Our Ike Davis May Not Even Be The Best Ike Davis

Ike Davis is as confused about the title of this post as he is with a bat in his hands.

I'm sure you're looking at the title of this post, scratching your head and wondering what the fudge I'm talking about.  Well, the Ike Davis currently playing for the Mets is not the first player named Ike Davis to suit up for a major league team.  And with the way the 21st century Ike Davis is playing, the 20th century Ike Davis might soon be the better of the two Ikes.

Isaac Marion Davis (better known as Ike Davis) was a shortstop who played all or parts of three seasons for the Washington Senators and Chicago White Sox from 1919 to 1925.  The 20th century Ike Davis only compiled 732 plate appearances in the big leagues, but despite his lack of power (no home runs) and low batting average (.235), he found other ways to help his team win.

After Ike Davis Version 1.0 played in eight games for the 1919 Senators and ten games for the 1924 White Sox, he was named the Pale Hose's starting shortstop in 1925.  In his only year as a full-time player, 20th century Ike reached base 213 times in 146 games, collecting 135 hits, drawing 71 bases on balls and absorbing seven HBPs.  Old Man Davis also scored 105 runs in 1925, ripped 31 doubles and nine triples, and picked up 40 sacrifice hits while stealing 19 bases.

If you look at the American League leaderboard for 1925, you will find Davis' name everywhere.  He finished in the league's top ten in plate appearances (8th), runs scored (8th), walks (10th), stolen bases (4th), hit by pitch (8th) and sacrifice hits (2nd).  He wasn't just a good handler of the bat.  He also finished in the league's top ten in various defensive categories.  Davis had 472 assists at shortstop (2nd in the A.L.), made 313 putouts at short (3rd) and led the league with 97 double plays turned.  (He also committed a league-high 53 errors, but have you seen the gloves used by players back in the day?)

The first Ike never played in the majors again after 1925, and played his last game in the minors in 1928.  He then settled in Tucson, Arizona, where he lived until he passed away in 1984, three years before Isaac Benjamin Davis was born.

Ike B. Davis has played all or parts of four seasons for the New York Mets from 2010 to 2013.  After a promising rookie season in which he hit .271 with 19 homers and 71 RBI, Ike II got off to a wonderful start in 2011, batting .302 with seven homers and 25 RBI in 36 games before a fluke on-field injury cut his season short.

Since returning from his injury in 2012, Ike Davis Version 2.0 has been a shadow of his former self.  Although he did hit 32 homers and drove in 90 runs in 2012, Davis batted only .227 and struck out 141 times in 519 at-bats.  He's been even worse in 2013, managing a .143 batting average with four homers, nine RBI and 53 whiffs in 147 at-bats.  Combining his 2012 and 2013 seasons, Old Man (Before His Time) Davis has batted .209 with a .291 on-base percentage, striking out 194 times in 666 at-bats, while collecting only 139 hits.

The current Ike Davis has rarely appeared in the league's top ten in any offensive or defensive category.  He was the National League's fifth-leading home run hitter in 2012 and finished in the league's top ten in double plays turned by a first baseman in 2010 (2nd in the N.L.) and 2012 (4th), but that's pretty much it.

Ike Davis the First had a great season in 1925 but did not play in the majors after his one phenomenal campaign.  Ike Davis the Second has never had a great year by today's standards and is currently in the midst of a historically bad season.

It wouldn't take much for a player to have a better overall career than Isaac Marion Davis.  After all, he only played one full season in the majors and small snippets of two others.  But Isaac Benjamin Davis is on his way to becoming the second-best Ike Davis in major league history.  His current batting average over four seasons (.240) is getting dangerously close to his predecessor's .235 career mark.  And both players now have .324 lifetime on-base percentages.

Prior to the 2012 campaign, the Mets expected Ike Davis to be one of the offensive leaders on the team.  But not only has he failed to become that leader, he might not even be the best Ike Davis in history.  With every strikeout and defensive gaffe, 21st century Ike continues to close the gap between the Davises.  And if he doesn't watch out, the Mets' Ike Davis might just close out his stay in the majors almost as fast as 20th century Ike did.

