Memories of Jenrry Mejia

[stevejrogers]

Lifetime ban, pretty much moves him to the Rigo thread category.

[ashie62]

No memories, Just the ban

[Zvon]

I'm gonna remember that he was a very stupid idiot.

[Edgy MD]

Hard to understand. Three pops in about a year seems insane. There's a story we're not getting.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Complete tragedy of a career, beginning with the overaggressive promotion and ending with three strikes of idiocy.

Even if you agreed with Omar philosophically about the notion that there is little harm in promoting those few who possess the ability to succeed even before they're refined enough to succeed immediately -- you'd have to conclude given Mejia's "mature" phase that he was about as ill-prepared to be a big leaguer as anyone.

AS I recall it, I was more willing than most to let them try, particularly for a hard-throwing reliever, thinking the worst that could happen was that he'd fail to get a couple outs and get pulled for someone else. And I don;t necessarily blame the injuries on them either. But boy did they choose the wrong guy to try this with. What complete morons.

[dinosaur jesus]

I'll remember something positive. When he was on, he had the most incredible movement on his pitches. Wiffleball movement. Like he was snapping his wrist as hard as he could on every pitch. It was hard to imagine him keeping that up for long without seriously hurting himself. And maybe he was aware of that. Maybe he figured that if he didn't make his bundle now, he wasn't going to be around to make it later.

[Lefty Specialist]

I'll remember how pissed I was the first two times. Now it's just waiting for the crash-and-burn story.

His agent is negligent here, too.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Edgy MD wrote: There's a story we're not getting.

I'll buy that. I'd bet that he was convinced that whatever banned substance he was using was untraceable.

[fimg=200]https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1547/24987512315_235bebc5e2_o.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=333]https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1665/24987512355_f9fb1417f4_o.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=333]https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1445/24987512375_21ec6ea792_o.jpg[/fimg]

[Frayed Knot]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: I'd bet that he was convinced that whatever banned substance he was using was untraceable.

Except that the first time he got popped it was for a very old school steroid, Stanozolol, that nobody could possibly think was untraceable since maybe the Reagan era.
Failed test #2 was again reportedly Stanozolol plus something called Boldenone. And now early reports on this one mention Boldenone again.
It's hard to imagine what he was imagining.

[Zvon]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Edgy MD wrote: There's a story we're not getting. I'll buy that. I'd bet that he was convinced that whatever banned substance he was using was untraceable. [fimg=200]https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1547/24987512315_235bebc5e2_o.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=333]https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1665/24987512355_f9fb1417f4_o.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=333]https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1445/24987512375_21ec6ea792_o.jpg[/fimg]

Wow, you're getting quick Batmags. Yea, I guess this deserves a card. First player banned for life because of steroids? I didn't realize he was the first. I can't blame anyone but him. He was given a golden opportunity. And twice forgiven.

[Frayed Knot]

There is, btw, a path for reinstatement.
He can apply after one year although, even if granted, must sit out a minimum of two (which may or may not mean 2-1/2 in his case since he still had a half-year to go on suspension #2).

But even if the commish grants that for some reason, he will by then (Spring 2018) be a 28 y/o pitcher who, since the end of the 2010 season, has had reconstructive elbow surgery, a combined total of <300 innings pitched including both major (144) and minor leagues (122), and essentially a minimum of four complete missed seasons (1 injured, 3 suspended).

That'll be a tough job interview.

[Guest d'Kong76]

[batmagadanleadoff]

Zvon wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: Edgy MD wrote: There's a story we're not getting. I'll buy that. I'd bet that he was convinced that whatever banned substance he was using was untraceable. [fimg=100]https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1547/24987512315_235bebc5e2_o.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=166]https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1665/24987512355_f9fb1417f4_o.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=166]https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1445/24987512375_21ec6ea792_o.jpg[/fimg] Wow, you're getting quick Batmags.

Nah. Those cards were done months ago. I made about 30 Mets cards New Judge style. And that other style card was part of a crazy stalled project. I set out to do an entire set of 2015 cards -- one card for every single player who played a game. Players who played on multiple teams were to get multiple cards -- one for every team. So, for example, I did three Clippard cards, an A's, a Nats and a Mets card. I didn't even come close to finishing that idea. But I did do the entire Mets team.

