Johan Santana and the Mets have not yet come to terms of a contract extension that would bring the two time Cy Young winner to Queens. Based on reports the two parties have a 5:00pm EST deadline to come to an agreement. For Mets fans that have anticipated an October appearance and suffered celebration withdrawal since Black Sunday, the final game of the season that cast a four month malaise over a traditionally rabid, borderline fanatical fan base, many will be holding their collective breath until an official deal is announced. For all the “can’t fall apart” reassurances by industry analysts, Mets fans did not sleep easy Thursday night, when no deal had been announced. With the monetary fortune on the table, logic decrees that this will be carefully negotiated until both parties reach satisfactory terms and the 5:00PM deadline will near before both parties agree to terms.

Don’t tell that to weary season ticket holders who’ve just been taxed another 20 percent in Shea‘s farewell voyage or SNY Subscribers and others that fill the Wilpon war chest year after year with their hard earned money. They want a deal and they don’t want to take any chances. Not after what fans in this teams 45 year existence have endured. Phrases like “can’t miss” and “sure thing” have been heard less than five months ago when the team did miss and the sure thing wasn’t. Beleaguered Mets fans don’t care about their champaign tasting any sweeter.

Here down in Texas, I’m no different. For a team that’s crushed my hopes more times than it’s fulfilled my dreams, you owe me that much. Remember seven games up with seventeen to play? Give him the 150 million over seven years and I won’t mention it again. You owe me this. The best pitcher in Baseball in a Mets uniform would be enough to mend my September heartbreak.

Superbowl? What’s that? Go lock up that staff ace for seven and let’s go to camp. I have to get on with worrying about who’s going to be backing up Delgado for God sake.

The Mets online shop won’t let me order a Johan Santana jersey quite yet but if the Mets drag this out any further I may just end up buying a “Suntana 57” jersey.

As per usual, Lonestar Mets brought you news before it happened. From the Daily News:

A report in the Rocky Mountain News said the Mets were close to signing Hernandez, but club sources say nothing is close to being done. They say Hernandez and Kyle Lohse have been in the mix for weeks as signees should the club need a veteran starter.

For the moment, however, one baseball person who has spoken to Omar Minaya recently came away with the impression that the Mets GM is still very hopeful about acquiring Santana.

That’s right, Lonestar Mets can smell a lie like a fart in a car*. In related news, it seems the Twins make make a Santana deal within the next ten days. Don’t rush out and buy your Livan Hernandez jerseys quite yet.

*EDITOR’S NOTE: LONESTAR METS CAN ALSO SMELL A FART LIKE A LIE IN A CAR, FOR WHATEVER THAT’S WORTH

According to a report Friday in the Rocky Mountain News, the Mets are “close” to a deal for free-agent starter Livan Hernandez, who could provide a boost for their rotation.

[Lonestar Mets reading about the upcoming Giants Superbowl]

Omar: We are close to signing Livan Hernandez.

[Lonestar Mets reads a piece on Eli Manning and Joe Namath]

Omar: Sir!

Lonestar Mets: What?

Omar: I’m close to signing Livan Hernandez; do you think he’s any good?

Lonestar Mets: I don’t watch Diamondback games.

Omar: Well have you heard anything about him?

Lonestar Mets: No.

Omar: You’ve never heard anyone say anything about this pitcher?

Lonestar Mets: I find it’s best to stay out of other teams affairs.

Omar: [Shuffles his scouting reports] What about this free agent right-handed starter?

Lonestar Mets: [Doesn’t look up] He sucks.

Omar: It’s the same pitcher; you’re not even paying attention!

Lonestar Mets: No, I wasn’t.

Omar: I don’t think your Manager Willie would appreciate…

Lonestar Mets: I don’t appreciate your ruse, sir.

Omar: My what?

Lonestar Mets: Your ruse; Your cunning attempt to trick me.

Omar: I only pointed out that you weren’t paying any attention to what I’m doing.

Lonestar Mets: I hope it feels good.

Omar: You hope what feels good?

Lonestar Mets: I hope it feels so good to be right. There is nothing more exhilarating than signing old pitchers with major shortcomings, is there?

Omar: [Threatening tone] This is the last time you’ll hear rumors that I’m going to sign Livan Hernandez!

Lonestar Mets: They will be missed.

Omar: Screw you!

Lonestar Mets: Screw me?

I went ahead and re-punctuated the relevant part of the story and italicized for effect:

According to a “report” Friday in the Rocky Mountain “News“, the Mets are “close” to a “deal” for free-agent “starter” Livan Hernandez, who could provide a “boost” for their “rotation.”

Tired of waiting on the Twins to make a move on Santana? Why not dust off that long time rumored chestnut of the half-brother of our current disabled list resident in order to force the Twins into action. Why not? It’s believable isn’t it? How many times have we seen Livan Hernandez rumored to be on a short list to bolster pitching? And since when is the Rocky Mountain News an authority on breaking Mets news?

Course it is. Ya think if I leave that story under my pillow at night, the Rocky Mountan News Rumor Fairy might come by and leave a quarter? The point is, how do you know the Rocky Mountain News Fairy isn’t a crazy glue sniffer? “Build model airplanes” says the little fairy, but we’re not buying it. Next thing you know, there’s money missing off the dresser and your daughter’s knocked up, I seen it a hundred times. Hey, if you want me to take a dump on a page and mark it guaranteed, I will. I got spare time. But for right now, for your sake, for your daughter’s sake, ya might wanna think about acquiring a quality pitcher.

Threats won’t work; the Twins could live without those five prospects (or four prospects and Ryan Church depending on who’s handicapping at the moment) rumored to be in the deal. The Mets are sure as hell not going to throw in Wright or Reyes to sweeten the deal. They can’t afford to take on anybody else; they cost too much. What would expedite the Twins trade of Santana? Maybe only having two teams in a bidding war instead of three. The Red Sox and Yankees have honed the art of not getting played off each other until the sum of the parts leaving Beantown or the Big Apple far exceeds the sum of the returning player.

My gut tells me that this is a ploy, we’ll sure see in the next few days but I doubt this works.  

God this year’s Hot Stove season sucks!

When I first came here, this was all swamp. Everyone said I was daft to build a castle on a swamp, but I built in all the same, just to show them. It sank into the swamp. So I built a second one. That sank into the swamp. So I built a third. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp. – King of the Swamp Castle

Well dear readers, it’s the time of year again where the dead of winter has set, football season winds down, baseball season still far off on the horizon (not without a big name acquisition) and idiots starved for entertainment seek that ever plummeting lowest common denominator of prime time television.

That’s right, American Idol is back to entertain those who enjoy Brett Ratner movies , those who do their part to save the world by buying a U2 CD or an Iphone and carry their Starbucks coffee cups as a badge of honor all have been waiting for this date. Of course I am talking about the lowest form of human douchery: reality television viewers. The worst offender, the bottom of the barrel, those that make even Amazing Race viewers seem sophisticated and worldly; the American Idol Viewer.

Or have they?

Like America’s Funniest Home Videos, Survivor, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire before it, American Idol may finally be on it’s knees, making it’s last stand before relegation to the PAX network to be aired in between episodes of Matlock and Charlie’s Angels or pressed in to service in the highly coveted Saturday morning, post cartoon, pre-baseball game of the week currently occupied buy non- sequential episodes of Stargate.

Who could have seen this coming? I mean a generic black guy with some obscure claim to fame that overuses the word “dog”, a drunken cougar/former mediocre pop star from the mid 90’s and a condescending English douchebag who wears v-neck sweaters with no undershirt, all passing judgment tomorrow’s stars of behind the music or Playboy centerfolds to be. How could this not last forever?

Of course there are the early episodes with talentless attention whores who humiliate themselves on national television with ridiculous bits for fifteen minutes of fame and maybe an appearance on Regis and Kelly or if they are really special, an appearance on Letterman provided Mario Lopez cancels and Dave can’t fill the segment between the star promoting a movie and musical act by discussing his trip to the Sizzler with Paul.

