Monday Night Baseball IGT: New York (N) @ Phila.

[Zvon]

Frayed Knot wrote: Folks, we got ourselves one seriously good pitcher on our hands here.

We just might. We just might. So many things have to go right and so far I have seen nothing go wrong.

[Zvon]

The Second Spitter wrote: Imdb kills hotlinks sometimes. IT Mystery Case SOLVED. Lets talk about baseball. metsguyinmichigan wrote: I'm enjoying this team so far. Scrappy. Some power. Some great pitching. The bullpen scares me. But Niese and Harvey sure do like the real deal. Sure me too but a bullpen is easiest to fix. If they are genuinely contending then it's a problem that can be rectified with small investment.

I think the bullpen will surprise us. You won't get me to go as far as to say how.

[Centerfield]

Frayed Knot wrote: Folks, we got ourselves one seriously good pitcher on our hands here.

Holy crap guys. What if he really is this good?

[Guest themetfairy]

Centerfield wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: Folks, we got ourselves one seriously good pitcher on our hands here. Holy crap guys. What if he really is this good?

We'll have a collective heart attack from the shock of it.

But seriously, this kid reminds me of Seaver in the way that he comports himself. Very businesslike and professional.

[Edgy MD]

The key to assembling an effective bullpen is to go to it as sparingly as possible. Getting the last two innings out of one guy instead of four last night is a big step in that direction.

Other thing going wrong is that this team striking out too much.

[TransMonk]

Centerfield wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: Folks, we got ourselves one seriously good pitcher on our hands here. Holy crap guys. What if he really is this good?

I'm sold on Harvey...he looks great. Last night, I just kept thinking "Wheeler could be this good, too!" Oh, to dream.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

themetfairy wrote: Centerfield wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: Folks, we got ourselves one seriously good pitcher on our hands here. Holy crap guys. What if he really is this good? We'll have a collective heart attack from the shock of it. But seriously, this kid reminds me of Seaver in the way that he comports himself. Very businesslike and professional.

Very jocky and douchey too. He's the kind of guy all the other teams are going to start hating and fearing very soon.

[Edgy MD]

It's the aggressiveness I like. The absence of waste pitches almost seems like a different brand of baseball.

Yeah, Wheeler chills. And Snyderbuzz. Dark horse is Rafael Montero. Who knows what's gonna come from that guy? It's almost like Alderson wrote the rules to hide him on the shelf until the Mets could sign him.

But in the meantime, it's probably best to be thankful for the Harveymeat and not look ahead to dessert too much.

[Edgy MD]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Very jocky and douchey too. He's the kind of guy all the other teams are going to start hating and fearing very soon.

Wright is the captain now. Perhaps he'll lend young Matthew some pants sweetener.

[Ceetar]

Edgy MD wrote: The key to assembling an effective bullpen is to go to it as sparingly as possible. Getting the last two innings out of one guy instead of four last night is a big step in that direction. Other thing going wrong is that this team striking out too much.

I don't think I care about the striking out (though Kirk and Ike need to actually hit the ball more). I love what Duda's been doing at the plate.

But love that they went two innings with Edgin, and love that he did well with it. Saving the other 6 guys an appearance is worth the 'overusing Edgin' complaints.

[Guest themetfairy]

I don't care if he's jocky. I don't care if he's douchy. He doesn't need to be warm and cuddly.

If he delivers on the field as professionally as he has done so far, he can be as full of himself off the field as he wants.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Edgy MD wrote: John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Very jocky and douchey too. He's the kind of guy all the other teams are going to start hating and fearing very soon. Wright is the captain now. Perhaps he'll lend young Matthew some pants sweetener.

Harvey's not gonna buy that be-a-good-citizen shit. As LWFS said The Smug runs strong with this one.

