Vote For The Hall Of Hate 2005 Inductees!

I was going to do this during the off season, but since I will be away from, basically right now until August 19th (late, August 19th), I figured this would be the perfect time to get you...the Metstradamus faithful, a shot to vote in new members to the Metstradamus Hall of Hate. Now, for those of you who don't know what that is, look here...it is the hall of fame version of my daily hate list in the sidebar. You have given me many ideas on who should be included, so while I am away, I'm giving you the chance to vote some new blood in, just as the writers vote for the Hall of Fame.

Here's the way it's going to work...the poll is on the right, in the sidebar as always. There are 17 choices. You can vote for as many or as few as you feel deserving at once, but I've set the poll so that you may only vote once (at least once per computer, but do you really want to switch computers just to do this?), so make it count. The players with the top 5 vote totals will be inducted (changed from the earlier 75% rule, due to a discrepancy in the way pollhost.com tabulates the votes). Voting will end at 3PM ET on Saturday, August 20th. The 2005 winners will be announced and inducted at a later date.

Let me reiterate: You may vote for more than one player on the list at once! You can check all the boxes at once if you feel all the players on the list deserve to be inducted!

Oh yeah, I've given you a ballot of 17 choices, but you may also write in someone who I haven't put in by typing his name in the comment box at the bottom of this blog entry. But write-in's work the same way...they must be in the top 5 of the total votes to get in. That being said, write-ins will be allowed at my discretion. If I feel that the same lunatic with a grudge wrote in the same player himself 300 times, I do hold the discretion to disallow the write-in. In other words, play fair...there are better things to do on the internet than write in the same name 300 times. Don't be lame. And by the way, Richard Hurtz, Michael Hunt, Philip McCracken, Joseph Mama, and Baba Booey are ineligible. Don't even try.

Here now your choices:

Pete Rose: Picked a fight with a man half his size because his team was getting it's Big Red Tails kicked in during the 1973 NLCS.

Eddie Murray: The first baseman of the worst team money could buy, the 1993 Mets. Is it really a compliment when you're the leader of misfits?

Mo Vaughn: Came in a pre-2002 trade with the Angels to play first base. Unfortunately many times, he also ate first base. Hit some monster home runs, but made just as many errors, and moved with the grace of a water buffalo.

Derek Jeter: Shortstop of the four time World Champion New York Yankees. Media treats him like the man who cured cancer, although he had plenty of help on those Yankee teams, that have won zero titles since Paul O'Neill left.

Tony Fernandez: Was successful at every major league stop he made, except Shea Stadium, where he had maybe three hits in half a season, and blamed gallstones.

Joe Randa: A late add, has killed the Mets with two different teams in 2005. Was a Met for six days in December of 1998, and he looks like Cesar Romero.

Richie Hebner: Wanted no part of the Mets, and played like it at third base. If I'm correct, he set the standard for giving baseball fans the finger.

Gene Walter: In the Kevin McReynolds trade, this left handed specialist was the deal breaker. Did nothing as a Met...nothing!

Anthony Young: Lost 2,587 games in a row in 1993.

Kenny Rogers: Ball four.

Doug Sisk: Was on his way to a decent career until he misplaced the strike zone sometime in 1985. Was nicknamed Doug Risk. Allegedly had his tires slashed and found used prophelactics in his car.

Alejandro Pena: A large contributor to the 1988 Dodgers, who broke the Mets hearts in the NLCS after going 1-11 against the Mets during the regular season. Then joins the Mets and becomes as useful as an umbrella in a hurricane.

Joe Torre: From "Clueless Joe" as a Met, to a hall of famer (and Roger Clemens apologist) as a Yankee.

Jeff Torborg: Managed the 1993 Mets, who exposed him as a managing fraud. (Also managed the 2003 World Champion Marlins, but only during the beginning of that season when they stunk.)

M. Donald Grant: Traded Tom Seaver.

Jim Duqette: Traded Scott Kazmir.

Dick Young: The New York Post columnist who basically ran Tom Seaver out of town.

Those are your choices. Remember, you have until 3PM on August 20th. Spread the word and tell your friends.

And I will consider a Met fan committee equivalent to the veterans committee at a later date if it is deemed necessary.

Iced

You knew that Gerald Williams would be the hitting star of the game today, didn't you?

