LIVE at 9pm ET, A Metsian Podcast Memorial Day Weekend Special - Assessing the 2019 Mets

LIVE at 9pm ET, A Metsian Podcast Memorial Day Weekend Special is here! Once more, there isn't a shortage of places to travel on this full service podcast. Gary McDonald of Mets Musings will join us for the chat!

On top of wrapping up the final results of the Nationals series, the heat was on Mickey Callaway entering the week after 5 straight losses. This prompted the "seal of approval" presser with Brodie Van Wagenen on Monday, while yet another flurry of Meddin' Jeff articles were written by the media, local and national alike. Just another year in the world of the Mets.

Injuries have lead to some shuffling of the roster. Of course, after getting heat for a perceived lack of hustle, Robinson Cano pulls a hammy legging out a double. Of course. Rajai Davis got called up after Brandon Nimmo was placed on the IL and immediately makes his presence felt with a 3-run home run to cap off a 6-run come-from-behind inning Wednesday night. What is to be expected of him and will he stick around?

Carlos Gomez has yet to truly make his presence felt with the bat though his notorious energy has been there both with on-the-field flare as well as cheerleading from the bench. He's been walking some so he hasn't been completely absent. Can he ever regain his Major League prowess?

Jeez, there's even MORE to cover! Yoenis Cespedes violently broke his ankle NOT falling off a horse, but apparently stepping incorrectly in a hole on his Port St. Lucie ranch. Is it time to completely write off him ever playing another inning for this team?

So much to cover, so little time! Join us at 9pm ET for the latest edition of A Metsian Podcast!

You can listen LIVE down below, or at the link here.

The Stopper

Last year, late in the season when we had lost 5 in a row, Jon Niese started against the Phillies and shut them down for 9 innings, completing the game for a 5-0 win.

Though Niese did not have the same dominant game he had on that August day, he was once more called upon to shut the losing streak down, and he did more than his part last night with 7 innings of 3-run ball, off 4 hits and 5 walks, striking out 5. He would have been even better had it not been for his former teammate Justin Turner tattooing him in the 7th for an original dimension game-tying 2-run homer, erasing the lead Niese helped grab with a double in the 5th inning, the only pitcher other than Jacob deGrom with a hit on this team. Turner had also helped the Mets by bobbling Daniel Murphy's grounder to let the 3rd run score in that same 5th. 

Back to Niese in the 7th, however, as he battled through and picked up the win when Wilmer Flores and Juan Lagares combined in the bottom half to get the lead right back; Wilmer singling to lead off the inning and Lagares driving him in with 2 out on a single as well.

The offense was really the star of the show last night. No, we did not have an explosion, but the productive outs that were missing in our features for so long were had by the likes of Eric "Soup" Campbell, who has done nothing but play like a serious pro since he arrived from AAA.

The AB of the night, though, and the AB of his year so far was Curtis Granderson in the 2nd inning. This is where I came in, turning on WOR probably 7 pitches into the 12-pitch AB that ended with a double over Matt Kemp's head, taking 3rd base on the outfielder's bobble. Watching some of the early parts of the game later, it was clear in the 1st inning that Zack Greinke, who had been on fire this year (and really for his last 100 starts), did not have his command when David Wright had an 8-pitch AB that unfortunately finished the inning with a strikeout looking. Curtis fouled them off and fouled them off until driving it to center, scoring on Mr. Campbell's sac fly to tie the game at 1.

As I walked Queens Boulevard towards the bridge getting ready to call Gary Mack for Mets Musings, Howie Rose had a call to match the amazing moment he was witnessing, as Yasiel Puig made one of the greatest catches you will see, almost doubling up The Duda at 1st (Howie's call is around the 2:10 mark.)



Yasiel Puig is quite the amazing talent, but the infamy of the Cuban player not having his head in the game or being unaware of the rules was evident throughout the series. He looked silly gunning the ball towards the plate with 3 out the other day. Lucky for him and the Dodgers, that didn't affect those actual outcomes, whereas last night, he burned his team on an infield fly that tailed to the outfield in the top of the 6th, where the rule clearly states, "run at your own risk."

Oh, and of course, the man got doubled off on this, in Eric "Soup" Campbell's 1st Major League outfield start.



And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Mr. Jenrry "Back-to-Back" Mejia, who took a page out of Jose "Papa Grande" Valverde's antics book to lock down his 2nd Major League save.



And some other items of note:

• Though he did get caught stealing in the bottom of the 3rd, David Wright should attempt to steal more bases if he's going to be a singles hitter. I think, however, we haven't seen more steal attempts because he's still rather timid following his hamstring issue last year.
• SNY needs to change the defensive alignment graphic that is still the original Citi dimensions. It's been like 3 years, you guys...
• Speaking of SNY, whether or not the Mets are struggling, Gary, Keith and Ron are ALWAYS on their game.
• The Dodgers were in an alternate road uniform that was a grey version of their home unis, with the classic "Dodgers" across the chest as opposed to "Los Angeles." I'm a stickler for having your nickname on your uni at home and your city on your uni on the road. Unless it's the Phillies, where there's really no difference from saying "Phillies" as opposed to "Philadelphia."

So, we salvage the final game, getting the timely hits we had not been getting. Curtis has been impressing me with his approach lately, Flores is hitting when getting the chance, and Eric Campbell should probably be playing wherever we can get him in the lineup. Clearly, one game is not going to turn my opinion around on Sandy and Terry, but a win is a win, and I'll take it. No matter how much a massive losing streak could possibly help purge this team, seeing and hearing a solid, well put-together win always trumps any vitriol that had been building up. That's all you want to see: The New York Mets win, not keep botching winnable games, and look like there is some actual growth with this franchise.

As I stated before, Mr. Gary Mack was my eyes and ears during last night's contest as I walked over the Queensboro Bridge discussing the Mets with him on Mets Musings. Make sure to take a listen on this Friday in May.

Have a great holiday weekend, folks...and as always...

LET'S. GO. METS.

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. For more from myself and others on the Mets, head over to Rising Apple. And for the latest on a Brooklyn Baseball TV Series I am developing, Like the Bedford & Sullivan Facebook page, follow on Twitter here, and listen to the research process here.

It Doesn't Count, but It's Fun

Last night might be the first time I really cared about 2014 Mets baseball.

Clearly, I've been lacking when it comes to writing, watching, or even discussing the Mets. Even on the podcasts (one of which I'll embed down below) though I may ramble, I feel as if I cannot give a full opinion because of my lack of Metsian observation the past couple of months. Then again, I've picked up the general things that are being thrown down in the Metsosphere.

I went out of my way, however, to watch the highlights of yesterday's game, where Anthony Recker and the Mets, down 6-4 to the Braves in the 9th, won 7-6 on Recker's 3-run shot.

And then there's this gem, which is another reason Juan Lagares HAS to be starting in center:

Yeah, it's spring training. Yeah, nothing is counting towards the standings. But memories are still created. I mean, listen to that crowd when Recker hit the home run. Listen to the crowd AND Mr. Burkhardt and Keith. It's an early division match-up, and though it completely changes when the pages turn to April (well....this year, March 31...) there's still a lot of people with plenty to prove, making the juice flow a little more in the above match-up. Certainly some fun highlights to watch.

And prior to watching them, I made my way from the neighborhood of Flatbush to Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues in Brooklyn while discussing some Mets baseball with Mr. Gary Mack of Mets Musings. Take a listen below.

SETTLE. ING. IN.
LET'S. GO. METS.

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. And for the latest on a Brooklyn Baseball TV Series I am developing, Like the Bedford & Sullivan Facebook page, follow on Twitter here, and listen to the research process here.

Musing 'Bout the Mets

Last night, I was thrilled to join Gary Mack on his Mets Musings podcast, bringing with me a dose of the sounds of New York City (which is beginning to be a podcast habit of mine...) as I walked through midtown Manhattan and over the 59th Street Bridge, heading to Sunnyside, Queens.

We talked Mets, the blogs and podcasts of Rising Apple and Bedford & Sullivan, Brooklyn, New York City, and of course, more Mets.

If you don't regularly listen to Mets Musings, do yourself a favor and follow the show on iTunes or whatever other medium you'd like. Gary is a very astute, long-time Mets fan who produces great Metsian conversations for your listening enjoyment.

Enough of me typing. Press Play.

MUSING. BOUT. METSIES.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. And for the latest on a Brooklyn Baseball TV Series I am developing, Like the Bedford & Sullivan Facebook page, follow on Twitter here, and listen to the research process here.

Fun Podcast Times With Gary Mack From Mets Musings

Last night, our crew over at Rising Apple welcomed a podcast veteran, Gary Mack of Mets Musings. And though my Sprint service and midtown didn't agree as I walked through the city on my way to a screening of a great film called Nebraska, I was still able to chime in and be a part of the awesome Metsian talk.

Thanks to Gary for joining in on the weekly fun. Take a listen.

LET'S. GO. METS.

More Sports Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Rising Apple Report on BlogTalkRadio

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. And for the latest on a Brooklyn Baseball TV Series I am developing, Like the Bedford & Sullivan Facebook page, follow on Twitter here, and listen to the research process here.