A Joey and Iggy Beartran Thanksgiving (2018)

Happy Turkey Day from Joey, Iggy and the original Snoop Dog!  (Ed Leyro/Studious Metsimus)

Hello, Mets fans!  We're Joey and Iggy Beartran.  As you know, Thanksgiving is the best holiday of the year, mainly because it gives us a chance to pig out and not feel guilty about it.  You know, kind of like the Wilpons not feeling guilty for always leaving their wallets at home every time free agent season arrives.

Iggy and I don't have pockets, so at least we have an excuse not to carry wallets around.  We do, however, have many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

So finish off that stuffing, don't hog all the white meat (saying that for a friend) and move away from the TV since none of the football teams you root for are playing today.  Instead, tell your family that you have to leave early to start your pre-Black Friday shopping and then spend a few minutes of your day reading about what we're thankful for.  There's always Cyber Monday for you to actually do that shopping, just like there's always the 2024 season for the Wilpons to sign the best players from the 2018 campaign.

Here we go!




       The Peanuts crew re-enacts what guests are being fed at a Wilpon family Thanksgiving.



Joey:  I'm thankful that the Cy Young Award voters realized that Jacob deGrom was the best pitcher in the National League, despite what his won-loss record said.

Iggy:  And I'm thankful I live in New York and not San Diego, where that one loser who voted for Max Scherzer lives.  He thinks wins matter for starting pitchers.  Of course he likes wins.  After all, it's a win for him that I'm not out there or else I'd have whacked him in San Diego.

Jacob deGrom tips his cap to all who gave him a first place vote; all 29 of you.  (Elsa/Getty Images)

Joey:  I'm thankful our Studious Metsimus colleagues took us to the Show Me State to visit Busch Stadium and Kauffman Stadium.  I now have just six stadiums left to complete my tour of all 30 ballparks.

Iggy:  And I'm thankful we made it out of Missouri alive.  After all, the Mets lost both of the games we attended in St. Louis and we were constantly reminded of the Mets losing the World Series to Kansas City in 2015.  I also got an upset stomach for what passed for ballpark food at Busch Stadium.

Joey was less than satisfied with the potato knish and the Mets' performance in St. Louis.  (EL/SM)

Joey:  I'm thankful we got to see David Wright retire on his own terms.  After two-plus years trying to get back to the big leagues, he was finally able to put on his Mets uniform once again and come off the field a final time after playing his customary third base position during the season's next-to-last game.                   

Iggy:  And I'm thankful David's final press conference didn't go down the same road that Mike Schmidt took during his.

                 YouTube video posted by James Lorenz.  Tears by Michael Jack Schmidt.

Joey:  Finally, on a similar but non-Mets related note, I'm thankful we got to see Adrian Beltre at Citi Field just after he collected his 3,000th hit in 2017.  Beltre recently announced his retirement after 21 seasons in the big leagues, and it was an honor to see a future Hall of Famer in action while he was still on top of his game.

Iggy:  And I'm thankful Chase Utley retired without getting another World Series ring.  Now that he's no longer playing, he'll have plenty of time to touch second base since he still hasn't done that since October 2015.

Newly retired Chase Utley will now only have himself to beat up instead of opposing players.  (Juan DeLeon/Getty Images)

Even though the Mets were less than mediocre for a second consecutive season, the team still gave us plenty to be thankful for.  Class acts like Jacob deGrom and David Wright will always make the Mets easy to root for, even when they're not scoring any runs for deGrom and he doesn't get the wins needed to please Mr. San Diego journalist guy.  I do, however, hope Clueless Joe gets a Hall of Fame vote because there's no way he's voting for Utley and his 1,885 hits to make it to Cooperstown.  Hits matter to dinosaur voters like him.

And that's all for today, folks.  From our family to yours, we'd like to wish you a happy and healthy Thanksgiving.  Please be sure to keep your leftovers refrigerated and the spare keys to your home somewhere our paws can get to them.  After all, writing Turkey Day blog posts can make bears quite hungry!

LET'S GO METS!!

On frigid days like today, I kinda wish the baseball hot stove was actually a real stove.  (EL/SM)

A Joey and Iggy Beartran Thanksgiving (2017)

After attending the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, it's time to share what we're thankful for!

