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RICH MACLEOD: the blog
Videographer / Writer / Editor / Fan of the bad New York sports teams / Possible anger issues / rsmacleod@optonline.net
Mike Pettine is gone, and now it’s Dennis Thurman’s defense to run… Or is it?
Continue reading: How much of a difference will Dennis Thurman make with Rex Ryan at the helm?, Gang Green Nation
Check out my first article with SB Nation’s Jets blog, Gang Green Nation:
At West Virginia’s Pro-Day, Marty Mornhinweg became infatuated with quarterback Geno Smith. Low and behold, with the 39th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, the New York Jets got their coordinator a new toy on offense.
Continue reading: What you may not know about the newest man running the New York Jets offense.
Matt Harvey Is Spoiling Mets Fans
When a quality start isn’t good enough for a pitcher making his 16th career start, you know you’ve got something special.
On Wednesday night that’s exactly what happened. Matt Harvey went 6 innings, allowed 4 hits, 1 walk and 3 earned runs while striking out 7.
Harvey’s thoughts on his start? “I sucked.”
How can you not like this guy? A quality start is exactly what it sounds like: it’s quality, it’s okay, but nothing more. Neither of these words describe Matt Harvey, nor does he want them to. You see certain pitchers with all of the talent in the world who will just go to the mound every 5 days and pitch. Not Harvey. His work ethic is unlike any other that I’ve seen in a pitcher this early in his career. He’s constantly striving to make himself better, watching film and making adjustments. Just one year ago, his change-up was considered to be his worst pitch, and look how quickly that has turned around. Harvey was once projected to be a pretty good #2 starter—at best—yet he’s taken his talent and out of sheer work and willpower has transformed himself into a clear cut ace at age 24.
Let’s look at the numbers. Through 5 starts this season, Harvey is 4-0 with a 1.54 ERA. That’s pretty darn good by itself, but let’s go deeper. Matt Harvey is striking out 31% of batters he faces (39 K’s in 35 IP), walking only 7.9% and 84.9% of the base runners he’s allowed this season have not scored. In Harvey’s career, he’s held the opposition to a .172 batting average, while hitting .286 at the plate himself.
It’s easy for Mets fans to get excited about Matt Harvey, and they should. This is not the norm and people all around baseball, not just the Flushing Faithful, are taking notice. Curt Schilling, now a Baseball Tonight analyst, has said if he could start a franchise with any pitcher in baseball, it would be Harvey. Dan Plesac, former pitcher & MLB Network analyst, said Wednesday night that Harvey has a higher ceiling than Stephen Strasburg. Even David Price, the ace of the Tampa Bay Rays, has tweeted that Matt Harvey is his favorite pitcher (not on the Rays) to watch. That’s high praise, and I agree with all of it. Harvey is tied for the Major League lead in wins (4), 1st in WHIP (0.69), 2nd in average against (.122), 3rd in strikeouts, 8th in ERA (1.54). There’s something special when Harvey takes the mound. There’s a buzz, an electricity even, in the air when he pitches—one that we have rarely seen in Citi Field’s brief history.
I wasn’t around for Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Nolan Ryan, nor was I able to watch Doc Gooden, so I can’t and won’t compare him to pitchers from 20 or more years ago. What I can do is say that this is one of the most exciting pitchers I’ve seen on the Mets in my lifetime—including Pedro Martinez and Johan Santana—and I can’t wait to see what he does next.
Every five days the Mets draw this card. (via @ESPN)
Congratulations to J.R. Smith who won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award. Here’s a video I edited earlier in the season. (@richmacleod)
Some Photoshop I did earlier:
Darrelle Revis has been traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
David Wright & a Phillies fan have a staredown.
Mets Morning Montage: Aggressive base running, Byrd’s walk-off hit fuel Mets 9th inning comeback.
Follow me on Twitter.
J.R. Smith’s deep three-pointer helps the Knicks sink the Thunder in OKC to win their 12th consecutive game.
Thank you Johan Santana.
