Jose Reyes Is OK; My Colleague Is Not

Jose Reyes underwent successful surgery today in Dallas. The surgery to clean up scar tissue in his right leg, especially around his hamstring, was performed in Dallas by Dr. Daniel E. Cooper. Cooper serves as the Dallas Cowboys' team physician and is the foremost authority on surgical treatment of hamstring tendons.

Reyes is expected to resume baseball activities in January and should be ready to participate with the rest of the team when Spring Training begins in February.

While that is great news for the Mets, Studious Metsimus has its own problems right now.

As you can see from the photo above, my colleague has been placed on the disabled list. Apparently, injuries don't limit themselves to Mets players. My colleague had to take the company vehicle (also known as his mountain bike) to transport himself to the emergency room and is now on antibiotics.

Since he did not see the foremost authority on his ailment, his recovery time is not yet known. Studious Metsimus has not decided whether a guest blogger will be needed to fill in for my colleague while he is recovering. For now, I will be giving you all the Mets news and opinions you crave. As always, I will present these opinions in a serious manner so as not to embarrass my colleague. We all know that he has a reputation for straightforward reporting. Silliness and gimmicks are not for him.

Once he recovers, we will test him by setting up a race between him and Jose Reyes. This will be for the benefit of both Reyes and my colleague, as Reyes can test out his surgically repaired leg and my colleague can test out the company vehicle again.

The team behind the recent hot dog eating contest between Carlos Beltran and Takeru Kobayashi will also be called upon to arrange this competition. If and when this event happens, Studious Metsimus will certainly be first to let the SMFs know.

Get well soon, my colleague. After all, you have a race to prepare for. We certainly can't have you embarrassing us by backing out of this, can we?

Joey's Soapbox: My Unbiased LCS Picks

Greetings, SMFs and welcome to the latest edition of Joey's Soapbox! Your favorite teddy bear blogger was stranded in Colorado due to the recent snow event that temporarily postponed Game 3 of the NLDS between the Phillies and Rockies.

Fortunately, I have my hoodie and an internet connection so I can present my unbiased picks for the American and National League Championship Series. Remember, I'm picking the best teams, not the teams I want to defeat the Yankees and the Phillies.


American League Championship Series

Yankees vs. Angels

If there's one team who has had the Yankees' number over the years, it's the Los Angeles Angels of Wallyworld. Since Derek Jeter's rookie season in 1996, the Angels are 73-63 against the Yankees. That's the best record compiled by any team against the Bronx Bummers. In that time, the Angels have also defeated the Yankees twice in the postseason.

Joe Girardi has stated that the Yankees will be using a three-man rotation in the series. That means Subway spokeseater CC Sabathia could potentially make three starts if the series goes seven games. How did C(onstantly) C(hewing) Sabathia do against the Disney team in 2009?

• May 2: 6.2 IP, 4 ER, 8 hits, 1 BB
• July 12: 6.2 IP, 5 ER, 9 hits, 3 BB

That adds up to a 6.08 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. It also adds up to two losses. The only other team Sabathia lost to twice in 2009 was Tampa Bay, although his second loss to the Rays was in his last start after the Yankees had already clinched the division title.

If CC continues to pitch against the Angels as he did in the regular season, home field advantage will mean nothing in this series.

Prediction: Angels in 6. The Yankees may have won the Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia sweepstakes from the Angels, but that won't put them in the Fall Classic. Joe Girardi's success is due to the players he inherited. Mike Scioscia's success is due to his superior managerial skills. The Angels will win their second pennant and Aunt Coop will be quite happy!


National League Championship Series

Phillies vs. Dodgers

This is the fifth NLCS matchup between the Phightin' Phils and the Better Team. The Dodgers won the first two matchups in 1977 and 1978, while the Phillies won the last two in 1983 and 2008. Last year, the Phillies defeated the Dodgers in five games, but the Dodgers barely made it to the postseason, winning 84 regular season games. This year, Los Angeles finished with the best record in the National League and have been on a mission since the season started.

The Phillies lost four of the seven regular season matchups against the Dodgers. Three of the four losses were credited to the bullpen (Chad Durbin lost twice and Brad Lidge lost once).

Philadelphia won the last two games of the NLDS against the Rockies in the ninth inning. The Dodgers have Ronald Belisario (4-3, 2.04 ERA), Ramon Troncoso (5-4, 2.72 ERA) and closer Jonathan Broxton (7-2, 2.61 ERA). If the Phillies want to win this series, they'd better have a big lead early in the game. Games that go down to the last at-bat are determined by the bullpens and the Dodgers' bullpen is superior to the Phillies' pen.

