Forget That Good Start By The Mets....Arsenal Need To Finish Strong

Harvey is a Stud

We're a month in to the new baseball season and it's already looking a lot like last season for the Mets. They had a great first week and got the fans wondering if perhaps they were better than what was expected. Well, it's three weeks later and the Mets are playing exactly as we all thought they would...like crap.

Wednesday's Mets victory in Miami marked the end of the teams' six game losing streak. During that streak the Mets managed to take the lead in a 15 inning game, only to lose in the bottom of the 15th. The very next day the Mets went to the bottom of the ninth with a 1-0 lead and left the field 2-1 losers.

The bullpen has been horrible. We've become used to terrible bullpens with the Mets, but this year's crop may be the worst yet. No lead is safe and there are no trustworthy arms in the pen.

As for the starters, Jon Niese has been decent and Dillon Gee hot and cold. The one bright spot on the entire pitching staff for the Mets has been rookie Matt Harvey. He's off to a 4-0 start (he would have been 5-0 until Bobby Parnell blew a save opportunity this week) and has an ERA under 2.00. He throws heat and exhibits total confidence on the mound. If it wasn't for Harvey, I'm not sure the Mets would ever win games.

John Buck has been clutch

Offensively, it's been a crap shoot. It's either feast or famine. The surprise of the season so far has been catcher John Buck. The catcher has been a lifesaver for this team. He finished April with 9 home runs and 25 RBI's. To put that in perspective, 2012 catchers Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas combined for a total of  2 home runs and 34 RBI's for the entire season.

Ike Davis is once again having problems at the plate and outside of Buck, David Wright, Daniel Murphy and maybe even Jordany Valdespin no one in the lineup is clutch.

At 11-15, it's still early days for the 2013 season so there is plenty of time for the Mets to turn things around. The question is will they?.......Don't answer that.

For a similar, but even harsher view of the 2013 Mets, Bill Price's piece from the New York Daily News is worth a read:

Mets vs. Marlins, Game 26: Is Mets' future really that bright?

Ike has been ice cold again

_________________________________________________________________________

Wenger deserves to be smiling at the end of the season.

I have no interest in getting in to the Arsenal only try to achieve a top 4 finish argument right now. The facts are, with 3 games remaining on Arsenal's schedule it is imperative that they do finish in the top 4 this season.

Despite the fact that the Gunners have admittedly had a difficult season, they currently sit in 4th place. This clearly shows that Arsenal's under achieving season, is way better than most of the EPL's clubs' typical seasons.

Arsenal's draw with Manchester United last weekend was a decent result, but three points were a must to remain in control of their own destiny. Unfortunately, two moments of madness by Bacary Sagna pretty much gave ManUre & Judas the tying goal.

So here's where we're at:

No movement3	Chelsea	34	33	65
No movement4	Arsenal	35	30	64
No movement5	Tottenham	34	17	62

Remaining fixtures:

Arsenal:                     May 4th at QPR
                                   May 14th vs. Wigan
                                   May 19th at Newcastle

Chelsea:                     May 5th at Man. United
                                    May 8th vs. Tottenham
                                    May 11th at Aston Villa
                                    May 19th vs. Everton

Spuds:                         May 4th vs. Southampton
                                    May 8th at Chelsea
                                    May 12th at Stoke
                                    May 19th vs. Sunderland

Obviously we can't assume anything here, but

• Arsenal MUST and should win their three remaining fixtures.
• Chelsea or Spuds or both will lose points when they play each other May 8th.

It's raining on Spuds' season

• I'm hoping that Arsenal win all 3 fixtures to finish with 73 points.
• If Chelsea lose to Man. United and draw with Spuds the best they can do is 72 points.
• If Spuds draw with Chelsea and win their other 3 games they'll finish with 72 points.
• Spuds would miss out on goal differential and St. Totteringham's Day will officially be celebrated.

Rafa looks to the heavens for help.

Time will tell, but here's hoping for a May 19th St. Totteringham's Day holiday (or maybe even sooner).

The Mets and Baseball Are Back and Arsenal Prepare For St. Totteringham's Day

April is the best time of the year for baseball fans. It's when the long season starts and every team begins with a clean slate. As a lifelong Mets fan, those new beginnings have generally soured pretty fast over the years. Even this year, most rational Mets fans are not expecting much...but true fans always stick with their team and celebrate the small victories. This year that includes a shift in the New York baseball pecking order. The Yankees are heading down while the Mets are moving up.

