In Praise Of Joe

I have always been a fan of Joe Torre. When I was growing up, I enjoyed watching him as a player. When the Mets got him in a trade, even though he was on the downside of his career, I was thrilled. Then he went on to become the manager of the Mets, the laughing stock in baseball. I wished him well and loved the fact he was managing the Mets. He did not do great, but then again, he had little with which to work.

When Torre went to Atlanta, he was going to another cellar dweller team but he either helped turn them around, or he came in at the right time, and took them to the World Series. Perhaps the same can be said of the Yankees. Either way, he was the captain of the ship when these teams started playing well.

I have heard it said that with all the talent Torre had, he should have been as successful as he was. I felt he was able to take a bunch of good players and make them into a great, cohesive unit. He was also able to handle the egos of everyone involved. So, I feel Torre deserves a lot of the credit for the success of the Yankees.

All this being said, I do think it was time for him to leave. He had lost the ability to get the players to do what they needed to do. If you have read previous entries on my blog (about Willie Randolph), you know I am a firm believer that the most important thing a manager can do is know who needs a pat on the back and when it is needed, and who needs a kick in the ass and when it is needed, to get the most out of his players. After awhile, even the best have trouble with that and Torre was clearly having trouble.

I do think the Yankees should have been a little more honest, however. I understand that the offer on the table was still more than any other manager in baseball makes. Still, Torre’s comment that when you give someone a pay cut, it means you are not happy with the job he is doing, is accurate. Sometimes the pay cut maybe because the boss does not have enough money, but in the case of The Boss, that clearly is not the situation.

I wish Joe Torre the best. He has always been a class act and I am sure he will continue to be just that.

Still?

So, the Colorado Rockies are going to the World Series. They are playing some excellent baseball and I am starting to get concerned because, while I understand what they have just accomplished, and how well they are playing, I still have no desire to watch any of the games.

From what I can tell, the Cleveland-Boston series is also a good one and again, I still have no desire to watch. At first I knew I just needed some time away after the Mets took so much out of me down the last stretch of the season, now I am not sure what the problem is.

I had hoped the passion would have returned. I had hoped I would be able to put the Mets colossal collapse behind me, but so far, nothing. It is just a stupid game. Maybe, however, that is why I have not been able to get into these series. Taking the approach that it is just a game, makes them less meaningful.

It is hard to believe they pay players so much money for playing a stupid game and a good portion of that is passed on to us in ticket prices and other merchandise. We want winners but we object to when our team spends a lot to accomplish that. Of course, if you look at many of the teams there right now, they have not done it with a large payroll. Perhaps there is a lesson in there for the New York Mets.

True To My Word

True to my word, I have watched very little baseball this postseason and I actually feel much better. I feel like I am coming around. I did watch the last three outs made by the Cubs allowing Arizona to clinch. I think I watch about a half an inning of the Philadelphia vs. Colorado game. I believe the Rockies swept in three, but I would not even swear to that.

I know the Yankees are down two to one as they won today, but I have not seen any of either American League series. (I think the Redsox are either up two nothing, or they swept in three). I heard of the famous bug incident during game two and I know that Torre is under the gun right now. I have no idea hoiw ARod did today, but I actually hope he did well. I think it is unfortunate to see him choke every year in postseason and it is time Yankee fans got off his back.

Besides, I would like to see Rodriguez produce so next year, when he is in a Met uniform, we know he will come through. I know it is a dream, but let me dream. I do not like the idea that has been suggested about Moving David Wright to second and allowing Arod to play third. However, I could go for the idea of moving Reyes to second and putting Arod at shortstop, or even putting Rodriguez at second. Again, this is highly unlikely, but I would love to see it.
By the way, I am hoping that Cleveland wins Game four and knocks the Yankees out of contention the next time they play, but I will probably not watch that game either.

Glavine Gone?

Tom Glavine has decided not to exercise his option for next year and that means he will most likely not be pitching in a Mets uniform this coming year. Of course, the Mets could still try to sign him as a free agent. While upper brass does not expect that to happen, the indication is the would like to sign him.

I hope that does not happen. When I read on the Mets’ website that Glavine was considering whether or not to exercise his option for next year (thus ensuring he would pitch in a Met uniform next season), I was a little disgusted.

