Rangerland Forum Information

[jburns]

This post has been edited by jburns: Nov 12 2008, 10:46 AM

[SorryaboutthatWh...]

PITCHERS AND CATCHERS BABY!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

I'm just excited baseball is coming back in general.

Mr. Met is apparently a writer on the Colbert Report. Who knew?

http://churchofthefonz.blogspot.com/2008/0...s-side-job.html

[xcheck24]

Thank you, Ms. Burns.

[xcheck24]

*sigh* I'm a happy fan

[Rhino]

Guess that answers my question. Time to rock the awesome!

[jconnelly16]

Maybe this is going to bring some good mojo. A Sox fan starting a Met thread, We'll see. If it doesn't work out, there is always the "Cleansing"thread.

[xcheck24]

welcome back, boys







All attention on Johan today, it appears.
No photos of my boy John Maine

(and what's the over under on how long before SATS freaks at the site of our favorite pitching coach?)

[SorryaboutthatWh...]

(and what's the over under on how long before SATS freaks at the site of our favorite pitching coach?)

Whats the over under he trades away Maine because he can fix *insert washed up pitcher here* in 5 minutes.

[xcheck24]

If he does, I personally will kill him. Then we'll both be happy.

[xcheck24]

PEDRO!!!

[Ian]

Here you go xcheck:




Here's a pic of Schneider's new mask too, which looks pretty cool.

[xcheck24]

*sigh* now if only there was a photo of david wright, my day would be complete

I thought this was cool:
http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/14/f...tus/?ref=sports

santana goes over to the mound to pitch and the entire camp stops doing what they were doing to watch.

[Rocha]

My mental voice when going through those photos

"Yay, spring time!"
"Yay, Santana!"
"Yay, Pedro!"
"Ugh, Willie."

[HDH]

Aw.....you Met fans are SOOOOOO cute gettin' all pumped up and excited a-gain.

[jburns]

Aw.....you Met fans are SOOOOOO cute gettin' all pumped up and excited a-gain.

You can come visit the World Champions thread, if you like.

[HDH]

You can come visit the World Champions thread, if you like.

I've been there already thanks.

[xcheck24]

My mental voice when going through those photos

"Yay, spring time!"
"Yay, Santana!"
"Yay, Pedro!"
"Ugh, Willie."

Where's the "Yay, Maine!"?

Based on the things I'm reading, tho, I think Willie's going to be OK this season.

[leetchie69]

I've been there already thanks.

I am confused...last I remembered the Red Sox won it all and Joba was swatting away some knats....

[SorryaboutthatWh...]

I am confused...last I remembered the Red Sox won it all and Joba was swatting away some knats....

Are you a french castle guard or something?

This post has been edited by SorryaboutthatWhoa: Feb 14 2008, 10:09 PM

[xcheck24]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AjV1...p&type=lgns

I love Pedro

[jconnelly16]

After making Johan Santana the highest paid pitcher in baseball, the New York Mets had to sell their benches to make ends meet.

[Melvin]

Ahhh...spring returns. The sunny fields of Florida. Smell of pinetar. The flapping of leather gloves as the players play long toss. The Islanders in just enough of a tailspin to elicit false hope for April.

Thinking about this the other day...I think that Maine is due to improve even more. Why? Everyone's going to completely forget about him. When Checky mentioned him not getting photgraphed (even though he was), it made me really wonder. His personality will thrive, I think, in this type of situation. I'm thinking 15 wins is a little low. 17...18?

[SorryaboutthatWh...]

Ahhh...spring returns. The sunny fields of Florida. Smell of pinetar. The flapping of leather gloves as the players play long toss. The Islanders in just enough of a tailspin to elicit false hope for April.

Thinking about this the other day...I think that Maine is due to improve even more. Why? Everyone's going to completely forget about him. When Checky mentioned him not getting photgraphed (even though he was), it made me really wonder. His personality will thrive, I think, in this type of situation. I'm thinking 15 wins is a little low. 17...18?

I agree and I think I said as much here. Maine was easily one of the best pitchers in the NL last year before the All-Star break. Then the fatigue of a full season kicked in and he slowed down.

With that experience behind him, I think he'll win a few games with his pitching, and get helped out by the bats in a few as well and he gets to that 18 win region.

If Oliver Perez repeats last season, or does better, we'll have Johan probably break the 20 win mark, Maine break 15, Perez be somewhere around 15, that's already 50 wins and we haven't even factored in pedro who I think will be anywhere from 9 on the low side to 15 on the high side.

