Hearing 'bout the Fish as We Travel Through the Land

My dad and I finally hit the road to 'Bama and Denver yesterday. First, we had to come back into the city for a doctor's appointment of his, and from there we ventured down to Northern Virginia, to see my aunt and my uncle, who is recovering from a stroke. He is making great progress, but it is still hard to see him in that condition. The visit certainly got him excited, and his energy level was fantastic. We crashed there for a couple hours, then got up in the middle of the night and kept driving the long journey down to the South. We are passing through Tennessee now, and should arrive in Birmingham sometime in the afternoon.

Just in time for a nap, because my sleep schedule is really out of whack. (Didn't mean for that to rhyme, BUT I am a poet...and I do know it.)

Anyway, sometime last night, this is how I found out about the newest Marlin fiasco, via a few Ted's Quotes (he's regularly the one to break news to me, as he did when Reyes Grew Fins):

Ted: Yo, the Marlins.

Me: What

Ted: They just traded...everyone
Everyone but Stanton
To the Jays
Reyes, Johnson, burrhle, bonofacio, buck

Me: Holy. For what?

Ted: That's so crazy. I'd be super pissed if I was Reyes. And no free agent will ever sign there again
Yunnel Escobar and two big prospects

Me: I knew Reyes would get traded. Didn't think it would be so quick.

Ted: Now he's stuck in Toronto

Sam: Which might not be bad
Not weather wise, though

Ted: I mean your an FA you get to pick where you want to play / live and then they turn around and screw you and lock you down in Toronto for what 4 or 5 more years
What a total shit organization
Apparently mike Stanton is angry tweeting right now


Yeah, they really suck. As all that spending was occurring last offseason, we all knew it wouldn't work, but I don't think any of us could have predicted the fire sale would happen so quickly. I figured Reyes would be a Yankee in 2 or 3 years when Jeter moved to the outfield or something. Yeah, don't think that's gonna happen now.

And I'm kinda sad to have him gone out of the division. I had grown attached to his role as a divisional rival and villain, but that's something I'll get more into over at Rising Apple later.

Anyway, I've got to take over driving for a little. Looking forward to the Cy Young Award announcements later, regardless of who wins (though I do have a feeling R.A. will take it.) It will be nice to have the 2012 season that much more in the rearview mirror.

And one last note, though I do believe we should all have perspective and not complain about #FirstWorldProblems...

This Blogger App sucks.

But at least I ate this morning.

It still sucks, though.


LET'S. GO. METS.

(Random Road Trip Photo)

The Last Two Commence Their Final Attack & Ted's Quote

The 107th World Series has arrived, and, to be honest, it's a good one. Yeah, I would have liked to see some unfamiliar playoff teams in there, but I certainly like the classic feel of two of the oldest in the league battling. After 52 years in SF without a World Championship, 2 out of 3 would be cool. But then again, I would like to see Jim Leyland win another one outside of one with that Demon Marlin Franchise.

Speaking of which, Ozzie got fired. For me, I felt as if he had enough of a track record to warrant finding some continuity with your franchise.

But the firing helps segue into a new segment I like to call "Ted's Quote." I've quoted Ted here before, but now, screw it, I'm gonna brand it. Today's quote involves his opinion on Ozzie Guillen and the Marlins:

"Will anyone hire him again? And who would want the Marlin's job? It just appears to be such a crap organization...I just think (Ozzie's) too much of a headache and he doesn't bring enough to the table to justify being as big of a headache as he is."

Well, there ya go.

Here's today's Random Song.

LET'S. GO. METS.

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Soaking up the 162nd

In the middle of the last Orange and Blue game of the season, I heard of Josh Hamilton's mishap in Oakland, CA, that not only capped his team giving up a 4-run lead they had early, but capped the crazy charge those A's had down the stretch to yank the division from Texas' grasp. I decided to put the game on my dad's Ipad and spent the rest of the Mets' win with OAK/TEX in the foreground with the volume down. I couldn't even hear how crazy the crowd was, but I could certainly see it; A sold out sea of Green and Yellow cheering as loud as they could for their Amazin' A's.

The Mets game had many highlights (which I will probably watch on loop at some point tonight.) Andres Torres homered; Jeremy Hefner continued to make his case for a role next year with another great start; Scottie Hairston got his 20th home run; Ike Davis made it an even 90 RBI with an opposite field shot for his 32nd home run of the year; Daniel Murphy made a sick snare on a hard hit ball to his left (which I wish was an mlb.com video); Ruben Tejada had a 3 for 5 day; and the bullpen didn't blow it. All great individual awesomeness that combined for the Mets' 74th win of the year.

