Posted on by Shannon Shark @metspolice

So Mets fans, what’s your gut telling you?

Earlier today I was a little panicky.  I had chalked off the win (I mean, Santana vs Livan) at about 10:30 this morning and this article was entitled “I have a bad feeling about this.”  I’m much calmer now.

Expected 3-3 and a “could be worse” sentiment.

Well it’s worse.   You can get recaps elsewhere.  I’m curious if y’all are calm, worried, disinterested or what?

Howie left the booth after 6 (Ed Coleman with three innings of relief work).  I think Howie should do this all the time (and make John Sterling jealous that he didn’t think if it).  Howie should take the game seriously as long as the Mets do.  For example, in this scenario Howie would have given us 9 on Friday and Saturday – but on Sunday he could have thrown his hands up and left.   I’m pretty sure he has an Islanders game, but if John Maine gives up 8 in the first on Tuesday Howie should just say “and here to take you the rest of the way is Ed Coleman.”

Speaking of WFAN, hopefully someone in that building enjoys my work – I don’t know how it all works, but on the MLB iphone app, the broadcast is unlistenable.  The game is at one volume and THE COMMERCIALS ARE AT ANOTHER.  So I turned it off and enjoyed the Nats feed.   I’m happy to do that all summer.  I’ll care when you guys do.

Shockingly I digress – as for me, I still feel good about the team.  I assume someone will hit at some point, and I assume someone will hear about this “take pitches and get into their bullpen” technology the American League has.    When I take over for Jerry nobody will be allowed to swing until they have two strikes on them.  Starters are logging innings against the Metsies….someone please take a pitch.

I hate off days, they are boring.  I’m sure tomorrow will be Mets panic day, so we’ll enjoy all those stories.  Again I’ll remind you that on Tuesday Mets Police will have a pretty good article about uniforms.  A few folks saw it this morning, I’ll let them tell you how awesome it is.  Ha.

I see Michael Baron is worried about Santana’s velocity over on Mets Blog.  I’m wondering how Cerrone gets someone to work weekends.  I’d like a weekend off.  Maybe I can get this kid Media Goon to spot me on Saturdays.  He does take good photos.  Oh, and you’re all allowed to click on those stubhub ads.  If you’re buying tickets anyway, why not kick me back the 4% commission.

24 Replies to “So Mets fans, what’s your gut telling you?”

  1. This is the first time the team really looked lifeless for most of the game.

    My gut is telling me that Jerry’s not going to make it through April, and we’re headed for a .500 season… but what do I know? We’ve only seen six games.

    1. With the exception of the bizarre Reyes can’t steal yet comments from Saturday, I’m not sure Jerry is managing poorly. I don’t find myself sitting at home questioning strategy or the lineups. Nobody is hitting. Santana vs Livan Hernandez – that ain’t poor managing.

      Now if May rolls around and the team is losing and the players look like they don’t care, that’s one thing. So far they look like they care.

      Attendance looks like it will be down, and the Mets haven’t faced the Yankees Hype yet which will start with Ring Day on Tuesday coupled with 9:30 starts for the Mets. The Mets will have one of those invisible weeks with quality “Mets at Rockies, night” scores in the lazier newspapers.

  2. Gonna be a long season. The offense will come around, but the rotation is going to prove wholly mediocre over the long haul.

    As far as Manuel, the team is actually more fundamentally sound so far this year from what I’ve seen.

  3. I don’t think it makes a difference if Manuel is culpable for the team’s poor play or not — if the Mets keep playing .333 ball for the next two weeks, I think he’s out the door.

    1. He’ll definitely be the one held responsible, but it’s not going to be within the next two weeks if it happens. He’ll get 3-4 weeks after Beltran gets back at the very least.

      1. If I owne the Mets crowds of 33 on sunny days would concern me. Midweek cubs series should be interesting.

        Hell from a sales standpoint calling Pedro might make sense.

  4. I could give you a billion reasons why Manuel has been a disaster. But…not right now. I want to go to bed shortly and it’ll get me all worked up. I’m pretty confident they could pretty much hire any other available manager in baseball and have him do a better job. I’m positive he’s the worst manager I’ve ever seen.

