Author: Dave Doyle

Frequently disappointed Mets fan

Contest: Best Comment Of The Week

This week I’m running a contest for the best comment. You can enter as many comments as you like during the week and everyone is eligible. I’ll be judging the comments for insight, opinion, and writing skill. I’ll only ship the prize to a U.S. shipping address.The contest runs from June 23 to June 27, 2008.

The prize is the book “Mets By The Numbers” by Jon Springer and Matthew Silverman. The book tells the history of the Mets by the players that wore each number. The foreward is written by Mets radio broadcaster Howie Rose. You can also purchase the book at Barnes & Noble.

Pelfrey Leads Mets To 3-1 Win Over Rockies

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Mike Pelfrey went 5.2 innings for his fourth win of the season. He gave up no runs on three hits and five walks to go along with five strikeouts.

Jose Reyes led off the game with a triple for the second consecutive game, then scored on a single by David Wright. Carlos Beltran hit a long two run home run to right field into the second deck in the third inning. That was all of the scoring the Mets needed to get the win.

The Mets go home with a new manager after a 4-2 road trip and move to 3.5 games behind the first place Philadelphia Phillies.

Box score

On Deck: June 22- Mets At Rockies (Game 3)

New York Mets (36-37 Road: 16-23) at Colorado Rockies (32-43 Home: 20-18) 3:05pm

Mike Pelfrey (3-6 4.62) vs.Greg Reynolds (2-4 5.98)

TV: CW11  Radio: WFAN

What to watch: The Mets and Rockies play the rubber game of the series before the Mets come home to face the Seattle Mariners. Pelfrey has had four pretty good starts in a row now but hasn’t faced the Rockies yet this season. Reynolds has been up and down for the Rockies as is the case for many rookie pitchers. He did get a win against the Mets on May 23 though. Brian Schneider probably won’t play today due to a bruised hand.

Stat: Jose Reyes Baseball’s Best Leadoff Hitter

If you’re into heavy statistical analysis, you probably already read Cyril Morong’s excellent baseball blog “Cybermetrics”. Yesterday he posted an in-depth analysis of baseball’s best leadoff hitters and to little surprise the Mets’ Jose Reyes is tops on his list.

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The basic concept of the analysis is which leadoff hitters have the best statistics in terms of getting themselves into scoring position without creating outs most frequently. There were two variations that you can see in the chart above, one penalizing the player for hitting home runs and one without the penalty. In both cases, Reyes is statistically the best leadoff hitter.

I can’t say that I’m surprised by that because watching Reyes play everyday is a real treat for Mets fans. It’s interesting to see that Florida Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez jumps from number 9 to number 2 on the list when the home run penalty is removed.

The blog post is a good read with heavy mathematical analysis.

Mets Hire Wayne Krivsky

The Mets announced the hiring of ex-Cincinnati Reds GM Wayne Krivsky. He’ll be a major league scout for the Mets. Obviously, having an ex-GM on the staff when the current GM is rumored to be on the hot seat will lead to speculation. We’ll see if that has a foundation or not in the coming months. Krivsky and Omar Minaya have known each other since their days working together for the Texas Rangers in the 1980’s. Krivsky has local roots as well, he’s a 1972 graduate of New Canaan (CT) High School.

Report: Mike And Mad Dog Show May Be Finished

Mike and the Mad Dog

Image via Wikipedia

Neil Best of Newsday is reporting that wildly popular New York sports talk radio show Mike and The Mad Dog may be finished.  The reports says that problems between Mike Francesa and Chris Russo may spell the end of the show.

Although neither is a Mets fan, Russo (Giants) and Francesa (Yankees) do plenty of Mets talk on WFAN, the Mets flagship radio station.

When reached for comment on the report Francesa had none and Russo said that he didn’t know anything about it:

“That is news to me,” he said. “I have not heard that… That is fascinating information.”

Personally, I doubt the validity of this. Russo and Francesa have openly talked about some rocky periods in their personal relationship in the past. After losing Don Imus last year, there’s no way that WFAN would let Mike and The Mad Dog get away without a fight.

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Jose Valentin Shuts It Down

New York Mets second baseman José Valentín during a Mets/Devil Rays spring training game at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Image via Wikipedia

Mets infielder Jose Valentin decided to shut his season down for 2008. He’s been playing at Triple-A New Orleans but has been hampered by neck, ankle, and elbow injuries this season. He has said that he wants to give it another shot next year but there are reports that the Mets expect him to retire.

Don’t be surprised to see Valentin coaching somewhere in the Mets organization next season. He’s held in very high regard by the Mets front office and is projected as having big league coaching and managing ability.

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