Mike's Mets: April 2007 Archives

Squeaky, Squeaky

Mets 6 - Nationals 2 (12) Mets 1 - Nationals 0 I wonder if the Washington pitchers took up a collection yesterday to keep the Mets offense in town. You couldn't blame them if they did, because for the most part the Mets hitters were their best friends over this...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 3:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Mea Culpa

I congratulate the Mets on winning a tough series. Who knew the Nats were going to throw Seaver, Kofax and Ryan against us. Or so it seemed. Hits and runs were hard to come by. Good and fair umpiring was tough to come by. Perseverance and heart, good pitching, defense,...

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By Joyce Mandelkern, posted at 12:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Trades From The Distant Past - George Altman for Billy Cowan

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. Roger Craig was the Mets' #1 starter in 1962 and 1963. He valiantly went out there every 4th or 5th day and lost 46 games in 2 years. Craig was...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Two Out Of Three Is Bad

Nationals 4 - Mets 3 I don't have much time for this today. I have yet another date with a paintbrush. I'm not sure I have much to say anyway, since our New York Metropolitans have managed to stumble through their second loss in three games to the worst team...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 1:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Blame Game

One bad pitch should not lose you a ball game. Unless it is in the bottom of the ninth inning. And certainly not if it is in the first inning against the Washington Nationals and you are the New York Mets with an "American League" lineup. This loss, I place...

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By Joyce Mandelkern, posted at 1:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Do the Mets Have an Achilles Heel?

There is not a MLB team without a flaw (or several). The Mets are no exception. The everyday players and bench are pretty deep. The corner outfielders and first-sacker are slightly below average and have limited range, but not exactly achilles heel material. Is the starting pitching really as good...

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By Dave Mills, posted at 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Mets Pitching 20 Games In

Sitting just at the one-eighth pole of the season, the Mets pitching hasn't been quite the disaster it was supposed to be. Four of the five starters are pitching well, and the bullpen -- while still a work in progress -- has held it's own in the early going. After...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 5:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Winning and Losing

Mets 2 - Rockies 1 (12) Rockies 11 - Mets 5 In the short space of a few hours, we have enjoyed a terrific comeback win and endured an absolute blowout of a loss. Welcome to the baseball season, I guess. I spent all of last evening painting at the...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 4:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

Underestimate At Your Own Risk

Mets 6 - Rockies 1 Achilles only wished he had a heel as strong as the Mets starting pitching has been over the first four weeks of the season. Despite all of the ink -- both virtual and actual -- spilled on the subject, the starting pitching has been all...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 3:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

The Three "B's"

Notwithstanding the loss of 4 of 6 to the Braves, the Mets have looked pretty impressive during the first three weeks of the season. It could easily be said that some are playing over their heads (Alou and Green come to mind), while at the same time some have played...

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By Dave Mills, posted at 1:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

April Showers

Braves 9 - Mets 6 I was as disappointed as anyone was after this game. I felt lousy all weekend with a really bad cold, and I've been doing a lot of painting at the new house. I think I can say definitively that paint fumes and head colds are...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 5:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The Lost Weekend

OK. I am in a very, very bad mood. It started Friday night. The Jackie Robinson ceremony was very nice. I was very moved by it. I only wish the Mets had been. Ralph Branca was there. The man can sing a mean "God Bless America." Before the game started,...

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By Joyce Mandelkern, posted at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

Big Game Pitcher

Mets 7 - Braves 2 While it may have been shocking to see Oliver Perez throw 20 consecutive strikes, I can't say that I was surprised to see Oliver pitch well yesterday. While his game is still very much a work in progress, what we have undoubtedly seen from Perez...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 1:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

My Favorite Mets - Ron Hunt and Joe Christopher

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. In 1963 and 1964, it seemed that everybody's favorite Met was 2nd baseman Ron Hunt, and for good reason. Hunt came to the Mets in a deal with the Braves...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Mets Drop Opener Against Braves

Braves 7 - Mets 3 Just a few thoughts on last night's game: While it's worrisome that Mike Pelfrey is having command problems in his first two games, I think he needs to be given some time before people start looking to who in New Orleans might replace him. We...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 12:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Warm Weather, Hot Bats

Mets 11 - Marlins 3 After the Mets got off to the quick 1-0 lead in the first inning things looked dicey for a while. A single and a misplayed bunt quickly tied the game in the bottom of the first, and a groundball scored another run putting Florida up...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 2:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

D-Lovely

Mets 9 - Marlins 2 All Mets fans are aware that Dontrelle Willis has owned them in his short career. Coming into last night's game he was 11-2 lifetime (.846) against the New Yorkers, leaving him 50-37 (.575) against everyone else. What made this even less palatable was that the...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 2:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Pitch Counts

It's become something of a given that pitchers today aren't taught to finish their own games as much as they did in the good old days. That's true to a point, but it fails to take into account the changes in the game in the intervening years. No doubt that...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 6:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The Walking Man Wins Number 293

