Benjamin Grimm

Hopefully the Mets will have a better team in July than they have now. No matter what, I say Santana should pitch tomorrow, on his normal rest. Let Maine and Hernandez wait.

="Fman99":e7xldmhk]I detest the Phillies and their fans. It took going to a Mets-Phils tilt at Shea in '07 just to see how obnoxious they were.[/quote:e7xldmhk] I was at a Mets-Phillies game in 2007 too. I'm not going to go back. It was such an ugly atmosphere I don't want to go there with my kids. (Carlos Gomez, I remember, injured himself and the fans were whooping and hollering with joy.) MFS62 May 03 2009 10:20 AM ="Benjamin Grimm":3mzmcfb5]I've been to the Dallas area several times, and it appears that their rival there is the Redskins. I see all kinds of anti-Dallas Cowboys bumper stickers and stuff in the Philly area, but nothing at all about the Eagles in Texas.[/quote:3mzmcfb5] Agree. I was on a business trip to Dallas a number of years back with an associate who was an avid Redskins fan. We went to a bar to watch a Redskins/ Cowboys Monday night game. The 'Skins were beating up on the 'Pokes that night, real bad - IIRC around 40-something to nil. As the game progressed, he was cheering louder and louder, the patrons were getting madder and madder and I was moving farther and farther away from him. I think the fact that he was a 6'3" 240 lb ex-Notre Dame football player was what may have saved his reckless hide. BTW - it appears that you only need two things to open a bar in Dallas - a liquor license and a full sized poster of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. Back to the main point, the Eagles were never mentioned other than on game day during my many trips to Dallas. We now return you to the Philly talk. Later LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr May 03 2009 01:24 PM ="Benjamin Grimm":rc5gkky6]="Fman99":rc5gkky6]I detest the Phillies and their fans. It took going to a Mets-Phils tilt at Shea in '07 just to see how obnoxious they were.[/quote:rc5gkky6] I was at a Mets-Phillies game in 2007 too. I'm not going to go back. It was such an ugly atmosphere I don't want to go there with my kids. (Carlos Gomez, I remember, injured himself and the fans were whooping and hollering with joy.)[/quote:rc5gkky6] There's a difference between actual Phils fans-- a loyal, pretty well-informed group-- and college kids/dropouts who need somewhere to drink between Flyer season and Eagle season (steadily increasing in number since 2004 or so, roughly coincident with the rise of Utley and Hamels and Howard). I went to yesterday's game via public transport sporting the usual complement of regalia (away Santana jersey, trad blue-and-orange hat), and ended up having a nice little chat with two Phils-cap-wearing strangers comparing the relative bench strengths of the '69 Mets and the '08 Phils. Thanks to a train delay, I got inside the game in the bottom of the first. I asked a group of twentysomethings in red if they knew how the Phils' runs scored, and got called a "New Jork (think bad imitation of a Hispanic accent) queer" by a leering dude in a "World Phucking Champions" tee for my trouble. There are some in every fanbase... the ugly ones are just as bad when they're wearing blue and orange camo. Fman99 May 03 2009 02:22 PM ="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr":25pp1ahd]="Benjamin Grimm":25pp1ahd]="Fman99":25pp1ahd]I detest the Phillies and their fans. It took going to a Mets-Phils tilt at Shea in '07 just to see how obnoxious they were.[/quote:25pp1ahd] I was at a Mets-Phillies game in 2007 too. I'm not going to go back. It was such an ugly atmosphere I don't want to go there with my kids. (Carlos Gomez, I remember, injured himself and the fans were whooping and hollering with joy.)[/quote:25pp1ahd] There's a difference between actual Phils fans-- a loyal, pretty well-informed group-- and college kids/dropouts who need somewhere to drink between Flyer season and Eagle season (steadily increasing in number since 2004 or so, roughly coincident with the rise of Utley and Hamels and Howard). I went to yesterday's game via public transport sporting the usual complement of regalia (away Santana jersey, trad blue-and-orange hat), and ended up having a nice little chat with two Phils-cap-wearing strangers comparing the relative bench strengths of the '69 Mets and the '08 Phils. Thanks to a train delay, I got inside the game in the bottom of the first. I asked a group of twentysomethings in red if they knew how the Phils' runs scored, and got called a "New Jork (think bad imitation of a Hispanic accent) queer" by a leering dude in a "World Phucking Champions" tee for my trouble. There are some in every fanbase... the ugly ones are just as bad when they're wearing blue and orange camo.