Mets baseball blog

Billy Wagner is a major worry, but starting pitching will carry Mets

For Mets fans, the All-Star break was a time to bask in the glory of a nine-game winning streak that wiped away much of the anger and exasperation that came with watching this team for three months. It was perfect timing: Three days of well-deserved tranquility, a period reserved for happy thoughts and Mike Pelfrey highlights.

And then Billy Wagner had to shatter the mood. By blowing a lead in the All-Star Game and setting in motion the chain of events that led to the 15-inning marathon, Wagner surely raised the angst level all over again for the Mets' faithful and made you wonder if the bullpen will yet be the death of this team. Continue

Wagner blows it again

Billy Wagner's All-Star appearance must have looked awfully familiar to Mets fans. The veteran closer, tabbed to pitch in the Midsummer Classic at Yankee Stadium despite blowing a whopping six saves in the season's first half, let another lead slip away last night.

Wagner didn't waste any time, either, blowing a 3-2 advantage for the National League (who suffered a 4-3, 15-inning loss) in the span of the first two hitters he faced. After replacing the Giants ' Brian Wilson with two out and nobody on, Wagner promptly gave up a line-drive single to the Indians' Grady Sizemore on a 1-1 fastball right over the plate. After Sizemore easily stole second, Wagner gave up a ground-rule RBI double by Evan Longoria of the Rays on a 2-2 slider. Continue

Iron Mike coming up aces

The 51,293 on hand last night rose to their feet, twirling their white towels and chanting Mike Pelfrey's name. A year ago they booed him, but now they were cheering, urging him off the bench and, finally, to the top step of the Mets dugout for his first Shea Stadium curtain call.

"That's awesome. I remember last year coming off the field several times getting booed," Pelfrey said after last night's 7-0 win over the Rockies. "I saw Lastings Milledge get a curtain call. It's something I always wanted to do. It was awesome. They started chanting, [Ramon] Castro looked at me, said 'Get out there.' I wasn't going to say no." Continue

Beltran ready to blast off

The Mets might want to hold off on moving Carlos Beltran to the No. 2 spot in the batting order. Last night, he looked like every bit of a cleanup hitter. The center fielder cleared the bases in the first inning with a three-run home run off Giants phenom Tim Lincecum, staking the Mets to an early lead that would stand up in a 7-0 victory.

"He threw me a curveball right down the middle," Beltran said. "As soon as I hit it, I thought maybe it had a chance, and the ball went out of the ballpark. It was a great feeling because just being able to get those two runs against him. He's a real good pitcher." The homer was the 250th of Beltran's career. Beltran added a fourth RBI in the seventh inning with a single to left that scored Argenis Reyes. Continue

Don't look for multiple Mets All-Stars

The Mets were guaranteed to have one important representative at the All-Star Game, but that plan went to pot when Willie Randolph was fired. Randolph was supposed to be a coach on the NL squad; now he'll be sitting at home unless the Yankees figure out a role for him at the July 15 game at Yankee Stadium.

Today, both league rosters will be announced, and four Mets are possible selections. No Mets are expected to be voted in by the fans. Colorado Rockies manager Clint Hurdle doesn't have a lot of Mets to choose from, but he has to pick at least one. Continue

Maine doesn't have dead arm, will start Saturday

John Maine's right arm was feeling live enough yesterday to at least give a thumbs-up when asked about his condition following Monday's 7-1 loss to the Cardinals. Maine complained of dead-arm symptoms heading into that night's start, then lasted only four innings to match his shortest outing this season. "It doesn't hurt," Maine said. "Everything's fine." Continue

Perception on Mets' Bernazard: He's a bad, bad guy

Among their many travails during this trying time, the Mets have this going for them: They now employ the most famous vice president of development in baseball history. Omar Minaya left here Tuesday, after trying to defend his process of firing manager Willie Randolph and coaches Rick Peterson and Tom Nieto. But Tony Bernazard hung around Angel Stadium for the duration of the Mets' stay, as planned, joking around with the team's vice president of media relations Jay Horwitz during batting practice.

He seemed unaffected by the public flogging he has taken for his perceived role in the Midnight Massacre. In fact, when I asked him about the countless reports that fingered him as a primary culprit, he claimed ignorance, and then turned to defiance. Continue

No joke! 'Healthy' Alou eyes playoffs

If you believe Moises Alou, he is fully healthy, finally. But if you think that's a whopper, he also thinks his team will make the playoffs. Alou returned from the disabled list last night but left after six innings when Willie Randolph said his previously-injured calf "got a little stiff" during the game's 61-minute rain delay.

