MFS62

Benjamin Grimm wrote: attgig wrote: metirish wrote: Are immigrants like me still welcome here? is this server in Arizona? Believe it or not, it's in Idaho. I knew that color blue at the top of the page looked familliar - it was left over from the football field at Boise State. Later

More ace matchups from the Rubin blog on ESPN: ******************************************************** "The history of ace-versus-ace in Metsdom dates back to the earliest days of the team. Roger Craig was initially the Mets top pitcher, but Al Jackson evolved into their best big-game performer, at least in terms of the kinds of big games that a team that lost 100-plus every year could have. Jackson�s best claim to acehood came in his ability to match up with St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson, whom he twice beat, 1-0, including once in the final days of a frantic 1964 pennant race. In the 1970s, the preeminent matchup of aces pitted Tom Seaver against fellow future Hall of Famer Steve Carlton, and Seaver got the better of that pairing on just about every occasion. When Seaver was a Met and Carlton was with the Phillies, the two met eight times. Seaver posted six wins and two no-decisions. That�s partly how the Mets beat Carlton 36 times, more than they beat any other pitcher. Flash forward to the 1980s and the Dwight Gooden era, in which some of his most famous matchups were with Dodgers ace Fernando Valenzuela. They met six times from 1984 to 1989 and Gooden rose to the challenge. In those six starts, five of which came when Gooden was in his first two seasons in the majors, he was 3-1 with a 1.47 ERA, 57 strikeouts and seven walks. Valenzuela couldn�t even beat Gooden on a day in which he pitched 11 shutout innings against the Mets (he settled for a no-decision in a 2-0 loss on September 6, 1985). With the Mets' fade in the early 1990s, they spent much of the decade lacking an ace pitcher with any staying power. One didn�t really arrive until Al Leiter came in a trade prior to the 1998 season. From 1998 to 2004, when the Braves dominated the Mets, Leiter was the one pitcher who regularly gave them a chance to win against Atlanta. He went 9-8 against the Braves, who basically threw an ace against them almost every time out. In the rest of the games, the Mets were 34-62. Braves co-ace Greg Maddux went 12-4 as a starter against the Mets in that span. Cohort Tom Glavine, before departing Atlanta, was 7-3. John Smoltz, who battled through injuries and also worked in the bullpen (where he saved 24 straight against the Mets) was 4-1 as a starter in the regular season. The best ace-ace matchup of recent Mets vintage was the one that produced Willie Randolph�s first win as Mets manager on April 10, 2005. Smoltz and new Met Pedro Martinez dueled to a 1-0 score through seven innings before the Mets broke through on a go-ahead home run by Carlos Beltran on the way to an eventual 6-1 win. Smoltz finished with 15 strikeouts in defeat. Martinez had perhaps his best start as a Met, a nine-strikeout two-hitter. Expecting Halladay-Pelfrey to live up to that kind of matchup might be too much to ask, but given the way things have gone for the Mets these days, it�s starting to seem like the improbable is becoming much more possible." ******************************************************** I remember those Jackson-Gibson duels, as well as some dandy ones Al had against Jim Maloney. Later

Any KTE that has a Mason Verger reference gets my attention. The one that includes his picture gets my rapt attention. But this entire KTE deserves, and gets, my BOC nomination. And if any of you haven't nominated it yet, its a fucking* shame! Later * = I couldn't resist

Thank you both for the quick responses. Either way, I can now exhale. Later

Driving home, listening to the post game Buffalo show, and the guy said that Frenchy was taken out of the Mets game "because of an injury". Then I get home and see the Mets box score and see he was replaced by GMJ and cringe. What happened? How serious was it? Was this just a one game thing? Some good news, please! No, I do not want to be the Buffalo correspondent. The radio station only comes in on my car radio, and only occasionally. Later

Just saw this thread. A few comments: Mole, the first major league game I attended was in 1949. I was six. I like the four man rotation, too. Why are managers pulling pitchers who are pitching a good game? That's the key. One reason I haven't noticed in the thread is the development of the "relief specialist". When Jim Konstanty pitched in 70 or so games in 1950, it was unheard of at the time. Up to that time, starters were supposed to pitch complete games. They were relieved only if they weren't pitching well, or if the manager needed to pinch hit for them. (That many pitchers were very good hitters in those days is maybe the subject of another thread.) Relief pitchers were guys (according to Jim Brosnan and other writers of the time) who couldn't make it as a starter, coming back from injury or were at the ends of their careers. But the complete game vs relievers arguement since then is to me a chicken/egg problem. Are the managers using relievers because the pitchers aren't being given the chance to pitch more innings? Players used to spend up to 7 years before they became major league regulars (4 in the minors before having to be added to the major league rosters, then three option years). They were more mature when finally being asked to become major league starters, and probably stronger. able to carry the work load. Now, pitchers may be younger and not as developed. There were relievers used in the past as closers. One writer made a comment that Whitey Ford should pay Luis Arroyo 2/9 of his salary, since Whitey only pitched seven innings, and Luis pitched the final two. But it was, IIRC, Tony LaRussa who was the first manager to use "situational relievers". That was really the beginning of what we see today. Are the current starters "pussies"? The game has changed. Being "strong up the middle" meant defensively. Teams carried catchers, second basemen, shortstops, and in some cases centerfielders (Bobby del Greco, Bill Virdon, Bill Tuttle - type players) for their gloves and any offense they provided was considered a plus. Nowadays, those positions also provide offensive skills. Add in that silly AL rule, and pitchers have to work harder through the lineup. Its not just that hitters may or may not be better. Its just that there are more of them in the lineups. Its tougher. But, to agree with Edgy, if a pitcher is doing OK, there should be no reason to pull him out of the game. I find it interesting that the managers who say they are doing that to protect the starter's arms fail to mention the effect on the arms in the bullpen. Sorry if I rambled. After all, I AM an old man. Later

A knuckleballer with no walks is the thing that jumped out at me. I wonder how much Thole enjoys catching him? Its a crash course for a young receiver trying to hone his catching skills. Of course, if there are no baserunners, there can't be any passed balls. Later

themetfairy wrote: Do you believe in curses? I was thinking the same thing. First the photo. Then Posada hurts his knee, and is "day-to-day". Next? Please keep the SI photog faaaaaarrrrrrrrrrr away from the Mets. Later

TransMonk wrote: Who hates the Indians? And why? I never heard about this survey while it was going on. Could be it was mentioned in some local newspapers and a lot of fans took it as a chance to voice their displeasure with the current teams. No mention of sample size or methodology, though. Chalk it up to "who cares?". Later

E is for effort And I have to say The result that you got Earns you an "A". Later

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Amf7.OMlxk6d3J1TFtK6dm4RvLYF?slug=ap-all-starchanges The DH? Players re-entering the game? What is this, slow pitch softball? Why don't they just do away with the game, and just have a full squad home run derby? Fie on you, Bud Selig. Fie! Later

Here's my list: Fastball - Nolan Ryan -"Von Ryan's Express" Curve ball - Doc Slider - David Cone - his "Laredo" pitch to righty batters was a sidearm slider Sinker (or two seam fast ball) - Pelfrey Split finger fast ball (or fork ball) - Roger Craig - he taught it to pitchers on other teams after he left the Mets - fucker Screw ball (not personality, type of pitch, but in some cases, could be the same person) _Tug fit both descriptions Change up - Santana Knuckleball - Tom Sturdivant Spitball (yeah, I know) - Well, McDowell was accused of having a tool belt to doctor the ball. So I'd guess he had something liquid in it. Another one: Gopher ball - Mark "Boom Boom" Bomback didn't get that nickname by accident. Other pitches I recall, but don't remember any Mets tossing them: Bat Shard Ball- Roger Clemens The "Cut the ball with your wedding ring" ball - Whitey Ford Later

I'm waiting for him to describe a 450' home run by Ike Davis as a "seeing eye homer". Later

Here's a list of the pitches that have been thrown over the years. Who is the past or present Met pitcher you most associate with those pitches (if any)? Fastball Curve ball Slider Sinker (or two seam fast ball) Split finger fast ball (or fork ball) Screw ball (not personality, type of pitch, but in some cases, could be the same person) Change up Knuckleball Spitball (yeah, I know) Please feel free to add any I might have missed. Later

soupcan wrote: MFS62 wrote: Jeter would never do it because he'd be afraid of losing his gerbil. Later I've been trying but I just don't get this? Is it a gay-Richard-Gere thing? Yes. Later

From Mets Inside Pitch: Wilmer Flores went off this week when he knocked in 13 runs in the span of four nights. He finished the week with a 9 game hit streak and a double in four consecutive games. Flores is now tied with two others for second place in the Sally League with 16 RBI. Eleven of his hits have gone for extra bases (two HR, 9 doubles). Later

For those of you who may have never seen him, the guy in the Daily News picture right in front of the President, and under the face of Jeter, is Jon Sterling. Why he is there, in the front row, is scary. Later

Yep. He appears to be the whole package. Later

I've been trying hard to forget it, but it has forced its way into my consiousness and then to this thread. Listening to a WCBS radio sports report a while ago, I heard Sterling call a home run by Curtis Granderson by singing "The Grandy Man can, The Grandy Man can". There. It is now out of me. Now maybe I can forget it. Later

From his Braves days, and the early "who's best" (vs Jose Reyes) arguements with Braves fans, I still call him Rafael Fecal. Later

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: (Suffice it to say that that's a double-Jenny-Lopez-sized "but.") Some guys are always thinking with their Anaconda. Later

He received an intentional BB with runners on 1st and 3rd. He had already driven in 13 runs in the 1st 3 games of this series. Later

I'd like to see the IP/ start improve. Later

Jeter would never do it because he'd be afraid of losing his gerbil. Later

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: So... Nick Evans can hit AA pitching, it seems. Lutz plays first? (Now THERE's a bat for which they need to find a place.) My kid is listed ar 6'1", 220 pounds. The first is a stretch, the second is a contraction. First, or maybe left field, may be his only spot. Later