Congrats Josh! (and Josh!)

Tomorrow is September 1st which means the rosters will expand to 40 players.  The Mets made called up two players, Josh Stinson and Josh Satin.

Josh Stinson has spent time with both the Bisons and the B-Mets this season.  Most of his time has been with the B-Mets.

Josh Satin has also spent time with both the B-Mets and the Bisons this season.

Obviously I'm happy about Stinson being called up because it's cool to see people get called up, but I'm happier about Satin.  Last year he became one of my favorite Mets minor leaguers and I seemingly started rooting for him at the right time.  He just never stopped hitting this year.  He has gotten a hit in all but eight games with the Bisons since getting up there.

I'm looking forward to watching both of these Joshes and whoever else the Mets could call up.

Let's Go Mets!

I Still Have Fun At Mets Games

I know the Mets lost yesterday and I know Citi Field has been pretty dead lately.  However, I still managed to enjoy myself at the game.  It is still possible.

While We're At It . . .

Why should we start reliving the 2006 season and not finish?  It was such a great season for the Mets, even if they fall just short of the World Series.  I mean, it included more than just the acquisition of Mike Nickeas.

They crushed every National League opponent. They ran away with the NL East.  And they had some exciting games along the way.

There was the game against the Yankees when David Wright beat Mariano Rivera.  The long fly ball over Johnny Damon's head.  Paul Lo Duca scoring the winning run.  David Wright doing a running-skip to first base.

There was that 16-inning game against the Phillies.  Carlos Delgado went 0-for-6.  Carlos Beltran went 3-for-7. His last hit was a walk-off home run and Gary Cohen exclaimed, "We're going home!"

I especially enjoyed the July 22, game against the Astros.  I was there and it was my last time seeing Xavier Nady as a Met.  He hit a home run.

The season went on and the trade deadline approached.  The Mets didn't make many trades.  They did trade Xavier Nady to the Pirates for Roberto Hernandez and Oliver Perez (who was actually helpful down the stretch).  They would also trade for Guillermo Mota later in the year.  He was good while he was able to use PEDs and he was tall enough to help hang the plastic in the clubhouse during the clincher.

Speaking of the clincher, it came a few games later than the Mets expected.  They needed one win in Pittsburgh to clinch, but they were swept by the Pirates and lost the chance to celebrate with Xavier Nady.  However, the sweep gave them the chance to clinch at home.  Jose Valentin hit two home runs.  Fans went crazy when Duaner Sanchez was shown in the dugout.  Cliff Floyd caught the final out.  David Wright, Jose Reyes, and Carlos Delgado celebrated their first shot at the playoffs.  The clubhouse celebration that included Lastings Milledge exclaiming, "I'm barely legal!" and Chris Cotter getting drenched with champagne.

And then the playoffs.  Getting two Dodgers out at home on one play.  Sweeping the Dodgers.  The NLCS against the Cardinals that started so well and ended so poorly.  Adam Wainwright's curve-ball going right past Carlos Beltran.  The season ending in such a disappointing fashion.

Even at the end of 2006 there was hope for the future.  Maybe that hope will come back soon.

Let's Go Mets!

This Day In Mets History

The 2006 season was wonderful for the Mets. They had their best season in recent memory on the field and the front office seemed to make all the right moves as well.  Sure, I was not a fan of the Xavier Nady trade but I did eventually move on from that.  And as it turns out, that was not the trade that influenced my fandom the most.

On August 30, 2006, the Mets traded Victor Diaz to the Texas Rangers for a minor league catcher. Yes, that minor league catcher was Mike Nickeas.  I am definitely happy that trade was made.

So, let's spend today celebrating that Mets front office that we all grew to hate. They brought Mike Nickeas to the Mets!

Let's Go Mets!

Um . . . Okay

It turns out Ronny Paulino is not the roster move for Jose Reyes.  Mike Baxter was optioned to Buffalo to make room on the roster.

Well, Ronny can't run or catch but that's okay - keep him on the roster.

I'm confused.

Let's Go Mets!

They're Storm Chasers, Guys!

Over the weekend, most people were trying to get away from Hurricane Irene.  Bobby Parnell, Justin Turner, and Tim Byrdak are not most people.  As noted by Adam Rubin, they went to watch the waves on Long Beach and Jones Beach before going back to spend the night at Jason Isringhausen's house.

At least they didn't go surfing . . . or streaking behind a weatherman.

Let's Go Mets!

Well, He Has To Get On The Roster Somehow

Of course the Mets will have to make a roster move to add Jose Reyes to the roster.  Ronny Paulino has a broken toe so it looks like he will be headed to the DL.

The good news for me: Mike Nickeas stays.

Let's Go Mets!

Jose Reyes is Back . . . Almost

Jose Reyes is scheduled to return from the DL today. However with the doubleheader, it seems the Mets will wait to activate him until the second game as he is not in the lineup for the first game.  It makes sense if they are really dedicated to giving Reyes more time off.  The last thing they would do is have him play both ends of a doubleheader.

The game 1 lineup:

Pagan-CF
Tejada-SS
Wright-3B
Duda-RF
Bay-LF
Evans-1B
Thole-C
Turner-2B
Dickey-RHP

It's a beautiful day for baseball!
Let's Go Mets!

Two Big Steps For Thole

Josh Thole has had plenty of defensive adventures this season.  He is clearly still learning to be a catcher.  In the past week two things have happened that show Josh's progress as a catcher.

The first event was Thole catching Mike Pelfrey's start against the Phillies on Wednesday.  Pelfrey went six innings, giving up three runs and earning his first win since the end of July.  Thole had not caught Pelfrey since the beginning of the season and when he did - it never ended well.  Pelfrey has always needed a catcher he can trust and earlier this season, Josh Thole was not the guy.  Josh Thole getting through six successful innings with Pelfrey is nice evidence of Josh's growth.

The other big step for Thole came on Friday.  Chris Capuano threw a complete shutout.  Capuano had 13 strikeouts and after the game he credited Thole for calling a good game.  Thole has come a long way from the beginning of the season when pitchers would be leading the game.  Capuano pitched a gem and he gave credit to Thole. Capuano is veteran pitcher and he didn't have to say anything about Thole after the game.  During the game he didn't have to trust what Thole called.  But he did.  And that shows that pitchers are starting to feel more comfortable with Thole now.

The Mets future at catcher has been questioned and put down this season.  Perhaps there is still a glimmer of hope in Josh Thole.

Let's Go Mets!

A Different Perspective

You would think I would realize this.  I should have been able to figure it out.  I mean, it is a concept that is clear as day.  Yet, it hit me kinda hard.  It made me think.

When I went upstate in July of course I went to a Bisons game.  It was fun seeing Mike Nickeas and Zach Lutz play.  And after the game I waited to talk to Nickeas even though he had already signed a baseball card for me before the game.  He was nice enough to chat with me for a few minutes.  I explained why I was somewhat randomly in Buffalo and I also mentioned that I was glad I got to see him play.  That's what lead to it.

I wish I remembered exactly what he said.  He mentioned that he didn't play well and possibly that he wished he'd had a better game.  It was true, I guess.  He didn't have any hits in the game and he had a passed ball (that could be attributed to the problematic center field scoreboard, though).  

It was such a quick comment that really wasn't meant to, well, mean anything.  But it made me think.  I didn't care that he didn't have any hits.  The passed ball didn't change the outcome of the game so that didn't bother me either.  I just enjoyed the fact that I was watching my favorite player in person.  However, hearing the disappointment from a player was something I had not heard before.

Quite simply, not getting a hit means the player didn't do his job that game.

It's such an obvious concept that I just didn't seem to put it together until that moment.