That's not exactly a great sign for Alou, though Randolph insisted "It's nothing that he reinjured." Before he left, Alou went 1-for-2 with a two-run single in the Mets' 9-5 loss. Before the game, Alou expressed he belief the Mets are a playoff team. Continue

Castro misses start

Ramon Castro blamed his tardiness yesterday on, of all things, a pocket schedule. The veteran backup catcher, who was benched and fined after showing up late to Petco Park yesterday for the Mets' 8-6 loss to the Padres, faulted a schedule produced by the team for the mistake. The pocket schedule listed the game as a 4:05 p.m. start, but Castro said he overlooked the line about that being Eastern time and didn't account for the three-hour difference. Continue

Mets' Church upset about benching Friday night

Either Ryan Church really was exhausted Friday afternoon or silently fuming over the fact that he was not playing rightfield later that night against the Padres at Petco Park. There was no way of knowing for sure because Church clearly did not feel like talking about manager Willie Randolph's decision to bench him in favor of Endy Chavez.

Unlike every other player in the clubhouse, Church avoided spending any time at his locker. During one stretch, he sat on the couch watching the handful of games already in progress, but mostly scooted between the trainer's room and another supply room in the clubhouse. Continue

This time, Scott's no relief

And things had been going so well for Scott Schoeneweis Scott Schoeneweis ... The Met reliever actually was hearing cheers from the fans at Shea after being a punching bag last season and much of this one. Good thing for Schoeneweis that last night's meltdown came on the road.

Schoeneweis entered in the ninth inning with the Mets leading the Giants 9-3, and he proceeded to give up two walks and a three-run homer to Travis Denker. That made for some sweaty palms before Billy Wagner induced a game-ending double play to preserve Pedro Martinez's first win of the season in a 9-6 Met victory. Continue

Delgado opposes platoon

At least publicly, Carlos Delgado didn't have a problem with Willie Randolph sitting him in two games against left-handers this week. A platoon situation, on the other hand, would not go over well with the Mets ' veteran first baseman. "We're gonna have to talk," Delgado said yesterday when asked how he would respond to Randolph about platooning against lefties. "Obviously, I would not talk to you before I talk to him. I haven't said anything, but I want to make it clear." Continue

Beltran on manager situation: it's a distraction

Mets centerfielder Carlos Beltran yesterday said the Willie Randolph job security drama has been a distraction to the players and called on the club to clarify the manager's position for the rest of the season - something general manager Omar Minaya did not do despite a nearly three-hour meeting with Randolph and Fred and Jeff Wilpon.

"I think they should say that and come out with something like that," Beltran said. "Because it is a distraction. The reality is people say, 'No, that doesn't affect the ballclub,' but it does. It does because you come to the ballpark wondering what's going to happen. It's natural as players, we all think like that. Continue

There’s no double standard - it’s about winning

Joe Girardi has a great relationship with YES, right down to his own paid gig hosting a show. He is vanilla in more than just skin color. Yet here is something Willie Randolph should recognize: If the Yankees don't start winning, and soon, Girardi is going to have a shorter honeymoon in The Bronx than Randolph had in Queens.

Girardi is not going to be protected by his incestuous relationship with the house organ network or by the color of his skin. Like Randolph - like everyone in this town and just about every town now - winning is the only true protection for a manager. Continue

Former Mets star Mike Piazza retires

Mike Piazza is retiring from baseball following a 16-season career in which he became one of the top-hitting catchers in history."After discussing my options with my wife, family and agent, I felt it is time to start a new chapter in my life," he said in a statement released Tuesday by his agent, Dan Lozano. "It has been an amazing journey ... So today, I walk away with no regrets."I knew this day was coming and over the last two years. I started to make my peace with it. I gave it my all and left everything on the field." Continue

Billy Wagner douses the fire

The Mets' poor play against a pair of last-place teams lit the match last week, but it was Billy Wagner's words that whipped a small flame into a wildfire. The Mets were transformed from underachievers to a club in crisis with a schism in the clubhouse.

The fire is out now. Wagner doused it when he made his first eighth-inning appearance of the season and snuffed the Yankees with a four-out save for a 7-4 win Saturday at the Stadium. It was his first save of more than three outs in nearly two years. Wagner certainly caused some stir by calling teammates out and demanding accountability after the Mets dropped their third game in four to the Nationals on Thursday at Shea. Still, he remains irreplaceable in that closer's role. His save not only won a game, it changed the tenor of the clubhouse and took some heat off Willie Randolph. Continue

It's Johan Santana vs. Andy Pettitte as rains set lefty duel

Heavy rain may have knocked out round one of this year's Subway Series, but the inclement weather has set up a battle of big-name lefthanders Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

Johan Santana, who was scheduled to start Friday night, will still take the ball for the Mets against the team that almost acquired him over the winter. But instead of throwing Darrell Rasner, who was to start Friday night, the Yankees will skip the inexperienced righthander in favor of Andy Pettitte, who was set to start today's game. Continue

