The Mack Attack - 5-3-09

By John Mackin Ade
Posted Saturday, May 3, 2008

May 3, 2008

Mets News

I scanned the internet, like I do every morning, while I am compiling info for the M.A. and I had to laugh out loud. I must of come across over 50 Mets blogs, all declaring that there is either something wrong with the Mets, that the Mets suck, that Willie has to be fired, and that the entire team or certain components have to be replaced. Oh yeah, I came across one other blog (Adam Rubin’s) that said the Mets were in a tie for first place. God, I love Mets fans.

Mets Geek interview with Howard Megdal:

Q: Your thoughts on Mets fans’ rude treatment of Phillies fans visting Shea?

Megdal: When I was nine years old, I attended one of many Phillies-Mets games at Veterans Stadium. I was decked out accordingly—Mets shirt, Mets shorts, Mets socks—pretty sure that was the year of Mets shoelaces, too. And as I went to get a hot dog, a Phillies fan in his 20s or 30s shoved me and yelled, “Mets suck!” I looked up at him and said, “I’m nine years old.” The guy didn’t apologize, just kind of shuffled away. How lovely to bring that energy into Shea Stadium.

I don’t think it is a coincidence that Shea is a more violent place when the Phillies come to town than it was during any Mets-Yankees battle. And it makes what, for me, was a rivalry I had long hoped to ripen into something that transforms Shea into an unpleasant place. I am hopeful that energy disappears—the Collapse has seemingly made it the standard MO, even when the Phils aren’t in town.

On Saturday, somebody heckled Cow-Bellman, the symbol of all that is right with Mets fans. He had this look like the Native American in the littering commercial. I’ve had the privilege of interviewing him, meeting his friends—I wanted to go give him a hug.

 

The New York Mets have interest in reacquiring outfielder Xavier Nady from Pittsburgh, which initially acquired him from the Mets for pitchers Oliver Perez and Roberto Hernandez. -- Rocky Mountain News

 

In January, Lenny Dykstra, the former New York Met teamed up with a Manhattan publisher, Doubledown Media, to start a custom magazine of financial advice for professional athletes, The Players Club. Now Dykstra and Doubledown are in a legal battle over control of the second, yet-to-be-published issue, with Doubledown accusing the baseball great of skipping out on his debts. Dykstra struck the first blow, filing suit in federal court on April 25 accusing Doubledown of breaching their contract by withholding the issue and interfering with the magazine's business relationships. On Tuesday, Doubledown, which publishes Trader Monthly and The Cigar Report, hit back with a counterclaim alleging that it was Dykstra who breached their agreement in failing to pay more than half a million dollars he owed.

http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/mixed-media/2008/05/01/lenny-dykstra-sued-by-publishing-partner

Mets Contracts

Willie Collazo lhp - 1 year (2008) - re-signed 3/4/08 - contract purchased 9/1/07 - drafted 2001 (10-215) - ML service: 0.030

 

Zephyrs

The New Orleans Zephyrs have added OF Brady Clark after Clark accepted his assignment to the Zephyrs. Clark was designated for assignment on April 24 when the Mets called up Zephyrs catcher Gustavo Molina. He cleared waivers and was eligible to enter free agency but decided to join New Orleans. Clark was signed to a minor league free agent contract by the Mets in the offseason but made the major league club coming out of Spring Training. Clark played in seven games this season, hitting .250 with one RBI in eight at bats. Clark, 35, has been a steady contributer both at the major league and minor league levels over his career. Clark has played in 785 major league games, hitting .278 with 36 homers and 209 RBI over his career.

 

B-Mets

B-Mets won last night 5-3... big night for Nick Evans (3-4, 4th triple, 5th HR), and Eddie Kunz (5th save)

A few thoughts on SP Jake Ruckle:

I’ve been a big fan of this 21-year old (yes, he’s only 21!) and was hard on him the last few weeks when I described his last outing as being ‘rocked’, and dropped him out of my top 20 prospect list. Since then I have some additional info on that particular outing.

His bad inning was a pitchers nightmare, full of ‘dinked balls’ that included seeing eye ground balls, flare shots, and broken bat singles that landed out of the reach of outfielders playing properly deep. Instead of giving up, Ruckle hung in there and pitched 5 more innings of just about perfect ball and produced the longest outing of any B-Met pitcher for the season.

Season wise, he has pitched 27 2/3rds innings, and has given up multiple runs in only 4 of the total innings pitched.

After the game, every player came up to Jake and said it was one of the best pitching performances they had ever seen. He lowered his speed purposely into the 83-87 range (fastball normally in the low 90’s) and concentrated on his sinker. There was only 1 hit given up through the last 5 full innings, which was a swinging bunt single that an infielder tried to bare hand on the run.

I seem to have been too harsh on Ruckle. Let’s hope he continues to prove me wrong.

 

The B-Mets scored 4 runs Thursday night, after scoring only 4 runs in their previous 39 innings.

Starting pitchers have won 1 game in their last 17 outings.

Saturday’s SP will be Eric Brown (0-2, 4.97), Sunday will be Jake Ruckle (1-2, 5.20), and Monday will be Jon Niese (2-2, 1.82).

