleballer back in 2006 for the Rangers. He gave up 6 home runs to the Tigers in this game, ugh. But there's no crying in baseball and Dickey did not give up!

In 2007 he was in the minors all season long.

In 2008 he returned to the majors; he had a 5-8 record with the Mariners.

On April 29, 2010, Dickey threw an imperfect perfect game for Triple-A Buffalo. He allowed a lead off single and then retired the next 27 batters.

And we all know he made his first start as a Metsie on May 19, 2010 against the Nats.

BTW Dickey's other favorite hobby besides reading is spending time with his 3 children and his wife Anne who he fell in love with in the 7th grade. Yet he didn't start dating her until they were seniors in high school. WOW! "I just took a risk and went in for a kiss one day, and she reciprocated." Perseverance is definitely his middle name, I know this now for sure.

R.A. Dickey you are kind of my new hero!

Jeff Francouer's First 4 Hit Game As A Met Helps The Amazins Get Win #7 On The Road! NO SWEEP For You Milwaukee!

Game 3: Mets 10 Brewers 4

On the Mound, Tricky Dickey vs Wolf!

As Gary Cohen remarked during this game, "That meeting yesterday with Jerry Manuel has proved very productive for Jeff Francouer!" And Mr. Cohen is right! Yesterday Frenchy got 2 hits and today he not only went 4 for 5 but he also had 2 rib eye steaks! Frenchy, my favorite Amazin yet again played like a champ when I'm not home to watch the game live. Embarrassing as this is to admit I was at the movies seeing Sex And The City 2 while the game was on. But during this pretty lousy film I checked my phone for Mets updates and when I got home I queued up the DVR and watched the game. I would have done this regardless but I really needed to regain some dignity after spending $12 on Sex And The City 2 and the Mets helped me do this all right.

So this is how I plan to bang this one out. I'll do a little play by play of the game including every time Corey Hart got out, the sausage race and well no writeup would be complete without some great moments from the booth! Giddy up, here we go!

Top of the 1st:
With the bases loaded and 1 out Wright got an rbi sac fly, Reyes scored and the Metsies took a 1-0 lead. That rib eye steak, David's 34th of the season!

Bottom of the 1st:
Rickie Weeks, Months, Years, Decades led off the inning with a homer to tie this ball game at 1, BOO. But on the bright side with 1 on and 2 out Corey Hart flew out to Frenchy, and Jeff made a stellar catch right at the wall! I guess Corey doesn't fair so well when he wears sunglasses in the afternoon!

Bottom of the 2nd:
Escobar got an rbi single and the Brew Crew now had a 2-1 lead over the Metsies.

Top of the 4th:
Francouer led off this inning with a single, he then stole second during Blanco's at bat. Blanco flew out but he advanced Frenchy to third and it was now up to R.A. Dickey to get his first major league rib eye steak. And Dickey said "I'm 35, I like red meat I like it a lot," he singled, Jeff scored and the Mets were now tied with the Brewers once again, 2-2. Btw Kevin Burkhardt told us something quite interesting about R.A. Dickey. Before games, Dickey likes to read. He's a book worm! He sits in the dugout with his shorts and flip flops on and just reads for 45 minutes. I wonder what he read before today's game? Possibly a book on how to be AWESOME?

Bottom of the 4th:
Corey Hart flew out to Pagan! Yay! During this at bat Kevin Burkhardt did a great report from the stands on Mr. Hart and the musical artist Corey Hart of "Sunglasses At Night," fame. Kevin said that he actually had asked Corey if he listens to the music of Corey Hart. And Hart said in fact he does and he's got some songs of Corey's on his Ipod. In addition to this, Corey Hart a while back got a gag gift, a poster of the singer Corey Hart from his friends and instead of discarding it Corey Hart has it hanging in his house. And Corey is currently on the prowl for a Corey Hart autographed poster. I hope he gets it! Then this conversation took place between Gary and Ron and oh it was AMAZIN:

Gary: You'd think he would have theme music coming to the plate.
Ron: I mean nothing against Corey but that's tough to listen to. I'm sorry. Not this Corey Hart that Corey.
Gary: There's a lot of music from that era that is hard to listen to.
Ron: You know what's amazing! Ball parks love to play that 70's, 80's music and it wasn't even great when it was happening but they are replaying it now.

I guess it's safe to say Ron is very particular in his taste of music. Maybe he prefers rap. I'm picturing him as a huge Biggie Smalls fan. Ok back to the game!

Top of the 6th:
Jeff Suppan came in to do some relief action and well as Ron put it, "Jeff Suppan's nightmare stay in Milwaukee continues." Oh it did. Frenchy got on base with a one out single. A single that dropped right in front of Hart. Then Gary said, "Hart he has not come in good on balls all series." ZING! Henry Blanco then singled and with men on 1st and 2nd and 1 out Dickey got a productive out. He sac bunted and Jeff and Henry advanced to 2nd and 3rd. Reyes was up next and he was intentionally walked. Now the bases were loaded with 2 outs for Castillo who said "I don't like tied ball games" and he singled, Frenchy and Blanco both scored and the Mets regained the lead, 4-2!

Bottom of the 6th:
Ike Davis who did not start this game (Tatis started at first today) took over first base and this led Ron and Gary to explain the oddness that went on last night between Ryan Braun and Davis. In yesterday's game Braun handed to Ike his shin guard and Ike did a little butler work and he then gave the shin guard to the first base coach. When Ike was asked why he did this he said, "I was just trying to speed up the game." Ron did not like this answer at all. BTW who struck out in this inning? COREY HART!

Top of the 7th:
Wright led this inning off with a double. And now I get to write once again my favorite line ever. Angel went back back back it's PA-Gone! Pagan homered and just like that the Metsies had a 6-2 lead over the Brew Crew!

Bottom of the 7th:
Weeks did his best karaoke version of "Sunglasses at night" and he got his second homer of this game, a 2 run bomb and the Mets lead was now just 6-4 over the Brewers.

Top of the 8th:
Trevor Hoffman came into this ball game for some relief action and well I sure couldn't tell he has been struggling. He pitched a 1,2,3 inning. Castillo, Bay and Davis were retired with the utmost ease.

Bottom of the 8th:
Elmer Dessens got Corey Hart to pop up! OH yeah! NO HITS for you today Mr. Sunglasses at night!

Top of the 9th:
Zach Braddock came into pitch and it was just splendid for the Mets! Wright led off with a single, Pagan then doubled, and then Frenchy doubled! Wright and Pagan both scored and the Mets lead was now back up to 4, 8-4. Blanco then continued to amaze us fans and he doubled, Jeff scored and the lead was now 9-4 over the Brew Crew. Gary Matthews Jr. then was up to do some pinch hitting, and he was walked. Reyes then singled, Blanco scored and the Mets had a 6 run lead over the Brewers, 10-4! Castillo, Bay and Davis once again were retired in order, the inning was over and it was time for Frankie to come in to close the door on this game!

Bottom of the 9th:
Rodriguez struck out Gomez and Lucroy, and just like that there was 1 more out to go for this one to be over. Next up with the game on the line Adam Stern was the pinch hitter. He grounded out to Castillo and the Mets avoided the sweep and won a game on the road. They are currently 7-16 on the road this season.

And here were Dickey's stats that helped him to win his second straight start:
7IP 9H 4ER 0BB 3K

Now let's get to the sausage race!


Ron: Well to tell you the truth, I'm really over the sausage race by the third day here. But it's better today because they handed off to the little weenies."


That's right folks today's race was a RELAY RACE, just amazing! Sadly Gary's chorizo lost again. As Gary announced, "The Polish sausage wins in a runaway!"

Well today was a great game for the Metsies and hopefully they can win some more road games in San Diego! I'm staying positive that they indeed will!

And folks don't rush to see Sex And The City 2, it pretty much blows. Maybe I should use some other wording to describe this film, nah blows is just perfect.

As Gary Cohen Remarked, "He's Doing So Well He Could Wear Sunglasses At Night. Corey Hart is Corey Hot."

Game 2: Brewers 8 Mets 6

Corey Hart's 2 homers and his nocturnal sunglasses wearing ways helped the Mets fall to 6-16 on the road. BOO!

AND "Nightly" Nieve's new nickname is "NIGHTMARE" Nieve.

Tonight was the 50th game played by the Mets in this 2010 season and boy was it just bizarre. Really I don't know how else to describe this one. For instance, the Mets and Brewers wore special uniforms honoring the negro leagues. It was a battle of the NY Cubans vs. the 1923 Milwaukee Bears at Miller Park. I blame these uniforms for this loss. Well that or Kevin Burkhardt. He's a good scapegoat to use at times like these.

