Benjamin Grimm

Well, if Livan doesn't get it done he won't be the fifth starter for long. (Again, look at David Cone in 2003.) It's not worth getting worked up over. If, in May, Livan's getting knocked around and Niese is throwing shutouts for Buffalo, they'll make the change.

]As Jim Bouton said (roughly,) �In baseball, just cause B follows A doesn�t mean A caused B.� Of course, that's not limited to baseball. ]Maybe it�s only me, but doesn�t this come off as arrogant, chest-beating talk on the part of the media. Yes, it does. And I think a big part of it is these guys, by saying how tough New York is, and how tough it is to succeed there, are implicitly saying, "...like I've succeeded here." If New York is tough, then someone who's been in the papers or on the radio for ten or twenty years must also be tough. Otherwise they would have been weeded out and sent back to Peoria.

Yeah, I just looked him up. He's 22 and a half and hasn't played above St. Lucie. (He hit .300 there with 25 doubles, 5 homers and 45 walks in 347 at bats in 2008.)

And there's Josh Thole.

I'm reminded of the outstanding spring David Cone had in 2003.

holychicken wrote: Being a United Statesian, I feel obligated to root for them. I don't.

I think, as citizens of the United States of America, we don't need a victory in a baseball tournament to give us pride. I can understand a smaller country getting a thrill out of knocking off baseball powerhouses like the USA or Japan. Me, I don't find myself having any rooting interest in the US for the WBC or the Olympics. Oh, and the reason FMan hates America: Because he hates freedom! Isn't that why everyone hates America?

Hopefully they won't put him on a plane to Denver tomorrow. Was this game played in Toronto? When's the next time David has to get on an airplane?

="Farmer Ted":1mo6218d]Interesting that Mr. Goldberger suggests that Citi should have been built on the west side of Manhattan. I was in favor of the LIC area with a PNC Park-esque view of the Manhattan skyline beyound the outfield wall.[/quote:1mo6218d] That was my ballpark fantasy as well. Another advantage of that site would have been easy after-work access for Manhattan workers. themetfairy Mar 16 2009 05:29 PM The West Side would have been nice for me - only one train ride instead of two. MFS62 Mar 16 2009 05:34 PM ="OlerudOwned":3kx0dulz]The new Yankees Stadium really does look like a beautiful post office.[/quote:3kx0dulz] Bingo! Later Vic Sage Mar 17 2009 09:12 AM IMO, his point was not that asymmetry = character. To the contrary, i think. His point was that the assymetry of old ballparks were not merely an affectation.... they were the necessary consequence of urban ballparks having to adapt to very different urban landscapes. That those ballparks were integrated and a part of their urban settings made them more individualized, personal experience for their fans, and thus lovingly embraced ("even the ugly ones"), which is a perfectly valid architectural theory. It is one of the uniquey identifying charms of baseball that its outfield dimensions are unlimited, just as the lack of a clock renders the game theoretically unlimited. But his criticism of Citifield is that its asymmetry does NOT equal character; that it is, instead, an affectation that isolates it in its environment, and has been borrowed, instead, from a history that is not its own. Regardless, the stadium is attractive, and I'm still happy to have better sightlines and better amenities. RealityChuck Mar 17 2009 09:13 AM ="Gwreck":2wuna5hi]The gratuitous editorializing in the final sentence undermines the writer's authority by delving too far off topic.[/quote:2wuna5hi] It's a review. That's the point of a review -- to give an opinion. Gwreck Mar 17 2009 09:18 AM The review works when he offers opinions on topics in which he has expertise. Hence my criticism of the way he ended. Edgy DC Mar 17 2009 10:18 AM ="Vic Sage":3h6as05y]IMO, his point was not that asymmetry = character. To the contrary, i think. His point was that the assymetry of old ballparks were not merely an affectation.... they were the necessary consequence of urban ballparks having to adapt to very different urban landscapes. That those ballparks were integrated and a part of their urban settings made them more individualized, personal experience for their fans, and thus lovingly embraced ("even the ugly ones"), which is a perfectly valid architectural theory. It is one of the uniquey identifying charms of baseball that its outfield dimensions are unlimited, just as the lack of a clock renders the game theoretically unlimited. But his criticism of Citifield is that its asymmetry does NOT equal character; that it is, instead, an affectation that isolates it in its environment, and has been borrowed, instead, from a history that is not its own. Regardless, the stadium is attractive, and I'm still happy to have better sightlines and better amenities.[/quote:3h6as05y] Well, if that's his point, I agree with him, but the first sentence of paragraph four seems to suggest that Shea's a-symmetry was some sort of lamentable artistic mission of architects, rather than the natural response to a new reality, the park was built in a huge swath of land cleared for parking. He certainly alludes to the new paradigm two paragraphs down, but he's already made his seeming indictment of Shea '64 on those terms.

