batmagadanleadoff

Beatle scores point for vegetarians Paul McCartney has won an 18-month battle against McDonald's and points from vegetarians everywhere. The long-time herbivore was angered that the chain was displaying pictures of The Beatles at one of its Liverpool, England, locations, according to the British newspaper Daily Star. Managers have since removed the offending photographs. "Paul's famous (for) saying, 'If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian,' " PETA's president, Ingrid Newkirk, said to TODAYshow.com in an e-mail. "PETA alerted Paul to the photos of himself in the McDonald's restaurant, and he objected to the photos being put up in a place that sells the remains of slaughtered animals between two halves of a bun." Newkirk added that McCartney has been extremely involved with PETA, starring in one of PETA's first "veg testimonial" public service announcements and narrating a video this year called "Glass Walls" for the group. McCartney became a vegetarian with his late wife Linda decades ago. He continues to only serve vegetarian meals to his touring staff and ensures there is a vegetarian option for fans at every concert venue he plays.

Schwartz: An Amazin� Sales Call Gone Wrong February 25, 2014 10:24 AM By Peter Schwartz Being a salesperson is not an easy job. Your job and, in many cases, your salary hinges on convincing somebody to buy your product. It takes someone with a special skill set to do this, and the best of them can sell ice to an Eskimo in the winter. It�s a job that�s not for everyone. I once sold tires at a retail store and absolutely hated it. It was the worst job that I ever had Now my dad, may he rest in peace, was a great salesperson. He had a wonderful personality and always believed in what he was selling. If he were alive today, he would have laughed about a phone call that I received last week. Actually, it wasn�t intended for me, but for someone else in my family. The Caller ID read �New York Mets� when I answered the phone at my home. The person on the other end asked for Bradley Schwartz, my eight-year-old son. At this point, I�m thinking that maybe I signed him up for Mr. Met�s Kids Club and maybe he won something. As my curiosity increased, I told him that I was Bradley�s father and asked about the nature of the call. �This is (let�s just call him Joe) from the New York Mets� ticket office, and I�m calling to talk to Bradley about season tickets and partial plans for the 2014 season,� said the ticket rep. Well, my day had just become a bit more interesting! I then had to tell this guy that Bradley is eight years old and probably isn�t in the market for a Mets ticket plan. I asked him how he got Bradley�s name and he said it came from the coat drive in December. He said Bradley was nice enough to bring a coat to Citi Field in exchange for a voucher good for two free tickets to a Mets game. Bradley didn�t exactly hop in our van and drive to Flushing from Long Island. Our whole family went and we all had to fill out forms in order to get the vouchers. Did they call my wife? No. Did they call me? No. Did they call my in-laws? No. They called an eight-year-old! Does this look like someone who would be buying season tickets? After I told Joe that he had been trying to reach an eight-year-old, there was dead silence on the other end. I mean, if this was dead air on WFAN, the producer would have to call engineering for help. I really thought he was going to hang up, so I told him that my name is Peter and that I take my family to a few Mets games each year, and that he can talk to me about the ticket information. Sticking to the script, the relieved sales rep forged on with his sales pitch. �Well, Peter, my name is Joe and I�ll be your personal ticket representative for the 2014 season,� said the rep who clearly thought he had found new life in this sales call. Joe asked me when I fell in love with baseball and I told him it was probably when I was four or five watching games with my dad. We watched many games on television and also went to a number of games in person. I told the rep I had fond memories of those early years of my life. �That�s awesome,� said Joe. �That�s exactly how I got into baseball!