| Welcome to Chatter Up! This week features Mark Perry of Centerfield Gate against DirtySanchez and TRS of The Real Dirty Mets Blog. On the field, there isn’t much to determine, but maybe this can be more interesting, lets see. |
| DirtySanchez(TRDMB): Most likely you guys will have the first pick in the draft again. Since you drafted a phenom of a pitcher last year, what position do you think they will use their #1 pick on? |
| Mark P(CFG): I would love to see them draft a middle infielder – unless there’s a Babe Ruth on the board. But what I want and what will happen are two different things. This is Stan Kasten’s team and his philosophy is unyielding: draft pitchers, pay for players. So that seems to indicate that it’s likely that we’ll draft and sign a big lefty or some big righty (out of some college is my bet) and draft a middle infielder in about the third round. That’s the typical thing for Kasten. The next draft is filled with power arms, so that seems to tilt it in favor of pitching. But there is one guy who could change all of this. Bryce Harper is the newest can’t miss player: a high school catcher who is considering enrolling in community college just to be eligible for the draft. If I were Kasten and Harper is there, I would grab him. |
| DirtySanchez(TRDMB): Do you think the National will add payroll for next years roster? There were rumors about the money you were willing to drop on Texieira…any chance the Nationals use that cash to bring in some FA talent? |
| Mark P(CFG): My understanding is that the front office has been wiggling all year to cut here and there to have some money in the bank at the end of the season: they reportedly have about $20 million they can spread around and that’s what I expect them to do. I don’t think they’ll offer a blockbuster deal to anyone like they did with Tex: I wouldn’t expect, for instance, that they would bring in a John Lackey. Instead, I think they’ll try to land two or three guys that will bolster the overall team: a reliever, a middle infielder and a second tier starter. I would like to see them dangle some money to Orlando Hudson and John Garland – and re-up Livan Hernandez and then go for a high end middle innings guy, like Oakland did with Mike Wuertz. Of course, he won’t be around, but someone like him would really go a long ways to fixing some sadly broken things. You know: I bet I will be writing the same damn thing next year. |
| Matt R(NLEC): How has attendance been this year at Nats park? From a fan perspective, are they optimistic of the future right now? The off-field stories like Strasburg have to be a nice plus, but on the field, there is no consistency. |
Mark P(CFG): I think we have to find a way to assess attendance as a function of projected and real team finishes. It’s probably already being done, but if not I’ll take full credit for the idea. For instance, I think we need to assess whether (as the worst team in baseball) the Nats could have been expected to draw better than the A’s, Marlins, Pirates, Indians, Reds and Royals — which they have. And I think the answer would be “no.” Which leads me to conclude that the front office got a gift: the fans did all the heavy lifting. Everyone else in major league baseball has a better record and yet the Nats are 24th in attendance and not all that far behind the O’s, Blue Jays and Padres. That’s pretty strong stuff. The really weak team in that list — as a measure of fans against production — are the Marlins, who are contending for the wild card but playing in a mausoleum. You could pass gas in Land Shark stadium without anyone hearing it. No. No. You’re exactly right. And there’s no getting around it. This is a terrible team. But the fans keep coming. You know, it’s weird in D.C. If you show up in the first inning, before the first pitch (a matter of principle for me), there’s no one there. And you think: oh, oh. But then you look up in the second inning and people are streaming in. And by the third the stadium is half full — or almost so. And then they announcement attendance, and it’s always between 20-24 thousand. Which isn’t bad at all. If this city had any kind of team at all we’d be in the top 10 in attendance. Which is a great thing, really, when you think about it. Because the slam against the city is that it is a football town. And it is: but the Nats, just in virtue of what they’ve drawn this year, are here to stay. They are going to draw 1.8 million for the worst team in baseball. Not bad.
