2/23/10

Silver Sandy, David Wright, Frank Catanotto, Koufax Advice... and John Maine

Silver Sandy:

SILVER SANDY SCAVENGER SEARCH: Each week -- beginning Monday, March 1st -- the Cyclones will be hiding a Silver Sandy bobblehead at secret locations throughout Brooklyn! Can you find the Silver Sandy? The first person to find the bobblehead will win a special Cyclones prize pack - which can include tickets, hats, autographs, first pitch opportunity and much more. in addition, the winner will have their picture taken with the Silver Sandy at the secret location, to be posted on http://www.brooklyncyclones.com/.





David Wright:

David’s the first to admit that last year was not a good one for him and he hopes to rebound in a big way in 2010. There’s not a lot to criticize about David, he plays the game the right way and he always tries to improve his game. If I had to find a fault it’s in his leadership ability. Now I’m not saying David is not a leader, he cares about this team more than any other player on it I believe, he talks to the media day in and day out no matter if it’s a good game or a 2009 baseball game. He says the right things to the media but I’m tired of his “they played better baseball than us” reasoning, it’s time for David to step up and become the leader we know he can be. David seems at times to be hesitant about becoming the leader on this team. We saw glimpses of his leadership ability last year when he got in Pelfrey’s face to try to help the big man, it was a good sign and I was hoping to see more of that last year but that didn’t happen. For years David has been called the leader by the fans and most of the press, it’s time for him to accept it and lead this team to victory - link

Frank Catalanotto:

I went into what Frank can bring to a team here. He brings some positive contact production from the left side of the plate, and could make an ideal pinch hitter. The fact that the Met bench is currently comprised of mostly right-handed hitters, it is apparent that they need a left-handed batter to step up. As long as Catalanotto proves he still possesses the bat speed to handle big league pitching this spring, I think his chances are good to make the team.  - link



Koufax Advice:

Perez - "You can't control the ball unless you can control your body," Koufax said. "He's got a great arm. People pay too much attention to delivery. Pitching is throwing. It's precision throwing. You get a guy who's a third baseman who can't hit. You decide you're going to make a pitcher out of him. He's got a great arm. You decide you're going to make a pitcher out of him, and you give him a delivery. Now he can't throw either. Sometimes delivery is overrated. You're throwing, and that's the basis of it. You don't want to change what you do. I think people need to have some sort of delivery, but delivery shouldn't interfere with your ability to throw."

Maine - "We talked the other day about how he gets to the inside corner and tried to explain something to him and we talked about that," Koufax said. "Then, I thought he should be longer, a longer stride on his fastball. (I don't know) whether it's going to work or not. These are suggestions. If they don't work or you're uncomfortable, forget it. I don't have all the answers, and nothing works for everybody. ... Every pitcher should try everything to find out what works for him. If you don't try things you're making a mistake."

Santana: - "Stay healthy," Koufax said. "Warren Spahn used to say the plate is 17 inches wide and 15 belong to the hitter. He doesn't use that 15 that belong to the hitter very often." - link

John Maine:

And maybe John Maine will win 15 games, just like he did in 2007. And he’ll make it through a full season without getting hurt. Or maybe not. And maybe the new and improved Oliver Perez, after an off-season of training in Arizona at the Facility For Wacky Athletes Who Can’t Be Trusted to Train on Their Own, with a new body and mindset, will win 15 games with a 3.56 ERA (2007) once again, and be the late bloomer that every Met fan is praying for. Or maybe not. And maybe Nieve will be a diamond in the rough, a great find who will surprise everybody. Or maybe not. And maybe Niese will blossom and spend a full season in the majors with the big club. Or maybe not. - link

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