David Lennon is reporting that Johan Santana declared he was "fine" after that 15-0 loss to the Yankees, but with his struggles over the past month, it has created a 48-hour news cycle of concern. After a 0.78 ERA in his first seven starts this year, Santana has a 6.50 ERA in his last six, raising his ERA to 3.29. Another red flag has been an apparent decrease in velocity, and his fastball ranged from 88-92 mph Sunday, down a few ticks from his normal peak.
The speculation was fueled Monday by former pitching coach Rick Peterson, who told ESPN 1050 that he had "heard rumors" that Santana was bothered by his surgically repaired left knee. Mets officials were not pleased by the comments and denied that Santana was suffering from any serious physical issues.
"Everything is OK with him," general manager Omar Minaya said.
The Mets' current pitching coach, Dan Warthen, said Sunday that Santana had been affected by a blister on his big toe and another one on the middle finger of his left hand, which developed about a month ago. That may have caused him to change his grip on his fastball, according to Warthen.
But Santana repeatedly told reporters that his health is not anything to be concerned about, despite a sore back earlier in the season and what he described as a "split nail."
"I'm good," Santana said after Sunday's loss. "I'm fine. It's just that today was a rough day."
He says he's good but let's take a look at Johan's game by game ERA, courtesy of Andrew Vazzano of The Ropolitans:
Talk about a bad trend line.
Psychic Eli from Brooklyn predicts: "Expect a sidelining injury within the next week for Mr. Santana."
. It is early Sunday, and John Sterling, radio broadcaster for the New York Yankees, is sitting tensely at the desk inside of his office at the new Yankee Stadium. Elbows on the table, he stares down onto a legal pad sitting before him, massaging his temples as if to stimulate his creative juices.
“I go through this pretty much almost every spring, trying to familiarize myself with the team’s new faces. Getting ready for the Interleague games, though, is a little different. I take this very seriously,” said the 60-year old resident of Edgewater, New Jersey.
Sterling, of course, is talking about his infamous, oft-ridiculed practice of nicknaming Yankee players and using those names for over the top home run calls. With Interleague play set to start, Sterling slightly shifts focus from his normal routine.
“We’ve got some solid bats in our rotation. It would not shock me at all to see future Hall of Famer Joba Chamberlain take one deep at a National League park. In fact, I’m expecting it, so I’ve got to prepare accordingly,” Sterling states.
Some of Sterling’s more notable home run calls include “Positively Damonic!” for outfielder Johnny Damon and “The Sayonara Kid does it again!” for DH Hideki Matsui, disregarding all cultural sensitivity as well as the correctness of using “kid” to refer to a 35-year old veteran.
“Everybody WANG CHUNG tonight!” Sterling shouts in rehearsal inside the office. He smirks slightly before committing the thought to paper. “CC ya later!” follows shortly.
“Suzie (Suzyn Waldman, the greatest color commentator ever and Sterling’s partner) personally thought ‘Brosius the Ferocious’ was my coupe de grace. I’m just excited thinking about her reaction when I break out my ‘What a Job-a by Chamberlain!’ call,” muses Sterling. “I’m confident that THAT will be amongst the most dramatic things in all of her life!”
When asked what he gets out of the sleepless nights coming up with universally-reviled, contrived calls that embarras all who listen to him, Sterling pauses to think. He glances to a framed photo of a younger George Steinbrenner. In the photo, Steinbrenner is glancing into the distance with half-smile, with Sterling’s chin, nose, left ear and eye clearly visible behind Steinbrenner’s outstretch arm. “George threatened to cut off my health insurace coverage if I didn’t. I only turn 61 this year but my senility has been getting worse over the last 12 years or so. Doctors say it’s due to work-related stress, but what do they know? Just prescribe me the meds and let me go back to work.”
Walking away from the windowless office tucked away in the recesses of the stadium, one hears an echoing “A-Jack from A.J.!…” trail off, followed by a faint sobbing sound.
. Brian Bruney was asked about the Yankees winning Friday night's game on Luis Castillo's dropped pop-up. It turned into a rant against K-Rod and the closer's fist-pumping ways.
"Couldn't have happened to a better guy on the mound, either," Bruney told the Hunterdon County Democrat. "He's got a tired act. He gets what he deserves, man. I just don't like watching the guy pitch. I think it's embarrassing."