Basement Bombers vs. bickering Mets

Somehow the Mets have a better record than the Yankees, the last-place Yankees, and still look like a team in more trouble. They had another bad loss Thursday, 1-0, to another bad team, the Washington Nationals. The Mets wasted a wonderful pitching performance from Mike Pelfrey, they saw Jose Reyes run into an amazingly dumb out at third base in the eighth inning, saw the game end with Carlos Delgado lining into a 3-5 double play. Continue

Pelfrey looks to settle in vs. Nats

Mike Pelfrey - who'll start today's game vs. Washington - has tantalized Met fans with his talent and infuriated them with his inconsistency. They can only hope they get an reprisal of his last start, when pitching coach Rick Peterson said executed more quality pitches than he had in his whole career.

Both Peterson and Willie Randolph say it has nothing to do with who is catching the 24-year-old, and little to do with shelving his wayward two-seam fastball. They say it has everything to do with a young pitcher growing up, finally finding the confidence that his stuff is indeed good enough. Continue

Delgado getting things in order

Manager Willie Randolph said he saw it coming. He saw it in outs, hard-hit outs. So, he anticipated it for more than a week. Carlos Delgado said thanks, but he felt it coming for even longer.

So neither was surprised when Delgado posted a 3-for-4 effort that included his fifth home run of the season in the Mets' 12-6 first game victory in yesterday's day-night doubleheader with the Reds at Shea Stadium. And Delgado had his bust out effort hitting in the seventh spot of the lineup for the first time in 13 years. Continue

Johan Santana first in twin bill

To avoid disrupting Johan Santana's schedule, the Mets flip-flopped their pitching rotation after Friday night's rainout. They will start their prized lefty in the opener of today's day-night doubleheader at Shea against Reds righty Matt Belisle.

Last night's scheduled starter, Mike Pelfrey, will pitch the 7:30 p.m. separate-admission nightcap against Cincinnati starter Bronson Arroyo. Tickets for last night's washout will be honored at tonight's second game. Both games will air on SNY. (Daily News)

Peterson's silent on pitching woes

Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson has been under fire and mostly out of touch this season. Willie Randolph defended Peterson yesterday while giving the manager's version of why the usually talkative Peterson has been so unavailable to reporters since the end of spring training. Peterson has been criticized for his handling of the staff so far, specifically the Mets' porous collection of middle relievers and inconsistent young starters, Oliver Perez and Mike Pelfrey. Continue

Delgado finding groove

Not even Carlos Delgado is sure if his recent surge at the plate is the beginning of a turnaround. The target of so many boos at Shea Stadium this season stayed hot yesterday, belting a three-run homer off Arizona starter Brandon Webb in the sixth inning of an eventual 10-4 loss. Delgado's shot to right followed a two-hit night Friday and came just four games after he blasted two homers against the Braves at Shea while igniting a controversy by snubbing a curtain call. Continue

Mets' Delgado: I wasn't sending message to fans

Carlos Delgado insisted yesterday that he wasn't trying to send a message to the fans when he denied their request for a curtain call Sunday in the Mets' 6-3 victory over Atlanta. There are moments that warrant a tip of the hat, Delgado said, but in his opinion, his second home run of Sunday's game was not one of them.

"I hit a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh. We were winning by two. All I did was add another run," Delgado said in a lively 20-minute discussion with reporters before yesterday's rain-out at Shea Stadium. "I didn't think that was the right moment. It wasn't a walk-off home run, it wasn't a tiebreaking home run. It was a home run in April." Continue

Delgado on his way out at first

We know how this ends for Carlos Delgado with the Mets. We might not know the exact date or the exact term, be it designated for assignment or outright release, but we see the bread crumbs now heading toward the exit.First, Delgado was dropped in the lineup. Last night he did not start against a righty, Braves rookie Jair Jurrjens. Willie Randolph publicly tries to minimize the relevance of such maneuvers. What else can he do?

His first baseman makes $16 million, and his employer isn't quite ready to dine on that contract. Nevertheless, Randolph's actions toward Delgado are going to speak louder than his words. And his words should not exactly comfort Delgado. Given a direct chance to support Delgado yesterday, Randolph provided the kind of lukewarm endorsement you would expect Hillary Clinton to give Barack Obama. "I can't predict what he will do [statistically]," Randolph said. "I have confidence he will get going and have a decent year for us." Continue

Deep sixed

Manager Willie Randolph demoted a slumping Carlos Delgado in the Mets' batting order last night in a move that appears anything but temporary. Delgado, whose fielding at first base has been almost as lackadaisical as his .208 average, was dropped one spot to sixth in an eventual 7-2 win here over the lowly Nationals.

