Phone'd Down (Gosh, I love punning Mike'd Up)

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Every year, Mike (and MadDog in the olden days) give out 5 free trips to the Super Bowl, airfare and hotel-stay included, if contestants answer a series of questions correctly.

Already deemed a top 5 moment in Mike'd Ups' existence, here is the clip (a clearer version can be found here) of Larry from Connecticut, who was on the verge of winning it all when the phones suddenly went:



I love the fact that Mike went from extreme-diarrhea mode to making a face which I absolutely love.


I didn't think he was capable of making a genuine expression like that. I guess he's human after all. For now.

Sate of The Union?

Is the Union going to be satisfied with his speech? CBS thinks so.



I don't know much about politics, but why is he holding his head so high?

The iPad: SI 2010.0

The iPad, Apple's latest new craze (which might I add is here to stay and will only get better), has a hot new sports app, "SI."

My only question is if the Mets are on the cover of THIS magazine, are they jinxed or does the jinx only work on the online fantasy teams featuring Mets players?



All those interested in purchasing one for me, please leave a comment on this post.

Hey, Man! (Part 3)

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Hey, Man! is our very special off-season series that will outline how exactly Jon Heyman behaves rudely, illogically and in today's case, like a thief.

Update @ 1:30 am:

Heyman tweets, "should i be hurt or flattered? there's a guy who's tweeted 3 times in last 3 months, all 3 times to rip me." He continues, "ive blocked maybe 10. didnt want to, felt i had to."

Original Post:

This tweet came from me, Eli, at about 5:45 PM EST today:


This tweet came from Jon Heyman at about 7:45 PM EST today:



...i know what you're thinking...it's just a coincidence, right?...wrong...Heyman blocked me from viewing or contacting his Twitter account based on the fact that I've been "critical" of some of his tweets...

...i tried contacting him about it since I thought (and many others) of it to be unfair...he never responded (trust me, he saw me trying)...

...this was part 3 of our offseason series...in part 2, we label Heyman a "tool"...while in part 1, we take a look at an illogical move of his...

...to read an amazing piece on Heyman and WFAN, click here...and until next time, HEY!...

...oh and be sure to send this article to Heyman...I'm sure he'd love it...or not...

The Farm Wreaks

One ranking, by MLB Fanhouse, slots the Mets' Farm System as 24th best (I'm trying to put it kindly) in the Major Leagues.

It reads, "The Mets have some very bright spots, like Jenrry Mejia, who could be one of their best pitching prospects in years, but the depth is lacking. Brad Holt is another hurler to keep an eye on, and Ike Davis is looking more and more like their first baseman of the future. It will take some time, however, to build up the depth."

The Mets are a mess and as Bill Parcell did with the Miami Dolphins (came in and cleaned up shop) - the Mets need done with them.

(Hat Tip to Eddie Perez for the link)

Mike Francesa Gets School'd Up (Video)

Monday, January 25, 2010



Mike Francesa spent 18 years of his life with the man who trained Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum. He spent many many hours with this man for many many years.

Thanks to @SportsPope for the clip.

2010 Has Officially Begun


Johan Santana is ready to go, after getting his elbow cleaned out late last season. Here's a look as he pals around with coach Razor Shines this morning. When asked how he was, Santana quipped, "Old."

Hat Tip to Omar Minaya's Successor for the pic.

Why Not Them? Because Of Him (Video)

Rich MacLeod, a Jets and Mets fan, put together a great video called, “Why Not Them?” referring to the idea of 'Why can’t the Jets win the Super Bowl?'



Well, because of Peyton Manning, but who's asking me?

Heads Up!

Sunday, January 24, 2010

On December 21st, 2009, Sporting News put out their weekly magazine and, as usual, Troy Aikman was an author of an article within.

Before I criticize Mr. Aikman - I'll allow you to read what I read:

...Feel free to click on it to get a clearer view...

