Beating a dead horse...

Here are a couple fun facts from the Mets' 3-3 homestand last week:

1. The Mets won their fifth walk-off game on Tuesday night. They were down 5-4 until Carlos Beltran tied the game in the bottom of the 8th. Castillo knocked in Ike Davis in the bottom of the 9th for the win. This win lifted the Mets to 2-47 when trailing after seven innings. That stat is staggering to me.

2. The Mets have been within 1 game of a .500 record for the last 26 games. They haven't won 3 straight since June 18th.

3. In 28 starts, Johan Santana has been scored on in the first inning eight times - a total of 25 runs. His ERA in the first is 8.04, opponents are hitting .317 against him and 38.5% of the runs he's given up overall have come in the first frame. In the other eight innings, his ERA is 2.17. Also, the Mets are 2-11 when Johan gives up more than 1 run. I guess you can't feel too bad for a guy who will collect $77.5 M over the next 4 years.

When I'm 64...

Your resident blogger partied away with Bill & Hillary Clinton last weekend. For Bill's 64th bday celebration, he decided to stop by the Georgica Association to stretch out his hips on the dance floor. Former Goldman Sachs partner Dan Neidich hosts an annual, over-the-top, ego-boosting party for his former GS cronies, A-list celebs, Democratic party fundraisers, us lowly Georgica members, and apparently former Presidents and Secretaries of State.

Security was tight as the dance floor was surrounded with guys with ear pieces (and presumably guns). Apparently other guests included Jimmy Buffet and John McEnroe, but sadly I missed John and Jimmy singing a duet of Margaritaville.

Details, details, details...

Apparently, Matthew Weiner doesn't understand how obsessive some Mad Men watchers have become. So Matt, where does Don Draper really live?

It's that time again...

For the Record

I take no responsibility for the fact that Strasburg just hurt his elbow throwing said changeup. None whatsoever. Who gets injured throwing a changeup?

Thoughts On Stephen Strasburg

This guy is totally inappropriate. He's lewd, vesivius, salacious, outrageous. No one should be able to throw a 90 mph changeup. It's just not fair. Granted his arm will probably fall off at some point, but in the meantime he's making poor Kyle Kendrick look like Kramer in the Marlboro Man billboard

World Series Defense

The Politics of the Downtown Mosque

I find it disturbing that the debate over the Islamic mosque and cultural center near the Ground Zero site has become highly political. On Friday during a dinner in honor of Ramadan, the President defended the building of the mosque on grounds of our Constitutional rights. Then he qualified and diluted his remarks on Saturday saying he was backing the "right" to build the mosque, not necessarily the "wisdom" of building it close to such a sensitive site. His refusal to take no view on the latter - clearly a political decision - has caused this issue to elevate into an unnecessary national debate.

Republicans see some political advantage by forcing Democrats to support the rights of Muslims. Newt Gingrich accused the president of “pandering to radical Islam” and said the mosque would be a symbol of Muslim “triumphalism.” Particularly in post-9/11 society, most Americans are very myopic when it comes to open-mindedness towards different religions and cultures. This excellent Op-Ed in the NY Times highlights this dichotomy. Democrats are reluctant to defend Muslims and other minority groups despite these hypocrisies. After this debate, we'll be left with a major setback for religious tolerance in this country. More disturbing is that opposition in other American cities is growing against the construction of any new mosques - undoubtedly a violation of Constitutional principles.

The tricky issue here isn't the Constitutional one. The government has no ability to prevent Feisal Abdul Rauf from developing the abandoned Burlington Coat Factory at 51 Park Place into a 13-story complex of classrooms, auditoriums, and a mosque - the Cordoba Initiative. Prudence is the primary issue. The planners for the cultural center have a unique opportunity to strengthen Muslim ties to Western culture within the context of the WTC. They were clearly naive of the reaction this mosque would receive. Instead, they should look to men like Maajid Nawaz who co-founded the Quilliam Foundation, a think tank that is mostly funded by the British government. This foundation seeks to influence the two million British citizens who are Muslim, and especially the roughly 2,000 of them who the government says are Islamic radicals who pose a threat to national security. Nawaz was featured in this great 60 Minutes segment from April 2010.

