Omar Minaya has put his future as the GM of the Mets in jeopardy. That is the real story today in the simplest of terms. At today's press circus, Minaya turned the announcement about the firing of Tony Bernazard into a critique of NY Daily News writer Adam Rubin's integrity as a journalist. According to Minaya, Adam Rubin had lobbied the Mets organization for a player development position over the past few years. This caused Minaya some hesitation in investigating the Bernazard incidents. He felt that Adam Rubin's motivation in reporting these incidents had more to do with his own personal aspirations rather than his professional obligations. This accusation resulted in an uncomfortable exchange between Minaya and Rubin in the middle of a press conference that everyone who was watching just wanted to have end in a slug fest between the two. Just kidding (no I am not).
I ask every Mets to think about the times over the past few years that Omar Minaya himself has said one thing to media one day and done something completely different the next. One only needs to look at the way he dealt with the eventual firing of Willie Randolph. Minaya has a way of avoiding the difficult issues when talk to the press that is more often than not pathetic. What I mean is that there are times where it has been so obvious that Minaya is not being completely straightforward with the media and the public for that matter. He often comes back to the excuse of how tough it is to work with an organization in New York because he is after all a real New Yorker and really understands the city (whatever that means in this day and age). The problem is that Minaya does not come off as being genuine about anything and has not for quite sometime. I trace the beginning of the end for Minaya as the Mets GM, all the way back to June 2007. Many may wonder why I would pick a time before both of the Mets end of season collapses and before this year's pitiful play. Well, if you remember it was on June 18TH of 2007 that Minaya appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated (along with Randolph and several members of the team) and was the center of an article about his tough beginnings and how they shaped him into the GM of the reigning NL East champions that he became. I personally feel that this was giving too much credit too soon to someone who had not won anything of any real significance. Sometimes being celebrated too soon becomes a hindrance in achieving future success. I am not saying that Minaya is bad person or that he does not know a lot about baseball. I am also in no way belittling the fact that he was the first Hispanic GM. What I am saying is that maybe he has not been the best GM that there ever was and that maybe a lot of the praise that was heaped upon him in the early part of his career went to his head (and eventually went to the Wilpon's heads also).
Now we come to issue of Bernazard. What else really needs to be said about this guy that has not been stated over and over again from the middle of the 2007 season till now? Minaya and the Wilpons obviously thought that Bernazard walked on water and could do no wrong. This blinded them to his overall lack of professionalism and the fact that he was not a good person to have around both major and minor league clubhouses. I still believe that Bernazard destroyed Willie Randolph's relationships with his players and therefore ruined the teams chances of reaching the post season in 2007. Nothing that I have ever heard about Bernazard's involvement with the Mets was ever even remotely positive. So when the Phillies win the NL East again this year (which they will) be thankful that at least Bernazard will no long be such a major influence on player development in future seasons. (Though keep in mind that it will take time to undo what he and others in the organization have done.)
In closing, it should be said that if Adam Rubin was lobbying for a job with the team that he is in the wrong for doing that. However, that is not something Minaya should have or needed to address in the press conference today. Minaya has now made himself look almost as unprofessional as Bernazard, which I guess shows that he is a loyal friend. (or that he has no common sense whatsoever).

Last night on NBC's TV version of Miked Up, there was a really odd opening sequence to the discussion about the Mets "Lost Weekend". (As a side note, Mike Francesa did not host the show last night because he is on his yearly 2 month summer vacation. Yeah, it sucks to be him!) The Bruce Springsteen song Streets of Philadelphia was played over video of the three losses the Mets had against the Phillies. There were certain moments in this montage where the a still shot of a player was shown with part of the lyrics from the song in quotes on the screen next to them. For instance, they showed David Wright and put up the quote "Bruised and Battered" which is from the first line of the song. This finally ended when guest host Bruce Beck began interviewing Mets beat writer Steve Popper. But by then the damage had been done.

