MFS62

He's 39, and hasn't played yet this year. Injury? I'll pass, thank you. Later

exactly, and I feel that jumping guys from AA straight to the majors is an example of that. I think there are some players at AA like Davis, Holt, Thole and Tejada who would benefit from some AAA seasoning. Of course, back to the issue, if those players show that they are ready for callup to NY, then it leaves Buffalo in the same situation. So, I guess I can come down strongly on both sides of ths one. Later

Omar spoke to reporters in Buffalo (down in the article): http://www.nypost.com/seven/08112009/sports/mets/jerry_cautious_with_sheff_183950.htm The fact that he said he is going to buy players to help the AAA team is troubling to me. Why not promote the prospects now in the organization? If I were a reporter I would have called him out on that. Later

="John Cougar Lunchbucket"]He said that farm director Adam Wogin was given Bernazard's responsibilities following the whacking but that ... wait for it ... "the entire hierarchy would be reevaluated after the season." If "entire heirarchy" includes ownership, I'm all for it. The only thing is, if Donald Trump bought the team, he might install Joan Rivers as GM. Later

He seems to be an organization/ administrative kind of guy rather than a heads down talent evaluator. With the downturn in both revenue and salary that Rubin mentions, I wonder if Omar or his successor will be able to continue the current Kash4klunkers program. Later

