Ford field played to the 3rd consecutive season opener for the Mets as visiting squad: this year facing the Nationals. On the creamsickle side of the ball, there was no DND shenanigans to report, only the shape of a tidy game. Nick P took the hill, and steamed through the Nattys order racking up 9K's (final line on Nick P: 5.1+IP, 0ER, 9K, 1BB), then passing the pill to Anthony Juliano: closing it out whiffing 4 of the final 5 batters. The only 'hit' of the evening allowed was a (slightly shameless) bunt that was mishandled - only one batter over the minimum was faced throughout.
ON the offensive side of the ball from the Mets: runs came in pairs by way of a Diamond 2RBI double, and later a Hall 2RBI single. Feature performances of the game was Alejandro Guajardo (Welcome back, man!) - populating a few categories with a 2-3 game and swiping dos bolsones (bags), and new Met Steve Simmons with a 2-2 evening.
Mr. Mets fund contributions came from Hall ($2) for overthrowing the 3bman on two occasions on an ill-gotten around the horn exercise, and new Met Jack Dynes for a sombrero at the dish (ouch!). The team may need to re-assess these fees as: we're not sure if an amendment is due to the bill of wrongs in assessing fees to new Mets and ... Dr. Hall came correct by hosing a natty at 2b, and may qualify for the swingin D clause having a 2RBI knock after allowing his baseball gear to collect dust for nearly the entire off season.
The Mets sent MSBL Rookie Steve Simmons to the (freshly shaven, refinished) bump and watched him dominate the birds with a complete game shut out, whiffing 15(!) batters. After the first inning was 'slightly dicey" with a bases loaded jam - there was not a bird allowed past 2b for the remainder of the game. Once the slight jam was cleared in the first, the BJs were sent back in order for the next 15 consecutive plate appearances until the bottom half of the final inning - where the only multiple hit BJ got on with a knock. Final line on Steve 7IP, 0R, 3H, 15K, 2BB: Nice work, young man!
On the offensive side of the ball, the Mets were fighting a little bird flu: leaving 4 on before pushing a run across in the 6th with a Mark Dickenson 2 RBI blast gap double got the snowmen moving. 6 runs in the 6th came from a team contributing singles o'plenty with a sweet signature rally that slowed an otherwise quickly paced game.
Offensive performances of the game came from: Todd Weir (2-2, 2 RBI) and Alex Kracht (2-3 with a swiped bag and a run).
Strangely, there were not any pending contributions to the Mr. Met's fund - though it was only the second game, and the number of antics were relatively low in this one (someone forgot to put the flag up: oh-no!)
There's nothing better to cure the woes of a bad day at the office than a dub at the baseball field. BiCentennial was ripe with the stench of a major septic issue - inclusive of a rather wet field surround, a mushy outfield, and a strange mower-cut job on the infield. Any ball that landed in the outfield was rendered useless after the flight would end with a "plunk" sound and made for a few pair of pants which were speckled with mud polka-dots. Whatever: it's STILL baseball!
The Mets sent MSBL rookie Connor Fannon to the 'hill' for his first start in a creamsickle uni - and watched him keep the TUSA bat assault limited after calming down and letting a run score in the first. Final line on Connor: 4IP, 3ER, 4K, 4BB, and one painful free pass. The ball was passed to Steve Simmons: who locked up a 3 inning "save" (MSBL style!) by shortening the game with 10 batters faced, whiffing 5 of them.
On the offensive side of the ball: the Mets were able to mount the steed in the bottom of the 3rd with a 6 spot - piecing together a RE, 6 'free' passes and 2 timely knocks (first time this season of the 11 man order being rolled). An add-on run came in the 5th with another couple free passes and a FC to push said run across.
As both teams gathered their gear and avoided the stinky puddles near the field - the Mets enjoyed post game sodas in the slightly less smelly parking lot; acknowledging that there was only one Mr. Mets fund contribution - coming from Jack Dynes who fired a ball over the 3b man on an around the horn celebration after a K.
The Mets had a tiny bit of a slow defensive start in this one, where extra pitches were required - allowing for a couple more plate appearances, allowing for a couple more runs for the opposition to best the affair. Though the strikezone was somewhat odd and a tiny bit mobile, the Mets were unable to regain the lead after the Giants put up a pair of runs in the bottom of the 2nd; and tossed an add-on in the 6th.
The Mets sent Anthony Juliano to the bump for his first start, and did what he could with the 'threat is looming' Giants offense. A couple misplayed balls and a difficult zone made for a start that missed that much needed 1-2-3 inning. Final line on AJ: 6IP, 5K, and the other stuff will be chalked up to first start jitters and a slightly less than sparkling D out the gate.
On the offensive side for the snowmen: All seemed to be clicking in the top of the 2nd when the Mets put together 5 knocks and a walk to push 3 runs across - only to be cut short with a line-out double play and a ground ball. Offensive performances of note: Hall put up a 2-3 night with 2 smokin' doubles, and Steve Strom put up a strong 2-3 evening.
In recollection, there were not any Mr. Met's fund contributions that resulted from this game, but the Mets still toasted post game sodas nevertheless.
Mets combine pitching for the fourth no-no (third of the 'shared' variety) in club history!
The weather finally has broken, and now it is no longer an 'option' to have water at the games; its a good thing that the Met's water cooler is still holding it's load despite being subject to random unexpected attacks in the past.
The Mets sent Robey to the hill (yes: you are reading that correctly) for his first start since 2011. After observing the designated area to store his walker (behind the mound) - he settled in for a respectable evening that included -0- hits through 4 even though the Sir-Walks-a-Lot alter ego threatened an appearance in the second inning. Final (Barfatso Colon-esque) line on Robey: 4IP, 0H, 6K, 3 free passes. The ball was then handed to Connor Fannon for the balance, who held the D-backs in check: himself allowing -0- hits (yes, there is a subtle theme here:...do the math!)
