What were you thinking: Mike Pelfrey

Talk about looking hideous. Mike Pelfrey in his two starts this season (supposedly as the stand-in ace) has been nothing short of awful. In 6.1 innings, Pelfrey has already given up 11 earned runs. His ERA is an unflattering 15.63. He has only 3 strike outs and a WHIP of 2.68.

Pelfrey has been an embarrassment thus far

Mikes splitter doesn't possess the bite that it did during most of last year and his sinker looks like a big Italian meatball coming towards home plate and the batters are coming for second servings. The Mets success hinges, in not so small a part, on Pelfrey's right arm. He needs to gut-check him self, get the estrogen out of his system and man up. He has had a soft psyche his whole career and its time to dump that.

Maybe the Cowboys should have a 2nd string TE competition

Don't get me wrong...I think competition in football makes players and teams better. You need guys to feel like there's a real fire under the ass in order to extract the effort necessary for success. In the case of Tony Romo and the Cowboys, however, I don't think they need a 2nd string, underachieving tight end to run his mouth and create an unneeded controversy.

Martellus Bennett is a physically gifted tight end who blocks extremely well and is a viable option as a receiver but lets face it, he was drafted to be a high production tight end and create, with Jason Witten opposite, one of the best tight end tandems in football. Instead, his lacadaiscal play and lack of commitment to the team has created a decent player. So at the end of the day, who the hell are you to say there needs to be a QB competition between Romo and Kitna?

First off, I think that Romo is feeling the burners under his ass. He sat out the second half of last year with his collarbone injury and watched as his wily veteran backup, Jon Kitna, played well. I believe that Romo wants nothing more than to get back on the field and prove that he is not only a elite quarterback, an often debated point, but that he can also lead this team to glory. Now, do I think that there are notes and tips from Kitna's play that would benefit Romo? Absolutely. I think Romo needs to take every page from Kitna's leadership book and apply it on the and off the field this up coming season. But at the end of the day, Kitna's success was a complete surprise. The guy is 38 and is content with being the backup. Romo is a much more talented quarterback and is the best shot the Cowboys have at success.

Martellus Bennet, and the other underachiever, Roy Williams (Who last season often said the thought Kitna was as good as Romo) both need to stick a fork in it. Bennett is the one who should be worried about a position competition. John Phillips was on track to unseat him as the #2 TE last season before he tore his ACL and he might just unseat him this season.

Mets BURRRY the phils 7-1

Chris Young was 3-3 last night and pitched 5 1/3 solid innings

I know its early in the season and you can't draw too much from April games but fuck yeah Mets. It was awesome to watch them absolutely tear apart Cole Hamels cheeks (like usual) and slay the Phillies in front of a sold out Philadelphia crowd, the final score being 7-1.

The Mets really laid it on Hamels in the 3rd inning scoring 6 of their 7 runs. New pitcher Chris Young was the catalyst with 2 hits and an RBI in the inning. David Wright was dominant as he had 4 hits and drove in a pair. What I really liked is that the Mets were extremely aggressive on the base path last night. Reyes and Pagan, the speed demons, were swiping bags and were not afraid to run on the shaky arms of the Phillies outfield. Even in this early stage of the season, we can see the  aggressive "play hard" attitude of Terry Collins rubbing off on the Mets. They looked a bit like last years TB Rays, stretching plays out and putting themselves into scoring position...and when it counted the lumberyard delivered.

Chris Young looked great last night and had little problems with the Phillies lineup through the first 4 innings. He made slugger Ryan Howard look silly, striking him out twice and getting him to weakly ground out in a key, bases loaded spot in the 5th. Young also had 3 hits and was the first Mets pitcher to ever have 2 hits in the same inning. What is alarming is the fact that Young seemed to tire very quickly. He only pitched 5 1/3 and was visibly tired in the 5th inning where his  fastball velocity caved into the mid 80's.  He needs to build up some arm strength and be able to at least got 6 in order for him to have a successful year.

Pelfrey is on the mound tonight and will look to rebound after a hideous opening day performance. He is opposite Joe Blanton who is really ugly so he can come get some. Lets Go Mets!

Mets Season Preview: Starting Pitching

The pitching is where the Mets will ultimately fail this year. Too many things have to go right for them to survive in a division where the Phillies are sporting, on paper, the best rotation since he Braves of the 90's. It could even be better. The Braves also have a very good rotation. The Mets ace, Johan Santana, is out for at least half the season. Not for nothing, but maybe his absence is a blessing in disguise...maybe the Mets will score runs since he's not playing. But the Mets rotation is truly an island of misfit toys.

Will Big Pelf be serving up some W's

Big Pelf looked awful in his first game and I think that he will always be a decent-to good 2nd to 3rd pitcher. His stuff just isn't of # 1 quality. Now that players have caught on to his biting splitter, he now does not have an out pitch. His fastball just isn't good enough. He will probably have a good season but the fact that he is our "ace" is a tough spot.

