G-Fafif

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: This on the night that Figueroa tied the all-time Met record for most recalls to the 40-man roster. Aflac Trivia Question: With whom does Figgy share this (dis)honor? Jeff McKnight?

Mets Walkoffs today declared Nelson Figueroa deserves enshrinement in the Minor League Hall of Fame. I think Nelson has made his case for just such an induction tonight.

Howie approves of the booing. Says the fans paid "more than decent money" and shouldn't have to concern themselves with the apparent desire to preserve the bullpen for another day. Not too many days left, at least in the sense that matters. Redding is up. I thought Redding would start in the first place. Reminds me of Norm McDonald's bit about the homeless man with the dog. The dog must be thinking: "Hey, I could do this without the man."

Howe was hopeless but Green struck me as a coward, a front-runner and a bully. All but promised (if a manager could promise such things) that the healthy Gen K pitchers were good for 15 wins apiece in Spring Training '96. By August he was telling reporters he didn't think they should have started the season with the big club. Was very quick to bluster and point fingers. He steered the Mets through a few good stretches but left me with a bad taste.

Howie just said Jerry hoped Nelson Figueroa could throw 110 pitches tonight. I'll bet the Diamondbacks are hoping it even more.

Nelson Figueroa is also in contention for Thing That Wouldn't Leave honors, though he may be chased soon.

They have indeed spent too much time in our midst.

SteveJAcobson (or Steve Jacobson) in Newsday on the mixed bag that was Thurman Munson here. ]The shocking death of Thurman Munson was the memorable moment of 1979, certainly one of the unforgettable incidents in 45 years of writing about sports. I'm still glad I didn't have to write about it at the moment. Life and death usually do present the unexpected. In 1979 - and a few years before and after in the age of the typewriter - the Newsday sports staff at year's end compiled the Memories of a Memorable Year. Dan Lauck wrote of his first look at the shattered hulk of Munson's airplane by the ghastly generated light at 1 a.m. I wrote thankfully that I had been out of the country and had not been compelled to write. It would have been very difficult. I did note that I did not like Munson and I believe he did not like me. We disagreed about a lot of things, some as basic as common courtesy. Let me make one point in hindsight: I voted for Munson for the Hall of Fame even though his major-league career was barely more than the minimum of 10 seasons. He was an outstanding player and the greatest force in returning the Yankees to a pennant after 11 years in the doldrums. But his accomplishments are one aspect of a man's life. Years later, Reggie Jackson lamented that the ESPN miniseries "The Bronx is Burning'' and the tumult of 1977 did not deal with anti-Semitism and racism. I was a consultant on the series and mentioned the issue about Munson and Billy Martin, but that wasn't how ESPN wanted to treat the rancor of the year. "But why talk about people that are dead?'' Jackson rationalized the treatment. "Why trample on a man's grave?'' In writing about Munson's death, I would have had to deal with both admiration for him as a player and personal observations. " . . . And it was clear afterward,'' I did write, "that the honest critical opinions the reader devoured and demanded the day before Munson's death were unacceptable and despised after it.'' When later I wrote critically on Martin's death, one member of the Yankees party whose opinion I respect and who knew the dark side of the man wrote to me: "How unkind.'' When Munson came on the scene as a rookie, I recall him saying, "Thurman Munson; it's a peculiar name, but once you hear it, you don't forget it.'' Indeed, he was named 1970 American League Rookie of the Year, and the only other catcher to have won that award was Johnny Bench. In 1976 Munson was named Most Valuable Player and hit .529 in the World Series even though the Yankees were swept by Cincinnati. Bench hit .533 and was named MVP of the Series. Munson was the first American League player to hit .300 and drive in 100 runs for three consecutive seasons in the nearly two dozen years since Al Rosen did it for Cleveland. In three World Series and three league championship series, Munson was a splendid performer even when he was burned by the constant conflict of 1977 and "sick and tired of being sick and tired.'' He was a terrific teammate for most of his teammates. He would delay his run for the plate, timing his safe arrival to collide with the catcher and enable a Yankee to take an extra base. Even before the arrival of Jackson and internal conflict, Munson was hostile to the press. "Just happy to be here,'' he'd say and stalk off. Once I pushed through Munson's refusal and said I was doing a long piece on Sparky Lyle. Munson looked left and right and proceeded to provide enlightening comment. And "enough?'' In the 1977 ALCS against Kansas City, George Brett slid into third base and immediately was tangled in a genuine fight with Graig Nettles. Brett was pinned on the bottom of a pile and being pummeled, and then Munson was lying on top of him in his catching gear, saying, "Don't worry, George, I won't let anybody hit you when you're down.'' And they didn't. "Thurman is my hero,'' Brett said. At the same time, Munson nursed a cranky rivalry with catchers Carlton Fisk of the Red Sox and teammate and backup Rick Dempsey. Munson would encourage Dempsey at one time and the next - this was when Munson still was conversational - remind everyone that Dempsey couldn't carry his mask. The celebration of Fisk bugged Munson, who thought he was better but that Fisk was more celebrated because he was tall and ruggedly handsome as the Minuteman on the postage stamp and a better interview. I still think Munson deserves the Hall of Fame even though only in his first year of eligibility did he get as many as 15 percent of the votes. He was a dominant player. I also do not forget that when Martin hauled Reggie off the field in Boston and wrongly accused him of loafing, Thurman went to Mike Torrez on the mound and, Torrez recalls, threw his racial slur into the event. At the tragic end, Fisk and Dempsey, who had years of scorn for Munson, now had only nice things to say about him. The public demanded that Munson be a hero without blemish, and I'm thankful I didn't have to face the typewriter with that in mind.

