At least our injury problems aren't this bad...

[seawolf17]

Yanks sign Billy Crystal

(I know, I know, Garth Brooks. At least Brooks was in his prime.)

[Benjamin Grimm]

Billy Crystal sucks.

[metirish]

Crystal is a Wankers cramp.

[Benjamin Grimm]

The Mets should let Jerry Seinfeld play in a game on the same day that Billy Crystal does.

[Guest themetfairy]

Every time I see Garth Brooks I say, "There's our third baseman."

Then I have to explain to most people what I mean.

[soupcan]

Len Berman on Channel 4 News last night reported on the Crystal story. He showed a clip of Kevin Costner playing for his alma mater - Cal State Fullerton I think - in an exhibition game against the Angels a year or so back. He was playing in the infield and a pop-up was hit. Nothing difficult about it, simple everyday infield pop. Costner dropped it.

I'm thinking - here's Kevin Costner who obvioulsly fancies himself a pro-ballplayer if not a full-fledged major-leaguer. He gets himself in an actual game and screws up the easiest play there is. Schmuck.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Too bad it's the Devil Rays making a mockery of spring training.

[Guest AG/DC]

I never really see Garth Brooks.

[soupcan]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Too bad it's the Devil Rays making a mockery of spring training.

Is that what is being said? Beause of that homeplate collision?

[Guest AG/DC]

I look forward to the Devil Rays regularly making a mockery of the Yankees but soon.

And then rolling over in the post-season, of course.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Yes, the Yankees are whining that their catcher got a boo-boo as the result of the Rays not playing the way they should in spring training. And they along with some dopes in the media think that the Rays should turn on their guy for doing it.

Joe Maddon is a hoot. To the NY reporters asking him if he was planning on having "a talk" with Girardi:

]"I've always liked Joe. If he would like to have a conversation, I'd like to talk about politics. I'm good with global warming. I'm good with a lot of different topics on a daily basis. I like iTunes; I download some stuff off iTunes, I like different restaurants. I like red wine. I have a lot of different areas I can go conversationally."

[Guest AG/DC]

Maddon is making a mockery of the Yankee press corps!

[Guest AG/DC]

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Well, Steinbrenner has been doing stand up comedy through the media for years, so it's fitting that he lets Billy Crystal try his hand at baseball.

[Frayed Knot]

Crystal looked suprisingly good -- even in striking out.

[Benjamin Grimm]

It's better to look good than to play good.

[seawolf17]

Yanks cut Billy Crystal

That's it?!? The guy gets you all that free publicity and you just cut him? Rough, dude. What a bunch of jerks.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

He should have tried to spike someone if he wanted to stick around a little longer.

[Frayed Knot]

Jon Heyman, when asked about Crystal, said that most of the sportswriters didn't like his appearence because, unlike Garth Brooks and some others celebs who spent weeks in camp with the team in exchange for their brief moments of participation, Crystal dropped in just a day in advance and then acted like he owned the joint.

Heyman also admitted that many in the press were anti-Crytals to begin with because they thought he made them, as a group, look like dorks in '*61'

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Frayed Knot wrote: Jon Heyman, when asked about Crystal, said that most of the sportswriters didn't like his appearence because, unlike Garth Brooks and some others celebs who spent weeks in camp with the team in exchange for their brief moments of participation, Crystal dropped in just a day in advance and then acted like he owned the joint. Heyman also admitted that many in the press were anti-Crytals to begin with because they thought he made them, as a group, look like dorks in '*61'

A lot of them are dorks.

And the reason they're angry is that, given the opportunity, each and every one of them would sell their mothers for a chance to take an at-bat in a real game.

At two of my other papers we had sports department guys on the company softball team. I get a little too intense sometimes, but these guys were at a whole different level.

[stevejrogers]

="Frayed Knot"]Jon Heyman, when asked about Crystal, said that most of the sportswriters didn't like his appearence because, unlike Garth Brooks and some others celebs who spent weeks in camp with the team in exchange for their brief moments of participation, Crystal dropped in just a day in advance and then acted like he owned the joint. Heyman also admitted that many in the press were anti-Crytals to begin with because they thought he made them, as a group, look like dorks in '*61'

Other than Brooks, whom else is he referring to there?

Never mind the fact that Brooks' stunts was more than just publicity, he was doing it for a charity he was helping at the time. That's why Brooks spent weeks in camp as opposed to a one day pop-in.

[Fman99]

I would've loved to seen him get knocked on his ass by some high cheese. But I'm kind of a jerk that way.

As joked on the Simpsons, Billy Crystal is the only guy at the ballpark more hated than the umpire.

[Frayed Knot]

"Other than Brooks, whom else is he referring to there?"

Tom Selleck and singer Bruce Hornsby have taken ABs during ST in years past, plus a few others I think.


And I don't particularly care about this issue one way or the other -- it's just that, when Heyman was asked (M&MD chat) about whether he thought the majority of the MLB press would lean towards the 'it's harmless fun' or 'it demeans baseball' camps, I was thrown a bit when he suddenly launched into an anti-BC screed and claimed that as the prevailing view among working scribes.
Kind of poked a hole in the whole funny, fuzzy, cuddly Billy routine too.

[Guest Triple Dee]

Fman99 wrote: I would've loved to seen him get knocked on his ass by some high cheese. But I'm kind of a jerk that way.

No, not really. Crystal hasn't endeared himself terribly well to Mets fans, after comments he made about his character in City Slickers. He said something along the lines of; "He's was the type of guy who could only be a Mets fan".

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

It's not fun
It's not funny

[Benjamin Grimm]

Wasn't Billy Crystal all over the Mets bandwagon back in 1986?

I remember at the time, I thought he was a Mets fan.

[Fman99]

Triple Dee wrote: ="Fman99"]I would've loved to seen him get knocked on his ass by some high cheese. But I'm kind of a jerk that way. No, not really. Crystal hasn't endeared himself terribly well to Mets fans, after comments he made about his character in City Slickers. He said something along the lines of; "He's was the type of guy who could only be a Mets fan".

I'm still a jerk for other things though. But at least it's not for thinking that Billy Crystal is a washed-up old hack.