Here’s a potential team, with options, the Mets could field next year.

LINEUP: 1) Orlando Hudson/Rafeal Furcal 2) Reyes 3) Beltran
4) Delgado 5) Wright 6) Murphy 7) Church .8) Castro/Schneider

BENCH: 1) Chavez 2) Easley 3) Tatis 4) Evans

ROTATION: 1) Santana 2) Sabathia/Perez/Smoltz/Burnett/Pelfrey
3) Pelfrey/Jennings/Lowe 4) Maine/Wolf/Moyer/Garland 5) Neise/Bird/Martinez

BULLPEN: 1) K-Rod/Maine 2) Fuentes/Affeldt/Rhodes 3) Maine/Juan Cruz/J. Johnson/Lyon 4) Parnell/Kuntz/Smith 5)Ayala/Stokes/ 5) Feliciano/W. Ohman

Trade Propasal: Since Arizona is going to lose 2B Orlando Hudson, and is looking to dump Eric Burns, I think we should offer Castillo + 10 million and Ryan Church for Eric Burns.

Now that Manuel is locked up, it’s time to put together a new team. Here’s the List Omar has to work with, what would you do?

2009 Free Agents
Catchers
Brad Ausmus (40)
Paul Bako (37)
Rod Barajas (33) - $2.5MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.5MM buyout
Michael Barrett (32)
Henry Blanco (37) - $3MM mutual option for ‘09 with a $0.3MM buyout
Johnny Estrada (33)
Toby Hall (33) - $2.25MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.15MM buyout
Jason LaRue (35)
Paul Lo Duca (37)
Miguel Olivo (30) - $2.7MM mutual option for ‘09 with a $0.1MM buyout
Mike Redmond (38) - $0.95MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.1MM buyout
Ivan Rodriguez (37)
David Ross (32)
Javier Valentin (33)
Jason Varitek (37)
Gregg Zaun (38)

First basemen
Rich Aurilia (37)
Hank Blalock (28) - $6.2MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Sean Casey (34)
Tony Clark (37)
Carlos Delgado (37) - $12MM club option for ‘09 with a $4MM buyout
Nomar Garciaparra (35)
Jason Giambi (38) - $22MM club option for ‘09 with a $5MM buyout
Wes Helms (33) - $3.75MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.75MM buyout
Eric Hinske (31)
Doug Mientkiewicz (35)
Kevin Millar (37)
Richie Sexson (34)
Mark Teixeira (29)
Daryle Ward (34)

Second basemen
Willie Bloomquist (31)
Jamey Carroll (35) - $2.5MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.15MM buyout
Craig Counsell (38)
Ray Durham (37)
Damion Easley (39)
David Eckstein (34)
Mark Ellis (32)
Mark Grudzielanek (39)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Orlando Hudson (31)
Tadahito Iguchi (34)
Jeff Kent (41)
Felipe Lopez (29)
Mark Loretta (37)
Nick Punto (31)

Shortstops
Willie Bloomquist (31)
Orlando Cabrera (34)
Alex Cintron (30)
Alex Cora (33)
Craig Counsell (38)
David Eckstein (34)
Adam Everett (32)
Rafael Furcal (31)
Nomar Garciaparra (35)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Cesar Izturis (29)
Felipe Lopez (29)
Edgar Renteria (33)
Juan Uribe (30)
Ramon Vazquez (32)
Omar Vizquel (42) - $5.2MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.3MM buyout

Third basemen
Rich Aurilia (37)
Casey Blake (35)
Hank Blalock (28) - $6.2MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Willie Bloomquist (31)
Aaron Boone (36)
Russell Branyan (33)
Craig Counsell (38)
Joe Crede (31)
Nomar Garciaparra (35)
Wes Helms (33) - $3.75MM club option for ‘09
Mark Loretta (37)
Fernando Tatis (34)
Ramon Vazquez (32)

