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Great work, Monk. If Hu was in for Murphy and Pagan was back in center, we'd set the record tonight. We have a 48-character lineup, but replace Pridie with Pagan and Murphy with Hu, we'd be down to 43. I'll be watching this like an insane person for the rest of the year -- or until Hu is released.

metsguyinmichigan wrote: My dad and I have the same first name, but different middle names. Technically not a junior. Only became an issue when I got older and answered the phone and one of his co-workers would talk to be for a while before realizing that he had the wrong person. "Big Dave" and "Little Dave" got old after a while. Not a junior...then hopefully my blanket "no offense" on the scoffing at seniors who name juniors isn't required here (particularly as I enjoyed meeting "Big Dave"). But no offense anyway.

As recent as it can possibly get: 028: 2011 -- The real world filters into Citizens Bank Park 029: 2006 -- Mets go through a lot of bullpen in a late night vs. Atlanta 030: 2006 -- Looks like Mets will need more arms next day vs. Atlanta Honorably mentioned: 028: 2007 -- Julo Franco was very old but very effective 029: 1982 -- Rusty gets powerful as he pinch-hits 030: 1992 -- Rodney McCray doesn't run through a wall

Barajas is the only ex-Met but I was tempted to check on Jay Gibbons. Now I'm conflating Jay Gibbons with Jay Tibbs.

No. 2, this Sunday, will be Game Seven, 1991 World Series, Braves at Twins, the 10-inning, 1-0 thriller in which old Jack Morris outlasted young John Smoltz. No shame in being tabbed the second-greatest game of the last fifty years, but boo on taking (quite obviously) Game Six, 1975 World Series, over this one. Seventh game, for crissake. Extra innings, scoreless, all kinds of short-circuited scoring attempts, beautiful display of baseball at its best and sometimes not so great. I guess it lost points for being in the Metrodome instead of Fenway Park and for not having Carlton Fisk gesturing his ball fair. And if we're picking nits, the Red Sox won to force a Game Seven and lost Game Seven. For Game Six impact, the Mets coming from behind in 1986 WS and going on to win the whole thing resonates more. Not that Game Six 1975 wasn't stupendous on many levels, but it feels as if they pussed out, taking the older game (oldest game in this entire countdown) in the more charming setting over the true pins-and-needles affair.

Knocking out one of the Giants pitchers would have sufficed.

Mostly I find it vaguely creepy.

At the very least he could have stood in his plush back yard and telecommuted.

Courtesy of On The Black, ABC Newsfeed of the Mets being welcomed to the White House after winning the World Series. Very reminiscent of Krusty's reading of "You were in The Blue Lagoon and I'm a blue-haired goon...what the?" when he was presenting with Brooke Shields the cartoon awards. Reagan wrestling with the pronunciation of Orosco. Bush overselling the callback to some joke about Gary Carter and Central American diplomacy. Wilpon, effecting a JFK accent and promising the Mets would be back in the Rose Garden for more accolades. The sad Mr. Sports (fill in name of mom 'n' pop sporting good store from your hometown) lettering on the back of the jacket presented to the president of the United States. And I only skipped around. Cringe for yourself.

Re: Gwynn... As time wears on, I'm more and more of the mindset that parents should probably stay away from the Jr. naming altogether. Isn't it tempting enough to overly-identify as a parent without your kid having the same name as you? He'd be better off going by "Anthony," and maybe playing up the Zorba connection. Can you imgagine how doomed to disappointment the likes of Jackie Robinson, Jr. and Martin Luther King, III were? Frank Sinatra, Jr.? Doomed. Alan Hale, Jr. did OK, though. No offense if anybody here is a Senior or a Junior, but I've always thought naming somebody exactly after the father and then slapping the Jr. on was the most egotistical thing in the world.

Jason says Stay Classy, CBA! �I think it�s classy to afford the team the luxury,� Bay said, �and make it so the player doesn�t have to worry about leaving someone shorthanded.�

You can tell from this what Skip thinks of paternity leave for ballplayers. Terry Collins recalls a time when players didn't take leaves of absence for the birth of their children. "Nobody left," the Mets manager said. "Nobody went to weddings -- if their uncle was getting married, nobody went. You played, because the season was six months long or five months long and you stayed. But the game has changed." Man, you can hear him spitting tobacco all over somebody's bassinet while he's answering. "I'm sure the wives are happier," Collins said. Translation: My fucking left fielder wasn't here when we had to face Lincecum because his wife was having a what? What kind of fucking world do we live in? BTW, the kid was born in Greenwich. Too bad Tom Seaver doesn't live up there anymore. He might have bumped into Bay and set him straight. "Tom, my wife just gave birth! Our third child!" "Why aren't you at the ballpark?" "Didn't you hear me? A baby boy!" "You have Lincecum tonight. What the fuck are you doing here? Capuano's gonna need every run he can get." At which point Tom would have spit tobacco all over somebody's bassinet.

Pelfrey 3.5 Beltran 2.5 Reyes 2.5 Rodriguez 1.0 Paulino 0.5

I like that Irish reports we got Sweeney. Should the Mets sign Rabinowitz, I'll be all over it.

Edgy DC wrote: Settled. We're the World Champions now! As a child, I assumed that's why we became division champions the first time by beating the Cardinals. That was after I learned they won the pennant the year before.

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Bay's glove still on paternity leave.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: The inane in-game interviews take time away from the inane color and play-by-play. Which has devolved into an inane "K-Rod sure makes it interesting with all his full counts!" babble.

2012 Mets to announce return to "classic, clean" nameless look on backs -- home and road. And are numbers REALLY necessary?

Ashie62 wrote: I do not care for these in game interviews. That sounds suspiciously like the answer to a question you've been asked about in-game interviews during an in-game interview.

Consider this: What would you think of Bay's paternity leave if it occurred during the last two weeks of the season and the Mets were in contention? Precedent! From just that scenario, mid-September 2008. ST. PETERSBURG -- While the Red Sox are in a heated race with the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the American League East, Boston outfielder Jason Bay won an entirely different kind of race on Tuesday. He rushed out of Florida swiftly enough to make it back to Boston in time for the birth of his second child. Bay's wife, Kristen, delivered Evelyn Jane at roughly 6:45 ET on Tuesday night. Bay arrived roughly 45 minutes before the birth. Bay will likely rejoin the Red Sox on Friday in Toronto, where they open a three-game series against the Blue Jays. It doesn't seem to make sense for Bay to fly all the way back to St. Petersburg for the finale in this three-game series against the Rays, which will take place on Wednesday night. Red Sox manager Terry Francona had talked at length with Bay over the past few days, and there was some hope that Kristen could perhaps be induced on Thursday, when the Red Sox have an off-day before their weekend series in Toronto. But it was not to be. "She just wouldn't cooperate," quipped Francona before Tuesday's game. "That baby is coming pretty soon." Without Bay, the Red Sox went with an alignment of Jacoby Ellsbury in left, Coco Crisp in center and Mark Kotsay in right. Kotsay hit sixth, which is where Bay has been making the bulk of his starts of late.

Don't make the first or third out of the inning at third base. Or second.

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And the festival of Mike Pelfrey emotions is on in earnest.