MFS62

Then in how many games does a player have to wear a glove before he crosses the border? Martinez' 3 - 4 seasons is too few IMO. It is less than half of the 10 year eligibility required for the Hall. And I feel if you let him in, it is (channelling Law and Order here) a "slippery slope". Frank Thomas will be a more interesting case because he at least tried to play a position (some would say horrifically, if there is such a word) for most of his career. Later

BTW - I heard on one of the NY sports radio stations (don't remember which) that Bay passed his physical and there's a press conference to announce the signing tomorrow morning. Later

And not for Dawson (he was a "very good player" but not HOF to me.) And not for Edgar. If he had only worn a glove for a substantial part of his career, as Edgy mentioned, I would feel better about voting for him. But by not playing a position, he also avoided a potential (career-ending) injury that would have reduced his numbers by who knows how many. (See: Fosse, Ray and Reiser, Pete) I also remember when Bill Veeck signed HArold Baines, he called him "Hall of Fame" Baines. It was a case of premature evaluation. A no from me. Later

Good goin', Ben. I could look at that hyphenated honey all day. Later

One of the guys on WFAN yesterday, taling about Gammons' "Beiruit" quote (Evan Roberts?) said that Boston sportswriters have a history of trashing any Red Sock who goes to New York. He said they did it with Boggs, Damon and now Bay (he said "among others', but probably those were the only ones he could think of). The writers say the players are "over the hill", "not that good", etc. So, maybe Buckley is just following a fine Boston tradition. Later

I votes won't survive the season. If he continues to make baserunning mistakes, the fans will lynch him - literally. He's the perfect example of why baseball should institute the designated thinker. Later

I wonder if they took into account the home runs that travelled 315 - 379 feet at Fenway (LF iline to left center) that were stopped by the seats above the high wall (maybe another 40 feet). I'm thinkin' that may have shortened the distances they used. Also- what about the line drives that hit high off the wall that might have gone out in a deeper park with shorter walls? Just wonderin'. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Later

Tough choice. I voted Keith. BTW- could you find the pictures of Dwight with the numbers under it? Later

What about Castillo and Ollie for Zambrano? Zambrano makes 18 per. Ollie and Castillo make a combined 18 per, however the Mets kick in $12-18 million of cash for the first two years. Zambrano is signed through 2012 with an option for 2013. Chicago needs a second baseman and they hope Ollie rebounds with his knee healed. However, they're rid of Zambrano's contract. Instead of paying $56 and change over three years, they pay $18 over two. If they get any production, it�s a complete win for them. The Mets basically get a pitcher for $9.75 million a year for two years and then $18.75 for the last year. However, they have no Ollie and Castillo in that time. Maybe its time to start the 2010 WATP thread. Later

Kirk is FK's adopted kid. I feel certain that the prospect we now know as Captain Kirk will become a real Dutch Treat. Later

While we're awaiting the official Bay signing, let's not forget to wish a hale and hearty FUCK YOU to Peter Gammons for writing the Bay would rather go to Beiruit than to the Mets. (linked somewhere else in the forum) Later

I'm guessing it will be something about the WFAN coverage of the team. Maybe a new voice in the radio booth bracketing or during games. Or, (and it is being presented as an "update") the Mets are out of the hunt for Bay. Later

Now that you mention it, I think you're right. Also about: "We are pursuing Matt Holliday," Minaya said. I would like to take this opportunity to announce that I am pursuing Angelina Jolie. Unfortunitely, I think Omar and I will have the same degree of success. Later

Joel Sheehan at BP has a great post up about the Mets and what he thinks they should do this off-season. It's a subscription site, so I can only post a few snippets: "With so many suitors finding other answers, both Jason Bay and Matt Holliday are still available, and presumably at a price that gets a little better every day. I've recommended staying away from both, as both are declining stocks, good-but-not-great players likely to be overpaid because of their status as the top guys in a weak year. The Mets, however, are a special case, a big-market club with some money to spend, a core that would allow either player to be the fifth-best on the team, and a short time horizon. For the Mets, Matt Holliday could make sense, as he's a gap-to-gap hitter who should play well in Citi Field, he's good enough defensively to cover ground in those same gaps, and he fits within the payroll parameters. Bay would likely be less expensive and require a shorter commitment, but his defensive issues would give back a lot of the offense he provides. This will be the first time I've recommended this for anyone, but the Mets should sign Matt Holliday for up to $18 million per season on up to a five-year deal. They'll be hurting a little on the back end of that, but the improvement over Murphy or Pagan (who is a strong fourth outfielder, and probably better than Francoeur) in the short term is worth that. The Mets have to fix their offense before they fix their pitching. They should be spending their money on bats, rather than on starters, and given the high-risk pitching that's out there, money spent on Joel Pineiro or Jon Garland or Jarrod Washburn doesn't change things for them, it just adds the type of pitcher they already have but with more recent success. The Mets needed a John Lackey, someone to be a clear second starter between Johan Santana and the rest of the field, and there was exactly one John Lackey available this season. A move for a high-upside player, such as Ben Sheets or Erik Bedard, would make more sense for them, while allowing them to stay in the market for hitters." His take on Molina: "Signing Bengie Molina wasn't going to help things. The Mets, in fact, got a player who provides 90 percent of Molina's value when they signed Henry Blanco to a one-year, $750,000 contract. Blanco has a legitimate cannon behind the plate and he hits left-handed pitching well enough to carry that half of a platoon. Moreover, there's little temptation to bat him high in the lineup or give him a bigger job than that. Molina's inflated RBI counts hide the fact that he's an offense-killer, posting a sub-.300 OBP in two of the previous three seasons. He's also one of the slowest men in the game, and not a particularly good defensive catcher. To sign him and bat him sixth in 125 games would make the Mets actively worse. What they need is a lefty bat to pair with Blanco; I'm open to the idea that Josh Thole can be that player, but Thole has to hit .290 to play and it's an open question whether his Mike LaValliere act will carry forward to the majors. Josh Bard, who can't throw and might hit, could serve as a stopgap while Thole spends two months at Buffalo, but the real key here is to avoid signing Bengie Molina. It would be wasted money." There's much, much more. It's a great read, and I highly recommend subscribing if you don't already. I think his use of the past tense when talking about a Molina signing is kind of interesting, like he considered it to have been a done deal by the time the article would be published. Later

I remember. <--------------- Later

Nice. Later

Umpires, MLB agree on deal Associated Press NEW YORK -- Major League Baseball and its umpires have reached an agreement on a five-year labor contract running through December 2014. The sides worked into Tuesday evening to reach the deal and announced it Wednesday morning. Owners and the World Umpires Association hope to ratify the agreement next month. Owners meet Jan. 14 in Scottsdale, Ariz., and the umpires hold their annual gathering a few days later. Management has been seeking to gain increased flexibility on postseason assignments as part of the agreement, which could allow umpires to work the World Series in consecutive seasons. Following a series of missed calls during the playoffs, MLB went with an all veteran crew of six umpires in this year's World Series. This marks the second straight agreement between the sides reached without acrimony. In September 1999, 22 umpires lost their jobs as part of a failed mass resignation ahead of bargaining. Half of them were eventually rehired. Joe West, rehired in 2002, replaced John Hirschbeck as WUA president in February. The WUA took over as the bargaining representative before the 2000 season, replacing Richie Phillips' Major League Umpires Association, which was headed by Jerry Crawford. Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press ___________________________________________________________________________ If there isn't a clause that bans Angel Hernandez for life, I don't like it. LAter