batmagadanleadoff

="John Cougar Lunchbucket":3e8g3mn6]Geez. What a tragedy Unrelated but still disturbing, an Agels fan died of injuries from a fellow--fan beating at opening day.[/quote:3e8g3mn6] Also unrelated but rounding out this creepy triumvirate, 20 fans had to be moved when brick-sized concrete fell from above at yesterday's opener in Anaheim. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/concrete-mead-fans-2356911-angel-game Edgy DC Apr 09 2009 09:47 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Apr 09 2009 10:09 AM Not to invoke curses because I don't particularly believe in them, but the Angels seem to have been disproportionately touched by tragedy. themetfairy Apr 09 2009 10:07 AM Re: Angels Pitcher Nick Adenhart Was Killed Last Night ="bmfc1":37eeoiup]http://www.tmz.com/2009/04/09/angels-starting-pitcher-killed-after-ball-game/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/09/nick-adenhart-angels-pitc_n_185133.html Being talked about on Angels MBs. It's not on other sites yet.[/quote:37eeoiup] That's tragic. Simply tragic. Centerfield Apr 09 2009 10:13 AM Awful. Things like this get to me so much more ever since I became a parent. Condolensces to his family and friends. DocTee Apr 09 2009 10:15 AM Terribly sad. Fman99 Apr 09 2009 10:20 AM Wow. How sad, just 22. Edgy DC Apr 09 2009 10:20 AM Sports Illustrated names the driver --- has him as intoxicated and fleeing the scene and his own wounded passenger. Bad friends = bad news. Rockin' Doc Apr 09 2009 10:58 AM Sounds like DWI and 3 counts of vehicular homicide (and whatever else can possibly be piled on) is in some idiots future. My prayers and thoughts are with Adenhart's family and friends as well as the entire Angels organization. A terribly sad tragedy. Number 6 Apr 09 2009 11:11 AM Just awful. Another example of how quickly everything can be washed away. OlerudOwned Apr 09 2009 11:41 AM Holy crap. He just pitched. Life and death are fucking crazy. smg58 Apr 09 2009 12:51 PM Just horrible. Frayed Knot Apr 09 2009 12:54 PM A's at Angels game called off today. Centerfield Apr 09 2009 05:00 PM For what it's worth, at some point we're going to have to get our collective heads out of our ass with respect to these DUI's. Guys like A-Rod get butchered for steroids, but assholes like Joba who do something this dangerous get swept to the side as minor stories. Joba got a $400 fine and probation. This asshole who killed Adenhart already had a DUI on his record. Every other day you hear about some DUI. Someone just got run down by a drunk NFL guy. smg58 Apr 09 2009 05:16 PM What's worse, a bigger deal is made about what Joba said while he was plastered than the fact that he was behind the wheel while he was plastered. A little perspective, please? Edgy DC Apr 09 2009 09:12 PM I think we, historically, have had a very natural --- but very wrong --- attitude of no harm, no foul. For 25 years --- thanks largely to folks like MADD --- we've been waking up to the idea that Joba isn't better than Jim Leyritz, just luckier. But until our laws come into alignment with that attitude, this is where we are. Adn it's not like we have a whole lot of room in our jails. My Dad told me he only made two DWI arrests --- when people were hurt in an accident (doesn't mean other cops didn't bag somebody at accident sites he responded to). His policy --- pretty much as he was trained to do --- was to call a guy's family to come get him if he was cooperative, and to throw his keys in the gutter and tell him to walk home if he was an asshole. That was the sixties and the seventies. When folks started publishing DWI stats in the eighties, and classmates of ours were out getting themselves killed, he wondered out loud what he had been thinking. metirish Apr 10 2009 07:07 AM I had forgotten that O'Day and Rodriguez knew Andenhardt. O'day said he had spoken to him to congratulate him on making the team. Lupica today . With Nick Adenhart's death, Joba Chamberlain gets look at tragedy from the other side ] This time the gifted young baseball pitcher wasn't the drunk driver, the way Joba Chamberlain was. This time the young pitcher, Nick Adenhart of the Angels, fresh off six scoreless innings against the A's, a kid with everything ahead of him the way it is supposed to be ahead of Chamberlain, was the victim of an alleged drunk driver. This is how it happens with drunk driving when the policeman doesn't pull you over in time. So Nick Adenhart is dead at the age of 22. The police said the man who caused the accident, another 22-year-old named Andrew Gallo, somebody with another DUI on his record already, driving with a suspended license, was under the influence of alcohol when his mini-van ran a red light a few hours after Nick Adenhart made his fourth major league start. Sometimes these stories end up with the kind of pictures we saw of Joba Chamberlain, the police video showing Chamberlain trying to walk a straight line and trying to make conversation with the officer who pulled him over, about Yogi Berra and everything else. He told the officer he was a New York Yankee. Adenhart was a Los Angeles Angel, who had fought back so hard from injury and once again made himself a young guy to watch, a young guy good enough to get a start the first week of the season. "He wasn't an extreme talent," his agent, Scott Boras, said at an emotional press conference Thursday in Anaheim, Boras sitting there between Angels manager Mike Scioscia and general manager Tony Reagins. "He fought to get here." Tony Reagins talked about the young man's poise and said, "He had a lot of energy, but he didn't show it." Adenhart was a passenger in the car and two others were killed, so this isn't just a story about a young athlete dying too