To be honest, I’ve never watched the show once yet I still know way more than I ever needed to know about the program. I shouldn’t know who Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, William Hung, or Clay Aiken are, my affection to watch NFC football during the winter months I am subjected to 48 promos a quarter where some useless bastard in a rainbow clown wig matching cod piece and a whiffleball bat says something like “I gave up my life for this.” I really wish that was a literal statement because I’d watch that guy’s public execution.

…with the seventh season-premiere of American Idol at an 18.6 rating/27 share from 8-10 p.m. Comparably, that out delivered the second highest rated show of the evening, CBS’ NCIS (10.2/15), by a hefty 82 percent. But year-to-year, American Idol actually dipped by 15 percent from its sixth season-opener on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2007 (21.8/31). So, at this point it is safe to say that American Idol has officially peaked.

And though the Fox vehicle is surely dying, the writer’s strike has granted it a stay of execution. Before it’s gone from the short attention span most Americans have, there will be revamped versions to in a vein and feeble attempt to jump ratings (see Who wants to marry a Millionaire?, Who wants to Marry My Dad?) which are underway already (see Singing Bee, Don’t Forget the Lyrics, America’s Got Talent) before Ryan Seacrest finds himself hosting shopping mall openings in Barstow and Open Mic Night at the Ha Ha Hole which will seem almost laudable before finally making his foray into gay porno.

If there is one truism in mainstream entertainment it’s that Americans will love any turd, they just won’t love it very long.

Just ask Paul Hogan.

Sorry for the rant.

And unlike reality television, something that has stood the test of time, baseball, is still officially three months away. The hardcore baseball junkie can only forage for scraps of baseball news like:

Jose Valentin is expected to receive an invitation to camp. I really never accepted Stache as a real Met, I never really looked at him as anything more than a placeholder until the Mets can sign or develop a “real” second baseman. That’s a shame really, since Valentin’s arrival, he’s been a solid contributor, solid performer at the plate and in the field which is impressive more so considering he’s never been played second on a regular basis prior to arriving at Shea.

Coming back from as season ending injury that occurred last April will be no easy task for the veteran switch-hitter, but after watching Stache for the short time he’s been a Met, it would be fool hardy to put it past him.

And like reality television passing for reasonable entertainment, the only other news on the Mets front is a piece by Marty Noble regarding the Mets middle infield. Read it if you want, there’s not much you didn’t know.

And from John Delcos’ blog, comes an eyewitness report that David Wright was booed in Madison Square Garden during tonight’s Knicks Wizards game. Though I think the reason for the poor receptions that the fans came to the cohesive realization they were voluntarily attending a Knicks-Wizards game (wakka, wakka). Probably just a majority of Yankee fans is my guess. Though if it is some harsh sentiment leftover from September 30, I find that as encouraging; though unlikely. Wright has seen the adoration, the recognition, the money and the fame and thus has become the de-facto leader of the club. Winner or lose it’s his team, his accomplishment or his failure. Now get ready for training camp and lets win the division.

If you lived in any city other than Dallas Fort Worth Area or the Charlotte area and don’t have the NFL Network consider yourself lucky you were spared watching the farce of a game between the Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers. If you read the paper this morning you would note that the score reflected a Dallas victory against the 6-8 Panthers. What the box score doesn’t tell you is that the mighty Cowboys needed the referees to go temporarily blind on two key passing attempts while the Dallas secondary mugged Carolina receivers. Then for the zebras to suddenly develop hypersensitive vision ruling a key third down conversion as a dropped pass after holding a 15 minute summit meeting on the field to determine how exactly they would give Dallas the victory.

I was reminiscent on another NFL Network game handed to Dallas at home against Green Bay in which mighty Dallas also needed officiating help to beat the Packers.

One of the many displeasures I endure due to my residency in Arlington Texas is exposure to the Dallas Cowboy Media and Fans. I use the term media loosely, more like fans with a microphone or computer would be more apt. If you thought the Yankee homer writers are bad, pick up the Dallas Morning News

If Dallas somehow wins the Superbowl this year I plan to sit back and grin as they celebrate their sham of a victory. Heck, I might even take the day off to attend the victory parade. I’m not a fan but like most residents of DFW I like to show my Cowboy sprit by setting fire to local businesses and overturning police vehicles.