Left fielders
Moises Alou (42)
Garret Anderson (37) - $14MM club option for ‘09 with a $3MM buyout
Milton Bradley (31)
Emil Brown (34)
Pat Burrell (32)
Carl Crawford (27) - $8.25MM club option for ‘09 with a $2.5MM buyout
Adam Dunn (29)
Cliff Floyd (36) - $2.75MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Luis Gonzalez (41)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Raul Ibanez (37)
Gabe Kapler (33)
Kevin Mench (31)
Jason Michaels (33) - $2.6MM club option for ‘09
Craig Monroe (32)
Greg Norton (36)
Jay Payton (36)
Wily Mo Pena (27) - $5MM club option or $2MM player option for ‘09
Manny Ramirez (37)
Juan Rivera (30)
Fernando Tatis (34)

Center fielders
Rocco Baldelli (27)
Willie Bloomquist (31)
Mike Cameron (36) - $10MM club option for ‘09 with a $750K buyout
Jim Edmonds (39)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Gabe Kapler (33)
Mark Kotsay (33)
Corey Patterson (29)
Scott Podsednik (33)

Right fielders
Bobby Abreu (35)
Casey Blake (35)
Cliff Floyd (36) - $2.75MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Brian Giles (38) - $9MM club option for ‘09 with a $3MM buyout
Ken Griffey Jr. (39) - $16.5MM club option for ‘09 with a $4MM buyout
Vladimir Guerrero (33) - $15MM club option for ‘09 with a $3MM buyout
Gabe Kapler (33)
Jason Michaels (33) - $2.6MM club option for ‘09
Fernando Tatis (34)
Brad Wilkerson (32)

DHs
Milton Bradley (31)
Pat Burrell (32)
Adam Dunn (29)
Cliff Floyd (36) - $2.75MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Jason Giambi (38) - $22MM club option for ‘09 with $5MM buyout
Vladimir Guerrero (33) - $15MM club option for ‘09 with a $3MM buyout
Raul Ibanez (37)
Manny Ramirez (37)
Juan Rivera (30)
Mike Sweeney (35)
Frank Thomas (41)
Jose Vidro (34)

Starting pitchers
Kris Benson (33)
A.J. Burnett (32) - can opt out after ‘08 season
Paul Byrd (38)
Roger Clemens (46)
Matt Clement (33)
Bartolo Colon (36)
Ryan Dempster (32)
Shawn Estes (36)
Josh Fogg (32)
Freddy Garcia (33)
Jon Garland (29)
Tom Glavine (43)
Mike Hampton (36)
Mark Hendrickson (35)
Livan Hernandez (34)
Orlando Hernandez (43)
Jason Jennings (30)
Randy Johnson (45)
John Lackey (30) - $9MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.5MM buyout
Jon Lieber (39)
Braden Looper (34)
Rodrigo Lopez (33) - club option for ‘09
Derek Lowe (36)
Greg Maddux (43)
Pedro Martinez (37)
Sergio Mitre (28)
Jamie Moyer (46)
Mark Mulder (31) - $11MM club option for ‘09 with a $1.5MM buyout
Mike Mussina (40)
Carl Pavano (33) - $13MM club option for ‘09 with a $1.95MM buyout
Brad Penny (31) - $8.75MM club option for ‘09 with a $2MM buyout
Odalis Perez (32)
Oliver Perez (27)
Andy Pettitte (37)
Sidney Ponson (32)
Mark Prior (27)
Kenny Rogers (44)
Glendon Rusch (34)
C.C. Sabathia (28)
Curt Schilling (42)
Ben Sheets (30)
John Smoltz (42)
Tim Wakefield (42) - perpetual $4MM club option
Kip Wells (32)
Randy Wolf (32)

Closers
Brian Fuentes (33)
Eric Gagne (33)
Eddie Guardado (38)
Trevor Hoffman (41)
Jason Isringhausen (36)
Brandon Lyon (29)
Francisco Rodriguez (27)
Salomon Torres (37) - $3.75MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.3MM buyout
Kerry Wood (32)

