metirish

How many players won rookie of the year and the following year got MVP?

I'll play the Bodhr�n for ye.

I didn't know Endy was part of the Mets organization before. ] The Mets had Endy Chávez for five seasons before deciding in 2000 that they did not want him anymore. They did not want him in 2001. Or in 2002, either. Now Manager Willie Randolph cannot imagine life without him. How Chávez went from disposable to indispensable, in his fourth tour in the Mets’ organization, is one of the captivating storylines of the Mets’ ascent in the National League. Signed in December as a free agent after playing not particularly well for two teams last season, Chávez has become the Mets’ Mr. Everything. “You always have guys on your team who you appreciate more than others, and that’s Endy,” Randolph said. “When you look at him play, he’s as fundamentally sound as you get. He does everything well. He hits, he throws, he plays defense, he puts the bat on the ball. He’s a real luxury.” Injuries and trades have done their best to disrupt the Mets’ outfield, but the one constant has been Chávez. He began the season as a pinch-hitter, and he ingratiated himself by thriving as a replacement for injured players. Now, given a chance to play every day, Chávez often finds himself as the central figure in a game’s most decisive moments. Most recently, it was his two-run double that keyed the Mets’ seven-run seventh inning in their 11-5 victory Saturday night against surging Philadelphia. The hit capped a 4-for-4 evening and raised his average to .307, the highest it has been since the end of May. When the Mets took two of three games against Arizona in late May, Chávez scored the winning run in the first victory, then drove in the winner in the 13th inning of the second. On July 20 in Cincinnati, Chávez hit a two-out double in the 10th inning that scored the go-ahead run. “Sometimes, I say, ‘Wow, this is crazy,’ ” Chávez said of his late-game dramatics. “I’ve done this before, but not as much as I’ve done this season.” A key, Chávez acknowledged, has been embracing who he is. Listed generously as 6 feet and 165 pounds, Chávez came into spring training with the reputation as a superb defensive outfielder but a batter with a long, loopy swing and a high leg kick befitting a power hitter. After returning from the World Baseball Classic, where he played for Venezuela, Chávez worked extensively with the Mets’ hitting coach, Rick Down, to develop a compact swing. Chávez would make the team, he figured, by putting the ball in play. He has a keen instinct for the rhythm of a game, knowing when to bunt or swing away, how to track a fly ball and which route to take when cutting off a ball in the gap or down the line. Chávez has nine outfield assists, tied for sixth in the N.L., and he has not committed an error in the 613 2/3 innings he has played this season. On several occasions, Randolph said he had marveled that Chávez had caught balls he assumed would be extra-base hits. “I’m always trying to be a better player and do everything right,” Chávez said. “That means not being lazy, that means always having energy and having good body language. I know kids are watching, so I try to be a good example for them.” Indirectly, the 28-year-old Chávez has served as a model for one of the Mets’ kids — José Reyes. When instructing the excitable and free-swinging Reyes, Randolph often tells him to watch Chávez hit with two strikes. In that situation, Chávez chokes up on the bat, shortens his swing and waits until late in the pitch’s path, giving him valuable extra time to see the ball. He is trying to hit to the opposite field, usually on the ground, to take advantage of his speed. Chávez has struck out only four times since July 30, and his .274 average with two strikes is seventh in the N.L. “I pay more attention when Chavy bats now,” Reyes said. “He knows what to do with two strikes, and I don’t want to strike out.” Chávez was signed out of Valencia, Venezuela, as an undrafted free agent in 1996 and was voted the top player on his rookie-league team in 1997, but he never advanced above Class A over the next three seasons. Left unprotected for the Rule 5 draft in 2000, Chávez was taken by the Kansas City Royals. He returned to the Mets briefly, then went back to the Royals. In December 2001, the Detroit Tigers claimed him off waivers, where he lasted six weeks before the Mets signed him again. Three weeks later, the Mets dropped him. He had a fan, however, in Omar Minaya, the Expos’ general manager at the time, and 10 days after taking over in Montreal, Minaya signed him. Chávez had his best season in 2004, when he batted .277 for the Expos, hit 6 triples, scored 65 runs, stole 32 bases and struck out only 40 times in 502 at-bats. After the Expos moved to Washington and changed general managers, Chávez fell out of favor for his reluctance to bunt and take pitches. He was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies on May 14, 2005. He batted .215 in 91 games and was not offered a contract after the season. Two teams — the Mets and the Orioles — pursued Chávez, but he signed with the Mets because of his familiarity with Minaya and the chance to play all outfield positions. The deal has worked out better than expected for both sides. “Omar liked him a lot, but I didn’t know a lot about him,” Randolph said. “Omar told me that he could play defense and promised me that I’d like him. Well, I like him.” The Mets are paying a bench player’s salary ($500,000) for a solid and steady everyday outfielder. Chávez earned the opportunity to start — and start fresh — for a team that once had little use for him. “They’ve treated me very well,” Chávez said. “You never know where this game will take you, “but I’d like to come back next season. I’m having a lot of fun here.’’