Mets 8 - Phillies 1 After his first two seasons in New York, 300 wins seemed like an unobtainable goal for Tom Glavine. The 39-year-old had only managed 20 wins combined, was declining in effectiveness and was 38 wins short of that plateau. It's been well-documented how Glavine was willing...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 3:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Jose: Not So Bad After All

Nice Tom Verducci piece on SI.com about Jose Reyes. Verducci compares Jose to a pretty darned good former major league infielder that you might have heard about this week: ... in his own way, Reyes gives tribute to Robinson every time he sets foot on a baseball field. It's not...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 6:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Washed Away

Tonight's game in Philadelphia has already been called off and has been rescheduled for the end of June. Presumably, by then we no longer see ballplayers bundled up in cold weather gear. Thanks to Mother Nature's efforts over the past couple of days combined with the vagaries of MLB Schedulers,...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 4:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Numbers for a Rainy Sunday

As I'm sure you know by now, the Mets and Nationals were rained out this afternoon -- one of six major league games that fell victim to the nor'easter. With the season two weeks old, the 7-4 Mets are sitting a full game behind the Braves in the NL East....

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 5:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

My Favorite Mets - The Very Early Years

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. Frank Thomas (for those of you under 30, I'm not talking about the one who's been playing for the White Sox for the past 10 years) was easy to like....

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 8:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Friday the 13th Comes a Day Late

Nationals 6 - Mets 2 A couple of things became apparent very quickly watching the game this afternoon -- Orlando Hernandez didn't have the good command of his breaking pitches and the Mets were squandering scoring opportunities. I started getting a bad feeling about the game in the third when...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 4:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Baseball in a Winter Wonderland

Mets 3 - Nationals 2 The arctic chill that has dogged the Mets throughout the young season was a factor again last night. Temperatures in the forties combined with a brisk wind had most of the team bundled in clothing that seems more appropriate for a snowshoeing than for the...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 1:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Win 292 No Walk in the Park for Glavine

Mets 5 - Phillies 3 Playing yet another game in conditions more appropriate for hockey than baseball, the Mets were able to take the rubber game of their series against Philadelphia. This was accomplished thanks to Tom Glavine's ability to turn a bad outing around. Somehow, Glavine managed to survive...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mets-Phillies Game Pictures

As we wonder if they will be playing baseball tonight in Flushing, reader Gary Sparber has posted some great pics from last night. You can access them directly from the following URL: www.pbase.com/gsparb51/mets_vs_phils_41107_. To browse all of Gary's pictures, use this link: www.pbase.com/gsparb51/galleries. Gary's photography is a labor of love,...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 5:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Never Just React When You Can Overreact

Phillies 5 - Mets 2 I wasn't surprised when Oliver Perez had a strong outing against the Braves last Friday, nor was I surprised when he took a step back last night. Another thing that didn't surprise me was the way a good percentage in the media have seized on...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 12:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

The Return of the Pitching Charts

Around the middle of last year I started updating a chart for each starting pitcher with every game. I enjoyed doing them, and a lot of the blog's readers seemed to like them. This year I thought we might get an early jump on watching our starting staff progress throughout...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 6:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

A Good Time Was Had By All

Mets 11 - Phillies 5 Back quite a few years ago when I worked second shift there was little to do after work except hit the bars for a couple of hours. We had a regular group that used to hang together, mostly single people in our twenties that enjoyed...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 12:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

The Boys are Back in Town

The Mets home opener. In our house it is a holy day. I even laid out my clothes the night before. Layers and layers of Mets clothes. I prepared our seat cushions and our blanket. I selected not one, but two Met hats. I do this just in case I...

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By Joyce Mandelkern, posted at 5:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Going To Shea on Opening Day

It's 10:15 am on April 9, 2007. It's Queens morning sunlight, that bright gleaming sunlight that seems just off the ocean. I get my first glimpse of Shea from the Whitestone Expressway. It is so big. So permanent-looking, like the Roman Coliseum. And it won't be there two years from...

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By Dana Brand, posted at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Games Unwon

Braves 5 - Mets 3 Braves 3 - Mets 2 First of all, sorry for not posting this weekend. Lisa and I were working at the new house Saturday, and Lisa managed to fall off the front porch while carrying out a large piece of the vintage 1970s paneling we...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 1:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

The First Amateur Draft - Part 2

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. Although first-round pick Les Rohr was a bust, the Mets did very well overall in the 1965 Amateur Draft. In retrospect, it was one of the best drafts in their...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 9:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

Mets 11 - Braves 1 If you needed any evidence that the Mets and Braves have traded places over the last couple of seasons, consider last night's drubbing Exhibit A. No, it won't be this easy for the Mets every night between now and October. The Braves have pitching that's...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 3:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)

Random Thoughts

A couple of thoughts as the season is now officially underway. I am as happy as the next guy that the Mets made mince meat of the Cardinals. However, not for one moment, did it make me forget or in any way even feel better about losing the NLCS. But...

