I think it’s becoming clear that Omar Minaya is no longer the only guy calling the shots in the Mets front office.  Between his absence at the Carlos Beltran Drama Conference and the emergence of John Ricco as the mouth of the organization, Omar may well be on his way out.

The fact that the news broke today about Bengie Molina rejecting the Mets latest offer should not be looked at negatively.  If anything it shows a change in philosophy at the top of the organization that will help the team get better in the future.  That change is patience.

The Mets have continually displayed patience this offseason.  They haven’t over-payed for anyone.  They haven’t tied up tons of money for tons of years in an attempt to appease the disgruntled fan base.

Instead they’ve put their offers on the table, with a “go out and find a better offer” approach.

Molina wants a three year offer, the Mets offered him a year with a team option for a second.  How a thirty five year old catcher can think he’s going to get a three year deal is beyond me, and apparently beyond the Mets.

As early as last season, when Omar was the guy captaining the ship, you could have almost guaranteed Molina would have signed already, happily inking his name to the three year contract he’s asking for months ago.  Now it seems that times have changed.

If Molina finds a better offer, the Mets will likely beat it, meaning Molina will likely end up a Met before the start of the season anyway, but this way they won’t be bidding against themselves.

Perhaps while Bengie is out “shopping” the Mets can focus on the area they need to address the most, starting pitching.

I believe that at least one of Joel Pinero, Jon Garland and Ben Sheets will be a Met by the start of the 2010 season.  I’m certain we need at least one of them to fill the rotation, and two of them to bolster it.  After all, 80% of the rotation will be coming back from injuries or surgery and the other 20% is Mike Pelfrey.

Looking forward to some good news, but for now I’ll settle for good playing from the J E T S Jets Jets Jets.

I’m not called the Disgruntled Mets fan for no reason.  I describe myself as a self-hating  fan that wishes he had no morals so he could switch allegiances to a team that did not aggravate him so much.  But alas, after 20+ years of aggravation, I’m still here.

In my first off season blogging, I found myself unsuccessfully trying to think of things to write about.  My writing style is more about gut reactions to things that are happening on the field rather than reporting on the day to day news about transactions and signings.

The off season was pretty uneventful up until a few weeks ago, when the Mets landed their version of the “Big Fish” in Jason Bay.  Bay may have been the smallest big fish out there this season, but there’s no doubt he’ll be an upgrade in left field.

The main problem I had with the Bay signing, was that Bay was not a starting pitcher.

The Mets have a gaping hole that makes up the last four spots in their rotation.  Johan Santana is the only guarantee they have.  They have what amounts to three No. 3/4 starters vying for the No. 2 spot in the rotation, and a huge question mark at the No. 5 spot.

The Mets have let opportunities pass in the starting pitching market this off season.  John Lackey was the guy to go out and get, and they missed their chance.  Whether Lackey didn’t want to play for the Mets or not, a big money offer would have changed his mind.

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An ugly season can be made considerably uglier with six games remaining for the New York Mets.

90 wins is an accomplishment any organization can be proud of.  90 losses is an accomplishment in failure usually reserved for small market teams with payrolls that can’t be expected to compete.

The Mets have broken new ground.  They’ve even been called the worst organization in Major League Baseball here.

It’s hard to disagree with them isn’t it.

This team has been a flop fest since Carlos Beltran looked at strike three in Game 7 of the NLCS in 2006.

Late season collapses, injuries, mental breakdowns, errors, base running mistakes…

It’s been almost unbearable.

I’d like to see how the team would have finished, even with all the injuries, if the players on the field played to their potential, instead of playing the way they have.  Could they still compete for a Wild Card spot?  Does their talent, even with all the injuries, outweigh the talent of other MLB teams?

I think it does.

I think it’s safe to say that the Mets on the field have underperformed to a point that is almost comical.

With six games left in the season, three against the Washington Nationals and three against the Houston Astros, the Mets may be able to save a little face.

Losing 89 games just sounds a lot better than losing 90+.  The Mets would have to win out in order to make this happen.  I don’t think they can do it, I’m just pointing out that it would be nice if they did.

Looking at the active team roster, I hope it’s full of guys that won’t return next season.

Starting with the bullpen, I’d like to see guys like Tim Redding, Sean Green, and Ken Takahashi putting on new uniforms next season.

I would love to see if there’s a team dumb enough out there to take over Oliver Perez’s contract, but I think he’ll be a Met for the next few years.

I’m certain Brian Schneider has played his last game with the organization.

Utility guys like Anderson Hernandez and Wilson Valdez have done a nice job filling in while the team’s middle infield has grown paper thin, but they shouldn’t be on the roster next year unless the team’s injury situation repeats this year’s mess.

Gary Sheffield and Fernando Tatis need to go.  Omar would be out of his mind to give Sheffield another year.  He has performed well, but his body broke down the way a 40+ year old outfielder’s body does.  You would think the Mets learned their lesson with Moises Alou.

I also at this time believe Jerry Manuel should be fired.  He’s lost the team.  It might not be his fault, but it is what it is.

Guys that I think should definitely be a part of the future that aren’t part of the Mets “core” of players include Alex Cora, Jeff Francoeur, Daniel Murphy, and Pedro Feliciano.

It’s almost over.  We only have to bear six more games this season.  Let’s all hope together that the team can put together a winning streak to end the season, so they can avoid the embarrassing number of 90 losses.

In order to win the free David Wright Autographed Baseball and Display Case provided by SportsMemorabilia.com be the first person to email the correct answer to the email address below:

contest@disgruntledmetsfan.com

Here is the trivia question:

Mike Piazza hit the last New York Mets home run of the 20th Century.  Who was pitching when he hit the home run?

In addition to the autographed baseball, SportsMemorabilia.com is providing all DisgruntledMetsFan.com readers a 15% discount code good through the rest of the baseball season.

The discount code is:

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Good luck to everyone!

Visit the Disgruntled Mets Fan Store

The people over at SportsMemorabilia.com have been kind enough to sponsor another giveaway to loyal Disgruntled Mets Fan readers.  This time, the prize will be an autographed David Wright baseball and display case.

David Wright Autographed Baseball

The contest will take place on Monday at 2:00 PM EST and will consist of a New York Mets trivia question.  The first person to reply with a correct answer to the email address provided will win the ball.

In addition to the baseball, SportsMemorabilia.com will provide a discount code to all readers that will be good for a 15% discount on their site that will be valid until the end of the baseball season.  The code will be posted Monday with the question.

I look forward to sharing this opportunity with you all, would like to thank SportsMemorabilia.com for the opportunity to do so.

It was the bottom of the seventh inning, the Mets were down 4-2, and a fresh off the DL Carlos Beltran came up to bat with two outs and the bases loaded.

The stage was set…

A single would have tied the game, an extra base hit may have given the Mets the lead, and a grand slam would have sent Mets fans into the kind of frenzy they haven’t felt in a long, long time.

Brian Sanches fell behind Beltran 2-0 on two straight fastballs off the plate.  He came back with a third that was fouled back, and was threw one last one right in Beltran’s wheel house that Carlos seemed to turn on sending a long shot down the right field line.

Off the bat, I thought it was a home run.  I thought Carlos did it.  I thought the stadium was going to erupt.  I thought the bench would be filled with smiles all around.

The ball seemed to hang up in the air for an eternity.  As right fielder Cody Ross settled in a few feet from the right field wall, I was sure the ball would land in the Pepsi Porch and the Mets would have their triumphant come back.

Unfortunately, the ball cleared the Subway sign, and fell harmlessly into Ross’ glove for the third out ending the Mets inning, and squashing their last threat at getting back into the game.

This one at bat is a sample sized serving of the Mets franchise as a whole since the end of 2006.  So close to something great happening, but never quite getting there.

You can imagine the same ball being hit off Chase Utley’s bat catching the wind and finding it’s way into the right field bleachers.  I’m sure the wind was blowing against Beltran’s ball last night.

That’s just the way it goes for the Mets.