� Just who is writing these sales scripts? Anyway, the guy continued with his story about where he grew up, where he went to school and what baseball team he worked for before coming to the Mets. At this point, I�m just waiting for him to get to the point. Just tell me what kinds of plans you have, how many games and how much it costs. But this phone call would take another turn. �So Peter, how long have you been a Mets fan?� OMG! Now it has become abundantly clear that I�m going to have some fun with the rest of this phone call. I had to tell this guy that I�m a Yankees fan. Dead silence � again! �Well, I can see where this call is going,� said Joe. At that point, I have to keep the phone call going. I have to figure out a way to prevent the guy from hanging up the phone. I don�t want this call to end so I tell him the truth. My wife is a Mets fan, so before Bradley was born in 2005 we had to compromise when it came to what teams he would root for. That deal also applied to Jared when he was born in 2010. I told Joe that since my wife roots for the Mets and Rangers and I root for the Yankees and Islanders, we had to cut a deal. So I took the Islanders and she took the Mets. We�re both Jets fans so that wasn�t an issue. Easy solution to the problem right? I was able to get the ticket rep to calm down and take a breath. I told him that we go to multiple Mets games each year. I also told him that since I lived in Queens until I was 12 and then moved to Long Island, I�ve probably been to as many Mets games as Yankees games in my life and maybe even more if I tallied up my ticket stubs. �OK, that�s great to hear,� said Joe. �Well, since you�ve been to so many Mets games over the years, that brings me to my next question. What is your favorite Mets memory?� Amazingly, this phone call was getting better and better. I felt so bad for this guy that he called an eight-year-old about tickets and then he found out he was talking to a Yankees fan. Can this get any worse for poor Joe? It was about to. Since Joe threw me a softball, I was going to hit it out of the ballpark. I told him that my favorite Mets moment was when Mike Piazza flew out to end the 2000 World Series. There you go � I channeled my inner obnoxious Yankee fan even though everyone who knows me would tell you that�s not my style. But in this case, I just had to. The only question left was Joe�s reaction. Would he be so distraught that he would just put an end to his misery and hang up, or would he press on? Well, Joe began to laugh! He actually thought my answer was funny and he really was a good sport about the whole thing. Joe would go on to finish his sales pitch. He did a good job, however the Schwartz family will not be purchasing a Mets ticket plan. I just couldn�t commit to the amount of games that were in the plans. My family and I will frequent Citi Field this year, but as in the past, we will do so when we can fit it into our schedules. I invited Joe to check back in with me during the season, especially if a plan that fits my family�s needs is created. After the phone call, I told my son about the phone call and he thought it was funny. So, I asked Bradley, �What would have happened had he picked up the phone and spoke to the ticket rep?� He thought about it for a moment and said he would have asked how much the tickets were and then checked his wallet to see if he had enough money to pay for them. If he did, he would have bought them for the family. Great answer, Bradley! As for Joe, I hope he does well selling tickets this season. Being a salesperson can be a challenge. Selling Mets tickets might be one of the most challenging jobs in sports. But as we found out last week, it can also bring a smile to your face! http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/02/25/schwartz-an-amazin-sales-call-gone-wrong/