Seems like an obvious choice, doesn't it? My guess is that they're looking to avoid competing with some other potential blockbuster that may have already been announced to open that same week/weekend.

="metirish":2fg4wixq]I'm certain I read somewhere that Pudge always wanted to be an Astro.[/quote:2fg4wixq] His dad grew up worshiping Cesar Cedeno and Jimmy Wynn. seawolf17 Mar 16 2009 01:37 PM But really, they're like the Drunk J-Lo of the NL Central. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 16 2009 02:24 PM ="seawolf17"]But really, they're like the Drunk Jessica Simpson of the NL Central. /fixed Fman99 Mar 16 2009 05:38 PM ="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr"]But really, they're like the Drunk, Fat in jeans but I'd still get all up in that Jessica Simpson of the NL Central. /fixed LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 16 2009 06:33 PM ="Fman99"]="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr"]But really, they're like the Drunk, Fat in jeans but I'd still get all up in that Jessica Simpson of the NL Central. /fixed To be fair, the Astros look like this to ALL right-handed hitters of limited power.

GI Joe is a Marvel property?

I think I've done this before, but here's a list of former Mets players who played in the big leagues in 2007 but not in 2008. There are some whom we know have formally retired. Others, though, may just be in the process of fading away. There are 31 such players. They're listed below with the big league clubs they played for in 2007: Sandy Alomar (New York Mets) Mike Bacsik (Washington Nationals) Alberto Castillo (Baltimore Orioles) Bruce Chen (Texas Rangers) Jeff Conine (New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds) Kane Davis (Philadelphia Phillies) Victor Diaz (Texas Rangers) Julio Franco (New York Mets, Atlanta Braves) Shawn Green (New York Mets) Roberto Hernandez (Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers) Ben Johnson (New York Mets) Brian Lawrence (New York Mets) Ricky Ledee (New York Mets) Tom Martin (Colorado Rockies) Henry Owens (Florida Marlins) Timo Perez (Detroit Tigers) Jason Phillips (Toronto Blue Jays) Mike Piazza (Oakland Athletics) Desi Relaford (Texas Rangers) Aaron Sele (New York Mets) Jae Seo (Tampa Bay Rays) Mike Stanton (Cincinnati Reds) Kelly Stinnett (St. Louis Cardinals) John Thomson (Kansas City Royals) Lino Urdaneta (New York Mets) Jason Vargas (New York Mets) Rick White (Houston Astros, Seattle Mariners) Dave Williams (New York Mets) Preston Wilson (St. Louis Cardinals) Chris Woodward (Atlanta Braves) Victor Zambrano (Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles)

I think Iron Man has become my favorite. The others that stand out are the first two Spideys and X-Men 2. I did really like Dark Knight, but my own personal bias says that no DC movie can compare to a good Marvel movie.

Duaner signs a minor league contract with San Diego.

Well, don't forget that Wagner is going to be a free agent again after the 2009 season. He'll get more money if he gets a chance to demonstrate his health in September than he would otherwise.

