Mets Hire Terry Collins

The New York Mets entered this offseason without a Manager and a General Manager, and as of Tuesday both positions were filled.  The Mets hired Sandy Alderson as the GM on October 29, and instructed him to conduct the manager search.  Tuesday, Alderson completed his search and hired Terry Collins, a former Major League player who has plenty of coaching experience.  He has had decades of experience in the minors, has had experience as bullpen coach at the Major League level, and has had two stints at manager, with the Houston Astros and Anaheim Angels.  Collins compiled a 444-434 record in 6 years of managing in the Major Leagues.

Terry Collins is known to be a fiery, intense, and stringent manager.  He is as serious as any manager on game day, and does not allow his players to be complacent.  He has been known to snap at times on his team after poor performances and performances that he deems to be lackluster and not up to par.  Collins will be a sudden change from the laid back personalities of Willie Randolph and Jerry Manuel, the previous 2 Mets managers.  However, a fiery manager who stresses accountability and demands the best from players each and every night is what the Mets need right now.  The Mets have always had the talent, but the talent has never been consistent.  Jason Bay had a very average season in his first year with the club, Carlos Beltran has had attitude problems, Jose Reyes has proved to be soft in his reactions to minor injuries, and many other talented players have underperformed in the past few years.  The Mets organization needed to hire a manager like Collins, because the front office should be as upset as the fans are with the fact that this team has failed to live up to the hype since the 2006 season, when it went to the NLCS.  The Mets need a manager that will light a fire under these players, will demand accountability from everyone, and will instill a culture of respect, intensity, and teamwork in the locker room.  Terry Collins is that manager, and Mets fans should be excited about the future.

Some are worried about Collins’ history with regard to being “run out of town.”  Collins was fired in Anaheim after his players approached the GM and demanded that he be fired.  Fans are worried that he will turn the locker room against him, and that the players won’t respond because of his attitude.  While this is a fair concern, the Mets were forced to hire a manager like Collins.  The culture that currently exists in the Mets organization is one of apathy and lack of accountability.   Such traits lead to underperformance and waste of talent, which have defined the Mets in recent years.  Therefore, Mets fans should embrace a manager that will instill a culture of accountability and will eliminate complacence.

Compare the situation to John Gruden in the NFL.  Gruden is a coach that most players do not like, but he is successful because of his forceful style.  In Oakland, he led the Raiders to the AFC Championship Game, and was run out of town mainly because the players and fans grew tired of his style.  Then he went to Tampa, where he won the Super Bowl, but again was run out for similar reasons.  Mets fans should embrace such a coach.  If Collins can instill a culture of respect and accountability in the Mets locker room, and can get this team back to the playoffs, why wouldn’t fans support him?  He could be run out of town in 5 years, but the importance of setting a standard of excellence and a standard of quality that hasn’t been stressed recently in the Mets organization is paramount.  While Collins may be an eccentric manager, may rustle some feathers, and may ultimately be run out of town, he will put these players in their place and will set a standard of discipline that the franchise has been missing.  The talent has been there, but now the Mets have a man that can put it all together.

Minaya and Manuel Out in New York

BREAKING NEWS:  SI.com has reported that New York Mets GM Omar Minaya and Manager Jerry Manuel will not retain their duties next season.  This decision comes after multiple consecutive woeful seasons for the club.  Minaya is remembered for big contracts that didn’t work out, such as Luis Castillo, Francisco Rodriguez, JJ Putz, Jason Bay (so far), and others.  Minaya was always unable to put a core, consistent group of young talents on the field together in a way that promoted chemistry and success for the Mets, and it was certainly his time to go.  Manuel was a solid manager, as he took over for Willy Randolph after his firing in the middle of the 2008, but could never manage the team to its potential, and missed the playoffs in each of his seasons as manager.  The Mets are now looking to fill the GM and manager positions in the offseason.  The GM will most likely be hired first, and this GM will have almost full control over which manager will be hired.  I will update the situation in the offseason as it develops, stay tuned.

Podcast: 2010 MLB Playoff Predictions

Title: 2010 MLB Playoff Predictions

The second Bob Long’s Sports Podcast discusses the baseball stretch run, including division winners, wild card winners, and top seeds in the league.  With associate Chris Pierangeli

Download Link: http://bobsportsblog.podomatic.com/entry/2010-08-30T17_32_16-07_00

#17 Gets 17

In the biggest free agent signing of the season, New Jersey Devils star Ilya Kovalchuk has signed a 17 year, $102 million deal.  17 years?  For a guy that is 27 years old and, while a legitimate offensive threat, did not lead the 2nd seeded Devils past the first round of the NHL Playoffs, it seems a bit excessive.  However, New Jersey has locked up its hundred million dollar man until he will be 44 years old.  Shades of the New York Mets and Bobby Bonilla.

In more local news, the Philadelphia Flyers have parted ways with Simon Gagne, who has spent 9 years with the team and has been an integral part of all the team’s successes during that time period.  Gagne will be missed by Flyers fans everywhere, and the pain will be doubled when one considers what the Flyers received in return for Gagne (defenseman Matt Walker and a 4th round pick in the 2011 NHL Draft).  Gagne will play with the Tampa Bay Lightning next season.

Cliff Lee to Rangers: That’s Not Right

Yesterday, Cliff Lee was traded from the struggling Seattle Mariners to the surging, first place Texas Rangers.  The Rangers exchanged prospects and 1st baseman Justin Smoak for Lee and reliever Mark Lowe.  Sounds pretty cut and dry, doesn’t it?  However, the Texas Rangers are currently being run by the league.  The club declared bankruptcy recently, and as a result Major League Baseball has taken over the ownership duties for the club.  This normally severly inhibits an organization’s ability to make big free agent transactions, because the club is already in debt and is being monitored by Major League Baseball.  The Rangers have been fortunate enough to play well with the players it has had, without the club making any big free agent transactions.  However, the trade for Cliff Lee is a trade that should never have happened, and is unfair to the other potential Cliff Lee suitors.

In this deal, the Rangers will have to pick up about $2 million of Lee’s remaining salary.  It is difficult for me to understand how an organization can bring in Lee and pay an extra $2 million when it has already declared bankruptcy and is under the jurisdiction of Major League Baseball.  How could the MLB do this?  How can the MLB rightfully allow the Rangers to make such a deal when the club is already so far in debt?  I find it completely unfair to the rest of Major League Baseball, and if I were Bud Selig, I would send a message to the rest of Major League Baseball that declaring bankruptcy is not a postion in which an organization wants to be, or a position in which an organization can thrive.  Think about the precedent that is being sent.  While no one wants to declare bankruptcy, in terms of baseball status, it isn’t a bad thing at this point.  Even in its bankrupt state, the Rangers have no problem signing an elite pitcher, and have no problem paying half of his remaining salary. 

If a club declares bankruptcy, it should no longer have full control of its personnel decisions, and should not be able to take on extra salary.  It isn’t fair to teams that actually have the money to make the deal.  For example, both the  New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies had expressed interest in acquiring Cliff Lee.  These teams are 2nd and 3rd in the NL East, respectively.   Both teams were looking for a top of the rotation type starter to give themselves a spark in the 2nd half of the season and to catch the surging Braves.  However, because the Rangers were able to acquire Lee and pick up a portion of his salary even while in bankruptcy, neither of these teams could pick up Lee.  This could have a large impact on the tight NL East race.  It is the same situation that exists in the AL East and the AL Central, among other divisions, and it isn’t right.

Big Sports Day Roundup

Today was a big day in a lot of sports.  From soccer, to tennis, to hockey, to baseball, these sports had many notable and rare occurrences on this day.

Early this morning, the United States World Cup soccer team played against Algeria with a chance to advance to the round of 16.  In order to advance, the US either needed to win (which guaranteed qualification) or tie (with either an English loss to Slovenia or a tie by England in which the team scored less than 2 goals above that which the US scored today).  However, with an England win, the US team would need to win to assure its spot in the next round.

The English won, 1-0, and the US was tied after 90 minutes with Algeria.  The game remained tied shortly into stoppage time.  At that point, Algeria had a good opportunity to put the game away with a scoring chance of their own, but US goalkeeper Tim Howard stopped the threat and quickly started a counter attack by feeding the ball to Landon Donovan.  Donovan carried the ball down the field, passed to Jozy Altidore, who crossed to Clint Dempsey in front with the Algerian goaltender charging.  The ball went off Dempsey’s foot and off the goaltender, rebounding to about 8 yards from the goal line.  Donovan charged from the 18 to lace the ball on the ground into the back left corner of the net, and proceeded to slide headfirst into the left corner flag, at which point his teammates piled upon him.  After a few more stops in extra time, the final whistle sounded, and the United States had assured itself a spot in the round of 16.

