Carlos Beltran has taken Angel Pagan under his wing this spring

BY AARON YORKE
STACHE WRITER

I’ve always thought team chemistry was overrated in baseball. Unlike football, basketball or hockey, which feature a bunch of players sharing the ball and moving at the same time, baseball is a game that is won or lost mostly by individual performances. A team does not need to communicate with each other to put together a multi-run rally. It could help to communicate, such as when a lead-off batter takes an extra pitch so the next guy up can see what he is dealing with, but such tactics are not necessary to have success. It’s the same deal on the other side of the ball, where the pitcher by himself has the biggest impact on how many runs the other team scores.

It’s for these reasons that I never really paid attention when the Mets’ failures of the last three seasons were blamed on a “bad clubhouse.” I figured even if everyone in the clubhouse hated each other, it wasn’t going to make the team hit more and strike out less. The tough part is that there’s no way to prove or quantify the effect of leadership or chemistry on winning games. It’s even tougher for those without clubhouse access to analyze.
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Could Gary Matthews Jr. be the answer? (PHOTO BY ICON SMI)

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

When the news broke about Carlos Beltran’s micro fracture surgery, it took a lot of will power for me not to rant and rave into oblivion, so I decided to be rational for once in my life. I waited for the facts to develop, and the Mets proved to be the wrong doers in the whole equation.

Shocking.

So I began to think to myself. I just write an article about how expendable Angel Pagan is, and then this happens, and Pagan becomes a much more important part of the overall puzzle. But would that be the smartest thing to do?
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Angel Pagan definitely has plenty of talent. (PHOTO BY ICON SMI)

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

I think it might be time to trade Angel Pagan, and now he becomes even more expendable with the pending addition of Jason Bay.

There have definitely been teams interested, and I think the most notable of those teams is the Royals.

Now let’s see who the Royals have that can be of value to the Mets. There really isn’t much in my opinion. We know that they pretty much would love to give Jose Guillen away, but his not-so-ideal attitude and his contract make him a bad option.
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Castillo would've wanted to bang his head into a railing if Tuesday's blunder stood out. (PHOTO BY ICON SMI)

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

Currently I am sitting at Citi Field in section 516. David Wright is leading off the seventh in what is sure to be another easy loss, but my dad brought up an interesting topic. He was here last night as well, which was tough to handle. I brought up the Beltran missed grand slam and he told me of something else that happened just prior that would have negated the grand slam.

It revolves around Luis Castillo. The pitch before the near heroic moment for Beltran, he hit a foul ball. Why is this important? Simple. Luis Castillo didn’t go back and tag the base.
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This Guy Needs More Time To Prove His Worth

ANTHONY LAFAMAN
STACHE WRITER

I support Omar Minaya. GASP! Oh no he didn’t.

Listen, I am really not sure why all the pessimistic met fans are pointing their collective guns at Omar Minaya’s head. The Adam Rubin spat notwithstanding this guy has had a very good, yes, very good run here in NY.

If you go back and check out his moves, from the draft picks to the trades you will come to the same conclusion. Mix in some facts and you’ll see Minaya is not a bad GM. At all.

Ask yourself this. Did Omar Minaya put a team together, 3 years in a row, that was in position to compete for a World Series.

The answer is yes. 2006, NLCS loss. 2007, 7 games up with 17 to go, 2008, 3 games up one week to go. Every year the Mets were in it.

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Angel Pagan has been one of the cogs in the Mets' recent surge. (PHOTO BY ICON SMI)

BY ANDREW CAVAGNARO
STACHE WRITER

Is Angel Pagan talented enough to man the spacious outfield at Citi Field? Does his bat have enough pop to keep him in the lineup when some of his fallen comrades return? I believe the answer is a resounding yes!

Angel Pagan has been traveling the lonely highway between the minor leagues and the “Show” for the past several seasons. He has even caught the Mets’ injury plague during his time in New York.
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Carlos is praying to the Injury Gods that he can come back soon, but is it worth it?

BY ZACHARY SCHULMAN
STACHE WRITER

With the recent news that Carlos Beltran wants to come back earlier than expected and play through pain, it may not be the best idea. I think I am in the minority that I don’t was Beltran rushing back and potentially jeopardizing the rest of his Mets career. In recent reports, it has been said that if Beltran rushes back to play this year, then he might miss the entire 2010 season. After seeing how injuries have ravaged the team this year, I’d rather have a healthy Beltran for the longer term.

Beltran’s replacement, Angel Pagan, has been a spark plug for the recently resurgent Mets. Capped by tonight’s game winning Grand Slam, Pagan has shown that he belongs. He fits the Mets perfectly. He has some pop in his bat, speed, and plays very good defense. As I have written before, these are all qualities the Mets need to have playing in the spacious Citi Field.

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There are many people who believe the Mets should sell high on Luis Castillo.

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

Today is a big day in baseball. The MLB Trade Deadline is set for 4 p.m. on Friday, and there has been a lot of talk about what the Mets should do. Some people believe that the Mets should add a piece or two, and others think the Mets should sell.

I disagree with both schools of thought.
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Angel Pagan has been a breath of fresh air for the Mets this year. (PHOTO BY ICON SMI)

BY MATTHEW JAKL
STACHE WRITER

I know. It is hard to watch the Mets. Painful at times. Mental errors, injuries, and bats that seem to be afraid of the ball have the number in the L column growing faster than the national debt. And I know. The Mets are 10 games back, looking down only at the lowly Natinals. And I know. Those boys in Flushing have broken our hearts the past two years with last day loses; keeping Mets fans watching the post season with apathy and the players watching from their couch.

With that said, how it can it get worse?
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Jonathon Niese is a very important part of this team's future. (PHOTO BY ICON SMI)

BY ZACHARY SCHULMAN
STACHE WRITER

After watching the Mets win their first series post All Star Break, I saw a lot of what I think the Mets future should be. Seeing how Citi Field plays out, it is clear that the Mets should build their team around pitching, speed, and defense. The hitters should be ones that go gap to gap and have the ability to steal bases.

Looking at today’s lineup, many of the players can contribute next year to the hopefully new look Mets. Angel Pagan has played a very steady center field. He covers ground well and is very fleet of foot. He also can drive the ball and get on base. Next year I can see him as the possible starting left fielder or at worst an Endy Chavez like fourth outfielder providing some much needed depth.

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