Thole Likely Out For Entire 2012 Season

Sorry buddy.

It’s baaaaaaaaaaack…the dastardly bone bruise finds another unsuspecting Met victim in Josh Thole.

Does this sound familiar?

“As the night progressed, it was getting better.”-Josh Thole

kind of similar to this,

May 11, 2011

“Hopefully be back soon.”-Ike Davis

or my personal favorite,

June 22, 2009

“We hope that it’s only two weeks, that’s what we hope.”  Omar Minaya on Carlos Beltran

I guess we can be thankful this is in Josh’s hand and not in his leg like his Met predecessors.

Aw, who am I kidding?  See you in 2013 Josh.

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Reaction To Beltran Trade

I’ll get more in depth on Carlos’ tenure with the Mets when I have more time tomorrow.  However, I did want to take a second and share my opinion on the trade tonight.

Basically, there are two sides to me in terms of how I follow the Mets.  There is the fan side that can get tied up in the ups and downs of following this franchise, and there is the realistic or grown up half that can separate the emotions away and look at the business aspect of things.

On one hand, watching the Mets knowing that Carlos is no longer a part of the franchise feels awkward.  I already know it will be downright uncomfortable to see him in a Giants uniform.  This side of me is pretty bummed right now.

On the other hand, I believe this to be the right move by the Mets front office.  Especially, when I consider the fact that they stuck to their guns and didn’t budge on getting a top of the line prospect.  Mr. Alderson also succeeds based on the fact that it is a pitching prospect to boot.

Another point in favor for the grown up side is I truly don’t know how much longer Carlos’ degenerative knee will hold up.  Holding on to him longer, whether it be the rest of this season or giving him a contract extension, is way too risky.

The Mets are at a point that forgoing a chance to build for the future to salvage a Hail Mary of a playoff chance is plain silly.

Besides, I don’t think the offense has been the reason why the Mets are a shade over .500.  It boils down to pitching my friends, and that is exactly what the Mets invested in today.

Although I’m a bit melancholy that Carlos is no longer a Met, I believe this to be the right decision for the Mets organization.

White Flag Schmite Flag

One other quick point while I have you here.  I don’t want to hear anymore of this “white flag” talk.  It is very clear this is a big picture decision and it makes sense.  Let’s not whine about it.

This group of players has commented that they want to stick together and they genuinely enjoy playing with each other.  I dig that, and it has correlated into a more entertaining team to watch.  However, feeling good and winning games are two different things.  You want to stay together?  Earn it by making a playoff run that no one expects to happen.

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Heading To Cincy

In a few hours I will embark on my journey to Cincinnati, Ohio to watch the Mets.  As an out of market fan, this will be the only occasion I get to see them in person.  Needless to say I am looking forward to it.

Bearing that in mind, I’m not sure how quickly I’ll be posting my thoughts about the experience. It will be late as hell when I get back home and I have to work tomorrow.

So make sure to follow our Twitter account as I’ll be tweeting during this year’s experience.  Not sure how much time I’ll have to reply while I’m at the game, so don’t feel like I’m ignoring you.  I just don’t want to be on my phone the entire time.  The members of my group will probably slug me.  My wife can punch really really hard.   Plus, I’m not sure how much of the game I would actually get to see.

The Great American Ballpark Experience

I have to admit, watching games at the Great American Ballpark is a nice experience.

1.  I have yet to have a poor sight line.

2.  Tickets are normally affordable, even after their playoff appearance last season.

3.  The stadium is right next to the Ohio River which provides an interesting backdrop to the game.

4.  Reds fans are normally hospitable even though we are typically sporting Mets gear.

There is only one exception to this that I can recall.  I don’t hold it against the typical Reds fan.  The ass that decided to boo my five-year old son (at the time) for wearing his David Wright jersey has to live with himself.  Not to mention he had to deal with the look I gave him that said in no uncertain terms, “Pipe it moron, or you’ll find yourself doggie paddling in the river.”

5.  It doesn’t take 4.5 hours to leave the city after the game.

My fondest memory so far is watching Carlos Delgado crush an absolute bomb down the right field line.  It was so high, I had no idea how the umpires could determine whether it was fair or foul.  It also literally left the stadium.  Utterly amazing.

A Little Help From Mr. Alderson

I posses only one fear about this trip.    To show up and find out that Carlos Beltran is not in the lineup because he’s been traded.  So, I figured I’d compose this letter to Sandy Alderson:

Dear Mr. Alderson

As you know, I have been supportive of your efforts from day one.  I defend you to those that oppose your superior baseball intelligence and realistic approach to building a baseball organization.  I am not in the “spend spend spend to win” club.

