Wayback Machine presents a CPF Special Guest

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Ten years ago this month: I don't even remember this happening until I came across (not literally) this thread.

http://archives.cranepoolforum.net/2400/f1_t2451.shtml

Great stuff: We dropped the gloves loading up with haymakers for the Rube, and he was excellent in answering them.

[Centerfield]

That is terrific stuff.

I wonder what the hell I was doing in February 2006 that I missed all of this.

[Fman99]

Wow. Can we get any respectable guests any more? Or are we reduced to lowbrow dick jokes for all of time? And am I to blame?

[MFS62]

Good find.
He never followed up on my question about players asking Kiner for batting tips.
Now I'm pissed.

Later

[Guest cooby classic]

Is Patchy Fog one of us still?

[Guest El Segundo Escupidor]

FYI: Adam Rubin still posts here under the handle "Ceetar"

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I like to think that my dick jokes are more middlebrow.

This must have been just before I quit lurking.

[Edgy MD]

The Internet seems to have really changed how fans consume baseball, in good and oftentimes in bad ways, by allowing everyone to be a publisher or even a "journalist” without necessarily committing any journalism while doing so. Have you found the Internet Rumor Industry causing you to do any additional legwork, chasing down reports that may or may not be legitimate? How has it helped? How tuned in are you to what's being said about your work in the blogs?

Pretty funny to see this question not knowing at the time that the Twitter 'splosion was right around the corner.

[Edgy MD]

Adam - you mentioned previously that Mike Piazza was a loner, pretty much divorced from the team. Was this always the case for the entire 7 years or was it more the final year or two that he was here? What was the cause of this? Was he simply a shy, quiet type of guy who kept to himself, or did most of the other players simply not like him for some reason? Was he close with anyone else in the clubhouse? I've been around the team for five years, and that's what I've always observed. He was closer to guys like Ventura, Zeile and John Franco. In fact, after his last game as a Met, he went to dinner with Franco. His best friend actually was Charlie Samuels, the clubhouse manager. Piazza is a loner. He didn't have the most cheerful disposition, either.

Pretty chilling, in retrospect.

[Ceetar]

El Segundo Escupidor wrote: FYI: Adam Rubin still posts here under the handle "Ceetar"

I'm not as accomplished a troll.

[Guest cooby classic]

Edgy MD wrote: Adam - you mentioned previously that Mike Piazza was a loner, pretty much divorced from the team. Was this always the case for the entire 7 years or was it more the final year or two that he was here? What was the cause of this? Was he simply a shy, quiet type of guy who kept to himself, or did most of the other players simply not like him for some reason? Was he close with anyone else in the clubhouse? I've been around the team for five years, and that's what I've always observed. He was closer to guys like Ventura, Zeile and John Franco. In fact, after his last game as a Met, he went to dinner with Franco. His best friend actually was Charlie Samuels, the clubhouse manager. Piazza is a loner. He didn't have the most cheerful disposition, either. Pretty chilling, in retrospect.

Met fairy loaned me his book to read. His whole lifestyle sounds less than cheerful to me. Well, you know, jumping from one pole dancer to another

[G-Fafif]

What an awesome time capsule. The most diligent beat guy then, the most diligent beat guy now.

[Edgy MD]

cooby wrote: Edgy MD wrote: Adam - you mentioned previously that Mike Piazza was a loner, pretty much divorced from the team. Was this always the case for the entire 7 years or was it more the final year or two that he was here? What was the cause of this? Was he simply a shy, quiet type of guy who kept to himself, or did most of the other players simply not like him for some reason? Was he close with anyone else in the clubhouse? I've been around the team for five years, and that's what I've always observed. He was closer to guys like Ventura, Zeile and John Franco. In fact, after his last game as a Met, he went to dinner with Franco. His best friend actually was Charlie Samuels, the clubhouse manager. Piazza is a loner. He didn't have the most cheerful disposition, either. Pretty chilling, in retrospect. Met fairy loaned me his book to read. His whole lifestyle sounds less than cheerful to me. Well, you know, jumping from one pole dancer to another

I'm speculating deeply here, but it strikes me as that Piazza may be one of those guys who can morally compartmentalize really well — be self-consciously upright and squeaky clean in one area and be really flexible in another and maintain that balance comfortably, without a crippling cognitive dissonance. Keith certainly seemed like this also. Maybe a lot of good athletes are.

But it also strikes me that Charlie Samuels was something of a wolf that could spot guys like this a mile away, befriend them, and leverage that friendship carefully.