Another left-handed hitter, Ryan Church , took Delgado's place in the No. 5 hole behind an equally struggling Carlos Beltran, who went into last night mired in a 1-for-19 slump. Continue

Sosa far, Sosa not good

Willie Randolph likes to say that Jorge Sosa serves roles out of the Mets' bullpen. Right now, the only thing Sosa seems to be serving up is batting practice. The right-hander was torched again yesterday, giving up an eighth-inning grand slam to Ronny Cedeno that turned a relatively tight game at Wrigley Field into an 8-1 Cubs laugher.

It was the second grand slam Sosa has allowed already this season and the second in just his past nine appearances. The Braves' Kelly Johnson touched Sosa for a pinch-hit grand slam April 5 in an 11-5 Mets loss in Atlanta. Continue

Delgado's no big hit

Carlos Delgado broke an 0-for-14 streak last night but continues to weigh down the Mets' offense. With the 35-year-old first baseman hitting just .206 after his fifth-inning single in a 7-1 loss to the Cubs, the Mets are fielding no shortage of questions about Delgado's future. Despite extending a slump that began in the middle of last season while carrying a $16 million salary, Delgado - at least publicly - still has the Mets' support. Continue

Heilman king for a day

There was no place to hide, because there never is, not when you earn your salary in the late innings of baseball games that matter.

Aaron Heilman learned those lessons quickly and he's learned those lessons often, most notably when Yadier Molina hit one over the hazy Shea Stadium night two Octobers ago, most recently on Friday, when Greg Dobbs hit a ball that threatened to bore a hole clear through the right-field seats at Citizens Bank Park. Continue

Smith bails out Maine, Amazin's

Joe Smith rode a roller-coaster rookie season that took him from unhittable to demoted to redeemed. After struggling through some mechanical tinkering this spring, Willie Randolph said the right-handed sidearm reliever is whipping the ball even better than before.

Smith sure looked the part in last night's 5-2 win over Washington, bailing John Maine out of a two-on, two-out jam in the seventh. He tossed 11/3 hitless innings, his fifth straight scoreless outing."Joe did a great job, got a big double-play, made a great pitch on (Nick) Johnson," Randolph said. "He's really whipping the ball in and going after people. I'm really happy with the way he threw. It was very similar (to last year). Continue

Sloppy play, attitudes

The Mets are slipping down the same hole as last year. They lose what their angry manager calls a "giveaway" game to the Brewers, yet in some corners of the clubhouse life is good. There's nothing really wrong. After the pathetic 9-7 loss to the Brewers at Shea Stadium yesterday, Carlos Delgado was asked if he was disappointed, disgusted or angry. It was a simple question after the most sloppy of games. Delgado shot back a quizzical look and asked, "About what?"

About the way the game went, Carlos. About another giveaway: This time the Mets squandered a 6-2 lead. About the fact the Mets are off to a 5-6 start. Remember all the tough offseason talk about the Mets learning their lesson from the Great Collapse of 2007. Continue

It couldn’t start much worse than this

This was supposed to be a day of pleasant nostalgia. But by the end of yet another Mets loss to the Phillies, their ninth in a row, all that was rekindled for the Shea Stadium fans was how much they disliked this team the last time they saw it together.

The regrouped Mets made just as bad an initial impression at the last-ever Shea opener. The largest first-game crowd in the closing stadium's history booed Scott Schoeneweis and Aaron Heilman and ultimately the whole team more lustily than they booed Jimmy Rollins. So the Shea crowd wound up hating the home team more than the Mets' No. 1 nemesis. Continue

Silver lining from Delgado

It is never a good thing to get swept by the Braves, even though it's only April and they aren't the mental road blocks the Mets have struggled to conquer like they once were. A 3-1 loss at Turner Field yesterday afternoon wasted a fine outing by Johan Santana and made the two-game weekend stay in Atlanta forgettable. But if you're looking for the proverbial silver lining it would have to be Carlos Delgado.

A 2-for-4 outing yesterday has his batting average at .350 heading into tomorrow's home opener at Shea, a good start that has to ease much of the concern the Mets had about their first baseman coming into this season. Continue

Spring in Maine's step is gone

The old axiom that statistics compiled dur ing spring training are meaningless once the regular season begins is mostly reserved for hitters who put up prodigious numbers in March, only to fade when the games are played for real.

For pitchers, it's normally a sign of good things to come. It means their mechanics are sound, their arms are healthy, and their confidence is ready for the 162-game grind. That's why the Mets were expecting big things from John Maine yesterday at Turner Field. It's why Maine was expecting big things from himself. Continue

Rainout pushes John Maine's season debut to Saturday

John Maine played catch at Turner Field Friday, but with the weather threatening, he never truly began warming up for his first 2008 start. Good thing. Friday night's Mets-Braves game was rained out. It was rescheduled as a day-night doubleheader on May 20, with games at 1 and 7 p.m. "It would have been nice if it held out until 11 o'clock," Maine said, referring to the weather.

