I want to announce that John has left this blog for another venture. This was his decision and we wish him well as he pursues other opportunities.

That being said, I will keep this space running for the time being and over the next few months, I will be looking for other writers to join me as we bring you the Mets as they happen.

Right now, though, I will be running the NY Mets Report as the Hot Stove League heats up. Next month, I will be in Las Vegas for the Winter Meeting and will be blogging live from the Bellagio as the trades happen.

And for those of you who don’t know me. My name is Joe McDonald and I am going on my fifth season covering the Mets. Currently I am the Assistant Editor of Mets Inside Pitch magazine, the Managing Editor of NY Sportscene Magazine and the Editor of NYSportsDay.com. In the summer, I was always at Shea and this season I plan on being at Citi Field when they open the new joint.

Without any further ado, I would be more than glad to answer any questions you may have.

Joe

Posted under Site News

Interesting report last night on Fox when after Shane Victorino’s slam against Milwaukee in which which he raised his finger in the air as he rounded the bases.

Prior to the next game, teammates taped to Victorino’s locker the photo of him running the bases and wrote ‘J. Reyes’ above it.

A slap at Reyes? Of course it was. But, if this irks you, blame Reyes, for it is stuff like this that upsets other teams enough to put the Mets in their sights. Reyes is a good player with the potential to be great, but he’s been given a free reign for the most part about his celebrations and behavior.

Reyes provided the motivation to the Florida Marlins for the season finale in 2007, and undoubtedly inspired teams against the Mets this year.

Posted under Commentary

I’ve been writing “no” all along. I don’t believe it is worth running John Maine out there to work in the bullpen this weekend, no matter what is at stake. I don’t believe he will make the difference and it isn’t worth risking further injury.

What about you guys?

Tell me if they should shut him down or roll the dice, and why.

Posted under New York Mets

Greetings all. I have missed talking with you the past two weeks. I’ve received lots of well wishes since The Journal News dumped me. They never gave me a reason, at least nothing other than the vague explanation of economics. They are still making money, but I guess their profit margin isn’t as big as they hoped.

I received several requests to keep the blog running. The blog became a passion and I developed an attachment to many of my readers and felt obligated to continue. I made commitment to you and will stick by it. I thank you for your interest and will work hard to pick up where I left off. I also want to thank Joe McDonald for getting me up and running.

I won’t have the resources I had at the paper, but I am a lifetime member of the Baseball Writers Association of America, so I still have access to the ballpark, and and a result, the players.

As I search for a new job I will keep the blog running, and hopefully I will land something in baseball and close to Mets.

I will keep upgrading the blog, but if there’s anything you’d like so see, let me know and as always I will try to deliver.

If you want to reach me off-line, my email is jdelcos@yahoo.com. I am looking forward to hearing from you, and I an anxious to talk Mets with you again.

Posted under New York Mets