Tragedy For Former Met Schoeneweis

Scott Schoeneweis

Terrible news for a recent Met, Scott Schoeneweis. His 39-year-old wife Gabrielle Dawn was found dead at the family’s Arizona home, the Associated Press is reporting. The couple has three children together. No cause of death has been determined at this time.

The Mets dealt the reliever in the offseason as part of their remaking of the bullpen. While he didn’t always find success, he pitched through injuries for the Mets and was always willing to take the ball. He surely has quite a few friends remaining on the roster who are undoubtedly thinking of him tonight.

Just an awful situation.

Santana Scratched With Elbow Tightness

He is probably not this pumped up right now. (The Associated Press.)

The Mets have their first moment of panic of the spring.

Johan Santana has been scratched from a Friday start against Italy with elbow tightness. Just what Mets fans wanted to hear.

Now the Mets are downplaying it and Santana told the Daily News’ Adam Rubin that he experiences this kind of tightness every year, and suspects he’s feeling it now because he’s been throwing off the mound every other day in an attempt to prove his knee is fine.

Not sure that’s going to alleviate any fears from Mets fans, but if he makes his next start early next week as planned, everyone can take a deep breath.

Murphy To Be Everyday Left Fielder

The new Murph.

No worries Mets fans, the team has thought twice about that left-field platoon. No, it’s not Manny. It’s Murphy.

As in Daniel Murphy, the second-year player who was thought to be the lefty bat in the platoon with Fernando Tatis now will get the chance to play everyday, if we are to believe Jerry Manuel from this interview with MLB.com’ Marty Noble.

“I don’t want him to get into a strictly platoon situation. I think he’s a little better player than that. Also, with Church being left-handed, I kind of see Murphy being a better hitter right now.”

Umm, so Ryan Church is going into the platoon now?

Clearly if you look at Murphy and Chuch’s numbers you understand what Manuel is looking at. Church had a .725 OPS against lefties, while Murphy put up a 1.162 OPS against lefties. That’s pretty striking. Only one problem: Murphy’s numbers are based on 10 at-bats. That’s right, 10.

Being the lefty bat, Murphy was going to see more at-bats than Tatis anyway, but the Chuch revelation is the strange part. Perhaps this is all a motivation technique for Church.

Or it’s a lot of faith in Murphy.

Mets Lowe-ball Lowe

Is it any wonder that Scott Boras wears black?

Today is the last day of 2008. A lot of people think things automatically change with the changing of the calendar. I don’t know if Scott Boras is one of those people, but he probably should be the way things have gone in the free agent market over the last three months of 2008.

Sure, the Yankees have spent a ton of money this offseason, but that’s about it. Everyone else seems to be bunkering down and looking for bargains. Boras managed to get Mark Teixeira a nice deal by landing him in the aforementioned Bronx, but Manny Ramirez remains a man with no clear destination. And now comes the first real offer from the Mets for Derek Lowe – by all accounts their top free agent pitching target and Boras’ top free agent pitching client. Was it close to the five-year, $90 million he was reportedly seeking?

Umm, no.

Three years, $36 million, says Jack Curry of the New York Times.

As was the case with Francisco Rodriguez, the Mets are finding they might be the only serious bidders for Lowe, and that has them adjusting their offer accordingly. It’s been a scenario we’ve talked about for weeks and it’s only gotten clearer in the last few days. The latest evidence is this piece by the Daily News’ John Harper that says Lowe has told friends that the Red Sox haven’t shown interest and even he believes he will wind up in Flushing.

Now with a Boras client it will never be as easy as one lowball offer and an agreement, but even if the Mets go up a million or two per year, they are still talking about a very reasonable contract, topping out around $40 million. Make that another reasonable contract for the Mets and Omar Minaya.

So as you replace your 2008 calendar with your shiny new 2009 version, it’s fair to also hope for better things on the field in the new year. But until the contract is signed, it’s best to hope that things off the field in 2009 pick up right where they are leaving off in 2008.

Mets Have 50/50 Chance of Unloading Castillo

How much would you pay for Luis Castillo? (The Associated Press.)

Ridiculously under the weather today — and just in time for New Year’s — so please accept this quick entry on a bit of good news regarding everyone’s least favorite second baseman.

In discussing his report on the Mets possibly trading for Andruw Jones, ESPN’s Buster Olney writes that the Mets and Dodgers have not completely closed to door on a deal, but that the Mets definitely want L.A. to take Castillo. (Sorry, but I believe this is an ESPN Insider feature.)

Even if it’s not to the Dodgers, Olney quotes a source as saying there’s a 50/50 chance Castillo will be traded somewhere before the start of the season.

So you’re saying there’s a chance…

Mets Talking About Andruw Jones? (Updated)

Andruw Jones would at least stop hitting home runs against the Mets. Then again he stopped hitting them last season anyway. (Photo by the Associated Press.)

Two years ago, Tony Soprano wanted to talk to the Mangenius. Today, Eric Mangini wants to talk to any team with a coaching vacancy. Things change quickly in the NFL.

They change quickly in Major League Baseball too. Take the case of Andruw Jones, for example.

One year ago, he was a highly sought-after free agent just one season away from a 41-homer campaign. Today, the Dodgers can’t give him away.

Which is what they are apparently trying to do with the Mets.

According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Dodgers and Mets are in trade talks for Jones, and it doesn’t even include them taking back Luis Castillo. This makes very little sense. With Carlos Beltran in the fold, there’s no need for Jones in center, which means the Mets would use him in right, where Ryan Church played last season. And what’s even more enfuriating is the Dodgers want to move Jones and then sign Adam Dunn. I don’t know how many more times I can write this, but why aren’t the Mets interested in Dunn?

But this isn’t a case of Dunn vs. Jones. It’s a case of Jones vs. Just About Anyone. For those of you slept through the 2008 season, Jones bottomed out in his first season in L.A. after signing a two-year $36 million deal. It was actually part of a two-year decline that started in his final season in Atlanta. Here are the bloody details.

2006 ATL — 565 AB, 107 R, 41 HR. 129 RBI, .262 BA, .363 OBP, .531 SLG.
2007 ATL — 572 AB, 83 R, 26 HR, 94 RBI, .222 BA, .311 OBP, .413 SLG.
2008 LAD — 209 AB, 21 R, 3 HR, 14 RBI, .158 BA, .256 OBP, .249 SLG.

This is what concerns me. Olney writes that there is a “perception within the industry that Jones, who played the first 12 years of his career in Atlanta, was just never comfortable with the Dodgers.” OK, then explain the drop-off from ‘06 to ‘07. Actually I could offer an explanation, but it’s nothing good.

And certainly nothing you want to trade for, especially if they’re not willing to take back the Mets’ own aging, underperforming, overpaid player.

Update (11:33 p.m.) — Crisis averted. MLB.com’s Marty Noble debunks the Jones-to-Mets rumors, noting there were discussions at the Winter Meetings that involved Castillo for Jones, but they were short-lived.

Much like this crisis.

Random Thoughts and Updates for Dec. 28

Derek Lowe would look good in Orange and Blue.

It’s looking more and more like the Mets will look for some pitching love this offseason from either Derek Lowe or Ollie Perez.

Through numerous published reports this week, it became clear that the Mets have Derek Lowe as Bachelor No. 1 in their own personal version of “The Dating Game.” Oliver Perez — another Scott Boras client — is the wild, unpredictable type that you might not want to bring home to mom, but is Bachelor No. 2 nonetheless. Randy Wolf is Bachelor No. 3: the distant third who the Mets will really only consider if Bachelors No. 1 and 2 completely blow their answers.

The question, of course, will be, “How much money?”

It’s always the question.

But according to this article by Mike Puma of the New York Post, there is at least some discussion within the organization as to who is the better fit for the Amazin’s. Some favor Lowe’s sinkerball, while others like Ollie’s left hand.

In the end, we all know what will decide it. Lowe’s price. If it comes down, he’ll be a Met. If it doesn’t, it’s time to welcome back Ollie. The Mets will choose their date to the prom based on money.

Something tells me they aren’t the first.

So has the holiday ham been devoured? Have all the packages, boxes and bags been opened? Have all the post-holiday bills been paid? Well, two out of three ain’t bad. And in the meantime, here is the holiday edition of Random Thoughts and Updates.

SNY Shakes Up Mets Studio Show

I miss the TV-head mascot.

Any Mets fan is going to watch more SNY than they might otherwise.

So when the regional sports network shakes up its studio show, it might actually matter to Mets fans. According to Newsday’s Neil Best, Matt Yalloff and Lee Mazzilli are out of the Mets’ pre and postgame shows and Chris Carlin and Bobby Ojeda are in.

Let’s take them one at a time.

Matt Yalloff — Never cared much for him in this role, but he was generally unoffensive. Every once in a while I thought he tried too hard to lead Maz to an answer, especially if it was an answer Mets ownership might like to hear. But for the most part, he was an anchor. Nothing more.

Lee Mazzilli — I liked that Maz brought a credibility of being fresh out of the game to the studio. You knew he had managed against many of the players involved in any given Mets game and that always provided a little more weight to his commentary. I also liked that he was critical of the team at times. There’s nothing worse than watching your team mail in a game and then listen to analysts make excuses for them. I never got that impression from Maz. The one caveat I would offer is when he was critical of the manager, particularly Willie Randolph, you got the sense he might be offering his sales pitch for his next managerial job.

Chris Carlin — An acquired taste to be sure, Carlin is coming to SNY full-time, leaving behind his part-time duties on WFAN. While Yallof really didn’t do much for me, I fear what Carlin will bring to the studio. If you’ve seen him on “Loud Mouths” or listened to his play-by-play for Rutgers on the radio, you know the shtick. He yells a lot. Is that what we’re in store for from the Mets post-game show? Will there be “A Free-For-All in Flushing”? Let’s hope not.

Bobby Ojeda — Who knows? He’s been a pitching coach in the Mets’ system a few years back, so he may some insight from his time there, but being a good analyst isn’t easy.

So generally speaking, I’m a little concerned about this new arrangement at SNY. But like most broadcasts, it will have to be a wait-and-see approach. In the meantime, is anyone upset to see Yallof or Maz go? Is anyone happy to see Carlin get more airtime?

Does anyone not care because they tune in exactly at 7:10 and tune out immediately after the 27th out is recorded?

A Quiet Christmas in Flushing

Hey, Santa earned a little R&R on the slopes. (Photo by The Associated Press.)

Hope everyone is having a nice holiday season. I didn’t get a pony for Christmas. But I did get a Muppet. Seriously.

But while you were celebrating a holiday or just enjoying a day off, the Mets were… well, apparently they weren’t doing much either. Numerous Mets sources, ranging from the mysterious unnamed official all the way up to Omar Minaya himself, told reporters that nothing was imminent on the free-agent front.

Minaya even was quoted in Newsday as saying, “Go enjoy the holiday.”

I assume he meant Christmas and not Boxing Day. (Happy Boxing Day, by the way.)

But there does seem to be some fire where there’s smoke on the Derek Lowe front and it looks like something could happen in the next week. The Daily News’ Roger Rubin confirms that Lowe remains a top priority for the Met.

So hopefully you followed Omar’s advice and enjoyed the holiday. And likewise, hopefully the Mets can get something done with Lowe now that Christmas has passed.

On The Road: Kauffman Stadium

George Brett, or at least a reasonable reproduction of him, stands watch over Kauffman Stadium. (Photo by Steve Feitl.)

On the drive from St. Louis to Kansas City in Missouri, there’s this little place called the Wheel Inn. It’s a diner-ish restaurant with Coca-Cola memorabilia on the walls, a friendly wait staff and a world famous Guberburger. What’s a Guberburger, you ask? Why it’s a hamburger with melted peanut butter of course, and my buddy Brother Mat had to try one this past June 21when he joined the girlfriend and I on our venture to the home of the Kansas City Royals, Kauffman Stadium. After the Guberburger, The K was playing for second place on the list of memorable moments on that day. But it held up well.

Kauffman Stadium opened in 1973 and is currently undergoing major renovations. There was much work going on when we visited this summer, but you get an idea of where the renovation is going, so I’ll be able to note some of the flaws that will be corrected.

Horsehoe seating. Old hat to Mets fans. (Photo by Steve Feitl.)

But first let’s talk about the basics. The K takes the template of the cookie-cutter parks like the Vet and Three Rivers and adds to it. It also builds on the Shea Stadium model as well, as it provides horseshoe seating with an open outfield. You get some of the problems with these parks carrying over to The K. Sightlines are poor in the back of the lower tier, where the upper deck overhangs too far, blocking the path of fly balls. Seats are not realigned to face home plate. And the upper deck is cavernous.

These are all issues that likely just come with the age of the ballpark and the way stadiums were constructed back then. They will likely remain after the renovation, but there are other issues that will be taken care of. But first let’s talk about a few things the circa 2008 ballpark got right.

