Debunking the Myth of a 'Legend'

            Nolan Ryan was a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher, known for regularly having his fastball clocked above 100 miles per hour. He played in the Major Leagues for a record 27-years for four different teams (New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers). Often regarded as one of the greatest players to ever step foot on a pitching rubber, his list of flaws, weaknesses and shortcomings in my opinion, greatly outweigh his list of assets, strengths and accomplishments.

            Any list of the greatest players will always be up for debate. Different people see different things and what is one man’s criticism is another man’s praise. The one thing, however that should not be up for debate is that Nolan Ryan being on any list with the likes of Bob Feller, Sandy Koufax or Tom Seaver is a complete and utter joke. Nolan Ryan being considered an all-time great is a myth among myths. Longevity doesn't make up for mediocrity!

            I will even go one step further, a man who started his career just two years before Nolan Ryan finally hung up his cleats, who spent his entire career pitching in the American League East, facing the offensive juggernauts of the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and (in the early to mid 90’s)       Toronto Blue Jays, was flat out better. Not only was this man a better pitcher than Nolan Ryan, but he’s one of the best pitcher’s of the steroid era, who is never even mentioned in that list. (Yet Pedro Martinez and Roger Clemens are). This man didn’t have the same enigmatic charisma that Pedro Martinez exhibited, nor did he possess the cocky surliness that Roger Clemens possessed (the icy-hot to the groin every 5 days probably gave him that surly look).  No, this pitcher didn’t manage to do any of that.

           

            All he did was take to the mound every 5^th day with a dignity and respect for the game that is often lost in this newfound era of pomp and circumstance (cue every boisterous celebration that Jose Valverde or Fernando Rodney have after achieving a save).

            Not only that, but, in borrowing a page from Skip Bayless’ book when referencing Tim Tebow; ALL HE DOES IS WIN!

             The man I am referring to is Michael Cole Mussina, one of the best pitchers of the 90’s and 2000’s, who you’ve probably forgotten entirely about and he’s also better than Nolan Ryan.

            Although Nolan Ryan managed 54 more career wins than Mike Mussina (324 to 270), he did so while playing 9 more seasons. If Mike Mussina wanted to pull a Jamie Moyer and pitch until he were 47, he would easily eclipse Ryan’s win totals and be nearing 350 by the time it was all said and done.

            Mussina only lost double digit games in 6 of his 18 seasons and only twice did he finish with a record under .500 (including his first season when he only threw 87 innings).  Ryan managed to lose double digit games in 17 of his 27 seasons, including an impressive 11 years in a row between 1970 and 1980 (smack dab in the prime of his career).

            Speaking of the primes of their career, most baseball minded people describe the prime years of a pitcher’s career to be the seasons between ages 27 and 32. Well, taking a look at both Ryan and Mussina, these were their combined numbers during that 6 season interval:

Ryan:

Games Started: 211

Games Won: 98

Games Lost: 89

Winning Percentage: .524

Innings Pitched: 1,570

Strikeouts: 1,704

Walks: 983

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Mussina:

Games Started: 197

Games Won: 112

Games Lost: 62

Winning Percentage: .643

Innings Pitched: 1,344

Strikeouts: 1,193

Walks: 304

            It’s a tell tale story of two different careers. Ryan started a handful more games than Mussina, but threw nearly a season’s worth more innings and struck out a few hundred more batters. But, he also won considerably fewer games, lost a lot more and walked nearly three times as many men. In short, Mussina put his team in a better position to win during the prime of his career than Nolan Ryan did, yet Ryan is revered as one of the greatest of all-time and Mussina is a forgotten man.

            In 13 of Mussina’s 18 years, he finished with a winning percentage over .600, while Ryan, on the other hand finished with a winning percentage under .500 in nine seasons. Out of his 27 year career, 1/3 of the time, Ryan had a losing record, while 1/3 of the time in Mussina’s career, he won at least 18 games.

            Nolan Ryan had as many walks between 1973 and 1976 (883) that Mike Mussina had in his entire career (785). Nolan Ryan finished in the top 6 in the Cy Young Award voting 6 times during his 27 year career. Mike Mussina? 9 times in 18 years, this means that every other year, Mike Mussina was routinely one of the top 6 pitchers in the league.  