[xcheck24]

I don't even know what to expect from pedro. he says he's feeling good, but he has so so so much to prove yet.

as for maine, i think being bumped to the third or even fourth starter is going to cause him to thrive because he won't be going against the top pitchers necessarily any more and it'll be the santana and pedro show.

my mom told me she heard him interviewed on the radio the other day and how funny he was. i remember when maine would run away from reporters because he hated being interviewed.

[xcheck24]

Duke's not a Met anymore, but I thought it was of interest. He issued an apology for his role in the Mitchell Report:
http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/news/a...sp&c_id=was

also, the mets are talking one-year deal now with perez rather than something long-term. It pains me since I know this wouldn't be going on like it is if Boras wasn't Perez's agent. Friggin Boras.

And Pedro and Santana are going to pitch together later in the bullpen. I don't think it's a coincidence that they're putting the two of them together.

[xcheck24]

http://www.metsblog.com/2008/02/16/quote-b...e-team-to-beat/
Beltran is a funny guy. He will be all serious and then crack something like that on the way out. ha.

oh and there's this:

[SorryaboutthatWh...]

http://www.metsblog.com/2008/02/16/quote-b...e-team-to-beat/
Beltran is a funny guy. He will be all serious and then crack something like that on the way out. ha.

You know he wasn't kidding though right? Reporters kept prodding him, and INSTANTLY turned it into a guarantee and Beltran said he knew exactly what he did.

Wagner didn't seem thrilled with his comments, and Wright had something pretty funny to say about it.

"I like Carlos' attitude," Wright said. "I love that he's got confidence in his team. I have confidence in this team. But I just don't feel the need to declare who the champion is going to be in February when you have 162 games to play."

Personally, i like Beltran, but the fans LOVE to get on him, and he has shown in the past he doesn't always take the home crowd getting on him lightly. Now he's making guarantees and calling out Rollins?

Shocked is more how I feel about this. Not good, not bad, shocked.

[xcheck24]

i actually like seeing this side of beltran. he can back up his words. we've seen him do it. let's see if he does it this season.

[SorryaboutthatWh...]

I could go for Billy Wagner shutting the hell up, but maybe thats just me.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/met...,1072834.column

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this the very same Billy Wagner who complained last year about not playing enough? Now he's asking management to not use him as much?

Huh?

And this is I think the 3rd time he's made comments about the Mets management miss using him and not knowing what they are doing. I think this is the second time he's done it in a roundabout way, and the other time he blatantly called them out on it and later apologized, which I called out as being BS.

Clearly I was right, because he's at it again.

All I've ever heard Billy talk about for the last 2 seasons is how good Philly is, and how bad the Mets management is at effectively using the bullpen. I'm getting tired of it.

[xcheck24]

It's about being used properly in that he gets the ball in the right situations.
And I actually agree with him on being used less. It will help him be more effective as he ages.

[SorryaboutthatWh...]

It's about being used properly in that he gets the ball in the right situations.
And I actually agree with him on being used less. It will help him be more effective as he ages.

Like you call me out on "how long before SATS blows up about *insert something here* I could have easily done the same for you coming in and defending him.

How many times does this guy have to publically call out his staff before someone sees this as a BAD thing. The guy doesn't do anything but complain.

Last year he was complaining because he wasn't used enough, now he wants to play LESS? So should Willie stop using him altogether??? He's sending out mixed signals. He CLEARLY has beef with this staff.

I pointed it out all of last season and I'll do it again this season. If you have any more, or any less than a 3 run lead, Wagner is absolutely atrocious. So you know what, i guess I agree with Billy, Willie should only use him when they have a 3 run lead in the 9th inning.

You also can't tell me that Billy is the only one with a set of cajones in that enitre bullpen. You haven't heard a PEEP out of anyone but this guy.

I wasn't thrilled with the way the bullpen was used last season, but I don't think Billy was mishandled. He's a premadonna who seems like he rather be back in Philly more and more everyday.

[xcheck24]

I thought I heard him say that he (and other pitchers) needed to be used less last season. I don't remember him saying he needed to be used more.

And you have to understand that Wagner is getting older. Last season he tried to be more efficient with his pitches and not just blow the ball by everyone. this season he's saying that he wants to be used less. that's all signs of a pitcher knowing that he's getting older and needs to mitigate when he loses some heat on his ball. I actually had a conversation with someone about how they need to use him a little less to preserve him to make sure he can be used when most needed.

and finally, less than three runs? maybe later in the season (after he and the rest of the pen were used far too much and were overworked), but wagner is fine with less than three runs. i agree with more than three runs, tho. he's certainly an adrenaline pitcher.

