Month: September 2011

New York Manscapers

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Henrik Lundqvist didn’t just have me at “I am from Sveeden, ya?” but when he mentioned in Time Out New York this week that he wore suits four-five days a week.

*SWOON*

Much of it is an occupational thing — after all, he plays hockey that much per week, and wears suits as he travels with the team. Plus, I had the opportunity to get some photos of him at the Manhattan Center for a Rangers subscriber event and I think it was either Brandon Prust or Brian Boyle who said, “The invite said ‘business casual’ and Henrik looks like he’s going to the Prom!”

Sean Avery is clearly a goon on the ice, but he’s well-known in fashion circles, and even interned at Vogue for a time.  I’m one of the few Rangers fans who actually loves Avery.  I also like that he’s been outspoken against bullying and for marriage equality.  Sports guys are supposed to be seen as “tough guys,” and though there’s no question about Avery being one, I admire that he’s so passionate about these things, stuff no sports guys ever were to talk about.

Oh and Brad Richards, our new guy?  Made an appearance at Fashion Week…

More eye candy for the ladies came in the form of Mark Sanchez’s spread in GQ.  Damn, he looks good in green, doesn’t he???  The cover story said “Thank God It’s Football Season.”  All I could think is…let’s thank her for Mark Sanchez!!

Make no mistake: I am a sports chick, and I love attending games and watching them on TV…Hell, my husband and I might get divorced this weekend because I am pulling rank to watch the Jets game over the Mets game (on at the same time, thanks for the TV geniuses who didn’t consult with MY schedule).

That doesn’t mean, I can’t appreciate a good looking man, especially one in uniform.

The Myth of the Franchise Player

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Synonymous with Mets is Tom Seaver.  “Tom Terrific” is known as “The Franchise,” the player who was singularly responsible for making the Mets relevant.  Adding him to the pitching staff with the likes of Jerry Koosman, Gary Gentry and Nolan Ryan, and coupling him with players like Cleon Jones and Tommie Agee, caused the Mets to win their first championship in 1969.

Legend has it that the Mets were never quite the same after Dr. Evil himself, M. Donald Grant, traded away the Franchise, literally and figuratively, for some spare parts. It was true, in a way, but then again, so was the dynamic changing in baseball. Indirectly relating to the trade of Tom Seaver was the underlying notion that he wanted to be paid up, suckas.  Grant didn’t think Seaver was above the Mets name, and subsequently got rid of him by planting some unfavorable quotes in the NYC sports “tabloids,” if you will.

But the dynamic was also changing because of the era of free agency.  And to that, I ask, is the “franchise player” still relevant?

You know who that is: the guy who is known for playing for one team; who made his mark with one team; who may have played for another team, but was never quite the player he was with that synonymous team.  I think the closest we might have today is Albert Pujols. That, however, may change this offseason due to his contentious situation with being the best player in baseball (well, maybe Alex Rodriguez takes umbrage with that) and being a free agent.  I think his brand with the Cardinals is significant, but as my friend Bill Ivie has said, the Cardinals were a great franchise before Pujols, they’ll still be a great franchise without him.  Time will tell.

But then look at Carlos Beltran.  Perhaps one of the most divisive Mets in recent memory, his injuries may prevent him from ever making the Hall of Fame.  Yet, I had a Twitversation the other day with some other Mets fans about him playing a few more years, uninjured. I think if it walks and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck, and Beltran cannot stay healthy.  I said, the harsh reality is he could be another Moises Alou, a great player whose injury-marred seasons keep him from getting his call to the Hall.  However, someone said, if he DID come around with great numbers and played into his 40s without as many injuries, it would be hard pressed to have him go in as a Met, even though he did play seven years with them.

I guess I am raising these questions because of the Mets’ own “Franchise Players” and “Faces of the Franchise,” David Wright and Jose Reyes.

The Mets and those of us who live, breathe and eat any information surrounding the team have a contentious situation on their hands, especially regarding Reyes’ status as a free agent after the 2011 season.  Couple that with David Wright, which is another contentious situation in and of itself.  While not a free agent, he has an option that he can decline if he gets traded (which makes him a less attractive trading candidate), but then he’s had a noticeable drop off, but on the flip side he’s had one of his first injury-plagued seasons in recent memory (he’s been relatively healthy, considering all the injuries this stupid team has had in the last three years).