All I did today was stick that "Banned" stamp on one of the cards. If I was gonna do a Mejia card today from scratch, I woulda put Mejia on a '72 traded card, substituting "BANNED" for "TRADED".

Here's the New Judge panel for Mejia, available on specially marked cartons of New Judge Cigarettes.

[fimg=1033]https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1611/24357915924_da6bfcbaac_o.jpg[/fimg]

[batmagadanleadoff]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: So, for example, I did three Clippard cards, an A's, a Nats and a Mets card.

[fimg=277]https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1588/24962305216_c2bc2a95e9_o.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=277]https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1537/24962305226_6dceac46e0_o.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=277]https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1584/24962305246_dda733838b_o.jpg[/fimg]

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

I'll remember him for having a $1,000,000 arm and apparently a 10¢ head.

[Edgy MD]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Edgy MD wrote: There's a story we're not getting. I'll buy that. I'd bet that he was convinced that whatever banned substance he was using was untraceable.

That's certainly one angle I'm on. Another is that whoever was bullshitting him was convinced.

I have a dozen other highly speculative theories. I mean, I don't know, but it's just so unprecedented. Three life-is-staring-you-in-the-face mistakes in a year. And the same one, all three times.

It's like falling off a roof drunk three times in a year, impregnating three women you're otherwise unattached to in one year — all of them the wives of your bosses — or getting VD three times in a year, all from the same person. What should have been a terrifying, punch-in-the-face, come-to-Jesus moment the first time should provide at least a few months of self-realization before you start kidding yourself again. But with Jenrry, not so much.

I dunno. Maybe he's just the biggest fool on earth.

[batmagadanleadoff]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: So, for example, I did three Clippard cards, an A's, a Nats and a Mets card.

Jeez, Clippard didn't play for the Nats in '15, I just realized.

[MFS62]

Zvon wrote: First player banned for life because of steroids? I didn't realize he was the first.

I always wanted a Met to be the first player in major league history to do something.
But this wasn't one of the things I'd wanted.

Later

[Zvon]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Nah. Those cards were done months ago. I made about 30 Mets cards New Judge style. And that other style card was part of a crazy stalled project. I set out to do an entire set of 2015 cards -- one card for every single player who played a game. Players who played on multiple teams were to get multiple cards -- one for every team. So, for example, I did three Clippard cards, an A's, a Nats and a Mets card. I didn't even come close to finishing that idea. But I did do the entire Mets team.

I love the concept. Very ambitious.

batmagadanleadoff wrote: All I did today was stick that "Banned" stamp on one of the cards. If I was gonna do a Mejia card today from scratch, I woulda put Mejia on a '72 traded card, substituting "BANNED" for "TRADED". Here's the New Judge panel for Mejia, available on specially marked cartons of New Judge Cigarettes.

If you make this card please allow me to display it. That's probably what I would have thought of (even though I really had no plans to make a card for this stupidity). Love the Judge cards.

I've been tied up in tether making blernsball cards. This blernsball thing I'm working on is going to be insane.

__[fimg=200]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kTlxfq3bWb0/Vr6dJp12bWI/AAAAAAAAlhQ/in5TZA-_PxU/s576-Ic42/2016mfc-JackieAnderson-z16.png[/fimg]__[fimg=300]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Y2HQQNGYbtk/Vr095vwZIkI/AAAAAAAAlb8/wI53CjRdJO4/s532-Ic42/2016mfcsalutesBlernsball001-z16.gif[/fimg]__[fimg=300]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JIGDmUjLcIA/Vr1T3xMzSBI/AAAAAAAAlcs/ssnMh3VkvXk/s636-Ic42/2016mfcsalutesBlernsball003-z16.gif[/fimg]

[batmagadanleadoff]

Zvon wrote: I've been tied up in tether making blernsball cards. This blernsball thing I'm working on is going to be insane.

