A Boy Named Seo

Yeah, I also dig the new look a lot. Thanks for all the hard work.

07 Splits. Fares better against the righties, but still gives up less hits than IP against lefties and still K's lots of dudes. By my count, he's got 170 appearances and 204.1 IP in 5 minor league seasons including this year. Turned 26 in March. Seasoning just right. L/RIPHRERHRBBKERABAAvs. lefties16.1137618203.31.210vs. righties25.1166615222.13.178

Good lookin' out, Dickshot. He should replace Mota. Um, now. IPHRERBBKWLSERAWHIP41.2291312134222152.591.01

No bullshit, lying, or nonsense. ]"Yeah, that was pretty obvious," Randolph said. "If you can't get out of the box and run down the line or whatever, you're gonna sit down. That's all. It's unacceptable." and... ]"All I do is demand that you hustle and play hard every day," Randolph said. "If you can't do that, like I said, you sit down."

Hank Owen's shoulder hath blown out on him. But, you know, he was good before that.

Screw Rollins. If there was a shortstop snub it was Hanley Ramirez. Chris Young from San Diego was ripped more than John Maine. How does Aaron Rowand make the team and not Adam Dunn? Freddy Sanchez as the lone Pirate over more deserving Gorzellany or Snell. You could kick Fuentes off for either of those guys. Dmitri Young's having a nice year, but if they didn't have to pick a Nat, Ryan Howard probably goes. Aaron Rowand? Really?

Cool story. Cool wifey. Go Tim.

Keith was saying that Klap used to pitch in college and always wanted to pitch against a Met to show how wonderful he was. Keith said he would always tell him no, that he wouldn't waste his time with him, but one day Dykstra took him up on the offer and Dykstra "wore him out". If this warm weather, corporate jerk-off is as successful as Boras wants us to believe, who will give a shit about watching regular, boring games 2-7 baseball after all the fireworks and red carpet are gone?

Well I think they have used him in some blowout spots and like Edgy said, in some tight spots looking to give him something positive to build on, when maybe he should be coming in as a LOOGY for a while. Righties apparently torch him no matter the score so no more righties, I say. Not really what the Mets were paying for, but probably the best way to maximize his ability if he stays around.

I don't know, his lefty/righty splits are just as lopsided, which leads me to believe there's hope for improvement and maybe Willie needs to really use this guy in specific situations, almost exclusively against lefties (on the road apparently), which I think was the book on him anyway. Edit: He still needs to cool it with the walks either way. L/RABHBBKHRBAOBPSLGOPSVs. Left4710980.213.339.255.595

