Javier Vazquez, Ken Burns, Scott Kazmir, RA Dickey, Bullpen Phones, HOF Voting

Javier Vazquez  stat line last night in the PRWL playoffs: 6.0-IP, 1-ER, 10-K, 1-BB.



Noted baseball historian Ken Burns summed up how many self-appointed Cooperstown bouncers feel about actual or merely alleged steroids users.

"Those motherfuckers," Burns told The Hollywood Reporter, "should suffer."

                            - how do we do this? by making them watch his PBS specials?

The Cleveland Indians have signed P Scott Kazmir to a minor league contract.

                I had always hoped we would have given Kazmir another chance. He’s come available a number of times over the past few years and I still remember that wonderful year (2003) in Cap Cities where he went 105-K in 76.1-IP. He’s still only 28 years old and has a lifetime MLB stat line of 66-61, 4.17, 1022-IP, 993-K… but it was always the control that cost him… 473-BB, 1.41-WHIP. Still, nobody touched him last year and he had to pitch for Sugar Land in the Atlantic Indy league (3-6, 5.46, 1.65, 59-1-IP, 48-K, 27-BB). One thing though, don’t feel sorry for him. The Angels released him in 2011 but still had to pay him $14.5mil that was owed on the guaranteed contract that was originally negotiated and signed with Tampa Bay in 2008.

The New York Post  said:

R.A. Dickey said Tuesday he is thankful the Mets did not meet his contract demands and he is thrilled to join the Blue Jays, a team he said that is “all in” to win the World Series.

Well, that’s not exactly what Dickey said. In fact, it didn’t even come close. Click on the link and go read the story without the name of the author.  Sadly, this is what we call journalism these days and it’s being taught at the editor’s desks, not in the universities. Twist the words as tight as you can and make someone turn the page or click on the link in order to read ‘the rest of the story’. All RA is doing is saying all the right things to and about his current team and General Manager. Here is every quote by Dickey in the story:

“You can see that he’s all in (GM Alex Anthopoulos), the moves that he made.If we don’t win, it won’t be because of him.”

“I immediately knew that we should be very competitive. I’m hoping to play 10 more years, but this could also be my last contract. And when you see that, you want to win.”

“I think this can be a special few years for this city, this country and the players. I remember the glory days with Joe Carter hitting the home run against Mitch Williams.”

“The first time I really felt I could be consistent with it was late 2009. I still have more to learn. I’m still hungry and passionate about my craft.”

Do you see anything Dickey said bad about the Mets, or being happy the Mets didn’t meet his contract demands? This is the kind of horseshit reporting being done out there these days by people being paid full salaries and Cadillac insurance policies. I fully understand why the writer didn’t identify himself to this dribble. 

OMG… ‘T-Mobile’ has become the Official Wireless Sponsor of major league baseball. This was announced on Tuesday at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. What this means is the next time TC calls for someone to warm up in the bullpen, no one will walk over to the wall and pick up the old land line that’s been around since the earth fell into its axis. In fact, I’m not sure if Wathen will even stand up at this point. There might even be a number of one letter tweet signals sent alerting the bullpen coach who to warm up. Where the hell is my game going?

I never expected much from Wednesday’s vote. I don’t respect any baseball voting process that doesn’t include the name ‘Gil Hodges’ on it.

That being said, I really don’t care who did what when. As I have said in the past, every generation has had players doing whatever it took to set themselves apart from the rest of the players (my day was cortisone and bennies) and, if you’re going to charge me $19 to park my car, you better do whatever it takes to earn that ten million dollars you are earning.

My top 10 list is simply based on results regardless of what got them there. I can’t leave these people out when Gaylord Perry is already in, if you know what I mean.

Barry Bonds, Roger Clements, Jeff Bagwell, Curt Schilling, Larry Walker, Edgar Martinez, Mike Piazza, Alan Trammell, Rafael Palmeiro, and Edgar Martinez would have been my top 10 picks. 

