Arizona Fall League Action

[Valadius]

By the way... my high school played Eric Duncan many times when he was in high school. My GOD could he crush the ball.

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

I didn't remember that it was Tony, but I remembered the story well enough that I knew there was something worth looking up.

[MFS62]

Isn't Mike playing in the AFL?
I looked at the league stats in Baseball America, but couldn't find his name. Which team is he on?
Later

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

New York Times today:


October 31, 2005


Mets Can See Their Future, but Can Their Present Wait?
By BEN SHPIGEL

SURPRISE, Ariz., Oct. 26 - His Grand Canyon Rafters are losing, 4-2, when Lastings Milledge strides to the plate with two outs and two runners on base in the bottom of the ninth inning. It hasn't been a good day for him - two flyouts, a groundout and a foul-out - and the late-afternoon shadows creeping over home plate are making it increasingly difficult to see.

The first pitch to Milledge is low. The second is outside. Milledge is expecting a breaking ball, but when a fastball comes hurtling toward the plate, he tilts backward, knees bent at a nearly 90-degree angle, cocks his bat and whips it on a slight upward plane through the zone.

When bat meets ball, the sound stops conversations in mid-sentence. A major league scout sitting behind home plate gushes a "wow" as the ball soars beyond the fence in left-center field, above the bullpen, and lands, finally, on the grass berm, officially a long, long way away.

Rafters 5, Surprise Scorpions 4. Game over.

The home run, in a sense, is merely a tease. Power is not the most alluring element of Milledge's game - not yet, anyway. But on this cloudless Arizona afternoon, it is yet another tantalizing snapshot of a skill that persuaded the Mets to make Milledge their first-round draft pick in 2003.

At 20, often the youngest player on the field during these Arizona Fall League games, Milledge boasts exceptional speed, tremendous outfield range and a frighteningly quick bat. During a showcase event in high school, his throws from the outfield were clocked at 96 miles an hour. He tore through Class A St. Lucie in the first half of last season before being promoted to Class AA Binghamton, where he batted .337 in 193 at-bats. And while Milledge acknowledges that he still needs some polish, Kevin Morgan, the Mets' director for minor league operations, raves about his precociousness between the foul lines.

Milledge, it would seem, is one of those can't-miss prospects. Except, of course, he still can. Even though the Mets project him as a fundamental component to their future - billboards with his face alongside those of Jos� Reyes and David Wright should be ready for 2007 - Milledge is caught squarely in the crosshairs of an organizational predicament. With the World Series over and off-season maneuvering picking up steam, the quandary facing General Manager Omar Minaya as he tries to move the Mets up a notch is whether Milledge could help them more if he were playing somewhere else.

That is, should the Mets hold on to Milledge, a player with a seemingly endless upside, or, bowing to the transitory nature of the sport, package him in a deal in coming weeks that could supply immediate help, perhaps the big bat they need to turn an 83-victory team into a contender?

"If the Mets are looking to trade him, I know 29 teams who would be more than happy to take him off their hands," said a veteran National League scout, who asked that his name not be used because he was commenting on another team's player.

As an organization, the Mets know the risks involved in trading away a No. 1 pick in the hopes of instantly improving the team. They were derided for dealing Scott Kazmir in July 2004, giving up the hard-throwing left-hander who was widely viewed as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball in exchange for the Tampa Bay right-hander Victor Zambrano, who since becoming a Met has been either injured or inconsistent.

Minaya was not with the Mets when Kazmir was traded, so he will not have any explaining to do if Kazmir becomes a major league star. But will all the criticism the Mets have received for the Kazmir deal ultimately make Minaya cautious about trading Milledge? Minaya is not tipping his hand.

"He's always the guy who plays well in the big game," Minaya said of Milledge. "How can you not be pleased to have a guy like him?"

Still, Milledge's name has already come up in trade talks. He was mentioned prominently when the Mets and the Boston Red Sox engaged in discussions last summer that would have sent Manny Ramirez to Queens, and it stands to reason that Milledge's name will come up again this fall and winter as Minaya looks for trade partners.

None of this bothers Milledge. It may not be in his pedigree to worry about things he cannot control. He grew up in Palmetto, Fla., near St. Petersburg, the last of Tony and Linda Milledge's three sons (hence the name Lastings). He was something of a baseball prodigy. He played in the 1997 Little League World Series and in 2001 was named the top 16-year-old player in the country by Baseball America. Both of his older brothers, Greg and Anthony, played minor league baseball. His father, a former minor leaguer, spent more than 25 years as a Florida highway patrolman and expected excellence from his youngest son.

"Lastings knows I don't put up with no jive, I don't put up with no short cuts; that's not who I am," Tony Milledge said in a telephone interview. "There have been a few little scrapes, but he's never really tested me."

But there was trouble in May 2002. A few days after leading his Northside Christian School baseball team to the state finals, Milledge, a 16-year-old junior, was expelled by the school, which said he had engaged in inappropriate behavior with an underage girl.

No charges were filed, and Milledge transferred to Lakewood Ranch High School in nearby Bradenton. It is difficult to determine whether the expulsion and subsequent questions about his character caused Milledge, projected as a top-five pick, to fall to the Mets, who had the No. 12 selection in 2003. During contract negotiations, the Mets were informed of additional allegations about inappropriate behavior with underage girls, and they suspended the talks for 10 days. Those allegations were never substantiated. Still, two years later, Milledge says he feels he will never shake the accusations.

"People will always think what they want to about me, and it's not fair," Milledge said. "It's something that I have to deal with, but I've always kept my nose clean. Everyone has their nicks and falls and bumps and bruises along the way, but the main thing is being out on the field and producing. If you can concentrate on that, you'll be O.K."

Milledge is 6 feet and is 185 pounds. The first things you notice about him are his hands. They're enormous. The Livestrong and Hurricane Katrina relief bracelets that encircle his right wrist seem as if they are straining to break free. He pulls his black socks nearly to his knees, making his legs look deceptively small. He has always had physical gifts, and now, since playing in the minors, he has started breaking some of the few bad habits he carried.

The scout, who said he had seen Milledge play several times in high school and in the Florida State League, said Milledge had improved his plate discipline and would punish a pitcher's mistake. He did not do that before, the scout said, and his developing power projects him as a No. 3 hitter. Until now, Milledge has been a center fielder, but he is playing some left field in Arizona, perhaps to prepare to play alongside the Mets' incumbent center fielder, Carlos Beltran.

The consensus among Mets officials is, so far, so good. Grand Canyon Manager Ken Oberkfell, also the manager for the Mets' Class AAA team in Norfolk, Va., called Milledge a model citizen, and Minaya said he had heard nothing but encouraging reports on Milledge's progress. Milledge also has the built-in safety net of his parents, who bought a camper shortly after Tony Milledge retired so they could follow their son's baseball travels along the East Coast. When Milledge played in 2003 in Columbia, S.C., in what was then the home of a Mets Class A team, the team bus waited for the Milledges before leaving on road trips.

If his knee feels up to it, Tony Milledge will most likely steer the camper toward Binghamton for opening day in 2006.

Although his time in Arizona has accelerated his progress, Milledge needs work before a promotion to Norfolk is even considered. Slowing at third base on a single to right field is not smart baseball, although even in that instance last week, he compensated by turning on the speed and scoring easily.

There is a lot of time to smooth the rough edges before he plays his first major league game, which he hopes will be in Shea Stadium.

Whether it happens in Shea is up to Minaya. It is what he feels, and the trades he makes, and rejects, that will determine Milledge's future.

"All the stuff that I've been through - that's why I think I can handle playing in New York," Milledge said. "That's why I feel I

[MFS62]

]During a showcase event in high school, his throws from the outfield were clocked at 96 miles an hour. ] Then why are they playing him in left field? You'd think if they don't see him as a centerfielder because Beltran's there, they would be playing him in right with an arm like that. Later Rotblatt Oct 31 2005 01:56 PM I was thinking the same thing, MF. Even if they viewed Diaz as a future regular, wouldn't he be the more logical choice for LF? And it's not like we have any other OF prospects tearing it up in the minors . . . Frayed Knot Oct 31 2005 02:00 PM ]There is a lot of time to smooth the rough edges before he plays his first major league game, which he hopes will be in Shea Stadium. "All the stuff that I've been through - that's why I think I can handle playing in New York," Milledge said. "That's why I feel I He's gotta learn to finish his sentences too. P.S. About leftfield; remember that in the AFL you're "sharing" the team with several other orgs. It's possible that some other - maybe more experienced - players have dibs on RF and/or CF. It's been mentioned in the past that he has the arm to handle RF if necc. Edgy DC Oct 31 2005 02:20 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Oct 31 2005 02:56 PM ]Then why are they playing him in left field? Who? Generally, he's been in center everywhere he's been. He expressed an understanding that there were multiple centerfielders on the Rafters and he wouldn't always play there, but I think he's played there more than anyone else. MFS62 Oct 31 2005 02:23 PM You may be right. But the article asid he has ben playing "some" left. I was just wondering why, if he's going to play "some" other outfield position, why it isn't right. Later Edgy DC Oct 31 2005 02:55 PM Because the manager has obligations to the interests of prospects of five different teams. The chart below includes today's already posted linuep. Also please consider that Milledge missed a handful of games with a minor heel injury. Grand Canyon Player Appearances by Position LF: Span 8 Ambercrombie 5 Mahar 5 Milledge 5 CF: Milledge 10 Span 8 Ambercrombie 5 Mahar 2 RF: Sardinha 18 Ambercrombie 5 DH: Moses 5 Lambin 3 Mahar 3 Meyer 3 Ambercrombie 2 Span 2 Jones 1 Milledge 1 Nikeas 1 Parrish 1 Sardinha 1 Edgy DC Oct 31 2005 03:10 PM We should have a contest to see who can find athe first feature article about Milledge which doesn't mention his amazing record of being the first high school jock ever to get past first base with a girl. Here's some material I can use: ]His father, a former minor leaguer, spent more than 25 years as a Florida highway patrolman and expected excellence from his youngest son. "Lastings knows I don't put up with no jive, I don't put up with no short cuts; that's not who I am," Tony Milledge said in a telephone interview. "There have been a few little scrapes, but he's never really tested me." Look, dig this Papa didn`t cuss He didn`t raise a whole lotta fuss But when we did wrong Papa beat the hell out of us MFS62 Oct 31 2005 03:13 PM Thanks, Edgy. I miss the "good old days" of the AFL, where there were prospects of two (maybe three) MLB teams on each roster. If there are many more MLB teams (such as five) represented on each roster, it could lead to some interesting decisions on the part of the managers. The fewer teams, the more clout each MLB team would have in directing playing time/ position for each of its prospects. I didn't know the affiliations of those other two who have been playing right field. Later Edgy DC Oct 31 2005 03:22 PM Sardinha is a Yankee prospect. Ambercrombie toils in the Marlin system. Today's game is already begun. Milledge, batting second, was hit by a pitch from the arm of Matt Peterson and then scored on a triple by Eric Duncan. Yanks and Mets working together. heep Oct 31 2005 03:23 PM I hope they do not trade Milledge. Definitely a plus to see his father and mother are involved. His father is a cop and keeping a watchful eye - thats a positive thing - especially since he is geared for the prime time at such a young age. They should start him in AAA this year. As a side note, if Beane is entertaining offers for Zito this winter, the Mets should make a competitive offer. Yancy Street Gang Oct 31 2005 03:27 PM This talk about how involved his parents are remind me of Dan and Ella Gooden. We heard a lot about how they wouldn't let any kid of theirs get into any trouble. And we know how that turned out. Edgy DC Oct 31 2005 03:35 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Nov 02 2005 01:37 PM A subtle difference is that, subsequently, we found out that Dwight was in a lot of trouble in high school that the media didn't bother reporting. So, as tedious of this over-reporting is of whatever Milledge's sexual transgression was, it beats the alternative of a whitewash. I think Dwight's parents were older and it was easy for him to hoodwink them. For what it's worth --- and taking race somewhat out of the equation --- we also received a lot of publicity about what fine peeps the Wrights were/are. Outranking a highway patrolman, Rhon Wright is the captain of vice narcotics in Norfolk, VA.. It would be almost impressive if David hoodwinked him. Edgy DC Oct 31 2005 05:27 PM The Rafters hold on to win 6-3. Lastings Milledge getting plunked and scoring the initial run is the lone contribution of Met prospects in the game. He went on to fan twice and ground into a double play. I'm giving Duncan --- 2-4 with that RBI triple and two runs scored --- the player of the game. Edgy DC Nov 02 2005 01:46 PM November 1: Wrap / Box In an All Souls Day war of attrition, the Grand Canyon Rafters battled the Mesa Solar Sox to a 1-1 tie after eleven innings. The lone Rafter run was driven in by Lastings Milledge on a sacrifice fly. There should be no ties in baseball. We should weep as a nation when one is declared. Player of the Game: Twins prospect Travis Bowyer, who pitched the last two innings, striking out three, and giving up just one hit. Mets Player of the Game: Evan McLane, who had perhaps the best outing of a sorry fall for Mets pitchers, starting and going five innings, scattering eight hits but yielding only one run. Henry Owens, who hung up a 3.15 ERA in 54.1 innings at St. Lucie this season, also threw two scoreless innings. Edgy DC Nov 03 2005 01:52 PM November 2: Wrap / Box The Rafters keep future Mets out of the lineup and pay the price with an 8-4 loss to the Mesa Solar Sox. PotG: Marlins prospect Josh Wilson --- who you may remember as one of the under-ripe infielders who batted behind Dontrelle Willis against the Mets --- hit a two-run homer from the ninth batting slot. Also notable was Yankee farmhand Bronson Sardinha (2-5, with a triple) and Matt Smith, another gestating Yankee, who threw two scoreless. Mets PotG: Any Wilson was the only future Met on the field. He went 1-4, caught, and gave up two steals. Edgy DC Nov 06 2005 01:06 PM Lastings is excited to chill with Davey Johnson some more. Milledge adjusting well Lastings Milledge says that he's seeing the ball better than before. Hi everyone. The Arizona Fall League season is winding down, and even though the Grand Canyon Rafters are out of it, it's not real hard to motivate myself every day. You win and you lose, but the biggest thing is that you produce. Every day, you should be motivating yourself to do well for yourself. I've had some multi-hit games; I think I'm seeing the ball a bit better. I think what I've really learned from the AFL is how to play day games. I kind of struggled with that during the season. Now I'm learning how to adjust to getting up earlier and playing earlier. http://minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2005/09/30/aHCounQF.jpgIt means a lot to me to represent the United States in the upcoming Olympic qualifier in Phoenix. I'm real excited to play. Having played for Team USA four times, I feel more comfortable. I think I sort of know what it's going to be like to play and how I have to produce. It's still baseball. The only thing different is the guys have another name on their shirt and are representing their country. It's different than wearing a Mets jersey. There I have to represent an organization. But here I'll represent a country. It's a little bit bigger. Every game's important. We have to come out with a no-lose attitude and that we're going to beat everybody. Lastings' Mailbag / Send Lastings an e-mail > What are your thoughts on fellow NY'er Eric Duncan? -- Ice Berg, N.Y. He's a good player. I played with him in the All-American High School Game in 2003, so we've known each other for a while. He's always been a good left-handed hitting third baseman. He'll continue to be good some day in the bigs. Can you please give some ideas or drills into improving my first step or like a weight training program to help improve my speed. I know you run fast and that is the reason why I would like you to help me out. -- Landy It's all about the strength shoes, Landy. That's what I did. And then they have the workouts that come with them -- agility drills. That's pretty much how I got my speed. My son had a troublesome heel issue, and I would like to know what kind of rehab you have done to overcome it and what sort of exercise as a preventive measure to keep it from coming back. -- Max Sorry, Max, but it's just a thing you have to let heal. There's not anything you can really do to rehab. You just have to take time off and let it heal. What are your plans for the winter? Do you cool down with hardball ... or is it more training/workouts? Finally, do you follow other sports? -- Sam I'll be catching up on football, I like the Dallas Cowboys. I'm also moving into a new home in Tampa. Then I'll just be doing regular stuff like workouts. It's been a lot of baseball this year, but I'll take some time for other things.

[Guest Rotblatt]

I was thinking the same thing, MF. Even if they viewed Diaz as a future regular, wouldn't he be the more logical choice for LF?

And it's not like we have any other OF prospects tearing it up in the minors . . .

[Frayed Knot]

]There is a lot of time to smooth the rough edges before he plays his first major league game, which he hopes will be in Shea Stadium. "All the stuff that I've been through - that's why I think I can handle playing in New York," Milledge said. "That's why I feel I

He's gotta learn to finish his sentences too.



P.S. About leftfield;
remember that in the AFL you're "sharing" the team with several other orgs. It's possible that some other - maybe more experienced - players have dibs on RF and/or CF.
It's been mentioned in the past that he has the arm to handle RF if necc.

[Guest Edgy DC]

]Then why are they playing him in left field?

Who? Generally, he's been in center everywhere he's been. He expressed an understanding that there were multiple centerfielders on the Rafters and he wouldn't always play there, but I think he's played there more than anyone else.

[MFS62]

You may be right. But the article asid he has ben playing "some" left.
I was just wondering why, if he's going to play "some" other outfield position, why it isn't right.

Later

[Guest Edgy DC]

Because the manager has obligations to the interests of prospects of five different teams.

The chart below includes today's already posted linuep. Also please consider that Milledge missed a handful of games with a minor heel injury.

Grand Canyon
Player Appearances by Position
LF: Span 8 Ambercrombie 5 Mahar 5 Milledge 5	CF: Milledge 10 Span 8 Ambercrombie 5 Mahar 2	RF: Sardinha 18 Ambercrombie 5	DH: Moses 5 Lambin 3 Mahar 3 Meyer 3 Ambercrombie 2 Span 2 Jones 1 Milledge 1 Nikeas 1 Parrish 1 Sardinha 1

[Guest Edgy DC]

We should have a contest to see who can find athe first feature article about Milledge which doesn't mention his amazing record of being the first high school jock ever to get past first base with a girl.

Here's some material I can use:

]His father, a former minor leaguer, spent more than 25 years as a Florida highway patrolman and expected excellence from his youngest son. "Lastings knows I don't put up with no jive, I don't put up with no short cuts; that's not who I am," Tony Milledge said in a telephone interview. "There have been a few little scrapes, but he's never really tested me."

Look, dig this

Papa didn`t cuss
He didn`t raise a whole lotta fuss
But when we did wrong
Papa beat the hell out of us

[MFS62]

Thanks, Edgy.

I miss the "good old days" of the AFL, where there were prospects of two (maybe three) MLB teams on each roster. If there are many more MLB teams (such as five) represented on each roster, it could lead to some interesting decisions on the part of the managers. The fewer teams, the more clout each MLB team would have in directing playing time/ position for each of its prospects.
I didn't know the affiliations of those other two who have been playing right field.

Later

[Guest Edgy DC]

Sardinha is a Yankee prospect. Ambercrombie toils in the Marlin system.

Today's game is already begun. Milledge, batting second, was hit by a pitch from the arm of Matt Peterson and then scored on a triple by Eric Duncan. Yanks and Mets working together.

[Guest heep]

I hope they do not trade Milledge.

Definitely a plus to see his father and mother are involved. His father is a cop and keeping a watchful eye - thats a positive thing - especially since he is geared for the prime time at such a young age.

They should start him in AAA this year.

As a side note, if Beane is entertaining offers for Zito this winter, the Mets should make a competitive offer.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

This talk about how involved his parents are remind me of Dan and Ella Gooden. We heard a lot about how they wouldn't let any kid of theirs get into any trouble. And we know how that turned out.

[Guest Edgy DC]

A subtle difference is that, subsequently, we found out that Dwight was in a lot of trouble in high school that the media didn't bother reporting.

So, as tedious of this over-reporting is of whatever Milledge's sexual transgression was, it beats the alternative of a whitewash.

I think Dwight's parents were older and it was easy for him to hoodwink them.

For what it's worth --- and taking race somewhat out of the equation --- we also received a lot of publicity about what fine peeps the Wrights were/are. Outranking a highway patrolman, Rhon Wright is the captain of vice narcotics in Norfolk, VA.. It would be almost impressive if David hoodwinked him.

[Guest Edgy DC]

The Rafters hold on to win 6-3. Lastings Milledge getting plunked and scoring the initial run is the lone contribution of Met prospects in the game. He went on to fan twice and ground into a double play.

I'm giving Duncan --- 2-4 with that RBI triple and two runs scored --- the player of the game.

[Guest Edgy DC]

November 1: Wrap / Box

In an All Souls Day war of attrition, the Grand Canyon Rafters battled the Mesa Solar Sox to a 1-1 tie after eleven innings. The lone Rafter run was driven in by Lastings Milledge on a sacrifice fly.

There should be no ties in baseball. We should weep as a nation when one is declared.

Player of the Game: Twins prospect Travis Bowyer, who pitched the last two innings, striking out three, and giving up just one hit.

Mets Player of the Game: Evan McLane, who had perhaps the best outing of a sorry fall for Mets pitchers, starting and going five innings, scattering eight hits but yielding only one run. Henry Owens, who hung up a 3.15 ERA in 54.1 innings at St. Lucie this season, also threw two scoreless innings.

[Guest Edgy DC]

November 2: Wrap / Box

The Rafters keep future Mets out of the lineup and pay the price with an 8-4 loss to the Mesa Solar Sox.

PotG: Marlins prospect Josh Wilson --- who you may remember as one of the under-ripe infielders who batted behind Dontrelle Willis against the Mets --- hit a two-run homer from the ninth batting slot. Also notable was Yankee farmhand Bronson Sardinha (2-5, with a triple) and Matt Smith, another gestating Yankee, who threw two scoreless.

Mets PotG: Any Wilson was the only future Met on the field. He went 1-4, caught, and gave up two steals.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Lastings is excited to chill with Davey Johnson some more.

Milledge adjusting well

Lastings Milledge says that he's seeing the ball better than before.

[Guest Edgy DC]

November 5: Wrap / Box

In a batters' battle, Brandon Wood homered for the Surprise... again. Wood's 13th homer is an AFL record, this time taking Nick Ungs deep on an 0-2 pitch. He's positively abused Grand Canyon and, at this point, he's a man playing with boys. And girls. He should be forced to play with weighted shoes or two beers in him or something.

PotG: Yankee prospect Tony Sardinha went 3-5 with a homer, two runs scored, and an RBI. He narrowly edges DH Kevin Mahar (Rangers), who went 2-3 with a double, 3 RBI and two runs scored, as well as...

Mets PotG: Lastings Milledge, who went 2-4 with a walk, a triple a run scored and four --- count 'em --- four RBI.

The porous effort by the pitching staff was contributed to by the Mets' Henry Owens, who yielded three runs in his two-inning stint. Andy Wilson caught nine long innings and went 1-4 with a double and a run scored, despite being picked off. I guess he got picked but was safe on an error.

Basically the only Rafter who didn't add to the attack was Eric Duncan, who went 0-5 and, after having a great fall, is making the grudge match with Lastings Milledge look a little more interesting.

Player	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
Milledge	20	81	19	26	4	2	4	18	46	6	15	5	2	.321	.378	.568
Duncan	23	94	26	34	9	1	8	27	69	10	29	0	1	.362	.423	.734

Pretty big for Duncan to have that .734 slugging percentage after going 0-5.

[Valadius]

I will say it again. Brandon Wood is going to be a star.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Pretty safe bet (as safe as a prospect bet can be, anyhow) at this point.

[Frayed Knot]

Lastings Milledge; hard working boy

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/2005afl/051107notebook.html

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Hard workin' boy
Hard workin' boy
Don't you be tradin' him
If you do, you'll make us cry

This song parody stuff is making me crazy.

[Guest Rotblatt]

Milledge's final line:
94 AB, .330 AVG/.402 OBP/.574 SLG/.976 OPS, 17 K, 10 BB, 7 SB, 2 CS

Let's keep this one.

[Theoldmole]

Milledge = keeper.

[Valadius]

Bye-bye Cameron Diaz, hello Lastings.

[Guest Rotblatt]

Valadius wrote: Bye-bye Cameron Diaz, hello Lastings.

I like it. Maybe not at the start of this year, but by 2007, count me in.

I mean, Milledge was one of the youngest guys in the AFL this year, and he was solid across the board--tied for 16th in BA, 14th in SLG, 14th in OBP, tied for 3rd in steals, and 18th in BB. I think he was 12th in OPS.

I would consider him as close to a sure thing as Joe Mauer was.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Let's not sell anybody down the river yet.