Life Goes On: Continuing Careers of Ex Mets - 2012

[Ceetar]

Perception of the seven-time All-Star (a career .366/.485/.817 hitter in the postseason) was so colored by the image of his frozen bat that Adam Wainwright, who unleashed the curveball that Beltran watched, avoided throwing breaking balls to his new teammate during batting practice this spring.

come on. Really?

[metsmarathon]

i've got no problem with that. i don't it had anything to do with wainwright wanting to protect the public image of carlo sbeltran, but him being a good dude to the new guy on his team.

he'd be a fucking asshole if, in spring training, all he threw to beltran were massive curves to the inside corner, yelling after each pitch, "remember that one, fuckface? how bout again? bam! another curve! keep watching! hey look, it's yadier molina - bam, another curve! wait, let me take off my world series ring... never mind. bam! another curve! welcome to the cardinals! bam! another curve! had enough? bam! another one!"

[seawolf17]

You know, if Beltran had signed with the MFYs, that they would have asked Sabathia to do exactly that.

[Ceetar]

metsmarathon wrote: i've got no problem with that. i don't it had anything to do with wainwright wanting to protect the public image of carlo sbeltran, but him being a good dude to the new guy on his team. he'd be a fucking asshole if, in spring training, all he threw to beltran were massive curves to the inside corner, yelling after each pitch, "remember that one, fuckface? how bout again? bam! another curve! keep watching! hey look, it's yadier molina - bam, another curve! wait, let me take off my world series ring... never mind. bam! another curve! welcome to the cardinals! bam! another curve! had enough? bam! another one!"

I just don't believe they altered what Wainwright was going to throw to get ready for the season because of one event 6 years ago. I'm questioning that it even happened, and if it did it was a coincidence of Adam not throwing breaking pitches at that point in Spring. And umm..do pitchers often throw curveballs in batting practice?

Where's the Beltran quote "Fans need to get over that. It was 6 years ago. I've moved on." Or did it not fit with the story he wanted to tell?

[G-Fafif]

Doubleheader boosts Marlins' Jose Reyes's hit streak to 22. Ron Gardenhire's Twins beat Bobby Valentine's Red Sox in 10. Robin Ventura's White Sox stick the Angels' Hisanori Takahashi with his 3rd loss against zero wins.

[Edgy MD]

The current Mets shortstop has a ten-game hit streak of his own.

[G-Fafif]

Erstwhile Met 3B Ty Wigginton goes 1-for-1 as Phillies top Diamondbacks.

Erstwhile Met IF Wilson Valdez goes 0-for-3 as Reds top Pirates.

And erstwhile Met SS Jose Reyes goes 3-for-4, scores 4 runs, extends hitting streak to 23 games and raises average to .288 as Marlins fall to erstwhile MGR Davey Johnson's Nationals, 10-7.

Non-erstwhile Mets clinch a winning trip, meanwhile.

[Fman99]

Endy Chavez, sporting a woeful .190/.222/.281 line in Baltimore, DFA'd to make room for Nate McLouth on their roster.

[G-Fafif]

Reyes, like Tejada, continues his hitting streak. Jose's is 24. Fish lose anyway.

Darren O'Day, Luis Ayala and Omar Quintanilla lead O's to 1-0 win over Jeff Keppinger's Rays.

[Edgy MD]

Fartinez called back up by Astros.

[Frayed Knot]

From Sunday's eX-Files: eX-er Jose Reyes broke up eX-er Chris Capuano's no-hit bid with a single in the 7th inning.

[MFS62]

Edgy DC wrote: Fartinez called back up by Astros.

He's 2 for 13 in his 1st four games since being recalled.

Later

[G-Fafif]

Davey Johnson, profiled deep and adoringly, by ESPN's Steve Wulf.

Howie Rose, the Mets' radio play-by-play man, worked with Johnson closely when Davey was managing at Shea, and Rose said, "[Johnson] was my baseball professor. Every day we would do a pregame show, and I would pick his brain. I learned so much about the game from those sessions that I can actually say I wouldn't be where I am today without his help." [...] He's certainly not afraid to challenge authority. "One of the very first shows I did with him in '87," Howie Rose said, "he wasn't happy about the way Frank Cashen, the general manager, had dealt with an injury to pitcher Roger McDowell. So right there, he says, 'And Frank Cashen did a dumb thing today.' At the end of the interview, I ask him if he wants to take it back, and he says, 'Hell, no, I said it for a f------ reason.'"

