TransMonk

metirish wrote: Maher is sporting the blue lately. Yea!!!

Edgy MD wrote: No women? All white guys too. Is this a recording studio or a golf club? Seriously, you had me at Cronin. Stevie Nicks. How did I miss that? (Shame on Wikipedia's list of featured artists.)

Dave Grohl directed a documentary about the history of the famed Los Angeles recording studio Sound City and the making of the album he recorded with some of the musicians who recorded there. The movie features: Vinny Appice, Frank Black, Lindsey Buckingham, Kevin Cronin, Rivers Cuomo, Mick Fleetwood, Josh Homme, Alain Johannes, Paul McCartney, Tom Petty, Trent Reznor, Ross Robinson, Rick Rubin, Pat Smear, Rick Springfield, Corey Taylor, Benmont Tench, Lars Ulrich, Butch Vig, Lee Ving, Brad Wilk, Neil Young, Stephen Pearcy, Warren DeMartini, Of course, I loved it having spent countless hours recording analog music. This movie was pretty much made for peeps like me.

Colin Cowgill - my new favorite player.

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Zack Wheeler Wows At Mets Camp, Looks �Like A No. 1? Starter �It�s not just him looking like a big leaguer, it�s him looking like a No. 1,� said Byrd, according to the New York Post. No offense to Wheeler, but I bet a lot of pitchers look like a No. 1 to Marlon Byrd.

Great find!

Not a lot of surprised in my mind based on reports of the time. Piazza and Pedro did not get along...and I'm not sure that was news. Otherwise, he did not have many bad things to say about his Mets teammates. The 1998-2001 teams were very close in his recollection. He had great relationships with Leiter, Franco, Ventura and Zeile...again, not news. His stories in the Mets years linger on the playoff runs, the Clemens feud, the Mota feud, 9/11, the gay story, his decline into injury in the years following 2001, and not wanting to move to first base. The book focuses a lot on him and he doesn't give too much away about his teammates at any time.

Finished it. For what it's worth, he saves some of his most positive comments for his final days with the Mets and considers his times with the Mets his best times. He states (once again, I believe) that it would be his preference to go into the Hall as a Met and that if the HOF made him go as a Dodger, he would prefer to go in like Catfish Hunter with a blank cap. That being said, I'm still pretty put off about his bratty attitude. I would NOT recommend this book if you have a glowing image of Mikey's attitude in your mind. Mike was a great player. He DID bring legitimacy to the Mets after several years of them missing it. Luckily, he was never my favorite player on any of his teams...but he was a nice piece to have on the field at the turn of the century. But the fact remains that he played on a lot of very good teams in his career. He was on playoff teams in 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000 and 2006...and several other contenders. As good as his hitting was, he was never a legitimate leader either in the clubhouse or even on the field. If he was, I would think one of those teams would have a won ring.

I'm guessing that both Piazza and the publisher thought that he would already be elected by the BBWAA by the book's release date when it was set. I'm surprised there is not an added chapter about how pissed he is about that too.

batmagadanleadoff wrote: ...or Piazza against the MVP voters of '95 and '96, (although why he doesn't gripe about '97 is beyond me; I'da voted for Piazza as MVP in '97 no doubter)... I hadn't gotten to 1997 yet...he was pissed about that one, too. batmagadanleadoff wrote: ...but for all of his outward politeness, Piazza strikes me as the spoiled kinda guy who can't cope with not getting what he wants... Yes.

Edgy MD wrote: That just comes out as somebody else's voice, doesn't it? Very much so, yes. I'm now up through the 2003 season. He has very few nice things to say about the Dodgers organization. His recounts of his years with the Mets, so far, are much more positive. He had some perceived slights by Valentine (who didn't), but overall was positive about him and he did not like dealing with the NY press (especially the whole "Piazza is gay" thing). But his descriptions of the years around the turn of the century were fun to read and were the main reason I decided to read the book. He goes into the Clemens and Mota feuds in much depth. He definitely has a hot head. I've got a little less than a hundred pages left. It's gotten better (mostly because of the stories turning to Mets experiences rather than Dodgers)...but he still comes of as much more of a douche than I remember him. There were several passages that I literally cringed at while reading. I can't believe we would have THAT attributed to him in his autobiography!