Hi, Mets fans!  We're Joey and Iggy Beartran and today is the most wonderful day of the year.  It's Thanksgiving, a day in which we gain all the weight we say we're going to lose in six weeks once we make our New Year's resolutions.  But we know that promise to lose weight is just a lie, just like the Mets saying they have payroll flexibility when we know they're returning empty bottles and cans to the supermarket just to collect the five cent deposit.

Speaking of five cents, Iggy and I are going to contribute ours to this blog post, as we share what we're thankful for as the baseball off-season continues and the countdown to Opening Day begins in earnest.  (For all you kids out there, March 29 is only 126 days away.)

So sit back, stop watching football games that don't involve the team you root for, ignore the awkward photos your aunt Tillie is trying to show you at the adults' table - don't you wish you were still young enough to sit at the kids' table - and enjoy reading what we're thankful for.  Since we all rooted for the Mets in 2017, I can guarantee this read won't take too much time away from your Thanksgiving plans.

Dig in to our blog post!

Joey:  I'm thankful we got to visit two new ballparks this year, as we attended games at SunTrust Park in Atlanta (a Mets win) and Marlins Park in Miami (let's not talk about the final result of that one).

Iggy:  I'm thankful we didn't have Matt Harvey starting both games we went to on the road.  I almost got whiplash from twisting my head so much to watch all the hits he gave up in Miami.  I would have had to fly home in a neck brace had he started in Atlanta as well.

Spoiler Alert: This was the final score of the game we went to in Miami.

Joey:  I'm thankful for Terry Collins.  Although he won't be back to manage the Mets in 2018, he did the best he could with the Quadruple-A players he was forced to put in the lineup because of injuries to the established major leaguers on the roster and the financial restraints that wouldn't allow the front office to give All-Stars like Daniel Murphy more than $36 million over three seasons.

Iggy:  Joey, you're just thankful for Terry Collins because you liked having a guy on the Mets who was your height.  I'm more thankful that Mickey Callaway is now the Mets' manager.  He knows how to deal with pitchers and has a plan in place.  Plus, he turned Corey Kluber from a mediocre pitcher to a two-time Cy Young Award winner.  If he could do that, he could turn Matt Harvey back into a guy who won't hurt my neck to watch him pitch, g*d*mmit!

Matt Harvey in cartoon form.

Joey:  I'm thankful Michael Conforto and Yoenis Céspedes should be back at full strength come Opening Day.  When healthy, they can each hit 30 homers and drive in close to 100 runs.

Iggy:  And I'm thankful we have Juan Lagares, Brandon Nimmo, and the scrap heap outfielders Sandy Alderson will eventually sign by promising them a couple of bucks and a coupon to Shake Shack.  Because you don't know how Conforto and Céspedes will play after the former got hurt swinging the bat and the latter got hurt running to the bank to deposit his gargantuan check before they closed for the day.  (Yoenis should really get direct deposit.  Just sayin'.)

This high-five is an injury waiting to happen.  (Elsa/Getty Images)

Joey:  Finally, I'm thankful the team is doing whatever it can to return to prominence after its two-year postseason run ended with a disappointing 70-92 campaign in 2017.  Whether it be signing a free agent, trading for a veteran All-Star caliber player, or just improving the way players train during the off-season, the Mets are not going to roll over and die in 2018.

Iggy:  I'm just thankful Ray Ramirez's career with the Mets rolled over and died.

Ray Ramirez is not impressed.  (Amazin' Avenue via SNY)

Well, that's all folks!  Despite the Mets' poor performance in 2017, we still found things to be grateful for on this Thanksgiving Day.  Although I feel like Iggy was more thankful to have a platform in which to voice her displeasure at the team than anything else.

From our family to yours, we'd like to wish you a very happy Thanksgiving.  We hope you enjoy your holiday feasts and be sure to save some leftovers for us.  We already have a disgruntled bear in Iggy today.  There's no need to make her hangry as well.

LET'S GO METS!!

As always, ya gotta believe.  Even if the team is coming off a miserable year.

