Albert Pujols: Player of The Decade

Studious Metsimus has been reporting on all things Mets for a few months now, but today we're going to step aside and give credit where credit is due. We're going to acknowledge the amazing accomplishments of an opposing player, a man who has taken the baseball world by storm since making his major league debut in 2001 and has become the model of consistency and excellence that all players strive for.

Today we're reserving a special blog for Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals, Studious Metsimus' player of the decade.

José Alberto Pujols was born on January 16, 1980 in the Dominican Republic and moved to the United States in 1996. Mets fans might be curious to know that Pujols and his family first moved to New York upon arriving in the United States. However, it is not true that the presence of Rico Brogna at first base for the Mets caused Pujols' family to move to Independence, Missouri.

After a spectacular high school baseball career in which he twice earned all-state honors, Pujols spent one season in a Kansas City area community college, where he continued to mash the ball at a torrid pace, hitting .461 in his only college season.

Despite his accomplishments on the field, major league teams were hesitant to sign Pujols. His hometown Kansas City Royals passed on him even though they barely had a major league team to put on the field. The Tampa Bay Rays were so unimpressed with Pujols that they asked him to try out for the team as a catcher. Scouts did not believe that Pujols was still in his teens and shied away from the older-looking player.

It wasn't until the St. Louis Cardinals decided to take a chance on El Hombre (which is Spanish for "The Man", which was the nickname of Cardinals' legend Stan Musial) by selecting him in the 13th round of the 1999 draft with the 402nd overall pick that Pujols got his chance to show off his natural ability and God-given talent to the masses.

After a superb season in the minor leagues in 2000, the Cardinals still planned on sending Pujols to Triple-A Memphis for the start of the 2001 season. Then a funny thing happened on the way to the minors.

Former Met whipping boy and then-Cardinals' third baseman Bobby Bonilla, the same man who threatened reporter Bob Klapisch by "showing him the Bronx", hurt his hamstring (poor baby), opening a spot on the roster at third base for Pujols. Once Bonilla returned, Pujols bounced around between the infield and the outfield. Although Mark McGwire was still a Cardinal, injuries prevented him from playing the entire season at first base. Pujols' versatility and big bat forced manager Tony La Russa to find a place in the lineup for him every day and the Cardinals were rewarded with a phenomenal rookie season that earned Pujols the 2001 NL Rookie of The Year Award.

Pujols didn't become a full-time first baseman until 2004 as he spent two seasons as the Cardinals' left fielder in 2002 and 2003. By then, he had already established himself as one of the premier players in the game, ranking high on most of the offensive leaderboards.

Still, one thing eluded El Hombre. He didn't have a World Championship ring to go with all his other hardware that he had collected in his early career. He had appeared in one World Series in 2004, but the Cardinals were swept by the Boston Red Sox in that year's Fall Classic. Two years later, Pujols' dream came true. My fellow Mets fans, I advise you not to read the next paragraph.

After a mediocre regular season in which they went 83-78, the Cardinals snuck into the playoffs as the 2006 NL Central division champions. However, they saved their best for last as they defeated the San Diego Padres and the New York Mets in the playoffs. The Cardinals went on to defeat the Detroit Tigers in five games to win their first championship since 1982 and their tenth World Series overall.

Pujols already had the accolades and respect from his teammates and the rest of the league. Now he had the ring to cap it off (and his first Gold Glove Award, also won in 2006). According to a recent article by Joe Strauss in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, even Mets manager Jerry Manuel couldn't help but praise Pujols as the biggest star in the game.

"I don't think there's any doubt where he stands. From what I know of him as an opposing manager and what little relationship I have with him, the man seems as good as the player. It adds up to be a superstar and that's what he is."

Albert Pujols has been one of the most consistent hitters since his rookie season in 2001. His numbers compare favorably with some of the all-time great hitters in baseball. Consider his year-to-year production with the St. Louis Cardinals and you tell me if there's any hitter in baseball who can match his offensive output:

• 2001: .329, 37 HR, 130 RBI
• 2002: .314, 34 HR, 127 RBI
• 2003: .359, 43 HR, 124 RBI
• 2004: .331, 46 HR, 123 RBI
• 2005: .330, 41 HR, 117 RBI
• 2006: .331, 49 HR, 137 RBI
• 2007: .327, 32 HR, 103 RBI
• 2008: .357, 37 HR, 116 RBI
• 2009: .327, 47 HR, 135 RBI

If you take his "worst" numbers for each offensive category mentioned above (if you can call it worst), he's never hit less than .314 and never had less than 32 HR and 103 RBI. What player wouldn't take a season like that? And that's the LEAST you can expect from Pujols!


So why is Studious Metsimus naming Albert Pujols as its Player of The Decade? If what you've read so far is not enough, ponder this.

For the decade of the '00s, (I know some people say the decade lasts from 2001-2010, but for this blog, let's just use the 10-year span from '00 to '09.) Albert Pujols led the National League in all three Triple Crown categories (batting average, home runs, runs batted in). Very few players even challenged him in those three categories.

