batmagadanleadoff

[u:2s2p628n]Jonesing for Bobby Jones[/u:2s2p628n] There's no doubt in my crazy head that the **********s who own the Mets, and who must be suffering through a nasty case of the DT's all on account of cold turkeying the black drop-shadow pajama top eyesores for all of three months now (save one backsliding day), are scheming up a Nats '24 inspired 2000 throwback day, just to get back to black.

I take the following to be a no-vote of confidence in Jason Bay. And if I'm right, I'm all with 'em. What? Bay's teammates don't have their own working eyeballs? Mets players would prefer a RH bat, not bullpen help Andy Martino of the Daily News surveyed Mets players and concluded they would prefer Sandy Alderson acquire an every-day, right-handed bat for the lineup instead of bullpen help. �We can�t hit lefties,� a prominent player told Martino, who says the player was voicing a desire felt elsewhere in the clubhouse. http://www.metsblog.com/2012/07/05/mets-players-would-prefer-a-rh-bat-not-bullpen-help/

If I ain't startin', I ain't departin'!

Jon Niese's last six starts: 1.74 ERA; 1.089 WHIP.

La Russa said to be "pondering" giving RA the ASG start. It seems to me, though, that La Russa isn't pondering enough. R.A. Dickey certainly has the credentials to start Tuesday�s All-Star Game for the NL. The Mets� 37-year-old knuckleballer is 12-1 with a 2.15 ERA and threw back-to-back one-hitters in June. Tony La Russa will be the first to admit that Dickey has had a marvelous season and deserves consideration, but there are other factors the manager of the NL squad must weigh. �I�ve given that a lot of thought, but there is an issue about catching him and what spot to use him,� La Russa said on a conference call with reporters Thursday. �His season has gotten everyone�s attention, including our staff�s and we�re talking about the best way to win the game with our personnel and how we use Dickey will be a part of that. But yes, that has been addressed and (pitching coach) Dave (Duncan) and I have talked quite a bit about it and we have a plan that we hope to implement.� �Dickey could certainly start the game, he�s got the credentials,� LaRussa later said. �but I look at the five guys that were selected, and each of those guys could make a claim, so as a manager, you have to keep your heart pure and do the best you can for the team over one individual.� La Russa may be hesitant to allow 25-year-old starter Buster Posey to catch Dickey. Veterans Yadier Molina (29) or Carlos Ruiz (33) could be better options. Other candidates to start for the NL include Stephen Strasburg, Matt Cain, Cole Hamels, Clayton Kershaw and Gio Gonzalez. Dickey and Hamels oppose one another on Thursday night in Queens.

I woulda driven my BTTF Delorean and peered into my crystal ball to figger out which relievers woulda given up the least runs. Collins is either an idiot or under-resourced without his own Delorean.

Edgy DC wrote: Nieuie expected to hit the DL with a non-contact hand injury. Valdy expected to be their replacement. Same hand he had operated on. Baxter heading to Florida to continue rehab, but is just hitting off a tee, hasn't run yet, and isn't expected to immediately face live pitching. No timetable. I'll guess a month. I dunno. Bay due back after the All-Star Break. Every sentence laced with bad news. Every single one.

batmagadanleadoff wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: NL second-basemen, min 150 PA's. It's Murph's power outage that's dropped him to the bottom of the pack, hitting-wise. Murph's other offensive numbers are satisfactory, at least relative to his peers. I realize Murph-E's slumping with the bat, but NL second baseman are tightly packed, hitting wise. An increase in OPS of .050 would slot Murphy closer to the hitting leaders at the position, and .050 worth of OPS ain't that much. If he were to get hot, he could be there in three or four games. "Crisis" over?

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Like, authentic-ish, or gimmicky? The Mitchell and Ness ones seem like the best ones out there, in terms of material/detail accuracy (like, the fabric heft and weave feels pretty accurate to the touch, even).... Failing that, these guys do great work with custom jobs; they may be able to do something for you, if you're feeling more made-to-order (and they're okay with lightly flouting MLB trademarks). Ebbets Field Flannels might do great work, but they're not licensed or authorized to sell Mets jerseys. If authenticity is your thing, then like Leiter said, Mitchell & Ness is your best bet. M&N's also your your only bet for vintage looking Seaver jerseys that bear a very close but not perfect resemblance to the jerseys he actually pitched in. But be wary of buying M&N's from online third-parties (e.g. eBay); that market's flooded with defective and shoddy third-world knockoffs.

Maybe it all evens out over time. FWIW, two year "veteran" Darryl Strawberry was selected to start in the 1985 ASG even though on the day the 1985 ASG starters were announced, Straw had accumulated a mere 100 or so AB's, was batting under .210 with 12 RBI's and had missed most of the season to injury.

Gee's revamped changeup this year has significantly more drop (all of it last instant) than in the past. This accounts for Gee's top notch chase percentage and higher K rate. It's a high-wire act though, because if Gee's changeup is flat, it's a meatball.

