Mike's Mets: March 2006 Archives

Zambrano Gets Rocked, Tweaks Hamstring

Cardinals 9 - Mets 6 Pedro Martinez threw 88 pitches in his 4 innings against the Cardinals today. He gave up 3 runs on 4 hits, including a home run by Albert Pujols. He struck out 4 and walked 3. He felt good, although he admitted to be as sharp...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 7:38 PM | Permalink

Let's Get It On...

The SNY questions still linger, a few roster jobs are up for grabs. We all have our favorites for the few remaining jobs. I'd like to see Heath Bell get a shot with the team over Jose Lima, who has failed to give me a reason to believe, but I'm...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 11:39 AM | Permalink

Lima Bad, Bell Good, Does it Matter?

Mets 6 - Cardinals 1 The irony of the situation is this: the guy that pitched the worst today, and had been pitching poorly all spring will probably go north with the team, while the man that pitched the best, and has had a very good spring, will most likely...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 8:09 PM | Permalink

The Good and Bad of Being a Mets Fan

It's somewhat depressing for a lifelong Mets fan that opening day is right around the corner and I still have no access to SNY. I've more or less been called a communist in some quarters for what I wrote a couple of days ago about what Fred Wilpon owes Mets...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 4:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Heilman Ready to Help Mets in the Bullpen

In the Bergen Record, Steve Popper reports that Billy Wagner has taken it upon himself to help Aaron Heilman over his disappointment with being sent to the bullpen. Popper quotes Wagner, who consoled Heilman in the same manner that he did with Octavio Dotel in Houston: I said, "How's it...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 10:45 AM | Permalink

Note to Tom Glavine: Throw Strikes

Braves 4 - Mets 1 I feel more comfortable than I have all spring. If we have some of our new players emerge we can make a real run at this division. --Tom Glavine Okay, I understand these are spring training games, but is anyone else out there tired of...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 7:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I'm Ready for the Season to Start

The Aaron Heilman / Brian Bannister situation has been resolved, at least for now. Relatively minor controversies remain, unless the Mets decide to go north with Jose Lima or Yusaku Iriki. As fun as it's been to debate all of the moves from this past winter and this spring, it's...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

It's Lima Time... In Norfolk

Marlins 12 - Mets 7 I'm not going to go into much detail on this. I'm still a little ticked with Wilpon and company. Jose Lima and Yusaku Iriki both showed why they are unlikely to stick with the Mets. The Marlins scored 5 times on Lima after two men...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 8:21 PM | Permalink

What Does Fred Wilpon Owe Mets Fans?

How about at least a chance to watch our team? The last few days of spring training are trickling away, and still many Mets fans like myself are frozen out of watching our team play. If you happen to live in a town that has a cable system that doesn't...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 7:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Heilman a Reliever

Thanks to MetsBlog for this bit of news, Ed Coleman has reported on WFAN that Aaron Heilman has been told by the team that he will be heading to the bullpen. I'm happy for Brian Bannister, who seems like a really great kid. I've made my thoughts on this clear...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Talking More Heilman

It's been an eventful day. Thanks to all of you who shared your thoughts via comments and e-mail regarding the news that Aaron Heilman might be headed to the bullpen. If nothing else, Omar and company have shown a willingness to make a controversial decision if they feel the team...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 8:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Trachsel Awful in Loss to Dodgers

Dodgers 12 - Mets 3 Steve Trachsel pitched 4 awful innings of batting practice to the Dodgers today, giving up 8 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks. The Dodgers took Trachsel deep twice, including a 3-run homer by opposing pitcher Brett Tomko, and also had 2 doubles and a...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 5:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

More on Heilman to the Bullpen

There is more buzz around this morning about Aaron Heilman being sent back to the bullpen. In Adam Rubin's notes column for the Daily News, he also notes that the Mets seem inclined to keep Victor Diaz on the major league club, leaving only 6 spots for relievers. I have...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Heilman to the Bullpen -- The Gods Must Be Crazy

I'm never totally shocked by anything that happens with the Mets, but I have to admit that I'm somewhat surprised by this story on Mets.com. According to Marty Noble, the Mets are thinking of moving Aaron Heilman back to the bullpen: That possibility came to light Sunday as people familiar...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 12:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Pedro and Zambrano Impressive as Mets Blank Orioles

