Benjamin Grimm

Stamford Advocate article

Voting for Wednesday night's loss to the Giants at Citi Field will close some time over the weekend. Please try to get any remaining votes submitted today. Schaefer POTG 5/4/11 - Giants 2, Mets 0

Beltran 2.25 Pelfrey 4.5 Reyes 2.25 Rodriguez 1

The inane in-game interviews take time away from the inane color and play-by-play.

Edgy DC wrote: Getting into the bullpen by the sixth is cool. As is Pelfrey taking the mound for the seventh.

Well, no more no-hit tension.

Somebody earlier today speculated about which Mets managers were most prone to starting the second baseman in the second slot of the lineup. The answer is... Roy McMillan at 100 per cent! Here are the full results: [table:2os8ldkx][tr:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx][/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]2/2B[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]Total[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]Pct.[/td:2os8ldkx][/tr:2os8ldkx][tr:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]McMillan[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]53[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]53[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]1.000[/td:2os8ldkx][/tr:2os8ldkx][tr:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]Frazier[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]170[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]207[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]0.821[/td:2os8ldkx][/tr:2os8ldkx][tr:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]Berra[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]491[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]600[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]0.818[/td:2os8ldkx][/tr:2os8ldkx][tr:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]Parker[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]7[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]11[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]0.636[/td:2os8ldkx][/tr:2os8ldkx][tr:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]Johnson[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]599[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]1032[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]0.580[/td:2os8ldkx][/tr:2os8ldkx][tr:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]Cubbage[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]4[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]7[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]0.571[/td:2os8ldkx][/tr:2os8ldkx][tr:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]Manuel[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]207[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]417[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]0.496[/td:2os8ldkx][/tr:2os8ldkx][tr:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]Collins[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]13[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]30[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]0.433[/td:2os8ldkx][/tr:2os8ldkx][tr:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]Randolph[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]228[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]565[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]0.403[/td:2os8ldkx][/tr:2os8ldkx][tr:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]Valentine[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]376[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]1027[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]0.366[/td:2os8ldkx][/tr:2os8ldkx][tr:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]Stengel[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]186[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]582[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]0.320[/td:2os8ldkx][/tr:2os8ldkx][tr:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]Bamberger[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]60[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]208[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]0.288[/td:2os8ldkx][/tr:2os8ldkx][tr:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]Howe[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]93[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]323[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]0.288[/td:2os8ldkx][/tr:2os8ldkx][tr:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]Hodges[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]188[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]657[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]0.286[/td:2os8ldkx][/tr:2os8ldkx][tr:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]Green[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]128[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]512[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]0.250[/td:2os8ldkx][/tr:2os8ldkx][tr:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]Torborg[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]48[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]200[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]0.240[/td:2os8ldkx][/tr:2os8ldkx][tr:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]Westrum[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]91[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]380[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]0.239[/td:2os8ldkx][/tr:2os8ldkx][tr:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]Harrelson[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]51[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]274[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]0.186[/td:2os8ldkx][/tr:2os8ldkx][tr:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]Torre[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]111[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]709[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]0.157[/td:2os8ldkx][/tr:2os8ldkx][tr:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]Howard[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]8[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]116[/td:2os8ldkx][td:2os8ldkx]0.069[/td:2os8ldkx][/tr:2os8ldkx][/table:2os8ldkx] BAMBERGER Giles 2 Backman 22 Bailor 36 BERRA Barnes 2 Garrett 2 Puig 2 Martinez 12 Boswell 71 Millan 402 COLLINS Turner 2 Murphy 11 Miller 4 FRAZIER Foster 1 Heidemann 1 Garrett 8 Randle 8 Phillips 10 Millan 142 GREEN Vizcaino 82 Alfonzo 27 Saunders 15 Vina 2 Bogar 1 Rivera 1 HARRELSON Herr 33 Miller 9 Jefferies 8 Gardner 1 HODGES Boswell 115 Linz 30 Garrett 15 Foli 12 Pfeil 9 Martinez 3 Weis 3 Collins 1 HOWARD Brooks 6 Bailor 2 HOWE Garcia 25 Alomar 18 Keppinger 18 McEwing 10 Bell 7 Gutierrez 6 Reyes 4 Matsui 3 Sanchez 1 Scutaro 1 JOHNSON Backman 328 Teufel 148 Chapman 64 Jefferies 29 Miller 22 Gardenhire 4 Bowa 2 Almon 1 Knight 1 MANUEL Castillo 150 Cora 31 Reyes 14 Hernandez 8 Easley 2 Tatis 1 Turner 1 MCMILLAN Millan 53 PARKER Boswell 4 Heise 3 RANDOLPH Castillo 91 Cairo 49 Matsui 47 Gotay 14 Valentin 11 Easley 8 Woodward 6 Hernandez 2 STENGEL Hunt 129 Kanehl 34 Neal 12 Hiller 3 Mantilla 3 Burright 1 Chacon 1 Drake 1 Klaus 1 Samuel 1 TORBORG Randolph 38 Pecota 4 Walker 2 Donnels 1 Kent 1 McKnight 1 Noboa 1 TORRE Millan 39 Valentine 26 Backman 14 Flynn 11 Chapman 10 Foster 4 Almon 2 Bailor 2 Youngblood 2 Trevi�o 1 VALENTINE Alfonzo 269 Alomar 45 Relaford 25 Baerga 15 Lopez 9 Hardtke 8 Alexander 2 McEwing 2 Wigginton 1 WESTRUM Hunt 52 Hiller 19 Heise 7 Bressoud 4 Johnson 3 Linz 3 Collins 2 Buchek 1

