batmagadanleadoff

Why did Tom Seaver need your soap?

The Man From Topps got me in this here Bosox uni years before I'd get to the Majors (but not with the Red Sox). I led the Mets in some statistical category while I was there. So who am I?

The state of the Wilpons By Howard Megdal 8:17 a.m. | Feb. 13, 2015 Adam Rubin had news this week on the Wilpon settlement with the trustee for the Bernie Madoff victims, Irving Picard: "The trustee who is recovering money for victims of Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme announced Monday another round of distributions of recovered funds had begun. ... And that helps the Mets' owners, the Wilpon family." It's true, to a certain extent. But only technically. You must remember that the trustee settled with the Wilpons in what was effectively a hardship settlement, after determining they didn't have the money to pay even what had been set as a minimum during pretrial motions, $83.3 million. So as part of the settlement, Fred Wilpon and his partners only need to come up with a maximum of $29 million, and not for five years. Now if the amount Picard recovers ultimately drives down the money due from Mets ownership below $29 million, all the better. But they weren't facing some $100 million+ debt coming due. Here are the numbers you have to actually remember, and what keeps Fred Wilpon and his partners up nights (and Wilmer Flores entrenched as a low-cost shortstop). The Mets' parent company, Sterling Equities, continues to finance the $250 million in debt against the team. Sterling also continues to finance more than $600 million in debt against SNY. Below is a partial schedule of what comes out of team revenues directly in twice-annual debt balloon payments for the next eight years. June 2016 - December 2018: $21,950,000 June 2019 - December 2022: $22,000,000 The schedule continues like that through 2045. It all means that the Mets are spending more on financing debt than they are on payroll. So sure, it's nice every time the Madoff trustee announces another victory, primarily because it helps people actually victimized by Bernie Madoff. But Mets ownership has far bigger numbers to worry about. Which is also why you can safely dismiss the qualified comments by new MLB commissioner Rob Manfred on Wilpon finances. Notice that he insulates himself by claiming no knowledge of their ability to spend just before endorsing it. Also via Adam Rubin: http://es.pn/1vHGiwn "Asked point blank if the Mets have the capacity to boost their payroll now, given their seeming lack of appetite to pursue trades for big-ticket items such as Troy Tulowitzki and Ian Desmond to man shortstop, Manfred added: "I don't know what their internal considerations are with respect to individual trades, and it's not appropriate for me to talk about that. But I have never had a question about the Mets' capacity to spend if they decided it was in their baseball interest to spend money. I really don't believe that's an issue." Tell that to the fans about to watch a potential contending team fail to address basic roster holes or depth this winter. http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/media/2015/02/8562283/capital-sports-biz-report-state-wilpons-red-bulls-anti-galacticos

