batmagadanleadoff

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Bret Saberhagen? Frank Viola? Orlando Hernandez? Tom Glavine? Francisco Rodriguez? Johan Santana? Phil Hennigan? Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. And no Lolich either.

Pitchers who made the cover of SI before ever pitching for the NY Mets. (I have this nagging feeling that I left somebody out).

If he can pitch like he's been pitching his last three or four starts, I'd take six of him.

Mets notes: Terry Collins wouldn't mind asking back Daisuke Matsuzaka Thursday September 26, 2013, 7:47 AM The Record A few weeks ago, when he was 0-3 with a 10.95 ERA in his first three starts, the thought of Daisuke Matsuzaka returning to the Mets next season was laughable. Now he doesn�t seem like such a desperate option. Matsuzaka tossed 7 2/3 shutout innings as the Mets edged the playoff-bound Reds, 1-0, at Great American Ball Park on Wednesday afternoon. In his last four starts, Matsuzaka is 3-0 with a 3.37 ERA. Asked if he would like the Mets to consider bringing back Matsuzaka next spring, manager Terry Collins said, "Absolutely." "We�ve got to bring some guys in," Collins said. "We�ve got to protect ourselves." Matsuzaka has been open about the improvements pitching coach Dan Warthen has helped him make in just a few weeks. He said he would be interested in another chance with the Mets. "It would be an honor," Matsuzaka said through an interpreter, "and something I would take seriously." If the Mets decide against using Jon Niese in Sunday�s regular-season finale, Matsuzaka likely will start in his place. http://www.northjersey.com/sports/225303512_Mets_notes__Terry_Collins_wouldn_t_mind_asking_back_Daisuke_Matsuzaka.html?c=y&page=2

Report: Bobby Valentine Loses TBS Gig Over Dumb 9/11 Comments Last month, Former Mets manager Bobby Valentine said a bunch of dumb things about how his New York Mets did so much to support New York City in the aftermath of 9/11 while the Yankees sat back and did nothing. We've already demonstrated how flat-out wrong those comments were, and now it appears that they were also damaging to Valentine's career. Neil Best at Newsday reports that TBS had originally planned to bring Valentine on to work its studio show alongside Keith Olbermann and Pedro Martinez for the MLB playoffs, but ditched those plans because of Valentine's 9/11 comments: Two people familiar with what went down said Valentine was sunk by comments on WFAN Sept. 11 in which he criticized the Yankees� response � or lack thereof � in the days after the terrorist attacks of 2001. Good job, Bobby V. On the bright side, you'll have much more time to take sad bike rides http://deadspin.com/report-bobby-valentine-loses-tbs-gig-over-dumb-9-11-co-1400604543

seawolf17 wrote: I want to take this thread out behind the middle school bleachers and get it pregnant. An all-time classic. Are you kidding me? All week long, I've The B-52's Love Shack song stuck in my head.

1974. That was the first year you could buy all the cards at once, instead of one series at a time.

I've looked at this Mets photo of Jay Hook and catchers Landrith, Cannizzaro and Ginsberg many times. I even posted it to this forum a few years ago in a pitchers/catchers countdown to Spring training thread. And now, thanks to this thread, with just a sliver of background detail -- the fence with the diagonal beam and the cement water fountain base, I know exactly where in the Mets sprawling Spring training complex this picture was taken.

Larry Bearnarth and Jay Hook eyeballing each other at the clubhouse.

Seaver in a cage. But which cage? And where cage?

This could be Butterball Field.

This is Miller-Huggins Field, according to the accompanying text --- but where?

Zvon wrote: Could this be? The Skanks on the spot? That could be Butterball Field. The back fence, though, is lower than the fence that was there when the Mets first moved in.

And here's Ron Swoboda (1967) at the renovated Butterball Field, cage included. The water fountain ties the old and new versions of the field. Who am I extra credit. This question is worth two 2 two clapping gifs. Who's giving Ron batting tips? More from the Swoboda batting tips session. A better shot of the cage. Hint: He was a Rookie of the Year and a four-time all star.

Without looking anything up and just going by old memories, I remember Garrett as being awesome in Sept. '73. Which might turn out to be not so true, but I sorta remember it that way. I played the 1975 Strat-O-Matic set and Garrett was a walking machine that season. Among Mets with 2,000+ AB's he ranks 11th all-time in OBP. Tom Seaver spoke highly of Garrett and was convinced that he'd be an all- star someday.

Zvon wrote: How come there aren't any other pictures of that water tower in this thread?

Here's a photo for your site. Oh, and Who is he, checking out the Mets new digs?

"I got naming right dibs on that water fountain. It first appeared in this thread in one of my photos".

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Here's Dick Young ('64) sitting by the water fountain. A lot of the shrubbery that was once behind him is now gone. The area behind Young is now a paved parking lot. That's the Mets 1964 Media Guide on the ground next to Young.

This photo is supposedly from 1964. If so, it's the earliest dated photo of the cage.

The water fountain in badge man silhouette.

I'm giving myself one of these clappers.

And here's Ron Swoboda (1967) at the renovated Butterball Field, cage included. The water fountain ties the old and new versions of the field. Who am I extra credit. This question is worth two 2 two clapping gifs. Who's giving Ron batting tips? Bob Shaw, the cage and the water fountain. In this photo and the one above, you can even see the telephone wires extending from the telephone pole that's coming out of the top of Seaver's head in the The Man From Topps shot previously posted. More from the Swoboda batting tips session. A better shot of the cage.

Here's Dick Young ('64) sitting by the water fountain. A lot of the shrubbery that was once behind him is now gone. The area behind Young is now a paved parking lot.