The Nexus Of The Universe

The Indescribable Act Of Restricting Talent In Sports

Coletrain — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:46:13 GMT

Little league is the purest form of baseball there is. No performance enhancers, no overpaid big shots with egos larger than their heads, and there's no money involved. It's just baseball. And that's the beauty of it. It's an outlet for kids to have fun, learn some much-needed life lessons, and just to be a part of something that they love. Unfortunately, the genius people behind the League Of New Haven in Connecticut has put a limit on talent.

If you haven't read or heard already, nine year old Jericho Scott has been told he can't pitch anymore because "he's too good". That is the actual explanation. His fastball is said to top around 40 mph with great control. Not only that, but Jericho's team will have to disband because of this. And when Jericho's team (Wilfred Vidro is the coach) refused and put him on the mound in their latest game, the opposing team walked off the field and left the park. So here we have it: A kid getting called out, singled out, and ruled out because he successes at something more so than the other kids.

"He's never hurt any one," Vidro said. "He's on target all the time. How can you punish a kid for being too good?"

When you first hear it, it makes no sense. After you hear it some more, it still makes no sense but you can see the reasoning behind it. The reasoning is still moronic and sad, but you can see it. This is a mix of a few things. Adults getting too involved in a children's game and the fact that America has been frightened to death to tell kids they can't do something or another child is better than them. This is the Blues Clues/ "You can do anything and everything you want to do!" generation. Parents are telling their little ones more than ever that you can succeed no mater what you try. I'm not saying that kids shouldn't dream, but people can not do anything and everything. It's better to be straight to kids and tell them what they can do and can't do so they can focus on that. Instead, kids think they can do anything and never face rejection. They grow up to become cocky or overly sensitive. Sounds like most of society really.

This is an extreme example; which is sad because it's real. I feel sorry for Jericho here because he's on the other side of the coin. He's told he can't play because he's too good. He makes the other player's PARENTS upset because they're seeing their kids failing and they don't like it. So, now you're not allowed to be good. You should be great and always give 110%, but you still must be like everyone else. Sticking out is no allowed or else you can't play.

"I feel sad," Jericho said. "I feel like it's all my fault nobody could play."

Not only that, but you're crushing the spirit of a great, young talent too. Jericho has nothing to feel bad about and I hope his team continues to boycott this horrible decision by a group of "adults" running the New Haven League. Jericho's mother Nichole Scott has been very noisy about this whole ordeal and I can't say I blame her. But what about the league's response? Behold:

"He is a very skilled player, a very hard thrower," League Attorney Peter Noble said. "There are a lot of beginners. This is not a high-powered league. This is a developmental league whose main purpose is to promote the sport."

How can you rightfully support the pure game of baseball when you punish a pitcher for excelling at something? "Well what if the other kids don't like it?", you might say. Then the parents have to sit them down and tell them that sometimes, some people are better than others and the best thing to do it to keep practicing and give it your all. But most won't do that because their kid is just as good as everyone else and he/she doesn't need any realism.

"Facing that kind of speed is frightening", Noble continued...

He says it like Jericho is a young Pedro Martinez, a hot-headed headhunter who just goes for the helmet. Yet Jericho has never hit anyone before and no one has ever complained about that. And while the league has said he can pitch at a high level once he reaches it or he can change positions, that doesn't undo anything.

Failure is a part of life. Everyone fails multiple times in their lives, even Jericho Scott has and will. And I'm not saying to always expect failure and not to try hard, but everyone is so afraid of rejection and failure that feelings matter the most now. What happened to when people realized that they fell down, faltered and then got back up, dusted themselves off, and tried again? And if that doesn't work, move on and try something different. But now, that's not possible. Because my kid can do anything and everything they want! So to avoid that, we punish the person who is "too good". What's going to happen to Jericho Scott now? Is he ever going to try as hard because when he does try hard he's an outcast. Or well he try to be like everyone else and push his immense talent down? I hope he doesn't. I hope he keeps going out there and keeps blowing away hitters with that 40 mph heater. God forbid, one person having more talent than another person.

No one has handled this right except for Jericho Scott. The league has embarrassed their standards, the coach of the team that walked off the field has the smell of a spineless individual, and Nichole Scott is out of control and calling in her lawyer. Jericho Scott is on the sidelines, watching it all unfold, confused as someone can be. He's the only civil person here. He was just having fun, playing baseball, and trying his hardest. Discouraging a young kid from chasing his dreams and having fun because he's making the other kids look bad with his talent is one of the worst things you can do to a heart and mind.

Jericho deserves a whole lot better. The people behind this train wreck need to grow up by letting Jericho be Jericho; 40 mph fastball and all.

The Oh So Pivotal Role Of The Closer

Coletrain — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 18:50:56 GMT

Francisco Rodriguez has 45 saves on August 8^th. If injuries and his team don't falter much, he's breaking the all-time saves record in a year when one of the greatest relief pitchers ever, Goose Gossage, went to the Hall Of Fame. The game has changed very much since back then. Closers only go 1 innings most of the time yet at the same time matter more than they ever used to. Because of the lack of dominant starting pitching and better offense, closing the door has become tougher and more rare to find than ever. Which is why K-Rod's rate right now is remarkable and the fact that if he continues this over some more years, he's obliterating the all-time saves record held by the overrated Trevor Hoffman (I'll explain later). And even though he's only pitching for 1 inning most of the time, he still does his job the way the Angels were hoping and then some.

After the season though, chances are it's goodbye K-Rod. After this monster year, he'll bolt to the free agent market and demand the biggest contract ever by a reliever. And he'll AT LEAST get that. The Angels won't re-sign him seeing as K-Rod has already declined their latest offer and the Angels appear to be grooming a replacement in Jose Arredondo (4-0, 1.03 ERA in 35 innings this year). You can take the big 3 payrolls out of it (Yankees, Red Sox, and Mets) seeing as either they already have a closer or wouldn't spend that money on a guy who may be overworked or have problems looming in his body already. His velocity has been a tad down this season and that incredibly violent, hurky-jerky motion he flings toward the batter's box has scared practically everyone since he was on the draft board. But he's also added a wicked change-up to his repertoire this year and is still very young. And if he gets another World Series ring? Forget it.

But what this does is it brings up an interesting subject: Do closers really mean that much and are they overrated? My answer is a simple, straightforward "No, the role of the closer is not overrated". Now, with that said if I was a team that could use a closer I still probably wouldn't get K-Rod. The reasons being that he will cost a ton of money and long term contracts with pitchers very rarely work out. Either they don't live up to expectations (A.J. Burnett) or they completely self-destruct in a array of homeruns and walks (Barry Zito). While none of those mentioned are relief pitchers, the risk is all the same. So I wouldn't do it unless you're a team that can afford him and can contend now (Dodgers, Cardinals- Dave Duncan would probably do an incredible job with K-Rod. Duncan is the biggest genius in baseball by far. That's another topic-, or maybe the Tigers). All 3 teams have had an incredible tough time closing out games.