Smoke And Mirrors (The National League Playoff Race)

The upcoming All-Star Break is what is traditionally considered to be the end of the first half of the season.  But being the stickler that I am for mathematical detail, I know that all teams in baseball have already passed the halfway point of the season, having played at least 81 games of their schedules.

Since teams now have less than half of their schedules remaining to be played, now would be a good time to start looking at the playoff race in the National League.  And what an odd race it's shaping out to be.  As of today, the three division winners in the NL would be the Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers, with the two wild card spots being claimed by the San Francisco Giants and Cincinnati Reds.  The Mets are a half-game behind the Reds for the second wild card spot.  The Braves are a half-game behind the Mets and the Cardinals are a half-game behind the Braves.  Got that?  Good.  Because it just gets more confusing after that.

None of the five teams currently holding playoff spots made the playoffs last year.  The top two teams on the outside looking in (Mets, Braves) also failed to crash the 2011 postseason party.  Are those seven teams really that good to be competing for the right to extend their season well into October?  Or are they just winning with smoke and mirrors?

The Washington Nationals currently have the best record in the National League.  They have had this success while being in the lower half of the league in batting average, stolen bases, on-base percentage and runs scored.  As of today, Bryce Harper leads the team with a .283 batting average.  He is also the only regular on the team with an on-base percentage higher than .340.  Second baseman Danny Espinosa leads the team with 14 stolen bases, but he is one of only four Nationals who have stolen more than three bases.  Meanwhile, the Mets' Jordany Valdespin stole four bases in one game on Monday before being recalled to the majors this week.

The Nationals are winning with pitching, pitching and more pitching.  Washington leads the league with a 3.23 ERA.  None of their starters has an ERA above 3.73 and four of their relievers (Tyler Clippard, Craig Stammen, Sean Burnett, Ryan Mattheus) have ERAs below 2.00.  Those four pitchers have combined to allow 27 earned runs in 141.1 IP.  Compare that to former Met Manny Acosta, who allowed 29 earned runs BY HIMSELF in only 22 IP.

The only thing scarier than this photo of Manny Acosta was Manny Acosta's ERA.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have the second-best record in the National League, one percentage point ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Pittsburgh hasn't had a winning season since Willie Randolph was a Met ... as their second baseman!  Since Barry Bonds* defected to the land of BALCO following the 1992 campaign, the Pirates' best season was in 1997, when they finished in second place in the NL Central with a 79-83 record.  But with a 46-37 record this year, they might just finish with their best record in two decades.  As bad as the Nationals are offensively, the Pirates are even worse.  The team is batting .243 (13th in the NL) with a league-worst .298 on-base percentage.  They're also near the bottom of the league in runs scored (12th), hits (15th), doubles (13th), stolen bases (14th) and walks (15th).  But for all the flaws they might have, the Pirates are winning with the two Ps - power and pitching.

The Pirates have hit 85 HR, good for 6th in the NL.  They are led by third baseman Pedro Alvarez and centerfielder (and top MVP candidate) Andrew McCutchen, who have both hit 16 HR.  Utility player Garrett Jones has also shown impressive power in limited plate appearances, stroking a dozen home runs on the season.  Over 40% (137) of the Pirates' 329 runs have scored on home runs this year, which has offset the team's low on-base percentage.  In addition to their long ball prowess, the Pirates have also had exceptional pitching performances from unexpected sources.  James McDonald has pitched like a Cy Young Award candidate all year, going 8-3 with a 2.45 ERA while holding opposing hitters to a .197 batting average.  And seriously, who expected Yankee castoff A.J. Burnett to be 9-2 at this point of the season?  In the bullpen, Joel Hanrahan has saved 22 games and is on pace for his second straight 40-save season.

The Los Angeles Dodgers were riding on MVP candidate Matt Kemp's coattails for the first month of the season en route to the best record in baseball.  Then Kemp went on the disabled list and the offense crashed harder than a Chicago Police Department cruiser chasing Jake and Elwood.  Take Kemp's numbers out of the Dodgers' team stats and the rest of the roster has combined for 37 HR in 2,661 at-bats.  That's worse than Joel Youngblood's power numbers as a Met (38 HR in 1,897 at-bats for the Mets from 1977 to 1982).  Despite the fact that Kemp has been out of action for nearly two months, his 28 RBI are still the second highest total on the team.  Simply stated, the Dodgers sans Kemp make the Nationals and Pirates look like offensive juggernauts.  But just like the Nats and Bucs, the Dodgers can claim one key strength - they can throw the baseball with the best of them.

