What Letting Go of Fernando Martinez Means To Me

When I first read the news that Fernando Martinez had been placed on waivers, I was torn on how to react. Any Mets fan will tell you that F-Mart (as many called him) was ‘supposed’ to be the future, when the Mets were already a middle-of-the-pack team. His scouting reports had him being compared to former greats, and the Mets turning down some good offers for him. But as the years pressed on, and the injuries piled up, Fernando has quickly become a whisper in the winds of change that currently surround the Mets franchise.

Fernando’s placement on the waiver block symbolizes a lot for me, personally, as a Mets fan. For years, the mirage of success was always clouded by the touting of Fernando Martinez. But whenever Fernando was plagued by injuries down on the farm, it seemed as if the club in Queens found themselves experiencing quite the injury bug. You see, Fernando Martinez being placed on waivers represents more than just a highly-touted prospect that failed to live up to his potential due to a barrage of injuries. Fernando Martinez being placed on waivers represents more than just the last remaining failure of Omar Minaya’s time in Queens. For me, Fernando Martinez being placed on waivers represents the end of a rough, injury and failure-filled cycle, and the beginning of a new ‘unknown’… a fresh start… a do-over… an NES Reset Button without having to blow into the cartridge.

I don’t expect the Mets to compete in 2012, and they may not even compete through 2013, but this is a good start. Forget the Wilpons (who I wish would give up and sell already) and forget the money trouble. Change needs to happen, and it’s still only just beginning with this move. It’s time move on, and Sandy is making that happen. Here’s to rebuilding!

The Shifting Definition of Draft Performance

Last week, I posted a bit of sarcasm on my Facebook page in response to the news of Omar Minaya’s new job in San Diego. I’ve never been a huge fan of Minaya, stemming from his not-so-magical run as GM of “Los Mets” (we all know how his run ended). Granted, he wasn’t hired by the Padres as a GM, but to see him back on the job makes me feel a little bad for San Diego. A friend of mine commented on my link and suggested that Omar “drafted okay” in terms of his performance as Mets GM. That sparked an interesting debate on Omar’s drafting performance based on his ‘Top Picks’ in each of his years as GM. In the end, we realized that both view ‘drafting success’ a bit differently.

This morning, my friend put up an in-depth post over at Mack’s Mets, analyzing Minaya’s “Top 30 Picks” over his years as Mets GM. Now that the focus of the debate has shifted to his “Top 30 Picks”, my opinion on the subject of Minaya’s drafting performance changed, but not drastically. I come from the “what have you done for me lately” school of thought, and in my mind, Minaya’s drafting performance has produced, count it, two well-performing major leaguers in Jon Neise and Ike Davis. I could add Dillon Gee to that list, but he’s not a Top 30 Pick, so lets see how he adds on to his eye-opening 2011 performance in the upcoming season. You can read my full opinion in my friend’s writeup.

So I raise the question to my readers: How do you define “Draft Performance”?

Rob Parker Strikes Again!

A few months back, I wrote a little piece on the bias of a certain ESPN writer on the way Jose Reyes finished his 2011 season. Today, I’ve come across another one of Rob Parker’s gems, this time suggesting that Mets fans should blame Mets ownership and the front office for the departure of Jose Reyes and his signing with the Miami Marlins. You did get one thing right, though, Rob. I don’t blame Jose Reyes. But I don’t blame Mets ownership and the front office, either. Instead, I blame the Players Union, Owners (collectively), and Bud Selig. Why? Simple. Have you seen the absurd contracts players are signing in this ‘so-called’ recession? $106 Million for 6 years? Who deserves that? Did he find a cure for cancer or something? Did he stop a world war? Did he invent something revolutionary? So no, I don’t blame Mets ownership and the front office for Reyes signing a contract he would have never received from the Mets. I blame the union, owners, and Selig for letting contracts get so incredibly out of hand, that the Mets ‘forcibly’ had no chance at re-signing Jose Reyes.

But I digress… I’m going to enjoy disecting this one! Shall we?

“No matter what the final numbers are, the bottom line remains that the Mets were kidding themselves when they failed to deal Reyes before the trading deadline to get some quality players in return”

And your entire write-up lost all credibility right there. Kaput. Gone with the wind. Would you have taken a chance on Reyes as a GM when he was just coming off of an injury… twice? There’s so much risk associated with Reyes that it didn’t seem worth it for owners to want to make a move for him. Try again.

“Coming into the season, if the Mets weren’t sure what to do with Reyes — trade him or try to re-sign him — it should have been crystal clear after Reyes wasn’t interested in the Mets’ money. Hence, the Mets should have traded Reyes for the best package available. It only made sense.”