Mack Stuff – RA Dickey Update, J.P. Arencibia, Scott Hairston, Jackie Bradley Jr.

C-1B Mike Napoli signs 3-yr., $39mil deal with Boston

                Napoli in 2012: .227 BA, 30% K rate, 24 HR, 56 RBI

Saltalamacchia in 2012: .222 BA, 31% K rate, 25 HR, 59 RBI

Toronto claims their 4^th catcher, Eli Whiteside

The Nats resign LHRP Zach Duke

OF Angel Pagan agrees to stay in San Francisco, 4-yrs, $40mil

OF Cesar Puello – 1-2, 2-R, , 2B, .125

C Francisco Pena – 1-1, 1-R, 2B, 2-RBI, .253

LF-2B Jordany Valdespin – 0-3, .255

Regarding RA Dickey, Monday was pretty much a posturing day for Sandy Alderson. Multiple reports had him receiving some initial offers, which are always low-end. Thin what the Democrats and Repulicans are putting on the table right now. That final bill will never look like the original offers. Alderson needs to show patience here, while, at the same time, not sign an extension too early. Pitchers like Zack Greinke, and Anibal Sanchez need to get their deals done which will make Dickey one of the few premier pitchers still on the market. Sean McAdam ‏of Red Sox Talk reports:  “The Mets are more than willing to listen on R.A. Dickey, but to date, according to a source, the Red Sox have shown no interest.”

 (Ted Berg):

J.P. Arencibia, frequently linked to the Mets in early trade rumors, is merely a mild upgrade. He hits for way more power, but his production is mitigated by his inability to get on base with any frequency. His 88 career OPS+ is only a tick higher than Josh Thole’s 85, and his .275 career on-base percentage is about exactly the same as Thole’s post-injury mark in 2012. And he’s not much of a defender.

                

            Ted makes a good point and strengthens my earlier posts where I suggest that Thole be given another year to turn around a horrible 2012. He simply can’t hit that bad again because this is a kid that has worked so hard to become a major league hitter. It has to be concussion related.

MetsBlog: :

In a report for ESPN New York, Adam Rubin says the Giants, Cardinals, Indians and Tigers have shown “real interest’ in Scott Hairston. Hairston told Rubin it was still “probable” he could return to the Mets, although it remains to be seen whether or not they offer market value for his services.

                

            This would solve a bunch of things if the Mets could pull this off at a decent amount of money/years, especially if they could still pull off a deal for a full time outfielder for Dickey. You’re not going to find a better platoon player than Hairston. Give him two years plus a third option.

MetsBlog

“The Red Sox met with Mets to talk about a possible trade for R.A. Dickey, according to a baseball source,” ESPN Boston reporter Joey MacDonald tweeted today. MacDonald says the Mets had interest Red Sox SS prospect Xander Bogaerts and center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr.

              

             A SHORTSTOP? What’s with all these fucking shortstops? Ruben Tejada, Phillip Evans, Gavin Cecchini… now. JBJ is Alderson’s kind of player and finished hot last season in AA. He’s at least a year away but he’d fit in perfect into the 2014 plan. I’d do it for Bradley and Salty.

Mack Stuff – Travis D’Arnoud, Lucas Duda, RA Dickey

Pittsburgh traded RHRP Chris Resop to Oakland for RHSP Zach Thorton.