Middle relievers
Jeremy Affeldt (30)
Luis Ayala (31)
Joe Beimel (32)
Joe Borowski (38)
Doug Brocail (42) - club option for ‘09
Shawn Chacon (31)
Juan Cruz (30)
Alan Embree (39) - $3MM club option for ‘09
Scott Eyre (37)
Kyle Farnsworth (33)
Casey Fossum (31)
Keith Foulke (35)
Tom Gordon (41) - $4.5MM club option for ‘09 with a $1MM buyout
LaTroy Hawkins (36)
Mark Hendrickson (35)
Matt Herges (39) - club option for ‘09
Bob Howry (35)
Jon Lieber (39)
Jason Johnson (35)
Damaso Marte (34) - $6MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Trever Miller (36) - $2MM club option for ‘09 with a $0.4MM buyout
Guillermo Mota (35)
Will Ohman (31)
Darren Oliver (38)
Chan Ho Park (36)
Horacio Ramirez (29)
Al Reyes (38)
Dennys Reyes (32)
Arthur Rhodes (39)
Juan Rincon (30)
Glendon Rusch (34)
Rudy Seanez (40)
Brian Shouse (40)
Russ Springer (40)
Mike Timlin (43)
Ron Villone (39)
David Weathers (39)
Kip Wells (32)
Matt Wise (33)
Jamey Wright (34)

Jerry Manuel just signed a 2 year contract to resume duty as Skipper of The New York Mets. The sticking point was the length. Jerry wanted a 3 year 3 million dollar contract. The Mets wanted to give Jerry a 2 year 2 million dollar deal. Well they ended up splitting the baby, as Omar guaranteed Jerry 2.5 million by including a team option for 2011 with a 500,000 dollar buyout.

There will be no October baseball being played in New York this year making Mets Fans uncomfortably numb for a second straight season, but lets not jump the gun and start making wholesale changes for there are many bright spots starting with the “core” and ending with the rotation. Our 1-6 hitters are as good as any in the game and are all locked up for next year and Santana, Pelfrey, and Maine are all coming back to anchor our rotation.

With Martinez, El Duque, and Alou coming of the books there is going to be a lot of money to spend(approximately 32 mil/yr). Omar I’m begging you, and I know I was wrong about Zito, Pleazzzzzz go out and get us K-Rod, Sabathia, and Cristian Guzman as some new headliners(approximately 45 mil/yr) while adding two top-flight set-up-guys in the pen.

The Mets, being in an extremely advantageous position, especially considering the city in which they play, have an opportunity to keep the payroll down because guys like Maine, Pelfrey, Church, Murphy, Neise, Parnell, Kuntz, Evans, Easley, Tatis, Castro, will make a grand total of 10 million dollars next year while playing a vital role on our Amazin team thus allowing Omar and Co. to go out and get K-Rod, Sabathia, 2 upscale set-up-guys and either Guzman or Furcal to play second base. These major free agents would not be available otherwise due to the obvious fiscal restraints.

Lets take a look at the potential team the Mets could field next year and the approximate cost.

LINEUP: 1) Guzman/Furcal 2) Reyes 3) Beltran 4) Delgado 5) Wright 6) Murphy 7) Church .8) Castro/Schneider

BENCH: 1) Chavez 2) Easley 3) Tatis 4) Evans

ROTATION: 1) Santana 2) Sabathia/Perez 3) Pelfrey 4) Maine 5) Neise

BULLPEN: 1) K-Rod 2) Fuentes/Sheril 3) Maine or another top-flight RH set up guy 4) Parnell/Kuntz/ Felicano/Ayala/Stokes

Toot-A-Lue, Go With God, And Don’t Take Any Wooden Nickels: 1) Showenweiss 2) Sanchez 3) Heilman 4) Felicano 5) Castillo………Maybe we can try to raise their stock in spring training with absolutely no thought of bringing them back. Of the five guys I would be willing to let Aaron earn a shot at the rotation or bring Feliciano back for a speciality role, but it would be one or the other, not both, as they’ve played a role in our demise in each of the last 2-years and Heilman’s been bumming out for three years going back to game 7, in 2006.

With 42 million coming of the books, and Wagner’s 10 million 09′ dollars covered by insurance??, minus eating about 75% of Castillo’s and Showenweiss’ contract, frees up about 46 million in salary. Adding K-Rod, Sabathia, Fuentes, Guzman, and a top flight set up guy is going to cost at the absolute most 63 million a year raising our 2009 payroll from 140 million to approximately 154 and change plus another 2 mil in luxury tax(due to the fact that the Mets built a new ballpark the luxury tax is considerably less) making this potential roster a banging 160 mil.

