batmagadanleadoff

=Centerfield post_id=51722 time=1607257664 user_id=65] If you know that the Mets can't sign every free agent out there, then it makes sense for a fan to root for the ones they prefer. My order of preference for the top three free agents are:

I don't expect Cohen's Mets to get every single top free agent out there. I get that there are 29 other teams, that some free agents simply won't want to play here and that Cohen might pull some punches so as not to show up the other owners. Also, the Mets might choose not to pursue some of the best free agents for reasons we'll never truly get to know. And while there's a powerfully positive correlation between a team's payroll and games won, that correlation diminshes and ceases to exist at a certain point. I don't know at what point that occurs and am fairly certain that no team has ever reached that point yet but if the goal is to win a World Series, an owner can't simply buy one because a significant chunk of baseball success is pure and dumb luck which cannot be purchased. You think the Mets are one of the 10 worst MLB teams? They're not even close. The Mets have several terrific pieces. They just had some terrible luck in 2020. My beef with this and the similar threads is posters preferring the sixth best player over the best. Tortured and contrived arguments for why McAnn would be better than Realmuto even though there couldn't be a better case for best of breed. Realmuto's the best hitting catcher, the best defensive catcher and the best pitch-framing catcher. So go ahead and wish for McAnn. That makes a lot of sense to me. And by a lot, I mean none. Jeez, I wanted the Mets to sign Reggie in '77, even though I knew that wasn't gonna happen. I wanted Barry Bonds 15 years later. I wanted Jason Giambi instead of Mo Vaughn even though I knew GIambi would never be had once the Yankees set their targets on Giambi.

These posts are off the wall. Cohen's one of the 30 or 40 richest guys in the world and youse are writing posts trying to justify how youse'd prefer the 8th best pitcher available iinstead of the best. What a job Fred Wilpon did on youse. It's like battered fan syndrome.

=Centerfield post_id=51662 time=1607089172 user_id=65] If his uptick in pitch framing is real then I'm on board. He's a pretty drastic drop off from Realmuto, but if this means Springer, another quality starter and Brad Hand, then it's worth it. I know that Cohen's resources are nearly limitless, but I think he will show restraint in his first offseason.

I wish we'd stop talking about money. Wanna know what I want? Realmuto. Because he's the best catcher out there. The day Steve Cohen asks me to chip in for Realmuto is the day I'll worry about money. The days of the Mets getting the 2007 version of Mike Piazza and then conning everybody into believing he's going to play eight years younger are over. Steve Cohen is about the richest guy in the whole wide world and wants to win a World Series in the next three to five years. Draw your own conclusions.

Forbes estimates that Steve Cohen is the 36th richest person on the planet.

But that McDonald's! [FIMG=666]https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRCxSrLZpq1uIkXF7Z9y1lohMXh_MtrQ38uYg&usqp=CAU[/FIMG]

Lefty Specialist wrote: I think it's really cool that the Mets have an owner who cares about this kind of stuff. You probably have to go back to Mrs. Payson to see a Met owner who cares this much. Nelson Doubleday, maybe a bit but still not in the same league. I was thinking the same as this thread was unfolding. The Wilpons would've never bought the Buckner ball, even if they were at their financial peak when the ball was auctioned and Madoff had never happened to them.

Frayed Knot wrote: Wasn't there some dispute a bunch of years ago over what ball was the actual Buckner ball?!?! IIRC, wacko Charlie Sheen bought what was said to be THE ball but the RF ump claimed it wasn't real since he was the one who picked up the ball that night and he knew where it was ... and that where was not in Chuckie Sheen's paws. Not sure how/if that all got resolved but it would be a shame if Uncle Steve only Thinks he has the real one. Not much of an ownership controversy: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/396094-the-remarkable-story-of-the-ball-that-got-through-billy-buckners-legshttps://bleacherreport.com/articles/396094-the-remarkable-story-of-the-ball-that-got-through-billy-buckners-legs Also, the ball had previously been on display in the Citi Field Mets museum. Seth Swirsky, the ball's owner just before Cohen submitted a winning bid on it, had loaned it to the Mets for display. History and story-telling is a theme throughout the 3,200 square-foot museum, and nothing tells a better tale than the ball that Mookie Wilson hit that trickled through Bill Buckner's legs in the 1986 World Series, on loan from private collector Seth Swirsky. Swirsky, a songwriter and long-time Mets fan, said he was more than happy to loan the ball to the museum. "I'm a die-hard longtime fan and I went to Shea Stadium,” he said. “I went to the World Series at nine years old in '69, and I really grew up with it. So for me to end up with this ball was a tremendously humbling experience and I was glad to be able to lend it to the Mets. I'm so, so happy that fans are getting a good feeling from it. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/396082-behind-the-scenes-at-the-new-york-mets-hall-of-fame-and-museumhttps://bleacherreport.com/articles/396082-behind-the-scenes-at-the-new-york-mets-hall-of-fame-and-museum

Frayed Knot wrote: Wasn't there some dispute a bunch of years ago over what ball was the actual Buckner ball?!?! IIRC, wacko Charlie Sheen bought what was said to be THE ball but the RF ump claimed it wasn't real since he was the one who picked up the ball that night and he knew where it was ... and that where was not in Chuckie Sheen's paws. Not sure how/if that all got resolved but it would be a shame if Uncle Steve only Thinks he has the real one. Not much of an ownership controversy: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/396094-the-remarkable-story-of-the-ball-that-got-through-billy-buckners-legshttps://bleacherreport.com/articles/396094-the-remarkable-story-of-the-ball-that-got-through-billy-buckners-legs

Wonder what that ball would go for today, eight years later, with the super-rich getting superer-richer and a Mike Trout baseball cards selling for $3.9 million bucks? I mean, that Trout card might be a unique 1/1 but in the grand scheme of things, there are many other Trout cards out there. But just one Buckner ball.

