Is the home run apple going to be overexposed?

BY ANDREW CAVAGNARO
STACHE WRITER

Today my concern is not about questionable pitching staffs or poor front office decisions, I’m worried about the old Shea Stadium Home Run Apple.

This past week, the old apple was moved from the bullpen plaza to the front of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. Of course this is a terrific image with the Shea Apple welcoming fans into the Mets new home, but will it be safe? Last season the Shea Apple was nestled into a bullpen corner where it was guarded by some goons who worked security, now it’s left exposed outside the facility.

The Shea Apple is left without protection from Yankee fans ready to pull a prank, or surly Mets fans coming out of the ballpark after a bad loss. Obviously the Mets management must have thought of these scenarios, right?

As the 2010 season begins, the Mets have done a wonderful job of adding artifacts from the past into the new ballpark. However, will one of the most important artifacts survive the season? Let’s only hope.

Ike Davis has really been making a solid case for himself.

BY ANDREW CAVAGNARO
STACHE WRITER

Fernando Martinez is tearing it up, but we’re stuck with Angel Pagan. Ike Davis is hitting moon shots, however, we will have to endure Daniel Murphy’s follies at first.

If there ever was a time to give the youth a chance it is now. Aside from Jenrry Mejia, who I believe need more time to prepare as a starter, the other two big prospects deserve a chance. Both are hitting above .500 and displaying the power this lineup so desperately needs with the absence of Carlos Beltran.

Daniel Murphy is nice player who just doesn’t have a position in the field, while Pagan has fourth outfielder written all over him. Why must we settle for less when the future may be brighter? Sure Generation K with Paul Wilson, Jason Isringhausen, and Bill Pulsipher blew up in there face. But what are the chances of something like that happening again?

2010 is a wonderful opportunity to give the youth a chance. Out with the old, in with the new. Let’s Go Mets.

The Mets could certainly use a little bit of Turk Wendell.

BY ANDREW CAVAGNARO
STACHE WRITER

The Mets bullpen frightens me. Sure rotation could go kaboom any second, but I really believe the bullpen will determine the fate of our beloved Metropolitans.

Of course the Mets have K-Rod to anchor the pen, but from there lies many murky answers. Pedro Feliciano was great last year, but can he repeat it? Brian Stokes has been traded away and J.J Putz left via free agency. I know Kelvim Escobar isn’t going to be the poster child for health. Sure mix a few Japanese imports and minor leaguers and you have a pen, but is it a good one?

All that can be guaranteed is that eighth and ninth innings in Flushing will be very interesting. Too bad Turk Wendell is retired, I miss those days of rosin bag tosses and solid innings pitched.

Did Darryl Strawberry really say Mejia might be the next Mariano Rivera? (PHOTO BY THE DAILY NEWS)

BY ANDREW CAVAGNARO
STACHE WRITER

We all need to relax when it comes to Jenrry Mejia. The last time a young pitcher was this hyped, he spent more time on the operating table then the mound(Paul Wilson, Generation K).

Of course young pitchers have blossomed in the past like Dwight Gooden and Tom Seaver, but the Mets’ luck hasn’t been so good recently. Mejia is 20 years-old and has shown scouts and fans alike enough promise to warrant a Big League trip soon. However, when people like Darryl Strawberry are calling him the next Mariano Rivera that’s when we all need to wake up from fantasyland.

Mejia’s 1.97 ERA during his brief stint in St. Lucie is reason to hope, even his minor league career ERA of 2.91 is enough for us to believe this guy has the goods. However, we must not rush a talent like him for the sake of just seeing him up here. At 20, I can’t fathom him being ready for the big city and tough crowd in Queens. Also, in his stint in AA Binghamton he was 0-5 with a 4.47 ERA. Hardly dominance and a clear sign that more nurturing is needed.

Will Jenrry Mejia be a contributer to the Mets someday? I’m sure. However, it’s never good to pull a fruit off the vine before it’s ripe and the same goes for the Mets’ young prospect.

K-Rod is going to be a man on a mission in 2010.

BY ANDREW CAVAGNARO
STACHE WRITER

I’m feeling optimistic about the 2010 season. After watching some of the worst baseball seen in New York since 1993, it’s refreshing to see that baseball is making its way back into our lives very soon.

In Port St. Lucie, the crack of the bat and the pop of the catcher’s mitt is present once again. In a few months, when the 2010 version of our Metropolitans make there way up to the frigid north I believe that success will follow them as well.

Last season was abysmal and almost everything that could of gone wrong did. This season I believe Oliver Perez, John Maine, and Mike Pelfrey will light up the gun, and deliver us some much needed wins.

I’m optimistic that David Wright, Jose Reyes and Jason Bay will provide the thunder in the batting order that will keep our team in contention come September.

I feel as though K-Rod and company will hold up their end of the bargain as well. Sure Kelvim Escobar’s arm is about to fall off, but Pedro Feliciano will be stellar and Bobby Parnell could surprise us too.

The glutton of catchers that they have invited to spring training can’t hurt either. At least we have several backups this year, while Josh Thole absorbs all the manager’s information like a sponge. Heck this is spring training, anything can happen.

Sure there are many questions surrounding this team, but spring is the time for excitement and believing. Nobody said it any better than Tug McGraw in 1973, “Ya Gotta Believe.”

Finally, I do!

Josh Fogg has been brought on to join this mockery. Print your World Series tickets now! (PHOTO BY ICON SMI)

BY ANDREW CAVAGNARO
STACHE WRITER

Don’t Fred and Jeff Wilpon get tired of being ridiculed by every walking member of the baseball world? Don’t they realize that when they make the back pages for ineffectiveness that it’s not a good thing?

The acquisitions of Josh Fogg, Fernando Tatis, and their pursuit of John Smoltz make this off season even more comical. Tatis again, give me a break! He is 35 years-old and a double-play machine. Can someone please change the roster a little bit? I don’t even really need to comment on Josh Fogg because most fans didn’t even realize he was a living human being. John Smoltz haha. Can they find an older pitcher to place on the roster?

This week’s consistent bashing of the Mets’ front office is reminiscent of those laughable days in the mid-2000′s when chaos ensued and losses piled up. The same story where Jeff Wilpon won’t go away and the chain of command is in tatters. I know history repeats itself, but let’s get serious this is ridiculous. The Mets couldn’t beg free agents to come here and luring fans to Citi Field will be even more difficult.

Are the dark days back again? I’m not sure, but the forecast isn’t to bright.

Does Michael Kay have a legitimate point for once?

BY ANDREW CAVAGNARO
STACHE WRITER

Today on my ride home I was listening to a voice most Mets fans have come to despise and loathe. Yes, I was listening to Michael Kay.

I used to cringe at the mere sound of his pompous Yankee voice, however, after getting a daily dose of Mike Francessa and his garbage Kay seems like the better of two evils. This afternoon Kay brought up a few points that are very telling of the chaos that has continued to ensue in the Mets’ front office.

He discussed how Willie Randolph’s team collapsed in 2007, then was sluggish to begin 2008 the season. Then he compared it to Jerry Manuel who collapsed down the stretch to conclude 2008, only to captain a team to its demise in 2009. The point and main difference was that Randolph lost his job, while Manuel kept his.

It must also be noted that Randolph’s 2006 Mets were one game away from the World Series, while Manuel hasn’t even sniffed the postseason in New York.

All of the above points led to Kay’s assertion where he states that when two managers fail in their roles, the general manager must have fingers pointed in their direction. If anything it makes the whole organization look foolish, where inferior managers have occupied the Mets’ dugout. The likes of Bobby Valentine and Lou
Piniella have been looked over time and time again over the past several seasons.

Manuel hasn’t been paid for the lackluster performances of his teams the past two years, further fueling an angry fanbase. In turn, Omar Minaya has taken responsibility for poor hirings and terrible player selections. This whole chain of command’s ring leader is Jeff Wilpon who has instilled an organizational policy of deceitfulness and chaos.

I am sick and tired of the mess that is New York Mets’ baseball. Michael Kay, the voice of the Yankees, provided the insight to show that all is not well in Flushing. But
did it have to take a Yankee to tell the Mets that they are fools? Do thousands of fans have to litter the airways to inform the Mets that the ship sinking?

Until Jeff Wilpon wakes up the nightmare will continue, only difference from last season is that I won’t be watching from the ballpark.

Do you remember when Al Leiter was a fan favorite? (PHOTO BY ICON SMI)

BY ANDREW CAVAGNARO
STACHE WRITER

Give the Man a Break!

Why do the Mets’ fans hate Al Leiter? This is a question I’ve beem pondering for the past few days.

For a guy who helped lead the Mets to consecutive playoff appearances, along with 95 career Met wins and a 3.42 ERA. Also, let’s not forget how clutch he was when he clinched a playoff berth with his gutsy performance versus the Reds in 1999.

Yes, we’ve all heard the rumors that he may have caused Scott Kazmir to be traded. But come on people, is that really enough for all the hate that is aimed in his direction. Leiter is a lifelong Mets’ fan, who bled the orange and blue. Kazmir has yet to live up to expectations, but people still rank this trade up there with the Nolan Ryan fiasco.

I was embarrassed to be a Mets’ fan at the Shea Stadium finale when the crowd loudly booed the man. He gaves us tons of memories and a passion that so few bring to Flushing. If we can forgive criminals like Daryl and Doc, can’t we give Al Leiter a pass?

The Mets need someone to take the lead like Mike Piazza did. (PHOTO BY ICON SMI)

BY ANDREW CAVAGNARO
STACHE WRITER

The boys in Flushing need a ballplayer who can carry the team on his back and vault them into respectability. Our team needs a player who the fans adore and he equally admires us.

The Mets need the second coming of Mike Piazza.

During the early to middle 1990′s life at Shea Stadium was depressing and abysmal. Vince Coleman stopped by and alienated the fans, Bobby Bonilla did the same, and Generation K sunk quicker than the Titanic. Being a Mets’ fan then was like dating the same girl who already cheated on you ten times.

As the 90′s continued Rick Reed, Edgardo Alfonzo, John Olerud, Todd Hundley, and Turk Wendell came along. They were quality players, but their talent alone wasn’t enough to raise the sunken ship that was the Mets. May of 1998 changed all of that.

The day Mike Piazza first buttoned up his Mets uniform was the moment they became contenders again. He made everyone in the batting order around him better. Edgardo Alfonzo and John Olerud had monster seasons with him in the lineup. The Mets finally had a star player whom the fans could be proud to call their own. Piazza jerseys littered Shea Stadium and the masses arrived in droves to see him play. 1999 and 2000 was the only time that the Mets made the playoffs in consecutive seasons. It is of no coincidence that Piazza was a member of those teams.

Today’s Mets have the talent, but lack the leader who can rise to the occasion and will this team to victory. Carlos Delgado is a long ways from being a motivational speaker, and David Wright is just not enough of an offensive force to carry the team. Piazza was not a vocal leader, he did his talking with his Mizuno bat.

Somewhere in the world of baseball there is a player who can turn this battered franchise around. The big question is, “Where is he?”

Would calling Citi Field home be Jason Bay's worst nightmare? (PHOTO BY ICON SMI)

BY ANDREW CAVAGNARO
STACHE WRITER

Regardless of my feelings of whether Jason Bay should be a member of the Mets, I believe he in no way wants to land here.

Bay has had the privilege the last two seasons of hitting in a righty hitter’s dream ballpark, Fenway. Bay knows as well as everyone else that Citi Field is going to dramatically hurt his power numbers. With outfield walls as high as the Empire State Building and dimensions of 379 in left-center and a monstrous 391 in right-center, this place is any power hitters worst nightmare.

Also coming from a team where winning is typical and a great supporting cast currently in place, causes the Mets to look even less appealing. We all know that the Red Sox are out of the running for Bay, but wouldn’t you think he would jump at a more competitive team before the Mets? What if the Cardinals and Mets offered the same money, where would he go? I’m pretty sure he would pick a team like St. Louis, where a plan is in place and the organization is stable.

Bill Madden of the NY Daily News wrote yesterday, “As for Bay, he, too, can thank his agent, in this case Joe Urbon, for pricing him out of Boston, a righty hitting-friendly ballpark/and virtual guarantee of the playoffs every year to, very likely, a pitcher’s paradise in Citi Field and a Mets team that, even with him, looks to be no better than a third-place club in the NL East.” Seems like Bay can thank his agent for this mess.

Let’s us think about this question, if Boston and the Mets offered the same amount of money who would he choose? We all know the answer and it is another sad example of the state the Mets are currently in.