Mets Walk-Offs And Minutiae

My take on the Francoeur trade? I'm ok with it. A colleague told me he thought Ryan Church maxxed out, and comped him with Todd Hollandsworth. And I'd have traded Todd Hollandsworth for Jeff Francoeur without any hestitation. I love the walk-off deterrent capabilities of Francoeur's throwing arm (unnoticed this season is how much opposing teams have run on the Mets) and that alone is probably worth more runs per year than we know. I like that we took someone who usually hurts us and brought him on our side (can we do the same for Brandon Phillips?) I like that he's a good, positive guy, though he's probably gonna be a bit shellshocked when he checks out the deader-than-dead atmosphere on Saturday night. I like that he's only 25, and he's a couple years away from free agency. I like that he's got two career walk-off home runs, including one off "The Hat" (Chad Cordero, for those unfamiliar). What makes me a little skittish? Well, that's most

You probably know about the Tom Seaver connection to July 9. Or you'll read about it somewhere. But July 9 is important for other reasons in Mets history... For Ya Gotta Believe... http://www.metswalkoffs.com/2009/05/believing-in-myself.html For Marathon Men http://www.metswalkoffs.com/2007/07/queens-are-flushing.html And For Coming Back From Injury http://www.metswalkoffs.com/2006/02/doubting-thomas.html Enjoy the flashbacks. Working on some other projects and enjoying the miracle that was "Ball on the Base."

Dodgers skipper Joe Torre is closing in on 100 regular-season wins against the Mets. He entered the series with 98. If you're compiling a list of the grimmest innings in Mets history (and we've had our share in 2009), the 2nd inning from Torre's first win against them would rank high on the list. The date was May 25, 1982. Mike Scott was pitching for the Mets and this was in his pre-splitter days, so he was very hittable. Scott's best days were a few years ahead. This would be one of his worst. Here's how Scott's second inning went. Home Run Single Triple Sac Fly Double Single Double Just for good measure, Scott was replaced here by Tom Hausman. The first batter Hausman faced homered. The damage amounted to eight runs, nine hits, an error, and three men left on base, and the final score was Braves 10, Mets 2. The New York Times noted it was the biggest Braves inning against the Mets since 1966, when they scored eight runs in the third inning of a 17-1 win. To

Al Jackson was 43-80 with a 4.26 ERA and his reward for pitching for the 1962 Mets was a 9-game stint with the 1969 club. Darrin Jackson hit .195 in 87 at-bats for the 1993 Mets. The first 11 games in which he played, the Mets lost. Roy Lee Jackson was 2-9 in 40 appearances for the 1977-1980 Mets. His highlight was a 12-strikeout complete game in Cincinnati for his final Mets win. Jackson Todd is a cancer survivor who went 3-6 for the 1977 Mets. That May 22, he beat the Reds in relief, a stint that included a bases-loaded escape, and the retiring of Pete Rose twice. Reginald C. Jackson went 9-8 for the 1983 Lynchburg Mets, a Class-A team whose roster included Dwight Gooden and Lenny Dykstra.

Tuesday is the 45th anniversary of the last walk-off home run in an All-Star Game (Johnny Callison). I would like to see another one. Therefore, I would call upon the good folks at Major League Baseball to make Manny Ramirez the injury-replacement selection for Carlos Beltran. In other words, let Manny be Manny. I realize this would be somewhat unpopular, and from a moral standpoint, I'm opposed, but I think it's a logical decision given the circumstances. The National League has not won an All-Star Game since 1996. The National League gets pummeled in interleague play every year. They need to do something to change the mojo. The last time an NL team had home-field advantage in the World Series was in 2001. Think the Diamondbacks win Game 7 (reminder: it was a walk-off) if they're in Yankee Stadium? I don't. I root for a National League team. If that team makes the World Series (ha!), I'd like it to have home-field advantage. And I'm willing to be a sellout to m

The 2009 Mets are 39-42 through their first 81 games. They're halfway home. * The only other Mets team to start 39-42: The 1980 Mets. (final record 67-95) * The 2008 Mets were 1 game better (40-41). That's ok. These Mets are used to being 1 game behind. * The 39 is almost halfway between the best (56 in 1986) and worst (23 in 1962, 1964) midpoint win totals in Mets history. * The 1973 Mets started 35-46. They won the NL East and got to Game 7 of the World Series. * Of the Mets teams with 39 wins or less at the season's midpoint, the only ones to finish with a winning record were the 1973 and 2001 teams. * The 1969 Mets fared best over their final 81 games, going 53-28, one win better than the 1985 and 1986 teams. * To get to 90 wins, the current Mets need to go 51-30 (a 102-win pace). Only 4 Mets teams have played at that pace over the second half of the season- the previously mentioned 1969, 1985, and 1986 teams, and the 1999 squad. * To get to 90 losses, the current Mets

OK, so I'm trying out this Twitter thing and looking for my hook. For now, that's gonna be TWIMNOTES. TWIMNOTES, at least for now, will be defined as short-form Met-related nuggets. It may be related to This Date in Mets History, it may be some statistical minutiae that doesn't warrant a full blog, it may be a silly Mets pun, it may be something where I have 2 minutes to write instead of 30, it may be a walk-off alert. I may do one a day. I may do five. Depends on my mood, and if I find that people like them. I won't neglect my blog to do them. Think of them as a healthy, non-steroidal Mets supplement. I'm calling them TWIMNOTES as a tribute to the "TWIB Notes" that ran on This Week in Baseball. Feel free to follow me on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/metswalkoffs .

Charlie Brown: "Why does my team keep losing? Why? Why? Why?" Lucy: "Because we're no good...because we're no good...because we're no good." ------------------ Linus: "I've been going over our team records, Charlie Brown. We lost every game this season." Charlie Brown: "Maybe we're building character." -------------------------------------- Charlie Brown: "All right. Let's get together out there! Let's start calling for those fly balls!" Lucy: "I think maybe perhaps hopefully if everything goes right and nothing unpredictable happens, possibly I got it." Charlie Brown: "That isn't exactly what I meant." ----------------------------------------------- Charlie Brown: "Just look at this will you? Our team isn't ready to start a new season. We're just not ready. Where did the time go? Why does the season have to start so soon?" Linus: "Charlie Brown, our team wouldn&