On the plus side, Glavine is a consummate professional and he has over 300 wins. I do not take that away from him. I think Glavine might make an excellent pitching coach some day. It is also important to note that I did not feel this way due to Glavine’s performance in the final Met game of 2007, at least not in total.

If you look at Glavine’s body of work for the season, it seems that many times when the Mets got him a lead, or scored a few runs to get back in a game that he was pitching, the very next half inning Glavine would give up a run or more to the opposing team. I am a big believer in the importance of getting the side in order after your team gets you a lead, or after your team scores a couple of runs to seemingly get back in a game.

If you check out this blog and look at my posts, you will see this is something I have been saying about Glavine throughout the year. Glavine was once a dominant pitcher. Dominant enough that he won 300 games in his career. He gets credit for that, but he is no longer the pitcher he once was. I, for one, will not be sorry to see Glavine NOT WEARING a Met uniform this coming year.

Sour Grapes?

Well, there is still more baseball to be played. I think the Redsox won a game yesterday, but honestly I am not sure. In the past, whether my team has been in postseason or not (and most of the time, not), I have always been interested in postseason and followed most of the games. This year is different. As I said in a previous post, maybe it is sour grapes, but honestly I do not think that is the case.

Last year, Tommy Lasorda did a series of commercials about the postseason and how we watched because we were fans and it was bigger than being a fan of any one team. I identified. I understood. I agreed.

This year it is different. This year it was our year to shine. This year it was our year to get to the World Series. This year was supposed to be the first time we finished with back-to-back division titles. This year we completely blew it. It was as it someone let the air out of our tires or as if we were punched in the stomach, knocking the wind out of us. It is not that I am no longer a baseball fan. It is not that I do not care about postseason (well, maybe right now I don’t, but I will later), it simply is that I have nothing left. I am currently not able to sit down and watch a baseball game. And, right now, I honestly do not care who moves on, or who wins the series. If you consider that sour grapes then so be it. I do not think that is the case.

I also saw on the Mets website that Tom Glavine is considering whether or not he wants to exercise his option for next year and pitch for the Mets. I will have a lot to say on that topic tomorrow.

Willie's Staying?

So, Willie Randolph is staying on as the Mets’ Manager. What? Omar Minaya says he met with ownership and the decision was his and he feels you need to look at the entire body of work as opposed to the last two weeks of the season. What? Randolph, when asked about his team losing its focus said that there is only so much that a manager or a coach could do and that he wished his players had his passion and will to win. What? Did I miss something here. Lets look at each of these things one by one.

Lets first start with Minaya’s comment that you need to examine the whole body of work, not just the last two weeks. Fine. Willie Randolph has underachieved the last two seasons. Last year the Mets, clearly the best team in the National League, failed to get to the World Series. They played well throughout the regular season but could not seal the deal. Yes, injured starting pitching was an issue, but that year the Mets had the best bullpen in the NL and had the ability to take the Cards to the seventh game of the NLCS but could not get the job done. Willie underachieved.

This year, the Mets came in with something to prove since they could not even get to the World Series last year. The Mets came in as the toast of the NL East, and probably the toast of the National League. With the exception of the last 17 games of the season, the Mets were never able to get more than a five game lead over their closest competitor. Every time it looked like the Mets could put it away, the hit a slump and let the second place team get right back in it. With 17 games to go, the Mets did put it away, holding a 7 game lead over the second place Phillies. They had more than the five game lead at the end, when it counted. The Mets could not hold it. It should not have been too difficult (made obvious by the fact no other team in history has blown a seven game lead with 17 to go). The Mets could not seal the deal. They did not even get to the World Series. For the second straight year, Willie’s team underachieved.

That means, arguably Randolph’s first season with the Mets was his best. That was a team that finished 83-79, in a third place tie with the Marlins, behind the Braves and Phillies. This was considered good because Art Howe’s Mets the previous year had finished 20 games under 500, at 71 and 91. Still that was a team playing without Beltran and Pedro. That was a team that had Kaz Matzsui at shortstop, Jose Reyes at second and Mike Piazza at first. Certainly Art Howe was not all to blame for that. I will credit Randolph with help Jose Reyes, since as a base stealing middle infielder, Randolph could identify. Still, the numbers for 2005 were not great numbers. So, looking at Randolph’s entire body of work as a manager, it does not warrant him staying on.

