MFS62

Yancy Street Gang wrote: How come you didn't put the words "All-Purpose" in front of the thread title, by the way? That seems to be in vogue lately. I try not to do that. I think the title, as written, conveys the theme of the thread. Later

Didn't say whether they should or shouldn't. I just find it amusing that some announcers get into verbal gymnastics trying not to say it and was looking for some memorable/funny examples y'all have heard. Just trying to start something we can enjoy on an off-day. Later

Poor Alamo. He would have received a full 6 points if the Mets had been able to win it in regulation time. But some points had to go to the relievers and the folks who produced the winning run. Later

Maine 5 Beltran 1 Valentin 2 Sanchez .5 Wagner .5 Heilman 1 Later

Bradford - .5 Sanchez - .5 Delgado - 2 Wright - 1 Floyd - 1 Nady - 1 Beltran - 1 LoDuca - 1 Later

Chavez 3 Beltran 2 Later

Let's face it. At Valentin's age, he was getting tired and wanted to go home and take a nap. So he ended the game. Later

Some announcers say the words "no hitter" while someone is still pitching one. Some don't because, respecting baseball tradition and superstition, they don't want to be the one who "jinxes" it. What are some of the expressions you've heard announcers use in place of those words to still let the listeners/ viewers know what's in progress? (Many of the telecast graphics I've seen only show the score, not the number of hits for each team) I remember Red Barber would say something like "there have been __ hits so far in the game and the __________ have all of them". Later

SteveJRogers wrote: ="Yancy Street Gang"] Mets hitless, game scoreless, after five. Surprised there haven't been more of these league wide with the crack down on greenies The Halos just had a 10 run inning against the Rays and lead 12-6 mid-game. Your grenie theory needs a little work. Later

Willets Point wrote: Could it be because they both involve Flushing? Darn, you went and ruined it! Later

Willets Point wrote: Why is an IGT like a urinal? If you have an answer for that, it would be a great addition to the Saturday riddle thread. Later

The last two posts are interesting. A few months ago, I read an article that said that up until a few years ago, it was widely felt by their (national) viewing audience that ESPN was very pro-Yankee/ pro- New York teams. As a result, ESPN started to bash the Mets every opportunity they could to show they weren't. Recently they seem to bend over backwards to be anti all New York teams, including the Yanks*. * = Just my impression. And, if they fire Linda Cohen, where would all those unused "she has six toes" jokes go? Later

based on tv shows, plus some honorable mentions: http://television.aol.com/photos/worst-tv-shows-to-movie-remakes Thought I saw some movies that were listed as favorites in the other thread. Comments? Later

="Frayed Knot"]Remember that the choice was between him and Tike Redman -- the vote would have been close. I've read several times that Endy is one of Omar's personal favorites. I think he may have been the one who originally scouted/ signed him. And whern he was available, Omar drafted him for Montreal. When he was signed by the Mets, we looked at the fact that he had low OBPs for a "Speedy little leadoff type centerfielder". But Willie hasn't used him much (if ever) in either role, and he has performed well when needed. Quick side note - because Omar seems to be very loyal to players likes/ has done business with before, when Nady went down I expected him to try to lure Sammy Sosa to the Mets. Last week, Sammy announced that he migh come back for the "right offer". And This week, Omar said something like not all deals have to be done by the end of this month. Stay tuned once the rosters expand in September. We now return you to your love for Endy thread. Later

The ugly whispers. http://www.deadspin.com/sports/top/was-this-why-harold-got-the-axe-189733.php Later

I said "or few folks". If you knew about him, I'm happy for you. But he wasn't on most of the pre-season top 25 prospect lists. And his conversion from catcher, his pre-med studies and his 100 MPH fastball I believe qualify him as........, what was that you said? Oh, "interesting story". Later

A shocker. Other than being a player's guy (no surprise) he's pretty bland. Maybe it was those awful suits he wears? That's just about the only thing I can think of. Later

Oh crap! African Queen. How could I have forgotten? Looks like I have to drop Hoosiers from my list. Later

Edgy, if you can find it on the old board or if it was archived, I remember someone (Scarlett?) commenting about my adoption of Gomez. I'm not sure if he was the first, but I remembered the comment. The thread about him here was restarted after the crash. As for Owens, some may have heard about him, but I saw enough in his potential to actually adopt him. Later

Huh? I looked and didn't see him listed. Maybe it was on the pre-crash board? I'll look again. If I spot it this time, I'll delete this thread and add today's update there. Later

After that turgid start at Binghamton, my boy is up to .274 and rising rapidly. And his strikeouts are way down (now 66 in 80 games).He reportedly is the fastest player in the organization, so his 15 or so GIDP indicates that even his ground ball outs are hard hit.Looks like Omar was right in having him skip a level (high A ball). He's adjusting nicely. Later

]BEST BAD TRADE THEY EVER MADE KAZMIR RIPOFF SPURRED AMAZIN' TRANSFORMATION By MIKE VACCARO July 23, 2006 -- HERE is a warning to Mets fans: You aren't going to like this column. Your anger will not be enabled here. Your frustrations will find no friend in the coming 900 words. The fantasy that you have developed over the past two years will not be fed any further. You have been forewarned. Because from this point on, you will be entering a Kazmir-Free Zone. As in: the Mets are better off for having traded Scott Kazmir exactly one year, 11 months and 23 days ago. That, in fact, is the date - July 31, 2004 - that can be circled in red, permanently highlighted in the brightest yellow ink you can find, as the precise moment when the Mets started to build what became a 12-game lead at the start of the weekend. There. I said it. Truth is, I had to say it. Truth is, Mets fans have become something else this season, a summer that should have been custom-made for their dreams. They've had a double-digit lead in the NL East for nearly a full month. They've thus far avoided any self-sabotaging losing streaks. They've won five of nine from the Braves and six of nine from the Phillies, back when the race was still competitive. Out of the dregs of Art Howe and Steve Phillips, a legitimate contender has risen out of the dust. And what do Mets fans spend this summer of dreams talking about? They fret about the Braves, of course. They get the bends whenever they lose two games in a row. And in what has become a required sacrifice of self-flagellation, they force themselves to memorize every one of Scott Kazmir's updated statistics, like clockwork, every five days. "If only we had Kazmir," they moan. OK. Let's play it your way. Let's re-invent that Xanadu of your dreams, and create a universe where Scott Kazmir was never dealt to the Devil Rays for He Who Shall Never Again Be Named. If we can erase that from the books, here is a look at what your optimum Mets lineup could possibly look like: 1B Mike Jacobs; 2B Kaz Matsui; SS Jose Reyes; 3B David Wright; LF Cliff Floyd; CF Mike Cameron; RF Victor Diaz; C Jason Phillips; SP Tom Glavine; RP Braden Looper. That's an OK lineup. Maybe it could spend the summer and the fall battling for a wild card, after already submitting a concession speech to the Braves. Maybe it would draw a million and a half disgusted Mets fans. Maybe a little more. Maybe a lot less. Would you rather have that lineup? Would you rather have that summer? Because if Kazmir isn't traded one year, 11 months and 23 days ago, it's possible that the resulting outcry would have been a tad more muted than it was. It could mean that the chaotic front-office set-up that got the Mets in such a morass in the first place might have been allowed to stay in place a little while longer. Which means ... That Omar Minaya doesn't get hired when he did ... ... meaning that Willie Randolph never gets hired when he did ... ... meaning that Pedro Martinez never even talks to the Mets ... ... meaning that Carlos Beltran never returns the Mets' calls ... ... meaning that Billy Wagner lands somewhere else, probably Toronto ... ... meaning there's no reason to add Carlos Delgado and Paul LoDuca to a team destined to go 80-82 for the rest of time ... ... meaning the Mets are nowhere near the place they occupy right now. Not even close. You don't want to think about that when you're busy salivating at Kazmir's live left arm, you're allowed. Fans are supposed to be fanatical. Logic isn't a requirement. But once in a while, it can save you from ulcerating your innards. "Did we make a mistake?" Jeff Wilpon, the Mets' chief operating officer, said over the telephone earlier this week. "It's obvious we made a mistake. I mean, no reasonable person can look at what Scott has done with Tampa and not think that way. But the reality is, we can't go back and re-trade the players involved. It doesn't work that way." He paused. "I know I've learned from it," Wilpon said. "Ultimately, the fact that Scott isn't with us now is my responsibility, and I accept that. But you can do one of two things when you make a mistake like that. You can let it destroy you. Or you can try to make the best of an unfortunate situation and push ahead. Most of the last two years, I think that's what we've been doing, pushing ahead. Trying to turn a negative into a positive." Another pause. "Honestly," he said, "I think we've done that." In their heart of hearts, of course, Mets fans have to believe that, too. Twelve ahead with holes to fill beats the hell out of 12 behind with question marks littering the roster. But in their soul of souls, Mets fans still beat themselves up for Nolan Ryan. So it may take a while for them to get over Scott Kazmir. Even if the Mets themselves already have. The standings sure say so. Mike Vaccaro's e-mail is michael.vaccaro@nypost.com. His Yankees-Red Sox book, "Emperors and Idiots," is available in paperback in bookstores everywhere. This is, to my knowledge, the first time anyone in the Mets' organization has said something like this. Later

No particular order: Touch of Evil Dr. Strangelove History of the World (Part I) G-dfather (parts I and II edited in chrono sequence) Kill Bill (V1) Primal Fear King Kong (1933) West Side Story Napoleon (Abel Gance - Director) Since I'd have plenty of time to kill on that island, I might as well take a brilliant seven hour long movie. Hoosiers Later

Signed as an international free agent, he was just seventeen, if you know what I mean. He showed so much promise that the Mets started him out at full season Hagerstown in the SAL. He started off strong, then was injured for a while. But this is what this week's Baseball America's hot sheet has to say. 3. Fernando Martinez, of, Mets (Low Class A Hagerstown He misses more than a month with a sprained knee, and comes back to go 9-for-17 in his first four games to raise his season line to .345/.402/.514 in 148 at-bats. You can almost hear the Mets fans singing, "I remember long ago another starry night like this, in the firelight Fernando." Well, maybe not. But it would be funny if you could. Welcome to my family, kid. Later