stevejrogers

Willets Point wrote: No fan of a team that has been in the playoffs for 11 years and counting can be said to have suffered. Unless they have leukemia or were illegally locked in prison or something. Yup. And if there really was someone who actually SAID that, go ask a Yankee fan about 79-95 or from 65-76, this isn't as bad as those stretches. Say nothing about other teams' prolonged slumps without a championship.

Lets compare, which "Generation K" group ended up the worse for wear? Our Gen K? While none of the three ever produced seasons like both Wood's and Prior's respective first season, I'm going to say the Cubbies pair have come out worse for wear based on Wilson sticking around for a while and Izzy earning a rep as one of the better closers in the business

I would like...to feed your fingertips...to the wolverines

"I'm the best there is at what I do"-Wolverine

Steve Phillips

Fine, Derek Jeter is Joe DiMaggio's personae with Mickey Mantle's and Don Mattingly's teflon popularity

Yancy Street Gang wrote: I was thinking he meant Alex Rodriguez. And maybe that's the fate of anyone who tries to be a wholesome and handsome icon in New York City these days. Can David Wright continue his gee-whiz personna without being exposed as a phony like Rodriguez has? You know, the more I think about it, the better that old "24 and 1 Guy" cop-out by the Wilpons SHOULD be put in that "Best moves are the ones you DONT make" category. Despite all the BS about Boras saying all that garbarge was just a negotiation ploy (none of it materialized in Texas, or in New York) or any sort of conspiracy theory you want to use (Fred's partners backing out of buying out Nelson's share and no ARod means cheaper Mets, ect) can you IMAGINE how bad it would be if HE was a Met starting in 2001? It would probably be worse than it is with him as a Yankee because the image would be that he was brought in TO win, never mind that Hampton would have left anyway therefore leaving us with no viable ace (Leiter was never an ace lets be fair) and a closer who still was undependable in October. Saying nothing if we sent Reyes somewhere and he performed well while we got back, oh say Roberto Alomar circa 2002. The poor guy would have been crushed. Can you imagine if HE hit the famous first game back after 9-11 game homer instead of Piazza? Somehow he would have mucked it up with some comment afterwards that would come off sounding self-agrandizing. Ah hell, what IF he did nothing in terms of HRs and Piazza STILL hit that homer. This was still Piazza's city and this was still his team, ARod would have been considered an afterthought, or at least thought of as less than Mike Piazza. There is no doubt that if he actually did sign, much like Bobby Bonilla he'd be long gone after only a few years.

seawolf17 wrote: Yeah, good point. I just wonder if Wright will eventually engender the anti-NY animosity that Cap'n Intangibles gets? Hopefully not until he wins four rings as a Met, in which case I don't give a rat's ass how much non-NY animosity he gets. You know, why can't Wright be our "Normal" Yankee Captain Template? The Don Mattingly, Thurman Munson, Lou Gehrig, hell even Graig Nettles, Willie Randolph and Ron Guidry were all THAT Captain type. You know, that soft spoken but gruff leader in the clubhouse, or the guy everyone looks to in the sea of chaos and the guy you KNOW has his teamates back. Something lacking in Cap'n Intangibles, but what 5 of the aforementioned fellows did have. (Lou was way too icy to Babe, even more so than Thurman was to Reggie, hell, maybe THAT part of Lou's template Jeter IS following) Donnie Baseball WAS the King of New York, he DID commericals, but you know what, HE WASNT OUT ON THE FREAKING TOWN! He went home to his wife and kids every night. Oh sure he was everywhere, but he never let it affect what mattered most. HITTING and playing baseball and being on a winning team. THATS what a superstar in this town SHOULD be. Notice also that the MFY decline actually ALSO coincided with Mattingly's back problems? Hmmm. Oh sure the pitching was pure crap and the managers in-and-out sure didn't help, but an 84-88 Mattingly on the 90-92 Yankees? Maybe they wouldn't have enough to hang with the Bluejays, but they wouldn't be as hiddeous as they were. Mattingly also doesn't have that anti-ness that Jeter has, that I am worried about Wright having. No one has ever called into question Mattingly's man-hood, or even suggested that he puts alittle mustard for the TV cameras. THATS the star Wright SHOULD emulate. Not Jeter. Not Jeter, not the Tiger Woods/Michael Jordan post 80's athlete. Not this manby-pamby cookie cutter "rock-star" with the quotes that give just enough to say nothing but to make the reporter think you are giving them something. Woods is so bad at this, he's become a joke on a national radio show where they air "soundbites" that sound so automated that they came from a broken record: "The golf course looks good, my golf swing feels good, I like my chances." Thats pretty much par the course for the modern "celbrity-athlete" these days, ala Mr. Jeter. What truely does amaze me, is that the MFY fan that grew up loving Thurman, Mattingly, Nettles, Randolph, ect, hell even Mantle's fans should HATE a guy like Derek Sanderson Jeter with every freaking fiber of their being, but they don't, and not because they've drunken the Kool-Aid, but its because there isn't the Anti-Jeter on that Yankee team now. There are no more Paul O'Neills or Tino Martinez to glom the old Munson/Mattingly love, now they've pretty much tried to make a team of all Derek Jeters. Oh sure they've tried with Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon and Gary Sheffield, but Giambi and Damon "converted" and Sheffield was so much of a liability he had to be traded! If there ever comes a time in the next couple of years where a MFY comes up and is alot like a Munson/Mattingly type and actually challenges that jerkwad at shortstop's reign, I'd love to see the war in that locker room! In short, yeah I'm worried that Wright is going to be Jeter-esque. Hell Ripken had his share of detractors as well, especially the fights he had about moving back to third and the fact that the streak consumed everything about him. Can he just BE!

Yancy Street Gang wrote: Gary Carter pretty much got away with it, but not without a lot of people rolling their eyes at him. Maybe it's because Carter acted like a phony but he had enough goofiness to him that it was possible that he was sincere in his phoniness. (Meaning he acted like a phony, but he really was the person that phonies pretend to be, so he was therefore sincere.) Carter also got away with it, well especially where he played, because he played like a grinder behind the plate and he was always playing through something True it does come with the territory of being a catcher and all, but still, he got the perception of being a "Gamer" Not to mention a little bloop single Carter had this one time in October of 1986

This is the what the 2007 David Wright Topps Base card looks like. I like the "intent" of throwing back, but its still on the bit much side, especially with the silver action going on

This book would be a great primer, though it also lists stuff that is tangibly associated with baseball and related events, like the hotel where the 1919 World Series fix was concoted, final resting places and birth places, ect Though reading the reviews on Amazon, seems like Reisler has a little Cosmo Kramer in his descriptions (And of course this is Central Park which was...built by...Joe Pepitone!)

A few years from now: My nephew: Uncle Steve, why are we looking at a Con Ed building? SJR: Because this is another stop on the history of baseball in NYC tour. The LA Dodgers played here a century ago. Next stop, the site where Ebbets Field stood! Then the Original Nathans...

Couple of Moneyballers in their younger days. Thats J.P. Ricciardi, current Blue Jay GM wearing #18 Trying to track down a pic of Beane and Phillips, either back then or in Phillips' GM days, just to do a good caption of Beane trying to rip Phillips off!

Hank Bauer SHOULD be in the HOF* *applying the MFY logic that would put Paul O'Neill in because he was a damn fine complimentary player on multiple championship teams but is often described as a main part of the "heart and soul" of said run. In all seriousness, the Yankees should have honored him in some form, using the Guidry/Martin/Rizzuto/Howard/Munson standard of retiring numbers and/or putting plaques in Monument Park

Tell you what, Barry kind of looks like David Wright in this card

Yancy Street Gang wrote: As I've said many times before, he's our Cal Ripken. I would use another SS for the comparision, but I think A) I've gotten too much flack for that kind of talk and there is evidence to the contrary = In all seriousness, that seems to be a very fair comparision. We probably haven't had this kind of "model citizen" come up like this to be such a mega star since a fellow named Tom some 40 years ago now

Edgy DC wrote: Not a lot of fine Mark Clark pictures out there. If we ever get to him in the inneresting pics thread (which reminds me, I have to scour my yearbooks/programs/card collection for more pics. I do have an interesting (well probably for me personally anyway) one for Yogi Berra) I'm sure I can come up with something. Hey I was just stopping by Mets By The Numbers and he's the only one there and JD had a pic allready for the swiping! =

Apropros of nothing, but Lee's look and the fact it's in Juarez, this lyric jumps to mind "Early one mornin' while makin' the rounds Took a shot of cocaine and I shot my woman down Went right home and I went to bed I stuck that lovin' 44 beneath my head Got up next mornin' and I grabbed that gun took a shot of cocaine and away I run Made a good run but I run too slow they overtook me down in Juarez Mexico,,," -"Cocaine Blues" Johnny Cash

Zambrano going North of The Border ]Extra bases The Mets' Carlos Delgado, who also appeared at the Munson Dinner, said that he had been cleared to hit. Delgado is recovering from left elbow surgery. Rich Gossage, also at the dinner, said that he would be a Yankees spring training instructor. Gossage had not been in Yankees camp for the past five years, at first leaving for the Rockies, then spending the past couple of years at home. Former Met Victor Zambrano signed a minor-league deal with Toronto. Zambrano had been negotiating with the Mets, as well. No word yet if Jays pitching coach Brad Arnsberg made any 10 minute declarations!

G-Fafif wrote: Didn't hear it, but I know Lenny Dykstra was on the FAN a month or two ago ripping Joe Mac. Not sure if that should be treated as damning evidence against McIlvaine or a tacit endorsement of his judgment. Like most people are it seems these days with the Kazmir deal, they decide it wasn't the main guy pulling the trigger (Duquette and Cashen) but blame an underling or someone who you think has more influence over certain things than they should While Joe Mac was Cashen's talent guy, he wasn't the ultimate decision maker

Ex Met GM Bing Devine at the age of 90

Yancy Street Gang wrote: think Mookie Wilson had to wear 51 because (somebody) was wearing 1 at the time. 1-Dawg, Lance Johnson They actually switched one day when Mookie was inducted into the Mets HOF in 1996

RealityChuck wrote: So he doesn't understand that money trumps everything else for free agents? Sure location and city is a factor, but once the Giants' offer was on the table, Zito would have had to be an idiot not to pick it up. Yup. This wasn't ARod or Vlad where crazy conspiracy theorists can latch onto an angle. The Giants put crazy money for crazy years on the table the Mets DECIDED (not Zito) that it wasn't worth toping