link - I'll admit, when Omar Minaya signed R.A. Dickey this offseason, I thought to myself, "Why are we wasting our money on a 35-year-old pitcher?" Well, R.A. Dickey has proven pretty much everybody who had that same thought wrong. R.A. Dickey's knuckleball may arguably be the sole bright spot in a season that might perhaps be the most epic failure of a baseball team ever. Now, when I see that R.A. Dickey is pitching, I say to myself, "We have half a chance of winning today, provided that the offense actually shows up."
link - In the minors - They started Jenrry Meija in their bullpen to begin the 2010 season, but recognized that a pitcher with his kind of stuff and repertoire belongs in the starting rotation. His arm hasn’t been healthy since he was moved to a starting role, but he hopes to pitch in winter ball despite the arm issues. He’s not a big pitcher, but that doesn’t prevent him from throwing in the mid-90s and his change makes the fastball that much more difficult to hit.
link - Josh Thole felt like he was “on the edge.” Last winter, he knew he needed to do something to improve his defense, from getting comfortable in his crouch to blocking balls to footwork on bunts. So when Bob Natal, the Mets’ minor-league catching coordinator, visited him at winter ball in Venezuela, Thole had a suggestion. Thole asked if he could visit Natal at home in a Dallas suburb and spend a few weeks working on catching fundamentals. Natal said yes, so after the holidays, Thole and his fiancée got a room at an extended-stay place about 10 minutes from Natal’s house in McKinney, Texas. Thole spent the next four weeks working with Natal every day. Thole feels the work helped him improve behind the plate during his long stint in the majors this season.
link - Don't expect Beltran's spot in the outfield to change anytime soon. Beltran said he intended to stay in center next season instead of moving to one of the corner outfield positions to save some wear and tear on his knees. "Right now I do," he said. "Later in my career, I probably will think about switching, but now I don't have to make that decision." Pagan has been solid in both left and right, but has flourished more in center and clearly likes playing that role the best. Last night, Pagan pinch-hit and struck out against Billy Wagner to end the game. "That's my position," Pagan said of center field. "Since I signed, I've been playing center field pretty much my whole minor league career and I feel comfortable in center." Beltran said he knows the feeling, but wasn't too sympathetic
link - Joe Torre won't hang up the phone on Jeff Wilpon if the Mets COO wants to bring him home. Though the 70-year-old Torre is leaning toward calling it a managerial career, after yesterday announcing he will step down as Dodgers manager at the end of this season, a person close to the Brooklyn native told The Post that the Mets might be the only team that could lure Torre back to the dugout for 2011. The Mets are expected to announce within the next 2½ weeks that they won't be picking up the option for next season on manager Jerry Manuel's contract. Wally Backman remains the front-runner for the job, but an organizational source wouldn't rule out the possibility of the Mets at least inquiring about Torre, who has a strong relationship with principal owner Fred Wilpon.
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