This �hard to catch� Mets lefty can be their next deGrom By Kevin Kernan February 12, 2015 | 8:47pm PORT ST. LUCIE � The little boat sits in the back corner of the parking area at the Mets� minor league complex. This is not just any boat. The 14-footer with the 15-horse engine belongs to pitchers Steven Matz and Jacob deGrom. The two often take it out bass fishing. �We love fishing,�� Matz said Thursday. �We get out there and mess around, there�s nobody around. It�s fun and Jacob is such a good guy. He�s been fishing longer than me, but I would say I�m catching more fish than him this spring.�� Noted deGrom, �Hopefully that changes soon.�� Added Matz, �We�re just out there trying to catch the famous 5-pound bass.�� When deGrom got married after last season, Matz was in the wedding party. When deGrom had his incredible success last season, coming out of nowhere to win the NL Rookie of the Year award, Matz couldn�t have been happier for his friend. DeGrom�s success also brought Matz�s career into focus. Noah Syndergaard is the Mets� top pitching prospect, but Matz is 1A. One high-ranking Mets executive told The Post, �I think Matz will be up before the year is out.�� Said Matz, 23, of deGrom�s success: �It�s almost like, if he can do it, I can do it.�� DeGrom sees nothing but good things for Matz. Modal Trigger The small motorboat that Mets pitchers Steven Matz and Jacob deGrom use when they fish for bass together in Florida.Photo: Kevin Kernan �He�s unbelievable,�� deGrom said. �We play catch a lot, and he�s hard to catch because he throws such a heavy ball.�� On Thursday the two fishing buddies worked on sharpening Matz�s delivery in the bullpen. This fish tale is a tale of two talented young pitchers, who didn�t get away. Matz�s fastball ranges from 92-97 mph. The left-hander also throws a curve and changeup. He does not throw a cutter. �This past year I threw a two-seamer, and that helped me get a lot more ground balls early in the count,�� Matz said. In 2014 at Class-A St. Lucie and Double-A Binghamton, Matz was 10-9 with a 2.45 ERA last year. He was magnificent in the Eastern League Championship game for Binghamton, striking out 11 over 7 1/3 innings and surrendering just two hits in the eighth. Matz underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2010. DeGrom had the same surgery in October of that year. �Even though I missed a couple of years, I was still down here working,�� Matz said. �I met guys like deGrom, and that is how he became one of my really good buddies.�� Funny, how it all worked out. Lou Petrucci, Matz�s coach at Ward Melville High in East Setauket, said he never has had a player as accomplished or as hard-working as Matz. �I�d have to come and open the gym for him at 6 a.m.,�� Petrucci said. �He�d be waiting for me, saying, �Hey Lou, you�re late. Sorry, Steve, I�ll be early next time.� He�s such a wonderful kid. He comes back to talk to my sixth-grade class and is always helping out at clinics and camps.�� Of his high school coach, Matz said, �That guy has a great heart and would do anything for you.�� Matz is one of three children. He has an older brother Jonathon, a graphic designer, and a younger sister Jillian, an environmental science major at the University of Delaware. His dad Ron is a service manager at a car dealership. His mom Lori is an athletic director�s secretary. �My mom and dad are really good parents and they taught me how to work hard,�� Matz said. �Even in school, I wasn�t the smartest, but I would always try real hard. �I was a Mets fan growing up, but I was more of a player�s guy and my favorite player was Vladimir Guerrero.�� Matz is a good hitter, too, but always had that gift of an arm. �Natural smoothness,�� Ron said. �When Steven was 10, the scout Larry Izzo saw him at a baseball camp and handed me his card and said, �Keep in touch.� � When Matz was drafted in 2009, Ron Matz showed Izzo the business card from years earlier. No, it will not be long before Steven Matz is fishing for major league wins with his friend Jacob deGrom. The small motorboat that Mets pitchers Steven Matz and Jacob deGrom use when they fish for bass together in Florida. http://nypost.com/2015/02/12/jacob-degroms-success-inspires-fishing-pal-steven-matz/