Florida claims 1B/OF Joe Mahoney from Baltimore

Seattle signed P Josh Kinney to a 1-yr. contract

The Cubs signed RP Kyuji Fujikawa from Japan - two-year, $9.5M deal

Brewers announce acquisition of RHP Burke Badenhop from #Rays for outfielder Raul Mondesi Jr

Indians picked up Mike McDade off waivers from Toronto

The Blue Jays currently have three catchers on their 40-man roster: Travis D’Arnoud, John Buck, and J.P. Arencibia. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Blue Jays are most likely to trade Arencibia, and the Mets and Jays have discussed a deal for Arencibia around Jon Niese. However, Rosenthal adds, “The Jays might need to offer more than Arencibia to acquire such a pitcher, but aren’t necessarily eager to make that type of move.” Rosenthal says the Jays could alternatively look to sign a lower-end free agent starting pitcher or sign multiple players to Minor League contracts to add the depth they seek. (Matthew Cerrone - MetsBlog.com -  The Mets and Jays talked a lot last season, so much so that people close to the team often mentioned Jon Niese and d’Arnaud. No deal ever materalized, but, with Sherman’s report, plus Ricciardi’s knowledge of their farm system, it stands to reason these teams would again be talking.).

                First of all… see? Niese can demand at least two top prospects. He’s an established major league lefty who is young and cheap.

                Toronto is the team with far too many catchers. I’m sure the Mets want nothing to do with the Buck contract, so it’s just a matter whether they offer up D’Arnoud or Arencibia, Either one project as a long term solution for the Mets catcher position.

                What would be interesting if the Mets could also pull off a Dickey for Wil Myers (+ one more prospect). Overnight you solve your lineup at the expense of the 2013 rotation, but you still have Santana, Harvey, and Gee… you can resign Mike Pelfrey for the SP4… and guys like Jenrry Mejia and Collin McHugh can fill in until Zack Wheeler is ready. Help is on the way in 2014 from Rafael Montero.

Lineup:  SS Tejada, 2B Murphy, 3B Wright, 1B Davis, CF Myers, C Arencibia, RF Duda, LF Baxter/Nieuwenhius

Eno Sarris‏@enosarris -  man I guess people are done w/ Lucas Duda in the OF. might be letting my personal knowledge of how hard he tries at D sway me. (also: team needs)

                IMO, everthing comes down to whether or not Duda is being called upon to carry this team with his bat. You pull off the two deals I mentioned above and Duda falls into a nice 7^th hitter who will produce, in a bad year, 25-30-HRs.I wouldn’t give up on him let, and should especially wait until the Winter Meetings are complete

                                (I’m at work again, writing this from Midnight-2am Sunday morning (no Internet access). Because of ‘The War Room, nothing I say here will post up until Monday at 8am. I will make any changes between now and then if something happens.)

I still like Duda as a serviceable right fielder in a great lineup. He’s also much better than anyone out there on the secondary FA market.

ESPN’s Buster Olney reports that the Mets have increased their offer to R.A. Dickey. The details of the offer are still unclear, but Dickey is reportedly looking for a two-year extension worth more than $20 million. Olney writes that the Mets were "stunned" by Andy Pettitte‘s one-year, $12 million contract with the Yankees and it’s possible that the deal could be used as a reference in extension talks. If the sides can't work out anything before spring training, Dickey will likely be traded. (The Mets have fielded six or seven calls from teams that would like to meet at the Winter Meetings and discuss trading for R.A. Dickey, reports CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman).

                Another conflicting report from two of the better beat reporters out there. Let’s remember their job. It’s to check out what they are told, look for a second source, and print what they are told. Sometimes, the second source step is bypassed, but only if you are talking to someone who has given you good information before.

                My problem is I just don’t know the difference between a phone call that asks: would you trade RA Dickey to me and what for’, and ‘who do you have that’s in play’? Sandy Alderson would definitely answer the last question with a list of players that included Dickey, but is that someone that wants to meet with you and discuss the possibilities of trading for Dickey.

                This initial conversation could easy go like this:

                                Team A: ‘Hey Sandy, I’m looking for a starter. You got one for me?”

Alderson: “I’ve got a list of prospects not 2013 ready and I’m taking inquiries on both Niese and Dickey.”

Team A:  “Okay, my plane lands at 4pm. I’ll text you and we’ll get a beer.”