Aikman claims that 'through his career, he suffered seven or eight concussions, but there have been no long term effects.'

"No long term effect"? What do you consider "long term?" You're 43 years old, Troy. Who is to say that at 51 your brain will be working the way it would have been without the "7 or 8 concussions?"

Chris Nowinski, a former World Wrestling Entertainment wrestler who was diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome, said "We're finding 10 or 20 years after players stop playing football the thousands of hits to the head they've taken have started a degenerative process that's killing brain cells."

Research well done, Ache-man.

Gary Matthew Jr.'s Feelings After 2009 Season

Friday, January 22, 2010


Gary Matthews Jr. has two years remaining on his contract and had no desire to return to the Angels in 2010.

"I don't expect to be back; it's time to move on," outfielder Gary Matthews Jr. said as he packed his belongings at the end of the 2009 season. "I'm ready to play for an organization that wants me to play every day. This organization has other plans, and that's OK."

Matthews signed a five-year, $50-million contract to be the Angels' center fielder in 2007 but was derailed in the second half of that season by a knee injury. Matthews eventually had surgery on the knee last winter.

The Angels signed Torii Hunter to a five-year, $90-million deal to play center field before 2008, and by this season, Matthews was relegated to a fifth outfielder role, batting .250 in 103 games, with four homers and 50 runs batted in.

Matthews has $23 million remaining on his contract and a no-trade clause that will allow him to block deals to four clubs of his choosing. He requested a trade last March and again around the All-Star break and has had numerous discussions with General Manager Tony Reagins, who appears willing to accommodate Matthews' request.

However, the Angels are expected to have to eat a significant portion of that $23 million in order to trade Matthews, 35.

"I just feel like it's time for me to play for an organization that believes I can contribute every day, from day one," Matthews said.

As for his hefty contract, Matthews said he doesn't expect it to be a deterrent.

"It's definitely not as big as it was a year ago," Matthews said. "Obviously, there are some teams that can't afford it, but when I'm playing every day, I feel I can be a top-line center fielder, and that, I would think, is what a lot of teams want."

Props to the LA Times for the info.

Be Ack Ack's Valentine! (Video)

Thursday, January 21, 2010

WFAN, the home of all Mets Radio broadcasts, has a whole slew of 20/20 anchors. One of them being Richard Ackerman.

Well, Rich is a lonely fellow, but not for much longer. Regis and Kelly are looking to set Ack-Ack up AND with a woman nonetheless.

Don't believe me? (Why would I make it up?) Take a look for yourself:



For more on the story, click here.

Mike and the Young Puppy

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Mike Francesa didn't know his place in life and decided to join the semi-mediocre mid-day show featuring, Joe BenignOthePaino and Evan "20 year old" Roberts.

Here is the clip with their dialogue, but the best part, without doubt, is from 5:29 - 5:51.

Mike: "Listen, listen, you're 20 years old, what're you doin yelling at me?"

Evan: "26."

Joe: "He's actually 26."

MLB's Site Needs To Be Tested

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Whoever runs MLB.com better be careful as to which words they use in their headlines.

Ignore me if I'm reading too much into this, but on the day Tim Lincecum is awarded a record $13 million in arbitration, while accepting a reduced drug paraphernalia charge, too, isn't it a bit much to use the verb "shooting" in your headline when notifying the public of his record deal?

MLB.com's headline reads, "Lincecum shooting for a record in arbitration."


According to the dictionary, some old book I happen to come across from grade school, "Shooting" can be defined as, "To inject (a drug, for example) with a hypodermic syringe."

Call me 'Crazy,' but it seems to me that someone at MLB.com either lacks sensitivity towards a person OR is not very careful as to which verbs they are utilizing in their headlines.

Whatever the case, they ought to very well be tested for something.

Every Tune WFAN Plays!

Okay, so it's from before Imus and Mad Dog left, but they're still a good listen:



I'd rather listen to this than to Mike Francesa not giving credit to the Jets.

