Pedro, Carlos, Omar ... and Adam

[metirish]

Plug away Adam, the pleasure is ours, Amazon is doing a good deal for the free shipping, your book along with Baseball Prospectus 2006 for $28:50....I just ordered that deal...can't wait to read yours.

[MFS62]

Hi Adam.
As my screen name implies, I've been a Mets fan since 1962. I was mentioned in last year's book "Inside the Mets Dugout"

Two questions if I may:

1) While you've been down there in Spring Training, have you seen Rickey spending a lot of time with Jose Reyes? If so, are they working on? Baserunning? Pitch selection? Someting else?
Who else has Rickey been working with?

2) I once heard Ralph Kiner say that in all of his years with the Mets, only one or two players have come to him for hitting tips. Can you please ask him who they were, and if they successfully put his tips into practice?

Thanks in advance, and I'm looking forward to your book as well as the chat.

Later

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Adam – thanks for tackling these questions. That the Mets “prefer to keep their employees out of sight” seems like a pretty good reason in itself to go check in now and again on what Baumer might be up to, don’t you think? Anyway, just as a suggestion, how teams view and apply analysis is a topic a lot of fans appear to be interested in today: the Mets especially seeing as under Omar they appear to be most comfortable in a traditional approach as opposed to whatever level of Moneyballness Duquette might have been leaning toward (I think the argument can be made that Cameron was a leading-edge Moneyball signing, and as noted in your reports then, affected or at least approved by Baumer’s proprietary data).

A few more questions if I may:

The Internet seems to have really changed how fans consume baseball, in good and oftentimes in bad ways, by allowing everyone to be a publisher or even a “journalist”— without necessarily committing any journalism while doing so. Have you found the Internet Rumor Industry causing you to do any additional legwork, chasing down reports that may or may not be legitimate? How has it helped? How tuned in are you to what’s being said about your work in the blogs?

And in a world where the baseball fan can consume so much more information and opinions from more sources than ever, what can you do to be certain the Daily News remains essential reading?

Which of your counterparts on the beat do you admire most and why?

Victor Zambrano seemed to be rarely quoted last season, and it was very odd to catch him smiling. Is he really a sad and quiet guy?

[Sandgnat]

Adam - you mentioned previously that Mike Piazza was a loner, pretty much divorced from the team. Was this always the case for the entire 7 years or was it more the final year or two that he was here? What was the cause of this? Was he simply a shy, quiet type of guy who kept to himself, or did most of the other players simply not like him for some reason? Was he close with anyone else in the clubhouse?

[nymr83]

Adam- Of the trades that received lukewarm or hostile responses from the fans (losses of Cameron, Benson, Seo, and aquisition of LoDuca in my mind) which will have those fans biting their tongues a year from now and praising Minaya?
Do you believe the Mets are a better team now than they were before Benson and Seo were traded?

[Benjamin Grimm]

My copy of Pedro, Carlos, and Omar arrived yesterday, and I plan to start reading it next week. It looks great: a section with color photos, an index, and the photo of Pedro on the cover has him in the blue cap and a pinstriped jersey. (Mad props for that!)

Adam, thanks for joining us. I still read the print edition of the Daily News every day, even though I moved away from New York over 17 years ago. It's great having you here.

Here are my questions:

How conscious are you of the back page? When you submit a story, do you consider whether or not it's back-page material? Do you get a special thrill when it does show up there, or feel disappointment when a worthy story doesn't? Do you know in advance where it's going to be placed, or do you find out when you get your copy of the paper?

When you're in spring training, or on the road, do you get a print edition sent to you?

How hard was it to get your book published? Was this your first attempt, or had you pitched other ideas in the past that didn't get picked up?

If the Daily News offered you the Yankees beat tomorrow, would you jump at it, consider it, or turn it down outright? (We won't be offended, whatever your answer!)

This was in Jon Heyman's column in Newsday this morning, regarding Lastings Milledge:

]One other high-ranking Mets person said flatly, "He's our leftfielder in 2007."

I've read such things before. You may know or suspect who it was who said that, but I won't ask you to reveal who it was. But that's not the first time I've read such statements about Milledge. What do you think, though? Is he solidly in their plans for 2007, an "untouchable," or do you think he's merely untouchable until Barry Zito or Manny Ramirez or somebody else becomes available in July?

Again, thanks for visiting with us. Please feel free to drop in on us during the season when your schedule permits. There's always some kind of Mets conversation going on, and we'd enjoy having you jump in whenever you'd like.

