Well I have to admit that I wasn’t able to hear the ” General” Jerry press conference yesterday. But from the comments that I saw in regards of inserting Jose Reyes into the third spot in the batting order - I do believe the man is as clueless as Col. Klink ! I have to disagree with my fellow brother in Mets Blue and Orange - Kingman25 when he says this might be a brilliant idea because it will bring balance to the batting order. The way I see it Jose - like Lenny Dykstra is a prototypical lead-off hitter. Generally when Jose first comes to bat it is usually a barometer of how the game will go ( If he gets on base he will more times than not get himself into scoring position, and eventually score). I do agree that Jose can successfully bat in any slot of the order since he has speed, ample power and good baserunning instincts. I don’t think that Angel Pagan can be trusted in number one slot neither do I believe Luis ” Slappy” Castillo can either. Speaking of Castillo, I believe he is best suited in either the two ( like Wally Backman) or the eight slot in the batting order. The problem with Luis ( or Jerry Manuel) is that he is more prone to sacrifice the runner over with no outs to put them into scoring position than to try to hit away and find a hole in the infield. Remember how that drove us fans crazy last year because it killed many a rally ?!? But the choice ultimately lies with Jerry . He is the manager ( god help us) and he makes the in game decisions. Lets just hope he is wise with this decision and let us hope that Jose really embraces batting where ever in the order he is slotted. Because a happy Jose will go along way - and remember the old saying “ As Jose Reyes goes - The team goes “.

                                                     ” Who is the better  strategist?”

And now … ON WITH THE INFAMY !!!

Happy Birthday Phil Lombardi (1963), the one time fourth string catcher for the ‘89 team.

Utility outfielder and all around punk from the ‘04 team Shane Spencer is 38 (1972) .

Starting pitcher from last season - Livan Hernandez is 35 ( YEAH RIGHT !!! ) (1975) .

New York Mets signed free agent Don Aase on February 20, 1989. It’s funny because exactly a year later - The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Don Aase of the New York Mets as a free agent on February 20, 1990.

New York Yankees signed Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets as a free agent on February 20, 1996. This was the ultimate slap in the face for us Mets fans ! Yes Darryl was successful in a limited role for the Yanks. But Dwight showed flashes of the stuff that endeared us Mets fans to him - and the most painful thing is that he pitched a no - hitter for the enemy ! Look I was one of the jilted fans that called for his release after his last relapse and suspension in ‘94, but I felt that the Mets at the very least should have reached out to him to give him another shot - instead of his comeback being splashed on the covers of local papers in a Yankee uniform. And to have him shut us down in the 2000 World Series was hard to swallow!

New York Mets signed free agent Tony Clark on February 20, 2003.Tony Clark was a good addition for the Mets. He stepped in for the ailing Mo Vaughn ( insert joke here) and he played rather well.

And while we wait for Rob Barajas to sign with the Mets just remember - There are only 44 days until the Mets open the 2010 season against the Florida Marlins at Citi Field.

Well it’s another quiet day on the Mets hot stove front. No sign of Jason Bay or Bengie Molina in sight. So some of you might ask me - ” Hey Fat Ass !!- oops Rustyjr ! Do you think this off season has been a sucess?” I say in my always infinite wisdom ( after consulting with my trusty magic 8 ball - Winter Solstice present from Kingman doncha know ) it is too early to tell. I mean if we go into spring training with a catching platoon of Omir Santos and Henry Blanco, Daniel Murphy and Xavier Nady sharing first base, the starting rotation filled out with either Jonathan Neise , Jon Garland or Fernando Nieve, and a Marlon Byrd in left field - I would not be rushing to buy season tickets for the 2010 campaign - But it would at least be a competitive team. It might not be the playoff caliber team that we have been promised but at the very least it might be the type of team that if they can play above their heads come the July 31st trade deadline and Omar is able to make a impact deal for either a power hitting slugger Ala a Carlos Lee or a stud pitcher such as Roy Oswalt or Cliff Lee , then this team might be able to catch lightening in a bottle and possible sniff the playoffs. But if the Mets decide to really shop at the family dollar retreads section , then it will be a pretty quiet season at Citi Field.

                                                                         ” I hate being behind the magic 8 ball !”

And now …. ON WITH THE INFAMY !!!

Happy Birthday wishes go out to the utility infielder of the ‘64- 65 Mets - Bobby Klaus (1937)
Outfielder Raul Gonzalez is 36 (1973) . Nothing else to say except he played in 137 games from 2002 - 2003 and I don’t remember him !
Pitcher Jeff D’Amico is 34 today (1975), He had so much promise - great arm , to bad he was a head case

New York Mets traded Kevin Appier to the Anaheim Angels for Mo Vaughn on December 27, 2001. It was the trade that had us sent a over weight fading pitching star for a overweight fading power hitting first baseman. So in a sense the deal was a wash !