Pujols hit .334 over the past decade with 366 HR and 1,112 RBI. The runners-up in each category are Todd Helton (.331 average), Adam Dunn (316 HR) and Lance Berkman (1,026 RBI). Please note that Berkman is almost 100 RBI behind Pujols but he played all ten years from 2000-2009, whereas Pujols was still in the minors in 2000, making Albert's RBI output all the more impressive.

His work on the field has been wonderful, but his work off the field is just as special, if not more special. In 2005, along with his wife Deidre, the couple started the Pujols Family Foundation, which serves to help people living with Down syndrome and their families. The foundation also helps raise money for the poor in Pujols' native Dominican Republic.

Note: For more information and to donate to the foundation, please click here: Pujols Family Foundation.

Multiple MVP Awards, two NL pennants, one World Series championship, the Gold Glove in 2006 and the Triple Crown winner for the decade of the '00s. It all adds up to a well-deserved Player of The Decade honor from Studious Metsimus to José Alberto Pujols.

Just think, Mets fans. Had the Mets' scouts noticed Pujols before the Cardinals did in the 13th round of the 1999 baseball draft, we wouldn't have to be wondering who our first baseman would be in 2010. Look how many players have spent significant time at first base for the Mets since 2001: Todd Zeile, Mo Vaughn, Jason Phillips, Mike Piazza, Doug Mientkiewicz, Carlos Delgado and Daniel Murphy. All those years without a steady first baseman (other than Delgado) while the Cardinals have employed the dictionary definition of steady.

Congratulations to El Hombre, the steady Albert Pujols for his Studious Metsimus Player of The Decade honor. Since Pujols won't turn 30 until January, don't be surprised if another Player of The Decade honor is bestowed upon him for the decade of the '10s. That's consistency. That's a Hall-of-Famer. That's Albert Pujols.

ESPN: Embarrassing Steve Phillips News

Steve Phillips stuck his foot in it again (and that wasn't the only thing he stuck somewhere). His latest extramarital affair with an ESPN production assistant has caused him to take a leave of absence from his undeserved job with the sports network. This is not the first time Steve Phillips has embarrassed himself. Let's take a look over the years to see how Steve Phillips: Baseball Anal-ist got to be where he is today:

In 1997, Steve Phillips became the Mets' general manager. He celebrated his promotion by trading for Mike Piazza in 1998 and by having numerous affairs with women, one of which led to a sexual harassment civil suit that was settled out of court.

Apparently, the woman thought she was having sex with SNL alum and "Wayne's World" star Dana Carvey. When she tried to get Phillips to say "schwing", he said "not gonna do it". That's when she realized her mistake and brought about the suit.

In perhaps the high point of his career, the players signed and traded for by Phillips (Al Leiter, Mike Piazza, Robin Ventura, Mike Hampton) led the Mets to the team's first World Series appearance since 1986.

After winning the pennant, numerous companies were looking for Mets players to endorse their products. As always, Phillips stuck his foot in his mouth when he removed his cap during the champagne celebration in an attempt to get a spot for Just For Men.

Unbeknownst to him, the bubbly had darkened his hair and the commercial eventually went to Keith Hernandez. This marked the beginning of the end for Steve Phillips and his career with the Mets.

The Mets lost the World Series to the Yankees that year, but Phillips had a chance to redeem himself in the offseason when Alex Rodriguez's name came up. However, he claimed that A-Rod was a "24-plus-one" player who wanted a special tent to sell his merchandise and would therefore not be a good fit for the Mets. In the nine seasons since Phillips' assessment of A-Rod, all Rodriguez has done is hit 394 HR, which is 142 HR more than any Met player has hit in franchise history. It's okay, though. At least Phillips made up for it by signing Mo Vaughn in 2002.

Bobby Valentine was always a fan favorite. In his six-plus years as Mets manager, he became the only man to guide the team to back-to-back playoff appearances, including the 2000 World Series. His 536 victories as Mets manager ranks second behind Davey Johnson's 595 wins. Why is this relevant in a blog about Steve Phillips? Because naturally, Steve Phillips couldn't stand Valentine.

Although Phillips claimed he didn't fire three of Valentine's coaches in 1999 to send a message to the manager, Valentine always viewed the firings as a personal attack on him. Eventually, Phillips did fire Valentine after the 2002 season and replaced him with legendary Mets manager Art Howe. Valentine made sure not to lock the door on his way out as Phillips soon followed him out on June 12, 2003.

Studious Metsimus was able to uncover the one happy moment in the Bobby V - Stevie P relationship. Phillips thought Bobby V was laughing at his "a horse walked into a bar" joke when in reality, he was laughing at the previous night's episode of Seinfeld.

In 2005, Phillips was hired by ESPN as a baseball analyst. He appeared on Baseball Tonight and SportsCenter as well as the network's Wednesday Night Baseball telecasts. In 2009, he joined Jon Miller and Joe Morgan in the Sunday Night Baseball booth.