Absolutely nothing just happened… but… if there are this many teams that are really interesting in Dickey, I’m sure Alderson can get the team a top outfielder for the future.

11-16-12 – RA Dickey, Brant Rustich, Outfield, No-Trade Clause

-Congrats to RA Dickey, who may not be a Met by the end of the week. None of these rumors go away until new contracts are signed or trades are made. There will never be a bigger day for Dickey. I hope he enjoys it.

The Met community continues to speculate whether or not Dickey will now be traded. I’ve gone back and forth on this one and changed my opinion over and over.

I deal with the future Mets. Other sites write about the parent team. My job gets a lot easier if the players in Queens are more talented than they have been in the past.

The simple fact here is that the organization needs outfielders and a catcher, and, they are pitcher rich. You can write all day about every player at every level playing in the outfield right now, but not one of them currently project as an all-star level outfielder. Sorry folks, that’s the truth.

There are two kinds of players that make for great deals. One, like Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler, are high ceiling prospects. The other, like David Wright and RA Dickey, are stars off of top seasons.

My hopes are that the future Mets dominate on the mound so it is in my best interest for Dickey to remain. The job of getting to the playoffs gets a lot easier if a guy like this can give you 15+ wins over the next 3-4 years.   I simply want five top pitchers in the rotation, followed by five more banging on the door. All that creates is other teams calling you up trying to get you to trade some of these guys to them.

Can you imagine how many times the Toronto GM’s phone is ringing every day now that he has three legitimate catchers on his 25-man?

This is how it works. What happens when Zack Wheeler is ready and Dillon Gee is holding down the SP5 with a below 4 ERA? And what if Darin Gorski goes lights out in Vegas, Collin McHugh duplicates his 2012 season in AAA and Rafael Montero wins his first 10 games for Binghamton?

But, here’s the rub.

You have to score runs too.

A 1-5 lineup of Tejada-Murphy-Wright-Davis-Duda just isn’t enough to make the playoffs. I don’t care how well your rotation pitches… this lineup is not going to produce enough wins against the rest of the National League… except maybe the Florida Blue Jays.

I’m asked pretty often to speculate should be on this team and, frankly, that’s a waste of time. I have no idea who wants to trade who. I do know that the most important thing is they find themselves a very talented center fielder to build the rest of the outfield around.

They are out there. And, you can get them for either of two kinds of great players that make for a great deal; however, the Mets are not going to trade either Harvey or Wheeler. This leaves Dickey and his $5mil 2013 salary.

The Mets can survive without Dickey in 2013, but they will never compete for a playoff spot without an improved outfield. You still have Santana, Niese, Harvey, and Gee, and either McHugh or Jeremy Hefner can hold down the fort until Wheeler is promoted.

It’s the Mets call and it’s not worth my time to speculate about it any further than this until something is executed.

-I’m very excited to announce that ex-New York Met pitcher, Brant Rustich, has joined Mack’s Mets as a writer. Brant was a 2^nd round draft pick (2007) out of UCLA and spent four years in the organization (7-6, 3.00, 1.18). Sadly, due to genetic pain in his throwing hand, he had to retire prematurely. Now, he lives back in California and he raises snakes, but we’ll let him explain that one. Please welcome a great pitcher back! 

-Bob Nightengale‏ - @BNightengale -  Agents say they would never consider sending franchise player to the Marlins again without a no-trade clause http://usat.ly/T3oWn1  …

           - this is a natural reaction to what has happened in Miami. This guy is never going to be able to get away with this again because he simply isn’t going to get any superstars to sign a long term contract without a no-trade clause. Baseball really needs to get rid of owners like this, but the agents have the control right now. Turn them into a dead last team averaging less than 10K attendance a night, and this guy will sell.

