June 3rd, 2011 "Don't Trade Jose Reyes Day" at Citi Field

In an effort to show the Mets Front Office that we do not want to see Reyes gone, Mets fans have agreed to make "Don't Trade Jose Reyes Day" on June 3rd 2011 in the series opener against the Braves.

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Be sure to buy tickets to that game and bring your favorite Reyes attire and signs against him being traded.

Osama Bin Laden Killed By American Forces

I know this has absolutely nothing to do with baseball but who cares! Osama Bin Laden has finally been killed by U.S. forces. US officials reportedly have the body. They are awaiting test results to be 100% sure that it is indeed the monster who planned the 9/11 attacks. It is hard to believe but America has finally gotten our guy. It took us nearly 10 years, but we have finally found the one low-life who almost got away.

Barrack Obama received a tip on Osama Bin Laden’s possible location in Pakistan. After verifying this report, the U.S. went into action, sending in a special team in Pakistan and killing Bin Laden in an incredible showdown. No US forces or civilians were harmed in the assault.

This is not only the killing of leader of Al Qaeda, but a symbol of American triumph and will no doubt create an overwhelming sense of patriotism in the hearts of every American. As I write this article in complete and utter shock, all I can think is: Justice has finally been served.

To associate this with baseball somewhat, during the Mets vs. Phillies finale, the broadcasters had trouble keeping up with the game as they kept trying to give updates to viewers. When the fans slowly began to hear the news through texts and mobile updates, they spontaneously broke out into chants of USA USA USA! I personally got chills, as I am sure anyone else watching did aswell.

Think of all the closure the families devastated after 9/11 must feel right now. Although the loss of their loved ones can never be filled, this must be such a boost to their morale that we finally got the sick person responsible for this.

Think of where you were when you heard this news, on this day, America won.

This is truly an incredible symbol to the world and a message: Don’t mess with America.

God Bless America!

Mets 2011 Rotation: A Force To Be Reckoned With. Part II

By: Clayton Collier

   After taking a look at the three pitchers who will be the immediate impact at the front of the 2011 rotation, we will now look into the back end of the rotation and Johan Santana who will return in the later part of the season. These guys can keep a hot streak going or stop a losing stretch from continuing when the premier guys in the rotation can not get the job done. With some newly acquired arms, the back of the Mets 2011 rotation looks pretty formidable.

  The back end of the Mets rotation will feature Chris Young and either Chris Capuano or Dillon Gee in 2011. These three arms have come from utter insignificance to key pieces of the 2011 staff. While the front three arms had breakout seasons in 2010, they aren't bonafide top-tier pitchers. That said, depth is a crucial factor to the 2011 season, something these three must provide.

  Almost certain to fill the 4th spot of the rotation is RHP Chris Young. Young is the perfect example of Alderson's under-the-radar signings that have a very high reward situation. Although I would not classify Young as a low risk situation, when healthy, Young is a top of the rotation quality pitcher. He has battled injury the past few seasons, failing to complete 20 starts each of the past three season. but when he is healthy, he is locked in. Young has a career 48-34 record with a 3.80 ERA. He pitches best with little run support, a pattern he will become very accustomed to on the Mets. He has posted a 2.61 ERA when his own team scores two or fewer runs for him. Young, coming from the Padres is already used to little run support and large ballparks, if he stays healthy, could be the best off season signing of the Mets this winter.

  Chris Capuano and Dillon Gee appear to be the two major contenders for the 5th spot in the 2011 rotation.

  Capuano before 2010 had not pitched since 2007 due to injury. He came back healthy with the Brewers in 2010 and pitched to a respectable 4-4 record and a 3.95 ERA.

  Gee has never been considered a blue-chip prospect for the Mets, but with little options down the stretch in 2010, Omar Minaya decided to give him a chance. Gee flourished in his 5 major league starts going 2-2 with a 2.18 ERA. Gee had a quality start in every single one of his outings including his major league debut in which he no-hit the Nationals through his first 5 innings en route to a 7 inning gem in which he only allowed one run and 2 hits.

  Alderson and Collins may want to give Capuano the job to allow Gee to further develop, but if Gee can continue the success he had in September 2010, he would likely win the starting role.

  The best pitcher on the team is without a doubt 2-time Cy Young award winner Johan Santana. The 31-year old Venezuelan native has been the ace of the staff since he was acquired from the Twins before the start of the 2008 season. Now going into 2011, Santana will start the year in Port St. Lucie rehabbing, following the surgery to repair a tear in his shoulder that sidelined him since September. Santana has since begun to rehab, starting with playing catch and soft tossing.

  The question is, is when he returns, estimated somewhere from June to July, will he still be the Johan Santana of old? Shoulder injuries like this have proven detrimental to pitchers' careers in the past, and with Santana being the highest payed player on the team, his full recovery is crucial. These questions will just have to wait until mid-season when Santana takes the the mound in orange and blue once again.

  With low expectations at an all-time high, the Mets could be looking at a few bottom-of-the-barrel arms with hidden potential, possibly catching lightning in a bottle in 2011.

Why Jason Bay Will Bounce Back (He Better)

By: Jonathan Bernardo

     On December 29^th, 2009 Jason Bay signed a 4-year, $66 million contract with the Mets.  Many hopeful Met fans thought he was a lock to play around 150 games, smack 20 homeruns, knock in 100 runs, become their “Big Bopper” in the middle of the lineup, and help the Mets make the playoffs. Well let’s just say it didn’t happen.