With that said, closers are one of the most important aspects of any baseball team. It's not fair to compare them to a kicker in the NFL because quite frankly, the kicker has the easier job. It's another universe trying to go out on the mound in the 9^th inning and getting 3 hitters out when all the pressure is on you. While closers don't pitch as much as they used to before the complete game starter evaporated and offenses weren't juiced up, the fact still remains that closers are becoming equally important. Look at the WS champs of the last 10 years and the guys they had locking the door in the 9^th:

98', 99', and 00'- Yankees with Marino Rivera (117 saves, 2.20 ERA collectively during those 3 seasons)

01'- Diamondbacks with Byung-Hyun Kim (19 saves, 2.94 ERA)

02'- Angels with Troy Percival (40 saves, 1.92 ERA)

03'- Marlins with Brandon Looper (28 saves, 3.68 ERA)

04'- Red Sox with Keith Foulke (32 saves, 2.17 ERA)

05'- White Sox with Dustin Hermanson and in the playoffs Bobby Jenks (40 saves ,2.40 ERA collectively)

06'- Cardinals with Jason Isringhausen and Adam Wainwright in the playoffs (36 saves, 3.34 ERA collectively)

07'- Red Sox with Jonathan Papelbon (37 saves, 1.85 ERA)

08'- ???

There's always some exceptions to every rule and here it's no different (here it would be the Diamondbacks and Marlins, as both teams won more from great starting pitching and clutch hitting). And while both Bobby Jenks and Adam Wainwright were inexperienced and nothing special in the regular season, both were absolutely lights out in the postseason (2.25 ERA with 8 saves total as both won WS. Adam Wainwright didn‘t even have an ERA). The point is, you CAN NOT win in the long term consistently without not a good closer, but a GREAT closer. You just can't. If the Yankees never found Mo Rivera, they would have never won those 4 championships because there's no one like Rivera. Not only has he been able to keep his job forever, you have to remember he delivered in most big spots in his career under the constant pressure-cooker that is NY. Not many people have the arm and stomach to do that. You look at his postseason numbers and they are truly scary (34 saves, 0.77 ERA). He's an example of when you have a great closer, you can always win in big games. Now, once again there are exceptions. The reason why the closer position is still a near impossible shoe to fill is because many guys can close in the regular season but melt under the pressure of October baseball. I'll bring up two names for example: Armando Benitez and Trevor Hoffman. Both are somewhat different situations with the same results. Benitez was the kind of pitcher that always had tons of potential. At times, he was shutdown nasty (see his 1999 and 2000 years). But, while he racked up saves and strikeouts, he would always implode in the big spot. He just didn't have the nerves. He was always a tease and that hurt the Mets deeply when they lost in 5 to the Yankees in 2000. Hoffman is a different story. Trevor Hoffman holds the record for the most saves ever with 548 which is quite an accomplishment. Because of that and the fact he's been able to stay in the league for so long, he deserves to go to the Hall Of Fame. But Hoffman is an extremely overrated closer because in the big spot, he's not good. The 1998 series, the All-Star game a few years back, the one game playoff between his Padres and the Rockies last year, you can name multiple occasions where he's done terrible for a closer of his caliber. It shows that even when you get a closer who can rack up save after save in the off-season, you're still nowhere close to home.

That is why having a great closer means so much. When you have a great closer, the game shortens for you and not only does your team have supreme confidence that the game is over when he jogs toward the mound but also the sense of dread in the other team. The other team realizes that they have little chance so they start trying to hard which causes an easier time for the closer. The dominant closers today (Mo, Papelbon, Nathan, Jenks, and K-Rod) all have that shut-down aura around them. While a legendary closer certainly doesn't need that, it sure does help. If you have great stuff with iron flesh, that will come packed in. If I had to rank today's closers on tiers, I'd go as follows:

Top Tier= Marino Rivera, Jonathan Papelbon, Joe Nathan, Bobby Jenks, Francisco Rodriguez

Second Tier= Billy Wagner, Joakim Soria, Troy Percival, Francisco Cordero

Third Tier= Trevor Hoffman, Brad Lidge , B.J. Ryan, J.J. Putz, Kerry Wood, Takashi Saito

Forth Tier= Brian Wilson, Salomon Torres, Matt Capps, Huston Street, Brain Fuentes

Bottom Tier= C.J. Wilson, Kevin Gregg, Eric Gagne, Todd Jones, Brandon Lyon, George Sherrill

I judged everyone on their careers, this season, and their playoff experience if they have any. Take a look at the top tier. The teams that are represented there are the Yankees, Red Sox, Twins, White Sox, and Angels ( just realized they're all in the AL...wow). All those teams are over .500, two division leaders, one wild card leader, and they all share a combined record of 326-245 this year. While that isn't all the closers credit, they play a gigantic part.

The closer has become just as important as the front-line starter and the impact hitter. All 3 are vital parts to a team and need to be had 99.9% of the time to win big year after year. The only way to close the door in a season the right way is to win a championship. And a great closer does that better than anyone.

Another Mariner To The Yanks?

Coletrain — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:15:13 GMT

Another Mariner could be joining Richie Sexson with The Pinstripers. The New York Yankees have been in heavy talks with the Seattle Mariners about the 33 year old ( turns 34 on August 14^th) lefty Jarrod Washburn. Washburn is currently 4-9 with a 4.75 ERA and 65 strikeouts with 32 walks in 110 innings. In his career he's 97-95 with a respectable 4.12 ERA. He's signed through 2009; he'll get $9.85 million this season and $10.35 million next season. So trading for him would also give him a spot in next year's rotation most likely; if he doesn't block a trade (he has a limited no trade clause that includes the Yankees). Nevertheless, I think this could be a good deal.

The Bronx Bombers currently have Sidney Ponson (6-1, 4.02 ERA) and Darrell Rasner (5-7, 4.83 ERA) in the back end of the rotation. While they have both won lately and had their moments, I doubt they will make the playoffs with that combo in the tail end. Ponson does a Houdini act every inning; always being on cusp of implosion and getting out of it. But against good teams (Boston, Tampa Bay, Angels), he'll get killed. And while Rasner has shown he can be effective in the majors, when he doesn't have his pin-point control he gets knocked around because he has nothing to fall back on. These guys are dangerous pitchers to stick out there in a big spot. So there's no debating that the Yanks could use a pitcher (among other things). But there's still the question of is Washburn worth it?

