batmagadanleadoff

Frayed Knot wrote: I sorta disagree with your point about "unfairness". Sorta. Because fairness is often man-made or legislated, created by fiat or proclamation. Whatever the powers that be say is fair is fair. Is the DH fair? What about cigarettes? What the hell is so fair about cigarettes? They sell you something that's powerfully addictive and that destroys you over time. The only thing good about cigarettes is that they make their manufacturers among the most powerful and wealthiest people in the world. And if those masters of the universe don't smoke, they're even better off. The difference here is that this idea of "gaining traction" (if indeed it really is that) isn't to combat some sort of overall, and yes legislated, unfairness: i.e., pitchers have too much power therefore lower the mound, ban the spitter, shrink the strike zone, etc., but rather is aimed at combatting what some perceive to be an unfairness that this recent shifting craze (which isn't really recent) has on a small segment of hitters, namely slow-footed and dead-pull lefties; against a skill-set, in other words, not an entire category. It's why I termed this whole thing as a solution in search of a problem as it's only a problem in the way that the size of the field and value of extra-base hits discriminates against low-power hitters, or that 90-foot bases are unfair to slow dudes, or that pitching is to the weak-armed. That, too. The catering to a specific type of player. If basketball rims were 10 feet higher, Shaquille O'Neal wouldn't make a college team.

You left out his '70, (which might be in a Mets uniform). More Dodger Davis after Davis's Dodger days: 1983 Renata Galasso Seattle Pilots (one-time Mets shown, Lockwood MIA) [fimg=283]http://www.tradingcarddb.com/Images/Cards/Baseball/80771/80771-14Fr.jpg[/fimg][fimg=283]http://www.tradingcarddb.com/Images/Cards/Baseball/80771/80771-5722769Fr.jpg[/fimg][fimg=283]http://www.tradingcarddb.com/Images/Cards/Baseball/80771/80771-5722768Fr.jpg[/fimg][fimg=283]http://www.tradingcarddb.com/Images/Cards/Baseball/80771/80771-27Fr.jpg[/fimg][fimg=283]http://www.tradingcarddb.com/Images/Cards/Baseball/80771/80771-33Fr.jpg[/fimg] Davis at Shea [fimg=244]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-73LXknwgJqA/UU25mRBnkoI/AAAAAAAADvU/ItoG25uSoDI/s1600/1964+Topps+All+Star+Tommy+Davis.jpg[/fimg] Davis the Pilot, imagined [fimg=322]http://www.richieunterberger.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/sb_1970_topps_davis.jpg[/fimg]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: And while they're banning the rule on banning shifts before it even takes effect, I hope they ban the soccer offside rule as well. Mainly because I can't figure it out. This shift rule proposal isn't as dumb as you guys make it out to be. I think the main problem with the rule is that no one's used to it, and that baseball's been a shift as you please game for forever. If this rule had been in effect for a long while, no one would be giving it a second thought. That said, I don't think I'd like it, myself. Frayed Knot wrote: "And while they're banning the rule on banning shifts before it even takes effect" --- Who's they? I was just being kinda cute over here with the "they", you know, stylistic. Not that, granted, my version of cute ever goes over too well in these parts. Frayed Knot wrote: "I think the main problem with the rule is that no one's used to it, and that baseball's been a shift as you please game for forever. If this rule had been in effect for a long while, no one would be giving it a second thought." --- In other words, had baseball been a different game all along then it would be different? Yeah. Exactly. And no one would think anything strange about a ban on shifts. That's exactly what I meant. Frayed Knot wrote: I'm not against this idea merely because it's different, it's that I think it's a solution in search of a problem and that I don't see any unfairness in using a shift. The defensive team is doing nothing more than engaging in a kind of risk/reward strategy that they're betting will help them more than it hurts but with no guarantees. Meanwhile the offensive side isn't stuck with something they can't combat as they have numerous options via altering their approach or altering the type of player they seek. I agree that the rule would reduce strategy and that's usually a bad thing. And that's why I'm against it. More strategy is a good thing, obviously. I sorta disagree with your point about "unfairness". Sorta. Because fairness is often man-made or legislated, created by fiat or proclamation. Whatever the powers that be say is fair is fair. Is the DH fair? What about cigarettes? What the hell is so fair about cigarettes? They sell you something that's powerfully addictive and that destroys you over time. The only thing good about cigarettes is that they make their manufacturers among the most powerful and wealthiest people in the world. And if those masters of the universe don't smoke, they're even better off.

