batmagadanleadoff

With David Wright and Lucas Duda each hitting balls tonoght that would'be been HR's in practically any other park in baseball (Wright's blast had the distance but probably not the height to clear Fenway's Green Monster), I thought I'd update the HR tallies for Met games in the Citi Field era. 2011 Total HR's hit at Citi Field (Mets and Mets' opponents) - 72 HR's/51 games (1.41 per game) Total HR's hit; all Mets road games (Mets and Mets' opponents) - 110 HR's/60 games (1.83 per game) 2009-2011 Total HR's hit at Citi Field (Mets and Mets' opponents) - 312 HR's/213 games (1.46 per game) Total HR's hit; all Mets road games (Mets and Mets' opponents) - 386 HR's/222 games (1.74 per game)

metsguyinmichigan wrote: Dickey card = perfection. That's right in the spirit of the '74 set. Can easily picture that card in there! It might be because Dickey is cropped enough so that he appears as if he's wearing the same jersey the Mets wore in 1974. But if you stare hard enough, you should discern cool-base underarm vents and a hint of black drop shadow highlighting on Dickey's last name -- which coincidentally, is Dickey. Murphy, by comparison, looks out of place for the '70's what with his silly modern batting practice jersey against a background of drab-colored Citi Field field level seats that are angled to face the infield. But I love the cardwork, just the same.

I didn't like tonight's Los Mets tops. Blue is good but too much of a good thing isn't. Those all blue pajama tops are too garish for my tastes.

I wonder if the Wilpons are rooting for Reyes not to win the MVP award.

Justin Turner is in the mix for a Topps 2011 All-Rookie Team selection.

Anthony, how would you describe your... CAHNfidence? This would actually make a nice cable show: Confidence Now, with Fran Healy. Here's an easy quiz: Try and guess what Healy's first three questions to AY were in that post-game interview. You should come up with the same answers to tihis quiz whether you play this one straight or for laughs. 1) What were thinking? 2) What's it been like for you? 3) It had to have been a boost to your confidence, no? How does Fran Healy lose his job interviewing the Anthony Youngs of the world and end up exclusively interviewing Hall of Famers? Where do I sign up for the falling-upward plan? "1) What were [you] thinking?" ----- "What was on your mind when ....?" is what Healy actually asked, but your answer's good enough for game credit. 2) What's it been like for you? ----- Another correct answer though Healy actually asked: "What did it feel like.....?" 3) It had to have been a boost to your confidence, no? ----- Does it even fucking matter what Healy's third question was? You win this quiz. You know Fran Healy.

Edgy DC wrote: batmags... Whoah. Oh, I got more. Arnold Rothstein lived at 912 5th Avenue, Manhattan's apartment version of Bev Hills.

Ceetar wrote: Well what sports have an issue with is sports wagering. The concern they have with other forms of gambling is that it could be some sort of 'gateway drug' towards gambling on sports, or may put them in contact with gamblers who may, whether through greed or debt, convince a player to affect the outcome of a game. The main concern, among other concerns --among obvious other concerns but why even bother, I ask myself as I write this post, why even bother? -- is organized crime's historical and undeniable connection to gambling of any kind, particularly high stakes gambling --- or wagering, if you will, and organized crime's ability to influence or compromise someone who might then be indebted to the mob through gambling losses. Perhaps baseball should exempt A-Rod because he makes so much money. Baseball's ban on wagering is one of its first policies a professional is taught and one of the first things a baseball fan comes to learn.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I'd be happy to see Capuano somehow avoid his regular practice of surendering 5 runs in the 6th inning. I might be missing whatever the point is to all the accolades going Capuano's way. He gives up half a run an inning and can't go more than five.

Searching is too cumbersome because, as far as I know, it can only be done one player at a time. I just thought of Sergio Ferrer a few seconds before I wrote this post and according to the UMDB, Ferrer's is(was) 5' 7". I don't know if Ferrer's the shortest but I'da been surprised to learn that in the 50 year history of the Mets, no Met was under 5' 9".

Edgy DC wrote: It's always a hard call, because the shorter you are, the less likely they're going to report your height honestly. Good point.

Anybody here know who the shortest Met was? I'm asking, not trivia'ing.

BEST SINGLE-SEASON BATTING AVERAGE IN METS HISTORY Through 107 NYM Games 1969: Jones -- .350 2011: REYES -- .341 1998: Olerud -- .340 BEST SINGLE-SEASON BATTING AVERAGE IN METS HISTORY Through 107 NYM Games 1969: Jones -- .350 2011: REYES -- .34146 1990: Magadan --.3405 1998: Olerud -- .33978 =

David Wright is gonna make a desperate run for MVP. David Wright, hitting the DL on May 15: .226 / .337 / .404 // .741. David Wright, coming off the DL on July 22: .226 / .337 / .404 // .741. David Wright, one bloody week later: .268 / .354 / .464 // .818. Smoly smokes. Twleve RBI on the week. Twelve hits in five games. We should DL him more often. Let's all hope that David can maintain this torrid pace next week when the Mets resume their Citi Field portion of the schedule.

Willets Point wrote: It can't compare with Sports Shouting. I like that show. Whenever the panelists disagree, Paul Lynde comes out from behind the "SS" to settle the issue.

Anthony, how would you describe your... CAHNfidence? This would actually make a nice cable show: Confidence Now, with Fran Healy. Here's an easy quiz: Try and guess what Healy's first three questions to AY were in that post-game interview. You should come up with the same answers to tihis quiz whether you play this one straight or for laughs.

G-Fafif wrote: Spec-bleeping-tacular visuals. Thanks for adding! My pleasure.

One last-place and two first-place triumphs: 100: 1993 -- Anthony Young stops losing, does the other thing

"It ain't over yada yada yada......."

Your New York Potential Broomsticks: Reyes SS Turner 2B Murphy 1B Wright 3B Pagan CF Bay LF Duda RF Thole C Capuano P I really wish Terry would flip Pagan and Duda in the order. Lineup Quirk: Howie Rose noted that the Mets infielders are the first four batters in the lineup and the outfielders are the next three.

If this was any first baseman other than Keith Hernandez, I would presumptuously write that this play was probably the greatest defensive moment of the first baseman's career. It would've had to have been. But for anyone here who was too young to see Hernandez live, I'm telling you that Keith pulled off these gems, seemingly every week. And in the mid-80's Keith's tactics were still revolutionary. Revisiting Keith Hernandez's defense in that wild Mets Reds game strengthens, for me anyway, Keith's case for the Hall of Fame. Keith might not have slugged like the HR bashing first basemen that exist in any era, but he was a great hitter in his own right, winning an MVP with the Cards and finishing as runner-up with the Mets in the '84 MVP vote. But his defense should've punched his ticket to Cooperstown. Hernandez was a revolutionary who reinvented the position. He might be the best fielding first baseman in the history of baseball. I know that I never saw anyone better, for whatever that's worth. I wrote that in the mid-80's, Keith's defensive tactics were still revolutionary even though Keith himself had been Keith for about 10 years. To tell you the truth, Keith's tactics are still revolutionary today, 20 years after Keith's retirement. Nobody pulls off plays like that, let alone with the kind of regularity that spoiled Keith's followers: we came to expect that whenever the situation called for it, Hernandez would field a bunt before the batter was barely out of the batter's box. Derek Jeter has been immortalized, for just once, making a play on par with what Keith pulled off every week or so.

Look on the bright side ... the Mets gained a game on the Pirates.

So how many modern pitchers can you think of that struggled while pitching regularly for about five seasons, before becoming very successful? Sandy Koufax is the obvious example. Mike Scott's another. Any others?

Those '61 Reds jerseys remind me of the first time the Mets ever hosted a turn back the clock game. It was against the Reds, who wore their '62 (same as their '61 unis). Reds reliever Rob Dibble ripped off his vest in anger after giving up the game winning come from behind walk-off homer to Bobby Bonilla. I have that game on tape but can't find it and never transferred it to DVD.