batmagadanleadoff

Frayed Knot wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: ARod moved via a trade. He didn't have the same kind of say in the matter. Yes. But when he got here, A-Rod could have said "Move that other guy off short- I'm better". But he didn't.(to our knowledge) And that was my point. But, again, ARod had no power to make that switch happen. He was acquired via trade with an already existing contract. He could stomp his feet and say 'Move the other guy' all he wanted but unless the Mgr and front office agreed he was S.O.L. As SMG said in one of the above posts, a decent chunk of value in these FA short-stops is in the fact that they're a SS. It doesn't make them worthless elsewhere on the field but it generally does make them worth less. So either Turner et al are going to agree to come here at a lower rate for the less prestigious role or Uncle Steve is going to have to decide to out-bid all the other SS offers for a guy who's not going to play SS. Neither, IMO, is likely. Or logical for that matter. A-Rod agreed to switch over to third base before the trade was made. If he didn't agree beforehand, and Jeter didn't agree to play third base (which Jeter didn't), the Yankees would not have made the trade in the first place. The trade hinged entirely on A-Rod agreeing to play third base. So A-Rod did have some say in the matter.

As far as the money, it might as well be toy money or Monopoly money where Cohen is concerned. Forty of fifty million dollars to Cohen is like lunch at Burger King money for people like us. The penalty though, lies in the new escalating luxury tax, where a team could end up forfeiting draft picks at some point.

Oh, I get it now. The trick is not as I thought, to get 40-HR hitters and pitchers that could whiff 250 batters in a season. The trick is to stockpile players that were on prior playoff teams. I'm sure there's overlap, but if I was choosing from players who don't Venn diagram those categories, I'll take Ernie Banks over Al Weis all of the time. Gimme a break with the winning attitude players. That's why playoffs baseball is so unwatchable.

