batmagadanleadoff

"You give the people the finger and you get upgraded?" [fimg=444]http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/04/22/nyregion/22seinfeld2.190.jpg[/fimg] What was that all about? Jerry Seinfeld calls Lady Gaga a 'jerk' after her bizarre baseball game behaviour Jerry Seinfeld, the American comedy star, has heavily criticised Lady Gaga, the singer, calling her a �jerk� and claiming he �hated� her. The 56 year comedy legend made the outspoken comments in the wake of the pop star�s bizarre behaviour at a recent baseball game. At a New York Mets� game earlier this month the 24 year-old pop star, known for her flamboyant costumes as much as her records, was pictured dressed only in her underwear. As the "Bad Romance" singer, who grew up a Yankees fan, became the centre of attention, she then made an obscene gesture while being photographed at the Mets' Citi Field. The pop star, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, was then escorted to Seinfeld�s private box at the stadium. But Seinfield, the star of the hugely successful television show based on his surname, aired his displeasure at the performer this week. The actor, a diehard Mets fan, had originally brushed off the incident but in a radio interview, made a series of outspoken attacks on the �Poker Face� singer. �You know, I changed my mind. This woman is a jerk. I hate her," he told New York sports radio station WFAN this week. "I can�t believe they put her in my box, which I paid for. You give the people the finger and you get upgraded? Is that the world we�re living in now? It's pathetic.� When he was originally asked about the incident, he initially said: �"I wish her the best." But he then added: "You take one 'A' off of that and you've got gag." "She's a jerk. What is she giving the finger [for]? What's the finger anyway? Speaking of interesting and new, how old is the finger? How did it even get to be the finger?" "I'm not one of these all-publicity-is-good people. People talk about you (needing) exposure � you could die of exposure ... I don't understand how this is good for her, but I'm sure she understands her milieu better than I ever could." According to American reports, the funny man then attempted to end his criticisms, with an attempt at some flattery. "Get an act," he said. "Rhinestone bikinis and giving people the finger? But she is talented. I don't know why she's doing this stuff." A few weeks later Lady Gaga was banned from Yankee Stadium's clubhouse after the pop singer visited the baseball team's headquarters following a loss to the New York Mets. On Wednesday the singer was pictured arriving in London in yet another bizarre costume. But as she walked through Heathrow airport the pop star, dressed in thigh-high black leather trousers and platform boots with no heels, tumbled in front of paparazzi photographers as she lost her balance. It came as she announced plans to release the album early next year, she told Rolling Stone magazine. She said had finished her new album, after her debut "The Fame" topped charts around the world. In the Rolling Stone interview, she admits to being insecure. �When I wake up in the morning, I feel just like any other insecure 24-year-old girl, then I say, � ... you're Lady Gaga, you get up and walk the walk today�,� she said. �I don't even drink water onstage in front of anybody, because I want them to focus on the fantasy of the music,� she confessed. A spokesman for Lady Gaga was unavailable to respond to Seinfeld�s comments.

Nymr83 wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: Ceetar wrote: Gee is NOT a salary dump, it's a value dump. That's what the Mets'll say after it happens. That's for sure. if they just wanted to dump the salary why isnt he gone already? if the Mets are so cheap why wasn't Murphy dumped for nothing? the Mets could easily have "justified" it by saying Herrera is ready. Maybe its because the Mets are actually holding onto their assets to use wisely? nah, that wouldn't fit your conspiracy theories. Maybe the Mets are waiting for the best deal possible that would still qualify as a salary dump. They're not gonna simply release those players into the wind. Why is my view a conspiracy theory? Have you been conditioned to lower your expectations? Are you justifying and accepting the status quo? Don't you think that the team from New York City should have one of the top two or three or four or five or six payrolls in baseball? Every. Single. Season. Do you really believe that there are no significant financial restraints on the Mets ability to spend? Sandy Alderson's a magician but if he could spend what a big market team ought to spend, the Mets would likely be even farther along in their progress. They might've already had that season under Sandy where they won more than half their games.

Ceetar wrote: Gee is NOT a salary dump, it's a value dump. That's what the Mets'll say after it happens. That's for sure.

batmagadanleadoff wrote: In The Boyfriend (the Keith Hernandez episode) George claims to work for Vandelay Industries, a real world fictional company that exists only in the TV universe of Seinfeld. What's the deal with the Vandelay Industries baseball stadium? This thread appears to have lost its momentum, so here are the remaining answers. The Brooklyn Cyclones stadium was renamed Vandelay Industries Park when the Cyclones recently held Seinfeld Night. Other hijinx included these fans imitating Elaine's spastic dance. Fans were given an I'm Keith Hernandez Magic Loogie bobblehead.