Absolutely Not: Manny or Texiera. The cost will prohibit any chance at solidifying our pitching staff, so no matter how many 1st, 2nd, 3rd……GW-RBI’s they collect by the 6th, 7th …….they will surly be erased thus giving us what we’ve had over the last 325 games.

megamets notes:

Lets Go Mets

Ya Gotta Believe

In The Amazin Amazin Amazin Mets

With the weight of the world on his shoulders, under the biggest imaginable spotlight, and a season hanging in the balance Johan Santana stepped up and pitched the best game of his illustrious 7-year career in front of an absolutely Metsmerized full house @ Shea(9-IP, 3-H, 0-R, 9-K, 117-P)

In the bottom of the first Jose sparked yet another fantastic first with a lead off single back up the box. Jose then stole second, reached third on a grounder, and scored his 113th run of the year on Carlos Delgado’s Clutch Sac Fly giving the Mets a 1-0 lead and eventual 2-0 victory.

megamets notes:

1a) Johan pitched on 3-days of rest with his last outing a stressful one as Santana hurled a career high 127 pitches on September 23rd.

1b) Johan managed to go undefeated over his last 17 starts and Steve Phillips of ESPN’s Baseball Tonight predicted it saying “Johan will go undefeated after All-Star-Break”

2) Delgado Delivers And Dumps On His Criics: Yet another GW-RBI(115)

3) As Goes Jose So Go The Mets: Jose collected his 203rd-HIT, 56th-SB, and his 113th-RUN which came in the first giving Santana a much needed lead to work with.

4) Ramon Martinez’s cluch RBI double in the 4th gave Johan & Co. a much needed insurance run.

5) Lets Go Mets.

6) Ya Gotta Believe.

7) In The Amazin Amazin Amazin Mets.

The following article is from David Lennon and was posted on www.newsday.com. Click here for more

The Mets are still alive — thanks to Johan Santana.

Needing a huge effort from their ace, on short rest, the Mets got one from Santana, who pitched a three-hit shutout as the Mets edged the Marlins, 2-0, before a crowd of 54,920 at Shea Stadium.

Before the game, manager Jerry Manuel said that he hoped to limit Santana to 105 pitches. But with an unreliable bullpen, he left the game in Santana’s hands, and that meant sending him out for the ninth after throwing 104.

Santana (16-7) took the mound to a standing ovation, then made sure the Mets would have a meaningful Sunday. He struck out Jorge Cantu, but Josh Willingham drilled a double off the wall. Santana followed that by striking out Dan Uggla then got Cody Ross on a fly ball to the warning track to end the game.

Santana, who struck out nine, came off the mound and hugged catcher Ramon Castro. In walking off the mound with the rest of the Mets, Santana flung the ball into the stands.

After seeing the Mets strand nine on Friday, when they went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position, manager Jerry Manuel could no longer be patient with his sputtering lineup. So he made wholesale changes.

Manuel moved Carlos Beltran to the second spot, Carlos Delgado to third and batted David Wright cleanup. He also put Daniel Murphy behind Wright, followed by Ramon Martinez and then Ryan Church. Drastic times call for drastic actions.

“I like it,” Manuel said before the game. “I like it a lot. Those are the guys that got to get it done and you’ve got to give them as many opportunities as you can to get it done.”

It worked, more or less. The Mets opened with three hits in the first inning, but only had a 1-0 lead to show for it on Carlos Delgado’s sacrifice fly. The only other help for Santana came in the fourth inning, when Martinez smacked an RBI-double with one out.

All of our local sports personalities have at some time or another recognized Reyes, Wright, and Delgado as legitimate MVP Candidates, but underneath the radar is yet another viable candidate. The closing bell is about to ring and Carlos Beltran continues to put up some extremely impressive ever-so-barbaric numbers with his biggest hits coming in the biggest spots of the biggest games in what has proved to be one mighty impressive, magical, barnburner of a season.

Carlos Beltran is currently 2nd in the National League in runs scored with 115, and is 7th in the NL with a 110-RBI’s. Carlos’ last RBI was one of the game winning variety(12), and is just 5-RBI’s short of 4th place in the NL. Thats just part of the picture. Carlos has outstanding numbers across the board, to go along with a golden glove and a cannon of an arm, making himself an extremely viable MVP candidate.