It gives me pause because they are still young and productive, yet I wonder if perhaps we all need a change of scenery.  Meaning we, as fans, with the same “cornerstone” players, and the players themselves.  M. Donald Grant may have been a Douchecanoe Deluxe, but perhaps he was prophetic in trying to set with us, that a player isn’t above the Franchise.  Well, he was wrong in the case of Seaver, but the dynamic of the game has changed since then.

Look at the Dodgers.  Their two franchise players, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier, are essentially the equivalent of our Reyes and Wright.  They even have an A+ starter in Clayton Kershaw.  And they STILL can’t fucking win or make money!

Look, the Mets situation is precarious, and perhaps I am too close to it.  I was discussing on Twitter (and if you aren’t following me you SHOULD!! @Coopz22) the other with my friends over at the Daily Stache about the Reyes situation.  Basically, I feel like the issue is now that the Mets are mailing it in (something that Terry Collins is NOT happy about), we are going on our third straight losing season, our legs and asses are cramped up from wanting to jump for joy but we can’t because there is nothing making us do that, and now the prospect of losing guys we feel should be in Mets uniforms forever is something we are nonchalant about.  “Whatever,” has been my philosophy at this point.

I know things will change once the postseason is over, and who knows, maybe the Mets and Reyes will come to an agreement and we’ll be happy.  But I think what will make us happier is WINNING.  Reyes and Wright certainly has not been enough.  The onus is on the personnel to seriously evaluate the team and not attend to what the fans want.  Yes, I know Reyes makes us a lot of us happy.  And his injuries are a cause for concern, especially since they basically have said his running game (what makes Jose Jose) has been halted because of his hamstring issues this year.

I know I would hold onto Reyes simply for emotional reasons because I love him and want him to be a Met forever.  The other more rational side of me says that the time is not now. This team is a few years away from winning, and would it make a huge difference to lose with him or without him.

The Darker Side of Hockey

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This hasn’t been a good summer for hockey.

I guess I’m pretty much like most hockey fans, that I like a good fight (or as my friend Merkakis points out, “I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out.”).  I like oafs picking fights with other guys. I like penalties.  I like seeing punches thrown.

Yet, there is a very high price we pay to see those happen, with the so-called “enforcers” on the ice.  Three deaths occurred in hockey over the summer that were shocking, but also preventable and in a sense, predictable.  The Rangers own Derek Boogaard died of a drug overdose, newly retired Wade Belak and soon-to-be Winnipeg Jet Rick Rypien both committed suicide, dealing with depression (even Rypien suffered from the affliction openly and welcomed the opportunity to discuss it).

We may poke fun at certain players for being open about depression, which as the saying goes, is a flaw in chemistry not in character, but this is a very serious affliction that needs to be addressed and accepted.  Even the Mets’ Taylor Buchholz notably went on the DL midseason, claiming depression as the reason.  It makes us take a step back that perhaps these players are just like us, even if they perform on a worldwide stage and make millions.

What was also noteworthy, going back to the hockey hit men, is that if they also have a flaw in chemistry, the brain injuries they suffer as an occupational hazard gives players some pause to the very role they play on a hockey team.  As an example, Boogaard’s family has donated his brain for studies to see about the physical stress that the game tolls on their bodies, most notably their brains.

I love seeing fights, but it gives me pause, as a fan, to think about what these players go through as a result.  Sure, they wear lots of padding, helmets, protective gear, but at the end of the day, they are essentially hunters and it takes a different mindset to be an enforcer.

Specifically, the deaths of Boogaard, Rypien and Belak have shined a light on the psyche of hockey enforcers.

“It’s stressful,” said the Hawks’ John Scott, who is one of the most feared players in the league because of his fighting ability. “There’s always stress being a tough guy in the league. Every day you’re worried about fighting, keeping your job (and) getting in the lineup. It weighs on you.”

Lastly, I’ve been processing the death of the KHL Lokomotiv in a tragic plane crash last week.  It’s beyond any processes to comprehend the loss of an entire team, and even a former Ranger, Alexander Karpovtsev died in the crash.

It’s gonna be a tough year for hockey.  Friends and guys they’ve considered family have died and very tragically.  I know the saying is that the show must go on and all that.  And it will, but I will be hard pressed to find another sport with such a tragic offseason leading to question marks in how the game will be played from now on.

