Benjamin Grimm

box score Dickey 5 Wright 1.67 Cora 1.67 Thole 1.66

Unless the Mets juggle their rotation, Pelfrey won't be eligible; his turn in the rotation will be the Sunday before the All-Star Game.

Why is it that "closers" never come out of the game until they've either gotten the save or blown the game? It was clear that Frankie didn't have it. I would have brought in Feliciano to pitch to Dunn.

For me, the 1971 cards have the most magic. Followed closely by 1972 and 1973. Everything else is a distant runner-up. (For the record, I was 8 years old in 1971.)

SCHAEFER METS PLAYER AND PITCHERS OF THE MONTH, JUNE 2010 The Schaefer Mets Player of the Month for June 2010 is DAVID WRIGHT. This is David's ninth win, and his second this season. Wright, as we know, had an outstanding month, and he won this month's award easily, with almost an eight-point lead over Jose Reyes. Wright led the Mets with 6 home runs, 29 runs batted in, 42 hits, 11 doubles, a .404 batting average, a .683 slugging percentage, and an on base percentage of .447. His 20 runs scored were second to Reyes' 21. The Schaefer Mets Pitcher of the Month for June is R. A. DICKEY, a first-time winner. Dickey edged Jon Niese (by 0.48 points) and Mike Pelfrey who, by scoring only 0.10 points in his final start of the month, lost his chance at his second Pitcher of the Month award this year. He ended up finishing 0.85 points behind Dickey. DIckey was 4-1 in June, with a 3.06 ERA in 5 starts and 32.1 innings. His 4 wins tied him with Niese for the team lead, and his 26 strikeouts led all Mets pitchers. And the Schaefer Mets Relief Pitcher of the Month is a second-time winner, FRANCISCO RODRIGUEZ. Frankie had previously won in May of 2009. Rodriguez had no decisions in June, but saved 9 games, had a 2.35 ERA, and struck out 23 batters in 15.1 innings. Month-to-date totals for June 2010 Through game of June 30, 2010 RankNamePoints1David Wright30.022Jos� Reyes22.433Ike Davis18.464R. A. Dickey15.925Jon Niese15.446Mike Pelfrey15.077Jason Bay13.568Jeff Francoeur12.879Angel Pagan11.3910Johan Santana8.5011Hisanori Takahashi7.6312Francisco Rodriguez6.5313Ruben Tejada6.3014Chris Carter6.2415Elmer Dessens5.9016Pedro Feliciano4.8817Jesus Feliciano3.9018Ryota Igarashi3.2419Henry Blanco2.8320Bobby Parnell2.7921Rod Barajas2.7222Josh Thole2.1423Fernando Nieve2.1124Alex Cora2.0825Jenrry Mejia1.4626Luis Castillo0.2927Fernando Tatis0.2828Raul Valdes0.19

Niese 5 Cora 2.9 Wright 1.8 Tejada 0.3

Totals for June 30, 2010 (10 votes) New York Mets 6, Florida Marlins 5 NameTotal PointsPoints AwardedPlayer PerformanceDavid Wright20.752.082-5, R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, SOJesus Feliciano12.301.232-5, R, 2B, RBI, SO, SBJosh Thole8.300.831-1, RBIFrancisco Rodriguez8.000.80(Sv) 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO.Ruben Tejada7.800.781-4, 2 R, 2 SOJason Bay7.750.781-5, R, RBI, 2 SOIke Davis7.350.741-5, RBI, SORyota Igarashi6.700.671.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO.Elmer Dessens5.750.57(W) 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO.Bobby Parnell3.550.361.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO.Alex Cora3.050.301-4, R, 2BMike Pelfrey1.000.104.2 IP, 12 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO.Chris Carter1.000.101-3Jeff Francoeur0.500.050-1

