Meet The Mess

By Mike Rifkin

The New York Mets might have hit rock bottom on Wednesday, but that’s saying a lot for a team that has struggled since the beginning of the month. The Mets lost to the Dodgers 10-3 and were swept in the three game series by Los Angeles. That makes the Mets 7-19 in the month of May, and they can’t wait for the calendar to flip to June. 

Wednesday put an exclamation point on the month, prior to the game the Mets put closer Edwin Diaz on the Injured List with a shoulder impingement. Diaz, who missed all of last season with torn Patella Tendon at the World Baseball Classic. In 2022, Diaz was unbelievable posting a 1.31 ERA with 32 saves. This year Diaz has not been as dominant, he has a 5.40 ERA and has not looked right at all, hasn’t had command of both his fastball or his slider at the same time. 

The Mets offense has been the definition of inconsistent this season. They’ve tried shifting guys around and nothing has stuck. First baseman Pete Alonso hasn’t had the start to his free agent year he’d like. Yes, Alonso has 12 homers and 26 RBI, but he has a slash line of .231/.308/.453. Alonso wants to bump that average up a bit, but the contract is definitely weighing on him. On Wednesday Alonso got hit by a pitch on his hand and the Mets said X-rays were negative, but Alonso went for further testing. Last year Alonso broke his wrist by getting hit by a pitch. Alonso, is the biggest power threat in the Mets lineup and the team can’ t lose him for a long extended period of time, if they think they can turn it around. 

Now here’s the cherry on top of the sundae. During another brutal defeat, reliever Jorge Lopez threw his glove into the stands after being ejected. Manager Carlos Mendoza said Lopez’s actions were “unacceptable”. Lopez said “ No, I don’t regret it”. There were some other things said by Lopez, and the Mets have reacted very quickly on this and have DFA’D Lopez, so his time in New York is coming to an end. 

After Wednesday’s game the Mets had a team meeting. Now here’s the thing if the team meeting sparks something that’d be something. But this team is massively disappointing and they heard that from their GM on Tuesday. Prior to the first game of the doubleheader David Stearns spoke to the media and basically said he still believes this team can make a run before deciding on what they do at the trade deadline. Now they do have time, but it’s running short and to be honest I am sick of these guys telling the fans that they can be better than this, at some point they have to show it. In my opinion the Mets have never mentally recovered from what happened in September of 2022, including a three game sweep at the hands of the Braves, which cost them the division. If the last year and a half plus hasn’t been rock bottom, what is? If Wednesday wasn’t the cherry on top of what has been an awful month for this franchise, the question becomes what could possibly be next?

WHAT A ROLE CAITLIN CLARK HAS TO PLAY

By Mark Halpern

     I played sports for the better part of my life. I played baseball (22 years) Basketball (10 years) Soccer (5 years) and I wasn’t a super star but I loved to play. I look at sports stars over the last 30 years and in every sport a player emerges as the face of the sport. For example, Michael Jordan for the NBA, Patrick Mahomes for the NFL, Shohei Ohtani for the MLB and they have done a magnificent job as ambassadors to their respected sports but, none of them did what Jackie Robinson did and what Caitlin Clark is doing.

    We all know the legendary story of Jackie Robinson on how he broke the color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers which then paved the way for other players such as Satchel Paige, Buck O’Neil, Monte Irvin and so much more. The WNBA was formed in 1997 and has a great following and has had some amazing players such as Lisa Leslie, Rebecca Lobo, Diana Taursi and Brittany Griner and so many more but, none of them has had the attention like Catlin Clark is receiving.