Cappuccino Funk! [fimg=444]http://l.yimg.com/j/assets/p/sp/editorial_image/69/69d52b26a066c2a8f058e51804021a68/jerry_hairston_takes_a_page_from_lenny_randle_attempts_to_blow_ball_foul.jpg[/fimg][fimg=444]http://dailyman40.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/shea-stadium-1977-blackout.jpg[/fimg] Dan Epstein @BigHairPlasGras The casual baseball fan primarily remembers Lenny Randle today for one of three reasons: a) He�s the guy who blew a slow-roller off the bat of Amos Otis into foul territory during a game in May 1981; He was standing at the plate when the New York City blackout suddenly darkened Shea Stadium in the summer of �77; or c) He once sent Rangers manager Frank Lucchesi to the hospital with a vicious (and quite uncharacteristic) spring training beatdown. There�s far more to Randle�s story than those bullet points, of course. A first-round pick out of Arizona State, where he played second base for the 1969 Sun Devils baseball squad that went 56-11 on their way to winning the College World Series, Randle � who turns 66 on Thursday � made it to the majors in 1971, and hustled hard through twelve seasons with the Senators, Rangers, Mets, Yankees, Cubs and Mariners. After being released by the Mariners in 1982, Randle took his bat and glove to Italy, where he won a batting crown, set several Serie A1 league records, and became a cult hero among Italian baseball fans, who dubbed him �Cappuccino.� Today, Randle is also something of a cult hero among a smaller but equally passionate group of fans: those who dig endlessly through record bins in search of obscure funk and R&B gems from the early 1980s. In the waning days of his MLB career, Randle cut several funky tracks � some with the help of Mariners teammate Thad Bosley � that have become quite collectable. �Kingdome,� Randle�s cowbell-driven salute to the original home of the M�s, was recently included on Wheedle�s Groove Volume II, a killer compilation of Seattle funk tracks from the 70s and 80s released by Light In the Attic Records. �I grew up in a musical family,� says Randle. �Music was always very important to us. We thought the Randle 5 was gonna be the Jackson 5, Part II!� Though Randle�s baseball career understandably took precedence over his youthful dreams of musical stardom, he says that making music remained a valuable outlet for him throughout his playing days. �We used to have a lot of fun with that,� he recalls. �Thad and I, we didn�t do all the crazy off-the-field stuff that some of the guys did. You have a lot of down-time during the season, but we just used it to do music, dance, and eat good, and that was it. We were focused! We had to get a ten-year career in,� he laughs. �Kingdome� was inspired by Randle�s friendship with David Finnegan, a young Mariners fan who had cerebral palsy. �He�d come to the games all the time with his dad,� remembers Randle. �He had trouble speaking, but he was always saying �Yay, Mariners!� This kid needed a voice synthesizer to help him talk better, but it cost five thousand dollars to buy one. So I told him I�d make a record and give him the proceeds from it.� Recorded shortly before the 1981 baseball strike, �Kingdome� � which features Randle on vocals and cowbell, his brother Ron on most of the other instruments, his ten year-old niece Rashawna and M�s teammates Larry Andersen, Bryan Clark, Al Cowens, Julio Cruz and Dick Drago on backing vocals � was intended as a high-energy party starter for Mariners fans, in the grand tradition of such sure-fire stadium anthems as Queen�s �We Will Rock You.� And really, who wouldn�t get pumped up by lyrics like, �Now check out the turf/That�s Astroturf!�? Credited to Lenny Randle and Ball Players featuring Rashawna, the �Kingdome� single sold well enough to get Finnegan his voice synthesizer, and attracted enough buzz to convince Randle and his brother to go back into the studio. This time, though, it was with Thad Bosley � who would later go on to record two albums of his own, 1987�s No Greater Love and 1990�s Who Can Change the World � in tow. �He�s a very talented guy,� says Randle of his former teammate. �He plays keyboards, he sings, and he does a little bit of flute. He�s like my Brian McKnight!� Bosley and the Randles recorded enough tracks to fill out a full-length Ball Players album called Just a Chance, which included �Kingdome� and �I�m a Ballplayer,� and which was released in a limited pressing on Randle�s own Randle Enterprises label in 1983. The highly sought-after release typically fetches $150 or more these days, if you can even find it; a single containing �American Worker� and the album�s title track, which was released around the same time, is significantly easier on the wallet. Four of the album�s tracks, including �American Worker� and �Universal Language,� were reissued on a vinyl EP in 2009 by the Peoples Potential Unlimited label. Hopefully, the Light in the Attic folks will reissue the entire Just a Chance album some day, if only so the world can know if the song �Mr. Rogers �Get Down�� is actually as good as its promising title. Though Randle looks back fondly on the Ball Players tracks, he remains a little disappointed about the way the Mariners organization reacted to �Kingdome.� Instead of viewing the song as a useful marketing tool, he says, �the ownership thought it was a distraction. Every city [the Mariners] played in, somebody would also want to book a show for the band, or put us on the news. So the front office was like, �Well, what are you doing? Is it baseball or music?� It pissed them off, because they were worried about our concentration. This is before Shaq and Deon, okay? It was before �Super Bowl Shuffle�. Athletes making music wasn�t a normal thing back then.� Randle, who now makes his home in Nettuno, Italy, is much savvier about cross-marketing baseball and music than his former employers ever were. As the GM and co-owner of the Nettuno Baseball Club, he regularly holds �Battle of the Bands� promotions at Nettuno�s Stadio Steno Borghese; he also books �Baseball and Boogie� tours around the world featuring classic funk bands like War, and oversees the Lenny Randle�s Sports Academy, which offers a variety of international baseball tours, clinics and fantasy camps. And, somehow, Randle still finds time for his own music; he recently shot a video for a song of his called �Another Touch,� inspired by life on the Roman coast. He also says he may taking part in a US summer tour featuring a collective of 80s-era Seattle funk and jazz musicians. But even if he doesn�t bring his music back to Seattle this summer, the Mariners should seriously consider adding �Kingdome� to the Safeco Field playlist. Sure, the team plays in a much nicer stadium now, one with real grass and a retractable roof. But with the M�s coming in to 2015 looking like serious contenders in the AL West, some cowbell-driven funk from the team�s past might be the final touch that�s needed to put the present squad over the top. Link to article and music videos: http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/just-a-bit-outside/story/musical-stylings-of-lenny-randle-021215

ESPN's David Schoenfield pegs the Mets as the 10th best team in the bigs, and predicts an 86-76 finish with a wild card appearance in the team's 2015 future. 10. New York Mets Big offseason moves: Signed OF/1B Michael Cuddyer; signed OF John Mayberry Jr.; did not acquire Troy Tulowitzki, Ozzie Smith or Honus Wagner. Most intriguing player: Matt Harvey. Back from Tommy John surgery, Harvey was as good as any pitcher in baseball in 2013 before his injury. He'll be ready Opening Day. But will he be Matt Harvey, Cy Young contender? Due for a better year: David Wright played through a shoulder problem -- a bruised rotator cuff that sapped his power and finally forced him to shut things down in September. From 2009 to 2013, he hit .323/.412/.536 against fastballs; in 2014, he hit .281/.337/.363. A healthy Wright should be worth three to four extra wins for the Mets. Due for a worse year: I'll take the under on Lucas Duda hitting 30 home runs again. Although I think he'll come close and be a pretty valuable contributor. It's one reason I like the Mets -- the lack of obvious decline candidates. I'm just the messenger: The problem with the Cuddyer signing is obvious: He doesn't have much range in right field, he's coming of a season in which he played just 49 games and while he hit .332 and .331 the past two seasons, he'd never hit .300 before going to the Rockies. And he turns 36 in March. The Mets signed Cuddyer and then apparently the Wilpons ran out of money because Sandy Alderson could have gone on vacation the rest of the winter. The final word: And yet ... I'm picking the Mets to win a wild card! My gut says either the Mets or the Marlins win a wild card, thanks in part to how bad the Phillies and Braves may be. I like the Mets better because of the depth in the rotation. Rookie of the Year Jacob deGrom is the real deal and Zack Wheeler has the arm strength and now the experience to take a leap forward. Obviously, a lot hinges on the comeback of Harvey and return to form of Wright. Everybody's concerned about Wilmer Flores at shortstop, but he doesn't project to be as terrible as everyone thinks. Anyway, every year there's at least one team that climbs from under .500 into the postseason (actually, there were two last season and three in 2013). The Mets are my pick for 2015. Prediction: 86-76 http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/55054/ranking-the-teams-12-through-7-2

By those who continue to rate Piazza as one of baseball's worst defensive catchers of his era. Grantland returns to the world of pitch framing where �Jorge Posada could hit like Albert Pujols and Jose Molina could hit like Jose Molina, and Molina would still be better�. http://grantland.com/features/brad-asumus-pitch-framing-dennis-eckersley/ The piece links to a recent Baseball Prospectus article wherein new methodologies were devised to extend the Pitch/fx technology (more or less) all the way back to 1998. http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=25514 "Amateur dermatologists should take note of the nearly 14 wins of career value added by one Michael Joseph Piazza, an impressive and often-overlooked addition from an �offense-first� catcher". According to those findings, from 1998-2014, a period encompassing Mike's entire Met stint, Piazza was one of the 10 best pitch framing catchers in all of baseball. So maybe Jerry Grote really was the Mets best catcher ever.

