An Open Letter to Terry Collins

Dear Mr. Collins,

Congratulations on beating out Bob Melvin, Chip Hale, and Wally Backman and becoming the 20th manager in franchise history. You inherit a team that went from contenders to choke artists to master choke artists to injured to just plain garbage. And that's putting the last five years eloquently.

I'm not expecting 2011 to be much better. I'd be happy with the team finishing 81-81 and Johan Santana returning to form. And for Carlos Beltran to actually show up to the park. I understand 2011 needs to be a rebuilding year. And I'm okay with that.

Along with becoming the manager of this team, you also automatically become the scapegoat Mets fans turn to if things start to really suck...except for that time Luis Castillo dropped the ball; that was totally his fault. A lot of Mets fans are unhappy with your hiring because you're not Wally Backman. They'll overlook the fact that you were the Mets Minor League Field Coordinator and probably know the farm system inside and out, coinciding with Sandy Alderson's strategy to rebuild this team from within the organization. They just see that you quit your job with the Angels and fear you'll do the same thing with the Mets, and in some ways, their worries are legitimate.

However, I think most of us are being too quick to disregard you in any sense. I mean, you haven't managed a game for this team yet, and there are quite a few who have counted this team out for the next two years. This is a team whose fanbase has suffered. Over the last four years, we were mismanaged, injuries were mistreated, and ticket prices went up. Ownership was taking our hard-earned money and not giving us a product that we can actually root for. I mean, when Oliver Perez pitches, you can put it in the books as a loss. Yet, he is getting $12 million a season to suck at his job. That's just bogus man.

I'm willing to give you a shot, because nobody can predict the outcome of the next two seasons. However, my only stipulation is that you get Bobby Valentine's Groucho Marx mustache and wear it in the dugout. And have Paul Lo Duca just walk around with his crazy eyes.

Again, congratulations on the job and Godspeed!

Sincerely,

Jessica

Eeyore: A Tragic Symbol of Mets Fandom

I have a stuffed Eeyore that sits on my bed wearing a Mets jersey, not only because my bedroom can rival Jimmy Fallon's in Fever Pitch, but also because the Mets jersey was to big for my Yorkie to wear. I was talking to my brother on Skype yesterday and I happened to pick Eeyore up, and I said that Eeyore would make a good Mets fan, because of his Debbie Downer nature. He would say, "Aww shucks, the Mets lost again." And then he would go about his day letting the outcome of the game get to him. Which is something I do...on a very regular basis.

Eeyore expects things to go wrong and is never surprised when they do go wrong. He simply says, "I knew it." That's kind of what the 2010 effort was to me. Because the Mets had failed to string together a thee-game winning streak for the better part of two months, I was able to successfully predict the outcome of most of our sets this past summer. And even though I was expecting the Mets to lose on a certain day, it still got to me.

There are certain times in a Mets game where I can expect something to happen. Whether it be Luis Castillo dropping the ball, David Wright hitting an unclutch single to left field, or Oliver Perez pitching there are things every game that you just see coming. And when these things happen, Eeyore goes to his Gloomy Place: Rather Boggy and Sad. Mets fans go to Citi Field, which, for argument's sake, is also rather boggy and sad.

Despite his gloominess, Eeyore is also capable of love and compassion. Mets fans are also capable of love and compassion, considering we still watch this team year after year because rooting for the Yankees is like being married to a movie star. Eeyore made a plant grow because he gave it the love it needed; Mets fans sent suggestions to John Ricco and the Wilpons as soon as the calendar turned October 4. It takes a lot of compassion to root for a team that has virtually eliminated itself by the All Star Break.

The Eeyore on my bed wears a Mets jersey. It may hurt to be a Mets fan. We might be gloomier than Eeyore's Gloomy Place, but the promise of a big payoff keeps us hanging on. And when we do get our day, it will be a lot sweeter than expected.

Looks Like Sandy Is Dandy

Sandy Alderson is expected to be announced as the new GM for the Mets as soon as Friday. Both my Twitter feed and my Facebook feed exploded with the news as soon as the business day ended on Tuesday. That was quick, guys. Note to self: Come up with better word play for Sandy.

But lets face it; most fans expected the Wilpons to go through the interviewing process only to name him the GM. Now, we are only waiting for spam from Jeffy to confirm this. This is the man we want. This is probably the only guy that can fix the team.

The way I see it, there are two winners this week: John Ricco, who will likely be taken under Sandy's wing and ultimately be groomed to be the next general manager of the New York Mess...erm...Mets, and Bengie Molina, who will get a World Series ring no matter who wins it because he's played for both the Giants and the Rangers this season.

Now, that the top priority of the offseason has been settled, we need to get a manager. There are conflicting reports about Wally Backman; Twitter exploded with reports of Bobby V. going to the Brewers, which were quickly shot down. Some are even suggesting the remote possibility that Joe Torre could be considered. All though he might be too laid back. It has to be either Backman or Valentine with my vote going to Valentine, as long as he brings the Groucho Marx mustache with him.

Hey, we're doing something right!

I'm a Public Relations student at school and have been steadily watching the Mets handle this GM search and seeing how this all relates to what I'm learning.

Most recently, we've learned about crisis managment and what a company or an organization should do if a situation such as a crappy team should arise. I must say, bravo to the Mets PR department in handling this situation.

They are putting the fans first by acknowledging that we are disappointed (and some of us are downright pissed off, namely me) and then by saying that fans have actually reached out to the organization to give their suggestions. Next, maybe they can lower ticket prices but for right now, handling this GM search is the main priority.

They took responsibility by saying the organization and the ownership is at fault. Whether or not we actually believe this is up to us. Lets face it, 9 out of 10 of us probably didn't believe it, because Jerry and Omar would have been replaced at say, the end of July instead of October 4.

