David Rubin: Stitches, Ash & Cowhide (aka Baseball Notes)

The Four Seasons of Baseball

Every year, about this time, the reality that baseball season is almost over sets in. It's a long season, of that there is no doubt...but the passing of the baseball season, as you get older, becomes symbolic of the passing of another year in your life. When we're younger, the approach of Spring Training means we can soon go outside, play wiffle ball, get ready to enroll in little league, train for high school ball, plan trips to Florida and/or Arizona, and check our closets to see if we need yet another new jersey (we never do, but that's not relevant!) After you've invested in your team all year, and they fall short, or FAR short, the winter simultaneously can't come soon enough and came too soon, which is the conundrum (one of many) that baseball fanatics share.


We map out the season not via days or weeks, but via which teams we are playing and whether the game is home or away. Since I watch the majority of my beloved Mets games' via the internet (MLB subscription), and live in Southern California, away games on the West Coast mean being able to eat dinner uninterrupted for a change, while my "East Coast Brethren" end up losing more sleep then usual. We break up the year into "4 Seasons" - but they're certainly NOT Winter, Spring, Summer & Fall. Instead, we celebrate the changing of seasons as "Spring Training, Regular Season, Play-Offs/World Series & Winter Meetings." Any gaps between these "seasons" cease to exist.

Obviously, we are currently in the "Play-Offs/World Series" season, which means, once again, that the Mets are on the sidelines as viewers, not participants, and it's getting really, really old (and so am I, it seems.) The 1986 World Series victors are about to celebrate their 25th Anniversary, and the '69 team celebrated their 40th Anniversary a mere year ago. In other words, it's been a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG time since the Mets have remained relevant. That's why this off-season will be so very important to Mets fans, as we witness the re-imagining (if you will) of the organization yet again.

We went through this in 2004, 4 years removed from a World Series loss to the Yankees, and here we are again, 6 years later, also 4 years removed from relevance (a Carlos Beltran strike-out away from the World Series), and the only difference is- we are 4 years older. Well, that's not entirely true. The team the new GM will inherit (either Sandy Alderson or Josh Byrnes) is laden with far more talent, both at the major and minor league levels, then the team that Omar Minaya inherited in 2004. In the interim, hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent; tons of players have come and gone (and come again); and hopes of millions of fans have been dashed time and again.

Open During Construction

We are going through this again, the upheaval that comes with new management, but perhaps the biggest difference this time is that our roster is certainly not as far from contention as the one that featured the likes of Kaz Matsui, Richard Hidalgo, Shane Spencer, Karim Garcia, Vance Wilson, Grant Roberts and Danny Garcia. The new GM is going to have to make some quick decisions, especially regarding what to do with players that don't fit on the team, including Ollie Perez, Luis Castillo, Frankie Rodriguez and Beltran. Chances are, Beltran & K-Rod aren't going anywhere, as neither will be easy to trade and represent too much guaranteed money to simply release. However, how the new GM handles Perez &; Castillo, totaling approximately $18 million in commitment this season, will give the fans a firsthand look at just how differently the new GM will not just operate but be ALLOWED to operate. Perhaps Omar's most fatal flaw was the locking up of older talent to long-term deals, handcuffing the team this season, until over $50 million comes off the books at the end of the year.

It's going to be very interesting to see if the Wilpons, as recently reported, actually allow the new GM to take on additional, large-salaried players this off-season, like Carl Crawford, Cliff Lee or Zack Greinke, or if they wait until mid-season to allow the new GM to see what fruits might be picked from the trees of non-contenders. It's doubtful that either Lee or Crawford would see a rebuilding Mets organization as their first choice, unless a crazy offer that far exceeds the competitors is extended their way, and I truly do NOT see that happening. Therefore, it will probably be a series of trades, either of the "our bad contract for your bad contract" type, or one of prospects for prospects, unless the new GM happens to be able to take advantage of a club that's ready/willing to cut payroll. The new GM will have to address getting an SP1 to replace Santana until he's back from injury; fill out the bullpen; sign a back-up catcher, whether bringing back Blanco or seeking younger legs; decide whether to platoon Murphy/Tejada at second, or splurge on a new second-sacker; and make a decision on whether or not to extend Reyes' contract or simply pick up his $11.5 mil option and seek out possible trade partners for him. After second base and starting pitching, there really aren't too many opportunities/needs to add expensive players to the roster, allowing the GM additional time to get acclimated to the system and learn just who is who in the minor leagues. All in all, this should prove to be the most exciting off-season Mets' fans have had in quite some time...6 years, to be exact. Let's hope there's something even better waiting out there for us then even Pedro Martinez and Beltran!!

Met Connections to the World Series / "6 Degrees of Mike Morgan"

The Mets might not be in the World Series, but there are some very clear ties to both teams, via former players/prospects.

On Texas, Nelson Cruz was once a Met, traded to the A's in 2000, after being signed as an amateur FA in 1998; Darren O'Day was claimed off waivers from the Mets in April of '09; Darren Oliver was granted free agency at the end of the '06 season, and after 3 years with the Angels, he returned to the Rangers this season; Jeff Francoeur was traded to the Rangers on the last day of August; Jon Daniels, the GM, grew up a Mets fan in Queens; Clint Hurdle, the hitting coach, had 2 tours of duty as a player with the Mets, in '83 and again in '87, and began his managerial career by taking the reigns of the Mets' St. Lucie Class A team in '88, staying with the organization until '94 when he moved to the Rockies; Ron Washington, the manager, was both a minor leaguer in the Mets' system as well as working in the Mets minor league organization for 5 years after retiring as a player; and, of course, Nolan Ryan, President/Owner, was a pitcher with the team from '66 - '71, including winning his only World Series as a player with the Mets!!

On San Francisco, reliever Guillermo Mota was originally signed by the Mets, and returned to play in the majors with them from '06 - '07, including a 50-game suspension for using PEDs; obviously, Special Advisor Willie Mays ended his career as a Met from '72- '73; Dick Tidrow, VP-Player Personnel ended his long career with the Mets in '84; Shawon Dunston, Defensive Coordinator, was a Met for a partial season in '99; and Bruce Bochy, manager, was a back-up catcher for one season, '82.

This doesn't take into account players like Benjie Molina, who was rumored to be a Met so many times that he may as well have gotten a check from the Wilpons, and who played for both teams this season (guaranteeing him a World Series ring regardless of who wins!) This means the Mets are connected to both managers, as well as multiple players and front office personnel. Granted, it's a small game and you can extend connections ("6 Degrees of Mike Morgan", if you will - a tribute to both actor Kevin Bacon and pitcher Mike Morgan, who played for a record 12 teams) from every team to every other team, but I still find it fascinating to see which ex-Mets play important roles with other teams. Here's hoping for an exciting World Series!!

Why Settle With K-Rod?

Quite simply, if Wally Backman is, indeed, going to be a contender for manager of the Mets, it behooved the Mets to settle things with K-Rod as soon as possible. The last thing they would've wanted was to have someone call them hypocrites for hiring someone with a history of domestic violence yet attempting to refrain from paying K-Rod for the same reason. I understand the different circumstances, and where Wally is today (and he's my first choice to be Mets manager), but you just KNOW that someone would start the comparison and it would grow in size until the Mets had to fend off public outcry from multiple sources. And, if the Mets DO hire Backman, maybe he and K-Rod bond over their similar circumstances and perhaps K-Rod flourishes under him? All speculation, but who knows?

Talkin' Willie, Ricky & The Kook

The Brewers are about to hire a new manager, and by all accounts, it's NOT going to be ex-Met manager, Willie Randolph. It'll be interesting to see if he stays with Milwaukee or tries to hook on elsewhere. Pitching coach Rick Peterson could also be on the move, as reports have him as a contender for the now open position of Pitching Coach with the Boston Red Sox. As for the "kook" - well, it's not baseball relevant, but I am SO sick of hearing the name Christine O'Donnell that I'm as vested in seeing her opponent, Chris Coons, win the election as I am with seeing homophobic New York Gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino lose!! Sorry for the politics- and back to our regularly scheduled baseball ramblings!!


A Banner Year in the "Bender" House- for Baseball Books, that is!!

In early November, I'll post my (nearly) end-of-the-year baseball book reviews, highlighted by Jane Leavy's "The Last Boy" - which I recommend MOST HIGHLY!!! I've read a number of Mickey Mantle books over the years, and even had the great opportunity to meet "The Mick" back in 1977, and it's amazing how deeply Mantle affected his fans and detractors alike. This is one of those books that you simply MUST add to your library!! I'll be reviewing books on Roger Maris, Charlie Finley, Barnstorming and baseball cards, amongst others - and I'll offer micro-reviews of those books I've already reviewed earlier this year, elsewhere.