Rodriguez then said, "Instead of sending a message through the paper, next time when he sees me at Citi Field, come up and say it to my face. Don't be saying that to the media. I don't even know who that guy is. Someone in Double A. I believe he's never pitched one full season. He's always been on the DL, that's all I know, so he better keep his mouth shut and do his job and not worry about anyone else.
"If it was somebody big, I might pay attention to that, but someone like that? It doesn't bother me. If it was someone big like Mariano [Rivera], someone that has been around and is good at what he does, I would respect that from him."
Bruney had returned to the Stadium by the time Friday's game ended and he stood by his earlier comments, which had spread like wildfire around the Internet.
"You know what? I learned to play the game a different way, that's all I can say," Bruney said. "You won't see me do that, the way he acts, you won't see that. But it doesn't matter. Guy's doing his job, he's had a great career, set the saves record. So it doesn't matter what I think. I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks that but, again, he doesn't know who I am, so it doesn't matter."
But K-Rod got his wish earlier than hoped. Yesterday, he met Bruney in the outfield during pregame drills and went ballistic. Francisco Rodriguez appeared ready to see if he could take the "closer" role to another level.
Mike Pelfrey and Jose Veras interceded, keeping the Subway Series from becoming a three-ring Subway Circus.
"It's over," Rodriguez said after the Yankees mauled the Mets 15-0. "Turn the page. That's it."
Bruney indicated he ventured to the outfield to speak with K-Rod and perhaps offer an apology for his comments.
But before the injured Yankee reliever could say anything, Rodriguez started pointing at him and screaming from several feet away.
"I saw [K-Rod] walking with attitude and asking guys, 'Is it him?' " Pelfrey said. "The next thing I know, he was in [Bruney's] face."
Rodriguez was resistant at first to leaving the scene, but the combination of Pelfrey and Veras as buffers helped ensure no punches were thrown.
Neither Rodriguez nor Bruney would divulge what was said. But Bruney said he's glad the two sides cleared the air.
"That showed me a lot," Bruney said. "I respect a man that comes at you like that. In my opinion it's over.
"I probably shouldn't have said what I said [Saturday], but I made that mistake and learned from it. The guy has had a great career. I don't have anything at this point to hang my hat on. I don't have a World Series title like he does. I don't have the save record like he does. For me it was nothing personal against Frankie. I've heard he is a good dude."
This is the second media feud the Mets have been in over the past couple of weeks. The first, ignited when Beltran ripped the Pirates while ripping his own team and then furthered when Adam LaRoche ripped Beltran, wasn't so big, since it involved the Pirates.
But now, with 3 more games left between the Mets and Yankees, there could be some fuel in this one. Especially if Bruney actually pitches in one of the three games at Citi Field next month.
Beltran was informed of Bruney's words, then K-Rod's.
"I agree with [Rodriguez]," he said with a smile, avoiding the latest trash talk between his club and another.
So what changed exactly? Why have we been the unfortunate victims of two horrible collapses in the past couple of years? Was it the loss of Jose Valentin? Was it Chad Bradford? Or maybe Jose Lima?
"Manny Acta is likely to be fired soon, perhaps as early as Monday, a National League source confirmed.
Acta, 40, is well-liked by his bosses but appears to be taking the hit for the team's 16-43 start. Nationals bosses feel "something needs to be done,'' a person familiar with their thinking said.
Nationals bosses are said to admire Acta's patience. However, they may not have the same sort of patience. He is 148-234 in his time in Washington."
Here's the kicker: If Acta would be willing to step away from a managerial position, would he be interested in joining the Mets staff? Excuse the lack of love, Razor, but Acta's presence and knowledge seem to surpass you and your championship rings.
So, Omar, after your morning coffee on Monday, your usual web-surfing and a morning stroll, why not give Mr. Acta a call and invite him over for a while?
Guess what, I'll even offer to pick him up from the airport.
. A popular Mets Blogger, Joe Janish of Mets Today, recapped yesterday's heart wrenching loss...
"After going ahead 8-7 in the top of the eighth — against the immortal Mariano Rivera no less — the Mets appeared poised to take the game, with their perfect closer Francisco Rodriguez heading to the mound.