The record for fewest letters in a starting Mets infield is... 18! Set by Davis-Hu-Wright-Reyes on April 9, 2011. The previous record was 19, set by Hodges-Hunt-Neal-Moran four times in 1963, and tied by Cook-Hunt-Kanehl-Moran that same year, and by Smith-Samuel-Hunt-Moran in 1964. We saw some 20's in 2010, with Davis-Cora-Wright-Reyes. The lengthiest-named starting infield? 36 letters, on July 11 and July 19, 1971. Clendenon-Martinez-Aspromonte-Harrelson.

G-Fafif wrote: Left to right: Wright, Reyes, Hu, Davis. That's 18 letters total for the infield. Have the Mets ever used fewer to start a game? I'll have to put finding an answer to that on my to-do list.

That was one stupid looking beard.

Give Thole credit for teaching sign language to a deaf little dog. Mets catcher Josh Thole carries on signal role at home, teaching sign language to his deaf dog BY Nicholas Hirshon DAILY NEWS WRITER Thursday, May 5th 2011, 4:00 AM In the heat of a Mets game, catcher Josh Thole crouches behind home plate and flashes hand signals to pitchers. He uses similar gestures to call his dog. Thole, considered a cornerstone to the Amazin's rebuilding, has taught a deaf pooch named Picca - owned by he and his wife, Kathryn - to understand sign language. The 24-year-old backstop said his Maltese-poodle mix caught on pretty fast. "She knows sit, stay, that kind of stuff," Thole proudly told the Daily News. "She's an inside dog. She's very good. She really minds her own business." The Tholes bought Picca from an Oklahoma breeder in November 2009 as a companion for Kathryn on the Mets' long road trips. Kathryn didn't notice anything unusual about the dog when she picked her up at a Syracuse airport. She named the canine after "piccolo," the Italian word for "small." Two months later, the couple noticed the pooch was acting strange. "She wasn't responding to any of the calls we gave her," Thole said. "She would just ignore us." He took Picca to a veterinarian, who repeatedly blew on a whistle that emits a high-pitched sound only dogs can hear. Picca didn't react. Some pet owners who discover their dogs are deaf fear the difficulties in raising the animals and return them. Thole said that was never an option. "There was no giving her back," he said. Animal experts applauded Thole's decision to pore over sign language books and teach Picca. "He took some initiative. That's really awesome," said dog trainer Ursa Marr of the prestigious Denver Dumb Friends League animal welfare group. Victoria Wells, an expert on deaf dogs at the ASPCA, said Thole's system is actually more effective than verbal cues that many dog owners use with their pets. "We tend to use words too frequently," she said. "Dogs don't understand human language." When Thole wants Picca to sit, he puts his index finger and middle finger together, then cups it with his other hand. When he wants Picca to stay, he puts his hand up as if he's going for a high-five. The catcher said raising a deaf dog has advantages. Picca always gives him a workout when he visits with his in-laws in upstate Owego. "If I was to go up to get the mail or something, my dog would follow me and take off," he said. "I couldn't call her. I'd have to chase her."

