Your New York Sports Blog

Wow what a game this was. This is the type of game you would have expected the 2006 New York Mets to win, but not the 2008 Mets. From top to bottom everyone was solid and did their job helping the Mets earn their 5th victory in 6 games. With this the Mets are now back at .500 with a record of 27-27.

LA Dodgers at NY Mets

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
LAD	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	7	1
NYM	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	3	8	1

W: Sanchez (2-0) L: Broxton (2-2) S: Wagner (11)
Mike Pelfrey was outstanding tonight to try an earn himself a spot in the rotation with Pedro Martinez returning Tuesday night. As the night went on it appeared that he just got stronger and stronger. His fastball was just popping the mitt and it showed in the results. 7 innings pitched, 2 runs (both earned), 6 strikeouts, and 1 walk. The bad part was he gave up 7 hits, however, working around them showed some poise.

Even though Pelf pitched well enough to win the Mets didn't score any runs for him so Duaner Sanchez, who pitched a scoreless 8th, picked up his 2nd win. The 9th was beautifully pitched by Billly Wagner who struck out the side on 15 pitches.

The offense was boring until the 8th when Jonathan Broxton came in. David Wright lead off with a deep double to right field to get the rally started. Next came up Carlos Beltran who tied the game with a 2-run bomb for his 5th home run of the season.

The same hero from a couple nights ago against the Marlins struck again when Fernando Tatis hit a single up the middle to score pinch runner Nick Evans from 2nd.

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When it was announced yesterday the Chicago Blackhawks would face the Detroit Red Wings in an Original Six match up for the Winter Classic, at Wrigley Field. it was not 100% confirmed that this scenario would actually happen. According to John Dellapina there is still an 'outside chance' the game is still at Yankee Stadium and the NHL actually once it there because it will be the last opportunity they have to play a hockey game in the House that Ruth Built.

There are a few problems with the game in New York, however. For one the parking lot is supposed to be demolished a month before the game and the stadium has to 'winterized'. To find out what winterized mean click the above link.

Now the next part is a little alarming to hear. According to Blueshirt Bulletin Anatoly Bardin, GM of Omsk, said that he will be heavily pursue Jaromir Jagr.

"We talked with him today at night. Jagr returns from vacation in New York to the Czech Republic in mid-June -- I will go to the Czech Republic to continue negotiations with Jaromir."--- Anatoly Bardin

Not only is he pursuing Jagr he is pursuing three NHL defensemen who are not from Russia, who he says are top defensemen in the league. Jagr had a good, not great, season last year, but really came on strong in the playoffs. At the time when the Rangers were still in the playoffs Jagr lead all players in points with 15 points. As long as he does not decide to grow that filthy facial hair that I can not even explain I want him on the Rangers for at least another year maybe even two or three more years.

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You may or may not have noticed, but in the Mock Draft Mania post I wrote 'What is Keith Law smoking that he has the Mets taking Brett Lawrie(?)'. Well Keith Law sent me a message on Facebook and said....

Nick:
I don't smoke.
Take care.
Keith Law

Soory Keith didn't mean it that way and now everyone knows that you are not smoker. Please forgive me.

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So I have been looking around on Mock drafts for every sports (except football because the draft is already over) and some of the drafts are nice and make sense and some are just complete crap and look like the guy pulled names out of a hat. In terms of recent professional mock drafts here is Keith Law of ESPN:

18. New York Mets -- Jason Castro, C, Stanford
Interesting rumor of the week had a few top Mets people in to see Georgia at Vanderbilt before the SEC tournament, then spending the whole day up the third-base line, where you would stand to scout left-handed hitters … like Alvarez. The Mets covet Castro but probably could play the board here and try to grab him at No. 22 instead.

22. New York Mets -- Brett Lawrie, C/2B, Brookswood SS (Canada)
The Mets are looking for position-player depth, and Lawrie would be one of the better bats in their system, although his lack of a position is a long-term concern. He's not a catcher, so taking him behind Castro wouldn't be an issue -- Lawrie could at least return to second base to see whether he could handle that position with pro instruction.