On the offensive side of the ball, with a 10 man order: each man got 4 equal turns at the dish making it easier to input/upload stats on the site, even though the numeral 1 key is starting to wear out a bit. Featured performances from the creamsickle Mets came from Steve Simmons, Connor Fannon - each putting up a pair of knocks on the evening. Another solid contribution came in pairs, from Dr. Hall and David Kracht - both helping themselves to a pair of swiped bags.
For the second consecutive game, there were not any Mr. Met's fund contributions: a statistical oddity that has not happened in quite some time. There may have been a few intances in this game where a few Mets were flirting with the bill of wrongs, but since it was not called at the time of (baserunning) offences, they will remain in history.
Mets bring bats to "the corner" in 8-1 dub over Tigers
A special affair was on tap at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull - where the Mets pounded out 11 knocks to deliver 8 runs and the eventual victory. The story of this game was not the bats, nor the pitching - but - rather - the stadium. Setting foot on the turf on (top of) the grounds that so many legends played ball was a sincere honor that leaves the editor at a loss for words (that may be a first).
In creamsickle uniform orientation: the Mets sent Anthony Juliano to the turf-covered hill where we watched him dial in the southpaw gnarly-ness and mow through the tiger's line up. AJ went the distance, with a final line of 7IP, 1ER, 4K, 2BB: it was apparent that there would not be any need to warm the closer.
On the offensive side of the pill, having 14 men for this special affair meant: the Mets were sending 13 in the initial line up (playing in an "American League" park means that AL rules were enforced). Stats o'plenty came from Todd Weir (3-3 with 2 runs) and Alejandro Guajardo (2-2 with 3 RBI) with addition of 5 swiped bags from various Mets.
Mr. Mets fund contributions came from Connor Fannon for the "grunt swing" that gave a number of guys a chuckle (6er of something tasty...) and Todd Weir for a base running blunder; however a 3 hit night in front of Dad enables the Swingin-D clause here.
On an evening where the Mets were a little tight on men: the outcome was grand for the creamsickle crew. A pitcher's duel was the complexion of this game with a pace that allowed for a game time of just under 2 hours. For the Mets, Steve Simmons took the hill as SP, and - outside of the book-end runs (2, one earned), was able to plow through the Phillies with a solid final line of 7IP, 2R, 1ER, 14K, 3BB. Defensively, the Mets looked pretty stout, forcing the opposition to put up honest knocks to later cash in.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Mets had a trio of 2-hit games from Diamond, Peters and Simmons (and the special editorial note - Connor Fannon put up a bid to go yard in the deepest part of the park to yield a triple).
The lone Mr. Mets fund contribution came from Todd Wier with a sombrero coming off a perfect game: which goes to show the laws of average will prevail when it comes to the game of baseball. The Mets may have flirted with throwing Robey in the fine-mix, but getting Mr. Kracht to play RF as the 9th Met (in a last second roster move)may have been one of the better "managerial moves" thus far.
A cool, crisp evening was on tap for this one, where the Mets dropped in for a bit of an ambush on the Diamondbacks - putting up 16 runs on 17 knocks, 9 walks and 1 painful free pass.
In snowman orientation: the Mets sent Robey to the hill for his second start of the season (no, that's not a typo), and watched him battle with his alter ego (sir-walks-a-lot) ... again. With the "Mets vintage" battery pack of Dr. Hall and Robey - there was a fun nostalgic feeling in the air for the lion's share of this game with ample run support of the Metropolitans. Final line on Robey: 5IP, 4ER, 5K, 3BB. The ball was given to Connor Fannon in the bottom of the 6th where he constructed a classic strike out the side sandwich with a "hit batter" in the middle as the meat (hold the mayo).
On the offensive side of the ball, the Mets cruised to a 6-2 lead in the first, and added in layers - where a run was put up in every inning except the bottom of the 6th. Stat lines (o'plenty) of note came from: Brendan Diamond, David Kracht each dropping 3 knocks in the stat-book; 2 hit nights came from Connor Fannon, Todd Weir, Steve Simmons and Jack Dynes. For added measure, Anthony Juliano put up a classic 0-0 line with an RBI and a run scored.
All seemed to be fun and cruising along until an injury may have indefinitely curbed baseball activity for team co-captain Dr. Hall when a stolen base went horribly wrong and ended with a partial tear in the knee department: at least it was not a full taint dislocation.
Mr. Mets fund contribution(s) came from:
Brendan Diamond was nominated by Alejandro for rushing his AB by Brendan approaching the box when Alejandro had only 2 strikes; and later causing a whiff. The Swingin-D clause will be enacted here, as 5 swiped bags, and a 3-3 evening is precisely what the swingin-d clause is made for.
In the bottom of the 4th, there was a mess of baserunning blunders that started with a roll-out ball on the line at 3b was debated as foul, called fair, and a double play of 5-6-1-3 was turned by the opposition. Because there was not a discussion about who would be nominated for a fine: it is unclear who is at fault here and shall be fined.
With the requisite 9 on the field, the creamsickle Mets did some damage early and often to put up ample run support for the dub.
The Mets sent Anthony Juliano to the bump on this humid lunch-time special and watched him keep the opposition in check for the lion's (er ... Cub's) share of this one: putting up a strong final line of 6IP, 2ER, 4K, 3BB, 1 painful free pass and a serious atta-boy from the Mets collective while rolling in "Iron-man" form (9 players - a few of which were in less-than stellar condition). Nick P took the pill for the final inning of the affair - locking up a not-so-save situation facing 3 batters with his filth, whiffing 1.