Carlos Beltran’s 2008 Statistics Broken Down Into 3 Categories:

1) Overall Hitting: .282-AVG, .374-OBP, 168-HITS, 90-BB’s

2) Hitting For Power: 71-XBH, 110-RBI’s, 115-RUNS, .500-SLG

3) Display Of Speed: 25-STOLEN BASES, 40-DOUBLES, 5-TRIPLES

Being an enthusiast of anything including tiddlywinks is a great thing because it gives you a chance to escape the rigors of the everyday meat grinder whilst opening up porthole’s into fantasy and right from the get-go you get to ditch reality to the wayside, but I can’t take this anymore are you kidding me.

Sit down on the couch, turn on the tube, and take the roller-coaster ride ride of a lifetime over and over and over again by merely watching a ballgame, you don’t exactly get that by playing tiddlywinks, but then again you don’t usually get that period, that is unless you a Mets fan. Tonight @ Shea The Mets dished up yet another bombastic barnburner in their thrilling dramatic 7-6 victory over the Cubs.

In the 8th I was yelling “I believe, I believe, I believe in ya Ramon” “I believe I believe, I believe in ya Robinson” “I believe I believe, I believe in ya Dynamite” while acting like a complete and utter ninkenpoop running around the TV room like a chicken with it’s head cut off, all the time sweating, praying, going completely and totally bonkers, practically hyperventilating to death, and I was lucky enough to watch the game with a true friend(The Lord). Can’t write this one up though, not now anyways, so here’s Mark Herrmann’s take from newsday.com. Click on Jose for more.



Deep into this week of farewells, and on the night they might have seen the last of Pedro Martinez, the Mets said their most profound goodbye of all: to the ghosts of Wednesday night.

They did everything they had not done the night before, including breaking a 6-6 tie in the ninth inning, celebrating on the field and saying hello again to their postseason hopes. The difference from one night to the next, and this one was a 7-6 win over the Cubs, was like night and day.

With three games left in the regular season and with the goodbye to Shea Stadium looming the day after Saturday, the Mets are one game behind the Phillies for first in the National League East and tied with the Brewers in the wild-card race. Most important, because Carlos Beltran laced the winning hit off the glove of first baseman Micah Hoffpauir (pronounced Hoff-power, with the emphasis on “power”) with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, they are miles away from a demoralizing defeat.

“Every day is different,” said Robinson Cancel, the third-string catcher and last-minute lineup addition who had the tying single in the two-run, two-out rally in the eighth.

The Mets were able to overcome their worst defeat of the year — and that’s really saying something — by turning to players such as Cancel and Ramon Martinez, another well- traveled veteran who also had a run-scoring, season-saving single in the eighth. They did it by listening to manager Jerry Manuel and his coaches, who came into Shea Thursday determined to be positive. They did it, as Beltran said, for one other reason.

“Because we have to,” said the player who drove home Jose Reyes from second and collected his 12th game-winning RBI of the season.

“Let me tell you something,” Beltran said. “I’m pretty good at leaving things here at the ballpark because if I take what happened home, then I’m going to have a bad day with my wife. Basically, my wife was more affected because she was watching the game, she was like. ‘I can’t believe what’s happening.’ I said, ‘Well, that’s the way it is. We have to find a way to do it.”‘

A night earlier, a Cub probably would have caught that liner. In fact, first baseman Derrek Lee did catch one like it Wednesday and started a double play. A night earlier, the Mets failed to drive a runner home from third with the game 6-6. A night earlier, the Mets made Thursday night absolutely necessary.

Some good did come out of that 9-6 loss in 10 innings. Ramon Martinez showed enough to convince Manuel to start him at second base Thursday night, and he responded with the eighth-inning hit that made it 6-5. “That says a lot about Jerry. He’s a players’ manager,” Martinez said.

Manuel also saw enough to keep the slumping Ryan Church in the lineup. Church had three hits and a wild slide at the plate. Church clearly was beaten on rightfielder Kosuke Fukudome’s throw but veered way right, then reached back with his hand to touch the plate before catcher Koyie Hill could nab him to make it 6-6.

That also allowed Martinez to avoid his 100th career loss against 214 wins. With his contract expiring, he might not be back with the Mets and might not be back in baseball at all until he enters the Hall of Fame.

