metirish

here's a picture.....

The GM was promised a whole lot of money for this season,they've been talking since last season about the money they would have, new ownership?

yes it is....doh...

]Um, am I the only one freaking out over the fact that Pedro's big toe still hurts? I can't find it and I don't remember where I read it but the Mets have had a recent meeting with Pedro regarding his big toe and the WBC........

Yeah and when he has his first passed ball we can call him the duke of hazard.

Plus he moved to Arizona when he was two years old....I agree no more giving players names...

Yeah I bet you hate the troops too.....shame on you..

Damn I hadn't thought about that, it would be hard to cheer and root for Asshead in a tight spot...

From the article.... ]After all, Fidel Castro is practically staking his political future on the performance of his Cuban players So does that mean he'll quit or something if Cuba falis to impress?

]LoDuca, by the way, would be only the fifth Paul to play for the Mets. The Mets were completely Paulless until Mr. Siebert arrived on a dark day in 1977. After Siebert went away, it would be another 14 years before the next Paul came along. That would be Mr. Gibson. The Mets were very Paulful in 1996, when they had Mr. Byrd and Mr. Wilson. But there's been a nine-year Paul drought between Wilson's departure and the arrival of Mr. LoDuca. That's just great info, what fan would even thnk about that, being that Paul is a common name I'm surprised he's only the fifth.

Yeah I'm the same way,I just hope no Mets player will get injured,I'll be shouting for the US though, US V Cuba or the Dominican in a title game would have some juice I would think.

Steve Popper says Omar had a meeting last night with the Boston bigwigs...interesting article too, free agents have offered to come to NY for less money,really?....Grudzielanek maybe? ] By STEVE POPPER STAFF WRITER DALLAS - In the media room at the Wyndham Anatole Hotel, the area around the podium featured some of the biggest powerbrokers in baseball - commissioner Bud Selig included - drawing crowds of reporters. But Omar Minaya slipped into the room and much of the crowd flocked to him, putting on display a fitting example of the magnet that the Mets' general manager has become. Free agents have offered to come to New York for less money than they could get elsewhere. Other teams with high-priced contracts to move ask for a sit-down with Minaya like asking a favor from the Godfather. And the media rushes to him because in the winter Minaya is where the action is. Minaya was in the media room to announce the deal that will bring the Mets Paul Lo Duca from the Florida Marlins in exchange for two minor leaguers. But that was old news already and what everyone wanted to know is: What's next? He wasn't saying, only insisting that he is now comfortable with his team. But he was quick to point out that he doesn't like to feel comfortable. According to one baseball executive the Mets conducted a face-to-face meeting with the Boston Red Sox on Monday night and that means that Minaya is still pursuing the biggest name in the winter meetings - Manny Ramirez. With Lo Duca secured and Carlos Delgado and Billy Wagner already having been fitted for their Mets jerseys, it might seem that Minaya should be comfortable. Watching from afar, Lo Duca saw little need for anything else. "First and foremost I think you don't want to put pressure on yourself," Lo Duca said. "But I think it would be a disappointment if we didn't win the NL East. I think we've got all the tools. "I think it would be a real disappointment with the team we're throwing out there right now not to be competitive to win the World Series." While Minaya has filled in the major holes, he still is working to make more moves - this time from a position of power, being able to turn away a deal that doesn't feel just right rather than having to overpay in dollars or talent. "I'm happy with the club," Minaya said. "I want to be able to say to ourselves, we're in a situation that we wanted to be. Usually you have objectives in the winter and you want to accomplish these objectives. Sometimes you accomplish two out of three. "We are in a situation where we've accomplished these objectives so we feel comfortable that if other situations arise in front of us that make sense from a baseball side and from a financial side, we'll have to consider it. But we don't have to go out and do [something]." While Ramirez might be the dream move for Minaya, who still longs for more middle-of-the-order power even with the addition of Delgado, he was searching for more mundane moves. While he said that Kazuo Matsui, "is our second baseman right now," the team remains interested in free agent Mark Grudzielanek. Mets officials have stated that the team would have to get creative, moving contracts, to be able to land another big contract. The team has explored interest in some of their players - including Kris Benson. Minaya pointed out that the Mets have replaced only the $30 million that came off their books with the departures of Mike Piazza, Braden Looper, Mike Cameron and a handful of other expiring contracts. "I think you always try to upgrade your team," he said. "You're never there. When I say I'm happy to be where we are today, the fact that we are [on] the first day of the winter meetings and our objectives and goals, which really were defined as a closer, the catcher and a power hitter, to be able to be there today and still be with a payroll right about where we were last year, that's what makes me happy. "I always say I don't want to get to the point where I'm comfortable. A comfort zone is not an area that I'm used to. I don't like comfort zones. I'm always thinking, 'What's an area that we can improve?' Let's not get too comfortable here. The fact of the matter is when you get comfortable, that's when your competition catches up to you." E-mail: popper@northjersey.com

