Archie Bunker's Army

It's good seeing pouty former centerfielder Mike Cameron take his licks for his selfish reluctance to move the hell over and make way for Carlos Beltran already but not even a general disgust with his attitude and phoniness necessarily merits these vicious Cameron for Ugueth Urbina trade rumours. Not even after his assinine take on music in the clubhouse had me wishing he could be magically directed into Cliff Floyd's IPod so he could listen to inanity in stereo. Or maybe that was A-Rod's I-Pod. Hey, how come the Red Sox aren't dissing the Mets? Aren't we good enough to be dissed by the loudest and most obnoxious defending champions in World Series history? If A-Rod deserves all the ridicule farted in his direction by the flatulently overconfident Red Sox, Cameron must merit an entire encyclopedia on talk-is-cheap radio -- o Cameron, o Cameron! How I yearn for the days when you pronounced how happy you'd be to move over to rightfield if the Mets scored T...

Maybe the Mets didn't trade away all their best pitching prospects after all. Scott Kazmir will be getting a taste of the real major leagues when he logs his weed-thin body through an entire season and perhaps by the All Star break, we will have forgiven the front office for this seemingly senseless trade for Carlos Zambrano but even if not, there may be someone better looming on the horizan: "Yusmeiro Petit, 20, is almost a year younger than Kazmir and posted better statistics in the low minor leagues. He struck out 20 batters in 12 1/3 innings at Class A Brooklyn, recorded 122 strikeouts and just 22 walks at Class A Kingsport and went three consecutive games at Class A St. Lucie with at least 10 strikeouts. As a reward, Petit was promoted to Class AA Binghamton and invited to major league spring training." Who's to say Petit can't be the Dontrelle Willis of 2005, popping up from AA, setting the Major Leagues on fire? ***** Forget the D train and the beefy Yus...

It's one of the first moments of excitement of this new season. The offseason was a long high and the last few weeks following the missed stab at Delgado has been time for introspection on just what all the changes might mean for the Mets ability to compete for the NL East this season. But in reading this gem, it's hard not to feel optimistic. At least about Pedro. I'll always disliked Pedro. He's a prima donna, he's got a big mouth, he put down Piazza after the Guillermo Mota incident, and despite all that bravado, he almost always seemed to choke against the Yankees. "Pressure is a lack of confidence." Pedro philsophised in the Vecsey's piece. This is what's changing my opinion about Pedro. Rather than the humdrum nonstatements, the kind athletes and politicians are so enamoured with, Pedro speaks his mind and Pedro shows you what he really thinks. His honesty is refreshing and he seems almost immediately likeable. This was not usually t...

Yesterday, Mets pitchers and catchers reported to camp and it didn't take long for the first sickening thud to register. That thud would be the realisation that Hamstring Jose admitting he's probably gutted another season with obstinance and overconfidence when it comes to his most fragile body. What we learned was that: "In a telephone interview Wednesday, Mackie Shilstone, a sports-performance expert based in New Orleans, who suggested last season that the Mets needed to address Reyes's recurring hamstring injuries aggressively, then took on Reyes as a client, said he examined the 21-year-old Reyes for three days last October and determined "in no uncertain terms" the root of Reyes's problems, which in addition to his hamstring woes included a stress fracture of his fibula that kept him out of the lineup for most of August and September. Shilstone said he advised Reyes to visit him for two more weeks before playing in the Dominican Winter League and t...

Perhaps in deference to the latest drug controversy which has finally dragged baseball's headlines away from Omar's Offseason, the Mets have resurrected Darryl Strawberry in their new-fangled 1986 time warp machine. Strawberry, who will act as a "special instructor" for spring training, is the eighth member of the 1986 team serving the Mets in some capacity. Yet all the while, the Mets organisation carp on about how they are the "new" Mets. In case you've forgotten, here is what Darryl looks like when it isn't 1986 any more. "It was Omar Minaya's idea to start bringing back some of the 1986 players," Jim Duquette, the Mets' senior vice president of baseball operations, said yesterday in either pointing the blame or explaining why the Mets reached out to Strawberry. "There were a couple already in the organization and Darryl was one guy who was noticeably absent. We wanted him to get more involved with the organization....