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Edgy MD wrote: Add your own! 　　— The Mets Will Win the Pennant 　　William R Cox 　　G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York), 1964 　 　　 That's from the October 1, 1978, entry within The Bronx Zoo by Sparky Lyle & Peter Golenbock. The next portion of Lyle's diary deals with a phallus-shaped cake he adorned with a sign that read "FOR WOMEN REPORTERS ONLY," sort of undermining whatever interesting points he was making that Sunday. "Some people can't take a joke," according to the co-author. In the ensuing offseason, George Steinbrenner did, in fact, get rid of Sparky Lyle, who had helped him win the year before (1977) if not so much in the year the book covers. And the Yankees wouldn't win it all again for a very long time. batmagadanleadoff Nov 07 2022 01:53 PM Re: Random Baseball Book on the Shelf, Randomly Opened to a Random Paragraph Oh, I get it now. The trick is not as I thought, to get 40-HR hitters and pitchers that could whiff 250 batters in a season. The trick is to stockpile players that were on prior playoff teams. I'm sure there's overlap, but if I was choosing from players who don't Venn diagram those categories, I'll take Ernie Banks over Al Weis all of the time. Gimme a break with the winning attitude players. That's why playoffs baseball is so unwatchable. Edgy MD Nov 07 2022 02:51 PM Re: Random Baseball Book on the Shelf, Randomly Opened to a Random Paragraph That's not my copy of the Cox book, but mine is in pretty sharp shape too. G-Fafif Nov 07 2022 02:59 PM Re: Random Baseball Book on the Shelf, Randomly Opened to a Random Paragraph In the clutch, bats grew slow and tentative. On the bases, veterans found their instincts gone haywire as they inexplicably ran in the wrong direction. The worst of all contagious baseball diseases — pressing under pressure — became epidemic. Journeyman players, made confident by their reincarnation in pinstripes, suddenly reverted to humbler pedigrees. Like clowns at a masked ball removing their masks, folks like Rick Reuschel, Larry Milbourne, Aurelio Rodriguez and Jerry Mumphrey began resembling the lowly Cubs, Mariners, Senators and Padres they once had been. —Tom Boswell, “Indecent Exposure,” Inside Sports, December 1981 Another of those quotes that stayed with me for more than four decades, written after the MFYs fell to the Dodgers. I was moved to look it up this summer when the Mets had suddenly imported a Pirate, a Red, a Cub and a Giant, three of whom were nowhere near the postseason a year earlier. Seeing as how two World Series before 1981, the Pirates were, to a tangible extent, propelled by in-season trades for Bill Madlock and Tim Foli, this pedigree business is probably hogwash. Boswell saw a throughline he liked and rode it. I do appreciate he got in a plug for his long gone hometown Senators. Edgy MD Nov 07 2022 07:38 PM Re: Random Baseball Book on the Shelf, Randomly Opened to a Random Paragraph I did not remember Rick Reuschel being on the 1981 Yankees (or ever in the American League, for that matter). What a weird post-season that was. Edgy MD Nov 10 2022 12:11 PM Re: Random Baseball Book on the Shelf, Randomly Opened to a Random Paragraph Before I got a word out of my mouth, Kristi said, emphatically, "Pitch Bobby today. He's going to pitch the game of his life." She looked me right in the eye, and I gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. I walked into the clubhouse, grabbed the game ball out of the ball bag, and went over to put the ball in Bobby's locker. 　　— https://www.alibris.com/search/books/isbn/9781637580943Valentine's Way: My Adventurous Life and Times 　　Bobby Valentine and Peter Golenbock 　　Permuted Press (New York • Nashville), 2021 　　Page 257, first edition hardcover 　　https://www.alibris.com/search/books/isbn/9781637580943[FIMG=260]https://www0.alibris-static.com/valentines-way-my-adventurous-life-and-times/isbn/9781637580943_l.jpg[/FIMG] MFS62 Nov 10 2022 03:53 PM Re: Random Baseball Book on the Shelf, Randomly Opened to a Random Paragraph Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Nov 10 2022 03:56 PM "What about Aaron?" asked Powers. "Knock him down, first pitch" said Pete. "Curve him away" said Willard. "Jam him good. He'll swing at the ball a foot inside, sometimes," said Brooks. "Change up on him once every trip," I suggested. "Boys, I think Pena struck him out on a spitter", said Deal. "Good pitch" we agreed. From The Long Season by Jim Brosnan. Hard cover, Second edition. Page 259 https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Ltdz3lywL._SX373_BO1,204,203,200_.jpghttps://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Ltdz3lywL._SX373_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg Later Edgy MD Nov 14 2022 07:53 AM Re: Random Baseball Book on the Shelf, Randomly Opened to a Random Paragraph "Ron Fairly kept hitting balls to the warning track and was frustrated," Davis said. "One time, he came back to the dugout and slammed his bat into the bat rack tube. Well, there was concrete at the other end, so the bat came flying back out, right past Walter's head. Walter looked at Fairly and said, 'Next time that happens, I'm going to kick your ass'. Well, the next time Fairly returned with his bat, he was like Dennis the Menace in the dugout, sliding his bat back in the rack very easily." 　　— https://www.betterworldbooks.com/product/detail/long-before-the-miracle-the-making-of-the-new-york-mets-1534686789Long Before the Miracle 　　Bill Sullivan 　　Self-published (San Bernadino), 2016 　　Page 251, first edition, paperback 　　https://www.betterworldbooks.com/product/detail/long-before-the-miracle-the-making-of-the-new-york-mets-1534686789 Johnny Lunchbucket Nov 14 2022 08:12 AM Re: Random Baseball Book on the Shelf, Randomly Opened to a Random Paragraph One of our jocko things is to mince around like a fairy, which is kind of funny sometimes especially while wearing baseball underwear. THere is something hilarious about a lumpy, hairy guy trying to act like a queer while wearing the things we wear under a baseball uniform. Take my word. Ball Four Edgy MD Nov 14 2022 08:32 AM Re: Random Baseball Book on the Shelf, Randomly Opened to a Random Paragraph You can't win 64 games in a season without that sort of clubhouse camaraderie. G-Fafif Nov 14 2022 09:26 AM Re: Random Baseball Book on the Shelf, Randomly Opened to a Random Paragraph Also, doesn't the word "uniform" mean that players are actually supposed to be dressed the same? I thought they were supposed to be standard. When I played, we all generally looked the same. Now guys have compression sleeves, and a lot of other things. Nine guys in a lineup are dressed in nine different ways. And during the playoffs, Joe Maddon wears a beanie. I can't imagine any of the managers when I played doing that. Have a little class. --Rod Gaspar with David Russell Rod Gaspar: Miracle Met, BPB Publications, 2019 Page 202 Edgy MD Nov 14 2022 09:30 AM Re: Random Baseball Book on the Shelf, Randomly Opened to a Random Paragraph That's great. Cranky Old Man Publications oughta be a thing. In my day, we'd be embarrassed to have netting in front of the field level seats. You paid attention to the game, or you died! That's just the way it was! It was sad when a distracted kid took one off the bean while searching for his Cracker-Jack prize, but the way we looked at was survival of the fittest. We went right on with the game knowing the gene pool was that much better! 　　