Manuel on the offense
-
- June
- 24
Josh here one last time tonight:
One part of today/tonight that I couldn’t quite cover enough in tomorrow’s stories was Jerry Manuel’s take on the offense.
Manuel, in his comments before and after the 5-2 loss to Seattle, said the Mets must change their approach. He wants them to run more, both the guys who run sometimes and the guys who don’t run at all.
He said someone like Carlos Delgado may try to surprise an opponent with a stolen base. But mostly (surprise, surprise) he wants to see guys like Carlos Beltran run more. He believes Beltran is too concerned with his stolen base percentage, which is, as you know, historically good.
“I would hope Carlos will run into a couple outs just to get that percentage thing out of his mind,” Manuel said. “That’s going to be addressed because that’s an important part in what we’re going to do going forward.”
Manuel praised Beltran in person after the game for his fifth-inning steal of third. HOWEVER, by the time we spoke to Beltran, he didn’t appear on the verge of a new freewheeling era on the basepaths.
“When I get opportunities to steal bases I will do it,†said Beltran, who has 11 steals this year. “But it has to be the right time, the right opportunity.â€
The new skipper also agrees with many of you. (Hey, maybe he’s a fellow blogger.) He chided the club for its pitch selection tonight — particularly against Mo, Larry and Curly of the Seattle ‘pen that shut down the Mets until Arthur Rhodes came on for the final two outs — and said he, HoJo and their crew will have to work toward better strike recognition by the hitters.
“We just have to find a way to have a better attack,†said Manuel. “Our offense is just not what we left with from spring training, not what we thought it would be by this time.”
Manuel joked that it’d take him three or four years to implement his style of offense. Actually, he thinks there’s plenty of time despite his interim tag.
“What I have to do is keep in mind what it’s going to take this year to get to the postseason and I have to plan accordingly,” Manuel said. “The other stuff it won’t take that period of time. I’m just messing around with you. But in all honesty I feel like we have enough time to get what I need to get done done.â€
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, June 24th, 2008 at 12:01 am by John Delcos.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Print This Post
| 
What I like about Jerry Manuel is that he seems to have a plan. There’s really not much to add to that other than that.
The man has a plan and that’s just good to know.
Yeah Benny. Jerry has a plan. You have to like him because you wanted Willie out. Willie had a plan, Jerry has a plan, Benny has a plan. Problem with plans Benny, you can only work with what the materials you have. Willie, the nightmare is over. Enjoy the summer with your family. Jerry, the nightmare is just begining and Benny, enjoy your new manager and team.
Yes Benny, Jerry has a really sound plan. He’s gonna have Carlos Betran run rampant on the bases. Afterall, every year that Beltran has been on the Mets he has lost time due to leg problems so its a good idea to force his legs to get injured on the basepaths sooner, rather than later. Jerry has a plan to make his starters pitch 7 innings. good plan, especially with the pitcher leading off the bottom of the 6th down by 4 runs. don’t pinch hit him because he has to go 7. Yes Jerry has a plan, Sanchez is his set up man. That’s why Jerry pitches Sanchez in the 9th down 5-2.
A few points on last nights game and some of your comments…..
1) Did anyone else notice when they zoomed in on the Shea Home Game countdown to see number 47 out there? For a second I thought they were retiring Glavine’s number. Let’s just say I threw up a bit in my mouth when I saw that.
2) Johan….OK, I must admit that I have been thinking/saying that I just dont get why people think he is the best pitcher in baseball….. One thing is for sure the numbers on his career dont lie. But then again, part of being an ace is the feeling the team and fans get when the guy goes on the mound and that ACE feeling just isnt there. Hopefully that changes soon.
3) The Grand-Slam….It wasnt where he wanted the pitch so call it a mistake if you want. But 999 times out of 1000 that same pitch to that hitter would have had a different result. I chalk it up as one of those strange baseball moments and say shit happens.
4) Fertilizer….I mean, can you argue with the comments he made on the fans? Not at all, they seemed to almost enjoy the Grand-Slam as an opportunity to boo. NY fans are obnoxious and need to just settle down for a bit here. This team is in a better place than last week and support from the fans may help. But nothing will change if the players dread coming home. I know my comments wont change anything but I thought I would just say, lighten the eff up.
5) Baseball….is a long sport, they play 162 games for a reason. Sometimes you lose to the worst team in the league. Let’s calm down and hope they take the final two. If they get swept, then you guys can bitch and moan, but until then, settle down.
6) The Seaver vs. Johan argument…..There is no comparison right now because Johan hasnt even pitched his first full season yet. And everyone loves their home grown players more than FAs or traded players.
vs. Pedro argument…..Gotta go with Pedro considering the eras they played in. But who knows…..
How about Carlos Delgado “surprise” doing us a favor by GETTING ON BASE, so he can execute a steal.
Joba”s dad Harley could get to second base faster on his scooter then Carlos.
It looks like Manuel’s magic has worn off. Hmmm. I really thought once the Mets got rid of Nieto they would go on a 20 game winning streak. I think this game last night has clearly shown us who the real culprit is. Sandy Alomar Sr. If we can just get rid of Sandy Alomar Sr. this team can finally play up to its potential.
Is it ironic that a man named Harley spends his life on a scooter that probably has about a 20 amp motor…
who needs lohan: did Minaya write your script for you?
In response to your comments:
1. Didn’t see the # show. Its pathetic anyways. When they brought in the /Alomar family it showed the Wilpons have no respect for Met history. Roberto Alomar taking down the number is an insult to every Met fan ever.
2, His numbers don’t lie and they show theat his abilities are waning rapidly, much too rapidly for a guy still in his 20’s.
