Gwreck

Apparently the Mets allowed the trustee to downgrade the seats from Delta Club Platinum to Delta Club Gold (story here[/url:3058sbln]). I believe these are the tickets: Ebay link[/url:3058sbln].

Isn't that like saying "I'm glad he hit a double, but he shouldn't have gotten himself into an 0-2 count before doing so?"

I'm somewhat surprised to see people leave Rodriguez off their ballots for Wednesday's game. He allowed no runs while preserving the victory; required no special defensive plays to get there, and worked around a bad fielding error/bad call by the umpire.

Delgado 4 Beltran 2 Schneider 2 Parnell 1 Rodriguez 1

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Yeah, but in the second game of the season? You figure your horses are good this early. I am also mostly unconcerned.

Braves-Phillies tied at 10 as the 7th inning finally ends. Preliminary results seem to suggest that both of their bullpens are awful. Edit: spoke too soon.

="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr":21peht0h]="Edgy DC":21peht0h]The Mets also have a good defensive replacement in Jeremy Reed, and with him in left and Church in right, they can go with a three-centerfielder alignment on occasion.[/quote:21peht0h] Mike Cameron doesn't think that sounds so swell.[/quote:21peht0h] Yabbut that was a once-in-a-million collision. I remember several games in '07 where we had a Gomez-Beltran-Chavez outfield that was treat to watch. Edgy DC Apr 08 2009 11:29 AM Yeah, I don't think LWFS is really arguing against playing centerfielders on the corner when you are blessed with a surfeit of them. metirish Apr 08 2009 11:38 AM I remember in those first games with those three playing the outfield there was if anything a need for Beltran to take charge as all three were capable of running down any ball. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 08 2009 11:55 AM ]I remember several games in '07 where we had a Gomez-Beltran-Chavez outfield that was treat to watch. Gwreck, that OF-- transitory though it was-- was the ex-girlfriend I'll never quite get over. Endy and Beltran are my 1-2 for all-time Mets defensive OFs... and Gomez was top-10 with a bullet when traded; it ruined me for all other Met defensive outfields. smg58 Apr 08 2009 12:21 PM You could make a very serious argument that Beltran, Chavez, and Gomez are the three best outfield gloves in baseball right now. OlerudOwned Apr 08 2009 12:25 PM There was actually a recent SI article about fielding metrics that partially focused on the concerted effort which Seattle made to rebuild quickly through improving their defense, and how Franklin Gutierrez and Endy Chavez were very much their main targets in that 3-way trade over the winter because of their fielding prowess. MFS62 Apr 08 2009 12:36 PM ="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr"]]I remember several games in '07 where we had a Gomez-Beltran-Chavez outfield that was treat to watch. Gwreck, that OF-- transitory though it was-- was the ex-girlfriend I'll never quite get over. Endy and Beltran are my 1-2 for all-time Mets defensive OFs... and Gomez was top-10 with a bullet when traded; it ruined me for all other Met defensive outfields. Ricjie Ashburn, Gus Bell and Bobby Gene Smith (don't laugh) would have made an excellent defensive outfield in their primes. Unfortunately, the Mets had them past their primes in 1962. Later TransMonk Apr 08 2009 12:36 PM OO: There was actually a recent SI article about fielding metrics that partially focused on the concerted effort which Seattle made to rebuild quickly through improving their defense, and how Franklin Gutierrez and Endy Chavez were very much their main targets in that 3-way trade over the winter because of their fielding prowess. I saw one of the heads on the MLB network say something similar a few days ago when talking about the Mariners outlook this season. Could have been Verducci...which makes sense. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 08 2009 01:09 PM ="TransMonk"]OO: There was actually a recent SI article about fielding metrics that partially focused on the concerted effort which Seattle made to rebuild quickly through improving their defense, and how Franklin Gutierrez and Endy Chavez were very much their main targets in that 3-way trade over the winter because of their fielding prowess. I saw one of the heads on the MLB network say something similar a few days ago when talking about the Mariners outlook this season. Could have been Verducci...which makes sense. It's the short-term version of the Tampa rebuild (from 2006-2007 to 2008, the most substantive difference in pushing TB to its perch was defensive efficiency-- even more so than pitching, which was already largely in place). LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 14 2009 01:34 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Apr 14 2009 01:53 PM At the risk of becoming the Outfield-Defense dude, I'll direct your attention this-a-way: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090413&content_id=4252146&vkey=news_nym&fext=.jsp&c_id=nym&partnerId=rss_nym Is this: A) So Wrong Oh, So Very Wrong C) Ill-Timed, Just Mildly Wrong, and Sheffield's Bat Should At Least Partially Mitigate Starting a Defensive Liability in Front of Our Flyball-iest Pitcher After Manuel's Declaring a Re-Emphasis on Defense... and Benching a Guy Who Has Been a Doubles Machine in Order to Do So [EDIT: Young Sam over at Amazin' Avenue is just as dismayed. http://www.amazinavenue.com/2009/4/14/834442/brace-yourself] OlerudOwned Apr 14 2009 01:52 PM Stupid to do it with a flyball pitcher on the mound. Stupid to do it against a righty. Stupid. TransMonk Apr 14 2009 01:54 PM All of the above. We've already lost as many games to outfield defense blunders than I thought we would all season. I'd leave Church in at least until there is more info on how the new field is going to play. Obviously, Sheff is going to get some starts...but it shouldn't be after an off day with Ollie on the mound. John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 14 2009 09:35 PM I'm giving Church a pass on that play. He made a bad one but we know he's capable of making it most nights and there's every reason to think the circumstances weirded the play up for him. And it was only the 6th inning. The failure to win last night was all about being unable to hit stiffs like Duaner Sanchez and other lesser-known, less-talented Mexican League reclamation projects. TransMonk Apr 27 2009 05:17 PM I was sooo wrong. Outfield defense has become a major concern for me. What a fuck-up-fest leftfield has become.