Most importantly, they are being honest. Those of us (which is probably all of us) who suscribe to the Flushing Flash can get updates on the GM search. And if not, you can follow the team on Facebook and Twitter. I wish I can get paid to update the Mets Twitter page. I would fix that up.

So, on the PR front, I guess if you're going by my textbook, the Mets are doing everything right. Or at least Jay Horwitz is.

The Mets Have a Long Way To Go

Jeff Wilpon has a long way to go when it comes to re-building his team. The Mets have been interviewing candidates for the Mets GM position all week, and according to Wilpon, they hope to have that man in place by the time the World Series begins.

According to the Mets Twitter page, Josh Byrnes has been interviewed and Sandy Alderson will meet with Wilpon and John Ricco today. At this point, according to MetsBlog, Alderson appears to be the front-runner for the job because of his excellent relationship with Fred Wilpon and even more important than anything in the history of life....Alderson wants the job. I think the Mets should hire anybody willing to clean up this mess.

Whoever the new GM certainly has a lot of work to do, starting with hiring the right manager. Hey, Bobby Valentine withdrew his name from consideration for the Marlins job! Wally Backman lead the Brooklyn Cyclones to the playoffs! Whoever the new manager is, need to have that special spark that lights a fire under this team.

With this team, one misstep could result in another sub-par season. I think at this point, I'd be happy if the team finished 81-81 next season, mostly due to all of the dead weight we have. If only there was a team stupid enough to trade for Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo. Of course, that's a pipedream. As is the hope that the Mets win the division next year. Or that the Phillies won't get to the World Series this year...of course, that's a bit more realistic.

People Get Fired, Jessica Is Happy

In unschocking news, Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel were both fired. Or, if you prefer the Mets press release, Minaya was "relieved of his duties" and Manuel's "contract option wasn't exercised."

Minaya was offered a front office job, but has declined. No word yet on who might be the next Mets GM, but insiders say it will be a veteran GM.

Rumors continue to swirl about the next Mets manager, with Wally Backman and Bobby Valentine being the focal points. Tim Kurkijan said on SportsCenter this afternoon that Valentine makes the most sense for the Mets, but it probably won't happen. Very typical for the Mets. Other names being thrown out there for speculation include Bob Melvin and Ken Oberkfell.

Personally, I was waiting for this day for a long time. Actually, Minaya's time was about 2 years overdue. Even though we were all expecting this, I feel as though we won something. That being said, Omar and Jerry are both good baseball people; it was just their time.

This should all make for a very interesting offseason.

Final David Wright Strikeout Counter: $16.10

Can We Forfeit Yet?

There's four games left in the 2010 Mets season. Four. And three of them are against the Nationals (although this might actually be a point in our favor). For the Mets to crack .500, they can't lose again. But this is the Mets we're talking about, not a team that...gee, I don't know, wins games! (By the way, I'm fully endorsing the Tampa Bay Rays in this year's playoffs)

Nick Evans is shut down. Carlos Beltran is shut down. Although I can't find myself too upset about the latter. I strongly dislike Beltran and fully blame him for the Mets trading away Frenchy. However, since things have been pretty downhill since the team went to Puerto Rico, I can't blame him for entirely breaking up the team's chemistry.

Is it possible for this team to cry "Serenity Now!" and forfeit the rest of the games? I wish they would. Maybe it would give Jerry and Omar extra time to clear their offices out. Come Monday, hopefully we will also have some answers as to the future of this team.

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $15.90

R.A. Dickey Is the Only Reason I Still Watch the Mets

I'll admit, when Omar Minaya signed R.A. Dickey this offseason, I thought to myself, "Why are we wasting our money on a 35-year-old pitcher?"

Well, R.A. Dickey has proven pretty much everybody who had that same thought wrong. R.A. Dickey's knuckleball may arguably be the sole bright spot in a season that might perhaps be the most epic failure of a baseball team ever. Now, when I see that R.A. Dickey is pitching, I say to myself, "We have half a chance of winning today, provided that the offense actually shows up."

Dickey leads all Mets starters with a 2.80 ERA and is in second in wins, only behind Mike Pelfrey. Dickey's allowed 48 earned runs in 154.1 innings pitched, even though because of the Mets offense doesn't show up half the time, I don't think this stat reflects accurately on his 11-6 record (even though out of our regular starters, he has lost the least amount of games).

We have half a chance of avoiding a sweep of the Braves today because of R.A. Dickey. Not because of David Wright or Angel Pagan (who, FYI leads the team in batting average), or the bullpen or the management. When R.A. Dickey takes the mound, it's like I have better confidence in this team. Of course, this team has totally crushed me in recent weeks. Lets just leave it at I feel better with Dickey on the mound than anybody else.

Can we please bring him back next year? Kthanksbye.

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $15.00

The David Wright 150th Strikeout Extravaganza!

If I had a dime for every time David Wright struck out, I would now officially have $15.00!!! Huzzah!!!

My goal was make $20 on David's striking out, but I will have to settle for $15 and thank God his whiffing isn't as bad as it was at the beginning of the season. Sure, David may lead the team in swinging and missing, but we can all rest assured that he also leads the team in home runs :D

Just because the Mets are mathmatically eliminated from ever amazingly coming back from behind and destroying the Phillies, the David Wright Strikeout Counter will not die! I think I'm both proud and sad that I cared about a stat this long into the season.

Well, Mets fans, enjoy these last few games we have left; it's gonna be a long winter. And always, always, always root for whoever ends up playing the Phillies in the playoffs. And I really miss the Great Gazoo/Dark Helmet batting helmet.

