The Phillies and the state of New York baseball
ByAs the Hot Stove League rounds third and heads for home, the Yankees are again in everyone’s crosshairs. With the World Series trophy once again ensconced in the Bronx, the Yankees are baseball team’s to beat, and as AL teams gear up to take on the champions, the runners-up have their eyes on them too.
During his first press conference of the year, the svelte-looking Charlie Manuel, manager of the NL Champion Philadelphia Phillies, spoke about the Yankees. First, he spoke about losing to the Yanks in November:
“If you go back and look and followed us playing the Rockies and the Dodgers, we played real good. We didn’t really play as good as we can against the Yankees. It might have been because of their bullpen and their pitching. We ran into a situation in the World Series with how it went, the Yankees were a well-balanced team with their offense. At the end, Rivera did what he’s been doing all these years. We can play better and we can pitch better offensively and defensively. I felt like in the ones they beat us, they were like a step ahead of us. We were always chasing them and trying to catch up. They were always ahead of us … It was who got the breaks and they got the good breaks. We can beat them. At the end of the World Series last year when I talked to our team, I told them that I feel like we owe the Yankees one … They got us.”
Later, he spoke again about facing the Yankees and beating them the next time around. “We can play with the Yankees. We could have beaten the Yankees but we didn’t,” he said. “That give us more determination and everything. We definitely want to get back to the World Series. I know that. I know we want to go back to the World Series and win it. It’s hard to go two years in a row to win the World Series. We got there but didn’t get it done. This year, we’re going to key on that. We’re going to keep our same philosophy.”
As we sit here on the edge of February, it’s not a stretch to imagine an October rematch between the Yankees and the Phillies. With Javier Vazquez aboard to beef up the rotation and Curtis Granderson patrolling the outfield, the Yankees have more depth from the get-go and are becoming younger in the field while maintaining their prodigious offensive output. The Red Sox have put together a defensive-minded team that should score runs, and they have the pitching to compete; the Mariners are the prohibitive favorites in the West; but the Yanks remain the American League’s team to beat.
In the National League, the Phillies are the clear-cut pre-season favorites. They will enjoy a full season of work from Roy Halladay and have a solid rotation behind him. Perhaps the Cardinals could unseat them; perhaps everything could go just right for the Marlins; perhaps the Rockies have the pieces to regain their 2007 NL title. As the Yankees are in the AL, though, the Phillies should be primed for a wire-to-wire run at their third consecutive National League crown.
As the Yankees and Phillies remain baseball’s crown jewels heading into 2010, I can’t help but think about the Mets, a historical rival to both teams and a rival to neither right now. In an e-mail to me and Joe last night, Mike expressed his condolences for Mets’ fans. In the face of their worst finish since 1993 and their second highest loss total since 1993, Omar Minaya and the Mets have basically stood pat. Their biggest move came when Jason Bay signed with them for too many years and too many dollars, and their loudest recent splash involved a move that netted them an outfielder who can’t hit, can’t field and hasn’t flashed much power lately.
It’s true that some of the Mets’ 2009 failures stemmed from bad luck. The team was not equipped to handle the injuries that befell them. But at the same time, they’re heading into 2010 with Fernando Nieve as their fifth starter and Omir Santos as their starting catcher. Bengie Molina saved the team from themselves, but they couldn’t find a league average innings eater type such as Jon Garland to shore up a shaky rotation.
I don’t root against the Mets. I have nothing against the Flushing Faithful, and I believe the city benefits with two competitive baseball teams fighting it out for a playoff spot and media attention. But as the Mets reach a recent nadir, I’m glad to be a Yankee fan. I’m glad to see Brian Cashman actively working to improve the team and generally knowing what does and does not work. If the stars align properly, the Yankees and Phillies should be back in the World Series, and as long as Omar Minaya is in charge in Queens, the Mets will be at home watching.
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I like the Rockies in the NL this year. Quite a bit.
Getting Aaron Cook back healthy will be a big boon. And, if they get anything from Jhoulys Chacin, that’ll help too.
