Category: mets

Been saying this all season long….including during the suspension.  Good piece on Newsday.com

So before you stand up and boo Manny tonight, Mets fans, think twice. Remember how badly you wanted Manny during the off-season, and ask yourself this question: Would we take him right now, even with those PED scarlet letters painted all over his chest?




You’re darn right we would.  Read here.

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Today we leave the Mets Team Store and walk down the right field line…

I didn’t realize the Mets had a Kosher Grill…but they do.  Around first base on whatever the main level is called (what is it called?  I’m not rich.  I sit upstairs behind plexiglass.)

This is cool.  I believe it is new but I may be incorrect.   Today’s lineup is posted above one of the food stands on the first base side of the lower level.  If memory serves, they did this near Gate E late in Shea’s life.

Next (tomorrow) we sample World’s Fare

UPDATE:  JPMP wrote…

According to the company that has the kosher concession (http://www.koshersportsinc.com/Locations.aspx) there are four kosher stands at Citi Field, located near sections 115, 130, 401, and 430 — so it’s very much not located only for the fans in the most expensive seats. However, on my one trip to the park thus far this year, the one at section 401 was not open, but it might have been because it was a weekday day game. The stand at section 430 had a bit of a line. The kosher food is a vast improvement over the kosher food at Shea. 

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Pardon my French, but as I bounce around the internet this morning, everything is doom and gloom…but not “call WFAN and panic” doom and gloom – these are real experts saying tangible things.

Let’s start with the most depressing article I’ve read in years about the state of the franchise, from the News.

One scout who recently watched the Mets’ high-A St. Lucie team told the Daily News: “I cannot, in good conscience, write up anybody here. There’s not a single major-league arm on the pitching staff.” The scout went on to say that Reese Havens, the first-round pick from the University of South Carolina last year, has too long a swing and is out of position at shortstop.

Ouch.  There’s more here in which nothing nice is said about Buffalo’s roster, or the entire system.  If Omar, Tony and Whoever have let the system go this barren it is time for a new regime.

So they can’t throw in the towel and rebuild.

What might that do to the business model?  The Times has that well covered...

“It would really impact their business model,” said Vince Gennaro, the author of “Diamond Dollars: The Economics of Winning in Baseball” who is a consultant to theCleveland Indians and other teams. “It’s not just the perception of the lack of demand for tickets, but also the core problem of 10,000 empty seats that would cost them a fortune in lost revenue. SNY’s ratings would tank, too.”

So…that to me means a winter of signing anyone available (see the Murray/Randolph teams for how that works out.)

“Any talk of overhauling the team is grossly exaggerated at this point,” said (to the Times) Dave Howard, the Mets’ vice president for operations.


Yeah no kidding, because you have nothing to deal.


Y’all will get mad at me, but I think in lieu of making the playoffs, I think the best thing for this team would be for Jose Reyes to come back, have a very strong finish to the season, and then be dealt for multiple players.    Beltran has a no-trade, you can’t replace a Santana (whereas you could find a serviceable shortstop), and trading Wright would be June 15, 1977 all over.    


Check out the below (thanks to MLB Trade rumors)
First basemen
Rich Aurilia (38)
Russell Branyan (34)
Miguel Cairo (36)
Frank Catalanotto (36) – $5MM club option with a $2MM buyout
Tony Clark (38)
Carlos Delgado (38)
Nomar Garciaparra (36)
Ross Gload (34) – $2.6MM club option
Eric Hinske (32)
Nick Johnson (31)
Adam LaRoche (30)
Doug Mientkiewicz (36)
Kevin Millar (38)
Chad Tracy (30) – $7MM option with a $1MM buyout
Daryle Ward (35)
Dmitri Young (36)  -$6MM option vests with 500 PAs in ’09

Anyone there excite you?  Check out the rest of the list of 2010 free agents.  

Finally, Mets Blog has a scary item summarizing the strange power Tony Bernazard has over the organization.  Any time I read about Tony I don’t like what i read, but I don’t know too much about him.   I didn’t know much about Jerry Manuel until he threatened to stab Reyes three pitches into the Manuel-regime and he thus quickly won me over.  However, I’m scared of Tony.

One thing I had about complaining is that complainers should offer solutions.   All the stadium stuff I complain about I think I could fix in a month (with the exception of the obstructed views) if the Mets hired me.   I’d order me up some John Stearns banners this afternoon.   However when it comes to the roster issues – I have not better solution that the Minaya Solution which is sit on your hands and pray…..and think hard about Reyes.   The Red Sox dealt Nomar and then won a World Series.   Before the Reyes-army gets on me for always bashing him (which I admit to doing) go back and re-read this entire piece and let me know of a better solution.   You wanna head into 2010 with three of the core plus Nick Johnson in Delgado’s spot?

We’re effed.

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We haven’t had any new obstructed views in a while…but DyHard set these in from Promenade Section 537.  He says:

The Mets Police continue to encourage you to support the Mets in all ways including buying tickets – but you may want to be careful sitting in the first 3 rows of any section in the Promenade.

You can find more obstructed views here.

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