The real ace could just be the ultimate misfit toy: R.A. Dickey. He looks like a janitor at best and more likely a homeless guy at the park that hangs out near the see-saw. Then he comes in with his hard knuckle ball and the batters are up there thinking "holy shit...what the fuck is this pitch." Dickey's knuckleball is elusive and mysterious. He throws it harder than most knucklers do and it has a ton of wiggle to it. He can also slow it down or even throw a mid-80's fast ball to keep the batters off balance or when he's not feeling his knuckle. Everyone thought his success last year was ephemeral but I believe this will be far from the case. He could end up being one of the best pitchers in the NL and a 2x nominee for "most surprising team ace."

Another pitcher whose stock is on the rise is Jonathan Niese. He has a very good fastball and a nasty curve. I think that he is set up for a very good year, possibly 15 wins. As a lefty, he and Capuano will be essential to the Mets success.

Now the reclamation projects. The often injured Chris Young and Chris Capuano. Both have been All-Star pitchers. For a brief moment, Young was one of the best pitchers in the game. I think it's a lot to expect a full season out of both of them but if they can get  between 20-25 starts a piece that is a brilliant thing. If they pitch the way we've seen in the past the Mets rotation will be one of the surprises of the 2011 season.

Mets season preview: Offense

To say the Mets are expected to blow this year would be an understatement. Still, I am sticking with the opinion that, with the right breaks, namely the vanishing of injuries that have plagued the team the past few seasons, I believe that the Mets can be a competitive team. By competitive I mean maybe play for a wild-card spot. Here is why...

Expect a big season from Reyes

They Mets are going to hit. Reyes is in a contract year and green looks the same in both English and Spanish. He looks like hes primed for a huge season.

David Wright should benefit from the departure of Howard Johnson. He already looks more comfortable at the plate than he did for much of last year..hopefully that will translate into less swinging and missing badly at breaking balls thrown into the dugout. I have a honey-moonishly early season sense of optimism that he can start playing like he did a few years ago where he was one of the games top players.

Jason Bay and Carlos Beltran are the wild cards.  The Mets success will hinge on their health. Bay needs to prove that he can not only stay healthy, but that he is still a top tier player. He was one of the best players in the league just 2 years ago and all of a sudden he almost feels like an after thought. The fact that he has been tinkering with his batting stance all of spring training is a cause for concern. Beltran is different. If he's playing he will produce. How much can we truly expect from him though? I know TC is going to give him plenty of rest but I have a bad feeling about Beltran staying on the field this year.

Ike Davis...Come Get Some

Ike Davis is going to be a stud this year...next question.

I think the Mets also have upgraded big time at the catcher and 2B position. Behind the dish Josh Thole has already gained the confidence and praise of the pitching staff and he looks like he will be a very solid hitter who can hit for average and has a little bit of pop, even though he is more of a line drive hitter. Between Emaus and Murphy at second I have confidence that we can at least get more production than we have in the past from this position. Even though Murphy looks comical at times fielding the position his pop off the bench will be appreciated. In Emaus I see a surprisingly confident rookie whose steady play will be a pleasant surprise.

Angel Pagan has been quiet in the infancy period of this season but all Mets fans know that he has the potential to be a game changer. He is exceptionally fast, adept with the stick and meticulous with the glove.

The bench is an area of concern and could play a large role in how the Mets fare this season. Yes, Willie Harris as been nasty in his few days replacing Bay but I can't get over the fact that he batted sub 200 last year. Duda...? Big guy with pop but it's tough to have faith in a guy named Duda. Our utility infielder is Hu. Who the hell is Hu? He had a solid glove all through camp but I'm yawning just thinking about all of the dribblers he's going to hit when he plays. Our back up catcher, Paulino is serving out an 8 game suspension for using steroids that didn't make him any better. One player I am excited about it Scott Hairston. He absolutely hit the tits off the ball in camp and I think he can be one of those players who produces in big spots this year.

The bench will need to prove its worth and the entire team will need to enjoy the injury bug. Those 2 huge hurdles aside, this is a very talented team offensively and arguably the best offensive team (if everything goes as I expect) in the NL East....Come Get Some!

Mets opening day Lineup

Willie Harris will bat in the 2 hole for opening day

I'll get to a season prediction in a bit but here is the Mets opening day starting lineup for tomorrow's away game against the Florida Marlins.

1. Jose Reyes-SS
2.Willie Harris- LF
3.David Wright-3B
4.Carlos Beltran-RF
5.Angel Pagan-CD
6. Ike Davis-1B
7.Brad Emaus-2B
8.Josh Thole-C
9.Mike Pelfrey-P

Obviously this lineup is not complete without Jason Bay and its obviously just one game but I have to nit-pick just for a second. Why the hell is Willie Harris hitting #2? That is a spot that is clearly a great fit for Angel Pagan. He has speed, he puts the ball in play and that's where he's likely going to bat for the entire season. I don't know why Collins has placed the less talented Harris in the 2 hole.

I would have liked to see Lucas Duda's pop in LF but there is some seniority involved there. Lets Go Mets baby!

George Brett Shits himself

Funny story...Hall of Famer George Brett talks about when he shits himself.