My Q&A with Macho Row

I did a quick Mets and NL East Q&A with the Phillies blog Macho Row.

Here’s a quick sampling…

How hot is the water that general manager Omar Minaya is sitting in? Is the pressure on Minaya to get the team back to the playoffs at a point where this is a make-or-break season?
Sizzling. I'm not sure this is a make-or-break season, but it might be a make-or-break year. If the team stinks it up and then he doesn't go out and get some big names by 2011, he's out.
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What about manager Jerry Manuel? Will Manuel be the manager at the end of the 2010 season?
If Minaya's is sizzling, Manuel's is literally on fire. Manuel could be out in 20 games if they fall flat out of the gate. He's a dead man walking and he knows it too. A lot rides on the beginning of the season. I may as well write up his "obituary" now and just wait to post it.

For the full Q&A, where I discuss Citi Field, Jerry Manuel’s love affair with Jenrry Mejia and more, head over to Macho Row.

Want to poop on the Phillies? [Image]

Um, no comment?

Sent in by Jack W.  Thanks!

Twitter Poll: Mets fans react to Halladay in Philly

With Roy Halladay-to-Philly looking more and more like a definite, I asked my Twitter followers for their reaction to the deal.

Here are some responses…

soxanddawgs (A Red Sox fan): very happy he's out of the AL East

JeffWilponNYM: When did this happen?

darknova306: It makes them slightly better, but they already had the NL East wrapped up before the trade. If they get a short extension…

darknova306 continued: for Halladay, then they've come out a little more ahead. Either way we wouldn't have gotten him, so meh.

gmo418: Phillies 2010 NL East champs (again) and citi will be fairly empty this year.

ncampione: I didn’t think we are gonna win the division anyway so this move just ensures that we will not win

TheRealHoov: upgrade from Lee, but is it minimal? could be great, but its risky to an extent

scratchbomb: seems worse than it is. the trading off of Lee in the same deal makes it a lateral move, in my opinion

YaGottaBKiddnMe: All the Phillies basically did was rename Cliff Lee. This season he'll be called Roy Halladay. So what...

dances_w_vowels: Over a single season, Halladay is probably more consistent but Lee can be a damn good pitcher. It's almost a wash.

Your thoughts?

Potentially bad day for the NL East [Image]

Ugh.

Manuel’s Musing

“Probably ‘til the end of spring training. Then the Mets will take over.”

-Jerry Manuel on how long the Phillies will dominate the NL East

Brian Schneider tearing up the charts [Image]

The Yahoo! Popular Searches chart, that is. Phillies fans are intrigued, I guess.  (Here’s a hint, Philly: Don’t be.)

Found by Doug Bonjour.

Ex-Mets: Brian Schneider signs with Philly

Update – 2:14 p.m.: The contract is for two-years and worth $3 million, according to the Associated Press.

Original Post: According to The Morning Call, the Philadelphia Phillies have signed Brian Schneider.

Schneider had spent the two seasons with the Mets after coming over with Ryan Church from the Nationals in return for Lastings Milledge.

Schneider has already passed his physical.

Will Schneider come out and say, “I’ll always consider myself an Expo, National and a Met” now?

NEW SHIRT: LOLidge [Part II]

This one is just beautiful.

The design was sent to me by David W. Ciccocioppo and I absolutely love it.  Check out these shirts!

Click here to buy this design on a bunch of different designs!

Hilarious front page from the NY Post [Image]

Take some enjoyment away from this, Mets fans…The Nightmare World Series has been good for something.

Twitter Poll: Who do you want to lose in the World Series?

I think it’s too touchy of a subject to ask Mets fans who they want to see win the World Series.  It might be a little gentler to ask them which team they would rather see lose.

So I asked.  Here are some responses…

cutiepie0319k said: the yankees better lose. i cannot deal with their fans in my face anymore.