He also joined FEMA, but in his case, the letters stood for Frequent Extra Marital Affairs. When he decided to break things off with his latest conquest, an ESPN employee named Brooke Hundley, poop really hit the fan for Phillips. The latest fling for the Sexaholics Anonymous dropout caused his marriage to end and may affect his ESPN career. It's amazing his mouth is big enough for him to constantly be able to stick his foot into it.

Who knows when and where Steve Phillips will pop up next? Is his career with ESPN over due to his latest embarrassing moment? His wife surely doesn't want him back. Should anyone?

One thing's for sure. The man who brought Mets fans the return of Bobby Bonilla has a long history of embarrassing moments. Wherever he does wind up, I'm sure his foot will be ready for its next insertion into his mouth.

Did John Lackey Just Pitch His Way Onto The Mets?

John Lackey has been with the Angels since 2002, when he helped them win the World Series. He has been the heart and soul of their pitching staff for eight seasons. Now he may have thrown his last pitch for Los Angeles/Anaheim/California. Is it possible that his performance for the Angels in Game 5 of the ALCS just earned him a contract for the 2010 Mets?

The Mets need a proven #2 starter to follow Johan Santana in the rotation. Mike Pelfrey and his 5.00-plus ERA just isn't cutting it. Lackey's consistency and bulldog mentality would form a great lefty-righty tandem with Santana.

Let's see just how consistent Lackey has been over his career. He started out slowly for the Angels from 2002-2004. Over his first three seasons, Lackey was just a .500 pitcher, going 33-33 with a 4.44 ERA. However, as he gained experience, he also became one of the best pitchers in baseball. Witness his seasons from 2005-2009:

• 2005: 14-5, 3.44 ERA
• 2006: 13-11, 3.56 ERA
• 2007: 19-9, 3.01 ERA
• 2008: 12-5, 3.75 ERA
• 2009: 11-8, 3.83 ERA

That's five consecutive seasons facing a DH in every game (other than interleague games in National League parks) with ERAs under 4.00. His 3.01 ERA in 2007 led the American League. He is also one of only six pitchers in baseball to win at least 11 games in each of the last six seasons, with the other five being potential teammate Johan Santana, CC Sabathia, Derek Lowe, Javier Vazquez and Jason Marquis.

For the five-year stretch mentioned above, Lackey is a combined 69-38 with a 3.49 ERA. He has also walked only 282 batters in 150 starts made over those five years, an average of less than two walks per start.

The Mets struggled with their control all year in 2009. Lackey's impeccable control would surely help the pitching staff. He walked 52 batters or less in each of the past three seasons. Compare that to the 58 walks surrendered by Oliver Perez in only 14 starts this season.

In addition to his excellent work in the regular season, Lackey has plenty of playoff experience, making 12 starts over five different postseasons. His ERA in those 12 starts is 3.12, which is even better than his regular season ERA. Also, opposing hitters have only hit 4 HR off Lackey in 78 career postseason innings.

Lackey has proven that he can step up his game when his team needs it the most, unlike certain members of the current Mets staff. When the Angels needed him in Game 7 of the 2002 World Series, he was the winning pitcher as a rookie. With their backs against the wall in Game 5 of this year's ALCS, Lackey pitched beautifully, giving up three runs in 6.2 innings, although those runs did not score while he was in the game (no thanks to former Met Darren Oliver). He wants the ball at all times and is not afraid to speak his mind when he feels that he's still the best option to get a hitter out (as seen by his "this game is mine" comment that lip readers could recognize when Mike Scioscia removed him from Game 5 against the Yankees).


Who wouldn't want him on the Mets? Probably the people whose names would appear on the bottom of his paycheck. Lackey will not come cheap. More than likely, it will take at least five years and an average annual value of $16-$18 million to sign him. He has definitely earned those dollars with his consistency over the past five years. However, if Lackey agrees to a five-year deal, he would be almost 36 when the contract expires in 2014. $18 million might be a lot to give to a pitcher on the statistical downside of his career.

As with all pitchers, the Mets must be careful not to overpay for a pitcher who might give them great performances over the first part of the contract, followed by a dropoff afterwards (see Pedro Martinez). However, Lackey might give them a good reason to make an exception. After all, he began both the 2008 and 2009 seasons on the disabled list but came back both times to pitch as well as he did before each injury occurred.

If Lackey doesn't re-sign with Los Angeles/Anaheim/California/Disneyland/Wallyworld, then the Wilpons should open up their wallets to bring him to Citi Field. The Mets haven't had a potential dominant 1-2 punch since...heck, I have no idea! That's how long it's been.

If the power outage suffered by the Mets in 2009 continues in 2010, then they will have to outpitch their opponents. Having Santana and Lackey on the mound for 40% of their games will surely help them improve from their dismal 2009 season. Let's get it done and make John Lackey a Met in 2010!