Never once have I asked anything of you.  I have quietly allowed you to go about your business building the Mets of the future.

I finally have a small request.  Do not trade Carlos Beltran today.  Wait until at least tomorrow.

I would be extremely grateful to have one last opportunity to watch him play in a Mets uniform.

That is all.  Thank you for your consideration,

Jason, midwestropolitan.com Founder

P.S.  While I’m making requests, game tickets and free air fare to NYC once a month for a series would be cool.  I’m just sayin’.

 

Time To Build The 2012 Mets

Life is unfair and so is Major League Baseball.  If the Mets were in the National League Central they would be in the hunt for a division title.  They’re not, so it’s time friends.  Time for Mr. Alderson to show us what he can do.

He has given Terry Collins and his players enough time to prove they can compete for a playoff spot.  After this weekend’s disappointing series loss, it is clear that chances are slim to none, and slim left town with Logan Morrison’s eighth inning home run this afternoon.

As much as I don’t want to see it, I know Carlos Beltran will be dealt.  It also seems pretty clear that Jose Reyes is staying and the Mets are going to attempt to re-sign him.

What isn’t clear, is what else Sandy Alderson has in the works. Between now and opening day of 2012, Mr. Alderson has his work cut out for him.

Being the giver that I am, I figured I’d share with him who I’d like to see move on.

• Mike Pelfrey– I like Big Pelf and will always hope he does well.  However, I feel as if he has peaked as a Met and needs a change of scenery to see if he can thrive elsewhere.  The Mets have given him an ample amount of opportunities to prove he can be a reliable starter.  Too many ups and downs for me.
• Jason Bay– He’s not going anywhere anytime soon, but he belongs on this list for obvious reasons.  Maybe the Mets’ front office can blackmail high ranking officials from another team forcing them to make a deal for Bay.  It could happen.
• Angel Pagan– Similar to Pelfrey, Angel has been given plenty of opportunities to prove he can be an impact player.  He has regressed this year and his decision making ability irks me.
• Ryota Igarashi– Iggy is a bust.  His 6.25 ERA in 53 career appearances is explanation enough.
• D.J. Carrasco– Wasn’t a huge fan of his signing, and he hasn’t disproved my initial opinion.
• Bobby Parnell-  Parnell is last on this list for a reason.  I am still holding on to hope that the time he has remaining with Jason Isringhausen will help him get over the hump mentally.  Clearly he has electric stuff, he just doesn’t carry himself as if he believes in it.

I realize some of these players will log innings for the Mets in 2012 just as it is a reality that a number of players I didn’t list will not.  I just figured Mr. Alderson would want to get some feedback from Midwestropolitan.com before he starts building the 2012 Mets.

Good luck Mr. A., we believe in you.

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Morning Baseball

Like many of you, I am a busy guy.  Husband, father, full-time professional employee, little league coach, friend etc. etc.  So there are days and nights in which I miss watching Mets’ games live.  Actually, there are very few games that I watch live in their entirety.

Typically, I am able to watch about four or five innings live.  Fortunately, it is 2011 and thanks to the bicthin’ internet (MLB.COM), I have the opportunity to go back and watch what I missed.

Due to my hectic schedule, I was unable to watch any of last night’s game.  So in my world, Carlos Beltran tied up the second game of this current series at 6:46am this morning.  At 6:50am, I was doing an Air Claw in my kitchen with a cup of coffee in my other hand once Angel’s blast won it.

Yes, I am a dork and I occasionally Air Claw the Mets when watching at home.

One of the benefits of this haphazard style of following baseball is the ability to skip to vital points of the game when I have limited time available.  Hence, the ability to watch both home runs within a five-minute period.

A Little Help From The Cardinals

How huge was David Freese dropping Carlos Beltran’s foul ball a few pitches before his bomb?  The dugout rail was a factor, but it wasn’t that difficult of a play.

I bet Ike Davis said to himself, “Shit, he didn’t even flip over and still dropped that.  Chump.” as he chuckled to himself.

Daniel Descalso’s throwing error in the eighth allowing Pagan to reach and eventually score a game tying run, was also appreciated.

Thanks Cards!

Is Mr. Alderson Sweating At All Now?

Well, 10 games left before the morning of July 31st and now 2.5 games to gain on the Braves to get to the magic wild card number Midwestropolitan.com established on July 10th.

Is 7-3 for the Mets and 4-6 for the Braves going to happen?  Unlikely, but I have to be honest with you.  There is a part of me that is hoping for a miracle that the Mets are on the verge of an insane hot streak while the Braves cool off and Mr. Alderson doesn’t pull the trigger on a Beltran trade.