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I'd known he'd had health problems, he has the look of a guy who lost weight due to medical issues. I did not realize 5 stomach surgeries following an undiagnosed burst appendix. Geez.

[G-Fafif]

In the dugout where he belongs, before the last game in New York last week, Johnson repeated a question: "What do I see when I look in the mirror? First of all, I'm shocked. Some part of me still thinks I'm 19. How did I get to be so old? But I see a happy man. Not happy like when we won the World Series in 1966 -- that was all about me. Happy like I was in '86, when we brought joy to a city. It's much better when you share it."

[G-Fafif]

Robin Ventura manages a team that leads its division by three games with sixteen to play.

[MFS62]

Prentice Redman had two hits for the Indie League Bridgeport Bluefish the other night.

Later

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Fman99 wrote: Endy Chavez, sporting a woeful .190/.222/.281 line in Baltimore, DFA'd to make room for Nate McLouth on their roster.

He's back, and on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Manny Acta to file for unemployment, Sandy Alomar Jr. to interimize.

[Met Hunter]

This year's edition of 'Where did they go right?' features exMetsies that found their way into the 2012 playoffs. Bud's 'Stay for a day or play all the way' format.

Leading off for the Buck-O's-Luis Ayala. A couple of Met favorites Omar 'couldn't handle the rigors of the 2012 Mets standards' Quintanilla and Endy 'hit the ball, I catch the ball' Chavez and coach Wayne Kirby.

For Larry's Bravos, the other Miggy-Miguel Batista, and the man who makes everyone in Atlanta say Leo who?, pitching coach Roger McDowell.

The Tigers represent with old fossil Octavio Dotel.

Big Red Machine goes with super subs, the definitely not that Miggy, Miguel Cairo and strong armed Wilson Valdez.

Texas has Greggies bro, pitching coach Mike Maddux.

Lastly, the Giants, the opposite of our Citi by the Bay (unfortunately in our case its Jason) sport a boat load of where are they now talent,
Guillermo 'will you ever retire?' Mota
Joaquin 'your welcome Matt Cain' Arias
Marco 'Scoots' Scutaro
Angel 'better than Andres' Pagan
The X-factor Mr Nady
and led by pumpkin headed Bruce Bochy

Some honorable mention go to Texas coach Gary Pettis, minor league talent Jesus Flores of DC and Yusemerio Petit in SF. Chip Hale who found out that Moneyball beats out Terryball. Of course the Gnats have old Davey.

Not too many this year. I guess current Mets either find the trap door to the abyss after leaving the team or are forced to spend eternity in the Mets system. Something that can be as painful to us as it is them.

Thankfully no MFYs.

[G-Fafif]

Jayson Stark praising Carlos Beltran's postseason bona fides to the hilt, as if everything he's ever done isn't automatically defined by one unfortunately timed strikeout.

For Carlos Beltran, meanwhile, there isn't an experience in his career he would trade for the season he has spent with this team. He has been a gigantic part of what the Cardinals have become and where they've lifted themselves. But he still finds himself in, well, awe of what he has seen the men around him do -- starting with the unforgettable rally from six runs down Friday night in D.C. "I didn't sleep that night," he said Sunday, two days after that postseason comeback for the ages. "I still go like this sometimes." He looked at the folks around him. He shook his head. Side to side. Then side to side again. He looked around again to make sure everyone had gotten his drift. "I shake my head," he went on. "My wife says to me, 'Why are you shaking your head?' I say, 'It's unbelievable what happened.' It was just incredible, how we were able to win that ball game, how we were able to put up those at-bats. I mean, it was incredible." Beltran was as emotional after that game as people who have known him for years have ever seen him. And he credited his teammates for lifting him to that unique place in time. But on Sunday, he was the one lifting them, with a mammoth two-run homer that floated back to earth a third of the way up the bleachers in left. It was just a year ago that Beltran spent the last two months of his season playing in this park, for the Giants. So he knows well that, thanks to pitcher-friendly inventions like the Northern California marine layer, not all mammoth fly balls turn into game-breaking home runs. But for once, when this one left the bat, he wasn't worried. "With this one, as soon as I hit it, I knew I hit it good," he said. "Last year here, yes, I hit some balls and went, 'Wow, I got this one,' and no chance. They never even made it to the warning track. But this time, I knew." When that baseball landed, the Cardinals had a 6-0 fourth-inning lead, and a large enough cushion to withstand a four-run Giants rally in the bottom of the fourth. But it also represented one more opportunity to appreciate what a special player Beltran has been on this October stage. After 133 postseason trips to the plate, Beltran's career October OPS is now 1.305. That ranks him No. 1 in the history of baseball. His OBP is now .481. That's also No. 1. Only one other National Leaguer in history has ever hit more postseason home runs than the 14 Beltran has now hit -- Albert Pujols (18). And only two other men, period, own at least 14 postseason home runs and a postseason batting average of .325 or better. One is Pujols. The other is Babe Ruth. But when Beltran was asked Sunday night, after his third home run of this postseason, if "this is your time," he preferred to think big picture. "I don't see it that way," he said. "This is about a team. This is about us, trying to go out there and win. I'm just trying to do my part � and it feels like good things are happening. I can't explain what it is. Right now, the way I feel, I feel calm. I feel relaxed. I'm not trying to do too much. I'm just letting the game come to me." But he also understands that he's 35 now, that health isn't something he can take for granted, and that he finds himself playing for a team that could finally allow him to make his long-time World Series dreams come true. "Playing in the World Series, that's a dream for me," he said. "And since I signed, since my first day in the big leagues, I always wanted to have that opportunity. � And I understand now that winning the World Series is not an easy thing to do. Look at what happened in Texas. They've been to the World Series twice. They never win it. And that shows how hard it is to win a World Series. "In my case, God only knows how many more chances I'm going to get. So I'm just enjoying myself, and enjoying this time." Maybe, after all these years, after a journey that has taken him from Kansas City to Houston, from New York to San Francisco, and now, finally, to St. Louis, he is finally in the right time and place. There are too many games left to play in this postseason to say that for sure, of course, and too many games left to win. But he finds himself now on a team that just seems to get what October baseball is all about. And it keeps proving it, night after spine-tingling night.

[A Boy Named Seo]

Been hitting the cages like a crazed man the last coupla months, trying to get back in 'game shape' to join an over 35 league in LA. Was checking out this league and saw the Sunday National MVP was a bro named Glendon Rusch. Was told there's a fair few ex-pros bouncing around. Gotta be, no?

[metirish]

Been hitting the cages like a crazed man the last coupla months, trying to get back in 'game shape' to join an over 35 league in LA. Was checking out this league and saw the Sunday National MVP was a bro named Glendon Rusch. Was told there's a fair few ex-pros bouncing around. Gotta be, no?

from wiki

Rusch is currently playing in the PBL League in California.


same league?


can't be for the money unless he blew it all


http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/ruschgl01.shtml


made over $15 million in his career

[Frayed Knot]

Yeah nobody plays in those leagues for the money (if there's even money to be had there). They play mostly for the competition and the enjoyment, or possibly to keep in shape for any last-chance opportunity that might pop up.

A friend of mine was playing in an over-35 (or similar) league on Long Island a bunch of years ago and found himself facing a recently retired MLB pitcher. I forget the guy's name now, he was never a high-profile guy in the first place although was only a year or two removed from his career and had actually pitched in a WS some 18 months prior.


on edit: I believe this was the guy I was talking about above.
Turns out he was only in the A's AAA system in 1988 so did not pitch in that year's WS and was out of baseball a year later. And it was probably a year or two after that where my friend was in a league with him in what must have been an over-30 BB league on L.I.

[A Boy Named Seo]

And he plays for the Mets, too. Hot damn. Back row, 2nd dude on the left.

[metirish]

Gained a "few" stone!

I remember Bobby V loved him, pitched well during his time here, a good guy.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I'm guessing that he eats a lot of innings and corned beef hash.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

They pay him in tacos.

[Frayed Knot]

I think it's nice that the team brought back Roy McMillan (top right) to play SS

[Vic Sage]

And he plays for the Mets, too. Hot damn. Back row, 2nd dude on the left.

Nah, that's the dude that SWALLOWED him.

And that kid with Down Syndrome, who played "Corky" on the TV show LIFE GOES ON... isn't that him 3rd from the right, in the front?
i'm so happy for him.