— Me and the Game 　　Tommy McSpitchew 　　Cranky Old Man Books (Omaha), 2017 Benjamin Grimm Nov 14 2022 09:44 AM Re: Random Baseball Book on the Shelf, Randomly Opened to a Random Paragraph Tommy is probably hitting on Lauren Boebert on Twitter this week. Edgy MD Nov 14 2022 10:18 AM Re: Random Baseball Book on the Shelf, Randomly Opened to a Random Paragraph Wow! I thought you were kidding, but ... 　　https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/spitchew.png> Benjamin Grimm Nov 14 2022 10:52 AM Re: Random Baseball Book on the Shelf, Randomly Opened to a Random Paragraph I wish this forum had a LIKE button! MFS62 Nov 14 2022 12:43 PM Re: Random Baseball Book on the Shelf, Randomly Opened to a Random Paragraph Benjamin Grimm wrote: I wish this forum had a LIKE button! Should we bring back the BOC? Later G-Fafif Nov 15 2022 06:43 AM Re: Random Baseball Book on the Shelf, Randomly Opened to a Random Paragraph Wilpon was grooming his son Jeff to become involved in the organization and asked a favor of Valentine as the manager prepared to hold a season-ending meeting with his coaches: Could Jeff Wilpon sit in on the meeting? Fred Wilpon wanted his son to be immersed in all aspects of the organization and told Valentine not to worry about disruption, as Jeff Wilpon would be there to listen and not talk. As Valentine recalls, the elder Wilpon insisted that Jeff Wilpon would not speak up for two years. The plan was for his son to be seen, but not heard. Valentine was fine with the arrangement. Tom Robson, the team's bench coach, had been a respected hitting coach with the Mets previously. During the coaches' meeting, Robson began speaking about the team's hitting woes, prompting Jeff Wilpon to violate his gag order. Wilpon insisted that Robson's analysis was amiss, and began interjecting his own thoughts on hitting philosophy. Wilpon cited the swing instruction he had received from some of the country's best golf professionals, whose teaching differed from what Robson was preaching. Valentine, remembering Fred Wilpon's vow that Jeff Wilpon would be seen but not heard for two years, later conveyed his disgust to the owner: "Have two years gone by already?" Valentine said to the elder Wilpon. The following day, Valentine says he was told by Fred Wilpon that he had changed his mind: Valentine was fired. --Mike Puma If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the New York Mets Dugout, Locker Room and Press Box, 2021 Pages 36-37 Johnny Lunchbucket Nov 15 2022 07:11 AM Re: Random Baseball Book on the Shelf, Randomly Opened to a Random Paragraph bombshell Benjamin Grimm Nov 15 2022 07:30 AM Re: Random Baseball Book on the Shelf, Randomly Opened to a Random Paragraph Wilpon cited the swing instruction he had received from some of the country's best golf professionals, whose teaching differed from what Robson was preaching. Holy crap! You know, I'm beginning to think it's a good thing that Jeff isn't around anymore. MFS62 Nov 15 2022 09:44 AM Re: Random Baseball Book on the Shelf, Randomly Opened to a Random Paragraph Benjamin Grimm wrote: Wilpon cited the swing instruction he had received from some of the country's best golf professionals, whose teaching differed from what Robson was preaching. Holy crap! You know, I'm beginning to think it's a good thing that Jeff isn't around anymore. He doesn't have enough intelligence to run for Senator from Georgia. Later G-Fafif Nov 16 2022 11:42 AM Re: Random Baseball Book on the Shelf, Randomly Opened to a Random Paragraph Baseball wives, then, are their own club. "I always joke that when you get traded they kind of throw you into the family room and say, "Pick a friend," said Lory Ankiel, wife of former Nationals outfielder Rick. "And you think about it. What if I would not be friends with any of these girls? Who would understand? --Barry Svrluga The Grind: Inside Baseball's Endless Season, 2015 Page 27 Edgy MD Nov 16 2022 02:26 PM Re: Random Baseball Book on the Shelf, Randomly Opened to a Random Paragraph That's some good random. Lori kind of looks like she fell through the La Brea sinkhole/time portal. https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C4E03AQE9_hN0xNKTrQ/profile-displayphoto-shrink_800_800/0/1516809480463?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=A12eZitF7qt2pKL-mBhb_oarsvsE-egtofyJhZCSw4I> Of course, that passage is kind of a dis to the wives of Rick's Mets teammates. On the other hand, Alyson Cowgill could occasionally rub a person the wrong way. G-Fafif Nov 17 2022 09:20 AM Re: Random Baseball Book on the Shelf, Randomly Opened to a Random Paragraph Satch didn't often get to the railroad station. He had spent so much of his life hopping from town to town by himself that he had a rather cavalier attitude toward communal travel. It can be said of Satch that he missed countless trains but no scheduled games. He had the plane schedules committed to memory. When the game was due to start, Satch and the umpires would be there. It was a mark of the special esteem in which he was held that the other players permitted him this special privilege. --Bill Veeck with Ed Linn Veeck -- As In Wreck, 1962 Page 194 (Paperback Edition) Edgy MD Nov 21 2022 08:59 PM Re: Random Baseball Book on the Shelf, Randomly Opened to a Random Paragraph "I'll tell you what I hate. I loathe the trading that goes on in baseball. It's tragic. You commit yourself to a friendship, and the next thing you know, the guy is traded and shipped out. Baseball players and their families live in great fear of this cruel practice. Being a baseball widow isn't much fun. I hate being alone, but most of all, I hate the question, 'What's it like being married to Tom Seaver?' Ugh!" 　　— https://www.abebooks.com/9780698107168/superwives-Parr-Jeanne-0698107160/plpThe Superwives 　　Jeanne Parr 　　Avon Books (New York), 1976 　　Page 121, first edition, paperback 　　https://www.abebooks.com/9780698107168/superwives-Parr-Jeanne-0698107160/plp [fimg=459]https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/413Sg7xZ+9L._AC_SY780_.jpg[/fimg]