Mets 8 - Orioles 0 A large collective sigh of relief could be heard from Mets fans as Pedro Martinez pitched an efficient 3 innings against the Orioles in his spring training debut. In his 35-pitch outing, Martinez limited the O's to a single hit on a pop up that...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 3:56 PM | Permalink

The Amazing Mr. Bannister

Things certainly have been going well for rookie Brian Bannister this spring. In his first three starts he pitched so well that he forced himself into the Mets' thinking. Then he goes out yesterday without his signature control of all 4 pitches, and manages to battle his way through a...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 12:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Bannister Experiences First Rough Start in Loss to Astros

Astros 3 - Mets 1 Rookie Brian Bannister, who has looked great every time out this spring, finally had a difficult start against the Astros in Kissimmee. Clearly struggling with his control all day, Bannister, who had walked only one batter in his previous appearances, walked 5 in his 5+...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 4:29 PM | Permalink

Memo to DirecTV: Make a Deal with SNY Now

There's not a lot to talk about today. Beltran's bunt in a spring training game has virtually dominated the stories in the local dailies, which pretty much tells you how little else has happened. For many of us Mets fans, the SNY situation is still a burning question. Certainly now...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 2:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Review: Pedro, Carlos, and Omar

A number of years ago I decided to go on a short solo back-packing trip in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I got a ride up there from Jeanne, my girlfriend at the time, and her dad Martin. He was good guy -- a great big bear of a...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 7:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Glavine Looks Better As Mets Batter the Cardinals

Mets 12 - Cardinals 2 Tom Glavine, who has struggled so far this spring, looked somewhat better today against the Cardinals, despite giving up solo home runs to Jim Edmonds and Albert Pujols. Those 2 runs were all the Cards managed off Glavine in 5 innings, who gave up 5...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 5:48 PM | Permalink

The Weasels of Adelphia Tele-Media

It figures that Cablevision and SportsNet New York finally make a deal and the game is rained out. Still, if I was a Cablevision subscriber I don't think I'd let that get me down too much. I've written about my frustration with Adelphia cable here in Connecticut. If you're an...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 11:01 AM | Permalink

Finally: Cablevision and SNY Make a Deal

This is on MSG's web site. Given that Cablevision owns MSG, this would qualify as "official", thank God. Thanks to "Matt" who notified me of the article in a comment to yesterday's story. Cablevision and SportsNet New York announce carriage agreement Mar 23, 2006 By MSGNetwork.com Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE:...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 2:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Farm Production

One thing that I do to find things to talk about in this blog is subscribing to about a zillion RSS news feeds. I scan hundreds of headlines each day, and have become proficient in spotting the few things that I want to talk about in the midst of all...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 1:50 PM | Permalink

Glavine the Opening Day Starter

Pedro will not be on the mound for opening day against the Nationals on March 3. This can hardly come as a shock to any Mets fan that's been paying attention this spring. Tom Glavine will get the start, while Martinez hopes to take a turn in the rotation sooner...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 11:13 AM | Permalink

Heilman Shines Against Dodgers

Mets 2 - Dodgers 1 Aaron Heilman held his serve in the dogfight for the fifth starter job, limiting the Dodgers to a run on 6 singles in 5 innings. He struck out 3 and walked none. Lefties Darren Oliver and Pedro Feliciano and right-handers Chad Bradford and Jorge Julio...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 11:26 PM | Permalink

Review: The Last Nine Innings

Recently I was contacted by the publisher of the book The Last Nine innings and offered a comp. copy in the hopes of a review or mention on my website. The publicist's idea to use baseball bloggers to generate some buzz for the book was a pretty smart idea. I've...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 6:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Updates on SNY

Just a quick note on the SportsNet New York situation. MEDIAWEEK is reporting that SNY and Verizon have reached an agreement for SNY to be broadcast on Verizon's FiOS TV service. Even if you don't live in Massapequa Park, Nyack or South Nyack, where Verizon has franchises, this is probably...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 2:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I Can't Believe I'm Writing about Soriano Again

As we knew it would, the Alfonso Soriano situation with the Nationals is revving up the speculation about him coming to the Mets. In some of the local papers we are reading why the Mets should move to acquire him from the Nationals, and how deep our lineup would be...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 12:20 PM | Permalink

Zambrano Decent in First Start vs. Benson and the O's

Orioles 6 - Mets 5 Victor Zambrano was decent in his first start of the season, going 5 innings and scattering 6 hits. He gave up a solo home run to Melvin Mora in the third and an unearned run in the fourth. He struck out 1 and walked nobody....

