Benjamin Grimm

And Jose Reyes' Met-purity will officially come to an end. Unless, of course, he pulls a muscle or something.

WHAT??? THERE'S A TAX ON FARTING!?! OBAMA IS TAKING AWAY ALL OF OUR FREEDOMS!

Seems like much ado about nothing to me too.

Time to bump this in anticipation of tomorrow.

Voting for the 2012 Schaefer Mets Player of the Year Award will begin on Thursday, April 5, the Crane Pool Forum has announced. This will be the eighth season that Crane Pool Forum members will be participating in Schaefer voting. The Schaefer Mets Player of the Year Award was established in the 1970's, and Schaefer points were awarded by Mets broadcasters Lindsey Nelson, Ralph Kiner, and Bob Murphy. The award was re-established by the Crane Pool Forum in 2005. Third baseman David Wright has been the winner in in five of the seven years of the revived prize, with pitcher Johan Santana's 2008 win and Jose Reyes' 2011 title being the only interruptions to Wright's reign. A voting thread is opened in the forum at the conclusion of each regular season Mets game, according to CPF spokesmodel Benjamin Grimm. Voting generally stays open for two business days, after which the votes are tallied and the results are posted in the voting thread. In addition, says Grimm, each month a Schaefer Mets Player, Pitcher, and Relief Pitcher of the Month will be named. Voters are asked to adhere to a specific format, which is outlined at http://archives.cranepoolforum.net/6200/f9_t6278.shtml SCHAEFER METS PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS 2005 David Wright, Player of the Year Pedro Martinez, Pitcher of the Year 2006 David Wright, Player of the Year Tom Glavine, Pitcher of the Year 2007 David Wright, Player of the Year Tom Glavine, Pitcher of the Year 2008 Johan Santana, Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year Aaron Heilman, Reliever of the Year 2009 David Wright Player of the Year Johan Santana Pitcher of the Year Francisco Rodriguez, Reliever of the Year 2010 David Wright Player of the Year Johan Santana Pitcher of the Year Hisanori Takahashi, Reliever of the Year 2011 Jos� Reyes Player of the Year R. A. Dickey Pitcher of the Year Pedro Beato, Reliever of the Year MONTHLY AWARD STANDINGS PLAYER OF THE MONTH David Wright 10 Johan Santana 6 Carlos Beltran 5 Jose Reyes 5 Cliff Floyd 2 Tom Glavine 2 Carlos Delgado 2 Ike Davis 2 Mike Cameron 1 John Maine 1 Angel Pagan 1 Jeff Francoeur 1 R. A. Dickey 1 Daniel Murphy 1 Lucas Duda 1 Ruben Tejada 1 PITCHER OF THE MONTH Johan Santana 9 Pedro Martinez 6 John Maine 5 R. A. Dickey 5 Mike Pelfrey 4 Tom Glavine 3 Orlando Hernandez 2 Alay Soler 1 Steve Trachsel 1 Oliver Perez 1 Livan Hernandez 1 Tim Redding 1 Dillon Gee 1 Jonathon Niese 1 Chris Capuano 1 RELIEVER OF THE MONTH Brian Stokes 5 Francisco Rodriguez 3 Raul Valdes 2 Pedro Beato 2 Manny Acosta 2 Billy Wagner 1 Aaron Heilman 1 Duaner Sanchez 1 Scott Schoeneweis 1 Pedro Feliciano 1 Sean Green 1 Fernando Nieve 1 Hisanori Takahashi 1 Elmer Dessens 1 Jason Isringhausen 1

Fman99 wrote: First player to take a big steaming shit on TV - Jason Bay I hope I'm not watching when that happens.

Well, sure. I think we're all pulling for him to do well. There's really no upside to him pitching poorly. I mean, maybe it would get Harvey here sooner, but I figure that once he's ready, he'll be here pretty quickly, one way or another.

They probably spent their time tweeting.

I had heard about that game but not much of the details. I wonder how the dugout space was apportioned?

1. First Mets hit of 2012 RUBEN TEJADA 2. First double DANIEL MURPHY 3. First triple DANIEL MURPHY 4. First home run IKE DAVIS 5. First run batted in DAVID WRIGHT 6. First stolen base DAVID WRIGHT 7. First caught stealing/picked off ANDRES TORRES 8. First multihit game DANIEL MURPHY 9. First RBI sac fly JASON BAY 10. First sac hit (bunt) R.A. DICKEY 11. First infield single RUBEN TEJADA 12. First ground-rules double JOSH THOLE 13. First to draw a walk IKE DAVIS 14. First Met to strike out DAVID WRIGHT 15. First to hit into a double play JASON BAY 16. First pitcher to get a hit JON NIESE 17. Pitcher with first win BOBBY PARNELL 18. Pitcher with first save RAMON RAMIREZ 19. Pitcher with first wild pitch MIKE PELFREY 20. Met player to commit first error DANIEL MURPHY

Yeah, there's no Vail/Duda in the works until and unless it becomes apparent that the comparison is apt. I'd much rather see it turn out to be Strawberry/Duda.

