Bleacher Report - Articles by Dan Siegel

New York Mets' Roundtable: the May Awards Show

Dan Siegel — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 15:11:10 -0400

May was a month of ups and downs for the New York Mets.

The Mets took two out of three in Arizona, but came back home with a 3-3 record on their mini West coast trip.

They followed that up with taking two of three from struggling Cincinnati, only to lose the following series to the lowly Washington Nationals.

Things seemed on the up-and-up after a two-game sweep of the Yankees, but then things took a turn for the worst, dropping seven of eight to Atlanta, Colorado, and Florida (not to mention that whole mess with Willie Randolph).

The Mets did end up winning the last two against the Marlins, and then took four out of five against the Marlins and Dodgers to close out the month.

Anyhow, I'm joined here by John Fennelly, David Marine, and Andrew Phillips to pick May's Most Valuable Player, Cy Young, and Least Valuable player for the New York Mets.

Ryan Church, our April MVP, looked like an early candidate to repeat in May, but his May 20 concussion unfortunately limited his contributions for the last third of the month. Still, Church hit six homers during limited action in May, bringing his 2008 total to nine, and hit .299 for the month.

Fennelly is having a hard time coming up with an MVP candidate.

Of Jose Reyes, he says, "Reyes hit .310 in May, but had 20 Ks...too many for a leadoff man." He goes on to note that Jose committed four errors this month, and only helped the infield turn 14 double plays.

Of Carlos Beltran, he says, "...Beltran looks like he might be turning it around."

Beltran hit .306 for the month of May, but only managed three home runs. Let's see what Marine and Phillips have to say.

Marine starts off by saying, "There wasn't a single player that stood out for the Mets in May, but the bench and reserve players were the key to basically any big win the Mets had in May."

Okay, David, go on.

"There's Nick Evans['s] debut against Colorado, Fernando Tatis's double[s] against the Marlins [and] Dodgers."

Don't forget about the game winning single Tatis had Saturday against the Dodgers as well.

Anything else, David?

"Claudio Vargas joined the rotation and pitched admirably. Chavez has played well in the field, and Castro has hit well of the bench. Without the 'super subs' the Mets would easily be at least five games under .500."

How about Mr. Phillips? What does he have to say?

Much like Fennelly, Phillips says, "I'm guessing it's hard to actually find an MVP for this putrid month..."

Well said, sir. Continue, please.

"MVP. The Mets bench. The reserves. Without them, this team would be in even more shambles. Tatis, Cassanova, Easley, etc. have provided a legitimate spark in the month of May."

Hmm. Two compelling arguments for the bench.

My vote was going to be for David Wright, being the glue that has held this Mets team together and hitting a respectable .287 in the month of May while blasting seven homers and driving in 17.

However, the bench's votes have won me over so the New York Mets' bench can come on down and accept the May MVP award.

Now on to the Cy Young.

The first name that one would say when one hears "New York Mets" and "Cy Young" is Johan Santana.

Indeed, Mr. Phillips is thinking along those lines, stating, "Would have to be Santana for finally starting to show what kind of pitcher the Mets were expecting him to be."

Well, the three wins Santana picked up this month were nice; however, some may see the 3.74 ERA in May to be less than Cy-Young worthy.

Fennelly also points out that, "Mike Pelfrey and Johan Santana [pitched] the exact [same] amount of innings (33-2/3)" in May.

Despite the blown save that Bill Wagner recorded, a.k.a. "...the Friday night back-breaker in Colorado," Fennelly believes that Wagner is the only individual on the team worthy of any positive accolades.

Marine reminds us that, "Sure, he blew one save in May, but that's it. ONE blown save. The guy has been lights out and his slider is just filthy of late."

Billy Wagner, please proudly accept the May Cy Young award to add to your April Cy Young award.

And last and certainly least is the Least Valuable Player award.

Last month's winner was Carlos Delgado, and he is certainly in the running for May.

Marine asks, "Have you ever seen a player decline faster than Carlos Delgado?”

Maybe, go on.

"Delgado is the worst hitter in the lineup, and has Mets fans dreaming of Mark Teixeira as a free agent."

While Teixeira would be a great free agent pickup, Delgado has not been the worst hitter for the Mets in May, scraping together a .258 average while hitting five homers and driving in 13.

Fennelly reminds us that, "After a quick start, [Brian] Schneider only batted .215 in May."

Fennelly's vote for LVP goes to Aaron Heilman.

"It's time for the Mets to send him packing," says Fennelly.

Phillips is in agreement, stating, "Heilman. Heilman. Heilman. To think what the Mets could have traded him for a few short years ago. What a shame."

Aaron Heilman, your 8.25 ERA in the month of May has won you the prestigious Least Valuable Player award.

See that, Willie. It says "Least Valuable." That means:

DO NOT BRING HIM IN DURING A CLOSE GAME IN THE EIGHTH INNING!!!

Buster Olney: This May be Willie Randolph's Last Weekend with the New York Mets

Dan Siegel — Fri, 23 May 2008 07:17:00 -0400

Take a good, long look at the above picture of Willie Randolph and New York Mets' owner Fred Wilpon. It may be one of the last ones of its kind.

Baseball guru Buster Olney joined Charlie Steiner on XM Radio's MLB Home Plate channel on Friday afternoon to discuss the Mets, as well as Randolph's future with the team, given his recent remarks and relationship with management.

Most Mets fans may point to the team's recent performance, locker room bickering amongst players, and lack of team leadership as the primary reasons for Randolph's imminent departure.

However, Olney claims that the main reason Willie should get ready to clean out his desk lies in the remarks he made in an interview with Ian O'Connor of the Bergen (N.J.) Record claiming that he is disliked because of his race, and that the team's own television network, SNY, has not been portraying him accurately in the dugout.

Despite the fact that Randolph apologized to the Mets' organization and SNY in front of the media and to WFAN's Ed Coleman, Wilpon and his son Jeff, the team's COO, have not been returning Willie's phone calls.

When Steiner asked Olney if he would bet the family farm that Randolph would be gone as Mets' manager by the time next week rolled around, Olney cited the above silent treatment given by management as his justification for an affirmative response.

Although Olney seemed to indicate that a strong series in Colorado may help elongate Willie's tenure, the main reason he has not yet been let go is that the Mets do not have a good replacement in mind.

Bench coach Jerry Manuel's name has been tossed around, but the feeling in Met-land is that Manuel's personality is too similar to that of Randolph and that when a team is looking to change their manager, they tend to look for somebody that has the opposite (or at least a different) style.

Olney claims that the Mets have been considering Jim Fregosi as a potential replacement for Randolph.

Fregosi last Major League gig was with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1999 and 2000 when he managed them to two straight third place finishes and a .515 winning percentage. He has previously managed the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox, and California Angels.

His best season came in 1993 when he led the Phillies to a 97-win season and the World Series, only to fall to his future employer, the Blue Jays. Despite some success with the Phillies, Fregosi has a career .484 winning percentage as manager during the regular season, and a .412 winning percentage during the postseason.

Olney claims that Fregosi would be a welcome change from Randolph in that he is good with the media and that he could be helpful in helping get Jose Reyes back on track after four months worth of up-and-down baseball.

It is said that Randolph and Reyes do not have a great relationship. Shocking!

However, the always reliable Wikipedia claims that, "One general criticism of Fregosi was that he was a manager who relied on veteran players and was unable to develop younger players."

Is this the direction that the Mets are going in?

In the words of Willie Randolph, "Huh? It smells a little bit."

New York Mets’ Roundtable: First Quarter Report Card

Dan Siegel — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:50:47 -0400

Believe it or not, baseball aficionados, one quarter of the season has passed.

The boys of summer will soon be meeting the dog days of summer, and baseball fans around the country will be wiping the sweat off their brows as they watch their favorite teams compete for a playoff spot—or waive the white flag early and look ahead to 2009.

Those of us who root for the New York Mets can’t help but look back at the disappointments in 2006 and 2007. This year, the Metropolitans have wrapped up one quarter of their baseball schedule with a record of 22-19, good enough for one game behind the division leading Florida Marlins on May 19.

However, most Mets’ fans would agree that being only three games over .500 and not being on top of the division, while the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves have muddled along, is certainly not “good enough.”

For this Bleacher Report Roundtable, BR’s top three Mets’ writers (Dan Siegel and John Fennelly of mrflushing.com, and David Marine of metslifer.com) are joined by newcomer John Biancardi to hand out the first quarter grades to the Amazins and not-so-Amazins.

The writers were given the following criteria when selecting their grades:

A=Championship-level/Award winning-level play

B=All-Star/Playoff-level play

C=Mediocre/Inconsistent play

D=Team/player/personnel is in danger of failing!

F=Team/player/personnel is failing/has already failed

Let’s see how the boys from Flushing faired

Biancardi awards a grade of “A” to Ryan Church and Billy Wagner

Of Church, Biancardi remarks, “He has by far been the Mets most consistent player, as he leads the club with nine homeruns, and a .307 average. Church is also only two RBIs behind Wright for the club lead, with thirty-two, and he has consistently made great plays on offense and defense when the Mets need him most.

Hmm, Johnny B.—is Ryan Church really playing an award-winning brand of baseball?

If Church stays healthy and is an everyday player for the rest of the season, which he has clearly earned at this point, he is on pace to hit 36 home runs and notch 128 RBI. Along with a .922 OPS, those are rather monstrous numbers and while the name “Ryan Church” may not garner too much attention from media outlets outside of New York, if he finishes that strong, he deserves to be in the MVP conversation

Good job with that one, Johnny. What about Billy?

“…not enough good things can be said about Wagner, as he has yet to allow an earned run in seventeen innings.

If Wagner can pull off the unlikely feat of having a 0.00 ERA and convert 36 saves, sure, hand him a Cy Young.

That’s all the “As” to be handed out so far.

Scott Schoeneweis, Pedro Feliciano, and Joe Smith can each take home a grade of “B+” for their efforts on the bullpen. Are they All-Stars? Probably not, but the two lefties have managed to maintain an ERA under two, and Smith is sporting a 2.55, more than three runs lower than Aaron Heilman or Duaner Sanchez.