Water. Lots of water. (Photo by Steve Feitl.)

Like how The K puts its own spin on the traditional ballpark template with the addition of the fountains in the outfield. Think Bellagio fountains on a somewhat smaller scale. The Royals Web site actually claims the “322-foot-wide water spectacular . . . is the largest privately funded fountain in the world.” I haven’t checked into ownership of big fountains throughout the world, but I suppose that’s possible. Either way, the fountains are a great addition to the ballpark experience. They dance between innings, they dance during home runs, they dance when Joakim Soria jogs in from the dugout to the sounds of Guns N’ Roses. Most importantly — like the Citizens Bank Liberty Bell, Great American Riverboat and of course the Shea Home Run Apple — the fountains are a city-specific feature that immediately identifies the ballpark to the television viewer and gives the visitor something they feel they must experience.

Hey look, that is local boy David DeJesus. (Photo by Steve Feitl.)

Also phase one of the renovation included the installation of a giant — and I mean giant — video screen in center. It’s like they dropped an Imax screen in the outfield. This not only offers crystal-clear videos, but has a somewhat dizzying amount of info when the game is in play. Defensive alignments, batting orders and all the stats a fantasy player could want are just some of the elements on this screen. It wasn’t completed when we were there, but the screen now sports a giant Royals crown, making the giant screen another iconic aspect of the ballpark.

The K is also one of several ballparks that has been dabbling in “All You Can Eat” seats. For the first time, we gave these a try and I have to say it lived up to expectations. There is a dedicated food stand that allows you take two items with you each time, anything from hot dogs to nachos to popcorn to bottles of water to fountain soda. The fake cheese has its own dispenser and that’s all you can eat too. Though from my perspective, there’s definitely only so much fake cheese one can handle in a day. But if you wanted to take your soda cup and go fill it up with fake cheese, you could. Can’t say you don’t have options.

Kauffman also sported something I had never seen in other ballparks, where the extended the visiting dugout and made that a special suite for fans. So you literally were watching the game from the dugout. Neat idea. I’m sure it’s popular.

I did not just push down too far on the R key when typing the name Slugerrr. (Photo by Steve Feitl.)

The Royals haven’t given fans that much to cheer about on the field in recent years, so they load up on the fan experiences. Of course they have their own mascot Slugerrr and no that’s not a typo. They also have hot dog races between ketchup, mustard and relish. And I will refrain from the obvious, but corny “catch up” joke in regards to the race. And they have their own singalong. Don’t worry Red Sox fans, it’s not another team doing “Sweet Caroline.” It’s Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places.” Yes, there’s a lot of swaying.

It’s also worth noting that the fan base and clientele at Kauffman Stadium was easily the most family-oriented of any of the ballparks on this summer’s road trip (Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park and St. Louis’ Busch Stadium.) Kids everywhere. So there’s no doubt the mascot and condiment races help when that’s your target demo.

Even Royals Hall of Famers deserve a little more than this. (Photo by Steve Feitl.)

But like I said, there were some things that I thought Kauffman got wrong that will almost assuredly be corrected when The K reopens its gates this spring. First of all the concourses are ridiculously narrow, but there were construction walls around the second level with additional floor space being installed. That will help. They also do a great job of remembering the legacy of Negro League great Buck O’Neil by giving his box seat to a local community leader each game, but if you want to find the Negro League tribute you have to wander into a staircase alcove. Also, the Royals Hall of Fame display is a glorified window display that pales in comparison to the holiday ones at Saks Fifth Avenue. But both of these issues should be resolved when the new K.C. Hall of Fame opens in left field this year — along with some new outfield seating.

Kauffman Stadium -- where fountains spray, fireworks crackle and children dance on screen. (Photo by Steve Feitl.)

And that’s really the message here about Kauffman Stadium. It has some wear-and-tear and some issues that won’t be resolved by even an elaborate renovation. But it has a lot of things that can be — and undoubtedly will be — done better when it reopens this spring. I like any franchise that stays on top of what needs to be done for the fan experience and it seems the Royals have their finger on that pulse. I would love to go back someday and see what they’ve done with the place, post-construction.

But perhaps the best thing I can say is even without the renovations being completed this past summer, I enjoyed my time at The K.

For more photos from my trip to Kauffman Stadium, click here.