[fimg=333]http://a1.nyt.com/assets/foundation/20140224-095050/images/logos/nyt-logo-185x26.svg[/fimg] Turnaround Has Matsuzaka in Hunt for No. 5 Spot in the Mets� Rotation By TIM ROHANFEB. 23, 2014 [fimg=484]http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/02/24/sports/METS/METS-master495.jpg[/fimg] Mets pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka is feeling confident after a solid and healthy off-season. PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. � Late last season, after another poor start threatened to cut short his career, Daisuke Matsuzaka went golfing with a group that included his interpreter, Jeff Cutler, and the Mets� pitching coach, Dan Warthen. It was a chance to get away, to recharge. They talked about pitching in general, and at one point, Warthen suggested that they make a few modifications to Matsuzaka�s mechanics. He agreed, and after a few bullpen sessions, the results were clear: He was starting to look more like his old self, the pitcher who came to Boston from Japan in 2007, the one the Red Sox had paid more than $100 million for. Warthen had suggested that Matsuzaka lock his right foot snug against the rubber and keep his right leg straight as he raised his left leg during his windup. That way, Matsuzaka could increase torque and really push off the rubber and pitch downhill. His foot had been sliding and his leg had been crooked. Now he felt more balanced. He had better control. He seemed to be throwing harder, too. And his breaking balls had a sharper bite. Warthen had Matsuzaka throw his slider more on the seams, to take some spin off it and make it tighter, and had him hold his curveball deeper in his hand, so that it would not float high in the zone. Warthen also had Matsuzaka, never speedy between his pitches, cut down on wasted time while he was on the mound. Matsuzaka was taking about 24 seconds between pitches � which seemed like an eternity, given how poorly he had been pitching � and he cut it to 12 seconds. The work paid off. In his final four starts of the season, Matsuzaka went 3-0 and posted a 1.37 earned run average after going 0-3 with a 10.95 E.R.A. in his first three starts with the Mets. The turnaround, and his close relationship with Warthen, led to a minor league, nonguaranteed contract that has Matsuzaka, 33, vying for the No. 5 spot in the rotation, with the 24-year-old Jenrry Mejia as his primary competition. Matsuzaka is confident in his chances after a solid � and healthy � off-season. He started training in mid-October, earlier than usual, after spending the previous two winters dealing with the effects of the Tommy John surgery he had in June 2011. He said everyday tasks, like putting on a T-shirt or washing his hair, would bother his elbow. The extra time he spent rehabilitating his arm those two winters had cut into his regular pitching preparation. Now, Matsuzaka could train and work on perfecting his mechanics, unhindered. His mind was not on his elbow anymore � he just had to get to camp. He took a commercial flight from Tokyo to Boston, then made the roughly 23-hour drive to Port St. Lucie with Cutler, his interpreter. They made only one stop. �I think, next time, I�ll fly down here,� Matsuzaka said. It was quite different from the travel plans of Masahiro Tanaka, the latest Japanese star pitcher to come to the majors. After signing a seven-year, $155 million contract with the Yankees, Tanaka rented a Japan Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner to get to his introductory news conference in New York this month. As Tanaka threw his first bullpen sessions this spring in Tampa, Fla., dozens of members of the Japanese news media watched his every move. Here, a handful of Japanese reporters watched Matsuzaka, a far cry from his days in Boston, when he would do two news conferences, one in English and another in Japanese. Cutler said he figured the dual news conferences would continue during the regular season in New York if Matsuzaka made the team. Sandy Alderson, the Mets� general manager, foreshadowed the contrast when he joked at a baseball writers� dinner in January that the Mets were just like the Yankees: �We each signed Japanese pitchers this week. They�re paying $155 million, and we�re paying our guy month to month.� Continue reading the main story Manager Terry Collins has indicated that he would prefer to use a veteran, like Matsuzaka, as his fifth starter, at least to start the season. Mejia has missed time with elbow problems and must prove to the Mets that he can stay healthy. But the Mets also have Noah Syndergaard, a 21-year-old pitching prospect obtained in the R. A. Dickey trade, who could be called up by midsummer. Whoever wins the job out of training camp would essentially hold it until then. After throwing a bullpen session next to Syndergaard last week, Matsuzaka jokingly asked not to be placed next to him anymore. At 6 feet 6 inches, Syndergaard made the 6-foot Matsuzaka look small, and his 97-mile-per-hour fastball made Matsuzaka�s pitches look slow. �I wanted to avoid that,� Matsuzaka said, smiling. For now, Collins and Warthen have raved about Matsuzaka. He looks consistent and sharp, and he looks to be in great shape. �He looks like he did at the end of last year,� catcher Anthony Recker said. Warthen went a bit further. �His core is much stronger,� Warthen said. �His legs are in great shape. His arms are quick. To me, right now, his velocity is higher than it was at any time last year.� http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/24/sports/baseball/daisuke-matsuzaka-in-hunt-for-no-5-spot-in-the-mets-rotation.html?_r=0

