Benjamin Grimm

metsguyinmichigan wrote: I kinda like that they are doing this. I'm happy I bought a piece of railing from Shea. I have a big metal exit sign that says "Loge Level Gate B" with a picture of the neon catcher. I love that I own such a distinctive piece of Shea Stadium.

I like how you opened both versions of the thread with a challenge. And that Johnny's memory was the same both times.

I loved it! I was a big fan of the Apes movies when I was a kid, although when I rewatched all of them a few months ago a lot of it wasn't all that good. (Beneath and Battle were especially bad.) But Rise was a lot of fun. I really think the franchise is in good hands, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing what comes next.

Did anybody do this? I'm a little curious to know how many times Terry used the word "energy."

I don't know... I think that wearing a Yankee cap could result in severe scalp burns.

Is Carter in the Mets Hall of Fame? If not, he should be. That's the appropriate level of honor for someone who falls short of the retired number, which should be extremely rare.

Is that your "porn star" name? Mine is Pepe Adrienne.

Paul DePodesta (in an e-mail to Andy Martino of the Daily News) wrote: �We had high expectations of Matt going into the season, but he exceeded those expectations. He was in his first full-season of pro ball, so we were hopeful that maybe at some point he'd be able to advance to AA just to get a taste of that level before heading into 2012. As you know the A to AA jump is known as the most the difficult, so getting a little bit of experience heading into the off-season can be valuable. Matt surprised us first by showing his readiness for AA just halfway through the season and then surprised us again that his production was basically the same at AA than at the Florida State League - he didn't miss a beat. The only thing that dropped off was his singles rate and he struck out a few more times, but he maintained his power (in fact, some doubles and triples in the Florida State League turned into homers in the Eastern League) and his walk rate. Matt has the chance to be a complete player. He already excels defensively in CF - that part of his game is Major League ready. Offensively, he has the chance to play with both power and speed. This year we'd just like to see him continue his path. He simply needs at-bats against higher level pitching, so that he can begin to make adjustments to how the better pitchers are going to pitch him.�

He played for the Mets when I saw them in Puerto Rico.

Exactly! Put it back in circulation! And 24 too!

Terry Collins is going to be doing a tweet thing at 10:30 Friday morning, according to an e-mail newsletter I got from the Mets. I wouldn't even know how to participate, but here are the details, in case it means anything to you and you're interested: Flushing Flash wrote: Mets Manager Terry Collins will guest tweet tomorrow @Mets at 10:30 a.m. When sending your question use hashtag #askTC.

I wonder if Walzl's Imperial Portrait Studios is still in business. Edgy, you're in Baltimore. Maybe you could swing by there on your lunch hour!

That would lower the bar for retired numbers by way too much. He only had two good years with the Mets! I can rattle off a dozen players who should have their numbers retired before Carter does: Koosman, Hernandez, Strawberry, Gooden, Piazza, Alfonzo, Wright, Reyes, Darling, McGraw, Staub... Okay, that's only eleven. But still...

And I suppose you'd take the Mets pitchers over the Phillies too?

I think the 2012 Mets could end up being the best last place team they've ever had. And yeah, competitive could mean that you have a good chance to win each game that you play, which could lead to a winning record, but it means a different thing if you mean competing to win a playoff berth. That seems extremely unlikely for the 2012 club. In addition to a lot needing to go right for the Mets, a lot would need to go wrong for four other teams.

Are we going to do an "Expectations of Twelve" series? If so, my feeling on Pelfrey right now is that he'll pitch well enough to be traded in July, and Matt Harvey will take his place in the Mets rotation.

I didn't even know that Derek Jeter was black until a couple of years ago.

