The Mets and The Bullpen

The Mets really need a stopper out there in the bullpen. A stopper is a guy who can come in and stop the bleeding, someone who isn't afraid of gonig after hitters and who feels more comfortable when runners are on base then when they're not. The Mets haven't had a guy like that since Bradford. It's the only missing link out there in the bullpen. Unfortunately, the Mets have a few very similar guys. They all have average fastballs and then either a change-up or a slider. No variety whatsoever. What ever happened to the splitter? That was a hell of a pitch and it sort of disappeared in favor of the changeup. Anyway, I think that Heilman's got the stuff to do it, just not the mental make-up. I would love to get like a Scot Shields (when he was great) or a Joel Zumaya-type guy, someone who comes in and doesn't try to nibble away at hitters like Schoenweiss, Feliciano, Sanchez and Smith all do. We neeed someone who can come in and say I don't care what the pitch count or situation is, and just challenege a hitter right away. All of our guys nibble away and, since they are so similar, come in and get swept up in the same routine as the guy before them; that's why they never pick one another up they all have the same mindset. Schoenweiss came in yesterday as if he had just given up two base hits, these guys all have one mind, they need a real different presence out there in the bullpen. the talent is not the problem, it is the mindset.