The Schaefer Mets Player of the Week, for the week ending April 30, was Ike Davis, with 6.74 points. Updated award winner standings, with most recent winners in bold: PLAYER OF THE MONTH David Wright 10 Johan Santana 6 Carlos Beltran 5 Jos� Reyes 3 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 PITCHER OF THE MONTH Johan Santana 9 Pedro Martinez 6 John Maine 5 Tom Glavine 3 Mike Pelfrey 3 Orlando Hernandez 2 R. A. Dickey 2 Alay Soler 1 Steve Trachsel 1 Oliver Perez 1 Livan Hernandez 1 Tim Redding 1 Dillon Gee 1 JONATHON NIESE 1 RELIEVER OF THE MONTH Brian Stokes 5 Francisco Rodriguez 2 Raul Valdes 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 PEDRO BEATO 1

Voting for Tuesday night's loss to the Giants at Citi Field will close on Friday morning. Please try to get any remaining votes submitted today. Schaefer POTG - Giants 7, Mets 6 (10 Innings)

Beltran 1.25 Capuano 3.25 Gee 0.75 Igarashi 1.25 Paulino 1

Well, whenever one person says something, you have to assume that it's true.

Good grief.

Ashie62 wrote: Cause it ain't Shea? I haven't heard a good "Lets Go Mets" chant since Citifield opened. I'd like them to test Ashie's theory. Knock down Citi Field and rebuild Shea.

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Nice cards, as usual. You can correct Topps error in naming Gaby Sanchez the 2010 first baseman on their All-Rookie Team by putting the trophy where it belongs: on Ike's card. Really? I wasn't even aware that that had happened. I suppose I just assumed that Ike had won. John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Congrats to Davis, and great cards. Love how the Neise one mimics those tight shots of the Mets the cards had that year. I actually scanned through my Mets cards to see if profile shots were used in the early 70's, and that didn't seem to be the case. (I could have looked at cards from other teams, but didn't.) The earliest profile I saw was in 1974, but by 1978 (or maybe as early as 1976) that started becoming more common. So that's why that photo ended up as a 1978.

I have no problem with a player missing a couple of games for the birth of his child. EDIT: That is, assuming he has to leave town. If the birth is in the New York suburbs, and the Mets are at home, he can take a few hours away to play in the game. I'd allow him to report later than the other players, but he really could play in the game.

I thought he was only going to miss two games?

SCHAEFER METS PLAYER AND PITCHERS OF THE MONTH, APRIL 2011 The Schaefer Mets Player of the Month for April 2011 is IKE DAVIS. This is Ike's second Player of the Month Award, and his second consecutive win. (He capped off 2010 with a win in September.) Davis led the Mets in April with 6 home runs, 22 runs batted in, an on-base percentage of .398, and a slugging percentage of .581. The Schaefer Mets Pitcher of the Month for April is JONATHON NIESE. This is Niese's first win. The points he was awarded for his April 30 start put him over the top. Jonathon was 1 and 4 in April with a 4.71 ERA. The time Chris Young spent on the disabled list cost him a chance at a win. Despite missing more than two weeks, Young finished less than two points behind Niese. And the Schaefer Mets Relief Pitcher of the Month is a first-time winner, PEDRO BEATO. Pedro, in the first month of his major league career, pitched 14 innings, over 10 games, without allowing an earned run. Beato had a chance at making Schaefer history in April; he nearly became the first reliever ever to be Pitcher of the Month. After the game of April 29, Pedro was still the Mets leading pitcher. Jon Niese's aforementioned April 30 start deprived Pedro Beato of Schaefer immortality.

Look at the bottom of that chart! Three Jasons in a row!