I don't imagine that they'll cut him until spring of 2013 at the earliest; they've always had a psychological barrier preventing them from releasing somebody with more than a full year remaining on the contract and I don't expect that to change. But I can see them possibly downgrading him in 2012 if things go as poorly for Bay as most of us expect.

The Mets have never finished in first place with a Democrat in office. But they did make the playoffs (in 1999 and 2000) as a wild card when Clinton was in the White House.

Non-news from Mike Puma in the New York Post: PORT ST. LUCIE � Jason Bay won�t lose his starting job this week or likely even this month, but it doesn�t mean the Mets left fielder is untouchable. Though the idea has not yet reached the discussion stage among team executives, a club official yesterday floated the possibility that if Bay is struggling six or seven weeks into the season, the Mets could explore other options, including a platoon in left. Nobody's talking about it, but maybe it will happen. Was anybody thinking that Jason Bay was untouchable?

You're such a pessimist!

Can't be Aaron, because he spent time as a Milwaukee Brewer. How about George Brett?

The Wall Street Journal wrote: Mets, Niese in Extension Talks By BRIAN COSTA PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- The Mets are discussing a five-year contract extension with pitcher Jon Niese that would include team options for the 2017 and 2018 seasons, according to a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations. Though the two sides are still haggling over the total value of the deal, the person said they are not far apart. And while a deal is not imminent, the person was optimistic that it would get done, perhaps even this week. The deal being discussed is comparable to the one pitcher Derek Holland recently signed with the Texas Rangers. Holland signed a five-year, $28.5 million deal that includes club options for an additional two years. The value of Niese's contract will not be quite that high, the person said. For the Mets, locking up Niese through at least 2016 would give them cost certainty with one of their best young players. The 25-year-old lefty is slated to become eligible for salary arbitration next winter. Without an extension, he would become eligible for free agency after the 2015 season. By giving up the potential to earn even more money in the years ahead, Niese would give himself a significant degree of financial security. "I think it's a great idea because he's still young and he still has a huge, huge upside," Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen said. "I think that would be a great thing for him and a great thing for the organization." Mets general manager Sandy Alderson declined to comment. Niese's agent, Tom O'Connell, also declined to comment. The deal being discussed would put Niese under contract longer than any other Mets player. The Mets don't have anyone signed beyond the 2013 season. The team gauged the trade market for Niese over the winter, just to see if another team would make an overwhelming offer. But teams were unwilling to meet the Mets' asking price. Now, Niese appears poised to remain a Met for years to come. In his second full major-league season, Niese went 11-11 with a 4.40 ERA in 2011. But advanced metrics suggest Niese pitched better than those mediocre numbers indicate. Niese's fielding-independent pitching mark -- a statistic that measures performance based only on the factors pitchers can directly control -- was 3.36. That led all Mets pitchers and ranked 17th among National League pitchers with at least 150 innings pitched. On Sunday, the Mets named Niese their No. 3 starter behind Johan Santana and R.A. Dickey. They view him as one of several young players with the potential for a breakout season. "He'll be an All-Star," catcher Josh Thole said. "I really believe that. Just the reaction he gets from hitters and what he's got on the ball, his stuff, it's incredible." The biggest question mark with Niese is his durability. He missed the last two months of the 2009 season with a torn hamstring tendon. He wore down considerably toward the end of 2010. And he missed the last month of the 2011 season with a strained intercostal muscle. He has never thrown more than 173 innings in a season. But Niese, the Mets' seventh-round draft pick in 2005, has never had elbow or shoulder issues. And while his conditioning has come under scrutiny in the past, the Mets were pleased that he reported to camp 10 pounds lighter this spring. "I think Jon Niese somewhere this winter became a man, a little bit more of a man, and less of a guy that throws a baseball," Warthen said. "We just need to watch him during the season. He has a tendency to put on a few pounds during the season. That's easy to do, the way these people feed him. So we have to make sure we keep an eye on his diet."

Is he a man? Or is he a muppet?

Interesting... I can't help but thinking that it's April 1.

Or, if it's just for a few days, you pick somebody other than Herrera. Someone who's on the 40 and has options. (There must be somebody who fits that description, right?)

In England it would be �unday?

Look at some of the comments on the Facebook postings. (both on the UMDB page and in the thread started by Johnny Lunchbucket.) I think you'll find that there will be some who will believe it's real.

Granted! Just be sure to use this version, which corrects an initial flub of mine concerning the border: