Random Mets Jibber Jabber

[ashie62]

Ceetar wrote:

Very nice..I'm still calling it Shea.

[Ceetar]

Benjamin Grimm wrote:

pretty sure Pink is playing both sides of the fence.

[metsmarathon]

she can play my side of the fnece any time she wants to

[Fman99]

Benjamin Grimm wrote:

I'd like to see her pink.

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

Grimm's post and all the response to it are blank for me.

[Ceetar]

Mets � Willets Point wrote: Grimm's post and all the response to it are blank for me.

it's a victoria secret ad.

[batmagadanleadoff]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Ceetar wrote: Carlos Beltran has 2 homers and 7 RBIs and IT'S THE FOURTH INNING he didn't add too much more, just a couple hits. 4/5 on the night, but that's pretty neat. (off A.J. Burnett) Selected stats for Beltran and NL rank. He's MVP caliber, so far. HR's 7 (2nd T) RC27 8.03 (6th) RC 19 (6th) OPS .933 (10th) OBP .398 (8th) BB's 16 (7th) Power-Speed 5.8 (1st) Off. Win % .759 (8th) RBI 18 (7th)

Beltran's hit five more HR's since I wrote the quoted post above, a week and a half ago. If Beltran keeps it up, this Wheeler kid better turn out to be a good one.

[Gwreck]

For measurement purposes, Beltran's production vis-a-vis Wheeler's ends at the end of 2011. The Mets could've had Beltran back in 2012 if they wanted.

[Ceetar]

Tuesday Next.

[HahnSolo]

I didn't even know there was a Chicago Bull mascot.

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

A Year To Remember.

[Guest The Second Spitter]

Fred was partially right.....and Omar was a little useless....




I break down the above list as follows: We are not surrounded by illustrious company.

[Ceetar]

missed this one from Cowboy day.

Josh Lewin wrote: The rootinest' tootinest dang broadcast booth this side of the pecos. #wfan #mets #hopalongmajkowski yfrog.com/g07eouyj

[Valadius]

Go see Men in Black 3. Will Smith's character goes back in time to 1969. I won't say any more.

[bmfc1]

Valadius wrote: Go see Men in Black 3. Will Smith's character goes back in time to 1969. I won't say any more.

Absolutely. Good movie--and a must for every Mets fan.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Some week. The Mets unfurl their first Banner Day in over 15 years; go 5-2 in their last seven games - four of the five wins are complete game shutouts; see the first player in franchise history whose last name starts with "Q"; have a fringe starter who's on the team only because of several injuries to others crush a no doubt about it HR in his 2nd ML start ... a HR that would've cleared the wall in old cavernous Citi Field; a knuckleballer who was hanging on for his baseball life a few years ago continue his run of domination of historic magnitude and hurl himself into the forefront of the Cy Young award race; and then the no-hitter. Johan will no doubt be the second straight Met to win the NL Player of the Week Award. And for the first time this season, ESPN's playoff odds now calculates that the Mets are likelier to make the playoffs than the Philadelphia Phillies.


<----------- Look who I am be.

[Edgy MD]

Nickeas hits a grand slam and gets shipped out. Baxter saves a no-hitter and hits the DL. Nobody leaves the room until he makes a memory indelible enough to at least earn him a share of the post-season pie.

[Ceetar]

Edgy DC wrote: Nickeas hits a grand slam and gets shipped out. Baxter saves a no-hitter and hits the DL. Nobody leaves the room until he makes a memory indelible enough to at least earn him a share of the post-season pie.

Nickeas didn't go anywhere. I'm not sure Rob Johnson had any real delible contribution.

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

86 World Series Game 6 recreated by Kenyan students.

[youtube:asq8ulua]1Eksrw4QSSs[/youtube:asq8ulua]

[MFS62]

They did such a good job reenacting it that it makes me wonder - did Mookie miss first base?

Later

[batmagadanleadoff]

Jay Jaffe's sensible and even-keeled state of the Mets, written right after the third game of the St. Looey series, which includes more on the Mets run differential and close game outcomes.

