BY BRYAN ROTHENSTEIN
STACHE WRITER

Oh where oh where has Jason Bay been?

Oh where oh where could he be!?

Its been way to long since he’s taken the field,

He shoulda just stayed on his knee!

He ran into a fence,

His head feeling dense,

Yet Manuel let him still play.

They got on the plane,

Coming home from LA,

His head started ringing,

A concussion for Bay!

This team is a mess,

They’re out of the race,

All while the Braves are setting the pace.

Jason Bay is in hiding,

He’s been a disgrace,

In 95 games he barely showcased.

Six homeruns,

Hardly any RBI’s,

He swung and missed often,

Shoulda just covered his eyes.

They won’t make the playoffs.

Probably not even come close.

The closers a psycho,

Who beats up old folks.

They stink on the road,

They’re lost at the plate,

The defense looks good,

The pitching looks great.

They win one, they lose one,

We want all their heads,

But no heads our rolling,

Just angry fans tossing in beds.

We want some results,

But don’t want to wait,

This team has potential,

The young kids look great.

From Ike Davis to Thole,

Here come the new bunch,

Add them to Reyes and Wright,

But wait,

Bay’s home hosting brunch.

This team needs him back,

His head’s still concussed,

Thank god there’s Dickey and Niese,

And hey,

At least Bay’s not Luis!

2010′s highlights are nothing but follies,

But that’s to be expected,

Cause we’re still paying Ollie!

The Wilpons were rich until Bernie Madoff,

And now it’s time for the whole regime to be LAID OFF!

BY MATTHEW FALKENBURY
EDITOR

It was a long time coming but this is a step in the right direction for your NY Mets. The fact is that some players who dont belong are still here, but no need to jump ahead of ourselves and get mad, a step in the right direction was still taken.

Bringing up Fernando Martinez and Ruben Tejada is a sign that this team is about ready to rebuild and take the talented young players that people last year said didnt exist and give them a chance to shine.

Cora was a nice guy but his contract was insane and Im Happy Omar and Jeff wouldnt allow him to reach that plateau. Feliciano is a thirty one yr old journey man and lets face it is not the future of this team and this team has just a glut of Outfielders.

I know Castillo is still here and so is Frenchy, but I think that if Jerry wants to make one last stand, go out with a blaze of glory. I have always hated Jerry Manuel but if can man up, sit them on the bench, let the young kids play and keep playing, I will respect the way he went out.

The fact is that with a young team like this, although Im not a fan, but If Jerry goes and Beltran is traded in the off-season which alot of people feel could happen. Your gonna have a batting order in which David Wright is the 2nd oldest starter at 28 years old. I like that alot when you think about it.

Im happy the Mets are starting to make a youth movement here and finally understand that this is the way to go. To me save money on your hitters by playing the young guys and spend it on PITCHING. Go Nuts with the money and invest in pitching and save money with a young lineup sounds very good to me.

The 2010 season is on life support and the plug is half way out and so a youth movement to show the fans what 2011 could be like is something that needs to be done.

A lineup of Reyes-SS, Pagan-CF, Wright-3B, Davis-1B, Bay-LF, F-Mart-RF, Thole-C and Tejada-2B would be just fine to me in 2011 and beyond.

Sink the money into pitching in the next two years, both in the bullpen and starters and lets finally do things the right way when since we wont trade our prospects, then lets play em.

The Mets took a step, it wasnt the big step let, but it was a step and it was in the right direction.

BY MATTHEW FALKENBURY
EDITOR

You really thought there was a chance they would do something. As you read this, I want you to think about how that no matter how negative you are about this, you thought there was a chance.

Mike Pelfrey was gonna turn it around, French was gonna keep going and have a Revolution and send the Braves to the gallows as the Mets escaped Atlanta with 2 out of 3. You are thinking about that moment when you thought they actually would do that.

Now your pissed off because it didnt happen at all, and lets face it, it never was gonna happen. The Mets are like the girl we all knew in high school, you heard the stories, you saw the looks and yet….nothing but a giant tease and left you alone and hurt.