The Convenience of Rain Before A Nationally Televised Game

On Friday night, the Mets and Braves were about to start the ninth inning of a 5-5 game when the drizzle failed to fizzle.  The downpour caused the umpires to call for the grounds crew to put the tarp on the field, where it remained until the game was suspended just before midnight.

There would be no fireworks at 4am, no Keith Hernandez making six outs and still hitting for the cycle (although Ike Davis was making a bid for six strikeouts) and no Rick Camp exhumation for an unlikely homer in the 18th inning.

No, that was in 1985.  The 2013 umpires are a tad more reasonable (except for Angel Hernandez) and they decided to resume the game on Saturday at 6:10pm, approximately one hour before the regularly scheduled game at 7:15pm.

Why was a suspended game the best case scenario for Papa Smirk and Little Jeffy Wilpon?  It's all about the national TV audience.

The conveniently-timed suspended game is sure to turn the Wilpons' frowns upside down.

Tonight's regularly scheduled game was picked up by FOX.  The Mets have other games on the FOX Saturday schedule this year, but this was to be the only night game aired by the network.  It's also the only Saturday night game scheduled at Citi Field this year.

According to mets.com, any fan who was in attendance at Friday's suspended game can exchange their ticket stubs for both the conclusion of the game and the regularly scheduled game (seats subject to availability).  They are also entitled to the John Franco bobblehead giveaway and the post-game pyrotechnics display, which was originally set to go off last night before the rains served as a natural extinguisher.

Putting two and two together (no, we're not adding Ike Davis' daily strikeout totals there), that means fans who went to last night's game and fans with tickets to tonight's game have the right to occupy seats at Citi Field tonight.  So the ballpark is going to be more packed tonight than it would usually be, especially with the dozens of fans who are sure to brave the elements once again.

Hmmm, I wonder if the Mets' decision to allow fans from the first game to stay for the second game has anything to do with those national TV cameras that will also be in attendance covering the game for the FOX network?  I mean, it would surely make the team look really good for the national TV audience to see more fannies in the seats, don't ya think?

Rainouts are never a good thing for the players, umpires and fans.  But suspended games can be wonderful for a team's image.  And the timing of last night's called game and tonight's resumption has everyone involved saying "how convenient".  Maybe that'll wipe the smirk off Fred Wilpon's face once and for all.

Live from New York, It's Saturday Night (at Citi Field)!

Ballapeño's Bullpen: Ike Davis Commits A Brain Peo

¡Hola, señoras y señores!  This is Ballapeño Pepe Sanchez Gomez del Chapulín Colorado, although you might know me by the one-word moniker Ballapeño.  I’m like Cher, Madonna, Prince and Cantinflas, only younger and more handsome (although Cantinflas did beat me in the sense of humor department).

In today’s edition of Ballapeño’s Bullpen, I will discuss Ike Davis.  This season, he has been throwing many peos at the plate and now his particularly pungent play has extended to his defense.  For those of you who don’t know what a peo is, let’s just say it’s something that stinks and makes people want to run for the exits, just like fanaticos de los Mets have been doing whenever Ike Davis has been guilty of throwing a peo or two during a game.  And he saved the greatest peo of all for Wednesday’s matinee against los Rojos de Cincinnati.

Wednesday was Cinco de Matt-o at Citi Field, meaning it was the fifth day since Señor Matt Harvey’s last appearance.  Señor Harvey did not have his best stuff on Wednesday against a team that was muy póderoso.  He was removed from the game with one out in the seventh inning and the game tied at dos.  However, reliever Scott Rice inherited two of Señor Harvey’s baserunners when he was brought into the game.  Needless to say, against a powerful lineup like Cincinnati’s, Señor Arroz turned into a real pollo.   By the time the seventh inning was over, los Mets were down, 4-2.  Nueva York did come back to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh.  (Of course, Ike Davis was not part of the rally.  If he was, the inning would have ended before the tying run got a chance to cross el plato.)  The game remained tied until the ninth inning, when Ike Davis threw a killer peo.

With one out and runners at the corners, Brandon Phillips hit a bouncing ball near the bag at first.  Señor Davis, who was standing near the foul line, assumed the ball was going to go foul and did not make an attempt to field it.  Clearly, Señor Davis must have graduated with honors from the Timo Pérez School of Assumptions (for all you muchachos out there who don’t know anything about this school, just Google “Timo Pérez 2000 World Series Game 1” and you will receive una educación you will never forget).  Naturally, the ball stayed fair while Señor Davis’ reputation as a legitimate major leaguer went foul.  The brain peo allowed the go-ahead run to score and set off a chain of events that would lead to a 7-4 defeat to los Rojos.

