http://thestarryeye.typepad.com/nysports/New York Sports talk by sportscaster Rich Coutinho.enThu, 05 Jan 2012 10:37:16 PSTTypePad http://www.typepad.com/noNew York Sports talk by sportscaster Rich Coutinho.nysportshttp://feedburner.google.comhttp://thestarryeye.typepad.com/nysports/2012/01/johan-santana-should-never-be-counted-out.html2010 Season2011 Season2012 SeasonBaseballBlogs and WebsitesNew York MetsOff SeasonOpening DaySportsSpring TrainingWorld SeriesRichard CoutinhoThu, 05 Jan 2012 10:37:16 PSTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341cdd0d53ef01676006ad24970bI know Met fans are not expecting much from the team this season and I certainly respect and understand that opinion. But baseball is a funny sport. Nobody expected the Arizona Diamondbacks to rebound from a 90 loss season to win the NL West. Nobody expected the last 2 World Champions to be squads with under a $100 million payroll. No one expected the fact that anAL East team has not been in the World Series the last 2 years considering the fact everyone expected it. It is the reason we play the games and it is the reason sports...http://thestarryeye.typepad.com/nysports/2011/12/tom-seaver-new-yorks-greatest-pitcher-of-all-time-.html2010 Season2011 Season2012 SeasonBaseballNew York MetsOpening DaySportsSpring TrainingTelevisionWorld SeriesRichard CoutinhoMon, 12 Dec 2011 10:44:19 PSTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341cdd0d53ef01675eab4980970bOn MLB Network's "Studio 42" with Bob Costas, Hall of Famer Tom Seaver will discuss a multitude of topics, including why current day pitchers can't seem to finish games. The network was kind enough to send me a screener - the episode airs tonight - and it is an absolute must-watch. Listening to Seaver got me to thinking about his greatness.. Not only what he meant to Mets fans, but also to the sport of baseball. To fully understand his importance consider this important fact: no player in baseball history -- not Ruth, Gehrig, Musial, Williams nor DiMaggio -- received...http://thestarryeye.typepad.com/nysports/2011/12/dont-blame-sandy-for-the-exodus-of-jose-reyes.html2010 Season2011 Season2012 SeasonBaseballNew York MetsOpening DaySportsSpring TrainingTelevisionWorld SeriesRichard CoutinhoFri, 09 Dec 2011 12:46:06 PSTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341cdd0d53ef0162fd971e0c970dThe news cut through the Mets fans chest like a knife through butter - Jose Reyes will be going to Miami to play for the Miami Marlins. Yes, that same division rival that short circuited Met playoff appearances in 2007 and 2008 It is the worst thing possible for Met fans. Let me be clear here, Jose Reyes is a dynamic game changing player that will be sorely missed and I do not blame him one bit for taking the best deal he could get for himself and his family. And for the record, I totally underestimated the aggressiveness of...http://thestarryeye.typepad.com/nysports/2011/12/the-mets-got-better-in-the-last-4-days-now-dont-get-me-wrong-id-rather-have-jose-reyes-but-sandy-alderson-really-improved.html2010 Season2011 Season2012 SeasonBaseballNew York MetsOpening DaySpring TrainingWorld SeriesRichard CoutinhoFri, 09 Dec 2011 12:51:59 PSTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341cdd0d53ef015394417c19970bThe Mets got better in the last 4 days. Now don't get me wrong, I'd rather have Jose Reyes. But Sandy Alderson really improved the team with these moves. Jon Rauch and Frank Francisco have ability -- pitching late innings in the AL East really does test your skills. The trade of Angel Pagan was necessary. There were rumblings in the Mets' clubhouse that Pagan's attitude changed dramatically in the second half of the year after the exodus of his mentor, Carlos Beltran. Andres Torres is not the athletic specimen that Pagan is, but he is a much better defensive...http://thestarryeye.typepad.com/nysports/2011/11/jose-reyes-rumors-fact-or-fiction.html2012 SeasonBaseballJose ReyesTheStarryEye AstrologerMon, 21 Nov 2011 06:36:52 PSTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341cdd0d53ef0153935bd84f970bMany of you who know me recognize how much I love movies and one of my favorite films is The Paper, which gives us a sneak peek inside a newspaper newsroom. One of the best scenes in the film is when Michael Keaton is trying to get his editor Robert Duvall to print a story with a flimsy source. Duvall says, "Get a quote. You know...They speak...You write...We print." And it occurred to me that is what we need in this Reyes story -- a quote. Too many people are guessing, theorizing, and pontificating as to what is going on....http://thestarryeye.typepad.com/nysports/2011/11/paterno-must-step-down.htmlCoachesCollege FootballCurrent AffairsJoe PaternoTheStarryEye AstrologerThu, 10 Nov 2011 12:34:28 PSTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341cdd0d53ef0162fc482498970dWhen the Penn State story broke this weekend, I was shocked to hear what had happened, but in the last 48 hours as the horrific details continue to filter out, I can only think of the children that were abused and how their lives were taken from them. Think about all the things we took for granted as kids with safety at the top of the list. And these children may never feel safe again - no matter what happens. But the thing that really angers me is that there was not one adult that put the children's safety first....http://thestarryeye.typepad.com/nysports/2011/10/assessing-the-market-for-jose-reyes-1.htmlBaseballNew York MetsNew York YankeesJose ReyesNew York MetsTheStarryEye AstrologerWed, 19 Oct 2011 06:14:10 PDTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341cdd0d53ef015436410a28970cI hear from Met fans a lot via texting and Twitter and they all ask me the same thing--will Jose Reyes be back? I have never wavered in my viewpoint from early in the year and my sense is he will be back. That being said, the process has barely begun and as with any business deal, a myriad of factors can either catalyze the process or slow it down. For example, does the Ryan Howard injury make it more or less likely the Phillies might take a run at Jose? From everything I am hearing, the Phillies desperately want...http://thestarryeye.typepad.com/nysports/2011/10/why-doesnt-anyone-care-about-the-world-series.html2011 SeasonBaseballNew York MetsNew York YankeesWorld Seriesworld seriesTheStarryEye AstrologerMon, 17 Oct 2011 13:46:10 PDTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341cdd0d53ef015436330e2a970cI walk around the streets of New York and nobody cares about the World Series. It is sad to see, because if you love baseball, you have to love this series. I know the Mets had a rotten year and the Yankees made a quick exit in the first round but this Texas/St. Louis series has some juice. It is a shame New Yorkers don't see it. You know we all say the New York baseball fan is smarter and more perceptive than any other fans in the country, but if the truth be told we're as provincial as any...http://thestarryeye.typepad.com/nysports/2011/10/jose-reyes-1-mets-off-season-priority.htmlBaseballNew York MetsOff SeasonJose ReyesTheStarryEye AstrologerThu, 06 Oct 2011 05:49:32 PDTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341cdd0d53ef015435ef90dc970cBy Rich Coutinho » More Columns For an organization that has now gone five seasons without a playoff appearance and possesses one of the sport's biggest payrolls, there are many challenges for the New York Mets. But the issue that Sandy Alderson must tackle first is re-signing Jose Reyes. Sure, this team has other problems like a leaky bullpen but the Reyes decision will impact greatly the path Sandy Alderson will take this off-season. And not signing Reyes could have far-reaching implications for this franchise both long-term and short-term. I think readers of this blog know how I feel about...http://thestarryeye.typepad.com/nysports/2011/10/lets-clear-some-stuff-up-about-jose-reyes.html2011 SeasonJose ReyesTheStarryEye AstrologerThu, 06 Oct 2011 05:30:16 PDTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341cdd0d53ef0153921beb1c970bBy Rich Coutinho » More Columns I have sat and listened to the so-called experts pontificate about the merits of Jose Reyes and whether the Mets could or should sign him. All I keep hearing is about the last game of the season and how Jose Reyes should have done this or done that. The bottom line is he led the league in both batting and triples and those facts are undeniable. In a season in which many injured Mets took many weeks to return to the lineup (some took all season) Reyes pushed his body to return and played...nonadult