The Times They Are A-Changin'

The 2011 Mets have been a far cry from their 2009 and 2010 counterparts, and we're not just talking about their won-loss record. This year's team feels different than the teams that frustrated fans over the past two seasons. Gone are the malcontents who had no business being on the team and replacing them are players who play hard and have fun doing so.

With apologies to Bob Dylan, the times they are a-changin' for the Mets. Here are some examples to show just how much things have turned around for the orange and blue:

The Mets have had more reasons to smile this year than in years past.

Injuries were used as an excuse for the team’s lack of performance over the past few seasons. If the team went on a losing streak, it was always "when we get so-and-so back, the team will get better". That defeatist attitude is no longer evident this year, as injuries to key players (David Wright, Ike Davis, Johan Santana) have been used as motivation for role players to step up their game.

Chemistry last year was affected by the Luis Castillo/Oliver Perez situation, the quick return of Carlos Beltran from his injury, sending Jeff Francoeur (a normally calming influence in the clubhouse) to the bench demanding a trade, and the Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em K-Rod incident. This year’s team is a cohesive unit that enjoys playing with each other and has no off-the-field problems with its players. Would last year’s team be doing “the claw” with all their problems? Methinks not.

Last year, the team failed miserably in clutch situations, while this year, it seems like they do their best work after the first two men have been retired in an inning. The Mets currently lead the National League in hits, extra-base hits, on-base percentage and slugging percentage in two-out situations. New York's 167 runs scored with two outs rank second in the league to the Phillies' 168. However, the Phillies have played 88 games, while the Mets have played 87.

In 2009 and 2010, the Mets were a combined 61-101 in road games. Last year, they didn’t win a series on the road against a National League team until they took two out of three at PNC Park against the lowly Pirates in late August. This year, the Mets have the most road victories (26) in the NL and have allowed only two walk-off wins on the road, compared to 12 last season.

As a result of their poor performance in 2009, attendance dropped at Citi Field in 2010, as the luster of the new ballpark faded quicker than the team did in the standings. The team struggled to draw fans early this season, but as the team has gradually improved from month to month, the fans have been coming back. The Mets' have drawn at least 30,000 fans to Citi Field in each of their last eight home games. Prior to that, they had fewer than 30,000 fans in attendance in 23 of their first 33 home dates, including a Citi Field-low paid attendance of 21,015 against the division rival Atlanta Braves on Sunday, June 5.

The Mets might have only two All-Stars, but all 25 players give their best effort to "star" in each game.

From the Mets' performance on the field to the fans' performance at the turnstiles, the atmosphere around the Mets has changed for the better. The disgruntled fanbase from years past is now subscribing to the philosophy of Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins. In other words, the fans are starting to like this team.

Better leadership. Better effort. Better results. The times are indeed a-changin' for the Mets, and for the first time in years, that change is producing positive energy and positive results. Change is good.

Beltran vs. Kobayashi: Wiener War III - For All The Mustard

Two years ago, Carlos Beltran took down Takeru Kobayashi in their initial hot dog eating contest by pulling the hidden bun trick on the legendary competitive eater. Last year, Kobayashi vowed to have his revenge on Beltran. However, Beltran was prepared for Kobayashi's chicanery, which involved using the Phillie Phanatic to shoot hot dogs at him at a high speed. Kobayashi then chose to blame a contract dispute for his failure to appear at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, when in reality, he was just embarrassed that Beltran had found a way to thwart his plans.

This year, the sauerkraut-stained gloves are coming off. This one's for all the mustard. In the most eagerly-anticipated finale to a trilogy since Major League: Back To The Minors, it's time for Wiener War III between Carlos Beltran and Takeru Kobayashi!

Let's get ready to mumble! (Especially if they talk with their mouths full.)

Before we continue, let's fill you in on what the competitors have been up to since last year's Wiener War.

Carlos Beltran has once again become a threat in the middle of the Mets' lineup, leading the team in home runs and RBI. With a diet rich in hot dogs, Beltran is 100% healthy and will get the opportunity to show off his skills in this summer's All-Star Game.

Takeru Kobayashi has not been as fortunate as Carlos Beltran over the past 12 months. When he found out that Sandy Alderson was retooling the bullpen, Kobayashi decided to try out for a middle relief job with the Mets. However, during spring training, the former wiener winner was released before he threw his first pitch. His release was not due to the fact that he couldn't actually pitch, but because fellow relievers complained that their sunflower seeds were constantly missing. Kobayashi was then given a job as a hot dog vendor at Citi Field, but was relieved of his duties on Opening Day for undisclosed reasons.

Both athletes have seen their share of highs and lows during their respective careers, with Beltran currently living the high life and Kobayashi trying to eat hot dogs via satellite. But this year it will be different. Kobayashi will not be allowed anywhere near the stage, thereby allowing Beltran to compete without the possibility of a potential distraction. Instead, Joey Chestnut (see photo, right) will be wolfing down the wieners in Kobayashi's seat.

It's time to begin the Wiener War! Let's go down to Studious Metsimus roving reporter/culinary expert Joey Beartran for the play-by-play.

Joey? Um, Joey, are you there?

Okay, we seem to have a change in plans, as Joey doesn't seem to have his headset on. Wait a minute. What's this? Oh, no.

Apparently, Joey Chestnut has been arguing with the celebrity judges over something. While he was arguing, our own Joey Beartran jumped into Chestnut's seat and is apparently about to compete against Carlos Beltran.

A dozen hot dogs? That's just an appetizer for Joey Beartran.

Well, while you were busy looking at the photo above, we learned that Joey Chestnut had a slight problem with his entrance application. It appeared that his last name had been altered from Chestnut to Beartran, allowing our roving reporter/culinary expert to add competitive eater to his job description.

Chestnut was enraged by this and argued vehemently with the panel of judges, with one judge disagreeing with him, one judge willing to allow him to participate and the celebrity judge too busy to notice. Then again, due to budget constraints, the organizers of the contest also hired the celebrity judge to be the event's official photographer and to handle the official Twitter play-by-play.

That might have been their mistake, as they hired former U.S. Representative from New York, the appropriately-named Anthony Weiner, to be the celebrity judge/photographer/head Tweeter. Apparently, background checks were not included in the event's budget as well.

Celebrity judge Anthony Weiner got a little emotional after his involvement in the Chestnut/Beartran name-switch snafu.

While all this was happening, the contest had already begun, with both Beltran and Beartran chomping away on dozens and dozens of frankfurters. Takeru Kobayashi was doing the same via satellite, hoping to take down the Mets player and the Mets bear. A few minutes later, this reporter was given a tip to watch closely on the monitor broadcasting the feed from the Kobayashi Kamp.

The feed being shown was running on a continuous loop.

Of course, the two non-celebrity judges were arguing amongst themselves over the two Joeys and the celebrity judge was busy apologizing for not being a responsible photographer/Tweeter for the event, so no one else seemed to notice that Kobayashi was not actually eating his hot dogs on live TV.

So where was he? What was he doing? And why would he ever stop eating hot dogs for any reason?

It was at that moment that everything stopped. Carlos Beltran stopped eating. The judges stopped bickering. Even Joey Beartran took a break to burp. What had made this event come to a complete standstill?

Apparently, Carlos Beltran had just been traded.

Even Carlos Beltran appeared to be disgusted that he was traded away at a most inopportune time.

A hush came over the crowd, especially from the Mets fans in attendance. It had been expected that Beltran would be traded to another team at some point this season. But did it have to come during the final Wiener War? And to make matters worse, was he traded to a contending team? Was he going to the American League to be a DH? No, my friends. It was far worse than that.

He was traded to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the Japanese Pacific League.

Of course, this reporter knew something was wrong with the trade immediately after it was announced. Granted, Beltran was traded to a contender, as was widely expected. (Fukuoka was tied for first place with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters with identical 38-20 records as of last night.) But the Hawks already have three outstanding outfielders in Nobuhiko Matsunaka, Seiichi Uchikawa and Hitoshi Tamura. In fact, centerfielder Uchikawa is currently leading the Pacific League with a .363 batting average. Surely, Beltran was not going to displace him in the outfield.

Not only that, it was never announced who he was being traded for. It was just said that Beltran was traded for a player to be named later, which would have been the first trade in Japanese baseball history for the dreaded PTBNL.

So let's put all the facts together. Beltran is traded to a Japanese baseball team during the hot dog eating contest. Kobayashi (who just happens to be Japanese) is nowhere to be found, with his live satellite feed running on a continuous loop. The team he is traded to has "SoftBank" in its name. Who needs the Scooby Gang when unraveling this mystery was so easy?

Takeru Kobayashi had sabotaged the contest. AGAIN!

