Niese Looked Real Nice for the Mets Tonite

Oh, this is your classic fantasy blog.

I kept this guy in three leagues this winter. I was positive he would make the Mets rotation.

Then he was shelled all Spring and torched at triple AAA. The Mets said they were going to demote him even. But I held onto Jon Niese, at least until May 4, the day the Mets announced they were calling him up.

Wait a second, I said, impetuously, if they are going to announce that a 41 year old Japanese retread was starting ahead of him, or another version of Casey Fossum, am I going to activate one of these rookie starters for a Jeremy Sowers or Graham Taylor start of 3 innings, 9 runs, and 7 walks. I could not decide what to do. Screw it, I released this guy I protected all winter from two of my four daily leagues.

And I watched him tonite. 6 innings. 7 hits. 5 k's great control, and I am sitting here blogging for the first time in a week saying, ' Damn, how could I have let this guy go?'

No he is not Sandy Koufax but hey it is the Mets, he showed last Fall he can pitch at this level, hurled a shutout in one game, so he is a little inconsistent now and then. Mike Pelfrey will be too. But there is a reason he was number three in the Mets prospect chart by Baseball America, a reason why I kept him, and they all went out the window last week, why? Because I was impetuously dissatisfied with a slow start in Triple AAA?

I see him winning a dozen games for the Mets between now and September. I see him becoming part of their rotation. And I see him on other teams in two of my fantasy leagues where I should have trusted my feelings like Yoda said to Luke Skywalker.

We all make fantasy mistakes. I am making a few this year. But I think the worst mistake we all make is that we are not patient enough to let seeds grow, nurture, and mature. Maybe too it is the same with our own lives.

Look, he could be the next Homer Bailey and fail grandly, though HB has been impressive of late. The point is that sometimes you gotta hold your horses. I knew better. I should have done better. I think I am going to be kicking myself on this one. Of course, one of my curses is that when you are in thirteen leagues, well, hell, I still have him in four more........:-)