Just Like That

Though the Phillies were rather sloppy (especially Carlos Hernandez at 3rd base), the 4-1 win last night in Philly is almost EXACTLY how the Mets drew it up.

Get a lead, have the young starters shut the other team down, grow that lead, then have your young bullpen get the outs in the backend of the game, and dominantly.

It's games like last night where the Mets show us how far along they actually are, and you see, especially contrasting it with where the Phillies are, that things aren't as bad as we sometimes like to make it seem when screaming that "the sky is falling."

"It's just an acorn, son..."

Anyway, that's game 1. There are 4 MORE TO GO...like it's October or somethin'...It's not...just in case anyone was confused...

KEEP. IT. COMIN'.

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.

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.

Searching for Carolyn After Another Mets Loss

I hadn't been planning to go to last night's Mets game. I actually made a "responsible" decision after earlier having deciding to go. I said, "At some point, I really can't afford all this, can I?" Then, a friend of mine whose company was selling tickets for groups of children to go asked if I wanted to buy 3 for $40. I told him I would only go for free right now, unfortunately. He said, "Fine then, for free," and we figured out when to meet.

Well, I really can never pass up free Mets tickets. If I were able to afford every game, I'd attempt to work around going to every game :D 

Oh, jeez. I've been texting too much...

Anyway, I went to the game ready to be an Upper Deck Roamer with my 525 section. Tip for those that buy an upper deck seat: Just go sit in sections 512-518 until the Mets are good again and people start crowding the place up. Right behind home plate, arguably, outside of it being really cool being really close, the best seats in the house. You can see the whole field, and they made the place so intimate that there's never "too far away" and you just watch baseball from the angle of the whole diamond. It's beautiful.

That doesn't mean that when my former boss asked if I wanted to meet and he gave me a ticket to get into the Delta Club and we went and sat in section 12 that I would turn down being field level.

It's just a different way of viewing things. Neither are necessarily better than the other, but it's loads of fun seeing the players actually look human-size for a change.

Well...speaking of the "players", the Josh Satin-for-Eric Campbell move makes loads of sense. Here's a dude who hasn't done a lick for us this year, regardless of whether he needs playing time, compared to a super-utility player in Eric Campbell that is CRUSHING it in the PCL. This was a slight digression, but I bring this up first because Josh Satin looked as horrendous from up close last night as his demotion states he did.

So, the Mets squandered opportunity after opportunity and they clearly deserved to lose. You just feel it in the air on night like last night. It was nice to tie it up...but I'm tired of saying that.

In extras, I started talking to a lady behind me named Carolyn (don't know if that's how we spell it...) but we seem to hit it off in conversation and were both equally as pissed off at the way the Mets go about things these days. And she was even more pissed off because her roommate, who was a Tigers fan and wished he wasn't still at this long and excruciating game had said to her "I hope the Phillies win." (Oh, yeah, forgot to mention...before it went extras, it took a freakin' 4 hours for 9 innings...for a 3-2 extra-inning loss)

Now, let me first say that I've NEVER done anything like this. I've never gone online looking to find someone who I met that I was unable to get contact information of, let alone write about it soliciting contact. She and her dude roommate (made clear...) kept going while myself and the group I was with were still in the Delta Club. I last saw her heading towards the subway, probably 200 feet ahead of us.  The subway can fit a lot of people on one train. Who knows where she may have gone to? But it didn't feel like exchanging information would have proven fruitless.

Again, I would normally be very reserved when it comes to doing stuff like this. But hey, you only live once, there's a side of me that a hopeless romantic (not to make anyone think I think this is going ANYWHERE...) but I felt like conducting a social experiment in the age of devices before fate could potentially have us run into each other again at a future Mets game. So, if you're Carolyn from Brooklyn who's a Mets fan who talked to a Sam and was in Section 12 with her dude roommate at the Mets 3-2 loss to the Phillies last night, or know Carolyn from Brooklyn who's a Mets fan who talked to a Sam and was in Section 12 with her dude roommate at the Mets 3-2 loss to the Phillies last night, I'm easy to get in touch with. My email should be somewhere off that way ------->


Anyway..

Firstly, I am doing a Brooklyn Ballpark Bike Ride Tour on my Bedford & Sullivan podcast at 5pm ET today with the Brooklyn Trolley Blogger and fellow Rising Apple writer Mike Lecolant. He'll be calling in as I go from the Ebbets Field flagpole at Barclays Center to Washington Park to Ebbets Field and some other parts of Brooklyn. It's an extended episode, and we'll go for 2 hours. Make sure to tune in.