On the offensive side of the ball: the Mets stroked the rock all over the place, combining 11 knocks, 5 walks and 2 painful free passes (one which required a toe-truck) to deliver the win. Featured offensive performances of the game came from new lead-off guy Steve Simmons (3-4, with a triple, and a pair of swiped bags), Connor Fannon (3-4 with a double and 2 RBI), Robey (2-2 and 2 runs, including his career 250th knock) and Nick Peters (2-4, 2RBI and his "first career triple").
With a 9 man crew - the editor is struggling to recall if there were any incidents that lead to Mr. Mets fund contributions. Perhaps we will go with the moron (with stroller) who decided that their best route to their 6-YO son's flag-football practice was the circuitous route through LF (DURING THE GAME) to get to the track, rather than going AROUND the field of play: did anyone get her name and number? I am thirsty!
HP had a little wind in the air for this game, the result was a number of balls that got hung up on both sides. The complexion of this game was a clean, tight dog fight (relatively error free) all the way to the bitter end, where the Mets walked off on the winning side of the affair.
The Mets sent Connor Fannon to the hill for his turn in the rotation - and watched him mow away at his own pace, with a final line of 5IP, 2ER, 8K, 2BB. Not to be out-done: Steve Simmons took the ball for the final 2 of this one, facing 7 batters, whiffing 4.
On the offensive side of the ball: at one point in the game it seemed like the Mets would never be able to cash in, despite not having struck out the whole game. With a 3 run hill to climb: The Mets broke the seal with a pair in 6th, and put a bow on it with another pair in the bottom of the 7th. Offensive performances of note (a multi-hit game): nada. Statistical oddities: Strom put up a classic 0-0 game, with a run scored and a swiped bag, Mark D put a ripe 2 RBI shot down the 3 baseline to get the scoring started and ... Steve Simmons put up "the most fun 0-2 night I've ever had" - collecting the game winning RBI and collecting the 1 in the winning pitcher category.
After the mob scene cleared on the infield (leaving the player of the game soaked from the water) - the Mets cheers-ed to a hard faught dub, and to the fact that there were not any Mr. Mets fines (however, the jury is still out).
Mets outlast the heat against Brews: 5-2 - winning league race to 10 dubs
A toasty one was on tap at Fraser: the Mets sent Anthony Juliano to the hill for his turn in the rotation. The humidity was ok at the beginning of this one, and got worse as the game bore on, making for water being a necessity. Anthony went for a very solid 7, allowing his first knock in the 4th, letting a pair of unearned runs in in the 6th (thanks to a ball that had better eyes than both middle infielders) - of no real consequence. Final line on AJ: 7IP, 2R, 0ER, 6K, 4BB, and 2 painful free passes (..... both with 2 strikes on the batter..........)
On the offensive side of the ball, the Snowman Mets had a tight 9 to work with, where new-comer Zach Zschering put up a 1-1 day, scoring 4 runs: collecting 2 painful free passes and a regular free pass, and then added a MSBL style knock - reassuring that the requisite 9 were on the diamond for this WARM one. Other solid offensive contributions came from Connor Fannon, collecting 2 RBI on a 3-4 evening with a swiped bag and Robey with a 2-3 afternoon plus a swiped bag.
On the side of Mr. Mets fines: Robey pushed it a bit by trying to score from second on a knock in to LF that wasn't so deep (but nobody bothered to coach 3b), and later allowing a ball to kinda go through the wickets (even though it was up the middle, had eyes, and should have been a ripe double play ball) and eventually score a run showing how important that it is to be strong up the middle (in addition to a later imposed fine for a game-recap-innacurracy): that will cost him. Also up for debate: Anthony Juliano plunked 2 guys on 0-2 counts. But it is unclear how that fine could be instated given the Dub he earned in front of the eyes of Mother and Grandpa.
Mets force issue to play ball and result is 6-5 loss to ELB
In the game now sub-titled "Electric boogaloo part 2": (the second loss) - 6:00 Game time came and went, the Expos were struggling to get the minimum players required to get an "official" game going. The Mets collectively voted and remained uber flexible about the game start time (to get a 7th ELB player) and allowed the opposition to acquire 2 more players from TUSA to get started. With the game time start pushed and then home field spotted to the Mets in efforts to get it going... The Mets sent Al Kracht to the hill, and we will say that the first inning sank the hopes of the impending dub, with the first 4 batters reaching base by way of free pass (and one of the painful variety) and eventually scoring. After a deep breath and a collective infield pep-talk, the remaining batters faced went away putting together another pair of runs during Al's stay. Final line on Al: 4IP, 6R, 5ER, 2K, 5BB, 2HB and an ouch for the stats book. Connor Fannon took the ball for the 2 inning balance (albeit possibly an inning too late from a managerial perspective) and faced 7 batters, and putting up 3K.
On the offensive side of the ball, the 4 run and later 5 run hole to dig out of seemed nearly impossible, if not improbable - until the bottom of the 6th (starting late meant this was a shortened affair). Starting down a 6-1 deficit: the Mets loaded the bases with the beef of the order due up, scored 3 with a knock, RE and 4 walks, and then Robey ripped a sure-thing gap shot to score 1 (which should have been 2), and then had an MSBL oddity (batter's interference) and 2K result in the rally being squashed in favor of the opposition.
Post game toasted bummer-sodas that included an appearance from founding member Jer Cooper keeping it light and airy while pontificating about seasons past, and providing input regarding the physics and bizarre audio idiosyncrasies of feline copulation between comments of what should have been in that game.
Mr. Mets fund contributions came from: Al Kracht for forgetting his belt ($2), Steve Simmons for leaving his glove behind ($2) and Robey for doing his best impression of Rick Dorn at 3b on a shot that took a gnarly hop ($2).
For those of you who are too young to remember the Expos during their time (acknowledging some of you were 4 years old when they "moved"): ELB is the symbol on the hat; and stands for Expos league baseball, and Tim Raines was one of the strongest switch hitting speed demons in his era.