By the time the OAK/TEX game was 2 out in the 9th, I paused Bobby Parnell in our own last inning (who had a couple crazy ricochets that got converted into outs) and turned the volume up on the West Coaster. The intensity, the excitement, the every-cliché-word-that-describes-the-Oakland-crowd in that moment was something I very much craved. I imagined that sold out sea of Green and Yellow as a crazy Citi ocean of Orange and Blue, and for the first time this September yielded to everybody else's definition of Meaningful September Baseball. I had tried to rationalize our September all...well, September, calling every game meaningful in the evaluation of every player we had. And I still believe this is the way it's supposed to be, that this is the journey this franchise is meant to be on and when we're ready for what Oakland just went through it will be that much more...Amazin'. And look how long it took the A's to get back to this point. But MAN, I wanted what they had in the worst possible way as I watched Coco Crisp grab the last out, he, his teammates and the entirety of the Oakland fanbase going absolutely insane.

After about a minute, I turned the volume back down and pressed play on our Metsies. The last handshakes and fist pounds and high fives of the year were very bittersweet, and certainly not just for every Met fan tuning into that moment. I could see how tight knit those 2012 New York Mets were as they greeted each other for the last time, a cancerous clubhouse certainly not the reason for the failings of the 2nd half.

Many highs, many lows, and many inbetweens. There will be plenty of time to process it all, but for now we say goodbye to the 50th Anniversary season of the New York Metropolitans. Thank you to the 2012 Squad for giving me memories and thrills that will last a lifetime. And thank you to each and every one of you who tuned in, supported me and pushed me further than I ever thought I would go in my first season of blogging. My life has been effected for the better by becoming this much more apart of the New York Metsian family.

We shall reconvene in the 'morrow.

LET'S. GO. BASEBALL.

LET'S. GO. METS.

 

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The Wild One

When they peered out into the bullpen in the late innings and I saw Ramon Ramirez, I said, "Oh, great. It's Ramon Ramirez." Its amazing how quickly a reputation can change, and Ramon Ramirez, after having the 6th best reliever ERA from 2008-2011, has fallen into a long line of relievers to exert that kind of reaction from Mets fans after killing it in other corners of the MLB. He continued what Jeurys Familia began, who walked the park in his debut but kept the Marlins off the board through 4. Other relievers followed suit, and what was a 2-0 lead became a 2-3 deficit. Mix that with double digit LOBs, and you have a loss.

That's just the nature of the beast.

Of all the bullpen problems, Ramon Ramirez is the most troubling. Others, like Frank Francisco and Jon Rauch, were coming off of uneven seasons. The former you kind of expected something like this (an odd mix of a 5.53 ERA and 23 out of 27 opportunities locked down) and the latter with solid showings sandwiched in between early on and recent non-effective outings. Manny Acosta kind of gets the same "Oh, look who's in the bullpen" reaction Ramon Ramirez gets, but I like Manny when he's pitching well. He's an peculiar show on the mound. Ramon Ramirez was supposed to be THE piece of the Angel Pagan trade. Andres Torres was just replacing a position player, with the hopes he would somewhat duplicate his World Champion 2010 season. "Whatever. Sandy got Ramon Ramirez, one of the most effective righties in the National League." Oofph. He looks lost out there. In another world. I hadn't seen a pitch sail like that in a long, long time. I look forward to not seeing Ramon Ramirez in that bullpen next season. I'd rather see a kid get the chance than give him another shot.

You know, the funny thing about baseball is that even in a game the TV crew dubbed "a 4th place team playing a 5th place team kind of game," and rightfully so, it still tugs on your nervous system as you wait for what the next pitch will bring. After Fred Lewis* got hit by the pitch in the 9th, every Ike Davis foul had me waiting and hoping for the dramatic from my team. I was on the edge of my seat till he almost hit it passed Carlos Lee at 1st for the final out. That's what people who call baseball boring don't understand. All you have to do is focus your mind on following that little white ball from the pitcher's hand to the small diameter of the plate, and seeing what happens to it every time that motion occurs. It's a fascinating game. I absolutely love it.

Anyway.

I'm gonna go watch the rest of episode 3 of New York: A Documentary.

So, let's file this wild one away, and get ready for the final R.A.

KNUCKLE. THAT. BALL.

LET'S. GO. METS.

*Fred Lewis has yet to have a 2012 New York Met Moment. He's running out of chances. I was hoping he would have that moment with 2 out in the 9th, tying the game with a pull home run down the line. Got hit instead. Oh, well.

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You Know Why? 'Cause Ruben Tejada is THAT Good.

There Jose was. Pouting to Solano as they did their own type of walking off the field. Reyes' "replacement," if you will, had just made the same kind of contact he has been making all year. Only this time, it was on the brink of bravado. Hairston only needed to trot home as the ball headed for the left-center gapper. The kid we got playing shortstop is gonna be THAT kind of player.

Who out there truly cares that Jose Reyes is no longer a New York Met? I see nothing but awesome things in the future for both this fine young gentleman that is Ruben Tejada and The New York Mets.

We might have lost an awful lot this 2nd half (and a good amount of 2nd halves for that matter) but there are certainly winning players on this team, at least in the making. The evaluation continues. But a conclusion should be made that we ain't gettin' rid of THIS GUY.

A week and a half, folks. 4 games left at home. I'll take in 2 of those. Soak it all up. It'll be real gone real soon.

WHO. IS. JOSE?

LET'S. GO. METS.

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