For a nation that had such high hopes for its team, and a nation that hasn’t had much success in the World Cup in recent years, the 2nd half of the game could not have caused more anxiety from its fans.  The team had many chances that could not be converted, and the team saw its World Cup lives flash before its eyes.  However, in a moment, Landon Donovan became a legend, the United States moved on, and soccer became the primary focus in American sports for the month of June.  All because of a goal in stoppage time; that is the beauty of soccer.  USA will play Ghana in the next round of the World Cup.

In tennis, the match of the day at Wimbledon was John Isner vs. Nicolas Mahut.  The match went 10 hours, and here is the kicker: It isn’t over.  The match went 5 sets and is still tied at 59-59.  The match was called as a result of darkness, and will be resumed tomorrow morning on ESPN.

Finally, New York Mets knuckleball starter R.A. Dickey pitched 8 scoreless innings en route to his 6th consecutive win.  He is now 6-0 this season, and is the first pitcher in Mets history (which included names such as Gooden and Seaver, among others) to record a win in each of his first 6 decisions.   In another NL East story, Jimmy Rollins hit a walk-off 2 run home run for the Phillies in only his second game back from the Disabled List.

In hockey, Henrik Sedin won the Hart Trophy (hockey’s MVP), Ryan Miller won the Vezina Trophy (best goaltender), Tyler Myers won the Calder Trophy (rookie of the year), Duncan Keith won the Norris Trophy (best defensemen), Pavel Datsyuk won the Frank J. Selke Trophy (best defensive forward), and Martin St. Louis won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (best behaved player).

Phillies Caught “Red”-Handed

The Colorado Rockies have filed a complaint to the MLB against the Philadelphia Phillies about stealing signs.  Phillies bullpen coach Mick Billmeyer was accused of using binoculars to view Rockies catcher Miguel Olivo give signs to his pitcher.  In addition, it was alleged and confirmed via MLB telecast that Shane Victorino was using the bullpen telephone and conversing at the same time that Billmeyer was using binoculars.  The MLB gave the Phillies a warning on the subject, and have alerted umpires and other MLB officials to be on full watch for any more potential foul play by the Phillies.  The New York Mets claimed similar foul play against the Phils 2 weeks ago when they believed the Phillies were stealing signs from Rod Barajas when Johan Santana was pitching.  In this game the Phillies smacked around Santana, the perennial All-Star and Cy Young candidate.

My thoughts?  I think it is bush league.  I think it is bush league and ridiculous that a team uses binoculars and a telephone to steal signs.  I’m the biggest proponent of using smarts and strategy to win baseball games, but this crosses the line. 

On this issue, Phillies fans have one of two options.  1) Phillies fans can either accept or even embrace what the team is doing and has done, or 2) never again complain about when other teams cheat to get ahead, because that is exactly what the Phillies did.  That means never again saying that the Patriots cheated to beat your beloved Eagles in Super Bowl XLIV, because Rays fans could turn around and claim the same thing about the Phils in the 2008 World Series.  Yes, this practice by the Phils was never proven in that World Series, but there was also no evidence that the Patriots taped the Eagles before Super Bowl XLIV, even though it was proven to have been done in other games.  It’s either one way or the other Philly fans, you cannot have both.

Stealing signs is, at its core, not bush league in my opinion.  If a bench coach is smart enough to pick up the 3rd base coach’s signs, or the opposing catcher is naive enough to put his signs too low and someone in the dugout can see them, I think that is smart baseball.  However, when a coach in the bullpen in centerfield uses binoculars to look 450 feet to home plate to see the catcher’s signs, while simultaneously someone in the dugout is being relayed the signs through the bullpen phone, that crosses the line.  It raises questions about the validity of the Phillies recent success.  How can anyone realistically know how much this has happened in the past?  The point is, we can’t, because no one was looking for it.  Maybe the Phillies will stop now that the issue has been brought to the attention of the public, but by no means can we assume that this practice was a one time thing and had no impact on the team in recent years.  This issue may not get the national attention it deserves, but it will slightly tarnish the success the Phillies have had in recent years.