But on the bright side, maybe there's a medical reason for his underwhelming past performance, rather than that he just isn't up to the expectations cast upon him.

50 years ago, this month: 50 years ago, in about a month, [fimg=555]http://www.efootage.com/video-clip-images/B-2673/136636/Shea_Stadium_Opening_Day_-_2.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=655]http://www.ballparkprints.com/data/photos/146_1sheastadium_1100_8.jpg[/fimg]

Report: Mets lost $10M; loan avoids default February, 22, 2014 Feb 22 6:25 AM ET By Adam Rubin | ESPNNewYork.com The Wilpon family, weeks away from owing a $250 million payment on an expiring loan, now has the refinancing fully in place, the Post reported. The report says the Mets lost $10 million in 2013, but may now turn a profit this season with the payroll equivalent and an extra $25 million in national TV revenue being distributed by MLB. That is, if there is not a further attendance drag now that there is not the carrot of an All-Star Game at Citi Field to entice ticket purchases. Writes Josh Kosman: Until recently, [Fred] Wilpon and [saul] Katz didn�t know if the banks, as part of the re-fi, were going to insist the owners pay down some of the loan to get the deal done. That didn�t happen. But had the talks taken a bad turn and a cash payment been demanded, it was not clear the owners had the money. Wilpon and Katz lost much of their fortune in the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme. The new five-year loan is priced at Libor plus 3.25 percent, the source said. Bank of America is the lead arranger. Major League Baseball still needs to approve the loan. The final closing is likely two-to-three weeks away, the source said. http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/81489/report-mets-lost-10m-loan-avoids-default

Vic Sage wrote: Which super-expensive free agent did they want us to break the bank for? what the article leaves mostly UNSAID, of course, is that successful teams like TB and Oakland operating on small budgets do so because they HAVE to, since they are "small market" teams ... and the Mets are operating that way either because the Wilpons' finances are so screwed up they can no longer operate like a big market franchise and spend accordingly, or they are simply choosing not to spend. That's right. And though the Mets, in that article, make some apparently reasonable comments related to value shopping-- that's just heavy horseshit. Jeff Wilpon wants you to believe that the Mets relatively low payroll is mostly the result of sound fiscal behavior -- and not because the Mets are broke and can't afford to buy anything. If you want my opinion, it's a fucking embarrassment for the National League baseball franchise from New York City to have a payroll under $100M, no matter how they spin it and no matter what the hell Tampa Bay is doing.

[fimg=484:1o7wj4f2]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9u4OHPNEMNA/UjPrBV19K3I/AAAAAAAAED8/elynxXI2vgw/s1600/07-66T-Beatles+Play+Shea%2521.bmp[/fimg:1o7wj4f2]

[fimg=242:2a2l9678]http://www.bestalbumartwork.com/pictures/2011/05/Please-Please-Me-album-cover.jpg[/fimg:2a2l9678] [fimg=242:2a2l9678]http://www.bestalbumartwork.com/pictures/2011/05/With-the-Beatles-album-cover.jpg[/fimg:2a2l9678] [fimg=242:2a2l9678]http://www.bestalbumartwork.com/pictures/The-Beatles-A-Hard-Days-Night-album-cover.jpg[/fimg:2a2l9678] [fimg=242:2a2l9678]http://www.bestalbumartwork.com/pictures/Beatles-for-Sale-album-cover.jpg[/fimg:2a2l9678] [fimg=242:2a2l9678]http://www.bestalbumartwork.com/pictures/Help-album-cover.jpg[/fimg:2a2l9678] [fimg=242:2a2l9678]http://www.bestalbumartwork.com/pictures/Rubber-Soul-album-cover.jpg[/fimg:2a2l9678] [fimg=242:2a2l9678]http://www.bestalbumartwork.com/pictures/Revolver-album-cover.jpg[/fimg:2a2l9678] [fimg=242:2a2l9678]http://www.bestalbumartwork.com/pictures/Sgt-Peppers-Lonely-Hearts-Club-Band-album-cover.jpg[/fimg:2a2l9678] [fimg=242:2a2l9678]http://www.bestalbumartwork.com/pictures/Magical-Mystery-Tour-album-cover.jpg[/fimg:2a2l9678] [fimg=242:2a2l9678]http://www.bestalbumartwork.com/pictures/The-Beatles-white-album-cover.jpg[/fimg:2a2l9678] [fimg=242:2a2l9678]http://www.bestalbumartwork.com/pictures/Yellow-Submarine-album-cover.jpg[/fimg:2a2l9678] [fimg=242:2a2l9678]http://www.bestalbumartwork.com/pictures/Abbey-Road-album-cover.jpg[/fimg:2a2l9678] [fimg=242:2a2l9678]http://www.bestalbumartwork.com/pictures/Let-It-Be-album-cover.jpg[/fimg:2a2l9678] [fimg=242:2a2l9678]http://www.bestalbumartwork.com/pictures/Past-Masters-Volume-One-album-cover.jpg[/fimg:2a2l9678] [fimg=242:2a2l9678]http://www.bestalbumartwork.com/pictures/Past-Masters-Volume-Two-album-cover.jpg[/fimg:2a2l9678] [fimg=964:2a2l9678]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7357/12604226333_e668c59260_b.jpg[/fimg:2a2l9678]