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 4:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Bad Finger Shuts Down Billy Wagner

The big story of a quiet morning is news of a minor injury to closer Billy Wagner. According to Marty Noble on Mets.com, Wagner is experiencing some irritation to the middle finger of his pitching hand: Wagner said that he felt an unusual sensation in his finger while pitching against...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 10:57 AM | Permalink

Don't Overpay for Another Arm

I guess with the news that Alfonso Soriano is refusing to play outfield for the Nationals, I should get used to the fact that I'll be hearing all sorts of trade rumors between the Mets and Nats. What I wasn't expecting was this from Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal: The Mets,...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 7:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The Fifth Starter

Kudos to Brian Bannister for making Willie Randoph and Rick Peterson's decision regarding the fifth starter job a lot harder than anyone anticipated. While I am thrilled that a Mets farmhand is receiving serious consideration for a job with the major league club, I have to keep in mind that...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 10:41 AM | Permalink

Key New York Mets Free Agents and Trades (1981-2005)

In early November, while waiting for the hot stove to warm up, I started thinking about the Mets poor off-season performances under various GMs since the 1980s "dynasty" teams faded into "the worse team money can buy" years of the early and mid-90s. Memory is always somewhat subjective, though, so...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 5:59 PM | Permalink

Bannister Impresses, Julio Doesn't in Loss to Marlins

Marlins 5 - Mets 0 Brian Bannister pitched 5 strong innings against the Marlins as he continued his bid to make the club. Bannister allowed only 2 hits and no walks, striking out 3. A double by shortstop Alfredo Amezaga was the Marlins' only well hit ball against Bannister. He...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 5:05 PM | Permalink

Dirt Bags Say the Darndest Things...

It's a somewhat slow Sunday when it comes to real Mets news. The Dominican Republic was eliminated by Cuba in the WBC, so all of the Mets should soon be back in camp. Other than Juan Padilla, all have thankfully returned to the team in one piece. With so little...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Mets Beat Braves, Lose to Nationals

Mets 3 - Braves 2 Mike Pelfrey started for the Mets and pitched 4 strong innings, facing a Braves lineup missing most of their top players. Pelfrey allowed only one run on an opposite-field homer to catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, scattering 3 hits, striking out 3 and walking none. Afterwards, Pelfrey...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 4:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When I Finally Get SNY, Will It Be Worth the Trouble?

My dilemma that I wrote about a couple of days ago is simple -- my cable company won't be adding SNY any time soon, and the desire of Lisa, my girlfriend/life partner of the past dozen years to purchase a condo within the next few months had left me uncertain...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 2:50 PM | Permalink

Trachsel Not Sharp As Mets and Dodgers Tie

Mets 7 - Dodgers 7 (10) Steve Trachsel was touched up for 3 runs on 5 hits in 4-1/3 innings as the Mets and Dodgers played to a 10 inning tie in Vero Beach. Trachsel walked 2 and struck out 2, and gave up a 2-run homer to Jeff Kent....

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 11:28 PM | Permalink

Finally Getting It Right Down On the Farm

Sometimes things happen with the Mets that just make me shake my head. Willie and Omar sticking with Kaz Ishii for so long last season is a good example. Some of Omar's moves this past winter, although not without logic, went against the grain a little. I favor a more...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 7:18 PM | Permalink

Heilman: Starter or Reliever?

As we get closer to the start of real games, one of the more interesting stories is whether the Mets will give Aaron Heilman the fifth starter job that he certainly seems to have earned up to this point. As outlined by Steve Popper in the Bergen Record, Heilman has...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's Still Not Lima Time

Mets 6 - Braves 5 Jose Lima faltered in the fourth inning of a start for the second time in a row as the Mets came from behind in the ninth to beat the Braves in Port St. Lucie. After holding Atlanta scoreless over the first 3, Lima gave up...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 12:56 AM | Permalink

Outside Looking In

Sorry to all of you out there, like me, who have been frozen out of watching the Mets on TV tonight. Apparently, that e-mail that a Cablevision customer posted to my site was indeed premature, and customers that tuned to channel 60 were not rewarded with what had been promised....