I'm not even arriving at that point of deciding whether the thing is worth doing because I think that the Mets can't do it even if they wanted to. To me, it's pointless. It's like the homeless guy shopping for mansions if I may talk in circles against my best wishes. If, for example, the Mets were asked about Moncada, do you think their spokesperson would admit that they would've loved to sign Moncada if only they had the funds in their budget? You always base your opinions on the team's politically correct comments. When they finally get a prospect or two for Gee, do you think they'll admit that they dumped salary? No. They'll say that they made the best deal possible, even if they were constrained from trading Gee for someone with a comparable or, shudder, even higher salary.

Ceets, we're just talking in circles. I know what the issues are. The real estate market might go flat. They're gonna have to change all the furniture because they don't like the style of the decor. It's too far away from everything. A better deal might come along if they wait a little longer. Blah blah blah. But what does all of that matter when they're penniless?

Ceetar wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: This is just more delusional rationalization speak as far as I'm concerned. It's like telling me that the homeless person didn't buy the mansion because he didn't like the quality of the kitchen cabinets. But what you're saying is because the guy didn't buy the mansion, he must be homeless. Not really. See, I already know that the Mets are that homeless guy even before Moncada went on the market. Mets fans are justified in thinking that way based on years of the team's financially embarrassing behavior --- including, among other things, taking out a bridge loan to essentially pay their electric bill. I'm still waiting for that Santana and Bay money to be re-invested in the team. You wanna give the Mets the benefit of the doubt -- which you always do? Go ahead. It's your right. You wanna express total disbelief over opinions like mine? That, I don't get.

Joe Walsh and the James Gang rock on at ol' Shea Stadium.

This is just more delusional rationalization speak as far as I'm concerned. It's like telling me that the homeless person didn't buy the mansion because he didn't like the quality of the kitchen cabinets.

batmagadanleadoff wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: Edgy MD wrote: So much reason has died this night. I don't believe there was ever room for Moncada in the Mets skimpy budget, and so therefore, the Mets were never in the market. It appears that you disagree on this point, which neither of us could prove one way or the other. So here we are. But that no team should pay the Moncada price for a player like Moncada because he might flop ? That makes no sense to me. If you told me that a team with a very limited budget should avoid Moncada because it can't afford to make too many mistakes or can't afford to make any costly mistakes, well that's another thing. But that a team from New York should always avoid these kind of signings -- that's absurd.

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Edgy MD wrote: So much reason has died this night. I don't believe there was ever room for Moncada in the Mets skimpy budget, and so therefore, the Mets were never in the market. It appears that you disagree on this point, which neither of us could prove one way or the other. So here we are. But that no team should pay the Moncada price for a player like Moncada because he might flop ? That makes no sense to me.

Edgy MD wrote: So much reason has died this night. I don't believe there was ever room for Moncada in the Mets skimpy budget, and so therefore, the Mets were never in the market. It appears that you disagree on this point, which neither of us could prove one way or the other. So here we are.

Edgy MD wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: I'd consider your points if the Mets were players, but they're not, so it's all moot. If you're not interested in considering my points, I'd ask you not solicit them.. I had to ask you what your point was in order to decide for myself that it's a moot one.

I root for the Mets and I've defended Alderson every chance I ever had on this board. Sandy's a savior. But that doesn't change anything or get the Wilpons off the hook. The team from New York team should be smart and rich.

The point isn't so much whether Moncada will pan out or not, but that the Mets play in fucking New York City and couldn't get this guy even if they wanted to. And that the Mets can't get this guy even if they wanted to says about a zillion other bad things about this franchise. The Red Sox aren't a dumb organization; they're one of the best run orgs in all of baseball.

I'd consider your points if the Mets were players, but they're not, so it's all moot. I doubt that there was any meaningful cost-benefit study undertaken over Moncada. Wake me up when the Mets are ready to join the big market teams in more than name only.

