Missing in Action

A brief comeback last night, thanks to David Wright's 3-run game-tying home run was quickly washed away by Joe Smith handing over the game winning run to the Padres. It was a disappointing loss, although nice to see the team attempt to fight back. Its been almost two months since the team fell into this "slump" and despite signs of life, they have never really broken out of it. Who's knows if they will this season; only time will tell us that.

The biggest problem with this team lies in its lack of consistency in their approach. They truly have lacked the killer instinct that it seemed they had in that opening series against the Cardinals in April. It would be nice if they could find it sooner rather than later. Besides that, the offense and clutch hitting has been M.I.A. Hojo's impact on this team has not been immediate and it's questionable if such a thing will even occur. August is fast approach and this team needs to show some strength heading down the stretch. Relying on Pedro's return to set a fire under this club is an unfair expectation. This team needs to reach within itself and find something to drive to the finish line. They cannot wait for someone else to motivate themselves.

Speaking of M.I.A, I again will be missing in action for the upcoming week. I spend some time during the summer working for USA Hockey. This causes me to be out of town for a week at a time with limited internet & Mets access. Last time I left they managed to win 8 of 9. I can only hope the same will happen this time around. I'll be back to update and catch up next Thursday. Until then, Let's Go Mets!!

Too Much For One Day

I don't even know where to begin. It was a busy day in Flushing as Rick Down was fired, Rickey Henderson was hired, Julio Franco was DFA, Lastings Milledge was called up, and Marlon Anderson was signed to a minor-league contract. Did you catch that all? It took me a little while too.

Should Rick Down take the flack for a crop of veteran hitters that can't fix their issues? Maybe, but probably not. Unfortunately, his position takes the heat for their inconsistency and he is let go. Obviously Omar and Willie did not see eye-to-eye on this issue and time will tell how this affects this ball club.

Rickey will add a bit of spice to this clubhouse. As he will most likely assume the role of first base coach, he will most definitely still be "Rickey being Rickey." Hopefully his personality isn't too big as his role is now a coach and not a player in the limelight. The best scenario will be that the young guys on this squad will respond to Rickey and the veterans will be able to co-exist with him as the season progresses. Again, this will be interesting to watch play out.

With the departure of Julio Franco & Rick Down, Rickey Henderson is a bit of a 2-for-1 deal. He can replace that leadership that Franco possessed, while serving in a definitive leadership position. Or at least, I suspect that is the theory the Mets are buying into. Although Willie throws this team out there every night, one of Willie's glaring characteristics is his loyalty to those around him. At times this can be Willie's greatest flaw as well. We've reached the halfway point, and we need to win. We can't play the loyalty card and wait to win tomorrow. My guess is Omar Minaya was tired of waiting for tomorrow, like most of us were, and felt that some message needed to be sent to this team. Therefore all the moves today. So do not take these moves personally, especially Rick Down, but more as a first-class message that he is "the man" in charge and he will not be complacent. He has the talent and he wants them to produce. I don't think that's such a bad thing; as I personally get very frustrated will Willie's attitude at times.

I will be missing in action this weekend as the Global Facebook Mets Group will have it's first group day at Shea this Saturday. It should be a great day with pre-game festivities, Ralph Kiner Day, and all the other craziness I'm sure will come along with this day. It will be fantastic to meet 50+ other Mets fans; most of us which have been "friends" for a year, without ever meeting each other. Look for us on SNY! We'll do all we can to get our mugs on TV! And while you're at it check out our new group blog! Here's to a great weekend! I'll be back early next week to catch up!

Taking It Back

I remember being a very young baseball fan and being very unaware of the great players baseball had to offer outside of New York. It must be said, a Mets fan in the early 90's was deprived of anything that could be described as great. I was unaware of Gwynn's hitting abilities in San Diego and Cal's consistency in Baltimore, but I did remember Ozzie and his flips. I realize my baseball knowledge had a lot of growing to do. Then there was Junior. The young kid with the backwards cap and the ear-to-ear grin. He was always making some ridiculous catch on my TV, or hitting a home run with his Griffey-esque swing. He is the reason I knew baseball existed in Seattle.

He was the charismatic kid who appealed to everyone is baseball. Old fans, young fans, you name it, you couldn't knock Junior. I even had a softball glove with his name on it. His face was everywhere as he became one of the bright spots of Major League Baseball, at a time when baseball was in its unhealthiest days.