Takeru Kobayashi would've gotten away with it if it weren't for those meddling Studious Metsimus kids!

So this is how it all went down. Takeru Kobayashi was on Twitter one night, going through numerous tweets, trying to find out tips on how to finally defeat his nemesis, Carlos Beltran. He came across a particular hashtag that was being repeated as if on a loop. That hashtag was #beltranissoft.

At the same time, Kobayashi noticed the Twitter chatter on the possibilities of Beltran being moved at the trade deadline. So he came up with the plan to have Beltran traded as far away as possible so that he would never win another hot dog challenge again. And since apparently, Beltran was soft, he should be traded to a team where being soft is not only acceptable, it's part of the team name, hence the trade to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. The #beltranissoft hashtag being repeated ad nauseum also gave Kobayashi the idea to put his satellite transmission on a continuous loop so that no one would notice the machinations going on behind the mustard curtain.

But how exactly did we find out about Kobayashi's evil plans for world hot dog domination? It looks like our own competitive eater had something to do with it.

Let's hear it for Joey Beartran, whose keen eye (and full stomach) helped expose Kobayashi's plot.

You see, after that first dozen hot dogs, Joey Beartran came down with a bear-sized tummy ache. Apparently, no one had bothered to tell the culinary expert that having a pre-contest appetizer was not the best of plans for someone who was about to enter the Wiener War. By the time Joey had bowed out of the contest, the other Joey (Chestnut) had already decided it was too late to continue pleading his case to the judges in an effort to enter the contest. That left Carlos Beltran as the only competitor left standing, and the Wiener War winner, provided he didn't drop out of the competition.

As Joey Beartran walked away from the stage, he got bored so he decided to watch a little TV while he was waiting for Beltran to finish his last hot dog. Of course, he got frustrated when the TV he was watching kept "skipping". The TV he happened to be watching was the Kobayashi so-called "live" feed and the "skipping" was the repetition of the same hot dog being eaten over and over again. To the naked eye, it appeared as if Kobayashi was eating numerous hot dogs, but to a trained eater's eye such as Joey Beartran's, he noticed the tomfoolery immediately.

It was then that Joey came over to his colleague (yours truly) and reported what he had just witnessed. (Remember that "tip" I mentioned 17 paragraphs ago? That was Joey Beartran saving the day.) Needless to say, the two remaining judges (Anthony Weiner had been relieved of his duties due to excessive tweeting on topics not related to what he was hired for) declared Carlos Beltran the undisputed Wiener War champion of the world and the trade to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks was rescinded, making Beltran one happy Mustard Belt recipient.

Carlos Beltran relishes the moment as he shows off the Mustard Belt he received for his victory in Wiener War III.

That concludes the final Wiener War between Carlos Beltran and Takeru Kobayashi. Let's give you a happy recap of today's events.

Carlos Beltran remained the undisputed hot dog eating champion of the world, although the term "undisputed" might not be entirely accurate, as disputes were rampant during this year's Wiener War.

Joey Beartran finally had to push food away from him, as his pre-contest appetizer denied him the opportunity to finish the competition. He also was not available for the post-war interview, claiming he had some papers to shred. (Speaking of which, we never did find out what happened to Joey Chestnut's application to enter the competition. Hmm. It makes you wonder...)

Joey Chestnut decided to drown his sorrow at not being allowed to participate in the event by having some Nathan's beer-battered onion rings. And some hot dogs. And some french fries. And some more onion rings. And a burger or two. Or ten.

Anthony Weiner. Who cares? He's just a d*ck in Wiener's clothing.

As for Takeru Kobayashi, as of last check, he was posting bail and working on getting a reality show with the Food Network. There was also a rumor started on Twitter that he was planning to go to Arizona for next week's All-Star Game, but Kobayashi rebuffed the rumor, claiming that he was not attending because fellow countryman Ichiro Suzuki failed to make the All-Star team for the first time in his 11-year major league career. We think his denial had something to do with the restraining order placed on him by Carlos Beltran, who will also be in Arizona as a member of the National League All-Star team.

Well, that does it for this year. We hope all of you have a wonderful Fourth of July, doing everything that makes you proud to be an American (even if it includes stuffing your face with hot dogs). Carlos Beltran is proud. Joey Beartran is proud (and full). And so am I. Have a great holiday, everyone!

