Centerfield

Edgy DC wrote: Well, eight feet is pretty climbable for an athletic outfielder. I picture a guy running and climbing and jumping full bore and slamming his glove against the rail, or a ball ricocheting off the rail and hitting an outfielder in the head who was trying to make a play. I'd hope it's set back at least two and half feet, but it looks closer to about 12 inches. And it seems to me guys who pull back homers tend to reach more than 12 inches over the fence. Sufficient reach-over room is what I'm talking about. It can be achieved, to my thinking, but just building the walking sitting surface lower, so the rail is no higher than the level of the top of the outfield wall. But maybe it really isn't and I'm just misreading the perspective. I'm with you Edgy. They need to move that railing back. Endy's entire arm was behind the fence in 2006.

I don't see anything in those quotes to suggest the Mets will make a low-ball offer, or that the Mets will not be willing to beat the highest offer out there. Nothing suggests that they will either, but I can't see how any of the Alderson quotes can be seen to confirm anything. Actually that's not true. Alderson's quotes confirm what was first reported by CF last week that Alderson plans not to give away his post-season strategy to reporters prior to the expiration of the exclusive FA window.

To think we still have things to say to each other after 10 years.

Alderson fucked up last season by not re-upping Jose when he had the chance. If Jose walks it's pitchforks and torches time.

Well done. Now re-sign Reyes.

I know people complain about it a lot, and understood a four hour game can get tedious, but I have no problem at all with the pace of a baseball game. I love the time I spend watching baseball.

This article is crap. It's nothing more than another "things were better in the old days" throw-away piece meant to pander to old people. You could write that article a hundred times and insert any number of different adjectives. This generation has no honor. It doesn't have any pride in finishing. It also lacks tenacity, gumption, character, attention to detail. They lack values, no sense of family, home, respect for elders. These young kids don't know the value of a hard day's work. Spare me. I can almost hear "My Way" in the background. As best I can tell, this seems to be his main point: "It was about finishing and it was about honor. If there is one fundamental difference between the generations, it�s that the last couple of generations don�t really finish well." Ok. We get it. In the old days, things were great. Young kids suck. Got any backup? "If you doubt that, think about Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox. Heading into the last day of the 1941 season he was batting .400. He could have chosen not to play, risked nothing, and ensured that he ended the season with a .400 average. Instead, he played both ends of a double header, went 6 for 8 and ended the season batting .406. In that instant, a legend was born and no one has gotten to the .400 mark since." Ok, you've got Reyes versus Williams. I'm with you that Williams was honorable and Jose took the easy way out. What else? "I suppose my point is this, people don�t finish well today and they rarely finish with honor. Assuming a certain age, our parents or grandparents knew how to finish. They finished careers, raising children, fighting a war, and everything in between. Today, we don�t finish school, careers, marriages, projects or much of anything else. And when we do, many times we don�t do it with honor." Any numbers? Any stats? Any specifics? Nothing? Because, see, I think the fundamental difference between last generation and this generation was that people of a certain age were purple. They had purple hands, purple arms, purple ears, purple feet and everything in between. Today, we have no purple. No purple clothes, no purple hair or much of anything else. Without backup, articles like this are just filler. Ideas like this are meant to be grumbled to a bartender. When things are intended for publication I like to see substance behind it. For the record, Reyes couldn't have played both ends of a doubleheader in 1941 because he wouldn't have been allowed in the league. He couldn't even ride in the front of the bus. There were no regulations against drunk driving, sexual harrassment, no such thing as a hate crime. Women used to smoke and drink throughout their pregnancies. So forgive me if I don't buy into the Mayor's argument with blind faith. And finally, on the Reyes front, I get Vic's point. And I agree with a lot of it. I would have preferred Reyes to leave it all on the field. To me I would have been more proud of that than I am of his batting title. But I'm still proud of his batting title. I don't get why he gets so much more grief about it than Wade Boggs, or Bernie Williams or anyone else who has done this in the past. I certainly don't think his transgression defines a generation. It is arbitrary and unfair to single out an individual player for doing something that has been common practice. In fact, had Williams or Boggs been called out in the past, I doubt Reyes would have played it the way he did (at least Collins would have covered for him). But now that he's been the whipping boy, I'm sure everyone else will play out their last game.

