Archive for the ‘Alex Rodriguez’ Category

His Knee Surgery Just Helped Us Win the 2010 World Series

BY MATTHEW FALKENBURY
ASSISTANT EDITOR

I happened to be doing absolutly nothing but watching St. John’s take on Cincinnati in front of twenty screaming fans at the Garden and I figured, maybe Cerrone on Metsblog had an update on something interesting in the world of the Mets. I get there and what do I happen to find? Carlos Beltran had told the Wilpons and the Mets medical staff to shove it and he was doing he own thing when it came to his knee.

Beltran decides to go to Colorado, see the man who INVENTED, not just does it, BUT INVENTED microfracture surgery and has him do a little clean up of the knee, make it all good again and get ready for the season in the middle of April, beginning of May. Of course this has sent off alarm bells amongst the media, the fans and even the front office. Fingers are being pointed, contract language is being discussed, Scott Boras is being heard from, things are looking to get pretty ugly.

But hold on folks, step back from the ledge and let me give you some positive news about this. This surgery is good and its not just cause Beltran should finally be healthy after all this. Oh no, this goes even deeper then the “Bone Bruise” the genius Mets doctors told him he had back in July.

This surgery is going to lead the Mets towards a World Championship this season.

Read the rest of this entry »

Yanks or Phils? What a dilemma for a Mets fan.

BY ANTHONY LAFAMAN
STACHE WRITER

Well, it happened. A month or two ago when the question was asked Met fans prayed that it wouldn’t happen. They answered the questions, maybe, but really just dodged them. Now the unthinkable. Root for the Yankees or root for the Phillies. Out of towners have it easy. They can just not watch. But New Yorkers live here. It’s the topic of the day, it’s what is going on. It’s in the papers. It’s on the blogs. It’s a Metropolitan fan’s nightmare.

Yanks or Phils, who ya got?

Read the rest of this entry »

Soriano for Reyes would have been an epoch fail on the Mets' part.

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

Throughout history, there have been many rumors involving the Mets that have been close to coming to fruition. Whether it has been in the free agent market or on the trade front, there have been many moves that would’ve rocked the franchise of the Mets, and I would like to share six that I remember very vividly. Let’s start from the top.

1) Mets trade Jose Reyes to Texas for Alfonso Soriano

Evaluation-This would have been an epoch failure on the Mets’ part. Reyes has become the signature player of this team. His upbeat attitude and refreshing energy symbolizes a new beginning for this franchise. The move would have brought an aging Soriano over to Queens. While the man is capable of putting up some gaudy power numbers, his defense is mediocre, and it would have been a step in the wrong direction.

2) Mets trade Mike Pelfrey, Carlos Gomez, and Kevin Mulvey to the Twins for Johan Santana

Evaluation- Obviously, we all know the Mets ended up nabbing Santana in the end, but the even bigger steal of this deal was holding on to Mike Pelfrey. Although the verdict is still out on Pelfrey, he has a chance to develop into a solid number two pitcher in time. Once he perfects that third pitch, he could be money. Santana was a necessary addition, but it would’ve been hard for this team succeed if he was the only quality arm. The Mets have avoided that by keeping him in the mix.

3) Mets trade Mike Cameron to the Yankees for Gary Sheffield

Evaluation: I remember this like it was yesterday, and it feels so ironic that the Mets’ now have recently acquired Sheffield for practically nothing. Sheffield was a pain in the neck to say the least. When these rumors surfaced, he adamantly said that he had no desire to play in Shea stadium, and he even threatened to sit out the season if such a trade was executed. Although his bat would have been a nice thing to have, the baggage scared Mets’ execs away and rightfully so. Now, we have an older version of Sheffield, and if he decides to run his mouth, he will be out in a heartbeat.

4) Mets trade Octavio Dotel, Armando Benitez and Roger Cedeno to the Mariners for Ken Griffey Jr.

Evaluation: We are turning the pages back quite a few years now. This was in 1999 when this issue arose, and it seemed like these two teams would get something done. Griffey was a stud, and people were already talking about how he could be the next home run king, and the Mets wanted him to be the boy of the big apple. But, Griffey had other plans. After discussing things over with his wife, Griffey rejected the trade to the Mets, which he could do since he was a 10-5 player, and he ridded the Mets of one future hardcore headache with all of the injuries.

5) Mets Sign Vladimir Guerrero

Evaluation: Prior to the 2004 season, Guerrero was one of the hottest commodities out there. Mets’ fans seemed to be foaming at the mouth for a chance to acquire the super slugger to play right field, but the price was high. This regime hadn’t been known for spending money until after the ’04 season, when things seemed to turn around. When word broke that the Mets had made an offer, fans were excited. But it turned out that the Mets low-balled the slugger with a three-year $30 million offer, and he understandably signed with the Angels for five years and $70 million. He has certainly been worth the price of admission, but his signing may have ruled out Beltran and Pedro after 2004.

