metirish

] hope as much as the next guy that Zito ends up here....but I'm almost positive I remember, around the winter meetings, the A's saying they won't trade him in the offseason. I'll look for a quote. yeah I've read that today, Beane apparently has told the Mets that he won't trade him before the season and might not even trade him during the season....

Jon Heyman's view on the trade( nothing new here) ] This trade is for the Birds - and for the Mets, too The Mets pulled the trigger on Kris Benson-for-Jorge Julio not because Barry Zito or Jeff Weaver is waiting in the wings but for several other reasons. Such as: 1) General manager Omar Minaya loves Julio's power arm (with Billy Wagner and Julio, who's hit 99 mph, the Mets have the hardest-throwing bullpen back end); 2) Minaya wanted to give Aaron Heilman a shot at the No. 5 starting spot he's been craving; 3) Mets people see other starting alternatives in Yusaku Iriki and maybe even No. 1 draft choice Mike Pelfrey by midseason; 4) While the Orioles rebuffed attempts at former No. 1 pick Adam Loewen, the Mets liked righthander John Maine, another hard thrower (though some note last year's regression); 4) The Mets got younger; 5) Anna Benson will have to don her Santa's helper get-up in Baltimore now; 6) They'll save $13 million because Kris Benson has $15.5 million left through '07 and Julio will make about $2.55 million via arbitration, providing flexibility should something tempting arise later (including Zito). A's GM Billy Beane told the Mets he won't offer Zito until at least midseason, if then. And even then, it'll be tough; Beane would insist on Lastings Milledge and the Mets envision him as a potential replacement for Cliff Floyd in '07. As for Weaver, the Mets' interest seems mild. Texas, Anaheim, Baltimore and perhaps Boston are more likely landing spots for Weaver. Santa's gift to Baltimore? Anna Benson played Santa's helper all right - she likely helped get the Orioles the starting pitcher they desperately needed. The Mets are too polite to admit it, but her "career" and her over-the-top Santa stripper suit at the kids' Christmas party could not have gone unnoticed. Mrs. Benson was in the city yesterday for a magazine "photo shoot." Unfortunately for her, there won't be as many photo ops in Baltimore.

Jesus Elster I hadn't thought about the trade like that, it makes it look even worse, although Duke must love Benson or maybe he has a thing for Anna....

Bret to be fair to Ed Coleman, he's a total bollox, Jeff fucking Weaver?, no way Jose or Omar, I heard Omar on the news tonight, I hate hearing him talk bullshit about power arms....

Thanks for the info, sad story, I hope he comes through it ok..

I'm shocked, shocked I tell ya......

This may have been posted and talked aobut while I was away but I can't find the 'Rico' thread, anyway I was reading Steve Rushin in 'SI' and he's writing about how guns are a part of sports culture now...something like that anyway....this was the second paragraph... ] The day after Christmas former major league pitcher Jeff Reardon allegedly robbed a jewelry store in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., after passing a note to a clerk that said he had a gun. (Police never found one.) Holy shit ,what happened to Jeff?,any follow up on this?

I hope she will she be there, that remains to be seen, I really hope Julio Jorge is not.

]Irish, Ellie's spraying the room with an AK-47 of satire. He's always doing that....LOL...

That's not true Elster, he's not cheap and he's not a scumbag, now Iv'e not read the article yet but Wilpon spends on payroll.

'tis a pity Mr. Koo is gone, I'll vote vacant , I have to see these guys in action first.

Iriki I think is a rocker, check out his link from his site... http://www.j-rock.jp/pc/

It looks like #49 is special to him, on his site he has a 'club 49' link...checking the 40 man roster that # should be available, if not I think we can expect Iriki to fight for it down by the chop shops.

When I saw this thread title I assumed Franco was going to be inducted into some hall in Staten Island not the big hall in Cooperstown.

Cool piece, this guy could be a fan fave quickly, and his reggae song is a classic....lol

A poll at www.boston.com asks what position he should come back in... President of baseball operations is winning by a wide margin.

]His return had been rumored almost since the day he slipped out of Fenway Park wearing a borrowed gorilla costume to avoid the media. A gorilla suit?, I hadn't heard about that, it's hard to see what postion other than GM Theo would take, still I am glad he's back.

Yeah I won it, I was only bidding against one other person, waiting for it to be shipped...

Wouldn't you look the part now walking through the Metro or Grand Central with that case, that and the M Doanld Grant Sports jacket would be a good match.

ESPN has an article online regarding milestones that should be reached this season..noting that Pedro needs 3 wins for 200 it also notes with another shutout Pedro would pass Babe Ruth on that all time list with 18.

This was probably posted but Nomar will play for Mexico, both parents are from there.

