I’m glad that Matt Cerrone reminded folks that Jack Zduriencik started his career with the Mets.

A small fact about Zduriencik is that he was part of the group of advance scouts who followed the Astros prior to the 1986 playoffs. They provided some extremely important tid bits. One involved right fielder Kevin Bass. It seems that Bass, while having a strong throwing arm had become wildly inaccuarte and was missing the cut-off man.

After Darryl Strawberry’s Game 6 lead-off double in the 16th, Ray Knight followed with a base hit to right field. Third base coach Buddy Harrelson did not hesitate sending Strawberry home even with the ball being hit right to Bass. His throw was wild to the plate and it allowed Knight to easily get to second. The Mets added two additional runs and after a nail-biting bottom half of the inning, we won to go on to the World Series.

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With Joel Piniero and Doug Davis gone to the Angels and Brewers respectively, the Mets suddenly find themselves with few free agent options left to bolster their starting rotation. Coupled with the loss of catcher Bengie Molina back to the Giants, a once promising off-season has hit a wall.

What now?

Jon Garland, an excellent option for Citi Field, seems to want to pitch on the west coast. That leaves Ben Sheets and John Smoltz, both with significant health issues. It was clear that the Mets were offering competitive salaries to both, but weren’t willing to go the extra mile to get either. Unless they can somehow get Garland, they should gamble on Sheets. The Mets only appear to have interest in Smoltz as a reliever, but the future Hall of Famer may be looking to start. He left Boston last year because they wanted to use him in the bullpen after he failed as a starter.

Word this morning is that the Mets will be making a hard push for Ben Sheets. In the event they sign Sheets, it could tun out that that they backed into the best guy. Potentially lightning in a bottle, Sheets has the the ability to emerge as a co-number one with Johan Santana.

Its the kind of move that make the Mets a contender. A healthy Sheets could turn around the energy lost from Carlos Beltran’s absence.

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Finally.

Frank Cashen, Davey Johnson, Doc Gooden and Darryl Strawberry to the Mets Hall of Fame.

Matt Cerrone’s informative post indicated the Mets quietly named four people – Marty Noble, Howie Rose, Gay Cohen and Jay Horwitz – to it’s Hall of Fame committee. I can’t think of four better people.

The inclusion of Horwitz is telling and signals a change in the way the powers that be make decisions. For many years, the club sought to supress Horwitz’ influence. He was perceived to be too close to on-field personnel, and it took almost two decades before he was named a vice president. It always seemed that some were jealous of Horwitz’ ability to forge relationships with people throughout the game. Even while overwhelmed with paranoia, they could never bring themselves to fire him. He’s just too good. And it’s time they started taking advantage of this remarkable and gifted man.

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7:27: Watching MSNBC while Fox goes to Sheppard Smith. Chris Matthews seems to be calling in straight and like and old time political reporter. I wish he would do this more, but I can understand his passion. Jonathan Martin from POLITICO is on with him.

7:29: Matthews predicts that Scott Brown can go to the top of the GOP presidential field if he wins tonight.

7:23: MSNBC has a trailer with the tallies. 52-47 percent Brown thus far. Anthony Weiner complaining again abouit the fillubuster rule in the Senate. Wonder what he said about holding up Bush judicial nominees. Folks are starting to see Dem hypocrisy.

7:31: Robert Costa at NRO’s Bay State Report talks a little about the Doug Flutie endorsement for Brown. Flutie has been linked mostly to democrat candidates in the past.

7:35: Gateway Pundit catches Coakley campaign’s claim of fraud to be a memo prepared yesterday

No way. That’s desperate beyond all description.

7:45: MSNBC’s Norah O’Donnel says Dems are bracing for a 5 point or greater loss. Matthews says “Yeah, right” on the claim of voter fraud by Dems. Wow

8:05: Mass. Sec of State dismissing fraud charge. There went delaying the outcome.

8:11: Olberman with Howard Fineman are talking about Democrat party canibalism/finger pointing. Everything except their own message.

8:14: OMG. Olberman is comparing a potential GOP takeover to civil rights opposition in the 60′s. Thank goodness Fineman brushed that aside.

8:27: Tom Bevan of Real Clear Politics is live blogging. Must link.

8:39: Olberman’s worst people…geez, no wonder nobody watches him anymore. I’m done with it, and will have to hope that FOX starts putting the count on.

8:59: Matthews went back to Dem stooge and said the American service people feel better about going to Haiti then they do fighting terrorist.

9:02: Back to FOX with Olberman’s buddy Hannity. Brown up by 7 points. Can’t wait for Dem denials. It has nothing to do with their agenda as people just don’t know what’s best for them like they do.