Prediction: Dodgers in 6. Fred Wilpon has already been looking for a spot on the left field wall at Citi Field to put up a Dodgers' 2009 World Championship banner. The Dodgers will continue to give him hope for his banner after dispatching the Phillies.


That means we'll be having a Freeway Series this year between the Angels and the Dodgers. That's fine with me. A Yankees-Phillies matchup wouldn't have been as attractive to my unbiased self.

See you next week when I get back on my soapbox to give you my World Series predictions, assuming I can get out of this Winter Wonderland in one piece!

Phillies Take Candy From The Mets...Again!

The Phillies have won three straight division titles. If you hear it from some of their philthy mouths, you'd think they were about to break the Braves' record of 14 consecutive division titles.

However, division titles and last year's World Championship just aren't enough to satisfy them. Just like a spoiled brat, if the Mets have something, the Phillies want it.


When the Mets brought out Mr. Met as their mascot in 1964, the Phillies wanted some of that and debuted the Phillie Phanatic in 1978.

When the Mets won the division title in 2006, the Phillies wanted it and now they've won three consecutive NL East titles.

When the Mets chose not to re-sign Pedro Martinez, the Phillies snatched him up (and then Pedro pitched well against the Mets and mostly everybody else).

Now the ultimate slap in the face has occurred. The most hideous thing a Phillies player could have done to a Mets player has become reality.

Chase Utley has erased Kevin McReynolds from the record book.















That's right, Mr. Greasy Scalp himself, Chase Utley has erased Kevin "Hee Haw" McReynolds from the major league record books.

You see, in 1988 Kevin stole 21 bases for the Mets. In stealing those 21 bases, Don't Call Me Walter (McReynolds' first name is Walter. Kevin is his middle name) was not thrown out. His 21-for-21 season represented the most stolen bases in a single season without being caught stealing.

Now it's 2009 and the potty-mouthed Utley has decided to take candy from the Mets again. Utley stole 23 bases this season and was not thrown out, erasing McReynolds from the major league record books.

When Studious Metsimus approached McReynolds for comment, the usually reserved K-Mac had this to say:

"Please let me eat my Egg McMuffin in peace."

It was clear from his well thought out comment that the former Mets legend was perturbed that Utley had taken his baseball immortality away from him. However, since McReynolds is a gentleman as well as a renowned hunter, it is possible that he might want to congratulate Grease Face with a duck hunting trip in the secluded Arkansas woods and a special meet-and-greet with hunting buddy and expert marksman Dick Cheney.

Chase Utley is still playing baseball in October while the Mets are not. We've gotten used to seeing that over the past three seasons. Good for him. His team survived the 162-game schedule and is now being rewarded for it by playing on the frozen tundra of Coors Field.

However, to take away a record from the most famous #22 in club history (with apologies to former World Series MVPs Donn Clendenon and Ray Knight, but Mr. NRA was tops for Studious Metsimus) is taking it a little too far. Enjoy your record, Mr. Utley and enjoy your hunting trip. I hear the bears are quite hungry in Arkansas this time of year.

Is Rick Astley To Blame For The Mets' Failures?

Long-time readers of Studious Metsimus might know the staff has a thing against Rick Astley. Now we hate him even more ever since we found out that the Wilpons have a secret love for him.

Remember back in 2008 when the Mets asked their fans to select a song for the eighth inning sing-along? They were supposedly Rick-Rolled when five million write-in votes were cast for Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up".

That was no ordinary Rick-Roll. That was the Wilpons' doing, hiding behind the scenes, trying to get the fans to commit to Clay Aiken's biological father.

They tried again this year by asking Astley to change his look to appeal to fans of much hipper 80s favorites, INXS. The first live concert at Citi Field was not supposed to feature Sir Paul McCartney. It was supposed to be INXS, fronted by Rick Astley. He may have tried to look like the late lead singer of INXS, but Rick Astley was no Michael Hutchence!


After the latest Astley rejection, the Wilpons got fed up with the constant badmouthing about their British boytoy. They figured something had to be done and so they fired Tony Bernazard.

Meanwhile, back at Ebbets Central, Studious Metsimus found a way to get into the offices of the Wilpons, looking for anything that could explain why they have such an infatuation with Astley and his music. After almost knocking over their comic book collection full of old issues of Jimmy Olsen comics (hmmm....young redhead again. Interesting...), we hid behind their autographed Sandy Koufax life-sized bobblehead doll (sorry, no photos of the bobblehead were taken so that the flash wouldn't alert the Wilpons to our presence), and heard a familiar voice singing this song:

Never gonna give Rick up
Never gonna let him down
Even if the fans don't like how I insert you
Never gonna make him cry
Never gonna stop my tryin'
You'll have that Santana cap and his shirt, too.