soon. This is about all who die in this senseless way. This story about drinking and driving that never changes no matter how the night ends: The drunk behind the wheel always having the potential to be the most dangerous guy in the world. This wasn't the way it ended for Joba on Highway 77, south of Lincoln, Neb., driving his BMW with an open bottle of whiskey next to him near the intersection of Old Cheney Rd., going 71 in a 55 mph zone. Maybe now, after a $400 fine and nine months' probation and the loss of his driver's license for 60 days - this after some court dates got postponed around his spring training schedule - Chamberlain fully realizes how truly lucky he really was last October. What Joba Chamberlain knows for sure is that the pictures of himself on the front pages of the New York papers and in that video are nothing compared to the ones from Fullerton, what was left of the car in which Nick Adenhart was riding before Gallo ran that red light, before Gallo's mini-van went crashing into that silver Mitsubishi, before he was booked on suspicion of murder, felony DUI and felony vehicular manslaughter. Here is what most baseball fans don't know about Adenhart if they're not fans of the Angels. He came out of Williamsport High School in Silver Spring, Md. Five years ago, everybody thought he was going to be a high pick in the draft, because he was one of those kids with a big arm. But then right before the draft, he suffered a bad elbow injury, one of those injuries that would require reconstructive surgery. The Angels stayed with him, though, selecting him in the 14th round. The kid was thinking about having Tommy John surgery and going off to pitch for the University of North Carolina when he had recovered, make himself into a prospect for somebody else all over again. It turned into a wonderful story from there, because of the team's belief in the kid and his trust in the team. The Angels convinced him to sign with them, for a $700,000 bonus, and do his rehab under the care of their doctors and trainers. He did. That is the fight that Scott Boras talked about Thursday when he was there with Scioscia and Reagins to talk about Nick Adenhart's death at Orangethorpe and Lemon in Fullerton. He made his first start with the Angels last May, and then there were some injuries to Angels starters this spring and there was Adenhart against the A's on Wednesday night. Six scoreless innings. No decision. His lifetime record in the big leagues stayed at 1-0. He was with some friends after that. They wanted to go dancing after the game. Four of them in the Mitsubishi, Gallo and a passenger in the red mini-van. Then Adenhart wasn't a baseball pitcher with possibilities, with a future, he was another victim of drunk-driving in America. The way it is alleged that the man Donte Stallworth of the Browns struck and killed on MacArthur Causeway in Miami was a victim of drunk-driving. And Jim Leyritz, an old Yankee World Series home run hero, is in jail awaiting trial because he has been accused of DUI manslaughter. Joba isn't the only young athlete who ever got himself over the legal limit for alcohol and thought he was just perfect to drive home. Or to the next bar. But now he knows for sure where the trip can end when it doesn't end off to the side of Highway 77 in Lincoln. One kind of ending for him, one kind of ending for Nick Adenhart, as sad an ending as we could ever know about in April, which is supposed to be about beginnings in baseball. Edgy DC Apr 10 2009 07:20 AM Getting caught in a catch 22 is one thing --- being too drunk to drive, but also being too drunk to know you're too drunk. Driving with a whiskey bottle riding shotgun is another, don't you think? Centerfield Apr 10 2009 09:17 AM Great job by Lupica. I'd email him but I'm too lazy to look up his address. A Boy Named Seo Apr 10 2009 12:05 PM Hard to take anything posted on a site called "Sharapova's Thigh" with much sincerity, but this one forces it. Sad. ]Remembering The Best Friend I Ever Had Posted by Matt Clapp | 4/09/2009 07:44:00 PM | 30 comments � I had just moved to Manhattan Beach, California as a four-year-old kid and had no friends yet. I sat around playing with my He-Man and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures by myself. A boy saw me playing in the yard with this stuff and approached me. He hated all these toys, he was all about sports, particularly baseball. We were nothing alike except for that we each lived in this neighborhood, each were the same age, and each were about to attend pre-school together. However, soon we were hanging out every single day, and he began to get me into sports. I reluctantly decided to play tee ball and be on his team, then the same with basketball, and then soccer. All of a sudden I became a sports nut, just like him. We were playing catch everyday, shooting hoops, and then watching all of these sports on television all the time. We became really good at these sports, practicing more than anybody else around and in the hopes that one day we could be professional athletes like the guys we absolutely idolized. He wanted to be the next Gary Carter and I wanted to be the next Ryne Sandberg. After five years there, my dad got a job that forced us to move to North Carolina. Henry and I were crushed. As devastated as I was to move to a new life, he was every bit as much as hurt to see me go. He made sure our friendship would never end. He'd call me all the time, asking if I was making some new friends, how baseball and basketball were going, talk about my Cubs and his Mets, etc. Three years later, we were forced to move because of my dad's job again, this time to Colorado. It became so difficult for me. I'd start to make new friends and then all of