Kinda interesting article on Santeria in MLB and the stigma it carries, making some followers keep quiet about it (except Ozzie Guillen, of course). Nothing exciting going on in the Met clubhouse per Omar and Sandy. ]Religion under wraps Santeria finds a following among baseball's Latin American players, who'd rather not discuss it for fear of misperceptions. By Kevin Baxter, Times Staff Writer June 26, 2007 CHICAGO — On a shelf in the office of Chicago White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen, mixed in among the family photos, the Roberto Clemente bobblehead and the Napoleon Dynamite figurine, are four small but intimidating religious icons. "If you see my saints, you'll be like 'Golly, they're ugly,' " Guillen had said before inviting a visitor to come in. "They've got blood. They've got feathers. You go to the Catholic church, the [saints] have got real nice clothes. "My religion, you see a lot of different things you never see." Guillen's religion is Santeria, a largely misunderstood Afro-Cuba spiritual tradition that incorporates the worship of orisha — multidimensional beings who represent the forces of nature — with beliefs of the Yoruba and Bantu people of Africa and elements of Roman Catholicism. And Guillen, born in Venezuela, is one of a growing number of Latin American players, managers and coaches who are followers of the faith. How many major leaguers have converted to Santeria is impossible to say because most, aware of the stigma the religion has in the United States, refuse to talk about their faith. "It's like the forbidden fruit," said one player. "It's something personal. It's something you don't talk about." But among those who have acknowledged their devotion are Angels pitcher Francisco Rodriguez and Florida Marlins third baseman Miguel Cabrera — both Venezuelan — and the White Sox's Cuban-born pitcher Jose Contreras, all of whom have been All-Stars and won World Series rings. Others, such as Cincinnati Reds shortstop Alex Gonzalez and Chicago Cubs infielder Ronny Cedeno, have experimented with it. "It's something beautiful," said Contreras, who became a babalao, or Santeria high priest, before defecting from Cuba in 2002. "And it helps me a lot. It gives me peace and tranquillity, but more than that." Rodriguez, who points to the heavens after each save, also says Santeria brought him a calmness on the field. "I'm not trying to do it to help me," he said. "I've been with [santeria] for a while. I like it. [but] I'm Catholic too. You cannot do anything without God." Santeria — the name translates roughly as "the way of the saints" — has long been derided (think Pedro Cerrano, the character in the movie "Major League" who turns to the gods to get out of a batting slump) and dismissed in Judeo-Christian society as a primitive cult based solely on bloody animal sacrifices and voodoo, both of which it has. But the syncretic religion is much deeper than that, focused primarily on the worship of orisha, or saints, who govern a specific area of life. "Santeria always was a religion that was persecuted," said Miguel De La Torre, professor of social ethics at Denver's Iliff School of Theology and author of "Santeria: The Beliefs and Rituals of a Growing Religion in America." "You had to keep it secret. For self-survival and to survive in this culture, you had to keep it secret because it was seen as a primitive religion. The U.S. culture has described Santeria as some type of a bloodletting evil religion. The media has really characterized Santeria as something that people from lower classes celebrate." But, De La Torre said, as it grows it's becoming more mainstream. Although he says placing figures on the religion's adherents is guesswork at best, De La Torre's book says some scholars estimate that about 100 million worshipers are identified with Santeria in the Americas. About half a million of those are believed to be in the U.S., which, if true, De La Torre writes, means "there may be more practitioners of Santeria than some of the mainline U.S. Protestant denominations." Much of the misunderstanding regarding Santeria stems from some of the religion's worship rituals. Each orisha, besides having distinct personality traits, also has a favorite number, color and food to which devotees must pay special attention during worship. For example, Chango, the lord of thunder and Santeria's most popular orisha, likes the numbers four and six, the colors red and white and prefers roosters. When offering a sacrifice to him, the animal's blood is sprinkled on sacred stones. But offerings aren't limited to animals and can include vegetables, cakes or candy. "When you talk about that religion in the States, people think you're a monster," said Guillen, whose children were baptized in the Catholic faith and have become, like their father, babalaos. "Sometimes you have to be careful what you say about religion and when and how. Because in this country there's so many different ideas, people get offended so easy. "People call me a criminal because we do stuff with blood and animals. I don't blame these people. They believe what they believe and I believe what I believe. Have I ever killed an animal in the States to do my religion? No. I did in my country." Guillen said there's another popular misconception with Santeria — indeed, with many religions — and that's the belief that how you worship will determine how you play. "Some people think because [their] religion works they're going to get a hit or pitch better," he said "That's no reason to do it. I think the main reason to have a religion is faith and belief. No matter what you believe and what you have faith in, you have to make it work. "It's something that protected my family and myself. And I think it gives me the [foundation] to take the right steps every time I go to do something. [but the orisha] Orula never got a hit. He never got anyone out." For the last couple of seasons the Marlins' Cabrera, like Guillen, has worn multicolored Santeria beads and kept a number of lighted candles and Santeria icons in his locker, frequently making offers of money and drink to them. Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, an art dealer, even had a protective carrying case specially built so Cabrera could take his most imposing item — the likeness of a carved skull on a four-foot stick — with him on the road. "First time I ever had to pack something like that," one clubhouse worker said with a smile. But Cabrera has refused to speak to U.S. reporters about his religion, ending a recent interview with two journalists when they asked about the things in his locker. "It's my stuff," he snapped. "What do you want to know for?" Cabrera, who became a babalao during the off-season, did speak briefly about religion with a Venezuelan writer last winter, saying Santeria "has influenced me a lot" and "it's helped me find peace, health, stability with me and those around me. I think this is one of the best things that has happened to me in my life … and I'm very proud to be a babalao and be part of this religion." Cabrera has leaned on his spiritual beliefs in business too, though with mixed results. Last year he abruptly left the Reich, Katz & Landis agency, his longtime representative, for SFX after the Chicago firm hired friend and spiritual advisor Luis Gonzalez. The switch proved costly for Katz-Landis when Cabrera won a record $7.4-million contract in arbitration in February, costing the firm nearly $300,000 in fees. But a few months later Gonzalez and Cabrera had a falling out neither man will talk about, and in mid-June Gonzalez and SFX parted ways and Cabrera began removing some of the religious items from his locker. Nevertheless, the success of Guillen, Cabrera and Rodriguez has inspired many young players in their native Venezuela to look into Santeria, which has long had a strong following in the South American country. As a result, some teams have begun addressing religion with players they sign there. "The only thing that helps Cabrera, you know, is the athletic ability. Don't tell me that because he is [praying to] any kind of saint he is a better player," said Tampa Bay Devil Rays executive Andres Reiner, who pioneered the idea of a developmental academy in Venezuela more than 15 years ago with the Houston Astros. "Like I said so many times to a bunch of young players: It's not enough to go to bed at night and try to convince God, you know, 'Please get me to the major leagues.' No. you will have to make all the effort to get there. God has no time for that." Yet Reiner and others concede that religious beliefs — especially those imported from home — can give young players something to hold on to when they're struggling to adapt to a new language and culture while also trying to perform at a high level. Guillen, the embattled manager of the fourth-place White Sox, said he turned to Santeria about the time he came to the U.S. Cabrera also became more devout in his beliefs after reaching the major leagues. "Santeria becomes a place where community can be established," De La Torre said. "It becomes a networking location where people can help each other out while they're in a strange land. One of the basic foundations of Santeria is to create harmony. So for people who are in a different culture, it creates a way to tranquillity." Hall of Famer Tony Perez, who is from Cuba, where Santeria is prevalent, says players who turn to that religion for help or comfort are no different from Catholics, Protestants or Jews who look to their faiths for the same thing. "I always crossed myself when I went to the plate because I wanted to thank God because I was healthy," said Perez, a Catholic. "It gives you something to believe in. I don't think you're going to be a better hitter or a better player because you do Santeria. But I believe that it can help you if you ask for help to be healthy all year." Religion, though, also has the potential to tear clubhouses apart. As baseball continues to grow more and more diverse, pulling in players from Asia, Latin America and now Europe and Africa, religious customs are bound to collide. "I've heard [about] it a couple of times here and there. But in very, very small amounts," said New York Mets General Manager Omar Minaya, whose team includes players from five countries and at least that many faiths. "Everybody here goes to their locker and does their own thing," said Mets coach Sandy Alomar, a Puerto Rican who played 15 seasons in the majors, beginning in 1964. "When I was coming up I played with a lot of guys from the Dominican, where they believed in voodoo and all those things." Not surprisingly, Guillen believes in voodoo too. But he says it has no place in baseball — no matter how mad he might get at an umpire. "If I need something off the field, somebody in my family is sick or there's something I need, I do voodoo. Hell yeah," he said. "[but] I never voodooed any [person] in my life. I believe the competition's between the lines." Guillen also said that, although he's proud of his religion, he refuses to force it on anyone. "I never, never, never, never talked to any of my friends and said, 'Listen, this thing works. Listen, this thing helps,' " he said. "If you want to come in, I'm not going to knock on your door. You knock on my door." But though Guillen isn't pushing Santeria, someone must be, the White Sox manager said, because there's no doubt it's making a comeback in professional baseball. "I don't know exactly [why]. I can't tell you," he said before adding with a laugh, "Maybe it's the economy." kevin.baxter@latimes.com

