A Boy Named Seo

It'll be fine. There's already so much shit going on between innings and pitching changes. If anything, a dance crew makes sense.

The plans and fortunes of the Mets in 2024 and 2025 depend greatly on the output of the stubble-faced, dimple-chinned right-hander, once again the face and ace of the Astros (sorry, lil Altuve). As you might recall, the Mets are forking over https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/new-york-mets/payroll/$20.78MM (for tax purposes) to have JV pitch for Houston this year, and IF his option vests (a massive, strategy-changing if), the Mets will owe him an additional $17.5MM in 2025, which severely dampens the "bridge" strategy they've been working so hard to enact. You know the one - employ guys on relatively inexpensive one-year contracts like Harrison Bader and Luis Severino this year and drop under the tax threshold ahead of the '25 season, "resetting" their status as repeat tax offenders and relieving them of the 110% tax they now pay on salaries. That's the reason they don't even flirt with a guy like Blake Snell. Who would pay over $60MM for a season of Snell? No one would. So the Verlander Vest? What is it? 140 innings. If he hits that mark in 2024, the Mets are on the hook again in '25. If he falls short of that, they have $17.5MM "extra" luxury tax-free dollars to allocate towards anything from Pete Alonso to my man-crush Roki Sasaki. The Mets currently have right at $138MM allocated to player salaries in 2025. The Verlander Vest would push that to $155.5MM. The luxury tax threshold in 2025 is $241MM. Every dollar counts. After the NL Wild Card standings, the Vest Watch may be the race that attracts the second-most number of eyes this year. 2023 JV: 162 1/3 IP --- threshold 140 IP --- 2024 JV: Starting the season on the IL with a https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/03/justin-verlander-astros-injured-list-opening-day.htmlsore right shoulder. The Verlander Vest, now available at Cabela's: [FIMG=500]https://akns-images.eonline.com/eol_images/Entire_Site/201514/rs_600x600-150204103607-600-kate-upton-justin-verlander.ls.2415.jpg[/FIMG]

Wonder what kind of flip phone they used to shoot that last out back in 2008

STOP THE MUSIC and DIDDLY SQUAT were my other favs, but I think the best cover won. THEY DON'T GOT IT was a #9 seed. What's the lowest seed to have won the Tabloid Cover Derby?? Wonderful, as always, Grimm, thank you!

=metsmarathon post_id=147119 time=1708029070 user_id=83] god, the mets one would be so much better if the racing stripe were styled more mid-cap like detroit or cleveland.

I voted for Locastro but I forgot the was the "fast" guy. I think there's probably a 25th roster spot for him somewhere. I can see Vogey getting singed by the A's or something. I think Coonrod's your guy here. Shitty relief pitcher and by all accounts a shitty guy, too. He'll be lucky to find an employer.

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: It's a shame. Paul Lukas pointed out today the new unis do away with trim on beltloops--the Braves were the only team that did that but what was the point or whacking that? The whole lowering of the MLB logo not only means cheap looking nameplates but the numerals themselves are smaller I missed that pant thing. Uniformity is great for one team, but not for every team. MLB shouldn't be acting more like MLS.

Edgy MD wrote: Teams should be contracting out their uniform construction individually. Blunders shouldn't be universal. I agree. I always bring stuff back to soccer cause I'm insufferable, but I love how in European leagues (and the USL here in America), teams hire whoever they want and can be as imaginative (or not) as they like. One team has Puma, one Adidas, one has Charley from Mexico, etc.

Nike is still the manufacturer of MLB uniforms, but this year have hired Fanatics (they apparently took over Majestic's warehouse) to fulfill their uni visions for the '24 season. Fanatics is a provider of officially licensed sports merch but it seems like they have less expensive shit than the regular channels, too. In years past, I've bought old Arsenal kits for less than $30 (seems those days might be gone though) and a couple lower-tier replica Clippers jerseys without the Nike swoosh or corporate sponsor. Some of it feels like licensed knock-offs. Anyway, baseball. Nike made several changes to the jersey this year, but the ones players and fans are griping most about are the material (players have said they fit differently and feel "cheap") and the new, smaller and more heavily curved last name on the back. According to Lukas, these issues are Nike's not Fanatics', but people yell at whoever they want anyway cause that's how things work in this stupid world nowadays. Here are a couple looks:

I was scrolling very slowly expecting to catch the first glimpse of Guillorme in Atlanta colors.