And secondly, I filmed this video at the Mets 7-6 extra-inning loss on April 26, where my friend Adam Spiegel shares "False Facts" about random Mets fans. Take a watch.

Enjoy the weekend everyone.

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.

The Reason to Keep Watching

I am not someone who will NEVER stop watching. Even in years like 2009 and 2010. Friday night and Saturday are reminders of why you keep watching. 'Cause you never know what you're gonna see next.

I went to all 3 games this weekend. I am exhausted. I didn't properly yell at the top of my lungs and my voice is very hoarse. I wish I could keep sleeping it off, but I must get up like most people and go to work.

But the Mets welcomed me back nicely this weekend. There were probably a lot of people whose first games of the year were this weekend as well. This year could be a long one. And I'm gonna love every minute of it.

Welcome back, baseball.

Welcome back, Mets.

Naturally, I'll go the below direction next...

After saying as usual...

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.

Frantically Waving Goodbye to Frank Francisco

The day after the World Series, 7 Mets became free agents, including a man who a good amount of money was wasted on.

Frank Francisco was a part of what was supposed to be a revamped bullpen in 2012, and signed with the Mets for 12 million dollars over 2 years.

Well, when he did pitch for us, he wasn't very good, and when he wasn't pitching for us, he was satisfied to sit back and laze around while collecting his multiple millions of dollars.

Word is he tried to convince Jenrry Mejia to just chill in Florida, a young man just at the beginning of his career and attempting to gain back his status of being a phenom after injuries and incorrect handling by the Mets.

Sounds like Jenrry was happy to NOT listen to the guy. And though he finished the year needed elbow surgery, he showed how good he can be in the Majors with a solid string of starts.

Now, we should always take sources and reports about people in the public eye with a grain of salt. It is easy to judge based off of things we hear in the media or based off of what we see on television.

Sometimes, though, somebody's true colors just shine through, and this isn't the first time Frank Francisco has come off looking like a douche.

No matter how much the Mets probably wanted nothing to do with Frank Francisco by the time he came back to the Mets later in the 2013 season, it probably made them happy to know he was doing the opposite of what he wanted to do, which was actually earn his money pitching on a Major League mound.

So, our team is freed of an albatross, and who knows what other team will want to pick up such a negative influence?

Goodbye Frank Francisco.

I wish you no success whatsoever.

Johan Santana, however?

I wish you all the success in the World.

GOODBYE. FRANKIE.
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.

Attempting to Shake Thesis Writing

It may have been Friday Night's loss, which pissed me off, but as I entered the world of the weekend before my Final Script Analysis paper was due Monday evening, I didn't want to write anything about the Mets.

Just 10 pages on The Big Lebowski.

The Mets helped by continuing to lose, which was a big disappointment after Jennry Mejia dominated on a Major League mound in ways we had yet to see up to that point. He had quite the swagger, and now emerges as part of a hopeful trio of aces we have going every 5 days for the rest of the season.

I mean, DAMN, people. I listened to Friday Afternoon's dominance, but it wasn't until the middle of the weekend that I actually watched him on the mound.



So, that'd be cool if that swagger can continue. I hope he is prime.

Last night, it looked as if the losing would continue when the Mets were beeing held in check by Jacob Turner, though they did jump out to a 3-0 lead. I actually missed the actual rally, as I was away from the radio for a bit of last night. It was nice to check back in and watch the highlights, then listen to my fingernails get bit as Bobby Parnell made us sweat.

So, we got Zack Wheeler going tonight...

Then Jenrry Mejia tomorrow...

Then Thursday, a Harvey Matinee.

Seriously.

Can we just sweep the Marlins already?

Anyway, I'm back.

And I have some Rising Apple to catch up on as well.

Enjoy the game everyone.

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.

Happy Mejarvey Day?

Yesterday went rather well, don't you think?

The team continued to bounce back, looking anything but listless after a rather listless 8-2 loss.

Eric Young, Jr. headed out of the game, though, as a precaution for pulling up gingerly at 3rd, going back to the incident that led to Tim Hudson's season ending. Andrew Brown replaced him, and after Rich, Dan and I discussed on the Rising Apple Report the need for him to get some ABs soon, Brown delivered with some big hits.

Wheeler by no means looks spectacular yet. He by no means look awful either. Consistency is clearly the word, and he's on his way to finding it. The 1st run shouldn't have scored, but luckily John Buck made up for his throwing error (as well as his lazy error trying to backhand the curveball he called for) with a big-time double later in the game.

