Are You a Victim of GIGS?

By Matt Himelfarb
Posted Monday, July 21, 2008

As is the case with The Mack Attack, obscure and outlandishly weird posters, and our editor-for-life Mike McGann, Bill Metsiac has established himself as a permanent fixture around these parts since our imperial empire first debuted back in February of 2007. Flushing University is, needless to say, a complex mix of the statistically obsessed and disgruntled old fellows, but we manage to make it work in the end, which is why we allow the likes of Metsiac to roam around here. You see, Metsiac not only wears his misguided man crush on Endy Chavez as a badge of honor; he is still not ready to give up on Luis Castillo, instead waiting to reserve final judgment when his oft-injured knees finally heal.

Believe it or not though, Metsiac occasionally prevails as the man of reason at times. Last night, for instance, he captured my attention when alluding to a disease that affects all of Mets fandom at some point eventually, known as GIGS. GIGS is an acronym for Grass is Greener Syndrome, or more to the point, when a steaming pile of crap smells like roses; that is until, of course, we give them about a week or so to prove their worth before we start vituperating Mets management for their poorly crafted attempt at finding another diamond in the rough. In other words, as Bill would put it, it is “exhibited in comments that "show" why a .220 hitter on another team is better than a .250 hitter on your team.”

After all, when you are watching the same guys get run out there day after day and continuously disappoint you and make sure your late inning snack does not go down well afterwards, there is always some angry, visceral reaction to follow. Hence, GIGS is an indomitable disease that inevitably creeps into the analysis of the passionate fan when he is playing armchair gm.

Now, this is not to say that frustration and an outpouring of emotion is no longer a facet of what it means to be a sports fan; those are much encouraged. It is worth mentioning, however, some of the more extreme and absurd, if insignificant, trade proposals on FU over the week:

1. Brian Bannister for Aaron Heilman: Yeah, you read that right; let’s trade a twenty-nine year old reliever with a 10.08 K/9 rate who had a few hiccups allowing a few big home runs earlier in the year that made him, admittedly, one of the worst relievers in the game. Heilman is merely repeating what he has been doing the past three years out of the Mets pen overall again this year, yet, after a report in the Kansas City Star detailing Bannister struggles, Mets fans are all over this deal.

Much like I have written before, I responded to the enthusiasm about Bannister improving if he was sent here by saying:

The difference is that Bannister was never that good to begin with IMO. He's always had back-of-the-rotation stuff, and if you look at his statistics this year, he's actually pitched a little better than last year. His luck kind of caught up with him this year, and being a statistically privy guy, he even acknowledged at the beginning of the year the difficulty he was going to face ever repeating last year's performance.

Still falls on deaf ears.

2. Orlando Hernandez for Shelley Duncan: Now that we have already dispensed of our number one whiner in Heilman, Mets fans are, quite literally, willing to give up “El Duque” for a bag of baseballs. El Duque has said repeatedly he will not go to the bullpen, despite the fact that once Pedro returns to the rotation the Mets will either be forced to go to a six man rotation or move him to the bullpen. So what do fans like us suffering under an economic recession do when we hear this? That is right; trade him for Duncan and his .543 OPS. in the big leagues.

3. Willie Bloomquist for mid-level prospects: As Mark Healey at Gotham Baseball writes, “[Bloomquist’s] price tag is also attractive… for the other ones yelling that a Willie Bloomquist acquisition is redundant because of Fernando Tatis, the latter is as bad an outfielder as Marlon Anderson is.” Right, Mark. Listen, I understand people like to whip out the “change of scenery” talking point whenever convenient, but improved school systems, the new goomah and, oh yeah, a winning atmosphere can only alter a guy’s performance so much. But please, if the Mets are willing to add a thirty year old with a career .319 OBP. and has a .275 SLG% this year, you might as well keep Anderson let alone trade anything of value for him.

From the perspective of a blogger/columnist, I admit it is easy to get caught up in the negative aspects; even when the Mets were playing their best baseball in over a year, I found a way to criticize them last week over the outfield situation, just as I have criticized them repeatedly over roster management. As Joe Blanton prepares to make his much ballyhooed debut for the Phillies tonight, however, it is important to remember that the grass is not always greener on the other side.

Sure, Omar Minaya might be too lenient towards veterans, but while the Mets rotation today is built on the likes of Mike Pelfrey, John Maine, and Oliver Perez, two of whom seemed doomed to fail earlier in their careers, Pat Gillick has once again proven his incompetence in running a baseball team.

Make no mistake, Blanton might be a workhorse, but as Christina Kahrl at Baseball Prospectus writes, “what good is durability if it translates to a guy who's getting pasted every fifth night?” The truth is that Blanton is hardly an improvement, if any, over the guy he has replaced, Adam Eaton. A ground ball pitcher, Blanton might be a good fit for a bandbox like Citizens Bank Park, but his numbers can only get worse, considering he has been pitching in a neutral park in Oakland his entire career. In addition, their peripherals are essentially the same, and Blanton is likely past his prime. Meanwhile, expect Adrian Cardenas, with his quick bat, solid numbers in the Florida State League, a notorious pitchers league, and excellent makeup to make a few all-star appearances at second base in the near future. At least were not alone.

Matt is a disgruntled, statistically- and politically-obsessed teenager and appreciates all words of encouragement at: matthimelfarb@gmail.com. You can also check out his blog: matthimelfarb.wordpress.com.