batmagadanleadoff

This article identifies the Mets as one of three teams positioned to trade for Dodgers SS Hanley Ramirez (29 years old) if the Dodgers are unwilling or unable to extend the free-agent-to-be's contract.

d'Kong76 wrote: Yeah, that's clearly your cause. If you have something to say, then say it. I'm supposed to guess as to what you think my cause is? Because I don't even know what the phrase means in this context in a general sense. I don't even have the slightest idea what you generally mean by "cause", let alone what you think my specific "cause" would be. Cause? As in goal? Like to effect something? By posting that marriage proposal piece?

Because posting that marriage proposal article is suddenly a "cause"?

d'Kong76 wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: You'd figure that with the Wilpons so strapped for dough, they'd be in on the engagement action. I woulda guessed that the Mets charged the most for this stuff. This is just silly. Not everything published supports the cause or drum you continually beat. Do you really think that charging $2,500 for something like this would help the 'dough strapped' Wilpons? Jeff probably tips his door man that much a couple of times a year. Your post is so stupid, that I regret having to waste my time and everybody else's responding. You're obviously the only idiot here who thinks that I really think that a Citi Field marriage proposal fee would significantly improve the Wilpons finances. My cause? What cause would that be? You're a jackass.

You'd figure that with the Wilpons so strapped for dough, they'd be in on the engagement action. I woulda guessed that the Mets charged the most for this stuff.

d'Kong76 wrote: You're right, was reading an old blurb that said it was the 40th anniversary and stopped reading before getting to the 1973 part. 41 ... good number if you can get it. I stood in front of my class and presented a Social Studies report on the Designated Hitter in elementary school -- heavily cribbed from some sports magazine article, no doubt, that featured a black and white action photo of Tony Oliva.

[fimg=666]http://cdn.pastemagazine.com/www/articles/BaseballEngagement_Field_Article_1200px-750x790.jpg[/fimg] Arizona Diamondbacks � Chase Field $250: Message displayed on scoreboard (limit one per homestand). Includes commemorative DVD. Atlanta Braves � Turner Field $50: Message displayed on scoreboard. Baltimore Orioles � Camden Yards Proposals not offered. Boston Red Sox � Fenway Park $250: Message displayed on scoreboard. $350: In addition to scoreboard message, couple is featured live on video board and greeted by Wally, the team�s mascot. Chicago Cubs � Wrigley Field $175: Message displayed on scoreboard (limit one per game). Includes commemorative print and digital copy of the proposal. Chicago White Sox � U.S. Cellular Field $55: Message displayed on scoreboard. Cincinnati Reds � Great American Ball Park $50: Message displayed on scoreboard or printed on a sign delivered by Rosie Red, the team�s mascot. Cleveland Indians � Progressive Field $400: On-field proposal at one of the season�s 15 post-game fireworks nights. (In-game proposals not offered.) Call (216) 420-HITS. Colorado Rockies � Coors Field $50: Message displayed on scoreboard. Call (303) ROCKIES. Detroit Tigers � Comerica Park $50: Paws, the team�s mascot, conducts a �trivia contest� at the couple�s seats that ends in a surprise proposal. Includes baseball decorated with message and date. $75: Message displayed on scoreboard. Houston Astros � Minute Maid Park $500: Proposal featured live on video board (limit one per series, proposals not offered in consecutive games). Includes two tickets and commemorative DVD. Call (713) 259-8332. Kansas City Royals � Kauffman Stadium Proposals not offered. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim � Angel Stadium Proposals not offered. Los Angeles Dodgers � Dodger Stadium $75: Message displayed on scoreboard. $2,500: Proposal featured live on video board (limit one per month). Miami Marlins � Marlins Park $250: Message displayed on scoreboard and couple featured live on video. $500: In addition to message and video, package includes a PA announcement and a dozen roses delivered by Billy the Marlin, the team�s mascot. Call (305) 480-1300. Milwaukee Brewers � Miller Park $100: Single-line message (up to 35 characters) displayed among others on scoreboard. $250: Full scoreboard message (up to 75 characters). Call (414) 902-4501. Minnesota Twins � Target Field $209: Proposal featured live on video board (limit one per game). Call (612) 659-3502. New York Mets � Citi Field Proposals not offered. New York Yankees � Yankee Stadium $100: Message displayed on scoreboard (limit 10 per game). Oakland Athletics � O.co Coliseum $85: Message displayed on scoreboard. Philadelphia Phillies � Citizens Bank Park $450: Proposal featured live on video board. Includes four tickets, champagne toast, and commemorative DVD. Call (215) 463-1000. Pittsburgh Pirates � PNC Park $38.50: Message displayed on scoreboard. San Diego Padres � Petco Park $55: Message displayed on scoreboard (up to 50 per game). San Francisco Giants � AT&T Park $145: Message displayed on scoreboard (weekday games). $175: Message displayed on scoreboard (weekend and premium games). Seattle Mariners � Safeco Field $115: Message displayed on scoreboard. St. Louis Cardinals �Busch Stadium $250: Private tour for a group of up to 20 that ends with a surprise proposal on the field. $500: In addition to private tour, message displayed on scoreboard. Proposals only offered on non-game days. Call (314) 345-9630. Tampa Bay Rays � Tropicana Field $500: Proposal featured live on video board (limit one per game). Includes a dozen roses and commemorative DVD. Texas Rangers � Globe Life Park in Arlington $200: Message printed on sign delivered by Ranger�s Captain, the team�s mascot, along with a bouquet of flowers and a certificate featuring the date and the couple�s names. Includes digital photos of the proposal. Call (972) RANGERS. Toronto Blue Jays � Rogers Centre Proposals not offered. Washington Nationals � Nationals Park $500: Message displayed on scoreboard (limit one per game). $1,500: Proposal featured live on video board (limit two per season). E-mail production@nationals.com. http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2014/04/how-much-does-it-cost-to-score-a-major-league-prop.html

d'Kong76 wrote: This year is also the 40th anniversary of the DH. You trivia head probably know this, but who was the first player to bat as the designated hitter 40 years ago? 41 years ago, Ron Blomberg became MLB's first DH. 41.

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Player: Johan Santana Song: A Day In The Life A Shea in the Life (September 27, 2008) I went to Shea today once more Stadium near the Fair since Sixty-Four And under skies quite overcast Johan just had to last Given our pitching staff They blew big leads both left and right There was no confidence they�d save a game From far above I watched the pen Praying the gate stayed shut Everyone was really sure they couldn�t handle Heilman I hoped at Shea today once more The slumping Mets could defeat Florida Up in my Deck I found it nice That old Scott Scheoeneweis Had not warmed up twice They must not Touuuuu-uuuuch Jooooo-oooo Haaaaa-aaaan Short rest He didn�t care Gave Ayala such a stare Admonished Joe Smith and Brian Stokes �Go and take a seat with those other blokes� Achy knee But he threw fine Strode the mound for the full nine Limited the Fish to scattered hits Jerry kept his wits and didn�t make a switch Aahhhh... Aahhhh-aahhhh Aahhhh... Aahhhh-aahhhh Aahhhh... Aahhhh... Aahhhh-aahhhh Aahhhh... Aahhhhhhhhh! I cheered at Shea today once more Santana kept our playoff hopes alive And though our hopes are rather small The Mets are not yet done Now there�s good reason to be back at Shea tomorrow at one They did not Touuuuuu-uuuch Jooooo-oooo Haaaaaa-aaan P-Q9D4dcYng

HE SAID, HE SAID He said "I know that I�ll like being a Met I know that I�ll never be sad" And he's promised to give us a tour of the Bronx We said "Why�d you put those plugs in your ears Plugs so you can drown out the boos And we�re still waiting on that tour of the Bronx" He said "You won�t wipe the smile from my face" We said "No, no, no, you're wrong When you were a boy We smeared Tommy Seaver We smeared Cleon Jones" We said "Even though you know what you know Pittsburgh ain�t like playing at Shea And we�re making you feel like Kitty Genovese" He said "You don't understand what I said" We said "No, no, no, you're wrong When you botched that play Way out there in right You called up and cried" We said "Even though you know what you know We�ll make sure you�re ready to leave 'Cause you're pissing us off and you�re not very good." He said "I know thatI I�ll like being a Met I know that I�ll never be sad I know that I�ll like being a Met..." [youtube:aprcdk6l]b00VTswskFI[/youtube:aprcdk6l]

[fimg=444:fwgk2da7]http://www.raw-tcsd.com/beatles%20usif11117.jpg[/fimg:fwgk2da7] [fimg=344:fwgk2da7]http://www.beatlesebooks.com/files/1619622/uploaded/day%20in%20the%20life%20sheet%20music.jpg[/fimg:fwgk2da7] [fimg=433:fwgk2da7]http://cdn.cnwimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/bobby-bonilla.jpg[/fimg:fwgk2da7] [fimg=355:fwgk2da7]http://bigapplemetstalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/large_AJOHAN.jpg[/fimg:fwgk2da7]

Zvon wrote: Braves are wearing the mid 70s blow pop uniforms. Niiiiice. Those tops became my instant uni faves when I first saw them. Of course, I was in elementary school in '72. I would later learn, from other memorabilia collectors, that those Braves uniforms are considered among the flimsiest ever made. Collectors describe those Braves shirts as barely a grade above t-shirt quality. I never heard of that "blow pop" phrase to describe the stylized feather.

