Centerfield

Machado kinda has a crybaby face. I can see NY fans getting on him should be struggle.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: To be fair, I don't think you can call it "pulling a Timo" unless it has some actual consequence. As it stands... it's just a VERY bad look. Zeile was the one who failed to run out of the box thinking it was a homer. Timo was the one on base who failed to run because he saw Zeile fail to run, thinking it was a homer.

41Forever wrote: 41Forever wrote: It's a bullshit statement. I could write it in 5 minutes. You are a very talented writer. I don't know why you continue to attack me. I'm certainly not looking for a fight. There is no reason to make these discussions personal. We can disagree and still be pleasant. I do it because it bugs the shit out of me that someone can be so dishonest without giving it a second thought. Go through your posts. Give me an example of you beating up the Wilpons over Melvin and I will gladly retract my statement. Oh stop. I'm not dishonest. It was a collective "we." You know it. Just stop. This is getting creepy. All “we”s are collective we’s. And all of them include the speaker. If you are not included in the group, the word you’re looking for is “you”. Not “we”. But if you say “you” it comes across as preachy and dislikeable. So you try to soften it with “we”. Let me pretend like I’m one of this crew. If you’re going to lecture us then fucking lecture us. Spare me the “I’m your pal” facade. I am starting to think you have some sort of disorder. I really don’t think you have any idea how dishonest you are.

41Forever wrote: Centerfield wrote: It's a bullshit statement. I could write it in 5 minutes. You are a very talented writer. I don't know why you continue to attack me. I'm certainly not looking for a fight. There is no reason to make these discussions personal. We can disagree and still be pleasant. I do it because it bugs the shit out of me that someone can be so dishonest without giving it a second thought. Go through your posts. Give me an example of you beating up the Wilpons over Melvin and I will gladly retract my statement.

RealityChuck wrote: YES! Finally confirmed it! Vin Scully spent the last several innings obsessing about the fact that Howard Johnson had come up in the 9th and had swung away instead of bunting. He mentioned this several times. But I always remembered one of his comments. It was faint and probably was made after he shut off his mic, but before the other guy in the booth had turned off his. Scully said, very faintly "If Howard Johnson is good enough to swing, how come he's not good enough [to start]?" I finally found it, though the last words were cut off. Been trying to confirm my memory for a long time. I remember Scully mentioning that too. And the camera showing shots of Davey Johnson and something along the lines of "He'll think about that decision all winter." I was furious. I think it was Mazzilli? That his a ball that would have been SF right after that. But you know, it worked out.

41Forever wrote: We kind of beat them up when we think they are going the traditional route with Melvin, so I think we need to give them the opportunity to try something different and innovative. So first off, "we" (inclusive of you) have never beaten them up for a thing. No matter what the Wilpons do, you stretch and justify, and twist to spin it in a positive light. You do this but still claim to be neutral on the Wilpons. The act is tired and old. We (exclusive of you) panned them when it looked like they were going Melvin, because Melvin was nearly universally accepted across the board as a bad choice, or at least, not the best choice. That is why we (exclusive of you) celebrated when he was eliminated. We (presumably inclusive of you) were ready to applaud them if they picked Bloom. He seems to be head and shoulders the best candidate. And now we (exclusive of you) are wary when they try this unconventional approach. We know almost nothing about Van Wagenen. Is he versed in analytics? Does he have any experience whatsoever in scouting? Does he have any idea how to budget a team? What are his relationships with other agents? How will he resolve issues with his current clients, a few of them being very important to the Mets? And we (exclusive of you) are right to question that when there is a clearly well-qualified candidate right there for the taking. And given their history of incompetence we (inclusive of you) can rightfully be skeptical. 41Forever wrote: I like his statement from the other day: "I have regular dialogue with all 30 teams. These conversations share a central theme; how can I help make the team better?" "In my role as an agent, my solution is to create opportunities for players to be successful both on and off the field. By creating partnerships between players and teams, the interests of all parties can be aligned. If the players are able to reach their peak potential, the fans will be rewarded with a competitive team that can contend for championships year in and year out. The Clubs benefit with compelling, sustainable and profitable entertainment franchises; and the players are rewarded with a platform to realize their childhood dreams while receiving compensation consistent with their tremendous talents." "My conversations with the Mets continue to be organic. I believe baseball is better when the Mets are competitive and successful. That success is better for the fans, players, and the economy of the sport. As Jeff and Fred continue their search for a new head of baseball operations, the players, fans and entire organization will be motivated to have a leader with the skills and commitment to win. If the Wilpon's believe I am that person, we will have that conversation." It's a bullshit statement. I could write it in 5 minutes.

What an odd string of finishes for the Sox over the last seven seasons. Starting in 2012, they finished: 5th in the AL East 26.0 games out; then 1st and won the WS; then 5th two years in a row (25.0 GB & 15.0 GB); then 1st back-to-back (Lost in 3-0 and 3-1 in ALDS) and now 1st w/108 reg season wins and so far a near perfect post-season record (9-1 overall and a 2-0 WS lead). So that's four times winning the AL East sprinkled around three times finishing DFL, while two of those winning season came with a total of one post-season game won and the other (two?) with a World Series crown. But zero 2nd, 3rd, or 4th place finishes. Maybe that 2013 team greatly overachieved? Such a strange pattern. And yeah, LA really has to win tonight.

Jeff Passan also reporting through sources that say it's going to be Van Wagenen. I guess if we've learned anything it's that we won't know anything until this is all done. But what a letdown that would be. I will say this. It was nice to go to bed, even for just one night, optimistic that change might be coming for the Mets.

