Month: May 2008

Another Incorrect Home Run Call In Houston

Flickr: bradleypjohnson

Geovany Soto was the victim tonight of bad umpiring in Houston. He scored on an inside the park home run but replays showed that it was over the line on the wall. Coming off the bad call in the Bronx that robbed Carlos Delgado maybe instant replay isn’t such a bad idea.

I consider myself to be more of a baseball purist than a progressive. I dislike the designated hitter, dual admission double headers, and three plus hour games. But I do like the wild card and inter league games. I guess I need to open my mind to the possibility that instant replay could improve the game. It has in the National Football League.

It may be a case of umpiring going downhill. Certainly Balkin’ Bob Davidson has never been considered one of the league’s best umpires. He’s the one that messed up the call on Delgado’s home run by overruling Mike Reilly who had the call correct the first time.

Instant replay would eliminate the ambiguity on the field for such calls and make sure that it doesn’t cost a team a game, a playoff spot, or a World Series. It’s time to move forward for Major League Baseball once again.

Randolph Claims Racial Prejudice By Mets Fans

I have to admit that I’m surprised and disappointed reading Willie Randolph’s comments to Ian O’Connor of the Bergen Record today. The premise of the column is Randolph trying to figure out why Mets fans don’t like him. He claims that SNY puts him on camera in a way that is provocative to fans, and racism in general.

On SNY Randolph says:

They’re the artists, I’m the canvas,” Randolph said. “They paint the picture the way they want to. They want to show me when somebody gives up a home run or somebody makes an error, so they want to see me [using profanity].

“Well, my players are watching the monitors in the bullpen going, ‘Look at Skip, he’s cursing us out.’ That’s not how I lead. But when the game is over, I’m [on them]. ‘And why don’t you turn over a couple of [food] spreads?’ I’ve done that. You might not know it.

“Why [isn’t] SNY shooting me when I’m ready to go down the dugout clapping my hands and patting guys on the butt, schooling them during the game? I’m on the top step every game. … Why don’t you show that side of me so people can say, ‘Wow, jeez, Willie’s fiery’? … You watch any manager in baseball, you see him look like a bump on the log sitting there. They don’t move, they don’t talk. I’m as animated and as demonstrative and as involved and as intense as any manager in baseball. Continue reading “Randolph Claims Racial Prejudice By Mets Fans”

Audio: David Wright Interview

David Wright talks to ESPN Radio’s Peter Pascarelli about the season up to this point. The interview was conducted prior to yesterday’s win over the Yankees. He talks about how the Mets have dug themselves into a hole with their play this season and the need to turn things around.

ESPN Audio

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Ump Admits He Owes Delgado Home Run

Crew chief Bob Davidson called Carlos Delgado’s home run a foul ball last night that we’ve all seen the replay of a million times. So I won’t go into the scenario again. Watch the video highlights of the game here to see the situation.

Davidson seemed so sure of himself when he called the ball foul. It’s good to see that he can admit that he’s wrong. From ESPN:

I (expletive) it up. I’m the one who thought it was a (expletive) foul ball. I saw it on the replay. I’m the one who (expletive) it up so you can put that in your paper,” Davidson said. “Bolts and nuts, I (expletive) up. You’ve just got to move on. No one feels worse about it than I do.

Delgado can barely hit the ball to the 318 foot mark these days. He needs every homer that he can get. Watching Delgado now, you get the feeling that any home run that hits could be his last in the major leagues. The team goes crazy when he’s able to slip a ground ball past the infielders for a hit. He’s done…

Jose Reyes Rocks The Bronx

Sometimes I wonder if it’s a curse that the Mets rely so heavily on Jose Reyes to generate offense for this team. He’s a tremendous offensive player. If you look at Baseball Reference, Reyes is most similar to Hall of Famer Joe Morgan at his age. Although you may dislike Morgan as a broadcaster, he was a dynamic player that had a long, successful career.

Mets vs. Marlins March 31, 2008

Reyes battered the Yankees pitching this weekend. For the series he was 4 for 10, scored two runs, with a double and two home runs and four RBI’s. In the prior series against the Nationals Reyes was 4 for 16 with no extra base hits and one RBI.

You hear it all of the time and it’s true. When Reyes gets going offensively so do the Mets.

I have to admit that I’m concerned about two things with Reyes:

  1. He was popping up pitches against the Yankees almost exclusively. He did hit two out of the park, but hitting ground balls and line drives is his game. He tends to get into these funks when he pops everything up.
  2. He only has twelve stolen bases. That’s currently tied for ninth in baseball. Ichiro has 20 steals already and he’s 34 years old. Reyes should have over twenty steals at this point. And he’s being caught at a higher rate than last season (25% vs. 21%).

Despite my concerns, it’s great to see Jose looking like he’s having fun again. This weekend we saw a lot of smiles and top-step dances. That’s what we need to see more of if the Mets are going to get out of the malaise that the first two months of the season has turned into.

Perez Shuts Down Yankees For 11-2 Win

Oliver Perez was his usual self tonight, wild at times and brilliant at others. He went 7.1 innings for his longest outing of the year. He only gave up three hits, two walks, two hit batsmen, and had four strikeouts. This was the type of outing that the Mets have been waiting for from Perez this season.

Ryan Church and Jose Reyes homered. For Reyes it was his second straight game with a home run. Moises Alou chipped in with a 1 for 3 night with 3 RBI’s. Carlos Delgado hit a homer off the left field foul pole that was originally called a home run and then overturned by the umpires. Replays showed that it should’ve been a home run, and Jerry Manuel was thrown out of the game for arguing from the dugout.

The Mets get a two-game sweep of the Yankees which may be a springboard for their upcoming road trip to Atlanta and Colorado.

Box score

Video Highlights