Here is to 2011!



Mike Francesa is in love with Peter King right now.

Think it doesn't work? Well, it worked against the Mets in 2009.

Omar Money-ya

ESPN Insider Receiver, Eddie Perez, submits this piece from Buster Olney this morning:

Part of the unusual nature of the Mets' offseason has been the fact that general manager Omar Minaya has never been given a budget. As the baseball operations powers have been evaluating possible strategies, the executives haven't been able to cast these choices against the context of how much money is available. On almost all teams, the talent evaluators are given a budget and then paint within those lines, dispersing the dollars according to the needs. The Mets' front office, on the other hand, is making its recommendations to Jeff Wilpon on a case-by-case basis, without knowing whether it is yet bumping up against a financial ceiling, or knowing how to prioritize the current needs for pitching or catching. "You need to start with a budget," said one talent evaluator. "And then you work from there. This really makes it much more difficult." In many cases, Wilpon has been the lead negotiator for the Mets this offseason, and not Omar Minaya, which has reinforced the belief in some corners of the organization that Minaya is one extended losing streak removed from being fired.

Francesa: L-U-C-K…Luck…luck…luck


By: Eduardo Perez

1/18/10

Sunday night the Jets won one of the biggest games in their history upsetting the Chargers who had come in as winners of 11 straight. All listeners of WFAN and Mike’D Up know Mike Francesa (aka Diet Coke) has been slow to give the Jets any credit for making the playoffs and winning their first round game versus the Bengals. To refresh everyone’s memory, the last 3 weeks Diet Coke has said the following:

• The Jets are a .500 team (calling them a 7-7 team, despite their record being 9-7)
• Since they lost their last “real” game to the Falcons, they were frauds
• The Jets have an “ok defense” (despite being ranked #1 overall in the NFL)
• The Jets unequivocally would have lost their game to the Colts despite being down only 15-10 mid-way through the 3rd Qtr. Diet Coke would go on to say that he was 100% certain the Jets would lose that game if Manning remained on the field
• The 10-6 Bengals despite sweeping the Ravens and Steelers and winning their division were a mediocre team. So beating them didn’t say much

With that in mind, I figured Diet Coke on his Sunday night TV show would finally give the Jets some props for beating the juggernaut Chargers…I should have known better. Diet Coke opened his show giving the Jets defense credit for its 3rd Qtr performance (why only the 3rd Qtr? SD hadn’t scored less that 20 any game this year) and instead lead with six L-U-C-Ky breaks the Jets NEEDED to win the game. He even provided in-depth football analysis stating, “God plays in these games” as to why the Jets won, before mentioning their punishing ground game or any successful coaching moves by Rex. I won’t bore you with all six, but I will highlight one as an example of how “lost” (a favorite word of Diet Coke’s) is and it’s what Diet Coke called the biggest play of the game. The Leonard interception? The subsequent Sanchez TD pass to Keller? The long Green TD run? The Jets converting the game ending 4th and 1? Kaeding missing 3 field goals?

NO to every single one of these plays.

According to Diet Coke, the biggest play in the game was an illegal block in the back penalty that occurred in the 2nd Qtr on Chargers?! WOW…OMG…WHAT THE HECK? His assumption was that if that flag wasn’t thrown (despite admitting it was the right call), the Chargers would’ve had the ball on the 22 yard-line and would’ve scored to make it 14-3 (another huge assumption). With analysis like this it’s hard to even take him seriously anymore. Diet Coke is fast approaching the Skip Bayless Zone: fabricating a point of view and sticking to it despite fact and logic pointing to the contrary (@metsfanmurph tweeted about Bayless this morning). But hey, maybe this week if the Jets beat the Colts to continue their improbable run to the Super Bowl, Francesa will finally admit that he is wrong? Nah, no way! Instead I’m sure NY’s lead sports talk personality will give more credit to the Jets having “angels in the endzone” and luck…luck…luck as to why they have made the Super Bowl. So this week sit back and listen in amusement as Diet Coke gets defensive from the barrage of Jet fan callers that say, “Hey, Mike, you S-U-C-K… suck…suck…suck!”

...to follow Eddie on Twitter, click this click...

My New Purchase

Well, does everything always have to be about the Mets?



And yeah, I'm loving it. Thanks for asking.

Lost On Revis Island

Monday, January 18, 2010


There's a new hit show on and it's better than 24.

Well, it is "24", technically. And "Lost". Together.

Code Red in Memphis



Scary scenario in Memphis, folks.

Let it be known that Baron Davis is the most clutch player ever. He calmly sank a free-throw in the face of potential disaster. Tangible disaster.

(via Tirico Suave)

To read an article explaining why they had to evacuate, click here.

Fans on the Beltran Debacle

Friday, January 15, 2010


Some fans commenting on the Beltran story have this to say:

...You know what? I’m tired of this fiasco of an organization. They’ve taken all the fun out of rooting for a team. They actually make it harder to root for the team. Some teams have their ups and downs but there is NO reason why a team that plays in the capital of the world has to be this inept. I am at my wits end. The only positive for me is I can make a choice not to follow or have anything to do with the Mets because in reality they don’t pay my mortgage. They are suppose to add to my life as an entertainment, not make me miserable. With that being said I can also say, (at least for the time being) I will always root for them...

...Dear Wilpons,
Do you understand how difficult you’re making it to be a Mets fan? Its been one day of shenanigans, in the off season remind you, and I’ve already had a dozen non-Met fans bust my chops. Ponder on that, Mr. Savvy Businessmen...

...It seems to me that Management didnt want Beltran to have surgery because it might affect ticket sales. If this is true, this is disgusting. Carlos is a human being not just an expendable asset. I’m glad Carlos stood up for himself and took care of his body...

...If you don´t like your players or management, you can scream to ownership for change. If the owners are causing the problem, what are your options? Follow the team but be dissatisfied (the masochistic approach); stop following the sport (the cutting-off-your-nose-to-spite-your-face approach); or switching your primary allegiance, at least in the short term, to another team (the sane approach). I get the sense that a lot of Mets fans have been put thru the ringer so often the past 3 years that they´ve gotten drained of all optimism and positive passion for the team, leaving either apathy or bitterness. It´s going to take a lot of winning and a lot of effort on the part of mgmt/ownership to win back their fans this year. - "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."...

...Take all the money you would have spent on tickets this year and go on a road trip to see them instead. You still see them play, but support them on the road where they really need it. You support the players and not the management that way too, and let the players know you still support them. Just a suggestion...

...The sad thing is this injury happened last June. Its been 7 months until he had the surgery. Despicable. How long did it take for Reyes to get his surgery? What is wrong with this team? They are carrying the same damned problems they had last year into this year...

The REAL Story with Carlos Beltran's Surgery

MetsBlog put this article out today:
This morning on WFAN’s Boomer & Carton Show, which airs weekdays at 6 am, host Craig Carton said he talked yesterday to the Mets, as well as with Carlos Beltran’s people, and people in the medical community, and the following, in his words, ‘is exactly what happened,’ it is ‘the truth,’ and these are ‘indisputable facts.’

Carton said Beltran told the Mets in November he was again having an issue with his knee, which he noticed when increasing his off-season workouts.

Dr. Steadman is the premier knee doctor in the country, according to Carton, “He went to the one guy everybody goes to.”

Steadman talked to Dr. Altchek, the Mets team physician, who conferred with Steadman that having Beltran wait and continue to rehab was not the appropriate answer.

According to Carton, Beltran had roughly 25 pieces of loose cartilage in the knee, ‘and it had to be taken out,’ and all sides agreed that having arthroscopic surgery was the best solution.

Carton explained, “When they finally get to Jeff Wilpon and Omar Minaya and the rest of the Mets brass, they wanted a couple of days to confer with Dr. Altchek and Dr. Steadman to decide if they agreed surgery was the only answer to this situation. Apparently, in the course of the Mets talking about it, Dr. Steadman told Beltran, ‘There is no reason for you to wait, you need to get this done.’”

He continues, “Now, Wilpon and Minaya are out in Arizona at the Owners Meetings all week, so Steadman, not Scott Boras, gets in touch with the Mets, because he’s not allowed to operate on Beltran without the Mets blessing. The Mets sent over to Dr. Steadman the workmen’s compensation papers, which allow him for insurance reasons, to actually do the operation. So, the doctor goes, ‘I have an opening at 7:00 am, we’ll get you in first thing.’”

Carton says the Mets claim they didn’t know on Tuesday that Beltran was going in for surgery at 7 am on Wednesday. However, Omar Minaya knew, because, according to Carton, “Beltran called Minaya out of respect and said, ‘Listen, all the doctors are on board here, I’m gonna have this done and why wait, I want to get back as soon as possible,’ and Omar said, ‘I’m with you, good luck, let us know how it goes.’”

In the end, Carton believes, ‘There is now a major problem between Beltran and the Mets.'

"You're not cursed, Met fan. You're a meatball!"

Thursday, January 14, 2010


Curses don't exist in sports. The Clippers aren't cursed -- they are poorly run. They're too dependent on one player -- Blake Griffin -- to make them good.

So says Colin Cowherd.

Cowherd applies the same thought to the Mets. He explains, "The Mets aren't cursed - they're just poorly run. They put all their hope on player and when that 'savior' goes down - the fans claim 'they're cursed.' You're not cursed - you're a meatball."

Well, he said something like that. To hear the 7 minute clip from Thursday's show on ESPN Radio, click here.

We Kneed You Quickly, Carlos!

Believe it or not, but Carlos Beltran WILL be ready in time for the 2010 regular season. Heck, he'll be ready for Spring Training, even if it were to start today.

Beltran came out in a press conference today to say that his body is completely and fully healed from yesterday's micro fracture knee surgery from Dr. Steadman in Colorado.

A man, who sounded eerily like Tony Bernazard, shouted from the crowd for Mr. Beltran to prove that he was healed by removing his shirt, and that is how this came about:

Mr. Puerto Rico will not be taking any further questions.

David VS. Goliath (the HR Stroke Taker Away'er)

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Matthew Cerrone captioned this picture, "David Wright is giving a tour of Citi Field to Citi Kids, he is very proud of the ballpark."


Little did he mention, there is no tour today and David's been looking for his home run stroke for 17 months, 6 days, and counting. He's formed quite a line during his fruitless search.

The Baseball Media: “Misremembering” PED use

Tuesday, January 12, 2010


By: Eduardo Perez

Mark McGwire the latest baseball player to come forward and admit using PEDs caused the usual reaction from baseball scribes. You know who I’m talking about, the Bill Maddens, Ken Rosenthals, Mike Lupicas, of the world amongst a cast of thousands who inevitably wrote, “Player X didn’t come clean”. “He’s a cheat and a liar”. “He doesn’t belong in the Hall of Fame”, “He needs to apologize the right way”, etc… However, what these moralistic writers won’t tell you is that they turned a blind eye to PED use as they applauded and extolled the virtues of McGwire, Sosa and Bonds. Publicly, writers have been aware of PEDs since October 1988, when Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post wrote the following about Jose Conseco, “the most conspicuous example of a player who has made himself great with steroids”. Did this create a huge media firestorm, as previously seen with McGwire or ARod? Nope. How about after the strike of 1994? In July ’95 Bob Nightengale’s story included a quote from then Padres GM Randy Smith saying, “we all know there’s steroid use, and it is definitely becoming more prevalent.” In that same article Nightengale quotes Tony Gwynn stating: “It’s like the big secret we’re not supposed to talk about”. Where was the media outrage back then? Where were all the holier than thou baseball columnists spewing and hand wringing for drug testing?! What were all the hard-hitting investigative reporters doing besides sticking their collective heads in the sand? That’s right…nothing.

