Brogna Can You Spare Some Time 2022

[Frayed Knot]

Willets Point wrote: I thought Cespedes was still nominally active.

He was only occasionally active when he was active.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I hope he brings his warthog, or whatever the hell that was.



Maybe Lindor and McNeil can argue about its exact species.

[G-Fafif]

Tim McCarver, who made his regular-season Mets booth debut 39 years ago today, has retired from broadcasting.

It's now official. One of the legendary careers in baseball broadcasting — all of sportscasting, for that matter — has ended. Tim McCarver, who was the television analyst for more World Series than anyone — 24 — and a fixture on the air for decades, is retired from the business. The acknowledgement by McCarver, who spent the final six years of his unparalleled run in the booth covering the Cardinals for what now is Bally Sports Midwest, comes three seasons after he called his last game. In the interim, he had been in limbo during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. “I think I'm happy about it,” he said of putting down the microphone. “I think that's the best.” McCarver, now 80, was at his best for decades and worked for all four major American commercial broadcast networks. ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox. You name it and he was on the call for the big games. His final fling on the national stage came in 2013, when he called the Cardinals-Red Sox World Series with Joe Buck — his partner for 18 years.

https://www.stltoday.com/sports/subscriber/media-views-tim-mccarvers-unparalleled-baseball-broadcasting-career-officially-is-over/article_cf92783a-eb57-5b0b-81df-767ccf19049d.htmlhttps://www.stltoday.com/sports/subscriber/media-views-tim-mccarvers-unparalleled-baseball-broadcasting-career-officially-is-over/article_cf92783a-eb57-5b0b-81df-767ccf19049d.html

[Edgy MD]

Best analyst the Mets ever had, even when simultanteously doing play by play. I'll double down on my advocacy for his Mets HoF enshrinement.

[m8644]

McCarver seems to get a bad rep about being a "know it all", especially when he got paired with Buck in the 2nd half of his career. But in his prime, he really was tremendous in my view. The man knew his stuff, and even if you disagreed with his concept, he'd explain it in a way that would at least make you think.



Also, the amount of times that he would bring up on a Mets broadcast, an outfielder playing too deep on a weak hitting player, only for that player to drop one in front of the fielder, is truly incalcuable.

[roger_that]

McCarver seems to get a bad rep about being a "know it all".... Also, the amount of times that he would bring up on a Mets broadcast, an outfielder playing too deep on a weak hitting player, only for that player to drop one in front of the fielder, is truly incalcuable.

I seem to recall this being a constant theme with him and Strawberry in particular. Sometimes, Tim did know it all, and was willing to annoy the players by saying what he knew, which I admired no end.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Edgy MD wrote: I'll double down on my advocacy for his Mets HoF enshrinement.

Word!

[seawolf17]

Baseball for Brain Surgeons is one of my favorite baseball books of all time. I think he gets a lot of crap because he was a big target, but I loved listening to him on games when he was with us.

[smg58]

I can't imagine Baxter wouldn't make the trip for something like this.



Colon will play in the old timers game and then start the real game and get a hit even though he's the pitcher.



I always loved McCarver and never understood the negative energy.



Is this the thread to mention that Todd Frazier announced his retirement?

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

I've always thought McCarver was so good at sharing what he knew that at some point, everybody learned it and he became less interesting. I also think that shameful incident with Deion Sanders sorta wounded him more than we really knew

[Willets Point]

I guess I'm in the minority here, but McCarver always annoyed the fuck out of me. The whiny, nasal voice. Talking nonstop, often about things irrelevant to what was on the field. Making a dumb joke early in the game and then constantly referring back to the dumb joke while Ralph faked a laugh just to get him to shut up. Splooging all over the place about how great the Cardinals' players were (I mean you don't have to be a homer, but you can also keep it in your pants when talking about our archenemies). I got in the habit of turning the tv volume down and listening to the radio while watching the game.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I think working with Lorn Brown in 1982 put Ralph Kiner into a kind of coma, and bringing in McCarver (and short-term CPF member Steve Zabriskie) the next year brought him back to life. He made watching the Mets a lot more fun, and I think Ralph legitimately enjoyed working with him.

[G-Fafif]

Those young rascals at hot new Mets podcast National League Town addressed McCarver's potential induction into the NYM HOF in their second episode (they were fully in favor of it).



https://www.podpage.com/national-league-town/more-about-the-mets-hall-of-fame/https://www.podpage.com/national-league-town/more-about-the-mets-hall-of-fame/

[G-Fafif]

Butch Huskey remains fond of No. 42.



https://www.mlb.com/news/butch-huskey-on-jackie-robinson-75th-anniversary-celebrationhttps://www.mlb.com/news/butch-huskey-on-jackie-robinson-75th-anniversary-celebration

[G-Fafif]

A hometown paper visit with Illinois boy Jay Hook.



https://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20220416/grayslakes-jay-hook-leaves-his-mark-with-expansion-ny-metshttps://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20220416/grayslakes-jay-hook-leaves-his-mark-with-expansion-ny-mets

[G-Fafif]

Man of God Darryl Strawberry…

…suggests violence is the answer for the 2022 Mets.

“Come on, man, if they want to put a stop to their guys getting hit, somebody's gotta charge the mound,” Strawberry said by phone. “I know the game is different now but at some point you have to let teams know that if they throw at you, they're going to pay a price. “That's how we were. Teams didn't like us because we were in New York and we were good and we took curtain calls, so they tried to test us by throwing at us and we put a stop to that real quick. We let them know we were going to fight them, all of us, and they were going to respect us. “This team has beaten up on some teams early and I think they're being tested. If you don't make a statement, other teams are going to keep doing what they're doing and think you're a bunch of softies. You can't have guys getting hit in the head and not do anything about it. So make your statement early: ‘You keep hitting us and we're going to charge the mound and snap your neck.'“ As he indicated, Strawberry knows almost nobody charges the mound the way they did decades ago, in part because suspensions are so much lengthier -- and costly -- than they were at that time. Still, he was emphatic in saying the need for action should supersede any concern about punishment. “Who cares about a suspension?” Strawberry said. “You throw all that out the window when teams are throwing at you. And it doesn't matter if it's not intentional. Pitchers obviously are trying to throw up and in on them. You have to let them know, ‘we're not going to allow you to keep hitting us.' “You go out there and pop them in the face and it does a couple of things. It did for us, anyway: it forces pitchers to back off from what they're doing, and it becomes a bonding thing for a team. Once we established that we had each other's backs and nobody was going to mess with us, we felt like we were never going to lose. It was part of who we were. “I'm not saying this team has to be the animals that we were. I'd just like to see the Mets win again. It's been a long time. The fans in New York deserve another championship. I'm glad to see this team is off to a good start. I played for Buck (Showalter) in '95 (with the Yankees), so I know they've got a good manager. “But it's up to the players to form that bond, and this is the kind of thing that can help do that. It's up to the players to say ‘the hell with this, we're getting hit too many times.'“

https://sny.tv/articles/darryl-strawberry-mets-hit-batters-somebodys-gotta-charge-moundhttps://sny.tv/articles/darryl-strawberry-mets-hit-batters-somebodys-gotta-charge-mound

[Edgy MD]

You know, I've been tempted to charge the mound when Franklin Graham is doing the pitching.



Also worth noting that Darryl calls the St. Louis area home, and has been there for a while now.

[Marshmallowmilkshake]

Bruce Berenyi, hall-of-famer! Congrats to him for being inducted into the Glen Oaks Community College Athletic Hall of Fame.





https://www.glenoaks.edu/berenyi-to-be-inducted-into-glen-oaks-athletic-hall-of-fame-first-viking-baseball-player-drafted-by-a-major-league-team/https://www.glenoaks.edu/berenyi-to-be-inducted-into-glen-oaks-athletic-hall-of-fame-first-viking-baseball-player-drafted-by-a-major-league-team/

[Edgy MD]

Fun Fact: It was the Bruce Berenyi acquisition that precipitated the Mets' release of Mike Torrez. I would guess that Torrez is the only Met pitcher to get unconditionally released in the same season in which he started the opener.



Cut loose before the All-Star Break, no less.

[G-Fafif]

A slightly less ignominious exit: Pete Harnisch was bounced for a minor leaguer the same season he started Opening Day after he and Bobby V didn't see eye to eye.

[Willets Point]

Every wax pack I opened in the 1980s had a Bruce Berenyi card in it.

[G-Fafif]

John Stearns still telling it like it is.

“1977 was really strange,” Stearns said. “They had old owners and they just thought if someone made $20,000 a year, that was way too much. They were old school. That's what they were used to paying people. And the Seaver trade, I can't imagine why anyone would do that. It was these old-school owners who didn't want to stay up with the new money line in baseball and Seaver wanted to get paid. He needed to be the highest paid guy in baseball and they traded him. Seaver and I had hit it off and it was amazing catching him. It was awesome and he brought me a long way. “We got all these players [for him] and it just didn't work. I don't think we had enough talent to be a contender after the Seaver deal. If you look at the players we got, how many turned out to be solid Major Leaguers? Doug Flynn was a good second baseman but he wasn't a good hitter, Zachry wasn't that good, Henderson had one good year and then wasn't that good. It didn't turn out to be a good deal.”

https://ballnine.com/2022/05/02/tackling-destiny/https://ballnine.com/2022/05/02/tackling-destiny/

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Disgraced short-time Met Kyle Farnsworth is... scouting ballplayers in Uganda, apparently.



This is an amusing kind of Twitter thread if you read it, with appearances by Megill's Mom, back and forth between fans, a few funny remarks and a pretty wild opening video

[Edgy MD]

I had forgotten all about L'Affaire Farnsworth.

[Edgy MD]

Well, that thread made me stupider.

[The Hot Corner]

Edgy MD wrote: Well, that thread made me stupider.

Yup, me too.

[G-Fafif]

On this rainy Mets-Phillies weekend, not great John Stearns news, via Jay Horwitz:

Mets fans the Bad Dude needs your prayers and good thoughts. For years John Stearns gave his heart and soul to this organization and now he needs our support. John is currently in as assisted living facility in Denver and he is battling a tough disease. This week his old high school ,Thomas Jefferson, retired his uniform Number 12 and John was able to attended the ceremonies. His son told me that John loves hearing from his old fans so we have set something up on his Facebook Page where people can write. John Stearns Facebook Page → https://bit.ly/3LYt0nMhttps://bit.ly/3LYt0nM The more notes, the happier Dude will be . So if you feel inclined please drop John a line or two. Know it will be deeply appreciated. Thinking of you my old friend.

https://metsinsider.mlblogs.com/sending-love-to-john-stearns-823b6f481628https://metsinsider.mlblogs.com/sending-love-to-john-stearns-823b6f481628

[Edgy MD]

https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2022/05/screen-shot-2022-05-07-at-3.13.34-pm.png>

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Geez, sorry to hear John Stearns is ill.



I've told you this story before but one of my friends from high-school years (the singer whose band won 2 weeks on 'Star Search'!) was a wonderful musician who today does a piano-bar act in Florida. Through these he befriended John Stearns.



He told me all this when I was in Florida and popped into one of his shows-- first time we'd seen one another in decades. He pulls out his phone and goes "John Stearns loves to talk to fans!" and scrolls through his contacts and find the one that reads: "John Stearns, NY Mets Catcher." It's like 11 o'clock at night in a crowded noisy bar, but he calls him on the spot, and hands the phone to me. I was completely unprepared to discuss anything substantial but he was totally friendly-- funny story, and so can confirm he like hearing from fans.

[roger_that]

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: so can confirm he like hearing from fans.

Post the number your friend dialled, and we might test how many of his fans he likes hearing from.