This Mota Kid Has Great Stuff!

"He has some of the best stuff in our bullpen." --Willie Randolph

Hear that, people? "Some of the best stuff"! I'm telling you, this kid is going places. As Willie also said last night, Mota "actually threw the ball pretty well." Hear that? He threw "pretty well"!

So forget the 5.79 ERA.

Forget the 33 earned runs or the 8 home runs.

Forget the blown lead last night and the countless blown leads before that.

Forget the steroids.

Forget the 0-2 meatball to Scott Spiezio in Game 2.

And, last but not least, forget about leaning on the likes of John Maine in the bullpen in October. Once again, Willie put it best: "Any [starter] who goes down there will be kind of a last resort. We've got our guys down there who we'll be counting on."

Guillermo, your time has come. You've paid your dues, and you've really earned it. Now if only Omar would get that misunderstood genius batsman Julio Franco back on the team, we'd really have something here. Why, oh why, do the Mets not give players like Julio Franco a chance to suceed before tossing them aside? It's a travesty.

(1) All in all, that was a perfect win last night. It was against the Braves, against Smoltz, Reyes is heating up, Maine pitched great, Wags pitched great, Phillies lost, they overcame adversity, and Mota shit the bed in a winning effort, meaning that I can bitch about him and have fun doing it.

(2) Speaking of Reyes, what'd I tell you? It was a slump. It's over. No worries whatsoever.

(3) Say what you want about Shawn Green, but he's been scorching the ball for about 2 weeks now. I'm ok with a lefty/righty platoon out there, but I would like to somehow make sure that Endy stays in the mix. That's kind of challenging.

(4) Great column by John Harper today on why Maine should be the man for the bullpen in October. I agree with the sentiment, but to take Mota's job, Maine better be pretty damn good. Mota's money.

(5) What a hideous play by Carlos Beltran letting Jose try an impossible over-the-shoulder catch of the flare by Teixiera in shallow center. That infuriated me. That's YOUR ball, Carlos!! Take charge out there, for crying out loud.

(6) Screw Bill Belichick, screw the Pats, and screw all these apologists who are coming out of the woodwork saying "everyone does it." If you're caught doing 110 mph in a school zone, you think the judge will give a shit if 2 other cars were speeding, too? You did the crime, do the time. Don't like it? Don't cheat (or don't get caught). And before you ask, yes, it's a disgrace that Gaylord Perry is in the Hall of Fame.

I shall close with a great quote attributed to my main man Isiah Thomas by Anucha Sanders in the $10 million sexual harassment suit the other day. When Sanders asked him to approve a renewal request to Knicks season ticket holders, Isiah declared:

"Bitch, I don't give a fuck about these white people."

Man, that would make a perfect epitaph for Isiah's headstone.

Here Lies Isiah Thomas
1961-2039
Beloved Player, Coach, General Manager
"Bitch, I don't give a fuck about these white people."

Sometimes these jokes just write themselves.