I support the mosque because I recognize our Constitution and the need to galvanize this post-9/11 nation. The leadership of its development, however, has to own up to the politics and embrace the opportunity to strengthen Muslim relations with Western cultures. Otherwise, this project could be disastrous and polarizing.

It gets better and better...

RIP K-Rod's 2010 Season.

1,000 Words

QE 2

Is this the day that Helicopter Ben brings us the second round of quantative easing? Print baby print.

Update: Yep, sounds like they're going to shift focus to treasuries, try and monitize our way to dow 30,000. Nothing to see here, move along.

Ramblings

So this weekend Lloyd Braun was kind enough to invite me to Philly for a ballgame between the Phillies and this loser team from Queens that appears to exist for the sole porpoise of triggering severe anxiety attacks and depression in Bob Cobb every summer weeknight from 7-10. The game itself was a disappointment: nothing happened, the Phillies lost, and I almost got killed by a foul ball I was too lazy to stand up for. But overall the trip was a blast. I was the first person on my Amtrak train, a personal best and a victory I do not take lightly, and afterwards I went to stay the night with the GP's which is always a nice change of pace (Sunday morning brought high comedy as my grandfather left the keys in the ignition and had to dial up "AA" as he called it, for a jumpstart).

Great times indeed, but by far and away the highlight was on Saturday night, when we dined at one of China Town's most prestigious establishments (alas for the moment the name escapes me). After dumplings and garlic chicken and pepper fried shrimp, it was time for the fortune cookies. Mine was nothing special, just something about how Smuckers is the greatest creature on the entire planet: half man half God half possible centaur (at least that's how I remember it). Pretty standard.
Then Lloyd Braun pulled out this gem, which I believe was lifted from an anonymous 20th century poet known by the name of Newman: "Simplicity of character is the natural result of profound thought."
Which I think just about sums it up. And yes, I know i wrote porpoise. Deal with it.

The Madoff Mets

Adam Rubin - the Mets beat writer for the Daily News that Omar Minaya threw under the bus last year when Rubin uncovered the Tony Bernazard story (Bernazard took his shirt off and challenged all of the Binghamton Mets to a fight); Bernazard was subsequently fired and Minaya thought Rubin released the story since he wanted to get a job in player development with the Mets - makes a very humbling point about the Mets of the future:

Even if the Mets had 16 players making the major league minimum next season - which is impossible -- the salary commitments for 2011 already total $120 million. (It's valid to note some of Johan Santana's salary is deferred with interest. And Jose Reyes' $11 million for 2011 is an option, although he should be making that much regardless of whether he signs an extension instead.)

The 2011 commitments:

Johan Santana $22.5 million

Carlos Beltran $18.5 million

Jason Bay $16 million

David Wright $14 million

Oliver Perez $12 million

Francisco Rodriguez $11.5 million

Jose Reyes $11 million

Luis Castillo $6 million

Ryota Igarashi $1.75 million

16 players at major league minimum: $6.4 million

Total: $119.65 million

So that goes to show that the Mets won't be throwing any Benjamins at anyone this offseason since they simply don't have the resources. The Phillies have major commitments too, but at least they have quality players on the books. If the Mets continue the downward spiral they're in now through August and September, attendance will plummet and season tickets will not be renewed.

Mutual Hatred

While there may be few things the respective bloggers on this esteem site agree about, I'm confident there's at least one: A true and well-earned disdain for the Atlanta Braves. While the media can't contain themselves as they praise Bobby Cox and anoint Jayson Heyward the next Willie Mays, here's a few friendly reminders why this is not a likable team

1. Bobby Cox's Inconvenient History with His Wife.

Brett Myers did this and he was rightfully vilified. Why doesn't this get mentioned more with Bobby?

2. Chipper Jones's Inconvenient History with Hooters Waitresses.

In his defense, the chicken wings there are incredibly mediocre.

3. Troy Glaus-

Feel free to return that MVP trophy anytime, Troy. Also, we're all sure you supported bringing in Rick Ankiel.

4. Billy Wagner-

Here's some quick reminders of how clutch you are, Billy. But hey, you got booed once in Philadelphia, so we're the bad guys.

5. Underserving Fans.

Guess how many fans showed up on Thursday for the opener of the big Giants-Braves series? 24,500 or 49.3% of capacity according to ESPN.com. I wouldn't be bothered, except the attendance was always mediocre in the 90s, when they had the most consistent team in baseball. Unless everyone became a Joe Johnson fan again overnight after his max contract, I'd say this fan base doesn't deserve a playoff series.

6. The Tomahawk Chop.

It's one thing to have a dumb, repetitive chant to keep your brainless fans interested in the game. It's another thing to have a team with a highly questionable nickname that is taken from an ethnic group that isn't supportive of the name. However, it's something special to combine the two into an obnoxious, offensive chant in an area of the country with a dubious history towards other racial groups.

Needless to say, this blogger will be staying above the Mason-Dixon line for the foreseeable future.

Need to Cool Down? Take the Plunge

In case you have ever wondered what it is like to be inside a dumpster, there's good news: New York City will have three dumpster pools on the east side of Park Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets for the first three Saturdays in August as part of the City's Summer Streets initiative.

Fortunately these pools come at no cost to the City, which recently cut education, thousands of jobs, and adult literacy services in its $63 billion budget. Macro-Sea, a company based in Brooklyn, is converting the containers to above-ground pools. Each pool is roughly 8 feet wide and 22 feet long with a sloped bottom between 3 and 5 ½ feet deep. Sadly there are no diving boards. There is no baby pool, either - much to the disappointment of Puddy Island. Each pool is encircled by a five-foot-wide metal deck with a nonstick rubber surface and accompanied by several changing-room cabanas, portable showers, and portable toilets.

Get out those speedos and water wings and make it over to the dumpster pools next Saturday!

Adventures in Officiating (Revised)

After some contentious conversations with Smuckers and Lloyd Braun, I have decided to revise my entry from last week. Of course this posting is an example of my bitterness towards the Phillies and their deplorable fan base.

I found it very amusing to campare the two sets of Marlins/Phillies announcers that commented on the controversial call by Bob Davidson in the bottom of the 9th on August 5th. It's possible that the Marlins announcers don't understand baseball's simple Rule 2.00 that "a FAIR BALL is a batted ball that settles on fair ground between home and first base, or between home and third base, or that is on or over fair territory when bounding to the outfield past first or third base, or that touches first, second or third base, or that first falls on fair territory on or beyond first base or third base, or that, while on or over fair territory touches the person of an umpire or player, or that, while over fair territory, passes out of the playing field in flight."

In this play's case, the ball hit a foot before 3rd base just inside the line and subsequently landed a six feet or so past 3rd base about 6 inches inside the line. It certainly is possible that a ball can take a funny bounce or bend a bit around the bag because of unusual spin. In this case, the camera angle was inconclusive. Davidson certainly had the best angle, but this was a very tough call given the speed of the ground ball. My best guess, however, is that it was most likely a fair ball given how close to 3rd it initially bounced and that its next bounce was several inches in fair territory.

This discussion is clearly moot at this point, but I had to raise it in the spirit of this glorious blog's name. Besides, the Mets were beneficiaries of a terrible call on July 18th where a SF Giants baserunner was called out at the plate in the bottom of the 9th of a tie game. Replays showed he was safe. Either way, the Mets only have won 6 times since the break. Like I said last week, RIP 2010 Mets.

Philadelphia 1, Houston 1

Just wondering if Bob Cobb would like to update his Happ Oswalt comparison? I'm really not sure why he decided to make this an issue of contention. It's bizarre. Learn how to pick your battles Bob. Must have been a Mets induced hangover or perhaps some lingering resentment over his place in the Hearts hierarchy. Regardless, have no fear, because Smuckers is prepared to follow through on this until the end of the season or until Happ ends up in the bullpen or back on the DL. So how did round two turn out?

Oswalt: 6.1 IP, 3H, 2R, 2ER

Happ: 1 Ip, 6H, 7ER

Any Questions?

This is Embarrasing

Rather than comment on Brett Favre's most recent negotiating ploy, I present you this link instead.

