X-Mets

Well, it's good to see the Mets determined to do something about the Frankie Rodriguez situation and with a little luck, these last weeks of the year might demonstrate just how little creativity, imagination and good sense they'd showed when making that deal in the first place. Not for nothing but the post-Rodriguez bullpen hasn't given up a run in 13.1 innings.

That doesn't mean they're necessarily going anywhere. Their offense is a much tougher fix -- always has been -- and it's probably buried them in a deeper hole than they'll ever hit out of. To that end, they welcomed Rod Barajas back to the roster today and sent Fernando Martinez back to Buffalo. Jerry seemed unable to commit to the kid anyhow, and surely Barajas will only take playing time from Josh Thole, at least until its evident there's no shot with this group. Too bad. In the end it was relying so heavily on veterans with questionable offensive track records that killed 2010.

To get you updated, Pat Misch was recalled and Raul Valdes sent down; Ryota Igarashi went down when Rodriguez returned from his two days in the penalty box but was back up upon the revelation of his injury and subsequent assignment to the restricted list. I have no idea (nor any opinion) on how the grieveance hearing ought to go, but applaud the Mets for taking a stance here, if only to save themselves from Omar's folly and the big lie of the Brand Name Closer. And if they don't prevail, they'll have gotten what they deserved.

I fell asleep halfway through but for the first time in weeks the Mets didn't, earning a win behind some great defensive plays and a clutch hit by of all people, Jason Bay. And just like that, they look prepared to win a few games again (as long as they can resist bunting as much as they did last night).

I was kind of saddened to hear the team designated Fernando Nieve for assignment, even though I'm sure he'll land safely in Buffalo. But if you need an example of what's wrong with how Jerry Manuel uses the bullpen, here's your guy. Forced onto the team as a result of having no minor-league options, Nieve was used in the Mets' first four games, six of their first eight, and 9 of their first 13, a completely unsustainable pace. In all he made 24 appearances with one or no days rest. He was used in short relief and long relief, in close games winning, blowouts losing, and even got a start. Predictably, his effectiveness wobbled under the workload and he went from a 100-game pace to a forgotten man in an instant, which seems a waste of a young guy with a good repertoire if some control issues. Manny Acosta was recalled from Buffalo to take his place and outfitted in the same No. 36 he wore earlier this year.

Former Met coach and director of player development, Casey Stengel disciple, and Cardinal-managing nemesis Whitey Herzog will be enshrined in Cooperstown this weekend. Richard Sandomir of the Times has a nice article today focusing on Herzog's Mets career, quoting Keith Hernandez, Ralph Kiner ... and me.

The time to get panicky isn't now but three weeks ago, when the seeds of another dreadful Met run were laid. I remain convinced despite the evidence that the rotten offense and lapses in concentration among the pitchers is more or less just what happens to this team, and that to this point, every one of those lulls has been answered with an even hotter run, and that the team as presently constituted -- despite some versatility concerns -- is as prepared to get on a hot streak as any group we've run out there.

So I'm not panicking that Oliver Perez is back, and I don't believe the Mets will bleed chemistry now that Jeff Francoeur is on the bench (and/or the trading block). And even though I cried for the Mets to sack Jerry Manuel in May, it probably wouldn't make much of a difference if they didn't make that move until October. What they need now is a solid win or two, some support, and watch it go from there.

Wanna see an inspiring win? Check out the video highlights here (good stuff begins about 1 minute in, and doesn't stop). Dig Claudell Washington wearing No. 15 with no nameplate! He'd been with the team for a week by then and they hadn't yet gotten to it despite playing at home the whole time. Justin Turner by the way was demoted to make room for Perez.

For the first time in 15 years, the Mets have a player wearing No. 2.

The team on Friday recalled infielder Justin Turner from Class AAA Buffalo and assigned him uni No. 2: A shirt that belonged to coaches Sandy Alomar and Gary Pettis, and manager Bobby Valentine, since 1995, when Damon Buford wore No. 2. The Mets were close to another issue of No. 2 this spring until Frank Catalanotto switched to No. 27 at the dawn of the season.

