Breaking News: Alou, Easley Back

Finally, some actual Mets news.

According to David Lennon of Newsday, the Mets have picked up the $7.5 million option on left fielder Moises Alou’s contract and re-signed injured infielder Damion Easley.

Easley was a great bench presence, so he was a easy decision to bring back. Alou was great when he played, but that wasn’t a lot. This team needs a steady bat though and he provides that. Now they just need to keep him healthy.

Both moves were expected, as I wrote in my Mets obit in early October. So far, so good.

More MLB Drug Woes

Two drug-related stories in the news today.

First, former Met Mike Cameron received a 25-day suspension for failing a stimulant test. The 25-day suspension means A) it wasn’t for steroids and B) it was his second stimulant failure. You would have thought he would have gotten off whatever he was taking after the first failure, but what do I know? Oh yeah, I know this hurts his free agency.

The second story is that the New York Times reported Tuesday that teams get as much as two days notice before “random” drug tests are administered. This is to allow for the appropriate parking and stadium passes to be issued. And, of course, both MLB and the union don’t see the problem with this since there is no proof of players receiving advance notice.

Here’s the deal. If MLB wants to project a proactive image on the performance-enhancing drug issue — something they’ve been slow to do every step of the way — they can’t allow ridiculous loopholes like this to exist. Would it be that difficult to secure passes for the entire season for the testing administers? Of course not, but instead the players — the same players that already have undetectable HGH, boutique labs like BALCO that work everyday to create undetectable steroids and on top of all that, extremely limited testing — now have a potential heads up of what few tests they do take.

In a way, it’s comforting. Summer skipped right over autumn and led right into winter. Gas prices are two dollars higher than they were a decade ago. And “Wild Hogs” is still in the top 10 at the box office for the year. But Major League Baseball will always screw up the steroid issue. At least you can count on that.

The Kid Gets TV Time

It must be a slow news day overseas now that the Giants and “Big JT” have left jolly ole England. Apparently British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was asked if he would follow in his predecessor’s footsteps and voice a cameo on “The Simpsons.” Brown said no, which is disappointing because one could make a strong case that Tony Blair’s cameo was the highpoint of his reign.

While the British prime minister won’t be making an appearance on one funny show, David Wright will make one on another. The Mets third baseman will appear on Wednesday’s episode of “The Daily Show.” It airs at 11 p.m. on Comedy Central, and will be repeated Thursday during the day if you won’t be home in time to set your DVR. “The Daily Show” is always a great watch and host Jon Stewart — a Mercer County product like myself — is as funny as the day is long. If Wright thought it was tough fielding the hot corner, just wait until he’s fielding questions from Stewart.

Wonder if A-Rod and Wright’s willingness to move for the 30 Million-Dollar Man will come up?

Red Sox Sweep

Congratulations Red Sox. You are the champions of one of the worst Major League Baseball postseasons in history. With a 4-3 victory Sunday, Boston completed its four-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies to win its second World Series in four years. But its sweep was also the fifth — yes, fifth~! — in seven postseason series this year. And in one of those non-sweep series, the Yankees lost in four and only really put up a fight against those annoying midges.

So there it is, a tremendously underwhelming postseason is in the books and the Red Sox are champions of the world. For a team whose championship in 2004 was celebrated as the feel-good story of the year — there was even a romantic comedy based around it — this championship came and went with little more than a yawn. Perhaps its the lack of a 80-some year drought. Perhaps its the ever-escalating payroll that turned them into Penguin to the Yankees’ Joker. (They’re both evil villains, but Joker is still more evil… just like the Yankees.) Or maybe we’re all just tired of the Red Sox.

As for the Rockies, this was a tough way to go down, but the reality was they were beaten by a better team and they were only really embarrassed in one game (Game 1). You don’t sweep two rounds of October baseball by just being lucky, but you also don’t win 21 of 22 at any time without some things breaking your way. The Rockies needed to continue to get some of those breaks, but they got very few in the World Series. I thought they would make a fun series out of it so I was wrong. But they never gave up in Games 2, 3 and 4, so they get the recreation soccer award for trying. And the fans in Colorado did a great job the last two nights. I’m not sure many cities would have supported their team like that down to the very last out. That’s got to count for something. Oh yeah, the recreation soccer award for trying.

Bring on the hot stove.

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Am I the only one who thought FOX’s theme to the World Series sounded an awful lot like the theme to Jurassic Park?