Mets� moment in the sun may not last Johan Santana�s no-hitter on Friday night was the biggest story of the Mets� weekend, given both the pitcher�s comeback and the franchise�s lack of a no-no in its first half century, but Saturday and Sunday were pretty good, too. Behind R.A. Dickey�s shutout on Saturday and Jon Niese�s career-high 10 strikeouts on Sunday, the Mets held the Cardinals � who came into the series as the NL�s highest-scoring team � to one run in the first three games of their four-game wraparound series that concludes Monday afternoon. In doing so, they moved into a three-way tie atop the NL East. They shouldn�t get too comfortable there. Even by beating the Cardinals by a combined score of 19-1, the Mets� run differential for the season is ?6 runs; they�ve been outscored 245-239, though their record is 31-23. No team in either league has outdistanced their expected (Pythagorean) record by a wider margin than their 5.1 wins, or posted a better winning percentage in one- and two-run games than their .727 (on a 16-6 record). And perhaps none has outdistanced its preseason expectations than the team that began the year under one of the darkest financial clouds in recent memory, not to mention the indignity of losing free agent Jose Reyes, the franchise�s marquee player, to the division-rival Marlins. Despite the weekend�s lockdown of the NL�s top offense, run prevention has been the Mets� weak spot. Their 4.54 runs per game allowed is the league�s third-worst, but that�s not all on the pitching staff. Rather, their ranking parallels their 14th-ranked defensive efficiency (their rate of turning batted balls into outs); their .676 mark is 14 points below the league average. That showing may reflect the cost of making offense-first decisions at second base (Daniel Murphy) or having them made for them by injuries (Kirk Nieuwenhuis for Andres Torres in centerfield, several players for Ruben Tejada at shortstop). Fortunately, the staff�s 8.2 strikeouts per nine is third in the league, minimizing the number of balls in play, and their other peripherals are closer to average. The rotation has been better than expected, buoyed by the return of Santana (2.38 ERA, 9.0 strikeouts per nine) and sterling work from Dickey (2.69 ERA, 8.6 strikeouts per nine, and a league-best 91 percent quality start rate), both of which have helped offset the loss of Mike Pelfrey to Tommy John surgery. Niese (9.0 K/9 and Dillon Gee (8.1 K/9) have both missed bats as well, but inflated home run rates have driven their ERAs above 4.00. In all, the unit�s 61 percent quality start rate is tied for fourth, while their Fair Run Average (runs per nine, adjusted for defense and bullpen support) is seventh at 4.34. The bullpen has been the bigger problem; its 4.60 Fair Run Average ranks 13th, as does its 35 percent rate of allowing inherited runners to score. That said, closer Frank Francisco hasn�t been as bad as his 5.82 ERA suggests; he has converted 14 of 16 save opportunities despite being scorched for a .383 BABIP, and his FRA is just 2.64. He�s one of four Mets relievers with a BABIP above .350, along with Manny Acosta, Ramon Ramirez and Bobby Parnell. On the other side of the ball, even given injuries to Torres and Jason Bay � two-thirds of their starting outfield � and a dreadful slump from Ike Davis, the offense�s 4.43 runs per game ranks fourth in the NL. That�s driven by a .336 on-base percentage, the league�s third-best mark � itself a combination of a .323 batting average on balls in play (fifth in the league, nine points above average) and an 8.4 percent unintentional walk rate (both tops in the league); meanwhile, their .392 slugging percentage is 10th. In other words, it�s patience and a bit of hit-�em-where-they-ain�t luck, particularly with runners in scoring position, where their .264/.359/.409 line has been good for the league�s third-best OPS, helped along by a .319 BABIP, 34 points above average in that situation. Leading the offensive charge has been David Wright, who ranks second in the National League in on-base percentage (.468), third in batting average (.363), and eighth in slugging percentage (.581) � marks much closer to his career line (.303/.384/.511) than last year�s disappointing performance (.254/.345/.427), which wasn�t helped by his missing two months with a stress fracture in his back. His 3.1 Wins Above Replacement Player is not only second in the league, it�s more than three times the value of last season�s mark. Wright has gotten the most help from Nieuwenhuis (.301/.366/.405), Murphy (.307/.359/.390), and shortstop Ruben Tejada (.305/.362/.400), little of it expected at the outset. Nieuwenhuis, a 24-year-old rookie, has filled in admirably for Torres and Bay, first after the former strained a quad on opening day and missed more than three weeks, and then after the latter broke a rib when he tried to make a diving catch on April 24. Manager Terry Collins will have to find Nieuwenheis playing time once Bay (.240/.316/.460) returns from a rehab assignment, perhaps as soon as this weekend. Tejada is on the DL as well due to a quad strain, but the oft-injured Murphy has been a lineup mainstay, starting 49 games (tied for the team high with Wright). One way that Collins could fit Bay and Nieuwenhuis into the lineup would be to bench or farm out Davis, who is hitting just .166/.230/.284, and to play rightfielder Lucas Duda at first base. The book appears to be out on the 25-year-old Davis, who was limited to 36 games last year due to an ankle injury; he�s seeing fewer fastballs than any hitter this side of Bryce Harper, and is flailing at breaking balls outside of the strike zone as he struggles to control his long swing. A minor league stint would appear to be in order (he has options remaining), and while Collins has said the team has no plans to ship him out, the brass may have to reconsider. Such a move could help the defense as well, since a variety of defensive metrics agree that Davis has been subpar at first, while Duda has been brutal in the outfield. The Mets� run differential and record in close games both suggest the team�s ride at or near the top of the NL East will eventually come to an end. Even after St. Louis leaves town their next 18 games come against teams with winning records, namely the Nationals, Yankees, Rays, Reds and Orioles. But for a team that most expected to finish the year in the basement, and perhaps up for sale, this weekend�s triumphs are worth savoring.