Griffey Jr. was easily my first "favorite" as a kid that didn't wear the blue and orange. Looking back, he was the "Jose Reyes" of the 90's. Maybe not as off the wall, but you get the comparison. He was a player, a catalyst, an energy. He escaped the "Steroid Era" unscathed, shared the spotlight with A-Rod in Seattle, and then moved on to begin his career in Cincinatti. The color red has not treated him well as it seems like he has never gotten healthy since the switch, and with the neverending injuries, he slipped off my radar.

Fast Forward to 2007. Griffey Jr. is healthy again it seems. There are days at 37 that it looks like he hasn't missed a step. He's not as young as he once was, but he shows glimmers of the kid in Seattle who took over baseball 15 years ago. I couldn't be more excited to see him having a fantastic season and hope that he has a few more left in him.

I have a tendency to get caught up in certain moments during a season and the All-Star Game Introductions were one of those. Watching Junior, a favorite of the past, stand next to Wright, a favorite of today, and Reyes a few guys away, I oddly felt a bit old. I found myself saying to my brother, "Man, I remember Griffey's first Home Run Derby & All-Star Game." Beyond nostalgia, I was grateful at the chance to watch the generations overlap and see them play at least once on the same field. That is unless the impossible can come true and we see Junior in Orange and Blue.

Caught In a Fogg

What is with this team? I really don't understand it. It's as if every now and then they tease us with the team they could play like and then they go right back to their complacent ways. It is a tough sight to watch, especially this past series against the Rockies, which was just plain ugly. There was nothing I could take from this series as a positive, not even the fact that David Wright continues to swing the bat, because when you still get beat by 10 runs, it just doesn't matter anymore.

The starting pitching was awful. The bullpen was brutal. The defense was shaky. The offense was not enough. The killer instinct of this team was extinct. Some nights it is like watching dead men walking; barely a heartbeat. Even Felicano was touched up tonight, committing the ultimate sin, "the Kenny Rogers."

Baseball is still just a game so I refuse to get so worked up about it. That being said, even this roller coaster is beginning to wear on my well-tested Mets fan patience. I do believe that teams will begin to deviate to where they belong as the season wears on, but I'm not ready to concede to this being the "real" New York Mets. One thing I do believe is that we do not deserve to still be in first place. The Mets have been fortunate enough to stay there through this month long skid, but they should not be there by any means. If you truly thought the Mets would run away with the division again, you were lying to yourself and this should be your very loud wake-up call.

Tomorrow this team will be in Houston. Hellloooo New York! You're out of Denver and back on sea level; time to get your head out of the clouds. Willie will sit in front of the mics tonight and tell the media that we did not play well. These are the type of series' that "keep you humble." Turn the page and come ready to play tomorrow according to Willie-speak. I respect Willie Randolph, and as I said before, I will not play armchair manager, but this attitude is growing old with me. This team has too much talent to be sitting home in October and wishing we had another tomorrow.

I Should Go Away More Often...

All I needed to do was get out of town for the week and apparently the Mets could find a way to win. If I had known it was that easy I would have done it two weeks earlier. All joking aside, it wasn't vacation; I was out of town for work. Work took me to Vermont, not exactly the baseball hotbed of the U.S., and more so Red Sox country than anything else. Therefore, I was stripped of all access to the Mets, which after 3 miserable weeks of team play, one should think it was a welcome break. Not the case, as the Mets decided to go on a tear and win all but one game while I was away. Nice guys, real nice...

The bitterness has started to subside. Now I'm just relieved they remembered what real baseball is supposed to look like. It appears they're still struggling a bit to be consistent on all fronts, but the end result is looking much better than it did about a week ago.

I should try to keep my complaining to a minimum, as I did get paid to watch the best young hockey players in New England for a week. Sadly though, I missed my Mets. I'm happy to be home and to spend my evening with Gary, Keith, and Ron again. I missed being frustrated listening to Willie's postgame comments. I also forgot what a pulled hamstring looked like. And I definitely no longer have any memory of Moises Alou...Moises who? And as expected, it's nice to see the left side of our infield representing in San Fran next week along with Beltran and Wagner.

Good riddance to the month of June, which was less than lackluster. Hopefully, July will see that the Mets get back on the right foot; back in the swing of things. If Beltran continues to break out a bit, this lineup can really get on a nice little roll. It's hard to believe the All-Star break is fast-approaching, and we're already halfway through this season. Let's end this first half the way we began it.