Do you consider this Burris card to be a Mets card or a Cubs card? Neither? Both? Then what about these: The Burris and Smith cards are similar in that the players are not photographed in a Mets uni, even though the cards identify each one as a member of the Mets. But Smith did play for the Mets in 1964, the year of his "Mets" card's release. Zimmer ('62 Topps), Rogers and Olerud (2000 Fleer Focus) -- pictured in a Mets uni but listed as a member of another team. Zim was a '62 Met. Rogers and Oly were not 2000 Mets.

Will Kershaw continue to dominate Mets? The Los Angeles Dodgers are the fourth team in the live ball era to be shut out at least five times in a six-game span, joining the 1958 Senators, 1963 Colt 45s and the 1992 Cubs, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The only team since 1900 to be shut out six times in a seven-game span is the Colt 45s. The Dodgers are hoping to avoid that fate when they face the New York Mets tonight at 8 ET on ESPN. Of course, they need their bats to avoid being shut out, but they also need some help from their ace Clayton Kershaw, who goes head-to-head with Mets starter Dillon Gee. CLAYTON KERSHAW Kershaw has dominated the Mets since 2009. In his last four starts, he�s 4-0 with a 0.31 ERA. He�s allowed one earned run in 28 ? innings, while Mets opponents have hit .208 against him. In Kershaw's five career starts against the Mets, he has a 1.39 ERA. Among starting pitchers with at least five starts against the Mets, only Doc Medich has a lower ERA (0.85) than Kershaw. Best Career ERA as Starter vs Mets Minimum 5 Starts Doc Medich 0.85 3-1 Clayton Kershaw 1.39 4-0 Sandy Koufax 1.44 17-2 Bob Friend 1.61 14-2 Among pitchers with a minimum of 500 innings pitched since 2009, Kershaw has the lowest ERA (2.65), just ahead of Roy Halladay (2.66). In the last 30 years, Dwight Gooden (2.62) is the only National League pitcher with a lower ERA in his first five career seasons than Kershaw (2.86). Kershaw�s slider hasn�t quite been where it was last year. In 2011, opponents hit .121 with three home runs and a .184 slugging percentage against his slider. This season, opponents are hitting .194 with six home runs and a .408 slugging percentage against Kershaw�s slider. Five of those six homers came in the last month. Kershaw is 28-15 with a 2.51 in his career at home. No active starting pitcher with at least 400 innings pitched has a lower career home ERA. DILLON GEE Gee is 20-14 in his 1st 50 career games. Only two Mets � Dwight Gooden and Tom Seaver � have begun their careers with more wins in their first 50 games. Based on peripheral numbers, Gee is having a better season than he did last year. After striking out 6.4 batters and walking 4.0 batters per nine innings last year, he�s striking out 8.4 batters and walking 2.4 batters per nine innings this season. A stat that helps encapsulate this is xFIP (expected fielding independent pitching). Even though his ERA is unchanged this year, Dillon�s xFIP is significantly down in 2012 (3.42) compared to 2011 (4.46). The Mets gave him 4.8 runs per start last year. That�s down to 4.4. Gee has the highest chase percentage among National League starters. His 34 chase percentage is slightly ahead of Jeff Samardzija, Cliff Lee, R.A. Dickey and Ian Kennedy. Gee will be making his third career start against the Dodgers. In his previous two starts, he�s 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA. With Josh Thole behind the plate, Gee was a 3.42 career ERA. http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/46130/kershaw-tries-to-continue-dominance-vs-mets

What an abuse. Wright is no less than the second best player in the league this season and Sandoval doesn't even have enough PA's to qualify for the batting title.

batmagadanleadoff wrote: RA is back on track for June 2012 NL pitcher of the month. On the last day of June, only Miley and Strasburg, among pitchers listed below, are scheduled to pitch. The final June #'s. It's got to be RA.

Next up .... RA. Because he deserves, not only his own thread, but his own cover, too.

RA is back on track for June 2012 NL pitcher of the month. On the last day of June, only Miley and Strasburg, among pitchers listed below, are scheduled to pitch.

Well if they wanted a better first baseman that off-season, they coulda signed Jason Giambi.

I'd trade Bay for a bag of balls. Just to ensure that Hairston and Newy and eventually Baxter play more. I guess what I'm sayin' is that I'd release Bay. This is where you miss Bobby V's sharp eye: Bobby V could look a player over and in five minutes, know whether he's done or not and the fuck with the sample sizes. traded for IIRC because Bobby V went to Boston and checked him out at the "hit dog machine" gym...if that was the name of the place Ha! Is that true?

I'd trade Bay for a bag of balls. Just to ensure that Hairston and Newy and eventually Baxter play more. I guess what I'm sayin' is that I'd release Bay. This is where you miss Bobby V's sharp eye for talent: Bobby V could look a player over and in five minutes, know whether he's done or not and the fuck with the sample sizes.