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $15.oo

I Can't Believe I'm Writing This Sentence

The Mets have won three games in a row.

I can't believe I just wrote that. The Mets have won three games in a row. The Mets have won three games in a row. That, my friends, is called a winning streak and their first one since June 10-18, when they had that 8-game winning streak. June seems like so long ago.

With this win, the Mets have climbed back to .500, which I am perfectly content with. However, I do think we got lucky thanks to a couple of defensive errors on Pittsburgh's part, a 7-run 4th inning and a key hit from Angel Pagan.

Jenrry Mejia left the game after 2.1 innings with shoulder issues....I have a feeling he would have pitched the first Mets no-no. An MRI is scheduled for tomorrow. Raul Valdez came in and immediately got us in trouble. Well, it could have been worse....it could have been Oliver Perez.

Tomorrow, the Metsies wrap things up with Pittsburgh and try to complete the sweep (really, I just wrote that?!?!?). Mike Pelfrey takes the hill against Charlie Morton, a guy who is 1-11 with a 9.05 ERA. Future Cy Young anyone? Somebody's in line for their second win of the season.

Dear God, please let me be wrong about the outcome of tomrrow's game.

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $14.90

I Like Dan Warthen

As the Mets near the reality of being mathematically eliminated (Tragic Number: 5), rumors are swirling around about whether or not Omar gets re-assigned, about who might replace Omar Minaya, and about who might replace Jerry Manuel. Because lets face it: Omar and Jerry will not be at the helm for 2011. If one of them is still here and 2011 is totally depressing, at least we know who the common denominator is *cough* Omar *cough* and can assess the situation.

However, with all this talk of firing and hiring, what about the job status of some of Jerry's coaches? Obviously, Howard Johnson is on the chopping block. But if I had to pick somebody to survive the inevitable housecleaning, I would say Dan Warthen.

Pitching has never been an issue for us all season, except when Oliver Perez was in the rotation. But we fixed that...and now we're paying Oliver Perez $12 million to sit in the bullpen (somebody tell me where to sign up for this gig). In our current rotation, only R.A. Dickey is over the age of 30. Jon Niese, Dillon Gee, Jenrry Mejia, and even Mike Pelfrey are still young, impressionable starters. Whatever Dan Warthen is doing with these guys is obviously working. If we were to change that, I don't know how well that bodes over.

Mets pitchers have pitched 18 shutouts this season, and that's no small feat considering the lack of offense they get. Any hit can be the game winner on this team. I think the pitchers have even greater pressure on them when the hitters aren't hitting. I give Warthen and his pitching staff a ton of credit for the job they're doing. I hope everybody sticks around for 2011.

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $14.70

I Literally Cried.

In case Mets fans have been living under a rock for the last six hours, or have been totally disgusted by the team all together and have stopped caring, Johan Santana is having season-ending shoulder surgery*. He should be fine by the beginning of spring training 2011 and the prognosis for a full recovery is "execellent."

When I heard this news, I literally cried. Like not a fake cry. A full on cry. Not because our ace pitcher is hurt. I mean, lets face it: the Mets would be lucky to finish the season with a .500 record. Because I know what's coming. The Mets already need to get a solid #2 starter for the 2011 season. Or even a #3 guy if they re-sign R.A. Dickey (which I totally think they will). Oh yeah, and maybe a closer guy.

Looking into the crystal ball that is our already-doomed 2011 season, neither void in the rotation will be filled if Omar Minaya remains the general manager. Sure, the neccessary changes to our coaching staff will be made (buh bye Jerry!), but no new players will be signed and we'll be stuck with Oliver Perez and John Maine, who is apparantly still a Met.

I think I cried because I'm thoroughly disgusted and I just want the season to end. I want the pain, and the suffering, and the misery to end! And then I want Omar to get re-assigned. Although I am a fan of a good firing (au revoir Jerry!), we do have all that "untouchable" young talent in the minors/Mets thanks to Minaya.

But I just don't see the preverbial gap in our rotation ever being filled.

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $14.30 (the David Wright Strikeout Counter does not reflect tonight's plate appearances. But they're losing badly like I said they would, so....yeah)

*This photo is not from today's press conference. Luckily.

Oh. Em. Gee.

In the epic battle of two pitchers making their major league debuts, Dillon Gee was the winner. Oh course he was the winner. I mean, it was their turn to win. That being said, expect R.A. Dickey to go down to Nationals tomorrow.

But back to Dillon Gee. He pitched 7 innings of one-run ball, and no-hit the Nationals for five innings. The next time this happens, might I suggest to Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez that they should probably shut Gary Cohen up using whatever means necessary.

Met-killer Willie Harris continued to be a Met-killer by killing Dillon Gee's no-hit effort. It's like the Nationals assembled a team of Met-killers that can totally annhilate (you thought I was gonna say kill, admit it) the Mets, but not tonight!!!!!!

Ike Davis hit a three-run homer in the first inning to provide all the offense we needed. We scored another run in the second to...you know...give us breathing room.

David Wright apparantly has a bruised ring finger and was a late scratch from the lineup tonight. He better come back soon. He was on a tear. But at least now I know he isn't on the shit list.

With this victory, Omar Minaya's job is saved for another day. However, the tragic number still goes down to 12 because I just realized that the Phillies were in first place. Bastards.

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $14.10

I'll Take Anybody

As we get into September and perhaps the most irrelevant baseball of the entire Mets season, we are asking ourselves questions like:

"Who is going to be the next manager?"

"Will Omar get fired too?"

"Who will stay and who will go?"

"Which needs will and won't be addressed?

"Is Oliver Perez going to be in a Mets uniform?"

"How bad will Luis Castillo's knees be next year?"

