The Eddie Kranepool Society

Posted 8/31/2004 12:41:00 PM by Kranepool
"INDECISION: A METS TRADITION" All Mike Piazza wants to know is "do you want me to be a 1st baseman or a catcher" and with Mike stature as a Hall of Fame player, that does not sound like an unreasonable request. Are we impressed with Piazza at first base? Hardly. But from listening to Piazza before last nights game Piazza was singing the praises of Edgar Alfonzo the infield coordinator (Edgardo Alfonzo brother) down at The Hole, it seems to me if he had the right coach to work with at the ML level he may show some improvement. Look he will never be a good defensive firstbaseman as he does not seem to be comfortable with his footwork but what the hell it�s September and as we all know September in Mets land is same as March to the rest of baseball. I still wish I knew why the Mets won�t let Mike work with Keith Hernandez. If it�s over Mex�s calling the Mets quitters a couple of years back well let�s bury the hatchet OK fella�s? You have one of the best defensive firstbaseman of all time in your organization and your not utilizing him is beyond bizarre. <

Posted 8/31/2004 12:38:00 PM by Kranepool
�WHERE WOULD YOU RANK KRIS BENSON ON THIS LIST�? Pedro Martinez Derek Lowe Brad Radke Russ Ortiz Matt Morris Eric Milton Odalis Perez Those are some of the starting pitchers who will be available as free agents come this off season. Benson is not cracking that list and now that he has what he calls a �tired arm� what are the Mets to do? With Zambrano on the shelve now Benson missing at least one start and Trachs having lost his mojo, add on the two senior citizens at the top of the rotation, this starting staff that had Professor Rick and the rest of the front office puffing out thier chests could be a F�in disaster next season. Benson had elbow reconstructive surgery after the 2000 season and sat out the 2001 season. He returned to action in 2002 here are some of his digits from 2002 to this season: 2002 23GS 130ip 4.70era 50BB 79K 2003 18GS 105ip 4.92era 36BB 68K 2004 26GS 167ip 4.68era 56BB 103K with Mets 6GS 35ip 6.43era 12BB 20K And we�re worried about some other team wants to sign this guy? Benson is 4 years removed from surgey and even though it�s not his elbow ailing him, his arm is still not back to normal(whatever normal is) When the Mets offered Benson the 2 year $12mil contract with incentives for a 3rd year I thought �here we go we�re low balling this guy� but now after I�ve looked and his numbers and with this so called �tired arm� Benson should have grabbed that offer. I mean the guy has put up numbers that Aaron Heilman could put up and if you look at it Jae Seo or Matt Ginter at this point both of them may be a better pitcher than Benson and a low discount price. <

Monday, August 30, 2004

Posted 8/30/2004 04:34:00 PM by Kranepool
"KAZMIR IS DOWN BUT NOT OUT" Scott Kazmir found out as the teams step up in class, it gets a little tougher" in the big leagues to pitch but this is all in the education of Scott Kazmir. Kaz still had his velovity and better command but when he got ahead of batters he just could not but them away as he said after the game: ``I've got a lot of stuff to work on,'' Kazmir said. ``It didn't really go like I thought. I couldn't get hitters out. I would get 0-2 on somebody and hang a slider. I just didn't have it.'' Ah to be young and gifted. After the game, a tough loss to the A's on Billy MacMillons walk off HR, Lou Pinella had an interesting quote: ``You know what I really like about the kid? He got hit a little bit, but he kept throwing strikes,'' Piniella said. ``He didn't run out there. It's good to see a young kid face a little adversity and not run away from it. That's a real good indication of what a young man's made of.'' Tell it Sweet Lou, The kid has onions!! Something that is in small quantity in Flushing. If the D-Rays stay in rotation, then Kazmir's next start should be on September 3rd against the Tigers at home, then we would be on target to pitch against the Highlanders in Da Bronx on September 8th. We Mets fans may have to infitrate enemy territory for that one. <

Posted 8/30/2004 04:09:00 PM by Kranepool
"WE'RE CLOSE BUT WE'RE NOT AT ROCK BOTTOM YET" Mets antagonist Bob Klapisch has a column on ESPN.com that all but confirms that Artie from Queens will be the ex-manager of the Mets after this season. Little Jeffy confronted Artie to tell him "Your too weak" and a vet on the team compred playing for Artie is like "playing for your grandfather". I'm still trying to figure out why Artie doubled switched David Wright with Zeile yesterday I swear to God if were at yesterday's game I'd have been arrested. I would have made my way down to Mets dugout and made a scene. I guess that's why my family has said "maybe we shouldn't go to any more Mets games this year" They know I'm ready to explode. Then we hear of Kris Benson saying he has a "tired shoulder" as this is the most he's pitched in 3 years as he is going off Tommy John surgery. By going to the press with this revelation he seems to saying "I'm done for '04". So as September rolls on in the Mets will have to show for thier big blockbuster moves of the summer Zambrano, Benson and Fortunato shevled for the month. Pass the barf bags! <

Posted 8/30/2004 11:34:00 AM by Kranepool
"IT HAD TO BE THE HUMIDITY" Either that or Artie has just completely lost his mind as he removed David Wright in the 5th innng as part of a double switch with Todd Zeile. Artie claimed he wanted to give Wright a little rest. Artie, the kid has all fall and winter to rest JUST LEAVE HIM IN THE GAME!!! You know tomorrow when the roster expand, Artie will still find playing time for Zeile and Gerald Williams because The Duke is too busy putting out the little brush fires that have ignited around Shea (Floyd's big mouth, Goldis and Livesey attempted coupe, and a very restless fan base)to set his dumb ass manager straight. All this happens as Freddy Skill Sets sips wine in Italy and Little Jeffy hides under the bed till daddy comes home. <

Posted 8/30/2004 11:26:00 AM by Kranepool
�IS THERE A CIVIL WAR IN THE METS FRONT OFFICE�? The fallout form the Kazmir-Zambrano trade will not go away. Super Scout Al Goldis now says that Professor Rick had a big say in the deal. It seems Goldis has taken offense that he is being portrayed as the driving force in this deal. This is what happens when your organization lacks leadership. More Chianti , Mr. Skill Sets? <

Saturday, August 28, 2004

Posted 8/28/2004 03:19:00 PM by Kranepool
"WILL HE BE EL DUQUE OR EL HEDIONDO (STINKER)"? The have sign 24 year old (yeah right)Cuban righthander Alay Soler to a 2year $2.8 mil contract. Soler will workout at the Mets Dominican Academy until the Arizona Fall League starts in October. Who the hell knows about this signing? Let's go Duke now get Philpi Himber signed so I can finally write something possitive here <

Posted 8/28/2004 02:42:00 PM by Kranepool
"BEST OF LUCK TO DAN WHEELER" Yes I know Wheeler strugled with men on base and did let in a good number of runners he inherited but I always felt as if the Mets used him in the wrong situation. Wheeler seems to me to be a 5th starter or a long man/spot starter. His walks to strikes always held my attention (50.2 ip 17 BB 46 K) I hope Wheeler does well in Houston <

Posted 8/28/2004 02:30:00 PM by Kranepool
"DUKE, IF YOUR GOING TO READ THIS BLOG HOW ABOUT DROPING ME AN E-MAIL" The Duke finally flexed his General Managers muscle yesterday as before last nights game he told Artie to get the players in line, especially Cliff Floyd who has a habit of making quotes that piss management off (which is not a bad thing)Seems The Duke was none to happy with FLoyd's "No light at the end of the tunnel" comment and he let Cliff know it: Duquette stepped into the fray after the loss and its aftermath, showing his desire to avoid a repeat of last year's dismal September. He never actually mentioned Floyd by name (nor did Howe), but the "no light at the end of the tunnel" had the same negative impact on both men. "That's certainly not a mind-set we're going to accept around here," Duquette said before the game. "I can understand it would be said out of frustration, but the main thing is we wanted to make sure that mind-set doesn't set in. ... I understand why they might feel that way when you go through a struggle like this, but in this game it can't be more than a day thing. Floyd may as well get those change of address cards ready as it looks like the Mets are fed up with his constant bitching. Duke e-mail anytime my friend I'm here for ya bro. <

Friday, August 27, 2004

Posted 8/27/2004 07:27:00 PM by Kranepool
�MAY I QUOTE YOU ON THAT�? �We�ve got to come out and keep competing� Cameron said. �If we go out and hang our heads over these four losses, we�re going to get our heads blown off by L.A., too. Mike Cameron on the 4 straight loses to the Padres with the Dodgers coming to town. WOW Mike who the hell are the Dodgers bring with them, The Manson Family? The Bloods? The Crips? Damn, that quote is straight outta Compton. �Things just ain�t looking bright. You have to find a bright spot. There ain�t no light at the end of the tunnel, though it looks like� Cliff Floyd on the Mets abyss. Cliff there is a light at the end of the tunnel for you. It�s called the American League. �I guess you guys should be tired of hearing the same thing huh? I don�t even know why you come in to talk to me, because it�s the same story� Artie form Queens on his nightly discourse on explaining why the Mets cannot score runs. What Artie meant to say is �You think I have time to think about how to get runs out of this replacement team I have? Go away I have Florida real estate pamphlets to look over.� �Jim Duquette is one of the better young minds in baseball. If the Wilpons would leave him alone and let him run the team the way he wants, The Mets would be in much better shape� Bob Kalpisch of The Bergen Record on the Michael Kay Show on ESPN 1050 radio What�s this? Klap making some sense? Klapisch also hinted that The Duke was not on board on the Kazmir deal. Klapich is 100 % right. The Duke is cut from the same cloth as Theo Epstein, Paul DePo, Doug Melvin, young progressive thinkers who go against the grain and do more with less. The problem that The Duke has is not just Freddy and Jeffy but the Grumpy Old Men (Al Goldis & Bill Livisey) have Freddy�s ear as well as Senator Al and John (Captain Hazelwood) Franco when the one guy he should be backing is The Duke. The question is if you�re the Duke, what do you do? Do you have a sit down with The Skill Sets and tell them �Look if you have faith in me to run the baseball operations here tell me now, if not let me look for employment else where. This is not an ultimatum as this is where I want to be but if my ideas and my view of the direction I think this organization should follow has to go through more checks than Mr. Goodwrench, then maybe it is best for all us to part ways� �Although Howe has two years and almost $5 million remaining on his contract, he might not be able to survive another collapse anything like the one last year, when the Mets won only one game in the final month against teams that were still technically alive in the NL playoff races. Mets COO Jeff Wilpon has wanted to fire two members of Howe's coaching staff -- Matt Galante and Gary Pettis -- for more than a month, and his father has already signaled that he won't accept injuries as an excuse for the team's awful performance this year, something Howe seems to realize.� Lawrence Rocca Newark Star Ledger First I agree with Bob Klapisch, and now Lawrence Rocca? ATTENTION CITIZENS OF HELL. GRAB YOUR OVERCOATS!!. Jeffy wanted to can 5X5 Galante and Freddy says injuries are no excuses. I feel honored that the Skill Sets are reading my blog. <