The New York Mets have played two-thirds of the season and are 54-54, a .500 team. There is no need to try to explain well if they beat such and such team they would be this.

No need to waste time thinking about it. The New York Mets are a .500 ballclub which has little possibilty of really improving but could easily fall apart.

The team is on the brink and when you really think about it, its scary how troubled this team really is. After the jump, you can see how scary it is in written form.

The manager is doing just enough for people to actually think that he is the scapegoat thanks to a GM with no power and a Owner with no money. Newsflash, he sucks and couldnt win with the 27 Yankees cause he would give Babe Ruth off against lefties.

A team with an Ace, A Rookie, A Knuckleballer and a Basketcase in its rotation. A bullpen with a guy making 12 million dollars that if the Mets wanted to sell out a game in September should stand outside near the apple so people can line up to get to punch him in the face one time.

A Center Fielder who is clearly not fit to play there, An Angel in the Outfield trying to do anything he can and a Right Fielder who couldnt hit unless he used a boat orr for a bat.

Oh and the man who at 66 million was supposted to be the middle of the order force missing from last year? He is getting better, he told Mets doctors he remembered what he had for breakfast yesterday.

The left side of the infield must have talked to Chuck Knoblauch before the game on Wednesday, Castillo doing his best to make one of the wheelchair teams that play games in the Citi Field and of course Ike Davis.

We like Ike, he is the guy you point at when your quoting that scene from Half Baked when the Cuban dude quits his job and say “Your Cool.”

In the end we have all been a part of a giant tease that the Mets have been putting on since September of 2007 and we are all nothing but a bunch of suckers for actually listening.

We will be back, dont worry they will tease us again, and when we think about it, in the magical land of Retrospect, we will be pissed off once again. Alone and Lonely, thinking about what might have been.

BY RANDY SHEMANSKI
STACHE WRITER

Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com tweeted tonight that the Mets and Royals are talking about a potential trade, and two of the three Mets involved in the talks are guys the fans would be happy to bid farewell to.

Rosenthal did stress that the two teams are simply talking and it’s unclear how far along the discussions are. (Follow Rosenthal on Twitter @Ken_Rosenthal)

Rosenthal said the Mets players in discussion are Jeff Francoeur, Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez. Castillo and Perez have been public enemies No. 1 and 1a over the past two seasons – regardless of Castillo’s strong 2009 – and getting them off the roster would please the fan base and help the team.

And, Francoeur has said he would welcome a trade after he lost his starting job when Carlos Beltran returned.

In Francoeur’s case, he’s a solid clubhouse presence, plays hard and is a standup guy, but he’s also the type of player who needs to play regularly to get going offensively, and it’s clear that’s not going to happen in a Mets uniform.

On the Royals’ end, the players mentioned are Kyle Farnsworth, Gil Meche and Jose Guillen. Farnsworth has pitched well this season – 3-0, 2.41 ERA – and would boost the Mets pen. Meche has made just nine starts this year, going 0-4 with a 6.66 ERA.

Seems appropriate the Mets might trade Perez, who’s been equated to the devil by some, in a deal for a guy with a 6.66 ERA.

Guillen is hitting .276 with 16 homers and 59 RBIs, which would fit nicely in the Mets’ batting order, except for one problem – he’s an outfielder, which means he has no place to play in a Mets uniform.

Even if his numbers easily trump those of Jason Bay, he’s not supplanting Bay in left for many reasons, Bay’s salary not being the least of those reasons, and Angel Pagan and Carlos Beltran are going nowhere in right and center, respectively.

Andy Martino of the New York Daily News tweeted that the deal may hinge on the Royals shipping Guillen elsewhere before acquiring Francoeur. (Follow Martino on Twitter @SurfingTheMets)

Randy Shemanski is the author of http://60feet-6inches.com, a blog dedicated to covering pitching in Major League Baseball

As I was driving home from a friend’s house a little while ago, I decided to flip on WFAN on my radio. While I expected more of the same, I was informed by someone claiming to be Howie Rose that the Mets had beaten the Dodgers 6-1 and that Jason Bay had a big bases clearing double.