The weather played games all day leading up to this matchup; threats of rain, chances of this and that, the end result was a marquis matchup between two of the league's best pitchers. A somewhat mobile, fluid strike zone was in play, which may have had to do with the 28k's total in this affair: The pitching matchup of Steve Simmons (for the Mets) and southpaw Marlon Pruitt (for the lemondrop A's) proved to be a good one. Facing the facts: neither of these guys needed any help from the 'boys in blue'.
Due to traffic conditions and work schedules - the Mets attempted the revered "reverse save" by asking Connor Fannon to take the first inning (Mets were home team) to enable a warm up period that did not include sprinting from the car to the mound. Connor did so with a tidy 4BF inning, and passed the ball to Steve Simmons for the remainder. Final line on Steve: 6IP, 13k, 1BB, 2.5H.
With 3 whopping runs the whole game - the scoring came from -
The Met's Steve Simmons drew a walk, advanced to 3b on an opposition's pick-off gone wrong, and then scored by way of BALK. (Ok, it's a junk run, but we will take it): 1-0 Mets
The A's last hitter in the line up blasts a triple (nobody saw that one coming), then scores on a bloop knock in no-man's land in extra shallow right center that was almost caught by the CF: Score 1-1.
With the next two batters pushing a runner over to 3b, a wild pitch scored the winning run where there actually was a play at the dish, a tag applied, and scores (the editor does not recall seeing the runner actually touching the plate). 2-1 A's.
On the offensive side of the ball, it is a little tough to say that there were any offensive performances of note: given there were 3 (a-hem) hits on the night for the Mets (statistical oddity: both teams only had ... 3 hits). Connor Fannon continues to impress, putting up a 2-3 no-doubt evening.
Mr. Mets fund contributions came from: nobody. We could go with the weather gods on this one, but we don't have their address: How about $20 from the weather gods for the D-tease with the rain holding off all day, and appearing in the form of drizzle making it a real mess to clean the spikes, the unis and the rest of the baseball gear. ...the Drizzle didn't stop the Mets from posting Friday night sodas - having discussions of "next time."
Dodgers serve Mets a case of the "blue Mondays" in 11-7 loss
With precisely 9 men at game time for both squads: managers were scrambling a bit leading in to the start of this one. ...or at least the Mets crew lead a solid prank on Robey (on the brink of 'panic mode' at Clawson) by having APAR place a call 10 feet from Robey reporting that he was, "not going to make it to the game." Solid joke: laughs abound; the Mets boarded the ship.
As visiting squad: the first AB of the game came from Zach Zschering: blasting a no doubt rip dong, landing on the other side of the fence. After Steve Simmons ("I love this new bat") displayed some warning track power trying to match wits: unfortunately, the 1-0 lead was the only one the Creamsickle crew cashed in on all night in this run-a-thon. Other offensive performances of note on the evening came from Strom (2-4, 1RBI) Fannon (2-3, 1RBI, a swiped bag and a SAC) and Robey (2-4 with a double, 2RBI and a swiped bag).
On the defensive side of the pill, the Mets sent Connor Fannon to the (now deteriorating) bump. Unfortunately, the offensive side was unable to provide enough support, and the defense let down a tiny bit, leading to a blow up inning that took a lot of gas out of the tank: the final line is not important here except for to inform that he ended with 5K. The Mets sent Simmons to the hill in efforts to limit the damage, which he did in the remaining 3.1, putting up another 7K.
Mr. Met's fund contributions came from (sadly) nobody. Once the team gear was loaded up, there was only one sad-soda consumed, and no idle banter to make it taste any more delicious.
Lahser HS was the sight for the hottest game this season by far. Initial temperature estimates at this mid-day affair came in around 3,874K and both teams were running a little low in the department of players.
The Mets (5 'regulars') made the most of what was still baseball, even though the amount of water consumed did not balance the amount of sweat that was pushed through the under-layers. The offensive prowess was not as stout as normal for the creamsickle crew, leaving 9 on base never is a good recipe for a wining strategy. Featured offensive performances came from Strom (2-4 and a swiped bag) and Shawn (3-3), but the meaty part of the order could not convert when pressed in to duty. Quick note of thanks goes to Blake, Christian, Jer and Shawn for chipping in on extra short notice, and making this game a possibility.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Mets sent Robey in what ended as a loosing cause for his first complete game in over half a decade. Final line was 7IP, 3R, 1ER, 4K, 2BB and a sore body to contend with.
The Mets will regroup and look to do some damage on the other side of the holiday. Speaking of: have a safe 4th of July, everybody!
In a tightly contested quickly played outing: the Mets got off the schneide and put up a dub to snap the broken cooler related "bad streak". With the announcement of yet another Met on the DL (bringing the DL list tally to 3) the Mets had to scramble to get the requisite 10 to the field in a timely manner and display some tight ball landing on the side of the creamsickle orange.
The Mets had Anthony Juliano toe the slab for this one, laying down a tidy final line of 7IP, 1ER, on 5 hits allowed, 7K, 2BB, 1HB: showing his confidence in the D.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Mets had a serious case of "At-Em" ball-itus - putting up a pair of runs on 6 hits (2 doubles) and only 25 plate appearances. Only 3 K's on the side of the orange we recorded, and there were not any offensive performances 'of-note'. On the side of statistical oddities: 3 bats were broken in this affair leading to a Mr. Met's fund contribution from Mark D - who will have to place an order with MAXbats for a replacement white-hot 191 package to replenish a bat for someone...
A wise man once said ... "happy baseball" every season's beginning and as the Cubs and Mets broke ground on their respective team's match up. The Mets will miss being greeted by this man every spring. A true gentleman of the game; he had as big of a heart for baseball as he did for those who played it. The Cubs/Mets matchup will never be the same. He will be missed and always remembered. Cheers to you Krusty for running such a solid team and bringing a great group of guys to the league for longer than the Mets have been a part of it. We will miss you.