                                      Hot Stove

LAA signs OF J.B. Shuck – 2012-AAA: .298, .726-OPS

Atlanta signs C Gerald Laird - 282/.337/.374 in 191 plate appearances with Detroit in 2012

11-7-12 – David Wright, RA Dickey, Cesar Puello, Melky Cabrera, Lucas Duda

“A source” told Andy McCullough of the Newark Star Ledger that the David Wright and RA Dickey deals are “not close.”

Don’t read too much into this. Not ‘being close’ can mean a lot of things at this point and simply could represent the further limits of what either party want to either pay or receive. I’m sure the Mets which to pay no more than $100mil additional dollars to Wright, while the Levinson Brothers, at this point, wouldn’t even get on the phone for less than $130mil. Unfortunately, that’s how this shit works and, add to this the Mets almost cavalier approach to negotiations like this, we may wind up going into the 2013 season with one or more of these issues unresolved. It may seem like the Mets have control here since they exercises the 2013 option, but, trust me, this brings no good cheer to the negotiation table for 2014+.

The Mets have established a current value for these two players. Honestly, they don’t have to take it any further. It really doesn’t matter if Wright wanted $20mil per season and Dickey wanted $10mil if the Mets trade away one or both. That will be the problem of the new team that inherits the exercised option that was exercised.

What the Mets do know is they would receive a minimum of two players per deal that could immediately be added to the 25-man and help turn this team around.

Also… one more thing about this “face of the team” bullshit. Hey, Mr. Levinson… you keep not sitting down with the Mets and making a decent attempt to get this deal done and, trust me, the trading of Wright will become less of a fan issue every off-season day.

New York Mets Minor League Free Agents:

RHP: Fernando Cabrera (AAA), Drew Carpenter (AAA), Edgar Ramirez (AA), Jeff Stevens (AAA)

LHP: C.J. Nitkowski (AAA)

C: Jean Luc Blaquiere (AAA), Lucas May (AAA), Mike Nickeas (AAA), Juan Torres (LoA)

2B: Brad Emaus (AAA)

3B: Matt Tuiasosopo (AAA)

SS: Sean Kazmar (AA), Oswaldo Navarro (AAA), Luis Nieves (HiA), Josh Rodriguez (AAA)

OF: Rafael Fernandez (HiA), Adam Loewen (AAA), Dustin Martin (AA), Valentino Pascucci (AAA), Raul Reyes (AA), Corey Wimberly (AAA)

          (note…  many of these players could be back on one of the Mets rosters if they don’t sign with someone else. At the same time, there are 100s of players that were on other team’s rosters that are now available for the Mets to look over…

          The full list:  BA)

Here’s what the Las Vegas roster projects as after the free agent cuts:

          SP (5) – Zack Wheeler, Daren Gorski, Gonzalez Germen, Mark Cohoon, Chris Schwinden

          RP (9) – Elvin Ramirez. Brad Holt, Daniel Herrera, Craig Hansen, Ryan Fraser, Dylan Owen, Armondo Rodrigues, Greg Peavey, Chuck James, Tim Byrdak (IR)

          1B (3) – Eric Campbell, Josh Satin, Alan Dykstra

          2B (1) – Reese Havens

          SS (1) – Wilfredo Tovar

          3B (3) – Wilmer Flores, Zach Lutz, Jefry Marte

          C (1) – Juan Centeno

          OF (4) - Matt den Dekker, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Juan Lagares

OF Cesar Puello did hit a home run on Tuesday for Surprise in the Arizona Fall League, but he’s far from ready to be projected into a future Mets parent lineup. The Mets are well known for the lack of talent they have throughout the system in the outfield and they lost two of their better players, Jordany Valdespin (foot injury) and Lucas Duda (broken wrist) in the past 24 hours. We’re all writing about the same shit during this off-season and there’s been a bunch of pundits all point out the fact that Puello doesn’t seem to understand that his batting average is never going to go up if he keeps swinging at balls out of the strikezone. First, you never walk, but secondly, these balls never come off the bat with enough moxie to turn into hits. Your BA goes down, your BB/9 is for shit, and your OBP and OPS never develops.