    Clark played for Iowa Hawkeyes and what a college career she had averaging 28.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 8.2 assists over her four year college career. She was the most followed player not just by her fans but by every analyst in the market today. She is a true leader and an amazing basketball player however she now has more weight on her shoulders. There was no surprise that Caitlin was drafted #1 overall by the Indiana Fever and signed a four-year rookie deal. Caitlin Clark signed deals with Panini Sports cards to produce her cards, she now has her own shoe deal, she is now the face of Wilson Sports. Caitlin isn’t just a basketball player she is an inspiration to every young girl who picks up a basketball and wants to play. We all know the famous phrase “I wanna be like Mike” which was one of the most brilliant advertising campaigns for a basketball player. However, with the following that Clark has and respect from not only her teammates but, from the sports world in general the time will come for her commercial and tagline.      Clark has said it’s not about the money and that she just wants to play. No offense to her I am sure she is happy with the lucrative deals she has signed for certain things. Not to take anything away from any player who came before her but, Clark set a career high Tuesday night  by having a stat line of 30pts, 5 reb, 5ast, 3 steals and 3 blocks. The response to her in college and now the WNBA for being classy, competitive (and we know she can take some BS from other players trying to get a rise out of her) is a very good sport and the flattery she receives is ongoing. Caitlin Clark is a hero to all young girls and I look forward to following her career and watching the greatness she brings to the sport.

R.I.P. THE GREAT BILL WALTON

By Mark Halpern

On Monday the NBA lost one of its most revered stars yesterday when Bill Walton passed away at the age of 71 years old. He was one of the most electric announcers in the game and did some of his best work. 

    Walton played for UCLA and won 3 consecutive college player of the year awards (72-74) and also led UCLA to two National Championships and don’t forget between 1972-74 he helped lead the Bruins to an 88-game win streak. There was no surprise that he was the first pick by the Portland Trailblazers in 1974. In 1977 he helped lead the Trailblazers to their first championship and Walton won MVP where he averaged 18.5 points per game, 19.- rebounds per game and 5.2 assists per game. He also won MVP in 1978 for the Trailblazers but he started to be hampered by multiple foot problems and was never really the same. 

    Due to his multiple foot injuries, he missed the 78-79 season and when he made his comeback, he played 4 years with the Clippers but was limited due to his foot injury. After his stint with the Clippers, he signed a two-year deal to play with the Celtics and back up to Robert Parish and in his final season he earned the sixth man award and won his second and final NBA Championship.

     Walton wanted to stay around Basketball and overcame a stuttering problem to become one of the best announcers around. His knowledge about the sport and players was uncanny at times. He could be serious but he was always smiling and cracking jokes to make his broadcasts enjoyable. I will forever miss his personality, his expertise and the way he made the game fun. Rest In Peace Bill there will never be another player/announcer like you.

Dan Bylsma Named Next Seattle Kraken Head Coach

BY NATE MOSER

The Seattle Kraken have their next bench boss. The team announced that they are promoting Dan Bylsma to be the second head coach in franchise history. He replaces Dave Hakstol, who had been with the team since their inception and helped take them to the 2023 playoffs and even win a series against the Colorado Avalanche. Bylsma, meanwhile, was coaching down in Seattle’s American Hockey League (AHL) team, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, ever since the team started play in the 2022-23 season. He had a record of 94-32-18 in the two campaigns he was with the team. Bylsma is most remembered as the head coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins. He took over for former coach Michel Therrien when he was fired midway through the 2008-09 season. The Penguins turned things around and beat the Detroit Red Wings to hoist the Stanley Cup at the end of the 2009 playoffs. He would coach in Pittsburgh for a few more seasons before he was let go following the 2013-14 campaign.

Bylsma last coached in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. It was a new era for the Sabres, as they recently drafted Jack Eichel at the time second overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, as well as acquired forward Ryan O’Reilly in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche. The results did not come however, and Buffalo missed the playoffs both times that Bylsma was there, before he and then-Sabres general manager Tim Murray were relieved of their duties with the club. It was the only two times in the NHL that Bylsma missed the postseason as a head coach, as he made it every season he was with the Penguins. In fact, the last season he was in Pittsburgh, the Penguins won the Metropolitan Division and even won in the first round. They were eliminated at the hands of the New York Rangers in the second round.

