Roy Halladay’s performance against the Cincinnati Reds during his postseason debut was one of the most impressive pitching performances we have ever seen in MLB playoff history. It was just the second no-hitter that has ever been thrown in the postseason.
Halladay was dominant, but is his performance at the top of the list?
The Mets were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Tuesday. However, with 10 games left in the season, fans should not stop supporting the team. I am completely aware that it is football season and there are two exciting teams in New York. The Jets, behind Rex Ryan (you either love him or hate him), are looking to improve on last season’s AFC Championship game appearance.
Meanwhile, the Giants are looking to return to the playoffs. With this, there appears to be no reason to continue following the Mets. However, as a recently displaced Mets fan, I can tell you that there are still many reasons to keep up with the team. Here’s a list of seven relevant reasons to keep rooting for the home team.
1. Following the Youth Movement
The Mets have many young and exciting players on their roster. Ike Davis, Josh Thole, Ruben Tejada, Lucas Duda, Jon Niese, and Dillon Gee are all players that fans should be excited about. While Davis and Niese have already locked up their roster spots for next season, the rest of the group will begin spring training next year fighting for jobs.
2. You Don’t Want to Be Considered a Bandwagon Fan
Yes, you supported the Mets in the past when they were terrible, but giving up on your team gives your friends (read: Yankee fans) another reason to make fun of you. The reason that we love the Mets is because of our strong attachments to them. You know you will be following all of their moves during the offseason, so don’t give up on them now.
3. Because Football is Only on Sundays
I know that the Mets are not currently an exciting team to watch but what other sports are on during weeknights? Sure you can just watch replays of the World Series of Poker all night on ESPN2, but that’s no fun. Commit to watching the Mets for at least six nights out of the week until the season is over. I completely understand watching an NFL game instead once a week.
4. The Lines at Shake Shack are the Shortest They’ve Ever Been
With less than 20,000 fans showing up at the home games now, less people are in line for concessions. Instead of wasting up to three innings in line waiting for burgers (been there, done that), you can get in line and get your food in under an inning. This is an opportunity that cannot be missed.
5. Buy Cheap Seats and Move Down
We all know that going to a ballgame is very expensive. However, with the limited number of fans showing up, there is a great solution. Buy cheap upper deck seats and move down to the lower levels around the second inning. With so many empty seats, no one will even take notice that your there.
6. Because They’re Still Your Team
You’ve stuck with the Mets before and you should do it again. What are your other options? Root for the Yankees? The Long Island Ducks? Having moved out to St. Louis and dealing with Cardinals fans has made me realize that you can’t just give up on your team because they are having a bad year. The Mets are a part of me and since you’re reading this blog I am assuming they’re a part of you too.
7. There Will Be Big Changes This Offseason
Changes are coming to both the roster and the front office. Your going to want to keep close to the team as we could begin to start hearing hints about what may occur in the near future.
To read more Mets articles written by myself and others, check out Mets Gazette.
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The Mets recently announced that they would be giving away free tickets to fans who had purchased a ticket plan earlier in the year. Fans will get tickets to one of the remaining home games.
While this is a great gesture, when one looks deeper, it appears that the Mets have ulterior motives as well.
It is a well known fact that attendance at Mets games is down this year. Last season, the Mets averaged 38,941 fans a game. However, as of September 9th of this season, the Mets have averaged just 33,335 fans a game. This is a decrease of approximately 14.4%. That is an astounding figure for a team based in one of the biggest markets in the world.
The Mets will also fall below the 3 million fan mark for the first time since the 2005 season. Clearly, the fans are showing their distaste for the teams actions by not showing up. And the Wilpons have definitely taken notice.
This also means that on average, Citi Field is only filled to 79.4% of its total capacity. That is a lot of empty seats. This means less revenue for the Wilpons. They realize that if they can bring fans into the stadium, the fans will then spend money on food and souvenirs. From a business standpoint, it is a smart move, as the Mets have approximately 20% of their seats to give away. There is practically no cost to the Mets in doing this.
However, ownership should notice that… (to read the rest click on the link below)
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Finally. It is about time that the Mets’ front office did something right this season.
After inexplicably having Jenrry Mejia start the season on the Mets’ major league roster as a reliever, the situation has finally been fixed. Mejia is a starter, and he will be able to help the Mets in the future in that capacity.
As talented as Mejia is, he never should have been with a major league team if he was going to pitch out of the bullpen. There is no denying that Mejia posted very strong numbers and was an important piece of the bullpen while the Mets were still in contention.
However, this definitely stunted his growth as a starter this year. Mejia was only able to make nine starts this season, and they all came in the minor leagues. He has thrown just 42.3 innings as a starter. This is about a third of what he could have done if he had been starting all season. This is a lot of lost development time.
While he has had only nine starts this year, they have been dominant performances. Across four levels (rookie ball, high-A, AA, and AAA) Mejia has posted a 1.28 ERA with 1.06 WHIP and a 9.6 K/9 rate.
These numbers suggest that Mejia is definitely ready to be in the major leagues.
Hopefully, the Mets will use the starts that Mejia makes in September to continue his development. There is no…(to read the rest click on the link below)
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The Washington Nationals have agreed to a deal with Bryce Harper. It has been reported by Kendall Rogers of Yahoo! Sports that the deal is worth $9.9 million. This has been confirmed by Jim Bowden.
It appears as if the Nationals will be a force to be reckoned with in the future. With Stephen Strasburg already dominating in the majors and Bryce Harper on his way to the Nationals organization, the team appears to be on the rise.
Some scouts have said the Mets have the best farm system in the National League East, but that may soon change.
