Spring Things, 2015

[Edgy MD]

Maybe, but whether due to artificial drags on the marketplace or a newfound sense of prudence, I'm not sure the baseball world defaults to big contracts = New York Yankees anymore.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I don't care about the Yankees. My main point is that he's unlikely to remain a Met. Sure, I'd prefer him to be a Red Sock or a Mariner than a Yankee, but wherever he goes, if he's not a Met, he's off my radar.

[Ceetar]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I'm just saying that, more than most, this is a guy we should avoid getting too attached to.

You could say that about anyone. I don't think Harvey is special in that regard. Also I'm fine with getting too attached to a guy that's under Mets control for 4 more years. That's a long time.

I don't think it's out of the question they could work out a long term deal before that either, if he continues to prove worth it.

[Edgy MD]

Yeah, four years is plenty. I'm not going to get too detached over what might happen four years from now.

If he was just signed for four years, that would be seen as a lot of baseball ahead of him with the Mets. But a lot of folks are already living in the sunset with him. If anything, I'm not going to get too attached because of his consistent toolishness.

The idea of turning a good team into an excellent one, and an excellent one into a consistently excellent one, is still the challenge before them, and that's not going to float or sink on one enormous contract.

OE: And I guess it's more likely to sink, if the recent past is any guide.

[ashie62]

We need Matt Harvey healthy one year at a time.

[dgwphotography]

I agree with Grimm on this. 2019 is a long way off (not as long as some of us think), but I don't enjoy rooting for him now.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I don't think Harvey is the kind of guy for whom you root, per se. He's more the kind at whom you marvel, or gawk.

Edited March 26, 2015 by Guest

[TransMonk]

Things I think about Harvey:

1. He is the best pitcher I've seen in a Mets uniform over the past 30 years.

2. If he wasn't wearing a Mets uniform, he would be one of my least favorite MLB players due to his machismo and douchiness.

I plan on riding the Harvey train as far as his arm will take the Mets and I hope they win a WS or three with him. But, I believe the window where Harvey benefits the Mets the most is over the next four years, so I'm not worried about where he goes (or doesn't go) after that.

[Guest themetfairy]

I don't know that I'd call him douchy. Douchiness implies a mean-spiritedness, and so far I haven't witnessed any of that from him.

He is cocky as hell. If he was an opposing player I'm sure I'd hate that. But while he's ours and his arm holds out, I'm going to enjoy the confidence and cockiness.

[batmagadanleadoff]

themetfairy wrote: I don't know that I'd call him douchy. Douchiness implies a mean-spiritedness, and so far I haven't witnessed any of that from him. He is cocky as hell.

Harvey's a major douchebag. There's no doubt about that. Not that I wouldn't be doing most of the exact same things he's doing if I were him, other than that Qualcomm fiasco. And people would call me a douchebag.

[TransMonk]

I think of "douchey" as being obnoxious and/or attracting undue attention. I agree that Matt is not mean-spirited.

[Lefty Specialist]

Okay, he's a douchebag, but he's OUR douchebag. I'll take what he's giving off the mound if he can perform ON the mound.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I think it's weird that he's all over John Varvatos and various Soho boutiques, but can't tie a tie. Did he grow up on a suburban Connecticut farm?

[ashie62]

Who is the Mets opening day second baseman?

[Ceetar]

Ashie62 wrote: Who is the Mets opening day second baseman?

Ruben

[dgwphotography]

Lefty Specialist wrote: Okay, he's a douchebag, but he's OUR douchebag. I'll take what he's giving off the mound if he can perform ON the mound.

He's a huge douchebag. He's won 12 games in his CAREER, and he's worried about his "brand". Win 20, don't do anything stupid, and your brand will take care of itself.

[Edgy MD]

"My eyes are probably what I get the most compliments on. Definitely the lighter the shirt I am wearing, the more my eyes pop."

Tool is perhaps a more generous term, lacking the implication of a default hostility, but...

The article from which that quote comes didn't have the impact it should have, since his elbow exploded about 10 minutes later, but every single quote on it's own reveals him as a venal self-mythologizing tool that would embarrass Jeter himself. Together... whoo boy. We're heading toward Douchebag Country.

[Edgy MD]

Mets sending entire team on road trips, trying to emulate Cardinals.

[Ceetar]

Edgy MD wrote: Mets sending entire team on road trips, trying to emulate Cardinals.

Can you paraphrase, I had to close it after the pot-shot in the first paragraph.

[Edgy MD]

The post was a paraphrase.

A longer one: The team, at David Wright's initiative, has elected to travel en masse to road games during the last week of spring training, bringing all players whether or not they are scheduled to appear in that day's game. David learned this is what the Cardinals have been doing for some time, and spoke to Terry and his fellow vets to get their buy-in. The idea is to establish some esprit d'corps and to get the young players integrated into the competitive culture of the team and how they need to lean on and support each other in battle.

The Cardinals have done this during Yadier's culture, leaving only the pitchers scheduled for a rest day behind. But in the Mets' case, the pitchers all came too. The only ones who stayed behind were those scheduled for rehab work.

I just realized I worked two borrowed French phrases in that paraphrase. I should probably work in a third, but it wouldn't be � propos to force it.

[Ceetar]

That's interesting.

Sorta a team building (is it sorta a team, or sorta team)? thing.

I've noticed a lot more "At David Wright's request.." stuff going on lately.

[Edgy MD]

Revisiting the legend of Joe C.

Sort of a Mark Fidrych lite with regards to ephemeral new wave-era flakey white stars.

[fimg=550]http://imgick.cleveland.com/home/cleve-media/width620/img/ent_impact_home/photo/001-joejpg-eeb75cf7f7eb2384.jpg[/fimg]

[ashie62]

I regard Joe Charbonneau as our Mike Vail.

[Edgy MD]

Matt LaChappa, Padre for life.

That's the way you do it.

[fimg=550]https://usatftw.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/lachappa08_c__302811.jpg?w=1280&h=998[/fimg]