batmagadanleadoff

Keith Hernandez waxing lyrically about real men ... like John Wayne??? Oh the irony. (NTTAWWT) [youtube:2p20ksde]vCb9H46tzmc[/youtube:2p20ksde] [youtube:2p20ksde]a4ms5ktJFhc[/youtube:2p20ksde] [youtube:2p20ksde]SfrhCvDLlCg[/youtube:2p20ksde]

The Mets should put a pit bull in their dugout trained to attack any opposing pitcher that throws at Mets batters.

[fimg=73]http://thenypost.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/phil-mushnick.png?w=76&h=69&crop=1[/fimg] Keith Hernandez goes from insightful to bully in one inning By Phil Mushnick June 26, 2014 | 11:09pm Sometimes, I would like to shake Keith Hernandez�s hand. Other times, I would just like to shake him. In less than one full inning Sunday, Hernandez won a Kewpie doll � then ripped off its head. In the bottom of the fifth, with Jon Niese shutting out the Marlins on SNY, a graphic � loaded with the latest in context-barren statistical, historical nonsense � appeared. Niese, as Gary Cohen eagerly recited, is among the Mets� all-time leaders in consecutive starts �allowing three earned runs or fewer.� Others on the list included Jerry Koosman, Dwight Gooden and, three times, Tom Seaver. At that point, Hernandez came to our rescue. Once upon a time, he said, starters were expected to pitch �seven, eight nine innings,� as opposed to today, �when they go five, six, seven, max.� Thus, comparing or even listing Seaver�s low-ERA starts to Niese�s was like wondering why Cy Young never won the Cy Young Award. For the record, Gooden pitched 68 complete games, Koosman pitched 140, Seaver 231. Niese, in his seventh season, has three. Bless his heart, Hernandez gave us a lift home from the Idiot�s Picnic. But in the next half inning, he went from enlightened analyst to schoolyard bully Nelson �Ha-Ha!� Muntz. SNY presented a photo of Padres pitcher Alex Torres from the night before, wearing a cap that bulged at its sides from a protective liner. Yes, Torres looked odd. Yet, clearly, if he were determined to diminish the chances of a fractured skull or brain injury from a line drive to the side of his head, his head, if not his cap, was on straight. Well, Hernandez took a macho, style-over-function stance, mocking Torres for looking �absurd.� (The same was heard when batting helmets arrived then grew larger until they included earflaps and would be worn by base coaches.) He wasn�t done. He suggested Torres and anyone who would wear such a thing are cowards: �If you�re scared, get a dog.� Ugh! Either Hernandez was unaware of the dozens of annual, all-levels episodes that have pitchers rushed to hospitals � some with permanent neurological damage � or such episodes have not yet left an impression on him. In Torres� case, last year with the Rays, he replaced Alex Cobb after Cobb was nailed in the head with a line drive. After Saturday�s game, Torres recalled he still could hear the crack against Cobb�s head � and Torres was in the bullpen. �I�m glad he�s alive.� Cobb, depending on how one looks at it, was lucky � he was out just two months. Good Keith, bad Keith. For better and worse, he keeps both in the game. http://nypost.com/2014/06/26/keith-hernandez-half-good-half-bad-with-sny-analysis/

Ashie62 wrote: Nice..but I am sick of paying to watch stuff.... Me too. Tomorrow, I'm gonna see if I can get my mechanic to fix my car for free. After that, I'm gonna pop into the most expensive restaurant in my mechanic's neighborhood, order lunch and then see if I can walk out of the joint after I finish my meal, without paying -- before anybody notices.

So the Mets are in last place, but only 5 and a half games out in a division that no one apparently wants to win and is starting to look more and more like the 1973 NL East. You could say the Mets are in it. Or you can say that even at only 5.5 games out, they're still on pace to finish close to 15 games out by season's end. My vote for most interesting 2014 Met to watch goes to Bartolo Colon. He might pitch a no-hitter, or just as likely, explode like an over-inflated balloon.

The irony over this "bunt" brouhaha is that if major league baseball players weren't so fucking stupid, they'd understand that the Mets, by bunting, were in fact being merciful.