Of course you did.

It really is amazing the litany of unlikely heroes the Mets have been lucky enough to receive contributions from. Miguel Cairo, Marlon Anderson, Roberto Hernandez, Chris Woodward, Royce Ring, Victor Zambrano (on occasion), Jose Offerman and Victor Diaz have all been bigger heroes than we could have ever imagined this season (and I don't know about you, but my standards are pretty low).

And now, with a home run, a double, and a stolen base leading to a 5-1 win over the Dodgers, I give you Ice...Gerald Williams.

And I haven't even mentioned Jae Seo yet.

With six strikeouts, five hits and one run in eight innings, how do you take Seo out of the starting rotation? Isn't there a saying which starts something like "Those who don't learn from history..." well you know the rest.

History shows Seo pitching in Norfolk, while Kaz Ishii toiled at Shea.

Now Steve Trachsel is on his way back, and Jae Seo is probably getting nervous. He doesn't deserve to be...not the way he's pitched against the Cubs and Dodgers.

Don't repeat history. Learn from it.

Dioner, Duaner, and Goggles

For this, I stayed awake.

What a triumphant of players to lose to:

A former Met who was the most useless player in baseball in 2004...

A former Yankee who was involved in the Randy Johnson deal...

And another guy with a funny name.

Add it together, and you get another heartbreaking west coast loss, a 7-6 stunner to the L.A. Dodgers.

Dioner Navarro smacked a two-out homer off of Braden Looper in the tenth inning to make a winning pitcher out of Duaner Sanchez, and make Jason "Goggles Pisano" Phillips' 2 run double in the first inning stand up.

Wasted was the effort of Victor Diaz, who smacked two "Hungry Man" sized homers off of Jeff Weaver to help give the Mets a 6-3 lead. Wasted was four Diaz RBI's along with two runs driven home by David Wright.

Wasted were houdini acts out of the bullpen by Roberto Hernandez in the eighth, and Juan "The Fly" Padilla in the ninth, who almost lost the game on a screaming liner by new Dodger Jose Cruz Jr....but it was snared by a leaping Jose Offerman who stepped on first to double off Jeff Kent with the winning run on second in Milton Bradley.

The first, and probably last web gem in Jose Offerman's career, and it goes down the drain.

Victor Zambrano started, and was serviceable yet shaky. He gave up a three spot in the first, then settled down, chucking zeroes in innings 2-6, striking out the side in the sixth inning. But then with a three run lead, he started to tire, and made way for Aaron Heilman, who struggled some more...giving up a single to Hee Sepo Choi (his first hit in the last 4,000 at bats), hitting Cesar Izturis, and giving up a two run single to Oscar Robles, who spent his baseball life in Mexico before this season.

For this, I declined sleep.

Your Help Is Needed

Saw this on metsblog.com, and it's worth posting here as well. Cyclones shortstop Jonathan Malo is selling autographed photos to raise money so his mom can receive treatment for genetic colorectal cancer. She cant be treated for this in Malo's home country of Canada, and the Malos need to raise $250,000 for treatment in the United States. Malo is selling autographed pictures of himself for $5 a pop to help raise the necessary cash, and you can help here. There will also be a link in the sidebar under the "Mets Charities" section.

Reserve Duty

Well, here's your chance, Victor Diaz.

None of us wanted it to happen this way, but here it is.

But be careful. Because Willie is going with hot hands from here on out. If your hand isn't hot, you'll just be part of the Woodward/Anderson rotation...just like at first base.

Oh yeah, have you learned to play first base yet?

Your minor league stats are impressive...a .300 average, a .352 OBP, a .541 SLG. 10 HR's and 34 RBI's in 170 at bats. You have even shown flashes here at the major league level.

Well, now's your chance. The team is counting on you more than ever. Given the current state of the Mets, this many team oriented hopes haven't been placed upon a rookie since Gregg Jeffries. (The high hopes surrounding David Wright's call up last season were more about a long-term career rather than the Mets hopes for that season). The Mets are still relatively in the wild card hunt...and with a big win streak? Who knows, the division may still be within reach.

But playoff hopes rest on a 24 year old with 175 career at bats. Victor Diaz, everyone is depending on you. For better or worse.