This was the first Mets game I watched from start to finish, this year. In fact, this was the first Mets game I watched for more than two innings.

The Long Island Tomahawks. Rich Rinaldi was the match referee.

I wallow in all Mets news. Like that Facebook poll. I posted it because it's most definitely newsworthy. I mean, the Mets don't even get Queens? Who woulda thunk that? Not even me. The FB poll even shocked me. Is there a baseball team that's fallen further in their hometown over the last 20 years than the Mets? How about over the last five years? If there were great news, I swear I'd be posting that too. Really.

Edgy MD wrote: Of course, all counties are far from equal. It's the same county for every voter, whether they voted Mets or Yanks or any other team. Edgy MD wrote: A smaller piece of a far bigger pie is what we're talking about. That's right. A smaller piece. Even in Queens.

Zvon wrote: metsguyinmichigan wrote: I think that's from a revised edition and they cropped and pasted players all over the place. I'll look for the original and scan! With yearbook team pics I remember them adding players that weren't there in little circular pics. Players that weren't supposed to be there? I dunno. Usually its currently correct at printing. Strikes me odd that 4 players who didn't end the season on the team would be standing there all together in the middle. That's usually prime real estate for a team pic. Thanks in advance for any help. I photoshopped that team pic and put the Shea scoreboard in that spot. Now I'm thinking of putting the missing players back in, if that's the case (it could be one player laying down and held aloft in Cleon, Ed, Stone and Storks arms). [fimg=866]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nYSKXlm_7Pg/S-MhlQeX0II/AAAAAAAAAIw/XdpV8ron0fU/s1600/73Topps389.jpg[/fimg] Here's the Mets team pic on the 1973 Topps baseball card. None of the four Mets standing in what you call the prime middle -- Agee, McAndrew, Fregosi or Frisella -- would wind up on the '73 post-season roster. Of course, that team photo had to have been taken early in the '72 season, a year before the card was available. Is that Jim Beauchamp standing behind Jerry Grote? Because if it is, and he's wearing #5 instead of #24, then that means that Willie Mays is MIA.

As if the Mets could sign a really desirable free-agent.