"Will Carlos Beltran ever be at 100%?"

Obviously, I know the answer to none of these questions. If I did, then I'd say the Mets will win the World Series in 2013 and David Wright finally gets the NL MVP award he should have gotten three years ago (By the way, this year, I'm endorsing Joey Votto for the MVP award. Don't judge.) and Johan Santana wins a Cy Young Award. But really, I wish I could be that optimistic. But the Mets make it hard.

Two names have come up for opinion in the Mets managerial race for 2011. They would be Wally Backman and Bobby Valentine. Currently, Backman is within the Mets organization, leading the Brooklyn Cyclones to the playoffs. Jeff Wilpon met with Backman earlier this week to discuss "stadium renovations" to KeySpan Park. Something we all surely believe. Backman has also recently said that there are some things he could probably do better than Jerry Manuel.

The other name tossed into the ring is Bobby Valentine. Valentine got the heave-ho back in 2002 along with Steve Phillips after a dismal effort. However, Valentine has the ability to take nothing and make into something. I mean, who knew who Benny Agbayani was before Bobby Valentine hit the scene? And he did something right in Japan if all those Japanese baseball fans protested to keep him around, right? But really, I miss a good ejection followed a sneak attack into the Mets dugout whilest wearing a Groucho Marx mustache.

Peter Gammons is reporting that Bobby Valentine is the frontrunner to come back. But really, at this point, I think I'd take anybody. Really, I'd take anybody. I would like for it to be Wally Backman or Bobby V, but instead of endorsing one or the other, because I'd be happy with either one, I'm gonna say that the next Mets manager should not be Jerry Manuel.

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $14.00

They Should Have Forfeited

When I saw the lineup of Castillo, Thole, Wright, Carter, Beltran, Davis, Duda, Tejada, and Pelfrey, I thought that this team should just forfeit. And that they did. They snuck in a run in the eighth inning, but otherwise only got two hits.

Mike Pelfrey let off four runs in five innings. Billy Wagner got his 31st save of the season...for the Braves. I forgot how much I hated the Atlanta Braves. But I think I hate our team more at this point.

While it's great to see a lineup filled with young players, we're playing for dignity at this point. If you put the Buffalo Bisons (plus David Wright) up against the Atlanta Braves, the Atlanta Braves win every time. We really don't have a better lead-off hitter than Luis Castillo?

This team sure knows how to piss off its fans; they could give me free tickets and I wouldn't go to the game. They could let me meet David Wright before....wait, I'd go to the game, bad example.

Au revoir, 2010 season.

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $13.90

How Come We Can't Trade the Players We Hate?

I liked Jeff Francoeur. He had a cannon of an arm. I'm pretty sure he led the majors in outfield assists. Sure, he didn't hit the ball very well this season, but when Frenchy did hit the ball, it mattered. Six of the 11 home runs he has hit either tied the game or put the Mets in the lead. I'll be honest, I was hoping we'd keep Jeff Francoeur around. He seems like such a refreshing clubhouse personality and always has a good demeanor about him.

Frenchy's all-around good persona made him an instant fan-favorite, despite his career low .234 average or whatever it is. I stopped looking at stats about two months ago (save for the strikeout counter, which is sadly bookmarked on my laptop).

Now, Frenchy isn't the only fan-favorite to either not come back next season or get traded mid-season. Most naotably, there is Tom Seaver and the Midnight Massacre. Although it's hard to say who was more upset: the fans or Seaver himself. We got rid of Nolan Ryan; however, Ryan had requested the trade and is now El Presidente of the Texas Rangers, where Frenchy will soon be landing.

More recently, I cried when I found out that Edgardo Alfonzo was going to the Giants. I was upset when Mike Piazza didn't get another year with the Mets. And although I liked Carlos Gomez and was sad when he left, we got Johan Santana in return so we really couldn't mourn that loss for long.

Thinking about how some of these players left and thinking about hasty trading just because we didn't really need Jeff Francoeur anymore (and because he was on Jerry's $#*! list) makes me think that nobody in that Mets front office is thinking about the bottom line. They're not thinking about which players really draw fans to the ballpark. Jeff Francoeur was a player that I would want to sit in right field for. Now I have to retreat back to my usual seat of choice...along the third base line.

I also want to know why we can't trade away the players that we hate. It's not like Luis Castillo is hitting any better than Jeff Francoeur; it's just no team was stupid enough to claim him when he was placed on waivers. I don't anybody, the Mets included, wants to touch Oliver Perez with a 10-foot pole. But at the same time, who wants to pay Oliver Perez $12 million for doing nothing? I wish I could get paid $12 million for doing nothing. Oh wait, that's called hitting the lotto, which is exactly what Oliver Perez did, contractually speaking.

So basically, I'm blaming Omar Minaya for everything. Again. Even with ticket prices slashed down to $11, you're still gonna have the fan base that is pissed off at you...which is basically the whole fan base.

Au revoir, Frenchy. You'll be missed.

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $13.80

"We've been playing competitive baseball."

I swear to God Omar Minaya really said that. Paul White's USA Today cover story didn't really tell us anything that we didn't already know, but that statement made me laugh to the point of tears.

In competitive baseball, your offense hits the ball. You don't resort to putting Oliver Perez into an 8-3 ballgame. I saw that man, knew the season was immediately over and turned on Bachelor Pad.

In the same USA Today article, David Wright said, "We're not doing a good job collectively of scoring runs and winning games."

I don't know if anybody else sees this or is thinking what I am thinking, but I'm quite possibly thinking that Omar Minaya doesn't see the problem. The team sees the problem. I think even Jerry sees, but doesn't want to mention, the big elephant in the room: our offense is terrible. It is putrid.