Thursday, August 26, 2004

Posted 8/26/2004 09:03:00 PM by Kranepool
�WHERE�S AL HAIG WHEN YOU NEED HIM� To me the worst thing that can be said about any organization is the question �Who�s in charge around here�? If you�ve ever been to Home Depot or Best Buy you know what I�m talking about. Have you ever had a question about a product in one of those stores and have the floor clerk look at you like a Florida voter. Well it seems our favorite baseball team is getting that rep around the baseball world as we see in this from Bob Klapisch: That might explain why everyone except GM Jim Duquette is hiding under the bed, pretending the deal wasn't their idea. Peterson, who at least deserves credit for answering questions for nearly 45 minutes Tuesday, says the primary input came from the Mets' two super scouts, Livesey and Goldis. If so, shame on the Wilpons for creating such front-office disarray. One GM asked the other day, "Just who's in charge over there?" Peterson insists he was acting just as a consultant, not a policy-maker, when he told ownership he could fix Zambrano's delivery. But as far as who decided that Kazmir had to be swapped out for Zambrano, the pitching coach says, "I have no knowledge of that. I saw Kazmir pitch two innings [in spring training]. And I had no idea about the medical due diligence [on Zambrano]." �Just who�s in charge over there?� . 6 words that give me the chills. You wonder how do the Mets make any transactions. Say for argument sake, Dan Evans the GM of the Rockies called The Duke and said, �Just want to give you a heads up. Come October, we will be looking to move Todd Helton�. Now how does the chain of command work? Does The Duke have to go to Al Goldis and Bill Livesy or does he have to go to Jay Horowitz who then goes to the Lemon Ice King of Corona who goes to Goldis and Livesey who goes to David Howard-Clubhouse Lawyer-who goes to the sandbox to Jeffy who goes to Daddy Skill Sets? WHEW! That�s a lot of go betweens. By the time you go through all theses advisors Helton will be on his way to a new address. It�s because of all this down the line stuff that The Duke got the GM�s job, as most veteran baseball men would not put up with the protacal of running every move through the vast chain of command. Pat Gillick laughed his ass off when asked if he�d be interested in the Mets job knowing how meddlesome ownership is. Toby over at MetsMinors brought the name of Grady Fuson up as someone to be the Mets GM. Whereas Fuson is great choice to run a team, after putting up with the troika of John Hart, Buck Showalter and John Hicks why would you join a similar situation in Flushing? There are plenty of qualified men out their to run a ballclub-Fuson, Daivd Forst and yes our man Duke-but until the Skill Sets leave the baseball decision to the baseball men, the Mets will continue to spin their wheels. What has me puzzled is Freddy Skill Sets as a loyal son of Brooklyn, was hopelessly devoted to his beloved Dodgers. His best friend is none other than Sandy Koufax and he was in the fore front in the Major League wide retirement of Jackie Robinson�s number 42 and when he builds the Mets a new playpen it will be a some what replica of Ebbetts Field. So why doesn�t he take this Dodger devotion a step further and follow the footprints of Branch Rickey. Rickey was the architect of The Dodger Way, which included building a top flight farm system to build the core of your team and the heavy emphasis on the fundamentals of the game. These are the two areas that the Mets are sorely lacking in. Well maybe not so much in the farm system as the cultivation of talent has gotten better but the utilization of that talent is what�s deficient. There has to be a change in the way the Mets organization does business. As Andre Agasi had said years ago when he was pimping cameras �Image is everything� and the image of this organization is piss poor. As much as I rag on Freddy Skill Sets I know it burns his ass that the Mets are looked at in this light but the time has come for him to eradicate this �losers image�. Freddy from one Brooklynite (and a fellow Bensonhurst boy) to another, give the fans an organization we can be proud of. <

Wednesday, August 25, 2004

Posted 8/25/2004 09:09:00 PM by Kranepool
"THE QUESTION IS, DID HE CHANGE THE MUSIC IN THE CLUBHOUSE"? What did Heath Bell do that got him sent back to Norfolk? Bell showed a live arm throwing cheese in the high 90's as he struck out 3 in 2 innings of work but with the Mets sigining Brian Buchanon this afternoon, Bell was sent packing. Buchanon know wil play the role previsouly played by Shane "Shooter" Spencer as Buchanon hits right handed and plays the outfield and 1st base. He was the Highlanders 1st round pick in 1994. <

Posted 8/25/2004 07:03:00 PM by Kranepool
�FULL STEAM AHEAD JEFFY, THEY�RE GAINING ON US� While the fall out from Scott Kazmir is still at a fever pitch here in Mets land, the Wilpon Swift boat is headed off to Italy with Freddy and Jeffy to escape the outrage from the media and the fans. Ah but on this mission there will be no Bronze Stars given out as the Wilpons have thrown their trusted Cabinet overboard. Freddy (Bush 41)and Jeffy (Dubya)have let the front office men spin the Kazmir trade so much you need Dramamine to read the NY papers. The Duke has become Colin Powell. He may not have been in favor of the move and his authority as Mets man in charge has been severely cut back but he�s here to catch the slings and arrows thrown at the organization. Al Goldis and Bill Livesy have become Dick Channey and Donald Rummsfeld. They have taken over the decision making for the Mets organization as it seem they showed tapes of Victor Zambrano to the CEO of Pitching Rick Peterson (who plays John Ashcroft here) and asked what he thought of him. Peterson said he could work with him and Goldis and Livesy said �thank you very much now back to your post�. They then called Freddy and Jeffy and said tell Duke make the deal. So the three main characters in this transaction coming to fruition, Freddy, Goldis and Livsey are in exile while the foot soldiers are manning the front lines. Oh and where is Artie in all this? Where he is anytime an important move is made, out getting coffee. <