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

Absolutely fantastic thread. Thank you, Mr. Rubin.

Which do you value more--words Willie says, or actions Willie takes, in deciding how to tell the story accurately? For example, last week Willie was quoted as saying harshly (and correctly in my view) that Matsui is going to have to play well to get starts and at-bats, that his salary won't matter if he isn't playing well, etc, but these words are at odds with his practice (with Matsui and with others) in 2005, when he played veterans and never-will-be's getting high salaries over younger cheaper players. Did Willie change his mind after his first year? Is he just mouthing the words but is still committed to playing people on the basis of their salaries? Am I totally wrong about assessing Willie's practices in 2005 or his words in 2006?

[Guest Edgy DC]

I've got to think that the options are open. An undistinguished few months from Diaz and Nady and a contract-extending slugfest from Cliff Floyd and the Mets and the fans will be looking at Milledge in right. And that's if he continues to progress. But Adam may see it differently.

[Guest Adam Rubin]

Here are a few more responses so I can try to start with a clean slate Monday ...

Any special site that I should order the book from or is Amazon ok?..you don't have a site is what I mean.

I don't have my own Web site, though Alan Schwarz -- with whom I had dinner tonight -- said I should. I'd be grateful if you bought it anywhere. I know it has been shipped to bookstores already. The release date is March 1, so I imagine it will be on shelves this week.

[metirish]

No problem Adam, I ordered it form Amazon last week.

[Guest Adam Rubin]

Would I be correct in assuming that this is a more-or-less chronological account of Met-land dating from the Omar hiring through the '05 season?


The book opens with Fred and Jeff Wilpon secretly flying to Montreal to hire Omar Minaya in Sept. 2004. It flashes back a little and discusses the dysfunction that prompted the Wilpons to make the trip, but it's mostly chronological from that point. Chapter 1 is the '04-05 winter, Chapter 2 is spring training, Chapter 3 is the 0-5 start through the six straight wins that followed, etc.

And, since much has been made about the "Latinization" of the team via Omar's signings/trades plus the team's marketing focus, is that a major theme of the book or simply one aspect of it that just happened to make for a snappy sub-title?

There's a notable presence of the Hispanic angle throughout the book, including what people in the clubhouse thought about it, to some extent. The first chapter revisits those David Sloane e-mails and the John Leguizamo commercial. The spring training chapter has a lot about the notable difference in the clubhouse culture. And there are other times throughout the year when the topic flared up, including right after the promotions of Jose Santiago and Juan Padilla, when some players -- even Hispanic -- came to briefly believe that maybe Omar Minaya did want an all Latin team (at least 24 + David Wright).

[Guest Adam Rubin]

1) While you've been down there in Spring Training, have you seen Rickey spending a lot of time with Jose Reyes? If so, are they working on? Baserunning? Pitch selection? Someting else?
Who else has Rickey been working with?

Rickey actually is only scheduled to be in spring training for the final 10 days, once Jose Reyes returns from the World Baseball Classic. Darryl Strawberry will be in camp this week.


2) I once heard Ralph Kiner say that in all of his years with the Mets, only one or two players have come to him for hitting tips. Can you please ask him who they were, and if they successfully put his tips into practice?

That might have to wait until the season. I don't expect Ralph will make any appearances in Port St. Lucie. Tom McCarthy, the new radio voice who came from the Phillies arrived today. Gary Cohen, I believe, will be visiting later this week. I'm sure we'll see Keith Hernandez soon. He has a place in Florida, I'm pretty sure.

[Guest Adam Rubin]

The Internet seems to have really changed how fans consume baseball, in good and oftentimes in bad ways, by allowing everyone to be a publisher or even a “journalist”— without necessarily committing any journalism while doing so. Have you found the Internet Rumor Industry causing you to do any additional legwork, chasing down reports that may or may not be legitimate? How has it helped? How tuned in are you to what’s being said about your work in the blogs?

It's helpful to the extent that people do find obscure links from time to time. It's frustrating in that people tend to be a little too liberal with the cutting and pasting. As for the rumors, it's generally pretty easy for me to discern what's real or not, because a lot of times I've already had direct conversations with the principals involved, just speaking on background.




And in a world where the baseball fan can consume so much more information and opinions from more sources than ever, what can you do to be certain the Daily News remains essential reading?

I'm pretty proud of the credibility of our reporting. Team announcements may end up getting on the Internet first, but there are plenty of things on a daily basis that we've delivered. Just in the past few days I've reported that Pedro is penciled in to pitch in the World Baseball Classic on March 13, after a Grapefruit League game March 7. Newspapers will eventually figure out the Internet, and when they do watch out, because their news-gathering ability is unrivaled, I believe.