Well, I'll admit that the contract bothers me. It would've been perfect if it was a 1 year deal and then we could just go our separate ways after the season, but it's never that easy. With that said, the Mariners aren't looking for much. The main reason the M's would trade Jarrod is for a salary dump and some sort of pitching prospect. Kei Igawa (9-5, 3.80 ERA in minors) has been mentioned recently and it's that's true, sign me up right now. Igawa has been an utter disaster ever since he signed the dotted line to come to New York. Maybe a change of scenery would wake him up like it did to Kaz Matsui (who if you remember was hyped like crazy when the Mets got him, he was a bust with them, got traded to the Rockies for Eli Marrero, and ever since has been a solid little player). The Mariners might want the Yanks to also take Jose Vidro ( .223, 5 homers , 41 RBIs ) off their hands. I wouldn't be crazy about that seeing as he'd cost more money, has been struggling this year, and isn't an outfielder.

Now with actual Washburn. I know he isn't a top notch pitcher, but who is on the market anymore? Washburn brings some nice looking things to the table. For one, he's an experienced lefty that's always been in the American League. He's a dependable starter who works his innings. And while his stats aren't that pretty this year, take into account a couple things. He's pitching for a terrible Seattle team with no pulse right now and with a better offense backing him up the wins should increase. Another encouraging sign is Washburn has done pretty really good since May 25^th; posting an ERA of 3.03 in 62.3 innings. In 2 starts against the Yankees in the ALDS in 2002, he went 1-0 with a 3.75 ERA when he was an Angel. To top it off, in Yankee Stadium he's 1-4 with a 2.82 career ERA in six starts. Ignore the losing record because wins-loses don't say much here. Overall, his lifetime ERA against the Yankees is 2.56. His performance against the AL East isn't great:

Against Boston, Baltimore, Tampa Bay, and Toronto: 23-19, 4.07 ERA,

But once again, in a big game I'd rather have him on the mound than Ponson and Rasner. It's always good to have lefties against the Red Sox and Rays and Washburn has a WS ring (that 2002 Angel team). And while he isn't the best pitcher available I'd rather trade for him than some of the other guys:

A.J. Burnett (10-9, 4.84 ERA) - He's injured too much and sometimes doesn't try his hardest. But the worst thing about him is the contract. It's a lose-lose situation for any team that trades for him besides of the fact that you just gave up some good prospects. If Burnett helps a team make the playoffs and does great, he'll opt out and go demand a colossal deal. If he gets injured or under performs, he'll just stay with your team and collect his money so now you're basically stuck with him. No thank you.

Bronson Arroyo ( 8-7, 5.61 ERA)- Simple here: He's been bad this year. Regardless of pitching in a great hitters park, he just doesn't have it right now. I know he has experience pitching in big games and knows how to pitch in the AL East, but he'd cost more and the way he's going right now I'm not sure a move to the AL would help him.

Paul Byrd (4-10, 5.28)- No way I would even come close to Byrd. Ever since getting busting for steroid possession before Game 7 of the ALCS against the Red Sox, he (and the whole Indians team really) has not been the same. He has a .300 BAA this season and has allowed the most homers of any pitcher in baseball.

To be honest, I'd really want Derek Lowe. He's doing good enough this year (7-8, 3.97 ERA), is a free agent after 2008, knows the Red Sox and the AL East, and has a ton of big game experience (clinched the DS, CS, and WS rounds for the Sox in 2004). But the Dodgers are 1 game behind in the pitiful NL West right now and would truly be brainless to trade him now. I do think the Yanks should sign him when he becomes a free agent if they still need a pitcher.

So, barring this trade, the Yanks' rotation would be as follows:

1. Andy Pettitte (11-7, 3.86 ERA)
2. Mike Mussina (12-6, 3.49 ERA)
3. Joba Chamberlain (2-3, 2.52 ERA)
4. Jarrod Washburn (4-9, 4.75 ERA)
5. Sidney Ponson (6-1, 4.02 ERA)/Darrell Rasner (5-7, 4.83 ERA)

While it's not great, it's by no means terrible. Pettitte is usually great in the 2^nd half, Mussina has somewhat reinvented himself this season, Joba still hasn't reached his full potential, Washburn adds depth and experience in the back end, and when Phillip Hughes comes back he can take over the 5^th spot. The Yankees still could use a lefty reliever (Damaso Marte? Brain Fuentes?) and a right-handed corner outfielder (Jason Bay? Xavier Nady?)

But right now, this is the most realistic move for the Yanks where they don't give up much, improve the rotation immediately, and with an arm that's more worth it than most out there. When you first hear this rumor, it sounds like a waste of time. But when you delve deeper, it's one of the best alternatives out there.

10 Moves

Coletrain — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:50:48 GMT

As the trade deadline approaches, every contending team needs something. Even the best teams in baseball have glaring needs to fill. Even the clubs that just improved greatly still need some quick fixes. The beauty of deadline deals are that the little moves are always the ones that matter the most. That little bench guy who comes up with a big hit, that defensive sub that saves a game, and that no-name reliever that works out of a bases loaded/no out jam in Game 7. July 31^st is the day when every club labels themselves, takes a risk, and either pushes the button or lets his team be for the stretch run. These are the top 10 moves that would make sense and help a team trying to claw their way to October glory.

10. Brewers Trade For Chad Bradford- The magic that the Orioles had for the first half of the season appears to have faded away. Which means that they should start unloading the veteran pieces now before they completely fall apart. The bullpen has a couple of seasoned guys that many teams would enjoy having. Danys Baez, Jamie Walker, and George Sherrill being among them. But the most attractive to teams would be Chad Bradford. Danys Baez has never been able to put it together in his career, Jamie Walker has been overworked the past few years, and George Sherrill has fallen back to earth hard since his surprising start (6 blown saves this year). The Brewers still need a bullpen arm or 2 in the worst possible way. Salomon Torres has been a pleasant discovery as closer thus far (2.83 ERA, 15 Saves) but other than that the bullpen has been one step away from a mess. Eric Gagne is terrible, Guillermo Mota would be a good pitcher if steroids were still legal, and David Riske hasn't done much. Bradford would give the bullpen a killer lefty/righty pitching combo between Brain Shouse (who's been fantastic) and obviously Bradford. He also has the experience and stuff to set up and spot close.

9. Red Sox Trade For Yorvit Torrealba- Jason Varitek and Kevin Cash, the two Red Sox catchers, are batting a combined .231 with 9 homeruns and 39 RBIs. While it's not a huge deal, the catching position has become almost an automatic out in the batting line-up. I know Kevin Cash is a far better hitter than Doug Mirabelli was but that isn't saying much at all. And Varitek, lets face it, can't hit anymore. He either gets behind or underneath everything, causing weak ground balls and lazy pop ups. The Rockies have been wanting to trade Yorvit and dump his contract. Yorvit hasn't been an All-Star this year by any means (.251, 4 homeruns, 23 RBIs) but he'd increase the production at C and create more flexibility. I know Yorvit is signed through 2009 for $3.5 million and that would create more traffic at the backstop position. But the Red Sox have to start looking for new catches, because Varitek shouldn't be here much longer. He's mighty close to the finish line.