 

Lucy:

Good outing from Dillon Gee last night... 6.2 IP 2 ER 7 Ks... lowered his ERA to 4.55

Lucy pounded out 11 runs and 15 hits... Ezequiel Carrera (.288) went 3-4... D.J. Wabick's (.298) bat continued to be hot, going 4-5, and Lucas Duda (.330) hit another homer.

 

From Rey ‘Bill Metsiac’:

Andy Braunstein, who writes an excellent newsletter on Mets and Yankees minor leaguers, has been watching him closely and wrote this review after last night's game:

"ST LUCIE - The S-Mets were facing RHP Jose Ceda one of the Chicago Cubs top Ps who possessed a 95 FB and a .211 OBA so it was expected they will struggled to score Rs. Instead the St Lucie bats pounded him in the 1st inning for 3 runs. It started with Ezequiel Carrera (.272) who got ahead 2-1 and jumped on a 92 FB and drove it off the left field wall. I have dubbed him Zeke the Streak for his great speed. Would like to see him in a match race with Jose Reyes. And that he wears #7 on his back is probably as a homage to Reyes who he resembles in a number of ways. Carrera is one of the better OF prospects the Mets have and give Fernando Martinez a run for the top spot. What I like is Carrera rarely goes 3 games without a basehit, and works the count gaining his fair share of walks. He needs to improve his bunting so he can be adept at putting it down anywhere in the field. Right now he pops it up, he puts it to close to defenders. Brings an infectious enthusiasm to the game."

 

Gnats:

Big 7 run 1st inning for the Gnats but it took a single by 'J-Rod' Rodriquez (.438), a double by Richard Pena (.282), and a sac fly by Jose Jimenez (.202) to insure a victory Friday night.

 

Minor League Bios

Ritchie Price IF S R 6-2 185 7/13/84

Price is a graduate of San Luis Obispo High in 2002 and son of former Cal Poly head baseball coach Ritch Price. He played his college ball at Kansas University, where he never batted lower than .280 in the 4 years he played there. Price also owns six KU career records; games played (255), at-bats (1,022), runs (204), hits (312), sacrifices (35) and hit by pitches (53).

The Mets drafted Price in the 15th round of the 2006 baseball draft, and he signed on 6-26-06. He was immediately assigned to Brooklyn. He was switched to K-Port after only 12 at bats and had a half-way decent rookie season (119 At bats, .252/.388/.277). Baseball America tagged him the best defensive Mets draftee in 2006.

Duane Privett SP L L 6-0 185 4-22-86 College of Southern Idaho

Todd “Duane” Privett played his college ball at the College of Southern Idaho, where he posted a 6-3 record in his final year, allowed just 46 hits in 78.2 IP, struck out 84, walked only 26, and posted an ERA of 0.92. He was a teammate of fellow-Met minor leaguer Nick Carr, who was drafted in 2005.

The Mets drafted Privett in the 14th round of the 2006 draft. He had an outstanding rookie season split between Kingsport and Brooklyn. His combined stats were 2-4 in 13 starts, 2.74, 1.16.

OnDeck updated the end of the year 2006 Appalachian League ratings and ranked Privett as the 19th overall (161.73 rating) starting pitcher in the league. BA said he was the club’s best prospect at his level.

Privett began the 2007 season with A-ball Savannah, where he went 0-4, 7.83 in 11 appearances (3 starts). He was sent down to Brooklyn before the all-star break, where he pitched in only 1 game (3 innings, 0.00) before winding up on the IR and having TJS surgery.

Ex-Mets:

Florida’s Matt Lindstrom's back problems haven't eased, but there appears to be no major damage

Cleveland SP Paul Byrd pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings against the Mariners.

 

This Day in Mets History:

2004 - Similar to last season, aging outfielder, Rickey Henderson, re-signs Atlantic League’s Bears hoping for a shot of returning to the big leagues. The 45-year-old future Hall of Fame batted .339 hit eight home runs, drove in 33 runs, scored 52 runs and stole nine bases for Newark last season before joining the Dodgers in July.

 

And lastly:

To celebrate his 31st birthday the other night, Mets centerfielder Carlos Beltran craved some rice and beans with pollo frito, so he asked Jimmy Rodriguez to shut down his East 57th Street joint, Sofrito. Diving into the authentic Puerto Rican cuisine were teammates Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, Oliver Perez and David Wright, as well as catching instructor Sandy Alomar Jr. When the band cranked up, pitcher Johan Santana rattled the maracas and Endy Chavez pounded the drums. Marc Anthony took the mike to sing "Feliz Cumplealos" and "Mi Gente." Just when you thought it couldn't get any wilder, Jennifer Lopez grabbed the birthday boy and shook her world-renowned booty. Then, the crowd improvised a song with the lyric, "We're going to win the World Series." The team that plays together, stays together. -- NY Post

 

Buzzie Bavasi, who built Dodgers teams that won four World Series titles in Brooklyn and Los Angeles, died Thursday at his home in La Jolla, outside San Diego. He was 93.