Totals for June 29, 2010 (11 votes) Florida Marlins 7, New York Mets 6 NameTotal PointsPoints AwardedPlayer PerformanceRuben Tejada15.181.382-3, R, RBIDavid Wright12.781.163-4Josh Thole9.720.881-1, RBIAngel Pagan9.330.851-2, R, RBIBobby Parnell7.230.661.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO.Chris Carter6.950.631-1, 2BFrancisco Rodriguez6.640.601.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO.Jos� Reyes6.000.551-5, R, 2B, RBI, 2 SOJeff Francoeur4.800.441-4, RBI, SOJason Bay4.770.430-1, RBI, 2 BBElmer Dessens3.460.310.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO.Fernando Tatis2.750.251-3, R, 2BRod Barajas2.450.221-4, RHisanori Takahashi1.000.095.2 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO.Alex Cora0.840.080-0, R

Totals for June 28, 2010 (11 votes) Florida Marlins 10, New York Mets 3 NameTotal PointsPoints AwardedPlayer PerformanceJason Bay44.204.022-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 SODavid Wright10.800.982-4, R, SOJosh Thole4.700.431-1Jos� Reyes0.300.031-4, 2 SO

We stayed in two hotels in San Juan. We started at the Caribe Hilton, which was a nice hotel but not in a great location, beach-wise or neighborhood-wise. But while we were there, we did have an interesting next-door neighbor, an old stadium named after legendary Puerto Rican boxer Sixto Escobar. (No, I had never heard of him either.) I later found out that the stadium, which appeared to be currently used for soccer, was the baseball park that Hiram Bithorn would replace in 1962. The Escobar stadium was built in 1935 and was the spring training home of the Cincinnati Reds in 1936. (I learned all this from Wikipedia, so take that as you will.) Although it's still in use, it's in definite need of repair, like much of Puerto Rico. Here are a couple of photos: This is the statue of Sixto Escobar in front of the stadium. This is the main entrance. One of many many buildings in Puerto Rico that's well past its prime. You'd think it was an abandoned structure, but it's still in use. The field (as I was able to see between the gates) had well-maintained turf, equipment, and uniformed players practicing. Continuing the theme of next-door stadiums, here's the Roberto Clemente place I mentioned the other day. The arena named for Clemente is a Soviet-style monstrosity next door to Hiram Bithorn. It features a statue of Clemente placed in front of an ugly lime-green backdrop. More to come...

Composite panoramic photo of Hiram Bithorn Stadium, prior to Monday night's game. (June 28, 2010.) More to come...

What about playing with yourself in the snow?

Voting for all three games of the 2010 San Juan Series will close on Saturday. If you have any votes to cast, please try to do so today. La votaci�n para los tres partidos de la Serie 2010 de San Juan se cerrar� el s�bado. Si tiene alguna votos a favor emitidos, por favor trate de hacerlo hoy. Schaefer POTG 6/28/10 - Marlins 10, Jason Bay 3 Schaefer POTG 6/29/10 - Marlins 7, Mets 6 Schaefer POTG 6/30/10 - Mets 6, Marlins 5 This will also close out the month of June, so be sure to look for the Players of the Month announcement. It looks like we'll have at least one first-time winner, and perhaps as many as three all-new retro baseball cards. Esto tambi�n se cerrar� el mes de junio, as� que aseg�rese de buscar los jugadores de la convocatoria del mes. Parece que vamos a tener por lo menos uno por primera vez ganador, y tal vez hasta tres tarjetas de retro totalmente nuevo de b�isbol.

Totals for June 27, 2010 (10 votes) New York Mets 6, Minnesota Twins 0 NameTotal PointsPoints AwardedPlayer PerformanceJon Niese28.822.88(W) 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 SO.David Wright21.082.113-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, SO, SBJeff Francoeur19.381.943-4, R, 2B, HR, 2 RBIIke Davis10.441.042-4, 2 R, HR, RBI, SOJesus Feliciano8.960.903-5, R, 2BRod Barajas2.400.241-4, RBI, 2 SOPedro Feliciano2.370.241.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO.Elmer Dessens2.290.231.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO.Bobby Parnell2.250.221.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO.Jason Bay1.110.111-4, R, 3B, SOJos� Reyes0.500.050-5

