G-Fafif

I especially admired the way Jeter's unseen hand flipped the Wild Pitch from Posada to Sabathia. He's so awesome.

Good start. Could have been better.

Good fan relations. I wonder if any of the GM candidates suggested it. Doesn't seem like a Met idea.

Frayed Knot wrote: The ALCS kicks off tonight with CC Sabathia and CJ Wilson in the ... wait for it ... initial matchup. Hopefully the Rangers KO CC ASAP which puts the Yanx in a hole and force them to rely on AJ or become DOA RIP MFYs, IMHO.

Ten years ago tomorrow night, relive via Matthew Callan at Amazin' Avenue.

Thanks guys. I am chuffed (if occasionally chafing, but never mind that right now).

Extra Tastee-Freez for the kid who asks for No. 2 and then does No. 1 on it. (No offense Bobby V, Damon Buford, et al.)

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Wow! You must be chuffed! I take ointment for that.

Historical parallels between the two Giants aces making the two most recent postseason starts for their team in Philadelphia, a mere 97 years apart here, from the Times...written by yours truly. It starts like this... The Giants are long gone from New York, just as the Athletics haven�t called Philadelphia home in well over a half-century. Nevertheless, this Saturday evening, for the first time in 97 years, a baseball team called the Giants takes on a rival from Philadelphia, at Philadelphia, in postseason play. Tim Lincecum will open the National League Championship Series for the visitors. The last time a nationally renowned pitcher wearing a Giants road uniform took his postseason act to Philadelphia, Christy Mathewson, that larger-than-life Giant, vanquished the Athletics, 3-0, in 10 innings in the second game of the 1913 World Series. It was a typical performance given the principals and the geography.

I'll make a proposal to the baseball gods/goddesses: If you guarantee that Sabathia and Pettitte and, say, two key offensive starters will be hurt enough to not participate in the next round, I wouldn't mind seeing the MFYs sneak through. Assuming they're playing the Giants. 'Cause I think that would be fun. Your concept of fun is alien to me.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Hey, let's not pee on Frenchtober. In Texas, that's "Octobeour".

Giants fans aren't stopping believing, . It's dopey, but gads I miss stuff like this being applied to the Mets.

The Second Spitter wrote: Lets see if we can make it 27, one for each Jankee trophy That's the killer instinct our Metsies too often lack.

The current tally of Rangers 25 MFYs 0 spread over four games would really work nicely.

I asked the SOS Band what they thought of the progress of this process and they advised the Mets, take the time, do it right. If it costs a blogger here or there a few days in rumor-trafficking...no problem.

Is there anything Jeff Francoeur CAN'T do? Not according to the latest beat reporter hypnotized by his all-around Frenchiness, Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News: Loosest of loose bunch of pregame Rangers was Jeff Francoeur, who started in right field after sitting out last three games. His looseness didn�t translate into much production on the field (he was 0-for-4 and grounded into a double play), but it did help keep the team in the right frame of mind. What came first: the Rangers' looseness and frame of mind entering the deciding game of a playoff series or the Rangers having gotten to the brink of winning a playoff series? The answer: Jeff Francoeur is a great guy to have around.

Fredi Gonzalez reported as replacing Cox in Atlanta.

Two UMDB notes I came across while pursuing my rich, full life during the 2010 season: � Andy Green played 1 game at 2B and 1 game at 3B in 2009 -- his defensive info is not listed on his player page and he's not listed among all-time second basemen and third basemen (leaving those totals one player short) � Dave Roberts signed as a free agent on January 5, 1981 and was released May 27, 1981; his transaction info is not listed on his player page and he's not listed on the Transactions page

