My avatar has the low down on what I think is going to happen in the first round of the playoffs.  I'd love to see this all end up in another Subway Payback...erm... Series.

My avatar's got the low down on what I think is going to happen in the first round of the playoffs.  I'd love to see this all end up in another Subway Payback...erm... Series.

My avatar's got the low down on what I think is going to happen in the first round of the playoffs.  I'd love to see this all end up in another Subway Payback...erm... Series.

Orel Hershiser is retired, right?

Good, then I'm not worried about the Mets playing LA.

Wednesday, the Met's will play the Dodgers in the late afternoon at Shea.  Of course, the Yankees get all the primetime games.  All I know is, Kenny Rogers owes me a win for walking the Braves past us in '99.

By the way, now that I'm looking at box scores for the '99 NLCS, how in the hell did Masato Yoshii start in the playoffs over Orel Hershiser?  Yoshii turned it a cruddy start in game one against the D-Backs...   Orel was a money pitcher... sure he was fading into the sunset, but he had a pretty similar year and his experience should have counted for more.  I'm glad we're righting that by throwing El Duque in Game 1.

So El Duque goes against Derek Lowe in Game One on Wednesday at 4PM EST.  Then, Thursday night, here's a matchup for you...  Greg Maddux vs. Tom Glavine.  

Then, they're off Friday and play Saturday.   The Game Three starter hasn't been announced, but either way, I go with John Maine.

Well, this is it... Let's go Mets!

I think we all need to be realistic about this Pedro news.

Mike Vaccaro from the post puts it best...

"...they didn't lose PEDRO MARTINEZ...  Because the truth is, the Mets haven't had the italicized, capitalized version of that player in an awfully long time. The Mets don't lose the 1969 edition of Tom Seaver, or the 1986 version of Dwight Gooden, or even the 2000 versions of Al Leiter and Mike Hampton.

When he was on the mound, the Mets felt like they were practically unbeatable. But the reality is, their winning percentage since the first day of the 2005 season is over 40 points higher on days when Martinez doesn't pitch than on days that he has. It's true. You can look it up."

The rest of the team needs to step up, like they have all year.  Realistically we just need five innings...  If every playoff start from someone not named Tom or Orlando was 5 innings and 3 runs, I'd be happy.

Jeremy Shockey said the Giants were outcoached yesterday.

And frankly, I can't say Tom Coughlin has ever really impressed me. 

But then again, this Giant team, save for Tiki, hasn't really impressed me.   So, how do you know when it is the players and how do you know when it is the coach?   Certainly Bill Parcells seemed like a great coach and he's won to prove it...   but what about someone like Willie Randolph?   Second best team in the bigs... so-so starting staff, and yet somehow, I really don't think Willie is such a great coach.  He's made a lot of questionable moves.

There are always going to be standout CEOs--obvious people that everyone points to...  Gates, Jobs, Jack Welch...  but are there examples of great CEOs at mediocre companies?   How long does it take to go from good to great or turn something around?   Can a mediocre CEO take a great product to success?  I mean, seriously...  I could do Joe Torre's job, I think.  With that payroll and lineup...  I'd just say, "Hey guys, Jared Wright is pitching tonight, so do me a favor and score 9 runs."  I mean, he doesn't even need a bench...   never needs to double switch or pinch hit for the pitcher.  How hard could it be?

How do you seperate what a single person has done for a team, a company... hell... even a whole country?   Does Bush suck or are we all collectively sucking?   Or maybe just all the politicians?  As bad as you might say our president is, you gotta admit that there are probably others who deserve blame as well... people on both sides of the Pantone wheel.

Wow... was that Steve Trachsel on the mound last night?  Where ya been all season?  (Aside from the 14 other wins...)

And how great a pickup was Jose Valentin?  To think that Kaz Matsui was going to be the secondbaseman this year.  Ugh.

Once he left with a lead, you knew it was over.   I got to watch the game at Blondies on 79th with my softball team over unlimited wings.

Many wings were eaten.  Many pitches were cheered on.  Much high fiving occurred at the end.  Bring on the Playoffs!

Thank God that none of the playoff teams have two good lefties, because its obvious the Mets just can't hit the southpaws.  Oh well, hopefully they'll do it tonight against the Fish, and Trachsel will get win number 15 by giving up 5 runs in 5 innings and letting the pen take care of the rest.

Chop this.

I was almost there when the Mets sent Dave Williams and Oliver Perez to the mound in a doubleheader and won both ends.

But last night, they shutout Brad Penny and the Dodgers.  Jose Reyes hit an inside the park home run and Glavine cruised.

At first, I just thought they shouldn't have a problem getting out of the National League...  but now...

Now I really believe they are going to win the World Series.  Its all too perfect..  twenty years later.  1986.  2006. 

No one is going to stop this team... not the Braves, Dodgers, Cardinals, Padres...  not the Yanks, Tigers, or White Sox.  

So if anyone has any access to playoff tickets, I'm all ears...

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"That's all we got?  One goddamn hit?"

You can't say goddamn on the air."

"Don't worry...  nobody's listening anyway."   (Click my avatar to hear the movie quote.)

Is it me, or when a no name rookie comes to town, doesn't that usually spell trouble for the Mets?  I vaguely remember getting shutout by Chris Reitsma somewhere along the line, too, a year or two ago.  Rotoheads, time to short Chuck James, because once you dominate the Mets, you're unlikely to be heard of again.

On the subject of Steve Trachsel, what's the record for the highest number of wins in a season for a picher who fails to make the post season roster?  Because, right now, my rotation is Pedro, Glavine, Maine and El Duque, with the pen lining up as Wagner, Feliciano, Heilman, Bradford, Mota, Oliver, Hernandez and then either Bell or Ring if you take 12. 

This team could use a righthanded bat.  Oh, that's right, we had one and traded him for Roberto Hernandez, who we now don't really need because of Mota.  Heath Bell could have gotten a shot at moving up the ladder, too.  Oh well.

Having a lead this big in the East gives us too much time to worry.

Oh and I forgot to mention... A couple of weeks ago, it was Beatles night at Shea.  When Chad Bradford took the mound, they played Yellow Submarine.  It was hilarious.  That should play everytime Underhandford takes the mound.

Both Pujos and Howard homered again last night...and so did Bonds, actually.  Barry, where were you all year when my fantasy team needed ya?

Or at least, that's what I'm worried about with the Mets.  We've been on cruise control all year, and will probably cruise right into the World Series (although if Maddux keeps that coccoon in his poll, maybe there will be a formidable NL competitor).   But if we show up the way we showed up last night, we're going to get our asses mailed back to us in little Etsy knit pouches.

This Nady trade really blew...   You mean we couldn't have gotten a Roberto Hernandez quality reliever for a smaller bat than Nady?  Or some minor leaguers?  Now with Floyd hurt, we're talking dealing for Sean Green and his salary.   Is he that much more of an improvement than Nady?  Nady certainly came a lot cheaper and had more upside.  I thought Xavier Nady might have turned out to be this team's Kevin MacReynolds...  not a huge bat, but a solid and consitant one.  Oh well...   so much for that.

Fordham's first game at Roosevelt Island's Copobianco Field felt like practice...   Actually, it was practice, because the ABA Stingers didn't show--not a one of them.  That means Fordham was able to post their first win of the season, which, of course, isn't the way this hungry team wants to win.

"This sucks.  I wanted to play," manager Charlie O'Donnell, known for his eloquence, told reporters after the game.

The nightcap didn't prove as successful, however.  It turns out that, unlike the first game, 90% of success isn't just showing up.  It turns out you have to hit and field, too--two little areas that Fordham has been struggling with as of late.  Monday's struggles resulted, unfortunately for this expansion franchise, in a 17-2 drubbing.

AIG took advantage of the cozy Copo confines early, scoring five in the first and six in the second--all off rookie starter and Jay Buhner impersonator Jason Gianetti.

Teammates tried to comfort Gianetti after his performance and the following exchange took place in the clubhouse:

"That ball wouldn't have been out of a lot of parks."

"Name one."

"Yellowstone."

Patti Dickerson took over in the fourth, providing one of the lone bright spots in the game.  Patti turned in a solid mop-up effort and will be likely to start the team's next game.

Fordham's only two runs came late in the game.  Kevin Rodricks lashed a double to left, tearing the stiches off the ball (which is amazing considering the Clincher softballs don't actually have stiches).  Charlie O'Donnell, coming off a shoe string catch in center the inning before, then followed up with a monster, albeit lonely, blast to the concrete in right center.  That would be it for the Fordham offence though.  Rumors have it that the team is considering letting go hitting coach Amanda Hickey. 

There were a couple of other bright spots for Fordham.  Ryan St. Germain threw out a runner at home from right field--the other end of which featured a nifty tag from catcher Nicole Horsford.  Chrissy Guerrero turned in a solid defensive effort at second base as well.

There were no photos from the game, however, due to the illness of team photographer and emerging offensive star Anntoinette Mirsberger.  She should be off the DL by the next game, marking a return to the photographic documentation of the team's hijinks and shananagans.

