With Roy Halladay in Philly, Mets Must Retaliate

Well, as I write this, I am still a bit shell-shocked by today’s developments, so let me back up a bit and confirm what I think should be processing in my head.

The Red Sox are close to signing John Lackey to a five-year deal worth around $85 million. I have no problem with that. Anything that puts a frown on Yankee fans’ faces puts a smile on mine. I think that is a secret to nobody.

Then, the real drama, as it pertains to the Mets, happened. The Phillies approached Cliff Lee about a contract extension, and he effectively told them that he was going to become a free agent, whether they liked it or not.

The Phillies decided that they need to prepare for the long haul, so what do they do? They feel around for offers, bring the Mariners and Blue Jays together, and boom! The Phillies have agreed to deal.

Not just any deal, they are nearing completion of a deal that would get them Roy Halladay.

Yes, you heard that right: Roy Halladay.

When I first heard the news, I did not know how to react. Matt Falkenbury and I spoke for awhile about it, and he told me that many of the bloggers out there were freaking out, but I couldn’t react the same way. In fact, all I could do was laugh, because on any given day anything can happen.

So I decided that I need to get serious. And so do the Mets. Enough of this jockeying for position crap. The Phillies have just landed a big blow to the sternum, and it is time to retaliate with a strong uppercut. Now, I know it looks like the Mets can’t do that from a pitching standpoint, but they need to make an impact signing, and there are only two names on the board that qualify as such.

Jason Bay and Matt Holliday.

Now, I know that Holliday is younger, but it seems like Mets management prefers Bay, and people around baseball say the Mets expect to hear back about their offer this week. Unfortunately, I think the news of Lackey coming off of the board and Halladay being traded is going to make some teams panic. And you know what happens when people panic? They make irrational decisions.

I think a team is going to emerge out of the woodwork soon to sweep either Bay or Holliday off of their feet. That means the Mets will be that much closer to landing nothing, and that just can’t be an option right now. We have to sign one of these guys. Enough games. Make a move, and make it now.

It’s going to be tough to top the Phillies’ move. Halladay might be the best pitcher in baseball. Can you believe that there will be games at Citi Field that could feature Johan Santana versus Roy Halladay? I know. I am not sure who is the better pitcher either, but I am sorry to say that I think I would have to lean towards Halladay.

It’s quite apparent. The Mets need to retaliate, and they need to do it now.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

An Open Letter to New York Mets Starter Tim Redding

Dear Tim Redding,

Tonight, you will be thrown into the fire. You are coming off possibly your best start of the season when you held the Nationals at bay for six solid innings, but there are still many doubters in New York.

Apparently, one solid start against the Nationals is not enough to gain the trust of New Yorkers everywhere. And truthfully, I think that is completely justified.

A lot of people think the Mets made a mistake when they signed you. The barrage of fans who wanted to see a Pedro Martinez reunion in New York never really seemed to be on your side, and we all know you worked your backside off to get back on the mound and compete.

We have already seen one guy signed who couldn’t get the job done in Freddy Garcia. Are you going to be any different than him?

Frankly, I am not so sure.

Thus far, you have looked like you are part of the crap shoot of players who were thrown out there because of injury concerns over the past few seasons.

Guys like Jeremi Gonzalez, Jose Lima, Brandon Knight, and others come to mind when you pitch, and to be honest, I think you are better than all of them.

You won 10 games as a member of the Nationals. That is something to be commended.

But nobody in New York cares what you have done in the past. We like to go by a “What have you done for me lately?” philosophy.

Tonight, you are going to have your chance to truly be accepted by the New York faithful. You will go to battle with perhaps the toughest lineup in the National League in the Philadelphia Phillies.

Surprisingly to me, this is a team you have had success against. You are 5-3 with a 3.29 ERA in 11 starts and the Phillies are hitting just .215 against you.

It is time for you to get win No. 6, giving the Mets a feeling of momentum heading into their weekend series with the crosstown Yankees.

