RIP: Hope for Aaron Heilman

All hope for Aaron Heilman among Mets fans passed away today after a lengthy struggle. Doubts first surfaced in the minds of Mets fans a few years ago, when Heilman was first transferred from the rotation to the bullpen. Fans watched in agony as Heilman suffered through repeated walks, hard hits, and scoring inherited runners. All of these are common symptoms of Inaffective Reliever Syndrome (IRS), which will from now on be called Aaron Heilman Syndrome. Heilman seemed to be recovering from the illness in the final three weeks before the All-Star Break. However, after the 3 day rest, the disease clearly returned in Cincinatti.

Hope in Aaron Heilman is survived by Hope in Duaner Sanchez, Joe Smith, Scott Schoeneweiss, Carlos Muniz, Pedro Feliciano and Billy Wagner. However, Schoeneweiss showed signs of an onset of the disease during his time on the mound following Heilman.

I called it!

I said to the people around me that Wagner was going to blow the lead in the All-Star Game if he didn't come in for the save in the 9th. We Mets fans know there are two things Wagner always finds a way to blow: coming in in the 8th inning, and coming in in a non-save situation. Well, manager Clint Hurdle decided the Phillies' Brad Lidge was going to be the NL closer, and brought Billy in to pitch the last out of the 8th (that's right; only one out). And, well, Billy blew it. He allowed a single to Grady Sizemore. With Evan Longoria pinch-hitting for Milton Bradley, Sizemore then stole second base without a throw. Then, well, Longoria hit a ground-rule double to left to bring him in. So the Rays half of this blog-writing team got the better of the All-Star Game. But I blame Clint Hurdle. He's obviously never seen Wagner pitch in an 8th inning.


...by the way, the Yankee Stadium people did not play "Enter Sandman" when Wagner entered the game. As I write this, Mariano Rivera is jogging to the mound with the song blasting. So I blame the sound people for Wagner's failure, also. Clint Hurdle is on warning, but the Yankee Stadium sound people are dead to me.

A Turning Point in the History of This Blog

I am sorry to say that this is the first post to which I am attaching a Parental Advisory, following the lead of other blogs that wrote on the event.

This past week, the Mets traveled to Wrigley Field for a series against the Cubs. During that series, young Mets reliever Joe Smith apparently decided he had had enough of the hecklers to whom relief pitchers become so accustomed. Follow the link below to HomerDerby and the video is available on that site.

http://homerderby.com/archives/2144


I like Joe Smith. I do. I think he was our best guy before Wagner in the 'pen before Dirty Sanchez came back (who has looked good so far, so my hopes are high). But I don't like this.

...Speaking of Billy Wagner, today he allowed a hit for the first time this season. I guess this windup of his (which I still find weird whenever I see it) is working. Wagner still has not allowed a run in 2008.