It’s stupid.  But I can’t hide anything from my fellow out of market Mets fans.

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Sitting This One Out

Tonight’s win was nice.  I’ll leave it at that with the exception of a few short thoughts….

It’s amazing how different the New York Mets look with Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran in the lineup.  You could literally almost feel the difference couldn’t you?  That might be a tad too dramatic but you get the point.

There is a lot of talk tonight about Reyes and Beltran, and rightfully so. I’m sure they enjoyed being back, and more importantly, being productive.  I couldn’t help notice how much more relaxed their teammates looked in the lineup (with the exception of Jason Bay *sigh*).  That is a fun little byproduct of their awesomeness.

The Real Reason Why I Brought You Here Tonight

I wanted to take a second to tell you that I am not going to participate in the “Where will Carlos be traded to guessing game?”.  Not because I’m too cool or anything like that.  It’s just that I’m trying to enjoy his last few games as a Met.

I get that people dig the trade rumors, so I’m not trying to rain on their parade or anything.  I just don’t give a shit where Carlos goes, as long as Mr. Alderson can get some value for him.  That’s as far as I’ll take it.

To summarize my friends, I’m sitting this one out.  I’m going to watch #15 continue to find the gaps from both sides of the plate and go about his business for the next 11 games or so.  As I do, I’ll reminisce about the times when he patrolled centerfield tracking down potential doubles and triples effortlessly.

Thanks for listening,

Jason

 

He Never Listens

Carlos Beltran is not playing today due to flu like symptoms.

I tell him over and over and over again to wash his hands regularly.  He never listens…….hmpf.

Win-Win Situation

Realistically speaking, no one truly believed the Mets would be anywhere near .500 at this point of the season, so the team has overachieved.  A suprising 46-45 record in the first half of the season has at least given the Mets a chance to compete in the second half of the season.  For how long is yet to be determined.

The next 12 games are critical and everyone associated with the Mets knows it.  Maybe I’m off my rocker, but this point of the season has a playoff feel for me.  Time has now run out and .500 baseball will no longer cut it in terms of making it to the post season.

It will be extremely interesting to see how the team responds.  They certainly have their work cut out for them.

Even if the Mets falter, or maintain their current level for that matter, the alternative to contending in 2011 isn’t a horrific one.

Building a team that can win in 2012 may be on the docket in a couple of weeks.  I am pretty comfortable knowing Sandy Alderson will be making decisions for 2012 rather than Omar Minaya.  Even though it has been a relatively small sample size, I like what I have seen so far in terms of the decisions made by the front office.

Alderson has walked the line of competing in 2011 without jeopardizing the future quite well.  He appears to be giving this current group as long as possible to prove they are legitimate contenders for the post season.  That’s all you can ask of your General Manager.

• It started with the manager.  Remember the detractors that hated this decision?  Some wanted Wally, some just wanted to complain.  Terry Collins has clearly proven he was the right man for the job at this point.
• Inheriting a pitching staff with his number one starter out for the majority of the season (maybe the entire season), Alderson made a few intelligent gambles in signing Chris Capuano and Chris Young.  He only needed one to be reliable.  We had our money on that one being Young, but it turned out Cap has been the solid performer.
• Alderson’s willingness to address his own mistakes head on has been a plus.  Brad Emaus and D.J. Carassco were clearly designated for prominent roles with this club.  They demonstrated quickly that they weren’t going to succeed, so decisions were made efficiently to give others a chance to help the team win.  There was very little time wasted in either case.
• The K-Rod trade was a shrewd and wise move.  Yes, this effected the 2011 club (how much is still up for debate), but mortgaging 2012 as well would have been clearly worse.  People need to remember it is his job to think of the long-term first and foremost.  Holding on to an aging closer with one of the worst player options in franchise history when you are 7.5 games behind the Wild Card would have been plain foolish.
• This may be a bit polarizing but I like how Alderson has approached Jose Reyes’ future.  I simplify it in this way, if you were responsible for investing 80 to 120 million dollars on one single employee, wouldn’t you want to observe that particular employee for a while?  My interpretation of where Alderson stands on Jose is that he is going to make a significant effort to re-sign him in the off season.  Yes this is a risk, but this is not a black and white decision.  There is significant risk with any path Alderson chooses.  The only way he can assure he makes the right decision is if he has a DeLorean as a time machine and I have a funny feeling he does not have one at his disposal.

Basically, we have two potential outcomes.

1.  The Mets take it up a notch and play winning baseball, in effect providing us with a surprising and exhilarating playoff run.