      1. Bud Harrelson actually has the 4th (.529) highest winning percentage of the Mets 19 managers, ahead of Gil Hodges(.523).
        In front of Buddy are:
        1. Davey (.588)
        2. Willie (.544)
        3. Bobby (.534)

        As of today, Jerry is 9th (.486), with Sunday’s loss, he slid below Joe Frazier (.488)

        1. @dirt Buddy had Davey’s team. Buddy was booed to the point that he wouldn’t come out to make pitching changes…and that was Bud Harrelson, fan favorite.

          Man, could we have a second chance at the 1985 Roster – I bet they could run off 3 or 4 rings given another chance.

      2. Never saw Buddy. My “worst manager I’ve ever seen” is a pretty small sample size really. Randolph, Howe, Valentine, and anything before that I feel I was really too young to make any sort of responsible evaluation (and I don’t think I cared/thought about the manager back then.)

  5. It’s not the first time he’s said stuff like that. It’s not the first time he’s made the logical and mathematical mistake of bunting down a run with only three outs to spare. It’s not the first time he’s gotten a guy throwing, or into a game, without consideration to rest. (Big lead, no need for Nieve on Friday for instance) Feliciano is in like every game, and it seems like he’s up and throwing most games he’s not brought into.

    But the real culprit is my finances. The Mets are 2-0 with me in attendance and 0-4 without.

    1. Ceetar I think we need more data before we get you free season tickets. They are 0-2 with this Reyes guy. 😉

      I think most major league managers use pitchers too often. When up by a big score why not just let whoever is out there finish the game?

  7. Anybody have any thoughts on Davey Johnson as GM and Bobby V as manager? How would those two get along? If they wouldn’t mix, how about Davey as GM and Wally Backman as manager? That would be interesting. I know its early, but this lifeless ball has carried over from last year.

    – now back to work………

    1. @Joe I don’t think Davey wants the grief again. Plus, why tarnish your Mets legacy with some boos?

      Bobby V would sell tickets. I think his teams were underprepared and started slow, but he’s a modern day Billy Martin and would at least be entertaining. Plus they could bring back black jerseys and give me something to write about.

  8. His love for Gary Matthews Junior despite him sucking and Pagan playing over .300 in his Mets career.

    Not batting Francoeur 5th and his use of Jacobs.

    Beyond pitcher use (I could give you an example of a game where you he did his patented 3 pitchers in one inning of a tie game that directly led to a Mets loss in 2008. How many games did they miss the playoffs again in the year?), Manuel plays favorites that have nothing to do with baseball talent, and that hurts the teams ability to win.

    I’ve heard Bob Melvin and Backman both mentioned. Backman may work well from the historical standpoint, and I like that it would be a rookie, and it may allow you to keep HoJo around as a bench coach. (not sure he doesn’t deserve the ax as well)

    Anyway, despite the issues I’m feeling pretty good about the pitching so far. Some of the velocity numbers are disturbing, but there is not enough data available to really analyze that.

  9. Considering that many of us have expressed that the Wilpons aren’t good baseball people, and they don’t seem interested in building a real team, but rather they’re about getting people to spend their money on tickets (and food, etc.), wouldn’t Bobby V the next manager (or GM, or even both – hey it would save Fred and Jeffy some funds)?

    Wouldn’t he, more than HoJo (really? HoJo, who is part of the current long running soap opera, including DWright’s much ballyhooed power outage), more than Wally, and certainly more than Melvin generate some positive attraction for the die-hards?

    1. If the manager move is “shut up the fans” – I think Backman is the popular play. The fans seem to expect it. Hojo is loved but that would seem from left field (or center field, remember when they stuck Hojo there?)

      it’s too bad Keith doesn’t like working for a living. I’d love to see what he could do.

      Perhaps what the organization really needs is a new Baseball Czar.

      Or the Mets sweep the Rockies and we all calm down.

      1. Wally isn’t leaving the Brooklyn shore anytime soon. Wally still has to:
        1. Be successful with the Cyclones.
        2. Prove he can keep out of trouble in the “big city”

        It takes time to overcome being blackballed

  11. As much as I think of Mex as manna from the basball gods, I don’t think he would make for a good manager…he just might be too intense for today’s spoiled millionaire players. Let’s look for a precedent. How many other ex-players, who had fights with a team mate, at the taking of the team spring training picture, are managing a baseball teams?

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