i think it's just because rotoworld sees baseball through the lens of fantasy baseball, not in terms of actual real teams and real players. Yeah. That's it. I didn't catch the "rotoworld" tag.

Lefty Specialist wrote: Kick the tires on deGrom to see what he wants. I expect it'll be outrageous. Then move on. As I've aged, I've gotten pretty good, (I think) at separating my emotions from the cold hard facts when thinking about how the Mets should approach their free agents and expiring contracts. So for example, I was dead set against the Mets extending David Wright in 2012 even though Wright had already, by then, established himself as one of the greatest Mets ever. The Mets were in such bad shape then, that Wright couldn't have helped those Mets even if he turned in an MVP season in '13. And Alderson was picking up gems like Wheeler and Syndergaard, that I figured he'd get a haul for Wright. But I'm having trouble doing this with deGrom. He's one of my favorite all-time Mets, like top two -- or three at worst, and the only active Met on that list. In 2021, he was pitching better than any pitcher that ever played the game. Same for last season other than his last two starts. Cohen has the money and these Mets are expected to contend so this is like the exact opposite of the Wright situation of ten years ago with an awful team run by owners with limited finances and resources. I'm rooting for the Mets to re-sign deGrom. Lefty Specialist wrote: What I fear is that a lot of FA's may ask more from the Mets than other teams, just because of Uncle Steve's money. I've been thinking the same exact thing, and since last year's off-season. Wonder how Cohen will deal with this if it's true? Even if the money's not an issue for Cohen, nobody likes to be taken advantage of that way, I would imagine.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I never exactly thought of him as a "fantasy ace". I thought he was a real person. Maybe that phrase, as used to describe deGrom, comes from this SI cover? [FIMG=444]https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/js8AAOSw9hlcw4Ku/s-l1600.jpg[/FIMG]

