MFS62

Yancy Street Gang wrote: I didn't think players had agents in the 1950's. Funny, I double clutched when it came time to post that. I couldn't remember the era, but I did remember reading the stories about agents giving players their allowances. Must have been later. Later

I seem to recall that in the 50's several baseball players used to get an "allowance". Their agents would get their checks, and the players would get spending money while the agents would handle their finances/ pay their bills/ invest it for them. Later

There have been several players over the years with whom I have associated another player, just because of their alphabetic proximity on a roster. For example, whe I read of the passing of Steve Barber the other day, I recalled that I had always associated his name with fellow Baby Bird Wally Bunker. Another was when Dennis Ribant was still a Brave and I thought of him in combo with Ron Piche. Are there any players you recall who's name immediately brought to mind a particular roster-mate? Later

Thanks, Doc. Later

Edgy DC wrote: There we go. How about anybody who ever made Baseball America's top 50? Is that an objective hype stnadard? A good start. But in lean organizational years, a "top" prospect from a team may not even crack the BA top 50, but may still receive some sizeable local hype. So I suggest also including players who were on the BA top 10 team prospect lists for each year. Later

soupcan wrote: I read somewhere that the highest percentage of injuries that occur in the home are of the shower slipping variety. Really. The best man at my parent's wedding died that way. If he died during the shower, how was he still alive for the wedding? Later

I posted my thoughts before looking him up, too. Was relying on memory. But there were stories at the time that part of the reason they traded him was because it didn't look like he could take to third very well. That said, I stand busted. LOL! But what I wrote about the option rule in force at the time is correct. Later

Yesterday, A-Rod got a lot of press for his book signing tour. So naturally, we were all waiting breathlessly for an article on Captain Clutch to stabilize our world. And this guy stepped up to the plate and delivered. Before you read any further, get a barf bucket ready. ] Jeter mood swingLooks to forget past with jump on spring BY ANTHONY McCARRON DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER Derek Jeter finds even Europe is no place to escape setback so he gets started on another season of hope. TAMPA - Even on a European vacation last fall, Derek Jeter couldn't get away from the Yankees' postseason loss to Detroit. A few days after the upstart Tigers put away the Yanks, cementing another disappointing October in the Bronx, Jeter was at a restaurant with a friend during one stop on his six-day, six-city holiday - he couldn't quite remember the city, London, perhaps - when a Tigers fan reminded him that the Yankees lost a series they had controlled. "You'd think you could escape it in Europe, you know?" Jeter said yesterday while taking a break from a pre-spring training workout on a clear, sunny morning at the Yankees' minor-league complex here. "You get it all the time here, but Europe?" In fact, the sting of the most recent Bomber setback is only starting to fade for Jeter, the Yankee captain who grew used to winning every year early in his career. The Yankees are now ring-less since 2000. Jeter resumed baseball activities three weeks ago for the first time since the end of the season. It's a way to put the disappointment in the past. "It takes a long time to get over it. That's what people don't realize," Jeter said as several Yankee prospects took batting practice nearby. "It's a whole year you've played. The worst phrase in all of sports is saying, 'Ah, get them next year.' Well, next year is another 12 months. It's not like you're going to have the opportunity to play forever. "Every year that goes by is one less year on your career, so it takes awhile to get over it. But that's what makes spring training so fun. Everyone starts over." Yankees' pitchers and catchers report for camp Tuesday and will have their first workout a week from today. Position players such as Jeter will report Feb. 18. But like most of his teammates, Jeter is already working. He took about a month off after last season to "heal up, rest my body. Then I get going again, mostly conditioning, until mid-January." This week, Jeter has been laughing easily around the batting cage with Jorge Posada and Miguel Cairo, two of the few major leaguers who come to the complex for daily workouts. He exchanged hellos with Japanese pitcher Kei Igawa, who threw for the first time Tuesday. "That's how you get your new beginning," Jeter said, referring to his return to baseball routine. Right after the Tigers closed out the series, Jeter admitted, he wondered what might have been. The Yankees had won the opener and were leading, 3-1, going into the fifth inning at the Stadium in Game 2, with Mike Mussina on the mound. But they lost that afternoon and dropped both games in Detroit. "You think about that for a long time, but I'm not thinking about it now," Jeter said. "You're only focused on 2007 now." Jeter is excited about the new season, especially with Andy Pettitte returning to the Bronx. "I was disappointed when he left in the first place, but you understand it because he wanted to be close to his family," Jeter said. "I'm glad he got the opportunity to come back. With Pettitte, you know what you're going to get. He's not always going to be successful, but you know he's not going to be overwhelmed by New York, by any situation. "He's been here when we've won, when we've lost. Good times, bad times. He knows how to deal with the media. On the field, you just hope he stays healthy. If he does, he's going to be fine." He added that the season would seem "weird" without Bernie Williams, who may or may not be in spring training with the Yanks. "He was always older than me, so he was a mainstay before I even got here," Jeter said. "I watched Bernie play when I was in high school, before I even got drafted. I don't know what the situation is; I haven't talked to Bernie lately. But you hope he'd come back. It would be strange without him. "I have not spoken to him about whether he would play somewhere else, but I can't picture it." But plenty has already changed for Jeter and the Yankees, as that Tigers fan was happy to remind him. "You've got to want to win. You've got to enjoy competing. That's the only thing you need to stay motivated," Jeter said. "We won before, and any time you have, you realize how special it is and what a good feeling it is and that it's the complete opposite when you lose. "You want to get back to that winning feeling, so motivation has never been a problem for me. When you start to lose that motivation to compete, that's when it's time to go home." Originally published on February 7, 2007 later