***

Friday: Victor Zambrano (6-9, 4.00 ERA) vs. Jeff Weaver (10-8, 4.34 ERA)
Saturday: Jae Seo (3-1, 1.42 ERA) vs. D.J. Houlton (4-5, 5.49)
Sunday: Pedro Martinez (12-4, 3.00 ERA) vs. Brad Penny (5-7, 3.50 ERA)

Victor Zambrano's last start against the Dodgers was on July 22nd...and it was a horror show (10 hits and 6 runs in 5 and 2/3 innings). Jeff Weaver, who gave up 5 runs in six innings that Friday night, got the win thanks to the Dodgers bullpen.

The day after that was Martinez's last start against the Dodgers, and it wasn't up to snuff (5 runs and 8 hits in 7 innings) but he got the win against D.J. Houlton (thanks to the same Dodgers pen).

Jae Seo has a career 1.42 ERA against L.A. in 13 and 2/3 innings.

***

One last item...according to the Philadelphia Daily News:

If the Orioles got Rafael Palmeiro through waivers, there are reports that the White Sox and Mets could be interested in trading for him.

However you feel about steroids, and the hall of fame, and congressional hearings...after what happened on the Petco outfield grass yesterday, the Mets may not have a choice but to pursue this as an option for the rest of the season.

All Losses Are Not Created Equal

Life was going so swimmingly.

Even though the score was tied at one, there was reason to be optimistic the way Tom Glavine was pitching (and hitting). The Mets were right in the thick of the series and seemed poised to make a statement on the road.

Then it happened.

Pinch hitter David Ross sent a looping liner into right center in the bottom of the seventh. As usual, I pick the most in-opportune moment to be in the other room as I faintly hear Ted Robinson and Fran Healy sounding eerily like Herb Morrison, so I ran to see the aftermath. Sure enough, there's two thirds of the outfield squirming around on the right-center field grass.

Oh the humanity.

I remember a game on June 5th, 1987. Going into the game it was known as Dwight Gooden's first game back from his infamous drug rehabilitation. After the game, it will forever be known as the game with the most horrific collision I had ever seen. Left fielder Mookie Wilson and center fielder Lenny Dykstra went after a Sid Bream screamer to left center with the bases loaded. Wilson and Dykstra got to the ball full speed at the same time, and with Dykstra's mouth wide open, their faces collided with such ferocity that all you saw were arms and legs flying around like helicopter propellers. Even from my perch in right field I could see how scary that collision was. Amazingly, Mookie caught that ball.

This one was worse.

Thankfully, both Carlos Beltran and Mike Cameron are conscious, and have use of all of their limbs after their heads collided at full speed as the both left their feet going after the ball.

And this just in: Cameron has fractures in both cheekbones, a broken nose, a slight concussion, and a cut lip. He has already been put on the disabled list according to ESPN. The fact that his concussion was only slight is a miracle. I'm surprised that both players don't have concusssions.

Concussions are no joke. Just ask athletes like Pat Lafontaine and Steve Young, who were forced to retire because of multiple concussions. Ask Eric Lindros, who should be in the midst of a hall of fame career with all of his talent, but multiple concussions have slowed him down. Obviously, Cameron plays a sport that isn't a contact sport to the extent of ice hockey or football. But what if Cameron slams his head on an outfield wall going after a fly ball? What if Cameron takes a knee to the head sliding into second? What if he gets beaned in the head? The bottom line for Cameron is this: once you get your first concussion, it's easier to get a second and a third one...and they get easier with each concussion you get, until you get put on the shelf for two months after tripping on your shoelaces. It's not an impossible road for Cameron to come back from, but it will be dicey.

***

I've always thought of Cliff Floyd as a baseball warrior, and today proved it. Floyd certainly didn't have to remain in the game after he was hit in the knee by an Akinori Otsuka pitch (and after the Mets lost two outfielders, it would have been nice to see a Met fastball plunk a Padre in the ribs that next half inning, but that's just me). But after losing two outfielders, there was no way Floyd was coming out. He deserves all the credit in the world for staying in the game and playing through some gut wrenching pain.

***

The end result was a 2-1 loss to San Diego, as Joe Randa (who else?) drove David Ross home with a single in the seventh two batters after the collision. The end result of this loss (Cammy on the shelf, and whatever effects Beltran and Floyd feel) will no doubt be felt for the rest of the season.