="soupcan":g0dbzkhk]Oh please, its obvious that Adam Rubin wants Omar's job.[/quote:g0dbzkhk] So do I. Later John Cougar Lunchbucket Aug 11 2009 07:25 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Aug 11 2009 07:26 AM doublepost John Cougar Lunchbucket Aug 11 2009 07:25 AM If I had to guess, the Mets won't fire Omar but instead "kick him upstairs" -- give him a title of Czar of Baseballness, and have him handle some of the responsibilities that formerly were with Bernazard. Make Ricco the new GM if he promises to explain better than Omar did why they got Francoeur. The problem with bringing in a "new" front office is that it would mean a lot of tearing down and rebuilding only a few years after Omar rebuilt the scouting/development people, and their guys (Meija, Holt, Marte, etc) aren't even arrived yet. New guys tend to discard the old regime's projects and so the near term effect could be a setback. That's why to me the critical piece in the front office scenario is making certain Bernazard's job doesn;t go unfulfilled. The Mets had the same issues in 02-03 after Omar flew the coop: Nobody but Phillips was around to watch the store, baseball-wise. metirish Aug 11 2009 07:30 AM I hope Omar doesn't end up on SNY in any speaking capacity. Frayed Knot Aug 11 2009 07:31 AM "Make Ricco the new GM if he promises to explain better than Omar did why they got Francoeur." Interesting that the so-called "stats" guy was apparently the one to tout Francoeur. seawolf17 Aug 11 2009 07:33 AM Interesting that "John Ricco" and "Adam Rubin" have the same number of letters. There's a conspiracy afoot. MFS62 Aug 11 2009 07:36 AM He seems to be an organization/ administrative kind of guy rather than a heads down talent evaluator. With the downturn in both revenue and salary that Rubin mentions, I wonder if Omar or his successor will be able to continue the current Kash4klunkers program. Later Frayed Knot Aug 11 2009 07:36 AM ]Interesting that "John Ricco" and "Adam Rubin" have the same number of letters. There's a conspiracy afoot. And both are NY-area natives who went to college in the Philly area. In fact, has anyone ever seen Rubin & Ricco at the same time? HUH?!? John Cougar Lunchbucket Aug 11 2009 07:46 AM Omar btw, was in Buffalo yesterday to personally apologize for that debacle of a farm team, mentioning they signed Jason Dubois so as to improve it. He said that farm director Adam Wogin was given Bernazard's responsibilities following the whacking but that ... wait for it ... "the entire hierarchy would be reevaluated after the season." Edgy DC Aug 11 2009 07:47 AM Re: Adam Rubin on Omar's Successor ="bmfc1":151o3yv4]If you're going to fire the GM, why hire his Assistant? Doesn't the #2 guy bear some responsibility for the failures that caused his boss to be fired? If not, then is he just a flunky and if so, how is he capable of becoming #1?[/quote:151o3yv4] The third possibitlity is that he is a frustrated talent unable to assert his abilities fuller in a regime that stifles his best efforts. I don't know that this is true of him. It's just that it's, you know, true of me. seawolf17 Aug 11 2009 07:54 AM ="John Cougar Lunchbucket"]He said that farm director Adam Wogin was given Bernazard's responsibilities following the whacking but that ... wait for it ... "the entire hierarchy would be reevaluated after the season." Wait, wait, wait. After the whole Adam Rubin-pining-for-a-job escapade, they replace Bernazard with a guy named "Adam Wogin"?!? That's hilarious. Nymr83 Aug 11 2009 08:19 AM If they get rid of Omar they should really CLEAN HOUSE and get rid of everyone from the Omar or Phillips era left in the front office. MFS62 Aug 11 2009 08:27 AM ="John Cougar Lunchbucket"]He said that farm director Adam Wogin was given Bernazard's responsibilities following the whacking but that ... wait for it ... "the entire hierarchy would be reevaluated after the season." If "entire heirarchy" includes ownership, I'm all for it. The only thing is, if Donald Trump bought the team, he might install Joan Rivers as GM. Later Methead Aug 11 2009 08:45 AM ="seawolf17":10fd64sa]Interesting that "John Ricco" and "Adam Rubin" have the same number of letters. There's a conspiracy afoot.[/quote:10fd64sa] Did you guys know John Ricco has a secretary named Rubin, and Adam Rubin has a secretary named Ricco? Benjamin Grimm Aug 11 2009 09:10 AM ="John Cougar Lunchbucket":21qhopfe]Omar btw, was in Buffalo yesterday to personally apologize for that debacle of a farm team, mentioning they signed Jason Dubois so as to improve it. [/quote:21qhopfe] Did he keep his shirt on? metsguyinmichigan Aug 11 2009 09:11 AM We keep forgetting that the team was in first place prior to losing everybody. I don't know if there are too many team who could sustain such losses. Blame Omar for the horrid off-season two years ago, but he's been on more than he's been off. But I might start wondering about the training staff. You can't blame them for Church getting a concussion from getting whacked in head with a knee, but there sure have been a lot of other problems and the sheer volume makes you wonder if they're doing something wrong. Vic Sage Aug 11 2009 09:22 AM ="metsguyinmichigan":350jsmxr]We keep forgetting that the team was in first place prior to losing everybody. [/quote:350jsmxr] That's totally disingenuous. They were under .500 when the bodies started dropping, after failing to make the playoffs since Beltran watched strike 3. John Cougar Lunchbucket Aug 11 2009 09:27 AM I think if there was a time Omar should have been whacked it was last off-season, seeing as the all-stars he assembled nearly all performed to the best of their abilities and they still shat the bed because he did such a rotten job of addressing the bullpen/bench before and during the season. He also had the Willie debacle to answer for. I think Omar did a decent job of improving that depth and flexibility for this year, but the injuries just go to show how wasted an opportunity last year was. soupcan Aug 11 2009 09:39 AM You guys are making me sad. Edgy DC Aug 11 2009 09:45 AM ="Nymr83":138c2a9j]If they get rid of Omar they should really CLEAN HOUSE and get rid of everyone from the Omar or Phillips era left in the front office.[/quote:138c2a9j] And I hope they're a lot more deliberate and less bloodthirsty than that. Valadius Aug 11 2009 09:48 AM ="Nymr83":5jhw86yi]If they get rid of Omar they should really CLEAN HOUSE and get rid of everyone from the Omar or Phillips era left in the front office.[/quote:5jhw86yi] It's been my experience that if you totally clean house and get rid of everybody from the previous regime, the new regime won't have anybody who can show them where the bodies are buried. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Aug 11 2009 10:27 AM ="seawolf17"]="John Cougar Lunchbucket"]He said that farm director Adam Wogin was given Bernazard's responsibilities following the whacking but that ... wait for it ... "the entire hierarchy would be reevaluated after the season." Wait, wait, wait. After the whole Adam Rubin-pining-for-a-job escapade, they replace Bernazard with a guy named "Adam Wogin"?!? That's hilarious. This guy was taken. (If running a farm system isn't "Foreign Assets Control," what is it?) LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Aug 11 2009 07:07 PM Finally got around to actually reading the Rubin article. ]Minaya credited Ricco with proposing the Francoeur-for-Ryan Church swap that was swiftly executed a month ago, but Ricco's background primarily is administrative and not in evaluating players - more along the lines of former GM Jim Duquette than Minaya. As a result, Ricco likely would need to lean on his deputies for recommendations. Is nobody else getting a Harazin-like whiff here? (Non-player eval guy who didn't seem to let that get in the way of his getting hipdeep in player eval once the opportunity arose...) metirish Aug 11 2009 07:38 PM I hope Ricco suave doesn't like Grudzielanek Ashie62 Aug 11 2009 08:10 PM I don't think Rubin has an axe here. Ricco would appear to be in training for a promotion A change in appearance and voice from Omar..thats for sure I hope he is not better suited to do morning swauk on cnbc This is an ill franchise Mex17 Aug 12 2009 04:33 AM ="metsguyinmichigan":wysemdh8]You can't blame them for Church getting a concussion from getting whacked in head with a knee[/quote:wysemdh8] No, but you can certainly blame them for making him endure multiple transcontinental flights after the incident.