It also appears that the Mets have reached a deal with their top pick, Matt Harvey. Jon Heyman is reporting that Harvey will get slightly more than $2.5 million.
Both of these players could have an impact in the National League East in the next few years. (To get more updates, click on the link below)
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The Washington Nationals have agreed a deal Bryce Harper. It has been reported by Kendall Rogers of Yahoo Sports that the deal is worth $9.9 million. This has been confirmed by Jim Bowden.
It appears as if the Nationals will be a force to be reckoned with in the future. With Stephen Strasburg already dominating in the majors and Bryce Harper on his way to the Nationals organization, the team appears to be on the rise.
Some scouts have said that the Mets have the best farm system in the National League East, but that may soon change.
It also appears that the Mets have reached a deal with their top pick, Matt Harvey. Jon Heyman is reporting that Harvey will get slightly more than $2.5 million.
Both of these players could have an impact in the National League East in the next few years. (To get more updates, click on the link below)
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It has been announced that Francisco Rodriguez will need to undergo season-ending surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb.
It can be concluded that the injury came from the altercation that Rodriguez had with his father-in-law earlier in the week.
This is just another story in the sad state of affairs of the New York Mets.
Rodriguez had no business being on the Mets roster at any point this year after the altercation anyway. Now, he will most likely be placed on the DL and another reliever will be brought up.
It also could lead to an opportunity for Bobby Parnell to close. Parnell could potentially be the closer of the future for the Mets.
It has been rumored that the Mets might attempt to void K-Rod’s contract. This would be based on the grounds that he injured himself outside of the course of play.
While this is a legitimate claim, the players’ association would certainly fight it.
If the Mets can void K-Rod’s deal, it would be helpfully to them next season. It would free up $11.5 million that can be spent on free agents (possibly Cliff Lee) this offseason.
Also, the Mets would not need to worry about K-Rod’s $17.5 million option for 2012. Regardless, I do not believe that K-Rod will be on the Mets roster next year.
I believe that if the Mets cannot void his deal, they will do all that they can to trade him this offseason.
This is just…(to read the rest of the article click on the link below)
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Jeurys Familia has been considered by some to be among the Mets top ten prospects.
Familia spent his first year in Rookie Ball and was very impressive. In 2008, he went 2-2 with a 2.79 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and a 6.6 K/9 rate.
This was enough to earn him a spot in Single-A for the ’09 season. At age 19, Familia impressed again. He went 10-6 with a 2.69 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and a 7.3 K/9 rate.
Once again, Familia merited a promotion. Familia has been at High-A ball this year. He has had some struggles this year, but he has shown the flashes of brilliance that he had in the previous two seasons. Familia is 3-8 with a 5.84 ERA, 1.68 WHIP, and 9.1 K/9 rate.
Most of Familia’s struggles can be linked to his walk rate jumping from 3.1 BB/9 in ’09 to 6.3 BB/9 this season. If Familia can regain his control, he has unlimited potential.
Jeurys was recently kind enough to take some time out of his schedule for an interview with me.
At what age did you realizes that you were talented enough to become a professional baseball player? “At about 16, 16 and a half years old.”
Was there anything that led you to realize that you would go pro? “I just had that feeling, especially with my parents pushing me, and just making me think every day about becoming better and getting better. I just knew that I was gonna make it. It…(to read the rest of the interview click on the link below)
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New York Mets management could learn a lot from the Seattle Mariners. Yes, the Wilpons should be looking out west for a better model of how to run their organization. I am aware that the Mariners are 42-70 and are currently 22.5 games out of first place, but their organization is being run correctly.
Why would I possibly suggest this? On the surface, it seems just as bad as suggesting the Mets follow the management styles of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals, or the Baltimore Orioles. Before anyone labels me as crazy, lets take a look at a few of the moves that the Mariners have made this year.
In the offseason, the Mariners believed that they would be a playoff caliber team, but they were in need of an addition to the top of their starting rotation (Sound familiar, Mets fans?). So what did Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik do? He went out and traded three prospects for Cliff Lee. Keep in mind that the Mariners did not trade away any of their top-three prospects in the deal.
So how has Lee done so far? He currently leads the AL with a 2.44 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP. Yes, Lee was traded to the Rangers, but he was exactly what the Mariners expected when they traded for him. Imagine if the Mets had made a move like this in the offseason. They would not be a sub-.500 team this year.
However, just like the Mets, the Mariners have…(to read the rest of the article click on the link below)
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The New York Mets management could learn a lot from the Seattle Mariners. Yes, the Wilpons should be looking out West for a better model of how to run their organization. I am aware that the Mariners are 42-70 and are currently 22.5 games out of first place, but their organization is being run correctly.
Why would I possibly suggest this? On the surface, it seems just as bad as suggesting the Mets follow the management styles of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals, or the Baltimore Orioles. Before anyone labels me as crazy, let’s take a look at a few of the moves that the Mariners have made this year.
In the off season, the Mariners believed that they would a playoff caliber team, but they were in need of an addition to the top of their starting rotation (Sound familiar Mets fans). So what did Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik do? He went out and traded three prospects for Cliff Lee. Keep in mind that the Mariners did not trade away any of their top-three prospects in the deal.
So how has Lee done so far? He currently leads the AL with a 2.44 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP. Yes, Lee was traded to the Rangers, but he was exactly what the Mariners expected when they traded for him. Imagine if the Mets had made a move like this in the offseason. They would not be a sub-.500 team this year.
However, just like the Mets, the Mariners have… (to read the rest of the article click on the link below)
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