="John Cougar Lunchbucket":2o3vtj44]Can I make a general comment about there being a certain level of paramoia and hypersensitivity to bias in the media here?[/quote:2o3vtj44] I agree. Edgy DC Mar 13 2009 11:46 AM I just dislike journalists who take cheap and easy snarks. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 13 2009 12:42 PM Agreed about the hypersensitivity to bias-- likely a function of "kid brother" status in the eyes of most local media/observers from out-of-town (see also: Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels of Not Los Angeles, New Jersey Nets/Devils, Los Angeles Clippers). Also, I'm not a professional Met fan. Being held to higher standards comes with the paycheck (and/or journo degree). metsguyinmichigan Mar 13 2009 01:03 PM ="John Cougar Lunchbucket":3vxc1rj7]Can I make a general comment about there being a certain level of paramoia and hypersensitivity to bias in the media here? That's not a good article and it appears that he's missing a good deal of the bigger picture but I'm certain Gordon Edes isn't out to attract attention to himself by hating the Mets for no reason. I'm also at least open to the possibility that Rodriguez really is a dick.[/quote:3vxc1rj7] Guilty. Maybe it's a professional thing. Bad writing and reporting jumps out at me. And we on the news side are often peeved at what we see coming out of the sports side, which often doesn't have the same standards. If I referred to a school board memebr as a putz, there would be hell to pay. I'd also never get away with all the unnamed sources. We see a lot of these guys sitting back and pontificating, or grumbling about stuff readers don't care about. As a reader, do I really give a rat's butt that he had to with 90 minutes for Rodriguez to answer questions? That said, once you're concious of it, there are a lot of cheap shots at the Mets' expense, and the Yankees do get a lot of passes. But I'll try to tone it down. Apologies. Nymr83 Mar 13 2009 04:27 PM ="metirish"]"Wagner has re-dedicated himself this season to the task at hand"... he should have dedicated himself fully the moment he signed a multi-million dollar contract to do a job. themetfairy Mar 13 2009 04:33 PM Wagner may not have been a favorite of mine, but I've never doubted his work ethic. G-Fafif Mar 13 2009 04:50 PM ="John Cougar Lunchbucket":3ia9onl8]Very haterly of me, but I never warmed to Wagner even a little. He can go screw an alpaca for all I care.[/quote:3ia9onl8] I'm also at least open to the possibility that Wagner is a decent guy who is working really hard for money he could easily sit back and collect. I'm also at least open to the possibility that Wagner might enjoy that thing with the alpaca. Benjamin Grimm Mar 13 2009 05:12 PM Well, don't forget that Wagner is going to be a free agent again after the 2009 season. He'll get more money if he gets a chance to demonstrate his health in September than he would otherwise. Edgy DC Mar 13 2009 05:18 PM ="Nymr83"]="metirish"]"Wagner has re-dedicated himself this season to the task at hand"... he should have dedicated himself fully the moment he signed a multi-million dollar contract to do a job. Don't you think that it's a large stretch to draw the inference from the quote that the writer is arguing that there's any indication that Wagner was ever under-dedicated? G-Fafif Mar 13 2009 05:48 PM ="Benjamin Grimm":20chkz02]Well, don't forget that Wagner is going to be a free agent again after the 2009 season. He'll get more money if he gets a chance to demonstrate his health in September than he would otherwise.