           

            Mussina was a 7-time winner of the Gold Glove award, given to the pitcher who best fields his position. Nolan Ryan is often regarded as one of the worst fielding pitchers of his time.

            Only five pitchers in the history of major league baseball have won as many games throughout their career as Mussina (270) and have a better winning percentage: Christy Mathewson, Lefty Grove, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson. Mussina’s .638 career winning percentage is good for the 40^th best in the history of Major League Baseball and is among the company of Dizzy Dean, Jim Palmer and Randy Johnson. Nolan Ryan meanwhile, finds his .526 career winning percentage as the 530^th best in the history of baseball, joining the likes of Kelvim Escobar, Jon Garland and Braden Looper. (Yankee fans would like to know that A.J. Burnett is currently sporting a higher career winning percentage than Nolan Ryan. I guess that means A.J. Burnett is the next Walter Johnson). 

            Mussina managed to end his career an astounding 117 games over .500 and he won at least 15 games in a season 11 times in 18 years, while Ryan is only a paltry 32 games over .500 and accomplished the same feat of winning 15+ games only 8 times in 27 years.

            The most batters Mike Mussina ever walked in a single season was 69 for the 1996 Orioles, which is also the fewest number of batters Nolan Ryan ever walked in a single season (for the 1984 Houston Astros). Mussina’s career average for number of walks per season was 50, while Nolan Ryan walked almost 2 and a half times more than that per season (120)

            Nolan Ryan is the all-time leader in strikeouts and the 5,714 batters that he punched out during his career is 839 more than the runner-up, Randy Johnson. But, on the flip side, his record 2,795 walks is almost 1,000 more than the man who is #2 on the list, Steve Carlton.

            He also threw 7 career no-hitters, which is the most no-hitters in history by a wide margin. He threw his first no-hitter in 1973 and his last in 1991, at the ripe old age of 44. While that feat alone is remarkable, a few games do not make an individual an all-time great, nor does it make them a Hall of Famer (don’t mention that to Bill Mazeroski who’s only in the Hall of Fame because of one swing).

            Nolan Ryan was nothing more than a mediocre player who threw the ball hard, who in 27 years never learned how to ‘pitch.’ In fact, I would say that the best control and most accurate throws Nolan Ryan ever managed out of his right hand happened in succession on August 4, 1993. Granted it wasn’t a baseball he was throwing and it wasn’t a glove he was connecting with. It was his fist and Robin Ventura’s head. That bench clearing brawl (a highlight of my childhood) is one of the most replayed moments in Ryan’s career (and the only other highlight of Ventura’s, next to the walk-off Grand Slam Single in the 1999 NLCS).

            I still remember that evening fondly. My family and I were on vacation in Florida visiting my grandparents and my brother and I were spending the night at my Aunt’s house. We were watching the movie Under Siege (show a 7 year old boobs for the first time and it’s a moment he’ll never forget, ever) and my mom called  to tell me that Nolan Ryan got into a fight with a White Sox player. Having always been a fan of old guys who beat up kids (odd, I know), I immediately made us pause the movie and turn on the news so I could watch the replay over and over again, as Ryan wedged Ventura’s head between his forearm and armpit in a perfect headlock and reigned blows upon his head (which is also a move my brother has imitated on me about 4,055,139,218,128 times in the 19 years since that day).

            Don’t get me wrong about Ryan, he was a must-see whenever he was on the mound. On any given night, Ryan was a threat to throw a no-hitter. Notice, I said ‘throw’ and not ‘pitch.’ He was also a threat to walk 11 batters and hit another 5, because he had no idea where the ball was going half the time (A.J. Burnett calls this effectively wild).

            I don’t want to belittle the fact that Ryan amassed 7 career no-hitters during his lengthy career, since it is an extremely hard feat to accomplish. But, it’s a feat that any pitcher is capable of achieving. If it wasn’t, then explain to me the names Bud Smith, Jose Jiminez and Eric Milton. Or better yet, explain to me how Kent Mercker, Kevin Millwood and Hideo Nomo have thrown 2. (I’d put asterisks next to Mercker’s first and Millwood’s second, since each only went 6 innings in their starts and the bullpen pitched the last 3 innings in both).

