Right-hander Don Cardwell, who pitched for the Phillies, Cubs, Pirates, Mets, and Braves from 1957 to 1970, died Monday at age 72. Cardwell owned a 102-138 career record and is perhaps best known for his role on the 1969 “Miracle” Mets. Another member of that team, Hall of Famer Tom Seaver, had kind words for Cardwell:
He was a tremendous mentor to the young guys on our staff. When he said something, you listened. He was the ultimate professional on and off the field. Just a tremendous, tremendous guy — and a big part of everything we accomplished that year.
Cardwell also …read more

The New York Mets have traded outfielder Lastings Milledge to the Washington Nationals for outfielder Ryan Church and catcher Brian Schneider. Bizarre to see Milledge dealt just days after Delmon Young was traded, but rumors had been swirling for a long time.
Milledge has batted .257/.326/.414 in a shade under 400 plate appearances spread across two seasons. That’s not great for a guy who slots more as a corner outfielder, but when you consider that he turns 23 in April, it’s just fine.
There have been questions about Milledge’s character ever since he was drafted, but there’s no denying his talent. I …read more

About two weeks ago, it was reported that the New York Mets had signed catcher Yorvit Torrealba to a 3-year, $14.4 million deal. Those reports turned out to be premature, and now Torrealba has re-upped with the Colorado Rockies. The price tag? A more “reasonable” $7.25 million for two years with a mutual option for 2010.
That’s still more than I’d be comfortable paying a catch-and-throw guy, but it’s not the worst signing I’ve seen this winter.

It’s nice to see that teams aren’t repeating past mistakes in this year’s free agent market. The New York Mets have signed Yorvit Torrealba to a 3-year deal worth $14.4 million.
Torrealba, whose first name loosely translates as “overpaid,” hit .255/.323/.376 for the Colorado Rockies in 2007. Away from Coors Field, those numbers were .212/.292/.326, which is pretty much vintage Gary Bennett.
Way to go, Mets. Good luck with your new catcher.
[Update, Nov 17: So, apparently now this didn’t happen. The deal was reported as done, but no dice. Torrealba is still on the market, giving some other team the opportunity to …read more

Sucks to be the New York Mets right about now. After Thursday’s 3-0 loss to St. Louis, they’ve slipped into a tie for first in the NL East. Yes, the Phillies are playing well (14-6 over their last 20, 20-10 over their last 30), but this shouldn’t even be close.
The Mets, in case you have forgotten, led by 7 games on September 12. That’s 16 days ago to you and me.
In the troublesome trend department, the Mets have beaten up (28-12) on the NL Central this year, but been decidedly mediocre (51-53) against everyone else. The Phillies also have taken …read more

Wednesday. The middle of the week. Humpday. Halfway between there and here. Eh, you get the point. Some good games on tap today…
American League

Indians at Tigers, 4:05 p.m. PT — Just a half-game separates these AL Central rivals. Paul Byrd vs Justin Verlander looks like a mismatch, and I suppose it is. Byrd, though, is a crafty veteran with freakish control (18 walks in 143 IP). Verlander’s ERA is 4.89 in seven starts since the All-Star break. Detroit’s offense is crazy good — Magglio Ordonez is a legit MVP candidate, Gary Sheffield is having a monster year (including 20 SB …read more

Meanwhile, back in New York, you’ve got to feel for lefty reliever Scott Schoeneweis. It’s not his fault the Mets gave him a stupid contract this past winter. Who among us would have responded with “Gee, I appreciate your generous offer, but the truth is, I’m really not that good”?
If your hand is raised, you lie.
Schoeneweis had a decent season in 2003 while splitting time between the Anaheim Angels and Chicago White Sox, and again in 2005 with the Toronto Blue Jays, but otherwise has had a fairly forgettable career. The Mets are his fifth team in five years. I …read more

Seems there’s a little storm brewing about a chat between New York Mets GM Omar Minaya and Florida Marlins third baseman Miguel Cabrera. On the one hand, I get the whole “appearance of impropriety” thing. On the other hand, get real. These guys are in the same line of work, and it seems natural that people will talk every once in a while. This “story” strikes me as a lot of noise, but who knows.
The other interesting item here, and it’s really just a footnote, is how much pitching talent the Mets have given away over the past several months. …read more

It’s here. Finally. The New York Mets start the ‘07 baseball season at St. Louis to take on the defending World Series champion Cardinals. Tom Glavine goes against Chris Carpenter. We’ll be here all night, covering the game as it happens.
Baseball is back. Everything feels right again.

New York Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson offers some insights into his philosophy at the New York Times. Fascinating stuff:
Peterson says pitchers usually agree that the four biggest elements leading to success are movement, location, velocity and change of speed. The trick is in which order to rate them.
Peterson’s goal is to get his pitchers to appreciate that location comes first. Then comes change of speed and movement, with velocity bringing up the rear. That ranking comes as a surprise to some pitchers, Peterson said, because they have had years of receiving their most positive feedback for throwing hard.