Oh, and the umps need to do a better job with these wacky dimensions that are a by-product of the original job that was done on Citi Field. Though I'm happy Metsian runs scored, David Wright's triple was clearly a ground-rule double, and yeah, the current dimensions are much better, but they have many troubling spots that the umps need to pay extra attention to, and yesterday was horrendous job on their part. I shouldn't be complaining since it helped the Mets, but what about when it won't help the Mets? Everything should be even and fair, and the umps doing a poor job always gets to me. They should be extra-aware of their surroundings, because it's not like those dimensions just appeared.


We are now on our way to 4 games in 3 days against the struggling Washington Nationals, who unfortunately got a shot in the arm yesterday by walking off against Pittsburgh.

Today's doubleheader will feature not only Matt Harvey (who pitches this evening) but a blast from the past who could easily be a big part of our future. It's just that Jenrry Mejia has been around, up and down, twisted and turned, and back again for what feels like an eternity. They have been as uneven with their plan for the kid as any team has ever been with a prospect, and we can't say definitively that it has led to all these injuries, but for now, in this moment, none of that matters. It only matters how he performs today, and we'll go....somewhere from there.

Happy Me...jarvey Day? 
Sure...Happy Mejarvey Day everyone!

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.

An UnTelevised Mejia 5-er & the Random Jimi of the Night

If you would like to read about the goods and the bads of the afternoon loss to the Marlins, head over to Rising Apple for a game recap and thoughts from Danny Abriano.

Over here at Converted Mets Fan is the Random Jimi of the Night.

RAN. DOM. JIMI.
LET'S. GO. METS.

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

That's Fine, I Say. I Only Wanted One Anyway.

At the beginning of this series, I told myself, just get one in ATL and sweep Miami. It was going to be a tough task to take 2 of 3 from a team wanting to clinch as soon as possible and on Chipper Jones' last homestand, (though we have handled him for 20 something At Bats.) Luckily, the dramatic occurred Friday Night.

So, I give that series to you, Braves. I'm all cool with it.

Now, let's sweep MIA, 'cause we're a better team than them.

Congrats to Chipper for a fine career against us.

LAAAAAAAAAHREEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

LET'S. GO. METS.

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

The Spoils of 6

I ventured out to Citi Field Monday evening for the first game taken in together by a few of us Rising Apple Folk. We got tickets in the Pepsi Porch, the first time any of us had sat up there.

I certainly was dreaming of an Ike Davis Bomb, but where his 2 home runs of the evening landed sufficed. 30 home runs. Fantastic turnaround after a historically bad start.

I'm still not sure what to make of Mejia, since he had 70 pitches through 3 innings, but he settled down to go 5 shutout frames. Undecided on his role going forward, but must give props where props are due. His best Major League start so far and we were thrilled to take it in live.

It was very refreshing after my last game to have a 6 run lead for most of it, as I'm sure it was for many (oxymoron these days) Mets fans in the stands. Even though those tight games are what baseball is really all about when it comes down to it, but, at least this time around, I liked feeling a lot better about having the game in the bag.

Afterwards, I got gas at the corner of 114th Street and Roosevelt, and I'm waiting for the attendant when I noticed a man signing a credit card receipt at the pump on my left.

"Is that...Is that Ruben Tejada?" 

It was. Fillin' up his Black Camaro.

He got out of that Citi quickly.


I'm heading out there next for "Closing Day", Thursday at 1 to watch RA go for the 20th.

Let's finish strong and continue to drive the dagger into those Black and Yellow Bucs.

KEEP. IKE. DAVIS.
LET'S. GO. METS.

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The Voodoo Striketh Back

Well, that game didn't turn out exactly how we had hoped. Unlike the night before, The Big Bad Baseball Voodoo had affected the Metsian world once more.

After an hour of a 1-1 tie leading up to the 8:15 curtain, I went onstage and arrived back offstage to a 4-1 lead. I responded to an email from Greg Prince, saying,

"Its a lovely thing to leave a 1-1 tie to go on stage, then come back to a 4-1 lead. Keep it up, Mets."


The next time I updated At Bat, it was a 4-6 deficit.

"Well, I feel like a dunce."

With the score at 4-8 by the time we got back to the same bar from previous evenings, I wasn't about to ask for any College Football to be turned off. There was no "Top 10 Things We Love about Tim Tebow" on the NFL Channel I could put out of its misery. It was the At Bat or nothing.

Unfortunately, my phone is on its last legs and the At Bat was too much of a problem, so I put the device down and partook in some non-Metsian social interaction for a change.

Figuring the game was over, I later dropped in to the At Bat to see what the final result was.

"6-9. Great."

The most apathetic I've been all year.

Time for CY, though, to get us flyin' high.

LET'S. GO. CHRIS. YOUNG.

LET'S. GO. METS.

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