So, Now What?

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I’m a masochist.  I just figured that out.

Prior to last night’s game, we were made aware that since the Braves won their game in the afternoon, that the Mets’ tragic number (magic number, only backwards) was zero. Thus making the rest of 2011 futile.  For them at least.  In upcoming days, they’ll be playing the Braves (wild card leader), Cardinals (wild card contender), the Phillies (who always like to beat our ass), and the Reds (whatever).  The season is certainly not over for the top two teams in that list, and they’ll have something to play for.  So the Mets need to show up at least for the other teams that need to round out their season.

Yet, we’re all a bunch of masochists.  We know exactly what we’re getting ourselves into season in, and season out.  I’m not sure I’d want it any other way though.  All of us make our schedules around the baseball season.  Hell, I even recently told someone in an interview that I had to back out of a business trip because it conflicted with Opening Day one year (true story).  I know that I want to go to as many games as I can, since I am going to miss baseball in the offseason.  I always do.

And before they make a move, before I am even guaranteed a slot to a good team or a good year, what happens?  The 2012 schedule gets released!

And….I’m already planning out where we’re going to go on our road trips next year.  Sigh.  The cycle continues. (And I might be doing a dual-Canadian trip next year, for hockey and for baseball.)

Perhaps not all though…

My friend Steve Keane at the Kranepool Society wrote a very real post yesterday about the state of the Mets, in his Diary of a Mad Mets Blogger.  He raises some interesting issues, some of which I have agreed with earlier in the season, about the sacred cows of David Wright and Jose Reyes.  Seems that there is a faction of people who stop going to games at the end of the season (and I hear it and see it, being connected in the interwebs and all), but then dare say they won’t set foot in the stadium again if the Mets don’t keep Reyes and Wright.  Well, which is it?  Can we have it both ways?

Look, my philosophy at this point is that nobody is untouchable, not even Wright, not even Reyes, as much as I’d like to keep them around.  Sure, we’d love to dump Nick Evans or Jason Bay and get someone like Stephen Strasburg in return, but let’s get real: that aint happenin’. Steve suggests that we are wise to play our cards close, and that ultimately, if it comes down to getting our draft picks by offering Reyes arb and walking, so be it.

But it raises a question, and it’s a good one at that.  So, now what?  I guess we have no choice in the matter but to ride out the season…and I will look forward to planning my road trips for 2012.  Why not?  It will be better than me dreading the 8,000 different “What Happens To Reyes” posts I’m going to be reading from now till he decides what he’s doing.  After all, I ask for it each season.

I’m a Mets fan.  I’m a masochist.  It goes hand in hand.

On Your Toes

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I’m not a breaking news kind of gal.  Only if it’s something important, like someone gets traded or there’s an important free agent signing or there’s a response to some idiotic thing your team’s owner is saying (as a Mets fan, you can imagine…I have lots to write about).

But football is something I have an increasingly difficult time trying to find fresh content about which to write.  See, games are only once a week.  I don’t know about you guys, but I have a very immediate, knee-jerk reaction during the games especially.  It’s also easier for me to find things to say and write during a game, that when I have baseball and/or hockey overlapping (that have considerably more games to bitch and moan about…ESPECIALLY if you are a Mets and Rangers fan), I find my football fandom and my feelings get pushed aside for more immediate gratification.

Being me, though, I want to keep my thoughts and posts very personal, funny and engaging.  Like I said, it’s easier to do when you have new stuff to address each day, but also have some out-of-the-box thinking.  Like my post on comparing Rob Ryan to El Duderino…I have to say, I was proud of that post!  Especially for my foray into football writing, something which I would say is my definitive weakness.

Anyway, in my searches, I was able to link up with the Rant Sports’ Jets blogger, Jon Presser, who is a very creative out-of-the-box writer and thinker.  He agrees that the most difficult thing is to keep your readers on  your toes about football, and try to be engaging about new content in between the games.  However, Presser had a great piece today on his page, namely how right tackle Wayne Harris needs to step up his game, and is essentially an X-factor that no one really thinks about.  Now, this is the type of stuff I want to write about!  But since my reactions tend to be more in-the-moment and instinctive in any sport I follow, this is the type of stuff that grounds me as a fan, that I want to not only read, but I want to write as well.  So kudos to Presser (and be sure to click on the link as it is a good read).