8. Diamondbacks Sign Kenny Lofton- The Diamondbacks have a team batting AVG of .246. They need an adrenaline shot of either speed or power. Barry Bonds has been thrown around in the media but I doubt the D-Backs would get him because that would make no sense whatsoever. He's a DH now for one thing and I wouldn't want him around my young team. I'm not saying he'd permanently alter their sense of baseball, but he's not exactly the best "wise vet" to have around. I'd just sign Kenny Lofton, who still has the speed and spunk to make a difference in a line-up. The reason why he hasn't been signed yet is because he's been asking for a little too much (around $6 million, which is a tad much) but Arizona knows they need a jolt of something badly. He'll add an experienced view to the team who can be somewhat of the table setter for this young group. There's no question that they need an outfielder now that Eric Byrnes could be out for the whole year. He's usually the one that provides the spark for this team on the field. He isn't as fun as Eric and doesn't have as much pop, but he'll do.

7. Dodgers Trade For David Eckstein- Speaking of speed and spunk, meet Mr. Eckstein. The Dodgers need a lot of things (they're 2 games under .500...yet 1 game behind in the division. That NL West is dynamite) but they need some consistency on the hitting side of the game. The Dodgers are just a weird mix of guys. They have some promising young faces (Matt Kemp, Russell Martin), hard throwers (Brad Penny, Jonathan Broxton) and old players past their prime (Andruw Jones, Jeff Kent). Yet once again they're right in this race. One random hot streak could easily put them over the top for the whole year. One thing they need is a shortstop. Nomar Garciaparra is in the twilight of his bizarre career and does anyone how Angel Berroa is still in the majors? David Eckstein is a consistent, pesky little player who is a pain to opposing pitchers and rarely strikes out. He's a proven winner (2 WS rings; with Angels and Cardinals) and you know Joe Torre would love him. As for the Blue Jays, they never needed Eckstein in the first place.

6. Yankees Trade For Damaso Marte- The Yankees have been drooling over this guy ever since they trading him to the Pirates when he was in Double A for Enrique Wilson. While Enrique Wilson was a solid little bench guy with the Yankees (and one of the few players on the team to absolutely kill Pedro Martinez when he was a Red Sox) the Yankees have really wanted Marte back for quite some time now. Lefties have a career BA of .197 against him. The only lefty the Yanks have had this season is Billy Traber and lefties are raking him at a .360 clip. The Yankees haven't had a great lefty specialist since Mike Stanton. Not only that but Marte can also set up if asked. Getting Marte solves the major problem in what has been a surprisingly effect bullpen. Other lefties may be out there for cheaper prices, but the Yankees need someone nasty. He'll give Ortiz a much tougher at-bat than Mike Myers, I know that.

5. Cubs Sign Freddy Garcia- Chicago should already be the favorite to win the NL Pennant, but they still could use 1 more hurler to fall back on. Garcia is said to be near 100% healthy and it wouldn't cost the Cubs anything but a few cool million. Garcia was a complete bust last year with the Phillies; posting a 5.90 ERA and then getting sidelined. But this is a guy who's pitched in the AL for most of his career and has a career ERA of 4.07. He's a very respectable pitcher who'll give you innings and would surly work in the back of the rotation. By signing Garcia the Cubs, if they wanted to go this route, could quickly trade Jason Marquis (6-5, 4.44) to dump his contract somewhere on a team that needs pitching. Signing Garcia creates more flexibility for a club that's trying desperately to win now.

4. Rays Trade For Huston Street and Matt Murton- Here's a crazy one that would blow the doors off the hinges. The Rays are obviously trying to win now and have been named as the front-runner for Brian Fuentes. But this move would not only improve both offense (which has been hard to come by for the Rays recently) and pitching, but you'll get 2 young guys who also could be the future. The Rays have the prospects to get this done (David Price wouldn't be one of them) and the A's have shown they will ship big players for the right price. The Rays need a real closer when Percival is out or just in case he losses his magic down the stretch. Street is having an off year (4.07, 17 saves, 4 blown saves) but he's been a border-line great closer when healthy thus far in his career. The Rays need to get hitting and Murton fit's the bill well. A right-handed power hitting outfielder who's still fresh.

3. Phillies Trade For Erik Bedard- Bedard is currently on the DL, is a soft pitcher, and has never thrown a full season. Yet at the same time he strikes out a ton, when healthy can be dominant, and won't cost as much as what the Mariners gave up for him. It would be wise for the M's to trade him since the franchise has to start rebuilding and dumping the abysmal starting rotation needs to happen soon; even if they won't get much for past-their-primers like Miguel Batista and Jarrod Washburn. And don't even get me started on Carlos Silva; who they're basically stuck with. Anyway, the Phillies need starting pitching badly. They can hit, but as we've seen the past couple weeks that when the batting line-up goes cold, they have very little pitching to fall back on. Bedard has been better than 3 Phillies starters (the ancient Jamie Moyer, the up and down Kyle Kendrick, and everyone's favorite: Adam Eaton). A 1-2 punch of Hamels (9-6, 3.15) and Bedard (6-4, 3.67) looks very good on paper in a mediocre division.

2. Cardinals Trade For A.J. Burnett- The Brewers landed C.C. Sabathia. The Cubs hooked Rich Harden. While A.J. isn't a shark like the first two, he's still a big fish. Burnett, after getting off to a horrible start, has improved greatly this season. The Cardinals somehow have the 2^nd best record in the NL with a patchwork rotation including Kyle Lohse ( 11-2, 3.39- That's right. Kyle Lohse has 11 wins. I swear Dave Duncan has to be a wizard or something), Brandon Looper (9-7, 4.25), Todd Wellemeyer ( 7-4, 4.04), and Joel Pineiro (3-4, 4.52). Once again, Dave Duncan is a mad man when it comes to fixing pitchers who couldn't succeed anywhere as good or good at all. Burnett will improve upon having Duncan as a pitching coach. He's 100% healthy this season and he'll give 100% effort because of his contract situation. The Cards can actually make the playoffs and they should go for it. As for the Blue Jays, they're morons if they don't trade A.J. now.

1. Mets Trade For Jason Bay and Sign Richie Sexson- The Mets are white hot right now. They've won 9 straight, the pitching has been completely unbreakable, and the clutch hits keep on coming. This was the way this team was expected to play throughout the year. Even though they got a break now, to keep this hot streak rolling would be to get 2 hitters who add a different dimension to your offense. First, Jason Bay.