David Wright Reaches Milestones

Yesterday, in Game 2 of the day-night doubleheader between the Mets and Dodgers, Mets third baseman David Wright singled to reach 1,000 hits for his career in only 816 games.  Today, in his first at-bat of the daygame against the Dodgers, Wright doubled off the left field wall to reach 226 doubles, which gives him the Mets franchise record for doubles.  Wright is quickly becoming one of the best players in franchise history and has become the face of the current New York Mets.

Mets Top Cards in a 20 Inning Classic

The Mets and Cardinals afternoon game yesterday was scheduled for 4:10 EST first pitch.  6 hours and 53 minutes later, after 11 o’clock EST, the Mets emerged weary and victorious.  The game was scoreless for the first 18 innings, and the 19th and 20th innings yielded 3 total runs. 

Maybe we should have seen a game like this one coming.  The Mets started ace Johan Santana, while the Cardinals sent rookie southpaw Jaime Garcia to face the woefully inept Mets offense.  Each starter went 7 innings without allowing a run.  Great outings by each pitcher, but the fans assumed that someone would score against the opposition’s bullpen.  While both teams did score off the “bullpen,” it wasn’t until 10 innings later.  Innings 9-17 dwindled both the Mets and Cardinals bullpen but yielded no runs.  The Cardinals left the bases loaded in 3 of 5 innings, and the Mets simply were incapable of putting runners in positions to score, and when the team did have opportunities, no player could deliver an RBI.  The first 17 innings were entertaining for baseball purists, as the game showcased good pitching and solid defense, but the offenses simply did not show up.

The 18th, 19th, and 20th innings were not entertaining for baseball purists.  Sure, there wasn’t much scoring in these innings either, but it certainly wasn’t because of the pitching quality.  The Cardinals had run out of bullpen pitchers, and Tony La Russa decided to save his starters and pitch utility infielder Felipe Lopez for the 18th inning.   Lopez did not throw a fastball above 85 miles per hour and didn’t have an effective curveball, but he threw a scoreless 18th.  That’s correct, the Mets could not score off the equivalent of batting practice pitches.  The Cardinals could not score in the bottom of the 18th, and the game was extended once more to 19 innings.  In the 19th, the Cardinals put Joe Mather in the game, usually an outfielder but in this game switched from 3rd to the pitcher’s spot.  Mather had trouble finding the zone, as he walked 3 runners in 2 innings and gave up the first run of the game in the 19th inning.

After the Mets scored this run, manager Jerry Manuel sent Francisco Rodriguez (K-Rod) into the game to close.  K-Rod is one of the best closers in the game, and the Cardinals could not score on the Mets starter and bullpen for the first 18 innings.  Game over, right?  Not in this game.  Albert Pujols moved to 3rd base with 2 outs, and K-Rod was facing Yadier Molina.  That’s an easy decision, though.  Walk Molina and face seldom used outfielder Adam Craig, who is batting .071 this season.  Jerry Manuel decided against such logic.  Manuel let K-Rod talk him into pitching to Molina.  As fate would have it, Molina singled to tie the game.  Just as Molina broke the heart of Mets fans in the 2006 NLCS with his home run in the 9th inning of Game 7, yesterday Molina singled to tie the game and send it into the 20th inning.

In the 2oth, Mather again stepped to the rubber, and again he lacked control.  The Mets scored 1 run to put themselves in the lead into the bottom of the 2oth, and turned to starter Mike Pelfrey to close the game.  Pelfrey closed the game very efficiently and without much resistance from the Cardinals, which was somewhat of a letdown for how unbelievable the game had been to that point.  It was Pelfrey’s first save of his career, and it was the conclusion of the longest and most entertaining game of the young MLB season.  The Mets move to 4-7 on the young season, and the Cardinals remain atop the NL Central at 7-4.

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The other big MLB story on Saturday was the first no-hitter of the season, thrown by Rockies fireballer Ubaldo Jimenez.  Jimenez threw 128 pitches and walked 6 batters en route to the first no-hitter in Rockies history.

A Recollection of the Year’s Best

As the year comes to a close, it is important to reflect on the year you had before moving on to the next one.  On this blog, it is important to reflect on the year in sports.  Feel free to create your own list based on these questions, or comment on mine.

Favorite sports moment (or season)?