And while they're banning the rule on banning shifts before it even takes effect, I hope they ban the soccer offside rule as well. Mainly because I can't figure it out. This shift rule proposal isn't as dumb as you guys make it out to be. I think the main problem with the rule is that no one's used to it, and that baseball's been a shift as you please game for forever. If this rule had been in effect for a long while, no one would be giving it a second thought. That said, I don't think I'd like it, myself.

Jeter receives a 'Terrific' endorsement Seaver expects Yanks captain to become first unanimous Hall of Fame inductee Marty Noble By Marty Noble | Archive 7/24/2014 10:00 A.M. ET NEW YORK -- The pride that flows through the body of Tom Seaver these days defies measurement. He is a rightfully proud man, but he doesn't beat his chest. Indeed, he seldom mentions his successes. They're a matter of record. It's enough for him to say "I'm as proud as I can be" about his career as a pitcher, his election to the Hall of Fame by an unequaled mandate and the fine cabernet sauvignon that carries his monogram, GTS. George Thomas Seaver has made it to the top in two ultra-competitive industries. His 2009 cabernet received a 97-point rating, something akin to Gibson's 1.12 ERA. And, in the parlance of scouts, his Hall of Fame ballot percentile, 98.84, touches unanimity, as his fastball used to touch the mid-90s. It's something akin to Wilt's 100. Though Seaver no longer sips the good stuff his vineyard produces, his pride is such that he wants to maintain the level of excellence his cabernet achieved. But while his Hall of Fame standing has brought him unique acclaim and been so fulfilling, he is quite willing to be displaced atop the list -- so long as his replacement is the right player. Derek Jeter is the right player. Seaver says so. Moreover, he believes the Yankees captain ought to be the first unanimously elected Hall of Famer. "I can't see how he won't be," Seaver said on Wednesday from his home/vineyard in Calistoga, Calif., "unless somebody beats him to the punch." Not likely. If DiMaggio, Aaron, Gibson, Mantle, Koufax, Mays, Ruth, Gehrig, Maddux, Cal, Gwynn, Killer, The Big Train, Spahnie, Stan the Man, Yogi, Tyrus Raymond, Nolie, Lefty Grove, The Rajah, Clemente, Rapid Robert, Greenberg, Foxx and Mr. Theodore Ballgame were not unanimously elected, who's to say anyone ever will be? Seaver is. "I've thought about it; Jeter should be the one," Seaver said. "What can you say he hasn't done? He has every credential imaginable -- great player, good citizen. He plays the game properly, respects the game and his predecessors. He's done it in the big city, for one team that wears a uniform of greatness. He has no marks against him. He has the numbers. And he wins. "He's a class act all the way. A pro's pro, a gentleman's gentleman. If you're starting a franchise, who do want as your first pick? I'll take Jeter, thank you. And I'm sure I wouldn't get too many arguments." Jeter is five-plus years away from eligibility for the Hall of Fame ballot. Unless he revises his retirement plans, he will be included on the ballot mailed to voting members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America late in 2019. And unless the electorate somehow detects an overriding flaw in the Yankees shortstop's r�sum�, he will be inducted in 2020 (note the two 2s; fitting). Better make reservations now. Cooperstown will be rather crowded that weekend if only those who revere Jeter make the trip to upstate New York. "I'd like to be there when he goes in," Seaver said. Seaver says he might even toast Jeter with a glass of the good stuff. The Franchise toasting the Captain. One New York baseball icon saluting another. The all-time Met saluting an all-time Yankee. * * * * * Seaver says he already has bottles of the good stuff in the cellar of Hall of Fame board chair Jane Forbes Clark for this weekend. Other wines will be made available, too. The current group of Hall of Fame players includes a number of men who like their wine, mostly pitchers -- Gibson, Carlton and Sutton among them. A few years back, the pitchers denied the position players. But no longer. "Anyone can. You don't have to bring any," Seaver said. "We don't exclude anyone now. Not even Fisk." But Seaver himself is not likely to partake. His ongoing problems with Lyme disease and normal changes of taste have made even the good stuff less satisfying for him. "Haven't had a sip in four years," Seaver says, though not proudly. The disease is in a second go-round with Seaver. It has affected him in so many ways -- physically and mentally. It has robbed him of enjoyment and forced him to make three doctor visits each week for injections that help him deal with the debilitating symptoms. At age 69, Seaver lacks the memory he had at age 64. He can't recite the sequence of pitches he threw Clemente in one 1970 confrontation, as he could in 2008. He doesn't recall all the home runs he hit. The anecdotes he shares have holes in them now. "And if I don't remember all of something," Seaver says. "I just ad lib. I think I pitched 150 shutouts, right?" Seaver's first Lyme disease experiences were in 1991 -- he thinks. The symptoms returned four years ago and dragged him down. He always enjoyed induction weekend in Cooperstown as much as anyone, but the disease has prevented him from attending for three years. His problems were a whispered topic when the Hall of Famers assembled in 2011. Those who had spoken with him feared early-onset Alzheimer's disease. His speech was slow and disjointed. He clearly wasn't himself. As recently as last summer, Seaver wondered whether he'd fly again. Getting to the airport troubled him more than the prospect of coast-to-coast flying. "There were lots of things that bothered me and things I couldn't do," Seaver said. But the vineyard has kept him going. Seaver rates his days on a 1-to-10 scale. He's had "a lot of 8s for while." Wednesday was a 9. He's hoping for 9s this weekend when he renews his Hall of Fame relationships. But he can't count on feeling terrific. Seaver said Thursday he works six to seven hours each day. "It's a passion, and it's good cardio work," he said. Seaver attacks his work as he attacked hitters -- with forethought and wisdom. "The vineyard is a gift," he said. The irony is that Seaver no longer enjoys the fruits of his labor of love. "I don't know; maybe I'll have a taste this weekend," he said. "But it will have to be my stuff in the glass. If I'm going to like it or not like it, I want it to be the good stuff." http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/mlb/marty-noble-tom-seaver-says-derek-jeter-should-be-unanimous-hall-of-famer?ymd=20140724&content_id=85997824&vkey=news_mlb