A hot, dry, dusty, late gate opened Clawson played host to the Mets/Cubs affair in this mid-week special. There were runs o'plenty pushed across the dish on both sides, but the Mets pounded out 17 knocks (a LOT of hard contact this evening) and were able to grind out 14 runs.
The Mets sent Alex Kracht to the hill for his turn in the rotation, and took things one inning at a time; until things got a little rough in the 4th and his day was done (on the mound) with a final line of 3.2 IP, 3K, 4BB, and that is all that is important. The ball was delivered to Steve Strom and the creamsickle crew watched him limit the damage; closing it out for the save (MSBL style!) with 1K and 1BB for the balance.
On the offensive side of the ball: this was a micro-explosion from the 11 who made it, performances of note came from... Mark Meisner (3-4 with an RBI and "the hard one" away from the cycle), Brendan Diamond (3-4 with 3 swiped bags), Robey (2-2 with 3RBI, a 2b and 3R), Jack Dynes (2-2 with a run and a swiped bag), Mark D (2-2, 1R, 3RBI, "but at least his dork didn't hurt") and Alex Kracht (2-4 with a run).
Mr. Mets fund contributions: well, welcome back Rob Kling ... that was one heck of a rally killer getting doubled up at 1b on a routine flyball with less than two outs....
Mets can officially call it a streak in 2-0 dub over Tigers
It may look like a squeaker, but this game was a well contested one that fell on the side of the Mets. HP is looking great these days, coming correct with a perfect bikini-wax job on the IF, complete with the Krusty tree on the 3b side. The Mets put up 2 runs on 10 knocks scattered about - leaving on 7.
The real story of this game was the Met's pitcher: Anthony Juliano who mixed his southpaw filth - throwing a 3(ish) hit shut out (the 2 bunts were kind of hits); facing just 2 batters over the minimum on an approximated 80 pitches. (Sidebar: AJ was advised that this game was "going to be a bullpen game" well before first pitch by management. Exact words were "one inning at a time" ... though AJ gave a positive response, he had a very different idea on the mound and buzzed through the cat's line up with efficiency and poise for his second win in one week).
Mr. Met's fund contribution(s) came from Brendan Diamond for forgetting his belt ($2) and APAR ($2) for getting in the worst traffic jam possibly ever that caused him to arrive to the game after his parents (6:19, as precisely predicted by Mark D).
Nothing like a rivalry to get the good guys in-sync. Home team Mets were forced to keep an eye on the weather all day, as pop-up storms were "popping up" throughout the day leading up to game time. Home crew Mets chose to go creamsickle and boarded the ship for a classic orange on orange baseball game that landed on the side of the Mets. Ford field: we remember the days of yester-year that it was nice to play at Ford. The Livonia parks team could use a visit from Mr. Swanson to correct the half fried infield, dust-riddled mound, and the box of mud (bizarre: they cover the box, don't they).
The Mets sent Steve Simmons to the hill in this one, for his first start in nearly 2 weeks (thanks to the weather) and watched him tame the giant in an effectively wild fashion - with a less than tidy final line of 7IP, 2ER, 9K and 8BBs. In the the 4th, the chirping got a little louder between both teams after a smile inducing whiff caused the blue to enact a "bench warning for both teams" because apparently it was hurting blue's ears. That and: somewhere in the baseball encyclopedia (section 7, chapter 143, article 17b, provision 68.5; I believe) it is stated to somehow be of bad character to smile whilst on the bump throwing dirty sliders. Steve was steamrolling through the opposition's line up no-hitting through 4 until a foul ball poop-up went horribly wrong for a 3b man (loosing it above the lights), and the next pitch put a knock into left field.
On the offensive side of the rock, the Mets put up a decent showing of 4 runs on 10 hits off of the Giant's Steve Pistono. (sidebar: It's been nearly 4 years since we've seen him on the hill for one of our games; good to see arm troubles are behind him). Offensive performances of note came from Zach Zschering (2-3 with a rip-skud double, a run and a SB), and Al Kracht with a signature 2-3 evening.
The Mr. Mets fund contributions: well, we could fine a couple runners for getting a little loose on the base-paths, but team vote concluded that while they may have run into outs, there was decent foundation for the "extra step" or super aggressive base running.
A beautiful day for baseball - a Sunday afternoon run-a-thon that featured a lot of hard contact and slightly irritated judge squad made for a dub on the side of the Metropolitans.
One may mistake the score of this game for that of a HS football game, but the fact of the matter was that the Mets were able to overcome some wild pitches by putting up the go ahead TD and 2 point conversion to secure the game. Connor Fannon was sent to the hill for his first start in a very long time, and was navigating his way through the game until things got a little loose in the 4th and his day was done with 5K's and that's the only important part of his line. After a quick game of rock-paper-scissors was held in the dugout (for ants) - the powers of the universe decided it so that Anthony Juliano was the next pitcher - going the balance getting the save (MSBL style!), allowing 2 runs (1 earned) and putting up 4K.
The meat of this game featured a lot of lead in the Mets offensive side scorebook. With 15 runs off of 17 knocks: feature performances came from Al Kracht (2-3 with two runs, a double and a pair of HBPs), David Kracht (2-4 with 3 RBI), APAR (3-5 with 2 triples and 2 runs), Steve Simmons (2-3 with a BB and a RE), Nick Peters (3-4 with 2 runs with a skud double) and Anthony Juliano (2-3 with 3 runs a double and a RE). With the game cut short on time limit at 6 innings, there's a wonder where else this game could have gone, but we are positive that hell may sooner have froze over than another inning be played in this one at the end.
