Do You Aso Like Ike?

BY MATTHEW FALKENBURY
ASSISTANT EDITOR

It was nothing more then a grand slam in the eighth inning of a spring training game in early March. The wind was blowing out and as the legendary Lou Brown once said “It was against a guy who will be bagging groceries in a week.” The fact is that I couldn’t have cared less. I like Ike Davis and if the first few spring training games can be considered an example of whats to come, then you will all like him too.

Ike Davis, the son of former Major League pitcher Ron Davis, was the Mets first round pick in 2008 out of Arizona State. He struggled for power in his first pro season with Brooklyn as he failed to hit a home run in the short season A NY-Penn League. Moving up to Port St. Lucie and then eventually Double-A Binghamton, he found his power and continued to impress both the Mets brass and fans alike. He would hit 20 homers, 71 RBI and hit .298 and would make a name for himself, earning a spot on the US World Cup of Baseball team that won the Gold Medal and as one to Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects.

Ike Davis has a quick powerful swing, good feet around first base and a confidence that is more about his own ability then it is about working harder then the next guy. He is a left handed thrower at first, which is also a big bonus, a bonus that the last two great Mets first basemen, Keith Hernandez and John Olerud had.

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Will Carlos Delgado be a Met in 2010?

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

All the talk this week with the week winding down is about the pending acquisition of former Red Sox outfielder Jason Bay, but there are plenty of other stories floating around in Mets world as they try to get the 2010 roster solidified.

There are still unanswered questions regarding this team, including the catching position. There were reports that surfaced shortly after the Bay signing was reported that said the Mets were closing in on a two-year deal with former Giants’ catcher Bengie Molina, but nothing has materialized.

A position that seems to be getting overlooked is first base. Of course we have all dreamed about the possibilities involving Padres’ first basemen Adrian Gonzalez, but that doesn’t seem like a realistic solution. Most people seem content with giving Daniel Murphy a shot to be the guy, and I have no problem with that.
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This Decade Has Seen Alot, Including The End of an Era at Shea Stadium

BY MATTHEW FALKENBURY
ASSISTANT EDITOR

The Decade of the 2000’s for the Mets has been filled with up’s and down’s, joy and sadness and one that took us on a roller coaster that began witha National League Championship, dipped through some lean years from 2002-2004, saw a rebirth and an NL East Title in 2005 and 2006, the collapses of 2007-2008, the ending of one era at Shea and a new one at Citi Field and finally an injury filled 2009 season that leaves us wondering whats next. Over the past 10 years, we have seen some great players come and go, and for some, leave a mark that will be remembered forever, good or bad. So in honor of a Decade in Mets history that was nothing short of a Ride of highs and lows, I give to you my All-Decade Team for the New York Mets.

Some Quick Rules, only stats in the years of this current decade were counted, the player must have spent at least one year with the franchise and the success of the franchise during his time with the team will also be in consideration. Off Fied and On Field impact will also be considered when making the decision as well.

Click the link and enjoy my Team of the Decade….

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As far as Brian Schneider goes, it's good riddance to bad rubbish. (PHOTO BY ICON SMI)

BY ANDREW CAVAGNARO
STACHE WRITER

Brian Schneider and his inept bat and bland personality have finally packed up and left. Now if Carlos Delgado and his smug persona take a hike, it will be an early Christmas for may.

Schneider came to New York to replace a over-the-hill Paul Lo Duca, who replaced legendary Mike Piazza. This past season Schneider hit .218 with three home runs, along with mediocre defense. His play allowed little known Omir Santos the ability to gain some playing along the way.

Obviously it’s tough to replicate the numbers of Piazza and Lo Duca, but give me a break with the .292 OBP. This guy might as well close his eyes and hope he walks.
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What are you thankful for?

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

I know it’s a little bit early for the Thanksgiving article, but I really could not help myself. With the meal of the year looming in the not so distant future, I decided to compare what the Mets should be thankful for, even though things do not seem so peachy at this junction.

First, we should be thankful we are not the Royals, Athletics, Nationals and Pirates. These are teams that were also pretty atrocious last year and don’t seem to be improving much. Can anyone actually see any of these teams being a playoff contender any time in the near future? I can’t, and say anything you want about the Royals having the AL CY Young award winner, they don’t have anything close to what they need to be a playoff team.

I am also thankful for Jeff Francoeur. This was one of the lone bright spots of the 2009 season. When the Mets acquired him for Ryan Church, I didn’t really know what to make of it. I knew it was the right move, but this guy was a “Brave”. There was no way this was going to work. But in a season in which we saw a lot of misjudgment, this ended up being one of the best moves to make. Now they are discussing an extension, and we could do a lot worse than having him in right field next season.
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How's the hip Carlos? Nick Johnson's knee is already barking.

