A Thrilling But Bizarre World Series So Far

First off, you can't let a World Series game end like this.

I said in the Dodgers/Cardinals series that the whole thing might come down to Mike Matheny just being a better manager, and as this Fall Classic played on, I thought that might again be the case with John Farrell making so many 2nd guess-type moves, seemingly unable to navigate the National League waters with the series now in St. Louis. But it appears this World Series is just going to come down to who makes the least amount of rookie mistakes.

There was Beltran, standing at the plate, having a great World Series in his first trip to the Fall Classic, unable to do anything about the end of Game 4, arguably the most important game in a 7-game series.

In regards to the obstruction call of Saturday night, I had been on my way home, listening to the game on the radio, pumped up to get home with a "Kinda-Halloween Weekend" buzz goin', turn the TV on, sit on the couch, have a glass of wine, and watch some extra innings of the World Series. I turn it on, turn my MLB Gameday Radio off, and literally, the next pitch I see is this ending.

Just as many of us, I couldn't believe what I just saw. Even Tim McCarver said he couldn't remember a GAME ending that way, much less a World Series game. Firstly, Jarrod Saltalamacchia thinking he had the bum-legged Allen Craig at 3rd was a bit overaggressive, and the throw arguably shouldn't have been made. In regards to the actual obstruction call, I'll say what I said that night….WHERE WAS THE FIELDER SUPPOSED TO GO?! 

"Incidental contact," to quote Ted.

But I guess….I guess….the umps and Joe explained the whole thing enough for me to drop it.

Anyway, outside of all the actual baseball still being played, I had a blast this weekend reviewing the 2013 seasons of Omar Quintanilla and Josh Satin. Over at Rising Apple, we have been going through the entire 2013 Mets roster this month and reviewing the players' individual seasons, as well as speculating what their next role will be, either on the Mets or someplace else. As many people have been saying- those players may be mediocre at best...but my posts regarding them certainly aren't. Make sure to take a read.

I also interviewed retired SF State lecturer Svein Arber on the Bedford & Sullivan podcast regarding "Seasons Past," a book he co-wrote with Ford Hovis under the pen name, "Damon Rice." The book informally rides through baseball history, mainly New York's, leading up to the Dodgers and Giants exit, as told through 3 generations of the Rice family. The book is great, and with so many questions and so much material to cover, the podcast episode from the weekend is certainly the first of more to come about the novel. Take a listen.

And lastly, a legend of Rock 'n Roll died yesterday. New York's own Lou Reed, the lead singer of the 60's Velvet Underground (a band that is said to have spawned millions of people to start their own band after buying their first record) also had a great solo career, and that is where I go for a Song of the Day. If you haven't heard all of the album, "New York," do yourself a favor and listen to the record either today or over the next couple days. For now, we go to the album's 2nd track, "The Halloween Parade."

REST. EA. SY. LOU.

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, and follow on Twitter here.

If Not Beltran, Where Do the Mets Get Another Run Producer?

(Some people might say, "ANYWHERE ELSE!!!")

This morning, I wrote on Rising Apple that I felt it made all the sense in the world for the Mets to bring back Carlos Beltran.

I'm not gonna repeat myself too much here, so please click and read on the above link.

The Mets could go the trade route now that they have more commodities in the Minor Leagues to potentially trade for a young, proven, under-team-control run producing outfielder...

But when you look at the free agent market, now that Hunter Pence is off the board (having extended with the Giants) Beltran actually makes a lot of practical sense to bring back to the team as on a short deal whose dollars won't be obscene like Jacoby Ellsbury or Sin-Shoo Coo, the latter who the Mets would sign for leadoff purposes anyway.

One pitch, however, a Mets career does not make. I am not living in the past or being sentimental when I say #BringBackBeltran.

The ones who solely blame him for 2006 are living in the past.

(Though I get that in a sense. Mets fans remember Mookie Wilson fouling pitch after pitch off before the wild one was finally thrown to bring in the tying run in Game 6 of '86. So, in their eyes, Beltran could have at least done that with the curveball...but that was a damn fine curveball.)

Anyway, I know the Mets are considering all options, and I'm fairly certain Beltran will be one of those options in their eyes.

Anyway, send yourselves over to Rising Apple.

Here's a Random Song of the Day.

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, and follow on Twitter here.

Remember this Great World Baseball Game?

