Bleacher Report - Articles by Daniel Lewis

Mets Memories 1999: The Beauty of the Internet

Daniel Lewis — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 14:21:44 -0500

As we remain in this lackluster fifth month of the offseason≤ I find myself surfing the Internet for anything Mets-related to keep myself occupied.

I happened to find on iTunes, available for $1.99, a copy of the 1999 NLCS Game Five.

This game was special for two reasons.

The first, as most of you remember I am sure, is because it was the Robin Ventura game-winning grand slam single to keep the Mets alive in the NLCS.

The second reason is more personal. It was the greatest game I have ever attended—and I was sitting front row behind the plate.

Throughout the iTunes showing I was able to spot myself a couple of times. I was 10 years old. (Very odd to see yourself at that age on TV.)

Some notable facts about the game that I often overlook:

Funny to know that a classic playoff matchup was started with a match up between sure-fire Hall-of-Famer Greg Maddux and Masato Yoshii. Also, Orel Hershiser was key in keeping the game close.

To come back from 3-0 it would've taken wins against Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz, and Millwood. Aye!

At the game live was much better than hearing Bob Costas announce it. (I would've preferred Gary Thorne or Howie Rose.)

What a playoff game for my dad to get tickets to!

Anyway, just sharing a great Met memory of mine as I anxiously await this upcoming year. Leave a comment and share one of yours if you have one!

2009 Top 10 MLB Starting Pitchers For Fantasy Baseball

Daniel Lewis — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 18:59:49 -0500

It is about that time in the year where I start craving baseball. I did some research and assembled my own personal top 10 list that I will use going into draft day. There are some changes from normal lists and even though I have some players on the list there are some I would try to stay away from more than others. I list my top 10, the pitchers who just missed the cut and pitchers to look out for in 2009.

Before reading, note that in my opinion, Fantasy Baseball pitchers are a tad less important than in the real game. So don't go drafting Cliff Lee third overall.

I am gonna start from 10 to keep readers intrigued to scroll down to No. 1. Feel free to disagree as I am looking for arguments/viewpoints for my research.

10. Carlos Zambrano

This is a safe pick in my opinion, barring how early you are in the draft. A consistent pitcher for a good team. Carlos has had winning seasons in the last six years and will likely do it again next year. High strikeouts, decent E.R.A, and good W-L.

9. Cliff Lee

This pitcher is number nine on my list which means he will probably not land on my squad. Can he put up the same season as last year? Sure. Will he? Probably not. I try to stay away from players with tremendous expectations who have only had 1 stellar year.

8. Jon Lester

This is a pitcher who I may pick earlier, as I think he is becoming a star in this league. The Red Sox will be good again. After a solid 16-6 season with a solid A.L ERA this is a guy I want on my team. Unlike Lee, I think Lester can be obtained later than a very early round and will provide stats similar to last years.

7. Jake Peavy

This is a controversial pick. Of course, where he stands on this order could change if he swaps uniforms. If he stays in San Diego there is the Padre plus side and the Padre down side. The up side is that it is certainly a pitchers park (Not to mention Petco is beautiful) and the downside is that the Padres do not win often so his W-L could be worse than that of other top-caliber pitchers.

6. Dan Haren

First of two Diamondbacks on this list. I really like Haren's stuff. Perhaps the best No. 2 pitcher in baseball. He has had solid years for the most part of his career and seems to be in or entering his prime. He will be mainly pitching in a weak division (Weak, improving, but still weak) and should provide a decent W-L and a very good ERA. I like him just as much as a guy like Sabathia, who will go much earlier.

5. CC Sabathia

Tough call here. I put him at five meaning he will not end up on my roster. Just signed a big contract and had a hell of a second half. Lot of pressure in New York and he did have a bad first half in the American League before the trade. Good pitcher but I think if he is going in the mid or late second round to pass, take a solid hitter and wait.

4. Tim Lincecum

Stock is high, but he is pretty amazing. Putting up those numbers on the Giants is a good feat. He will be picked high in the draft and is worthy of taking a risk on. I think he is solid, young and going to improve if possible. Most of his stats show why he is an early guy to draft.

