Hear it on a Podcast

After the Mets won 5-0 yesterday afternoon to finish the rocky homestand on a high note, I took part in a podcast doubleheader, as did the host of the 2nd podcast.

First, Taryn "The Coop" Cooper of A Gal for All Seasons joined a jam-packed 76th episode of The Rising Apple Report, which also included Greg Prince of Faith and Fear in Flushing. With Rich Sparago hosting, we also welcomed a fellow screenwriter, Brian Winett, who is looking to raise funds to buy the LA Clippers and turn them into a non-profit institution that puts the money invested by the customer back into the community. You'd be hard-pressed to find a Mets fan who doesn't believe that our issues stem from the top down, so it is fascinating to have the conversation and hear Brian explain his vision.

Oh, and we also debuted the new opening jingle, performed and recorded at my neighbor's studio The Smooth Spot (check it out for all your recording needs!)

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Directly after the end of that show, I headed over to NDB Media, where Coop was waiting and ranting in The Mets Lounge. We kept up discussion on what Dave Hudgens had to say about the fans booing at home, as well as Sandy stating that payroll will go up when revenue goes up. With lots of folks feeling that was another shot directed at fans, I mentioned that I think we might be misinterpreting who Sandy was ribbing with that comment...

I also recapped my transformation from Yankee fan to Mets fan, which was a lot of fun to go over.

Lots of time before the Mets start a 5-GAME SERIES against the Phillies tonight, so do yourself a favor and bask in the sounds of what might be perceived as Metsian therapy these days.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

LET'S. GO. METS.

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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.

Ranting and (Hardly) Raving

Last night, the Faith and Fear in Flushing duo, Greg Prince and Jason Fry, joined myself, Danny Abriano and Mike Lecolant on the 75th episode of the Rising Apple Report for an off day Roundtable Rant on the current state of the New York Mets.

Along with voicing our frustrations at the "holding pattern" the Mets seem to be in, we also discussed number 75, Frankie Rodriguez, and the 1975 New York Mets season, which lent itself for plenty of correlating and contexting where the Mets currently stand.

So, before the the Orange and Blue bring up a WHOLE 'nother set of concerns starting tonight against the Dodgers in Queens, along with all the cliché set of concerns, do yourself a favor and indulge in the sounds of the latest episode of the Rising Apple Report.

LET'S. GO. METS.

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It's Over

I believe we are beginning to see the end of the Terry Collins era.

I almost didn't even WANT to write about the Mets 'cause I contain so much vitriol.

This past weekend, I have never seen the level of understanding amongst the fanbase that Terry is not fit to be manager of this ballclub. I have been saying for a very long time that Terry Collins should not be manager of this ballclub. I don't believe he will ever be able to lead a team to the playoffs. So, whether or not there's other things going on when it comes to the Juan Lagares situation, or anything involving the Mets, things that the public doesn't really have to know about or have any right to know. You're starting to see, at least in the public eye, a man becoming more delusional with the managerial decisions and becoming more and more defensive about it. And you know what? You've got a GM I'm growing more and more agitated with for not doing anything about it, and SIGNING the guy back up in the first place (I guess you could go all the way back to hiring him in the first place, but I get what Terry is and Sandy seems to as well, considering a 2-year deal is NOT a ringing endorsement.)

My faith in Sandy's judgement is waning because of the Terry Collins situation. He has clearly begun a grand foundation reconstruction with the minor leagues, and for that, I'm willing to accept that is Sandy Alderson's lasting legacy with the New York Mets. But I need to begin seeing better judgement with the Major League ballclub.

Our blood was boiling Friday night, when us Metsian nerds, myself and the Brooklyn Trolley Blogger Mike Lecolant, took to the airwaves post-game and vented our frustration on the Rising Apple Report. The sound bytes are as relevant today as they were on Friday night, and we'll spew even more sound bytes later this evening on a whole new episode of the Rising Apple Report.


Thank God for the off day. I don't want to see any of those guys today.

I'll think about the Mets...but I don't have to LIKE it.

LET'S. GO. METS.

