Well, I am all packed up and ready to go with an early morning flight to Vegas. Please stay tuned to this blog starting tomorrow at around 2 p.m. for live reports from the Bellagio!

Also tomorrow at 10 p.m. PBC will have it’s baseball show live from Vegas.

Posted under New York Mets, Pro Baseball Central, Winter Meetings

Newark Star-Ledger columnist Dan Graziano posted this excellent column on the closer situation. The veteran baseball reporter wrote the Mets are have put Francisco Rodriguez as the No. 1 choice at the closer situation, but thinks Kerry Wood might be the better move.

To quote:

“On pure stuff, Wood has it all over Rodriguez, Fuentes, Hoffman and any other closer who’s available this winter (except maybe J.J. Putz, but nobody knows if he’s really available). As one person put it to me last week, “Who would hitters rather face?” The answer to that question is that hitters would rather stand in against Rodriguez or Fuentes than against Wood, who’s the most unhittable of the closers available.”

I think the Mets will probably go after K-Rod first and if there’s an impass, they will look at Wood or Brian Fuentes. They have a choice here.

Posted under Hot Stove, New York Mets

Adam Rubin reports in the Daily News, Brian Fuentes wants a three-year $10 million to $11million per year, which is more than the Mets expected.

“Right now we’re in the early stages,” Minaya said on XM Radio. “My understanding is a lot of clubs are reevaluating this market, more so because of the unfortunate financial strain that is going on not only in baseball but throughout the world.”

It’s just a first thought and I would expect the price to come down. And now that Rubin is reporting it, I would think the money will drop over the next week, especially if the Minaya goes harder after K-Rod.

Posted under Hot Stove, New York Mets

On his blog at 1050, Coutinho gives odd on who will be closer for the Mets next season.

No real surprises, but an interesting read.

A sample:

“If K-Rod’s entourage would accept a three year deal with a club option I tend to think this could get done. The reason is if the Mets want to insure the contract, companies only insure the first 3 years of baseball contracts these days but there are more issues here. Some people have indicated K-Rod has lost a bit off his fastball and worry about all the innings he has pitched the past 2 seasons. I am not one of those people. His 1.29 WHIP coupled with the fact AL DH lineups hit only .216 against him confirms his pedigree as one of the top 3 closers in the sport.”

Posted under New York Mets

Since this is shaping up to be a slow day, I figure I will post a movie over here to hold you guys over. Last night, between feedings, I worked on a movie site with watchable flicks courtesy of Hulu.

Anyway, a good baseball movie should help until any news gets released.

So right now, please enjoy Fever Pitch:

Posted under Other

I will be adding new software to the blog over the next few days. I am hoping to have video on here and today I fired up the polling software.

I will be posing a poll every day on here on various topics dealing with baseball, the Mets, or whatever seems timely.

So without any further ado, here’s today’s poll.

Posted under Polls

The Daily News reports the Mets are looking to compete with the Yankees for CC Sabathia. In the three by-line article, the News baseball staff says Omar Minaya will look at how the free agent market pans out and may make an offer.

To quote:

“Meanwhile, Omar Minaya was dicussing a trade for a pitcher with a GM but said he would first have to see how Sabathia’s free agency was progressing, a baseball executive said. A Mets official subsequently wouldn’t deny interest in Sabathia.

“Such a deal with the Mets likely would require backloading some of Sabathia’s salary, at least until Carlos Delgado’s $12 million and Billy Wagner’s $10.5 million salaries for 2009 are cleared.”

For me, getting Sabathia would be a real coup for the Mets and if they do, Minaya will have a little less pressure on himself to totally revamp the bullpen, even though I expect major changes out there no matter what.

Posted under New York Mets

Bud Selig said it and I believe him.

After Carlos Pena’s single drove in B.J. Upton with the tying run, and the grounds crew practically following him across the plate, Selig said he would have not allowed the Phillies be crowned champions with a rain-shortened victory.

“It’s not a way to end a World Series,” Selig said. “I would not have allowed the World Series to end that way.”

I believe he wouldn’t. He would have played his “best interest in baseball,” card and done the right thing.

Giving that, why couldn’t he have done the right thing earlier? Perhaps not start the game at all, given the forecast? Or, once it started, said, “if we have to stop this, we won’t have a rain-shortened winner?”

The late start times and scheduling are other matters he needs to correct. My thinking is the World Series is the ultimate. It’s baseball’s showcase event, and it should be treated that way. Too often MLB lets those who don’t love it make the decisions and that has to stop.

If Selig’s words are to be believed, he must follow them up with actions that mean something. So far, his legacy as commissioner has been the steroids era, interleague play, new divisional alignments and a work stoppage that killed the 1994 World Series.

Time to change that for the better. Schedule the Series start times so people can see the game, and if worse, to give you more leeway time with the weather. If you don’t like playing this late in October, then you’re going to have to do something about shortening the playoffs?

Since you won’t reduce the number of games, then you must alter the regular season schedule. I have already suggested in these pages to have at least one day-night doubleheader a month. That would give you six days to play with. There are things that can be done, and in the end they won’t hurt as bad as the embarrassment that was last night.

Posted under New York Mets

Greetings late night friends.

With the hope of a classic World Series now dashed and the Rays on life support, the Hot Stove Season is days away. We got a head start on it tonight as much of the conversation was about the Mets and their numerous holes.

If you want to analyze the Series or weigh in on the Mets, feel free. This is your late night message board. Post and I’ll catch up with you in the morning.

Posted under New York Mets

Kris Kristofferson sang a song, “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down.” I’m listening to it now. Soft, sad and sweet.

Shredded wheat for breakfast. Heading to the mall to pick up my suit. Moving kind of slow this morning. Long night.

I didn’t think they’d play last night. Great, great game. Last night is why I love baseball. I just wish the people who ran the sport and the televising of it loved it like those who blogged with me last night.

That’s a game everybody should have seen. Too bad much of the country missed it. You have to know there were those who flipped on FOX and flipped it off after seeing a sit-com. Others watched college football. Others just went to sleep. The World Series is your showcase event and people miss it.

I’ll be watching tonight, but before I’ll watch Giants-Steelers.

If there’s anything on your mind before then, here’s your message board. Talk soon. Later, JD.

Posted under New York Mets