http://mlb.si.com/2012/06/04/mets-moment-in-the-sun-may-not-last/

[Ceetar]

I just thought this was interesting. Mike Groppuso created a twitter account and only has one tweet: to Dave Hudgens

Mike Groppuso ?@mgropjr @dmhudgens Hey Hudge. Its Mike Groppuso trying to reaching out to you. First time twitter so l dont know if l did this right.

[Edgy MD]

I never know what's going on in this thread, but a national media offering praise for the Mets' medical staff seems somewhat remarkable.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Jon Niese's last six starts: 1.74 ERA; 1.089 WHIP.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Baseball card blog I stumbled on in a stream of consciousness free flowing web surfing session. It's got a Mets bent.

http://whomadethegrade.blogspot.com/

[batmagadanleadoff]

One more Mets baseball card blog -- Mets 360 card of the week (http://mets360.com/?cat=708) -- and two snipped and flickred entries:

[batmagadanleadoff]

From Mets 360 Card of the Week -- the '71 Boswell Topps that Lunchie dated, and the '71 Maxvill doppelganger





http://mets360.com/?p=5787

[Zvon]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Baseball card blog I stumbled on in a stream of consciousness free flowing web surfing session. It's got a Mets bent. http://whomadethegrade.blogspot.com/

Totally enjoyed reading this blog page. ty.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Dueling Fregosis:


http://whomadethegrade.blogspot.com/

This card represents layers of missed opportunities. If you're a Mets' fan, the top layer is obviously the very fact of the trade. The team relinquished the eventual all-time strikeout king and author of 7 no-hitters for 364 Jim Fregosi at bats. 5 HRs, 43 RBI, and a .233 average later, Fregosi was sold to Texas. The truly surreal thing about the trade is that Nolan Ryan was part of a package of four players that the Mets shipped to the Angels in the deal. Is it any wonder that Nolan put the no no-no hoodoo on the Mets in return? Another key missed opportunity here is the Topps layer. The 1972 Traded subset adds extra flavor to the high-number series. The removal of the team name from the marquee and the blocky �TRADED� stamp are great design elements, and the initial run of players is pretty unbeatable: Carlton, Morgan, McLain, Frank Robinson... But then Fregosi breaks the spell, and things wind down with Wise and Cardenas. And believe it or not, this is actually Fregosi's third card in the 1972 Topps set. He appears as an Angel on #115, then as a Metropolitan in a boyhood photo on #346, and finally on this Traded card. Ryan, on the other hand appears once, as an airbrushed Angel on card #595. In the 1972 set in my mind, there is a Mets' Ryan card in series 1 or 2, and a Traded card picturing him as an Angel in the last series...

