MFS62

Among all the colorful nicknames, I forgot to mention the manager of the team - "Irish" Danny Murtaugh. I don't recall ever hearing his name without the nickname. And I didn't notice the nickname in his Wikepedia bio(may have missed it). So I searced, and this is what I found: http://dannymurtaughbook.com/ "Irish" Danny it is. Later

His return may take longer than as has been reported. From Adam Rubin's ESPN blog: Dr. Jonathan Glashow, an orthopedic surgeon and co-chief of sports medicine at New York�s Mount Sinai Medical Center, who formerly worked as a New York Rangers team doctor, offered his insights on anterior capsule tears. That�s the injury that Johan Santana will require surgery to repair. Glashow believes Santana may have difficulty going full throttle at the beginning of next season, even under the best-case scenario. And if doctors find rotator cuff damage when they go inside, the prognosis gets significantly worse. What are the main points to make about anterior capsule tears? �You can kind of think of the anterior capsule as the front ligaments of the shoulder. The ligaments are just really thickenings of the capsule. And it sounds like from what I�ve just briefly read about this, the ligaments are stretched. I don�t know if he�s got a damaged labrum. The big distinction here, and the important distinction, is whether the rotator cuff is involved. If it�s simply the capsule, plus or minus the labrum to a small degree, his return is much more predictable and quick. If his cuff is damaged more than they think -- and you may say, 'Well, they have an MRI,' but MRIs are less than perfect -- then I think there�s a big question mark whether he comes back at the same level and how long it takes him to come back. Some MRIs are better than others. And even in the best-case scenario, it�s never until you look inside that you know exactly. The question is not going to be fully answered until somebody looks in there and says, �Hey, his cuff is fine. Great. It�s maybe five or six months.� Or, if it�s more of a cuff issue, that�s a significantly longer problem and less predictable.� How does this happen? �It�s not so uncommon in my experience. It�s an overload injury. It�s the repetitive throwing that causes that rip in the capsule as opposed to one dramatic episode like a fall on an outstretched arm that may cause a dislocation and a big labral tear. It�s probably a repetitive thing that happens due to the constant forces on the shoulder -- wear and tear with some accentuations by recent throwing. The distinction whether it�s just capsule, or whether it�s capsule and labrum, I don�t think that makes a big difference. The big difference comes in how much of the cuff is involved. If the cuff is not really involved, quicker rehab, more predictable. If the cuff is involved, slower and less predictable. And then there�s the degrees of that. Age is a little bit against him. He�s been throwing now for how many years at 31? That puts a lot of wear on the cuff and on the labrum. But if he gets it early enough, which it looks like they�re doing and they fix it, it�s not unheard of that he comes back in six months. I think before six months is going to be tough.� And six months to begin throwing? Or in competitive games? �Six months to throwing a ball. I think that�s the short side. That�s optimistic. That�s if it�s a minor capsular tear where they can sew it back, it�s a quick rehab and everything goes right -- no glitches. I think six months is very optimistic. I think the likelihood is greater than that. It could be up to two years. Certain shoulders take 18 to 24 months to mature, especially those with larger rotator cuff issues. But that does not seem like the case here. But he�s got a lot of wear and tear on his shoulder. I�m sure. All pitchers at his level have some damage to the cuff. And then when you shut down the shoulder for a little while, rehab is a big deal. For every couple of months it�s shut down, it takes a couple to three months to bring it back. So the rehab is going to be a really important part of his game -- that he�s doing the exact right rehab so he doesn�t let everything else atrophy, so when he starts to go out to throw, things that were not repaired are not shut down and come back quicker. There are a lot of question marks here. But certainly this season he�s out. I wouldn�t count on him being great for the beginning of next season. It could be theoretically nine, 10 months out, which would put him into early to the middle of the season next year. It�s not unreasonable to expect, if it�s a better scenario going inside and he does all the right rehab, that he comes back potentially at the same level. But it�s hard to predict. I�d rather have somebody who is younger and doesn�t have as many miles on his shoulder.� BIOGRAPHY: Dr. JONATHAN GLASHOW is an orthopedic surgeon and co-chief of sports medicine at New York�s Mount Sinai Medical Center and has been in private practice for 18 years. He specializes exclusively in shoulder and knee injuries including advanced arthroscopic all-inside ACL reconstruction, double-row suture bridge rotator cuff repairs, as well as state of the art techniques to repair labral, meniscal and condral injuries. Dr. Glashow acted as a medical media consultant for ESPN Sports and was a frequent guest on their morning sport commentary �Cold Pizza.� His guest appearances on news broadcasts include CBS World News Tonight and most recently on CNN Evening News with John Roberts for his expertise on the usage of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections for expediting the healing process of certain injuries. After receiving his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College, Dr. Glashow completed his residency at Lenox Hill Hospital in Orthopedic Surgery. He went on to earn subspecialty fellowship training in sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery at the Southern California Orthopedic Institute/UCLA in Los Angeles, followed by a traveling Shoulder Fellowship in London, Ontario, Canada, and the University of Texas at San Antonio. Oy! Later

