Jae Seo Keeps His Winning Way

I know, I know -

• It's the World Baseball Classic and we don't know how great the competition is
• It's only March
• He pitched 2-hit shutout ball, but it was only 3 2/3 innings

But I can't help but be upset that the Mets got rid of Jae Seo. I really think it's a move they're going to regret.

-Rob Hyman

World Baseball Classic Begins Today!

Major League Baseball is traditionally the most short-sighted of the professional sports leagues, but now, it is the people who cover the sport that have failed to embrace an idea that is long past overdue. It’s hard to believe the following statement, but baseball should learn from hockey.

The World Baseball Classic is not only a good idea, but the media, fans and baseball officials should not only be supporting this year’s inaugural tournament, they should realize that the right thing to do would be shutting down the regular season for two weeks once ever four years to continually stage the event. Why? Well, for one it’s good for the sport to have an international stage. And secondly, as the history of baseball shows, every great innovation in the sport was mocked when it first became a reality.

While Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa are always given credit for “saving” baseball following the 1994-95 strike, it’s revisionist history not to remember that the sport’s popularity soared following the last work stoppage also due in large part to the advent of the three-division, wild-card format in 1995. The arrival of interleague play shortly thereafter has also been a rousing success. The wild card wasn’t the death of pennant race baseball, and the World Series has in no way been diminished by a three-game mid-summer series between teams such as the Yankees and Braves. In fact, one could argue that the Yankees-Mets Subway Series of 2000 began with added anticipation due to the Mike Piazza beaning incident of earlier that year.

As the World Baseball Classic gets underway, the National Hockey League is beginning the second half of its season following the Olympic break. Now granted, in no way are the audiences between baseball and hockey comparable, but the NHL gains a lot of viewers during the Olympics that would not otherwise watch the league. And there doesn’t seem to be any bad public relation fallout despite injuries in the Olympics to some of the league’s brightest stars. The Olympic tournament was thrilling and the games were passionately played. While it’s true a serious injury did not occur, that is the risk you take in order to grow your game and reach a larger audience.

The World Baseball Classic has flaws, because new ideas always have flaws. Pitchers won’t be ready to go all out, and a pitch count essentially means the games are not true baseball contests in which a great starting pitcher could dominate a game, or even a whole tournament.

But even with its flaws, the WBC is good for the game of baseball, and that’s all that really matters. Now, about that World Series home-field being decided by the All-Star Game…

- Scott Silversten

STOP THE PRESSES! REYES WALKS!

I am sure most Met fans have heard about the thrilling walk Reyes had in his first at-bat of the spring. According to the NY Post:

In Reyes' opening at-bat, he fought off an 0-2 count from Billy Wagner and fouled off several pitches to draw a walk.

Look, everyone knows this is meaningless, but during March you grab on to anything that gives you hope. And I too am happy Reyes was able to draw a walk. However, what the hell was Wagner doing walking a guy who never walks, after being ahead 0-2!! Trade Wagner!! :)

Unpatriotic ballplayers

Billy Wagner has just withdrawn from the U.S. team in the World Baseball Classic. I could have sworn I had just read a quote from Wagner saying how excited he was to have the chance to represent his country. So much for that. Who's dropping out next? Soon Buck Martinez is going to have to recruit some minor leaguers to put 9 men on the field. I agree with Rotoworld's comment: "Hopefully, all of these players who are withdrawing now without decent reasons don't receive any consideration for future teams."

Quote of the Week – Rickey being Rickey

It is almost too easy to go with a few Rickey Henderson quotes for this week’s “Quote of the Week” entry. You could almost have a separate weekly feature for Rickey quotes. But before we have a little fun with Rickey, let’s give him the props he deserves. In some ways, Rickey was actually well ahead of his time. Rickey was a walking machine well before Moneyball opened the eyes for so many about the importance of OBP. He was in the top 10 in his league for OBP a whopping 16 times. Look at this quote, and maybe Rickey is smarter than we think he is:

"To be in a class with Babe Ruth, you can't ask for anything more. Walks have been underappreciated. It's lost in the stats sheets. It lost its appeal somewhere. Another thing lost in the stats is on-base percentage. That's the most important thing in baseball. If nobody's on base, nobody scores."
---Rickey on breaking the career walks record

Hey, some current players and managers could learn a lot from the above, including our current pathetic leadoff hitter. But alas, if you are going to use Rickey for “Quote of the Week,” you need to bring out the goods. So, for this week’s entry, we present to you a few of our favorite Rickey-isms:

"Listen: People are always saying, 'Rickey says Rickey.' But it's been blown way out of proportion. People might catch me, when they know I'm ticked off, saying, 'Rickey, what the heck are you doing, Rickey?' They say, 'Darn, Rickey, what are you saying Rickey for? Why don't you just say, 'I?' But I never did. I always said, 'Rickey,' and it's become something for people to joke about."
---Rickey on 3rd person

"Let's see, for breakfast Rickey will have bacon and eggs, and grits if I can get 'em. Then I'll have a good meal after the game, either the clubhouse buffet or at a restaurant someplace. I'll eat a steak sometimes, sure. But not too much. I always leave something on the plate. Never eat till I'm full; pick here and there, eat small, eat often."

"I really don't snack in the dugout. Seeds are going to make us fat. I tried them, but they're really not that good for me. I am always telling everyone to lay off the seeds or else they'll be getting fat. There's fat in those seeds. And they always say 'Right, there's a lot of fat in a seed.' Maybe my favorite is water. Water's kind of boring though. I like to chew bubble gum. Maybe that's my favorite. Rickey's going with bubble gum."
---Rickey on his diet

"This is Rickey calling on behalf of Rickey."
---Rickey leaving a message on the answering machine of San Diego GM Kevin Towers

Ode to My Favorite Player

Although I’m excited for the first time Billy Wagner jogs in from the bullpen to shut the door after 8 brilliant innings from Pedro, the off-season acquisition I am most looking forward to is Carlos Delgado. He has the potential to be the best position player to ever play for the Mets, even though that crown most likely will stay with Mike Piazza for many years. Delgado is only 34, coming off a great season, and despite missing 34 games two years ago, has never been a health risk. If all goes according to plan, there is no reason to believe Delgado can’t set several Met single-season records, especially for a first baseman.

But before Delgado lights up Shea, I want to reminisce about the best first baseman the Mets have ever had….who also happens to be my favorite player ever. And no, I am not talking about Keith Hernandez. Who then? Well, the man, the myth, the legend…John Olerud.

Yes, defensively, Hernandez certainly was superior. And since he played for the Mets for several more years, Hernandez also probably meant more for the franchise. However, Hernandez never had as solid of a three year stretch that Johnny-5 enjoyed in orange and blue.

Olerud holds (or is tied for) the Mets single season record for batting average, on-base percentage, games played, bases on balls, runs created, times on base and hit by pitches. He is also in the top 10 for most of the other offensive categories. While never a real homerun hitter, Olerud still ranks third on the Mets career slugging percentage leaderboard, thanks to a healthy dose of doubles each season. His career on-base percentage with the Mets is a sparkling .425, the only player in franchise history to end his Met career in the 400s.

Olerud retired following the 2005 season, despite a fairly productive 173 ABs with the Red Sox. I miss him already. No one was classier, on the field and off. Respected by teammates, fans and the media, the game will certainly miss him. So before we welcome our new first baseman to Shea, let’s take a moment and give Olerud his due. His B-Ref page sponsor sums it up best:

Johnny O exemplifies all the ideals of a baseball player. He is a classy, graceful, intelligent, modest, kind-hearted guy with the sweetest lefty swing ever.