Bat will determine Flores' future position Prospect projects as an infielder, but not as answer at shortstop By Anthony DiComo / MLB.com | 01/16/12 10:00 AM EST NEW YORK -- Mets trainer Ray Ramirez flew down to Panama earlier this winter, with the sole intent of helping Ruben Tejada develop enough strength and endurance to survive the rigors of a 162-game schedule. The Mets are banking on Tejada at shortstop this season, in part because they believe in him, and in part because they have no other choice. Do not read those words too harshly -- it's not as if there is no reason for optimism regarding the left side of the infield. Twenty-two-year-old defensive whiz kids with .360 on-base percentages are few and far between. Though no one in the organization expects Tejada to match his predecessor, Jose Reyes, in terms of offensive production, the Mets are reasonably bullish that Tejada can at least hold his own as a Major League regular. Strength and experience, they believe, will only help. "I think we're incredibly fortunate to have Tejada," Mets vice president of scouting and player development Paul DePodesta said. "He's a very legitimate shortstop." Scouts have long insisted that Wilmer Flores possesses all the proper tools to become an offensive star. (Mark LoMoglio/MiLB) But what if Tejada's career stalls, as many do in the face of more regular playing time? What if Ramirez's trip was in vain? Two or three years ago, there was a notion around baseball that, perhaps, Wilmer Flores, a middle infielder by nature, would be ready to crack the big leagues by 2012. That hope dissolved when Flores, still just 20 years old, began developing slower than expected. Recently (and hardly unexpectedly), the concept that Flores might ever be the long-term solution at shortstop has disappeared, as well. Because of his frame and skill set, Flores never profiled as a classic middle infielder, even from his earliest days as a prospect. Most projections pegged him as a third baseman or corner outfielder, confident that he would develop a strong enough offensive profile to stick at those positions. "When you have a guy like that, you let him play short until he shows he can't play it anymore," MLB.com prospects reporter Jonathan Mayo said. "To many, that point has come already." To that end, the Mets allowed Flores to play almost exclusively at third base during Winter Ball in Venezuela, where he batted .301 with a .382 on-base percentage. It was the first tangible positive in some time for Flores, who posted on-base marks of .309 and .324 during extended runs at Class A St. Lucie in 2010 and 2011. Now, Flores finds himself at something of a career crossroads. Either the Mets send him back to St. Lucie, where he will no longer be notably young for the level, or they promote him to Double-A Binghamton on the basis of nothing more than projection. "In either case, everybody's going to be wanting to see how he does," Mayo said. "If he goes back to St. Lucie, he'd better come out like a house on fire and show that he's too good for the level, and then get a promotion. But if he goes up to Double-A, that's the leap that's hardest to make." For years now, scouts have insisted that Flores possesses all the proper tools to become an offensive star. The statistics, they have said, will come in time. Whether or not that actually happens remains to be seen. But Flores has already proven one thing: that shortstop is not likely his long-term position. Though DePodesta does expect Flores to end up somewhere in the infield, the farm boss hesitated when asked last month if shortstop seemed likely. "This may sound sort of backwards, but I think the bat's going to end up dictating it," DePodesta said. "Whatever happens to be available at the [big league level] when he's ready, that could be where he ends up playing." Still, DePodesta indicated that Flores will continue to receive more and more exposure at third base and other positions, thereby giving him less and less time at short. Though it is possible that Flores develops more athletically than most scouts anticipate -- Mayo pointed to Rays former No. 1 overall pick Tim Beckham, who has thus far defied expectations by remaining a shortstop -- he is far more likely to make his permanent home elsewhere. "That's not a bad thing, necessarily," Mayo said. "Does it mean he has slightly less value in the larger scheme of things because he's not an up-the-middle player? I guess, but I don't think it's that big of a deal." What it does mean, however, is that Flores is extremely unlikely to be the long-term answer at shortstop for the Mets, putting further pressure on Tejada to fill that void. Beyond those two, the organization's internal landscape thins considerably. The Mets have high hopes for Jordany Valdespin, a natural second baseman, and have given him significant reps at shortstop each of the past two seasons. (It is worth noting that, although Valdespin has received merely a fraction of the hype, he has posted better Minor League numbers than Flores over the past few seasons.) And the Mets have a reasonable shortstop prospect in recent 15th-round Draft pick Phillip Evans, but he is just 19 years old and has yet to play a single inning above short-season Class A ball. Fortunately for the Mets, time is their ally. This year belongs to Tejada. As long as the shortstop performs adequately in his starting debut, next year probably belongs to him, as well. The rest will sort itself out in time.

I gave it three and a half stars. A few notes on the cast: - Zuckerberg's girlfriend in the opening scenes was played by Rooney Mara, the granddaughter of both the Giants & Steeler owning clans - the part of the crew-rowing twins was played by one actor, Armand 'Armie' Hammer, great grandson of the industrialist Armand. And those of us with young kids probably also recognized Brenda Song, of Zach and Cody "fame" as one of the girlfriends.

That Expos card on the left is so wrong... the 1972 series wouldn't have used an action shot on that card.

