Spring 2007 VON - San Jose, CA - March 19-22

Where the Industry Gets its Innovation!

von.com

Spring 2007 Video on the Net - San Jose, CA - March 20-22

The Next Wave of Disruption!

www.videoonthenet.com

September 25, 2008

Kory Kessel, Cubs Fan

kory.jpg

(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: , , , ,

Posted by jeff at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

September 24, 2008

New York Mets: Carlos Delgado at the Plate

Delgato.jpg

(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: , , , ,

Posted by jeff at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

New York Mets: Johan Santana on the Mound

Santana.jpg

(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: , , , ,

Posted by jeff at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 23, 2008

Baseball is my Game. The Mets are my Team.

I love baseball. I have for my entire life. While others may sometimes find it boring, I enjoy watching baseball games. I was one of those Strat-o-Matic kids who enjoyed playing baseball as a board game many years ago. A baseball geek. And a Mets fan.

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: , , ,

Posted by jeff at 02:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

October 08, 2007

Mets, Baseball, Startups and Always Wanting to Believe …

Baseball is an amazing game. An ever forgiving game. And a game where anything can and will happen. “It Ain’t Over Till it’s Over” is a phrase which rings as true today as when Yogi Berra first said it. Fans of Baseball know how 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. The year for our team to make it to the World Series. And maybe the year our team becomes World Champions.

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.

--

Tags: , , ,

Posted by jeff at 05:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (19)

September 30, 2007

Talking Baseball: The 2007 Mets Season – “It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over…”

Today at Shea Stadium the New York Mets will have a chance to extend their season into October. A Mets win coupled with a Phillies loss would mean the Mets clinch the NL East. Amazing, isn't it?. A Mets win and a Phillies win would mean the Mets will be playing baseball on October 1st in Philadelphia for a one-game tie-breaker.

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: , , , ,

Posted by jeff at 05:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

September 29, 2007

Talking Baseball: RIP: The 2007 New York Mets Baseball Season

Even though the New York Mets will end the 2007 season with the best road record in Baseball (47-35), it turns out the Mets also needed to have functional relief pitching in order to win the games when their starting pitcher left with a lead or a tie or a close game. And at least good enough pitching to keep the Mets in a game when their starting pitcher was having a bad day.

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: , ,,,, ,

Posted by jeff at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

September 23, 2007

Talking Baseball: The Mets – The week ahead WILL define their 2007 Season

With their dramatic come-from-behind victory in 11 innings today over the Marlins, the Mets almost redeemed themselves for their dramatic come-from-behind-defeat on Thursday night. As things stand today, the New York Mets are 2 ½ games in front of the Phillies, with three less losses and have seven games to play with a magic number of 5.

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: , ,,,, ,

Posted by jeff at 07:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

September 16, 2007

Talking Baseball: The Mets Need a WIN Today!

Give the Phillies some credit. While the Mets were able to recover from being swept by the Phillies at the end of August, and took their aggression out on the Atlanta Braves, the Phillies still kept on their mission to be a contender in the NL East. And now with their two back-to-back wins over the Mets, the Phillies are entering today’s game only 4 ½ games back. If the Mets want to win the NL East, they need a win today. The Mets starting pitching has been good enough to win the first two games against the Phillies, but like clockwork, “something happened” and next thing you know the Mets suffered another tough loss at the hands of the Phillies. Seems at times the Mets are their own worst enemy.

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: , ,, ,

Posted by jeff at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

September 03, 2007

Talking Baseball: Did Glavin Finally Beat Smoltz? Yes. Does it Matter? Maybe.

While the Mets were beating the Braves yesterday afternoon and completing their sweep of the Braves in Atlanta, I couldn't help but notice how the Phillies managed to lose again to the Marlins. So it turns out what Met fans saw last week wasn't the emergence of the Phillies as a contender, but rather the complete collapse of the Mets Bullpen. No true contender is going to lose 2 of 3 games to the Marlins in September. And now while the Mets have Pedro back on the mound and facing the Reds today, the Phllies and the Braves are battling each other. And as a Mets fan, it would be great to see the Braves bounce back and help extend the Phillies losing streak and take 2 of 3 from the Phillies.

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: , , , ,

Posted by jeff at 01:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 02, 2007

Talking Baseball: The Mets Still Have a Chance to Make 2007 Matter

After feeling the pain of the Mets being swept by the Phillies, it was great to see the Mets bounce back and beat the Braves in Atlanta on Friday and Saturday at a time the Mets 2007 season was on the line. Hopefully the recent blown saves by the Mets bullpen are now behind them and the Mets are on their way to once again building some distance between themselves and both the Phillies and the Braves.

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: , ,,,, ,

Posted by jeff at 10:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

August 12, 2007

Talking Baseball: These Mets Still Have a Chance to be NL East Division Champs

After watching the Mets give two wins to the Marlins on Friday and Saturday, it was refreshing to see the Mets actually win a game for a change when they beat the Marlins today 10-4.

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: , ,,,, ,

Posted by jeff at 05:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

July 22, 2007

Mets still have a chance to win the NL East

While we are still far away from seeing which team will be the winner of the NL East this year, one thing the Mets have proven in 2007 is that they are “a contender.” Sure, they are not blowing away anyone in their division at the moment like they did in 2006 and yes, they only have a 2 ½ lead on the Braves, yet, as of today, despite everything else, they are still in first place in the NL East.

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: , ,

Posted by jeff at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 24, 2007

Mets Finally Win 2 in a Row…Again.