I simply loved this guy when he was in Savannah and I have no idea what happened to him.

Three ex-Mets found new homes. OF Jeremy Reed signed a minor league contract with Arizona. He spent 2012 on the DL. P Garrett Olson signed with Oakland. He went 4-7, 4.63 with Buffalo lasy season. And lastly, OF Jason Pridie signed with Baltimore.

Ken Davidoff of the New York Post writes that OF Melky Cabrera will eventually sign with the New York Mets for one-year, $4mil.It sounds like a good idea for me. First of all, Cabrera would not be a candidate for the 2014 Mets under any condition. The Mets wouldn’t want him if he flops in 2013 and, if he does well, he will get the kind of money he deserves elsewhere. No, 2013 will just be a year to prove he can play all-star baseball without PEDs.

Team wise, 2013 becomes an easier season to get through. You can stick Cabrera in centerfield, let Kirk Nieuwenhuis play the full year (in LF or RF) in Las Vegas where he needs to heal and learn how to professionally hit, and play with Matt den Dekker in centerfield. The rest of the Mets outfield (Lucas Duda, Jason Bay, Mike Baxter, Jordany Valdespin) can platoon the corners.

It’s getting more obvious every day that the Mets outfield problems are deeper than thought. Darrell Ceciliani isn’t eating up fall ball and Cesar Puello continues to be a plate maintenance nightmare.

Think Carlos Beltran. Sign Cabrera, give him the platform to shine, then trade him to someone trying to win the World Series in 2013. You’re not going to steal another Zack Wheeler, but there is someone out there that can help this team long range in a deal like this.

Oh… need any more reasons to sign Cabrera? How about Duda, the furniture mover? For now, you’re back to Bay in left and some combination of Valdespin (hurt foot), Baxter, and, I guess, Nieuwenhuis. Jesus, this just keeps getting worse.

I May Be Wrong, But… Mike Pelfrey, R.A. Dickey, Jason Bay

• It sure looks like Big Pelf dodges a bullet Thursday night. Andy Martino reported that there actually was a discussion by Sandy and Company whether or not they should release him. According to Martine, everyone in that meeting that had a uniform on voted to keep him. All I’m hoping out of him is an innings eating SP5. I’d be thrilled with 200 innings and a 4.50 ERA, but only 2012 guys. Only 2012. 

 • It does look like the Mets are pressing forward to structure a multi-year deal for R.A. Dickey. As David Rubin reminded me, he’s a cost efficient clubhouse leader that could stabilize the rotation through the delicate 2013-2014 transition to the kiddies. It makes a lot of sense. 2013 would most probably be Johan Santana, Jon Niese, Dickey, Matt Harvey, and Jeurys Familia. 2014 would be Harvey, Niese, Familia, Zack Wheeler, and Dickey. Makes sense to me. 

 • Jason Bay has 0-RBIs in spring training? You got to be kidding me. This has become such an embarrassment. I guess there’s no other plan than to just play him this season and be done with another bad contract. I really liked this signing. I thought he would be a great addition both with a bat in his hand and in the clubhouse. Your ‘on paper’ 2014 outfield right now is Matt den Dekker, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, and Lucas Duda, with Brandon Nimmo and Gilbert Gomez in the wings. Not enough.

Mets: RA Dickey,Matt Harvey, David Wright, Scott Kazmir, Selig on Mets

R.A. Dickey - Yes, Dickey is RAD even in fantasy. Well, maybe a little less so in fantasy, where his lack of production in the strikeouts category will hurt his overall value. Plus, knuckleballers seem to be a difficult class of pitchers to project, given the unconventional nature of the pitch and the history of low BABIPs for pitchers that employ it. Still it'll only cost you the 228th pick for a ride-along. That's a great price, considering he returned $7.08 of value last year, or just a few coins less than Jordan Zimmermann ($8.14, 120th pick). http://www.amazinavenue.com/2012/2/14/2795663/fantasy-mets