="Gwreck":1uri1r3a]I got 19 live. Had no idea LWFS was there (I recall seeing JCL, G-Fafif and themetfairy) or I would've said hello.[/quote:1uri1r3a] We really need to wear name tags in public. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Aug 03 2009 12:17 PM ="Gwreck":a1p44z6a]I got 19 live. Had no idea LWFS was there (I recall seeing JCL, G-Fafif and themetfairy) or I would've said hello.[/quote:a1p44z6a] Ha-- same here (kinda got in late, so I hung back 'til the end-- I think JCL or G-Fafif mentioned that you had been around). I was over by the bar, right next to the Section 528 guy (at the end of the bar, YELPING excitedly at every Ollie strikeout/Nyjer Morgan Met robbery). Funny side note: I've been to two events now at which Paul Lukas was reading, during which the Mets were playing a home game; on both occasions, the Mets have worn black, along with the bruise caps. HahnSolo Aug 03 2009 02:03 PM 17 right. The only one I am upset about missing is #19. That one I should have gotten. John Cougar Lunchbucket Aug 03 2009 02:31 PM I had 23, and forgot Jose Lima wore 42. metsmarathon Aug 03 2009 02:51 PM some mets fan i am. i only got like 14, taking the quiz quietly at my desk. Ashie62 Aug 03 2009 03:44 PM I have no grade point average 12

="Edgy DC":1vytj47o]Like there's one giant penis in the sky that we all cower before[/quote:1vytj47o] Sort of describes how National League pitchers approached Barry Bonds during his particularly productive years. Valadius Aug 03 2009 01:16 PM Except his genitalia were shrunken and worthless. soupcan Aug 03 2009 01:38 PM Allegedly. Edgy DC Aug 03 2009 02:04 PM Obviously, different cocktails work differently, but historically, it's the beans that shrink when you're going through a cycle, not the frank. Farmer Ted Aug 03 2009 02:36 PM This reminds me of the Asian guy who popped out of the trunk in The Hangover. Ashie62 Aug 03 2009 05:43 PM What a cockpunch Kong76 Aug 03 2009 06:16 PM F99: Good Catholic boy <<< I hope you don't really think we all walk around uncircumcised. Edgy DC Aug 03 2009 07:19 PM I get circumcised once a year, just in case it grows back. Fman99 Aug 03 2009 07:53 PM ="Kong76"]F99: Good Catholic boy <<< I hope you don't really think we all walk around uncircumcised. Hey, some guys have the top down, others have it up. Cocks are cocks. As long as you polish your plugs under the hood you're good to go. You don't want too much axle grease building up on your crank shaft. John Cougar Lunchbucket Aug 03 2009 08:48 PM ="Fman99"]="Kong76"]F99: Good Catholic boy <<< I hope you don't really think we all walk around uncircumcised. Hey, some guys have the top down, others have it up. Cocks are cocks. As long as you polish your plugs under the hood you're good to go. You don't want too much axle grease building up on your crank shaft. Once again, I imagine that being said by the little girl alongside it. Kong76 Aug 04 2009 04:49 PM EDC: I get circumcised once a year, just in case it grows back <<< Impressive. F99:Hey, some guys have the top down, others have it up <<< C'mon, it was an unfunny joke to start with .... this is America. Didn't you dress for gym? Ashie62 Aug 04 2009 04:51 PM Joe Cockmaggio OlerudOwned Aug 04 2009 06:42 PM You're right, it was getting too witty in here. Fman99 Aug 04 2009 07:22 PM ="Kong76"]EDC: I get circumcised once a year, just in case it grows back <<< Impressive. F99:Hey, some guys have the top down, others have it up <<< C'mon, it was an unfunny joke to start with .... this is America. Didn't you dress for gym? They can't all be bullets of cool, Kase. Sometimes the jokes stand right up, even higher than horizontal. Other times they go limp. Kong76 Aug 04 2009 07:29 PM I owe one, and we'll see how some people react when I 'whip it out.' cooby Aug 04 2009 07:41 PM He looks like he's clapping soupcan Aug 04 2009 08:56 PM Um, cooby, this is a 'men only' thread. So if you don't mind.... cooby Aug 05 2009 06:37 PM Well, aren't I "one of the guys"? Kong76 Aug 05 2009 06:42 PM Meant to post this morning ... it's nice coming out of the shower at 46 and looking much better with no towel on than Joltin' Joe in that picture. cooby Aug 05 2009 07:48 PM You know how you can't see what pictures are when you're logged out? When I saw what KC wrote, I logged in just to see what the picture would be. Disappointed. Herb Gardner Aug 06 2009 08:24 PM Whoa that boy's heiner looks like a corn cob

