All in the family...

Many people might scoff at Fred Wilpon's stated goal of brigning a "family atmosphere" to Shea, but we here at Itsmetsforme take it seriously. On fans' minds is the challenge of the post-Piazza landscape: what will the Mets do if Mike ends up going off into the DH-AL-gay-Playmate marrying sunset? Now unless your name is Guillermo Moto, you probably think Mike Piazza's been a pretty clean customer and solid citizen. So what do the Wild Card battling Mets catchers have to offer now that Mike's on the shelf?

Let's take a closer look at the current catching tandem's blotter, I mean, record.

CASTRO, RAMON
8/03
Florida Marlins catcher Ramon Castro was ordered Wednesday to stand trial on charges he raped a woman in his hotel room in August. A magistrate made the ruling after Castro's accuser testified during a preliminary hearing. The 28-year-old woman said she met Castro at the hotel's bar after a game between the Marlins and the Pittsburgh Pirates. She said she went to his room with another couple in the early morning hours of Aug. 28, and that Castro asked the other couple to leave, then attacked her. Castro's attorney, J. Alan Johnson, said his client is innocent and that hotel surveillance tapes will eventually prove that. Castro was allowed to remain free until trial, which wasn't immediately scheduled. Castro, a 27-year-old married father of two, was arrested after the woman went to police with her story. He was charged with rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault, sexual assault and unlawful restraint. The rape charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison, though under state sentencing guidelines it's unlikely Castro would receive such a sentence if he were convicted. http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylc=X3oDMTA2YjBsdnJxBHNlYwN0aA--?slug=ap-marlins-castrocharged&prov=ap&type=lgns

DI FELICE, MIKE
Tuesday, August 21, 2001
DiFelice thrown out of Pittsburgh nightclub
Associated Press
PITTSBURGH -- Arizona Diamondbacks backup catcher Mike DiFelice was arrested outside a nightclub early Tuesday on charges he assaulted two women and punched a parking attendant.
Mike DiFelice CatcherArizona Diamondbacks
DiFelice, 32, posted $6,000 bond and was released from the Allegheny County Jail on Tuesday afternoon, where he was being held on two counts of simple assault and one count each of indecent assault, recklessly endangering another person and disorderly conduct. A preliminary hearing was set for Aug. 31.
Later Tuesday, it was announced by the baseball commissioner's office that DiFelice and Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Kevin Young were suspended for two games and were fined an undisclosed amount for an Aug. 14 fight. Both players appealed, meaning their penalties can't start until after a hearing before Paul Beeston, baseball's chief operating officer.
DiFelice, in town for a three-game series against the Pirates that began Tuesday night, declined to talk to reporters at the ballpark but issued a statement through the team that he couldn't comment because the matter was pending in court. He wasn't among the starters as the Diamondbacks lost 4-2.
The Diamondbacks issued a similar statement saying they were aware of the situation but would have no comment until the investigation was complete.
DiFelice was arrested about 1:25 a.m. when he punched a 24-year-old male valet parking attendant after he had been thrown out of the Area 51 nightclub, police said.
During the arrest, police said they learned that DiFelice had been thrown out of the club for allegedly assaulting two female patrons. Police refused to identify any of the victims.
A 28-year-old woman told police that DiFelice grabbed her buttocks after he began rubbing her arm and she told him to stop. A 35-year-old woman who had intervened told police DiFelice burned her buttocks with a cigarette lighter.
DiFelice then punched the younger woman in the face when she tried to help the other woman, police said.
DiFelice broke away from club security personnel and again attacked the younger woman before he was removed from the club, police said.
DiFelice's attorney, Paul Boas, did not return a call for comment Tuesday. There was no comment from the nightclub.
DiFelice is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on the charges in Pittsburgh City Court on Aug. 31 at 1 p.m.
The Western Division-leading Diamondbacks obtained DiFelice and pitcher Albie Lopez last month from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. DiFelice was hitting .188 with two home runs and 10 RBI in 60 games going into the Tuesday night game.
DiFelice was 1-for-21 since coming to Arizona, getting his only hit in his last at-bat Sunday against Chicago.
During the Aug. 14 melee in Phoenix, DiFelice was involved in a fight at home plate with Young, and both benches emptied. Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon was angry at DiFelice after seeing videotape of the fight.
"That guy deliberately stood on Kevin and kneed him," McClendon said. "There's absolutely no excuse for that."
Frank Robinson, baseball's vice president for discipline, penalized DiFelice and Young "for fighting and provoking a bench-clearing incident." (espn)

