Luis Castillo released by Mets

I have not blogged about the Mets in months but this is cause for celebration. At one time, I actually liked Luis Castillo and thought he was undeserving of all the criticism heaped on him. He was, I thought, a scapegoat in many ways. However, after watching many games last season, it was painful to watch him play. He couldn't hit a lick and his range was gone.For better or worse, he became a symbol of the Mets ineptitude. The topper for me was his inability to visit our returning vets at Walter Reed Hospital, and his quotes about how he didn't go because it was diifficult  for him to see people in such pain. He could have hit .360, but with an attitude like that, I don't want him within five hundred miles of my team.

Random Thoughts: Please don't tell me when you break from spring training that this is the best attitude we've seen coming from the Mets in years and how the clubhouse is filled with comradery and good cheer. That's the same crap we got last year. We heard about character guys like Rod Barajas and Jeff Francouer (both long gone). Don't waste our time this year, just put a good product on the field.

1969 World Series Amazing Mets

I have been at two great sporting events live. One was when Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes. Still waiting for those other horses to finish the race.

The other was Game 5 of the 1969 World Series. I still get goose bumps thinking about the game. I was a 6th grader living on Long Island. Just before the series started we had to go to Queens for a family event. Just as a fluke, we went to the Box Office to see if they had tickets to any of the Amazing Mets World Series games. As luck would have it, there were two tickets left for Game 5. Can you imagine today going to the box office and getting tickets to a World Series game the day before the Series started.?

My older brother and I went to the game and we probably had the worst seats in the place but who cared. All I could remember was the delirium that was bubbling up all around me as the innings went on and the Mets took the lead. After the game ended, we stormed on the field. Of course where we sat, it took us about two hours to get on the field. We grabbed some grass and my mother later framed the tickets and the grass and it still hangs in my office today.

My sixth grade teacher was a Met fanatic and after school, he set up his black and white tv in the office and we would watch the World Series games. Yes, as I tell my son, World Series games used to be played on weekdays during the day. Mr. Kirshner knew I missed class on Thursday (Game 5) but he didn't care---he just wanted me to come to school on Friday with the promise of a Met victory. I came through with that victory.

I have no idea why I am recounting this story now but it remains over forty years later my sports memory of a life-time. Please let me know if you were at the 1969 Amazing Mets World Series and what your recollections were of the series.

Shame on Oliver Perez

Everyone has beaten up Omar for signing Oliver Perez at the beginning of  last year for $36 million for three years. However, when he was signed  last year, very few Met fans were upset. Most fans wanted Perez back especially after his impressive, though inconsistent, 2008 season. I was one of them.

It is clear that it ended up being an awful signing and he has been nothing but a disappointment. Now, though he is not just a disappointment, he is even hurting the team by being on the 25 man roster. He has refused the Mets request to go to the minors.

There are many examples of greed in sports and this is a prime example. Shame on Ollie and his $12 million a year to refuse to go along with the Mets request to go to the minors. He hurt the team by pitching so badly for the last year and a half and now he hurts the team by not pitching. He is the gift that keeps giving....This is going to end very ugly and it's too bad because, at one time, I was an Ollie believer.

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.