I checked my phone to check if it was April, because it seemed like an April Fool’s Day joke, but it is definitely reality.

Obviously, this was a big game for the Mets, and kudos to Santana for continuing to be Santana. Also, for all of the crap we have been giving Bay, it’s time to give him credit. Not only did Bay have a big bases clearing double with two outs in the eighth to give the Mets breathing room, but he made a sensational catch in left field as well.

Whenever Francisco Rodriguez throws a perfect inning, it’s worth mentioning. I feel like that is less likely than seeing a shooting star these days.

Also, how about a game ball to Henry Blanco for two hits and a well called game. I will forgive him for dropping Angel Pagan’s perfect throw to the plate.

I can’t believe I am going to sleep with Jason Bay being in my good graces. Can this continue? Is this the beginning of that hot streak we have all heard that he is capable of? Let’s hope so.

BY BRYAN ROTHENSTEIN
STACHE WRITER

What if the Mets never signed Jason Bay and instead spent the money on John Lackey.

I know hindsight is 20/20 but our offense has been streaky all season, terrible of late, and Jason Bay has done nothing all season. All we hear is that he is a streaky hitter, proven he can hit in the past, thus will hit eventually.

Well time is running out quickly and he is battling Franceour for worst hitting outfielder on the team right now, difference being other teams still want Frenchy, who is batting .243 with 8 homeruns and 42 batted in for a fraction of what Bay is making.

I don’t know what could possibly be wrong with Bay. Hopefully it is similar to what happened to Wright last year as a result from adapting to spacious Citi Field but if that is not the case then the Mets are in a ton of trouble, both the remainder of this year as well as the remainder of Bay’s contract.

If we didn’t have Bay and instead had signed Lackey I feel our team would be in a better spot then we are now. Our offense at worst would be the same with Beltran returning hoping to bolster the lineup. However, our rotation would have One less big question mark.

If the Mets had Lackey then Takahashi would still be in the pen where he is best utilized and Pelfrey, Niese and Dickey would face a lot less pressure when they toe the rubber.

We also wouldn’t have to consider dealing our suddenly prospering farm for much needed pitching assistance, which could wind up setting back future development a few more years.

Bay is batting .257 with 6 homeruns and 44 batted in with a little over 2 months left.

Coming into tonight’s magnificent start, Lackey has a 9-5 record with a 4.65 ERA and 71 strikeouts, not spectacular but solid and would figure to be better overall in the weaker NL.

Now again, this is just a pipe dream and speculation of what could have been, but 3 1/2 months into the season of the 1st year of these 2 large contracts and it certainly seems like the Mets made the wrong choice.

What has happened to Jason Bay? (PHOTO BY ICON SMI)

BY EDWIN VASQUEZ
STACHE WRITER

Year after year, the NY Mets’ front office takes on the task of filling holes in hopes of building a winning product in Flushing Queens. And year after year a new player is brought in to solidify a position that may or may not be a weak link in that product. Some players’ names brought with them high levels of expectation and excitement; two examples I would like to focus on are John Olerud and Carlos Beltran…I’ll tell you why. With their productive careers coming into NY, one thing can be said of them all: their FIRST seasons in Queens were no comparison to their SECOND seasons (and third, fourth, etc.).

John Olerud never had a bad season as a Met, but his numbers (specifically his batting average) dramatically increased from his first year (.294) to his second year (.354). A 60 point jump in only his second year with the team. Now let’s look at Carlos Beltran. Another successful acquisition made by the Mets that didn’t show promise until the second year of his contract. When you compare his FIRST season’s HR and RBI numbers to his SECOND season, you notice a stark contrast: 16 HR’s and 78 RBI vs 41 HR’s and 116 RBI. And now we have Jason Bay…Bay, before coming to the Mets, hit 67 HR’s in the last 2 seasons. In 4.5 years for the Pirates, Bay averaged more than 27 HR’s per season. This year, Bay is going into the All-Star break with only 6 HR’s! SIX!