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| Matt R(NLEC): You wrote in one of your blogs lately that you think the Nats will finish ahead of the Mets next year (I think). How do you come to this conclusion? |
| Mark P(CFG): Because next year the Nats will have a better team. Well, okay. Let me explain and I am saying this not simply to bait Mets fans or because I am a Nats fan. I actually believe that all of the evidence points to it. Most of all, I point to the differences in the front office. My sense is that the Mets front office knows that their team had a terrible year and that it has to be improved. But for them it’s: ‘well, we can do this. We’re not that far away: a little dit here and a little dat there, and bingo, we have a contending club.’ And then they think: ‘and if Reyes comes back and Beltran is healthy and Johan is Johan,’ … well you know — there they are. Atop the NL Least. Winner winner chicken dininer. The Nats operate under no such illusion. The front office knows this is disaster and they have been working all year to get it better and to clear things out for the off-season. It’s not a little dit here and a little dat there, it’s a reset, a makeover. They don’t need to start the makeover in the offseason, they started in July. Then too, the Nats have more at stake. If the Mets fail, well you’re in New York and there’s all that TV money and the payroll is above $100 million and sooner or later they’ll get it right and they have a history — and the Miracle Mets and Casey and Tom Terrific. There’s history there. Not so with the Nats. They need to get it right and they need to do it right now. They’ve got $80 million and that’s it. And in DC, everything is at stake. Even the future of the franchise. At the end of the day, I don’t think it comes down to Wright or Zimmerman, or Dunn or Murphy or any of that. The strength of a team starts in the front office. And right now, amazingly, the Nats front office is just better. Something happened in New York. And it wasn’t on the field — and it wasn’t good. And it hasn’t been repaired. That’s not true for the Nats. |
| Matt S(PP): Rob Dibble is a blabbering idiot. Did you enjoy his color commentary and should he return to the booth next season? |
| Mark P(CFG): Yeah, Rob Dibble is a blabbering idiot, but he’s our blabber idiot. Thankfully, he’s married to a schoolteacher, so at least she’s in her element. That poor woman, I’ll bet he’s a handful. I look at it this way: if you think Dibble is bad, you oughta get a load of what we had before him. We once had Ron Darling in the booth and he was as soft as a pillow. He used to hang around media conventions looking for a job. He was desperate. It was pathetic too. So he ended up on Nats’ broadcasts for about a year. I remember he once said, as the Nats took the field: “Wow, those are sharp looking uniforms.†Sharp looking uniforms? The guy was total Brooks Brothers. If you go down there now in Manhattan and wait a while he’ll show up. Then we got Don Sutton. This guy spent his time in front of the mirror practicing his salute and telling us how great Austin Kearns was because he was just such a solid citizen. I mean, who cares? I would sign Stalin if he could hit the ball. And Sutton had this habit of talking, unintentional I’m sure, that signaled all the wrong things: like how he was giving us these really inside little gems that were big secrets. So now it’s Dibble, and he’s a child – but he can be fairly entertaining and when he actually talks about the game (which isn’t all that often) he can sometimes actually be right. Thing is, he’s often as wrong. He and his sidekick (Bob Carpenter, who really is very good) loved Ronnie Belliard, for instance – going on and on about what a good hitter this guy was. I think Ronnie was hitting about .183 at the time. And they play favorites. They don’t like Alberto Gonzalez (not the attorney general, the second baseman), who’s actually a good, young, up-side guy. But they’re down on him. Thing is, when he started to break out of his slump last week the damage was done. So they treated everything he did as a fluke. You know, I think I have to say something good about Dibble, just to kind of even it up. So here it is: back when the Nats were really suffering (back in April and May) he just let them have it. He was unrelenting. It was ruthless, ugly, articulate, and right on. So I give him that. He’s not a homer. There are long silences during some of these games, in the middle of a sixth inning collapse, and you can actually hear him breathing. And then he’ll say: “Long inning.†Great stuff, really. The really good news is the in-studio guy is Ray Knight, and he’s terrific. A great grasp of the game, a way of putting the viewer at ease, and he can be very outspoken. I like him: he cares about the team, the fans, the viewers. Just an all around nice guy who is always prepared. |
| Thanks again Mark, now onto DirtySanchez and TRS |
