Being a Met-fan- heck, being a fan of ANYTHING – means you think about your team in mostly black and white, good and bad, wrong and right, and grey area (and sometimes, grey-matter) doesn’t come into play. When your team is going badly, it’s got to be someone’s fault, and that old axiom says “you can’t fire the whole team” so someone has to be responsible - even when it’s not the fault of any one person. Fans want blood - hence, the word ‘fanatic’ – and everything that happens to your team has to have an accountable party behind it, in this case, the manager.
We’ve all heard the arguments, for and against, for firing the manager, in this case one Mickey “Cab” Callaway; now, we’re going to show the duality of fandom, the pro and con, the “fire his ass now” and the “it’s not only his fault” point and counterpoint of firing the Mets manager now.
Arguing for the pro side, will be me; arguing for the con side, also me! Hence, the duality of being a fan in one, crazy, mixed-up mind!
We’ve all heard the arguments, for and against, for firing the manager, in this case one Mickey “Cab” Callaway; now, we’re going to show the duality of fandom, the pro and con, the “fire his ass now” and the “it’s not only his fault” point and counterpoint of firing the Mets manager now.
Arguing for the pro side, will be me; arguing for the con side, also me! Hence, the duality of being a fan in one, crazy, mixed-up mind!
Against Mickey: As I write this, I almost regret throwing Mets manager, Mickey Callaway, aka "Cab" to me & my friends, under the bus. By all accounts, he's a great guy, a family man, loves baseball, heck, he might even like apple pie and Chevrolet for all I know. After Tuesday night's game, as the legendary philosopher. Popeye The Sailor, once said, "That's all I can stands, and I can't stands no more!"
They won't knock him publicly, but their expressions said it all - staff aces Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard did NOT appreciate being taken out of games they felt they could get under control. Jake for a hip tweak, Thor because Cab didn't think he had anything left; in both cases, Cab's pulling of his horses resulted in the bullpen (once more) blowing games that should've been sure victories, and in Thor's case, the bullpen proved short-staffed (again, once more) for Wednesday's game and starter Jason Vargas.
Using both Gsellman and Lugo in multiple innings, in the same game. that should have been a victory meant that neither was available for Wednesday's game, and as we know whenever Lugo goes 2 innings in the same game, he needs at least 2 days to recover, which most likely has him out of tonight's game, as well. It's moves like this that have long had me questioning whether Mickey was ready to stand up as a manager, let alone one in the largest media market in the world.
The pitching staff has regressed, as a whole, and while you might want to point a finger at pitching coach Dave Eiland, he’s managed by Mickey and as we know, fish stinks from the head. Regardless of Mickey's pitching guru-status, he's not yet proven able to manage a bullpen as the man in charge, and the fact that he used to be a pitching coach makes this situation that much less palatable.
Mickey has, at times, seemed speechless, clueless, and gutless; regardless of how awesome of a person he appears to be, he’s lost the control of this team, the confidence of the faithful, and he needs to go before this season, like last season, spirals out of control.
Using both Gsellman and Lugo in multiple innings, in the same game. that should have been a victory meant that neither was available for Wednesday's game, and as we know whenever Lugo goes 2 innings in the same game, he needs at least 2 days to recover, which most likely has him out of tonight's game, as well. It's moves like this that have long had me questioning whether Mickey was ready to stand up as a manager, let alone one in the largest media market in the world.
The pitching staff has regressed, as a whole, and while you might want to point a finger at pitching coach Dave Eiland, he’s managed by Mickey and as we know, fish stinks from the head. Regardless of Mickey's pitching guru-status, he's not yet proven able to manage a bullpen as the man in charge, and the fact that he used to be a pitching coach makes this situation that much less palatable.
Mickey has, at times, seemed speechless, clueless, and gutless; regardless of how awesome of a person he appears to be, he’s lost the control of this team, the confidence of the faithful, and he needs to go before this season, like last season, spirals out of control.
For Mickey: Now, let's put some things into their proper perspective; the manager of the Mets does not make a lot of his own calls; he receives a line-up that is already made out for him, as well as a list of suggested pinch-hitters vs. the opposing team's bullpen choices, in addition to a recommended bullpen match-up list, all from the team's Sabermetrics department.
