Spring Training 2012 - Day 2

Day 2 - March 23, 2012 - No Game

That is correct. I had no game scheduled on Friday. The Mets were playing 2 hours away at Disney World, and I wasn't making the trip. So I went to the back fields where players not on the bus ride were working out (see photos here).

Basically, it was a small group. Wright, Davis, and Bay stretched and went into the empty stadium to hit. They came back out to the practice field later to run. Neither time did they even acknowledge the few fans that came out to see them work. The 4 starting pitchers that weren't involved in Friday's game (Santana, Dickey, Pelfrey, and Gee - Niese pitched in the game at Disney) did some throwing before moving over to field 7 (the one shaped like Citi Field) to take live bunting practice in a minor league game. I did get Mike Pelfrey and Dillon Gee's autographs after they got their throwing in. In these situations, much smaller crowds on non-game Day at the stadium/practice fields, the guys are much better about signing for the fans and taking pictures. There were a couple of relief pitchers, but I lost track of them after their light throwing.

One note about the minor league camp. For the most part, these kids appear to be all mixed together and split up among however-many of the 4 full practice fields playing in games. In the past, there were 3 different uniform shirts that the kids wore (Mets white, gray, and black, but not quite looking like the major league uniforms), each with a name and number on the back. Now, they're all in the new Mets blue BP jerseys with their name and number. Even if I could have made any distinction (if there even was one) based on the jersey, that's gone. But everyone and everything is in the new orange and blue, and it looks awesome.

Anyway, as each of the pitchers headed off the field back to the clubhouse (where there is a gate in the CF fence leading them behind another fence over to the clubhouse, so this is a popular path where they can avoid being very close to the fans), I tried and failed to get any autographs. But after waiting for Johan Santana to come out, which he did in the same way as the others, I saw him standing and talking to the lefty great Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax over by the OF fence of the main stadium. Koufax made his way on a golf cart over towards the minor league complex and the small crowd (maybe 5 of us) got him to stop and sign (but no pictures). He was pretty nice about it.

There really wasn't much more to see than that. The minor leaguers were still playing on the different fields. Mookie Wilson, now a roving instructor for the Mets, was watching one of the games and signing for a few fans. Frank Viola, also in the organization, was there too (but no autograph for me).



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Mike Pelfrey

Before the game goes too far (1 inning down into Pelfrey's 3rd start as I write this), here's my quick take on Mike Pelfrey.

He's pitched poorly in 2 starts, but it's only been 2 starts. If I'm a fan in the stands or in my recliner, I'm on the verge of booing Big Pelf and saying he needs help or that we should trade him and get something good in return. But if I'm someone inside the clubhouse, I can see much more closely exactly what he needs without getting down on him. We as Mets fans need him to turn it around...let's hope someone close to him can see what's wrong and fix him. Maybe it's just some home cooking.


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The Pulsipher of the Nation

A few days ago, I was approached by Frank Gray of MetsGazette.com to share my opinion in their weekly segment "The Pulsipher of the Nation" (named of course for the ex-Met prospect whose name sounds like "pulse").

Frank's question to me, and also to Matthew Falkenbury of The Daily Stache, was "Which Mets pitcher has performed like an Ace this season and why?". I'll put the disclaimer now that I basically had my answer written up when it was announced that Johan Santana was going to be shut down for the season with the tear and pending surgery.

Since I don't give short answers to questions (and I was asked to make it take more than 2 sentences), I wrote several paragraphs breaking down the 4 Mets main starting pitchers before coming to my conclusion.

Go read my answer as well as Matthew's here, in this week's edition of Mets Gazette's "Pulsipher of the Nation".

Thanks go out to Frank for the opportunity to share my opinion and put me in the company of some really good bloggers/Mets fans as guests in this segment.

Mike Pelfrey, All Star Snub

A few things that I wrote on facebook earlier today after the All-Farce Star Game. Discuss...

Mike Pelfrey deserved to be an All Star, and was snubbed. Putting aside the part where he's scheduled to pitch on the last day before the break and can't pitch in the All-Star Game itself, he deserves to be on the NL pitching staff. Now I thought there was a new rule that starting pitchers pitching on the last day before the break couldn't be added to the roster. Even without that stupid rule in place (if I didn't make it up), select players based on merit, so they can be introduced on the field before the game with everyone else, and then make them ineligible because they pitched on the Sunday, selecting another player in their place. Douche move not to include Pelfrey simply because he will pitch on Sunday. What if it rains between now and then?

On the matter of Charlie Manuel, I thought there was a rule that a manager couldn't manage the All-Star Game 2 years in a row, which Charlie Manuel is going to do. Now I'm not advocating Jerry Manuel to be managing, though he would like all the pitching changes, but the the game has become a farce.

One other thing I never understood was why the fans don't vote for pitchers. MLB can make a rule that after the top vote-getters are announced that a taxi squad could be announced with it to replace any pitcher actually pitching on the Sunday before the game (or choosing not to work in the ASG).

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Unboxing the Box Score

Mets won last night in a rain shortened game. Mike Pelfrey threw 106 pitches through 5 innings to get his 4th win. Counting the save he has, he has factored in 5 of the Mets 10 wins as they break the .500 mark.

But I'm looking at the box score and I'm a bit confused. All of my confusion takes place after Pelfrey is removed from the game. He did not start the top half of the 6th inning. Raul Valdes did. Valdes threw 1 pitch. And then the game was stopped. That part is straight forward.

The game is listed as being a final in 6 innings. 1 pitch was thrown in the 6th (the top half even). Last I remember, when you can't complete a half inning, it doesn't count (erased from existence). But the line score has Atlanta scoring 0 in the top of the 6th, and X's after that, indicating half innings never played (ala a home team winning without needing the bottom of the 9th). The pitching lines say Pelfrey 5.0 innings, Valdes 0.0 innings. Valdes, 1 pitch, 1 strike, 0 batters faced. Look for yourself.

Shouldn't that 1 pitch of the incomplete top of the 6th not have counted? Especially since the at-bat was never completed. That would have made the game a final in 5 complete innings, Pelfrey pitching all 5 innings gets a Complete game win. That one pitch cost Pelfrey the "complete" game.

But at least the Mets are giving fans with tickets a rain check anyway. That's gotta be good for those who couldn't sell their ticket (Sunday 8pm games are not ideal, and impending rain makes it even less ideal, unless it's October) but never went and never shed their ticket. I wonder if ESPN has a concession for those that had to sit through the ESPN broadcast with the sound up (or for that matter, without adjusting their TV set to crop that stupid "bottom line" that ESPN insists on showing). I at least go with the WFAN broadcast and deal with the delays.



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Ike Davis has been a breath of fresh air

Ike Davis is here! Ike Davis is here! It's only been 2 games. He's played well, not seeming like he's out of place, like some minor league callups can be and have been (which can change, so it's not really an indication of anything). He wears shaving cream well.

He's not the savior of the franchise. At least not now. I'm not expecting him to be one either. But he is a breath of fresh air for this club. He's a guy who basically was not part of the 2006 Playoff failure, the 2007 and 2008 bullpen collapses, and the 2009 injury-plagued season. None of that is in his head. Almost like turning the page.

Last night, Jose Reyes had a breakout game, something that maybe he can build on. That seems like another breath of fresh air. I saw the triple he hit to left, and SNY showed the 2 runners coming home. I didn't even realize that he was on his way to third. That's the dynamic Jose Reyes that we all know and love. I knew it was still there in him. It just had to take time to come out after the time missed in March, and all the time missed last season.

Mike Pelfrey has 3 wins and 1 save - leading the Mets in both. After his mental troubles last season, this is like another breath of fresh air.

With all this fresh air blowing into Queens, let's get a good breeze going here!


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