Cashman and the NY Gimps

Niese takes the win

For the past 20 years the Yankees have hogged all the headlines, been the lead sports story on the local news and pretty much purchased a championship caliber team season after season. They basically operated like a combination of Manchester City and Manchester United. City in the sense that money was no object. United, in that they always seemed to be at or near the top. Now it appears that the Yankees are paying for their past greed. They have a roster of old and broken down players with fat contracts and a very thin crop of prospects.

On the other side of town, the Mets have been mediocre to bad for close to seven years. The club used this to their advantage by developing young talent and making a number of shrewd deals. A lot of these "kids" are starting to make it up to the big club and the future is starting to look bright for the Mets.

The Captain David Wright

While two games out of 162 is a tiny fraction of the season, the Mets have looked like the 1927 Yankees while the Yankees have looked like the 1962 Mets. The Mets are 2-0 are scoring runs and showing power and the pitching has been phenomenal. Meanwhile the Yankees' pitching has been terrible and they look like they can't hit at all.

I can't wait to see the "lifelong Yankee fans" under the age of 30 quickly jump off the bandwagon. These are fans that have never seen their team struggle or not win. They don't know what it's like to truly support a team as opposed to a money grubbing corporation like the NY Yankees. The trash talking days of Yankee fans are over and it's going to be a much more enjoyable baseball season for us on the other side of town.

We'll see what the situation is at the end of the year, but I'm convinced that a shift in fortunes has begun for both New York baseball clubs.


Another great baseball event that will take place at Citi Field in Queens this season is the All-Star Game in July. It'll be nice for a change to see the eyese of the baseball world focused on the "other" team in New York for a change.
________________________________________________

The Harlem Shake phenomenon is one of the stupidest things ever, but this one from the Mets is hysterical solely for the efforts of 67 year old Mets PR man Jay Horwitz.


    

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, Arsenal's season is in the final stretch and they  still have some unfinished business to take care of. It's been a totally frustrating season with inconsistent play, infighting among fans and disappointing losses. In fact I even spent a ton of money to head over to London only to see Arsenal lose to Schalke and barely defeat QPR. (Arsenal is supposed to manhandle the other team whenever I see them play live).

Berbatov sinks Spuds

Despite all the negatives and all the critics predicting Arsenal's demise, the club is currently in 5th place. They are just 2 points behind the reigning European champions, Chel$ki and 4 points behind the Spuds with a game in hand. With eight games left, the schedule favors Arsenal and the club appears to be turning things around. Meanwhile Chel$ki and Spuds still have to play each other and one, or both, will lose points from that match.

Is the mask to hide Torres' face?

While it's too early to start talking smack, I cannot wait for Arsenal to finish above either or both of their London rivals. The smug and arrogant fans of these clubs deserve a bit of karma, and Arsene Wenger deserves nothing but respect from the footballing community. The amount of grief that this man has had to take is truly shocking.

I am hoping that we will be celebrating St. Totteringham's Day by May. It may be arriving later than usual this year, but at least the weather will be nice for this annual holiday...

North London Is Red and Always Will Be...and the Judas Kiss from Cesc & RVP Visiting The Mets

Sadly when Arsenal lost yesterday to Spuds I wasn't too shocked. I really was hoping that the "real" Arsenal would show up and put the pretenders to shame. However, I have to admit the truth and the truth is that this current Arsenal squad is collectively not good enough to get it done on a regular basis.

Both goals that the Spuds scored were exhibits of shambolic and almost non existent defending. Szczesny has proven that he's not a number one goal keeper and always seems to be in the wrong spot. Our offense is still pretty at time but there's no end product. The team needs finishers and they also need to learn that the object of the game is to get the ball in the net. They are so concerned with making pretty passing patterns and trying to create the perfect goal that they never seem to just take a shot. Podolski, Walcott and Cazorla have all displayed excellent long range shooting from set pieces. They need to do this during live play as well.

The original Judas Kiss

I used to take such pride in Arsenal's dominating possession statistics, however, it's now a source of embarrassment. Arsenal could have 75% of the ball and double the shots on goal and still lose.

