Zito has been so disastrously bad that I think there’s a good possibility his career will be over soon - I’m not sure he has anything left in his arm. He’s hasn’t just been bad or unlucky, he’s been completely ineffective; he can’t strike people out and is walking guys. I saw a few innings and he just has no stuff at all. I was watching him pitch and thinking “Shit, I play softball with guys who could hit that slop.”
Sudden collapses in a pitcher of this sort - a dramatic drop in strikeouts, a climb in walks, and the inevitable hammering of fat pitches that accompany those things - suggest arm trouble. There’s something physically wrong with him. I think you’re seeing the beginning of the end of his career, unless there’s a medical solution.
There’s a glimmer of hope in Southeast, as Our Wondrous Nats* have won four out of their last six to at least somewhat pull out of their April tailspin.
My wife and I will be at the Wednesday afternoon game against the Braves. We’ll be the couple with divided loyalties - she’s a lifetime Braves fan.
*As Shirley Povich used to call their predecessors.
They just designated Chad Moeller for assignment on the 26th when Molina and Posada both appeared to be healthy again, but Chad had been hitting pretty well. Is there a reason why Moeller would not be pulled back from the DfA and brought up to be Jose’s backup? I’m not sure I fully understand what’s involved in “designated for assignment.”
As to Moeller he can now be claimed by any other team as he was DfA. Once he clears we can pull him back up if we need to. I believe it takes 10 days however.
DfA technically means the Yanks have 10 days to trade, release or put him on waivers. I am assuming we put him on waivers to send back down to AAA, but I could be wrong.
So let’s see the Yankees All Star Catcher is on the DL for at least 15 and our Superstar 3rd baseman is now on the DL for 15+ and our third best reliever.
Thanks to the admin shuffle, our good veteran emergency catcher is in Limbo while a worthless piece of crap came up to help Hughes self destruction. I have never seen such a badly called game in my life. Hughes and Stewart could not agree on pitches or signs from what I could see.
Hughes is taking a battering mentally and the Boobirds came out briefly for him. I fear it will only get worse.
Meanwhile a month into the season and Cano & Giambi are still barely showing a pulse.
At least Jorge will only be a short term loss compared to original fears.
The Mets seem to be making every effort to get every Met fan in and around New York to hate them and wish them ill. The team and its manager could not look more listless and lifeless. Carlos Delgado finally got his act together and hit two home runs in a game, then petulantly refused a curtain call, thus ensuring that the fans who are already sick of his sub-.200 average, fourth-outfielder power, and statuesque defense at first base will like him just a little less still. They’re barely peeking over .500, even with some good early-season work from Johan Santana and better-than-expected contributions from Ryan Church. It’s kind of depressing in Queens right now, frankly.
Rangers looked terrible again last night. I thought that the Minnesota wins might have brought them back to life.
I’d say Ron Washington is gone if they get swept in this series. Otherwise, they’ve got two upcoming Oakland series which could be very bad news as well.
I’ve always thought that the very definition of petulant is fans who boo their own players. And that’s exactly what Mets fans have been doing to Carlos Delgado for much of the past month. I don’t blame him for not coming out. Also, he made a point of telling reporters that he’s not really a curtain-call sort of guy, that he prefers not to show up the pitcher and the opposition. Not sure whether or not that is borne out by his history, but it certainly fits with his tendency to do things his own way.
Fans pay money to watch the game and, in my opinion, they have an absolute right to bitch, moan, complain, boo, jeer, and heckle, even members of the home team. But when they do this, they shouldn’t be surprised if the object of their derision shows some reluctance to kiss and make up after hitting a home run.
And any Mets fan who thinks Carlos Delgado’s refusal to perform a curtain call is even in the top 10 troubles facing the team, has their priorities pretty screwed up.
The above is the definition of petulance. And just as the fans shouldn’t be surprised when Delgado refuses to show some grace because - poor baby - the fans boo him when he hits under .200 - Delgado, in turn, shouldn’t be surprised when the fans like him even less.
Delgado, and his attitude, is symptomatic of a general problem with the Mets, which is that they are both: (1) playing poorly; and (2) not likable. That makes it harder to generate enthusiasm about the team. We went through this once already, with Bobby Bonilla and Rickey Henderson playing badly and acting like entitled dickheads while they did it. But the team looks listless, lifeless, and careless right now, and being snubbed by a guy who has been one of the worst-hitting and worst-fielding first basemen in the sport for two years running touches a nerve.
Eh. I take Delgado’s actions as “I’m hitting 200, I don’t deserve curtain calls.” Fans, of course, have the right to feel whatever they wish to feel, but I’m personally fine with it.
David Wright and Jose Reyes are about as likeable home grown players as you can hope to have. The team is playing sloppy and inconsistently, but not really badly, and are right with the Phillies and Braves. Also, I think your comment on Delgado is overly harsh. He was mediocre last year, but by no means the worst hitting 1b in the league.
Now, back to seeing how many more runs thans hits the Pirates can get. Uh, how bout those Rays?
I don’t think he is surprised. Read the interviews he’s given since Sunday night’s game.
At least he doesn’t come off like a crybaby.
(1) is a valid baseball criticism.
(2) is just silly.
If the Mets suddenly started winning, and Delgado started OPSing .990, you can bet your ass that most Mets fans wouldn’t give a shit whether or not he, or anyone else on the team for that matter, was “likable.”
Poor baby! Did the big mean bald man snub your curtain call?
Fans have every right to boo. Some players really hate it. It can affect free agents choosing to play for a team. It can upset some players that are sensitive and make things worse. All in all it is not a smart thing to do as a fan unless you honestly just want the guy to go away, but it is very rare that it actually works.
On the other hand, most fans want to root for their players (maybe excepting Philly). When the fans cheer you, encourage it by acknowledging the fact. It breeds good will.
Delgado and the Met fans have been wrong in their handling of this situation. Carlos should have manned up and given the fans their curtain call even if the fans have been acting like assholes for a while.
I am fearful the Yankee fans are turning on Phil Hughes next. Cashman better evaluate the situation and be ready to send him back to AAA before his psyche is crushed. I would say it is a very touch and go situation at this point.