"Who the hell is Matt Harvey? Let's go, Jakey!" [fimg=544]http://michaelstvtray.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/harvey-korman.jpg[/fimg]

[fimg=444]http://www.finalshot.com/ThumbNails/Mariners/BackmanWallyYA1-1993.jpg[/fimg]

Craig Swan (12 seasons w Mets, 2 games for Angels). Ron Hodges (12, all with Mets).

[fimg=255]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2g70aYTh1Uw/TsGGBS67jXI/AAAAAAAAA3w/GdsHBw15y2I/s1600/Leroy_Stanton.jpg[/fimg][fimg=255]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nyYmnqtYkC8/TsPN8ECU_DI/AAAAAAAAA88/3Oy-FKkwovk/s1600/Tommy_Moore.jpg[/fimg][fimg=255]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6t76yoTlJ6M/TsPN6FmHkQI/AAAAAAAAA70/LTktSs0bHsI/s1600/Doc_Medich.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=272]http://marinersblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/sea-buck.jpg?w=555&h=740[/fimg] ]

[fimg=444]http://nbchardballtalk.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/screen-shot-2014-07-13-at-6-57-39-pm.png?w=320[/fimg]

Was that poster a giveaway? I want one of those. [fimg=444:2h0kqgz3]http://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bp4pmSFCUAAIu_K.jpg:medium[/fimg:2h0kqgz3]

Zvon wrote: I move that this belongs in this thread as well, courtesy of seawolf17. *bangs gavel? I was just doing that!