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Baseball needs to do something about these long layoffs for teams in between the championship series and World Series. It hurt the Tigers last year. It killed the Rockies this year. I know MLB likes to have the schedule set it stone so they can schedule out of bad ratings nights (Friday), but that’s short-sighted. Because teams are waiting a week or longer to play, they’re getting bad short series that never build to a good rating anyway. If you have an exciting series and a Game 6 or 7, it’s going to do a number no matter what night of the week it’s on. And it’s better to deliver six or seven nights to your advertisers than just four nights, no matter the numbers. Oh, and this is where I have to make the annual plea to start the games earlier than after 8 p.m. on the East Coast. OK, and this is where MLB officials roll their eyes and dismiss it out of hand. Great, let’s move on.

*****

Do you need to know anything else about Alex Rodriguez than the fact that he revealed his intention to opt out of his contract during the clinching game of the World Series. Classless. Simply classless.

*****

And as a pre-emptive strike… No. The Mets should not go after A-Rod.

Who Said This Could Be Fun?

Boy, was that wishful thinking. The 10-5 victory by the Red Sox on Saturday night for all intents and purposes ended this World Series. The Rockies could show some moxie with a Game 4 win Sunday, but does anybody believe they would get by Josh Beckett in Game 5? Of course not, most don’t think they’ll even avoid the sweep tonight. Come to think of it, I’m not sure I do either.

I was a little surprised Clint Hurdle left Josh Fogg in as long as he did Saturday night. The game was clearly getting away from him and a six-run deficit is so much worse than a four- or five-run deficit. Just look at their comeback. As spirited as it was, they only managed to get five runs when they needed six. If they had been able to tie the game off Hideki Okajima they instantly would have changed the course of the game and if they parlayed that into a Game 3 win, we would have a much more interesting series than we do today. Coming up one run short in their comeback likely sealed this series’ fate.

By the way, we all knew David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez would come up big. And there was always the possibility that guys like Mike Lowell and Kevin Youkilis would beat the Rockies. But Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury? The Rockies are losing this series because in two of three games, they haven’t got the pitching, but guys like Pedroia and Ellsbury sure aren’t helping.

Well since there’s not much else to say about the World Series, I’d like to offer you some Yankee talk (yes, even in my Mets blog) because what’s going on crosstown is fascinating these days. I penned a feature-length column for the Sunday Review page today in the Home News Tribune that you can read here or in the text I’ve pasted below. It’s about the botched start of the Hank and Hal Steinbrenner regime and the somewhat understandable reason for it.

Check it out. It’s more exciting than the World Series.

Hank, Hal stumbling at start
By STEVE FEITL
Published Oct. 28, 2007

A legacy is a tricky thing to protect. Especially when it’s someone else’s legacy.

Just ask Hank and Hal Steinbrenner.

Their father, George Michael Steinbrenner III, has been one of the most colorful characters in a city not lacking in colorful characters for close to 35 years. His tenure as Yankees owner has seen 10 pennants, six championships and countless back-page headlines. There’s been Reggie and Billy. Winfield and Spira. Jeter and the clubs.

No matter the situation, the man they call “The Boss” has always had something to say, whether it be to a reporter, his spokesperson or a studio audience at “Saturday Night Live.”

But as Steinbrenner’s voice has grown quieter in recent years, the rumors of his failing health have grown louder.

That’s why it was interesting to hear what the 77-year-old had to say to reporter Ian O’Connor during the AL Division Series. If the Yankees didn’t advance, then-manager Joe Torre likely would not be retained. It was a glimpse of the “old” Steinbrenner — the man who spoke his mind and called the shots as he saw them, differing opinions be damned.

We all know what happened next. An ace didn’t pitch like an ace. A captain didn’t play like a captain. A MVP didn’t play like a MVP. And we learned about the existence of midges. It all added up to another first-round exit for the Yankees. So clearly — for better or worse — Torre was on the way out.

Only one problem.

Steinbrenner is no longer the only voice in the room. Whether it be due to deteriorating health or simply a well-intentioned succession plan, Hank and Hal are now front and center in the Yankee hierarchy and the decision on Torre was a group decision.

“The Boss” has become a vote.

But his vote was made public before the Yankees’ season had even ended. So if Torre remained, the public would know Steinbrenner’s declaration was nothing but the ravings of a man no longer in power. And no son wants that image to color their father’s legacy.

