Mets-Royals World Series Game 3: The Captain rights the ship

Before last night, David Wright was evoking memories of another captain who overstayed his welcome in the top part of the lineup. Then Wright showed how wrong those of us who doubted him were when he hit a two-run homer in his first home at bat in the World Series and later singled in two more runs to put Game 3 out of reach. The Mets' bats woke up to the tune of nine runs, and not a moment too soon. Now it's a Series again.

While Noah Syndergaard set the tone with his first pitch, high and inside, got twelve straight outs at one point, and worked out of a based-loaded jam in the sixth when he was already over 100 pitches, most of his final numbers - 6 innings, 3 earned runs, 7 hits, 2 walks - were comparably to Matt Harvey's in Game 1 - 6 innings, 3 earned runs, 5 hits, 2 walks.  Syndergaard struck out six to Harvey's two, had a lot more swings and misses, and of course threw that opening tone-setter, but it was the Met bats that made the most dramatic improvement from the first two games.

It's even debatable how much of a game-changer, much less a Series-changer, Syndergaard's first pitch was. The initial results were not good - by the second inning, Syndergaard had given up three runs and Jon Niese was warming up. One could have argued at that point that Syndergaard had angered the Royals. But then Syndergaard retired all nine batters he faced in the third, fourth and fifth on his way to twelve in a row. And while the performances of Harvey and Jacob deGrom in Game 2 raised speculation that the Mets' young pitchers were worn out from pitching deep into October, Syndergaard got his biggest out with the bases loaded in the sixth on his 104th pitch.

But debating on who was the biggest hero last night for the Mets is like arguing over which is the best doughnut at Dough. Both Thor and the Captain came through in a must-win situation. Curtis Granderson hit his second homer in three World Series games.

Along with moving Wright down in the order, I also wondered before the game if Michael Conforto should be benched and if Juan Uribe was really healthy enough to be on the roster. Then Conforto threw out Alex Gordon at third and drove in a run with an infield hit. And Uribe, in his first plate appearance in over a month, singled in a run and later scored. It was that kind of night.

After Game 2, the Mets looked dead. After Game 3, things look much better. The Mets have a rested Steven Matz going in Game 4 against Chris Young, who is pitching on three days rest after throwing over 50 pitches in relief in Game 1. And the Mets have that great Citi Field crowd behind them. Let's go Mets - and Matz!

Mets-Royals World Series Game 1: Extra painful

There's not much worse than having your dominant closer give up the lead in the ninth inning of a World Series game. Unless he went in facing the 7-8-9 hitters. And the number 8 hitter smacked a 428-foot home run. And now that the game looked lost - a deflating homer, the game now to be decided by the middle relievers, a big disadvantage for the Mets - the teams continued to battle for five more innings before the Mets lost with the help of an error by the captain who had waited so long to get to the World Series.

This is a bad loss and potentially a fatal one. But let's not call David Wright and Jeurys Familia goats just yet. Wright has made several great plays in the field this postseason, including a leaping catch in yesterday's fourth inning. Familia's blown save was that much more disappointing because he's been so dominant in this postseason. Compare that to Armando Benitez, who blew the save in the last World Series Game 1 the Mets were in before yesterday. That postseason, Benitez had two saves and two blown saves. For his Mets career, he had three blown saves in six postseason chances. That's why he's remembered as a regular-season star who couldn't get it down in the postseason. Familia is now 5 of 6 in postseason save chances with an 0.82 ERA.

The Mets really seemed destined to win the game when Eric Hosmer, winner of the last two American League Gold Gloves at first base, allowed the go-ahead run to score when a ground ball got by him on a play that naturally brought up memories of Bill Buckner in the 1986 World Series. If the Mets had gone on to win, the Royals would have been lamenting a loss due to one of their main strengths - defense - faltering at a critical moment. But one of the Mets' main strengths, Familia, returned the favor an inning later.

Along with Buckner in 1986 and Benitez in 2000, the game also brought back memories of the 1969 World Series, when Tom Seaver gave up a home run to the first batter he faced, Don Buford, in Game 1. And my friend Roger suggests that five-tool centerfielder Yoenis Cespedes' mishandling of the ball that Alcides Escobar hit that went for an inside-the-park homer was reminiscent of the 1973 World Series, when the ultimate five-tool centerfielder, Willie Mays, was struggling in the outfield at the end of his career.

Just before Cespedes and Michael Conforto mishandled Escobar's fly ball, Cespedes was a no-show for the pregame introductions. That may mean nothing and may be a coincidence. Perhaps he had an upset stomach and did not feel like sharing the details. But this is the player who suddenly came down with an injury in Game 4 of the NLCS and he's already gotten the benefit of the doubt that it had anything to do with him playing golf that day. And then he shows up on the bench in the ninth inning of Game 4 wearing a championship shirt and goggles. Even Ron Darling in the TBS broadcast booth began muttering about the baseball gods. Maybe the baseball gods were hovering over centerfield last night.

