Benjamin Grimm

Or maybe the Mets will sign Jeter and move Jose to second base!

One thing I read said that Jeter was looking for $20 million times six years. There's not a chance in the world that he'll be worth $20 million at age 43 (not to mention the five years preceding that). If that's really what he's asking, he's nuts.

I was surprised to see Endy Chavez and Braden Looper on the list. I'm guessing Endy will probably play again, and maybe Looper as well. Delgado, Floyd, Sheffield, and Pedro are probably pretty much done, I'd think.

This is the fourth time I've started one of these threads. (See previous versions from the 2005, 2008, and 2009 seasons. I look for former Mets players who had played in the majors the previous year but not in the year that just ended. Are their days in the big leagues finished? Are they now pondering how they'll spend the rest of their lives as ordinary (albeit rather wealthy) individuals? Or do they have a comeback in the works? This year there are 30 former Mets possibly staring into the abyss, including some pretty big names. Here's the list: 1. Chip Ambres 2. Marlon Anderson 3. Luis Ayala 4. Angel Berroa 5. Chad Bradford 6. Lance Broadway 7. Emil Brown 8. Paul Byrd 9. Robinson Cancel 10. Endy Chavez 11. Tony Clark 12. Carlos Delgado 13. Cliff Floyd 14. Casey Fossum 15. Jason Isringhausen 16. Jorge Julio 17. Brandon Knight 18. Braden Looper 19. Pedro Martinez 20. Ramon Martinez 21. Doug Mientkiewicz 22. Tim Redding 23. Argenis Reyes 24. Glendon Rusch 25. Duaner Sanchez 26. Gary Sheffield 27. Jon Switzer 28. Ken Takahashi 29. Dave Weathers 30. Tyler Yates

I'm not surprised to see that the guy that we're all most familiar with, the guy with the 1986 ring, is the overwhelming fan favorite.

In order to make even more money, they split the seventh book into two movies, so that there would be eight Harry movies instead of seven.

I've decided that my order of preference is Chip-Wally-Bob-Terry.

Did anyone notice that Scott Strickland returned to the big leagues this year after a five-year absence? He appeared in three games for the Marlins in June.

Apparently my web browser doesn't have access to Ashie's C: drive.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I'm waiting to read these books with the 'Pail before I see any more HP films. I think I saw the first. How old should a kid be before I start? He's 4 and a half. My son started reading them when he was six or seven, I think. I know he was eight when he was reading the fifth book because I remember him getting carsick and puking all over his copy when we were in Italy.

metirish wrote: Backman emerges from meeting with a "I'm in it to win it" attitude.... Good for him! Me, I'm rooting for Chip.

themetfairy wrote: I'm a New Yorker living in exile. Me too!

I do like the 1971 Bench and the 1972 Mays. I don't think I ever saw that 1973 Didier before; it's a great card, made even better by the presence of Cleon Jones.

Yes, it's always spring training, and they've been wearing the green for many years? Why so hard to believe? Even though it's only spring training, it gives them a chance to sell green caps and jerseys.

Remember when Tom Seaver revealed that when he pitched, he kept a small dog hidden in his glove? And of course, who can forget Woody Flynn?

Lefty Specialist wrote: Damn. I fell for it. I'm not in mid-season form. I did too. I forgot all about Charlie.

What they could really use is a nice mid-level hotel, like a Holiday Inn or a Marriott Courtyard or a Hampton Inn right across the street from Citi Field, so that out of town guests can safely walk to their hotel after a night game. And why not also have an upper scale hotel and a economy hotel (Days Inn, Red Roof Inn, etc) as well? I'd be much more willing to attend a night game at Citi Field if I could be in a hotel room shortly after the end of the game.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Hale as Skipper I see what you did there!

Of those four, I think I'd give it to Chip. (Why? I have no idea.) But I'll believe that there's a Final Four when the Mets acknowledge that there's a Final Four. The speculation has run amok. Let's see who actually gets the second interviews.

Well, one possibility would be to sign Orlando Hudson to a two-year deal. They don't give up anybody in a trade, and they give themselves two years to cultivate Hudson's replacement, who could very well be Tejada.

Mike Pelfrey wasn't going to win this, but if he hadn't let his evil untalented twin take every one of his starts in July he probably would have at least gotten some votes.

Uggla has always seemed like a future Met to me. (Other players for whom I had that vibe: Frank Viola, Bobby Bonilla, Pat Burrell, Dontrelle Willis, Gary Matthews Sr., Ellis Burks. My instincts don't seem especially solid in this matter.)

I offer this merely as conversational fodder. Dan Uggla strikes me as the kind of guy Davey Johnson would have liked to have out there. (Davey always valued the bat more than the glove. He played Kevin Mitchell at shortstop!) Maybe he'd fit the Sandy mold. (Hard to say at this point.) All eyes on star 2B Dan Uggla at GM meetings; Tigers are one option Tony Paul / The Detroit News The Marlins are in a trading mood. Just last week, they shipped out starting pitcher Andrew Miller and outfielder Cameron Maybin, once prized prospects in the Tigers system, in the span of 24 hours. Now, at the general manager meetings in Orlando, all eyes are on Florida again as the club explores the possibility of trading All-Star second baseman Dan Uggla. The Marlins and their owner, Jeffrey Loria, were apparently ticked off when Uggla, 31, turned down a four-year, $48 million contract earlier this month. He supposedly wants a fifth year; Florida won't go there. So the ballclub has started talking to several teams, with the Tigers and Blue Jays among them, according to recent reports. Second base was somewhat of a soft spot for the Tigers in 2010. After they chose not to keep All-Star Placido Polanco after 2009, they anointed rookie Scott Sizemore the starter. But he ended up breaking an ankle in the Arizona Fall League, then struggled out of the gate in 2010. And before long, the position was Carlos Guillen�s, then Will Rhymes�. Rhymes provided a spark, hitting .304, but there is no clear-cut starter heading into 2011. Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski, of course, isn't afraid to deal; he's made significant trades in three of the last four offseasons � one being the blockbuster that sent Miller and Maybin to the Marlins, for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, in December 2007. (Let's see if the Marlins hold that against them.) Dombrowski has a history with Uggla, too. He drafted him in the first round in 2001, when he was general manager of the Marlins. As for the Blue Jays, they have Aaron Hill as their second baseman, but could move him to third base if they acquire Uggla. They recently parted ways with Edwin Encarnacion. Two unidentified National League teams (Mets? Nationals?) reportedly have been talking to the Marlins, too. Uggla has been an offensive force all five years he's been in the majors, averaging 31 home runs a season. He's the only second baseman in history with four 30-home run seasons. This past season was a career year, with 33 homers and 105 RBIs. He strikes out a lot, though � over 100 times a year � and his defense is mediocre at best. Uggla is arbitration-eligible this offseason, so he'll get a significant raise from the $7.8 million he earned in 2010. He's due to be a free agent after 2011. He's been a frequent name in the rumor mill for quite some time, but the Marlins have yet to pull the trigger � meaning their asking price has been sky high. They're likely easing those demands now. From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20101116/SPORTS0104/11160396/All-eyes-on-star-2B-Dan-Uggla-at-GM-meetings--Tigers-are-one-option#ixzz15Th5vpno

On Mets Hot Stove, Kevin Burkhardt pointed out that Dallas Green, Art Howe, and Jeff Torborg all joined the Mets as experienced big league managers, and Davey Johnson didn't.

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