So the Mets made it two of three from the Diamondbacks this afternoon, winning the rubber game behind a well-timed error by the bad guys, and while wearing the black unis for the first non-Friday of the year. Howie Rose told listeners on Saturday that the Mets had planned to wear black then also, only to be foiled when the Snakes at the last minute donned their black shirts. (For the record, they wore a different look in each game of the series, including the hideous solid-red tops today, indicating how out-of-control the whole unisphere is. Many people consider the red/gold thing an improvement for the Diamnondbacks, but I’m not one of them. I mean, the teal/purple thing was awful but it at least called to mind some of that Southwest painted-desert art).
Yes, and so the Mets improved to 4-1 in black this year. I meant to keep a running tally, and may still do so if I can reconstruct the season. Unless someone else already has and would like to share…
Anyway, I was visiting relataives in the Philly TV market and wound up seeing most of today’s Phillies-Giants game. You’ve probably been told the Giants suck this year, which is true to an extent, but they can pitch. Like the Diamondbacks this weekend, they probably played a little better overall but lost 2 of 3. The West has excellent pitching; we’re about to see more in LA.
Submitted by JBY (not verified) on Fri, 06/13/2008 – 11:59am.
Memo to Randolph:
William —
You want to save your job and preserve your reputation in baseball — a sport you’ve given so much to?
DON’T GO BY THE FRIGGIN BOOK ALL THE TIME. USE ALL THE RESOURCES AT YOUR DISPOSAL TO FIND THE BEST MATCH-UP FOR A GIVEN INNING, A GIVEN AT-BAT, A GIVEN GAME. DON’T FORCE-FEED GUYS INTO GAMES JUST BECAUSE OF THEIR REPUTATIONS AND BLOATED SALARIES.
CASE IN POINT — BILLY WAGNER. THE GUY HAS SUCKED FOR TWO WEEKS. YOUR ACE, THE GUY WHOM YOU ACQUIRED DURING THE OFFSEASON, PITCHES A BRILLIANT GAME BY KEEPING D-BACKS HITTERS OFF BALANCE (LIKE ANY SUCCESFUL MAJOR LEAGUER MUST DO TO SUCCEED).
WHY TAKE HIM OUT IF YOU KNOW THAT THE WEAKEST PART OF YOUR TEAM IS YOUR ATROCIOUS, GUTLESS BULPPEN?
SINCE YOU REALLY WANT TO WIN THIS GAME, PARTICULARLY IN LIGHT OF WAGNER’S RUINING YOUNG MIKE PELFREY’S DOMINANT PERFORMANCE LAST NIGHT, THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX, FOR ONCE. ASK YOUR BULLPEN COACH IF WAGNER HAS IT. METS BROADCASTERS SAID HE CONSISTLY ONLY REACHED A HIGH OF 93 MPH — ABOUT 3-5 MPH LOWER THAN HIS NORMAL VELOCITY. IF HE’S NOT LETTING ON THAT HE’S HURT, OR IF YOU HAVE A HUNCH HE JUST MIGHT NOT HAVE IT, DON’T USE HIM. WHERE DOES IT SAY THAT YOU MUST USE THIS GUY? YOU HAVE A 25-MAN ROSTER FOR A REASON.
BECAUSE THIS GAME IS SO IMPORTANT — THE ONE THAT YOU PLAY TODAY, ESPECIALLY WITH THE NEW YORK MEDIA BREATHING DOWN YOUR THROAT — AND THAT YOU MUST WIN TODAY — HAVE YOUR $170M ACE GO 8 INNINGS. SO WHAT IF HE REACHES 130 PITCHES? THIS WAY, YOUR CRAPPY BULLPEN CAN ONLY CAUSE DAMAGE IN THE 9TH INNING, NOT THE 8TH AS WELL. EVEN A TIRED, 50% EFFECTIVE SANTANA IS BETTER THAN ANY OF THE MAGGOTS YOU HAVE IN THERE NOW. EVEN IF SANTANA FALTERS SOMEWHAT, YOU’LL LIKELY STILL HAVE AT LEAST A THREE-RUN LEAD, WITH JUST ONE INNING LEFT.
INSTEAD, BECAUSE YOU LOVE YOUR LEFTY-RIGHTY MATCHUPS, BECAUSE YOU PLAYED RUSSIAN ROULETTE WITH SMITH WHO, ON CUE, WAS DISASTROUS, A 4-RUN LEAD WAS HALVED IN A MOMENT. WITH ANOTHER INNING LEFT! [WILLIAM, DON’T YOU REMEMBER HOW SMITH’S DONE THIS BEFORE — YOU EVEN SENT HIM DOWN LAST YEAR AFTER A GREAT FIRST HALF THAT SLOWLY BECAME SOUR. CAN’T YOU LEARN?]
SO IF YOU TAKE SANTANA OUT IN THE 9TH WITH, SAY, A 4-1 LEAD, YOU CAN PLAY AROUND WITH SCHOENWEIS, SANCHEZ, SMITH, FELICIANO, ETC., AND GO BATTER BY BATTER JUST TO COLLECT OUTS — SIMPLY GET THREE OUTS, WILLIAM — RATHER THAN PUTTING ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET WITH A FLOUNDERING, EVER-DEFLATING WAGNER. ON CUE, YOUR ‘GUY’ WAGNER FAILS AGAIN. ANOTHER DEVASTATING DEFEAT. ANOTHER CHANCE NOT TO GAIN ON THE PHILS. WORSE YET, EVEN MORE REASON FOR YOUR OWN PLAYERS — AND THE FANS AND MEDIA — TO THINK THE NY METS SIMPLY CAN’T WIN, OR PLAY A COMPLETE GAME.
WILLIAM, ENOUGH WITH THE EXCUSES. ENOUGH WITH, ‘IF OUR HITS GO AN INCH TO THE RIGHT OR LEFT OF THE D’BACKS FIELDERS, WE WIN.’ ENOUGH WITH, ‘BILLY’S MY GUY. TOUGH LUCK ON THOSE TWO INFIELD HITS.’ ENOUGH WITH, ‘I THOUGHT OUR GUYS GAVE A GREAT EFFORT, PARTICULARLY DURING A DAY GAME AFTER A NIGHT GAME.’ ENOUGH WITH, ‘WE’LL GET ‘EM TOMORROW.’
William, you’ve been in this sport for 30 years…why can fans see this but you can’t?