On the other hand, a team in 5th place in a 20 team league is hardly what I would call a "crisis" club. Perhaps I'm looking at it from my rose tinted "American" glasses but the negativity being hurled at the club and the manager are a bit out of control. Take the case of Roberto Martinez for instance. The guy is a class act but he's been hailed as a hero the past few seasons for keeping Wigan just above the relegation zone every year. Yes the clubs are at the opposite ends of the financial spectrum, but they are in the same league. Arsene Wenger is already being crucified with ten games remaining and his club in 5th place. Meanwhile Wigan are in their customary 17th place position and the club's annual fight for survival is on with the lauded Martinez at the helm.

Judas & Judas have put a curse on Arsenal

Anyhow, I'll leave the arguing and the mud slinging to the media and the irate fans calling for blood. I do have a theory though of what  might be the cause of Arsenal's recent fall from grace. Some may call me crazy, but look at the facts.

Here is a blog post of mine from the summer of 2011:


Arsenal Meets The Mets: Cesc and Van Persie Pay a Visit to Citi Field

That's right our former captains, Cesc Fabregas and Robin "Judas" van Persie were hanging out together in New York City and paid a visit to the home of the New York Mets, Citi Field.

Now, I am a Mets fan, but let's be honest, they've been horrible since making the playoffs in 2006. So, maybe, just maybe, the combination of those two traitors spending time at the home of a losing franchise and then returning to Arsenal brought some type of curse to the Emirates. 

Soon after their New York visit both turncoats decided it was easier to jump on the bandwagon with other teams than lead their own club to success. They both bolted, but perhaps the lingering effects of their version of the Judas Kiss has remained.

After conferring with an expert in this particular affliction the best way to remove this curse is to stay loyal to the Arsenal and listen to the following song while repeating the phrase "North London is Red, North London is Red, North London is Red". Then watch the following video twice and finally learn all the words and sing along to this song.

That should work, but more than anything, stay calm and support The Arsenal.

Sometimes a Fan Has to Avoid Twitter and Reading the Papers

Saturday's loss to Blackburn at the Emirates was worse than a kick in the gut. Seeing Arsenal dominate the match only to lose on a lucky shot from an inferior team was a sadly familiar sight. Like the loss to Bradford that knocked Arsenal out of the League Cup, this humiliating Blackburn defeat killed this season's dream of winning a trophy. Losses to great teams are difficult, but at least can be explained. Losses to poor teams that have barely put up a fight are just plain unacceptable.

Rational or not, fans' moods are affected by the results for their team. Needless to say, this result left Gooners everywhere angry and fed up. Twitter became a stream of vitriol and every type of anti Arsenal slur was being thrown around. Fans were fighting with other fans, fans of other teams were taking pot shots and the football press was ready to pounce on the wounded Arsenal psyche.

At that point, I knew it was time to unplug from the digital world and not get involved in the blame game. I definitely have my feelings, but I also want to support my team and don't see the point in spewing anger and knee jerk reactions at random.

It's apparent that the Wenger Out movement has gained a lot of supporters as a result of recent losses. I'm not going to say that these folks don't have a point, but I'm also not ready to jump on that bandwagon. 

I may be in the minority, but I still believe in Arsene Wenger. I do, however, believe that there has to be some type of real change within the club and a bit more honesty with the fans as to what goes on behind the scenes.

I know that football is a total different sport and the EPL is unlike any league in the US. I do know, however, that there are plenty of fans worldwide that rarely if ever get to see the club they support win championships. Arsenal under Arsene Wenger have achieved a lot of success so despite an eight year trophyless stretch fans need to keep in mind that they have tasted success and believe that they will again soon.

___________________________________________________________________________

The Mets are now in Port St. Lucie as Spring Training has started. I recently wrote about how GM Sandy Alderson is doing the best he can with what he's been given in terms of turning around the Mets. While I think the team is still a few years away, there's nothing like Spring Training and a clean slate to get you excited for the start of the baseball season.

Arsenal at 2:30 on a Wednesday Afternoon

Perhaps it was the two pints of Carlsberg in the middle of the afternoon or more likely a New York bar full of Gooners on a dreary Wednesday....Whatever it was, it proved to be the best use of my "underemployed " time for quite a while. Networking, job searching, trying to get your own business going....blah, blah, blah...enough. It was time to watch Arsenal surrounded by other like minded fans that have the time to watch a match in the middle of the day.

