metirish

I have always prefered "head to head".

Edgy likes guys named Ed....

Piazza, Turk Leiter Bobby V

Yes we will ,it's Omars great crusade.....he dreams about Manny apparently..

]he did? what did he say? i didn't remember this and i'm always looking for anti-patriotic celebrities to make fun of I never said Staton was un-patriotic... thanks SK for explaining that..

I can feel good about any player wearing a Mets uni,of recent years Mike Stanton was a guy I didn't like,partly because he came from the yankees but more so because he belittled the Mets after 9/11...

that's Manny being Manny...

Klapisch seems to think a deal is close... ]Monday, November 28, 2005 By BOB KLAPISCH STAFF WRITER Omar Minaya spent the entire Thanksgiving holiday working the phones - or, to be more specific, working the Red Sox for a possible deal for Manny Ramirez. According to a National League executive, the Mets made notable progress, a development that was seconded by a club official who said Sunday night, "We have a shot." Ramirez is, and always has been, Minaya's biggest prey, although the hunt until now has been slowed by two obstacles. First, Ramirez' $20 million annual salary was more than the Wilpon family was willing to spend. And second, Ramirez, 33, would almost certainly cost the Mets hot-shot outfield prospect Lastings Milledge. That's one reason Minaya was exploring a deal for Alfonso Soriano - until the Rangers' demands included Milledge, said the NL source. Once the price tag became too steep, Minaya resumed an earlier dialogue with the Red Sox, who were surprisingly receptive. It's still unclear whom, exactly, the Red Sox would demand in addition to Milledge, but Minaya may be willing to convince ownership that with Ramirez in a lineup that already has Carlos Delgado, the East can be conquered outright in 2006. Ramirez seems poised for a trade. Just last week he asked one of his former handlers in Cleveland to join him in New York, if and when a trade finally happens. The friend, who asked to remain anonymous, said Sunday: "Manny's first choice is still Anaheim, because he feels he could play there without fans bothering him too much. He walked around the malls there and no one noticed him. He liked that. "He's not crazy about New York, but he said he would go there if that was the only way to get out of Boston. He's just fed up with people bothering him all the time, showing up at his house." Minaya still will have to lean on the Wilpons to make room on the payroll for Ramirez. With a $30 million offer on the table for Billy Wagner - which is likely to balloon now that B.J. Ryan is finalizing a five-year deal worth $47 million with the Blue Jays - Ramirez could turn the Mets into a $115 million to $120 million investment next year, and that's even if Boston assumes some of the slugger's salary. Still, the temptation to score a blizzard of runs could be great enough to make Ramirez worth any price. Although he batted under .300 for the first time since 1998, Ramirez nevertheless finished third in the American League with 45 home runs and tied for second with 144 RBI. More poignantly, Ramirez batted .358 with runners in scoring position, cementing his reputation as a nearly-uncontainable force under pressure. Indeed, Manny's focus - and lack of it - have become legendary. In 2005, he batted only .237 with the bases empty, but his average zoomed to .346 with runners on. Of course, Ramirez's mood swings and erratic behavior have exasperated Boston officials for years, and the fact that the Mets are moving closer to a deal suggests the Red Sox have had enough of the outfielder's antics. But Minaya believes Ramirez will be happier in New York and therefore less likely to stray. Ramirez's friend also said Manny's friendship with Pedro Martinez, "would make it easier for him [to play for the Mets]." With Delgado in town today for his first press conference as a Met, the talk with be all about the new-look, newly-muscled offense. Apparently, this dialogue now requires an asterisk. It says: to be continued. E-mail: klapisch@northjersey.com

Orosco's trade history is very cool..like in 2003 the MFY's traded Jesse to the Twins for a player to be named later..that player was Juan Padilla...some of the trades Jesse was involved in were crazy.. http://www.baseball-reference.com/o/oroscje01.shtml

Very cool,and to get Buckner out on a fly , well that's just cool...great find by that MBTN reader.

I imagine Delgado could never play for the Yankees because of the 7th inning stretch they put on, what with Ronan Tyan and flyovers he'd be standing for 15 minutes.

I'm sure there are plenty of people that care, the Mets only play "God Bless America" on holidays and on Sunday though.

WOW that's some cabbage for Ryan, Toronto said they had lots of money to spend this off-season, I guess they are spending it, what impact will this have on Wagner?

I'm in either for free or the money one, I finished third this past season in my yahoo league,I would really love to have a league for people on this forum, good idea Nymr83.

Omar makes offers to two catchers... ] THE ASSOCIATED PRESS November 25, 2005, 2:24 PM EST Now that they have Carlos Delgado, the New York Mets are turning their attention to Bengie Molina and Ramon Hernandez. General manager Omar Minaya said Friday the team had made offers to the pair of free-agent catchers. He also refused to rule out trying to acquire Manny Ramirez from Boston, although he wouldn't go into specifics. "We will have conversations sometime this week, hopefully not this weekend," Minaya said during a telephone conference call. "It's been two Thanksgivings now that I've been working every day." With Mike Piazza leaving, the Mets have made it a priority to get a catcher, especially one with better defensive skills. Going after both Molina and Hernandez is somewhat unusual. "I was honest. I let them know I have two offers out there. They're both very good catchers," Minaya said. "We might possibly go the trade route, also." Alan Nero, Molina's agent, said no decision was imminent. "We got initial offer from them. Because of the holidays, we haven't had a chance to go over it," he said. "It's an initial offer. We're expecting offers from several other teams, and we have lot of work to do." http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/ny-spmets1126,0,3018275.story?coll=ny-sports-headlines

]November 25, 2005 -- This week, NYP TV Sports' Andrew Marchand spoke with ABC/ESPN's Mike Tirico. Tirico, 38, calls golf, football and basketball. He grew up in Whitestone, Queens. Q: You grew up five minutes from Shea. Were you a Mets' fan? A: Mets, Jets, Rangers and Knicks. It was a good day or a bad day depending on the Jets' Sunday. That just defined me as a kid. My grandfather was one of the security force at Shea Stadium. He worked a second job with the Jets and the Mets. That's how I fell in love with sports and sportscasting. It was more exciting to me to meet Bob Murphy and Lindsey Nelson than it was to meet the players.

Looks like Keith could be working with Gary... ] November 25, 2005 -- Keith Hernandez is moving closer to becoming the Mets' lead analyst on SportsNet New York, according to sources. If Hernandez signs on, he is expected to work 100 to 125 games with new Met TV play-by-player Gary Cohen. On Tuesday, Hernandez' agent met with SNY's executive producer, Curt Gowdy Jr. Barring a tangled negotiation, look for Hernandez to be announced next month as the main analyst.

So Boston also get Guillermo Moto from Florida, this deal is turning out great for them.. ]Trade with the Marlins lands Beckett, Lowell -- and Mota By Chris Snow and Gordon Edes, Globe Staff | November 25, 2005 A day to give thanks, indeed. The Red Sox, who two Thanksgivings ago hooked Curt Schilling over dinner at the Schilling home in Arizona, yesterday formally reeled in not only ace Josh Beckett and third baseman Mike Lowell but a third Marlin, hard-throwing reliever Guillermo Mota, in a momentous deal expanded to seven players and announced by the club at approximately 10:30 last night. Last night marked the expiration of a 72-hour window afforded the Sox and Marlins to pore over medical records and work out unresolved components of the deal. And, after debating Beckett's future health -- he's made nine visits to the disabled list in his four-plus big league seasons -- the club enhanced the deal by questioning Beckett's health and exploiting what is becoming a mass unloading of payroll, and consequently, talent in South Florida. The Sox, according to a major league source with direct knowledge of the negotiations, threatened to call off the deal because of health concerns over Beckett unless the Marlins included Mota. And so, on the busiest shopping day of the year, the Sox can sit back today pleased with not only a full cart of goods but what appears to be at bargain prices. In adding the 32-year-old Mota to the deal, the Sox had to sweeten the deal only with Harvey Garcia, a 21-year-old righthander who in 32 games with Single A Greenville last season went 3-5 with a 2.01 ERA in 44 2/3 innings. Beckett, the 2003 World Series MVP who blanked the Yankees for nine innings in a clinching Game 6, said last night he'd ''heard some rumors that" Mota could be included in the deal. And so, the deal, after this major permutation, reads like this: Beckett (the new ace of the Sox staff), Lowell (the new starting third baseman, and a Gold Glove winner in 2005), and Mota (one of baseball's premier setup men in 2003 and '04) for Double A shortstop Hanley Ram�rez, Double A righthander Anibal Sanchez, and Single A righthanders Jesus Delgado and Garcia. Because of the late hour of the announcement, the Sox expected to release more information today, and expect to have the players available via conference call. ''I can't comment on it right now," Beckett said last night, when reached just after the deal was announced, but before he'd spoken to officials with either club. ''I need to hear it from the cow's mouth -- that's how we say it in Texas." Indeed, the Sox now have an imposing righthanded Texan at the top of their rotation, and the last time that happened, it worked out fairly well. The 25-year-old Beckett, while unsigned, is arbitration eligible and under the Sox' contractual control for the next two seasons. He made $2.4 million in 2005 and is likely to double that in arbitration, though the club could sign him to a long-term deal, guaranteeing he'll anchor the rotation for years to come. However, they'd probably have to be convinced he's not a significant health risk. Six of Beckett's nine DL visits have been for blisters on the middle finger on his pitching hand. And though it didn't necessitate a DL stint, shoulder tendinitis ailed him over the closing six weeks last season, when he felt unable to get completely loose until he was about 20 pitches into an inning. Beckett skipped his last start because of tendinitis and because Florida was out of playoff contention. But, even with tendinitis, he'd maintained his velocity, working at up to 97 miles per hour late in the season, and going 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA over his final five starts. He shut out the Braves for seven innings in his last start of the season. Two MRIs and doctor visits this fall reaffirmed the tendinitis diagnosis. Mota pitched only 67 innings last season, missing a month (April 24 to May 27) with inflammation in his elbow. Previous to that DL visit he'd gone 0-1 with two saves in two opportunities with a 1.86 ERA in 10 games. But, after coming off the DL, he was 2-1 with a 5.18 ERA in 46 games, with no saves in two chances. He struggled through a woeful September, allowing seven runs and 12 hits in 7 2/3 innings. But, in 2003 and '04, he was arguably the game's best setup man. He led National League relievers in innings both seasons, pitching 201 2/3 innings total over those two seasons with a combined ERA of 2.50. He set up Eric Gagne with the Dodgers in 2003 and half of '04 before being dealt just before the deadline that summer to Florida along with Paul LoDuca and Juan Encarnacion for pitchers Brad Penny and Bill Murphy and first baseman Hee Seop Choi. Mota, 22-24 with a 3.61 career ERA and .231 opponent batting average in 464 1/3 career innings, earned $2.6 million last season and, like Beckett, is unsigned and arbitration eligible. Mota, in 2005, held righthanders to one homer and a .262 average in 145 at-bats. Lefthanders hit four homers off him in 111 at-bats, hitting .243. � Copyright 2005 Globe Newspaper Company.