Fred Wilpon's "Family-friendly"---the Oakland Raiders of Major League Baseball!!

For my money, this is a briliant smokescreen on Fred's part: Blathering on about Family values baseball all the while peppering the roster with "productive perps," like Castro, Lastings and Mike Defelice, and strippers husbands (UPDATE: Anna Benson! we barely knew ya! and I mean "barely"). Fred knows, good guys like toothless Tom Glavine keep the moral majority of his back, but when its crunchtime, Fred wants to know you've done hardtime! Face it, if you ain't got a rap sheet, you ain't Mets material!

So bring your families out to Shea, but just keep an eye on your wife, daughters, and grandma around these guys!

Good times, Good times: The Rickey File

Hey you! Brighten your day by recalling the greats that have played the game at Shea.

Rickey Henderson, born 1958 (8 years BEFORE Ice Williams), last seen as "San Diego Surf Dawg"(?), but is probably still playing somewhere. Who really cares? It's all about the memories.

Rickey, though denied a NL championship ring by the Mets after 1999's card playing debacle, will always have a place in our hearts, if only for his mentoring of Timo Perez. Let's remember, shall we...

Rickey, just a face in the crowd

The Record of Hackensack reported that, according to people in the organization, the two spent the last three innings in the clubhouse ignoring the game.
Henderson, in particular, was angry with Valentine because the manager replaced him with Melvin Mora in the eighth inning of Game 4 -- after Henderson had already taken his spot in left field. Teammates were not happy about the pair's absence. "Guys who saw (the card game) wanted to take a bat to their heads after the game," one person affiliated with the team said. "There were players crying and screaming in the dugout (after the Mets lost the game in 11 innings). Then they walk in the clubhouse and see that?" (Espn.com)

Rickey responds:

"I ain't taking that heat," Henderson says evenly. "We were in there with eight pitchers. We got them all together and said did we play cards? They said no. Then how did it get in the press that we played cards? We played cards before every game, yes, and we were winning. To say you and Bobby Bo, you played cards, and that's why we lost the game, that's bull. Get somebody to tell me I played cards (during the game), and I'll get face-to-face with them, and they won't say it to me."(Tom Weir, USA TODAY)

Rickey, observer of the human condition

"...while with the Seattle Mariners, Henderson asked teammate John Olerud why he wore a batting helmet while playing first base. Olerud explained he had an aneurysm years ago and wore the helmet for protection. Henderson said that was interesting, because a former teammate of his with the Mets had done the same thing. That former teammate was Olerud" (fabricated, but might as well be true; reported by Tom Weir, USA TODAY)

Rickey, philosopher

"Rickey Henderson is all alone at his locker, getting organized for a game. But it sounds like someone else must be there with him. Why else would he be chattering in that low, frenetic tone, muttering indecipherable words and sounding like a bee is buzzing in his mouth?
Ask Henderson about this habit, a habit friends and teammates say has been a career-long trademark, and Henderson says you're mistaken. "Do I talk to myself? No. I just remind myself of what I'm trying to do," he says. "You know, I never answer myself. So how can I be talking to myself?"(Tom Weir, USA TODAY )

Rickey, in his words

"I'm too much speed in my mouth, and I don't sometimes come out clear as I want to."

On management's attitude toward his injuries:

"I'm hurt, I'm banging my body up 150-200 times a year. I'm only 75-80%. But Rickey, your 75% is better than that other guy's 100%. I go out there and play. Hey man, you're jaking it, you're faking it. Hey, I'm a strong guy, but the press is saying I'm faking it. You know I'm hurt. Why don't you tell the press that I'm hurt? No, we tell the press that, then the other team knows, so they know you can't steal. So, who's taking the heat?"

On hustling:

"I can hit a line-drive, one-hopper to second base. As fast as I am, if you think I'm going to run that fast on a one-hopper to second base, you got some thinking coming. I know I'm out. Then you want to say I didn't hustle. But if the next time I get a base hit, and I'm stealing second and third, am I not hustling? The other guy, he hits the same ball, and look at him. He's still standing at first base. I'm not hustling? You get out of here. You're crazy."

On being a hot dog:

"If you weren't on my team, you'd think I'm crazy. You'd think I'm the worst guy of all. Most people do. You play the game so annoying, you play the game so good. We hate you. But I go with you, and you say we love the way you play the game. Do that flare-step style when you hit home runs. But you hated me when I did it against you. No, we want you to do it. Please, Rickey, I'm waiting on that. Rickey, would you please hit one?"

On his place in history:

On May 1, 1991, Henderson broke one of baseball's most famous records when he stole the 939th base of his career, one more than Lou Brock. However, Henderson's achievement was somewhat overshadowed because Nolan Ryan, at age 44, set a record that same night by throwing a no-hitter against Toronto, the seventh of his career. Two years earlier, Ryan had also achieved glory at Henderson's expense by making him his 5,000th strikeout victim.
Rickey also took some heat for his famous speech afterwards where, with Brock looking on from the field, he proclaimed, "Lou Brock was a great base stealer, but today, I am the greatest!" (Wikipedia)

Good help is hard to find:

Rickey called Padres GM Kevin Towers to inquire about a contract and left a message starting "this is Rickey, calling on behalf of Rickey"

Ask Mrs. Benson!

Q: Mrs. Benson, what hand do you like better: AK off suit, or a pair of 6's? And what is the best curse word to get your point across at the poker table?
-submitted by Phil Ivey

A: Hmmm, card games, I'm afraid I can't be of much help there. I'm sure, Mr. Ivey, you can fend for yourself. Maybe you thought this was the Ricky Henderson or Bobby Bonnila column?

As for curse words, Kris and I don't use them. Unless you include the ones when Kris and I play "Pirates" or when I say "**** me ******, you little *****." Sometimes Kris likes to text message me from the dugout when he gets a hit, and he'll call me his sweet ****** ***. But at the game table, I try to refrain from such vulgarities. However when I was an exotic dancer, I often had to fend off unwanted advances. In those situations, I find that " **** my ****, you ****** *******" works pretty well for me. Good luck, Phil.
best wishes,
Anna

OFF-DAY RANT: Situation...Stoopid

Leave it to mets (mis)management to help me get over my tizzy over the newmets dumping a series to the freakin' small "g" giants and tacking on two more saves to the career of a man whose name i can no longer utter...by distracting me with all-encompasing rage!!!!!

Notice the italicized part of this excerpt from today's New York Times:

"...The Mets already had five healthy starters, so Trachsel's return created a logjam in the rotation. Randolph reiterated his reluctance to use a six-man staff down the stretch, and Trachsel, not Victor Zambrano, who will start Friday in Florida, is the odd man out. Kris Benson and Jae Seo will follow Zambrano.
"He threw the ball well last time out and won the ballgame," Randolph said of Zambrano.
"He's been doing this all year, pitching relatively well for the most part. I challenged him to step up and do a job for me. He did, and he gets the ball."
Trachsel will be available for the three-game series against Philadelphia that begins Tuesday, but Randolph said that he was hesitant to insert Trachsel, who has pitched one and two-thirds innings of relief since reaching the majors in 1993, in any situation other than an "extreme emergency."
Last Monday, when Trachsel was activated from his rehabilitation assignment, Randolph told reporters that Trachsel was headed to the bullpen and would pitch sparingly. Then Trachsel was told Tuesday that he would start Friday, when he no-hit the Giants for five and two-thirds innings.
"I guess I should have pitched a no-hitter," Trachsel said, chuckling.