Here's some pics from that shitty game. Completely awesome day right up until the Mets got ass-hammered. I got there with my neighbor Sarah really early (the stadium gates were closed and we had to wait on the hill to get in). She had to sound-check at 6:00, so we got there about 4:45 or thereabouts and waited to get in. The bus made it through gnarly 5 o'clock traffic on the 101 like a true champion. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't really scared it might overheat. We parked and found a couple more of our neighbors, Martin and Damien, brothers from Ireland. Martin's lived in the LBC 7 years, Damien's been visiting for 2 weeks and this was his first baseball game. He said it was like rounders whatever the hell that is. Both really awesome dudes who got on the jumbotron doing this crazy thumbs-up dance. Those guys were a hoot. Anyway, here's a pre-game warmup shot in Marty's truck. Mmm, canned Budweiser... The empty Dodger Stadium parking lot... "Think Blue". We got to tour the underbelly of the stadium which takes you past all the offices. This was the coolest thing that caught my eye, though: We then cruised up to the press booth. This was the long row of seats for newspaper writers. The SNY booth and Vin Scully's booth were to our left so I didn't catch a glimpse of any of those guys. At the far end of the press booth is where the organist, Nancy Bea Hefley does her thing. I got to meet her and her husband (pictured to her right - Edit: make that her left, who apparently goes with her to every game). They were two really sweet people who'd just celebrated their 50th anniversary a week or two before. They gave Sarah some wireless earbuds and she did her first run-through there. That was the first time I'd heard her sing and she is a bad-ass. After that we went down to the field. Straight behind home plate so she could do another run-through with the PA in her ear and get a feel for that. The Mets last group was doing BP (Castro, Franco, Easley, another guy maybe). It was crazy to be that close and my first instinct when seeing these guys so familiar right in front of you is to say "what up", and then you remember you don't actually know them and you feel like a dork for staring. Anyway, I think I took a few more, but these were the only ones I was sent. Maury Wills cruised by and Willie was really excited to see him. He stopped watching BP to chat him up a bit. Here's Willie and Sandy Alomar with Maury, Sandy clearly not too proud to ask for an autograph. BP finished, they did the first pitch, and then the kid belted out the anthem, opera style. Even better than the run-throughs. Then I got to hang with the star for a bit. As we walked off the field, we went past the Dodger dugout. Those were some cool guys, all congratulating her and telling how great she did. Then they went out and kicked the Mets asses. Jerks. After we got to the seats, I changed from my nondescript black t-shirt to my jersey. Didn't want her to get booed singing on account of me (Damien behind us). I caught some ribbing from a half dozen or so guys next to us, but they ended up being very cool, all of them. This one's Roy, I think. Or something. Here's the view from the seats. Stamped "VIP" on the ticket, but not Swank or Seinfeld real estate. Killer just the same. A win would've been nice, but what are you gonna do. Post game sad face:

24 of the 42 draft picks are signed already including goofball Nathan Vineyard, just a high school kid, but already making a serious push for Tug McGraw goofball slot. From Rubin's blog: ]METS SIGN EIGHT MORE DRAFT PICKS The New York Mets announced today that they have signed eight draft picks from the 2007 First Year Player Draft, including supplemental pick (47th overall) lefthanded pitcher Nathan Vineyard from Woodland High School (GA), and the team’s sixth round selection, righthanded pitcher Guillaume Leduc from Edouard Montpetit College (Canada). New York also signed righthanded pitcher Daniel McDonald, the eighth round pick from Seton Hall University (NJ), the 10th round selection infielder Brandon Richey from Northwestern State University (LA), catcher Jeffries Tatford, the club’s 15th round pick from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette (LA), the 25th round pick righthanded pitcher Nicholas Abbott from Weber High School (UT), righthanded pitcher Kyle Catto, the 27th round selection from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (IL) and righthanded pitcher Jason LaVorgna, the 35th round pick from Eastern Connecticut State University (CT). New York has now signed 24 of its 42 picks. Richey, Catto and LaVorgna will be assigned to Kingsport ® of the Appalachian League. McDonald and Tatford will report to Brooklyn (A) of the New York-Penn League. Vineyard, Leduc and Abbott will join the rookie-level Gulf Coast Mets. Posted by Adam Rubin on June 14, 2007 6:27

It's the company that makes all the Dodger Dogs, but I'm not sure who John is or was. Mmm... I mean blech!

Beltran bought a monkey from an exotic pet dealer and El Duque hit a panther in his car?? Vin Scully is the undisputed king of fucking weird, oddball factoids.

Happy Birthday, Josie Reyes. Give yourself a 5-hit game, would ya.

Nice, Wright cleanup, Delgado 5th. Welcome back, Hammer. Nomar on the pine tonight in favor of Loney. I'm like totally Nostradamus.