Okay, now I was intrigued. Apparently, there was something deeper going on here. Was Rick Astley blackmailing the Mets for Johan Santana memorabilia? Wasn't Bernie Madoff enough? Now Rick Astley was trying to get money from the Wilpons, too?

As we were considering our next move, something unexpected and unfortunate happened.

Joey farted.

It tripped off the SBD alarms all over the Wilpons' offices and we scurried to find the nearest exit. We accidentally knocked over an urn that appeared to contain the ashes of a late Brooklyn Dodger, but darkness prevented us from investigating which player it was. Although we could hear footsteps behind us, we were faster.

Then we pulled the old Scooby Doo trick where we'd go down a hall with many doors, entering through one door and coming out another. Our pursuers tried to do the same thing but they ended up using the wrong doors, crashing into each other face-to-face while we made our escape. Jinkies! It actually worked!

So we made it into a lobby area that we were unfamiliar with, but we were no longer being chased. After reprimanding Joey for his flatulent moment, we decided to catch our breath and sat next to an older man who appeared to be waiting for someone.

We struck up a conversation and he told us his name was Rafael. We discussed many topics, like what would hit the ground first if dropped from a third-story window, a pound of feathers or a pound of rocks? After getting a few confusing looks from him, the conversation switched to something Studious Metsimus knew a little something about, the 1986 Mets!

Rafael spoke about that team as if he knew them personally. He recalled wonderful moments about that World Series and even said that he popped a little bubbly in celebration himself.

When he started talking about being upset that Omar Minaya had brought in so many Hispanic players to the Mets but never gave him a call to represent the team, that's when it all hit me.

I asked Rafael about Rick Astley and he said that he knew him. Astley was a big fan of Dominican shortstops from his heyday in the 80s such as Tony Fernandez and Alfredo Griffin and collected memorabilia from those players. He was here to present the Wilpons with his autographed cap and T-shirt in exchange for a position on the team.

Duh!

I was talking to Rafael Santana, shortstop for the 1986 World Champion Mets. He was the Santana that was being sung about off-key, not Johan Santana.

Soon afterwards, we heard a voice say "Mr. Santana, the Wilpons will see you now" and we snuck in behind Rafael, unbeknownst to the attractive young receptionist dressed in Dodger Blue.

When Mutt (Fred) and Jeff (Jeff) introduced themselves to Rafael, I noticed the bruises on their faces from their collision during the Scooby Doo chase and I knew I had them!

I sprung out from behind the plastic plant and screamed out "I know what you're up to!", producing stares of bewilderment from Mutt and Jeff.

I told them that I knew about their secret love of Rick Astley. Because of that love, they gave Rafael Santana false hopes for a position within the team when all they wanted from him was a signed cap and T-shirt to present to Astley. They never gave a dang about Santana and were just using him to add more fuel to their unusual love affair with the "never-was" crooner.

When they finally admitted their not-so-secret love for Astley, I encouraged Santana to pursue legal action against the Wilpons for discrimination, but he respectfully declined, saying that the Wilpons had suffered enough this year. As we left Citi Field, we couldn't help but overhear Mutt say to Jeff under his breath,

"We would have gotten away with it if it weren't for that meddling kid and that farting bear."

The case was solved. The Wilpons not only had a love of the Brooklyn Dodgers, but they also had a secret bromance going on with Rick Astley. Astley wanted to become relevant again and the Wilpons were planning on using any means possible to put him back in the national spotlight, even if it meant using former Mets players from championship teams.

Because of all the time and effort put into the seduction of Rick Astley, the Wilpons did not try to help the team in 2009. That will change now that their secret is out. Expect the Mets to improve in 2010 now that the Wilpons will be able to focus more on the betterment of the franchise.

There will be no more Rick-Rolling here, thanks to the work of the Studious Metsimus staff, the bowels of Joey and the incessant cartoon watching we did as children. Everything is safe in Mets-ville and if you click here, you'll see the exclusive Studious Metsimus apology by the Wilpons.

Bad Calls And Missed Bases (Not Just A Mets Problem)

Here's one of my shorter blogs, but I couldn't help but notice something from tonight's Twins game at Yankee Stadium. Obviously, the Twins should have scored at least one run in the top of the 11th inning when the left field umpire missed seeing Joe Mauer's fly ball land in fair territory for what would have been a ground-rule double. Perhaps the ball tipping off Melky Cabrera's glove pushing it from being even more of a fair ball distracted the visually impaired ump.

I thought MLB added two extra umpires down the left field and right field lines to prevent bad calls like this from happening. Ah, but I digress.