Here it is: Mets' Wilpon: 'I Think We'll Be Fine' By BRIAN COSTA PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz.�Back in New York, he faces heavy debt, staggering losses and a potentially crippling lawsuit. But here, at a lavish mountainside resort, Fred Wilpon was at peace. The embattled Mets owner smiled broadly Thursday as he shook hands with other executives on his way out of Major League Baseball's quarterly owners meetings. And in his first extended public comments since last spring, it was evident just how much he values his place in this exclusive club�and how determined he is to keep it. Wilpon said he understood why many fans hope he'll sell the team, but he remained adamant about his desire to maintain majority control. And he expressed confidence in his ability to do so. A self-made real estate magnate from Brooklyn, Wilpon owns the Mets along with his brother-in-law, Saul Katz, the team president; and his son Jeff Wilpon, the chief operating officer. "How could anybody deny that it's been a challenging time?" Wilpon said. "But I came from nothing. I meet the challenges. So does Saul and Jeff and our whole family. We're meeting the challenges and I think we'll be fine." It has been a dismal year for the Mets, who had their third consecutive losing season in 2011, lost roughly $70 million and recently lost their best player, Jose Reyes, to the Miami Marlins via free agency. But Wilpon may yet have reasons for optimism these days. For one thing, the Mets expect to complete the sale of at least five minority stakes in the team within the next month, according to a person familiar with the matter. That will provide an infusion of at least $100 million, more than half of which will be used to pay off a $25 million debt to MLB and a $40 million bridge loan to Bank of America. The Mets still hope to sell an additional five to seven stakes after that, the person said, with the goal of raising roughly $200 million. Also, MLB commissioner Bud Selig, a staunch ally and longtime friend of Wilpon, agreed Thursday to remain in office for another two years. So the game's highest powers are unlikely to pressure Wilpon to sell. Selig said he was encouraged by the progress the Mets have made in the sale of minority stakes�none of which are complete yet�and reiterated his support for Wilpon. "He's been a great owner," Selig said. "Loves his team. He's everything you'd want in a local owner. He's had some economic problems, not caused by himself, and I have a lot of faith in him that he's working his way through them." Wilpon, 75, declined to discuss the sales process in detail. Nor would he discuss the lawsuit filed against him and Katz by the trustee representing victims of the Bernard Madoff fraud. The case, in which Wilpon and Katz could be liable for up to $386 million, is set to go to trial in March. But Wilpon spoke at length about Reyes, who signed with Miami last month for six years and $106 million. "Reyes was 17 years old when I met him," Wilpon said. "He spoke pretty good English at that time, too. He said to me, 'Can you give me some advice?' I said, 'Yeah, never wipe that smile off your face.'" When asked if Reyes's departure was difficult for him, Wilpon said, "Certainly. � I'm a fan. I understand it, but I'm still pained about it." Of course, Wilpon isn't just a fan. He could have doled out the money to retain Reyes. And in another time, he might have. But with the Mets in the midst of a payroll purge and questions about Reyes's durability, Wilpon was in no position to do so. The payroll is set to drop from $143 million on Opening Day 2011 to less than $100 million this year. "I think we have to get the fans back at the stadium," Wilpon said. "That's a necessity. That's the lifeblood. And to do that, we have to have a good team. We have to be careful that we don't make some of the mistakes that we made in the past, having long-term contracts that didn't work out." The Mets averaged 30,161 fans at Citi Field in 2011, according to Stats LLC, nearly a 7% drop from 2010 and down 22.5% from 2009. Given how low the expectations are for the team this year, it will be difficult to reverse that trend soon. But Wilpon remained optimistic. "I think we're going to be better than you think," he said. "We would hope that Mets fans enjoy going to the ballpark and give this team a try." Even if things break right for the Mets, though�they settle the lawsuit, bring in $200 million from investors and pay off loans to MLB and Bank of America�there's still $375 million debt due in 2014 looming, according to a person familiar with the team's finances. "This is a tough time," Wilpon said. "We're bearing up, I can promise you that."

I guess Edgy's joke was too "inside." $4300 isn't a bad price, all things considered.

Fman game him 0.25 for this game: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=15875&p=405276 I gave him 0.02 for this game, but it got rounded down to nuttin': viewtopic.php?f=9&t=16169&p=413914 There's got to be more than that out there. His big day was April 27, when he earned 0.62 Schaefer points. Hu's remaining points came on April 2 (0.01), April 5 (0.02), April 8 (0.02), and April 28 (0.10). Source

Somebody did give him some Schaefer points. He totaled 0.77 points in 2011. Of 46 Mets to earn Schaefer in 2011, only Blaine Boyer (with 0.48) had a lower total.

He can opt for free agency.