The Mets, on the verge of Spring Training, have plenty of new faces and attitudes to keep them fresh. But seeing this projected team altogether on paper for the first time makes one begin to cringe a little in the realisation that alot of winter's highest hopes were based upon a really really optimistic forgetfulness of some very large holes in the roster, rotation and bullpen. A quick glance of the our prospects for winning to date from the Mets website: Projected batting order 1. SS Jose Reyes, .255 BA, 2 HR, 14 RBI in 2004 2. 2B Kazuo Matsui, .272 BA, 7 HR, 44 RBI in 2004 3. CF Carlos Beltran, .267 BA, 38 HR, 104 RBI in 2004 4. C Mike Piazza, .266 BA, 20 HR, 54 RBI in 2004 5. 3B David Wright, .293 BA, 14 HR, 40 RBI in 2004 6. LF Cliff Floyd, .260 BA, 18 HR, 63 RBI in 2004 7. RF Mike Cameron, .231 BA, 30 HR, 76 RBI in 2004 8. 1B Doug Mientkiewicz, .238 BA, 6 HR, 35 RBI in 2004 Making the wild assumption that Hamstring Jose will remain healthy, this is not a ba...

It would appear that the Mets are either interested in free agent Magglio Ordoñez, or a little wary . The outfield is far from set with the oft-injuried Cliff Floyd in left, Beltran in center and the unhappy Mike Cameron in right. A happy Mike Cameron in right would have been ideal but the more one reads about his complaining, the more this selfishness reminds me of Mike Piazza refusing to try to switch to first and disabling the team with his horrific catching skills. It would be nice if Cameron heals as quickly as reported and is traded on the first decent available deal out of town. His attitude is Old Mets, the attitude of self and losers and we don't need him, his wonderful glove, his 30 homers nor his whingeing. It's been rumoured since the middle of last season that Maggs would be Mets-bound. So often in fact I think alot of us began to take it as a foregone conclusion that so long as Magglio Ordoñez had healed, he was going to be a Met. Naturally the fa...

There is certainly no shortage of people who will be happy to tell you how lucky The Mets are not to have Sammy Sosa to kick around in Queens this summer. Sosa and his loud music, the steroid allegations and the debate on his decline would have been the story of the Spring, rather than the additions of Pedro and Carlos and this new-found optimism for the future. And it's true. Sosa would have been a hired-gun who perhaps can no longer draw quick enough. He would eat up millions of payroll, form a perfect bull's eye for fans and the media and would have poisoned the clubhouse, blablabla. OR, he could have been the perfect shield to deflect attention from Carlos Beltran in his first season from intense scrutiny if things didn't go right, right from the start. He might hit 55 homers this season just out of spite against the Cubs now that he's got something to prove. He might have helped sell out Shea every night instead of just the nights that Pedro pitches. ...

Well, if you consider NOT signing a dodgy-fielding first baseman with enormous power who hits equally well for average, a success, then I guess we can assess that Omar's magic touch is still in intact. Even though Carlos Delgado signed with the Marlins rather than the Mets and added insult to injury by claiming he chose to sign with the Marlins largely because they have the best chance of competing for a championship among the four finalists for his services, there are many different ways to spin this, some of them valid, some of them absurd. First of all, adding yet another long term, big money contract (Delgado ended up signing for $52 million over four years ) was probably not in the best interests of the Mets' long term interests. You can't buy everyone and even if you can, it doesn't necessarily buy success. Getting Doug Mientkiewicz instead of Delgado to fill first base, at first glance, seems like a pretty small consolation prize but as Baseball Ameri...

Since I'm growing weary at the slow pace of both the drearily sweeping broom of the potential Mike Cameron to the A's for Loco and a worn out reliever trade and even more weary with the Mets In Final Four For Delgado Sweepstakes non-news dairy product, I thought I'd break the snooze pattern of the news and have a reasonably brief and somewhat shallow look at where everybody else in the NL East stands to date. Atlanta Braves Record in 2004: 96-66, first place BIG off season moves involved getting outstanding and young starting pitcher Tim Hudson from the Oakland A's in response to our signing of Pedro. Hudson v Pedro will probably favour the Mets this season and according to Hudson, if he isn't signed by the Braves by March, he will be a free agent next season. So if the Braves don't ante up quick, this will be a one and out year for their future starting pitcher. They also got reliever/closer Dan Kolb from Milwaukee and Jorge Vasquez from Kansas Ci...