Jason Bay- The Pirates would like to trade him for the right price. Bay seems like a Met to me and would fit perfectly in LF. For once thing, Moises Alou is done for the season and probably his career and Ryan Church may be a ways to coming back after two concussions. The Mets still have a gapping hole at the corner OF spots (Mets OF besides of Beltran and the injured Alou and Church are batting .230 combined with 8 homeruns and 42 RBIs) . Bay fills up that whole for the next few seasons and supplies power and good D. He's 30 years old and still in his peak years. There are cheaper options out there, particularly Juan Rivera, but he's not a difference-maker. A line-up with an inconsistent Reyes, an old Delgado, and sometimes the all-or-nothing nature of Beltran needs a consistent force with David Wright. Bay gives that to them.

Richie Sexson- I know Sexson is a .230 hitter at the most right now. I know he strikes out a ton and the Mets already have a 1^st basemen. But Richie gives the Mets for flexibility. Carlos Delgado has started to heat up very slowly, getting his AVG up to .248. But Richie gives this team more for bit spots. He hits lefties well so in a big game against a Cole Hamels or C.C. Sabathia, you stick him in the line-up. Another thing is he plays way better defense than Delgado can ever dream. Sometimes it seems like Delgado is a manikin out there; just doesn't want to get his uniform dirty. Sexson is very tall and has great range out in the field. In the late innings of a big game, stick him in there.

Well, that's all. I'll put the over/under of any of these actually happening at 3. I'll say under. Goodbye.

Rich Harden To Cubs

Coletrain — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:53:21 GMT

Rich Harden has just been traded to the Cubs along with Chad Gaudin (5-3, 3.59 ERA). Well, it didn't take long for the Cubs to answer back about the C.C. Sabathia deal. Reportedly, they gave up Sean Gallagher (3-4, 4.45 ERA), Matt Mutron (.250 BA between Triple A and the majors), Josh Donaldson, and another prospect.

Is this a good move? Well, we will have a better view as the season goes on. But for the Cubs, this is a risky move that can turn out genius or be a bust. Harden is a beast when pitching and should only improve in the NL. But he's had trouble staying heathly which has always been his main issue. With that said, the Cubs need another starting pitcher in the worst way. And after the Brew Crew got C.C., that only raised the need for an impact arm. The Brewers got there ace and the Cubs got there own. Chad Gaudin is also a nice little pick-up as he adds more depth in the pitching department. The Cubs rotation as follows:

1. Carlos Zambrano (9-2, 2.96 ERA)

2. Rich Harden (5-1, 2.34 ERA)

3. Ryan Dempster (9-3, 3.24 ERA)

4. Ted Lilly (9-5, 4.47 ERA)

5. Jason Marquis (6-5, 4.78 ERA) or Sean Marshall (1-2, 4.10 ERA)

For the A's, this is surprising. I thought Billy Beane would take as much time as possible and wait till the best offer came around July 31st. But this tells me either Beane wasn't confident that Harden could stay heathly for much longer for some reason or he got some GREAT prospects from the Cubs. The Cubs have liked Gallagher and Murton for a long time now and both have talent. I know the A's got a major league ready hitter and pitcher and a high catching prospect.

I think this is a good deal. This is just as big of a deal as the Brewers getting C.C. Sabathia. In the course of several days, we've seen 2 shut down aces get moved from the AL to the NL. And the NL Central race just got a lot more interesting...

Who wants to bet the Cardinals get A.J. Burnett tomorrow?

One Last Firework In Milwaukee

Coletrain — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 01:55:27 GMT

The Brewers laid the ground work for the biggest deal this off season, regardless of what happens come July 31^st. While it isn't carved in stone yet, the Brew Crew and Indians have laid down the basics for a potentially colossal trade. The Brewers get C.C. Sabathia and the Indians get Matt LaPorta (23 years old) and a couple of other prospects. What does this mean? Well, it means a lot of things.

First, the actual move, it looks like a great move for both teams right now. A lot of teams were interested in C.C. The Red Sox, D-Backs, Dodgers, Phillies, Rays, and most importantly the Cubs. If the Cubs got their hands on C.C., you could pretty much close the book on the NL Central. But instead of a Zambrano/Sabathia duo in the division, now there's a Sheets/Sabathia killer combo instead. This is a huge deal for the Brewers who are trying to win right now. They're already ranked 6^th in the NL with a 4.08 ERA and this will do nothing but help. Both Sheets and C.C. could be gone next year to bigger and better deals if/when they bolt for free agency. It's a good chance that the Brewers gave up their biggest prospect and then some more for a rental. But this is some damn rental. The Brewers have not had pitchers of Sabathia's caliber very often so this is special. With this pending move, you can pencil the starting rotation as follows:

1. Ben Sheets (10-2, 2.77 ERA)
2. C.C. Sabathia (6-8, 3.83 ERA)
3. Jeff Suppan (5-6, 4.30 ERA)
4. Dave Bush (4-8, 4.74 ERA)
5. Manny Parra (8-2, 3.69 ERA)

The Brewers now have 2 dominant aces at the top (both a right and a left arm) and a somewhat shaky but experienced bottom of the order (except for Parra, who's been a pleasant surprise this season). While Milwaukee's biggest issue has been the bullpen, adding an ace of Sabathia's class will eat up a ton more innings and lessen the workload of the pen. Don't let Sabathia's stats fool you; he'll make a big difference with his new team. After getting off to an absolutely dreadful start, he has been virtually unbeatable recently and moving to the National League should only help him. It also didn't help his record that the Indians have been shockingly horrible this year. With Sheets throwing some of the best ball of his career ( I know he gets injured too much but in his contract year he'll try his best to stay healthy) , Parra catching on in the back of the rotation, Suppan supplying the much needed playoff experience, and David Bush slowly improving, I can see this team going deep into October. With that said, this move doesn't punch their ticket just yet. The bullpen is still a huge issue, but this helps lessen the blow. Now, if the Brewers can somehow go out and get Brain Fuentes, then we'll be talking. This also hurts the Cubs very much. They could use a dependable arm in the middle of the rotation and no one else available comes remotely close to the workhorse that is Sabathia. But, out of all the reasons why this helps the Brewers, the #1 reason is still this: What they gave up. Now obviously, we don't know who else along with Matt LaPorta is in the deal, but we do know that none of the other huge prospects Milwaukee had (Alcides Escobar or Mat Gamel) were included. They big piece they did give up in LaPorta was expandable for this team. He's a great hitting outfielder and the last thing the Brewers need right now is hitting. They're trying to win now and this move reflects that loud and clear.

