The State of It’s Mets for Me: Recovering and Remodeling

We’re number one!

As far as I can tell, the Mets blogger community is the right now at the cutting edge of baseball blogging, for what that’s worth. The Mets are blessed with more passionate fans, more quality blogs, and more sexy mamas*. How do I know? More and more Metsbloggers’ pictures are showing up on the internet, for better and for worse. We’re meeting each other at Shea. And, we’re the number 1 blogged team in the MLB, according to ratings at striketwo.net. (Cubs have more blogs but less posts—nobody gives a shit about the Rangers or Padres).

So there's some good evidence that we are the best, as we always knew! Well I really don’t know how reliable those numbers are, or how to interpret them if they are. But hey, on the 30-day Striketwo.net list, which apparently monitors blogs for “influence,” itsmetsforme was number 65 “most influential” out of 792 baseball blogs, narrowly beating out “The Alex Ochoa Experience, “Handpissing Hitters.net” *and #128, “Help I need a New Name for my Blog.” Plus, I beat many defunct blogs handily.

Now I’m not sure what they’re trying to sell me, but if this blog can be mentioned in the same sentence as the word “influential,” then maybe these are dark days indeed for the blogging community. And since I am influential and powerful, I wanted to mention that I would like an autographed David Wright and Jose Reyes baseball bat, along with the proper brackets for mounting it in my study.

I kid, I kid. This blog has never been about competition or influence, or well, anything...other than loving the Mets and wasting my own and a few readers’ precious time. This isn't my job, i have no book to sell, and don't need the hassle of being anything more than a boutique blog. So I have often resisted advice to make it more reader friendly, until this fateful day.

That is, today I hit the “New Template” button.

"I wonder what it would look like with a lighter background?"
"Hmm, baby blue, oh so nice."
“All customization will be lost...Hmm that’s interesting, I wonder what they mean...I guess there's only one way to find out!"

That’s right, I may be the last person in the world who didn't realize that you need to save all your links, polls, headers footers, and pretty much everything you ever added BEFORE you hit that button.

So, one full waste of a Sunday later, I have redone the site. And I may keep changing things and adding features. But I’d like to know what YOU think of the new layout—is it easier to read this way? Is it more hil-ar-ious? Taking into account this is no professional operation, are there things YOU think I should change? In the past, I have asked for advice from my readers, a notoriously silent bunch, so I won't be surprised if I get nothing. But I am curious.

Andrew, Ms. Benson, Mom, if you’re out there, let me know.


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Don’t it make you mad? Readings from an Unfair World (a new feature)

Steroid monster Albert Pujols has won a Gold Glove.

Jeter has won three in a row.
"The Gold Glove Award means a great deal to me," Jeter said in a statement. "Fielding doesn't get many headlines, but it's a big part of the game of baseball. I take great pride in my defense, and to be recognized with a Gold Glove for three straight seasons is a great honor that I will always cherish."

In the 7th game, Jose Valentin gets hit in the face from a pitched ball that bounces off the ground first, he takes his base, and no one cares.
Well, I care--it's not every day this happens, and I ain't so familiar with this rule, and find it at least worthy of discussion.

A BALL is a pitch which does not enter the strike zone in flight and is not struck at by the batter. Rule 2.00 (Ball) Comment: If the pitch touches the ground and bounces through the strike zone it is a "ball." If such a pitch touches the batter, he shall be awarded first base. If the batter swings at such a pitch after two strikes, the ball cannot be caught, for the purposes of Rule 6.05(c) and 6.09(b). If the batter hits such a pitch, the ensuing action shall be the same as if he hit the ball in flight.

Did Tim McCarver, who loves to innanely explain anything, and little Buckie discuss this interesting little rule book wrinkle, even for a Mid-Western minute? nOoooooooooo!

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The Moose is no longer on the loose?

Peter Abram is reporting that the Yankers have nearly signed Mussina. Well, good, cause I want them to stay just like they are, like they have been for a few years now. Whatever it is, it isn't working, so I say stay the course.
Abrams also has an interesting blog about how the Hot Stove works, from a journalist's perspective. Check it out.
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**Ok I make some of this shit up.