Had Mauer been on second base like he should have, the Twins would have scored at least one run if the next two hitters had followed with hits like they did. Apparently, bad calls do not only plague the Mets. Welcome to our world, Twins fans!

Now, here are some other observations, both dealing with the game-ending home run by Mark Teixeira.

When a Met player hits a ball off the top of the left field wall in a postseason game at Yankee Stadium, it comes back and an out is recorded (see Game 1 of the 2000 World Series or just ask Todd Zeile or Timo Perez).


When Mark Teixeira hits a ball in a similar area of the new Yankee Pinball Machine, it hits the top of the wall, makes a right turn, doesn't use its turn signal (another thing missed by the umps and by the NYC Traffic Police) and bounces over the wall for a home run.

Speaking of Mark Teixeira, home plate just called. It's upset because you failed to include it in your end-of-game celebration. You see, Marky Mark hopped in front of it, landed a few inches short of the plate, then jumped into the arms of his Funky Bunch without touching it. Home plate felt none of the Good Vibrations.

Of course, if this had been a Met, you know what would have happened. Isn't that right, Mr. Church?


The Twins now know what it's like to feel the Mets' pain. There's one more thing that could link the Twins to the Mets. The Twins will be moving from the Metrodome to Target Field in 2010, meaning that if they lose either Game 3 or Game 4 to the Yankees, their last game in their old ballpark will result in a devastating loss, similar to when the Mets Shea'd Goodbye in 2008.

Here are some words of advice to the Twins and their fans. Eat all your vegetables, remember to stay hydrated and STOP LEAVING ALL THOSE MEN ON BASE! This blog would have been unnecessary had you not left 17 men on base against the Yankees and I could have gone to sleep in a less cranky mood!

Have a good weekend, SMFs. I know I'm not...

Joey's Soapbox: Division Series Picks

Sorry I'm a little late with my picks for the ALDS and NLDS. As you can see from the picture to the left, I had to go through lots of Studious Metsimus paperwork, culling information that I would use to make the best possible predictions. I really don't like doing these picks when the Mets aren't playing, but my contract says I must do so. You don't want to know what would happen to me if I didn't...


American League Division Series

Yankees vs. Twins

The Yankees are coming off one of their best seasons in the past few years. Their 103-59 record was the best record in the major leagues and they will have home-field advantage for as long as they continue playing, including the World Series (thanks to future Met Carl Crawford's All-Star Game heroics).

The Twins have the momentum going from their amazing September in which they overcame a three-game deficit with four games left in the regular season. Their hard-fought victory against the Tigers in the one-game playoff for the AL Central Division title might have exhausted them, but they still look strong.

Prediction: Yankees in 5. As much as I hate picking the Yankees, their pitching is more experienced than the young Twins staff and they can simply outslug you. Even though the Twins did not defeat the Yankees during the regular season, I will give them two wins so that they don't have to close out their stadium with a loss (Minnesota will be moving into Target Field in 2010). I just hope Twins' mascot TC Bear doesn't throw me out of the bear fraternity for going against his team.


Angels vs. Red Sox

Since winning the World Series in 2002, the Los Angeles Angels of Anywhere But Los Angeles have been very Atlanta Braves-like in the postseason. They've won five division titles since their sole World Championship, but have only won one playoff series. In 18 total playoff games played since 2002, the Angels are 5-13.

The Red Sox are responsible for most of the Angels' postseason failures. In each of the past two seasons, the Red Sox eliminated the Angels in the ALDS and they did the same in 2004 on their way to ending their 86-year championship drought. In those three seasons, the Red Sox are a combined 10-1 against the Angels.

Prediction: Red Sox in 4. The Angels are good enough to win one game but the Red Sox have something to prove after being eliminated by the upstart Rays last year. I'm hoping my fav'rit player, Billy Wagner, gets in a few of those games and does well. I still miss him...


National League Division Series

Phillies vs. Rockies

This is the battle of the past two National League pennant winners. The Phillies are the National League's version of the Yankees with all their sluggers. However, there is one big difference between those two teams. In the ninth inning, the Yankees can feel confident in giving the ball to Mo. The Phillies close their eyes and hope their closers don't blow.

For as great as the Rockies' postseason run in 2007 was, this year's Rockies team finished with the best record in franchise history (92-70). They didn't wait until September to get hot, as they did in 2007. They got hot in May when manager Clint Hurdle was fired and replaced by Jim Tracy, going 74-42 under Tracy.