It's coming.

Here's two more (one's easy): Who was the last active Houston Colt .45 and the last active pre-expansion Washington Senator?

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Those huge protective canvas drop cloths that painters use to cover up furniture when they're painting a room -- I'd get one of those cloths in monster size, have someone paint the old Shea Stadium scoreboard on it, and then drape the cloth over the Citi Field scoreboard. That's how I'd honor Shea's 50th. For starters. Then I'd pay some graffiti artists to spray paint blue and orange shingles all over the exterior of Citi Field.

Ceetar wrote: well, it's probably a Monday. (off day for many) it's not a Wednesday or Thursday. It's at least 1977. When did the Mets change teh scoreboard, 81? It's Opening Day, 1969, Tuesday, April 8. It's the Expos first game ever. The Mets score four in the 9th to fall one-run short. The scoreboard sez: "Welcome Expos to National League". And that bottom center 10 minute head ad is also right outta 1969.

G-Fafif wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: Why is the flag at half-mast? I was wondering that myself. Paul McCartney?

Why is the flag at half-mast?

Ceetar wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: Those huge protective canvas drop cloths that painters use to cover up furniture when they're painting a room -- I'd get one of those cloths in monster size, have someone paint the old Shea Stadium scoreboard on it, and then drape the cloth over the Citi Field scoreboard. That's how I'd honor Shea's 50th. For starters. Giant Budweiser ad ftw. Not when I was a kid. [fimg=944]http://metspolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/1969open.jpg[/fimg]

Those huge protective canvas drop cloths that painters use to cover up furniture when they're painting a room -- I'd get one of those cloths in monster size, have someone paint the old Shea Stadium scoreboard on it, and then drape the cloth over the Citi Field scoreboard. That's how I'd honor Shea's 50th. For starters.

More bullshit, double-talk and MetSpeak from the Leader: Morning Briefing: J Wilpon on payroll, Drew By Adam Rubin | ESPNNewYork.com FIRST PITCH: Chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon did a Q&A with MLB.com as pitchers and catchers are set for their first official workout Monday. Here�s a sampling of the responses � [fimg=333]http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2013/1029/ny_e_wilpon_b2_200x300.jpg[/fimg] Jeff Wilpon addressed some hot-button Mets topics. On Sandy Alderson, Wilpon said: �I think he�s put the plan in place, and we're ready to see the fruits of that labor now.� On not signing Stephen Drew or another additional higher-caliber free agent: �If those one or two things were there, we would have expanded the budget for them. Just to get a guy because the fans think that�s the right thing to do, that�s not part of the plan. Sandy�s not going to overspend for something he doesn�t see value in. The value that we see in those guys versus what their agents were asking for does not meet.� On the un-New York-like payroll: �I would point to the fact that you don�t have to have that kind of payroll to win.� On the organization�s biggest weakness: �I don't think we have enough position-player prospects that are ready to compete for jobs at the major-league level right now. We�d like to have more, like we have with the pitchers. We�d like to have that same stable of young guys competing for position-player jobs. The guys we have are a couple years away.� http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/81272/morning-briefing-j-wilpon-on-payroll-drew?ex_cid=espnapi_public