Halfway To Sanity: First Half Recap

The Mets lost to the Detroit Tigers today by the score of 5-2, ending their four-game winning streak, a streak that pushed them over .500 for the first time since the fifth game of the season. With today's loss, the Mets dropped to 41-40 at the midway point of the season.

While some people expected the Mets to be right around the .500 mark, including yours truly, the fact that they've achieved their record without Johan Santana throwing a single pitch and with their corner infielders and leading power hitters (David Wright, Ike Davis) disabled for a good chunk of the first half is all the more Amazin'.

Now that the Mets have reached the 81-game plateau, let's look back at the first half and dig up some interesting stats on your fav'rit men in blue and orange.

By pitching the final inning of today's loss, Francisco Rodriguez reached the season's midway point with 30 games finished, putting him on pace for 60 such games, or five above the 55 needed for his contract to vest for 2012. Even if K-Rod doesn't get traded to another team, he might have difficulty reaching 55 games finished, and it might be his own fault. Here are his stats before and after his team's 81st game over the past few seasons:

• 2010: First half - 1.99 ERA; Second half - spent most of it either disabled or in handcuffs.
• 2009: First half - 1.59 ERA; Second half - 6.67 ERA.
• 2008: First half - 1.88 ERA; Second half - 2.70 ERA.
• 2007: First half - 2.27 ERA; Second half - 3.41 ERA.

Historically, Frankie Rodriguez has performed extremely well in the first half of the season, only to come back to Earth in the second half. If 2011 becomes his fifth consecutive season with a sluggish second half, he might be taken out of games he would normally finish, due to a rough outing or twelve. So far this season, he has finished 30 of the 38 games in which he has appeared.

Jose Reyes. What else can we say about him that hasn't already been said ad nauseum? After today's 2-for-3 performance, his batting average is up to a lofty .352, with an on-base percentage hovering around .400. He leads or is among the league leaders in batting average, hits, multi-hit games, runs scored, doubles, triples and stolen bases. But there might be some things you didn't know about his historical season.

Did you know that Reyes is also the toughest player to strike out in the National League, fanning 26 times in 374 plate appearances? Did you know that Reyes is sixth in the National League in slugging percentage (.529), despite having only three home runs? Did you know that Reyes has more triples (15) than eight National League teams do? (For the record, here are the other teams and their total number of triples: St. Louis (13), Los Angeles (12), Florida (11), San Francisco (11), Washington (11), Pittsburgh (10), Cincinnati (9), Atlanta (6).)

For our final stat, let's look at the team as a whole and compare them to the Philadelphia Phillies. No one will confuse the Mets for the Phillies, the team with the best record in the National League and one of the favorites to represent the NL in the World Series. However, statistically speaking, the Mets are better than the Phillies in a number of unexpected categories.

The Mets are "up top" in many offensive categories that the Phillies used to dominate.

The Mets are second in the National League in batting average (.264). Where are the Phillies? All the way down at No. 10 with a .246 average.

For all the great sluggers the Phillies have, it is the Mets who have the higher slugging percentage (.388), while the Phillies are 11th in the league with their .375 mark.

The Phillies have a number of players who might receive an intentional walk or two. However, it is the Mets and their singles-hitting lineup who lead the National League in walks, drawing 293 free passes over their first 81 games. The Phillies have 272 in the same amount of games.

As expected, the Phillies have more home runs than the Mets, leading New York in that category, 67-52. But for all those balls leaving the yard, it is the Mets who have crossed the plate more often, and it's not even close. The Mets have outscored Philadelphia over their first 81 games, 369-327, showing that small ball can be just as effective in the run-scoring process as looking for the three-run homer.

Alas, despite the unexpected offensive superiority of the Mets over the Phillies, they still trail Philadelphia by 9½ games in the NL East. Why is that? Well, the Phillies happen to lead the major leagues with a 2.98 ERA, while the Mets are near the bottom of the league with their 4.06 ERA through 81 games. As the old saying goes, pitching wins championships. It also does a good job of hiding the fact that the Phillies are a very flawed team offensively, while negating many of the fine hitting performances by the Mets.

As much as it pains me to say it, the Mets' pitchers have to bow down in front of the great Phillies' staff.

If the Mets are going to compete for the a playoff spot in the second half, they'll need to improve their pitching. Their starters have been decent, for the most part, but decent equals mediocre. They'll need to step it up on the mound if they're going to go far enough above .500 so that they don't even see it in their rearview mirror. And if they can do that, they'll also lose sight of various National League teams in the rearview mirror as well.

The second half of the season will be very interesting indeed. The team that finishes the second half might not be the same team that begins it tomorrow against the Yankees at Citi Field. David Wright, Ike Davis and Johan Santana may or may not be back in the second half (let's cross our fingers and hope for "may" instead of "may not"), but at the same time, players like Carlos Beltran and Frankie Rodriguez might be trying to help another team get into the postseason.

To paraphrase one-time Mets' nemesis, Joaquin Andujar, the baseball season can be summed up with one word, and that word is "you never know". With the 2011 Mets, you never know which team is going to show up. Will they be the team that scored 52 runs in four games or will they be the team that mysteriously forgot how to use their home field to their advantage?

You never know with these Mets. That's why they're so much fun to watch.

Texas Two-Step (Part II): Joey Does Dallas

Howdy y'all! This is your fav'rit Studious Metsimus blogger/culinary expert Joey Beartran, reporting for duty. In today's episode, I will recap my just-completed trip to Texas to see the Mets play the Rangers, where our boys in blue and orange took two out of three from the defending American League champions.

As a respected blogger, I expected the Rangers to roll out the red carpet for me upon my arrival in Arlington. I got nothing. No red carpet. Not even a wet towel to combat the oppressive triple digit temperatures. I wasn't even allowed in the press room because they didn't believe me when I said I accidentally lost my media credentials somewhere between our trip to In-N-Out Burger and Sonic. (I must have confused it for a napkin.) The closest I got to the press room was the Media Only sign outside the ballpark.



So I had to sit in the ballpark with the fans. No big deal. I could handle not being in an air-conditioned press box. Plus, it would give me the opportunity to walk around the stadium and try out the ballpark fare at their concession stands.

My first stop was at the bacon dog stand. You read that right. It's a stand that sells hot dogs wrapped in bacon. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with what I expected to be a Texas delicacy. I mean, I like bacon and I like hot dogs. Then again, I like chicken nachos and I like cannolis, but I wouldn't eat them together. That's what the bacon dogs were like. Two fine meats in and of themselves, but one big disappointment when combined on a bun.

Such a promising concept, but I wish it had been bacon AND a hot dog instead on bacon ON a hot dog.

By the time I had donated the rest of my bacon dog to the pigeon that had that "I'm going to poop on you if you don't share your meal with me" look in its eyes, the Mets had already taken a 3-0 lead on the Rangers. Considering the Mets had only scored one run in the opener of the series, putting up a three-spot in the first inning gave me hope that this game would be different.

I was all set to watch Jon Niese take the mound in the bottom of the first inning to protect the lead his teammates had provided for him when something unexpected happened. Something grabbed my attention and wouldn't let it go, no matter how intent I was on watching the game.

It was the nacho stand.

Can you get burritos at Citi Field? I think not!

This was Tex-Mex heaven! In addition to quesadillas and fajita salads, you could also build your own burrito. The vendors handed out a piece of paper, which the patron would fill out detailing exactly what ingredients were to be added to their burrito, salad, nachos, etc.

Of course, I had to try their chicken taco salad in a crispy tortilla bowl. This was not the bacon dog. This was bliss in a bowl. My sister, Iggy, who also made the trip to Texas, shared the salad (and souvenir soda) with me. After eating it, we wished we had ordered one for each of us. It was that good!

What was in our chicken taco salad? The better question might be, what WASN'T in it? Yum!

After consuming the salad, we made our way back to our seats, at which time we noticed that the Mets now had a 6-0 lead. Jonathon Niese, who was unaccustomed to the excessive temperatures, was cruising, while his mound opponent, Alexi Ogando, (7-2, 2.66 ERA and a leading candidate for American League Rookie of the Year) wilted in the Texas heat.

The Mets failed to score in the fourth and fifth frames, so I thought it would be a good time to check out other aspects of the ballpark. We checked out the Mets' bullpen (see first photo below), the seats behind home plate (see middle photo below) and then...well...you know...



After our break with the garlic fries, we walked over to the center field area, where we noticed a giant statue of a man tipping his cap. Upon further inspection, we noticed that it was a statue dedicated to the only Texas Ranger player to have his number retired by the team, Nolan Ryan. (Former manager Johnny Oates is the only other former Ranger to have his number retired, despite the fact that Bobby Valentine is the all-time winningest manager in Ranger history. Yes, the same Bobby Valentine that managed the Mets to the World Series in 2000.)

