batmagadanleadoff

The last time the NL baseball team from NYC (with more money to spend than just about everybody else) finished in first place, The Simpsons didn't exist and Fernando Martinez wasn't born. The last Mets team to win its division had Gene Walter on the roster. Fred's better than Lorinda. I'll give him that.

Tommie Agee is Mathews, Jr.'s sixth best all-time comp according to Baseball Reference's similarity scores. We're probably getting this Agee, though:

For those unfamiliar with Nelson Figueroa's story, it's a good one. Figueroa attended Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, which normally churns out basketball players such as Stephon Marbury and Sebastian Telfair. And Lee Mazzilli. Lee Mazzilli graduated from Lincoln H.S. The writer forgot about Lee Mazzilli.

I remember a game where Cory Sullivan flied out to left field and I thought to myself that if Cory's shot had traveled another 35 feet, it might've been a Home Run.

I could not bring myself to believe that the Mets can't significantly improve on whatever offer the Twins will presumably offer Mauer before the end of next season. I suppose that there are always risks to signing later rather than earlier. The economy could collapse again. Mauer might suffer a major injury before he gets to declare for free agency. A meteor might strike Minnesota. But on the other hand, Mauer is one baseball's elite inner circle stars right now and Minnesota is not where the big baseball money is.

I know that this is the 2010 thread but is it unreasonable to dream of Joe Mauer as a Met in 2011? And if it is unreasonable to dream, then why? Because Mauer won't do the right thing and test the market? Because the Twins have more money than the Mets? Because Jorge Posada turns 40 in 2011 and 40 year old backstops are like 240 in catcher years and if the Yankees want Mauer, nobody else has a real chance? Because, assuming Mauer digs NYC, he doesn't have to sign with the Mets to benefit from everything New York has to offer -- he can sign with the MFYs'? Because the Mets are cheap? Stupid? Cheap and stupid? Because Thole will turn out to be better than Mauer? What?

Chris Berman sez you left out former Met Royce Ring Around the Rosey, Pocket Full of Posey.

William Shatner: Pitchman, MatchGamer, Make Believe Rat Packer. His range easily exceeds the limit on the number of photographs I can include in just one post. Anyone know if Luis Castillo ever recited Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds on National TV?

It's ironic that some of Small Time Crooks was flmed at Shea Stadium because the Mets owners bear a strong resemblance to the characters portrayed by Woody Allen and Tracey Ulllman in that movie: the Wilpons are socially inept, cheesy, tasteless people, clearly out of their element as baseball owners, but with more baseball money than just about everybody else. I'm not a frustrated or even annoyed fan. I've come to realize that the Wilpon era is a dysfunctional one and that a Mets baseball season couldn't happen without episodes like this latest one involving Beltran's surgery. And though I'm not above posting some snarky or cynical thing about it, I'm not losing a second of sleep over it either. To me, this is nothing more than comic relief.

The Rotunda should be the Mets HOF. Not that I expect it to happen.

What's the deal with Chris Carter? Only 23 ML at-bats but he raked in the Minor Leagues.... hitting for power and getting on base at excellent rates.

More from last Summer: It's never a good sign when you're batting leadoff in this column two weeks in a row. Unfortunately, such is the case for Carlos Beltran, who has been on the DL for more than a week now and does not appear to be coming off anytime soon. Last week in this space, we outlined the injury Beltran was dealing with and speculated that his time away would be extended beyond 15 days. Indeed, that appears to be the case. Beltran made a trek to Vail, Colo., this week to get a second opinion from Dr. Richard Steadman. The choice of Steadman as consultant raised some eyebrows, since his expertise is associated with microfracture surgery, a procedure that he helped pioneer. Although Beltran's agent, Scott Boras, claimed that seeking out Steadman simply represented seeking an independent opinion, you don't take your Ferrari to a Rolls-Royce dealer, even if the latter is accustomed to dealing with high-end automobiles. The Ferrari engine is entrusted to an expert in Ferraris. Beltran is dealing with a bone bruise, an injury often associated with cartilage damage. Microfracture procedures are performed to address cartilage defects. Evaluating cartilage injuries is a critical component of determining when microfracture surgery is indicated. It does not appear to be a coincidence that an athlete with a worsening bone bruise would seek an opinion from another orthopedist well versed in cartilage injuries, especially within the knee. (It should be noted that Mets team physician Dr. David Altchek is very experienced in managing cartilage injuries as well.) The good news? Steadman supported Beltran's original diagnosis of a bone bruise and recommended continued rest and rehabilitation. No microfracture surgery for Beltran (at least not now), which would have effectively ended his season. So why the cause for concern? It's the uncertainty around the resolution of Beltran's condition. How well will Beltran heal, and how long will it take? Just because he's not headed for the operating room doesn't mean we can be certain that he will recover to such a degree that he can play consistently and effectively this year. Although many bone bruises do heal with time and rest, it is not an absolute. The timetable can vary and in a situation like Beltran's, in which the condition has recently worsened, it becomes less predictable. Consider also that Beltran had arthroscopic surgery on both knees in 2007. Beltran underwent debridement of both patellar tendons, the large tendons that cross the kneecap and anchor the quadriceps muscle to the tibia (shinbone). While the two conditions could be independent, it is also possible that some of the biomechanical features of Beltran's knees that led to patellar tendon problems are at work here. The plan now is to keep Beltran moving at a gradual pace, with a target of returning at some point after the All-Star break. Fantasy owners need to bear in mind that this is primarily a symptom-based rehab progression, meaning Beltran's activity will largely be determined by how he feels (although subsequent imaging studies can also provide information as to how the bone bruise itself is progressing). The key for the Mets will be whether Beltran's symptoms can decrease enough and whether enough healing can occur to allow him to return successfully this season. If so, the team may still need to re-evaluate Beltran's status at the end of the season to determine what, if any, steps to take next. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4299946&name=bell_stephania

From last June: Tue Jun 30, 2009 6:53 am EDT Mets' Beltran to see specialist, career in jeopardy? By Joe Zedalis The New York Mets confirmed Monday that outfielder Carlos Beltran(notes) was in Vail, Colo., for a second opinion on his ailing right knee, this one from noted orthopedic surgeon and microfracture surgery specialist Dr. Richard Steadman, according to a report in the New York Post. According to the Post, the serious aspect of for Beltran is that if microfracture surgery is necessary it would sideline him for the end of the season and potentially jeopardize his career. Beltran, 32, already has had arthroscopic surgery on both knees, doing so after the 2007 season. Steadman, who runs the clinic where Alex Rodriguez's(notes) hip surgery was performed this year, devised microfracture surgery in the 1990s to mimic missing cartilage in the patient's knee. The surgery, which involves drilling small holes so that blood and marrow clot to form a cartilage-like buffer between bones, has been done on numerous pro athletes. Beltran was steered to Steadman for a second opinion by his agent, Scott Boras, with no backlash from the Mets after the initial diagnosis by Dr. David Altchek of the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/rumors/post/Mets-Beltran-to-see-specialist-career-in-jeopa?urn=mlb,173718