Maine, who had the best spring of any Mets pitcher, allowing just one run in his final 25-2/3 innings, will remain opposite Tim Hudson in Saturday's 3:55 p.m. game. Tom Glavine's matchup against the Mets will be pushed back to tomorrow against Johan Santana. Continue

Here comes the real season

When you're the Braves, it's never too early to beat the Mets. That was the clear message out of the Atlanta clubhouse yesterday in advance of this weekend's three-game series here between the NL East rivals. It's only the first week of April and the two teams will play 17 more times after tonight's John Maine-Tim Hudson matchup, but the Braves already were talking about statement games when the Mets' arrival was mentioned. Continue

Mets prediciton for 2008

Mets win a tight division race 92-70. Santana wins 17 games and the Mets add a big bat before the all-star break. Mets beat Indians in the world series.

Pelfrey is the 5th starter

According to the NY Post Pelfrey is the fifth starter, given El Duque's health this is not a surprise.

Devastated Ruben Gotay is put on waivers by Mets

The Mets have two exhibitions left before Monday's season opener against the Marlins. In the meantime, they're playing a waiting game, and it appears that the roster won't be finalized until after tomorrow's trip to Memphis.

Any hope that Ruben Gotay had of breaking camp with the team was wiped out yesterday when team officials told him he had been placed on waivers. The emergence of Fernando Tatis this week put Gotay in jeopardy because of the Mets' desperation for a righthanded bat as well as insurance for the injured Moises Alou. Continue

A-Rod regrets saying no to Mets, doesn't make same mistake with Yankees

During spring training, Alex Rodriguez has mostly avoided discussion of his messy contract opt-out and offseason return to the Yankees, but apparently only because he didn't want to say something that might prove controversial, as is often his habit.

When A-Rod agreed to sit down at his locker with the Daily News recently for a one-on-one, however, it was clear that the decision that likely will keep him in pinstripes for the .remainder of his career - and the firestorm that came with it - was still weighing on his mind.

The conversation initially centered on A-Rod's pursuit of a ring, but veered off into areas he has rarely discussed: The regret he suffered when he shunned the Mets in favor of the Rangers in 2000, and the .personal conflict that surrounded his decision to break away from agent Scott Boras this past offseason. Continue

19-year-old phenom Fernando Martinez blazing a trail toward Shea

Five months after his 16th birthday, with a seven-figure signing bonus riding on his performance, Fernando Martinez stepped onto Field 7 at the Mets' complex during spring training in 2005, trying to impress the organization's top officials.

He succeeded by spraying line drives to the opposite field, and with strong throws from right field to the third base and the plate, and with a firm handshake that demonstrated to GM Omar Minaya the prospect's strength.Months later, the Dominican teenager was being introduced at Shea as a Met, having landed a franchise-record signing bonus for an international free agent: $1.3 million. Continue

Lastings Milledge rips Mets again

From high-fiving fans, to showboating after meaningless home runs, to arriving late at the ballpark more than a few times, Lastings Milledge certainly stirred things up during his brief stay with the Mets.And while he's with the Nationals now, he still can't seem to avoid creating controversy where the Mets are concerned. The talented yet troubled outfielder sent a few shots from Nationals camp in Viera, Fla., to his old friends in Port St. Lucie this week.

"I can't go through anything worse than I went through in New York. It only gets better from here," Milledge told SI.com. "A lot of veterans (on the Mets) didn't like the way I play the game. They thought I didn't respect it." Continue

Shea for sure

Fernando Martinez intends to be in New York this summer - but not to visit. The Mets New York Mets ' top prospect guaranteed yesterday he would be playing in Shea Stadium even before the September call-ups. "I don't know where I'm going to start out, but this year, you'll see me in New York,'' insisted the 19-year-old outfielder. The idea might be far-fetched, but it's not impossible. Not with a projected starting outfield of 41-year-old Moises Alou Moises Alou in left, oft-injured Carlos Beltran Carlos Beltran in center and untested (at least in New York) Ryan Church in right.

Scouts say Martinez, signed as an international free agent at age 16 out of the Dominican Republic, has the tools to make a fast rise. They love the potential of his bat, his speed and his powerful arm. Those attributes are why the Mets fought so hard keep Martinez - a left-handed hitter and righty thrower - out of the Johan Santana trade, despite constant badgering from the Twins to include him. Continue

Owner Fred Wilpon says 'it's a championship season' for Mets

Fred Wilpon, whose spring-training declarations usually teeter between vague and unambitious, this time offered a concrete, borderline Steinbrenneresque expectation. After authorizing a $140 million payroll - a franchise record by roughly $20 million - the one-time author of "meaningful games in September" fully expects the Mets to be playing games in October. Make that late October. "It's a championship season," said Wilpon, in unusually blunt terms, during an early afternoon address at the team's complex. "We expect to be in the playoffs, and deep into the playoffs. That's our expectation." Continue