For Mets Fans, It's Like A Horror Movie That Never Ends

Well, SMFs. As of this writing, both the Phillies and the Yankees have 3-1 leads in their respective series. They are now both one win away from the World Series no Mets fan wanted to see. Although I still hold out hope for both the Dodgers and the Angels to come back in their series, I am willing to accept what might inevitably happen.

A Phillies-Yankees World Series would complete the Trilogy of Terror for the Mets. In 2007, the Mets suffered their epic collapse and watched the Phillies sneak up on them, eventually taking the NL East division title on the last day of the season. Like a horror movie, the events shocked us and served as a set-up for what was to come.

The 2008 season saw the Mets lose the division title to the Phillies during the last weekend of the season and watched the Brewers take the wild card on the final day of the regular season. Not only that, but this time, Mets fans were forced to watch the Phillies steamroll their way through the postseason to win their second World Series Championship in franchise history. All horror movie sequels have a higher body count and watching the Phillies win it all in 2008 certainly left many Mets fans gasping for air, especially those of us who had 2008 World Series tickets had the games been played at Shea Stadium.


It's time for the final act of the trilogy. This is where everything comes together. Now we're on the verge of a World Series between our crosstown rivals and our division rivals. No matter who wins, Mets fans will lose. Oh, yes. There will be blood. Unfortunately, it'll be ours as we watch our TV screens in horror.

Fortunately, trilogies always end after the third act. Perhaps in 2010, the Mets will be able to come back and erase the memory of the 2007-2009 seasons. Then again, sometimes after the first trilogy ends, a second one begins. Let's hope that isn't the case for the Mets. After all, there's no room for another Jar Jar Binks in Mets-ville.

I'm Keith Hernandez: Happy Birthday To Me!

Hello, my friends. I'm Keith Hernandez. I've been told to call you SMFs, but I'm too sophisticated for that. After all, I'm Keith Hernandez. Today is my 56th birthday and Studious Metsimus asked me to give you a brief recap of my life. To be honest with you, I've never heard of Studious Metsimus, but the offer of unlimited Tootsie Pops was too much to refuse.

 I was born in San Francisco on October 20, 1953. Contrary to popular belief, I was not born with a mustache. The picture to the left is one of my early pictures. Yes, the ladies loved me even then. Can you blame them? I mean, look at me! I'm Keith Hernandez!

I was drafted in the 42nd round by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1971. Apparently, the scouts back then were terrible judges of talent. Unfortunately, I did nothing to earn that selection early on in my minor league career until I was promoted to Triple-A Tulsa in 1973, where I hit .333 and showed those other kids how a real baseball player was supposed to play the game.

In 1974, I hit .351 for Tulsa and was promoted to the big show on August 30 of that year against my hometown San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park. I reached base three times in my first big league game. I walked two times before collecting my first big league hit and RBI in the ninth inning off Giants' starter Mike Caldwell. Unfortunately, we lost that game 8-2, but I let it be known that I was here to stay.

I made my presence felt in the clubhouse and on the field. The Cardinals just had to keep me around. Therefore, they traded incumbent first baseman Joe Torre to the Mets after the 1974 season (more on first basemen being traded to the Mets a little later...after a few more paragraphs and my first Tootsie Pop).

It was in St. Louis that I let my trademark mustache grow. That is also where I earned my first Gold Glove in 1978, my first MVP award in 1979 (Okay, it was a co-MVP award that I shared with Willie Stargell), my first batting title (also 1979), my first World Series Championship (1982), my first line...umm...of baseball cards (yeah, that's the ticket) and my first comparison to adult film thespian Ron Jeremy.
 
Personally, I don't see the resemblance. He looks more like Mike Piazza than me. Also, my acting skills are far superior to his. Was he on "Seinfeld"? I don't think so. That was me. Why did they choose me over him? Because I'm Keith Hernandez!

June 15, 1983 was one of the saddest days of my life. It was on that day that I was sent from the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals to the perennial cellar dweller New York Mets. I wasn't even traded for future Hall of Famers. I was shipped off to the Mets for Neil Allen and a box of Tender Vittles.

 It was already an insult to me that I was traded to the team known as "Pond Scum" and the "Stems" in St. Louis. But come on! Couldn't the Mets have offered some 9 Lives to the Cardinals instead of Tender Vittles? After all, Morris the Cat was all the rage back then. I would have accepted a trade for Allen and 9 Lives, not Allen and Tender Vittles. Sheesh!

Anyway, the Mets didn't do too well after I got traded there. We finished 68-94 in 1983, but showed some signs of life. Old punching buddy Darryl Strawberry came up in May and future colleague R.J. (that's Ron Darling for you casual SMFs...oh dang. I said I wasn't going to say SMFs, didn't I?) was called up when rosters expanded in September.
 
Big Brother didn't come around in 1984 like he was supposed to, but we had our own little Animal Farm at Shea Stadium. Top pitching prospect Dwight Gooden was called up in 1984 and Davey Johnson became the new Mets manager. The team responded by going 90-72 and giving the Cubs all they could handle in the NL East. I was no longer saddened by my trade to New York and only occasionally did I wonder if Whitey Herzog had finished his box of Tender Vittles.

After falling short again in 1985, we put it all together in 1986. That was the year I won my second World Series Championship and helped bring the first title to Flushing since the Miracle Mets did the same in 1969. I also paired up with another Ronnie after bringing the trophy home in 1986.
After my tenure with the Mets ended in 1989, I decided to give acting a try. I wasn't going to tell you this, but the Tootsie Pop dangling in front of my face has convinced me to do so. Did you know that "Seinfeld" was not my first attempt at acting? Before TV immortality, I wanted to be a movie star. My time with former actor Ronald Reagan in the White House showed me that if he could be President and a movie star, then I could be a baseball legend and a movie star as well, so it was off to Hollywood for me.

 I first gave acting a shot when I auditioned for the movie "Major League". However, it ended up being a bad dream and instead of playing for the Cleveland Indians in the film alongside noted actors Charlie Sheen, Corbin Bernsen, Dennis Haysbert and Wesley Snipes, I ended up playing for the REAL Cleveland Indians. It was not a good time to be Keith Hernandez.

I was injured for most of my time in Cleveland. Because of that, I only played in 45 games for the Indians, batting .200 with one HR and eight RBI. You know it wasn't a good season when my Studious Metsimus editor reminded me that I had to write out my home run and RBI totals in words (one and eight) instead of numbers (1 and 8). Needless to say, I retired after the 1990 season and went back home...

...which didn't last long. In 1992, I appeared on Episode #34 of "Seinfeld". The special one-hour episode, named "The Boyfriend", featured me trying to date Elaine Benes, but not being able to get past first base because I used to smoke back then. Another subplot involved me being accused of spitting a magic loogie on Kramer and Newman, when in fact it was my former Met teammate, Roger McDowell from the grassy knoll.

My appearance on "Seinfeld" in 1992 and my subsequent cameo in the series finale in 1998 parlayed into several broadcasting appearances for the Mets. When SNY debuted in 2006, I teamed up with former radio play-by-play man Gary Cohen and analyst/former teammate Ron Darling as the new broadcast team for the New York Mets. I now work with my boothmates to form Gary, Keith & Ron, or GKR for short. Our website helps raise money for our favorite charities, such as the Cobble Hill Health Center (for Alzheimer's care), the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (hoping to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes) and the Danbury Women's Center (which looks to lessen the trauma of domestic violence, sexual assault and similar life-changing events).

Fans might know me for my baseball career. Others might know me for my excellent acting on "Seinfeld". Some of you might even know me for my Just For Men commercials with Walt "Clyde" Frazier. Current Met fans know me for my unabashed analysis on SNY telecasts of Mets games. I'm all of those people. Although I'm a year older today, I'm still only 56 so I have plenty left to accomplish in my life. Maybe I'll be a Dunkin' Donuts spokesman when my Just For Men contract expires. Who knows? One thing is for sure. No matter what job I have or what position I fill, I'll always be around. After all, I'm Keith Hernandez!

Note: To give credit where credit is due, a big Studious Metsimus thank you to Señor Solly for correcting a mistake about the SNY team. It's not there now, but it was. Apparently, Keith was trying to break the world record for most Tootsie Pops in his mouth at the same time and said Howie Rose was his original SNY boothmate when it was really Gary Cohen. Gracias, Señor Solly! Studious Metsimus would send you some lovely parting gifts for your good catch but apparently Keith parted with them. How do I know that he did that? Because somewhere in the distance, behind numerous discarded Tootsie Pop wrappers, a faint "I'm Keith Hernandez" could be heard!

This Date In History: October 19, 2006

Open your history books, SMFs. Let's go back three years to find out what happened on October 19, 2006.

On October 19, 2006, scientists reported that the size of the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica had reached record proportions. They then decided to share the news with their fellow scientists 100 miles away by driving their Hummer over to their base of operations.

Also on October 19, 2006, the Dow Jones industrial average closed above 12,000 for the first time, ending at 12,011.73. To celebrate the event, gas stations raised their prices to that same level.

According to the Billboard charts, the #1 song in the United States on October 19, 2006 was "SexyBack" by Justin Timberlake. The success of that song has led Timberlake to numerous Saturday Night Live appearances, six Grammy Awards, two Emmy Awards and four jealous former 'N Sync members.

One other thing happened on October 19, 2006. Perhaps you might remember this, which I will refer to as "the thrill of victory"...


...and if your memory hasn't blocked it, you might remember this, which I call "the agony of defeat":


There's no need to show you the home run hit by Yadier of the Flying Molina Brothers off of Aaron F. Heilman in the ninth inning. Studious Metsimus would not do that to you because we do not want to be held responsible for injuries suffered by fists going through computer screens.

It all happened three years ago today on October 19, 2006. It was all about the ozone layer, the New York Stock Exchange, the man who brought sexy back and a little baseball game played in the town of Flushing. Sometimes history sucks, doesn't it?

How About Brandon Lyon Setting Up K-Rod?

Note: This blog will be posted early tomorrow morning (October 20) on the exponentially better site, Mets Merized Online. However, I decided I was going to bring it over to Studious Metsimus for the benefit of my faithful SMFs. Shhh...Be vewwy vewwy quiet. Don't tell anyone that I took the blog I wrote for them and decided to premiere it here first.

Earlier today, Joe D posted a blog (on Mets Merized Online) suggesting that picking up J.J. Putz’s option would be a waste of money. I happen to agree with his position. Putz’s option is way too much for a man who has been a shadow of himself due to various injuries. There are other less expensive options the Mets could consider if they would like someone other than Putz to pitch the eighth inning. For example, how about free agent reliever Brandon Lyon?

Brandon Lyon had a great season out of the bullpen for the Detroit Tigers in 2009. He finished the season with a 6-5 record and a 2.86 ERA. He also finished with a sparkling 1.11 WHIP. The thing I found most impressive about Lyon’s season was how he fared against righties and lefties. He held righties to a .205 average and held lefties to the same .205 average. Plus, despite the fact that he is a right-handed pitcher, he gave up only one home run to a left-handed batter in 112 at-bats.

Lyon’s effectiveness against lefties would help the Mets in two ways. First, he wouldn’t have to be taken out of the game whenever the opposing lineup alternated between lefties and righties. In 65 games for the Tigers, he pitched 78.2 innings, meaning he could go more than one inning when needed, which would save the bullpen from being overused. Second, he would give Perpetual Pedro a much needed break. In 2009, Pedro Feliciano set the all-time franchise record for appearances by a reliever. Since he was the only pitcher who was consistently effective against lefties (they hit .215 against Feliciano in 2009), Jerry Manuel was constantly going to him, eventually pitching him in 88 games after he was used 86 times in 2008. Brandon Lyon would allow Manuel to give Feliciano more breaks in 2010, allowing him to remain sharp for the entire season.

Also, Brandon Lyon is a much cheaper alternative to J.J. Putz. The Tigers paid Lyon $4.25 million to pitch for them in 2009. Although Lyon’s good season has him in line for a raise, it should still be less than the money the Mets would have to give Putz to keep his injury-prone self around. Lyon’s age (30) should also attract the Mets, as Putz will be 33 before Opening Day.

Lyon is projected to be a Type B free agent, but that should not factor into the decision, as Lyon’s positives far outweigh his negatives, which as of now, is just his Type B free agent status. Let’s not forget that one of the things Omar Minaya was being praised for last season when he traded for Putz. He made a big deal about Putz being able to close games should something happen to Francisco Rodriguez. Well, Brandon Lyon also has closer experience, saving 54 games over his career when pressed into the closer’s role.

There might be other options the Mets could consider for the eighth inning role, but if the Tigers choose not to re-sign Brandon Lyon for the 2010 season, the Mets should take a long look at him. He could be the set-up man they’ve been looking for.

Percentage-Wise, Mets Drew Better Than The Yankees

Baseball is a game of stats. Even casual fans know the home run records (73* and 762*) and how many rings the Yankees have, although that might be due to those "Got Rings?" shirts worn by the Yankee fans.

Therefore, one stat I just uncovered might bring a smile to the faces of Mets fans. Mets fans might be disappointed that their team didn't do as well in the standings as their crosstown rivals did, but at least they showed up to cheer them on (until they decided to dress up as green seats during the final month of the season).











During the regular season, the Mets averaged 38,942 tickets sold per game. Citi Field has a capacity of 41,800. Therefore, the Mets sold 93.2% of their seats for their inaugural season at Citi Field.

By comparison, the Yankees sold an average of 45,918 tickets per game, but the official capacity at the new Yankee Stadium is 52,325. Therefore, they only sold 87.8% of their available tickets.

Although team officials have said otherwise, none of the first four playoff games played at Yankee Stadium has been a sellout. In fact, only one game had a paid attendance of 50,000 and that one barely cracked the mark. Here are the attendance figures for each playoff game so far:

• ALDS Game 1 vs. Twins: 49,464
• ALDS Game 2 vs. Twins: 50,006
• ALCS Game 1 vs. Angels: 49,688
• ALCS Game 2 vs. Angels: 49,922

On average, Citi Field had slightly under 3,000 seats available for sale for each REGULAR SEASON game played. Yankee Stadium has a similar number of available seats for PLAYOFF GAMES.

This is a team that hadn't played in an ALCS since 2004 and they can't sell 50,000 tickets for the games against the Angels!

Had the Mets made the playoffs, I'm sure each game would have been sold out. After all, the Mets sold nearly every seat at Citi Field during the regular season while the Yankees averaged more than twice as many unsold seats at their new ballpark.

Of course, buying tickets at Yankee Stadium might cause Yankee fans to have to take out a second mortgage on their homes, but this is the playoffs. Even former Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Mora was stunned to hear that the Yankees couldn't sell out playoff games.

Perhaps I'm just a jealous Mets fan who can't find anything else to write about now that the Mets are playing golf and the Yankees and Phillies are still playing for the trophy. But I was one of those Mets fans who showed up at Citi Field this season despite the disappointing product I was paying to watch on the field. I was there for 20 games (about one-quarter of the home schedule) and plan on going to more games next season.

Real fans go to the games to share their love of their team with fellow fans. The Rockies sold out their playoff games and showed up during sub-freezing temperatures and threats of snow. Why can't Yankee fans show up in chilly weather? I guess Yankee fans don't want to share anything with their fellow fans other than their ubiquitous "Got Rings?" T-shirts. After all, those people in suits with the bulging wallets who occupy most of the seats aren't really fellow fans anyway.

When Disaster Strikes, Who Can The Mets Call?

As any regular Studious Metsimus reader would know (I'm talking to all 2½ of you), the end of the world might be at hand. Do you see the locusts? That would be the early warning that the Yankees and the Phillies might be playing each other in this year's Fall Crassic. And yes, if they do play each other, I will refer to it as the Fall Crassic instead of the Fall Classic.

As Mets fans, we must do whatever we can to prevent the onslaught on Yankee bandwagoners and Phillie phans from ridiculing us for bleeding blue and orange (and sometimes black).

I've looked online for any possible solution to the potential disaster that awaits us. I'm sorry to say that I was misled by my supposedly trustworthy colleague when he suggested that I should check out www.preventdisastersfromhappening.com for more information. I found six possible options that might help us. Which one do you think is best?


Shaman

I understand that Native American Shamans might be of assistance, but they're mostly known for communicating with the spirit world. However, if they can bring back former Phillie World Series hero Mitch Williams from the dead, then we might be on to something. Williams can hit every Yankee with a pitch, thereby injuring every Yankee but giving them runs due to so many hit batters on base. This would cause MLB to declare a double forfeit. The Phillies can't win because they were losing and the Yankees can't win because they can't put nine healthy bodies on the field. That would actually work if anyone could understand my attempt at logic and if Mitch Williams was actually dead.

FEMA

Leave it to the Wilpons to hire FEMA to prevent the unnatural disaster of the Yankees playing the Phillies in the Fall Crassic. If they are able to hire them, then I guess this World Series is going to happen after all. FEMA wouldn't even get there until the Winter Meetings started in December. At least maybe then, they could prevent Omar Minaya from overpaying some schlub to play for the Mets. (Remember the Ollie-mo!)

Undercover Brother

He might be one bad mother [shut yo mouth], but before he would get the job done, a sexy lady would inevitably come between U.B. and the mission to prevent the Yankees and Phillies from meeting until next year's Grapefruit League games. We'll leave him for the smaller jobs. This job requires someone who can devote 100% of his attention to the task at hand, not 100% attention to who he's got on each hand. By the way, that's a nice picture, Mr. Brother...

Kenny Rogers

Seriously? Kenny Rogers? The man who broke the hearts of Mets fans everywhere when he walked Braves Nation into the 1999 World Series? He's the one you'd expect to bring Molotov cocktails to a pyromaniacs convention, not the one you'd call upon for your one-man disaster relief squad. I mean, come on, people! The photo to the left is his MUG SHOT! He can't even prevent his own disasters!

Kenny Rogers

Okay, now we're just getting silly here. This is supposed to be serious. This Kenny Rogers obviously did a little too much gambling and couldn't prevent disaster from happening to his own face. He didn't know when to hold 'em and his plastic surgeon surely didn't know when to STOP folding him. That being said, perhaps Kenny could recommend some doctors to the Phillies and Yankees. Now that I think about it, this might not be so silly after all.

Kenny

Oh, my God! Kenny killed the World Series! How brilliant would that be? South Park's most famous murder victim would be absolutely PERFECT for the Mets to call upon to stop the Yankees-Phillies Fall Crassic from happening. Just being in Kenny's presence might cause a few players to keel over. No players, no Fall Crassic, which is exactly what happened when the World Series was cancelled in 1994. Also, South Park is located in Colorado. What Colorado native wouldn't want to do harm to the Phillies after the Rockies were ousted by them in the NLDS?


There you have it, SMFs! It appears as if Kenny from South Park will be doing his best to prevent a Yankees-Phillies World Series from taking place. Good luck, Kenny. Just one little thing before you go on your mission.

PLEASE DON'T DIE BEFORE THE END OF THE ALCS AND NLCS!

If you do die, we might have to hire one of the Kenny Rogerseseses and then there would certainly be no joy in Mets-ville. Godspeed, little buddy!