You can't charge Rolls Royce prices when you're spending like it's Pittsburgh and playing like it's the Texas League. [fimg=82]http://thenypost.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/ken-davidoff.png?w=76&h=69&crop=1[/fimg] High cost of Citi visits helping to keep Mets fans away By Ken Davidoff April 5, 2014 | 5:03pm A fan sits alone at Citi Field. In recent seasons, as the Mets� payroll plummeted like the 1929 stock market, club officials turned to Major League Baseball�s most disenfranchised teams for inspiration. After all, if the Rays and Athletics found success while drawing few fans to their eyesore ballparks and consequently facing financial limitations, then why couldn�t the Mets � running nice and modern Citi Field � pull off the same magic? Maybe they will, even this year. Maybe they�ll shock the world, and the season�s brutal first few days will be laughed off as a doomsday tease. But if the Mets want to fully come to terms with the trust deficit that exists with their fan base, they need to understand that their low payroll, in and of itself, doesn�t create all of the ill will. The bigger picture is how that low payroll matches against their still-high cost to experience a Mets game in person. Baseball�s first full week gave us a couple of interesting releases of data: The Associated Press� Ronald Blum calculated all 30 Opening Day payrolls, while the Team Marketing Report divulged its annual �Fan Cost Index� rankings for MLB. As per these tabulations, the Mets � whose attendance has dropped each of the past five years � own the 19th-largest payroll in the game ($91,849,508) and they charge the seventh-highest price for a family experience at the ballpark. The FCI of $229.68 comes from adding the prices of four adult average-price tickets, two small draft beers, four small soft drinks, four regular-size hot dogs, parking for one car, two game programs and two least expensive, adult-size adjustable caps. At No. 19 on payroll and No. 7 on FCI, let�s call that a minus-12 rating, right? That ranks as the fourth-worst in baseball. Lower than the Mets are the Marlins (29 and 9, for minus-20), the Cubs (22 and 3, minus-19) and the Astros (13 and 30, for a minus-17). It�s no surprise the customer bases of those three teams don�t appear especially happy, either. The Diamondbacks, fielding the 12th-largest payroll and charging the lowest prices anywhere (30th, in other words), top the chart you want to top, with a plus-18 rating. Also notably in the black are the Reds (11 and 27, plus-16) and the Braves (16 and 24, plus-8). The Yankees sit right at zero by this measure, with both the second-highest FCI ($337.20) and second-highest payroll ($199,174,656). The A�s (26 and 19) are at a minus-7, not dramatically better than the Mets, and the Rays (25 and 28) minus-3. Michael Weinstat, a registered investment advisor who lives in Woodbury, owned Mets season tickets with a friend from 1987-2009. He gave up after �09 because, armed with the public knowledge that the Mets had lost so much money to Bernard Madoff, he saw the storm coming. �It�s one thing if you have the 15th-highest payroll and if you�re seventh or eighth [in the FCI]. You can deal with that, especially if you have a competitive team,� Weinstat said in a telephone interview. �But when you�re seventh and 19th, with a bad team for so many years, enough is enough.� John Canova, who lives in East Meadow, bought Mets season tickets from 2001 through last year. He gave up this year, he said, because he found it exceedingly difficult to sell the tickets for games he didn�t attend � especially when the Mets themselves would put remaining seats in his area on sale. �You want me to be a season-ticket holder, but then you�re underselling me just to get into the stadium,� Canova said by phone. �That wasn�t right. Come to me and discount my bill.� The Mets declined comment on the matter. As per the Team Marketing Report, the Mets� average ticket prices of $25.30 for non-premium and $83.78 for premium rank below the MLB averages of $27.93 and $93.41. So if you take the train to Citi Field and don�t eat, drink or buy souvenirs, you might get yourself a good deal. Some of the other costs � like $22 for parking and $6.25 for a hot dog, the most expensive frankfurter in baseball � might be chalked up to the cost of doing business in New York, or to the high-quality food at Citi Field. Yet that, too, calls to attention that a New York team, trying delivering a New York experience, should be spending more on player talent. �For the last two years, upper management and ownership talked about 2014: �This is going to be the year we increase payroll and are competitors,�?� Weinstat said. �Well, to use the line from the old Wendy�s commercial, �Where�s the beef?� All I see is gristle.� The Mets, as you know, spent considerably on Curtis Granderson, Bartolo Colon and Chris Young, yet thanks to getting Johan Santana and Jason Bay (mostly) off their books, their payroll is just a tick above last year�s $87ish million. General manager Sandy Alderson said Monday, hours before the Mets began their season, that if the team played well, more fans presumably would come to Citi Field, and it would therefore be easier to increase payroll. Yet sometimes, as the saying goes, you have to spend money to make money. And right now, on the relative MLB scale, the Mets charge more than they spend. http://nypost.com/2014/04/05/high-cost-of-citi-visits-helping-to-keep-mets-fans-away/

I'll post the Championship Round tomorrow morning. Any finalist who hasn't submitted can still do so.

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MLB exec thinks games should be shortened to 7 innings, is wrong Excerpt: In a subscriber-only post to ESPN.com, Buster Olney quotes a team executive who thinks Major League Baseball should shorten its games to seven innings: The games are often played too slowly, he noted. The audience of Major League Baseball is aging, with polls indicating that the youngest generation expects faster and fastest in what it consumes. At the same time, the exec said, teams are struggling to find enough good pitching � and, at the same time, the number of injuries is skyrocketing. If oblique strains were the prevalent injury two years ago, ulnar collateral ligament strains are the ailment du jour. Top prospect Jameson Taillon of the Pirates is the latest pitcher to be headed for Tommy John surgery; maybe he�ll bump into Bobby Parnell along the way. It seems so unlikely to happen that it�s hardly even worth arguing against. As Olney points out, numbers are sacred in the game, and switching to a seven-inning format would mean forever altering the way those numbers accumulate. Read the rest at http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/04/mlb-length-of-games-shortened-pitch-clock-seven-innings/

batmagadanleadoff wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: The person who predicted that Jason Bay's home HR total with the Mets would be 10 can step right up and collect their prize. I thought that Bay would've hit his 10th home Met HR by his first Met all-star break. Okay -- I would've adjusted my prediction some once I saw those moronic outfield dimensions that Jeff Wilpon installed in the new stadium, but still, 10? Met lifetime 10?

batmagadanleadoff wrote: The person who predicted that Jason Bay's home HR total with the Mets would be 10 can step right up and collect their prize. I thought that Bay would've hit his 10th home Met HR by his first Met all-star break.