Pujols & Jeter = Musial & Gehrig

Albert Pujols and Derek Jeter need to stay a Cardinal and Yankee, respectively. Pujols has one year (option) on his current contract, and Jeter is a Free Agent-to-be. These are franchise players, and it's really become tiresome seeing top players leaving their teams in their prime for money. Granted, Jeter is far from his prime, but Pujols is just stepping into his, and both players exemplify everything that's great about the game and deserve to go into the Hall of Fame as members of a single team, like their predecessors, Musial and Gehrig. I hope that one day the Mets face the same situation with David Wright, and they'll do the right thing and keep him a Met for life. Sometimes, loyalty IS more important than a paycheck...

I'm A Rambling Guy

It's true that some games went WAY too long this season, especially in the Play-offs, but the argument that utilizing instant replay will make games way too long isn't valid versus the potential for continued blown calls to change the outcome of critical games. What if that interference call that wasn't called for Nelson Cruz ended up with the Yankees winning that ballgame by a single run? Sorry- the argument that baseball never had instant replay so it doesn't need it doesn't hold water anymore. Baseball never had free agency...until it DID!...After watching the amazing "Last Play at Shea" last Thursday evening, I had to rewatch Game 6 of the '86 World Series again. I've said it before, but I can't WAIT until the DVD comes out in February, and URGE anyone who didn't get a chance to see this amazing flick to grab a copy as soon as it comes out!!!...I can't remember a season in many years when so many exciting rookies came up all at once. It's refreshing on many levels, not the least being a chance to watch the PED-free careers of many potential superstars blossom, to see the proliferation of great young ballplayers all at once. It seems more like an NBA or NFL rookie class then an MLB rookie class...There have been SO many bad trades that ended up FAR worse then the Mets trade of Scott Kazmir - can we FINALLY get over it and NOT mention it in every article about the state of the Mets???...A bullpen built around K-Rod, Parnell, Feliciano and Takahashi is a great start, in my opinion- now we just have to re-sign both Feliciano and Takahashi - and didn't the Phils being unwound by Giant lefty-relievers make Feliciano that much more valuable???...I think the most amazing thing about Ken Burns' great addition to his "Baseball" documentary, "The Tenth Inning," is that so much was left OUT that he could easily have gone another 4 hours covering the same 15 year period! Ripken's streak, tours of all the new ballparks, the White Sox victory, the exploits of Maddux/Glavine/Thomas/Griffey, etc, all could have received far more screen-time, which is why editing that puppy must have been just as hard as writing it!! Let's hope we'll see an "11th Inning" some time in the next 10 years!!...When does Brian Cashman get any "heat" for spending tens of millions of dollars on pitchers who are headcases (Burnett, Pavano) and failing in developing his own, supposedly top level pitching prospects (Chamberlin, Hughes, etc)...If the Royals were to wait another half-season to see how Greinke fares, his value could either sky-rocket or plummet, depending upon how well he starts out the season. Here's hoping he's not another Bret "every other year" Saberhagen - and I'm not so sure that bringing someone who has recently suffered from an anxiety disorder should be brought into the pressure-cooker that is New York baseball...Have the McCourts settled yet? Has Frank fired the rest of his staff yet? Has Jamie bought any more houses in Malibu yet? Does anyone care yet? Except Bud Selig, that is??...The Yankees smacked the Twins around, and got handled by the Rangers. The Phillies smacked the Reds around, and got handled by the Giants. Both Central Divisions are W-E-A-K!! The Reds were 33-12 vs. the Cubs, Astros and Brewers...the Twins were 47-25 in their own division (Royals, Tigers, White Sox & Indians)...so beating up on your own, weaker division teams CAN and DOES get you into the play-offs- making the argument for a second Wild Card team that much more valid...Now that Yu Darvish has decided to play another season in Japan, this gives the Mets another SP1 option for the 2012 season, especially if Johan Santana doesn't heal as well as expected/hoped for...Apparently, Byrnes had his second interview Monday and Alderson will be at CitiField today, Tuesday, for his second interview. I'm still betting the house on Alderson, but we've all been wrong before and either way, things will be looking up soon...that's it for today's inaugural "Stitches, Ash & Cowhide" column, and I'll be back later this week with a bunch of posts, including one about slotting and the draft (just to get Mack off my back- LMAO!!!)