Well, I'm sure you missed me.
My internet's been down since before I returned from Friday night's brilliant John Maine extravaganza, marred only by rain (shown here above) and the fact that I had to leave before the merengue concert.
And when I came back to write today? Yes, that's right. Blogger was utterly and completely messed up.
Then, I went to Sunday's game, a much less pleasant affair. It led to a bunch of screaming and mixed blame. Why have Beltran and Nady appeared sloppy at times in the outfield? Why don't Reyes and Wright wear their sunglasses on their eyes instead of wearing them on the top of their hats? Why is Carlos Delgado such a butcher in the field? And, why, despite every reason to do otherwise, does Aaron Heilman jog to the bag instead of tossing the ball to Delgado or actually getting there before Met-killer-in-training Chris Burke.
I really am unsure of answers to any of these questions. My approach is now just... two out of three ain't bad. And I bet that's what Willie's saying, whether or not it's the right thing to do.
Despite the miserable conditions and my incredibly limited photographic acumen, I managed to snap a few shots from my seats in Section 44. I hope to have them up sooner rather than later. Moreover, I don't plan on pumping stress on my network when it has only recently returned to life.
Some thoughts:
--Jose Reyes really has looked out of sync at the plate since returning from his injury. He's looking like the pre-Rickey Reyes, hitting a lot of fly balls that die on the warning track or earlier.
--David Wright hasn't done anything power-wise since that two-run homer in the best inning ever. I liked what Willie did by resting him on Saturday, but it seemed not to matter much as he was still not exactly driving the ball on Sunday.
--As much as I can use my numbers to hate on him, Paul lo Duca (aka the Duck) has been great for this team and really seems to be a doubles machine.
--I know I haven't covered much football, but is Ty Law the only man in this world who still likes Herm Edwards? Apparently, as he inked a five-year deal with the Chiefs. That deal's just about as likely to be played out for its full length as Tim Wakefield's lifetime contract with Boston.
--The Rangers traded Dominic Moore? Can't you people tell me these things? And, no, Dominic. It's not "forget aboot it."
--Can Carlos Beltran hit at home? I'm thinking no.
--It was inevitable that Carlos Delgado would come out of this slump, and four homers in his last four games is awfully nice. I'm thinking we won't be seeing Franco, Marrero, Woodward or Nady back at first anytime soon.
--Jose Valentin is money in the bank. Despite his awful appearances at the dish pre-series against the Brewers, he's come out so well that he's blown away expectations from even before he stunk it up in PSL.
--Anything Tim Kurkjian says has to be taken at face value, mostly because he's not as good as Peter Gammons, Jayson Stark or Buster Olney, but also because he seems to think his opinion about his one Hall of Fame vote is more important than everything else baseball-related except the Astros and how they'll win the National League every year. But he said something pretty scary. The ChiSox with Soriano too... oh lordy lordy.
--You know something else? Kaz Matsui was supposed to only spend a little time in AAA Colorado Springs to learn shortstop. Traded in mid-June, he's still awaiting the call from the big club. But he is beating the snot out of the ball, hitting at a .364/.440/.409 clip in the Rocky mountain air.
--One great and lasting impression: Floyd Landis.
I'll be back later with some thoughts on tonight's game against the woeful Cubs.
Watch out for Aramis Ramirez, he's real hot right now. And just another thought. If the Mets were to trade for Greg Maddux (tonight's CHC starting pitcher, seen here doing Satan's chores) prior to gametime, would he make the start or would Trachsel?
That's a thought for another column.
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