Of course, as a Mets fan who was born at Shea Stadium, (okay, so technically I was purchased by my colleague in the Mets Team Store behind home plate at Shea in 2004, but for argument's sake, let's just say I was "born" there, ya dig?) I noticed the similarities between the Rangers and the Mets with regards to retired numbers. Both teams have retired only one player's number (Seaver's No. 41 for New York and Ryan's No. 34 for Texas), both teams have retired the number of the manager who led them to their first division title (Hodges' No. 14 for the Mets and Oates' No. 26 for the Rangers) and both have failed to bestow the same honor to Bobby Valentine.

While I was pondering those similarities, I noticed that Iggy had climbed onto Nolan Ryan's glove, so before any Rangers fans could cry sacrilege, I followed her in an effort to get her to come down. Of course, a roving photographer caught us on his glove and snapped the photo below.

Even in the middle of Texas, the paparazzi never rests.

Needless to say, we needed a place to hide before a lynch mob treated us like Frankenstein's monster for sitting on their beloved Nolan Ryan's statue. We tried to get into the Mets' bullpen, but were turned aside. We tried going back to the Tex-Mex stand, but there were too many people standing in line who might recognize us.

It got to the point where we thought everyone was after us. Every Rangers fan on their cell phone appeared to be calling the police in our minds. If I'm not mistaken, I think I overheard one of the fans talking about calling Chuck Norris so he could arrest us, before a fellow fan reminded him that Norris wasn't a real lawman. He only played one on TV.

Chuck Norris Fact: His badge will be retired alongside Nolan Ryan and Johnny Oates' number.

Running out of places to hide, we tried one last time to get into the press box. We circled the area on the second level behind home plate when we were spotted. Fortunately, it wasn't El Rangerdoro (a Lucha Libre wrestler who didn't take kindly to Mets fans on his turf) doing the spotting. A hand reached out from up above and we heard a familiar voice who offered to bring us into the Mets' radio booth, where we'd be safe from television-obsessed fans and masked wrestlers. Who was this kind soul who shielded us in our time of need?

It was none other than longtime Mets' radio play-by-play man, Howie Rose.

Thank you, Howie! You saved us from angry Rangers fans and finally got us into the broadcast booth!

Right after the save by Howie Rose, everything turned for the better. The Mets scored eight more times (finishing the game with a season-high 14 runs) and we were able to escape with a victory and our lives.

We did not attend the final game of the series the following afternoon, an 8-5 victory by the Mets. Our Studious Metsimus colleague will say it was because we had to take a flight home, but if you saw the reactions of El Rangerdoro and the other members of the Church of Nolan Ryan after we sat on their savior's statue, you'd want to get out of Dodge as soon as possible, too.

Our stay in the Dallas area was memorable for many reasons. It was memorable for the variety of food we sampled. (Bacon dogs - bleccchhh, garlic fries - acceptable, chicken taco salad - nom nom nom!) It was memorable for all the crooked numbers the Mets put up on the scoreboard in taking the series from the Rangers. And it was memorable because we went to Texas and became outlaws for a day, even though that wasn't part of the original plan.

I am glad we're back home, though. After all, I don't think Iggy and I were going to fool native Texans much longer with the disguises we put on in order to blend in with the crowd. Well, maybe we could have fooled that Chuck Norris fan...

Texas Two-Step (Part I): Coop & Ed's Tex-cellent Adventure

Last year, the cast and crew of Studious Metsimus embarked on a world tour. No, we didn't tour with Weezer (although that would be super-sweet). Instead, we toured the country following the Mets to different ballparks. We attended games at Camden Yards (Baltimore), Nationals Park (Washington), AT&T Park (San Francisco) and PNC Park (Pittsburgh), cheering for the Mets every step of the way. (We also ventured to Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, but that city doesn't need to be linked out to here.)

This year, we decided to pack our bags and take a trip to Texas. Who's "we"? Why, it's yours truly, along with correspondent Taryn (Coop) Cooper, culinary expert/investigative reporter Joey Beartran and his sister, Iggy. (Joey and Iggy's report will be featured in a separate piece.)

We followed the Mets to Texas, where we were told everything is bigger. Apparently, that statement was spot on, as our smiles and Mets' pride were never bigger than they were in Arlington.

