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Buddy credits Casey, ST '65, with teaching him to bunt.

I guess that's why they call them the gays Enough with these mics in my face Withholding approval Not preaching removal I guess soon I'll be sent to the Rays

Billy Bean responds. When I took this job at MLB, I knew it was going to take time for many to embrace my message of inclusion. Expecting everyone to be supportive right away is simply not realistic. If you asked anyone who has competed in high-level men's professional sports, I believe they would agree with me. This doesn't change the way I go about my business, or my belief in what I am doing, but it's reality. After reading his comments, I appreciate that Daniel spoke his truth. I really do. I was visiting his team, and a reporter asked his opinion about me. He was brave to share his feelings, and it made me want to work harder and be a better example that someday might allow him to view things from my perspective, if only for just a moment. I respect him, and I want everyone to know that he was respectful of me. We have baseball in common, and for now, that might be the only thing. But it's a start. The silver lining in his comments are that he would be open to investing in a relationship with a teammate, even if he "disagrees" with the lifestyle. It may not be perfect, but I do see him making an effort to reconcile his religious beliefs with his interpretation of the word lifestyle. It took me 32 years to fully accept my sexual orientation, so it would be hypocritical of me to not be patient with others. Inclusion means everyone, plain and simple. Daniel is part of that group. A Major League clubhouse is now one of the most diverse places in sports. It wasn't always that way, but we can thank No. 42 for that. So in his honor, with a little patience, compassion and hard work, we'll get there.

Carig's shining moment, prior to Port St. Lunchgate, was a passive-aggressive Twitter war with Rubin last September the night Mejia closed out the Nationals for the Mets' only win over Washington at Citi Field. Jenrry was reeling in the last out in that colorful way he has and Rubin was all "oh, this will not go over well," and Carig got on him, though not by name, for writing up the incident as inflammatory yet not actually talking to Mejia in the postgame. Thought Carig had a point there (and that Adam was a little over the top in his "oh no" take).

Anybody remember how Roger McDowell said far worse to fans in SF a few years ago regarding the nature of a certain percentage of the local population and how he was presumed done after being put on administrative leave for a spell? He's still coaching Brave pitchers and it doesn't seem to come up anymore.

The collective guilt trip or standards of civility or something must've gotten to Mr. Price because his McKnight column has been shorn of "lousy" and all the other weirdness. Reads like a person wrote it now.

Fun day at Port St. Lunchgate! First Parnell taking away Syndergaard's stew, then, in light of Billy Bean swinging by at Sandy Alderson's behest to promote inclusiveness, Daniel Murphy lets it be known he doesn't approve of the gay "lifestyle". But the gays themselves? Totally cool with Murph specifically and Christianity in general.

Comes in threes, as they say: Alex Johnson, 1970 A.L. batting champ, has passed away.

Edgy MD wrote: Leathersich rummaging through garbage to recover food as we speak. MET WASTES FOOD 'Eat this,' Parnell who once collected canned goods, tells hot shot prospect

Perhaps young Noah was confused by concept of supporting his teammates during an intrasquad game in which he was assigned to neither team.

Shinjo?

Revisiting JCL's groundbreaking work on the McKnight of Many Numbers, it is amazing how cavalier Charlie Samuels was in passing along 17 and 18 in particular so soon after their best days. 5, too, I suppose, though I guess Davey Johnson was deemed persona not grata ASAP. Whatever one's feelings on digit-retirement, how does the guy from Tidewater keep rating prime numbers?

Didn't win a lot, but surely Jeff McKnight played.

Might have curbed the instinct to identify a just-deceased person's career as "lousy".

Jeff McKnight passed away Sunday at age 52, per Bill Price (who references MBTN's research). http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/bitterbill/met-jeff-mcknight-dead-52-blog-entry-1.2135001?utm_content=bufferbfa5f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=Wprice+Twitter

Nice of Ken Singleton, from the 1970-71 Mets, to drop by the 1969 World Series. That image doesn't appear in the book (or certainly not in the part of the book that's excerpted here).

Last published interview with Minoso, just yesterday, on ESPN Chicago. http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/page/blackhistoryMLBminoso/white-sox-great-minnie-minoso-integration-fan-appreciation-cuba-hof-slight And Minnie from December regarding the thaw in relations between his native land and his adopted home. http://time.com/3643881/cuba-baseball-minnie-minoso/

The South Side of Chicago and baseball fans everywhere mourn the passing of White Sox great Minnie Minoso, reported as either 89 or 90. http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/7/71/405104/white-sox-great-minnie-minoso-passes-away

There will be a moment, perhaps in Spring Training, perhaps on his normal throw day, maybe while on the mound during the season when he feels something. He'll be temporarily shut down for precautionary reasons but we'll be assured it's nothing. He won't go on the DL but he'll be pushed back. He'll miss a start. Then they'll backdate him onto the DL, but it won't mean he's hurt. In fact, it'll be good for all concerned. It will save him some innings. He'll feel fine. Really. It was just a little something. It's normal. It's better it happened now than later. Ultimately, he'll be Harvey again, but in the interim I expect a speed bump.

Don't know that it wasn't all but official given his MLB absence in 2014, but Juan Pierre has made retirement official. And while I was typing that, he just stole second and took third on Thole's throw.

batmagadanleadoff wrote: So who was the first base coach when Marvelous was hitting his HR? I can't tell from Cosell's note or from Prince's Happy Recap. Y'know, it crossed my mind both while writing the version you posted and the slightly revised one that wound up in the book, but then I decided to not wonder about it too much. I figured bottom of the ninth, two out...maybe they left the post unoccupied, the game was going to be over in a sec anyway. And it was -- though not the way it usually was. Thinking about it now reminds me of my beef with Todd Pratt slowing down approaching first base when hits the ball to center in the tenth inning of Game Four of the '99 NLDS. Somehow in his and everybody's mind it's either an out or a home run. How did it not occur to him (or us) that maybe it hits the top of the wall and bounces around in play and Finley picks it up and fires it to second to nail a loafing Tank and the Diamondbacks win in eleven and they fly to Arizona and Randy Johnson is death in those weird BOB shadows... But it doesn't happen that way in 1999 despite Pratt's trudge or 1962 with (in my mind) a vacated coach's box.

Yup.

That would be excellent information to have. More than a good catch -- one a roomful of people paid to read things closely missed.

Jesse Owens?

I wrote a new foreword to a rereleased book for the same publisher to which JCL refers. One of the items in the book regarded Joe Pignatano hitting into a triple play in the last game of the 1962 season. In the hands of whoever is responsible for book jacket copy (that I didn't see until published) it became "they hit a triple in their last game!" or some such construct that omitted "play". So while I'm not sure what we're trying to ferret out in that description, something tells me it will have nothing to do with the actual book.