Don't give Yankee fans too much credit for creativity. B'sides, they probably wouldn't spend the money to buy a Mets uni. I'm guessing its a Mets fan trying for a treasured bullet of cool mention - and missing badly. (No, I was not involved in the production of that video.) Later

Mike Francessa just said on WFAN that A-Rod's home run in the 15 th inning really wasn't a pressure situation because if they don't score there, they just play another inning. Later

Later

Well, the not shaving hasn't worked. Can someone please tell the Mets wives and girlfriends to read Lysistrata? Later

="Valadius":qg6v5xzh]And we gave up... what?[/quote:qg6v5xzh] No info. Found the link: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/2009/08/08/2009-08-08_mets_jeff_francoeur_can_no_longer_bear_beard.html Later Edgy DC Aug 08 2009 01:01 PM We lose a Player to Be Named Later. I'm guessing D.J. Wabick. If they bring back Xavier Nady, they can have an all-francophonic outfield. Rockin' Doc Aug 10 2009 08:29 PM valadius - "And we gave up... what?" Hope for the season. Farmer Ted Aug 11 2009 09:19 AM I went to a Mets-Cubs game a few years back and sat in the leftfield bleachers. DuBois was in left and didn't throw a warm-up ball into the stands. Drunk down the way (Cubs fan no less) yelled "Jason DuBois had Pope Sex with Two Boys." Unfortunately I will never clear that from my brain.

The New York Daily News reports that the Mets have acquired OF Jason Dubois from the Chicago Cubs. Dubois hasn't seen major league action since 2005. He has a career .223/.286/.443 line in 210 at-bats. He was at .302/.390/.502 for Triple-A Iowa and is a certainty to see some time, especially if Gary Sheffield needs to go back on the disabled list. Source: New York Daily News Later

On the pitch just before the slam, the batter was struck out. The replay showed the pitch got at least a few inches of the outside corner. But the ump called ball three. Why? I blame Schneider. Instead of keeping his glove steady and "framing the pitch" for the ump, he caught the pitch and moved his mitt a few inches toward the center of the plate. That's called "pulling the pitch" and is a ploy catchers have used for ages to try to make umps think a pitch off the plate was really a strike. In this case, I think the ump felt that Schneider was trying to fool him, and called it a ball without really seeing that the pitch was a strike. Called strike three and who knows what the outcome is? Later

Thank you, sir, for that reality check. I stand corrected. Please forgive me. Later

I'm glad it was A-Rod and not Jeter. Later

Chase Michael Pelfrey, 7 lb, 14 oz. I guess CitiBank ran out of money for naming rights. Later

Happy 18th birthday, kid. And happy ____ th birthday to my wife. (If I tell you, I'll have to kill you) Later

With the Niese injury today, the Mets roster now has a higher turnover rate than Menudo. Later

m.e.t.b.o.t could never pull a muscle - doesn't have any. Later

Can't make the West Coast trip. Tweaked my hamstring. Day-to-day. Later

Anyone have any advance pics of the official Mest team body cast? Later

Those aren't Little League numbers. Those are slow pitch beer league softball numbers. Those are what Yankee fans think Derek Jeter does avery week numbers. Those are I can't clear the memory on my calculator numbers. Next? Later

="Edgy DC":3pzuqx3f]I think we all know he wasn't murdered, though.[/quote:3pzuqx3f] Yes. We do. But we don't want any youngsters reading this to think that there was a great anti-Yankee conspiracy, would we? (Yes, that was written tongue-in-cheek) And I also saw him play, and don't think he was as good a catcher as Yankee fans remember him to be. So I really don't care about this anniversary. Later LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Aug 02 2009 12:59 PM ="MFS62":7284sxfm]="Edgy DC":7284sxfm]I think we all know he wasn't murdered, though.[/quote:7284sxfm] Yes. We do. But we don't want any youngsters reading this to think that there was a great anti-Yankee conspiracy, would we? [/quote:7284sxfm] Seen lurking around the airplane hangar on the evening of August 1st: the suspiciously-waxy-moustachioed mechanic Carlos Yastremskinez. metsguyinmichigan Aug 02 2009 01:10 PM Steve sure does know a lot about the Yankees. (Sorry, Steve. Couldn't resist.) Valadius Aug 02 2009 03:53 PM I was gonna say, no surprise on who brought it up. Fman99 Aug 02 2009 06:05 PM Steve, I think you're looking for the SparkyLyleForum.com site. Frayed Knot Aug 02 2009 07:37 PM ="MFS62":1d7pvxd4]And I also saw him play, and don't think he was as good a catcher as Yankee fans remember him to be. So I really don't care about this anniversary.[/quote:1d7pvxd4] Well I don't think acknowledging the anniversary needs to be about how good a player he was. Munson was a shaky thrower as a catcher but was otherwise real good defensively and offensively during his time. Now he was also falling apart physically by the time he died so the thought (treated as certainty in some circles) that he was a sure-fire HoF-er had he just played another few seasons pretends that his production wasn't going to degrade as he did. He was already only a part-time catcher in his final season and was almost certain to move out from behind the plate totally by the next season. He could also be a cantankerous, surly bigot and that's exactly the kind of "reporting" that tends to disappear whenever a company insider and acknowledged friend writes a bio. I've read enough Munson pr pieces over the years. If this book was any different it might be worth a look but I'm not betting on it. G-Fafif Aug 03 2009 11:54 AM Appel's memoir[/url:3uecv39s] on serving as MFY PR man from '68 to '77 was quite engaging. He came off as a good guy despite his subject matter and obvious fondness for the team that had employed him (a couple of stray e-mail encounters since have confirmed my suspicion that he's a fine fellow). Said nice things about the Mets in the book, so that softened me up. He has said he wrote this Munson bio partly to make up for the autobiography he was "as told to," which he didn't think was as honest as it could have been. SteveJRogers Aug 03 2009 04:32 PM ="Frayed Knot"] He could also be a cantankerous, surly bigotand that's exactly the kind of "reporting" that tends to disappear whenever a company insider and acknowledged friend writes a bio. I've read enough Munson pr pieces over the years. If this book was any different it might be worth a look but I'm not betting on it. Hmmm, that part of the deconstructing of Munson I haven't heard. I know he was cantankerous and surly, but I got the impression that he just wasn't a people person, not that he targeted specific kinds of people. I hope it's not the Reggie situation, because didn't Reggie's infamous "straw that stirs" line cause the relationship to be non-existent in the first place? And then Munson's famous lack of people skills did the rest. G-Fafif Aug 03 2009 05:11 PM SteveJAcobson (or Steve Jacobson) in Newsday on the mixed bag that was Thurman Munson here. ]The shocking death of Thurman Munson was the memorable moment of 1979, certainly one of the unforgettable incidents in 45 years of writing about sports. I'm still glad I didn't have to write about it at the moment. Life and death usually do present the unexpected. In 1979 - and a few years before and after in the age of the typewriter - the Newsday sports staff at year's end compiled the Memories of a Memorable Year. Dan Lauck wrote of his first look at the shattered hulk of Munson's airplane by the ghastly generated light at 1 a.m. I wrote thankfully that I had been out of the country and had not been compelled to write. It would have been very difficult. I did note that I did not like Munson and I believe he did not like me. We disagreed about a lot of things, some as basic as common courtesy. Let me make one point in hindsight: I voted for Munson for the Hall of Fame even though his major-league career was barely more than the minimum of 10 seasons. He was an outstanding player and the greatest force in returning the Yankees to a pennant after 11 years in the doldrums. But his accomplishments are one aspect of a man's life. Years later, Reggie Jackson lamented that the ESPN miniseries "The Bronx is Burning'' and the tumult of 1977 did not deal with anti-Semitism and racism. I was a consultant on the series and mentioned the issue about Munson and Billy Martin, but that wasn't how ESPN wanted to treat the rancor of the year. "But why talk about people that are dead?'' Jackson rationalized the treatment. "Why trample on a man's grave?'' In writing about Munson's death, I would have had to deal with both admiration for him as a player and personal observations. " . . . And it was clear afterward,'' I did write, "that the honest critical opinions the reader devoured and demanded the day before Munson's death were unacceptable and despised after it.'' When later I wrote critically on Martin's death, one member of the Yankees party whose opinion I respect and who knew the dark side of the man wrote to me: "How unkind.'' When Munson came on the scene as a rookie, I recall him saying, "Thurman Munson; it's a peculiar name, but once you hear it, you don't forget it.'' Indeed, he was named 1970 American League Rookie of the Year, and the only other catcher to have won that award was Johnny Bench. In 1976 Munson was named Most Valuable Player and hit .529 in the World Series even though the Yankees were swept by Cincinnati. Bench hit .533 and was named MVP of the Series. Munson was the first American League player to hit .300 and drive in 100 runs for three consecutive seasons in the nearly two dozen years since Al Rosen did it for Cleveland. In three World Series and three league championship series, Munson was a splendid performer even when he was burned by the constant conflict of 1977 and "sick and tired of being sick and tired.'' He was a terrific teammate for most of his teammates. He would delay his run for the plate, timing his safe arrival to collide with the catcher and enable a Yankee to take an extra base. Even before the arrival of Jackson and internal conflict, Munson was hostile to the press. "Just happy to be here,'' he'd say and stalk off. Once I pushed through Munson's refusal and said I was doing a long piece on Sparky Lyle. Munson looked left and right and proceeded to provide enlightening comment. And "enough?'' In the 1977 ALCS against Kansas City, George Brett slid into third base and immediately was tangled in a genuine fight with Graig Nettles. Brett was pinned on the bottom of a pile and being pummeled, and then Munson was lying on top of him in his catching gear, saying, "Don't worry, George, I won't let anybody hit you when you're down.'' And they didn't. "Thurman is my hero,'' Brett said. At the same time, Munson nursed a cranky rivalry with catchers Carlton Fisk of the Red Sox and teammate and backup Rick Dempsey. Munson would encourage Dempsey at one time and the next - this was when Munson still was conversational - remind everyone that Dempsey couldn't carry his mask. The celebration of Fisk bugged Munson, who thought he was better but that Fisk was more celebrated because he was tall and ruggedly handsome as the Minuteman on the postage stamp and a better interview. I still think Munson deserves the Hall of Fame even though only in his first year of eligibility did he get as many as 15 percent of the votes. He was a dominant player. I also do not forget that when Martin hauled Reggie off the field in Boston and wrongly accused him of loafing, Thurman went to Mike Torrez on the mound and, Torrez recalls, threw his racial slur into the event. At the tragic end, Fisk and Dempsey, who had years of scorn for Munson, now had only nice things to say about him. The public demanded that Munson be a hero without blemish, and I'm thankful I didn't have to face the typewriter with that in mind. Frayed Knot Aug 03 2009 07:18 PM Jacobson - now retired from Newsday but guesting with the above article specifically for this date - covered the Yanx in those days and later was columnist. He has mentioned the foul-mouthed bigotry on more than one occasion. That ESPN wanted to white-wash it isn't suprising. Be nice if a supposed biography didn't do the same. ]He has said he wrote this Munson bio partly to make up for the autobiography he was "as told to," which he didn't think was as honest as it could have been. Which would make it along the lines of the Al Stump/Cobb bios. As one of the reviews for that (later) book pointed out, Stump got to write a biography of one of the most interesting guys in MLB history ... and then he got to do it again. It also means that my initial instinct on this book could be wrong.

Well, I guess you could say "was killed". But without cpmpleting that sentence with something like "when the plane he was piloting crashed" makes it seem like it was done by somebody else. Later

We can't wait for the JCL songbook. Thanks Later