One thing can be said about the three players that I mentioned above. None of them are the boisterous, scene-stealing type of players who talk the talk. They are (were) hard working players who did their talking with their bats and gloves, and not their mouths. And all three, in my opinion, share the same difficulty adjusting to some aspect or another that comes with wearing that NY Mets jersey.

Is it the Queens Borough water? Is it the random/frequent planes flying overhead out of LaGuardia Airport during games??? Maybe these are all just excuses or maybe they are viable reasons why it isn’t easy to play in NY. But one thing is for certain, Jason Bay is feeling it (whatever it is) and it better be gone by next season or he’ll get run out of town faster than a crooked politician.

The fans will not stand for it! Those same fans that were razzing David Wright from the stands during his horrific April/May start to the season. David WRIGHT! Even our golden boy couldn’t escape the wrath. All last year David was in a batting rut that led to a career high in strikeouts. And this year began no different, with David going into June with over 60 strikeouts recorded…but he turned it around. As will Jason Bay…just not this year.

Maybe we can hope for a playoff berth, where Bay begins a “new” season and heats up for a series or two? Who knows!?! I just want to see solid contact. He’s been looking off-balance lately and his confidence level is paying for it. Hey, if we’re lucky, he’ll be a second half player, like Johan Santana! Or not. Stay tuned, because there’s only one way to find out.

Angel Pagan has gone from reserve to starting right fielder. (PHOTO BY ICON SMI)

BY BRYAN ROTHENSTEIN
STACHE WRITER

The Mets end the first half of the season with a much needed victory against the division leading Braves lead by a resurrected Johan Santana performance, going 7 strong innings and shutting out the Braves for his 7th win against 5 losses in the first half. On the day, Santana allowed 5 hits, 3 walks and striking out 5 all while lowering his season ERA to 2.98. Pretty impressive overall ERA for a guy considered by many to be washed up and no longer an ace! The game was capped off by K-Rod who picked up his 21st save of the season.

The Mets end the first half on a bit of a downfall but were able to pull out this big win to head into the break. Over the last 10 games they are 4-6 and finish with a 30-16 home record and a 18-24 road record, which is quite impressive after their awful start.

At the break the NL East standings are as follows:

1. Braves 52-36 0 GB
2. Mets 48-40 4GB
3. Phillies 47-40 4.5 GB
4. Marlins 42-46 10 GB
5. Nationals 39-50 13.5 GB

At this point of last season the Mets were 42-45 and just trying to find guys to play the field on a daily basis. I am quite impressed and surprised thus far this season and have seen enough to be hopeful and excited for the future.

The Mets are also 1 game back in the wild card hunt.

The Mets first half of 2010 was filled with many ups and downs, surprises and failures.

Some of the biggest surprises have been the amount of talent coming out of our farm system such as Tejada, Davis, Mejia and Thole. Also impressive were off season signings Dickey, Barajas, Takahashi and Blanco.

The top 5 performers of the first half would be:

* Pagan
* Dickey
* Wright
* Davis
* Santana

Pagan is clearly the most valuable Met through the first half with his .315 average, 94 hits, 46 runs, 17 doubles, 6 triples, 6 homeruns, 40 RBI and 19 steals.

Dickey ran a close second mainly being a complete surprise after getting the call from the minors when Maine and Perez went down due to crappiness, I mean injury. Dickey finished the first half with a 6-2 record, 2.77 ERA, and 19 walks to 48 strikeouts in his 10 starts. Without him who knows where we would be in the standings.

David Wright was almost thrown overboard by Met fans and media after the first month and a half and then something clicked and all was Wright in Metsville. Wright finished the first half putting up stellar numbers with a .314 average, 102 hits, 52 runs, 25 doubles, 2 triples, 14 homeruns, 65 RBI’s and 15 steals. He is on pace for nearly 200 strikeouts but that was mainly due to an awful start and if he keeps up this torrid pace he has displayed heading into the break then he will be in the MVP talk come October, especially if the Mets are involved in meaningful October games. Also, with Beltran coming back after the break providing more protection for Wright, his numbers can only continue to soar.

As much as went right for the Mets, their was more then enough that went wrong.