Does it seem like only yesterday that the fragile 32 year old centerfielder formerly known as Mike Cameron volunteered to move to right field to accomdate Carlos Beltran IF (snickersnicker) the Mets actually signed him? Ha. Cameron, no doubt, believed there wasn't a snowball's chance in Omar's Dominican Republic that the Mets would sign Carlos Beltran, as did most of the baseball world and thus, believed he had nothing to lose by making such a proposition. Not only did he have nothing to lose, but he might look a good team player in the process. Well, that little moment of myth-making can be laid to rest. That's right. Now, after being caught in a lie, the bitch wants to be traded . Apparently, he wasn't really willing to move to RF after all. It was all a practical joke. A simple misunderstanding. Apparently, he'd only been clearing his throat. Say it ain't so after all, Mr Cameron! Tell us your offer wasn't just a stream of self-servi...

Now that the Mets have Beltran in the Bag , the focus becomes on who they might sign next now that the free agent fever has hit them. Well, for starters, to fill their hole at first base, they are trying to set up a meeting with Carlos Delgado . All along the rumour has been that it was either Beltran or Delgado as the consolation prize. We didn't see it coming that the Mets might sign both . On first take, wow. Delgado's bat would really wreak havoc in concert with Beltran, and Piazza, Wright, Cameron and (if he stays) Cliff Floyd. He batted .269 with 32 homers and 99 runs batted in for Toronto last year, but also averaged 39.5 homers and 123.5 R.B.I in the previous six seasons. Beltran has already chimed in. "It would be seriously tremendous if we sign Carlos, too," Beltran was quoted as saying in the Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Dia on Monday. "I would love it if that could be achieved because we are good friends, but I know he has to make the b...

Let's give a kick to the Yankees franchise whilst they're still down. Rather than get into a bidding war with the suddenly imposing pockets of the Wilpon family, King George and his Yankee Machine declined to bid on Carlos Beltran thereby allowing himself to be outbid by his crosstown rivals for the first time in his 32 years as The Boss. Steinbrenner ultimately decided early Saturday evening that he could not meet Beltran's price. The Yankees were concerned about boosting their already hefty luxury-tax payments. In any case, the most sought-after free-agent in baseball, outfielder Carlos Beltran has agreed to a 7-year, $119-million deal with Mets. Shea What?! is about right, whoddathunkit? In a sign either of his senility or his undying desire to rid the Cubs of Sammy Sosa, the usually coherent Phil Rogers of the Trib weighs in with the explanation that The Mets can still afford Sosa . Ha! More to follow, more to add, more to celebrate and more to sha...

Although with King George's greedy clutches waiting in the background it is no done deal, the Mets chances of signing Carlos Beltran just grew enormously as Beltran rejected the Astros final offer . There are rumours that the Cubs and Yankees are still in the running with the Mets but to date, only the Mets and Astros had shown any certain intrest by offering a contract and with the Astros now out of the picture, the Mets are the favourites. The Yankees, of course, with Steinbrenner loath to allow the Mets any crosstown splashy publicity which would take the spotlight off of him and his signings, continue to loom ahead and there is always the chance that they will jump into this chase before it is over. However, not having made any offer to Beltran and allowing the possibility of Houston to have signed him without bidding a cent on him, seems an indication that the rumours of the Yankees finally showing a modicum of fiscal restraint might possibly be true. The Cubs are ...

Well, they're getting closer in that at least they're unloading catchers now. Unfortunately for the Mets, they unloaded backup catcher Vance Wilson , a sort of Del Gilbert of the early 21st century, and chose to keep the selfish, overpaid and underachieving catcher, Mike Piazza in his stead. Wilson was the Mets' representative to the players union and was an active presence in the clubhouse, taking on a leadership role despite his limited playing time. "Vance Wilson is a professional backup catcher," Tigers president Dave Dombrowski said. "He is one of the best in the business at his role in addition to being a quality individual in the clubhouse." Ironically, the catcher they chose to keep, Mike Piazza, also had limited playing time and has NO presence to speak of in the clubhouse, other than as facial hair stylist extraordinaire, and leader of the Worst Defensive Catchers in the World Association. Whereas Piazza regularly throws out a...