While Jerry is not signed beyond this season, Omar has a contract through the 2012 season. It doesn't matter who the manager is; if we continue to have the same problems year in and year out, then this team is going nowhere. The manager takes the easy fall when really, it's the general manager's fault that there are these huge gaping holes in our lineup that are being filled by guys like Luis Rodriguez...who is Luis Rodriguez?

Perhaps Omar or the Wilpons should take a tip from Ron Darling: "This team has to be brutally honest with the fanbase. If you get knocked around, don't say 'Well, I thought I made some good pitches.' The fans around here know better."

At least somebody gets it.

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $13.80

You Mean the Baseball Gods are Listening???

Yes, this is what I am suggesting. Jon Heyman reports that Omar Minaya's job might not be as secure as Fred Wilpon was letting on around three weeks ago. Hey Fred, the sun didn't come out in Florida; does that mean we get our wish? In fact, it's rained here for about three days straight.

Sure, last night's walk-off win was good, but a win yesterday means a loss today. In fact, we haven't won more than three games in a row since the middle of June. And winning two in a row seems to be such a devious task that we can only do it in rain-shortened games against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Unless some sort of miracle happens, ala 1969, I have a feeling that Jerry might not be the only handed a pink slip come October 3. The only coach, in my opinion, that should feel safe is Dan Warthen. He basically took a starting rotation of Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, and three replacements and turned them into the lone bright spot in this Mets season.

Of course, to us Mets fans, the miracle would be the axing of both our GM and our manager. Naturally, this change doesn't automatically mean that things are going to get better. It won't guarantee that the Mets won't go through growing pains in 2011 with a new coaching staff. It will, however, show us that ownership realizes that they aren't getting anywhere with the guys that they have now and that they just don't see us as dollar signs.

Of course, if Omar is terminated as Mets GM, it will come as a surprise to few. He put himself in a position to be incapable of improving this team when we really needed to, like last year when everybody got hurt. He has deemed so many prospects to be "untouchable" that if their name comes up in trade talks, it's immediately dismissed. He signed Oliver Perez to a $36 million dollar deal, which is the same money that Drama Rodriguez is getting. Luis Castillo is still a Met.

I have a sneaky feeling that the Mets are gonna finish with the .500 record they seem so settled on. It's time for change peeps!

Just a friendly reminder: tonight is the Citi Field sitout. Don't go to Citi Field tonight. Watch the game on TV, listen to it on the radio. Don't go to Citi Field. The power of one will turn into the power of many and our voices will be heard--by being completely silent.

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $13.30

Jerry Manuel Finally Admits This Team Stinks

As I'm perusing my usual morning blog run, I find an interesting Jerry Manuel quote, courtesy of Joe D. over at MetsMerized. Usually, we can count on Jerry to at least have some optimism about this team; I mean, if I was a manager that didn't have to worry about (starting) pitching, I would be optimistic too.

But instead, Jerry offered this piece of knowledge that is not news to any Mets fan that has actually watched a game since the All Star Break:

“We have to do what we’ve been talking about all of the time, we have to do more offensively. We’ve got to find a way to get that done. I mean, that’s poor. That’s a very poor effort on our part offensively…We have to do better. Period. It’s pathetic. We have to do better.”

Jerry used words that Mets fans use in their lexicon every day such as "poor" and "pathetic." I would like to add "disgusting" and "unwatchable" to the mix. I mean, this blog counts how many times our star player strikes out! By the way, I am glad to say that Mark Reynolds has struck out far more than any other player in the bigs and that David hasn't led the league in this category since like June.

What really sucks is that we signed a "bat" in Jason Bay and he did nothing before getting the Ryan Church treatment after suffering a concussion. Jerry needed a bat. What did Omar Minaya do? Call up Ruben Tejada and Fernando Martinez. Omar Minaya has done nothing to fix the needs of this team for three years. We still need bullpen arms (hopefully ones that don't punch their father-in-laws). We still need that bat in the middle of the line-up because lets face it: David Wright is not a clean-up hitter.

But we really can't put all of the blame on Omar. This team has been terribly managed by Jerry at times. On Sunday, the Mets were facing Kyle Kendrick. Jeff Francoeur has like a career .400 batting average against this guy and what does Jerry do? Bench him. Yeah. And the Mets looked stupid on national TV.

As much as it sucks to be Jerry Manuel right now, I would have to agree with Joe and say that he did bring some of this upon himself.

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $12.90

There are now smiley faces on my pocket schedule where the Mets have days off.

So the Mets lost 3-2. No big surprise there. We won one, so now we have to lose one.

Once again, Pat Misch didn't pitch a bad game. He went six-plus innings while letting off the three runs of death. The Mets just don't score....or hit the ball. The Mets offense got three (3!) hits tonight! Pat Misch had a better night at the plate than six of his teammates! Our two runs came in the fourth inning, courtesy of Jeff Francoeur and Chris Carter.

This win one/lose one pattern has gone on since the end of June. I know this pattern all too well. I'm predicting the outcomes of these games before they even happen. We've tried shaking up the lineup, shaking up the rotation, releasing the guy who did have some sort of leadership role while riding the bench, bringing up young studs like F-Mart and Ruben Tejada, and threatening the team with Oliver Perez. Nothing has seemed to work. Maybe a coaching shake-up or a managerial shake-up. A sacrificial lamb? It might work or it might not work. At least then the Wilpons would be committed to having their team finish with the .500 record they are struggling to maintain.

On the bright side, if the win one/lose one pattern continues (which I'm 99.9% positive it will), the Mets will finally win a road series against an NL-team this weekend....but then again, even the Pirates have to win sometime.

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $12.90

David Wright Went Home Sick, So Why Was He Limping?

