The 7 Line & On The Black Go To Bat For "The Kid"

Join my friends at The 7 Line and On The Black in showing their love & support for Gary Carter as he battles brain cancer.  According to Darren at The 7 Line, 100% of the profits (roughly $20 a shirt) go to the Gary Carter Foundation.  

Support one of the most exciting players in Mets history and get a cool shirt as well by purchasing one here. 

Being Slightly Above .500 Is A Pretty Mediocre Achievement...But Add A Little Steve Winwood And Presto!

So the Mets are finally above the .500 mark.  We realize that this is fairly lame accomplishment so we recruited musician Steve Winwood to help us spruce up the highlights and make the Mets minor accomplishment seem like something more than it really is.  Enjoy!

Jason Bay Rips Carlos Beltran For Selfishly Stealing His Grand Slam Thunder

Jason Bay was riding high last night...for one inning.  Bay had just ended the Mets two year long grand slam-less streak and was the hero of the moment.  Then a selfish teammate stepped up and effortlessly belted another slam.  Bay's moment in the sun was over. The spotlight ripped away from him by the game's most selfish player, Carlos Beltran.

Lil' Murph's Diary: Lil' Murph Deep In The Heart Of Texas

Dear Diary,

Well it's off to Detroit for me and my Mets friends.  While it's fun playing in that small ballpark in Texas I tell you I almost melted in the heat.  Ouch.

Kevin Burkhardt Tells The Apple He Would Accept Trade To Yes Network

Apparently K-Rod isn't the only member of the Mets with his sights set on the Bronx.  Just hours after the Mets had taken two of three from the defending AL champs, SNY star Kevin Burkhardt told The Apple that he would be fine with a trade to the rival YES Network even if it meant a diminished role.

Mets Back At .500 With An Off Day Tomorrow: Let The Celebration Continue!

Welcome To Fridays, My Name Is Mr Met And I'll Be Your Bartender This Evening

Went to Fridays last night for dinner and possibly an extreme fajita.  Usually that doesn't require a blog post but I spotted this awesome hand drawn shirt on one of the wait staff and had to share.  I'm so glad they got rid of the pieces of flair.

David Wright Cleared For Baseball Activities...As Long As They Are On Playstation

The Mets say doctors have cleared David Wright to resume baseball activities with a catch.  The catch is that all of those baseball activities can only take place on the Sony Playstation.  No matter how realistic those games have gotten, it would seem that Mets fans had better get used to Murphy & Turner at third base for a while.

Non-Fiction Post Of The Week: Larry Smith On Jose Reyes

Larry Smith usually contributes fictional pieces to The Apple but when he sent me a well thought out piece on Jose Reyes I figured I'd share.  Enjoy!

The biggest story in the NY area baseball-wise is the one surrounding Jose Reyes' future.  The latest development came on Tuesday when Jose and his agent told the Mets that they will not negotiate with the Mets on a long term deal until after the season is over.  I, by the way, don't blame them for that stance.  Certainly if they want to learn of the shortstop's true market value then they need many teams bidding on him, not just one.

Do The Mets Even Realistically Have A Chance Against...

Willie Harris Abducted By Aliens...Then Returned Because Of Poor Play

The Mets front office spent a large portion of the off day Monday contemplating how they were going to replace Willie Harris.  As it turned out they didn't have to.  Reports surfaced on Monday that late Sunday night, the Mets "outfielder" was abducted by aliens but late Monday night Harris phoned Mets GM Sandy Alderson to let him know he would be available Tuesday.

Join The Apple & The 7 Line Tonight For "Don't Trade Reyes Part 2"

Join me tonight at the Shea Bridge in support of Darren Meenan and The 7 Line's "Don't Trade Reyes" movement.  In case you are unaware of what this is, Darren explains it a lot better than I could:

Mets .500 Merchandise Flying Off The Shelves

Last night the Mets achieved something.  They caught the unicorn.  They got the carrot.  They reached the .500 mark.  Now you know a Mets marketing department desperate for any small victory to celebrate was not going to take this lightly.

Terry Collins Says Bay Will Get Some Starts During The Next Home Stand... As A Vendor

Jason Bay, mired in what could be called a multi-year slump, thought the writing was on the wall when he was called into manager Terry Collins' office today.

He had already been dropped from the cleanup spot in the batting order to 6th.  Bay figured he was going to be dropped to 7th or 8th or possibly sent to the bench.  This, after all, is what happens to non-performers at the major league level.