With the rosters for the WBC announced, it brought back some memories of the young tournament, and got me pumped up for the upcoming edition. If you didn't watch the game the first time around, and/or never saw these clips, besides quite possibly being one of the best highlight videos ESPN has ever put together, it is also a perfect example of how awesome the World Baseball Classic can be. Every player on both the Puerto Rican team and the United States team played this game with championship intensity, including 3 All-Time Great Mets (4 if you include Nelson Figueroa.)

One could argue this is THE great Met highlight reel of 2009.

Yes, the timing of the WBC is rough, and some would argue they should save that intensity for their respective teams and cities.

But I don't think one can argue that it isn't good for the game to have this kind of talent level all pooled together to produce an all-time great baseball highlight such as this one.

This is good for the longevity of the game and its market on an international level.

Roll the Tape, Youtube.

(Look out for David Wright's Kickass Home Plate Slide)

U. NITED. STATES.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. And for Rising Apple twitter updates, click here.

Bravo.

That was quite awesome.

The Giants are a cool franchise, besides the fact that their entire identity was born and raised in New York, which, in turn, helped birth and raise our New York Metsian Identity.

When the Cardinals beat the Nats, I said I just wanted them to stop winning. Well, they finally did. (I'm sorry for Carlos that he was there when they stopped... #BlameBeltran?...Just kidding, though it would have been slightly poignant if he had been the last out in an NLCS game 7 once more...AND for the team who got him out. Instead, he took a walk. AND THAT RAIN!!! Umps REALLY just wanted that last out to occur, but the Giants kept walking people with a 9-0 score!!! But I digress...) While the Giants took serious control of the series at home, scoring first and later putting up a crooked number in both games 6 and 7, I never let myself think that the Giants could do it...well, I thought they could, but, as my friend Ted said, "The Cardinals will suck until they just can't anymore." Well, he said something along those lines. "'Uh, guys, we have to stop sucking now. We have 1 strike left.'" Even when it was 9-0 in the 8th last night and my dad said to me, "So, they're goin' to the World Series," it still felt like, "Excuse me. THE CARDINALS will let you know when it's over." They've conditioned me to think that way. And thank God. That's baseball. I appreciate the Cardinals, even if they are a thorn in my side and a team I root against most of the time. That thorn in my side is the Mets and them playing some seriously entertaining baseball most of their encounters. The same can be said for when the team by the bay takes on the Orange and Blue.

When those games occur, of course they get on my nerves. And their fans can take over in your home park 'cause of the way they travel in groups. But when it's just the Giants doin' their thing, it is definitely thoroughly entertaining. They are certainly a team worth modelling as we build towards respectability.

It is only fitting that they make it to the Classic as a couple New York Baseball Giant events take place this week in New York City. First, there is gathering tonight up in The Bronx that Mr. Faith and Fear alerted me to, and then on Thursday The New York Giants Preservation Society meets at the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse with Special Guest Joshua Prager, author of The Echoing Green.

Though it did sting seeing Angel Pagan interviewed on field postgame, we put our Metsian bitterness aside and salute the San Francisco Baseball Giants...I mean the San Francisco Giants, since there are no San Francisco Football Giants. 

Best of luck against the Tigers in the World Series (though either one winning will be pretty cool...and I guess I'll lean towards the Tigers since the Giants won more recently, though that city has only one World Series since they moved out there....Eh, whatever. Lets Go Baseball.)

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuh....leanin' towards a Random Song this early morning.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. And for Rising Apple twitter updates, click here.

When This Bullpen Sucks...

The Mets were primed to take another series from the Phillies, up 3-1 in the 7th. But the bullpen imploded, and the team of Brotherly Love repaid us for their own home 'pen implosion by a score of 6-10.

I wasn't able to watch the whole game, but I did see Bobby Parnell hang that curveball to Carlos "Chooch" Ruiz. One batter before, Brian Schneider sent a ball deep to just the left of center field, a ball I thought Andres Torres had a chance to catch on a good play. Torres stumbled, however, and the ball went over his head for a double. It is a testament to how the game is operated these days that Dillon Gee, who was fantastic, wasn't able to finish that inning. Bobby Parnell still needs to get the job done and have his head in the game at all times, but I would have stuck it out with the kid and let Dillon own that inning. The way the bullpen is used can be overdone these days, and to me, I keep him out there to finish the 7th (though knowing our nature as fans, had Gee faltered, we'd be pissed off at Terry for not going to Parnell in that situation.)

Another 9th, another 1-run deficit turned monstrous. When this bullpen sucks, it's sucks big time.