a sudden I have to start the process over again. New schools, new sports leagues, all of this stuff over and over. But there's Henry again, calling me all the time and giving me his support. He was excited because we were only a few states away this time. So he of course came to visit a bunch. It still was hard on us though. I remember one time we took him to his gate at the airport and he didn't want to get on his flight. He burst out crying and wanted to stay here with me, but he of course had to go back home to California. He always wanted to be there for my big moments. Twice I had a couple important baseball tournaments here in Colorado and we were looking for an extra player. I brought this up to Henry and sure enough he hops on a plane to come play on my team both times. Then in 2003 I wanted to go to Chicago to watch the Cubs in the playoffs. Henry wasn't a Cubs fan, but he knew how much they meant to me, and he wanted to be there to hopefully celebrate with me. So we got on separate flights from Denver and Los Angeles to Chicago. As I went to meet him at the baggage claim, he came down the escalator chatting away with sports columnist Michael Holley who I recognized right away from ESPN's Around the Horn. Holley tells me how Henry spent much of the flight talking about all of MY writing. This was the perfect example of how Henry was. Not only was he confidently speaking to a famous person like it was nothing, he was telling this person all about his friend instead of himself. I frequently got mad at myself for not attempting to hold up our friendship quite as much as Henry did. I've always been pretty shy and independent, whereas Henry was full of energy and the most outgoing person I've ever met in my life. He really took advantage of everyday of his life, a go-getter. It's just not right that it had to end so soon. This morning I found out Angels' incredibly talented rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart was killed in a car crash just a few hours after he pitched an outstanding game last night. It's absolutely terrible and my thoughts go out to his family and friends, but I couldn't help but worry that my best friend was also in that car after I heard there were others killed. Henry frequently told me how he's good friends with Nick and tries to be at Nick's side for every pitching outing in Anaheim. Like he was with me, he wanted to be there for Nick's big moment and be there to celebrate. Well they did, and it's so sad they won't get to do it again. Henry had just entered the world of being a sports agent and I have no doubt he was going to be one of the best. Full of confidence, a great personality, always smiling, and always trying to improve at what he was passionate about. There wasn't a more ideal job on the planet for him with his love of sports, his personality, and how much he supports the people around him. He'd do anything for his friends and in this case clients. I had hoped one day we'd be living together or at least near each other just like old times. I'd do my sports writing(which I would've never been interested in if not for Henry), he'd do his job, then after work we'd grab a beer and watch a baseball game together. I can't even begin to explain how much it saddens me that we'll never get that chance, and it hurts so much more so that we'll never even get to hang out again. There's so much more that I could say that I can't even think about right now as I write this with tears dripping down my face. I wouldn't be anything like I am today without Henry. He changed my life more than anybody. I've lost my best friend and the world's lost an unbelievably special young man that had such a bright future ahead. We'll miss you buddy, you have no idea. R.I.P. Henry Pearson. OlerudOwned Apr 10 2009 03:46 PM Jeff Pearlman with an article similar to Lupica's, except, well, written by Jeff Pearlman instead of Mike Lupica. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/jeff_pearlman/04/10/too.young/index.html ]I don't want to hear the clich�s. I don't want to hear how Angles rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart loved baseball more than anything; how his 22 years were all too short, but packed with love and virtue. I don't want moments of silence before a game; a camera shot of an ADENHART jersey dangling from a hanger; a floral vigil outside the ballpark; a scholarship fund to help kids from his hometown of Silver Spring, Md. I don't want any of it. When ballplayers die, Major League Baseball, its operatives and the media do everything possible to comfort us, to numb the pain and give purpose to the purposeless. Just as we were told when death struck Lyman Bostock and Mike Darr and Cory Lidle and Josh Hancock and dozens of other ballplayers, Nick Adenhart is surely in a better place right now, looking down from that big diamond in the sky and smiling in his own special way. I don't want to hear it. Adenhart, a young man with a limitless future, is dead because someone who was allegedly drunk decided to get behind the wheel. There is no happy ending; no silver lining; no neatly wrapped Little House on the Prairie conclusion. Life goes on, but not for Adenhart. He is gone, and no matter how many video tributes are played on scoreboards throughout the majors, he will not come back. The woman out there who he was supposed to one day marry will wed someone else. The children he was supposed to sire and raise will never exist. There will be no more birthdays or Christmases or gleeful nights at the ballpark. There will be no gracefully growing old. No grandkids. Nick Adenhart does not exist. He is dead. Forever. This is the message -- as painful as burning flesh -- that needs to be told. And told. And told. And told. You drink, you drive, you risk extinguishing somebody's life. Period. And yet where, exactly, is that message? In the days leading up to Adenhart's death, New York was abuzz with tabloid headlines concerning Joba Chamberlain, the Yankee pitcher who had been arrested during the offseason for driving under the influence. The news, however, had little to do with the DUI and everything to do with the humiliating video of an intoxicated Chamberlain making jokes with police about Yogi Berra's height and New York City's abrasiveness. The newspapers had a field day -- JOBA WACKY! screamed Wednesday's New York Daily News cover, alongside the words, "Yankee star pokes fun at New York, Yogi after DUI bust." Alcohol? Driving? Eh, no biggie. But to make fun of Yogi Berra ... now that's news. Maybe I'm too sensitive. Just last November Brian Hickey, a close friend and former managing editor of the Philadelphia City Paper, was crossing the street in Collingswood, N.J., when a hit-and-run driver plowed into him and left him for dead. In the days and weeks that followed, most of us assumed the worst -- Hickey's skull was cracked open, his back was broken and he was in an induced coma. It was a jarringly up-close, personal view of what reckless driving can to do a human being and his family, and even as Hickey has made a remarkable recovery (his Facebook group, "Help Me Find the Person Who Almost Killed Me," is a worthwhile endeavor), I still hold that anger deep inside. So, please, remember Adenhart for all the right reasons. His decency, his kindness, his talent. But also remember the reality at hand: He is not here -- for no good reason. MFS62 Apr 10 2009 03:53 PM From busleagues: http://busleagues.wordpress.com/2009/04 ... -adenhart/ this is why scully is the best...i'm sure this had to have been tough for him, as he himself lost a son at a very young age �If I may speak for every member of the Dodger organization, our heartfelt and deepest sympathies to the mother and family of Nick Adenhart, and to every member in the Angels organization, for the untimely accident and death of young Nick last night at the tender age of twenty-two. Nick, from Maryland, had pitched six scoreless innings and was in a car with three friends, and a driver apparently went through a red light and T-boned the car, killing thee of the four, including Nick, and one other member is in critical condition. And if there is one thing I�ve learned in all my years � and I haven�t learned much � but the one thing I�ve learned: Don�t even waste your time trying to figure out life. Ground ball through for Andre Ethier, and life continues for those who still have it. And with a leadoff single, Russell Martin will be coming up. But I would say, it wouldn�t be a bad idea to take a moment and say a prayer in memory of Nick, especially for his parents. What a shock to lose a twenty-two-year-old. Andre Ethier at first base, Russell Martin the batter, James Loney on deck, and the Dodgers try to strike in the second inning against Kevin Correia�.� Later A Boy Named Seo Apr 10 2009 04:21 PM Vin rules. Farmer Ted Apr 10 2009 04:42 PM First, Vin NOT doing the WS every year is criminal. Second, he's right. There's no way to figure all this shit out. Having lost people close to me in an almost identical manner...well, it's baffling. Truly baffling. 25 years later and loved ones are still affected deeply. G-Fafif Apr 10 2009 09:24 PM Thanks to MLB EI I saw the pre-game ceremony at Angel Stadium. Very moving, very sad. Jared Weaver drew the kid's initials behind the mound. Lackey and Hunter stood on the mound with his uniform. Some guy in the stands behind the plate wore Earl Campbell's Oiler throwback jersey: 34. Man, what a senseless loss. Frayed Knot Apr 12 2009 08:58 AM ="Edgy DC"]Not to invoke curses because I don't particularly believe in them, but the Angels seem to have been disproportionately touched by tragedy. Bill Madden enumerates: And so, the legacy of Angel tragedy - once dubbed the "Curse of the Cowboy" after original Angels owner, Gene Autry - goes on. It began in 1965 when Dick Wantz, a rookie reliever, died of a brain tumor. Three years later, Angels reliever Minnie Rojas was paralyzed in a car accident that killed his two daughters. In 1972, Angels utility infielder Chico Ruiz was killed in an automobile accident in San Diego. Another car accident killed a rookie Angel pitcher, Bruce Heinbechner, in spring training '74. Then in 1977, 23-year-old shortstop Mike Miley, the Angels' No. 1 draft pick and former LSU quarterback, was killed in yet another automobile accident. The next year, outfielder Lyman Bostock, whom the Angels had signed as a free agent after an All-Star season with the Minnesota Twins in 1977, was shot and killed in his hometown of Gary, Ind. The litany continued with the 1989 suicide of Donnie Moore, the closer who gave up the homer to Boston's Dave Henderson that cost the Angels the 1986 ALCS, right up until last year when 85-year-old Preston Gomez, a senior Angel advisor, was struck by a car in a Fullerton gas station and died of his injuries a few months later. In a sad twist of fate, that gas station was only a couple of miles from where Adenhart and his companions were killed. A Boy Named Seo Apr 16 2009 11:51 AM Angels have all these lame billboards all over LA with their '09 team slogan "FAN STRONG". Went to look at their sked today and see they "updated" the look for their slogan. Real freaking classy, Angels. Edgy DC Apr 16 2009 12:19 PM That litany goes back further than my knowledge does, and it sure seems there are some latter day incidents missing, most notably the non-fatal bus wreck: http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/1992_Angels_Bus_Crash