His death was announced by the Seattle Mariners, whose general manager is Bill Bavasi, a son of the former Dodgers GM.

"Buzzie was one of the game's greatest front office executives during a period that spanned parts of six different decades," baseball commissioner Bud Selig said. "He loved the game, and he loved talking about it."

Emil Joseph Bavasi -- nicknamed Buzzie by his family for the way he buzzed around as a kid -- helped put together Dodgers teams that included future Hall of Famers Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese, Roy Campanella, Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale.

As an executive in the Dodgers' minor league system, he helped Robinson, Campanella and Don Newcombe through their often difficult integration into professional baseball. Robinson went on to break the major league color barrier.

"I don't know where Roy Campanella and I would have been if Buzzie didn't give us a chance at Nashua [N.H.] in 1946," said Newcombe, now the Dodgers' community relations director. "I didn't always do the right thing as a player, but Buzzie always gave me a chance to straighten myself out and get back on track."

Bavasi was later part owner and president of the San Diego Padres before becoming executive vice president of the California Angels.

He spent 44 years working in baseball, including 34 in the major leagues. He began as a traveling secretary and publicity director for the Dodgers in Brooklyn in 1939.

After serving in various posts for the team, he was promoted to GM -- replacing the famed Branch Rickey -- before the 1951 season.

During his tenure as GM from 1951-68, first in Brooklyn and then Los Angeles, the Dodgers won eight National League pennants. They won their only World Series in Brooklyn in 1955. After the move west, the Dodgers won the World Series in 1959, 1963 and 1965 with Bavasi as GM.

Former manager and coach Don Zimmer said Bavasi "was like a father to me, from the time I was 19 years old. All my life, really. I can't describe how much he meant to me."

Bavasi was selected major-league executive of the year in 1959. He was with the expansion Padres from 1969-77 and the Angels from 1978-84.

After serving three years as an infantry machine gunner and earning a bronze star during World War II, he ran the Dodgers' farm club in Nashua starting in 1946.

Though tucked away in a small town in the New England League, Bavasi immediately found himself at the center of the Dodgers' effort to integrate the major leagues.

Former Negro Leagues players Newcombe and Campanella were signed and sent to the team in 1946, and Bavasi was assigned to handle their potentially tough arrival and development.

There were some ugly incidents -- Campanella said a catcher for the Lynn Red Sox threw dirt in his face and that the team used racial slurs with him and Newcombe.

But Bavasi and the two players handled the circumstances so well that all three joined the big-league team in a few years.

Bavasi's prime years with the Dodgers were before free agency, when GMs had far more power in dealing with players, who often didn't even have agents.

"We operated by the Golden Rule," Bavasi reportedly once said. "He who has the gold rules."

After an MVP season in 1962 when he stole a then-league-record 104 bases, Maury Wills came to Bavasi seeking a special contract incentive.

"Maury asked if there was any way he could get $5,000 more and suggested if he made the All-Star team, I would give him a $5,000 bonus," Bavasi told MLB.com last year. "I thought about it for a second and said, 'That's a good idea, Maury. But if you don't make the All-Star team, I'll take $5,000 back.' Maury signed for $80,000."

Wills well remembers that meeting.

"I thought I was going to get a big raise, but after 10 minutes in Buzzie's office, I was still happy I was on the team," Wills said.

In his most famous standoff as an executive, Koufax and Drysdale began a joint holdout on Feb. 28, 1966, seeking an unprecedented $1.05 million contract to be divided equally. They escalated their threat of retirement March 17, signing moving contracts, but Bavasi waited them out and they ended their holdout March 30, with Koufax signing for $130,000 and Drysdale for $105,000.

After a remarkable run with the Dodgers, Bavasi became the first president of the Padres in 1969 for owner C. Arnholt Smith.

"We had the four things necessary to a successful bid for a franchise," Bavasi said in the early 1970s. "We had a responsible [owner], population, climate and a new stadium."

Predictably the expansion Padres were no Dodgers, finishing in last place in their first three seasons. He stayed with the team until 1977.

Bavasi then headed to the Angels, where he was hired as GM in 1978 and sent a pair of teams to the playoffs before he retired in 1984.

He faced criticism in Anaheim for not re-signing free agent Nolan Ryan after the 1979 season when the pitcher had gone 16-14.

"We'll just have to find a couple of 8-7 pitchers to replace him," Bavasi said at the time.

Years later, after the ageless Ryan had thrown his sixth no-hitter in 1990, Bavasi sent him a message that read: "Nolan, some time ago I made it public that I made a mistake. You don't have to rub it in."

Former Angels GM Mike Port said Bavasi had a remarkable baseball mind.

"Eight National League pennants, four World Series titles, two American League Championship Series titles, more than two dozen of his former players who managed at the major-league level -- that just scratches the surface of Buzzie's accomplishments in the game," Port said.

"He could be your best friend or your best motivator. It was a privilege to have been mentored by him and worked for him," Port said.

Bavasi's survivors include his wife of 68 years, Evit; sons Peter, a former GM for the Padres and Toronto Blue Jays, Chris, Bob and Bill; nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements will be private. The family asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Baseball Assistance Team or Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation.