MFS62

metirish wrote: Maine went six decent innings tonight,gave up three hits.Gary talked about a Joe Smith that the Mets drafted this year,said that the Mets talked about him geting called up this season....anyone have info on him? Edgy adopted him. Check out the prospect forum. Later

Delgado - 4 Beltran - 1 LoDuca - 1 Reyes - 1 OHernandez - 2 Heilman - 1 Later

I'm glad that he was shut down before he injured his arm by trying to compensate for the foot and leg injuries (as Dizzy Dean did). As for Boston, I think its kind of ironic that two of the pitchers they were able to afford by not resigning Pedro - Schilling and Burnett have spent time on the DL since. Later

Its title is "Big League Survivor." and it's available at http://www.bookshawaii.net Has anybody read it? Later

The borderline has become more mathematical recently. There are some magic numbers that, in the minds of many voters, players have to attain to warrant consideration. They seem to be moving away from the statement "Dominated his position in the era in which he played". There are some players on that list who I feel would be in the Hall if the voters paid heed to that statement. That doesn't mean that I would vote for them, but that they shouldn't be dismissed out of hand. Later

Salome? Later

Frayed Knot wrote: And really, who among us wasn't impressed by their ability to scrape by - during the Matsui/Sheff/Cano injuries - with only 5 or 6 multiple All-Stars in their everyday lineup? FK Please say no more. I'm starting to get all faklempt thinking about how that poor band of ragamuffins has had to overcome their obstacles to endure in this year's pennant race. Somebody hand me a tissue. Later

metirish wrote: Really if you have to argue for players to get in then they don't deserve it. That's one way to look at it, and I've read that many people use that as a "test". Edgy and I are in agreement that he doesn't belong. The discussion is about my methodology. Later

Edgy DC wrote: Except it's not a good analogy. Any more than denying a linebacker admission to the Pro Football Hall of Fame because he had a comparable number of interceptions as a mediocre defensive back. Yes, you know that and I know that. But you should see the looks on their faces. To paraphrase something once said about NY Net player Wendell Ladner: Most Yankee fans don't know the meaning of the words "a Yankee who doesn't belong in the Hall of Fame". Of course, they don't know the meanings of a lot of other words, either. Later

This probably belongs here more than in the "Sportswriter" thread. ] MET FANS, IT'S NOT AS BAD AS IT SEEMS Mike Vacarro, NY Post September 29, 2006 THERE is something you really should ponder if you are a Mets fan, if your teeth are chattering, if your knees are clattering, if you're convinced - in the time-honored way that Mets fans see the Apocalypse lurking around every corner - that the sky is not only falling, but already fallen. The Mets lost the services of a player named Pedro Martinez last night when it was announced, somberly and sadly, that he will be out 4-6 weeks with a freshly-discovered tear in his left calf (which, before yesterday, was heretofore known as "the healthy calf.") But they didn't lose PEDRO MARTINEZ. Because the truth is, the Mets haven't had the italicized, capitalized version of that player in an awfully long time. The Mets don't lose the 1969 edition of Tom Seaver, or the 1986 version of Dwight Gooden, or even the 2000 versions of Al Leiter and Mike Hampton. Those pitchers were central to everything those Mets teams accomplished. Subtracting them from the Mets two days shy of October would have been like showing up for an evening of "The Producers" a few years back and finding out that Nathan Lane had been replaced for the evening by Dick Butkus. Look, there isn't a Mets fan alive who wouldn't feel better if they had a vintage Pedro Martinez ready to pitch in the playoffs. There isn't a fan of baseball anywhere in this city who wouldn't prefer to see that, in truth, because when he's on, when he's right, that's about as good as New York baseball has been the past couple of years. But we haven't seen that Pedro in a long time, maybe not since his epic scoreless duel with Arizona's Brandon Webb on May 31. We've seen flashes of it. But really, ever since he went back to Boston and was blitzed by his former mates on June 28, flashes is all we've gotten. And flashes is all we would have gotten, if we're being honest with ourselves. And here's the thing to remember: The Mets spent most of this summer without Pedro. And they spent most of the summer winning without Pedro. In many ways, Pedro has been the Mets' placebo over his two years with the team: When he was on the mound, the Mets felt like they were practically unbeatable. But the reality is, their winning percentage since the first day of the 2005 season is over 40 points higher on days when Martinez doesn't pitch than on days that he has. It's true. You can look it up. "I knew he wasn't the regular Pedro," Minaya said yesterday, when he made official what Mets fans and players alike had been secretly fearing for weeks. "He's been battling lower half injuries all year." For most of the season, Pedro's presence, and personality, have been far more valuable, and relevant, than his performance. That won't change now. He'll still be around the team. He'll still be there. And make no mistake: If he were himself, if he were healthy, he would still be the Mets' most significant weapon. But he isn't. And he isn't. And before you start wringing your hands about Pedro not being available in October, you should ask yourself this question: Knowing what you know, seeing what you've seen, would you really feel better if he was? Later

Edgy DC wrote: She thinks that, for the Yankees to advance in the post-season, A-Rod has to be benched. Keep thinking, Sweetie. Sounds like thinking would be the farthest thing from her mind. Later

="Edgy DC"]="MFS62"]They may not be an exact match, but they are close enough. No, they're not. I was looking for players with similar career at bats. I used a hard copy of Baseball Encyclopedia. I should have remembered Baseballreference.com Here is their list of similar catchers. I don't think you would think of any of them as Hall of Famers as players either: Terry Steinbach (903) Jason Kendall (902) Tim McCarver (898) Manny Sanguillen (896) Jack Clements (890) Smoky Burgess (883) Terry Kennedy (881) Wally Schang (878) Elston Howard (875) Sandy Alomar (873) Most basebal fans have heard of most, it not all, of them. But when arguing this issue (Munson to the Hall) with Yankee fans, the mention of Bruce Bochte usually stops them in their tracks. And that is a good thing. Later

]Thurman Munson -- He'd be in already if he hadn't been killed. No. No. A thousand times no. Clemente (an analogy some Munson supporters use) was put in because at the time of his death he had already accumulated enough credentials for enshrinement. At the time of his death, based on roughly similar career at bats, Munson's career totals were similar to an American League first baseman named Bruce Bochte. No, not catcher Bruce Bochy, Bruce Bochte. Who? http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/B/Bruce-Bochte.shtml That's my point. Here are Munson's stats; http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/M/Thurman-Munson.shtml They may not be an exact match, but they are close enough. Would you vote for Bruce Bochte for the Hall of Fame? Hardly. Then Munson doesn't belong either. And, Munson didn't have a great throwing arm. In fact, when he knew the runner would have beaten the throw, he more often than not just held onto the ball. If he had played in the run-run NL of the time, he would have been moved to first base and been just another player like... Bruce Bochte. Later

I think it would have been more logical for them to be a farm club of the Washington Nats. Later

Yes. the Babe was important to the history and lore all of baseball. But If he didn't get it for the Yank HTH, that would be like someone winning the Preidential election without winning his home state. Later

Dick Allen and Jim Kaat are the only ones I'd vote for on this list. And I'd vote for Bill White from the executives' list shown in the other thread on this subject. Later

Yancy, you just asked the question I'm sure many of us thought of asking... but didn't. LOL! Later

Uh, Yancy. That was what I linked to a few posts above. Although I have to admit, it looks a heckuva' lot better when you don't have to look at the Yankee promo on that page. Later

Has anyone read which teams of announcers we'll get on the nationally televised games? Later

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/ny-spmets0928-sub,0,4551010.story?coll=ny-sports-headlines Good News. Later

From Elias Sports Bureau: ] The Mets have lost seven of their last eight games and are 11-15 in September. But don't fret, Mets fans, several teams have struggled in September/October but still won the World Series that year. Here are some examples during the wild card era: 2005 White Sox: 4-10 during one stretch in September, turning a 9�-game lead to 1� 2002 Angels: 5-8 over last 13 games of the season 2001 Diamondbacks: 14-13 in September/October 2000 Yankees: 13-18 in September/October, 2-13 in last 15 games, lost last seven 1997 Marlins: 12-15 in September, 2-7 in last nine games Ya' Gotta' Believe. Later

Thanks. I'll check it out. Later

DC Stadium is not the place you would want to have to do that. Its typically a pitchers' park. Later

Frayed Knot wrote: Do you suppose an aritcle on Backman exists without mentioning dirty uniforms in the first two sentences? It would be about as rare as an article on Lance Armstrong would be that doesn't include mention of the disease from which he recovered. (in the first two sentences) Later

Does Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt do a better job including the "feel" of Savannah than Interview With The Vampire by Anne Rice, does with New Orleans? I've never read the Berendt book. Later