Using R.A. Dickey On Short Rest Is A Bad Idea

This will come back and bite the Mets.

According to Metsblog, Terry Collins told reporters before Wednesday's game that the Mets intend on using R.A. Dickey on short rest, although he doesn't know when that will be.

Nothing is set in stone, but it sounds like it will happen at some point before the season ends.

To me, this sounds like, "We're starting to panic and we're going to use one of the only things that has been consistently good as many times as we can before the season ends."

First of all, Dickey is no spring chicken. While his arm doesn't deal with the normal wear and tear of a traditional pitcher, he's still 37-years-old. It will eventually catch up with him.

Second, how will this effect the rest of the rotation? I can see how providing Johan Santana and Chris Young with an extra day of rest could be beneficial, seeing as how they are both coming off surgery. But what about everyone else?

I know that Jon Niese has been better when he gets an extra day of rest, but too bad. This is the big leagues. You pitch every 5 days. Deal with it.

Finally, despite having a remarkable first half, Dickey is starting to come back down to earth. He's been good lately, but not quite as dominant.

Whatever the Mets' reasoning behind this, to me, it just seems like an act of desperation.  

ICYMI: The Week In Review

Ronny Cedeno was activated from the disabled list. Elvin Ramirez was demoted.

Tim Byrdak is looking for a home...for his chicken. Byrdak bought a chicken before Friday's game against the Yankees after Frank Francisco called the team, "chickens."

Tony LaRussa told Fox Sports that he is definitely considering R.A. Dickey to start next months' All-Star game.

Johan Santana received a key to the city from Mayor Bloomberg on Friday for throwing the Mets first no-hitter.

The Mets announced the top Mets players in franchise history Thursday night, and it wasn't without drama. In response to Darryl Strawberry saying he would love to have a chance to hit off Tom Seaver, Seaver responded with, "You don't have any handcuffs on your hands, do you?" Whatever Seaver was trying to say there, it made for an awkward moment.

Here is the complete list of the top Mets:
Mike Piazza, C
Keith Hernandez, 1b
Edgardo Alfonzo, 2b
David Wright, 3b
Jose Reyes, SS
Cleon Jones, LF
Carlos Beltran, CF
Darryl Strawberry, RF
Tom Seaver, RHS
Jerry Koosman, LHS
Roger McDowell, RHR
Tug McGraw, LHR
Davey Johnson, Manager 

Zack Wheeler and Wilmer Flores were picked to participate in the Futures Game as part of the All-Star festivities in Kansas City.

After striking out a career-high 13 batters and beating the Orioles 5-0 on Monday, R.A. Dickey became the first major league player in 24 years to throw back-to-back no-hitters.   

On the injury front...

Frank Francisco had to sit out of Friday night's game against the Yankees with stiffness in his left oblique.

Sandy Alderson told reporters he expects Ruben Tejada to return from the disabled list next week.

Jason Bay claims to be symptom free a little over a week after suffering a concussion. He has yet to begin any physical activity.

Thank You, Johan Santana

Mark it down. June 1, 2012. The Mets finally threw their first no-hitter in franchise history.

I don't even know what to say right now, so here's Howie Rose's call, courtesy of Deadspin.

Congratulations, Johan Santana!

Interview With Tim Byrdak

Tim Byrdak 

Here is part of our conversation with reliever Tim Byrdak from the Blogger Event.


Talk about this team from last year to this year. Is there a different atmosphere?

Terry's done a great job, last year, even this year. I think the biggest thing about this year, with this team, is Johan Santana. He sets our rotation up where everyone kind of falls into place. You can use R.A. as your number two and Niese, it sets everybody up in a rotation so nicely. Without him last year, we had a couple of injuries, trying to keep guys in the rotation and fill spots. It's a little tough, but the atmosphere he brings around the clubhouse keeps things loose and we go from there.

Losing Pelfrey and having Jason Bay out to the 15-Day disabled list, does somebody say just pick up the slack and go from there?  

There's nothing you can do during the course of the year. Guys are going to go down. It's a shame that it happened so quickly, and again, two or three guys sitting out at the same time, but again it's going to give the young kids an opportunity to come up here and compete, and show them what they can do. I think you've seen in in Nieuwenhuis. The role that he's played out there and stuff like that. It's make or break. Can you play up here or not? He's showing right now that he deserves to stay.

Mets Morning News 2-27-12

Photo by: MattBritt00 (Flickr.com)

Ryan Zimmerman signed a six year extension with the Nationals this weekend, so of course the next logical thing to do was to ask David Wright about it.

"I think Ryan did it the right way. They did it before spring training, per se. Now it’s kind of out of the way. My first extension we signed about halfway through the 2006 season. It’s probably better to not even do it during the season or during spring training. Like Zim and those guys have said, it creates kind of a distraction."

Is Wright thinking about his own contract extension?

"I haven’t even discussed that with my agents, and obviously the team hasn’t discussed it with my agents or me," Wright said. "I think that it might occur in the future. It might not. I don’t know. I’m not really sure the protocol, but I would assume the team pretty much approaches the player. I don’t think the front office wants 25 different phone calls from 25 different agents about extensions. We’ll wait and see. I’m very happy with my situation. I’ll go out and just try to play and not worry about that. The last thing on my mind is next year or the year after that."

According to the Daily News, for the Mets to even consider trading Wright, the deal would need to include "Four Zack Wheelers."

Johan Santana threw two simulated innings Sunday afternoon.

"Today was a good day. I’m not trying to back off from anything,” Santana said. "I’m doing everything just the same way I would do it if I didn’t have surgery on my arm.

"I missed a few [pitches], but I’ve got to make adjustments and I’m pretty sure my next time will be better."

Mets Morning News: How Long Will Collins Last? Is Santana Ready? TejadaHas Visa Issues, And Wilson To Return in 2012

Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal asked whether Terry Collins will be another Joe Maddon or Jim Riggleman.

The answer will determine whether Collins becomes more like Joe Maddon or Jim Riggleman. Maddon, the Tampa Bay Rays manager, presided over two last-place finishes before leading the Rays to the World Series in 2008. He is now regarded as one of the best managers in baseball.

Riggleman, a friend of Collins, managed the Washington Nationals for parts of three losing seasons before quitting in the middle of 2011, upset over the team's unwillingness to pick up his option for 2012. It was Riggleman's choice, but it was also clear that Washington wasn't yet convinced he was the best fit for a new era of relevance.

Speaking of Collins, the Mets manager believes Johan Santana will be ready to take the mound Opening Day at Citi Field. Santana is not quite as optimistic.

"To have an opportunity to be out there on opening day is always good, but again, I’m approaching everything one day at a time," said Santana, who compared the ups and downs of his recovery to a roller coaster. "So far, I’m feeling good, and hopefully toward the end of spring training, we’ll have a better idea of where we’re at and see if we can be ready for opening day."

Ruben Tejada may be late to Spring Training. Tejada is having visa issues in  his native Panama. According to David Lennon, he plans to  hopefully sort out the issue at embassy today.

The Mets announced on Tuesday that Mookie Wilson will return to the team this season. Along with working with Major League and Minor League players in Spring Training, Wilson will also be responsible for visiting minor league affiliates, and representing the Mets at sponsorship and charitable events throughout the season.

I look forward to both roles, Wilson, 56, said. I am glad to be back. I will get a chance to work with the players in the spring and during the year. Plus, I will be able to look at some of our younger players, which I love doing. This year we will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Mets baseball and Im looking forward to getting out there and talking to fans both at the ballpark and in the community

Johan Santana Preparing For His Return To Citi

Well, there was a Johan Santana sighting today.

Courtesy: Mets Twitter Account

Santana participated in some long toss in Port St. Lucie today. He later tweeted:

The Mets still can not say with certainty that Santana will be ready to go by opening day. He missed all of the 2011 season after having surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his left shoulder.

Speaking with reporters this afternoon, Santana did not make any predictions for the upcoming season.

"Time will tell," Santana said. "As of right now, I'm going to follow everything the way they want me to do, and we'll see how it feels. I cannot tell you what's going to happen five, six weeks from now, because I'd be lying to you. I have to go one day at a time. That's the way we have done things from last year. That's how we're going to do it this year as well."

Whatever happens, it's nice to see him throwing again. It's been far too long, Johan.

Happy Thanksgiving, Mets Fans

On this Thanksgiving morning, I'd like to take a minute and reflect on five things I am thankful for.

I am thankful for the fact that...

5. Jose Reyes is still a Met...for now.

4. I'm not a Dodgers fan. The Mets have found themselves in a financial mess this season, but it wasn't close to the disaster that occurred out in Los Angeles.

3. Johan Santana is coming back this year...hopefully.

2. The Mets are lucky enough to have a guy like R.A. Dickey on the team. Let's just hope that plantar fascia stays intact during his trip up Mt. Kilimanjaro.

1. Baseball is unpredictable. The 2012 season could be just as awful as the past few seasons, but who knows. We could be surprised. Ya gotta believe!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

The Ultimate Mets Lineup

The 2011 Mets are hovering around .500 right now, and they will probably finish the year around .500 too.  Fitting, given that this team has been oddly snakebitten.  Jose Reyes was in the middle of his best offensive season and is now on the disabled list for the second time with a recurring leg problem.  Daniel Murphy joins him on the DL after establishing himself as a starter with a breakout year.  Last year's breakout Ike Davis hasn't seen the field in months, and won't until next year.  Ace Johan Santana will be lucky to see game action in 2011, and may never be the same after shoulder surgery.  David Wright has been hitting well since missing time, leading one to wonder how he would have performed over a full season.  Ditto for the departed Carlos Beltran.

So I decided to perform a little experiment.  What if everyone on the 2011 Mets had performed at the peak of his career? What if every starter had his best historical season - forget that, how about taking every Mets star from the last decade, sticking them on the field and seeing how they would perform at their absolute apex.

The ultimate Mets fantasy team of the 2000s, instead of the also-ran 2011 edition.