Vic Sage wrote: and the "not bunting because of unwritten rule #14" thing...? I think that shit sucks. Hey, if a team is getting beat and doesn't want the opposing team to pile it on, i have an idea... instead of requiring the winning team to take their foot off the gas, how about the losing team showing some sack and play better? "Sportsmanship"? Where is the sportsmanship in not playing your best at every moment, and doing all you're supposed to do? Frankly, i think that "showing pity" is more disrespectful to the losing team than continuing to play the game correctly. No, you don't want to play your best players (or older, more vulnerable players) every inning of such games, but that is proper marshaling of resources for a long season. Its about winning more games over the course of the season, not about giving the losing team a break in a particular game. I think bunts are mostly stupid, but if its the pitcher, and you've got a substantial lead, then its appropriate to bunt to add on another one. You don't have to reserve the out in hopes of a big inning; 1 run will do, so bunt. And base stealers should continue to steal, if that's their game, and people should continue to run hard, and slide hard into bases, and run down hits in the OF, and pitchers should continue to throw breaking balls (if they have them) and not just lay it in there. Or are they supposed to stop all that, too? When? If your up by 10 runs or 12 or 8? By what inning? And who do you fire if a team comes back on you after you've stopped playing? The manager, right? And what if he said, "but i was only following the unwritten rule!" Hopefully his GM would laugh in his face and kick his ass out the door. The reason some rules are unwritten is because they are not rules. Totally agree. If the losing team doesn't wanna get scored on anymore, they can walk off the field and forfeit the game. 'Cause unless they sign a binding stipulation promising not to score any more runs, the team with the lead should keep on trying to score. Now in football, or pre possession clock basketball, a team with a comfortable lead could tone down the offense without risking a loss by simply running out the clock. Can't do that in baseball. Can't run out the clock in baseball. (See, Earl Weaver, Ken Burns Baseball, 1969 Mets footage)

Kazmir was a star from 2005-2008 when the Mets were seemingly always one game short of their goals.

Andy Martino asks a valid question about "The Franchise" v21st Century. But don't expect an honest answer from David. Maybe Jeff Francoeur knows the truth. [fimg=322]http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1642381.1395835235!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/baseball-insider-635-jpg.jpg[/fimg] Is it driving David Wright crazy that the NY Mets are still this bad? BY Andy Martino BASEBALL INSIDER Thursday, June 19, 2014, 10:41 PM MIAMI -- The only questions you want to ask David Wright lately are the hard ones: Why have you been so lost at the plate? Is it driving you crazy that the Mets are still this bad? And -- this is the big one -- has ownership and the front office held to whatever assurances they gave you about spending money and improving the team, before you decided to sign a contract extension? Oh, and this: One of these years, wouldn�t you like to hear happier questions? �Of course,� Wright said on Thursday, during an extended conversation at his locker about the state of the franchise, and himself. �Of course. But it�s not like you snap your fingers, and sprinkle some magic dust over things, and then all of a sudden you�re going to go out there and get off to a start that�s 30 games over .500. I knew that it was going to be challenging.� For several reasons, it seemed like the right time to hear the Captain�s thoughts. Through Thursday, he was batting .153 in the month of June, and slugging .254 -- and that was after going 4 for 12 in St. Louis this week. �The worst I have ever seen him look,� said one evaluator, though the past several days strongly suggested improvement, including Wright�s first-inning home run on Thursday that was enough to turn Zack Wheeler�s shutout into a 1-0 Mets win. �I haven�t felt great, but on the flip side of that, I haven�t felt lost going up there and not seeing the ball,� Wright said. �I haven�t felt overmatched, like I have in the past when I�ve gone through some slumps.� But the franchise itself remains mired in irrelevance, having sunk to last place in the National League East. After three-plus years of a focus on player development and long-term thinking, the Mets do not seem any closer to success (although, we should say, team officials insist otherwise), and have seen top prospects Travis d�Arnaud and Wheeler struggle at times in the major leagues, and Noah Syndergaard endure a middling year so far in Triple-A. Remember, Wright�s decision to sign an eight-year, $138 million contract extension came after heart-to-hearts with Jeff Wilpon and Sandy Alderson, who laid out a plan for success. Has it proceeded more slowly than Wright imagined? �Obviously, you�re talking about a time where some of the delays have to do with the injuries, for sure,� Wright said, mentioning Matt Harvey, Bobby Parnell and Dillon Gee. �But with that being said, you never go into a season thinking that we�re going to be eight or nine games under .500 through 70 games. I was hoping for things to get off to a better start from what we had this year. But with the injuries, and poor play, we put ourselves in this position.� But did the Mets do enough last winter, when they spent more than $80 million on free agents, but still did not lift the overall payroll for this year past $85 million? �At the time, you�re happy -- or at least I was happy -- with the moves they made,� Wright said. �I think that the decision to develop from within, to keep on those young pitchers for another year, to see what you have and see what�s going to be a part of the solution, and who you might use to go out there and add another piece, was the correct one. And obviously, the injuries have set us back a little bit this year.� He expressed an interesting thought in there, that this season is partly about evaluating which players to keep, and which ones to trade. Wright returned to it again, when asked yet another unpleasant question, if he still had faith in the current regime to build a winning team. �Yeah,� he said. �I think that as much as we�re trying to win games, and obviously that�s the number one goal, there needs to be an evaluation period to see what we have with these young players, both pitchers and position players.� That is remarkable patience, for a 31-year-old who tortures himself after losses, and has not played in the postseason since 2006. A few times over the years, Wright has opened up about how miserable baseball can make him, so I asked on Thursday if he has grown into being better able to handle frustration. He has not. �I always put a lot of pressure on myself,� Wright said. �I don�t think I have gotten any better about it, or any worse. It�s just kind of ingrained in me to take things personally. �This is something that I�m passionate about. My whole day revolves around the game. Everything from when I get up, thinking about who is pitching. The game plan. So my whole day revolves around preparing and getting ready for the game, and once that game is over, preparing for the next one, so it�s tough to not think about it.� That must be exhausting. And it must be doubly tiring to lose so often during his prime years, and face annual questions about how the team can improve. Wright remains patient, but make no mistake -- he is looking for progress in the near future. �Whether it�s the trade deadline, whether it�s this offseason, in the minor leagues, or here in the big league clubhouse, we all need to look ourselves in the mirror and say, we need to improve as a team,� he said. �Whether that�s from within, through trades, or through free agency, there is always more to be done.� http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/baseballinsider/driving-david-wright-crazy-ny-mets-bad-blog-entry-1.1837070