Which of your counterparts on the beat do you admire most and why?

I like Marty Noble. In a day when beat turnover is high, he stands out, and readers benefit from his breadth of knowledge.

Victor Zambrano seemed to be rarely quoted last season, and it was very odd to catch him smiling. Is he really a sad and quiet guy?

He's smiling a lot more this year, which is one positive byproduct of having an increased Hispanic presence. He did seem a little shell shocked by New York. He is very quiet.

[Guest Adam Rubin]

Adam - you mentioned previously that Mike Piazza was a loner, pretty much divorced from the team. Was this always the case for the entire 7 years or was it more the final year or two that he was here? What was the cause of this? Was he simply a shy, quiet type of guy who kept to himself, or did most of the other players simply not like him for some reason? Was he close with anyone else in the clubhouse?

I've been around the team for five years, and that's what I've always observed. He was closer to guys like Ventura, Zeile and John Franco. In fact, after his last game as a Met, he went to dinner with Franco. His best friend actually was Charlie Samuels, the clubhouse manager. Piazza is a loner. He didn't have the most cheerful disposition, either.

[Guest Adam Rubin]

Adam- Of the trades that received lukewarm or hostile responses from the fans (losses of Cameron, Benson, Seo, and aquisition of LoDuca in my mind) which will have those fans biting their tongues a year from now and praising Minaya?
Do you believe the Mets are a better team now than they were before Benson and Seo were traded?

I'm not sure Lo Duca should be lumped in with that group, because I don't think that was unpopular. Of the other trades, I'd predict fans will be most pleased with Duaner Sanchez. Like everyone else, I wouldn't have made both trades, because it leaves little safety net in the rotation, especially given Pedro's situation. The Mets needed to bulk up the bullpen, however.

[Guest Adam Rubin]

How conscious are you of the back page? When you submit a story, do you consider whether or not it's back-page material? Do you get a special thrill when it does show up there, or feel disappointment when a worthy story doesn't? Do you know in advance where it's going to be placed, or do you find out when you get your copy of the paper?

Certainly the goal of any reporter is to maximize the attention your story gets, but you have to work with the subject matter. There are no Gary Sheffields here. I don't know specifically where it's going most of the time.


When you're in spring training, or on the road, do you get a print edition sent to you?

The Daily News is sold in Florida, so I see it every day, though it's a smaller edition. Basically, I wake up and read on the Internet the Mets coverage from the seven papers that cover the team on a regular basis.


How hard was it to get your book published? Was this your first attempt, or had you pitched other ideas in the past that didn't get picked up?

I had it much easier than most. My publisher, Lyons Press, did a Yankees-Red Sox book last year called "Tale of Two Cities." I work with John Harper, who was a co-author of that book. The publisher wanted to do a Mets book, and John and Tony Massarotti from the Boston Herald were kind enough to recommend me.


If the Daily News offered you the Yankees beat tomorrow, would you jump at it, consider it, or turn it down outright? (We won't be offended, whatever your answer!)

I'd turn it down. Too much aggravation trailing George Steinbrenner every day.

Quote:
One other high-ranking Mets person said flatly, "He's our leftfielder in 2007."


I've read such things before. You may know or suspect who it was who said that, but I won't ask you to reveal who it was. But that's not the first time I've read such statements about Milledge. What do you think, though? Is he solidly in their plans for 2007, an "untouchable," or do you think he's merely untouchable until Barry Zito or Manny Ramirez or somebody else becomes available in July?

I would always hedge when writing. There are no absolutes in baseball. I expect Floyd would move on after this year, but what happens if he's MVP of the World Series? I don't think you'll see Milledge traded, but if Zito will sign an extension, I would never rule anything out. That said, the Mets braintrust is enamored with Milledge, and rightfully so. Peter Gammons was at camp Saturday. Jeff Wilpon dragged Gammons over to a different field just to show Milledge off during batting practice.

[metirish]

Adam I'm curious about something, you said before that Marty Noble is a writer that you look up too, as a person that has posted here for a few years I can tell you that Noble gets a lot of respect here, my point is this, in Newsday tomorrow Jon Heyman has a column about Gary Sheffield and Manny Ramirez, his point is this, both are not happy so trade Sheff for Manny, he even admits that this is based on nothing, this kind of stuff kills me, not long ago he was saying that the Mets must get him, would you ever just make crap up to fill a column?...I am sure the answer is no and I am not asking you to hammer Heyman but it's pure filler from him...thoughts?