Famed Mets 'Sign Man,' 83, signs off

The Queens man who became famous for holding up signs in the stands at Shea Stadium - praising or tweaking the Mets and their opponents - died last week. Karl Ehrhardt, 83, who was better known as "the Sign Man," was found in his Queens home on Monday, said his daughter, Bonnie Troester. He had recently undergone surgery. Ehrhardt, a former commercial artist, was a fixture at games between 1964 and 1981. After notable plays, he would hold up one of 60 signs he carted with him. Continue

Glove connection

Luis Castillo Luis Castillo still remembers every detail of the day he was traded to the Mets New York Mets , still has last June 30 etched in his memory. So should the Amazin's and their fans, because that's the day the seeds were sown for their acquisition of Johan Santana, the best pitcher on the planet.

Castillo and Santana were close friends and teammates in Minnesota. So when the frugal Twins traded Castillo for prospects last June, they also may have pushed their two-time Cy Young winner out the door as well. Continue

Mets pass Yankees as New York's most likely World Series winner

The Mets are rated almost twice as likely to win the World Series today as they were yesterday, after gaining negotiation rights for two-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Johan Santana, Las Vegas bookmakers say. With the Minnesota Twins' agreement to trade Santana if he can reach a contract extension with the Mets by Feb. 1, the National League team passed the crosstown rival Yankees among the favorites to claim Major League Baseball's championship this season.

The odds on the Mets winning the World Series are 5-1, an improvement from the 8-1 odds they had just after Boston won the title in October, according to Las Vegas Sports Consultants, which advises Nevada sports books on betting lines. That places Santana's likely new team as the second choice to the Red Sox, who are 9-2, and ahead of the Yankees, who are third at 11-2. "It certainly is a huge thing to put Santana in the front of your rotation, especially when in the Mets' situation, they really didn't have a No. 1 or 2 starter," Tony Sinisi, Las Vegas Sports Consultant's director, said in a telephone interview. Continue

Tom Nieto is Rickey Henderson's replacement as first base coach

Tom Nieto, the Mets' catching instructor the last three seasons, has been named the new first base coach. Nieto replaces Rickey Henderson, who was not asked back after joining the club during last season when hitting instructor Rick Down was fired.

"Tom is a knowledgable baseball man and I know he will do a great job for us," Willie Randolph said. "He has experience on the bases and we will have the added bonus of having him in the dugout between innings so he can interact with the players more, especially our catchers, Brian Schneider and Ramon Castro." (Daily News)

Delgado: Mets must learn from collapse

Have the Colossal Collapse Mets learned their painful lesson? Listening to Carlos Delgado yesterday, it was clear he learned his lesson. In their own strange way the Mets quit on the 2007 season and it cost them dearly. "We need to stay focused an extra six weeks," Delgado said yesterday of his team that choked away the NL East to the Phillies. "We kind of assumed that we were going to win. If you look back at 2006, it was kind of a magical year for us, maybe we thought it was going to be the same way (in 2007)."

In 2006, the magic ended against the Cardinals in the NLCS. The magic turned tragic last September. "We kind of didn't play it out the last few weeks," Delgado said. "That's my best guesstimate because if I knew exactly what happened, I would have said or done something not to allow it to happen. Continue

Met fans' winter of discontent

People in the Mets' organization complain privately at times about the attention the Yankees get, but this is a winter in which they should be eternally grateful for the camouflage provided by the team in the Bronx. Without it, they'd be feeling a lot more heat from their hot-stove doings.

After weeks and weeks of Yankee hirings and firings allowed the Mets to slink away quietly from their historic September collapse, the Mitchell Report served up Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte on a media platter just in time to deflect attention from a couple of discouraging developments in what looks more and more like an offseason from hell for Mets fans. Continue

Sid Fernandez named in Kirk Radomski's unsealed affidavit

Like most sequels, the Kirk Radomski affidavit has a cast of B-list players and offers few surprises. A week after former Sen. George Mitchell released his blockbuster report on baseball and steroids, the U.S. District Court in Central Islip, L.I., unsealed a 27-page affidavit written by IRS agent and lead BALCO investigator Jeff Novitzky. The affidavit, sealed in December 2005, was a request by Novitzky for a search warrant for former Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski's Manorville, L.I., home.