="Edgy DC":1xpnbzhb]It strikes me that they may have had the Americanest championship team in recent history. Among non-US born players, I think Pedro Feliz and the two Japanese bench guys were all they had. Weren't there at least some Canadiens or something on the team?[/quote:1xpnbzhb] Carlos Ruiz is Panamanian. The 2002 Angels were also a bunch of white guys from the US. They had Rodriguez, a Molina, and Ramon Ortiz starting...and I think that was it. G-Fafif Apr 08 2009 12:24 PM Garret Anderson was one of the stars on that Angels team. Chone Figgins was on the bench. Both American guys but not so white. And Alex Ochoa had a good laugh comparing championship rings with Kevin Appier. Farmer Ted Apr 08 2009 04:47 PM the blog response: Our fans are such fucking white trash it's unbelievable. Only in Philadelphia midway through raising the championship banner would two fat fucks decide it was ample time to fight over who was in line first for a cheesesteak. This is clearly why philadelphia gets a bad rap, retards like these two. Does anyone have common sense these days? Fuck. OlerudOwned Apr 08 2009 05:03 PM All he wanted was a cheesesteak. metsmarathon Apr 08 2009 05:08 PM i like the one fucking douche in the white jacket who pushes the guy who's holding back another guy back into the fray. then when hte guy he pushed, wearing a black jacket turns, he points to the guy next to him who isn't really paying much attention. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr May 04 2009 12:30 PM All-too-predictable sidenote to Saturday's game (I was at CBP-- have I mentioned that enough yet?): as the afternoon wore on, the atmosphere shifted from "noisy detente" to "testy and violent" (the multiple pitching changes and accompanying three hours until beer sales ended might have had something to do with that). And I mean testy-- excluding a couple of single fans escorted out, I counted at least three clusters of fans (two in blue/orange, one in red) being perp-walked out with soft cuffs on. And then there's this: http://www.the700level.com/2009/05/metsphillies-rivalry-already-turned-ugly.html Who had May 2 in the pool? John Cougar Lunchbucket May 04 2009 12:43 PM Usually takes two douchebags to draw blood. Fans who can't behave themselves are a disgrace. metirish May 04 2009 12:57 PM Philly gets an MLS team for 2010 , I'm pretty sure that there will be European style soccer hooliganism coming to these parts. metsguyinmichigan May 04 2009 12:58 PM ="OlerudOwned":sjk9dpq3]All he wanted was a cheesesteak.[/quote:sjk9dpq3] What a dumbass. The pulled pork is much better at the stadium. Met Hunter May 04 2009 01:47 PM The 2005 WS Astros were pretty caucasian too. 4 Dominicans and an American born Orlando Palmiero. Otherwise it was like a team from the 1930s. Even the coaching staff, with the exception of Cruz Sr., and the only AA-Cecil Cooper. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Aug 24 2009 12:03 AM Classy (from the Phils' TV broadcast Saturday night). http://deadspin.com/5343482/fisticuffs-in-new-york-mets-fan-gets-soaked-dropped metirish Aug 24 2009 07:47 AM Isn't that a security dick dead center.... LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Aug 24 2009 08:45 AM ="metirish":1o2t8dl4]Isn't that a security dick dead center....[/quote:1o2t8dl4] Yep; Berserker Luzinski there almost clocks him at the end, there (I'll give him the benefit-of-the-doubt he likely doesn't deserve and say it's due to 'fight reflexes').