The Royals lived up to their billing as a team that keeps coming back. Matt Harvey has gotten a lot of criticism for reduced velocity and not throwing enough fastballs last night, but he had allowed just one run going into the sixth inning, and that run was the tainted inside-the-park homer. But the Royals rallied for two runs to tie the game in the sixth, and Harvey was done after 80 pitches.

The Mets lost the first two games in 1986, and did so at home, so tonight is not necessarily a must-win. But it's pretty close.

Opening Day and already waiting for next year

I've been looking forward to the Mets' Opening Day for some time. Opening Day 2015, that is.

While the Mets have written off 2014 with their small-market payroll and inability to solve their problems at shortstop and first base, at least we can look forward to the first full season of Zack Wheeler and the eventual debut of Noah Syndergaard. But I can't get too excited about trying to reach .500.

Maybe there will be an unexpected pleasant surprise, which the Mets have had each of the last three seasons. In 2011, Jose Reyes won the batting title. In 2012, R.A. Dickey won the Cy Young Award. In 2013, Matt Harvey had a breakout season and started the All-Star Game.

Naturally, all three stars were not on the team the following year. At least Harvey will be back next season. And while I hated to see Dickey go, the trade for Travis D'Arnaud and Syndergaard looks very promising as of now. But considering that the Mets are in dire need of a shortstop and leadoff hitter, it's hard not to wonder what this team would be like if it still had Reyes.

One of my main hopes for 2014 is for Curtis Granderson to succeed, or at least not be Jason Bay 2.0. It would be good for the Mets and a tweak to the Yankees, who let him go while giving Brett Gardner a four-year deal that was almost as much. But perhaps most importantly, it would show the Mets that spending money can help a team. The Mets have conveniently forgotten that the 2006-08 contenders were built largely on high-priced acquisitions.

It would also be great to get a full season out of David Wright after he missed 50 games two of the last three seasons.

Though the notion that Bartolo Colon can replace Harvey at the top of the rotation kind of sums up what it is to be a Met fan, at least the front office made a reasonable effort to patch up the rotation. While I want the Mets to spend money, I don't envy a team like the Twins throwing multiyear deals at the likes of Phil Hughes and Mike Pelfrey.

I'm looking for a 79-83 season. Not quite .500, but a step in the right direction while we wait for next year.

Mets make Wright move; Yanks let Martin go to Pirates

One New York team gave a star player a $122 million extension while the other New York team allowed its starting catcher to sign with Pittsburgh as they seek to cut payroll for 2014. And the first team is the Mets and the second team is the Yankees. It's Backwards Day!

The Mets had no choice but to lock up David Wright. Even the dollar store Tampa Bay Rays just gave a big contract to their star third baseman Evan Longoria. 

But Tampa Bay still has a good chance of eventually trading 2012 AL Cy Young winner David Price. And the Mets still have a chance of trading 2012 NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey. If the Mets are really starting to make the transition back to big-market team, they'll keep Dickey.

As for trading Jon Niese, it depends on what they can get for him. I don't buy the "Mets have a surplus of starting pitching" theory. And Niese is not yet the kind of pitcher who can fetch a big return. But there is that little matter of not having an outfield.

At least there no longer seems to be any talk of trading Ike Davis.

I'm going to enjoy this Backwards Day while I can, because it is no indication of a long-term trend. Even if the Yankees do slash payroll to reach their 2014 goal of $189 million, that's still double the Mets 2012 payroll. The Yankees will end up with some sort of name catcher, while the Mets will proclaim faith in Josh (.584 OPS in 2012) Thole.   

But as we head into the Winter Meetings, at least there's some good news from the Mets for a change.

Tony La Russa screws over R.A. Dickey and David Wright

Tony La Russa's wrongheaded All-Star decisions have unfairly penalized not just R.A. Dickey, but also David Wright, and they have rewarded Giants fans for stuffing the ballot box.

Buster Posey did not deserve to start at catcher over Carlos Ruiz and Yadier Molina. But because Giants fans voted Posey in, La Russa names another Giant who shouldn't be starting, Matt Cain, as starting pitcher, citing Posey's familiarity with Cain, as if that was ever an All-Star battery consideration before.  

At least Posey is having a very good year. Giants fans also voted in Pablo Sandoval at third over Wright, even though Sandoval missed over a month with a broken hamate bone.

La Russa had the opportunity to put Wright in the starting lineup as designated hitter, but passed over the Met third baseman for Colorado's Carlos Gonzalez.

If Wright ends up playing much of the game at third, the move could make sense.  But it would have been nice to see Wright introduced with the starters, as he should have been.

And it would have been great not just for Met fans, but for all of baseball, if Dickey had gotten the start.  Even Squawker Lisa is outraged by the snubbing of the Met pitcher. Bud Selig makes the game decide home field advantage in the World Series in a pathetic attempt to increase ratings, then praises the Giants fans for making a mockery of the All-Star Game being more than an exhibition. And when baseball actually has a reason for casual fans to tune in, they leave Dickey on the bench.

Maybe La Russa is thinking about the 2004 All-Star Game, when his Cardinals did not end up with home field advantage in the World Series. The game was decided in the first inning, when the American League scored six runs. Some blamed bad feelings between the National League battery - Mike Piazza and Roger Clemens.

In 2004, it might have made sense to pick a different starting pitcher to go with the catcher. But it was the best choice for fan interest. And even though I'm a National League fan, I enjoyed seeing Clemens get lit up.

Cain is no Clemens (even if he also once beaned the Mets' best player). Cain deserves to be in the game, even if awarding him the start because of his body of work makes a lot less sense than it would be for AL starter Justin Verlander. But while I want the NL to win, I hope they do so without much help from any of the Giants in the game, or any moves by Tony La Russa, who should have stayed retired.

The Mets Are Not Like a Box of Chocolates

Sandy Alderson joked Wednesday that he should have sent Jose Reyes a box of chocolates. Forrest Gump's mother compared life to a box of chocolates because you never knew what you were going to get. But with the Mets, we now know what we're going to get. And it's not good.

Earlier today, the David Wright trade speculation was interrupted by a rumor that the Mets were shopping Ike Davis. Are Met faces of the franchise turning into Spinal Tap drummers?

Now Jon Heyman is tweeting that Jon Niese is on the block. If Niese goes, he could set a record for shortest tenure as one of the players pictured at the start of SNY telecasts. (Then again, considering that Jason Bay has also joined the opening montage, maybe SNY should just open their Mets programming with pictures of Shake Shack.)

Last week, ESPN's Keith Law ranked the top 50 players age 25 or under. No Mets made the list. But one Met was mentioned among those who just missed being in the list - Niese.

Supposedly, the Mets are getting younger and building for the future with a focus on pitching. One would think that they would want to hold on to a well-regarded homegrown young lefthander who has already shown that he can pitch in New York.

This is not to say that Niese should be untouchable. But if it turns out that the Mets are trading him for even younger players just to avoid having to go to arbitration with him in a year means the Mets are turning into the Oakland A's, who are desperately trying to trade young pitchers like Gio Gonzalez because they can't afford to keep anybody. Not what we thought we were getting with Moneyball East.

Meanwhile, Matthew Cerrone talked to an agent who speculated that the Marlins would trade Reyes to the Yankees once Derek Jeter's contract is up. And the Post's Kevin Kernan speculated that David Wright could eventually replace Alex Rodriguez at third for the Yankees.

I remember when Met and Yankee fans debated over which team had the best left side of the infield. It would be intolerable to see both Reyes and Wright reunited in the Bronx.

Sure, it's a worst-case scenario, but who would have thought that Darryl and Doc would win more rings with the Yankees than with the Mets?

Despite it all, I'll continue to root for the Mets. But I'm beginning to wonder if that's because, to use another quote from Forrest Gump's mother, stupid is as stupid does.

Visit to Citi Field: Vision of a Dark Future

I nearly went to Thursday's game, but ended up at Wednesday's instead. Big mistake. Instead of seeing a spectacular comeback that will no doubt end up in the slim catalog of SNY Mets Classics, I got to see what a Met infield would look like without Jose Reyes or David Wright.

I did not find out until well after the fact that Terry Collins was even more annoyed than I was about the shoddy infield play that resulted in a steady stream of infield hits and helped the Pirates turn a 2-0 deficit into a 9-3 win. But what Collins really needed to be annoyed with was that Willie Harris is still on his roster and that Sandy Alderson has been no better so far at building a bench on the cheap than Omar Minaya was.

Things got a lot brighter Thursday when Reyes returned to the lineup and Harris returned to the bench. And then there was that comeback for the ages. So I deleted the gloom and doom post I started Wednesday night. After all, I did have a good time going to my first game of the year.

But ownership should know that even if fans can still have fun at the ballpark watching a lousy lineup playing a lousy game, my tickets in the fifth row of the promenade behind home plate were only $6.50 each, plus StubHub fees. And unless I missed it, they didn't bother to put the attendance on the scoreboard. It wasn't too long ago when the Mets would ask you to guess the attendance and put up four different figures, all much higher than whatever they are drawing now.

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If the Mets want to reduce the gloom and doom surround the club, how about putting an end to rumors that they might aim to keep Reyes, but then they would have to move Wright. What's next - Shake Shack will only have hamburgers or shakes, but not both? I actually read somewhere that this could be the best time to trade Wright, before his value goes down more. Yeah, when he's on the DL with a stress fracture in his back - that's the time to move him!

Wright, like Reyes, is a very good player who has done well in New York, unlike, say, Jason Bay. Nobody should be untouchable, but moves just to cut costs can help you end up with an infield like Wednesday night's - Daniel Murphy, Justin Turner, Ruben Tejada and Willie Harris.

Rangers' Mark Teixeira Trade Bad Model for Mets

No Met should be untouchable. But if the Mets are going to trade a franchise player like David Wright, it shouldn't be for prospects.

The Wall Street Journal's Brian Costa offers three things the Mets can learn from how the Texas Rangers succeeded despite their financial difficulties.

1. Don't be afraid to trade a franchise player, if the timing is right and the market is strong.
2. Don't skimp on the draft.
3. Find value where others don't see it.

All three of his suggestions are valid, particularly the second one. It's a disgrace, as Costa points out, that the big-market Mets are next-to-last in spending on draft picks over the last five years.

