Breaking News: Benitez Gone

You thought Carlos Delgado’s 12-inning shot Tuesday only ended an exciting game?

No, no, no. It ended Armando Benitez’s San Francisco career.

According to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle, the Giants have traded their embattled closer to the Marlins. Any Mets fan who paid attention to the early years of this decade understands the overwhelming need to rid your team of Benitez. But that same Mets fan probably takes great pleasure in knowing it was the Mets that put the final bullet in his latest stop.

But the news gets even better. If Benitez had stayed in San Francisco, the Mets only could’ve faced him again this season in the playoffs. Now they get nine more potential shots at the fragile fireballer.

And like I wrote Tuesday, it’s always good to see Armando.

Outfield of the Willing

Perhaps it’s time to hold a mixer so all the Mets outfielders can get to know each other a little better.

And when I say “all the Mets outfielders” what I really mean is the handful of guys on the team that can catch flyballs and walk without a limp. The criteria had to be lowered once Carlos Beltran ran into another player (he has a penchant for that… just ask Mike Cameron) and left the game with a bruised knee. Of course, Moises Alou and Shawn Green are already on the DL, so that left the Mets with an outfield of Ben Johnson, Carlos Gomez and Endy Chavez. It’s getting to the point where the Mets might need to trade back for George Foster.

Thankfully, the Mets can absorb a lot of these injuries if they continue to get pitching like they got tonight. Orlando Hernandez looked awful to start, but then settled in to throw a gem. Really, outside of that disasterous start against the Nationals, Duque has been masterful whenever he’s been around to take the mound. As I wrote last week, if this is the trade-off for his time off, I’ll book his vacations for him. (As long as he pays, of course.)

Other than the Duque performance, the Mets also frustrated Matt Cain with a slew of infield singles and deflected balls. Especially with the tortoise-like Green and Alou out of the lineup, the Mets are a ridiculously fast team. Well, at least they’re faster than Barry Bonds “running” to first…

Another series win. Another outfielder down. Maybe the Mets can try to broker one of those Little League deals where both teams decide to field less players. Where’s the D’backs’ sense of fairness?

Mota Thoughts

When Brad Hennessey came on to face the Mets in the bottom of the ninth, it eliminated the last compelling storyline of the game — whether Armando Benitez would implode yet again.

Without that, perhaps the most interesting angle was the return of Guillermo Mota from his 50-game steroid suspension. Much was made in the last few days about how the Mets fans couldn’t boo Barry Bonds but welcome back Mota like a returning champion. I always thought it was a bit premature to assume the Shea faithful were going to throw a party for Mota when he was called in from the pen.

And from what I’ve heard, it was.

The newsroom television was turned to the Yankee game when Mota first took the mound, so I haven’t heard it with my own ears, but every account I’ve read says he was met with a mixed reaction. That was, of course, until he threw two scoreless innings of relief.

And really, that’s where this story goes from here. As we’ve seen in San Francisco with Bonds and right here in New York with Jason Giambi, fans are going to cheer their guys when they succeed. Mota got his mixed reaction the first time out. Now he gets cheered when he’s good.

And he’ll damn sure get booed when he’s bad.

Shutout Shenanigans

Is there a consensus on the most embarrassing moment of Robert De Niro’s acting career? There haven’t been all that many, but if I were to choose one, it would have to be singing to the damn cat in “Meet the Parents.” It was intentional, but still tough to watch. Certainly a far cry from “Goodfellas,” “Raging Bull” and “Taxi Driver.”

I bring this up because the little furball’s name in the movie was Mr. Jinx. And I’m just wondering if that’s a nickname I’m treading dangerously close to attaining.

After all, it was just two days ago that I wrote about how the Mets were one of only four teams left in Major League Baseball to escape the shutout this season.

And then there were three.

The Mets suffered their first shutout of the season tonight at the hands of Barry and the Giants. No not that Barry, though Barry Bonds did score one of the runs. Instead, it was Barry Zito shutting down the Mets’ bats, scattering six hits and a walk over seven innings. It was Zito’s second win over the Mets this season. Let’s hope it’s his last, considering the only the way the Mets can face him again is in the playoffs.

But just like that, the Mets are no longer among the league’s run-scoring locks.

I would have thought for sure they would have outlasted the Orioles.

Fifty-Game Fortunes

Everyone has their own benchmarks for getting a read on a season. A lot of people use June 1. Some people wait all the way until the All-Star break. I’m not sure I really have a set checkpoint, but I know it was damn near August before I was willing to write off the Braves last season.

But 50 games isn’t a bad threshold either and that’s what Kevin Devaney Jr. used at our sister paper Journal News’ Mets blog site yesterday and discovered something rather interesting.

With their spectacular win over the Giants last night, the Mets upped their record to 33-17 through 50 games. Only two Mets teams have gotten off to faster starts and one actually matched that pace.

1986 — 35-15.
1988 — 34-16.
1972 — 33-17.
2007 — 33-17.

Those years should mean a little something to longtime Mets fans. The 86 team, of course, was the Mets’ last world championship, while 1988 probably should have been. And 1972 was the year before the Mets went to the dance and smack-dab in the middle of the Mets’ first run of respectability that started in 1969. So the Mets are in good company with two teams that finished with fine records and one that finished above .500.

1986 — 108-54.
1988 — 100-60.
1972 — 83-73.
2007 — ??????.

Extra Innings, Extra Blogging

Since it went into extra innings, I’m doing some extra blogging.

It seems like a lifetime ago, but this game started as a nifty little pitching duel between Oliver Perez and Tim Lincecum. Though in the top of the first, that seemed like the least likely outcome. Somehow Bad Oliver resurfaced from his month-long vacation and nearly ruined the whole night. Thankfully, the Mets were able to subdue him in between innings and sent out Good Oliver the rest of the way. He’d love to have back that pitch to Daniel Ortmeier (doesn’t he play hockey?), but the Mets don’t stand a chance if he doesn’t settle down after the first. And besides, how can you stay mad at a guy who jumps over the baselines?

Other random thoughts:

* Strange that a Barry Bonds-related game features nearly all its scoring via the home run and he’s not responsible for any of it.

* The game was on a lightning-fast pace, though that won’t be remembered with that gaudy 3:51 showing up in the box score. Extra innings will do that to you.

* I believe the hype for Lincecum. Avid readers will recall I mentioned him as a possible contributing factor in selecting the Giants as an over. He’s better than I thought he’d be… and sooner.

* How many times did you think this game was over? And I’m not even talking about the cocky, “we’re gonna win” way. I legitimately thought the game had reached its official conclusion on three different occasions. I thought David Wright had won it with a homer, but it only reached the top of the wall. I thought he was gonna score on Julio Franco’s single, but Omar Vizquel not only saved the run but also ended the inning with his little gem. And then I thought Randy Winn had misplayed Wright’s liner to center with the bases loaded, but he recovered. Hell, my mood changed more times tonight than Harry Osbourne’s did in “Spider-man 3.”

* No matter how many times you see it, does the mosh pit ever get old?

It’s Good To See Armando

This game was supposed to be about the New York fans and Barry Bonds. It just didn’t work out.

But Plan B was just as good.

The game will be remembered as another opportunity for Armando Benitez to implode on a national stage. As usual, he seized the moment and found a new method for blowing games. Balks. Two of them to be exact.

I think I have a nuanced view of the former Mets closer. I kind of see him as the high-maintenance ex-girlfriend (or boyfriend, as the case may be). You try to be mature and polite when talking about them and maybe even wish them well in their new relationship. Chance meetings usually end with something along the lines of, “It’s good to see you again.” But eventually, you catch a glimpse of all the reasons you’re no longer together and you just think to yourself, “Wow, I’m glad I don’t have to deal with that anymore.”

Suffice it to say, I’m glad Armando and the Mets broke up.

But it was really good to see him again.