6) Mets Sign Alex Rodriguez

Evaluation: This would have been one heck of an addition for us after A-Rod opted out of his contact after the 2007 season. David Wright came out and said he would be more than willing to change positions to bring the phenomenal A-Rod on board, and this wasn’t the first time A-Rod and the Mets had some discussions about bringing the superstar to Queens. As much as we detest A-Rod now as Mets’ fans, I am sure we would love him that much more if he was a member of our team. He is a hall of famer, plain and simple. And while the steroids issue is never going to go away, he may be the best pure hitter in baseball. I would have loved to see Alex in orange and blue. I wonder if Madonna would’ve become a Met fan.

What do you think? Have any more to share?

BY ADAM KRAMER
STACHE WRITER

With the Alex Rodriguez steroid saga stealing the spotlight from Michael Phelps, baseball fans are forced to check their fandom at the door once again. He was supposed to be the savior. He was supposed to crush the all-time homerun record. He was supposed to do it clean.

While his leaner frame didn’t raise the eyebrows that McGwire’s forearms and Bond’s hat size did, it appears they all had much more in common than we thought. And now, the best baseball player of our lifetime will be forever linked amongst these outcast superstars.

As a baseball fan it stings, but as a Mets fan, the New York newspapers and baseball writers will create a gigantic tidal wave of controversy and turmoil. Some Mets fans will laugh because he’s in pinstripes, others will be thankful the Mets didn’t sign him back before his first monster contract. Some, like myself, will feel an indescribable twinge of question.

It makes one wonder about the other 103 players included on this now infamous steroid list, or anyone who was played in the last 20 years for that matter. It makes me wonder about players I’ve watched an idolized all my life. Steroids themselves don’t seem to bother me nearly as much as the deception involved. We feel wronged against, which we should.

I don’t want my favorite teams or players to be involved, which is why I find myself on the defensive. Without stirring an already boiling pot, I have to ask myself, what if any Mets are on this list? Is Mike Piazza on the list? What about current Mets?

I have no evidence of this other than my curiosity, and blind whispers that have questioned whether Piazza was clean throughout his career. The fact of the matter is that he was a strong, all-world catcher playing in a dirty era. I should also add he is one of my personal all-time favorite New York Mets.

Mike has of course denied using any performance enhancing drugs, and in my heart I feel he was clean. But once again I can’t help but wonder. How can we believe anyone anymore?

It creates a feeling of uneasiness in fans about what is real and what isn’t. Would Mike Piazza’s tear-jerking homerun in the first game post September 11th all the sudden be tainted if a drug test came back positive? Nothing can take away that moment, but my mind races, and yet from everything we know he has done absolutely nothing wrong.

It’s the poor decisions by baseball as a whole that have created this dilemma that we find ourselves in. I want to believe everyone when they tell us they didn’t do this, or they did it the right way, but I simply can’t.

Mike Piazza is only one example of someone who played in an era where steroids were seemingly everywhere. Because of this, he will be forced to where these black eyes like thousands of other players, clean or not. But for Mets fans, he is our player and the one we hope is excluded from the topic of conversation.

No, Alex Rodriquez’s steroid usage will never directly affect the Mets or their fans. But from a personal level it opens the door for more questions. More doubts.

I hope that Mike did it right, and as I mentioned earlier I feel that he did. But even if he isn’t included on the list, I am no longer able to trust a player on their word alone. Perhaps it’s me with the problem but deep down I don’t think so – which is the true shame in all of this.

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

Well. The A-Rod case is finally settled. I swore to myself that I wouldn’t write about this, but it’s the hot topic, so here we go. A-Rod reportedly admitted to ESPN’s Peter Gammons that he used steroids during the 2001-03 seasons. That was when Rodriguez was a member of the Texas Rangers. You have to wonder why Rodriguez would take this substance. Sure, everyone was doing it, but this is a guy that ht 42 homers before he took the drugs. Was he looking to hit 100 homers? I think the risk is worth more than the reward, especially in this specific instance.

This really got into my head when the initial report broke from Sports Illustrated on Saturday. This is a guy who I have rooted against because he was on the Yankees, but deep down, I wanted A-Rod to pass Barry Bonds because Bonds is a disgrace to baseball. Bonds took steroids and lied about it, and A-Rod took steroids and lied as well. Luckily for him, he lied to Katie Couric and not congress. A-Rod will not be in trouble with the law or baseball, but his reputation and livelihood are going to take a huge hit for this. Does anyone play the game cleanly? I can only imagine for Mets fans what it be like if Mike Piazza’s name came up. That would hurt deep.

There are positives that come out of this. First, I will have to admit that I respect Rodriguez’s decision to come clean. Fans are very forgiving. If you lie to them and insult their intelligence, they will give it to you. Don’t get me wrong, A-Rod is going to get plenty of verbal abuse from various fans in various cities, but it’s nice to know that he is willing to come clean. Also, I cannot believe I am saying that Jose Canseco seems to be right on the money. Sure, he doesn’t go about it in the most respectable of ways, but he is yet to be proven wrong. Also, the system seems to be knuckling down and catching more and more people. Maybe that will bring some respect back to the game.

For me, that closes the book on A-Rod for steroid talk. I want to just move forward and focus on the Mets and the upcoming season ahead.