Do you have the guts? I am daring you right now to not let failure be an option.

The Mets’ bullpen was used heavily last night, so they could do with a quality start. We all know Pedro Feliciano will be in the game at some point, but Mets’ fans would love to see you put up zeroes as the batters take their swings against Jamie Moyer.

Time to step it up big, Tim, and maybe New York will finally accept you as one of its own.

Just Not Enough Fight: Phillies Even Series

What a heart breaker.

The Mets had the Phillies by the throats tonight, but unfortunately, they let the game slip away. After building a 4-1 lead, the Phillies stormed back to tie the game at 4-4 in the seventh. Then, a Chase Utley homer in the 11th sealed the game for the Fightin’ Phillies.

The Mets had a big offensive night as they cranked 16 hits on the day. But when they started to build rallies, it was often station to station, evidenced by the fact that 15 of their hits were singles. The only extra base hit was by Mike Pelfrey, who had his batting average rise almost 100 points tonight.

Let me tell you who I have a problem with in this game.

Let’s start with the manager, Jerry Manuel. With the bats like Utley, Howard and Ibanez due up, how could you send in a fireballer that throws predominantly fastballs? That is not a recipe for success, and as my good friend Matt Falkenbury can attest to, I told him before the inning started, “I would be shocked if the score is still tied after this half inning.”

Unfortunately, Chase Utley didn’t take much time to prove me right.

There are other options in the bullpen. I would have gone with Takahashi personally, but I am not sure how he would respond in such a spot. We also have guys like Stokes and Nieve who can mix it up, but neither is proven. I think the trust in Parnell is what got him the appearance and Jerry got burnt.

Another guy who was awful tonight was Fernando Tatis. As much as I compliment him, it is time for me to give him a little bit of criticism. This guy has been putrid recently with runners are on base. He just can’t seem to get a hit with runners on base since what seems like April.

I would be a big advocate in giving Tatis the day off against Moyer tomorrow. Daniel Murphy was good in the series finale against Washington and it would be nice to see him get a start.

Another guy who is in a serious rut is Gary Sheffield. It seems like he is becoming all or nothing with that gargantuan swing. Although he had a hit tonight, he has been making a lot of weak outs recently, and it may be a nice time to get him a day off before the Yankee series.

I am sure he is going to want to be in there against his old mates. If I was the skipper, Fernando Martinez would be in left and batting second tomorrow night.

Kudos goes to Jeremy Reed, who continues to be the most underrated player on this team. He made a big leaping catch against Ryan Howard in the 11th, and he might be earning himself some playing time if he keeps on impressing the manager.

Since I am handing out kudos, another goes to Pedro Feliciano, who may be the best lefty specialist around. He went through Utley, Howard and Ibanez like they were the bottom three for the Nationals. Well done.

I love the fight, but we need to execute more and make sure to do the little things. If there’s a runner on second and nobody out, hit a ground ball to the right side. Then a fly ball will score a run.

Little things like that are what makes teams win championships.

Lidge Placed On Disabled List

The Phillies finally can understand just a little bit of what we have been going through. Phillies’ struggling closer Brad Lidge was placed on the disabled list today with what the team is calling a sprained knee. There were suspicions that the closer was not 100 percent, and those ended up being true. Lidge will now take the next two weeks to heal up and try to rediscover what made him so dominant last season.

Thus far in 2009, Lidge has just 13 saves in 19 attempts. His ERA stands at a staggering 7.27 and the Phillies will use phenomenal set-up man Ryan Madson in his absense.

This must be music to the Mets’ ears.

This may have been the opportune time to face Lidge, but let’s face it. He was due for a good outing. Also, this throws the rest of the Phillies’ bullpen into flux. Guys are going to need to switch roles to accommodate for the loss, and maybe that will make a big difference when it comes to the seventh and eighth innings. That’s usually when the game is decided between these two clubs.