ESPN ranks the teams in all four sports to determine which are most committed to modern analytics (sabermetrics in baseball, I suppose). In MLB, the Mets are not among the eight top tier ranked teams, but are ranked among the next seven ("The Believers"). Here's the Mets review: Few executives are more universally respected than Sandy Alderson, both in the analytics world and in baseball at large. Originally a lawyer, he introduced sabermetrics to the Oakland front office in the 1980s, mentored Billy Beane in the '90s and later served as an executive in the league office. Now he runs the Mets. With no scouting background, Alderson's greatest strength as a GM is his objectivity, and with him at the helm, analytical information is as likely to be put into practice in Flushing as it is anywhere in the game. Alderson's first two moves as Mets GM were to bring in former A's executives Paul DePodesta and J.P. Ricciardi. Both have been hyped as analysts because of "Moneyball," but they're underrated as scouts. With DePodesta overseeing amateur scouting, and analytically minded executives Adam Fisher and Ian Levin directing baseball operations and player development, respectively, the Mets have a tightly integrated group that shares ideas freely -- both within the front office and with the field staff. Manning the keyboards of a mature baseball information system are T.J. Barra and developer Joe Lefkowitz. One significant limitation: Though the Mets are a big-market club, they have a mid-market payroll and just haven't made the investment in highly trained personnel that teams like the Royals and Cubs have made in recent years. (Disclosure: I worked as a statistical analyst for the Mets from 2004 to 2012 MLB's two worst ranking teams are division rivals Philly and Miami which ranked 122nd out of 122 ranked teams and 115th, respectively. The rock bottom of the list is dominated by New York's other teams, specifically, the Knicks, (121st, next to last) Nets (118th) and Jets (114th): The Phillies famously disdain analytics: GM Ruben Amaro bragged in 2010 that his team is "not a statistics-driven organization by any means" and would likely never have "an in-house stats guy." Emblematic of their innumeracy, the Phils then signed Ryan Howard, already under contract for two more years, to a five-year, $125 million extension. Howard's production and Philadelphia's fortunes have suffered in the years since, and his contract now has the team in a bind, with the former MVP at age 35 and no longer a productive player -- projecting to be worth minus-1.8 WAR through 2016. Despite that failure, the Phillies still don't seem to demonstrate any real faith in the analytic approach. While the thrifty Marlins might have broken convention by shelling out $325-million for Giancarlo Stanton, they're still reluctant to spend big on sabermetrics. After going through five managers and five losing seasons in five years, they are looking to hire, um, interns to get their analytics program off the ground. Baseball America has called Miami "among the game's more scouting-orientated organizations," which is simply code for a non-sabermetric approach. GM Dan Jennings has a scouting background and new skipper Mike Redmond doesn't have an inclination for metrics, having spent most of his catching tenure with the Marlins and Twins, who are also analtyics skeptics. http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/12331388/the-great-analytics-rankings#

Edgy MD wrote: I didn't make any claim with regard to what the Mets did or did not do. Fair enough. So then, what exactly did you mean when you wrote what you wrote in response to what you repsonded to. If I may ask?

Nymr83 wrote: When they start playing exhibition games, you probably won't have enough fingers on your hands to count the number of pitchers that are gonna go down with injuries. one of which may even be on the Mets! i like that the Mets held onto Gee, you cant have too many pitching options. if a deal had shown up for a good bat then thats fine, but there was no reason to trade him away for an interchangeable bullpen arm or something like that. You could be right. I wasn't advocating for anything, one way or the other. I simply wrote what I think's likely to happen, and why.

Edgy MD wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: I thought is was the usual defend the Mets at all costs post. Well, it wasn't. Please try harder. I beg you and beg you. Do you really believe that the Mets even got to the point where they gauged Moncada's future to determine if he was worth what it would take to sign him? An impoverished person doesn't crack open a spreadsheet to figure out whether he should buy that beachfront house in Southhampton.

Edgy MD wrote: I thought it was a thoughtful, if obvious point. The Mets, of course, traded for Hernandez. I thought is was the usual defend the Mets at all costs post. And the Mets traded for Keith knowing that if they wanted to keep him, they'd have to pay him what was large money for that time.

Vic Sage wrote: i don't care what position he plays. If he really has 5-tool all-star potential then we should have tried to acquire him. And if all he costs is money, not players or prospects, then a NY team should be able to outbid their Bostonian brethren. But nooooooooooo, not our Won'tPons. If i've said it once, i've said it a million times.. fuck you, Freddie. [fimg=444]http://media.giphy.com/media/KPdzGp8a20QbC/giphy.gif[/fimg] Edgy MD wrote: Every player that costs money costs other players. I know what you mean. Keith Hernandez cost Dave Kingman. Darryl Strawberry cost Mike Howard.

TransMonk wrote: He's the best 6th starter in the majors and an excellent insurance policy. The Mets can't afford insurance. Edgy MD wrote: ...then how long must the Mets wait before reality strikes some pitching-hungry GM? When they start playing exhibition games, you probably won't have enough fingers on your hands to count the number of pitchers that are gonna go down with injuries.

Gone before the season starts. For prospect(s).