MLB Shootaround (the Horn): The Most Intriguing Second-Half Story Lines Grantland sez deGrom is intriguiing. Excerpt: The Glorious Mane (and Aim) of Jacob deGrom Sean Fennessey: Here�s a brief history of young Mets pitchers I�ve gotten excited about: 1995: Generation K (deceased) 2004: Scott Kazmir (vanished) 2012: Dillon Gee (worst beard of all time) 2013: Matt Harvey (maimed) So that tends to happen. I was 2 years old when Doc Gooden strode upon the bump at Shea Stadium for the first time, eventually striking out a record 276 batters in his rookie year. (Context: It�s been 10 years since a National League pitcher struck out as many as 276, and Doctor K was just a seedling when he did it.) I don�t need to explain how things turned out for Gooden in later years. So it is with grave reluctance and also unfathomable glee that I present this bro: go to link for gif http://grantland.com/the-triangle/mlb-shootaround-intriguing-second-half-story-lines/ That second guy is Jacob deGrom, the 26-year-old rookie who�s holding down the fifth spot in the � surging(!), scrappy(?), solvent($) � Mets rotation. DeGrom, a converted infielder who has already undergone Tommy John surgery, is a bit old at 26, but he�s doing things few rookies have ever done: And while his velocity is strong and his aim is true, deGrom�s hair is his calling card. He�s got good hair, hair worthy of Fidrych, young Lincecum, and Coco Crisp. It�s not easy having head charisma when your skull is covered in New Era. But deGrom�s is catching on. And while the Mets� future is full of promising arms (Thor coming!), deGrom is the least heralded, and therefore the most enjoyable. Considering recent history, he�s also very likely falling into a ditch and breaking both arms right now. But until then, #hairwego.