28. New York Yankees -- Gerrit Cole, RHP, Lutheran H.S. (Orange, Calif.)
Cole is a top-half-of-the-round talent, but his bonus demands are expected to be large, and whispers about his makeup started when he signed with Boras. The Yankees aren't afraid of any of those things.

...#18 still seems way too early to pick Jason Castro for me. I am not sold on him and maybe at #22 I could handle it, but not #18. What is Keith Law smoking that he has the Mets taking Brett Lawrie(?) over young prep pitchers like Tim Melville and Gerrit Cole? and even young rising star Anthony Hewitt. As for the Yankees taking the best talent available is usually their philosophy, but it seems they want to take a LHP or a 1st baseman, none of those are filled with Gerrit Cole.
Here are consensus picks from over the internet on New York picks.
MLB:

Mets: Jason Castro,c, Standford and Joshua Fields, rhp, Georgia
Neither are flashy picks, but both are solid college players, Castro being a catcher and Fields a reliever. I don't really see them taking Fields after taking a lot of relievers the last couple of years, but you never know with 'good citizens'

Yankees: David Cooper, 1st, California
Cooper would fit in with every player on the New York Yankees right now. He is a slugging player, with a good eye at the plate, and great plate discipline.

NBA:
Knicks: Danilo Gallinari, SF, Italy
Despite reports that D'Antoni was not in love with him almost everyone seems to think the Knicks will still take him. The best(realistic) options for the Knicks would be (a)O.J. Mayo drops down to them at 6 (b) They trade Jamal Crawford for T.J. Ford and draft Eric Gordon to place SG.

NHL:
Islanders: Zach Bogosian, D, OHL
Competes, physical, strong, great skater, plays well on special teams, total package. Likes going end to end. Brings new meaning to the word 'poise'. Reverses direction well. Very athletic. Great positioning, understands angles. Led entire Petes team in scoring which is unheard of for a 17 year old Dman. One of the youngest in the draft class, future franchise D. Undisputed #2 in my opinion.
Style: Chris Chelios A- (sandbox)

Rangers: Mattias Tedenby, LW, SEL
Kid can flat out fly, but his game may be more suitable for international play. The "new rules" in the NHL give Tedenby a fighting chance. Good stick handeler, loves to deke. Owns enough offensive upside to be a top 20 pick. Needs to work on his awareness in non-transition situations. Lacks defensive play to be anything but at top 6 player. Will be a hit or miss. If I had to guess, I'd guess miss but his skillset still lands him at 15 because of potential.
Style: Yvan Cournoyer C -(sandbox)

Update: 2:22 Looking at this Lawrie kid he is not all that bad and seems to have some pop, but I don't see him able to shift and play 2nd as Keith Law suggests. It could be too much for him to handle.

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Tonight the Moose was exactly what he needs to be for the Yankees to have a successful season. He pitched his 6 innings of work, gave up 6 hits, only 1 walk, 4 k's, gave up 4 runs, but only 2 of them are owned. All the Yankees can ask of him is to pitch semi-deep and give the Yankees a chance to win and it helped him pick up his amazing 8th win of the season!!! Talk about a comeback player.

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
NYY	1	0	1	2	1	0	1	0	0	6	16	1
MIN	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	5	7	0

W: Mussina (8-4) L: Perkins (2-2) S: Rivera (14)
The bullpen was in control tonight, with the only blemish being a solo home run off the bat of Justin Morneau given up by Kyle Farnsworth. Both Edwar Ramirez and Jose Veras did what they were called to do and so did Mariano Rivera. Boy how good has Mo been this year. 14 saves, an 0.38 ERA, 1 K per inning, and about a hit every other inning. He is anchoring this pen and will have to pick up more slack with Joba Chamberlain moving to the rotation.

The offense was cooking with 16 hits and 3 walks. The problem was they were only able to put 6 runs on the board, but it was just enough to win. The offense originally got started with a Bobby Abreu walk, steal, and single by Hideki Matsui to drive him in for the 1-0 lead.

Bobby Abreu got the 2nd run started with a triple in 3rd and this time driven in by an Alex Rodriguez single. The 3rd inning somehow did not include any Bobby Abreu!!!!! A Shellley Duncan walk, Robinson Cano single, Jose Molina sac bunt, and a Melky Cabrera single drove in both Duncan and Cano to tie the game at 4. The very next inning Bobby Abreu lead of with a single and was driven in again by A-Rod, this time a double.