Mets' Spending Spree May Not Be a Spree at All Team Vowed a Winter of Investing, but Payroll Remains More or Less the Same By Jared Diamond Updated Feb. 14, 2014 9:51 p.m. Curtis Granderson signed a four-year, $60 million deal with the Mets. PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla.�In the wake of their fifth consecutive losing season, years of financial insecurity and a payroll that has plummeted at a historic rate, the Mets vowed to invest in the team this winter. They'd spent more than $140 million on players as recently as 2011, but since then their budget had fallen into the bottom half of the major leagues, tens of millions below those of their big-market competitors. So the Mets went shopping this winter, and on the surface it appeared that they kept their promise: General manager Sandy Alderson committed $87.25 million to new contracts for pitcher Bartolo Colon and outfielders Curtis Granderson and Chris Young, the largest expenditure this off-season by a National League franchise on the free-agent market. But is the Mets' effort to spend their way back to relevance a mere illusion? Enlarge Image A closer look at the organization's transactions suggests that the Mets haven't added much money at all to acquire new talent. Instead, they reallocated the funds made available by departing players. In fact, their overall payroll will remain mostly unchanged from a year ago�"somewhere in excess of $85 million," Alderson said. This revelation doesn't necessarily mean the Mets won't improve on their 74-88 record from 2013. They should benefit from a greater return on their dollars, see meaningful development from their prospects and potentially receive better production from at least some of their returning regulars. But for a fan base desperate for the Mets to start operating more like the opulent crosstown Yankees, anything other than major financial growth will likely be a disappointment. "Had we not signed the free agents we did, we would have been a lot lower," Alderson said. If not for their free-agent signings, the Mets' payroll would likely rank among the lowest in baseball this season. Granderson, Colon and Young ensured they would stay afloat. The Mets saw as much as $55 million come off the books this off-season, headlined by $31 million from pitcher Johan Santana, including his $5.5 million buyout. Of course, like everything with the Mets' finances, the math becomes complicated and the accounting murky. The Mets still must pay outfielder Jason Bay, even after parting ways in November 2012. As part of their severance, the Mets deferred $15 million of the $21 million they owed Bay to as late as 2015. From a bookkeeping standpoint, Bay's money has already been written off and isn't included in the Mets' 2014 payroll calculations, according to a Mets official familiar with the situation. But even though the Mets freed up about $55 million, not all of the available funds could go to new players. Third baseman David Wright's contract calls for a $9 million boost this season, jumping to $20 million from $11 million. The Mets owe pitcher Jon Niese an additional $2 million, lifting his compensation to $5 million. The Mets also needed to factor in salary raises for all seven of their arbitration eligible players, which added up to another $11.3 million of extra money over 2013. Adding those considerations, the Mets needed to spend upward of $32 million in 2014 salary alone just to match last year. They did, but just barely. Their three major-league free agents will make $29.25 million this season: $13 million for Granderson, $9 million for Colon and $7.25 million for Young. Their four notable minor-league free-agent additions�pitchers John Lannan, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Kyle Farnsworth and Jose Valverde�will make approximately $5 million in salary if they all make the Mets' roster. That brings the total in 2014 to about $34.25 million. The number could climb if any of their smaller minor-league acquisitions�like catcher Taylor Teagarden, for instance�spend time in the majors. Other players, including Farnsworth, have incentive-based bonuses in their contracts. No matter how the Mets account for Bay's deferred payments internally, it seems clear that, rather than spend major-market money to build a winner, they did little else but replace the money that came off last season's books. "We'd always like to have more players," Alderson said. "But that doesn't always make you a better team." Alderson makes a fair point. Teams with smaller payrolls than the Mets win consistently, namely the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland Athletics. How a franchise spends usually matters more than how much. In the Mets' case, they should get more out of their money. Last season, Santana and Bay never took the field in Queens. Barring injury, the players replacing them will contribute rather than simply cash checks. With that in mind, are the Mets truly in position to improve? Wright believes so. "Opening day this year will be 100% better than we were opening day last year," he said. Ironically, the improvement will likely need to come from within, rather than from the newcomers. Colon, who posted a 2.65 ERA for Oakland last season, essentially replaces ace Matt Harvey, who will miss all of 2014 as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. Granderson, who slugged 84 home runs for the Yankees in 2011 and 2012, essentially replaces departed outfielder Marlon Byrd, who hit 21 homers for the Mets in 425 at bats last season. In other words, the money the Mets spent primarily replaces the production they lost. So how do they get better? The Mets' heralded pitching prospects, highlighted by Noah Syndergaard and Rafael Montero, must come to the majors and take steps forward. Travis d'Arnaud, arguably the sport's best catching prospect, must begin to produce. But most important, the Mets' other players, their underachievers, must rebound from disappointing showings in 2013�young players Alderson said "have the capacity to improve." First baseman Ike Davis cannot hit .205. Shortstop Ruben Tejada cannot hit .202. If they do, the Mets likely will end up where they did last year. "There's only so much you can do in one off-season free-agent wise, trade-wise, to plug those holes," Wright said. "Some of that has to be done with the guys that we have here." http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303704304579383054271020812?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303704304579383054271020812.html

