Gwreck

I think we have this McGwire argument every year at this time. As usual, my position is to vote him in under the theory that he was hall-of-fame caliber in the context of the era. (Plenty of HOFers who got in the in context of their eras too -- ie. not having to play against anyone but whites). Anyway, my ballot: Alomar Blyleven Martinez McGwire

Why would one buy season tickets/ticket plans to their favorite sports teams? Here's why: 1. Discount (off single game ticket price) for buying in bulk; 2. Postseason purchase rights 3. Better seating location than single-game tickets 4. Same seating location for all games 5. Access to "premium" games (ie. opening day, prime interleague) Unfortunately, the Mets: 1. Offer no discount for buying in bulk. They are the (only?) MLB team that does business this way. Even the Yankees offer a meaningful discount off the single-game price if you buy a plan. 2. All joking about postseason aside, the Mets have refused to guarantee postseason rights to anyone except full-season holders. 15-game plan holders are supposedly going to get a "pre-sale" but this is the second year of the plans and the Mets still can't offer any concrete details about how that would even work (again, hold all your jokes about the postseason). 40-game plan holders get every other game in an "alternate" seating location. Which could mean your 40-game plan in the Metropolitan Box winds up giving you postseason tickets in the Promenade section 534. 3. In addition to not offering 15-game plans in the better seating locations, the Mets have also refused to offer 40-game plans in the affordable seating locations. Strictly a take-it or leave-it approach to where you can get a plan in the park. The Gwreck household wanted to do a 40-game plan for last season but the Mets wound up getting significantly less money from us because of their inflexibility. 4. There's also the problem that plans are only offered in lesser seating locations than full-season tickets. Unfortunately, as some full-season seats go unsold, they are released for general sale, putting the walk-up buyer in a better seat than the 15-game plan holder. 5. Opening day and Yankees tickets are indeed a pain to get if you don't have a plan. That's the biggest advantage to having one these days, you get one of those games under 4 of the 5 15-game plans. ---- Our household is dumping at least one of our two 15-game plans and are thinking our money is better spent traveling to some road games instead. (Don't worry, we'll be writing to the Mets to give them a piece of our mind as well). We like our seats (both plans are in Section 514, directly behind the plate) and would miss having the guaranteed location but the Mets really aren't making it worth having the plan(s).

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: As long as they've decided to let Jerry have another go (or actually, keep up their end of the contract bargain) The Mets "end" of the "contract bargain" is $$$. Nothing more, nothing less. In fact, that's almost SOP for the Mets. Seems to me the Mets have been paying people in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009 to not manage the team -- in addition to the people they *were* paying to manage the team.

Wonder when the last time a guy had the most first place votes but didn't win.

The main street (all 4 or 5 blocks of it) has some memorabilia shops but I don't recall there being anything particularly notable about them. Have you been to Cooperstown before? We went last year (my second trip) and I still needed 2 days to absorb all of the museum.

For me too (minus the soccer but with the occasional football game). MLB network has rendered ESPN mostly irrelevant for me.

Might be better than that epic Colorado-San Diego tilt from 2 years ago in Game 163.

TBS National Broadcast, I think.

Tigers/Twins split so it remains 2 games. Tigers' magic number is 4 and they could clinch with wins today and tomorrow vs. Minnesota. Figure the Tigers also have the upper hand because Verlander pitched today, making him available for Sunday should the Tigers have a must-win game; or Monday for a one-game playoff.

Buncha comedians here. We found a sucker without having to include cash or other incentives...

Last minute scheduling change means we have to miss this matchup with the Astros. Happy to, you know, give it away to a worthy home if someone here wanted to go.

I was there. One more to go this season but this one clinched a losing record for me at Citi Field this season. The Figueroa play is just an error; should read "grounded out sharply" to first. Beltran swinging 3-0 was not my first choice, either. I also question the wisdom of using Tatis instead of Sullivan with runners at 2nd and 3rd, righty on the mound and 1 out. Note that Jerry pinch hit for Valdez in the bottom of the 9th with Hernandez out and Tatis already used. If the Mets had to go to extras, it seems pretty clear that Murphy is moving to the left side of the infield. I guess Wright plays SS and Murphy 3B, and Reed (or Thole?) would play first. His hits notwithstanding, Schneider had a lower OPS than Figueroa when this game started. Seriously. In my hoping that this is the last time I see him play (in person), I'll note that it always bothered me that when the game would start, the first thing Schneider would do after getting behind the plate would be to erase the freshly-painted lines of the catcher's box. I don't see many catcher's balks called these days so I was never sure what he was afraid of.