Literal-ized for Vic: TransMonk wrote: Stylistically, the writing is about as basic as you'd expect with some of the same old baseball cliches...a few that barely make sense in the context [that Mike Piazza's ghost writer] is using them. [The ghost writer's] references to music are downright painful.

I'm a little under halfway through it (up to 1997). So far, he comes off as a self-absorbed tool (maybe my perception changes once he becomes a Met and he matures a little...we'll see). He mentions his back acne twice during the first few chapters as a major problem he's dealt with all his life (truth? who knows?). He's got a chip on his shoulder about the perception that he only got multiple chances to succeed based on his dad's relationship with Lasorda (not all together untrue based on the way he tells it). He also comes off as bitter at not winning the MVP in 1995 and 1996. Overall, he is much more cynical and narcissistic than I thought he would be. I understand that pro athletes are competitors and like to be rewarded when they do good things. Piazza is no exception to this. There is not a lot of humility described during the first several years of his pro career. Stylistically, the writing is about as basic as you'd expect with some of the same old baseball cliches...a few that barely make sense in the context he is using them. His references to music are downright painful.

13th works for me too. At or after 8pm EST would be best.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: "Just give me the Joseph Gordon-Levitt, take a few mph off the back, and a little precision off the sides." But don't mess with my soul patch. I've been cultivating that for 16 years.

Tim Lincecum got a haircut. God, I'm glad ST starts tomorrow.

It's on my list to read this week, but my expectations aren't that high. I'm mostly interested in what he has to say about Valentine and to revisit some of the '99-2001 highlights. But, c'mon, it's Mike Piazza. He married a playmate and would feel more at home on That Metal Show than the NYT Book Review to promote his bio. I'm not saying I expect him to come off as a douche...but I wouldn't be surprised if he did.

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/60598/lefty-herrera-eyes-may-return Lefty Herrera eyes May return PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Left-handed reliever Daniel Herrera, who made 16 appearances for the Mets in 2011, expects to be ready to pitch in games in May. The 28-year-old Herrera, an early arrival to Port St. Lucie, is about to step on a mound for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery last May. He will not be in major league camp. Herrera was not a free agent this past offseason. He remained under the Mets' control after making three early season relief appearances for Triple-A Buffalo last year. *After a quick search, I didn't see a 2013 Injury Thread. If there is, feel free to merge and delete.

My calendar is loser-ishly open. I should be able to be available at any time agreed upon.

Burton's best work: "Debbie, he is only, like, the next Martin Scorsees." ikLJDaVStww I outgrew Tim Burton by the time I was in high school. Outside Pee-Wee and Beetlejuice, the only other Burton movie I remotely enjoyed was Mars Attacks! because of a talented cast. I'm not a fan.

Jason Bay 2012 OPS: .536 Marlon Byrd 2012 OPS: .488 We still need outfielders.

Mets � Willets Point wrote: Edgy MD wrote: Sophie B. was her usual standoffish self. Damn! Two BOCs for the price of one.

Har-de-har. I should've seen that coming. I'm hoping the pill is called full-strength Bautista.

Ceetar wrote: http://ottoneu.fangraphs.com/userdashboard 'renew new' button on the right. Thank you kindly. Paid as well. After finishing third last year, I'm keeping my team mostly intact. I have some injury concerns, but also feel that if my unit stays healthy I can contend again.

I'm with JCL on the time. It looks like everyone if under the cap...so I don't think any team has to cut anyone. I'm going into the draft only needing to fill 9 spots...none of them everyday guys...which is good because my budget only has $34 bucks left. Anyone know where to click in order to pay our dues?