Benjamin Grimm

I find it hard to believe that Richard Dreyfuss was up for the role of Batman.

Very strange choice. Everyone's going to be reminded of that Daredevil flop.

Any home runs?

I agree. I would have chosen from Hela, Enchantress, and Executioner. Walt Simonson's run on the title was terrific; I can't blame them for getting some inspiration from those stories, but I probably would have stuck with the more classic foes. I do hope, though, that in Thor 3, if there is one, that we get to meet Beta Ray Bill.

It’s been a rough season for the former Wyoming standout. After streaking to a .322 batting average in the month of April... Does that mean that he played naked in April?

I think I'd rather see D.J. Mitchell at first base for the Mets than Ike Davis.

who is not related to former New York Mets outfielder Lenny Dykstra. That might be the best thing about him! I too wonder why he's stagnated in Double A. He turned 26 in May; maybe the organization is thinking his numbers are skewed because he has more experience than his competition? Dykstra does seem to deserve a shot at Triple A. Who's playing first for Las Vegas? If the Vegas guy, whoever he is, isn't a viable alternative to Ike Davis (something the Mets desperately need) then Dykstra should certainly move up.

You claim an "adoptee", don't post any updates, and then pat yourself on the back when they make the big leagues. Is that how this is supposed to work?

He probably left because you've been ignoring him for seven months.

The reviews I've read weren't awful, but from what I've heard, the box office was dreadful. The movie seems to be dead on arrival, much like John Carter was a couple of years ago. After having endured two of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, I have no desire at all to see this movie.

Great job, cougars!

Ceetar wrote: I'd love to see for instance, a Spiderman reboot that starts with his first encounter with the alien venom suit. Blah! No! Actually, I'd rather not see any Spider-Man reboot at all until at least 20 years have passed. Including the origin in the reboot is fine, as long as these reboots are well spaced. But the 2002 Spidey movie is still pretty fresh, and I agree, they could have made the recent movie without the spider bite, and Uncle Ben getting killed, etc.

I thought it was okay. A little too long, but not nearly as much so as Superman Returns was. Michael Shannon made a good Zod (much better than that creepy guy they had on Smallville). I liked that they held off on introducing Lex Luthor, and that there was no mention of kryptonite. Kryptonite is as deadly to Superman stories (it so easily gets used as a crutch) as it is to Superman himself. (I saw it the morning after I finally watched Amazing Spider-Man, so I'm doing a bit of conflating. I find myself wanting to comment about how I couldn't see Sally Field as Aunt May.) I understand the need to revise the classic costume a bit, but I would have liked the colors to be a bit closer to primary than they were. Make the cape a little redder, brighten the yellow in the shield on the chest. I'm okay with the elimination of the red bathing suit.

I guess it's good that he's able to handle a town the size of Savannah, Georgia.

I understand that. I'm just saying I'd rather they find a way to keep Montero and deal someone else. (Like Syndergaard, I guess.)

I know that some of these young pitchers are likely to be traded, but I do hope that Montero isn't one of them.

I agree. We've definitely reached the point of "what the hell?"

I don't think it would be a terrible idea if the Mets decided to trade first basemen with the 51s. And if Ike doesn't snap out of it in the next couple of weeks, that may very well happen.

I liked it well enough, I guess. The ending was ridiculously over the top. In fact, I preferred the middle portion to the chaotic final battle scene.

He may have a chance at a big league job with the Mets. If Ike Davis continues to be a 30-homer, .220 guy he'll be the type who could get an arbitration award that's significantly higher than the Mets want to pay. Boyd's arrival time may coincide with, should it come to that, the time that the Mets will cut ties with Ike similarly to the way they did last year with Pelfrey.