3. Cole Hamels

Coming off an impressive post season Cole established himself as a premier pitcher. The southpaw will be a good value I am assuming. I expect a similar ERA and a better record than his 14-10 of last year. Another guy I think is a great estimated risk.

2. Brandon Webb

If you are going to try to snag a pitcher early, I think either of the top two are very safe picks. Webb will fall behind many picks because of his bad end of the year which ultimately cost him the Cy Young, but he is still an ace who will do fine. His numbers speak for themselves 22-7 1.20 Whip 3.30 ERA. He is a VERY Consistent pitcher and I predict about a 19-9 3.50 ERA season out of Mr. Webb.

1. Johan Santana

Some will go for CC but if Johan stays healthy he is the number one pitcher in the game. His stats last year are a bit skewed. He pitched awesome and had many potential wins blown by a beleaguered Met bullpen. This year with Putz and K-Rod, the pressure is off Johan to go nine and he will throw his typical seven innings 2 Run game. I think this is a safe pick, although early, and my predicted Johan Stats are 22-6 2.80 ERA.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Pitchers who were very close to making this list for me were Josh Beckett, Roy Halladay, Ryan Dempster, Rich Harden and Dice-K. All of these pitchers are solid. Halladay is usually around for a great value pick in about the 8th round.

Drastic Improvement Predictions: I predict some sleeper picks here could be Derek Lowe, Mike Pelfrey, and Aaron Harang. Lowe will fit fine in Atlanta and is out to prove that he is worth the large amount of money he was paid. Pelfrey pitched better than his stats show and I think he will pitch even better in 2009. Harang had an awful 2008 but I predict a bounce back year for him.

Final Note: This is my list, feel free to bash or agree. One piece of advice I have for other drafters is to draft with value. Be careful to waste early rounds on guys who had just ONE good year in there career.

Not everyone follows what they did in the previous season. Also, don't draft too many pitchers to early. Early rounds are for hitting and then middle rounds are for building a solid staff. However, if some of your high value pitchers are in a good spot early, take them. All I am saying is be cautious.

I wish everyone luck in their drafts and seasons besides the nine or so that will be playing against me.

The 10 Best Clutch Players in NBA History

Daniel Lewis — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 09:04:36 -0500

This slideshow is my personal list of the 10 best clutch players in NBA history. My critiquing was based on how a specific player was remembered as playing when the game was on the line. Basically, the top of the list is the player I would want to have the ball with ten seconds left, down one and the fate of the game riding on that player's shoulders. For each player on the countdown I will recite one clutch memory. Enjoy! Leave comments and let me know where you agree/disagree!

Begin Slideshow

2009 Mets Have The Talent...Now They Need to Have FUN

Daniel Lewis — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 12:30:57 -0500

With the back-to-back depressing non-postseason Mets seasons, I often find myself watching videos of the 2000 Mets or the 1986 Mets. As I try to find the similarities and differences between the different blue and orange generations I come across some bold differences. Obviously there is a difference in players.

In 1986 the foundation of the team was not really held within one player as there were many leaders from Mex to Nails to Mook to Straw to Doc to Hojo and on and on. There statistics do not appear to be much better than that of the recent Met teams.

In 2000 the foundation of the Mets was timely hitting and solid defense, especially in the infield. The leader of the team appeared to be Mike Piazza but players like Edgardo Alfonzo, Derek Bell and even backups like Todd Pratt all held there place on the team. There were no Randy Johnson's on that staff. Just five solid starters who all reached double digit wins. Again, no major difference in offensive or pitching statistics that make them any different from the recent years of NY Met baseball.

Now, the 2007 and 2008 Mets what were the problems that kept us not only from the playoffs but from being an elite team in the MLB. In 2007 the Mets got caught up in a wild situation where they went from a powerful team with swagger all season long to a team that third basemen David Wright even admitted went out on the field without much confidence and hoped things would fall there way on that given night.

When 2008 came around, they had nearly the same talented young team but they seemed haunted from the start. After a slow start, it seemed Willie Randolph was the problem. After close, down-to-the-wire games, players were interviewed not about a specific error or facet of a specific game, but about the status of there coach. Until the change was made, this seemingly haunted the Mets and led to a sub-par record.