Any other “Bs” out there?

Biancardi awards a “B” to David Wright. Of Wright, Biancardi notes, “For any other player, Wright's start to the season would be well above average—.283, eight home runs, 34 RBI, and six stolen bases. However, David has been extremely up-and-down, and the Mets need him to be consistent in the middle of their lineup.

Sounds about right. David’s power numbers are certainly All-Star worthy, and some uninformed writers may see him as the Mets’ MVP—probably the same ones that gave him a Gold Glove. But his lapses at the plate and his throwing problems keep Wright from being amongst the elite players in this young 2008 season

Last call for “Bs.

Ah, yes. Mr. Fennelly gives the starting rotation a grade of “B” stating that, “…Santana and Maine have pitched wel,l but Perez and Pelfrey need to be more consistent.”

Santana and Maine do seem to be playing All-Star-level ball. Johan is not quite living up to the hype and the contract, but has given the Mets a chance to win every fifth day

Pitching coach Rick Peterson can accept a grade of “B” for his work as pitching coach, guiding his staff to a 3.81 ERA, fourth-best in the National League

Keeping Peterson from getting an “A” is his bullpen, which Fennelly gives a grade of “C,” noting that, “…only Wagner and Smith have been good. The others are mediocre to bad.”

Schoeneweis and Feliciano aside, Fennelly is right on with the others

Now on to the “Cs.

Catcher Brian Schneider can take a “C” for his adventurous first quarter. He barely made it out of Spring Training with leg ailments, but kept Raul Casanova on the bench longer than any other position player. However, Schneider missed time with a bruised forearm and thumb infection.

His offense has been a nice surprise, garnering a .304 average in 92 at-bats. But his defense, which is what he was brought in for, has been quite inconsistent. While he has called good games and help shut down opponents’ running games, there have been far too many passed balls and wild pitches in the early going.

Fennelly claims that the lineup as a whole belongs in this category, stating, “[Jose] Reyes needs to start hitting left-handed full time. Wright has to stop pressing against righties. [Carlos] Beltran has been awful. Church has been a pleasant surprise, but I don't see him hitting .300. Maybe .285, which means he's going to cool down. [Moises] Alou is the key to the Mets offense—he puts the ball in play.

Biancardi specifically awards Reyes and Beltran “Cs” as well, stating, “Both players have had hot streaks, but also miserable cold streaks. Both players are showing signs of coming out of their funks, as Beltran has gotten a hit in nine-of-ten games, while Reyes has hit safely in eight-of-ten games.

“However, both players' averages have been sub-par, and Beltran has yet to find his power stroke, totaling just three home runs.

Were it not for Beltran’s recent hot play, he would probably deserve to be a part of the “D” group, and his home-run total definitely belongs there, but we can cut him some slack since he had Carlos Delgado hitting behind him most of the time before Alou came back.

There’s one more “C” to hand out, and it goes to manager Willie Randolph.

Fennelly says that, “If the bullpen did its job, the team would be in first place right now, meaning Willie would have less pressure on him. He needs to get tough with the two Carloses, although Delgado seems to be heating up. If Beltran needs to rest, put him on the DL and bring back [Angel] Pagan.

Many fans might disagree with Mr. Fennelly’s assessment, and would put Randolph in the “D” group, as he is the leader of this team that has certainly looked at times to be in danger of failing. But as many like to point out, Willie isn’t the one not hitting or not pitching—the players are.

Mr. Marine also had a hard time deciding between the “C” range and the “D” range for his beloved Mets, stating that, “I want to give the Mets a D, but the fact that they're a game out of first and have had what feels like 100 different lineups is forcing me to give them a C-.

He goes on to say, “Mediocre and inconsistent are perfect synonyms for the start of this season. The Mets have yet to have a 10-game stretch where their 1-5 guys in the lineup have played well. Once that happens, the Mets will be able to make up some ground and quell all that talk of last year's collapse.

However, Mr. Marine’s commentary takes a turn when he says that, “Starting pitching is the key. As much as people say that as Reyes goes so go the Mets, I think starting pitching is the big differentiator for the Mets. If Pedro comes back in July and can contribute, and if Oliver Perez pitches like he does against the Yankees, the Mets will have the best starting rotation in the NL. If that doesn't happen it's Maine, Santana, and a cast of characters.

In addition to Perez, Mike Pelfrey is currently a “C”-level character who will need to step up his game to round out this rotation. He has shown signs of brilliance at times this season, but throws an awful lot of pitches before getting any kind of results.

Speaking of characters, Biancardi has more grades to hand out some of the Mets’ characters. He awards a “D” to Delgado and Luis Castillo.

Biancardi notes that Delgado is, “showing extreme signs of aging. Hitting just .230 has gotten Delgado moved down to as far as seventh in the order.

Of Castillo, he states that “After signing a new deal in the off-season, Castillo has yet to live up to the great number-two hitter that Willie sees him as. Knee injuries have also hampered his performance, but right now he's more of a liability than anything else.

Pretty good, Johnny B. Both of these players are definitely in danger of failing. Delgado is nothing like the cleanup hitter the Mets saw in 2006. Castillo may prove to be the bigger failure of the two, as the Mets will have to suffer through another three and three-quarter seasons of him being in and out of the lineup, taking himself out of games, and not being able to hit the ball more than 120 feet.

Oh, but Mr. Biancardi is not through yet. He has one more grade to hand out. It is a big, fat “F” to Aaron Heilman.

Johnny B. notes that, “With a 5.82 earned run average, and twelve walks in twenty-one and two-thirds innings, Heilman has been the epitome of a flop, so much to the point where he cannot be used in a close game. One has to wonder if he can turn his season around, but at this point it's looking like a pretty low possibility.

Other “Fs” go to the demoted and the departed: Nelson Figueroa, Jorge Sosa, and Brady Clark.

The bench players (including Pagan) can get by with incompletes for now, along with Matt Wise and Duaner Sanchez. However if those two “progress” at their current rates, they can expect “Ds” at the mid-term.

Mets-Yankees: Willie Randolph, the Umps, and the Non-Home Run in New York

Dan Siegel — Sun, 18 May 2008 15:53:02 -0400

In the top of the fourth inning on Sunday night at Yankee Stadium, Carlos Delgado hit a three-run home run down the left field line, giving the New York Mets a comfortable 6-0 lead over the New York Yankees.

However, a quick wave of the arms by the Yankees and their fans gathered together an aging, pot-bellied group of zebras (aka the umpiring crew) to give little thought (maybe that was all their miniscule cerebrums could handle) to overturning a game-changing play.

Did the umpires go down the left field line to look for any physical evidence?

No. They clearly decided to ignore the idea that the ball may have left a marking on the foul pole (which it did), or that the foul pole left a marking on the ball (which it did), or consider the large bounce the ball took as a result of hitting a large metal pole.

Clearly the Yankees, who made minimal effort to present the case that the ball may have gone foul, have never done anything dishonest, or couldn’t have been unclear as to where the ball went.

There is more to this story than the umpires’ lack of executive functioning, however.

Sure, instant replay would have been nice, but MLB isn’t employing it right now, so it couldn’t have changed anything.

No, the other big element to this story is the lack of arguing on the part of Mets’ Manager Willie Randolph.

Third base coach Sandy Alomar Sr. was the first of the Mets’ personnel to argue the call. This made sense, as he had a good view of the ball and was already on the field.

Randolph was next, but barely got out onto the field and returned to the dugout seemingly satisfied with the umpiring crew’s willingness to take three runs away from his team without any sort of investigation.

As Delgado’s at-bat continued, the home plate umpire warned the Mets’ dugout about their continuing to argue.

However, it wasn’t Randolph who was warned and subsequently ejected.

It was bench coach Jerry Manuel.

Yes, that’s correct folks. The bench coach got thrown out for arguing the call—not the player who hit the home run, and not the manager of the team who gave no thought to standing up for his coaches and players—who were in need of a lift after some clubhouse michegas.

Why did Randolph not show a little more fortitude in arguing the call?

The only explanation this writer can come up with is that Randolph did not want to humiliate himself in front of the Yankees and get thrown out of the stadium he loves so much and in front of the organization he loves so much.

Maybe Randolph is trying to do as poor a job possible as Mets’ manager while Joe Girardi is struggling as Yankees’ manager, so that when Hank Steinbrenner prematurely fires Girardi, he can get Willie away from the Mets. They should be glad to let him go, if General Manager Omar Minaya, COO Jeff Wilpon, or owner Fred Wilpon have not yet sent him packing.

Kudos to Jerry Manuel, one of the few homo sapiens currently donning a Mets’ uniform, for actually showing some pride in the orange and blue and giving a rat’s behind about his team and his job.

Moves, Cuts, and Hires: What the New York Mets Must Do to Improve Consistency

Dan Siegel — Mon, 12 May 2008 17:01:57 -0400

Move Nelson Figueroa to the bullpen. It made for a nice story for Figueroa to return home and put on a couple of decent performances, but he doesn't last deep into games. He can probably fill Aaron Sele's role from last year.

Get rid of Jorge Sosa. He can barely find the strike zone, and when he does, the ball ends up closer to Citi Field than the catcher's mitt.

Speaking of catchers, now that Ramon Castro is healthy, platoon him with Brian Schneider. Schneider has a decent average thus far, but has no pop. Castro is at least a threat to get an extra-base hit now and again.

Get rid of Carlos Delgado. The only league this guy could possibly play in is an over-30 slow-pitch softball league; and he'd probably still hit into the shift.

Teach Moises Alou to play first base. He's one of the few guys on the team that can actually hit on a regular basis, but is a liability in left field. Too many balls are rolling into the corner, and he can neither come in nor go back on a ball.

Pagan should be the everyday left fielder, and Endy can be reserved for pinch running and resting Carlos Beltran when he suffers from a strained cuticle.

