By Tony Mangia
METS PROBLEMS ACCUMULATE
New York Mets relief pitcher, Francisco Rodriguez came out of the pen today. In a week that saw the Mets' record drop to under .500 and Johan Santana become the center of civil suit, which alleges the pitcher sexually assaulted a Florida woman, now comes the arrest and release of closer Rodriguez for attacking his father-in-law. Rodriguez was charged with 3rd degree assault by the NYPD Wednesday night after the Mets 6-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies.
The volatile Rodriguez, aka K-Rod, was accused of punching Carlos Pena, 53, then pushing his head into a wall inside the Mets Family Lounge at CitiField. The Mets pitcher was handcuffed on the premises and held overnight. Rodriguez was released on his own recognizance this afternoon while the Mets were cruising to a 4-0 complete game victory over the Rockies by Santana.
Rodriguez has a history of altercations. He had a "heated" discussion with the Mets' bullpen coach, Randy Niemann, earlier this year where some reporters claimed there was physical contact. Last year, the hot-tempered Rodriguez got into a public skirmish with assistant GM, Tony Bernazard , on a team bus. Mutual glares with opposing players have always been as much a part of his repertoire as is his arm.
The Mets announced that Rodriguez will be suspended without pay for two games. In a statement they declared, "We take this situation seriously." The big question is does Rodriguez?
A BALKING TIME BOMB
Teammates have rallied around K-Rod before, but must wonder what set him off this time. Manager Jerry Manuel's decision to not use the pitcher for a four-out save in the eighth inning with the Mets ahead 2-1 could have set things in motion. Manuel used Manny Acosta, who gave up a grand slam and lost the game. When reporters approached the 28 year-old Rodriguez after the game he threw a tantrum like an bratty kid. He cursed and shouted, "Did I f--- pitch tonight? Why do I have to talk to you f--- guys?"
The Mets look like they are ready for their annual free fall from playoff contention--only a little earlier this year. K-Rod is their go-to closer and his loss is a great disadvantage. Mets players, who are just getting acquainted with Santana's legal woes, now have the antics of Rodriguez to deal with. The team will have the added pressure of anticipating his next ugly meltdown. "Everyone makes mistakes," reasoned third baseman, David Wright, " He'll have to take care of things with his family." The question is which family? Rodriguez has two--his wife's and the Mets?
Showing posts with label Mets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mets. Show all posts
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
DON'T MESS WITH TEX!
By Tony Mangia
TEIXEIRA WAKING FROM LUMBER SLUMBER?
A lot has been made of Mark Teixeira's notoriously slow starts. It's become a sort of ritual for the Yankee's first baseman to plod through the first month and pick it up later. This season started no differently for Tex, only April turned into May, then into June. This weekend Tex came alive by belting two home runs---including his first grand slam as a Yankee---as the Bombers took two of three from the surging Mets and recovered first place in the AL East.
Fans have blamed some of the power outage on A-Rod's injuries; which meant the lack of protection behind Teixeira. Since June 8, Tex has batted .302 and hit four dingers. He is on pace for a 30 HR/100 RBI season even if he continues to slump like this. Those numbers are a downgrade for the slugger but, non-the-less, still respectable.
Teixeira's stoic face hides the fact that he is slumping and his defensive play at first almost totally overshadowed the slide. I've never seen a first baseman make the plays that Tex does. Whether he's going right or left, down or up, vertical or parallel, the agile fielder continues to amaze. In every game, Tex seems to make a few dazzling plays and if you don't think that saves opposing runs and win games, you can have your Steve Balboni back. Against the Mets, with two outs and men on first and second, Tex went left and snared a blistering shot just over the bag, getting an out and drying up a Met rally. A lesser first baseman would have let it roll into the right corner. If you don't think these rally-killers don't hurt look, just remember David Wright's face on the replay. Give Teixeira another 100 RBIs for Runs Being Incinerated.
HOME PLATE SPECIAL
The Yankees continue their Royal Sampler of the Weak. Road games against the fledgling Diamondbacks and the fading Dodgers should fatten up the Pinstriper's record. The next few weeks include home games against the disappointing Seattle Mariners and Oakland A's. The Yankees continue gobbling up feeble teams and, at this pace, they'll look like a fifty-legged version of Kobyashi inhaling hot dogs at the Nathan's competition. Nothing says Fourth of July in NYC like a first-place Yankee team and Coney Island. All the schedule makers forgot to do was include the Pirates and Royals for a double-superfecta banquet of sitting ducks. The Yankees better make the most of it now. First place in the AL East is a fickle spot and Boston and Tampa Bay lay in wait, behind one game each.