2.  The Mets continue to exceed expectations by playing .500 ball or their level of play drops a bit, and the front office starts building for 2012. With an intelligent and shrewd front office, I am confident that the Mets will be even more competitive in 2012.

I realize option two means that my favorite player, Carlos Beltran, will not finish the season as a Met.  If Alderson and company obtain some significant compensation for his services, I’ll think of it as Beltran’s last contribution to the club.  I am willing to cut any emotional ties if it means the Mets have a chance to contend next year.

The one thing that seems to be certain (barring major swoons by the Phillies and/or Braves), is we’ll have a pretty good idea of which outcome by July 31st.

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A Day Off

I have some friendly advice for you.  Take the day off.

No, not from work for those of you that have to pay the bills.  Take the day off from The New York Mets.

Blasphemy!  Right?

Nah.  We are very close to reaching a crossroads of sorts with this team.  It is very clear that the next couple of weeks will not only determine the fate of the 2011 club, but it will possibly dictate the path of the next couple of years.

That is a lot to consider and kind of makes my head hurt.  It’s going to be exciting and there is going to be a hell of a lot to talk about.  Just not today.

Nothing is going to happen today to give us any clue as to what is in store for the New York Mets.  So take a breather.

Today, I won’t frequent Metszilla, MetsBlog, The Daily Stache, ESPN New York, and all of my other favorite sources of everything Mets.  I’m going to recharge.

This does not mean I am avoiding the game of baseball entirely.  I will be attending a minor league game as the Tucson Padres host the Las Vegas 51s.

Don’t run for the hills for fear the Earth is going to implode due to too much awesomeness being in the same location.   Tom and I are not in the same town, or city of Arizona if you prefer.  I will be watching this match up in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Have I lost you yet?  Why are they playing in Fort Wayne?  Answer:  My home town is home to the Fort Wayne Tincaps who happen to be the single A affiliate for the Padres.  They are hosting this AAA game as a special promotion.

Gotta love minor league baseball.

Another coincidence, it is also Dollar Beer Night!

I am looking forward to re-charging the Mets battery.  It is far more exhilarating than what Tom will be doing.

He informed me last night that he needs to study all day for his home economics final.  Apparently, he has to demonstrate how to sew a button on a pair of pants, make french toast, and demonstrate how to properly set a table for a dinner party all in one final.  Good luck buddy!

For Those Of You That Need  A Mets Fix

I realize some of you may still be jonesing for some Mets content, so I figured I’d highlight where Midwestropolitan.com stands going into the second half of the season:

Chasing The Braves:  Last week I looked into what will need to occur in the second half of the season in order for the Mets to catch the annoying Atlanta Braves.

In Order Not To Be Sellers At The Deadline:  Tom feels (and I agree) that the Mets need to be five games behind in the Wild Card race for the Mets to avoid being all out sellers at the trade deadline.  Killer schedule breakdown for the Mets and Braves included.

K-Rod Trade Not A White Flag, A Smart Move:  In case you missed it yesterday, Tom provided us all with the truth about the K-Rod trade in terms of what it signifies for the Mets future.

Don’t Turn Beltran Into A Buckner:  I figured I’d through in an oldie but a goodie.  At the beginning of the season I hoped that my favorite Met, Carlos, would show all of his detractors just what he brings to table.  I would say he is well on his way to doing so.

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K-Rod Trade: Not A White Flag, A Smart Move

In trading K-Rod to Milwaukee, Sandy Alderson has made the best of a bad situation. K-Rod’s contract was heavy and his option was obviously an enormous cause for concern. K-Rod wasn’t going to be the catalyst to a playoff run, either.

If the Mets do make a run it will be because they play a couple weeks of flawless baseball starting immediately, get a little bit of help and consequently decide to hold on to Carlos Beltran. If and when the Mets elect to trade Beltran, that would be raising the white flag because his presence in the lineup is invaluable.

Alderson may elect to move Beltran regardless instead of letting him walk, but I still believe the next couple of weeks will play a big factor into that decision.

For the time being, I wouldn’t be opposed to Bobby Parnell closing out ballgames. Izzy looks exhausted.

__________________

Note: The amount of cash heading Milwaukee’s way hasn’t been confirmed as of the time I am typing this, so bother Jason if this post is outdated by the time I wake up. I can’t promise he’ll care.

Update from Jason:  Reports are saying the Mets will eat $5 million of K-Rod’s salary.  By my quick math, that is still $12.5 million better than holding on to him and letting his option vest.  A big thanks goes out to Tom for having seven of his family members out east call me at separate times to remind me to look into the cash details. 

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