Presser also brings up something else that the so-called smartest guys in the room weren’t talking about, but rather talking about the crown jewel that everyone pays attention to, and that’s the quarterback Mark Sanchez.  Hey, I have to admit, I like him too, but it’s more of a hero worship thing for me, since I truly believe he has a certain quality to him that is going to make him legendary in this town.  But ESPN brought up the effect of the cause Presser addresses, and that was how Sanchez was getting beat up during the game.  And how!  I kept cringing, and of course I was screaming about in on Twitter during the game.

My friend Blondie’s “That Ignorant Slut” Jake (just jokes – we go waaaay back) has his “There It Is Jake!” site, that he also writes about recaps and does his own version of Monday morning quarterbacking.  You know what I find?  That if my team does well on Sunday, I find I have nothing to bitch about on Mondays!  Perhaps like people like Jake, I need to do some Fantasy Football, so I have more of a reason to care about other games.  After all, the Jets provide me with a three-hour window to whine on Twitter about idiotic stuff they do.

So I guess my point is, I need to be able to channel that visceral response I have during games in order to give you some great Coop content.  So it’s gonna be a bumpy ride…in the meantime, though, I suggest you follow me on Jets game days @Coopz22 on Twitter.  I’m Randy Quaid-like, I get yelled at for being crazy, it’s fun.

If At “First” You Don’t Succeed…Get Depth

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There’s an old saying related to baseball that, “If at first you don’t succeed, try the outfield.” But if the Mets march to the beat of their own drummer, they changed that philosophy from the “outfield” to “first base.” John Olerud leaves as a free agent, no problem! Throw Todd Zeile there. Mo Vaughn hasn’t played in a few years and was an American League DH at his most feared. Hey, I have an idea: why not put him at first? He’s played there a bit! Doug Mientkiewicz? Yeah, he was a first baseman. But he was pretty bad at baseball.

What’s funny about the team this year is that seemingly, EVERYONE gets thrown at first base. After Ike Davis took a freak-accident-spill on a routine infield pop-up earlier this season, like many Mets injuries, it didn’t seem like much…but he hasn’t played since. Evidenced as such, the Mets have thrown four guys at first base not named Davis. In fact, Daniel Murphy holds the lead with 46 games started at 1B, and 37 games for Lucas Duda. Ike Davis played 36 games at first base, and Nick Evans has started 27 game at 1B (as of Tuesday). If Evans finishes out the season at 1B, four guys could theoretically finish playing less than 50 games each at 1B. The Mets have not had a ton of turnover at first base in its history, so this is significant.

You know what I find interesting? That when Ike Davis is anticipated to return next season, the Mets find themselves in a position of strength: a lot of guys who can play first base. Bonus: all of them have proven they can hit and play the position well enough to be every day players or at the very least, in a platoon situation.

Clearly, the position is Ike Davis’ to lose come next year in Spring Training. At least, this is how I am looking at things. Lucas Duda has been pretty much hand-selected by Terry Collins to be his starting right fielder in 2012, and obviously for the remainder of the season. Leaving us with Daniel Murphy and Nick Evans as the odd men out. All of a sudden, the Mets and their Front Office have a position of value and strength to use as trade bait.

Who is the odd man out, singular, though? In that respect, odd “men” and that would be Nick Evans and Daniel Murphy.

It’s funny with these two. I’ve made no secret about my appreciation of Daniel Murphy, as I feel his defensive woes are much ado about nothing, plus he’s shown he’s at a position of strength as a first baseman. If he had a more consistent position, whether first, second or third base…anything in the infield, really…he’d certainly be a big asset to any team. Nick Evans is a bit limited to where he can play, as his biggest strength has been showcased at first base, but he also has experience at left field. However, we all know left field is locked up by Jason Bay till 2013. Unless he is traded. But that’s not the hypothetical here.

Anyway, defensively and offensively, Daniel Murphy might have a slight leg up on Nick Evans on the Mets. Yet, his value could be used to get more parts in return in a trade.

See where I am going with this? Is Nick Evans more valuable as an off-the-bench guy in 2012 for the team? Or is Daniel Murphy going to be counted on for the team in a bigger way?