Before the first regular season home game I plan to get into my truck around 4:00 in the morning. Drive down to Texas Stadium with a can of paint and scale the outside of the eyesore stadium.

Once on top I will repel down through the ridiculous hole in the roof, over to the championship banner where I will paint a vertical line, then paint a horizontal line across it followed by two diagonal lines bisecting previous two lines. It should look something like this:

Of course any Dallas Cowboy fan with any shame has already placed an asterisk next to this team’s record. Shame on you Dallas, you’re 11 and 4. Live with that shame. You deserve everything you get.

Thought you were through with this guy didn’t you?

LONESTAR METS PREDICTION: As soon as the news cycle starts to tire of the Mitchell Report discussion, baseball television and radio shows will look for another way to beat a dead horse for one more week of discussion. None other than Charlie Hustle (talk about the all time dead horse) will take full advantage of this report to inject himself into baseball news again in a pathetic attempt to weasel his way into the hall.

You heard it her first folks.

Get ready for Pete Rose to try and vault over the walls into the hall of fame. Here comes the old “well I never used any performance enhancing drugs to become baseball’s all time hit king and if home run king Barry Bonds can be inducted why shouldn’t I” argument.

Of course this will be met with the argument that baseball has always been vague on steroids while gambling on baseball has always been the one absolute mortal sin, the forbidden fruit from which one bite would insure your absence forever.

An argument I happen to agree with.

My Two Cents 

For the record I hate Pete Rose. I won’t deny that. I thought he was a showboat. I think he’s shameless. And I like that Kennesaw Landis style banishments last forever. To this day I get chills watching Bart Giamatti’s press conference announcing the decision. It seems so eternal and epic as if it defies reproach.

Rose’s accomplishments are impressive. I don’t want him in the Hall, but if we have to let him in, baseball should wait four years after his death.

Man, I should be a sports radio program director.
There you go, next week’s news cycle in advance. Enjoy!

Another piece of my childhood baseball memories were tarnished by today’s release of the Mitchell Report. My favorite Met prior to 1999 was Todd Hundley. Todd was one of the rare positive aspects of the atrocious mid 90’s Mets clubs. When the Mets traded for Mike Piazza in 1998, I spent a year resenting Mike for displacing Hundley. Though Iron Mike eventually won me over with his play, sometimes seemingly carrying the team on his back I had always maintained a fondness for Todd Hundley and felt he was under appreciated by Mets fans. I should have known his rapid increase in power was highly peculiar and should have been a red flag, but in those days of the 90’s we honestly didn’t know and really didn’t have a reason to suspect malfeasance. Every now and again, I would reflect on the 90’s Mets and Todd Hundley’s power numbers and wonder, I probably knew in the back of my mind something was amiss. Now I know. From page 163 of the Mitchell Report:

Todd Hundley
Todd Hundley played as a catcher with three teams in Major League Baseball
from 1990 until 2003 (the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Chicago Cubs). He was with the Mets from 1990 to 1998. He played in All-Star games in 1996 and 1997.
Radomski has known Hundley since 1988, when Radomski worked for the Mets and Hundley played in the Mets’ minor league system. Radomski stated that, beginning in
1996, he sold Deca-Durabolin and testosterone to Hundley on three or four occasions. At the beginning of that year, Radomski told Hundley that if he used steroids, he would hit 40 home runs. Hundley hit 41 home runs in 1996, having never hit more than 16 in any prior year. After the season, Radomski said, Hundley took him out to dinner.

Chris Donnels played with Hundley in 2000 when they were both with the
Los Angeles Dodgers. Donnels admitted to my investigative staff that Radomski supplied him with performance enhancing substances. Donnels recalled having extensive discussions with Hundley about his performance enhancing substance use and about Radomski while they were teammates. Hundley’s name, with two addresses and three telephone numbers, is listed in the address book seized by federal agents from Radomski’s residence. In order to provide Hundley with information about these allegations and to give him an opportunity to respond, I asked him to meet with me; he declined.

The last sentence says it all. If an athlete was falsely accused, he would have, if even through an attorney, defended himself. Thanks for making me care for nothing, douche bag.