But there are a couple of problems with Costa's explanation of his first suggestion:

The first major step in the Rangers' rebuilding process was trading Mark Teixeira to the Braves in 2007. Now, two of the four prospects the Rangers acquired in that deal, shortstop Elvis Andrus and pitcher Neftali Feliz, are vital (and inexpensive) components of their present and future.

The equivalent for the Mets would be trading David Wright. We're not suggesting they should do that, but if they find themselves out of contention in July, they would have to ask themselves: Are we another year away from competing for a championship? And if not, would trading Mr. Wright now make us more likely to compete for a championship in 2013 and beyond?

The Rangers' haul for Teixeira was one of the great acquisitions of prospects in recent history. How many times does a team land not one, but two impact players in such a deal? I can only think of one recent example off the top of my head - Montreal's trade of prospects Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore and Brandon Phillips for Bartolo Colon. And that trade had the mitigating circumstances of Montreal facing contraction, compelling Montreal GM Omar Minaya to mortgage the future to try to win immediately.

Even if the Mets manage to land one prospect that quickly pans out in a trade for Wright, it won't be long before that player needs some big money as well. After the 2008 season, the Rockies traded franchise player Matt Holliday for a package including prospect Carlos Gonzalez. Just two years later, Gonzalez finished third in the MVP balloting and recently signed a seven-year, $80 million deal.

Trading someone like Wright is only worth it if the Mets plow the savings into helping the team. The goal should be to land players like Gonzalez, and then pay to keep them around.

The contracts for Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo are a waste of money. Carlos Beltran is likely to be quite overpaid this season. The jury is out on Jason Bay.

But just because the Mets have made some bad choices and have had some bad luck with many of their big-money contracts (I still think the Beltran deal was worth it, since he lived up to it when he was healthy), doesn't mean that all big-money deals are automatically bad. If the Mets are going to be a big-market team, they must have a big-money payroll.

The financial uncertainties surrounding the Mets should mean that the Mets may face temporary spending difficulties. It can't mean that big payrolls are suddenly bad, as Sandy Alderson appeared to imply recently. Alderson was supposedly brought in to spend money more efficiently, not to spend less of it.

The Mets also need to think about their history and how few homegrown stars have played most of their careers with the team. Maybe a franchise player shouldn't be untouchable, but those "face of the franchise" players can still get fans out to the ballpark when the team is out of contention.

Snooki and the Mets

When Squawker Lisa told me that one of the most recognizable women on TV had recorded a video about the Mets, I hoped that it was Christina Hendricks, but the way things are going for the Mets, I'm not surprised to find out that it was Snooki:



It's not the first time this year that the Mets have been associated with "Jersey Shore." At the start of the season, David Wright recorded a video with The Situation. The video begins with Wright being asked the following:

Hey, David, last year was tough, but the team looks good this year so far, and you look fantastic. what did you do differently to get in shape?

While Wright's homers/RBI have jumped from 10/72 in 2009 to 23/92 this year, his average has fallen from .307 to .287, his strikeouts have stayed high and his .851 OPS is not much better than 2009's .837. So maybe swinging a bat at The Situation's abs is not the best workout regimen after all.

As for Snooki, it turns out that her video was recorded over three years ago. It includes references to Billy Wagner and the Mets having "two Carloses." Apparently, even Snooki isn't about to record a tribute to the current group. But there's always next year - maybe we'll hear Snooki sing about how Dillon puts the Gee in GTL.

David Wright should try Francisco Cervelli's Gazoo helmet

During last night's game, the Met announcers marveled that Francisco Cervelli was able to do well wearing what they referred to as the "Gazoo helmet." Last year, these announcers, as well as much of the baseball world, mocked David Wright when he tried the helmet after his concussion. Wright got rid of the helmet after a couple of days. But he has not been the same hitter since.

Cervelli, who had a concussion in spring training, might look a little silly in the oversized headgear, but ultimately anyone with a .342 batting average, 17 RBI in 73 at bats, and a ridiculously high batting average with runners in scoring position looks pretty good.

David Wright, on the other hand, is the one who really looks ridiculous at the plate these days. Wright has 57 strikeouts in 149 at bats so far this season.

In April, Wright at least was walking a lot (21 BB) and stealing bases (7). But he has only seven walks and one steal in May, along with a .236 BA. And his strikeout rate has actually increased - 31 strikeouts in 72 at bats, almost a strikeout every other at bat.

There's a lot of speculation that much of Wright's difficulties come from him having trouble dealing with righthanders pitching him inside. If so, perhaps Wright would feel more comfortable digging in if gave the special helmet another shot.

Last year, Mets' management consistently screwed up their players by insisting that they play through injuries and come back too soon. This year, it's players like John Maine who want to take the field when something is wrong and end up making matters worse.

Wright, who didn't even want a day off the other day and felt "embarrassed" to go on the DL last year after his concussion, is too proud to ever admit that he might do better with the special helmet. And who knows, maybe his problems go beyond that.

But it's worth a try. Anything is worth a try when you're on the way to the all-time strikeout record.