This hire is a win not only for the Kraken, but for players on the Firebirds as well. Already having a prior relationship with Bylsma will do wonders for those trying to crack the NHL lineup, either out of training camp or at some point during the season as a call-up. Some of the top talent who have been with the Firebirds within the last couple seasons include Max McCormick, Kole Lind, Shane Wright, Andrew Poturalski, and Cale Fleury among others. It is a good mix of future NHLers and veterans who could fill temporary holes on the Kraken with injuries. Bylsma will know who the team should call up, and how to utilize those players to the best of their abilities. The Kraken could very well have a nice turnaround considering all of the talent they already have as well. These were the top five scorers for Seattle in 2023-24:

  • Forward (F) Jared McCann: 29 goals and 33 assists for 62 points in 80 games
  • (F) Oliver Bjorkstrand: 20 goals and 39 assists for 59 points in 82 games
  • Defenseman (D) Vince Dunn: 11 goals and 35 assists for 46 points in 59 games
  • (F) Jordan Eberle: 17 goals and 27 assists for 44 points in 78 games
  • (F) Eeli Tolvanen: 16 goals and 25 assists for 41 points in 81 games

That does not even include players like Matty Beniers, Jaden Schwartz, Andre Burakovsky, and Will Borgen. Bylsma has a lot to work with on the Kraken. Soon, the general manager Ron Francis will be able to add more to the roster when free agency begins on July 1 too, as well as make any trades in the offseason. There should not be much to tweak with the roster though. As for the team with Bylsma, there will be an adjustment period as there usually is with any coach going to a new team. It should not be long though before the positive results start to show. Bylsma and the Kraken have the potential to be a very rewarding pairing for Seattle and the team’s fanbase.

STARS NEED TO SHINE

BY MIKE RIFKIN

The Eastern Conference Final comes down to a best of three, as the Panthers have tied the series 2-2 with a 3-2 overtime win in game four. There have been a few constants throughout this series for the Rangers and one of them has to buck the trend. 

Igor Shesterkin has been fantastic throughout the four games, Alexis Lafreniere has continued his breakout season and the Rangers have gotten big contributions from Barclay Goodrow and Alex Wennberg among others. But the Rangers need their top guys to be the top guys. 

Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad combined for 267 points during the regular season. The three have combined for 14 goals and 38 points during the playoffs, but this series against the Panthers the three have combined for a grand total of three points, all of which are assists by Panarin (2 in game four.) Now if you ask Ranger fans if they’d take being tied in the series with these guys not producing if they’d take it, of course they’d say yes. But the Rangers need more from these guys. Panarin, who had disappeared at times during the Rangers’ run to the Conference Final in 22 and was limited to two assists last year in the first round against the Devils, has four goals in the playoffs, all of which are game winners, but he hasn’t scored a goal since game three against the Hurricanes. 

Mika Zibanejad has not scored a goal since he had two in game two against the Hurricanes. Zibanejad is a -3 so far in the series. I know not everyone loves the plus/minus stat but when your number one center isn’t producing it becomes an easy stat to look at. In game 4 against Florida, Zibanejad had a few looks including a shot that hit the crossbar in the first period, if he scores it might be a different game. But if we’re talking about Zibanejad, he has to take some of the blame for the game four loss. His pass in overtime handcuffed Blake Wheeler, it led to Wheeler taking a hooking penalty, which led to the overtime winner for Sam Reinhart. 

Chris Kreider’s hat trick in game 6 against the Hurricanes was a fantastic moment, but in this series against Florida is -3. Kreider, the Rangers all time leader in playoff goals, hasn’t really had that great opportunity. 

Now give Florida credit on how they’re defending these guys. Now part of the reason these guys are struggling is the Rangers power play has one goal in the series. But now this series is a best of three and the Rangers need their stars to shine on Broadway.