I guess he reached the Mets in a flash but he pitched 140 innings in his last year at Wichita State so it wasn't as if he was right out of high school. I guess the jump to 200 innings with the Mets last year (versus 80 Mets IP and 72 minors IP in 2007) could be a little concerning but I think the Mets did a good job getting Pelfrey major league exposure while not rushing him. I think he'll slightly improve on his numbers (3.72 ERA, 209 H, 64 BB) this year. Expecting good things.

Couldn't happen to a nicer group of guys.

I don't see the outfield defense as a problem. There was a fielding metric I remember reading that said he led the majors last year at making putouts that were outside of the "normal" CF fielding range. Church is no slouch either. I don't think hiding Murphy or Tatis or Sheffield out there for 7 or 8 innings per game is going to be a huge problem. Maybe if we wind up playing two of them at once.

What does m.e.t.b.o.t calculate as David Wright's fielding contribution (including a nice play in the 8th inning that could've been a double instead of an out if a lesser player had been at 3rd)?

The access to the various clubs is based on your seats. If you're seated in the "Promenade Club" seats, you get access to the Promenade Club. If you're in the "Ebbets Club" seats, you get access to the Ebbets Club. If you're in the "Delta Club" seats, you get access to the Delta Club. If you're in the "Caesar's Club" seats, you get access to the Caesar's Club. The restaurant in left field, the "Acela Club," is open to Metropolitan Box, Field Box, Ebbets Club Gold, and Delta Club Platinum and Gold ticket holders.

In the end, aside from the cold, the periodic rain, and occasional hail it was a pretty good day for baseball.

My first thought was that it wasn't as if Duaner exactly distinguished himself last year, either.

1) 62 2) 123 3) 105 4) 2 5) 33 6) 35 7) 120 8) 45 9) 8 10) 5 11) .263 12) 4 13) 7 14) 50 15) 2.05 16) 14 17) 201 18) 30 19) 140 20) 39 21) 3.02 22) 1.77 23) 4 24) 65 25) .127 26) 30

I hope one day of games doesn't affect the eligibility of my entry... Mets Cubs Diamondbacks WC: Dodgers Red Sox Tigers Angels WC: Tampa NLCS: Mets over Diamondbacks ALCS: Red Sox over Tampa WS: Mets over Red Sox NL MVP: Manny Ramirez NL Cy Young: Johan AL MVP: BJ Upton AL Cy Young: Jon Lester Mets win total: 99

Murphy 2.75 Santana 2.75 Green 1.5 Church 1 Putz 1 Rodriguez 1

Some thoughts from the game: That was a really tough error to give to Beltran. His throw to third was aimed perfectly to the bag -- it just happened to hit the runner as he was sliding in. Throw was backed up and there was no additional advance by the lead runner. I guess the error is for allowing the runner from first to go to second, but that could also be attributed to advancing on the throw. Razor Shines made a stupid call at third when waving Wright in. The ball wasn't hit that deep into right field and as David approached third it seemed obvious to me that he would be held. I agree it seemed as if David slowed a little coming in to third but that was because going home was the wrong idea. He was out by a mile. I saw the comment about empty seats -- while I'm sure some of the people left early, the really nasty weather conditions had people leaving their seats for some of the really excellent standing room spots. Both the upper and lower concourses at Great American are open and from all observations were packed, mostly with people who took shelter from the elements to watch the game. I wouldn't be surprised to see that same effect at Citi Field this year -- people standing in the lower concourses/in the OF rather than sitting in their seats. I was not impressed much with Great American other than their open concourses. The "gap" between home and third is stupid. The uneven levels on the two sides of the stadium is visually distracting. They have a new video board in left which is really sharp but they could use something in right field too. I guess they left it open because that's where the river is, but the view of Kentucky and the river is pretty bland. They would have been better served if the park had been rotated and the view looking towards the outfield faced downtown rather than the river. Food choices were pretty bland too. The opening day parade, however, was great. Despite the mid-January conditions, it was great fun and a fitting way to pay tribute to one of the greatest days of the year. Lots of knowledgeable fans sitting near me at the park, too. Seems like a very solid baseball town.

Thanks. The McSherry game was Reds-Expos, however. (nevermind) --- Forgot about the Griffey trade: one of the players the Reds got in return is Nick Masset, a righty reliever. Was 2-0 with 3.92 ERA in 42 games last year (mostly with CHW) with a lot of hits and walks given up. --- Saw Harang at the open workout today at the ballpark; he looked trim but if he lost 40 pounds he must've been in Broxton territory last year. --- Lefty Bill Bray is starting the year in AAA Louisville, as is Jonny Gomes. Hairston will be the starting leftfielder tomorrow.

Had 'em again last night -- they are what they're cracked up to be and then some.

KTE - Cincinnati Reds - 2009 2008 Recap/2009 Outlook The Reds were 74-88 last year, 5th in the NL Central; it was Dusty Baker�s first season as manager. The Reds� last winning season was in 2000. Although the Reds are clearly building a good core of young players, their starting pitching was pretty bad last year, including the unexpected struggles of Aaron Harang. Adam Dunn (traded midseason to Arizona) and Ken Griffey Jr. (contract expired; he went back to Seattle) are gone. The Reds will hit pretty well but will need good years from their young starting pitchers in order to compete. They won�t win the division but finishing in second with a run at the wild card is certainly a possibility. Pitching Matchups Monday, April 6 Aaron Harang ® v. Johan Santana This will be Harang�s fourth consecutive opening day start for Cincinnati. He is the longest-tenured Red, having been with the team since �03. Harang had pretty much identically-good seasons in �06 (16-11, 3.76 ERA, 216 Ks � which lead the NL that year) and �07 (16-6, 3.73 ERA, 218 Ks). In �08, he struggled badly � a 6-17 record with a 4.78 ERA, and missed a month with a strained forearm. He did not face the Mets last year. Wednesday, April 8 Edinson Volquez ® v. Mike Pelfrey Volquez was traded straight-up for Josh Hamilton and was an all-star last year, 17-6, 3.21 ERA with 206 Ks. Finished 4th in the ROY balloting. The Mets saw Volquez last year on July 20 in Cincinnati where they got 4 ER and 8 hits including a big Ramon Castro homer in 5 innings. Thursday, April 9 Bronson Arroyo ® v. Oliver Perez Arroyo was a solid innings eater (15-11, 4.77 ERA) last year for the Reds but had two outstanding performances agains the Mets. 1 run on 4 hits with 9 Ks in 8 innings on May 10 at Shea Stadium, and then 2 runs on 4 hits in 8 innings in Cincinnati on July 18. Arroyo has been suffering from a recent flare-up of carpal tunnel syndrome but he�s not expected to miss any time. Early start for this game: 12:35 PM EDT. Reds Lineup Willy Taveras � CF ® Taveras stole 68 bases last year with Colorado to lead the NL (yes, he had more than Reyes) but had a career-low .251 batting average and .308 OBP. If he�s got a .320 batting average and .367 OBP as he did in �07 then he�s a useful player. Chris Dickerson � LF (L) / Jonny Gomes � LF ® Dickerson had only 100 ABs last year but showed some pop (1.062 OPS). Will platoon with Gomes, who had a bad 2008 and has never stuck as a full-time player. Jerry Hairston could see some action in left, too. Joey Votto � 1B (L) Votto made his major-league debut against the Mets in September of 2007 and in his second game (first start) he went 3 for 3 including a big home-run off John Maine, in this ugly loss by the Mets. (We got shut out for 6 innings by Tom Shearn, a 30-year old rookie). Anyway, Votto�s been a complete stud since then. He was second to Geovanny Soto in last year�s ROY balloting. His 2008 numbers: 24 HR, 84 RBI, .297, .368 OBP. Brandon Phillips � 2B ® Solid if unspectacular offensively 21-78-.261 AVG, .312 OBP, 23 steals last year. Outstanding defensively and a well-deserved Gold Glove winner last year. Jay Bruce � RF (L) 21-52-.254, .312 OBP last year in 400 ABs. Turned 22 on Friday. Future star. Edwin Encarnacion � 3B ® 26-68-.251, .340 OBP last year. Not the slickest fielder. Alex Gonzalez � SS ® Missed all of last year with a knee fracture. 16-55-.275 and .325 OBP in 2007 for the Reds. Ramon Hernandez � 1B ® 15-65-.257 with .308 OBP for Baltimore last year. After a good 2006 with the Orioles, he hasn�t done a ton to justify the 4 year deal he got in 05/06 offseason. It's not too sad that the Mets passed on him and got LoDuca/Schneider instead. Bench Jerry Hairston, Jr. ® Will get most of his PT in left field (or center, if Taveras doesn�t perform). .861 OPS in 283 ABs last year. Solid bench player and the Mets should�ve acquired him this past offseason (he signed a 1 year, $2M deal with the Reds). Don�t count out Reds #5 starter Micah Owings ®, who makes some occasional pinch-hitting appearances. Was 17-for-56 (.306) as a hitter last year, and even better in 2007 (.333 with 4 homers). Bullpen Closer Francisco Cordero ® is the highest paid player on the team. He wasn�t bad last year (34-for-40 in save opportunities with a 3.33 ERA in 70 innings) but he�s getting $12 million this year while the Mets pay Francisco Rodriguez $8.5 million. David Weathers was the primary set-up man and had a decent year last season (3.25 ERA in 69 innings, 72 appearances). Arthur Rhodes (L) is the top lefty and was a free agent signing (2 years, $4M) this offseason. 4-1 with a 2.05 ERA in 35 innings last year, split between Seattle and Florida. Bill Bray (L) had a 2.87 ERA in 47 innings last year with 54 Ks. Jared Burton ® was also pretty decent, 5-1 with 3.22 ERA in 58 innings, 58 Ks, 56 H, 25 BBs. Opening Day Festivities Frank Robinson will be the grand marshal of the opening day parade. First pitch by Cincinnati native Nick Lachey. Mets vs. Cincinnati on Opening Day The Mets opened the 1984 season in Cincinnati. Mike Torrez was shelled and lasted only an inning and a third. The only run Mario Soto allowed over 9 innings was a homer by Darryl. Cincinnati was also the site of the opening day debacle of 2005, where Pedro�s Mets debut (12 Ks in 6 innings) was ruined when Braden Looper entered the game in the 9th with a 6-4 lead and faced three batters: he gave up a single to Austin Kearns, a game-tying home run to Adam Dunn, and then the walkoff to Joe Randa. Bad times. The Mets wouldn�t win for a week after that disaster. Weather The National Weather Service tells us we are getting snow and cold. Fun times! A snow-out on Monday would almost certainly result in opening day being pushed to Tuesday afternoon and would wreak havoc with my travel plans. Let's all hope for good weather. Ex-Reds None Ex-Mets David Weathers Essential Reds Blog Red Reporter: http://www.redreporter.com/

I went tonight. I had been to the St. John's game last weekend so I knew where everything was, but I will admit to being overwhelmed once I actually sat down to watch the Mets for the first time. There's just tons of stuff to get used to watching and seeing and understanding. Players are getting used to it too -- the edge of the stands on the 1B line took a ball that Tatis thought was going down the line but rebounded into short right. Beltran pulled up on a ball that was supposed to hit high off the wall in front of the apple but didn't rebound the way he expected and he had to go get it off the warning track. Bailed when they put the tarp on in the 6th. Can already tell a big advantage of the wider concourses, though -- during a rain delay. Tip if you are getting concessions at the featured places in centerfield, get them as soon as you get into the park. Lines were ridiculously long, especially for Shake Shack.