Benjamin Grimm

Sounds like he's worth a shot. Hopefully he'll play well enough to at least breathe on Josh Thole's neck a little.

Thank you everyone!

G-Fafif wrote: In the writeup for Wright (or the Wrightup), he's described as player of the year for 2011. Posterity would like to be assured he won for 2012. Fixed! Thanks!

THE SCHAEFER METS PLAYERS OF THE YEAR, 2012 PLAYER OF THE YEAR The Schaefer Mets Player of the Year for 2012 is DAVID WRIGHT who started the year strong and built up a healthy Schaefer lead, only to fall behind R. A. Dickey in mid September. However, David must have gotten a whiff of potential Schaefer glory and with a late push, regained the lead in the final week of the season, finishing with fewer than three points more than Dickey. This is David's sixth Player of the Year award in the eight years of Crane Pool Schaefer history. (The exceptions were Jose Reyes in 2011 and Johan Santana in 2008.) PITCHER OF THE YEAR The Schaefer Mets Pitcher of the Year is second-time winner R.A. DICKEY. R.A., as we all know, had one of the best pitching seasons in recent Mets history and may very well cap his season off with a Cy Young Award next month. He led the National League in strikeouts, contended for the ERA title until the final days of the season, and was the Mets first 20-game winner in 22 years. RELIEF PITCHER OF THE YEAR The Mets relief pitcher of the year is first-time winner BOBBY PARNELL. Bobby finished almost seven points ahead of runner-up Jon Rauch. Ramon Ramirez and Frank Francisco were, respectively, a fairly close third and fourth. BENCH PLAYER OF THE YEAR For the first time, we're giving a Schaefer award to the position player who earned the most points in games in which he was not in the starting lineup. Rookie JORDANY VALDESPIN, with his knack for pinch homers, finished 1.5 points ahead of Scott Hairston. SCHAEFER METS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Week ending April 14: Jon Niese, 6.63 points. Week ending April 21: Mike Pelfrey, 7.85 points. Week ending April 28: Lucas Duda, 8.00 points. Week ending May 5: Johan Santana, 5.71 points. Week ending May 12: David Wright, 8.95 points. Week ending May 19: David Wright, 6.76 points. Week ending May 26: David Wright, 6.66 points. Week ending June 2: R. A. Dickey, 10.51 points. Week ending June 9: Scott Hairston, 6.35 points. Week ending June 16: R. A. Dickey, 5.67 points. Week ending June 23: Chris Young, 6.81 points. Week ending June 30: Johan Santana, 7.03 points. Week ending July 7: David Wright, 7.65 points. Week ending July 14: Ruben Tejada, 3.42 points. Week ending July 21: David Wright, 7.10 points. Week ending July 28: Ike Davis, 9.24 points. Week ending August 4: R. A. Dickey, 7.73 points. Week ending August 11: R. A. Dickey, 5.07 points. Week ending August 18: Jon Niese, 9.42 points. Week ending August 25: R. A. Dickey, 8.84 points. Week ending September 1: Ike Davis, 9.65 points. Week ending September 8: Jason Bay, 4.85 points. Week ending September 15: Daniel Murphy, 7.24 points. Week ending September 22: R. A. Dickey, 8.04 points. Week ending September 29: David Wright, 11.09 points. Week ending October 3: Scott Hairston, 4.39 points. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Final list of Players of the Week for the 2012 season: SCHAEFER METS PLAYER OF THE WEEK Week ending April 14: Jon Niese, 6.63 points. Week ending April 21: Mike Pelfrey, 7.85 points. Week ending April 28: Lucas Duda, 8.00 points. Week ending May 5: Johan Santana, 5.71 points. Week ending May 12: David Wright, 8.95 points. Week ending May 19: David Wright, 6.76 points. Week ending May 26: David Wright, 6.66 points. Week ending June 2: R. A. Dickey, 10.51 points. Week ending June 9: Scott Hairston, 6.35 points. Week ending June 16: R. A. Dickey, 5.67 points. Week ending June 23: Chris Young, 6.81 points. Week ending June 30: Johan Santana, 7.03 points. Week ending July 7: David Wright, 7.65 points. Week ending July 14: Ruben Tejada, 3.42 points. Week ending July 21: David Wright, 7.10 points. Week ending July 28: Ike Davis, 9.24 points. Week ending August 4: R. A. Dickey, 7.73 points. Week ending August 11: R. A. Dickey, 5.07 points. Week ending August 18: Jon Niese, 9.42 points. Week ending August 25: R. A. Dickey, 8.84 points. Week ending September 1: Ike Davis, 9.65 points. Week ending September 8: Jason Bay, 4.85 points. Week ending September 15: Daniel Murphy, 7.24 points. Week ending September 22: R. A. Dickey, 8.04 points. Week ending September 29: David Wright, 11.09 points. Week ending October 3: Scott Hairston, 4.39 points.