I know. I've been reading those posts. I never got around to watching Futurama even though I think it's something I'd like, so I don't get the references as much as someone who watched the series. But I can think of at least one other Matt Groening character who rocked the Mets jersey.

[fimg=444]http://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bv0dm0wIEAMKuNf.jpg[/fimg]

[Guest themetfairy]

This is my favorite memory of Mejia; it appears like he's telling Ryan Howard, "Why are you even bothering running this one out?"




I have been literally shaking my head over this since I've heard the news. I feel really bad for him - like he didn't have enough confidence in his ability to be able to pitch without taking his magic (and illegal) beans. In the end, he has deprived himself and his family of being able to benefit from his talents, and that's just a shame. He is possibly the stupidest man to have ever walked the face of the earth (what - the first two suspensions didn't convince him that they were on to him?), and it just makes me sad.

[Zvon]

I hope he can handle the ridicule.

[fimg=200]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZVxmtQuiyJE/Vr65TpnBDnI/AAAAAAAAlhg/5ba0YramBSI/s576-Ic42/2016%252520mfcMEJIA%252520BANNED-z16.png[/fimg]

[batmagadanleadoff]

[fimg=333:159ych7g]https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1512/24361098774_ca237bc5b2_o.jpg[/fimg:159ych7g]

[Frayed Knot]

JM (via Dominican journalist Hector Gomez): “It’s not like they [MLB] say ... I’m sure I did not use anything. I will appeal. Win or lose, I have a lot of faith. I have to clear my name. … I will not stand idly by. I will take this case to the bitter end.”


Tough to make that 'there must be some kind of mistake' claim after getting popped three times in a ten month span, but there's a specified path for him to try if he wants.

[Edgy MD]

I'm glad somebody got a statement out of him.

[G-Fafif]

On the positive (and I don't mean testing) side, a few things stick with me:

--His comeback from elbow oblivion in the summer of 2013 as a starting pitcher, when after the breakout of Harvey and the debut of Wheeler, Mejia's sudden success indicated that there really might be something to this pitching depth we'd been hearing about.

--The one-night controversy when he did that reeling in the last out of a rare win over the Nationals in 2014. It was supposed to get Washington mad. Eff them, I thought. I liked the kid's moxie.

--The planned back end of the 2015 bullpen, when it briefly came into focus, looked like it was gonna work: Mejia in the 7th, Parnell in the 8th, Familia in the 9th. Three closers, no waiting.

--Jenrry's last accomplishment was stranding Jimmy Rollins on third in the Sunday game against the Dodgers in late July, the one that began with the Mets breaking Greinke's scoreless streak and ended with Uribe driving in the winning run in the tenth. Mejia was the winning pitcher that day. It was, pre-Cespedes, arguably the biggest Met victory of the season to date.

There's no getting around the "why do you think they call it dope?" aspect of his career, but he was Familia before Familia became Familia (if markedly more stressful to watch), and in the context of the development of a contender, he played an important role.

Parts of five seasons as a Met, covering six years, it's hard to believe he's only 26, younger than Harvey and deGrom.

[Guest d'Kong76]

So take some steroids, Mejia, and now you're banned for life
So you won't be coming north, ya gotta start a new life
So take some steroids, Mejia, and now you're banned for life
You best go and call a lawyer, ya gotta start a new life

[Edgy MD]

Yeah, he did as much high wire walking as any closer in recent history.

Give him three outs to get with a man on second and a one-run lead, he might power his way through with two strikeouts and a tap-out to first. Give him three runs and the bases empty, and two runs could be home with a third guy on second before it was all over. That save percentage was comparable to a good closer, but the activity in getting there didn't seem sustainable.

But he saved 28 games in a season he didn't start with the team, and in which he arrived and started seven games. Ceetar badly wanted him to stay in the rotation.

[seawolf17]

It's going to be hard to remember anything but the suspension. So much promise there.

[Edgy MD]

Mejia, 26, apparently had an old-fashioned approach to drug cheating. In each case, he was caught using anabolic steroids, substances that have long been easy to detect in a urine sample. Two of his positive tests involved boldenone, a steroid that has been used in horse racing.

So weird.