Did Gary Sheffield get the respect he deserved? (PHOTO BY ICON SMI)

Gary Sheffield made a positive impact on the 2009 New York Mets even though the season ended in an extremely disappointing way, but most likely Sheffield has played his last game as a New York Met.

When Sheffield was brought to the Mets in April, due mainly to the recruitment efforts of David Wright, there was a huge buzz about it because of Sheffield’s bad boy reputation from his days in Detroit and New York as a Yankee.

With the barrage of injuries to the star players, Sheffield stepped up and played the game as a true professional on and off the field, he was a model citizen and many fans did admit that they were wrong about the perceived negative impact he would have on the Mets.
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Omir Santos' home run off Jonathan Papelbon was the biggest hit for the Mets thus far in 2009.

BY GREG BARRA
STACHE WRITER

The Mets had gone more than a week without a home run and the last two have been by the same player, Gary Sheffield. I find this very odd because, granted they played in a pitchers ball parks in San Francisco and Los Angeles but you would figure someone would get lucky and hit one out. Especially odd in Los Angeles where the fences in left and right field are about three feet high.

Someone could hit a frozen rope to either part of the park and have themselves a homer. This is where I feel the Mets miss Delgado the most. We have been used to seeing Carlos taking many a pitcher yard and when the Mets lost him for 10 weeks no one has stepped up to fill that void.

Gary Sheffield is doing an alright job filling in for the All-Star first base men with key hits in the meltdown game against the Dodgers and last night in Boston. He’s only hitting .257 with 3 home runs and 9 RBI, which isn’t the same kind of production as Delgado. I’m also surprised that David Wright hasn’t gotten a hold of some more home runs in the early going. He’s currently hitting the cover off the ball but isn’t knocking it out of the park but that will come in time.

Tonight’s game against the Red Sox is very important because a win tonight would be a mark of a good road trip. Even if they were swept by the Dodgers, taking 2 out of 3 from the Red Sox would be impressive and I think Pelfrey can help make that happen tonight.

Gary Sheffield still has one of the quickest bats in the game.

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

With things being a bit in flux in Queens, there are plenty of people that think some sort of roster shakeup may be on the cards. Jerry Manuel has been quoted as saying he would like to see another reliever in his bullpen, but that would probably be at the expense of somebody on the bench. With Alex Cora and Fernando Tatis being the virtual locks to stay, one would think that the two men who would have the highest likelihood to go in favor of a pitcher would be Jeremy Reed or Gary Sheffield. Reed hasn’t had much of a chance to make an effect in the early going. Being a pinch runner and pinch hitter on occasion, he could be expendable, but I am here to prove one point. Gary Sheffield should stay.

When the Mets first signed the Sheff, I thought defending him would be the last thing I would do, but the fact of the matter is that Sheffield has been much better than what his .167 average would indicate. So far, the only huge moment for Sheffield was his 500th career home run. He received a curtain call, and he also got hugs from his teammates. It seemed like he was fitting in. Unbelievably, he has been hitting the ball well, but he has been the victim of great defensive plays. For example, a couple of nights ago against Florida, Sheffield was robbed of at least a double by a Cody Ross Mays-like catch. Sheffield has also scorched the ball other times, but he has received no reward. The thing that has surprised me the most about him has been his defense.

Aside from a dropped fly ball the other night, Sheffield has shown me, at least in the early going, that he can get a decent jump on the ball. Left field in the new ball park is a lot of space to cover, and Sheffield doesn’t seem to be much of a defensive liability like lots of people thought he would be. He has batted cleanup twice, and it is clear to me that Jerry Manuel senses that there is some pop left in the 40-year old’s bat. More exposure and more at-bats could give Sheffield the boost he needs to finally break through.

The thing I am impressed with, above all else, is the fact that Gary has not run his mouth at all. In fact, he seems to be acting like a gentleman in the Mets’ clubhouse. If he continues to play like a team player, Manuel will have him in his good graces. Sheffield really has the capability to be the power bat that the Mets’ lineup lacks, and even his presence on the bench can make a difference. I think getting rid of him would be a mistake, because the Sheff still has some more left.

Ryan Church has every reason to smile right now.

GREG BARRA
STACHE WRITER

Ryan Church was told when the Mets signed Gary Sheffield that Gary would be taking some reps away from him. Church had accepted that and took it as a challenge. He has so far impressed everyone at the plate batting an impressive .526 including 5 doubles in the first 5 games. What’s even better is Church’s play in the field. He can cover a tremendous amount of ground and has an absolute cannon arm.