While the line-up decisions are made for the manager, it remains his choice when to pull a pitcher and who they think should come into the game to relieve him. However, HE is not the one pitching; Lugo looked sharp until Tuesday night; Gsellman has been up and down but mostly up; Thor was NOT looking great all night on Tuesday, AND IF Jacob indeed HAD his hip injury get worse as a result of Mickey NOT pulling him out of the game, it wouldn’t have been merely fans and some journalists calling for his head- Brodie would have had no choice but to act.
While the line-up decisions are made for the manager, it remains his choice when to pull a pitcher and who they think should come into the game to relieve him. However, HE is not the one pitching; Lugo looked sharp until Tuesday night; Gsellman has been up and down but mostly up; Thor was NOT looking great all night on Tuesday, AND IF Jacob indeed HAD his hip injury get worse as a result of Mickey NOT pulling him out of the game, it wouldn’t have been merely fans and some journalists calling for his head- Brodie would have had no choice but to act.
If you fire Mickey, shouldn’t you fire the bench coach? Hitting coach? Pitching coach? After all, isn’t it also their responsibility to help their charges? How could it ONLY be the managers fault? Well, we know it’s not only the managers fault, but we also know, at least in the middle of a season, that you’re not going to fire an entire coaching staff.
Look- we all want the team to win, and the manager is the easiest target when we aren’t performing up to expectations. But before we burn Mickey down, let’s remember that he didn’t injure Lowrie, Cespedes or anyone else; he’s not the reason that Michael Conforto is so maddeningly inconsistent; his hands are mostly tied by an overly involved front office (though at least the folks in charge now are FAR more qualified than the previous regime); and, if Mickey goes, Brodie has no one for the press to blame for the team’s failures besides him, something that no first year GM, let alone one who was most recently a player agent, wants to have happen.
Just ask Mickey- being cannon-fodder is no fun at all.
Just ask Mickey- being cannon-fodder is no fun at all.
Summary: Is the team under-performing? You bet your sweet bippy!! Has the team had a ton of freak and ill-timed injuries? Definitely!!! Is it time to panic???? That depends- if Brodie rests on his laurels, and cannot add salary, then yes, at this point, panic away, yell from the rooftops, and be pissed off at yet another, wasted season.
If, however, the team looks to strengthen their bullpen, continues to add minor league depth and follows up on a very strong amateur draft with some impactful international signings, then maybe it’s time to put aside thoughts about contending this season and start focusing on the long-term projections for the organization. In other words, too soon to panic, but keep taking your CBD Oil and have a bottle of tequila ready, just in case!
If, however, the team looks to strengthen their bullpen, continues to add minor league depth and follows up on a very strong amateur draft with some impactful international signings, then maybe it’s time to put aside thoughts about contending this season and start focusing on the long-term projections for the organization. In other words, too soon to panic, but keep taking your CBD Oil and have a bottle of tequila ready, just in case!
~Few people understand the draft and young talent better than our own Mack. Like many of you, I wait every year for his pre and post draft thoughts, and I also have learned after many years to not base whether or not a draft was successful until 4-5 years after it’s happened.
However, despite all this, I think that the Mets had a very successful first two days of the draft based on 4 of their first 5 picks. Look, even if they can’t sign third round pick Matt Allan, they would receive a similar pick next year in a draft that’s predicted to be much deeper in impact talent. Either way, it’s a risk that Brodie had to take, and I applaud him for it. And hey- getting 2 potential, high impact arms and 2 high potential, high impact bats out of the first 5 picks is a great start!
However, despite all this, I think that the Mets had a very successful first two days of the draft based on 4 of their first 5 picks. Look, even if they can’t sign third round pick Matt Allan, they would receive a similar pick next year in a draft that’s predicted to be much deeper in impact talent. Either way, it’s a risk that Brodie had to take, and I applaud him for it. And hey- getting 2 potential, high impact arms and 2 high potential, high impact bats out of the first 5 picks is a great start!
