ISTGT 2021 — None of This Counts

[Edgy MD]

Frayed Knot wrote: Edgy MD wrote: There are three guys in the booth, but Ron Darling's is the only voice I recognized. They're running the gauntlet from A to Z today with Apple and Zeile

I thought that was Yapple Dapple, although he sounds scratchier.



Zeile sounds a little like Seaver, which is way creepy.

[bmfc1]

https://twitter.com/Mets/status/1371180518251855873https://twitter.com/Mets/status/1371180518251855873

[Edgy MD]

Or maybe I'm confusing the two.

[LWFS]

Wait... wasn't Oswalt, like, NON-Metsy, right? I'm not hallucinating that he was DFAed a month ago, right?

[Edgy MD]

He cleared waivers and was invited to camp as a non-roster Met.



Luis Guillorme TOTALLY sounds like a New Yorker.

[LWFS]

"That is NOT the voice I expected out of THAT guy, or the face that I expected with that voice." -BetterHalfer, looking up momentarily from her book to catch a glimpse of Guillorme.



Oh, I feel you, wifey.

Edited March 14, 2021 by Guest

[Edgy MD]

Terrific outing by Ozzy, who struck out five of six guys he fezzed.

[kcmets]

Booth lauding the upcoming runner on second thing in extras completely

ruined an otherwise pleasant exhibition-game broadcast.

[Fman99]

https://twitter.com/Mets/status/1371180518251855873https://twitter.com/Mets/status/1371180518251855873

That's amazing. Love how the bench got into it.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

I made an entire piece of toast with honey on it, and ate it, during Guillorme's ab, and posted twice.

[Frayed Knot]

Just watched the sequence; the best thing about that AB is that it started out 0-2 against a guy throwing 100+

Maybe this helps nudge along the notion that there's room in this game for contact hitters.

[MFS62]

I hope Manfred is reading this. I don't think any baseball fan who watched that at bat thought about how it was slowing down the game. The excitement built with every pitch. Those battles are part of what makes the game wonderful. Don't fuck with it.



Later

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

I dunno though. This is an extreme example of what baseball has become--pitchers and hitters each becoming so good at what they do it's devolved into this kind of stalemate that too often winds up in an action-less result (a walk or whiff) and the time consumed by a dozen or more multiple-pitch encounters every game (maybe not a 22 but two 11s in a row, not that uncommon) has inspired them to try all kinds of stupid things to make up for the length of game.



I'm not sure what the answer is, refer to the made-up rules) but maybe fucking with the number of strikes and balls (which was done A LOT until the late 19th century) oughta be tried.

[Edgy MD]

The answer to me will remain the weakening of the organization of the league as a cartel model, creating higher stakes for winning and losing, challenging players and teams to creatively and continually make winning moves on the field, instead of playing their parts in a pre-written drama, refining mechanics, and being a good citizen.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: I'm not sure what the answer is, refer to the made-up rules) but maybe fucking with the number of strikes and balls (which was done A LOT until the late 19th century) oughta be tried.

My first thought was the playground rule, four fouls and you're out. But maybe instead six fouls and you walk?

[batmagadanleadoff]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: I'm not sure what the answer is, refer to the made-up rules) but maybe fucking with the number of strikes and balls (which was done A LOT until the late 19th century) oughta be tried. My first thought was the playground rule, four fouls and you're out. But maybe instead six fouls and you walk?

Never heard of that four foul playground rule. Is that a Long Island thing? The six foul walk rule is a bad idea because, I think, batters would be able to exploit that rule easily.

[MFS62]

Never heard of that four foul playground rule. Is that a Long Island thing? The six foul walk rule is a bad idea because, I think, batters would be able to exploit that rule easily.

I agree. The "bunt foul on the third strike and you're out" rule was put in because batters were fouling off pitches to stay at bat. So why should they get a base for doing something similar and the pitcher be penalized for throwing strikes?



Later

[Benjamin Grimm]

I remember it as a kid. Don't know whether or not it's specific to Long Island.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

I'm thinking the former of your suggestions is better than the latter, though neither really addresses the prevalence of wiffs and walks as a percentage of outcomes... but might for example amp up the incentive to put the ball in play, maybe via bunt.



(maybe 3 fouls and you're out, but you don't begin counting the fouls until after 2 strikes. So then the new full count is 3-2-2. at the same time you whack the rule about a foul bunt being a meaningful strike-event unless there are 2 fouls and 2 strikes. That would also have implications for the defense (do you bring the corners in at a 2-strike, 1-foul count? Does a creative ballplayer try and bunt anyway?

Edited March 15, 2021 by Guest

[kcmets]

We often played four-fouls-you're-out in playground ball in the 70's. The olden days.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Yeah I think as kids we instinctively recognized the time- and action-wasting of foul balls (and the possibility they go down the sewer or into the neighbor's yard). Maybe the problem is the 6 dozen balls each game uses? Maybe somehow limiting fouls over the course of a game before they become strikes.



"The Mets are down by 1 run here in the 9th, but they have the tying run on and 8 foul balls to go!"

[G-Fafif]

Jake is on SNY administering the punishment Rob Manfred didn't to the Astros.

[Edgy MD]

deGrom gives up one run on two hits and ups his ERA to 1.00.



I remember it was like this with Gooden. Anything less than perfect felt like a letdown.



And speaking of perfect, Jeurys Familia is putting a Zero ERA of his own on the line.

[MFS62]

Dom Smith puts the Mets up 3-1 with a 3 run homer.

Later

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Alonso and now Lindor also HR, now 7-3 good guys. Bad outing for Betances

[LWFS]

Castro-- who has ankles that look birdlike even on HIS skinny frame-- is throwing some mean stuff, though. His control is pretty Benitez-on-a-Bad-Day, but if it's ANYWHERE near the strike zone on a consistent basis, he could be interesting.

[Edgy MD]

Joey Lucchesi opened this afternoon's game with three hitless, but McNeil returned to his spring ways, going 0-4.



The Mets nonetheless took a 2-1 lead over Miami into the ninth before Yennsy Diaz coughed it up and allowed a two-run walkoff homer to fringey infield prospect Joe Dunand.

[Edgy MD]

Mets struck first today, but individual runs given up by Familia in the sixth and Loup in the seventh have the Mets down 3-1.



Strong start by Stro', going five and giving up a single run on two hits, striking out six an walking none. A Kyle Shawarma solo shot was the only damage.

[MFS62]

I'm getting up on my soapbox for my annual spring training rant.

I know the games and stats don't count. yadda yadda yadda.

But that is in the standings.

As Yogi Berra said, "Half of this game is 90% mental" and I don't like their losing to NL clubs in spring (especially NL East teams).

I want those teams at all levels be so scared when they play the Mets that they feel all efforts are futile. It should start in the minors and continue when their young players face the Mets in Spring training. Let it be in the back of their minds every time, a stifling feeling of hopelessness in anticipation of a humiliating loss.

If the Mets manager du jour wants to experiment with lineups, let him do it against AL clubs.



I know nothing I say can or will change anything, but I wanted to get it off my chest for 2021.



I'll climb down off my soapbox now.



Later

[LWFS]

Edgy MD wrote: Strong start by Stro', going five and giving up a single run on two hits, striking out six an walking none. A Kyle Shawarma solo shot was the only damage.

Stro looks REEEEEEEEEEALLY good. That he and-- to a lesser extent-- most of the rest of our depth additions (Lucchesi, Yamamoto, and incumbent Peterson) look so solid is helping allay my growing, extended Cookie panic attack.