DeGrom showing command, composure June, 5, 2014 Jun 5 11:00 AM ET By Mark Simon | ESPNNewYork.com Jacob deGrom has been very tough to hit, particularly down in the strike zone. As a kid growing up in Florida, Mets starter Jacob deGrom got a lesson in pitch command at an early age. Jacob deGrom Jacob deGrom #48 SP New York Mets 2014 STATS GM4 W0 L2 BB12 K25 ERA2.42 When he would play catch with his father, Tony, his dad would yell at him to hit a target right around the center of his chest. If Jacob�s throws were askew, his dad would make Jacob chase the ball down himself. That was the story that deGrom told ESPN baseball analyst Rick Sutcliffe before his start against the Dodgers a couple of weeks ago, when Sutcliffe asked him where he learned to hit his target as well as he does. DeGrom�s pitch precision is the primary reason he�s been so successful in the first four starts of his major-league career. He�ll be trying for his first win when he starts against the Cubs tonight. The numbers DeGrom is one of five pitchers to open his career with four straight quality starts for the Mets, but only the second (along with Mets broadcaster Ron Darling) to go winless in those four games. Jacob deGrom 1st 2 starts Last 2 starts IP 13 13 Swings-and-Misses 16 30 Hard-Hit Balls 12 1 DeGrom�s 25 strikeouts are one shy of the most by a Mets pitcher in the first four games of his career (Matt Harvey, Dwight Gooden and Dick Selma had 26) and his 1.08 WHIP matches Tom Seaver for second-best among Mets pitchers to throw at least 20 innings in their first four games (Dennis Ribant had an 0.88 WHIP in his first four in 1964). DeGrom struck out 11 Phillies in his fourth start. He�s one of seven pitchers in the past 10 seasons to have an 11-strikeout game that early in his career. That bodes well when you consider that the other six are Felix Hernandez, Stephen Strasburg, Mike Minor, Matt Moore, Matt Harvey and Chris Archer. In other words, no flukes in that group. What�s working? We�ve heard a lot of rave reviews about deGrom�s approach. A couple of long-effective pitchers shared their thoughts. �I thought deGrom was impressive,� said former Met and Yankee David Cone, who broadcast deGrom�s debut on YES. �Plus fastball. Good change. Couple of different breaking balls. He looks like a keeper to me.� Sutcliffe broadcast his second start against the Dodgers, shared the father-son catch story with his viewing audience and said this as deGrom warmed up: �He has a good, clean delivery and a nice arm angle. He looks like Bronson Arroyo to me. For him to be successful, he�s got to live down in the strike zone. The changeup has to be a plus pitch to make his fastball more effective. What impresses me is that he can maintain 94-95 miles per hour when pitching out of the stretch.� Let�s take a closer look at some of the points they brought up. Fastball command The best thing that deGrom has going for him is that he is getting misses on swings against fastballs thrown in the strike zone at a well-above average rate (20 percent). When he throws his fastball within the lower half of the zone, opponents are 4-for-25 against it. And he does that often, as this image shows: �In our system, we try to identify what the low strike is, and we work on it every day,� said Mets pitching coordinator Ron Romanick, who has watched deGrom closely since taking that position in 2012. �He took to it right away.� When deGrom gets a little extra on his pitches, he�s very tough. He�s hit 94 mph or faster with his fastball 95 times, getting 23 outs and allowing one hit at that velocity. Among those who struck out on pitches at that velocity: Brett Gardner, Mark Teixeira, Marlon Byrd and Chase Utley. One last stat: The folks at Sportvision/BAM use video technology to evaluate how close a pitcher comes to hitting a catcher's initial target. DeGrom's fastball, on average, comes within 11 inches of the target, a number that rates among the 10 best in the majors. The average pitcher throws one about 13.5 inches from the target. That's the sort of thing for which the Mets are looking. The changeup The pitch that has been deGrom�s most consistent through four starts is the changeup (in which he uses the grip taught by Johan Santana), one he throws 10 to 12 mph slower than his fastball. Jacob deGrom has located his changeup well too. Opponents have two hits and a walk and have made 21 outs against the 61 he�s thrown. They�ve missed on 17 of the 37 swings they�ve taken against it, a 46 percent rate. Phillies hitters were 0-for-17 with 10 strikeouts against the fastball-changeup combo. �The first contrast pitch we teach is the changeup,� Romanick said. �We prioritize that over the breaking ball. Jake has a swing-and-miss changeup.� Romanick also noted that deGrom doesn�t leave too many hangers. �When he misses, he misses in good spots,� Romanick said. Poise Opponents are 3-for-27 with men on base against deGrom and 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position, with the only hit being Ryan Howard�s three run home run on Saturday. �The composure has been there,� Romanick said. �He�d always had that polish at the minor league level.� Looking ahead DeGrom has a sense of self-awareness. He is still trying to find his ideal breaking ball. The home run by Howard came on a hanging curveball. Lefties are 4-for-4 against his hook so far. The slider has been good sometimes, but not consistently. Remembering Jacob deGrom "I was the athletic director (at his school) and head boys basketball coach. (Jacob) was a kid who I could put on any team because he was such a natural athlete. He has great hand-eye coordination. I hear him doing his post-game interviews and it still sounds like (the kid I knew)." -- Ryan Knernschield �I�ve struggled with my slider a little bit,� deGrom said on Tuesday. �I�m working on that in the bullpen. My curveball has come a long way, but I would say probably fastball, changeup have been the best two for me." The Mets have also stressed that deGrom needs to be aware of his pitching patterns. Romanick thought that Howard knew what was coming based on what he'd seen in previous at-bats. �Those type of hitters make pretty good adjustments,� Romanick said. The other thing to keep in mind is that his abnormally-low BABIP (.206) and the good numbers with men on base and runners in scoring position aren�t going to last forever. Zack Wheeler learned that this season, as his batting average in the latter situations has jumped from .173 as a rookie to .349 in 2014. The various ERA-estimating stats peg deGrom as being someone whose ERA should be one to two runs higher than it currently is. But in fairness, deGrom is still very much a work in progress. His 4.52 FIP (an ERA estimator based on strikeouts, walks and home runs allowed) is skewed a bit by the three homers he allowed to the Dodgers. As such, Romanick is not worried. DeGrom learned pitching relatively late in his scholastic career. He primarily was a shortstop in high school and college, which might explain why he can hit a little bit. There is still upside, even for a 25-year-old first-year big leaguer. "I think he can handle anything thrown his way," Romanick said.

Jacob deGrom deserves his own thread because he's my new favorite Met. Rookie deGrom will stick with starting July, 13, 2014 By Adam Rubin | ESPNNewYork.com NEW YORK -- Terry Collins� recent suggestion that Jacob deGrom temporarily might find himself in the bullpen to open the second half to conserve innings was a false alarm. After the Mets entered the All-Star break with a 9-1 win against the Miami Marlins that included seven strong innings from the 26-year-old rookie, Collins confirmed deGrom would remain in the rotation as Jonathon Niese returns from the disabled list. DeGrom will start in Seattle during the second series of the second half, meaning Daisuke Matsuzaka is headed to a bullpen role. DeGrom is 3-1 with a 1.65 ERA over his past five starts. And although the Mets typically are conservative with innings counts for their young pitchers, deGrom logged 147 2/3 last season in the minors. So Sandy Alderson has said he is comfortable with deGrom reaching 185 innings this season. DeGrom is at 112 innings right now between the majors and minors. He would have 13 more starts during the regular season if he took the ball every five games. �We�re not going to take Jacob deGrom out of the rotation,� Collins said postgame Sunday, after deGrom limited Miami to one run on five hits and two walks in seven innings. �I say that now, but we might look up in a month where he is starting to run out of gas a little bit, where we have to make a decision. He�s pitched very, very well. He didn�t even have his best stuff today. He did a great job.� No pitcher feels perfect at this point in the season, but deGrom indicated he has plenty of petrol remaining. �I feel really good,� he said. �I think working on my mechanics and getting back to where I wanted to be with [pitching coach] Dan [Warthen] has helped my arm recover. I haven�t really been sore this year.� DeGrom certainly has earned the respect of teammates. He initially was scripted to have a bullpen role. But Dillon Gee�s side-muscle injury lingered for two months and deGrom outperformed Rafael Montero to solidify a spot in the rotation for the long haul. �He�s one of guys that was a little under the radar,� captain David Wright said. �You heard about the Syndergaards. You heard about the Wheelers. [steven] Matz has been getting a lot of attention. And Montero. But you never really hard too much about deGrom. And he was actually slated to be in the bullpen when he first got called up and something happened and he got a start and really has seized that opportunity. He�s got a live arm and throws strikes. It�s fun to play defense behind those guys.� Wright had some fun with deGrom in recent days. After deGrom nearly smoked a stretching Wright with a foul ball while the pitcher was taking batting practice, Wright cut a lock of deGrom�s floppy hair and affixed it to a poster hanging in the clubhouse between their adjacent lockers. The poster had been created by the Mets� social media team, with a silhouette of the rookie�s mane and the hashtag �#HAIRWEGO.� �I let him do it,� deGrom said about Wright playing barber. �That�s the second one I almost hit him with, too. I guess I kind of deserved it.� DeGrom said he has matured as a pitcher since arriving in the big leagues. An effective sinkerballer, he has learned to elevate four-seam fastballs to get batters to chase upstairs for strikeouts. �And if they don�t swing at it then maybe go to the curveball in the dirt. Just raise their eye level and then try to get them out with something down,� deGrom said. Overall, he is now 3-5 with a 3.18 ERA. The floppy hair he has not cut in six months and his hitting are giving him notoriety, too. DeGrom broke a 1-all tie Sunday with an RBI single after a two-out intentional walk to No. 8 hitter Ruben Tejada in the fourth inning. DeGrom has seven hits in his first 12 major league games. That is tied with Matt Harvey for second-most in franchise history. Rick Aguilera had eight. After the 1-for-3 performance that included his first career RBI, deGrom was asked if he could sustain his current .280 batting average if he were an everyday player. �I have no clue,� deGrom said. �That�s a tough question.� http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/category/_/name/jacob-degrom