On the plus side, besides Gee's great performance, Lucas Duda broke out of his power slump some more with 2 home runs, the 1st to give us the lead at 3-1 (which was a good pitch inside he just turned on), the 2nd to open up the 9th, making it 4-10. Abide, Duda.

The Mets have a much needed off-day (as we all do) until they welcome in Carlos Beltran and the Cardinals. Tomorrow night at 7:10PM, Johan Santana will face Adam Wainwright. I am lucky enough to have gotten tickets from my friend with the Mets, and I will be giving Beltran a huge, much deserved standing ovation, as I implore everyone at the game to do so as well (until that Johan pitch arrives at the plate [passed Carlos.])

LET'S. GO. METS.

Thanks for reading! Converted Mets Fan is now on Twitter. Follow me @convertedmetfan. And for Rising Apple twitter updates, click here.

Pelf Gets Freesed

Yesterday, the Mets lost to the Cardinals 7-1, mostly a byproduct of more miserable Pelfrey pitching.

His stuff was very hittable, and both David Freese and Yadir Molina were able to tee off on him. I get that it's only his second outing, but it's hard not to think to yourself, "Here we go again..." He has never instilled confidence in me when he's on the mound, and I am ready to irrationally rant about getting rid of him. His fastball was treated to the batting practice special. His breaking pitches didn't break. He pitches a boring 90 mph...in fact, Adam Wainright's 87 mph has more pop and life than Pelf's 90 mph. He's boring, in every way possible. His pitching is tiring, I don't like hearing Pelfrey talk about baseball, I just not a fan. Seems like a nice enough guy, but I can't get over his boringness. Yeah, I know that's not a word, but he's so boring that I just invented a word for him.

Here are some other takeaways besides how boring Mike Pelfrey is:

• Beltran is a class act. The hostility towards him by certain Met fans, I believe, is unwarranted. Very weird seeing him in the Cardinal jersey, though, and with that #3. Who's got 15 on the Cards? Jim Edmonds isn't still playing right?.........Oh. Furcal.
• Daniel Murphy did a great job shortening his swing on an 0-2 count to stay with an inside off-speed pitch and hit one through the hole in the first inning. Murph played the full 9 innings, hitting everything like he does and showing us why he needs to get his knee out of the way at 2nd base.
• Bay is getting on top of pitches, leading to too many soft hits on the ground. He got lucky with a chop over the third baseman's head for a double in the middle of the game, but this still has to be corrected. Ralph brought this same point up when Bay hit the double. Speaking of Ralph...
• Ralph Kiner everybody!!! Always fantastic to hear him talk about the old days and compare and contrast them to our current days. He's still so sharp. In his first inning of work, Kiner had this to say about injuries: "In the old days...you didn't tell anybody you were hurt. You played. 'Cause if you didn't play...you would maybe never get back in the lineup."
• Speaking of injuries, even though every baseball team has them this time of year (or all the time, for that matter) because it's the Mets the number of injuries is magnified by the media. I can understand Terry Collin's frustration because, going back to what Kiner said, maybe these injuries are being babied a little bit. They are probably being extra-cautious for normal spring training aches and pains. And I have to say I agree with Keith when he says they are probably due to overdoing it in the off-season. Players used to actually take the off-season off from staying in shape, and use spring training to get into game-shape. But now, these athletes are in game-shape all year round, and that might be leading to more of these strains.
• Great double-play turned in the fourth by Josh Satin at 3rd and Ike Davis at 1st.
• Josh Satin has a big swing, but it's a nice one. It will be interesting to see how he does when he and his huge eyebrows inevitably gets some big league time.
• Lucas Duda has a great swing, and I am sad the Grand Slam against the Tigers the other day was not televised. But I'm sure I'll have plenty of chances to see him hit another one. Duda.
• Lucas Mayhem can certainly hit, he's just gotta clean it up behind the plate a little bit.
• Garrett Olson (lefty getting a chance because of the Byrdak injury) has a great beard. In fact, his beard is better than his control (ZING!!!) (no internet link of his current beard, and his beard was weak pre-Metropolitan)
• Glad I finally got to see Ramon Ramirez. His stuff is nasty. Great zip. Great movement, Got two quick outs before the Cards hit him around a little bit, but I am a big fan of the pick-up. Should prove a good one.
• Den Dekker can really run it down in center field. He's going to be a star if his bat comes around.
• Fantastic diving catch by Juan Lagares for the 3rd out in the 8th inning

2011 Photo of the Day: Carlos Hits the Mark on the Replay

5 more days, folks. 5 more days.