Continuing Careers of Ex-Mets, 2008 (2009 content too)

[Fman99]

El Duque picked up by Texas, always looking for starting pitching.

[MFS62]

And now warming up in the bullpen:

http://www.newarkbears.com/thebears/currentroster/index.html?player_id=92

Later

[Guest Swan Swan H]

There are at least ten former major leaguers on the Newark team, if the roster on that page is current.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Season(possibly career?)-ending surgery for Jason Isringhausen.

[DocTee]

There are at least ten former major leaguers on the Newark team, if the roster on that page is current.

13 by my count if you look at the full roster.

[Farmer Ted]

Raines, Torrez, and Karkovice as coaches for the N-Bears.

[Guest Edgy DC]

"N-Bears" sounds kinda racist.

Meanwhile, the end may be nigh for Cliff.

[Frayed Knot]

Endy done for the year w/Seattle thanks to torn knee ligaments following a crash into the SS while going after a short fly.

[Valadius]

Poor Endy.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Former Mets leftfielders going down even faster than active ones.

[MFS62]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) � The Minnesota Twins have designated reliever Luis Ayala for assignment in the latest move to address their struggling bullpen.

The Twins say they bring up right-hander Bobby Keppel from Triple-A Rochester in time for Tuesday's game at Milwaukee.
From Rotoworld:

**************************************
I remember when he was known as Bob Keppel and was a Mets farmhand.

Later

[Benjamin Grimm]

I bet there's a fascinating story about how he switched from "Bob" to "Bobby."

[MFS62]

I bet there's a fascinating story about how he switched from "Bob" to "Bobby."[/quote:36wv4g68]
Maybe he thinks that Bobby will make him seem younger.

Later

[Fman99]

Forgot to post it but Tony Clark had a Castillo-esque error on a routine play the other day in Arizona, playing first.

Bases loaded, bottom of 9th and someone grounds to the left size. Instead of catching it Clark boots the ball and the D-Backs lose. I feel for the guy.

[Guest Edgy DC]

[MFS62]

Mags makes the news:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4290317&campaign=rss&source=MLBHeadlines

Later

[Fman99]

Luis Ayala, DFA'd by the Twinks.

[Fman99]

Luis Ayala, picked up by the Marlins. That didn't take long.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well his DFA-ness actually goes back to June 23rd. He was probably claimed earlier, but the claim doeesn't go through unless he's gone 10 days without being traded.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Tom Martin continues to rehab in St. Lucie from several consecutive injuries to his legs. He needs the equivelant of one full season on a big league roster to qualify for his pension, so look for him to hang around as long as he can. If he was healthy, he almost certainly would have been called on before Misch and probably before Takahashi.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Carlos Gomez, afraid of ghosts.


BC-BBN--Haunted Hotel,0814

[Guest Edgy DC]

A lot of stories coming out recently about the Pfister. Makes me think Milwaukee has a pub staff working overtime. But Jon Switzer will tell you it's Tampa's Renaissance Vinoy that you want to stay away from.

http://cranepoolforum.net/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=10906

[MFS62]

Looks like Aaron Heilman is going to be afraid of Cardinals:
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/boxscore;_ylt=AprtDAzWqhfUAJK_3qKgHoMRvLYF?gid=290710116

Later

[Guest Edgy DC]

Jamar Hill turns up in Edmonton, wearing one of those creepy Metsy venting sleestack helmets.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/Hill+continues+tough+climb+ranks/1785814/story.html

Hill continues tough climb up ranks

Costa Rican slugger gains new appreciation for game following father's murder

By Paul Owen, Freelance

July 13, 2009

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/www.edmontonjournal.com/hill+continues+tough+climb+ranks/1785814/1785815.bin

With a renewed passion for the game, Jamar Hill of the Victoria seals leads the golden league in home runs heading into the all-star break.

Photograph by: Brian Gavriloff, The Journal., FreelanceNo one else in Jamar Hill's family played baseball.

It wasn't a popular sport in Costa Rica, where his family comes from, but that didn't stop his father, Ernesto, from telling him to go ahead and play ball.

Now, Hill, a six-foot-three outfielder with the Victoria Seals, leads the Golden Baseball League with 12 home runs heading into the all-star break, but Ernesto isn't around to witness it. He was murdered in Costa Rica on Feb. 27.

A tragic precursor to the season, Hill has come out of it with a change in philosophy after a pre-season visit to his father's home.

"I went to the house where my dad had been living there, and there were people staying there and they had moved most of his stuff," Hill said.

"The only thing that was left there was a pin-up board right in front of a table where he'd probably eat all of his meals, and there were pictures of me in my baseball uniform.

"I think I've been able to try and enjoy myself more because it kind of put everything into perspective that a lot of people draw joy in being able to check up on me and see that I'm playing."

Hill certainly has reason to enjoy himself as he is having his best season since he swatted 26 home runs in 2004 as a member of the Single-A Capital City Bombers, an affiliate of the New York Mets.

"That lesson has helped me to really be able to appreciate the guys I play with and pay attention to everything that's going on and really absorb myself in the experience of playing on this team," Hill said.

Of course, it helps for the slugger to be learning from a pretty good mentor.

Hill has been picking the brain of manager Darrell Evans, who hit 414 home runs over 20 major league seasons.

Evans has helped Hill become at ease with his style of play, which has seen him draw 35 walks and compile a .408 on-base percentage this season.

"I would have seasons in the past where I would walk and I wouldn't really be comfortable with it. I wouldn't trust it because I felt like I needed to be swinging the bat. (Evans) has helped me along to just be able to trust it and let the game come to you -- appreciate those walks because you earn them," Hill admitted.

"I think we tend to (think) in baseball that you're not going to show somebody something if you don't swing the bat," he added.

But while Hill has been leaning on his manager's experience to guide him, he's also been treating Evans to new achievements. Such was the case on July 2 against the Tucson Toros, when Hill knocked four balls out of Victoria's Royal Athletic Park in the same game, a feat that has only happened 15 times at the major league level.

"I'd never seen that ever, not even close, and I played with Aaron and McCovey and all those guys," Evans said.

"I don't even think I swung and missed at all that game. Every swing was like a swing that you'd close your eyes and picture in your head," Hill said with a grin.

"All my teammates were saying, 'Stop it. Knock it off. You won't hit three,'and I'd think to myself, 'I want to hit three. I'm going to try to hit three. I'm going to try to hit four,'and I wouldn't think about anything else other than that."

While all this would be plenty of reason for Hill to smile, he insists that he'd feel the same even if he was struggling, that he's turned a page where baseball has become about having fun again.

"Before it was always, 'I have to worry about my average; I got to worry about this, that or whatever.' (Now), I could be hitting .400, I could be hitting .092, I would still feel like this is a really fun season for me."

[Guest Edgy DC]

Livan Hernandez, signed by the Nats and starting tonight against the Cubs.

Jae Weong Seo, struggling to find his way back from injuries with the Kia Tigers back in Korea after signing for 1.3 billion won.

Ryan Church, trying to return tonight after missing the last few games with an aggravated sacroiliac joint. An aggravated sacroiliac joint. That's right. Because you can't take the Met out of the man.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Sacroiliac?

Heavens to Mergatroid! I thought only Snagglepuss had one of those!

[dgwphotography]

I don't know why, but this gave me a much needed laugh this morning.

[metirish]

I don't know why, but this gave me a much needed laugh this morning.[/quote:21qz6rep]

You're in mourning over Teddy , I can tell.

[Farmer Ted]

According to (drum roll please)...TMZ!

Just days after being dropped by the New York Mets for being a terrible baseball player, Livan Hernandez had a lawsuit dropped in his lap for allegedly being a terrible payer.

A guy named Franklin Vizcaino -- who claims to have been Hernandez's personal driver -- just filed a lawsuit in NY claiming the pitcher owes him $15,800.

TMZ spoke with Vizcaino, who gave us the breakdown on the cash: $7500 for unpaid wages -- and the rest, he claims, is what's owed to him after Hernandez borrowed (and then wrecked) his Lincoln Navigator back in June.

Vizcaino wants his nearly 16 grand back, plus interest and whatever the court will add onto it for his troubles.

[Fman99]

Lenny Dykstra, self-professed giant prick (give/take), now living in his car and not too far from becoming a real life parody of Mark Wahlberg beating himself off in front of weirdos in parking lots in the last 40 minutes of "Boogie Nights."

If you watch the video on that link you can see how the house is gutted, I suspect Lenny was selling the appliances and fixtures to pay for more private jet runs.