2001 FLEER E-X BRIAN COLE ROOKIE AUTO Last week, I heard someone make an offhand comment on DC talk radio to the effect that the Mets are a “cursed franchise.” The hosts then moved on to a discussion of why the Wizards can’t win on the road or why the Caps can’t score, or some [...]
So I’ve heard tell this morning that Jason Isringhausen is at Mets’ camp. Apparently, Izzy’s auditioning for a spot in a bullpen which is simultaneously overcrowded and barren, somehow. When I heard this, I was immediately brought back to a hot afternoon in mid-August, 1995. Shea Stadium was a ghost town. The Strike of ’94 [...]
The famous saying is that the only two things that are certain in life are death and taxes. One thing in baseball that approaches this level of certainty is if you have a pitcher capable of being an effective starter, you are insane if you pitch him out of the bullpen instead. I’m reminded of [...]
Generally, I have not been Mike Pelfrey’s biggest fan. It’s not like with Francoeur or Matthews, where just the sight of them made me upset – it’s different with Pelfrey. I do not actively dislike him but I do not feel a sense of relief when he’s the starter that day for the Mets. But, [...]
The Mets’ catching situation in 2011 is potentially a team strength, but that fact has been all but lost given all of the hoopla around the ownership situation plus speculation how the big guns will do. Before we look at what the Mets might get from Josh Thole and Ronny Paulino this year, let’s look [...]
“Murph may not be able to do things that other people can do, but what he can do is work on the skills that he does have and make them serviceable,” Teufel said. “I couldn’t turn double plays the way certain people could, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t play the position effectively. “I had [...]
Keith Law recently ranked the Mets farm system 26th out of 30 teams in MLB. That seems extreme to me. While the system does not have much top-shelf talent, there is an impressive amount of depth. Also, with catcher, first base, third base and two outfield spots already with their long-term answer on the major [...]
Some people blame the poor season last year by Jason Bay on his move to Citi Field. Others blame it on the season-ending concussion that knocked him out of action before he could turn things around. Me, I have a different theory. Bay’s poor first season is a direct result of his uniform number. While [...]
2011 TOPPS Lucas Duda Leap with me, if you will, into the present. The kids were looking at the pegs of Pokemon cards in Target over the weekend, and the 2011 Topps cards caught my eye. “The new cards are out! The new cards are out!” I yelled. Well, actually I didn't. But I did [...]
Perhaps the two hitters in the Mets farm system with the biggest upside are Reese Havens and Fernando Martinez. Unfortunately, those two have been dogged by injury problems. The duo has combined for eight seasons in the minors and the most games played in any year by one of them is the 97 by Havens [...]
Beyond a shadow of a doubt the feel good story of 2010 for the Mets was the emergence of R.A. Dickey. Signed for Triple-A, Dickey instead spent most of the year in New York and became one of the club’s most reliable starters. Counted on to be one of the Mets’ top pitchers in 2011, [...]
Most Mets fans view Francisco Rodriguez’ contract in the same way they think of Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez – bad deals that they just can’t wait to end. My friend Eno Sarris wrote a story recently about how the Mets could utilize Rodriguez in a way to ensure that he did not finish 55 [...]