Cutnpaste: Citifield, Santana Lies, 2012, Chris Capuano, Pedro Beato

I’ve never really cared about the walls at Citi Field.  They are what they are for both teams, and the height and distance have both positives and negatives. My biggest concern is that if they were to change them, that they would do something stupid like just draw another orange line, or construct a makeshift fence in front of it and mess with the aesthetics.  Sandy Alderson’s comments on the broadcast last night seem to suggest that they’ll put a lot of thought into how to meld the chances into the structure if they do make changes.  Alderson mentioned that they’ve done a lot of research on it, and with three years worth of data to look at they’re a little more confident in the decisions they’re reaching off the data.  Opinions about home runs and wall height are one thing, but I’m happy any decision that’s made will be based off hard data. - http://www.ceetar.com/optimisticmetsfan/2011/09/21/wall-adjustments-do-not-make-mets-better

We’ve also seen the credit-seeking, faction-fomenting fascist Sandy Alderson from the Padres with the subterfuge used with Johan Santana in an attempt to drum up interest in a team that was double-digits out of a playoff spot and fading; he didn’t exactly lie, but he wasn’t truthful in the insistence that Santana might be ready to pitch a couple of innings in the big leagues before the season ended. I knew it was silly bordering on the nonsensical, but other fans don’t look for an ulterior motive when a baseball executive is saying something ludicrous; they don’t generally forget when they’ve been betrayed. - http://paullebowitz.com.previewyoursite.com/blog/?p=2422

So how excited can one get for the off-season?  I usually love the thrill of the hot-stove but for now it will just be a wait and see mode with Reyes.  If Reyes does not return lets also forgive Sandy now for not going out and investing that 20M on this talent market sans Reyes.  Moves like that are exactly what the Mets are paying him NOT to do. What is a Mets fan to do?  Wait.  We have seen a lot of good things this year and I expect to see similar things next year.  We do have pitching on the way in Harvey and Wheeler.  We do have Mejia and Familia, Havens and Kirk, and a host of others on their way.  Also as we know baseball is a funny game.  The Mets can contend next year if things break right, however it is now a luxury to have someone like Alderson that sees the big picture and is not willing to risk the Mets future on chance. - http://realdirtymets.com/2011/09/22/mets-to-go-to-the-well-one-more-time-in-2012

UPDATE (12:05 EST): Well, that didn't last long. Joe McDonald of ESPN Boston is reporting that the Red Sox did in fact make a run for Capuano this week, but according to a source those talks are "dead" as of now. For now, the Red Sox are still looking at John Lackey and possibly Alfredo Aceves as options to take the mound against New York on Sunday. ORIGINAL REPORT (12:00 PM EST): The Red Sox have been having a few issues with their starting pitching lately if you haven't heard, and apparently they've been spending the past few days working on some possible reinforcements. According to John Tomase of the Boston Herald, those efforts have led them to Mets starter Chris Capuano. - http://www.mlbdailydish.com/2011/9/22/2442363/red-sox-looking-at-chris-capuano

After receiving assurances Tuesday evening that he would not be asked to pitch, Mets reliever Pedro Beato did the improbable: he stood up, stretched his arm and began throwing a bullpen session.  Though not unusual behavior for relievers on their scheduled off-days, the episode was bizarre in that Beato has complained recently of a tired arm. Mets manager Terry Collins and pitching coach Dan Warthen have implored the rookie to cut back on his throwing, and still Beato has persisted.  "We've told him all along, 'You've got to back off the throwing,'" Collins said. "'You've only got so many bullets.' But he sees the veteran guys, Izzy [Jason Isringhausen] and all those other guys doing their daily throwing program, so he thinks he's got to do it." - http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110922&content_id=25061622&notebook_id=25062330&vkey=notebook_nym&c_id=nym&partnerId=rss_nym