Tuesday, August 24, 2004

Posted 8/24/2004 08:34:00 PM by Kranepool
�HE WENT TO BED EVERY NIGHT HOPING AND DREAMING TO BE A NEW YORK MET�, Chuck LaMar GM of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Scott Kazmir I went to bed last night hoping that this was just a bad dream, that Scott Kazmir was still a Met, but I knew that was not true. I saw it with my own eyes, Scott Kazmir, the future of the Mets was now a Tampa Bay Devil Ray. This was the first time I had ever seen Kazmir pitch. When I first saw him on the mound, I thought of all the comparisons that have been made between him and Ron Guidry the former Highlander pitcher, but to me he looks more like Mike Hampton as I think he will fill out to be more stocky like Hampton that whippet thin like Guidry. As Ichiro stepped up to the plate and Scott Kazmir era was about to begin, you could feel the adrenaline flowing through Kazmir�s body. His first major league pitch was a 97 mph fastball for a strike. I watched his pitching mechanics and wondered where this notion of a �violent� release came from. Does he have a �Tom Seaver� like motion? No but who does. He has a nice leg lift and a consistent release point and he has confidence of his pitches. The one aspect of his pitching he needs work on is his command, especially of his fastball. Then again, he�s a 20 year old lefthander so command issues are to be expected. The first 2 innings Kazmir pitched on pure adrenaline. As soon as Rays catcher Toby Hall tossed back the ball, Kazmir was ready to fire his next pitch. Hall did a nice job in the 2nd inning of coming out and calming him down. By the 3rd inning, he settled down and slowed down just enough to show he was concentrating on what pitches he needed to get Mariner batters out. He got behind Ichiro 2-1 but got him to hit a slider on the ground and Ichiro was out 5-3. Randy Winn who struck out his firs time up in the 1st inning stood in against Kazmir. He worked Winn to a 2-2 count by moving his fastball up and in and hitting between 96-94 mph on the gun. Kazmir missed with a 2-2 slider to go 3-2. Winn then fouled back a fastball. Kazmir then showed his mettle and made me curse out loud (MF�ing Wilpon�s) when he threw a slider on the inside corner for strike 3. Winn just shook his head and walked back to the bench. The hardest hit ball of the night was from the next batter Edgar Martinez. Edgar hit the ball off the top of the RF fence, missing a HR by about 4 inches, for a double. Ibanez then walked on a 3-2 fastball in the dirt to set the stage for Brett Boone to drive in a couple of runs. Here Kazmir showed how much confidence he has in his ability to pitch. He starts Boone off with an 85 mph change for strike 1. He throws a breaking ball inside for ball 1. He missed with an 85 mph change up to go 2-1. Kazmir then misses low with a 96 mph fastball to go 3-1 as Boone now is in the drivers seat. But the beauty of the 2-1 fastball missing was it set up his next pitch. So far in this at bat, Boone has seen the full repertoire of pitches that Kazmir features. I figure Boone is sitting for some high cheese and Kazmir does not disappoint as Boone misses a 95 mph fastball to go full at 3-2. Boone steps out and you can see he�s impressed with what Kazmir has challenged him with. So Boone is ready for the 3-2 pitch, that he figures will be another fastball. Kazmir does not disappoint but Boone can only hit it the ground for a 5-3 ground out. You can�t teach poise like that. So with men on base, and battling command problems Kazmir pitched like a 10 year pro to get out the inning unscored upon. Brilliant. In the 5th inning ( Kazmir�s last inning of work) Ichiro-coming up for the 3rd time against Kazmir-jumped on a first pitch fastball and lined it to CF for a base hit. Kazmir�s pitch count is now approaching 90 pitches so he knows this will be his last inning, so he challenges Randy Winn with nothing but gas, four 94 mph fastballs and Winn fly�s out to RF. Now comes the match up that I wish I had on tape to watch over and over. Edgar Martinez has 2 hits off Kazmir, which is no crime. Kazmir starts out Edgar with a 95 mph fastball outside for ball 1. Kazmir rears back and throws 96 mph past Edgar for strike 1. 1-1 count. Kazmir now comes with a 85 mph slider that breaks down and outside and Edgar takes an off balanced swing and misses strike 2, the count is 1-2 with Ichiro on 1st base 1 out. Kazmir showing some major league onions, comes back with the slider again down and away and Edgar swings off balance again this time for strike 3. Ichiro runs on the pitch and Toby Hall fires a BB to Lugo covering 2nd base and Ichiro is out. A strike �em out throw �em out double play to end an inning and to end a memorable night that should start a memorable career. �DID YOU SAY SOMETHING AL? NO JOHN, I THOUGHT YOU SAID SOMETHING? NOT ME MAYBE IT WAS TOM? IT WASN�T ME JOHN, MAYBE IS WAS ART? ART? ART WHO? ART HOWE JOHN, OUR MANAGER. F HIM. So we are to believe that Senator Al and John (Hazelwood) Franco don�t have the ear of management. Right. Then we see this little blurb in Newsday: �One player recalled an episode in which Kazmir annoyed Al Leiter and John Franco by changing the music on the clubhouse sound system and was hardly apologetic about it� Hey how much Perry Como music can you take? Franco came out of his bullpen hole last night and went to the mound and saw his shadow. That means 6 more weeks of meaningless baseball. �I KNEW RON HUNT. RON HUNT WAS A FAVORITE PLAYER OF MINE. MR. MATSUI, YOUR NO RON HUNT� Guess who�s taking groundballs at 2 nd base at The Hole? Kazu that�s who. Ah but this move comes with The Duke making a Surgeon General type warning: �That type of move is potentially dangerous and that�s one of the reasons we wouldn�t want to make the transition in season� Duquette said. �We�ll see how it goes and hopefully he�ll feel comfortable� Yes kids, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. Working for the NYPD Bomb Squad is �potentially dangerous� playing 2nd base ahhhhhhh I don�t think so. So The Duke hopes Matsui will be �comfortable� at 2nd and if he isn�t? Then what? Is there a plan C? Inquiring minds want to know. Ok say Matsui takes 100 groundballs everyday at The Hole for a week or so, why can�t he come up and play 2nd base throughout September? Sure turning the pivot at 2nd will be a challenge but that�s what he has to work on while down in The Hole. I mean what the hell else is there to do in St. Lonesome? How many times can you go to Applebee�s for chicken wings? THAT HEILMAN KID IS SOMETHING EH? How many Imodium A D�s you think Aaron Heilman took last night after that pitching performance? I hope the Mets clubhouse guys can get the skid marks out of his underwear. <

Monday, August 23, 2004

Posted 8/23/2004 07:52:00 PM by Kranepool
�SOMEONE YELLED HEAD FOR THE HILLS, SO THAT�S WHAT I DID��.� The mountains really, the Pocono Mountains to be exact, for 4 days and since I was sharing a condo with 1 TV and 5 kids-ages 16-4 years old-I did not get to see much baseball or baseball highlights those four days. But I did read the paper and I�ve looked over the web for all that breaking Mets news and I found lots of interesting things: �COME IN HERE DEAR BOY HAVE A CIGAR, YOUR GONNA� GO FAR� When I last saw Project:Zambrano, he was holding his right arm and Artie from Queens thought it was his ankle that was injured. After getting an MRI the Team Quacks shot The Dukes spin machine to smithereens by coming to the conclusion that Zambrano has the same right elbow injury that plagued him with the Devil Rays. What makes this situation worse is Project:Zambrano� elbow was injured when he came over from Tampa Bay and he was afriad to say anything because of all the heat the Mets were taking for making this deal. The guy was in tears telling Professor Rick how sorry he was for being hurt. So again we have a Latin player with no one to turn to be honest with and now the Mets are in the jackpot. How much more of an indictment of this organization�s lack of leadership in the front office and in the mangers office do the Skill Sets need to see to make a move here and gain some respect in the baseball world. This team is the laughing stock of sports and it seems the fans are the only ones piss off enough to scream for changes. I still have faith in The Duke but I wish he have some more spine when dealing with The Skill Sets but if Artie from Queens is leading the charge out of �The Hole� in February 2005 that will send the message that this ownership does not give a shit about winning. �JOHN FRANCO: MARTYR� Franco claims he went to the Skill Sets and asked for his release because Artie has finally gotten through his head that Franco is done and hasn�t used him in over a month. Supposedly The Skill Sets refused to grant him his release, why, I don�t know? This is a big grandstand play by Franco. If your conviction is that you know you�re at the end of the line and you feel your holding up a spot for someone better and younger than you then announce your retirement. Don�t be dramatic, just go out with class. If Franco even said, �I can see I�m at the end of the line and the end of the season will be my last as an active player� I�d have a lot more respect form him. �EVERYTHING I DO, I DO IT FOR YOU� Who knew how loved and cherished the Wilpon Ward is? J.D. Closser took the Ward out with a �questionable� slide and knocked McWilpon out for the season with a leg fracture, Mets players were seeing red. Braden Looper couldn�t wait to give some baseball justice to the Rockies catcher by drilling him in the leg and said that he didn�t care about a fine or suspension he hit Closser as a retaliation for the take out slide. There was no �Joe Torre-Highlander cover up double talk bullshit� Looper came out and said �Yo, bitch here�s your payback� Ah, sometimes there is a sliver lining in the land of blue and orange. I have to figure that the Wilpon Ward will inherit the captain �C� from Franco upon his abdication from the post. �THIS KID IS SO GOOD WE HAVE TO FIGURE A WAY TO F HIM UP� David Wright is as good as advertised both at bat and in the field. He has settled down and his approach at the plate is worth buying a ticket to a Mets game in the middle of September. After a shaky start at 3rd base, he has shown range and an arm the likes we have not seen at Shea. Wright is not just good but he�s scary good, something Mets fans are not uses to seeing. So, what could go wrong? Well Artie from Queens had a brain storm that maybe we should give Wright some groundballs at short, since when Wright was 13 years old he played shortstop in a choose up game on a Norfolk sandlot. How does The Duke let Artie get away with this? The Duke is Arties boss right? When does he step in and STOP THE MADNESS!!!! I would play Cliff Floyd at short before I�d put Wright there, Hell, when you mention moving Kaz Matsui to 2nd base the Mets act like it�s against the F�in law to do this but it�s OK to move David Wright from a spot he should be anchored to for the next 15 years. Your head could explode trying to figure out these moves the Mets make. ��..AND WE�LL GIVE YOU ALL THE EMPTY BEER BOTTLES AND CANS FROM THE SHEA STADIUM VENDORS AS WELL��. Hey, that�s 5 cents a can. How much lower can the Skill Sets low ball Kris Benson? 2 years $12mil and the always popular 2 year team option. Yeah that will get this deal done. Why not ask Anna Benson for a lap dance while you�re at it. You know and I know that the Skill Sets know that Kris Benson knows that he has a vice grip on Freddy�s onions in this negotiation. Freddy Skill Sets will have to give Benson what ever he wants as if he lets Benson walk away he won�t have to worry about the condition of Shea Stadium anymore because the fans will burn it down. �IT�S 10 P.M. DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR CHILDREN ARE� Scott Kazmir loses his pitching virginity tonight in Seattle as the Devil Rays have summoned him from AA Montgomery to start tonight�s game. The game will be on MLB Extra Innings tonight at 10 P.M. so I�ll have my Maalox-Pepto cocktail with a Bromo Seltzer chaser watching this one. I even took walk over to Modell's by the Queens Center Mall to see if they had any Devil Rays T-shirts on the $5.00 rack for tonight�s game. Anybody else waiting to order a Kazmir jersey? <

Thursday, August 19, 2004

Posted 8/19/2004 12:29:00 AM by Kranepool
Here is the Skill Sets worst nightmare. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are considering bring Scott Kazmir up to the big leagues next week" when they go to Seattle. Man, his debut better be on MLB Extra Innings. What am I doing up so late? I'm watching Dodgers-Marlins it's the 9th inning and Gangne is in a basesloaded jam. Lenny Harris is up. 2 out bags juiced for the Fish. Jesus H. Christ, Lenny Harris just hit a double to right-center field and "Game Over" Gange has just blown a save. Lenny Harris, Mike Piazza's main brother, who I think played with Satchel Page on the Homestead Grays, hits what could be the game winner. It's 6-4 Fish bottom 9. Mondo in the game. Mondo get Grabowski with some high cheadar for the K. 1 down. Finley up and in an 0-2 hole. Mondo on fire K's Werth on 3 pitches. Mondo must have went to Mexico for either some testostorne or a tesicle transplant because he looks like nothng like he did with the Mets. 2-2 on Finley. Now 3-2 and Mondo gets Finley to pop out to Harris as the Fish comeback to win 6-4. Ex-Mets Lenny Harris and MOndo beat the Dodgers. I need some sleep. <