The Dream Team analogy is pretty good. I vote for Dan Aykroyd as the Cristian Laettner of the WATW Dream Team.

Watched it and absolutely loved it. Stevie's moments were my favorites. The one JCL mentioned with the hilariously out-of-place Dylan was incredible. I also loved when at about 6am and everyone is running on fumes, Stevie decides it would be a great idea if they re-wrote some lines in Swahili even though Ethiopians don't speak Swahili. They messed around with it for a bit to placate him, but Waylon was like '**** this I'm out'. I couldn't get over the fact that they got everyone to show up late at night after an awards ceremony and stay all night and into the morning, with Al Jarreau seemingly the only one who was really ****ed up. I'm sure ego played no small part in it, FOMO before FOMO was a thing, or just not wanting to be the star who wasn't there. That they got all the phone calls to everyone done, the demos adorably packaged and sent everywhere via FedEx so the performers knew the song, and the the damn thing recorded in less than 24 hours with all those people was insane.

Since they already have a black top, I fear it's gonna be one of those black-on-black-on-black monstrosities like Cincy. [FIMG=500]https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/06/8ecb4-16876276863823-1920.jpg[/FIMG]

City Connect confirmed for the Mets this year. Who else is terrified they're gonna suck?

I was reading a piece in The Athletic this morning that indicated most teams are beefing up their Major League coaching staffs. This is due to rosters having so many young players ready to make an impact NOW!!!! but still needing a lot of instruction, a direct result of the most recent CBA that decentivized manipulating service time. With most teams hiring more MLB-level coaches, it feels past the time to get rid of coaches numbers. Give them all a Showalter windbreaker and be done with it.

This doc makes me want to buy netflix for a month

He's on the 265-day IL.

I wish John Fisher shared Peter Angelos' ambitions to retire an old, disgustingly rich person.

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Yeah, great dude. One of my all-time favorite Mets who was only here for a short time and wasn't really good.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: A Boy Named Seo wrote: DON'T GOT IT is a pretty perfect photo and it feels rare that one of these news places doesn't go too heavy handed with the blocky headline, but here they really used restraint and they laid the text out so well. It looks like Nimmo is pulling up so he doesn't bump into the "G" and the ball rolling up the arm of Marte is a damn period to end the sentence. Well said! And it convinced me to change my vote. Cool, I was certain if I stumped for one, it would shift the vote the opposite way. I feel like a real online influencer now.

7-7! I voted for THEY DON'T GOT IT even though I love STOP THE MUSIC. DON'T GOT IT is a pretty perfect photo and it feels rare that one of these news places doesn't go too heavy handed with the blocky headline, but here they really used restraint and they laid the text out so well. It looks like Nimmo is pulling up so he doesn't bump into the "G" and the ball rolling up the arm of Marte is a damn period to end the sentence. STOP THE MUSIC is great but they had to use a black background and the clipart trumpet that day (which is clever!), but the ballpark fence is just the perfect background for THEY DON'T GOT IT. It would look so good in a fancy frame in Stockholm or on a shower curtain.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: A Boy Named Seo wrote: That Ben Grimm did DIDDLY SQUAT to protect our elections. I think you're confusing me with Nikki Haley. Or Nancy Pelosi. Or somebody. Not me, but some very fine people are.

I think I have a favorite, but a coupla heavyweights just the same. IMO the strongest bracket in the tourney this year. #16 seed MEET THE MESS might've had a shot to advance if they had another first round opponent.

A lot of very smart people are saying there was a late night vote dump for THIS MUCH! It's not me saying it, but a lot of smart people are. We have this big, beautiful Jeff McNeil cover and there's no way it gets beat by that Escobar guy from Mexico or wherever he's from. Sounds like a drug dealer to me, a real bad hombre. A lot of people are saying the polls here can't be trusted. That Ben Grimm did DIDDLY SQUAT to protect our elections, just like Sleepy Joe Torre did for the Mets in '79, DIDDLY SQUAT.