The winning run in the 7th came by who else, but Bobby Abreu. He hit his second triple of the night and came home two batters latter when Hideki Matsui hit a ground ball to short that went right underneath the short stop's glove.

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Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman Aaron Heilman.

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
LA	3	0	0	1	0	0	0	5	0	9	12	0
NYM	2	0	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	5	7	0

W: Park (2-1) L: Heilman (0-2) S: (0)We will get to that man above, but for now let's talk about some positives. The power from Luis Castillo has been amazing. He is on pace to break his career high in home runs(6). It was not good, however, that Castillo left the game with a hip flexor strain. It was nice to see every starter get in on the offense even Carlos Beltran who went 0-2, but had 2 walks and an RBI.

The resurgence of Scott Schoeneweis has to be one of the best stories on the Mets this year. Other than Billy Wagner he has been the best reliever on the team. Carlos Muniz continued from where he left off before he was sent down to Triple A and pitched a scoreless inning.

Now we can get to Heilman or as the jersey says 'HORRIBLE'. I am making it look worse than it actually is (maybe) , but he was simply awful tonight. He recorded NO outs, gave up 4 hits, and 4 runs to blow the lead and put the Mets away. Heilman was giving the impression that he was turning a corner by not giving up a run in four appearances, but then crushed hopes and dreams with a game like tonight.

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According to the New York Post and other sources the Toronto Raptors have been actively shopping point guard T.J. Ford.

Despite his smallish size, give or take 5'11 170 lbs., Ford has blazing speed and is extremely efficient. If you go look at John Hollinger's player efficiency ratings you will see just how efficient. This is how the top 10 plays out:
RNK l Player l PER

1	Chris Paul, NOR	28.39
2	Chauncey Billups, DET	23.61
3	Steve Nash, PHO	21.16
4	Deron Williams, UTH	20.82
5	Jose Calderon, TOR	20.51
6	T.J. Ford, TOR	20.37
7	Tony Parker, SAS	20.04
8	Baron Davis, GSW	19.87
9	Andre Miller, PHI	18.51
10	Jason Terry, DAL	17.80

Just look at the two names behind him, Tony Parker and Baron Davis, two of the best point guards in the league. Now I am not saying he is better then them by any means, but it just gives you an idea of how he has played.

Andrew Smith of KnicksBlog thinks if the Knicks could do Jamal Crawford for T.J. Ford straight up it would be a 'no-brainer'. Not sure if you would call it a no-brainer, but in the end I would do it and you could use the #6 pick in the draft to select a shooting guard like OJ Mayo or Eric Gordon since the top point guard, Derrick Rose, will be long gone.

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Prized pitcher Joba Chamberlain will get his first career major league start! It will come on Tuesday against the Toronto Blue Jays. He is only scheduled to throw about 60-70 pitches so expect around 3-5 innings of work. Get excited caused the new era has arrived.

Member #2, Ian Kennedy, was placed on the disabled list with bursitis and a strained right lat. Now Darrell Rasner can stay with the Yanks even now that Joba is going to start.

Last, but not least, Phil Hughes will not be cleared to pitch for at least another week pushing his return date back considerably. Knowing how the Yankees will play it safe with him it he will be out until at least July possibly even longer.

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Yankees LoHud Blog:

He played in an extended spring training game in Tampa against the Blue Jays. He was 1 for 2 with two walks and a GIDP. He caught but did not throw to the bases during the game.

He went through his throwing program before the game. He threw from 90, 120 and 150 feet and then to the bases. Said one observer, “He had a lot of zip on the ball.”

...This will push Posada's return back to Thursday or Friday.

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Rotoworld:

Pedro Martinez (hamstring) allowed two runs and four hits in six innings Wednesday in his rehab start for Single-A St. Lucie.

Martinez fanned six and walked none while throwing 82 pitches. The strong performance should guarantee that he'll return Tuesday against the Giants. "I am really excited," Martinez said. "I would love to be there. I know the team really needs a little bit of a pat on the back, and I hope my presence will make a difference for them."