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

Posted 8/18/2004 04:49:00 PM by Kranepool
�QUACK QUACK� The Team Quacks strike again. Project:Zambrano has gone bust as Victor Zambrano yelled� No Mas� in the 2nd inning last night at Coors. Zambrano had a history of elbow trouble when the Mets acquired him, in fact he had the always popular Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and right before his acquisition his elbow was barking. I�m sure the Team Quacks, lead by Head Quacker Andrew Rokito, did their �Due Diligence� when giving Zambrano a head to toe exam before nodding yes to the Skill Sets to make the deal. The problem with that head to toe exam was they forgot to stop at the elbow to take a closer look. Meanwhile Scott Kazmir moved closer to being called up by the D-Rays with a strong showing in a 4-0 loss last night. Kazmir went 7 innings gave up 2 hits 1 earned run 7K�s and 3 BB. The question now is will this deal move the Nolan Ryan-Jim Fregosi deal out of first place as the worst deal in Mets history? Knowing that Zambrano had elbow surgery and was pitching with a �discomfort� in his elbow at the time your ready to pull the trigger on a deal, don�t you check this guy inside and out? How can you defend this organization, If they gave out rings for ineptness the Mets would be the 26 time World Champions. Freddy Skill Sets brissels at the impression the fans have of him as a cheap skate. He points to the payroll as top 5 in the game and always says if a player is out there that makes us better money is not an issue. Fine, sounds great but actions speak louder than words. Instead of employing the best medical people he could find, he cuts a deal with Hospital of Joint Diseases and NYU Medical Center where they can adversities that they are the official medical provider for the Mets, they get a free billboard on the right field wall at Shea and they get commercial time on Mets radio and TV broadcast in return for medical treatment for the players. Well, Freddy you get what you pay for. This medical staff is the same ones who said Mo Vaughn was healthy, was clueless with Jose Reyes, and now never saw this coming with Victor Zambrano. Freddy, do yourself a favor, go out and sell the ad space on the RF wall and go buy your organization some solid medical insurance. The evidence for the court martial of Artie from Queens keeps mounting as we see with two more examples that Artie is unfit for duty. Last night when Zambrano was holding his arm in the 2nd inning he was Artie�s take on the event: Zambrano delivered a ball-four pitch to J.D. Closser with two out in the second, then walked toward the Mets dugout while pointing to his arm, not even waiting for trainer Scott Lawrenson to meet him at the mound. Howe didn't initially know what to think, believing possibly that Zambrano had reinjured the ankle he sprained covering first base in Milwaukee in his Mets debut. Then the manager learned the extent of Zambrano's elbow discomfort, which the righthander hadn't fully disclosed. A guy holds his arm after making a pitch and Artie thinks it�s his ankle, talk about not knowing your ass from your elbow. Then we have this from an article by David Waldstein of the Newark Star Ledger: Now that the Mets have an MRI to back up Jose Reyes' claims, will people inside and outside the organization stop questioning his willingness to play in pain? When the Mets announced that Reyes had a new leg injury, a stress fracture in his lower left leg that would land him on the disabled list for as much as six weeks, they made certain to emphasize that the injury was not related to his previous leg injuries. While this was true from a physical standpoint, there may have been a psychological impact from the previous injuries that exacerbated the latest one. Reyes seems to have grown tired of being portrayed as a pussy by the Mets brass so he played through the pain of the stress fracture. So this is what it�s come down to for the Mets, instead of sending Reyes to any number of specialists who accept cash or checks for payment of their services, they figure it�s cheaper to just question the courage of the play who�s injured, F�in brilliant!!!! Now here�s where Artie comes into this: "You tape it up, and bite the bullet sometimes," Howe said that day. "I was proud of him. I was glad he stayed in the game. You start taking people out for a little bit of this or a little bit of that, they're never going deal with any kind of discomfort." What a asshole. A little discomfort? The guy has a stress fracture in his leg but he�s afraid to tell anyone in the organization because from the manger to the GM to the owner he feels like they think he�s hypochondriac or less manly than he should be. Artie is so out of touch with this team that it�s not funny anymore. It�s a F�in shame that he is still the manager of this team. An owner that had any onions at all would call him into his office and hand him a check an tell him �I�m sorry Art but this is not working out, it was a mistake. Here�s the rest of the money we owe you, enjoy your retirement�, but this will never happen with Freddy Skill Sets signing the checks around here. Reyes now needs a shrink more than a good orthopedist: Reyes said he first injured the leg in early July in Philadelphia, but did not tell anyone because he could tolerate the pain and play through it. It went untreated and unexamined for almost five weeks until the pain became so severe last Wednesday that he couldn't play. Not only did he not tell the Mets trainers, manager Art Howe or general manager Jim Duquette, he never told his agent, Peter Greenberg, until after Tuesday's game, the night before he had to be scratched from the lineup. "That was the first I knew about it," This tells you there a bigger problems than we know in this organization. A player who is 21 years old and a Latin player and the player you are building your future on does not have the confidence to approach his manager or the GM or even his agent about what he feels is an injury. It�s no secret that Latin players have been stereotyped by the racist element in baseball as not being tough or even as lazy and I bet that plays through Reyes head along with the perception he feels the organization has about him being �soft�. It�s a disgrace it really is. <

Tuesday, August 17, 2004

Posted 8/17/2004 08:41:00 PM by Kranepool
Joe MacDonald the Lord and Savior of MOFOSPORTS.net has a Q & A with the dearly departed Scott Kazmir. I can't understand why anyone (Senator Al) would bad mouth this kid. Now I've never met him but every time I've read an article about him, he comes off like the kind of player you want in your organization (Sidebar: Sometimes Senator Al comes off like the Cher Horowitz character in Clueless. As the sista's say "He's got issues") I love this exchange when Joe Mac asks him about the most memorable event of his young career: MS: So far in your career, what has been your most memorable moment? SK: Definitely last year when we won the Florida State League Championship. That was just incredible. I got to play with all those core guys. It was just great. The championship game was the most fun (I had). I got to start that game and went 5 1/3. I felt like I contributed, since I wasn�t there the whole year. It was really nice. It was awesome. This how you build a winning organization as you have your youngsters win while the grow up together. It's working in Cleveland and Minnesotta and it could being to start paying dividens in Tampa Bay. Kazmir is also a fan of the Mets web sites: MS: Do you still go on the Mets websites and see what the fans are saying about the Mets and your departure and do you still follow the organization? SK: Yeah definitely. I check out every level and see what the guys are doing. Just checking websites and seeing what people are saying. <

Posted 8/17/2004 08:37:00 PM by Kranepool
Gee, you think The Duke is a blogger? <

Monday, August 16, 2004

Posted 8/16/2004 08:35:00 PM by Kranepool
�LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, TONIGHT THE ROLE OF THE NEW YORK METS WILL BE PLAYED BY THE NORFOLK TIDES� Mike Piazza, Jose Reyes, and Iron Pony Matsui are on their way to �The Hole�(cue the Steve Marriott and Humble Pie music please) as they rehab their various injuries. With Iron Pony headed to the DL (I guess The Duke had to get it cleared with the Japanese Consulate) the Mets recalled 1st baseman Craig Brazell from Norfolk. Sometime this week either in Denver or San Francisco, the Mets could field an all Norfolk infield with Brazell at 1st, Danny Garcia at 2nd , Wilson Delgado at short and David Wright at 3rd. Brazell fits in nicely with the offensively challenged Mets as he has an awful OBP of .297 (18 BB in 433 AB). But Brazell is noted for his power as we see in his 21 HR and it�s nice to see a guy who�s toiled in the system get a shot at the big leagues. It�s too bad that Esix Snead is not joining him on the call up to the ML. Why is Gerald Williams drawing a ML paycheck? Ice Williams can no longer hit big league pitching and his outfield skills have eroded big time. The Mets released him and no one wanted him so the Mets took him back, it�s another one of the head scratching moves that has become the SOP of this organization. Why not promote a guy like Snead, who I will admit is not a prospect, but at least he can get on base (.347 OPB) and can steal a base (39 sb). I mean wouldn�t you rather see Sneed as a pinch runner over Steve Trachsel? I thought so. �YOU TALKIN� TO ME�? 39 year old Todd Zeile and 40 year old Randy Johnson almost went to the blows at the end of the 6th inning yesterday. It seems Zeile did not care for the Big Unit�s use of the stare down after striking him out to end the inning. Seems the bad blood with these two goes back to when they were wee lads in college as Zeile a USC Trojan and Johnson a UCLA Bruin still have an ax to grind. If I�m Zeile I would have charged Johnson just to see if he could get him tossed from the game as the Mets batters were better off going to bat with their eyes closed and hoping for the best against Johnson. When Al Pedriqoue lifted Johnson in the 9th with one out, I thought it was his old Mets pride showing as he wanted his alma mater to get a shot at winning this game Then we have the heads up play by Mike Cameron in the 7th. Head up his ass that is. Cameron hit a double with 1 out and David Wright up to bat. Now granted Wright has never faced anyone like Johnson but he was still the tying run at the plate. Even if Wright makes out, Artie from Queens still has Vance Wilson on the bench so he could pinch hit for the totally inept Jason Phillips. After sitting in the rain most of the afternoon, the crowd was thinking maybe this is the chance to get to Johnson. But Cameron get�s a brain storm (or brain fart) that he can swipe 3rd base. The throw from Juan Brito was right on target and Cameron was clearly out. Now Artie comes out to argue the play. Why Artie was out there is another unsolved mystery I hope that Artie was pulling a Sparky Anderson move as Anderson would argue a bonehead play by one of his players by making it look like he�s going at it with the umpire when in fact he was asking him to please toss him from the game as it will look like he�s sticking up for his player. I don�t think Artie is smart enough to pull that one off. �CAN THIS BE ARTIE�S TICKET OUT OF TOWN�? It�s no secret that John Franco has no use for Artie from Queens and it seems the feeling is mutual. Joel (Pinstripe Pajamas) Sherman has a story today in the NY Post on Franco being very agitated about not pitching since working an inning on August 5th. When asked about his non-use Franco said� "It's been three weeks," Franco said yesterday. "There has to be some place I can pitch." Sure there is John, your backyard. Franco does not want to face facts that the time has come to pack it in. He sure is not going to let Artie tell him his time is up and I don�t think he�d like to hear it from The Duke either, so you know who is going to have to sit down and let him know �Time�s Up�? Yup, Freddy Skill Sets. Freddy is the only guy that Franco shows any respect to. If you look back at Franco� Mets tenure I don�t think there has been a manager he liked. Maybe Buddy Harrelson. He had no love loss for either Dallas Green or Bobby Valentine so Franco seems to have issues with authority. It kills me to take Artie side here but WTF does Franco want Artie to do? Someone has to tell Franco he�s not getting the job done and with the way the bullpen is set (Bottalico, DeJean and Looper) he and Stanton are at best �get the lefty out� guys. I�d be shocked if either Franco or Stanton is back next year, as Freddy Skill Sets needs to have a little heart to heart with both guys. �WHO WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE, MATSUI OR FONZIE�? This is a question I have pondered the last few days as I looking over some figures on both players: Alfonzo: .274/.333/.387 27xbh (19 2b 1 3b 7 hr) 54 rbi 41r Matsui: .275/.337/.405 40xbh (31 2b 2 3b 7hr) 41 rbi 62r Matsui has been to bat 60 more times than Fonz (432ab�s to 372 ab�s) and Matsui has K�d 92 times to 11 for Alfonzo. So the average numbers are very close but Matsui is the leader in extra base hits by 13. Fonz has knocked in 13 more runs but Matsui has batted 1st or 2nd most of the season so he has not been in many RBI spots and amazingly considering the poor offense the Mets play, Matsui has scored 21 more runs than Fonz. The huge difference though with both players is their defense. Fonz playing primary 3rd base has committed just 11 errors while Matsui has a mind numbing 23 errors at short. As it is Mets fans and I believe the Mets front office does as well, are convinced that Matsui should be at 2nd base. But how do we know if things will be any different with a position change? With Alfonzo we KNOW he can play 2nd base and we KNOW he not only can handle NY he thrives here, the man lived in Jackson Heights while he played he for God sake, HE WANTS TO BE HERE. The money is a wash as Matsui has 2 years left with $7mil in 2005 and $8mil in 2005 and Alfonzo has $7.5 mil due to him in �05 and $8mil in �06. Age is no factor either as Fonz just turned 31 and Kazuo is 29. With brining Fonz back to the Mets and placing him at 2nd base you would have an infield in �05 of Wright-Reyes-Alfonzo-(JT Snow? Paul Konerko?) You go from one of the worst infields to arguably the best in baseball. If I want this deal done all I have to do is write to Senator Al or Delta Dental Glavine, and tell them of the great defensive advantage they would have. I guarantee they�d sign off on this, the question is would Brain Sabean do it? <

Saturday, August 14, 2004

Posted 8/14/2004 10:02:00 AM by Kranepool
"IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE?" So now Jose Reyes has a stress fracture in his lower left leg and the Mets medical staff is stumped over this. Does anyone know where this medical staff went to medical school? Do they even have diplomas? The beat goes on for the most clueless and inept organization in baseball. Reyes is the catalyst of this team, the player who along with David Wright will determine if this team will be worth following in the next 10 years or so and the Mets front office seems dumbstruck every time Reyes gets hurt: "He's had a series of unfortunate injuries," Duquette said. "We don't think they're related. He's had an unusual amount of bad luck. He's due for some good luck." Duke are you serious? How can you chalk his injuries to bad luck when you have not exhausted every option in the medical community. It�s obvious the quacks and conditioning people the Mets employ have no clue on what causes these breakdowns by Reyes: [The Mets' medical staff appears just as confused about how to treat Reyes, who had become their regular second baseman. Although Reyes believes he first hurt his lower left leg last month in Philadelphia, Duquette said the injury was sustained when Reyes ran out a triple Tuesday night against Houston.] Reyes THINKS he hurt the leg in Philly last month, The Duke SAYS in happened last Tuesday where is the medical staff on this? Why can�t the Skill Sets get their heads out of their asses and send Reyes to the Mayo Clinic or Johns Hopkins to get a full and thorough exam of his skeletal structure of his legs to see what is causes him to get the debilitating injuries? Maybe his body is maturing slower than most 21 year olds. Maybe he needs some other type of preventive medical or therapeutic measures to ensure a long career. It�s clear that something�s wrong and chalking up his medical woes to a�Shit Happens� conclusion is ignorant and unacceptable. <

Friday, August 13, 2004

Posted 8/13/2004 08:19:00 PM by Kranepool
"IS IT LIVE OR IS IT MEMOREX?" Yesterday I wrote this about Kazuo Matsui: I thought he was supposed to be an Iron Man? If I�m The Duke I put Matsui on the 15 day DL, since he can�t pinch hit or play in the field (as we saw last nigh when the Wilpon Ward came up with the winning run on 2nd base) then I have Team Quack Andrew Rokito write out a prescription that reads �Take 100 groundballs at 2nd base everyday for 2 weeks�. Hey, it couldn�t hurt. Today Joel (Pinstripe Pajams) wrote this: Matsui has a bad back now. The Mets should DL him, send him to St. Lucie and let him play rehab games at second. And now that they are no longer contenders they could get a look at him at second next to Jose Reyes at short during September. Matsui probably can handle the switch. But if he can't, at least the Mets know that going into the offseason and can plan around it, including considering trading him. Hello Jacoby & Myers!!! <

Posted 8/13/2004 08:17:00 PM by Kranepool
HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13TH <

Thursday, August 12, 2004

Posted 8/12/2004 08:52:00 PM by Kranepool
�OOOOOOHHHHHH DOCTOR!!!!!! The Mets clubhouse is turning into an annex of NYU Medical Center as the injuries are starting to pile up. Mike Piazza 15 day DL (swollen knee) During last nights game, Artie from Queens was looking around for a right handed pinch hitter. He asked the players in the dugout �anyone see Piazza�? The players did not have the heart to tell Artie that his All Star catcher was put on the DL earlier in the day, so Todd Zeile told him that Mike was out �feeding the parking meter on Roosevelt Ave� It�s the second year in a row that Mike has paid a visit to the DL (but not even close to last years injury) so of course the scuttlebutt is �Is Mikey done�? I don�t think he�s done but he has defiantly dropped down a notch. Here�s where the Mets are at the proverbial fork in the road with Piazza. I think we can all agree the first base move is and was a mistake and the only place for Mike is behind the plate or in an AL as a DH. So if you�re the Skill Sets and The Duke what�s your plan for �05 as per Piazza? I think they would love to move Mike to the AL and re-invest that $15 mil in a young corner OF�er and a first baseman but the odds of a team taking Mike at full price are none and noner (?) Not even Pete the Shyster in �Bawlamer� would do that. So it looks like Mike comes back for his final Mets season next year as the everyday catcher. Tom Glavine (missing teeth, split lip and achy shoulder and knees) Can�t you just see it when Titan Tom comes into the Mets Clubhouse and his teammates just stare at him and Glavine screams at the top of his lungs �I AM NOT A FREAK�I AM A MAN�� Glavine will not rejoin the rotation until the weekend of August 20th-23rd in San Francisco. Loopey has a good column today on Glavine and his ordeal. Glavine had a great quote when he said �New York has hit me hard in more ways than one� Man, how much do you think Glavine would pay Sherman and Mr. Peabody for a whirl on the Wabac Machine? Kazuo Matsui (back spasms) I thought he was supposed to be an Iron Man? If I�m The Duke I put Matsui on the 15 day DL, since he can�t pinch hit or play in the field (as we saw last nigh when the Wilpon Ward came up with the winning run on 2nd base) then I have Team Quack Andrew Rokito write out a prescription that reads �Take 100 groundballs at 2nd base everyday for 2 weeks�. Hey, it couldn�t hurt. Jose Reyes (bruised shin) This guy is giving me blue balls. Just when I think he�s ready to take off and become one the great players on baseball, he gets hurt. OUCH!!!!!! He is starting to find his comfort zone at the plate and he�s as happy as a pig in shit getting back at short. He has gone back to running the way that makes him a blur going from 1st to 3rd as his hammy and his ankle are as close to 100 % as could be expected and now he has a shin bruise. Will he ever play a full season? �NO COMMENT UNTIL THE TIME LIMIT IS UP� Highlander 1st baseman/DH Jason Giambi has reported to Tampa to get himself in baseball shape following treatment for a begin tumor. Back in the good old days of baseball when the Babe was the Highlander party boy, he would miss some periods of time with what was called in the papers a �belly ache�, which was code for The Clap. Now I�m not saying that The Giambino is covering up something a la the Bambino but the more you clam up the more the rumor mill churns out some outlandish leads. Is it any of our business what�s wrong with Giambi? Of course not. This was not something that happened during the playing of the game but we are a nation of nosey bastards and we want to know what�s wrong with him. This is why when there is a car accident on the North bound side of the expressway, the southbound lanes all slow down to look, and cause a bigger traffic jam even though it should be smooth sailing, and say Gee look at those poor bastards. As I say, it�s Giambi right to not tell anyone but the Highlanders what�s wrong with him. However it does allow for rampant speculation of what�s ailing with him. <