Adam Rubin wrote: Juan Lagares promotion appears looming Adam Rubin | ESPNNewYork.com April, 22, 2013 Outfield prospect Juan Lagares, who is tearing up the Pacific Coast League, likely will join the Mets as soon as Tuesday, baseball sources told ESPNNewYork.com. Lagares, 24, is hitting .346 with three homers and nine RBIs through 78 at-bats with Triple-A Las Vegas. All 17 of his appearances with the 51s have been in center field. He also has experience in both corner outfield spots. He already is a member of the Mets' 40-man roster. Lagares initially was a shortstop in the Mets' system after signing out of the Dominican Republic in 2006. �He�s a ... kid who can play all three outfield positions," Wally Backman told ESPNNewYork.com late in the 2011 season, while managing Lagares with Double-A Binghamton. "He�s got speed. He�s a good outfielder. He throws to the right bases. And he can swing the bat a little bit.� Lagares was leading the Florida State League in batting with a .339 average when he was promoted to the Double-A B-Mets on July 23, 2011. One scout who watched Lagares in Double-A compared him body-type-wise to Raul Mondesi. �Compact,� the scout said. �Short, hitter�s legs.� Backman said there�s a smoothness to Lagares at the plate. �He has a very �quiet� approach,� the manager said. �He has a knack for getting the barrel on the ball. He looks like he�s a real good hitter. I mean, if you just watch him, you say, �This kid is going to be able to hit.�� Signed in 2006 out of the Dominican Republic, Lagares committed 40 errors in 82 games at shortstop the following season with Savannah, and had a .911 fielding percentage. �My first year it�s a lot of errors,� Lagares said while in Double-A. �After that, I felt good.� Still, in 2009, the organization moved him to the outfield, where he has shown an aptitude. Lagares said line drives were initially challenging, but the transition was relatively smooth. �In the beginning, it was not that easy,� Lagares said. �But with time I learned how to play outfield comfortably.� Injuries really slowed Lagares more than anything early in his pro career. He suffered a broken right ankle on July 28, 2010 while playing for St. Lucie, but did not require surgery. Lagares actually played two weeks in pain after initially getting hurt holding up at third base on a teammate�s hit. He eventually had to be shut down after he ran in pain to first base on a strikeout that eluded the catcher. The previous season, Lagares was limited to 47 games by a wrist injury. In 2008, the start to his season was delayed by an arm issue.

These days, just about everything is offensive to somebody.

I've long been curious about this film, and I finally saw it for the first time yesterday.

Mets' Rafael Montero realizing a lifelong dream By Jorge Castillo/The Star-Ledger on February 28, 2013 at 9:38 PM, updated March 01, 2013 at 7:50 AM VIERA, Fla. -- Rafael Montero was 17 years old when he decided to leave his rural hometown of Sabana Higuero, nestled near the Haitian border, and move 250 kilometers southeast to the Dominican capital city of Santo Domingo. Alongside one of his eight older brothers, he relocated with one goal in mind: to play professional baseball. It is the common dream of children across the baseball-crazy Dominican Republic. But by the time a player reaches 17 years of age, it is often considered too late for him to attract enough attention from scratch to intrigue a Major League Baseball team. Montero, who has a first-grade education, had played recreationally growing up in Higuerito, but never in a structured format. He was aware of the uphill climb. It fueled him to work harder. Every morning he would wake up at 6:30 to train with his brother. When the brother went to work at a hardware store, Montero would go to the local park to train some more. He arrived in Santo Domingo with a fastball that topped out at 89 miles per hour. By the time he was 20 years old, it was at 94. When the Mets discovered Montero, they found a finished product, a rare talent that had slipped through the cracks. Bidding was minimal and they signed him on Jan. 20, 2011, for $90,000. "I thought I had a chance," Montero said in Spanish hours before he made his Grapefruit League debut last night. "I just needed to work hard so that when I was 19 or 20 I would sign. And that�s how it happened. God helped me and I signed." Montero was the beneficiary of a recent development. Before taking his current post, Mets general manager Sandy Alderson was appointed to oversee MLB�s initiatives in the Dominican Republic. He said a transition he helped set forth has been made in recent years as showcases for players between the ages of 18 and 20 have surfaced. "Until the last three or four years, it was extremely rare because when kids don�t sign at age 16 or 17, they�re often confined to the waste bin," Alderson said. "I think clubs began realizing that there was a market of players who were of that age that had been overlooked, so clubs started to go back in to take another look." Montero quickly impressed in 2011. Also featuring a changeup, slider and sinker in his arsenal, he posted a 2.15 ERA over 71 innings in 17 appearances, 12 of which were starts, between rookie ball and low-A Brooklyn. Last season he emerged as a bona fide prospect. In 20 combined starts with low-A Savannah and high-A St. Lucie, the diminutive Montero -- he is generously listed at 6-foot, 170 pounds -- had an 11-5 record and 2.36 ERA over 122 innings. He walked just one batter per nine innings with Savannah and ratcheted up his strikeout rate per nine innings to 9.9 in 50? innings with St. Lucie. He had 110 strikeouts to only 19 walks between the two stops. He was then named the Mets� Sterling Organizational Pitcher of the Year. Baseball America now ranks Montero the Mets� fifth-best prospect. "He keeps the ball down," Mets bullpen coach Ricky Bones explained. "He throws strikes and has the confidence in his pitches. And his composure on the mound, his mound presence is impressive for a 22-year-old." Yesterday, Montero started against the Nationals, his first test against major-league hitting. He arrived at Space Coast Stadium unaware that he would be opposite the phenom Stephen Strasburg. He allowed a leadoff double to Denard Span in the first, but left him stranded by retiring the next three hitters. He allowed two doubles in the second, but left the damage at just one run. The Mets ended up tying the Nationals, 4-4 in 10 innings. "I wasn�t nervous," Montero said afterward. Five years removed from a fateful decision, he was living the dream he set out for.

Probably St. Lucie, right?