Photo by Sharon Chapman, who joined us in Texas with her family. Thanks, Sharon!

Scheduling (and this thing called a "day job") prevented us from attending the finale of the three-game series between the Mets and the Rangers, but we were able to go to the first two games. We can skip over the first game, which was another off-day for Mike Pelfrey and the bullpen. Then again, the final result (an 8-1 loss by the Mets) was nothing new for Big Pelf, as his road woes are no longer a secret.

So let's move on to the middle game of the series. After the first loss, the Mets had sunk to two games under .500 for the millionth time this season. But Jonathon Niese was on the mound for the Mets against the Rangers. Unlike Pelfrey, Niese has had more success on the road (10-7) than at home (8-11) and it showed. Then again, even Victor Zambrano could have won the game with the fireworks supplied by the Mets' bats.

Who needs the long ball? Chicks dig singles as well.

The Mets pounded out 17 hits, with nary a home run in sight, en route to a 14-5 thrashing of the Rangers. The 14 runs represented a season-high for the Mets, who desperately needed a game in which the bullpen was either not used or used in a less stressful environment.

Unfortunately, with Jonathon Niese succumbing to the heat, it was up to Bobby Parnell and DJ Carrasco to finish the game. Jason Isringhausen was not called upon because he was too busy playing with his big red ball and Manny Acosta was on bathroom security duty (see photos below).



While we are the game in our Mets gear, we were actually heckled by four Rangers fans. That's right, not everyone in Texas is polite. The first three fans apparently got together before the game because all they could come up with was "BOOOOO" as we walked by.

The fourth fan was a little more original with his insult, as he showed his extensive knowledge of pronouns with his "BOO YOU" epithet. Then again, perhaps he wasn't being derisive to us at all and was just stating the college he was attending. (BOO U, anyone?)

We did have to give credit to one Rangers fan who actually was quite creative in expressing his love for his team, dressing as a masked Lucha Libre fighter called "El Rangerdoro". He posed for some photos with us, where he showed off his signature "chokehold while wearing batting gloves" move and his ability to point at the camera. (For those of you who still thinking wrestling is real, I regret to inform you that the pointing was indeed choreographed.)



Although we couldn't attend the final game of the series, we did go out to the ballpark that morning to take some exterior shots of the ballpark and its surroundings. We didn't run into any players entering the stadium, but we did run into long-time Mets' PR dude, Jay Horwitz. (I assure you he's in one of the photos below.)





To recap our trip to Texas...

It was hot. No, seriously. Just look at that wet stain on my Mets T-shirt in the collage of photos above. That didn't come from the guy who attended BOO U.

Jon Niese did wonderfully in his start, despite sweating through his uniform (perhaps nervous that El Rangerdoro was waiting for him outside the visitors' clubhouse).

Manny Acosta might have a new job in sanitation soon if he continues to give up runs at an alarming rate.

Arlington has a really great ballpark. No joke needed there. It's just a really sweet park.

From the tributes to Nolan Ryan (including the large statue in center field of the Ryan Express doffing his cap) to the frequent fireworks (not all of them came from the Mets' bats), our ballpark experience was one to remember. It was indeed (dare I say it) a Tex-cellent adventure!

Mets vs. A's: An Important Series Then, An Important Series Now

In 1973, the Mets and the A's squared off in the World Series, with the Mets winning three of the first five games before losing Games 6 and 7. (Dang you, Yogi Berra, for not starting well-rested George Stone in Game 6 and holding Tom Seaver on regular rest for Game 7.) The two teams did not meet again until interleague play made it possible in 2005. At the time, the A's were the only team the Mets had never faced in the regular season.

The Mets lost the first two games in Oakland before Mr. Anna Benson won the series finale to avoid getting swept by the Athletics. At the time of the series, the Mets were hovering around .500 while the A's were a miserable 25-37.

Two years later, the Mets and A's played their first and only regular season series at Shea Stadium, with the Mets sweeping the series in dominant fashion, outscoring Oakland in the three games by a combined 20-3 score. At the time, the Mets were struggling, having lost 13 of 16 and the A's were treading water in the AL West.

Tonight, the Mets open up the first-ever series against Oakland at Citi Field, with New York once again defining mediocrity and the A's keeping up with them in standings (The Mets are 35-37, while the A's are 33-40). However, this year, it is the team from the East Bay that is hot (winners of five straight, including a three-game sweep over the World Champion Giants), while the team from Flushing Bay is not (losing three of their last four).

