Centerfield

The Nationals are super talented and just in a rut. Clearly they should keep Harper and make a run at this. In fact, they should be unloading all of their best prospects to bolster their lineup with veteran bats. Like Jose Bautista.

So the way the deadline is going, and I realize there is time left, it seems like the Mets will try to contend in 2019. The good news is at least the best writers seem to finally understand that this is going to mean opening up payroll.

I think this is a great idea. I look forward to the new ads with "Mets" written across women's butts.

I can’t believe he’s the same pitcher. His stuff looks better. His poise is better. Is he finally healthy? Maybe he’s got the splitter working? This is not the same guy we’ve seen in the past.

Edgy MD wrote: Plenty. I disagree with the suggestion that failure is sufficient evidence to establish malice. Yeah. I don't think failure alone is enough to establish malice. But without rehashing everything, there are mountains of evidence of actual malice.

Edgy MD wrote: I find that rooting for the Wilpons to be unilaterally divested of the team is a lot more futile than rooting for the team to win. Even this season. Yes. Without a doubt. But I try anyway. Rooting for the DH to be abolished. Rooting for Trump to be impeached. Rooting for term limits for Congress, and for campaign finance reform so that candidates can't be bought. Rooting for the orange dot on the blue hat to be eliminated. All lost causes probably, but I root anyway. It took until I was well into adulthood, but eventually I recognized that the biggest obstacle for the Star Wars franchise was George Lucas. They also said he'd never sell. Then one day it happened. Say what you want about Disney, and what they've done, but unquestionably, that franchise is in much better hands than it was with Lucas at the helm.

we really want to talk about this again? I know I don't. It's not happening. If there was cause as the Madoff money was getting locked up and litigated, that's long past. MLB has shown no indication it's going to force a sale because of 'bad faith' owners or whatever that means, and the Mets wouldn't even be first in line. If you don't want to talk about it, feel free not to talk about it. I want to talk about it. And I want others to talk about it. And I want the conversation to get so deafening that Manfred feels he has no choice but to respond, then address, then ultimately act. Is it likely? No. It may not even be possible. But all I can do is try. I don't understand any Mets fan's motivation in defending the Wilpons. The press, I get it. They need access. But fans? Fans want the team to win. Unfortunately: 1. The Mets don't win nearly as much as they should be winning. As pointed out in the other thread, it's hard to fathom how much they have consistently lost. 2. There is a mountain of evidence that the single biggest reason for their failure to win is the Wilpons. Why wouldn't a logical fan want to remove that obstacle? It's like there is some inability by some to make the distinction that rooting for your favorite team doesn't mean you have to root for that team's owners. That it's inconceivable that an owner's objective and a fan's objective may not be in line. You wonder if these people have watched Major League.

Lefty Specialist wrote: Pretty sure Bud left a message in his desk drawer for Manfred that read, "Don't do anything to the Wilpons, no matter what." Yup.

No, not at the Commish's office. "Steam" as in others around the nation are starting to chime in. Not just Mets fans.

Is starting to pick up some steam. https://deadspin.com/how-bad-does-it-have-to-get-before-rob-manfred-does-som-1827876806 There have been many opportunities for the league to act where the Wilpons are concerned, but first Selig and then Manfred have repeatedly refused to do so. They didn’t act when the Wilpons leveraged the team to Jupiter to cover the debts they ran up after being hornswoggled by Bernie Madoff; the Wilpons were in violation of the same debt-limit rules as McCourt when the league forced him out in Los Angeles and are still servicing the debt they ran up borrowing against the team and its cable channel, SNY. The league also didn’t act when the front office was characterized as a hotbed of profoundly rank sexual discrimination driven by Jeff Wilpon, owner Fred’s son and the team’s chief operating officer. In many ways and for many reasons and for many years, the people that own the Mets obviously can’t be trusted to run a Major League Baseball team—not just trusted by the legions of defiant masochists who have stuck by the team but, more saliently, by the other image-conscious rich guys that own teams, and who know that the health of the league depends in no small part on the National League franchise in the nation’s largest media market not being run like a skunk-infested Quiznos franchise. It’s tempting to chalk that inaction up to the unfailing class solidarity that prevails among rich turds, even though the Mets owners don’t seem very good at being rich. There’s a great deal that’s unknown about the team’s finances, but none of that really has any bearing on the question of whether Manfred should consider taking some action. What we can see is argument enough.

Edgy MD wrote: The Orioles fall behind 5-0 to the Red Sox by the second, but get a rainout. NICE! Why is that nice? We want the Red Sox to win right?

I would think yes. But your high side is probably a low Single-A pitcher who throws hard but can't find the plate and has no secondary pitches. Buy a lottery ticket. Hope he develops a changeup.

It’s ridiculous that no reporter sought clarity on the time frame. It is the first thing everyone asks. Just goes to show you there are no Einsteins on this beat.

It’s funny. I fluctuate between the first two posts of this thread on a daily basis. Usually several times a day.

Kudos to those guys for trying.

