G-Fafif

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Great post by G-Fafif. I like his take on Sandy Alderson; it rings true to me. Strange that Tom Goodwin decided to use the gathering as a forum to promote masturbation. (Or did I misread something?) I'll have to check with whichever SABR committee handles that business for a ruling.

On Friday, I attended the ballpark session of the annual SABR convention, which this year is in New York. The ballpark was Citi Field. The Mets furnished as speakers: • Tom Goodwin (subbing for Terry Collins, who couldn't make it for some unspecified reason. I was hoping it was because he had to break the news of Neil Ramirez's unconditional release to Neil Ramirez) • Wayne Randazzo, Steve Gelbs and Josh Lewin • Sandy Alderson • Pat Roessler (in uniform pants and recent Friday night free Jose Reyes shirt) with analytics aces T.J. Barra and Joe Lefkowitz As you might have seen, Sandy made a little news, thanks to at least one reporter (Roger Rubin, stringing for Newsday) who thought to walk a few yards from the press box to left field Excelsior where they had us seated. He was asked about Tebow and he told a story of how the signing scout listed under the outfielder's entry in the media guide is actually the Mets' director of merchandising. I'd say Sandy admitted Tebow is there to sell t-shirts and jerseys and generally contribute to the sport's entertainment quotient, but "admit" implies some form of coercion. Sandy was the personification of a shrug emoji on that count, basically saying, "Yeah...so?" He also cracked wise about contacting Atlanta to find out if he can get a deal on their excess Bartolo Colon bobbleheads, mentioning he can't address the status of a player still under contract to another organization. Plus some stuff about draft slots (teams are paying more for higher picks and are skimping in the middle rounds); growing the game in India as opposed to Australia (he'd like to see the former get going, because there's more people); David having no timetable for a return (but is still working on it out in L.A.); free agents to be being wise to embrace their versatility (kind of rolling his eyes at Asdrubal's recent outburst, taking credit for making Jay Bruce a part-time first baseman so he can get paid more). He wouldn't commit to Terry or himself for beyond the foreseeable future and didn't imply the foreseeable future is foreseeable. When the moderator, Barry Bloom of mlb.com, framed a question as "you're in it," meaning the race, Sandy basically laughed off the idea before, as Sandy will, calibrating and giving an insightful, balanced, mostly content-free reply. When you listen to Sandy enough, you are reminded that baseball isn't a state secret. He may not tell you all you want to know, never mind the answer you want, but he will thoroughly talk through your query. Baseball people love to talk baseball, or at least go through the act of talking baseball. Goodwin (or "Goody" as he refers to himself in anecdotes of others talking about him) was very peppy and positive. Said lovely things about the absent Mr. Wright, endorsed the handling of one's business, told a neato story about Curtis Granderson learning to relax when he played college ball, noted he wears a wristband in honor of Dusty Baker (he praised all his managers, right up to Terry, who will talk to you about anything, unless you're a SABR attendee who was scheduled to hear from him). Like Tim Teufel at this year's QBC, Goodwin was a delightful nuts & bolts listen, except with no 1986 stories. I like hearing coaches talk, mainly 'cause usually they don't have a platform, so when they do, there are usually insights forthcoming. The announcer trio was sharp, save for the faulty mic Randazzo was stuck with. Josh praised Steve to the high heavens and SNY/the Mets as well for how he is deployed. He recalled that in Texas he'd be directed to go to their field reporter in tense game situations and the reporter would be interviewing a bunch of fraternity bros about how much fun it is to go to a Rangers game. They all attested to the New York market being way different and tougher than anywhere else (Wayne said there was no comparison between Chicago and NY), but that they appreciated it. Both Randazzo and Gelbs, who retain their youthfulness despite hanging around the Mets, have grown in their roles, I believe, and I sense that someday people in this audience will be seeing them doing high-profile stuff a la Burkhardt and be telling whoever will listen, hey, I saw that guy at a SABR meeting once. One other thing they all shared was the revelation that broadcasting is not the cut-throat business they'd assumed, as these guys from different markets help each other out all the time. Josh told his Ernie Harwell couldn't have been nicer in welcoming him to Detroit story, which will make any warm afternoon toasty. The most interesting take away from Roessler and the analytics guys is how you have to find the players in the right mood to hear about data, though there's definitely more openness to it all the time. Roessler said whereas it used to be "cover the outside pitch so you can hit the other way more," now a player like Conforto will ask for data supporting the suggestion. Jay Bruce is particularly interested in this stuff. Also, Barra said, the Mets send one of them on the road every trip so they can put their findings to immediate use as game situations dictate, which I didn't know. These guys work in proximity with Roessler (and maybe other coaches) during games. Very worthwhile all around. I was surprised there wasn't a single security guard outside the ballpark at 3 PM telling us to all go away, they don't know what we're talking about. I was also surprised they didn't send everybody out of the building at 5:09 PM to get our game tickets scanned. They took care of that on the Excelsior level and gave us bonus Reyes shirts to go with the night's Cespedes model (must have been a lot of Joses left over from a rainout or something). OTOH, I don't know why the Mets didn't put a WELCOME SABR message on the scoreboard while the session went on. It's the little things. Also, nobody announced to this history-minded audience, "go downstairs and check out our hall of fame and museum," though I took it upon myself to lead a small group down there. I watched most of the game amid a fairly agnostic crew in the Big Apple Orchard or whatever that section is called where the 7 Line Army waves thundersticks but we brandished slide rules (ha ha). Had a low-key Phillies fan in front of me, a bit of a know-it-all Dodgers fan off my right shoulder (he called Cespedes a clubhouse lawyer, because he read something once). As I will in those lone wolf situations, I plugged in Howie and Josh, who couldn't have been sharper and I couldn't have been happier to have them narrate the surprisingly taut 2-1 game for me. Had a horrifyingly fantastic view of Curtis not catching that fly ball. Also got great sound on Reyes's triple (the ball and the center fielder crashing into the fence) and every reliever warming up. Spied Jeurys and a Phillies reliever fraternizing early. Eventually squeezed my way over to some friends whose tickets had them seated a ways over. If I'd been registered for the whole conference, I probably could have coordinated better, but I did the one-day thing and it was a little random. Anyway, we put it in the books, I got some nice folks from South Dakota onto the Super Express, caught my train at Woodside and somebody somewhere was entertained by Tim Tebow thanks to Sandy Alderson. Good experience.

Lenny Dykstra pauses to reflect. While he said he no longer treats women disrespectfully, he can be breathtakingly demeaning in conversations with or about them. He still peppers almost every sentence with obscenities. He can be selfish, tactless, and money-obsessed. “Yeah, I ain’t perfect,” Dykstra admitted, a cigarette between his lips. “I still [screw] around. But I’m not the person you knew in that clubhouse. That person walked in there like there was a new … sheriff in town. That was all the drugs I was on. I’m not running people down anymore.”

This was the 100th 6-3 win in Mets history. This inconspicuous score had not emblazoned itself upon a Mets victory since last September in Cincinnati. Among the more noteworthy 6-3 wins in Mets history: May 7, 2016: Mets 6 Padres 3; Bartolo Colon homers. April 23, 2015: Mets 6 Braves 3; Mets finish 10-0 homestand, tie team record with 11th straight win. April 9, 2015: Mets 6 Nationals 3; Matt Harvey makes successful return from Tommy John surgery. April 5, 2014: Mets 6 Reds 3. Ike Davis pinch-hits come-from-behind walkoff 9th-inning grand slam after Terry Collins makes first replay review challenge (and gets a call overturned) May 29, 2012: Mets 6 Phillies 3. Jeremy Hefner homers. Last Mets win after which it could be said the Mets had never thrown a no-hitter. September 7, 2008 (N): Mets 6 Phillies 3. Santana and Delgado star in night half of Shea's last day-night doubleheader and last showdown between the two rivals who were fighting for the division lead. September 21, 2002: Mets 6 Expos 3. Esix Snead homers to win it in the bottom of the eleventh. October 3, 1990: Mets 6 Pirates 3. Frank Viola wins his 20th, the last time a Met would do so for 22 years. September 13, 1990: Mets 6 Pirates 3. Doc Gooden beats Doug Drabek in critical NL East showdown, with Darryl Strawberry homering -- basically the last great moment of the best era in Mets history. July 9, 1989: Mets 6 Reds 3. Juan Samuel homers off Rob Dibble, wreaking vengeance for the previous day's beaning by Dibble of Tim Teufel (and offering much satisfaction after the brawl that ensued). July 22, 1986: Mets 6 Reds 3. Just the game where Dave Parker drops the sure third out in the ninth, the Mets tie the game, it goes to extras, Knight and Davis go at it, several are ejected, pitchers shuttle between the mound and the outfield, Gary Carter plays third base and, oh yeah, HoJo hits one out in the 14th. July 9, 1982 (2): Mets 6 Reds 3. The formula for 1982 -- Kingman homers, Foster homers, the Mets win -- happens for the first time all year. September 19, 1967: Mets 6 Dodgers 3. The Mets' first-ever amateur draft choice, Les Rohr, makes is promising major league debut and, in doing so, becomes the 54th and final player to appear for the bustling (if futile) 1967 Mets. September 3, 1965: Mets 6 Cardinals 3. Jim Hickman becomes the first Met to go deep three times in one game. August 24, 1962: Mets 6 Dodgers 3. It's the first 6-3 Mets win and the first time the Mets beat the former Brooklynites in Manhattan -- their only home win against the frontrunning Bums and, conceivably, the game that cost the Dodgers the NL flag, considering they wound up tied with the Giants at season's end and how on earth did the first-place Dodgers lose to the last-place Mets? They beat Don Drysdale, en route to a Cy Young (25-9), no less.

A reliable source informs me that on one episode of Busting Loose, Sam Markowitz comes over to watch a Mets game with son Lenny (played by Alan Arkin's son Adam) and is heard to cheer, "Rah, Mets! Rah, Mets!"

Scorer's discretion: Give AY a W as he leaves us. Some reflections here on the pitcher inextricable from his record and the person who transcended it.

He had been reported as diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in January. I guess it caught up with him. Today is the 24th anniversary of his 24th consecutive loss, which I witnessed at Shea. Deserved better in many contexts.

Lenny Harris tweets: A[n]thony Young my brother have left us may he rest in peace love you my brother He followed it up with a couple of RIPs. To which one can only add amen.

Lenny Harris reports some sad news regarding his fellow fantasy camp coach Anthony Young. My friend A[n]thony Young went into coma last night I wish all my friends can reach out and say I pray for A[n]thony Young

John Lannan is a Long Island Duck. Departing right before major team success soon took on a thematic quality for Lannan. His short tenure with the Mets came one year before they won the NL pennant. “It was a transition year for them,” Lannan said. “You could see they had potential. Terry [Collins] was doing a great job with that team. You could see they had the pieces and it was just a matter of it coming together. And it did, the year after.” Lannan had high praise for Collins. “Most managers I played for were really great,” Lannan said. “But in Terry’s case, he really does care about the players and their well-being. It seems like he really wants them to handle everything the right way and make sure every player is all right, which is a great quality to have as a manager.” David Aardsma, too. Ducks closer David Aardsma said he hopes to return from the disabled list early this week. Aardsma, who has been bothered by a pectoral injury, hasn’t pitched since May 28. “It really didn’t affect me while pitching,” he said. “It was more after, and it was more of the concern that, because of [the injury], I would start pitching differently and maybe hurt something real.” Aardsma, who has five saves and a 1.50 ERA in 12 innings in 12 appearances, is anxious to get back on the mound. “I’m going crazy,” he said with a chuckle. “I’m losing it . . . But you understand the process.”

In the opening credits to the 1977 CBS sitcom Busting Loose, Jack Kruschen as Sam Markowitz appears wearing a souvenir Mets batting helmet, brandishing a New York Mets pennant on a stick. 6cJIHuA-rH0

Brilliant imagery!

Well, cripes, this explains everything.

According to a source, Collins asked Cabrera to play third base for the Mets "weeks ago," but he refused. Collins did not make a big deal out of Cabrera's choice because he was afraid of the fallout it would cause in the clubhouse. Cabrera's announcement came after the Mets released their lineup for the game, which had him batting second and playing second base. He said he was told he would only play shortstop when he signed here in December 2015. Cabrera's pending free agency is also playing into his decision to demand a trade. He had asked the Mets to guarantee his 2018 option earlier this season but the team declined.

Details on AsCab's discontent here: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/asdrubal-cabrera-requests-trade-mets-article-1.3273187?utm_content=buffer7219a&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=NYDNSports+Twitter

Span CF Gillaspie 3B Panik 2B Belt 1B Slater LF Crawford SS Hundley C Hernandez RF Blach P

Curtis Granderson - RF Asdrúbal Cabrera – 2B Yoenis Céspedes - LF Wilmer Flores – 3B Michael Conforto - CF Lucas Duda - 1B Travis d’Arnaud - C José Reyes - SS Seth Lugo - RHP Cabrera wants to be traded. Doesn't want to play 2nd. First one of those I can remember in ages. But he's playing 2nd tonight.

Pete's star turn: https://www.billyjoel.com/news/rip-new-york-mets-longtime-groundskeeper-pete-flynn/

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Man. All the good ones are going, and fast. Amen. The fabric of Mets baseball as we've known it for generations can't help but fray when we lose someone whose name and work were so intrinsic to what the entire experience of being emotionally tethered to this franchise is all about. In 2017, Jimmy Breslin, Bill Webb, now Pete Flynn. Not a single box score notation, but you couldn't be a Mets fan without knowing who they were and what they did. Pete tended to our field of dreams for half a century. Told us to keep off the lawn, too. Somebody had to.

G-Fafif wrote: Meanwhile, Jose and Keith are deadlocked in a tie for 9th in RBI. 1. David Wright 970 2. Darryl Strawberry 733 3. Mike Piazza 655 4. Howard Johnson 629 5. Ed Kranepool 614 6. Carlos Beltran 559 7. Edgardo Alfonzo 538 8. Cleon Jones 521 9. Jose Reyes 468 9. Keith Hernandez 468 Jose is now all alone in 9th. Yay.

Terrible human beings: Utley 2B Seager SS Turner 3B Bellinger 1B Taylor LF Pederson CF Grandal C Hernandez RF Kershaw P

Kershaw Killers (maybe...you never know) Conforto CF T. Rivera 3B Cespedes LF Bruce RF Flores 1B d'Arnaud C Reyes SS Cecchini 2B Wheeler P

Meanwhile, Jose and Keith are deadlocked in a tie for 9th in RBI. 1. David Wright 970 2. Darryl Strawberry 733 3. Mike Piazza 655 4. Howard Johnson 629 5. Ed Kranepool 614 6. Carlos Beltran 559 7. Edgardo Alfonzo 538 8. Cleon Jones 521 9. Jose Reyes 468 9. Keith Hernandez 468

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Benjamin Grimm on May 30 wrote: Jose Reyes may soon knock Ed Kranepool, who was in first place for what seemed like forever, into third place on the all-time hits list. 1. David Wright 1,777 2. Ed Kranepool 1,418 3. Jose Reyes 1,404 Jose has had two hits in the last 13 days. His assault on Ed Kranepool's second-place slot hasn't been very energetic. 1. David Wright 1,777 2. Ed Kranepool 1,418 3. Jose Reyes 1,406 Jose has narrowed the gap to six. Would like to believe he's past 1,418 when they come home in eleven days. Would also like to believe in bunnies for easter, fairies for teeth and Montero for sixth starter.

Jacob deGrom takes home (or on the West Coast trip) the Mets' first NL Player of the Week Award for 2017, despite not having the advantage several of his predecessors had of facing the Mets the week he earned it.