So this is how I plan to bang this one out. We'll take a look at some actual highlights from the game and then we'll get to the sausage race and some booth shenanigans! Here we go!

Top of the 1st:
With one out, Jason Bay got an rbi ground rule double, Reyes (who was on 3rd after being walked to lead off this inning) scored. The Mets took an early 1-0 lead. Their only lead of the night.

Bottom of the 1st:
The bases were loaded for Corey Hart with two outs and you know that spells TROUBLE. Yes it was trouble and Corey said "I wear my sunglasses at night so I can, so I can" hit the long ball. Hart hit a grand salami and just like that the Brew Crew had a 4-1 lead over the Metsies. Btw Nieve's pitch count after this first inning was 46, ugh.

Top of the 2nd:
Reyes got a 2 out huge huge huge single and his 18th rbi of the season (Pagan scored from third on Jose's base hit). The Mets were only down by 2 at this point, 4-2.

Bottom of the 2nd:
Kottarras did his best Corey Hart karaoke bar singing impression and he got a 2 out solo homer. The Brewers were up 5-2 now over our beloved Metropolitans. Interesting to note after this Kottarras long ball, Nieve had given up 5 homers in his last 25 innings pitched. And over the last 6 innings he had pitched Nieve had given up 11 runs. So yes I think NIGHTMARE Nieve is a very apt nickname for Fernando at this moment in time.

Top of the 3rd:
With the bases loaded and 1 out, Barajas grounded out but Bay who was on 3rd (he had singled to lead off this inning) was able to score and the Metsies chipped away at the Brew Crew's lead once again, 5-3.

Bottom of the 3rd:
Oliver Perez came into the game now for some relief action. However, it was as if Nieve was still pitching. With 1 out and Fielder on first, Corey Hart sung about his sunglasses once again and he got his 2nd homer of the night. Someone has to take those sunglasses away from him already, sheesh. The Brewers now had a 7-3 lead over the Mets.

Top of the 4th:
With one out and men on 1st and 2nd Ike Davis told Corey Hart he rather enjoys wearing sunglasses at night too and he hit a 3 run bomb! The Mets were now down by only 1 run, 7-6. YAY to Ike's groovy shades!

Bottom of the 4th:
Weeks led this inning off with a triple. With 1st and 3rd and nobody out Ryan Braun grounded into a double play but Weeks was able to score and the Brewers added another run to the scoreboard, 8-6.

By the way interesting to note right now, the Mets got their cherry popped! Before tonight the Metsies had never ever played in a game where both teams scored in their respective halves for 4 innings straight. Yay to first times??!!

Top of the 5th:
With the bases loaded and 2 outs Todd Coffey was brought into this ball game and he slammed the door shut on any possibility of a Metsies comeback. He got Bay to ground out to end the inning.

Bottom of the 5th:
The Brewers actually did not score in the bottom of the 5th and thus, the 5th inning marked the first time that there was a scoreless inning in this ball game! And what was even better was that Elmer Desens got Corey Hart to fly out! Mr. Sunglasses didn't get his 4th consecutive homer against Metsies pitchers YAY YAY YAY!

The 6th inning was finally the continuation of the pitchers' duel from yesterday haha, both sides were retired in order, a first of the night! I was in utter disbelief. Elmer Desens and Todd Coffey worked some magic all right!

Bottom of the 7th: Mejia got Corey Hart to fly out to center! Maybe someone really did steal his sunglasses, hmmm.

Igarashi pitched the 8th inning for the Metsies and both Mejia and Igarashi did not give up any runs and they really gave the Amazins a fighting chance in the top of the 9th to win this ball game. However the Brewers new closer "I am not Trevor Hoffman my name is John Axford" saved this ball game, he got Davis, Wright and Pagan out 1,2,3 and the Brewers won the game, boo.

So because losing sucks let's get onto some fun Gary and Ron shenanigans!


In the bottom of the first after Ryan Braun got a 2 out double he removed his ankle pad and then handed it to his butler Ike Davis. Ike then brought it over to the Brewers' first base coach. Gary and Ron were stunned by this. Gary said, "Fraternization should not reach this point. If I'm the low man on the totem pole in the bullpen then I will carry the Hello Kitty backpack if it's necessary." Ron was on the same page as Gary. He basically felt that Ike should only do such a favor for Braun if Ryan had made out. And even then it would be pushing it!


During Frenchy's at bat in the top of the 5th Prince Fielder tried to be like Ike and failed miserably, YAY!

On try numero dos, another Frenchy pop up in foul territory, the result was the same. Prince just has to come to the realization he's no IKE DAVIS. And to make matters worse for Fielder Gary Cohen remarked, "That's a lot of man hitting the ground!"

Immediately when Todd Coffey came into this ball game in the top of the 5th he was greeted with controversy. Something was up with his glove and the umpires weren't having it. Ron believed it had to be one of two things, either Coffey's glove was too lightly colored and it matched the white baseball or that he had some foreign substance on it like pine tar. The umps ruled that Coffey should change his glove and he did and he pitched superbly, BOO. So Darling's second theory about the foreign substance was eliminated. I was rooting for that but oh well.

In tonight's installment of the sausage race Ron thought the hot dog was in the lead and Gary really knows his sausage and he had to tell Mr. Darling he was so wrong and the leader was in fact the bratwurst. DUH RON! Then Gary announced the end result of this race, "Polish nips him at the wire by a casing!" The Polish sausage was victorious and the bratwurst came in second. And again for the second night in a row Gary's favorite sausage, the chorizo was a big fat loser.

In the bottom of the 8th Hoffman was found with these binoculars and Gary and Ron really didn't have anything to say about it. However my Dad and I believe he was looking for his career. That "I can save games mojo" of his is far far off in the distance. Poor dude.

And for the hair raising moment of the night! The mustache of the Brewers' closer John Axford inspired the following:

Gary: You gotta have that mustache wax to hold that thing in place.
Ron: That's nice!

Ron was really impressed by this stache. I think we might see him growing one very soon. Keith Hernandez might have some competition on his hands shortly!


And in other baseball news. We may have had an anti-pitchers' duel in Milwaukee but in Florida that was a different story! Halladay bests Josh Johnson and the Florida Marlins and pitches a PERFECT GAME. I imagine Dallas Braden's Nana said the following after this game, "Suck it Halladay." First the Phillies get off the I can't score a run schneid last night and now this, BOO.

Hopefully R.A. Dickey can work his knuckle ball magic tomorrow for the Metsies so they can avoid the sweep and finally win again on the road! Let's stay positive folks.

Tomorrow is a new day.

And Bernie The Brewer After 8 2/3 Innings Is No Longer Idle...

Game 1 Brewers 2 Mets 0

Before this game started I had a dream. This dream was simple, it had two parts. Part one, the Mets would get their 6th win in a row tonight. Part two, The Mets would get their longest consecutive scoreless inning streak since 1969. BUT Corey Hart stepped on my dream. He said, "36 consecutive scoreless innings haha haha Danielle optimism is for suckers!" Hart you have no heart.

During this game Ron Darling made a statement that was oh so true,
"This is a '69 kind of game isn't it? No scoring. Outstanding pitchers' duel. Both pitchers deep into the game."

And yes Santana and Gallardo both pitched gems for their respective squads. Santana pitched 8 scoreless innings and before he was taken out by Manuel he had retired the previous 11 guys in a row. So like Brian said I too don't understand why Jerry took Johan out! Gallardo was kept in the game because the Brewers relievers are pretty much the worst and he ended up pitching 9 shut out innings and getting the win.

So now let's go to the bottom of the 9th to see how everything that was going so well for the Mets went oh so wrong.

Perpetual Pedro came in to start the bottom of the 9th. He faced the dangerous Prince Fielder and Prince grounded out. 35 1/3 scoreless consecutive innings pitched by the Metsies! Jerry Manuel then brought in Igarashi to face Ryan Braun. Today is Igarashi's 31st birthday and Rocketman is going to have a lot of trouble celebrating tonight. That is for sure. Braun hit a ground ball to Reyes, Jose made a great diving stop but Braun still was able to beat out the throw to first. So with 1 on and 1 out McGehee was up. He popped up to Ike and there were now 35 2/3 scoreless consecutive innings pitched by the Amazins! But then Corey Hart told Igarashi with one swing of the bat I hope you have a very very unhappy birthday. Hart hit a 2 run walk off homer and just like that the ball game was over. Bernie the Brewer got to wave his flag, BOO. I liked the other 8 2/3 innings when Bernie was idly sitting by his brewery much better than this but oh well all good things usually come to an end. Not fair.

