The Team Is No Doubt Focused on Customer Relations
Willets Point is the Long Island Railroad station that drops fans off and picks fans up as they traverse to and from Citi Field. Many fans pay peak fares on the LIRR to get to the park, but then, after an off-peak Mets game performance, appreciate paying off-peak to go home.
So, anyway, what would the starting rotation look like at the beginning of 2026 in Citi Field?
Unless Mr. Stearns come up with some kind of a radical starting rotation plan, I can see a rotation starting the season of Sean Manaea, Kodai “the Mechanic” Senga, David (don’t call me Rick) Peterson, Nolan Ryan McLean, and the sprouting Brandon Sproat.
I love Jonah Tong, but my sneaking suspicion is that unless he has a “bodacious ruby begonia, honey”, spring training, he’ll be sent down to AAA for just a little more work. And I mean JUST a little.
I’d like to see him promoted by the middle of May, and promoted to Stay. Forever. Career Met. Future Hall of Famer, perhaps. No, he won’t win as many games as Cy Young. I don’t want to dash your hopes in that regard.
The Mighty Tong. Rhymes with the Mighty Kong.
Tong will be a beast.
Even if he looks 16, going on 14.
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE ADDENDUM FOR DAVID STEARNS:
I once took the LIRR from Willets Point to Woodside, where I had to disembark and cross up and over to the other side of the station to catch an eastbound train. The official schedule showed that I had eight minutes between when I was supposed to arrive at Woodside to when I would’ve been catching the train to head east.
Unfortunately, the train running from the park to Woodside was several minutes late, and I tried to sprint down the platform and up the stairs and then across and down the stairs, to make my connecting train. But Carl Lewis would not have made the train.
You see, the LIRR dopes running the train eastbound did not hold it, and so I and many, many other frustrated fans ended up waiting almost an hour for the next eastbound train. That made for a miserable game night experience, with “game night experience” meaning to me, from the time I left work to go to the game, to attending the game, to the time that I finally got in the door at home.
David, I contacted the LIRR the next day and complained about it. They wholeheartedly assured me that in the future, they would make sure to hold the eastbound train until the train leaving westbound from the park finally arrived at Woodside, if it was delayed.
The next time I went to the game, though, I took no chances. I took the 7 line subway train from the park to Woodside instead. I got to the LIRR platform heading eastbound in plenty of time to make my eastbound train.
The same westbound LIRR train to Woodside that I had taken the prior time was again delayed getting to Woodside by several minutes. I saw fans getting off the train at Woodside and sprinting up and over to the eastbound side to try to catch their train, in vain.
What train? The eastbound one I was now sitting on. They naturally ignored the frantic sprinters and closed the doors and left. Pissed fans left in the lurch, instead of the LIRR folks waiting another minute so the fans could connect from their delayed westbounder.
So they did not fix that problem.
I think, for your “fans’ experience”, you should have regular conversations with Long Island railroad management to ensure that their conductors know when the westbound train is supposed to arrive at Woodside, and to hold the train on the other side if the westbound train is delayed.
Simply, at night, the time gap between eastbound trains is very significant. And it’s such an easy fix. When I called, they clearly got amnesia thereafter regarding the simple fix. I am, you see, just a nobody to the LIRR. If your office calls, however, I think the outcome would be entirely different. They’d wait for the dozens of Mets fan riders from the park trying to make their eastbound train home.
Thank you for your consideration, David.
All that said, let’s make some deals!
20 comments:
Where does Clay Holmes fit in your view? Back end of bullpen? Do you think thy will do what’s best for him or the team? I’d like to see him in bullpen - especially if he cannot quickly prove he can consistently go 6 full quality innings per start.
I sent this to LIRR
I’d like Holmes in the bullpen. Let’s see how they build the staff first. I’d not have a problem with him staying in the rotation. I think he can up last year’s innings-per by a few outs per start.
I am so glad I don’t take the LIRR anymore.
Tom, I'm glad you circled back to Holmes because he was pretty much our best pitcher from start to finish. Would need him to add 20-25 innings this year.
What would you do with Scott when he is ready? Long relief this year, spot starter? (for when Senga misses time)
6:06am from Huntington
change at Jamaica
get off at Willits Point
walk 2 blocks to subway
one stop to Manhattan
walk through Grand Central to 245 Park Ave. 11th floor
My life 1970-75
Exactly on Scott. Relief and spot starts.
Little known factoid: he is still searching for his first Mets W. They gave him no run support in 2024. May he rack up 10 wins in 2026.
Re: Scott getting wins in relief, the Mets got 68 W/Ls (42%) from the pen last year. 67 the year before.
LAD? 77 pen decisions.
Scott will get bullpen wins if he is good and healthy.
Holmes is in my OD rotation
Very few healthy, consistent starters on this team
Holmes is one of them
Scott is fully healed and hitting 97
Just needs innings
Watch for every 5 days in ST, both during games and backfield minors games
My rotation May 15th
McLean
Senga
Sproat
Scott
Tong
Just keep this kid out of the cold weather to start the season. Let him start the year as a starter to build up arm strength and innings. When he is ready, bring him up and put him in the pen as long relief, spot starter so he doesn't pitch too many innings.
What are we doing with Holmes, Manaea and Peterson?
Holmes to pen
Ditto Peterson
Manageable DFA
Thank you Mack. I live in Texas but understand Tom’s point. Getting to and from the stadium is part of the fan experience and any conductor that isn’t willing to understand what his/her main focus is, should be demoted. While we can talk about different players all winter long, none of this affects our lives. And that is where the Mets need to step up and tell the LIRR that they will monitor each night’s schedule to make sure that fans enjoy coming to the game and WANT to come to the game. For a tired New Yorker, that went to the game after work, spent about $200(?) per person, the city’s transportation should be reasonable. I recall several times that I sat on a subway train with the doors open for quite a while as we waiting for another train to come and passengers to exit that one and enter ours. It’s not that big a deal.
Joe, he wasn’t our best pitxher from start to finish, he was our ONLY pitcher from start to finish. I am not counting Peterson who should have been yanked from the rotation in August but this wimpy team or coaching staff wouldn’t do it. Holmes only pitched about 4-5 innings per start and that is terrible. I don’t care his ERA if they keep coddling him and hiding him. He did O K. That’s it.
I notice all righties. I don’t have a problem with it, but I’d love to see Manaea be closer to what we know and be part of it. As for Peterson, move him for a nice package.
That's no way to run a railroad!
Paul, if you miss a train and it costs you 10 minutes, no big deal. But when you miss a train and it cost you an hour, at night, when the next day (was) a work day,. It is a very big deal. On time performance stats trumped customer service.
BB Reference has David Peterson at 9-6, 4.01 over 155 innings. If he is traded, it better be for top value.
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