BY ANTHONY LAFAMAN
STACHE WRITER

First base. The power spot. Remember in little league they would put the fat kids at first because they had the most power (and I guess because they were not light on their feet). It’s kind of the same thing today, whoever plays first usually leads the team in HR’s or at the very least hits an average of 20-25. Since Daniel Murphy is not capable of reaching those numbers at this early stage of his career the Mets are taking a looksie at this year’s light free agent market. One man to consider is the one that just came off hip surgery at age 38, the man who had an MVP like 2008 and the man who patrolled 1st base for the Mets since 2006.

Carlos Delgado, the goateed smiling Puerto Rican who the Mets acquired in 2006 from the Marlins for Mike Jacobs, Yusmeiro Petit and Grant Psomas has been nothing short of terriffic since being acquired. A trade that is one of Omar’s finest. In fact if it wasn’t for the Johan trade it probably is his greatest trade. Since 2006 Delgado has 107 Home Runs, driven in 339 runs and slugged well over .500. He was a beast in 2008, carrying the Mets in more games than anyone else.

He has received MVP ballot votes in both 2006 when the Mets came one hit away from making the World Series and in 2008 when they fell just short of winning the division. His postseason numbers in 2006 were monstrous and there was a good chance he would have won the NLCS award for MVP had the Mets won (in 7 games he had 13 hits for a .304 average with 3 bombs and 11 RBI’s slugging over .700). So this is a no brainer right?
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Time for Hot Stove Baseball folks.

BY ANTHONY LAFAMAN
STACHE WRITER

Well, I am glad that ordeal is over with. Yankees won, blah blah blah. You can’t get away from it. They’ll have a parade and they will get some keys to the city and then hoepfully them and their rotten fans will go to sleep until April. I mean all I heard from my Yankee friends was how long it’s been since they won a championship. Puh-lease. The only good thing that came out of this is that Pedro lost and the Phillies are not champions. Oh and now the Mets are not mentioned everytime someone says “the last time the Yankees won was against the Mets in 2000″. So thank the good lord for not making me a Yankee.

I want to move on to the off season, Nov 9-11 are the GM meetings in Chicago, great town. Maybe one day Ganci will get some press credentials and then we can really get this ball rolling. The winter meetings are mid December I think (too lazy to check) and that’s always interesting. In my opinion the Mets needs to address the following positions.

After the game you and your friends could always enjoy a nice game of online poker.
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Unless he is willing to take a major pay-cut, I wouldn't bring Carlos Delgado back. (PHOTO BY ICON SMI)

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

There is no debate. The Mets have missed Carlos Delgado very much while he has been out. They have little to no power presence in the middle of their lineup, and it would have been nice to have the Carlos Delgado of last year in there. The Mets would probably have a few more wins then they currently do. But Delgado has been on the shelf for months, and it appears that he will not be able to return before season’s end. But will the team bring him back?

I don’t think it’s a smart idea. I initially thought otherwise, but I would rather the Mets sign a nice righty platoon for Daniel Murphy. The kid is hitting almost .300 in his last month and a half, and the exposure to big league pitching has really helped him. Sure, he hasn’t become the “Tony Gwynn” that Jerry Manuel envisioned, but nobody will be like that.
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The Mets Doctors See Nothing Wrong With Mr. Met, I Beg To Differ

BY JOSEPH STONE
STACHE WRITER

If I were Mr. Met, I do believe that I would conduct all business electronically for the forseeable future. It’s not a good time to be wearing blue and orange in public. If you step on a crack, you send a Met to the DL. So maybe there is something to all this talk of a citifield curse. Johan is now done for the year, Francoeur could possibly follow. Anybody else?

This latest addition to the Mets roster Disabled List brings the sum total to 19 different players for the year. Somehow, the Reds have the same number on the year. I would bet the sheer number of lost games is staggering in the Mets favor, for lack of a better word. Delgado alone is around 100 games lost. Think his stick might have been worth 3 or 4 games? Reyes is within shouting distance, playing a whopping 10 more games than Delgado. Let’s not even bring up the rest of the list.

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Alex Cora would bat second in my lineup of injured Mets. (PHOTO BY ICON SMI)

Recently, while I was trying to decide what kind of new story to write, I got a very good idea from a friend. Can I go and see if I would be able to field a full team based on who is currently out of commission right now. Well, I can’t nab a full team, but I can do a lot with what I’ve got. Here’s my starting lineup.

1. SS Reyes
2. 2B Cora
3. 3B Wright
4. CF Beltran
5. 1B Delgado
6. RF Francoeur
7. LF Martinez
8. C Martinez
9. P Nieve, Maine, Putz, Niese
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