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What THEY Said

Don't think that my absence on here has meant I've been too busy to be paying attention to the Mets. I'm ALWAYS paying attention to the Mets, but I clearly haven't been paying attention to putting my experience into words on here. For what has just happened, today, I will let the Mets Fan Incarnate speak for me on that:

They couldn’t pitch in Denver. They couldn’t hit in Miami. Throw it all into a blender, designate a deserving scapegoat or two for assignment and you wind up pouring yourself a tall glass of mediocrity, which is more or less the best you could hope for in the short term. We probably figured that in March, which doesn’t signal the end of the world, only a continuation of what was coming all along. There’ll likely be quite a bit of blending the worst we anticipated with a few not so unpleasant surprises.

--Greg Prince, Faith and Fear in Flushing

Yeah. Laugh it up, Terry.

And that's because Terry Collins isn't the man to man the ship when this team is finally ready to compete. I wish Wally would just be the guy already, but that's not going to happen in the middle of the season. I like Terry and I like the respect he garners, but he needs to be reassigned. Period.

Another link I wanted to bring up is the below about changes that (could really never be) done because of structural issues but would have been nice when you got the only chance you had. AND something Brendan Weingarten suggests I was JUST SAYING to a couple people at Citi Field the other day (well, I said they should have built left and right field reversed):

I love going to Citi Field, but there are some things I would change. For instance, I would take out the Upper Decks in LF. It’s an unpopular place to sit at Citi, and is almost always empty. It blocks a great view of the Flushing Bay, which is only visible between the gap of the LF Upper Decks and the Scoreboard when you sit in the first base-side Upper Decks. There is a barely visible Out-Of-Town Scoreboard that seems like it’s an afterthought. Maybe not now, but once the money is there, and we don’t need more to spend on players, I’d rip these seats out...It would make for a big concourse, and allow the view of the bay in. On the concourse, there could be statues of Seaver, Carter, and Piazza overlooking the field that would make Citi more unique. Concessions with a more open view to the field, and a larger horizontal out-of-town scoreboard where the building behind the upper deck is would make for a better fan experience. The cutoff would be where the Acela Club (Large LF Restaurant behind foul pole) stops.

--Brendan Weingarten, Take the 7 to Citi 

First of all, and I didn't put this as a comment on the guy's page yet, but I think structurally, since they said they couldn't do much to the outfield walls because of structural issues, taking the entire left field side out would probably be impossible without some major restructuring that would probably be extremely complicated. Let's be honest: no matter how much of a joy it is to take a game in at Citi Field, they half-assed the whole place and didn't do enough to make it their own. I was looking around and thinking about Flushing Bay out there the other day, and I said that they should have designed the place in reverse. They should have had the large upper deck on the right field side and have left field open with Pepsi Porch or whatever. The only thing I can think of is that they just thought that was an ugly view, with a highway and an airport. Bull. It's the charm of Flushing Bay and Willets Point. Embrace the place you live in. My God. As my fellow Rising Apple writer, the Brooklyn Trolley Blogger Mike Lecolant, has stated: You only get one chance at some things in life.

Lastly, I will have Greg Prince speak for me once more:

I took part in a little Mets fan group therapy Wednesday night on the Rising Apple podcast. Listen here and heal thyself.

With Greg, Steve Keane of The Kranepool Society, The Brooklyn Trolley Blogger, Rich Sparago and myself, there are plenty of amazing quotes to go around.

Enjoy the off day, everybody. As the cliché goes, they can't lose today.

16-17.

LET'S. GO. METS.

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The Curse of Ike Davis is Thwarted...For Now

First of all, start this post off by watching this video.

We are already reminded of the things we will miss from Mr. Isaac Benjamin Davis in his first couple games as a Pittsburgh Pirate. Personally, I feel Ike has star quality, and with the type of star quality that could have soared in New York. I have stated many a times on here that I have a "The Duda" jersey. My preference, however, has been Ike Davis at 1st base. I have faith The Duda can do what we want him to do in this lineup, and he's actually not too shabby at 1st, but I wish Ike Davis where still a part of this team. With the way the team fell flat on their face minutes after learning he was no longer a Met, they probably felt the same way before eventually moving on.