The Mets must take advantage of the Athletics' poor play on the road. Oakland is 14-24 away from their newly-renamed O.co Coliseum. However, the Mets haven't exactly been believing in home-field advantage themselves, going 16-19 at Citi Field after finishing with a 47-34 home record in 2010.

With the Mets playing 13 of their next 16 games away from Citi Field following their three-game set with the A's, it is imperative that they do well in this series. Not only will it give them momentum going into their upcoming interleague series against the Rangers and Tigers, but it could finally push them above the elusive .500 mark, which has only been a rumor since they last found themselves above the break-even point during the first week of the season when they were 3-2.

The Mets may or may not keep Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran at the trade deadline. Little Jeffy Wilpon has said that their standing in the playoff hunt could determine whether or not they add payroll at the trade deadline. After losing two out of three to the struggling Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim near Disneyland in Orange County over the weekend, the Mets have looked more like pretenders than contenders.

The future of the team is at stake over the next six weeks. Doing well against last-place Oakland at Citi Field is the first step towards determining what will happen to the team after the trade deadline. The Mets believed in 1973 and took that belief all the way to the World Series, where they lost to Oakland. The Mets can't lose to the A's this time. It's not the Fall Classic, but it might be just as important for the franchise to come out on top in this series.

Mike Pelfrey: Standing Tall At Home

Look at the photo to the left. That was the linescore from last night's game, a complete game victory by Mike Pelfrey in which Big Pelf was voted co-player of the game with Carlos Beltran (who hit a monster two-run homer that was estimated at 460 feet).

It was the first complete game of the season for a Mets pitcher and the first by Pelfrey since 2008, when he pitched all nine innings in back-to-back starts on August 20 and August 25. What do those games in 2008 and last night's game have in common? All three efforts came at home. In fact, over his career, Big Pelf has stood quite tall at home, while wilting on the road.

Since coming up to the Mets in 2006, Mike Pelfrey has made 128 starts, going 47-46 with a 4.35 ERA, numbers that suggest a mediocre pitcher. However, his home/road splits suggest that Pelfrey is a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde type pitcher, as he performs surgery in his home uniform, but hides his talent in his road grays.

In 71 career home starts, Big Pelf is 29-21 (.580 winning percentage) with a 3.53 ERA. At Shea Stadium and Citi Field, he has given up fewer hits than innings pitched (446 hits in 450.2 innings) and has allowed only 24 home runs. The road is an entirely different story.

Mike Pelfrey has made 57 starts on the road. In those games, Pelfrey is 18-25 with a whopping 5.50 ERA. He has given up 392 hits in 322.1 innings and has allowed 38 home runs. Opposing batters hit .307 against him on the road, as opposed to .260 at home.

The home/road disparity has been more pronounced this year, as Pelfrey is undefeated at home (3-0) with a 2.96 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. Opponents hit .220 against him at Citi Field and he has allowed four home runs in 48.2 innings. On the road, Pelfrey becomes Little Pelf, going 1-5 with a 6.75 ERA and 1.52 WHIP, allowing a .308 batting average and nine home runs in 41.1 innings.

Pelfrey's home/road splits are reminiscent of John Maine, the former Met right-hander who finished his career in New York with a 39-32 record and a 4.17 ERA. However, Maine was 22-14 with a 3.61 ERA at Shea Stadium/Citi Field and 17-18 on the road with an ERA a shade under 5.00.

Mike Pelfrey was regarded as a top prospect when he was first called up to the Mets in 2006. But while he has shown flashes of brilliance (13-11, 3.72 ERA in 2008, 15-9, 3.66 ERA in 2010), he has never been able to sustain that brilliance for an entire season's worth of games.

Pelfrey is the dictionary definition of a streaky pitcher. When he's hot, he's unhittable (see April 2010). When he's not, he makes fans wonder why he's still on the team (see April 2011).

If Mike Pelfrey is ever going to become a true ace (not the de facto ace because the team's true ace is out until who knows when), he must be able to translate his brilliance at home into road success. He can't forget to pack his talent in his suitcase when he's about to board a plane to another city. To be fully successful, a pitcher has to be consistently good all of the time. If a pitcher like Mike Pelfrey is going to be a success half of the time, then he's going to be the first syllable of the word "success" the other half.

Mike Pelfrey is better than that. He just has to stand tall on the road to fully realize his potential.