Good news for the Yankee starters: Javier Vasquez pitched a tough three-hit seven-inning game in a losing cause, Phil Hughes out dueled met ace Mike Pelfrey and C.C. Sabathia looked like his old big self and went eight strong innings in a humid 90 degree Yankee Stadium. That tarp they brought out in the eighth inning wasn't for the rain, it was a huge Brawny paper towel for the 20 pounds of sweat the gigantor, C.C., flooded the field with. Mariano Rivera has his own version of a no-hitter going. He hasn't allowed a hit for 22 outs. Even Joba Chamberlain got to fist-pump this weekend.
SHORT JABS
And The Oscar Goes To The Italian Team
Italy has produced many great actors--- Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren to name a few. The tradition continues with their World Cup soccer team. I've never seen so many flops, winces and pratfalls. It looks like an audition for Roberto Benigni movie. Adding to the comedy was a brilliant upset tie by New Zealand. The Kiwis played with true grit while the over-confident Romans looked like bambinos. Not the La Dolce Vita.
Not A Sideshow
Manute Bol, the 7'7' Sudanese NBA player died last week in Virginia. Bol, who--along with Gheorge Muresan-- was the tallest basketball player in NBA history and played for four teams. In 10 years, Bol had 2,086 blocks and 1,599 points. His unique physique--190 pounds and a 8'6" wingspan-- made him a curiosity, even among the giants of the NBA. Legend has it that he killed a lion with a spear with his Dinka tribe in Africa. The gentle giant may be more remembered for his smile and humanitarian missions than his basketball skills. Charles Barkley--a former teammate and not the most eloquent speaker--said something that made me think hard about Bol and this planet. "If everyone in this world was a Manute Bol," Barkley said, "It's a world I'd want to live in." Enough said about a man.
TEIXEIRA WAKING FROM LUMBER SLUMBER?
A lot has been made of Mark Teixeira's notoriously slow starts. It's become a sort of ritual for the Yankee's first baseman to plod through the first month and pick it up later. This season started no differently for Tex, only April turned into May, then into June. This weekend Tex came alive by belting two home runs---including his first grand slam as a Yankee---as the Bombers took two of three from the surging Mets and recovered first place in the AL East.
Fans have blamed some of the power outage on A-Rod's injuries; which meant the lack of protection behind Teixeira. Since June 8, Tex has batted .302 and hit four dingers. He is on pace for a 30 HR/100 RBI season even if he continues to slump like this. Those numbers are a downgrade for the slugger but, non-the-less, still respectable.
Teixeira's stoic face hides the fact that he is slumping and his defensive play at first almost totally overshadowed the slide. I've never seen a first baseman make the plays that Tex does. Whether he's going right or left, down or up, vertical or parallel, the agile fielder continues to amaze. In every game, Tex seems to make a few dazzling plays and if you don't think that saves opposing runs and win games, you can have your Steve Balboni back. Against the Mets, with two outs and men on first and second, Tex went left and snared a blistering shot just over the bag, getting an out and drying up a Met rally. A lesser first baseman would have let it roll into the right corner. If you don't think these rally-killers don't hurt look, just remember David Wright's face on the replay. Give Teixeira another 100 RBIs for Runs Being Incinerated.
HOME PLATE SPECIAL
The Yankees continue their Royal Sampler of the Weak. Road games against the fledgling Diamondbacks and the fading Dodgers should fatten up the Pinstriper's record. The next few weeks include home games against the disappointing Seattle Mariners and Oakland A's. The Yankees continue gobbling up feeble teams and, at this pace, they'll look like a fifty-legged version of Kobyashi inhaling hot dogs at the Nathan's competition. Nothing says Fourth of July in NYC like a first-place Yankee team and Coney Island. All the schedule makers forgot to do was include the Pirates and Royals for a double-superfecta banquet of sitting ducks. The Yankees better make the most of it now. First place in the AL East is a fickle spot and Boston and Tampa Bay lay in wait, behind one game each.
Good news for the Yankee starters: Javier Vasquez pitched a tough three-hit seven-inning game in a losing cause, Phil Hughes out dueled met ace Mike Pelfrey and C.C. Sabathia looked like his old big self and went eight strong innings in a humid 90 degree Yankee Stadium. That tarp they brought out in the eighth inning wasn't for the rain, it was a huge Brawny paper towel for the 20 pounds of sweat the gigantor, C.C., flooded the field with. Mariano Rivera has his own version of a no-hitter going. He hasn't allowed a hit for 22 outs. Even Joba Chamberlain got to fist-pump this weekend.
SHORT JABS
And The Oscar Goes To The Italian Team
Italy has produced many great actors--- Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren to name a few. The tradition continues with their World Cup soccer team. I've never seen so many flops, winces and pratfalls. It looks like an audition for Roberto Benigni movie. Adding to the comedy was a brilliant upset tie by New Zealand. The Kiwis played with true grit while the over-confident Romans looked like bambinos. Not the La Dolce Vita.
Not A Sideshow
Manute Bol, the 7'7' Sudanese NBA player died last week in Virginia. Bol, who--along with Gheorge Muresan-- was the tallest basketball player in NBA history and played for four teams. In 10 years, Bol had 2,086 blocks and 1,599 points. His unique physique--190 pounds and a 8'6" wingspan-- made him a curiosity, even among the giants of the NBA. Legend has it that he killed a lion with a spear with his Dinka tribe in Africa. The gentle giant may be more remembered for his smile and humanitarian missions than his basketball skills. Charles Barkley--a former teammate and not the most eloquent speaker--said something that made me think hard about Bol and this planet. "If everyone in this world was a Manute Bol," Barkley said, "It's a world I'd want to live in." Enough said about a man.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Subway Serious
By Tony Mangia
Yanks Need To Pick It Up Against Real Teams
The New York Yankees are tied for first place in the AL East and fans are still feeling uneasy. Less than three weeks ago, the Tampa Bay Rays led the Yankees by six games and looked invincible, while Boston looked ready to rebuild. Yankee fans were ready to settle for the wild card on a silver platter. The recent surge by the Yankees can be attributed to an unbelievably weak stretch of teams on the schedule and the mediocre play of the Rays. The Pinstripers had feasted on patsies like the Indians, Orioles and the hapless Astros. Don't let the 20-5 dominance against these sub .500 teams fool you. The Yankees are only 21-20 against above average ball clubs.
Even the slumping--and low-scoring-- Phillies managed to look like the NL Champions of last year with their pitching quieting the Yankee's bats in two wins this week in the Bronx. Now the streaking Mets come to Yankee Stadium. The Mets took 2 of 3 from the Yankees at Citi Field two weeks ago and have won 7 in a row on the road. Manager Jerry Manuel finally has job security and the team has a little swagger to boot. The Yankees may have overlooked the then-staggering Queens team a fortnight ago, but now have the full attention of their cross-town rivals. The Flushing nine have been beating on the same lowly teams as the Yanks, but some Mets have publicly attributed their current 18-6 tear to beating the Yankees in that last series as an inspiration.
The AL East is slowly kneading into shape. The Boston Red Sox are only two games out while the Toronto Blue Jays have started their annual migration south. It's still amazing to see Cito Gaston in the Jays dugout. How long would he have lasted anywhere else? There is still 100 games to go, but expect this division to produce the AL wild card.
Things that should concern the Yankees include the groin injury to A-Rod and the nagging sore right foot that is bothering Jorge Posada (Mr. Grand Slam) again. Both continue to play musical chairs in the DH position. Other quagmires are the inconsistency of Joba Chamberlain to get an out and the lack of a set-up man. Joba's been pulled more times than a pork sandwich and nobody else is picking up the slack. Reliever, Alfredo Aceves is still on the mend, but there is no return date.
Tonight's pitching match-up could be the key to the series. Javier Vasquez (6-5) has been throwing well in his last few outings and we all know how good he is against NL teams, but Hisanori Takahashi (5-2) has been a capable fourth man for the Mets. It's hard to believe that the marquee match-up isn't between C.C. Sabathia and Johan Santana on Sunday, instead the main event will be Phil Hughes (9-1) against Mike Pelfrey (9-1) on Saturday afternoon. Both of these pitchers are in the top three in their respective leagues.
THE A-TEAM
Nice to see former-St. John's basketball star, Ron Artest, take a sip of champagne as a member of the 2010 NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers. Artest's up and down play up until game seven had me rolling my eyes, but he made up for all those errant three-point bricks by scoring 20, hustling for 5 steals, and hitting the most important trey with 1:01 left in the clinching game. The much-maligned (usually deservedly so) enforcer from the Queensbridge Projects has come a long way and proven his heart is as big as his body. As much as I dislike the Lakers, it was worth the victory just to hear Artest thank his psychiatrist afterwards.
THEY'RE BETTER THAN LISTENING TO JOE MORGAN AND JOHN MILLER
It was only a matter of time before the World Cup's vuvuzelas made it to our shores. The other night a fan was thrown out of Yankee Stadium for smuggling in one of the annoying horns and hitting someone with it. What cracks me up is that the man said he smuggled it through the gates by hiding the three-foot instrument in his shorts. I guess none of the security guards wanted to pat down that leg.
A KO FOR BOXING?
New York State is using its fiscal problems to push for legalization of Mixed Martial Arts in New York state. Supporters say it will bring $2 million in taxes to the state and cited 44 other states who have sanctioned it. I support the sport, but hope that boxing doesn't let the popular and ever-growing MMA upstage and overshadow it.
Yanks Need To Pick It Up Against Real Teams
The New York Yankees are tied for first place in the AL East and fans are still feeling uneasy. Less than three weeks ago, the Tampa Bay Rays led the Yankees by six games and looked invincible, while Boston looked ready to rebuild. Yankee fans were ready to settle for the wild card on a silver platter. The recent surge by the Yankees can be attributed to an unbelievably weak stretch of teams on the schedule and the mediocre play of the Rays. The Pinstripers had feasted on patsies like the Indians, Orioles and the hapless Astros. Don't let the 20-5 dominance against these sub .500 teams fool you. The Yankees are only 21-20 against above average ball clubs.
Even the slumping--and low-scoring-- Phillies managed to look like the NL Champions of last year with their pitching quieting the Yankee's bats in two wins this week in the Bronx. Now the streaking Mets come to Yankee Stadium. The Mets took 2 of 3 from the Yankees at Citi Field two weeks ago and have won 7 in a row on the road. Manager Jerry Manuel finally has job security and the team has a little swagger to boot. The Yankees may have overlooked the then-staggering Queens team a fortnight ago, but now have the full attention of their cross-town rivals. The Flushing nine have been beating on the same lowly teams as the Yanks, but some Mets have publicly attributed their current 18-6 tear to beating the Yankees in that last series as an inspiration.
The AL East is slowly kneading into shape. The Boston Red Sox are only two games out while the Toronto Blue Jays have started their annual migration south. It's still amazing to see Cito Gaston in the Jays dugout. How long would he have lasted anywhere else? There is still 100 games to go, but expect this division to produce the AL wild card.
Things that should concern the Yankees include the groin injury to A-Rod and the nagging sore right foot that is bothering Jorge Posada (Mr. Grand Slam) again. Both continue to play musical chairs in the DH position. Other quagmires are the inconsistency of Joba Chamberlain to get an out and the lack of a set-up man. Joba's been pulled more times than a pork sandwich and nobody else is picking up the slack. Reliever, Alfredo Aceves is still on the mend, but there is no return date.
Tonight's pitching match-up could be the key to the series. Javier Vasquez (6-5) has been throwing well in his last few outings and we all know how good he is against NL teams, but Hisanori Takahashi (5-2) has been a capable fourth man for the Mets. It's hard to believe that the marquee match-up isn't between C.C. Sabathia and Johan Santana on Sunday, instead the main event will be Phil Hughes (9-1) against Mike Pelfrey (9-1) on Saturday afternoon. Both of these pitchers are in the top three in their respective leagues.
THE A-TEAM
Nice to see former-St. John's basketball star, Ron Artest, take a sip of champagne as a member of the 2010 NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers. Artest's up and down play up until game seven had me rolling my eyes, but he made up for all those errant three-point bricks by scoring 20, hustling for 5 steals, and hitting the most important trey with 1:01 left in the clinching game. The much-maligned (usually deservedly so) enforcer from the Queensbridge Projects has come a long way and proven his heart is as big as his body. As much as I dislike the Lakers, it was worth the victory just to hear Artest thank his psychiatrist afterwards.
THEY'RE BETTER THAN LISTENING TO JOE MORGAN AND JOHN MILLER
It was only a matter of time before the World Cup's vuvuzelas made it to our shores. The other night a fan was thrown out of Yankee Stadium for smuggling in one of the annoying horns and hitting someone with it. What cracks me up is that the man said he smuggled it through the gates by hiding the three-foot instrument in his shorts. I guess none of the security guards wanted to pat down that leg.
A KO FOR BOXING?
New York State is using its fiscal problems to push for legalization of Mixed Martial Arts in New York state. Supporters say it will bring $2 million in taxes to the state and cited 44 other states who have sanctioned it. I support the sport, but hope that boxing doesn't let the popular and ever-growing MMA upstage and overshadow it.
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