All fair points Edgy, and of course saying that all people in Puerto Rico can't afford MLB prices was wrong, I do remember one of the Mets TV guys talking about that though during a series the Mets played there, I think it was Ted Robinson that said that the fans he talked to said that the prices were way to high for them . Why should we believe that this will build a new stadium?

Because it didn't work when the Expos played there, most people in Puerto Rico can't afford MLB prices, plus IIRC the Mets players and other teams that went there hated the travel and the stadium and the heat,and afte the novelty wore off the fans didn't fill the stadium.

This is a terrible idea... ] Businessman Wants Marlins in Puerto Rico November 23, 2005, 9:17 PM EST SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- The businessman who brought Montreal Expos games to Puerto Rico now wants to lure the Florida Marlins. Antonio Munoz would like the Marlins to move to Puerto Rico permanently or at least consider playing some of their games there, as the Expos did from 2003-04. He said he will soon discuss his idea with the team to see if it is interested. "We would like to see the Marlins play in Puerto Rico," Munoz said from the Dominican Republic in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. Frustrated they have been unable to put together financing for a new ballpark in South Florida, the Marlins said Tuesday they have received permission from the commissioner's office to explore moving the franchise for the 2008 season. Munoz paid millions in 2003 and 2004 to get the Montreal Expos to play more than 40 games at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan. The franchise moved to Washington and was renamed the Nationals before last season. Munoz said Puerto Rico might consider building a new stadium for the Marlins. "Puerto Rico is on notice to consider the construction of a new park and that is something that we could negotiate," he said. Florida president David Samson said several cities have already shown an interest in becoming the club's new home. Looking to slash payroll, the Marlins struck two tentative deals this week to trade three star players: first baseman Carlos Delgado, pitcher Josh Beckett and third baseman Mike Lowell.

I love Omar, when I read him I hear his voice in my head..it's weird.

Victors defence is not nearly as bad as we are told, certainly he improved over the course of the season, he;s not great, maybe he's not even good yet but he's not as bad as we were made to believe...go Viv

I just bought this book, can't wait to read it,I'll save it for the plane ride to Ireland for Christmas......]Book DescriptionWhen Hella Winston began talking with Hasidic Jews for her doctoral dissertation in sociology, she was excited to be meeting with members of the highly insular Brooklyn Satmar sect. Several Jewish journalists and scholars have produced admiring books describing the Lubavitch way of life and the group"s outreach efforts, but very little has been written about the other Hasidic sects, despite their combined greater numbers. Unlike Lubavitch, members of these other groups do not engage in outreach and are raised to avoid all unnecessary contact with outside society. Winston"s access was unprecedented.She never could have guessed what would happen next�that she would be introduced, slowly and covertly, to Hasidim deeply unhappy with their highly restrictive way of life and sometimes desperately struggling to leave their communities. First there was Yossi, a young man yearning to leave but, like most male Hasidim, a Yiddish speaker with only fourth grade English and math skills. Then she met Dini, a wife and mother called before the all-male modesty patrol because someone had spotted her outside a bar in a T-shirt and miniskirt. There were others still who had actually left.Unchosen tells the story of these and other "rebel" Hasidim, serious questioners who long for greater personal and intellectual freedom than their communities allow. In so doing, Unchosen forces us to reexamine the history of these communities and asks us to consider what we choose not to see when we romanticize them.Hella Winston is pursuing her Ph.D. in sociology at the Graduate Center for the City University of New York. She lives in New York City.

] I like Delgado, and I'm glad he's here, but if winning now was so important why didn't we offer more money last year? We're basically paying the same money per year, for one less year (and he would have benefited the team enormously last year), and now we've given up two players we might miss later. It almost seems like an admission of a mistake on Minaya's part. The Mets IIRC offered as much if not more last year, Delgado felt the Marlins were a better fit and had a better chance to win than the Mets, plus he was insulted by Omar's hispanic crew.......I read a few days ago that Omar introduced Tony Bernazard to Delgado recently at a function and Delgado retorted back.."oh yeah the highest paid interperter in the world".....I am very curious to hear what Delgado thinks aobut this trade.