batmagadanleadoff

batmagadanleadoff wrote: [fimg=955]http://www.crescentlake.net/uploads/1/0/3/4/10343399/162632_orig.jpg[/fimg] This one's confusing. It's not Butterball Field because there's no water tower out in left field, among other things also missing. But if it's the Clendenon side, why are there residences beyond the left field wall? Unless that picture pre-dates 1923, when the water tower was built. That could work. http://www.crescentlake.net/water-tower.html

[fimg=955:1vbc42fq]http://www.crescentlake.net/uploads/1/0/3/4/10343399/162632_orig.jpg[/fimg:1vbc42fq] This one's confusing. It's not Butterball Field because there's no water tower out in left field, among other things also missing. But if it's the Clendenon side, why are there residences beyond the left field wall?

[youtube:2rkjzdlw]LzJH9qi9jCY[/youtube:2rkjzdlw]

Mets Guy in Michigan wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: Another aerial view. [fimg=555]http://www.russmattbaseball.com/data/b-tb/images/venues/HugginsStengelField.jpg[/fimg] Is that a practice field, or is that where they had the spring games? Looks like there are small stands behind home plate. I don't see the stands, but that's a recent photo. The remaining field (Clendenon) is currently used for local High School baseball games, so that would explain the stands.

Another aerial view. [fimg=555:3s19h3q2]http://www.russmattbaseball.com/data/b-tb/images/venues/HugginsStengelField.jpg[/fimg:3s19h3q2]

From this aerial shot, I now realize that any field pictures that include residential homes in the background must have been taken along the third base/left field line side of Clendenon Field. [fimg=444]https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8678/16386398077_33f84524cc_o.jpg[/fimg]

dgwphotography wrote: I hope people don't expect too much from him, because Harvey and his over-inflated ego still have a long road back to be 100%, if he ever will be that again. See, that's where you're dead wrong. Harvey's over-inflated ego never sank below 100%. It'll probably be at 400% as soon as he strikes somebody out in Florida.

Harvey's very high ceiling and comeback attempt from major throwing arm surgery makes for a range of possibilities that is likely broader than that of any other Met. He could be absolutely brilliant again, or suffer a devastating setback. Or anything in between. Beats the shit out of me. How the fuck would I know?