Yes, exactly. This is not meant to scapegoat anyone. But if you're going to cry about turning points, this is the one to cry about. I loved the fact that Willie let Floyd hit. I said at that time that for that moment, WWSB became Wild Willie Big Balls. Unfortunately it didn't last.

Just awful. I didn't realize it was a Rolen error that opened the door. How poetic that would have been. Damnit, they should have won that fucking game. Fuck fuck fuck.

It should have been a bases clearing double. That was what the '06 Mets did. Then Endy came up, and I thought "Well I guess this is just going to be the Endy Chavez game." When they failed to score, I got a real bad sinking feeling.

It's crazy the Mets didn't win that game. I thought for sure we were going to the World Series after that catch. Especially after they loaded the bases in the bottom of that inning. Many remember the Beltran called strike three. It kills me to think of that Valentin at-bat.

An Endy. On Edit: DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT. MUST TYPE FASTER.

Does Murphy lose or gain points for dying while in the field?

Sorry. Addressed on edit.

Former Mets prospect Wes Gardner was part of that famous trade with the Red Sox in November of 1985 that would have serious implications on the next World Series. Gardner, along with John Christensen, Calvin Schiraldi and La Shelle Tarver, were sent to Boston for Bob Ojeda, Tom McCarthy, John Mitchell and Chris Bayer. Ojeda went on to lead the 86 Mets in wins, but Schiraldi had a much bigger contribution to the Mets' success. Gardner himself became the closer for the Red Sox in 1987, but was replaced by Lee Smith. He bounced around for a few more years afterwards until his career came to an end after being released by Kansas City in 1991. Gardner bounced around independent leagues until a motorcycle accident caused him to miss all of 1993. The accident effectively ended his playing career. Originally from Arkansas, he went back home and worked for his brother's landscaping business until he resurfaced as an assistant coach for the University of Central Arkansas. In 1998, he won a local pie eating contest, and in 2001, he was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame. Wes remained part of the coaching staff until a booster scandal forced head coach Arlie Haffenhall to resign. His entire coaching staff was also replaced. Gardner returned home again to coach his local American Legion baseball team. He owns and operates a farm near Benton, Arkansas. What happened to Eddie Kunz? (Yes, the entire third paragraph is fiction except for the Hall of Fame bit.)

The Yankees spent $36 million more than the Red Sox. For all the talk of failure, the Yankees' season lasted a week longer than the Sox.

I'm in if there are still tickets available.

I LOVE it. I hope those Marlins rotate around the sculpture. I'd be really disappointed if they didn't. And they HAVE to have strippers dressed as mermaids on hand every game to dance around the statue. It just wouldn't be complete without it. As for the logo, I can see free-agent sluggers thinking to themselves "I'd rather go to CitiField and hit 8 HR's than wear that uniform."

It's not his fault that the engineers made RF at YSIII five feet deeper than it should have been. He has heart. He's the captain. He has an Edge. He would have played every inning of a doubleheader on the last day of the season if he was leading the batting title race. Even if only one game was scheduled. There is absolutely no reason at all for the Yankees to have any interest in Jose Reyes. None. Jeter is by far and away, still the better player. And will be for the next 7-10 years. In fact, they should sign him to an extension. Please tell everyone you know.

Sabathia gives up a run. Love it.

Two things I'm hoping for here in this top of the fifth: 1. Tigers put the game out of reach 2. Sabathia's arm falls off

TransMonk wrote: I consider Topps' designs from 1983 to 1987 to be pretty unforgettable images of my youth. Yup. TransMonk wrote: Besides...doubles? I had doubles. Doubles? I could have wallpapered my room with Scott Holman.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Thank you! I do try to match the photo with the years. The Ruben Tejada works for 1975 but would not have for a 1970, for example. Every once in a while, when I look at one of these cards that I've made, I actually can imagine the smell of bubble gum. When that happens, I know I have a winner. That is really cool. I'm jealous of you guys since I didn't see these cards as they came out. I imagine if you ever did this with cards from the 80's I'd feel the exact same way. Nonetheless, great job as always BG. Both with the cards and the voting.

Hi I'm Derek Jeter. I strike out in the ninth. It's my thing.

Captain Klutch.