Why We Can't Have A Yankees-Phillies World Series

The Yankees finished with the best record in baseball, swept the red-hot Twins in the ALDS and are now playing the Angels in the American League Championship Series. The Phillies won their third straight division title, were clutch in Colorado and are now trying to repeat as National League Champions. Both teams are currently three wins away from a World Series showdown.

I am a Mets fan. I hate the Yankees. I hate the Phillies. I hate the possibility of a Yankees-Phillies World Series, although I know it might very well happen. However, if the world is to continue spinning on its axis, we CANNOT have a Yankees-Phillies Fall Classic (or Fall Crassic, if you will). I'm Joey and here is why this matchup could be a potential disaster.


As Mets fans, how could we root for either team? Yay, Derek Jeter just struck out with the bases loaded! Oh wait, it was Cole Hamels who struck him out. Woohoo, Utley just let a ball go through his legs! Here comes A-Rod to score the go-ahead run. Ugh! See what I mean?

This potential World Series matchup would be like 1999 all over again for Mets fans. In 1999, Kenny Rogers roasted the Mets and their fans by walking every member of the Atlanta Braves in the bottom of the 11th.

Random thought: Perhaps this is where Oliver Perez learned his mantra of "walks are part of the game". If he was going to learn from a master, he should have learned from Pai Mei and not from the Gambler.










Because of Kenny's donations to the Atlanta Frequent Walker Club, we were subjected to a Yankees-Braves World Series. I was not alive then, but my colleague was. He told me that he did not watch a single pitch of that World Series because he couldn't root for the Bronx Bummers or the team that prevented the Mets from playing on.

Although the same teams faced each other in the 1996 World Series, the Braves did not have the same rivalry with the Mets in '96 as they did in '99 (the Mets were 71-91 in 1996). Therefore, that World Series wasn't as unwatchable as the '99 Series was.

If Studious Metsimus is going to cover the 2009 World Series, we would probably need to watch at least one pitch of it. I can be sure that if the Yankees play the Phillies, we'll be watching "Ghost Hunters" or the series premiere of "V" instead.

In addition to it being an unwatchable World Series for Mets fans, please recall that the Yankees and Phillies have played each other in the World Series once before. That was in 1950, when the Yankees swept the so-called "Whiz Kids", which was the stupid name the Phillies were playfully known as that season. What happened after that World Series? The USA entered the Korean War and the Yankees went on to win the next three World Series.

We do not need a repeat of that! As the movie "Team America: World Police" so succinctly stated, don't f**k with Kim Jong-il! America does not need more conflict overseas and Mets fans certainly don't need to see Alex Rodriguez finally win a ring or three, thereby becoming a "True Yankee".

Let's hope the Angels and Dodgers can pull out victories in their respective series to prevent our hated rivals from winning a pennant and playing for a World Series Championship.

I would like to watch baseball in November and not have to worry that a particular fan base will be spending the entire winter bragging about their pennant and/or championship. Besides, I'm getting the feeling those aren't real ghosts being recorded on the infrared vision and EVP recorders on "Ghost Hunters" anyway.

Kobe Bryant Is A Mets Fan, But Can He Play Left Field?

During tonight's telecast of Game 2 of the National League Championship Series between the Phillies and the Better Team, TBS reporter Craig Sager (dressed in a pink suit...perhaps he's a Yankee fan) reported that Kobe Bryant was in attendance at Dodger Stadium. Since Kobe is from Philadelphia but makes his home in Los Angeles, the natural question was asked whether he was rooting for the Phillies or the Better Team.

The surprise was not in Kobe's answer of the Dodgers. The real surprise was when Kobe revealed that he grew up as a Mets fan. That's right. Kobe Bean Bryant rooted for the Mets when he was just a bean sprout.

Sager and his pink suit reported that Kobe grew up idolizing Darryl Strawberry and claimed to have a Ron Darling baseball card. That's great to know. What Studious Metsimus would like to know is if he can pick it at first or if he can learn how to play the caroms off Citi Field's left field wall.

Unfortunately, Kobe would only be available from around mid-June to mid-October due to his duties with his current employer. Therefore, it would be imperative for the Mets to keep Daniel Murphy and Angel Pagan fresh for when Kobe would not be playing during the first few months of the season.

If he can't hit the curveball, maybe he could pitch. Scouts love tall pitchers, and Kobe definitely has the height. Of course, he'd have to learn how to throw the ball to the first baseman on comebackers to the mound. He can't be trying to beat the runner to first base every time just because he doesn't like getting rid of the ball once it's in his possession.

No current Met wears #8 or #24, his two preferred numbers. If Rickey Henderson got permission to wear #24 after it was taken out of circulation when Willie Mays retired, surely the Mets could accommodate Kobe.

Hey, Omar! When you go to the Winter Meetings in December, bring Kobe's cell phone number with you in case those trades and free agents don't pan out for you. Just one word of advice. Don't mention Shake Shack to him. He tends to get upset if he hears anything that sounds like the word "Shaq". Gracias!