2-10-12 - http://seedlingstostars.com/2012/02/10/s2s-2012-team-prospect-lists-new-york-mets/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter   -  Starting Pitcher #1: Matt Harvey. The seventh overall pick in 2010, Harvey didn’t disappoint in his pro debut, excelling at both High-A and Double-A. He still needs to work on his changeup and he’ll need to prove he can go deeper into games than his 5.22 innings per start in 2011, but he is a strong bet to be a #2/#3 starter. Grade: B+

New York Mets – David Wright - Starter: Wright had an extremely disappointing year last season, and if you were like the Mets are now, you were quietly trying to trade him. Nobody likes the guy in the league who’s trading his big star because everyone is asking the questions: Do they have a secret deal going? Why is he giving up? Why is that *** trading him to the guy leading the league? All are valid questions, and you should get those. The Mets will catch the same backlash if they trade him, as well, and one rumor that won’t die is the Phillies rumors. Wright only appeared in 102 games last year, and if he can stay healthy, he should bounce back. I do expect a decrease in RBI opportunities as Jose Reyes is no longer hitting in front of him. Wright strikes out a lot, and he would only be a steal if you can get him past round three. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/fantasy-baseball-focus-national-league-third-base/17244/

Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reports that the Mets are expected to send someone to watch Scott Kazmir throw Wednesday in Houston. Kazmir, a former Mets farmhand, is attempting to revive his career after making just one start at the major league level last season. The 28-year-old southpaw is a pretty big long shot to suddenly turn things around, but given the lack of starting pitching depth with the Mets right now, he could be worth the gamble on a minor-league deal. http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/mlb/348935/baseball-headlines?r=1

It’s impossible to imagine Selig confronting Wilpon the way he confronted McCourt, taking control of the Dodgers’ day-to-day operations, calling McCourt unfit to own the Dodgers, seeking the sale of the team through a court order (the six-month legal battle between the two ended when McCourt agreed to sell the club). The pressure on Wilpon, if Selig ever applied it, would be gentler. And many baseball people believe that Wilpon, if he sensed that the end was near, would do the right thing rather than damage the sport. The end is not yet near, not with so many variables in play. But at some point, the best interests of the game must come first. One more season of this, and no more. http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/mlb-commissioner-bud-selig-giving-new-york-mets-time-to-fix-problems-but-may-have-to-step-in-eventually-021412

Dickey May Face Uphill Climb with Mets over Charity?

R.A. Dickey was the standout ace of the New York Mets this year. His bad luck 8-13 record certainly was unimpressive, but he led the team in ERA (3.28) and WHIP (1.23). He proved he could overcome the first year in Queens. Now the Mets knuckeballer is looking to conquer new heights, 19,000 feet to be exact.

According to ESPN NY, Dickey will try to reach the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro. He is doing it strictly for charity. The Mets don't seem too happy about the contribution for goodwill. If he were to suffer serious injury, he would forfeit his entire salary next year.

It's an odd development, but it raises a question. How far is too far for charity? Is a charity worth risking your career or your life? Granted, he may be, by his own admission, climbing the least dangerous mountains of the major ones like Mt Everest and Mt Fuji, but it's still a dangerous trek for raising money.

In an interview in New York magazine, he had the following to say about that,

"They (the Mets) view it as a dangerous thing. Of course, it's a risk I'm willing to take. I know what I'm doing well enough to know it's nothing more than a glorified hike."

Though it may be easy, you can see the point of view of the Mets. They have invested in Dickey. They are relying on him to perform on the field. If he gets injured on duty, they will be more than happy to cover that. However, if he hurts himself by his own volition, they recognize that they are basically screwed by his bad decision.

In both scenarios, they lose a pitcher, but they would rather be in a position to keep him as healthy as possible. Some athletes do stupid things in their off season. Some play flag football. Some go on reality dance shows. Even some do illegal things to make the headlines really interesting.

