Let's Turn this thing around!

Since my last post we have learned something very important: the New York Mets evidently read my blog.

Scroll down a little bit and you will read about me ripping the Mets apart, how its unbelievable that they can spend so much and still be so bad. Well, to say that they have turned things around since that point would be an understatement.

My beloved Metropolitans have enjoyed a 9-1 homestand, including sweeps of the Braves and Dodgers. All of a sudden their pitching (with the exception of Ollie Perez, of course, who will never be good), is dominant. Mike Pelfrey has thrown 24 consecutive scoreless innings, Johan Santana is looking in form, and the rest of the gang (John Niese, John Maine) have pitched above their heads in getting some wins.

The other noticeable difference? Ike. The Mets called up first baseman Ike Davis, something they were clearly hoping to be able to hold off on at the beginning of the season, and it has coincided with the run to first place in the NL East. Now, is Ike the only reason for the wins? Of course not. Other players have finally started to hit as well, but Ike's .355 batting average has certainly made a difference in comparison to whatever garbage Mike Jacobs and Frank Catalanotto were bringing to the table. They weren't doing anything like this either.

At 13-9, the Mets actually look like a legitimate team this again. Keep an eye on their results this weekend, though, when they have to take on the Phillies in Philly. Then we'll see if they actually have a chance of contending come September.

$132 Million never bought so little

Dear New York Mets,

Quit wasting so much money. If you are going to be this bad, just go ahead and put your money to better use. Give it to the community in Queens or something. Better yet, give it to me. I could do a whole lot with just shy of $133 million. I mean, that is a whole lot of cabbage. I could fulfill my dream of owning a space shuttle, for one thing.

Now, I realize that I am writing this the day after the Mets managed to pull out a 2-1, 20 inning win over the Cardinals, but honestly that is most likely going to be the greatest highlight for the team this season. An 0-7 performance from your lead-off man is going to be your most memorable highlight from the season. Cause let's be honest: this rotation is simply not going to get the job done.

The one bright spot for the boys this year has been Mike Pelfrey, who is 2-0 on the season, and happened to get a save in last night's marathon game. Pretty impressive. Hopefully Mike can keep up the play, cause in my experience he has been inconsistent.

So this being the first baseball post of the new year, it is only natural that I talk about my RMOB stat. I plan on keeping track of things again this year, and will hopefully have a season ending RMOB standings to really judge the experiment. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, check out this post. Looking forward to seeing how that plays out.

Little Man in the Garden

It's been far too long since I've posted, and a lot of pretty cool stuff has happened lately. My excuse is that I've been posting like a mad man on the Flyer News blog and then it was Easter.

I'm back now though. Madison Square Garden is cool though. Sitting on press row in the Garden when you could extend your feet and be on the court is even cooler. To give you an idea of where I was sitting, just look at the basket in the picture. I was underneath that. Hanging out on the court after Dayton won while the players were going nuts is even cooler.

So I had a great time. Part of me is glad that Dayton went to the NIT, cause this might be the only two times I ever cover a game in MSG. Hopefully not, but maybe. At the same time, though, it was the NIT. I mean honestly, as great as it was to see the guys play well and win the tournament, it was the NIT. Don't go bragging to your friends or shouting it in the streets. The fact remains the season was a disappointment. The NIT Championship is a consolation prize.

Now the Flyers have to move on. London Warren, Kurt Huelsman, Rob Lowery, Mickey Perry and Marcus Johnson are not going to be here next year. The way I see it, Kurt and Marcus are the two big losses from that group. Everybody else is easily replaceable, especially since there were a lot of negatives that came with the positives London and Rob brought to the table.

It is going to be interesting to see who Dayton actually has next year. Chris Wright might go to the NBA, and rumors abound about Chris Johnson and Paul Williams both transferring. Personally, I think all three will be back next year. Wright isn't good enough, and CJ and PW are going to be starting all next year and the focal points of the offense. Them and Wright (if he comes back) could be Dayton's Singler, Scheyer and Smith.

I'll keep my fingers crossed.