G-Fafif

Good move. Drew can show them his Ring and teach them how to Win.

Long Shot came out in hardcover a month after the 2013 vote, the first one that didn't go Piazza's way. Its failure to be a "smoking gun" seems to gnaw at some of the voters who still express disappointment that he didn't confirm their "suspicions," Claire Smith and Steve Marcus, to name two such killjoys. ("Quote marks" are fun to use.) At a touch under 70%, Mike can only be passed over for so long. Next year in Cooperstown! For this year, congratulations to Pedro, who truly graced the black, blue and orange if not quite effectively enough long enough healthily enough. With most of the file footage portraying him pitching for the Red Sox, his four years as a Met seem, like Michigan to Simon & Garfunkel, a dream to me now. BTW, I was the Delgado voter in our little poll, mostly out of "this guy is too good to fall off the ballot" instinct. Not enough real voters felt that way, alas.

Two losses to report: Hank Peters, the Oriole GM who picked up where Frank Cashen left off; and Stu Miller the slight of frame All-Star reliever whom a gust of wind famously whooshed off the mound at Candlestick.

I'll be moderating a debate on "Meaningful Games in September"; leading a Q&A with Adam Rubin; weighing in on what if any Mets numbers should be retired; and hosting the Gil Hodges Award presentation to Ed Charles. So, yeah, I recommend a Saturday afternoon on 126th Street, for sure. Come on down!

I disagree with Marty's and others' call to not vote Piazza, but they're entitled to do as they see fit (the dopes). It's when Noble starts to explain his process -- which is essentially "these are Hall of Famers, these others aren't but maybe I'll look into these others next year" -- that I cringe. I appreciate the transparency but I think I'd be less alarmed or perhaps saddened if, when his ballot was revealed, he just said, "My pencil broke and I was able to check only three boxes. Gotta get a better pencil sharpener next year."

Expanded on this topic here.

I see a release date on IMDB of September 12. Pretty topical for a movie presumably in the can by June 15. I'd also question the characters' assessment of the Mets' bounty of pitching in 1979.

Warming up for a new year of keeping an eye out for the Mets infiltrating film, theater, television, stage, literature and what have you by passing along a few pre-2015 sightings FAFIF readers have shared since the awarding of Oscar's Caps. • The Stargate TV followup, Stargate: SG-1 also showed pictures of Jack’s son in a Mets unfiorm. • Peter Falk as Vince Ricardo in The In-Laws (1979) while on a stakeout: “I can’t believe this trade. What the hell the Mets need another pitcher for? All they got is pitchers!” • Jeff in Rules of Engagement (ran on CBS between 2007 and 2013) mentioned the Mets frequently and loved to show off his Mets memorabilia collection at any given opportunity. • The Gift of Life, by Michael Elias (2013), discusses the Mets and features the main character’s connection to them. Specifically, the narratives in the book refer to the dominance over the Mets by the Braves, the exciting 2006 season and ultimately short-circuited postseason (including a dramatic re-telling of the late stages of the final playoff game), the 2007 collapse, and other baseball commentary as observed by the main character. The novel is said by the author to be "about so much more than that, including disability and coming to terms with certain life situations, but there’s the sports aspect of it for fans as well".

Zvon wrote: Thank you sir. That was a trip and a credit to Googles search engine. Seriously, Google is great at getting your tags circulated. It's the best part about using their blog format. They Googled well and found even better.

This was the card they used during the '69 playoff talk, and that was a trip to see. In November, SNY ran a bunch of deGrom starts in deference to the forthcoming ROY announcement. I taped a couple of them, including this one, a portion of which I watched early this morning (as is my wont) -- and I was DEE-lighted to see Zvon's handiwork show up on the TV and listen to Gary and Keith kvell over it. I was at the Giants (football) game that day so I had never seen it on air. Belated congratulations. Looked great.

A little promotional crossover with Busch Gardens, perhaps.

The third annual complete(-ish) survey of the Year in Mets Pop Culture here. Thanks to all who contributed to this thread and made the resulting article as broad in scope as possible.

BUtterfield 8 Pirates 4

I'd take that picture of Ralph interviewing Ol' Case off the estate's hands. BTW, is that an Oscar on that top shelf in the back?

Omir Santos inks minor league deal with Nats.

They may want to aspire to something better than that fifth one.

The phrase "the good face" can elicit a cringe, but I get the feeling it's misunderstood. A few years ago, I listened to Ed Randall interview Dick Groch, the scout who signed whathisname the shortstop who retired to some fanfare recently. Groch talked about "the good face" as it regarded his prime find and, despite being ready to roll my eyes from here to Kalamazoo, it sounded not crazy and not hopelessly retrograde. I didn't get the sense anybody reputable would sign somebody based solely on his look (certainly not with a high first-round pick), but it was one factor that might have nudged a scout to rate a player that much higher if he already liked him based on skills, stats and so forth. I recall Groch framing it as indicating a player was hyperaware of his surroundings, totally in the game, very alert to the action -- all those things you'd want. Handsomeness was left out of the discussion, which makes sense since I always thought whathisname the shortstop resembled a weasel.

Being a Mazzilli keeps one high all the time, so that's strike one, according to the CBA.

Mets Guy in Michigan wrote: Agree about Smoltz. I wish Piazza's percentage was in the 80s to feel a little more confident. I'm fearing he'll fall just short again. Might be wise to subtract 'X'% from any given "votes already in" percentage in deference to the voters who no longer publish anywhere and probably aren't interested in giving the baseball public a heads up (and are probably more likely to be flinty with their choices). Last year it was "who wouldn't vote for Greg Maddux?" Several voters didn't. Enough to preserve the magic 98.84% of Tom's, which was fine by me, but indicative that a few more "you've got to be kidding" nays lay in the woods, thus nullifying what appear to be overwhelming and/or adequate levels of support. So if Pedro seems on track by these estimates for, say, 97%, I'd guess it will be more like 91%, which of course won't matter for induction. But I have a hunch that if these trackers have Piazza's exit poll numbers between 75 and 80%, he'll fall close to Biggio-short in real life (and that he's going in with Junior next year).

After fully grasping that his name wasn't German Gonzalez, I liked that he showed fearlessness (a.k.a. didn't get lit up) when he was brought into his first game at Pittsburgh just prior to the 2013 All-Star break in a tough situation. Soaked up his share of innings in an overused bullpen and then faded from consciousness. May his stay in pinstripes be as significant as Pedro Feliciano's.

Authentically terrible in Opening Day loss. I tried to get excited that somebody with whom I share a hometown was pitching for my team, but generated little genuine enthusiasm here.

George Vecsey, visitor to Cuba in 1991, on the news from 2014. When I was in Cuba in 1991, aging baseball fans asked about the old Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox. How was Bob Feller? How was Al Lopez? They were polishing ancient memories the way they maintained vintage 1950�s cars. They loved the game itself, debated the strategy of their national teams, held on to the history of the old banished professional clubs like Almendares of Havana. This was their national sport, brought there in the 1860�s by Cubans named Guillo who had worked in Mobile, Ala., and nourished by Esteban Bellan who played for Fordham University and the old professional Troy Haymakers. Later, Americans came for the Spanish-American War and played baseball in their leisure time. Baseball is now part of the patrimony. In the inescapable age of the Web and videos, information crackling over the narrow sea between Florida and Cuba, fans know that Yasiel Puig and Aroldis Chapman have made it big in the major leagues. Is there more where they came from? This is the first question people ask of a sports columnist who went to Cuba for the 1991 Pan-American Games and has kept up on it ever since. Perhaps the national baseball treasures would be the most desired product in Cuba (although, as Rachel Maddow pointed out, Cuban-trained ballet dancers are in demand all over the U.S.) The level of potential major-league talent may be very thin. Plus, it�s really not important. What matters is that Cubans have been starved by the block-headed policies of Fidel and the follies of American leaders. Now President Obama is bringing rationality to half a century of mutual apartheid. Cubans have been living in many forms of poverty. I got the feel in 1991, including a trip to the Bay of Pigs. *- I discovered I could buy items like shampoo � shampoo! � in a dollar store to which I had access because of my journalist credential for the Pan-American Games. *- A well-placed Cuban, volunteering as a journalistic resource, admitted to not minding a hot shower in a hotel. *- Our interpreter, who spoke perfect English, had to wait for two straggling buses to get home after a 12-hour day. We had to persuade her to take a cab we provided. My talented new friends were strangers in their own land. Never underestimate the anger in the aging Cuban-Americans, now surfacing. But life goes on. Surely, there are more players like Minnie Mi�oso and Tony P�rez in Cuba. But more important, there are people who need nourishment and work and hope. And shampoo. And visas to travel across the narrow sea -- not in a flimsy boat like Orlando Hernandez, El Duque, but in something safe. Baseball is the least of it.

Checked with a Season Ticketholder buddy: It has been a long time since I received a paper card from the Mets. Don�t remember if there was a reasoning (if there was, no doubt flawed) that they stopped doing so.

I seem to remember last year there being a bit of kvetching that the holiday tradition had been breached...though it's a reasonably kvetchworthy breach if so. I could be conflating or confusing it with the Mets deciding to not send out media guides and instead send out thumb drives in deference to the environment.

batmagadanleadoff wrote: G-Fafif wrote: Now that I see it, I'm like, "yeah...that's what it looked like." To be fair, I didn't memorize the text, either, but dug it out to look it up five years ago while recalling what it was like coming down from the most invigorating season ever. I don't know where my card is. But I do have a photo scanned into my PC, as you can see. You think Leigh Castergine gets a card from the Mets this month? She got one last year. Has it been established the Mets still send actual cards? I thought the e-cards took their place to be green or save green. I'm guessing if there's a mailing or e-mailing list, the person responsible for keeping it up to date is the person who has legal action pending against them.