Soon-to-be free agent Carl Crawford trying to audition for Angel Pagan's job? That reminded me of some of the past mental mistakes that Angel made that caused to you to scratch your head in bewilderment. Later

On the 50th anniversary of the Pirates' win over the Yankees in the 1960 World Series, I thought I'd provide a KTE on that team which I watched and rooted for. C -Smoky Burgess - the rotund lefty hitting catcher was one of the best hitters of his day, a fair receiver. He went on to set pincg-hitting records before he retired. 1B -Dick Stuart - "Dr. Strangeglove" - later a Met. Righty power hitter. As a fielder, well, he was a righty power hitter. 2B - Bill Mazeroski - Became a Hall of Fame second baseman, mainly for his glove. And it was richly deserved. He was so smooth that the ball never seemed to touch his hands on the DP pivot. Occasional power. At this point, I have to talk about Forbes Field. The left field line was 365' from home plate. To hit a home run down the line, the batter had to clear a high scoreboard (think Fenway Park). The scoreboard extended almost to left field power alley, where the home run distance was 406 feet. Hitting home runs there was a definite challenge. Center Field was 457 feet, so far that the batting practice screen was stored there during games because they felt it was so far away that it wouldn't interfere with balls hit during games. The right field foul line was about 300 feet, but there was a high screen in front of the pavillion that extended to right center. A much more reachable home run target. SS - Dick Groat - That year's MVP because he hit .325. An ex-Duke player, he had limited range but seemed to always be in the right position to field the ball. 3B - Don Hoak - in the off season he was a boxer, and he played third base that way - always battling. If there was a fight on the field, the smart players stood behind him. LF - Bob Skinner - Nicknamed Dog, and I never figured out why. Lefty hitter with decent power, not a gazelle, and was platooned with another lefty hitter, Jerry Lynch. Lynch was a lethal pinch hitter, and "Lynch in the Pinch" was often heard when my friends and I listened to Buc games on KDKA. CF -Bill Virdon - the lefty hitter was nicknamed "Quail" because of his quick start after a fly ball. He had a lot of ground to cover, and he covered it very well. Not a potent hitter, but good enough in the days when centerfield was considered a defensive position. RF - Roberto Clemente - "Arriba" - Hall of Fame rightty hitter with a cannon arm. And he liked to show it off. Constantly complained of aches and pains, but it didn't stop him from playing. Probably the best fielding right fielder I ever saw. And finished his career with exactly 3,000 hits. Was killed in a plane crash while ferrying needed supplies to earthquake victims in Latin America. BENCH - major subs: Gino Cimoli - Righty hitting outfielder with a good arm and not much power. Hal Smith - Righty platooned at catcher with Burgess. Not to be confused with the other Hal Smith, who also played in the majors during that time. Rocky Nelson - Lefty first baseman. I think the reason he was there was because baseball lore said you had to have a lefty first baseman on your roster. Dick Schofield - "Ducky" Light hitting shortstop, switch hitter. Later became a Met (or was that his son? All those Schofields looked, fielded, and batted alike). Joe Christopher _ Righty hitting outfielder - later became a Met. PITCHERS Bob Friend - Righty who was often accused of doctoring the baseball. Had a herky-jerky motion. Vern Law - "The Deacon" because he was a Mormon elder. Had a zillion kids, all of their first names began with "V". Never accused of doing anything with the ball except thrwing it well. Harvey Haddix - "The Kitten" because he had come up with the Cards while they still had Harry "The Cat" Bricheen. The lefty starter is probably best known for pitching 12 perfect innings against the Braves, only to lose in the 13 th. Wilmer "Vinegar Bend" Mizell - the prototypical "veteran lefty" starter that all teams seem to need. Joe Gibbon - hard throwing lefty middleman. Roy Face - ElRoy was the best reliever of his time. Threw the fork ball, threw it for strikes, and got a lot of ground balls that his infield turned into double plays. While he was a dominant reliever for a long pewriod of time, I still remember that Yankee broadcaster Mel Allen used to call him "Leroy". The other pitchers: Tom Cheney Bennie Daniels Fred Green Red Witt Paul Giel - an ex college football star who never was as good at baseball. Big bonus baby. Jim Umbricht Clem Labine - yeah, that one. Earl Francis Diomedes Olivo - Lefty reliever, a member of a baseball pitching family of which several reach ed the majors. His nickname was "Chi Chi". Don Gross Finally, while the Mets had a slogan (Let's Go Mets), the Pirates also had one. It was "Beat 'Em Bucs". And in 1960, beat 'em they did. Later

I find it interesting that two pitchers who give Warthen credit are two who have had to rely on him for mental support perhaps more than for the coaching of pitching mechanics. If he's that good with the mental aspects of coaching, would any coach have been able to better help Ollie Perez? Later

Frayed Knot wrote: Edgy DC wrote: I'm not sure what I'm typing anymore. I think one thing and another comes out my fingers. Is Gonzalez a Mormon? Only after he gets traded to Minnesota There have been several references to a Minnesota/ Mormon connection here over the last few days. What started it? ( newspaper/ internet story that somebody posted? A CPF-er comment?) Please provide a link. Thanks, Later