Got 27 in real time but was ruled ineligible given my co-hosting duties. Plus I already had the prize pack.

Appel's memoir[/url:3uecv39s] on serving as MFY PR man from '68 to '77 was quite engaging. He came off as a good guy despite his subject matter and obvious fondness for the team that had employed him (a couple of stray e-mail encounters since have confirmed my suspicion that he's a fine fellow). Said nice things about the Mets in the book, so that softened me up. He has said he wrote this Munson bio partly to make up for the autobiography he was "as told to," which he didn't think was as honest as it could have been.

Bob Murphy died on August 3, 2004. The Happy Recap, however, lives on[/url:2rcylzd8].

]Like a ride on a rocket it took us up Didn't want it to stop and it shook us up good We were moving fast Just ahead of the law We were beggin' for more And what a blast Comin' round to a new kind of view of it Never did it before we were doin' it now And I gotta say it was easy to give Was a reason to live another day Neither one of us stopping to figure out What the roll and the rockin' was all about All we knew was that we couldn't get enough You and me in the heat of delirious love

]I apologize for my younger self getting in the way of the Mets' continued winning ways. I forgot that Angel Pagan takes the theme from "St. Elmo's Fire" very literally, and when he was reminded that he had to be "a man in motion," well, he couldn't help himself, thus the attempted steal of home. Much as I put my role as saxophonist Billy Hicks behind me and went on to much greater acting glory as Deputy White House Communications Director Sam Seaborn, I'm hoping the Mets will Wing their way to victory against West division foe Arizona. As for Friday's game, if the Diamondbacks come after Livan, we're gonna bust them like a pi�ata. God bless the United States of America.

Fine Lee Jenkins cover story this week in SI on Buehrle's perfecto, featuring tidbits 'bout Ramon Castro's participation. The beauty of a perfect game is that no one ever sees it coming. When White Sox centerfielder Dewayne Wise showed up at the ballpark and did not find his name in the starting lineup, he didn't even bother to stretch. When backup catcher Ramon Castro showed up and did find his name in the starting lineup, he hurriedly went over signs with Buehrle�fastball, cutter, change. "You know," Buehrle said, "I throw a curveball, too." Castro, a May acquisition from the Mets who was catching Buehrle for the first time, had no idea. Meanwhile, Wise had left the bench and gone down to the batting cage under the stadium to take a few cuts, unaware of what was developing outside. With one out in the seventh Wise heard over the radio "19 up, 19 down," but he was sure the announcer was mistaken. A frequent late-game defensive replacement, he checked the scoreboard for himself. "I'd better go get loose," he said, hustling to the weight room. When the Rays' Evan Longoria flied out to end the seventh, Cooper turned to manager Ozzie Guillen and said, "Now it's real. Game on." Castro ran to the dugout and told pitcher Jose Contreras, "He hasn't missed a spot all day. I think he's going to do it." Contreras replied, "Shut the f--- up." Castro's legs were starting to shake. Jamie's stomach was starting to churn. But the usually expressive Guillen was not getting emotional. He ordered reliever Tony Pe�a to be ready to face the second hitter in the eighth, Ben Zobrist, prompting some eye rolling in the bullpen.

Fman99 wrote: The large-cocked Mets win again. If Wayne Hagin is looking for a signature call, Fman may have just provided one.