Hire John Olerud as hitting coach. Here's the problem with HoJo. He's a switch-hitter, so he has no idea how to teach a major league left-handed hitter how to hang in there against even a mediocre left-handed pitcher. Johnny O never bailed out against lefties and could rake.

Give the relievers set roles that make sense and stick with them. The last thing this erratic group of flat slider-throwing, dead change-up tossing misfits needs is to wonder when Willie is going to summon them from the bullpen. Pedro Feliciano and Scott Schoeneweis are lefty specialists! They should primarily be in there against lefties. Joe Smith is a righty specialist. He should be in there to face righties! Read the stat sheet!

[Dan Siegel apologizes for this departure from his normal style of journalism, but one only has so much patience after seeing the Mets fall to the Washington Nationals 10-4 on a cool Monday night in May.]

Offense-Focused Mike D’Antoni Is Bad Fit for New York Knicks

Dan Siegel — Mon, 12 May 2008 13:13:01 -0400

What is the first thing that a basketball fan thinks of when looking at the Phoenix Suns under Coach Mike D’Antoni?

One might assume it would be fast-paced, run-and-gun basketball.

What is the first thing that a basketball fan thinks of when looking at the New York Knicks of the Isaiah Thomas era?

One might assume it would be the idea of defense as an afterthought.

What sense does it make for the New York Knicks’ new basketball guru, Donnie Walsh, to bring in a guy known for being an offensive-minded coach to a team that gave up 103.5 PPG and got outscored by 6.6 PPG in 2007-2008? To make matters worse, the Suns gave up 105 PPG under D’Antoni during the most recent regular season campaign.

Sure D’Antoni was a trendy choice. He has a background in the European style of play that the United States can’t seem to decipher. The Suns have been a perennial playoff attendee and have been feared enough to be picked as a potential finalist no matter how well the Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, or Los Angeles Lakers have played.

However, the Suns have never reached the finals under D’Antoni—despite names like Steve Nash, Shaquille O’Neal, Grant Hill, Amare Stoudemire, Boris Diaw, Leandro Barbosa, Raja Bell, and Shawn Marion gracing the pages of the yearbooks during the D’Antoni era.

Really, has D’Antoni done much coaching with these guys, or has he simply let Steve Nash run the show over the last handful of seasons and merely “managed” the team?

Sure, making the playoffs would be a vast improvement over the brand of “basketball” that New York has had to witness over the last few seasons—but D’Antoni has nothing on his resume to prove that he can take this team back to the dominance they enjoyed in the 1990s.

Walsh and D’Antoni will have their hands full trying to undo the mess that Thomas made of the Knicks, which may give D’Antoni a free pass for the first year of his tenure. But don’t be surprised to see yet another head coach in New York by the fall of 2010.

New York Mets Honor Dodgers at Citi Field, but What about Giants?

Dan Siegel — Sun, 11 May 2008 16:41:00 -0400

The Jackie Robinson Rotunda…

An Ebbets Field facade…

It looks like the New York Mets’ own Fred Wilpon will be doing plenty to honor the Brooklyn Dodgers at their new home, Citi Field, which they will move into in April 2009.

Sounds great—a tribute to one of the game’s pioneers and a historic venue that never should have been torn down.

Just one problem, claim some New Yorkers.

The Mets, who many former Brooklyn Dodger and New York Giant fans adopted as their new favorite team, seem to be making two major gestures to honor their Brooklyn heritage, but none to honor their New York heritage.

True, they call themselves the “New York” Mets and use the interlocking “NY” on their hats in Giant orange as their primary logo, but they also use Dodger blue in their color scheme, which is seen predominantly in their current home, Shea Stadium.

A group that calls themselves the “New York Giants Baseball Nostalgia Society” has been making some noise regarding the lack of recognition that the Giants will receive at Citi Field. They realize that Fred Wilpon can do what he wants with the park, but feel as though the Giants have been slighted in Citi Field’s plans.

However, the plans for Citi Field do include a couple of nods to the New York Giants and their former home, the Polo Grounds (also the home of the Mets before the opening of Shea Stadium).

One will be the inclusion dark green seats in the stands, which was the same color featured in the Polo Grounds.

The second will be varying wall heights and angles in the outfield.

Will these elements make the New York Giants’ fans feel at “home” in Citi Field, or are these features reminiscent of many current and former “retro” ball parks including Citizens Bank Park, Comerica Park, Camden Yards, and Minute Maid Park?

New York Mets-Pittsburgh Pirates: Wright Bails Out Jose Reyes, Bullpen

Dan Siegel — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:35:56 -0400

Jose Reyes’s three-for-three with three walks evening was nearly spoiled by his fielding blunder in the ninth inning.

Closer Billy Wagner, not having given up a run for the entire month of April, saw pinch hitter Ryan Doumit’s ground ball head towards the shortstop hole. Normally, Wags would not have to worry about this one, as Reyes typically gobbles these up and easily throws the runner out.

However, this was not the case on Tuesday evening at Shea. Reyes’s throw was low and unable to be scooped by Carlos Delgado.

Pinch runner Brian Bixler then advanced to second on a wild pitch, moved to third on a ground out and scored on a Freddy Sanchez single. Just like that, Wagner accrued his first blown save without giving up an earned run.

Wagner was able to recover and toss a scoreless tenth inning, maintaining the 4-4 tie.

After Jorge Sosa worked a scoreless 11^th, Endy Chavez singled off of Pittsburgh reliever John Van Benschoten. After committing a balk and recording an out, Van Benschoten intentionally walked Reyes to put runners at the corners for Luis Castillo. Reyes took second base on defense indifference and Castillo drew a walk the old-fashioned way.

This set the stage for zero-for-four David Wright. Wright wasted no time in hitting Van Benschoten’s first offering over the head of former Met Xavier Nady in right field, driving home Chavez as the winning run.

Of course, the run that Wagner had given up in the ninth would not have mattered had Duaner Sanchez not surrendered a run in the eighth.

Scott Schoeneweis and Aaron Heilman also nearly blew the 4-2 lead starter Johan Santana had carried into the sixth inning before being bailed out by Pedro Feliciano. Heilman put two runners on base in the seventh, and Schoeneweis’s wild pitch nearly allowed Pittsburgh to score their third run if I wasn’t for a speedy recovery and accurate throw to the plate by catcher Raul Casanova.

Santana had spotted the Pirates a 2-0 lead, giving up a lead-off homerun to the hot Nate McClouth and a fourth inning shot to Jason Bay. Those were the only two hits off of Santana who struck out seven while throwing 114 pitches in 5 2/3 innings of work.

Ryan Church answered with a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth and the Mets took the lead in the fifth thanks to RBI by Reyes and Wright.

Wednesday afternoon’s action will feature a battle of the southpaws, with Oliver Perez going for the Mets and Tom Gorzelanny going for the Pirates. The first pitch is scheduled for 1:10pm.

Suns-Spurs: Phoenix Unable to Finish What They Started Against San Antonio

Dan Siegel — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:54:16 -0400

The Phoenix Suns took the regular season series 3-1 over the San Antonio Spurs.

This same Suns squad had an eight point halftime lead in Game One of their opening round playoff series, beating the Spurs at their own game, only to see the Spurs turn the tables on them in the second half and overtime behind Tim Duncan’s 40-point, 15-rebound performance.

In Game Two, the Suns shot over 60% in the first half and racked up 61 points by halftime, including 35 in the first quarter, only to see their offense dry up in the second half en route to a 102-96 defeat at the hands of the Spurs.

The trio of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker were huge once again for San Antonio in Game Two, netting 18, 29, and 32 respectively. Duncan also added 17 rebounds and three blocked shots.

In the first half, the Spurs trio was responsible for the overwhelming majority of the offense, as Phoenix kept the Spurs’ role players from making any significant contributions until the second half.

However, the second half mainly demonstrated the lack of depth on the Suns’ roster.

Grant Hill only played 20 minutes over the course of the game, nursing a sore groin, and was kept off of the scoreboard. Leandro Barbosa did not step up to the occasion in Hill’s absence and was also kept off of the scoreboard.

The trade for Shaquille O’Neal meant that the Suns had to part ways with Shawn Marion, a guy who has averaged over 18 points per game over the course of his career, and is a top-notch defensive player.

Many feared that the O’Neal trade would hamper Phoenix’s run-and-gun style of play. The Spurs made sure of this by employing the infamous “Hack-a-Shaq” strategy in the third quarter. O’Neal had made 5-of-6 free throws at one point during the stretch, but finished at his customary 50% going 7-for-14 from the stripe.

Perhaps more importantly, it took the Suns out of their rhythm and allowed the Spurs to play a more comfortable and controlled half-court style of play.

The Suns whittled a double-digit deficit down to five in the fourth quarter but were unable to sink any shots during the closing seconds to give themselves a chance to leave San Antonio with a win under their belts.

Game Three will take place Friday night in Phoenix with San Antonio maintaining their home court advantage with a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

New York Mets-Philadelphia Phillies: Angel Pagan Answers Mets’ Prayers

Dan Siegel — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:45:57 -0400

It’s a game of inches. Speed kills.

These sports clichés came to life Thursday night at Shea Stadium as Angel Pagan drove in Jose Reyes in the bottom of the 12th to give the New York Mets a 4-3 victory over their division rival, the Philadelphia Phillies.

Pagan hit a single up the middle off of Philadelphia reliever Tom Gordon.

With the outfield playing shallow against the speedy Reyes, who had doubled the previous at bat, center fielder Jayson Werth threw a strike to catcher Chris Coste. Coste blocked the plate and Reyes tripped over his foot, tagging home plate with his left hand just before Coste could apply the tag to Reyes’s back.

Predictably, Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel argued the call with home plate umpire Ted Barrett, but his efforts were to no avail.

Pagan’s game-winner was the third of three hits on the evening for the Mets’ left fielder. He finished the night 3-for-5 with two singles, a double, and a sacrifice bunt.

Pagan’s nine RBI lead the Mets who are struggling to get their offense to gel.