David Wright provided one of the more scarier moments in the game when he came up lame while running to first base. For two innings, Mets fans were left wondering: "Was it the hamstring? PLEASE GOD DON'T LET IT BE THE HAMSTRING!" Well, I thought it was the hamstring, and my dad thought it was the hamstring.

Game ends, Mets win. On the post game show, we wait in suspense to see what happened to David. And in the end, we find out that he was feeling "lightheaded and queasy." So basically, he needed a hotdog? They couldn't have told us that in the 13th inning so we're not freaking out? And even though people have tried to explain it to me, I still don't understand how queasiness leads to limping. Which leads me to a more important question: is David playing hurt?

If David was playing hurt, it would certainly explain this ugly slump that he seems to breaking out of. But somehow, I doubt he's hurt. Fatigued? Maybe. Tired? Maybe. Frustrated because the team has no offense and he's carrying the weight of this team on his shoulders? Most definitely.

We'll see what happens tonight when the Mets try to win their first road series against a National League team. Pat Misch takes the hill. And somebody makes sure David Wright has a pretzel before the game. They tend to make you thirsty, thus providing hydration.

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $12.80

Where's the Leadership?

So this team somehow won two games in row before ultimately losing two out of three to the Phillies. Before turning off last night's game, Jon Miller and Joe Morgan were commenting on David Wright's 5-for-43 August. I turned the game off in like the sixth inning, so I lasted longer than I thought I would, but that number is probably not accurate.

Miller and Morgan also pointed out that as of the sixth inning of last night's game, the Mets were hitting a .187 with RISP after the All Star Break.

As David grounded out that inning, the fans at Citi Field let him have it. "Boo," they said, "BOOOO!!!!" As much as I love him, I have to admit that I did boo at the television screen.

David is supposed to be out homegrown superstar, our Derek Jeter. Except we don't show David Wright commercials on the YES Network. However, the difference between Jeter and Wright is that Jeter is able to lead his team. Wright hasn't harnessed his leadership abilities yet. Trust me , I know they're there. How? Well, Alex Cora had to have done some good for this team.

If David is waiting for the (W)right time to step up as a leader.....step up now!!!!! Sure, we're not gonna make the postseason, but at least lead us to a respectable record and let us go out with dignity! Then we can fire Jerry Manuel and get somebody like Wally Backman to be the manager.

By the way....the sun is not out in Florida. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for some firing. Even if we fire Oliver Perez.

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $12.60

Worlds Are Colliding

In Mets Land, there are two worlds: the Real World and the Bizarro World. The Real World is the same ol' song and dance, win one-lose one and your closer gets arrested for beating up his father-in-law. In the Bizarro World, the Mets are Amazin'. We have awesome offense and great pitching and your ace pitcher doesn't get accused of sexual harrassment.

With the pitching performance of one Robert Allen Dickey tonight, the worlds are colliding. You see, Robert Allen Dickey pitched a complete game, one-hit shut out. And the hit was to Cole Hamels, so if you want to look at it from another perspective, Robert Allen Dickey no-hit the starting eight players. Holla at yo' boy! I'll classify this performance, although we expect solid outings from Robert Allen Dickey, as Bizarro.

Carlos Beltran hit an RBI double. Mike Hessman hit a ball that was out of the park but was ruled a triple and I have never seen my Facebook News Feed explode in anger so quickly. This was all the run support that Robert Allen Dickey got, which is very, very real. The Mets offense combined for five hits, one of which was a double by David Wright that *fingers crossed* will break him out of his slump and keep my strikeout counter silent (although I would love to get to 200).

So, my Mets expectations for the second half of the season are very low: maintain a .500 record and win two games in a row...and guess what??? The Mets have done that for the first time since June 22-23 against Detroit! Actually, I'm dead serious. I have the Pocket Schedule O' Suckage to prove it. As Lou Brown would say, "We won one yesterday. If we win today, that's two in a row. If we win tomorrow, it's called a winning streak. It's happened before."

Lets make it happen again. Pretty please?

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $12.50

Hey, look at that, we blew it!

Jon Niese pitched 7 innings of 1-run ball. The Mets were winning. The Mets blew it. To take a quote from the bleacher bums in Major League 2.

Angel Pagan hit a home run in the first inning and That. Was. It. HELLOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! WAKE UP OFFENSE!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, I love the pitching. But that's it. I hate the bullpen. I despise the offense. David Wright is striking out waayyyyy too much.

There are no words. There are no words.

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $12.50

Count Your Blessings

To the left is one of the many signs of Karl Ehrhardt, or as we all may know him, "The Sign Man."

If the Sign Man were still alive today, I'd really like to know what his signs would say. The great thing about the Sign Man was that Ehrhardt so perfectly articulated how he felt about the team as a whole, without using the word "sucks." I would, and do, use the word "sucks" on an almost regular basis.

I'm counting my blessings tonight. The Mets scored one run against the Phillies tonight. One. Freaking. Run. And we're about to trade the guy that produced that run...allegedly. Thank you Frenchy for making the ball go bye-bye. I thought Citizens Bank Park was supposed to be hitter friendly. I guess that's unless you're the Mets.

The Mets won no thanks to guys like David Wright and Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran. Nope. It was a brilliant pitcher's duel between Johan Santana and Cole Hamels. In the end, Cole's one mistake cost him the game. Johan totally confounded the Phillies offense, not letting off a hit until the sixth inning. I think 2nd-half Johan is finally getting into his groove, and hopefully just in time to help this team stay above .500, which is really all I want right now.