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Wolves of 1971 (The tail end of the run of '71 cards ushers in the Topps paint a logo on the uni with a crayon era). Ron Hunt at Butterball Field - 1971 O Pee Chee

Bicentennial Porn Stars of Baseball: [fimg=344:2mnolia2]https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/421836_530197660353983_457658111_n.jpg[/fimg:2mnolia2] [fimg=344:2mnolia2]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RbYNgEzJffE/T5AE7f-X2sI/AAAAAAAACRI/J7YYF8yw1bM/s1600/1976_101.jpg[/fimg:2mnolia2]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I don't think it's not valid to feel sympathy for somebody who worked hard and had a setback, even if they're a millionaire who has eyesight. I agree totally. Really. No sarcasm here. Honest injun. Not that I'm surprised anyways that my post turned into another clusterfuck. Was your intelligence offended? Like some others here. (rolls eyes) (I doubt it).

Nymr83 wrote: Plus to do so simply for easy division reasons is a bad idea and a system of 8x4 would essentially kill pennant races I would hope they would instead destroy both Central Divisions and go 4x8 instead WAS SF TOR OAK ATL LAD NYY LAA MIA COL BAL SEA PHI SD BOS TEX NYM ARZ TB HOU CHC CIN DET CLE STL MIL CHW MIN MONTREAL PIT KC MEXICO CITY 4 x 8 is the way to go. Wanna know where I'd put a new team instead of Mexico City? Right here. Brooklyn. Or Jersey. This market can support another MLB team. It did for 50 years up until 1957.