For the Indians, this was a good move. They're traded C.C. to a different league so they won't have to face him or give him to a rival, they traded him while his stock was at the highest (it was clear once C.C. rejected the $72 million deal during the off season from The Tribe, he would be traded. Just had to pick the right time), and most of all they got what they need. The Indians offense right now is a wasteland and they need a corner power guy in the worst way possible. Matt (who was the top rated prospect overall in the Brewers organization and a converted first basemen turned outfielder) was in Double A this year and was raking the ball, hitting .288 with 20 homeruns and 66 RBIs in 84 games. There is very little doubt that Matt will shoot through the Cleveland farm system and be the starting in the field soon. This has been a lost year for the Indians organization and this move needed to be done. They weren't going to re-sign C.C. Out of all the teams, the Brewers gave up what the Indians needed most and they did it nice and quick.

Sabathia's first start should be against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday, which would be a good taste of what's to come for C.C. since the Rockies can pound the ball over the yard just like the Brew Crew. But either way, this was a very good deal for both teams that will improve each in the short or long term. I'll say it now: Brewers take the Wild Card. With this 1-2 punch and that explosive offense, they'll outlast the Cardinals and any other 2^nd place team. Hell, I can even see them winning the division. Although they must prove to me that they can play fundamentally sound baseball after the All Star Break. As for the Indians, maybe next year.

You Don't Mess With The Chacon

Coletrain — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:40:19 GMT

Shawn Chacon was in the clubhouse before the Astros' game against the interstate rival Texas Rangers. The battle of the Silver Boot Award would wage on soon yet again. Chacon sat down and started to eat when Astros G.M. Ed Wade walked up to him:

Wade: You need to come with me to the office.

Chacon: For what? I don't wanna go to your office with you and Cooper. You can tell me whatever you got to tell me right here.

Wade: (his voice raising) Oh, you want me to tell you right here?

Chacon: Yeah. I'm not yelling. I'm calm.

Wade: (yelling expletives) %$^&%^$*& &***%@##$ %$&$@#%$#^^ %&%$%^%^** *%##@@# $%%^$^

Chacon: Ed, you need to stop yelling at me. (Chacon stands up) Ed, you better stop yelling at me.

Wade: **&%$%^&% ***&#@$@4*&& Look in the mirror %^&*##$@%*&%$# *&*******

(Chacon grabs Wade by the neck and throws him down on the ground. Chacon than jumps on Wade.)

The event that took place inside the confines of the Astros' clubhouse feels like it's taken from a playbill of some new wacky production on Broadway. And this continues the trend of events in baseball this season. As I said in my last blog, baseball has been turned upside down lately with an overload of new problems and new conflicts that are too ridiculous to make up. Even with a baseball player and a G.M. having a war of words over two counties, even with umpires getting more highlights on Sportscenter than the Washington Nationals, this might be the one that tops them all. A disgruntled journeyman relief pitcher choking his boss. Many things led to this. Chacon was picked up by the Astros during the off-season to bolster the think starting rotation that has contributed to the Astros falling out of the playoff contention. Chacon, like most of the rotation, started out good but has fallen on some hard times recently. He lost 3 out of his last 4 games as a starter while giving up 18 runs in 17.1 innings (9.35 ERA). Overall, he's 2-3 with a 5.04 ERA this season. Walks have hurt him a lot as he's walked 41 while striking out 53.

Upon his recent struggles, the Astros decided to move Shawn to the bullpen. Shawn did not like that move at all. Chacon is obviously not shy about voicing his feelings:

"I think it's ****. That's pretty much how I feel about it. Sums it up."

Now Chacon, I understand why you can be frustrated. You got signed to be a starter and that's what you've always wanted to be. And you're probably still a little bitter over your poor performance that led to you getting moved. But Shawn, the fact is you weren't pitching good and this team needs some good pitching in the worst way to try and stay in contention. The Astros have realized that the offense won't carry them and the pitching depth is far too shallow on this team. On the other side of the coin, maybe Chacon thinks he's just going through a cold stretch. He started off solid this year and has had his moments when he's looked like a solid #3/#4 starter. Him and Aaron Small basically single-handedly carried the Yanks to the AL East pennant in 2005. But ever since than he hasn't been too good. So Chacon is angry about moving to the bullpen. Alright, not something you want but not a huge deal.

Then the news came out that Chacon asked for a trade and Houston reacted by suspending him. Seems like an odd, stupid knee-jerk reaction. If he asks for a trade, just ship him off or cut him. This is only Shawn Chacon, not Lance Berkman. Turns out that wasn't the reason for suspending him. It turns out the act of violence against general manager Ed Wade was the reason. Well, that makes more sense. Now Chacon will obviously not be an Astro for much longer. If his bags aren't packed yet, I'm not sure what he's waiting for. Some large problems now arise:

Chacon's trade value has taking a severe plummeting because of this. I'm sure someone will give him a shot, but not for much at all after this. Maybe some new maple bats since everyone could use more of those lately (I‘d love to see the figure of how many bats have broken this season). Add the fact he wasn't pitching good before this incident. With that said, he's still young and has once again shown flashes. One team that comes to mind right away: the White Sox. He'd fit well believe it or not. I think Ozzie would like him, he could help out in the rotation or bullpen, and it wouldn't cost much money. I think the Astros will just end up releasing him because no one is giving up any of their players for him right now.

Another thing is the Astros clubhouse and now the reputation of Ed Wade. I know who loved this: Philly fans. I bet most of them wanted to deck Wade in the face. I'll laugh non-stop if Philly picks Chacon up because they'll love him over there. While Ed Wade did draft and sign some good pieces when he was the Phillies' G.M., he made some truly brainless decisions (trading Curt Schilling to the D-Backs for Omar Daal, Travis Lee, and Vicente Padilla greatly hurt the franchise). And now Ed Wade is the manager of the Astros who've been falling apart lately. Not only does this dispute hurt matters more for the team and Chacon acted horribly, but Ed Wade in this conflict comes across as a horrible, immature boss. And the Astros as a team will now have to field questions about all this the next week or so. Not fun.

All in all, this is another crazy happening that's taken place around baseball lately. If the Cubs win the World Series, this would probably the weirdest year in baseball history. I know I keep going back to the Cubs, but it's so damn odd. The Cubs franchise has been known for collapses, choke jobs, bizarre heartbreak, and turmoil. Yet for the first time in about 100 years, they're the ones having the most fun this year. Given their history, you'd expect this kind of stuff to happen to them.

