G-Fafif

Turns out that Simon & Garfunkel, as explained by Armisen & Hader, were less interested in music than they were "Da Mets". [youtube:3feweo1a]WJEvjsrfrWo[/youtube:3feweo1a]

Reading the subject line and contemplating what one who is unfamiliar with the nickname would make of a "Big Sexy reunion".

Was invited on the Talkin' Mets podcast to dive in to the Top 56 countdown, with detours into basically every Mets era. Listen here should the Super Bowl pregame show run out of steam over the next several hours.

Tyler Pill took Zack Wheeler's start in Spring Training 2015 when Zack was feeling something that wound up keeping him out for the next two years. When Zack went on the DL at the beginning of a West Coast swing in July, the Mets called up Pill. Wheeler would be out for the remainder of the year. Thus, we can infer Pill was not good for what ailed Zack.

Despite not homering at all as a Met, Nori owned most of the major league home runs hit by Terry Collins's final Mets starting lineup. He had 33 entering October 1, 2017. The other eight guys combined for 28 (including four from Noah Syndergaard).

The very fine Tony Gwynn documentary on MBLN, "Mr. Padre," produced this nugget: the player the Padres sent down to facilitate the promotion of Gwynn from Hawaii of the PCL to the majors was ex-Met Mario Ramirez, who San Diego stole in the 1980 Rule 5 draft. Fortunately for Mario, who passed away in 2013, he persevered as a Padre and tasted postseason action in the 1984 NLCS as he and Gwynn (more Gwynn than him) propelled the Pads past the Cubs and into the Tigers' salivating mouth.

Made his debut the night the Mets bottomed out in San Francisco in August 2016 and was part of the immediately subsequent turnaround that led to the unlikely Wild Card that looks like more of an immense accomplishment every day. The starter-depleted Mets were bullpenning without realizing it, with Smoker entrusted with getting outs that were big (because no out is small in a playoff chase). He backed up Gsellman the night the long-haired stranger took over for the evaporating Jon Niese in St. Louis, a game that ultimately equaled the one-game difference between us and them. Pitched in against Minnesota when the starter was Gabriel Ynoa and we swept that series. Seemed like a Josh upgrade over Edgin. I guess he didn't take the necessary step up in 2017 to impress the new brain trust once it got through looking at the tape. Bon voyage Black Bear!

86-Dreamer wrote: GFafif really knows his Japanese Met pitchers. A notable subset of bad Met pitchers, of which there has been a world.

Kaz "Ishii Really Going Out With Him?"

That awful Komiyama.

Rocket Boy Igarashi.

Two Takahashis (Ken, then Hisanori).

Kashiwada (the first).

Smoker wrote a sweetheart of a Twitter letter to Mets fans, thanking them for the support, however things turn out. Gracious gestures have grown more budget-friendly since the days of taking out newspaper ads or, as Fonzie did, cab tops.

Came out of the gate with a bang versus the Astros after being signed out of the blue, facilitating the use of two cliches in this sentences before it ever got to a comma. His 4-for-9 weekend was in service to two losses, which fit well with the Aoki Epoch in Mets history. He could've hit like crazy for a month and it wouldn't have mattered in the depressing September/October 2017 scheme of things. The Mets lost 16 of the 27 games in which he played for them. I would have guessed it was 25 of 27. Forged an eight-game hitting streak at the beginning of his Mets career. His on-base percentage as a Met (.371) nearly matched his slugging percentage (.373). Became the 25th Mets position player to compile at least 100 ABs (102, in Aoki's case) and not homer.

Centerfield wrote: I would guess that it didn’t help that the guy we traded to get him was: 1. A world champion 2. Fiery and well liked 3. An eventual MVP who hit 50 HRs Mitch topped out at 47 HRs, in 1989. Still an impressive total.

Keith Law says We're No. 21!

Prospect guru Keith Law not overwhelmed by Justin's progress, as relayed by Abbey Mastracco of the Star-Ledger. "Justin Dunn I think is the most glaring example of the guy who's stuff is still pretty good, at least in terms of the quality of his pitches, but was so successful in college and then comes in to pro ball his first full season this year and they probably pushed him too far into high right away, just speaking in hindsight," Law said Wednesday, on his annual top-100 conference call. "But also there were a lot of issues with his feel to pitch, his lack of command, with lack of life on the fastball." Dunn was converted to a starter his junior year at Boston College, and was then sent to low-A Brooklyn where he put up a 1.50 ERA in 11 games (eight starts). Perhaps those good numbers masked the problems, but Law is surprised that no one on the player development side recognized the issues. "You almost look and you say, 'Nobody caught that?' Nobody on the player development side looked and said, 'Hey wait a minute, here are two things we are going to have to work on in instructional league last year and spring training this yer, but we're sending you out to High-A this year,'" Law said. Law calls him "an athlete with a tremendous arm," but he's not very advanced when it comes to his feel for pitching.

Reyes officially signed, Smoker DFA'd.

Barwis is a dead vocal ringer for Scott Ferrall, a syndicated voice on the FAN in the mid-to-late '90s and more recently with CBS Sports Radio. He pops up as a raspy talking head on NFL Network "Top 10" shows.

Milwaukee trades for Yelich, signing Cain, going places,

You know him, you love him, you can't live without him. Ken Rosenthal reports Jose Reyes returns to the Mets as a utility player, as the club continues to seek an actual second baseman.

MVP in Anaheim, went to the postseason, raised his profile. Not crazy, but kind of sad as a reminder that the Expos should have been able to keep him (and continued to exist).

Vladdy goes in as an Angel, the first to represent the franchise now entering its 58th season.

Though it was ridiculous that Thor refused the MRI, what he tore in the 23-5 game wasn't what was bothering him when they wanted the MRI and wouldn't have necessarily shown up, throwing the clever headline into dubious territory. In The Big Inning is a sharp pun, albeit on a busy page. I went back to the beginning with this vote.