Frayed Knot wrote: The NFL has proved that it's possible to win a division at .500 (numerous times) and sub-.500 (at least once that I know of) - and the odds of doing so got better when they went from the six by five-team divisions to the eight by four-team set-up, something I hope MLB paid attention to. I think MLB expansion to 32 teams is inevitable. It makes sense logistically -- having an even number of teams in each league and a total number of teams divisible by four, heck eight! -- as an added bonus -- and it makes sense economically -- for the buy in fees existing owners'll get to divvy up. When that happens, I'd want two eight team divisions in each league -- but I ain't holding out much hope. No one wants to be an eighth place team -- even though a fourth place team in a four team division could just as easily finish 25 games out of 1st. Anyway, I'm pretty close to the point of apathy, worn down over time into accepting that what I want doesn't matter a whit. They'll do what they'll do.

Ceetar wrote: It's not an office complex ,though big buildings have gone up nearby. Petco has a field behind the satdium, out in LF, with a grassy hill and a little baseball field and the like. it's there. Looks like the statue's facing Petco. Means ya gotta shoot it from behind to get the stadium and the statue in the same photo. [fimg=444]http://www.bestsandiego.com/images/stories/petcopark.jpg[/fimg]

Edgy MD wrote: There is also a wide gap between smg saying it and Johan saying it. But this is pretty much an insult to all of our intelligences and a desperate play for attention. magadan, please stop playing the troll. I know Johan didn't say it. I wasn't knocking Johan, either. Just Johan as a poster boy for "life is unfair". Now Bill Denehy on the other hand: he could be a poster boy for life being unfair. He wasn't just a prospect, ya know. His ceiling was ace of the staff strikeout king kind of stuff. He blew his arm out in his 4th start. And he's blind now.

Ceetar wrote: Ceetar wrote: What's the minimum we need to see to believe the Mets are on the cusp of getting back into it do you think? I don't know. Is it mathematically possible to win the division without winning half your games? yes. they control their own destiny. Is this your way of saying they need to go 11-2? Nope. Maybe they could win the division going 80-82. I'm wondering. Not that 80-82 wouldn't be a tall order for this squad. But a soccerball team could advance to the knockout round by going 1-2 in group play.

seawolf17 wrote: It has to be just a little bit weird to have a statue made of you when you're still alive. [fimg=444]https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQwRMFocxX5DtwlzbGY0tP4hv8ZMSWay-B-CEuu3K7AMVLKMhUh[/fimg] [fimg=444]http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv175/YHWHsway/2013%20Misc%20Motorcycle%20Pictures/PhilliesSchmidtback_zps8281a72a.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=444]https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7417/8911649877_455c03e23c_z.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=555]http://wwwdotthetwinshowdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/kim-kardashian-kanye-west-redeemer-statue-brazil.jpg[/fimg]

seawolf17 wrote: It has to be just a little bit weird to have a statue made of you when you're still alive. If that's true, I guess then, that the Wilpons must be waiting for Tom Seaver to croak.

Ceetar wrote: What's the minimum we need to see to believe the Mets are on the cusp of getting back into it do you think? I don't know. Is it mathematically possible to win the division without winning half your games?

batmagadanleadoff wrote: LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Great job making your point(?) with a proportionate, tasteful response, there. You can count on me for that. Would you consider it to be in good taste if Johan were to get up in front of the podium at his press conference to announce, not only his latest setback, but then to go into a whole "life is unfair" rant?

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Great job making your point(?) with a proportionate, tasteful response, there. You can count on me for that.

I googled some pics of the Gwynn statue trying to figure where it is in relation to the stadium. It looks like it's in an office complex. [fimg=533]https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT0b8I665eBp87ws8QCuVoCBi1EuBSwj_d7EQJmdVpy3LtbZ0wpvg[/fimg] [fimg=333]http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/1104/sports.figures.with.statues/images/tony-gwynn.jpg[/fimg]

Frayed Knot wrote: Johan Santana - torn achilles tendon -- done for the season smg58 wrote: Sometimes life just isn't fair. Johan really got the short end of the stick, there. What a sad life he's lived.

d'Kong76 wrote: One would have to guess that not too many people are buying tickets on Stubhub at a premium these days. I would totally agree. I guess that was my point. Why pay a scalpers higher price when there are still plenty of tickets to be had at the gate? Scalpers sell their tickets for higher than face value because the event sold out at the gate. There aren't any other options for an interested buyer. Think World Series or Super Bowl tickets, or a U2 Concert. If the Mets haven't sold enough tickets, that means demand is low. That should lower prices. Low demand means less interest. Nobody increases demand by raising prices.