They could use another righty bat, though. I imagine they’d be in on a lot of the same players we are (Reed Johnson, Gomes, etc.)
Getting Jeff Francis healthy and on track again would help a lot too.
I can definitely see Gomes in Colorado.
Yup, that too.
Jimenez-Cook-Francis-DeLaRosa-Hammel-Chacin is a nice top 6.
You know who else makes a ton of sense for the Rockies?
Orlando Hudson.
That’d be a nice little double play tandem going on.
Yes, absolutely. Best NL team outside of Philly. I firmly believe it.
I’m not going to listen to what you have to say, Mike. You’re a schmuck.
I completely agree. There are only a couple of non-NLOL teams and the Rockies are among them… and they might have better pitching than the Phillies. Hmm.
Both CMW & Erik Bedard remain homeless. Minaya could probably sign both even with the payroll restrictions the Mets aren’t admitting but that are obviously in place.
And both would fit in quite nicely with the Mets’ Disabled List theme. The Mets probably should kick the tires on either or both, but I also think the Mets need more stability than either of those two can guarantee right now.
I’m curious why the Mets didn’t go a little further into Joel Pineiro. He seemed like a guy perfect for them…and their stadium.
Agreed. Plus the fact that I don’t find Anaheim to be the best destination for his skills.
I cant blame a team for not going after Pineiro
but I also think the Mets need more stability than either of those two can guarantee right now.
Who is that stability, though? Who else is left? Miguel Batista? Todd Wellemeyer? Ugh. The guys they have in AAA, as crappy as they are, are better than all those options.
The Mets may as well go for broke. Bedard and Wang. Go big or go home.
Can’t they bring back “The Horse” Livan Hernandez? lol
In all seriousness, they probably should.
MLBTR is saying Smoltz might be the Mets last chance to sign somebody decent. But just how decent Smoltz will be in the rotation…nobody knows. He was successful with St. Louis…but he’s another year older and another year closer to grim death.
Don’t look now, but everyone of us is “another year older and another year closer to grim death.”
Oh I’m aware…it was just to add effect lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDaFMZfIsV4 (safe)
(Since you’re YouTube blocked, Rose, I’ll help you out. It’s Mr. Show with Bob and David’s “Imminent Death Syndrome” sketch.)
Mets fans need to get thrown a couple bones soon. I’m thinking signing both, which would be hard b/c Bedard might want Rich Harden money at least, would excite the fan-base. If both Wang and Bedard get healthy, the Mets pitching staff suddenly looks lethal for a playoff run.
If both Wang and Bedard get healthy, the Mets pitching staff suddenly looks lethal for a playoff run.
I agree.
… in 2011.
I think at this point they have to take a flier on Bedard. They can’t sell a rotation of Santana, Maine, Niese, Pelfrey and Perez to their fans. At least Bedard would give them an attractive upside play.
Though, Bedard probably has no interest going there, seeing as he’s afraid of the spotlight.
I don’t really see anybody that can compete with the Phillies in the NL. While the Yankees are a much better team, I feel that there are more teams in the AL that are able to sneak their way into the big dance than in the NL. The Phillies are stacked for many years with an AL offense and pretty good pitching to boot.
Charlie Manuel makes it seem like the Yankees hoodwinked him.
Manuel: We didn’t land on the Bronx, the Bronx landed on us!
It’s weird. At points he gives the Yankees credit… “They were always one step ahead of us…” and then at others “we didn’t play our best.” He isn’t the most eloquent speaker and seems to be treading a fine line. Wanting to say… I feel we should have beat the Yankees, while at the same time trying to show respect.
at least he didn’t pull a Mike Scioscia
Charlie Manuel sounds like the captured villain at the end of a Scooby Doo cartoon, talking about how they would’ve gotten away with the victory if it hadn’t been for those pesky Yankees.
we were who they thought we were?