The stakes are rising quickly. With only four days left for the Astros to resign their free agent Carlos Beltran, the Mets officially met with Beltran in his native Puerto Rico for a reported four hour session. It was also rumoured that they offered $100 million as an opening bid. Lest one think this expedition stops at ONE Carlos, it should be noted that Met special assistant Tony Bernazard dropped this particular bombshell that the other Carlos; the slugging first baseman Carlos Delgado, is also being chased on this trip. "Our interest is centered on Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado," Bernazard told the media. "We are still trying to determine if we should sign one or both." One or both ? Certainly too delicious to contemplate, netting a pair of Carlos' in one season. In the meantime, speculation continues to run rampant that the Yankees can't afford Beltran any more with the recent acquisition of The Unit and won't be a player in...

Well, the calendar turned, one day closer to the Astros' January 8th make or break day with Beltran and the Mets still have not announced the signing of Carlos Beltran. However, they have a plan . "Continuing his home visits tour, general manager Omar Minaya will head a Mets contingent that will visit Beltran in Puerto Rico on Tuesday, the latest example of the aggressive face-to-face recruiting style Minaya employed to steal Pedro Martinez from the Red Sox last month." Hmmm. Wonder how the plane was able to take off with all those sacks of cash on board. "Minaya plans to sell the idea of Beltran's becoming the club's biggest marquee attraction. According to a person familiar with the situation, Minaya also will cite the many marketing opportunities available as the city's newest Hispanic star." Well, it certainly won't be the hard sell on Mets historical tradition, will it? Even Bobby Valentine got into the act when he did ...

The Mets announced the signing of free agents SS Chris Woodward and P Manny Aybar to minor league contracts. Of Woodward, we can safely say that Hamstring Jose's job isn't in any great jeopardy. He's 28 yet still unsung, but he's not really too terrible. His best season was 2002 when he hit .276-13-45 in 90 games for the Jays. On the one hand you can say he's pretty versatile on the field, having played SS, 2B, 1B and 3B over his career. His fielding percentage isn't sparkling but who knows, with all fragility of Reyes in mind, this isn't a terrible pickup. ESPN says : "He's fit, wiry and athletic with strong hands, contributing to above-average bat speed, which can produce surprising pop. Nonetheless, he can be overpowered up in the strike zone and is vulnerable to breaking stuff low and away." Fit and wiry, I like that. It won't stop the world from spinning but it won't cause its destruction either. Aybar, on the o...

Archie Bunker's Army is not holding its collective breath on the availability or success of the Victor Zambrano, he of the infamously stooopid Zambrano for Mets superstah future flamethrowing pitching phenom Scott Kazmir . Zambrano, rumoured to be the bottom rung of next season's Met starting rotation, we THOUGHT was plagued by a dodgy right elbow but no, 'tisn't the elbow that had the Mets brass so concerned that they flew him to New York from Venezuela to have him looked at, it is the ankle . It appears Zambrano told friends his ankle still bothered him a great deal. But now, with the magical wave of a wand, Zambrano is back throwing bullpen sessions. Herculean, that is, dodgy elbow, dodgy ankle and hanging by a string. Not to beat a theme to death but I'm still wondering to myself why Omar didn't take a swing at grabbing free agent Wade Miller before the Red Sox did. Miller won 45 games in three years for the Astros before going down for the season t...

It's being reported that with the injury to centerfielder Mike Cameron, the Mets are now considering Eric Byrnes . Byrnes batted .283 with 20 homers and 73 RBIs in 143 games with the A's in 2004, stealing 17 bases in 18 attempts which is more than adequate to replace Cameron but the problem is, it might take top prospects Yusmeiro Petit or Lastings Milledge to get them. Hmmmm. I guess losing future ace Scott Kazmir in a sloth-minded trade for damaged goods to Tampa Bay wasn't enough of a giveaway of future pitching prospects to teach the Idiot Collective a lesson. On the upside, Byrnes is known for his all-out play, exactly the sort of hustle and character the Mets should be looking for, but would probably be better suited to a 4th outfielder role rather than a starter. In fact, he's perfect for the job of replacing Cameron but not at the costs mentioned. For that price, this is probably more wishful thinking than reality. Another one making the rounds is...