[/quote:20chkz02] True enough, though with what Billy pulled in (and that thriving alpaca business), theoretically he could let it heal slowly and move on. But I've yet to see a pitcher do that. Without knowing their individual finances, Billy, Pedro and Glavine could all do that, but they're competitors by nature (though one could cite one particular Sunday where I might not have included one of them as possessing loads of fire in the belly). There's a fun chapter in Tim Kurkjian's book about how ballplayers, especially the great ones, compete at every stupid, little game in the clubhouse and absolutely have to win. Cal Ripken had to defeat his wife when it came to trampoline-jumping. John Smoltz must prevail at H-O-R-S-E. So maybe there's no way a Wagner would sit back and collect on his contract. But he might screw that alpaca. It's just something I heard somewhere. metsguyinmichigan Mar 13 2009 05:59 PM ="G-Fafif" But he might screw that alpaca. It's just something I heard somewhere. As long as there is dinner and a movie included, I guess that's OK. It's gotta be a chick flick, though. You can't take an aplaca to Saw 4 or something then hit a Taco Bell drive-thru and expect that kind of treatment. Nothing is more pathetic than seeing a guy standing alone at a stable yelling "But baby, I bought you a gordita!" to a closed door. MFS62 Mar 13 2009 06:39 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Mar 14 2009 06:03 AM If you go on alpaca.com, it has a link for "alpacas for hire" (not joking) Maybe you CAN hire one for a night of fun. (sluts) EDIT: Insert your own non regional-specific comment about where they fuck wooly animals here. Later Edgy DC Mar 13 2009 07:20 PM Oh, right, that anti-Southern bigotry just keeps giving. Fman99 Mar 13 2009 07:44 PM Wags was one of the 10-12 best goatfuckers ever to come out of that bullpen. Gwreck Mar 13 2009 08:35 PM Let me just say that Billy Wagner as our 7th inning guy (or lefty specialist, if you want) would be a thing of beauty. He can take all the time he needs, so long as he's ready for September 15th when the Mets have a 15 game lead and he can start tuning up for the playoffs. MFS62 Mar 13 2009 09:10 PM ="Edgy DC":36pyynka]Oh, right, that anti-Southern bigotry just keeps giving.[/quote:36pyynka] So does defending alpaca fuckers. Later Edgy DC Mar 13 2009 09:21 PM What does that mean? LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 13 2009 11:54 PM ="Gwreck"]Let me just say that Billy Wagner as our 7th inning guy (or lefty specialist, if you want) would be a thing of beauty. He can take all the time he needs, so long as he's ready for September 15th when the Mets have a 15 game lead and he can start tuning up for the playoffs. Dude... if we have a fifteen-game lead in September, I'm campaigning for Wags-as-beanball-specialist for those last two weeks. Bruised asses heal a lot of psychic scars. MFS62 Mar 14 2009 06:01 AM ="Edgy DC":3qmphvjc]What does that mean?[/quote:3qmphvjc] It was meant to be funny, just like all the other posts in this thread referring to alpaca fucking. Its ok, I understand. I'll go back and edit my original post. Later LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 16 2009 09:16 PM Yanqui go home: Sojo just plugged in K-Rod in the 8th inning for the second game in a row. Edgy DC Mar 16 2009 09:50 PM Twenty pitches. No big whoop. Feliciano threw for the losers also. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 16 2009 10:34 PM 4 outings, 70-plus pitches in 6 days, for a max-effort thrower? I'm mildly annoyed.

I can't imagine why the Mets would pay money to put Citi's name on the sign, when they can get their own name on the sign for free.

Me too.

That homoerotic photo of Chris Russo giving fellatio to a microphone is kinda gross.

Wow, nice job finding that post from almost five years ago! I remembered the part about switch-hitting after an HBP. Funny the things that stick in your head.

="Adam Rubin"]PUDGE NUDGE: Mets officials acknowledge they would consider signing Ivan Rodriguez if they could trade Ramon Castro, but they don't foresee dealing Castro, making it moot. This is all so strange. The "Mets officials" first say that Castro is unmotivated and doesn't really want to play. Then they say they'd replace him if they could trade him, but of course, they can't trade him, because he's an overpaid fat load who doesn't want to play. Is this their way of motivating him? It sure doesn't seem like a way to pump up his trade value.

I remember years ago somebody (I think it was Centerfield) posted a scouting report on Jesus that was hilarious.

metirish wrote: No more chest hair sprouting from his open shirt.....what the hell David. I can't imagine Mike Schmidt ever got rid of that. Reading that made me feel as gay as watching "Ugly Betty" does.