The flip side. Keith Law, writing for The Athletic, is down on the Diaz deal. Díaz's season was incredible, but relievers who do this just don't repeat it. The three players who had lower FIPs than Díaz did all saw theirs go up by over a full run the next year. Eric Gagné never came close to that level of dominance again. Aroldis Chapman was still elite, just not as much as so in his peak season, for the next two years and then dropped to merely above-average. The third, Craig Kimbrel, did it one more time, five years later, and then headed over the cliff. The list of the best relief seasons of this century is full of good pitchers who had their best years and never matched it, as well as some flash-in-the-pan types. Almost nobody has held something close to this kind of performance for more than three consecutive years. Even those who got to three straight years did so before free agency. [***] That Rivera deal is the only four- or five-year contract given to a reliever who produced at least 10 WAR over the course of the deal. One out of 19, and it belongs to the greatest short reliever the game has ever seen. Do you feel lucky? I sure don't. [***] I suppose everyone wants to believe that this time will be different. I just don't think thumbing your nose at history is good business. The base rate for relievers is that they don't last — when viewed over four-year periods, they either get hurt, lose effectiveness or both. As much as I enjoy watching Díaz pitch, I don't see any reason to believe he's the exception to one of the clearest base rates we have in our sport. Relievers should be paid more at their peaks, but deals of four-plus years for free agent relievers are the riskiest investment we have. https://theathletic.com/3769280/2022/11/06/keith-law-mets-edwin-diaz-deal/https://theathletic.com/3769280/2022/11/06/keith-law-mets-edwin-diaz-deal/

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=MFS62 post_id=112396 time=1667593206 user_id=60] Sadly, lots of baseball things used to be, like players knowing how to bunt and starters pitching more than seven innings.

Last night, the Phils wore their Danny Ozark-era Schmidt/Luzinski/Carlton throwbacks. The powder blue road version of that uni. For a home game. Used to be, baseball teams weren't allowed to wear throwback unis in the WS.

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[Justin Turner] says he'd be open to a return to New York. https://metsmerizedonline.com/justin-turner-open-to-idea-of-return-to-mets/https://metsmerizedonline.com/justin-turner-open-to-idea-of-return-to-mets/ Bob Aspromonte would also be open to returning to the Mets, especially if the Mets paid him the usual oodles of millions that veterans typically make.

I wonder what MLB meant by "arbitrarily"? Like some movable fence that was moved 30 feet closer to home plate when the home team batted but was moved 40 feet farther away from home plate when the visitors batted? And even that doesn't sound so arbitrary. Sounds very methodical to me.

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Why of coursse.

Greg Goosen wasn't as gruesome as he appeared to be in that photograph atop this thread. He was playing a joke by wearing fake ugly Halloween teeth for his interview, linked below. Goosen's presently dead. Thirty years from now, Goosen has an excellent chance of remaining dead. https://tht.fangraphs.com/the-greg-goossen-interview/https://tht.fangraphs.com/the-greg-goossen-interview/

Yes. I'll post a link later.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Brian Ostrosser? Never heard of him.

Apropos of Halloween, I guess, name this Met! [FIMG=555]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52466402413_30550c236b_z.jpg[/FIMG]

=kcmets post_id=112043 time=1666903680 user_id=53] I was referring to the option, Edgy beat me by this much...

Edgy MD wrote: Free agency at the end of a contract may seem to happen automatically (though an official filing is still required). Exercising an out-clause option in the middle of a contract, though, does not happen automatically. True.

Lefty Specialist wrote: So does deGrom have to wait until a certain time to 'officially' announce his plans or are they in essence already announced? He has 5 days after the end of the World Series to announce his intentions. I don't think deGrom has to announce anything. Free agency "happens" automatically, no matter what the player says. Or doesn't say. All eligible players automatically become free agents on a certain date, which I think is the day after the WS ends, but it could be five days after the WS ends. Then there is a five day period where the player's last team has exclusive negotiating rights -- in deGrom's case, that would obviously be the Mets. If deGrom is still unsigned after that five day period, he becomes an unrestricted free agent and he may negotiate with any other team, not just the Mets. This would be so even if he got a tattoo on his forehead stating that he's not a free agent. That's how I think it works, more or less.