Amazin Moments #84

On this episode I take a look at some of the reasons why the Mets have been medicore in the 2008 season. I also talk about the reasons why we could be doing worse in 2008 but are not. Some other topics on the show include:

* A roundup of recent posts from Mets bloggers
* A summary of Mets news items since the last show
* A proposal to move the Clubhouse domain to iheartmets.com

Audio

MP3 File

All of a sudden the bats come alive yesterday. Combined with a stellar performance by John Maine the Mets are able to eke out a 3-3 West Coast road trip. The Mets should have done better. Tuesday's game was well within reach given the number of opportunities. Had the Mets won that game I think we could have called the trip a success.

Meanwhile John Maine continues to show me that he is maturing even as Oliver Perez is collapsing on us. Thank heavens for Maine and Johan Santana. We'd be down with the Nats if it wasn't for those two guys and Ryan Church. Speaking of Ryan Church. I'm going to talk about him on the next podcast. He has been a revelation so far and definitely the biggest surprise of the season for me.

Watching the highlights of last night's game against Arizona I felt like I was watching a different team. I saw great hitting, great pitching and great defense. This isn't the team that lost to the Pirates on Wednesday afternoon. And they do this against the Diamondbacks who have the best record in baseball. The word schizophrenic comes to mind when evaluating the situation.

The only answer can be that the Mets bodies have been snatched by aliens determined to see them win this year. Or perhaps their bodies were snatched last Wednesday. Whatever it was, I hope and pray that the magic is back. Perhaps Moises Alou is the magic?

A couple of days ago Carlos Delgado was on his way out. After yesterday he may just be on his way back in. I'm hoping the new groove sticks because our replacement options are dwindling fast.

"WE know how this ends for Carlos Delgado Carlos Delgado with the Mets New York Mets . We might not know the exact date or the exact term, be it designated for assignment or outright release, but we see the bread crumbs now heading toward the exit." Joel Sherman - NY Post

Carlos' two home runs helped lift the Mets over John Smoltz and the Braves. More importantly, the performance throws a little water on the idea that the Mets should replace Delgado at first with either Moises Alou or Ryan Church. That idea has been getting a lot of talk but recent events with Alou make the move less likely.

Thanks to my wife allowing me to use up all our airmiles, my trip to Shea this summer is nearly set up. I'll have three days, arriving Friday, visiting 'til Sunday, and then be flying home to England on the Sunday evening. I'm looking at the series against the Astros towards the end of August, and if the flights work I should be able to watch three games. Can't wait! We might even be playing well by then - if not, I figure I'll see us win at least once!!

Billy Wagner has done it! Billy has pitched a virtual no hitter. After today's save he has appeared in nine games and retired 27 batters without giving up a hit. Billy has faced a total of 29 batters because he has given up two walks.

Billy's pitching has been a real bright spot in an otherwise dismal April. Thanks Billy!

The temperature is going to be cool like the Mets bats. I really hope that we can get a win today and avoid going sub-500. The team has been a general disappointment so far this season. The pitching has been off. The hitting has been off. The defense has been off. Can it get any worse? Maybe today's the day that the Mets begin the turnaround.

I hope to post a couple of audio reports along with pictures. I'll take some video of Citi Field and a few moments during the game.

Let's Go Mets!

While we look at being consistently inconsistent, it is reassuring to know that we can rely on one element of the team. The bullpen has never failed to ensure that we have absolutely no chance of winning games that have been relatively tight. As I sit here, Jorge Sosa has just given up a grand slam home run. I've lost track by mid April of the number of homers given up by the bull pen, especially in tight positions. Frustrating is an understatement - we have to face facts with this. we are not pennant material if we continually shoot ourselves in the foot in the seventh and eighth inning. 2006 has never seemed so far away....It's more like '96 than '06 at the moment.

I am getting tired of watching Delgado kill potential Met rallies by not getting the clutch hit when we need it the most. Today, during the game, he also made a mental mistake by not covering first base and allowing the Cubs to score during the inning. He also let a couple of balls go right underneath him. This is getting real bad. I think it's time to drop him in the order. What do you think?