Count your blessings. The Sign Man says so. A win is a win, and I should be happy for at least the next 12 hours, which is always a good thing. And in the spirit of counting our blessings, R.A. Dickey pitches tomorrow. (against Roy Halladay)

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $11.80 (I think. MLB hasn't updated their stats so I had to go back to David's last 10 games. Correct me if I'm wrong.)

All Hope Is Lost

Apparantly, Fred Wilpon has no intentions of firing Omar Minaya after the 2010 season comes to an end on October 3. Oh, come on, like I'm the only Debbie Downer amongst all Mets fans.

When asked by Mike Puma of the New York Post about whether or not Minaya would be back next year, Mets owner Fred Wilpon said, "Is the sun going to come up tomorrow?"

Sadly, yes, the sun'll come out tomorrow. You can bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, there'll be sun.

Omar's best move came when we got Johan Santana on the cheaps before spring training 2008. Omar's worst move still plagues the Mets bullpen. And obviously, after like three and a half years of suckage and then the general manager doing nothing to improve the team rewards you with job security. My only question is....where do I sign up?

Thanks to Mack's Mets for the tip.

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $11.50

Welcome Back to the Real World

I hope you have enjoyed your stay in the Backwards Bizarro World. We are now approaching our final destination: The Real World. Your captain today is Mike Pelfrey. Just a little bit about your captain today: he is 2-6 with a 7.98 ERA in his last eight starts. In his first 14 starts, however, he was 9-1 with a 2.39 ERA.

Seriously, what has happened to Mike Pelfrey? Not only that, what has happened to this team? It's come to the point where they are not watchable, not listenable, not even "check the score"-worthy.

What is it about Jerry's Boys that has disgusted so many? Maybe it's the fact that when pitchers do their job, the offense doesn't come though. Maybe it's the fact that our only reliable pitcher right now is R.A. Dickey. Maybe it's the fact that our general manager did absolutely nothing to improve the team at the trade deadline because he put himself in a position where he couldn't do anything to improve the team. Maybe it's because our manager absolutely kills our bullpen arms (Estimated Death of Manny Acosta's Arm: Saturday). Maybe it's because Oliver Perez is still in a Mets uniform.

Barring some kind of miracle (like sweeping the Phillies on the road), I consider the Mets out of the playoff hunt. They should focus on bettering their farm system and finding new personnel. As for the fans, there's always football. And Keith-isms. The Keith-isms alone might save the season.

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $11.50

Welcome to the Backwards Bizzaro World

Last night, Jeff Francoeur hit the game-winning home run off current Braves closer/former Mets closer Billy Wagner. I give you now the series of events that transpired to get us into the backwards bizzaro world:

~July 2009: Jeff Francoeur gets traded from the Braves to the Mets. At the time, we are pissed off because at the time, Ryan Church was our best player. Frenchy then makes Omar Minaya look like a genius and we forgive him...for today.

~Later in 2009: Billy Wagner returns from surgery, and goes to the Red Sox after the Mets decide that we don't need him because the whole team is hurt and the Mets are out of the playoff hunt anyway. Mets get Chris Carter in return.

~2010: Billy Wagner is named closer of the Atlanta Braves. Billy Wagner does good for the Atlanta Braves, making Mets fans scratch their heads and say, "Why couldn't he do that for us?"

~Yesterday: In a tie game, Bobby Cox relies on his closer to get to the bottom of the ninth inning unscathed. Bobby probably figured it'd be easy, because it was the bottom of our line-up. WRONG. Jeff Francoeur sticks it to both the Braves and Billy Wagner in one swing. As I'm sure that Frenchy has done the same thing while he was a Brave and Billy was a Met, we have now entered the Backwards Bizzaro World.

Of course, in the Backwards Bizzaro World, the Mets perform in the clutch and get good hitting, pitching, and make sweet defensive plays. Meaning, our stay in the Backwards Bizzaro World could very well end tonight, so enjoy it while it lasts.

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $11.50

I Looked at August's Schedule and you Don't Want to Know What I Said

After the Mets got snakebitten yesterday (well, except for David Wright), I took it upon myself to see who we were playing next. So I whipped out my Pocket Schedule O' Suckage and whatdaya know, we're playing Atlanta. On the road. Shit.

Then we're playing Philly. On the road. Shit.

Then we come back home and play Colorado. Shit.

Then we play Philly again. Shit.

Then we play Houston and Pittsburgh and Florida and Houston again before heading back to Atlanta at the end of the month.

Basically, we have a tough schedule coming up. I would like to gain some ground in the division. But I really don't think that's going to happen for a number of reasons:

1.) The Atlanta Braves are the best home team in the majors. And we suck on the road. You do the math.

2.) The stupid Phillies have their stupid "Roy-tation" now. We can only hope that despite of this "Roy-tation," the offense doesn't perform in the clutch. That might happen since Shane Victorino is on the DL. That might not happen because if one guy doesn't step up, another guy kills you. And that's why I hate the Philadelphia Phillies.

3.) The Mets tend to lose to teams like Houston and Pittsburgh. A series with the Mets could send a sub-.500 team on a nice little run.

4.) Mike Pelfrey is back to sucking.

5.) Oliver Perez is still in a Mets uniform.

6.) Same goes for Luis Castillo.

7.) Because of a depleted farm system, the Mets really can't make a big move in the next half hour. I mean, we can't even dump our reject players onto the Cubs for their reject player. That's gotta tell ya something.

8.) Jason Bay is on the DL...wait...that improves the team.

9.) We can't rely on Darryl Strawberry to call out the team everytime they suck. If we are going to rely on Darryl Strawberry to call out the team everytime they suck, we should pay him for his services because that seems to be all the time.

10.) We're currently 7.5 games out and in 4th place because Florida comes before New York alphabetically (even though it's technically a tie for third but it could soon be 4th because Florida's on a nice little run).

