METS

State of the Mets Week 6: How bad is the Mets outfield? Bad enough to sign Astros castoff Rick Ankiel; Plus not sticking up for a teammate
It wasn’t a good week for the Mets. The offense has been so lost the Mets signed Rick Ankiel, recently released by the Houston Astros, not to a minor league deal, but for the big league team. He was in the lineup Monday night. If there was any question left as to how bad the Mets outfield was, let my repeat: Rick Ankiel, who hit .194 for a team with a 10-28 record which let him go, is your starting center field Monday.

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Mets 3 Up & 3 Down Week 6: Justin Turner, Matt Harvey, David Wright up, John Niese, Jordany Valdespin, Terry Collins are down
The New York Mets are struggling, there’s no question about that. But as they look to find a way to save their season, there are some players doing well that they can look upon for inspiration. There are also several players slumping as badly as the team who are some of the main causes of the Mets issues. On the bright side, Mets GM Sandy Alderson said Monday, “I’m not sure things can devolve any further.” So there’s that.

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State of the Mets Week 5: Mets hope April losses turn into May victories this season, so far so good
Maybe the turn of the calendar is exactly what theMets needed to put their horrific six-game losing streak behind them. After ending the month of April with a 3-11 record, the Mets have opened the new month with two straight victories, both of which had their special moments. The Mets and their fans are certainly hoping that's the case, as another stretch of bad baseball will likely end the season before the weather heats up this summer.

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Mets 3 Up & 3 Down Week 5: Jordany Valdespin, Ruben Tejada, Jeremy Hefner up, Brandon Lyon, Ike Davis, Collin Cowgill down
On the good side, the New York Mets are currently undefeated in the month of May. On the bad side, the 2-0 mark in the new month was preceded by a six-game losing streak that had the team reeling. A Jordany Valdespin pinch hit home run Wednesday may be the start of a momentum shift for the Mets this season. At least that's what fans are hoping for. We start with Valdespin in our latest 3 Up & 3 Down column.

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State of the Mets Week 4: Walk-off grand slam a moment to remember, but that was only positive
The New York Mets have handed back all the momentum they had after starting the season with a 7-4 record. Since then, the Mets have gone 3-8 to drop to 10-12 on the year. They've lost three straight games and an offense that was playing so well in the early going has gone completely in the tank, averaging just 2.8 runs per game over the past week. Even Matt Harvey couldn't get a win. It wasn't all bad, however, as a walk-off grand slam was a moment to remember. But that was about the only positive coming from the week that was.

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Mets 3 Up & 3 Down Week 4: Bobby Parnell, Matt Harvey, Jeremy Hefner are up, Duda, Davis, Byrd down
If it wasn't for a walk-off grand slam by Jordany Valdespin to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers Wednesday, this week would have been a complete disaster for the New York Mets. They won two games, lost four, and did next to nothing on offense, besides that game-winning home run. So, not surprisingly, our 3 Up list includes all pitchers and our 3 Down goes with the hitters.

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State of the Mets Week 3: Matt Harvey continues to shine, but rest of team needs to step up as well
There's no telling what New York Mets fans would be saying this week if Matt Harvey wasn't on the team. The Mets phenom pitcher has everyone excited, and rightfully so, but the bottom line is the team went 1-4 this week to ruin a great start to the season. The Mets are 8-8 and in third place in the NL East.

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Mets 3 Up & 3 Down after Week 3: Matt Harvey, David Wright, Lucas Duda are up, Josh Edgin, Dillon Gee, Jeremy Hefner down
The New York Mets took a big step back this week after a strong start to the season, going 1-4 to drop to 8-8 overall. On the bright side, there was Mets phenom Matt Harvey out-dueling Stephen Strasburg Friday night. It makes for an uneven 3 Up & 3 Down edition this week.

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State of the Mets Week 2: Matt Harvey, John Buck, Daniel Murphy, David Wright have Mets riding high
Everyone knew the potential Matt Harvey had coming into this season and beyond. But even the biggest Mets fans couldn't have predicted what Harvey would do to start the year. With three starts under his belt, Harvey is 3-0 with an 0.82 ERA. He's allowed just two runs in 22 innings. He's allowed six hits and has struck out 25 batters. And he was at his best Saturday against the Minnesota Twins, coming within seven outs of recording the second no-hitter in Mets history.

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Mets 3 Up & 3 Down after Week 2: Matt Harvey, John Buck, Daniel Murphy are up, Ike Davis, Dillon Gee, Jeremy Hefner are down
This season couldn't have gotten off to a better start for the Mets phenom pitcher. Matt Harvey has pitched three times this season, for a total of 22 innings, and has allowed just two earned runs. That's right, two runs. He's 3-0 with an 0.82 ERA and a 0.55 WHIP. And, oh yeah, there was his start Saturday against the Minnesota Twins. Harvey took a no-hitter into the seventh inning before a two-out home run by Justin Morneau ruined his bid for history.

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State of the Mets 1: Mets off to solid start this season, with pitching and offense leading way to 3-2 record
The New York Mets raced out of the gate to start the 2013 season, doing it both at the plate and from the mound. Jonathon Niese and Matt Harvey did their part in pitching to victories in the first two games of the season against the San Diego Padres. But it really was the offense where the team shined. It's well known the team doesn't have an imposing lineup this season, and runs might be hard to come by, but the Mets managed to accomplish a feat only done twice before in team history. With the Mets winning 11-2 and 8-4, it was the third time in history the team started a season by scoring 8+ runs in each game.

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Mets 3 Up & 3 Down after Week 1: Matt Harvey, Jonathon Niese, John Buck are up, Ike Davis, Ruben Tejada, LaTroy Hawkins start down
Mets fans should be excited about the Matt Harvey's start to the season. Harvey allowed just one hit in seven innings of shutout ball against the Padres. He struck out 10 and allowed just two walks in picking up the victory. Yes, the Padres are terrible and have a lineup that won't scare anyone. But a big part of baseball is beating the teams you're supposed to beat. Harvey and the Mets did that last Wednesday.

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New York Sports' Top 12 Storylines Of 2012: Johan Santana makes Mets' history, Alex Rodriguez, RA Dickey, Champion Giants, Tim Tebow, Mariano Rivera
As the ball is getting closer and closer to being dropped in Times Square, it's only fitting to look back on the year that was, especially in sports. There was no shortage of storylines making the back pages and lead spots on websites covering the sports world this year, with the good, bad and ugly carving their way into the history books. Of course, with sports, it's all about stats and lists, and we have a great one to end this crazy year in the Big Apple. GameDay names the 12 best New York sports storylines from 2012. Make sure to comment on our list and come up with your own in the comments section below.

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State Of The Mets 24: After disappointing season, Mets have lots of decisions to make this offseason
As the season has come and gone, it's time again for the Mets and their fans to spend the offseason looking toward the future. The team finished the year 74-88 and didn't contend for either of the wild card slots after completely falling apart in the second half. At the break, the Mets were six games over .500. After, they were 20 games under. But for a team that won just 10 home games in the second half, there is a bright spot in one huge area. The pitching staff could be one of the National League's best as soon as next season, with R.A. Dickey, Johan Santana, Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler and Jonathan Niese as the possible starting five.

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State Of The Mets 23: R.A. Dickey will have two more shots at reaching magical 20-win mark this season
There's not much to hold onto if you're a Mets fan here in the later stages of the season. You've known for a while the postseason was out of reach. And you've known the team just doesn't appear to even want to win a home game since the All-Star break. But there is one reason to tune in, at least once every five days as the season closes, and that's R.A. Dickey's chase to reach 20 wins this season.

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State Of The Mets 22: Trade rumors involving Ike Davis swirl as team continues to play out string
The latest rumors surrounding the Mets is first baseman Ike Davis might be traded this offseason. A report on ESPN New York says Davis is basically uncoachable and stays out too late after games, and the team doesn't want him to influence the younger players negatively. If Davis was traded, it would be to make room for Lucas Duda. The rumor, which is all it is at this point, and reasoning behind it was news to Davis.

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State of the Mets 21: Chipper Jones gets hero treatment from Mets and their fans ... Are you kidding?
For years, Chipper Jones tormented the Mets, causing that team plenty of anguish. He enjoyed playing in New York so much he named one of his kids Shea. And how did the Mets react during Chipper’s last visit to their home field? Were they eager to get rid of Jones? Was he relentlessly booed for years of torment? Nope. He got applause. And the team gave him a lovely painting. Yes, that’s right. They gave Jones a present.

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State of the Mets 20: We target the team's biggest offseason need ... the outfield, with available players
The New York Mets are actually playing some pretty good baseball, winning seven of their last 10 games, it's just too bad there's not much interest in the season's results anymore. The Mets, as we all realize, are playing out the string, as a postseason berth will not happen at the end of the year. Of course, it would be nice to see the team put up a fight over the final month of the season, something that seems to be missing from their rivals over in the Bronx.

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State of the Mets 19: Pinpointing the two biggest in-house decisions the Mets have to make this offseason
With 32 games remaining in yet another postseason-less year for the New York Mets, we thought we'd take a second look into the future of the franchise. Last week we discussed why the Mets could have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball next season. This week we'll try and pinpoint the two biggest in-house moves the team must make going forward. It's actually not even a challenge coming up with the pair.

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Mets make right choice in shutting Johan Santana down for season
The New York Mets have decided to shut down Johan Santana for the rest of the season. We asked the Mets to do exactly that in this week's edition of State of the Mets, and obviously they listened. Or at least saw the obvious signs and decided continuing to pitch Santana this season made zero sense.

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State of the Mets 18: Looking ahead to what could become one of baseball's best starting rotations
There haven't been many bright spots for the Mets since the All-Star break. We all know they've gone from having a realistic shot at a postseason berth to a longshot to even finishing the season with a .500 record. There is no possible way to sugarcoat the downward spiral the Mets have been riding over the past two months. But there is reason for hope and a possible run next season at a playoff berth. That hope comes in the form of what could be one of the best starting rotations in all of baseball.

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State of the Mets 17: Dickey continues to impress, rest of team still struggling in forgotten season
Our State of the Mets column is back for its 17th installment with a trade (for Kelly Shoppach?!) and another week that has the team falling farther and farther below .500.

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Mets unveil next year's All-Star Game logo
The New York Mets unveiled their All-Star game logo Tuesday and it features the familiar blue and orange color scheme along with the skyline that matches the team's logo. The Mets and Citi Field will host the game next season, July 16.

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State of the Mets 16: Series loss to Padres puts damper on Mets postseason hopes
The Mets have been hanging in the postseason picture for dear life since crashing back to Earth after the All-Star break. But while the chances of making their way into one of the two wild card spots this season are slim, it's still not a foregone conclusion. The Mets, if they can put together a few winning streaks and start to win each series they play in over the next two months, have a realistic shot to at least jump into the conversation again.

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State of the Mets 15: Losing week has postseason hopes dwindling, but Matt Harvey is bright spot
Our State of the Mets column is back for its 15th installment with another losing week, and postseason hopes dwindling even further into the abyss, but a shining light in the distance in the form of Matt Harvey has things looking up.

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Mets super prospect Zach Wheeler working on new pitches, hasn't let recent struggles get to him
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. - Zack Wheeler’s game has come back to Earth enough over the last month to indicate he might not be quite ready to make his major league debut just yet. While his pitching is still being refined, however, Wheeler has shown he’s ready for the bright lights of the New York market by the way he has handled himself off the field this season. The definition of a big fish in a small pond, the prized Mets prospect is the most popular man in the building in just about every Double-A park he enters.

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State of the Mets 14: Season on the brink after Mets lose 9 of 10 games since All-Star break
Our State of the Mets column is back for its 14th installment with a devastating 10-game stretch after the All-Star break, losing nine of 10 as their postseason hopes dwindle to near extinction.

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Breaking down the brightest, and dimmest, stars of the first half of the New York Mets season
R.A. Dickey: The new ace made the "Up" list 6 out of the 13 weeks, the high-water mark for the Mets in the first half of the season. While he didn't start the All-Star Game, he is still the leader for the NL Cy Young Award, which is the most important honor bestowed upon a pitcher in a season. (And Tony LaRussa won't be able to take that away.) In 17 starts, Dickey is 12-1 with a 2.40 ERA and 0.93 WHIP. He's first in the NL in wins, WHIP, win percentage and complete games, second in strikeouts, fourth in innings pitched and fifth in ERA. So, yes, is easy to see why Dickey leads this list.

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State of the Mets 13: Wright, Dickey have Mets in thick of playoff chase at the All-Star break
Who would have ever thought the New York Mets would be heading into the All-Star break in third place in the NL East, six games over .500 and in prime contention for one of the two NL Wild Card spots. Much of this season’s success is due to an outstanding first half from David Wright and R.A. Dickey, the two Mets' representatives on the NL All-Star team, and unexpected contributions by Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Dillon Gee, Ruben Tejada and Bobby Parnell.

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State of the Mets 12: Despite four-game win streak, it was a disappointing week overall for Mets
The New York Mets won four straight games this week, but things could and should have been so much better. The Mets started the week by losing the first two games to the Chicago Cubs, a team that today sits 20 games under .500. The Mets won the series finale and then took three in a row against the free-falling Los Angeles Dodgers before losing Sunday night to end the seven-game road trip. Four wins in a row is great, but an overall 4-3 week against the Cubs and Dodgers just isn't going to get the Mets into the playoffs.

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State of the Mets 11: Mets Still Tied For Wild Card Lead After Surviving Stretch From Death
Our State of the Mets column is back for its 11th installment with a sweep of the Baltimore Orioles but a crushing weekend with two losses to the rival Yankees, including R.A. Dickey getting roughed up just the second time all season.

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State of the Mets 10: Tremendous start to week (sweeping Rays) ends terribly (swept by Reds)
The Mets broke out of the gate with perhaps their best series of the season, sweeping away the Rays, highlighted by R.A. Dickey's one-hitter, and renewing faith that this season could still be a special one. But all the momentum gained by that unexpected outcome came crashing down when the Mets returned home against the Reds. The Mets were swept out of their own building, scoring just five runs in the three games, and completely ruined the high that came from taking three from the Rays.

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State of the Mets 9: Mets lose six of last seven games as stretch from hell continues
Our State of the Mets column is back for its ninth installment with a devastating Subway Series sweep at the hand of the Yankees to end a disastrous week, losing six of last seven games.

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Johan Santana, with possible assist from Gary Carter, was right man to make Mets history with no-hitter
I realized if ever there was a moment that needed the unspeakable to happen this was it, on our home turf, and with No. 57 on the mound. And then it did. Finally the 50-year wait was over. 50 years of almosts and not quites are put to rest by the one man whose commitment to winning has never faded, regardless of how much pain he was in.

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Remarkable season continues as Johan Santana throws first no-hitter in Mets franchise history
Our State of the Mets column is back for its eighth installment with one of the greatest moments in the history of the franchise, as Johan Santana pitched the first no-hitter in team history. 

Our State of the Mets column is back for its seventh installment on this Memorial Day with a pair of shutouts and a whole lot of winning as the season hits its toughest stretch.

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Mets super prospect Zack Wheeler the real deal, with potential as a future ace
Perhaps the most exciting thing about the Mets' future is that the their best young player isn't even in New York yet. It's very easy to get worked up about a minor leaguer who dominates inferior competition. Any Mets fan who saw Zack Wheeler throw the ball Wednesday in New Britain, however, would be unable to contain his enthusiasm.

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State of the Mets 6: David Wright continues quest for .400 in otherwise forgettable week
Our State of the Mets column is back for its sixth installment with their worst stretch of baseball this season, including two straight bad losses to the Toronto Blue Jays, and David Wright's quest for .400 continues.

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State of the Mets 5: David Wright has Mets rolling after near perfect week
Our State of the Mets column is back for its fifth installment with what could have been the best stretch of the season so far, including an epic sweep of the rival Phillies.

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State of the Mets 4: Bad week has positive end, with Santana winning for first time in 20 months
Our State of the Mets column is back for its fourth installment with some very bad losses, a sweep at the hands of the Houston Astros and a big win late to stay above the .500 mark.

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State of the Mets III: Mets get much-needed sweep of Reyes, Marlins, plus best, worst of week
Our State of the Mets column is back for its third installment with the return of a superstar player, a sweep of a rival and some very bad losses.


Our State of the Mets column returns for its second week, and while the mood among fans has mellowed a bit since a red-hot start, there is still plenty to break down and discuss in this second installment.


It's never too early to analyze and opine about baseball in New York, so even though we're still under two weeks into the season, there's no better time to debut our State of the Mets column than right now.

For once, here's some positive news involving the New York Mets. John Franco, the team's longtime closer, was elected to the team's Hall of Fame today. Franco, who will be the 26th player elected, is the team's all-time leader in saves and games pitched. He saved 276 games in his 14 seasons.


Just as elite athletes can buckle under the pressure of playing in New York, being a NY sports fan is not for the weak either. It can go from blissful to downright brutal with no warning at all, similar to a peaceful cab ride suddenly becoming a giant slalom down Fifth Avenue. Sunday was one of those roller coaster rides for me.


Call me naive or say I'm behind the times, but I had a major revelation during my vacation to Chicago last week. What's the major eye-opener? Chicago Cubs fans are not only the most overrated in all of baseball, but they could be the worst fans in the game. I actually can't imagine a fan base that is worse, and I'm surrounded by a great number of Mets fans.


This wasn't my first foray onto the field at a professional sporting event, however. Way back when, when I was 9-years-old, I hopped the field wall (illegally I'll proudly admit) after the Jets played their final game ever at Shea Stadium before they moved to the Meadowlands a couple decades ago. Me and my dad jumped the fence and ran onto the stadium grass, joining the masses that were looking to create mayhem after the Jets lost big to the Steelers.


For the first time since the early years of interleague play, I actually found myself glued to the television for a series that didn't involve the Yankees and Mets. Of course, it was special circumstances as the Yankees were in Wrigley Field for a series against the Chicago Cubs.

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