To Boo Or Not To Boo

By now you’ve surely read or heard numerous reports about how the Shea faithful is expected to treat Barry Bonds this week during the Giants’ visit. And just as surely, you’ve seen numerous columns or commentaries calling Mets fans hypocritical for booing Bonds and cheering Guillermo Mota — the exiled Mets reliever whose 50-game steroid suspension is set to end tomorrow.

First of all, I’m not so sure Mota is going to receive a hero’s welcome in Flushing, but even if he does, does that make Mets fans hypocritical? I guess, but the sad reality is any baseball fan that boos Bonds for using steroids is guilty of the same crime. Does anybody still believe they haven’t cheered a steroids user at some point in the past decade? It’s time to come to terms with that one.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t boo Bonds. I would absolutely boo the future Home Run King for a laundry list of reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with steroids. Bonds is just a generally unlikeable ballplayer. As if we didn’t already have five years worth of examples, Bonds provided yet another reason today. Dozens of media members descended on Shea this afternoon to get a word with Bonds, as is customary on the first day of each road series the Giants play, only to learn that not only will Bonds not play, Bonds won’t speak.

And then there’s the story that broke yesterday that Bonds is not offering any of his memorabilia to the Hall of Fame. I haven’t been to Cooperstown in years, but apparently there’s nothing from his 500th home run or from when he passed Babe Ruth for second on the all-time list. There’s not even anything from when he broke Mark McGwire’s short-lived season record. And from the looks of it, there won’t be anything from his conquering of the greatest record in all of sports.

Bonds would tell you he’s acting like such a jerk because he’s been picked on. I’m telling you I’m picking on him because he’s acting like such a jerk. Which came first? Like the chicken and the egg, it probably just doesn’t matter. The end result is the same.

Boo!

Semi-Breaking News: Green to DL

In news that is not shocking but still not widely reported as of yet, the Mets have placed Shawn Green on the disabled list to rest his broken bone in his foot, according to Ed Coleman of WFAN. He told Mike & the Mad Dog an hour or so ago that Ben Johnson, as expected will take his place until Moises Alou returns from the DL — likely later this week.

The bottom line is the Mets have been able to juggle these fairly minor injuries at the same time that key pieces such as Carlos Delgado and David Wright have struggled. The Mets have been really fortunate in that regard. You hate to keep tempting fate, but for now I don’t think this will greatly impact the Mets, especially since the aforementioned Delgado and Wright have shown signs of snapping out of it.

The real question is whether Green gets to grow his hair out while he’s out?

Mets Score Runs

Happy Memorial Day to you loyal readers out in this blogosphere. I’ll save the speech about remembering our servicemen because obviously anyone savvy enough to cheer for the Mets of New York Town are intelligent enough to show proper respect. And I hope the beach was nice too.

On this holiday, there’s no real baseball news coming from the Mets since MLB inexplicably decided to sideline one of its marquee franchises on a traditional baseball day. So instead, I’ll present a statistic that should bring a smile to all supporters of the Amazin’s.

According to Marty Noble in his Mets mailbag, there are only four teams in MLB that have not been shut out this season.

One is the division rival Philadelphia Phillies. No surprise there. Any Phillies team that gets shut out in that bandbox where they play half their games should be immediately disbanded.

Two is the Detroit Tigers. With their ridiculous offense and the unbelievable resurgence of Magglio Ordonez, again no surprise.

Three is the Baltimore Orioles. How? I don’t know. I guess every team needs some positive to boast about.

And the fourth team that has yet to be shut out this season is none other than the Atlanta Braves… wait, that’s not true. No, of course, it’s the New York Mets. (Why else would I drag this out?) As I wrote yesterday, the Amazin’s have surpassed expectations in many ways and this is just another example of that.

A closer examination of the schedule reveals the Mets have only been held to one run on five occasions, which of course included two losses to the damn Braves. But they did manage to win one of those games — the 1-0 triumph over the Nationals on April 29.

It’s not an earth-shattering stat or anything. But it is just a little more good news for Mets fans everywhere. Enjoy the rest of the holiday.