            I could point out that Justin Verlander has already thrown 2 career no-hitters and was extremely close to his third this season, but no-hitters aren’t what make Justin Verlander the most dominant pitcher in baseball. Justin Verlander is the pitcher that Nolan Ryan wished he could have been. Every 5 days when Verlander takes the mound, he instantly gives his team an advantage over his opponent. The same can’t be said for Ryan. If that were the case, then his career winning percentage would be a hell of a lot higher than .526 and a lot closer to the .647 that Verlander has posted in his 8 years as the Tigers ace.

            So, now you tell me; who would you rather have had throughout the primes of their career: Nolan Ryan or Mike Mussina? What about Nolan Ryan or Justin Verlander?

            To me, the answer to both of those questions don’t include the names Nolan or Ryan and frankly, it isn’t even close (and if you put Mussina up against Verlander, it’d be a lot closer decision than you’d like to think, but that’s another topic, for another day).

            Now I began writing this article as a dissection of the career of Nolan Ryan and how I view him as one of, if not the MOST overrated ‘pitcher’ in the history of Major League Baseball and how it is a travesty that he is viewed as one of the greatest pitchers of all-time.

            But, in retrospect, my emotions aren’t as fixated any longer on the career of Nolan Ryan, who received 98.8% of the vote when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

            Instead, they are fixated on Mike Mussina and the fact that if he isn’t voted in as a first ballot hall of famer when he is eligible in 2013; then that is the greatest travesty of them all.

Overcoming the Odds

           From the time I was a young boy pretending I was the left handed version of my baseball idol Alvaro Espinoza (hey, I had poor taste in sports heroes, gimme a break), to my early adolescence envisioning myself standing atop the pitchers mound in Yankee Stadium for Game 7 of the World Series, I’ve always strove for what seemed impossible.

            As time went by, the dreams in which I hoped to achieve began to reach a level that was actually attainable; but, for whatever the reason, whether it was health related or just sheer trepidation, I never could amount to the levels of expectation or success I held for myself, so they still seemed impossible.

          My life has been a continuous story of facing adversity and letting it defeat me. For over 20 years of my life, I’ve felt like it was a curse to be me. The various illnesses and surgeries I’ve faced and the questions that always seem to surround my overall health, I always looked at as being the never ending saga of misery that shaped who I was.

 

            Dealing with even the tiniest bit of adversity was still too much for me to handle. Not only was I physically weak, but I was mentally and emotionally weaker because I wouldn’t allow myself to not be. It was easier to point the finger and look for something or someone to blame, than to deal with what was in front of me.

            Whether it be storming away from the basketball hoop in our driveway when the score seemed too far out of reach, because ‘he didn’t play fair’ (my brother has never been one to let me win at anything…jerk), to locking myself in my bedroom for weeks at a time after receiving bad news from the doctor saying ‘why me?’, I would fade off into the darkness the second things became bleak. I never found my moment of clarity where I completed something that I felt give me a sense of accomplishment.

           

            It wasn’t until a few months ago that I began to realize that all of the tribulations I faced from my childhood, through my early adulthood, were a blessing and the motivating factor in developing the man I’ve now become (not to mention that I was a sore loser, but I still am, not going to lie). While the health struggles I faced often times made it difficult for me to even find the strength to get out of bed, I finally have the answer to the question ‘why me?’ All of my life, I've been put through a series of tests by my body. It was always meant as a way to find the strength within myself and in my mind to push past the negativity and not allow myself to just give up.

           

          Gone are the days where I would receive bad news and journey off into a cocoon of self-pity. Gone are the times where one knee surgery would inevitably turn into a second because the rehab didn’t go as planned. After years of letting life hit me with everything its got, I’m finally ready and able to hit back. I have trained my mind and my body will follow.

            For the past 8 months I’ve been a complete gym rat. At the gym 6 days a week, obsessed with getting into the best possible shape I can. Family, friends and co-workers think I’m crazy for this (if you’re reading this and nodding in agreement with that statement, then I guess I was referring to you), because it consumes who I am. All I think about is what my next workout is going to be, all I want to talk about is what my previous workout was (cue to my girlfriend rolling her eyes and shaking her head).

            But, despite all that, it was my brother, not me, who recently pushed his body to its limit and found what he was made of. Last weekend, after months of diligent training, he competed in his first (and most certainly not last) Spartan Race. If you are unaware of what that is, allow me to enlighten you.

            The Spartan Race is essentially a long distance obstacle race that includes obstacles ranging from Navy SEAL training to American Gladiators. It has been described by the New York Times as being “Survivor meets Jackass,” designed to push an athlete ‘to his or her limits’, but ‘seeks to motivate participants to become active, healthy and return habits where running through woods, getting dirty, and facing adversity is a part of everyday life.’

            ESPN calls the Spartan Race “a true test of will.”

            My brother, told me in a text after he crossed (or crawled to) the finish line, "I'm not gonna lie to you, it was the toughest thing I've ever done in my life, but the reward I felt when I finished was worth it"

            That rush of excitement, the sheer jubilation of pushing yourself to the limit and accomplishing what you set out to do is what my life is missing. It’s what it’s been missing for 26 years. It’s what I’ve longed to find and it’s what I now see on my horizon.

            I’ve always looked up to my brother. Being 5 years younger than him, I’ve spent a lot of time taking the opposite path in life that he has taken, learning from his mistakes, while making some of my own. But, it’s been a rare occasion where I have ever been truly envious of him and wished I had the fortitude to do what he did.

          My brother posed a challenge to me last week, asking me to do the Spartan Race with him next year, to feel that same sense of accomplishment that he felt at the end. I’ve been debating this back and forth in my mind, weighing the pros and cons of my possible decision. All my life in the face of adversity, I’ve somehow managed to overcome it and beat the odds. Well, what are the odds I’d be able to muster up the toughness to complete this race?

            What kind of odds would you give to a man who has overcome 1 knee surgery to finish the Spartan Race? 5 to 1?

            What do you think the odds would be if that were 2 knee surgeries? 10 to 1?

            What about 7 knee surgeries? 20 to 1?

            What about the odds of someone who has beaten the symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis? 25 to 1?

            What kind of odds would you give a guy who’s overcome two heart conditions? 30 to 1?

            Do you think anybody would even expect someone to finish the Spartan Race who has endured all of 7 knee surgeries, two heart conditions and rheumatoid arthritis?

            To the average person, it would seem nearly impossible.

            Well, I’m a Ramey. Head injuries and years of alcohol abuse has left me too proud to quit and too stubborn to stop. So, if you haven’t figured out where I’m going with this, then when I cross the finish line of the Spartan Race on June 1, 2013, I’ll be the very first person to tell you in the words that Kevin Garnett made famous after he won his first NBA Championship,

  Anything is possible

Cause for Concern

                            

              

            After the latest failure from the Yankees starting rotation, I decided it would be a good idea to delve deeper into not only the rotation's biggest question mark, but their biggest cause for concern.

            While Hiroki Kuroda is currently the title-holder for lowest ERA on the starting pitching staff at 4.38 (and we know how I feel about him), Ivan Nova the Yankees #2 starter who won 16 games in 2011 currently has the second lowest earned run average at 5.18, after allowing 6 runs and 11 hits in his last start against Detroit.

                The Yankees #1 starter and ace, CC Sabathia is sporting an ERA north of 5 as well, but, he’s the least of the Yankees concerns. Barring an unforeseen injury, Sabathia will likely pitch to the numbers on the back of his baseball card and win 15 – 20 games and have an era in the 3’s.

                

                The Yankees #5 starter (soon to be replaced by David  Phelps) Garcia would be considered by many to be a huge concern by many Yankee fans, but any issue regarding Garcia will finally be seeing its ultimate solution soon enough. After seeing his ERA balloon up to an unsightly 12.51 and failing to make it out of the 2^nd inning on Saturday afternoon (his 2^nd consecutive start failing to do so), Garcia will likely find himself on the outside of the rotation looking in, in the very near future. The option to replace Garcia as I hypothesized moments ago is obviously David Phelps. For at least one turn of the rotation I could see Phelps being handed the ball and allowing the Yankees to put Garcia on the disabled list, designate him for assignment or give Larry Rothschild time to tinker with Garcia’s mechanics in hopes of creating temporary repairs on a skill-set that is obviously damaged. David Phelps has pitched very well as the long-man in the bullpen, often spinning together consistent scoreless innings, while pumping the zone full of strikes and definitely deserves a shot. It’s anyone’s guess as to what exactly Phelps could add to the Yankee rotation, but it sure can’t be any worse than what Garcia has given them.