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 7:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

SNY Mania

SNY fires up its operation today, and most of us are on the outside looking in. Despite the e-mail that was sent out to subscribers yesterday, apparently there is still a possibility that SNY will not be carried this evening by Cablevision. I guess the company is now claiming that...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 10:50 AM | Permalink

Heilman's Turn to Impress

Mets 8 - Nationals 5 Although Brian Bannister is enjoying an extremely strong spring, Aaron Heilman is not conceding the race for the fifth starter slot. Heilman was the favorite going into camp, and he has done nothing to change that. He pitched 4 shutout innings this afternoon, allowing 3...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 9:12 PM | Permalink

Good News for Cablevision Subscribers

Janet, a reader, posted the following Comment to a previous article about SNY: I inquired with Cablevision last night by email and received back the following email: Response (Shawn G) - 03/15/2006 12:02 AM Dear Valued Customer, Thank you for your recent email. I understand and will be happy to...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 4:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

I Want My SNY

I know this affects many people, including me, so let's lead off with it. John Brennan is reporting on the SNY situation in north Jersey. Those of us in other areas are in a similar situation, certainly in the case of satellite providers. Despite a report on Bloomberg.com that a...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 11:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Gooden Will Break Your Heart

I'll never forget the excitement that Doc Gooden brought to the Mets as a 19-year-old rookie in '84. The team had been so bad for so long, and it just seemed hopeless that things would ever change. It was Gooden that brought the buzz and excitement back to Shea, setting...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 11:25 PM | Permalink

Bannister Impressive Again

Mets 11 - Orioles 4 Brian Bannister kept his stock rising with a very impressive 4 innings against Baltimore. He allowed no runs on only 1 hit, walking none while striking out 2. Matt Perisho and Heath Bell did not fare as well following Bannister. Both pitched an inning, with...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 6:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Key New York Mets Free Agents and Trades (1986-1990)

Last fall I put together a list of all the key New York Mets player acquisitions through free agency and trades for the years from 1991-2005. After I finished the project, I thought it might be interesting to go back 10 more years and look at the rise and fall...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 4:16 PM | Permalink

Slightly Used Infielder for Sale, Inquire Within

Funny, yesterday I finally started coming around to the thinking that maybe it was time to cut Kaz Matsui loose at any cost, and he gets a couple of hits and drives in 3 runs. I'm happy for Matsui -- who really seems to be trying hard to prove that...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 11:29 AM | Permalink

Turn Out the Lights...

Mets 10 - Nationals 4 (6) The game ended prematurely in the top of the seventh when some of the stadium lights cut out in St. Lucie, but it was a good night for the Mets offense nonetheless. Xavier Nady went 3 for 3, including a monster home run. Kaz...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 12:38 AM | Permalink

Bagging it with Marty, Padilla Out for the Season

Another Monday, another Mailbag from Marty Noble at Mets.com. The highlights: Diaz or Nady in RF? The Mets want to win this year, and at this point, Nady appears to be a more polished Major League player -- in all phases of the game -- than Diaz. Diaz may have...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 8:44 PM | Permalink

Two Great Mets Sites -- One New, One Returning

Happy Recap This weekend a fellow Mets Blogger left this comment on my site about the infamous Game 6 movie: If you are a Mets or Red Sox blogger you were most likely contacted by someone at Takeout Marketing about pumping this film. I received an email from them asking...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 2:54 PM | Permalink

This Second Base Situation Could Get Ugly

One of the emerging stories from spring training seems to be the Mets determination to start the season with Kaz Matsui at second base. For reasons of his own, the only other candidate that Willie Randolph seemed inclined to give a fair shot to was the departed Brett Boone. The...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 10:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Life After Mike and the Mad Dog

The Mets training camp is off to a fairly tranquil start, with one glaring exception being that Kaz Matsui is already being booed for any misstep he makes. I guess there is an element of Mets fans out there that believe they can put pressure on Mets management to trade...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 12:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)

Trachsel Looks Good in Loss to Orioles

Orioles 3 - Mets 2 (10) The Mets lost a sloppy game to the Orioles in Fort Lauderdale this afternoon, but the brain trust had to be happy with Steve Trachsel's scoreless 4 inning stint. Trachsel scattered 2 hits and a walk while striking out 2. The relievers that followed...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 5:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lastings Milledge and Brian Bannister

