Its Milledge Time

[Gwreck]

Yancy Street Gang wrote: I'd also like to keep them all, but unless you demote Endy, who's been a productive role player, you have to lose an infielder. (Matsui being the obvious choice.) But as Edgy pointed out in another thread (or earlier in this one, maybe) that would leave the Mets with Woodward as their only reserve infielder. If Lastings stays, and everyone's still healthy, one of Floyd, Nady, or Chavez has to go. Not an easy choice.

Let's not forget that the bullpen could be reduced by a man too. This doesn't seem likely but it's not clear to me that having Heath Bell on the roster is adding a whole ton.

When we say "only 1 reserve infielder," we're shortchanging Franco...I think. If all he can play is first base, he's looking a bit redundant, given that Delgado rarely rests and Nady, Woodward and LoDuca can all play first.

I wonder if Endy has trade value (?)

[Elster88]

If Franco only plays first, then from a pure on-the-field standpoint, Franco should be the one to go when Nady comes back if we don't remove a bullpenner.

I realize that contract length and leadership also factor into such decisions.

[Gwreck]

Maybe we can discover that he's "injured" and he has to unfortunately take a stint on the DL. He gets paid, he's still there in the clubhouse and dugout to provide the leadership, etc etc...

[Guest Edgy DC]

Franco backing up first means one reserve at second, third, and short. That usually doesn't happen. Heath Bell, for the meantime, seemse more removeable to me.

Five guys at four positions is pretty easy to do, and it's five positions during the sweep through the AL parks. If Millege goes down after that, he goes. If he doesn't, so what? Good problem to have right now.

]Goodbye Nady...He will probalby rehab for a long time til AS break and and come back when Floyds legs give out...Which basically they aleady have.. NO PAIN NO GAIN

This makes little sense.

[Benjamin Grimm]

For the record, the Mets are playing nine games in AL parks this season, and, conveniently, they're all consecutive, albeit with one off day.

June 23 through 25, Toronto.
June 27 through 29, Boston.
June 30 through July 2, Bronx.

It would be a little more difficult if the DH period were broken up by games in NL parks, but since they're all together, it might be a good idea to adjust the roster for that stretch if there's an adjustment that makes sense.

[Elster88]

NY Post wrote: Matsui is a candidate to be released by the Mets, according to a person with knowledge of the club's thinking.

"When asked to expound on their source, the Post elaborated as follows, 'He has knowledge of the club's thinking. He told us that they think using their brains.'"

[Guest Edgy DC]

Edgy DC wrote: Franco backing up first means one reserve at second, third, and short.

I should have added, but overlooked, that Nady can backup at third as well.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Edgy - "I should have added, but overlooked, that Nady can backup at third as well."

Yup.* That was precisely my thinking when I wrote that Matsui was the likely one to go if Milledge continues his solid performance until Nady is ready to return. Wright is not going to get too many days off, so a back up third baseman is not of high priority. In an emergency Nady could play the hot corner. Assuming that Valentin is starting at second, then Woodward would be the reserve for short, second, or third. Julio Franco can cover first (as could Nady) on the rare day off for Delgado. In desperate times, Franco could probably cover third for a few innings.

I like having offensive threats with speed and power available off the bench. Barring an injury, it is unlikely that the Mets would need replacements at both middle infield positions in a game. If it did come up, then the team would have to make due for the remainder of that game, then call up either Keppinger or Hernandez from Norfolk.

I also agree that one of the lesser used bullpen pitchers could also be expendable, but I doubt Willie will want to give up any arms.

*I can't get the stupid copyright symbol to work.

[Centerfield]

I don't know if this is the right place for it, but something Milledge did last night irked me a bit. It was on the play where he misjudged the ball, overran it, leaped, juggled, then caught the ball. All of that was fine, but as the ball went off his glove, Milledge located it, then instead of catching it, popped it from his glove into his bare hand.

Again, not a big deal, but if you misplay a ball like that, you'd like to see the kid grab it with two hands on the rebound instead of pulling some fancy shit like that. If he had dropped it the ball by doing that crap, he would have been ripped. The fact that he pulled off that crap, doesn't make it a better play.

Again, I don't know what it is about this kid, but he seems to find a way to rub people the wrong way.

[Guest Edgy DC]

The needle on the irk meter moved a bit down here in DC, also --- noted it in the game thread.

[Benjamin Grimm]

That bugged me too. If you want to be flashy and hot doggy, that's one thing. But don't let it get in the way of making the play. And Lastings almost did that.

[Elster88]

Edgy DC wrote: The needle on the irk meter moved a bit down here in DC, also --- noted it in the game thread.

For the same play or for something else?

[Guest Edgy DC]

That one.

[MFS62]

Funny, but I have no problem with the "flip".
I played in an era when baseball was transitioning from smaller gloves* where you could get your hand in there and get the ball out quickly, to the "trap pocket" and other large gloves where you sometimes couldn't even feel whether you caught the ball, muchless get it out to make a throw.

As a result, I used to catch grounders with an almost open glove, then "flip" the ball to my throwing hand in order to get rid of it. Today, it would look hot doggy, but it was a move born out of necessity. You did what you had to do in order to be able to get the ball away quickly.

Lastings brought back some of those memories.

Later

* = I still have my George Kell and Duke Snider model gloves around somewhere - Rawlings PM-5 and PM-20X. But someone stole my Stan Lopata model catchers mitt.

[Guest Edgy DC]

He didn't catch the ball with his glove. He juggled it and then snatched it out or the air with his hand. It wasn't a legit catch until he grabbed it one-handed with his bare hand.