Another thing to consider is the Jose Reyes situation. If Reyes is not figuring into the long-term vision of the team, where Ruben Tejada plays in 2012 will impact how the Mets will look at the future of the aforementioned players. Clearly, the easiest scenario is that Reyes will re-sign, Tejada will play second base and all is right in the world. But if Reyes flies the coop, Tejada will easily be penciled in at shortstop next year. Right now, while Daniel Murphy rests his legs, he’s also the only one of the previously mentioned with any regular second base experience. Another item that would weigh in his favor of staying with the team than Nick Evans.

Overall, Evans took several years to prove himself, but with regular-ish playing time, he’s shown that he can keep up with the big boys. Murphy though was able to smack the hell out of the ball from day one pretty much. We’ll also need to consider that Evans is out of options. Like, negative amount of options at this point with how many times he’s been put on waivers (Cot’s and MLB Contracts has no information on his current status unfortunately). Daniel Murphy isn’t arb eligible until 2013 due to his injuries in the last few years. This could go either way: he’s so cheap it makes sense to keep him around, or trade him while his value is high and let him become another team’s “problem.” (But he’s a good problem to have)

There is a surplus at first base for the Mets for 2012. I guess on one hand, it’s good that the Mets have so many serviceable players to fill in when their every day players go down at this point. On the other hand, the odd men out look to be Daniel Murphy and Nick Evans. Either way, their value is at its highest and it would make sense at this point to see about the future without either of those players in the organization.

Accentuate The Positive

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Thanks to Senor Solly for the photo!

Two days after the so-called “Hatgate” occurred (in case you’ve been ignoring Twitter, Facebook or any other media since Sunday, the Mets were explicitly “not allowed” to wear any FDNY or NYPD caps to honor the first responders to the 9-11 disaster during the nationally televised game on Sunday night), people are still talking about it.  I’m a little flummoxed, to be quite honest.  I get why the majority of folks are upset.  It was a somber night, we were recognizing the families and loved ones of victims and heroes alike who were intimately touched by the tragedy.  MLB puts its foot down over something that seemed like a simple request, that should have maybe had a shred of decency or common courtesy attached to it.

After all, the Mets and Chicago Cubs, two teams with basically nothing to play for in the heat of several rivalries and pennant races that were infinitely more important, were chosen as the highlighted game because of New York City’s intimate touch with the reality of the 10th anniversary’s commemoration.

I thought MLB was being petty.  I thought, “Let the team wear the damn hats.”  There was even a hash tag that was kind of fun on Twitter going around, saying “#WearTheHats.”  I had maybe about two or three tweets relating to that.  I mean, it seemed like a simple enough request, right?  Josh Thole, the Mets player representative (why?), said that there would be heavy fines.  R.A. Dickey later said that the hats they wore during the pregame ceremonies were taken away.

Seems excessive, but two days later people are STILL harping about it, with MLB’s Undynamic Duo, Bud Selig and Joe Torre, pointing fingers and doing a cover-your-ass implementation for the fallout.

My question is…why are we still talking about it?  Why are we making such a big deal?  Yes, I get that MLB was a bunch of douchecanoes who wouldn’t allow the Mets to take a simple request.  My theory is at this point, there is a lot more to be pissed off about regarding MLB’s relationship with the Mets and MLB in general, than harping on a few people with anger issues towards MLB.

Let’s go down the list!

1) The fact that former car salesman, Bud Selig, is allowed to have any hold over MLB.  A former owner with conflict of interest issues?  Nah, say it aint so.

2) The fact that the same former car salesman allows the Wilpon/Katz consortium to have any holdings in Major League Baseball whatsoever.

3) The fact that St. Joseph of Torre thinks that the Mets were “too public” with their 9-11 charity work.  Oh wait, that was one of the guys he managed.  Never mind.

4) That not only this game was a 8:05 pm start (and didn’t start till 8:20) on the same night as a Jets/Cowboys Sunday Night Football game, a school night AND was supposed to be a 1:10 pm game initially, since it went into extra innings, people had to stay late or leave early, leaving barely 5,000 people in the stands.

4) Steve over at Kranepool Society raises a very good question about Josh Thole’s standing as Mets player representative.  As he suggests, someone as tenured as say, David Wright, who if he’s anything tries to play the diplomat but has never shown himself to be a leader, hasn’t stepped up is a source of concern (especially for someone marketed as “face of the franchise).  I can’t say I know a lot about how that whole representative things plays out or how it’s even chosen, but it is kinda sad that a guy who can be demoted to the minors at any time is the representative.  Just sayin.

