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Nimmo CF J.D. Davis 3B McNeil LF Conforto RF Alonso 1B D. Smith DH Giménez SS Nido C Guillorme 2B Peterson LHP (2-1, 3.78)

Carroll Hardy, who pinch-hit for Ted Williams (which nobody else did), 87. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/12/sports/baseball/carroll-hardy-dead.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/12/sports/baseball/carroll-hardy-dead.html

Traditional MFYLBS Paul Simon's week or two on the MLBS bandwagon: IN OCTOBER, MORE THAN TWO MONTHS BEFORE Howard, Simon takes a break from promoting Graceland and flies to London to produce an album by Ladysmith Black Mambazo. He then goes to New York to sing the national anthem at game six of the World Series, an invitation he accepted in part because it offended him to watch George Bush throw out the first ball at the Astrodome during the play-offs (“Bush—he's not from Texas, he's from Connecticut. He's from CIA. And excuse me, but he throws like a girl”). After this performance—“if you could call that singing”—he flies to Los Angeles for a two-day errand, a long-standing date at the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood. Today and tomorrow the First Presbyterian Church is in show business—the rehearsal and taping of a gospel special for Cinemax. The singers' stage will be an expanded chancel, and audience members will be invited to the filmed show. The Mighty Clouds of Joy, the Edwin Hawkins Singers, Andrae Crouch, and other black gospel stars have agreed to sing; Luther Vandross and Jennifer Holliday will also appear, as will the Oak Ridge Boys, a white group. Paul Simon is hosting the program, and three of his songs—“Gone at Last,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” and “Slip Slidin' Away”—will be sung on the show. This morning, before rehearsals begin, he stands inside the church with Ian Hoblyn, the handsome, efficient Englishman who is his manager, talking very quietly and watching two men polish the piano. Simon wears round, thin-rimmed glasses, a blue T-shirt, sport coat, jeans. On his head is a Mets cap and in his lapel, a Mets pin. https://classic.esquire.com/article/1987/6/1/the-apostle-of-angsthttps://classic.esquire.com/article/1987/6/1/the-apostle-of-angst

It's that interview with John Pacella you've been waiting for all your life and have been meaning to listen to for nearly a year. https://omny.fm/shows/880-apple-bites/glad-to-have-met-ya-john-pacellahttps://omny.fm/shows/880-apple-bites/glad-to-have-met-ya-john-pacella The accent alone is worth the price of admission. And when was the last time any Met alumnus invoked the name Steve Albert?

A. Sanchez goes down, W. Lockett comes back. P. Sewald goes down, B. Brach comes back. K. Harris called up to big leagues.

The Schaefer ballot algorithm only knows Luis Guillorme and his perfect inning of pitching as some dude who went 0-for-0.

Wacha to the IL with right shoulder inflammation. Ali Sánchez returns.

Bert Thiel, 94, who was half of the remaining living former Boston Braves. https://www.forbes.com/sites/nickdiunte/2020/08/02/bert-thiel-one-of-two-remaining-boston-braves-dies-at-94/#578af6943268https://www.forbes.com/sites/nickdiunte/2020/08/02/bert-thiel-one-of-two-remaining-boston-braves-dies-at-94/#578af6943268 Del Crandall is the last of the New England Mohicans, so to speak.

“Like riding a surfboard on a rainbow.” https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/29601963/professor-cano-more-pete-alonso-stories-left-e60-cutting-room-floorhttps://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/29601963/professor-cano-more-pete-alonso-stories-left-e60-cutting-room-floor

Pete Hamill, a former columnist and editor-in-chief of the Daily News and a best-selling author, died Wednesday at age 85. His brother Denis delivered this eulogy Saturday. Pete Hamill is going to be fine. My big brother Pete helped me with my grammar school book reports, my teenage hippie poetry, my first piece of published journalism, my first produced screenplay and most of my published novels. Pete always made everything he touched better. He always urged us to “do the work of the Lord.” So it makes perfect sense that Pete would help me one last time on his own eulogy. Truth be told, this eulogy should have been written five years ago when he was comatose in NYU Medical Center in Manhattan, where all the doctors said he was not going to wake up after suffering two broken hips, a heart attack and a series of ministrokes. But his wife, Fukiko, disagreed and told the doctors that Pete would wake up but that it took Pete longer because of his diabetes. The doctors whispered to me to make arrangements for a funeral. Two days later, Pete awoke in ICU speaking Spanish to an orderly about the New York Mets as Sinatra sang on a tape deck. https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-pete-hamill-eulogy-denis-hamill-20200808-lp5yf2z2v5felddtx5lxh4dypq-story.htmlhttps://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-pete-hamill-eulogy-denis-hamill-20200808-lp5yf2z2v5felddtx5lxh4dypq-story.html

Chris Ianetta calls it a career.

The Bill Short/Mark Little Awards. Sweet cards!

The feelgood story of the summer. Feh.

Zamora down, Gsellman back, Cordell at alternate site.

Buster Olney, on when Pete Alonso didn't suck. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29601961/how-new-york-mets-pete-alonso-overcame-bullies-become-big-league-superstarhttps://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29601961/how-new-york-mets-pete-alonso-overcame-bullies-become-big-league-superstar

The ROY issue has crossed minds, says Jayson Stark in the Athletic. Here's the deal: We're now two weeks into a 60-game season. There are just seven weeks to go — hopefully. But for the moment at least, baseball's powers that be haven't altered the qualifications for what it means to be “a rookie,” shortened season or no shortened season. And what makes this fascinating is, they're still debating whether changing those qualifications is even a good idea. “We had this discussion with them two weeks ago,” says the Elias Sports Bureau's John Labombarda. “They brought it to our attention, that a player could possibly win the Rookie of the Year without disqualifying himself from winning next year's award. https://theathletic.com/1978925/2020/08/06/next-up-the-first-two-time-rookie-of-the-year/https://theathletic.com/1978925/2020/08/06/next-up-the-first-two-time-rookie-of-the-year/

Horace Clarke, flagship player of the oft-referenced “Horace Clarke Yankees,” 81.

Ali Sanchez has been optioned to the Alternate Site, or as they called it at Shawshank, The Hole. This trims the active roster to 28, as mandated by whatever the rule is this afternoon.

A Rick Porcello outing Mets fan Rick Porcello could love.

Hamilton opens off Broadway.

Ryan Cordell has been DFA'd. Also, the Mets have picked up righty reliever Ariel Jurado from way on the other side of the Hudson, specifically Texas. He's been assigned to where all naughty righty relievers go, the Alternate Site.

What do Ron Hunt, Jay Horwitz, Dave Mlicki, Nohan and Chris Heston all have in common with last night in DC? Find out here: http://www.faithandfearinflushing.com/2020/08/05/punching-up/http://www.faithandfearinflushing.com/2020/08/05/punching-up/