Author: Dave Doyle

Frequently disappointed Mets fan

Beltran’s 13th Inning Homer Wins It 5-3

The game started out with Mike Pelfrey pitching into the ninth inning without giving up a run. I thought that the game was in the bag. Billy Wagner blew his second consecutive save by giving up a homer to Mark Reynolds with two strikes and two outs in the ninth to send the game to extras.

Carlos Beltran had a huge game offensively getting the first two RBI’s on the board in the fourth inning on a single off Brandon Webb. Webb would leave after the fifth inning when he was hit by a line http://www.mindanews.com/buy-imitrex/ drive by Carlos Delgado.

I thought that Willie Randolph panicked by taking Pelfrey out in the ninth inning after giving up a single to Stephen Drew. Randolph doesn’t have a good feel for pitchers. Pelfrey looked great tonight. Once again, he isn’t throwing as hard as possible keeping his fastball in the low 90’s and spotting it perfectly. He threw very few breaking balls but doesn’t need to. He can’t control the slider as well as he needs to, but it was good enough tonight.

Box score

Video Highlights

Bartolo Colon And Missed Opportunities

Back on February 25th when I was looking at the Mets potential Quadruple-A starters, I wrote that I was disappointed that the Red Sox signed Bartolo Colon. At the time, the Mets were put off by his excessive weight.

Well, tonight Colon beat the Orioles to bring his record to 4-1 with a 3.41 ERA. I know that hindsight is 20/20. I know that you should look forward and not back, but this was a big mistake by Omar Minaya.

Colon would’ve given the Mets a great insurance policy in case someone (let’s say Oliver Perez) blew up during the season or someone was hurt for a significant period of time (Pedro Martinez). Perez is 4-4 with a 5.37 ERA. Martinez is 1-0 with a 6.91 ERA is three starts.

Who knows if Colon will make it through a long hot summer? He is obese. But he sure looks good for Boston so far.

Alou Out Again Tonight

The headline should be "This is getting ridiculous". Moises Alou came off the disabled list for a strained calf muscle yesterday only to leave the game with soreness. He’s not in the lineup tonight claiming that the calf doesn’t feel right.

I love to watch Alou hit and think he has a tremendous positive influence on the offense when he’s in the game. But this injury-prone act can’t go on forever.

I don’t know how severe the calf problem is, only Alou does. But Ryan Church tried to power through post concussion syndrome for two weeks. Alou can’t play with a sore calf for nine innings during the most trying period of the season? That is ridiculous.

Report: Mets Sign First Round Pick Havens

The Mets have reportedly signed one of their first round draft choices Reese Havens. He’s a shortstop from the University of South Carolina taken 22nd overall. His bonus is reportedly at slot for $1.4 million.

The Mets are also http://nygoodhealth.com reported to be making progress with sandwich round pick Brad Holt and their fourth pick Javier Rodriguez.

Read the full story at Sports Illustrated.

Time For A New Sheriff In Town

The "Willie Watch, Part Two" is in full bloom now that the Mets have reverted to their pre-Wilpon meeting ways. I really thought that the energy that we saw from the Mets two weeks ago could be sustained… But I was wrong. Now it’s time for Willie Randolph to go.

The Mets problems certainly aren’t completely Randolph’s fault. The players and Omar Minaya deserve some of the blame as well.  I stand by my initial feelings about this team; although there are flaws in the roster, the current configuration should be capable of being a strong contender for a playoff spot. Whether they achieve that goal or not depends on variables such as competition, injuries, and seasonal performance.

Based on that assumption, Willie Randolph hasn’t done the job of motivating the players to achieve their potential. Sure there are players that need to go: Carlos Delgado, Aaron Heilman, and maybe some others. But the roster doesn’t require a complete overhaul. You can’t fire all of the players but you can fire the manager.

My contention is that the Mets need a new manager that is bigger than the players. A manger that isn’t afraid of under performing veterans, and isn’t afraid to move young players into power positions in the lineup. It’s common in college but pretty rare in the pro’s. There are a few examples: Phil Jackson, Bill Parcells, and Terry Francona. These are people that have attained the highest level of success in their respective sports and won championships. They know what it takes to be on top. They know that talent rules over union seniority.

The Mets need a "star" that has a significant history within the organization and has won a championship. No… I’m not talking about getting Doc Gooden clean and bringing him in to manage the team. There are only two logical choices; Davey Johnson or Keith Hernandez. They’ve won here as manager and player respectively. They bring immediate clout to the job. They bring an attitude that winning is the only thing, and lackluster play is unacceptable. It’s time for a new sheriff in town.