          Jason Bay’s 2010 season was his worst of his career.  He only played in 95 games, a career low, because of concussions and only batted .259/.347.402(Avg/OBP/Slg) with only 6 homeruns and 47 RBI’s.  I believe his 2010 was a major fluke just like that 45-3 drubbing the Pats gave to my beloved Jets.  It was the first season in which he did not reach 20 homeruns since his 2003 season in which he played just 30 games.  His season averages per 162 games are .278/.374/.508 with 30 homeruns and 105 RBI’s.  Look for his 2011 season to come closer to those numbers.

          Another big factor in why his numbers decreased tremendously was “Citi Field-itis.”  I believe he suffered the same type of “thing” David Wright suffered during the 2009 season.  Citi Field is one of the most spacious outfields in baseball.  It can hurt players by forcing them to over-compensate for the long distances to hit a homerun.  I believe Citi Field got into the heads of both Wright and Bay.  David Wright only had 10 homeruns and 72 RBI’s in 2009 compared to 29 homeruns and 103 RBI’s in 2010.  Look for Bay to conquer Citi Field in 2011 just like the way Wright did in 2010.

          So here are my predictions for Jason Bay for this upcoming season and his 2010 numbers and his 162 game averages:

Seasons	Games	Runs	Hits	2B	3B	HR	RBI	AVG
162 game average	162	100	162	34	5	30	105	.278
2010	95	48	90	20	6	6	47	.259
2011	152	90	143	27	7	24	96	.268

R.A. Dickey Signed to 2-year Deal

By: Clayton Collier

     One year after signing a minor league contract, Robert Alan Dickey has now signed a multi-year major league contract, avoiding arbitration with the Mets. In just one season, Dickey has transformed from a minor signing to fill the roster, to a cornerstone of the major league franchise. Dickey has proved to himself and everyone on the Mets and all of baseball that he can indeed pitch, and really well for that matter.

   According to Andy Martino, the deal is for two-years and a club option for a third year, pending a physical. This is a major difference than just one year ago in which the signing of R.A. Dickey was mocked by nearly every Met fan and seen as a waste of money. Dickey would defy the odds and rise to become the best signing of the prior off season for the Mets and maybe the best signing of the entire 2009-2010 off season.

   Now with a 1-2 punch of R.A. Dickey and Mike Pelfrey at the top of this rotation, and Niese, Young and Gee/Capuano to follow, the Amazin's rotation is looking pretty fearsome.

  For a pitcher who never recorded a season with an ERA under 4.50 prior to 2010, it is pretty incredible he is now the arm the Mets will look to in 2011 for consistent dominance.

Mets 2011 Rotation: A Force To Be Reckoned With. Part I

By: Clayton Collier

   With Cliff Lee heading back to Philadelphia, creating arguably the best rotation in baseball history, the Mets have their work cut out for them to have a chance at competing in the NL East. Although the Mets do not have even close to the rotation that the Phillies do, they still have a formidable staff capable of being a feared set of arms that the opposing teams would be reluctant to face.

    With the emergence of R.A. Dickey, Mike Pelfrey and Jon Niese, The Mets have a solid 1-2-3 punch in the rotation. In 2010, the three combined for a 35-28 record and a 3.57 ERA. Originally considered back-of-the-rotation and in R.A Dickey's case, a weak contender for the bullpen, they proved Jerry Manuel, the franchise and the baseball world that they were much more than what everyone made them out to be. Now going into 2011, the Mets entire season literally relies in the palm of this trio's hands.

    Mike Pelfrey enjoyed the best season in his career in 2010. Former skipper, Jerry Manuel declared Pelfrey the 4th starter behind John Maine, Oliver Perez and Johan Santana prior to Opening day of the 2010 season. Instead of complaining and being discouraged, Pelfrey took it upon himself to prove Manuel wrong; and that he did. Pelfrey busted out of the starting gate with a dominant 4-0 start with a microscopic 0.69 ERA to match en route to a 15-9 season with a 3.66 ERA. Pelfrey has been declared the ace of the staff and has been named the opening day starter in the absence of Santana do to his shoulder injury.  At 27, Pelfrey still has yet to enter his prime. If the Mets can assemble a consistent offense capable of decent run support, Pelfrey could be a future 20-game winner for the Mets in the near future. In 2011, you can expect an even better 2011 campaign from Pelfrey.

  Robert Allen Dickey was originally a first round pick and a highly touted prospect in the Rangers organization before a photo revealed his throwing arm was missing an ulnar collateral ligament. After which Dickey converted to the knuckleball, having little success until he signed a minor league contract with the Mets. Dickey failed to make the major league roster out of Spring Training, being demoted to a Triple-A starter where something just clicked. Dickey was called up following a one-hitter in which he gave up a hit to the first batter he faced then proceeded to retire the following 27 hitters he faced. Dickey would dominate the majors finishing the season with a 11-9 record and a 2.84 ERA. His 2.84 ERA would rank 10th among all of baseball, pretty good for a minor league signing that was mocked on Loudmouths prior to Spring Training of 2010.

   Jon Niese started spring training competing for a job in the rotation with Fernando Nieve. Needless to say, the 24-year old southpaw won the job and Nieve wound end the year in Triple-A Buffalo. Having never had any major league success prior to 2010, Niese had to prove that he belonged in the rotation, and that he did. In the first two moths of the season, Niese had a 3.10 ERA. Niese would struggle with inconsistency throughout the season, ending the year 9-10 with a 4.20 ERA. Although Niese is not on the same level as Pelfrey and Dickey, he is still a young pitcher with a great deal of potential, much of which has yet to have been fully reached. Hopefully Niese can reach his full potential in 2011.

  With most of the Mets roster in complete and utter uncertainty, the success of Pelfrey, Dickey and Niese is both crucial and to be expected come Opening Day of 2011.

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