[/quote:25pp1ahd] I will admit, there were more thugs in Met gear that day in '07 than I've ever been around in any other Mets game. In addition to the brutes in red. People are animals. metsguyinmichigan May 03 2009 03:18 PM ="Fman99":1ib6d02i]People are animals.[/quote:1ib6d02i] But, if you pretend to be one of them by wearing the home cap when they're playing the Diamondbacks, they let you pose with their heroes and buy pulled pork. Or so I've heard. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr May 03 2009 04:08 PM ="metsguyinmichigan":ers845mm]="Fman99":ers845mm]People are animals.[/quote:ers845mm] But, if you pretend to be one of them by wearing the home cap when they're playing the Diamondbacks, they let you pose with their heroes and buy pulled pork. Or so I've heard. [/quote:ers845mm] I actually sought out Luzinski twice-- once pre-game, once in-game-- to see if he'd take a picture with a guy in a Johan jersey. Swing-and-miss both times. Perhaps he had a derby party at the Murray house to attend. metsguyinmichigan May 03 2009 05:45 PM ="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr"]="metsguyinmichigan"]="Fman99"]People are animals. But, if you pretend to be one of them by wearing the home cap when they're playing the Diamondbacks, they let you pose with their heroes and buy pulled pork. Or so I've heard. I actually sought out Luzinski twice-- once pre-game, once in-game-- to see if he'd take a picture with a guy in a Johan jersey. Swing-and-miss both times. Perhaps he had a derby party at the Murray house to attend. Totally. And here's proof: I tried taking a photo of the race off the telvision, and I'm like, "Bull! Down in front!" And the thing is, he wasn't even a good houseguest. I'm like, "Greg, not for nothing, but I took a lot of heat from by friends this week for hanging with you. And all you bring to the party is a bag of chips that you got at the gas station on the way here? Not cool, Bull. We were hoping for some pulled pork." And he was like, "Whatever. Where are the julips?" And he made fun of my daughter's hat. My wife said I can't invite him next year. Frayed Knot May 03 2009 06:06 PM ="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr":19k9poyd]="Benjamin Grimm":19k9poyd]="Fman99":19k9poyd]I detest the Phillies and their fans. It took going to a Mets-Phils tilt at Shea in '07 just to see how obnoxious they were.[/quote:19k9poyd] I was at a Mets-Phillies game in 2007 too. I'm not going to go back. It was such an ugly atmosphere I don't want to go there with my kids. (Carlos Gomez, I remember, injured himself and the fans were whooping and hollering with joy.)[/quote:19k9poyd] There's a difference between actual Phils fans-- a loyal, pretty well-informed group-- and college kids/dropouts who need somewhere to drink between Flyer season and Eagle season (steadily increasing in number since 2004 or so, roughly coincident with the rise of Utley and Hamels and Howard). I went to yesterday's game via public transport sporting the usual complement of regalia (away Santana jersey, trad blue-and-orange hat), and ended up having a nice little chat with two Phils-cap-wearing strangers comparing the relative bench strengths of the '69 Mets and the '08 Phils. Thanks to a train delay, I got inside the game in the bottom of the first. I asked a group of twentysomethings in red if they knew how the Phils' runs scored, and got called a "New Jork (think bad imitation of a Hispanic accent) queer" by a leering dude in a "World Phucking Champions" tee for my trouble. There are some in every fanbase... the ugly ones are just as bad when they're wearing blue and orange camo.[/quote:19k9poyd] I think the sports media in Philly tends to drive a lot of that kind of stuff. Even the worst of WFAN sounds like 'Masterpiece Theatre' compared to most of WIP. Encouraging callers whose sole point is to say 'Cowboys Suck' seems to be considered standard programming on some shows. I've always thought of Philly as more a football & hockey town as compared to baseball & hoops so maybe the macho attitude of those two sports help give the city its rep. The anti-Met thing I think it more just an extension of an overall anti-NYC bias that exists in a lot of places - just even moreso when your city is only 100 miles down the road. Perhaps the attitudes in Philly - like Boston in many ways - were formed way back by people who never got over NYC supplanting their towns as the dominant city on the eastern seaboard all those years ago. Kong76 May 03 2009 06:09 PM This was really funny ... seawolf17 May 03 2009 06:10 PM I've always loved Greg Luzinski -- my coach in baseball camp one year called me "Bull" because my power, speed, and remarkable ability to strike out reminded him of Luzinski.

I've been to the Dallas area several times, and it appears that their rival there is the Redskins. I see all kinds of anti-Dallas Cowboys bumper stickers and stuff in the Philly area, but nothing at all about the Eagles in Texas.

It really is crazy. I guess there have also been times when the Mets have benefited from this kind of insanity, since the opposing managers also manage this way. So it probably evens out. But I'd like our manager to be smarter than the other guy, so that the Mets win more than their share of games. After Putz I would have gone with Rodriguez, then Stokes, for as long as he'd hold out, and then Green.

Box score Takahashi 1.9 Putz 1.4 Parnell 1 Murphy 1.6 Castro 1 Cora 1.5 Beltran 1 Church 0.6

As I was watching Putz pitch, I was thinking, well, they still have Green in the pen if they want to quickly end the game. He might as well wear Heilman's number. He's going to be seen in the same light. I was sure Rodriguez would pitch the tenth. I was wrong.

="Met Hunter":30n4s2p0]Nice 420 bomb to dead center Ramon. Shake Jerry's hand on the way back into the dugout?[/quote:30n4s2p0] There was some kind of touching of hands. Might have been a "fist bump."

Can we get Oliver Perez to put on a Phillies cap? We can bribe him with pulled pork.

That's what we want to see. Remorse.

I don't get it either. A lot of angst because the reserve infielder isn't a superstar.

SCHAEFER METS PLAYER AND PITCHERS OF THE MONTH, APRIL 2009 The Schaefer Mets Player and Pitcher of the Month for April 2009 is, not at all surprisingly, JOHAN SANTANA. This is the Santana's third consecutive time as Player of the Month. (He was both Player and Pitcher of the Month in August and September of last year as well.) This is Johan's fifth time as Pitcher of the Month. Santana was 3-1 in April with an ERA of 1.10. No other pitcher came close, either statisically or in Schaefer points. Among non-pitchers, Carlos Beltran tallied the most Schaefer points in April, finishing second overall. Beltran hit .388 in April and slugged .538. He led the Mets with 31 hits, and his 2 home runs and 14 RBI were second on the team to Carlos Delgado's 3 homers and 16 RBI. And the Schaefer Mets Relief Pitcher of the Month is, for the third consecutive month, BRIAN STOKES. Stokes, one of the few bullpen holdovers from last year, pitched 11 innings in April, with an ERA of 0.00. He lost his only decision of the month on an unearned run. Month-to-date totals for April 2009 Through game of April 29, 2009 RankNamePoints1Johan Santana22.402Carlos Beltran15.893Carlos Delgado13.544David Wright11.665Luis Castillo10.436Jos� Reyes10.127Ryan Church10.108Daniel Murphy9.089Brian Stokes6.2410Livan Hernandez5.8811Francisco Rodriguez5.8012Omir Santos5.5813J. J. Putz5.5714John Maine5.5315Bobby Parnell5.0816Sean Green4.4317Alex Cora4.3218Gary Sheffield4.2119Fernando Tatis4.1120Oliver Perez3.7121Pedro Feliciano3.5222Ramon Castro3.4523Mike Pelfrey3.1524Brian Schneider2.1525Jeremy Reed1.8526Nelson Figueroa1.7127Casey Fossum1.6228Darren O'Day0.69

VOTING FOR THIS GAME IS NOW CLOSED Totals for April 29, 2009 (10 votes) Florida Marlins 4, New York Mets 3 NameTotal PointsPoints AwardedPlayer PerformanceJohan Santana39.723.977.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 SO.Fernando Tatis22.952.293-4, 2 R, HR, RBI, SB.Ramon Castro9.780.982-4, RBI, SO.Jos� Reyes8.230.821-3, R, 3B, 2 BB.Francisco Rodriguez4.650.461.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO.Jeremy Reed3.430.341-1, 3B.Alex Cora1.700.171-4, RBI, SO.Gary Sheffield0.640.060-0, BB.Carlos Beltran0.200.021-4, BB.Daniel Murphy0.200.021-3, SB.

Pelfrey 2 Murphy 2 Tatis 1.5 Beltran 1.5 Feliciano 0.5 Wright 0.75 Santos 0.75 Putz 0.5 Rodriguez 0.5

Is it Ollie today? For some reason I was thinking it would be Maine.

Yes, it's been a one-sided rivalry for a long time. I was surprised, when I moved to the Philly suburbs back in 1988, to find so much hatred for the Mets. Philadelphia also has a one-sided rivalry with the Eagles/Cowboys. And in both cases, they have no idea. People here are surprisingly provincial.

Through 5 innings, Pelfrey's thrown 95 pitches. Six is the most we'll get out of him. He'll get more Schaefer from me if he finishes six. (He'll get something for the hitting regardless.)

Like I said, pitchforks and torches. And pulled pork. He may be a Mets guy in Michigan, but when he's in Pennsylvania he's apparently a Phillies guy.

I hope Pelfrey has an easy inning here. He's already thrown 81 pitches. I can imagine Jerry leaving a struggling Pelfrey in too long in order to get the five innings. One. Two. Three. And then try to get him to pitch the sixth, too.

I'll renew my call for the 27-man roster. Hopefully Delgado and/or Castillo will at least be available to pinch hit.

Oh. Never saw it.

Sadly, she's dead at the present time.

So is a surprise appearance by Fay Wray!! It's like Thanksgiving in May! Thanks for that, Irish!

You sold your soul for pulled pork???

Seems that way. I think they're instructed to pander to the fans' baser instincts. They have to sell papers, you know.

Time for pitchforks and torches.