The bottom 5 performers of the first half would be:

1. Jason Bay
2. Oliver Perez
3. John Maine
4. Ryota Igarashi
5. Luis Castillo

Jason Bay was supposed to be the player who came here and, along with health through the rest of the team, would give us the thump in the middle of the order we needed to help us get over the hump and become contenders again. We have become contenders but it is no thanks to Jason Bay.

In his first 85 games as a Met he has 82 hits with a .265 average. He has scored 46 runs, hit 19 doubles, 6 triples, 6 homeruns and driven in 44. Surprisingly he has stolen 10 bases but overall he has been a huge disappointment, yet nothing a big second half and playoff appearance couldn’t fix. Mets fans have a short memory and we are a forgiving bunch. Make us forget Jason!

The second half of this season will be a fun one to watch with a lot of hope and promise for the future.

Top 5 things to watch for in the second half will be:

1. Ike Davis will continue to grow and learn while providing lefty power in the middle of our lineup. Hopefully his name will stay in the Rookie Of The Year Mix. It will be interesting to see how he adapts and makes adjustments as pitchers have began to adjust to him leading to his recent struggles.
2. The return of Carlos Beltran to centerfield and the middle of our lineup. Not only does this provide a boost for our team offensively but it also has to boost the morale of the current group of guys who have played their asses off.
3. The progress of our bullpen. Our bullpen has been the weak link to this years team. However, Parnell has impressed after his recent call-up and Dessens and Feliciano have been more then solid. If we can find a starter to move Takahashi back to the pen in the second half then our bullpen would be improved and we wouldn’t have to worry as much, until K-Rod enters the game that is.
4. Acquiring a starting pitcher. This is a must for this team to make happen by the trading deadline. We need another arm that can throw quality innings because Maine and Perez can not be counted on for anything other then eating payroll at this point. These guys are dead weight and could not be given away for a bag of balls. We can not mortgage our future in a deal thus ruling out Oswalt and Haren, however guys like Lilly and Westbrook are more then acceptable and would provide us with solid depth for minimal return.
5. Health. The team needs to stay healthy. From Reyes to Santana to Niese and everyone in between. The Mets organization need to focus on better communication amongst each other and their players and ensure that guys are playing at 100% as to not hurt themselves or the team’s chances further.

Like I keep saying, this team is fun to watch and will hopefully will provide us with something special come October. These guys love playing the game of baseball and you can see that everyday. They need to keep their feet on the pedal and go knocking down the Braves while keeping the Phillies in their rearview. Their is still a lot of baseball left to play so anything can happen but at this point, with the way this team has fought and battled I can not wait for this mini vacation to end and the second half to get going.

Cut The Man Some Slack

BY RANDY SHEMANSKI
STACHE WRITER

On the nearly three-hour drive to Citi Field on Friday afternoon, my friend and I talked about what kind of reception Billy Wagner would get if he pitched that night. We both agreed that he’d be received positively. Apparently we felt that way only because we planned to cheer if he came in from the pen.

When Wagner sprinted in to pitch the bottom of the ninth with the Braves ahead, 4-2, my friend and I stood to clap for him while seemingly everyone else in attendance rained boos on the hard-throwing lefty. I looked around and didn’t see anyone else clapping, but there had to be someone else in the building not wearing a Braves jersey who showed their appreciation for Wagner, right?

Look, we’ll all remember Game 2 of the 2006 NLCS when Wagner gave up three runs in the top of the ninth for a 9-6 loss that turned out to be huge later in the series. And there were other moments in his Mets career – back spasms that sidelined him late in 2007 being one of them – that leave a sour taste in our mouths.

Here’s the thing – baseball fans everywhere will be better off when they realize every closer is the same except for that guy over in the Bronx. Mariano Rivera is the exception to the rule. Closers will blow leads and they’ll blow them in important spots simply because those are the toughest saves. Even Rivera has blown them – remember Game 7 of the 2001 World Series in Arizona?

No Mets fan hates John Franco because he blew a two-run lead to the Florida Marlins – a team that lost 108 games that year — on Sept. 18, 1998. That loss sent the Mets on a 2-6 spiral over the final eight games that left them a single game out of a tie for the NL Wild Card. But we all love Franco because he’s from Brooklyn and went to St. John’s.

