G-Fafif

You know how every year there's some pitcher projected back around the All-Star break? https://nypost.com/2023/03/13/mets-planning-to-shut-down-jose-quintana-for-three-months/https://nypost.com/2023/03/13/mets-planning-to-shut-down-jose-quintana-for-three-months/

Senga reportedly aggravated the finger operating a remote control while watching the WBC.

Aaron Loup has replaced an injured Brooks Raley on the Team USA roster, which is to say Raley is injured.

News story… https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/jesus-alou-two-time-world-series-champion-and-youngest-member-of-legendary-alou-brothers-dies-at-80/https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/jesus-alou-two-time-world-series-champion-and-youngest-member-of-legendary-alou-brothers-dies-at-80/

Jesus Alou, dynamite righty pinch-hitting complement to Ed Kranepool in 1975 (14-for-40 in the role), has died a couple of weeks shy of his 81st birthday. Youngest of the three Alou brothers who manned the outfield together vs the Mets in 1963. Uncle of future Met Mouses Alou.

https://www.stadiumgiveawayexchange.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Brooklyn-Nets-Dr.-J-as-Black-Panther-Bobblehead.jpghttps://www.stadiumgiveawayexchange.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Brooklyn-Nets-Dr.-J-as-Black-Panther-Bobblehead.jpg>

Dan McGinn, the reliever who homered off Tom Seaver in the Expos' first game, 79.

2015 World Series villain Lorenzo Cain, who does not deserve his own thread, has announced he belongs in this one.

From Mets PR:

Why yes, I'd love to read some Doug Sisk recollections, including his brushes with Richard Nixon. Part 1: https://ballnine.com/2023/02/23/doug-sisk/https://ballnine.com/2023/02/23/doug-sisk/ Part 2: https://ballnine.com/2023/03/02/doug-sisk-ii/https://ballnine.com/2023/03/02/doug-sisk-ii/

Some Pat McCarthy innings as well.

Rose ‘n' Raad on radio this afternoon.

Brad Hand has signed with the Rockies.

Yogi. But in April 1972, Berra had the tough task of replacing another legend -- Mets manager Gil Hodges, who succumbed to a heart attack following a round of golf with his coaching staff. Hodges had become an icon in Queens four years earlier for guiding the Miracle Mets to an unexpected World Series title against the heavily favored Orioles. Berra was reluctant at first to take the job. But after talking to his wife, Carmen, Yogi decided to do it. “It was more than replacing a legend,” said Berra's granddaughter, Lindsay Berra, who is a board member at the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center. “Gil Hodges was a dear friend of my grandfather's. That was a devastating loss. “Obviously, Grandpa wanted to carry on what Gil was doing. He was probably devastated that he actually had to do that, because he had lost his friend. My family has stayed close with the Hodges over the years.” https://www.mlb.com/news/yogi-berra-managed-mets-to-1973-pennanthttps://www.mlb.com/news/yogi-berra-managed-mets-to-1973-pennant

On the heels of Jon Herman's exclusive with deGrom, James Wagner also has one. When the off-season began, Mets General Manager Billy Eppler said he made a pact with Stephen Veltman, deGrom's agent, about staying in touch. It wasn't until after deGrom chose the Rangers that the Mets signed Justin Verlander, a three-time winner of the American League Cy Young Award, to replace him. “They did everything right by me,” deGrom said of the Mets. “I'm very thankful for my time there.” DeGrom insisted he was comfortable in New York. He knew the organization and vice versa. His family knew the area. Fans knew him as the team's longest-tenured star. Coming to the Rangers will mean starting from scratch; in addition to the personal changes, DeGrom said he had never previously been teammates with anyone in the Rangers clubhouse. “It was never that I wanted to leave New York,” he said. “It's not like I wanted out of there. I enjoyed my time there. I have great friends still from there. And it was just that the Rangers pursued me and came after me, and when you sit down and try to go over the places you can see yourself playing, the Rangers were definitely atop that list.” https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/28/sports/baseball/jacob-degrom-rangers.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/28/sports/baseball/jacob-degrom-rangers.html