Although he has never managed, I think that somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind, Tim McCarver would like the chance to manage a major league club. Based on some of the things he has said, from positioning players on defense (e.g. - the third baseman should play in to cut down the angles rather than guarding the line in late innings) to moves on offense (e.g.- the hit and run vs the bunt), he certainaly would be different. I'm not sure if different = better, but it would be interesting to find out. Later

David wright, Mike Pelfrey and Jeff Wilpon visited a firehouse near ground zero in advance of the 9/11 ceremonies. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/2010/09/11/2010-09-11_new_york_mets_mike_pelfrey_david_wright_jeff_wilpon_visit_firehouse_adjacent_to_.html At least one of the fireman is a Mets fans. If you had a chance, what one thing would you say to/ ask each of them? Later

The Mets had to cancel their Ollie Perez giveaway day because none of the other team GMs bought tickets. Later

Now that we're talking about Backman and Forsythe, a little story. There have been some comments about how Backman has had his players bunt early in games, and this was likened to Manuel's strategy. Forsythe was a highly regarded draftee this year - a catcher who has the potential to become a power hitter. Earlier this year, Forsythe got off to a bad start, and looked like he was just trying to meet the ball, taking what we used to call "pitty-pat" swings. In a game a few weeks ago, Backman had Forsythe bunt in the third inning. It must have gotten the message across "If you're going to swing like a weak hitter, you'll be treated like a weak hitter". It apparently sunk in. Later in that game, Forsythe hit his first professional home run. And he's been hitting well ever since. Backman used that bunt for both the situational as well as the long term effect. To me, that shows a smart manager, trying figure out what will motivate a particular player and then doing it. When I read about that, it made me want Wally as the next manager of the Mets. Later

As has been noted, Beltran had visited the GIs with Wilpon at an earlier date. Beltran was absent this time because of a scheduling conflict. He was at a meeting for a high school he's building, THAT SCUMBAG!!!!! For Lennon to say Given the trio involved, it's not surprising that this became the mess that it did. is a cheap shot from a writer who apparently didn't do any research as to why Beltran couldn't attend. Later

TheOldMole wrote: Not much of a trivia question, but Chuck Bednarik, subject of the article above Ralph's, is most famous for what? He put such a hit on Jint pretty-boy Frank Gifford that it changed the way Gifford played for the rest of his career. He went from a running back who occasionally caught passes to mostly a pass catcher who only ran sideline routes so he wouldn't take a hit. Later

And I had hoped that Gee would be a Van Helsing to fight the virulent evil that is Vlad Harris. Later

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I wonder sometimes about how out-of-touch Gammons is, and how smug Adam Rubin's become, but it would be really big if the former is right and the latter is wrong since Gammo is saying Bobby is the man ... Sometimes listening to him, Gammons seems far out of touch, like he still thinks that Babe Ruth is still on the Red Sox (OK, an exaggeration, but you know what I mean). Then a bit of lucidity creeps into to his pronouncements. I'm never really sure which Gammons we're getting. But if he's right and its Bobby V, it certainly would fit Edgy's description of "something big". And I sure hope its not Torre Part Deux. Later

6) Dillon led all of AAA in strikeouts this season. He in fact set a new Buffalo Bisons record. When I heard the game during which he set the record, the announcers took care to say it was a modern Buffalo record. And that is what I posted here (in one of our threads about the Bisons) when he did that. I just did some checking. Buffalo was not in the International League from 1971-1997. This year, Gee finished with 165 Ks. But in 1968, a lefty named Steve Jones struck out 184 batters. http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=jones-005ste I didn't go back any farther than that. Later

Its a lot easier to root for the Braves without Chipper (and SF without Bonds and Baker). But I'd still prefer the Padres to win the NL West. Later

Wilmer, who just turned 19, had his best full year (at two A levels): http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=flores003wil He finally showed some consistent XB power that has come with his body developing. Later

Justin Turner had a 6 for 6 day for Buffalo in Sunday to finish his AAA season at .316. http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=turner001jus He's still 25 years old and plays second base. Seems to me the remaining games would be a good time to see what he could do in the majors for an extended period of time as they consider options for next year. Later

And, according to Mets blog, Gee will be the starting pitcher on Tuesday. Later

I can't wait to see the Roger Clemens syringe. Later

I can't wait for the callers to WFAN who say that the lineup is better without Wright and Reyes. Later

metsguyinmichigan wrote: .. and HoJo reassigned as roving minor league something. Like what? Your car isn't running well, and you take it to a mechanic. After he's done, the car runs worse than ever. Would you take your car back to that mechanic a few months later, even if the new symptoms are different than the first time? Please let him fade peacefully into the night, or do "something else" for some other organization. Later

I'm guessing Manuel and the coaches go and Omar gets moved to more of a player evaluation role. Don't know enough about what the role is for those VPs listed. And, who gets to fire the owner and his spawn? There are a number of us who wish we were in that position. Later

There must be a lot of work going into those charts. But, how is all that information about players, and years, long past going to help me as General Magager (the title of the thread)? But wasn't this thread was going to be about what we would do to make the club better? Later

She died in October, 1970, so at least she saw them win the super Bowl. Later