Jerry Manuel brought a spark which lead to a very successful July and August for the Metropolitans. Once September rolled around and the lead was slipping and eventually slipped every press conference was "Is 2007 happening over again? Choking again?"

As I watched that last fly out at Shea Stadium, I realized the difference between the Mets now and the great Met teams of the past.

Fun baseball and Swagger.

Not being personally close to any Mets of the '86 or '00 teams I actually saw evidence of there team swagger as well as the teams just having fun.

In 1986 the team was told by Manager Davey Johnson that not only will the Mets win but they will dominate and the team was immediately cocky and felt that the team would win it all. The team made a rap record about how good they would be! Other teams despised the Mets and they showed how tight of a group they were by the fights they had, guys sticking up for other guys, etc. That is a formula of winning baseball.

In 2000 maybe the team did not make a rap record with Benny Agbayani and Derek Bell, but any fan could tell this team was having a blast. From Robin Ventura hysterically impersonating Piazza in a rain delay, to Bobby Valentine dancing in the dugout (not to mention once disguising himself after prior ejection) this team was having a blast and seemed to have a bond.

The 2009 Mets will have the talent. The lineup is brilliant, the stars are there, the bullpen is fixed. With the hopeful addition of one more good pitcher such as Lowe or Perez (Or Both) the talent is not the question. The Mets need to become a group that plays winning baseball, has fun playing the game and believes in each other.

I personally believe the Mets have more talent than the Phillies, but the team from Philadelphia just simply plays winning baseball and appears to have more of a hunger to win.

I hope the Mets show the Phils they can do that too. Have fun playing baseball, joke around, take care of business and send a message from the get-go. In the first Mets Phillies game, which I believe is in Philadelphia in 2009 plunk Jimmy Rollins with an inside fastball. If they wanna fight? Fight. Send a message!

Maybe I am rambling, but the Mets have the talent. Now they just have to learn how to win!

Penn State Out To Prove The 'Experts' Wrong Again at the Rose Bowl

Daniel Lewis — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 05:36:16 -0500

Many people present the argument that Penn State - the school I currently attend-should be in the National Championship game. I agree with some arguments and disagree with some, but this year be happy kind folks!

We have a chance to prove something. If we were playing Oregon State, there would be nothing to prove (No offense Beavers fans, but we beat ya by 31 already). Instead, we are playing powerhouse USC and in my opinion the best coach in college football in Pete Carroll (Just don't talk about his NFL career!).

Penn State can control how we are viewed on an overall basis for 2008 and in many ways for the future. You see, USC is not an ordinary bowl opponent. They may well be the best team in the country. The stellar, powerhouse defense has been talked about as the possibly one of the best-ever in college football. And with a spark plug offense, rest assured that Penn State will get the true test.

But PSU fans: do not be upset yet. If we go out to California on what I believe is USC turf and upset the 10 or so spread on this game - and defeat USC - then the argument for Penn State being in the 'Big Game' is clear.

Bt if we get smoked by 30+ like Team Ugly Sweater Vest (you know who you are!) did earlier in the season, than the arguments against Penn State stands.

What could be better?

Despite the economy being worse than Mark May's opinion of the Big 10, I will be making the trip to the west coast for this game and am excited to witness all of this go down live (and to wear shorts, of course).

Also, sure the critics and the "experts" we have on ESPN predict USC because of history. Well here are the Dan Lewis reasons to prove wrong college football's 'experts' and for one time forget history for a few minutes:

Anyone remember?

Mark May boldly - yet confidently- predicting that Penn State loses to Wisconsin because of history. Mark's May's 'expertise' was wrong by...um...41 points.

Oh yeah...Penn State never beats Michigan and will have trouble with them for sure at Beaver in 2008...Nope. We won by 29.

Does anyone remember Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, and even LeBron James all on hand to predict a big Ohio State win against Penn State Oct. 25th? It was touching, really, with Kirk Herbstreit's beautiful children all in attendance as the Ohio State fans went wild on College Gameday. Fast-forward about twelve hours to downtown State College where I was at a riot of Penn State fans going nuts after an emotional win at the Horseshoe.

Get the point?

USC fans, I am not putting down the Trojans. I am saying history is not always correct and the Nittany Lions have more of a shot in this game than they will get credit for. If it was all about history, why do the Trojans play at the Coliseum? That does not make much sense now does it?

Anyways, if history is always correct Mr. Mark May and everything from the past repeats itself, than for Christmas today I would have received action figures like I did in 1994 or perhaps a Beanie baby from 1997. But no Mark, it is 2008.

PENN STATE 27 USC 24

MERRY CHRISTMAS. HAPPY CHANUKAH. HAPPY KWANZAA.

Four Reasons Why Luis Castillo Should Be the Mets' Second Baseman in 2009

Daniel Lewis — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 04:13:30 -0500

OK. Maybe the ideal second base situation would be to go after Orlando Hudson, which could very well happen, but there are still some reasons to have some faith in Castillo and the whopping $18 million that comes with him. Last year, I was disgusted with Luis Castillo and lost confidence when he came up in big situations, but we have to remember last year was just one year.

Here are several reasons why settling for Castillo is not so terrible of a move.

1) History

In 1999 and 2000 Luis Castillo had tremendous years at the plate, batting .302 and .334 in each respective year. The following year, 2001, Castillo's average dipped down to .263. (Sound familiar?) The next SIX years he batted over .300 multiple times, and his worst of the six years was an impressive .291.

Last year he had a down year. History shows he is at least CAPABLE of picking himself up and getting back to the Luis Castillo of old, the Castillo that Omar Minaya signed with high potential.

2) Pressure/Promise

Last year, Castillo struggled with injuries. Also, he seemed to struggle with conditioning as he appeared out of shape when he returned, and the New York media was all over it. I personally believe Castillo realized his mistake and vows to fix it. He clearly wants to stay in New York and will certainly work hard this offseason to try to restore his old ways.

3) Patience

With RBI machines Carlos Beltran, David Wright, and Carlos Delgado behind him in whichever order, Castillo is a very patient hitter who is willing to take many pitches and try to draw walks. Also, he adds a notch of speed (when properly conditioned) to the top of the lineup to go along with Jose Reyes. If Castillo can get his average back up and combine it with his patience, he could drastically improve the Mets' offense.

4) Money

Let's face it...Omar Minaya did what he had to do in Las Vegas—he spent $37 million on K-Rod and traded for J.J. Putz. That was clearly the primary concern of the team. Instead of factoring in the $18 million of Castillo and trying to find someone else while still paying Luis, we could give him another shot and spend the money on a need for now like a starting pitcher.

All of the negativity regarding Castillo is basically generated towards his performance in 2008. Castillo has had an off year and recovered before, and it is very possible he can do it again.

There are cons to him, of course, as there are most players, but I believe he will be a man on a mission in 2009. If he does not get back to .300, he will at least increase his average from last year if he can stay healthy and stay in shape.

New York Met Fans Are Different From Other Fans

Daniel Lewis — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:44:38 -0500

OK Met fans. It has been a tough couple of years. Talent-filled teams each of the last two years combined with a high payroll and of course high expectations. I can boldly, but not gladly, say the Mets' last two years were probably the most heartbreaking of any professional sports team in the last two years. Granted, I said heartbreaking, not worst. I consider a heartbreaking year where the team is in the race all year long better than that of a team that was never in playoff contention at all.

Any-who, there are a couple of tendencies, patterns, characteristics, etc. that I see in Met fans like myself that I do not see in many other fans of baseball teams.

1) Die-hard.

I have been going to Shea Stadium for about twenty years now. Unlike the cross-town Yankees, the Mets HAVE had losing seasons. However, there was never a year, nonetheless a game in which I went to where the crowd was not electric.

Conversely, I have been to Philadelphia many times to see Mets/Phillies games and the fan consistency is not there. Granted, when that team is good they have some of the most die-hard fans on the planet, but during there losing seasons there are more Mets fans showing up to those games in Philadelphia.

I have heard roaring "Lets Go Mets" chants in Florida and Philadelphia, but I have never and will never hear a Lets Go Philly chant in Queens. The point I am getting at is that of course there are rude, dumb, idiotic Met fans as there are for every team in every sport (Except maybe the St. Louis Cardinals) but winning or losing Met fans show up and root hard and for that I salute all Met fans.

