Defeat the Empire

Today is the last day before the free agent period begins. Rumors have recently stirred about the following coming to the Mets via FA or trade:

-SP AJ Burnett
-C Ivan Rodriguez
-2B Alfonso Soriano
-1B Aubrey Huff
-RP Danys Baez
-RP Billy Wagner
-RP Tom Gordon

...and so on.

Personally, I want no part of Burnett or Soriano. Burnett will get a massive contract, probably more than Carl Pavano got. But AJ isn't even close to being worth it. He's a career sub-.500 pitcher, is injury prone, has never pitched a postseason game, and the list goes on.

Here's to hoping the Yankees sign the kid. He'll keep Pavano and Jaret Wright company when they make their monthly trip to see Dr. James Andrews.

I'm hoping we add Rafael Furcal, Ramon Hernandez, Billy Wagner, Tom Gordon, and maybe even Manny Ramirez and Kevin Millwood. Mike Jacobs should be given a shot at first base, and Soriano trying to hit in Shea Stadium could be a nightmare.

Let the fun begin.

Wayne Chrebet is finished, as are the Jets.

Wayne will always be a NY Jet hero; he's he little engine that could, the local kid who rose up from Hofstra to be one of the best third-down receivers in the NFL. Time after time, concussion after concussion, he picked himself up and kept contributing.

But now, it's over.

It's fitting that Chrebet's last play as a Jet, and in the NFL was a third down sideline pattern that resulted in a first down. Despite being knocked unconscious in the course of the play, Chrebet hung on to the football and gave the Jets one last first down to remember.

Tight End Chris Baker was placed on IR today along with Chrebet. Baker has a broken leg; Doug Jolley will (finally) gt some reps at the TE spot.

With Vinny Testaverde hurt and ineffective, Herm Edwards anounced today that Brooks Bollinger will start Sunday @ Carolina.

Take care, Wayne. We love you.

2005 was nice. But 2006 has to be better.

To make this team better, we have to take gambles. Omar made a couple of gambles last offseason, spending $172 million on Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran. Well, half of it worked out, anyway.

This year's gamble has to be Billy Wagner.

Yes, he's 34; yes, he's an injury risk; yes, he has a history of blowing the big games; and yes, he'll command more money than a closer should ever dream about. But the Mets have to get this guy.

He'd give us the intimidating presence we've lacked at the back of the bullpen since Armando went off in September 2001. He'll shorten games to 8 innings. He'll end the blooper experiment.

The other target is Baltimore closer BJ Ryan. Ryan is younger, and more durable, but that's where his supremacy to Wagner ends. Wagner was better in every statistic in 2005; also, Ryan has yet to pitch in a meaningful baseball game, as a member of the lowly Orioles his whole career.

In the end, I think Omar will ink Wagner to a 3-year contract worth about $10 million per season.

Let's make the '05 offseason as magical as the last. Billy's a great start.