Saturday, June 16, 2012

Observations From Friday Night's Game

On Friday night, the Mets were nice enough to allow other bloggers and myself to attend the evening's festivities.

Here are a few things that stood out.

It's a good thing David Wright is not a doctor.

Shake it up a little more, David. 
After crashing, head first, into the left field wall, Jason Bay left the game with what the team described as a possible concussion.

Now, any normal person would say things like, "Feel better, Jason," or, "I hope you're okay." Not David. No, he decides to get in there and shake Bay's head around even more.

I was pretty embarrassed to be a Mets fan when Bay exited the game. If you were listening to the game on the radio or watching it on t.v., you may have noticed that Bay left the field to boos. Yes, an alarmingly large number of Mets fans were booing their own team's player after being injured. Scott Hairston practically got a standing ovation when he entered to take Bay's spot out in left. This isn't Philadelphia. Knock it off.

Finally...

Will anyone ever put a stop to the wave? I don't know if 34,000 people were just extremely bored, but at one point the wave went around the stadium at least 6-7 times in a row. I would be impressed that such a large group of people would be committed to completing the wave that many consecutive times, but I hate the wave.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

I'm Sorry For Ever Doubting You, R.A.

Raise your hand if you were excited about the Mets signing R.A. Dickey back in December of 2009? If you raised your hand, you're a liar.

I was scrolling through my Facebook page the other day, and ran across this post.


Silly me. If only I knew then what I know now.

R.A. Dickey is amazing.

Dickey has gone from being the butt of jokes among Mets fans to becoming one of the most dominant pitchers in all of baseball in 2012 and a large percent of the fanbases' favorite player.

Dickey showed off his brilliance again Wednesday night against the Rays, throwing a one-hitter, and striking out a career high 12 batters.

He also now holds the franchise record for scoreless innings at 32 2/3.

As the lone knuckleballer in baseball, I would have to think, if R.A. keeps this up, there will be kids out there determined to pick up a baseball and try and throw knuckleballs.

He's inspiring.

I even tried to throw a knuckleball last weekend during a game of catch (I failed miserably though).

Consider this my apology to R.A. I'm sorry for doubting you in the beginning, and thanks for proving me wrong.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

ICYMI: The Week In Review

The Mets began interleague play Friday night with a series against the Yankees. So far, it hasn't gone well. The Mets have dropped the first two games of the three-game series. They will try to win the series finale this afternoon. Game time is 1:05.

In his first start since throwing the no-hitter, Johan Santana got smacked around by the Yankees Friday night. He gave up six runs on seven hits in five innings of work.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis rode the subway to Yankee Stadium.

David Wright now holds the franchise record for runs scored. He passed Jose Reyes Tuesday night, scoring his 736th run as a Met.

Political commentator, Bill Maher, purchased a minority stake in the Mets.

The MLB Draft was earlier this week. With the 12th overall pick in the first round, the Mets selected shortstop, Gavin Cecchini. Cecchini has agreed to the terms of a contract with the Mets for $2.3 million. For a complete list of all of the Mets selections from this year's draft, visit St. Lucie To Flushing.

Ike Davis still can't hit. Word on the street is that a decision may be made (keep playing him, bench him, or send him to Buffalo) on Davis once interleague play ends later in the week and the DH is no longer needed.

To make room on the roster, Josh Satin and Jack Egbert were designated for assignment on Wednesday. They both cleared waivers and joined Buffalo.

The Mets created quite the hullabaloo on Thursday after announcing that they would be reprinting all 41,922 tickets from Johan Santana's no-hitter and selling them for a measly $50. Those who actually attended the game are not pleased with the fact that another fan who did not attend will have a ticket stub with their seat printed on it.

With his last win, R.A. Dickey now leads the major leagues in wins and is one inning away from leading the majors in consecutive scoreless innings pitched.

On the injury front...

Omar Quintanilla has a fracture in his left index finger. The injury has not kept him out of the line up.

Jon Rauch missed the series in Washington due to debris in his elbow. He has since returned to the bullpen.

Jason Bay is back! I know you're all excited...or not. Bay was scheduled to make his triumphant return on Thursday after fracturing a rib back in April. He was scratched, however, after the antibiotic he had been taking for a sinus infection caused him to be nauseous.

Ruben Tejada pulled himself from a rehab game in Buffalo on Tuesday with tightness in his right quadricep. He is now back in Port St. Lucie.

Chris Young returned to the Mets after having surgery in May of 2011 to repair a torn anterior capsule in his right shoulder. In five innings of work, Young gave up three runs on six hits, while striking out two and walking one. He threw just 75 pitches.

Jon Niese is expected to undergo surgery during the off-season to correct a heartbeat, that at times, has been irregular. After throwing six scoreless innings in last Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Niese was pulled due to a rapid heartbeat. Doctors have cleared Niese to continue playing baseball.