Prediction: Rockies in 4. After leaving Citi Field on August 24, the Phillies went 8-12 in their final 20 road games. The Rockies went 51-30 at Coors Field this season, but were dominant at home over the last two months of the regular season, going 24-9 over their last 33 home games. Also, would you trust Brad Lidge or Ryan Madson in a tight game at Coors Field? We all know about Lidge going from success in 2008 to suck-yes in 2009, but did you know that Madson hasn't exactly been effective against the Rockies over his career? In fact, the Rockies' combined batting average against Madson over his career is .327! If the Phillies can't get a huge lead in Denver, this series isn't going back to Philly.


Dodgers vs. Cardinals

The Dodgers held a commanding lead in the NL West until the Rockies started their run late in the season. The Dodgers avoided falling back to the wild card spot by defeating the Rockies during the final series of the season. They have something to prove this season after being ousted by the Phillies in the NLCS last year.

This is the Cardinals' first postseason appearance since winning the World Series in 2006 (I hate you, Adam Wainwright!). It is also their seventh playoff appearance of the decade (six division titles, one wild card).

Prediction: Dodgers in 5. Since Fred Wilpon's team broke his little heart by moving from Brooklyn to Chavez Ravine, the Dodgers and Cardinals have combined to win 17 pennants over the past 51 seasons. No two NL teams have appeared in more World Series than the Dodgers (nine pennants, five titles) and the Cardinals (eight pennants, four titles). Therefore, it shouldn't be unexpected if the series goes the distance. Wouldn't it be something if Wainwright comes back on short rest for Game 5 or comes out of the bullpen and blows it this time? Joe Torre will be drinking wheat grass in celebration of his return to the NLCS.


So it looks like we'll have two sets of division rivals becoming reacquainted with each other in the NLCS, as Studious Metsimus is predicting a Yankees-Red Sox matchup in the ALCS and a Rockies-Dodgers showdown in the NLCS.

If one or both of these matchups don't happen, don't blame me. Besides, how many people have gone to Las Vegas to place bets on the word of a teddy bear blogger?

I'll be back next week when each division series is over to make my predictions for the next round. Now can someone get me down from these files? I didn't realize it was this high up when I climbed onto them looking for my data.

To Survive 2010, Mets Must Follow Zombieland Rules

Way back when, Studious Metsimus was known as Zombies and Comics and Bears...Oh My! It wasn't a very catchy title and nothing about it suggested that it was a blog about the Mets. Therefore, the change was made to Studious Metsimus and this silly little blog grew in size and popularity.

Now we have a film in theaters that would be perfect to talk about if this blog still had its original name. You know what? That's exactly what I'm going to do.

For anyone who hasn't seen Zombieland, I won't give you any spoilers. One of the recurring themes in the movie is the "rules to surviving a zombie attack". These rules don't necessarily have to apply to zombies. They could apply to the Mets as well. Read on and you shall see what I mean.

Rule #1: Cardio

If the Mets had practiced better baserunning, they wouldn't have lost games to the Dodgers (see Ryan Church) and Angel Pagan would have been a lock for an everyday position next year. Also, Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado wouldn't have added a zero to the end of the 15 in 15-day disabled list.

Rule #2: Double Tap

Much had been made of Citi Field's dimensions as a reason why the Mets hit so few home runs there. They only hit 49 home runs in 81 home games. If that was the case, their opponents should have been equally affected. Not so, Cotton Eye Joe. Mets' pitchers gave up 81 HR at Citi Field. For the season, the Mets were out-homered 158-95.

A legitimate power hitter is a must for the Mets next season. However, more importantly, their pitching staff must give up much fewer home runs. If the Mets can turn those home runs allowed into doubles, they can tap into more success in 2010.

Rule #4: Seatbelts

Some injuries can be avoided quite easily. Just ask vehicularly challenged players from recent seasons, Duaner Sanchez and Tom Glavine. Also, using two hands when going down dugout steps can do the same for Luis Castillo and the Mets as seatbelts could have done for Sanchez and Glavine.

Rule #17: Don't Be A Hero

The 2010 Mets should learn from the mistake Jose Reyes made this season. There was no reason for him to come back in 2009. He tried anyway. Now his hamstring is worse than it was before and will require surgery. Reyes says he'll be 100% by Opening Day, but how sure can he be? Smiles will only get you so far. Not being a hero will get you further.

Rule #18: Limber Up

One should always be prepared when coming up to bat. Perhaps if David Wright had been more limber, he could've avoided Matt Cain's head-seeking missile. Perhaps if Carlos Delgado had worked out his hips a little more, he wouldn't have missed the last five months of the season. This may be the most important rule for 2010.

Rule #32: Enjoy The Little Things

Sure it was a lousy season. Even so-called experts could not have predicted a 70-92 season for the Mets. The team suffered through injuries and poor performances from certain players. But look on the bright side. No one died.

