The End of the Streak

So the Mets fell to the Cardinals in extras after Scott Schoenweiss (who's signed for 2 more years after this one) continued his so-so pitching by allowing the 1st homerun of Brendan Ryan's career. Sure, Ryan only had 3 hits before the homerun and he only hit 6 homers in his 3 years in the minors, but that's no reason to be upset with Schoenweiss. (Can you feel the sarcasm?)

Valentin's error in the 11th let the Cards tack on another and the Mets lost 5-3. Valentin was Sunday's hero, hitting a 3 run homer to put the game away against the A's. He was also tonight's 9th inning hero when he drove in Green with the tying run. But both of Valentin's errors on this Tuesday night cost the Mets a run which cost them the game.

Valentin's going to catch a lot more than he drops and I definitely see him as the Mets second baseman for the forseeable future, it was just hard to watch them drop a game that they should have had.

Well, for the Mets, there's always tomorrow. They'll face those same Cards again on Wednesday and Thursday. Hopefully, with better results!

Getting back on Track...

Sweeping the A's is a BIG step in the right direction. The A's are a good team playing in a tough division and a playoff team from last year. The Mets finally put together a good series against a good team. They haven't done that since May.

It has really upset me to watch the Mets look as bad as my golf game.

Seeing the hits Beltran has over the weekend makes me look forward to the next couple weeks. If he's on a hot streak, we'll be okay.

Now if only we could get Delgado going...

BTW, how about Shawn Green this weekend? Green was very hot this season before breaking his foot. He was a little cold after coming back, but he looks like he's getting back to where he was before the DL. Shawn Green could be a great pick up for the Mets. Even if he never gets back to that real power hitter form he once had, if he keeps hitting the ball hard in the 7 spot and getting doubles, the Mets and their fans should be very satisfied. He's the kind of guy that opposing pitches might feel relieved to face. After getting through Reyes, Beltran, Delgado and Wright, you might think "Thank God it's only Shawn Green." But Green can still hurt you with the homer or a well placed double.

Lets Go Mets. Next up: My boss' St Louis Cardinals. Good luck Cards. The Mets are turning it back on!

Tom Glavine is my hero.

Glavine pitched an absolutely heroic game tonight and seemed to have a lot of fun doing it.

Glavine was all smiles after being tagged out at home where he busted it from first on a Jose Reyes triple. He was all smiles while leaving the mound to a standing ovation when Randolph pulled him after a first pitch single to Eric Chavez in the top of the ninth. 5 K's, 2 walks and one bad pitch to Shannon Stewart. Glavine was positively brilliant.

Carlos Beltran had 2 hits and 3 RBI. Delgado had 2 hits and an RBI. But Shawn Green had a great night with a homer, a double, and 3 RBI's of his own.

This is the Mets team we've been waiting for. This is the team that opened the Minnesota series by winning decisively 8 to 1. This is the team that faced a tough pitcher after a laugher and collapsed on Tuesday against Johann Santana. The task tomorrow is slightly easier with Joe Blanton instead of Santana, but Blanton's no push over.

It's this SECOND game of the series that the Mets have struggled with and wound up losing the whole series because of it. Perez pitched brilliantly on Friday besting Clemens at Yankee Stadium, but then they were promptly manhandled the next two games. Maine pitched very well on Tuesday to beat the Twins, but the Mets lost the next two 9-1 and 6-2.

Tonight they were energetic, happy and hitting.

But what will they be like tomorrow?

They need to put two or more of these types of wins together, in a row, before we can really look at them as the class of the National League again. I know they can do it. They've just got to DO it!

Marty Noble says it all...

"The losing has reached unfathomable proportions, and solutions -- timely hits, quality starts and reliable relief -- are in short supply. Exasperation is not."

What can I say?

Mets Break Out for 8 Runs and Possible Break Out of Their Slump

Well, I've been wrong before and I'm sure I'll be wrong again, but I've got to think that the Mets putting up 8 against the Twins tonight has got to do something to break them out of this funk.

Big notes of the night: Carlos Delgado 2 for 4 with a homer. Carlos Beltran only 1 for 5 with a double and 1 RBI, but he hit the ball hard 4 of 5 times tonight. Wright continued to be hot going 3 for 5 with 2 doubles and just missing a home run.