Most of the players who appear in the affidavit were already outed by Mitchell, but that's not surprising, since Radomski, who pleaded guilty to steroid distribution in April, agreed to cooperate with Mitchell as part of his plea bargain. Radomski is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 8. Perhaps the most notable new name to emerge from the affidavit is former Mets pitcher Sid Fernandez, who wrote a $3,500 check to Radomski in 2005, almost eight years after the lefty's last appearance in a major league game. The affidavit doesn't say what Fernandez got for his money. Continue

Defense strength of Mets' Schnedier

Mets' fans were left scratching their heads when they swapped once-top prospect Lastings Milledge to the Washington Nationals on Nov. 30 for catcher Brian Schneider and outfielder Ryan Church. Nevertheless, Schneider, the man behind the mask when Barry Bonds hit his record-breaking 756th home run, is known for his defensive prowess. He is, however, a light-hitting catcher who played the first eight years of his career with the Expos and Nationals and hit .235 with six home runs and 54 RBIs last year in Washington.

"It feels good to know how much they want you here," Schneider said of the Mets from the SNY studios in Midtown. "I just think people don't know how important defense for a catcher is and keeping guys out of scoring position, keeping that pitcher in for an extra inning or two and getting them over the hump." Continue

Mets' ticket prices up 20%

After a season that left fans shocked and bitter by the team's record breaking collapse, the Mets are offering something more next season - higher ticket prices. The biggest increases will affect the most expensive seats, said Dave Howard, the Mets' executive vice president, business operations. There will be $5 seats for 36 of the 81 home games next season, he noted. In 2009, the Mets will move into 45,000-seat Citi Field. Fans who buy season tickets for this season will have priority on picking out seats for the new stadium. Shea holds more than 57,000 seats. Continue

Paul Lo Duca tagged by Mitchell Report

Well, at least it's a National disgrace now. Allegations of human growth hormone and steroid use by Paul Lo Duca were among the most damning ones in yesterday's Mitchell Report, although the alleged transgressions were said to have occurred during the newly departed Met's time with the Dodgers and Marlins.

Kirk Radomski, the former Mets clubhouse attendant and drug supplier who cooperated with Mitchell's investigation, produced checks from Lo Duca written in 2004, each for $3,200, which Radomski indicated were payments for human growth hormone. Radomski cited at least six separate transactions. Continue

Radomski is ’roid link to Mets

Kirk Radomski makes his living detailing cars on Long Island, but it's other kinds of details he has that put him in the headlines. The 37-year-old former Mets employee is expected to be a key source in the former Sen. George Mitchell's report on steroid use in baseball, which will be released this afternoon.

Radomski is believed to have given up dozens of names of current and former players to whom he sold steroids and human growth hormone. The government also seized cell phone, shipping and bank records that show Radomski's ties to players. He is to be sentenced on Feb. 8. Radomski owns Pro Touch Detail in St. James, but his start in baseball came in 1985 with the Mets. He worked for the team for 10 years as a bat boy and clubhouse attendant. Mets of that era seem to have a hard time remembering him. Continue

Former Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski sold David Segui steroids

Retired first baseman David Segui admitted Monday that he used steroids and purchased shipments from former Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski, The Sun reported on its Web site Monday night. He told the newspaper that he refused to talk to former Sen. Majority Leader George Mitchell, whose report on performance-enhancing drugs is expected this week, likely Thursday. Segui said he didn't want to betray the trust of other players.

Radomski pleaded guilty in April to federal charges of illegally distributing performance-enhancing drugs. Segui said he met Radomski after being traded to the Mets in 1994. They became close and still talk by phone several times a week. Segui, who admitted to using human growth hormone in 2006, said he paid Radomski for different products, from legal supplements and workout gear to steroids and clenbuterol, an asthma drug that is said to melt body fat and is on baseball's banned substances list. Continue

Billy Wagner no fan of Mets' stagnant offseason, rips team's lack of plan

Billy Wagner isn't a fan of GM Omar Minaya's offseason. And he used the Mets' own Web site to offer his critique. "Someone asked me what I thought of our team," Wagner told MLB.com. "I said, 'What team?' We've lost 13 games (Glavine's 2007 win total), and now we are going to have to give up something to get those games back. I'm afraid we're just going to create other holes if we give up a (Lastings) Milledge, a (Mike) Pelfrey or a (Aaron) Heilman.

"I'm trying to be positive. I'm saying we have some good players. But I'm worried. The Braves are getting better, and the Phillies made a move (by trading for closer Brad Lidge). We've brought back some people, and that's good. But losing Tom is big. It's a lot more than the 13games he won. It's what he did for John Maine and Oliver Perez and how professional he was. People want to focus on one bad game or just the day-to-day stats. I do that myself when I read about football. But I'm involved in this, and I know how important (Glavine) was. We don't have him and we don't even get to the last game with a chance. He was one of the few leaders we had. Continue

Newest Met Estrada hopes to bounce back

As of yesterday afternoon, Johnny Estrada had yet to hear from Mets general manager Omar Minaya, who is making his annual Thanksgiving trip to the Dominican Republic. But the Mets' new catcher doesn't need to hear the Mets' expectations of him for 2008. "I've got my own expectations," Estrada told Newsday yesterday in a telephone interview. And those expectations are quite clear: "Not to -- like I did last year," he said.