Edgy, in those days the option rules were different. A player could be kept in the minors for four years before they had to be added to the major league roster or else exposed to the equivalent of the RuleV Draft (as compared to the current three years). But the major change was that once on the 40 man roster, they had a total of three options, not the current three option years. Under the current system, players can be yo-yo'd several times during those three years. But in those days, teams generally brought up players once per year, when the rosters expanded after September 1. In the case of Otis, he was an excellent centerfielder in the minors. But the Mets played him at third base when they brought him up. They were still in their constant search for a decent third baseman. He had little or no experience at the position, didn't play it well, and his hitting suffered. I'm not sure it was a case of his options being used up. It was more a case of trying to fill a need when they traded him. Later

The Mets? One writer at ESPN thinks so: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/hotstove06/columns/story?id=2756314 Do you agree? Later If someone feels this should be moved to the lineup position value thread, please do so.

Willets Point wrote: ="iramets"]How many phenoms actually work out? I think they all do, otherwise they get fat and slow and scouts don't take interest in them. Willets, are you preparing us for a fat slow phenom spinoff thread? Can I start with Butch Huskey? Later

Which reminds me of several stories I've read about how much Dubya really wanted to be Commissioner of Baseball. Maybe when he and Selig both retire from their current positions? I wonder if during the tour of the Oval Office, they were shown the Monica Lewinski Memorial Spot spot? Later

When the Mets drafted Abner, Escobar and Robert Stratton, we were told of their great power. But that came with the caveat of "they'll have to learn to cut down on their strikeouts". The world is still waiting. In the case of Escobar, his development in that area was hindered by a constant string of injuries. With substantial time in the minors to develop, he may have been able to do that. Unfortunately, his options were used up before he could. Later

That could also be a sign that the Milledge to the As rumors have been put on hold for this year. Later

Petit. Check the minor league strikeout totals: http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/P/Yusmeiro-Petit.shtml Alex Ochoa was a different story: http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/O/Alex-Ochoa.shtml He was touted as a player with "5 tool" potential. The only one lacking was power. He had speed, arm and hit for a decent average. But the power (especially for a corner outfielder) never developed, and the fans got impatient with him. What really soured the fans was a stretch of a few games at Shea in which he had some problems with the lights and misplayed some fly balls. He never lived up to the expectations predicted in the press when the Mets got him, but was actually a decent major league player. Later

Those World Series in the late 50's were probably the last time I rooted for the Braves. (and I did) For you youngin's, while his given name was Selva Lewis Burdette, he was called SALIVA Lewis Burdette because he was often accused of throwing the spitter. I once spoke to Bob Uecker and asked him whether he called for the dewy delivery or if Burdette let him know it was coming. He diplomatically (with tongue firmly in cheek) avoided any knowledge of Lew throwing the pitch. sigh Later

Seems to me while watching the games that when a Dominican player scores, Lima is always the first one out of the dugout, with a big grin on his face, to greet him. Methinks Lima is the Gary Carter of the Dominican Republic. Later

metsmarathon wrote: how does one pronounce "Pñna"? The way its spelled, silly. Later

Max Lanier http://story.scout.com/a.z?s=228&p=2&c=616105 Later

His new career is as a dad. ]Baseball's Mike Piazza Becomes a Dad MONDAY FEBRUARY 05, 2007 05:05 PM EST By Stephen M. Silverman Oakland A's catcher Mike Piazza and wife Alicia welcomed their first child, a daughter, on Saturday. Nicoletta Veronica Piazza was born at 4:07 a.m. in New York City. She weighed in at 5 lbs., 8 oz. and measured 19 inches long. "Both baby and mother are doing fine," Piazza's rep, Josh Goldberg, said in a statement to PEOPLE. A onetime star hitter for the New York Mets, Piazza, 38, married the former Alicia Rickter, 34, a Baywatch alum, in a candlelit ceremony in Miami on Jan. 29, 2005. Mazel Tov, Mikey. Later

Ira, not to quibble, BUT. Mike McCormick was about 23/24 when he was on Baltimore. But he was already a veteran of several seasons when they got him. He came up with the Giants in New York, then moved with them to SF. His years in Baltimore were actually his least productive years. http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/mccormi03.shtml IIRC, as written in either "Ball Four" or "The Long Season" he got into trouble in SF for complaining how much the jetstream made Seals Stadium into a bandbox. The local fans didn't like negative words coming from their athletes. But you are sure right aboout those other Baby Birds. Not pickin' on ya', but Mike and I share the same birth date, so I knew a little more about him than I should have. Later

Thank you. Later

seawolf17 wrote: Easley's a career .328 OBP guy who hit home runs when everyone was on steroids, and has basically sucked since 1999. He's UL Washington without the cool initials. He deserves a spot on the 25 only barely more than I do. Well, uh,...., he's still versatile. LOL! Didn't realize he may have been one of the 'roid kids. Later

Here's a memory jogger. I noticed this in the UMDB: ]October 10, 1963 Mets drafted Jack Fisher from the San Francisco Giants . I remember that was a "Special Draft" by MLB to help the Mets and Colt45's get more competitive. But I recall that on that day, the Mets also drafted a first baseman who had torn up the California League - hit over .340 with 45 doubles and 100+ RBI. Of course, he never made it to the majors (or the 40 man roster). But can anyone here please provide that player's name? Later

How cool is it that a US Ambassador is wearing a baseball cap and jersey, and that she looks comfortable in them, like she's worn them before? (i. e. - not just for a photo op) Later