Kemp and the Youngbloods - a much better name for a band than Hootie and the Blowfish.

The Dodgers are second to the Nationals in team ERA (3.26) and have an impressive front of the rotation with reigning Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw (6-5, 2.91 ERA. 1.06 WHIP) and former Met Chris Capuano (9-3, 2.62 ERA, 1.12 WHIP).  To close games, they have one of the best young studs in the game in 24-year-old Kenley Jansen.  Jansen has 15 saves since becoming the team's closer in late April.  In his last 33 appearances, Jansen has been practically unhittable, holding opponents to a .111 batting average while compiling a 1.39 ERA.  For the year, Jansen has struck out almost half of the batters he's faced and has a phenomenal 14.3 K/9 IP rate, which is actually slightly lower than his 15.0 K/9 IP rate for his career.

The San Francisco Giants have no power (50 HR, good for next-to-last in the NL), strike out way too much (555 Ks, also next-to-last in the NL) and don't walk enough (239 BB; 13th in the NL).  They also lost their closer (Brian Wilson) to an injury and their ace (Tim Lincecum) has been lit up like the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree (6.08 ERA, 1.55 WHIP).  So how are they competing for the division in the NL West?  By beating up on the NL Central.

The Giants are 17-9 against the six teams in the Central division, but are a .500 team (29-29) against all other opponents.  The other four teams in the NL West are a combined 37-41 against the teams from the Midwest.  Of course, it's not just their dominance over their Central division foes that has kept the Giants in contention.  The three-headed pitching monster of Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner and Ryan Vogelsong have combined to go 26-11 with a 2.73 ERA and 1.05 WHIP for the Giants.  Also, fill-in closer Santiago Casilla has been Brian Wilson-esque, racking up 21 saves with a 2.84 ERA.  And who actually expected Melky Cabrera to hit almost .360 in the first half of the season?

The Cincinnati Reds had recent playoff experience two years ago, but stumbled in 2011.  Now they're back in contention for their second division title in three years after failing to make the playoffs in every season since 1995.  They're not succeeding because they get on base.  In fact, their .248 team batting average and .314 on-base percentage puts them 10th in the National League in both categories.  They're not succeeding because of their starting pitching.  Other than All-Star snub Johnny Cueto (9-5, 2.35 ERA, 1.13 WHIP), the rest of the staff is mediocre at best.  Bronson Arroyo, Mat Latos, Mike Leake and Homer Bailey have yet to miss a start (the Reds have only used five starting pitchers all year), but perhaps they should since all they've been able to produce is a combined 20-19 record with a 4.02 ERA and 1.24 WHIP.  But they are succeeding greatly in two places.

The Reds hit for power.  Lots of it.  Other than catcher Ryan Hanigan, the other seven regular starters have all hit at least eight home runs.  They also hit a ton of doubles.  Seven players have hit at least 11 doubles, with three of those doubles already having reached 20 doubles.  Joey Votto leads the planet in two-base hits with 35, putting him on pace to break Earl Webb's 81-year-old record of 67 doubles in a season.  In addition to the extra-base excellence, the Reds also have a sneaky good bullpen.  Of the eight pitchers the Reds have used in relief this year, only one (Bill Bray) has an ERA above 4.00.  Five of the eight relievers (Aroldis Chapman, Jose Arredondo, Sean Marshall, Alfredo Simon, J.J. Hoover) have ERAs of 3.00 or lower.  They also strike out a ton of batters, fanning 243 batters in 215.1 IP.

The Braves and the Mets are currently on the outside looking in, but both teams have gaping holes that leave people wondering how they've been able to contend for the majority of the season.  The Braves do not have anyone on the team with more than 50 RBIs yet.  Michael Bourn has nearly half of the team's stolen bases.  (Bourn has 23 SB; the rest of the team has 26.)  Take out the lost-for-the-season Brandon Beachy (2.00 ERA) and closer Craig Kimbrel (1.45 ERA), and you're left with a team that has a 4.31 ERA.  That's not a very good team.