He pitched well, except when he faced Hoffpauir (5-for-5), a September callup who had the first of his two home runs on the night in the first against Martinez. The starter gave the Mets all he had and left to a standing ovation, pointing up above and then to every part of the stadium.

“Ever since I have been here I’ve been treated the same,” he said. “The respect they have showed to me is the biggest impression I have from my time with the New York Mets.”

The Mets left their own impression Thursday night. “I think we’re ready to go ahead and take off,” said Manuel, not worried that things can change a lot in a day.

Are You starting to get the feeling that something special is about to happen? megamets.com does and in the spirit of the Joe Beningo Overnight Show Ya Gotta Believe that Doris From Regal Park, (the Baseball Aficionado) is talking ball with The Almighty One.

Doris……..Hey God we got some nonbelievers down there and I’ve figured out the best possible way to make Shea’s Faithful believe, but I’m gonna need your help since I can’t pick up a phone and call Joe.

God………Make it quick honey I got some shhhtuuf to deal with.

Doris……Actually it’s quite simple, especially for you. Remember that time back in the fall of ‘69 you sent the black cat down to NYC to hunt down that Apocalyptical Mouse?

God……..Of Course I do. It was during the wOrLd SeRiEs, but just because I’m God it doesn’t mean that I can muster up magical black cats as if they grew on money trees. I mean, they’re needed for much more than just Apocalyptical Mouse’s. I use them only in really dire situations. Sorry Sweetheart I can’t give one up for the NYM.

Doris……..I don’t need a black cat, I need a magical black bat. Ya know, the one’s that grow on Maple Trees. And, I need it to do something godly tonight against the Cubs. This will surely be recognized by Met fans as a something miraculous thus giving them a reason to believe. What do you say big guy?

God………Sure thing Sugarplum. I couldn’t of scripted it any better myself. My megamets hat tipped to ya. Wala.

megamets notes:

1) Johan Being Johan Baby(8-IP, 6-H, 2-R, 2-bB, 10-K, WIN) 8-0 in his last 16 starts: Facing the NL’s highest scoring offense and despite being squeezed by the HP-UMP (consistently) over his 8 sensational innings of work Johan Santana STEPPED UP and gave Met fans a clutch-money performance second to none. “Considering the circumstances it was more impressive than your average no-hit performance and equally as impressive as a perfect game” commented Cy Young (color commentator for 660 HFAN). Play by Play guy Tug McGraw couldn’t have agreed more with Young’s analysis and went on to add. “Johan’s performance tonight was as magical as anything us Amazin Amazin Amazin Mets did during our unprecedented 69 campaign, and Ya Gotta Believe that tonight’s ballgame will surly be a forecast of things to come.”

2) Jose Jose Jose Jose Jose Jose: David Wright’s ultra-megaclutch 2-out, bases loaded, 2-run single in the fourth clearly made him tonight’s offensive star; However, Jose Ripped Roared Raged Rocked & Rolled as well going 2 for 4 with a BB highlighted by a barbaric bases-loaded-triple(19) down the Wright field line, scoring three, for a truly Amazin 6-2 lead, and eventual 6-2 Victory in front of an absolutely Metsmerized full house @ Shea.

3) Delgado Delivers And Dumps On His Critics: Carlos cracked yet another XBH and scored his 94th run of the year.

4) And The Legend Of Young Daniel Murphy Continues To Grow: In his biggest at-bat to date New York’s Rookie Sensation Daniel Murphy came up Aces in the 6th with another huge pinch hit single and came around to score on Reyes barbaric blast.

5) Trust I Seek And I Find In Ayala: Luis converted his 9th save in 11 chances and Nothing Else Matters. Lets Go Mets.

6) Ya Gotta Believe,

7) In The Amazin Amazin Amazin Mets.
________________________________________________________________
The following article was written by Anthony Mark Carreon of the New York Daily News and is in laymen terms. Click here to read more.

TITLE: Johan Santana’s broken-bat hit sparks Mets’ rally in 6-2 win over Cubs

Lou Piniella called it Johan Santana’s “magic bat trick.” Santana said his quirky grounder should “count for two hits.” Jerry Manuel said if the Mets couldn’t score in an inning in which a bouncer hit by his pitcher struck the broken maple bat not once but twice, well, “It’s going to be tough for us.”