Great link. Ry Cooder is the guy that put together that excellent Buena Vista Social Club album a few years back. His album a couple years later called "Chavez Ravine" used a bunch of those Normark photos in the CD booklet. Great album. Horrible story. 3rd Base, Doger Stadium Mister, you’re a baseball man, as anyone can plainly see. The straightest game in this great land. Take a little tip from me. I work here nights, parking cars, underneath the moon and stars. The same ones that we all knew back in 1952. And if you want to know where a local boy like me is coming from: 3rd base, Dodger Stadium. 2nd base, right over there. I see grandma in her rocking chair. Watching linens flapping in the breeze, and all the fellows choosing up their teams. Hand over hand on that Louisville. Crowning the top, king of the hill. Mound to home, sixty feet. Baseball been very good to me. And if you want to know where a local boy like me is coming from: 3rd base, Dodger Stadium. 3rd base, Dodger Stadium. Back around the 76 ball, Johnny Greeneyes had his shoeshine stall. In the middle of the 1st base line, got my first kiss, Florencia was kind. Now, if the dozer hadn’t taken my yard, you’d see the tree with our initials carved. So many moments in my memory. Sure was fun, ‘cause the game was free. It was free. Hey mister, you seem anxious to go. You’ll find that seat, in the 7th row Behind home plate, where we used to meet. When we were young, we had dreams. Just a place you don’t know, up a road you can’t go. Just a thought, laid to rest in my mind, just a time. If you care to know where I’m gonna go when I hit my last homerun: 3rd base, Dodger Stadium. 3rd base, Dodger Stadium. 3rd base, Dodger Stadium. Hey, Mister, you are a baseball man. Yes, I’m a baseball man myself. Yes, I’m a baseball man, too. Baseball been very good to me. Yes, baseball been very good to me.

Let's forget Detroit, okay? The Mets are in LA for the first of two trips to Chavez Ravine to have it out with last season's NLDS opponent. The Dodgers are a good enough team, but come into this series reeling a bit and finding themselves in third place after getting beat down in a sweep in San Diego last week, and on the verge of losing 2 of 3 to the Blue Jays at home as I type this. The Offense LA's 10th in the league in runs scored (265) and 12th in OPS (.703). Russell Martin is just 24 and is the star of this team, and arguably the best catcher in the league. He leads his position in OPS, runs, RBI, steals, and probably some other stuff, too. He's good. He's a converted third baseman who's very athletic, quick on his feet, and throws well (37% caught stealing). Third base has been a revolving door, starting with Wilson Betemit, then Andy LaRoche, and now going mostly with 22-year old Tony Abreu. Juan Pierre has been as advertised at the top of the lineup (read: shitty, with a 66 OPS+, but 19 steals and mad leadership skills). Peeps out here are already tired of his bad routes to balls and crap throwing arm packaged with his underwhelming offense. Just 4 quick years left at $9 million per... Jeff Kent and Luis Gonzalez are both still productive, if unspectacular. Nomar's had a serious power outage with only 1 homer this year and a sub .700 OPS. Young hotshot 1B James "J-Lo" Loney was just recalled prior to this series and may see some time if Nomar doesn't get his shit together. Grady mixes it up a lot, but he lineup will look something like this: Rafael Furcal - SS Juan Pierre - CF Nomar Garciaparra - 1B Jeff Kent - 2B Luis Gonzalez - LF Russell Martin - C Andre Ethier - RF Tony Abreu - 3B Matt Kemp and Olmeido Seinz are the righties off the bench. Seinz will be a PH against a guy like Wagner (does well against lefties and kills fastballs) and Kemp has huge power. Betemit sucked BHMC as a starter, but has done pretty well as a pinch hitter. I'd say our offense clearly has the edge, but, you know. Pitching Match-ups The Dodgers are better off in the pitching department, where they're 3rd in the league in ERA (3.60) and runs allowed, led by Brady Penny, Wednesday's starter. Monday, 10:10PM ETEl DuqueRandy Wolf3-1, 1.94 ERA7-4, 4.03 ERA Wolf has won 7 games after an outstanding May, and is actually 4th in the league in strikeouts behind dudes named Hamels, Peavy, and Webb. He's been smacked around in his last couple of starts (9 ER in 10 IP) and we've done okay against lefties this year before we recently started sucking. So who knows. Tuesday, 10:10PM ETJohn MaineHong-Chih Kuo6-3, 2.78 ERA0-1, 4.85 ERA Kuo, you may remember, was the dude LA put in the rotation last year in playoffs because we sucked so hard against lefties. With Brett Tomko and lanky Mark Hendrickson in-and-out of the rotation, Kuo's getting another chance and looked good his last time out (6 IP, 1 ER, 8 K vs. San Diego). He's got good "stuff", but is erratic. Wednesday, 10:10PM ETJorge SosaBrad Penny6-1, 2.64 ERA7-1, 2.26 ERA Both team's undisputed aces lock horns in the finale. Penny comes in with no-decisions in his last 2 starts, but he was great against Toronto on Friday, giving up 1 ER in 7.2 IP with 7 K's. He was lights out last year, too, until July, so we may have caught him a month early. Thankfully we have Jorge F. Sosa going. Saito's still the closer. He's just off the DL and got his first blown save out of the way. He's been dynamite with 30 K's in 25 IP, 16 saves, and a 1.80 ERA. Chad Billingsley is a hard-throwing late inning guy (39 K in 32 IP) and Rudy Seanez is oddly good again. Ex-Factor Looks like Jeff Kent's the only one for them as Brady Clark was DFA'd today. We've got a crap-load of ex-Dodgers, though. Lo Duca, Mota, Valentin, Green, Sele, and Ricky Ledee. And Willie Randolph. Dodgers on the web: Everyone knows about the mostly funny DodgerBlues.com, but if you want to find hard-hitting Dodger analysis and sexy Long Island-housewife jump suits, there's just one place to go: Alyssa Milano's blog. Alyssa on Giambi: ]Yes, Giambi may have made some bad choices throughout his career but I must admit, as a purist fan of baseball, I have a newfound respect for the man. Giambi has shown dignity with his honesty. Giambi has shown integrity with his candor. His statements shouldn’t be investigated . . . they should be applauded. Preach it, sister. I will be in the house on Wednesday night for my 32nd birthday, and will be in the company of my extremely cool and talented neighbor who will be belting out an opera rendition of the National Anthem. Rolling with her has some sweet perks: kick-ass seats behind home plate, getting to cruise the under-belly of Dodger Stadium, meeting the organist Nancy Bea Hefley, and getting to go on the field when she sings. Lots of pictures will be taken and I hope she's still friends with me when I get arrested for glad-handing David Wright while she's performing. Play ball!

