G-Fafif

Doing a little Google News Archive searching, I came acrossa wire service story that appeared in the Milwaukee Journal of April 8, 1974. Headline: "Yankees Like Shea Stadium". There are quotes from Thurman Munson, Graig Nettles and Pat Dobson on their preference for playing at Shea. Money passage is here: Orphans? Forget it. The Yankees playing in Shea Stadium appear at the moment to be like a ghetto kid being adopted by the Rockefellers. Funny, I don't remember that coming up in any of the MFYS II retrospectives.

You'd think it would have happened more often, but last night was only the eleventh time the Mets ushered a player into the ranks of big leaguedom on September 1, the first day so many are (theoretically) brought up. Lucas Duda was the eleventh. The other ten? You can find out here. I think of these eleven as the New Toy Club. At first opportunity, the Mets can't wait to open their boxes and play with them. No September 2 or 3 debut for them. Gotta try 'em RIGHT NOW! After all, as they said in Toy Story 3, toys are meant to be played with.

LaDainian Tomlinson spotted wearing one of these on Hard Knocks. Rex Ryan did not walk by and comment, "Nice fuckin' hat!"

Times reports David has nobody to play with. Lineup and Card Game Feel Lonely for Wright By RAY GLIER ATLANTA � One by one, David Wright�s card-game partners have disappeared from the table. Their almost daily routine, starting in spring training, has been broken up by the business of baseball, which includes injuries and the turmoil of a lost season. Catcher Rod Barajas went to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jason Bay, the left fielder, sustained a concussion and is not around. Jeff Francoeur, the right fielder, was shipped to the Texas Rangers after Tuesday night�s game. So, does Wright like to play solitaire? Wright smiled. �It�s not a favorite of mine,� he said. Wright is not blaming anyone for breaking up his card game, or for a season that looked promising but has now deteriorated. The Mets managed just two hits Wednesday night and lost their third straight game here, 4-1, falling 13 games behind the Braves, who lead the National League East. �It�s baseball; that happens,� Wright said of his friends� exits. �For selfish reasons, I hate seeing those guys go, but there is a business side to baseball. It doesn�t always work out that you get to develop those relationships. �I�m glad that they went to pretty good situations, Rod going to L.A., where it is home, and Jeff going somewhere in the middle of a pennant race. The foursome played spades, casino and any other card game you can name. Wright looked around the clubhouse when asked if it was time to find new partners. �You kind of have to find a new group,� he said. �Hopefully, there are enough guys in here that play. If not, we�ll have to teach some of these young guys.�

Hernandez 0.5 Duda 0.5 Beltran 0.5 Thole 0.5

Cubbage and McMillan both came back as coaches after their inte-reigns.

Mets. Anyway, you know Luis Hernandez has body-snatched Alex Cora's 3. Tonight we shall see Lucas Duda elbowing the ghost of Rod Barajas in 21 and Joaquin Andujar grabbing Jeff Francoeur's 12 before it hits the visitors clubhouse floor. As the Eagles might have said, did Charlie Samuels get tired, or did he just get lazy.

An admission from the Mets that none of their remaining home games are "Gold," though six of them are priced as such.

This is from Adam Rubin, though I swear it could be from The Onion: Manuel did acknowledge the Mets will have a subpar defensive outfield Wednesday against the Braves. Going from Jeff Francoeur to Chris Carter in right field is going from the team's best arm to worst arm. Lucas Duda is a converted first baseman still learning the position. And Carlos Beltran has diminished range with his arthritic knee and clunky brace. Manuel did note that at least Mike Pelfrey is a groundball pitcher. "Whoooo, Lord have mercy," Manuel said with a laugh when asked about the outfield defense. "C'mon now. What time are we playing tomorrow? I've got to tell Pelfrey, 'Keep that thing down.'" This, too, actually: Manuel wanted to give newly acquired Joaquin Arias a start -- perhaps in the outfield -- but didn't think the ex-Ranger would be ready because he has been idle for two weeks. Arias had been designated for assignment by Texas. "My understanding is he can play everywhere," Manuel said. "My understanding is he has played some games at first base this year. My understanding is that he has played second base. My understanding also is that he's played center field. If he had been playing let's say two or three days ago, he might have been a guy I put in the outfield just because he's athletic. ... It would be tough for him to be available today because he has not played in two or three weeks. We're just trying to get him acclimated to just being back in a uniform. It would have to be an emergency for me to put him out there today."

I want Reyes and Bay to come back without incident.

Shoot, even I knew he was James Blake. Must have had Frenchy on the brain. Also, the little sign that says JAMES BLAKE is a tremendous hint.

Update: Jeff Francoeur is no longer a Met who used to be a Brave. But FWIW, Henry Blanco still is.

Thread title puts me in mind of Creeque Alley by the Mamas & Papas. Duda and Mejia Neither may be Seaver But that's what they'll be aimin' at And no one else is new But Arias

GCL Mets season over. Cam Marron's final numbers: .313/.411/.418 in 20 games. 1 homer, 7 RBIs. And, presumably, keepin' it real. Will keep an eye out to see if he's Instructional League-bound or taking classes at Nassau.

Ashie62 wrote: How long until the first bit of "Francoeur-departure-as-latest-bellwether-of-lost-season" hackery? Tomorrow? The weekend? as we speak. John Harper on Wednesday, I'll betcha: Any team that couldn't respond to the leadership of Alex Cora, Rod Barajas and Jeff Francoeur -- running three respected veterans out of town -- has problems deeper than clubhouse chemistry. It's no wonder a solid citizen like Jason Bay is still dizzy from being exposed to this mess.

[crossout]Jeff[/crossout] James Blake, representin' after first-round U.S. Open victory. When I'm cursing out the tennis tournament for usurping Flushing Meadows, he is excepted.

Francoeur 1.0

Darren Oliver, Darren O'Day, Alex Cora, Jeff Francoeur...I got your postseason Mets substitute right here.

Great Ron Swoboda like catch in the Eric Bruntlett Unassisted Triple Play Game -- and made it the Eric Bruntlett Triple Play Game. His card represents 2010 on the Empire level at Citi Field. Appropriate, sort of. As bmfc1 alluded to in another thread, he employed a dog walker (or claimed to in Metro One commercials). Maintains longstanding rule that if you start the most games in RF for the Mets one year, you don't remain a Met by the time the next year ends. Since '98: Butch Huskey Roger Cedeno Derek Bell Matt Lawton Jeromy Burnitz Roger Cedeno Richard Hidalgo Victor Diaz Xavier Nady Shawn Green Ryan Church Jeff Francoeur Francoeur, on the other hand, is the first Met since Huskey in 1997 and 1998 to make the most RF starts in consecutive seasons.

bmfc1 wrote: I hope he can find a dog walker in Texas. Dog Walker: Texas Ranger

Fourteenth inning, Ollie in the outfield. Not like he'll be doing anything else.

I can hear those green t-shirts in the team store getting marked up as we speak.