...if you're so inclined to be my guest at the game. Send me a PM or post here if you're interested.

We got it with that error that Desmond threw away in the 9th. Problem was that Stokes had given up that homer in the top of the 9th on the first pitch. Never thought I'd be able to make it down from my seats to the Taqueria in less than an inning but it's strange times these days at the stadium.

Right, but we also lost a Type-A at the same as we signed Appier, so it was a wash. (Or slight improvement, as we gained a better spot than we lost). Plus the players we netted turned out pretty well for us.

Funny thing is that we traded both of those 2 picks -- before they reached the majors* -- for some of the best players our team has ever had. * Yes, Humber had a few scattered ML innings but that barely counts.

They need to bring Delgado back. Murphy and his .711 OPS is simply not going to work.

Whereas I am very much against adding ANY team to the postseason under any circumstances. Baseball's postseason exclusivity (8 or 30 teams) is crucial to maintaining a competitive and compelling regular season.

I could see the Tigers beating the Yankees in the first round again, as they did in 2006. Verlander outpitches whomever and the Tigers get at least a split on the road, they can win that series. I've said this before but I would be fine with a division winner facing the wild-card in the first round, so long as there was a bigger penalty for not winning your division. Best record in the league should get you a 2-1-2 series against the Wild Card team.

Strange schedule, as usual. Still waiting on a trip to or visit from the White Sox. Don't know why we can't go to Minnesota, given that they were just here in 2007. Would also like the Royals for once (instead of Detroit and Minnesota, again). Consecutive year visits to the Orioles? Bizarre.

AL is no better: MFYs have the East. Detroit has the Central (5.5 up over Minnesota) Los Angeles has the west (up 6 over Texas). Texas is 4.5 back of Boston for the Wild Card and that's as close as it gets. Nobody else even has a shot.

It's a "mini" trophy. Height 12 inches. Somebody else's was up for sale recently, too, I think. Provenance on the Dykstra stuff, per the auction's offical catalog: THE LENNY DYKSTRA COLLECTION He�s one of the most fascinating fi gures in modern sports, a scrappy lead-off hitter for the 1986 World Champion New York Mets and 1993 National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies remembered for clutch hits, bench-clearing brawls and a bulging cheek of chewing tobacco. Who could have imagined that, upon his 1996 retirement from baseball, the most intriguing chapter of Lenny Dykstra�s life was only beginning? As of last year, the man they called �Nails� had amassed a massive personal stock portfolio, served as president of a chain of car washes and a real estate development company, and had recently founded a high-end jet charter service geared toward professional athletes known as The Player�s Club. On the popular television investment program �Mad Money,� Jim Cramer touted him as a legend in the field, calling him �one of the great ones.� It appeared that this former jock was actually a financial genius. Then the bottom fell out. Now the defendant in a slew of legal actions, Dykstra has seen his nine-figure empire evaporate, filing bankruptcy for protection from creditors. The treasures of his baseball career were among the last to go, and they are presented here in the lots that follow. The Lenny Dykstra Collection is consigned to Heritage by Yossi Dina, known as �the Pawnbroker to the Rich and Famous.� The proprietor of South Beverly Wilshire Jewelry and Loan, Dina has been amassing for over twenty-five years a treasure trove of rare gems, priceless antiques and fine original art from forfeited loans as well as from his years of acquiring some of the highest quality and rare collectibles from the personal Estates of internationally prominent families and celebrities. Now one of the many creditors unable to assess repayment of a loan made to Lenny Dykstra, he has employed the services of Heritage Auction Galleries to recoup the funds through the sale of this collection.

Happ is hurt and we get Moyer on Saturday instead. Maine is pitching game 1 on Sunday. Game 2 is the ESPN national broadcast so get your earplugs or mute button ready.