9:15: Did Howard Dean actually blame George Bush for the Brown win? I know I came in mid sentence and was depending on Maddow. But Steny Hoyer said that Brown win was about how bad folks were mad at the GOP. Huh? Sten, buddy…Howard…dude…..you guys got blown out. And you are blaming the other side. ???

10:15: YES!! AP…according to FOX has been declared the winner.

Signing off…God Bless America, the people of Massachusetts and Scott Brown.

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The Other McCain has a live feed from Scott Brown headquarters.

Robert Stacy McCain has been traveling Massachusetts with DatechGuy

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The Coakley campaign has announced in a presser that some irregularities in ballots have been discovered. Convenient that Al Franken’s Minnesota election lawyer was available.

Even Chris Mathews quipped, “What is this? Tehran?”

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I did it at my watering hole.

Rex Ryan gets a kind of credit that’s hard to describe. Mark Sanchez is an answer to Eli Manning. What a story for New York to follow over the next decade.

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My first reaction to the news that Carlos Beltran was having surgery on his knee was to ask:

“What took so long?”

With the 2009 season clearly lost, why wasn’t Beltran just shut down completely? If the criticism of the Mets that they allow players to dictate their own care too frequently is accurate, then they erred in not choosing the consevative option. I have a hard time believing that much of what Dr. Steadman found inside of Beltran’s knee was not already there last summer.

Second question:

“Why did the Mets continue to call Beltran’s injury a bone bruise?”

I’m not in the loop, but as an informed observer my first thought was to ask, “what’s that?” I’ve never heard that description for a knee injury. Some communications then began that indicated Beltran had a microfracture. This made more sense, as the use of this diagnosis makes it easier to justify Beltran’s long term absense and a hesitancy to do surgery. The technique that Dr. Steadman fathered to deal with microfracture is still an unknown as we just haven’t had enough case studies for certainty. But word is that Steadman did not perform surgery for microfracture. So what gives?

Third question:

Why did the Mets seem to be upset with Beltran when he opted for surgery?

Even if they had reason to, they should have kept their mouth shut. Whatever it is with Beltan’s knee, I cannot blame him for growing weary of it hurting. He’s proved his toughness throughout his tenure with the club. Beltran played the entire 2005 season on a painful quad injury and came back last season.

At any rate and whatever injury it is, it’s clear that Beltran needed surgery. And any player has the right to select opinions and doctors. The never was any question that the Mets were not going to pay for the surgery.

With respect to the Mets, I find myself agreeing this morning with Michael Baron:

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Carlos Beltran finally is having surgery on his injured knee. I wonder what took so long in the first place.

Why the Mets are acting incredulous is puzzling as player’s can get second opinions, choose physicians and elect to have surgery. There must be something more. Perhaps there is a philosophical difference of opinion between that of Mets’ MD David Altchek and Dr. Richard Steadman who pioneered the technique for this obscure, yet serious microfractures in the knee. Is it that Altchek had little confidence in the surgery? Or, as the article seemed to imply, did Scott Boras played a self serving role?

What was the thinking on the table last year when it was clear the season was lost and that the focus should clearly have been on Beltran’s long term health?

The baseball people are understandably frustrated in that the scheduling of the surgery came at the worst possible time. The Mets reaction seems to imply that the ball club might have been recommending surgery last year, but that Boras won out. And now they are looking at having Beltran being a question mark again for the entire season.

The calm and hope that came from a steady off-season by the Mets has suddenly changed to one of uncertainty.

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I was watching NCIS and passively surfing the internet when I was shocked by the news of Lane Kiffin’s sudden move to USC. As a man with deep southern roots and sensibilities my first thought was that it will be the last time an SEC school brings in a football coach who does not have some sort of emotional attachment to the region.

And can you blame them?

This is a disaster for UT. One wonders if they are now rethinking the wisdom in running Phil Fulmer – a real Tennessee guy – out of town just a year ago. Some of the powers that be in Knoxville have egg on their face this morning.

This is how folks think down here.

Maybe Will Muschamp has grown wearly of waiting for Mack Brown to retire at Texas. Tennessee better hope so, and be able to make the move quickly to bring in the Georgia native. Or maybe Jon Gruden who’s wife is the state. David Cutcliffe might be willing to come home from Duke.

Whatever happens, needs to happen quickly to save the Vols from spinning into a vortex of mediocrity for a few seasons. It’s recruiting season with only days left to signing day. In perception it means everything in this part of the country.

Like it or not, they are going to have to bring in someone who actually wants the job and has plausible roots to the area.

Make no mistake. The movers and shakers are saying the same thing this morning about not bringing in someone who’s not from around here.

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