Sheffield can’t hit at all like he could earlier in his career. He had a disappointing 2008 hitting a miserable .225. To go along with his poor hitting as of late the Sheff hasn’t played the outfield on a regular basis since 2006, so it has been a while since his patrolled the field. Even though it has only been 5 games Ryan Church has really made his mark thus far.

Last year before the first of Church’s two concussions he was the best player on this Met roster. He was batting well over .300 and had 10 homeruns before he got hurt in early June. The Mets can really go far if Church can put up the numbers he had before he got hurt.

In other news, the Mets are still up on the Phillies by one game. Let’s Go Mets.

Sheffield is a welcomed addition as far as I am concerned.

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

Last night, Mets fans witnessed the debut of Gary Sheffield, who at one time was one of the most feared hitters in baseball. Sheffield, who is sitting on 499 career homers, invokes a certain fear in opposing managers. Today, his debut was not as graceful as he would have hoped. Francisco Cordero painted the corner with three pitches that nobody would have touched, and Sheffield never took the bat off of his shoulders.

Sheffield is going to benefit the rest of the lineup, especially those who are left handed when he is on the bench. Opposing managers will be more reluctant to use their lefties because Sheffield could step in and create an unfavorable matchup for the opposition. This way, the lefties who are already in the lineup will get to face righties, creating a better matchup for them.

Either way you look at it, this was a positive move by the Mets. It’s a low risk, high reward move. The worst thing that can happen is that it doesn’t work out and the Mets decide to release him. It wouldn’t be the end of the world.

It would probably be a blessing, because the acquisition also sped up the process of the Mets getting rid of Marlon Anderson, which is always a positive. Does anyone else think it’s funny that the Mets might get rid of Marlon in Florida? Ok. Maybe it’s just me.

Sheffield will not hurt this team. Plain and simple. His leash would not be long enough to allow him to do that.

The Mets would be smart to stick with Darren O'Day, a rule-five acquistion from the Angels.

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

With the addition of Gary Sheffield, the Mets have some new decisions to make. They already made one unplanned decision by sending Nick Evans to Triple A about five days earlier than expected. Originally, the Mets were expected to cut ties with veteran pinch hitter Marlon Anderson, but those plans have been put off for the moment, leaving many to wonder whether or not the Mets will cut Anderson at all.

Let’s first think at some potential alternatives. The two guys who could be next on the pecking order would probably be Darren O’Day and Jeremy Reed. The Mets are high on both guys, and cutting either one would be a major mistake. O’Day would likely be offered back to the Angels, who would stick him in Triple A, unless the Mets can work out a deal to the same themselves. Reed, on the other hand, was acquired as part of the J.J. Putz deal and I am sure the Mets didn’t acquire him just to see him go by the waste side.

I do understand the idea that Anderson may still have something left in the tank, but there just isn’t a proper space for him on this roster any longer. They have plenty of left handed bats off of the bench, and their one need was a power right handed bat who can provide some intimidation. Whether or not you like the move, Gary Sheffield is ideal for the void. He still has a quick bat and can hit the ball well. The only questions that remain are whether or not he can play the outfield and whether or not he can stay healthy.

I would love to see Anderson move on and be successful somewhere else, but he just doesn’t work here. He is getting up there in years, and last season, he showed some signs of his age. The Mets should stick with the younger tandem of Reed and O’Day and focus on what really matters most…the future.

The Stadium was beautiful both inside and out.

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

Today marked a beginning of a new era in my life. Today was the first time that I stepped foot into the Mets’ new ballpark to see the players workout one last time before the season begins in Cincinnati tomorrow. I was blown away by the stadium. It is glorious, both inside and out, and definitely looks like it will be more fan friendly than Shea Stadium. I took a zillion pictures, and I will post them and make them available later.

It was cool to see around 15,000 people pack into the beautiful new home of the Mets. The food selection is outrageous, and expensive, as expected. The seats are angled towards home plate, which I like, and while some of the park may be catered towards pitchers, I think it is pretty fair in the end. The seats are more comfortable, and I think this park will be an excellent experience for anyone who attends.

With the workout itself, plenty of things stood out. First, I love how much Jose Reyes loves to have fun. He was playing outfield during the early stages of batting practice, and he was laughing and messing with John Maine. Maine, who dropped a fly ball, threw his glove at it, which prompted a big roar of laughter from the crowd.

Gary Sheffield got his first exposure to life as a New York Met. He received a roar of ovation, and then looked very good during batting practice, as he hit line drive after line drive. He says he is feeling better than ever, and that the driving force for him to sign was a personal phone call from David Wright. I’m sure having Doc Gooden as an uncle didn’t hurt the cause either.

The big surprise to me was Nick Evans, who was launching balls further than I thought he could. He is looking good, and I am still wondering whether or not he will stay or Marlon Anderson does to delay the inevitable. We will soon find out.