This probably means guys like Chad Durbin and Clay Condrey will need to step it up for the Phillies, because I doubt that they would attempt to bring in Madson for a six-out save. Also, you have to wonder if the nerves will get to Madson, seeing how the rush is so much bigger in the ninth inning. Just ask JJ Putz.

Things just got very interesting.

Rainouts Might Be a Blessing for the Mets

The Mets haven’t played a game since Sunday’s 7-0 trumping over the feeble Washington Nationals.

Each and every day, the Mets continue to put out a lineup of guys that most of us would have been shocked to see on an everyday basis.

Guys like Alex Cora, Fernando Tatis, and Fernando Martinez weren’t expected to be playing such a large role at this point of the season.

Unfortunately, the injury plague attacked this team. Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes, among others, were casualties. Now the Mets need to make due.

The rain could be of assistance. Each day a game is rained out is a potential game that they will have their big guns in there to go to battle at a later date. For example, if today’s game is called and is rescheduled for a day in September, the Mets will most likely have Reyes, Delgado, Putz, and maybe even Wagner available.

I would much rather go to war with that team.

Now, I know I have said that I think this team could persevere through all of the adversity, but they are going to need some serious help. Realistically, this team probably needs to set its sights on the wild card.

Once the Phillies get rolling and Brad Lidge gets righted, they are going to run away with the division. The Phillies are arguably the best team in the National League, and they proved it with the way they played the Dodgers in their four-game set.

Right now, I am pretty sure the Phillies are on their high horse. They are healthy and they know the Mets are a team that is limping into their three-game showdown. The Mets can take advantage of that. The element of surprise could be a very dangerous thing.

The Mets still have bats that are capable of making a big splash. One of which is Gary Sheffield.

Sheff may be the most important player in the series.

With the Phillies throwing three lefties, the argument can be made to start him every game. I see that as unlikely with his hobbled legs, but you never know.

This is going to be brutal.

The New York Mets: The Team That Can’t Execute

I am writing this post-game post in a rage that I really can’t describe in words. I slammed the remote down as Sean Green walked Shane Victorino to force in the winning run for the Phillies, but believe it or not, I am not going to place the blame for the loss on Green. The people who are most to blame for this terrible downfall are the coaching staff, and of course, the guy who has the baseball IQ of a thimble, Jose Reyes.

In case you missed it, Reyes came up in the top of the 10th after Cora, who had a nice day off the bench, singled to start things off. Reyes was asked to put down a bunt against the lefty Jack Taschner, but Reyes couldn’t do it in two attempts. The guy looked clueless, and that reflects on the coaching. Reyes was putting out the bat at the last second, as if he was trying to get a base hit. A five-year old can understand that Cora is the only guy you worry about when you are trying to sacrifice the runner up a base.

Somebody should sit Mr. Reyes down in a room and tell him what the word “sacrifice” means, because Jose just doesn’t understand the concept. After he would eventually strike out, Church singled to center as a pinch hitter. Cora went to third on the play, but if Reyes did his job, he would’ve scored easily, and K-Rod would’ve faced the bottom of the Phillies lineup.

I have come to expect games like this, and that’s when you know you are a true blue Mets’ fan. It seems like they are never on top in the close ones, and that really makes the difference when it comes down to the end of the season. One thing in which I agree with Omar Minaya on is the fact that this team is missing its Keith Hernandez. Nobody stands up. Nobody leads by example. The guy who is supposed to be the cog that makes the engine run doesn’t even know what he is doing, and that is never a good thing.

Another blown opportunity. With the Fish losing today, the Phillies are now just a game back, while the Mets are 4 1/2 games back. I know it is still early, but somebody has to put the following sign up in the Mets’ locker room. “THE GAMES COUNT AS MUCH IN MAY AS THEY DO IN SEPTEMBER!”