Call this one A Tale of Two Prospects. In the Baseball Prospectus article I link to below, Kevin Goldstein offers a brief look at the farm systems of NL East teams. Two Mets prospects that are really opening some eyes this spring, OF Lastings Milledge and RHP Brian Bannister, both...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 1:23 PM | Permalink

Mets Split Squads with Mixed Results

Mets 10 - Marlins 6 Jose Lima isn't exactly forcing his way into the Mets plans this season, but it looked good for a while today. After starting off with 3 scoreless innings, Lima got touched up for a 4-spot in the fourth. He gave up 4 hits and 2...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 5:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Glavine Controversy

It's in all the papers this morning. Tom Glavine had second thoughts about becoming a Met. It's all in a kiss and tell book by Brave's GM John Schuerholz. As reported by David O'Brien in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Schuerholz was convinced he needed to betray Glavine's confidence in order to...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Mets Kick One Away to the Cards

Cardinals 11 - Mets 3 Three Mets errors by Chris Woodward, David Wright and Kaz Matsui let in 5 unearned runs as the Mets fell to the Cardinals today in St. Lucie. Jeremi Gonzales, one of many candidates for fifth starter or long reliever, was victimized by 2 of the...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 6:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Better Late Than Never

Had some weird problems this morning with the company that hosts my domain names, including this one. I apologize for not getting anything up there today. On a positive note I might be able to move back into my house later today, and I can get back to normal and...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 5:27 PM | Permalink

Schmoll Not Making Fans Forget Seo

Astros 3 - Mets 2 The Mets dropped their contest with the Astros today when Steve Schmoll came into a tie game in the ninth and more or less pitched batting practice, giving up a walk and 3 hits while registering only a single out. Aaron Heilman was effective in...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 9:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Armchair GM

Yesterday I wrote about a site called ArmchairGM. Dan, who covers the Mets for that site asked me to check out an article he wrote on the Mets possibly signing Clemens. ArmChairGM is one of those community based projects, and anyone can edit something somebody else writes. I felt there...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 8:16 PM | Permalink

Here's One I Can Recommend

Yesterday I wrote about what I felt about the movie Game 6. Like many Mets (and I assume Red Sox) bloggers, I was contacted by the movie's marketing company. Despite the fact that I respected the intelligence of whoever realized it was a good idea to seek some free publicity...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 4:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Morning News: Cliff's Health

Work still continues on my house, affecting my access to the Internet and my ability to stay up on what's happening with the Mets. Here are a few interesting picks from this morning; check back later this afternoon for more. Newsday: Health Concerns for Cliff With all the gloom and...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Mets Flip Indians the Byrd

Mets 7 - Indians 1 Yusaku Iriki allowed one run in 3 innings, scattering 1 hit and 3 BBs. Juan Perez, Mitch Wylie, Matt Perisho, Bartolome Fortunato and Heath Bell held Cleveland scoreless the rest of the way. The Mets scored all 7 runs off of Indians starter (and former...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 11:45 PM | Permalink

Want to Give Your Brain an Enema? Do I Have a Movie for You!

Like many Mets bloggers, a couple of weeks ago I was contacted by the company that is doing the marketing for the upcoming movie "Game 6". According to them: "Game 6" is a gritty, intense, articulate and witty tale of one man's encounter with his demons, his passions and his...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 6:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Victor Diaz

It's kind of a quiet day for the Mets, and I'm still a homeless man. I only found a couple of items that interested me at all. I was impressed with the article on Victor Diaz linked to below. It's too bad that Victor probably is a long shot for...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 12:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Mets stick it to the Astros

Mets 7 - Astros 1 Steve Trachsel pitched 3 scoreless innings for the Mets today, scattering 4 hits, as they defeated Houston in Port St. Lucie. Royce Ring followed for 2 innings and got touched up for a run on 2 hits. Billy Wagner, Chad Bradford and Tim Lavigne held...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 11:47 PM | Permalink

Tom Glavine Will Be Fine

Bob Klapisch offers a long profile on Tom Glavine that is interesting, if not entirely accurate in my opinion. Klapisch seems to have the opinion that Glavine has abandoned the changeup and lives on the inside corner now. In the second half games that I saw, Glavine still used his...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 12:55 PM | Permalink