Forget the planet.  The Mets have the worst bullpen in the Milky Way.  No other bullpen is even close.  The Mets' bullpen ERA has been at or above 5.00 for most of the season.  Plus Ike Davis has hit like Mario Mendoza.  Plus Lucas Duda's would be the worst fielder on Charlie Brown's team.  Plus the Mets have used 22 pitchers this season (the Reds have only used 13).  So why are the Braves and Mets competing?  Each team can do something better than anyone else in the league.

Sorry, Charlie.  We didn't mean to insult your team by comparing their defense to Lucas Duda's.

The Braves have the best road record in the National League.  At 24-17, they have a winning percentage of .585 away from the House that Ted Built.  The ability to win on the road has kept the Braves from languishing in the depths currently occupied by the Marlins and Phillies in the NL East.  (Both Miami and Philadelphia have losing records on the road.)  What about the Mets?

The Mets hit better than any team in baseball when the number '2' is flashing under the word 'outs' on the scoreboard.  The Mets have scored nearly half of their runs (185 out of 391) and have hit nearly 50% of their home runs (33 out of 71) after two men have been retired in an inning.  Furthermore, with multiple men on base, the Mets have hit an astounding .309 (134-for-434), with a .376 on-base percentage and .493 slugging percentage.  Of course, having a top three in the rotation of R.A. Dickey, Johan Santana and Jonathon Niese doesn't hurt either.

So in conclusion, there isn't a dominant team in the National League.  You won't find a 1986 Mets in this year's crop of contestants.   Every division race is still up for grabs.  Both wild card spots have multiple teams gunning for them.  The teams that make up the top half of the National League all have good reasons for being up there.  But they also have some pretty big holes they'll need to fill if they want to remain in contention throughout the second half of the season.

The Mets have been winning with smoke, mirrors and two-out hits for three months now.  But what happens if the mirror breaks?  What happens if the fire is put out?  What happens if those two-out hits find opponents' gloves?  The team needs to repair its leaky bullpen, add a potent right-handed bench not named Jason Bay and hope the starting rotation holds up or three more months.  If they don't, then they'll need more smoke, more mirrors and more teams to fold so that they can still be playing meaningful games in September for the first time since 2008.  It's certainly going to make for an exciting second half of the season.

Are You Ready For Some Baseball?

The Mets will raise the curtain on their 2011 season tonight against the Florida Marlins, the team that finished ahead of them by one game in the 2010 National League East standings and won one too many games against them at the end of the 2007 and 2008 seasons. Despite the fact that most prognosticators (including this spherical one) have the Mets finishing around the .500 mark and no higher than third place, does that mean fans should give up on the season before the Opening Day player introductions are made?

Opening Day is the one day of the season when all teams are tied for first place, when every team believes this will be THEIR year. The Mets are no different. Why can't the Mets compete in the National League East or for the wild card? When the umpire tells the players to "play ball", is he writing it on paper? No, he is not. That's because the games aren't played on paper. So when everyone concedes the division to the Phillies and their R2C2 pitching staff (Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels), they're doing it because they're the sexiest team on paper. When so-called experts say teams like the Braves, Cardinals, Brewers, Padres and Rockies are all going to be contending for the wild card (if not their division title) come September, they're doing so on the proverbial paper.

No one foresaw the San Francisco Giants winning the World Series last year. They had good pitching, but they still had an offense that rivaled the 2009 Mets in futility, at least from a power standpoint. During the season, their good pitching became great and their supposed lack of power produced eight players who finished in double digits in home runs. The same could be said for the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds hadn't made the playoffs since 1995 and hadn't been a serious contender since the Mets eliminated them in a one-game playoff for the 1999 National League wild card berth. They had good hitters, but atrocious pitching. How did people know this? Because they saw it "on paper". Naturally, Cincinnati won the National League Central because their good hitting became exceptional, led by NL MVP Joey Votto, and their so-called atrocious pitching was actually better than decent.