WHAT in the name of all that is Mookie is Willie doing now?????

Now, I am no card carrying member of the Trachsel fan club, but c'mon let the guy pitch again, especially after his last turn where even I have to admit, he was amazing. Now is the time to see what a taned, rested and ready Trashsel could do for this team. Mr. Benson could be hurt and the ONLY, ONLY, ONLY thing you know you're gonna get from Zambrano is inconsistency. But noOOoooo....Willie and the Mets will dance with what didn't bring 'em.

Or maybe this another example the Willy Randolph motivation strategy--tell a player he ain't playin' (or not starting, or not staying with the major league club) and then BANG! He is!

And the last bit of the article drives the nail into my crazy coffin:

"If the rotation holds, Martínez and Glavine will pitch the first two games of the series at Atlanta that begins Sept. 5, and Zambrano would start the finale."

I can't balance my checkbook and I know better than to start Thomas "teeth" Glavine against Atlanta. Willie may yet manage this team right out of the playoffs, even while the press sings arias of praise to this ex-Yankee who couldn't even get Torre's sandwich order right.

p.s. Willie: what, does Mike Jacobs need to "rest"? He's been resting his entire career, you bonehead!!

---------end rant----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ask Mrs. Benson!

Welcome to our regular feature here on It's Mets for Me! Mrs. Benson is here to take your hardball questions, so line right up and fire away!





Q: How do you account for Tom Glavine's recent sucess?
--Bill, Flushing, NY

A: Thanks for your question, William. I attribute Glavine's improved pitching to the way he has mixed a curveball in to his repertoire. To be precise, when I say curveball, this means that the spinning ball creates drag. An air flow is created on one side ofthe ball that is in the same direction as the air that is rushing past theball in its flight. On the opposite side of the ball, the air flow is reversed, and runs against the air rushing past. This has the effect of slowing down the overall air flow on that side of the ball, while on theother side, where the flow is in the same direction, it has the effect of speeding it up. Magnus Force is an important concept in this discussion, but the Bernoulli Effect comes into play here as well: the greater the velocity of air, the less pressure it will exert. So the side of the ball where the velocity of the air has been reduced will have a greaterpressure exerted on it...and hence, the ball will be pushed to the other side.

Newton actually recognized the effect earlier than Magnus did. Newton saw that a tennis ball "struck with an oblique racket" would curve. Bernoulli also determined that as speed of a fluid is increased, its pressure decreases as stated in his famous Bernoulli's Principle.

Now, Magnus Force is similar to Bernoulli's Principle, but not quite (or we would be calling it Bernoulli's Principle). For a spinning ball, the stitches on the ball will cause pressure on one side to be less than on its opposite side. This will force the ball to move faster on one side than the other and will force the ball to "curve." This is the Magnus Effect.

How much will a baseball curve?. The equation is as follows:
FMagnus Force = KwVCv
where:
FMagnus Force is the Magnus Force
K is the Magnus Coefficient
w is the spin frequency measured in rpm
V is the velocity of the ball in mph
Cv is the drag coefficient

Well, William, I think that explains it! Thanks for your question.
AB

Rank the Catastrophes: MISMANAGEMENT METER and COSMIC PAYBACK scale revisited

Ok, Ok, I know the current Wild card euphoria is not the best time to review the METSMUDDLE. of the past decade or so, but in the interests of optiMETism, I ask for you help.
It's time to tweak the Mets Cosmic Payback scale introduced Aug 24. I want to be able to assess how far the Mets need to go for their fans to undo the damage caused by the Steve Phillips Era.