This next finding caught me completely off guard. I had read excerps of his FAN interview, I felt the Mets had treated him unfairly, possibly for reasons stemming from personality clashes. It would now appear the Mets had alterior motives for not persuing Paulie Ballgame. From page 208-211 the Mitchell Report:

Paul Lo Duca
Paul Lo Duca is a catcher who has played with three teams in Major League
Baseball since 1998, the Los Angeles Dodgers (7 seasons), Florida Marlins (2 seasons), and New York Mets (2 seasons). He has appeared in four All-Star games.
Todd Hundley referred Lo Duca to Radomski when Lo Duca played for the
Dodgers. Radomski estimated that he engaged in six or more transactions with Lo Duca. Insome transactions, Radomski sent the performance enhancing substances by overnight mail toLo Duca’s home or to the Dodgers clubhouse and Lo Duca sent Radomski a check a week or so later.
Radomski produced copies of three checks from Lo Duca, each in the amount of
$3,200. All are included in the Appendix. Radomski said that each check was in payment for two kits of human growth hormone.
Lo Duca’s name, with an address and telephone number, is listed in the address
book seized from Radomski’s residence by federal agents. During that search, federal agents also seized a note from Lo Duca to Radomski. It read:

Kirk,
Sorry! But for some reason they sent the check back to me.
I haven’t been able to call you back because my phone is TOAST! I have
a new # it is [Lo Duca’s phone number is listed here]. Please leave your #
again because I lost all of my phonebook with the other phone.
Thanks
Paul

In 2002, Lo Duca was quoted by Sports Illustrated in an article responding to Ken
Caminiti’s admission of steroid use. Lo Duca was reported to have said: “If you’re battling for a job, and the guy you’re battling with is using steroids, then maybe you say, ‘Hey, to compete, I need to use steroids because he’s using them . . . Don’t get me wrong. I don’t condone it. But it’s a very tough situation. It’s really all about survival for some guys.”
According to the notes of an internal discussion among Los Angeles Dodgers
officials in October 2003 that were referred to above, it was reportedly said of Lo Duca during the meetings:

Steroids aren’t being used anymore on him. Big part of this.
Might have some value to trade . . . Florida might have interest.
. . . Got off the steroids . . . Took away a lot of hard line drives.
. . . Can get comparable value back would consider trading. . . . If
you do trade him, will get back on the stuff and try to show you he
can have a good year. That’s his makeup. Comes to play. Last
year of contract, playing for 05.(419)

On June 26, 2004, Lo Duca wrote a check to Radomski for $3,200. On July 30,
2004, the Dodgers traded Lo Duca, Guillermo Mota, and Juan Encarnacion to the Marlins. On August 7, 2004, Lo Duca issued another check to Radomski for $3,200. In January 2005, Lo Duca signed a three-year contract with the Marlins.

The handwritten note shown below on Dodger Stadium stationary from Lo Duca
to Radomski was seized from Radomski’s house during a search by federal agents. Radomski said that this note was included with a check Lo Duca sent Radomski as payment for human growth hormone.

In order to provide Lo Duca with information about these allegations and to give
him an opportunity to respond, I asked him to meet with me; he declined.

I really haven’t had time to absorb this yet but the evidence is pretty damning. I feel sick.

In my entire life, I’ve been a Mets fan and I think I can safely say, this is definitely one of the low points of fandom this organization has seen in my lifetime. The fact that this team let a 7 game lead slip away in September is nauseating. Some may point to 1998 and I say hogwash, in 98 we weren’t supposed to even be there, though certainly disappointing and frustrating it indicated a bright future that lay ahead. The Vince Coleman affair made me ashamed, but I never felt a connection to Coleman. At the end of game six of the 1999 NLCS, I was certainly disappointed but not ashamed. The 1999 team fought with every fiber of their being to get as far as they got.

Now? Pathetic. A team who is so talented, as they will gladly tell you, couldn’t answer the bell with their leader, staff ace and one of the man credited, and deservedly so, as the reason for their turn around. It goes much deeper than that of course, these past weeks have been a foreshadowing of things to come. We as a fan base that prides itself on always believing refused to see it coming. Now its here. This team doesn’t have the heart to answer the bell. In reading the above article from the New York Observer, I couldn’t help but think, “how can you not care, when I care so damn much?”

If you like, hold out hope for this season, I would like to, but I cant. This team has been complacent with it’s complacency for so long, I don’t think they have a battle left in them. I actually spent the better part of an hour pricing airline tickets to see if maybe I could come to Shea and will this team in the playoffs. I found an affordable, or as affordable as airline tickets to New York can be, and when I went to make sure there were Mets tickets available, the site told me it was “down for maintanence.” Well it looks likes the Mets are too. This is certainly one of the dips in franchises long and dubious history.

Tied for first, three to go. I don’t think they have it in them. I hope they prove me wrong. I’m going to keep watching though, tied for first place is still first place, at least there’s hope. 

I am still going to hold out hope. What else is a Mets fan supposed to do. I hope the players realize they are about to let down a loyal and rabid fan base that never says die. We have very long memories. I keep reading the great Dana Brand’s genius, that I believe defines all real Mets fans:
      

This is what has hooked us. This is what we long for. This is why, however much we hate them at times, we love to love this team. However good the Yankees become, they never tempt us. We are stubborn and resolute. We are millions. We
are Mets fans.

Tied for first, three to go. I don’t think they have it in them. I hope they prove me wrong.

Wake Up Mets!

Why is this so hard? I mean, sure any team can beat any other team on any given night, that’s why you have to play the games. But honestly, could we try to hold the worst offense in the NL to, I don’t know, under 30 runs over three games?

I knew it might be bad, I didn’t know it was going to be this bad. Has the entire bullpen contracted Mono? After the last few games, I really doubt this teams ability to qualify for post season play.

I don’t want to harp on strategy or Thursday morning Manage here, but Willie should have gone to El Duque earlier; match up be damned. Sure he would have gotten torched by the media if it backfired, but how could Duque have been any worse than we’ve seen lately? I really hope I wasn’t right back in July.
It’s time to drink heavily and watch the 1999, cheap ass Mets season video, Amazin Again. Can we at least see if Dennis Cook, Turk Wendell and Octavio Dotel are available?

From here on out, the Mets have to look at this like a four game season, forget this god-awful series and play out the last four, hope the starting staff can go deep, get the pen as much rest as possible and hope the offense throws up double digits. However, as great of a pitcher as Pedro is, I don’t seeing Petey go complete.

Let’s hope it all feels better in the Morning…

Good lord this is excruciating. Watching the division lead slip away is almost too much. Right now there is a battle raging in my head. Two sides, let me introduce you to the Rational side and the emotional Mets fan side:

Rational Side: I agree with Willie in juggling the rotation. I really don’t want to go through a post season without Pedro and El Duque.

Emotional Mets Fan side: LAWRENCE AND PELFREY FOR GOD SAKES, THERE ISN’T GOING TO BE A POST SEASON! WE NEED PEDRO AND DUQUE NOW!

Rational Side: They are a solid team, they can turn it on when they need it.

Emotional Mets Fan side: WE CAN’T BEAT THE GOD DAMN NATIONALS, HOW THE HELL CAN WE GET PAST A TEAM WITH A WINNING RECORD!

Rational Side: Willie’s a winner, he knows what he’s doing.

Emotional Mets Fan side: CAN WE GET BOBBY VALENTINE ON A PLANE, WHAT’S HE DOING RIGHT NOW?

Rational Side: Guillermo Mota Sucks!

Emotional Mets Fan side: Guillermo Mota Sucks!

Rational Side: WE NEED TO START WINNING SOME GAMES NOW!

Emotional Mets Fan side: WE NEED TO START WINNING SOME GAMES NOW!

Rational side: Are they going to do this to me again?

Emotional Side: MOTHER F@*!%*R, THEY’RE DOING IT TO ME AGAIN!

Rational Side: I hate baseball!

Emotional Side: I LOVE BASEBALL!

I think both sides have come to an agreement, we still believe, we have to. Face it, if they didn’t, they would have both been long gone by now.

Let’s Go Mets!