That's the look of a man who just committed a major brain peo.

(Photo by Howard Simmons/New York Daily News)

There are peos and then there are PEOS.  Ike Davis has thrown many PEOS at the plate this year, striking out with men everywhere almost as much as Elaine Benes did on Seinfeld.  But on Wednesday, Señor Davis threw the most pungent peo of them all.  He made an incorrect assumption at first base which led directly to a disheartening defeat.

When most players are on the field, they’re constantly using their brains to make wise decisions in the event a ball is hit in their general vicinity.  But nothing wise came out of Ike Davis’ brain on Wednesday in the ninth inning.  Something else came out instead.  And Mets fans in attendance were forced to endure the stink his brain peo left at Citi Field.

Our Savior Has Arrived!

On Sunday, Bobby Parnell notched his sixth save of the season, recording the final three outs of the Mets' 4-3 victory over the Cubs.  With the save, Parnell now has 20 in his six-year career with the Mets.  Now that may not seem like much, but it does give Parnell a special title.

Tell me, my fellow Mets fans.  Do you know which homegrown Met has the most saves in team history?  That would be Tug McGraw, who had 86 saves in a Mets uniform.  (Jesse Orosco, who had 107 saves in Flushing, made his major league debut with the Mets, but was originally drafted by the Minnesota Twins and made his professional debut in their minor league system.)

McGraw is followed by Roger McDowell (84 saves), Neil Allen (69 saves), Randy Myers (56 saves), Doug Sisk (33 saves), Bob Apodaca (26 saves), Danny Frisella (24 saves) and Parnell.

Did you notice that all of the homegrown relievers ahead of Parnell pitched for the Mets exclusively in the '60s, '70s and '80s?  When Randy Myers was traded for John Franco after the 1989 season, that began a nearly quarter century stretch in which the Mets went with closers whom they traded for or signed as free agents.

First it was John Franco (acquired from Cincinnati).  Then it was Armando Benitez (acquired from Baltimore).  Benitez was followed by Braden Looper (free agent signing), Billy Wagner (free agent signing), Francisco Rodriguez (free agent signing) and Frank Francisco (yup, another free agent signing).  During that 20-plus year stretch, homegrown pitchers were used to close games primarily when the incumbent closer needed a day of rest or was on the disabled list.

So since the departure of Randy Myers following the 1989 campaign, which homegrown pitchers have registered the most saves for the Mets?  Here is the top three list:

• Bobby Parnell (20 saves)
• Anthony Young (18 saves)
• Aaron Heilman (9 saves)

The only homegrown pitchers to record at least ten career saves for the Mets since Randy Myers' last season in New York are Anthony Young and Bobby Parnell.  Young is also the only homegrown closer since 1990 to record an individual season of more than seven saves when he saved 15 games in 1992 - the same year he began his major league-record 27-game losing streak.

Bobby Parnell has been given the closer duties by manager Terry Collins.  He is the first homegrown pitcher since 1989 to earn that responsibility out of spring training.  And he is now the team's all-time saves leader for homegrown pitchers since that year.

The Mets have not developed many closers over the past quarter century, choosing to bring in closers from other teams.  Bobby Parnell is finally getting a chance to become the next Tug McGraw, Roger McDowell or Randy Myers.  If he succeeds, he stands to join those pitchers as the best homegrown closers in franchise history.

Our ninth inning savior has finally arrived!  And his name is Bobby Parnell.  It sure is nice to see a familiar face on the mound in the ninth inning instead of a recruit from another team.

This is a scene that very few homegrown closers have been able to repeat.

If At First You Don't Succeed, Try Again In The Minors

There has been much talk and speculation recently about the possible demotion of Ike Davis to the minors.  Such discussion is certainly warranted considering Davis' performance over the first 40 games of the season.

The Mets' struggling first baseman is hitting .156 with four homers and nine RBI.  His on-base percentage is an unhealthy .238 and his .259 slugging percentage is lower than what his batting average should be.  His 2013 numbers through 40 games are very similar to what he put up last year at the same juncture (.160/.220/.298, five homers, 14 RBI).

Clearly, Ike Davis needs a change of scenery to have any hope of salvaging his season.  A demotion to AAA-Las Vegas might not be the answer, as the altitude at Cashman Field and other Pacific Coast League ballparks might give him a false sense of confidence if he hits well there like most other hitters do.  After all, hitting a few thousand feet above sea level is not the same as hitting a few thousand millimeters above Flushing Bay.

Sending Davis to AA-Binghamton might be the medicine needed to cure his ills at the plate, since his offensive numbers would not be inflated there as they would be in Las Vegas.  And if the Mets need an example to prove to them that sending a struggling first baseman to the minors could be just what the doctor ordered, they can flip through the pages of their own history books and find a similar case that occurred over forty years ago.

Ladies and gentle-Mets, I give to you the case of one Edward Emil Kranepool.

A little minor league seasoning made Eddie steady at the plate.

In 1970, veteran first baseman Ed Kranepool got off to a start that would even have Ike Davis shaking his head.  Through his first 26 games, Kranepool was hitting .118 with no homers and one RBI.  The New York native was barely getting any playing time and as a result, his offensive production was suffering.  In late June, the Mets sent Kranepool down to AAA-Tidewater, where the 25-year-old flourished.

Playing in 47 games with the Tides, Kranepool hit .310 with eight doubles, three triples, seven homers and 45 RBI.  By mid-August, the Mets were convinced that Kranepool's time in the minors was going to help him produce at the major league level, so they promoted him back to the big club.  However, the platoon of Donn Clendenon and Art Shamsky at first base relegated Kranepool to pinch-hitting duties, but when he did get a chance to hit, he performed well, batting .308 with a .357 on-base percentage in 14 plate appearances.

By the start of the 1971 campaign, Kranepool had won back his job as the lefty-hitting component of the first base platoon with Donn Clendenon.  Kranepool responded by putting up career highs in many offensive categories.  Although he only had 467 plate appearances in 1971 - he had already completed three seasons in which he reached 500 plate appearances - Kranepool set new career marks in RBI (58), runs scored (61), batting average (.280), on-base percentage (.340) and slugging percentage (.447).  He also recorded his second 20-double campaign and launched 14 home runs, while becoming one of the toughest hitters to strike out in the National League (33 strikeouts in 467 plate appearances).

Kranepool's success was not limited to the 1971 season.  In 1972, the first baseman and part-time outfielder batted .269 and contributed 24 extra-base hits in 327 at-bats.  After a subpar 1973 campaign, Kranepool rebounded to hit .300 in 1974 and a career-high .323 in 1975.

Although Kranepool was now in his 30s and a veteran of 14 seasons in the big leagues, he continued to hit in 1976 and 1977, combining to hit .287 with 34 doubles, 20 homers and 89 RBI in 696 at-bats over the two seasons, all while maintaining his excellent ability to make contact (58 strikeouts in 764 plate appearances).

From the time he made his major league debut in 1962 to his career-changing demotion in 1970, Kranepool hit .246 with a .300 on-base percentage, .358 slugging percentage and a .658 OPS (on-base plus slugging).  He produced 188 extra-base hits in 2,917 at-bats (an average of 15.5 AB/XBH) and walked 227 times while striking out on 361 occasions.  After he was promoted back to the Mets in August 1970, Kranepool was a changed man.

Beginning with his first game back on August 14, 1970 and lasting through the end of the 1977 season, Kranepool hit .284 with a .340 on-base percentage, .407 slugging percentage and a .747 OPS.  Kranepool collected 168 extra-base hits in 2,270 at-bats (an average of 13.5 AB/XBH) and drew 205 walks while striking only 189 times.

Kranepool's demotion turned him into a hitter who drove the ball more often - on average, it took him two fewer at-bats to collect an extra-base hit - and forced pitchers to throw him strikes, as evidenced by his 16 more walks than strikeouts following his demotion after striking out nearly twice per every free pass prior to his time at Tidewater.

So what's the point of this Ed Kranepool history lesson?  Simply stated, if at first you don't succeed, try again in the minors.  It worked for the 25-year-old Kranepool when he was shipped off to Tidewater.  It can work for the 26-year-old Ike Davis as well, but only if he is sent to Binghamton instead of Las Vegas.