When I left the Mets at the end of May, they were dominating the National League East and had a 4 game lead on the Atlanta Braves. I am not sure what happened to the Mets during June but they seemed to have forgotten how to play winning baseball. Not that we Mets fans expect the Mets to win every game, but given where they were on May 31st, I was surprised to see them take until June 23rd to win their 40th game.

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: , , , ,

Posted by jeff at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

May 20, 2007

NY Times on yesterday's Mets / Yankees game: Another Injury to Another Pitcher Produces Another Loss

Of all the stories I read about yesterday's Mets / Yankees game, the following story best summarizes what I felt watching the game:

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."

---

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: , , ,

Posted by jeff at 09:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

May 18, 2007

Mets Rally to Beat Cubs; Set to Pulverize Yankees this weekend

Yesterday was a beautiful spring day in New York City and the Mets had a day game. As a Mets season ticket holder who had only been to one other game so far this season, I decided to take the time and go see the Mets play the Cubs at Shea Stadium. I took the LIRR for a change since there is limited parking at Shea these days with the new Mets ballpark currently under construction. When I got to Shea and sat in my seat, I was taken back by the Mets starting lineup. I knew their pitcher was someone who had just been called up to pitch the game, but for the exception of a couple of players, it seemed like we were watching what could have been a spring training line up playing at Shea on May 17th.

What I didn't realize was that the Mets manager was giving almost everyone a days rest since the game from the day before ended only about 12 hrs before the game I was at started. And with the Yankees coming to Shea for a three game set, even more reason for the Mets players to be given a chance to rest and recover. And I only had a short window of time to be at Shea, since I had a need to be someplace else later in the afternoon. So, with all of this in mind, when the Mets fell behind the Cubs 5-1 in the 6th inning, I called it a day and took the LIRR back to my home.

It turns out that while I was in transit, the Mets staged their biggest ninth inning rally since 1999 and came back and beat the Cubs 6-5. One again, it is proof that in baseball, almost anything can happen…and when there is hope and a will, games can and will turn around. Nothing is Impossible!

And what a great way to transfer the positive momentum of a Mets win into the weekend series against a troubled 2007 Yankees team.

Let's Go Mets!


Tags: , , , ,

Posted by jeff at 09:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

May 05, 2007

Mets beat Diamondbacks (again!)

Last night the Mets beat the Diamondbacks for the 12th time in a row in Chase Field dating back to 2004.

In fact, the 2007 Mets are enjoying life on the road as they currently have a 10-3 road record and two of those losses came last month against the Braves. If not for the Braves, the Mets most likely would have the best record in the Majors right now.

Last night it was the "Vintage" Mets player, Julio Franco who at 48 years old, 8 months and 12 days was once again the oldest player to hit a home run. (He broke his own record he set last year.)

With the win last night, John Maine is now 5-0 and has a 1.37 ERA. :)

Next up for the Mets is Jorge Sosa. Hopefully Jorge will be able to help the Mets continue their winning streak against the Diamondbacks.

Lets Go Mets!!!


vs.

Tags: , , ,

Posted by jeff at 08:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

May 02, 2007

May 2nd 2007: Marlins vs. Mets

Earlier today I took advantage of the fact that I was in New York on a sunny Spring day, on a day the Mets were playing a day game. The Mets having lost 2 straight over the Marlins were looking for a win and by the end of the game, the Mets got what they were looking for as the Mets beat the Marlins 6-3.

While at Shea I took the opportunity to dust off my Nikon D70 and 80-400mm zoom. Below are some of my pictures from the game today.

Tags: , , ,


Posted by jeff at 06:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

April 21, 2007

Mets look to even season series with the Braves.

At the moment, the 2007 Mets are 2-3 against the Atlanta Braves and 9-2 against the rest of the teams that they have played against. The Mets have an overall 11-5 record and have a half a game lead in first place in the NL East. The Mets are having a great April, despite the Braves.

Tomorrow’s rematch of Tom Glavin vs. John Smoltz should be a great game. With a win tomorrow, the Mets can even their 2007 series record with the Braves.

Let's Go Mets!

Tags: , , , ,,

Posted by jeff at 07:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 08, 2007

The Mets are 4-1. Great Way to Start the 2007 Season.

The Mets are playing the best April baseball that I can remember.

It was great to see the Mets start their season swinging in St. Louis and for them to come into Atlanta fearless and start the season 4-0.

So they lost a game yesterday. Loses are going to happen. Errors too. But today is another day, and I am looking forward to watching the game today on MLB.TV.

Let's Go Mets!

Tags: , ,

Posted by jeff at 09:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 02, 2007

Mets start season with 6-1 Win over the Cards

Nice to see the Met 2007 Season get off to a great start.

Tags: , ,

Posted by jeff at 01:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

March 31, 2007

Mets: Baseball Season Starts tomorrow

Somehow I managed to go an entire Spring Training and not blog once about the Mets.

Being that I was there, back in October, at Shea Stadium, for game 7 of the NLCS which the Mets played against the St. Louis Cardinals, for the stikeout at the bottom of the ninth that ended the Mets 2006 season, it feels fitting that the Mets are opening their 2007 season against the Cardinals.

I remember going to the NCLS games thinking about how difficult playing Detroit was going to be, rather than worrying about how the Mets were going to beat the Cardinals.

One thing the Mets 2006 NCLS reminded me of is that while one team could have the best pitchers in the league, if you do not get hits when you need them, you are going to lose the game.

While it is always great to see Tom Glavin start on Opening Day, I wonder if the Mets made the right move of resigning him rather than let him spend his last year in the Majors playing for the Braves. The Mets could have used the money to invest in their farm system. Oh well…

As long as the 2007 edition of the Mets can play with the same intensity as their 2006 cousins, the Mets have as good as chance as anyone in the National League to make it back to the NLCS and hopefully to the World Series.

Tags: , , ,

Posted by jeff at 01:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

December 02, 2006

Tom Glavin stays with the Mets to get to Win Number 300

Tom Glavin was one of the reasons the Mets made it to game seven of the 2006 NLCS, but he wasn’t “THE” reason. However, it is great to see him stay one more year while he on a personal quest of 300 wins. This said, I have to wonder if it is really in the Mets long term interests to invest another year in Tom Glavin when they could be investing some time, effort and energy in finding the next Tom Glavin.

If the Mets want to make past the 2007 NLCS, they will need to not only out pitch their opponents but also out hit them. Pitching will keep the Mets in a game, but without the consistent timely hits when needed, they will never become Champions.

Tags: , , ,

Posted by jeff at 07:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

October 20, 2006

Last Night at Shea Stadium (Bottom of the 9th)

DSC_0313.JPG

Tags: , , , ,

Posted by jeff at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Mets lose 3-1 to Cards in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS

While Oliver Perez pitched a great game and Endy Chavez made an amazing catch that will be included in highlight films in the future, the Mets once again did not manage to get the hits when they needed them and lost this game. Great pitching without the hitting does not win baseball games. The Mets proved this again tonight.

After spending the afternoon/evening flying to New York from Barbados, I somehow managed to get to Shea Stadium for the bottom of the sixth inning with the score tied 1-1. Things were feeling great at Shea until the top of the ninth inning when the Cardinals took the lead and scored a couple of runs. The Mets rallied in the bottom of the ninth but came up short. And just like that, the Mets 2006 season was over.

Congrats to the Cards for winning the 2006 National League Pennant.

And I have to thank the 2006 Mets for reminding me how much I enjoy Baseball.

Tags: , , , ,

Posted by jeff at 01:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

October 19, 2006

Next Stop: Shea!

While I'm starting my day in Barbados, in a few hours I will be on a plane flying to JFK. As soon as I can get out of JFK and I am looking forward to taking my seat at Shea Stadium and taking in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS with the other 57,000 Mets fans expected to be there.

The 2006 Mets season has been a great ride so far and I'm looking forward to being at Shea tonight for a Mets victory.

Let's Go Mets!
Let's Go Mets!
Let's Go Mets!

Tags: , , , ,

Posted by jeff at 01:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

October 18, 2006

Mets Win! Mets beat Cards 4-2 in NLCS Game 6

The Mets did what they had to do and pulled out a win tonight at Shea. John Maine pitched his heart out and held the Cards scoreless long enough for the Mets to take the lead. While Billy Wagner almost had another 9th inning breakdown, tonight he kept his cool and the Mets win tonight forces a Game 7 tomorrow night.

Tomorrow it will be a game "beat the clock" for me as tomorrow afternoon I will be taking the Barbados-->JFK--->Shea Stadium express. I knew there was a reason I've been carrying a ticket to game 7 with me this week. :)

Let's Go Mets!
Let's Go Mets!
Let’s Go Mets!


Tags: , , , ,

Posted by jeff at 11:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Mets take early 1-0 lead in Game 6

Sitting in my hotel room in Barbados watching the Mets play the Cards feels just a little surrealistic. The feeling started earlier today when my blackberry "just worked" when I landed. Right now I'm just hoping the Mets win tonight and set the stage for a win tomorrow night. A win that I hope to be present for at Shea.

For what it's worth the last game 6 postseason game played at Shea was that special game 6 of the 1986 World Series when the Mets beat the Red Sox 6-5 in 10 innings.

I'm hoping the Mets will do just fine against the Cards in nine innings tonight.

Let's Go Mets!
Let's Go Mets!
Let's Go Mets!

Tags: , , , ,

Posted by jeff at 08:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 17, 2006

Cards Beat Mets 4-2 in Game 5 of the 2006 NLCS

The Mets had their chances but lost tonight to the Cards 4-2 in Game 5 of the 2006 NLCS. The Mets 2006 season will be on the line tomorrow night when the NLCS returns to Shea Stadium.

While I will be in Barbados tomorrow night, I am looking forward to watching the game and rooting for the Mets thanks to the magic of broadband and MLB.TV. And I will be hoping for a Mets victory so that the ticket I have with me for game 7 will be used. :)

Let's Go Mets!

Tags: , , , ,

Posted by jeff at 11:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 15, 2006

Mets RESPOND and DELIVER! Mets Beat Cards 12-5 in Game 4 of the 2006 NLCS!

The Mets fell behind, caught up and never looked back. The Mets offense tonight pounded out 12 runs on 14 hits...and Oliver Perez's performance surprised everyone except Mets manager Willy Randolph.

The 2006 NLCS is now tied up 2-2!

Congrats to the Mets and to their fans. The Mets needed to deliver tonight and they did!

We believe!

Let's Go Mets!

Tags: , , , ,

Posted by jeff at 11:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mets facing first “MUST WIN” Game of their 2006 Season:

If the Mets end up playing in the 2006 World Series, it will because of how they played tonight in St. Louis. Tonight is the Mets first “must win” game of the year. Win, and the Mets can look to clinch the pennant at Shea Stadium later in the week. Lose, and the Mets will most likely suffer the fate of the Yankees and arrive back in New York to clean out their lockers and talk about what it could have been like to play in the World Series this year.

I have to believe the Mets are up to this challenge and they will find a way to score early and hopefully often during the game tonight.

We Gotta Believe!

Let’s Go Mets!

