Benjamin Grimm

Believe it or not, I just "discovered" this page, and thought it was kinda cool, so I thought I'd share: http://www.leaptoad.com/mets/memrecent.php?tabno=I

I'm sure that there are plenty of below-average players in the American League too. I have no idea why the AL currently seems to be stronger, but I can't see how the number of teams in the league would have anything to do with it. Are there more big-spending teams in the AL? Is a high-priced free agent more likely to find an American League suitor? The National League, with more teams, gets more draft picks in each round, so they should be getting more of the good young players, but draft picks are always iffy, and players don't always reach the majors with the team that drafted them, and even if they do, there's no guarantee that they'll remain with that team for long.

I don't resent the Phillies, I just don't like being surrounded by their fans, and I'd like those fans to be silenced as soon as possible. (I feel the same way about the Eagles, and I don't give a damn about the NFL at all.) I never hated the Braves, and I wouldn't have any problem with the Phillies either if I didn't live in the Philadelphia market. In my case, anyway, phamiliarity has bred contempt.

We do seem to be careening towards this unhappy matchup. I'm looking into getting a sensory deprivation tank for the duration of the World Series and its immediate aftermath. We've gotten to a point where the Mets need to win the World Series in 2010, 2011, and 2012 to make up for the shit we've had to endure.

Sounds like somebody had a "brush with greatness" featuring Charo.

I just checked in and saw the score. Yay! I certainly didn't want to see the Phillies take the first two in LA.

The Associated Press is saying that he'll meet with Boston, the Dodgers, Texas, and San Francisco on Monday, and the Mets, Yankees, and Mariners on Tuesday. U.S. clubs chase Japanese schoolboy Kikuchi Thu Oct 15, 2009 2:01am EDT TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese schoolboy Yusei Kikuchi will hold 'speed interviews' with Major League Baseball clubs as the race to sign the explosive left-hander heats up. The 18-year-old pitcher is poised to meet representatives from eight MLB clubs including the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers, beginning on Friday. Kikuchi's high school said their coveted pitcher would also speak to officials of all 12 Japanese domestic ballclubs over the next four days. Kikuchi would hold talks with all 20 clubs at his Hanamaki Higashi high school in Iwate, northern Japan, the school's coach Hiroshi Sasaki said. "We want to be fair to all the clubs," said Sasaki. "It's important to choose the place that's right for him to become the best he can be." Japanese media Thursday reported that Kikuchi, whose fastball has been clocked at 155kph, would spend just 30 minutes with officials from each club. Japanese baseball officials have requested Kikuchi not consider any offer from MLB clubs before Japan's amateur draft on October 29. MLB clubs are not bound by the same rule that prevents Japanese teams tabling offers before the draft, meaning Kikuchi could in theory opt to jump straight to the majors. Last year, Junichi Tazawa snubbed the Japanese draft and joined the Boston Red Sox from Nippon Oil's corporate team -- the first such move by a top Japanese amateur player. The Red Sox also have marquee pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, who arrived at Fenway Park in 2007 on a $103 million deal.

I remember when I first moved to Pennsylvania, I heard a couple of anti-Semitic statements that made my jaw drop. It gave me a bad first impression of the area. Fortunately, in the following 20 years, those statements proved to be the exception rather than the rule. One instance was during a job interview. The prospective boss, when I asked about benefits, said that they offered a good benefits package, because they weren't a Jewish company. (I did get an offer, but I turned it down. The whole place seemed rather smarmy, and that comment didn't help any.) The other one was in a real estate office when I was buying a condo. I don't remember the exact statement, but it was along the same lines as the previous one: Don't worry, we'll treat you right. We're not Jews. It's bad enough to think this stuff. But to say it out loud to a stranger...

Maybe some day the Wilpons will be wealthy enough to get their hair cut from the guy who cuts this guy's hair:

That's an expression that would make Dick Cheney proud.

I'm very skeptical.

www.dancoopermd.com/about.html Dr. Cooper is the head team physician for the Dallas Cowboys Football Team and for the Dallas Stars Hockey Team. With almost 30 combined seasons of professional team coverage, he is a widely recognized authority in the field of sports medicine, and treats all types of athletes; professionals, collegiate, high school and recreational. He has been elected by his physician colleagues to D Magazine's annual edition of "Best Doctors in Dallas" ten times. Training and Accomplishments: Dr. Cooper is a Dallas native, son of a physician and graduate of Highland Park High School. He attended the University of Tennessee on full athletic scholarship, where he was a magna cum laude graduate in 3 years, the captain of their top ten nationally ranked tennis team, holder of two Southeastern Conference tennis titles, and twice the recipient of the President's Citation for Extraordinary Academic Achievement. He received an early acceptance to UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha honor medical society. After his orthopaedic residency, he was awarded the prestigious orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship at Cornell University's Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, which has repeatedly been named the #1 Orthopaedic Hospital in the country by US News. While there he trained on both the Sports Medicine Knee and Shoulder Services under the direction of Russell Warren, MD, the long time team doctor for the New York Giants and renowned pioneer of modern sports medicine research and surgical techniques. Dr. Cooper received the Excellence in Research Award from the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine for his post-graduate research related to graft strength for ACL surgery in the knee. Dr. Cooper is an editorial reviewer for the American Journal of Sports Medicine, the Journal of Arthroscopic Surgery and the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. He has published over 30 scientific articles and book chapters as well as the textbook, Review of Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy in two editions, and is a frequent speaker at national and international meetings. He is board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, and a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, Arthroscopy Association of North America, the National Football League Team Physician Society and the National Hockey League Team Physician Societies. He is past president of the Texas Society of Sports Medicine. Practice Profile: Dr. Cooper's practice primarily focuses on minimally invasive arthroscopic and reconstructive surgical techniques for the knee and shoulder that restore stability and joint function in young athletic individuals. He also performs arthroscopic elbow and ankle procedures in athletes. He in an internationally known expert in the treatment of complex knee ligament injuries involving injury to the anterior cruciate, posterior cruciate and collateral ligaments, and his practice serves as a referral center for difficult and revision cases. In addition to his current affiliation with the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Stars, Dr. Cooper serves in an independent consulting role to numerous collegiate and professional teams, sports agents and their players. Personal Commitments: Dr. Cooper is an Advisory Director on the Boards of the Children's Cancer Fund of Dallas and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and is involved in other civic and church activities. He is devoted to his wife and three children, and enjoys as much golf and fishing as possible in whatever time there is to spare! Dr. Cooper wants his patients to also know that his employees are unsurpassed, each having over 20 years experience in their position and a genuine concern for helping others in their career. Our team of professionals remains committed to serving you in your orthopaedic needs by providing the highest quality of treatment and service.

I imagine that it's because they want Dr. Cooper to do the surgery, and that's where he practices.

Edgy DC wrote: Anyhow, I hope this helps and is readable. Yes, and yes. I've worked my way through about half of the pages posted here, and I appreciate the help you guys have been providing. It's interesting that, in some years, it looks like there would only be two or three players on the disabled list all season long. (That's hard to imagine in the wake of the 2009 season.) I wonder if that's accurate, or if the media guides aren't as thorough as they should be. I seem to remember that in the past there were limits to how many players could be on the DL at a time. There were a certain number of slots on the 15-day, and another number on the 21-day, and then there was the 60-day. And there also seems to have been an "emergency disabled list." (I don't know what the story is on that.) But maybe these limits caused teams to hesitate to disable a player. For example, it looks like Jerry Grote wasn't on the DL at all in 1972, although he seems to have missed a lot of playing time.

I was watching a game once, and one of my kids thought that Wilson Betemit's last name was "Better Meat." That's all I have on him.

I find Philadelphia fans to be plenty insufferable. (Especially since I live amongst them.) I thought LA fans were more apathetic. (Is that why they're insufferable?) I'll all for the Dodgers and Angels. Phillies and Yankees must be stopped.

Manager Jerry Manuel traveled Tuesday from his home in Sacramento, Calif., to gauge whether Mejia may be able to help the Mets in the bullpen in early 2010, as well as to evaluate first-base prospect Ike Davis. GM Omar Minaya is also in attendance. Mejia projects as a No.1 or No.2 starter in the majors eventually. If he projects to be a number 1 or 2 starter, I don't think I want him in the Mets bullpen in early 2010. Why are they even considering that? Let him either be a starter at Buffalo or... if his spring is strong enough, a starter in Flushing.

Koosman 5.5 Taylor 1 Clendenon 2 Weis 1.5

You're just lucky that Donald Rumsfeld didn't "KO" you in the elevator yesterday!

I guess you have to tell him he's only 12.5 per cent better than Jack Wilson. Or sign Holliday first, and then shower Jack Wilson with his millions. I have no idea what Jack Wilson is worth, but I do like the idea of getting a veteran shortstop who can step in for Jose Reyes if necessary. The Mets had that in 2009 with Alex Cora, hopefully next year's Alex Cora will be better and more durable. (I suspect, though, that next year's Alex Cora is going to be Anderson Hernandez.)

If Lucas Duda and Paul Lo Duca had ever been teammates, it would have driven Ralph Kiner nuts.