iBiBaseball: Yankees vs Indians

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We can all relax, Hulk Hogan is NOT dead

Millions of males in their mid to late 20's held their breathe when they heard the news that Hulk Hogan, their childhood hero, pro-wrestling megastar had died. Drown in a swimming pool in a fit of despair is how the rumor dictated.

Fortunately Dixie Carter, of TNA Wrestling, was able to confirm that the Hulkster is alive and well despite a steady diet comprised of only HGH for the past 65 years. Rest well Hulkamaniacs! All is right with the world.

A-Rod's special balls

Are we really going to pretend that it is 1998 and that we care about home run records? How many times do we need to hear about the about the specially marked balls that they use everytime A=Rod comes to bat? It's not exactly a new invention. It's just completely unnecessary. How much it A-Rod's 600th HR going to be worth? $10? $15?

Mets lose in extras, Phillies get Oswalt, not a good day for Mets fans

Johan Santana gives up career high 13 hits

Not gonna lie. I didn't see Johan pitch tonight. Got home too late. Maybe he was dreadful, maybe he wasn't. But when I heard he got shelled I expected he didn't make it out of the 1st, let alone nearly thru 6. He's got fight left in him and that's what makes him a leader. Something the Mets desperately need right now.

PS- they also need an ace, so Johan, let's get it going ok?

Top 10 Players to Play for Both Mets and Yankees

The list of players who have played for both NY ball clubs is surprisingly long. These are not necessarily the best players to play for both, but they are the ones I am writing about.

1. Rickey Henderson

Rickey was being Rickey long before Manny was being Manny. Rickey was the greatest lead off hitter of all time. Rickey was the greatest base-stealer of all time. Rickey the greatest! Rickey would have wanted me to say "Rickey" a few more times here, so... Rickey Rickey Rickey.

2. Willie Randolph

Ahhh, Willie. Mets fans loved him in 2006. And then quickly turned their backs on them after the midnight massacre when Omar Minaya fired him at like 2:30am while he was 3000 miles away from his family. I'm not really sure how Yankees fans feel about him. I think they are indifferent.

3. David Cone

The fact that David Cone has 5 World Series Rings (2 with the Blue Jays, 3 with the Yankees) makes me sick to my stomach. I was almost positive that Coney squirted bleach on some reporters, but it turns out that was Bret Saberhagen. Ahhhhh, memories.

4. Yogi Berra

Here is a list of stuff Yogi Berra did with the Yankees:

• Participated in 14 World Series (MLB Record)
• Won 10 World Series Championships (MLB Record)
• Won 3 AL MVP awards in
• Won 2 more World Series rings as manager
• Elected to 18 All-Star games
• Invented the cartoon Yogi Bear

Here is a list of things he did with the Mets:

• Won the World Series as manager in 1969

Thanks for spreading the wealth around, Yogi!

5. Dave Kingman

I'm not afraid to admit that as a Mets fan, I know basically nothing about Dave Kingman. I know I am supposed to know about him. But I don't.

6. Robin Ventura

Listen. I love Robin Ventura. Come on, the guy just provides memorable moments.

He hit the Grand Slam Single
He brutally and disgustingly dislocated his ankle (pretty upset I can't find video of this)
He did the best Mike Piazza impression ever (again, no video, Eff You youtube!)
He kicked the crap out of Nolan Ryan's fists with the top of his head

Those are awesome baseball moments.

And what did he do for the Yankees? Nothing! Take THAT Yogi Berra!

7. Armando Benitez

Benitez is the only player on the list who played for the Mets while actually playing for the Yankees. IN the 2000 Subway Series, Benitez won Game 1 of the World Series for the NY Yankees while pitching in relief for the Mets. While pitching for the SF Giants, Armando balked home Jose Reyes to win a regular season game for the Mets. This made up for the World Series by approximately 1%.

8. Doc Gooden and 9. Darryl Strawberry

You knew these two had to go together. Joined by destiny. Kindred spirits. Linked in so many way. Young, black, talented athletes rising to super-stardom in NYC. They were everything the Mets had hoped for and they both were both derailed virtually simultaneously by drug addiction. Not permanently however... just long enough to ruin their careers with the Mets. Each would bounce back and get their lives together long enough to have success with the Yankees. Darryl and Doc both won World Series with the Yankees. Doc even pitched a perfect game... meanwhile the Mets are still without a no-hitter in the team's history.

Francoeur HR gets the Mets a win at Citifield

Jeff "The Frenchise" Francoeur! I like it!

Jerry Manuel (or whoever the hell was managing since he was suspended) continued to play musical chairs in the outfield, throwing Angel Pagan over to LF and putting Francoeur back in RF... and it worked! Mets bats finally wake up as they drop 8 runs on Adam Wainwright and the Cardinals. Even Carlos Beltran hot Wainwright. Only 4 years too late...

Anyway, Citifield continues to cure all ills. At some point they should probably figure out how to play baseball on the road, considering they play half their games there, but for now they need to handle their biz at Citi.

Terrel Owens joins Ochocinco in Cincinnati - that should work out well

Personally, I think it's got to be T.O.chocinco

Matt Garza faces the minimum

You know, Tampa Bay really deserves it. I mean it has been TWELVE long
years since they came into the league and they never had no-hitter. I
mean, that's over a decade.

So that's like the 45th no-no of the year. If the Mets don't get one
this year, they never will.

Congrats to Garza though. One walk in the 2nd inning and that base
runner was erased by a DP. 27 batter, 27 outs.

Dueling no-hitters come to an end

Max Scherzer lost his no-no in the worst possible way. Giving up a grand slam.

Matt Garza has his no-hitter intact through 7 and a third.

The Top 9 Greatest Moments in Mets History (Post-1986)

1. Piazza's HR after 9/11

Everyone knows the entire country wanted the Yankees to play the first New York home game after the tragedy of 9/11. But they were on the road. Instead, the country's eyes were on the Mets as they took the field against the Braves on September 21, 2001. While it actually means little in the grand scheme of things, Piazza's 8th inning homerun lifted the spirits of at least a few New Yorkers who desperately needed it at the time.


2. Mets trade for Johan Santana

Other than March Madness, I think the days leading up to the trading deadline are the least productive for corporate America. I must have refreshed MLBtraderumors.com 1000x this day, hoping, praying... that the RED SOX would get Johan Santana. You see, I didn't think the Mets had even a glimmer of a chance at getting the games best pitcher. I was just hoping the Sox would get him and not the Yankees. On the 1,001st resfresh I saw "Mets acquire Johan Santana" and my response was as follows:

hafsdkjfnrau;njucasn.nefsxa!!!jskjw!!!

Couple that with the fact that they basically gave up two ball boys and a hot dog vendor to get him, and it equals a good days for the Mets.

3.Luis Gonzalez beats Mariano Rivera

Such is the life of a Mets fan/Yankee hater. The Yankees had made my life miserable for the last 5 years. Mariano Rivera does NOT blow World Series games. 5 in a row and 5 out of 6 was basically guaranteed. I cheered for the D'backs that night like I was born and raised in Arizona. Thank you, Luis Gonzalez!

4. Robin Ventura's Grand Slam Single

I was at this game... and I left. It was pouring rain. It was late. And my mom was freezing. What was I supposed to do, stay? YES! YES I WAS SUPPOSED TO STAY GODDAMMIT!!! Biggest regret in my life.



5. Benny Agbayani's HR against the Giants

Worcester, Massachusetts. The armpit of America. I was visiting a high school buddy at Worcester Polytech with a couple of friends. Several 30 packs later we came tearing out of the dorms and proceeded to scream "AGBAYANI" at every super-nerd that was on campus.

6. Todd Pratt's HR against the D'Backs

The biggest moment of Pratt's career came when he was with the Mets. In Game 4 of the 1999 NLDS, he hit a tenth-inning walk-off home run off Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Matt Mantei, winning the Mets the series, 3 games to 1.

LOL Steve Finley, nice try bro.


7. Mets trade for Mike Piazza

At the time, I wasn't sure if Piazza had anything left. All I knew was the storybook situation about how Tommy Lasorda struck gold when he did a buddy of his a favor and game his son, Mike Piazza a shot with the Dodgers. He was obviously a fantastic player but I thought if the Dodgers were willing to move him he must be declining. Ummm... wrong. As my grandma used to say "THE PIZZA MAN!"


8. Mets clinch 2000 NLCS

Timo Perez hopping up and down as that fly ball headed out to centerfield... next stop: obliteration by the Yankees. It was nice while it lasted.

9. Endy Chavez Catch

This is as close as it gets for anyone who was too young in '86 to remember what being on top of the world is. I was never more sure that a team was going to score the next inning and go on to win after this miracle catch and double play. I still can't comprehend how Y_dier Mol_na crushed my dreams a few innings later. It completely baffles my mind. October 19, 2006. I was in a Murry Hill bar with my girlfriend because it was her first birthday since we had been dating. My family was furious that I wasn't at home watching game 7 with them. The things we do for love...

When Willie Randolph left Oliver Perez in to pitch to Scott Rolen, I'm not gonna lie, I was genuinely terrified. Then again, Ollie only sucked a little back then. Off the bat I thought he crushed it. The last thing on my mind was that anyone could catch the ball. Fortunately, Endy Chavez put on his superman cape and did the impossible. I still think it is one of the greatest catches of all time. The bar erupted and I jumped in the air for 10 straight minutes.

Top of the world... if only for a few minutes.

Look at all those L's

The Mets finished up a brutal road trip to open the 2nd half of the season. They lost 9 out of 11 and are basically back to playing .500 ball. Citifield will be a site for sore eyes, but Albert Pujols will not. Hopefully the Diamondbacks decide to act like the Diamondbacks later this week.

Confessions of a Yankee Hater

"You like me! You really like me!!!" -Alex Rodriguez


Ok. Actually, that was Oscar award winning actress, Sally Field. A drama queen of another sort.

This is a real quote though:


Rodriguez admitted his at-bats leading up to home run No. 600 have been more exciting. "You obviously want to reward the fans at home," he said. "They've been so great all along, it seems like they want it so badly here at home."

It does in fact seem like the fickle bunch that comprise the Yankee fan base are embracing him. They wait with baited breathe for him to slug home run #600 as if the other 599 were all hit in pinstripes.

He has learned to shut his mouth and play ball recently. And he did manage to when a ring. That will go a long way towards making fans forget about a checkered past.










Or maybe not.

The Mets are a .500 ball club

At the beginning of the season I thought the Mets could win in the mid
to high 80's. - would have considered 90 wins really overachieving.

In the beginning of the season they looked to be exactly that. Winning
a few here and there, losing a couple. Basically floating around the
.500 mark.

But then they got hot. Angel Pagan batted .315 for the first half. D
Wright went on a tear. And despite the John Maine and Ollie Perez
disasters, the pitching got bailed out with RA Dickey and Jon Niese.
At one point the Mets were about 10 or 11 games over .500 and actually
on pace for over 90 wins.

I genuinely believed they wouldn't slip back to that .500 area.

Then the 2nd half of the season started and apparently no one told the
NY Mets organization. Shouldn't have the Allstar break given the Mets
the rest they needed? Shouldn't they have come out fresh? A west coast
trip it tough but this is getting ridiculous.

Back down to just 2 games over .500 and that's probably where they
will end up for the season.

--

Jason Bay crashes into wall after awesome catch

via @Ecruz88

It's getting ugly...

Mets get swept by the 37-58 D'backs. THIRTY-SEVEN and FIFTY-EIGHT.

Room for 2 Roys in Philly?

USA Today is reporting that the Phillies are considering making a move  
for Roy Oswalt. This move would pack some punch and give the Phillies  
a legit 1-2-3 punch with Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels already in place.

As the article points out, if PHL is willing to part with prospects  
for pitching, why didn't they just hang on to Cliff Lee this  
offseason? I figured they were swapping Lee for Halladay because they  
new they could keep some youthful depth. Now it looks they may give  
away some prospects for the right to rent Oswalt.

The only thing is, I can't see the Phillies not springing back into  
contention with the 2 Roys and Hamels in their rotation. Even with an  
injured Utley, I'd expect the Phillies to vault over the Mets and make  
a run at Atlanta with those three tossing.

As the 2006 Mets illustrated, despite a strong and talented core, the  
window on success can slam shut quickly. Philly has to consider making  
the move and going all-in on this year.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/dailypitch/post/2010/07/decision-time-for-fading-phillies-jamie-moyer-out-and-is-a-trade-for-roy-oswalt-worth-it/1

Blog vs. Blog

Over at McCovey Chronicles they are just as baffled as I am that Barry Zito tossed 8 shutout innings. Actually, I guess it isn't that surprising. Zito, the best move the Mets never made, has been better as of late and virtually every player the Mets have considered acquiring eventually comes around to play great against them. It was just a matter of time.

On Metsblog Michael Baron recaps the Mets struggling offense.

I know Jason Bay is not terrible. I mean he can't be, right? But god does he look awful. I never really saw him play all that much in Boston or Pitt but his numbers looked good. I was all for the Mets signing him just because he was the best guy available (since Holliday was never gonna leave the Cards) but he is proving to be a disaster. Everyone keeps saying he'll turn it around and go on a tear... we're still waiting.

2010 MLB Allstar Game 9th inning (according to twitter)

Top 9 NL leads 3-1







Bottom of the 9th

2010 MLB Allstar Game 8th inning (according to twitter)

Top 8





Bottom 8th

2010 MLB Allstar Game 7th inning

Top 7









Middle 7th



Bottom of the 7th

2010 MLB Allstar Game 6th inning

Top 6th





Bottom of the 6th

2010 MLB Allstar Game (After 5 innings)

Scoreless after 3 innings of play





Bottom of the 4th






Top 5











Bottom 5 - still scoreless