Author Archive

2010 Offseason: Improving the Giants

Posted: 13th February 2010 by Dave Meisel in NFL
The 2009 New York Giants were rife with issues on both sides of the ball, with multiple positions (particularly in the defense) requiring major overhaul.  Additionally, the Giants' offensive line is not getting any younger, and Brandon Jacobs' legs continue to pile on the miles.  All in all, the Giants have a wide variety of issues they must address this offseason. Amplifying these issues is the NFL's ongoing labor struggle, which, ...

A Letter To New York Giants Fans, From One of Them

Posted: 29th December 2009 by Dave Meisel in NFL
á Dear fellow New York Giants fans, Chill. The heck. Out. The New York Giants have for sure been a disappointment over the last two seasons since they ran the table in the playoffs and won the Super Bowl in 2007. In the process, they knocked off the top two seeds in the NFC and the 18-0, ôteam-of-destinyö New England Patriots. In 2008, the Giants started off 11-1, were on top ...

New York Mets: Moving David Wright To First Base

Posted: 2nd December 2009 by Dave Meisel in MLB
I heard this idea come up again a few days ago. I've kicked it around, and I'm going to make a case for it. I'm not sure that I believe in it 100 percetn, but, again, I'm just seeing where going in this direction takes us. This sort of plan gears more towards "building for the future." David Wright, while he has been a Gold Glove third baseman twice, is not ...

A Case Study on Sabermetrics and the New York Mets

Posted: 21st November 2009 by Dave Meisel in MLB
As a fan, IÆm a believer. For this reason, I have been stressing that Mets fans should not overreact to what has happened since the playoff run in 2006. The Mets collapsed in September two years in a row, then in mid-June the next, but the fact of the matter is, they still retain one of the strongest and most talented cores in baseball with David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, ...

Fixing The Giants: How to Get Things Going for the Second Half

Posted: 1st November 2009 by Dave Meisel in NFL
No, they're not kidding. The Giants have played very poorly for three straight weeks after three cupcake games, one big win, and an easy game on opening day. The Giants have not played their best against a good team in some timeùprobably not since the middle of 2008. Despite the win against the Cowboys, the defense was suspect. I'm going to look at the team's individual problems, then assess the overall outlook for ...
The raging debate that will go on from now until Wednesday (actually, through the end of the series) is really tearing me apart.á What's a Met fan to do? You've got our current arch nemesis, the Phillies, against the "jerk of a big brother" in the Yankees. This situation exemplifies that saying, "Between a rock and a hard place." There's no good way out from where the Met fan is other than just ...

Is Chewing Tobacco a Problem in Major League Baseball?

Posted: 20th October 2009 by Dave Meisel in MLB
We all know the stories. Back in the day, the chaw was the rage. We've all seen that scene in "The Sandlot" when all the kids try chewing tobacco because all their favorite baseball players do it. This has become a common motif in anti-tobacco campaigns: trying to stop visible figures from doing it because young, impressionable fans who idolize players might just try it and get addicted. It seems the issue of chewing ...

2009 MLB Awards: Who Should Win

Posted: 13th October 2009 by Dave Meisel in MLB
á This is partially your typical awards piece, and partially an attempt to "set straight" the process by which the MVP and Cy Young awards are selected. Lately, it seems that both the MVP and Cy Young awards have started to go to the pitchers who don't deserve it most. I'll tell you right here, first, who deserves them the most for 2009. á NL MVP The uncontested NL MVP is Albert Pujols. Pujols, frankly, ...

Assessing 2009: The Plan Going Forward

Posted: 8th October 2009 by Dave Meisel in MLB
This article is the conclusion of my series, Assessing 2009. To view recaps of sections of the season, click here. Thanks mostly in part to Metsblog.com and its crack staff off bloggers (including the legendary Matt Cerrone), I have digested an enormous amount of rumor information pertaining to the Mets, the offseason, and free agent and trade possibilities going into the offseason. Combined with what IÆve seen in 2009, and in ...

Assessing 2009: All-Star Break Through August

Posted: 7th October 2009 by Dave Meisel in MLB
This is a continuation of my series, Assessing 2009. Click for previous articles on: Francisco Rodriguez, the Offseason and Spring Training, April through May, and June through the All-Star Break. The Mets started a pattern following the break, that they didnÆt stray much from oftenùlosing games early in series and salvaging games either pitched by their best pitcher or mailed in by their opponents. They dropped three out of four to the ...