~In rounds 11-15 the Mets took 3 centerfielders and 2 pitchers, in case you were wondering where they know they need to add depth. 4 were college seniors, one was from high school, so they are, indeed, continuing to draft college players in order to save money (like they did in rounds 4-10 in order to save money for their run at Allan. And, in case you were wondering, only monies saved in rounds 1-10 can be used to overpay a draft pick from any savings earned.)
They've also added speed to the organization, and must be hoping that some of these college players will have a quicker path to the bigs. And, in the words of my best friend, "I usually dislike day 3 picks but I am liking several of the scouting reports of these picks so far." Let's hope the reports prove to be factual...
They've also added speed to the organization, and must be hoping that some of these college players will have a quicker path to the bigs. And, in the words of my best friend, "I usually dislike day 3 picks but I am liking several of the scouting reports of these picks so far." Let's hope the reports prove to be factual...
~MLB MUST get the production of their balls under control because it’s responsible for baseballs leaving the yard at unheard of rates and for power pitchers like Sale, Scherzer and deGrom having ERA’s near or over the 4.00 mark. Please- END THIS MADNESS!!!
~Those damn Yankees strike again- they grabbed Al Leiter’s son, Jack, with their 20th round pick. I was really hoping that the boys from Queens would grab this second generation future star but you have to think that he’s going to college hence the other teams passing on someone who should have been a late first round pick.
From someone who has watched him pitch, he’s got better stuff then his dad, great make-up and a real head for the trade, which is the least you’d expect from the progeny of one of the best pitching minds in the game.
From someone who has watched him pitch, he’s got better stuff then his dad, great make-up and a real head for the trade, which is the least you’d expect from the progeny of one of the best pitching minds in the game.
~Wolf, Allan, Richardson, Peterson, Szapucki – the future Mets rotation is finally starting to take shape before our eyes!
~As I write this on Thursday, it’s looking like Kimbrel to the Cubs and Keuchel to the Yankees, and once more the rich get richer!
~What do you think- if the Mets continue to fall out of contention, and we get closer to the trade deadline, do you want to see Brodie trade Wheeler, Ramos, Gomez, etc.? Or would you rather they work on signing Wheeler long-term, keeping the assets we DO have, and hoping for a more successful off-season in 2019? We’d love to hear your thoughts!!
~My countdown continues- just a mere 23 days until I’m back at Citifield and home in NY once more and, in spite of this team right now, I JUST CAN’T WAIT!!! At this point, I’d rather continue to remember, and dream about, the ’69 team then dwell on the failures of our current guys, sadly. I’m 55 years of age this year, and following this team since I’m 4 has left me many more years of anguish then happiness, and of course I still come back for more (the definition of a “raving fan” should be amended to include the definition of stupid- i.e. – doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result).
That’s what loyalty is, and we, as Mets fans, have learned that it’s not always, and not often, a loyalty that works both ways. But, with the arrival of February, every year, hope blooms once again. I just hope that I have both a lot more Februarys left, and at least a handful of World Series victories left, as well.
That’s what loyalty is, and we, as Mets fans, have learned that it’s not always, and not often, a loyalty that works both ways. But, with the arrival of February, every year, hope blooms once again. I just hope that I have both a lot more Februarys left, and at least a handful of World Series victories left, as well.
~Once again, have a great week, Let’s Go Mets, and I wonder if Mickey will still be at the helm this time, next week…
6 comments:
David, I am not a real student of managers, as to who might be out there that might be an upgrade over Mickey C. Would Wally B? Someone else? I dunno.
But I am disappointed in how this team has been managed, regardless of who actually calls the shots in setting the line up and in-game decisions.
I would have left Jake in and Thor in. The pen has been SO bad again this year, error on the side of leaving your strong starters in there a little longer.
I am quite upset Kimbrel went to the Cubs and not the Mets. Maybe he did not want to come here - but I think he got 3 years, $40 million - a bargain, frankly. If the Mets could have made that a million more per year and gotten him, the pen would have been drastically improved. A move like that could have added several wins for the Mets.