Does the sometimes blinding sucess of the organization's young players ease the heartache of previous blunders?

So, I ultimately want to know to what extent, for example, the blossoming of a David Wright or a Jose Reyes would "restore" your trust in Sterling Enterprises. Ask yourself, because of their success, which moves would you be willing to forgive?

I'm a pessiMet, but I still keep hope alive!!

The first step, however, is to get an accurate scale. That's where the Mets Mismanagement Meter comes in. So please vote for one or two of the worst METSMOVES, and I'll present the results later. The choice menu is probably not definitive, but it's comprehensive enough to give me the dry heaves! Of course, additions to the MMM are welcome.

What is the most grievous error the Mets management has made in the past decade?

bringing back Burnitz (2002)bringing back Cedeno (2001)the Karim Garcia/Shane Spenser experience (2004)Appier for Vaughn (2001)Mets to A-Rod, who always wanted to be a Met: "ah, we'll pass"resigning Ordonez, 4 yrs.letting Olerud leave (i.e., not knocking his socks of w/$$) (1999)missing out on Vlad and his back troubles (.319/26hr/89rbi)Roberto Alomar. period. (2001)Black Friday, particularly Scott K*zmir (2004)signing Kaz Matsui and moving Reyes to 2nd (2003)Steven Reed, Jason Middlebrook recieved for Jason Bay (2005 salary $355,000) and others (2002)not getting Pinella (timeless)Black Friday, in general (2004)sign Tom Glavine as free agent (2002)Wheeler to Astros for Adam Seuss (2004)letting Marco Scutaro go (2003)Art Howe, and the battling that followedMelvin Mora, traded with Pat Gorman (minors), Lesli Brea, and Mike Kinkade to the Baltimore Orioles for Mike Bordick (2000)

To select multiple entries hold the Ctrl key (or the Apple key)

Free polls from Pollhost.com

Quote of the Day

"...this uniform's mine. These pants are mine. They have my name on them. That's pretty awesome, dude."

--Mike Jacobs on his pants, NYT, 8/26/05.

i can't help it, i'm in love

I had put my computer away and was about to go to bed, but Mike Jacobs scoop in the ninth inning on Wright's throw forces me to log on and say this:

Mike Jacobs is god.
Sidelined at times by a cyst and poor roster management, he is back, and he is angry.
He says cool things, like bout how the footwork at firstbase isn't rocket science. He scoops every low throw. He is humongous. He is left handed for cripesake.

He is cosmic payback, and he is atoning for the evils done to the Mets franchise. Of course, the brass could've brought him up sooner. But he is rising up (or down) the scale with a bullet. By my estimation, Jacobs is now atoning for past evil at rank of 3-4. If this keeps up, i will be forced to forgive Mets management even more on the scale of Burnitz being the smallest evil to be paid back for, and Scott Kazmir being the gravest error needing atonement.

1)signing Burnitz
2) bringing back Cedeno
3)Karim Garcia
4) Appier for Vaughn <---------------we're about here
5) resigning Ordonez to 4 yrs
6)letting Olerud leave
7)blowing off Arod
8)not getting Vlad
9)Roberto Alomar
10) Scott Kazmir

Arizzzzzzona...

Hell, I'm as amazed as anyone at the Mets' dominance of the D-Backs, but it gets a little boring. So after David Wright's HR in the 7th, I decided to turn my attention to more pressing matters. How to explain Jack's uncanny attractiveness? Why do I feel a special closeness to him? I laugh a little too hard at his jokes. I don't even like fastfood.

What is this funny feeling?

What is this puddle of good cheer doing inside my chest? Why does the TV look like it has cheesecloth on it?

The Mets have a gigantic, sweet-swinging young prospect called up and actually getting game time---and he's raking!
They are 5 games over .500 and I swear it's August.
The rotation is pitching.
The infield is infielding.
Graves, Ishii and Koo have been sent away.
All Mets centerfielders are alive.
Mets projects Seo and Heilman are (gasp) producing.
The Mets are no longer alone in the NL East basement.
Neither Cliff Floyd or Jose Reyes is on the DL.
And the other day, I coulda sworn I saw Kazoo Matsui playing second base, and handling his chances (more or less) cleanly.

Could this be...happiness?

It doesn't even bother me that Steve "the human All-Star break" Traschel is scheduled to resume his right-handed loitering, tarried tossing, and mound malaise on Friday. In fact, I can't imagine anything that could wipe this smile off of my face.

hmm--what's that you say?
Let's see here, let me take a look at the upcoming schedule...
What's happening on Sept. 5?

oh.

Ask Mrs. Benson!

Welcome to a new feature here on It's Mets for Me! Mrs. Benson is here to take your baseball questions, so line right up and fire away!


Q: What do you think of Willy's use of the stolen base this season?
Marty--Poughkeepsie, NY

A: Martin, I must say, to be charitable, and in the most general of terms, Randolph has been judicious manager of our team's stratagems. But frankly, at many times this season, I've been flummoxed by Mr. Randolph's reticence to use all the tools in his arsenal. Lately, however, the Metropolitan's field general has pulled off some magnificent double steals, leaving me exhilarated!

Thanks for question, fair reader, and I look forward with great energy and also trepidation, I'll admit, to taking many fine queries in the future.
best, AB

(ED note: please post your questions in the comments section)

Mets fairytales...

The Butcher





The Baker






(the Barber)






The Candlestick Maker?

UPDATE: Kaz's job search

Translated from KAZMAT's online diary:

"Well looking for a new job in this great city NY has been fun. Americans can be strange though. This is a picture from my first interview--I didn't get the job, but gained valuable experience."



http://sports.nifty.com/kazuo25/gallery/index.htm

what's up with KAZMAT?

Kaz drinks to remember... or to forget?







As a service to all metsfans, I revisited Kazuo25.com, KM's official website, to see how his, uh, change in status might have affected his site. What is he up to when he's not grounding out as a pinch hitter? What does he do during games I wondered? How has life changed for him?
After a overly-peppy and dramatic intro, the main page often features a picture of a worried Kaz looking over his shoulder. I imagine the schedule section details where he'll be sitting on the bench--sometimes near the watercooler, sometimes by the coaches.

Well even though he is loathed by NY fans, and Willie only sticks him in games where he can only fail and add to his tortured legacy, Kaz seems to be getting along just fine.

I'm your number one fan, Kaz. Oh if I only understood Japanese.



Kaz in the clubhouse during the game...dreaming of developing a backhand? "I borrowed Menky's sleeping bag, hope he doesn't mind."










"Relaxing in the clubhouse whirlpool with some, uh, friends..."











"The Mets no longer let me take BP with the team, but its cool cause i can practice my doorhinge swing here in my living room"

The Mets shall inherit the earth

Imagine... what would happen if knowledgable Keith Hernandez and clownish David Cone had a conversation about the Mets, and it was the go-go-80s (meaning they were both doing coke)?
And also, they started a webblog?

Well, it would look something like this...


It's Mets for Me--a clownish (sad-on-the-inside clown) look at professional baseball's most frustrating club.

Welcome.

The Ballad of Mark Johnson

Mark Johnson was born on Tuesday, October 17, 1967, in Worcester, Massachusetts...

Born to be a Met, some say, is the reason.
But no one remembers his .182/333/.318 season.

All of those Joneses, Derrick Bell's operation shutdown, the one at bat of Ryan McGuire.
These historical images all light a fire.


Poor Mark now forgotten like the flavor of Mullagatawny.
His spot in our memories taken by Benny Agbayani.

Famous People Who Love the Mets

Omigod! Teen celebs love the Mets too!----------------------------->**



Since celebrities are the only thing that really matters in American life when you think about it (and I could think of no philosophers or statesmen known for loving the Flushings), this post will be devoted to the stars whose shine is enhanced by their support of the second greatest team in NY, and the second or third greatest team in the NL East....the NY Metropolitians!

Top 10 Metslovin' Celebrities*:

10) Tim Robbins narrowly beats out Bill O'Reilly; both are embarrassments, but Robbins played a hilarious cop in the movie "Short Cuts"
8-9) couldn't think of any
7) Julia Stiles: see picture (thanks to Fastball)
6)Pearl Bailey: man, she was great in "St. Louis Woman"!
5) Matthew Broderick: looses points for irritating wife, but makes the grade
4) Ray Romano: show is kind of annoying, but grows on you, promotes idea that sportswriters should support the Mets
3) Kevin James: integrates Metsfan into character on show, Doug Heffernan
2) Jon Stewart: hard to come up with anything witty or ironic to say about him
1) Jerry Seinfeld: Integrates actual Mets into story line of show, winner and still champion

why are the top celebrity metsfans all comedians? Hmmmm...

*see http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/New-York-Mets
**http://www.multifaceted.us/4images/details.php?image_id=89

For whom the Bell Trans

What is it with "stars" that come to play at Shea?

Why do they recently start eating (Mo Vaughn), sucking (Alomar, see also Bonilla), loosing their bats (Burnitz), loosing their teeth (Tom Glavine)?

Can a quiet guy from a loosing team cashing in on one remarkable and visible post-season reverse this trend?

Can anyone, please 'wipe the smile' off my face?

what does it take to be a Metsfan?

intellegence, steely self-confidence, an eye for detail, dedication, valor?

or

fatallistic self-loathing, color-blindness, and a general sense of doom?

Keith Hernandez: what a first baseman should be

If I ever read it, this post will be about Keith Hernandez's book.

Also, if John Olerud ever writes a book, I'll post about it.

However, if Mo Vaughn or Todd Zeile should pen a memoir, I will not. Sorry guys.

TALE of the TAPE: comparing geriatrics, or why the Br*ves always win

Gerald "Ice" Williams
Born: 1966
Career Ave: .255
Mystical ability to get in Willie Randolph's line up
Good Team Guy
Blew Pedro's no-hitter against the Dodgers
Best year, average-wise, came when he was with the Br*ves in '98
Hopes to make it to early bird special

VS.

Julio "Undead" Franco
Born: 1958
Career Ave: .300
Mystical ability to get key hits against Mets
Good hitter
Traded soul to the devil
Many of his best years, with Br*ves
Hopes to make it into the Hall of Fame

Why is this man smiling?

The Pedro Beltran Era

What will it bring?

While one season is too soon to tell, and there has been plenty of mediocrity, and mets-haps abound, but if you close your eyes and really dream hard, the team is in the hunt for the wild card! There is plenty to love here, but questions about management remain.

Any season Art Howe can watch from the comfort of his livngroom can't be all bad. But who are these New Mets, and will they be as sucessful as New Coke?

1986: the benchmark

This is where it all began for me...well i started watching in the early 80's, but my main remaining memories are of this magical 86 season.

The 86 Mets are like gods to me, cocaine sniffing, booze-addled, plane-wrecking gods, but gods nonetheless. Well, i didnt really care for Ray Knight or Rafeal Santana, but you get the idea. The 86 Mets were a blend of intelligence (Hernandez), raw youthful greatness (Doc), sweet swinging power (Straw), and strange toothy curley hair (the Kid), and Mookie. They had nicknames for crying out loud. When you blend Mookie with anything, you have greatness.

Thinking about where it all went wrong...

See these fellas? They made me happy. Not as happy as I was in the mid80s, but then I had more toys then. When these guys were playing, I loved rooting for them. Sure they came off as a little too laid back, but with them, I could dream of years of competitive baseball, an annual trip to the playoffs even!

Now, it would be easy to blame then General Manager Steven Phillips for what has happened to my dream. So I will do just that.