Mr. Mets fund contributions: well - Strom may have went "golden" in this one, but we're going to excuse that stat because we estimate that a one mile journey was executed from repeated trips between the dish to the backstop in this affair.
The Mets and Phillies got down to business 'flossin in clawson' for the early mid-week affair; a marquis match-up of Homant vs Simmons was on tap. Mets as visiting squad rolled a 10 man batting order and cashed in 1 run in the first that ended up standing.
The Met's Steve Simmons took the hill, and surgically navigated through the Phillies line up, not allowing a knock until the 3rd (of no consequence) and did not allow a runner past 2nd base through out. With the relatively clean (one error on a poop-up in no-man's land behind 1b) defense behind him: Steve faced two over the minimum with a tidy final line of 7IP, 0R, 5K, 0BB - which made it easier to input stats (...thank you Steve!).
On the offensive side of the ball: facing Mike Homant is always a chore, but the Mets cashed in 1 run in the 1st, and then another pair in the 2nd. Sad to say, there were not any "offensive performances of note" with the Mets unable to cash in any multi-hit games - so: we will go with "better" offensive players of the game. Brendan Diamond (1-3 with a swiped bag, and the important run scored), APAR putting up what turned out to be the game winning RBI with a shot early in the game (1-3 with an RBI), Mark D added a little padding (1-3 with 2 RBI) and Robey (an empty 1.5-3 with a double). Editor's note: in this game Mark D and Robey were able to end that nagging OOOOOoohhfer Homant streak that was nearly 3 years old for both.
A lone Mr. Mets fund contribution came from Anthony Juliano for leaving his pantalones behind in last game at Lahser HS, and promptly paid up $2 for the freshly washed whites. An additional fine is being assessed to the Clawson PD who seems to think that it is "less than legal" for a group of guys to postgame in the lot behind CF, even though there is a fair to midland amount of illegal activity going on in the skate park adjacent to the field; which would not take the mind of Copernicus or a warrant to determine given the smell that creeps to the field during game time.
This was a game that was looked forward to by a few Mets ("yeah, this was my HS field...") and dreaded by only a couple ("...it took me an hour and 15 minutes to get here...").
The Mets sent Anthony Juliano to the hill for this affair and watched him steam though the lion's share of the National's line up - allowing 4 hits including 2 doubles, and got a little loose in the 6th (could have been that triple he hit just 2 innings prior) and his day was done with a final line of 5.2IP, 2ER, 7K, 2BB, 1 painful free pass. The ball was then given to Connor Fannon to go 0.1 IP, and get a K to end the potential rally. Finally, Jack Dynes was given the ball (making his D-MSBL debut on the hill) to close it out with a silky smooth 3BF inning.
On the offensive side of the ball: Big days for many, as the Mets had a 16 hit attack against the two Natty's hurlers. The Mets put up a few crooked numbers in the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th with lots of lead in the book. Offensive performances of note came from David Kracht (3-4, 3*2b, 4RBI and a BB), Jack Dynes (3-4, 3R, 2RBI), Brendan Diamond (2-4, 2*2b, 3R, 2RBI), Alejandro Guajardo (2-3, 2R, 1SB), Robey (2-4, 2R, 1SB) and finally Nick Peters (2-3, 1*2b, 2R).
Mr. Mets fund contributions: there was discussion of a fine being levied for Anthony's final batter faced, where he may or may not have hit a gal to load the bases (the video is still up for review).
Mets end streak on the wrong side of an over turned call: 1-0 Lemondrop A's
A rainout make up was on tap for the A's and Mets - late at HP. For the matchup: the league's best pair of Steve Simmons (for the Mets) versus southpaw Marlin Pruitt (for the A's).
In the battle for what would have been the top of the league, the Mets watched the A's (with the addition of two new yellow jerseys) bring their best offensive appearance to yield 1 run (for the bad guys). In this tight game throughout, there was one ball that left the infield for the opposition that was deposited into the glove of a creamsickle Met's OF. Final line on Steve Simmons for the evening: 6IP, 1R, 0ER, 2H, 11K, 2BB and a serious atta-boy for bringing the goods in this contest.
The offensive approach for the Mets was of the "all hands on deck" variety: unfortunately, 7LOB throughout and an overturned call halted the impending rally and the orange crew's bats went quietly into the night. Speaking of an overturned call: In the top of the 6th, the Mets watched Zach Zcshering fight his way on for a walk, then Al Kracht lay down an absolute beauty of a bunt to put 2 on. With one out (by way of a K): the double steal was executed - Zach slid into 3rd, and hung on for dear life (with a spike through his hand on the bag) and called SAFE by the field blue as the tag was applied and held for a moment while the small "mini uproar" was managed with some pepto-bismol. An appeal was "asked for" and after a short discussion took place between the dish and the slab (between the blue) and the call at 3b was overturned - Zach was called out. A quick discussion regarding the explanation of the overturn took place, though unsatisfactory for the men in orange - and the Mets pressed on. Sadly the evening ended with a sour taste when the all-american SS finished the game on a web-gem-esque play sank all hopes of the Mets pushing any run across the dish.
A sole Mr. Mets fund contribution came from David Kracht who may have left his glove and hat at the field while de-boarding the ship. A Mr. Mets fund contribution may be assessed for the boys in blue, but hell may freeze over before that invoice would be paid up.
A rain out make up; both teams were stretching a bit to get the requisite 9 to the field - and the Mets capitalized big by dropping a dime on the @livoniaBJs.
The (visiting) Mets sent Anthony Juliano to the hill, and watched him plow through the BJs line up (+3 A's) in tidy form, allowing 1 knock though 5IP --- with an impressive final line of 5IP, 0R, 6K, 1BB. The ball was then delivered to Connor Fannon who preserved the shut-out with 2IP, 1 wiff and 1 painful free pass. The filth that was displayed is tough to put in black in white here, but the Mets pitching combined to allow only 3 base runners throughout (which would be described as the "art of pitching" by some). Looking at the sum total of the season series - there may or may not be a donut for the birds, but we're not going to emphasize that.
