Category: Roster

Poll: Mets 2010 Fifth Starter

As usual, one of the biggest position battles in Mets spring training is for the fifth starter. Although the fifth starter can be a conglomeration of garbage, I really like the options that the Mets have for this season. Last year, the battle was between Livan Hernandez and Freddy Garcia. What a mess that was! By the way, have you seen the video of drunk Freddy Garcia at this year’s SoxFest getting fans excited for the season? A sloppy, drunken, expletive-filled, aging fifth starter is sure to get the Chicago fans pumped about the season.

Continue reading “Poll: Mets 2010 Fifth Starter”

Mets Links: Jose Reyes, Luis Castillo, Jerry Manuel, More

New York Mets Jerry Manuel walks with his head down to the dugout against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field in New York

I’m trying to be positive on the day that Mets single game tickets go on sale. It’s tough to do that after the team drove straight into a brick wall in 2009, but this is a new season. I’m ready for the Mets to start winning some games next month when the real games start. And I’m hoping that they can get some payback on some teams, especially in the division, that beat them down pretty badly last year.

The links below are pretty negative about the team, in general. I think that’s partially due to the news about the team but it’s also because it’s so much easier to write a negative story than a positive one. Negative stories seem to attract more attention than stories about how everything in great in Mets nation, if there is such a thing. I don’t think the Mets situation is ideal right now but I’m not completely down on them either.

How can you be completely down on the team with the highest payroll in the National League? The highest payroll certainly doesn’t guarantee wins as we saw last year. But it sure gives the Mets a chance to be in it to the end. This isn’t a Pirates situation going on here. There’s no rebuilding or looking forward to two or three years down the road. The Mets roster has a legitimate shot to be in the race late in the 2010 season.

Continue reading “Mets Links: Jose Reyes, Luis Castillo, Jerry Manuel, More”

Video: Jose Reyes Thyroid Problem

The Mets sent Jose Reyes back to New York after tests showed that he has a hyperactive thyroid. I don’t know if it’s a situation that could affect him on the field. I would guess there may be varying levels of severity, but I’m not a doctor. We should hear what impact, if any, this will have on Reyes playing the season and the rest of his career.

This news is a big blow to the Mets, with Carlos Beltran already out until May, because the flashbacks of last season’s injury-plagued disaster is still so fresh in our minds. Stephania Bell has a good piece on ESPN about what the injury could mean for Reyes going forward.

Here’s some video from ESPN:

http://espn.go.com/videohub/player/embed.swf

Mets Links: Jose Reyes Interviewed by Feds, More

New York Mets v Washington Nationals

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Spring training games start up Tuesday against the Braves in Port St. Lucie. That’s always a great sign that the season will get started soon, and the miserable winter weather will be long gone almost as soon. Although there are plenty of stories about the Mets coming out of Mets training camp, here are a few that really stand out this week:

  • NY Post – Jose Reyes was interviewed by federal agents regarding his relationship with Canadian doctor Anthony Galea. The doctor was charged with possession of performance enhancing drugs and his client list includes Tiger Woods and swimmer Dana Torres.
  • Star- Ledger – Kelvim Escobar still can’t pitch because of a sore shoulder that’s kept him from pitching for the last two seasons. Jerry Manuel says that Escobar probably won’t be ready for opening day either. Joel Sherman continues his assault on the Mets by writing that Escobar’s woes sums up the Mets whole operation.
  • NY Post – The Post reports that the covering for the “C” in the Citi Field sign fell during bad weather onto empty seats in the outfield smashing into pieces. If you’re in the outfield seats during a windy game, watch you back. The Post goes on to list the litany of structural problems that have plagued Citi Field in it’s first year of existence.
  • Daily News – Adam Rubin has a good, long interview with David Wright. There are many of the same story lines that you’ve already heard: his new-look physique, lack of power and high strikeout total last year, and his joking with Chipper Jones about how big the Citi Field outfield is.

Video: Mets’ Johan Santana Spring 2010 Bullpen

There’s a lot of good video coming from Port St. Lucie over the last few days. This one is from Brian Costa of the Star-Ledger featuring Johan Santana throwing a bullpen session to Rod Barajas.

Johan Santana
http://tribeca.vidavee.com/advance/trh/embedAsset.js?width=470&height=352&wmode=transparent&skin=v3AdvInt_nj.swf&dockey=998FAD23A6361CDA7E14B5D19D56993B&

Video: Ryota Igarashi at Mets Spring Training

Here’s some video from Newsday. Yes, Newsday! That’s the media outlet that many of you don’t get to see anymore because they redesigned their site and put it behind a pay wall. I still get the site because I’m a Cablevision subscriber. Thanks to the Dolan’s, you’ll get to see the video that I have access to from their Mets blog. By the way, Newsday’s $4 million site redesign and pay wall has been a huge success. They already have 35 paying subscribers. That nets the company about $700/month.

I won’t link to Newsday’s Mets blog because so many of you can’t see it without paying for it. But here’s some video that I hope you can see. If you can’t, please comment below and I’ll remove it.

Ryota Igarashi is getting some good early spring press. He knows a little English but has an interpreter with him. It sounds like his first friend on the team is K-Rod.

http://www.newsday.com/swf/newsday/newsdayVP.v.2.08.swf?videoId=14201