We’ll never truly know what Hank and Hal’s view on Torre was and if the one-year deal featuring a pay cut and “motivating” incentives was meant to bring Torre back or chase him away. But we do know the end result. Torre is out, just as the patriarch predicted.

History will show Steinbrenner called out Torre and when he didn’t answer, he was gone. Just like old times.

Legacy preserved, right?

Not so fast. There’s still the matter of the vacant managerial post. Two former Manager of the Year winners are among the candidates, but the smart money is on the inexperienced Don Mattingly, because he’s the man “The Boss” anointed as the heir to the managerial throne years ago.

Again, maybe Mattingly is the choice of Hank and Hal as well. But even if he is, it will still be viewed as the likely final piece to their father’s legacy.

Of course, with all this work putting the final touches on their father’s legacy, they haven’t paid much attention to their own. And with the messy departure of a popular manager, a few controversial quotes to the media and still no manager, it’s off to a heck of a start.

Down By Two, Five to Play

Well we’re exactly where I thought we’d be after the two games in Boston. Just got here completely differently than I thought. I expected the Rockies to be down two games heading back to Colorado. But I thought both games would be competitive. Only one was. And I thought Game 2 would be a slugfest. Three total runs crossed home.

The biggest issue is I expected Curt Schilling to be utterly hittable… and I think he was. (Thanks to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com for this next stat.) Schilling only threw five swing-and-miss strikes all night. That means the Rockies were making a heck of a lot of contact in his five-plus innings. They just weren’t getting hits. Unfortunately those are the kinds of things you say about losing teams.

And speaking of losing teams, the Rockies have now lost two straight games. That’s more in two nights than they lost for the previous month-and-a-half. How they handle this adversity and react to returning home to their rabid fans will color the rest of this series. We know they have no problem playing must-win games and making up a deficit. Right now it looks bleak. But a win Saturday and this series takes on a whole different feel.

Like I said, this is exactly where I thought we’d be. This series still has potential.

Auspicious Start

There was a moment — however scant — at the top of the second inning when I thought to myself, “This is going to be a fun World Series.”

The thought came seconds after the Colorado Rockies answered Boston’s three-spot in the first inning with a run of their own. The Red Sox then led Game 1 of the World Series by just a 3-1 tally and the Rockies had gotten to postseason terminator Josh Beckett, despite five strikeouts for the first five outs. After all, no one really expected the Rockies to win Game 1 against Beckett. They just needed to work off the rust and have a good feeling heading into Game 2 Thursday. Like I said to myself at that moment, it looked like it was going to be a fun World Series.

Of course that was followed by seven innings of the most boring baseball possible as the Red Sox got back the run in the second and blew the game open in the fourth and fifth, cruising to a 13-1 victory. It still could be a fun World Series, but it will have to come in spite of Game 1.

As I theorized in my WS preview, this series will be decided by Colorado pitching and they got next to none in Game 1. Jeff Francis looked terrified out there. Seriously terrified. Like he was deathly afraid of clowns and had just spent a week at Circus, Circus in Las Vegas. That terrified. Of course, if I had to explain a second-pitch homer to Dustin Pedroia, I’d be pretty scared too. And it only got worse from there. Franklin Morales threw gasoline on the fire and Ryan Speier’s next strike may be his first. Thirteen runs in four and two-third innings. But hey, after that everything was great.

If the Colorado pitchers kept it close or even if the Rockies offense managed more than six hits, there would have been the possibility of some good feelings heading into Game 2. That’s pretty much impossible now. The only thing the Rockies can cling to is the fact that 13 runs still only got the Red Sox one win.

And the Rockies one loss.

Your World Series Has Come

There are crickets chirping at the CitiBlog these days. That’s because the only Mets-related news to come across my desk in the last week was an e-mail from my old man with a link to this clip on YouTube. It documents Mr. Met’s attempts to cope with the Mets’ shocking collapse, as envisioned by the staff of “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.” Poor fella.

So yes, that’s it for your Mets coverage today and I can’t imagine it getting any better until November rolls in. So while the Mets are silent and Yankees fans wish the Yanks were as well, we have a World Series to talk about. And truth be told it should be a good series. The Red Sox getting there is anything but a surprise, but the Rockies did a lot of things incredibly well over the last 45 days or so.

Of course, selling World Series tickets is absent from that list. Talk about a franchise having some growing pains. First they plan to sell tickets online and at box offices, but then decide to go online only to ensure it’s fair. And when the tickets go on sale, the system crashes why? Because people were trying to get their unfair share. Well they finally got it done Tuesday with 80 percent of tickets going to Colorado zips, so I suppose all’s well that ends well. Let’s just hope Hannah Montana never decides to play Coors Field. They might crash the whole Internet.

But then again, I guess we can’t fault the Rockies for complicating the whole ticket process. They haven’t had much to do for the last week. Sweeping the D’backs in the NLCS meant the Rocks got a near-record eight-day layoff going into tonight’s Game 1 of the World Series. How will that effect the destiny darlings? Let’s take a look at my prediction to find out. I got the winner of the NLCS right, though I was too generous to the D’backs in the number of games they’d last. Then again, that’s a hell of a lot better than I did in the first round. So let’s try to end this season strong.

WORLD SERIES: Colorado Rockies vs. Boston Red Sox — In more than a century of World Series, only seven teams have had layoffs as long six days and their ultimate record in those series is 4-2. Not too shabby. Perhaps history is on the Rockies’ side. Hold on there, the most recent team to have that kind of layoff is really recent — as in last year and those Detroit Tigers are one of those two losers, putting forth a sloppy, disjointed effort in falling easily to the St. Louis Cardinals. Rest is rest and after a 162… excuse me, 163-game season… the Rockies undoubtedly enjoy any chance they get to rest their aching muscles. But for a team that was on such a roll, an eight-day layoff has to take some of buzz off their Rocky Mountain High.

But it’s doubtful this series will be decided to something as abstract as how a team react to time off. It will come down to what it always comes down to: Pitching. If the Colorado squad continues to get the kind of pitching it’s received of late, this is going to be a heck of a series. Because the Red Sox are a patient bunch at the plate and they’ll need to have a command of the strike zone if they expect to get past the likes of Papi, Manny and Lowell. Thus far in the playoffs, that hasn’t been a problem for the Colorado starters and certainly not their relievers. The Colorado bullpen has an 11-0 record and 2.26 ERA over its last 22 games. I don’t care if you send Mighty Casey, Roy Hobbs or Sidd Finch to the plate, that kind of bullpen efficiency is going to yield a lot of wins. Can it keep it up? That might well decide the series.

Because the $143-million Red Sox are October battle-tested and on a mini-roll of their own, winning the final three games of the ALCS to vanquish the pesky Indians. And they’ve got some good pitching of their own with Josh Beckett and his impressive postseason resume leading the way. The Sox dodged a bullet by not using him in relief in Game 7 and that means he’s ready for maximum work in what could be a long series. Not good news for the Rocks. But if you’re looking for good news, look no further than the fact that the other Boston starters are unquestionably hittable — Tim Wakefield so much that he got the ax from the postseason rotation and will be replaced by Jon Lester. But as long as Boston doesn’t lose its mind and pitch Eric Gagne, the Boston bullpen is a worthy foe.

What does all this add up to? A series that favors the Red Sox on paper. Luckily for the Rockies, it’s played on a field, but the deciding games will likely be played on Boston’s field. That could be enough of an edge. PREDICTION: Red Sox in 6.

For what it’s worth, I’ll be actively rooting to get that one wrong.

The LONG-Awaited NLCS

Have you ever been to a long concert with multiple opening acts? You know how you feel when that first opening act finishes up its half-hour set and the roadies are on the stage? You realize it takes time to change out drum kits and tune guitars, but you also know you have another opening act to get through before you even get to the headliners and it just seems to be taking forever. That’s what it’s like in Metsland right now.

It just seems so eerily quiet while we wait for the championship series and World Series to reach their conclusion. And I fully admit, it doesn’t make much sense considering the Mets have had similar waits for six of the past seven seasons. But this year it just seems to be taking excruisiatingly long. Perhaps it’s because the Yanks and Phils both made the postseason so the Mets were the only local team sitting out or maybe it was such a horrific collapse that there seems to be a greater importance on wiping the slate clean. Whatever the reason, I feel like we’re in that long concert setting and I just hope these series don’t break out the “Freebird.”

Of course, I actually think the NLCS will, because I think this has long, competitive series written all over it. Both teams are riding — or at least were riding — a positive wave of momentum going into the extended break this week. Both won their respective series in impressive fashion. And both have played the underdog roles to perfection. The only problem is now one team has to be the favorite. According to most oddsmakers, it appears to be the Rockies, which makes sense considering they haven’t lost a game since Jim and Pam confirmed their relationship on “The Office.”

Is that who I favor in this NLCS? Well, first of all, I went 0-for-2 with my predictions for the first round, so I’m not exactly exuding confidence here. But, I was the over/under champ this season and I’m over .500 with my weekly NFL picks, so I have some clout hopefully.

Colorado Rockies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks — The Rockies will benefit from greater home-field advantage as they are a great hitting team in a great hitting park, so I think the key will be whether the D’backs can protect their own home park. You would suspect they’d be able to in Game 1 with Brandon Webb on the hill, but anything after that could be up for grabs. If the Rockies can steal either of the first two games, I think they stand a great chance at having multiple opportunities to eliminate the D’backs. And Arizona can’t pitch Webb in all those games. PREDICTION: Rockies in 6.

We’ll see what happens, starting tonight.

Catching Market Narrows

Things just got a little tougher for teams expecting to sign a free-agent catchers Tuesday — pool that very well may include the Mets. The Tigers picked up the option on Ivan Rodriguez’s contract, ensuring he’ll stay in Detroit for 2008 at a cost of $13 million.

This means two things: 1) The Yankees budget just went up a few million if they intend to hold on to Jorge Posada (and they do) and 2) Omar Minaya can’t overpay for an aging catcher anymore. Because we all know I-Rod would have been an acquisition Minaya would have loved to make. And the Mets are probably better off without him… at least not on a multiyear inflated contract.

And aside from Posada, the other big winner here is Paul Lo Duca, who wants to return to the Mets. They may want him back a little more today than they did yesterday.

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Meanwhile, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the sad, sad ending to the Philadelphia Phillies’ inspirational 2007 campaign (note the dripping sarcasm). I’ve been hounding my Philly correspondent Mark Spivey to write me his obit on the season. I figure it’s the least he could do for you, my loyal readers.

So let’s see his take on the tragic events surrounding the Phillies:

If your team has to be swept out of the first round of the MLB postseason, it should be because some big name (think: Albert Pujols, Alfonso Soriano, etc.) had a lights-out series. A big-time player does big-time things at big times. You tip your cap, swig a few beers in mourning, and move on.

But Kaz Matsui?

This is gonna take way more than a few beers.

Arguably the two biggest hits of the Philadelphia-Colorado series came from the very guy who wilted under the bright New York lights, who was vilified by Mets fans almost upon his arrival for an unreasonable contract and consistent inconsistency, who apparently didn’t know how to reach base without an awkward-looking slap bunt. But a grand slam in Game 2, an RBI triple that got past a sprawling (well, more like stumbling) Pat Burrell in Game 3, and that’s all she wrote.

It’s gonna be a long offseason.

But being as this might be my last post until the Phils either surge to another division pennant or get one handed to them by some unnamed team’s late-season swoon, I might as well give my recommendations to management.

- The lineup’s in good shape. I would re-sign Rowand if we can afford him and just look for a nice consistent bat to come in off the bench. Assuming Burrell can play the way he did over the second half of the season for the next few years, I’d be more than happy seeing Rollins-Victorino-Utley-Howard-Rowand-Burrell for the foreseeable future. The No. 1 offense in the league doesn’t need much tweaking.

- The relief pitching, which jelled down the stretch, doesn’t need too much work either. Gordon’s expiration date is fast approaching if it isn’t already here, but Madson (who was having a career year before getting injured late), Romero, and Myers represent a more than acceptable 7-8-9 option. Maybe an extra arm for middle-inning relief, and that’s all we really need.

- The starting pitching is an abomination. I have to assume Moyer’s done being as he’ll be 45 next year. The Freddy Garcia Experiment imploded in our faces. Lieber was a joke. Hamels is our No. 1 for the next 15 years, but Kyle Kendrick is not a No. 2 pitcher. He’s a great 4-5 option, but we have enormous holes to fill at No. 2 and No. 3.

There you have it. To all them Mets fans out there, we’ll see you next season, when I’m sure both our teams will look a bit different.

Here’s hoping the Eagles/Flyers/Sixers can do something real soon, or else we’re talking a long winter.

Well Mark, there’s more good news. The Phils gave Charlie Manuel a two-year extension Tuesday. Oh wait, that’s good news for the rest of the NL East. Sorry Mark.