I played raquetball a lot growing up in Ireland,it's a big sport there,not as big as handball though.

Poor A-Rod just struck out in his first AB today,that's eight strikes outs in this series so far,four friday night and three yesterday.

]Sunday, August 27, 2006 By BOB KLAPISCH Willie Randolph was dead-on accurate last week when he nominated the Mets as the National League's premier team. All the evidence supports his theory � stats, personnel, momentum and, perhaps most significantly, the dramatic three-game sweep of the Cardinals, who were supposed to be one of the Mets' only obstacles to the World Series. If they could crush Tony La Russa without Pedro Martinez, Tom Glavine and Orlando Hernandez, it's hard to imagine the suddenly resurgent Dodgers having better luck in October. So if the Mets are theoretically headed to the Fall Classic, how would they match up against the Yankees?Granted, this is a presumptive question, since the Bombers will have a tougher time than the Mets in winning the pennant. Still, there are moments, like in the Yankees' five-game sweep of the Red Sox, when another Subway Series seems inevitable. And unlike the five-game 2000 edition, which was a mismatch between an aging Met team against a Yankee club that was in the latter stages of its late-90s dynasty, Round 2 would be a fiercer battle.The Yankees have better starting pitching, at least until the Mets prove they're healthy. The Yankees have a more dangerous offense, and they'll have the home-field advantage this year. But the Mets are younger and more athletic; certainly they play better defense. Their bullpen is more dependable, too. But most of all, Randolph's club has a certain charm that is periodically bestowed upon a team that seems destined to win it all.So who do you like? Here's an early peek at the possible war of the worlds.STARTING PITCHING: Chien-Ming Wang doesn't have quite the same bite on his two-seam fastball from earlier in the season, but his 3.13 ground ball/fly ball ratio (best in the AL) is still good enough to throttle the Mets. Wang's only demerit is his anemic strikeout percentage (2.96 per nine innings), which is the result of hitters swinging early in the count. That keeps his pitch-count low, but too many balls are put in play � which is always a potential threat with Alex Rodriguez 90 feet away.For now, Wang is the Yankees' best Game 1 option, although Joe Torre will likely give the ball to the effective but fragile Mike Mussina. Randy Johnson has at least recovered from his early season disaster, but his strikeouts are down precipitously as is his velocity. Asking the Unit to hold the Mets to under four runs in seven innings would be unrealistic.Journeyman Cory Lidle, incredibly, is the Yankees' real No. 3 starter right now � which would be scary enough against the Mets, except that Pedro is hurt and Glavine remains a long-term question mark. And with El Duque taking his annual late-summer sabbatical for what the club is calling a "tired body," the Mets can only hope he regains his velocity by October.Of all the Mets' starters, it's rookie John Maine who has the arm strength to neutralize the Yankees; he's the only one who throws hard enough to get swings and misses in the strike zone with his four-seam fastball. Everyone else is relying on deception and change of speeds. That's risky business against one the AL's more potent lineups.Advantage: Yankees.RELIEF PITCHING: Mariano Rivera has that nearly untouchable postseason resume, although the AL's average against him has risen by almost 50 points from last year and his strikeouts per nine innings are down by 33 percent (9.19 to 6.05). Nevertheless, it's hard to say which team has the advantage in the ninth inning, even though Billy Wagner has converted on 24 of 26 save opportunities since May 3 and has 77 strikeouts in 601/3 innings.The real separation between the Mets and Yankees is in the rest of the relief corps. The Met bullpen's 3.19 ERA is second in the NL, no small achievement considering the club lost Duaner Sanchez. Scott Proctor has a better fastball than Aaron Heilman, but with his league-high 65 appearances, is there any doubt he's headed for the same doom as Paul Quantrill and Tanyon Sturtze?The Yankees believe Octavio Dotel will eventually phase out Proctor, but the Mets' secret weapon could be Guillermo Mota. Just a hunch.Advantage: Mets.INFIELD: The most interesting comparisons are found on the left side, where Derek Jeter's bat trumps Jose Reyes'. Defensively, Reyes eclipses Jeter in range and in arm strength. Third base is an even more compelling one-on-one. David Wright's post-home run derby drought (none since July 28, .210 average in August) is odd, although not entirely inexplicable. He just looks and plays like he's burned out (or bored), which is a possibility on a team with a 14�-game lead.Wright figures to recover next month. But will A-Rod? His league-leading 22 errors are baffling, coming from a former two-time Gold Glove shortstop. Rodriguez looks even worse lately swinging and missing at middle-of-the-plate fastballs. If he comes up short in the playoffs � or even more damning, evaporates against the Mets in a Subway Series � he may have to rethink his vow to retire in pinstripes. It might be time to move on.At second base, we'll take Robinson Cano over Jose Valentin, and at first base Jason Giambi over Carlos Delgado, although just barely.Behind the plate, Jorge Posada has a better throwing arm than Paul Lo Duca and hits for more power. But Lo Duca is at least an accomplished gap hitter, batting over .300 with 30 doubles. It's a push between the catchers.Advantage (defense): Mets.Advantage (offense): Yankees.OUTFIELD: The Mets are worse off in the corner positions than they were on opening day; the opposite is true of the Yankees. The Bombers have the better rookie (Melky Cabrera over Lastings Milledge, who was sent down last week) and made the more dramatic trade (Bobby Abreu over Shawn Green).Green is already a crowd pleaser at Shea, but the Mets could still use some of Xavier Nady's home run potential from the bottom of the order. Green's slugging percentage, which peaked at .598 in 2002, has declined steadily to its current .429.In left field, the Mets were clearly disappointed by Milledge's lack of production, albeit in a small sample, once Cliff Floyd became a non-factor. Milledge will get a much longer look in 2007, but in the short term he's been outplayed by Cabrera. You have to at least wonder if Omar Minaya miscalculated when he refused to consider dealing Milledge as part of a deal for Barry Zito.Johnny Damon obviously can't match Carlos Beltran's production in center, but between Cabrera and Abreu � not to mention the expected returns of Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield � the Yankees have more firepower than the Mets could cope with in a short series.Advantage (offense and defense): Yankees.MANAGER: Willie Randolph knows every one of Joe Torre's secrets and tactics, the most important of which is keeping his team calm in the face of relentless pressure. Torre isn't perfect; his Bombers melted in the 2001 World Series, and no one will ever forget the 2003 ALCS collapse against Boston. But beating the Sox five straight at Fenway went a long way in proving Torre still has the right touch in the clubhouse.Randolph is just as cool and composed, certainly as confident. All that's missing is the October experience.Advantage: Yankees.Prediction: Yankees in seven.