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/ny-sphey0227,0,4007122.column?coll=ny-sports-headlines

[nymr83]

I'm fine with that article, the author goes out of his way to say that there are no rumors or "super secret sources that i can't reveal but swear exist." He's writing a filler column with some speculation and I'm glad he's straightforward about it.

[Frayed Knot]

Just a reminder to all that Adam Rubin is scheduled to be by for a "live" online chat at 9 PM tonight to discuss both the state of the Mets in general and his upcoming (Wednesday) book in particular.

The are no specific rules set up for this and it's not going to be "moderated" in any way; but I'm thinking that since this is a "real time" chat - as opposed to his early visits when he answered a bunch of our longer pre-submitted queries - maybe we can aim this towards a series of shorter questions which would allow all present to get a question or two in and not take A.R. too long to answer any one. An attempt to keep them to a more-or-less one at a time pace would also be preferable to throwing out a whole bunch at 9:02.

So come on by if your schedule permits. Nothing like a little first-hand baseball talk to help deal with your curling withdrawl.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Adam, thanks for all these great answers.

Let's talk about Art Howe a little bit. Was he as bad a fit for the Mets as he seemed? Is there anything good you can say about his tenure that we might not have picked up on? How would you compare him to Willie Randolph, in his ability, his approach, the respect the players had for him?




Fred Wilpon's desire to win has been questioned in this forum. What do you think? Is he as driven to win a World Series as Steinbrenner is? Or do the Wilpons put more value on revenue than championships?

[Guest The Brooklyn Bum]

Frayed Knot wrote: Just a reminder to all that Adam Rubin is scheduled to be by for a "live" online chat at 9 PM tonight to discuss both the state of the Mets in general and his upcoming (Wednesday) book in particular. The are no specific rules set up for this and it's not going to be "moderated" in any way; but I'm thinking that since this is a "real time" chat - as opposed to his early visits when he answered a bunch of our longer pre-submitted queries - maybe we can aim this towards a series of shorter questions which would allow all present to get a question or two in and not take A.R. too long to answer any one. An attempt to keep them to a more-or-less one at a time pace would also be preferable to throwing out a whole bunch at 9:02. So come on by if your schedule permits. Nothing like a little first-hand baseball talk to help deal with your curling withdrawl.

Um, how would one find such a magical place?

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Adam, thanks again for coming back. Really enjoying your perspective and feel free to drop in anytime.

What do you sense the Mets' plans are for Victor Diaz? Some of us feel that unless they go with 11 pitchers, he's a longshot to make the opening day roster.

Jeff Wilpon: Among talk-radio callers and message boarders his brand image (cereal-eating, meddlesome, unworthy daddy's boy) probably couldn't be worse, but when pressed I don't believe they could articulate what he's really all about. Do you get a sense of how, if at all, he differs from his pop? Also -- are we to assume he someday runs the whole show, and if so, is there a succession plan out there yet?

[G-Fafif]

Doesn't appear I'll be desktop at 9, so if I may toss out these quickies...

--Jay Horwitz: Players seem to swear by him, media been known to swear at him. Man's had the job a long time. Your experience with him?

--Mike Piazza: You mentioned his isolation earlier. Was there ever a chance he'd come back for '06? If not, why couldn't the two parties let it go and give the fans a chance to say a more definitive farewell?

--Adam Rubin: Any players who have come and gone without particular on-field distinction in your time on the beat who we might not realize were very special people?

Thanks in advance for these and thanks for your earlier answers. Will be lined up at a B&N later this week. Keep up the great work.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Sorry to bombard you, but I don't think I'll be online at nine.

This year the Mets celebrate the 20th Anniversary of their 2006 World Championship. Among the festivities will be an on-field reunion of the particulars. How do you see that working out?

a) Will all the principle players show?

Do you suspect the strains of the relationships of some of the stars of that team with the organization dampen the spirit of the thing?

c) Do you suspect the strains of the relationships of some of the stars of that team with the fans dampen the spirit of the thing?

d) I notice that Darryl Strawberry, despite his latest arrest and estrangement from his wife Cherisse, has been brought back for a second go-round as a spring-training instructor. He also held an on-line chat at mlb.com where he declared that leaving the Mets was his biggest mistake. Should we (somewhat cynically) see this as part of a (somewhat cynical) time-intense campaign to rebuild his connection with Shea fans before he re-takes the field with his old teammates? Can we expect to see similar friendly faces from Dwight Gooden and Wally Backman in the next few months?

e) Who in the Mets front office is doing the delicate work of arranging these festivities and bringing the principles back into the fold?