Tags: , , , ,

Posted by jeff at 07:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 14, 2006

The ANGST of a Mets Fan; Cards beat Mets 9-6 in Game 2 NLCS

Bats - The Baseball Post Season Blog: N.C.L.S Games 2, Mets vs. Cardinals

"It was a great game — for eight innings. So now the Mets can enjoy a little Yankee angst, going into a hostile stadium tied at 1. Though of course it’s not quite the same, the Mets having the luxury of a seven-game series. In any case, check in tomorrow, when Joaquin Andujar starts for the Cards, Dwight Gooden takes the mound for the Mets, and someone who’s actually qualified to do this will presumably be providing your commentary here on the BATS blog..."

Once again Shea Stadium was alive with Mets fans standing up at times for every pitch and every at bat. And while the game was going slow and it wasn't the warmest of nights, overall things were going fine at Shea last night for the first eight innings of the game. The Mets were not able to recover from the work of Billy Wagner in the 9th inning. Below are some images from the first 8 innings when the Mets fans at Shea were still having fun.

Game 3 of the NCLS will be taking place tonight in St. Louis. I have confidence that these Mets will bounce back and dominate the Cardinals over the next three games.

Lets Go Mets!

Tags: , , , ,

Posted by jeff at 01:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 13, 2006

Next Stop: Shea Stadium

Next up: Cardinals vs. Mets, 2006 NLCS Game 2 on Tonight @ 8pm ET

After watching the Mets beat the Cardinals last night from Chicago, I am looking forward to feeling the energy at Shea tonight as the Mets will try to make it 2-0 in the 2006 NLCS.

Let’s Go Mets!

Tags: , , , ,

Posted by jeff at 05:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

October 09, 2006

got postseason?...

…we still do!


Next up: Cardinals vs. Mets, 2006 NLCS Game 1 on Wednesday @ 8pm ET

Let’s Go Mets!

Tags: , , , ,

Posted by jeff at 04:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 07, 2006

Mets Sweep Dodgers; Mets Win 9-5 over Dodgers in Game 3 of the 2006 NLDS; Mets win 2006 NLDS.

Next Up: Mets play Game One of the 2006 National League Championship Series (NLCS) on Wednesday October 11th at Shea Stadium

I’m looking forward to being at Shea Stadium for Game One...Shea Stadium will be Rockin'.

Lets Go Mets!!!

.

Tags: , , , ,

Posted by jeff at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

October 05, 2006

Mets Win 4-1 over Dodgers in Game 2 of the 2006 NLDS

The Mets now have a 2-0 lead in the NLDS. One more win for the Mets and they will be moving to the 2006 NLCS.

Tags: , , , ,

Posted by jeff at 11:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

October 04, 2006

Mets Win 6-5 over Dodgers in Game 1 of the 2006 NLDS:

MLB.com: Dodgers victims of wild double play (video)

Tags: , , , ,

Posted by jeff at 10:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

got postseason?...

…we do!

Dodgers vs. Mets…Game 1…later today!

Let’s Go Mets!

Tags: , , , ,

Posted by jeff at 07:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 01, 2006

Sorry to see my prediction about Pedro come true...

Back on December 18, 2004 I wrote about The end of Pedro Martinez's Career!.

As a reminder, what I wrote back then was "The Boston Red Sox 'curse' may have been the most famous curse to be recently broken, but one that also exists which is rarely discussed outside of New York is the curse placed on just about any free agent player who is signed by the New York Mets and/or traded to the Mets during their career.

In almost every situation, whenever a high profile person moved to the Mets, this was a foreshowing of the end of the person's career...and in almost every case the person's performance in New York never lived up to the expectations."

So much for being able to benefit from the experience of Pedro in the postseason.


Tags: , ,

Posted by jeff at 01:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 18, 2006

Mets: 2006 NL East Division Champions!

Earlier tonight the Mets finally assured themselves that they will be playing in the post-season for the first time 2000 when they beat the Marlins 4-0. I am looking forward to being at Shea Stadium in October to watch these Mets play October baseball.

Let’s Go Mets!

Tags: , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 11:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

August 26, 2006

Phillies break Mets Winning Streak; Take Series Opener 4-3

With the Mets 6-0 in their current home stand and with a 14.5 game lead over the second place Phillies in the NL East going into their game last night, the Mets made the decision to start a pitcher who has an "understudy role" and offer some much needed starting experience. However Mets starting pitcher Brian Bannister allowed four runs in the first three innings and the best the Mets could do with the support of Carlos Beltran was score 3 runs over nine innings. Score it a short term loss for the Mets but maybe a longer term win if last night gave Bannister experience that he can now build on in his future starts.

Tonight the Phillies are putting up Jon Lieber and the Mets are countering with offering another understudy, Oliver Perez.

Hopefully tonight the Mets bats can counter any pitching mistakes that Perez may offer up.

It would be great to see the Mets find a way to take 2 out of 3 games from the Phillies.

Let's Go Mets!

vs.

Tags: , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 08:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 20, 2006

Mets honor the Spirit of ’86 with Win over the Rockies

Last night the World Champion 1986 Mets were honored at Shea Stadium in a pre-game ceremony. While there were a few key people missing, it was great to see the Mets 1986 team reunited.

And during the scheduled Mets / Rockies game, when the Mets fell behind by four runs they never gave up. The Mets of 2006 made up the deficit and more, when in the sixth inning, the Mets involved the Spirit of ’86 and scored six times, took the lead and never looked back.

Today El Duque takes the mound and hopefully can bound back from his worst start of the year and lead the Mets to a three game sweep of the Rockies.

Let’s Go Mets!

vs.


Tags: , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 17, 2006

Mets need a WIN in Philadelphia...TODAY!

