Interview With Kirk Nieuwenhuis

Nieuwenhuis talking with the media.

Before Wednesday's game, Kirk Nieuwenhuis talked with reporters and bloggers. Here's a transcript of most of that interview.

In the clubhouse, who is your biggest influence? Who do you go to the most to talk about hitting, fielding, or adjusting to the major league life?


There's a lot of guys , and that's the great thing, I think, about this clubhouse. There's so many guys I can go to. You know as a young guy, you always want to lean on your teammates for advice, for stuff like that. We have so many guys like that, you know Murph, and Thole, and Duda, and even David, you know there's just so many guys.

Is there something comforting coming up to a major league team and playing with X teammates in the minors? Does that make it easier for you?

I think so. You know, I can only speak from my experience, and it's been nothing but great. Being with guys that I've been around a little bit in spring training the past two or three years, and then also playing with Duda and Ike in the minor leagues...it's been nothing but great.

Blogger Day At Citi

The Mets were nice enough to invite me, along with my fellow bloggers, to Wednesday night's game.

We were allowed to go to Terry Collins' pre-game press conference, watch batting practice, talk to some players, view the game from the press box, and then attend Collins' post-game press conference.

 It was a very cool experience. Below are some photos.

 

What To Change About Ike Davis? Maybe His Attitude

During the seventh inning of Tuesday night's game against the Marlins, Terry Collins made a noticeable swap. When Ozzie Guillen brought in a lefty, rather than sticking with the left-handed hitting Davis, Collins decided to sit him down, opting to go with Justin Turner instead.

Personally, I liked this move. Davis, while a fan favorite, needs to understand that if he can't get the job done, he's going to be replaced by someone else who will.

He's a mess at the moment, looking lost and frustrated at the plate.

So what can be done?

Well, first thing's first. He can quit complaining to the umpire after every call that doesn't go his way. He's not doing himself any favors when he curses, throws his bat, rolls his eyes, etc.

If you think umpires don't hold grudges, you're wrong. Just as Bobby Ojeda stated in Monday night's post-game show, umps are human. While it would be nice to think they're all professional and can look past immature behavior, let's be real, that probably doesn't happen.

Hissy fits will get you nowhere in this league.

Besides "showing up the umpire," Davis is a role model. Being a professional athlete means, whether they like it or not, there are kids out there who look up to them as a player. The example he's setting right now is embarrassing.

As far as mechanics go, I'm not a hitting coach, and I'm not going to sit here and pretend to be.

I will say, however, that during one at-bat in Tuesday's game, I noticed that Davis is just throwing his hands at the ball. He's not confident at the plate, and his swings show it.

I've heard some suggestions of sending him to Triple-A to, "find himself."

Could a temporary change of scenery help him out? Maybe. A change of attitude would probably help more.

Curious Case Of Sidd Finch Is Back!

It's been almost two months since my last post. Did you miss me? 

If you're wondering why I left in the first place, it's simply because I didn't have the time to run a site daily as I had been.

After taking the brief hiatus, and watching the first month (almost) of games, I've realized that I can't stay away.

Don't expect the same coverage as before. I'm going to focus on writing opinion pieces on whatever strikes my fancy in regard to the Mets, with an occasional news piece here and there.

If you're looking for daily pre-game and/or post-game information, I suggest you check out one of the fine blogs listed on my blog roll on the side of the page.

Here's to a fun 2012 season. Lets go Mets!