[SorryaboutthatWh...]

and finally, less than three runs? maybe later in the season (after he and the rest of the pen were used far too much and were overworked), but wagner is fine with less than three runs. i agree with more than three runs, tho. he's certainly an adrenaline pitcher.

I dunno, I remember arguing the point alot AND feeling terrified whenever he came in with a 1 run, 2 run lead.

Maybe it was 2 years ago but I'm pretty sure it was last year, the Mets were winning, and by good margins, and he was crying because he wasn't getting any work and he was using it as an excuse. Now he's saying he's over used.

More and more it seems as though this guy is NEVER going to be happy.

[xcheck24]

I dont remember him ever complaining about not getting enough work last season.
secondly, you're always going to be terrified with a one or two run lead no matter who is on the mound in the 9th inning. it's the situation. and just because you're terrified doesn't mean he doesn't cash in.
he had some problems later in the season, including that time in Philly, but everyone was struggling down the stretch. and he was able to pull out of it. not saying he not someone who should not take responsibility for the collapse, but overall he wasn't a major problem last season.

and you just don't like wagner. lol

As an aside, i think the only person who can say he wasn't responsible for the collapse was David Wright, and you won't ever hear him say that.

[SorryaboutthatWh...]

I dont remember him ever complaining about not getting enough work last season.
secondly, you're always going to be terrified with a one or two run lead no matter who is on the mound in the 9th inning. it's the situation. and just because you're terrified doesn't mean he doesn't cash in.
he had some problems later in the season, including that time in Philly, but everyone was struggling down the stretch. and he was able to pull out of it. not saying he not someone who should not take responsibility for the collapse, but overall he wasn't a major problem last season.

and you just don't like wagner. lol

Thats not true at all, as much as a bitch about him, it's because of the role he's in. I actually like Wagner. However that is currently changing.

You've stated numerous times that you like Wagners honesty and I can understand that, but if any other player called out managerial decisions as much as he does everyone would be saying he's a problem.

So i have to wonder if your defending him is just because you have a soft spot for the guy.

Just remember, this is the 3rd time he's publically called out the staff for not knowing what they are doing, and saying you aren't being used correctly is doing just that.

[NYRFaithful]

Well, one thing that may help Wagner is a resurgence of Duaner Sanchez. I think it was in the Star Ledger this weekend that Duaner's healthy and he's got a lot of his heat back.

[xcheck24]

There's a difference between wagner and other players. I expect Wagner to call out players, management, etc. It keeps people on their toes. Since I expect it -- and accept it -- I don't bat an eye when he does it.

now if someone who doesn't normally do that started complaining or being critical, I'd pause for a moment to really say if I like it or not. Because I don't expect them to do it. Like if Carlos Beltran came out and was critical of Willie for not batting him in the right spot in the line-up, that would be unusual for him. I don't know how I'd feel about that. And I like beltran a lot. more than wagner.

This post has been edited by xcheck24: Feb 18 2008, 02:54 PM

[SorryaboutthatWh...]

I understand the train of thought, I just don't think we're gunna agree on this one.

I mean I expected someone like Terrell Owens to complain abouthis Quarterback when he was with the Eagles, and run his mouth about management, but just because everyone expected it, and maybe even accepted it, didn't make it good for the team.

We all know what Terrell ended up doing to that club.

[xcheck24]

big difference. I've never felt Billy Wagner is all about himself like T.O. Wagner says the things he does because he wants to win. Why does he want the ball back when he blows a save? Because he's pissed he let his team down and wants to show him he can be there for him.

this is wagner's third season. if he was half the cancer you're saying he is, this team would have been torn apart a long time ago. that hasn't happened. even when they struggled down the stretch last season and collapsed, this team never abandoned each other.

[Batshit Insane]

When is Wagners contract up anyway? Ive never really liked him. A closer that doesnt like to pitch in close, or blow out games is a bad closer. Hes gotten a free pass over the years for blowing games in big spots.

I like how he is complaining about how the pen is used though. Ive said it for a whiloe now, and it seems Wagner is confirming it. Willie, just cant get a pulse on this team. He cant judge who is done for, who has something left, who is on the verge, or who just doesnt belomg in certain spots. That goes for both the pen and at the plate.