Too bad your model didn't last. Nothing ever lasts. Here are some photos of a Shea model some poster on Baseball Fever began to build about five years ago. I don't think he ever finished it. Shifting field level seats for Jets stadium configuration

This is already the most barfable ASG ever. I suppose they're gonna pitch him underhand style so he can hit a HR. Or maybe he'll get to hit off a tee.

Vic Sage wrote: It was nice. My daughter and I got there at noon (it's nice to park in lot G, the VIP lot on the corner of 126th and Roosevelt), and went into the lovely administrative offices (they are next to the bullpen stadium entrance), where the lovely Miss [sales rep] met us and took us around. She's fresh out of college, an economics grad, in her first job, and she's a slight southern twang. It was adorable. We saw all the group seating areas, and the various "clubs" for the premiere seats, and sat behind home plate, and then got to go out on the field (not the grass; "nobody goes on the grass", she told us), and sat in the dugout, which was extra cool. We couldn't see the clubhouses because it was a game day. But it was all very nice. Then, she took us back up to the sales office, and started to work me for the kind of package i wanted. I didn't want to be rude, or make her feel like it was a total waste of time, so i worked it out where i could get 2 seats for a 10-game pack, but then move the seats around so i could get 4 seats for 5 games instead. I told her, however, that missus Sage has total veto authority so i couldn't commit and i'd call her. She would hold the seats for a day, but then had to release them. As i expected, and frankly counted on, my wife was not happy to spend near $1000 and commit to a bunch of dates that might not be convenient for her, so we didn't take the package. It didn't really give much of a discount, and i had to go to games i really didn't feel like going to, so those packs aren't really worth it for me. I'd rather buy better seats for 1 or 2 games i really want to see, then see 10 games, at least some of which i don't want to see or on days i'd prefer not to go, for more money and lesser seats. I ended up going on-line and buying decent seats for Aug 2, a Saturday evening game against the Cubs. Its fireworks night, too. I prefer weekend evenings, so i don't have to deal so much with traffic and weather issues. Vic Sage was played by Jonathan Pryce. The Girl that cannot be named anymore was played by Al Pacino. The part of Jeff Wilpon was played by Alec Baldwin.