What To Do With Oliver Perez

Oliver Perez has certainly been a bit of a project since he became a Met. There have been some days in which he looks ike an ace, and there have been others that make people think that he shouldn’t be in the major leagues. So far this season, there has been more of the latter.

He has only lasted five or more innings once, and that was when he earned his only victory of the season against Dan Diego on April 15. He has already walked 15 batters in just 19.1 innings, and he is going to need to get his act together if he wants to stay in this rotation.

Today should be an interesting start to watch. Perez always seems to step it up for the big games, and then he decided to pitch down to terrible opponents. When you can’t get out of the fifth inning against the Nationals, then you know something is wrong. Today, the dimensions will not be working in his favor in the tiny place that is Citizens Bank Park. Yesterday, we saw Daniel Murphy and Chase Utley each hit home runs that would have surely been caught in Citi Field. Heck, Mike Pelfrey just missed one…which was rather frustrating, because I nearly peed my pants when I saw him hit it.

This lineup is very left handed, and that should work in Perez’s favor, but nothing seems to go as it should for Ollie.

You would have to think that Jimmy Rollins, Utley, Shane Victorino, Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez would all be in there today, and these are guys who fare much better against right handed pitching. Ollie needs to not try and be so cute, and he needs to go right after them. If one of them clobbers a homer, then so be it, because walks are more frustrating than giving up homers.

Make the opposing team earn it, and learn from Chan Ho Park’s mistakes.

We all probably expect Ollie to come in today and get rocked, but this seems like one of those games that he gets amped up for. The Mets are going to need the good Ollie, and they are going to need to be patient if they want any chance to beat Philadelphia today.

Live Blogging: Mets vs. Phillies (Game 1)

Tonight I will be doing some live blogging about the game, giving my thoughts as I see them. If you want to read it, enjoy, but if not, then tough. It’s raining here in upstate New York, but it seems to be alright in Philadelphia. This will be a big game to establish some momentum. Lets go Mets!

 

Update 7:19 p.m.

The Mets have been patient against the erratic Chan Ho Park. Daniel Murphy hit a home run on a ball that would’ve been a shallow fly out in Citifield. Alex Cora walked just before him and scored on the homer to make it a 2-0 game. Beltran and Wright followed suit by walking as well, and Church went to 3-0 after nine straight balls thrown by Park. Park threw to straight strikes to come back in the count, before Ryan Church grounded into an inning-ending double play. The Mets lead 2-0 heading to the bottom of the first. Way to be patient guys. Is Church going to be the newest Met to join the slump parade?

Update 7: 32 p.m.

Rollins smoked a ball to lead off the game, but Reyes made a nice pick to throw out Reyes than snatched a Victorino scorcher and threw him out to make it two out, and Mike Pelfrey had two ground ball outs, which is the key to success for him in this bandbox of a ballpark. After falling behind 2-0 on Chase Utley, Pelfrey threw a solid fastball in his kitchen, and he got Utley to swing and foul off two straight, but Pelfrey nailed Utley in the leg. Not for nothing, but Utley did not make much of an effort to get out of the way of the pitch, but it counted none the less. After falling behind 2-0 again to Ryan Howard, Pelfrey layed in a cookie, but Howard fouled it back, and then Howard fouled off the next pitch as well. Pelfrey would work carefully, and the count would run full before Howard finally singled to put runners on the corners. One of my most hated Phillies, Jayson Werth stepped in.Luckily for Pelfrey, Werth grounded into a force play to end the inning. Nice job BIG PELF!

Update 7:41 p.m.

Tatis led off the top of the second with an opposite field single off Chan Ho Park, in which it was his first at-bat since the two-Grand Slam inning against Park a few years back. On a rare play for Manuel, he put the hit and run on and Omir Santos hit an opposite field double to make it second and third with nobody out, and Pelfrey hit a ball that I thought was gone. Ibanez made the catch on the track, and the Mets had a 3-0 lead. Nice job by Santos to advance to third base on the play. That would pay off, as Reyes flew out to deep center to give the Mets a 4-0 lead. Cora would notch a two-out single, but Murphy grounded out to end it. Come on Pelf. Time to preserve the lead. 4-0 heading to the bottom of the second.