Indeed, K-Rod dispatched of Brett Gardner to get the initial out of the ninth, gave up a single to Derek Jeter, then struck out Johnny Damon for the second out of the inning. However, Jeter stole second on the strikeout, putting himself in scoring position and leaving first base open — giving Rodriguez the luxury of pitching around Mark Teixeira, which he did. That brought up Alex Rodriguez, who was ahead of the count 3-1 when he popped a routine fly ball to short right field. It appeared to be an easy out, but Luis Castillo stumbled a bit, lost sight of the ball, and the horsehide bounced off the side of his glove, falling safely on the outfield grass. Meantime, Mark Teixeira took nothing for granted, and was busting it full tilt on contact, and scored easily from first base on the dropped ball. Just like that, game over, Yanks win. Ouch."
Now Mr. Janish had a few fine points on the game and I thought I'd give my rebuttal to a couple:
Joe writes,
"What a shame … Luis Castillo seemed to have finally found his way back into the hearts of Mets fans with his slick glove work and much-improved offense. But all that has been erased thanks to one little popup. Honestly, he should be traded as soon as possible — not because he’s a bad ballplayer, but because the fans will never, ever forgive him for this one."
Eli rebuts,
"Trade him? That would be reacting out of anger and Management can't do that. Granted fans will never, ever forgive him for this one but to replace a pretty decent 2nd baseman at this point in the season seems like a difficult task and an unnecessary one. What to do then? You move on. Furthermore, all his hard work has not been erased, if anything - he will work even harder than he's been doing until now."
Joe writes,
"Where was Ryan Church on that popup? He should have been nearby, maybe close enough to back up the play. Instead, he assumed — like the rest of us — that the game was over and thus he was jogging toward the dugout. Maybe, just maybe, had he continued charging in and been nearby when Castillo dropped the ball, he would’ve been in position to pick it up and keep Teixeira at third base. Then, who knows?"
Eli adds a picture:
and then writes,
"Ben Shpigel of the NY Times shed some light on this matter when writing, 'Aside from Castillo, Church had the best view in the ninth as Rodriguez skied a ball to shallow right center. Castillo ranged back, staggering somewhat, before preparing to make a one-handed catch. From contact, Church said he knew it was not his ball because he saw Castillo’s uniform number — a sign, according to him, that Castillo was not in danger of misplaying it.'
It's a wonder to me how Shpigel didn't comment on the fact that, yes, Church saw Castillo's uniform number but he saw it while Castillo was turned towards the right field seats, as was Church (which is evident in the picture), who at that time was heading off the field. My point is, Church did in fact see Castillo's uniform numbers and USUALLY that would be a all-is-good sign, but here Ryan saw his numbers while they were both turned sideways, meaning Castillo wasn't under the ball as he would be with a regular popup.
In other words, Joe is right. Church should have been there backing the play up, as opposed to heading towards the post game dessert table a tad too early. I just fail to understand Church's logic there.
Eli concludes,
Ah, failure, lack of clarity and frustration... the life of the (even) casual Mets fan.
. Nobody is quite sure how old Orlando Hernandez is and nobody is quite sure how many procedures or operations he's had on his right foot in the past two years.
Nobody is quite sure if he has anything left in his aging body and nobody is quite sure what role he would fill on a team.
What is known right now is Hernandez has been added to the Rangers' roster.
But that's the only part I fail to understand...
Why would the Rangers sign a player if the they seem to be set at every position? Can El Duque even play hockey? If you ask me, it seems like a very silly signing to the average hockey fan.
"He was somebody we looked into during this offseason, although he was still rehabbing," Rangers general manager Glen Sather said. "Our scout in south Florida, Juan Alvarez, has a relationship with him and has seen him skate a few times and liked what he saw. He's healthy, he's motivated, and he's in good shape. It's an opportunity we wanted to give him. He wants to show he can still play. So, skate on!"
Henrik Lundqvist, on the other hand, doesn't fathom the appropriateness of the signing. "Nyet, nyet," Lundqvist shouted when asked if he would take Orlando under his wing. "Old, nyet, old," Henrik continued.
Hernandez was listed as a goalie in high school in 1947 but his role would be expanded in Ranger Coach John Tortorella's system. Tortorella was on WFAN on Friday (with Joe and Evan) to discuss the signing and was quoted as saying, "I knew what I was doing when I threw the water bottle into the crowd. It made perfect sense at the time." Joe and Evan felt like Tortorella had ulterior motives by coming on the radio but they remained silent throughout.
Medical experts have commented that it is extremely difficult to skate with bunions on one's feet but El Duque will be supported by a newly acquired hip, cane, and the motivation to conquer. Hernandez, as of now, does not plan to skate with a high leg kick, although he might alter his skating form come playoff time. "He is our secret weapon for the first round," said Tortorella, "hence, the true reason we've brought him to the organization."
Hernandez is the most famous two sport athlete since Deon Sanders, Michael Jordan and Jim Brown.
We wish El Duque the best and advise him to rest 2 weeks between shifts.
Francesa opened his show on WFAN on Thursday screaming into the mike (excuse the pun) how Jets Coach Rex Ryan's recent comments to Channing Crowder are silly, immature and unnecessary. Francesa seemed to be over the top heated about the remarks so Eli From Brooklyn sat down with Mike after tonight's show to discuss the topic, in order to find out what exactly was irking Mike to the point that he spilled his diet coke, screamed at Eddie and Sal - more than usual and even made fun of John Minko that he's balder than ever.
Francesa explained that "if Tom Coughlin would be the one spewing this material, I'd remain calm throughout the episode" but the fact that it's "Rex Ryan doing it, it really bothers me."
Eli understood why; it was obvious. "It's because Ryan has what to prove here in New York and Coughlin has won it all. Isn't that so, Mike?"
Mike then stared Eli down emphatically.
"No," he responded loudly, "not at all."
"So what is it, Mike, why are you so bothered by an unfamiliar new coach's comments, a man who wouldn't be able to hold your vocal jockstrap?!" Eli asked emphatically.
"It's simple, Oh-Great-Mets-Blogger, can't you see why? It's ruining my image!"
"Your image? Huh?"
Francesa turned to Eli and shakingly said, "Y-ess, Rex Ryan looks exactly like me."
I started to ask another question but that's when Mike hung up on me.
As the 2009 MLB draft comes to a close (I refuse to call it the "2009 First-Year Player Draft), Mets fans look back at all the star-studded players the team has picked up and can't help being excited about it.
Let's not focus on how were bound to trade them away for worthless prospects and small amounts of cash. Mind the fact that we'll probably give up on them, let them go/trade them, and watch those players become, oh I don't know, Scott Kazmir? Let's zero in on the POTENTIAL that there is in these fine young players because after all, we might just have a Jose Reyes or another David Wright in the bunch!
Snort.
And without further ado, courtesy of The Ropolitans, here are the Mets pick from the 2009 MLB Draft:
(Feel Free To Enlarge The Picture)
Eli is not sure what is odder:
That it has come a time when I'm older than every player the Mets have chosen.
The fact that Nelfi Zapata (is that even his real name?) didn't want to list his weight.
That Pick #734, Michael Johnson, has retired from the sport of running and football, to possibly play for the New York Mets.
You thought Ryan Church's name sounded holy? Check out Pick #704.
Not too odd this next tidbit: Doesn't Casey Shmidt (#464) sound like the next best thing? I know!
The Mets 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th pick all had first names that started with the letter "D." Surprisingly, the Mets did not draft another player with a first name beginning with a D after those 4 picks.
Pick #614, Joseph August was actually born in September. I don't like this kid already. Born in September (A Collapse Baby) and he can't seem to get his months in sync. Release him, Omar.
Zachary Von Tersch (#674) is obviously in the wrong profession. Shouldn't he be painting a chapel or something?
And finally, Pick #884, ZeErika Hall, congrats on the coolest first name! You da man! If, in fact, you ARE a man...
So Freshies, if you are reading this after you were giggling and simultaneously googling your name finding it on this blog - please, no hard feelings if I insulted you...
...think of it as what's to come if you falter in the late innings of a crucial game....
The speculation was fueled Monday by former pitching coach Rick Peterson, who told ESPN 1050 that he had "heard rumors" that Santana was bothered by his surgically repaired left knee. Mets officials were not pleased by the comments and denied that Santana was suffering from any serious physical issues.