The only thing that kept Delgado from being 3 for 4 with 3 RBI's was a RIDICULOUS play by Kubel. He made it from his starting position against Delgado in Left-Center all the way to the left field line and made an excellent diving, rolling play to rob Delgado of at least two. We're going to see that play on highlight reels the rest of the season. That was a fantastic play.

If not for the stellar defense of the Twins (Castillo and Cuddyer made outstanding plays in the same inning as Kubel), the Mets would have had a lot more runs.

The same could not be said for the Twins. If not for a bloop double for Cuddyer off Feliciano, the Twins would have been shut out.

John Maine pitched a terrific game, going 7 1/3 and allowing only 4 singles. He was charged for the run allowed by Feliciano, but Maine was superb. Really a very sharp outing. He was changing speed very well. It looked to me like he wasn't hitting all of his spots, but when the ball got to the plate the bats missed it.

This team is poised to break out - BUT they have to get through one of - if not the best - left handers in the game tomorrow in Johann Santana. Santana proved hittable this year, but the Mets have been bad against lefties lately (think Hon Chi Kuo - or however you spell it) and Santana's tough even in down years.

Whether or not the Mets bounce back tomorrow to beat a very tough pitcher is up to them. I'm pulling for them, but I would happily settle for a loss tomorrow and a win on Wednesday.

Mets and Red Sox Status

Well the Sox are holding up their end of this prediction. They manhandled a Giants team that my Mets had some trouble with a couple weeks ago. Manny's hot right now, Ortiz is cooled but he'll come back, and Kevin Youkilis has been nothing but solid. The Yankees are making their push, but as long as Boston keeps playing they way they have, the Yanks can't catch them.

The Mets on the other hand...

The Mets have been sucking hard for weeks now. I thought the brilliant game Perez pitched against Clemens on Friday would be enough to break this team out of their funk, but I was sorely mistaken.

They lost by a lot of runs in the last two games of the series.

Yeah, they split the season series with the Yanks, but they should have been able to sweep this team. I know it sounds very Monday-Morning-Quarterback like, but I don't know that I would have pitched Duque against the Yankees. He can't beat them. I think I might have angled the rotation differently. But then what does that do to Duque's confidence? Who knows.

At this point, they need to start playing like the team that's in first place in NL East and not like the team that's lost 11 of their last 13 or whatever the dreadful stat is.

I Need them to WIN and SOON!

You know how people say they "live and die" with a team and it sounds like an exaggeration? Well I've noticed that since the Mets started this slide of theirs that I have not been as happy and carefree as I normally am.

I'm a pretty easy going guy normally. I like my life and I enjoy myself. I'm married to a beautiful woman who loves me unconditionally. I have a great job that I really like. I don't have a lot to really worry about.

But I have been irritable and moody and generally kind of a bitch since the Mets started losing. It really is kind of scary. I walk around all day in this kind of malaise. I'm a couple more loses away from being clinically depressed.

So please, win a freaking game or two guys. Something that will make me stop thinking about the fact that you didn't even show up for the series in LA. Please.

Does this sound familiar to anyone?

The Mets are losing for what feels like the 30th day in a row. They continue to lose games they had a lead in. The Mets managed a run in the second and refused to score another all night. I've had to listen to Vin Scully talk about the 3 home runs the Dodgers hit off Maine about a dozen times. Its infuriating. I think its about time for a closed door meeting. In fact, I think its well past time.

And who the f*ck does Hon Chi Kuo think he is flipping his bat? It's his first home run of his career and according to baseball-reference.com, the second f'ong hit of his career. The SECOND HIT. Who do you think you are flipping the bat? If it was 20 years ago you would have caught the next pitch you saw in your eye. But I guess baseball has changed. I didn't think Randolph would stand for that bush league b.s., but I guess I'm wrong again.

They still have two more at bats, but the Mets have given up on this one. They deserve to lose. Until they get mad and start hitting again, they don't deserve it. Why doesn't someone in that dugout get pissed and start kicking ass?! Get Hernandez out of the booth and send him down to that clubhouse to push some people around.

And what the hell happened to John Maine his last 4 starts????

Problems continue in Detroit...

