Saturday, July 11, 2009
CHURCH ON TIME.
It’s the only decent photo I have of him, so please indulge me.
Ryan Church was a classy guy who was poorly treated by this organization and I can only wish him well. Even today in the press conference, with beat writers trying to get him to say that the Mets handled the concussion poorly, he wouldn’t do it. I’m not trying to say he was Mr. Contribution, but this trade is pointless. The guy never had a fighting chance.
This is is a pointless trade. It will not get us anything or get us anywhere or fix anything.
I am not yet going to write anything about the player who is coming in his stead. I dislike him not because he’s a Brave, but because he says stupid things like “If on-base percentage is so important, then why don’t they put it up on the scoreboard?” I mean, *gak*. Really.
Posted by Caryn at 12:44 AM
Lots of important stats don’t go on the scoreboard.
Didn’t you point me at Mike’s Mets series on Boneheaded Trades? Because, knowing none of the details, Church for Francoeur looks like a worthy addition to that set. [ominous voice] Only time will tell [/voice]
But best of luck anyhow.
After sleeping on it, I find one reason to like the trade. Ryan Church, who has always been a classy guy, is now on a team that may actually appreciate him.
It seems we have similar thoughts on this, Caryn. Paul, I fully agree with your comment as well.
Since June 1st, the Mets have the same number of wins as the Nationals.
Barring an unprecedented two-game winning streak heading into the All-Star Game, they will have lost 11 of their last 12 series.
Their only victory of the past week was, stupefyingly enough, an Ollie Perez Special: 5 innings, 100+ pitches, and a safe return to his position at the Ministry of Silly Walks.
They do not have a HR during this stretch.
They are, quite simply, the worst team in baseball.
My recommendation: Don Byron plays the music of Junior Walker at Madison Square Park Wednesday night. Outdoors. Free. And you don’t even have to feel guilty: the Mets can’t lose that night.
Church was a good guy who worked hard and was a victim on a few too many concussions, the Mets medical staff, and probably some clubhouse politics.
It’s a shame. I remember him taking some time to sign some autographs after returing from the first concussion in Spring Training ‘08.
no way, did he really say that? looking a the glass half full, he is only 25 and has a tiny bit more pop and rbi’s in him than church.
church was a classy guy and this trade is not going to dramatically change things. but it won’t hurt us either and i’m not opposed to shaking things up.
one trade is not going to get us to the promise land, maybe 5 trades will. and we know that’s not happening. so lets hope mets don’t make a stupid trade and give away the farm for the sake of the future of this team.
The Mets are 8th in OBA, and 21st in runs scored—gak.
I’m sorry, I’m really tired of Mets fans finding absolutely anything to complain about. This is the team, this is what they’ve got. Yes, it’s been tough at times to watch them play, but the team as a whole deserve a little more credit. I was at the game last night, and while it wasn’t the most eventful, it was a win. So many people bash Jerry, and he has made some questionable decisions, no doubt, but he has stuck to his convictions in saying that if good pitching is there, he thinks the team will be OK. Nieve kind of got the raw end of the deal Friday night, because he did pitch a pretty good game, but had no run support. That should be the perception though. Within the past five games, the Mets one, two, and three pitchers in the rotation all had wins. That is HUGE for this team. One step at a time.
As far as Jeff Francoeur, what do you really know about him? How do you know if he was treated the same way by the Braves the past couple years that Church was treated by the Mets? He’s had staggered opportunities, because he was sent down a couple of times. There IS something to be said for a change of scenery, some new blood, and the past twenty four hours is proof positive.
Bottom line: Omar DID make this deal, and we can’t change that. Rather than letting it bother us, find the positives in the situation and let’s see how it goes. He IS five years younger than Church, and he already has several very respectable seasons. A change in team can potentially do wonders for a player and really highlight how talented they are.
Church is a classy guy, and I was very impressed with his interview before Friday’s game. But I think this trade may not have been to directly benefit either the Mets or Braves, but rather to benefit the individual players. Oh, and Jeff Francoeur is 4-9 so far with two RBIs. I’ll take that any day.
Then go read the blogs that are optimistic and positive. People are upset. People are pissed off. People dedicated a lot of their expendable income in a crappy economy that’s getting worse to see this team and have been treated like second-class citizens.
You are free to feel however you want. But you don’t get to come on someone else’s website and reprimand the person who writes it or the people who comment on it for feeling the way they do. We have a basis in fact for feeling how we feel. FAILCOEUR being the savior of 2009 is still conjecture.
Two games is not a sample size for le croque monsieur. I’d love to come back in a few months and praise Omar for this trade.
No one here is giving up on the team. They’re just voicing well-deserved frustration for hanging in there.
Having grown up in Vero Beach, my best friend in Jr. High was the bat boy for LA when they spring trained and the A team during their season. One thing I learned at a very young age after getting to hang around a bit with him one day is that fan perception and clubhouse perception are two entirely different things. There’s a tradition in baseball clubhouses of keeping things inside, and although the Timo Perez’s and Lastings Millage issues leak out (note those two were rookies) most don’t. they stay inhouse for the most part.
My point is Ryan Church and the perception of him being “classy” is just that, it a perception of actions in public whether deliberate or not. I’m not saying he is or isn’t but just sort of a reminder that if for some reason the Mets felt as if this trade was a good move than I’d trust their perception or knowledge on the issue.
As far as the Francour side of the trade, there’s no denying the kid’s pure athleticism is of a rare sort. Worst case scenario we’re getting the same younger player with a better arm; which is critical for being a great RF.
Best case scenario? We get a kid that with influence of guys like Beltran and Delgado and of course HoJo can’t help become a better ballplayer. For whatever reason from what I’ve seen and heard he didn’t have that sort of support in Atlanta; even seeking out help from the Rangers hitting coach in the off-season. I found it amusing both had very similar outgoing comments about their teams even though the press pressed them both for more juicy comments…
Also wouldn’t that be awesome if HoJo fixed him as Pendleton couldn’t? Sort of revenge for Pendleton stealing his MVP in 91. Heh, sorry I’m still bitter…
Dave- interesting thoughts on perception. Your thoughts on Church specifically, can be said of any player, anywhere. Swap Church’s name out and plug in anyone. Same thing can be said.
Lots of important stats don’t go on the scoreboard.
Didn’t you point me at Mike’s Mets series on Boneheaded Trades? Because, knowing none of the details, Church for Francoeur looks like a worthy addition to that set. [ominous voice] Only time will tell [/voice]
But best of luck anyhow.