Top 10 Mets injuries and mishaps in 2009

From the home office at the William A. Shea Municipal Stadium Memorial Parking Lot in Flushing, Queens, it's tonight's Top 10 List. Tonight, the top 10 injuries and mishaps to befall the Mets in 2009.

Number 10 - Oliver Perez shows up in camp

Number 9 - Alex Cora plays half the season without the use of his thumbs

Number 8 - Mike Pelfrey claims an earthquake shook the pitcher's mound in San Francisco

Number 7 - Jose Reyes is on the DL day-to-day for the last 3/4 of the season

Number 6 - David Wright is beaned on the head by a pitch and when he comes to, he thinks he's "huntin wabbits"

Number 5 - Dozens of Mets fans get carpel tunnel syndrome complaining on their blogs about their first experiences at Citi Field

Number 4 - Someone saves Jeff Wilpon from jumping off of what was then called the Gil Hodges bridge

Number 3 - Omar Minaya removes his shirt during a press conference and challenges Adam Rubin to a fight in the parking lot after work

Number 2 - Ryan Church slips on a banana peel rounding 3rd base causing him to miss the bag in a game in Los Angeles

And the number 1 mishap for the Mets in 2009...

Luis Castillo falls down the dugout steps


Leave a comment or drop me a line at DyHrdMET [at] gmail [dot] com.
Become a fan of RememberingShea on Facebook.
Become a Networked Blog

Only bleach can wipe away this stain

I won't bore you with a recap of what Tony Bernazard allegedly did to get himself investigated by the Human Resources department of the New York Mets. That's been well covered. I found it interesting that HR was investigating him before any news reports came out accusing him of some pretty heinous behavior. I do wonder if the Mets were going to sweep this under the rug had Adam Rubin not played whistleblower (and to be fair, if Tony B. is getting into it in public, you don't really need a whistleblower).

Tony Bernazard lost his job on Monday. Joel Sherman in the Post explains why. This explanation came out before the press conference. Tony B. would be a distraction to the on-field product (had he remained) and if something else were to be reported, it just makes everyone look bad. Dismissing him closes the investigation (who wants to beat that dead horse by trying to find more dirt on someone who already lost his job from said dirt?). Without saying so, they're saying that these allegations are true.

Listen to the entire press conference at WFAN.com.

The more Omar talked, the worse he seemed to sound. He repeated himself a few times (especially about the internal investigation and Adam Rubin). Really on the defensive over having to fire Tony Bernazard. He had to be asked the same question a few times because Omar was evading some answers. Keep your statements and answers simple. The more you talk, the more your foot goes in the mouth. I've been there myself. He also let the reporters control the show by allowing way too many questions (and not just about Adam Rubin, which seemed like a small part of the show now that I've listened to it).

It could have all been left at that. Then things got strange. SNY has the video of the strange part of the press conference, because frankly, you need to see it to believe it. Neil Best covering the Sports Media for Newsday looks at SNY's coverage of the bizzare press conference.

Nice job by SNY doing a split screen of Rubin's shocked reaction as Minaya spoke

One thing that's a shame is that Tony Bernazard was fired for some stupid things and not for failing to do his job successfully. It's also a shame that it took a public outing of Tony Bernazard misconduct to get him fired when I seriously have my doubts that anything would have happened had it stayed under wraps. That's how dysfunctional I think the Mets franchise is right now. Tony B. should have been fired earlier this season for not developing the farm system enough to (even with Omar's vote of confidence at the press conference).

Even before the Adam Rubin sparring, Omar Minaya really didn't look too good as the head of the Mets baseball operations.

SNY has some reactions to this in the form of video:

• Chris Carlin and Bobby Ojeda break the news of Tony B's firing


• Adam Rubin's impromptu press conference


• WFAN's Ed Coleman's reaction


• Newsday's David Lennon's reaction


• SNY's roundtable


• Adam Rubin on SNY

After listening to what appeared on SNY on Monday afternoon, both during the press conference and after, and hearing some of what Tony Bernazard did, Tony looks bad. And Omar looks bad. Omar looks really bad by calling out a reporter for something that doesn't seem to be true or even within the realm of possibility. Brooklyn Met Fan says Omar has jumped the shark. It really is the beginning of the end for Omar. Let's see how long it takes Fred & Jeff Wilpon to make the move.