Coould it be really possible that Rodriguez thought he could play for both countries? ] It's time for A-Rod to get off the fence Tuesday, December 6, 2005 By BOB KLAPISCH SPORTS COLUMNIST DALLAS - While the baseball community is busy digesting the meaning of the World Baseball Classic - is it really a rule-the-globe tournament, or just a series of glorified spring training games? - the issue cuts far deeper for Alex Rodriguez, who can't decide if he'll play for the U.S. or the Dominican Republic. At first glance, it should be an easy choice: A-Rod was born in New York City, and as a full-fledged American citizen should be the starting third baseman on the U.S. squad, right next to Derek Jeter (who decided Sunday that he's playing). But the quirky WBC isn't quite the Olympics, and the eligibility rules are lax enough to allow Manny Ramirez, who became a U.S. citizen two years ago, to still represent the Dominican Republic. And that's why Andruw Jones, who was born in Curacao in the Netherlands Antilles, is playing for the Netherlands. Obviously, this tournament's legitimacy is diluted by its gerrymandered rosters, which has Mike Piazza playing for Italy. The Italian contingent, in fact, is more like the Italian-American squad, which is why there's been no hurricane of nationalist fervor whipping through this country. Not even FOX, baseball's primary vehicle to the masses, is interested in broadcasting the Classic. Still, there promises to be some entertaining moments, if the tournament boils down to a one-game, winner-take-all championship between the U.S. and the Dominicans. Who wouldn't want to see Barry Bonds facing Pedro Martinez, or Roger Clemens going one-on-one with Ramirez (especially with the residue of ill will between the two?) Put it this way: It'll be far better theater than your average spring training game, and by all accounts, the Latin squads (the Dominicans, Cubans and Puerto Ricans) will treat the games as if a world title were really at stake. Maybe that's why A-Rod still can't make up his mind. His parents were born in the Dominican Republic, which means he has every right (at least by tournament rules) to consider himself a teammate of Pedro and Manny and David Ortiz. Maybe he's worried about offending the game's top Latino players, although most American players have long since considered A-Rod one of their own. That's certainly true in the Yankee clubhouse, where Rodriguez mingled not with Mariano Rivera and Bernie Williams, but with Jeter, Jason Giambi and Tino Martinez (who despite his Spanish surname, is about as all-American as they come). Rodriguez does speak Spanish, but it's not the street dialect that many pro athletes speak. Instead, it's polished, schooled, perfectly enunciated - something out of a Berlitz tape. Rivera loves to tease A-Rod that whatever he's speaking, it's not real Spanish. Rodriguez would just smile and nod in agreement. Our advice is that A-Rod shouldn't spend too much energy soul-searching. The tournament wasn't designed for players to find their roots - it's just another gimmick to grow the game (and its revenues) around the world. Granted, it's a nice idea, but nothing worth questioning one's identity over. No Dominican player will consider A-Rod a traitor if he joins Jeter on the left side of the U.S. infield. And, conversely, no one in this country will hold it against Rodriguez if he honors his parents by joining the Dominican squad, the same way Piazza is getting a pass on playing for the Italian team. Yankee fans? They couldn't care less. In fact, they're more interested in seeing A-Rod take the Bombers to the World Series, or at least making up for the 0-for-11, no-RBI blemish attached to last year's AL Division Series. But the longer Rodriguez goes without making up his mind, the more of an issue this becomes. Ironically, the man who tries so hard to blend in is now standing out; of the 177 major-leaguers who have agreed to participate, only Rodriguez and Marco Scutaro have yet to pick a squad (and no one's waiting breathlessly on Scutaro's decision). The problem, of course, is that Rodriguez is still fighting his deepest demon, the one that craves universal approval. He went as far as to ask the players' union if he could somehow play for both teams - starting with one, and then switching uniforms if his first squad was eliminated early in the tournament. Cup officials told Rodriguez it doesn't work that way - not even for a tournament as loosely run as this one. Sooner or later, Rodriguez will have to cast his ballot, and we're betting he sides with Jeter and Clemens and Barry Bonds. Once Rodriguez joins, the Americans' roster will be the deepest, if not the most talented, in the tournament. The U.S. should prevail, although there's no way to measure how much national pride will factor into the outcome. After all, Fidel Castro is practically staking his political future on the performance of his Cuban players. The Dominicans consider themselves the game's finest talent breeders, and the Japanese take pride in their discipline and fundamentals. That's what the Americans will be up against. No wonder the U.S. contingent is already leaning on A-Rod to stop waffling. "We'd very much like A-Rod to be our third baseman," is what U.S. manager Buck Martinez said Monday. He was smiling but definitely not kidding. E-mail: klapisch@northjersey.com

Someone remembers him fondly 62,the person that sponsors Al's page on BR wrote this... ] Fletcher Rabbit sponsor(s) this page. For a little 9-year-old kid from Queens, the '63 Mets were IT! And shortstop Al Moran was my very favorite ballplayer. Thanx for that one home run, Al.

A bunch of players born on my b/day feb 24th...two hall of famers Eddie Murray and Honus Wagner..apart from Murray not sure if anyone else here played for the Mets.. http://www.baseball-reference.com/friv/birthdays.cgi?month=2&day=24

I'd like to see Kaz as the opening day 2nd baseman, he's become something of a sympathetic figure in my opinion, at least to me anyway.

Yeah good stuff....I'm all over the first page of this thread......go Bobby

That's a good thing Val.....Furcal got some nice money from the Dodgers....$39 million for three years...wow

I'd be pissed too if I were rumored to be getting traded to Baltimore..

Nice bio, did you get to cover Kazmir when he was in Brooklyn?

Tanyon Sturtze should ask for a raise.....

Proof that Fransworth signed for the MFY's

probably this big fella...

Did Delgado stand for "God Bless America"?, his 3 run homer was sweet....

Playing on the carpet might not do Castillo's balky knees/ankles hammies and back any good, he has injury problems ,right?