Peculiar happenings have affected games between the Mets and the Cubs in past pennant races - remember 1969’s black cat? - and Santana’s bat-aided infield single in the fifth inning Tuesday night might have been the break the Mets needed to shake off the ghosts of last September’s collapse and the stirring of another this season.

Santana’s hit spurred a rally to help the Mets overcome a two-run deficit, and the Mets scored four times in the next frame en route to a 6-2 victory at Shea. Santana was brilliant again, allowing two runs and seven hits in eight innings, and Jose Reyes, who slumped last September, connected on a three-run triple - his 200th hit of the season - to give the Mets a large cushion.
SPECIAL SECTION: A TRIBUTE TO SHEA

The victory stopped a three-game slide and kept the Mets on top of the wild-card standings for another day. They gained a game on the Phillies in the NL East, closing to 1-1/2 games out, and held their one-game edge over Milwaukee, which rallied to beat the Pirates, 7-5, Tuesday night.

In a final few weeks that have looked uncomfortably like last year’s crash, this was a vital victory for the Mets with their ace on the mound.

“Forget about what other teams are doing, it was good for our psyche to beat the best team in the National League,” said David Wright, whose two-run single in the fifth tied the score at 2-2. “It gives us a lot of confidence.”

Asked about the bat play, Wright called his sport “a fickle, funny game. You get some breaks and some go against you, but that’s one we needed in the situation we’re in. Sometimes the difference between winning and losing is one bounce of the ball, and we got that bounce.”

The Cubs had built a 2-0 lead by the third inning, but with one out in the fifth Mets’ No. 8 hitter Nick Evans was hit by a Sean Marshall pitch. Santana saw the corner infielders move in, squared to bunt and instead swung away. His maple bat shattered, and a shard the size of what Roger Clemens once threw at Mike Piazza flew toward Marshall, along with the ball.

Marshall didn’t catch the ball or get hit by the bat, but the ball struck the bat shard, altering its flight path enough that it eluded shortstop Ronny Cedeño. Some players in both clubhouses claimed the ball actually hit the bat shard twice after the initial contact.

With 6 games left in the 2008 regular season Jose Reyes is in a position to set new career high’s in several offensive categories, but more importantly Jose is ready to spark, ignite, and propel the Mets to the playoffs.

Jose’s 2008 stats are currently:

Jose Reyes: .299-AVG, 109-RUNS, 64-RBI’s, 52-SB’s, 198-HITS, 36-DOUBLES, 18-TRIPLES, 16-HR’s, 70-XBH, 318-TB, 63-BB, .359-OBP, .480-SLG, .840-OPS

Jose’s previous career highs: **.300-AVG, 122-RUNS, 81-RBI’s, 78-SB’s, 194-HITS, 36-DOUBLES, 17-TRIPLES, 19-HR’s, 66-XBH, 315-TB, 77-BB, .354-OBP, .487-SLG, .841-OPS

Jose’s got his work cut out for him in a couple of the categories, but besides the stolen bases all of the other stats are within his grasp.

Jose has already reached career highs in hits(198), triples(18), XBH(70), Total Bases(318) and is on pace to reach a career high in OBP(359).

Jose is close to setting a new career high in doubles(just 1-shy of breaking his personal best of 36) and (just .002 percentage points off besting his career high in average of .300) and (just .002 percentage points shy of setting a career high in OPS of .841) and (just .008 pecentage points off his career high in SLG of .487) and (just 3-HR shy of tying his 19 homers hit in 2006).

Jose is clearly within striking distance of setting new personal bests in runs(14 away from new career high) RBI’s(18 away from new career high) BB’s(15 away from new career high)

It is unlikely that Jose will surpass his Mets all time best mark in SB(78) needing 27 to do so. But don’t count him out because with Jose anything is possible.

**Jose hit .307 over 274 At-Bats during his rookie campaign, however did not have enough At-Bats to qualify for the league leaders.

megamets notes:

1) Lets Go Mets.

2) You Gotta Believe.

3) In The Amazin Amazin Amazin Mets.

