stevejrogers

Benjamin Grimm wrote: My first game ever at Shea was also a Reds game. Heh mine too. It was the summer 1985, and I've lost all memory of what happened, and what date it was. Hey I was 8, cut me some slack!

Figueroa pitching for his spot on the roster right now, figuring he'll be sent down when Wise is activated.

="Elster88":y7z10muk]Congrats, 62. Shut up, Rogers.[/quote:y7z10muk] Its called a freaking joke. Just like the Bob Hope post (unless this was the Colavito Rockies Forum), you want to tell the blue eyed, ever loving Thing to shut up? AG/DC May 12 2008 05:45 PM Elster only logs on these days to do the occasional body slam. Elster88 May 12 2008 05:47 PM My bad. I'm a cantankerous curmudgeon. Kong76 May 12 2008 06:15 PM E88: >>>I'm a cantankerous curmudgeon<<< I can be as much of a prick as the next poster, but you do ride Stevie Jeets a bit hard here and it ain't like he's provoking you. metsmarathon May 12 2008 07:24 PM i am so ridiculously far away from 10,000 posts... soupcan May 13 2008 07:29 AM 'Stevie Jeets' Crackin' me up. Benjamin Grimm May 13 2008 07:31 AM "Faith" and "hope" aren't the same thing. SteveJRogers May 13 2008 09:21 AM They are synonymous though. Granted "faith" does have religious conotation in origin, but I've seen faith used in secular forms, such as sporting events. MFS62 Dec 12 2008 08:34 AM OK, posting a hint every 100 or so posts would have been overkill, so, with about 500 to go, time for another: I've been told that at least one CPF-er has spoken with this person. Later metirish Dec 12 2008 08:37 AM You're 499 posts past 10,000. MFS62 Dec 12 2008 08:42 AM ="metirish":2469uvq5]You're 499 posts past 10,000.[/quote:2469uvq5] I know. The 10,000 the post gets you the Seaver avatar. The 11,000th gets you the choice of your own. Later Edgy DC Dec 12 2008 08:53 AM ="MFS62":296ptdhw]I've been told that at least one CPF-er has spoken with this person.[/quote:296ptdhw] The project runway chick? Benjamin Grimm Dec 12 2008 08:58 AM Jay Horwitz? Valadius Dec 12 2008 09:19 AM Bud Harrelson? John Cougar Lunchbucket Dec 12 2008 09:23 AM Billy Squier? MFS62 Dec 12 2008 12:25 PM Four nopes. Thank you for trying. You can pick up your home version of our game on the way out. I'll come up with more meaningful clues as time passes. Later Rockin' Doc Dec 12 2008 02:09 PM Rusty Staub? Valadius Dec 12 2008 02:34 PM Yogi Berra? Zvon Dec 12 2008 02:46 PM Gratz '62. Looking forward to 10,000 more. dgwphotography Dec 12 2008 04:40 PM Come on - You gotta believe - Tug McGraw. MFS62 Feb 11 2009 09:11 AM OK, Closing in on that magic 11,000. Time for the next clue: Winsocki Later HahnSolo Feb 11 2009 10:27 AM As in "Buckle Down, Winsocki"? (I can Google, yay!) Buckle down = Fasten your seatbelts? Bob Murphy? MFS62 Feb 11 2009 12:35 PM Nice try. Thanks for putting some effort into it. Nope. Later seawolf17 Feb 11 2009 01:05 PM Good. Because I will fight you for Bob Murphy. MFS62 Feb 11 2009 01:26 PM ="seawolf17":3n1q2cmm]Good. Because I will fight you for Bob Murphy.[/quote:3n1q2cmm] No fear, from my POV he's all yours. Later MFS62 Mar 02 2009 11:53 AM Congrats for reaching 11,000 before me, Doc. But in his thread, he did mention something about someone else helping him with his chosen avatar. As y'all may have fugured out by now, I don't do technology well. (I can't even imbed a link or a video image). Who can help me to edit (crop) and upload the avatar image of the person I've chosen? That said, time for my final clue: Learn your lesson well. Later Gwreck Mar 02 2009 12:23 PM Lessons are taught. Who teaches? Professors teach. Professor = Casey Stengel. Duh. MFS62 Mar 02 2009 01:38 PM ="Gwreck":2gxbhwby]Lessons are taught. Who teaches? Professors teach. Professor = Casey Stengel. Duh.[/quote:2gxbhwby] Very obvious. Very incorrect. Nice try. Later TransMonk Mar 02 2009 02:54 PM Stretching for JC Martin? MFS62 Mar 02 2009 03:12 PM ="TransMonk":2c4rd0i6]Stretching for JC Martin?[/quote:2c4rd0i6] Nope. Not him. I don't get how professor would be a clue to JC Martin. Even as a stretch. Later TransMonk Mar 02 2009 03:30 PM Hugh Martin co-wrote Buckle Down, Winsocki. Learn Your Lessons Well is a song from from Godspell, which is about JC. Like I said...a stretch. MFS62 Mar 02 2009 04:41 PM Wow! I'm old and brittle. If I stretched that far I'd break. My kudos for getting creatively analytical. Later 86-Dreamer Mar 03 2009 03:41 PM Gil Hodges? can't quite connect all the clues, but here are some of the things that make me think of Gil mets fans always look to the future with hope = wait 'til next year at least one CPF'er has spoken with him - Gil was a very accesible person in his Brooklyn nabe, so can imagine several of the older members might have met him - he lived around the corner from where I grew up Winsocki - can't figure that one out, other than that it was a fictional military academy and Gil was a military man. there is probably some connection to fight songs but i cant figger it out Learn your lesson well - Gil taught Cleon a lesson. MFS62 Mar 03 2009 04:02 PM Dreamer - you connected the dots pretty well. Unfortunately, not well enough. I'm surprised nobody else has selected Gil as their post- 11,000 avatar. But I have selected someone else. Thank you. Later 86-Dreamer Mar 03 2009 04:21 PM Mets fans always look to the future with hope = Lets Go Mets? could it be Jane Jarvis? Edgy DC Mar 03 2009 07:30 PM I'm gonna bet 1,000 cranebucks that it's not Jane Jarvis. metirish Mar 03 2009 07:30 PM Need some resolution here on this.....please... soupcan Mar 03 2009 07:36 PM ="metirish":8eyqqbmn]Need some resolution here on this.....please...[/quote:8eyqqbmn] Do we? Really? cooby Mar 03 2009 07:40 PM ="MFS62"] Learn your lesson well. Ricky Nelson? Real guess: Bill Shea? DocTee Mar 03 2009 07:40 PM Davey Johnson. MFS62 Mar 04 2009 06:25 AM All good, or creative, guesses. None correct. All will be revealed shortly. I don't want to use up allthe remaining posts until 11,000 in this thread. Thank you for playing along. Later MFS62 Mar 31 2009 07:13 AM I�m announcing the identity of my chosen permanent avatar today because it is the anniversary of his death. I have chosen Brian Cole. He was a rising star in the Mets minor league system, an outfielder with speed and emerging power. Brian had been named Mets minor leaguer of the year 1999 by Baseball America Almanac. Spring training had ended. He was driving home from spring training in Port St. Lucie, Fla., to Meridian, Miss., to drop off his truck. He was to fly Saturday to Binghamton, N.Y., to join the Mets' Double-A team. There was a companion in his truck. Cole's truck was hit by another vehicle near the Florida-Alabama border. His vehicle rolled over and Brian was thrown out. It was later found that he had not been wearing his seat belt. He was killed almost instantly. His companion, who had been wearing a seat belt, survived. The Mets have named a rookie award after him. I want to honor his memory this way. Later Edgy DC Mar 31 2009 07:20 AM soupcan Mar 31 2009 07:26 AM Thank goodness. Now I can sleep tonight. metirish Mar 31 2009 07:27 AM It was worth the wait , what a nice tribute to Cole. Fman99 Mar 31 2009 07:30 AM ="MFS62"]I�m announcing the identity of my chosen permanent avatar today because it is the anniversary of his death. I have chosen Brian Cole. He was a rising star in the Mets minor league system, an outfielder with speed and emerging power. Brian had been named Mets minor leaguer of the year 1999 by Baseball America Almanac. Spring training had ended. He was driving home from spring training in Port St. Lucie, Fla., to Meridian, Miss., to drop off his truck. He was to fly Saturday to Binghamton, N.Y., to join the Mets' Double-A team. There was a companion in his truck. Cole's truck was hit by another vehicle near the Florida-Alabama border. His vehicle rolled over and Brian was thrown out. It was later found that he had not been wearing his seat belt. He was killed almost instantly. His companion, who had been wearing a seat belt, survived. The Mets have named a rookie award after him. I want to honor his memory this way. Later That's a good choice, I like it. seawolf17 Mar 31 2009 07:32 AM Interesting choice; I like it. Benjamin Grimm Mar 31 2009 07:33 AM So I wasn't TOO far off when I guessed Bob Hope. metirish Mar 31 2009 07:40 AM A New York Times report from April 2nd 2001 BASEBALL; Subdued Mets Share in Loss Of Player With Major Future By TYLER KEPNER Published: Monday, April 2, 2001 ] The televisions were on in the Mets' clubhouse this morning, but nobody paid attention. Most players sat alone or spoke softly to teammates. There was a game to play, the Mets' last exhibition before opening day, but nobody seemed to care. The night before, at a team dinner, the players had learned that Brian Cole, a 22-year-old outfielder who had been with them for much of spring training, had been killed in a car accident. ''There's no doubt that baseball is definitely secondary today,'' the veteran outfielder Darryl Hamilton said. ''It's going to be like that for a little while for us. You can't just let it go.'' Cole was driving from spring training in Port St. Lucie, Fla., to Meridian, Miss., with his 17-year-old cousin, Ryan Cole, on Saturday afternoon. According to the Florida Highway Patrol in Panama City, Fla., Brian Cole's 2001 Ford Explorer, which was exceeding the 70-mile-an-hour speed limit, drifted onto the grass median from the inside westbound lane of State Route 8. The car then re-entered the westbound lane, slid sideways and rolled almost two times. Brian Cole, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the car. He and his cousin were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Marianna, Fla., almost 20 miles east of the accident site. Brian Cole was pronounced dead there, and Ryan Cole, who was wearing a seat belt, was treated and released. The police said neither alcohol nor drugs were involved in the accident. The Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates observed a moment of silence for Cole before today's game at PNC Park, and the Mets are preparing to honor him in another way. A prayer service for Cole was held for the Mets' minor leaguers in Port St. Lucie, where workouts were canceled. Dr. Allan Lans, the director of the Mets' employee assistance program, will meet with the Class AA Binghamton Mets, the team Cole would have played for, to counsel them. ''That we were all together when we heard it, I think, is something that will make us a little stronger, that we shared our grief together,'' Mets Manager Bobby Valentine said. ''Guys know there was real emotion there, and a lot of people to share it with.'' Jason Phillips, a Mets catcher who played with Cole last season, said a driver had backed into Cole's Explorer a week ago. Cole planned to fly to Binghamton after driving hi car home so that his father and brother could take it in for repairs. ''That's the only reason he was going home,'' Phillips said. Phillips and others remembered Cole's quiet confidence and his ability to match his expectations. In an interview last month, Cole said his goals for last year had been 60 stolen bases, 18 home runs, a .300 average and 75 runs batted in. He exceeded every figure. Cole was in major league training camp for the first time this spring, and he impressed Mookie Wilson, the Mets' outfield coach, with his willingness to learn. All their conversations, Wilson said, were about how Cole could get better. Cole would sit in a corner of the locker room taking everything in, and he became friends with the veteran infielder Desi Relaford. The two played video games together, and Cole spent time at Relaford's home in Jacksonville, Fla. ''It's hard to comprehend the fact it's a life that's over,'' Relaford said. Mets General Manager Steve Phillips said Cole was projected to be an impact player in the majors, and that his talents suggested he could be an updated version of the classic leadoff hitter -- Cole could steal bases, but he also had pop in his bat. Phillips saw Cole play for the Class A St. Lucie Mets last year, and Cole put on a show -- infield hits, stolen bases, home runs. The Mets even considered promoting him last September. ''We had some of our longest discussions about him during spring,'' Valentine said. ''Most of it was about whether he was going to hit 20 or 35 homers in the big leagues.'' Cole was named the organization's player of the year last season, and he was considered the team's third best prospect behind outfielder Alex Escobar and pitcher Pat Strange. Pitcher Jerrod Riggan, a former teammate, struggled to fight back tears this morning. ''He knew he was going to make it,'' Riggan said. ''He knew he was going to be a big leaguer.'' Riggan was not the only Met hit hard by the news. Cole was a teammate for a few weeks, the veteran John Franco said, but he was part of the Mets' family. ''We all have some types of tears in our eyes,'' Franco said. ''The kid had a great future ahead of him, and it was stopped so short with a tragedy like that. It makes you realize how precious life is and appreciate everything you have. You want to go home and give your kids a big hug.'' Photo: Brian Cole (Gary I. Rothstein) MFS62 Mar 31 2009 07:46 AM Thanks, Irish. And thank all of you. Later 86-Dreamer Mar 31 2009 08:52 AM It is a nice tribute to a life cut short. But, how does it relate to the clues you gave? metsguyinmichigan Mar 31 2009 10:31 AM Tip of the cap. A fine choice. MFS62 Mar 31 2009 11:06 AM ="86-Dreamer":18grwt9a]It is a nice tribute to a life cut short. But, how does it relate to the clues you gave?[/quote:18grwt9a] Thanks, The key ones: Promise followed by sadness. I think our metfairy mentioned that she had spoken to him/ written about him. The lesson to be learned is to buckle up. (I took license with "Buckle Down, Winsocki") Later

Tug McGraw's daughter-in-law FAITH Hill?

metirish wrote: ="AG/DC"]Well, seeing as those are the only two to reach in your lifetime. I knew someone would point that out , and it's true but I suppose what I am saying is that Maddux reaching 350 is not a big deal to me , and it should be but it's not. IMO, this is probably because you have not been innundated with Maddux (and even Glavine, outside of the Mets own local marketing push, and even Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz reaching 3,000 Ks) milestone fever the way Clemens was given. Maddux does seem to be one of those guys you've been looking up at for the last few years and saying "Uh, he's still around?" So that is part of it, unlike Clemens who always seemed to be in the "spotlight" thanks to the hard on the national press had for the guy. It has been over a decade since his last Cy Young award (1995) and the last time he even got a vote for the award was in 2000 (also his last trip to an All Star Game) so it has seemed that Maddux has been out of the public spotlight, despite still pitching, and winning (20 straight years of 13 or more wins).

Well they got the countdown back on their official Game Notes, but tonight's is quite infuriating, some suit from Bermuda Tourism! Couple of things; Tonight is ASIAN heritage night (and the first of the Heritage dates for 2008) One would think the tourism board for anywhere in the Far East from Macau to Japan would provide the corporate tie-in! Second, it infuriates me to think that the Cardinals threw in some opponents whenever they didn't have a current Red Bird or a Red Bird from the past do the flipping. For instance JUNIOR GRIFFEY did it one series when the Reds were in town. It would have been neat to see good old JB pull down a number, representing the Big Red Machine that the Mets defeated in 73. Okay, we are playing the Nationals tonight so not much in the way of historic ties that are with the current Nat franchise (despite the members of the 2006 Mets on the roster and as the skipper) but come on, HAVE SOME FUN WITH THIS METS? Stop treating your fanbase as if they only started following the team in 2005! And this rant isn't just based on a silly countdown. This rant is for; the "Everybody Clap Your Hands" song, the 8th inning sing-a-long, the Pepsi Party Patrol shirt launch, the need to do silly, minor league-esque contests throughout the game, the fact that the Mets do what stupid gimmick MLB directs them to do, such as the idiotic campaigning for whomever is in second in the all star balloting, deserving or not, during the final week or so of the voting period (Call me a Yankee fan all you want, but they DO NOT do that at Yankee Stadium) "Who Let The Dogs Out" and the Baja Men playing on the field before Game 3 of the 2000 World Series. Not to mention that certain people (Randolph for example) seem to want to label the "real fans" as the ones who buy into all this nonsense because they are the ones actually cheering despite the quality on the field, clapping the hands, playing along with whatever insipid thing the Mets are throwing at them, singing along to whatever dreck is played in the 8th inning and such. Somewhere in the late 1990s, probably whenever David Howard took over as the Mets marketing guy, this franchise just became bush in terms of how they've treated their fanbase. Rather than treating the fans as knowledgeable about the history of the franchise as a whole, they've only lived in the here and now, and act as if 1969 and 1986 are the ONLY years worth a damn (Yes I know there aren't that many other years but still, lets not act like the only years worth noting are the world championship seasons). To that end, they treat the fans as if they are nothing but johnny come latelys. You know, we Met fans, Red Sox fans, and other Yankee haters love to crack jokes about how a good portion of Yankee fans became Yankee fans after 1996 (obviously not counting youngsters who just started watching baseball around that time) but you know what, there really is a core of Yankee fans who DO care about history and tradition. There are Yankee fans who can tell you Roberto Kelly was traded for Paul O'Neill and that Jay Buhner for Ken Phelps was one of the worse deals in recent times. There are Yankee fans that use the names Kevin Mass and Horace Clarke as badges of courage, as in "Hey I rooted for them when they stunk" and the Yankees marketing staff GET THAT, and they treat their fans accordingly. The Mets are sorely lacking in this regard, no wonder the Mets and their fans seem to get laughed at by morons like Colin Cowherd of ESPN Radio.