What teams look like on paper don't always represent what they look like between the foul lines. A team might have a great offense "on paper" and then sputter on the field (see 2008 Detroit Tigers). Similarly, a team might think they have the makings of a fantastic pitching staff "on paper", but once those pitchers step on the mound, they pitch like Charlie Brown. (Does Generation K ring a bell?)

So the Mets look like a team that will finish in the middle of pack or lower in the National League East. That's what people are saying right now. On paper. What if Jose Reyes reverts to his 2008 form, especially now that he's playing for a contract? What if Angel Pagan continues to improve in all aspects of his game and hits .300 with 15 HR and 40 SB, while winning the Gold Glove? What if Carlos Beltran stays on the field all season and plays like a man who's in his walk year? What if more of Ike Davis' bombs target the Shea Bridge and the Pepsi Porch? What if Jason Bay only misses one week and comes back as Jason Bay, pre-2010? What if R.A. Dickey wasn't a fluke and shows what he can do over a full season instead of just 26 starts as he did last season? What if the other members of the Brainy Bunch (Chris Young and Chris Capuano) give the Mets a combined 50 starts and pitch the way they're capable of pitching when they're healthy? And I haven't even mentioned Johan Santana...

On paper, the Mets probably can't compete with the Phillies and some of the wild card contenders. But when they take the field tonight against the Marlins, that paper will have found its way into the shredder. It won't matter what people think the Mets are going to do. The Mets will go as far as their players will take them. That's the beauty of baseball. Any team can surprise the experts, especially those experts with lifetime subscriptions to "the paper". Maybe it will be the Mets, maybe it'll be another team.

Don't give up hope just because some paper says we should. Just sit back, relax and enjoy watching the Mets as they try to make the authors of the paper eat their words.

Happy Opening Day, everyone!

Free Agent Season Has Begun; Shop Early, Shop Often

Attention, GM shoppers! The Free Agent Warehouse is officially open for business. Throughout our store, you will find everything to help fix your team. From starting pitchers to power hitters. From bullpen help to role players. Everything is here to satisfy your needs. Please be aware that there are no rain checks in case we are sold out of the players you’re looking for. Also, we do not accept coupons. Yes, we’re talking to you, Daddy Less-bucks and Little Orphan Jeffy, so stop asking us if we have any “buy one, get one free” deals. It doesn’t work that way at the Free Agent Warehouse.

We hope you brought your checkbooks. We will have many registers open to help speed up your free agent shopping and numerous player agents will be on hand to assist you. If you have any questions, please direct them to our manager, Mr. Bora$. Now let’s take you on a tour of our store.

First, we have our electronics department. Here is where you will find all the gamers, such as John Lackey. His tenacity, determination and consistency will help your team fill a very important spot in the starting rotation. If you do not find John Lackey on the shelves, perhaps we can interest you in a different pitcher. We always have Joel Piñeiro and Jason Marquis in stock. They’re not the hot item of the week, but they can provide a cheaper alternative to John Lackey. For those inquiring about when Roy Halladay will be in stock, we were told that he will not be available at the Free Agent Warehouse for another year. If you are here for Halladay and only Halladay, please report to the corner pawn shop, where trading is encouraged.

You will also find batteries in our electronics department. A good battery consists of a pitcher who can throw any pitch and spot it exactly where his catcher wants. We just received a new shipment of Bengie Molina for any team who needs a replacement battery. Brian Schneider is somewhere on the battery wall, but he’s in need of some recharging.

From here, we take you to our lighting department. Without proper lighting, your home stadium will suffer from a lack of power. We have multiple items that may be to your liking. We have received many requests for Matt Holliday and Jason Bay. As you all know, without our customers we have nothing. Therefore, we are proud to announce that both Holliday and Bay are available. Power is not cheap, so we hope you came prepared to spend if you choose to brighten your stadium with those bulbs. If you have dark corners in your home stadium, we have Adam LaRoche, Russell Branyan and Hank Blalock, all of which can provide temporary power help. Of course, we still have our older models like Carlos Delgado, but we cannot guarantee that he will be bright for an entire season.

