At least the most frustrating Met winter in recent memory is ending on an up note… 

Then again with 9 days till pitchers and catchers that’s more than enough time for our bumbling Mets to screw something else up.

But until they do there are actually some positive vibes thanks to Fernando Martinez leading the DR to triumph as MVP of the Carribean World Series.

I honestly think people are quitting on this kid without giving him a chance. Who cares that he didn’t impress offensively last year - he’s still a baby in baseball terms and with his injuries he’s got even less experience than he should.

Considering Pagan’s penchant dor getting hurt it wouldn’t shock me to find young Fernando starting in CF opening day.  

***

Bravo Mets for naming Mookie Wilson minor league outfield and base running coordinator.

I’m guessing this turns into a roving position after spring training. 

I trust Mookie will advise his young students against wearing sunglasses on the basepaths ( if you get that reference you’re a longtime Met fan)

Mega Props to Na’Orleans Saints for winning the Super Bowl. If you watched football in the 1980’s this is definitely a moment you NEVER thought you’d see.

It gives a Met fan hope that we too can one day win a championship.

Quick Hits SUPER BOWL EDITION:

• WOW! The Saints manhandled the Colts 31-7 after spotting them 10 points

• What a fantastically ballsy call by Sean Payton with the on-sides kick to open the half. If you can pull that off you deserve to win the game.

• Payton was rewarded with what has to be the greatest Gatorade Moment ever. The orange Gatorade bath arrived just as the winning coach was being hoisted onto his team’s shoulders. It was a Hollywood shot.

• You have to think that there’s a small part of Peyton Manning who’s happy to see the Saints win…. Right?

• How awesome is it that the dude who cut a Superdome and Super Bowl Trophy into his head essentially ended the game with an INT returned for a TD

• Good to see local Hofstra product Marques Colston win a ring. Booooo Hofstra for killing their football program

• I was happy to see ex-Jet Jonathan Vilma win. I always liked him.

• Remember when the Super Bowl was always a boring blow out? The big game has really been living up to the hype lately.

• I dug the noise protection headphones on Brees’ young son, but I thought they shoulda put Saints stickers on both sides.

Does anyone else feel the pressure building under Mets? It’s gotten really bad in the past week and what’s worse is Minaya looks like he’s either scared and/or tethered to a short leash.

First Straw ripped them publicly. Then Cliff Floyd airs them out as a dysfunctional clubhouse. Both came on the heels of the JJ Putz debacle creating possibly the most embarrassing week in franchise history.

Make no mistake, this team has a rich history of embarrassing episodes, but 3 public floggings from players within a week is pretty bad. In fact I can’t recall any team across any sport enduring such a bashing from 3 unconnected past players back to back to back.

It feels like the sharks are already circling as the steam builds in the Met pressure cooker. Man, this team better get off to a good start or things are gonna get ugly beyond recognition real fast.

BMF has been accused of being too negative lately and I won’t deny that.

I love this team and root for them with my heart and soul so it infuriates me to see zero positive vibes around “my” franchise.

I stood behind Willie longer than most but finally got sick of his lame schtick and called for his head.

I supported Minaya for longer than I should have but after the Adam Rubin catastrophe I realized Omar cracks under the pressure of this gig and I don’t think the guy operates with confidence anymore.

It doesn’t look like the front office believes in him anymore. Even worse I don’t think he trusts his own instincts these days.

He’s like a batter who’s lost confidence in the box. Or a pitcher who doesn’t trust his stuff anymore. A GM has to be able to move with impunity and trust his instincts in order to succeed.

It’s obvious he’s been relieved of most public speaking duties but what kind of a signal does that send to your GM?

What does it say about ownership if they’d rather implement “Omar Rules” and keep a handicapped GM as opposed to simply eating the contract and moving forward?

Under the circumstances muzzling Minaya is the correct move but it’s a sad indicator the Mets continue to operate a backwards business.

I hate to compare us to you know who, but the Yankees would never hand media duties over to an assist GM – they would simply fire the guy who can no longer do a complete job.

So while I’m looking forward to Spring Training I’m afraid we’re not going to move out from under this dark cloud until there are major changes in the front office.

