MFS62

Willets Point wrote: On the other hand, I find it deliciously ironic that in the year that all the hype was for the American League and that the World Series title would go to an AL team by default that a team the could only win 83 games in the lowly NL won the series in a dominating fashion. I mean, I still hate the Cardinals, and I don't buy that reflected glory crap, but ... go NL! I agree wholeheartedly. And I also get some satisfaction in knowing thatthe Mets gave the Cards a tougher struggle than the Tigers. But still, a Tiger victory would have given us something we've missed for a while. We haven't seen a good old fashioned car-burning type Detroit celebratory street riot in years. Later

As the 2006 season ends, here's a quote for every season: A. Bartlett Giamatti: "It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come out, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." Later

I can see your point. Later

Frayed Knot wrote: The only problem with that line was that Ralph saw fit to use it virtually every time the Mets played the Phillies. And while it may have been amusing the first 147 times ... And how many times did disc jockeys use the term "The King" when they played an Elvis song? Or "Ol' Blue eyes" when they played a Sinatra song? Just because you heard that every time, it didn't make Elvis less a king or Frank's eyes less blue. Later

SteveJRogers wrote: Has anyone confirmed that David Eckstein is a Jewish ballplayer or is it like Mike Jacobs/David Cone where the name/spelling sounds jewish but the person isn't? He is not Jewish. Nobody's perfect. Later

Edgy DC wrote: The Maddox thing was hardly a malaprop. It was Kiner at his best. Agree. The person who put it on that list made the mistake. Later

Abreu is a Cuban defector. This was his first (or second) year in organized US ball. Minorleaguebaseball.com list his year of birth as 1979, but I recall stories when he signed that he may be 1-3 years older than that. Hey, compared to Julio Franco, he's just a kid. He's also listed at 6'0", 220 pounds, so it sounds like first base/ PH is where we might see him. Later

Edgy, I think you may want to take another look at the headings on your chart and flip-flop two of them. Those averages don't look right. Later

We're glad you got out alive. How'd you manage to do that? Later

soupcan wrote: I don't think being on a vagina diet would be such a horrible thing. Do we detect a new product that will soon reach our grocer's shelves? In marketing, that's called line extension. The product name would tell it all. But what do you put in the nutritional values section on the back of the label? Has it received FDA approval yet? Not a bad idea, but so many questions yet to be answered. Later

I like David Eckstein. He is a true catalyst. He is the kind of pain-in-the-ass player who the fans of every opposing team love to hate and the managers of opposing teams would love to have on their squad. I recall the year when the Halos won it all. We didn't see many of the Angels' games during the regular season. But when they showed the highlights of their games on ESPN it seemd like Eckstein was in them, making a key contribution at bat, in the field or on the bases. He reminds me of another player I saw a lot of - Phil Rizzuto. Both are listed at 5'6". Both had a mediocre throwing arm. I heard an interview yesterday in which an ex-player told us that even his own teammates make fun of Eckstein's arm. And that reminded me of comments about Rizzto's arm. It was said his throws would enfuriate batters by always beating them to first by only half a step. When I looked at both their career numbers today, I was amazed to find that Eckstein has better BA and fielding numbers than Phil had. But when you look at both their games, the numbers don't tell it all about what kind of players they were. Later

I was impressed by JD's use of different nouns. Very creative. Later

soupcan wrote: Especially West for some reason even though his 'potential' or lack thereof ultimately worked in the Mets favor. Soupy, I recall reading some comments by one of the Phillies coaches after they acquired him from the Mets. He wondered how a pitcher with West's great stuff had apparently received little or no coaching in some pitching basics while in the Mets organization. As it turned out, they weren't able to improve him much when he was there either. Later

The only wave I've enjoyed was that two-fan wave in Major League. Later

Cooby, I relayed about whether you have to join the SOSH or pay anything to participate and this is the response I got: ]Absolutely not -- this is 100% free to anyone and everyone... tell them to tell their neighbors, co-workers, family, friends, et al. There is no gimmick. Completely free. But, if you decide to enter their poker tourney, as Iubitul said, come back here soon. Don't dawdle over there with those "English". If you live near Pennsylvania Dutch country, you know what I mean. Later

]Lugo, who ended the season with the Dodgers, told The Post in September earlier this year that "playing [for the Mets] for me would be a dream come true." I wonder if that would get the Mets a discounted price? Anyone know if Boras is his agent? Later

cooby wrote: Do you still have to pay in order to post there? I'm not sure. Later

The Sons of Sam Horn are running an event to raise money to upgrade their hardware. But they have run events to raise money for charity in the past - $100,000 over the past three years. This sounds like fun. Later ] We're trying to raise some money at SoSH by having a no limit hold'em tourney at Absolute Poker on October 29th, 7pm et. Gabe Kapler confirmed that he'll be in the tourney ($50 bounty on him) and Schilling looks like about 75% right now. Totally free to enter. This Sunday night at 7pm. to enter, please click here and follow the links/instructions: http://sonsofsamhorn.net/index.php?showtopic=12349 It is 100% free to enter, and the prize pool will be determined by how many people enter. There is $500 guaranteed already, and the pot grows by $2 for every person that enters. Again -- its totally free, so even if you suck at poker you won't lose a dime by taking a stab at finishing in the money. We're also going to have bounties on certain players, so there's more opportunity to win some cash. So, if you're available that evening then please try it out. Feel free to tell anyone/everyone about it... play for real cash with house money. Zero risk, lotsa fun and great cash winnings if you finish in the top 10-20%.

