ABOUT AT BAT

MSNBC.com baseball analyst Ted Robinson gives his take on the hits and misses by players, managers, umpires and owners in Major League Baseball.

Robinson has an extensive background in covering the sport. He called the play-by-play on NBC's Major League Baseball Game of the Week telecasts from 1986-89. Additionally, he has been the lead play-by-play announcer for the Minnesota Twins, the television and radio play-by-play voice of the San Francisco Giants, and a member of the New York Mets broadcast team.



A riveting last weekend of the regular season

Posted: Monday, October 01, 2007 1:30 PM

The baseball weekend was riveting. It was hard to leave the television set to work a college football game Saturday night. And did the NFL play Sunday?

 

The images were jarring and compelling and they began on Friday night with the Mets booed off the field after another stunning that made them -- for the first time since 2005 -- a second-place team.

Milwaukee’s dream season ending at the hands of the Padres, who went to bed Friday night feeling like a slam dunk for the wild card.

The Cubs celebrating a division title and the Diamondbacks playing out the string as they clinched the NL’s best record.

 

Saturday afternoon was remarkable. Could anyone have scripted a story in which the Padres, one strike from clinching, would have their plans spoiled by an opponent named Tony Gwynn Jr. It’s one of the single greatest stories I have ever seen in baseball.

 

Meanwhile, the Mets behind John Maine came within four outs of their long-sought first no-hitter in franchise history and put themselves back in the hunt with a win over the Marlins and a Phillies loss to the Nationals. New York and Philadelphia dead even for the NL East lead going into the final day of the regular season. And Saturday night ended with the possibility of four NL teams finishing with the same record.

 

It was utter insanity that all unfolded on a terrific Sunday. First up, Tom Glavine against Dontrelle Willis. SEVEN runs in the top of the first for Florida, Glavine is booed off the field at Shea (notice the pattern in NY), and the Phillies’ Jamie Moyer throws the game’s first pitch in Philadelphia with Citizens Bank Park roaring over the Marlins’ lead.

 

The Phillies score early but Willis is all over the place at Shea. Who could have imagined neither pitcher finishing the third? And who could have imagined Ramon Castro starting the final two games of the season over Paul LoDuca? Were LoDuca’s comments indirectly critical of Willie Randolph on New York radio last week a factor?

 

Anyway, LoDuca had the Mets’ final chance at salvation. Pinch-hitting in the third inning, he grounded out leaving the bases loaded. That took the last gasp from the Mets and the final six innings at Shea were a drawn-out painful death. Every crowd shot showed disbelief, shock, and finally tears.

 

How sure were the Mets that they were making the playoffs? They installed special postseason seating while the team was on the road two weeks ago. Their cable television network, SNY, had a special program scheduled at 6:30 last night, two hours after the last out, titled “Mets Postseason Preview.” You would think someone over the weekend would have had the foresight to change plans. After all, too many people with the Mets were there in 1998 when the team lost its last five at home to give up the wild-card berth.

 

Then there’s Colorado. After the Padres were stunned Sunday as journeyman and frequent talker Brett Tomko proved unworthy to the task, failing to hold a three-run first inning lead, the Rockies cracked Arizona in the bottom of the eighth.

 

Then, there was a one-game playoff in Denver, won by the Rockies. This has been the best season, by far, in the 15-year history of the Rockies. And on a Sunday in September, Coors Field was full; a city wedded to its beloved Broncos discovered the thrill of pennant-race baseball.

 

Who do I feel good for today?

 

Charlie Manuel. An embattled manager in his Philadelphia tenure, often ignored because he does not speak the King’s English, he proved his worth at the helm of the game’s greatest finishing kick.

 

Jimmy Rollins. He backed up his preseason words about the Phillies being the team to beat in the NL East, and probably won an MVP Sunday.

 

Jamie Moyer. Still winning games, and not pitching half seasons or taking road trips off at age 44. He has won 229 games in 21 years, but only pitched in four postseason games.

 

Todd Helton. After the last out on Sunday, he ran across the field like a Little Leaguer whose team just won the city title. Almost 1,600 games, all in Denver, and Helton has made it to his first postseason.

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Comments

There is a huge amount of blame to go around, and no one should be exempt.  But some will have to pay the price so my list goes like this. Omar Minaya - Pedro was given a huge contract and so was Carlos Beltran, so other than the steal of Oliver Perez, this guy is fast becoming king of the boneheaded trades. Rickey Henderson - the king of steal was supposed to help Jose Reyes become an MVP. Is it any coincidence Reyes slumped after Rickey became his "personal coach"?

M. Heoh, Flushing, NY (Sent Monday, October 01, 2007 2:47 PM)

GO PHILLIES GO  !!!!  Thanks Marlins, Nationals as your hard  play till the end  against the Mets  helped The Fightin Phils    as they used to say in Brooklyn   Wait till next year !!!   Take that Billy Wagner      GO PHILLIES !!!!!

Brian Mc Geehan (Sent Monday, October 01, 2007 5:05 PM)

The whole bullpen squad should be let go, and probably Willie Randolph (although unlikely).

Hector M. Pena, Newark, NJ (Sent Monday, October 01, 2007 5:07 PM)

The fans deserve to take a hit, not just the players and management.  

The Mets played like a team that feared losing more than it desired winning, and what do you expect if winning brings a "so what" and losing means a call to throw everyone under the bus, beginning with Willie Randolph?  How come the Mets' record, and Carlos Beltran's performance, were better on the road?  Because they like hotels?

Randolph did exactly the right things from a personnel standpoint -- only criticize players privately, support them publicly, and take the heat for them rather than publicly humiliate them.  May those complaining that he didn't blast his players get the boss they deserve.

The Mets simply weren't tough enough to overcome pressure and adversity, because they hadn't gone through the struggles and disappointments the Phillies had.  Now they have.  Wait until next year.

Cranky Independent (Sent Monday, October 01, 2007 6:08 PM)

In the long run it doesn't really matter who is to blame for the Mets' pathetic crash.  Heads will role up and the down and throughout the organization.  Baseball is a game of "What have you done for me lately?" and by its very nature it requires constant changes.  The era of the likes of Tony Gwynn and Craig Biggio and even Joe Torres have been supplanted by the ridiculousness of $1M per start and $19M a year for hobbled knees and home run balls.  If Randolph is a victim of the coming guillotine his success over the last two years is enough of a resume for him to land on his feet with another club.  If the White Sox hadn't spent so much on their losing manager maybe Willie would be a fit with that club.  Or maybe just maybe the other NYC club across town will be in need of a new skipper when the Yanks get blown out in the first round.

Ryan, San Francisco, CA (Sent Monday, October 01, 2007 6:28 PM)

Willie Randolph isn't the one responsible for assembling this pathetic bullpen.  How many leads were blown during the September collapse?  Why is this bullpen filled with guys like Guillermo Mota, Aaron Sele, Scott Schoenweiss and Joe Smith?  Why did they jettison guys like Matt Lindstrom, Heath Bell, Royce Ring, and even Darren Oliver, ALL of whom have been far more successful than this sorry lot that replaced them?

B. Gazis (Sent Tuesday, October 02, 2007 10:41 AM)

Blame is to be passed around. Everywhere in the Mets organization someone messed up. Slumps, Short commings, Bullpen collapses, blowing huge leads, not comming up in the clutch. Maybe the mets will instead of looking to pick up old veteran players who have maybe one year left in them, they will try to revitalize a broken bullpen. We have good bats, we need good pitching. Get rid of Glavine, El Duque, Wagner if he doesn't shape up, Mota cause without his steroids he's nothing, Heilman just because. Mets need to reconstruct there entire bullpen.

Mikey, New York, NY (Sent Tuesday, October 02, 2007 11:46 AM)

Jimmy Rollins had a great year but it's apparent that most writers only pay attention to East Coast Teams. Just read MSNBC to see that over 90% of your story lines are about the Yankee's, Red Soxs, Mets, Cubs and Phillies. There are other teams and players playing and giving there all to get to the series. Matt Holliday is clearly the MVP and last night was a clear exsample of his abilities and desire to win. Yes he made a error on what should have been a routine fly ball, but he didn't cave in nor did he give up. Instead he gave an additional 25 percent and knocked in the tieing run off of one of the best closer's in history and then scored the winning run on a short fly ball in the process of darn near knocking him self silly. Jimmy Rollins great year better PR, Matt Holliday even a better year less PR. Matt deserves the MVP this year.

Bud Coleman, Denver Colorado (Sent Tuesday, October 02, 2007 5:06 PM)



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