="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr":18pvw1zl]="metirish":18pvw1zl]How did it happen that Murphy got pegged as a poor or average fielder when he got called up. Who decides that? Murphy played 4 games in the Minor leagues and had a fielding % of 1.000 which itself means little but I remember when he first came up and hearing about how he'll have a tough time in LH. Seems like that then is taken as gospel in the media and fans too. Will he ever shake that tag?[/quote:18pvw1zl] Admittedly, it's a bit of an extrapolation, at best... but a reasonable one. He takes odd routes to semi-routine flyballs, seems to have a little trouble tracking flies, and very often running full clip when making routine catches (a flashing red warning sign of making late/poor judgements on balls' flight path). Given his history (At his 'first position,' 3B, DM was an E-machine... and he's put significantly less time in in the outfield) and apparent predisposition (hitting interest>>fielding interest), the visual evidence tends toward damning (if not being entirely conclusive). He's young and athletic, so that'll help make up for any misjudgements... but it won't turn him into Endy. As far as the Fielding Bible numbers... wait a year or three (53 chances does not a representative sample size make). If he puts up good defensive numbers, then I'll be willing to chalk up the aesthetic ugliness as just that. (And hey... I'm just looking for him to be decent/non-embarrassing with a glove on his hand, personally.)[/quote:18pvw1zl] And among other things, Murph was the first one to admit that he's a struggling outfielder, defensively, developmentally behind where the team would like him to be. Also, notwithstanding in-game fielding statistics, I suppose that the team can assess Murph's OF defensive skills from observing him during practice sessions. Edgy DC Apr 08 2009 09:58 AM He definitely got better as his season progressed, though. His cahnfidence waxed. Frayed Knot Apr 08 2009 10:21 AM I remember back in '99 when Rob Neyer (citing some fielding stats) pronounced Roger Cedeno to be a "dominant defensive right-fielder" ... and therefore the Hampton swap to be a bad deal. Anyone watching Cedeno that year certainly knew differently and, yeah, Neyer took a bunch of e-mails on that one -- including one from me IIRC. Gwreck Apr 08 2009 11:16 AM ="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr":21peht0h]="Edgy DC":21peht0h]The Mets also have a good defensive replacement in Jeremy Reed, and with him in left and Church in right, they can go with a three-centerfielder alignment on occasion.[/quote:21peht0h] Mike Cameron doesn't think that sounds so swell.[/quote:21peht0h] Yabbut that was a once-in-a-million collision. I remember several games in '07 where we had a Gomez-Beltran-Chavez outfield that was treat to watch. Edgy DC Apr 08 2009 11:29 AM Yeah, I don't think LWFS is really arguing against playing centerfielders on the corner when you are blessed with a surfeit of them. metirish Apr 08 2009 11:38 AM I remember in those first games with those three playing the outfield there was if anything a need for Beltran to take charge as all three were capable of running down any ball. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 08 2009 11:55 AM ]I remember several games in '07 where we had a Gomez-Beltran-Chavez outfield that was treat to watch. Gwreck, that OF-- transitory though it was-- was the ex-girlfriend I'll never quite get over. Endy and Beltran are my 1-2 for all-time Mets defensive OFs... and Gomez was top-10 with a bullet when traded; it ruined me for all other Met defensive outfields. smg58 Apr 08 2009 12:21 PM You could make a very serious argument that Beltran, Chavez, and Gomez are the three best outfield gloves in baseball right now. OlerudOwned Apr 08 2009 12:25 PM There was actually a recent SI article about fielding metrics that partially focused on the concerted effort which Seattle made to rebuild quickly through improving their defense, and