....With a successful start last night it appears Pedro will return Tuesday night against the Giants in San Francisco. It seems he picked the perfect time to come back with the team seeming to gain momentum.

With Pedro Martinez returning someone has to move out of the rotation and it appears that Claudio Vargas will move to the bullpen so he will not be lost through waivers, Mike Pelfrey will stay in the rotation to work out his kinks in the majors, and Carlos Muniz will be optioned back down to Triple A.

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Yahoo has done a list of the 10 players NOT earning the paycheck. On the list are two New York players, Robinson Cano and Carlos Delgado. Cano ranked lower than Delgado coming in at 4 when Delgado came in at 6. The list has some holes though considering Barry Zito who has a $126 million dollar contract and has pitched like crab.

4. Robinson Cano, Yankees
Coming into 2008, Cano boasted a career batting line of .314 AVG/.346 OBP/.489 — quality numbers for an up-the-middle defender. However, this season he's been lost at the plate (.276 OBP). You can point to other reasons for the Yankees' struggles — Alex Rodriguez's injury, the rotation, Derek Jeter's drop in production and customarily poor defense, the lack of reliable middle relievers not named Joba Chamberlain — but Cano's troubling decline has a lot to do with it. Fixing the Yankees is an exercise in triage at this point, but what's certain is that Cano must improve going forward.

...Putting him for on this list is a little harsh. When you look at his salary this year ($3 million) compared to some other people on the list *cough*Eric GAGne*cough* he should be much lower or not on the list. It's not like this is a seasoned vet like Delgado he is 25 and has only been up for 3 years. And his stats have really improved and if he had to be on this list comparing him to the rest he should be #10 period.

6. Carlos Delgado, Mets
Delgado declined last season, but a modest production spike in the second half raised hopes that he'd improve in 2008. That's not happening. At present, Delgado is batting .215 AVG/.294 OBP/.387 SLG, while the average NL first baseman has a batting line of .271/.358/.478. As you can see, that's a serious production deficit. Delgado is 36 years of age, so drastic improvement isn't likely. However, the Mets need him to achieve at least adequacy. It's simply hard to win when you're getting such poor numbers from a power position like first base.

....Dum dum dum.......Carlos Delgado (pause)........ This has been a really tough season for Delgado for more than just his hitting. Not only has his hitting been sub par, but his leadership has really taken a hit. Getting benched, the center of the Wagner comments, and fighting with Willie last night over pinch hitting (turned out to be the right move). Then there are self inflicted ones like not celebrating with the team yesterday.

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Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
NYY	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	4	9	1
BAL	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	9	0

W: Pettitte (5-5) L: Guthrie (2-6) S: Rivera (13)
...Boy was it nice to see someone besides Wang or Rasner pitch a good game and get the win. Pettitte did exactly what you want the starting pitcher to do by going 6.2 innings and holding the other team to only 2 runs. The MoJo Show stayed true to form. They finished the game off with 2.1 scoreless innings combining for 4k's, 3 by Joba.

Giambi continued his streak of hit the ball over the fence or get out with a solo home run in the 4th inning. The top (Damon) and bottom(Melk Man) had great games, getting 2 hits each.

...Wow talk about an exciting game. You thought the game was over in the 9th when the Mets were down by one and got a home run from the most unlikely person, Endy Chavez, who has 16 home runs in his whole career. If you think about it all the Mets' home runs were from unlikely characters, especially the Castillo one. That hit gave some hope, but Duaner Sanchez wiped away all of the hope by giving up a home run in the 12th inning causing many Met fans ti slit their wrists.

DWright, as always, did whatever it took to win with a lead of walk in the 12th. Beltran had a hard fought at-bat and singled moving Wright over to 3rd. The cast of unlikely characters continued when Fernando Tatis had the game winning hit, driving in both Beltran and Wright with a double to win the game and give Met fans and the players a sense of hope.

This felt like on of those season changing games.

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Sorry for the inconvenience, but as you can see the site has had some technical difficulties.

Post should resume either tonight or tomorrow.

Thank you for your patience.

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I do not think that I need to point this out, but if you have watched some of the Met games this year David Wright has taken a much different approach at the plate. This isn't like last season when he changed his approach and began to rake he just won't swing the bat.

It seems that at every at-bat David Wright leaves the bat on his shoulder and watches the ball hit the catchers mitt. Taking so many pitches has really hurt his batting average. After hitting .325 last year, OBP of .416, and walking 115 times his average has dropped considerably to .289, OBP of .384, and has 30 walks. He has not been waiting for the pitch he could crush and driving it to right field he instead has let it go by for a ball or strike.

Last year in September everytime a pitcher made a mistake up in the zone or out over the plate David drove it over the right field fence or hit it into the gaps for a double. The results have not been the same. His pitch recognition still is amazing, but he is not using it the same way. Even if the pitch is an inch high, but right in the hot zone Wright watches it in amazement. His hits(52) are down, but his walks(30) are up. On a Mets who is struggling for offense does not need their star player, hitting 3rd in the lineup to walk, they need him to hit.

He still hasn't slacked up in the home run department and is on pace for a slightly better season of about 32 long balls. His walks are also on a greater pace increasing around 12% for the season. Other than that everything is down: hits, doubles, average, slugging, and on-base percentage.

Some of his comments like the one underneath are alarming because even though we all know it is okay to lose I never want to here my team's leader saying it.

I can accept losing. Not easily, but every team loses here and there. But to go out and give the effort we’re giving, to go out and lose without a fight…I just don’t think we have the fire I would hope we’d have.

Mr. David Wright just please get the simple message and swing the bat, taking less pitches because it seems everytime you do something good seems to happen to both the Mets and you.

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• Tom Rock of Jetsblog writes about how we just missed another man hugging story.

• The 'Ropolitans reminds the Mets fans what you have to do.....

• Andrew Smith wonders if David Lee and the 6th pick will be enough or too much for Monta Ellis.

• Was Watching asks the Yankee fans should the Yankees pick up Giambi's option year.

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Niiiccckkk Evans!!!!!!!!!! Talk about making an impression. In his first at-bat in the major leagues he doubles on the very first pitch to drive in Fernando Tatis. In his second at bat he doubles on the second pitch he sees. In his 3rd at-bat he grounded out, but in his 4th major league at-bat he hit another double, working an 8 pitch at bat, and driving in Ramon Castro. He later scored on a Luis Castillo double. Final line of 3-4, 3 doubles, 2 RBI's, and 1 run.

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
NYM	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	9	12	0
COL	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	4	1

W: Vargas (1-2) L: Francis (1-5) S: (0)Claudio Vargas played the role of stopper tonight. With Pedro Martinez appearing close to returning he needed to shine to have any shot at sticking up on the major the team somewhere. So he did he best Johan Santana impersonation by going 7 innings and only giving up 2 runs on 4 hits. This is the kind of start the Mets were hoping to get from Johan in Atlanta, but to get it from Vargas is almost a bitter-sweet thing.

Relievers Duaner Sanchez and Pedro Feliciano were pretty much flawless to close out the game.

Above the heroics of Nick Evans were already explained, but the rest of the team were not so bad themselves. Carlos Delgado continued his recent hot streak with a home run in back-to-back games to give him 8 on the season. David Wright decided to back up his perfect words in the locker room with a home run in the 2nd inning.

What happened to Jeff Francis after two good seasons? Going on Coors Field Standards of course.

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Robinson Cano!!! I've been telling you that he has seriously been heating up and he continued this trend tonight. He reached base all 5 times with 4 hits and a walk. He helped Mike Mussina get a win ever though he pitched pretty bad giving up 4 runs and pitching only 5 innings.

Seattle at NY Yankees

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
SEA	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	2	0	6	12	2
NYY	0	4	1	0	0	2	5	0	0	12	16	0

W: Mussina (7-4) L: Silva (3-4) S: (0)
Can you say SLUGFEST!!!!! or even Home Run Derby!!! Things got crazy starting in the bottom of the 2nd inning. Jason Giambi hit a three-run bomb and Melky Cabrera singled in Robinson Cano for a 4-0 lead. Mike Mussina was in no mood to keep the lead giving up a three-run homer to Jose Vidro and solo home run to Adrian Beltre to tie the game.

