Mack Atack: June 29, 2008

By John Mackin Ade
Posted Sunday, June 29, 2008

Phils: 38 losses - Marlins: 39 – Mets: 41 - Braves: 42 – Nats: 50

OF Moises Alou should be back in the lineup for next weekend’s series against the Phillies.

After guiding the Mets’ rookie league team to the best record in the Gulf Coast League in 2005 and the Class A St. Lucie team to the Florida State League title the next season, Gary Carter balked when he was offered the manager’s job with the Mets’ Class AA club in Binghamton, N.Y. He said he had already shown the Mets he could manage and did not want to stray far from his home near Palm Beach, Fla., without assurances he was “their guy.” When that assurance did not come, he said no. “Why would I want to put myself through six months of going to Binghamton?” Carter asked, dismissively using the term “armpit” to refer to the city. Mets General Manager Omar Minaya, in an interview Wednesday night, defended the organization’s decision. “How do you not take a promotion if you want to manage in the major leagues?” Minaya said. “We gave him an opportunity and we offered him more money and a more high-profile job and he turned it down. What more could we do?” Carter said that Tony Bernazard, a team vice president, told him there were two reasons the club wanted Carter to go to Binghamton: to follow the players he had coached in Class A and to learn how to use the double switch, a move usually made when relievers enter a game. “I said, ‘Tony, I played 18 years in the major leagues and you’re going to tell me I have to go to Double-A to learn how to do the double switch?’ ” Carter said. “I can do that in my sleep. – NYT

On nights like this, it's hard to remember what Pedro Martinez looked like when he was the baddest man in baseball, the cocky gunslinger feared as much for his knockdown pitch as his fastball. On nights like this, you wonder how quickly time is running out on Pedro, and whether he has enough left to help the Mets make a second-half run at October this season. It's not only that Martinez gave up six runs in 5-2/3 innings in a 9-0 loss to the Yankees Friday night, as these two inconsistent ball clubs fittingly split Friday's day-night doubleheader. More troubling was seeing him in a state of depression in the clubhouse after the game. For once, the defiance was nowhere to be found. For once, Martinez looked and sounded like a man who was wondering himself if the end is near. "I'm not doing my job," he said glumly, "and that's something to worry about." - NYDN

Jon Heyman’s pitchers that could be traded before trading dealine:

1. C.C. Sabathia.

2. Rich Harden. A's GM Billy Beane is always willing to shake things up, and Harden, whom one GM calls "high risk/high reward'' is his most interesting case. At his healthiest, he's "one of the top five pitchers in baseball.'' But how often is he even healthy?

3. Erik Bedard, Mariners. He's exacerbated his rep as soft and prickly in his half season in Seattle. Even worse, he's not throwing nearly as well as he did in Baltimore.

4. A.J. Burnett, Blue Jays. Ultra-talented perennial disappointed already has declared he'd welcome a trade to the Cubs with "open arms.'' Could be great for a stretch run or he could be his usual injured or disappointing self. A total crapshoot.

5. Freddy Garcia, free agent. Working hard to come back and just began letting it loose. He's a big-game pitcher, and if his shoulder is fit, he'll help somebody by August or September.

6. Randy Wolf, Padres. Solid guy but another of the brittle bunch. "He seems to expire at 125 innings,'' one GM said.

7. Greg Maddux, Padres. He can still pitch, but he loves it in San Diego, and one person close to him said he doubted he would accept a trade elsewhere (and that apparently includes even his beloved Cubs or Braves, or the convenient Dodgers, the three other teams he's pitched for in his illustrious career).

8. Kevin Millwood, Rangers. He's getting toward the end of his big deal, and Texas has a host of young pitchers coming. Vicente Padilla is another possibility to go.

9. Joe Blanton, A's. Beane might have waited too long on this one. He's viewed as no better than an "innings eater'' at this point.

10. Jarrod Washburn, Mariners. One of many tainted to be part of the Mariner debacle, he's better than his 2-7 record would indicate.

11. Bronson Arroyo, Reds. Ten runs in one inning against Toronto in last start won't help his value.

When general manager Omar Minaya boarded that cross-country flight to Anaheim last week and fired manager Willie Randolph, some believed that he would be the next to go as this underachieving Mets team threatened to take down anyone associated with it. In fact, the opposite is true. It wasn't easy for Minaya to fire Randolph, a friend and fellow New Yorker. But to think he was leaving himself exposed, without a manager as a convenient scapegoat, is missing the point. Firing Randolph was Minaya's boldest move to date since principal owner Fred Wilpon hired him in 2005 and gave him "full autonomy" on baseball decisions. And Wilpon isn't ready to let another disappointing year claim Minaya as well. The thinking upstairs is that Minaya had assembled a team capable of winning the World Series for the past three seasons. The club's decision-makers still share that opinion, even if this year's club may require some fine-tuning. – Newsday

A Look Back at the Trades:

3-29-05: Traded: Cash

Received: IF Benji Gil from Seattle - Never played for Mets – released in 2/06
Currently playing in Mexican League
Winner: Seattle

Zephyrs:

Ex-Met Rickey Henderson has been in town, working with the players as a special instructional coach…

B-Mets:

LHP Eude Brito transferred to AAA New Orleans.

VSL Mets:

Every Venezuelan game in the world (hint: they are all in Venezuela) was rained out today.

Minor League Bios:

Casey Craig OF L R 6-1 185 1-12-85 Granite Hills H.S. (CA.)

Craig was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 21st round of the 2003 draft.
Began pro career with Peoria...hit safely in 29 of 35 games. In 2007, Craig started season with Inland Empire and hit safely in seven of eight games with three multi-hit games. He transferred to Everett on May 9th and then to San Antonio May 27...appeared in four games with Missions before being transferred back to Everett on June 21...had a season-high 12-game hit streak, hitting .404 (21x52), July 4-18...named Northwest League Player of the Week, July 4-10...went 2x4 with three runs, two home runs and a career-high five RBI on July 9 vs. Salem-Keizer...

Craig spent 5 years in the Seattle organizations before being signed by the Mets in May 2008. He was assigned to Savannah.

His 7 year minor league stats are impressive: ..284/.365/.434/799 in 1,554 at bats.

Ex-Mets:

Lastings Milledge had 2 hits and an RBI to help the Nationals battle back and beat the Orioles, 4-2

Chan Ho Park did not allow a run while striking out 7 in 6 innings of work

This Day in Mets History:

2000 - On his much awaited return to Shea Stadium, John Rocker pitches a perfect eighth inning in front of 46,998 booing fans helping the Braves to stop the Mets' winning streak at seven, 6-4. Prior to the game the Atlanta reliever read a statement apologizing for his inappropriate comments about New Yorkers which appeared in the off season in Sports Illustrated

And lastly:

Family News - by John Sickels on Jun 28, 2008 10:30 AM EDT - Jeri's brother Jack is missing...his car has been found in a creek and he may have been taken away by a flash flood. No further details at this time. Blogging will be intermittent for awhile. Thoughts and prayers for the family are appreciated. Thanks. The Jackson and Sickels families.