Got it. Yes. Those opinions are certainly the minority.

d'Kong76 wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: Any second now, I'm gonna read here how great the Wilpons are and some ridiculous idea about how the Mets dont need to spend at luxury tax levels even though they play in the nation's largest market. Why paint us here like that? It's mean, inaccurate and insulting. I wholeheartedly disagree with this. I mean, no one here actually posts that the Wilpons are great. But stretching and twisting to defend their actions? Absolutely. I can tell you one thing. When I get into these discussions, I'm not arguing against myself. And the Wilpon Apologists are not shy about being judgmental either. As if criticizing the owners of the team somehow make me less of fan, or less die-hard. And that's the way it usually goes. One of us criticizes the Wilpons. Someone else criticizes us.

Is it 8-10 months in the aggregate? Or for both? Why can’t he operate on both at once?

Was he the unusually popular Met?

Ceetar wrote: There's no indication he was pissed. I think the only comment he made publicly the entire time was "I don't know if I could help even If I came back". “It’s bad that you’re doing your best and working hard every day and people are saying things that are not correct,” Cespedes said late Friday night through his interpreter. “I am not going to go down and lower my level to their level.”

Part 1 involved Mike Nikeas wedding party, many years ago.

Jeané Coakley Coakley joined SNY in 2010 as an anchor and sports reporter contributing to SNY's sports and entertainment news shows, including "SportsNite," "Daily News Live" and "Loud Mouths." She also serves as SNY's lead New York Jets beat reporter. Prior to joining SNY, Coakley worked at WISH-TV in Indianapolis, Indiana since 2006. While at WISH-TV, she covered all sports including the Colts, Pacers, Indianapolis 500, Brickyard 400, Big Ten football and basketball as well as the Indianapolis Tennis Championship featuring Andy Roddick and James Blake. Coakley won an Emmy Award in 2010 for her coverage of the Jets. Coakley has also won two Associated Press awards. A New York state native, she is a magna cum laude graduate of Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. She currently resides in Manhattan. Justine Ward Justine Ward joined SNY in 2016 as an anchor and reporter contributing to its sports and entertainment news shows "GEICO SportsNite" and "Daily News Live." Ward also currently serves at the network's sideline reporter for UConn Women's basketball coverage on SNY. Ward comes to SNY from SEC country where she covered news and sports as an anchor/reporter for KNWA/Fox 24 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. At KNWA she covered breaking news, politics and crime, and the Arkansas Razorbacks, including extensive coverage of the team's bowl appearances after the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Ward graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Notre Dame. From there, she made stops in her hometown of St. Louis and in Los Angeles, where she worked in news while pursuing her journalism career. Ward is the sister of former NFL fullback Lee Ward. Ward currently resides in Manhattan. Taylor Rooks Taylor Rooks joined SNY in September 2016 as an anchor and reporter contributing to its sports and entertainment news shows "GEICO SportsNite" and "Daily News Live." Rooks also currently serves at the network's sideline reporter for UConn Men's basketball coverage on SNY. Rooks is a 2014 graduate of the University of Illinois, where she majored in broadcast journalism. While attending the University, she worked for Scout.com covering recruitment news for the Illini football and basketball programs. Upon graduating in 2014, Rooks moved to the Big Ten Network serving as a correspondent for the network's staple program "BTN Live," and additional shows including "BTN Football Pregame" and "Women's Sports Report." Rooks is the daughter of Thomas Rooks, the third all-time rushing leader for the University of Illinois football program, and the niece of St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer Lou Brock. Michelle Yu Michelle Yu joined SNY in 2009 as an anchor/reporter for the network. Prior to joining SNY, Michelle was a sports reporter at NY1 News. Michelle began her sports journalism career in print, writing for Gannett Newspaper's 'The Journal News and Sports Illustrated For Kids magazine. In 2003, Michelle made the transition from print to television when she joined College Sports Television. She has also spent time as a sports reporter on Time Warner Cable's 'Sportstime' show in New Jersey. A Bronx native, Michelle co-authored her first novel, China Dolls, in 2007, and her second novel, Young, Restless and Broke, was published in 2009. Michelle graduated from Manhattan College with a degree in communications and currently lives in Manhattan.

Is Mesoraco a free agent? Or under control for more years?

This is good. Now we have a good bat off the bench for when Reyes needs a blow.

As I stated above, this is what I think happened: *Cespedes has heel spurs. The diagnosis was given long ago, certainly by 2017. The doctors recommended conservative methods, and if unsuccessful, surgery. Cespedes and the team are aware of this. They both elected conservative methods. No one says anything about the heel condition. *2018. Conservative methods haven't worked and the problem persists. Cespedes has tried tried playing through pain and now wants surgery. The Mets want him to continue to play through pain. The Mets tell him to continue to say nothing about the heel condition and rehab to get back in 2018. *Sandy Alderson, despite knowing the debilitating condition that Cespedes has, never makes it public. Instead, openly questions the integrity of his star player. A guy who has been playing through pain. Gives the strong implication that Cespedes is dogging it. *Cespedes hears that. And is rightfully pissed. Decides that he's no longer going to play through pain, and that he's done listening to the Mets. *In his first game back, he drops the bombshell. He needs surgery. Mets are caught off guard, not because they didn't know he needed surgery, but because they didn't think he'd go to the press and make it public. *Mets don't know what to do. 24 hour gag order. *A day later, the Mets spin it and say they are sending him to a specialist. They know what the diagnosis is. They know how it's going to end up. They are just trying to figure out a way to save face. Facts are bolded. My speculation is italicized. A lot of bold in this post. And the speculation, in my opinion, is fairly reasonable.