Wednesday, August 11, 2004

Posted 8/11/2004 11:36:00 AM by Kranepool
�THUFFERN THUCCOTASH� Man, you think Titan Tom Glavine sat up last night-with an ice pack-thinking" �what the F was I thinking coming here?�. Not only has Glavine� professional career taken a hit but so has his pearly whites. Glavine grabbed a cab from LaGuardia Airport to Shea, and was involved in a car accident that cost Glavine a spilt lip and his two front teeth (Sidebar: Memo to Tom Glavine, it�s not so bad losing some choppers, I speak from experience. I took an elbow to the mouth when I was 16 yrs old and lost one of my front teeth, then a few years later I took the butt end of a hockey stick to a back molar and lost that one too and recently I had 4 teeth pulled to make a bridge, so grin and bear it my friend) the question I have is LaGuardia is what 3 blocks from Shea, why not call a clubhouse guy to come by and pick him up? Hell send good ole Jay Horowitz over with one of bicycles rickshaws like they have on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City to come get him? Poor Tommy, imagine getting into a cab with driver who can�t drive for shit? WOW that�s rare in NYC. ITEM: PIAZZA HAS KNEE-MONIA It seems that Mike Piazza, who is as graceful around the first base bag as Dick Van Dyke was around that ottoman on his old TV show, hurt his knee when he crashed into a wall in Philadelphia on Memorial Day. So here it is what 2 almost 2 1/2 months later and the knee is still bothering him enough to get an MRI and have some fluid removed. When Artie form Queens was quizzed about this here was his response: Art Howe said he had been unaware of the severity of Piazza's injury, and suggested it may explain his prolonged batting slump (.156, 1HR, 6 RBI since June 29). "For him to have the doctor check it out, you know it's been bothering him quite a bit," Howe said of Piazza, who missed his third straight game. WOW Artie really has his finger on the pulse of his team. His number one star hitter has gone through the worst offensive month of his career with a bum wheel and Artie had no idea. I know you guys must be sick and tired reading me rip Artie so much but I can�t take it anymore. Please Freddy, Little Jeffy, Duke I will donate money to help pay off his contract FIRE ARTIE NOW!! Call Jim Leyland or Tom Kelly offer the boat loads of cash, buy Victoria Gotti�s house and give it to them, promise them that Jay Horowitz will be their rickshaw boy for how ever long they want him to be, anything to get either one of these proven baseball managers here. I�m begging here fellows, I�m F�in begging. �NOT EVERYTHING SUCKS IN THE LAND OF BLUE AND ORANGE� No matter how bad it get this month and next I will still be going to Shea (I try to get to at least 1 game each homestand) just to watch Jose Reyes and David Wright. We are seeing a changing of the guard with the Mets and hopefully The Skill Sets and The Duke can see this as well. This is no longer Piazza� team or Franco team or even Senator Al� team it�s Reyes and Wright team. They are the new face of the Mets. Scott Kazmir and Matt Peterson could have been the arms of the team but we won�t stir that up again. The other two faces on the horizon Lastings Milledge and Yusmeiro Petit are the best bets to join Reyes and Wright as the core of the future. It may be a good idea to start pushing Aaron Baldiris toward learning firstbase seeing that 3rd base will be occupied for the next 15 years. <

Monday, August 09, 2004

Posted 8/09/2004 07:53:00 PM by Kranepool
��AND THAT CONCLUDES THE MEANIGFUL GAMES PORTION OF OUR SEASON. JOIN US AGAIN NEXT APRIL, AS THE METS TRY AGAIN TO PLAY BASEBALL GAMES WE CARE ABOUT�� OK, so now what do you want to do? The season�s over with an expected 3 game bitch slapping by Redbirds, Mets fans start to do what they do best, look towards next season. This was a big improvement form last year. Last year Mets fans went into �Next Year� mode in May. Last year at this time the Mets were 44-66 as of today the 2004 record stands at 52-58, an 8 game improvement. As was my wish earlier in the season, a team has taken off in the division and is leaving the other teams in the dust.(so myself and other Mets fans would not become delusional) The Braves have done it again. The Braves have been division winners in 12 of the last 13 years (1991-1993 in the Western Division) and even though most folks (me included) thought they were finished, it looks as though they have at least one more crown left in them. Life is great when you have a manager that�s alive. I know I sound like Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man (Time to fire Artie, Fire Artie, Artie�s gotta go, Time to fire Artie) but it has to be crystal clear to the front office, they have to relive Artie from Queens of his command. Please Freddy, Please Duke, Please Little Jeffy put Howe and the players and the fans out of their misery FIRE ARTIE!!!. All the bullshit just keeps piling up around here. Floyd and Cameron piss and moan too much about how the fans react. A manager needs to go to these two guys and tell them �stop worrying about the guys in the stands before you end up joining them� A manager has to have the stones to tell the front office �Agreement or no agreement we are putting Kazu Matsui on the 15 day DL and sending him to �The Hole� to take groundballs at 2nd base�. Then tell Mike Piazza stop worrying about 1st base, since you won�t be playing there anymore this season, you�re the everyday catcher. Go to Cliff Floyd and tell him grab the 1st baseman�s glove and go take some ground balls. If he gives you an argument, tell him it�s to rest is legs that he says are hurting. If he says his legs are fine and that he�s more comfortable in LF, tell him OK but that�s the last I hear about your F�in legs hurting. If you go with Floyd in LF go over and tell Jason Phillips and Eric Valent �Congratulations, you guys are the new platoon at 1st base�. Get together with Professor Rick and Mike Stanton and John Franco and explain to the two pitchers that �They will not be called upon to set up or close a game for the rest of the season� In fact you could tell them they will be used for no more than1inning at anytime. For now on the bullpen rotation is Feliciano is the main lefty in the pen, Botalico and DeJean are the set up men, and Looper is the closer. When Jose Parra is healthy he works with Felicano in the middle innings and Matt Ginter goes back to Norfolk until September 1st. After September 1st Stanton and Franco become co-Bullpen coaches as the rosters expand. Franco and Stanton do not get to pitch again until October 3 the last game of the season at Shea as the Mets and their fans wish both Franco and Stanton a very happy retirement. <

Sunday, August 08, 2004

Posted 8/08/2004 11:45:00 AM by Kranepool
. A target of relentless ridicule in New York, Cede�o was traded in spring training to the Cardinals; he is hitting .322. Perhaps even more important to Cede�o, his family is finally able to attend home games. "The fans here love baseball and understand the game," Cede�o said. "You don't hear any bad words in the stands. They have class." So Roger Cedeno thinks the fans in Gateway to the West love baseball and understand the game. Well, if they�re cheering you Roger, they either don�t grasp the art of playing baseball as well as you think or they are very savvy in their knowledge in that they know your just a spare part and if your in the game it must be gar-bage time. If Cedeno were playing as much in St. Louie as he played in NY I can garuntee the fans at Busch would think differently. Tony LaRussa is no dummy (ask him, he�d be glad to tell you so)he knows that Cedeno is only good in small dosages. He�s had just 118 ABs this season and played in the field in only 22 games, 15 of those are starts. Some fans are smitten by his .322 avg. and .377 OBA but again it�s in 118 ABs. Walt Jockety thinks so highly of Cedeno that he went out and added Larry Walker to the crowded outfield of Edmonds, Sanders, Mabry, Taguchi, and Cedeno. So from the looks of that outfield depth chart, Roger better get himself a nice red cheerleaders uni and some pompom�s, as that looks how his role will be defined. Are we as Mets fans supposed to feel bad by the way Cedeno feels about his treatment here in NY? No not the least. If someone cursed him in front of his family sure that�s wrong but if he feels that he should have been cheered for being fat and unable to run after balls in the outfield, then he needs some help. The only reason he was back with the Mets was that Swarmy Steve Phillips saw 55 stolen base for the Tigers by Cedeno in his final contract year of 2001. Phillips then remembered that Roger swiped 66 bases for the Mets in 1999. What Phillips neglected to see (as he did with Mo Vaughn when he turned into Jack Black�s charcter in Shallow Hall) was an over weight fringe player who should have been avoided. So now Cedeno is enjoying life on arguably the best team in baseball-Cardinals are 71-38 1- 1/3 games in front of the 2nd place Cubbies-as a bit player and he thinks the fans love him for his contribution. I have news for him God forbid one or two of the outfielders go down with injury and Cedeno has to play regularly in the field, those cheers will turn to boos in a Manhattan minute. Then we have our own disenchanted outfielder, Mike Cameron: GREET ME IN ST. LOUIS: Cardinals fans have a reputation for being some of the best in baseball and they showed it yesterday when they greeted newly acquired outfielder Larry Walker with a standing ovation when he pinch-hit in the seventh and then gave him another after he struck out swinging. "The only place that doesn't happen is New York," Mike Cameron said. "There you just get a big gnash. They did that because they went and got him. They were just showing him some love." Mike, with all due respect, your talking out of your ass. Go a few lockers over and as Mike Piazza what kind of ovation he received in his first Mets at bat. Go up to the broadcast booth and ask Tom Seaver what it was like when he was (and still is) The Franchise. Speak to Keith Hernandez as to what it was like in his first at bat after he testified at the Pittsburgh Drug Trials in the mid 80�s. Dial up Doc Gooden who was treated with more respect and kindness than he ever gave Mets fans. When you see Mookie Wilson again ask him how the fans are when they chant MMMOOOOKKKKIIEE when ever he�s at the ballpark. When Lenny Dystra comes to spring training (if your still a Met)as him how the fans reacted when he was traded to the Phillies. On Wednesday go to St. Patricks Cathedral for the Bob Murphy memorial service and ask Murph�s family about Mets fans. Hey even better, ask the Mets fans themselves as the cathedral will be packed with them. Mike, do you know what all those guys had in common? Not only were they winners but the made their mark as Mets. You can even go over to the Bronx and ask Jeter, or A-Rod or Joe Torre what it�s like to play in NY. Joe Namath is making the rounds these days, ask him about the NY fans. Ask Mark Messier, Brain Leetch, Mike Richter or better yet ask a man of class and dignity like Adam Graves about the NY fan. Talk to Lawrence Taylor or Phil Simms who was booed unmercifully and never said a word, now he feels as Giants fans clamore for his induction into the Hall of Fame. Talk to Clyde Frazier or Earl Monroe and they�ll tell you to be cool and play your best then you�ll get your props. I like Cameron, he is what he is, a streaky hitter with some power who strikes out allot. His defensive abilities are vastly overrated. His great defensive reputation seems to be SportsCenter driven but all in all he�s a good player. He�s mad because he plays for a team that even with it�s flaws beats itself more so than the oposition does. It�s a team with great starting pitching, a better bullpen-if it was run properly-than we have seen and the play for a manager who couldn�t run a 7-11 never the less a major league bench, and that�s why the fans boo. Mike ask yourself this, how many times have you struck out with men on base? How many balls in CF should you have gotten to if you would forget about trying to get on ESPN (I did not see yesterday�s game but from the stories I�ve read and from the old guys at the bagel store on Hylan Blvd who love to give me hell about the Mets, Cameron should have made a play on Molina�s game winning hit) Cameron and his teammates like Cliff Floyd need to learn that you have to earn the respect of the fans before you can get it. Do something to makes us cheer. Run off a 10 game winning streak. Stand up to the Braves and the Marlins, two teams the Mets fear. SHOW THE FANS YOU GIVE A SHIT!!!. then sit back and bask in the adulation. <

Friday, August 06, 2004

Posted 8/06/2004 07:34:00 PM by Kranepool
�WRIGHT IS RIGHT, GALANTE IS WRONG� I really want to get excited over the 3 game sweep of Selig 25 and the outstanding day by David Wright, but a couple of things have curbed my enthusiasm. One is the next team on the schedule are the St. Louis Cardinals, who just happen to be the hottest team west of the Major Degan. The Cards are on a run of winning 23 of their last 29 games, so I�m not exactly looking for big things here by the Amazins The second item that has me perturbed, anguished, troubled and all around pissed off is the lack of any support of the well being of the defense. Last week there was an item in the paper (I forgot where I read this it could have been in The Journal News)that the Mets were ready to drop the ax on infield/3rd base coach Matt Galante and outfield/1st base coach Gary Pettis. Artie from Queens threw himself at the mercy of The Duke and the Skill Sets and the hit was canceled. Well, it�s time to put the contract out again and whack these two guys. The Mets should change their nickname to the New York Procrastinators (I guess they would if they could stop putting it off)as every move that needs to made is all ready met with �That�s something we will address on the off season�. Yo, Duke and Skill Sets show some stones and make the moves that need to be made N-O-W!!! Galante should have been canned along time ago. Bobby Floyd was supposed to be the 3rd base/infield coach but Galante bitched and moaned to Freddy Skill Sets and he had Galante and Floyds� roles reversed. Another stellar Skill Sets move. Now is the time to rectify this dumb ass move and can Galante. Why you ask? The Mets infield defense is beyond horrible. It�s not like these guys-Wright, Reyes, Matsui and 1st baseman of the day-lack talent, what they lack the proper direction form the coaching staff. Galante has worked with Kaz Matsui since February and the guy has not only not shown no improvement at shortstop, he�s regressed to the point that he�s a defensive liability. Then there�s David Wright. The kid was billed as a solid defensive player but so far in the big leagues he�s not shown it. Maybe working with roving infield instructor Edgar Alfonzo ( Edgardo� bro) or B-Mets manager Ken Oberkfell is what�s missing but I bet if Alfonzo or Kingsport manager Tim Teufel could be the cure for not just Wright but for all the infielders as well. Losing Galante from the 3rd base box would also be a plus as he has not shown a real feel for judging his own baserunners, plus he seems clueless on the strength of most the outfield arms in the NL. As far as Pettis is concerned, the hardest CF to play in baseball is CF at Shea. Says who? The Say Hey Kid that�s who. Willie Mays the GREATEST CENTERFIELDER IN THE HISTORY OF BASEBALL has always held that claim. If you ask Mike Cameron I bet you he�d second that motion. Cameron is superior outfielder. He gets to balls no one who ever put on a Mets uni could ever get to but he seems to get discombobulated on the routine play. Since Willie is bit long in the tooth for coaching, why not bring in a guy who patrolled the green pasture of centerfield at Shea for the Mets, Mookie Wilson. Wilson is currently managing the Mets rookie team in Kingsport TN but I�m sure he would love to be back in a big league uni for the last month of the season. Can someone please give me one good reason why the Matsui to 2nd base and Reyes to shortstop switch has to wait till next spring? I don�t get,it what�s the worst that can happen Matsui is going to make errors at 2nd? Please. With Reyes� minesweeping range, it�s the only move to make and if the Mets Brass doesn�t think the same way, then why did they put Reyes at short while Matsui heals his wounds? Put Matsui at 2nd and bring the Tueful Shuffle back to Shea for some pre school training and make the team better for Christ sake. The Mets defense is killing the pitching staff. When your asking pitchers to get 4 or 5 outs in an inning it's a drag. Also the ammount of extra pitches the fosil starting staff has to make is a killer as well. As we saw from Senator Al's comments the other day, when he was praising The Wilpon Ward for his shortstop play like he was Ozzie Smith, it's just a matter of time before the Senator tries to pass an ammendemnt that all Mets shortstops must be born in the Western Hemisphre. <

Wednesday, August 04, 2004

Posted 8/04/2004 05:13:00 PM by Kranepool
"Mookie Wilson still hopes to win it for New York ... 3-2 the count. ... And the pitch by Stanley. ... And a ground ball trickling. ... It's a fair ball. It gets by Buckner! Rounding third is Knight. ... The Mets will win the ballgame. ... They win! They win!" Game 6 of the 1986 World Series as the Mets rallied to beat Boston 6-5 in 10 innings �METS WIN BUT THERE IS NO HAPPY RECAP� Bob Murphy, The Voice of The Mets has passed away at the age of 79 and another piece of my childhood is gone as well. It sound corny but for all the years I�ve been a Mets fan there has been lots of losing and dumb moves by management but when times were toughest Bob Murphy always made you think it will get better and there�s no shame in loving the Mets. I can imagine the scene in heaven as Lindsey Nelson in his multi colored sports coat greets Murph at the pearly gates. God rest Bob Murphy�s soul. Three great audio clips from WFAN. 1. Chris Russo�s interview with Professor Rick. You can just imagine the Professor gritting his teeth during this attack..er interview. 2. The Duke is interview for 45 minutes by Joe Beningno. This ones a keeper. Here is one exchange: Joe Beningno(JB)Jim, it would be nice if the Mets would beat the Braves uh. I mean it�s been 10 years since they beat them. The Duke: Well we have 8 games left 5 at home. JB: That�s great you�ll go 1-7 Then you have a montage of Murph�s great calls. Artie form Queens has just announced on the FAN that Jose Reyes will start at shortstop tonight. If he doesn�t stay there for the rest of the season it�s a F�in joke. <

Tuesday, August 03, 2004

Posted 8/03/2004 08:43:00 PM by Kranepool
�IT IS WITH DEEP SADNESS THAT WE ANOUNCE THE PASSING OF THE 2004 NEW YORK METS SEASON� So say today�s fish wraps. In the NY Times today, Lee Jenkins breaks down the 6 days in July that turned the season on a downslide. The games Jenkins chronicles: July 8th @ Philadelphia-This was the game that was to put the Mets into 1st place for the first time in nearly 4 years. I like to call this game the �Smirk Game�. The Mets bullpen needed to get 9 outs to cement the win but Captain Joseph Hazelwood (a/k/a John Franco) gave up a walk off, game winning, up your ass home run to Bobby Abreu and the TV cameras showed Franco with that stupid ass smirk that we have seen way too much of this season. July 11th @FLA-�When I looked at the lineup, I asked what happened? Reyes said. �Why don�t I play today?� That was Jose Reyes reaction when he checked the lineup card on the last game before the All Star Break, in which Reyes would be resting for 3 days. Not only was Reyes given the day off but also Cliff Floyd was grabbing some pine that day. This is just one more piece of evidence I will use when go to the Queens County Court house to file papers against Artie from Queens to show he is mentally incompetent to be a ML manager. July 16th Phillies-This was the game where over 42,000 Shea Stadium patrons took on the mob mentality and booed the living shit out of the team during this 5-1 loss to the Phighting Phills. In fact you could say this game may have been the beginning of the end as the Mets went on to lose 12 of the next 16 games and lose 8 games in the standings. The venom of the fans stunned Cliff Floyd, something he won�t have to worry about next year when he�s DH�ing in Tampa Bay. July 19th Marlins-In this game the bullpen arsonists of Stanton/Franco could not hold on to a 4-0 lead. When Braden Looper was brought into the game he had the nerve to have the Fish hit ground balls to the infield. Who did he think was at shortstop, Kevin Elster? July 25th Braves-The final step in giving up the season, the dreaded �Players Only Meeting�. Senator Al Leiter getting himself a little public speaking practice before going to the Republican National Convention, called the boys together to give them the old rah-rah speech. Showing that he is a true Republican, Senator Al�s words fall on deaf ears as the Mets lose to the Braves 4-3. You know the old chestnut about the only thing definite in life is death and taxes? I think you can put the Mets losing to the Braves in that category as well. July 30th @Atlanta-Will this day replace June 15, 1977 as the darkest day in Mets history? �AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT� Lucky Charms Lupica tells us that Mike Piazza is not the hitter he used to be. �DEFENDING YOURSELF� Professor Rick has had to take his warm up jacket off and come out and defend himself as the backlash from Friday�s trades won�t die down. Peterson makes his case that Scot Kazmir needs to throw another 200 innings before he would be ready to pitch in the big leagues. This view is a contradiction of D-Rays GM Chuck LaMar�s view as LaMar figures to call up Kazimir in September and has him in the Rays starting rotation in �05. I have to admit I am drinking the Rick Peterson Kool Aid. As I�ve stated it�s not so much that I was against trading Scott Kazmir I just think the could have gotten a helluva lot more for him. But when it comes down to knowing pitching, who are you going to throw your support to La Mar or The Professor? Also, Jay Horowitz owes Professor Rick a dinner for talking him into going on WFAN today with Chris Russo. Russo came out and spoke out his ass as usual when he questioned Peterson about him not being able to get the most out of Matt Ginter or Tyler Yates. He then questioned how much credit a pitching coach should get when it�s the pitchers talent that will carry him. Peterson was calm and collected when he replied that he has never ask for or has taken any credit for any success achieved by pitchers on his staff. Peterson then went on to compare his job to that of the plumber who comes to your house to fix a leaky pipe. You don�t praise the plumber for doing his job but if he fixes the leak and your very happy with his work odds are you�ll call on him again if his services are needed. Russo also hinted that maybe Peterson has too much say in personnel decision the Mets make. Peterson had to explain to him that The Duke and The Skill Sets come to him for his opinion on pitching matters. What Russo can�t get through his fat head is that Peterson is more than the Mets pitching coach. He has the same position that Dave Wallace had in the late 90�s as the organizations pitching coordinator. One of Freddy Skill Sets missions after Wallace left was to find a pitching guru and Peterson is that man. �HONEY, CAN YOU LOOK IN THE TV GUIDE, ARE THE METS ON CHANNEL 9 TONIGHT?� Tonight is the first game that Mets fans who are slaves to Time Warner Cable will miss out on the Mets telecast and the twenty car pile up voice of Francis Xavier Healy. You know maybe having cable is not all that bad. <

Monday, August 02, 2004

Posted 8/02/2004 08:13:00 PM by Kranepool
"PUTTING THE BISCUITS IN THE BASKET" New Montgomery Biscuits lefty Scott Kazmir pitched 5 shout out innings to lead the Biscuits to a 11-1 win over the Carolina Mudcats. Kazmir pitched 5 in 3 h 0 r 0 er 3 bb 8 k Here is a story in the Tampa Trib that shows how the D-Rays are ready to be a force in '06. Don't feel bad if your eyes get watery reading this because mind did as well. The D-Rays are planning the way we Mets fans thought the Skill Sets were. Damn, it sucks to see a grown man cry. <

Posted 8/02/2004 08:13:00 PM by Kranepool
�PROFESSOR RICK PUTS HIS ONIONS ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK� According to Pete Abraham of The Journal News Mets Pitching Czar, Rick Peterson was down right giddy over the Zambrano deal: Peterson put his reputation on the line by strongly advising the Mets to acquire the inconsistent Zambrano from Tampa Bay for Class AA left-hander Scott Kazmir. But to him, the risk was negligible. "I stood up and clapped when I heard the news that we got him," Peterson said. "I talked to people I trust around baseball, and they all couldn't believe we got him." I could just picture the organizational meeting with Freddy Skill Sets clipping his coupons, Little Jeffy having his ba-ba, Artie from Queens staring at his Dunkin Dounut wondering how the get the filling in the Boston Creames, Al Goldis talking about some kid pitcher for the St. Louis Browns he�s following, Professor Rick (who if this deal goes sour will be more like Professor Irwin Corey) bringing in all his charts and data and The Duke wondering to himself �I got to get to Kiko�s to update my resume`. I have to say this much for Professor Rick, he is putting his reputation on the line with Zambrano. He claims he�s watched tape and knows exactly what�s wrong with him and with a bit of tweak to his mechanics he can make him a stud pitcher. From your mouth to Nolan Ryan�s ears Rick. As we start the month of August, and with the Mets now a robust 9 games in back if the Braves, and with there top pitching prospect now a Montgomery Biscuit, the bashing of Mets players is well under way. The first target is Mike Piazza. I will admit to one and all I was dead wrong about Piazza playing 1st base. He�s beyond awful. His footwork around the bag is Kingman-esque. The play that sealed it for me was yesterday when he threw behind Glavine on a routine �3-1� groundout, I mean that was a staple of spring training, oh� I forgot Piazza played about 2 innings during the spring and he has worked with 5X5 Galante during the season to no avail. By the way, when the Mets were unable to hit the broad side of a barn, hitting coach Denny Walling was whacked. The Mets infield is the worst in baseball. Ole� 5X5 has worked also with Kaz Matsui, who makes Rafael Santana look like Louis Apariecio, has not shown any improvement either. Add in the fact that even Wendell Kim scratches his head about 5X5�s abilities as a 3rd base coach, how does he keep his job? Sure it�s too late now to make a difference but why not bring in Felix Milan or Tim Tueful to the big league staff to work with the infielders? I keep hearing that it�s a mortal lock that Kris Benson is going to sign a deal with the Mets; I�ll believe it when I see it. Let Benson have a game like he did Saturday night at Shea and have the boo birds rain down on him, he has never felt the wrath of fans like Mets fans will give him. Hot wife or not. Artie from Queens did it again yesterday, in the 7th inning. 1 out Vance Wilson on 3rd up steps Eric Valent (6/8 as a pinch hitter) Mets need one run to tie the game. Bobby Cox jumps out of the dugout and hobbles out to the mound and calls for LHP Tom Martin who was obtained form the Dodgers the day before. The little chip in Artie�s head gets activated �Must send up right handed hitter�..Must send up right-handed hitter�.� So instead of the better hitter-Valent-Artie interrupts Gerald Williams as he was reading his AARP Handbook and sends him up to pinch hit. Williams does what he does best, he makes an unproductive out. Reyes comes up with 2 out and fly�s out to end the inning. This �by the book� managing has been killing this team all season. Artie has no feel for this team or how to operate in game strategy whatsoever. He gives Reyes a day off before the 3 day All Star Break. He sits Piazza on a day he�s needed the most. He has burned out his bullpen. We can only hope that Branch Goldis gives the thumps down to Freddy Skill Sets when the vote comes to keep Artie for next season. Cablevision and Time Warner Cable are locked in a tug of war over subscriber fees for MSG/FSNY and the God-awful Metro Channels. First off, as bad as the Wilpons are no one and I mean no one is as evil as the Dolans. Little Jimmy Dolan has taken Cablevision, The Knicks, Rangers and Madison Square Garden and drove them all to ruin. In this latest strong arm move, Dolan is looking for a fee increase per subscriber for the MSG and FSNY channels as well as adding Cablevision� Metro Channels to the TW service. TW knowing that the Knicks are not a hot property as they once were and that there is good chance the Rangers will not play a game this fall refuses to go for the increase. Add in the fact that the MSG Network which at one time was the jewel of the regional sports channels is now a mostly an infomercial channel. Just about all the original programming such as Talk of the Town, Angles, Jets Journal, and Giants On-Line are gone from their airways. A NY institution, Marv Albert THE Voice of the Knicks has severed his ties with MSG after 35 years of service. So now Mets fans who are slaves to TW Cable are shut out of seeing Mets games. The problem is this dispute has been simmering for about a year with both sides agreeing to a 6 month extension to protect Mets fans from missing Mets games. So as always in these disputes, the 6 month extension has come and gone and TW subscribers are with out MSG/FSNY. We all remember that Cablevision did the same underhanded play with the YES Network as well. Folks, do yourself a favor, get yourself Direct TV if you can. <

Sunday, August 01, 2004

Posted 8/01/2004 07:07:00 PM by Kranepool
Tylere Houston a former Philadelphia Phillie and a member of the "I HATE LARRY BOWA CLUB" now writes for the Las Vegas Review Journal. In a column today Houston shows why he will never be invited to Philies Old Timers Day.Houston breaks one of the sacred commanmants of MLB, he tells about the goings on in a big league clubhouse. He tells how he was released by Bowa for being the allegied master mind to ice out Bowa by the players. Houston claims the ring leader of the revolt is still on the team. <

Posted 8/01/2004 07:07:00 PM by Kranepool
On Joe MacDonald's great MOFOSPORTS site he has posted two great articles. One is by Mark Healy who sheads some light on why Scott Kazmir is no longer a Mets farm hand. It seems as if Freddy Skill Sets has made The Duke's assistant Al Goldis the man he listens to as it seems Goldis was the brains(?)behind the Kazmir/Zambrano deal. From reading most of the stories in today's papers it also look as though Professor Rick was very much in favor of the deal as well. Joe Mac has a Q & A with Brooklyn Cyclones CF Corey Coles. I feel bad for Coles. He is a good hard nosed player a very good CF'er and hitter who has a clue of what he's doing at the plate. But this is his 2nd seasn at Brooklyn and for the life of me I don't know whay the Mets have not moved him up to St. Lonesome or Cap Cities at least? The Skill Sets have this infatuaition with the Cyclones winning the NY-Penn League title every year. Last year they would send players form Norfolk to Brooklyn on "rehab assignment" just to stack the deck. This year Coles was removed form a game as his frustations started to grow. It seem that he is resigned to stay at Brooklyn for the rest of the year. <

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