The offensive side of the rock included big days o'plenty from APAR and Fannon (3 hits each) and the trio of Dynes/Simmons/Al Kracht with 2 knocks a piece. Total offensive assault totaled for 17(!) knocks and the creamsickle crew pushing through 4 BJ pitchers.
Mr. Mets fund contributions came from ... (possibly) Robey for an around-the-horn over-throw blunder, and allowing a warm-up throw down through his legs early on - for a possible bigg-un. Because this game was actually played and postgame sodas were consumed by 4 Mets, this fine may or may not have been confirmed, and is now ancient history. ...come on PlayOFFS!!!
Mets proceed to round 2 with a dub against the Cubs: 4-0
The rain is making for a log-jam of games at the back end of the season, and the Mets stepped up with some tidy D, bringing the goods at Capital. Rob Poll made the most of his start, bringing a filthy performance - not allowing a batter past second base throughout. With a final line of 7IP, 0R, 10K and 3 knocks allowed - the Mets punch their ticket into the next round.
Offensively: the Creamsickle Mets had a somewhat balanced approach of 4 runs on 8 hits, aided by 3RE to put this one to bed relatively quickly (evidenced by the less than 2 hour game time). Offensive performances of note: the whole team applied pressure in every inning but the first, unfortunately leaving 8 on - nobody delivered a multi hit game.
The lone Mr. Met's fund contribution came from Al Kracht - who left his glove behind for what seems like a game from about a month ago, and still is sitting in the new ball supply bucket.
Rolling iron man (9 men) because of the rainouts and rescheduling science project: The Mets went snowman and sent Connor Fannon to the hill. Connor was able to challenge the extra deep roster of the Giants, but unfortunately the strike zone seemed to get tight and things went sour for the Mets somewhat quickly. The depth of the opposition's roster is worth mentioning, as the starting line up didn't seem to look very similar to any other game this season with 5 'regulars' to deal with. (Editor's note: we wonder where the other 20 men were when the opposition lost to teams who didn't make the playoffs?) The best defensive stat of the game was watching Connor command one of the 'regulars' to an 0-3 2 (gnarly) K evening. Final line on Connor was not pretty; but deserves a mention with 3.1IP, 3K, 2BB, and 2 "painful" free passes. Steve Simmons went the balance with his normal filth: 3.2IP, 2K, 1BB and one ER.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Mets had a 5 run hill to climb after the second, and had a little rally on tap in the 5th. Dynes knocked a single, moved to second on a botched pick-off, and made it to 3b on a booted ball. Before the Mets knew it, the bases were jammed, and a dropped bliner up the middle made for a real mess - leading to a force out at 2b, and Mark D sent to the plate and crossed the dish with a perfectly stuck slide in the same time frame as the ball was launched from 2b to home. No tag applied, but Mark D was called out. When the Mets asked for an explanation for the call there was a VERY fast escalation by the blue and Mark: Mark populated a new statistical category by getting ejected. The explanation was that the ball beat the runner, and that was the judgement call that would remain unchanged. When asked for an appeal, there was more escalation from the crew and the Mets were requested to bring out the defense. Because there were 9 men in Mets uniforms, Mr. Kracht (who came for spectator purposes only) dressed and filled in for the bizarre ejection. When the dust settled and the game was done: the Mets accounted for 7 knocks - two owned by Connor Fannon as the offensive performer of the game.
Mr. Met's fund fines were not really discussed post game - except for to say that there may be a fine levied for someone who missed the game in favor of going to a fantasy football draft (Booooooooooooo). In decent taste: the Giants shared some hot-n-sweaty pizzas to wash down the finish of the season.
With the Met's season finishing with 19 dubs - the Mets would like to thank all of those (families/friends/league leaders) who were along for the ride and supported the cause of having the same great group of guys from back in Feb/March having fun on the field.
The Mets were able to put together a renewed core for the 2018 season, which included a couple familiar faces as well as some new additions by way of the K-Coll “farm system.”
Brendan Diamond joined the Mets for his second season, brought strong stability in CF as a captain of the outfield, and was a staple member of the top 3 in the line up. With his witty banter (the management is not sure that a visual example of a “porta-john crank-down” is needed): Brendan came correct leading the crew in stolen bases – nearing the top of the league for the 2018 season.
David Kracht returned to the Mets for his 5th season – making him one of the youngest veterans in the league. Though his league union application was not acknowledged – David brought his normal 5-tool self to the 2018 season and played an error-free middle infield and covered a couple games in the outfield. David lead the Mets in RBI (16), and was the sole team member to have 3 doubles in one game.
Steve Strom made his presence on the roster as a super-utiliy guy, playing OF, catcher, a game in the IF, and pitched a dominant 0-ERA close in a game when asked to do so. Though his very first winter BP pitch was received directly in the eyeball, it did not stop him from being very productive at the dish (.319BA) with one of the more intimidating facial hair orientations – lumber jack style.
Connor Fannon joined the Mets this year as a D-MSBL rookie. Fresh from the OU crew, Connor brought a potent FB on the mound, paired with an even more potent slider, and a ferocious appetite for the game. While not on the hill, Connor played corner IF in textbook fashion; and was the power in the beefy part of the line up – leading the team in knocks (28) and RE’s (6).
Alex Kracht returned to the Mets for his 3rd season and played the middle infield and a little OF while hitting the snot out of the ball – usually toward the top of the line up with a stout .459 BA and wiffing only 6 times. Though his times on the hill were not as productive as seasons past, we look forward to Alex returning in the future after his senior year at K-Coll.