Available next week: From amazon.com In descriptions of athletes, the word “hero” is bandied about and liberally attached to players with outstanding statistics and championship rings. Gil Hodges: A Hall of Fame Life is the story of a man who epitomized heroism in its truest meaning, holding values and personal interactions to be of utmost importance throughout his life—on the diamond, as a marine in World War II, and in his personal and civic life. A New York City icon and, with the Brooklyn Dodgers, one of the finest first basemen of all time, Gil Hodges (1924–72) managed the Washington Senators and later the New York Mets, leading the 1969 “Miracle Mets” to a World Series championship. A beloved baseball star, Hodges was also an ethical figure whose sturdy values both on and off the field once prompted a Brooklyn priest to tell his congregation to “go home, and say a prayer for Gil Hodges” in order to snap him out of the worst batting slump of his career. Mort Zachter examines Hodges’s playing and managing days, but perhaps more important, he unearths his true heroism by emphasizing the impact that Hodges’s humanity had on those around him on a daily basis. Hodges was a witty man with a dry sense of humor, and his dignity and humble sacrifice sometimes masked a temper that made Joe Torre refer to him as the “Quiet Inferno.” The honesty and integrity that made him so popular to so many remained his defining elements. Firsthand interviews of the many soldiers, friends, family, former teammates, players, and managers who knew and respected Hodges bring the totality of his life into full view, providing a rounded appreciation for this great man and ballplayer. NJ author seeks to right a ‘Hall’ of a wrong Gil Hodges: A Hall of Fame Life (University of Nebraska Press)+ enlarge image Mort Zachter hopes his new biography will help get Gil Hodges into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Meet the author Mort Zachter will be the featured speaker at the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse in Manhattan on Thursday, March 5, and at the Princeton Public Library on Wednesday, April 1. For more information, visit MortZachter.com. by Ron Kaplan NJJN Features Editor February 25, 2015 Mort Zachter was too young to actually see the late Gil Hodges play for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Hodges was, in fact, a neighbor when Zachter was a child. Although the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958, the Hodges family still lived in Brooklyn. Zachter developed an affinity for this quiet yet strong personality over the decades, to the extent that he devoted almost 10 years to writing Gil Hodges: A Hall of Fame Life (University of Nebraska Press). Although Hodges’s statistics may not appear impressive compared with those of contemporary players, he was one of the most feared power hitters of his time and an outstanding defensive first baseman. Over an 18-year career (1943-63, with a two-year absence to serve in the Marines in World War II), he hit 370 home runs and drove in 1,274 and was one of the staples of the “Boys of Summer” Dodgers celebrated in baby boomer nostalgia. “He was my childhood hero,” said Zachter, a resident of Princeton, in a phone interview. “And since his death at the age of 47 (in 1972), he has largely been a forgotten figure, and I think the emphasis of his life…was beyond just a cliche with him: He really was a very decent guy.” The book cites numerous examples of Hodges’s leadership skills, both as a player and later as a manager. He took over the reins of the New York Mets in 1968 and led them to their first world championship the following season. Three years later, Hodges died of a massive heart attack during spring training. Eligibility to be elected into the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America expires after 15 years; it was Hodges’s misfortune to be on the ballots with such superstars as Willie Mays, Henry Aaron, Mickey Mantle, and Sandy Koufax, among others, all of whom made it in in their first year. “[Hodges] accumulated more votes…than anyone else who was not subsequently elected,” said Zachter, whose previous book, Dough, was an award-winning memoir. After 15 years, the Veterans’ Committee, which consists of former players, managers, and other baseball personnel, take under consideration those who were not selected by the writers. Zachter believes cronyism has had a great deal to do with Hodges’s inability to achieve the honor. “There’s a Jewish saying, ‘If you save one soul, you save the world,’” said Zachter. “In his time…Gil Hodges helped a lot of players; he really worked on the 24th or 25th guy on the roster to try and improve them and help them, and he did wonders.” Hodges was also a mensch off the field. Shortly after he returned to New York after suffering a heart attack in Atlanta late in the 1968 season, Hodges received word that a number of synagogues in Brooklyn had been firebombed and vandalized and that one shul was having a particularly difficult time and needed help to rebuild. “He went to the shul and he handed over an envelope with $500 cash and told the rabbi, ‘Here, the boys raised this for you.’” Hodges gave attention to the situation at a time when he easily could have begged off for health reasons, Zachter said. “That was typical Hodges, doing for the greater good and not thinking about himself.” That display of largesse may have played a karmic role in the Mets’ championship the following season. “The rabbi came [to Shea Stadium] on opening day in 1969 and gave a convocation wishing the Mets good luck,” Zachter said. “I guess the rest is history.” http://njjewishnews.com/article/26346/nj-author-seeks-to-right-a-hall-of-a-wrong#.VO4HjC5mW7M

Edgy MD wrote: Let's have a year without straw men here at the Crane Pool. "You don't really mean that, do you"?

Edgy MD wrote: How much $$ does Roger McDowell make every time his episode ("The Boyfrriend, Part 2") airs? $13.52 http://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2015/02/25/roger-mcdowell-seinfeld-episode-royalties

He's probably older, too. I'm probably older than when I was younger, too.

cooby wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: [fimg=733]http://i.imgur.com/kkS2fVy.jpg[/fimg] Hunka hunka burnin' love....is that you Batmag? If you want him to be me ...

Probably because of that Terry Cashman song, I totally forgot that Joe D. was also there.

[fimg=733:1bwuu9yt]http://i.imgur.com/kkS2fVy.jpg[/fimg:1bwuu9yt]

I remember that fashion trend from those Summers. (partial view of kid to the left). I wore it, too. Shorts and "tube" socks pulled all the way up to just below the knee.

Ceetar wrote: Edgy MD wrote: He's going to get a knock on the door any minute now. Can you download youtube videos? maybe someone should contact him and get some copies of these files out there. I haven't tried to do this in many years, but when I was interested in downloading youtube videos, I'd scour the internet for programs that claimed to be able to do this, and they worked or didn't work with varying degrees of success. youtube, on the other hand, is actively trying to prevent this, and so they're constantly reprogramming their site to essentially disable or stop those programs from working -- in a game of leapfrog. The way the internet works today, I'm very leery of downloading any program. I suspect that most of them have malware and my PC will be bombarded with unwanted ads and popups if I download anything.

That guy[crossout:2f1wbuvl]'s uploading[/crossout:2f1wbuvl] uploaded a whole bunch of other Mets OTD's: '79, '82, '83 & '88.

Yankees at the Clendenon side of Miller Huggins Field. [fimg=855:2sfxj6hm]https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8648/16433985487_aa64177601_o.jpg[/fimg:2sfxj6hm]

Yankees at what would become Butterball Field, 1925.

Aerial view of Clendenon Field, the water tower and Crescent Lake.

Granderson's Met season was seen by many as a minor flop, a letdown from his Yankee years, based on expectations that his 2014 season should have been better. I didn't see it that way. Despite the peaks and valleys, I thought that overall, we got more or less, the player that Grandy was. Is. Take out the Yankee Stadium bias from his numbers, and account for half a season in Citi Field, and the Mets got about what they should've expected to get. I'd expect about the same from Grandy this year, plus a little less to account for Grandy's advancing age, which in baseball years is now approaching AARP levels -- and plus a little more if he can exploit the closer right field fence. And even though those potential newfound HR's wouldn't have gone out last year, they'll still count and there's value in being able to exploit your home field environment and being able to hit HR's at a rate that exceeds the overall stadium HR rate.

