G-Fafif

Gwreck wrote: ="G-Fafif"]Less than five months ago they were campaigning to excess to get him on the All-Star team. Now they can't be bothered to look at him, going so far as to replace him with somebody who doesn't bring much more besides relative youth to the position. While your point about them really not wanting him around may have merit, the fact that they were campaigning for him for the all-star team is less of a reflection on LoDuca personally, or his value to the team as a player than it is on the marketability of all-stars and the prestige of having several players from your team as starters. Vote Lo Duca or Die, as it was known in certain circles, was over the top even for hometown shilling. The Mets, like every team, have been known to cajole votes for its players, but they really went out of their way for Lo Duca, which struck me as pretty small-town considering Beltran, Reyes and Wright were already going and Lo Duca had gone the year before (and wasn't having that fantastic a year this time around). If he's gone, it's been a slightly bizarre two-year marriage. But we can save that for the Memories of Paul Lo Duca thread when the need arises.

Centerfield wrote: Other than age, I don't see any advantage to him over LoDuca. I'd rather go short term to LoDuca rather than long-term to Torrealba. Omar/Willie/somebody must really not want Lo Duca around. One senses the organization believes there is a fine line between fiery leader and reckless troublemaker (the gambling, the young ladies, the "they speak English", the ejections, the silence when asked if Willie was supporting his players properly). Less than five months ago they were campaigning to excess to get him on the All-Star team. Now they can't be bothered to look at him, going so far as to replace him with somebody who doesn't bring much more besides relative youth to the position. Whatever Yorvit Torrealba's strengths, they must really not want Paul Lo Duca around.

My 1,160th post made me Willie Randolph. And let me say the champagne indeed tastes sweeter as a result.

In his press release quote, Wright thanked Sandy Alomar for hitting him so many grounders. That's David being David, and I mean that in the best way possible. Beltran neglected to thank Luke Scott for hitting that ball to Tal's Hill.

David makes some marvelous plays, but does one usually brace and cringe when a Gold Glover prepares to throw? I can remember lots of spectacular DW grabs, but mostly from '05 and '06. These things take time to register, I guess. Then again, he's David Wright. That's should be good enough for me. Thrilled that Beltran continues to be recognized (note four OFs won this year). Slightly surprised Reyes fell out after he was mentioned as the favorite so often. Wonder if it was a batting thing. The defense didn't really suffer. I'm also surprised they don't just give it to Omar Vizquel.

Ed Kraneghoul Rico Boneyard Cleave On Jones

Kid Carsey wrote: You took a consensus of those who saw it and those who ordered early? Yes. Several people with whom I've been in contact have said they had no idea about the charity and/or didn't remember seeing it.

The donation aspect is as admirable as Endy, but the consensus among those who saw it and those who ordered early is there was no such footnote listed when this offer first went up, meaning either the Mets had committed an oversight or they rushed into damage control mode when people began to notice the crazy prices.

Bricks, like suburban synagogues, are probably not forever: http://faithandfear.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2007/10/14/3291160.html

If Lunchbucket's mountain is to have four coaches, I think it should have one of each. It's got pitching, it's got hitting (something I called batting before Uncle Bill set me straight). So I superfluously endorse the already chosen Rube and Robinson. Bill has the benefit of coaching first as well. Bullpen coach has got to be Piggy. He was part of a combo with Rube and he helped inaugurate the modern relief pitching era at Shea. And yes, the tomatoes. That leaves third base, which to me has always meant Eddie Yost, though I'll confess I don't remember a lot specific about him other than he was always there in the bottom of the first: "The coaches are Yogi Berra at first, Eddie Yost at third." Occasionally we'd be reminded Eddie was the Walking Man. I'd like to have a representative from the Bobby Valentine era so we'd have each period of Mets Success (not counting the current one, one hopes), but Cookie Rojas' greatest contribution (in my mind) was arguing intensely and incorrectly on a fair/foul call in Game Four of the NLDS in '99 for which he was thrown out (runner-up: narrating the Rey O defensive video when Rey-Rey pretended to speak no English), and John Stearns' entire oeurve was the Monster/Cage remark. This downgrades their actual efforts, I'm sure, but it's what I remember. A vote for Piggy and a vote for Yost.