I invited a friend in a similar situation to join me. Being a fellow sports fan, I thought that he might find watching a match where patrons chant, sing and high five each other something he'd be in to. It's worked for other American friends that don't care about "soccer" or find the game boring. The atmosphere allows non believers to experience the passion and excitement for the game and can often create new fans.

Being that most people have actual full time jobs, The Blind Pig was not packed. However, there was a pretty healthy turnout of folks in their Arsenal gear surrounding the TV's and screens throughout the bar.

Heading in to the 86th minute it seemed to be the typical Arsenal story....total domination in the stats, but nothing to show for it. While Michael Vorm was outstanding in the Swansea goal, it seemed as if there was an invisible wall in front of the net. Shot upon shot was saved or deflected but nothing was going in. I will admit now that I remained confident, but having gotten used to regular disappointment I was worried that Swansea would nick one and all the domination would be for naught.

If that had happened it would have been a kick in the gut as the final statistics were quite dramatic:

• Shots on goal: Arsenal 26 Swansea 6
• Shots on target: Arsenal 16 Swansea 1
• Corners Arsenal 13 Swansea 3

Thankfully on this day justice prevailed. Jack Wilshere received a short pass from Olivier Giroud and sent a strong shot straight towards the middle of the net. Vorm barely had time to react and it was 1-0 to the Arsenal.

Wilshere's celebration was awesome and showed his true love of the club as he ran towards the fans. His dominant performance on the pitch showed he is the future captain of  Arsenal. It was a well deserved great moment for Wilshere.

I'm not sure if my friend is destined to become a Gooner, but he seemed to enjoy the match and the football atmosphere created on East 14th Street.

__________________________________________________________

One additional highlight of the day came from Wayne Rooney. Despite Manchester United defeating West Ham 1-0 on Rooney's goal...he still managed to embarrass himself with one of the worst penalty shots ever taken. Even my grandmother could have done better.

Rooney penalty miss vs West Ham by UCL2410

RA Dickey Proves That Great Athletes Can Also Be Great Humans...Or How To Leave An Organization With Class Redux

RA Dickey is both an athlete and a class act

Back in September I wrote about the classless way Robin van Persie handled himself with regards to his future. The post was entitled How To Leave An Organization With Class: Something RVP Didn't Do, and Should Have Done. He not only refused to sign a new contract with the club and manager that had developed him in to a star player, he abandoned Arsenal and helped force through a move to one of the most hated rivals Man United. His "farewell" to supporters was this passive aggressive "message to the fans"  that he posted on his website.

"This is an update for the fans about my current situation. I have kept quiet all this time out of respect and loyalty for the club and as agreed with Mr. Gazidis and Mr. Wenger, but since there is so much speculation in the media, I think it is fair for you guys to know what’s really going on at the moment.

Judas

"As announced earlier this year I had a meeting with the Boss and Mr. Gazidis after the season. This was a meeting about the club’s future strategy and their policy. Financial terms or a contract have not been discussed, since that is not my priority at all.

"I personally have had a great season but my goal has been to win trophies with the team and to bring the club back to its glory days.

"Out of my huge respect for Mr. Wenger, the players and the fans I don’t want to go into any details, but unfortunately in this meeting it has again become clear to me that we in many aspects disagree on the way Arsenal FC should move forward.

 "I’ve thought long and hard about it, but I have decided not to extend my contract. You guys, the fans, have of course the right to disagree with my view and decision and I will always respect your opinions.

RVP's new BFF

"I love the club and the fans, no matter what happens. I have grown up and became a man during my time with Arsenal FC. Everybody at the club and the fans have always supported me over the years and I have always given my all (and more) on and off the pitch.

"I am very proud of being part of this fantastic club for the last 8 years. As soon as Mr. Gazidis is back from his 2-week holiday in America further meetings will follow and I will update you if and when there are more developments."

That was that. He never addressed Arsenal fans again. He kicked and screamed like a "little boy" and eventually got what he wanted with no regard for those that had supported him for seven years.

In my original post I showed examples of athletes that took out newspaper ads to thank the fans and towns that had supported them when moving on to another club or retiring. These were classy gestures by athletes that took the time to express their appreciation for the folks that helped pay their salaries.