                

               If Garcia and his deteriorating talent set isn’t the deep-seated issue for the Yankees rotation, then what is? Well, their biggest question and biggest cause for concern are both one in the same;

                Philip Joseph Hughes. 

                It’s hard to imagine the man who was rated in Baseball America as the Yankees #1 prospect in 2006 and “arguably the best pitching prospect in the minors”, with projections of being a future #1 starter has seen so many questions raised about not only his ability, but his future as a starting pitcher.

                Hughes has been in the Yankees rotation off an on for much of the past 5 seasons. Over that time, he has seen some flashes of sheer brilliance and delighted Yankee fans with dreams of Cy Young Awards to come.

                Let’s take a look back at some of those finer moments that dazzled the imaginations of fans and cynics alike:

                On May 1, 2007, Hughes took the mound in Arlington, Texas to take on the Rangers. On that day, his fastball had late life, his knuckle-curveball was dipping in and out of the zone with tremendous ease and most importantly, the Rangers offense was baffled. Hughes was un-hittable on that day. I remember watching that game in my dorm room with my roommate (@MattLorenzo follow him on Twitter) and being on the edge of our seats with every pitch. The look in Hughes’ eye, the uneasiness of the Rangers hitters, he was going to do it. There wasn’t a doubt in anyone’s mind. Hughes was on the verge of joining an elite group of men. Then, the worst happened, on a 0-2 pitch to Mark Teixeira; Hughes attempted to drop in a 1 to 7 curveball and pulled his left hamstring. His day was over, the dream of a no hitter vanished.  6 1/3 innings, 0 hits, 0 runs and 6 strikeouts is the only thing Hughes took from that game, other than the thoughts of “what if.”

                In 2008, Hughes didn’t win a single start, had an ERA near 7 and battled various injuries throughout the year, but another sign of greatness emerged during the last week of a lost season. On September 24, 2008, Hughes dazzled the Toronto Blue Jays for 8 innings of 5 hit baseball.  He may not have gotten a win that day, but Hughes left Toronto shaking their heads.

                In 2009, Hughes found himself to be a key component in the bullpen and the bridge to Mariano Rivera. But, his success in the bullpen aside, Hughes started 7 games early in the season. While his starting numbers weren’t overly impressive (3-2, 5.45ERA) once again, a glimpse of what may be occurred on May 25. Against his old foes the Rangers, just over 2 years since his near no hitter, Hughes shined bright throwing 8 innings and allowed no runs, en route to a dominant victory.

                In 2010 it seemed like Phil Hughes had officially arrived. On April 21, Hughes carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the Oakland Athletics before allowing a leadoff single to Eric Chavez, he would face two more hitters prior to being relieved, having struck out a career-high 10 batters. Hughes strung together two 5 game winning streaks in 2010, paving the way for his first career all-star selection and a career high 18 wins. But, the good vibes from his season were marred by his struggles during the 2^nd half of the season and his ERA steadily rising throughout the summer months.

                The 2011 season started with high hopes of Hughes being able to replicate his previous season’s success and even take a few more steps further by being able to pitch further into games. Hughes began the season as the third starter, but suffered from a dip in velocity. His fastball averaged only 89 mph and peaked at 92 mph, compared to his usual range of 92-95 mph. After opening the season 0 – 1 with a 13.94 ERA, Hughes was placed on the disabled list, with what the Yankees described as “arm fatigue”

                After missing nearly 3 months, he returned on July 6, pitching 5 innings in a loss to the Cleveland Indians. Only 4 weeks later, Hughes turned in his best (and really only) positive pitching performance of the year, turning back the clock like it was 2010, throwing 6 innings of shutout ball in a rain shortened game against the White Sox.

                Being a starting pitcher at the Major League level for 5 years is not a small sample size. While there have been flashes of a future ace and classic performances on the mound, there has also been a countless number of poor effort and sub-par results. Since 2007, Hughes has shown inability to put hitters away and an overall failure to consistently challenge batters, which has caused high pitch counts, short outings and doubts about his long-term value.

                In his career at the Major League level in the Yankees rotation, Hughes has been the starting pitcher for 75 games. In those 75 games, Hughes has amassed 32 wins and 24 losses, with an ERA of 4.97, in 405 1/3 innings.  So, throughout his career Hughes has only averaged 5 1/3 innings per start and over 90 pitches. That speaks volumes to the type of pitcher Hughes is. Even in his all-star season of 2010, Hughes per start average was only 6 innings and 103 pitches. In contrast, during Hughes worst season statistically (in 2011), he averaged 5 1/3 innings and 87 pitches per start. One thing that has remained a constant in his career is the difficulty of keeping his pitch count down and working deeper into the ball game.

                While Hughes has occasionally dazzled opposing teams with terrific stuff, more often than not, he’s been a disappointment. Every start seems to have the same script for him. He’ll get ahead of hitters 0-2 or 1-2 and before you blink your eyes, the count is 3-2 and the batter is fouling off pitch after pitch, and Hughes is unable to put them away. He’ll string together 3 or 4 good innings and then have that 1 inning where everything falls apart and he allows a handful of runs and is out of the game before the 6^th inning is completed. It’s happened THIRTY NINE times in his career. Thirty nine times (out of his 75 starts) Hughes has failed to make it past 6 innings. That is not a good sign from someone who was almost traded for Johan Santana. That’s more reminiscent of a Quadruple-A player in the makings (a player a little better than triple-a, but not good enough for the Major Leagues).

                Even though Hughes is only 25 years old and people will come to his defense saying he’s young and just entering the prime of his career, the cause for concern is evident. Age aside, being in the major leagues for 5 seasons and still having the same issues and being unable to figure them out, is a tell tale sign of what is to come. If after 5 years a pitcher is unable to make adjustments and learn from past tribulations, the odds of him doing so become minute.  

                I would ask that the real Phil Hughes please stand up, but, it seems that he already has.

                And with that being said, I’d ask that he please take a seat at the end of the bench and start cheering on his replacement;

                Mr. Pettitte

My Trip to the Other Side

On Friday night, I took a trip over the Whitestone Bridge and ventured off to the vast confines of Citi Field to see the Mets take on the Giants. I know, I’m obviously a glutton for punishment to sit through a game featuring two of the worst offenses in baseball (Giants rank 18^th in runs scored and the Mets 26^th) for nearly 4 hours of body-numbing torture. Normally, there would be a better chance of seeing a Polar Bear walking the beaches of Cancun than there would be of the Rambling Ranter sitting at a baseball game in New York that doesn’t involve the Yankees.

 But, like the old saying goes; love can make a man do crazy things. My wonderful Girlfriend (the future Mrs. David Wright, in her mind), comes from a long lineage of New York Mets fans, which easily explains my appearance at Citi Field Friday evening. So, if you’re keeping score at home, her taste in sports teams is far worse than her taste in men (but I digress).

Getting to the ballpark about two hours before game time, we had to maneuver our car around the bales of hay that were bouncing past the empty parking lot (cheap attempt at humor). It was a complete shock just how easily we were able to not only get into the main parking lot of Citi Field, but the hundreds and hundreds of empty spots that were readily available to be occupied.

Once the gates were opened and the few fans who were standing on line waiting for entry, were ushered into the stadium, we began to take a quick stroll throughout the park taking a look at all of the sites (or lack thereof). The Mets team store is filled with any item imaginable stamped with the Mets logo, from the world’s tiniest puzzle, to specialty license plates and pencils. But, one thing I have never understood at any baseball stadium I’ve been to is selling the miniature bats. Every stadium has the rule of not allowing weapons of any kind into the stadium (with good reason), yet for a small price you can purchase your own?? In what world does THAT make sense?

The game itself wasn’t much to write home about. Barry Zito labored through 5 innings and was in line for the win until his bullpen blew the game for him in the 9^th inning. While the Mets failed to capitalize on a 1^st and 3^rd, one out situation in the 9^th inning of a tie game, and then again failed to tie the game for a 2^nd time in the 10^th inning after back to back singles to Center Field put two on and nobody out, I did manage to pick up a few valuable tidbits along the way.

Things I learned that I never wanted to:

•       David Wright’s childhood baseball photo makes him look like Mikey from the Goonies (if you’ve never seen it, just go rent it and shut up. It’s a classic)

•    Scott Hairston’s favorite movie of all-time is Liar, Liar. If I were him, I would not be admitting that in a public forum.

Things that Mets fans should be ashamed of:

•        The “paid attendance” for the game was over 30,000 people. There is NO way the stadium even had 20,000 people. The place was EMPTY.