But I can't leave on this sour note. That would be awful of me. SO let's examine some fun things that went on at Miller Park tonight. We need a little cheering up, I know I do!



In the beginning of this game the camera man focused on a little red headed boy. Ron and Gary told us fans that this boy was celebrating his birthday today, his 11th to be exact. And because it was his birth moment he got to sit in the booth before the game with Darling and Cohen. What a lucky duck! BUT since I know kids are resilient, I've read it time and time again in psychological journals, I hoped little Bobby, Billy, Quagmire, whatever his name might be would have his birthday ruined by a Mets victorino. Unfortunately this did not happen and this wee ginger got to enjoy some beer with Bernie after the game. Drats.



After a commercial break the camera man got a shot of these hip cats in the stands. Gary Cohen said the following, "They graduated from 'The Cheeseheads' to 'The Kegheads.'" And Ron added in, "That is just priceless." And really it is.


Gary during the game said that Bernie the Brewer "Had nothing to do tonight." And at this time, around the 7th inning I hyuk-ed quite a lot when the Cohen joshed about this. If I could go back in a hot tub time machine to this exact moment I would not have laughed so much.


And for the funniest moment of the night, the SAUSAGE RACE. Mr. Cohen at the end of this race said, "Winning by a 'link' is the hot dog!" Yes that little funny made me chuckle. What also made me chuckle the fact that Gary said very seriously that his personal favorite in the sausage family is the CHORIZO. The chorizo that came in second place. Sorry Gary!

Nightly Nieve will be in extended nightly duty tomorrow night and hopefully he'll pull a Takahashi for us! If not, well I'm not thinking like that. Let's stay positive. This loss stings but we've lost this way before we can handle it. We've dealt with far worse.


Tomorrow is a new day.

Taking Out Santana?

I really do not like the move to take Santana out of the game to start the ninth. Especially not to replace him with Feliciano for one pitch.

And doubly especially not to replace him with Igarashi. Wasn't he the last Met to surrender a run?

----

Edited, 10:41pm

COME ON WTF !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do Not Wake Them Up! The Phillies' Bats Continue To Pull A Rip Van Winkle And It's OH SO GOOD!

Game 2: Mets 5 Phillies 0

Before going into tonight's game, the Mets starting pitchers had gone 4-0 with an ERA of 1.55 since May 17th. And the Phils after this one helped to make these stats even better!

As Keith Hernandez said, "I have never seen the Phillies lineup so anemic."

And really how right is Keith! It's kind of AMAZIN. Over the last 18 innings the Phils have been shut out by Mets pitching. In fact this is something the Amazins have not done against the Phillies since July 17th and 18th of 1998. The two pitchers to have accomplished this feat back in 1998 were none other than Hideo Nomo and Al Leiter. R.A. Dickey and Hisanori Takahashi that's some good company to be in!

Now let's see how the Mets put themselves 1 game over .500, 24-23!

In the bottom of the 2nd Ike Davis led off the inning with a 408 ft off the wall double. Gary then remarked, "That was a bullet." And Keith chimed in with, "And on the first pitch." With Ike on second and no outs David Wright did something the Mets did not do all of last night's game, he struck out. But no need to fret folks Angel "CRAZY HORSE" Pagan was up next and he hit a ball past Utley for a 1 out single. Keith said, "That ball had eyes." OH it did! Now with men on the corners and 1 out Barajas was up. Crazy Horse stole second (his 6th stolen base of the season) and Rod said, "It's time for me to put a run on the board." Barajas flew out to left but it was just enough for Ike to tag up and score, Rod added another rib eye steak to his belt and the Mets had a 1-0 lead over the Phils.

In the bottom of the 3rd Jose Jose Jose led off the inning (his 183rd at bat of the season) with a solo homer! His first long ball of this 2010 season! The Mets now were up 2-0 over the Phils. Gary screamed, "He's back," and Reyes really did appear to be back to the Jose we all know and love tonight!

Hisanori Takahashi had another great start for the Metsies. He pitched 6 scoreless innings and struck out 6! I don't care what name that Ryan Seacrest announced tonight my American Idol is Hisanori Takahashi!

Then in the bottom of the 6th David Wright started this inning off with a bang. Davey hit a long fly ball to center, Victorino tried to make a diving catch but he could not and Wright had a lead off double! Pagan then dropped down a gorgeous bunt and he beat out Polanco's throw to first for an infield hit! With 1st and 3rd and nobody out Mr. Clutch Rod Barajas was up. Pagan stole 2nd (his 7th stolen base of the season) and right after I said to my Dad, "It would be quite awesome if Rod would hit a double down the left field line," Barajas said, "Danielle your wish is my command." What a nice guy! With Barajas' double, Wright and Pagan scored and the Mets had a 4-0 lead over the Phils. Barajas since leaving the Phillies has been a Phils KILLER. In his 31 at bats against them thus far he has 18 rib eye steaks and his batting average is .548; just insane! And this insanity was and is appreciated! With 1 out, Cora came up to pinch hit for Takahashi and he grounded the ball to Utley, Howard couldn't handle Chase's throw and with that Utley error Alex was safe at 1st base. Blanton now left the game and Chad Durbin came in for some relief action. Jose Reyes gave Durbin a very un-brotherly love type of a welcome and he singled, Barajas scored and the Mets were now up 5-0 over the Phils.

Mejia, Igarashi, and Nieve pitched great in the 7th, 8th and 9th innings. This triple threat was on fire tonight!

In the top of the 9th Werth led off the inning and Nieve was nasty, real nasty to him, and no Nightly Nieve didn't insult Jayson's beard. He did something even better he struck him out! Ben Francisco then grounded out to Wright and the last hope for the Phillies tonight was the pinch hitter Greg Dobbs. And folks this is when Reyes again proved he's BACK. Dobbs hit a sharp line ball at Reyes and Jose said OH I CAN JUMP very very high, he did just that and he caught the ball. This took a potential hit away from Dobbs and the ballgame was over!

The Mets win, the Mets win!

And now it's time for some booth tomfoolery!

At one point during this game the camera man got a very clear shot of R.A. Dickey filing his nails in the dugout. Of course the booth could not let this go and they went on for quite a while about Tricky Dick's manicuring ways. They are so silly.

In the 5th inning Keith shared a little too much information with us fans. As he said, "Boy it's hot. I am sweating through my clothes here." Ron and Gary just ignored this comment. I wish they had not but oh well.

Then during Utley's at bat in the 6th Keith tried to figure out what is going on with Chase's lack of offense. He is pretty sure it's Utley's hip and not just a slump. Keith then got distracted by Chase's hair, he forgot what he was talking about and he remarked, "He had his wings clipped. Who is his barber?" Oh Keith nothing gets past you. Keep it up Sherlock Hernandez! And really who is Utley's barber? He does good work.

AND in the bottom of the 7th the booth made me a little teary eyed as they talked about the late Jose Lima. They only had the nicest things to say about Lima Time. It also got Keith and Gary to realize that life is pretty short.

Keith: He was only 37. You just never know.
Gary: Enjoy every day.

So as Gary said let's enjoy every day and of course that's easier when the Mets win but even when the games don't go the Metsies way it's important we stay positive. This season has been a roller coaster ride thus far and although there have been some real lows these last two games have been some real enjoyable highs on this 2010 journey.

Let's keep the good times coming!

Pelf do your thang tomorrow.

And a sweep would be oh so sweet.

An Aside on the Gary Matthews Jr. Situation

Readers, thank you for the interesting feedback on my last article about the Mets recent roster moves. As expected, not everyone was as happy as I was about the improvement they have shown recently. Most of the haterade directed toward the front office is that they acquired and continue to play Gary Matthews Jr. Some comments:

--the presence and use of Matthews (who must certainly be the worst offensive player in MLB, and is still aboard because the Wilpons won't eat the $2 mil--making his acquisition a net disaster, BTW

--according to that article, the gmJoke move was a good one to begin with

--it was the fact that Omar had been targetting GMjr all off-season for reasons unknown to absolutely anyone, despite everything in his recent history saying he was a player with little to no upside.

Alright, alright, I get it. We don't like Gary Matthews Jr. I don't like him either!! He's not very good. He can't hit, and he's not the defensive player he used to be. But let's look at the facts here!

From 2002-2007, Matthews hit .271/.339/.435 for an OPS+ of 101.

From 2002-2005, he was a FAR above average defefnsive centerfielder. In 2006, he was about average.

But there is no denying that he wasn't the same player from 2008 and 2009, his age 33 and 34 seasons. He didn't hit well. His fielding stats were putrid. For those two seasons, he had a total OPS+ of 80 and slugged less than .360. According to fangraphs, he was worth -$8 million over the last two years.

Those are the facts. He was a valid starter for his peak years, and was bad to terrible over the last two. But is the hand-wringing really worth it in this case? I say no. Here's why:

A) We gave up nothing of value to acquire Gary Matthews Jr.
B) He provided a known quanity as a back-up to Angel Pagan. He was bad, but we had an idea of how bad he'd be.
C) He actually has been good defensively this year. According to fangraphs, he's posted a +0.4 UZR in centerfield. It's a small sample size, but he's been good.
D) We pay him almost nothing - barely more than the minimum.
E) He barely plays.

The last point is by far the most important one. He had only 36 plate appearances in April. He's has only 25 plate appearances in May. He's on pace to have only around 150 at-bats this year, even if Beltran never comes back.

Last year, the Mets amassed 5,438 at-bats as a team. If the current paces hold, that is around 2% of the total at-bats the Mets will have. If he had 150 at-bats last year, he would have ranked right between Cory Sullivan and Jeremy Reed in terms of significance.

Could the Mets have gone a different direction? Maybe. Could they have signed Eric Byrnes (batting .090), Rick Ankiel (695 OPS), Cory Sullivan (479 OPS) or Reed Johnson (729 OPS)? Maybe. Who knows if any of them would have accepted a back-up role, or been available for $1 million or less. And, as noted above, would any of them have provided any kind of upgrade?

With Gary Matthews Jr., people need to just see it for what it is. He's not a very good player any more, but we got him for cheap and he barely plays. When the Mets have a better option, if their smart moves this year are any indication, Gary Matthews Jr. will be gone.

As Keith Hernandez Remarked In The Bottom Of The 8th, "Well This Is Turning Into A Rout And This Is What The Mets Needed To Do, Send A Message."

Game 1: Mets 8 Phillies 0

After 46 games well Keith the Metsies sent the Phils a message all right, it was signed, sealed and delivered in a shiny package that read no soup for you, well no runs for you on this May 25, 2010!

With this marvelous win the Metropolitans are back at .500 with a 23-23 record and speaking of the number 23 Jim Carrey don't go too crazy but with this victorino R.A. Dickey got his 23rd major league win! Tricky Dick was a true crook tonight and his crime that killer knuckle ball. Tim Wakefield may have bested the Phils Sunday but Dickey said I'll do a little better Timmy because my knuckle ball is 10 mph faster than yours, oh yeah!

Ok now let's get to this game because oh yes there is so much greatness to recap!

In the bottom of the 1st Jose Jose Jose got on base with a lead off single. And this was not just any single this was his 1000th career hit! Congrats Reyes! Castillo then sac bunted it, Reyes moved on down to second and the sizzling BAY-con was up. Reyes didn't think a 1000th hit was enough and he said hey Citi Field want to see me steal 3rd? Jose does just that and that stolen base was his 10th of the season, YAY. Back to Bay, Jason may not have gotten a hit but he scorched a grounder to Castro. Castro made a great play but it was a-ok because it still allowed Reyes to score and the Mets took a 1-0 lead over the Phils. Davis then flew out to Victorino and the inning was over.

In the top of the 2nd the very wealthy Ryan Howard started the inning off with a bang by hitting a ball off of Dickey's left elbow, possibly the funny bone. It wasn't funny at all and Howard was safe at first with a lead off infield hit. Jayson I'm probably going to get signed by the Yankees at the end of this season after my contract is up Werth also singled and with nobody out men were on first and 2nd for Ibanez who go figure also singled, UH OH. The bases were now loaded, NOOOO. But really folks no need to fret. The knuckleballer I like to call Tricky Dick worked out of this jam like a champ. Ruiz grounded back to Dickey, R.A. threw to home for out number 1 and then Barajas threw to Ike to get Ruiz out at first, huge double play! Then with 2 outs and men on 2nd and 3rd Dickey walked Castro and it was up to Jamie Mt. Rushmore Moyer with the bases full to get some runs on the board for the Phils. The last time Moyer was up with the bases loaded it was against Santana earlier this season and that didn't fair so well for the Mets, Jamie was walked and well a run was walked in and yeah we know how horrible that game was, ick. But this time Jamie proved being 47 sometimes isn't so cool and he struck out and the inning was over, danger averted!

In the bottom of the 2nd David Wright dribbled back to Moyer and that was out #1. Pagan then tapped the ball to third, Polanco couldn't throw out Mr. Speedy and Angel was on 1st with a 1 out single. Barajas continued to say look at me I'm the MVP of the Mets and he singled down the 3rd baseline and Pagan advanced to 3rd. Now Jeff Francouer's beard was up with 1 out and men on the corners and Jeff's beard on the 8th pitch of the at bat got an rbi single. The 0-12 I can't hit a thing schneid was over! And that rbi was Jeff's 24th of the season and the Mets now had a 2-0 lead. With men on 1st and 2nd and 1 out Dickey sac bunted the ball beautifully and the runners advanced to 2nd and 3rd with Reyes up next. Unfortunately Jose grounded down to third, Polanco threw to first and the inning was over.

In the top of the 3rd again the Phils threatened but spoiler alert they didn't score. Let's see how Dickey got out of this traffic jam. Victorino led off this inning with a walk, Polanco then grounded to Castillo, the lead runner was out at 2nd but Polanco was safe at 1st. Chase Utley then struck out but with 2 outs and Polanco at first it was Howard time, oh no. Howard lined it over the head of Jose Reyes and just like that he got his second hit of the night. So now it was 1st and 2nd with 2 outs for Jayson Werth and he was walked on just 4 pitches. Ahhhh the bases were loaded again for the Phils with 2 outs but this time it was Ibanez who was up. BUT like I said before we got out of this inning unscathed. Ibanez flared one to short, Reyes made the catch for out #3 and let's move to the 4th because this inning was done-zo!

Dickey had a 1,2,3 4th inning and two of those outs were his 3rd and 4th K's of the night. Who did he strike out? Ruiz and Moyer, YAY!

In the bottom of the 4th Wright flew out to Victorino but no it wasn't an out, Shane could not see the ball haha, really this was funny, and Utley could not get there in time to make the catch so Davey was on base with a pop fly lead off double! Pagan was then walked and with 1st and 2nd and nobody out Rod flew out to center but it was just enough for Wright to advance to 3rd. Frenchy's beard now said I'm gonna get my 25th rbi of the season oh I am. And he did, yay to Jeff's rbi sac fly! The Mets were now up 3-0 over the Phillies. Mr. Hernandez at this point remarked, "The Mets are starting to do stuff right, it's amazing!" And it was! It was Dickey time and with a man on 1st and 2 outs, he popped it up and Werth made a great play taking a potential base hit away from R.A. and the inning was over.

In the bottom of the 5th Reyes who has been working on drag bunting with Chip Hale bunted the ball beautifully, Polanco couldn't make the play and Jose was on 1st with a lead off infield hit. Castillo was up and he took ball 2 and Reyes said hey Citi Field I'm not done with my skills showcase tonight, watch me steal 2nd and he did. Stolen base #11 of the season for Jose! Castillo ended up grounding out to Castro but it still advanced Reyes to 3rd to allow Jason Bay to work his magic. Bay rbi singled, his 2nd rib eye steak of the night and the Metsies now had a 4-0 lead! Next with 1 out and Bay on 1st, Davis was up and before you could say I sure do like Ike Jason stole 2nd. That was his 7th stolen base of the season, Canadians really aren't that bad after all! Davis was then walked and with 1st and 2nd and 1 out Davey Wright flew out to Ibanez for out #2. Angel then flew out to Victorino and the inning was over, oh well it happens.

In the top of the 6th R.A. Dickey struck out 2 more Phils, Jayson Werth and the pinch hitter Greg Dobbs! Overall Dickey pitched 6 kickass scoreless innings and he struck out 7 (which tied his career high in K's for a game). What a splendid performance he put on for us tonight!

In the bottom of the 6th David Herndon came in for some relief action and Barajas popped one up in foul territory for out #1. Frenchy then continued to show off his beard's hidden talents and he got on base with a 1 out double. Then "The Animal" came in for some pinch hitting fun and oh Carter killed it. He got an rbi single, Frenchy scored and the Mets had a 5-0 lead. An odd thing happened now instead of reading 5-0 in the 6th inning on the SNY scoreboard it instead read 8-0 in the 7th. Moments later it was fixed but boy what a faux pas SNY. Ehh but now I'm nitpicking, so I will shush about that. With 1 out and Carter on 1st Jose flew out to Werth for out #2. Castillo now batted left handed for the first time tonight and he grounded to Polanco who got the force out at 2nd, inning over.

In the top of the 7th it was time for Raul Valdes to hold onto this potential win for Dickey and the Metsies but within seconds he had me worried. OH very worried that he could not do this task at hand. He walked Victorino on just 4 pitches to start the inning off and then to make matters worse Polanco hit a looooong fly ball past Bay which hopped off the wall for a double. So now there were men on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out for Utley. But Valdes bounced back, oh he did. He struck Chase Utley out! As Keith remarked, he "got him fishing." Then with one out and still men on 2nd and 3rd Ryan Howard was up, oh no. But oh YES, Howard was down on strikes! Then Jayson Werth was up to bat with those pesky Phils still on 2nd and 3rd. Keith said, "Quite an impressive beard he's got working there." And Gary replied, "It goes with his 31 extra base hits. That's a bushel." But Keith and Gary, Jayson's beard was not as powerful as Frenchy's and with a full count Werth grounded a ball in the hole but oh wait David Wright made a diving stop, the throw to Ike was oh so on target and Jayson was out! The inning was over!

In the top of the 8th Valdes continued to show off! He got Ibanez down on strikes, Ruiz popped up to Bay, Castro got a 2 out walk but oh it was okay because with 2 outs and a man on 1st, the pinch hitter Ben Francisco popped up, Reyes made the catch and that was out #3, inning over!

In the bottom of the 8th the quote by Keith from up up above came into play! Nelson Figueroa came in to pitch against his former squad and oh he sucked but now in 2010 that's a good thing. Pagan dribbled the ball to Nelson who made the play to Howard and that was out #1. Barajas then ripped the ball into left field for a one out single. Frenchy's beard could not do anything so magical this time around and Jeff lined out to left for out #2. Now it was time for Valdes. That's right no pinch hitter. Manuel said Valdes I want you to get a 3 inning save so go out there kiddo and make me proud. And oh Raul did just that and more. Valdes with 2 outs and Rod on 1st got a double. A double that allowed the not so fast Barajas to score and just like that the Mets had a 6-0 lead, and Raul got his first rbi of the season! With Valdes on 2nd and 2 outs Reyes cracked one to right past Werth. He had an rbi triple and the Metsies were up 7-0. Castillo was up next and with a full count, 2 outs and Jose on at third, Luis bloop singled the ball into shallow left, Jose scored and the Mets had an 8-0 lead. Bay then grounded out to Polanco to end the inning but the damage was done and it was time for Valdes to get his save!

In the top of the 9th Ron remarked, "This might be the most flawless game the Mets have played this season." Gary replied, it's all about the "Opportunistic offense." Would these words jinx the Mets? NOPE.

Victorino popped up to shallow center, and Castillo made an incredible over the shoulder grab and Gary said, "Making like Jerry Rice." That was out #1. Polanco then got a 1 out single, oh no. Utley then grounded to Davis, Ike threw to 2nd, Polanco was out but Utley was safe at 1st with 2 outs and Ryan Howard was up to bat. Gary Cohen at this point said, "The Phillies had oodles of chances tonight and cashed in none." With a 1-2 count and the Phils down to their final strike Valdes STRUCK OUT Howard and the ball game was over and Valdes got his first major league SAVE! That was possibly one of the most enjoyable outs of the season for me. Well KRod striking out ARod the other night was splendid too but it's real fun to see Howard go down on strikes.

Now before I end this recap there were some interesting facts pointed out tonight by the booth and Kevin Burkhardt:

#1 Kevin informed us fans that there is now a gluten free concession stand at Citi Field and he then made a huge revelation to why this is so important to him. He has celiac's disease and well that means gluten is his kryptonite. So yay to healthy natural products being offered at Citi for all those with gluten allergies out there!

#2 We also found out that Gary loves garlic fries. Is this really that shocking? Nah.

#3 Jamie Moyer has 8 children and their names are kind of WHACK, like his family sounds like a Sarah Palin/The Gosselins hybrid. Here are the names of his children, brace yourself:
Dillon
Hutton
Mccabe
Timoney
Duffy
Grady
Katalina
Yenifer


Tonight was a great night and really this 3rd straight win needs to be savored folks!

Takahashi do your thang tomorrow.

The Revolution Has Not Been Televised

It began with a drip here.

And a drop there.

Then another, and another.

And then there are so many drops that maybe you start to take notice. Suddenly, the deluge is so heavy that it demands your attention.

The Mets have been making some excellent personnel decisions this year. I mean, really good. Really smart. Excellent. I'm thrilled.

The news today that the Mets plan to have Daniel Murphy play multiple positions in Triple-A was that moment for me when the evidence became too much to ignore.

The Mets also announced Monday that they have reinstated infielder Daniel Murphy from the 15-day disabled list and optioned him to Triple-A Buffalo. There, the Mets plan on exposing Murphy to first base, second base, third base and both corner outfield positions in an effort to increase his versatility. MLB.com

…i can see Murph getting a lot of time at second base, especially in the short term, due to the durability problems with Luis Castillo... MetsBlog.com

Sure, you can complain that this move came too late, or that with Ike Davis at first it wasan obvious necessity rather than a smart idea. But really, would the Mets of the past ever have been a slam-dunk to perform the smart, necessary, and timely move?

Having Daniel Murphy practice at multiple positions in Triple-A is a great thing for this team. Whether he plays the utility role and supplants a guy like Tatis, or parlays himself into a valuable trade commodity, or replaces Castillo at second, this is all good. And it's even better that he's being given time to do this all in the minor leagues.

But the Daniel Murphy move was not the only smart move out Mets have made this year. They've made tons of them. And here at Fonzie Forever, we give credit where credit is due (and we're also ferocious when they do something stupid... have to be fair).

Let's take a look at some of the very bright moves the Mets have made this year, in chronological order.

December 4, 2009: Named Wayne Krivsky special assistant to general manager.

January 22, 2010: Acquired OF Gary Matthews Jr. and cash from the L.A. Angels for RHP Brian Stokes. I know people don't like this deal, but it made perfect sense for the Mets at the time. Going into the season you'd want Angel Pagan to seize the starting role but he had very little track record to fall back on. The Mets needed some kind of known quantity in-house in case Pagan faltered. Yes, there were cheaper options. And yes, GMJ sucks. But the move is decidedly low risk and are we missing Brian Stokes (who currently is on the DL and has a 7.31 ERA?) Get a grip people.

March 4, 2010: Agreed to terms with RHP Kiko Calero on a minor league contract.

March 30, 2010: Did NOT option SS Ruben Tejada to Triple-A. They let the kid stay in the majors and play - showing confidence and foresight, and prioritizing defense. All good.

April 18, 2010: Designated INF Mike Jacobs for assignment. The Mets acknowledged defeat. They cut ties with Jacobs, who wasn't working out, mercifully early in the year.

April 19, 2010: Selected the contract of 1B Ike Davis from Buffalo (IL).

May 10, 2010: Recalled C Josh Thole and OF Chris Carter from Buffalo (IL). Designated OF Frank Catalanotto for assignment. Once again, the Mets bit the bullet and admitted that Catalanotto wasn't working out. So Catalanotto is gone, and "The Animal" Chris Carter is called up to replace him. In addition, Josh Thole was called up to back up Barajas while Blanco was on bereavement instead of some minor league stiff. They acknowledge that Thole is the potential catcher of the future despite his troubles so far this year.

May 22, 2010: Placed RHP John Maine on the 15-day DL. Sorry, John. Someone had to stop you from going out there and continuing to stink while injuring yourself further. Sorry if it hurt your ego. Another good move by the Mets.

So to summarize, the Mets have cut their losses on their worst offseason moves by releasing Jacobs and Catalanotto and relegating Gary Matthews Jr. almost entirely to the bench. They have given every youngster who has deserved it, a chance to play in the major leagues (Carter, Tejada, Thole, Davis). They have been smart though conservative in using the Disabled List, which may be the right move, with guys like Jose Reyes, Jon Niese, and John Maine.

Nothing is ever going to be perfect, but the Mets have made a lot of very deft moves this year. Add to this the fact that they acquired Raul Valdez and Hisanori Takahashi as international free agents and have given the two of them the opportunity to fill in for our injured starters, and you have a series of truly excellent manuevers.

They have taken intelligent risks. They have acknowledged failures. They are willing to let Daniel Murphy try to re-establish his value somewhere other than first base. They have let performance win the day over reputation (Pagan over Matthews).

This is no longer a pattern that we can ignore. I know that the blogging community loves to be snarky and demonstrate how much more that we know than the front office types do -- but it might be time to give them a hand.