The media now want us to believe they are outraged, that they are the moral police in place to ensure the game is “clean” and that the “truth be set free”. But they don’t really want that. They knew all along players were getting bigger, faster, were hitting the ball farther, throwing it harder, but looked the other way for 15+ years. Hypocrisy reigns supreme. They will keep Hall of Fame worthy players out of the Hall because they “cheated” the game. But didn’t the same writers cheat the game they cover and make a living from by not reporting what they knew and saw was happening? Remember, in August of 1998 when McGwire and Sosa were locked in their chase for 62 and androstenedione was discovered in McGwire’s locker? The media quickly dismissed it as a nutritional supplement as they waived their pom-poms and watched the TV ratings and revenues roll in. So next time the media laments how “sad” they are or how “bad” this is for the game and “the kids”…remember they played as big a part as anyone in creating the situation they now condemn. When the first baseball columnist comes “clean” telling us how he/she cheated the fans and the game by concealing what they saw everyday in the clubhouse, I’ll be all ears. Until then excuse me as I attempt to block out all the white noise from the media that similar to Clemens in front of Congress “misremembers” what they know about PED usage.

...to follow Eddie on Twitter, click here, here or there, which is now here....

Toy Story 3

My blog. My decision.

Besides, who wouldn't want to see a sneak peak to this sequel movie?

Milk McGwire

Monday, January 11, 2010


Maybe Mark will admit to using this foreign subtance known as 'Milk?"

I'm Redy To Make The Move

The Mets are said to be in talks with the Reds, and some names mentioned in the blogosphere are Luis Castillo, Bronson Arroyo and Brandon Phillips.

One move that I would make in an instant for veteran leadership:

This guy for that guy:


For more on these two ball-heads, click here.

And Omar, forget Brandon - I'd trade Castillo for a Phillips' screwdriver if the Reds were willing to pay the rest of his contract.

Some Sunday Clips

Sunday, January 10, 2010

In this clip, Bart would be representing the Mets and Homer is us fans. It's dead on.



We all have a little bit of this in us as the season inches closer...




In this next one, Meg represents the playoffs and the back up date guy are all the Mets players who don't want to have anything to do with post season games. Yeah, it's pretty drastic.



The "High"-lights, or should I say "Passed-out-drunk"-lights, of this little adventure are sprinkled all around the video.



At 1:50 in, it's fun to see on the scoreboard that it's only the 4th inning and this man is already in LaLa Land. (Okay, okay, it was the second game of a double header but still...).

At 4:40 we hear the overly concerned fan say "Are we sure this guy's alive?" Nice of you to care, Saint.

At 7:47, we get to watch the most triumphant moment of a Mexican man's life. You go, Jose, you go.

At 9:08 - we hear the video taker's prophecy. It was fulfilled.

At 9:17 - we are reminded that every party has a pooper. Poop on you, Mr. Security Guard.

Homer Simpson Top Ten (VIDEO)

Friday, January 8, 2010

"The Simpsons" are celebrating their 450th episode this Sunday and to help build excitement Homer appeared as a guest on the "Late Show" last night to deliver the Top Ten list. His topic was "things he's learned from the last 20 years of television." Turns out Howie Mandel is the funniest man on TV, there's never a good way to tell your wife you want to go on "Wife Swap," and Keith Olbermann has a giant head.



I even think @MikeFrancesaNY made another Number 1 here (TV - Cesspool).

(Hat Tip to the Huffington Post for the find)

Eli From...



I'm moving to Crap.

Puerto Rico Mets?

Brian Costa:

The Mets and Marlins are close to announcing that they will play a three-game series in San Juan, Puerto Rico, next season, according to a report in The South Florida Sun-Sentinel.


The series, which was scheduled to be played in Miami from June 28-30, would instead be held at Hiram Bithorn Stadium, which has hosted the World Baseball Classic and was the Montreal Expos' part-time home in 2003 and 2004.

Marlins president David Samson told The Sun-Sentinel he expects plans to be finalized within the next week.

"We have a lot of fans down there," Samson told the paper. "We were asked by Baseball if we were interested and we said absolutely yes."

While the Marlins would be the home team, the Mets figure to be a major draw because of their Puerto Rican players: Carlos Beltran, Pedro Feliciano, Angel Pagan, Omir Santos, Alex Cora and -- if they re-sign him -- Carlos Delgado.

The Mets played a combined seven games against the Expos in San Juan in 2003 and 2004.

Mike Francesa’s Crush On Bronson Arroyo Gets In The Way Of The Facts

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Who knew Big Mikey had the emotional capacity of a schoolgirl?



Nice job by @TiricoSuave for the post/clip.

Mets 2010 Video: "We Believe"

Wednesday, January 6, 2010



...what about 'we believe in not getting injured and trading for the right players before the trading deadline?'...ah...

...don't be fooled...pelfrey licked his hands like crazy to prepare for the 3 second cameo...

A Tale of Two Shills: Boras’s Henchman & Omar’s Mouthpiece

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

By: Eduardo Perez

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times the day Scott Boras shill Jon Heyman joined WFAN and Mike Francesa (aka Diet Coke) became a shill for Omar Minaya. Heyman’s antics have been detailed elsewhere, so I won’t be repetitive.

One excerpt from this link sums it up best:

“Boras throws Heyman a bone on a Varitek or Teixeira signing but also uses him to spread rumors about the level of interest and terms in ongoing free agent negotiations to create a false sense of demand. Teams that fall for this trick wind up competing against themselves, which is exactly what Boras desires. While Boras is no fool, Heyman is a tool for the Scott Boras Corporation (SBC). Boras knows how to game the system to get the best deals for his clients and will gladly use Heyman as long as the latter plays along or until the market realizes what is going on. As it stands now, it's almost as if Heyman, who is no stranger to the Boras suites during the winter meetings, is on the SBC payroll.”

This is exactly what happens. Another of Heyman’s favorite tactics is to report that a “mystery” team is involved which is code for “no other teams are interested, but let’s try and see if anyone is gullible enough to think there is”. Since he is “tight” with Boras, this has made Heyman a well-known “baseball insider” (e.g. WFAN, SI, MLB.com, etc). But beware within all his stories and radio/TV appearances his motivating factor is pushing Boras’s agenda…you’ve been informed again.

This leads me to another “tag-team” that has developed over the last couple of years on WFAN between Diet Coke and Omar Minaya. Remember the days when Omar would come on Mike and the Mad Dog and get ripped left and right (mostly by Dog)?! Well since Mad-Dog left, Diet Coke has become a shill for Omar (not the Mets, just Omar). In return for protecting Minaya, Omar “leaks” stories to Mike, so he can break them on his show. For example, 2 weeks ago Diet Coke said he had big news regarding the Mets. He held it for a day to build ratings/interest and then announced the Mets were signing Bay. Yesterday he did the same thing, stating he had more “Big” Mets news coming later this week, stay tuned (that’s what Mike wants you to do). Even today Diet Coke stated emphatically, that he knows the Mets will bring back Delgado and will give him a chance to win the 1B job. How do you think he knows this? Surely not from burning up the phone lines, since we all know Mike has been mailing it in for several years now (different story, for a different day). Nope it’s all through Omar. In return Mike has made Omar teflon. For example:

• Last season he gave Omar a complete pass on the season due to the injuries, yet the year before when the Yankees lost ARod (24 gm missed), Matsui (70 gm missed), Posada (100 gm missed), Wang (missed half the season coming off back to back 19 win seasons), Joba (2 months), Hughes (most of the season), and still won 89 games in the hardest division in baseball, he never mentioned injuries as a reason for the team missing the playoffs for the first time since ’95. He only said that with the highest payroll you should still make the postseason and criticized Girardi and Cashman for building a flawed team. But then again the Mets had the highest payroll in the NL last year, and had an extremely flawed roster that was top heavy with little depth. But Mike won’t mention any of this…it’s all about the injuries. Get the violin out for Omar and Jerry.