I just read about that now on MLB.com. Amazing. The emergency catcher apparently is Kevin Frandsen, who left the game as a PH in the 9th. The article said Feliz got tips from Molina before he went behind the plate (keep your hand behind your back, etc.) but said he looked fantastic, even blocking a nasty breaking pitch in the dirt. Winn's only action was a foul pop-up, which he caught. Lowry got none, but ended the game striking out. Cool stuff.

Jack Aker does work on reservations teaching kids baseball thanks to a grant from the National Indian Youth Leadership Project (sez his site). Well he's doing a lesson in the town I went to high school in at the park we played ball in, according to this small blurb. Dig how the hometown paper thought his name might sound better with an "s" at the end, until the last sentence where there inexplicably get it right. Silly hometown paper. Friday, June 8 2007 Sports Having a major league time Jack Akers, a former major league baseball player, instructs kids at Kerr McGee Park on Thursday. Akers worked with 15 kids on the finer points of fielding and hitting. Later in the day, Akers was scheduled to work with pitchers, a position he held in the majors for 11 years with the A's, Yankees, Cubs, Mets and Braves. Aker retired in 1989 from baseball as the pitching coach for the Cleveland Indians.

Slap some giant glasses on Michael Olmstead, and you've got a 21st Century Charlie Kerfeld. He's 20 years old, from Cypress College. 6' 5", 240-pound reliever. #55 in your scorebook.

More dudes, all but one college kids. Not a single outfielder drafted yet! #213 - Guillaume Leduc, RHP, Edouard Montpetit Col #243 - Lucas Duda, 1B, USC #273 - Daniel McDonald, RHP, Seton Hall U. #303 - Michael Olmstead - RHP, Cypress College, CA #333 - Brandon Richey - SS, Northwestern St. U. #363 - Matthew Bouchard - SS, Georgetown U. #393 - William Morgan - RHP, Lewis & Clark St. College #423 - Jordan Abruzzo - C, Univ. of San Diego #453 - Robert Carson - LHP, Hattiesburg HS, MS #483 - Jefferies Tatford - C, Univ. of Louisiana-Lafayette

They pronounced it "Koonz". Mets followed up with Nathan Vineyard, a 6' 2" high school lefty pitcher. Dig this picture:

Mets nab big, hard-throwing righty Eddie Kunz out of Oregon State. 6' 5", 250 lbs. Edit: He looks from the picture in this article to be another side-arming reliever. Mets like that formula apparently.