]Krazy George celebrates starting the Wave cheer 25 years ago By JANIE McCAULEY, AP Sports Writer October 25, 2006 OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Krazy George Henderson has spent the last quarter-century trying to persuade everyone that he debuted the "Wave" during an Oakland Athletics' playoff game against the Yankees -- not those Washington football fans who claim the Huskies first performed the now famous cheer. Debate aside, the Wave is 25 years old and still going strong. "It's been really interesting," Krazy George said in a phone interview from his home in New Rochelle, N.Y. "I see it at the Olympics. There's a video of Fidel Castro doing it. If it had actually originated in New York at a Yankees game, they would have thought it was sent by the gods." Krazy George, now 62, says he spent three years perfecting the Wave. He first pulled off the move -- in which fans take turns, by section, standing up and waving their arms -- on Oct. 15, 1981, at the Yankees-A's AL championship series game in the Coliseum. Washington, meanwhile, did it two weeks later, on Oct. 31. Former Husky yell leader Robb Weller had returned to campus for a homecoming game against Stanford. He began a vertical version of the Wave in the '70s, but first did the horizontal Wave that day. Officials at Washington acknowledge Krazy George as being first, but what they are certain of is that the Huskies popularized the cheer. It soon caught on at a Seattle Seahawks game, too. It took a year and a half, according to Krazy George, for the Huskies to fess up that they'd seen the Wave on television and given it their own twist. Good thing, too, because he has the proof on tape: The Wave was part of the A's 1981 highlight video shown to potential season ticket holders for the following year. "That's the best-kept lie in the last 25 years. But now, most of the world recognizes me," Krazy George said. "Their theory is that they came up with it in 30 seconds! 'Oh, we just thought it up.' "They kept doing it the whole football season and of course they were a big national football power with a big budget. I tell everyone to call Seattle and get their side of the story. It's like a war with me." Krazy George, known best by that name and for pounding his drum in stadiums across the United States, is a California native who moved north to Napa from Southern California at age 17. He left for New York three years ago. A former high school shop teacher, Krazy George's lone job the last 30 years has been as a for-hire cheerleader -- working all of about three hours a week. Yes, that's it. He averages one game every seven days. In that first Wave game, the Yankees eliminated the A's 4-0 to reach the World Series. Dave Righetti, now the San Francisco Giants' pitching coach, was the winning pitcher. A crowd of 47,302 was on hand for the first Wave. "We put it on the map in 1981," said Shooty Babitt, a rookie on the '81 A's. "A lot of people wish the Wave would go away now. A lot of people don't understand when you should do it. ... The new-age fan doesn't understand where the Wave originated. But Krazy George still looks the same today as he did 25 years ago." Krazy George is a well-known figure at sporting venues, especially in the Bay Area. Mostly bald with blond curls above his ears, he wears his striped athletic socks pulled up and always has a drum in hand. He has been featured in national magazines and TV programs and has several upcoming interviews with international publications. That game in Oakland was the biggest crowd yet for Krazy George, who had tried the cheer a couple of times at high school rallies. A simpler version originated at San Jose State several years earlier. Krazy George would call for the three student sections to chant -- one word for each group -- "San!" "Jose!" "State!" He would point to each section signaling those students' turn. He also did something similar for the former Colorado Rockies hockey team, using "Go! Rockies! Go!" But it didn't work so well with only 5,000 fans in the seats many nights. He knows there are plenty of fans out there who refuse to participate or become grumpy when their view of the game gets briefly blocked. "There are always a few people," he said. So, in an era when fads tend to fade quickly in sports, fashion and technology, why has the Wave stood the test of time? "As a professional cheerleader, I know why I do it: What it does is intensify the energy of the crowd," Krazy George said. "It's almost like an accomplishment. It's their own competition, like a contest or video game. You have to participate to make it work. It takes 95 percent of fans doing it to make it great." Krazy George says he last got into it with Washington about the Wave before the 20th anniversary. Over the years, he has called the university's athletic director and president, not to mention newspapers and TV stations. The way things are going, the Wave will carry on long enough for the lore to continue. "You can start a wave but nobody can stop one," Krazy George said. "The only way it stops is if something exciting happens on the field." Do you like the wave? Do you participate in it when at the game/ Did you ever? Later

="Frayed Knot"]"As for Soriano, the source indicated the lack of interest would not be because of money. Rather, the person said the Mets have not pursued Soriano that much in the past." But, but, but ... Omar's obsessed with Soriano. Everyone knows that! (or was it Manny? ... I lose track) And I think I read that Willie likes Sori, and vice versa, from their days together with the MFYs. Stay tuned. Later

="Yancy Street Gang"] The Giants on Monday interviewed New York Mets third base coach Manny Acta. Giants bench coach Ron Wotus and Los Angeles Angels pitching coach Bud Black also interviewed. Bud Black : ]June 7, 1977: Drafted by the New York Mets in the 2nd round of the 1977 amateur draft (Secondary Phase), but did not sign. Later

Yancy Street Gang wrote: I've looked at Mazz from both sides now. And some advice to Maz from that poetic song; ] But now it's just another show You leave 'em laughing when you go And if you care, don't let them know Don't give yourself away Later

How much help do pitchers in that other league need? After this series, they'll probably want to institute a designated fielder rule, too. Later

Zvon wrote: ....nobody out there has heard of good ol Officer Joe Bolton? He was on every freakin afternoon when I got home from school. Way back in the days of black and white TV. FK? Mole? Your a senior members. No recollection of Officer Joe? Of course I remember Officer Joe Bolton. But as I got older, my afternoon tv tastes moved to more important things, like finding out if Annette was wearing a tight sweater that day. Later

If that's what Espinosa looked like, maybe you could use a head shot picture of Jose Valentin instead. They're both members of the Porn Stache Club. Later