Matsui Takes Wagner Yard

Not to take a cheap shot at Kaz Matsui, but remember that many athletes have break out years during the final year of their contracts.

Where did you hear this from? If this is true, I'm so happy for my favorite player, Kaz Matsui! But did Wagner throw a batting practice pitch? Or his 95 plus fastball?

Lots of guys do well in their walk year, so we will see. I doubt Wagner was throwing heat this early, but Randolph pointed out that pitchers are usually ahead of hitters right now. The homer is a nice sign, but Kaz has his work cut out for him. They are giving Boone a fair shot at the job, too, and both are working out together with the starting infielders.

Kaz brought his personal trainer with him, knowing that in MLB, getting in shape before training begins helps a lot. I feel he is trying to change his image that he is not "injury prone."

Willie R. once again has been given players that should make the Mets strong conteners. However, the Mets have been dumped on again by Yankee owner George S. by him saying, "The Yankees will win it all in 2006." Very bold statement at this time of year.

Kaz's home run off wagner is nothing to shout about. I think the Mets are more concerned about Pedro M's toe.

Some Mets brass are pining for Boone to return to his old form. His swoon was worse than Kaz's. Two guys with something to prove. Watch out!

I don't feel good about Pedro's toe - it's mashed. Lot's of cortisone and Novocaine, I predict.

As for George, he is turning into a somewhat confused coot. I think he was talking about the Staten Island Yankees (low A ball), or maybe his hometown Tampa Yankees (high A). Surely not the fallen NY Yankees.

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE,THE MORE THEY STAY THE SAME....DURNING WIND SPRINTS KAZ M GOT A LAME LEFT LEG AND ASK FOR THE REST OF DAY OFF.....LEFT COMPLEX FAST,...KIDS FROM NY AREA ON SCHOOL VACATION BOOED HIM.....STAY TUNE FOR NEXT CHAPTER......" BASEBALL
AMERICA TODAY "
The more things change, the more they stay the same.

During wind sprints, Kaz M. got a lame left leg and asked for the rest of the day off, left the complex fast, and kids from the New York area on school vacation booed him. Stay tuned for the next chapter.

"Baseball America Today"

Really? Oh brother.

Dude, I think you better post a better link to that report. Rotoworld, who are usually pretty current, has nothing on Kaz. H. Matsui is nursing a bum knee.

Let's get some corroborating evidence before buying into this report.

I now challenge the veracity of that report. Kaz played an intra-squad game today. Mets.com reports these absences today:

Absent with leave: Bret Boone had the day off from camp to tend to business. ... Steve Trachsel, who has felt ill since arriving in Florida, went home early Tuesday. ... Second-base wannabe Jeff Keppinger, who's returned after having his aching back examined, has been told to take it easy for a few days. "They didn't find anything wrong, and I feel fine, but they told me to low-key it," he said.

And Boone just called it quits.

Bret Boone's career is no more, Boone announced his retirement today [MLB.com]. It leaves Kaz Matsui, Jeff Keppinger, and Anderson Hernandez to fight for the position.

It wasn't Kaz Matsui, it was Hideki Matsui that got injured.

No, it was not the NYY Matsui. His was due to scar tissue. Kaz's report had to happen on Tuesday, February 27, 2006. Baseball America comes on in my area at 7:00 pm. I also checked with WFAN radio New York on Friday, March 3, 2006 about the report. Their item from the New York Mets' week reports was Boone, and Pedro's toe. Baseball America sometimes ties in stories from listeners. Lots of callers from the New York area, especially Long Island.

On the Bob Robertson's Met Talk (radio), he talked to Willie R. about the last games with the Cards. Willie R. was happy with Xavier Nady and Yusaku Iriki in those games. Fans had rubber feet with ideas for Pedro's toe. Medicine savle and burning of feet to rid pain in his toe.

One sign had Big K. with a red-line-in-circle going 7 O'clock to 10 O'clock. Robertson thought it had something to do with strikeouts. No, so these crazy Mets fans were showing their frustration with Kaz, who went 0 for 7 and struck out twice against the Cards.

Willie R. said the game with the Nationals today will be a look for running abilities.

Willie R. was quoted in the Daily News that he expects Kaz to be the starting second baseman for the Mets, although there is a competition at that position. Cut the guy some slack. They have been playing competitvely for less than a week this spring.

Iriki pitched two nice innings yesterday and, yeah, Kaz had an error. He had also missed a blppoper that could have possibly been caught earlier in the week, but he also singled and ran well (and not out of the stadium as you reported).

Ed Kranepool, the March 26, 2006 New York Post, page 87 - read it and weep. Us New York Met fans don't make things up. Words used by the GM - that Kaz is not tenacious - we suspected his all the time. Maybe you'll believe me when I tell you that Willie R. is just a nice guy and doesn't know how to judge talent, especially his own team.

[Editor's note: There appears to be a word or phase missing. His what was suspected?]

I only have access to the web page, but its all pretty much there - except another one of your ficticious reports. Omar would not say that and allow himself to be quoted, even if he thought it. You are right, though, Mets fans DON'T make things up.