The Dark Side of the WBC

In his "blog" on ESPN Insider, Peter Gammons discusses the pressure players from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela are feeling to play in the World Baseball Classic: Melvin Mora took so much battering from the Venezuelan media for pulling out of the World Baseball Classic that Magglio Ordonez was afraid...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 7:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Delgado's Elbow

With Pedro Martinez questionable on opening day, and now Carlos Delgado's elbow tendonitis flaring up, the doom and gloom crowd on talk radio will have another opportunity to paint a bleak picture for Mets fans. I think I'm going to give it a week or two before I drink the...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 10:39 AM | Permalink

Mets vs. Puerto Rico

I listened to the first few innings of the split squad game against the Puerto Rican team. Delgado missed the game with a minor injury; expect the WFAN crew to build that up to something dire. Lastings Milledge started in CF and had a double and scored. One good thing...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 3:43 PM | Permalink

Mets Must Find a Way with Less Pedro

We are hearing the first murmurings that Pedro Martinez may miss his opening day start and predictably, angst among Mets fans is on the rise. It's a sure thing that the two afternoon dopes on WFAN will beat on this news pretty hard, as accentuating the negative to bait Mets...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 1:00 PM | Permalink

Aaron Heilman and Anderson Hernandez Look Good in Win

Aaron Heilman and Brian Bannister each pitched 2 strong innings. Left-handed specialist candidate Mike Venafro gave up 2 runs on 4 hits in his one inning, while Royce Ring (remember him?) pitched the ninth and got a save. Anderson Hernandez has 3 hits and scored 3 times to lead the...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 5:09 PM | Permalink

At second, no deal is the right deal

Kaz Matsui is likely to start the year as the starter at second base, which will not thrill some of you. I have to say, if the Mets believe Anderson Hernandez is the future at 2B, I agree with not making a deal. I'm sure the Mets would like to...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 1:31 PM | Permalink

They Can't Take That Away From Me

Greg from Faith and Fear in Flushing has an excellent Flashback Friday on the way Red Sox fans like Ken Burns have systematically minimized the Mets achievement in the 1986 World Series -- the game 6 comeback in particular -- and made it all about the Red Sox. It's a...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 7:34 PM | Permalink

A Request

One of the things I like most about the Mets blogging community is the diversity. You have a wide variety of voices ranging from young kids to old farts like me. I've been a Mets fan since partway through the 1969 season, which gives me a long term perspective on...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 1:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Off to a Good Start

We're not going to plan a ticker tape parade for late October based on a nice spring training opener, but things are looking "so far, so good" for the Mets. The news that neither Pedro nor Wagner will pitch in the WBC can only bring all Mets fans a sigh...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 11:06 AM | Permalink

Trouble in Paradise?

Does anyone else find it significant that NFL owners are bickering among themselves about revenue sharing? The NFL is supposed to represent the pinnacle of parity and equal opportunity. Due to a massive national television contract that is split equally among all, cities like Jacksonville, Nashville and Indianapolis are able...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 6:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Hey, Joel: We're Not Fools

Joel Sherman has a column in the Post about Mike Pelfrey where he discusses the danger of rushing pitching prospects. I found it somewhat condescending towards the hardcore fans, those of us most interested in prospects like Pefrey. Sherman was saying the Mets should be lowering expectations about Pelfrey so...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Intangibles

Regular readers know that over the last couple of days, there has been some discussion about statistical analysis being viewed as some sort of absolute authority in judging a baseball player -- in this particular case, Jose Reyes. My problem isn't with the analysis itself, which I believe is a...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 7:50 PM | Permalink

I Meant to Offend

Yesterday I wrote something that was prompted by some things I've been reading about Jose Reyes. There was another article that I didn't even link to, which Ryan from Always Amazin' already did an excellent job in refuting. The pompous young author of that article was the type of self-important...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 12:16 PM | Permalink

Quite Frankly, Stephen A. Smith Can't Interview

I just watched Omar Minaya's appearance on Stephen A. Smith's Quite Frankly show. I came away with the feeling that I learned almost nothing from his one-hour (minus the commercials) interview with Minaya. I like Smith when he's on a panel type show like for basketball, but as an interviewer...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 12:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Mike's Mets

New York Mets discussion, news and historical perspective -- now getting by with a little help from my friends.

March 31, 2006