See previous response. Best package available? You’re joking, right? He just comes off of an injury, and you think teams are going to give the Mets a great offer? Better yet, you think the Mets should’ve just traded him for anything? This isn’t MLB2KWhatever, Rob. You can’t turn your ‘trade settings’ off.

“The Mets have made many mistakes since 1986, their last championship season. One of the biggest is not dealing players when their stock is sky high. Too often, they wait until it’s too late and don’t get full value. This time, the Mets simply blew it. This one will hurt.”

Care to enlighten me on this theory of not dealing ‘high stock’ players before it’s too late? And this will hurt? On the contrary. This one will counter the $70 million the team lost this past year, and make player-based decisions a little easier on the financial front. If you think this Mets fan is ‘hurt’ by Reyes signing with the “I love buying championships and disbanding” Marlins, then you’re severely out-of-touch with the fanbase you grew up so close to.

Once again, you’ve proven to know nothing about the fanbase. None of your Mets-related writeups make any sense, have any solid points, and read as if the point is to mindlessly bash the Mets. Bravo, Rob.

Stay Classy.

You Stay Classy, Rob Parker!

Today was supposed to be a day where Mets history was made. Today was the day Jose Reyes would win the batting title, becoming the first Met in the team’s history to win a batting title. Today was a day for celebration after a season of uncertainty, roster overhaul, and personnel changes.

Well, Rob Parker of ESPN had another idea of what today might have actually meant. Parker, who writes more Yankees-based articles than anything, decided to lay a dead horse called “Reyes is no Jeter” and beat it with a blunt object, repeatedly. Basically, Rob believes that by leaving the game after getting a hit in his first at-bat of today’s game, cushioning his lead in the batting race, Reyes cheated Mets fans. Rob, I’ll tell you this… I, a lifelong Mets fan, don’t feel cheated in any way. But lets focus on the real isue at hand, your hypocrisy. Lets go over a few key points in your mash-up of scrabble words:

– “For sure, it was a selfish move. Forget about helping the Mets win a game — it was about Reyes trying to win a batting crown. Fair or not, it was a move his crosstown rival, Derek Jeter, never would have pulled. ”

Really? I seem to remember Jeter pulling out of this season’s All-Star Game (an event that fans vote on) because he was making sure he was good to go after the All-Star Game to… wait for it… make history? Want more fun facts on your ‘boy’, Derek? Deadspin’s got you covered.

– “Instead of competing all the way through, Reyes took the safe, selfish way out. It’s hard to root for guys who do that — even Reyes, who has had a tremendous bounce-back season.”

I guess its safe to say you never been a fan of players like Bernie Williams, who pulled the same “shenanigans” in his pursuit of the 1998 AL batting title (/fabricated, like your past work, Rob). How about Wade Boggs? Remember him? How about Willie Wilson?

– “Instead, at the finish line, Reyes turned on his teammates, and the paying customers. Worse, he turned himself into a chicken.”

You’re joking, right? (see above). First off, the Mets had nothing to player for, unless you consider locking up 4th place in the division something to play for. Second, the Mets had never had a batting champion before Reyes. Now that he’s got a batting title, the chances of him returning to Flushing are slim-to-none. I can only wish that he takes a ‘hometown discount’ and returns, but if the price is too steep, I’m perfectly fine with him taking his talents (and injuries) elsewhere.

I know you’ve been pushing for a Reyes trade all season, and now that he’s a free agent, you must be going through pairs of pants like an Ex-Lax addict. Reyes has nothing to do with Jeter, and Jeter has nothing to do with Reyes. All your ‘headline’ says to me is “My team is better than yours!”. No… really!? I get it. Your ‘team’ wins. Mine doesn’t. Why is that important? Why is that always part of the equation? Different leagues, different ownerships, different systems, different everything. Do us all a favor and stick to basketball, the Yankees, and keep your biased opinions on Reyes out of your articles (if I can even call them articles). Considering you’re a Queens native who grew up super close to the orange and blue, I’m a little curious to know where this “blah blah blah Mets blah blah blah” tone came from…

Oh yeah… and Stay Classy!

Terry Got Trolled

What’s that, Terry?… Angry? Upset? Confused? You shouldn’t be. Nobody around the organization should be. Why? Because your team is… (pause for a quick informational break)

The Mets are clearly okay with being super awful during or after the 7th inning, and last night’s loss to the Pirates made that perfectly clear. Although, a certain Mr. Terry Collins doesn’t seem to be on board with the whole “Hey guys! Let’s just play Single-A ball now. I gotta get home in time for storytime” thing. As a matter of fact, he shouldn’t be on board with that, and I’m glad he isn’t. But last night’s ‘rant’ to reporters after the game struck an odd chord. It was a lot of the same story, and I’d like to break down some of the “Oh No You Di’int!” points:

– “I’m running out of ideas here”

Oh boy… um… Terry… Don’t ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever say that. /nails the coffin shut

– “I’m ringing the rag dry, coming in here, having to look at you guys looking at me like I’m a stinking fool”

Ammunition for the trolls… I mean… Awesome Sports Writers of New York City!

– “We just can’t continue to make foolish mistakes. They’re big-league players. They should be able to do it.

I don’t know, Terry… I see a lot of Bison on that field… /grabs a fork and knife

These are just some of the “things you probably shouldn’t tell a reporter” things, but I happen to agree with a lot of what Terry says in his post-game rant. Baseball is a team game, and if the team can’t play together, you don’t win. If you’re given the chance to play at the major league level, then you’d better play like you belong. I get it. I agree with it. What I don’t agree with, however, is his sudden notion to not to not point fingers at certain players at all. When Daniel Murphy makes a few fundamentally awkward plays that end up costing the team a few runs, you point that out. When your outfielders misjudge a fairly simple fly ball to have it bounce off of their glove, you point that out. But why keep that ‘in the clubhouse”? Why is it such a bad thing to say exactly what it is that fans think about those players? Why the coddling? These guys make far too much money to have to worry about getting their feelings hurt. They’re paid to play a game and be successful at it, not throw a tantrum over how they had their feelings hurt. By all means, call them out. Don’t let their mistakes go.

(end of informational break)

…. in transition and not currently built to win! /pulls up in a Wahmbulance

New York Metropolitan Misunderstanding

Game 2 of the doubleheader in Atlanta is almost done, the Mets are losing again, and my Facebook/Twitter feeds are about to implode from the apparent panic that fans seem to be experiencing.

Seriously? Are you all really that distressed or upset? Did you honestly believe the current roster has a legitimate chance to compete? Did you honestly believe that making the switch to Sandy/Terry would bring immediate results? Stop for a moment, take a breath, and realize that these Mets are probably not going to head into a Playoff Chase, come away with a Pennant or a Championship. Celebrate the positives, and take the negatives for what they are. Besides , we should all be glad that we’re not in the position Terry will be in once the game ends, when he has to release some of that frustration he’s walking around with. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near that locker room… Yikes!

FYI: Pedro Beato was pretty awesome tonight. That’s right… positives, people!

Here’s an interesting mantra that might help cut down a little bit of your stress:

“The 2011 New York Mets were not built to win, and they’re playing appropriately. The 2011 Boston Red Sox were built to win, and Beantown has already pressed the big red button”.

Chew on that, or chew on this:

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSTGOyDFPrU%5D

You Stay Classy, Harper!

How did I miss this!? Just over a week into the season and the Mets are just asking for write-ups like this. In case you haven’t clicked on the link yet, John Harper of the NY Daily News wrote about Mets SS Jose Reyes and how his performance with his bat may ‘lead him out of New York’.

Really…. Really, John? So, you mean to tell me that Jose Reyes… The same Jose Reyes who has been getting on base early in almost every game… The same Jose Reyes who has been lighting up the base paths… The same Jose Reyes who looks like he’s having fun again… is at risk of not being re-signed because of one example from a recent Mets/Nats game?

“…coming to the plate with the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position, the Mets trailing 3-2 with one out. With the infield back, all Reyes needed was a ground ball for a tie, but instead he struck out, which proved to be the pivotal moment in the game. The Nationals went on to win, 6-2, but had Reyes at least gotten the tying run in from third, who knows how differently the game plays out from there.”

While all he needed was a ground ball, would you have known exactly what was coming to the plate without looking at the signs from a television screen? Not only that, but there were plenty of other key moments in that game that proved costly for the Mets. Why you insist on signing out one of the Mets best offensive catalysts, is beyond me. How about these problems?

– Pagan’s slow start
– Duda not ready, appropriately sent to Buffalo
– Blaine and DJ awful out of the bullpen
– Pelfrey’s erratic inconsistencies

So what’s up, John? Needed to fill your quota for the day? Have nothing better to write about? From where I stand, Reyes looks pretty good. One strikeout isn’t going to make or break his ‘chances’ of getting re-signed. In all honestly, I think Alderson would be pretty silly to either let him go or trade him. Apparently, you don’t understand just how strong the left side of the infield is right now. But since we’re on the topic… Who would you suggest the Mets bring in to replace Reyes is to be replaced because of this ‘one strikeout’ you talk about? I’ll be waiting patiently for your next article, “With Reyes’ Future Solidified, Replacements Are Discussed”.