From 2012: Bill Buckner ball sells at auction for $418K US Link to 2012 article on anonymous bidder winning the Bill Buckner ball at auction -- price: $400K. https://www.cbc.ca/sports/baseball/mlb/bill-buckner-ball-sells-at-auction-for-418k-us-1.1141456https://www.cbc.ca/sports/baseball/mlb/bill-buckner-ball-sells-at-auction-for-418k-us-1.1141456 And today's reveal about the identity of the anonymous 2012 winning bidder of the Buckner ball. Mets owner Steve Cohen reveals he owns Bill Buckner baseball from 1986 World Series Cohen bought the ball at an auction, but wished to remain anonymous at the time Cohen found out the ball was going up for auction a few years ago and thought "It's a great moment in Met history," and was fine with the estimated price he was given between $100,000 and $150,000. The ball ended up going for much more than that, at $418,250. Cohen was unaware it was purchased on his behalf at such a steep price. He said at first he was very angry about it, but he's "happy now." https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mets-owner-steve-cohen-reveals-he-owns-bill-buckner-baseball-from-1986-world-series/https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mets-owner-steve-cohen-reveals-he-owns-bill-buckner-baseball-from-1986-world-series/ and this... Mets owner Steve Cohen reveals he's putting this baseball treasure into the team's museum Cohen told SNY he bought the baseball at an auction for $410,000 and he now plans to show it off at the Mets Museum at Citi Field. “Sometimes I throw curveballs with it. I'm still working on the splitter,” Cohen said. “Given what this might be worth, I probably shouldn't be doing that.” According to Yahoo Sports, one of the ball's past owners was Charlie Sheen. https://11sports.net/mets-owner-steve-cohen-reveals-hes-putting-this-baseball-treasure-into-the-teams-museum-fox-business/https://11sports.net/mets-owner-steve-cohen-reveals-hes-putting-this-baseball-treasure-into-the-teams-museum-fox-business/

=MFS62 post_id=51315 time=1606233072 user_id=60] * = Baseball-Reference says Gimenez and Peterson exceeded their rookie limits. But didn't MLB make an exception because of the crazy year?

From https://www.itsabouttv.com/2020/11/this-week-in-tv-guide-november-21-1970.htmlThis Week in TV Guide, 1970.... Cool web site. New discovery. Thanks.

=whippoorwill post_id=51141 time=1605926107 user_id=79] How did it come by its title?

=kcmets post_id=51113 time=1605901629 user_id=53] Taller - Hillman and Bross? Probably forgetting someone.

I'm staying away from this thread. Because I totally lose it whenever I read anything positive about Willie Randolph as Mets manager. It's almost as bad as the crap about retiring Gary Carter's number.

A Boy Named Seo wrote: Benjamin Grimm wrote: I guess if the 2021 season has fewer than 162 games on its schedule, the suspension can extend into 2022? Yepp, exactly. Fingers crossed! Fingers crossed for what? Another 60 game season?

Me, it depends, I guess. I haven't seen the movie. But I read the book three times before I learned of this movie. And right after starting this thread a few months ago, I went and re-read the book yet again. The book is chock-full-of scenes that would make disturbing shots in a movie. Many times over. Much of the book is very grim -- and violent. Imaginatively violent.

Frayed Knot wrote: I [CROSSOUT]wonder if[/CROSSOUT] hope that the Mets can use this incident to void the entire remainder of his contract Don't think there's ever been a case of this happening. The Yanx made noise about trying to do that when Giambi "apologized" (without ever saying what he was apologizing for) and was coming off a suck/injured season with a whole lotta money still due. They got nowhere with it and then never brought it up again after his hitting returned to form. The whole testing/punishment rules were collectively bargained and I can't believe that the union would ever agree to even the possibility of allowing teams to use a positive test as a way to negate contracts and earnings beyond the stipulated length of suspension. IIRC, Cano will even continue to accumulate ML service time during his suspension. Not that service time will matter in his case but punishment on top of the punishment isn't something at the club's discretion. I'm not aware of the history regarding such a potential move. And if this scenario was specifically contemplated and then prohibited in the CBA, then that's that -- the issue's settled. (I don't actually know what''s in the CBA about this, either). But beyond these possible obstacles, I think that, win or lose, the argument to void the entire remainder of the contract would be a valid one and not frivolous.

=Centerfield post_id=50935 time=1605733144 user_id=65] 1. Lindor - SS 2. Springer - CF 3. Smith - 1B 4. Arenado - 3B 5. Conforto - RF 6. Alonso - DH 7. McNeil - 2B 8. Nimmo - LF 9. Who Cares - C

If Trump owned the Mets, he'd blame this incident on the Mariners and try to void the trade and get Kellenic back.

Maybe now everyone will realize that trading for 36 year old players coming off PED suspensions is a bad idea. What's that, you say? Smart people already knew that before the trade occurred? The whole thing was a harebrained scheme motivated by desperation -- the Wilpons' desperation to make a last "win now" stand, knowing their days as owners were numbered. That's probably how BVW got the job, by playing to the Wilpons hopes that the Mets were no more than that season away from a title.

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Solves our infield logjam! Yes! Also explains why Cano was so good in 2020.

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=50922 time=1605731760 user_id=68] I [CROSSOUT]wonder if[/CROSSOUT] hope that the Mets can use this incident to void the entire remainder of his contract