I didn't expect the Mets to get healthy in Detroit, they're a very good team in what is clearly the best division in baseball, but I was at least hoping they'd show up. They won the first game largely on the speedy pitching of Jorge Sosa and some nifty homers by Wright and Delgado. The lost the next two games by a combine score of 14 to 23. I don't care what team you are, you don't want to see your pitching staff give up 23 runs in 2 games. That's WAAAAY too much. Those are past football scores and into video game scores.

Glavine had some issues today and the bullpen has been very shaky of late. Thank God that the Braves are refusing to play well or the Mets might be in second place right now. They need some help and they need it fast. Where its coming from and when it'll get here, I don't know. Hopefully its Alou and Green returning and soon!

The Red Sox came very close to a sweep of the Diamondbacks. The DBacks look fantastic since the middle of May and are now tied for first in the West. Taking 2 of 3 from these Diamondbacks is no easy feat and wasn't for the Sox. The DBacks took 2 of 3 from my Mets back in Shea only last weekend. They should not be taken lightly. If they can keep it up this year (they've looked good in May but fell apart a couple times since Bob Melvin took over the reigns), they could be a serious contender in October. Good young hitters (but no real #4 hitter will hurt them in the playoffs), great starters (Webb, Hernandez, Doug Davis and a resurgent Randy Johnson), and a decent bullpen with strong defense, especially up the middle. This is a good team that could be great if they can keep it up for a whole season!

What does Tom Glavine have to do to get 300 wins?

Glavine's pitched very well his last few outings. He gave up a couple runs to the Giants last week and lost to Barry Zito. He gave up 2 to the Phillies today and walked away with a ND when the Mets lost in the 11th inning. The poor guys doing everything he can short of smacking out a couple dingers and just can't get these wins. I assumed he'd pass it by the All Star Break the way he was pitching, but the Mets can't seem to get the runs across when Tommy's on the mound.

Its got to be very upsetting to Glavine. But he's a soldier and he'll keep going out there until he breaks the 300 win mark.

Funniest T-Shirt I've Seen in a While

Check this thing out: http://www.bustedtees.com/shirt/jesushatestheyankees/male

That's just too funny!

Yankees vs Red Sox - A-Rod's got problems and more

So I've been a little neglectful this week, sorry. Lot's of stuff going on and I just didn't have a chance to post anything.

I just finished watching the Red Sox lose a heart breaker to the Yankees at a very rainy Fenway Park. The Sox were ahead until Okajima - who's been solid all season - kind of fell apart. Then one bad pitch to A Rod by Papelbon gave the Yanks the lead. David Ortiz can about 20 feet from tying it up and Youkilis took one off the arm to get the winning run to the plate, but Mike Lowell couldn't bring him in. Rivera pitched like he was two years younger and the Yankees walked away from Fenway winning 2 of 3.

My Mets also lost today to the DBacks. Oliver Perez held them hitless through 4, but then had a nightmare of a time in the fifth, walking 2 and giving up a pair of hits. The Mets dropped two of three to the DBacks, their only saving grace being that their entire starting outfield was on the bench recovering.

Alou still isn't ready to be back, Shawn Green has a broken foot, and after a collision with Rich Aurilia at first base, Beltran has been out of the line up with a balky knee. The replacement outfielders - Endy Chavez, Gomez, Ben Johnson, and David Newhan - were enough to help them win on Saturday (thanks to Ruben Gotay and Ramon Castro), but they proved in-effective against Brandon Webb and Doug Davis.

This coming weekend, the Sox will be in town to face the surging Diamondbacks. I should be able to make it down to one of the games at least. I'm thinking Friday or Sunday. I have to see who'll go with me.

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So here's a news flash!
A-Rod cheats on his wife and on baseball.

It wasn't bad enough that A-Rod got caught cheating on his wife this week, he also had to yell at Toronto's third baseman while rounding the bags causing the guy to drop a routine pop up and allowed the Yankees to score 3 runs. What a piece of crap this guy is. A-Rod should be ashamed.

He always seemed like such a classy player and a decent human being before he became a Yankee. Maybe that clubhouse breeds it into you? Maybe those pinstriped uniforms with the inter locking NY are like Spider-Man's alien black suit? Maybe just putting them on turns you into a cheating lying scum-bag who shouldn't be allowed to interact with normal human beings?

This guy is a disgrace to the game of baseball and the great city of New York.

There has been a long line of assholes on the Mets side of things too, but nothing on the field like this. A-Rod should be ashamed. And the Yankees should be ashamed.