Benjamin Grimm

Byrdak Rodriguez Acosta Isringhausen Parnell Once again, I'm posting Schaefer's votes, although I don't know whether or not they'll be counted. Schaefer wrote: Beato Isringhausen Rodriguez Acosta Parnell

(I think he's saying he was born in 2006.)

I'm really a disinterested non-observer here, but I went with Texas, pretty much because of my disdain for Tony LaRussa. I have no problem with Yadier Molina; when he hit that home run in 2006 he was just doing his job.

Who you rooting for?

My vote: Dickey Niese Gee Capuano Pelfrey And, if Schaefer votes count: Schaefer wrote: Dickey Capuano Pelfrey Gee Niese

Duda Turner Gee Beato Pridie Schaefer (if Schaefer gets a vote) says: Schaefer POTY totals wrote: Turner Duda Gee Beato Pridie

Coming up in the next week on Turner Classic Movies: Tuesday, October 18, 9:30 a.m., William Bendix in The Babe Ruth Story. Sunday, October 23, 12 p.m., Angels in the Outfield, (1951) with Paul Douglas and Janet Leigh.

Of course it's possible that Street is the jerk here. I don't know that, of course, but just sayin'.

For $599 they better let you into the porn room!

And Citi Field has a BJ Clubhouse.

My one real memory of this game was Danny Heep hitting a home run. Turns out that he only had a sac fly. Scoring a run off Mike Scott was such a big deal that the years have morphed that sacrifice fly into a home run in my mind.

"Reyes proves once again, he's no Jeter" Sigh. I couldn't get past the headline on that one. I'm sure I know pretty much what that article is going to say anyway.

That's assuming no "setbacks". Remember, we were originally supposed to see Johan Santana by around July 1.

I attended 1986 NLCS Game 4. My second in-person post-season game, and the first one involving the Mets. (I went to an Orioles-White Sox ALCS game in 1983.)

This is from, believe it or not, The Sporting News: The Sporting News wrote: Astros' potential owner disputes reports of move to AL Not only are the Houston Astros for sale, they could be relocating to the American League. Current Astros owner Drayton McLane has accepted a bid from Houston businessman Jim Crane to sell the team for $680 million. However, that deal will require the approval of Major League Baseball. That process has stalled, fueling speculation that the holdup is the Astros' unwillingness to move from the six-team NL Central to the four-team AL West. In the realignment plan being considered by MLB, there would be two 15-team leagues and an extra wild card added in each league, perhaps as soon as the 2012 season. However, both McLane and Crane have voiced their opposition to such a move. On Wednesday, MLB.com columnist Peter Gammons tweeted that the sale would be approved in November and that the franchise would indeed move to the AL. A spokesman for Crane, however, told the Houston Chronicle on Wednesday that there have been no discussions with MLB about that move. Speaking about the possibility of the Astros and Texas Rangers developing an intradivional rivalry, Rangers president and CEO Nolan Ryan admitted the idea excited him. "It'd be good for baseball in Texas to have two teams in the same state vying for the division lead," Ryan told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

I would think so. Maybe he's "predicting" and not "reporting". (And if so, he really should make that clear.)

Geez, that was an amazing month. I was totally absorbed in the Mets. Even when I wasn't thinking about the Mets, I was thinking about the Mets.

Edgy DC wrote: [*]If Reyes doesn't return, Rub�n Tejada has to be a big part of the mix at second. You mean "does" there, don't you? If Jose does not come back, I would guess that Tejada is going to spend most of his time at shortstop.

I agree, it's hard to know what to do. If Santana returns strong, Pelfrey bounces back, Dickey keeps it up, and Niese shows a little more stamina, they'll have a pretty decent staff. But I'm not sure how likely it is that all four of those things will happen. I doubt they'll stand pat. I expect that they'll at least get a couple of Chris Young/Chris Capuano types to throw into the mix. I don't see them spending big for a free agent starter.

Did I opt in? I don't think I did.

Latest news has Frankie saying he'd be willing to sign with the Mets this winter. Unless his asking price comes waaaaaaaay down, I don't see it happening.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: ...but the coverage of this story (and the new logo) has gotten so goddamn snarky it's as though teams would be better off not bothering to try anything creative or new. They'd all be as dull as Citifield. Excellent point!

And just when Howard is about to start his five-year, $125 million contact extension. That's right, Ryan Howard is going to be making $25 million per year through 2016. He'll turn 37 a month after that contract ends.

This "animated sculpture" is going to be the Marlins' equivalent of the Mets home run apple. The Miami Herald wrote: Artist rendering of Marlins� sculpture has fans in tizzy By Lomi Kriel Just about every baseball team celebrates a home run in their own unique way. The Mets have their apple. Houston has its train. Cincinnati has smokestacks that emits, yes, smoke, and fireworks. But, our Marlins home run celebration plans might top them all. The Miami Marlins will have a celebration sculpture that looks like a psychedelic roulette wheel of jumping marlins, diving seagulls and the wild colors have some fans in a tizzy. The 74-foot sculpture � designed by one of America�s most famous pop artist, Red Grooms - is under construction now and will cost $2.5-million, the county�s largest public sculpture. It will come alive anytime a player hits a home run. The sculpture apparently will help make good on a promise that Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, made two years ago. An art dealer by trade, Loria said the new ballpark would be a work of art unlike any other. The animated artist rendering of the mechanical sculpture with water, birds, waving palms trees � even flipping dolphins � had the Internet abuzz Friday after it emerged on a local web site. Located in center field below the scoreboard of the new stadium, the sculpture is a boom for Miami, county arts officials said, calling it an �absolute home run� in itself. The stadium is the first sports arena to spotlight public art as a home-run feature, showcasing Miami�s emerging reputation for the arts. �People will be really delighted by the work once they see it,� said Michael Spring, director of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. �It�s a monumental work by one of America�s greatest artists � we didn�t want some esoteric unappreciated art work. We wanted something people could have fun with.� Some people were having fun Friday � but a few of the reviews flooding in over the web were not exactly flattering. Late evening, 94 percent of respondents � or 118 voters on a Channel 10 poll called the sculpture �tacky,� compared to only 6 percent deeming it �tasteful.� �This HAS to be a joke,� wrote Drew Housman on the county department�s Facebook page, where the video initially posted. �Mike Stanton might start bunting so he does not have to hurt his eyes looking at this thing.� �Miami Vice,� wrote Alex Padron. �We will be the laughing stock if this goes up.� It didn�t stop. �This is what would happen if Vikings attacked a Gloria Estefan concert by catapulting flamingos and marlins into the pyrotechnics display,� wrote Grant Brisbee, an editor for SB Nation, one of the country�s largest online sports communities. County officials defended the work, saying the magnificence of the final piece can�t be fully conveyed in an artist rendering. �The piece has evolved since the proposal,� Spring said �It hasn�t changed significantly � but I would say the real thing is going to be bigger and better.� Red Grooms, born in Tennessee in 1937, has been compared to Marchel Duchamp and has his work included in the collections of 39 museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. In 2003, he was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the National Academy of Design. Judith E. Stein, a Philadelphia-based arts critic who curated a retrospective on his work, said the sculpture was �absolutely charming,� consistent with the work for which Grooms has been widely recognized. �It�s taking the instinctive whoop of delight that a fan would give and giving it a visual form,� Stein said. �This is an art work that�s just screaming with enthusiasm � using a visual vocabulary that�s specific to Miami.� �Art is in the eye of the beholder,� Spring acknowledged in response to the criticism. �So we accept any and all interpretations of the art work.