Kaz EEEK!shii

Tonight (Friday) at 7 PM, SNY is airing the Marlon Anderson Game or, if you like, the Cliff Floyd Walkoff Game versus the Angels from June 11, 2005. I, for one, am both stunned and delighted. To get you in the mood: Me covering the original from home: http://faithandfear.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2005/6/12/930588.html Jason on the bar angle: http://faithandfear.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2005/6/12/931542.html A little almost instant historical perspective: http://faithandfear.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2005/6/14/937187.html

Refers to superagent leaking A-Rod's opt-out Sunday night and generating conversation away from Red Sox victory (which the Sox have made clear they did not appreciate).

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: He would definitely wear No. 3 as a Met. His youthful admiration for Dale Murphy would morph into youthful admiration for Rafael Santana.

Remember how Alex Rodriguez made the Texas Rangers the most popular and profitable team in baseball?

John Harper, as dim as they come: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/2007/10/31/2007-10-31_mets_must_opt_for_arod.html ]It seems obvious enough that the Mets need to do something splashy this winter to wash away the psychological stain from their historic collapse and give everyone from their fan base to their players a reason to look forward, not back. Suffice it to say that if Omar Minaya could find a way to pry Johan Santana away from the Twins, all would be forgiven. The Mets need an ace the way they need that new stadium of theirs to open and put dreary old Shea out of its misery. If it means trading Jose Reyes and a couple of their young pitchers, the Mets should jump at the chance. Josh Beckett's spectacular October was a reminder of just how much a true ace can do for a ballclub, and it's hard to imagine how Pedro Martinez will ever fit that description again. But there is no indication yet, much less a guarantee, that the Twins will trade Santana as he approaches free agency a year from now. And there's nothing in the way of front-line pitching available on the free-agent market. All of which is a way of saying: Why not A-Rod? It's not every day the opportunity comes along to sign the most talented player in the game and stick it to your intra-city rival all at once. The Mets can do that right now by bringing Alex Rodriguez to Queens, and the more you think about it, the more sense it makes. As an organization the Mets are forever feeling slighted because the Yankees make more headlines and get more coverage, win or lose. But the Yankees have lost considerable star power in Joe Torre and A-Rod, offering the Mets a chance to make themselves the glamour team in town for the first time in two decades, simply by signing A-Rod. So what if he's a 24-and-1 guy, to borrow Steve Phillips' famous description of Rodriguez seven years ago? So what if he looks more narcissistic than ever, thanks to the timing of his opt-out decision? It's not as if you can argue that A-Rod's arrival would upset some special chemistry the Mets have going, not after last year when they carried themselves with an air of entitlement that finally caught up with them. If anything, A-Rod's unmatched work ethic might do for Reyes what it did for Melky Cabrera last year, when Cabrera raised his game after he started shadowing A-Rod and his workout regimen on a daily basis. On his way out, Rodriguez made it easy for Yankee fans to hate him, sounding like a phony and failing them every October. Mets fans couldn't care less. The addition of Rodriguez would all but assure a playoff spot, and eventually he is bound to produce in October, the way Barry Bonds finally did after his early failures. Think that wouldn't be sweet to the Mets faithful? Maybe it wouldn't be fair to David Wright, who has become the face of the Mets, an All-Star for years to come and one of the real good guys in sports. On the other hand, Wright himself volunteered to move to second base when the A-Rod question was posed to him last spring. He is young and agile enough to play there for at least a few years, and then perhaps move to first if necessary. Most important, Wright would see the huge benefit of adding Rodriguez to a lineup that underachieved badly last year. Let's face it, Carlos Beltran doesn't seem to have the mental toughness to be a superstar in New York, and Carlos Delgado clearly showed signs of age last year, beaten all too often with inside fastballs. But put Rodriguez in the No.3 spot, while sliding Beltran to No.2 where he belongs, and suddenly the Mets have a lineup with firepower that could match any in the American League, never mind the National. The Mets would still need to beef up the bullpen, but assuming that Mike Pelfrey makes an expected leap forward, a Pedro-led starting rotation would look a whole lot better if it could count on five or six runs a night. This is a franchise that should be thinking bigger than it ever has, with its TV network in place and the new stadium opening in 2009, both of which mean gobs of money if the Wilpons put a star-driven, playoff team on the field. Those are reasons enough to forget what happened seven years ago, when Fred Wilpon didn't want to spend the money on A-Rod. Times have changed, especially now with the Yankees all but inviting the Mets to become the hot team in town. Would Rodriguez do it? Sure he would, for the highest offer. He loves the attention he receives in New York, good and bad. And he's always had a soft spot for the Mets, the team he loved as a kid. All it would take is $300million or so, and New Yorkers would barely remember the Mets choking away the playoffs. How's the line in the TV commercial go? Priceless. Where to begin? "It seems obvious enough that the Mets need to do something splashy this winter to wash away the psychological stain from their historic collapse and give everyone from their fan base to their players a reason to look forward, not back." --Well, no. It seems obvious they need to improve their bullpen, secure a catcher, tutor their young pitchers, give pep talks and physicals to those who need one or each. But splashy does not necessarily equal wise. Was 2002 really that long ago? "Suffice it to say that if Omar Minaya could find a way to pry Johan Santana away from the Twins, all would be forgiven. The Mets need an ace the way they need that new stadium of theirs to open and put dreary old Shea out of its misery." --Johan Santana's a great pitcher, no question. But shot at Shea is irrelevant and a sign that Harper's already in Mark Herrman "I don't have enough to fill out a column" territory. "If it means trading Jose Reyes and a couple of their young pitchers, the Mets should jump at the chance. Josh Beckett's spectacular October was a reminder of just how much a true ace can do for a ballclub, and it's hard to imagine how Pedro Martinez will ever fit that description again." --OK, we've passed Herrmann and we're speeding by Wally Matthews. Just like that, Harper has the Mets trading their franchise shortstop off a bad second half. They should "jump" to do so, along with those young pitchers who apparently aren't that good, otherwise we wouldn't have to engineer a trade for Santana. Beckett was wonderful in October. Pedro is older than he used to be. Unless Beckett's a free agent or the Mets are offering Pedro an extension, Harper continues to clog this column with nonfactors. "But there is no indication yet, much less a guarantee, that the Twins will trade Santana as he approaches free agency a year from now. And there's nothing in the way of front-line pitching available on the free-agent market." --So...you've just wasted your breath for a paragraph shooting down a strawman rumor. All of which is a way of saying: Why not A-Rod? --I could swear we were just told the Mets desperately need an ace. So why the most expensive player of all-time instead? Someone who plays positions the Mets have covered? "It's not every day the opportunity comes along to sign the most talented player in the game and stick it to your intra-city rival all at once. The Mets can do that right now by bringing Alex Rodriguez to Queens, and the more you think about it, the more sense it makes." --Are we to believe the Mets are (or should be) run by petulant 12-year-olds? Wouldn't sticking it to the Phillies and Braves be priority? "As an organization the Mets are forever feeling slighted because the Yankees make more headlines and get more coverage, win or lose. But the Yankees have lost considerable star power in Joe Torre and A-Rod, offering the Mets a chance to make themselves the glamour team in town for the first time in two decades, simply by signing A-Rod." --Whatever wounds the Mets lick as a result of not firing their manager or having their best player walk on them while their archrival won the World Series, why should this be indulged? Aren't the Mets continually criticized for worrying too much about what the Yankees do? Why should this be their motivation now? "So what if he's a 24-and-1 guy, to borrow Steve Phillips' famous description of Rodriguez seven years ago? So what if he looks more narcissistic than ever, thanks to the timing of his opt-out decision?" --So what, indeed. Except those aren't attractive qualities, are they? "It's not as if you can argue that A-Rod's arrival would upset some special chemistry the Mets have going, not after last year when they carried themselves with an air of entitlement that finally caught up with them." --So...he would help in that regard? "If anything, A-Rod's unmatched work ethic might do for Reyes what it did for Melky Cabrera last year, when Cabrera raised his game after he started shadowing A-Rod and his workout regimen on a daily basis." --So...he's actually a pretty good guy to have around? Make up your mind maybe? "On his way out, Rodriguez made it easy for Yankee fans to hate him, sounding like a phony and failing them every October." --So...he's not a good guy. And he didn't aid his team when push came to shove (though we know there are lots of factors for why a team doesn't win in the playoffs). "Mets fans couldn't care less. The addition of Rodriguez would all but assure a playoff spot, and eventually he is bound to produce in October, the way Barry Bonds finally did after his early failures. Think that wouldn't be sweet to the Mets faithful?" --How does Harper know we are that non-discerning? Does Harper actually know any Mets fans? And where's the guarantee? Does A-Rod get us in every year? It's one thing to speculate, it's another thing to print the unknowable as virtual fact. "Maybe it wouldn't be fair to David Wright, who has become the face of the Mets, an All-Star for years to come and one of the real good guys in sports." --Sounds like John is ready to shoot this one down. "On the other hand, Wright himself volunteered to move to second base when the A-Rod question was posed to him last spring. He is young and agile enough to play there for at least a few years, and then perhaps move to first if necessary." --How convenient. John knew the answer all along. This is also the first part of his column that is mildly useful. "Most important, Wright would see the huge benefit of adding Rodriguez to a lineup that underachieved badly last year." --As would the other members of the Met lineup, one assumes. "Let's face it, Carlos Beltran doesn't seem to have the mental toughness to be a superstar in New York, and Carlos Delgado clearly showed signs of age last year, beaten all too often with inside fastballs." --And with this graf, Harper's momentum becomes undone. Beltran has put up two top-notch offensive seasons. And even if you don't put him in A-Rod's class offensively, please define mental toughness and how it's holding Beltran back. Is Beltran mentally soft even as he's driving in more than a hundred runs and running into fences and being the best player on the team in September? As for Delgado, look what a long-term contract can turn into toward the end. A-Rod will require a long commitment. May look worth it now, but a commitment implies you are stuck for quite a while. Delgado you're stuck with for a lot of money this year, the year after he had his worst year to date. "But put Rodriguez in the No.3 spot, while sliding Beltran to No.2 where he belongs, and suddenly the Mets have a lineup with firepower that could match any in the American League, never mind the National." --Why does Beltran belong in the No. 2 spot? Beltran was incredibly effective in the No. 4 spot, actually. And haven't we heard about the Mets' American League lineup already? "The Mets would still need to beef up the bullpen, but assuming that Mike Pelfrey makes an expected leap forward, a Pedro-led starting rotation would look a whole lot better if it could count on five or six runs a night." --Who's expecting Pelfrey's leap forward? What did he do to inspire this expectation? I'm not writing him off, but beyond one terrific start against the Braves, Pelfrey did nothing to make a leap forward. And weren't we told earlier that Pedro's not really an ace anymore? By the way, the Mets were scoring plenty late in the year and it didn't excuse the rotation's shortcomings. "This is a franchise that should be thinking bigger than it ever has, with its TV network in place and the new stadium opening in 2009, both of which mean gobs of money if the Wilpons put a star-driven, playoff team on the field." --Have sportswriters ever taken a business class? No benefits need be held for the Wilpons, one assumes, but a theoretical $300 million contract is an astounding commitment. Citi Field will be sold out for several years anyway, SNY will generate commercial revenue anyway, how much more benefit will there be from A-Rod? It's probably good fodder for a column, not an "oh and another thing I just thought of to make my 800-word quota" paragraph. "Those are reasons enough to forget what happened seven years ago, when Fred Wilpon didn't want to spend the money on A-Rod. Times have changed, especially now with the Yankees all but inviting the Mets to become the hot team in town." --How hot do the Mets need to be? Winning two more games in 2007 would have helped a great deal, as would have winning five more in 2006. But the Mets aren't in 2004 disarray any longer. Yes, the Yankees were incredibly newsworthy this October. It had nothing to do with the Mets, just as whatever the Mets did or didn't do in September had no effect on that Yankee news. Joe Torre left as manager. It was a guaranteed soap opera thanks to the way papers like Harper's operate. This is one big begging of the question. And unless the Yankees start losing 90 games a year, they're not going away as a factor in the market. "Would Rodriguez do it? Sure he would, for the highest offer. He loves the attention he receives in New York, good and bad. And he's always had a soft spot for the Mets, the team he loved as a kid." --I almost think Harper is trying to be amusing here. If A-Rod just wants money, he wouldn't care that it's New York or that it's the team he loved as a kid. If he loved New York, why leave the allegedly hot team and all that? It's not like he didn't get lots of attention and drive in lots of runs. "All it would take is $300 million or so, and New Yorkers would barely remember the Mets choking away the playoffs." --Since A-Rod doesn't guarantee a world championship, the Mets not winning one with A-Rod would probably just create a convenient three-time loser storyline for hacks like Harper: they couldn't win in '06 or '07 or '08...but just wait! They'll go out and sign the big free agent of next winter and it will change everything! Dope. "How's the line in the TV commercial go? Priceless." --Editor to Harper: John, we need one more line. Maybe nine words.

I'm guessing Perez, whose comment shocked me, was thinking Carlos Delgado, who was hurt in September, but said Carlos Beltran, who was not.

Pret-ty good. Pret-ty, pret-ty good.

Ken Sanders was hit by a throw back from the catcher. Vince Coleman was eaten by a tarp roller. Howard Johnson was accused of corking his bat. Rick Reed was needlessly ostracized as a replacement player. Manny Alexander was needlessly ostracized for replacing Ripken. I liked to refer to Dale Murray as The Master of Disaster in his non-prime. Kevin Collins could have been given a newer jersey for his 1969 Topps card. Grant Roberts trusted the wrong people. I'm still waiting for Hank Webb to break through. And his middle name still involves Gaylon.

The Rice guy is Wayne Graham, 1 realizes...

Grant Roberts (bong hit guy) had 1 start in 2000. Rick Reed started the 1 game the Mets won in the 2000 World Series. Manny Alexander made 1 huge mistake in whom he attempted to follow as an Oriole. Roger Craig taught Mike Scott 1 valuable thing to do with sandpaper. Gary Bennett played 1 game as a Met. Vince Coleman was Public Enemy No. 1. Dale Murray maybe had 1 good outing. Kevin Collins was traded for 1 World Series MVP. I am groping for 1 thing they all had in common...

One of Hank Webb's middle names is Gaylon. Springsteen wrote a song called Bobby Jean. Howard Johnson, Rick Reed and Kevin Brown have more or maybe comparatively famous doppelgangers, namewise. Coleman is the name of a popular cooler. And the butler from "Trading Places". Kevin Collins was traded for a World Series MVP. Chris Chambliss didn't do much as a hitting coach. And I don't recognize the guy in the Rice uniform. The thread that connects them does not make itself apparent to me.

With a little generous interpretation, are they first and last (and middle) names that can all serve as first names?

Matlack and Madlock were co-MVPs in '75. Later, NBC merged them into Matlock, Tuesday nights at 8 on Channel 4.

If this schedule holds, 2008 will mark the fourth consecutive May 27 when the Mets play the Marlins. The last three were in Miami.