You Stay Classy, Harper!

Hey Mikey, He Gets It!

The Mets come home today with a 3-3 record (which is better than I predicted). They showed life during their series with Florida. They put up a hell of a fight during the first two games in Philadelphia. But no matter how good things may look, there will always be someone out there itching to rack up the ‘page hits’ by deterring the fanbase from the positives and turning them back towards the irrelevant. Fortunately, I came across the first positive piece on on the Mets that I’ve seen since the season started, and it was written by David Schoenfield over at ESPN.

He brings up a few interesting opinions that both of us share, like:

– Angel Pagan is the real deal
– The rotation (sans Pelfrey) has real potential
– Watch out for Josh Thole
– They ‘could be’ an 86-87 win team (emphasis on ‘could’)

After reading David’s write-up, I got a little overconfident and thought I’d keep searching the interwebz to find others who share the same opinions on how the season could turn out for the Amazins. Unfortunately, my streak of 1 was quickly broken by Mike Puma of the New York Post (aka: New York Porta Potty). Mike writes:

“The only good news for the Mets is they are finally home, ready to face the Nationals in the first game at Citi Field this season.”

That’s the only good news? Really? Are you not aware of anything that Schoenfield mentioned in his write-up? Granted, Mike does make small mentions of the Florida series, but that’s a pretty bold statement. I’m actually shocked I haven’t seen more Mets rants without a mention of Charlie Sheen, considering he’s in NYC. Maybe he’ll show up at the game today. Wouldn’t that be hilarious? But hey, maybe knowing he’s there is what they need to get people into the WINNING mindset. (c wut i did thar?)

Elimanated?

…and apparently, the Mets are a TV show?

Ruffles… Try again, kthx.

You Stay Classy, Gonzo!

Update: I was informed that Gonzo would offer this post to his mother as a birthday gift. Isn’t that swell? What a guy, that Gonzo! Send my regards! =D

—————–

Another game of the 2011 MLB season goes by, and another Mets rant goes live. If I may, assuming you’ve just read the linked article, I would like to sum up the first 5 games of this young season for the Mets.

Game 1 – Josh Johnson showed up, Pelfrey was erratic
Game 2 – Wright puts it away, Frankie goes wild
Game 3 – Dickey was ridiculous
Game 4 – Young impresses, Hamels struggles vs Mets again
Game 5 – Mets come back from 7-0 to tie, Bullpen can’t hold it

Looking back at the first 5 games of the season, there are a ton of positives. Wright is hitting, Dickey continues his dominance from last season, Young is lights out in his debut, The 7-run comeback, and they’re getting contributions from everyone on the roster. If you could write anything negative about the first 5 games, it would be that Pelfrey has been off of his game (if he ever appears to have one), and K-Rod well had an awful appearance. That’s it. Five games, tons of positives.

“But Josh, why would anyone write such a ‘bashing’ article if the Mets are playing better than anyone really expected, and aren’t 0-5 to start the year like the guys up in Boston?”

Well, unidentifiable question asker, it’s really quite simple. There’s nothing ‘substantial’ to knock the Mets about. They’re not 0-5, they’re playing hard, they’re playing as a team and they look like they’re having fun! Despite what writers want you to believe, there actually is no “National Punchline” involving the Mets. So Chris Rock, a Mets Fan, makes a few cracks. He’s a comedian. He gets paid to make people laugh. Of course its funny. I laughed when I heard that joke! So Seth McFarlane decides to throw the Mets under the bus with a crack before the season even starts. Again, he gets PAID to create a show that will make people laugh. Otherwise, Family Guy would’ve been off the air a long time ago. John Stewart? The Mets fan? I don’t think I need to show you where this is going… If you can’t laugh at yourself, or the things you love, then… nevermind, I’m not being paid to be your therapist.

The bottom line is this… As long as the Mets continue to play hard, and put up a fight on the field, the only thing we’ll continue to see from ‘expert bloggers’ and writers looking for a quick burst of hits to their articles in order to reach their quota for their newspaper is an overdose of “BAHAHAHA METS (insert claim of actual rivalry) BAHAHAHA METS (insert random madoff joke) BAHAHAHA METS (insert random charlie sheen quote about winning)”

In short, what you’ve just read over at the Philly.com website is the result of what happens when a sports writer strokes his e-peen for just a second too long. It feels good on the way out, but its just not worth the mess. But don’t blame me for the impressive mess Gonzo leaves for you to clean up. Go on and tell him to clean it up himself.

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phillies/20110407_Gonzo___Mets_are_a_national_punch_line.html#ixzz1Iq7gpBva%20Watch%20sports%20videos%20you%20won%27t%20find%20anywhere%20else