They hadn't yet Friday night, but Saturday night, they had a bit more energy by the end of the game when they started to rally, but of course fell short. They pulled it out on Sunday in the 14th, and if there was anyone in need of a game-winning sac fly, it was Curtis Granderson. Hopefully that clears the head.

The Mets now look like, over the course of 18 games, what they've generally looked like since 2011.

Home: 3-6
Road: 6-3

There's many ways to theorize why this is, some of which Mike and I did on the Rising Apple Report last night. Along with wrapping up the series in general, we talked about Citi Field, the Mets franchise as a whole, and a random-but-not-so-random-in-context Knicks/Nets rant from Mr. Lecolant. A great way to wrap up a weekend of baseball that had its ups and downs...as always, really.

The Cardinals series coming up, followed up by a Marlins series I'm probably more worried about. This should be an interesting next 7 games. Maybe there'll be a new shortstop on the other side of it since 1st base got cleared up finally....Sigh.

The bottom line is always....

LET'S. GO. METS.

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The "Cavalry" Marches Home...

It's been a weird week, hence the lack of posts, but I couldn't let an off day go without getting a podcast in. Mike Lecolant joined me, along with author Matt Silverman (New York Mets: The Complete Illustrated History and 100 Things Mets Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die) and Rich Sparago in the latter half of the show. We talked about the recent road trip, Dillon Gee's workhorse nature, the 1969 New York Mets squad, Matt's books, Shea Stadium and its 50th Anniversary yesterday, Anthony Recker "cashing in for his backup catcher union card", Gene Mauch... and many many other Metsian items of interest.

Happy to have games back in Queens, and ones that celebrate at the Shea-tastic price of $3.50 (well...plus those online fees, but still, much much cheaper. That would be very SHEA of them to remove the fees, but I understand there's some annoying web code to be written to get what is usually there out of there. Yeah. 1964 it ain't.)

It's clearly redundant to say, but they HAVE to start winning at home if they are to take the next step. Why since 2011 they have sucked at home and done what winning teams do on the road, which is go .500 or one better, I have no idea. No idea why where they should feel more comfortable they have not and lost. But it has to change. Maybe celebrating some Mets history will bring some relaxation and get us some W's against the Braves, the Cardinals or the Marlins!

Enjoy the weekend, folks. MAKE IT OUT TO THE METS AT WILLETS POINT!!!

CITY. BASEBALL.

LET'S. GO. METS.

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A Walk with WOR & the Post-Game Podcast

I do not mean to mislead anyone who read that title and is familiar with my occasional storytelling ways. I do not have an overly thorough story to tell about walking around Manhattan listening to Howie Rose and Josh Lewin on WOR during the Mets 6-4 series-sealing victory last night. That's basically all I did, enjoyed the scenery, enjoyed those voices and the baseball they described, and especially enjoyed the win.

I got home basically right as the last 7 pitches of the ballgame were beginning by Jose Valverde, and, as seen by that number of pitches, the inning didn't last too long. Right afterwards, I decided to spontaneously go on the air with Mike Lecolant of Rising Apple and talk about the Mets series win, as well as 1968 a bit (as it was our 68th episode, and there is no uniform number 68 in Mets history.)

We are settling in well to this new era of the Rising Apple Report and we went a solid hour and 10 last night, with Rising Apple site editor Danny Abriano joining us basically at midnight.

So, as the weekend creeps closer, enjoy the sounds this afternoon of the Rising Apple Report!

LET'S. GO. METS.

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Well, What Can You Say?

Apparently, a lot.

Last night, host Mike Lecolant, guest Sharon Chapman and myself discussed the opening series (and certain digressions) on the Rising Apple Report's first ever extended episodes, 'cause we can do that sort of thing now.

Whether it was 1st base, the bullpen, shortstop, the young down-on-the-farm starters, the Vintage Baseball games Mr. Lecolant will be watching in Long Island this weekend, Brooklyn, or where the 1999 and 2000 teams rank all-time in Mets history, we covered a lot in the 90 minutes we spent on-air.

The baseball season didn't start out the way we had hoped. They seem in disarray, lethargic, and wound way too tight. Still, I am THRILLED baseball is back and I look forward to possibly taking in a couple of games this weekend, definitely 1 game on Sunday.

Enjoy the episode, and 

LET'S. GO. METS.

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How's That Foot Taste, Jeff?

By now, you've all probably heard what Jeff Wilpon had to say yesterday at the GM Meetings.

If not, here is the full quote, that arrived after he said the free agent contracts are "a little scary" right now:

"We've got a couple more meetings. And there might be hopefully something cooking later. Right now, it's quiet. Sandy's been in meetings all morning. He's got a couple more meetings this afternoon. So we'll see where we are."

He also said something about 5 or 6 balls being up in the air, and that we'll see which ball lands first, according to some beat reporter's twitter feeds.

Later, Sandy Alderson was all like, "What? No, no, no. Nothing is imminent." (not a direct quote.)

Then, later on, the Mets tweeted that Huey Lewis and the News would be performing next year.

Ted Berg has the scoop right here.

Scott Boras said some things too about Space Travel, but I won't give that time here....

You know what Jeff should have said?

"We're working on some things."

And then, something like, "Sandy's got it under control," or "That's all I can comment on right now, folks."

The beat reporters and #MetsTwitter would have eaten that up!

It would behoove Mr. Young Wilpon to play coy right now, even though I know he probably thought he was doing some good by saying "Somethin's cookin'" to a fan base who is clinging to every last word, which is certainly our fault as well, but come on. He's been in this business long enough to understand the current media structure, and how things blow out of proportion extremely quickly. It's not like he was all that controversial or whatever, but the chain of events is not good PR for a team desperately looking to change the conversation and the perception. Sandy Alderson just wants to do his job, and Jeff isn't necessarily making it difficult ('cause it is difficult in general), but he is certainly wasting Sandy's time with questions that beat reporters won't let up on. "Yeah, we're working on some things just like every damn team in this building is working on some things. We'll let you know when something's imminent," is probably what the non-measured side of Sandy is saying in his head.

Because guess what, folks? It's November. The awards are just being released, and Marlon Byrd is the only Major League free agent off the board.

It's like Mike Lecolant said last night on the Rising Apple Report:

"Who's coaching this guy?!"

A lot of great points were made on the podcast about what Jeff Wilpon should and shouldn't be saying right now. Listen to it when you get a chance, which included Jeff Jahelka, host of the Saturday Morning Spectacular, a weekly podcast dedicated to discussing different historical baseball topics, which I have been on a few times as well.

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Anyway, even though one could refer to Jeff Wilpon's comments as the Random Nothing of the Day...

Here's the Random Nothing of the Day.

WILPON'S. FOLLIES.

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.

Debacle Podcast & a Song of the Day

Today at 6:30PM EST, Rich Sparago and I will break down the mess that was the 3-game sweep at the hands of the Phillies on the Rising Apple Report. Alex of Marlin Maniac will also join to debrief us on his 6-19 Marlins before tonight's matchup between Matt Harvey and Jose Fernandez at 7.




 

Rising Apple Report, Ep. 20 - Weekend Wrapup & Marlins Preview

Here's a Song of the Day.

LET'S. GO. METS.

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New Podcast Schedule & A Trip to Meet the Mets

Yesterday, the schedule for The Rising Apple Report altered for the remainder of the regular season. With so much Mets to talk about now, we will  have a show every Monday and a show every Thursday, each at 6:30PM EST.

Last night, Kevin Baez joined me to help preview the Phillies series, and Matt Silverman, aka Met Silverman, joined us to talk Mets, and his book, Swinging '73:

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Make sure you join us at 6:30PM EST Thursday when we wrap up the Phillies series and preview the the trip to the Twin Cities.


I also put this short film together called "A Trip to Meet the Mets." The concept is to bring out-of-town Met fans an atmospheric look at taking the 7 train to Mets-Willets Point and out into the Citi Field Plaza. Watch it now or bookmark it for later.


Enjoy the game at 7:05 PM EST.

Thanks, and...

LET'S. GO. METS

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