New York Mets signed free agent Rey ” The Barber” Sanchez of the Boston Red Sox on December 27, 2002. He was supposed to be a adequate fill in while Rey Ordonez was rehabbing a injury, and instead he caused many problems, and gave bad haircuts !
And remember , before you let this slow hot stove season get you down - there are just 99 mind numbing more days until the Mets open the 2010 season against the Florida Marlins at Citi Field.

Look, I understand that there was no way in hell that our Mets were going to get Javier Vasquez, but when the Washington Nationals are making more noise than us it raises alot of questions about how aggressive this organization is this off season. So I have compiled my own set of questions . Please feel free to give me your answers , opinions, rants and diatribes.                                                 
1. I know there is still 2 months until pitchers and catchers, but where is the new blood that is supposed to make this a ” championship caliber team ” again ?
2. In regards to the Jason Marquis signing ( he was never my first choice obviously), Why is there a perception that this front office can’t multitask ? I mean we have the three headed hydra of Omar Minaya, John Riccio and Wayne Krisky, you would thing that Omar could negotiate with the offensive players ( i.e Jason Bay, Bengie Molina etc) while Krisky could handle the negotiations with pitchers and Riccio can fine tune the fine print on the contracts.
3. Is being overly patient a bad thing?
4.Is Fernando Martinez part of this teams future and if the answer is no why haven’t we offered him in any trades for big name players?
5. Does ownership want a mass defection of fans to the Yankees?
6. Has anyone re-upped their season tickets?
7. Will the Mets starts drafting and paying over slot?
8. Will the Mets impose a deadline on Jason Bay and Bengie Molina , or is the front office satisfied with twisting in the wind?
9. R.A Dickey - are you kidding me?!?
10.  Omar , Jeff are you listening?

” Well !?!  Were waiting !!!!”        

Okay I admit that I am getting frustrated but I think my concerns are valid .
And with that said - HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!!!!!

Happy Birthday wishes go out to power hitting first baseman from the ‘63-’64 season -Tim Harkness is 72 (1937).I loved seeing him in the ‘63 Mets yearbook show , too bad he never stuck with the Mets.
One of the best Mets pitchers that ever lived - Jerry “Kooz” Koosman is 65 (1942) . Please retire his number already !!!
Much maligned current Mets manager ( for now) Jerry Manuel is 56 (1953) .
One time rookie prospect Tim Leary is 51 (1958). He had a great fastball, too bad Joe Torre pitched him during a cold April in 1980 and he blew his arm out and was never the same.
Middle reliever from the late ’90’s - ‘02 - Rick White is 41(1968) .

Seattle Mariners signed catcher Mackey” Double Clutch” Sasser of the New York Mets as a free agent on December 23, 1992. I loved Sassers bat , but he couldn’t throw out Mo Vaughn trying to steal third base!

New York Mets signed free agent catcher Todd ” Tank ” Pratt on December 23, 1996. Who could forget that game winning home run against the Diamond Backs in the ‘99 NLCS. Who could forgive him for being on the Mitchell Report.

New York Mets signed free agent utility infielder Craig Paquette of the Kansas City Royals on December 23, 1997.

New York Mets traded outfielder Roger Cedeño, pitcher Octavio Dotel and Kyle Kessel to the Houston Astros for starting pitcher Mike Hampton and Derek Bell on December 23, 1999. This was definitely one of the best trades in Mets history !! To bad they low balled Hampton and he decided that the Colorado school system (and the 120 million dollar contract that he got ) were alot more attractive.

Texas Rangers signed spot starter/ middle reliever Mike Bacsik of the New York Mets as a free agent on December 23, 2003.

New York Mets signed free agent reliever Juan Padilla on December 23, 2004.

And don’t despair my fellow Mets fans because there are only 103 gut wrenching more days until the Mets open the 2010 season against the Florida Marlins at Citi Field

Good morning to all my fellow Mets fans. I use to term “good” very loosely after the events that unfolded during yesterdays hot stove action that saw two premier pitchers come off the market, Mike Cameron - our plan B in case Jason Bay went elsewhere - reportedly has come to terms with the Boston Red Sox, The Yankees are expressing interest in obtaining Jason Bay and oh yeah Bengie Molina wants a three year contract ! That coupled with the St Louis Cardinals offering the sky ( as well as the moon ) to left fielder Matt Holliday ( possible 8 year contract) makes the Mets look like they are trapped on the outside looking in. I am trying my best here to put a positive spin on the events of yesterday , Yes the Phillies are giving up Cliff Lee so , their rotation has improved slightly, and it is common knowledge that Roy Halliday really had no interest in pitching in Flushing. But the truth is as a Mets fan this still hurts, AND IT HURTS ALOT ! Look I know throwing money at our problems to all the top tiered free agents out there can be counterproductive ( loss of draft picks , top heavy with little flexibility regarding payroll), but I am just wondering if Omar Minaya and Mets ownership should be more proactive than reactive. Yes it is a good plan to wait the market out and reap its rewards, but this is beginning to look more like a game of musical chairs and pretty soon the Mets might be the odd man out. Look making moves solely to placate a disgruntled fan base is a dangerous proposition, but that being said if this roster returns mostly unchanged ( you have to keep the core) there will be alot of apathy from us fans to our team. Remember Jeff Wilpon said on the Mike Francessa show that he promised that they would field ” a championship caliber team in 2010” , well so far this isn’t happening , and it would be a cop out if their rational will be ” well we are getting our injures players back healthy ”
Look, I live and die by my team during both the good times as well as the bad, and I used to be the Pollyanna sort ( always looking on the bright side). As long as the Mets are residing in New York , my love for them will not falter ! I just find it hard to be supportive of a ownership group that seems to have its heart in its right place, but its head is up it’s ass. In closing to this mini tirade , I tend to agree with my co writers on alot of their points , but I am a reactionary - I admit that I cringe when a player that I want goes elsewhere , I feel hurt when the Yankees make the big splash, I seethe when we lose to a lowly team like the Pirates ! But as I said before I am and I will always will be Mets fan it’s in my D.N.A. . And with that said … Here comes the INFAMY !!!!!

                                                             “ Is Mr Met our new number 2 starter?”

Happy Birthday wishes go out to much maligned manager of those putrid teams in ‘03 & ‘04 -Art Howe (1946) . Art was a good guy, was a very good manager during his tenure with the Oakland A’s. But he just didn’t have the tools to be the manager in a big market such as New York.
The big but of many a Mets fan’s jokes - Mo Vaughn turns 42 today (1967) . As much as I kid him for his girth and his ineffectiveness while with the Mets he is a extremely charitable man who gives back to the community not through a charity foundation but through his direct actions.
Sadly on this date in 2002, first baseman from the ‘66 team, Dick Stuart passed away.
New York Mets traded Lee Walls to the Los Angeles Dodgers for catcher Charlie Neal and pitcher Willard Hunter on December 15, 1961.Lee walls in one of the few players to be on a Mets Roster , yet never play for the team.

New York Mets traded pitcher Jack Fisher, outfielder Tommy Davis, pitcher Billy Wynne and minor leaguer Dick Booker to the Chicago White Sox for Tommie Agee and Al Weis on December 15, 1967.

New York Mets traded pitcher John Pacella and utility infielder José Moreno to the San Diego Padres for past his prime reliever, Randy Jones on December 15, 1980.

New York Mets traded pitcher Bob Ojeda and minor league prospect Greg Hansell to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Hubie Brooks on December 15, 1990. It’s a shame, because Bobby still had alot of gas left in the tanks and they dumped him for a past his prime former Mets fan favorite in Brooks.

New York Mets traded outfielder Jeff Barry to the San Diego Padres for pitcher Pedro” Not that Pedro !” Martinez on December 15, 1995.

New York Mets signed free agent outfielder Carlos Mendoza on December 15, 1999.

New York Mets traded defensive superstar shortstop Rey Ordóñez to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for minor league prospects Russ Johnson and Josh Pressley on December 15, 2002. With the rise of Jose Reyes and his horrible disposition, it was time for Rey to go .

San Francisco Giants signed second baseman Edgardo Alfonzo of the New York Mets as a free agent on December 15, 2002. That was a sad day , Alfonzo was like the glue of that Mets infield, and we haven’t has a second baseman like him since !

Mets drafted reserve infielder Eric Valent from the Cincinnati Reds on December 15, 2003.

Pittsburgh Pirates signed reliever Roberto Hernandez of the New York Mets as a free agent on December 15, 2005. We reacquired him the next year along with perennial headcase Oliver Perez after Duaner Sanchez was involved in that infamous car accident.

St. Louis Cardinals signed closer Braden Looper of the New York Mets as a free agent on December 15, 2005. Looper never did get a fair shake from us fans , but after seeing the pen implode during key situation he was never the solution to the problem.
And remember - there are only 111 more days until the Mets open the 2010 season against the Florida Marlins at Citi Field.

Hey while I was waiting for all the little kids dressed up as everyone from President Obama and Batman  to give them their candy along with  their parents dressed up as everything from Hannah Montana and Uncle Floyd, I started wondering who is the scariest Met ever. I know alot of people would probably say Turk Wendell with his necklace made from the bones of the roadkill he’s found and eaten through the years. While others would go the route of Armondo Bernitez. And some still recoil in horror when they hear the names Kenny Rogers and Mo ” The Thing That Ate Cleveland” Vaughn . But I say not even close !!! The most scariest Met ever is ….. Ambiorix Burgos !!!

 WHO IS SCARIER?

Here’s a little back story on Amby ” The Annihilator“. He was born on April 19, 1984 in Nagua, Dominican Republic and is ( was?) a right-handed pitcher for the Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets .

He made his major league debut in 2005 with the Kansas City Royals, in which he appeared in 59 games as a reliever. He pitched 60 innings, and he had the dubious distinction to be 10th in the league in wild pitches. But Burgos fastball was clocked at a league high of 96.5 mph, and he posted an respectable ERA of 3.90.

In 2006, Burgos started the season as the Royals’ closer. But his season was considered disappointment when he finished with a record of 4-5 and a ERA of 4.52 ERA in 73 1/3 innings . He had recorded 18 saves while blowing 12 and by mid season he had lost the closer’s job.
On December 5, 2006, Burgos was traded by the Royals to the New York Mets for Rookie Starting starting pitcher, Brian Bannister. I still think this is one of Omar’s worst trades obviously because Banister showed the fans he was a competent number five pitcher , but he had a bas hamstring injury early in the year and Omar craved the flame throwing Burgos.

In 2007 , he began the season on the Mets 25-man roster, and was sent to Triple-A almost immediately after he surrendered a grand slam to Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies. Later that season Burgos would undergo Tommy John surgery and he was shelved for the remainder of the season.

And as we all know on September 9, 2008, Burgos was arrested for assaulting his girlfriend. Published reports said that he ” repeatedly punched her on the back, bit her and slapped her.” A New York jury convicted him for the assault.
But did this set him on the straight and narrow??? HELL NOOOOO!!!! Because on later that year , Burgos was indicted on charges of hit and run in his native Dominican Republic. Published reports said that Burgos struck two women in his SUV and drove off. Both women later died of their injuries. Burgos turned himself in to authorities on October 7, But he claimed he wasn’t in the car adding that he lent it to his cousin !!! He is from my knowledge still awaiting trial!
On December 12, 2008, the New York Mets did not offer Burgos a new contract ( thankfully!) , and he became a free agent.
So if this man who has female abusing murderer isn’t the scariest Met who ever lived … I DONT KNOW WHO IS !!!!

Well  so  I just woke up and read my e mails and what did I see ? 2 Emails from Stub Hub. One read :

Dear Mr. Rustyjr , there is still time to get your playoff/ World Series tickets from us ( I am paraphrasing here mind you ).

 The second e-mail was more on the lines of : Dear loser… We are sorry that your team blew chunks this season and that we accidentally sent you a email that was meant for a deserving Yankees fan. We apologize for any inconvenience we might have caused you ( snicker snicker ) during your long , cold off season. Sincerely , your lords and Masters here at Stub Hub.
Okay so now that I am am really steamed about the Philthies winning last night and getting this condecending message from Stub Hub I feel it’s the right time for some INFAMY !!!

Happy Birthday Wishes go out to both Bobby Valentine and Art Howe’s bench Coach - Bobby Floyd (1943)
All bow down for it is Keith ” Mex” Hernandezs’ 56th Birthday !! (1953) Please resign with SNY Keith !!! We need your insights and opinions on the Shake Shack and your Mexisms along with your keen baseball mind and oft color analysis.
Ironically the spare part in the Keith Hernandez for Neil Allen trade - pitcher Rick Ownbey , is 52 (1957) Rick Ownby was to my recollection was alot like Mike Scott, He had a good fastball but he didn’t know how to use it. Whereas later on Mike Scott was able to evolve as a pitcher ( oh he also doctored the ball!!) Ownby never quite caught on in two partial seasons with the St Louis Cardinals.
Pitcher from the ‘94 season - New Yorks own - Jonathan Hurst is 43 (1966) .

Sadly on this date two Mets coaches passed away . First was coach of the ‘64 team and once was a decent pitcher for the Cleveland Indians - Mel Harder in 2002
and bench coach from the ‘90′S - Chuck Hiller in 2004.

New York Mets traded pitcher Al Jackson and outfielder Charley Smith to the St. Louis Cardinals for infielder Ken Boyer on October 20, 1965.

New York Mets sold pitcher Larry Bearnarth to the Milwaukee Brewers on October 20, 1970.

New York Mets sold pitcher Ron Taylor to the Montreal Expos on October 20, 1971.
Okay so lets think some happy thoughts ….. Mo Vaughn is not a Met, Brian Schneider will no longer be a Met ! And Opening Day is only 167 days away !!!