Lets go back in time to June 16th when the Mets were trailing both the division and the wild card by 7.5 games……..If Doc Brown jumped out of his smokin Delorian and said “don’t fret Mr. Met for it’s going to be all good”……. “Come September 22nd Delgado will have dumped on his critics in a big way with(37-HR’s, 109-RBI’s). Big Pelf will harness his stuff and have(13 W’s) and The Mets will have gained 9-games in the wild card column, and 6 in the Division(just trailing uh-uh whats that Phucking team called, uh-uh, oh yeah the Phuckheads)……The Mets will be just 1.5 games behind them.”……”Now in order for this to become reality all you got to do Mr. Met is sign right here on the dotted line” Don’t tell me all you Met fans out there wouldn’t of signed that document quicker than shit through a tin horn, cause I know you would of. Now lets go back to the future for a moment. Presently, the bullpen looks a little rough and tumble. Pedro’s script remains the same. But guys like Knight-Rider are making the 5th spot in the rotation Niese and easy. Wright’s already set new career highs in HR’s and RBI’s. Beltran is 2nd in the NL in runs and 5th in RBI’s. Jose is having a better year then he did in 06. Johan is earning his pay and hasn’t lost since the All-Star Break.

It’s time for Shea to rock like it did in 86, when Mets Fans like Hernandez and Darling believed, rooted, and willed the Mets to a championship. It seems like now they can’t wait to stick a fork in us, especially Hernandez, essentially passing the buck to fans like you and me, so….

Lets Go Mets

You Gotta Believe

In The Amazin Amazin Amazin Mets

Jose Reyes sparked yet another fantastic first inning with his 4th lead-off homer giving the Mets a much needed 1-0 lead. On a 3-1 count J.Reyes took J.Reyes’ low-and-in slider and turned on it golfing it deep into the left field bleachers for his 16th HR of the year. (just 1 shy of tying his career high, 17-HR in 2006)

Despite the Mets playing some somewhat shoddy defense behind him Oliver Perez dug deep, bore down, and flat out got her done, and although his line was not not eye-poppingly bombastic(like usual) Oliver was his dominant self ringing up 7 Braves during 6 impressive innings highlighted by a bases loaded, nobody out, punch-out of Larry Chipper Jones in the fifth.

With the Mets leading 5-4 in the 7th Atlanta rallied scoring an unearned run, tying the score at 5, however after 4 Met relievers got the 3 outs necessary to end the seventh the momentum had clearly shifted back to the Mets as Atlanta squandered 3 at-bats with the lead run in scoring position.

In another big spot late in the ballgame Carlos Delgado led off the 8th with a frozen rope line drive single back up the box and into center for Carlos’ second hit of the night. Argenius Reyes then sacrificed Delgado to second and in the process Reyes hustled his fanny off prompting a hurried throw by RHP Julie Tavarez, low and to the right of the first base bag, consequently dropped by Atlanta’s first basemen(Casey Krotchman) giving the Mets first and second with nobody out.

After Churchy went down swinging the stage was set for Rookie Sensation Daniel Murphy and once again the Murph Man came through with yet another clutch hit that resulted in a game winning two run pinch-hit double, deep to the gap in left center, scoring both Delgado and Reyes for an Amazin’ 7-5 lead and eventual 9-5 victory in front of an absolutely Metsmerized full house down in Atlanta.

megamets notes:

1) Delgado Delivers And Dumps On His Critics: 2 more hits, another RBI(107), and scored the game winning run.

2) Jose Jose Jose Jose Jose Jose: 3-H, HR, BB, SB, 3-R, 2-RBI. During Mets 3-game win streak Jose is (7 for 13 with 2-HR, 5-RBI, 6-RUNS, 2-BB and 2-SB)

3) Beltran’s Barbarian Inside Busts Out: While doing so underneath the radar Beltran is putting up some oh-so barbaric #’s: 2nd-NL in Runs scored with 112, and 5th in RBI’s 108.

4) Back On The Wright Track: David snaps an 0-for with 2-H, 2B, and 2-RBI(116) matching his career high.

5) Totally Stoked Dude: Brian Stokes pitched a scoreless 8th and 9th yielding just 1-hit while striking out 3.

6) You Gotta Believe

7) In The Amazin Amazin Amazin Mets