Totals for June 26, 2010 (10 votes) Minnesota Twins 6, New York Mets 0 NameTotal PointsPoints AwardedPlayer PerformanceJeff Francoeur11.541.152-3Elmer Dessens7.460.751.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO.Ryota Igarashi7.190.721.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO.Rod Barajas4.410.441-2Johan Santana1.350.14(L) 6.0 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO.Ike Davis0.300.030-2, BB, SO

Edgy DC awarded 10.1 points, and his votes were prorated. Totals for June 25, 2010 (10 votes) New York Mets 5, Minnesota Twins 2 NameTotal PointsPoints AwardedPlayer PerformanceMike Pelfrey27.942.79(W) 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO.David Wright26.042.602-3, 2 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB, SOJos� Reyes15.751.572-3, R, RBIPedro Feliciano6.590.661.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO.Jason Bay6.470.651-3, 2B, RBI, SOBobby Parnell6.110.611.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO.Francisco Rodriguez5.540.55(Sv) 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO.Ruben Tejada3.320.331-3, R, 2B, SOIke Davis2.150.221-4, RHenry Blanco0.090.010-0

Totals for June 24, 2010 (9 votes) Detroit Tigers 6, New York Mets 5 NameTotal PointsPoints AwardedPlayer PerformanceJesus Feliciano13.391.493-5, 2 R, 2BElmer Dessens10.341.152.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO.David Wright10.301.142-5, R, 2B, RBI, 2 SOJos� Reyes9.231.031-3, R, 2 BBBobby Parnell6.690.741.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO.Ryota Igarashi6.070.671.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO.Jason Bay5.700.631-3, RBI, BBRuben Tejada3.240.361-3, RChris Carter2.400.271-3, RBIIke Davis2.000.220-4, RBIPedro Feliciano1.690.190.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO.Fernando Nieve0.670.070.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO.Henry Blanco0.470.051-4, SO

Totals for June 23, 2010 (10 votes) New York Mets 5, Detroit Tigers 0 NameTotal PointsPoints AwardedPlayer PerformanceR. A. Dickey48.484.85(W) 8.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO.Jos� Reyes26.022.603-4, 3 R, 3B, HR, RBI, SBIke Davis13.861.392-4, 2 RBIDavid Wright5.970.601-3, 2B, RBI, BB, SOFrancisco Rodriguez2.110.211.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO.Ruben Tejada1.550.161-4, RJesus Feliciano1.500.150-1, RBIHenry Blanco0.500.051-4

Totals for June 22, 2010 (10 votes) New York Mets 14, Detroit Tigers 6 NameTotal PointsPoints AwardedPlayer PerformanceAngel Pagan25.902.594-6, 3 R, 2B, 3B, 4 RBIDavid Wright17.881.793-3, 3 R, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BBJos� Reyes13.971.403-6, 3 R, RBI, SO, SBIke Davis13.571.363-6, R, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 SOFernando Nieve9.700.97(W) 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO.Jason Bay7.810.781-2, R, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, SBRuben Tejada2.480.251-4, 2 R, RBI, BBBobby Parnell1.980.201.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO.Ryota Igarashi1.960.201.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO.Jeff Francoeur1.750.181-4, R, RBI, SBJon Niese1.200.124.2 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO.Rod Barajas0.910.090-2, 2 BB

This game marked the 100th time that the Mets played the Washington Nationals. (They're 57 and 43 against Washington.)

Well, they dumped Wally Backman almost six years ago, so having two firings in that span isn't so unusual. In a similar six-year span, the Mets fired Davey Johnson, Bud Harrelson, Jeff Torborg, and Dallas Green.

Santana 5 JFeliciano 1 Blanco 1 Davis 1

This kind of stuff is fun. It's like baseball archeology, or something.

I'll post photos of the Hiram Bithorn Experience some time over the weekend.