Sugar-free Cory Vaughn confronts diabetes By Adam Rubin | ESPNNewYork.com Cory Vaughn has an insulin pump in his left pocket while playing. PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- After completing the season at Class A St. Lucie, Mets outfield prospect Cory Vaughn found himself speaking on the steps of the California State Capitol in Sacramento on Nov. 14, 2012. The message he delivered on the annual World Diabetes Day: Having juvenile diabetes does not need to be an obstacle to achievement. �There were a bunch of people around. It was packed and I was nervous,� said Vaughn, the son of former MLB outfielder Greg and a fourth-round selection in 2010 out of San Diego State, where he played for Tony Gwynn. �I was on the steps and I was talking. I just let it kind of flow out, and it went real well. �I�m definitely trying to let everyone know, especially the young kids nowadays with Type 1 diabetes, that you can do anything you want to do if you put your mind to it and really take care of yourself and learn to be disciplined with your diabetes. Just because you have this disease doesn�t mean the world is over.� Vaughn, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 11, wears an insulin pump in his back, left pocket to regulate his blood sugar, even while playing. He always slides on his right side because a needle with a catheter wrapped around it enters his body by his right glute. Vaughn, 24, hit .267 with 10 homers and 50 RBIs in 295 at-bats last season with Double-A Binghamton. He missed a chunk of last summer after suffering an elbow strain in his right, throwing arm. Vaughn represented the Mets in the Arizona Fall League. Although he was not added to the 40-man roster during the offseason, he did receive an invite to major-league camp. Vaughn�s Twitter handle -- @sugarfreeCV -- hints at his diabetes. He is not the only one in the Mets organization, or baseball, dealing with diabetes. Fellow Mets farmhand Rylan Sandoval, an infielder, also is diabetic. So is right-handed pitcher Mikey O�Brien from the Yankees organization. As for the original symptoms that suggested he needed medical help, Vaughn said: �I was urinating a lot. I was always thirsty. I had no energy. I�d feel fine one second and then five minutes later I was like I was about to curl up in a ball. My eyes would get real dry. It�s a hard thing to describe.� Vaughn replaces the catheter every three days, but the insulin pump regulates his blood levels without him needing to inject himself. �The pump regulates the sugar levels, and it gives me a small dosage every hour,� Vaughn said. �And then I put in the machine how many carbs I�m eating and it regulates that. �I just have to prick my finger to test my blood sugar every time I eat and then in between to be safe. I�m an over-extremist. I probably test like seven times a day.� That includes testing in the dugout during games, which no longer phases teammates. �They�ll see me,� Vaughn said. �I�ll have a little fanny pack in there with my medicine supplies.� Vaughn said issues on a baseball field because of improper blood-sugar levels are exceedingly rare, even with wearing the pump in his back pocket. �For some reason my pump wasn�t working and my blood sugar was going through the roof,� Vaughn recalled about an isolated incident. �So I wasn�t able to play that day. But that�s only happened once, because my pump malfunctioned. �Especially when my blood sugar is high, my vision gets a little blurry, and it�s a real lethargic feeling. I don�t feel right at all. It was not good.� Vaughn insisted diabetes has not inhibited his career. �Not really, because I�m not going to let it do that,� he said. �Down the road I�m not going to look back and have any regrets, �Man, if I would have controlled it better, I could have been here.� I don�t want to leave it up to that.� For the first few years after being diagnosed, at ages 11 through 13, Vaughn did not yet have an insulin pump and would need to inject himself. �I was just on manual injections,� Vaughn said. �It was a culture shock. At first, I would cry every time. Like a month later I realized, �I�m going to be in school. My mamma ain�t going to be there. Teachers aren�t going to know what to do. You�ve got to do it yourself.� It�s just one of those things where you have to suck it up and realize this is how it�s going to be.� Vaughn does hope his increasing profile lends itself to speaking more about the subject. Said Vaughn: �I would definitely like to venture out and talk to a bunch of young kids and stuff who just got the disease, or who have it and having a hard time with it.� http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/81278/sugar-free-cory-vaughn-confronts-diabetes?ex_cid=espnapi_public