Despite the major league club hovering around .500, the first two months of this season have given me new hope. I hope it continues, because if it does, when Carlos Beltran comes back he might be returning to a team that is only one piece away from making a run at the playoffs.

Checking in on the top 100 Prospects pt. 1

Now roughly five weeks into the season, I figure it is a good time to check in on the players I listed as the top 100 prospects in baseball before the season. Stats obviously do not mean everything with prospects, but it is still nice to know who is sinking and who is swimming.

1. Stephen Strasburg - Strasburg has been every kind of good imaginable. An ERA under 1.00, nearly 11 K/9 and zero home runs allowed. He should be called up within the next couple of weeks and could be one of the best starters in the NL immediately.

2. Jason Heyward - It was a bit of a surprise to see Heyward make Atlanta's opening day roster, but he's been their best player so far. He has hit for average, hit for power and drawn plenty of walks. At this point there appears to be no doubt Heyward will be a star.

3. Buster Posey - Posey has been one of the top AAA performers in AAA this year. His bat looks to be ready for the majors right now but Giants GM Brian Sabean keeps insisting Posey needs more time in the minors; that is likely nothing more than a cover story and Sabean just wants to delay Posey's arbitration clock.

4. Jesus Montero - As a 20-year-old in AAA, a tough start to the season was not a shock for Montero, who is scuffling a bit. His contact rate and plate discipline have been strong and he has hit some doubles so there is definitely no reason to worry yet, he'll figure it out.

5. Desmond Jennings - Jennings was hurt (again) to open the year but has been his old self since healthy. Injuries remain a major concern, but they are about the only one tarnishing Jennings' prospct status.

6. Dustin Ackley - Ackley got off to the worst start of any top prospect, struggling with a tough AA assignment and new defensive position (second base). He has turned it around a bit in May and his plate discipline was strong even through his struggles; a glimpse of power would be a welcome sign but Ackley is still an elite prospect.

7. Brian Matusz - Matusz has spent all of 2010 in the majors and has seen mixed results thus far. His ERA is currently over 5.00 but he has pitched better than that, evidenced mostly by a high strikeout rate. He will have to take his lumps because pitching in the AL East is the toughest assignment you can get.

8. Pedro Alvarez - There were two major concerns surrounding Alvarez entering this season, his ability to hit lefties and his high strikeout rate. He has done a respectable job against south paws but has struck out in over 1/4 of his at-bats so far this season. His inability to make consistent contact will become an issue once he makes it to Pittsburgh.

9, Carlos Santana - Santana has been just about the best player in the minors so far this year. He has done literally everything you could ask for and more... he has even stolen four bases this year without being caught.

10. Neftali Feliz - I still believe it is a mistake to use a player of Feliz' talents out of the bullpen, but there is no denying that he is the best option Texas has to close out games right now, and he has been solid in that role.

11. Jeremy Hellickson - Steady as she goes for Hellickson, he continues to show excellent command and the ability to miss bats at AAA. Everything has gone right for the Rays this year so far, but if one of their starters falters, Hellickson appears ready to step in.

12. Wade Davis - Davis has posted an impressive ERA for Tampa Bay thus far, but his peripherals are less impressive. Even so, he looks like a solid mid-rotation starter going forward with the potential to be more than that.

13. Domonic Brown - It is pretty remarkable how far Brown has come as a player since being drafted. He is starting to use his raw power more consistently in games, making him a true 5-tool player.

14. Logan Morrison - Morrison got a late start on the season, nursing an injury early on but has been absolutely on fire since retaking the field. He remains one of the best and well-rounded first base prospects in the game.

15. Michael Taylor - Taylor has not had the greatest 2010 thus far as his aggressiveness has been exploited at the plate. He is still driving the ball well and should adjust to the more advanced pitching with a little more time.

16. Aroldis Chapman - Chapman has been just about what I expected this season. He has thrown very hard, struck out a lot of people and walked a lot of people. His arm is special but there is still plenty of development left ahead of him.

17. Madison Bumgarner - Nobody really seems to know what to make about Bumgarner. After being crushed in his first couple starts and rarely coming close to 90 MPH he seems to have turned the corner in both his velocity and results. Only time will if his this is for real or not.

18. Starlin Castro - Castro rocketed up prospect lists last year and has continued exceed expectations. After lapping the field in AA he earned an early promotion to the majors and just has not slowed down. At some point I will just accept that he is a future star and stop being surprised when he makes baseball look easy.

19. Mike Stanton - I was more skeptical about Stanton than almost anyone, his strikeouts scared me and they still do. However he already has 17 home runs this year and 35 walks to go with his 42 strikeouts. He has more power than just about anyone and could be an Adam Dunn or Ryan Howard type hitter.

20. Chris Carter - After making significant progress the last couple seasons, Carter has regressed some this year, offering at more pitches out of the zone and seeing his strikeout rate soar. He will need to keep those in check if he wants to have success at the highest level.

21. Justin Smoak - Smoak's plate discipline was too advanced for the minors and his BB/K ratio has remained excellent over 30 games in the majors. His results have suffered I think from poor luck more than anything else and once that evens out he will start hitting.

22. Brett Wallace - Wallace has been crushing the ball in AAA with 25 extra-base hits so far this season. He hasn't shown great discipline at the plate but is hitting so well he should be able to get by if he is called up in the next couple of weeks.

23. Martin Perez - Poor control has hampered Perez so far this season as he is struggling for the first time in AA. The strikeouts and groundballs are still there and it is hard to believe this is anything more than a bump in the road.

24. Mike Montgomery - I was more aggressive in my ranking of Montgomery than most, but he has justified my ranking thus far, striking out tons of batters and not allowing a home run in 47 innings.

25. Kyle Drabek - 2009 was a remarkable season for Drabek and all of the hype surrounding him may have resulted in his being overrated by some. He is still a bit raw, evidenced by his high walk rate, but still looks to have #2 starter potential.

As Jon Miller Said, "Tonight The Slugger That They Signed Appeared." O CANADA!

Game 3: Mets 6 Yanks 4

In the beginning of the season I recall Keith Hernandez referring to Jason Bay's hitting as being "feast or famine." We have all come to see how streaky Mr. Bay is, we've gone through the famine, but over these last 3 games against the Yankees Jason's catered us a scrumptious meal; the feast was on! Hopefully it's here to stay. Who says BAY-con isn't good for you??!!

Now to the game and the BAY highlights!

In the bottom of the 2nd, Barajas got on base with a lead off double, Frenchy and Santana both struck out but with 2 outs Jose Reyes was back to his old marvelous hitting in the clutch ways and he doubled. Unfortunately Barajas is pretty slow running the bases and he was held on at 3rd. But this was okay because Alex Cora continued his redemption song and he hit a 2 rbi single, Rod and Jose scored, and the Mets took a 2-0 lead over the Yanks. Earlier in this game Jon Miller, Joe Morgan and Orel Hershiser discussed Bay's lack of long ball action this season. Did you know at this point in the season one year ago Mr. Canada had 13 homers and 45 rib eye steaks? Well Mr. Streaky did. But back to the current Mr. Bay, with 2 outs and Cora on base Jason said to the folks at Citi Field I like the long ball, I like it a lot, Canadians aren't so bad. Jay Bay homered and the Mets had a 4-0 lead on the pinstriped fiends. Davis then struck out to end the inning but it was a splendid inning regardless.

In the bottom of the 5th Jason Bay said to Citi Field did you like what you saw in the 2nd inning? The crowd said O Canada we did and Bay led off with a solo homer, his second long baller of the night! 5-0 METS!! Davis then popped up to center, Gardner was playing very deep, he couldn't get to the ball and either could Cano who was unable to make the over the shoulder catch and Ike was on first with nobody out. Now it was time for the Wright stuff to deliver in the 5 spot and he did. Davis advanced to second on a pass ball and then Davey said say hello to my double! Davis scored and the Mets were up 6-0. Pagan then popped up to Jeter, Barajas flew out to Gardner, Frenchy was intentionally walked and Santana struck out to end the inning. BUT this was the last of Sabathia the Mets would see!

In the top of the 7th ARod popped up to Reyes, Cano grounded out to Wright and at this point Santana had retired 13 straight Yankees. Who says 13 is an unlucky number??!! Well it sort of was because after that 13th straight out Santana started to get a little shaky. He walked Swisher in just 4 pitches and with 2 outs and Nick on 1st Cervelli hit a ball back back back but it was called a ground rule single by the umpires. Girardi and Cervelli did not like this at all but the umps reviewed the hit and stuck by their ruling. Swisher scored on the weirdest ground rule single I have ever seen and the Yanks were only down 5 at this point, 6-1. Kevin Russo a big fan of the show LOST flew out to Frenchy and the inning was over and then to make matters worse for Russo he was told how the series finale of LOST ended. OH how I jest.