Update 7:47 p.m.

Pelfrey got the first two outs, before allowing an 0-2 single to Chris Coste, which cleared the pitcher’s spot for the Phillies, but Park popped out to end the inning. Good inning by Pelfrey. 4-0 after two full innings.

Update 8:01 p.m.

Beltran led off the third with his second walk, and it was already the fourth for Park, which is way too much. Wright followed with a double to left center field, in which he was still way off balance, but we’ll take it. Church continued his struggles with a strikeout with two ducks on the pond, and that frustrates me, considering how the Phillies were conceding the run, but then the Phillies decided to walk Tatis to face Santos with the bases loaded and one out. Santos hit a shallow fly ball to right, but Beltran tested Werth and arrived just before the tag from Coste. Nice job sliding in by Beltran. Pelfrey grounded out to the mound to end the threat. Time to continue the nice pitching. 5-0 Mets after two and a half innings.

Update 8:19 p.m.

Pelfrey faced some adversity in the third inning, as he allowed a one-out single to Shane Victorino. Pelfrey made a throwing error while trying to pick off Victorino, who moved on to second, and then Mike walked Chase Utley to set up a dangerous situation with Ryan Howard coming up, but Pelfrey got Howard to fly out to Murphy, who caught the ball with two hands. Jayson Werth would then step in with two outs and drew a walk, and the Mets were in trouble with Raul Ibanez coming in with the bases loaded. Pelfrey fell behind 2-0 to Ibanez, and then he threw a dandy to make the count 2-1, but Raul Ibanez would drive in two runs with a broken bat single to cut the lead to 5-2. Pedro Feliz then stepped in with runners on the corners, and singled to right center with Ibanez in motion. The Phillies cut the lead to 5-3. If Ibanez didn’t run, the inning would’ve been over. Coste then grounded out to end the inning, and the score is now 5-3 after three full innings.

Update 8:25 p.m.

The made went quietly in the top half of the fourth. Pelfrey needs a good inning badly here. Pitcher’s spot leads off.

Update 8:38 p.m.

After Pelfrey got Park, Rollins drew a four pitch walk, which drives me crazy. After paying a lot of attention to him, Pelfrey finally picked off Rollins, and give an assist to Tatis for making a nice scoop on the throw. Victorino grounded out to end the inning. 5-3 after four innings. Something tells me this game is far from over.

Update 8:55 p.m.

The Mets got off to a quick start in the fifth, as Beltran smacked a double and Wright knocked him in with a single to give the Mets a 6-3 lead. Church was robbed of a hit by a sliding Raul Ibanez, and then Wright was caught stealing for the second out. Tatis doubled to right field with two outs, and Omir Santos was walked to bring up Pelfrey with two outs and two on. Chad Durbin was brought in to face Pelfrey, which I found interesting. Pelfrey went the other way on a slider, and he drove in his second run of the day with an RBI single to make the score 7-3. Reyes grounded out to end it. 7-3 at the half way point. Time for Pelfrey to throw strikes now. The meat of the order is coming up.

Update 9:03 p.m.

Pelfrey started the bottom half of the fifth by falling behind Utley, but he came back to get the star second basemen to pop out to left field. He then walked Howard, but he got two ground balls to get himself out of the inning. Nice job by BIG PELF! 7-3…and heading to the sixth!

Update 9:13 p.m.

After two quick outs, Beltran drew a walk. Wright worked the count to 2-2, and then he fouled off a tough breaking ball. He looked so off balance during this at-bat, but he continued to battle. Wright eventually grounded out, and the score was 7-3 as the game headed to the bottom of the sixth.

Update 9:26 p.m.