Seriously, Jeff Francoeur was a breath of fresh air, both on and off the field. The late season performances of Nelson Figueroa, Pat Misch and Tim Redding gave the Mets solid options in case of more injuries next year. Things will get better and we'll be able to enjoy them together. Let's Go Mets in 2010 (and go watch Zombieland, in theaters now)!

Studious Metsimus Delivers The Eulogy For The 2009 Mets

The 2009 Mets lived an interesting life even though it ended sooner than we would have liked. They wanted to be your friend throughout the season; the kind of friend that stood by you when you needed one to make you stand up and cheer. Sometimes they succeeded (the last three games of the season) and sometimes they failed (the other 159 games). But they kept trying to be there for us, even when we stopped being there for them. They faced many hardships and took advice from the wrong people. But they still found time to think of us, such as the time they taught me the meaning of the word tendinosis.

I remember once when the Mets told me they were moving away from the home they had lived in since I was born. It was hard seeing them leave. I was thinking I’d never see them again. But they comforted me when they told me that they were just moving beyond the bullpen fence and that we could still be together. It was that kind of thoughtfulness that made them so special to my heart.

What is it that we remember when we think of the 2009 Mets? I think everyone who knew them would agree with me on this. It was their wicked sense of humor. When Oliver Perez was signed for three years and $36 million, we laughed because we knew that signing was a joke. When players such as Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran went down with injuries, we chuckled every time Omar said they’d be back by the All-Star Break…then August…then September…then only Carlos Beltran would be coming back. When Luis Castillo dropped the pop-up, we laughed because we wanted to blend in with the Yankee fans at Yankee Stadium so that we wouldn’t have to be the butts of their jokes. That is what I will miss the most about the 2009 Mets. They could make me laugh when all I wanted to do was cry (and bang my head repeatedly on a brick on the Fanwalk outside the Jackie Robinson Rotunda). That was their trademark. They did their best to turn our tears into laughter – incredibly demented laughter that once caused the Hospital For Special Surgery to consider opening a mental patient ward. (They did not open one. Apparently, they couldn’t afford the real estate needed for the expansion of the hospital. Too many Mets players had taken up residence there.)

Their death was not sudden. They had been dying a slow death since right before the All-Star Break. The Wilpons refused to pull the plug on the team even when there was no hope of a recovery. Perhaps they should have put them (and us) out of their misery sooner, but had they done that, we would have missed that one final spark of life during the season-ending sweep of the Astros.

The 2009 Mets did many things on this Earth (like educating us on the thousand and one ways to lose ballgames) and I’m sure they will do much more in Heaven. Some angels might be taken out in the process, but they will be able to laugh it off in Heaven the way we were able to do so on Earth.

I will forever be grateful to have known the 2009 Mets. I will forever be grateful that they welcomed me with open arms into their new home. I will forever be grateful for spending six months of my life waiting for my food at Shake Shack. All the memories I have shared with them will forever be cherished and remembered until I forget them. The Mets will forever live in my heart…in our hearts. The heartburn is just a coincidence.

In conclusion, this is not the time for us to grieve the death of the 2009 Mets, but it’s time to celebrate their lives, all nine of them. They kept playing until the schedule told them they couldn’t play anymore. They kept trying to come back to play ball despite their injuries so that we wouldn’t spend the first six innings of the game tailgating, not knowing (or caring) that there was a game going on inside. They showed us how not to run the bases by making those mistakes for us so we could learn from them. That shows how much they thought about us and how much we should think about them.

So at this moment when we are about to lay this season to rest, let’s all think back and remember how the 2009 Mets made an impact on our lives. This is not the moment for us to shed our tears but we should all be thankful that we were given the chance to have known a team called the 2009 Mets. They will be missed but I know in time (like in six months or so), I will meet the Mets again. We will all meet the Mets again and I’m sure they’ll make us laugh again, hopefully for the right reasons this time.

Studious Metsimus Has Statsimus Maximus

Dudes, do not try to say the title of this post five times fast. I will not be responsible for whatever injury your tongue suffers and I will certainly NOT be driving you to the Hospital For Special Surgery (unless if you can get me an autograph from one of the many Mets players who hang around their gift shop).

Here are a few final stats from the 2009 season:

With the season-ending sweep of the Astros, the Mets finished their first season at Citi Field with a winning home record. The three-game drubbing of Houston gave the Mets a 41-40 record at home. (They were 9-11 in the 20 games attended by members of the Studious Metsimus team.) Of course, that 29-52 road record kind of put a damper on things.

Daniel Murphy led the team in home runs this season with 12. This tied the franchise record for fewest home runs by a team leader. In 1977, Steve Henderson, John Milner and John Stearns led the Mets with 12 home runs apiece. In June 1998, Sammy Sosa hit 20 HR by himself. On the bright side, Daniel Murphy has never had the shadow of steroids following him, just the shadows of his stint in left field and this awkward photo.

