Time to take up an old banner

Pedro turned in one of those games on Saturday. One of those 1 ER/2 BB/11 K-type joints, and he is now 4-0. When the recap quotes him as describing his command as “pretty good” after the game, and contains no mention of any injury, it just makes the box score that much sweeter.

Carlos Delgado is flat-out raking the ball. Today I do not know, and do not care, where Yusmeiro Petit is pitching or what kind of performances he has been turning in.

Saturday’s game featured another standout performer. I hate to say it, but it may once again be time to FREE RAMON CASTRO!

Paul Lo Duca
2005: 445 AB .283/.334/.380
2006: 56 AB .286/.365/.357

Ramon Castro
2005: 209 AB .244/.321/.435
2006: 15 AB .400/.412/.733

Granted, it’s silly to include Castro incredibly small sample from this year, but the Mets’ not having played him isn't a good reason for the Mets not to play him. I know Lo Duca has him beat in average by a lot and OBP by a little, but the power difference is substantial enough to make Castro the better offensive option. His record of throwing out baserunners also compares favorably to Lo Duca’s. I realize that by Brad Ausmus standards Lo Duca is plenty handy with the bat, and there’s about a 0% chance of him losing his starting job unless he gets hurt. Plus there’s all those intangibles you hear so much about. All the same, I think his backup’s better.

Brian Giles may have done the Mets a huge favor last night. If he strikes out and the Mets end up winning 4-2, Victor Zambrano’s position in in the starting rotation might have been shored up. By crushing that grand slam, he’s really brought the point home to people who might otherwise have wanted to see Zambrano given more chances to “turn things around.”

David Wright (for whom the Dontrelle Willis offer was not even close) and Carlos Delgado both had two hits, but Wright’s double was the only Mets extra-base hit in 34 at-bats against Clay Hensley and company. My “strength of opposing pitching” thesis is in ribbons.

***

When I was a little kid, my favorite player was Keith Hernandez. I don’t have any idea why, but he was. He received the first and only fan mail I have ever sent. That I got no reply bothered my father more than me, but it still would have been nice, you know? And when my uncle told me (age six or so) that he was a rat-bastard for informing on fellow players, I didn’t really understand his (my uncle’s) accusations and doubted his credibility as he’s a Red Sox fan and this was ’87 or ’88.

Now, many years later, Keith Hernandez is back in my life. As for my uncle’s story, apparently he did testify in a cocaine trial in exchange for leniency on his own possession charge. So there’s that. It was a long time ago, and I don’t really know what happened. But now, in both his on-air comments about the San Diego trainer in the dugout and (especially) his subsequent apology, the picture of a jackass is starting to come into sharper focus. I just can’t really see a non-jackass assuring all you gals out there that he loves you and always has. He also used the weaselly “If I offended anyone…” non-apology. And that's on top of his failure to return my letter.