All-Purpose 2006 Where Have You Gone... Former Mets Thread

[Guest Edgy DC]

Richard Hidalgo, minor league deal with the O's.

Any update on Elio?

[nymr83]

Edgy DC wrote: Roberto Petagine, looking to the Mariners to be the latest team to under-utilize him.

the poster-boy for a guy who never got the chance he deserved, he's probaby too old for it to matter now but he really deserved 500 ABs somewhere, somehow to show what he can do.

[Frayed Knot]

Yancy Street Gang wrote: A lot of people are Googling Elio Chacon today. I have no idea why.

86 Across in this week's Sunday NYTimes crossword was: 'Shortstop Chacon of the 1962 Mets' which could have sent numerous folks scrambling for Google in an effort to decipher; E L I O

I realize that you posted this on Saturday but those with home delivery often get some of the supplements ahead of time and, amongst certain Manhattan-ites, there's almost a race to see who can buy the first full "Sunday" copies as they begin to hit the stands late Saturday afternoon.

[Guest Rotblatt]

From Adam Rubin's Notes section in today's Daily News:

]SEO STEAMED: Jae Seo, shipped to the Dodgers, may harbor bitterness toward the Mets. Word out of Vero Beach is the ex-Met has declined to autograph baseball cards or anything else with his former team's logo.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

="Frayed Knot"] ="Yancy Street Gang"]A lot of people are Googling Elio Chacon today. I have no idea why. 86 Across in this week's Sunday NYTimes crossword was: 'Shortstop Chacon of the 1962 Mets' which could have sent numerous folks scrambling for Google in an effort to decipher; E L I O I realize that you posted this on Saturday but those with home delivery often get some of the supplements ahead of time and, amongst certain Manhattan-ites, there's almost a race to see who can buy the first full "Sunday" copies as they begin to hit the stands late Saturday afternoon.

That's it! Some of the Google searches were for that exact phrase: Shortstop Chacon of the 1962 Mets.

Thanks for clearing up that mini-mystery!

[metirish]

Vern Ruhle to get treatment for cancer

[Guest Rotblatt]

A nice article from the Daily News about Piazza & Cameron, who officially harbor no ill will towards the Mets.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/story/396441p-336020c.html

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

Rotblatt wrote: A nice article from the Daily News about Piazza & Cameron, who officially harbor no ill will towards the Mets. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/story/396441p-336020c.html

Man, do I look forward to Jose Reyes and Beltran and maybe Carlos Delgado running Mikey ragged. It will be good to be on the other end of that ludicrous inequity for once, won't it?

[Guest Rotblatt]

Bret Sabermetric wrote: Man, do I look forward to Jose Reyes and Beltran and maybe Carlos Delgado running Mikey ragged. It will be good to be on the other end of that ludicrous inequity for once, won't it?

Hah. That will be pretty fun to watch, although it's such a reflex for me to pray as hard as I can that THIS TIME Piazza will nail them--or at least get a bullshit call his way--that I might just get really confused.

[MFS62]

Ex-Met Jose Oquendo is managing the Puerto Rican team in the WBC.

Later

[Guest Edgy DC]

Googling your way out of the crossword puzzle is cheap.

Stanley Jefferson, chilling in Co-Op City, Section 5.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Dwight Gooden, prohibitive probation.

Mike Cameron, taking nothing for granted.

[Guest Edgy DC]

John Valentin, batting coach for your Binghamton Mets.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Not a lot here, besides half of the Puerto Rico roster having Mets connections. Oh, and Dwight Gooden being back in stripes.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Here we go... Alberto Castillo, author of one of the coolest opening day moments in Met history, now a US citizen.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Doug Mientkiewicz, comfortable.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Turk Wendell hates to say he told you so...

http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/rozner.asp?id=167877

[Guest Edgy DC]

Good stuff, if some of it perhaps distorted. (It's not like they're all going to die.)

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

Johnny Dickshot wrote: Turk Wendell hates to say he told you so... http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/rozner.asp?id=167877

]Months later, the two met by happenstance in a ballpark weight room, Wendell said, and Bonds cursed at Wendell and challenged him to come say it to his face. So, Wendell said, he walked over to Bonds and said it again. �I told him that it�s his problem, not mine, and that he�s the one who�s going to have to answer these questions every day for the rest of his life, not me,�� Wendell said. �Everyone in the weight room got real close to us, but nothing happened. He didn�t really have anything to say, and I left.��

Cool article JD - thanks for the link.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Vance Wilson, defensive back.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Lotsa people googling Ron Swoboda today.

I wonder what's up?

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

The Swoboda surge is growing as the day advances.

I hope he's still alive and hasn't been arrested.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Stars & Stripes reports:

]1969 'Miracle Mets' star Swoboda meets with troops on Okinawa By Dave Ornauer, Stars and Stripes Pacific edition, Saturday, March 18, 2006 A slice of baseball history made its way through the halls of four USO outlets on Okinawa on Thursday: 1969 World Series hero Ron Swoboda. He�s the outfielder whose circus catch in Game 4 of the 1969 Fall Classic helped the New York Mets bring down the Baltimore Orioles in five games. And on Thursday he spent time giving autographs, shaking hands and sharing memories with troops at United Service Organizations facilities at camps Schwab and Hansen, Marine Corps Air Station Futenma and Kadena Air Base. �It�s very interesting,� said Camp Schwab Cpl. Jason Morgan, 21, of Corning, N.Y., who was born 16 years after Swoboda�s heroics but said he�d read enough about the diving catch to know who Swoboda is. �It�s a real morale boost for us.� Morgan was one of a handful of Marines and airmen who took time from their duty day to have Swoboda sign baseballs and photos of himself from his playing days, with the Mets from 1965-70, half a season with the Montreal Expos and his last three years with the New York Yankees. Swoboda last set foot on Okinawa while en route to and from South Vietnam in 1969, just after the Mets emerged from the depths of the National League their first seven seasons to a surprise World Series championship. Now 61, Swoboda�s message to troops on Okinawa is the same as it was in 1969: �We care about you being here to sacrifice the time to make a visit,� he said. Swoboda�s current weeklong Okinawa tour, which began Tuesday, is being sponsored by the USO in support of Special Olympics on Okinawa. Among his activities, Swoboda will throw out the first ball for Saturday�s Kadena and Kubasaki High School baseball and girls softball opening games at Chibana Recreation Area.

[Guest Edgy DC]

He joined the Yanks in 1972. I always like to think of him as the first Met hero gobbled up by Steinbrenner, but George didn't take over the Yanks until 1973.

The first ex-Met acquired by Steinbrenner's Yankees was a decided non-hero --- Sandy Alomar. There really are no examples of Met-hording until after 1986.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

That's great. It's nice to see a surge due to something good. Just a few days ago I was wondering whether Elliott Maddox curing a disease would have as big an impact as Kevin Mitchell beheading a cat or Doc Gooden getting arrested.

Let's see where this goes. It would be great if Swoboda gets more hits today than Doc did a few days ago. (Based on current numbers, it's a possibility.)

Nice find, Johnny!

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Google News: making ordinary guys look like hyper-aware newshounds since 2004.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Swoboda also lost some property to Katrina, did he not?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Tank, hurt.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Fernando Vina, cut loose.

Davey Johnson, flying wtih the Birds.

[MFS62]

Edgy DC wrote: Swoboda also lost some property to Katrina, did he not?

Not only that but IIRC people were unsuccessful in contacting him for several days after the flooding stopped. Seems he was out of town and unaware that many feared for his safety.

Later