Ike Davis has never been a good contact hitter, striking out 356 times in 1,306 career at-bats.  But he did hit for a decent batting average prior to the 2012 season (Davis hit a combined .271 in 2010 and 2011) and his .357 on-base percentage and .817 OPS were better than average in his first two seasons with the Mets.

Perhaps if Ike Davis closes his eyes, he won't be able to see his lofty strikeout totals.

The Mets have a history of getting good performances from their veteran players after sending them on an unexpected trip to the minors.  Steve Trachsel was a completely different pitcher after his demotion in 2001.  Trachsel was 1-6 with an 8.24 ERA before being sent down to AAA-Norfolk.  He was 10-7 with a 3.35 ERA after he was recalled from the minors.  Trachsel's resurgence came just one year after the Mets sent veteran right-hander Bobby Jones to Norfolk after he posted a 16.20 ERA in his first three starts of the 2000 campaign.  Upon his return to the major leagues, Jones posted an 11-5 record with a more respectable 4.56 ERA.  He also threw a complete-game one-hit shutout to clinch the National League Division Series for the Mets against the Giants.

Of course, those were pitchers who fared well after their time in the minors.  But the Mets have also seen hitters do well after a short stint in the minors.  And one particular hitter who learned greatly from his time away from the parent club was Ed Kranepool.

All the Mets have to do is dust off the team's history books and look at what happened when they sent Kranepool to the minors in 1970.  The first baseman came back from his minor league stint and turned into one of the steadiest hitters in the lineup for years following his demotion.  The same thing can happen to the Mets' current first baseman if the team isn't afraid to send Ike Davis to Binghamton.

Ed Kranepool wasn't succeeding at first in 1970, so the Mets gave him a little minor league seasoning to inject some life back into his career.  The Mets must try that formula again in 2013 to help Ike Davis get back to the level he fell from after suffering a season-ending injury in 2011.  The recipe for success is right there.  The Mets just have to be willing to try it again.


A special tip of my Mets cap must go to my fav'rit Gal For All Seasons for bringing up the topic of Ed Kranepool while discussing Ike Davis' problems at the plate.  Her timely recollection helped inspire the piece you just finished reading.

A Different Kind of Jinx

Photo by David Banks/USA TODAY Sports

Matt Harvey was on the cover of this week's Sports Illustrated.  As anyone who knows anyone about sports, this "honor" is usually associated with a jinx, conveniently known as the Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx.  If you are unfamiliar with this jinx, here are a few examples.

In 1978, Pete Rose appeared on the cover of the magazine.  That week saw the end of his National League-record 44-game hitting streak.  In 1987, Cory Snyder and Joe Carter of the Cleveland Indians graced the cover along with a large Indians logo and the headline, "Indian Uprising".  The team then went on to finish the year with a major league-worst 61-101 record.  More recently, in 2010, Stephen Strasburg was featured on the cover just two months before he was forced to miss the rest of the season and most of the 2011 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery.  And who can forget Nelson Cruz of the Texas Rangers appearing on the cover of the October 24, 2011 issue of Sports Illustrated, just a few days before he misplayed David Freese's potential World Series-ending fly ball into a game-tying, two-run triple?

The jinx isn't limited to baseball, as football players, race car drivers, boxers, and countless other athletes have succumbed to the power of the periodical's curse.

Rarely has anyone been able to escape it.  It has also been said that its power is greater than the John Madden video game curse and even the notorious Joey Jinx, which has struck the Mets not once, but on numerous occasions.

That brings us to Matt Harvey, who is this week's Sports Illustrated cover model.  In his first start since gracing the magazine's cover, Harvey appeared unfazed by the jinx.  Not only did he get credit for his first win since April 19, but he also drove in what proved to be the game-winning run in the seventh inning.  Clearly, Matt Harvey has developed some kind of immunity toward the fabled curse.  But in developing that immunity, he seems to have deflected the jinx to all those around him.