[Edgy MD]

I imagine you're right, anymore than Gary Carter could make Dykstra not a cock. But seeing it play out will be an interesting side drama. I could see him getting hauled into Terry's office getting gentle talking-to's over outrageous infractions that the Mets are forced to downplay and pretend are smoothed over when they're not.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Honestly, the physical stuff is great... but the makeup's where Harvey shines. There's some Smug, to be sure. There's also just a pinch of Pugnacity (see: chin music to Howard and Utley to back them away from the plate, just before giving them fastballs to ground into the dirt), and a hell of a lot of Drive to back up the Smug-- he knows he's good, because he IS good, because he works like hell at it (and does so in a focused way, not just ITBSHOHL iron-pumping or tire-hammering). He may have bumps-- leadoff walks, e.g.-- but he seems to have the ability to correct them almost immediately.

It's a rare bird that has both the drive to get angry over minor mistakes AND the control to correct said mistakes without overcorrecting or losing it. If Wheeler doesn't have that, he's just a guy. If he has that AND his stuff, he's going to be disgustingly good, too, and your friends who root for other teams will silently envy/resent you for the next decade or so.

[Centerfield]

Definitely comes across jocky. Don't see the douchy yet.

In any case, if he ends up as good as Seaver (or anything close) let's agree he can be as douchy as he wants. We'll just know ahead of time not to put him in the booth.

I am starting to discover how meatheady I am. I am so much more pumped for Harvey blowing hitters away than I was for RA delicately dominating last year.

[Frayed Knot]

Centerfield wrote: Definitely comes across jocky. Don't see the douchy yet.

Well, he did grow up in Connecticut as a Yanqui fan.

[TransMonk]

I can handle the smug-douche vibe as long as he delivers.

[Edgy MD]

Douchey as he wants?

Sorry, I got to keep limits on my douche tolerance. Stupid haircuts? Locker room farts? Rockin' out to Survivor? OK.

Date rapes? Rocker-like thinly veiled but public racism? Christina Aguilera? Not OK!

Smug-douche? OK. Douche-douche? Not OK!

[Edgy MD]

Douchewhistles? OK.

Douchetubas? Not OK!

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Douchenozzles? Si.

Douchepressurizedhoses? NO!

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

For me it's mostly that he's in his 20s and drives an Escalade. Also, that Mike Francessa absolutely loves him.

[Benjamin Grimm]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Also, that Mike Francessa absolutely loves him.

Yeah, that can't be good.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

To be fair, it's not like Francesa loves him because of their decades-long business-and-romantic partnership, or shared, soul-baring Catalina picnic weekends. And doesn't he like-like SugarPants, too?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Francessa *likes* Wright but thinks he *discovered* Harvey. He's totally going to spoil our return to greatness by making it all about how Matt Harvey came along, stepped out of his Cadillac, and stopped being such a Met with Mike's encouragement.

[Centerfield]

Frayed Knot wrote: Centerfield wrote: Definitely comes across jocky. Don't see the douchy yet. Well, he did grow up in Connecticut as a Yanqui fan.

Ok. Douchy.

[Guest themetfairy]

So long as he's our douche, so long as he comports himself professionally, and so long as he doesn't do or say anything outrageous or racist or otherwise objectionable, I for one plan on enjoying watching this kid pitch for us.

The rest of you can dissect him or pick him apart as you please.

[dinosaur jesus]

I love that there's a question whether he's too douchey to root for. Do Phillies fans have discussions like this?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

What if he pays fully for a redecoration of an LI battered-women's shelter... in poached ivory?

[metirish]

And God forbid but he is also a Pats fan, much to the chagrin of numbnut Mets fan who think he should be a Jets fans because he now plays for the Mets.

Twitter can be hilarious and such was the case when Harvey got called up last year and of course garnered more attention...he tweeted his love for the Pats during one of the of games.....this of course set some Mets fan alight and moved Harvey to defend his love of the Pats....

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

What if he endows a stop-human-trafficking organization... with money from his catfighting operation?