Per Fangraphs. https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/heres-who-will-win-the-next-five-world-series/ Not surprisingly, the Mets are not considered one of the 7 favorites. But more depressing, is that they go on to list fringe candidates. A total of 17 teams are discussed, but no mention of the Mets, except a throw away line about this past season. Doesn't mean a heck of a lot, and a lot can change if Bloom gets this job and/or payroll opens up. But just some perspective on how far away we are.

Edgy MD wrote: Yes, that's my concern. BVW has proprietary information about what it will take to tie his clients down. I don't know that it's possible, but if I was deGrom's next agent, I'd insist BVW recuse himself from negotiations with his his former clients, and keep all client information to himself. It shouldn't even be a question. The agent is the player's fiduciary. A fiduciary cannot go sit on the other side of the table. It's a clear conflict. And one that's not even waivable.

And keep in mind, these leaks are coming from Andy Martino, who cashes checks from the Wilpons. I don't get how any "journalist" can think they can continue to be a journalist, when they are paid by the people they are meant to cover. From that point on, you are now a spokesman. On Edit: Judging from Martino's twitter activity this morning, he is going full salesman on BVW this morning. Tweeting about how smart and well-respected BVW is.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: My fear is that, needing a new agent, both Syndergaard and deGrom end up with Scott Boras. Don't think Scott hasn't taken notice. “The Boras Corporation stands for a total commitment to players, and while I have been offered many opportunities with teams, I would never violate the trust that I have with any player and that is very important to what I do,” Boras said. “I am an attorney and I want [players] to tell me everything and a lot of these things are confidential, they are personal, and if I went to work for a different employer, I would have to divulge all that information because I have to do my job for that other employer I made a commitment to.” https://nypost.com/2018/10/22/agents-are-concerned-over-mets-most-controversial-gm-option/ I hate to say it, but I think Boras is right.

This is just nuts. Hopefully Van Wagenen is leading like the way Melvin was leading.

Wait a second, let me be clear. If Bloom gets hired, no one gets to eat crow before me. I've been saying for over a week that Melvin was a done deal. In fact, I said it's Melvin and the rest of the candidates are just a sham interview process. So when I'm done with my heaping portion of crow, then yous other guys can get a turn. I've had some time to let this process. A few thoughts: 1. It's possible that Fred had, in fact, decided on Melvin earlier this week. It wasn't just one guy that called him the favorite. It was widely reported. But then he saw the overwhelming reaction and was convinced to go in a different direction. Or, it's possible that he was inclined to go with Melvin, leaked it to gauge reaction, and was like "Holy fuck, I can't hire this guy." Or, all the reports were just wrong. I guess we'll never know. But if we end up with Bloom, I'd like to believe that the process led to the right decision, rather than ending up with the right guy by accident. 2. If it ends up being BVW, I have no idea how to react. I don't think I have considered any of the agent candidates are serious contenders. I don't know if he's into analytics, or if he has any scouting experience, or if he knows anything about how to set up a trade, etc. I mean, if this is a job interview, and one guy just built a team that exceeded all expectations and is widely respected in your industry, and the other guy has no experience, you kinda go with choice 1 no? I mean, BVW could end up being great in the end. But how can we possibly know? And all kidding aside, what does it mean if we end up having to negotiate those deGrom/Syndergaard extensions with the guy we just spurned?

Of course, if we hire Bloom, then it’s awkward when we sit down to negotiate deGrom’s extension...

Has it even been 90 days? This guys still under warranty. Pretty sure we get our Asdrubal back.

Amazing. If this is true that really is something. It it ends up being Bloom kudos to the Wilpons for going against all expectations. Can’t imagine it will be Van Wagenen.

I've said this a few times, and if I turn out to be wrong there will be abundant proof of that, but I see this guy as a 2019 Met: I think if, as expected, Melvin is announced shortly, the chances of your prediction coming true improve greatly.

d'Kong76 wrote: I know you can't help it, but probably much more likely he just doesn't want work for/under the Wilpons. Glad it's not just me.

Chaim Bloom statement: We had a productive meeting yesterday. There was a lot of baseball conversation and I enjoyed the time we spent together. Um. Ok. So I'm guessing he has either withdrawn, or he's of the mindset that he's out of the running.

Word is that Bloom will not have a press conference. He will only issue a statement, like Brodie did earlier. Based on that it's hard not to conclude the Melvin is the guy and has been all along. Sucks if this is true. Really was hoping they would go Bloom.

For 3B, Josh Donaldson is also out there. Don't know enough about him to know if he was hurt, or if he's shot.

Mets Willets Point wrote: I think the rule of thumb for Mets fans trying to determine which team to root for is to pick the team with the greater number of Mookies. How awesome is Mookie Betts. Love everything about him and the way he plays. Terrific athlete, great defense, great attitude. Even his patchy beard. Totally should have done the JCL proposed trade for Harvey a few years back.

I found this writeup of upcoming free agents helpful. https://www.mlbdailydish.com/2018/9/7/17780982/previewing-2018-2019-mlb-free-agent-class The class may not be as strong as once thought a few years ago, but there's gold to be found so long as someone has the resources and the right set of eyes. Let's go get Bloom, increase the budget by $75 million and win it all next year.

Looked good last night. When they were talking about how lefties can neutralize a lineup like the Dodgers, it really illustrates how important it is to have good lefties in your rotation. I don't see how Ryu can be as good as his numbers. He doesn't throw that hard, his pitches don't have a ton of movement, and doesn't appear to have a deceptive motion. I feel like he might be one of those guys that goes south real quick if he loses even just a touch of whatever makes him effective. Better athlete than I thought. Moved pretty well to cover first. Big kid. Must eat lots of kalbi.