The Mets Police

June 5, 2009

Pittsburgh Pirates Blogger Responds To Carlos Beltran

Team leaders donâ€™t play with bellyaches, do they? Team leaders that cash monster paychecks like yours surely arenâ€™t expected to suck it up on road trips are they? Team leaders simply write checks with their mouth and then expect their teammates to cash those checks for them right?

So go ahead and go back to motivating your Mets teammates today. You have some work to do alongside Sheffield and Delgado and Perez. Reyes, Church, Pora,Martinez, Maine and Pagan all seem to be bellyached this year. Hell, you have Emil Brown on the roster to motivate now. We feel for you Mr. Beltran. We really do. Is Perez making more than you are? You are really the better player. You know that thoughâ€¦

Long rant here.

I do want to know more about “Pora” – I guess he’s playing short stop tonight. Wouldn’t shock me. I’m more commenting on the state of Omar Minaya’s minor league depth than a type from some poor Pirates fan who hasn’t seen a winning team since Bonds was skinny.

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June 5, 2009

Raissman Kills New York Yankees Broadcaster John Sterling

Raissman’s kill-job on Sterling is wonderful. You need to read the entire piece.

Sterling’s chops are still there, his condescending delivery still tinged with pomposity. Yet now, something is different. Sterling sounds constantly befuddled (and that’s being polite). There are strange, hard to explain, lapses in memory. When he begins a home run call you hold your breath wondering how – and where – it will end.
Read more: here

I used to love Sterling & Kay as a team. I looked forward to Suzyn’s beat reporting on WFAN. Hated Steiner…and hate Sterling/Waldman.

I wonder if anyone in the Bronx actually thinks about/listens/cares what the radio-cast sounds like.

For all the grief we give the Wilpons, they put good effort into SNY and on the radio side Howie Rose is the right guy (I’m down on out-of-towner Wayne).

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@metspolice

June 4, 2009

Beltran Declares Himself Captain Of The New York Mets

Carlos Beltran!

We have to find a way to play better, there’s no doubt. Overall. I’m not pointing fingers at anybody. Offense, defense, pitching — we have to find a way to play better. The reality of this is, coming here to Pittsburgh and being swept — personally, I feel embarrassed.

I know they’re a big-league ballclub, but we’re better than them. We’re better than them. We know we’re better than them, but we have to do something about it.”

Full rant here: http://blogs.nypost.com/sports/mets/archives/2009/06/beltran_rips_sl.html

June 4, 2009

June 4, 1976 Dave Kingman Hits Three Home Runs For New York Mets

Another great retro-post from Centerfield Maz (who lets us borrow things).

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2009

Today In Mets History: Sky Kingman Blasts Three HRs in L.A.

June 4, 1976: One month before America was to celebrate its bicentennial, the Mets went to Los Angeles for a weekend series with the Dodgers. On Friday night June 4th, a huge crowd of over 52,000 packed Dodger Stadium to see Tom Seaver go against Burt Hooton. The Mets were approaching the .500 mark 10 Â½ games back, in third. They did make a nice summer run but fell short. The Dodgers were one game back but had no chance catching the Big Red Machine. It was all Mets tonight as Seaver was masterful pitching a 3 hit shutout. He walked only one and struck out 8 along the way, besting his record above .500 to 5-4.

As great as Seaver was, Dave Kingman stole the show. Kong blasted three HRs that night, one longer than the next, and drove in a Met record eight runs.(Broken in 2008 by Carlos Delgado)

His 1st HR was in the 4th inning off Burt Hooton, with John Milner aboard. His 2nd was also off Hooton in the 5th inning, with Wayne Garrett & Mike Phillips aboard. His 3rd HR was off Al Downing (the man who gave up Hank Aarons 715th) with Philips & Milner aboard. The three HRs already gave Kingman a total of 20 on the season, people were talking about a record breaking season. Due to injury he ended up with 37 on the year, second in the NL. The Mets won the game 11-0, Ed Kranepool also homered in the game his 4th.

Check out the great Centerfield Maz blog for more of this sort of thing.

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@metspolice

June 4, 2009

Am I Insane? I Miss Many Players But Not Reyes

The Reyes news doesn’t bother me. I know I’m counter-culture on this and I will be called names…but Reyes being out just doesn’t bother me as much as some of the other injuries. Alex Cora bothered me more.

When Cora got hurt it was like “whoa, now who’s going to play?” When Angel Pagan gets hurt I worry “whoa, now who’s going to play?” A summer of Tatis at third (or I guess Murphy might go there since it was his real position) would sadden me.

As I’ve said many times, I know y’all think Reyes walks, steals two bases and scores a run on a sac fly in every at bat where he doesn’t hit a triple, but I just don’t see it. Good player, sure. Great player, no way. Reyes without speed won’t have much “game.”

Fiend of mine last night said that when he pictures Reyes he pictures him in a black Mets jersey. When he pictures Wright he pictures him in a blue hat and Mets pinstripes. If you’ve spent time on this blog you probably get the vibe of what he was saying, and I think he’s right.

I’m not going to freak if Reyes is out. I don’t expect you to agree.

….

Before my fellow bloggers start the “sign Tom Glavine” stuff. Don’t.

Here’s some helpful reminders…

Mets Headed Home After Historic Collapse

Washington Post – Oct 1, 2007
By MIKE FITZPATRICK. AP. NEW YORK — The collapse is complete. When the New York Mets needed a big game, Tom Glavine pitched one of his worst. …