Game of My Life New York Mets: Memorable Stories of Mets Baseball Hardcover – March 3, 2015 by Michael Garry (Author), Howie Rose (Foreword) This new addition to the Game of My Life series takes a personal look inside some of the biggest moments of the Mets’ greatest and most beloved players, from journeymen to superstars, as the Mets morphed from a dismal expansion team in 1962 to World Series Champions in 1969 and 1986 and then back to basement dwellers before meeting the Yankees in the 2000 Subway Series. Fan favorite Ron Swoboda recounts making “The Catch.” Infielder Wally Backman relives the many highs of playing on the ’86 Mets as they marched to a championship. All-Star Edgardo Alfonzo describes going six-for-six, including three home runs, in one of the most dominating offensive games in baseball history. Right-hander Bobby Jones relates his thoughts on pitching the most dominating postseason game in Mets’ history, when he threw a one-hit shutout to clinch the 2000 National League Division Series against the San Francisco Giants. Current infielder Daniel Murphy shares his thoughts on his young career with the Mets and the difficulties of playing in New York, as well as describing the best game of his young career. Author Michael Garry, a longtime Mets fan, also includes anecdotes on Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza, and David Wright, amongst others. I hope this book has more than the expected cliches. I wanna hear from the Rob Gardners and Roy Lee Jacksons, too.

Game of My Life New York Mets: Memorable Stories of Mets Baseball Hardcover – March 3, 2015 by Michael Garry (Author), Howie Rose (Foreword) This new addition to the Game of My Life series takes a personal look inside some of the biggest moments of the Mets’ greatest and most beloved players, from journeymen to superstars, as the Mets morphed from a dismal expansion team in 1962 to World Series Champions in 1969 and 1986 and then back to basement dwellers before meeting the Yankees in the 2000 Subway Series. Fan favorite Ron Swoboda recounts making “The Catch.” Infielder Wally Backman relives the many highs of playing on the ’86 Mets as they marched to a championship. All-Star Edgardo Alfonzo describes going six-for-six, including three home runs, in one of the most dominating offensive games in baseball history. Right-hander Bobby Jones relates his thoughts on pitching the most dominating postseason game in Mets’ history, when he threw a one-hit shutout to clinch the 2000 National League Division Series against the San Francisco Giants. Current infielder Daniel Murphy shares his thoughts on his young career with the Mets and the difficulties of playing in New York, as well as describing the best game of his young career. Author Michael Garry, a longtime Mets fan, also includes anecdotes on Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza, and David Wright, amongst others.

Numbers Don't Lie: Mets: The Biggest Numbers in Mets History Paperback – June 1, 2015 by Russ Cohen (Author), Adam Raider (Author), Howard Johnson (Foreword) Numbers Don't Lie: Behind the Biggest Numbers in Mets History details the numbers every Mets fan should know by heart. Authors Russ Cohen and Adam Raider tell the stories behind the most memorable moments and achievements in Mets history, including 6: the number of Gold Gloves Keith Hernandez earned in his career; 480: the distance in feet Tommy Agee's home run traveled on April 10, 1969; and 696: the record number of at bats Jose Reyes had in in 2005 to set a franchise record. With over 50 entries that span more than a half-century of Mets magic, this resource is an engaging, unique look back at the history of one of baseball's most entertaining franchises.