______________________________________



http://mets360.com/?p=7436

1972 TOPPS TRADED JIM FREGOSI Right now everyone�s mind is on the trade deadline so what better time to break out this classic Topps card with TRADED bolded and stamped across the groin of poor Jim Fregosi. This was one of seven cards in the last series of the 1972 set to be so branded. When Topps released cards in series, the last series came out when the season was more than half over and we had already seen more than enough of Mr. Fregosi at that point (and heard what Nolan Ryan did in the other league) to want any part of this card. To a young Mets fan, let�s call him me, Topps had three choices for a TRADED card for this set and picked the worst one. There had been no Rusty Staub card in the set, surely he should have been the choice. It�s impossible to explain nearly 40 years later how much I wanted to see Staub in a Mets card. But there was no card of him in either �72 or �73. Most likely this was due to a monetary dispute with Topps but as far as I know the complete story of why has never been published. So, Rusty, if you�re reading this drop me a line and let me know. Did they just forget? Did they lowball you? Were you going to start your own trading card set? Was the photographer someone you hated? Or was it just an elaborate joke on your part? If it wasn�t Staub, then it had to be Willie Mays. It was such a huge deal when Mays came back to New York. Of course now everyone will tell you that Mays embarrassed himself with his play with the Mets. Let me go all caps here and throw in a swear word for extra emphasis: THIS IS SIMPLY NOT F!@#$%G TRUE! In his first 53 games with the Mets, Mays went .283/.432/.467 for an .899 OPS. He finished the �72 season with an .848 OPS with New York, which was good for a 145 OPS+. Mays was still great � he just needed more days off at age 41 then Yogi Berra and the Mets were willing to give him. But it seems likely that Mays was not included in this TRADED set as he was dealt during the 1972 season (May 11th). The seven players in this subset were dealt in the offseason or Spring Training. The latest transaction involved Denny McLain, who was dealt by the Rangers to the A�s on March 4th. And so it became Fregosi. I was so thrilled with this that I took scissors to my copy of this card and winded up spending decades before finally acquiring a clean version for my set. While Ryan quickly became a star, Fregosi merely became a stiff, another in a long line of third basemen who failed for the team. Yet, it wasn�t his fault. Let�s start by reading the sponsorship of Fregosi at his Baseball-Reference page. �The best Major League shortstop from 1961-79, and most productive expansion-draft pick ever. Injuries prevented a Hall of Fame career.� Now this probably says as much about the quality of SS in this era as it does about Fregosi, but we should remember he was an outstanding player from 1963-1970, when he posted a 7.4 fWAR. In 1971, Fregosi developed foot problems which would plague him the rest of his career. And then he broke his thumb in Spring Training with the Mets in �72. When he got on the field, Fregosi got off to a hot start with the Mets, as he posted a .306/.376/.510 line over his first 26 games. But it was all downhill from there. He didn�t produce and he didn�t seem to care. Later Fregosi allegedly said he was going to write a book and had the title: The Bases Were Loaded and So Was I. The funny thing in remembering the Fregosi trade is that at the time fans were at least as much worried about losing another player in the deal � Leroy Stanton � as they were Ryan. There wasn�t anywhere near as much publicity surrounding minor leaguers then as there is now, so chances are if you had heard of a guy in the minors, he was a pretty good prospect. Stanton had a .324/.374/.540 line at Triple-A in 1971. But that year the Mets had Cleon Jones, Tommie Agee and Ken Singleton in the outfield in the majors and there was apparently nowhere on the roster for Stanton. He ended up being a solid major league player but never developed into a star with the Angels. Overall, he played nine seasons in the majors. Anyway, maybe we should hold out hope that when the Mets trade Carlos Beltran that in return they�ll get a future HOFer and a guy who plays nine seasons in the majors. It�s good to have hope, sometimes that�s all you�ve got. Now let�s just all wish that we don�t have to see Beltran with a large TRADED stamp across his chest.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I made this card in February 2008, right after the big trade. The photo is of Johan as a Twin, but I Photoshopped a Mets cap on his head: