I Can't Help It

I love when the Mets score 13+ runs.  I love how they have done that game after game recently.  Everybody in the lineup is getting hits and everyone on the pitching staff is getting outs.  It is just fun to watch.

Jose Reyes is still on fire.  Daniel Murphy is hitting again.  Carlos Beltran is proving all his doubters wrong.  Not only is everybody getting hits, they are stringing the hits together for legitimate rallies.  They are hitting ridiculous amounts of singles and adding enough extra-base hits.

R.A. Dickey has found his knuckleball again.  Jason Isringhausen is having quite the comeback season.  Jon Niese is growing into a nice pitcher.  They are working out of jams, getting the big outs.  They have not all been stellar but they have gotten the job done.

The best part about all this: it is all happening at the same time.  It seems like every time the Mets offense finally gets hot the pitchers cannot get anybody out.  And then once the pitching staff figures it out, the bats have gone cold.  It is so much fun to watch it all come together for the Mets, as it would be for any team.  But especially the Mets because they had been fighting to break .500 for so long and they finally did - and they did it by making a statement.  They are beating up on American League teams.  Good American League teams.  Facing perhaps their biggest challenge of the season, the Mets did not back down.  There is something very impressive about that.

However, as much as I have enjoyed this run, I cannot help the fact that I am bracing myself for when they eventually slow down.  If any team could teach their fans not to get too high about some wins, it's the Mets.

I want to enjoy this run for everything it is, I really do.  I just can't stop telling myself it will end.  I just can't help it.

Let's Go Mets!

I Really Should Have Written About This Game Ages Ago

It has been about two months since this Mets game and I've been to a couple other games since then, but this is the only one of the most recent three that is worth recapping.  For one thing, Mike Nickeas was still up at the time so that made batting practice and pregame 100% more interesting, and for another thing, the Mets actually won this game.

I Have Good News And Bad News

The Mets are getting crushed by the Rangers so I thought I would share some minor league happenings.

The Good News:
The B-Mets won tonight 5-3 over the Bowie Baysox.  Josh Satin hit for the cycle and raised his average to .316.  He just has not stopped hitting this season.  Congratulations Josh!

The Bad News:
Well, it starts with good news.  The Bisons beat the Norfolk Tides by a score of 4-2 tonight.  One of those Bisons runs came from a Zach Lutz home run.  The bad news is that later in the game Zach was hit in the head by a pitch and left the game.  He sat on the ground for a few minutes as he was checked by the trainer before he walked off the field under his own power.  Hopefully there will be an update on Zach tomorrow.

Jose Reyes Could Change The Fans

It is often difficult for fans to only root for the players on one team.  We stay fans of one team but there are a few players that we continue to root for no matter what team they are on.  For Mets fans and fans of Jose Reyes that do not follow a player on another team, this offseason could change that.  I would love for Jose to stay on the Mets but there is simply no way to know what is going to happen.  However, if he does go to another team I will still root for him.

Jose Reyes is special right now.  He is the most exciting player in baseball playing in the biggest market in the league.  Every team's fans seem to want a piece of him, evidenced by the questions from every fanbase on twitter asking where he might end up.  For now it does not matter though because he is on the Mets.  Besides being a spark for the Mets in every way he has become a uniting force for the fanbase.  Most Mets fans want him to stay and have told Mets management, other Mets fans, and the rest of the universe not to trade Reyes and to give him the contract he deserves.

The trade deadline can pass and other players can be traded.  If Carlos Beltran is traded there will be fans that follow his career and continue to root for him.  The end of the season can come and Francisco Rodriguez might find his way off the Mets.  Yes, some fans will root for him wherever he is playing.  However, if Jose Reyes leaves the Mets there will be a lot of fans that find themselves following another team to keep up with their favorite shortstop.

Let's Go Mets! 

Minor Frustrations

The Buffalo Bisons have not been having a good season by any stretch of the imagination.  Part of their lack-of-success has been their lack-of-offense.  And part of their lack-of-offense is the fact that they are getting minimal production from any of their catchers.

However, Tim Teufel is not exactly giving the position a chance to get anything going offensively.  Raul Chavez is hitting .160 this season and Mike Nickeas is hitting .202, both poor numbers.  But, Nickeas's last five hits have been doubles and three of his last ten games have been multi-hit games.  Raul Chavez has had one multi-hit game in his last ten games.  The thing is, they have literally been alternating starts everyday.  Neither of them has had a chance to get going offensively because neither of them gets to play two games in a row.  I understand Teufel wanting to try to find a lineup that produces runs, but he's not going to if he doesn't give everybody a chance to work out of their hitting woes.

Mike Nickeas hit two doubles yesterday and putting him in the lineup today would have brought the smallest sense of stability to another position on a struggling Bisons team.  That did not happen and Chavez is in the lineup for tonight's game.  I am not going to say either are going to be .300 hitters, but they certainly won't improve with this staggered playing time.

This has been a wonderful edition of Ellie Vents Her Frustrations About Minute Details of Minor League Baseball.  I hope you enjoyed.

5 Reasons To Watch The Mets For The Rest Of The Season

In no particular order:

1. There are some really cool young players getting a chance to play.  Be it due to injuries or lack of production, the Mets are giving some young guys the chance to show what they can do.  Justin Turner, Ruben Tejada, Dillon Gee, and Lucas Duda are a few of the players that should get regular playing time for the foreseeable future.  Josh Thole and Daniel Murphy are seasoned veterans compared to those guys and they're still young and have room to improve greatly.  Jason Pridie is still around and he has shown what he can do when given the chance.  They might not all have been big-name prospects but these players have proven they can play well.

2. Jose Reyes is putting on a show. Every baseball fan with half a brain knows that Jose has not stopped hitting all season.  He's running wild with triples and stolen bases and giving opposing teams headaches no matter what he's doing.  He has found the swagger from 2006 and even more production than anybody could have imagined.  Sure, some people will say he's doing this because he's playing for a contract.  I don't care.  It's a blast watching him and no matter how much we hate thinking about it, there is no way to know how much longer we have to enjoy this.

3. They could possibly eventually reach .500.  The Mets surprised us with series wins against the Braves and Brewers recently.  They look like they could be a real team.  Yes, they split the series with the Pirates but the Pirates have Andrew McCutchen and he's a one man wrecking crew against the Mets.  They have another series with the Braves now so they might surprise us again.  After playing the Braves they have the rest of interleague play which includes a series against the Athletics that should be easily winnable.

4. Terry Collins is starting to show his fiery side and maybe he'll explode.  Of course, if Terry does explode, it probably means the Mets have yet to reach .500 and they are probably nowhere near reaching it so this would eliminate reason #3.  But, if they are losing he still gives everyone a reason to watch.  Who doesn't love a good manager-meltdown?

5. The Mets have the best broadcasters in baseball.  Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, and Ron Darling can be entertaining in the most lopsided of games.  Whether it's Gary spitting out random knowledge like a baseball encyclopedia or Keith saying things before he, well, realizes what he's saying or Ron actually giving us analysis on the game, fans will always get something from the broadcast.  And we cannot forget Kevin Burkhardt's amazing reporting.  He seems to find the most random of stories but I always want to listen.  There is genuine excitement during a good streak and the unfortunate truth during a rough stretch.  Either way, there will always be something to hear on SNY.  Oh yeah, we could also find Keith roaming the stadium during any random game and nobody wants to miss that.

That's why I'm going to keep watching.  I mean, besides the fact that I just love baseball and would go insane not watching.

Let's Go Mets!

Proud To Be An RBI Whore

An interesting quote showed up on MetsBlog this morning.

I heard that with David Wright and Ike Davis out of the lineup and Jason Bay still in freefall, Terry Collins actually went to Beltran recently and told the switch-hitter to get greedy in RBI situations. The Mets manager liberated Beltran to essentially become an RBI whore.”

- Joel Sherman, New York Post

I'd love to be able to call Beltran 'RBI whore' instead of 'Sir Chokes A Lot.'

The Disappearing Optimism

Just a week ago Mets fans were excited.  The Mets were about to start the Subway Series against the Yankees and they even had the opportunity to reach .500 against the crosstown rivals.  For a day, that optimism proved true when the Mets won the first game of the series and evened their win-loss record.  After that day a week ago, everything began to fall apart.

At one point, David Wright and Ike Davis looked like they would quickly bounce back from their injuries and be able to return soon after they ending.  Then David went for yet another opinion on his back and Ike had to stop baseball activities.  Before this week the Mets bullpen went through a stretch when they were getting every out.  Now they can't seem to get anybody out.  Justin Turner's RBI streak came to an end and Willie Harris found himself in a game at third base.  Fred Wilpon lost any respect the Mets fanbase had for him.  And, oh yeah, the already-beleaguered Mets starting rotation lost R.A. Dickey to a heel injury.

Alas, all hope is not lost.  The Wilpons finally found somebody to buy part of the team.  Angel Pagan is on his way back.  David Wright, although he saw another specialist, is still optimistic about his return.  And ticket prices for the rest of the season shouldn't be too expensive - which is good for the fans even if it isn't the best for the organization. 

So grab some popcorn, pull up a chair and enjoy.  The rest of the season should be a fun show.

Let's Go Mets!

Yes, I Know He Is Not The Greatest Player Ever

As a baseball fan and girl I don't like being treated differently than any guy baseball fan would be treated.  I understand the same statistics and terminology as any other fan and I follow and root for the same teams as any other fan.  I want the same amount of choices for apparel and opportunities to express myself as a fan.  However just because I want to be treated fairly, it doesn't mean I am the same as every other fan.

We all have favorite players.  They are our favorites for a variety of different reasons from being a great player, to playing a certain position, to wearing their uniform in a cool way.  No matter what the reason, we can become attached to those players.  Well, I know I can.  David Wright and Xavier Nady were my first favorite players and I'm still a fan of both of them.  Joe Smith is a favorite of mine and so is Mike Nickeas.  If you have spent any amount of time reading my posts on here or following my twitter you have probably realized I'll root for them whether they have the most horrendous of games or the most magnificent.  I'll do whatever it takes to defend poor performances.  And you know what?  Sometimes it might just look like I have no idea what I'm talking about.

Does this really have anything to do with being a girl?  I guess.  Maybe I get so emotionally attached to players because I'm a girl and girls tend to get more emotional about things.  Should it matter?  No.  It really shouldn't matter that I would rather see "my guy" out there and if I make it known that I want him out there.  No matter what I actually say, believe me, I know when Smitty has given up four runs in his last three appearances or when Mike isn't the best offensive option for the team.  But I'm going to want them playing and I'm going to make it known.  I don't want another relief pitcher to succeed at Smitty's job or another backup catcher to do what Mike might not.

Perhaps once I'm not an "emotional" teenage girl I'll think all this was silly.  Perhaps I'll realize nothing I write or tweet matters to any players.  However, right now I don't think it's silly and I'm going to keep defending them as much as I please.

Let's Go Mets!

Mini Mets Updates

It's a new minor league season too and my favorite Mini Mets have (mostly) been promoted from where they played last season.

Starting with my favorite mini catcher, Kai Gronauer is with the B-Mets in AA.  He's hitting .229 with one home run, 4 RBI, and one stolen base.  His OBP is .325.  Kai has been doing most of the catching for the B-Mets this season who have a 5-8 record.

Also on the B-Mets, Josh Satin is hitting .354 with two home runs, 8 RBI, and he also has one stolen base.  He's leading the offense of the light-hitting B-Mets.  He has a very impressive .436 OBP.

Josh and Kai are the B-Mets' leaders in OBP.

In AAA with the Bisons, Zach Lutz has a .308 batting average with one home run and five RBI.  He was getting most of the playing time at 3rd base before he went on the disabled list with a pulled hamstring.

Bisons' centerfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis has gotten off to a hot start, hitting .333 with two home runs, 4 RBI and one stolen base.  It is definitely nice to see him do well in AAA after he struggled a bit offensively when he moved up from AA last year.

Those four are the ones I'm going to be paying attention to this year.  They aren't necessarily big prospects but that just makes them more interesting.  You never know who could get a September call-up and then end up on the roster for the start of the next season.

Let's Go Mets!