Harvey has started nine games for the Mets in 2013, with the team winning seven of those nine starts.  But the Mets have gone on to lose all nine games immediately following his starts.  It's almost as bad in the second game following a Harvey start.  The Mets have won just three of those games this year.  That means the Mets are a combined 3-14 in the two games immediately following a game in which Matt Harvey took the mound.  (Tomorrow's affair will be the second game after Harvey's ninth start and is obviously not yet included in the aforementioned 3-14 record, although it wouldn't be much of a surprise if that number became 3-15 within the next 24 hours.)

The jinx isn't only limited to this season.  In fact, it began with Harvey's first start in the majors last July.  Harvey made ten starts for the Mets at the end of the 2012 campaign.  In the ten games immediately following a Matt Harvey start, the Mets went 3-7.  Let's do a little simple math now, shall we?

Matt Harvey has started 19 games for the Mets in his career.  The Mets have won ten of those 19 games, including seven of nine this year.  New York has also played 19 games after a start by Harvey.  The team has lost 16 of those 19 games.  That's 10-9 (starts by Harvey) vs. 3-16 (starts by the next schlemiel).

Is it possible that Sports Illustrated had this issue planned long before Matt Harvey's major league debut last year and it didn't see the light of day until this past week?  Are they aware Matt Harvey is immune to the cover jinx but is able to deflect the bad mojo associated with it to his fellow starters?

We may have discovered a new strand of the Sports Illustrated Cover Curse, one that doesn't affect the athlete on the cover, but spreads to those around him.  Clearly, Matt Harvey is not down with the SICC-ness.  It's just his fellow moundsmen who continue to be down in the loss column.
 

Flashback: May 17, 2007 - Rally At The Old Shea Corral

Photo by Lucas Jackson/Reuters

Six years ago today, the Mets were playing the finale of a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs at Shea Stadium.  Because the Mets were about to play their crosstown rivals in the Subway Series the following night, manager Willie Randolph decided to keep most of his regular players on the bench for the Thursday matinee to keep them fresh for their weekend tilt against the Yankees.

Out were Jose Reyes, David Wright and Carlos Beltran.  In were Ruben Gotay, Julio Franco and Endy Chavez.

By the sixth inning, the Cubs had a four-run lead on the Mets behind starting pitcher Juan Guzman.  When the Mets came up to bat in the bottom of the ninth, they were trailing 5-1 and closer Ryan Dempster was summoned by manager Lou Piniella in a non-save situation to record the final three outs.  Dempster never even recorded out No. 2.

Randolph was content to let his big boppers stay on the bench in the ninth, but his replacement corps made him reconsider his original plan by reaching base against Dempster.  First, David Newhan lined a single to center.  Then Carlos Gomez stroked a one-out single of his own.  A walk to pinch-hitter Carlos Beltran loaded the bases for Endy Chavez, who also took ball four.  That made the score 5-2.  With Dempster needing to throw strikes, Ruben Gotay lined an 0-2 pitch to left for an RBI single.  Now the tying run was in scoring position and the winning run was on first.  That was all for the Cubs' closer, as Lou Piniella removed a livid Dempster for the left-handed Scott Eyre.

With the bases loaded and the Mets now trailing 5-3, David Wright came off the bench to pinch-hit for the lefty-swinging Shawn Green.  Prior to the at-bat, Wright had never appeared as a pinch-hitter in 1,776 career plate appearances.  It took one pitch for Wright to have a 1.000 career batting average as a pinch-hitter.  Wright’s RBI single off Eyre closed the deficit to 5-4 and kept the bases loaded for Carlos Delgado - one of the few everyday players who played all nine innings.

After a 2006 season in which Delgado produced 38 HR and 114 RBI, the first baseman underachieved during the first month and a half of 2007.  Entering the day, Delgado was batting .217 with three homers and 19 RBI in 36 games.  But he had always done well against Scott Eyre, collecting three hits and four walks against the southpaw in 11 career plate appearances for a gaudy .636 on-base percentage.  After taking a first-pitch ball from Eyre, Delgado grounded a hard smash that found a hole between first and second, scoring Chavez from third base with the tying run and Gotay from second with the winning run.

Photo by Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Incredibly, the Mets scored five runs in the ninth inning, snatching an improbable 6-5 victory from Lou Piniella and the Cubs.  The win allowed the Mets to go into the Subway Series on a high note, while the Cubs went back to Chicago wondering what went wrong.

This year, neither New York nor Chicago are doing particularly well.  With the Astros now playing in the American League, the Cubs have spent most of the season in Houston’s customary spot - the basement of the National League Central - while the Mets are playing like a team determined to finish in fourth place for the fifth consecutive season.

Today, on the six-year anniversary of their thrilling come-from-behind win against Chicago, the Mets are opening up a three-game series with the Cubs at Wrigley Field.  Only David Wright remains from the team that rallied from a four-run ninth inning deficit on May 17, 2007.  But just because most of the names have changed doesn’t mean the Mets aren’t capable of giving their fans a reason to believe.

Anything can happen on the field on any given day.  Six years ago today, something special did happen on the field at Shea Stadium.  Through sheer willpower and their unwavering desire to win, the Mets pulled off an unlikely victory over the eventual Central division champion Cubs.  It just goes to show that even when all appears lost, there is always a glimmer of hope that the day can end with a happy recap.

These Mets Are Streaking Like Few Mets Teams Have Streaked Before

With tonight's 4-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, the Mets have suffered six consecutive defeats.  It marks the second time the team has gone through a six-game losing streak in 2013.  How rare is it for the Mets to lose at least six straight games twice before they had played 40 games?  It's only happened three times before, and it hadn't happened in over three decades.

In 1981, the Mets were 4-4 after nine games (one game ended in a tie).  Immediately after that rare tie, the Mets embarked on a seven-game losing streak to fall to 4-11.  By May 9, the Mets were already 8-15 and eight games out of first place.  They then proceeded to lose their next nine contests to fall to 8-24.  Fortunately, the mid-season strike and subsequent unlikely pursuit of the second half division title made most people forget about the putrid first half of the season.

Sixteen years prior, the team went through two separate six-game losing streaks.  After a decent (for them) 6-7 start in 1965, the Mets dropped six in a row to fall to 6-13.  Immediately after their first six-game losing streak, the Mets won seven of their next 11 games, only to lose another six straight to drop to 13-23.  The Mets would go on to lose 112 games that year, meaning they had plenty more long losing streaks during the season.

And then there are the 1962 Mets.  The team with the all-time worst record in the modern era also became the first Mets team to suffer two losing streaks of at least six games within the first 40 games of the season.  The expansion Mets lost their first nine games of the season, but then went 12-10 over their next 22 games.  The success was short-lived, as the Mets followed up their better-than-medicore 22-game stretch with a still-standing club record 17-game losing streak.  Since the first nine games of the skein occured within the first 40 games of the season, the 1962 Mets became the first team to endure multiple six-game losing streaks in the first quarter of the season.

The Mets have rarely had more than one six-game losing streak in the first 40 games of a season.  They accomplished that futile feat three times in the franchise's first 20 seasons, but had not suffered the indignity over the last 32 years.  That is now a thing of the past, as the 2013 Mets have just lost six straight games for the second time this season.

During the franchise's first few seasons, the Mets were known as lovable losers.  But there's nothing lovable about losing in 2013.  Long losing streaks will tend to take the love out of any fan base.
 

DJ Joey B Presents: A Scott Atchison Top Ten List

What's up, Mets fans?  It's time for our latest countdown.  Today, I'm spinning a special playlist for you.  You see, everyone's favorite AARP member, Scott Atchison, has been placed on the disabled list with bone spurs in his elbow.  He has been replaced on the active roster by Collin McHugh, a pitcher young enough to be his son. 

That's what the Mets want you to believe.  But this DJ knows better.

It's no secret that Scott Atchison has not been pitching well this year.  And after I reveal my special top ten list, it'll also be no secret what the real reasons are for the Mets reserving a room for Captain Graybeard at the DL Hotel.  Let's boogie!

Top Ten Reasons Why Scott Atchison Was Really Replaced On The 25-Man Roster:

10.  Julio Franco was upset that Atchison was about to pass him as the oldest player to ever don a Mets uniform.

9.  The Mets were afraid that the Geritol in Atchison’s locker would cause him to test positive for PEDs.

8.  Shaun Marcum felt uncomfortable that reporters were mistakenly calling him Scott Atchison.

"Hello, SNY viewers.  Please don't call me Scott Atchison.  I'm Shaun Marcum."