The Nexus Of The Dark Side Of Baseball

Coletrain — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:31:43 GMT

Is it just me or are most teams hitting crazy roadblocks every night? Granted, that's the daily grind of baseball. But this season a ton of terribly bizarre things have taken place that you can't make up. Everything from G.M.'s bashing left-fielders to umps bumping managers instead of the other way around. And the lack of a truly dominant force in the league has certainly left everything even more wide open. The teams that are doing great all have their set-backs either now or when looking back in the history books. The Cubs will need extremely thick skin to keep up this season. The pressure will mount as October comes (the 100 year old monkey on their back will keep coming up) and they must learn to win consistently on the road. Even though they're with mostly everyone on the boat; most teams have fallen under the illness of losing a lot away from their home crowd. The Red Sox just lost 2 out of 3 at home to the those out of nowhere Cardinals. Speaking of the Cardinals, how the hell are they 12 games over .500? They've lost their best hitter, basically the whole starting rotation, and their closer has been a bomb. Give credit to Duncan and La Russa who have somehow taken this weird mix of no-names and has-beens and make them a winning, pesky ball club.

But how long will that last? Surly their good fortunes will have to end right? The same goes for the Rays. How long can Gabe Gross hit walk-off doubles every night? How long can Troy Percival close out games when he's walking the bases loaded? How long can the A's win before Billy Beane breaks the "SELL" button and they start dropping their best players like they're going bankrupt? Can the Yankees please get a hot stretch going without getting a beat down at the hands of the Pirates? And the Angels might want to rest K-Rod's arm a little. The man has over 30 saves before the halfway point. Come playoffs, his arm wouldn't even be an arm. It will be a lifeless noodle of flesh and blood vessels if they keep putting him in every game. Those are enough issues and concerns for the good teams. Then, there's everyone else.

Everyone following baseball has heard by now the on-going war of words between Blue Jays G.M. J.P. Ricciardi and Reds' LFer Adam Dunn. Ricciardi calling Dunn a player who doesn't care about the game and who isn't good and all that jazz. Dunn retaliates by calling Mr. Ricciardi a clown. Ricciardi first started this on his radio show up in Toronto. I find it incredibly weird that the general manager of a professional baseball team has a radio show, but nevertheless. He was partly right about Dunn, but it was still completely unnecessary to say. It's not surprising he'd be a bit hostile though; as his team has been pretty lifeless and mighty disappointing this season. But at least the Jays got a pick-me-up yesterday against Dunn‘s team, thanks to the historically horrid performance of Bronson Arroyo (10 runs, 11 hits in 1 inning...yesh). So after the laugher, there was only one other thing to talk about besides Arroyo having a breakdown on the mound. And that one other thing was the Dunn/J.P. saga (the movie is already in the works. Dunn will be played by Vincent D' Onofiro and J.P. will be portrayed by John Turturro). Ricciardi said earlier that he apologized to Dunn over the phone. When an interviewer asked Dunn if that was true, Mr. Dunn went off:

"Not true, one million per cent. I'm so sick and tired of this, foremost, but the real truth is, no, I have not talked to him." Again, I'm not going to go out of my way to get an apology from a guy I don't even know. No, it didn't happen and I hope this is the last time I have to talk about it. I'm sick and tired of it."

J.P. than explained it must have been some kind of prank or something. It's either that, Dunn is lying, or maybe Ricciardi forgot to take his medicine and never called anyone in the first place. Even so, it's very funny because of how all of this has no connection to anything. Dunn and Ricciardi have never meant and according to Dunn, have never even talked. One guy is a player from Cincinnati and other is the general manager of a big baseball organization in Canada. Sounds like the perfect dysfunctional/ odd-couple story Hollywood would eat up.

For the randomness of all that, at least it's not as sad and ugly as the New York Metropolitans. I know I've been beating up the Mets a lot, but it's unavoidable. The 11-0 loss to the lowly Seattle Mariners sparked a new chapter in the "How Bad Can This Get?" book. This would make a great horror movie. The loss is horrible in itself. Getting blown out 11-0 to the worst team in baseball at home with the worst offense in baseball is sad enough. Getting shut-down by a 33 year old journeyman knuckleball in R.A. Dickey who doesn't even have a ligament in his arm is even worse. But the reason I mention it was for the bizarre ejection of Carlos Beltran and Jerry Manuel in the 4^th inning. For one thing, Brain Runge acted like a complete buffoon trying to perform some kind of horrible comedy act. Cleaning off home plate when it was already good, bumping into Manuel, and then fanning the fire by knocking Beltran out. He must act more civil next time and remember no one is at the ballpark to see him. At the same time, I've had enough of Beltran. Saying after the game how great Manuel was and how he's sticking up for the team. First thing Beltran, you really shouldn't have been mouthing off in the first place. You're one of the key clogs in this underachieving team. And let's not praise Manuel just yet after getting embarrassed by the Mariners, Win some games first.

Right now, I'm not even going to say this team is underachieving. I'll go one step further and say this team just isn't good. Delgado just takes up space, they are getting next to nothing from their corner outfield spots, Oliver Perez is either pretty good or notorious, the middle relief is a wasteland, and the clubhouse has no chemistry or no leader. Johan Santana bashed David Wright after giving up an opposite field grand slam to the pitcher (Felix Hernandez on Monday night) who had a whopping total of 8 at-bats before that. I know David made a bad play before that that extended the inning, but if you, Johan Santana (the guy who's been the best player in baseball the past few years and was given a monster contract this year) can't get an American League pitcher out in the 2^nd inning, you're the one to blame. No excuse.

Another pitcher who has imploded too much lately: Chad Qualls. He's was a dependable late inning guy when he was with Houston and when he got traded to the D-Backs in the Valvarde deal, it seemed like a solid pick-up. While his stats don't show it that much, he's been pounded like a piñata far too much this year and last night's game against the Red Sox was the latest example. He's blown a ton of good performances and solid games from the Arizona starters thus far this season and it magnifies the biggest problem for the D-Backs. They began as the best team in baseball but since have fallen hard. If it wasn't for the dreadful NL West, they wouldn't be a first place team anymore. And a big reason why has been the bullpen. While Valvarde has always been erratic and has had his ugly moments this year, they could use him now in the worst way. At least Qualls isn't giving up grand slams to pitchers. Ok, enough Mets bashing.

Here's one good thing about the Mets: The rest of the NL East has seemed to take a vacation from playing good baseball. Case in point are the Phillies. After beating Boston in the first game of their series against the Sox in Philly, Cole Hamels proclaimed this beautiful nugget:

"I believe we're destined to play each other in the World Series. We can compete with them any day of the week."