The Mets have acquired a catcher who has been traded each of the past three offseasons, not exactly a history to place atop one's resume. But they also filled their void with a player who has every incentive to put together a rebound season, and at the cost of a reliever, Guillermo Mota, they were dying to unload anyway. Continue

The answer is simple: Alex Rodriguez to the Mets

Sometime in the next week or so, a friend of a friend of a friend of Fred Wilpon should whisper in Scott Boras' ear that the Mets are ready to do whatever it takes to bring Alex Rodriguez to Queens. Tampering? Probably. But desperate times call for desperate measures. And the Mets are desperate. They are coming off the worst collapse in regular-season history, their TV network is running out of games from 1986 to rebroadcast and their hold on being "the other team" in New York is stronger than ever.

Their can't-miss pitching prospects are missing, their better-than-Jeter shortstop is now the third-best shortstop in the East, and aside from David Wright, Carlos Beltran and Jose (walk, don't run) Reyes, the rest of their roster resembles a Senior League lineup. Continue

Mets set to pass on Rangers' Rudy Jaramillo, stick with HoJo

The Mets are expected to stick with Howard Johnson as hitting coach and intend to pass on pursuing the Rangers' Rudy Jaramillo for that position, GM Omar Minaya said. Three years ago, Minaya had interviewed Jaramillo for the manager's job that went to Willie Randolph. He felt it would not be right to put him on Randolph's staff now. The Mets' staff will remain intact with the exception of Rickey Henderson. That vacancy could be filled from the minor-league system.

"I love Rudy like a brother, but it would be totally unfair to bring him in after I interviewed him as manager," Minaya said. "It wouldn't be fair to HoJo, who did an outstanding job as hitting coach. If you look at the numbers, everything in the second half of the year we were up in." (Daily News)

Mets eye Texas' Rudy Jaramillo for Willie's staff

Mets brass won't finalize Willie Randolph's staff until Texas hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo's contact expires at the end of the month and he can be pursued. But the Mets' 2007 coaches are largely expected to return, with the exception of Rickey Henderson, who was viewed as an interim hire once Rick Down was fired at the All-Star break.

Jaramillo was a finalist for the Mets' managerial job that went to Randolph. That would raise eyebrows considering the organization let Randolph squirm for 48 hours before confirming he'd return for a fourth season as skipper. But those who know Jaramillo believe he's content as a hitting coach and doesn't have managerial ambitions now. Jaramillo is taking his hitting-coach responsibilities with Texas seriously, too. With his contract not set to expire until Oct. 31, Jaramillo just flew to Arizona to work with Rangers minor leaguers. Continue

Mets, not Yankees, are clowns of town

The failure of the Yankees is the best thing that could have happened to the Mets. Now they've got to hope all the peripheral issues involving Joe Torre's job, Alex Rodriguez's contract and Suzyn Waldman's tear ducts continue to consume the media and the public from now until Opening Day 2008. Who says you can't get a free pass in this town? Ever since the Yankees were eliminated from the ALDS Monday night, the Mets certainly have.

In the past three days, the Yankees have been characterized as bullies. They have been called cowards, gutless, unable to take a punch. I would have to agree with every one of those sentiments. If you apply them to the Mets, that is. On May 29, the Yankees sat at 21-29, 14 1/2 games behind the Red Sox. They were headed for the most spectacular failure in the history of sports. On the same date, the Mets were 33-17, five games ahead in first place, headed for another Secretariat's Belmont of a divisional race. Continue

Scott Schoeneweis faces ban for steroid involvement

Mets reliever Scott Schoeneweis is expected to be hauled before Major League Baseball officials to explain an ESPN report that alleges he received six shipments of steroids from a Florida-based pharmacy.

The shipments of stanozolol and testosterone from a pharmacy at the center of Albany District Attorney David Soares' investigation into illegal Internet drug sales, which Schoeneweis told the Daily News he had no knowledge of receiving, allegedly arrived in 2003 and '04. MLB began levying suspensions for positive steroid tests three years ago, so Schoeneweis conceivably could face a 50-game ban if baseball determines he violated the drug policy by possessing, or attempting to possess, the drugs - in what is known as a non-analytical positive. Continue

Scott Schoeneweis denies report of steroid shipments

Scott Schoeneweis, fingered by an Internet report that said he received six shipments of steroids from the pharmacy that is at the center of an ongoing investigation into illegal prescription drug sales, told the Daily News last night that he has never heard of Signature Pharmacy or received shipments from Florida.

"I don't even know what that is," said Schoeneweis, who was apparently unaware of the allegations that he received steroids from Signature until infor