Brooklyn Filmmaker Launches Kickstarter For �86 Mets: The Movie� By Chris Colton Sports Editor, CBSNewYork.com NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) � Lenny Dykstra. Doc Gooden. Kevin Mitchell. Brooklyn filmmaker Heather Quinlan wants to explore the Mets� 1986 championship in a new way: by telling the story of the team, its fans and how the �blue-collar dirty, gritty� Scum Bunch mirrored New York of the same era. But she needs help from the fan base to complete ��86 Mets: The Movie.� Quinlan recently launched a kickstarter campaign to raise $50,000, which would help fund equipment, travel for follow-up interviews and, of course, rights to game tape. �The rights to the footage is going to be a huge financial hurdle,� Quinlan told CBSNewYork.com. �Honestly, without the footage, there�s no film. You can�t do a film about the Mets and not show Game 6.� The 39-year-old has raised just over $10,000, and has until August 22 to hit the goal. Ya gotta believe, right? �I think having the fans get behind it really, really pushes it to another level,� Quinlan said. �Especially, I think, it allows the Mets organization and Major League Baseball to be that much more inclined to be a part of it.� Quinlan said there wasn�t a bad interview in the bunch, and she praised Mitchell, known for being the baddest of the bad boys, as her favorite subject. His chat, and many others, are available on YouTube. �The one who had, ironically, the reputation for being this bad guy from San Diego was the most giving, honest guy,� she said of Mitchell. �He was coaching kids for no money. � It�s that kind of thing that you don�t know necessarily about the team or the players.� Mets fans also probably had no idea that Dykstra considered baseball to be part show business. In his interview, Dykstra admitted �Nails� was a character he played for the fans. �I did my best Barbara Walters, I guess, because I asked him, �Are Nails and Lenny Dykstra the same person?� � said Quinlan, who grew up a Mets fan. �And he was like, �Huh, no one�s ever asked me that before.�� Then there�s the friendship between Mookie Wilson and Bill Buckner, whose error on Wilson�s ground ball completed the Mets� improbable comeback in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. �They do the autograph circuit. And Buckner was saying that when he doesn�t hear from Mookie or he doesn�t hang out with Mookie for a while, he kind of misses him,� said Quinlan. �And he�s a guy, so he�s not going to call him up and be like, �Hey Mookie, I miss you.� But he�ll be like, �Hey Mookie, how�s your lawn looking?� � As the film�s director, Quinlan has also interviewed teammate Darryl Strawberry and a number of Mets fans, including some notable names: actor Charles Grodin and writer Paul Auster among them. King of Queens creator Michael J. Weithorn, a former Shea Stadium vendor, is executive producer. Quinlan said she wants to turn the project into a feature-length documentary, and would like to bring some former players to the Sundance and Tribeca film festivals. The kickstarter would give those plans a boost. And it would send a message to a franchise with a reputation � fairly or not � of distancing itself from the �86 club. �It shows the organization that the fans really do want to hear this story, and that this team still looms large in their memories,� Quinlan said. �There is poetry in baseball. That includes the �86 Mets, warts and all.� http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/07/14/brooklyn-filmmaker-launches-kickstarter-for-86-mets-the-movie/ Interviews here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzqksTiunzhKRDcefM_-ZKg Actor Charles Grodin wears a personalized Mets jersey. (credit: Heather Quinlan) Kickstarter campaign link, incl. more interviews and quotes from '86 Mets: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/heatherquinlan/86-mets-the-movie

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Colon and Dice K are that much more expendable with the sudden emergence of deGrom. I'd look to trade Colon as soon as I can. He's old and very overweight. And even though he's effective, relying on a pitcher like Colon is like driving on a bald tire: you might get to where you're going but the tire can just the same, blow out at any second.

Colon and Dice K are that much more expendable with the sudden emergence of deGrom.

It was also Carlos Delgado doing a Babe Ruth impersonation for two of Jerry's first few months, carrying the team about as much as any Met ever did for a while. Maybe Delgado felt suddenly liberated from the termination of Willie's serial two hole sac bunting strategy -- Delgado was the #5 batter and the most likeliest guy to lose his first inning at bat as a result. Delgado wasn't a Willie fan in any event. Neither was I.

From the Grantland mailbag: Are there any American sports parallels to Brazil getting smoked by Germany? �Matthew B. Not that I can come up with. It would be like moving the 1992 Barcelona Olympics to New York City and having the Dream Team get blown out at MSG. Or adding American football to the Games and then having the U.S. throw pick-sixes on its first five possessions in a knockout round. And even those fake scenarios wouldn�t really approach it, I�m sure. It�s hard to decide if it�s more or less devastating to lose a game like that � when it�s over before halftime � rather than, say, to go down on penalty kicks when a ball hits a post. As a Mets fan, I immediately thought about the team�s last game of the 2007 regular season, when they capped off a meltdown of historic proportions with a loss to the Florida Marlins that officially eliminated them from the playoffs. It wasn�t just any loss: Tom Glavine gave up seven runs in the first inning. Watching it was like losing all your money in the first 10 minutes at a casino � you didn�t even get to enjoy the ride before you crashed and burned. Sometimes it can be better that way, but usually it�s so much worse. http://grantland.com/the-triangle/james-dolan-new-york-knicks-world-cup-mailbag/

batmagadanleadoff wrote: John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Time has come to think about hitting for Lagares in these spots. It's about time. But the bench is only so wide these days. Gotta pinch hit for Lagares. And also Tejada. And Eric Young, too. And the pitcher.