MFS62

Maybe that's because he just signed with KC. That's tampering, y'know. Later

Edgy DC wrote: Don't recall a lot of injuries stretching for throws at first. Stretching in the on-deck circle, sure. Harmon Killebrew so badly injured himself (groin) while stretching for a throw at first that he had to DH for most of the rest of his career. Later

Willets Point wrote: Nah, Dolphin Face had set up camp by the fine public schools of Denver long before Squid swam into our pool. Dolphin Face's main rival was David Whales. I deserved that. LOL! (and then I groaned) Later

smg58 wrote: The Twins couldn't do better than him? T-bat should have a field day hitting in the Baggy-dome. Heck, I would have a field day hitting there. Later

Nymr83 wrote: playing MI will help keep him healthier? i'm not seeing that... Sometimes many people have a hard time seeing what Peter Gammons sees. I agree with you, but don't shoot the messenger. I just reported what I heard. LAter

New York City Councilman Ton O'Malley, and ex transit worker, has been called in to help mediate the upcoming transit strike. He was selected because he has experience in both sides of the issue. Gimmie a Met who could help your child with an uncoming Science Project for high school. Later

ScarletKnight41 wrote: Dolphin Face has tradition on its side. We're keeping that one, dammit! Before my time, but was dolphin face a mortal enemy of our favorite squid? Later

According to Perer Gammons on ESPN radio this morning, the Yanks are losing confidence in their ability to sign him since he and his agent had a long meeting yesterday with LA. Gammons went on to say that ginen the nature of his recent injuries, it would be better for him to sign with a team that wasn't counting on him to play much first base because of the reaching/ stretching involved. RAther, he should go to a team where he could play second or, preferrably, the outfield. Later

Yancy Street Gang wrote: He was the best player named Laverne that the Mets ever had. But we did draft Al Shirley. Later

Edgy DC wrote: But he may be Dickie Thon at this stage in his career. You mean HIM? http://www.dickiethon.com/thonstuff/ Later

He's had two injry plagued seasons. (Or was it just a ploy to stay at home with Mia Hamm?) I think he will take a one year contract just to prove that he is again healthy at age 32 then go for the gold after that. A part time role will serve him better than having to play every day and showcase (or expose) his ability toplay positions other than short. From his POV, I'd say its a yea. Later

Hmm, he has nice numbers against Glavine and Hampron. He must hang in there against lefties, eh? Later

Anthony Young has had to close his coffee shop due to the competition of the nearby Starbucks. Said Young "I just can't seem to shake my string of bad luck". Gimmie a Met whose wife didn't want to sit in the wives section at Shea, but preferred to proudly sit in the stands and hear what fans were saying about her man. Later

Clarence Coleman, a one-time LA gang member and now a Civil Liberties Lawyer protested the execution of Tookie Smith. He commented to a member of the press that being a gang member did hinder his professional career. Gimmie a Met who gave Pee Wee Herman his raincoat in the theater. Later

I'll pick up for mlb Toby "Al" Borland was discovered by singer George Michael in the men's room of Schwab's drugstore and the rest, as they say, is history. Gimmie a Met who played the cello in the school orchestra. Later

Yancy Street Gang wrote: I found this website in the UMDB referrer logs. It's all about hating Mets players. Any such site that doesn't have Al Moran listed among the worst shortstops just doesn't have a proper sense of Mets history. Later

Four dingers against Zambrano? I'm surprised the Victor was able to throw that many strikes in 27 PA. Or is Delgado a "bad ball" hitter? The number against Pedro is interesting by comparison to the others because he is the only Mets starter who comes inside enough to send the hitter a message. When was the lasttime we saw a Mets starter back a hitter off the plate (aside from batters ducking one of Zambrano's errant tosses)? Later

(slapping forehead) Of Course! Thanks Later

BJ Bunch? Or is the explanation too obvious when discussing Anna? 'Splain please. Later

Ever heard of the gyroball? http://www.rotoauthority.com/2005/08/mlb_deep_2006_f.html Then, check out the link in the article to the Nyer column that describes the pitch and how to throw it. Sounds painful to the arm. Later

Bret, in his first five full years in the majors, Roberto Clemente had OBP numbers of: .284 .330 .288 (reverted) .327 .322 But obviously there were other attributes to his game, and visions of what he could become, that made the Bucs not want to get rid of him. Reyes really has only the equivalent of two full major league years behind him, with a top OBP of .334. Waiting for that third year to make a decision makes sense. But if they wanted to lock him up long turn, Iwouldn't have much heartburn over it either. Later

Didn't the Cuban team play the O's in OPACY a few years ago? Why is this different? The President is a big baseball fan. Let's see what he does. Later

Some other shortstops of note. They really may not belong on this list, but their careers certainly frustrated me: 1) Ryan Jaroncyk - drafted #1 by the Mets, spent one year in the minors, then decided he didn't like baseball and quit the game. 2) A guy named Bucci (forget his first name) signed by the Mets, played a few years in the organization and loooked like he had some potential. One year he was dissatisfied that he wasn't promoted and asked for a trade. When he didn't get it, he quit the game. 3) This guy was special. He was signed out of the Dominican Republic at age 16. He had played two years there in the highest level of amateur ball. One year he won the Triple Crown. The other year, he hit 47 home runs in around 250 at bats (that is not a misprint). He spent a few years in the Mets organization, but was left exposed in the Rule V Draft and taken by Milwaukee. His development was hurt by having to have spent an entire year on the major league roster. He is still in their system (AA last year) and is still only 24 years old. Who knows? He may eventually fulfill his potential. I would like to see him do it. His name is Enrique Cruz. Later