With last night's rainout which will probably not get made up because my Fordham alumni softball team is out of it, the third of my three softball teams' seasons came to an end.

Sunday morning, my fastpitch men's team, the Warthogs, got eliminated in the first round of the playoffs after a 16-11 season.   Two and out...   and we basically gave the games away... didn't want it enough.  Very disappointing end to a good season.  Here's a hit to right  from the game.  I don't wear #21 on this team because someone else had it when I joined, so I just picked an utterly ridiculous number.

Wednesday night, my Zog team, Waiting for Turiansky, which crawled its way into the playoffs going 5-6-1, lost to the 11-1 Pubstars, after winning our first playoff game.  We were winning for one inning after I led off the game with a home run to right center.  I seriously have no idea why anyone plays on the left side of the field when I get up.  I have no ability to pull the ball in any form of this sport whatsoever.   Then it was 3-1 them...  3-2, 6-2, 6-3...    so in the 5th and it was 6-3 and I really felt good about the fact that we stayed in it as long as we did.  One big inning could do it.  Unfortunately, the wrong team had the big inning.  We lost 13-4.  Still, good season and we're excited to be playing again in the fall season.

As for my Fordham team... well... we're just not very good.  We went 3-9.  Oh well.  Perhaps we'll draft well in the offseason.  If you're a Fordham grad, and you can play shortstop or firstbase in particular, and can hit drop me a line.

So, the totals, including playoffs...    55 games...  25-29-1.   Eh.   Room for improvement. 

Ugh.  Not many bright spots in a 16-3 loss.  After two innings, Fordham was down 2-0 and it looked like Charlie O'Donnell might turn in another serviceable start.  Then, the wheels came off the train.  Five walks, some singles, and some defensive misqueues opened the door and Linkshare never looked back.  In fact, Fordham didn't actually push a run across until the last inning, when they scored their only three runs, mostly on walks.  Kevin Rodricks turned in an inning saving catch in Saskatchawan after reliever Brian Cuthbert served up a bomb to left, but that wouldn't prove to be enough.

The manager had this to say to the press at the end of the night during an interview at the Third Thursday bar, P.J. O'Hurley's:

"They outhit us.  They outpitched us.  They outplayed us in the field.  So, really, when you think about it, by category, it was only a 3-0 loss." 

Either way, we got a nice turnout after the game at the bar.  Remember, each 3rd Thursday of the month, we'll be out at a bar celebrating the happiest of hours.  Tonight, we had a couple of '04 grads show up, as well as much support from the '99 crew.  Come on out next month.  "Y'all come back now."

Link: ESPN.com - MLB - L.A. deals Ishii to Mets for Phillips.

The New York Mets plugged a hole in their starting rotation Sunday, acquiring left-hander Kazuhisa Ishii from the Los Angeles Dodgers for catcher Jason Phillips.

Only the Mutts can plug a hole by digging a deeper one.  Kaz Ishii has great stuff, but, like Victor Zambrano, none of it is near the plate.  Trust me from someone who could never put it together and find the plate, guys who don't throw strikes very rarely succeed in baseball.  They put your fielders to sleep and they don't go late into games, eating up your bullpen.  Ishii's ERA last year was 4.71.  Did anyone watch Jae Seo pitch the other day against the Marlins?  You're telling me he can't put up better than 4.71 over a full season?  Who couldn't?  Its one thing to replace an injured pitcher with a real replacement, but Ishii?  You couldn't pay me to watch this guy pitch.  All of the sudden, I'm not feeling so good about this season.  Don't get me wrong, Jason Phillips is the worst base clog this side of Johnny Helmet, but he did bat .298 in '03.  One bad season and we're done with him?  Wasn't he the Mets leading hitter this spring?  I don't know.  I can't remember the last time this team made a deal that made me say, "Wow, I really like that deal."

Link: Newsday.com: A new Met TV deal.

Elliot Spitzer just won my vote for Governor in 2006, provided he doesn't do anything really stupid between now and then.  Getting the Mets back on TV... that's all it took.  I'm an easy vote.

This post was written by David Murphy.  He was our shortstop and won our last two games on walkoff hits.  He was also a part of several championship Fordham intramural teams.  They even made a Geocities page about it.

Here's Dave:

The Rams Alumni softball team brought a successful finish to a dismal season last Monday night.  For the second time in as many games, the sons and daughters of Mother Fordham battled back in the final frames to finish the year on a victorious note with a 8-7 win over the vaunted Mizuno machine. 