In the meantime, let’s look at some of the more positive aspects of Sunday night’s telecast.

1) The Mets, if they’re anything, are charitable and have brought the term “Never forget” to the forefront.  They offered hundreds of free tickets to the families of first responders and victims of 9-11.

2) Hosting a Class A pregame ceremony for the audience, including members of Tuesday’s Children (a 9-11 charity that the Mets have been actively involved in) coming out with the players to hold the flags.

3) The continued honoring of first responders and veterans are always a touching tribute to the Mets.

4) As much as I knock them, the Mets put on a good ceremony.  Period.

5) Terry Collins saying that it’s time to move on.  It is indeed time to move and start winning some damn ballgames.

Look, if anything, MLB won’t fuck with the Mets anymore, or any New York team for that matter, and let them do what they damn well want to do as far as wearing the caps next year. Or perhaps the Mets will be more prepared, and wear a pin commemorating (like a Yellow Ribbon inspired, similar to the red AIDS pins or breast cancer pins worn at different events) next year.  Or a patch.  Or something else.  They weren’t expecting this kind of fall out so perhaps decency and common sense will prevail.

Seriously, though, let’s move on from this, and learn to accentuate the positives from the night and the reaction of the team.  There were many other things that happened that we can applaud, and just ignore MLB’s acts of buffoonery.

El Duderino

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Uma? Oprah?  Dude?  Lebowski?

Okay, now that I got my obligatory “Isn’t Rob Ryan a doppelganger for El Duderino???” photos out of the way, I can get to the good part.  And that’s of the game between the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, September 11.

The TV guys were calling it the “Ryan Bowl,” which essentially means the identical twins (though Rob looks more like one of those Evil Parallel Universe from South Park version of Rex Ryan) are going to have a great defensive game and not much else.

It was surprising to me though, because the Jets once again start their season with not only a lot of hype, but a lot of yips as well.  It’s no secret that the young “Sanchize” has a ton of expectations thrust on him for this season.  And rightfully so.  If the Jets are this so-called force with which to be reckoned, he’s gotta step his shit up.  With all the running of their mouths they do (and trust me, I’m a fan, and it drives me nuts), the games get played on the field, and this is where they need to prove it.  Not by saying, “We’re awesome,” and then flounder in the AFC title game (yes, I’m still upset about that).

Anyway, both teams simply were not the juggernauts of defense, as the Cowboys kept on scoring, Sanchez had the yips, and Gang Green ALMOST looked afraid to score. To which I say, what’s the point of hammering the virtues of defense when a) the other team is just going to make you look foolish and b) you’re afraid to do anything about it.  As our friends in American Pie once told us, you don’t score till you score.

Till, you know, they started doing something about it.  Sanchez was getting sacked left and right, and looked foolish at times.  Tony Romo actually looked like he was rising to the occasion (talk about the hype machine).

But then it happened.  The Jets came back from a deficit, Nick Folk made us believers for at least one game, and Darrelle Revis is still the motherfuckin’ man.  Oh wait, I take that back.  At least behind Al Michaels (whom I adore), he is. Yet, this team has far to go before I can safely say that they are not only AFC Championship material, but Super Bowl quality that they have been touting since Ryan came aboard.  I’m a show-me person.  So show me.

I will say though, I was at the game last year where they came from behind against the Houston Texans last November, and I vowed at that moment I would not stop believing till the clock hit zero.

And The Coop abides.

“C” is for “Cally…”

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That’s good enough for me!!

"C" isn't just for "Cookie," it's for "Callahan is Captain!"

Ranger fans received some great news that a) the team isn’t as clueless as we thought they were and b) someone who is the heart and soul of the team was rewarded, finally!

Ryan Callahan was named the 26th Captain in franchise history today, along with Brad Richards and Marc Staal being named the Alternates.

Even Glen Sather had to agree that “Ryan Callahan embodies all the leadership qualities we seek from our captain.”  Amen.  Not sure if he’ll be “Messier-like,” but he does inspire his teammates to play better, and to me that suggests he’ll be a great leader.