Klapish strikes again. He loves those "high ranking officials".Seems like some reporters want to become the news rather than reporting it. He is stirring up the pot on the ESPN website.Later]NEW YORK -- After a flurry of delirious check-writing, appearances at glitzy press conferences and otherwise rerouting the road to mediocrity, has the unthinkable finally occurred in New York? Have the Mets become the city's best baseball team? No one would've dared pose the question in 2005, not even two months ago. But thanks to the Wilpon family's money and general manager Omar Minaya's near-compulsive need to make trades, the Mets boast a roster that's nearly as star-studded as the Yankees'. Even if the roster isn't as talented, the Mets might still have a clearer path to the playoffs than the Bombers. Says who, any Yankee loyalist will ask. None other than the Bombers themselves. One high-ranking official said this week, "There's no question the Mets are the best team in that [NL East] division. So go ahead, say they're favorites. Say they're the best team in the whole league. Put the pressure on them, for once." The Yankee official wasn't speaking spitefully or sarcastically, he was simply candid enough to tell the Mets: Welcome to our world, where even a two-game losing streak isn't tolerated, and five years without a world championship is the equivalent of a dark age. Harsh as it is, the Mets are loving the limelight. They're the hottest team in town and certainly the busiest. Their projected $110 million payroll is still some $70 million lighter than the Yankees', but they have All-Stars in four starting positions (first base, catcher, left and center field), an elite-caliber Opening Day starter in Pedro Martinez and the game's hardest-throwing lefty reliever in Billy Wagner. Many baseball officials believe the Mets now project to a 90-win season, even if Minaya doesn't make another move before April. Finishing at 90-72 might be good enough to topple the Braves. At the very least, the Mets have surged past the Phillies, Marlins and Nationals, none of whom have significantly improved this winter. The Yankees? They're a year older, slogging through a crisis in center field, trying to pass off Bubba Crosby as a suitable replacement to Bernie Williams. The real crossroads, however, will be the moment when Johnny Damon decides he'll accept less than a seven-year deal. But the question is for whom. While the Yankees wait out Damon and his agent, Scott Boras, the Red Sox and Blue Jays have both upgraded their starting rotations, prompting Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi to boldly say, "We've closed the gap" on the East's power brokers. It's conceivable a three-way race will ensue, and the Yankees could find themselves out of the playoffs for the first time since 1993. It's a long shot, but Yankees GM Brian Cashman is desperately looking for help. Still, as long as the Yankees are committed to Robinson Cano and Chien-Ming Wang, and further refuse to trade Carl Pavano, they look inert compared to the Mets. Cashman admitted as much, wearily saying, "It took me four days just to trade [Tony] Womack" during the winter meetings. Of course, George Steinbrenner can't possibly allow the Mets to outright steal the Yankees' place in the universe. The Bombers are poised for an intense courtship of Roger Clemens beginning in January, and are so intent on stealing Damon away from the Red Sox, Joe Torre personally called the free-agent center fielder on Tuesday, according to Newsday. But the Mets aren't finished with their own upgrades, either. Minaya continues his pursuit of Manny Ramirez, having tried to hatch a three-way deal with the Rangers and Red Sox that would've landed the slugger at Shea. According to one National League official, the Mets wanted to trade Kris Benson to the Rangers for Juan Dominguez and Laynce Nix, then package them with Carlos Beltran to Boston for Ramirez. The deal never got past the Rangers, however, and Minaya has back-burnered Ramirez -- for now. In the meantime, the GM is low-key about his chances of outdistancing the Yankees, refusing to rule out the possibility of finishing second to Atlanta. "That's the best young nucleus they've had in a long time," Minaya said of the Braves. "They lose [Rafael] Furcal but they replace him with someone who might be even better [Edgar Renteria]. "We haven't won anything. The value of winning as a team, as a nucleus, that's insurmountable. The Braves have that." Clearly, Minaya is trying to take pressure off his newcomers, like Wagner, Carlos Delgado and Julio Franco. But the Mets front office is gearing up for a long, loud summer in Flushing, Queens. There's a new cable network, SportsNet New York, coming in 2006 and to help cover the cost, the Mets have raised their ticket prices by 7 percent, including prime seats that now cost $96 apiece. The Yankees moved even faster than the Mets in raising prices. Two weeks ago, they announced the Stadium's best seats will cost $110, after selling for $90 last year. Not that the two teams are actually competing for revenue. The Mets and Yankees have their own distinct fan bases, so the who's-better question is more likely to impact street corner debate than attendance or TV ratings. But the Yankees and Mets are clearly aware, if not wary, of each other. When the Bombers were looking for a center fielder last summer, they knew the most logical place to look was Shea Stadium, where Mike Cameron was unhappy after being shifted to right field. The Mets could've made a deal. They could've taken the Yankees up on their offer of Gary Sheffield for Cameron. But the trade was nixed at the highest levels in Queens, where one Met executive told a go-between, "Why should we help the Yankees get over the top? Why?" Bob Klapisch is a sports columnist for The Record (N.J.) and a regular contributor to ESPN.com

Well, since the technique was already being taught in B-schools, I'd say it is rather old hat and standard and ho- hum. Later