With all of that said, R.A. Dickey is climbing a mountain and he's doing it for charity. He's using his time off to benefit another human being besides himself. This act alone is worthy of recognition in this selfish, fast-paced, instant-media gratification society. Seldom are there people both in a position to help and willing to do so as well.

The Mets should be concerned if their players are wife beaters (maybe fiance's father beaters), drug addicts and money launderers, but they shouldn't worry about players using their free time to make a small difference in the world. Those types of players are the ones they should be supporting the most. After all, it's those players that help rescue the tarnished image of New York Mets baseball players of the past.

A message to the Mets: calm down and trust your high character people. If this were a player of lesser integrity your fears may have some validity. He's not. He has some experience and he's not going alone.

A message for R.A.: next time, get the whining Wilpons involved more. Maybe they may make some money off of it and stop their complaining long enough to use the money to pay some debts. Good luck Dickey!

Cutnpaste: Matt Harvey, Johan Santana, Dickey on NYPD Hat, Chris Schwinden on Ceremony, Jon Niese

9-3-11: - http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/09/prospect-pulse-buffalo-2012-help-on-the-way.html  - -SP1: Matt Harvey - I can’t believe I’m projecting Harvey to be the “ace” at AAA already, after only one year of pro ball, but his performance at AA this year has been gaining momentum and he seems up for the challenge. After completely dominating the Florida State League in the first half, he was promoted to AA Bingo at the end of June. It was then that he ran into his first adversity as a professional, losing his first three Eastern League decisions, and getting knocked around pretty good. But being the perfectionist that he is, Harvey was quick to adjust to the league, and turned a corner with his start on July 28th. Since that night, in his last six starts, he is 5-0 with a 2.65 ERA. In 34 IP, he has given up 25 hits, and only 1 HR, and his K/BB ratio is 34/11. Harvey will get one more start this season, which will bring his innings total to nearly 140, about 65 of which were at AA. With his advanced pitching capability, and ability to make quick adjustments, I don’t think it’s a stretch to see him opening the season with Buffalo. Considering how far Harvey has progressed in his first year, his first start at Citi can’t be that far off.

Johan Santana: Yes, that Johan Santana, the one who's missed the entire 2011 season after undergoing surgery to repair a tear of the anterior capsule in his left shoulder last September. The left-hander will make his final minor-league rehab start Friday with Class A Savannah, and if all goes well, it appears very likely that Santana will rejoin the big league club next week. I doubt that two appearances will reveal whether he can still be the Mets' No. 1 rotation option next season, but it will really be a shot in the arm to see him out there throwing again. I think this rotation misses a savvy veteran presence like Santana, especially since it doesn't appear that the front office will go out and get any legitimate top-of-the-rotation guys this offseason. Let's see what he's got. - http://newyork.sbnation.com/new-york-mets/2011/9/9/2415542/five-reasons-to-watch-the-new-york-mets-jose-reyes-lucas-duda-johan-santana  

Twitter from @RADickey43: For those upset we didn't wear the hats, I understand your anger. However, they physically took them from us after ceremony.

Twitter from Chris Schwinden - Sorry to disappoint you guys. That ceremony was unbelievable. I don't need a hat to show that I am respectful of every unit that was there. Wish I could of worn the hat though. We were wearing some of the hats in the bullpen tho until they were taken

The 2011 season has not even ended yet, but I am already excited by the variety of players I may potentially roster next year at a discount. Many owners come into their drafts with a target list of players that they are hoping to acquire. To be honest, I do not understand this at all for single-season leaguers. All I am interested in is value and do not really care what name is attached to my projected stats and resulting valuation. Without getting further off topic, I did a quick sort by SIERA and was surprised to see Jonathon Niese‘s name ranked 18th, right behind Tim Lincecum. - http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/index.php/undervalued-in-2012-jonathon-niese