This article from Klapisch is comical,more for how he explains the thinking that seems to go into every Gay-Rod decision........is he that insecure that he wants everyone to like him?..you can read the full statement on ..www.arod.com ] Wednesday, January 18, 2006 By BOB KLAPISCH SPORTS COLUMNIST The hours were tick-tick-ticking away, the deadline fast approaching for the World Baseball Classic's teams to finalize their rosters. Yet, as midnight approached, an entire industry still was waiting out Alex Rodriguez's decision. Or, to be more precise, his indecision. Was A-Rod playing for the Americans or Dominicans? Was he in or out of the tournament? The drama didn't end until 10:07 p.m., when Rodriguez's agent announced his client will be joining the U.S. team. No doubt A-Rod's decision was popular with the union, which had been pressuring him all day to end his holdout. But the Dominicans, whose president called A-Rod as part of a recruiting effort, felt jilted. So were the Yankees, who been assured by the third baseman that he'd spend spring training in Tampa. According to one Yankee insider, Rodriguez went as far to relay a personal message to George Steinbrenner last month. "Tell him I'm [sitting out] for him," A-Rod said. But that promise melted under the heat generated by the union and to a lesser degree the commissioner's office, each of whom had a stake in Rodriguez's participation. Play, they whispered to him. Just play. Pick a roster, any roster. It doesn't matter if it's the Americans or the Dominicans. Baseball's version of the Olympics needs the presence of the game's star athlete, is how the sales pitch went. One member of the American team further appealed to A-Rod by text messaging his cellphone. "Why are you doing this?" the player wrote, referring to Rodriguez's holdout. "You're just [cementing] the very perception that people criticize you for, that you try to please everyone." Such piercing logic finally broke A-Rod. A few minutes after 11 p.m., his Web site, A-Rod.com, carried the official wording of his flip-flop. "Following discussion with my family and agent, the Commissioner, and the Major League Baseball Players Association, I have decided to participate in the World Baseball Classic. "In recent weeks, following dialogue with caring friends and players, both Dominican and American, I reached the conclusion that if I played in the Classic, I would play for the United States and honor my American citizenship. "I appreciate the support and understanding of my fellow Dominican players and friends who aided me in making this decision. "The World Baseball Classic offers baseball and its fans an exciting new forum and I look forward, if selected, to representing the United States in what will be baseball's greatest international competition." That represented a stunning turnaround to those closest to A-Rod, especially those who'd been expecting a 6 p.m. announcement on the Web site. But when the hour came and went without any word, Yankee officials nervously began calling around, asking if anyone knew the reason for the delay. Rodriguez's handlers were questioned, including agent Scott Boras. In or out? Everyone wanted to know. Finally, the third baseman was reached and his answer only further muddied the waters. A-Rod told an intermediary that he "wasn't ready yet" to say he was blowing off the WBC -- only that he was "still working" on the wording of his statement. While Rodriguez insisted he was "99.9 percent sure" he was not going to play, that he'd yet to commit to a Yankees-only spring training was as maddening as it was comical. Or as one Yankee insider said, "Now I know how Alex drives everyone crazy." Why was it so hard for Rodriguez to reach a verdict? Because of the same demon that's haunted him throughout his career: the insatiable need to be universally liked. The longer Rodriguez vowed neutrality, the more restless the mob became. The union and commissioner wanted Rodriguez on board because he would instantly legitimize the tournament, as well as reverse a series of public-relations setbacks. Cuba is banned for now from participating, but is lobbying the U.S. government for permission to play in the tournament. In the meantime, the International Baseball Federation has vowed to withhold any sanctioning of the tournament and Puerto Rico has refused to host any of the first-round games unless the Cubans are allowed back in. On the American side, several key players -- John Smoltz and Barry Zito among them -- have changed their minds about playing. None of the Americans from the world champion White Sox lent his name to this cause. And no one was really sure if Roger Clemens would be healthy enough by March. Though the U.S. team promises to be a strong one, it's no means a blow-away favorite, which is why A-Rod's decision means so much. As well, the Dominicans were leaning on Rodriguez to acknowledge his Latin roots. Despite being American-born and a U.S. citizen, Rodriguez had been pressured by elected Dominican officials, not to mention his Dominican-born mother. So Rodriguez announced last month that he wasn't playing. The controversy was over, it seemed, even after The New York Times hinted two weeks ago that Rodriguez was dipping his toes in the water again -- this time for the Americans. Turns out, it was officials from the players' union who were suggesting that, even though none had directly consulted with Rod. As recently as last weekend, there was no sign that Rodriguez was facing a public-relations crisis. He attended Derek Jeter's charity golf tournament in Tampa, mingling with the likes of Reggie Jackson and Michael Jordan, without telling anyone he still was torn by the WBC. By Monday morning, all that was left was A-Rod's announcement. By then, MLB was busy finalizing its rosters: Each team had to submit a pool of 60 players, which then would be pared down to 30 by March 3. Anyone left off the initial 60 would not be permitted to play, not even sought-after stars such as Rodriguez. The U.S. squad had 42 names ready Monday night; the other 18 would be identified by Tuesday's midnight deadline. No wonder the Rodriguez saga was so all-consuming. This was the last chance, not just for him, but for all those waging a peer-pressure campaign. By 8 p.m., there still was no word. Nothing at 9 p.m., nothing at 10 p.m., either. Calls to Rodriguez's cellphone went directly to voice mail. Seven minutes later the world had its answer. Rodriguez had made up his mind. Again. E-mail: klapisch@northjersey.com

I know Phillips is a wanker but he did build some damn good Mets teams...

duh....yeah Trax of course...how easily I forget him..

No one I can think of Elster, remember Glavine was quoted as saying he didn't think he would have signed with the Mets if Bobby was managaer, he later retracted that...same with Floyd, although I don't think he retracted that...