Edit: Forgot to add that the reason I wanted to know when Wagners contract was up, was because it looks like F-Rod will be a FA. I'd much rathwe have him.

This post has been edited by Batshit Insane: Feb 19 2008, 03:08 AM

[xcheck24]

Speaking of Contracts, isn't this Pedro's last season?

[Rhino]

When is Wagners contract up anyway? Ive never really liked him. A closer that doesnt like to pitch in close, or blow out games is a bad closer. Hes gotten a free pass over the years for blowing games in big spots.

I like how he is complaining about how the pen is used though. Ive said it for a whiloe now, and it seems Wagner is confirming it. Willie, just cant get a pulse on this team. He cant judge who is done for, who has something left, who is on the verge, or who just doesnt belomg in certain spots. That goes for both the pen and at the plate.

Edit: Forgot to add that the reason I wanted to know when Wagners contract was up, was because it looks like F-Rod will be a FA. I'd much rathwe have him.

I think it's more a matter of wishful thinking on Willie's part. The idea that a guy is in a bad way and the only way to fix him is to keep throwing him in tough situations. "To get his confidence back." Mind you I'm not defending him. I just think he has an inability to deal with a situation correctly, as opposed to not being able to recognize that there is a problem.

[jconnelly16]

Speaking of Contracts, isn't this Pedro's last season?

Yep. And Wagner's deal is through next season with a team option for 2010 with a $1M buyout.

[NYRangers]

Wow, Fernando has filled out a lot. He looks really, really strong. I really didn't expect him to fill out for a long time. Even the elite of the elite high school prospects and such take a while to fill into their frame, even when they hit the majors. He really looks like he's going to be a special player.

[SorryaboutthatWh...]

VINDI-FUCKIN-CATION!!

"I'm not even thinking about that," Reyes said Tuesday. "No more handshakes. People kept saying we got teams fired up when we did those handshakes, so now I want to focus more on baseball."

All of last season I talked about how Reyes' dancing and handshakes were over the top, gave opposing teams motivation, and was a HUGE part in motivating the Marlins to come out and spank us in the last game of last season.

I was told I was a stick in the mud, it wasn't doing anything negative, and Reyes was fine. I'm glad Reyes has realized what he was doing on his own and is changing it.

Now that he is concentrating on the game more than his next homerun handshake we won't have to worry about another half a season long slump.

"Nobody said anything to me, but it's because of what happened last year," Reyes said. "That's why I'm taking this year more seriously. In 2006, everybody loved [the handshakes], but now it's different. I'm going to enjoy the game, but I'm not going to do the handshakes with the guys. I don't want people to talk about that. I just want to play baseball. I want to take care of business on the field."

You know what this is? It's accountability and maturity. I can't wait to see Reyes this season. I hope he still has fun, but I'm glad the showing up of other teams stuff is going to come to an end. I also know Keith will be happy. lol.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/met...0,2559517.story

[leetchie69]

Wow, Fernando has filled out a lot. He looks really, really strong. I really didn't expect him to fill out for a long time. Even the elite of the elite high school prospects and such take a while to fill into their frame, even when they hit the majors. He really looks like he's going to be a special player.

HGH works wonders.

[xcheck24]

metsblog on the reyes thing

…our little boy is all grown up now…honestly, i feel two ways about this…first, it is nice to see reyes maturing and taking his role on the team more seriously…the dancing and the handshakes outside of the dugout were sometimes a bit much…on the other hand, i always love his celebratory dances…they were part of the fun of watching him play, and i hope he doesn’t become too serious where it takes away from his enthusiasm for the game…it’s too bad that players on other teams are influencing his behavior with how they feel about his “antics”, but it seems that the whole team seems much more focused this year, including David Wright who has cut-off his promotional appearances

that's essentially how i feel about it.
i dont want this team to be all business. more focused, yes, but all business isn't fun.

[ideserveabeer]

our little boy is all grown up now

’Cause you’re growns up and you’re growns up and you’re growns up!

[xcheck24]

http://www.metsblog.com/2008/02/21/read-rollins-speaks-up/




On the bright side, I'm actually glad to see one of the rivalries heating up so much. The war between the fans in trying to take over each others' stadiums is funny to me. The Phils are trying to take over a weekend game yet Mets fans have already broken last year's record ticket sales in presales!

[xcheck24]

http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/baseball...i_lives_on.html



I wish there was video.