Subway Series Post

This is a place where I will put any thoughts I feel like sharing during the Subway Series this weekend, if I'm around. The Mets aren't fun to watch right now and there's this big party that lasts for days...

I kind of like it when Billy Wagner says the things he does, because everything else said by Met players, coaches and officials is just PR, PR, PR. And PR is mostly bullshit. Sell the product, sign on the line that is dotted, etc.

Is there some unwritten managerial rule that the #2 hitter has to be crappy? Joe Torre recently hit Andruw Jones second because he's been terrible. Willie Randolph reserves the spot for weak-hitting second basemen. Wait a minute, Marlon Anderson is the DH? Marlon Anderson of the career 85+ OPS? He's the best bench hitter we have? I really want to see Valentino Pascucci on the roster now. That's just silly. The Mets' payroll is like $140 million and we can't get someone better than an old second baseman to DH? What are we, the Mariners? That's just inexcusable. Fire Willie and Omar. I hear Paul DePodesta has some free time on his hands.

Willie: It's unfortunate that people sit back who really don't know the game or understand what we're dealing with calling for people's livelihood. I agree; it is unfortunate. But why do you have to accuse such people of not knowing the game? Is there a correlation? Or is the game of which you are speaking not baseball?

"This is all about winning games. If we were winning more games, then all this crap wouldn't be going on," Randolph said.

Right, but if you were not the manager, the team might be winning some more games. If the team were winning more games, you might be a better manager. Wait... if you were a better manager, the team would win more games. Hmm... I don't want to get into tautologies here. It's really quite simple.

I'm on a roll here. Popper:

About the only thing that sounded unscripted was Willie Randolph, who admitted, "My head is on the chopping block." Minaya then dismissed that notion.

That can only mean the axe is getting closer.

I guess I didn't really get to updating this. One thought from Sunday's game. Joe Morgan's weird thing about the word 'accountability.' He explained it, and then he interrupted Peter Gammons to say it again. His point: Players aren't 'accountable' to the media, they are 'accountable' to each other on the field with their play. Fine, but the word 'account' usually signifies a written or spoken description, argument, or explanation. I'm sure Joe didn't mean it in the monetary sense. So basically he was just weirdly redefining a word because in his head, it means something different than it actually means. What a weird, weird guy.

The games themselves were great. Plenty of offense and good pitching (despite Santana's worrisome home run-inducing habits). The Mets had timely hitting and big hitting and huge innings where they capitalized on opponent errors. Jose Reyes hitting two home runs is nice, Marlon Anderson hitting second and grounding out weakly over and over again is sad. There were no bullpen blowups at all, as Joe Smith was used wisely and effectively against a right-hander to spell Oliver Perez's fantastic outing, and Scott Schoeneweis was used properly: in an 11-2 game. With Jorge Sosa's banishment, maybe the Mets asked Ben Baumer what he thought and he gave the team a treatise on defense-independent pitching statistics and the varied strengths and weaknesses of the Mets pitchers. That would be nice.