G-Fafif

The Wyoming Walloper sent down in the first round of cuts.

From Richard Sandomir in the Times: When M. Donald Grant, the miserly Mets chairman, called the Berra home in 1975 to inform Yogi that he was to be fired as manager, Carmen asked for a two-week reprieve because her mother was visiting. Grant agreed. Sounds a little too perfect to be true. Not that Carmen asked but that Grant agreed. And then the Mets were conveniently swept a doubleheader to give miserly Don (who was an old softie on some level if the story is to be fully believed) the excuse to let Yogi go? If it happened then, can't imagine it could happen now.

Zvon wrote: G-Fafif wrote: Get to know Zvon! I got a bone to pick with you over horizontal cards. Ya got the wrong Fafif. You want Jason. He's the one who dreads the entry of horizontal cards into The Holy Books...though he once identified the '74 Matlack as his favorite ever, and that couldn't be more side to side, as opposed to top to bottom. Enjoyed that interview (thanks for the non-bonepicking shoutout). James and Michael were part of the same primordial AOL Mets board ooze that produced Jason and me.

RIP HOF spouse Carmen Berra, 85. She and former Mets manager Yogi were married 65 years.

John Stearns steps aside as Mariners 3B coach due to hiatal hernia. Will move to pro scouting dept. once physically able. Former Cyclone mgr Rich Donnelly taking his place.

Get to know Zvon!

If I tune in at 12:45 or 6:45 and I hear a half-dozen commercials that aren't the midday or afternoon drive-time hosts, that will be sufficient. The original Mets Extra was, as the WHN promos put it, "a Mets fan's dream come true". Howie really threw himself into it and produced what we would today called premium content. The Mets Extra of the Coleman years was less vital, particularly in the context of the current information age. But nice to have that prologue and epilogue nonetheless.

Just glad there'll be a buffer between that fine 'OR syndicated programming and the game. He follows in the footsteps of Howard Cosell, Marv Albert, Bob Brown, Bill Mazer, Al Albert, Howie Rose, Todd Kalas and Ed Coleman to name a few full-timers on the pre-/postgame beat. Directly before Howie invented Mets Extra, it was just Bob Murphy coming on maybe 15 minutes before first-pitch and interviewing somebody. That worked, too.

Not Casey Stern. Not Andy Masur. But Seth Everett, the third world-exclusive double-secret probation WOR pregame/postgame host reported on good authority to have the job. Everett was a "baseball insider" on SNY several years ago and brought no particular inside information to bear while avoiding having any kind of appeal. So keep up the good work, 710.

Dr. Frank Jobe, 88, the Tommy John surgery guy. Remember him when Matt Harvey comes back.

batmagadanleadoff wrote: [fimg=444]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WhYUtSRqW9c/S3NH8agU4EI/AAAAAAAAAL0/R05vTpLFEpU/s1600/_wsb_391x292_BurgerKingLogo.JPG[/fimg] [fimg=300]http://pragmaticcompendium.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/mcdonalds-uniform-1970s-green.jpg[/fimg]

The consumer response mechanism is one of the outstanding features of the Parody Dept. this year.

Topps notwithstanding, Duke Snider didn't play for the 1964 Mets. Sold to SF just before season started. Like the '64 played/born motif. Do wish it was widened to include more players who fit the description.

Say goodbye to Rick Ankiel, say goodbye my baby.

Metsmerized Online says it has the numbers that sent the Mets from 660 to 710 without stopping at 880. After the decision was made to bring the New York Yankees to WFAN, CBS Radio Inc. who owns the station, still wanted desperately to hang onto the Mets and have them switch to the Yankees� previous home WCBS 880. However, WOR, still fuming that they couldn�t sway the Yankees to go with them, set their sights on the Mets and they didn�t care how much it would cost them. They made an offer that Fred Wilpon couldn�t refuse. When CBS put their final bid on the table, it included $6 million dollars guaranteed plus a whopping 50% revenue share on all advertising. The brass at CBS thought they had clinched the deal. However, WOR swooped in with a counter-offer estimated to be around $9 million guaranteed, but without the revenue sharing. Given their still unstable financial state, the Mets simply couldn�t resist the extra $3 million in guaranteed dough. It was that whole bird in the hand thing� The numbers were told to me by a very reliable inside source and was confirmed by another. Take it with a grain of salt, but I�m inclined to believe both of them. The suits at CBS seem to think the Mets walked away from a much more lucrative deal. This is not my area of expertise, so I can�t tell you if they are right in their assertion.

Tim Byrdak to get a shot when the Mets go to Montreal in late March. To announce on WOR, that is. Still not pitching.

C.J. Nitkowski dares to be the next Josh sidekick to get a shot, this Sunday. Not in on the Steve Phillips lovefest. Wouldn't shut up, couldn't pronounce Quintanilla or Nieuwenhuis, didn't hear himself say Chris Young the right fielder was in center field and then claimed Juan Lagares was "in center field as well," generally acted as if he parachuted in from a better gig. And didn't shut up. Smooth talker, though. Can see how he worked his sexual harassment magic on underlings.

Whereas Rubin reports Nimmo added weight. Or something. Don't tell Chass. Definitely stronger. Spent winter at IMG Academy in FL

Nominal supporters of conservative economic principles all day and night.

Long Island Mets radio network affiliates emerge way the hell out in Seawolf territory, reports Neil Best. The HOPE Radio Network announced Tuesday that it has reached an agreement to simulcast WOR's Mets broadcasts over the next two seasons to its five frequencies across Long Island: 107.1 FM on the East End as well as 94.9, 96.5, 96.9 and 104.5 FM. Rich Anderson, president and owner of the network, said the games would be presented under its Champions Radio division, which also includes Jets games and Stony Brook football and men's basketball games. Last summer HOPE switched over from a Christian format to an all-sports format in affiliation with ESPN, supplemented by local shows. Anderson said that formula proved not to be economically viable, and the network parted ways with ESPN and reverted to a Christian format last month. But Anderson said he still wanted to retain some sports presence, and hopes to return to carrying Rangers and Knicks games, as the station did before severing its deal with ESPN. Part of the point of carrying ESPN programming into the East End was because the network's New York station has an FM signal that struggles to reach that far. WOR, the Mets' primary new home, has a strong AM signal, but by adding WLIR, fans on the East End should have access to a clearer sound.

Eddie O'Brien, 83, known as much for being a twin as a Pirate.

Cross-referencing the retirement of Guillermo Mota here. He won't be missed.

Tyler Kepner reporting LaTroy Hawkins is longevitous.

Lefty Specialist wrote: Zvon wrote: Zvon wrote: We're in the 9th, score 4-4 Mets. Ugh. Why did I even say that? 5-4 Dirty Nat Boys 90 wins, my ass. At this rate, we'll be 0-0 by March 31.