Over here, we have our hardware section. These players have the tools to bring a team together. They might not light up the scoreboard, but they provide the glue that solidifies the team. Orlando Hudson and Chone Figgins are our most requested items. Another item that may intrigue you is Mark DeRosa. He is one of our most versatile tools, providing assistance in your infield and outfield.

Our toddler section is under renovation, so you will not find any players there at the moment. We hope to reopen it by next year at the earliest, or perhaps in two seasons. By then, we’ll have Manny Ramirez and Milton Bradley as the toddler section’s main attractions.

Although you have all winter to buy the free agents we have in stock, please remember that all purchases are final. Also, we are not responsible for damaged goods. We are not forcing you to buy anything in our store. You’re making that decision on your own. If you make a poor purchase, it’s on your hands. However, if you find free agent gold, your fans will be dancing in the streets.

That’ll end the tour of the Free Agent Warehouse. We hope you found something of interest for your team. For those of you who need to use the rest room before leaving, please be careful when you flush so that your wallets don’t accidentally fall in. Yes, Mr. Minaya. I’m talking to you. We don’t want you to come up with a convenient excuse if someone else comes in and scoops up one of the players on your shopping list.

Don’t forget to come again soon. We’ll be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week throughout the winter to serve all of your shopping needs. We’re the Free Agent Warehouse, where no one has to go home empty-handed.

Note: The photo of the $100 bills at the top of this blog has a hidden meaning behind it. Besides the obvious reminder to Omar Minaya to use some of those bills this off-season, the #100 is special because this is the 100th Studious Metsimus blog. On behalf of Joey, I would like to thank all of our loyal readers for making the first 100 blogs a blast. Time to get started on the next 100!

Joey's Soapbox: Mets Must Take Baby Steps First

Do you see the picture of me to the left? I'm taking baby steps in order to get across the bridge without falling over. (Thanks to my fellow blogger and hopefully soon-to-be Studious Metsimus correspondent, the super sweet Coop for her assistance.) If I tried to run across, I'd fall flat on my face and the people behind me would trample me.

That's what the Mets avoid doing in 2010. This past season, they took the failures of the previous two seasons and tried to do too much. They fell flat on their faces, injured them, went on the DL for months because of it and watched as the Phillies, Braves and Marlins trampled them in the standings.

If the Mets learned anything from their failures in 2009, it's that they must not try to do more than they're capable of doing.

For example, Oliver Perez signed a huge contract to stay with the Mets. Like any other player in his situation would do, he tried to justify his exorbitant contract by throwing a perfect game every time he went out to the mound. Once he would lose his perfect game during the Star-Spangled Banner, he'd press to retire that first batter and he'd turn into Charlie Brown on the mound.

When you try to do too much, you set yourself up for failure. Even David Wright was not immune to this. When Shea Stadium was dismantled, so was Wright's powerful bat. Too many of his fly balls became long outs or doubles, especially balls hit to the opposite field that might have been home runs at Shea Stadium. Not coincidentally, his strikeouts also went way up this year.

Despite the fact that Wright played in a career-low 144 games, he finished with a career-high 140 strikeouts. He pressed too much at the plate and the team suffered for it, no matter how hard he tried to be the David Wright of old.

Other players such as Johan Santana, Carlos Beltran and Frankie Rodriguez had excellent starts but when the team needed them to supply more due to the overwhelming amount of injuries, they both bypassed the baby steps and went into full "running across the bridge" mode. Johan and Carlos got hurt and Frankie got trampled by opposing hitters.

The 2009 Mets finished 70-92. There were no meaningful games in September to lose as in the previous two seasons. They did all their losing well before September began. Had the Mets not tried to do too much, perhaps they might have performed better on the field. At the very least, perhaps they could have STAYED on the field.

In 2010, the Mets must remember to take the baby steps before running across the bridge. They can't compete for a division title without getting back to .500 first. They should make that their first goal. Should they surpass that goal, then (and only then) should they go for the gold. If they try to go for it all too soon, Club Mets might continue to party like it's 2009.

Take it from a blogging bear. Falling flat on your face hurts. I know that all too well. So does Fernando Martinez (see photo, right). The Mets already did a face plant once (a.k.a. the 2009 season). The fans aren't going to accept it from them again.