Pedro Feliz got the Phillies started with a single up the middle, and then Chris Coste grounded into a force out. Greg Dobbs then stepped up to hit for Chad Durbin and singled to center to make it first and second. Jerry Manuel came out to bring in Feliciano, who is guaranteed to be in all three games most likely. Jimmy Rollins would be the first guy to face him. On a weird play, Reyes bobbled a grounder, and then tried to get the force on third. He threw the ball away, but Coste held. dobbs strayed away from second, and he pretty much forced Coste to get thrown out at the plate. Feliciano then got Victorino to pop out to center to end the inning. Nice job boys. 7-3, as we head to the seventh.

Update 9:38 p.m.

J.A. Happ came out of the bullpen to face Ryan Church, and after working the count full, Church reached on a Chase Utley error. Tatis then flied out,and Santos did the same. And then, in a rare appearance, Pedro Feliciano came to the plate for the first time since 2006. Happ must have been afraid of Feliciano, because he walked him on four pitches. Reyes then popped up to Feliz to end it. Feliciano will take on the big boys in the bottom half of the seventh. Utley and Howard are first priority. VOTE FOR PEDRO!

Update 9:45 p.m.

Utley led off the seventh with a typical Citizen’s Bank Park homer, but then Feliciano got Howard to ground out to second base. He then struck out Jayson Werth, and the pesky Raul Ibanez came to the plate. Feliciano maked him look foolish though, and he struck him out pretty easily. The score was 7-4 as the game heads to the eighth.

Update 9:51 p.m.

With Happ still out there for the eighth, he would strike out Cora on three pitches. Murphy would fly out to left, and then Beltran flew out to deep right field to end the inning. Putz is coming on now, and the Mets need him to have a quick inning to set K-Rod up for the ninth. Good luck JJ! Mets fans have a short memory.

Update 10:00 p.m.

JJ Putz came on for the eighth inning and got Pedro Feliz to pop out to center to start the inning. Chris Coste would follow him by battling Putz until he scorched a liner to Reyes. Miguel Cairo came up to pinch hit for Happ and grounded out to second. Well done PUTZ! Mets come to bat in the ninth…7-3 lead.

Update 10:06 p.m.

David Wright led off and lined out to deep right field. It was a promising sign for David, who clearly was on the ball. Church then followed David with a pop out to Victorino, and then Jimmy Rollins made a nice play on a Tatis grounder to end the inning for Philly. Rollins, Victorino and Utley are due up against K-Rod. This is what we paid you the big bucks for Francisco!

Update 10:21 p.m.

Rollins led off against the Mets’ closer, and after initially having the count in his favor, Rollins would pop out to Cora for a big first out. The Flyin’ Hawaiian Shane Victorino then stood in the box and K-Rod made him look foolish with a change up that had Victorino flailing. With the Phillies down to their last out, Chase Utley stood in and got the count in his favor at 2-0. but K-Rod battled back to bring the count full, but a close pitch was called ball four to bring up Ryan Howard. K-Rod got ahead in the count at 1-2, K-Rod missed with two straight to make the count full, and then Howard swung at ball four to end it. Great work by K-Rod, who is now five for five in save opportunities. Tomorrow, Oliver Perez will face the Phillies, and that could mean trouble. We shall see.

The Mets Need Big Pelf to Stand Tall

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

Today, the Mets will start a series of epic proportions against their biggest rival, the Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets will be going into the bandbox of a stadium and there will be no smiles unless the Mets come out on top. In order to do so, they are going to need big performances from their big-time players, including Jose Reyes and David Wright, both of whom are in big slumps at the moment.

Wright needs to go with the pitch and take the bat straight to the baseball. If he continues to have a loop in his swing, he will remain as the league leader in strikeouts, but we all know he is capable of better. For Reyes, he needs to be patient, but also know when to swing the bat. When he takes the first strike, he needs to be ready to wallop, because he could get a meaty pitch, and in the small ball park in Philly, that could be one even Reyes could send for a home run.