Just check the archives in one of the best blogs on the internet for The Countdown Like It Ought To Be.[/url:1k7lchjz] Run by guys who understand that a good segment of the fan base care deeply about nostalgia, and aren't the johnny come latelys that the Mets PR staff treats the fanbase as!

It's official, I give up. If the Mets are not going to bother updating this silly thing (which is how they seem to be treating it the whole time, even the MFY who don't bother putting it in their official game notes are treating it like it's something that deserves SOME thought to be put into it) in their game notes, or even uploading their Saturday game notes onto the pressbox.mlb.com's website (which is astounding considering that credentialed members of the press use that portal) then I'm not bothering to update this fun little thread.

Okay who were the two suits that did it for today's double dip? Was snacking in the Diamond Club during the pre game of game 2

On the dugout, some heckler yelled at Griffey that he should be here at Shea as a Met! Best line of the night so far

Got a sparse crowd here at Shea. Guess peeps didn't hear the news or couldn't make it the next day

Marty Noble, like Greg and Jace, GETS IT![/url:2vtlzxk8]

Today its is apparently some suit from Primeo Italian Sausage. They are the sponsor of tonight's soda cup night. Stuff like this makes me want to discontinue this thread!

From Court TV, Matay v. Disneyland

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Do you guys know what clip I wanted to show? Mr. Redleg -- their live action, vaguely Mr. Met-liike mascot, falls off a cart on the warning track and his head pops off. It's completely awesome. Would not be shocked if you hear of lawsuits against the Reds from parents of "traumatized" kids that sometimes you hear about when some kid goes off the track and sees Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck with their head off, bumming a cigarette or something else mundane at Disney Land.

You want me to post from Shea tomorrow night Edgy?

Bump for the start of the homestand tomorrow Date 4/30 Opponent Pirates Number Removed 60 Remover Mr. Met and Cyber Chasers (some kid's cartoon whatever) FaithAndFearInFlushing.com's Countdown Like It Ought To Be's Remover In honor of the Fog Game May 25th 1979 (a 3-3 tie against the Pirates), Jim Rooker, Mike Easler, Skip Lockwood, Joel Youngblood

Benjamin Grimm wrote: What's really amazing is that there are only four teams left in the NL that can be said to have "old" stadiums. Cubs, Dodgers, Mets, and Marlins. Are we looking ahead to a time when only the Cubs, Dodgers, and Red Sox have parks that were built before 1990? (Am I missing anyone? Maybe Toronto... do they have a new ballpark on the horizon?) I haven't seen anything about Toronto. I know Minny has one coming in a couple of years. Also in this area the Islanders are due for a new stadium as well. No clue about the Nets, looks like that situation is up in the air, but pretty soon just MSG will be the only place in the NYC metro area (counting the Meadowlands, Newark and LI) that will be built before 2009!

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Those lamenting the loss of Knight prolly also forgot how rotten he could be. I mean, he was Stinky McSuck in 85 Over the course of the rest of the 21 years since the lament from WFAN callers morphed from the specific to "that type of player" as if they hadn't noticed that those players just weren't anything special, and generally that type of team is good for a flukish year (1993 Phillies) rather than a dynastic team that those callers were begging for.

Oversaturation of new ballparks probably did in the new ballpark "spike" just as much as the quality of the teams in said new ballparks.

Does this mean the big ass sign next to DiamondVision will be changed? Hard to believe something at Shea will be changed so soon before its demise though. Not sure if the radio promotion is still going on (IIRC it was the home town home run inning), but "If a Met player hits the National Grid sign caller wins X amount of dollars..." doesn't resonate the same way as "If a Met player hits the Key Span sign..."

G-Fafif wrote: MFY Stadium Ninth Circle, HL 10451 Shouldn't that be 10666?

You can have Hughes and Kennedy! Note to self, NEVER pick Yankees and expect to deal them off to the Yankee fans in your league...ESPECIALLY if you ask for Albert Pujols!

G-Fafif wrote: ="batmagadanleadoff"]There was also a companion subway ad from that season promising Met fans all sorts of wonderful things that Swan, Falcone, Zachry and Scott were gonna do to the rest of the league. Bring your kids to see George Bamberger wince. Wasn't that also the ad campaign used in 1977 after the Midnight Massacre?

batmagadanleadoff wrote: ="SteveJRogers"]To give her some benefit of the doubt, this was in 1996 we are talking about. Rodriguez was [yada yada yada yada.] I'd rather go with my stupid little joke than give ol Cynthia the benefit of the doubt. What do you say? To quote FK/LF never let facts get in the way of a good opinion!