But the starters are partly at fault - Thor, Jake, and to a lesser extent Matz and Zack, NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GO DEEPER INTO GAMES. My guess is Jake and Thor would rather fan hitters than trust that more balls put in play will keep their pitch counts lower and give them a greater chance to win by staying the heck away from the bullpen.
Vargas gave them a great 9 innings last night - may he lead the way. Don Cardwell, a starter in 1969, completed 72 of 301 starts, and he was not as naturally skilled as Jake or Thor by a long shot. If I am a Jake or a Thor, I do not want to see anyone but a 9th inning Diaz in my games. They have to figure out how to consistently go 8 innings if they want to win.
I like the draft a lot, too - but only if we sign Matt Allen.
This team SHOULD DO BETTER. McNeil, Alonso, and Ramos in 2019 are 3 major upgrades. The starters must go longer, because the bullpen sucks.
Tom: Wally will never be an option under the Wilpons, sadly, and his type of manager is no longer being hired as the game has transitioned from the "old salt" style to the young sabermetric version. Even a Buck Showalter probably isn't in consideration, and with Riggelman not someone seen as a long-term or really even a short-term answer, my guess has been that they are going with Mickey as long as possible and will be discussing which young coach might make a good choice for 2020. Look, the Nats stunk, calls for Martinez' head were heard everywhere, and now they are playing better baseball all of a sudden. Things happen. I'm not a fan of Mickey's, as you know, but just firing him without other, major changes is moving deck chairs on the Titanic.
Regarding deGrom and Thor, there's 2 sides to both of those games, and that was actually the inspiration for the post. IF Mickey did NOT take out deGrom, and his hip was actually worse then anyone thought, and the injury keeps Jacob out for even one game, then it's definitely off with Mickey's head in a public and brutal execution. And regarding Thor, as much as I knew he should stay in, the fact is that Noah was pitching up and down, looking great and like crap in the same inning. He's so inconsistent and so uninspiring that it wasn't like Mickey took out Johan in the 8th inning of the no-no. Both situations are open to interpretation. THE BIGGER ISSUE? The fact that no matter WHICH way Mickey went, NONE OF US TRUSTED HIM TO MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION and hence we have no faith in the man running the day-to-day ops of this team. It's a shame, but it's the truth and our current reality.
No doubt about the pitchers needing to go longer- it's something I've been railing about for years. I'm a pitching-first guy, always have been, always will be, and it disgusts me that starters are happy with a 5 or 6 inning game and that it could be called a "quality" start. But that's a story for another day and another post.
Regarding Kimbrel, he got $10 mil this year, 2 years at $16 mil each and a fourth year $16 mil option. The issue wasn't that we weren't interested in him- he was NOT interested in the Mets because he wants to be THE closer and doesn't want the specter of a Diaz hanging over him. He's concerned about his legacy and becoming an HOFer. IF we had offered WAY more money, maybe (and probably) he chooses the mets, but we all know that would never happen. It's not their way no matter who the GM is.
From what I understand the Mets already know what their first 2 picks will cost and have a real understanding of what Allan wants- and it's not the $4 mil that has been reported but it's also not all that far off. I have been told that there was educated intention in this move, and as I said, if worse comes to worse, they get a 3rd rounder in 2020 in a much deeper draft. First win-win for Brodie & Company.
I wonder if they can promise that they would overpay him in salary in his first few years to get around any bonus limits?
That kind of under-the-table stuff has been going on but it's way harder to do now. There's always a chance a bag of cash could show up somewhere, like it used to do in the old days in NCAA hoops...
Joe Girardi, Buck Showalter and others need jobs.
Girardi wants too much money for the Wilpons liking and his affiliation with the Yankees is something that makes him unappealing to the Wilpons; Showalter is looked at as too controlling and too old school for both Brodie and their Sabermetrics team. There isn't an "old school" manager that they would be happy with, and their reasoning for not hiring either is that they have Riggleman in-house already and they don't want HIM. Another way to look at it- Terry was old school, though WAY less successful then either of those two; they don't want to go down that "road" again. It's unfortunate, but this is our reality.
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