Ahh thanks...

The guy on SNY says the magic number is 20..WTF?

Hard to believe that he didn't make the team outta spring training only to be told he did.

A question,with Mota looking so damn good what does that mean for R Hernandez?

Mota has closer stuff,looks like a great trade by Omar.

What I love about Cohen calling a game is that he gets all pumped up even when a guy from the other team makes a great play just like Rollins did now...

Delgado just misses another home run,damn but he is locked in.

]How about Cohen remembering the situation and personnel of his only foul ball caught? And how about Darling knowing that the guy who hit the foul ball once went 7 for 7 against the Cubs?

Make that 11-5 as Woodie drives in two......I love this team.

I feel like dancing..Chavez drives in two more runs....

Green with a two run double....WOW

] I definitely question the wisdom of the bunt. Yeah even though it was a sweet bunt you would want him driving in the guy at second base.

Julio grounds into a 6-4-3 DP.

I love Chavez,there's nothing he can't do,bases loaded for Franco,come on old man.

Delgado makes KC look like a genius with a two run homer.

Chris Coste is a great story but he seems to be in the middle of everything good for the Phillies against the Mets.

Damn Howard is fucking good.

Gary says that two years ago you could not have gotten Perez for Kazmir he was that good, I wonder about that.

Beltran with career home run #200, 2 zip Mets. Congrats Carlos.