| Mark(CFG): I know things look bad now and it’s been a long season. But can you take a look at the bright side? What was the good news for the Mets this year? What surprised you? What was the good news, the unexpected news — the player who exceeded expectations that promises a brighter future? |
| DirtySanchez(TRDMB): Lol not sure there are too many bright sides but here we go. The good news for the Mets is next year, since they did so awful they will have a high draft pick that most likely will be protected. Personally what surprised me is how drastically the defense deteriorated as soon as Randolph left. Have to admit, we played better defense under him and we improved every year. The good news is like the old saying “obstacles in life are opportunities in disguiseâ€. With all the injuries this year, we were able to put players in a position to showcase their talents. We saw Omir Santos, Fernando Nieve,Jon Niese and Bobby Parnell all step up to the bright lights and deliver. Granted Nieve and Niese both ended up with everyone else on the DL but I do not think they would have had the chance if the starters were all healthy. I believe at this point the only player that promises a bright future would be Josh Thole. Thole looked very good in his brief time up here but obviously still needs work. I believe we will see him in the majors sooner than later. |
| Mark(CFG): You have a new stadium and now you have a bullpen. And the NL East is weak. There is a minimal best case scenario for the Mets winning the NL East next year — especially with the Nats, Marlins and Braves in the mix. Can you give a sense of what the Mets could do in the off season that might catapult them into contention next year? |
| DirtySanchez(TRDMB): Well first things first they need a #2 pitcher. Mike Pelfrey has been given the chance to fill this role but obviously he cannot…yet. With the Phillies having the tandem of Hamels/Lee, Marlins with JJ/Nolasco and the Braves with Lowe/Vasquez…we need to be able to trot out a good 1-2 punch. What the Mets in my opinion have going for them to get this accomplished is the fact they play in such a pitchers park. If I were Omar Minaya I would totally use this as a selling point to bring in someone like Lacky. Its no secret AL pitchers do better in the NL. Now couple that with a pitchers park and you have a good foot in the door. |
| Mark(CFG): Who is the one pitcher, this year (obviously, the answer is not going to be Tim Redding — but all of us in Washington could have told you that) who could shine next year — outside of Johan. Is there a guy sneaking around at Triple A who’s the next C.C.., the next Tom Terrrific? |
| DirtySanchez(TRDMB): I unfortunately don’t think we have anybody of the caliber of CC or Tom Terrific in our system. I believe the pitcher that could realistically shine next year would be Jon Niese(if not traded) or Fernando Nieve(if not traded). These two defiantly picked up their game in the majors and had their season cut short due to injury. They should be good to go in ST so it should be interesting to keep an eye on these two. |
| Mark(CFG): There’s no doubt in my mind that David Wright can and will bounce back. If you had to predict the other one player who will also bounce back, who would that be? |
| DirtySanchez(TRDMB):That’s a hard one to judge because David was the only core guy healthy for most of the season. I would guess that Reyes will have a bounce back season next year and this is why. There has been many rumors in the media that Reyes was “milking†his injury. Reyes has come out the media and appeared to take that to heart. I want to say that Reyes will use this as motivation for next season to prove a lot of these media guys wrong…at least I hope lol. |
| Matt P(PP): H Is Jose Reyes on this team next year? What are the Mets fans’ feelings about Jose and his struggles to return from injury. His drive and motivation (and, uhh, baseball intelligence) have been called into question before. Agree or disagree? |
TRS(TRDMB): Yes there are few things for certain in Mets land, however, injuries to Beltran and Reyes actually in my mind assured the core would stay intact for 2010. If they had both been healthy all year and we still missed the playoffs they were both game in my mind. I don’t think you can question his baseball intelligence as he is still developing that as all players do. I can’t speak to motivation or drive because I am not around him only what we see on the field and aside from a few times in which his immaturity has shown I do not recall seeing Jose dog it. I do think his maturity is questionable and because of that he allows talk to go to his head. What bothers me, as I have pointed out at TRDMB is that for 2007 and 2008 he had terrible Septembers. We can blame that on conditioning, coincidence, choking, but that is for sure a concern.
As I felt this year, I believe that next year will be the last for the core unless they win. |
Once again the photographers took the night off for the game… thanks!