One thing that I thought as I'm reading the live blogging on MetsBlog.com, is this going to be a problem for Adam Rubin covering the club, and could there be some legal action against Omar Minaya and/or the Mets over what was said (either libel or slander, I forget which).

But wait, there's more. Omar Minaya apologized, which you can listen to courtesy of WFAN.com. This aired just before first pitch (delayed on Monday night by a few minutes because of rain). Jeff Wilpon was there, taking charge finally. Omar sounded even more flustered. Omar apologized for the "forum" in which his calling out Adam Rubin was conducted. But never for what was said. He even said he never regretted saying it in the first place. Someone during that last press conference said that Rubin could have some serious job issues (in a real stern voice). I hope this doesn't spin into a legal matter or a job "issue" for Adam Rubin. He's just trying to do his job in reporting on facts, and some private conversations about casual inquiries turned public.

Jeff Wilpon had to come back to the table today, seen on SNY, with some "reflection" and apologies all around. It is good to see Jeff Wilpon taking charge. I really wonder if this will lead to Omar's dismissal (or resignation).

Now the fallout...

• The Real Dirty Mets Blog has maybe the best and shortest reaction. IT'S A MUST READ!


• The 'Ropolitans looks at some other blogs.


• Greg at MetsMerized Online has a very strong negative opinion towards Omar Minaya.


• Wally Matthews at Newsday got my attention by putting "Dumb and dumber" in the article/post's title.


• Greg Prince at Faith And Fear In Flushing has a great take on it too.


• The Daily News has a transcript of part of the SNY broadcast reflecting on the press conference and subsequent issues.


• Neil Best at Newsday also covers what was said on SNY.


• Dana Brand has it covered, as well as the Mets Police, and Loge13.

In the end, Tony Bernazard lost his job, this could lead to a few other jobs being lost or changed, and it's an embarrasment to the Mets organization for the way that Tony B. conducted himself on the job and for the way Omar Minaya conducted himself during the press conference.

I am thinking that this is a real low point in the franchise's history, right down there with the bleach spraying incident, which coincidently, Monday was the 16th anniversary (thanks to Mets Fans Forver for that reminder.

Bare with me

I'm still trying to process everything that went down at Citi Field this afternoon, but sitcoms and food shopping have distracted me a bit. I intend to read all the evidence and weigh my opionions carefully before I come up with something profound to say. I'll even check in on the game later.

I have nothing to say and you can read it on Facebook

Well, where do I begin. I don't report game-to-game on the Mets, so I need to think of something to write or let stories fall in my lap. I've posted comments on the very weird Tony Bernazard story on a few other blogs over the past couple days.

About Tony B - he should be fired. Not just because of the allegations of his rough play with others. He's in charge of the minor leagues, and our top 2 minor league teams are in worse shape than the Mets top team is. Just like people think Omar Minaya should be fired because the Mets seemingly have no depth, Tony B should be fired for failing to do his job. But if any of these allegations are shown to be true, he should be fired just for that.

But knowing the dysfunctional Mets (and these incidents alone don't make the Mets dysfunctional), this matter will either be "under investigation" until we all forget about it, or they'll find no wrong doing on Tony B's part because Tony B is in tight with Jeff Wilpon, wannabe full-fledged Mets owner, and the crazy son of the silent owner gets his way.

On the field, I read on one of the great blogs an idea that the Mets start bringing up minor league prospects. It certainly can't hurt, but they'd have to make room on the roster. Oh but wait, don't we have minor leaguers on the roster? Time will tell, and the Mets will probably continue to fight, and fight poorly until September when the rosters expand.

Mets 2012: rejuvinated at 50.

Facebook:
Become a fan of my blog on facebook.

Oh Boy!

I don't know where to begin. I've written about injuries already. I realized today listening to the pregame show when they mentioned Alex Cora being in the starting lineup that Jose Reyes has been out for so long, the guy who replaced him has already been to the DL and back. Not to mention that the guy who replaced the replacement has gone down too.

