Mike V’s Countdown to Mets Opening Day – 2008 Flashback (Last Shea Stadium Opening Day)

Five Weeks Until Opening Day!

This week’s flashback: 2008

Tuesday, April 8, 2008 vs. Philadelphia Phillies. (Home Opener – Game 6 of regular season)

Loss, by score of 5-2 to go 2-4 on the season

The last game at Shea Stadium was of course a big deal, but for us Opening Day traditionalists, the last Opening Day at Shea Stadium was a really, really, big deal. One last time Opening Day in our home, our church, the dump that had to go.

After a bitter, bitter end to the 2007 season and a long cold winter, Tom Glavine was gone and back with the Braves, and Johan Santana was here to our rescue. The Mets acquired him from the Twins for four prospects including can’t-miss Carlos Gomez and Philip Humber, ensuring that no matter what happened during the course of this new season, with this durable ace we wouldn’t collapse at the end. It took the Mets a few days to convince Johan to sign the largest contract ever for a pitcher, $137.5 Million for six years. The 29 year old Santana’s average annual salary for the contract would be $22.9MM, including $31Million in 2013 when he would be 34 years old. What a bargain! However, we didn’t get to see Johan Santana pitch on this cool spring day. Oliver Perez, who had won 15 games the year prior, was on the mound as we started a yearlong goodbye to Shea Stadium, in the shadows of Citi Field.

photos and more after the jump Continue reading “Mike V’s Countdown to Mets Opening Day – 2008 Flashback (Last Shea Stadium Opening Day)”

June 17, 2009

One Year After Willie Mets Can’t Get Rolling

Some late night writing over at examiner.com:
One year after Willie Mets can’t get rolling

There’s something more charismatic about Jerry Manuel than there was about Willie Randolph.

Jerry always seems to have a joke, or a good line, or a nice blunt answer like his recent “there was nobody left” type answer as to why he let Takahashi pitch in extra innings. Willie Randolph always seemed to wonder why you were out to get him.

A year after Willie’s departure, the Mets have made no real progress. They missed the playoffs by a one game again, and now are muddling around three games out with an inability to beat up on bad teams.

Orioles 6, Mets 4 is not the kind of score you want to see. Sure there are plenty of excuses one could make – well they started Tim Redding, or well so and so is hurt…and really none of that is the manager’s fault is it?

At the end of the day the ownership may have to look somewhere else. Jerry can only manage who he has on the field, and it really isn’t his fault that the Mets organization wasn’t four deep at shortstop or that Manny Ramirez is both suspended and a Dodger. Daniel Murphy is still the starting left fielder isn’t he? What, one of our best guys has been a guy waived by the Tigers? Is this team so jinxed that “Livan Hernandez Day” is the day you look forward to? And what if Santana goes down, then what.

So they changed managers, and I like the new guy. That doesn’t get me any closer to using my World Series tickets at Citi Field in October, and we’re no closer than they were a year ago.

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February 1, 2009

Wow Willie Actually Does Have A Book!

All week I thought folks were just kidding about “The Mets Years” but sure enough …

Hilarious.

Rising Son: Mets, Yankees, and My Journey to the Big Leagues (Hardcover)

by Willie Randolph (Author), Wayne Coffey (Author)

List Price:	$25.95
Price:	$17.13 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save:	$8.82 (34%)
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This title will be released on March 31, 2009.

That’s all I can find. Even the Harper Entertainment website search box turns up nothing for “Willie Randolph.”

Anyone want to guess what’s in it? The coffee hasn’t kicked in yet so my brain is coming up with A-Fraud equivalents for the Mets.

www.metspolice.com

November 9, 2008

Gary Carter Is A Quack + Willie Watch

The new manager of the LI Ducks is……Gary Carter?

Why Gary? That job can’t pay that much. Do you hope to win 100 games (does the Atlantic League even play 100 games) and prove you deserve a shot to snipe at Jerry Manuel the next time the Mets drop 4 straight?

Meanwhile Willie took a job as…..the Brewers bench coach? Under a new manager? What’s the strategy there – hope the new guy sucks? Why not hit the beach and enjoy Omar’s money? Isn’t it odd that Hank didn’t throw this guy a Yankee bone? Very odd.

Anyway it was nice to write something original instead of a bunch of links to other people’s hard work. Nothing much happening in Flushing since Seaver walked out of the building in September.

October 16, 2008

I Think Philly Has The Team We Want

I’m in Clark Kent mode and haven’t had much time but some quick thoughts:

I think the Phillies have the team Mets fans want. Â As an outsider it seems like a bunch of scrappy guys, a homegrown hero or two and a shortstop who is actually good and not a stat accumulator.

I’m sure Fox is thrilled at the prospect of Phillies-Rays. Â I like the Rays and all but that combination and 8:30 starts isn’t going to get me to switch off the dvr.

I don’t want to be Mushnick Junior but I observe that Son of Mets Police has watched zero innings of the playoffs. Â I’ve watched about two. Â I just don’t care.

So Willie might go to the Yankees huh? Â Girardi might want to open the new new stadium 15 and 0.

Willie might go to the Nats huh? Â That won’t be awkward at all for Manny Acta and his last place team.

Cyclones Fan suggested the Mets Police sponsor a brick at Citi Field. Â They are sold out. Â I’m kinda amazed the Mets won’t sell more.

How long until Citibank merges or gets bought and the Mets wind up playing in Horribly Named Stadium?