The Mets game just ended, and it was full of great individual performances. Pelfrey pitched 7 scoreless innings, Reyes had 4 hits including a triple and double, Wright had 5 RBIs including a 2-run homer in the first inning. But the biggest thing about tonight's game in my opinion was the man who pitched the 9th inning for the Mets: Duaner Sanchez. It was his first Major League appearance since his taxi cab accident in Miami back on July 30, 2006. I didn't get to see it, but the radio announcers said his slider seemed sharp and his fastball had good velocity. But we all know Duaner's go-to-pitch is the change, and he seemed to be missing his spot with that. But that will come. Overall, Sanchez pitched 1.0 inning, gave up a ground ball single up the middle, struck out a batter, and induced two ground ball outs. A strong outing.
I know I'm a Heilman-hater, but I'll mention here that he pitched a scoreless 8th inning, despite giving up a double.
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More on Duaner Sanchez, I just want to include a story here. I've already written the story of how Xavier Nady learned he had been traded after Sanchez's injury created a need for a relief pitcher. As clueless as Nady was that him being traded was a possibility, the rest of the Mets may have been even more shocked. Apparently, Nady was in the hotel lobby on July 31 and preparing to leave to join the Pirates. A bunch of the Mets players were set to go out to dinner and just assumed that X-Man would either join them or be going out on his own. It was then that Nady told them all he had been traded to Pittsburgh. He also told them at this time about Duaner Sanchez's car accident and injury, which the players seemingly didn't know about before. Needless to say, the collection of Mets players was speechless. Nady was an extremely popular player among both his teammates and the fans, and obviously everybody recognized how critical Sanchez was to the team's success.
With Sanchez returning, it's an appropriate time to look back. Aaron Heilman, Guillermo Mota (yes, that steroid-using, lead-blowing @$$****), and Roberto Hernandez all tried to fill Sanchez's role, and none were particularly successful in the end (i.e. the playoffs [Yadier Molina? Are you kidding me, Heilman?]). Heilman is still blowing leads for the Mets, so not much has changed there. Mota was sent to the Brewers in a form of addition-by-subtraction, since the player the Mets received in return, Johnny Estrada, was released just a couple weeks later. Roberto Hernandez went to the Indians to start 2007, but was released by them on June 20 of that year, and signed onto a minor-league deal with the Dodgers. He struggled through a stretch with the Major League club, and is currently a free agent at 43 years old. Xavier Nady is now the main offensive threat of the Pittsburgh Pirates (or a close second to Jason Bay), and still a very popular player (not to mention an early winner of the Non-Mets Player Mets Player of the Day Award here on this site).
Showing posts with label Guillermo Mota. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guillermo Mota. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
Let's Get Ready to Rumble!
I'm sure that if you all read MetsBlog or even MLB.com or the NY Post -- or really any media that is covering Spring Training -- you are already aware that it has been suggested by Phillies players that there could very well be a brawl between the Phils and Mets in any of their 19 meetings this season. For the record, their first meeting will be on April 8 -- the Mets' home opener at Shea. Here's what Pedro had to say (Quoted by Bart Hubbuch in the NY Post) in response to the comments by the Phillies:
“I don’t believe there’s a reason to be fighting, but we’re over here. Basically, if [they’re] going to have to brawl or whatever, we’re over here. We’ll wait…I love Jimmy Rollins, I love [Brett]
I love it, personally. I can't remember there being a single real brawl this past season. The closest I can remember was that ridiculous incident at the very end of the year when Miguel Olivo charged Jose Reyes at 3rd Base from the Pitcher's Mound. I think the lack of any actual fights is evidence enough that the Mets lacked the killer instinct they sorely needed down the stretch. Just looking back on Mets History, some of the first events that come to my mind are brawls (and granted that may just be because I have the subject in mind). But think about it: there was RoseBud. There were the Bad Boys of the '86 team, who -- on the rare occasion that they didn't beat a team on the scoreboard, they made certain to beat that team with their fists. In my own lifetime, I can still picture the Spring Training game when Guillermo Mota (yes, a lot of you forgot that we hated Mota long before he was blowing games even while on 'roids for the Mets) drilled Mike Piazza for the 3rd or 4th time in a span of just a couple years, and the benches cleared. Jeromy Burnitz charged literally into the Dodgers dugout and fought off several players (criticize Burnitz's strikeout total all you want -- I sure do -- but that guy at least showed every day that he wanted to win). And at his side for a part of that charge was the Light Brigade of Joe McEwing. But, just like the historic Light Brigade, McEwing was quickly pummeled by numerous Dodgers players (for those of you who are confused, No, the Light Brigade did not fight against Dodgers players. The players in this analogy are cannons). Joe McEwing may have been a scrappy player, but a master fighter he was not.
What I'm saying in all this rambling of memories is simply: Bring it on, Phillies. I'm not quite as afraid of your team now that Ugueth Urbina is rotting in a South American prison. If he comes back to pitch in your bullpen, then I think maybe the Mets and Phils should seek a truce. After all, the last thing we need is for any of our pitchers to get an arm hacked off by a machete, or to have Jose Reyes lit on fire. We need a fire lit under Reyes's ass, not a charred shortstop trying to swipe bases.
By the way, Pedro said later in the NY Post article that it's simply human nature to defend yourself when someone is coming at you. So there, he should now be completely forgiven for throwing Don Zimmer to the ground. After all, wouldn't you do the same? No? You would just step to the side and watch Zimmer pass right on by you? Well, I guess that works, too... But where's the fun in that? Zimmer may have been a fat grandfather, but don't let that simple fact deceive you, Jimmy Rollins. Pedro won't hesitate to throw you to the ground in the same way (assuming you simply put your head down and charge like a bull at Pedro's chest the way Zim did). Or maybe he'll just send a bunch of roosters to attack you...... You don't know what he'll do. And personally, I can't wait to see it. Ryan Howard is chubby, too; maybe he'll go on the attack the way the Zim did. 1000% pay raise or not, I'll still take Pedro in a fight over Howard.
“I don’t believe there’s a reason to be fighting, but we’re over here. Basically, if [they’re] going to have to brawl or whatever, we’re over here. We’ll wait…I love Jimmy Rollins, I love [Brett]
Myers, I love everybody…but I would love to beat the [snot] out of them on the field.”
I love it, personally. I can't remember there being a single real brawl this past season. The closest I can remember was that ridiculous incident at the very end of the year when Miguel Olivo charged Jose Reyes at 3rd Base from the Pitcher's Mound. I think the lack of any actual fights is evidence enough that the Mets lacked the killer instinct they sorely needed down the stretch. Just looking back on Mets History, some of the first events that come to my mind are brawls (and granted that may just be because I have the subject in mind). But think about it: there was RoseBud. There were the Bad Boys of the '86 team, who -- on the rare occasion that they didn't beat a team on the scoreboard, they made certain to beat that team with their fists. In my own lifetime, I can still picture the Spring Training game when Guillermo Mota (yes, a lot of you forgot that we hated Mota long before he was blowing games even while on 'roids for the Mets) drilled Mike Piazza for the 3rd or 4th time in a span of just a couple years, and the benches cleared. Jeromy Burnitz charged literally into the Dodgers dugout and fought off several players (criticize Burnitz's strikeout total all you want -- I sure do -- but that guy at least showed every day that he wanted to win). And at his side for a part of that charge was the Light Brigade of Joe McEwing. But, just like the historic Light Brigade, McEwing was quickly pummeled by numerous Dodgers players (for those of you who are confused, No, the Light Brigade did not fight against Dodgers players. The players in this analogy are cannons). Joe McEwing may have been a scrappy player, but a master fighter he was not.
What I'm saying in all this rambling of memories is simply: Bring it on, Phillies. I'm not quite as afraid of your team now that Ugueth Urbina is rotting in a South American prison. If he comes back to pitch in your bullpen, then I think maybe the Mets and Phils should seek a truce. After all, the last thing we need is for any of our pitchers to get an arm hacked off by a machete, or to have Jose Reyes lit on fire. We need a fire lit under Reyes's ass, not a charred shortstop trying to swipe bases.
By the way, Pedro said later in the NY Post article that it's simply human nature to defend yourself when someone is coming at you. So there, he should now be completely forgiven for throwing Don Zimmer to the ground. After all, wouldn't you do the same? No? You would just step to the side and watch Zimmer pass right on by you? Well, I guess that works, too... But where's the fun in that? Zimmer may have been a fat grandfather, but don't let that simple fact deceive you, Jimmy Rollins. Pedro won't hesitate to throw you to the ground in the same way (assuming you simply put your head down and charge like a bull at Pedro's chest the way Zim did). Or maybe he'll just send a bunch of roosters to attack you...... You don't know what he'll do. And personally, I can't wait to see it. Ryan Howard is chubby, too; maybe he'll go on the attack the way the Zim did. 1000% pay raise or not, I'll still take Pedro in a fight over Howard.
Let the games begin.
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