batmagadanleadoff

Try and find a photo of one of these cotton-pickin' Mets.

This former Met belongs to the same exclusive club as Mr. Hookworm Intro, up above: membership in the club is predicated on something that they didn't do. Though Bibby and Bobb never appeared in a game for the NY Mets, they were both on the active 25 man roster, either in the dugout or in the bullpen, in uniform and eligible to play. They just never got the call. Who are the other Mets in this club?

Money To Spend? Go Ahead! 09 September 2013, 10:43 am by Howard Megdal in Today's Mets headlines - No Comments Sandy Alderson went on Mike Francesa�s show last week and declared, �We�ve got some money to spend.� According to Jim Bowden, he told MLB Network Radio that �Mets will have dollars to spend on the FA market this winter�. You can be forgiven a ton of skepticism, since both statements were far less specific than Alderson was back in June, when he told Joel Sherman he expected payroll to be between $90-100 million. But you don�t have to take anybody�s word for it. The Mets have money to spend? Great. They don�t even need to wait until this winter to spend it. Cuban infielder Alexander Guerrero, a second baseman with a plus bat, is available to sign with teams. So is first baseman Jose Dariel Abreu. The two are both 26 years old, making them years younger than the kind of impact players the free agent market will have this winter, and would give the Mets a chance to put two stars on their infield opposite David Wright at third base, while allowing them to deal Daniel Murphy, Lucas Duda, Ike Davis and Wilmer Flores for help in the outfield or the bullpen. Even if Abreu costs the $60 million his agent floated, over, say, six years, that�s still just $10 million outlay for next year. Let�s be crazy, and give the same contract to Guerrero. Total outlay next year? $20 million. Well. The Mets currently have $25 million total, on the books for next year: David Wright�s $20 million, Jon Niese�s $5 million. That�s if you don�t count Johan Santana�s buyout or Jason Bay�s deferral, and you shouldn�t, since the Mets assured us the reason they couldn�t add salary in 2013 is because they were fully accounting for both Bay and Santana in 2013�s budget. So, adding Abreu and Guerrero brings commitments all the way up to� $45 million. That leaves plenty of room to even just sign outfielders on the free agent market, and deal Murphy/Duda/Davis/Flores for depth, or even pitching prospects if the Mets wanted to augment their system, or for a veteran starter, or a shortstop� the possibilities are endless. Of course, this all relies on determining two numbers: what they Mets say their commitments are for 2014, and what the budget is. Subtract the second number from the first number, and boom, there�s your offseason budget. The rest is just noise. And the extent to which the Mets are keeping those numbers under wraps, even more than back in June, is disturbing. And with that big loan coming due next June, while the Mets haven�t paid it off or re-financed it, the money out situation appears much more complicated than just adding payroll. http://mets.lohudblogs.com/2013/09/09/money-to-spend-go-ahead/

Do Mets still like Ike? By AJ Mass | ESPN.com The New York Mets may well end up deciding that Ike Davis will not be their starting first baseman in 2014. However, they have no interest in simply letting the 26-year-old walk via free agency, with the team getting no compensation in return. Pay the ESPN insider fee and you can read the rest of the article. I didn't, so I can't. http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/mlb/rumors/post?id=7533

This player appeared in a Topps baseball set in two different seasons: once as a Met and once as a Cub. But he only played in actual MLB games for one of the two teams. The Mets and the Cubs are the only organizations this player ever belonged to. "What the guy above me in the Cards uniform just said. Except I've got the repeating consecutive letters in my last name only". bump Damn I know his face. The next clue is in this anagram: A Citi Field Hookworm Intro Hi (Randy) Bobb. A Citi Field Hookworm Intro is an anagram for On A Rookie Card With Tim Foli

This former Met belongs to the same exclusive club as Mr. Hookworm Intro, up above: membership in the club is predicated on something that they didn't do. You won't find any Topps baseball cards of this Met in his Met uniform. But just the same, The Man From Topps kept a fingerprint file on the guy, and pictures, too. In this shot, our ex Met poses at the Sadecki Spot, throwing an invisible baseball. Either that or he's concealing five or six baseballs inside of his massive right hand. He could probably hide three or four more baseballs in that paw of his if he weren't also holding a cantaloupe, Yogi Berra's comic book collection and Jane Jarvis's organ. Big Jim Bibby.

This former Met belongs to the same exclusive club as Mr. Hookworm Intro, up above: membership in the club is predicated on something that they didn't do. You won't find any Topps baseball cards of this Met in his Met uniform. But just the same, The Man From Topps kept a fingerprint file on the guy, and pictures, too. In this shot, our ex Met poses at the Sadecki Spot, throwing an invisible baseball. Either that or he's concealing five or six baseballs inside of his massive right hand. He could probably hide three or four more baseballs in that paw of his if he weren't also holding a cantaloupe, Yogi Berra's comic book collection and Jane Jarvis's organ.

themetfairy wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: On his personal multi-city odyssey of Major League Baseball during the season in question, he hit more HR's for the Padres than for any other team. But you won't find him on a Topps baseball card in those Padres duds; the San Diego mid-season acquisition was onto his next city before season's end. But The Man From Topps - he is everywhere and sees everything. That looks like Dave Kingman. And I forgot to mention that the traveling Padre was a Met.

This player appeared in a Topps baseball set in two different seasons: once as a Met and once as a Cub. But he only played in actual MLB games for one of the two teams. The Mets and the Cubs are the only organizations this player ever belonged to. "What the guy above me in the Cards uniform just said. Except I've got the repeating consecutive letters in my last name only". bump Damn I know his face. The next clue is in this anagram: A Citi Field Hookworm Intro

On his personal multi-city odyssey of Major League Baseball during the season in question, he hit more HR's for the Padres than for any other team. But you won't find him on a Topps baseball card in those Padres duds; the San Diego mid-season acquisition was onto his next city before season's end. But The Man From Topps - he is everywhere and sees everything.

Someone's been doin' some heavy lifting with that Botz photo. http://imperialsportsauctions.com/lot-212.aspx

Zvon wrote: Bob Botz 62 card. It'll take a while before I make the back. Good job. I see that you adjusted the colors to give that photo the Topps 1962 patina. By the way, the original Botz photo I posted is not a Topps shot. I found it on the web a few years ago and saved it to my PC.

G-Fafif wrote: Zvon wrote: Yea, some no name. Or other name. SI revealed if Sox had won in 5 in 86, next cover would've been Magic Johnson & Jack Nicholson. Guess curse of Bambino not so big a deal yet. I was just gonna post this. Here's the cover that got bumped off and never was.

G-Fafif wrote: Ever see this one? Oh yeah. Ever see that cover in full? G-Fafif wrote: Was there a post-WS cover in'69? I've read the text. Alcindor was SI's cover for the Shea Stadium portion of the '69 series. In those days, SI would rarely publish a WS issue crowning the champs on the cover. The series started on a Saturday. And SI sent the final version of the upcoming mag to the presses on Sunday night. Sunday was generally SI's cut-off for news coverage. They were generally resistant to putting the WS on the cover for a 2d week in a row because by the time that issue would hit the newstands, the WS was, their thinking went, old news. There were exceptions to this practice and by the '80's, technology advanced to the point that they could extend their deadlines. The '86 series was covered for two consecutive weeks. (Rice and Carter play at the plate and then Ray Knight).

Ever see this one?

San Diego was the end of the baseball line for this former Met and Sports Illustrated cover boy who, you might agree, looks stupid cool in the Padres' original uniform. What's his name? Photography credits: The Man From Topps. Rod Gasper That it was Gaspar doesn't surprise me. What's shocking is I've never seen that SI cover. Get outta here.

This player appeared in a Topps baseball set in two different seasons: once as a Met and once as a Cub. But he only played in actual MLB games for one of the two teams. The Mets and the Cubs are the only organizations this player ever belonged to. "What the guy above me in the Cards uniform just said. Except I've got the repeating consecutive letters in my last name only". bump

San Diego was the end of the baseball line for this former Met and Sports Illustrated cover boy who, you might agree, looks stupid cool in the Padres' original uniform. What's his name? Photography credits: The Man From Topps. Rod Gasper

San Diego was the end of the baseball line for this former Met and Sports Illustrated cover boy who, you might agree, looks stupid cool in the Padres' original uniform. What's his name? Photography credits: The Man From Topps. My gosh, he looks familiar. Quite frankly, he gets that all the time. They kinda recognize him, but never quite get his name.

Zvon wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: The Man From Topps photographed this one-time Met in the uniform of the last organization he'd ever belong to. He never got to play for the Big Red Machine, or anybody else since this photograph was taken. In fact, if you look up his Baseball Reference page, you won't find any evidence indicating that the player ever belonged to the Reds. Not a single Reds plate appearance. Or a single Reds defensive substitution. Or even a mention of the words Reds or Cincinnati in his transactions section. But Topps knew. Bob Aspromonte

San Diego was the end of the baseball line for this former Met and Sports Illustrated cover boy who, you might agree, looks stupid cool in the Padres' original uniform. What's his name? Photography credits: The Man From Topps.

G-Fafif wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: Photographed by The Man From Topps in his old stomping grounds, you won't find this ex-Met on any baseball card in a Redbird uniform. He has a World Series ring to remember his last season as a major leaguer. "What do you call it when the same letter appears consecutively in a word? Like the "l" in llama. Or the "b" in rubber? There's gotta be a word for that, right? Anyway there are repeating consecutive letters in my first name and in my last name." Eddie Bressoud? Eddie Bressoud

G-Fafif wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: He played on two Met pennant winning teams. I hope he got the blingy rings to commemorate those stints, 'cause he didn't get any Mets baseball cards from Topps. "I ain't got any repeating consecutive letters in any of my names. But I'm the easiest one to solve of the remaining 'Who Am I's'? You don't need any more hints". Gosger? Gosger.

The Man From Topps photographed this one-time Met in the uniform of the last organization he'd ever belong to. He never got to play for the Big Red Machine, or anybody else since this photograph was taken. In fact, if you look up his Baseball Reference page, you won't find any evidence indicating that the player ever belonged to the Reds. Not a single Reds plate appearance. Or a single Reds defensive substitution. Or even a mention of the words Reds or Cincinnati in his transactions section. But Topps knew.

Mets have another pitching weapon in minors Noah Syndergaard knows the Dark Knight of Gotham already calls Citi Field home. Sports Illustrated bestowed that nickname on New York Mets ace Matt Harvey this season, and the big right-hander looked almost superhuman in pitching himself into National League Cy Young Award consideration until his season ended with an elbow injury last week. Fellow Mets starter Zack Wheeler "has lightning in his arm," says Syndergaard, who paints quite a picture of the current youthful pitching staff in Queens. So how will Syndergaard fit in when he, as expected by many, lands in New York next summer, giving the Mets a scintillating trio of starters the likes of which they haven't had since the days of Dwight Gooden, Ron Darling and Sid Fernandez? Syndergaard, 21, has a creative opinion as to how he compares to Wheeler, 23, and Harvey, 24. "I try to stay away from it (the attention)," he said in a recent interview. "You watch Wheeler and Harvey, though, and they are different types of pitchers. Harvey is a bulldog. His fastball is devastating. The ball comes out of their hands the same and the velocity is the same, but Wheeler is like a lightning bolt. "Mine (fastball) is Thor, the God of Thunder, that's me. Harvey's already the Dark Knight; we just come from different comics." Syndergaard's fastball pushes into the high 90s. The 6-6, 240-pounder has been dominant for Class AA Binghamton (N.Y.) since making the jump up from high-Class A St. Lucie (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) in late June. He was 6-1 with a 3.00 ERA through 11 starts for the Binghamton Mets, striking out 69 and walking 12 in 54innings. Syndergaard also started for the U.S. team in the Futures Game in July at Citi Field, though he began his second half in shaky fashion, allowing three runs on seven hits (two homers) in five innings in his first post-All-Star start against Richmond (Va.). He went 4-0 in in five starts after that, allowing three earned runs in 26 innings (1.04 ERA) and striking out 33. Last week against Bowie (Md.), a Baltimore Orioles affiliate, he was pounded for nine earned runs and nine hits in three innings. If you remove that start from his numbers, however, he would be 6-0 with a 1.59 ERA for Binghamton. "I'm getting the results I want to get," said Syndergaard, who was 3-3 with a 3.11 ERA in 12 starts for St. Lucie. "I'm improving on the little things like holding on runners and improving my change and my curve." Working on off-speed pitches While Syndergaard still might be unsure of his off-speed stuff, which he has tinkered with at Binghamton, scouts who have seen him aren't. He has received universal praise and reviews for his ability on the mound and did nothing to change anyone's opinion of his ability in the Futures Game. Syndergaard pitched a scoreless inning at Citi Field (fellow Mets prospect Rafael Montero also pitched a scoreless inning in starting for the World Team) and handled the spotlight in Gotham with aplomb. Binghamton pitching coach Glenn Abbott has been working with Syndergaard on refining his off-speed stuff. He knows it would be simple for Syndergaard to simply blow away Eastern League hitters with his fastball, but he also knows that relying solely on the heat won't do him any good once he takes up permanent residence at Citi Field. "We're just trying to develop his changeup, and it has been pretty good," says Abbott, who won 62games over an 11-year big-league career that included stops with the Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers. "He's changed his grip a little and is throwing it in the low 80s. Noah will do whatever you ask him to do, though. He's not afraid. "He's a great talent, but he's not afraid to try what you ask him to try, and that's a beautiful thing. Some guys will get stubborn, but not Noah. He looks at what's better for the welfare of the pitcher." The Mets have been keeping a close eye on Syndergaard's workload, looking to limit his innings. He has thrown a career high in innings this year and was being held to five per start of late. Still, he was on track to pitch for Binghamton in the playoffs, which begin this week. Syndergaard has been remarkably efficient at times, throwing 59, 66 and 56 pitches over six, five and five innings, respectively, during one stretch. Of those 181 pitches, 137 went for strikes. "I don't even think he broke a sweat," Abbott said of Harvey's five innings of scoreless ball against Erie (Pa.) on Aug. 10. "He's been very good. I haven't seen anything to make me think anything different. It's just like him going to the Futures Game and getting caught up in that. It hasn't bothered him in the least. He's been very professional about things. "He works hard, he's focused and he's been very impressive. He's just 20 years old and doesn't act like a 20-year-old. (Syndergaard turned 21 Aug. 29.) He's been a beautiful thing to watch. He's been doing better than OK. He's been impressive." So impressive that he has become the centerpiece of the trade that sent Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey to the Toronto Blue Jays last winter. Catcher Travis d'Arnaud had been the big name in the deal from a Mets standpoint when the trade was made. but he had trouble living up to expectations because of injuries until improving of late and earning a promotion to the major leagues. "I didn't expect to have the kind of season I am having," said Syndergaard, who was the 38th overall pick in the 2010 draft by the Blue Jays. "I've exceeded my own expectations. "I had goals of ending the season in Double-A and pitching in the Futures Game. But I wouldn't put myself ahead of d'Arnaud as the centerpiece of the trade. I saw him when we were in Harrisburg (Pa.), and he was awesome. "I would just love to finish the season here and give the team a chance to win an Eastern League championship. I'd love to come to spring training with a ring on my finger next year." Then head to Queens and take his place beside the Dark Knight and the man with lightning in his arm. http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/mets/2013/09/08/next-weapon-in-mets-arms-buildup/2782243/