Benjamin Grimm

bmfc1 wrote: Why is there a horse in the lobby? Lots of weird stuff goes on at the home office.

I remember that too. He hated the deal because it included Kevin Mulvey.

And that disproves Zvon's claim that Beltran is afraid to hit a foul ball.

I think you might even see quite a bit more if you subscribe to The ZAPP! Network

I think the horse has something to do with Maja's reality show. That thunder/blunder rhyme is a tricky one. Most people probably wouldn't get that.

It does count for less. Frayed Knot can explain the details far better than I can, but bad seasons like 2017 get less weight than good seasons like 2015.

Me too, especially since I decided to leave off Harvey, Matz, Wheeler, Gsellman, and Montero.

Voting has closed for the final thread of the 2017 Tabloid Cover Derby, and the Daily News' GOD OF BLUNDER has defied all odds and become the first "bad news" cover to win this esteemed competition. The Daily News has now produced the winning cover in all three years of the Tabloid Cover Derby. 2017 CHAMPION COVER GOD OF BLUNDER New York Daily News, May 1, 2017 The winning cover was revealed this afternoon in a ceremony held Sweden's capital city of Stockholm. The Royal Family declined to participate, so last year's venue, the Royal Palace, was not available. An impromptu ceremony was held instead in a side street that gets little traffic. The Mets did not choose to send a representative this year, but the school children of Sullivan County, Tennessee, through car washes and bake sales, raised enough money to send Kingsport Mets mascot Slider to Stockholm. Also on hand were Family Ties star Tina Yothers; former ABBA member Agnetha Fältskog; Maja, our disinterested and reluctant receptionist; and the ghost of actress Cate Blanchett, who, curiously, is neither Swedish nor dead. After the ceremony the cover was installed in the lobby of the Kran Pool Forum Internationella Huvudkontoret in Stockholm. Maja has changed to her business attire and is back at her day job as our receptionist. Maja also wants everyone to know that her Swedish reality series, Maja: Ut Från Bakom Skrivbordet will begin airing in the United States (with English subtitles) on March 3 on The ZAPP! Network. If you don't get The ZAPP! Network, call your cable or satellite provider today! As the featured player on the winning cover, Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard will receive a 1974 Chevrolet Malibu Classic! And, for being featured on the highest ranked New York Post and Newsday covers, respectively, Mets infielders Wilmer Flores and Jose Reyes will be awarded a year's supply of Rice-A-Roni (The San Francisco Treat), Turtle Wax (It gives a hard shell finish) and a copy of the Tabloid Cover Derby Home Game, available wherever fine toys and games are sold! The final bracket: Thanks to all who participated in the 2017 Tabloid Cover Derby! We hope you had fun, we hope you learned something, and we'll see you again in November!

At this rate, we'll be at Number 1 before bed time!

There was also the trade of Michael Fulmer, and the lost draft pick for signing Cuddyer (and maybe one or two others?) Farm systems go up and down, sometimes very quickly, and the Mets are obviously at a low right now. It may be very different in a year or two.

I think the "not until 2019" thing is because there's a rule that requires a year's notice for these kinds of changes. Probably to give the merchandising people time to react. I imagine that they could find a way to make an exception for Chief Wahoo if they really wanted to.

Ken Rosenthal is saying that Nimmo for Harrison is still on the table. Rosenthal's article is behind a pay wall, but you can read about it indirectly here: MLB trade rumors: Mets dealing Brandon Nimmo for Pirates' Josh Harrison? For the Mets, the 30-year-old Harrison could represent a low-cost player that is capable of playing at a high level at multiple positions. Harrison is signed for $10.25M in 2018, and comes with team options for $10.5M and $11.5M in 2019 and 2020. In total, Harrison could be retained for three seasons at $32.25M.

SteveJRogers wrote: Not to mention the assertion that he was a bad influence on Doc & Darryl which clearly was a wrong assertion. Is it all that clear? I mean, we know that Gooden and Strawberry had their own issues, but I don't see how we can be sure that Mitchell wasn't making things worse. I do remember that a lot of fans were frustrated by McReynolds' lack of emotion on the field. Fans loved the energy that Ray Knight showed in 1986, and the following year Knight was gone and McReynolds' approach was a sharp contrast. It never bothered me. Emotion is fun to watch, but production is more important, and McReynolds provided that.

Yes, this has happened a lot, and it does get frustrating. I don't know, though, if other teams handle this better. I'm sure some do, but since I don't pay close attention to any other teams, I don't have a feel for where the Mets fall on the spectrum. They may very well be the worst at this, but I don't know.

I've been waiting for 20 years for a Mets manager to say these things. I'm totally on Team Mickey.

Edgy MD wrote: Back to Santanappreciation. Terry Collins would later call the no-hitter "the worst night I ever spent in professional baseball." Terry's obvious discomfort was an integral part of the drama of that night.

He didn't have the gumption to just get a piece of it and foul it off, like Mex would have. You're saying that Carlos Beltran was afraid to hit a foul ball?

We'll see how it plays out, but my guess is that if Gonzalez makes the team, Smith is in Las Vegas.

While listening to Barwis talk, I couldn't resist the urge to keep clearing my throat.

Right. I'm not looking at Opening Day, but the season as a whole. I realize of course that this is an abstract argument, because chances are that we may never see everyone active at the same time.

I was talking about the 25-man roster. It's hard to see a spot for Wilmer if the Mets go with 13 pitchers and they bring in another infielder.

Yeah, I'm okay with it too, but I have to wonder who gets bumped off the roster as a result. If the Mets go with a 13-man pitching staff and two catchers, that leaves ten positions for infielders and outfielders. Cespedes/Conforto/Bruce/Lagares/Nimmo. Cabrera/Rosario/Gonzalez/Reyes/{hypothetical starting second baseman}. I'm hoping it's twelve pitchers. If it's thirteen, this could be bad news for Wilmer Flores.

Fman99 wrote: Pitched the greatest game I ever attended, game #161 in 2008, last home win ever at Shea, 2-0 shutout of the Marlins with the season on the line and a torn MCL in his knee. Mad respect. When someone above mentioned that Johan had one memorable game for the Mets, this is the one I thought of, until an instant later I realized that it was more likely a reference to the no-hitter. Let's call it two memorable games.

But if he plays one inning on June 1 and doesn't play again, then wouldn't the Mets have to pay him his full salary for the 60 days beginning June? Insurance wouldn't cover his full salary for the entire season if he misses two months and then plays every day for the next four.