VivaLMainstream said: Someone needs to demolish the Phillies. I'm gonna have to hide for a week if they win again (Mets fan in Philly = FAIL)

VivaLMainstream continued: The Yankees have had their time in the humility box. Now I need them to start kicking ass again (not too much, mind you)

metsphanatic said: Phillies!

loganpoweredny said: Phillies MUST lose

kayser3373 said: I would much rather see the Yankees lose. Just so their fans will stop squawking.

bosco86 said: would like to see the Phillies get swept and embarrassed by the Yankees.

fscker said: phillies, no question.

realcinch said: phils

davidwakeman said: I was thinking maybe they can cancel this world series.

How about you?  Who would you rather see lose in the World Series?

Mets fans will pull for Red Sox and Dodgers

In my last poll, I asked my readers what team they will pull for in the playoffs.  The Red Sox were the victor over the Dodgers by one vote.  Here are the results…Somehow, the Phillies managed to garner 11 votes.  I’m guessing those were voted for by Philly fans, don’t you think?

Personally, I’d like to see either the Twins or the Tigers win it all, though for Johan Santana’s sake, maybe the Twins shouldn’t win it all.

Next poll: Were the right people fired?

Remember this?

From June 11...

I work for Hunt Construction. I was a foreman at Citi Field. There are 3 Phillies Jerseys buried in the ball park. As a lifelong Phillies fan, I felt it was my duty to jinx the Mets. I'm not telling you my real name for obvious reasons. The jerseys are:

1. Under the Fanwalk bricks.
2. Jackie Robinson Rotunda in the vicinity of the Ticket Office window.
3. Near the vicinity of the '47 Shop near right field.

Maybe Citi Field really is jinxed.

Phillies fan gets revenge for Victorino-beer-toss on wrong team [Video]

When Phillies fans and Mets fans get together, things like this are bound to happen.

When they slow the video down, doesn’t the “Ohhh myyy” sound a lot like Steve Somers?  Or is it just me?

H/T to Deadspin for the video.

Q&A with Phillies Nation on their bus trip to Citi Field

A large group of Phillies fans will be invading Citi Field this Saturday.

Put together by the guys and girl at Phillies Nation, a convoy of buses will make it’s way from Philly to Flushing for Saturday’s night game at Citi Field.  Coincidentally, that’s also the night of the 1969 World Series celebration.

I sent a few questions out to Phillies Nation and Brian was nice enough to answer them for me.  Here’s the quick Q&A… 

The ‘Ropolitans: How did this trip come about?  When was it first planned?

Phillies Nation: We've been doing trips for about four years now, but they've been mostly to DC or Clearwater.  With the Mets' new stadium, the (formerly) heated rivalry on the field, and proximity to Philly, it just made sense.  Plus this is the only weekend this season that the Phils are in Flushing, so that made picking the date easy as well.

T’R: How many fans are you expecting to make the trip to Citi Field.

PN: Phillies Nation has 5 buses coming up from Philly, so that's 250 right there. Then we're planning on meeting up with another 50 or so local fans.  That's just the Phillies Nation crew.  Just in the past three days, I've encountered at least a dozen more people that are going up.  With all the other bus trips and individual friends and family going, I wouldn't be surprised to see 5,000-10,000 Phililes fans for the games on Saturday and Sunday.  We've been averaging around 15,000 fans at Nationals weekend games, but I don't think it would be that overwhelming.

T’R: If you don't know by now, but the Mets are hosting a celebration for the 1969 Mets team. These shirts will be given away.  Do a bunch of Phillies fans going to a 1969 celebration have some hijinks in store?  Going to burn the shirts as an effigy or are they so silly ('69 on a Mets shirt - 15 year old humor) that you'll cherish it forever?

PN: I'm sure there will be a lot of booing, but I doubt my shirt will make it out of Citi Field.  I'll likely use it in place of toilet paper.

T’R: Pedro Martinez is returning to Citi Field to face the Mets, does that mean anything to you?

PN: It doesn't mean a whole lot to me, but I'm sure it does for Pedro.  He didn't have the success in NY as he had in Boston, so maybe he'll have something to prove in that regard.  He still has something to prove to Phillies fans as well.  Although he's looked good on the mound, his two outings have been only 5 and 3 innings.  He has a long way to go before he reaches Cliff Lee status in Philly.

T’R: Luckily for you, you'll get to see the Phillies face Tim Redding, since the Mets released Livan Hernandez.  Does that tickle your fancy at all?

PN: We're pretty familiar with Redding from his days with the Nationals, and he has pitched well against the Phils.  I know Utley hits him well, but he's definitely a solid starter...a decent replacement for Livan, who I certainly enjoyed watching.  Even more so than Redding, I think it will be fun to watch J.A. Happ who is also starting on Saturday.  He's quietly becoming a front-runner for NL Rookie of the Year.

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Thanks to Brian at Phillies Nation for answering all my questions.

And if you’re heading out to Citi Field on Saturday, Mets fans, be prepared for a lot of Phillies fans in the stadium.  And be prepared to out-cheer them during the ceremony.

Hey Mets fans, don’t do this!

You probably don’t like the Phillies.  You probably don’t like Shane Victorino.  You probably don’t like when he catches fly balls at the warning track.

But you should never throw beer (or anything) on a player.  That’s the lowest of the low.

So, Mets fans, please never stoop to this level.  Ever.

Mets fans: Learn to dislike this man, quick!

Link: Phillies land Cliff Lee, reigning AL Cy Young award winner.

Pedro to play phor Philly

Pedro Martinez and the Philadelphia Phillies agreed to a one-year deal, worth $1 million.  There is also a chance for Pedro to earn up to $1.5 million in incentives.

After signing the contract, Martinez was placed on the Phillies 15-day DL with a mild shoulder strain.  This is to allow him to rehab in the minor leagues before making his first start in the majors.

I wrote this the other day and I still stand by it:

Frankly, I don’t care. Mets fans know how he has pitched in the last few years, battling injuries and a fizzling career. Plopping him down in Citizens Bank Park, where he gave up eight home runs in 18 innings is going to be a joy to watch from the Mets perspective.

Sure, I bet Pedro still has something left in the tank. And of course, he’ll outduel Johan Santana if they match up down the stretch, but I’m not going to lose any sleep over this.

Pedro in Philly for physical, will sign if he passes

Free agent Pedro Martinez is en route to Philadelphia for a physical. If he passes the physical, it is being reported that he will sign a contract with the Phillies.

Jayson Stark at ESPN cites a report out of the Dominican Republic that Pedro would sign for a prorated $4 million deal.

Frankly, I don’t care. Mets fans know how he has pitched in the last few years, battling injuries and a fizzling career. Plopping him down in Citizens Bank Park, where he gave up eight home runs in 18 innings is going to be a joy to watch from the Mets perspective.

Sure, I bet Pedro still has something left in the tank. And of course, he’ll outduel Johan Santana if they match up down the stretch, but I’m not going to lose any sleep over this.

From the comments: Update on the Phillies jerseys in Citi Field

Take this with a grain of salt.  First off, we have no idea if the original story is even true, nevermind the update.  Still, it could be real for all we know.  I haven’t heard anything about this, so I’m leaning toward “myth” but read it and make your own decision.

Here’s the original story.

And here’s the comment…

The guy who put the phillies jerseys into the cement at Citifiled got fired last week from Hunt. I didnt agree with what he did but he was a friend of mine through our job. Someone else ratted on him when the story started to spread. They pulled up some of the fanwalk bricks and found one jersey. I dont think they will do the other 2 spots until the season is over. I believe in second chances. He was a good guy who was always willing to lend a hand or money if a guy needed it. It was just a stupid prank. Its not like the foundation was flawed or something like that - I cant believe how mad some people got over this.

Phillies jerseys supposedly buried at Citi Field

How original!  Via MikeFrancesa.com:

I work for Hunt Construction. I was a foreman at Citi Field. There are 3 Phillies Jerseys buried in the ball park. As a lifelong Phillies fan, I felt it was my duty to jinx the Mets. I'm not telling you my real name for obvious reasons. The jerseys are:

1. Under the Fanwalk bricks.
2. Jackie Robinson Rotunda in the vicinity of the Ticket Office window.
3. Near the vicinity of the '47 Shop near right field.

The jinx really seems to be working, considering the Mets are 18-10 at their new home ballpark.

Great job buddy!

Oh yeah, and I’m calling shenanigans on this.  Total shenanigans.