06/02/2007 3:14 PM ET
Notes: Sele sold on Mets organization
Reliever did his homework before signing on to pitch at Shea
By Marty Noble / MLB.com
NEW YORK -- The success the Mets have enjoyed during the two-plus seasons
Willie Randolph and Omar Minaya have been in charge has made the club an
appealing alternative -- or more -- for players on other teams, players who
are approaching free agency. And the prospect of a new stadium in 2009 makes
the Mets' environment even more appealing.
The Mets have been successful selling themselves to free agents such as Pedro
Martinez, Carlos Beltran and Moises Alou. But it goes beyond those
high-profile imports. Take a player such as Aaron Sele, veteran of 14
big-league seasons spent with five different organizations.
Sele, who did his homework before signing with the Mets, is delighted with
the choice he made and is likely to endorse the Mets as an employer if
someone seeks his counsel.
"I asked," Sele said. "I asked people I respected, guys who weren't
necessarily big-city guys, because I'm not. I contacted Darren Oliver, and he
said he enjoyed his time here last year. And I asked Dennis Cook [a Met from
1998 through mid-2001], because I wanted someone from another time."
Cook was about 120 percent Texan and yet enjoyed his New York experiences.
Sele was convinced, and now he has the position Oliver filled last season --
long reliever.
"I made a good decision," he says. "It's good here. The general manager is
straightforward. I have respect for Willie as a player, coach and manager.
He's had a track record of success in everything he's done -- [pitching
coach] Rick Peterson, too. Players recognize that.
"Then, you come here, and you meet people like Guy Conti, Howard Johnson
[and] Rick Down. They have quality people in important positions here."
Wright back: Third baseman David Wright was back in the lineup on Saturday,
after sitting out Friday's game with light back spasms.
Wright paid a visit to his chiropractor on Saturday morning and afterward
said he was sore but pain-free.
"He said I had a couple of ribs out of place, so he popped those back in
place," Wright said. "I feel a lot better, just a little sore from everybody
poking in there."
Friday night's game was the first Wright had missed all season, and he
doesn't expect the spasms to trouble him further.
"I love being in the lineup," Wright said. "I hate sitting on the bench. To
me, it's boring -- I'd rather be out there playing."
Time shift: The Mets game' in Philadelphia on July 1 now will start at 8:09
p.m. ET as an accommodation to ESPN. It had been scheduled to start at 1:35
p.m.
This date in Mets history -- June 3: The Mets scored an unearned run in the
first inning but were held scoreless thereafter, as they fell, 6-1, to the
Giants and Juan Marichal at the Polo Grounds on this date in 1962. They were
shut out by the Phillies the following day and scored once in an ensuing
doubleheader loss to the Phillies, extending the longest losing streak in
club history to 17 games. After the sweep, their winning percentage was .250,
as it would be at season's end, and they were 24 games behind in the league
standings. The Cubs were in ninth place, 21 games behind. The Cubs finished
the season with a 59-103 record, the worst record by an established team in
an expansion season. The '93 Mets matched it, and the '98 Marlins lost 104
games a year after winning the World Series.
The '69 Mets moved into a tie for second place on this date when they
defeated the Dodgers, 5-2, at Shea Stadium. Tom Seaver was the winning
pitcher, and Ed Kranepool hit two home runs. ... On this date in 1997, the
Mets and Bobby Jones beat Pedro Martinez and the Expos for the second time in
seven days at Shea Stadium. A pinch-hit home run by Matt Franco and a
run-scoring double by Carlos Baerga in the eighth inning were the difference
in the 2-1 victory. Jones, who had pitched a four-hit shutout in Montreal on
May 28, emerged from the victory with a 10-2 record. And Martinez's career
record against the Mets was 10-2 at the time.
Coming up: The Mets still lead the National League in batting and on-base
percentage against left-handed pitching, so they will likely be pleased to
see Diamondbacks' Doug Davis, who has a 3-6 record that seems inconsistent
with his 3.27 ERA. Off recent developments, the D-backs may not be so pleased
to see Oliver Perez in the 1:10 p.m. series finale. Their record against
left-handed starters is 7-8. The Mets' is 11-4.
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