Word. I don’t get it when Yankees fans hate the Mets or Mets fans hate the Yankees. I’m a Yankees fan because I’m from NY and my dad is a Yankees fan, not because the Yankees are a more virtuous team or because they win a lot. I don’t really see the Yankees and Mets as rivals. It’s good for NY when both teams are good.
I think it’s just the classic “little brother v. big brother” scenario. There’s not real hatred, just guarded animosity borne out of either real or perceived inferiority/superiority complexes.
As a Yankee fan I am indifferent to the Mets.. I will only root against them when they play the Yankees. However, Met fans are a different beast. They rooted against the Yanks in the world series against their biggest arch rival. Mets fans have some deep seeded insecurity.
And it’s those moments of Mets fans lashing out at Yankees from their position of insecurity that creates the anti-Met backlash many Yankee fans have.
Met fan histrionics annoy me, and cause me to treat the Mets disdainfully.
Completely agree, I hate Mets fans much more than I hate the team.
I think that’s usually the case. I know that certainly is the case with the Red Sox and myself lol
except youkilis. i just hate that guy and his stupid facial hair and bald head. and ortiz and his making us all wait til he finds the real murderer…and papelbon and his overall douchbaggery…other than that a fine group of gentlemen
and Pedroia that diminutive guy with the hair line of a 45 year old!
Oh and Beckett for his pubic hair goatee and his damn blisters from well…we won’t go there for the sake of the children.
and the laptop thief.
that’s the thing–the Phillies aren’t their biggest archrival, the Mets don’t really have an archrival. at least not in the traditional sense like Yankees-Red Sox or Cubs-Cardinals. The Mets main rival is whoever the dominant team in the division at the time is. Now it’s the Phillies, ten years ago it was Atlanta. But the Mets are always competing against the Yankees and their fans are resentful of the fact that they will never win that one
The Mets biggest archrival and most heated opponent:
Themselves
you mean Omar Minaya
We’re saying the same thing, in different ways.
O for sure, that’s probably what it comes down to. I think Mets fans hate the Yankees more than the other way around. Mets fans are happy when the Yankees lose. Yankees fans don’t seem to care as much about the Mets do.
Mets fans are happy when the Yankees lose. Yankees fans don’t seem to care as much about the Mets do.
When the Mets lose, it’s old hat.
My hatred for the Mets stems when they had the All World Asshole team…I think it was ’86…Carter, Hernandez, Dykstra, Backman, Strawberry, and Ray Knight…what a bunch of coked up cry babies that team was. I think it was the only time I ever pulled for the Red Sox.
(psssssst… everyone was a coked up asshole back then. including the red sox and the yankees.)
I dont remember other teams whining as much as that Mets team…Carter and Hernadez especially…Hernandez may have been the biggest whiner in the history of baseball…LOL
I dont remember other teams whining as much as that Mets team…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias
Try being a Yankee fan in Massachusetts. I’m a Yankee fan because my grandfather, who ironically is a die hard Sox fan, gave me a signed Mickey Mantle ball when I was very little. Became so infatuated with who he was and what he represented…I loved everybody and anybody at the time who wore the uniform. Especially once I started getting into my baseball card collecting days. Now here I am.
Growing up in Red Sox territory as a Yankee fan hasn’t been easy…let me tell you!
I went to college in Boston. It wasn’t fun being a Yankees fan, and I graduated in May, so I didn’t even get to enjoy rubbing the WS in Red Sox fans’ faces
Transplanted to Somerville although I’ve had almost all good experiences here.
(I really shouldn’t have made an internet moniker out of a temporary home.)
Ahh I went to Tufts
What year?
’09
Ahh nice. My cousin went there for his undergrade and masters from 1999 – 2005 I believe? Just was curious.
Seriously? I was Tufts ’09 too. Sol Gittleman’s baseball class was the best I ever took.
-JM
Live between Porter and Davis. Love the area.
Yea it’s definitely a fun area. Ever been to Razzy’s?
Yeah, I bet that was rough. I went to college down in RI during the 04′ series. I drove to my mother’s for Game 7 of the ALCS…I knew it wasn’t going to be pretty…couldn’t stay at school. The World Series, however, wasn’t as bad as I was glad my grandfather got to see his favorite team win before he died.
My response didn’t get posted for whatever reason…hmm
The good Mo works in mysterious ways.
He/She sure does…it just randomly appeared after that lol
Mosanna, Mosanna, Mosanna in the highest.
I hate The Mutts and I HATE their fans. They will whine and whine and whine despite spending more money than any team in their league, the NL, and play this “its so hard to be a Mets fan” thing. And annoying Yankee fans will feel sorry for them and even root for them but just wait until they are good- because the sun even shines on a dog’s ass sometimes- and see how irritating, cocky, and obnoxious they will be and you will forever regret your sympathy.
I fully disagree that 2 good teams are good for NY baseball- I want the Mets to go away and not exist so every single NYer gets behind the Yanks in their rivalry with Bahston. Having one team doesn’t hurt baseball in Boston, does it? Kill The Mutts!
Did the Wilpons kill your dog or something?
They took his mother out to a seafood dinner and NEVER CALLED HER BACK!
With Oliver Perez and John Maine already in their rotation the Mets need a constant more than they need another maybe like Wang or Bedard. Jarrod Washburn’s still out there and he’d probably benefit a lot from pitching in the NL at CitiField.
not with that defense, he won’t
With Oliver Perez and John Maine already in their rotation the Mets need a constant more than they need another maybe like Wang or Bedard.
Only if that constant is good.
Jarrod Washburn: not good anymore
Might not be terrible in the NL in a ginormous ballpark.
Eh, sure, whatevs. The Mets need all the help they can get at this point.
You know who the Mets should sign?
http://www.almostathletes.com/.....gurine.jpg (safe)
He can read the defense. That’s gotta be worth something.
can deion sanders pitch?
Can Dwight Gooden be coaxed out of retirement?
(Answer: yes.)
Maybe if you do this to your state he can…
Can Dwight Gooden be
coaxed‘coked’ out of retirement?(Answer: yes.)
*statement
http://i435.photobucket.com/al.....atHole.jpg (SFW)
I love that video.
They should have signed some combination of Marquis, Davis, Garland and Piniero. None of these guys is great, but the Mets could really benefit from some league-average starters to fill out their rotation.
Unless the Mets are trading for a good starting pitcher which I don’t think they can do without making a hole somewhere else, they aren’t going anywhere.
Frankly, they should probably just call this year a sunk cost, and sell off whatever pieces they can move for a good return. Aim for 2011. Maybe Ike Davis, Jenrry Mejia, and Fernando Martinez will be ready by then.
Yes, Charlie, the Phillies do owe the NYY one. And the Yankees aim to collect on it too. BTW how you liking that @#%&*!ed up Wx in VA this Winter? I know – it blows worse than Boston!
Mets need a left side of the infield, a real number 2 starter & a healthy Beltran. And a new GM, not necessarily in that order.
BTW – that is some moniker Archimedes Torquemada! a waterboard rack would likely be a Hellish invention…
BTW – that is some moniker Archimedes Torquemada! a waterboard rack would likely be a Hellish invention…
Come for the math, stay for the cruelty.
Long live Scott Brown and his waterboard loving ways!
Mets need a left side of the infield, a real number 2 starter & a healthy Beltran. And a new GM, not necessarily in that order.
Speaking of a real #2 starter…whatever happened to Jon Leiber? Haven’t heard about him in a long while…
they need a left side of the infield? wright and reyes don’t work?
i think you mean right side. and yes, they need a 1b and 2b but are stuck with castillo.
i have been saying this since the beginning:
omar minaya is a terrible, awful gm
What’s with the Mets and horrible GMs?
Phillips
Duquette
Minaya
I’m too young (23) to know anything about the Pre-Steve Phillips era
Mets need a left side of the infield, a real number 2 starter & a healthy Beltran. And a new GM, not necessarily in that order.
I think a new GM, and the rest takes care of itself.
Manuel: And we’d have gotten away with the World Series, if it wasn’t for the Yankees’ darn pitching and timely hitting!
So what are we looking at for 2010 mets opening day line-up?
Reyes SS
Castillo 2B
Wright 3B
Bay LF
Francoeur RF
Pagan CF
Murphey 1B
Santos C
Pitcher?
Reyes SS
Castillo 2B
Wright 3B
Bay LF
Francoeur RF
Pagan CFThe Honorable Gary Matthews Jr. CFMurphy 1B
Santos C
Pitcher?
Fixed.
And, blech.
i just threw up in my mouth a lit…ok a lot.
And that is before the team is riddled with injuries.
And this team is playing the majority of its games at Citifield…
against the braves, marlins, and phils.
How to beat the Mets:
Walk Reyes
Castillo gets himself out
Walk Wright
Walk Bay
Francoeur grounds into at least a double play. (who knew you could GITP with 1 out already? Apparently the Mets can)
next inning:
Matthews
Murphy
Santos
all go down in order.
Pitcher leads off with an out
then repeat the cycle.
The focus on the Yankees by like every manager is kind of weird. I know we’re World Champions (WOOOO!!!!) and just generally awesome, but I’ve heard Scioscia, Gardenhire, Francona, and now Manuel saying things about how they need to/are able to handle the Yankees. Scioscia’s bizarre “I don’t care if they spend $350M, we have the team to beat them” rant tops ‘em all. Hey Mike, we spent “only” $200M in 2009 and beat the Angels in the ALCS – and the Angels (at least on paper) were much stronger last year.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Envy
Also, these managers (Francona aside, I guess) should worry about their own divisions…
In all fairness to these managers…they are asked about the Yankees constantly. It’s not as though they are constantly bringing up the Yankees because they can’t stand all of the talk about them…they are generally being asked about the Yankees in an interview or something and they are responding as they should “I think we can beat them.” What kind of manager would you be if you answered a question about a team saying “they’re much better than us…we’re just going to play and see what happens…”
you have a point, though Scioscia went on his “rant” without being asked about it
My concern for the Yanks in the next World Series (yes I only consider the season a success if they win it all as I am spoiled)is they lost two of their four most clutch hitters and replaced them with two players who have a history of underperforming in the World Series…as it stands now we will be seeing more Brett “Watch the Third Srike Go By” Gardner who had a perfect .000 triple slash against the Phillies…Posada, Swisher, Cano, and Teixeira all have a history of serious World Series under performance…while Jeter and Rodriguez historically perform close to their season averages in the “Big Dance”, Matsui and Damon were the only two starters from last year’s team and this year’s batch of projected starters who have performed better in the Series than the regular season…so my biggest concern is we crush up until the World Series and then afterwards curse the fact we let two big time gamers loose…fortunately we got rid of Melky who fell on the “Dance” floor also.
Matsui sucked in the ALCS though
My concern for the Yanks in the next World Series… is they lost two of their four most clutch hitters and replaced them with two players who have a history of underperforming in the World Series
False.
We lost two clutch players and replaced them with two players who DON’T have a history in the World Series. Johnson and Granderson are not clutch nor are they non-clutch. They’re unknown entities. Impossible to tell yet.
They do have youth and excellent regular season track records on their side, though.
Oh, and mixing in a hard return or a paragraph wouldn’t hurt, you know.
Both Johnson and Granderson have a history albeit small of World Series under performance.
Thanks for the composition tip.
Their history is so small that it’s not really worth mentioning.
Well Granderson has been to the WS, in 2006. He OPS’ed .279. That’s horrible. But it’s not like he’s GUARANTEED to do that in every WS from now on.
NJ also went in 2003. .294/.368/.353/.721, ehhh not great but not horrendously awful either.
Correct no guarantees just concerns that seven of our nine hitters have under performed their lifetime regular season production in the their World Series experience and we lost the only two who have a history of over performance.
Your concerns are unfounded. You do not have enough data to create any actual concerns.
You’re overreacting.
Trying to stimulate conversation as nothing bores me more than chat about the Mutts…LOL
Your conversation is not stimulating.
history of over performance? than what was the 03 ws where he basically hit the same as posada did this yr and in 99?
.261/.370/.391, ops .762. now thats overachieving!
I compared cumulative average world series production vs. cumulative regular season production for all actual/projected starters. Matui and Damon were the only two whose World Series performance exceeded their regular post season performance.
as is aid below, matsui has been in 2 ws. he is following the exact arc of posada, after 2 ws one awesome offensively and one meh below avg butnot terrible. when matsui has 3-5 more ws under hsi belt then we can talk.o
Derek Jeter, 2000 WS: .409/.480/.864/1.344
Derek Jeter, 2001 WS: .148/.179/.259/.438
Almost like players go through hot and cold streaks, hmmm.
Or rather, you can’t say Teixeira, Cano, and Swisher have “a history” of serious underperformance in the WS based on a sample size of 1.
That too.
Derek Jeter, 2001 WS: .148/.179/.259/.438
Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling say hi. Nobody hit in that World Series, it was a miracle it went 7 games.
And no I have no shame making excuses for Jeter.
Yeah, the minute I posted that I was like “durrr, in 2000 he was facing Mets pitching and in 2001 he was facing Johnson/Schilling” (didn’t the Yankees have the lowest batting average, ever, in a 7-game series in 2001? And it was under .200?). So really, it’s the SSS thing more.
Yeah, not to go too off-topic, but NYY batting in the 2001 World Series:
.183/.240/.288/.528
ARI pitching:
1.94 ERA, 63 K, 16 BB, 0.892 WHIP
65 IP, and Johnson and Schilling pitched 38.2 of those innings o_O
LOL how were we two outs away from winning that?!
greatest WS any of us will see in our lifetimes as baseball fans
if by “greatest” you mean “WORST EVER, I cried” then yes, I agree
(I know what you meant, though.
)
nick johnson 03 world series:
17 abs
curtis granderson 06 world series:
21 abs
teixeira: 22 ws abs
swisher: 15 ws abs
cano: 22 ws abs
posada: was the balls in the 98 ws, meh in 99, bad in 00 and 01 and 03, and meh in 09.
he is the only one with any sample size worth looking at and even that is only 95 abs
please. your points lack substance. you have brought shame to the real dhalai lama
Obviously I disagree as every statement is a fact and a concern of mine. Only time will tell if the concern was warranted or not.
it might be a fac, but basing “facts” on a data size that is about 4% of a full season worth of abs and comes from one post season series does not make you right, it makes your point undefined.
It is what it is…the only WS history available…a concern doesn’t mean it is going to happen just in my mind something to look out for…
Your fact is equivalent to saying that you once flipped a coin and it came up heads, and thus you are worried that you’ll never be able to successfully flip a coin in the future and have it come up tails.
Not really as a coin flip is just random chance that has nothing to do with where the coin is flipped or who is flipping it.
Dude, there’s a shitload of random chance in baseball. Enough to say that any stretch of 15-20 plate appearances is pretty equivalent to the random chance of a coin flip.
shane spencer’s hrs say hellllloooooooo
So you are seriously telling me that you wouldn’t want Matsui or Damon at bat in the bottom of the ninth game 7 two outs and a runner on third, score tied as opposed to Granderson or Johnson ?
What I’m seriously telling you is I have no real, tangible, demonstrative evidence to indicate that Granderson and Johnson would be any worse in that situation than Matsui or Damon.
So I’m not going to worry about it.
Matsui, Damon, Granderson, Johnson: Four good hitters. No need to think any further.
Let’s hope the future proves you right.
Well we couldn’t have kept Damon and Matsui forever anyway. We would have had to look for alternatives at some point…and quite frankly, Granderson and Nick Johnson (at DH) is A-OK in my book for replacements at the moment. Oh yeah, and the addition of Javy Vasquez too.
Granderson, Johnson, and Vasquez > Matsui, Damon, and Melky
Especially when you realize Granderson, Johnson, and Vasquez are in their prime…Matsui has time bomb knees, Damon is closing in on his decline, and Melky’s 09 season has a good chance of being the best of his career.
Swisher, Cano and Teixeira have played in exactly one WS among them (2009), so they have no real WS “history” to speak of.
And if we learned anything from 2009, it’s that if a player can succeed in the regular season, he can succeed in the playoffs too.
And if we learned anything from 2009, it’s also that if a player can succeed in the regular season, he can fail utterly and miserably in one series of the playoffs and then greatly succeed in the next round of the playoffs too.
like dalelama’s clutch boy matsui
BA OBP SLG OPS
.389 .463 .750 1.213
World Series Godzilla !!!
reading comprehension fail.
he can fail utterly and miserably in one series of the playoffs and then greatly succeed in the next round of the playoffs too.
matsui in alds and alcs = garbage
matsui in ws = amazing.
nto to mention he doesnt have a history of overachieving in the ws because he was welll below average in 03. so now, he has 1 great performance, and one below average but meh.
posada, one of your “failures” has in his first 2 ws appearances, 98 and 99 one amazing one and one below avg meh one. so, when matsui has been to 1-4 more ws and has continued to be at least meh then we can talk.
http://riveraveblues.com/2010/.....ent-759528
If you’re going to judge Gardner on his performance in the World Series after coming back from an injury and not having regular at-bats at any point the rest of the season…
Well it’s just not smart.
it’s hilarious watching people try to defend Gardners bat.
keep it comin’
Hating the Mets is all about schadenfreude and not the results of a hot rivalry as the Mets would have to win a lot more than twice in 48 years to rival the Yanks. Any Yankee fan who listens to Gary Cohen’s Yankee hate rants from time to time will have no problem justifying their hatred of all things Metropolitan. By the way, most Met fans will tell you that its Yankee fans they hate most of all so taking pleasure at the Met woes is some hate coming right back at them!
In 1996, the Atlanta Braves tried to repeat as World Champions, but the Yankees backslapped them in six games….
In 2009, the Philidelphia Phillies tried to repeat as World Champions, but the Yankees backslapped them in six games…
How dare another team try to repeat as World Champions in the face of the Yankees !! (except in 1976
)
Forgot to mention the 1956 Brooklyn Dodgers and the 1958 Milwaukee Braves, who also TRIED to repeat as World Champions…but again both teams were denied by the New York Yankees.
During the WS I think they mentioned that 11 National League teams have tried to repeat as champions, and 8 times they faced the Yankees. Wow. They didn’t mention how many of those guys lost to the Yankees, though, and my facts could be off.
Forget to mention the 1922 New York Giants, who were denied by the New York Yankees in 1923.
AND the 1942 St. Louis Cardinals, who were denied by the New York Yankees in 1943….
So that’s 1923, 1943, 1956, 1958, 1996, and 2009, where the Yankees denied the previous World Champion a repeat.
Nice..
By no means am i trying to say that Omar is an elite GM but can you really place the full blame on him when he has to ask for permission from the Wilpons to sneeze?
The Wilpons have to be up there with the Dolans as some of the worst owners in sports. Omar gets handcuffed by Jeff Wilpon in even the smallest moves, maybe if he had the freedom a GM deserves the Mets would be seeing a little more success.
The owner doesnt take the blame. The Gm does.
The biggest move of the yr and the one that will cost the Phillies the title is trading Lee for prospects.
When the combo of Lee/Halladay would have all but guaranteed them a WS appearance and a great shot at ring #2 for this group.
That mistakeis further enhanced with them signing Blanton to the same contract lee got.
[...] Benjamin Kabak at River Ave. Blues in a post entitled “The Phillies and the state of New York baseball” puts it this way… [...]