Really Albert? Really? Really? You couldn't pass THIS? THREE TIMES? I mean, when I heard talk of a conditioning test, I naturally assumed it would involve several drills, maybe some sprints and some distance work combinations. But if Mr. Hanesworth can't complete a simple cone drill without his "knee acting up", one that Mike freaking Golic makes it through within the time limit (at a tempo that can best be described as a quick jog) what hope does he have of actually contributing this year? How will he even make it through warmups?
I guess the answers to the first question are a) he's a linemen and they don't actually run, and b) no one expects him to contribute. But still, this is embarrasing. I'm pretty sure Franklin Delano Romanowski just died a little bit inside.

Houston 1, Philadelphia 0

I thought I would live up to the "Shallow and Fairly Obvious" tone of this blog and just highlight the box scores from Friday, July 30th:

Oswalt (L) vs. Washington Nationals - 6.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 4 SO

Happ (W) vs. Milwaukee Brewers - 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 6 SO

RIP 2010 Mets

Nice effort from the squad yesterday against one of the most dismal teams in baseball this season. Those 35,000 paying customers deserved better on the day that the Mets inducted Straw, Doc, Davey, and Frank Cashen into their Hall of Fame. I feel bad for those who stayed around to watch Oliver Perez pitch garbage time relief. It's time to bid farewell to our 2010 Mets. Bonsoir. Buenas noches. Gute nacht.

Only the Pirates and Orioles have fewer wins than Arizona's 39. Arizona has lost 12 of 17 games - their only 5 wins have come against the lowly Mets. Met batters hit .190 against an Arizona staff that has MLB's highest ERA (5.27). Mets batters barely got a hit against Arizona's dismal bullpen and its 6.51 ERA. How does Howard Johnson still have a job? I feel sick.

These Mets had to tease us with the NL's best record in June (18-8). They were as many as 11 games over .500 and finished 48-40 at the break - not bad. Then Met trainers and Jerry Manuel mismanaged yet another Jose Reyes injury. They mismanaged Jason Bay's concussion. They wasted two roster spots with Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo and their $24 million of remaining payroll. Carlos Beltran's return certainly hasn't made a difference with this putrid start to the second half - they have lost 12 of 17. They haven't even won 2 straight games since June 22-23 in Detroit. Pathetic.

Going into the season, I figured this was an 80-win team at best. Then these Mets showed some heart with their impressive run in June. We fans started to believe again after the lows from 2009 - Ryan Church missing 3rd in extra innings in LA, Castillo's drop, DWright beaning, the other 100 injuries, etc. The 2010 Mets didn't find ways to lose like they did last year. They showed some character. We thought they could at least compete for a Wild Card spot. Now that is gone as they hit the road for Atlanta and Philadelphia. My guess is that Minaya and Manuel will be gone by next Monday.

Citi Field Security

This security guard used to play LB for the Giants. When does football season start?

Help!!!

There is a crisis unfolding in the world of Smuckers. The quality of the sliced watermelon that I purchase every morning at Bully's Deli is deteriorating rapidly and I don't know what to do about it. According to a reliable source (chowhound.com), the peak months for watermelon should be in August and September, but each day the color of the fruit offered at Bully's is getting lighter, not darker. The selection today was a collection of white vapid chunks that merely teased my palate with the memory of something sweet.

The situation is bordering on critical. It's untenable. Mark Twain once wrote, "when one has tasted watermelon he knows what the angels eat." Not his most famous or eloquent quotation, but who among us would dare deny its wisdom? There's also a Turkish proverb stating "two watermelons cannot be held under one arm," although I'm not sure how relevant that is to this particular conversation.

What is certainly relevant is that without my daily watermelon fix, how I will be able to maintain the quality of these typically transcendent blog posts? I might descend to the level of a Bob Cobb, or worse I could become the next Puddy Island (who I believe is currently holding out with Revis for better contract terms). Yes, these are dark days indeed. Fortuna is spinning downwards one again. I humbly ask that depending on your religious beliefs and/or alcoholic tendencies, please either say a prayer or pour out a 40 for poor Smuckers.