]Play the game You know you can't quit until it's won Soldier on Only you can do what must be done

]Jules, y'know, honey... this isn't real. You know what it is? It's St. Elmo's Fire. Electric flashes of light that appear in dark skies out of nowhere. Sailors would guide entire journeys by it, but the joke was on them... there was no fire. There wasn't even a St. Elmo. They made it up. They made it up because they thought they needed it to keep them going when times got tough, just like you're making up all of this. We're all going through this. It's our time at the edge.

The books have been put in.

Needing JCL to start the 7/30/09.01 IGT thread...

="John Cougar Lunchbucket"]It would be a hard thing to express, especially for a guy who struggles to express himself. But let's just pretend for the sake of argument that Tony was a maniac, yes, but in the same sense that your hardest teacher in school could have been your best one, and that in the world of jocks everything is intensified. Then it might just be another case of the Mets letting a story slip out of their control. Initially, I kind of thought that (forgetting Tony B's track record of bad press). "Maybe guys take off their shirts in locker rooms all the time and challenge guys to fights." TB wasn't a coach, but jockishness is jockishness. Probably not, though. The Binghamton ep reminded me of what allegedly happened at St. John's some years back: ]Fran Fraschilla, fast-talking, tightly wrapped, lasted two years before reportedly dropping his pants during a locker-room speech, by way of suggesting that his players might be challenged in the manhood department. Sounded unseemly, particuarly with "scholar-athletes," but it's the locker room, I figured. Who the hell knows what goes on in there? Who the hell wants to know?

="Frayed Knot"]Eddie C's speculation on what set Omar on the road to anti-Runin-ism: When the press conference got delayed (as it always seems to be) SNY had some time to kill and spent part of it with Burkhardt interviewing Rubin. This was shown on the TVs in both the offices and clubhouse and apparently some thought they heard some gloating in his answers at having "gotten" Tony. Ergo that ticks Omar off and leads to the impromptu verbal caning. Somehow I'm reminded of Oscar Madison hiring a jokewriter to come up with zingers to spring on Howard Cosell...and Felix tearing them up, rescuing them from the wastebasket and delivering them out of order. ]I wish some relative of yours would die and leave you some wax fruit! I'd like to see Evel Knievel jump over your Bermuda shorts! You know your Lautrec is too loose?