•   The fans that were there were predominantly rooting for the Giants. A team that plays over 3,000 miles away had more fans in attendance than the home team? That’s a travesty.

•   A fan was arrested and ejected from the game in the 8^th inning for “fighting” with another fan. Now, I’ve seen my fair share of fights in the stands of baseball games (my mother being involved in about 75% of them). I’ve never seen a ‘fight’ resulting in an ejection that involved absolutely no physical contact, or anything remotely construed as an act of aggression. Screaming at someone from 15 feet away should not result in ejection, I don’t care how drunk you are. Unless belligerently drunk and unable to comprehend remedial tasks, attacking another fan or attempting to set their replica jersey on fire (Joanne Ramey specialty circa 2003), you shouldn’t be kicked out of the stadium. The fact that Mets security deemed the drunken ginger in section 135 to be overly-aggressive to the point of needing to be removed is an absolute joke. You Mets fans need to show some pride! Maybe your team would field a winner if there fans didn’t turn into such wimps? What happened to the days of throwing batteries at John Rocker? Stop watching Glee and turn on a re-run of American Gladiators and man the F up!

 

Reasons I hate National League Baseball: 

•    Double Switches. I HATE double switches. Bruce Bochy probably set a record for the number of double switches he made in the last two innings of that game. THREE double switches? He used 20 of his 24 players (Ryan Theriot wasn’t with the team at the time of the game)in only 10 innings. That’s excessive over-managing at its finest.

•   Terry Collins not using the hated double switch when the situation called for it the most. So let’s go over this scenario, your pitcher is due up 3^rd in the bottom of the 7^th inning, you’re bringing in a new pitcher for the top of the 7th, wouldn’t most situations dictate doing a double switch so the pitchers spot in the order doesn’t come up? I’d argue that 9 times out of 10, a manager makes the double switch in this instance. Did Terry Collins do that? Nope, he obviously doesn’t use the same binder of managerial decisions that Joe Girardi uses. Instead of making a double switch and taking out Kirk Nieuwenhuis, replacing him with pitcher Ramon Ramirez and putting Lucas Duda in the pitcher’s spot of the lineup, he decided to just pinch hit for his catcher and his pitcher, using two players instead of only one. PURE GENIUS!

•        Moronic managing decisions. Bruce Bochy using Brandon Belt to pinch hit against Tim Byrdak in the 9^th, when he’s a career .225 hitter and THEN putting Aubrey Huff in left field for defensive reasons in the 10^th inning as part of a double switch (he obviously loves them), when he’s played only 68 games of his 13 year career there.

Things every Met Fan Should Know: 

•     Frank Francisco is not a good closer. April 8^th was the last time Francisco didn’t allow a run when he pitched. Since then he’s pitched 3.1 innings, allowed 7 hits, 7 runs and 3 walks. Just your typical 18.90era in his last 4 appearances. By Memorial Day, Jon Rauch and his 9 consecutive scoreless appearances will assume the closers role.

•        Kirk Nieuwenhuis is going to be a really good baseball player. Coming into this season, the pride of Azusa Pacific University was the #9 rated prospect in the Mets organization. I had never heard of him until I saw him play Friday night. The kid has raw talent. He hustled on every single play like it was the 7^th game of the World Series. He displayed outstanding range in the outfield, tracking down a scorched line drive that seemed destined to be a double. He showed tremendous power the other way (evidenced by his opposite field home run, becoming the first left handed hitter to homer over the left field wall at Citi Field). Most importantly, you could tell he was having fun. That’s something a lot of players today seem to be lacking. The youthful enthusiasm to be playing a kids game and living out your dreams.

•    Ike Davis is a lot worse in person than people really think. He looked absolutely lost at the plate. Flailing away weakly at pitches that bounced two feet in front of the plate. He should not be the starting first baseman, let alone cleanup hitter.

•    David Wright needs protection in the lineup. Hitting ahead of Ike Davis and his anemic batting average will only last for so long until Wright stops seeing anything remotely close to the strike zone. The opposing team has no reason whatsoever to ever pitch to David Wright, until the Mets get him protection. At this point, I don’t care how old he is, or how long it’s been since he’s been an effective defensive player, I get Vladimir Guerrero’s agent on the phone and ask what it will take to get Vlad in Flushing. He is not the player he used to be, but at this point, he can’t be any worse than what they have.