• Mike repeatedly stated Omar did his job because Vegas and Sports Illustrated had made the Mets the favorites coming into the season. Funny how that twisted logic only applies to the Mets/Omar. It’s a win-win: if the Mets do well and reach their “number” Omar does his job (and Sal and he collect on their bet). If the Mets get ravaged by injuries and have a terrible farm system with no depth to provide suitable replacements, then Omar is able to “wash his hands” b/c on “paper” he built a championship caliber team. Were the Mets crippled with injuries…of course, but does a championship rotation include the likes of Pelfrey, Perez, Maine, L Hernandez (2-5 rotation spots)?? I don’t think so.

• Remember when Omar made a fool of himself several times with the “You know, you know, you know what I’m saying” routine and accusing Adam Rubin of wanting to steal Tony Bernazard’s job. Well while everyone ripped Omar for looking and speaking like a buffoon, good old Mike came to his defense saying Omar’s lack of public speaking is only an issue because the Mets are losing, clearly trying to deflect and smoke screen his way from addressing the real issue at hand.

• Notice now every chance Mike gets he mentions how good Luis Castillo was last year, pointing to his OBP, but never mentioning his postage stamp sized range and horrible defense. This is all an underlying defense of the terrible 4 year contract Omar gave him 2 years ago.

• He gives Omar credit for signing Pedro Martinez to a 4-year deal, b/c that “changed the culture” of the Mets franchise…laughable. What he fails to mention is that Pedro had one good season, winning a grand total of 32 games in four years with the Mets. His signing did nothing to change the culture, Beltran came to the Mets because the Yankees didn’t want him and the Mets were willing to pay him $20 million more. The other big FA and trade acquisitions (e.g. Wagner, Delgado, KRod, Santana, Bay etc.) had nothing to do with a changed culture, but rather the money the Wilpon’s were willing to spend.

I could keep going on with more examples, but this article would then become as long as Dickens’s “A Tale of Two Cities”. Simply put, Mike has become Omar’s mouthpiece to influence the NY audience and Met fans thinking. Similar to Heyman/Boras, Mike and Omar have developed a symbiotic relationship from which each can benefit. In return Diet Coke gets to break many of the Mets stories on their flagship station (and then ridicule ESPN for taking credit which he loves to do).

Soon, I’m sure you’ll be hearing from Mike that Omar was handcuffed by the Wilpons and that’s the reason he wasn’t able to build a decent rotation. What Mike won’t tell you is that Omar handcuffed himself by wasting $18M annually on Perez/Castillo and during his time with “full autonomy” has failed to develop a single impact player from the minor league system (remember Wright and Reyes were from the Phillips regime).

Today, Diet coke will “interview” Omar at 5pm…We know one thing is certain, the mouthpiece will be sure to treat the GM with kid gloves…you know, you know, you know what I’m sayin?!

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Fan-cesa

Monday, January 4, 2010

As @TheHappyRecap said, "Remember the good old days when the Mets flagship gave us Mets news and didn't have to drag it out for ratings for days?"

Today, Francesa opened his show by saying, “I think you’ll be getting some more Mets news here later in the week, but we’ll get to that later in the show… Jason Bay press conference is tomorrow, but there’s more to come.”

Francesa is driving us mad during the afternoon drive home:


@NYMetropolitans said on his bus ride home, "If Francesa drove my bus I would have to jump out the emergency exit because he'd drive around all day before letting me off."

And if he drove my cab today, I'd stiff him with the bill.

Let me out here, Mike.