Alderson's turnaround work with the Mets is already book-worthy, the Mets impending success, a foregone conclusion in some quarters. Coming this Summer: In 2010, the New York Mets were in trouble. One of baseball’s most valuable franchises, they had recently suffered an embarrassing September collapse and two bitter losing seasons. Their GM had made costly mistakes. And their principle owners were embroiled in the largest financial scam in American history. To whom did they turn? Sandy Alderson, a former marine who served in Vietnam and graduated from Harvard Law. In 1981, Alderson started in baseball with Oakland, where he led a revolution in the sport. The A's partnered with Apple, pioneered using statistical analysis, and became a powerhouse, winning the 1989 World Series. When new owners slashed payroll in the 1990s, Alderson's under-the-radar creativity and intelligent management were thrust into the spotlight. Granted unprecedented access to a working GM over several seasons, bestselling author Steve Kettmann traces Alderson’s history and his renewal of the Mets despite a limited budget, through big trades that brought back high-profile prospects to the development of young aces including Matt Harvey, Zach Wheeler, and Jacob deGrom. Now, the turnaround is almost complete. Baseball Maverick is a gripping, behind-the-scenes look at a Major League team and a fascinating exploration of what it means to be smart.

Why did ol' Tom need to borrow your soap?

I've spent too many years cultivating this schtick. I'm not gonna suddenly go out of character over Ike Davis.

Sarcasm?

Edgy MD wrote: This statement is an annual event, isn't it? "I was really suffering last year, but didn't want to say so, even when asked directly. But I'm really 1000% better this year, honest." Could be. But I've never seen a player so good and so bad all at the same time all the time. (I guess you wait for a player to don another team's kit before criticizing him).

Edgy MD wrote: Matt Bowman, like Gabriel Ynoa, finds himself falling into that category of Mets pitching prospects flying under the radar because of a sweet surfeit of pitching prospects. But as a starting pitcher who has held his own after a call-up from Bingo to Las Vegas, he is not to be overlooked, having turned in strong performances at every level since joining the organization out of Princeton University back in 2012, and climbing fast since then. Plus, he's from Chevy Chase, and you're not. That's him. All six feet and 165 pounds of him. What's your forecast of fifteen for Matt Bowman. I don't know what Matt Bowman looks like, but that guy's not skinny enough to be six feet tall and weigh only 165.

Ike Davis was still suffering from Valley Fever as of last season. (Doesn't surprise me. I always guessed that the lingering effects of the illness were the main, if not sole cause of his on the field struggles. Excerpt: The 2014 season was supposed to be better, but a physical exam showed that he still had traces of the disease, which can linger in some patients. He hit just one homer in 24 at-bats before the Mets traded him to Pittsburgh, where he rebounded some, hitting 10 more homers in 336 at-bats. "Valley fever is a nightmare," said Davis, who turns 28 in March. "You have no energy, no nothing. It was definitely a weird one. It's supposed to go away on its own, but when I had an X-ray last year, it showed I still had it. I'm hoping that's over and done with." If he is free of the disease -- and Davis said he's feeling stronger than he has in several years -- the A's could be in position to make up for some of the many home runs they lost in the trades of Josh Donaldson and Brandon Moss over the winter. Of course, he'll need to get sufficient playing time. http://www.mercurynews.com/athletics/ci_27491965/new-first-baseman-ike-davis-hopes-bounce-back