1990 transactions from the '91 Media Guide (scanner busted)... [TDW = Tidewater; JAX = Jackson; All DL assignments 15-day unless otherwise noted] 3/29 Minor League Camp for reassignment: Bross, Brown, Mike Miller, Schourek, Dave Trautwein, Valera, Hundley, Donnels, McDaniel, Jaime Roseboro 4/5 Brent Knackert claimed on waivers by SEA; Lombardi claimed on waivers by ATL 4/6 Beatty placed on 60-Day DL left elbow surgery 4/7 Mercado purch from TDW 4/8 Hughes outrighted to TDW 4/25 Innis optioned to TDW; Carr purchased from JAX 4/30 Miller on DL: right hamstring; Reed purchased from TDW; Boston claimed from CHW; Mercado outrighted to TDW; Thonrton optioned to TDW; Carr optioned to JAX [NOTE: Rosters were 27 men through April 30, 1990 because of short spring training after lockout] 5/16 Reed optioned TDW 5/17 Miller back from DL 5/18 Lyons to DL: lower back; Hundley recalled from TDW 5/30 Thornton recalled and outrighted to TDW; Hundley optioned to JAX 6/1 Mercado purch from TDW 6/2 Whitehurst optioned to TDW 6/3 Liddell purch from TDW 6/12 Liddell opt to TDW 6/13 Whitehurst recalled from TDW 6/17 Innis recalled from TDW 6/18 Machado optioned to TDW; Lyons recalled and optioned to TDW 6/19 Lyons assigned to TDW for rehab 7/9 Lyons optioned to TDW 7/11 Musselman opt to TDW 7/12 Hundley recalled from JAX 7/16 Marshall to DL: duodenitis; Diaz recalled from TDW 7/30 Jaime Rosebro recalled (NOT TO REPORT) and outrighted to JAX 7/22 Innis opt to TDW 7/23 Machado recalled from TDW 7/25 Hundley opt to TDW 7/26 Brown recalled from TDW 7/28 Marshall back from DL, traded to BOS for Greg Hansell, Endero Perozo and PTBNL 8/2 Brown optioned to TDW 8/3 Trevino signed as free agent 8/4 Elster to DL: tendinitis right shoulder 8/7 Torve purch from TDW 8/15 Miller to DL: lower-back spasms 8/16 Reed recalled from TDW 8/21 Carreon to DL: torn ligament right knee; Carr recalled from TDW 8/24 Carreon to 60-Day DL; Machado opt to TDW 8/25 Hundley recalled from JAX 8/28 Diaz opt to TDW 8/29 Baez purch from TDW 8/30 Tabler acq from KCR for Archie Corbin; Mercado claimed by MON; Valera recalled from TDW; Carr opt to JAX 8/31 Herr acq from PHI for Rocky Elli, Nikco Riego; O'brien acq from MIL with PTBNL for two PTBNL; Trevino waived for uncon rel; Elster to 60-Day DL 9/1 Miller back from DL 9/2 Brown recalled from TDW 9/4 Machado, Mussleman, Innis, Torve recalled from TDW; Jelic purch from TDW; Lyons waived for uncon rel 9/7 Trevino cliamed by CIN; Brown sent to MIL as O'Brien PTBNL; Hughes purch from TDW; Bross, Mike Miller, Donnels, Carr, McDaniel recalled from JAX not to report 9/10 Schatzeder acq from HOU for Steve LaRose and Nicky Davis 9/12 Diaz, David Trautwin recalled from TDW, not to report 10/4 Diaz, Torve outrighted to TDW 10/22 O'Malley uncon rel; Strawberry elects FA 10/24 Tabler elects FA 10/26 Schatzeder elects FA 10/29 Elster, Carreon, Beatty reinstated from emergency DL (60 Day) 11/8 Strawberry signs with LAD 11/13 Young purch from JAX; John Johnstone purch from TDW; Hughes, Jelic uncon rel 11/20 Trautwein outright to TDW; Hillman purch from TDW; Michael Miller outright to Boston on waiver claim 12/5 Simons selected from Portland (Rule 5) 12/5 Coleman signed as FA 12/13 Terry Puhl signed as FA 12/14 Mercado signed as FA (sez 12/24 but chronology implies otherwise) 12/15 Brooks acq from LAD for Ojeda and Hansell 12/21 Musselman not tendered, released 1/10/91 Torve signed as FA 1/21/91 Cerone signed as FA 1990 Opening Day Roster Cone, Darling, Fernandez, Franco, Gooden, Innis, Machado, Musselman, Ojeda, Pena, Viola, Whitehurst Lyons, Mercado, Sasser Elster, Jefferies, Johnson, Magadan, Marshall, O'Malley, Teufel Carreon, McReynolds, Miller, Strawberry, Thornton

Doc in '89 was a small tear back of the shoulder. Teufel in '89 was sprained right ankle. Lyons in '89 was broken right toe. Carreon in '89 was I Don't Know but it happened before the season began; when he was reinstated, he was optioned to Tidewater. Myrick in '77 was a strained muscle in right rib cage. Millan in '77 was broken collarbone and separated shoulder. Harrelson in '72 was a strained back. Sudakis in '72 was right knee still in need of strengthening after it had "ironically" damaged cartilage in a 1971 collision with Duffy Dyer (according to '73 yearbook) Beauchamp in '72 was I Don't Know, but '73 yearbook says series of shoulder strains earlier in career robbed him of "sure-shot stardom".

Your A.L. East champions... ...did not Rays to the occasion. GO RANGERS!

From Roger Kahn, Memories of Summer, on covering the World Series when it was the end all and be all of American sport. The night before the 1952 Series was to begin at one-thirty in the afternoon at Ebbets field ... Bob Cooke led me into a festive hall at the Hotel Bossert in Brooklyn Heights. This was the Hospitality Room for baseball people and sportswriters covering the Series. Here buffet tables beckoned with roast chicken, baked ham, and prime ribs of beef. Four bars offered a dozen different drinks. There was a carton of Camel cigarettes on every table. All this bounty was offered up for free, it was utterly free, to every accredited sportswriter and baseball man. In the large hall, six hundred people milled about, gulping free food, drinking free drinks, smoking free cigarettes, and talking baseball. [Describes meeting Dolph Camilli, who wants to talk baseball with him] I was being welcomed into a restricted club. It was elitist, all-male, almost entirely white, an avatar of what has become Politically Incorrect. I was thrilled to join. (That is not to say that I didn't start knocking down walls as soon as I got my bearings.) Baseball was The Game and everyone knew it was the game and its elitism was deeply engrained. Football? A nice exercise for college boys. Basketball? John Kieran, who launched the famous column, "Sports of the Times," said, "Basketball doesn't write." Tennis? Clubby. Hockey? Canadian. Golf? "Listen," said Burt Shotton, the Dodger manager who preceded Dressen. "Any game where a fifty-year-old man can beat a thirty-year-old man, ain't a sport. Argue with that." [Describes a little more talking baseball with Camilli and Billy Herman] I lingered in the big room very late, talking baseball with professionals who truly knew the game, a roomful of heroes sprung fully formed from mythology to life.

Ha.

/removing BG from sympathy list

Taut if not flawless series. Four one-run games, two that turned on a dime. I feel sorry for Mets fans who are ducking this postseason or simply can't be bothered. Baseball. Period.