The Mets are working on creating a divisional rivalry. The closest thing they have to that is the Braves, but that’s because I grew up in it. There isn’t any folklore passed down for decades between the Mets and the Braves though. The Mets are an expansion team which makes it tough to form a rivalry, and the Braves bounced around from Boston to Milwaukee to Atlanta and were never in the NL East until 1994. The Phillies have been around forever, but there hasn’t been this kind of hype between the two team since I can remember. I can’t even remember the last time the Phillies were good. They went to the World Series in ‘93 with all of those fat beer guzzling guys with mullets like Kruk, Daulton, and Dykstra.
For two years, Atlanta hasn’t won the division. The Mets won ‘06 and the Phillies won in ‘07 when the Mets gave up that huge lead. Last year, the smack talking began with Jimmy Rollins. This year it started with Carlos Beltran, and other players from both sides find a way to make themselves heard. The coaches are getting questioned by the media. It doesn’t seem like it will stop until they play some games on the field. If you read below then you will see that the fans are buying into it too.
Just one of those days - Marty Noble lets you know who was hitting the ball out of the park off of Santana in BP today.
Perez wins arbitration case - Marty Noble reported that Oliver Perez “had prevailed in a salary-arbitration case and been awarded a substantial raise — from the $2.325 million he earned last season to the $6.5 million he had sought in the process that both players and clubs regard as a crapshoot. The panel of Steven Wolf, Robert Bailey and Elizabeth Neumeier concluded that Perez’s value was at least one dollar greater than the midpoint between $6.5 million and the $4.725 million proposal the Mets submitted last month.”
Minor League Report: Jonathon Niese - Marty Noble found out what the Mets think of Jonathon Niese and other pitchers in the Minors.
Marlins’ series in Puerto Rico is off - Joe Frisaro noted that the three-game series between the Mets and the Marlins at the end of July will no longer be played in Puerto Rico as intended. The series will be played at Dolphin Stadium.
Newsday:
More fightin’ words between Mets, Phillies - Beltran has more to say, Wagner chimed in, and Wright handled it dipomatically as usual.
Chipper not interested in Mets-Phillies flap - Larry said “I really don’t care what’s being said, the Phillies and the Mets know we’ll be competitive. They know we’ll be heard from.” Jones must feel left out. Poor baby. I’m still waiting for Chipper to retire.
Notes: El Duque could retire after ‘08 - I guess El Duque doesn’t want to pitch until he’s 60.
E-mail from Port St. Lucie - David Lennon told us that Pedro’s new nickname is Picasso, and Pedro loves it.
New York Daily News:
Carlos Beltran takes second cut at Phils
Billy Wagner believes football tosses helps keep him in right form
Former Mets star Lenny Dykstra sued by firm for $138,000 - A baseball league should be created on an island somewhere in the Pacific, and all of the steroid users should be sent there to compete against themselves.
Maid nabbed in Ambiorix Burgos theft - An employee of the hotel stole the bag of jewelry…isn’t that an unusual suspect?
New York Post:
METS, PHILLIES GO MOUTH TO MOUTH - Pedro throws some jabs at the Phillies now.
AMAZIN’ IT TOOK THIS LONG TO FORM RIVALRY - Mike Vaccaro says it’s about time there is a rivalry between the Phillies and the Mets.
JOHAN TO FACE BATTERS
New York Times:
With Sinker in Tow, a Journey Begins - The Mets drafted Eddie Kunz out of Oregon State last year, and Ben Shpigel found out how Kunz is doing a year later.
The Star-Ledger:
No mas for Puerto Rico series
Mets-Phillies a Rivalry 90 Minutes Away - Matthew Artus included quotes from some Mets about the Phillies. Artus also found out that there is some shady stuff going on between Mets fans and Phillies fans right now. MetsBlog was tipped off that the Phillies somehow began selling tickets a day before they were supposed to. A group of Phillies fans have a Facebook account, and this is what they want to accomplish according to MetsBlog:
As noted in an earlier post to MetsBlog, according to their Facebook Group, more than 500 Phillies fans are planning a ‘Take Over’ of Shea Stadium during the Nationally-televised Phillies-Mets game on September 6, because they are ‘sick and tired of stupid Mets fans taking over Citizen’s Bank Park.’
MetsBlog began their own takeover of Citizens Bank Park, and Artus found this Phillies blog The700Level that got wind of what MetsBlog is trying to do.
Mets’ nice rookie is nasty on the mound - Jeremy Cothran said that about Eddie Kunz.
Willie: Phils not rivals yet
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