MFS62

There was a catcher named Cris Jelic and the pitcher was Mauro "Goose" Gozzo. But I don't recall which of them went where. Later

Thanks for the explanations. Now, back to the original intent of the threat, catching up with former Mets: ] http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20071017/NEWS/71017005/1011 Former Mets pitcher among 3 arrested in connection with copper thefts in Muscle Shoals By Tom Smith Senior Staff Writer Last Updated:October 17. 2007 5:06PM Published: October 17. 2007 5:00PM Last Modified: October 17. 2007 5:06PM Three Colbert County men, including a former Major League baseball pitcher, have been arrested in Muscle Shoals in connection with separate cases of copper theft, police said today. Police investigators said Randall Lee �Randy� Tate, 55, 106 King St., Muscle Shoals, has been charged with first-degree theft of property. He is accused of stealing more than $20,000 worth of copper from Occidental Chemical Corp. in Muscle Shoals. Tate, who was born in Florence, was drafted by the New York Mets in the fifth round of the amateur draft in 1972. He pitched one season for the Mets, posting a 5-13 record with a 4.45 earned run average. Police said arrests have been made in connection with copper thefts at the Norfolk Southern rail yard on Wilson Dam Road and the Plumbers and Steamfitters union hall on East Avalon Avenue. Reports indicate 21-year-old Zachary Jean Clos, 1107 Hemlock St., Tuscumbia, is charged with first-degree theft of property in connection with the theft of $3,000 worth of copper from Norfolk Southern. Authorities said Clos and his 33-year-old brother, Laury �Buddy� King Weaver IV, 404 Annapolis Ave., Sheffield, have been charged with second-degree receiving stolen property in connection with the theft of copper from the Plumbers and Steamfitters office, which occurred Oct. 10. Later

Yancy Street Gang wrote: Maybe his new faith doesn't consider Catholics to be true Christians. Yancy, Y'think this might be a good time to spin this off to the non-baseball page? Or have you had that discussion there before I joined the CPF? Or, did you declare the discussion of religion (you should excuse the expression) taboo? Your call. Later

About that Byrd article: ]Byrd: I grew up in a mildly religious background. My mom took me to Catholic church. I went to Catholic school. But I became a Christian somewhere in '91. Pardon me for not getting this, but aren't those the same thing? Doesn't one include the other? Or did he mean Protestant? Later

Valadius wrote: I disagree with Bill James. Being an ass ought not exclude you from the Hall of Fame if you were that good of a player. That logic will be severely put to the test with Bonds, steroids or no steroids. As for Allen, I still remember that the Mets could have selected him for $12,500 (or maybe less in those years) in one year's equivalent of the Rule V Draft. Oh, and they could have also chosen Luis Tiant that same year. A few years later, after both players had made an impact on theur major league clubs, George Weis was asked why he had not selected either of them. His response was "they were too colorful". Maybe that referred to Allen's off field antics/ personality that have been mentioned above. But I always had the impression that Tiant was a good guy in the clubhouse - well liked by his teammates. Later

I can't wait to see those close-up dugout shots of him spitting sunflower seeds like a machine gun again. ewwwwww, that was nasty. Later

Rockin' Doc wrote: I know ScarlettCookie always referred to Hampton as "Dolphin Face". I never quite understood what it meant. I was going to say "that sounds fishy to me". But on second thought, guess it must be "that sounds mammalian to me". Anyhow, you could always count on Scarlett when she wasn't counting on herself. Later

I doubt that Mazzone will stay unemployed for very long, unless he wants to retire. Impressive resume. His stint in Bal'mer just showed that even the best chef can't make an edible chicken salad out of chicken feathers. Later

Here's a different spin on this. I'm not sure whether it belongs in this thread, its own, or the Rico Brogna thread. At the end of each season, I used to come up with a roster of players who had been the property of the Mets and compare what they did with what the Mets did that year. Some years, the real team was better, some years it wasn't. I hadn't done it in a while. After this season, I got the USA Today and there were the season's stats. So I did it again. Caveats: I did my calculations by hand - I was sitting in a Macdonalds at the time. The stats may not have included the NL playoff game. I wrote don the stats of one player (79 AB)but forgot to write down the player's name. Fielding skill not included, just whether they played acertain position. I suck at posting charts Rules: 162 game decisions by the pitchers. Similar IP and AB I could cherry pick the players, not all were included. (Hey, its my game. I make the rules.) Here is the roster I found: SP AJ Burnett Kasmir Byrd Bannister Traschel MP DiNardo (he pitched out of the bullpen as wel as started) Bell Bradford Petit Oliver RP Dotel Owens Ring Isringhausen C Piazza Flores IF Jacobs Wigginton Mora Scuttaro Keppinger Kent Matsui OF Bay Cameron Nady Payton T.Perez Pagan Here is the comparison: Pitching: W Mets 88 ex-Mets 90 L Mets 74 ex-Mets 72 IP Mets 1452.1 ex-Mets 1446 sv Mets 39 ex-Mets 41 H Mets 1415 ex-Mets 1362 ER Mets 687 ex-Mets 594 BB Mets 570 ex-Mets 493 K Mets 1134 ex-Mets 953 ERA Mets 4.26 ex-Mets 3.69 Players: AB Mets 5605 ex-Mets 5403 R Mets 804 ex-Mets 737 H Mets 1543 ex-Mets 1455 2B Mets 294 ex-Mets 295 3B Mets 27 ex-Mets 26 HR Mets 177 ex-Mets 178 RBI Mets 761 ex-Mets 753 SB Mets 200 ex-Mets 46 AVG Mets .275 ex-Mets .269 Conclusion: Damn! It was close. Later

metirish wrote: Lupica today in the News is talking about $400M over 11 years. This just in. I heard on ESPN radio (one of their baseball mavens) that Boras was quoted as saying that A-Rod would be worth $ 1 BILLION to a regional/ team specific cable (sports) network. So, that raises the ante, or gives us a clue as to what may be looking for when negotiating an A-Rod contract. If that's true, let's say that a company wants to earn 150% on its investment (straight line) over 10 years. That would mean a 10 year, $400 million contract. Of course, there must be teams of accountants checking out that angle at SNY, YES, NESN and WGN, et. al. Of course, that doesn't include yearly profits that could be reinvested to accelerate the return. Does a contract of that magnitude now make sense to you? Later

OK, then what other theories do y'all have? Later

There have been several comments by the media as well as posters on various boards speculating on what was wrong with Jose Reyes during the second half of the season. There have been comments like "he seems distracted" and "he is having trouble focusing" and wondering if he is having problems off the field. I have a theory. I believe the touble that began his decline occurred on August 7. And it all boils down to ....... money. On August 3, Jose had signed a 4 year contract extension for $23.25 million. But on August 7, David Wright signed one for 6 years, $55 million. I think Jose's pride at his contract turned to jealousy. And I believe that explains the funk he's been in ever since. Hey, its as good a theory as any. Later

Depending on where you live in Connecticut, when you go to the meat department of your local supermarket you can buy one of two brands of frankfurters - Fenway Franks or Yankee Franks. They're made by the same company. The ingredients are the same. The packaging is almost identical (execpt for the team names and logos). So what's the difference? You can enjoy Fenway Franks later in October. Later

="bmfc1"]"Goodness, gracious", Suzyn Waldman cried during the post-game show! http://binny13.googlepages.com/greatmomentinbroadcasting1.mp3 I have just gained respect for (please stick with this) Michael Kay. He just went off on Suzyn, saying there are important things in life you pray for and cry for. And he mentioned her by name when he said he felt her display of tears was not appropriate (my words). Later

And somewhere, Charlie Finley is smiling. Later

Edgy DC wrote: 2) Yankee Stadium probably isn't the most famous ballpark in the world. Then, which baseball stadium in your opinion is? Later

OK, since I haven't read SI in many years, I didn't know much about him or his writing. Thanks, Later

Valadius wrote: Wow. I expected better from Verducci. Why? What has he done in the past tocause that expectation? Later

Kid, the image you have is of the reputation their bleacher bums have gotten over the years. I asked him the same thing. But my friend stuck by his description of those seated in the stands. There's a story about when there was no free agent draft. IIRC Joe Garaogiola told it in one of his books. A young pitching prospect named Mo Drabowsky was being wooed by both the Cubs and the White Sox. Bill Veeck was working for the Cubs that year. He picked up MO and Mo's mom at the airport for a drive to Wrigley Field. But he detoured to the lower class neighborhood around Comiskey Park (home of the White Sox). He asked her "Is this a place where you would want your son to play?" Then he took them to Wrigley and asked the same question. She immediately signed her son with the Cubs. Later

Edgy DC wrote: The problem is that most teams' fans have self-images based on ordinary guyness. You're right. But it seems the fans in Chicago take it to the extreme. Later

Its not merely baseball. Its class struggle. I've known a guy for over 20 years , and worked with him for 8, who went by the screen name "Shoeless Don". He is a White Sox fan. We discussed the two teams, and their fans, over the years. Here are some of the things I remember: The White Sox fans are from the "other side of the tracks". They are the lunchbucket and beer kind of fans. He told me that in a White Sox bar, ordering a shot and a beer is considered akin to ordering a wussie mixed drink. They have always been considered beneath Cubs fans, especially econimically. And this class hatred is a constant. They can't stand the team that reminds them of their lowly positions, And that hits them in the face every day. The Cubs fans are (his words) "martini-sipping Yuppie Scum". They go to their corporate boxes during day games to be seen as much as to see the games. The only difference between them and LA fans is that they generally stay to see all 9 innings. The elitist Cubs fans treat the Sox fans with benign neglect. Why bother to be concerned about them when they aren't important, are they? Hope that helps. I'm waiting for him to send me his new email addy, so I can ask him about the current series. Don't shoot the messinger. Later

But the real number 1 rule they teach announcers is: Always speak like the microphone is on, whether you think it is or not. Later

Valadius wrote: I don't doubt it, especially in Reyes' case. All that running would make one tired. But the next time he doesn't run one out, I'm sure Willie wil give him plenty of time to rest on the bench. Later

Anyone else notice? I remember Jim Bouton's comment in Ball Four that guys got haircuts when they wanted to look younger. Think there is some plan behind this? A return to that clean-cut Yankee image? Or do we have Willie under a microscope too much, questioning everything he does? Later

Great job. I don't recall, were all of Brian Lawrence's points earned in his one victorious game? If so, is that a first for someone with as many points as he had? Later