The Yankees quickly grabbed the lead back in the bottom of the 3rd with another RBI single by Melky Cabrera and added onto it in the 6th with a 2-run home run by Bobby Abreu. In the next inning the Yankees scored 5 runs with RBI's from Robinson Cano, Bobby Abrey, Jose Molina, and Hideki Matsui.

When the Yankees brought in Joba Chamberlain in the 6th to work on stretching out his arm the plan went perfectly. He was scheduled to throw 45 pitches and threw 40 pitches, 22 for strikes, gave up 1 hit, 1 walk, and 2 k's. Kyle Farnsworth made the game closer by giving up a 2-run home run to Richie Sexson in the 8th, but by then the game was over.

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After Marlon Anderson hurt his hamstring in last night's game the Mets have called up 22-year old OF/1st baseman Nick Evans from AA. Evans was off to a blazing start, has cooled of since, but has still put up nice numbers with .292 with eight doubles, eight HR, and 31 RBI's. He is currently leading the team in RBI's, home runs, triples, and runs. I ranked him as the Mets 10th prospect.

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Final(13)	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	X	R	H	E
NYM	0	0	1	0	0	3	1	0	0	0	5	10	1
COL	2	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	1	1	6	13	0

W: Buchholz (2-2) L: Heilman (0-1) S: (0)
HR » NYM: C. Delgado (7), F. Tatis (1) - COL: G. Atkins (8), M. Holliday (7)

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
SEA	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	9	1
NYY	0	3	0	2	8	0	0	0	0	13	13	0

W: Pettitte (4-5) L: Bedard (3-3) S: (0)
HR » NYY: S. Duncan (1)
It was a tough loss for the Mets who had the lead in the 9th and when Billy Wagner finally decides to give up and it costs the Mets a loss.

Here is why Joe Girardi is my favorite manager and I was happy the Yanks got rid of Torre for him...

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According to Metsblog, on a SIRIUS radio station, Gary Carter was interviewed and when they asked him if he would be interested in managing the Mets he had this to say.....

“Boy, I’ll tell you what, I would love that, guys. When I saw that on ESPN today, Mike & Mike, they were talking about it and immediately I got on the phone and I called Jay Horowitz and I asked, ‘Should I try to call Mr. Wilpon?’ If there is this going on I just want them to know of my availability. I’m only a phone call away because my contract allows me to leave the ball club. I could be in New York tomorrow, if necessary, because if there’s anything at the major league level I can leave this job…The comments that David Wright made saying that, you know, there’s no spark, there’s no fire, if anything I would love to bring that to the table because you know me, guys. I love the game, have a great passion for it and you know my enthusiasm, and hopefully I would be able to bring that to maybe help turn that ball club around. There’s way too much talent there for them to be a game under .500 and to lose four in a row to the Braves. That’s just kind of uncalled for and I think that they’ve just become complacent in some ways and ever since their demise of last year. And if you look at Willie’s record it is right around .500 since June of last year. And when you have that much talent there are a lot more expectations than where they’re at right now.”

...Man you gotta love the Kid. It is nice to see him come straight out, get right to the point, and calling out Willie on the poor job he has done. I could really care less whether the Mets take a Hall of Fame catcher like Carter, Lee Mazzilli, or that idiotic Braves' minor league manager who thought he was fighting in Iraq just get someone who will not sit back and watch his team crumble without trying to fire them up.

• Marlon Anderson left tonight's game early with a left hamstring injury and a trip to the DL seems likely. Fernando Tatis replaced him and hit a home run in his first at-bat.
• Jose Valentin played in a rehab game today and went 2-3 with a double and RBI.
  

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"There is little doubt that the Knicks will shop for a point guard this summer, but at least one has come shopping for them. According to a person with knowledge of the situation, the Warriors' Baron Davis has made inquiries into the interest of certain teams around the league, including the Knicks. According to the source, his representation, after a preliminary discussion with the Warriors, has put out feelers to gauge the interest of teams in need of an upgrade at point guard. With a new regime in place and plans for a major roster overhaul, Stephon Marbury's Knicks future is tenuous. But team president Donnie Walsh won't explore a trade or buyout of the final year and $21 million left on his contract unless he has a replacement in place."
----Newsday

...There is just a small very large problem caused by our friendly neighborhood friend Isiah Thomas. The Knicks are WAYYY over the cap and could not take on the $17.8 million dollars on the contract of Baron Davis. Donnie Walsh also really likes the other Golden State guard, who just happens to be a free agent, Monta Ellis. They Knicks can't fit Ellis in unless they give him an over sheet, which the Warriors could match, so a trade and sign could be in order.

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Metsblog:

Willie Randolph, Omar Minaya and the Wilpons are scheduled to meet in person next week in New York.
However, according to multiple reports, Minaya will join the team tonight in Denver.

...This is GREAT news for all of you Met fans because quite frankly it could mark the end to Willie Randolph and Omar Minaya. It would be a wise decision to keep Omar and let Willie go. If you look at the moves Omar has made more have been positive, however, when you go to Willie everything other than 2006, where he barely had to manage, he has been terrible and can not manage a bullpen

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After reports that Pedro was still considering retirement at the end of the season ESPN Deportes is reporting that Pedro feels great physically, hasn't considered retirement, and he wants to pitch for at least to more years.

Martinez also said he is hitting 'well over the 90 mph mark'. This is a little hard to believe, but if it is true the Mets should be thrilled.

According to the post-game show Pedro will return to St. Lucie and throw a bullpen session on Sunday.

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Ian Kennedy!!!! That is what I am talking about. It was not the most spectacular start ever, but it was pretty damn good. 6 innings, 4 k's, 4 hits, *4 walks*, but all that matters was he only gave up 1 run. He did earn his 1st win of the season, but he certainly pitched well enough to earn it and maybe he is beginning to turn the corner and return to the way he was pitching last season.

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
BAL	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	5	0
NYY	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	2	7	0

W: Rivera (1-1) L: Johnson (0-2)

After Ian Kennedy left the bullpen was almost perfect. Jose Veras gave up the only hit in the 7th innings and Kyle Farnsworth and Mariano Rivera got the batters out 1-2-3 in the 8th and 9th. The 9th was all they would need to go for it would be decided much easier.

All the way back in the 4th inning Shelley Duncan had driven in the only run up to this point with a sacrifice fly driving in Hideki Matsui. Otherwise Brian Burres had helped the Yankees continue their struggles at the plate by holding them to 6 hits over 7.2 innings.

In the 9th the silent assassin was the culprit. Robinson Cano stepped to the plate against Jim Johnson with men on first and second with two out. After watching a fastball go by for a ball and a curveball for a strike Cano hit a fastball into left field allowing Hideki Matsui to score his 2nd and the Yankee's 2nd run of the game for the come from behind win.

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Yeah! The Mets have become a bellow .500 team at 22-23. This could mark the end of Willie Randolph who after being under the watchful eye made some idiotic comments and got swept by the Atlanta Braves.

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
NYM	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	8	1
ATL	0	1	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	4	12	0

W: Hudson (7-3) L: Santana (5-3) S: Ohman (1)

Just because something never works doesn't
mean you should stop doing it.

Everything was looking good to start the game. The Carloses went back-to-back in the second to give the Mets a 2-0 lead at the time and Johan Santana had only given up 1 run, however, everything was about to take a turn for the worst when the 7th inning came.

Kelly Johnson lead off with a double and was moved to third by Tim Hudson. Omar 'frickin' Infante came to the plate and drove him in with an RBI single on an 94 mph Santana fastball. Then Mr. Multiathlete Mark Kotsay hit a single and so did Mr. I am hitting.412 Larry Jones to drive in a run 3-2. Mark Teixeira drove in the final run of the game with an RBI single.

In the 9th it looked like something would get started when David Wright got on base, but then got doubled off on a scorching line drive to the second baseman by Carlos Beltran were Wright could not get back in time.

Willie = Good as gone

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The New York Mets have announced starting left fielder Moises Alou has been placed on the 15 day DL with a strained left calf. To replace him the Mets have recalled catcher Raul Casanova.

Ryan Church is not in the starting line up, but is available to pinch hit.

...It was nice to see Alou play for a whopping 14 games, but come on who thought he could get to the All-Star break without getting injured again.

Using Casanova allows the Mets to use Roman Castro as a pinch hitter and yeah! Ryan Church is okay.

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New York Yankees relief pitcher LaTroy Hawkins has been suspended for 3 games after throwing a pitch near the head of Orioles hitter Luke Scott. The pitch was retaliation for captain Derek Jeter getting drilled the day before.

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Major League Baseball is making tentative plans to experiment with instant replay in the Arizona Fall League, according to a baseball official with knowledge of those discussions.

If that experiment proves practical and successful, MLB then is likely to continue the experiment next March during the World Baseball Classic and spring-training games.

If no insurmountable problems arise, baseball could begin using replay -- though only to decide home run calls -- as soon as next season.

What is yet to be determined is whether calls would be reviewed by a "replay umpire" in each stadium, as the National Football League does, or in the MLB offices in New York, a system that would more resemble the National Hockey League.

Calls for some kind of instant replay system for home runs have arisen following a string of questionable home run calls by umpires.

...Both the Yankees and the Mets would have wished they had the use of instant replay this week when Carlos Delgado was robbed against the Yankees and Alex Rodriguez was robbed last night.

The problem is using the instant replay only on home run calls is that it is a VERY SLIPPERY SLOPE. It will tick managers off if the instant replay decides one game with a home run, but does not for a play at the plate.

I have a feeling it will fail, but if they do decide to go with the NHL style with a "home run judge" is better than having an ump go look at a booth.

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Mets are now playing .500 ball at 22-22 on the season. Not really sure what happened to Mike Pelfrey who looked great to start the game and then slowly began to crumble. His final line was not pretty with 6 runs over 4 innings driving his ERA up to 5 on the season. It all went down hill when he began walking Larry Jones for absolutely no reason other than he doesn't trust himself.

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
NYM	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	2	0	4	7	1
ATL	0	0	3	0	3	2	3	0	0	11	14	3

W: Jurrjens (5-3) L: Pelfrey (2-5) S: (0)
Pelfrey was not the only pitcher who sucked today. The relievers were just as bad.
1) Feliciano - 2 innings 2 runs
2) Smith - .1 innings 2 runs
3) Schoeneweis - .2 innings 1 run
all gave up runs in their duties of work, while Billy Wagner was the only Met's pitcher to not give up any runs and extended his no earned runs streak this season to 19.

Offensively it was not all negative despite contrary belief. Jose Reyes, like Cano, has quietly began hitting the ball much better reaching base 3 times going 2-4 with a walk and 2 steals. Fellow franchise star, David Wright, also had a good game with 2 singles and a RBI.

Carlos Beltran had a beautiful hit down the left field line when he went with the ball instead of trying to pull it and scored Wright all the way from 1st. It was a real killer that both Ryan Church and Moises Alou were out for at least most of the game and hopefully they will return soon.

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Darrell Rasner folks! Ever since they called Rasner up because of Phil Hughes' "injury" the man has been unstoppable. (3-0 1.89) 3 games, 19 innings, 4 runs, 2 walks, 14 hits, and 11 K's. Those numbers are great especially when you take into consideration this is a guy throwing around 88-89 mph. He has won every game he has pitched and that is more wins than Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes combined who has a 0-7 record.

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
BAL	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	1
NYY	0	3	3	0	0	2	0	0	0	8	13	0

W: Rasner (3-0) L: Olson (3-1) S: (0)
After Darrell Rasner got through with man handling the O's, Joba Chamberlain took his turn. He came in firing the ball upwards up 100 mph. He pitched 2 innings, threw 35 pitches, struck out 3, gave up 1 hit, and started the process everyone has been waiting for, of becoming a starter.

Alex Rodriguez has not missed a beat since coming back from his injury. He hit one home run yesterday in his debut and hit two one tonight. The one that counted was a solo shot off of Garret Olson in the 3rd and the second one he was absolutely ROBBED came in the 6th inning off Lance Cormier were he was given a double when the ball clearly hit the yellow over the fence.

We should keep an eye out on Robinson Cano who appears to quietly be breaking out of he season long slump going 2-5 with a double and single.

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