Now, as for Randolph, he says he wishes his players had his passion to win. Excuse me?!?! Is not the function of the manager to instill that passion in his players? Is not the manager the one who has to get his team fired up? Willie’s low key approach to managing, never arguing, never fighting, has translated to the Mets not fighting in the field (literally and figuratively). Willie was the one who told us this will all be forgotten (The Mets rough streak) when they were sipping champagne. If you make a statement like that, you damn well better ensure that you are sipping champagne at the end of the season. Clearly the Mets are not, nor are their fans.

So, If I were to get rid of Willie, who would I bring in? I do not know. Perhaps Joe Giradi would have been a possibility. Maybe Ken Oberkfell, the manager of the Zephyrs, the Mets AAA affiliate. What about Keith Hernandez coming out of the broadcasting booth. I am sure there are some former big league managers around, wanting to get back into managing.

The Mets need someone who can inspire them, who can pump them up. This was what I disliked about Bobby Valentine. He could never get them going when they went to play the Braves late in the season. I do not know who has the passion and fire, but the Mets need to find that person and make up their minds right now, that no matter what, they are going to the World Series next year.

I clearly am not thrilled that Randolph is staying, but as long as he is there, I will root for him, or at least his team.

Sunglasses

This is a paid post, sponsored by http://www.shopping.com/xDN-sunglasses

I realize as I watch baseball games now, just how old I am getting. There have been a number of changes in the game as well as a number of changes as to how I view a game. Certain things can be seen simply by watching the players and how they are so much more concerned with style. One simple example is, there was a time when there was just one type of sunglasses used by players and the only reason for wearing them was to keep the sun out of your eyes. Nowadays, players are not just concerned with that, but they also want to be stylish. It is amazing how many different types of sunglasses are available. All one has to do is check out various websites such as http://www.shopping.com/xDN-sunglasses to see this.

I am actually one of those people in the minority who does not care that much about fashion. On the other hand, I do understand the importance of being fashionable. Fashion helps create the image others have of you, it helps people in power form a more favorable viewpoint about you as an individual, which can often times lead to job opportunities or growth, and it helps us feel better about ourselves. As a result, I was both surprised and impressed to see that this site (http://www.shopping.com/xDN-sunglasses) had over 50 pages on it, all devoted to the different styles and brands of sunglasses.

Ray-ban is just one of the numerous brands listed, but a link is devoted to each of the following styles within the Ray-ban line: Aviator Sunglasses, Outsiders RB2132 Wayfarer, Aviator RB 3025 Large, Predator 4054, and those are just a few listed on the first page of the 50 pages. There are also a number of styles listed for Prada, Versace and Oakley, (including the ones I personally like the best, the Oakley Riddle Sunglasses). This is just the tip of the iceberg as they appear to have just about any brand and style one could want.

One of the things I like about the http://www.shopping.com/xDN-sunglasses website is, for each brand and style the list a number of different stores that carry them. This allows the user of this site to check and find out who has the best price available. I personally like websites that make things easier for me to check and this one does a nice job.

The Craziness That Could Have Been

There will be plenty of time for finger pointing later. We will play the blame game and we will discuss who should stay and who should go, as well as who will stay and who will go. There is a whole offseason to discuss these issues, and I will be taking advantage of the time.

Today, however, it is more of a what might have been scenario. Imagine if the Mets beat the Marlins the last day of the season. That would have left four teams in the National League with identical records. The Mets and the Phillies would have, of course, had identical records, atop the Eastern division. The Rockies and the Padres would have also finished in a tie for the wild card, with those two teams have the same record as the Mets and Phills.

If that had happened, I would have thought the Mets play the Phills in a one game play off, with the loser going home. I would have thought that the Pads and Rockies would have done the same, a one game playoff with the loser going home. To me, that makes sense.

I heard something, however, and I may have missed it, that suggested had the four teams finished with identical records it would have set up a three way playoff set for the wildcard. I certainly may have missed something, but I believe the thinking goes like this… Since the Mets and Phillies would play a one-game playoff, the loser of that game would have finished with an identical record to the other two teams, before the playoff game. If that is the case, than there would have to be a three way playoff. Now, I always thought that the playoff game was consider part of the regular season, but this would seem to suggest otherwise.

It is fun to play the what if scenarios. Unfortunately that is the only thing fans will have to play with during the last season. I guess, there is always next year.