Sitting in an empty Citi Field last night reminded me how disengaged the Mets fan base has become. What should have been a nightly sellout, or near sellout, of a ballpark that was long overdue has become a mausoleum in short time. With the early morning rain today, I can’t see tonight being much different, […]

Howard Megdal of SNY and I talk about the latest from both Port St. Lucie and Tampa. We kick off the show talking about Phil Hughes in the rotation and the future of Joba Chamberlain in the bullpen. I will also ask Howard if a better solution would be to follow Rob Neyer’s column regarding […]

So we learned yesterday that Jon Niese is all but certain to be the fifth starter. This is a perfectly reasonable outcome- in fact, to hear Sam Page tell it (and when Sam speaks, attention must be paid), Niese is likely to be the second-best starter on the Mets this season. In other words, this […]

According to MLB Trade Rumors Pat Misch, Nelson Figueroa, and Fernando Nieve are out of options this spring. Essentially they make the team or will be placed on waivers. If you wait till later in the spring the chances of them clearing might be good, but the state of MLB pitching makes it likely you […]

If Kiko Calero is healthy you have to consider him the favorite to grab the eighth inning setup role. I have been advocating the signing of Calero since Thanksgiving and Omar came through with what could be a very good “low risk/high reward” that could pay off. For his career Calero has an ERA+ of […]

The Mets won in 2006 because of a strong bullpen. Their relievers that year put up a 3.28 ERA and shouldered the load of pitching 37% of the teams total innings. Since then, especially in 2008, the bullpen has been more of a weakness instead of strength. You could blame it on injuries or poor […]

Not quite, but read this via Newsday’s David Lennon: Sean Green approaching Chad Bradford territory with low sidearm delivery. Not quite scraping ground, but close. Looked good with it though. If my memory serves me correctly Green started messing with this delivery last September. I thought of Bradford right away when I saw it. Green […]

The Mets bullpen could be the most crowded competition I have seen in years. Locks: K-Rod, Sean Green, Pedro Feliciano, Ryota Igarashi Competition: Kelvim Escobar, Bobby Parnell, Fernando Nieve, Pat Misch, Jay Marshall, Eric Niesen, Hisanori Takahashi, Figueroa, Elmer Dessens Long Shots: Arturo Lopez, R.A. Dickey, Josh Fogg, Bobby Livingston, Carlos Muniz Call Up Possibilities: […]

There continues to be rumblings about the Mets interest in John Smoltz. First, Tim Dierkes of MLBTR predicted that Smoltz would wind up with the Mets, and then Matt Cerrone of Metsblog reported yesterday about the clubs interest. Cerrone indicates the Mets would be interested in seeing him either in the back half of the […]

The Houston Astros were dead and buried back in 1990. During the month of August they made a trade which seemed innocuous at the time. The Boston Red Sox, in need of a right handed reliever, traded a rookie named Jeff Bagwell to Houston for Larry Andersen, Houston’s top flight right handed set up man. […]

- Didn’t seem if the fans were as into Old Timer’s Day as normal. Could it be because it was on a Sunday? I know some of the pomp and circumstance is nauseating, but the Yankees do a great job. Especially how they honored the deceased members of theirs, and the baseball, community. - Just […]

- Game ball goes to Brian Stokes for a great job “slidering” Albert Pujols to death. I have always liked Stokes since he was brought up last year. He has a live fastball, a slider with some bite, and his splits against RHB are very solid. The two times he was lit up (Boston, Yankee […]

- Winning teams establish a blueprint for success. The Mets, in their compromised state, must do what you saw over the first eight innings. Timely hits, decent starting pitching, a well managed and effective bullpen. The blueprint for success was working and they were well on their way to a rocking chair ninth. That all […]

- In Fenway, the Yankees fought back from an early deficit to bring the winning run to the plate. Jorge Posada’s fly ball, which appeared headed for the monster, instead grazed the wall and fell into Jason Bay’s glove. The Red Sox go on to win their seventh straight against the Yankees. In New York, […]

No Yankees game last night so today’s morning digest focuses on Mets- Nats. - I bet any money that someone in the audience has attended a wedding with more guests than the intimate crowd that gathered in DC last night. When Keith made the joke “the British are coming” I bet the Nats were hoping […]