how Franklin Gutierrez and Endy Chavez were very much their main targets in that 3-way trade over the winter because of their fielding prowess. MFS62 Apr 08 2009 12:36 PM ="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr"]]I remember several games in '07 where we had a Gomez-Beltran-Chavez outfield that was treat to watch. Gwreck, that OF-- transitory though it was-- was the ex-girlfriend I'll never quite get over. Endy and Beltran are my 1-2 for all-time Mets defensive OFs... and Gomez was top-10 with a bullet when traded; it ruined me for all other Met defensive outfields. Ricjie Ashburn, Gus Bell and Bobby Gene Smith (don't laugh) would have made an excellent defensive outfield in their primes. Unfortunately, the Mets had them past their primes in 1962. Later TransMonk Apr 08 2009 12:36 PM OO: There was actually a recent SI article about fielding metrics that partially focused on the concerted effort which Seattle made to rebuild quickly through improving their defense, and how Franklin Gutierrez and Endy Chavez were very much their main targets in that 3-way trade over the winter because of their fielding prowess. I saw one of the heads on the MLB network say something similar a few days ago when talking about the Mariners outlook this season. Could have been Verducci...which makes sense. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 08 2009 01:09 PM ="TransMonk"]OO: There was actually a recent SI article about fielding metrics that partially focused on the concerted effort which Seattle made to rebuild quickly through improving their defense, and how Franklin Gutierrez and Endy Chavez were very much their main targets in that 3-way trade over the winter because of their fielding prowess. I saw one of the heads on the MLB network say something similar a few days ago when talking about the Mariners outlook this season. Could have been Verducci...which makes sense. It's the short-term version of the Tampa rebuild (from 2006-2007 to 2008, the most substantive difference in pushing TB to its perch was defensive efficiency-- even more so than pitching, which was already largely in place). LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 14 2009 01:34 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Apr 14 2009 01:53 PM At the risk of becoming the Outfield-Defense dude, I'll direct your attention this-a-way: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090413&content_id=4252146&vkey=news_nym&fext=.jsp&c_id=nym&partnerId=rss_nym Is this: A) So Wrong Oh, So Very Wrong C) Ill-Timed, Just Mildly Wrong, and Sheffield's Bat Should At Least Partially Mitigate Starting a Defensive Liability in Front of Our Flyball-iest Pitcher After Manuel's Declaring a Re-Emphasis on Defense... and Benching a Guy Who Has Been a Doubles Machine in Order to Do So [EDIT: Young Sam over at Amazin' Avenue is just as dismayed. http://www.amazinavenue.com/2009/4/14/834442/brace-yourself] OlerudOwned Apr 14 2009 01:52 PM Stupid to do it with a flyball pitcher on the mound. Stupid to do it against a righty. Stupid. TransMonk Apr 14 2009 01:54 PM All of the above. We've already lost as many games to outfield defense blunders than I thought we would all season. I'd leave Church in at least until there is more info on how the new field is going to play. Obviously, Sheff is going to get some starts...but it shouldn't be after an off day with Ollie on the mound. John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 14 2009 09:35 PM I'm giving Church a pass on that play. He made a bad one but we know he's capable of making it most nights and there's every reason to think the circumstances weirded the play up for him. And it was only the 6th inning. The failure to win last night was all about being unable to hit stiffs like Duaner Sanchez and other lesser-known, less-talented Mexican League reclamation projects. TransMonk Apr 27 2009 05:17 PM I was sooo wrong. Outfield defense has become a major concern for me. What a fuck-up-fest leftfield has become.

Pelfrey reminds me a lot of Mike Scott. They both came up with terrific major league fastballs, good enough, though not enough to succeed with. Pelf, like Scott before him, is struggling to master a second pitch to complement his speed ball. Pelf's main pitch is so good that, like Scott, finding a second pitch might be the difference between one day winning the Cy Young award or being John Pacella's most comparable player on similarity scores. The talent is evident, though not on a consistent basis, obviously. Pelfrey and Scott are both named Mike. Both came up as Mets. Pelfrey's secretary is named Scott. Scott's pet cat is named Pelfrey. Got sandpaper?

I thought I did. Why don't you make a case for Reyes batting leadoff in 2005?

I know. But Wright should have been a three or four batter all season. But it wasn't simply Wright that was wrong with the lineup. I could've tolerated Wright batting seventh or sixth for half a season if that's all it was. But it was the entire lineup, in total, that annoyed the living shit out of me as I watched that season. And Reyes flailing away at 55 foot one hop pitches all season long. From the leadoff spot. Every single day. Over 700 times. And then throw in the sac bunt thing from your number two guy. In the first inning. I believe we've covered this turf already. I like Jerry.

="metirish"] Pay attention batmag. Thanks, Irish. The author confirms the by now, recognized principle that moving a player one or two slots from what would be assumed to be his ideal batting order position has a negligible overall effect on runs scored. But a manager who, for example, shifts a top or middle of the order guy down to the bottom of the lineup will impact run production to the point where it is no longer negligible, but significant. The reverse is also true -- bumping a weaker hitter to the top of the lineup. The author's example of batting A-Rod ninth illustrates this. I never liked Randolph's lineups, especially his 2005 lineups where Wright was buried in the seven hole for a little more than half the season, even though he had already established himself as the Mets best or second best hitter. That same season, Piazza took too many at bats from the clean up spot even though he was clearly no longer an impact player. And don't get me started on Reyes leading off all season long while the Mets were within striking distance of the wild card because we went over that one many times already. ]The sacrifice bunt. Is it worth making an out intentionally to move a runner from first to second? Forcing a team that hated that maneuver (the 2005 Boston Red Sox) to do it a lot cost them 19 runs per season. But making a bunting team (the 2008 New York Mets) avoid it also cost them � by 15 runs on average � suggesting that the Mets� managers, Willie Randolph and Jerry Manuel, used it quite intelligently. (The 1958 M.I.T. statisticians found that the sacrifice was rarely a good move; major league managers paid little attention.) I can't figure out these results. Also, I don't know how the program was written: under what conditions were the Mets programmed to sac bunt? Technically, a team could sac bunt whenever there is at least one runner on base with less than two outs. When did the computer Mets bunt? Did the computer have Delgado, or David Wright bunt? This information would be more helpful. I'll stick to my guns though, about sac bunting with your number two guy in the first inning of a ball game. I think it's a horrible strategy, and I would hope that any skipper that has the inclination to do this would be managing any NL East team other than the Mets.

="batmagadanleadoff"]="John Cougar Lunchbucket"]Lorinda DeRoulet I can't credit you because of a technicality. Read the rules. Standings LWFS 79 MendozaLine 33 HahnSolo 30 MetHunter 29 Edgy 24 MetFairy 7 DocTee 3 JCLunchBucket 3 Awwww! What Rules? If I can add an 80-pointer in mid stream, I might as well ignore a harmless lane-violation. Did I ever tell anyone that my uncle reffed the USA-Soviet Union '72 Olympic Medal Game? ="HahnSolo"]LAVA RAT PITCHER Phil Cavaretta "Cavarretta" is spelled with two "R's". Deduct two points. ="Met Hunter"]And now for the steal... Lava Rat Pitcher-Phil Cavarretta This is quite a steal. You've stolen your way right past your stealee and into 4th place. You eliminated LeiterWagner. And you clinched it for JCL. Be proud. The Final Standings Are .... JCLunchBucket 83 LWFS 79 MendozaLine 33 MetHunter 32 HahnSolo 28 Edgy 24 MetFairy 7 DocTee 3 Crane Irish Hub is ....... Richie Ashburn. You were all great sports. I've got another batch of these. Maybe we'll do this again in a few weeks.

="John Cougar Lunchbucket"]Lorinda DeRoulet I can't credit you because of a technicality. Read the rules. Standings LWFS 79 MendozaLine 33 HahnSolo 30 MetHunter 29 Edgy 24 MetFairy 7 DocTee 3 JCLunchBucket 3

Standings JCLunchBucket 83 LWFS 79 MendozaLine 33 HahnSolo 30 MetHunter 29 Edgy 24 MetFairy 7 DocTee 3 This is a stunning come-from-behind story. JCL can clinch so long as anybody but LWFS solves one of the two remaining anagrams.

="batmagadanleadoff"]Still unsolved The following anagrams are worth three points: Crane Irish Hub Lava Rat Pitcher Our Dead Lentil I'll put up the remaining answers later today. Our Dead Lentil is Linda de Roulet, except that I just remembered that Linda is Lorinda. So -- Or Our Dead Lentil. For 80 points, who can solve Or Our Dead Lentil?

Gwreck wrote: They have a new video board in left which is really sharp but they could use something in right field too. I guess they left it open because that's where the river is, but the view of Kentucky and the river is pretty bland. They would have been better served if the park had been rotated and the view looking towards the outfield faced downtown rather than the river. Isn't there a regulation about stadium alignment for new stadiums? So that the owners of new stadiums do not have an unfettered 360 degree choice about which way the stadium (and home plate, specifically) faces? I think there is, but am not 100% certain. My google searches were inconclusive.

But is "Win Expectancy" the best way to assess the value of a relief inning? According to WE, a relief pitcher who is asked to preserve a four run lead in the ninth inning gets the same credit whether he strikes out the side or allows (in this order) three HR's, three walks, and then three line outs to the warning track. (OE -- three deep lineouts where some Ramon Castro type player, but on crutches, was the runner on third). And that's provided you credit the entire percentage to the relief pitcher, as if he and no other teammate should get credit for preserving the lead in the last inning. Win Expectancy combines the contributions of the entire team. Here, we're trying to isolate (in this example) the relief pitchers' input. The Win Expectancy entering the last of the ninth is based on dozens of events that occurred before K-Rod entered the game.

Yo, Rogers! Give us the 161st President.

Still unsolved The following anagrams are worth three points: Crane Irish Hub Lava Rat Pitcher Our Dead Lentil Standings LWFS 79 The Battle for the Silver (and Bronze) MendozaLine 33 HahnSolo 30 MetHunter 29 Edgy 24 MetFairy 7 DocTee 3 JCLunchBucket 3 Johnny Come LunchBucket is in the house

Still unsolved The following anagrams are worth three points: Crane Irish Hub Lava Rat Pitcher Our Dead Lentil Standings LWFS 79 The Battle for the Silver (and Bronze) MendozaLine 33 HahnSolo 30 MetHunter 29 Edgy 24 MetFairy 7 DocTee 3 JCLunchBucket 3

1) Reyes: Stolen bases 45 2) Castillo: Games played 130 3) Delgado: RBIs 99 4) Wright: Rank in MVP voting 4 5) Murphy: Doubles 25 6) Beltran: Home Runs 27 7) Church: Games started 100 8) Schneider: Extra base hits 20 9) Sheffield: Home runs 7 10) Anderson: Plate appearances 4 11) Reed: Batting average .270 12) Cora: doubles 9 13) Castro: Home runs 7 14) Tatis: Games started 69 15) Santana: ERA 2.60 16) Pelfrey: Wins 17 17) Ollie: Strikeouts 200 18) Maine: Games started 28 19) L. Hernandez: Innings pitched 121 20) F Rodriguez: Saves 32 21) Putz: ERA 2.89 22) Parnell: K/9 7.78 23) Stokes: Wins 6 24) Green: Appearances 56 25) Feliciano BAA -Lefties .214 26) O'Day: Appearances 45

="metirish":2sycx9fc]That would be " the curse of Shea" if it happened a third straight time.[/quote:2sycx9fc] I prefer the curse of Willie Randolph.

To those who already went to Citi Field for any of the exhibition games, what were the views like from your seats? Is it really true that every seat is a good one?

1. First hit - Murphy 2. First double - Murphy 3. First triple - Castillo 4. First home run - Wright 5. First stolen base - Reyes 6. First baserunner caught stealing/picked off - Murphy 7. First guy to hit into a double-play - Delgado 8. First batter to strike out - Reyes 9. First fielder to commit an error - Wright 10. First guy to score a run - Reyes 11. First guy to drive in a run - Delgado 12. First Met player to field a batted ball in fair territory - Beltran 13. First Met to draw a walk - Murphy 14. First Met relief pitcher to make an appearance - Putz 15. First Met to reach base on an error - Reyes 16. First winning Met pitcher - Santana 17. First Met pitcher to be relieved in the middle of an inning - Maine 18. First Met to to plunk an opposing batter - Maine 19. First Met to be hit by a pitch - Delgado 20. First Met pinch-hitter - Sheffield

NL East: Mets NL Central: Brewers NL West: Padres NL wild card: Cubs AL East: Rays AL Central: White Sox AL West: Angels AL wild card: Red Sox League finals: NL: Mets AL: Red Sox World Series: Mets NL MVP: Jose Reyes NL Cy Young: Santana AL MVP: BJ Upton AL Cy Young: Kazmir Mets win total: 95