First Time Ever

This is my first ever in-game blogging, so I hope to make it good.

The Mets just had a rally of sorts going last inning, even though I am loathe to call it a rally, with men on 1st and 2nd with no outs. So what happens?

Ramon Castro strikes out. While I have my concerns with the fact that Ramon Castro is even playing today, considering this is not a day game after a night game, I'll let it go. LoDuca deserves a day off. Jose Lima sacrifices the men over one base. I may hate wasting an out, but what else is a pitcher good for, really? And Dontrelle Willis intentionally walks the leadoff hitter, Jose Reyes.

Normally, having the second hitter up with the bases loaded is a good thing, because your 2-hole hitter is usually very smart at the plate with pitch selection, allowing him to be proficient at choosing the right pitch and making contact, or working the count and possibly getting on base through a walk.

But in this case, the second hitter was Chris Woodward.

That's right, spot player Chris Woodward, making his FOURTH start in a row at second base, even though he is a sparkling 4 for his last 38. And while batting average is an overly publicized stat with far less value than fans are made to believe, a .105 (.105!!!!) batting average in the last 40 or so at-bats is still the mark of someone who does not belong in the lineup, let alone hitting SECOND.

So what does Woodward do? He strikes out, dropping his average to .103. But by all means, Willie, keep plugging his name in the lineup in the 2-hole.

I'm demanding a Senate inquiry into the question of whether or not Jose Valentin is currently out with an injury, or if Willie is just batshit insane and clueless about managing a baseball team.

Bullpen Management, Take 2

So, in today's game, the Mets enter the 9th inning with a 5-0 lead on the Pittsburgh Pirates. El Duque gave Willie and Co. 7 strong shutout innings, and ceded the game into the hands of Chad Bradford in the 8th, who pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a single to Shawn Casey.

So, as we enter the 9th, who takes the mound?

Bradford? No.

Darren Oliver? No.

The newly called up Jose Lima, looking to get some work against major league hitters to get back to some semblance of form? Don't be silly.

Duaner Sanchez? You got it.

Now, forget about Sanchez being recently sidelined with a pinched nerve in his neck. Forget about the fact that he's maybe the best reliever on this team, currently, or at least the most consistent performer out of the pen.

The simple fact is, he's on pace for WAAAAAAY too many appearances this season. He's your 8th inning guy to bridge the gap to Billy Wagner in the 9th. That's his main responsibility, and if thats how Willie chooses to use him, I won't question him, because there's plenty of other worse decisions that Willie is making with the rest of the team.

But, if that's his role in the bullpen, WHY WHY WHY does Willie continue throwing him out there in games that we either already have in the bag or that are virtually all but lost? Does Willie want to ruin Sanchez in the hopes of killing all the good pub he got from taking this virtual unknown at the start of the season and making him a bonafide bullpen stopper?

Or does he really have that little faith in the rest of his pen that he doesn't want to use them. Its certainly not going to inspire those guys to pitch better. If anything, they're going to resent him for not trusting him when the going gets tough. No bullpen needs 4-6 blowout pitchers and only 3 guys you trust in big spots, but thats how Willie treats this bullpen.

Recently, Pedro Feliciano called Willie out on his idiotic bullpen management skills, saying it was, and I quote, "stupid" to pinch hit for long reliever Darren Oliver after he worked only 1 1/3 innings, and then turn around and ask Feliciano to work 2 innings, when Willie really doesn't ever use him too often or for more than one inning.

Pedro Feliciano, I applaud you.

You're absolutely right. When it comes to Willie managing a bullpen, the word stupid is the first one that jumps to my mind.

But really, what do I know? I never sat on the bench as a coach next to Joe Torre and contributed nothing to a World Championship team, nor did I play merely adequate second base and barely hit for a World Championship team. So, by the Transitive Property of Stupid Ex-Baseball Players and Analysts, I don't know jackshit about baseball.

Bullpen Managaement

A term Willie Randolph has apparently never heard of.

He truly is a Joe Torrie disciple, because both manager's don't have a clue on how to effectively manage their bullpens. Both managers are prone to overusing their best arms, and then, when the results start to go bad, and it's obvious to everyone in the world that the guy needs time off, or just isn't right and needs help, they ignore it and continue to blindly throw the guy out there.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to knock Torre's managerial skills, although I feel he is highly overrated as a manager. I'm just saying that bullpen management is one of his weak points, and apparently, he passed his ineptitude on to his disciple, Willie Randolph.

Seriously, Heilman has been fucking terrible for weeks, and you still keep throwing him out there? The fans shouldn't be booing Heilman, who clearly needs some form of help that he isn't getting from so-called "pitching guru" Rick Peterson.

The fans should be getting on Willie's case, because it's obvious that the man has no idea what he's doing.

Fire Willie Randolph

OK, there's another blog going on this same concept, but it has not been posted in in nearly a year, so I plan to pick up the slack where they left off. And after today's (5/20/06) debacle, where he left Wagner in WAAAAY too long against the Yankees when he didn't have it, he gotsta go.