Who thought it would be a good idea put Streets of Philadelphia over this montage? For those who are not aware or possibly have forgotten, this song was originally from the 1993 film Philadelphia, which starred Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. In the movie, Hanks plays a lawyer who is fired from his job because he is gay and dying of AIDS. As sad as I was about the Mets getting swept this weekend, I would not compare it in ANYWAY to being sick, dying, and facing harsh discrimination. I understand that it's not as though they showed scenes from the movie cut with the Mets playing the Phillies during this past weekend. But it almost felt like that was only slightly insensitive than what they actually did.

During yesterday's Mets win over the Brewers, Keith did a total 180 in finding a team from the past to compare with the current team. (See my previous blog entry about the 2009 Mets and the 1962 Mets). Now all of the sudden, the 2009 Mets could possibly do what the 1951 New York Giants did to the Brooklyn Dodgers (Bobby Thompson) or what the 1978 New York Yankees did to the Boston Red Sox(Bucky F. Dent). How can he make this leap in judgement simply based on the fact that the Mets finally won a GAME? It's not as though they have come back from the depths of failure and are now winning non stop. Let's PLEASE reserve the historical analysis until the season is over. Keith never has any real detail to back up these comparisons either. Like many other things that he says, I am convinced that sometimes Keith just needs to hear the sound of his own voice more than he needs to say something that is or at least sounds intelligent. (Bob Ojeda, get your ass back from wherever it is that you have been. There is plenty of time for you to take vacations once the regular baseball season is over. Why should Ron Darling have to do your job for you? Isn't it enough that he has deal with Keith standing up in the booth all of the time to "demonstrate" how a player should be hitting or fielding?)

Keith Hernandez thinks that the 2009 Mets will remind longtime Mets fans of the 1962 Mets. After the teams appalling performance in the bottom of the 4th inning last night in Milwaukee, this claim may not seem to be that far from the truth. However, in order to even begin to compare a team to 1962 Mets, one must wait for the completion of season. It is not fair to equate this current Mets team with a Mets team who's record losses have not been matched since. The 2009 team at this point would only have to win 4 more games to top the 1962 Mets in wins. I would hope that they are capable of doing at least that. If not, then they are the as bad as the 1962 Mets and Keith is right (which makes everything I just said somewhat pointless).
Hernandez also managed to rip into Ryan Braun last night after his base running "blunder" in the bottom of the 4th. The reason that I put "blunder" in quotes is because it was not Braun's base running (regardless of which, he still scored) that Keith should have been criticizing, it was the Mets almost comical defensive blunders. Even the golden boy (Johan Santana) could not resist getting in on the action. Hey, if they are going to suck, shouldn't they suck as a team rather than having one scapegoat? (By the way, I feel really bad for Fernando Martinez. Let's hope that this doesn't set back his career or even permanently ruin it).

Gary Kisses Up to Keith Big Time!

During the broadcast of last night's game, in which the Mets lost to the Orioles 6 to 4, Gary Cohen managed to really kiss Mr. Hernandez's ass. In the bottom of the 8th inning, Gary commented on how players always do special thing when it is their "bobble head night". He then went on to say how Keith deserves to have a bobble head night of his own. Then Keith, trying to appear to be somewhat humble, suggested a "Gary, Keith, and Ron" bobble head night would also be a good idea(yeah, like he wants to share his bobble head with there bobble heads). Cohen then suggested that the night that it is Keith's bobble head night should also be the night when the Mets retire his number. (Enough of this already!!! It has been 20 years since Keith wore 17 as a Met. If they have not retired his number yet, they are not GOING TO DO IT!)
Personally, I think that the Mets have been incredibly smart with not retiring too many numbers (Hello, Yankees). As far as Mets legends are concerned, there is Seaver and then there is everyone else. In all fairness, if you were going to retire Keith's number, you would have to do the same for Mike Piazza, Ed Kranepool, and maybe even Jerry Koosman. It's just not going to happen folks, I'm sorry to be the one to burst your bubble (and Keith's ego).
Another thing that I didn't mention from last week's series against the Phillies was Keith's response about his participation in this year's All Star Game festivities. The game will be held in St. Louis, Keith's other Major League home. When Gary asked whether or not he would be a part of All Star Game celebration, Keith quickly replied "I declined". First of all, even if he did decline, why would he say that? It makes him come off as snobby and shows his lack of love for the fans (both of which are probably not far from the truth). Second, why would he decline? Does it really take that much out of him to do the games that he does on SNY? He never is there when away games are played in places that are too far west (except when it's San Francisco because that's where he grew up or Colorado because his daughter lives there). Sometimes Hernandez's reactions to things just boggle my mind.

Uniforms

During last night's win against the Nationals, Kevin Burkhardt gave us a history lesson on the evolution of Mets uniforms over the years. Wow, really fascinating! In the midst of all of the chaos that was going on with Jose Reyes (finally) and Ryan Church being place on the DL and Fernando Martinez making his Major League debut, this was the best thing that they could come up with for Kevin to do last night? I mean even if it were planned, couldn't it have been rescheduled for another time. I thought for a minute I was watching the Mets game on YES (sorry about that guys). Personally, I wish that it could have been done on a night or day that Keith was there (sorry again). Listening to Ron and Gary talk about something like this just doesn't make for the best television. Then again, Keith would probably end up sounding even more stupid than usual if he were given this topic(sorry Keith).

Citi Field Opener

Last night, the Mets finally played their first real game in their new home. The openning festivities were highlighted by Seaver throwing out the first pitch to Piazza (Haven't we seen this before? Oh yeah, this is same thing that they did when they closed Shea back in September. What an original idea!) Also, who the hell decided that the Chicago song Beginnings was the right choice as they walked out onto the field? Just to give you an idea of what I am talking about if you are not familiar with the song, here is a sample of the lyrics:

"When I kiss you, I feel a thousand different feelings
The color of chills all over my body
And when I feel them, I quickly try to decide which one
I should try to put into words, oh no
Try to put into words" - Chicago "Beginnings"


Don't get me wrong ,it's a good song. But its more appropriate for a something like a wedding than the openning of a new stadium. Anyway, as the game went on last night, Gary, Keith and Ron became increasingly sillier. At one point, Ron even asked if the SNY post game analysis would include analysis of their in game commentary. Well Ron, maybe SNY's page doesn't, but MTV (Mets TV) does! Also, how many times could Keith make the "Headley" Blazing Saddles
reference? I hope chase Headley is never traded to the Mets or to the another NL East team because we would be hearing that non-stop!
A final note that I wanted to make about the booth last night is how both Keith and Ron were so eager to give up their seats when Gary said that Tom Seaver was going to be joining them during the next half inning. Gary then said neither of them would have to that anymore because they have more room now! ( Actually though, it was kind of sad. When Seaver was in the booth, if you were watching the game on TV that wasn’t HD , Gary was cut out of the frame.) Also, how about when Keith tried to make it like Rusty Staub's grief over the sudden death of former Tigers pitcher Mark "the bird" Fidrych was greater than Ron's own grief? (If you watched and listen to game last night, you learned that Ron grew up in the same area as Fidrych and that his brother went to college with him).

Welcome to Citi Field, Keith!

Tonight, the Mets 2009 season really feels like it is beginning because they will be playing a game that will actually count at their new home! The WBC made spring training feel like an eternity. And after this past weekend's series in Florida, lets just say that going home is a great thing!
As far as the TV game coverage in 2009, I must be honest and say that I am a little disappointed in SNY. First of all, Bob Ojeda has no idea what he doing at all! This is exactly what I was trying to say in previous blog post where I said that SNY had made a mistake getting rid of Lee Mazzilli. At least Mazzilli seemed to understand what a camera was and how act when in front of one. So far, Ojeda looks like a deer caught in the headlights and he contribute nothing to the broadcast. I will give him a fair chance to make it right, but it does not look good so far.
On Friday night I did not understand why Ron Darling was in the studio and not with the Gary and Keith in Florida. Keith cleared up this mystery for me during yesterdays game when he said that Ron was actually at that game, but he was doing the TV broadcast for TBS instead of SNY. Shouldn't it be in Ron's contract that he CAN do games for TBS but NOT Mets games? Isn't that a conflict of interest? Also, why does TBS even bother showing game on a Sunday afternoon? They basically show only Mets, Yankees, or Red Sox, all of which are on a lot on other channels throughout the season. It's just a waste of time. I can't believe that I am going to say this, but TBS needs to go back to just showing the Braves. I am completely serious about this! I would rather keep an eye on a game where one of the Mets NL East rivals are playing because even if the Mets are on TBS, I would never watch them on there if they were also on SNY.

Joe Buck as Bob Costas: Are You Kidding Me?

HBO use to have top notch sports programs. Now there is no more Inside the NFL and Bob Costas is no longer a part of the HBO family. Only Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel remains in tact, which is good because it was always the best of the bunch. However, I am less than amused with the fact that HBO thinks that they can replace Bob Costas with of all people Joe Buck? What the hell kind of a substitute is that? Buck is annoying, pretentious, unauthentic, and no where near the caliber of Costas or Gumbel. This is a big step down for HBO's original sports related programming. Joe Buck is not a personality who will fit in on HBO’s airwaves. Also, between doing baseball games once a week as well as football games during the fall, when will he find the time to put together even half the quality of a show as Costas did? I should not be judging without having seen it first (but it’s Joe Buck and I cannot stand him, so I will).


Why didn’t HBO consider Dan Patrick to replace Costas? He would have been far better and he is not shoved in our faces on a constant basis the way that Joe Buck is at point and time. Now that would have been worth my time (then again, anyone other than Buck would have been worth my time).

What Happened to SNY's Afternoon Shows?

Maybe some of you out have noticed that over the past few months SNY's late afternoon programing has gone from bad to worse. I was greatly disappointed about a year ago when Daily News Live was cut from an hour long show to a half hour. DNL was something different and perhaps a little bit more in depth than shows such as Around the Horn and PTI that air at the same time on ESPN. Basically what SNY did was they shortened DNL and then added two other shows (The Wheelhouse and Loudmouths) that are exactly alike. The problem is that these are 3 different shows that on one after the other and they all are talking about the same topics. It is repetitive and boring.

Then, back at the beginning of the year DNL got even worse when host (and form Kevin Burkhardt) Chris Cotter decided to leave SNY for the obscure (and useless) Fox Business News.(Do we really need another Fox news network?). Jonas Schwartz is the replacement and has not done an awful job, but he does not have the same rapport that Cotter had with co-host Joe Benigno. The guests on DNL range from great to odd (why the hell do they have to have Bill Bellamy on what feels like every other month?). Why do they even need guests at all when the show is only a half hour anyway? I understand that SNY is trying to keep up with and be like a mini-ESPN. But they are doing it at expense of quality and instead going for only quantity.

The other latest casualty of the ever changing regime at SNY is Scott Ferrall. Ferrall had regularly appeared on DNL and in the spring of 2008 was put on The Wheelhouse. For some reason, SNY chose not keep Ferrall around. In my opinion, this was a mistake. Now The Wheelhouse is Brandon Tierney debating another guy who we don't care about. I know that many people out there may not like Ferrall, but he is a personality that cannot and will not be ignored. That is what SNY needs, not just some stiffs in suits talking for 90 minutes straight. Come on already SNY! Stop trying to be ESPN and just be SNY.

Another ridiculous change that I would like to point out again is the replacement of Matt Yallof with Chris (I have 10 jobs in this bad economy) Carlin for Mets Pre and Post game shows. Are you kidding me? A half hour a day of Carlin on Loudmouths is too much already. Oh so I see, SNY can have the "Carlin Hour" but an hour of DNL was too much!! Another thing, how can Bobby Ojeda replace Lee Mazzilli? Mazzilli was just starting to come into his own as an in studio analyst and now we have to accept someone else all over again? Let's get real, was Ojeda EVER even close to as popular as Mazzilli was as a Met? Not on your life.

It Feels Like September Already!

Exhibition games are just that, exhibition. It is not really worth getting too upset about the results because they are games that are not played at full capacity and in the end count for very little. They are really just a way for the coaches to assess the talent that they have. They are basically playing around in order to see what works best before it really begins.
These are the thoughts that I keep trying to tell myself. However, after watching the Marlins beat the Mets last night 16 to 8 in what was Johan Santana's spring debut, I cannot help but worry. These are the Marlins, who in my mind are even more annoying than the Phillies. Why? Because they are not a spectacular team, not to mention a team that can barely draw a crowd to their games. Yet they have lived for the fact that they have been able to stick it to the Mets the past two years. I honestly can say that as much as I hate the Phillies, they at least have a right to gloat. They are reigning champs and the Mets have to swallow their pride this season whenever the Phillies are concerned because at this point they are better than the Mets. The Marlins are not and that is why it pissed me off last night to see Dan Ugly hit two home runs off Johan. I am not saying that Uggla is not a talented player and that he shouldn't give it his all. But what I am saying is that I hate having to be reminded of September before the fraking (all of you Battlestar Galactica fans out there) even begins. So basically I am just being a sore loser of a game that is meaningless.
Kevin Burkhardt has been doing a really nice job, along with Ron Darling (of course, Keith cannot be bothered with doing that many of these games). Gary Cohen is obviously doing some big east basketball games right now that are real thing and Kevin obviously could not take Gary's place permanently. However, he is an great substitute and has really grown into his role within the SNY Mets broadcasts. Also in the booth last night was the great Mr. Kiner, who always manages to add a sense realness to a game just with his very presence.

Just Get Over Manny Already!!!

If I have to hear one more friggin' debate about Manny Ramirez being a part of the 2009 New York Mets, I swear I will throw my remote control at my TV set. Okay, maybe that's a bit to drastic, but ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Either sign him or don't!! Right now, as it has been for the past couple of weeks, it looks like it's not going to happen. That is fine, but then lets move on. Also, if the Mets don't get Manny and they do poorly this year, you know that everyone will be saying how "different it would be with Manny". Mets fans need to stand by the team that is, and not the the team that could have been. Regardless, be glad that your players are not forced to go into spring training in a few weeks under the same circumstances as another New York team. Now if they don't make it to at least the playoffs this year, that's going to be a real messy situation. Jeter doesn't know how to function on non-playoff team 2 years in a row.

Anyway, I am getting Torre's book next week (and for those who think I'm jumping on the bandwagon, I ready many books about sports and other subjects throughout the course of an average year). This book is getting a lot of good buzz and I am really looking forward to reading it. I'll get back to you on that next week.

Johan Phones “Mets Hot Stove”

Last night on SNY's "Mets Hot Stove", Kevin Burkhardt was joined via phone by Mets ace Johan Santana. Even though it was a brief conversation, Santana once again showed that he is a class act who puts the team's interests before his own. When asked if would be playing for Venezuela in this year's World Baseball Classic, Santana said it was possible. However, he made it clear that the Mets doctors would have to approve it first and that of course winning with the Mets is more important than playing in the World Baseball Classic at this point in his career. Though one might not think that this is so remarkable, it is because Santana understands that the Mets are paying his salary. If he were to be injured playing in a game that wasn't a Mets game, that would be a real problem. I do not have a problem with A-Rod playing for the Dominican Republic in the WBC, even though he was born and raised in the United States. What I do have problem with is how the highest paid player in Major League Baseball would have the nerve to even think about playing in games and risking injury that are not Yankee games. I know that it may seem like I am picking on A-Rod, so let me also say that I don't think David Wright should be participating in the WBC. So there Yankee fans, I am not just singling out your precious A-Rod.