In the top of the 8th the pinch hitter Marcus Thames got on base with a lead off walk, Jeter got jammed and the force out play was made, Thames was out at second but that pesky Derek was safe at first. With one out now Gardner lined out to Wright. Teixeira then singled and with men on 1st and 3rd ARod was up to bat, ugh. Johan walked Rodriguez and just like that the bases were loaded with 2 outs for Cano. Jerry decided it was time for that Perpetual Pedro fella to remedy this situation. Santana was done for the night but what a night he had. 7 2/3 innings pitched, 6 hits, 3 walks, 5 K's and 1 R. Mr. Feliciano then proved tonight he still has the goods and he got Cano to pop up to Davis and the inning was over! Time to exhale Mets fans!

In the top of the 9th I was so excited to see Igarashi back but that soon changed. Igarashi was very very very wild. Swisher got on base with a lead off walk, Cervelli singled, Russo hit a ball right back at the mound, Igarashi was confused as to where he should throw the ball and eventually he threw to second and Cervelli was out. But still there were now men on 1st and 3rd with one out for the pinch hitting fiend Juan Miranda. Miranda singled and Swish scored cutting the Mets lead to just 4 runs, 6-2. Manuel made a call to the bullpen and it was Frankie time! With Jeter up and men on 1st and 3rd Jeter did what us Mets fans feared, he doubled and just like that the lead was down to 3 runs, 6-3. Gardner who has struggled against the Mets was up next and he grounded out to Wright but on this controversial out Miranda scored and the lead was just 6-4 for the Metsies. I say that this out was controversial because Girardi and Gardner both complained that Ike's foot was not on the bag and that Brett was safe at first. The umps didn't agree and a pissed off Girardi walked back to the dugout. Teixeira then chopped the ball and it was a base hit, he was safe as can be at first. With 1st and 3rd and 2 outs ARod came to the plate, uh oh. But no need to fret, I won't make you wait too long to hear that KRod struck ARod out and the ball game was over.

The Mets win and they win the series!

Jerry Manuel lives to see his squad take on the Phillies, a Phillies team that was just swept by the BoSox, YAY.

Finally the Metsies get a day off tomorrow and Tuesday it's time to show the Phils some un-brotherly love. R.A. Dickey is the probable starter and well that will be the 2nd straight knuckle ball starter to face the Phils. Today Tim Wakefield bested Halladay and hopefully Dickey can copy Timmy Tuesday! Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery you know.

Let's savor this win and this series!

Sad News: Jose Lima Dies of Heart Attack

From NBCSports:

ESPNDeportes reports that former major leaguer Jose Lima has died of a massive heart attack at his home in Los Angeles.

He ended his career with the Mets in 2006. He was probably best known for his colorful personality on the mound, as well as for having the highest-ever ERA by a starter with 30 starts or more (2005).

Lima-Time was never something you wanted to on the mound for your baseball team, but sad news like this tends to remind you what a silly thing baseball is in comparison to life. Our best to the Lima family.

The Mets Win And Canadian BAY-con Goes 4 For 4. Take That Joe Buck And Your Mean Girl Ways.

Game 2: Mets 5 Yanks 3

Yesterday I was under the impression tonight's Mets, Yanks game was on SNY, foolish me. Nope it was in fact on FOX for their Saturday night game and that meant Tim McCarver and Joe Buck would be doing the announcing. And by doing the announcing I mean they were auditioning for the starring roles in Mean Girls 2. Tim and Joe throughout this game bashed the Mets non-stop. I was very upset by this. It was as if I was watching an old Friar's Club Roast of Phyllis Diller on Comedy Central. For instance, when Timmy and Buckarino were doing the "Ford keys to the game" for the Mets they said "WHERE DO YOU START?" Buck even said there is not one manager today or in history that could take this Mets squad to the NL EAST top spot. "Bottom line the Mets don't have enough." And to Joe I now say suck on this win, suck on it hard. I hope Artie Lange haunts you in your sleep tonight because you are just a mean mean man.

Before this one started Edgardo Alfonso was on hand to throw out the first pitch, yay FONZIE!! And Matthew Morrison of GLEE fame sang the national anthem that FOX didn't show for some reason, argh.

Now to the game!

In the bottom of the 1st with 2 outs Bay doubled and he began his reign of terror on the Yankees. Ike Davis was then walked and with 2 outs and men on 1st and 2nd David Wright got the job done, really done, he grounded a ball right up the middle and with that rbi single the Mets had a 1-0 lead over the Yanks. Angel Pagan who Jerry Manuel has called "the best athlete on the Mets" proved Jerry right and he got a broken bat rbi single, Ike-alicious scored and the Mets were up 2-0. Unfortunately David Wright made a running boo boo, he was thrown out at 3rd and the inning was over. It should have been 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs and Barajas coming up to bat but oh well shit happens.

During this inning Joe and Tim took a page from the Keith Hernandez book of great commentary and they began to mock Francisco Cervelli's finger nails. Tim said, "Cervelli flashing a catcher's manicure...a little white out never hurt anyone." Joe then added, "Like Gene Simmons giving signs back there." And really Cervelli's nails were a freak show but hey that's entertainment so who cares.

Enough of that digression let's go to the top of the 3rd for a great play made by Ike Davis. Jeter had hit a soft liner and well Ike said Derek I like to flash the leather and he did and he took a base hit away from Jeter. This great grab by Ike inspired FOX to show a highlight reel of all the amazing catches Davis has made this season. And because Joe Buck hates the Mets he didn't commend Ike for his talents on the field he instead remarked how FOX used great music in that segment; the best music they've used in 3 years to be exact. Joe you can be such a douche sometimes.

In the bottom of the 3rd it was time for some 1st inning deja vu. Canada Bay again came up to bat with 2 outs and he grounded a beauty off of Jeter's glove. Yay for that single! Ike was up next and he was walked yet again. Thanks Phil Hughes! David Wright singled right up the middle, Bay scored and the Mets took a 3-0 lead over the pinstriped fiends. Pagan then flew out to Swisher to end the inning.

Pelfrey was on fire for this game and after 4 innings the Mets had a 3-0 lead, Pelf had two K's under his belt and the Yanks had stranded 4 base runners.

During the top of the 5th inning the celebrities in attendance for tonight's game were shown. Oliver Platt, Seinfeld, Matthew Broderick, and two of the Jonas brothers were all Citi Field-ing it. For some reason Joe Buck knew with great ease that the two Jonas' at the game were Nick and Joe. Was I really surprised by this? Nah. Tim McCarver claimed he had no idea who they were and I believe him. But Buckarino I'm sure has seen that 3D movie of theirs at least 8 times. Possibly 9.

In the top of the 6th Pelf got his 4th and 5th strike outs of the night and who did he strike out? Teixeira and ARod! Cano then got on base with a 2 out single and that pesky Jorge Posada wannabe Cervelli was up to bat. Cervelli was hitting .667 with 2 outs and runners in scoring position. And he upped that average with a broken bat infield hit that scored Cano to get the Yanks their first run of the night, 3-1. Winn then grounded to Castillo and the inning was over, 2 more base runners were stranded, yay! And Pelf was done for the evening and boy did he just pitch spectacularly yet again.

In the bottom of the 6th Pagan flicked the ball to left, Winn misplayed it and no error was called on Mr. Winn and Angel was on base with a lead off double! Teixeira then took a base hit away from Barajas but the grounder moved Pagan on down to third base. Frenchy struck out (Phil Hughes' 7th K of the night) and with 2 outs the pinch hitter was Alex Cora. Cora redeemed himself for last night's OOPS moment and he got an rbi single that gave the Mets a 4-1 lead and well that meant buh bye to Phil Hughes. Girardi did the old double switch and Kevin Russo came in to play left field and Chan Ho Park was on the mound to face Jose Reyes. Reyes singled but with 2 men on and 2 out Castillo grounded out to Teixeira and the inning was over.

In the top of the 7th, Jenrry Mejia came in to help Pelf get the win. Russo started this 7th inning off with a single and Jeter was then walked. With 2 on and nobody out Gardner grounded out but the runners advanced to 2nd and 3rd. With one out and men on 2nd and 3rd Mejia got Teixeira to swing and a miss, strike 3 called! This was a huge strike out and now with 2 outs and still 2 men on ARod had a 2-0 count. Then Mejia pitched a 97 mph fast ball for strike 1. A 97 mph fast ball, strike 2 and then with the crowd on their feet and a full count Mejia got ARod to ground out to Wright and the inning was over!

In the bottom of the 7th Bay got a lead off infield hit, his 4th hit of the night, he was 4 for 4, I like those numbers Jason, I like them a lot. Davis popped up to Cano, Wright flew out to Swisher and with 2 outs and Pagan up, Bay stole second (his 6th stolen base of the season), Angel doubled, Bay scored and this gave the Mets a little added run insurance, a 5-1 lead. Barajas flew out to Gardner to end the inning.

In the top of the 8th I had to give Perpetual Pedro a new nickname PITIFUL Pedro. Cano singled, Swisher was hit by a pitch, Cervelli singled and just like that Pedro loaded the bases. Manuel and I think every Met fan had seen enough of Mr. Feliciano and Nightly Nieve came into this ball game to try to get the Mets out of this jam. Nieve faced the pinch hitter Juan Miranda and Miranda struck out, yes out number 1! Then Kevin Russo the newest Met killer was up to bat and Nieve walked Russo and that meant a run was walked in and the Mets lead was just 3 runs, 5-2. I now am going to give Nieve a new nickname as well, NIGHTMARE Nieve. With one out and the bases still loaded Manuel said hey KRod it's time for you to get your second 5 out save of the season and KRod said hell yeah it is! Frankie got Jeter to hit a grounder to Wright for the force out at second. The Yanks scored on that play and the lead was just down to 2 runs now, 5-3. With 2 outs and men on 1st and 3rd Gardner grounded out to Wright and the inning was over. Time to exhale!!!

Now to the top of the 9th. Teixeira struck out for the 3rd straight time to get this inning started with a bang, yay! ARod then singled and now the tying run was up at the plate and that batter was Cano, oh no. But oh yes, Cano squirted the ball to KRod, out number 2 was recorded but ARod advanced to second base. Nick I want to throw a pie in your face so badly Swisher singled and with 1st and 3rd and 2 outs Cervelli was the last hope for the Yanks. With a 2-2 count and the crowd on their feet KRod gave us fans what we wanted and voila Cervelli was down on strikes, the ball game was over.

The Mets win, the Mets win!

This game was in no way an easy victory for the Mets and yet again the relievers had us fans pacing back and forth.

But we won and we got Tim and Joe to shut up about how much the Mets suck and that's big. And more importantly we took game 2 in this subway series and well tomorrow's rubber game is a must win for the Mets.

Manuel's job is still in no way safe and we just need to keep winning.

So Santana go do your thang tomorrow.

As Ron Darling Remarked In The Top Of The 7th, "It Didn't Take Too Long For This To All Go So Wrong."

Game 1: Yanks 2 Mets 1

Well before I get started on this one I want to officially say hi to everyone and to also add that it is an honor to be considered the Angel Pagan for Fonzie Forever. Thanks Brian for the warm welcome!

Now let me dive right into this game. I was very optimistic about this one. For some reason I just thought the Mets would win. I'm a foolish, naive woman at times I can admit this. Well the Mets did not win this one but Takahashi was a Yankee killer. Twice he had a runner on 3rd with less than 2 outs and both times he struck out the batter, Derek Jeter in the 3rd and Nick Swisher in the 4th. And then with a runner in scoring position in the 6th "The Tic TAK" (yes that's my new nickname for Mr. Takahashi for he's as refreshing as that one and a half calorie breath mint!) struck out Cano to end his night on the mound. Overall, these were Tic Tak's stats
5 hits
0 runs
1 BB
5 K's
6 innings pitched

Why it took this long for Takahashi to start still boggles my mind!!??

Now to the Mets offense tonight, well there isn't much in this department to brag about. Sadly not much at all. In the bottom of the 5th Angel Pagan got the first hit off of Vazquez. It was just a single but thank goodness the Mets just got a hit. Besides this single really the only other offensive plays to mention came by Bay and Davis in the bottom of the 9th and I'll get to those right after the horrible 7th inning and the not as awful 8th are discussed.

It was a painful top of the 7th, a 7th inning I'm sure Alex Cora would like to forget. For some reason after Takahashi was taken out of the game Manuel decided to bring in Elmer Dessens to pitch. I didn't get this move but hey I'm just a girl who loves baseball and what do I know, I'm not getting paid the big bucks! Nick Swisher led off this inning with a single. I wanted to throw a pie in his face but nope I had no pies in the fridge. Then Francisco Cervelli grounded a ball to Cora, Cora threw to second but it was a terrible no good very bad throw, Reyes could not catch it and unfortunately this meant nobody was out and there were men on 2nd and 3rd for the youngin Kevin Russo. Russo hit a 2 rbi double and the Yanks just like that had a 2-0 lead over the Amazins. Vazquez then hit a beautiful sac bunt which moved Russo on down to third base. With 1 out Derek Jeter grounded to Jose Reyes, Reyes made a great snag, Russo was held up at third and Jeter was out at first base. With that out Manuel made a call to the bullpen and he brought Ollie Perez into the game. My jaw dropped at this point. Why bring in Ollie with an inherited runner on 3rd base! But Ollie proved me wrong, sigh. Well not at first but he did. With 2 outs he walked Brett Gardner and Jerry allowed Ollie to face Teixeira. This is when my big sigh of relief came in. Teixeira flew out to Pagan leaving men on 1st and 3rd and the inning was over!

In the 7th inning David Robertson pitched relief for the Yankees. Vazquez had to leave this one with a bruised right index finger. That will teach him to lay off the beautiful bunts. Alex Cora led off this inning and he singled. Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" didn't play at Citi Field but I busted out a few verses in honor of Alex. The Mets did threaten in this bottom of the 7th after Cora's single. Although Bay flew out for out number one, Ike got on 1st thanks to a throwing error by the man not named Jorge Posada, Francisco Cervelli. With 1st and 2nd and 1 out, Joba Chamberlain came in to pitch to David Wright. As Keith Hernandez remarked, "The crowd is getting jazzed up now!" and they were. Sadly Wright missed this memo and he relapsed, he struck out. With 2 out and 2 on everything was on the line for the Mets and Angel Pagan and with a full count, Pagan just could not stop the swing and he struck out. The inning was over.

In the top of the 8th Nightly Nieve, and Perpetual Pedro kept this game 2-0. Although Nieve gave up a lead off walk to ARod, Feliciano struck out Cano, Swisher popped up to Reyes and Cervelli said I can do that too Cano and he struck out to end the inning.

The bottom of the 8th was just a continuation of Joba Chamberlain greatness. Seriously is there anything more annoying than Joba doing well in a ball game??!! NO. He struck out Barajas, his third consecutive strike out and after that K Frenchy grounded out to Jeter and The Animal pinch hit and well flew out to end the inning. Just terrible.

Manny Acosta pitched a decent 9th inning and the stage was set for the Mets to come back against the Yanks. Mariano Rivera has struggled in his last few outings so I thought anything is possible, right!! In the bottom of the 9th, Reyes flew out to shallow left, Cora tapped back to the mound and just like that there were 2 outs. But then Canadian BAY-con hit a double with 2 outs and the few Mets fans in Citi Field were jazzed up! Seriously this crowd was all pinstriped fiends and that stung. I was very upset by this. Anyways back to the 9th, Ike Davis said yet again I've always batted cleanup since I was in the womb and he hit a double and Bay scored. The Mets were just down by 1 run and Davey was up! But with just one pitch the Mets were all done with the heroics. Wright grounded out to Cano and the ball game was over.

This game could have gone our way. We got great pitching from Takahashi and the relievers did pretty good too. Sadly sometimes it's just not in the cards and stupid errors happen even to great defensive players like Alex Cora. I can't stay mad at Alex for that error in the 7th, he's an awesome 2nd baseman and well life shits on you and it did just that for Cora and us Mets fans tonight.

And what's even more depressing I don't even have any booth highlights for us. For some reason the booth was very serious tonight. The only thing I learned was that Ron Darling likes fireworks and well as great as that is to know it really doesn't ease the pain of this loss. Also, for some reason SNY exiled Keith. He was out of the booth for most of the game; instead he was by the dugout making comments about this game and by comments I mean he just kept saying how he wished baseball was a game like golf where old fogies like himself could keep playing into their 50's and 60's. There just was no ongoing flow in the booth and my commentating heroes were just off of their games tonight. Keith, Gary and Ron I'm expecting you guys to come out strong tomorrow. Please.

Well tomorrow is a new day and maybe one of Manuel's last at Citi Field.

Pelf we need a great outing from you yet again, so do your thang!