ENTER TO WIN A MLB JOHAN SANTANA NO HITTER DVD

The Baseball Analyst is holding a contest for a chance at winning one of five available MLB Johan Santana No Hitter DVD's. Entries must be received no later than July 30, 2012 11pm EST. The five winning entries will be judged by myself and my co-writers, Anthony C Wayne and Steve Chilcott. Winners will be announced by Thursday August 2nd, 2012 by 11pm est. The format is simple. Tell me your greatest Mets memory. The five winning entries will be published one per day starting on Tuesday July 24, 2012 on TheBaseballAnalyst.Com website. Entries must be emailed to riccardino@aol.com . Also, I ask that if you haven't liked my facebook page, now is as good a time as any! Haha....Lets Go Mets!!!!

On June 1, 2012 at Flushing’s Citi Field, ace Johan Santana threw the first no-hitter in franchise history when he blanked the St. Louis Cardinals and shocked Mets fans on a magical, unforgettable night. Featuring close calls, gutty pitches and terrific defense, this Friday night thriller takes a prominent place as one of the greatest moments in Mets history.  And, on July 10, Major League Baseball Productions and A+E Networks Home Entertainment will anoint it as such when they release BASEBALL’S GREATEST GAMES: NEW YORK METS FIRST NO-HITTER.  A must-have for Mets fans everywhere, it will be available at Mets.com, and will be in stores, including the Mets Team Store, beginning July 10 for $12.95 Msrp.

Coming off a season lost to shoulder injury, Santana would throw the most breathless of games in the 8,020th regular season game in the history of the Mets. Ironically, the franchise known for its all-time roster of pitching greats had never recorded a no-hitter.  One-hitters filled the Club’s history books, and the 35 oh-so-close gems spun by familiar legends were wrapped up in one historic start from Santana. Back in 1962 at the Polo Grounds, Al Jackson tossed the Mets first one-hitter. In 1970 over a span of 28 days, Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan and Gary Gentry each held the opposition to one hit.  The list of one-hit wonders would go on: Dwight Gooden and David Cone, Terry Leach’s 10-inning one-hitter and Steve Trachsel’s two one-hitters in the same year. Fifty years of tantalizingly close performances – making Santana’s achievement all the more gratifying.

Re-live all the excitement of Santana’s 8-strikeout tour de force with this classic game on DVD. Direct from the Major League Baseball archives, this extraordinary television broadcast includes the historic and masterful pitching performance of Santana, an unforgettable baseball game 50 years in the making. A special audio feature allows fans to watch the television broadcast and listen to the Mets Radio Network announcers in English or Spanish!

Niese, Mets Edge Bucs 3-1, take Series to go Four Games Over .500

The New York Mets continue to surprise most preseason pundits by winning another road series and climbing back to four games over the .500 mark. Every time this team seems headed towards an extended losing skid, one of the starting pitchers comes up big and tosses a gem. With Johan bouncing back, R.A. pitching like a front of the rotation starter, and Jon Niese, in the role of the up and coming lefty, The Mets have been able to keep the skids at bay. The theme this year has been quality starts, and Jon Niese tossed his sixth quality start in his ninth game, winning for the first time since April 14th. The win follows R.A. Dickey's strong start and continues to keep the club within wild card striking distance. The team now boasts the NL batting average leader in Wright (.399) and win leader in Dickey (6). While the team ranks near the bottom in almost every slugging category, (except doubles where they lead the league with 83), they have been able to scratch out enough runs to win games in which their starters pitch well. This is mostly due to their ability to draw walks and hit with men in scoring position. They have been especially effective with RISP and two outs. The question will be how long they can continue to win without the long ball. I think they sorely need Jason Bay's right handed power bat. While nowhere near the slugger he was before signing with the team, Jason's three HR's in 50 ab's would be a pace the team would love for him to continue. Who the odd man out is when he returns remains to be seen. Some have been calling for Ike Davis' return to the minor leagues. I for one think that Ike has been putting much better swings on the ball, and feel it is just a matter of time before he breaks out. However, you simply can't keep a guy with a .150 batting average in your starting lineup. Terry Collins and Sandy Alderson need to have some serious discussions over the roster. When Thole, Tejada, and Bay are all ready to return, The Mets will have some interesting roster moves to make. Both Mike Baxter and Ronnie Cedeno have been excelling in their roles, and you have to wonder whose position on the team may be in jeopardy. In the meantime, Let's Go Mets!

The Good..The Bad...The Ugly.....

Well The Mets have won six games and lost only three. I think that most Mets fans have embraced this good start and are slowly getting behind this team.
The Good...
The starting pitching has been fantastic. The staff is 4-2, with not one stinker yet. Johan Santana could easily be 2-0, but his presence provides the emotional boost that only a staff ace could. R.A. Dickey is another leader, and continues to develop into a Phil Niekro type knuckle baller. Jon Niese is doing everything he can to justify his new contract and is now 2-0. He is a lefty with considerable talent and it seems like he is maturing right before our eyes. We have to take a wait and see approach to the back end of the rotation, and keep our fingers crossed that Dillon Gee can continue to develop after an outstanding rookie campaign. He won 13 in 26 starts last year, so why would you expect less than a 15 win season? Just saying! Think this dude knows how to pitch. Mike Pelfrey seems to be getting his stuff together again. He's making people swing and miss which is usually not his m.o. Bullpen has been a plus overall. Francisco has been outstanding and Rauch a great setup man.
The Bad..
The middle of the lineup needs to start producing more consistently. Ike Davis, Jason Bay, and Lucas Duda need to provide extra base hits with some consistency. Team Speed wen on the DL with Torres.
The Ugly....
The Defense at second base, right field, and behind the plate need to make the easy plays. The relief pitching needs to lower their collective WHIP. Walking hitters is a recipe for disaster. Many Acosta, Ramon Ramirez, and Miguel Batista have given up 13 walks in 10 2/3 innings. Not good.

Overall I think The Mets are still on track to come close to my pre season predictions.