Johan also talked about how happy he is with number 75 (The Closer Formerly Known as 57) joining the Mets. How could he not be? You mean Johan didn't want Luis Ayala or Aaron Heilman closing his games again in 2009? There's a shocker! Johan was also asked by Burkhardt about the "choker" comment that Cole Hamels made a few weeks ago. Santana responded appropriately, basically saying that the Phillies are the champs going into this season and that the Mets have to go out and prove them selves. He is 100 percent right. The beginning of the season is going to be tough because the Mets really need to be humble and not act as though they are entitled to anything. Just let your playing do the talking guys! You can not go wrong with that.

"Hot Stove" also included another in depth piece last night on Daniel Murphy. This is second time that Murphy has been profiled on the "Mets Hot Stove" this off season (which means, the show only has to do about 3 months worth of shows once a week). Was there no other Mets player available that they could possible go and do a profile on? Don't get me wrong, I like Daniel Murphy a lot. But was no one else available, really?

Next week Gary Cohen will be joining Kevin on "Mets Hot Stove".

Yanks Shopping Spree

Today at 1PM/EST, the New York Yankees will introduce (possibly) the last of their overpriced free agent acquisitions, Mark Teixeira. I know that any Yankee fan who reads this will say that I am just jealous that the Yankees have the money to go out and buy every big name that's available (expect Manny, yet). However, it is those Yankee fans who will be stuck with Teixeira for the next eight years. That means that if he stays the full eight years, he'll be 36 by the time his contract with them is expired. I am sorry, Mark Teixeira is not worth that much time. He will disappoint eventually. He is a good player, but is not great. That's just the way it is, Yanks. Sorry to tell you.
Off course, the Yanks biggest (literally) acquisition of the off season was C.C. Sabathia. Sabathia is a good pitcher who has had moments of greatness during his career. But is he really worth $161 Million dollars for 7 years? Yes, I know that the Mets gave Johan Santana $137.5 million dollars for 6 years a little less than a year ago. I think over time that Santana will prove to be the more durable pitcher than Sabathia and therefore the better investment. I mean not for nothing, but Sabathia isn't exactly in the greatest shape. Not that I am one to throw stones. But I am not a professional athlete. I wonder how Sabathia is going to deal with Girardi's "no candy rule" in the Yankees club house. Something tells me that at $161 million dollars, Sabathia will be able to have all of Snickers bars that he wants regardless of what Drill Sergeant Joe says.

New Year, New Hopes

Happy 2009 to all of you devoted Mets fans out there! Let's hope that this year can have a better ending than the past two did. I am excited about K-Rod and Putz, but I know that more is needed. If the Mets can land either Lowe or Perez, they seriously need to think about bringing Pedro back for another year. I know that many may not agree with this. However, I feel that Pedro can go out there, get some wins, and will always try his best to put the team in a position to win. Plus, I think that Pedro really likes being a Met and would like to stay with the organization until he retires if possible. It's just something to think about.

As far as other acquisitions are concerned, Orlando Hudson would be great if Castillo can be traded somewhere. Realistically, that doesn't look too promising. But you never know. I can't wait to see Gary, Keith, and Ron again! One really misses them during the winter months. I do think that SNY is making a mistake getting rid of Lee Mazzilli and adding Chris Carlin in place of Matt Yalloff for the pre and post game shows. I mean come on. Am I the only one who is a little bit tired of Carlin? How many shows does he have to be on? Also, can you believe that Chris Cotter left SNY to go to the unsuccessful Fox Business News? They must have offered him a lot of money because I can't think of any other reason why he would go to a network that is barely on the radar. I will miss him on "Daily News Live", but Jonas Schwartz is not bad. It looks to be an interesting time though on many fronts, a time of transition and new possibilities. Here's hoping for all of the best.