(photo taken on September 23, 2008 (Cubs vs. Mets) with a Nikon D300 and a 28-200mm zoom while sitting next to Kory Kessel at Shea Stadium in Flushing, NY)

Tags: Mets, Cubs, Baseball, Daniel Murphy, Jeff Pulver

(photo taken on September 23, 2008 (Cubs vs. Mets) with a Nikon D300 and a 80-400mm zoom while sitting 6 rows behind home plate at Shea Stadium in Flushing, NY)

Tags: Mets, Cubs, Baseball, Carlos Delgado, Jeff Pulver

(photo taken on September 23, 2008 (Cubs vs. Mets) with a Nikon D300 and a 80-400mm zoom while sitting 6 rows behind home plate at Shea Stadium in Flushing, NY)

Tags: Mets, Cubs, Baseball, Johnan Santana, Jeff Pulver

Baseball is an amazing game. An ever forgiving game. If the team you are a fan of is having a bad night, there is almost always a tomorrow. So as long as your team can get over the crushing defeat the night before, there is a chance that today your team will win.

In Baseball almost anything is possible. On any given night, almost anything can and will happen. Well, almost anything. To date, since the Mets were founded in 1962 no Mets pitcher has pitched a perfect game. So maybe not a prefect game today. But almost anything else.

“It Ain’t Over Till it’s Over” is a phrase which rings as true today as when Yogi Berra first said it. As fans we love to rationalize our reality. When we are ahead in the game, and it is late in the season and our team is a contender to make the playoffs, we look to see how that win might affect the standings. And when we are down by 3 runs in the 8th inning, we think about the line up and each time one of our players gets to the plate, we think this is the moment the magical rally will start that will turn the game around for us.

Baseball Fans (and their relatives) know how much a game can drive their emotions. Baseball is a game which makes some of the most unlikely people famous and a game where each spring brings out the hope in all baseball fans. Every year could be THE YEAR. And maybe 2008 is THE YEAR for the Mets.

The 2008 Mets have been a different team than the 2007 version. I believe a better team. Yes, they need relief pitching and yes their starting pitching has become questionable at times. But I believe the 2008 Mets can go the distance. Make it to the playoffs and anything is possible.

Tonight I’m going to Shea Stadium to attend my last regular season game at Shea together with my kids and my friend Kory Kessel (a Cubs fan from Paris via Chicago.) I’m looking forward to being behind home plate with my camera while watching the Mets play the Cubs. I hope to bring home some memories tonight. And hopefully watch the Mets beat the Cubs. (Sorry Kory.)

Let’s Go Mets!

Tags: Mets, Cubs, Baseball, Jeff Pulver

It has been over a week since the Mets 2007 baseball season came to an end. A season which reinforced the concept that every game in a 162 game baseball season matters. Games count as much in April as in September. And had the Mets figured out how to win 2 more games in 2007, they would have made it to the first round of the playoffs. When Jimmy Dugan in “A League of Their Own” said “There is NO Crying in Baseball”, he didn’t know about the 2007 Mets and how they would manage to break the hearts of their fans when they would experienced a September meltdown of historic significance.

On the positive side, the 2007 Mets gave me reasons to believe in them. And more reasons to love the game. The Mets staged some incredible come-from-behind victories. Some players on the Mets reached career milestones. And despite all their troubles in September, these 2007 Mets were still playing a significant game on September 30th with the chance to make it to the playoffs. How many other baseball teams wished they had such an opportunity? The answer, many.

Now, I’m not exactly sure what the connection is, but it seems that a number of my friends from the venture world are also dedicated baseball fans. I’m guessing it has something to do with the fact that as investors they believe in their startups and they share the belief that anything is possible. That the companies in their venture fund portfolios will be the winners in their respective spaces.

Based on my own startup history, being the CEO of a hi-tech startup can feel a lot like what a baseball fan imagines it is like being the manager of a major league baseball team. You always have to worry about what the owners (investors) have to say and how they react based on your teams recent performance. So the pressure is always there. And like any good manager, we have to learn to cut our losses early, and how to balance our desire to embrace younger players and help them gain the experience that they will remember for the rest of their careers with doing what we need to win. And when needed, we make the moves we need to in order to secure our chances for a victory. The bottom line is that in both baseball and in our startups, we have a better chance to be successful when everyone on the team supports and respects each other and when everyone believes in the collective vision.

This isn’t to say that every season will be OUR season or that every startup will make it. The truth is, many teams have losing seasons and many startups fail. Sometimes a startup’s failure can also be heart breaking. For example I had a lot of confidence in Tello back in the day. All I have to show for it now are the lessons I learned.

But when things don’t work out the way we had hoped, I have also learned there is always a tomorrow. There is never any shortage of great new ideas. And by allowing ourselves to believe, we leave ourselves the opportunity to believe that our next season will be the one that takes us to a championship, and that our next startup’s exit will be the one with a multi-billion dollar valuation at the IPO.

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Tags: Mets, Startups, Baseball, Jeff Pulver

And there are other combinations which make the possible outcomes “very interesting.”

With both the Mets and the Phillies playing their games at the same time, I expect the mood of the respective stadiums to shift wildly as runs are scored in both New York and Philadelphia.

Yesterday when I prematurely wrote off these 2007 Mets, Dave Winer commented: “Just curious if you remember game 6 of the 1986 world series. And a true Mets fan savors every moment, win or lose. the klutzier they are, the more mets-like they are. those are our boys. if you want to be a mets fan you're going to do a lot of crying, it's an emotional game, don't try to over-analyze it. and it ain't over till it's over. that's true of ALL baseball, not just the mets of new york town.”

And Dave is right. In baseball anything can and will happen during the course of a game, in the course of a season. And as a Mets fan I’m there for the wins and the losses. I was there at Game 7 of the 2006 NCLS when the Mets lost to the Cardinals in the bottom of the ninth inning down by a run and with the bases loaded.

Win or lose today, the 2007 Mets made me proud to be a Mets fan. Made be proud to be from New York and helped define the summer of 2007. And with a little luck, the Mets will end up playing baseball in October.

Good thing I haven’t burned my Mets 2007 Post Season tickets just yet…

Lets Go Mets!

Tags: Mets, Phillies, Baseball, Dave Winer, Jeff Pulver

The 2007 Mets were a tease.

If I was home right now I would take the 2007 Mets NLDS, NLCS and World Series tickets that I purchased and film the burning of these tickets and put the video on YouTube. Even if the Mets by some miracle of mathematics ended up making it into the 2007 NLDS as the Wild Card, the Mets have no momentum to go anywhere in the playoffs. Yes there have been individuals on the 2007 Mets who had a great season but it just wasn’t enough.

The Mets have a busy winter season ahead for them. With their new ball park opening in 2009, the Mets have every reason to make every game in 2009 a sell out. For that to happen, 2008 has to be a winning year. A year the team actually lived up to their full potential. The year the Mets went after the players who would have a lasting impact on the team and the year they re-committed themselves to having one of the best farm systems in Baseball.

To date the Mets have proven they know how to spend money to build a team. But sometimes I wonder why they go after the people they have gone after. Yes, in 2006 Tom Glavin had a great year and ended his season enough games from 300 to know that if he played baseball in 2007, he would reach the 300 mark. But I still am not sure why the Mets renewed the contract of Tom Glavin last year or spent so many millions on Pedro. Back in December 2004 I declared The end of Pedro Martinez's Career!. I don’t think I was too far off. Does anyone think when Glavin is inducted into the Hall of Fame he will be wearing anything other than a Braves cap? And who doesn’t think Pedro gets inducted wearing a Red Sox cap? The fact they also played for the Mets will be footnotes in their biographies at Cooperstown.

Congrats to the come back kids the Phillies for never giving up and for playing their hearts out and teaching the Mets how to play September Baseball. And Congrats to the Cubs and the Yankees for making it their respective playoffs. The fact that the Cubs and the Red Sox stand a stance to meet each other in the 2007 World Series is amazing and would be a match up great for baseball.

Tags: Mets, Phillies,Yankees,Cubs,RedSox, Baseball, Jeff Pulver

And if the Mets can continue to pull off some bullpen magic and deliver pitchers who don’t blow save opportunities, the Mets might be a contender should they end up playing post-season baseball.

But give the Phillies some credit. Turns out they are a contender, the team that never gives up and the team the Mets were not able to beat given the opportunity. At the moment, given the current records of Arizona and San Diego, chances are that the team which finishes in Second place in the NL East will not be making the playoffs. So if the Mets somehow make the playoffs, the Mets won’t have to worry about playing the Phillies.

And congrats to the Cubs for being 3 ½ games in front of the Brewers with a magic number of 4 with six games to play. And hats off to the Yankees for making the AL East a real division race, a race which brings back memories of 1978. From where the Yankees were back in June, to think they had a chance to win the AL East as the Division Champs, that’s totally amazing. But unlike the NL East, both the Red Sox and the Yankees will be making it to the playoffs.

And as Yogi once said, “It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over.” I am looking forward to watching the last week of the 2007 baseball season and seeing which teams will be preparing to play October baseball on the night of September 30th.

Tags: Mets, Phillies,Yankees,Cubs,Red Sox, Baseball, Jeff Pulver

So Mr. Met – Go out and WAKE UP the Mets and explain to them their season is on the line. A win today and they go 5 ½ games back up over the Phillies and they more or less can coast into clinching the NL East. Lose today and they will only be 3 ½ games in front and will be spending the next couple of weeks watching the scoreboard, everyday hoping and praying for the Phillies to lose.

Here’s to hoping the Mets can pull themselves together and beat the Phillies today.

Let’s Go Mets!

Tags: Mets, Braves,Phillies, Baseball, Jeff Pulver

So it turns out the Mets remain their own worst enemy. A healthy starting pitching rotation together with a bullpen that doesn’t blow (many) saves and a line up that is hitting is what the Mets need if they want to have a chance to make it back to the NLCS.

And if Pedro is healthy, and can contribute to a few September victories, the prospect of the Mets playing in October gets that much stronger.

Tags: Mets, Braves, Reds, Baseball, Jeff Pulver

Baseball is a game of redemption. It is never too late to restart and give someone another chance. Mike Pelfrey getting a win yesterday after the way he performed all season was just enlightening. Maybe the Mike Pelfrey we saw pitch before yesterday was just a different person. Can Glavin finally beat Smoltz? Glavin has what it takes (he always did) and hopefully today the Mets offense will stay alive and provide Tom with enough run support.

While the Mets have play poorly during the summer, the reality is the Mets are still in first place in the NL East with a 3 game lead over the Phillies and a 6 ½ game lead over the Braves. The NL East remains anyone’s division and the team which plays the best over the next 29 days will be the one playing baseball in October.

On a side note, congrats to the Yankees for taking the lead in the AL Wildcard race. And the fans of the Chicago Cubs should still be toasting Lou Piniella for restoring hope to the fans of the Chicago Cubs. Maybe 2007 will be the year for the Cubs. Talk about Redemption. Now that would be cool.

Tags: Mets, Braves,Yankees,Cubs,RedSox, Baseball, Jeff Pulver

The Mets played sloppy at times but they did win the game and they closed out their homestand with an ugly 2-4 record. The only good news (for the Mets) is they are still in first place in the NL East with a 3 game lead over the Braves and a 3 ½ game lead over the Phillies. The NL East remains anyone’s division and the team which plays the best over the next six weeks will be the one playing baseball in October.

On a side note, congrats to the Yankees for cutting the Redsox lead to only 4 games and for putting themselves into a virtual tie in the AL Wildcard race. Given where the Yankees were in early June, to see them closing in on the RedSox in mid-August is nothing less than amazing. And kudos also to Lou Piniella for giving hope to the fans of the Chicago Cubs. Maybe 2007 will be the year for the Cubs.

Tags: Mets, Braves,Yankees,Cubs,RedSox, Baseball, Jeff Pulver

And while every Mets fan wanted to believe that the 2007 Mets could repeat their success of 2006, every long-time Mets fan KNOWS that we can’t take anything for granted. Nothing. As fans we know the Mets are not going to win every game, but so far this season, this Mets fan has the feeling that even with being down two runs with two outs in the ninth inning, that there is a chance we will see a comeback. As Yogi once said: “It ain't over till its over.”

So I’m looking forward to watching today’s game against the Dodgers and seeing how the Mets bounce back from a game which with all due respect they should have one, if it wasn’t for an inning ending double play that got away which resulted in two Dodger runs. Hopefully El Duque will have what it takes to beat the Dodgers today.

Let’s Go Mets!!!

Tags: Mets, Baseball, Jeff Pulver

But luckily for the Mets, the rest of the National League East also had a hard time winning games in June and so despite the Mets poor playing, they are still in first place. Today the Mets have a 3 game lead on the Phillies and a 3 ½ game lead on the Braves.

And according to Ken Roberts over at Sports Club Stats, the Mets currently have a 52.4 percent chance in making the playoffs.

So when the Mets win two games in a row for the first time in 22 games, it is a time for Mets fans to take notice. I can only hope that the Mets continue their winning ways and sweep the A’s at Shea today and take their positive momentum into their series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Let’s Go Mets!!!

Tags: Mets, Ken Roberts, Sports Club Stats, Baseball, Jeff Pulver

New York Times: Another Injury to Another Pitcher Produces Another Loss

"The Yankees’ recent plight probably does not generate much sympathy around Queens, not with their 26 World Series titles and their latest one captured at the hands of the locals. But if, if, if there ever were a time when Mets fans could, even for a fleeting second, look deep into their hearts and commiserate with their crosstown rivals, it might have been during the first four innings of yesterday’s game...

...Yet again, a Yankees rookie pitcher, Darrell Rasner, left with an injury, only two batters into the game. A ball bounced out of the center fielder’s glove and over the fence for a home run. The second baseman forgot how to play second base.

But any Mets fan considering sending a condolence card to a buddy in the Bronx ripped off the stamp and threw away the envelope when the Yankees made a spirited charge that ended with the tying run at the plate and the Mets’ closer, Billy Wagner, looking toward the sky with relief as the home team held on to win, 10-7, at Shea Stadium."

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While there were times so far this season that Tom Glavine pitched well enough for the win and did not get it, yesterday his pitching was off a bit but the Mets were there with enough run support so that in the end it didn't really matter. Five more wins and Tom Glavin will be at 300 career wins.

Tonight's game should be interesting one to watch, especially if the game is close. And with the Mets having John Maine (5-1) on the mound going up against another Yankee rookie pitcher, the Mets do seem to have the edge going into the game. However, it will be up to the Mets to keep this edge.

The Mets, playing their 10th game in a row have an off day tomorrow, so they may be able to do things which they wouldn't otherwise do. And while they are playing the Braves on Tuesday, they are going into the game today with a 2 1/2 game lead on the Braves. The Yankees on the other hand have to play Boston tomorrow night and they are 10 1/2 games behind Boston going into the game today. While the Yankees may need to preserve themselves for the Boston series, what they are playing for is more than just a game, but what might set the tone for the remainder of their 2007 season.

Let's Go Mets!

Tags: Mets, Yankees, Baseball, Jeff Pulver