Going into this series I was hopeful the Mets could take 3 of the 4 games from the Phillies and leave Philadelphia with a 17 game lead in the NL East. At the moment the Mets lead is down to 12 games and the Phillies are now just 2 1/2 games out in the Wildcard race. The Mets are now on a 3 game losing streak and are at risk of losing their 4th game in a row, which would be the first time that happened this season.

For the past couple of months, it has been the non-superstar pitchers that have helped carry this team. For every win that Pedro and El Duque have managed to deliver on, there has also been their own share of shaky starts which did not necessarily contribute to any Mets victories.

Last night it was Glavine who pitched well, but not well enough. Lieber got the win because he was able to shut down the heart of the Mets batting order and did not make any mistakes during the 2 hour game.

This afternoon the Mets and their fans will be looking to rookie pitcher John Maine for this second win this year against Scott Mathieson and the Phillies.

Let’s Go Mets!

vs.

Tags: , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 06:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

August 14, 2006

Mets take 2 of 3 from Nationals. Next up Phillies

The Mets 2006 season continues to roll on. After taking 2 out of 3 games on the road from the Nationals this weekend, the Mets will be taking on the Phillies on Monday night for the first game of a four game series. While the Mets currently are 26 games over .500 and have a fifteen game lead over the Phillies, the Mets still need to remember to take each game one at a time and focus on winning. My hope is for the Mets to take three out of four games from the Phillies and leave Philadelphia with a seventeen game lead over the Phillies.

Let’s Go Mets!!!

vs.

Tags: , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 10, 2006

Mets Sweep Padres!

With the Mets 7-3 win today at Shea against the Padres, they pulled off their first sweep of a three game series at Shea Stadium of the season. The Mets have won 5 in a row, 10 of their last 13 games, are 25 games over .500 and have a 14 game lead in front of the Phillies in the National League East.

Next up for the Mets are the Nationals when they will be playing them tomorrow night at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.

Let's Go Mets!


vs.

Tags: , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 03:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

August 05, 2006

Mets and Glavine get their WIN Today!

Earlier today the New York Mets edged the Phillies 4-3 and put a chill in the Phillies recent hot streak. With the win, the Mets recovered from their brief two game losing streak and Tom Glavine finally earned his 12th victory of the season and 287th win for his career.

Today's game was also function of throwing. A throwing error by Phillies pitcher Lieber fueled the Mets three runs sixth inning and it was David Wright who made the perfect throw at the bottom of the ninth inning which closed out the Mets win.

Tomorrow night the Mets’ rookie pitcher John Maine goes up against Scott Mathieson in the rubber game of the weekend match up on ESPN's Sunday "Game of the Week."

Let's Go Mets!

vs.

Tags: , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 08:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Tom Glavine NEEDS a WIN today over Phillies:

Tom Glavine who was the first pitcher in the National League to get to 11 wins back on June 23rd is still in search of his 12th win of the season. It would be great to see the Mets bounce back against their loss to the Phillies and deliver a win today for themselves, for their fans and for Tom Glavine.

After sweeping the Braves last weekend in Atlanta, the Mets went 1-2 against the Marlins and predictably lost the first game of their home stand last night. I'm not sure why, but for all of the wins these 2006 Mets are accumulating, they still have difficultly making the transition from away to home.

If the Mets want to keep their two digit lead over the Phillies and the rest of the National League East, the time is NOW to put a chill in the Phillies recent hot streak and put together back-to-back wins over the Phillies today and tomorrow.

vs.

Tags: , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 08:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

July 30, 2006

Mets Take 2nd in a Row from Braves

While I had concerns with the strength of the Mets pitching staff going into this weekend’s series against Atlanta, it was great to see the Mets take the first of the two games. After winning on Friday night, .the Mets beat the Braves yesterday afternoon by the score of 11-3. With the win yesterday the Braves are now 14 games out of first place.

Yesterday’s game belonged to the contributions of the ensemble cast that makes up the 2006 New York Mets. Credits go to: Carlos Beltran for his two home runs and five RBI, El Duque for pitching 8 innings and to Paul Lo Duca for his four hits.

Later today Tom Glavine will be taking the mound in search of his 12th win of the season.

vs.

Tags: , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 03:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 26, 2006

Mets pull off 10th Inning Victory over Cubs

So far this season the Mets have not lost more than three games in a row. And after losing two straight to the Cubs, after losing to the Astros on Sunday, having given up 24 runs over those three games in the process, the Mets were in need of a win. It was great to see the Mets bounce back with their pitching and shut out the Cubs 1-0 in ten innings.

Looks like the Mets season will be put to a test when they play the Braves this weekend in Atlanta. The Braves have been on a roll and are well on their way to going over .500 and making a run in the wild card race.

For the sake of the Mets 2006 season, as the trading deadline nears, I do hope the Mets are able to find a way to add strength to their current pitching rotation as well as to their farm system.

Tags: , , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 22, 2006

Mets win again. Mets beat Astros 4-3.

Today it was Xavier Nady who made his presence known when he hit a three run home run in the fourth inning. Going into the fourth inning with the Mets trailing 3-1, Nady’s 3-run home run put the Mets in the lead and El Duque pitched well enough to win his fourth game as a Met.

The Mets are now 21 games over 500 and lead the Braves and Phillies by 13.5 games. Tomorrow Mets Rookie picher Mike Pelfrey will be going for his third major league win and the Mets will be going for a three game sweep of the series.

Let's Go Mets!

vs.


Tags: , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 10:59 PM | Permalink

Mets Grand Slam Fashion Statement Continues. Mets Beat Astros 7-0.

For some reason, the Mets have had trouble making the transition from being on the road to playing at home. It was great to watch the Mets win the first game of a home stand for the first time since the end of May.

Last night belonged to both Mets starter John Maine who earned his first National League win with a four hit shutout and to Jose Valentin whose second inning Grand Slam gave the Mets the lead and they never looked back.

While it was great to see the Mets hit their 4th grand slam in five games, this is one of those "enjoy them while they happen" moments for these dynamic and amazing 2006 New York Mets who continue to maintain a 13 game lead in front of the Braves and the Phillies.

Let's Go Mets!

vs.


Tags: , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 07:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

July 17, 2006

Mets take 2 of 3 from Cubs; Historic 6th Inning not seen in New York

Yesterday afternoon the Mets bounced back and took the rubber game of their series with the Chicago Cubs in grand slam fashion in front of 40,157 people at Wrigley Field. Trailing 5-2 going into the sixth inning, Cliff Floyd and Carlos Beltran both hit grand slams and gave the Mets the lead in the game and the Mets didn’t look back.

The Mets outburst of runs took the spotlight away from their starting pitcher, El Duque, who gave up five runs on seven hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings. This was not a good sign as it was the second time in just his last four starts where El Duque didn’t make it to the third inning of a game.

For some reason(s), this Sunday game was not viewable in the metro NYC on broadcast TV or nor on Cable nor was it available (to me) on MLB.TV. So, while the 6th inning marked the first time in their history the Mets had scored 11 runs in one inning, no Mets fan in the metro NYC area had the pleasure of seeing this feat happen live. Our choices were to either listen to the game on the radio or watch the box score update live on the web. Of course the highlights are now available for viewing over at MLB.TV.

It was great to see the Mets win their first series after the All-Star break and leave Chicago with a 12 game lead in the NL East. After an off day today, the Mets head over to Cincinnati to play the Reds on Tuesday night with rookie Mike Pelfrey scheduled to open the series with his second Major league start.

vs.

Tags: , , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 05:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

July 15, 2006

Mets continue their Winning Ways...

The 2006 Mets picked up where they left off prior to the All-Star break and beat the Cubs 6-3 yesterday afternoon at Wrigley Field. As in past winning road games, the Mets scored a first inning run and played with the confidence of a winning team.

This afternoon Tom Glavine will once again will be trying to notch his 12th win of the season, This may not be an easy game for the Mets as they are going against the Cubs starter Carlos Zabrano who has a record of 8-3 on a Cubs team whose record is 31-60.

Let's Go Mets!

vs.

Tags: , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 09:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

July 09, 2006

Jets Mets beat Dolphins Marlins 17-3

If one where to take a quick glance at the 17-3 score of the second game of yesterday's Marlin / Mets double header, it would be easy to mistaken the baseball score for an exhibition football game between the Jets and Dolphins.

While the Mets have now outscored the Marlins 22 runs to 13 runs during the past three games, the Mets are only 1-2 during this stretch. I've always thought it would be cool if the Mets could have a "run bank" so that they could recover run(s) in games where they could not otherwise buy a run.

Today the Mets are going for a split of their four game series with the Marlins with Glavine going for his 12th win of the season.

Let's Go Mets!


vs.

Tags: , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 09:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

July 08, 2006

The Marlins are NOT the Pirates. Mets lose 7-3 to Marlins.

By winning 3 out of 4 games from the Pirates, the Mets had appeared to have recovered from the funk they fell into after being swept on the road by the Red Sox (going 0-3) and then losing 2 of 3 games to the Yankees. All bets of the state of the Mets psyche are now off as the Mets lost to the Marlins, 7 to 3.

Tomorrow afternoon the spotlight will be on the new additions to the Mets pitching staff as the Mets will be playing a double header against the Marlins. In the first game, John Maine who looked great against the Pirates until he melted in the heat of the New York Summer will have a chance to show to Mets management why he should stay in the rotation after the All Star break. In the second game, Michael Pelfrey will be making his big-league debut with his only “professional” experience coming from playing in Class A with the St. Lucie Mets and in Double-A with the Binghamton Mets. His minor league record is 6-3 with an ERA of 2.45 from pitching just 88 1/3 innings. Hopefully Pelfrey will provide some much needed depth to the Mets pitching staff and will be able to keep the Mets in the game long enough that the Mets bullpen will not be called on until the 8th or 9th inning of the game.

While it would be great to see the Mets take both ends of the double header, even splitting with the Marlins without going deep into the Mets bullpen would be considered a big win in my book. On the bright side, the Mets are still 12 ½ games in front of the Phillies and the Marlins, sitting in first place in the National League East.

vs.

Tags: , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 12:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 04, 2006

The Mets MUST reinforce their Pitching Staff:

After watching John Maine and the Mets melt in the summer heat at Shea last night against the lowly Pirates and lose their game 11-1, it became crystal clear to me that the Mets MUST bring in reinforcements to their pitching staff if they have any plans on winning the NL Pennant in 2006. At the moment, despite their records, neither Pedro or Glavine are good enough to carry the entire weight of the Mets on their shoulders. The Mets need to make a move, and make it fast in order to prevent their lead in the NL East from evaporating in the days and weeks after the 2006 All Star break.

The Mets have lost 6 of their past 7 games. While I would expect most managers would be in a mild panic by now, with the Alfred E. Newman "What, Me Worry?" attitude of Mets manager Willie Randolph, yesterday was just another game (a loss) and today is another game (maybe a win?) and the Mets still have a 10 ½ game lead in their division. I guess it is nice to live in such a world where no one worries and things just heal themselves.


vs.

