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No MFY received an MVP vote of any weight in 2014. First time since 1992, which was the third consecutive year no American League writer was awed by the sight of pinstripes and/or feel the breath of the Babe bearing down on him from MFY Heaven. 2014 also marks the first time since 1991 that a Met (Hojo then, Duda now) won MVP support while every MFY was completely overlooked.

Allen Ripley, 62, gave up the Steve Henderson Homer of June 14, 1980. http://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/local_news/ex-boston-and-pawtucket-red-sox-player-allen-ripley-of/article_0dc18b6c-69da-11e4-bfcc-7be7d1783b1a.html?mode=print

Kershaw wins MVP, first NL pitcher to do so since the year before Seaver should have in 1969. Duda nabs one eighth-place vote. Stanton 2nd, Cutch 3rd. Trout in the DH league, unaninimous.

Terry Collins says it isn't so. When asked about the Daily News report (which GM Sandy Alderson also addressed on Thursday), here's what he had to say about Niese shouting an expletive-filled phrase on the bench: "That's not true. Jon Niese and I have an argument every time he pitches, whether he should come out or stay in. What was said, it's not true. There would have been a major issue had that been said. I don't know where that came from. ... In two months, a lot of things can be changed. The next day, the facts are out there. You can call Jon Niese and he will also tell you he didn't say that. If he had, there would have been an issue on the bench." But was there a confrontation about Niese swinging away instead of bunting, as he was told to do? Collins confirmed it. "He was mad, yeah, I told him to get the bunt down," Collins said. "As you'd expect, [Niese said] 'I'm trying to get the [expletive] bunt down.' Yeah, there were some words." Collins later added that after the game, he told Niese, "We're done, right? This is over." The pitcher said, "Absolutely," and told Collins he was planning on coming to talk to the manager anyway. "No player in my 40 years has ever said that to me," he said, before adding, "to my face."

Alvin Dark, 92, shortstop of the 1951 National League and 1954 World Champion New York Giants, manager of the 1974 World Champion Oakland A's, skipper amid cultural discontent on the powerhouse San Francisco Giants of the mid-1960s. Also helmed Cleveland, which is where I first met him on his 1970 Topps card. Rumored at the peak of his powers as the Mets' next manager, but Casey Stengel gave way to Wes Westrum who gave way to Gil Hodges (by way of Salty Parker) so he was never one of ours. Also worth noting it was the 1949 trade of Dark and future Met minor league director Eddie Stanky to the Giants from the Braves (the famous "back up the truck" swap) that turned the Giants into the contenders they'd become in the 1950s. "My kind of team" was how Leo Durocher termed what he had once had those two.

Jeff Francoeur seeks to be Jeph Phrancoeur, signing a minor league deal with the Phillies. Or Frillies.

After being of minimal assistance to the Mets in 2007, David Newhan will attempt to assist Tigers hitters in 2015 as their assistant hitting coach.

Larry Kirwan of Black 47 puts the band's about-to-conclude career in perspective for the Times. Indeed, there were huge concerts. They played Farm Aid at Iowa State�s 55,000-seat football stadium, and a half-dozen times at Shea Stadium after Mets games on Irish Night. �We played Shea more than the Beatles did,� Mr. Kirwan said with a smile.

QBC organizers aware of certain McF's shortcomings, I've been told, and working to triumph over them in 2015.

Sworn Deposition Day is definitely coming.

I'm willing to find out.

seawolf17 wrote: Holy crap, I forgot David Wright. The 2014 New York Mets Highlight Film -- brought to you by the good folks at Borden.

Ceetar wrote: no, but for just $500 a seat you can get on the waiting list for 2015 postseason tickets. http://mlb.mlb.com/sf/ticketing/season.jsp No doubt the Giants like money as much as the next team. But nice to see correspondence from a team (or team owner) that is, as the anagram of Alec Guinness has it (which I learned from The Simpsons), genuine class.

"Waiter, there's a baseball in my soup!" "I'm sorry sir or ma'am -- the chef will speak to Mr. Duda about that at once." "No wait...it's delicious!"

How about "this food isn't terrible but could be better for the prices they charge" and "perhaps a little originality in the menu would be tasty"?