3. Why do tall the Minaya/Jerry apologists have to make excuses for the Grand slam. It was bad baseball and the reason doesn’t matter. A true ace doesn’t let it happen.
4. Met fans at Shea, Met games cost a fortune, food sucks, beer is overpriced and parking is way over priced, Why do Met fans have to behave the way you want???? They can boo whenever they want. tYou have a problem fill the fans with you and your friends and cheer everything.
5. Let’s calm down. We’re not alowed to vent anymore? Why 180 games of mediocrity isn’t enouygh for the money and the promises spewn out by Minaya? When is it enough. 1,000 games?
6. Wrong again. If homegrown is always so popular why do Met fans love Pedro???? and Keith and Mike????
PS: Met fans at Shea do not HAVE TO do anything. They pay too much and they can say and do whatever the heck they want. And the team is not in a better place than last week. 3-3 under the new guy is the same old Mets otherwise known as SOM.
Guv, when people say that the fans shouldn’t boo they don’t mean that the fans don’t have the right to boo or that they want booing banned. They just mean that they think it is stupid and counterproductive and unfair to the players who they believe are really trying their best.
Also, Santana may have just begun his decline phase, time will tell, but up until now his career ranks up with the all-time greats. Just a fact.
The grand-slam was 1 pitch. All pitchers give up the occasional HR to lousy hitters, even other pitchers. That goes for ‘true aces’, ‘true stoppers’, ‘money pitchers’ and all other silly labels.
As for him suggesting that the fans calm down I think it was more in the spirit of suggesting that we take perhaps a more healthy approach to this team. Maybe we shouldn’t assume that they owe it us to win a certain # of games or to make the playoffs. Then perhaps we can ROOT for them and feel happy when they win, disappointed if they lose. But not cheated.
As for the $$ they spend on players, well, that’s theirs to spend. Did you think that if they hadn’t spent it on players that they were going to give it to you? They weren’t. Not even 1 cent of it. If the tickets were cheaper it would only be because they would need to be cheaper to entice more people to the ballpark. Ballclubs pay the high price tag for superstar free-agents because those players draw people to the park and make them willing to pay more for tickets. Its not the other way around. People don’t fork over the high ticket prices because ‘they feel bad for the owners, because the owners have to pay the players so much money’. It doesn’t work that way, I’m sorry to inform you.
Thanks Taylor!!! You saved me a lot of typing!
Taylor: Some write that as you say and others really think the fans should sit their and clap endlessly. You say its counterproductive to boo players that are trying their best. Well, Taylor, some of these guys don’t look like they are trying their best. So if you think that, you should boo. As for the grand slam being just one pitch, answer me this question. How come Jim Palmer who pitched almost 4,000 innings never gave up a grand slam to anyone. Not one. Now that’s unusual of course, but the point is that great pitchers bear down more, not less when in big trouble, and Santana didn’t do that last night. And then to top it off did you read his quote last nioght, blaming the team for not making the plays. In other words it was Wright’s fault. And as for your statmeent that they weren’t going to give me the momney you can take your arrogant fingers and shove them up your you know what.
PS: check out prices of other teams with lower payrolls. They don’t rip off their fans like the Wilpons rip us off at Shea including some very good teams like the Angels and the Diamondbacks. try the angels family fun pack with their team with a winnindg record and see how close you can get to it in the greed of Wilpon land. Not close. The Angels treat their fans with respect. Or how about the Cardinals grand slam pack. Match that when you go to shea. How much 4 tickets 4 dogs and 4 drinks gonna run you at Shea? Under 60 bucks right on…. And next time you try to be so smug and arrogant find some facts….
The Angels and Diamondbacks would charge just as much as the Mets if they could do it and still draw just as many fans. They can’t because of the markets they are in. There are more wealthy and affluent people in NY than in LA. Phoenix isn’t even close. These are businesses and they charge what the traffic will bear. They all do.
Hey if you want to boo, then boo. I don’t like it. Its been a disappointing year but I don’t see lack of effort.
As for Palmer never allowing a grand slam, that’s impressive but most great pitchers have allowed their share of grand slams.
Taylor,
I’d beg to differ with you about there being more wealthy and affluent people in NY than LA.
yes, the reason the Angels have cheaper prices for tix, parking, and concessions has to do with the fact that they are in a less desirable location for the average LA resident and have to compete with the Dodgers. therefore out of competitive necessity they charge less.
not because of what people are willing/able to spend in LA. Dodgers games are just as expensive all around as a game at Shea.
alex – I am making that assumption, I’ll check it.
http://ruennsheng.wordpress.com/2008/02/08/top-10-richest-metropolitan-area/
I know this isn’t definitive but it does suggest the NYC metro area probably has more affluent households. Also don’t forget it has more people than the LA area by several million.
“Dodgers games are just as expensive all around as a game at Shea.”
Wrong again:
FACT:
“The Dodgers and Coca-Cola are once again teaming up to bring you the Family Pack. With Family 4 Packs starting at just $70, your family outing can be fun AND affordable. You get four tickets, four Dodgers Dogs, four cokes! ”
This circus is not going to move on. At least if they hired Wally Backman they would have a real NY Met at the helm. A Met with a record of success at the minor league level and a true passion for the game.
Not sure if I would call the Anaheim Angels LA? Did they move? I thought it was just a lame attempt by the owner to call the team something better. Kinda like the NY GIANTS/JETS who play in the NJ but want to be NY because it sounds better.
As for ticket prices. I have no idea what others’ charge in other stadiums, but the Mets compete with the Yankees and the US Tennis Open which are not cheap. They will price accordingly because they can.