Aug 4 - Maz Goes Down - What Took So Long?

It sure didn’t take long for the loggers to take a chunk out of that Joe Torre coaching tree. Today, Lee Mazzilli was canned down in Baltimore in a move that was probably 10 months overdue. I had my mind made up on Mazzilli on September 5th of last year when one of his “instant classics” cost the Birds a game against the Yanks. In that game, Mazzilli came down with amnesia and forgot that you never bring in wild right-hander when you have a lefty on the mound that is taking out Yanks like a confederate sniper. He’s had a few brain farts against the Sox as well, leading me to believe he is one of the worst bullpen handlers in recent baseball history. I guess he didn’t learn a whole lot from Joe making all those tough calls to bring in Mo. Ok, so one branch on Torre’s tree has been snapped and I am left wondering how long will it be before the Randolph branch is hit by lightening? Willie hasn’t been quite the moron Mazzilli was, but he has certainly not distinguished himself. The bet here is he will feel some heat next year if the Mets do not seriously challenge for a playoff berth.

Speaking of Randolph and the Mets – I think it pretty clear Roberto Hernandez is showing some signs of overuse. He gave up runs on both Tuesday and Wednesday and today he got absolutely rocked as he squandered a two-run ninth inning lead. Does Randolph think you can pitch this guy everyday? For god’s sake, Hernandez is an emergency tire that Randolph is using for a cross-country trip. Let’s be honest – Hernandez is 47 years old and at that age, he should be petting therapy dogs and not pitching in five nail-biters a week. The real problem is the Mets are basically going with a ten man staff and the bullpen is now totally burned out. I am not sure hwo serious this team could challenge for a playoff spot but it was criminal that GM Omar Minaya didn’t go out at the trade deadline and at least secure a capable reliever, regardless of whether that pitcher was a middle guy or closer.

Mets fans love to dump on Mike Piazza, but let me tell you something, The Slice, is quietly having a nice year. After hitting a bomb this afternoon, Piazza is projected to have a 20/80 year which isn’t too bad for a sub-500 at bat catcher. Hey, his defense is atrocious and has been for years, but I dare you to give me the names of five catchers who are having Mike’s year at the plate. And don’t give me the name of Engleberg who tore it up for the Bears this Spring. Meanwhile, Mike’s understudy – Ramon Castro - is quietly putting up nice numbers as well. This may shock you but Castro has now knocked in twenty-two runs in just 100 at bats. Granted, that is not a huge sample, but Castro has demonstrated that he can hit major league pitching with runners on base. And at the very least, Castro has proven that he is more than adequate enough to take over for Piazza next year.

It is shocking, but I live in a city where a fair amount of baseball fans will argue that Robinson Cano is the leading candidate to win the American League Rookie of the Year award. Nothing speaks to New York’s baseball myopia as this issue. Lets just forget for a second that Cano is mired in a horrible streak where he has 2 hits in his last 24 at bats. With the slump, Cano is hitting just a smidge under .300, but his OBP is just .317. His numbers are good, but they are certainly nothing special. And they are certainly nowhere those of Tiger Chris Shelton, who is slugging .560. Moreover, Toronto hurler Gustavo Chacin has eleven wins and an ERA of 3.30, while Oakland closer Huston Street is on fire closing games on the West Coast. The morale to the story New York fans: your boy Cano is at best the fourth best rookie in the American League, and that may be shortchanging guys like Aaron Hill and Tadahito Iguchi. I don’t want to hear YES man Michael Kay mention one more time that Cano is a ”contender” for the ROY award, as he did this afternoon. That is a pretty damn liberal definition of “contender.” Hey, I can eat a lot of hot dogs and I guess under Kay’s definition, I am a contender to take out Kobayashi at next year’s Nathan’s hot dog eating contest.