Friday, March 09, 2007

Tiger Taming, Phillips Hating

When the Mets were denied a chance to face the Tigers in the World Series, a great photoshop idea was wasted. In honor of today's second spring game against Detroit, I give you...

Unfortunately, the Mets couldn't tame the Tigers during the spring opener, and they couldn't tame them today either. The key moment in the game came when Aaron Heilman seemingly got the last out of the seventh inning off of Kody Kirkland with a tapper to third while the bases were loaded and the score tied at three. But, after Heilman was already in the dugout, the home plate umpire correctly ruled that the ball hit flush off Kirkland's foot, so Heilman had to come back out and make more pitches to Kirkland. As if there could have been any other result, Kirkland cleared the bases and basically gave the Tigers a victory.

Those developments are somewhat significant because it's looking more and more and more and more like Heilman, a pitcher I once thought should be traded to a place where he can pitch more important innings, may be working the eighth inning after all.

Filthy Sanchez is really pissing off Willie Randolph with his lateness and lack of conditioning. So Randolph sends a message by sending Sanchez home on Thursday after being late again after already being warned. Then, Willie kept him home again on Friday. And the punishment might not stop there (boy, would I like to be a fly on the wall of this meeting on Saturday...whooooooo doggie!)

Unfortunately, we now have a controversy. Fortunately, Willie is attempting to nip it in the bud, and make players accountable. Anyone want to rethink your votes for 2006 Manager of the Year? Well since this is 2007, that wouldn't make any sense now would it?

***

In 2006, you voted Steve Phillips to the Metstradamus Hall of Hate. Apparently, Phillips has made Ozzie Guillen's hate list after he appeared on SportsCenter and guessed that Ozzie Guillen is the manager that's on the "Hot Seat" (sponsored by Budweiser):

''Every time I talk to him, he tries to be nice to me...If I'm in that position, then I'm in great shape because I have two more years on my contract. And I guarantee him if I'm done with the White Sox, I can go to my house or get another job...I have a better record than his manager (Bobby Valentine) did with the Mets. I have a better record as a manager than (Phillips) when he was the Mets' general manager. We pick better players than he did back then. He forgot about when I was with Atlanta and he was the general manager and we beat him. He forgot I was the guy who hit the base hit to right field to win the game."
Well actually Ozzie, it was a sacrifice fly to center field. And then there was the double to center field earlier that season...but who's quibbling?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just as I conveniently forgot the Mike Scioscia who steered the Angels to a pleasing World Series victory was that Mike Scioscia, I had misplaced the memory of Ozzie Guillen as a #%&*! Brave from 1999 when I cheered for the White Sox in '05. If I didn't hate the Astros so very, very much, I would regret that choice.

Except for the Steve Phillips part. He sucks forever.

metswalkoffs said...

Ozzie might want to remember John Olerud's single off his glove, which led to 2 runs scoring in the last of the 8th in the Mets win of Game 4 in the 99 NLCS.

Toasty Joe said...

I love the photoshop, but I am ashamed to say I don't recognize the face on the right. Help.

Metstradamus said...

It's hard because the face turned out looking kind of botoxy (is that a word?)

Shawn Green.

Anonymous said...

Glad you asked that Toasty Joe - I was racking my brain on that.

I forgot Ozzie was a Brave in '99 - bastard. Did he play any role in Game 6?

Can I start a "Let's Get Rid of Alay Soler Please!" petition? This guy is brutal. Adkins too - ugh.

Toasty Joe said...

Metstra, did you see who I had a close encounter with on the upper east side yesterday? I recoiled in horror.

Ed in Westchester said...

Could we get Maddux to pee on Phillips?

Rickey said...

Ed: we've got Alou to do that for us already

Metstradamus said...

Toasty,

My condolences. Would you believe I was once in an elevator with Michael Kay's former broadcast partner?

Eesh, the willies!