National League slated to host next three all star games. Whatever happened to the leagues alternating as hosts, now more do-able than recently what with the same number of teams in each league? Next year .... Miami: MLB Rewards the League's Worst Owner by Giving Miami 2017 All-Star Game By Tim Elfrink Wed., Feb. 11 2015 at 9:00 AM Consider Jeffrey Loria's crimes. After decimating baseball in Montreal, the art dealer bought the Marlins with an interest-free MLB loan and then duped fans for a decade. He blatantly lied to taxpayers about how much money his team was making at Sun Life Stadium and then engineered the most crooked stadium deal in history. And through it all, he let his loudmouth former son-in-law run the franchise while insulting everyone in town and embarrassing himself on reality TV. So of course Major League Baseball has decided to reward Loria for all his fine work. MLB will announce later this week that Marlins Park will host the All-Star Game in 2017. See also: Six Lies About the Marlins Stadium The marquee event comes to Miami after a few failed attempts. Pro Player Stadium was supposed to host the game in 2000, but MLB was so upset over then-owner Wayne Huizenga dismantling the 1997 World Series-winning club that it moved the game. Loria also tried to get the game in 2015, but MLB then wisely noted the fact that Miamians were all but marching through the streets with pitchforks and flaming torches against the owner and decided to avoid that spectacle. Now, Loria is getting the ultimate compliment from new Commissioner Rob Manfred. If MLB execs think Miami has chilled out about getting hoodwinked on a terrible ballpark deal, they should ask David Beckham how his quest to build an MLS stadium is working out. Loria could hardly be more despised in South Florida if he had gone on live television and trashed Gloria Estefan and Pitbull in the same sentence. He couldn't be more disliked if he had been photographed French-kissing Fidel Castro while wearing a Che T-shirt. And it's not an irrational hatred. He has truly been the personification of all that's wrong with professional sports in America. He has turned a minimal investment into ownership of a team now valued above $600 million, all on the backs of the taxpayers who are being billed for a stadium they got no say in. His promises to invest in good players lasted all of half a season before he pulled the plug (after lying to one of his own stars, Jose Reyes, who had bought a house four days before getting shipped to Canada). His front office's cynical disregard for regular Miamians is so obvious that David Samson, his ex-son-in-law/team president was caught on tape laughing about how dumb he thinks Dade County residents are. Did we mention that just last week, New Times reported that county auditors have found millions in improper expenses the team included in its small portion of stadium costs, including phone bills, janitors' expenses, and food costs? Add it all up, and Loria just missed the number one spot on Rolling Stone's list of worst sports owners in America, losing only to a guy whose team name is literally an ethnic slur. Commissioner Manfred, it's not too late to reverse this decision. In fact, MLB hasn't even officially announced its pick for the 2017 All-Star Game. Turn this whole thing into a cruel practical joke on Loria by heading to the podium later this week and giving the Washington Nationals the All-Star Game. Miami is begging you. http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2015/02/mlb_rewards_worst_owner_in_sports_by_giving_miami_2017_all-star_game.php The Marlins were candidates to host this year's game, which instead will be played in Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park. The 2016 game will take place at San Diego's Petco Park. That contest was expected to be played at Baltimore's Oriole Park at Camden Yards, but MLB reportedly took the game away from Baltimore in response to the Orioles' television rights dispute with the neighboring Nationals. http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/story/2015-02-10/mlb-all-star-game-2017-miami-marlins-park-host-2017-petco-park-camden-yards-great-american-ball-park-rob-manfred-bud-selig

New Baseball commish, sounding a lot like the old commish, sez Mets have puny payroll only because they want to, and that Mets could increase their payroll if they wanted to. excerpt: New MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said he has no doubt that Mets ownership has the capacity to boost its payroll if it deems it worthwhile.... "For a whole host of reasons, it's really not my position to predict when I think they need to spend," Manfred said during a visit last week to ESPN's campus. "I have had ongoing, numerous conversations with both ownership and Sandy [Alderson] about the Mets' situation. ... I think at the point in time that it is their judgment that it is effective to increase their payroll, they'll do that, and they will have the capacity to do it".... Asked point blank if the Mets have the capacity to boost their payroll now, given their seeming lack of appetite to pursue trades for big-ticket items such as Troy Tulowitzki and Ian Desmond to man shortstop, Manfred added: "I don't know what their internal considerations are with respect to individual trades, and it's not appropriate for me to talk about that. But I have never had a question about the Mets' capacity to spend if they decided it was in their baseball interest to spend money. I really don't believe that's an issue." http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/97285/new-commish-weighs-in-on-mets-issues?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

The New York Times prints a letter from one of its readers; reader believes that Mets pay to train program might cause its player to tank games. The Cost of Paying to Train To the Sports Editor: I am amazed to learn that Mets players must pay a fee if they wish to take advantage of the team�s off-season workout facility. (�Raising Fitness Levels and Eyebrows,� Feb. 3.) In the textile mills of Lowell, Mass., at the onset of the Industrial Revolution, women paid for the thread they used. The system gave way to worker protests, and ultimately provided a justification for establishing labor unions. One can only imagine the outcome of the Mets� pay-to-train system. Team productivity during the regular season is one possible outcome. Another is resentment that will diminish the compulsion to play winning ball games. MICHAEL H. EBNER, Lake Forest, Ill. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/08/sports/letters-to-the-editor.html?_r=0

Careful mentioning Allen around St. Louis fans [fimg=273]http://stmedia.startribune.com/images/420*589/ows_142335379897036.jpg[/fimg] FORT MYERS, FLA. � Neil Allen had a decent run as the New York Mets closer from 1980 through 1982, saving 59 games. He was having a terrible season in 1983, with a record of 2-7 and a 4.50 ERA, when the announcement came an hour before the June 15 trading deadline: Allen and fellow pitcher Rick Ownbey had been sent to St. Louis for first baseman Keith Hernandez. In 1979, Hernandez had been the National League�s co-MVP with Willie Stargell. In 1982, he had been a heroic figure in the Cardinals� World Series championship. Joe McDonald, the Cardinals general manager, offered this odd justification for the trade: �If Allen was not having a bad year, there�s no way we could have gotten him.�� The baseball world was shocked and St. Louis fans were outraged by the Cardinals� modest return for Hernandez. �I walked into the dugout around 7 p.m. right before the Cardinals� next game and went over to shake hands with [manager] Whitey Herzog,�� said Allen, the new Twins pitching coach. �He said, �I�ve been wanting to get you for a long time, kid.� �And then I looked out in the stands, all those people wearing red, and there are signs everywhere: �We love 17,� Hernandez�s number, and �Allen must go� and nastier stuff than that. �I said, �I don�t think the fans agree, Whitey,� and he said, �Ah, don�t worry about it, kid. By the way, we�re putting you in the rotation, and your first start is next week against the Mets in Shea Stadium. Might as well jump right into it.�?� The Cardinals wanted Allen to throw a bullpen session that night to start stretching out for the start. Knowing the potential for boos, the Cardinals waited until the game was over and the fans were gone. How did that start turn out? �Beat �em,�� Allen said. Sure did. June 21, 1983: Cardinals 6, Mets 0, eight scoreless innings for Allen, 0-for-4 for Hernandez. http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/291166451.html

d'Kong76 wrote: You back peddled, it's not up to me to prove it. I didn't ask you to prove it. I merely asked for an explanation. You wouldn't be able to prove it even if you wanted to, because I didn't back peddle. Hell, I didn't even take a stance to back peddle from in my first post. And it is up you. Posts are fair game and you should be able to back up what you post, especially something that's sort of accusatory towards another poster. Anyone else wanna jump in here, help out ol' Kong?

d'Kong76 wrote: I'm not going to play tit for tat, er, I mean kit for kat with you over this silliness. Then don't start what you can't articulate. There's no tit for tat here. There's just one guy slinging gibberish barbs at the other guy and the other guy simply trying to figure out what the hell the first guy is talking about.

d'Kong76 wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: What did I back peddle from? And how did I do this? Replacing one hypothetical with and even hypo'er hypothetical? I dunno, if not that... smoke, mirrors, and cheese? [fimg=400]http://mlblivescorenow.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/a605b_qualcomm.jpg[/fimg] I still have no idea what you're talking about. I'll try this again. What did I back peddle from? What supposed point did I flip-flop on? Change of opinion? What? Where? [fimg=666]https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRB0dY3gXKX4JxBM2Z-UZtB1G997XQsdjRq1i95ds82o8GjOzTxpA[/fimg]

d'Kong76 wrote: Well, I think your wordily back peddling a bit. And I'd have to see the player's contract on what he can shill or not shill before wondering what the team could or would do. Thanks for chiming in. But what the hell are you talking about? What did I back peddle from? And how did I do this? And you think that the players' union would allow the Mets, or any other team, to forbid their players from signing endorsement deals with a company like Qualcomm?