It was a simple enough grab --- the ball had stopped rotating and was hanging there --- but, considering his error last week, it put me off.

[MFS62]

Gotcha'

Later

[Elster88]

nymets.com inteprets Willie's comments to mean that Milledge Time may be over.

Your interpretation may vary.

PHILADELPHIA -- The days Lastings Milledge will spend in the big leagues in the immediate future appear numbered, though the number hasn't been determined. Barring injury to another outfielder, Milledge is likely to be returned to Triple-A Norfolk either when the disabled list assignment of Xavier Nady ends, or shortly thereafter.
No one said so in as many words, but manager Willie Randolph made two remarks on Wednesday that made it clear Milledge's tenure will not last into July. First, the manager noted that the resumption of Interleague Play and the use of the designated hitter rule won't necessarily prompt him to use Nady (if he is activated), Cliff Floyd (if he's healthy), Milledge and Carlos Beltran in the same lineup.

The manager had said he intends to use the DH rule to give Julio Franco some at-bats and veterans like Floyd, Beltran and/or Carlos Delgado partial days off.

More to the point, Randolph said, "We've accomplished what we wanted with him. He's helped us get through some injuries, and he's played well. But what we wanted was to expose him to what it's like up here, so when he comes back, it's not all 'wow' for him."

The manager has said several times that Milledge needs to play regularly. Activating Nady would make it difficult for Milledge to play every day. And Nady, Beltran and Floyd are going to play.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I'm okay with that. But if Floyd doesn't get it going, we do have another option.

I wonder if Lastings will be with the Mets on August 31. I'd like him to be.

[Guest Edgy DC]

See you in September
See you when the summer's through

[metirish]

] GREEN DAY LYRICS "Wake Me Up When September Ends" Summer has come and passed The innocent can never last wake me up when september ends like my fathers come to pass seven years has gone so fast wake me up when september ends here comes the rain again falling from the stars drenched in my pain again becoming who we are as my memory rests but never forgets what I lost wake me up when september ends summer has come and passed the innocent can never last wake me up when september ends ring out the bells again like we did when spring began wake me up when september ends here comes the rain again falling from the stars drenched in my pain again becoming who we are as my memory rests but never forgets what I lost wake me up when september ends Summer has come and passed The innocent can never last wake me up when september ends like my father's come to pass twenty years has gone so fast wake me up when september ends wake me up when september ends wake me up when september ends

[MFS62]

The more I think of it, the more I believe it would be good to send Lastings down. The skills are there, but he needs to learn "how to play the game".
Up to now, his raw talent was enough for him to excel on the minor league level and be competitive at the major league level. But he seems to be unaware of the nuances of being a winning ballplayer.

After each gaffe, Willie and others have told him how he should have done it. His errors have mostly been what Tim McCarver would call "errors of enthusiasm". He seems like a bright kid, able to take each incident in and learn from it. We will be better able to confirm that when he hopefully doesn't make the same mistakes again.
Maybe a trip back to the minors will give him some humility, an opportunity to realize that talent isn't everything, and a chance to put what he has learned into practice.

Later

[Centerfield]

I would not call them errors of enthusiasm. His flip on the recovery after misjudging a ball was about being flashy, not enthusiastic. His failure to run hard on Franco's double was also not an error of enthusiasm. Metsblog has a blurb today saying Milledge came to the ballpark late after having missed the team bus. I don't like his comment in the News today that because the Mets won, his failure to run hard didn't matter.

This kid may be talented, and he may be young, but he needs to get his attitude in order. If he doesn't, he will no doubt go as far as his talent will take him anyway, but it won't make him likeable.

There have been too many incidents. This kid doesn't get it.

[Elster88]

Agreed. And he's only been here 2 weeks, and already there's a decent number of things.

[Guest Edgy DC]

]There have been too many incidents

1) Latings Milledge made David Banner angry.

2) Lastings Milledge traffics in tuna that isn't dolphin safe.

3) Lastings Milledge knows where Nathalie Holloway is and won't tell anybody.

4) Lastings Milledge is behind the proliferation of deep-dish pizza, ruining the pizza experience for millions.

5) Lastings Milledge gas put four doo-rag manufactureers out of business just by being so extremely uncool on TV.

6) Lastings Milledge has put Urkel out of business by making uncool so uncool.

7) Lastings Milledge is depressing the birth rate. His mother isn't the only one who didn't want to have any children after seeing him.

8) Sly Stone came out of retirement to record "Everybody Is a Star (Except Lastings Milledge)."

9) Everybody Lastings has touched since coming to the Mets has been hit with appendicitis. It's true.

10) Lastings Milledge crossed orcs and goblins to create very smelly hybrid race

[TransMonk]

I feel dirty saying it, but if Milledge was on any other team, I would hate his guts. Ballplayers with attitudes (especially rookies with attitudes) rub me the wrong way. And if you're going to be a ballplayer with attitude you better be the greatest player ever and make zero mistakes. Milledge has looked too much like a rookie to have any attitude or flair right now.

Milledge needs to be sent down for seasoning and a head adjustment.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Lastings Milledge stabbed a tourist on the C-train the other day.

Lastings Milledge has repeatedly skipped his turn to nominate a band in the CPF Band Ladder Challenge

[Guest Edgy DC]

Freaking Milledge broke up the Doobie Brothers.

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

He needs some of this -

[Guest Hillbilly]

So you guy are saying he's uppity?

Unless he totally tanks by the time Nady and Floyd are 100%, I say keep him up.

[Guest sharpie]

I'm with Hillbilly. I'd rather see him out there than Eli Marrero.