The Mets need a miracle. Or for somebody to get fired, which would be a miracle in and of itself.

Team Record A.C.: 4-11

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $11.30

The Only Pitcher We Didn't Use Last Night Was Oliver Perez

13 innings. We used every arm in the bullpen we had. Except one. And that was the arm of Oliver Perez. Please God don't let it come to this.

First lesson of managing: Don't put Oliver Perez in with the game on the line. Second lesson of managing: don't pitch to Albert Pujols in the top of the 13th inning with runners in scoring position. (and that's all I'll say about last night)

R.A. Dickey takes the mound today. David Wright and Luis Castillo both have the day off. Which means I will not be tuning in to the game today. Somebody tell me when it's over.

Team Record A.C.: 3-10

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $11.20

Are You Sure That Wasn't Ollie Up There?

Johan Santana let off 6 runs and 8 hits in the first inning. The first inning! Those are both career highs in the first inning for Santana. Why am I still watching this garbage? And is it a co-inky-dink that tonight's broadcast of Wednesday Night Baseball is sponsered by Captain Morgan?

Did Johan Santana take lessons from the Oliver Perez School of Performing Arts? Or did he finally say, "Fuck you, Jobu" and decide to throw the game? Or was it a combination of both? Personally, I would love for Santana to say, "Fuck you, Jobu."

But I would also love for Lou Brown to manage the Mets. And he's dead. Maybe this one last humiliation on a national level will put the final nail in Jerry's coffin.

And we're now only losing 6-2. If only Mike Hessman could bat in every spot in the lineup.

Team Record A.C.: 3-9

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $11.20

Nobody Got Fired

Yup. Nobody got fired. Not Jerry. Not HoJo. Not Razor. Not Ollie. The only guy I think is safe is Dan Warthen. He's doing something right. And really, I think we all would have settled for Ollie.

The Mets play the Cardinals and the Diamondbacks at home this week. Where they've been good. If the suckage continues into the homestand, somebody must get fired. If the suckage continues into the homestand, then there is obviously a problem that isn't being addressed and isn't going to be solved by trading away Jeff Francoeur and Luis Castillo. Oliver Perez? Maybe.

And Rod Barajas has been placed on the 15-day DL. Mike Hessman was called up to take his place, 1800 games (or something like that) in the minor leagues later. At least it finally paid off for him. I hope this means more playing time for Josh Thole. He's young. I'd rather see him out there making mistakes and learning than watching 38-year-old Henry Blanco's knees slowly give out.

Jon Niese is pitching against Adam Wainwright tonight. That rhymes. Not that I really care anymore.

Team Record A.C. (After Carlos): 2-9

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $11.10

Jerry Is A Dead Manuel Walking

Sure, he may have gotten pulled early, but R.A. Dickey still pitched 5.2 innings of shut-out ball, while striking out 6 and walking none. Had Dickey not injured his leg, this is the stuff that gems are made of peeps.

Please Baseball Gods, don't let this injury be serious!

Dickey came off the mound funny, recorded two more outs and then Jerry lifted him. Dickey wanted to stay in the game, but respected Jerry's decision. Dickey is getting his leg examined tomorrow when the Mets return to New York.

Since the Mets only got four hits today, nobody led the offense. Our bats have frozen. Literally. Well, Castillo had two hits so I guess that's not true; if you could call two hits leading the offense, then that would be it. Jose Reyes and David Wright accounted for the other two hits.

I don't even want to think about the upcoming homestand; I'm going to enjoy tomorrow's off-day for what it is....a day where the Mets won't lose.

Team Record Since Return of Carlos Beltran: 2-9

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $11.10

Never Put Oliver Perez In With the Game on the Line

That should be lesson Numero Uno in the book of managing the New York Mets. In fact, Oliver Perez should only be in a game when we are comfortably winning or comfortably losing. I see a dead Manuel walking come Monday.

The Mets completely wasted a stellar bullpen effort by not scoring runs when it mattered. Mike Pelfrey lasted five innings, giving up two runs. Nobody really "led" the offense, with Rod Barajas and Jose Reyes accounting for two runs.

I can't really say I'm surprised anymore. I can't really say I'm rooting for this team to win anymore. I'm rooting for this team to do whatever it takes so that our incompetent front office can finally make the changes that need to be made. If they have to lose, then they have to lose. Obviously shaking up the lineup isn't working anymore and it's obviously not the pitching that's the problem. Damn it offense.....do something!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do I really care who's pitching tomorrow????

Team Record Since Carlos Beltran Return: 2-8

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $11.10

I Had To Double-Check Like 3 Times to Make Sure the Mets Actually Won

That was really my reaction when I saw that the Mets won this morning. I thought it was a cruel joke and we had really lost 6-1, but then I remembered we were the away team and the away team had the higher number last night.

Johan Santana held the Dodgers to one run over 7 innings and both Bobby Parnell and Frankie Rodriguez (God, I can't believe I'm typing this) pitched perfect innings of relief.

On a day where he was batting lower than 6th in the line-up for only the ninth time in his career, Jason Bay led the Mets offense by going 2-for-4 with 3 RBI. I can't believe I typed that either. Ike Davis homered and David Wright struck out three times, both of which are very believable since David Wright is not a clean-up hitter. Henry Blanco also went 2-for-4 last night.

Perhaps the most Amazin' thing about this win was that Jerry Manuel was ejected in the 2nd inning. Yup. You can guess that I can't believe I typed that either. Whether it lit the fire that the Mets needed or if it was just the Mets' way of saying "Get somebody else," they played well enough to win. And enjoy it now because we might not see it again for four more days.

Team Record Since Carlos Beltran Return: 2-7

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $10.90