="John Cougar Lunchbucket":38utvuo8]having a graceless ballbreaker on staff isn't really against the rules in any organization[/quote:38utvuo8] I'm surprised Omar didn't say that in his most recent star turn. John Cougar Lunchbucket Jul 29 2009 03:15 PM It would be a hard thing to express, especially for a guy who struggles to express himself. But let's just pretend for the sake of argument that Tony was a maniac, yes, but in the same sense that your hardest teacher in school could have been your best one, and that in the world of jocks everything is intensified. Then it might just be another case of the Mets letting a story slip out of their control. Fman99 Jul 29 2009 03:20 PM Wally's doesn't so much write as he ejaculates, buckets of creamy idiocy. G-Fafif Jul 29 2009 03:53 PM ="John Cougar Lunchbucket"]It would be a hard thing to express, especially for a guy who struggles to express himself. But let's just pretend for the sake of argument that Tony was a maniac, yes, but in the same sense that your hardest teacher in school could have been your best one, and that in the world of jocks everything is intensified. Then it might just be another case of the Mets letting a story slip out of their control. Initially, I kind of thought that (forgetting Tony B's track record of bad press). "Maybe guys take off their shirts in locker rooms all the time and challenge guys to fights." TB wasn't a coach, but jockishness is jockishness. Probably not, though. The Binghamton ep reminded me of what allegedly happened at St. John's some years back: ]Fran Fraschilla, fast-talking, tightly wrapped, lasted two years before reportedly dropping his pants during a locker-room speech, by way of suggesting that his players might be challenged in the manhood department. Sounded unseemly, particuarly with "scholar-athletes," but it's the locker room, I figured. Who the hell knows what goes on in there? Who the hell wants to know? Ashie62 Jul 29 2009 03:57 PM Matthews is an idiot..but..I feel a snowballing effect that will cost Minaya his job in the very short term Kong76 Jul 29 2009 04:03 PM It's like a whole new version of the cheap-ass Mets. Now it's not because they don't want to spend, it's because they can't? Wally is funny. Ha ha. Nymr83 Jul 29 2009 05:07 PM how many years do the lazy "journalists" get to blame every instance of the mets' perceived non-spending of any amount of money on the madoff scandal? Edgy DC Jul 29 2009 05:12 PM ="Ashie62":yzu84qpd]Matthews is an idiot..but..I feel a snowballing effect that will cost Minaya his job in the very short term[/quote:yzu84qpd] If that's the reason Minaya loses his job, well, that sort of thing can't be denounced in strong enough terms, and it behooves every one of us to denounce it. Blood sells papers. It doesn't win baseball games. MFS62 Jul 29 2009 05:26 PM I'm not sure if Matthews is a registered cretin. But he seems to be working hard for his certification. Later Valadius Jul 29 2009 05:40 PM ="Edgy DC":2wm7tm65]="Valadius":2wm7tm65]If the Wilpons have been so thoroughly financially compromised by Bernie Madoff, they really ought to sell the team. They can't let their baseball decisions be hampered and hindered by their investment in a Ponzi scheme.[/quote:2wm7tm65] Yeah, well, with the highest payroll in the league, there's no evidence of that, and Matthews' position is baseless.[/quote:2wm7tm65] I did say "if", and I say that regardless of what anyone writes in an article. Edgy DC Jul 29 2009 08:06 PM Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Jul 30 2009 11:03 AM And I said "yeah." "If," then "yeah." But we're talking about a position summoned out of the air that doesn't deserve that sort of attention and consideration. I mean, yeah, if the Wilpons are insatiable flypeople raising their young from larva, they shouldn't be allowed to run the team. But just by indulging empty arguments like Matthews' and saying "yeah, if that's true, they should go" indulges his brand and culture of bloodlust and allows his ilk to control the argument. I mean, read upwards, and you see Ashie saying "I feel a snowballing effect that will cost Minaya his job in the very short term." Somehow perception is allowed to equal reality and an shallow, agenda-driven columnist has a broad control of perception and I think that's an awful influence on the ball team's success and the fanbase's culture. Ceetar Jul 29 2009 08:47 PM ="MFS62":1f4gg8ee]I'm not sure if Matthews is a registered cretin. But he seems to be working hard for his certification. Later[/quote:1f4gg8ee] Heard Michael Kay gushing about how on top of everything Matthews was and how much credit he should get for his articles on this stuff. I went back to listening to WFAN commercials in the car after that. PiggiesTomatoes Jul 29 2009 09:15 PM ="Ceetar":1vog50t3]="MFS62":1vog50t3]I'm not sure if Matthews is a registered cretin. But he seems to be working hard for his certification. Later[/quote:1vog50t3] Heard Michael Kay gushing about how on top of everything Matthews was and how much credit he should get for his articles on this stuff.[/quote:1vog50t3] Two douches. Matthews knows boxing. That's it. Kay's a MFY cheerleader. That's it. SteveJRogers Jul 29 2009 09:41 PM ="Ceetar":2bh4yohp]="MFS62":2bh4yohp]I'm not sure if Matthews is a registered cretin. But he seems to be working hard for his certification. Later[/quote:2bh4yohp] Heard Michael Kay gushing about how on top of everything Matthews was and how much credit he should get for his articles on this stuff. I went back to listening to WFAN commercials in the car after that.[/quote:2bh4yohp] Hmmm, unless I read everything wrong, or misremembered, could have sworn Michael and Wally were pretty much at each other's throats back when they both worked on 1050. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jul 29 2009 10:56 PM Deadspin big-upped the Matthews story as well. But that's probably because it fits the Omar-as-boob narrative they've been crafting over there. While there should be no impact on day-to-day operations of the Wilpons' personal losses-- and anyone who suggests so doesn't understand how the accounting works, or is willfully ignoring it to ply their hackery-- it's entirely feasible that the losses lead semi-directly to the Wilpons' selling the team. Mex17 Jul 30 2009 04:16 AM ="MFS62":3gvohqx2]Matthews knows boxing. That's it.[/quote:3gvohqx2] And boxing is a dead sport. so that is not even anything. Matthews probably cringes over the fact that Newsday's sports editor is an MMA fan (I know this for a fact). MFS62 Jul 30 2009 10:26 AM ="Mex17":1tvxjr2y]="MFS62":1tvxjr2y]Matthews knows boxing. That's it.[/quote:1tvxjr2y] And boxing is a dead sport. so that is not even anything. Matthews probably cringes over the fact that Newsday's sports editor is an MMA fan (I know this for a fact).[/quote:1tvxjr2y] Mex, that wasn't me. It was someone else quoting me. I wouldn't give him any credit for knowing anything. If anyone should be checking out that website for a douchebag name (see other forum) it's Wally. Later