Mets change 'd' look with 3 in camp By Adam Rubin | ESPNNewYork.com Matt den Dekker's uniform now reads: "den DEKKER." PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- The Mets would set an MLB record this season if three players whose surnames beginning with a lower-case "D" simultaneously end up on the roster. And that could be the case at some point, with Travis d'Arnaud, Matt den Dekker and Jacob deGrom in camp. The Mets already have matched the MLB record with d'Arnaud and den Dekker active last season. According to research by ESPN�s Doug Kern, that matched the 1988 and '89 Kansas City Royals, who carried first baseman Luis de los Santos and pitcher Jose de Jesus for two Septembers. Meanwhile, there's a new style on the Mets uniforms for those lower-case letters, with den Dekker's now reading: "den DEKKER" as opposed to the upside "P" of last spring training or the all caps later. http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/81239/mets-change-d-look-with-3-in-camp?ex_cid=espnapi_public

metsguyinmichigan wrote: Shea would have been 50 this year. And we'll be celebrating the marriages of the 50th anniversaries of Shea Stadium and the Beatles arrival here in the good ol' USA in The Liverpool to Crane Pool Song Parody Contest, the second leg of the song parody triple crown, and the last tournament before the regular baseball season starts. It's a condensed, matchup-free tournament. You won't be required to write more than two parodies. /plug Interested? Picture Disc Winner's Trophy -- Liverpool to Crane Pool Song Parody Contest -- design concept by Zvon

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Yes, but by the early 70's they were pretty much past that. I wonder, who was the last ... Boston Brave? (I'm pretty sure the last Milwaukee Brave had to have been Henry Aaron.) [fimg=444]http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d68/lefty48197/baseball/NiekroPhilPose3.jpg[/fimg]

Edgy MD wrote: The last Washington Sentator (Toby Harrah) and the last Seattle Pilot (Fred Stanley) still search for their Metliness. Name these other museum pieces: Last active Kansas City Athletic? [fimg=744]http://sports.mearsonlineauctions.com/ItemImages/000035/90ab5245-1e16-473a-8d7c-c1bcdd8c92a9_lg.jpeg[/fimg]

Zvon wrote: Looks kool! Now you're squarely in Grimm's neighborhood with those '72's and '73's.