What Comes Next : Colorado Avalanches (Rifkin Statement Address)

By Mike Rifkin

The Colorado Avalanche are a very good hockey team, and that’s stating the obvious. President of Hockey Operations Joe Sakic and General Manager Chris Macfarland have done an outstanding job putting together an excellent nucleus led by Nathan Mackinnon (who should win the Hart Trophy). The Avs steamrolled the Winnipeg Jets in five games in the first round of the playoffs, before losing to the Dallas Stars in six games. One thing that really hurt the Avs was the announcement of Forward Valeri Nichuskin being suspended for six months and is in Stage three of the Player’s Assistance Program of the NHL and NHLPA. After the six months is up Nichuskin can apply for reinstatement. Nichuskin had nine goals and 10 points in eight playoff games, prior to the announcement before game four against the Stars. We all hope Nichuskin gets the help he needs and is back playing hockey, but that was a major loss for the Avs during the playoffs. Nichuskin’s money is off the books for as long as he is away from the team, but after that we don’t know what will happen.

Nichuskin’s suspension hurt the Avs, but the biggest loss was not having Captain Gabriel Landeskog for the season after knee surgery. Landeskog, alongside Macfarland did announce he was not retiring, but is hoping to return to the team at some point next season. Landeskog, the second overall pick in 2011 is top ten in Avs history in goals, points, power play goals and game winning goals. 

With Landeskog out, his linemates Nathan Mackinnon and Mikko Rantanen both had phenomenal seasons. Mackinnon, who is my pick for the Hart Trophy posted a career high 51 goals (first time hitting 50 goal mark) and 140 points. While Rantanen had 42 goals (fourth consecutive 30+ goal season) and 104 points. With Landeskog out, the Avs needed someone to step up. Enter Mackinnon’s former Junior teammate from Halifax Jonathan Drouin, who had a career high 19 goals and 56 points. 

The Avs have one of the best group of defensemen in the NHL. Led by Cale Makar, who had 90 points on the season. Devon Toews, Sam Girard and  Josh Manson round out a really good top four. The Avs acquired Sean Walker from Philly at the trade deadline, Walker and Drouin both are unrestricted free agents, so it’ll be interesting to see if the can Avs retain either?

In goal Alexandar Geogiev was 38-18-5 with a 3.02 GAA and .897 save percentage during the regular season. In the playoffs Georgiev posted a 2.85 GAA and like the regular season a .897 save percentage. 

The Avalanche will have around nine million dollars in cap space, so they might have some deals to make. One guy they won’t have to make a decision on is Zach Parise, who has decided to retire. 

KEY FREE AGENTS (WITH REG SEASON STATS)

Restricted : Casey Mittelstadt – 18 goals/57 points ( 4 goals 10 pts in 18 games with AVS)

UNRESTRICTED : 

Sean Walker : 10 goals/29 points ( 4 goals/7 points in 18 games with AVS)

Jonathan Drouin : 19 goals/56 points

Yakov Trenin : 12 goals/17 points (2 goals 3 points with AVS) 

Brandon Duhaime : 5 goals/13 points (1 goal/ 5 points with AVS)

Jack Johnson : 3 goals/16 points 

Andrew Cogliano : 6 goals/19 points 

As I mentioned above I don’t know what happens with Nichuskin’s money and with Landeskog determined to come back at some point next season, you have to wonder how Sakic and Macfarland will operate. The Avs have 9.8 million dollars in cap space, and can get more if Landeskog starts the season on LTIR. 

STAYING : MITTELSTADT, DROUIN, JOHNSON

LEAVING  : WALKER, TRENIN, DUHAIME, COGLIANO

ACQUIRING ( NOT PUTTING TERM OR MONEY ON DEAL) : Teddy Blueger, Alec Martinez, Brendon Dillon, or Derek Forbort. Remember the Avs money situation will depend on the Landeskog situation.

Waddell Brings Valuable Experience to Next Hockey Job

By Nate Moser

The Carolina Hurricanes announced that President and General Manager Don Waddell resigned from his position with the team. The search is on from the organization to find the right replacement, but for now, Eric Tulsky has been named the interim general manager. As for Waddell, there is already talk that he may join the Columbus Blue Jackets. Would he become the next President of Hockey Operations and oversee the general manager? It seems to be the case, but that will be made clear once the Blue Jackets make the announcement official. What is known, however, is that Waddell brings a lot to the table in experience. He will make a significant impact to the Blue Jackets franchise in whatever his duties are.

Waddell made a name for himself when he became the first general manager in franchise history for the Atlanta Thrashers. The NHL expanded to the city of Atlanta for the second time in the late 1990s after their original team, the Atlanta Flames, relocated to Calgary. Waddell had just come off winning a Stanley Cup with the 1997-98 Detroit Red Wings as assistant general manager. He spent a long time in his first GM role with the Thrashers. He was brought in as first GM for the organization, and lasted there until he was promoted to president after the 2009-10 season was over. Waddell never left the organization until the very end when the Thrashers were going to be moved to Winnipeg and be renamed the Jets.

It is not just the fact that Waddell was around a long time that makes him a solid hockey executive. In this instance, quantity of years being in a role does not really matter if there isn’t good enough quality to show for it. Waddell brought quality to the Thrashers. Russian superstar Ilya Kovalchuk debuted and broke out in the NHL as a player for Atlanta. Before Dany Heatley became a two-time 50 goal scorer for the Ottawa Senators, where did he play and who brought him there? Atlanta and Waddell. Other significant Thrashers who Waddell was responsible for bringing in include Marc Savard, Marian Hossa, Kari Lehtonen, Slava Kozlov, and Peter Bondra among others. Based on all of the talent brought in, it should have been able to work. Despite the star power, Waddell’s Thrasher teams always managed to underachieve. In fact, this Atlanta team only made the playoffs once, which was back during the 2006-07 season. The organization lasted a little over a decade, but there was never a second postseason run.

Things were not perfect under Waddell of course. The playoff drought stat is already a rough start, but he was also involved in selecting one of the biggest draft busts in league history. That title “Biggest Bust” is reserved for a select few. There’s Alexandre Daigle, Nail Yakupov, and in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, there was Patrik Stefan. Waddell chose Stefan with the first overall pick when other names were on the board. The Sedin Brothers did want to play in the NHL together so that was a unique situation, but neither of those were picked first overall. Tim Connolly was there, who instead went to the New York Islanders at fifth overall. Other players who could have been Thrashers in the 1999 Draft over Stefan: Martin Havlat, Mike Commodore, Jordan Leopold, Mike Comrie, Chris Kelly, Ryan Malone, Ryan Miller, Henrik Zetterberg, and Radim Vrbata. Meanwhile, Stefan put up the following numbers while being a Thrasher:

  • 1999-00: five goals and 20 assists for 25 points in 72 games
  • 2000-01: 10 goals and 21 assists for 31 points in 66 games
  • 2001-02: seven goals and 16 assists for 23 points in 59 games
  • 2002-03: 13 goals and 21 assists for 34 points in 71 games
  • 2003-04: 14 goals and 26 assists for 40 points in 82 games
  • 2005-06: 10 goals and 14 assists for 24 points in 64 games

Stefan later finished up his career after playing the 2006-07 NHL season with the Dallas Stars, where he was remembered for the infamous empty net goal miss against the Edmonton Oilers.

Where Waddell missed on Stefan, he made up for with selecting Ilya Kovalchuk first overall in the 2001 NHL Draft. Kovalchuk finished his Thrashers career as the franchise leader in goals (328), assists (287), and points (615). However, Waddell does deserve his share of criticism for the fact that despite having an insanely talented player like Kovalchuk, despite his best efforts, the team only made the playoffs once.

Where things get positive for Waddell as a general manager again is when he joined the Hurricanes back in 2018. He immediately had a responsibility to select a crucial player to the team, which had the second overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. He chose Andrei Svechnikov, who has become a core member for Carolina with his best stats still to come as he continues to grow as a young player. Waddell is also responsible for drafting Seth Jarvis, Jack Drury, and Pyotr Kochetkov. He played a role in bringing in talents from other NHL squads like Freddy Andersen, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Brent Burns, Jake Guentzel, and Dmitry Orlov among others. Not only did this lead to playoff berths, but the team also made the second round four straight seasons in a row. They even made the Eastern Conference Final back in 2022-23 but were swept by their former Southeast Division rival Florida Panthers.

Now, Waddell has the potential opportunity to make a difference for Columbus. It does not appear be as a general manager, but his input will help shape the future of the Blue Jackets no matter as a GM, advisor, or other role. Columbus has many skilled talents on their roster. There’s Johnny Gaudreau, Patrik Laine, recently-drafted forward Adam Fantilli, captain Boone Jenner, Zach Werenski, Damon Severson, and Ivan Provorov. Former Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen did the best he could while in his position, but the results were not enough to keep him around longer. Also, he had been in the organization for a long time, and it was time for a new direction. Waddell can now help tweak things in his image, and try to get the Blue Jackets to become one of the most dangerous rosters in the NHL. Once again, the actual hiring of Waddell to Columbus is not official as of yet, so what he is doing for the team is not yet known. There is a possible partnership though between both sides, and time will tell if it is a winning combination.

Make It Fair

By Mark Halpern

I think it was said best in the movie Moneyball “The problem we’re trying to solve is that there are rich teams and there are poor teams. Then there’s fifty feet of crap, and then there’s us. It’s an unfair game.” This quote isn’t really far from the truth. When you look at Baseball today the most popular teams are the ones with biggest payrolls. Those teams are The Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, Astros, Boston and Cubs. However just because you have the biggest payroll with the top stars in the game and you not guaranteed winning a world series. 

     Then you haves the teams that fall right in the middle and that’s really covers 80% of the league who make every attempt to put a winning team on the field. A team that fits this is The Toronto Blue Jays. The Blue Jays play in one of the Toughest divisions and that is the AL East. This division a powerhouse division with the Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles and Toronto. This is a division where we could see two wild card spots taken because of the caliber teams in this division.

   Then as the quote says under 50 feet of crap lies the rest (no offense to these teams) The Marlins, Rays, Royals (but having a good year), Oakland (soon to be Vegas) and White Sox. Now there are plenty of players on these teams to win as we are seeing in Kansas City but when your ownership can’t afford to spend $400 million on a player (it is a lot of money) it’s understandable but when these teams Nickel and Dime their way through the league and with exception to the Royals and they end up at the bottom with little or no fan base showing up to the games it begs to ask a question on what can be done to give certain teams a leg up?

    Television rights is one of the biggest money-making platforms next to gambling. We know teams like the Mets and the Yankees both have their own network. I am sure there are other teams in the league have their own channel dedicated to certain teams. The ones who lose out spend $$$ on MLB T.V. to be able to see all their out of market teams etc. I am focusing on the Marlins right now; they aren’t playing well and that would be a good reason for a fan base not to come. However, when they were winning people would barely come anyway. The Marlins draw the least number of fans to a game. The only way they have a big attendance is if they are playing a super power team and then their stadium is hearing chants for the other team that they are playing. This is not a good look for any franchise.

   Between T.V., Mobile Apps streaming games and radio broadcasts, there needs to be a way of sharing this money to give the weaker ball clubs a fighting chance to put a fun team on the field to draw fans and have a team. The other idea is to create a salary cap and we at the network have gone back and forth on this coming to same conclusion and that is a Salary Cap could never work because of players that are signed to extravagant contracts and then trying to get under the threshold you be talking another strike. That all being said I feel bad for certain teams that have the talent to be directly competitive but the owner ship “HAS NO MONEY” and they put what they can out on a field to try and be competitive 

A FAIR TEST FOR A TOP ROOKIE

BY MARK HALPERN

Just over a week ago the NFL released the schedules for all 32 teams and for the Bears and the hype around what they have in place is a fair and true test. Caleb Williams before 2024 began was the talk of the town and the clear cut number one overall pick whomever had him. As things happen and trades happen. As part of the DJ Moore trade the Bears had the Panthers first round pick.  The Panthers made the Bears day by finishing with the worst record giving the Bears a shot at the coveted golden boy. Well, we know what happened and what this offense is built to do. The question becomes can they click?

   The first three games against the Titans, Texans and Colts kind of seems suspect. You have this year’s top Quarterback and number one pick going against the top rookie Quarterbacks from last year. This will show can Williams beat three of the best young Quarterbacks drafted from last year and the faces of the future.

    Then it gets interesting as the Bears schedule eases up with teams that were below and well below .500 for last year. If Williams and this offense are on the same page Detroit will have some big competition.

   The ending of the schedule is one of the hardest around. The last five weeks are against the 49ers, Vikings, Lions, Seahawks and Packers. That is a harsh test especially during the winter when most of these games will be outside in the horrible cold and winter patterns (Although Williams will have to get used to the cold). These five games could be the decision between going to the playoffs or just home for this year.

   The Bears come into this season with a great looking offense on paper and a solid defense but until the first kickoff we won’t know how this team has improved from last year.

All You Need Is Patience

BY MARK HALPERN

After missing out in the playoffs the Mets went into the offseason and made changes in the front office and to the roster as well. The Mets have the BEST general manager in the sport in David Stearns. Most Mets fans were ecstatic because knows how he can put a team together. Once Stearns signed the focus (as Mets thought) Stearns was going to make a huge splash with hiring Craig Counsel as the next manager. He passed and the Mets hired Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza. Mendoza has great experience and is doing a commendable job so far. Mets fans had high hopes he was going to trade for superstar Corbin Burnes but Burnes ultimately signed a one-year deal with Baltimore. If he becomes a free agent expect the Mets to be heavy on him. David Sterns has not Band Aided this team by any means.

     The Lineup was off to a good start but, as recently Lindor, Alonso and McNeill were underperforming. Over the last week we have started to see a resurgence in all three of these players and with Lindor is starting to come alive being the leadoff hitter (which he did well in Cleveland) and he is getting pitches to hit because you don’t want to put him on and then now face a giant Polar Bear with a thunderous roar. With exception to Navarez and Nido (being the weakest hitters) are just better defensively and fit the role until Alvarez returns from the IL. Bader, Marte, Nimmo, have all been doing great whether at the plate or in the field. So this lineup is here and I fully expect it to turn around.

    Now for the weakest part of the Mets and that is the pitching. I have honestly enjoyed watching Sean Manea pitch (Mike Rifkin and myself wanted him two years ago), Luis Severino has had mixed reviews but he is showing that he has healed from his injuries and is doing well. The Mets lost their ace Kodai Senga due to the same injury the Justin Verlander had and the Mets are taking it very carefully and the prediction for him is mid-end of June. As for the rest, Houser is 0-4, Jose Quintana who has shown signs of flash is 1-4, Butto 1-3 and Edwin Diaz blowing three consecutive saves are why this Mets team is faltering. The Mets got Megill back the other night and he pitched well, David Peterson is finishing his rehab stint and you have to think he will go into the starting rotation easily. By mid-June the rotation should be Senga, Megil,Peterson,Quintana,Scott and will definitely be a great Improvement heading into June.  I BELIEVE in this Mets team and as of yesterday they are 3 games back of the 3rd wild card spot. Let’s face it the Mets are not catching the Braves, Philly will be tough and expects to get at least 1 spot and then you have to look at these teams Padres, Diamondbacks, Giants and the Cubs all have similar records and if the Mets are in striking difference don’t be surprised if the Mets trade one of the coveted rookies (Baty, Vientos, Jett or Possibly Ryan Clifford) to help gain a pitcher or infielder. My one proposal is calling the Houston Astros and see what they would take for Bregman (with him having to sign a  who is on his last year and will most likely test the Market. The Mets can ill afford to be lazy when it comes to a huge position player and the way the Astros are playing it might be worth a call and see if he is available. Obviously he will be required to sign an extension and go through a physical and we know how thorough the Mets medical staff is (EX Carlos Correa) and they will make sure he is good to go. This Mets team might not look like much now but just wait, great things are coming and the Mets will aim to be an elite team in the NL East.