2) Miracle Win Tendency

One aspect of baseball that has followed the New York Mets since there existence is that the way they win always seems to be in spectacular fashion. In 1969, the Mets pulled out a World Series with miracle catches and peculiar plays, not to mention they were called by many the "Miracle Mets."

In 1986 Mets win an LCS containing scuff baseballs, extra innings, Dysktra walk-offs,etc. Then, the Mets comeback in the world series from 3-2 down to win in seven games. Are those miracles? If they are not than how about the Mets needing two runs in the tenth with two outs and nobody on base? They got that done with some timely hits, a wild pitch, and a routine ground ball error to first.

I have seen many Mets wins over the years that just had me awestruck. Remember the Mets vs. Giants when Jose Reyes scored from second base on a double-balk by Armando Benitez. When I ask my father, a lifetime Met fan, he does not consider these scenarios as miracles, but as New York Met rallies. He thinks true Met rallies are started or include these odd baseball situations nearly every time.

3) Devastating Loss Tendency

As great as that last paragraph was in bringing back great memories, we shall not forget some of the worst memories. If you are reading this, and are a true orange and blue New York Mets fan, I am sure you have your fair share of stories. Just as there are ridiculous miracle wins, there are equal if not more devastating losses. Many ugly memories can fill up this paragraph so I will only use one example. I was at the Robin Ventura walk-off grand slam single.

I then remember watching the Mets come back from five down and manage to walk in the series winning run. In 2008 I could go on forever with last year, but I think everyone gets the devastating loss point I am getting at.

Now that these three characteristics of a Met Fan have been revealed, all that a Met fan would do is look to the future.

We have David Wright, Jose Reyes, Johan Santana, a brand new field, a g.m. who will spend money, hopefully a new closer, and the best announcing tandem in baseball. Lets hope 2009 is filled with more positive miracles and less devastating losses.

In final, to all the die-hard fans out there, I salute you and look forward to slapping high fives with random people in the aisles of Citi Field for the rest of my life, whether celebrating a championship, a double down the line or even a much needed pitching change.

New York Mets Stay at Citi Field Will Cause Increase in Offense and Home to MVP

Daniel Lewis — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 05:33:01 -0500

I have been going to games at Shea stadium for many years and have seen many things.

I have seen postseason shutouts, grand slam singles, botched calls, an empty-gloved Steve Finley, an acrobatic Endy Chavez, and many more.

Aside from these great moments, I have picked up on the tendencies of Shea as well.

It is not an easy task to hit a ball out of the park at Shea. Ask Mike Piazza how many fly balls he tagged that just died in left field.

Next year is the opening of Citi Field. A person who strives in mathematics may infer that the dimensions of the two fields are nearly similar and all the dimensions differ by no more than 10 feet.

That is true, but the main reason, in my opinion, that Shea was a pitcher's ballpark is because of the gruesome wind coming through the old picnic area where the left-field bleachers were.

In Citi Field, there are large walls and many predict that the wind will not be nearly as much a factor as it was at Shea.

That being established, let's browse the power numbers.

First, lets take a glance over at the division rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies.

Sure, Ryan Howard is a powerful slugger, who, when hot, can rip the ball out of any ballpark, but in Philadelphia, many home runs to left field would be fly outs anywhere else.

There is a reason Todd Hundley and Carlos Beltran hold the New York Mets' home run records at only 41 a piece.

Looking back on how some of the Met players of current have been doing in a pitcher's ballpark, I expect certain players numbers to improve.

The one player I expect to improve home runs is David Wright.

Wright seems to be holding to a consistent year: 30-33 home runs, 120-ish RBI, .300-ish average, a fair share of stolen bases (very rarely getting caught) and some Gold Gloves on the side.

I predict, since David Wright is a powerful right-handed bat, that some of his fly outs in Shea will now be home runs.

David's work-ethic is phenomenal, he strives on building off success and thus exceeding his confidence. Once he realizes he can knock the ball out to left, he will not look back.

Not solely because I am a Met fan, but in fantasy baseball, I would pick David Wright as my second or third overall pick.

He is less injury prone than Albert Pujols, he is young, and his numbers are generally consistent. Also, the Yahoo! end-of-season-rankings, which included pitchers, put Wright among the top three overall.

Here are my bold offensive predictions for David Wright in 2009, barring injury:

.309 BA, 37 HR, 129 RBI

Also, expect more home runs from Beltran from the right side.

As sad as I am to see Shea go, I look forward to a more exciting offensive year for our powerful lineup and to David Wright being the 2009 National League MVP.

Which Closer Should The Mets REALLY Get?

Daniel Lewis — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 08:51:04 -0500

At this point in the offseason when a position like closer is put out on the market, the race becomes less about strictly money and more about simply who needs a closer.

The teams that appear seriously interested in closers appear to be the Mets, Indians, and the Cardinals. (Maybe include the Padres, Angels and Tigers, too.)

When it comes to the issue of picking up a closer in this offseason, especially for the New York Mets, there is more to discuss than simply who is the best closer we can pick up.

Here's some other factors to consider when making this decision...

Keep in mind while reading these factors that the Mets interest level is probably limited to Huston Street, K-Rod, J.J. Putz, Kerry Wood, Brian Fuentes and now Trevor Hoffman)

FACTOR 1: Money. Of course, in baseball money is important. Usually, the Mets are one of the high-market teams that do not mind dishing out large sums of money in return for a player or pitcher. This specific offseason, the Mets are dealing with the salary of Billy Wagner and the salary of Luis Castillo. While K-Rod may be the best of these choices he is demanding many years which means lots of money, more than all of the other candidates.

Factor 2: The Risk. When deciding to sign a closer there is lots of risk in signing a multiple year deal. In this day in age, it is rare to see a closer be dominating in the league over a long time-span (Like Rivera of the Yankees and Hoffman).

The New York Mets know about risk. The took this same risk on Billy Wagner and it did not work out. What if we spend a large sum of money on K-Rod and he gets hurt and never recovers. How likely is it that he will be dominating over the next five years?

Factor 3: The INTERIOR game plan. Although, personally I think a guy like Fuentes would be a good fit for the Mets at this particular time, what is the Mets strategy really? Maybe, they are looking for a cheap closer for a one or two year deal max to pave the way for someone in the Mets system who might be a closer soon (Kunz). If this is the case, go after Hoffman and have the all-time leader show him the way. (That may be a biased opinion because Hoffman is a friend of my uncle.)

Blend these three factors whichever way you wish, but they do matter. The best closer out there at the current time is not always the best decision for the future of the ball club.

Hopefully, Minaya will weigh the decisions and whether he dishes out money over years on K-Rod or spends less on the other candidates and make the best decision for the Mets. All I ask is that the decision does not leave us in another ugly situation in that horrid ninth month of the year. Agree? Comment your opinion.

New York Mets: Who Should We Sign?

Daniel Lewis — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 12:21:00 -0400

As a lifetime Mets fan, I am going to continue my tradition, one I have done at the end of every Met year since I have been born: Suck up the pain, and be confident that next year is the year. (I was born after 86.)

So, if we are going to do it in '09, a lot hangs on the shoulders of Omar Minaya.

The Metropolitans have the money to spend, but where should it be spent.

In my opinion, I think we should ignore the big namers.

Manny? We have Jose Reyes and he is young enough to learn how to act and how not to act. Should we bring in Ramirez to show him how to play the game? You answer that one.

K-Rod? We would be paying the guy money based on a season with 62 saves. He is not going to do better than 62 saves so why pay him as such?

Sabathia? With the way he finished this season, people who can afford him will be offering much more money. I think we should use the money elsewhere.

We should, however, go after the next level of players.

If it all worked out in my perfect world, we would sign Orlando Hudson, A.J. Burnett, Eric Byrnes, and two relievers. That is asking a lot, but hey, I said it's my perfect world.

Who knows what will happen? Santana was supposed to be the answer. As good as he is, it apparently wasn't.

Make your guesses Mets fans; make your prayers; but, at least, get excited because while your getting up for work, going to school, etc. Omar Minaya will be a man at work.

Something is going to happen.

For now, predict and guess. Send me what you think. I love predictions and outlooks of other Mets fans, or even Mets haters.