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By Joyce Mandelkern, posted at 2:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

It's Not How Long You Make It, It's How You Make It Long

Mr. Met opened the classroom door slowly, trying not to call attention to himself. No such luck. The door creaked loudly, and all eyes in the room turned to him. "Come in, come in," said the wizened old man standing near the semi-circle of chairs in the center of the...

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By NostraDennis, posted at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Mets in Motion as 2007 Season Begins

Are the 2007 Mets a reflection of their manager or their general manager? That is a question which begs an answer. The roster is certainly quite similar to the roster that closed the 2006 season with a flair, but some disappointment. Quickly, the intuitive GM signed Jose Valentin, a man...

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By Dave Mills, posted at 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Turning the Page in Mid-America

Mets 10 - Cardinals 0 I liked Willie Randolph's comments after last night's game, as quoted by Mike Vaccaro in the NY Post: "We know we're good," Randolph said last night, refusing to betray whatever contentment may have been bubbling inside him. "We came to play knowing we can't change...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 3:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

R-e-s-p-e-c-t

On MetsBlog, Matt Cerrone quotes Bob Klapisch from a Podcast on NorthJersey.com regarding Willie Randolph's decision not to require that his team watch the Cardinals' dual ceremonies celebrating their championship: I thought it was a mistake on Randolph's part. It's a show of respect that you give to the other...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 7:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)

A Win-Win Situation

Mets 4 - Cardinals 1 I felt pretty good after the Mets won on opening day. I know I was supposed to be filled with regret thinking about what could have been last year, but I wasn't. I guess I didn't get that memo. Instead, I've turned the page and...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 12:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

The Times They Are A-Changin'

Last week I wrote something in response to a column that my colleague NostraDennis sent me. It was by a local Orlando, Florida sportswriter who recommended fan sites such as this blog only to those who "want to know what's going on in a dream world." His premise, of course,...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 5:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Beltran's Throw

So with the Mets up 5-1 in the bottom of the 6th on Sunday, 1 out, and David Eckstein on 2nd, Tom Glavine looks pretty spent. Preston Wilson smacks a sharp base hit right at Carlos Beltran. The TV angle was from behind Beltran, and you got a clear view...

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By Adam Warner, posted at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Some Off Day Ramblings

I had to spend most of today on the phone handling a couple of things that came up, so I'll just share a couple of quick thoughts with you for now. I understand the rationale behind having an off day after the opener, but it's weird to wait so long...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 3:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

First Blood

Mets 6 - Cardinals 1 Tom Glavine picked up where he left off in 2006, and the Mets displayed a brand of sharp, crisp baseball that we haven't seen much of this spring. There was 2-out clutch hitting and there was great defense for the Mets, while the Cardinals came...

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By Mike Steffanos, posted at 1:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

The First Amateur Draft - Part 1

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. In 1965, baseball went to a draft system in which all eligible amateur players were selected in reverse order of record from the previous year - a system that had...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 9:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Mike's Mets

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

April 30, 2007

Squeaky, Squeaky

Mea Culpa

April 29, 2007

Trades From The Distant Past - George Altman for Billy Cowan

April 28, 2007

Two Out Of Three Is Bad

The Blame Game

April 27, 2007

Do the Mets Have an Achilles Heel?

April 26, 2007

Mets Pitching 20 Games In

April 25, 2007

Winning and Losing

April 24, 2007

Underestimate At Your Own Risk

The Three "B's"

April 23, 2007

April Showers

The Lost Weekend

April 22, 2007

Big Game Pitcher

My Favorite Mets - Ron Hunt and Joe Christopher

April 21, 2007

Mets Drop Opener Against Braves

April 20, 2007

Warm Weather, Hot Bats

April 19, 2007

D-Lovely

April 18, 2007

Pitch Counts

The Walking Man Wins Number 293

April 17, 2007

Jose: Not So Bad After All

April 16, 2007

Washed Away

April 15, 2007

Numbers for a Rainy Sunday

My Favorite Mets - The Very Early Years

April 14, 2007

Friday the 13th Comes a Day Late

Baseball in a Winter Wonderland

April 13, 2007

Win 292 No Walk in the Park for Glavine

April 12, 2007

Mets-Phillies Game Pictures

Never Just React When You Can Overreact

April 11, 2007

The Return of the Pitching Charts

A Good Time Was Had By All

April 10, 2007

The Boys are Back in Town

Going To Shea on Opening Day

April 9, 2007

Games Unwon

April 8, 2007

The First Amateur Draft - Part 2

April 7, 2007

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

Random Thoughts

It's Not How Long You Make It, It's How You Make It Long

April 6, 2007

Mets in Motion as 2007 Season Begins

April 5, 2007

Turning the Page in Mid-America

April 4, 2007

R-e-s-p-e-c-t

A Win-Win Situation

April 3, 2007

The Times They Are A-Changin'

Beltran's Throw

April 2, 2007

Some Off Day Ramblings

First Blood

April 1, 2007

The First Amateur Draft - Part 1

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