I will argue that the reason the Rangers did not go far into the playoffs last season was because of the devastating loss of Callahan at the end of the season.  So heartbreaking, but hopefully with the addition of Richards, and a break out season from Marian Gaborik (please?), Henrik Lundqvist won’t be the only guy worth a damn going into 2012.

Oh and on a side note, I attended a Rangers Subscribers event last January at Hammerstein Ballroom/Manhattan Center.  I got lots of “eye candy” photos for the ladies of Cally and Handsome Hank (to the guys…your man crushes I suppose).  Enjoy!

The Bobby (Parnell) Situation

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Any time I can make a reference to one of my favorite movies, Pulp Fiction, in a post about the Mets, clearly I am going to take it.

This time I am not contemplating any “IFs,” but rather looking for a Winston Wolfe-type of person to come in and clean up the mess of Bobby Parnell. This situation I am terming “The Bobby (Parnell) Situation.”

Some folks, like my friend Richie S from Random Mets Thoughts suggest that the Bobby-Parnell-as-closer experiment be shut down yesterday (and hopefully prior to the meltdown on Saturday to get a “do-over.”). I can understand. After all, Robert Allen Parnell (not to be confused with a seemingly effective Robert Allen…”RA” Dickey) has been with the team in some capacity since 2008. He’s one of those quintessential pitchers with “good stuff” (loose translation means: “he throws really really hard”). However, he hasn’t quite figured out how to harness it.

However, I won’t go so far as to say that the experiment should be closed and we need to move on. Yes, I do know that he’s blown three saves in ONE damn week. Yes, I know it’s incredibly aggravating to see him come in during the 9th, especially when we’ve been a little almost to a degree (ahem) “fortunate” with some good closers in the last few years with Billy Wagner and Francisco Rodriguez. Yes, I remember how much those two made my ulcer heat up. For the most part, we were lucky. Okay LUCKIER THAN MOST. I digress. Anyway, some might feel the Bobby Parnell Experiment situation is over. But I see it is just beginning.

See, we had the pleasure on the Kult of Mets Personalities to have former Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson as a guest, and the Krew asked him about his feelings on Bobby Parnell. The theory (which is flawed) is that if a pitcher can hit 97, 98, 99, even 100 MPH on the gun, that the strike outs should come easily. Not so, and we’ve seen this issue with Parnell on many occasions. Peterson even said that hitters can swing over 100 MPH. The problem is Parnell doesn’t have an out pitch nor is his pitching cadence consistent. Peterson points out that many pitchers with hittable “stuff” (think: Burnett, AJ) has to do with the fact that their foot positioning is inconsistent. Their arm position may not only be tipping their pitches beforehand, but also that their arms are throwing while their foot has not come down.

Considering this guy managed to help Oliver Perez win 15 games in 2007, I’m willing to take his position seriously and not just with a grain of salt. These mechanical flaws can not only tip the hitters off, but cause the pitcher to keep making the same mistakes over and over.

Likewise, I’ve mentioned before that I think Dan Warthen is pretty worthless. Fact is, we have not seen much marked improvement on the pitching staff which can go many ways. Mike Pelfrey I think is too stubborn to listen to advice, and that he and Peterson did not click when he was there. However, look at pitchers who pretty much developed under Warthen’s watch: Jonathon Niese, Dillon Gee, even Parnell. The former two are serviceable pitchers but have not taken the next level of their careers. This could be a problem and cause the Mets to do something drastic, like trade them when they have not only good stuff, but they “get it.”

Here’s my thing with Parnell: I actually have advocated he be the closer for the Mets. I think out of all the Mets’ home grown pitchers, he has the most potential for the bullpen and that can be very valuable. He also “gets it.” See, what kind of annoys me but at the same time gives me hope is that he ALWAYS knows when he messes up. Yet, he can’t seem to learn what he is doing wrong in those moments. He also has a mentality I think to not only be taught the changes, but that he gets the idea of being a closer. It takes a special type of pitcher to balance that.

I think he can do it, he needs to be taught. I think he could be receptive.

He’s not Billy Wagner, he’s not Frankie Rodriguez, he’s certainly not Trevor Hoffman or anyone of that ilk…YET. He could be, and this is why I think Bobby Parnell could be taught the mechanics of being a good closer of the future for the Mets. Especially if he feels he can do it. To me, that’s half the battle.

In closing, I respectfully disagree with my friend Richie S, but I hope that doesn’t hinder the next beer he plans to buy…