Who's Justin Turner anyway? According to the Internet, he's a righthanded-hitting middle infielder who, like Damon Buford, came to the Mets via Baltimore (We recalled the Damon Buford Story here earlier this year). The Mets claimed Turner on waivers in May of this year when the Orioles designated him for assignment while activating Brian Roberts. Turner, who had a cup of coffee with O's last September wearing No. 83 (wow!), arrived in Baltimore via Cincinnati in the Ramon Hernandez trade. He was a 7th round draft selection of the Reds in 2006.

As a second baseman in Buffalo, Turner was hitting .297/.342/.400 in 193 plate appearances. He was activated in favor of Nick Evans, who returns to AA Binghamton, in part because he provides better middle-infield depth with Jose Reyes unavailable for an undetermined period of time, and in part because Evans wears No. 6 and that's what happens to those guys.

It was only a matter of time before six men in the bullpen proved far too radical a challenge for Jerry Manuel's management skills, and so, two weeks after returning to Class AAA Buffalo, lefthander Raul Valdes was recalled Monday. Interestingly, room for Valdes on the roster was created when the Mets disabled Fernando Tatis with a shoulder injury, raising the question of who Jerry will turn to when the opposition counters pinch hitter Chris Carter with a lefthanded pitcher: It's quite possible his head will explode and it will be left to Dave Jauss to decide.

My apologies for the lengthy layoff: I had little to report as far as numbers went and I tried to stay out of the way of the Mets when they were playing well. That obviously came to an halt last week in Puerto Rico, where the Mets began exhibiting many of the same traits that made them look like one of the league's worst teams earlier this year: Pitchers falling apart with two outs and none on, sloppy bullpen work, and questionable managerial tactics seemingly contributing to a team suddenly losing its nerve to win. Let's hope it's just a stumble in an imperfect but hardly disappointing first half.

The photo above is a snap of coach Bill Monbouquette's 1982 jersey as being sold on eBay by MBTN reader and jersey collector Nick, who wrote in recently. Check out his stuff here.

One of the few working writers to cover both Monboquette and Manuel, Marty Noble, will be the featured guest at a special Amazin All-Star Monday coming to Two Boots pizzeria in Grand Central Station next Monday, July 12, at 7 pm. Don't miss this! Marty is a terrific writer, a great interview and a 35-year chronicler of Metsdom. Also on the program will be Howard Megdal, author of The Baseball Talmud and candidate for the next Mets' General Manager. Faith & Fear in Flushing's resplendent penman, Greg Prince, will co-host with yours truly. Two Boots, located in the lower dining concourse at Grand Central Station, will offer a special All-Star inspired pizza and a free drink for all fans in exchange for a Mets baseball card. The Home Run Derby will provide televised entertainment. 

We're packing up and heading down to Charm City for the weekend to celebrate my birthday and wedding anniversary, and intend to catch Sunday's Mets-Orioles game at Camden Yards with family down there. If you happen to run into a clown wearing Mets road jersey No. 70, it might very well be me. In preparation, I contacted my friend Kevin in Maryland, whose writing projects include NumerOlogy, an mbtn-like review of Orioles history by uniform number (the url is giving my browser trouble right now, so I hesitate to pass it along until I know the problem is fixed); a site celebrating various Orioles baseball cards; and an ambitous collecting project known as The Great 1965 Topps Project. (The Johnny Lewis card shown here hails from that iconic set. If any of you can help Kevin complete his his '65 series via trade, please let him know at the site).

So Kevin knows his stuff, and though his team is having a rough go of it this year, he was a good sport in fielding the following series of questions which hopefully gets you up for the weekend series or at least hungry for steamed blue crabs with plenty of Old Bay (the seasoning, not the disappointing Met free agent). Take it away, Kevin!

MBTN:  Juan Samuel once entered in the middle of a Mets season and ruined it. How's he done for the O's so far?

Kevin: Ugh. Juan was our third base coach for the past few years, a job that he was quite suited for…as long as the primary goal of a third base coach is getting Melvin Mora thrown out at the plate by 20 feet. From what I’ve seen and read in the week since “Windmill” took over for Dave Trembley as interim manager, he’s making all of the same mistakes as his predecessor: bizarre hit-and-runs, a revolving door approach to the bullpen, batting Julio Lugo leadoff (as opposed to literally anyone else). If there’s a silver lining to the team’s continued failures, it’s that there’s little chance of Samuel being retained as manager. Speaking of ex-Mets though, I hear Bobby V is interviewing with the Orioles…

(ed note: This makes me happy for Bobby and sorry for myself, but is a lot better than his replacing Joe Girardi).

MBTN: Looks like R.A. Dickey will start Friday and Hisanori Takahashi goes Saturday. How do the O's hit knuckleballers and lefty junk throwers, respectively?

This one’s easy: they don’t hit knuckleballers, lefty junk throwers, righty junk throwers, ambidextrous pitchers, flamethrowers, sinkerballers, sidearmers, submariners, or even batting practice pitchers. The O’s have scored 193 runs in 58 games (3.3 per game). They’ve been shut out five times, scored a single run 13 times, two runs eight times, and three runs 10 times. Not exactly a formula for winning baseball.

MBTN: Why is Ty Wigginton your best player? Don't you have Markakis and Jones and Weiters and Tejada and Scott? 

Kevin: I’m a big fan of Wiggy, from his whimsical name to his hilarious physical appearance to the fact that he’s been the only guy on the team who has been productive for most of the year. As fun as it’s been watching Ty challenge for the league lead in homers, I wish he had a little help.

Most of the young guys have taken a step backwards for one reason or another. It seems like Nolan Reimold never fully recovered from offseason ankle surgery, and now he’s at Norfolk trying to figure things out. Adam Jones was never a patient hitter to begin with, and without any protection in the lineup opposing pitchers are happy to give him junk to swing through. I have the most faith in Wieters, who Trembley gave a pretty heavy workload in the early going. Samuel has pledged to give him more time off, and he’s working on shortening his swing for better results. On Tuesday he had his first three-hit game of the season, so he may be turning it around. As far as the vets, I'm afraid Tejada is getting old and missing his vitamin B-12 and Scott is the very definition of streaky. Markakis is still getting on base, but again pitchers aren't challenging him because the rest of the lineup stinks. Other than that, things are great.

MBTN: The Mets saw Matusz at least once this spring and couldn't touch him. Guthrie scares me too. Why don't these fellows have more wins?

Kevin: As impressive as Matusz has looked at times, he’s still a rookie. He’s had a couple rocky starts and he’s essentially learning on the job. But his chief failing is that he can’t drive in runs for himself. The same goes for Guthrie. After a nightmarish 2009 season, Guts is back to his familiar role as the de facto hard luck ace. Look at his last start against Boston, when he retired 16 batters in a row but let up two runs in the seventh inning. That was enough to pin him with the loss, along with another bullpen implosion. Are you sensing some themes?

MBTN: The Mets lose most of their games on the road by failing to score enough early then coughing up their slim lead in the 8th and 9th. Which Orioles relief pitcher(s) will come away with the win(s)?

I doubt that any Oriole reliever is stealing a win this weekend, but Will Ohman is as likely as anyone. He’s been a rare scrap-heap success for Andy MacPhail, a once-effective lefty specialist who was derailed by injury and had to make the club out of spring training on a minor league deal. He didn’t give up an earned run until Memorial Day weekend. Of course he’s appeared in roughly 90 games already this year, and hasn’t looked so good in the past week. Also keep an eye out for second-year pitcher David Hernandez. He was overmatched at times in the rotation, but he throws hard and has looked better since being moved to the back end of the bullpen.

MBTN: It's my birthday/anniversary weekend, and we're staying at the Hilton Garden on the Inner Harbor. Where do we:
a) watch World Cup games?
b) Get good steamed crabs?

Happy birthday and anniversary! For watching soccer, I know the Hilton has a nifty little bar called the Diamond Tavern. If you’re looking for a pub, there’s the James Joyce on President Street and Captain Larry’s on E. Fort Avenue. Both are within two miles of the ballpark. For crabs, LP Steamers (also on E. Fort) comes highly recommended.

(ed note: We have tentative plans for crabs at Obryki's)

MBTN: Was Lee Mazzilli a good manager? He was once a hero here but can't even get work as a broadcaster anymore.

To put it bluntly, no. The Birds have had their share of crummy managers (and crummy teams) over the past 13 years, but Mazzilli was the only one that I can remember who lost the support of the team. The front office supposedly hired him because he talked a good game, but rumor had it that he did zilch in the way of game preparation and wasn’t much of a communicator.

MBTN: What's the most frequently issued number in O's history?

It’s a three-way tie between 23 (think Chris Hoiles and Tippy Martinez), 37 (Stu Miller and a whole lot of nothin’), and 39 (Eddie Watt and more nothin’). By my count, each of those has been worn by 30 different guys.

Once again, I'd like to say, 'Thanks, Hon' to Kevin for sharing his knowledge of the enemy!

Quick update before I head out to the park tonight (meet me at McFaddens! I'll be wearing No. 70):

Gary Matthews Jr. has been designated for assignment, at long last -- only to be replaced on the roster by ... surprise! ... Omir Santos, our old friend from last season who unfortunately is hitting Class AA pitching about as well as Sarge Jr. hit in the majors this year. This development was sparked by reports indicating Henry Blanco has been hurting. Omir you might recall wore No. 9 last time we saw him. 

Also returning to the squad, and reportedly in tonight's lineup, is infielder Ruben Tejada, who was recalled when Luis Castillo finally went onto the disabled list with achy breaky feet. Tejada wore No. 11 last time through.

Sounds like there will be several moves to catch up on soon, when the Mets may or may not disable Luis Castillo; recall and assign numbers to outfielder Jesus Feliciano or infielder Justin Turner, decide on keeping Chris Carter around, and recall pitcher Jon Niese form the disabled list, perhaps while also succeeding in convincing Oliver Perez to take his act to Buffalo. Then there's the issue of whether Bobby Parnell ought to be replacing the suddenly ineffective Raul Valdes or Ryota Igarashi, who looks to me like the worst pitcher in the league about now. We will update as necessary.

Until then, let's get excited for knuckler R.A. Dickey's next start, and the beginning of a new homestand and the end of a road trip, with the first in a multi-part exclusive series at MBTN we're calling Meet the Dicks. We are starting naturally with the Mets' first ever Dick, Dick Smith.

* * *

Dick Smith was purchased by the Mets along with Norm Sherry from the Los Angeles Dodgers organization shortly after the end of the 1962 season. A fleet, righthanded hitting outfielder, Smith had been signed by the Dodgers as an amateur free agent out of Medford, Ore. in 1957 but had yet to reach the majors. He was a freeswinger with good power-speed potential: He'd hit 19 home runs, 18 doubles, 11 triples and stole 30 bases with Omaha of the American Association in 1962.

The Mets were in the midst of what would become a 22-game road losing streak when they recalled Smith from Class AAA Buffalo the following July. The team had lost patience waiting for the bat of shortstop Al Moran to come around and banished Moran to Buffalo and installed Larry Burright as the new regular shortstop. Smith was recalled to take Moran's roster slot.

Smith was issued No. 16, a jersey that had until days before belonged to another new Met arrival, Jesse Gonder, who'd received it from the man he'd been traded for, Sammy Taylor. Gonder however switched to No. 12 concurrent with the recall of Smith.

Smith made his major league debut, and became the Mets'  first Dick, on July 18, 1963 at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. Smith pinch hit for Al Jackson and fouled out behind first base: the opposing pitcher was none other than future Met (and future Met manager) Dallas Green. Smith appeared in another three games on that trip but after 10 days was returned to Buffalo when Moran was recalled. He wouldn't collect his first hit until a return engagement in September, a single off Curt Simmons of St. Louis. He'd finish the year with a .238 batting average in 42 at-bats.

Smith caught the eye of Casey Stengel during the following spring training where he was "easily the fastest man ever to wear a Mets uniform" according to the Sporting News. Although primarily an outfielder, Stengel cleverly platooned Smith and Tim Harkness as leadoff-hitting first basemen. Smith in fact led off the first Mets game of 1964 vs. the Phillies' Dennis Bennett, and played regularly at first base vs. lefties for most of the first two months of the year.

The highlight of this stretch came May 26 at Wrigley Field when Smith became the first Met in team history to record five hits in a game -- three singles, a triple and a double -- as the Mets whalloped the Cubs 19-1. However, Smith's days were numbered once his platoonmate Harkness injured an elbow. His replacement was a prospect named Ed Kranepool, then viewed as a potential star and everyday player. Smith's playing time grew sporadic and by July he was reassigned to AAA, never to return to the Mets. He hit .233 and his 6 stolen bases would tie for the club lead that year. He'd be traded back to the Dodgers following the season for a minor league lefty, Larry Miller, who'd play briefly for the Mets in 1965 and '66. Smith got only 10 turns at bat with the Dodgers in '65 before his big-league career was over.

I'd like to call out this nugget from MBTN reader Ranjrz25 in a recent comment section:

Acosta is the Mets' fourth Manny (not counting Acta)... all 4 have worn a number that's a mutiple of 6 (Alexander, 6; Aybar, Acosta, Hernandez, 36).

That's too, uh, Manny Mannies to remember. Let's give 'em a look.

I have no memory whatsoever of Manny Hernandez, a right-handed pitcher who made only one appearance for the Mets -- throwing a scoreless sixth inning in a 10-1 blowout loss at Montreal on Sept. 16, 1989. Hernandez was a product of the Houston Astros -- he'd played with the '86 NLCS opponent but not in the postseason -- but the Mets purchased him from the Twins' organization in the summer of '89 and recalled him that September. Hernandez hung around the Mets' minor leagues for another two years but never resurfaced, with the Mets or any other major-league club.

Manny Alexander was a hotshot shortstop prospect with the misfortune of having bashed into the glass ceiling beneath Cal Ripken in Baltimore: He would be acquired in a trade from the O's during spring training of 1997 (the Mets gave up minor league pitcher Hector Ramirez) and installed as a middle-infield backup. Alexander wasn't much of a hitter but I liked him in the backup role -- he was versatile, had some speed, didn't embarrass himself or the team with the glove and still had enough youthful fire to be a consideration to start. He'd be famously dealt away to the Cubs that August in the first move of Steve Phillips' burgeoning general managership: Included along with Mark Clark and Lance Johnson for Mel Rojas, Turk Wendell and Brian McRae in a trade that would reverberate for years to come. Alexander had another several years as a reserve and part-time starter ahead of him. (The photo at left is shown at the Mets Hall of Records).

Manny Aybar was part of the 2005 bullpen that took rookie skipper Willie Randolph a little while to figure out. The opening-day relief corps was stuffed with veterans including Aybar, Mike DeJean, Felix Heredia (with whom I conflate Aybar), Mike Matthews and Roberto Hernandez. Of those, only Hernandez would last the entire year; all the others would be released one by one. Aybar's climax was coughing up five runs in one inning (including issuing a bases loaded walk and three-run homer) in a shameful 12-2 blowout in Anaheim. That game and Aybar's subsequent release -- also the last of his big-league career -- set the mood for the miraculous Marlon Anderson/Cliff Floyd Game the following night.

We're already getting to know Manny Acosta and his dazzling terror: He possesses the kind of strikeout stuff that once prompted the Braves to make him their closer; also the propensity for meatballs and walks that got him released by the same club this spring.

Help fight Lou Gehrig's Disease: Join me the in the Walk to Defeat ALS May 15 or sponsor my team. Thanks!

Ryota Igarashi went onto the disabled list today with injuries sustained when attacked by a Koyie Hill bunt last night, and the Mets summoned former Brave and spring training waiver claim Manny Acosta to take his place. Reports said Acosta will be suited up in No. 36, a number worn last year by Ken Takahashi and not by a Met of significance since, uh, Greg McMichael or, perhaps, Ed Lynch. I guess maybe Grant Roberts would count if only for the hype and front-page bong hits.

Acosta, you might remember, is one 10,000 men who've been the closer for the Atlanta Braves during the Bobby Cox Era and should, but probably won't, serve as a reminder to the Mets that they're still trying way too hard to capture this elusive 8th-inning thunder. If they weren't, Igarashi might never have needed to take the mound last night in the first place.