Remember when the media said Jose Reyes and David Wright were better than Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez?

Today's Joel Sherman column in the New York Post reminds me of two of the dopiest ideas pushed by the New York sportswriters over the past few years - that David Wright is better than Alex Rodriguez, and Jose Reyes is better than Derek Jeter.

And this wasn't pushed by one writer or two - this idea was pretty common in the New York papers from about 2006 on. You would have thought that Jeter and A-Rod were as worn out as Emmitt Smith in the Just For Men commerical, the way certain writers in this town insisted that the Mets stars were on the rise. As Doctor Phil would say, how's that working out for you?

Sherman writes:

Wright was going to be the Mets’ Jeter; the homegrown kid who mixed skill, intangibles and charisma to become prince of the city. Instead, he has finally passed Rodriguez in the worst of all categories: Wright is now the most dissected athlete in New York. We break down his swing and psychoanalyze his mind. What is up with the wild arm, the lack of clutch play and, yes, all of those strikeouts?

You see, this is why you don't make somebody an "untouchable" before they've really proven themselves. Jeter got that type of treatment after four rings. Wright got it before the Mets even won a playoff series. Now that Wright is finally getting scrutinized, and it's got to hurt, after the years of the media telling him how great he is.

On the other hand, A-Rod has a much thicker skin after all these years of criticism than you would think. (If you want to see the flip side of that, look at how poorly David Ortiz has handled getting criticism this season. But I digress.)

As for Wright, I don't know whether he is afraid of getting plunked again, or he doesn't feel comfortable in Citi Field, or something, but he's not quite the third baseman he was projected to be. And he's certainly not better than A-Rod. I remember one A-Rod hating Yankee beat writer suggesting a trade of Wright for A-Rod straight up to "get rid of the headache" of Rodriguez, only for the writer to then say that the Mets would never want to do such a trade. Another writer wrote earlier this year that he would prefer Wright to Rodriguez. Please.

And I do think the Mets rushed Jose Reyes back before he was healthy enough to play. I still contend they're not taking his thyroid issue seriously enough.

Sherman continues:

Reyes and Wright have dwindled from cornerstones to puzzles. The Mets went all in during the 2006 season, signing both to multi-year contracts, believing they had erected a long-term foundation. Now the Mets will have to decide on Reyes’ $11 million option for 2011 and whether a champion really can be built around the left side of their infield.

As a new Subway Series begins, the question now is not whether Reyes and Wright have passed Jeter and Rodriguez, but if the best days for Reyes and Wright already have passed and, if so, how do the Mets survive that?

I see Sherman's point, but I think he is going a bit too far in the other direction for my tastes. I don't think Reyes and Wright are washed up. But I do think that the Yankee-haters in the media pumped them up to be bigger than they were. Somewhere in between are the real players. It would be nice if the press had kept some perspective on them in the first place.


What do you think? Tell us about it!

The Big Met Machine

The Mets hit four home runs tonight at Citi Field for the first time. Squawker Lisa, I know what you're wondering: Did they win? As a matter of fact they did!

As great as it was to see all the power (and it could have been five homers with David Wright hitting a ball high off the wall that looked so much like a homer that Wright went into his home run trot) the best thing about tonight's game was that the Mets won with pitching and defense.

Mike Pelfrey allowed two runs and four hits in six innings, though he also issued six walks. After John Maine's disappointing outing, the Mets now have quality starts from both Jon Niese (6 IP, 3 ER) and Pelfrey. So far, the rotation may not be spectacular, but it is also not the disaster that was feared.

For the second night in a row, the Mets' bullpen turned in three scoreless innings. Ace closer Francisco Rodriguez did not pitch either night, and Pedro Feliciano only pitched a total of 1/3 inning. Instead, it was Fernando Nieve and Hisanori Takahashi coming through on both nights, and phenom Jenrry Mejia having his first successful outing tonight.

There were several nice plays in the field, with Wright racing across the infield (he was near second base in a shift against Adam Dunn) to track down a popup near third. Alex Cora made a diving stop while playing second. The Mets only have one error so far this season.

So what if the game was against the Nationals - the Mets played well enough tonight to be competitive against anyone.

There was also good news off the field, with Jerry Manuel abandoning his ridiculous plan to bat Mike Jacobs cleanup against righties. With Jason Bay now hitting behind him, Wright had two hits and a walk. The way things are going for Jacobs, it may not be his only downward lineup move.

But the best news of all was also off the field - Jose Reyes is finally coming back tomorrow.

It figures, though, that Reyes' return would come in the same game that Oliver Perez makes his season debut. My first game at Citi Field was the second exhibition against the Red Sox. By the time Lisa and I got to our seats in the bottom of the first, Ollie had already allowed six runs.

I just hope the fans are still in a good mood by the time Reyes comes to bat for the first time.

Then again, Ollie can't do any worse than Javier Vazquez did in his season debut tonight, can he, Lisa?

The Wright Situation?: David Wright teams up with "Jersey Shore" star The Situation

Were you wondering why Met third baseman David Wright looked a little buff this season? Turns out he engaged in some "situational training" this winter, working out with Mike (The Situation) Sorrentino, one of the biggest stars on the MTV series "Jersey Shore." Or at least he did in this new commercial for Vitamin Water. They even did GTL together (as fans of "Jersey Shore" know, that stands for Gym, Tan, and Laundry!)



Anyhow, I loved - and laughed - at this video, especially since I'm such a fan of "Jersey Shore." Just glad Wright didn't get hair poofing tips from Snooki!

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Shocker! David Wright acquired by Pirates!

Wait until Squawker Jon hears this news. I just got this email a few minutes ago regarding huge breaking news about David Wright!

David Wright, Star Third Basemen, Acquired By Pirates
Healthy Partnership Promises a Championship in 2010

Sea Cliff, NY (April 1, 2010) –  In an acquisition that’s sure to send shockwaves through the baseball world, star New York third baseman David Wright announces today that he will be batting for team Pirates this season.  Pirate Brands that is – April Fools! 

David Wright, along with Pirate Brands, leader and manufacturer of deliciously baked, all-natural, trans fat and gluten free snacks including the iconic Pirate’s Booty brand, are thrilled to make their partnership public. 

The partnership will focus on promoting a healthy active lifestyle for families and kids.  Key elements include education around nutrition, healthy eating and exercise.  Pirate Brands will also support The David Wright Foundation, an organization founded by Wright in 2005 that promotes healthy development in kids in New York as well as in Wright’s hometown of Norfolk, VA.  In addition, a summer baseball clinic and other charitable activities supporting the local New York community are in the works.

Pirate Brands Vice President of Marketing, Eric Berniker said, “David is the perfect addition to the Pirate Brands team.  He’s a great role model for kids both on and off the field, from his work ethic and positive attitude to his healthy lifestyle.”

Wright, a four-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner, is gearing up for Opening Day.  “2010 is going to be a great year – I’ve been training really hard and have made some important lifestyle changes that include making healthier meal and snack choices, like all-natural Pirate’s Booty, and taking my workout routine to the next level,” stated David Wright. 

With Wright focused on a healthier lifestyle, he talks about how he found his new “go-to” healthy snack, “I first discovered Pirate’s Booty on one of my visits to healthy eatery, Energy Kitchen in New York City.  Pirate’s Booty Aged White Cheddar was the first flavor I tried and I was instantly hooked – then I read the nutritional label and it was no-brainer from there.”

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WIN A FREE GIFT BASKET!

Avast! Ahoy! The good folks at Pirate Brands are going to give one of our readers a free gift basket of their delicious healthy snack foods. And that's no joke!

Just send us an email with your name, address, phone number, and the subject line "Pirate's Booty" to subwaysquawkers@gmail.com . Please send it to us by Mets' Opening Day, which is Monday, April 5. We'll do a random drawing, and one reader will win that sweet gift basket of Pirate Brands snack foods!

David Wright is no Derek Jeter

Carlos Beltran is hitting .311 since returning to the lineup. One would think that getting Beltran back would not only help hitting and defense, but provide an emotional lift to a team that could really use one.

But the Mets are now 4-14 with Beltran back. Sure, this team has a lot of problems, but are they really this bad? Or is there something else going on?

Maybe it has something to do with the face of the franchise thinking these are "meaningless games."

Michael Baron of Metsblog notes that David Wright's apology for Saturday night's baserunning blunder only made things worse:

It's been tough because we're playing, as for as the standings go, in pretty meaningless games…

Writes Baron:

part of what makes a bad team bad is the attitude of a team, because the attitude of a team dictates mental preparedness, and for a player to admit that a game is meaningless, whether there are 30 days left or one day left, is a testament to the manager...

I completely agree with Baron on Manuel. But Wright's comments also say something about Wright. I hate to invoke Derek Jeter, but would the Yankee captain ever describe games as "meaningless"?

Oakland and Kansas City are both out of the race, but the A's have won 16 of 20 and the Royals won 12 of 15 before losing their last four.

On September 18, after a win over the Indians, A's catcher Kurt Suzuki said:

"We're pretty much out of it, but to be coming to the park every day playing hard and going out and winning as many games as we can to kind of build on next year, it's a good feeling to win games."

Here's what Suzuki's manager Bob Geren had to say after the same game:

"We just want to win," Geren said. "We're not going to make the playoffs, obviously, but we have our own goals and desires each day. I like what we're doing. It's a lot of fun."

Too bad we are not getting any such sentiments - or results - from the Mets.

Billy 'Country Time' Wagner joins the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry

99 bottles of wins on the wall, and one more to go to win the division. And if the Yankees win today and don't happen to fall, they will tie the Red Sox for their season series record. Who would have expected that after the Yanks spotted the Sox an 0-8 lead in the first eight games against each other this year?

While CC Sabathia shutting down the Red Sox (he pitched a no-hitter into the fifth inning, and he only gave up one hit overall) for his 19th win was a big highlight of yesterday's game, my favorite part was seeing former Met Billy Wagner in the mix.

Wagner, who the great Mets blogger Metstradamus calls "Country Time," is somebody I've loved to hate ever since he showed up in Flushing with Mariano Rivera's song "Enter Sandman" as his own theme song. Yes, I know Wagner started using it first. But he should have ditched it then, out of respect for Mo.

Incidentally, Country Time has stopped using the song in Boston now, and has no song at all, allegedly out of respect for Jonathan Papelbon's job as closer. Huh? I've heard eighth inning guys with their own theme song all the time! What's that all about? Heck, Mike Stanton even had a theme song with the Mets - Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue"! And incidentally, how is Wags getting along with that Rhodes Scholar Papelbon, anyway?

At any rate, my favorite Met memory of Billy Wagner was when he blew a 4-0 lead against the Yankees in the Subway Series, then griped about Willie Randolph pitching him in the game. Good times for Country Time!

So yes, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Wagner get knocked around  yesterday, even if it wasn't all his fault.

On the other hand, I didn't enjoy seeing the Yanks flail against Dice-K. He had one of his more effective games against the Bombers. While he did allow a bunch of hits, only Robinson Cano was able to score agains thim.

But all in all, it was a great win for the Yankees, as it always is in The Rivalry. And things got even better for the Subway Squawkers Rivalry.

Squawker Jon and I went out for pizza last night, and were listening to the Mets game on the car radio. David Wright  - also known as the guy who has fewer homers than Melky Cabrera  this year -  made a baserunning gaffe against the Marlins.  Wright slowed down while rounding the bases, and didn't score before Jeff Francoeur was thrown out at second - thus costing the Mets a run. So much for The Great Gazoo!

Squawker Jon wasn't pleased over that gaffe. But it got worse for my blogging partner. The Mets radio announcers talked about what they considered the best baserunning of the year. They said it was when Mark Teixeira motored around the bases after the Luis Castillo drop. The Mets broadcasters pointed out that Tex had no way of knowing that Castillo would do anything but catch the ball, yet he was running as soon as the ball was hit.

Think about that for a second. It's not enough that the Mets' own broadcasters compared David Wright disparagingly to a Yankee. It's that they used the worst Met moment of the year,  and arguably the play that sent the Mets on their downward spiral this season, in order to do so.

Squawker Jon wasn't very pleased at this mention. As for me, I cackled!

What do you think? Leave us a comment! 

Separated at birth: David Wright and the Great Gazoo?

I don't mean any disrespect to David Wright - I understand he's wearing that new batting helmet to protect himself after a concussion - but gee, that helmet does make him look like the Great Gazoo from "The Flintstones."

Sorry, I couldn't resist!

Between the two Red Sox "dumb-dumbs," in Gazoospeak - Kevin Youkilis being Fred Flintstone and Dustin Pedroia as Barney Rubble - and Wright as Gazoo, we'll soon have enough baseball people to recast "The Flintstones! (Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon can make a cameo as Mr. Slate!)

Incidentally, Squawker Jon does not like "The Flintstones" - he thinks it's merely a cheap ripoff of "The Honeymooners."

Do you have any baseball/Flintstones suggestions? Leave us a comment!

Mets don't have Wright stuff in dealing with injuries

I miss the days when Met injuries were vague and shrouded in mystery. It is still not clear exactly how Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran got hurt, much less when they will return. But August has brought Jon Niese writhing on the mound in pain and now David Wright motionless on the ground.

At least the Mets actually remembered this time that baseball rules allow a player to be placed on the disabled list as soon as he gets hurt. But as Metstradamus notes, Jerry Manuel's comments on Wright ended up disparaging Ryan Church yet again.

All teams have injuries. But most teams eventually see most of their players get back on the field. If there is anything the Mets must figure out from this miserable season, it is how to deal better with injuries.

The Mets have a football mentality of playing their players despite injuries. And we see how well that has worked out. It has taken a gruesome injury to the face of the franchise for the team finally to be cautious from the start with one of their stars.

When Wright is scheduled to come off of the DL, the Mets, as Metstradamus also points out, will be in Colorado. Presumably, the Mets will not allow Wright to fly to high-altitude Denver, as they did with Church after Church's second concussion.

Maybe two weeks of rest is all Wright needs. Let's hope so. And let's hope the Mets become an organization in which we can trust that they will make the best decisions when it comes to the health of their players.

Former Met captain John Franco is the new Met 'voice from the grave'

I had to laugh when I heard about John Franco decrying the current Mets' leadership. Because he wasn't exactly the leader for the ages himself.

The last Met captain spoke with SIRIUS XM hosts Kevin Kennedy and Jeff Joyce about his old team, saying "there’s no leadership there. Nobody wants to step forward and be a leader. Something is missing and it’s hard to put your finger on it."

That may well be true (actually, it most definitely is true!) but Franco isn't the one who should be saying it. Because I remember Franco's great leadership (ha!) as a Met. He and Al Leiter, who both had way too much pull in the front office, ran the team like it was their own country club.

Leiter's big achievement in leadership was griping when Scott Kazmir played Eminem instead of Bruce Springsteen in the spring training clubhouse.

And Franco? Well, I guess pushing to get rid of the hated Bobby Valentine could be considered leadership. But looking back at those 1999 and 2000 teams, it's a miracle that they got as far in the playoffs as they did. Maybe that manager, as flawed as he was, did have a little something to do with it.

But yeah, Franco did all sorts of cool stuff as captain. Like wearing that big letter C to remind everybody that he was the captain. Letter C? What, is this "Sesame Street?" C is for cookie, not captain!

Franco decried the Mets "not having fun," but as Squawker Jon notes, "it's hard to relax and have fun when you're coming off two late-season collapses, numerous bullpen collapses in 2008 and numerous late-inning collapses of a disturbing variety this year."

The former closer also talked about how he became captain of the Mets:

"Well, I was appointed captain of the Mets as a closer, so it was kind of weird that nobody wanted to do it. And I was a guy, even though I was a closer, if I thought there was a team meeting or something needed to be said, I had no problem getting in somebody's face or kicking them in the rear. And everybody knew where I was coming from because on some of the teams I played with, some of them were very bad and some of them were good, and sometimes some guys maybe weren't respecting the game enough or some guys weren't playing the game the right way or some guys weren't doing things that they should've done. And I would call a team meeting and call them out on it. And I didn't care if they liked me or not. I wanted to win just as bad as the next guy, but I think I got my point across. With the Mets, a guy like David Wright is a guy that I'm hoping - you know, I tried talking to him and tell him to come forward and be that guy, but I think David feels that being that he's such a young player and you have the [Carlos] Delgados and [Gary] Sheffields and veteran guys like that, he's afraid that they'll look at him like, 'Be quiet and sit down.'"

Both Wright and Jerry Manuel fought back against Franco's accusations. The Met manager said:

“I think when a guy [Alex Cora] plays with a torn ligament in his thumb, that’s leadership. When a guy [Wright] needs a day off and still wants to play, that’s leadership.”

And David Wright responded:

“With all due respect to Johnny, he doesn’t know what’s going on in this clubhouse,” Wright said. “I don’t feel the need to defend myself as a leader if the guys in here respect me and think of me as a leader. I don’t worry myself with outside people, saying what they’re going to say. It doesn’t matter to me.”

That's an awful lot of words to say for somebody who doesn't feel the need to defend himself, and for something that doesn't matter to him!

Now, I agree with Franco that the Mets make all sorts of "mental mistakes", but not the reasons why:

..."I think they have maybe too much individuality, where guys are worried about their own stats instead of worrying about getting the guy over, not stealing third base with two outs which is really meaningless."

Eh, the old stat-padding argument. It's like how some fans say that A-Rod doesn't do enough to win the games, as if getting hits and homers somehow only count when they're walkoffs.

Do I think Luis Castillo dropped the ball because he was thinking about his stats? No. He did it because it was so easy a play, he thought he could catch it with one hand instead of two. Or because he had a brain cramp. But I don't think any of it had to do with worrying about his stats.

At any rate, no matter how valid some his criticisms are, Franco should remember that he's just, as Mike Piazza once described Keith Hernandez' criticism of the team, a voice from the grave.

What do you think? Leave us a comment!

Last chance to vote for Mark Teixeira over Kevin Youkilis on the All-Star Game ballot

Vote for Mark Teixeira over Kevin Youkilis for the All-Star Game. Let's give John Henry something to Twitter about. Let's help good defeat evil. Well, maybe Kevin Youkilis isn't evil - just terminally annoying - but I still don't want to see him start at first base at the All-Star Game!

Youk is leading Tex by 40,000 votes with just one day to go. This cannot happen. So go to MLB.com and vote on the mark. Send a Tex message to the All-Star Game! You can vote up to 25 times - the ballot saves your picks, so it's easy to keep on resubmitting your choices.

In addition to voting for Teixeira, this Squawker has a few other suggestions for the All-Star ballot:

The good folks at VoteSwisher.com wanted to remind Yankee fans to write in Nick Swisher for an outfield spot.

Dustin Pedroia is less than 7,000 votes behind Ian Kinsler for second base. Why should a Red Sox player who left the field when there were only two outs be rewarded with an All-Star spot? Hope this survey says no!

As I have done every time I've voted on an All-Star ballot since the 2006 NLCS, I voted for the Cardinals' Yadier Molina, just to tweak Squawker Jon. And this year, Jose Molina's brother is actually leading the NL All-Star ballot at catcher. Are there that many Met-haters out there?

I also used the NL ballot to vote for the best second baseman out there. The pop-up king! Yes, I went there - I voted 25 times for the Mets' Luis Castillo!

Speaking of the Mets, I just went to Mets.com to see who they were promoting on their site for the All-Star Game. Each team is promoting one or more players: the Yanks are pushing Teixeira, while the Red Sox are asking fans to vote for Youkilis and Pedroia. The Mets? Well, they're pushing somebody who won't be able to play in the All-Star Game - the injured Carlos Beltran! Granted, he did have an All-Star caliber year until getting hurt, but it's still funny that they're promoting him over their supposed franchise player, David Wright.

Voting for the All-Star Game ends at 11:59 tonight. Get your votes in!

Who are you voting for? Leave us a comment!