7.  There was no money in the budget for a Scooter to transport Atchison from the bullpen to the mound.

6.  Justin Turner was afraid he’d knock out Atchison’s dentures if Atchison ever did anything pie-worthy.

5.  Fred Wilpon found out that Atchison was the one stealing signs at the Polo Grounds when Bobby Thomson hit the Shot Heard ‘Round The World to take the pennant from his beloved Brooklyn Dodgers.

4.  When Jay Horwitz butt-dialed Scott Atchison, Atchison responded by saying he didn’t accept collect calls.

Scott Atchison doesn't accept collect calls?  He is a pitied fool.

3.  The Mets did not want turmoil in the clubhouse after Matt Harvey took offense to Atchison calling him a young whippersnapper.

2.  Atchison was taking up too much space on team flights by insisting on carrying his Betamax and 8-track tape players on every road trip. 

… and the No. 1 reason why Scott Atchison was really replaced on the 25-man roster is …

1.  Betty White kept calling the clubhouse asking when Atchison was getting off work. 

 "Scott!  Oh, Scott!  Don't you walk away from me!  I can hear your creaking joints all the way over here!"

The Real Reason Why Angel Hernandez Blew The Home Run Call

On Wednesday night, infielder Adam Rosales of the Oakland Athletics hit what appeared to be a dramatic game-tying homer off Cleveland Indians' closer Chris Perez with two outs in the ninth inning.  But the long drive was ruled a double by the umpires, and after a quick check of instant replay, the call was upheld.

There was only one problem.  Instant replay clearly showed that the ball was indeed a home run, striking a metal railing above the yellow line at the top of the left field wall.  But even with a set of electronic eyes in the replay room, the umps still got it wrong.  And who was the crew chief that was probably watching Law & Order: SVU instead of the actual home run replay?  None other than longtime Mets' nemesis Angel Hernandez.

But even though Oakland manager Bob Melvin might not forgive Hernandez for his egregious call, we at the Studious Metsimus staff do.  After all, we know that Hernandez is still mourning the loss of his umpiring mentor.

In November 2010, the great comedic actor, opera singer and umpire Leslie Nielsen passed away at the age of 84.  The versatile thespian was influential to many comedians for his deadpan delivery on screen, but his work in the first "Naked Gun" film was a little too influential to an enemy of Mets fans (and now A's fans, as well).

For years, Mets fans have had a hate/hate relationship with umpire Angel Hernandez.   His strike zone has been wider than CC Sabathia's waistline whenever the Mets are batting.   He has also developed a rare form of temporary blindness that has resulted in numerous calls at the plate going against the Mets, as Mike Piazza (circa 1998) and Paul Lo Duca (circa 2006) can attest.

Whenever Angel Hernandez has been on the field for a Mets game, bad calls have always followed.  Therefore, it should come as no surprise to Mets fans that he has based his entire style of calling games on the umpiring work of Leslie Nielsen.  Don't believe me?   Take a look at this video clip, which Hernandez accidentally left behind the last time he umpired a game at Citi Field.



When John Franco went ballistic on Hernandez after his blown call at home plate gave the Braves a crucial victory over the Mets in 1998, that was Leslie Nielsen's influence.  Similarly, when Paul Lo Duca spiked the ball at home plate after another poor call by Hernandez during a game in 2006, it was right after the arbiter had viewed his favorite film (or as he liked to call it, his umpiring instructional video).

Angel Hernandez has been working with a heavy heart since the end of the 2010 campaign, when his mentor and inspiration passed away.  Most teams honor those who have died by wearing black patches or armbands on their uniforms, such as the "Kid 8" patches the Mets wore in 2012 to honor Gary Carter.

Hernandez has also worn black to honor the late Leslie Nielsen, but he has been wearing it in a way that is not only appropriate in cold weather cities (like Cleveland last night), but has allowed him to come up with new excuses for missing critical calls against the Mets and other big league teams (see photo below).

Yes, that really is Angel Hernandez under all that black.

Leslie Nielsen starred in countless films over his long career.  His passing in November 2010 has been mourned by millions of fans worldwide.  But one fan has been taking it just a little harder than most.

Nearly thirty months ago, Leslie Nielsen passed away at the age of 84.  This Mets blogger has missed him for his comedic acting ability and impeccable timing, but surely Angel Hernandez has missed him for quite a bit more (even if he just called you Shirley).