Dickey salutes the fans

Then this past week, RA Dickey went above and beyond those examples. Dickey had resurrected his once floundering pitching career with the woeful Mets and had truly developed a bond with the city and the fans. While no fan wanted Dickey to be traded, in terms of baseball business, it was a move that the Mets had to make. Dickey was traded to the Toronto Bluejays for two top prospects in a deal that is beneficial to both. The Bluejays are ready to win now (and hopefully end the Yankees' reign) while the Mets are building for the future.

In direct contrast to RVP's selfish demands to leave Arsenal, Dickey was traded despite not wanting to leave. Yes, he wanted to stay loyal to the team that had taken a chance on him despite the fact that the Mets are not very good right now. He wasn't demanding a trade to the Yankees or Giants in order for instant glory. He wanted to stay.

Instead of being bitter and angry at Mets management and sulking out of town Dickey wrote the classiest note to New York and Mets fans thanking them, the Mets organization and even the grounds crew at Citi Field. Here are some excerpts from the article that he himself penned and was published in the New York Daily News on Saturday, December 22nd:

I never expected to be writing a farewell “holiday card” to Mets fans. I never expected to be doing anything but celebrating the joy of the season with my wife and kids and looking toward the spring, and the start of my fourth season with an organization that gave me maybe the greatest gift an athlete can get:

A chance.

I am not going to lie to you, though. The trade was hard for me at first. This is where my heart was, where I wanted to be, where I lived out a story of redemption and felt that every one of you shared it with me in some form or fashion. I loved pitching for you. I loved your passion, the way you embraced me from the start, and the way you seemed to appreciate the effort I was putting forth. Every time I’d walk off the mound after an outing, I’d look in your faces, the people behind the dugout, and felt as if all your energy and support was pouring right into me — even when I was lousy. It gives me chill bumps thinking about it even now.

Every organization has to do what it feels is in its best interest, and I have no doubt that that’s what the Mets did by trading Josh Thole, Mike Nickeas and me for two young players who, by all accounts, are terrific prospects. It doesn’t make saying goodbye any easier.

There were so many special relationships I formed that made my time with the Mets so much richer. Not just in the clubhouse, either. I enjoyed talking with Bill Deacon, the head groundskeeper, about his craft, and all that went into it. The security people who helped my wife and kids get in and out of the family lounge, the policemen who helped me get out of the parking lot, the folks at the Hodges Gate — so many people went out of their way to be kind to me, and they should know how much it was, and is, appreciated.

I hope you know that I will never forget my three years in New York, and never be able to adequately thank you for everything you’ve given me.

Now that's what you call a class act. We Mets fans were lucky to have him in our organization. He is one of the few athletes that actually understands the bond that fans have with their teams and feels loyalty towards those that gave him a chance when others wouldn't. RVP and other spoiled, privileged and over paid athletes could learn a thing or two from RA Dickey.

Arsene Wenger Deserves Nothing But Respect

This is a short one and I'll get right to the point. It's obvious that Arsenal have not been performing at the level fans had become accustomed to throughout the Arsene Wenger era. The arguing and name calling between Gooners that want Wenger out and those that still have faith in the manager is becoming a regular feature of my Twitter feed.

I personally think that Wenger is a genius and that the club and us fans are lucky to have a manager like him. Over 16 years, he has often performed miracles, uncovered hidden gems and been nothing but gracious while being vilified by the media and fans. Yes I want my club to win everything every year, but let's deal in reality folks...there's no guarantee of this and sometimes you don't get what you want. Do these fans that want Wenger out want Arsenal to bring in one of the reusable & disposable names that jump from club to club such as Redknapp, Fat Sam, Mark Hughes, Ian Holloway, etc? (a.k.a the Fergie ass kissers).

Who's my next manager?

I stumbled across a column in the Mirror today written by Oliver Holt and he does a great job in laying out why Wenger deserves respect and not condemnation. The man must have a thick skin as he deflects blame that could (and often should) be directed elsewhere. The man loves Arsenal and wants exactly what the fans want.

Check out the article:

The secret life of Arsene Wenger: How Gunners boss takes it for the team

Then think really hard about Arsene Wenger and all he has done for Arsenal. The man deserves nothing but respect. If a drop in play is automatic cause for #WengerOut then perhaps fans should start following Roman Abromovich's Chelsea and they can have a new manager every 8 months!!!

Be careful what you wish for