Perhaps some of you fellow old-enoughs remember the parody paper Not The New York Times that made the rounds during the newspaper strike of 1978 (recently revisited here). Well, if you wanted Not The New York Mets Ownership, you can find it in San Francisco. Larry Baer wrote this letter to Giants fans after winning the World Series. Even allowing for Baer's post-champagne giddiness, I'm trying to imagine such a letter emanating from the desk of F. or J. Wilpon between depositions and -- even spotting the Mets a championship -- I can't see it. Dear [Giants Fan]: We�re back in our offices now, confetti still stuck to our shoes, and diving into the preparations for 2015. But my first order of business is to thank you. Through all the ups and downs of the season, you were there. No matter the won-loss record, you showed up with Panda hats and Hunter Pence signs and orange everything. Your love and energy carried our players through some very tough days this summer. And they answered your unwavering belief in them with a hard-fought, absolutely brilliant October. The San Francisco Giants became the first National League team since the 1940s to win three World Series Championships in five years. It is amazing, the stuff of dreams. And yet it is not a surprise. This is what happens when a community lifts a team, and a team lifts a community. It�s what happens when we�re all in this together � the fans, the players, the coaches, the front office, the ownership group, every usher and vendor in the park. Players from around the league recognize that. Each year, our experienced, smart and passionate baseball department led by Brian Sabean constructs a roster with painstaking care and an exacting eye, finding and developing those few special players with the grit, heart and the talent to be Giants. In Bruce Bochy, we have a manager whose own will and resilience set the tone for his team. That championship blood he so admires in his players? It coursed through his veins first. When he goes to battle, his team follows. And what a team. These players saw themselves as world champions from the first day of spring training. They didn�t care about history or prognostications or anything except each other. They went into the final game of the World Series knowing no team in 35 years had won a Game 7 on the road. They didn�t care � they scrapped and fought in Kansas City � just as they did in Pittsburgh, Washington and St. Louis � until that last ball of a long season descended into Pablo�s glove. This �find a way� culture also permeates a Giants front office of exceptional, tireless and passionate employees. They collaborate, they innovate and they are customer-centric and community-centric. They are the unsung heroes of our organization and a big key to our success. I�m already excited about what the 2015 season might hold. What will be the next chapter in the growing legend of Madison Bumgarner, the best post-season pitcher in baseball history? How many more highlight reels will be filled by young, homegrown stars such as Buster Posey, Joe Panik, Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt? And by Gregor Blanco and Hunter Pence? Might we see a third no-hitter from Tim Lincecum? Can Yusmeiro Petit break his own Major League record of 46 consecutive batters retired in a single season? Can Jeremy Affeldt notch two more scoreless innings in a post-season to break the immortal Mariano Rivera�s record? On behalf of everyone at the San Francisco Giants, thank you again for carrying us through another dramatic and exhilarating season. No team anywhere has fans like ours. We could not be more grateful. We look forward to seeing you at FanFest in February! Sincerely, Laurence M. Baer, President & CEO No "send us your deposit for season tickets now so you don't miss out on more championship action in 2015" pitch. No P.S. urging the reader to visit sfgiants.com for great World Series merchandise. No loyalty oaths. And the guy gave good letter even after a bad season.

That's executive J.J. Putz to you -- with the Diamondbacks.

Nobody in the past two years has "seemed" like more of a threat than Anthony Recker. Weeks pass between hits but then the one hit in his arsenal is a three-run shot to the Left Field Landing and GKR is praising him to the Promenade. Then he goes back to not hitting and I can't believe it because weren't they just telling me what an undeployed weapon he is? That said, if you can get someone better, go ahead, but he's not the worst. Plus raw beauty, unlike raw power, never slumps.

Conversely, a little overlooked in the historical scheme of uniform things, I think: 1993 road. Revived the Mazz-era trimming, reined in the excesses of the nice try/no dice script New York from 1987 and somehow got away with no numbers on the front, which always freaked me out when I saw pictures of how the Mets dressed from 1962-1964. Of course it suffered from being worn by the 1993 Mets. They were revised a year later and ditched for the almost/not quite retro look in '95.

The worst, in my view. 1988-1992 road, big block NEW YORK that lacked character and resembled MFY road NEW YORK. Combined with moving from St. Pete to St. Lucie, I could feel a certain essential Metness slipping away in the spring of '88.

Centerfield wrote: Orel Hershiser makes that team. No? Orel went back to L.A. Before retiring.

5DrqfY3yuWE Lindsey! Ralph! Bob! Then the NBC crew! A Frankenstein of telecasts from October 6, 1973, but what the hell, "Frankenstein" was a big hit that year for the Edgar Winter Group. Classic TV Sports explains as best as can be explained.

Brad Halsey, 33, pitcher Mets lit up in Subway Series game in 2004; were shut down by him a year later when he was a Diamondback. One more year after that, with Oakland. No cause mentioned. http://m.mlb.com/news/article/100571592/former-big-league-lefty-brad-halsey-dies-at-33

That dude catches everything.

Though R.A. Dickey accepting the Cy Young news was less than two years ago, seeing Jacob deGrom smiling and offering thanks for the Players Choice felt like the first time in a long time I'd seen a Met win a merit-based award. Maybe it was because R.A. was gone not long after the Cy. In any event, it was fun. I hope there's more fun next week. And for that matter, tonight Gold Glove-wise.