Hey Gang. Long time no blog. Those of you who know me well know that work obligations make it very difficult for me to devote any real time to the blogosphere these days. That being said, while I don’t post very often anymore, I’m still a very active reader and fan of almost every Mets related blog out there. I also continue to be impressed and awed by the evolution of the availability of Mets related info for fans.

Almost every single morsel of news is immediately launched into cyberspace for our consumption, and sometimes I wonder how much information we’d actually take if given even more access.

Which got me to thinking… The way things are going are posts like this inevitable?

…..posted by Mitch Tannenbaum…
…Pedro Martinez has hailed a cab curbside at La Guardia Airport and is on his way to the New York Hospital for Special Surgery for an MRI….

..…Update…12 pm….
…Pedro has asked the cab driver to turn down the radio…

…Update…12:04 pm…
…Pedro is politely nodding his head as the cab driver talks about his family in Pakistan…

…Update…12:07 pm…
…Kevin Burkardt has talked with someone familiar with Pedro’s cab ride, and reports that Pedro is becoming increasingly frustrated by the traffic…

…Update…12:09 pm…
…Pedro has noticed a Saturn Skye in the next lane of traffic. He was previously unaware that Saturn manufactured such sporty vehicles…

…Update…12:15 pm…
…the buzz at the Hospital for Special Surgery is that at least six patients are scheduled for MRI’s before Pedro’s appointment. One patient is expressing anxiety over entering the machine and delays are expected….

…Update…12:27 pm…
…the MRI apparatus itself is said to be a GE model 5348 XE. It’s sort of off-white in color…

…Update…12:34 pm…
…Pedro’s cab is now on the Triboro bridge. Tolls will be added to the final fare…

…Update…12:40 pm…
…Pedro is hungry…

…Update…1:10 pm…
…I’ve been getting a lot of nervous e-mails as there’s been no new information in approximately 30 minutes. Let’s not speculate folks. I’m sure everything is fine. I least I hope that’s the case….

…Update…1:30 pm…
…Pedro has entered the Hospital for Special Surgery. He is wearing jeans and some sort of casual “Miami-Style” shirt with a checkered pattern. He does not appear to be limping, but rounded the corner in the lobby very quickly and disappeared from view…

…Update…1:35 pm…
…Pedro has pressed the “up” button in the elevator bay…

…Update…1:40 pm…
…Pedro is in the elevator. He has pressed the button for floor #7. Buttons pressed by other passengers include floors, 2, 3, 5 and 6. There is one gentleman in the elevator with a strange menthol odor…

…Update…1:45 pm…
…Pedro is in the waiting room pending his appointment… He is reading Glamour Magazine…

…Update…1:46 pm…
…Pedro is reading Glamour because the only other choice was Redbook…

…Update…1:47 pm…
…One of those subscription cards just fell out of the magazine…

…Update…1:59 pm…
…Pedro has been called into the “pre-MRI” room and has been asked to put on a medical gown…

…Update…2:07 pm…
…Pedro has the gown on backwards. His junk is hanging out, and, sadly, he doesn’t seem to notice…

…Update…2:08 pm…
…Pedro has fixed the gown. A somewhat effete orderly is displaying a vague sense of disappointment…

…Update…2:30 pm…
…We can confirm that Pedro is being inserted into the MRI apparatus. As far as we can tell he has removed all his jewelry and no complications are expected…

…Update…2:45 pm…
…Results of our poll are now in: 70% feel claustrophobic in MRI machines, 25% feel calm, and 5% objected to this poll not conveying any new information specifically about Pedro…

…Update…3:00 pm…
…Pedro is being removed from the machine. There are unconfirmed reports of small talk between Pedro and medical personnel…

…Update…3:04 pm…
…Make sure to tune into SNY tonight where I will be reporting on the status of Pedro’s MRI results…

.…Update…3:10 pm…
…Why do they call it a “hamstring” anyway? No “ham”, no “strings”…

.…Update…3:22 pm…
…Doctors are currently reviewing Pedro’s test results. Very little can be gauged by their expressions as they view the data…

.…Update…3:45 pm…
…We’ve had unconfirmed reports of a total hamstring tear, a severe hamstring sprain and/or a mild strain. We’ve also had unconfirmed reports that Pedro’s injuries are attributable to a rare infectious muscle disorder contracted from Orlando Hernandez. In addition to his various muscular/skeletal injuries, Mets sources are quietly referring to Hernandez as a “walking Petrie dish.”

.…Update…3:55 pm…
…Calls to Rick Peterson requesting a strange and abstract analogy relating Pedro’s hamstring have gone unanswered…

…Update…4:01 pm…
…According to SNY’s Kevin Burkhardt, the Mets have placed Pedro Martinez on the 15–day disabled list with a mild strain to his left hamstring, while activating Nelson Figueroa from Triple-A New Orleans.

In my post regarding the Milledge deal, I jocularly opined that my mother would find a silver lining to the trade if it could be established that Brian Schneider was Jewish. This morning a comment came in from Metsdude letting me know that: a) Schneider was not in fact Jewish; and b) Ryan Church has some very definitive thoughts on the topic of Judaism in general. I thought Metsdude was perhaps pulling my leg, but this is not the case.

In September 2005, the Nationals issued an apology from Ryan Church after he was quoted in a front page Washington Post article as suggesting that Jews are headed for eternal damnation.

Damn, there goes my chance of ever meeting Elvis.

It should also be noted that Ryan Church is certainly not an anti-semite. In fact, the whole question of the the post-earthly status of jews was raised in the context of Church once having a Jewish girlfriend. Specifically, he had sought out a pastor for advice about this particular girlfriend, and emerged from his meeting with a rather evangelical bent, stating:

“I said, like, Jewish people, they don’t believe in Jesus. Does that mean they’re doomed? Jon nodded, like, that’s what it meant. My ex-girlfriend! I was like, man, if they only knew. Other religions don’t know any better. It’s up to us to spread the word.”

Well, on behalf of all Jews (or at least those who are willing to let me speak for them), I’m willing to give “Church as pass” (which, ironically, I’ve been doing for the last 35 years being a Jew and all). But, that being said, did Lastings Milledge ever utter words even remotely this ignorant?

I was resting comfortably in blogging retirement, and then this happens.

Is it too much to ask that our team’s general manager consult with the back of a couple of Topps baseball cards before consummating trades?

I’ve been searching for a silver lining and all I can come up with is, “Well, at least David Wright will have a couple of guys to hang out with.”

That and the fact that my mother will approve if it can be established that Brian Schneider is, in fact, Jewish.

In difficult times such as these sometimes it’s healthy to try to find a silver lining. I’ve got 23 of them for you:

1. We won’t have to watch any games on either Fox or TBS.
2. It’s only 2007 and we already have our pesky “once in a hundred years” collapse out of the way.
3. Ricky Ledee retired.
4. Pedro Martinez’s surgery proved successful.
5. Carlos Gomez, Lastings Milledge, Fernando Martinez and Mike Pelfrey were still Mets after July 31st.
6. We didn’t sign Barry Zito.
7. John Maine and Oliver Perez won 15 games each.
8-Jose Reyes set the Mets single season steals record, officially wiping any record of Roger Cedeno being a Met off the books.
9-It only took 161 games, but we finally got to see a brawl (sort of).
10-Gary, Ron and Keith were a lot of fun.
11-No one needed Tommy John surgery.
12-David Wright had a near MVP season.
13-Carlos Beltran quietly put together another good year.
14-Citifield made a lot of progress.
15-Cliff Floyd made the playoffs.
16-Scott Kazmir won’t win the AL Cy Young award.
17-We were the entire left side of NL infield in the All-Star game.
18-David Wright did not hit in the home run contest.
19-Rick Peterson took off his jacket a couple of times
20-2007 was “disastrous Japanese import” free.
21-We won’t have to use David Newhan in a critical post-season spot.
22-We’ve got some serious motivation for 2008.
23-Regardless of outcome, it’s still magic to be a Mets fan.

If you enjoy Sidd Speak, head on over to The Metwork for some more good times.

Down 2-0 to the Marlins yesterday I literally found myself praying to Jobu.

Ironically, I’ve always thought Carlos Delgado looked a little bit like Pedro Cerrano (Dennis Haysbert).

I’m legitimately concerned that Moises Alou could injure himself in a post-game celebration after clinching a playoff spot.

Every time I flip on a Phillies game Chase Utley is rounding third.

How weird is it that we’re all going to be die hard Braves fans for the next three days?

Considering the current state of our bullpen, the pitcher who doesn’t make the post-season starting rotation may end up being the most important guy on the team.

Paul Lo Duca’s reactions after being clipped by foul-tips are borderline hilarious.

I’d rather see Anderson Hernandez on the post-season roster than David Newhan.

Does anyone remember how clutch A-Hern was in the World Baseball Classic?

Lastings Milledge needs a glass of red wine and a nice warm bubblebath.

Jose Reyes pops out more than Britney Spears’ nipples.

If God willing the Mets win the World Series, I’m looking forward to hearing what all the “fire Willie” people have to say.

Kind of scary that the Mets could still end up with the best record in the NL by the end of the season.

I don’t know how painful appendicitis is but it can’t be as bad as “watching” a baseball game on ESPN Gamecast.

If you enjoy Sidd Speak, head on over to The Metwork for some more good times.