New York Mets

I've read a lot of articles lately calling for Omar Minaya's head. Why not? The Mets are off to a slow start after two of the most agonizing September swoons in baseball history. Somebody must take the blame for this.

As a Met fan, I'm as disgusted as anybody else by what's gone on in Flushing. But I don't direct my ire at Omar. Before I go into why I think Minaya is a good (not great) GM, I'd like to address the reasons people are calling for his head in the first place.

The Oliver Perez Signing

Is Ollie erratic? Yes.

A few weeks back, I attended the Mets' opening practice at Citi Field with my fellow B/R writer, Lou Cappetta. 

The event was more of an opportunity to check out the intricacies of the new park and sneak a peek at all of our favorite players up close.

We decided to sit in center field to get a good view of the action and also get a chance to catch some long bombs. 

Just when I thought Joe Girardi was the only New York manager who made his on field moves based upon what talk radio callers and pundits are calling for, Jerry Manuel does things that make me believe he, too, listens to talk radio.  

I don't listen to WFAN much, but I do want to hear both managers shows, which are on once a week to hear what they are thinking. I usually listen via the online podcast.

At some point during December's winter meetings in Las Vegas, Mets GM Omar Minaya stopped rolling up seven's at the free agent slot machine. After bringing in Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz to fix what was a terrible bullpen in 2008, Minaya forgot to do one thing, one very BIG thing...fix the starting rotation.

The New York Mets need a change. So does Oliver Perez.

After busting out of the gate with four horrible starts in five appearances, Perez has an ERA close to 10.00. The Mets will likely skip his next start, and their $36 million investment looks like it needs a bailout.

Who do the Mets have that might be able to step in for Perez for a start next week against Philadelphia? 

Brian Stokes

When baseball season starts, it doesn't matter where you are. Whether you are at work, in your car, at the local dive bar or relaxing at home, once the game is on, millions connect at once by tuning in to listen to their favorite team. New York is the home to two of the biggest and potentially the best baseball teams in the league, The New York Mets and the New York Yankees. Like every team, both New York teams have their TV and radio commentators for each game.

Omar Minaya has drawn a lot of ire from fans for his questionable acquisitions and lack of what people had been demanding (Manny Ramirez and Derek Lowe come to mind).

Minaya said that his leaders are either too quiet (Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado) or have smiles on their faces (Jose Reyes and David Wright).

Much has been said about Beltran and Delgado and the manner in which they conduct themselves quietly in public, but behind closed doors. they are a vocal force in the clubhouse.

Oliver Perez has certainly been a bit of a project since he became a Met. There have been some days in which he looks ike an ace, and there have been others that make people think that he shouldn’t be in the major leagues. So far this season, there has been more of the latter.

He has only lasted five or more innings once, and that was when he earned his only victory of the season against Dan Diego on April 15. He has already walked 15 batters in just 19.1 innings, and he is going to need to get his act together if he wants to stay in this rotation.

The challenge of playing professional sports in New York is no secret.  But what is not generally realized is how difficult it is to be a professional sportscaster in the Big Apple.

But, as they are on the field, the New York Mets are up to the challenge in the booth.  Both on the screen and on the radio, the Mets have themselves a great group of Major League announcers.