Sanitized memories from Jacob deGrom, mined by Jon Heyman. New Ranger Jacob deGrom looked exactly like his usual brilliant self while throwing close to 30 closely watched pitches Sunday, while allaying any thought he might be behind schedule. Then afterward, he threw sharp curveballs at what he suggested were widely held untruths about him in an exclusive interview with The Post, principally and pointedly making clear that he didn't dislike New York or even his old Mets contract, and that he could have even seen himself returning to Queens. “It was never like, I'm outta here,” deGrom said following a bullpen session that featured blazing fastballs, a few sliders, and incomparable control and consistency. “You look at places you can see yourself playing. All I had known was New York, and part of me thought I'd be back,” he said. DeGrom called his first days as a Ranger “a smooth transition,” and his bullpen session following a few missed days due to a left side issue has him back on track to start the season with Texas, as its new ace. DeGrom did provide many highlights and heroics in eight seasons in New York, winning two Cy Youngs. But with injuries and time off frustrating the team and especially him, and a belief he was annoyed about his slightly under-market contract (not true, he insisted) many around the team figured the marriage was surely coming to an end. “That kind of got out. [but] I really enjoyed my time in New York,” deGrom said. “I have friends that will be lifelong friends in New York. We still keep in touch with a lot of people. That was all I knew for 13 years including eight seasons in the big leagues. The fans and everyone were always great to me. It was never like 100 percent I'm leaving here.” https://nypost.com/2023/02/26/rangers-jacob-degrom-sets-record-straight-on-leaving-mets/https://nypost.com/2023/02/26/rangers-jacob-degrom-sets-record-straight-on-leaving-mets/

For Michael Conforto and J.D. Davis at Giants camp, the 2019 Mets are halcyon days of yore. “Yeah, I was on a heater not wearing an undershirt — on a hot streak, I mean,” Conforto said. “And I don't know, we just started ripping guys' shirts off.” We, meaning Pete Alonso? “Pete. Yeah. He thought it was funny, and you know what? It was,” Conforto said. “I tried to put it back on (for the TV interview) but it was completely shredded. It looked like a polar bear attacked me.” “Oh yeah, that was Pete's thing,” said Davis, who at least retained his sleeveless blue undershirt after his double delivered the Mets their 13th victory in 17 games. “He's like, ‘I'm ripping your shirt off.' As you could see, he almost ripped my neck off.” When the Mets started their run, they were 53-56 and mostly dead in the water. By the time Davis touched off the celebration against Cleveland, they were 66-60 and one game out of the NL wild-card chase. The Mets would endure a six-game losing streak not long after that and they missed the postseason by three games. But over that winning stretch in August, Conforto and Davis felt what it was like to energize a city when a fan base least expected it — all while reinforcing a rollicking clubhouse culture. “We were part of that young core, along with Pete and (Brandon) Nimmo and (Jeff) McNeil, and we just had fun together,” Conforto said. “Especially in the second half of our season, we just wanted to have a good time playing with each other. J.D. and I, that was our best ball when we were really enjoying ourselves. I think it's going to be easy for us to continue to do that. I'm already feeling that atmosphere here. I think we're going to have a blast.” Davis identified that stretch in 2019 as the time when Conforto transformed himself from an emerging star outfielder to a team leader — something that wasn't easy while playing for a franchise that bobbed from one controversy to the next. “We had COVID, two different owners, three different GMs, four different hitting coaches …” Davis said. “You could say it wasn't the most stable environment the last couple years. But Michael became one of the leaders on that squad, especially in 2019. Even though we came up short, he led that team and was one of the reasons we had that push in the second half. https://theathletic.com/4255649/2023/02/27/michael-conforto-jd-davis-san-francisco-giants/https://theathletic.com/4255649/2023/02/27/michael-conforto-jd-davis-san-francisco-giants/

A little before 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Edwin Díaz stepped into a large white tent at the Clover Park complex and entered a different world. Inside, smoke machines were blowing and the area was mostly dark, save for a bright light illuminating what could best be described as a stage. A director was barking out orders to Darin Ruf, who had preceded Díaz into the tent. Swing the bat. Walk toward the camera. Walk away from the camera. Then it was Díaz's turn. The director, Jake Smith, called over Mr. and Mrs. Met and positioned them in front of Díaz, trumpets in hand. Then he instructed each mascot to move aside, so that Díaz could emerge between them and strut toward the camera. This is the scene that fans at Citi Field will see when Díaz enters games this season. If it feels like a movie set, that's because it essentially is. Over the past two years, the Mets have transformed their scoreboard introductions into veritable cinema, using 4K cameras to record players in front of elaborate backdrops. This year, a new, larger video board at Citi will allow the Mets to present those scenes even more vibrantly, which is partly why the team is dedicating greater resources to them. Anthony DiComo on how what you'll see on that big-ass board comes together. https://www.mlb.com/news/mets-upgrading-player-introductions-scoreboard-graphicshttps://www.mlb.com/news/mets-upgrading-player-introductions-scoreboard-graphics

Tonight! On SNY!

First impression of the pitch clock: it's weird, but maybe we're no longer used to pitchers working quick and batters stepping in.