Voting for the final three games of the 2012 season will close on Thursday morning. Schaefer POTG 10/1/12 - Marlins 3, Mets 2 Schaefer POTG 10/2/12 - Marlins 4, Mets 3 Schaefer POTG, 10/3/2012: Mets 4 Marlins 2

Hefner 4 Parnell 1 Torres 1 Hairston 2 Davis 2

Dickey 2.5 Hairston 3 Murphy 1 Parnell 1.5 Torres 1 Wright 1

Well, sure, if you're not paying him then you're not really locked in for five years. You can always flip him to another team or release him.

Shhhh!

Eddie Yost, the Washington Senators� �Walking Man� of the 1950s, dies at 86 By Matt Schudel, Wednesday, October 17, 8:40 PM Eddie Yost, the Washington Senators� third baseman of the 1950s whose extraordinary ability to coax walks made him a pest to opposing pitchers and an anomaly in baseball history, died Oct. 16 at an assisted-living facility in Weston, Mass. He was 86. His daughter Felita Yost Carr confirmed his death but could not cite a specific cause, other than a �bad heart.� Mr. Yost, who first joined the Senators as a 17-year-old in 1944, became one of the most popular players on a team with a hopeless record of futility. During his 12 seasons as the starting third baseman from 1947 through 1958, the team had a winning record only one time. But, along with hitters Mickey Vernon and Roy Sievers, Mr. Yost was a rare bright spot for the Nats, as the team was often called. Although Mr. Yost compiled a mediocre lifetime batting average of only .254, his uncanny batting eye enabled him to draw walks almost at will, earning him the nickname �The Walking Man.� One opposing manager fined his pitchers $25 for each walk given up to Mr. Yost but had to stop the practice when his pitching staff ended up hundreds of dollars in debt. �He reached the point where the umpires said if he didn�t swing at a pitch, they wouldn�t call it a strike,� said Phil Wood, a longtime Washington broadcaster and baseball historian. Mr. Yost led the American League in walks six times and had eight seasons with more than 100 walks. By contrast, no member of the 2012 Washington Nationals had more than 67 walks. His ability to draw walks and score runs � and to avoid swinging at bad pitches � was not always appreciated in his time. When Mr. Yost retired in 1961, his 1,614 walks ranked fourth in baseball history, after Hall of Fame sluggers Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Mel Ott. Mr. Yost is now 11th on the all-time list. After Mr. Yost�s only All-Star season in 1952, Senators owner Clark Griffith said, �I wouldn�t swap him for Mickey Mantle straight up, and to prove it, I�m paying him almost twice as much as the Yankees are paying Mantle.� Washington�s cavernous Griffith Stadium, with its 400-foot left-field foul line, greatly reduced the power numbers of the right-handed-hitting Mr. Yost. Through the 1953 season, he had hit 55 home runs � 52 of them on the road. His 28 home runs while leading off games were a major league record until broken by Bobby Bonds in the 1970s and later by Rickey Henderson. Edward Frederick Yost was born Oct. 13, 1926, in Brooklyn and played baseball and basketball at New York University before signing with the Nats in 1944. After two years in the Navy, he returned to the Nats in 1946 and never played in the minor leagues. In the offseason, he attended NYU and received a master�s degree in physical education in 1953. In Washington, Mr. Yost was the team�s iron man, playing in 829 consecutive games from 1949 to 1955, the most since Lou Gehrig�s then-record 2,130-game streak ended in 1939. After the 1958 season, he was traded to the Detroit Tigers, then in 1961 joined the new Los Angeles Angels, becoming the first player to bat for the expansion team. Mr. Yost succeeded Bob Feller as the American League�s player representative in the 1950s, testified before Congress on baseball�s antitrust exemption, and helped increase the minimum salary and pensions for players. He later was the third-base coach for the Senators, New York Mets � including the World Series-winning �Miracle Mets� of 1969 � and Boston Red Sox. In retirement in Wellesley Hills, Mass., he enjoyed repairing clocks and carousel horses. His wife of 45 years, Patricia Healy Yost, died in 2007. Survivors include three children, Felita Yost Carr of Hollis, N.H., Michael Yost of Huntington Beach, Calif., and Alexis Yost of Wellesley, Mass.; a sister; and two grandsons. Mr. Yost�s career on-base percentage of .394 ranks higher than many players with gaudier batting averages, including Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Honus Wagner and Pete Rose. His remarkable knack for drawing walks was a mystery that opposing pitchers never solved. �Those pitchers aren�t walking me because they feel friendly toward me,� Mr. Yost told The Washington Post in 1953. �The opposite is more true. They�re careful not to lay them up there for me. They pitch to me like I�m a .400 hitter.�

I did know about him and NYU, but I've long since forgotten that. NYU doesn't have that many athletes among its alumni (compared to other schools, at least) and when I was there his name was the one that was recognizable to me.

Well, if Donald Trump says it, it must be stupid.

Oops, I posted the above before I saw the reply that said we should only guess one at a time. Sorry.

Last Met to homer at the Polo Grounds Duke Snider Last Met to get a hit in the post-season Paul Lo Duca Last Mets pitcher to record a regular season win vs. the Chicago White Sox Al Leiter Last Met to play 162 games in a regular season John Olerud Last Met batter to lead the NL in strikeouts Darryl Strawberry Last instance of a current (at the time) or future Hall-of-Famer officially wearing a Mets uniform (this is not a trick question, like 'Well, Mike Piazza is a future HOFer.' This guy is in.) Rickey Henderson Last player the Mets received in a trade with the Yankees Allen Watson Last Met to homer against the Montreal Expos (hint � he was the catcher) Mike Piazza Last player other than Wright or Reyes to lead the Mets in hits for a season Cliff Floyd Last Met to pitch a post-season Complete Game Bob Ojeda Last Met to lead the NL in doubles David Wright Last Met to have a slugging percentage over .600 for a season Carlos Beltran

I'm not so sure he's worth $20 million, but maybe I'm not aware of who all the other $20 million players are.

Trade Jason Bay for him. The Mets need to extend their horizon of bloated unmovable contracts.

I can't imagine that ticket demand will be any higher in 2013 than it was in 2012. Supply will be the same. So when demand decreases, and supply stays the same, prices go... up?

The Nationals knew (barring a collapse) that they were likely playoff bound for much of the season. I'm surprised that they didn't choose another way to conserve his innings, like maybe pitching him less frequently for a stretch in the middle of the season. Maybe they could have had him pitch three relief innings once per week in August or something and then work him back into starter mode during September.

Mets � Willets Point wrote: Toy Story is better than Toy Story 2. I agree.

I used to be so good at Joaquin Arias quizzes.

Also, I'm glad to hear that my website was useful to you. In the last day or so I've been wondering if I want to continue to maintain it, and it's good to be reminded that there are people out there who use it. And that reminds me, I still have to finish off the Schaefer stuff for 2012.