Zvon wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: Sixteen runs, so I hear. But are the Mets winning? Gary just echoed this post with his '64 Met tale. lol. Nice. Gary is a CPF lurker.

Sixteen runs, so I hear. But are the Mets winning?

metsguyinmichigan wrote: It's a pot shot because it has nothing to do with Jeter or the Yankees. Heck, not too many teams have had an inner-circle Hall of Famer play their entire career with them to establish that mark. Third lowest. 51st season of existence.

A-Rod loves Mex and the Davey Johnson Mets; even owns a game used Keith Jersey, gifted to him by Keith himself. A-Rod's first true love? Mex's Mets Yanks? As if! Bombers star grew up idolizing Keith Hernandez and the Amazin's By Andrew Marchand | ESPNNewYork.com The apprehensive 13-year-old approached Keith Hernandez. Like any other kid meeting his idol, a "super nervous" feeling rushed though his body. Finally, with his courage up, the youngster addressed the player he had spent so many nights watching on TV. "You are my favorite player," Alex Rodriguez recalled saying. "I hope to be drafted one day." The funny thing about that chance meeting in 1988 is that Hernandez remembers it, too. Hernandez, the former MVP, was rehabbing a hamstring injury at Florida International University when this kid -- who had yet to hit any of his 640 homers -- walked up to him. What sticks out most in Hernandez's mind was not Rodriguez's "imposing physique," but his intensity. "He was very intent to listen," said Hernandez, now an analyst on the Mets' network, SNY. "He asked questions." Rodriguez has shown some chameleon tendencies during his career, claiming this place or that place was always his dream spot. But, in reality, on the eve of the latest Subway Series, Rodriguez knows it wasn't Texas, despite the money, or the Yankees, despite the history, that tugged at his heart. It was the Mets. Growing up in Miami in the '80s, there were three main outlets for Rodriguez to watch baseball. There was WGN for the Cubs, WTBS for the Braves and WOR for the Mets. He didn't have much affection for anyone at Wrigley. He loved Dale Murphy during the years that preceded the Braves' glorious run in the '90s. But A-Rod's favorite team was the Mets, cemented by the fact that they added Hernandez in 1983. "Him and [Gary] Carter were the finishing two pieces of furniture to create the perfect house," Rodriguez said. "And they got the championship in '86." Fourteen years later, the Mets would return to their next World Series. By that time, A-Rod, just 25, had already nailed 241 homers -- 79 more than Hernandez had in his entire 17-year career. Rodriguez, on the verge of hitting the market as possibly the most celebrated free agent in baseball history, famously showed up at Shea Stadium for the Subway Series, hoping he would emulate his idol and one day lead the Mets to a World Series title. Rodriguez wanted to be a Met so bad that one person close to him still insists he would have taken less than the $252 million the Texas Rangers ended up forking over. Instead, in the first of A-Rod's many public relations disasters, a back-and-forth between his then-agent, Scott Boras, and the Mets resulted in the Mets failing to even bid on A-Rod. All he got from his favorite team was the "24-plus-one" tag pinned on him like a scarlet letter by then-GM Steve Phillips. These days, A-Rod is struggling at the plate, on pace for 26 homers and fewer than 80 RBIs. He will turn 37 next month, which is an age Hernandez never made it to as a player. Rodriguez is no longer a kid. In the Yankees' clubhouse the other day, Rodriguez relished reminiscing about Hernandez's game. Rodriguez never played first base. He was always a shortstop growing up, which is why he has an equal fondness for Cal Ripken Jr. as he does for Hernandez. But Hernandez's intensity, and his leadership on the field, drew A-Rod in. For all of Rodriguez's physical skills, one of the aspects of his game that perhaps has not received enough attention is his mind. While Derek Jeter's success resides in the fact that he simplifies everything, Rodriguez loves the complexities of the game, talking it, living it and, most of all, playing it. "Everything about Hernandez, I loved," Rodriguez said. "I love the game so much. I'm such a gym rat. Hernandez was kind of the epitome of all of it. He was like a manager out on the field. He was always in the pitcher's ear. He was kind of like Davey Johnson, Part 2. And he was such a clutch hitter." The two are acquaintances now. Rodriguez, who can afford nearly anything in the world, calls the game-used uniform and mitt Hernandez gave him one of his "prized possessions." Rodriguez's career will never be looked at as perfect, largely because of his performance-enhancing drug use admission. But players respect his skill level and his accomplishments. Nearly a quarter-century after the two met, the meeting is just as special to Hernandez as it was for the apprehensive teenager in Miami. "It means a lot to me," the 58-year-old Hernandez said. "It is a great compliment. He is a far better player than I ever was. It is always very flattering. Everyone has someone they looked up to. Mine was Mickey Mantle. For Alex Rodriguez to idolize me coming up, that makes me feel very good." http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/8082156/new-york-yankees-alex-rodriguez-first-love-keith-hernandez-mets