Misery Loves Company: Two Guys Watch Baseball

Like Rats From a Sinking Ship . . .

Farewell and adieu to you fair Spanish ladies
Farewell and adieu, you ladies of Spain.
For we received orders for to sail back to Queens town
And soon never more will we see you again.

Not to insult these fine major league ballplayers further by calling them fair Spanish ladies (well, it does seem right for Alomar, doesn't it?), but the "dead in the water" implication Quint gave the tune in Jaws is rightly applied to the Mets. Yesterday new GM Jim Duquette sent Jeromy Burnitz to the Dodgers for a trio of A and AA ballplayers. With Burnitz becoming a free agent after the season, it certainly makes sense, but it's too bad. He was one of the good guys this miserable season, in both spirit and performance. Plus, he swings as hard as he can just about every time, which mirrors my own softball and golf swings. In truth, the fact that he has toned down the monstrous cuts and begun hitting the ball to the opposite field is a large part of why his average has jumped from .215 to .274 and his HRs from 19 all last year to 18 so far this year. What it means is that it made him tradeable, and so he goes. But while I scan the boxes hoping Robby Alomar continues his plummet and didn't just stink for New York, I am hoping Jeromy Burnitz comes through with a good second half and another good contract in the winter. Good dude.

Meanwhile, the Yankees and Red Sox appear to be the latest rumored front-runners in the Armando Benitez booby prize sweepstakes. If he goes to either of those places, there's a chance he'll shine and show us Mets fans up, but I believe there's an even better chance that under an increased spotlight, it will mean bad things, man. Bad things.