The point is, yes, Wagner was fragile when important games were on the line. But he did what the Mets hoped when they signed him before the 2006 season – he helped them reach the playoffs by saving 40 games in 45 chances and finishing sixth in the NL Cy Young voting.

He played hard every day and expected the best from himself and his teammates, which may be more than we can say for the Mets’ current closer. Sure, he was outspoken and could ruffle feathers around the league, but he was a hard-nosed competitor and the type of guy every team could use.

With the 10 walk-off losses the Mets have suffered this season, there’s no question the Mets could use that toughness in the bullpen right now. There’s a reason Wagner’s teams have always been successful and it’s certainly not in spite of him.

A day later, I understand why fans booed Wagner on Friday, but I don’t agree with it. We demand the players we root for to perform their best and we let them know it when they don’t.

Just ask Jason Bay.

But Wagner always played his hardest and never backed down to an opponent. That’s why I’m proud to say I stood and clapped when he trotted across the Citi Field outfield, even though he was wearing a Braves uniform and needed just nine pitches to close out the Mets.

Randy Shemanski is the author of http://60feet-6inches.com, a blog dedicated to pitching in Major League Baseball.

What's The Deal With The Numbers From Our Mets This Season

BY RAY MALDONADO
STACHE WRITER

Jason Bay hasn’t gotten off to the start that most Mets fans would of liked but let’s look a little closer to his free-agent counterpart, Matt Holliday who went to St. Louis for a lot more money but isn’t really lighting the world on fire.

Bay has only knocked in runs oppose to Holliday who only knocked in 26 and that’s with the immortal Albert Pujols hitting in front of him. Bay has 4 homeruns while Holliday has 6 and they both have walked a similar amount of times Bay 29, Holliday 26.

The Mets decided on Bay over Holliday because they projected he would fit their ballpark better using different projections and stats, truth is they got Bay for 4 years and 66 million dollars which was a lot less than Hollidays 7 year, 120 million dollars and they were right. Bay has given the Mets the same production Holliday has given the Cardinals for 54 million less.

Jose Reyes has really struggled to be consistent this season after having an injury plagued 2009 and missing sometime in spring training and the first few weeks of the season.

Truth is Reyes has steadily improved ever month, batting .238 in April, .272 in May and .295 in June including batting .480 last week which means that although his pre All-Star games won’t look flashy, look for Reyes to have a big second half of the season batting in the leadoff spot where he belongs.

Reyes terrible stint in the 3 hole where he batted .207 with a .280 slugging percentage certainly didn’t help the Mets or him get started.

Jeff Francouer is a streaky player, who started the season off carrying the team hitting .457 in their first 10 games before going into a huge funk afterwards. He still managed to hit .284 in April but was absolutely cold in May hitting only .211.

Francouer has raised his average from a season low .211 on May 23rd to a respectable .267 now but with Carlos Beltran finding his way back into the lineup in July, either Angel Pagan or Frenchy will be losing some at bats and Jerry is known to go with the hot hand so Francouer better keep up this current hot streak, he’s hit in his last 14 out of 15 games.

The Mets as team have also been a streaky bunch and a bit of an enigma. They have the most wins at home at 24-10 and until recently were dreadful on the road although the Orioles can make anyone look good. They are an average team in almost every hitting category, 21st in average, 18th in homeruns, 17th in runs batted in but their one saving grace has been their pitching, 6th in ERA 3.70.

The Mets also lead the National League in stolen bases and are second to only the young and electric Tampa Bay Rays in the majors. The Mets also have one of the better fielding teams in the majors with only 33 errors and a good infield with rookie Ike Davis finally solidifying first base.

This team is not without flaws, the pitching staff walks a lot of batter, tied for 2nd in the league with 255 and their starters never go deep into games with only 1 complete game, Jon Niese near perfect game against the Padres.

With that being said, they have done a good job keeping above .500 and are playing there best baseball of the season. At 35-28 going into Cleveland 25-37, they’re destined for their first winning road trip of the season.