R.A. Dickey Wins His 21st Career Game

The Mets played a perfect game tonight against the Phillies and who thought they would be led by a 35 year old career minor leaguer, R.A. Dickey. It looks like Jerry now has a set lineup for awhile and it is a good one especially when Bay and Reyes are hitting. Granted before we go overboard, Jamie Moyer was pitching for the Phillies. I have great respect for Moyer but his pitches look like come for a slow pitch softball game. Between Dickey and Moyer, I wonder if their combined speeds even reached 150. Gotta check the Elias Sports Bureau to find out if tonight was the lowest combined starting pitching speed combo in baseball.

Now that we are .500 and winners of three straight, I am beginning to feel that optimism come back. Even Jeff Francouer got into the action. I am excited but I was also excited after they beat the Phillies in Game one of their first series.

Who will be the first Met to pitch a no hitter?

Every year I convince myself that this will be the year that a Met pitcher will pitch a no-hitter. I have felt this way since I was old enough to root for the Mets in the mid 60's. We certainly had our close Tom Seaver calls. I still remember the Jimmy Qualls one out ninth inning hit in 1969 like it was yesterday. A young Nolan Ryan has pitched a lot of no-hitters but none with the Mets. The closest I ever to perfection as a pitcher was Dwight Gooden. In 1984 and 1985, you felt that he had the potential every game to pitch a no-hittter but never did with the Mets? How about guys like Jerry Koosman, Jon Matlack, Bret Saberhagen, Frank Viola,---all great pitchers but not a Met no-hitter in the bunch.

I think that Johan is the best Met starter since Doc Gooden, maybe he will be the first to do it. Of course last year my bet was on Ollie. When he had his good stuff, he was (key word is was) unhittable. Nowadays, Paris Hilton has a good a shot as Ollie in pitching a new hitter. My new best guess is obvious but worthwhile--Mike Pelfrey. You heard it here first. With his command and his stuff, he has nights where he is virtually unhittable. I just have a feeling this year is the year.

Jason Bay for President Even Though He Is Canadian

I heard a rumor that Jason Bay read my blog on Friday and was so upset that he went five for five yesterday and hit two home runs today... True I made up the rumor but as a Met fanatic, I will take any karma I can get.

Feel pretty good tonight and so much of it has to do with K-Rod. Without him, the Mets would be no where near .500, Though they are in last, they are two and a half out of second. Very concerned about the Phillies series without starts from Pelfrey and Johan but maybe the momentum from the series will carry over.

I blame John Miller for the Mets near loss. He announced that Santana was the star of the game before the ninth inning started. I like Miller a lot but you should never jink a team by announcing the award winner before the game was over. Also, in my mind, I thought that Brett Gardner was safe at first base in the ninth, but I was pleased that Joe Morgan fought hard to show he was out. We'll talk it.

Bay Bloopers

There have been a lot of disappointments in the month of May for us Met fans. After the winning streak, we were ready to declare ourselves contenders. I even said as much on my Facebook page----reinforcing my early season predictions of a Met pennant.

I am hardly ready to give up on the season (thank you Ike, Johan, Pelf, Frankie, and Rod for giving us hope) but I have seen enough to have serious concerns. I am not the blame the manager kind of guy and I actually applaud Jerry for taking out Maine after five pitches the other night. Gutsy and smart move on his part.

The biggest surprise for me is not Ollie, Maine or even Wright, Reyes or Francouer but it is Jason Bay. My early season optimism was predicated on Bay having a big year. Sure his average is up but he was supposed to be an RBI/Power stick in the middle of the lineup. Do you know how many homeruns he has? 1....Projects to a solid four for the year...This from a guy who has been a consistent power guy. It can't just be Citi Field but there is clearly something going on with him. We didn't bring him here so that he could be Jesus Alou---we need him to have some pop.

We remain cautiously optimistic and we know our pitching staff is in good stead because we now have a starting pitching staff with R.A. Dickey and Elmer Dessens.

Worst Baseball Card Trade in History

Tonight's series with the Yankees still stirs up some emotions though I am no fan of interleague play. I still wish they only played the Mayor's Trophy game( for those of you old enough to remember).

Being a Met lifer, I used to collect only Met player baseball cards. Sure, I had some other cards I kept around the house but I focused on the Mets. I'd have taken a Ed Kranepool card over a Bob Gibson card in a nano second.

I could not get rid of my Yankee cards fast enough (I respect the Yankees a lot more now than I did as a kid)... trade them, put them on the spokes of my bicycle tire, flip them...anything to get rid of them.

This led to the single worst baseball card trade in history. In 1967 at the age of nine, I had a lot of Met cards but did not have any Ron Swoboda cards. In a desperate attempt to get this coveted card, I traded my Mickey Mantle card straight up for a Swoboda card....I love Swoboda but it was destined to be the worst trade in baseball card history.

Please share any of your bad card trade stories espeically if they involve Met cards.

Can We Go Home Now

In the old days, each team would produce a highlight reel of their year. When the Mets were really bad, like say 1967, they would show obligatory Joan Payson pictures and then they would highlight an occasional good catch, throw or slide into home plate. Becuase they couldn't be honest and show any real highlights, from a crappy season, instead they would focus on the young and coming Mets of that year.

2010 is beginning to rapidly look like one of those 1967 type video reels. I can already here the voice of the late great Bob Murphy saying, "The Young Met Players showed that they belonged with the big club led by first base sensation Ike Davis". They would then show his towering homerun and his three catches falling over the dugout. This season is deteriotraiting into one of those bad hightlight reel years.

P.S.---I heard a rumor that Jeff Francouer got a hit this month but I may need some verification.

Perez and Maine, Lets Pray for Rain

I can't stand it. Even I, as the most glass half full as a Met fan, is sickened by tonight's game. I blame my son. I was supposed to pick him up at a friend's house at 9 but instead he moved it back to ten. If I had picked him up at nine, than I would not have watched the Fifth inning Mets debacle

What is wrong with John Maine. After three decent starts in a row, I really thought he was coming around plus as Keith Hernandez inferred, his body language is regressing again. Not a good sign for his pitching or his mental wellness.

The hitting is atrocious. Has Jeff Francouer gotten a hit in May....I think he may be the first major leaguer to play every day and go zero for an entire month ( I know I am being facetious but it really seems that way).

I know they will turn things around but this is a painful period in 2010. I just hope they turn it around soon because even my optimism has its time limits.

All We Are Saying Is Give Ollie A Chance

To the extent possible, I have tried being a fan of Oliver Perez. I was one of the many fans who was glad to see that the Mets signed him last year (to be honest, I think most Mets fans at the time were happy with the signing though you wouldn't know that now). I was even willing to write off last year and start a new year fresh.

I have even felt a little optimism on two of his starts. I even felt a legitimate excuse for his awful outing against the Giants last Sunday because of the weather, but after last night, I have run out of excuses. He made the Marlins look like the '27 Yankees.

I am not usually a conventional wisdom guy but, like everyone else, I have just about given up on Perez. It is time for the Mets to take him out of the rotation.

Also, while we're at it, why is Gary Matthew Jr. still in the major leagues. He has put on about a bad a six weeks of hitting as I have ever witnessed especially for a once relatively decent major league player.