Another guy that they are going to need is Mike Pelfrey, who is coming off of a strong outing his last time out. Although Pelfrey’s ERA is uncomfortably high at 6.32, his record is 2-0, and he will be looking to keep the Phillies in the ballpark tonight. With Pelfrey being a groundball pitcher, he would seem like the perfect candidate to succeed, but he is going to be facing a potent lineup that is not easy to find an automatic out in.

Another guy who will be pivotal in this game is Pedro Feliciano. With the likes of Raul Ibanez, Jimmy Rollins, and Ryan Howard likely to be in the lineup for Philadelphia, Felciano could be brought in for a crucial late-inning matchup. He has fared well against the Phillies in the past, and the Mets are going to need him to continue that trend.

This series is as big as they come for an early in the year matchup. The Mets are going to need all the cards on the table, and maybe they will finally start playing with some heart.

Philadelphia Phillies Players Most Hated by New York Mets’ Fans

Right now, I am sitting in the Editing Suite for my college, and my group members and I are working on a documentary on farming.

Even on an off day, and while working on something that has nothing to do with it, I am still thinking about the Mets—and with a big weekend series with the Phillies coming up, all of the rage of the past couple of seasons has risen from the depths of me.

So I got myself thinking: Who do Mets fans dislike the most when it comes to the Philly Players?

I am going to list the top five, in descending order, and I will give the reasons for why I think so. Enjoy!

 

5. Jayson Werth

Werth has been one of those new found Mets’ killers that has seemingly came out of nowhere. He has a couple of big homers against the Mets, including one that was a major killer against Billy Wagner, whose Mets career is essentially over.

The reason Mets’ fans can’t stand Werth is kind of ironic. He isn’t great, but he knows how to hit against the Mets in the clutch. In fact, in just 108 career at-bats against the Mets, he is hitting .315 with five homers and 14 RBI. It just irritates Mets’ fans to know that he has beaten them.

 

4. Cole Hamels

Hamels has been excellent since his inception into the league. Although Hamels is only 1-3 in six career starts against the Mets, he has been front and center when it comes to the media.

Hamels had a pretty controversial interview on the radio during the preseason, where he essentially said that the Phillies are better than the Mets. But in his defense, he was definitely baited into giving the answer that the reporter was looking for, which was bad journalism.

This is one of those cases, at least for me, that I think we hate based on respect. Chipper Jones would be another guy who would fall into that category. This guy is probably going to haunt the Mets for years to come.

 

3. Chase Utley

When healthy, Utley may be the best-hitting second basemen in all of baseball. Utley has 82 career hits against the Mets, 37 of which have been for extra bases. Although his average against the Mets is only .266, he seems to perform the best when the pressure is at a high point.

This hatred from Mets’ fans may be based on jealousy, because Chase Utley may be what their lineup is missing to be excellent once and for all.

 

2. Jimmy Rollins

Rollins may be the leader on the Phillies in being the Mets’ killer of the present. He has hit 21 homers against the Orange and Blue in his career, and he has infuriated people in New York even more with his comments in preseason.

He also likes to mock the Mets, and that just fuels the fire even more. Rollins even said that the

Phillies were going to win the NL East, and we need to give him credit. He not only was a man of his word, but he won an MVP to boot. Rollins is getting up there in years, and he will still be front and center as long as he can still play.

 

1. Shane Victorino

There are not many people that I personally dislike in professional sports more than Shane Victorino.

People in Philadelphia consider Victorino to be their version of Jose Reyes, which angers Mets fans to the fullest extent.  Victorino is not as good as Reyes. He steals fewer bases and he doesn’t get on base as much.

His 11 career stolen bases against the Mets are the second-highest against any one team in his career. He is one of those guys who loves to mock the Mets, and he likes to mock Jose Reyes as well. A lot of Mets’ fans’ can’t even stand the thought of Shane Victorino.

 

Your thoughts?