[Guest Adam Rubin]

I'll try to get to a few of the lingering questions before we start at 9 ...

Let's talk about Art Howe a little bit. Was he as bad a fit for the Mets as he seemed? Is there anything good you can say about his tenure that we might not have picked up on? How would you compare him to Willie Randolph, in his ability, his approach, the respect the players had for him?

Let's be honest: Art's first year, the starting lineup was generally Mo Vaughn, Rey Sanchez, Roberto Alomar, Ty Wigginton, Roger Cedeno, Jeromy Burnitz, Mike Piazza and Cliff Floyd. Compare that to now and you'll know Art wasn't as bungling as he was made out to be. That said, I do think Willie Randolph has more respect in his clubhouse, while Art had more of a disconnect with his players. I also believe more teaching is going on now, but that's just as much an indictment of Art's staff.

[Guest Adam Rubin]

Fred Wilpon's desire to win has been questioned in this forum. What do you think? Is he as driven to win a World Series as Steinbrenner is? Or do the Wilpons put more value on revenue than championships?

Let's not forget, expect for the salary shaving when Jim Duquette was GM, the Mets have been hovering around third in MLB in payroll, behind the Yankees and Red Sox. I think it was more mismanagement than cheapness.

[Guest Adam Rubin]

What do you sense the Mets' plans are for Victor Diaz? Some of us feel that unless they go with 11 pitchers, he's a longshot to make the opening day roster.

While many people are suggesting it's a battle between Xavier Nady and Victor Diaz for right field, I emphatically think the real question is whether Diaz is on the 25-man roster. I think he faces an uphill battle, since he still has options. I'm confident Julio Franco, Jose Valentin, Chris Woodward and Ramon Castro are locks for the bench. I think Endy Chavez has the leg up on Tike Redman for No. 5. That's it if the Mets go with 12 pitchers, which has been their trend. I believe they would like to go with 11 pitchers, but that could have the way for Bret Boone if he outplays Matsui. Diaz is going to have to show more than just a good spring-training average. He's going to have to look charge in the outfield, too, and his concentration level on the basepaths, etc., will have to be evident to Willie Randolph.

[Guest Adam Rubin]

Jeff Wilpon: Among talk-radio callers and message boarders his brand image (cereal-eating, meddlesome, unworthy daddy's boy) probably couldn't be worse, but when pressed I don't believe they could articulate what he's really all about. Do you get a sense of how, if at all, he differs from his pop? Also -- are we to assume he someday runs the whole show, and if so, is there a succession plan out there yet?

I'm confident the Mets will be in the Wilpon family for at least a few more decades, with Jeff next in line to take over. In reality, Jeff oversees the day-to-day operations and is very hands on, while Fred seems more removed at this point, perhaps concentrating on other family business, such as the construction/development company.

I actually thought the Wilpons did a smart thing laying low for a year after the debacle at the end of Art Howe's tenure. I think Jeff particularly has rehabilitated his image and is starting to be more visible at press conferences, etc.

[Guest Adam Rubin]

--Jay Horwitz: Players seem to swear by him, media been known to swear at him. Man's had the job a long time. Your experience with him?

I don't know that that's an accurate portrayal. I have a positive working relationship with Jay. As an aside, there's probably no one more passionate about the Mets than him.

--Mike Piazza: You mentioned his isolation earlier. Was there ever a chance he'd come back for '06? If not, why couldn't the two parties let it go and give the fans a chance to say a more definitive farewell?

I think the video tributes to him the final month of the season kind of let him know where he stood as far as coming back in a not-too-subtle way. To answer the latter part, I'm not sure the Mets could have done more than they did for an active player.

--Adam Rubin: Any players who have come and gone without particular on-field distinction in your time on the beat who we might not realize were very special people?

I have several favorites I'm sorry I don't get to see on a regular basis anymore. Jeff Duncan is a great guy. Craig Brazell, too. (I think he signed with Tampa, but I'm not positive.) I had a great relationship with Danny Garcia, though his confidence rubbed some people the wrong way. My all-time favorite among departed people might be Mike Jacobs, who we'll still get to see plenty of in the NL East. I still remember how dejected he was last spring when he learned he would be repeating at Double-A and moved to first base. I'm glad there's been a happy result, at least so far.

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

Adam - what was it like dealing with the players in terms of interviewing them for your book? Were they open to the project, or hesitant?