Nick Peters came back to the Mets for another season, and was able to secure a solid middle IF and productive bat while nursing his wing back to “positional player” health. As a formidable source of RBI (career best of 12) – Nick was able to keep a solid presence where-ever you put him in the line up and kept a positive attitude while observing others on the mound. For his time on the bump: he put up a tidy 6+IP and a career best 0 ERA.
Todd Weir returned to the Mets as the original 1B power guy that we have saw for so many seasons. Watching him pick, knock down and preserve “slightly wild” throws from across the diamond was a pleasure but unfortunately his season was cut short this year again. Finishing out the year on the lower number of game appearances for the season didn’t stop him from being a leader in the HBP category with 3 (…how did that happen!?). We will look forward to his 3/4/5 presence in the seasons to come.
Dave Hall came back to the crew – forecasting a part-time (ish) role and had a season ending injury at a time when he was poking a career best .462 BA. Dave shared the receiving role in the time that he was able to make it – sadly surgical intervention will be required for his return next season. We hope that PT goes well so that we can see Dave in gear next year.
Alejandro Guajardo returned to the Mets for a part time role in the outfield. With an 8 game appearance; Alex brought a correct .364 BA and was able to patrol corner OF. Unfortunately work and family got “in the way” and Alex could not make it to any more games than he did.
Mark Dickinson returned to the Mets for his 10th season in a uniform, making him the one of the only remaining members from “way back” who has a Mr. Mets shirt. Mark was able to hold down RF while bringing patience and solid presence at the dish; finishing with an up year at .270, only whiffing 6 times.
Jack Dynes came to the Mets as his first year in the D-MSBL, but an MSBL vet. For the lion’s share of the games, Jack was a solid back-stop. Working with a 7 (ish) man rotation and doing so quite effectively, Jack brought a very level headed approach to keeping the staff calm and under control. After a tough beginning to the season at the dish, Jack was a stout contributor on the offensive side of the ball with a .316 BA, 3 dubs and an RBI tally of 12.
Zach Zschering (D-MSBL rookie) came to the Mets with as a part time player a little later in the season, and proceeded to knock the tar out of the pill, being the lone owner of a homer on the crew for the 2018 season. While with the Mets, Zach played some LF and a couple games in CF, and also shared the lead of 2 baggers with 4 of them. With a BA of .381 and 8 SB, the Mets crew look forward to seeing him at more games in the future seasons when he comes back from Adrian.
Steve Simmons came to the Mets as an MSBL rookie, and proceed to command the 1A position in the pitching staff. As a shoe-in candidate for the Cy Young award (barring any shenanigans from other teams), Steve brought the goods on the hill with a lead league 85 K’s, 5 dubs, and a stingy WHIP of 0.79. In between starts, Steve brought an exceptional presence at SS, and hit #7 in the line up regularly – with a not-so-shabby .365 BA including 2 dubs and a triple.
Anthony Juliano returned to the Mets and lead the club in wins on the hill displaying his southpaw filth when called upon to do so. Anthony lead the club in IP while we watched him dial in that nasty FB/curve/change trio adding to the depth in Mets pitching supremacy. With an ERA of 1.64 Anthony worked very hard to perfect that strike throwing approach and was able to finish out with a K/9 of near 9(!) and got stronger as the season went along. Between starts, AJ was a staple corner OF, and got a few innings in the middle IF. As a “PO” – AJ came correct at the dish (with the patent pending bat-wrap) and near the top number of walks drawn (10).
Rob Kling stopped by with a part time appearance when he came back for vacation to Michigan. Rob brought a .500 BA and shared a couple stories of yesteryear from the memory book. Sadly – Rob was only able to make 2 games this season, and the management is requesting that the relocation back to the mitten for future seasons is scheduled and happens sooner rather than later!
Brian Robert (Robey) returned to the Mets and was the lone member of the “24 game appearances” club in the crew. The Mets management duties share this season was reduced to 1 – and as a result the team abuse was increased to 100% this season for Robey, though it has been resisted in the past. In the stats department: Robey was able to throw a CG on the hill, and put a career best 2.81 ERA up – filling in when needed. At the dish, Robey was able to come up short of his BA goal (finishing at .306) but shared the club lead in doubles with 4.
Mark Meisner came over to the Mets as a part timer, and because of the incredible amount of work travel this season --- he was only able to make it to 3 games. In the collection of 3 games, Mark was able to bring a club leading BA of .500 and the Mets are requesting that his boss not make him travel so darn much for future seasons.
Dave Kracht (Mr. Kracht) played as a sub to the Mets for a pair of games, holding down RF effectively when requested to do so. As the ‘elder member’ of the Mets crew – Mr. Kracht helped out big time by being the 9th player in these two games and was able to work the count for 3 free passes and scored 2 runs for an incredible effective rate and a swiped bag.
Alex Parthum (APAR) Returned to the mets for his second season, and while his start was a little slow - he sure made up for it toward the end of the season. Finishing with a solid BA (.314, 3dubs and 2 triples), and a solid presence at the dish, Apar came correct while holding down corner IF, and playing a game in the OF (... in a pinch...). Unfortunately vacation got in the way of the playoffs, so he could not contribute at the very end, but we look forward to his inevitable return in the future seasons.
Rob Poll came out for one game, and because of his schedule he was (unfortunately) not able to make any others. For the game in question (both of his other games he was supposed to make it to were rained out): Rob delivered the goods on the hill per normal, and did so in fine fashion - rocking a -0- ERA to finish out the season (nice!). Hopefully that teleporting system is able to get him to more games on this side of the state next year!
Other players in the Met’s well came in to fill in when needed – Jer Cooper, Blake Bausick, Shawn Belland Christian helped out in making the hottest game of the season “official” and for that: the Mets thank you! The MiCup is on tap: Let’s ROLL!!!
Mets Schedule