Lil' Murph's Diary: Lil' Murph Visits The Steel City

Dear Diary,

I am writing to you from on the plane that is taking us from Pittsburgh to Atlanta.  To tell the truth we seemed to be in Pittsburgh so long that I was ready to start apartment hunting.

It was a good and bad trip for me and for the team.  We split the four games and probably shoulda won more.  I got hits in all the games and have my average over .305 so I must be doing something right.

Mets Bullpen Planning To Take A Half Day On Wednesday

Dillon Gee has been pitching lights out for the Mets.  Not only is the team winning when he pitches but the bullpen usually is only needed at the very end of the game to tidy up and pick up a save.

We've learned that the members of the bullpen have informed manager Terry Collins that when Gee next starts, Wednesday night in Atlanta, they plan to show up a bit late to the ballpark.

.500 Just Out Of Reach...

...in other news, Lucy pulled the football away from Charlie Brown again.

Magical .500 Unicorn Evades Mets Again

Apparently Topps Baseball Card Company Is Unaware That Citi Field Has Been Open For Over Two Years

I picked up one of those team sets of Topps baseball cards the other day and was glad to see that Citi Field got a card this year...that is until I looked at it.  Nice picture Topps. You know they did finish the place right?

Superstitious Mets Finding Success By Avoiding All Things Willie Harris

Sometimes you go looking for stories and sometimes they just find you.  The other day I was standing around in the Mets' locker room shooting the breeze with Angel Pagan.  Angel was explaining to me the small changes he's made in his approach that has him hitting so well now after such a rough start to his season.

As he was talking I noticed a few Mets coming out of the training room and taking a circuitous path back to their respective lockers.  It looked like they were consciously veering around a particular locker almost as if there was one of those invisible dog fences around it.

Mets T-Shirt Maker At Center Of Sweatshop Investigation

Mets fan Darren Meenan has been in the news a lot this week.  The self made T-shirt magnate has made the media rounds this week discussing his T-shirt business, a campaign to keep Jose Reyes in NY and his recent dismissal from Citi Field.  While most of the attention has been positive, the Douglaston native may soon find himself in some very hot water with the Feds.

Welcome Aboard Justin Turner & Dillon Gee

Even though David Wright and Ike are on the shelf for a while, the Mets train must continue to roll.  So welcome Justin Turner and Dillon Gee to the train.  No some of you out there believe the train is cursed because the minute Ike got on board he got stepped on by a clumsy third baseman and ended up on the DL.

So here's the deal. If either Gee or Turner get hurt this week.  I'll replace all the guys on the train with 5 pictures of Willie Harris.

Terry Collins Throws Tirade At Local McDonalds... Service Improves Slightly

Much has been made in the media of Terry Collins recent post-game tirade possibly motivating his team to play a little better, or at least a little more focused.  However, it would seem that the Mets skipper's motivational powers may extend beyond the playing field as reports are surfacing that Collins may have inadvertently helped turn around a struggling McDonalds location.

Breaking News: Free Darren Meenan!

According to our sources, longtime friend of the Apple Darren Meenan was dragged from Citi Field in shackles for having the audacity to put his URL on his sign.  Here at The Apple we have been on the phones trying to negotiate a safe return of Meenan to the blogging community but we are being met with a lot of resistance from the Mets.  Please help us by writing your local congressman and asking them to please help us get Darren home.  If that sounds like too much work you can also help by buying one of these.

Mets Rename Home Run Apple To Compensate For Lack Of Power

Since May of 1980, the Mets Homerun Apple has popped up when a Met hits a homerun. From Lee Mazzilli to Gary Carter’s Opening Day HR in 1985, to Darryl Strawberry’s HR in Game 7 of the ’86 series to Mike Piazza’s city shaking HR on Sep 21, 2001, the Apple has come out of the Magic hat.

The Mets moved to Citi Field in 2009, complete with a new Apple minus the hat. It still popped out when a Met hit a Homerun.

New Report Reveals Mets Minority Owner's History Of Bad Purchases

When word got out that David Einhorn had agreed to invest in a minority stake in the Mets, many people in the media criticized Einhorn and called him a sucker for investing in Wilpon's mess.  Einhorn's camp quickly countered with stories of savvy hedge fund management and World Series of Poker successes.  There was even talk of a three year plan to own the team outright.  While we at The Apple are skeptical that will ever happen we do have to admit his plan sounds better than Wilpon's current 3-year plan which consists mostly of not dying.

Lil' Murph's Diary: Lil' Murph Gets Some Playing Time

Dear Diary,

Sorry it has been so long since I last wrote to you but I’ve been busy, playing a lot.  Much to catch you up on so let’s have at it.