Reyes’ two hit night will hopefully get him going and right fielder Ryan Church continued his hot hitting, going 2-for-5 while driving in two runs.

David Wright continues to struggle; going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and getting fooled by breaking pitches on the outer half of the plate.

Carlos Beltran struck out twice late in the game with the go-ahead run on base.

The Mets nearly wasted another good outing by a starting pitcher, as John Maine gave up just one run through six innings, only to see the lead banished in the eighth inning, which included a solo shot by Phillies’ slugger Ryan Howard off of Aaron “Home run” Heilman.

Phillies’ reserve infielder Eric Bruntlett was once again instrumental in letting his teammates down. After his multi-error game on Wednesday, Bruntlett went 0-for-6 at the plate, striking out twice and leaving seven men on base.

Bruntlett, filling in for the injured Jimmy Rollins, also failed to lay down a sacrifice bunt that would have put the go-ahead runs on second and third base with Chase Utley due up next. Instead, Bruntlett bunted the third strike foul and Utley grounded into a double play.

On Friday, the Mets welcome the Milwaukee Brewers to town, as Nelson Figueroa makes his first start for the Amazins, while lefty Manny Parra goes for the Brew Crew.

The Phillies will head back home via I-95 to host the Chicago Cubs. Brett Myers goes for the Phils, while Jason Marquis takes the mound for the Cubbies.

Rangers-Devils: Gomez, Shanahan Haunt Former Team in Game One

Dan Siegel — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:45:25 -0400

The fans at the Prudential Center can boo Scott Gomez all they want.

Gomez recorded assists on the first three Ranger goals as New York defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-1 to give them a 1-0 advantage in their opening-round playoff series.

Brendan Shanahan, who scored his first career playoff goal 20 years ago as a Devil, netted the first goal of the game, slapping one past a screened Martin Brodeur just as a power play expired.

Gomez was the one doing the screening, and may have confused Brodeur in making an attempt to deflect the puck.

While these two veteran stars did an impressive job filling up the stat sheet, the younger generation of Rangers was just as pivotal in the win.

Goalie Henrik Lundqvist led the way, saving 26 of 27 shots, out-dueling the legendary Brodeur. Only Paul Martin’s power-play goal was able to sneak past King Henrik.

Defensemen Fedor Tyutin and Dan Girardi were a plus-4 and plus-3 respectively. Girardi gave his body for the win, recording five hits and three blocked shots.

Young forwards Ryan Callahan and Nigel Dawes were just as instrumental, with Callahan’s shorthanded goal giving the Rangers a 2-1 lead early in the third period.

Shanahan rewarded Dawes for his hardworking night, allowing him to score an empty net goal at the end of the game, giving Nigel a plus-4 for the game.

The Rangers fed off of the energy of their young players and the leadership of their veterans to hold off a steady, but seemingly less enthused Devil squad.

Game two will take place Friday night at the Prudential Center. This will be a must-win contest for the Devils as the Rangers have already taken the home ice advantage from New Jersey’s black and red–clad squad.

New York Mets-Philadelphia Phillies: Delgado Giveth, Delgado Taketh Away

Dan Siegel — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:14:49 -0400

Carlos Delgado looked to be the hero of Tuesday afternoon’s New York Mets’ home opener against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Delgado made a moon shot of Jamie Moyer’s hanging slider in the second inning and also turned an unassisted double play in the early going, helping Oliver Perez achieve 5 2/3 innings of shutout ball against the Phils.

However, Delgado’s botched double play throw in the seventh inning ended up being the Mets’ undoing en route to their 5-2 loss.

The Mets and reliever Scott Schoeneweis, hoping to trade two outs for a run, instead traded no outs for two runs, as Delgado’s throw down to second base hit Chase Utley in the back and allowed two runs to score.

Delgado’s miscue in the field made his two-hit day quite underwhelming.

Even Perez’s shutout performance managed to be underwhelming, giving up three hits, three walks, and hit Chase Utley twice. Joe Smith had to come out and rescue Perez in the seventh, giving up a walk himself before getting the Mets out of the inning.

The Mets’ offensive woes can be attributed to the poor job being done by the one and two hitters in the lineup. Jose Reyes and the combination of Luis Castillo and Damion Easley (Castillo was removed during the game due to knee soreness) were a combined 1-for-8 with one walk.

In contrast, the three through eight hitters are all hitting above .300 for the season.

The bullpen has also yet to assert itself. Jorge Sosa let in an inherited runner and Aaron Heilman once again managed to turn a one-run deficit to a multi-run deficit.

With Matt Wise recently being added to the disabled list, Duaner Sanchez not ready, and Orlando Hernandez being sidetracked with more foot soreness, Willie Randolph will have to continue to rely on Schoeneweis, Heilman, and Sosa until help manages to emerge from an outside source.

There may not be any rest for this already weary bullpen bunch, as Mike Pelfrey makes his first start of the season Wednesday evening against Phillies’ sophomore Kyle Kendrick.

New York Mets-Florida Marlins: Oliver Perez, Bats Lead the Mets in Blowout

Dan Siegel — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:28:38 -0400

Luis Castillo ruined quite an impressive box score.

Every Mets’ starting position player had at least one hit, one RBI, and one run scored except for Castillo who wasn’t able to manage the RBI in the 13-0 rout.

Additionally, all of the starting position players except for Jose Reyes (who was relieved later on in the game by Damion Easley) and Brian Schneider had multiple hits.

The starting eight all reached base multiple times, with Reyes walking once and Schneider twice.

David Wright and Ryan Church both homered and had three-RBI nights, while Carlos Beltran had a three-double night.

Beltran had a home run taken away from him when it appeared that his bomb to right field hit off of the top of the wall. Replays on SNY clearly showed that the ball cleared the fence and had deflected off of a guardrail to keep fans from leaning over the fence.

While the bats were most impressive, even more impressive was the pitching of Oliver Perez, who struck out eight over six shutout innings.

No Marlin was able to record an extra base hit off of Mets’ pitching, which saw newcomer Nelson Figueroa and lefties Pedro Feliciano and Billy Wagner get their first action of the season.

Tonight’s performance was a nice distraction from the news that Pedro Martinez will be out for at least four to six weeks with a strained left hamstring.

Cold Shoulder: New York Yankee Jorge Posada out with Injury

Dan Siegel — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:56:59 -0400

Bryan Hoch of MLB.com is reporting that New York Yankees' catcher Jorge Posada was scratched from Wednesday night's lineup due to stiffness in his right shoulder.

Manager Joe Girardi was quoted as saying that Posada's status is "day-to-day."

Jose Molina got the start for the Yanks against the Toronto Blue Jays, catching for starter Mike Mussina.

Hopefully, the Yankees are being extra-cautious with the 36-year-old Posada, as the organization is thin on catching beyond Posada and Molina.

The only other catcher on the 40-man roster is Francisco Cervelli, who is out after having to have his broken wrist surgically repaired.

Veteran Chad Moeller could be summonsed from AAA Scranton-Wilkes Barre if Posada needs to go to the Disabled List or if Girardi would like to have an insurance policy for the next handful of games.

New York Mets Drown Florida Marlins 7-2

Dan Siegel — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:49:07 -0400

Johan Santana’s New York Mets’ debut was nearly all that Mets’ fans could expect from the southpaw.

Santana struck out eight over seven innings, giving up only three hits—one of them a two-run homer to right-handed slugger Josh Willingham.

Santana wasn’t the only story down in Miami, as all of the Mets’ position players except for Brian Schneider reached base.

Jose Reyes exorcized his season-ending demons from 2007 with two hits, an RBI, and a run scored.

Luis Castillo reached base three times, enabling David Wright to drive in three runs as a part of his two-double day.

Carlos Beltran also notched two doubles and traversed centerfield flawlessly after off-season knee surgery.

Newcomers Angel Pagan and Ryan Church each got a hit, scored a run, and drove in one as well.

The bullpen pitched two scoreless innings following Santana; however Scott Schoeneweis and Jorge Sosa had to rescue Matt Wise after giving up two hits.

Aaron Heilman recorded two strikeouts during his perfect ninth inning.

Florida starter Mark Hendrickson started off the game by striking out Jose Reyes, but allowed ten base runners in his five innings of work, giving up all six of his runs in the fourth.

Former Met farmhand Matt Lindstrom allowed Marlon Anderson to score an unearned run in the top of the ninth. Anderson singled and later scored after an errant throw by catcher Matt Treanor.

Tomorrow evening’s action will pit Pedro Martinez against one of Florida’s many young starters, 22 year-old Rick VandenHurk.

Mets Spring Training: Dark-Horse Candidates May Round Out Roster

Dan Siegel — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 13:10:35 -0400

The I’s have it.

That is injuries and ineffectiveness, the two I’s that have been plaguing the Mets during Spring Training.

The first injured man that needs a replacement on the roster is Moises Alou. Angel Pagan has been hot at the plate, so a guy who was signed to play and wait in AAA will now be a part of the major league roster.

Ruben Gotay seemingly had a job as a backup middle infielder and pinch hitter, but he came up lame early on this spring. Jose Valentin was poised to take that job after making an early comeback from offseason surgery, but a pinched nerve has him “behind the eight ball,” according to Manager Willie Randolph (as reported on MLB.com).

Who will take that spot? Some may look to young Argenis Reyes who is hitting .448 this spring, but has never played above AA and doesn’t have experience at shortstop on his resume—something Randolph would be looking for to give Jose Reyes a day off now and again.

True, Damion Easley is back and could fill in at short, but Willie may not trust the range of the 38-year-old.

As it stands now, Anderson Hernandez could fill that role. He has not hit well at the major league level, but he does have six RBI this spring. Hernandez has the best defensive skills of any of the aforementioned reserves, and could at least pinch run if Randolph does not have confidence in his bat.

Johan Santana, Pedro Martinez, John Maine, and Oliver Perez are all moving in the right direction and are poised to take spots one to four in the pitching rotation. With the Mets not needing a fifth starter until mid-April, Orlando Hernandez still bothered by a bunion, and Mike Pelfrey having been inconsistent in his starts, look for New York to carry an extra position player until they can figure out the fifth starter issue.

