tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53269804180030658332013-05-23T08:48:43.074-04:00Mets LifersA blog for more than just Mets fans. For Mets Lifers.David Marinehttps://plus.google.com/110552190108160326438noreply@blogger.comBlogger1554125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326980418003065833.post-55131637578704591022013-05-23T08:48:00.000-04:002013-05-23T08:48:43.119-04:002013-05-23T08:48:43.119-04:00Trustless in Flushing
Some Mets fans and especially vocal ones on social media will try and call you out for criticizing this team. They may say you're not a "true fan" or spout how they love this team regardless of the record. They are well within their rights to do so.
But as a fan of this team for the better part of 30 years this is the most faithless I've been in a long time. While the last half decade has beenDavid Marinehttps://plus.google.com/110552190108160326438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326980418003065833.post-72273839711952710322013-05-13T09:19:00.001-04:002013-05-13T09:19:44.188-04:002013-05-13T09:19:44.188-04:00It's Time for Sandy Alderson to Be Held Accountable
Betting on futures can be a dangerous game. Futures can be used either to hedge or to speculate on the change in price of tan asset. For example, a producer of wheat could use futures to lock in a certain price and hedge their bets on risk. On the other hand, anybody could speculate on the price movement of wheat by going long or short using futures.
I'm not going to pretend I understand all David Marinehttps://plus.google.com/110552190108160326438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326980418003065833.post-64806189728606534772013-04-30T10:18:00.000-04:002013-04-30T10:18:13.557-04:002013-04-30T10:18:13.557-04:00There Will Be No False Hope this Mets Season
The issue for Mets fans the past few years has been the tease of hope amidst the reality of low expectations. A fast start last year turned into a painful collapse after the All Star Game and the questions of woulda/coulda/shoulda abounded within Mets fandom.
There will be none of that this year.
This April is proving to be a sign of things to come. The Mets have zero balance in their game. David Marinehttps://plus.google.com/110552190108160326438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326980418003065833.post-75351834084301951352013-04-17T09:06:00.001-04:002013-04-17T09:06:55.906-04:002013-04-17T09:06:55.906-04:00I Know I'm a Broken Record But Mets Pitchers Are Acting Like Mental Misfits
In the past week I've already lauded the mental toughness of Matt Harvey and ridiculed Dan Warthen's ability to fortify the psyche of his pitchers, but here I am again talking about the total lack of any semblance of mental strength in the Mets pitching staff.
Yesterday's double dip in Colorado was all the proof you needed. Dillon Gee started off the day showing no idea how to get his pitches David Marinehttps://plus.google.com/110552190108160326438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326980418003065833.post-79757722521956874502013-04-11T10:56:00.001-04:002013-04-11T10:56:16.553-04:002013-04-11T10:56:16.553-04:00I Still Think Dan Warthen Needs to Go
Look at the Mets pitching under Dan Warthen. Go ahead and sift through the stats, the records and the personnel. Talent wise the Mets pitching isn't great. Starting pitching has been better than relief pitching which has to do with the starters having a bit better personnel than the bullpen.
But if you forget about the names on the back of the uniforms and just look at the innings breakdown ofDavid Marinehttps://plus.google.com/110552190108160326438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326980418003065833.post-63840070559106407632013-04-09T09:13:00.001-04:002013-04-09T09:13:34.080-04:002013-04-09T09:13:34.080-04:00Matt Harvey and the Killer Instinct
Over the last decade, the Mets have had their chances at becoming a winning ball club. They had talent. They had pitching. They even had opportunities. But the thing that was missing most was the mental fortitude to get the job done.
Blowpens and bad hitting aside, there was an aura surrounding this team that they didn't have what it takes mentally to get the job done. Is this a measurable David Marinehttps://plus.google.com/110552190108160326438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326980418003065833.post-41678362787345981072013-03-28T19:47:00.001-04:002013-03-28T19:47:33.905-04:002013-03-28T19:47:33.905-04:00Closing the Book on Johan Santana
Johan Santana is injured...again. It's a recurring storyline that Mets fans have lived through for several years. This time, it's the final chapter in the Santana story with the Mets. With his contract expiring this year, there's zero to no chance we will ever see him pitch in a Mets uniform.
It's a horrible injury and Santana will have a long road back which is an awful thing for a fierce David Marinehttps://plus.google.com/110552190108160326438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326980418003065833.post-60831875188397732682013-03-11T11:13:00.002-04:002013-03-11T11:15:29.854-04:002013-03-11T11:15:29.854-04:00Why the Retirement of Mariano Rivera Should Make the Mets Reflect on the Error of Their Ways
Every time I turned on the radio this weekend they were talking about Mariano Rivera retiring. WFAN, ESPN, and even WCBS couldn't shut up about Rivera retiring. He still has a whole season to play, we've got college basketball going on, spring training, the WBC and we're talking about a guy who's going to retire in 6 months.
Yes, we are. Why? Because he's been the most impactful player in David Marinehttps://plus.google.com/110552190108160326438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326980418003065833.post-77852930609518014852013-02-11T11:25:00.001-05:002013-02-11T11:25:17.682-05:002013-02-11T11:25:17.682-05:00Forget Not Scott Kazmir
Spring training is underway. Pitchers and catchers across the country are stretching, squatting and dreaming about the season ahead.
So are baseball fans everywhere. Spring training is a fresh start for everyone. Expectations are high because we're still in the "what if" stage of our quasi-baseball reality. And Mets fans everywhere are enamored with one name: Zach Wheeler.
Is he or isn't he David Marinehttps://plus.google.com/110552190108160326438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326980418003065833.post-49036544547600746152012-12-17T11:34:00.001-05:002012-12-17T11:34:27.918-05:002012-12-17T11:34:27.918-05:00Bugs & Cranks » Obligatory RA Dickey Trade PostI was about to embark on my own obligatory RA Dickey trade post, but as per usual Brad Bortone has done it for me. The link below is to Brad's synopsis of what you want to hear vs. what is really happening. As per usual, he does it with his own wit and humorous style.
This is a long term move that you hope turns out as planned. Alderson has a pretty decent record on this topic so I think he's David Marinehttps://plus.google.com/110552190108160326438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326980418003065833.post-58142934380724620722012-11-30T09:14:00.000-05:002012-11-30T09:14:43.705-05:002012-11-30T09:14:43.705-05:00Mets Finally Make the Wright Move
It's been a while since we've been able to be excited about a move the Mets have made, but today is one of those days.
Whether you like the dollar figures, the contract terms, the deferred payments or not, today you have the first opportunity at a legitimate lifetime Met. Even Tom Seaver didn't spend his entire career with the Mets. Gooden, Strawberry, Hernandez, and Piazza all moved to other David Marinehttps://plus.google.com/110552190108160326438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326980418003065833.post-17079339559740712162012-11-07T16:44:00.000-05:002012-11-07T16:44:07.948-05:002012-11-07T16:44:07.948-05:00Why Jason Bay's Departure Puts More Pressure on the Mets
When I first heard the news, I literally shouted "Alleluia." Jason Bay and the Mets have reached an agreement and he is officially an unrestricted free agent which basically guarantees that he'll have an MVP season next year wherever he lands.
All kidding aside, this move is a great one and I'm surprised Sandy Alderson and the Mets were able to make it. But what they may not realize is that David Marinehttps://plus.google.com/110552190108160326438noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326980418003065833.post-45908848596823562272012-10-06T15:59:00.004-04:002012-10-06T15:59:55.045-04:002012-10-06T15:59:55.045-04:00My 2012 Mets Post Mortem Rant with Bugs and CranksI'm a big fan of what Brad Bortone does over at Bugs & Cranks in blogging about the Mets. He's not the everyday game recap type of blogger, but picks and chooses his spots to write what I think is some of the wittiest and insightful writing on our beloved Mess, I mean, Mets.
Brad hit me up a few weeks ago to partner up on a post mortem of the 2012 Mets campaign and I jumped at the chance to David Marinehttps://plus.google.com/110552190108160326438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326980418003065833.post-1712952826886914922012-10-04T12:58:00.001-04:002012-10-04T12:58:33.913-04:002012-10-04T12:58:33.913-04:00Mets Deja Vu All Over Again
I'm waiting for Chevy Chase to yell "Look kids, Big Ben! Parliament!" because I feel like life as a Mets fan is just one continuous circle.
Welcome to the postseason. For some that means playoff baseball. For Mets fans, it's a literal interpretation of the term meaning the season after the season has begun. And for the Mets, it's the most meaningful part of this baseball team since late JuneDavid Marinehttps://plus.google.com/110552190108160326438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326980418003065833.post-63545263166022844112012-10-01T16:29:00.004-04:002012-10-01T16:29:55.934-04:002012-10-01T16:29:55.934-04:00#FAIL: Entire Mets Coaching Staff to Return in 2013Terry Collins announced today that his entire coaching staff will return to the Mets next year. Sure. That makes sense.
Let's not make any changes to a coaching staff that lost control of this team in the second half. Let's keep an entire staff that has a proven record of being better than average in the first half of the season only to nose dive in the second half.
Let's keep all the people David Marinehttps://plus.google.com/110552190108160326438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326980418003065833.post-4561977082331781032012-09-27T17:53:00.001-04:002012-09-27T17:53:08.346-04:002012-09-27T17:53:08.346-04:00RA Dickey is Better Than You Think
Buster Olney of ESPN tweeted out this afternoon that RA Dickey is officially the front-runner for the NL Cy Young Award after notching his 20th win of the season today. Dickey is currently .01 points behind Clayton Kershaw in ERA. He leads the league in strikeouts after recording 13 K's in his victory this afternoon. And he's currently tied for the lead in wins with the Nationals' Gio Gonzalez.David Marinehttps://plus.google.com/110552190108160326438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326980418003065833.post-45529056533089976402012-09-27T08:49:00.001-04:002012-09-27T08:49:47.710-04:002012-09-27T08:49:47.710-04:00Mets King of Hits: David Wright
David Wright has set the Mets record for career hits. His name is likely the most popular one in the Mets record books. He's the face of the franchise and now deservedly the icon of the record books.
Normally this type of feat would require much jubilation and celebration, but the perceptive Mets fan views this new achievement with trepidation.
Could the new batting king of the Mets record David Marinehttps://plus.google.com/110552190108160326438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326980418003065833.post-76593165567669636842012-09-25T09:41:00.000-04:002012-09-25T09:41:17.063-04:002012-09-25T09:41:17.063-04:00The Ike Davis Fallacy of False Cause
If you're not familiar with the term, fallacy of false cause is an economic term that's defined as the logical fallacy of arguing that two events that are correlated (that is, happen at about the same time), are assumed to have a causal connection. In other words, one event causes the other.
It's a fallacy that is often used by armchair GM's like myself. For instance, we say that since someoneDavid Marinehttps://plus.google.com/110552190108160326438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326980418003065833.post-3182735826161181272012-09-18T15:48:00.003-04:002012-09-18T15:48:56.972-04:002012-09-18T15:48:56.972-04:00Are We There Yet? Awaiting the End of Another Mets Season
Are we there yet? Someone please tell me we're almost done with this Mets season. Just when you thought it couldn't possibly get worse, it does. I don't know why anyone goes to Citi Field these days as the Mets can't seem to ever win a game there.
I just want this season to be over.
Football has my attention. I'll do anything to distract me from this Mets baseball season. Yet I still find David Marinehttps://plus.google.com/110552190108160326438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326980418003065833.post-6175336709491994112012-09-13T11:27:00.000-04:002012-09-13T11:27:21.934-04:002012-09-13T11:27:21.934-04:00The Results Show that Terry Collins Needs to Go
19 and 38. That's the Mets record in the second half of the 2012 baseball season. If their current ways continue, they will hold the record for the worst second half record of a team that was over .500 before the All Star break.
That's a .333 winning percentage. Only the 1983 Angels have a .333 record after the break when they were above .500 before it.
If you can somehow stomach watching a David Marinehttps://plus.google.com/110552190108160326438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326980418003065833.post-59864502931308729162012-09-11T08:52:00.001-04:002012-09-11T08:52:56.581-04:002012-09-11T08:52:56.581-04:00Still Remembering 9/11
Every year I plan on writing a post about 9/11 and how baseball was one of the binding elements in the New York area after the horrible events on that September morning. But each year, I go back and read a post from Brad at Bugs and Cranks and realize I don't need to say anything else because this post is almost a mirror of my point of view.
Two years ago I was fortunate enough to get an David Marinehttps://plus.google.com/110552190108160326438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326980418003065833.post-10775768756077710362012-09-10T09:03:00.001-04:002012-09-10T14:10:45.359-04:002012-09-10T14:10:45.359-04:00So Long Lex Luthor
Good riddance. There's a lot of talk about Larry Jones' farewell tour and the applause he's gotten on his rocking chair tour through the majors. The only reason I would be cheering is that I'd never have to see Larry Jones again.
I saw tweets yesterday and heard commentators talk about the Mets fans giving Jones a farewell applause. Why? Why on earth would we celebrate a man who did nothing David Marinehttps://plus.google.com/110552190108160326438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326980418003065833.post-92095331714461854432012-09-07T16:17:00.001-04:002012-09-07T16:17:30.111-04:002012-09-07T16:17:30.111-04:00A Box of Mets Cereal
Sure it's kind of old. Probably stale, but who wouldn't want a box of Mets cereal from 2000 with Piazza, Leiter, Alfonzo and Franco on it. Ok, I could do without Franco too.
It can be yours. Just head over to TheFancy.com to place your bid.David Marinehttps://plus.google.com/110552190108160326438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326980418003065833.post-89793776460700484932012-08-31T09:16:00.000-04:002012-08-31T09:16:03.894-04:002012-08-31T09:16:03.894-04:00Trust is Gone from Mets Nation
Terry Collins has talked about fighting until the end. The goal being to finish in 3rd place (woohoo!). Players will say the right things and the product on the field will hopefully not have a lingering feeling of apathy.
But let's not kid ourselves. The season is over. The only argument that can be made is RA Dickey deserves a Cy Young award so for his starts there should be nothing holding David Marinehttps://plus.google.com/110552190108160326438noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5326980418003065833.post-10022718872378221612012-08-28T12:56:00.000-04:002012-08-28T12:59:36.782-04:002012-08-28T12:59:36.782-04:00The Evolving Batting Stance of David WrightThere are players throughout baseball history with signature batting stances. Off the top of my head I think of Darryl Strawberry, Julio Franco, Gary Sheffield, Keith Hernandez, and Dave Magadan are few from recent Mets memory that I can think of. These hitters had a stance that you could imitate because they did the same thing every time.
Most of the names mentioned were pretty good hitters. David Marinehttps://plus.google.com/110552190108160326438noreply@blogger.com1