Tags: , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 03, 2006

Mets Send Six Players to the 2006 All Star Game; Alay Soler is not one of them.

On a night that the Mets announced that six of their players will be present in Pittsburg on July 11th to play in the 2006 All Star Game, they lost again to the Yankees, this time 16-7 in a game where they actually had a 4-0 lead. Once again, just like at Fenway Park, it was a case of Soler staying in a game way too long. Granted Willie Randolph may not have wanted to go to long relief in the second inning because it was understood that Pedro would not be making his start today, but his decision of staying with Soler took a game where the Mets had the momentum and in a blink of an eye (and a grand slam by A-Rod) turned the game over to the Yankees. The Yankees scored 8 runs in the second inning and never looked back.

By the time of the final Mets out in the top of the ninth inning, both teams had registered 14 hits a piece. But last night it was the walks the Mets gave up coupled with a couple of costly Mets errors that gave the Yankees the edge. Hopefully now with the inter-league games behind them, the Mets can focus on playing winning baseball against the National League and grow their lead in the National League East along the way.

Mets fans should be proud that six Mets will be at the All-Star Game. Never before in Mets history had so many Mets been invited to play in the All Star game. Looking back, it is easier to remember the years that just one token Met was invited to the game than the years that multiple Mets played in the All Star game.

So congratulations to the Mets four starting players: David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Paul Lo Duca and their two pitchers: Tom Glavine and Pedro Martinez.

Not included in the list of pitchers is Alay Soler who would have only been voted in by the fans of the Red Sox and Yankees as the picture who gave their team the lead for good in a game that would become a rout against the Mets.

Tags: , , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 08:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 02, 2006

Mets back on Track; Mets beat Yankees 8-3

Yesterday afternoon the New York Mets bounced back and beat the Yankees 8-3 and broke their four game losing streak in the process. It’s been awhile, but it was nice to see the Mets score a couple of first inning runs and have at least one 4+ run inning during the course of their game. This is what Mets baseball “on the road” had been like during June and the kind of play that had defined their winning season so far.

For today’s game against the Yankees I hope that Soler can recover from his lackluster performance at Fenway Park and pitch a game that will make Mets fans proud.

Let’s Go Mets!

vs.

Tags: , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 07:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 01, 2006

Time for the Mets to start Playing like "The Mets"

After losing to the Red Sox three games in a row, the Mets managed to get only one hit last night against the Yankees. Mets fans can only hope that the Mets remember how to play their brand of winning baseball. Now if only the Mets can manage to also beat the Yankees today and tomorrow…

vs.

Tags: , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 01:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 29, 2006

Red Sox Sweep Mets. Red Sox win 4-2.

For the first time this season, the Mets lost three games in a row. For the first time in three games, the Mets were involved in a pitcher's duel, or at least in a game where their starting pitcher didn't have a melt down. But when the Mets took the lead for the first time in this series in the top of the sixth inning with a Beltran home run, their lead only lasted for a half of an inning as the Red Sox came right back and tied the game. When the Red Sox took the lead for good in the seventh inning, it was the truly amazing catch by Coco Crip of a ball hit by David Wright with a runner on first base that took the air out of the Met's hope for a rally.

The Red Sox sweep of the Mets closed out a perfect home stand for the Red Sox and they are now 12-0 in their past 12 games.

Hopefully the Mets will be able to snap out of their current funk and refocus their energy when they take on the Yankees this weekend.

vs.

Tags: , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 11:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mets vs. Red Sox Game II: Mets Lose 10-2

Not even Pedro was able to save the Mets from losing to the Red Sox.

Last night, after the Red Sox fans warmly greeting the returning Pedro Martinez, it was the bats of Boston that spoke early and often that clearly demonstrated that maybe Pedro should have taken last night off. By the time he was chased from the mound, the Mets were behind eight runs.

Lastings Milledge should be worried about being hit by lightning twice in a row. After making the blooper highlight reel for his work in left field on Tuesday night, Lastings Milledge once again proved why he shouldn't be playing left field at Fenway Park when he made another costly error playing left field.

By the time the Met's pitcher Oliver entered the game in the fourth inning the damage was already done and unlike Tuesday night, the Mets were never really in this game.


vs.

Tags: , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 05:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

June 27, 2006

Next Stop…Fenway Park!

After a 3 1/2 hour delay leaving San Jose last night, I finally arrived at JFK at 10am this morning. I’m now back at JFK waiting for the next flight to Boston. (I’ve lost track of how many hours I’ve been in transit since leaving Tel Aviv for New York on Friday night.)

Tonight I will be heading over to Fenway Park to catch the opening game of the Mets vs. Red Sox series. The last time I was at Fenway was almost twenty years ago, back in September, 1996 to attend a “Jimmy Fund” charity game that the Red Sox played against the Mets. Back then the game didn’t count but it was a great forshadowing of the mesh up that became the backdrop for the 1986 World Series.

The Mets of 2006 are as good as a team fans of the Mets have had since 1986. These Mets are a stronger team than the 2000 “Subway Series” Mets and a better team then the one that lost to the Dodgers and Kirk Gibson in 1988.

Let’s Go Mets!

vs.

Tags: , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 02:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 24, 2006

Mets with 9th Road Game in a Row

While the Mets didn't play great since I left them last Monday, going 2 and 2 against the Reds, (yes I did hear about the way the Mets rallied back on Wednesday night only to have Mr. Wagner blow the save), last night in Toronto the Mets picked up their 9th road win in a row (a personal best in their history) and Glavin now stands at 11-2 having won his 9th game in a row. At the moment the Mets now have an 11 game lead in front of second place Phillies and 15 1/2 game lead in front of the Braves.