As far as Willie not being a judge of talent, that's funny. He has been an observer for years and he knows what a second baseman should do. Indeed, he has been on record since he joined that Kaz has work to do to be a good second baseman, a position Randolph knows well.

I don't know why you see glee in Kaz's injury. It is at the point where you have to feel for the guy. I stumbled across a story on him in Asia Time from a couple of years back - the best position player in NPB, the NPB A-ROD. I am still scratching my head.

But enough with the bogus stories and the gloating. A real NY Mets fan, or decent human being for that matter, doesn't kick a guy when he's down and on the DL. Even rabid NY fans should have some scruples. Even Tony Soprano has a couple of them for crying out loud.

Yes, Willie R. was a second baseman, and should know the position well. However, in 2005 he kept telling everyone that Kaz is a good second baseman and that he expected a good year from him. What happened? Willie R., by June, said that Kaz needs a lot of work.

In 2006, Willie R. says that Kaz is the second baseman and the others will have to wait. However, since Sick Call Kaz has been out, the other second basemen have been showing thier stuff, and Reyes even says it's easier to turn double play balls.

However, it's only Spring training. We are not kicking him down, he's doing it himself. The rest of the team feels good about the Mets' chances this year.

You've got to play hurt and tough. Again, read the New York Post Sunday edition. Joel Sherman, Met baseball writer's column. His statements are not false. If you can't get it, send me your address and I'll mail it to you.

We are hungry and want blood. 2006 is the year of the Mets. Just like we felt when Bobby V. was here.

- However, since Sick Call Kaz has been out, the other second basemen have been showing thier stuff, and Reyes even says it's easier to turn double play balls.

Huh, Hernandez has been only average, .264 with just 2 RBI. Not that great, if you ask me. [MLB Stats]

- You've got to play hurt and tough. Again, read the New York Post Sunday edition. Joel Sherman, Met baseball writer's column. His statements are not false. If you can't get it, send me your address and I'll mail it to you.

You do? By playing injured you only jump on his case again, by saying he's not playing up to par. Stick to a certain point of view and not a double standard.

Second, who really cares what the New York Post says? It's nothing more than the tabloids I see in the local store checkout lane. The Post should be taken with a grain of salt.

Playing hurt was not my comment, but the GM of the Mets'.

The New York Post's sports has won more awards than any other sports page in America. These writers are assigned to pro sports teams so that the news is real, not BS.

Hitting .264 isn't so hot? I'll take a batter who can get a hit every 4th at bat down in the bottom of the order. RBIs - He has been batting 7th and 8th, not clearly a position you would except an RBI hitter.

Next time you're in that line, read the New York Post sports. Oh, by the way, it is also the sports pages most quoted on ESPN.

- Playing hurt was not my comment, but the GM of the Mets'.

That's funny, I've never heard or seen that quote in any context by GM Omar Minaya. Post with some source, or don't post anything.

- The New York Post's sports has won more awards than any other sports page in America. These writers are assigned to pro sports teams so that the news is real, not BS.

First off, the amount of awards don't mean anything. It doesn't neccesarily mean it's a reputable source. I know I would rather quote from Newsday or the NY Times, which are more reputable sources that do more research to their articles than just posting pure spouted BS.

Second off, just because they're assigned to cover professional sports teams, doesn't automatically mean the news is real or free of BS. The Post is still nothing more than the Sports version of yellow journalism, unproffessional and shown to show one's opinion, not the pure facts. Though welcome to journalism, that is what journalism is, all about someone's opinion. Don't quote from it as seeming it is the all-mighty truth.

Post a link, Champ.

I feel like the Accuracy in Media Police. Here is what was written in the venerable NY Post:

DOWN THE LINE
KAZ'S PAY DOESN'T MEAN HE HAS TO PLAY

Omar Minaya said, "We have not gotten to that point," when asked if the Mets have seriously discussed eating the $8 million Kaz Matsui is due this season. But organizational decision makers certainly have been talking informally more and more about the possibility. Privately, they have come to a consensus that Matsui simply is not tenacious, that he does not fight through tough times and injury. Minaya said that when Matsui returns from his knee injury, he "will get an opportunity to play." But, more revealingly, the Mets GM added, "It is possible if one of these guys [Anderson Hernandez/Jeff Keppinger] does well, we are not just going to give [Matsui] the position. And if [Matsui] doesn't play well, we are not going to run him out there because of the contract. We're going to put the best team out there."

So, first, here is Joel Sherman's e-mail address. Don't worry, it was posted in the article online. joel.sherman at nypost d0t com. [Full Article - second on the page]

GM Minaya did NOT make the statement in the paper you attributed to him. The "informal" consensus and the private unnamed source is about as good as all those "insiders" saying Ichiro demanded a trade or Hideki Matsui was about to sign with the Mets. Like another article in the Post entitled "Double Drivel." Maybe you mis-read the article, or maybe you don't care about the facts and want to start something. Consider yourself called out and discredited. Just like Joel Sherman, a Yankee tool.