Centerfield

You should ask about it in the other thread.

Mike Hampton was the NLCS MVP in 2000. He left via free agency after that year, and the Mets were awarded a draft pick. They selected David Wright. I'm just saying.

The offseason that launched a league champion didn't take place in the offseason. Last winter produced another mediocre, flawed Mets team. The flurry of moves made at the trade deadline created a league champion. On the morning of Saturday, July 25, the Mets were 49-48, having just lost three in a row to the Nationals and Dodgers. Two nights before, the fan base waited anxiously hoping that the Mets would get a hit off Kershaw. Not beat Kershaw, not score off Kershaw, but just get a hit. When that hit finally came it was a sigh of relief. They had the worst offense in baseball. The season was going nowhere. Then came Uribe and Johnson. Conforto was called up. They traded for Clippard and Cespedes. d'Arnaud came back. Wright came back. They added Addison Reed. And suddenly this new version of the Mets went 40-19, culminating in a champagne celebration. In 1986 we got to enjoy that team all year long. We are just getting to know this 2015 team. It seems wrong that we have to stop playing baseball soon. Sure, you can't make the moves you made in July without having set up for that in the winter. I realize it's not black and white. But last winter sucked. The only thing they did right was not waste their bullets. The end of July was awesome. August was better. October is out of this world.

The other extreme is Joe Garagiola Jr., who, seemingly in awe of his legendary partner, would say nothing. So much so that when he actually spoke, you forgot that it was not a Vin Scully solo performance.

Got it. Thanks. I'm not following the BG-Beyonce thing. I HOPE YOU ALL ARE HAVING FUN WITH THIS JOKE.

Frayed Knot wrote: I'm groundin' out to end the inning here! [fimg=250]http://03258d8.netsolhost.com/WordPress/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/midnight-cowboy.jpg[/fimg] Just bumping this gem hidden in the IGT. The Mets are not the only team rolling. The CPF has been on fire this month. First Antietam. Now this.

I have been meaning to start this thread. Missing out on references but been afraid to ask? Fear not. Ask them here. Why do we call Andy Martino tracksuit? What is this about BG being engaged to Beyonce?

This is Jason Hammel. http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/6480/jason-hammel Not a bad stat line at all. 1.16 WHIP and a 3.74 ERA. He is not to be confused with Dorothy Hamill. or Mark Hamill.

Let's predict things that Cal Ripken will say tonight: "Being down 3-0, this game is a 'must-win' for the Cubs." "The Cubs have to get some runs on the board for them to have a chance. They will want to score early to get them feeling comfortable, but it is also important to score runs late. You don't want to score in the first few innings then go to sleep for the rest of the game."

I remember Game 7 clear as a bell. I remember being pissed at Ron Darling (not nearly as pissed as I would get 2 years later). I remember feeling more settled down when Sid came in. He really set the tone there, as Darling had been shaky the whole game. I remember throwing things when the ball bounced off of Strawberry's glove and over the fence. I was sure he had it. For years I thought that it was a three run HR, only to find my memory was wrong when I saw a replay years later. I remember when Knight hit the go-ahead HR thinking to myself that the Sox were dead.

I would say #3 is the Royals. And the other three are all the exact same color.

This is just surreal. Well, ok Cubs. I know things have been tough facing the young Mets' aces. Fortunately things get easier tonight when you face Steven Matz. Yes, the guy who went 4-0 with a 2.27 ERA.

Frayed Knot wrote: The force thing prevails so, because there were already two outs, the run would NOT have counted. And remember that there are no pointless questions, only pointless answers. Thanks! My wife cheered as soon as Cespedes crossed the plate. I waited until Conforto reached first. I honestly had no idea who was right there. Is this something you knew? Or did you have to look it up? I think it's crazy that after more than 30 years of playing/watching/coaching this game, there are still parts of baseball that baffle me.

On that Conforto wild pitch, would the run have counted if Cespedes had crossed the plate, then Conforto had been thrown out running to first? Since it's a force play, it seems like the run should not count. But since it's a wild pitch, it seems like the run should have counted. I have no idea.

I guess those ads work.

Ok. Let's score 20.

11 years old. Home. Watching on our 11" TV we had next to the kitchen. We had a bigger TV downstairs, but ended up watching most of everything on that tiny little screen. But wait, we are not even in the World Series. I object to the whole premises of this thread. TOO EARLY!

Agreed. Game 3 is the one we are supposed to win. That is why the pressure is on and we feel nervous. Also, BECAUSE ITS A FUCKING PLAYOFF GAME AND THIS HAPPENS ONCE A DECADE.

I can't believe you guys are complaining about bad seats. Did you see my seats at Wrigley in the other thread?

Really. Let's play this fucking game already.

I wonder if these short term performances by Murphy/Cespedes will have a significant impact on the types of deals they receive. You'd think that with GM's being more and more careful, that this kind of thing would carry less weight. But maybe not. You only need one sucker who believes in the Clutch Fairy. It will hurt but you let Murphy and Bartolo go. Go all in on Cespedes. He is the only one who can play center and allows you to play Conforto in LF and platoon Granderson/Cuddyer in RF. Give him 5-6 years. Go for it for the next 4 years. Rebuild after that.

That's crazy. In one weekend Familia just tied the Mets record for career NLCS saves.

Part of the reason I want this ride to keep going is that I don't know when the Mets will put this complete a team out there again. Right now, we have all four aces healthy, the entire starting lineup healthy, we have 2 extra starters in the bullpen, and a deep bench. All of this materialized because our young talent developed while the old guard was still here. This type of depth probably cannot be duplicated. I believe we will be a weaker team next year, even if we bring back Cespedes. We have to hope that Alderson can mix and match and find the right combination of players to make another playoff push in the years to come. But, as everyone acknowledges, this is a subject for another day.

I just realized that the Mets are facing Kyle Hendricks. http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/33173/kyle-hendricks Not Kyle Kendrick. http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/28804/kyle-kendrick

I would love to go to Wrigley. I would hope that my seats would be better than the last time I was there.