This writer’s vote goes to…Robinson Cancel.

“Who?”

The 6’0”, 195 (yeah, right) pound catcher is hitting .280 this spring. He has shown homerun power, and is a right-handed bat—something the Mets could use off the bench. Willie has also been giving him some playing time at first base and left field. Cancel’s minor league resume shows experience behind the plate and at all four corners.

Why Cancel?

Both Brian Schneider and Ramon Castro are bothered by leg injuries. Carlos Delgado has had a bum hip and nearly got impaled with a bat this past weekend. Damion Easley may have to help out at second depending on Luis Castillo’s health or in the outfield depending on Ryan Church’s ability to hit left-handed pitching.

Yes, veteran Raul Casanova is hitting .300 this spring and has more major league experience, but he acks Cancel’s versatility.

The other spot that is up for grabs would be Duaner Sanchez’s bullpen slot. Yes, Sanchez is recovered from his 2006 taxi cab injuries, but has been ineffective this spring, putting up a 6.75 ERA this spring, and more alarmingly has needed long stretched between outings. These are not characteristics of a late-inning setup guy.

So, the logical thing is to find another righty who can work out of the pen frequently. Joe Smith’s name comes to mind, but he is also struggling this spring, sporting a 9.00 ERA.

Non-roster invitee Nelson Figueroa has had periods of brilliance, but the Mets may be better off starting him in AAA and waiting to see if he can handle that level.

The guy that could take this spot is Rule V pick Steven Register. Register led the Texas League in Saves with 37, which is what got the Mets’ attention in the first place. Register has had an up-and-down spring, but has good stuff and is worth the Mets giving him a look before letting rival Colorado take him back.

New York Mets Talk: Hold the Coco (Crisp), Please

Dan Siegel — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 16:22:24 -0400

How many food references could be crammed into one outfield?

If Coco Crisp is traded to the Mets, there could be the four “C” in the outfield: Coco Crisp, Carlos Beltran, and Ryan Church (okay, there are six C’s if you count the second C’s in “Coco” and “Church”; five C’s if Endy Chavez is playing instead of Church).

Crisp and Church could do an ad for Church’s [Crispy] Fried Chicken. Angel Pagan could be involved with that. Angel…Church, come on folks!

“Hey, Dan, that doesn’t work. The Mets are supposed to trade Pagan for Crisp.”

Both the Mets’ and Sox’s brass deny that rumor. Let’s hope that’s the end of it.

There are many reasons why this would have been a terrible trade.

First of all, Crisp is hurt. The last thing the Mets need is another injured outfielder. The Mets can’t afford to have an injured usher, let alone position player.

Second, Pagan is having an excellent spring, while Crisp has done little but whine about trades and playing time.

The list goes on, but with Pagan’s hot hitting, the return of Chavez, Church, Beltran, Damion Easley, Marlon Anderson, and Jose Valentin, the Mets have plenty of candidates to fill the outfield until Mosies Alou comes back.

Beltran and Church should be able to patrol center and right fields on a daily basis, while Chavez is more than qualified to hold down the fort in left. Easley can spell Church or Chavez against a tough lefty. Anderson could bring a little more pop into the lineup if Chavez’s bat is cool.

Pagan could blast ahead of any of those left field candidates if he keeps up his torrid hitting.

With the injury to Ruben Gotay, Jose Valentin’s chances of making the team have increased. Valentin can certainly fill in on the infield, and the switch-hitter could also play left or right field if need be.

If the Mets still feel the need to import an additional right hand bat, Brandon Inge is the way to go. He would give the Mets additional depth at all four corner positions and behind the plate.

With Brian Schneider nursing some sore hamstrings, Inge would be a valuable man to have on the roster if the Mets do not want to place Schneider on the DL but need to give him a complete day off. On days Schneider is playing, Willie Randolph could use Ramon Castro as a pinch hitter and Inge could serve as the backup catcher.

Yes, Inge has stated he does not want to catch for Detroit, but he doesn’t want to do much of anything for Detroit, and rightly so. When Miguel Cabrera was brought in, Inge was unsure if Cabrera was going to take over at third base or be used in the outfield as he was in his early days with the Marlins.

The Tigers could have shown Inge a little more respect and given him a clear explanation of where he stood in their system. They have done this for Marcus Thames, but not for Inge.

Inge could use a change of scenery, and the energy of the New York scene could be just thing to cure his blues.

Giant Signings: New York Inks Sammy Knight, Danny Clark

Dan Siegel — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:14:48 -0400

Gibril Wilson left for greener pastures. Kawika Mitchell left for snowier pastures. Reggie Torbor left for sunnier pastures.

They all left for losing pastures.

While Wilson, Mitchell, and Torbor will be lucky if their teams combine for as many wins as the New York Giants earn in 2008, safety Sammy Knight and linebacker Danny Clark are already planning for a trip to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. on Feb. 1, 2009.

The Giants are being smart in signing two veterans to help replace the departed. New York’s brass did their homework in signing two guys who have played in at least 13 games a season over their entire careers.

Both guys also have a nose for finding the guy with the football. Knight has had seasons with 90 or more tackles in five of the last seven seasons. Clark recorded totals off 91, 113 and 129 tackles in the three seasons he was given the opportunity to be a full time starter.

Some Giant fans may be disappointed that Gerris Wilkinson is going to have competition for Mitchell’s old job. However, Wilkinson has only been in the league for two seasons and has never recorded more than 27 tackles in a year.

Wilkinson may indeed see a lot more turf this year as SLB Mathias Kiwanuka will also see time on the defensive line as a part of New York’s dynamic pass rush. If Michael Strahan decides to retire, then Wilkinson and Kiwanuka will see their reps increase significantly.

There are also Giant fans out there that have been criticizing the signing of Sammy Knight, who is 32 years old, and has been in the league since 1997. However, it would not have made sense to count on a younger player to fill the role of a guy who recorded 92 tackles in 13 games last season.

Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and the rest of the Giants’ defense doesn’t need to put up with a youngster learning a new system while trying to defend their Super Bowl crown. Remember that Knight played with CB Sam Madison so, in theory, there should be some on-field chemistry between the two defenders.

How the Giants choose to fill the last linebacker spot remains to be seen. As the reigning Super Bowl champs, their spot in the draft will not give them a guaranteed shot at any particular player.

Some may say that with Antonio Pierce, Kiwanuka, Clark, Wilkinson, Zak DeOssie and Chase Blackburn that the Giants have enough guys with NFL experience to fill their active roster.

Others may push for the Giants to pursue that one extra guy when they notice that Antonio Pierce is the only guy in the group who has been a regular starter over the past four seasons for any club.

Shelley Duncan Adds Grit, Loyalty to the New York Yankees

Dan Siegel — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 14:43:07 -0400

Picture man’s best friend. The doorbell rings. Barking ensues followed by some scratching at the door. Open the door and the dog is hopping up on the visitor, salivating and happy to meet his new friend.

Now it’s late at night. There is some rustling in the yard. A little bit of glass shatters. That same bubbly, friendly mutt is still salivating and barking. This time man’s best friend is ready to defend his master’s territory and sink his canines in the thug who was hoping to break in and enter.

Shelley Duncan brings that same dog-like enthusiasm to the New York Yankees.

In 2007, Duncan made a big splash with the Yanks, belting some monster homeruns in his first few at bats a la Kevin Maas and Shane Spencer.

Duncan also got noticed in the dugout (and by the dugout cameras) for his intense high fives and forearm bumps after his own and others’ homeruns. Duncan, along with Joba Chamberlain, injected some life into the floundering 2007 Yankees and helped them reach the playoffs.

This spring, after manager Joe Girardi became furious with the Tampa Bay Rays for injuring a minor league catcher, Duncan took it upon himself to make a hard slide into second base, sending a clear message to the lowly Rays:

Mess with the Yanks and there will be consequences.

This is something the Yankees have lacked over the last few seasons. Really, the only guys who have gone the extra mile to show toughness or intimidate the opponent are Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez—not something a team necessarily wants out of its highest paid superstars.

Most remember Jeter’s face first plunge into the field level of Yankee Stadium to catch a foul ball. This led to some great energy for the Yankees and a disfigured face for Jeter. Derek will often “lay out” for bloopers and balls in the hole and never slows down on the base paths.

Rodriguez has been willing to mix it up in different ways. Many remember his war of words with Jason Varitek and the Sox in Fenway. Most recall last season’s “Haaa” incident against the Blue Jays, causing third baseman Howie Clark to drop a routine popup (Good work, A-Rod).

A lesser-known play occurred in the playoffs against the Red Sox. A-Rod hit a weak grounder in the infield and ran hard to first base. The throw pulled the first baseman off of the bag, forcing him to make a tag play on Alex. A-Rod hit the glove, knocking the ball out and was initially rules safe. The Sox whined and cried about it and the umpires reversed their decision. No, this didn’t help the Yankees, but it showed that A-Rod was trying to do all that he can to help his team win, even if it meant trying to stretch the rules in a non-performance enhancing drug kind of way.

While Duncan could be a valuable contributor to the Yanks, he is not nearly as important as A-Rod and Jeter. Getting a bench/utility/platoon/pinch-hitter type to mix it up now and again should be seen as nothing but a positive asset for the boys in midnight blue.

(Otherwise, Mr. Duncan would be welcome [at least by this fan] to join the guys in blue and orange across town.)

New York Mets: Rick Peterson to Learn from Johan Santana

Dan Siegel — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:51:08 -0400

New York Mets’ pitching coach Rick Peterson joined Rob Dibble and Kevin Kennedy on XM radio’s MLB Home Plate channel to talk about the state of the Mets’ pitching staff.

Peterson immediately received questions about working with Johan Santana.

One might think that the savvy, technologically-oriented Peterson would have gone on to say that he actually noticed flaws in Santana’s mechanics and has found a way to make his changeup more devastating.

Instead, Peterson spoke about how much he is looking forward to learn from Johan. He wants to learn what makes Johan so great and apply that knowledge to teaching some of the younger pitchers.

One thing Peterson was able to pick up on was Santana’s work ethic. Peterson mentioned during the interview that, “…preparation equals performance.” He noted that Santana works hard no matter the situation, whether it is live game action or a side session. Johan always has an intense look on his face whenever a pitch is about to leave his hand.

Peterson stated that he has seen many pitchers with good stuff, in the same class as Santana and Martinez, but many of these guys never make it because they simply do not prepare enough.

He likened it to studying for a test. If the student walks into the test and can start telling someone what the questions are going to be, then that student will ace the exam. Similarly, if a pitcher is prepared for a game, both mentally and physically, that pitcher will have a much easier time getting outs.

In addition to the Santana talk, Peterson reports that Pedro Martinez thinks he hasn’t felt this good in ten years. Peterson told Dibble and Kennedy that having Santana and Martinez as a 1-2 punch is any pitching coach’s dream, and likened it to working with Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, and Barry Zito in Oakland.

Peterson rattled off a list of bullpen candidates who he has been impressed with, including incumbent closer Billy Wagner who has been working on a changeup and a second breaking ball. He also likes the way Pedro Feliciano looks and expects that Feliciano should perform like he has over the last two seasons.

Another lefty Peterson likes is veteran, non-roster invitee Ricardo Rincon. Rincon has yet to give up an earned run this spring and recorded a strikeout in a scoreless inning of work in the latest contest against the Baltimore Orioles. Peterson worked with Rincon in Oakland, which may help Ricardo’s quest to land a roster spot.

Peterson also likes what he sees out of young Joe Smith. Smith matched Rincon’s stats in the eighth inning of the Oriole game, but is sporting a hefty 7.20 ERA from some rough early outings.

Two righties that Smith will be competing with are imports Matt Wise (Milwaukee) and Brian Stokes (Tampa Bay). Both have been solid this spring and have earned Peterson’s praise.

Will Met fans be singing this pitching staff’s praise when October rolls around? Time will tell.

Mets Spring Training: New York Getting Healthy

Dan Siegel — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 14:04:19 -0400

“At least you have your health,” that’s what people in the USA say when the going gets tough.

Unfortunately, the Mets, currently residing in the southern USA, could not have said that.

Brian Schneider, Carlos Delgado, Damion Easley, Marlon Anderson, Jose Valentin, Ruben Gotay, Luis Castillo, Moises Alou, Endy Chavez, Carlos, Beltran, Ryan Church, Orlando Hernandez and Duaner Sanchez have all been without their health for at least part of spring training.

“Time heals all wounds.”

This phrase is usually used more figuratively than literally, but the literal is of more import to the Mets than the figurative. Yes, figuratively, the Mets need to hope the wounds of their September 2007 collapse need to be healed before Opening Day, but the literal wounds of their disabled need to be healed before any figurative healing occurs.

The good news is that Schneider returned to action Saturday and hit a home run.

Easley and Valentin both returned to action this weekend, sharing some time at first base. Delgado claims his bum hip is better and may see some time at DH or first base during the beginning of this week.

Marlon Anderson also rejoined the lineup this weekend, joining some of the younger players on the road.

Endy Chavez started in centerfield on Saturday, collecting a hit and scoring a run.

Carlos Beltran says he is ready to go and Willie Randolph will have to decide whether he want Beltran to take the field on his surgically cleaned-out knees, or ease into things by DHing.

Ryan Church also returned to the lineup on Saturday, hitting the ball hard and moving around well in right field.

Duaner Sanchez worked a scoreless inning of relief this weekend. How soon Sanchez makes his next appearance will be a good indication of whether or not he will join the Mets in April.

Even Orlando Hernandez is reporting that he is ready to go, having worked in the bullpen on his new mechanics to ease the pain on his bunion. El Duque has his sights set on the fifth starter’s role and nothing less.

Unfortunately, there is not much news floating about regarding the health of Luis Castillo. And in this case, one can not say: No news is good news.

Even Moises Alou, already disabled-list bound, is getting ready to rehab from his hernia. He has some exercise bike riding on the horizon.

The good news on Ruben Gotay is that his ankle is not broken, but there is no timetable for his return. Assuming Easley and Anderson continue to be healthy, Gotay could see himself added to the disabled list or see an end to his days as a Met.

In non-health related news, Johan Santana and John Maine have been getting stringer with each spring appearance and appear set to anchor the rotation.

Oliver Perez has not looked sharp and Mike Pelfrey had a setback this weekend, giving up seven runs in his latest start.

Pedro Martinez has not faced opposing hitters yet, but remains on schedule to be the number two man behind Santana.

Billy Wagner, Aaron Heilman and Pedro Feliciano have all been strong and are ready to reprise their roles in the bullpen from last season.

Right-handers Jorge Sosa, Carlos Muniz, Brian, Stokes, Matt Wise, Nate Field, Joselo Diaz and Nelson Figueroa have all been solid and will compete for bullpen spots.

Joe Smith, Ruddy Lugo, and Steven Register have had some bumps in the road and have been the less impressive amongst the right-handers over the past week.

Lefty Scott Schoeneweis has an impressive 1.80 ERA, but allowed three inherited runners to score on Saturday. Another lefty, Willie Collazo had a rough first outing but has since shown some improvement.

Ramon Castro, Jose Reyes and David Wright have been the few healthy major league position players.

Angel Pagan is tops amongst all NL position players in hits this spring. His steady play along with Alou’s injury have helped his case for a major league roster spot.

The question remains as to whether or not Omar Minaya will bring in another right-handed bat to replace Alou and serve as a compliment to Church and Delgado. Olmedo Saenz has hit well this week and even made a diving stop at first base on Saturday to save a run.

The team. The injuries. The questions. The Mets.

Yankees Talk: Joba Chamberlain Could Be New York's Next Great Closer

Dan Siegel — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 06:28:30 -0500

Most of what one hears when listening to New York Yankees coverage is the question of whether phenom Joba Chamberlain is going to end up in the bullpen or in the starting rotation in 2008. This chatter mainly has to do with what will be best for the 2008 Yankees.

But what about the 2009 Yankees? The 2010 Yankees? The 2020 Yankees?

Why look ahead to 2020?

Well, let us remember 1996.

A young Mariano Rivera quickly made a name for himself as the dominant set-up man in the AL.

A starter in the minor leagues, Rivera was called up to the Yankees in 1995 for some extra pitching depth. After starting, he worked in long relief, slowly but surely gaining the trust of manager Joe Torre.

He gradually worked his way up to being the primary set-up guy to closer John Wetteland. Even after helping the Yanks win the 1996 World Series, Rolaids Relief Man Award winner Wetteland and the Yankees knew that Johnny could find work elsewhere since Rivera would be the closer of the future.

Now it is 2008. Rivera is 38 years old. He is signed to be the Yankee closer through age 40.

In 2007, Mo had his highest ERA since becoming a closer and his lowest amount of saves since 2002. He is still amongst the league’s best, but clearly not the same dominant force he once was.

Part of this decline is due to age, and part is due to the amount of work he has had because of shoddy set-up men pitching before him.

The one name that does not give Yankee fans ajada is Joba Chamberlain. Joba posted a 0.38 ERA in 19 regular season appearances out of the bullpen for the Yankees last season.

His blazing fastball and hard slider helped propel the Yankees from their first playoff absence in over a decade to, well, another first round absence.

Nobody knows if Rivera can stay healthy for the next three seasons, but Yankee fans do know that they cannot trust Kyle Farnsworth and LaTroy Hawkins to safely get the ball to Mo in 2008.

A 1-2 punch of Joba and Mo would have opposing knees shaking in the eighth and ninth innings and also limit the amount of times new manager Joe Girardi would have to rely on Farnsworth, Hawkins, and the rest of the little yellow bus known as the Yankee bullpen sans Rivera and Joba.

The duo of Joba and Mo would be able to go head to head with any other American League duo, including the Bston Red Sox’ Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon.

Using Joba in the eighth would also cause a chain reaction of other relievers being worked less and the starters being worked less.

This would be especially helpful considering the rotation will likely include two youngsters, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, as well as aging vets Mike Mussina and the HGH-less Andy Pettitte.

Assuming that Chien-Ming Wang continues to be dominant and Hughes and Kennedy are all they are cracked up to be, the Yankees would have a strong trio of young pitchers for the next decade and beyond.

Sure, Chamberlain would be a great person to make that trio a quartet, but the Yankees would then have absolutely zero idea of who could fill the void in the bullpen.

Even if Mo is dominant over the next three seasons, a 25-year-old Joba Chamberlain coming into the game in the ninth inning is something this baseball fan would put money on for the next ten years.

Mets Spring Training: Moises Alou's Future and Other Burning Questions

Dan Siegel — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:45:01 -0500

Barry Bonds. Sammy Sosa. Kenny Lofton. Reggie Sanders. Preston Wilson. Jay Payton. Xavier Nady. Marcus Thames.

What do these names have in common?

No, it is not the long awaited sequel to The Mitchell Report (The Mitchell Report 2: Deuces Are Wild).

Rather, it is a list of players suggested to replace hernia victim Moises Alou and the rest of the Mets’ infirm.

Omar Minaya seems to have dismissed the idea of signing Bonds or Sosa, stating on MLB.com that he would prefer to "…go with someone internal right now."

Of course, baseball fans know that “right now” means:

We are actively searching for players who are better than the schlubs that are currently on the roster.

Kenny Lofton’s name has been floated around by Newsday and some blogs, but Lofton is not right-handed, nor able to fill in at first base. He would also be another member of the 40 and over crowd.

Reggie Sanders and Preston Wilson are both free agents, so the Mets would not have to part with the little trade-able talent, but nobody knows how much these veterans would command and how happy they would be in a part-time role once the outfield is back at full-strength.

Jay Payton comes with a hefty price tag and his own injury-riddled history. The Baltimore Orioles would probably like some young pitching in exchange for Payton, rather than a “your bad contract (Schoeneweis) for our bad contract (Payton)” deal.

The Mets have little to offer the Pirates for Xavier Nady, unless they are secretly pining for a young reliever. The Pirates are also not in a position to take on a big contract.

Marcus Thames seems to be the popular choice, with Detroit having a crowded outfield and some vacancy in the bullpen. Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press reports that the Tigers may be interested in right-handed relievers Joe Smith, Matt Wise, or Jorge Sosa. Thames is a favorite of Tiger manager Jim Leyland, so don’t go packing his bags just yet.

One Tiger name who is less frequently linked to the Mets is that of Brandon Inge. With the upgrade at third base in the form of Miguel Cabrera and the crowded outfield, Inge is out of a starting job and has not been happy about it. The Tigers have been giving Inge a lot playing time this spring, more to showcase the utility man that to appease him.

If the Mets have eyes for Inge, they should act fast because the Dodgers are interested in his services s an insurance policy for the aging Nomar Garciaparra and the young James Loney.

Dodger skipper Joe Torre would relate well to Inge, another catcher-turned-infielder, and would remind him of a similar player: Jim Leyritz (hopefully in his ability in the batter’s box, not the drunk driving, steroid use…).

Can the Mets afford to part with any of the aforementioned bullpen talent? With Duaner Sanchez needing a week between appearances, Smith, Rule V pick Steve Register, and others like Brian Stokes and Nate Field may be competing for Sanchez’s projected opening day spot while Duaner gets his arm in shape.

The Mets also have to consider the second base situation. Ruben Gotay has been spotted with a boot on his bum ankle (a la Tom Brady) and Luis Castillo still has yet to play in a Spring Training game.

Jose Valentin is not ready, and Damion Easley may only see his first action this weekend. Gotay’s ability to be traded has now become doubly compounded with his injury making him less appealing to other teams and the need for him to be around in case Castillo is not ready to go.

The starting rotation continues to have question marks. Pedro Martinez’s first start was rained out. He will have worked a simulated game on Friday and, on paper, is on pace to be the number two starter behind Johan Santana.

Orlando Hernandez threw a 45-pitch bullpen session, displaying his new delivery to ease the pain to his bunioned right foot. However, El Duque and the Mets are uncertain as to what effect his new mechanics will have on his effective.

2008: Your injuries have come.

Mets Spring Training: Pitching Shows Promise, Position Players Ail

Dan Siegel — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 10:42:59 -0500

The Flushing Faithful can stop panicking…sort of.

Johan Santana and John Maine have shown improvement since their first starts of the spring. Most importantly, they are healthy.

Pedro Martinez will have taken the mound for the first time when seven o’clock passes on Thursday night.

Petey still suffers from foot pain but he said in Newsday, "It still hurts. There are landings when I do feel it, but I have to put it away in my mind."

Oliver Perez was shaky in his first start, but he too has his health.

One who doesn’t have his health is Orlando Hernandez. El Duque has been working on his own to alter his delivery to avoid the pain caused by a bunion on his right foot.

Thankfully, Mike Pelfrey has gotten off to a great start, shutting down the opposition and getting those ground-ball outs Met fans have heard so much about.

The good news for the rotation is that the Mets do not need a fifth starter until mid-April, so as long as a foursome of Santana, Pedro, Maine, Perez, Pelfrey, and El Duque are ready to go, the Mets can buy themselves some time with a straggler or two and carry extra position players or relievers.

Assuming Pedro is healthy, Santana, Pedro, Maine, and Perez will start out the year as the top four starters, with Pelfrey possibly hanging around Florida for a couple of extra weeks getting more work and waiting to see if El Duque has his podiatric situation resolved.

The bullpen has been strong so far this spring. Regulars Billy Wagner, Aaron Heilman, and Pedro Feliciano are good to go.

Scott Schoeneweis has looked good his last couple of outings. Duaner Sanchez finally got into a game, and although not yet on is early 2006 form, his progress is promising.

If Sanchez is not yet ready to go, Matt Wise, Brian Stokes, Jorge Sosa, Rule V pick Steven Register, and non-roster invitee Nate Field have all been solid.

Juan Padilla also made an appearance on the mound, but still needs some time. Joe Smith has given up some runs, but also got a big double play in the latest contest against the Dodgers.

A team can never have too much pitching, which is a good thing for the Mets, because as of now, they don’t have enough hitting.

Moises Alou has already recorded his first MRI of the season, suffering from a sore groin.

Carlos Delgado and Ruben Gotay have been scanned, poked, and prodded with Delgado suffering from a balky hip and Gotay being bothered by wrist and ankle injuries.

Delgado has since resumed training, hitting off a tee.

In addition to Gotay, second baseman Luis Castillo and utility men Damion Easley and Jose Valentin continue to be held out of action as they recover from their 2007 injuries.

This leaves light-hitting Anderson Hernandez at the top of the second base depth chart for now. Hernandez did record a couple of hits, including the game winner against the Dodgers on Wednesday, but don’t call him Joe Morgan just yet.

At least the left side of the infield is healthy with David Wright and Jose Reyes seeing regular action this spring.

There was even a slight scare with Reyes as he fouled a Brad Penny pitched off of himself, but Jose has been in the lineup the last couple of days.

And then there is the outfield.

In addition to Alou, Ryan Church is still sidelined from his collision with Marlon Anderson resulting in a concussion. Anderson is out too with a bruised sternum and jaw.

Carlos Beltran and Endy Chavez join Castillo, Easley, and Valentin on Willie Randolph’s “not ready for action” list.

Without the aforementioned names, off-season re-acquisition Angel Pagan has seen the bulk of the action in center field.

His bat has been hot while his glove has been questionable, committing an error against the Marlins and having some issues cutting off balls in the gap.

Luckily, this behavior seems to be atypical for Pagan who only committed one error in parts of two seasons with the Cubs.

Another Met second-timer, non-roster invitee Brady Clark, has stepped up to the plate in the outfield, hitting a respectable .273 this spring as of Wednesday.

He has been inconsistent in the field, also having trouble judging the ball, but had a nice diving catch against the Dodgers.

Young Fernando Martinez has also filled in, hitting .300 after going 2-3 against the Dodgers on Wednesday. He has also been shaky in the field, making spectacular catches one day and dropping routine fly-balls the next.

Assuming Church and Anderson return soon, Martinez will start the year off in the minors with many of the above names being well-seasoned.

The catching situation has also unexpectedly caused some befuddlement.

Brian Schneider has come up with a bad hamstring leaving the majority of the work to Ramon Castro and the little yellow bus full of non-roster invitees that are hoping for jobs in New Orleans.

Castro is only hitting .118 despite a hot start to the spring games. Prospect Mike Nickeas is hitting .333 in limited action.

Are all of these injuries something to worry about, or is all the buzz simply the result of over-attention by the growing number of media outlets covering these players’ every moves?

One thing is for certain; if a Met fan finds himself at a minor league game this season, chances are the names on the lineup card will look familiar from March.

New York Mets: Who’s on First? What’s on Second? Who the Heck is in the Bullpen? What about the Outfield?

Dan Siegel — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 17:12:48 -0500

Willie: So, Omar, who’s on first?

Omar: Whaddya mean who’s on first? Delgado’s on first.

Willie: No, no, O. Delgado’s got the hip thing.

Omar: OK, OK, so put Anderson on first.

Willie: O-man, Anderson got his jaw knocked around by the right fielder.

Omar: Jeez Louise. Maybe I oughta trade a pitcher or too. See ya, Willie.

Willie: Whoa, hold up a second. What about second?

Omar: Willie, my man, you said Gotay’s all we got right now.

Willie: He’s getting his wrist and ankle checked out in New York. And he’s starting to lose it in the field.

Omar: So let Castillo, Easley, or Valentin get some reps.

Willie: Not ready yet Omar.

Omar: Sure they are.

Willie: Not ready yet Omar.

Omar: OK, OK.

Willie and Omar thought they were going to have it easy this spring. Almost all of the roster spots were set, and there would be a little healthy competition for the fifth starter’s role. Of course when El Duque’s involved the word healthy shouldn’t grace the newsprint.

Now Willie and Omar are faced with the possibility of another year of a sub-par Delgado with nagging injuries and an aging corps of utility players who are quickly disappearing.

With Marlon Anderson’s collision with Ryan Church, Ruben Gotay’s wrist and ankle issues, and Damion Easley’s and Endy Chavez’s slow recoveries, the primary subs all need subs of their own.

Olmedo Saenz was brought in to compete for a spot and help out at first base, but the only lineup he seems destined for is at the buffet.

The Mets and Jose Valentin both know he won’t be ready for the start of the season, so scratch that option.

With the reports that Omar has been trying to shop underachieving lefty reliever Scott Schoeneweis and journeyman righty Jorge Sosa, perhaps reinforcements are on the way. But who wants an aging lefty reliever with a big contract?

Look no farther than the cross-town rival Yankees. The Bombers are hoping that young Chase Wright or Sean Henn can step up and come in to get out tough lefties like nemesis David Ortiz. Their other option right now is failed experiment Kei Igawa and his bad haircut.

What would be wonderful would be Scott Schoeneweis and some cash to the Yankees for 1B/OF Shelley Duncan. Mr. Duncan is a right-handed hitter with some pop, a good attitude, and a hunger for some playing time. He could fill in for Ryan Church in right field against a tough lefty or do the same at first for Delgado. If (when) Moises Alou goes down, Shelley could also patrol left and keep some right-handed pop in the lineup.

The Yankees could afford to part with Duncan as they have a plethora of guys trying to win a spot as an extra outfielder/first baseman/pinch hitter. Veteran Jason Lane can do all of these things and is a better fielder that Duncan, so the Yankees could go in that direction.

Another option could be Tigers’ utility man Brandon Inge, who can play the outfield, the corners, and act as a third catcher. For that to work, the Mets would have to throw a lot of cash Detroit’s way with some of this big salaries on that club.

Bring the kiddies. Bring the wife...Can they play right field to save their lives?

New York Giants Sign Safety Sammy Knight

Dan Siegel — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 11:28:21 -0500

Welcome to New York, Mr. Knight.

GM Jerry Reese wasted little time in finding a suitable replacement for Oakland-bound Gibril Wilson, inking Sammy Knight to a three-year, $5.15 million deal.

One will have difficulty criticizing the Giants with this one. They saved upwards of $10 million by not signing Wilson and obtained a guy with an impeccable stat sheet.

Knight had played in 16 games in 10 of 11 seasons.

He has over 1,000 career tackles and 42 interceptions.

With Antonio Pierce being a tackling machine one level in front of him, don't expect Knight to have a 100 tackle season, but expect that he may build upon his nine career sacks in Steve Spagnuolo's defense where the blitzes can come from anywhere on the field.

Knight also played in Miami with cornerback Sam Madison, so the two should take less time to gel and will provide him with a familiar face.

James Butler will flank Knight as the other safety. Madison, Aaron Ross, and Corey Webster will battle for the starting corner jobs.

New York Mets' Spring Training: Week in Review

Dan Siegel — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 17:23:55 -0500

Bring on the Dodgers. The Mets have proven they can beat that club, so go ahead and pencil in six wins for 2008.

Now, how the team might fare against the rest of the league remains to be seen.

Speaking of being seen, Luis Castillo, Carlos Beltran, Damion Easley, Jose Valentin, Endy Chavez, Pedro Martinez, and El Duque have yet to show themselves in a Spring Training game. Willie has been reluctant to give these guys a start due to recovery from injuries, surgeries, root canals, and bunions.

Pedro is slated to see some time on the mound on March 6th.

Let’s take a look at how the rest of the Amazins have performed in their first week of spring action.

Starting Pitchers

Mike Pelfrey has been the stud of the bunch, not giving up a run in his first appearance.

Johan Santana, John Maine, and Oliver Perez all got knocked around but still have their health. Youngsters Jonathan Niese and Eddie Kunz were effective.

Relief Pitchers

Willie is preparing Billy Wagner and Aaron Heilman for a lot of work. They’ve already appeared in multiple games and are on schedule to throw some more frames at the beginning of the upcoming week.

Both have been effective, excepting the game against the University of Michigan.

Jorge Sosa, Brian Stokes, Matt Wise, Ruddy Lugo, Steven Register, Pedro Feliciano, Joselo Diaz, and Nate Field have been solid. Joe Smith, Scott Schoeneweis, and Duaner Sanchez were inconsistent.

Still, the fact that Sanchez actually pitched should be seen as a positive.

Catchers

Brian Schneider has been suffering from "leg soreness," so Ramon Castro has seen the bulk of behind-the-plate time, with the unimpressive cast of non-roster invitees filling in as well.

Infield

Carlos Delgado is already bothered by a hip. His replacement, Marlon Anderson, got into a collision.

Cuban defector Michael Abreu—a first base candidate—started off hot, but has since cooled down. Hot at the plate is Ruben Gotay, who homered from the right side against the Cardinals.

Anderson Hernandez has also seen a lot of time and has even been able to get his bat on the ball.

David Wright has performed, well, as David Wright. Jose Reyes has been hustling, looking to be back in pre-September 2007 form.

Outfield

Ryan Church was involved in the collision with Anderson and suffered a concussion. We have heard no updates on his condition as of yet.

Brady Clark and Angel Pagan have looked solid at the plate, but shaky in the field. Against the Cardinals, Clark let a pop up fall right in front of him. Pagan has had similar troubles judging the ball.

Fernando Martinez has shown some flashes of ability, getting a hit against Michigan and making a great diving catch in left field against St. Louis.

With Easley yet to see action, Delgados’ nagging hip, and the Church-Anderson collision, Omar better get on the phone and look for some more help with the right field/first base/bench situation.

Anybody know what Bobby Bonilla is up to these days?

Giant Holes: New York's Defense Loses Three Starters to Free Agency

Dan Siegel — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 16:58:49 -0500

The magnificent performance by the Giants’ defense in the Super Bowl may have won them the Lombardi Trophy, but it also may have cost Big Blue the chance to repeat.

Most of the big signings in this NFL offseason have been on the defensive side of the ball, and three teams have gone straight to ripest fruit of the bunch, that of the Super Bowl champion New York Giants.

Linebacker Kawika Mitchell barely finished combing his hair after the Giants’ victory parade and was already headed upstate to Buffalo.

Safety Gibril Wilson looked like he was going to trade in his meatball hero for a cheese-steak hoagie when along came ol’ money bags himself, Al Davis, to give Wilson over six million reasons to set up residence in Oakland.

Then, Tuna and the Dolphins were able to net linebacker Reggie Torbor and seal him up to a four-year deal.

Well, those three guys can worry about losing for the next three years while Giants’ GM Jerry Reese will try to piece together a new “D” for 2008.

Mathias Kiwanuka likely will retake his starting linebacker job that Torbor filled when Kiwi became bruised up during the season.

However, many observers could see that Kiwanuka was overmatched at times against the pass and served the team better to be back on the line in those situations.

With Michael Strahan’s career status up in the air, Kiwanuka may find himself back in the mix with Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck at DE. And, with Mitchell off to whiter pastures, Reese better find two guys ready to flank Antonio Pierce for the Giants’ mid-level battalion.

Wilson was one of the stronger players in the Giants’ secondary over the last handful of seasons, which was consistently identified as the weak link of the defense.

The Giants may fill that void at safety with another Wilson, Eugene Wilson of the New England Patriots, but they will have to compete with the Buccaneers, Jaguars, and Jets (who just lost their safety Erik Coleman to Atlanta) for his services.

Further impetus to find suitable replacements is provided by the fact that the Eagles have inked Asante Samuel and Chris Clemens to bolster their defensive unit.

Perhaps all-pro TE Jeremy Shockey could serve as trade bait to bring back a defense starter or a higher draft pick, but the G-men still seem reluctant to move him.

Unfortunately, in the business of pro sports, money, not championships, talks.

In addition to coping with the loss of three defensive starters, the Giants will have to deal with Umenyiora, WR Plaxico Burress, and T Davud Diehl all seeking pay raises.

A repeat would be nice, fellas.

New York Rangers: Week in Review

Dan Siegel — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 16:22:05 -0500

Five points separate the Rangers from the top spot in their conference.

Five points also separate the Rangers from being an also-ran.

The Blueshirts have won four straight, dating back to last Saturday and are the hottest team in the Eastern Conference at 7-1-2. Perhaps more importantly, their record has been the awakening of the dormant Ranger offense, which scored at least four goals in all of their victories over the past eight days.

The NHL as a whole was busy this past week with the trading deadline, and the Rangers were a part of that frenzy.

One of their moves involved a Hossa, sending the less-talented Marcel out to Phoenix. It also saw the departure of a former first-round draft pick, goaltender Al Montoya, in the same deal.

Though somewhat surprising that a goaltender with so much promise brought back seemingly little, the Rangers may have done themselves a favor by not changing the fabric of their team, while still showing the veterans who is pining for the Stanley Cup, and that the team is intent on winning.

Newcomers Christian Backman and Fredrik Sjostrom have already made their way into the lineup and onto the score sheet. Backman and the Madison Square Garden penalty box should also become well acquainted, with another newcomer, Josh Gratton, also set to spiff up the décor of the sin bin.

The Rangers’ approach this week seems to have been a successful one. Hit hard, shoot often, and take care of your own end. The Flyers had more success than others breaking through the Rangers’ defense, but the Blueshirts stepped up when backup goaltender Stephen Valiquette was summoned to save the day.

This week, the Rangers face off against the cross-town rival Islanders, who are currently on the outside looking in on the playoff picture. The Isles have been tough on the Rangers since the return from the strike and this week should be no exception.

San Antonio Spurs: Week in Review

Dan Siegel — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 15:42:47 -0500

9-0, 13 of 14, first place in the Western Conference…

Really, “Week in Review” doesn’t do the Spurs justice.

Okay, this week was significant in that the Spurs welcomed newcomer Kurt Thomas into the lineup (more on that later) and saw a healthy Tony Parker retake the starting point guard spot.

It was also significant in that they beat nemesis Dallas by three, beat Milwaukee in the final seconds, and came back from a dismal start against Atlanta. It was significant in that the Spurs have effectively silenced the critics who thought that San Antonio was not the top team in the West and does not have a chance to repeat.

“Month in Review” for the month of February (throw in the end of January and the beginning of March too) would be a more fitting title for this article.

Over this stretch of great basketball, which included the end of the infamous “Rodeo Road Trip,” the Spurs only gave up more than 100 points once, which was during a win against King James and his highness’ not-yet custom, Wally Szerbiak-ed, pimped-out Cavs. This is a clear measure that the defense is working on all cylinders, a sign that the Spurs have hit their stride and are not looking back.

Sure, they may want to look back at the Yao-less Rockets (winners of 14 straight, and losers of the Great Wall), the are-you-Kidd-ing-me Mavs, and the Sun-ny-side-up-with-a-side-of-corned-beef-Nash-and-a-decaf-Shaq Phoenix club. And don’t forget about Kobe-on-the-Gas-ol-grill in Los Angeles. (Have you had enough of this yet?)

These other teams may have made a big splash, but the fact that the Spurs did not change the fabric of their team at the trading deadline and stuck with their core guys may work in their favor. (Hey, it looks like Brent Barry found his way back to town!)

Although Kurt Thomas could run with the other guys in silver and black right away, Coach Gregg Popovich is generally slow to give newcomers a lot of minutes. Pop needs to make sure the new guys learn the system and will play defense before he can trust them.

Look for more great play from San Antonio en route to the playoffs. A streaking Manu Ginobili, a consistent Tim Duncan, a healthy Tony Parker, and a quiet, hard-working, and talented supporting cast are poised to hoist another NBA title in Bexar County, Texas.