As reported by Studious Metsimus three weeks ago (click here for proof...we wouldn't lie to you), David Wright's power outage did indeed become historic. He finished with 10 HR this season after hitting 33 HR in 2008. That marked the first time in major league history that a player with at least 500 at-bats in consecutive seasons hit as many as 33 HR the first season and as few as 10 HR the following season. Wright had 626 at-bats in 2008 and 535 at-bats in 2009. On a positive note, Wright didn't break the all-time strikeout record this year. Mark Reynolds of the Diamondbacks did with 223 Ks. We won't get into the fact that Reynolds also found the time between strikeouts to hit 44 HR with 102 RBI.

If Carlos Delgado played his last game in a Mets uniform, his last appearance as a Met came in May. The last player with as many home runs as Carlos Delgado's 473 HR to cut a season short in May was Mike Schmidt when he announced his retirement from the Phillies in 1989. Fortunately for Delgado, he took the inveitable news of the end of his season with a little more dignity than Mike Schmidt did.

Angel Pagan had a nice half-season for the Mets as an everyday player. In 343 at-bats, Pagan hit 22 doubles, 11 triples (one of only four major leaguers with as many as 11 triples) and six home runs. Getting thrown out on the bases for taking stupid chances has not yet been recognized by Major League Baseball as an official stat so Angel will not be embarrassed in this blog.

I personally like the dude. Not only is he a good hitter, but during Saturday's rain delay, he personally signed autographs for EVERY SINGLE FAN that stuck around for the game to resume.

Studious Metsimus was there and took an exclusive photo of Pagan signing those autographs (see photo above). He even signed one for the guy in the picture who was more interested in the yellow raincoat than the major leaguer standing three feet away from him. Stay classy, Angel Pagan!

Finally, we can't finish this without mentioning Nelson Figueroa. If I told you the Mets wouldn't have a single complete game shutout at Citi Field until the last game of the season, Nelson Figueroa would probably not be the first name rolling off your tongues. (Plus, if you didn't listen to me at the beginning of the blog and decided to say the title five times fast, nothing would be rolling off your tongue right now!)

Therefore, the final stat of the day is the number one. Nelson Figueroa tossed the one and only complete game shutout at Citi Field this season, one week after Pat Misch pitched the only other complete game shutout by a Met in 2009 against the Marlins in Florida.

For his efforts in the season finale, Figueroa was awarded with a shaving cream pie to the face. Although Figueroa laughed it off, Studious Metsimus was told by an unnamed source (who turned around when we called him Oliver Perez) that it was the team's subtle way of telling him to shave his eyebrows a little.

Congratulations to Nelson Figueroa for his excellent performance to end the season and also to Oliver Perez for not trying to do like Jose Reyes by making a failed comeback attempt only to exacerbate his previous injury. Then again, given Studious Metsimus and its hate/hate relationship with Señor Perez, perhaps he should have attempted a comeback.

Well, SMFs. That's all for the 2009 season. Don't fret. We'll still be here blogging about all things Mets. If there's a story out there to be made fun of, we'll fart all over it. If there's breaking news to report, we'll break it some more and then send it over to the Hospital For Special Surgery. And if Oliver Perez is out there, just shoot him and put him out of his misery.

Thank you for your readership and your support. Never forget...Angel Pagan: classy. Mike Schmidt: wimpy. If you remember to fly like an Angel, you won't be treated like a piece of Schmidt. Byeeeeeeeeeee!

Captain Obvious Speaks About Mets Adjusting To Citi Field

In today's Daily News, Jerry Manuel stated that the Mets must adjust to the dimensions of the ballpark in order to take full advantage of it.

To that, Studious Metsimus would like to present the Mets' resident Captain Obvious with a new honor, the "Duh, me!" Award.


Of course, the Mets will have to adjust. They obviously haven't adjusted to Citi Field offensively, having hit fewer than 50 home runs there. As a matter of fact, since the home run apple rises during the seventh inning stretch, fans attending games at Citi Field have been more likely to snap pictures of it during "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" than after an actual home run. As of Friday night's game, the apple has risen 79 times during the seventh inning stretch and 49 times after home runs hit by Mets players.

Captain Obvious went on to talk about David Wright's power failure at Citi Field this season. He made an interesting observation when he said,

"The real question is: Will David Wright come back and be the home run hitter that he is? That's the only one that we've really been able to evaluate in this particular park and say, 'Hey, we could have had this amount of home runs, but didn't.' "

"How does that affect him going forward, or was there some mechanical, fundamental thing that he could have done differently to hit more home runs, on the road, or what have you? I don't think we'll make any adjustments as far as the ballpark goes, but as individuals and hitting programs go, there's a possibility of some adjustments being made."

