VFC's SPORTS HOUSE

Baseball Notes - The Mets

vfcshouse@hotmail.com (VFC) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:04:00 +0000

The Mets need to make a move for John Lackey since the price for the second tier starters has spiked, thanks to the Brewers signing Randy Wolf for that 'WTF???? contract' of three years for about thirty million.

In case the Brewers missed the memo, I'll fill them in - before last year, Wolf hadn't pitched 200 innings since 2003. In 2008 (pitching for a contract) he had about 190 innings and in 2009 (another contract year) he had his nice year, but the prior four years (2003-07) Wolf averaged 93 innings and six wins per season - with an ERA closer to five than four.

So which is the real Wolf? If you're gonna overpay, overpay for CC.

The good news is that at least the Mets didn't take on this piss poor contract.

Overpaying a bit for Lackey is another story, since he's got potential upside that Wolf doesn't have. The best you get from Randy Wold was last year's season, and we've seen the best from the other free agents out there - Pineiro, Marquis, etc. - but we still may have not seen the best from Lackey and therefore, if the Mets are going to spend - then spend on the best out there.

Reports have indicated that the Mets are also making a push for Jason Bay. Nice addition, if they can get him, but Lackey should be the priority.

If they do pick up bay, then keep Murphy at first base - his play there was a lot better than his play in left - and his bat may come around now that the pressure of the 2009 experiment will be off.

Delgado: If he's signed, it would need to be as a part time player. Relying on this guy as the full time first baseman and number five guy in the order will be a mistake - a Moises Alou kind of mistake. Give first base to Murph until Ike Davis is ready.

By opening day, it would be nice to see a rotation like this for the Mets:

Santana, Lackey, Maine, Pelfrey, Perez

or even better:

Santana, Lackey, Marquis, Maine, Pelfrey

Mets fans got cheated last year - thanks to the Wilpons and Madoff; let's do it right this time.

Baseball Bits - The Yanks Bring Granderson to the Bronx

vfcshouse@hotmail.com (VFC) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:28:00 +0000

The Yanks bringing Curtis Granderson to Yankee Stadium was a coup. This time it wasn't the wallet that got the Yanks what they wanted, it was a savvy three-team trade that benefited all involved.

On first impression I had to ask why - if Granderson was available - were the Mets not involved in trying to bring him to Citi Field, where he could have taken over the left field spot for $25 million over the next three years?

For the Yanks, however, Granderson is a huge upgrade in center field, especially considering the price, and his power/speed combination instantly makes a World Series lineup that much stronger - although Granderson in the number two spot would be a questionable move with his 140+ strikeouts; he'd fit better at the five, six or even seven spot.

Additionally, Granderson is huge leverage in the ongoing Damon negotiations because the Yanks have their left handed outfield bat to replace either Damon or Matsui; so if Damon wants to wear the pinstripes again, he'll have to come down from his and Boras' outlandish request of a four year deal.

Many have said that anyone could do Cashman's job, with all that money he's been given to win the World Series - but the Granderson deal was a great one and Cash deserves some credit for pulling that one off.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Omar Minaya's big offseason signing to date has been bringing 38-year old, washed up, career backup catcher Henry Blanco to Flushing. At least on the bright side, he wasn't signed to be the left fielder.

The Mets' Offseason, Who's on the Radar? Pineiro?

vfcshouse@hotmail.com (VFC) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:22:00 +0000

Joel Pineiro: Why is this guy even on the Mets' radar? The guy is a number four starter - at best- if you consider his entire career and not just last year. In fact, it's only his performance last year that has elevated him to a possible four instead of a number five starter/mopup man in the pen.

His 4.39 career ERA is decent enough at first glance, his first four years in the majors (2000-2003), and he's got an ERA of just under 5.00 over the past six seasons - and that's INCLUDING his great year last year.

Odds are that last season was a 'contract year' fluke and it's way more that likely, judging by the last six years worth of stats, that the true Pineiro is the guy with an ERA of five and not the one that we saw last year.

We're talking Tim Redding here, but Minaya is probably going to throw eight to ten million per year at a guy that (if signed) would most definitely turn into 'The Ollie Perez Story, Part II'.

If this guy is seriously on the Mets' radar, someone needs to wake up in that front office. Hopefully, he's just on the list so that Lackey thinks he has some competition for Met money.

VFC's World Series Thoughts

vfcshouse@hotmail.com (VFC) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:59:00 +0000

You can't help but think that if it were the Mets in that position, one out away from winning the World Series and all that stood in the way of the win was that ground ball to second base, Luis Castillo would have booted the ball which would have opened the flood gates to another heartbreak for Mets fans.

A-Rod is still a goat. You don't strike out looking with the bases loaded in Game Six of the World Series on a pitch that is too close to take. He had a nice playoff performance but did nothing on the biggest stage. The Game Five double was a result of Ibanez.

Godzilla, however, brought great honor to his home country.

But of all the Yankees that celebrated after that last out, it was Joe Girardi who looked as if the moment overtook him most; that guy, of all the rest, had the most pressure to win it all. If they can run Joe Torre out of town, then Girardi had no chance if wasn't deemed a winner. The media rode him all year, questioned his decisions, and he had Hal and Hank glaring down at him demanding perfection every step of the way.

Joe Girardi is the happiest guy in Gotham tonight.

As for the Yankees, congrats. I'm not a Yankee fan, I'm a Mets fan, but the fact that the Yanks brought some pain and suffering to the Philadelphia fans out there makes me feel a little bit better about my team watching the games from the beaches, couches or strip clubs...I would have liked the Yankees to have won Monday night - when the comeback in the ninth would have absolutely crushed the Phillie fans who were elated for 8 2/3 innings that game, but had nothing to cheer for since game one; that would have been a crushing blow to the city and I would have enjoyed.

As a Mets fan, my team couldn't get it done; but at least I know that Philadelphia didn't get the best of New York on Wednesday night.

The Yankees were up to the task. Start spreading the news.

Can Anyone Say MVP-Matsui?

vfcshouse@hotmail.com (VFC) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:57:00 +0000

Matsui 6, Phillies 1.

Pedro's Line For Tonight

vfcshouse@hotmail.com (VFC) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:42:00 +0000

Pedro's Line for tonight..... 4 2/3 IP, 6 R, 6 ER, 10 Hits, 3 BB, 6 K, and the big, fat "L".

Disclaimer: VFC is a Mets fan who is not necessarily rooting FOR the Yanks as much as he is rooting AGAINST the 'Frillies.

Congrats, Phillies Fans!

vfcshouse@hotmail.com (VFC) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:44:00 +0000

From the sounds of the Phillie Phanatics all calling into sports radio today, the Phillies must have won the series last night!

When's the ticker-tape parade??? When's the 'Welcome home the Champs!" parade?

Cliff Lee was money last night, but let's not forget that we've still got a few games to play, at least that's the way it stood the last time I checked the schedule.

Let's hear the talk after Pedro goes 4 2/3 with 6 runs allowed tonight on 10 hits.

Phillie won a must-win game for them, that's it. Today it goes down hill quick.

A Mets Fan Speaks: Take the Yankees Over the Phillies

vfcshouse@hotmail.com (VFC) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:31:00 +0000

It may be blasphemy for a Mets fan to root for the Yankees, but I would like to think that any Mets fan would love to see the Phillies get schooled in the World Series - even if it is the Yankees that do the schooling.

The Mets are mess because of their own self-implosion, that starts at the top with ownership, so it's not like the team even had a chance with Phillie after the team disintegrated. But as the Phillies strut around with all the attitude - and flaunt Pedro around like he's been a Phillie his whole career - then I say let the Yanks run rampant on Phillie and save the Mets-Yankees rivalry for next year.

I'd hate to see Phillie get a leg up on New York for anything, anytime, anywhere - and if that means the Yanks have to stand for the city, then so be it.

If Charlie Manuel does throw Pedro out there Game Two, then I hope Pedro gets smoked.

Enough of all these Phillies fans already, calling up the Mad Dog Channel today talking about how the Phillies have the Yankees beat when you line the teams up position by position; it's not even close - especially with A-Rod's new found post season hitting stroke.

Rollins better than Jeter? Maybe in the stat book (but not this year or last).

Tex over Howard? Don't think so, especially when you take defense into consideration.

If Cole Hammels shows up we might get a series, but if not, I say Yanks in six. And Game Six will be thanks to a Lidge blown save.

Week Five Wrap Up

vfcshouse@hotmail.com (VFC) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:29:00 +0000

NY Giants over Oakland: W

Minnesota over St Louis: W .

Philadelphia over Tampa: W

Dallas over Kansas City: W

Pittsburgh over Detroit: W

Carolina over Washington: W

Buffalo over Cleveland: L

Cincinnatti over Baltimore: W

San Fransisco over Atlanta: L

Jacksonville over Seattle: L

Denver over New England: W

Arizona over Houston: W

Tennessee over Indianapolis: L

Week: 9-4

Season (Starting Week Four): 16-11

NFL Week Five Picks

vfcshouse@hotmail.com (VFC) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 12:41:00 +0000

NY Giants over Oakland: This game should be a laugher - one a few for the NFC East this week. I don't think that we'll see too much of Eli once the Giants pull a couple of TDs ahead of the Raiders. Rest up that heel, Eli!

Minnesota over St Louis: Hope I'm wrong here.

Philadelphia over Tampa: Another "NFC Eastwalk week" game.

Dallas over Kansas City: Another "NFC Eastwalk week" game.

Pittsburgh over Detroit:

Carolina over Washington:

Buffalo over Cleveland:

Cincinnatti over Baltimore:

San Fransisco over Atlanta:

Jacksonville over Seattle:

Denver over New England:

Arizona over Houston:

Tennessee over Indianapolis:

Week Four Wrap Up; Giants Win Could be Costly

vfcshouse@hotmail.com (VFC) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:02:00 +0000

The Games followed by a "W" or "L" based on whether I picked that game correctly.

Giants over Chiefs: W Another easy win for the G-Men, but it may have come at a price considering the Eli injury. I'm convinced he'll start this coming Sunday, but since it's the Raiders are the opponent, it's likely that Carr - based on the Giants running away with the game and Eli's heel - will see the majority of time at QB.

Saints over Jets: W Sanchez comes crashing down to earth. Actually, he got buried.

Raiders over Texans: L What WAS I thinking?

Ravens over Patriots: L

Titans over Jags: L

Bengals over Browns: W

Lions over Bears: L Two in a row is called a streak!

Skins over Tampa: W

Colts over Seahawks: W

Bills over Dolphins: L

Niners over Rams: W

Cowboys over Broncos: L

Steelers over Chargers: W

Packers over Vikings: L

Week W-L: 7-7

Season W-L: 7-7

Poor showing this week with a .500 record.

VFC's NFL Picks for Week FOUR

vfcshouse@hotmail.com (VFC) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:14:00 +0000

I've been a little late getting the football picks started this year as it's been a busy season with the stocks, but here goes - with a few notes to start off with:

First off, I'd like to congratulate NBC for being nearly twenty years late to the table. It could be somewhat nostalgic to see Dan & Keith anchor the same table again, but 'The Big Show' is SO 1993. Olbermann is no longer a sports commentator - he's a bitter, political pundit who dismisses that there is any other side than his own. He now looks very much out of place commentating on sports, especially with the grumpy "You must believe me!" look on his face. Viewers are more apt to look for reruns of 'John & Kate' before tuning in for the long-gone duo that once made Sportscenter a nightly 'must watch.'

In keeping with the ESPN theme, how about Phil Mushnick of the New York Post? For those that may not know, Phil writes the column 'Equal Time' that appears in the sports pages for the post, only he doesn't really abide by the "equal time" that he writes about. ESPN gets way too much press in that column - all of it bad - as Phil constantly bashes the network for self promotion. I don't take a side on the issue, although ESPN is the recognized leader in Sports TV, but the constant barrage against the network is wearing thin for a column that claims "Equal Time."

Now for the picks:

Giants over Chiefs: It could be a trap game for Big Blue, playing against the lowly Chiefs coming off the Tampa victory, in which they totally dominated, but the G-Men should pull this one out with ease. I smell a big game for Jacobs coming after a week of the media criticizing his running style.

Saints over Jets: Off to a blazing start, the Jets will come back to earth against the league's best offense.

Raiders over Texans

Ravens over Patriots: This is a huge game, in my opinion, for the Pats and especially Brady, but I think Baltimore - and Flacco - are for real and the Pats will fall. As is customary, Belichick won't take well to the loss.

Titans over Jags

Bengals over Browns

Lions over Bears: Two in a row is called a streak!

Skins over Tampa: The Redskins looked pretty bad last weekend, but the Buccs looked worse. A game of futility.

Colts over Seahawks

Bills over Dolphins

Niners over Rams

Cowboys over Broncos

Steelers over Chargers

Packers over Vikings: Favre may want to stick it to the Packers, but the Pack wants to stick it to the punk even more. Great game.

I'm starting late this year, but I'll keep track here of my W-L record. No money on this, just fun.

Sports Briefs

vfcshouse@hotmail.com (VFC) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:52:00 +0000

To get things rolling after the completion of the NFL's third Sunday, maybe someone can help me understand what the schedule makers were thinking when they scheduled both the Giants and Jets and then the Redskins and Ravens for the one o'clock slot on the same day?

The New York and the Washington DC area are two of the biggest markets in the country and come four o'clock many of the football fans in those markets were ready to call it a day. Granted, a football fan is a football fan and any game should suffice, but if a nagging wife is pressuring a guy to leave the tube and take her out to dinner, it's much easier for that guy to give in if it's not his own team he's watching.

I think this weekend was a demonstration of piss poor planning on the part of the NFL schedule makers. I'm a Giants fan, but I also like watching the Jets - especially now that they have a real future at the quarterback position instead of Brett "It's all about me me me me" Favre.

For this past weekend, at least, my DirecTV Sunday Ticket was only worth half the price with the entire market for which I purchased the package played simultaneously.

What a Sunday for New York teams. The Giants won a real nail biter against Tampa as Steve Smith and Mario Manningham are quickly making fans forget Plaxico Burress and even Sinorice Moss chipped in this week with a nice TD grab. Eli is looking as good as he ever has - in my opinion - this early in the season. The Giants receiving game is not turning out to be the question mark that many thought it would be.

The running game, however, has surprisingly left a little to be desired - if only because it looks like Brandon Jacobs has forgotten how to just bowl over people. I don't think we're seeing the pile driving that he has shown us in previous seasons and it looks like he's actually dancing around looking for holes instead of barrelling through the line looking to make one. Of course, it's easy to say that from the couch.

As for Tampa, what the heck is going on? Being bad is one thing, but so bad that you see a full quarter of David Carr and a bunch of second and third stringers at QB? If Sunday was any indication, it's going to be a long, long season in Tampa.

The Jets' win against New England was good, but going 3-0 without the "Me Man" Favre is even better. At first glance one could say that they did the same thing last year before fading down the stretch, but last year the Jets stopped producing when Favre couldn't cope with the fact that the credit for their success was going to the team, and not him alone. This year should be different.

And let's not forget the Redskins. Wow. Santana Moss aside, how bad do they look after losing to the Lions? Sucks to be a 'Skins fan about now (spoken from a Mets fan).

As for VFC's boneheaded fantasy play of the week - benching Fred Taylor. Didn't think the old man had that game in him. His replacement in my lineup scored a nice seven points, though.

Giants at 3-0; It's the makings of another great season.

The Mets are Still Playing Games?

vfcshouse@hotmail.com (VFC) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 02:06:00 +0000

Funny enough, I was channel surfing over the weekend and was shocked to see a Mets game on SNY. I checked the channel listings to make sure it wasn't a repeat of a "Mets Classics" game that the network often airs, but when I saw Pedro in a Phillies uniform it confirmed my suspicions that the Mets are still playing games - they just don't matter.

It's hard to believe that somehow, someway these guys keep themselves motivated enough to come to the ballpark and give it a real effort in front of 30,000 people who know that their season ended nearly two months ago.

Of note, it was good to see Carlos Beltran in uniform again. I think that he should have hung it up and healed that knee - if the Mets' training staff says it's healed now then that should tell us that it's not - but all the more to the guy for wanting to play out the year to look for some momentum going into next season. Of course I haven't been watching the daily transactions of the Mets and didn't realize that Beltran was back, so I had to make a quick fantasy league switch and start the guy for this week's game. That dumb move on my part should be an indicator that I'll lose that game.

As for Pedro, somewhere along the way I stated on this blog that at some point in September the Mets would make Pedro look like Koufax in his prime - and I was right.

When is the last time that Pedro threw 130 pitches of shutout ball? Only against the Mets. It's just a good thing that these games don't matter.

And how do you get thrown out at third base for out number three when it looks like Pedro just might be hitting the wall. Really?

I'll tell you what, that move just reminded me why I don't tune in for the games anymore. A fan - no matter how die hard he is - can only take so much.

When do pitchers and catchers report?

Giants off to a 1-0 Start

vfcshouse@hotmail.com (VFC) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 01:54:00 +0000

Let's start with the G-Men, the Big Blue - the New York Giants.

While the team has serious trouble when trying to convert on third or fourth and short, the receiving corps - Week One's biggest question mark - looked decent enough to give Giants fans hope that the loss of Plaxico might be a little easier to swallow than expected.

You can attribute some piss poor tackling to Mario Manningham's touchdown score, but the well-balanced and spread out offensive attack of the Giants' kept all the receivers in the game - including Steve Smith's 80 yds receiving.

Give Eli credit, too; he had a solid 256 yards and seven different receivers caught his passes - six of which caught two or more.

It was only the Redskins in Week One, so the real competition has yet to be seen; but I like what I saw on Sunday.

Bring on the Cowboys.

SNY Finally Figured Out How to Keep Mets Fans Interested

vfcshouse@hotmail.com (VFC) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:28:00 +0000

It's become painfully obvious that the Mets 2009 season ended long ago, and therefor there is little, if any, interest in the games anymore - including from the SNY broadcast team.

I tuned into SNY on Wednesday night for the first time in about a week; with the Mets being SO bad I had almost forgotten that it was still baseball season to tell the truth, especially when there's no rookies to check out among the the likes of Andy Green (really?) and Wilson Alvarez (exciting player).

However, Wednesday's telecast of the Mets game on SNY was probably the best game in quite a while, even after the Mets were down by ten runs, because no one paid any attention the game - the game crew started taking calls from viewers in a sports-radio-like format.

Finally, something to keep fans interested.

It was sorry to see this telling signal of just how low the Mets organization has dropped this year, but as the game took place on the television screen, no one, not even the analytical Keith Hernandez, could be bothered commenting on what was taking place on the field - it was only the phone calls that mattered.

Not a good sign about the quality of the product on the field, but a good way to keep fans interested in watching the telecast; unless they decide to tune into real sports radio on the FAN or SiriusXM's Mad Dog Channel.

As for the product on the field, those guys probably can't wait to see the season end just as much as we can't.

Sports Briefs: Eli, Plax, Crabtree, Baseball and the Mets

vfcshouse@hotmail.com (VFC) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:35:00 +0000

The Giants made Eli Manning the king of the Manning family this week, if not all of football, with a huge contract extensions that will pay the Super Bowl winning Quarterback $97.5 million over six years.

While Eli has a Super Bowl victory and four straight playoff appearances under his belt, this season will be a true testament to just how good he is when he's asked to win with a crop of presumed second-tier receivers.

This was a move that the Giants had to make, and they made it. In VFC's opinion, New York will not be happy with just the one Super Bowl victory under Manning's watch, he's got to make it happen again.

The team did get a big boost when it was learned that Antonio Pierce is free and clear from any charges stemming from the Plaxico shooting incident last year. It's also a win for the Giants that Plaxico got indicted because it'll be awfully hard for another team to sign him with a criminal case pending.

There's no doubt that Plax thought he'd walk away scott-free from this mess, but he messed with the wrong DA in the wrong city at the wrong time.

Question: What do you get when mix fantasy football with America's newfound sense of entitlement attitude?

Answer: Michael Crabtree.

In a bizarre but pathetic sign of the times, Crabtree, who was drafted by the San Fransisco 49-ers in this years draft in the number ten slot, has stated that he will hold out this entire football season and wait for next years draft because he believes he is entitled to a deal worth more than the $23.5 million give to the number seven selection Darrius Heyward-Bey.

Why does he feel that he is entitled to more? Get this- because some pre-draft 'mock drafts' had him rated higher than Heyward-Bey.

Wow. Let the clown sit out a year, this way he and his buddies can play "mock draft" all year long where he might come out number one.

Should someone remind this kid that, yes - he's had a brilliant college career, but he has yet to catch one NFL pass.

For a glimpse of what is wrong with society right now, look no further than this guy.

How about Baseball's problems?

As a Mets fan, I know the season is lost - lost enough to where I've got no interest in spending the three hundred bucks it would take to bring my family of the four to a game at Citi Field, even though I've still yet to check out the new ball park.

No matter how many time the Mets send me an email telling me to come out to the ballpark to root on the losing team, the pricing has become so ridiculous that I've got neither the time nor the inclination to entertain a trip to Citi.

It's not that I couldn't afford it - it's just that it's not money well spent and it goes into the coffers of fools like the Wilpons who invest their money with a guy that never loses.

It should't cost three hundred bucks to take a family of four to a ballgame in the middle of a recession. As the Brits would say, they're just "taking the piss out of us" right now, and I don't like it.

On that note, it's bad enough that there is no reason to go the ballpark right now in Queens, but we know that the team should contend next year.

But what about teams like Pittsburgh, Kansas City and Washington? I can't imagine what drives these fans to go to the ballpark after April 10th - when the teams are but eliminated.

Like the Mets right now, even when the team wins the games mean nothing, so who cares?

A good way to bring people to the park to see perennial losers would be to make it a pleasant, and affordable, family fun environment. Can you do that when a hot dog sells for $5.50 in Nationals Park?

You'd think these owners are starved for money.

Baseball is run by a bunch clowns who see the fan as nothing but a dollar sign. To demonstrate just how little the owners regard the fan, look at Citi Field. There's nothing there that commemorates the Mets in any way, shape or form - aside from the fact that the team plays there.

(Again, I haven't been but I've read and heard enough from people that have).

Do you think the Wilpons had Mets fans in mind when they dedicated the stadium to the Brooklyn Dodgers and not the 1969 or 1986 Mets?

Again, they're taking the piss out of us and we need to quit being suckers and start watching the games on TV instead of spending three hundred bucks for a trip to the ballpark.

Once the fans stop showing up, they'll quickly change their tunes.

And on a last note- Ollie Perez is making Rick Peterson look pretty good right now.

The Mets' Training Staff Has a Lot To Answer For

vfcshouse@hotmail.com (VFC) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:08:00 +0000

At first glance, you'd think that the Wilpons have invested in a training staff in the same manner in which they invested a half billion dollars with Bernie Madoff- blindly, ignorantly and the assumption that all will be good.

I'm not one to question how well anyone does their job in the medical field, but when Jonathan Niese collapsed on the mound in writhing pain during Wednesday's game in Citi Field, I couldn't help but but say, "ANOTHER hamstring injury?" And that was before even Gary Sheffield left the field with the same such injury a few innings later.

These things happen when you play sports, no how much stretching and preparation goes into a game, but the amount of muscle pulls this year by various Mets' players is alarming. These are signs, in my opinion, that the training staff is not doing it's job.

One or two hamstring injuries? Ok, but not this extent. Add to that the fact that players are re-injuring the same muscle (Reyes has had nearly three months to recover, Sheffield just came back) and you really have to question what's going on in Flushing Meadows.

If, in fact, the training staff doesn't actually work for Bernie Madoff, than this years New York Mets are a screaming declaration that karma matters- you deal with the devil (in this case, Madoff) and you get bit every time.

It still floors me how a family with the financial prowess of the Wilpons could by into a scam on the scale of Bernie Madoff.

It just goes to show you that the big boys aren't any smarter than you or me. Unfortunately it's the players that are paying for the sins of the owners - if you believe in karma.

Castillo falling down stairs? Yeah, this is getting pretty eery.

One Argument about Pete Rose and the Hall of Fame That Has To STOP Being Made

vfcshouse@hotmail.com (VFC) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 20:17:00 +0000

There's been a whole lot of discussion lately about whether Pete Rose should be admitted into the Baseball Hall of Fame or not - especially with all the speculation about steroid-era ballplayers getting voted in.

I've made no secret of the fact that I think Pete Rose should be in the Hall - keep him out of baseball if you want, but the all time hits leader needs to be in the hall of fame. Especially since, as the Mad Dog Chris Russo emphasized on his SiriusXM radio program last week, he has a whole lot of stuff in there already.

However, there is one argument that needs to stop being made when comparing Rose to the new age of steroid 'cheaters.' That argument is that there is no comparison between the steroid users and Rose because what Rose did was against the rules of baseball while steroids was never against the rules until recently.

What? Something needs to be written in the rules of baseball in order for it to be illegal to baseball?

Common sense says - and I know there are a lot of people out there without it - that if something is against FEDERAL LAW, then it could be assumed that it is illegal for baseball players also.

This argument is ridiculous and I'm shocked that sports talk show hosts and media types even entertain it.

With that logic, Erin Andrews has no case with her peeping-Tom incident because it's not written into the laws of sports reporting that you can't be videotaped unsuspectingly.

And to a more extreme extent- it's not written into the rules of baseball that murder and rape are against the rules, but it's pretty much assumed that those actions would be considered illegal.

Why is it any difference for the steroid thing?

Jeff Wilpon and The Sports Media Have No Credibility Right Now, Why the Backlash on Minaya?

vfcshouse@hotmail.com (VFC) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:01:00 +0000

Is there anyone out there that can explain to me why the backlash on Omar Minaya has been so harsh after he called out NY Daily News reporter at the Bernazard press conference the other day?

I don't get it.

I especially don't understand why Jeff Wilpon, son of NY Mets owner Fred Wilpon, felt the need to step forward and apologize to Rubin.

Let's get this straight: so far it's been Jeff Wilpon and sports media personalities who have come after Minaya for his 'outburst' at that press conference.

First of all, the Wilpons have zero credibility right now. They lost half a billion dollars on a bad business arrangement with Bernie Madoff, an arrangement that my nine year old daughter would have seen as questionable from the start, and then they tell fans that the half a billion dollar loss would not affect the operations of the New York Mets. Sure it won't. That's why the many holes that the Mets have had this year haven't even come close to being filled.

This all came after the Wilpons built a baseball stadium in Flushing, Queens dedicated to all things NOT Mets. It was just one big trophy dedicated to the memories of the little Wilpons' childhoods, not to the memories of the teams of Mets passed who fans have supported for nearly fifty years now.

Talk about self-involvement. The Wilpons are all about themselves - and only themselves - and they have no credibility when it comes to deciding whether or not Minaya acted out of sorts or not.

And it should be no surprise that members of the sports media have come after Minaya for his comments. Those guys go out of their way to dig up dirt on anyone they can, but they're not used to someone throwing some dirt right back at them.

If you live in a glass house, don't throw stones.

Not to mention the fact that OF COURSE the media is going to back up their own. Think there is any objectivity there?

I haven't been a big fan of Minaya's baseball moves over the past couple of years, but I'll tell you what- these most recent events have put me in his corner.

Two entities with no credibility in this situation - the Wilpons and the sports media - are the only ones coming after him and I don't buy it.

So while the Mets have thrown together a four game winning streak and finally look like they're playing good baseball, we have to hear about what Jeff Wilpon thinks (who cares?) and how Minaya was too mean to Adam Rubin?

Gimme a break.

I'm not buying it. The whole thing makes me wonder what Rubin has on Jeff Wilpon to make him come out publicly against Minaya like a little lap dog.

Jeff Wilpon's Public Apology to Adam Rubin Stinks

vfcshouse@hotmail.com (VFC) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:45:00 +0000

It's becoming painfully apparent that the Mets are more of a bungling mess off the field than on.

First, owner Fred Wilpon - he of so much financial wisdom - lost half a billion dollars because he trusted his money with someone who ALWAYS MADE A PROFIT. Had the common sense angel tapped on his shoulder and said, "PSSST....Hey, Fred, no one in the market can ALWAYS make money. If they tell you that they do, then something's fishy." Anyone with Wilpon's credentials should not have been amateur enough to fall for the antics of Bernie Madoff.

Then, Citi Field opens as a tribute to everything and everyone non-Mets.

Then, the mis-diagnosed injuries took place followed by the Tony Bernazard situation.

Now, as a result of Bernazard's firing, Omar Minaya is on the hot seat and Jeff Wilpon is aplogizing to a reporter because Minaya called the guy out for having a conflict of interest.

I'm in the boat that Minaya had every right to crucify Adam Rubin in public. If Rubin did in fact ask for a job with the Mets, especially if he wanted to get in the player development department - wich belonged to Bernazard, - then there is an obvious conflict of interest there and it's right that Minaya pointed that out.

It doesn't mean that Bernazard isn't guilty of acting like an idiot, but it does mean that Rubin should not be covering the team that may have spurned him when he asked for a job.

I've got no problem with Minaya pointing that out.

It's like the big bank investment divisions issuing an analyst rating on a competing bank. It's a conflict of interest when Citi Group issues an analyst rating on Bank of America and it's a conflict of interest for Adam Rubin to report on anything Mets when he's trying to get a job with the team.

Minaya may be at fault for a lot of things, but not for calling out Rubin.

The more I see from the front office, the more I realize that the biggest problem with the Mets just may be the Wilpons.

The Mets are Still a Mess, from Bernazard to Minaya to Rubin to Wilpon

vfcshouse@hotmail.com (VFC) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:12:00 +0000

It's funny how the Mets win big in Houston this weekend and all of a sudden they are contenders for the Wild Card. Let's be realistic and wait to see if the Mets can put together about five or six victories in a row before calling them playoff hopefuls.

I'm still of the opinion that the Mets need to be sellers at the trading deadline because the team is going nowhere. They could have scored 100 runs in Houston- it doesn't change anything.

The team is still making headlines, however. Tony Bernazard was canned for his recent antics and Omar Minaya looked like he was about to rip his shirt off and challenge Adam Rubin to a fight; Rubin is the Daily News reporter who previously wanted to work for the Mets, in Bernazard's player development department.

Bernazard may be an idiot, but don't tell me that Rubin didn't go out of his way to get dirt on the guy that he envied for his job.

As for the play of the team, if they take three of four from Colorado, then talk to me about the Mets becoming contenders.

In my opinion, there's little chance of that. The curse of Fred Wilpon will continue and any move the Mets make that lifts the team's position in the standings will be countered by an unexpected, but serious injury that sidelines a key player for months.

That's what happens when you deal with the devil, or in the case of Wilpon, when you deal with Madoff.

You see, when Wilpon decided to deal with Madoff- someone who seemingly ALWAYS made money for investors- he was giving in to greed and temptation and making a deal with a character who everyone now knows is the devil re-incarnated.

Mr. Big Businessman Fred Wilpon lost half a billion dollars due to his lack of common sense and although he says that those losses have nothing to do with the operations of the New York Mets franchise- the karma that comes with dealing with the devil does.

Pete Rose Should be in the Hall of Fame

vfcshouse@hotmail.com (VFC) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 23:59:00 +0000

Every year about this time Pete Rose steals some headlines as the most recent class of Baseball Hall of Famers gets inducted into the HOF in Cooperstown.

In VFC's opinion, Pete Rose should long have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. The arguments have been made over and over in the press through the years so I won't re-hash it all again, but my take is this:

- Pete Rose is THE all time hits king in baseball history and his hustle and style of play is a huge part of what is missing from today's game.

- What he did was wrong, but at this point you are punishing the game more than you are Pete Rose, in my opinion.

- Rose should be re-instated but a life time ban on his becoming employed in the game could still stand.

- If Rose can serve decades of a lifetime ban for bringing the credibility of the sport into question then every player who has admitted to or has been caught using performance enhancing drugs should also face a lifetime ban.

The baseball owners, and especially commissioner Selig, are among the most pompous and self-serving of Americans and if they were that concerned with the integrity of the game and not making $ $ $ then they would have put a stop to PEDs a long time ago, they wouldn't be building baseball stadiums the size of sand boxes and they would contract the amount of teams in order to weed out the AAAA talent and create more even-keeled competition.

I used to think it was Pete Rose's arrogance that kept the commissioner from ever re-instating him. Whatever it is, it has little to do about the integrity of the game and everything to do with the arrogance of baseball.

How much are those empty seats at Yankee Stadium going for again? Just wondering.

The Mets Need to Become Sellers at This Year's Trading Deadline, But Who Should They Sell?

vfcshouse@hotmail.com (VFC) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 04:31:00 +0000

After a pathetic showing against Atlanta this weekend, hope for a miracle run in 2009 by the New York Mets has pretty much disappeared. It's time for Omar Minaya to be realistic and start trading some players away in an attempt to clear dead weight and re-stock the farm system.

Before we go player for player through the roster and decide who should stay and who should go, Minaya deserves defense for one thing; he's been taking a lot of unwarranted heat for not having depth on the bench to replace injured stars.

Simply put, you don't replace Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran. Period.

When the season started the Mets bench looked pretty good because it was full of solid bench players. Alex Cora, Jeremy Read and Fernando Tatis are all good bench players who are not so great as starters, but no one could have predicted the injuries that the Mets would endure.

I'm not necessarily a fan of Minaya, but I don't think he deserves heat for the fact that good bench players don't translate into good everyday players.

Now, who stays and who goes?

Jose Reyes: He's gotta stay. Reyes is the spark plug of the team when he's playing and to trade him at this point, after injuries and a suspect first month, would be trading him when his value is low. Keeping Reyes is a no-brainer.

David Wright: David could bring in a whole bunch of talent in a trade, but the Mets brass would surely get boo-ed out of town if they traded away the most popular player on the team. It's not often that you find the loyalty of a David Wright from today's players and his bat, leadership and defense will be an integral part of any future championship team. Wright stays.

Carlos Beltran: Beltran needs to sit the rest of the season out and get healthy for next year. 'Nuff said.

Carlos Delgado: I thought it was a bad move to bring the big guy back this year, but this is his last year as a Met. He'll take the field in Citi when he's ready but at this point the Mets need to see what Daniel Murphy is all about at first base. Since the season is all but over for the Mets, it would be foolish to allow Delgado back on the field this year. Look towards the future and give Murphy a shot.

Daniel Murphy: See above. Murph should be the regular first baseman for the rest of the season. He was atrocious in left but has looked pretty good at first, where he'll open up the 2010 season barring any more trades or iffy moves by Minaya.

Luis Castillo: Castillo's trade value is about as high right now as it is going to get. Minaya needs to swallow a portion of his remaining salary and trade him for whatever he can get. Orlando Hudson, who wanted to be a Met in the first place, will again be a free agent after this season and that's who the Mets should target this offseason. Somebody in contention should need Castillo's OBP in their lineup (Chicago) and no one would miss the second baseman at Citi.

Johan Santana and K-Rod: Keep them.

Gary Sheffield: If Sheffield's injury is not more than cramps, he needs to get traded to an AL team for anything that Minaya can get in return. It was a great pickup to get Sheff before the season started, but he serves no purpose for a team out of contention looking towards the future.

Livan Hernandez and Tim Redding: It's doubtful Minaya could get anything for either of these players. Release them both and look towards the future- Jon Niese. I wasn't a fan of either of these signings before the season.

Bobby Parnell: Keep him. As he matures he'll become an integral part of the bullpen if he doesn't go back to starting.

Pedro Feliciano: He's too good a left handed setup man to let go. Keep him for next year.

John Maine and Mike Pelfrey: Entertain offers, see what you can get. Pelfrey may bring something back, but Maine is just an injury-prone average starter at this point.

Ollie Perez: No one in their right mind outside of Omar Minaya would pay Ollie the kind of money that the Mets did so the team is stuck with him. He's got to take the mound every fifth day no matter how bad he stinks.

Fernando Martinez: Value is too low right now to trade, after hitting sub-.200. Let the kid play upon return from injury. Beltran shouldn't step foot on the field again this year so let's see how the rookie does.

Jeff Francoeur: It looks like this trade will work out for the Mets. Francoeur's gotta stay for the future.

Anyone else on the roster (mostly complimentary players) should be on the market for whatever the Mets can get in return.

Here's to a lost 2009 and looking towards a good run 2010.

Think There's a Big Trade Brewing in Flushing?

vfcshouse@hotmail.com (VFC) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 02:28:00 +0000

Omar Minaya has taken a lot of heat thus far for not doing more to pull in a big bat for the flailing Mets as the power bats all, with the exception of David Wright, took residence on the disabled list.

The mini-deal for Jeff Francoeur was actually a pretty good one, in my opinion, but everyone knows it's not the deal that will salvage the season.

With a plethora of pitching out there to be had- with Roy Halladay and Erik Bedard leading the pack- Omar may not be done dealing.

A further inclination of that sentiment may be the fact that the New York Post highlighted Mets prospect Wilmer Flores on Monday and dared to use Derek Jeter as a comparison. In actuality, the only comparison to note was that Flores is the same height as Jeter- he has a long way to go before his play on the field could compare- and that the young shortstop has attempted to emulate the Yankees catching in both persona and play.

Until now we, being Mets fans, have heard a few good things about Flores, but the fact that the Post chose to highlight the kid now proves he could be a key cog in an upcoming deal.

The Mets got burned with Lastings Milledge by hyping the heck out of him as a prospect, but then allowed him to play in the majors where the whole world got to see that he stinks.

It doesn't look like they'll make the same mistake this time. I have a feeling Flores is on his way out the door.

So thanks to the Post for hyping the Mets only prospect- let's see if Omar can do anything with it.