This is a tough question, considering Villanova went to the Final Four in basketball, and also won the Division 1 Football Championship in Football.  However, the greatest moment in my life to this point was when I got to see Villanova win the National Championship firsthand.  I got to storm the field and celebrate with my favorite players.  Not to mention I was seen on ESPN2 with my “This is Szczur’s Palace” sign.  The Nova football season was about as good as it got for a fan.  Nova started the season by winning the inaugural Mayor’s Cup against city rival Temple.  Then the team went 9-1 the rest of the season to win the CAA and earn the 2 seed in the playoffs.  Nova beat #1 Richmond and #5 William and Mary along the way.  Then, in the playoffs, Nova beat Holy Cross, got revenge by blowing out New Hampshire, who had given Nova its only loss, then beat William and Mary in a thriller and finally beat Montana to win the National Championship.  The Cats earned three big pieces of hardware this year; the Mayor’s Cup Trophy, the CAA Title, and the National Championship trophy.  What a year for a fan, and that season was the my favorite ”moment” of 2009.

Craziest you have acted at or during a game?

This is another tough question.  I have really been crazy even when the games have been on television, but I will limit this question to a game that I actually attended.  It comes down to either Villanova Pitt, the last game at the Spectrum, Villanova Syracuse at the Carrier Dome, or Villanova American in the first round of the NCAA tournament.  I will eliminate the American game because, while I was cheering wildly, I was more scared than anything.  The last two are about as close to a tie as it gets.  However, I think the craziest I have acted at a game was the Villanova Syracuse game at the Carrier Dome.  From the opening tip, I could not be silenced.  I was getting up, screaming about my Nova players, and razzing the Syracuse fans about their team.  A few Syracuse fans were not thrilled about my antics, to put it mildly.  One guy sitting in front of me said that I would lose my teeth if I kept it up, another said to me, “You are the reason Philadelphia fans have a bad name,” and finally, a sixty year old lady from the next section over was continuously getting up, screaming, and pumped her fists at me when Syracuse would score.  So I guess I don’t really know if she was irritated by my antics, but I am just making an assumption.  What a game though.  Nova won by two, and Johnny Flynn missed a game winning shot at the buzzer.

Best game you saw?

Easy.  Villanova Pittsburgh in the NCAA tournament.  It was a back and forth game, and was the most evenly matched game I saw in the NCAA tournament.  No team lead by more than 5 points at any point during the game, and it was decided by the most memorable play of the 2009 NCAA tournament: Scottie Reynolds’ last second dash down the court to make the layup over Gilbert Brown.  Best game of the year.

Biggest disappointment?

If we are talking about sports in general, Tiger Woods no question.  But I am tired of talking about Tiger.  My biggest disappointment was the baseball season in general.  The Cubs were embarrassing this year.  We go out and get Milton Bradley to be a lefty power hitter (he is a switch, but who is counting right?).  Geovany Soto smokes pot in the offseason, gets in trouble, and subsequently has a terrible year.  Alfonso Soriano remains the most inconsistent player in baseball, although Carlos Zambrano, “The Great Zambino,” gives him a run for his money.  We get rid of Mark DeRosa, and then never were consistent at 2nd.  Real smart, Jim (Hendry).  Aramis Ramirez is injured for the majority of the year.  Harden and Bradley are gone, and we haven’t made many additions to this point.  It’s extremely frustrating as a Cubs fan.

One can not talk about disappointment in the baseball season without talking about the Mets.  Beltran, Delgado, Reyes, Wright, and Santana were all hurt for extended periods of time.  ERRORS ERRORS ERRORS!!! The team could not make a play in the clutch (ie. Luis Castillo dropping a game ending pop up against the Yankees, with Teixiera scoring on the play to win, Jeremy Reed throwing a 90 thrown from first to home 10 feet to the left of Omir Santos, and in the same game, Ryan Church not touching third on his way to scoring the game winning run).  There are so many more examples of why the season was just incredibly disappointing.  Mike Pelfrey balking three times against the Giants, which led to the Giants’ two only runs and the Mets loss.  I can only hope that the guys will stay healthy, Bay will provide a solid presence in the outfield, and the errors and dumb play will be reduced greatly.   

That is the year in review.  Feel free to place a comment (top right) about my examples or create your own examples based on the questions.  Happy New Year to all my loyal readers.