Random Thoughts of a Mets Fan

I understand that Terry Collins is trying to save his job (despite what the front office says about his job being secure). Too often he hurts players' development (e.g. Lagares, Mejia) with his decision making.  Sometimes he takes the unconventional route. Why get cute and bat the pitcher 8th?

He also has a perplexing obsession with Eric Young.  I get it, he has speed, but he is a 4th Outfielder at best, with a low On Base Percentage and average outfield defense. Taking playing time from Lagares in favor of Eric Young is doubly unproductive. As is playing Bobby Abreu 5 or six straight days. I understand the offense can be putrid but no one wants to see a slow, 40 year old playing the outfield every day.

Sandy Alderson is not to blame for the pitfalls of the team but he is not completely immune to it either. He has been hit or miss with free-agent signings, but he has done a great job of stock-piling young pitching in the farm system and executing some very nice trades. He's also cleared up payroll and trimmed a lot of fat off the roster.

The problem here is the manager.  Too often he mismanages games, burns the bullpen and bench too early in games or doesn't make proper in-game adjustments. These moves lose games and players' faith in their manager.  

Why is the U.S. the "moral authority" on all things global?  Who exactly appointed our country?  Why not just let things resolve themselves?

Every time the United States gets involved in a conflict in the middle east things get exponentially worse.  Soldiers die, civilians die, animosity towards the U.S. grows; nothing good results from foreign involvement.

The middle east has had progressive conflicts for hundreds, even thousands of years and our country must have a pretty big ego (or we're just too stupid to realize) to think that we can just step right in there and eradicate all of these issues in one shot.  We have plenty of problems that we should be focusing on; the value of the dollar, high unemployment, the reformation of our education system, more emphasis on science, innovation and technology to prevent "brain drain", etc.  Hey, what do I know?

So now that this article has been published in the Miami New Times, fans of Major League Baseball will once again begin to question the authenticity of statistics compiled by players in this era.

The article named 7 prominent major leaguers and mentioned that there may be up to 20 or so players in total who were receiving Performing Enhancing Drugs from a small clinic in South Florida. There are many things at play here. For one, we don’t know how credible this free newspaper is. Aside from Gio Gonzalez and his father and a short statement by Alex Rodriguez, the players mentioned in this lengthy article have yet to respond to the allegations.

For Rodriguez this becomes a bigger problem (I’m not talking about his testicles). The Yankees have been trying to rid themselves of his awful contract and could possibly be able to find some legal breach in order to null the remainder of his contract. There is also the question of what legacy, if this article is accurate, he will leave behind, especially after he adamantly stated that he only used PEDs during a three year span (from 2001 - 2003).

Ultimately, as a fan, this is very disappointing to hear. You hoped that after MLB introduced stronger drug testing, including HGH testing for this upcoming season, that the game had been cleaned up. However, it seems that as long as there is a way to cheat, someone will find a way to get around things. Perhaps a suspension with a minor league player’s salary attached to it or capping a player’s salary the following year(s), if the player’s union approves, would ultimately deter players from cheating. For example, after Melky Cabrera was suspended last season, he still cashed in on a decent 2 year deal this offseason. Would he have used a banned substance if, let’s say under new rules, he were only allowed a maximum amount of $250,000 per year as a PED offender? As of now, it doesn’t seem that a suspension of 50 or 100 games really discourage players from cheating, therefore something else should be considered.

Many questions remain to be answered:

What prominent player is next to be named?

Could someone like Jose Bautista (Miami native who’s developed power over the last few seasons) be mentioned later in the investigation?

How legitimate is this article?

Is Clint Eastwood the Batman?

A quick thought about the recent tragedy, from a close friend:‎

Out of all the topics brought up in the past few days; gun control, God no longer present in school, mental health systems, the biggest factor here is the parent-child relationship. The mother of this monster failed. The father failed. And while it is the adult that came from that child did this reprehensible act, it all started with that upbringing. This isn't an attack on single parents, who I have the utmost respect for, this is about raising your children the right way. This is about making sure that you, as a man or woman, are ready to bring a child into this world. If you're not, then your hands are partially covered in blood as well. You failed the child. If gun control laws were stricter, if there were a better mental health system in place, or if God was present more in daily class routines, none of it can't hide the fact the mother exposed this child to weapons at an early age. She had these weapons within his reach. She knew better t

Superstorm Sandy

To quote Vin Scully:

Hypocrisy is rampant throughout the U.S.  It's a common and ugly part of human nature.  I find it hypocritical that certain groups of people attack President Obama because of his race and/or his religious (or lack of) beliefs.

I think back to John McCain's campaign in 2008 and one particular juncture when a lady called, then Democratic candidate, Obama a "Muslim".  Then I remember Senator John McCain's response: "No, he's a good man", as if belonging to another religious faith meant he is somehow not a good, or moral person.   

When the New York Giants traded for the number 1 pick, Eli Manning, with the San Diego Chargers in the 2004 NFL draft they envisioned drafting a franchise quarterback. Someone who could lead the team to their first Super Bowl since 1991. They always felt as if Eli could be the one to lead the team, in a city with increasingly high expectations, to a championship.

Of course, hindsight is 20-20, and fans and the media both were as fickle as Mitt Romney is on…..well, everything. We you often got from Eli early in his career was what most young quarterbacks struggle with; making the correct reads of the defense, forcing passes into double coverage, not managing the game well, etc. No doubt, there was plenty of legitimate criticism of Eli. However, he possessed plenty of poise and (I hate to use a cliché) intangibles. No matter the situation or how dire things seemed he always seemed collected and unflappable. Of course, intangibles don’t equate to wins - making plays and minimizing mistakes does. During his first four years his record as a starting quarterback was a mediocre 30-25.

Numbers don’t always tell the story which is why it is important to see what former general manager Ernie Accorsi said in a scouting report about Eli:

Throws the ball, takes the hit, gets right back up… Has courage and poise. In my opinion, most of all, he has that quality you can’t define. Call it magic. As [former Baltimore Colts defensive back] Bobby Boyd told me once about Unitas, “Two things set him apart: his left testicle and his right testicle.

Sound familiar? Sure sounds pretty accurate and I’m sure most people would agree with Accorsi’s assessment. Most testicles do set each other apart. Also, Eli is described exactly as the quarterback he is today.

The proof is in the pudding. Eli’s authored 25 game-winning drives and 21 fourth quarter comebacks. Still not convinced? Look at what he’s done with the talent around him. He’s taken unknown players and thrust them into stardom (see Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham, Jeremy Shockey, Plaxico Burress, Kevin Boss, Jake Ballard, Amani Toomer, and so on). I’ll play devil’s advocate and say, well, players like Shockey and Burress probably had more to do with helping thrusting Eli into stardom. Well, look at what the players that have left have done since leaving the Giants - virtually nothing.

Let’s be honest, people. The Presidential debates will have an impact on how and who people will vote for. However, this race will come down primarily to one thing…well, race. Let’s just think about what our country was going through when President Obama took office - the high unemployment rate, a crumbling economy and economic crisis (i.e. the Lehman Brothers and AIG debacle) and two wars that had killed thousands of innocent civilians and American soldiers. This was no small task for sure. Has the President remedied these ills? No but he has placed the country back on the right track and has no doubt helped the country avoid another great depression.

Race, whether you want to acknowledge it or not, still plays a major part in this country. There are plenty of people who simply won’t vote for the President because of the color of his skin. This includes people who will vote against their best interests to ensure that there will not be a black man heading the White House. SPOILER ALERT: Racism still exists (and Cobb may or may not be dreaming at the end of Inception).

The Vice Presidential debate, which took place last week, was very entertaining.  Joe Biden channelled his inner Mitt Romney and made sure to get his points across, even if it was while Paul Ryan was speaking.

Joe Biden (AP Photo)

Paul Ryan, on the other had, continued the Romney-Ryan trend of bending the truth (and by bending the truth I mean making up your own facts).  I think this kept viewers engaged as they sought to fact-check each candidate's statement.  

Paul Ryan (AP Photo) 

People, let it go. Seriously.

I think as humans, we always look for someone to blame, as just or unfair it is. However, most of the times it’s usually not fair. Sometimes, the facts, the numbers, don’t lie.

Many of my friends have to understand and fellow Met fans have to understand that yes, the Mets overpaid for Carlos Beltran but whether you like it or not he did produce. And contrary to popular belief he did produce in the 2006 post-season.