Thank you Darryl Strawberry for putting these shitty Mets on BLAST for all of us!

You’re a voice that rises above the collective din of bloggers, tv and radio schmucks and all our bitching and moaning about the God awful Mets.

I don’t think ownership is the least bit interested in hearing what we have to say anymore. I’m sure they’ve tuned us all out due to equal parts fear and shame.

But if Darryl Strawberry speaks EVERYONE listens.

Mad Props to Straw cuz its about friggin’ time someone big stepped up and spoke frankly on the state of the Mets.

Straw was the perfect guy to (essentially) issue a public challenge to the Wilpons and the organization as a whole.

And I love how he threw in a reference to the guys across town just to really let everyone know he was serious.

If you haven’t seen it watch the clip. While it may not be as dramatic as I’m making it sound I think the message comes across loud and clear:

Strawberry, like the rest of us, is embarrassed by the state of the Mets, and it’s time for them to get their f’n act together already!!!!!

Thank you Straw for turning the volume up for all of us!

- BMF

Sorry folks but BMF isn’t at all satisfied with the public stance taken by the Mets in response to the ex-player telling us what really went down. JJ pulled the curtian back to reveal more incompetence that anyone had ever imagined.

And that’s quite a feat considering we’re talking about an organization as poorly run as the NY Mets.

The Met statement: 

.“In our review of the player’s medical records in the acquisition of J.J. Putz, we were aware that he had a bone spur before the trade. He had the same condition in 2008 and was able to pitch with it.  J.J. underwent an exam during Spring Training and an additional exam and MRI before he was cleared to play in last year’s World Baseball Classic.  Unfortunately the spur did flare up again in May, and he misMets Need to Clear the Putz Airsed the rest of the season.  We are happy to hear he is feeling well, and wish him success with the White Sox.”

So they’re not refuting the fact that he wasn’t given a physical before the trade was official.

I’m still flabbergasted that a “professional” organization like the Mets can be so stupid/incompetent/arrogant (choose your insult) as to not give a player with a known injury history a physical.

I’m equally horrified to hear that the team is now asking players to lie to the media in an effort to cover the front office’s own incompetence.

Pathetic.  

Someone in the press needs to confront Omar about this on the record. Although my guess is the Mets will try and protect him by making Ricco available to the press next.

***

The above picture is the state of good old Shea almost exactly 1 year ago

Just when you thought last year couldn’t get any worse the friggin’ Mets manage to look like fools all over again as JJ Putz comes clean on Chicago radio.

They really gotta be kidding me with this one. 

In case you missed it, Putz was NEVER given a physical when the Mets traded for him last winter.

Huh???

And if that wasn’t bad enough once the bone spurs in his elbow flared up the bumbling Mets issued a gag order instructing JJ to hide his injury from the media by lying and telling them he’s healthy.

Wha???

I’m almost at a complete loss of words on this one.

In fact I’m really having a difficult time wrapping my brain around the frighteningly high level of stupidity shown by the Mets. 

First of all isn’t a player physical STANDARD PROCEDURE to complete a trade? 

How on earth can a professional organization possibly forget, overlook, or simply choose not to examine a pitcher with a known history of elbow issues???

It just doesn’t make any rational sense.

I’m sorry but someone should lose their job over this one.

I don’t know enough about the inner workings of the front office to say specifically who should be shown the door but this is simply NOT ACCEPTABLE.
 
I’d really like to know who allowed the forgoing of the physical. You’d think responsibility ultimately lies with Minaya since he’s the GM but knowing the Mets they’ve got some cocamamie system in place that makes no sense and doesn’t work.

The thing is you would hope multiple people would speak up regarding the lack of physical such as: Minaya, any assistant GM, Jeff Wilpon, Fred Wilpon, the head of the medical dept…    

And I’m DYING to know which genius was behind the decision to have Putz outright lie about his health. Was it Minaya? Or a Wilpon? I can’t imagine the inept Met PR dept would be given enough autonomy to make that decision but you never know with this backwards ass organization the Wilpons run. 

Of course now that we know the Mets instruct players to lie to the media we’ll never take anything at face value.

This entire organization is a joke.