Benjamin Grimm

David Wright has moved past Wayne Garrett and now only Howard Johnson has played more Mets games at third base. David needs to appear in another 117 games to pass HoJo, and should do that this season. 1.Howard Johnson8352.David Wright7193.Wayne Garrett7094.Hubie Brooks5165.Edgardo Alfonzo5156.Robin Ventura4367.Ed Charles2478.Dave Magadan2389.Ty Wigginton23510.Lenny Randle234

Maine 4 Santos 4 Wright 1 Sheffield 1

My sense is that Tatis is ahead of Murphy on the second base depth chart.

Both his first name and his last name are surnames of original Incredible Hulk supporting characters.

="soupcan":1bsataam]Pennants and World Series only.[/quote:1bsataam] That's my vote too. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 27 2009 12:55 PM I wouldn't mind the place packed to the rafters with detritus from the WC seasons (not to mention the literal and figurative 88-74 seasons of all stripes). But I'm fine with the banners they've got hanging-- banners for playoff appearances feels like applauding having bought the lottery ticket. HahnSolo Apr 27 2009 01:04 PM ="Benjamin Grimm":sulefge9]="soupcan":sulefge9]Pennants and World Series only.[/quote:sulefge9] That's my vote too.[/quote:sulefge9] Me, too. The '88 NL East champ banner always brought back bad memories whenever I saw it. sharpie Apr 27 2009 01:05 PM I agree with everyone else. Pennants only. Gwreck Apr 27 2009 01:07 PM Right now they have the two WS flags and two NL Pennant flags flying. I would also be fine with flags for '88 and '06, personally. TransMonk Apr 27 2009 01:13 PM I don't care. The one I'm most concerned about is the theoretical 2009 banner. seawolf17 Apr 27 2009 01:18 PM I thought only the Yankees won championships. themetfairy Apr 27 2009 01:36 PM I loved that '99 team. I'd give 'em a banner. metsguyinmichigan Apr 27 2009 02:14 PM "Wild Card" banners seem kinda cheesey. Celebrating coming in second place never seemed proper. Nymr83 Apr 27 2009 02:20 PM ="metsguyinmichigan":ml3gqwpb]"Wild Card" banners seem kinda cheesey. Celebrating coming in second place never seemed proper.[/quote:ml3gqwpb] but those are the rules, i think you should either celebrate all playoff appearences with a banner or only celebrate going all the way. i prefer the former only because i'd rather see more acknowledgment of past mets teams than less. 86-Dreamer Apr 27 2009 02:29 PM I voted Pennants and World Series only; but I'd like to amend that to Division Titles, Pennants, and World Series. In other words, a banner for every "championship". Swan Swan H Apr 27 2009 02:37 PM That's where it gets sticky. Is winning a division and losing to the wild card team more bannerworthy than getting the wild card spot and winning the first round? I'd say no - advancement counts. Not to mention that tiebreakers are used to decide division winner vs. wild card if they are tied for the division and both have better records than the next wild card qualifier. This last happened, I believe, in the AL in 2005. Me, if you get in you hang up a banner. These days the goal is to get into the postseason and roll the dice from there, and I think making it should be celebrated. G-Fafif Apr 27 2009 02:42 PM I believe this poll was spurred by a piece I wrote last Flashback Friday[/url:1pvgrw1x] hoping all seven banners would be restored to some place of prominence. Given that the Mets have the precedent, I'd indeed like to see '88, '99 and '06 honored as they were at Shea. I particularly liked the '99 banner not just from a personal affinity for that season but because it would have seemed self-denying to not acknowledge on a going basis the events that gave us Pratt and Ventura (in particular) just because "WILD CARD & NLDS" was a little unwieldy. I'm a big fan of stuff that undeservedly falls down the memory hole. If we confine "history" to the pennant-winning years, more and more it is forgotten what a big deal, in their time, the years they just missed the World Series were. A nice marker signifying that yes, on these approximate grounds massive crowds gathered to cheer extracurricular baseball feats seems plenty appropriate and reasonably dignified. I can't see burying 1988, 1999 and 2006 just because they didn't go quite as far as 1969, 1973, 1986 and 2000. As i wrote last Friday, the most you can ask out of any regular season is to facilitate a postseason. All seven seasons did that. Long may they wave. Met Hunter Apr 27 2009 04:35 PM Three white pennants for World Championships and 2 dark (preferably blue) for NL pennants. That's it. (Oops, make that 2 white WS championship pennants. The third one was the Brooklyn Dodgers. I get so confused these days.) Gwreck May 26 2009 11:57 AM They finally got around to putting them up: soupcan May 26 2009 01:30 PM That seems like an odd location but whatever. Don't look now but New Ebbets Field is getting Metsmerized! Benjamin Grimm May 26 2009 01:43 PM Yeah, that is an odd location. You'd think they'd be where the fans in the seats could see them, and where the TV cameras could pick them up more easily. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr May 26 2009 01:55 PM "My name is Tom Seaver, pitcher of pitchers: Look on my flags, ye Purchasers of Stolen Hubcaps, and despair!" G-Fafif May 26 2009 02:04 PM The Mets keep their memorabilia in their basement rumpus room. Did somebody insist "you're not putting that baseball crap of yours in my precious living room"? When one enters through the Rotunda and takes the escalator to field level, one can peek into the suite area concourse and glimpse a few of the blown-up Topps cards, one Met per year, that are there for the suite people to enjoy and tell you about if you bump into them on their way to their luxury cars afterwards. At PNC, FYI, there is a veritable courtyard of blown-up Topps cards of Pirates through the years. All are invited to look at them. seawolf17 May 26 2009 02:06 PM ="G-Fafif":1wiz6ldx]blown-up Topps cards, one Met per year[/quote:1wiz6ldx] Seriously? I need photographs, people. Photographs! Inspiration for the baseball card room! G-Fafif May 26 2009 02:08 PM ="seawolf17":6z98j76k]="G-Fafif":6z98j76k]blown-up Topps cards, one Met per year[/quote:6z98j76k] Seriously? I need photographs, people. Photographs! Inspiration for the baseball card room![/quote:6z98j76k] Suite me and I'll photograph my and Lenny Dykstra's head off.

Except that Santana's not pitching.

Voting for Thursday afternoon's losing slugfest in St. Louis will close some time on Tuesday. Schaefer POTG 4/23/09 - Cardinals 12, Mets 8 If you haven't voted yet, and plan to, please try to do so today.

Delgado 1.25 Fossum 1 Stokes 0.4 Feliciano 0.4

I should point out that we had to pay Tom Seaver for the right to use his name in this thread.

Perez's ERA is now 9.31. His chances of being Schaefer Mets Pitcher of the Month for April are rather slim. (Not that there's any suspense at all about who is actually going to win.)

VOTING FOR THIS GAME IS NOW CLOSED Totals for April 22, 2009 (11 votes) St. Louis Cardinals 5, New York Mets 2 NameTotal PointsPoints AwardedPlayer PerformanceCarlos Beltran19.251.753-4, 2B, RBI.Brian Stokes10.250.931.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO.Casey Fossum10.000.911.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO.Daniel Murphy8.550.781-4, RBI.David Wright3.250.301-4, R, 2B.Luis Castillo2.550.230-2, R, BB.Jos� Reyes2.250.201-3, BB.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I wonder how Randy Wolf is doing? 1-1, 4.26 ERA in four starts.

Murphy in the first, falling down like that, reminded me of Todd Hundley. I'd like to thank my daughter's friend Brina for having her birthday party today. If my daughter hadn't had that party to attend, we'd be at Citi Field today. Thanks Brina! Oh, and I'm so tired of Oliver Perez. Throughout the winter I wanted anybody else instead of him, and he's done nothing to change my mind. I wonder how Randy Wolf is doing?

Pelfrey 3 Church 2.5 Beltran 2.5 Green 0.5 Murphy 0.75 Stokes 0.75

Never mind. He got 'em.

Stokes can't seem to get that third out. He gets the first two, but now the bases are loaded. Tying run on double-deck.

Think they might lose 121 games?

I just checked in, after having braced myself for the worst. Looks like a pretty nice outing from Pelfrey, dropping his ERA down into the sixes. Hey! Church just singled in two runs! The Mets have a six-run lead!

OlerudOwned wrote: ="A Boy Named Seo"]I'm blacked out again. Why would a guy in CA want to watch a DC team play in NY anyways? Going outside. Go get 'em for me, please. http://cranesville.com/wcss1490/wmp.asx Ain't TV, but it's something. Why is the radio feed of a Mets game playing on a website in Amsterdam, NY that sells concrete products?

Good. Hopefully he's been properly humbled. As Fman (does anybody else mentally pronounce that as one awkward syllable?) said, it's good to have the depth.

Santana 4 Putz 1 Parnell 0.6 Feliciano 0.4 Tatis 1 Castillo 1 Murphy 1 Beltran 1

="metirish"]John's balls are high. Now that sounds like it might be painful

="metsguyinmichigan":3j769mbn]JC, we do resemble a pile of pooh [/quote:3j769mbn] You mean, like this...? ="metsguyinmichigan":3j769mbn] I wouldn't be stunned if this team got its act together in a hurry and goes off on a vicious tear. But then, I'm an optimist.[/quote:3j769mbn] Clearly! I do think it's possible that things might turn around in a hurry, but I'm not at all sure how likely it is. I would think that one or two of the four awful starters will get better soon, but that still would leave the Mets with two other awful starters to replace. John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 24 2009 11:38 AM My pessimism is about Maine. I don't think he's hurt. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 24 2009 11:38 AM Another option, should Pelf feel balky on Saturday morning. Do 12-year-olds count against the 40-man? ]FROM DEADSPIN/THE STAR-LEDGER: The taunting rings in your ears and burns like fire, and will for years. A girl pitched a perfect game against your Little League team, and you struck out three times. Nelson Muntz approves. On Tuesday Mackenzie Brown became the first girl to throw a perfect game in Bayonne Little League history. Her reward? Today she gets to pitch for the New York Mets. She'll throw out the first pitch before the Mets take on the Washington Nationals at CitiField � finally Jerry Manuel has a reliable starter � as part of a whirlwind publicity tour that has included newspaper and TV interviews and a mention on SportsCenter. From the Star Ledger of New Jersey: Norman Brown expressed countless thanks to a mysterious voice on the other end of his cell phone. He then snapped it shut and turned to his 12-year-old daughter, Mackenzie. "Yo dawg," he said, thrusting his arms in her direction, "you're throwing out the first pitch at the Mets game on Saturday!" Brown retired all 18 batters she faced on Tuesday, striking out 12; including the last six of the game in succession. This season is her baseball swan song, however. When her Little League career ends at the conclusion of this season, she will make the switch to softball. She has enjoyed her heyday playing ball with the boys but has aspirations of a chance to play college sports � either in softball or basketball, in which she's a highly touted point guard. The Nationals, of course, are also thankful that she's only throwing one pitch today. metirish Apr 24 2009 11:40 AM John's balls are high , his pitching high in the zone and getting hammered. Benjamin Grimm Apr 24 2009 11:43 AM ="metirish"]John's balls are high. Now that sounds like it might be painful John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 24 2009 11:47 AM Giraffe walks into a bar. "Highballs on me!" metsguyinmichigan Apr 24 2009 12:00 PM Good Pooh pile! Has anybody ever won anything out of one of those claw games? I wrote a story once about how Connecticut had inspectors who checked them (among other duties) because the owner can adjust the tension on the claw to keep it frm closing down too tightly on something. metirish Apr 24 2009 12:00 PM John needs his balls to be below the knees........ all joking aside his fastball is staying high , wasn't that a mantra of Peterson , pitch low in the zone all the time. Edgy DC Apr 24 2009 12:04 PM ="metsguyinmichigan":2l96utz6]Murphy works too hard to suck that much in the field. He's an infielder converting, and we're seeing the transition. Maybe they shouldn't have had him play second in the winter leagues. Bad call in hindsight. But you have to think he'll be adequate beofore long.[/quote:2l96utz6] Actually, they didn't. He played second in the Arizona Fall League, but then went off to the Caribbean to play the outfield again, though I think that season was cut short for him by an injury. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 24 2009 12:39 PM ="Edgy DC":v3l5pbx6]="metsguyinmichigan":v3l5pbx6]Murphy works too hard to suck that much in the field. He's an infielder converting, and we're seeing the transition. Maybe they shouldn't have had him play second in the winter leagues. Bad call in hindsight. But you have to think he'll be adequate beofore long.[/quote:v3l5pbx6] Actually, they didn't. He played second in the Arizona Fall League, but then went off to the Caribbean to play the outfield again, though I think that season was cut short for him by an injury.[/quote:v3l5pbx6] Wasn't there a practice field at PSL built to the exact dimensions of CitiField? Didn't they use this one for outfield practice? If not, why not? If so, why not more?

I agree. My guess is that, since so far Citi Field seems to be the only place to get the yearbooks, and there have only been six home games, there's a temporary and artificial short supply. Once more yearbooks are in circulation, and they hit the newsstands, the prices should come back to more reasonable levels.

Craigslist must be loving the free publicity.