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Greatest baseball writer becomes 65th writer to win award for baseball writing. Much wrong with this picture, but J.G. Taylor Spink Award is validated as worthwhile endeavor now that BBWAA has deemed Roger Angell worthy of a prize already bestowed on Bill Madden. Spink dates back to 1962, year Angell began covering baseball for New Yorker. Something else began in baseball in 1962, come to think of it, and it would make great copy for Angell for decades on end, though everything else did and has, too. Since he wasn't traditional beat writer or columnist and not a BBWAA member, he didn't exist for Spinkification until lately. Still -- kind of like Mets deciding now that we've honored Luis Ayala and Tim Redding, let's cobble together something for that Seaver fellow.

Edgy MD wrote: Well, then, here's something to fuel your palpitations. Somehow looks photoshopped.

Now that an actual photograph of an actual jersey with an actual number has been circulated, I've escalated my excitement over this signing.

Not missing Turner. Missing classy organizational instincts. "We thought we could upgrade" would've sufficed from One Met Official.

To paraphrase Jim Bouton, we front-officed good, but boy did they display heretofore unremarked upon personality traits bad.

Also, he scouted Harvey, who's not even gonna pitch next season.

Still lapping Butch Hobson, however.

Rubin reports the fella who rushed to pie his mates was let go because he didn't exactly bust it down the line to first. A Mets official finally offered a reason for Justin Turner's non-tender. The source told ESPNNewYork.com that Turner's propensity for not running hard irked the front office, which had finally seen enough. Turner, arbitration-eligible, likely was due to make less than $1 million in 2014. He should have no trouble finding a job this offseason. Among Turner's longtime fans is Atlanta Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez.

Nice research. I figured the experiment was a tad more short-lived than it really was. Bobby really wanted him in that lineup (and Fred really wanted his WS ring back). Please change "April 21" to July 21, though. It was Todd's April, but the season was in midseason form for the rest of the club by the time he emerged.

D.J. Wabick 2005 749 AAA Recently Active He's been keeping busy out west. Buckle up for a ride in D.J. Wabick's Wayback Machine and relive your favorite hits from the '60s, '70s and '80s every Saturday night starting at seven, only on Sacramento's Golden 104...the Central Valley's Good Time Connection!

dinosaur jesus wrote: I haven't been so excited since the Ellis Valentine trade. Brutally beautiful.

Ceetar wrote: What was the last _major_ player to go from Yankees to Mets or vice-versa? Do Ventura and Benitez count? Those were essentially salary dumps by Mets and theoretically useful pieces for MFYs. Granderson probably first (more or less) in his prime star to "defect" directly. Or since Tim McCarver changed booths.

4 for $60M, apparently.

Granderson agrees to 4 years w/Mets, says Sherman.

And if we can't get Curtis, maybe there's a deal to be had on Luther.

sharpie wrote: Rey Sanchez Before enjoying a 2003 haircut at Armando Benitez's clubhouse scissors, he played against the Mets for the Cubs as far back as 1992 when the Cubbies roamed the N.L. East. He was still playing in 2005, as an MFY. Outlasted erstwhile N.L. East Cardinal Todd Zeile by a season for the distinction.

seawolf17 wrote: B-Red this one and figured out the (a) guy. Only pitched in one game pre-1994, and it was against the Phillies; and I only marginally remember him being a Met at all: Miguel Batista. That rates a ding-ding, as in correct. Miguel Batista was a member of the 1992 National League Eastern Division champion Pittsburgh Pirates and a Met in 2011 and 2012. One of my favorite statistics, per Baseball-Reference, is Batista was the sixth-youngest player in the N.L. in 1992 and the sixth-oldest in 2011. Still the need the last active N.L. East Cub/Pirate/Cardinal who played against the Mets and later played for the Mets. Hint: A little off the top.

Hints: The guy who didn't play against the Mets pre-1994 didn't become a Met until after Moises Alou retired. The guy who did play against the Mets pre-1994 finished his career in New York, but not as a Met.

batmagadanleadoff wrote: If I'm right, it's only because of those baseball card threads I did last season.... Moises Alou is your guy who didn't face the Mets until expansion to Miami/Denver. Excellent guess...except he didn't outlast the pre-1994 Pirate/Cub/Cardinal we're looking for. Moises's final game was June 10, 2008. The other guy was still playing when Shea Stadium no longer existed.

seawolf17 wrote: So the mystery "b" guy was a Cub/Cardinal/Pirate who never faced the Mets, then was a Met, then faced the Mets as a member of another team? "A" guy: Cub/Cardinal/Pirate who predated 1994 but didn't face Mets pre-1994; later became Met; stayed active in MLB longer than anybody else who fits that description. FWIW, he played against the Mets before becoming a Met, but not after. "B" guy: Cub/Cardinal/Pirate who predated 1994 and did face Mets pre-1994; later became Met; stayed active in MLB longer than anybody else who fits that description. FWIW, he did play against the Mets after becoming a Met as well.

Trachsel is an excellent guess...but not quite the right one. He was a pre-1994 Cub but never faced the Mets in an N.L. East capacity. And somebody who was a pre-1994 Cub or Cardinal or Pirate actually predated him in the N.L. East and outlasted him in MLB (that's the guy who also didn't face the Mets as N.L. Easterner).

Yeah, the question-asking was terrible. Let me try again. I'm looking for a) the last active guy who was a) a member of the Cubs, Pirates or Cardinals when those franchises were in the N.L. East and later played for the Mets. The asterisk here is that guy didn't face the Mets when he was a pre-1994 Cub, Pirate or Cardinal, which is why there's the followup question -- looking for in part II a) the last active guy who was a member of the Cubs, Pirates or Cardinals when those franchises were in the N.L. East and later played for the Mets and c) played for one of those aforementioned clubs against the Mets. Either way, no Bondses or Madduxes would qualify. And Dunston's a great guess, but isn't quite it.

These questions were inspired by the 20th Century thread and are appropriate besides in light of this year being the 20th anniversary of the death of four-division baseball. 1) Who was the last player active who at some point in his career was a Met AND a member of an N.L. East franchise until expansion wrought three divisions and suddenly that team was no longer in the N.L. East? (Put more simply, who was the last pre-1994 Cub, Cardinal or Pirate and at some point Met to keep playing major league baseball?) 2) Who was the last player active who at some point in his career was a Met AND PLAYED AGAINST THE METS as a member of one of the franchises that was realigned out of the N.L. East once expansion wrought three divisions? (Again, looking for a pre-1994 STL, CHI or PIT and eventual NYM.) The answer to the first question is a guy who never played a game against the Mets until after Florida and Colorado existed for a year (as teams, not states). The answer to the second question is a guy who did compete directly against the Mets in pre-N.L. Central times as an N.L. Easterner.

metsguyinmichigan wrote: I learned something at work today that makes me think there is a reason for the Tigers shedding salary, between this deal and Fielder. I probably can't say. But from what I've been told, it will be apparent before too long. More to this than meets the eye. Just refer knowingly to "Tigers people" like Martino would.