All I can think of with the injuries is this (and I've posted comments on other blogs over the last year, and even talked about injuries in a post using this as the title). You need to click play, it's in the first 60 seconds of the video.


J.J. Putz has a bum elbow and may need surgery soon, and Reyes has a tear in his hamstring. Even the beat writers are questioning the methods of treatment. Lots of fans are getting on the doctors. I haven't had faith in them for over a year.

Even Keith Olbermann is picking on the Mets injuries.

The Mets are just a .500 team

Before I say any more, let me preface this by saying this - a good team/player can have a bad game or bad stretch, and similarly, a bad team/player can look good for a period of time. When you have a real .500 team (give or take a few games), you get enough stretches like that that it balances out what looks like, on paper, either a really good team or a really bad team. The Mets, on paper, looked like a really good team. They have had stretches this season where they just didn't show it, and times where they did. Hence, I call them a .500 team. It's different than the .500 team that played out 161 3/4 games last year (yes, I know they were a bit over .500, but not much, and one more good stretch than bad accounts for it).

Another factor of a .500 team, that I do see in the Mets, is some really strong points and some really weak points.

• They're strong in starting pitching. Really strong at the top of the rotation, and with Ollie Perez sitting in sunny Florida working out his "injury", I really don't see a weakness here. Remember, you won't get 162 quality starts. Sometimes, a pitcher can be distracted by mini-earthquakes on the pitchers mound in a city that's physically always on the move. Sometimes, he just won't have his curve ball. That's ok. Move on.
  Grade: A


• The bullpen is better than it was last season, so far. It will always be fresher at the start of the season than it will be in August and September. It has to be. But last season's bullpen, almost an entirely different set of arms, was supposed to be good too. This year's home makeover version has been good, but not great. Something is wrong with J.J. Putz. Either with his head, his shoulder, or both. Bobby Parnell has been great in the 7th, and can mature into a more important role someday. K-Rod can be dominating some nights and a bit scary on others. Sean Green has probably been the most consistent weak link. Some days, pitching bad is infectious.
  Grade: B+


• The defense has seen a topic of discussion. The Daniel Murphy experiment in LF was a complete failure. That definitely cost the Mets a few games. Funny thing is, I don't remember this being an issue last season. David Wright needs a week's vacation from 3B. I still contend a shoulder or arm injury that either the fans/media don't know about, or one that nobody knows about. He can't seem to get a throw all the way to first on the fly to make it easy for the first baseman. Carlos Delgado made him look good there, and we'll miss him for the next couple months. Beltran has been outstanding, and better when the other outfielders can get out of his way. And nothing else stands out to me there. Let's see how Sheffield handles playing every day in LF and Church and Reed split right.
  Grade: B-


• The offense, at times, has lacked the clutch hit (and usually with David Wright batting that month), and at times, didn't have that pop out of the box. And don't forget that 7 game HR-less stretch on the West Coast.
  Grade: B


• They lack depth. I'll skip over the bench and go right for depth. It's a system-wide problem. We have an infielder go down, so we call up an outfielder. And we're asking to do it again with Reyes's injury. We couldn't find a left fielder worth a damn. And he was moved to firstbase, after a week without a real firstbaseman (and nobody in the minor leagues seemed to be able to do the job). We got lucky at catcher with Omir Santos. Damn lucky. We couldn't seem to find someone satisfying to play for Reyes at shortstop.
  Grade: C


• Management. So bad, that some fans want us to go to Japan to change the tone of the club. That's another post. Player management, position management, and injury management. I'm not sure which has been worse. Injury management is the same medical staff that mis-treated Ryan Church last year. Well, I wrote about that a few days ago. Field management has been on the level of Willie Randolph's club (and that's no complement). You can't over use the bullpen in April and May. You need them in September. This is where we need the most a fresh new look.
  Grade: C-

Calling Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard

Oy. This is getting bad. And fast! First, it was Schneider, and then, long ago, it was Pelfrey - thank God that cleared up without costing too much. Then it was an "injury" for Perez. That's being worked on. In the last 8 days, Delgado, Reyes, and now Cora. The 2nd quarter of the Mets season (starting technically this coming weekend) will look nothing like the 1st. A review comes this weekend.

Reyes - at first, we thought it was punishment. But 2 games. 3 games. Oy. 5 games, and the backup shortstop goes down. Not really punishment. Jose, we need you.

Delgado - they should have planned for this one. It's not much of a shock. But the Mets, from the majors to the St. Lucie team, doesn't seem to have a real first baseman who can be called up, so they bring up an outfielder (actually, coming off the DL). If this lack of depth costs them the season, this one's squarely on Omar. I still think with the nagging nature of his injury, before the surgery piece came out, he should have been DL'd a week ago when he re-aggrivated it, allowed to have 2 weeks rest without costing the team a spot on the bench, and then evaluate, instead of sitting for a week and holding down the bench. The end result would have been the same for him, but maybe we'd have an extra pinch hitter to help us in those games. On the flip side, I hear Port St. Lucie is really nice this time of year, and has more Mets stuff in it right now than Citi Field does.

Cora - shit! I was out watching sitcoms and all the sudden, his injury was DL-worthy. We seem to have plenty of middle infielders to call up. Thank God Castillo is healthy and playing well. Let me say that again. Thank God Luis Castillo is healthy and playing well.

Ramon Martinez is back, and if Dodger Stadium was any further away from the airport, he wouldn't be in the starting lineup. 20 minutes before first pitch he arrived. I don't even like being at the park that late. So much for moving the AAA affiliate out of the Pacific Coast League.

some thoughts on Opening Day and Opening Week

Some thoughts. I'll preface it by saying that I haven't watched every pitch of the season (either live or replay/archived game). Same with last night's home opener, I had other things to do and only caught parts of the game.

• Weren't we supposed to feel better about this club than we did about the .500 ballclub we had last year? As a whole, I don't. It's only 6 games. We shall see. If the Mets of recent years have taught me anything, it's a lot easier to blow a lead than it is to come back from a deficit.

From last night's game...

• I watched the pregame stuff on TV. At least I saw what SNY wanted us to see. Was there more? What was all that booing after the players were introduced? (I think I read later that it was the politicians) All I saw was the Mets player intros, a commercial break, and Seaver/Piazza. And people said the closing ceremony at Shea was lame. Update, 8:14pm - metsgrrl.com has a good write-up on the game with some awesome photos of some of the pregame that SNY left out.


• I did notice, finally, a Mets logo behind home plate in the grass. Nice. Now we know who plays there.


• I heard or read something that the green seats, and even the black/orange color scheme on the outfield wall are nods to the old Polo Grounds. Nice touch. It isn't Shea, and it wasn't the 500 ft. Center Field that I had wanted from the Polo Grounds, but at least it's not all Brooklyn Dodgers in there.


• Maybe I just didn't see it - where are the Championship banners and flags inside the stadium? You know, the banners that were next to the RF foul poll at Shea, and the flags that flew high above CF there. I'll have to look harder on Wednesday night. They weren't there for the Boston series.


• From some of the aerial shots, that area behind the CF scoreboard actually reminds me of the grounds at the Tennis Center, especially with that info booth or whatever it is sitting out there. That goes along with my commentary from last week that the ballpark has the feel of Arthur Ashe stadium.


• Do something about that screen behind home plate. I won't consider sitting there until it's deemed safe. In the little bit that I watched, I saw not one, but two problems
  
  
  
  1. A foul ball comes back behind home plate, near the screen, and the Padres catcher goes over to make the play. How in the world is he able to get his arm around a fan in the first row and put that fan in a headlock, using the screen? I can see it happening over behind 1B or 3B, but not behind HP.
  
  
  2. I actually saw a pitch sail over the catcher's head, and found a hole inside the bottom of the screen and sneak into the front rows. I think those were the Madoff seats actually. Shouldn't happen.
  
  
  
  Get that screen fixed!

A show of hands

Raise your hands if you wrote a preview of the Mets team that now needs to change because of the signing of Gary Sheffield (?!?!?!).

C'mon...

Ya, I thought so.