There's nothing wrong with being confident. Hell, a little bit of cockiness never hurt. Just back it up. That's what this team did last year when they promised a division title and they delivered. For this one, we won't know if it comes true until October. But the next few days didn't make the statement look that smart. The Phillies lost the next 2 match-ups against the Sox and then got swept by the Angels. Entering tonight's game, they've dropped 6 in a row. Either Hamels was dead wrong or it was just sad timing. Either way, it's looking stupid now. What's not stupid is the Phillies no doubt need some fixes. They could use another pitcher (Sabathia, Bedard, Burnett, etc.) in a large way. Adam Eaton isn't getting the job done for the whole year; not that he's gotten anything done already. Because if the Mets heat up and the Phillies continue this downward spiral, then Beltran will be the one laughing. And I'll finally give him some credit.

To close out this rambling read, what's the deal with the umpires this year? Besides of the crazy situation mentioned above, the tale of the umpires (another future movie. From the creators of "J.P. Vs. Dunn" and "Greet The Mess") has been a strange one. Bad HR calls every night it seems, umpires getting hit in the face by fastballs, umps getting asked questions about the K-K-K, and now the maple bat incident. The maple bats issue has been a growing concern for baseball and the injury to Brain O' Nora has intensified matters. Bats have been breaking a ridiculous amount this season and it's a real safety hazard for the players, umps, coaches, and fans. It should be as big of an issue as the replay dilemma. Both are heavy dilemmas right now.

This season, there's crazy dilemmas this year with every team. More so than usual. Like roadblocks popping out of nowhere. Hamels thinks he can overcome them, J.P. blames Dunn and Dunn has no idea what the hell is going on, Qualls is a roadblock, and Brain Runge was the one building the roadblock in his case. Or maybe he's trying to distract everyone from the missed calls by his peers. Or maybe he's just a little ticked at those damn maple bats. Or just maybe there's no explanation. The Cubs, for the first time in a century, have the best record in baseball this deep into the schedule. Anything can happen from here on out. All bets are off.

Here's A Good Laugh

Coletrain — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 23:07:20 GMT

The Yankees have signed Sidney Ponson to a minor league contract today. Again.

Good one, Yankees. A+. I know Hank had something to do with this.

How To Pull Off An Epic Screw Up: The Mets Way!

Coletrain — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 20:50:11 GMT

There has already been a ton of blogs, articles, and statements made in relation to the Mets firing Willie. The funny thing is that most people are talking about the WAY they fired him, not just the fact that they fired him. And for good reason; as today the Mets reached a whole new level in absurdity and bizarreness. The New York Met front office, Jeff Wilpon and Omar Minaya and everyone else you want to throw in, have done just about as bad of a job you can possibly do in handling a situation like this. It's not like the Mets were handling it right anyway; the past 2 weeks they've seemed puzzled and not knowing where to go or what to do. But the news that came out today has shocked everyone and has made the Met organization look like the biggest nincompoops in the world. This could be worse than what the Yankees did with Torre. They've treated Willie like worthless crud. This is a mess folks. And I have a very hard time believing Jerry Manuel will come in and save this team after this weird fiasco.

Once again, the Mets have not had a good 2 weeks. While they went through a ton of bad slumps and bad baseball (Getting swept in San Diego, Wagner pitching like John Franco in his later days, Carlos Delgado, etc.), but Willie was still the manager. After getting swept by the Padres, Willie and the Mets' front office had a closed door meeting. That's when things looked grim. Let me say this first: I don't think Willie shouldn't have been fired in the first place. It's not his fault Omar has built an old, injury prone ball club. Signing Luis Castillo for a 4-year extension, re-signing Alou, the gaping hole that is middle relief, and in my mind putting too much importance on Pedro returning. With that said, this team should've been doing better and have the talent to play much better. And with a team with one of the highest payrolls in baseball with so much firepower on paper, they should be better. But, firing Willie won't do much in my mind. Once again, what will Jerry Manuel do to shake this clubhouse up? What's he going to do different? I don't know.

The Mets were already handling this bad because you could tell they were in flux. Everyday, the relentless gears of NY media were watching the Mets' every move, waiting for it to happen. And the Mets did nothing to stop it. They didn't come out and say that Willie's job was safe nor did they just fire him when it made sense. When the Mets lost 4 straight to the Padres, that was the right time to let him go. But they didn't. They kept him in the dugout, waiting for his own demise. He even joked about his own firing; saying Minaya was sharpening his machete. Even if you weren't a fan of Willie (which most Met fans were never even when they won 97 games in 2006), you had to feel sorry for the guy even before last night. That's like torture. The guy knows he's on thin ice yet the front office never tells him anything. Very few people could handle managing in NY in the first place, especially when you could be kicked out the door any minute.

So Willie was still in the dugout. To make a long story short, they win a series against the Rangers and then beat the Angels. They've won 3 out of 4 with Johan Santana on the mound tonight on the west coast. Willie must have felt comfortable. Until he got to the hotel. Now, this is when this situation reached the peak of craziness. You've heard it by now: They fire Willie (along with the pitching coach and the 1^st base coach) at the hotel in the middle of the night. After the team just had a very encouraging win against one of the best teams in baseball. They made Willie and the whole team travel to the West Coast, and then they gave him the boot. The Mets didn‘t do a horrible job with this. They did a pathetic job. This makes Vince McMahon look classy. You make the manager wait after being cooked alive in NY, make him fly all the way to the west coast, the team WINS, and Omar is there in the middle of the night waiting to hand him is pink slip. This whole situation reeks of horrible sports management and business management with the most out-of-whack ethics ever. This whole ordeal was cowardly and spineless. The timing of this is laughably stupid.

Now comes out something that is even worse. THIS is truly classless. The story that Omar's VP Tony Bernazard was hanging around in the clubhouse as Willie was still managing and was bashing Willie to the players behind Willie's back. That's the sickest thing out of this whole deal. Not making Willie travel to the West Coast, not Jeff Wilpon trying to wash his hands from the whole deal (seriously Jeff, grow up. You're running a baseball team), but this takes the cake. That's just so disgusting and vile that it's almost hard to believe. I'm not a Met fan, but I've lost all respect for this group of suits. The crazy thing now is if the Mets continue to flounder, Minaya will be in some serious trouble. After all that and nothing changes, the Mets franchise will be severely pounded.

It's always been a thing sort of swept under the rug that quite a few people in the Met organization never liked Willie to begin with. Now that has unleashed and it's in plain sight. I feel incredibly sorry for Willie, but also for Jerry Manuel. He's in an incredibly tough spot now. He has to win or else this whole team and this whole organization goes down the drain for this year which would lead to maybe a drastic overhaul during the off-season. But right now, the Mets' image has been tarnished by mud and sludge. How the team or the organization will respond to this will be an entirely new issue. But there's no mistaking it: The Mets have botched this up to the extreme.

The New York Mets didn't think Willie deserved them anymore. They got it wrong. The Mets didn't deserve Willie.