“Regardless of the final win-loss record, I’m proud of this team,” manager Charlie O’Donnell said after the game.  “I don’t think we’ll ever be accused of having the most talent in the league, but there’s no question that, as a team, we have the heart of a champion.”

Fordham struggled throughout the season with spotty defense and a lack of timely hitting.  It wasn’t until the final stages of the season that Fordham seemed to find their groove.  All told Fordham went 5-8 missing a playoff birth by a significant margin.  Even still, O’Donnell saw seedlings of hope develop in the expansion franchise.

“When we came into the season we didn’t know what to expect,” O’Donnell said.  “There was a big learning curve with this club but I think we definitely came into our own.  You could see that, on both sides of the ball, we definitely began to gel as a unit throughout the last few games.”

Both of the final two contests in 2005 proved dramatic for the Rams.  After a thrilling walk-off home run victory in the previous game, Fordham showed no sign of a let down in the last game of the season.  Fordham went up by three going into the last inning when the same shoddy defense that had haunted them all season began to rear its ugly head.  Pitcher Patty Dickerson, the indisputable team co-MVP after logging countless innings on the mound, saw misplay after misplay result in four unearned runs for Mizhuno. 

That led to one final chance for a comeback by the Jesuit educated bunch. In the bottom of the fifth, the always selective Ron Zapata led off with a single.  He moved into scoring position on a hit by Jason Gianitti.  Two batters later, Pawtucket’s own Ryan St. Germain singled in the tying run and moved the winning run into scoring position for shortstop Dave Murphy.  Murphy, also a Pawtucket native, doubled home the game winner with a line drive to right ending Fordham’s inaugural season on a high note.

“I just got the pitch I was looking for,” Murphy said after the game.  “We’ve battled back before, and the guys just did a great job of getting on base and I was fortunate enough to get a pitch I could handle.”  Murphy’s six hits in his final six at bats for Fordham this season were a big change from his hitherto lack luster performance.  Many Rams’ observers lay the blame of Fordham’s largely unsuccessful campaign squarely on his shoulders.  The captain of two Fordham University intramural softball championships with Team Shame, struggled mightily throughout 2005.  Many believed he simply could not adjust to playing without the teammates that surrounded him from 2000-2004 at Fordham, capturing those two titles. 

For Fordham, it was the best of times and it was the worst of times in 2005.  Although the team chemistry seemed to mix well, particularly by the end of the season, a series of people moving to go along with inconsistent play on both offense and defense resulted in a sub-par performance. 

Second baseman Trevor Freeman seemed to sum up the season best when packing up his locker in the Fordham clubhouse saying, “Maybe it’s because I’m an Oakland fan, but my mentality is, hey – wait till next year!”

And that is just what Fordham plans to do. 

Zog Sports is a fun bunch that runs charity softball, dodgeball, kickball, football, soccer, etc. in the NYC area.  They need an operations manager.

Here's the job description.

E-mail a resume and a coverletter to Christie.

So the Mets lost again today, getting swept by the Reds and starting off the season 0-3.  Brian IM's me, because he has Danny Graves on his fantasy team, and asks me if I know how the hell its possible that, in a 6-1 game, where Graves throws two pitches to a single batter, he can pick up a save.   Enter Wikipedia.

According to Wikipedia:

In baseball statistics the term save is used to indicate the successful maintenance of a lead by a relief pitcher, usually the closer, until the end of the game. A save is credited to a pitcher who fulfills the following three conditions:

1. The pitcher is the last pitcher in a game won by his team;
2. The pitcher is not the winning pitcher (for instance, if a starting pitcher throws a complete game win);
3. The pitcher fulfills at least one of the following three conditions:
   1. He comes into the game with a lead of no more than three runs, and pitches the remainder of the game, gaining at least one out.
   2. He comes into the game with the potential tying run being either on base, at bat, or on deck. In other words, the potential tying run is either already on base or is one of the first two batters he faces.
   3. He pitches at least three "effective" innings (this is the only subjective criterion and is judged by the official scorer).

No more than one save may be credited in each game, even if more than one of the previous conditions is fulfilled.

So basically, Graves enters with the bases loaded in a 6-1 game, making the tying run on deck.  (Even if he gives up a salami to the first batter, its still only 6-5.  Only the next guy could tie the game.)  There are two outs, but that doesn't matter.  According to criteria #2, he gets a save.  So, Danny Graves, by getting at least one out without giving up back to back home runs, gets a save.  If that isn't the cheapest fuckin' save I've ever heard of, I don't know what is.  Jeez... I could have done that.  Two pitches with a five run lead...  don't strain yourself Danny Boy.