I'm looking forward to catching up with Mets baseball this weekend.


vs.

Tags: , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 08:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

June 18, 2006

The "Real" Mets reappear; Mets win 9-4 over Orioles

The Mets came into Shea today and beat the Orioles. Glavine is now 10-2.

Happy Father's Day!
Let's Go Mets!

vs.

Tags: , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 04:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Will the real 2006 Mets Please Stand Up!

After enjoying a week of Met’s baseball “on the road” with an amazing 9-1 road trip, clones of the New York Mets have been appearing at Shea stadium the past couple of nights. Going into this series, the Baltimore Orioles had been hapless losers on the road with a season record of 11-21 on the road. The Orioles road record is now 13-21.

While the Mets were not able to keep the lead that Soler gave them on Friday night and Pedro once again didn’t have his best stuff on the mound last night, the pressure will be on Glavine to advance his record to 10-2 and to help the Mets out of their current two game losing streak.

While no Mets fan expects the Mets to win every game, this Mets fan didn’t expect to see two loses in a row to the Baltimore Orioles either.

vs.

Tags: , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 12:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 15, 2006

Mets Win Again; End up 9-1 on Road trip.

This afternoon the Mets beat the Philies and set a Major League record in the process when they scored at least one run in the first inning of the game. Back in 1939 the Yankees scored in the first inning in seven road games in a row. The 2006 Mets broke this record today by scoring a run in the first inning in eight road games in a row.

With their win today, their 8th win in a row, the Mets are 19 games over .500 and they now have a 9 1/2 game lead over the Philies. :)

vs.

Tags: , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 10:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 14, 2006

NY Mets Having a Road Trip to Remember: 8-1 (so far)

The 2006 New York Mets are a team currently on FIRE. This past week has been an amazing week for Mets fans. At the moment it feels as if the Mets can score runs at will, something which they did once again during their 9-3 win tonight over the Philies. During their current road trip, the Mets have scored in the first inning in their past seven games in a row, and this is a feat that hasn’t happened since the 1939 Yankees.

So far on this road trip the Mets:

13 home runs
73 runs scored
110 hits
27 doubles

With their win tonight, (their 7th win in a row), the Mets are 18 games over .500 and their 8 ½ game lead in front of the Philies is their largest lead since 1988. Did I mention the Mets also have a 12 game lead in front of the Braves?

While it is still only mid-June, the 2006 Mets are a special team and I am looking forward to watching these Mets share a summer of fun at Shea Stadium.

vs.

Tags: , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 11:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

June 11, 2006

Mets win again over D-Backs and sweep Series.

This afternoon Pedro picked up his 6th win of the season on a day when he didn't have his best stuff and the Mets completed their four game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks in a 15-2 victory.

It is after games like today that I wish the Mets had access to a "run bank" so that they could store their excessive runs for the days when they can't get a hit or score any runs. The Mets are 6-1 on their current road trip and play their next three games against the Philies.

With their win today, the Mets now have a 6 1/2 game lead over the Philies and a 10 game lead over the Braves and the Nationals.

Let's Go Mets!

vs.

Tags: , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 10:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Met's Rookie Soler Pitches 2 Hit shutout over D-Backs:

Last night the back end of the Met's pitching staff came alive when rookie right-hander Alay Soler came in and pitched a two hit shutout over the Diamondbacks. The Mets 5-0 win was their fourth in a row and Soler's complete game win gave the Met's bullpen their second night off in the past three games.

The Mets enjoyed another win (their 9th in a row since May 12, 2004) in their home away from home, Chase Field.

This afternoon Pedro will be on the mound looking once again for his sixth win of the season and the Met's will be looking to sweep their four game away series at the Arizona Diamondbacks for the second year in a row.

Let's Go Mets!

vs.

Tags: , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 09:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

June 10, 2006

Mets Continue their Winning Ways…

The 2006 edition of the New York Mets have been a fun team to watch both at Shea and on the road. Last night's 10-6 win over the Diamondbacks on a night when Steve Trachsel wasn't at his best, yielded yet another good win. Watching Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado each hit two home runs just added to the fun.

So far this season, the 2006 Mets are a different breed than past Mets teams of recent memory. These Mets play with a confidence that I haven’t seen in a long time. While they are neither the Mets of 1986 nor the Mets of 2000, the Mets of 2006 are a team that I hope will still be playing meaningful baseball games in late August and September.

vs.

Tags: , , ,

(c) 2006 Jeff Pulver. All Rights Reserved.
(This blog posting is copyright protected by Jeff Pulver. Portions of this blog posting may be quoted or abstracted if attributed.)

Posted by jeff at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

June 04, 2006

June 3rd 2006: Giants vs. Mets: Rainy Day at Shea

Yesterday I went to Shea Stadium for the Mets / Giants game and to see Barry Bonds for what many believe to be his last trip to Shea as a Giants player.

While I arrived early enough to see batting practice, at 12.30pm all that I was able to see was the rain. A game which had an original starting time of 1.25pm didn't start until 4pm due to the 2 1/2 hour rain delay. By the time I left after the end of the first game of a double header it was 7.30. At least the game wasn't interrupted by the rain which had drizzled intermittently throughout the entire game. The Mets ended up losing the first game 6-4 but they were in it the entire time. After spending the day at Shea admittedly it was great to be at home and watch the Mets win the second game of the night in a 11 inning 3-2 victory.

While I was at Shea I used both the D2X with the 80-400mm zoom. and the D70 with the 28-200mm zoom.