Oh, really? What hapened to that 80-pitch drill in spring training? You know the one. It's the one where hitters were given 80 pitches to swing at in six minutes so they could hit to the opposite field naturally when they became fatigued during the drill.

The opposite field for David Wright at Citi Field is the bullpen and the Mo-Zone, or Death Valley. Whereas the opposite field for Wright at Shea Stadium was anywhere from 371 to 396 feet, Death Valley at Citi Field ranges from 378 to 415 feet.

Friday night's game was an example of how Death Valley added another double to David Wright's total instead of a home run. In the bottom of the first inning, Wright hit a ball that bounced just before the 415 sign in front of the Mets bullpen and bounced over for a ground-rule double. With one more double, Wright will have his fourth consecutive 40-double season, despite the fact that he will have played in fewer games this season than in the previous three 40-double campaigns due to his DL stint.

Is it possible that if players hadn't been encouraged to hit the ball the other way so much in the 80-pitch drills, they might have hit with a little more power this year? Opposing players haven't had much a problem hitting home runs at Citi Field. Just ask Mark Reynolds. He seemed to have made a few friends in the second deck of left field seats when the Diamondbacks made their first and only visit to Citi Field when he hit four home runs in the three-game series.

I hope Howard Johnson plans to teach them how to pull when pulling the ball is warranted. After all, as any long-time Mets fan would know, no one pulled more home runs in a Mets uniform than HoJo. Maybe then, the home run apple will make more appearances during a home run trot than during Lazy Mary.

The Rich Get Richer, The Poor Get Promenade Seats

The Wilpons are at it again. They've noticed the empty seats at Citi Field over the past few weeks. They've seen the decline in SNY's ratings for Mets telecasts. Therefore, they have decided to do something that looks like they have the common fan in mind, when in reality, they're not doing a dang thing for us.

According to an official press release put out by the Mets today, ticket prices for season ticket holders will be cut by more than 10% for the 2010 season. Some locations will see over 20% price reductions.

Let me repeat that for you in bold letters. SEASON TICKET HOLDERS will be getting this discount, or as I like to call them, the ones who could probably afford their tickets no matter what the price is.

The press release did not say anything about partial plan holders (Studious Metsimus owns two 15-game plans) and individual ticket prices. They did seem particularly proud of the fact that no ticket price would increase and made sure to mention that tickets will cost as little as $11.

Of course, they failed to mention that those $11 seats were only available in the outfield area of the Promenade Level. This is the area that has many of those obstructions and poor sightlines that Mutt (Fred) and Jeff (Jeff) promised the fans wouldn't exist at the new home of Amazin'.

Also, these $11 seats were only available for 10 games out of the 81-game home schedule, with all of those games being against the Washington Nationals and the Florida Marlins. By comparison, 34 of the 81 games were part of the gold or platinum ticket category. Those same seats cost $23 for the gold games and $27 for the platinum games. A fan who wanted tickets in these outfield seats with a nice closeup view of the auto junkyards on 126th Street would have to plunk down a nice chunk of change to see the ants on the field.

I found an old Mets pocket schedule from 1990 and was shocked to see what ticket prices cost back then. Take a look for yourself:
















You could sit in box seats directly behind the dugout for $12. Upper deck seats, regardless of who the Mets were playing or whether you wanted to sit in the infield or outfield were $6. Even the loge seats were only $10.

Think about that. Less than two decades ago you could sit mere feet behind legendary Mets players such as Daryl Boston and Mackey Sasser for only one dollar more than the worst seat at Citi Field for selected weeknight games against the Washington Nationals.

















The Wilpons want the fans to think they're listening to them. Dave Howard, the executive VP of business operations is even quoted in the press release as saying,

"The Mets are sensitive to the economic realities facing our fans and we have lowered our ticket prices in response to these challenging conditions. This move underscores our appreciation of our fans' ongoing loyalty and support. We are committed to delivering exceptional service and value to our customers at Citi Field in 2010."

They're making it seem like the season ticket holders represent the Mets' entire fan base. Fiddle Faddle! The people in the Promenade Level, those who bought the lesser plans, the ones who buy individual game tickets. They're the ones who are the true supporters of the team. They're the ones who wish they could buy more tickets but are priced out of such a luxury. Shouldn't they get a discount as well?

It's nice that the Wilpons have noticed that the performance of the team on the field has not justified the prices we're paying to see them suck, I mean play. It would be nicer if they lowered these prices all around. Hopefully, they're saving that for the next press release.