Pictures to come later.

Marlon Anderson has had many clutch hits as a member of the Mets.

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

Marlon Anderson has always been a player who has fit in well wherever he has gone, and he is a guy that fans love to root for. He is a good pinch hitter who understands his role on the team, and he serves as a positive mentor in the clubhouse for the younger guys. He truly appreciates what he has, and that is because nobody really gave him a chance to materialize as a player when he was in the minors, and I would know. I saw him live.

The year was 1998 and Marlon Anderson was just 24-years old. The Red Barons played their home games in Scranton, and my family decided to take a trip to go see them. My uncle explained to me that none of these players really had a shot to make it to the big leagues, but I played devil’s advocate. As I watched Marlon Anderson play with such fluidity, I told my uncle flat out, that Anderson was going to make the majors, and it turned out that the prediction would come true. That season with the Red Barons was important for Marlon, and he exploded by hitting over .300 with 16 homers and 86 RBI. It was quite evident that he would be a quality bench player in the bigs.

I wanted to root for him, but he was playing for Philly, which surely made that difficult. After five years with the Phillies, Marlon gave Tampa a shot, and after a brief stint there, he came to the Mets, and we came to know and love him as the quintessential lead off guy in 2005. Many Mets’ fans were upset to see the Mets not re-sign Marlon after the season, but the Mets were unwilling to go two years to bring him back, and the Nationals were. Anderson wouldn’t play out the entire length of the contract with them, and after one year with the Dodgers, Omar plucked him away again, giving him his second, and most likely final, tenure in New York.

The Gary Sheffield signing makes things look very clear. Marlon Anderson’s time with the Mets is running out, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him land somewhere else in the NL as a pinch hitter and backup first basemen. He still has talent, but he doesn’t fit in the Mets’ plans. If he batted right handed, the Mets would probably have just kept him, but that simply just isn’t the case. Just like most former Mets, Anderson will most likely get his opportunity to stick it to the Metropolitans if they cut him, but I am more partial to the concept of putting him through waivers and sending him to Triple A. I am just not convinced that a team will pick up the money he is owed, but I guess we will soon see.

Sheffield's 500th homer will most likely be the first historic event to happen in Citifield.

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

The Mets have made rather a bold statement, or should I say, they are in the final stages of doing so. When I heard on WFAN at about 12:30 that the Mets were close to signing former Tigers’ outfielder Gary Sheffield, it made me sick. Sheffield, a guy who has 499 homers in his career, has a history of running his mouth, and many have questioned whether or not he has anything left in the tank.

Sheffield is going to sign for the league minimum, and after much deliberation, I am not too upset about it. He provides that powerful bat off the bench the Mets have been looking for, and it is a low risk, high reward move. He will earn $400,000 this season, and if he begins to run his mouth at any time, the Mets will have no problem cutting him. There really is no risk in the matter. Sheffield has all the incentive in the world to behave. He has openly stated that he wants to play after this year, so a good season for the Mets would be excellent in gauging his potential free agent value.

The role of Sheffield on this team is a little hazy. I will be alright if he is a platoon partner for Ryan Church, but I do not want him taking at-bats away from Daniel Murphy. I wonder if Sheffield would consider playing some first base, because then he could back up for Delgado as well, further enhancing his value as a resource to the Mets.

More on this as it comes, but it looks like Gary Sheffield will be a New York Met when the season kicks off in Cincinnati next week.

Sheffield has always been a bit of a hot head.

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

The Tigers are taking one heck of a hit. They opted to eat the remaining one-year $14 million left on Gary Sheffield’s contract to rid themselves of the guy who has 499 career home runs. Recently, Sheffield had spent some time as a Designated Hitter with the Yankees and the Tigers, and once upon a time, there was a rumored trade that had him going to the Mets. Does anyone remember? I sure as heck do.

The rumor had Mike Cameron going to the Yankees in exchange for Sheffield. The Mets were struggling to find a power right-handed bat, and Sheffield would fill that order perfectly, but it was a smart no-trade. Sheffield had made it clear that he had no intention of playing in Queens, and he even threatened to sit out if the trade went through. That was probably a major reason why the Mets backed out on the deal. In the end, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Sheffield has turned out to be more of a burden than an asset in recent years. While he has had his brief flashes of excellence, they have been far outweighed by Sheffield’s antics off the field, particularly with running his mouth. People in Detroit will most likely be relieved that they have rid themselves of a guy who is known to be a team cancer.

Personally, I don’t think Sheffield is worth the risk, but someone will probably take a shot at him. Thankfully, it won’t be the Mets.