Howie Megdal takes his laptop to USA Today. With new readers in his audience, you know it won't be long into the piece before the "M" word appears. _________________________ [fimg=253]http://www.gannett-cdn.com/sites/usatoday/images/site-masthead-logo@2x.png[/fimg] Young arms give Mets fans hope after six years of woe Howard Megdal, Special for USA TODAY Sports 10:41 p.m. EST February 24, 2015 Putting all of your chips on young pitching might not be the safest bet. Then again, we're talking about the New York Mets. Ownership's bet on Bernie Madoff is why they don't have enough chips to bet on much of anything these days. So indulge Mets fans, if you don't mind, who have come through the wilderness of six consecutive losing seasons, and finally have a reason � well, reasons, really � to hope that all the suffering has been worth it. We are in an era of pitching. And few teams have more front-end, high-ceiling starting pitching than the Mets. Fans are fixated on Matt Harvey, and understandably so. A 2013 Mets team that went 74-88 with Harvey looked like a contender when he pitched and an overmatched group when he didn't. His 9-5 record was deceiving. Three of the losses came in games in which the Mets scored zero to two runs. So it isn't hard to understand why Mets fans can dream that a returning Harvey � now beyond a year recovered from Tommy John elbow surgery � can lead this team to greater things, especially with an offense that looks to be improved from when Harvey left: Those 2013 Mets had John Buck at catcher. These Mets have Travis d'Arnaud, darling of the projection systems. Those Mets had disappointing Ike Davis at first base. These Mets have Lucas Duda, fresh off a 30-homer season. Those Mets had Eric YoungJr. in left field. These Mets have Curtis Granderson, whose 2014 was better than many realize � a 105 on-base-plus-slugging percentage plus is decidedly decent, if below what the team hoped for. Those Mets had no shortstop. These Mets � well, still no real shortstop. Such are the limitations when ownership needs to finance $250 million in debt against the team, more than $600 million against the network SNY and twice-annual debt payments on Citi Field that exceed $43 million annually. That's a payroll to account for before accounting for payroll. And, eventually, the young pitching will get expensive. But not yet. So in the meantime, there's Harvey. And not just him. There's Jacob deGrom, the reigning National League rookie of the year. Like Harvey, deGrom came out and exceeded his minor league numbers at the major league level, generally a rare accomplishment. It was as if the Mets needed a Harvey replacement in 2014 and astonishingly received one. DeGrom's performance wasn't quite at Harvey's 2013 level � a 130 ERA+ is very good, but Harvey checked in at 157 the last time Mets fans saw him. But deGrom profiles as a No.2 starter, easily, if he does nothing more than consolidate last year's gains. And then there's Zack Wheeler, who gets left behind in many of these discussions but showed signs of growing over the second half of 2014. Keep in mind, though, that it feels like he has been around as long or longer than Harvey and deGrom, Wheeler is younger than both � he will be 25 until the end of May. Harvey will be 26 at the end of March, and deGrom will be 27 in June. Wheeler's ERA dropped almost a full run from the first to second half last year, along with a steadily diminishing walk rate. On another team, he would be the great young hope. On the Mets, he only needs to be a No.3 or No.4 starter. The team has veterans back to supplement these three elite arms in Jon Niese, Dillon Gee and ageless Bartolo Colon. But they also have several pitchers who could come up from the minors and render those veterans superfluous. Noah Syndergaard, 22, won't have to be what Harvey was, or what deGrom was, the great hope of an organization in need of it. He's as highly regarded as Harvey, and vastly more so than deGrom was in the minor leagues � a huge arm and talent Mets fans are going to enjoy when he arrives. But generally speaking, pitching prospects grow slowly and in non-linear ways. That's tolerable at the big-league level out of the back end of a rotation, and that's all Syndergaard will need to be. Don't count out Steven Matz, either. Arm injuries delayed the 2009 top pick of the Mets out of Long Island, but I had the chance to see him in the Florida State League last spring. He's a fast riser, with a plus-plus fastball and command of his secondary pitches. Seeing that kind of velocity and movement out of a lefty is a rarity, and Matz, 23, has the potential to be the best of them all. Now, the caveats. Pitching is extremely fragile. The Mets have obviously found a pitching pipeline that produces results, and pitching coach Dan Warthen deserves much of the credit. But they also trail many organizations in injury prevention, and that shows, too: Harvey's Tommy John; deGrom's shoulder injuries last year; repeated problems for Niese and Gee. So expecting everybody to stay healthy is asking perhaps more than the Mets, or even the profession of pitching at this level, can provide. Hoping for it, however, is more feasible than looking for elite offense out of a Mets team that needs David Wright and Granderson to rediscover peak form, or an unexpected star turn from Wilmer Flores at shortstop and Juan Lagares in center field to be any better than league average at the plate. And it sure beats waiting for the financially compromised owners to spend money. So no, there's no guarantee that these high-octane arms will lead the Mets back to October, as any fan who lived through GenerationK of Bill Pulsipher, Jason Isringhausen and Paul Wilson can tell you. But there's reason for hope in Flushing, real reason, for the first time in years. And looking forward to something more in springtime than shrugging Fred Wilpon explaining why he didn't invest in his own team again? Well, that's worth more than anything money can buy. http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2015/02/24/young-arms-give-mets-fans-hope-after-six-years-of-woe/23975479/

batmagadanleadoff wrote: In the Mets booth, Seinfeld recalled that this ex-Met once crushed a foul ball. Who's the Met? In the Mets booth, Jerry reminisced about Mets from his pre-famous days. Of Jerry Grote's backup catcher, Seinfeld recalled that Duffy Dyer once crushed a foul ball.

Edgy MD wrote: It's use-him-or-lose-him, so he's almost certain to get a chance, but will he be Jim Mann, or will he be... some other pitcher-dude who was better than Jim Mann that the Mets have presumably scored with in the Rule V draft? (Ugh, nobody's coming to mind.) Sean Gilmartin? What will that guy do? Your ability to recall all these past fringe Mets, especially ones that aren't from your earliest years of rooting is mighty impressive.