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Olney says don't bet on that Bay would be budget buster for BostonComment Email Print Share ESPNBoston.com Is Jason Bay coming back to the Boston Red Sox after all? Don't bet on it. A team source told ESPNBoston.com on Wednesday night that while the club never says never, Bay's return to Boston would be a long shot since the Red Sox already have a left fielder: Mike Cameron, who signed a two-year deal with the Sox earlier this month. (Of course, Cameron could end up in center with Jacoby Ellsbury shifting to left). With Bay continuing to twist in the free-agent winds, talk of his possibly revisiting his relationship with the Red Sox surfaced Wednesday night. According to a report on WEEI.com, which cites a team source, the Red Sox "have had internal discussions about extending their organizational budget to potentially allow for another offer" to Bay. The proposal would reportedly be in the range of the four-year, $60 million offer originally made to Bay by the team. That organizational budget was already stretched by the five-year, $82 million deal struck with free-agent pitcher John Lackey. One source indicated to ESPN's Buster Olney that the Red Sox have less than $5 million in spending money. Short of blowing up their budget, the only way the Red Sox could work something out with Bay would be to find a way to dump some existing contracts, such as that of Cameron, who would have to lend his permission to such an arrangement. Edes' estimate of the current payroll of the 2010 Red Sox falls somewhere around $166 million (give or take a few million), which puts them perilously close to the $170 million luxury-tax threshold. Signing a big name like Bay would put the Red Sox over that number, meaning they would need to pay a 22.5 percent luxury tax on every dollar spent over $170 million. The only other known offer to Bay is from the New York Mets, who extended Bay a four-year deal worth between $60 million and $65 million. The New York Yankees don't appear to be a suitor for either Bay or Matt Holliday despite having a hole in left field. "It won't be a big-name situation, I can promise you that," Yankees GM Brian Cashman told reporters.

Please vote for 10 101) - Shawn Green's singular moment of triumph, walkoff eleventh-inning blast off Russ Springer to beat the Cards 2-1. - 06/25/2007 102) - : What had been El Duque-Joe Blanton 0-0 duel heads to ninth. Ramon Castro, the slowest man alive, doubles. The only way to get him home without a homer, it appears, is to hit a ball where the worst fielder alive can't quite catch up with it...which is what David Wright does when he dunks a double out of the reach of Jack Cust. Mets beat A's 1-0. - 06/23/2007 103) -: Strike 'em out, throw 'em out double play ends long overdue sweep of Braves at Turner Field, 10-6. - 07/30/2006 104) -: Floyd grand slam...Beltran grand slam...Wright two-run homer...all in the same inning. Mets put up an 11-run sixth, a team record, beat Cubs at Wrigley 13-7. - 7/16/06 105) - : The moment of Alay Soler: Two-hit shutout that cements his place in the Met rotation (until he completely disappears by July, not only never winning another game, but never pitching in another win). - 6/10/06 106) - : Weird home run incidence: Julio Franco becomes oldest man to hit a home run AND Kaz Matsui hits a home run in his first plate appearance of the year for the third consecutive year in a row. Mets beats Pads at Petco, 7-2. - 4/20/06 107) - : The Mike Jacobs rookie rampage crests with a 4-for-5 night, two homers, four RBI. Mets establish residence in Arizona, sweeping four from the Diamondbacks, 18-1. - 8/24/05 108) - : At virtually the same moment Randy Johnson is finishing off his perfect game in Atlanta, Cliff Floyd caps ninth-inning rally with two-out single to beat Jason Isringhausen and Cards 5-4. Mets move to within one game of .500 and, for what it's worth, shake me out of my default "I don't really care if they win or lose" funk I'd been in ever since they'd fired Bobby V and let Fonzie walk. (I did care, just not as much as I had before Art Howe...I was so pissed for so long.) - 5/18/04 109) - : Mets somehow up 6-5 at Turner Field. Bottom of the ninth. Armando gets two outs. Then a walk. Then a balk. Then a walk. Two on. Julio Franco, then a bad guy, singles to center. Here comes Chipper Jones with the tying run and...HE'S OUT! Tsuyoshi Shinjo, in his otherwise hollow second go-round as a Met, throws him out at the plate to end the game. It wasn't much, but it was 2003. - 5/23/03 110) - : Brady Clark reaches on an Andres Galarraga error to tie Expos 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth. In the eleventh, Esix Snead launches a three-run blast to win it, 6-3. Brady Clark? Esix Snead? The 2002 Mets winning in dramatic fashion in September? Lost in the shuffle: a Met killer is born, as Endy Chavez goes 4-for-5 for Montreal. - 9/21/02 111: - These are supposed to be memorable, yet one might have to call this the forgotten gem of the 25-6 tear that catapulted the Mets back into contention in this star-crossed season. Mets trail Philies, one of their two competitors for first place, 7-5 entering the ninth at the Vet and score five runs on six hits and two Philadelphia errors. Mets pull to within a not altogether improbable 8-1/2 of first with 24 games to go. Two remain with the Phillies, six are left with the Braves. - 9/3/01 112 ) -: Mike Piazza beats Rheal Cormier in the bottom of the ninth with a home run, 6-5, which in itself was great, but was that much greater because... - 7/29/01 113) - : Robin Ventura beats the returning Turk Wendell in the bottom of the ninth with a home run, 4-3, 24 hours earlier. Two Mets walk off bombs against the Phillies in two days. - 7/28/01 114) - : Bobby Valentine outargues Marlin skipper Tony Perez and umpire Kerwin Danley into a favorable call at third (something about "abandoning the base") and it's eventually all for the good as Shinjo singles home the winning run in the eleventh, keeping the Mets' faint midsummer pulse ticking. - 7/18/01 115) - : Shinjo introduces himself with two orange wristbands and one home run. Mike reintroduces himself with a pair of dingers. The Mets raise their 2000 pennant and bop the Braves at the Home Opener, 9-4. - 4/9/01 116) - : Mets open league title defense at Turner Field. Instead of folding per usual at the Dread, Robin Ventura takes John Rocker deep in the eighth, Kerry Ligtenberg the same in the tenth. Two two-run Robin eggs laid on Atlanta win it 6-4. - 4/3/01 117) - : Slumping Mets down 1-0 (Jeff D'Amico outdueling Mike Hampton) with two out in the bottom of the ninth when Robin Ventura drives home Jay Payton with a double. With two out in bottom of the tenth, Payton ends it with three-run bomb off Juan Acevedo. Snaps the Mets out of their morass and points them toward October. - 9/13/00 118) - : Emergency starter Grant Roberts buries Mets early. They're down 4-0 after a half inning, 7-2 after an inning and a half. Yet a slow, steady comeback commences, climaxing in the bottom of the eighth with a tie-breaking single from Matt Franco. Mets win first game of makeup matinee doubleheader 9-8 (and go on to sweep the twinbill). - 7/27/00 119 ) - Friday night, - Leiter takes 4-2 lead to eighth. Kevin Young homers with nobody on. Al departs with two out. Turk gets out of it. Armando comes on in the ninth. Gets two quick outs. Then surrenders double to Jason Kendall, triple to Pat Meares. Brian Giles is intentionally walked; Young strikes out. Top of tenth: Ordonez thrown out trying to score go-ahead run. Bottom of tenth: Mike Benjamin gets aboard on infield single with two out off Franco. Steals second. Takes third on Piazza's throw. Stranded. Top of eleventh: Piazza, Ventura, Zeile single to load bases with one out (slow men). Payton, indicating bases-loaded problem that would plague him all year, hits into DP. Bottom of eleventh: Trouble keeps finding Franco. One out, then Kendall reaches on Ventura error. Kendall picked off for second out. Then Johnny hits Meares with pitch, but gets out of it on force of pitcher Jose Silva, allowed to hit, as Gene Lamont has burned through his bench. Mets break through in top of twelfth: Ordonez singles, Agbayni doubles, Mora singles them home. Bell lines to first, doubling off Mora. Fonzie walks...Mike homers. Mets take 8-4 lead...but Pirates make life difficult for Dennis Cook. A walk, a wild pitch, an infield single and a Mike Benjamin double make it 8-5. With two on and two out, Adrian Brown hits a frighteningly long fly to center that Payton tracks down to end it. - 04/01/2000 120) - Saturday afternoon - Heretofore unknown quantity Glendon Rusch is masterful in his first Met start: complete game, allowing only a walk and four hits. Alas, two of them are a leadoff single to Giles and a home run to Young to open the bottom of the seventh. Mets can't touch lefty Jimmy Anderson (en route to a 5-11, 5.25 ERA season). They collect just five singles and are blanked 2-0 in 1:57. - 04/15/2000 121) - Sunday afternoon, Top of the first features a HBP of Rickey Henderson by Kris Benson, an Aramis Ramirez throwing error that keeps the inning going and a three-run homer by Robin Ventura. Great, right? Bobby Jones hits Jason Kendall and gives up a single to Pat Meares. Jones leaves with a calf strain. Pat Mahomes comes on and, in a blink, it's 4-3 Pirates. Jon Nunnally homers to put the Mets ahead 5-4 in the second. Zeile adds an RBI double in the third to make it 6-4, chasing Benson. Mahomes gives it all back in the bottom of the third with Kendall and Giles driving home runs and making it Pirates 7 Mets 6. Mets come back in fourth with RBIs from Bell, Alfonzo and Ventura off Chris Peters, to make it Mets 9 Pirates 7. Ventura sac fly and Payton double off Marc Wilins make it 11-7 in the top of the sixth. But here come the Bucs again in the bottom of the inning, with solo HRs from Giles and Wil Cordero off Turk. It's 11-9 Mets. Robin adds an insurance run off Scott Sauerbeck in the eighth, doubling home Piazza. Final is Mets 12 Bucs 9. Mets commit three errors. Mahomes goes four innings for the win. Ventura has 6 RBI. Fonzie and Mike score three runs apiece. Bell goes 3 for 6. Mike and Robin go 3 for 4. There are six unearned runs altogether between the two teams. This is a day after the Mets can't do anything offensively, which was a day after the Mets posted 20 hits (and three other errors). And for not so good measure, the final out of the final game was a pop fly by the Pirate third baseman, a fellow often associated with the Mets of 2000, but not for this game: Luis Sojo. An incredible series. Now completely forgotten. That's baseball for ya. - 04/16/2000 122) - Ken Griffey's first game at Shea Stadium. During the offseason it appeared his first game might be the Home Opener, but he vetoed a half-assed trade proposal between the Mets and M's and famously went to Cincinnati where it never really worked out for him. Hence, he was the newest villain in town, booed all night -- which was 1969 throwback night, per a promotional tie-in with the release of the movie "Frequency". Griffey came up as the potential go-ahead run in the ninth. Armando, in veritable retro pajamas, struck him out on 3-2 to preserve the Mets' ninth win in a row (a streak that had begun with the Sunday game in Pittsburgh mentioned upthread). Very cold night, but all was well. - 04/29/2000 123) - Ken Griffey's final game at Shea Stadium. Animus had been put aside long before. Griffey was one of the few veteran sluggers not suspect for substances. He is warmly received on a windy Shea day. Mets leave him three homers shy of 600 in a Mets' 8-3 win notable for the following: Oliver Perez steals a base; Mets use pink bats and some where pink spikes for Mother's Day; and the Reds bat out of order in the ninth, delaying the game's end interminably. - 05/11/2008 124) - File under curiosity or milestone: the Mets short-circuit the Phillies' Wild Card chances with a four-run top of the eighth, coming back to win 6-5. Which was fine. But here's what makes me remember this game. Jae Seo (Kwanju, South Korea) started. He was followed to the mound by Danny Graves (Saigon, South Vietnam), Kaz Ishii (Chiba, Japan) and winning pitcher Shingo Takatsu (Hiroshima, Japan). Four consecutive Asian-born pitchers in a Major League Baseball game. Had to be a first. Maybe an only. And none of them was the most celebrated of Asian-born 2005 Mets, Dae-Sung Koo, whose last appearance came in August. Then again, he was known more for his bat. - 09/26/2005......AWESOME 125) - Met fans furious about the 2001 offense get everything they hope for in an expensive offensive makeover going into 2002. Everybody disappoints, but fans are so grumblyfrustrated with big shots Roberto Alomar and Mo Vaughn that it's only just dawning on them by the end of the year that Jeromy Burnitz is pulling down $7 million (and due $12 milion the next season!) while putting up the OPS of a reserve infielder. Just as the boos start swinging his way, he clubs a titanic late-season walkoff jobbie off of Juan Cruz of the Cubs. It's his last clout of the year, but somehow I get the (correct) impression that Burnitz (if only Burnitz) will turn it around the next season. - 09/17/2002

Please vote for 10 76) - Brian Jordan Game # 2(read # 75) 77) - Pedro pitched eight good innings at MFYII , they get 1 in the first and we get 3 in the second and tack on three more through the game, they get 1 in the third and make it squeaky bum time in the ninth with two but Looper nails down the save for a 6-4 win , as remembered at the UMDB.....Beltran hit a blast and made a great game saving catch in the ninth. - 06/24/2005 78) - Opening day 2006...as remembered on the UMDB There is nothing better than being out there for Opening Day. The Home Opener is nice, but it doesn't quite have the same feeling as the real Opening Day. Last season, for the Home Opener, it seemed like the game happened, but nobody was really prepared for it. Not this year. Everything was in place. The crowd was ready, the Bunting was in place, and the Mets took the field, and it seemed everything was right with the world. Tom Glavine's first pitch of the season was a ball outside, prompting my friend to turn to me and say, "That's it, the season's a disaster! Break up the team!" The first car fire of the season took place behind the bleachers in Left Field during the bottom of the 1st. Took about half an inning before firemen got to the car. The new guys stood out, especially Nady, who ripped 4 hits, 2 of which led to runs, and LoDuca, who blooped a clutch 2-out hit in the 3rd to drive home the first run of the season. And, of course, David "The Truth" Wright nailed his first HR of the year in the 6th, a Piazza-esque blast to Right, prompting chants of MVP! MVP! MVP! Heilman was shaky, but a great relay throw from Floyd to Reyes to LoDuca cut down Soriano at home with the potential tying run in the 8th. Beltran also supplied a key assist from the OF as he cut down Vidro trying to stretch a single to a double in the 9th for the last out of the game, and Yes! A victory on Opening Day! - 04/03/2006 79) - Game 1 of the 2006 NLDS against LA - UMDB Lee A great victory for the Mets. With everyone reeling from finding out that El Duque wasn't pitching in the Division Series, and might join Pedro in not playing at all in the playoffs, there was a lot of anxiety brewing in New York that day. But we were all able to forget about all that for a few hours. John Maine pitched a solid 4.1 innings, and an incredible play at the plate saved two runs. For some reason that I still don't understand, the Dodgers third base coach decided to send Jeff Kent and J.D. Drew around third, even though the throw was coming in from Shawn Green to Jose Valentin. Valentin threw it down to Lo Duca, who tagged Kent, looked over at the umpire, suddenly realized Drew was coming, and he tagged him too. Possibly one of the craziest moments in Mets history. Delgado had a great game, driving in a few runs and hitting a bomb, and Floyd hit a bomb that we all knew right off the bat was gone. Nomar tied it up, but Delgado got the lead right back, and Wagner made it interesting, as he always does, but we came out with the victory and that's all that matters. 1 down, 10 to go. - 10/04/2006 80) -Steve Traschel's last game as a Met....Game 3 of the 06 NLCS in St.Louis...Trach was going through personnel stuff and it was showing in the playoffs...his previous start in LA he got pulled after 3....this game caused controversy for him because there was some question as to weather he pulled himself out...faking injury or something.....St.Louis wins 5-0 and take a 2-1 lead in the series. - 10/14/2006 81) - Bob Murphy Night meshes with Piazza's first appearance at first base...in relief of Mike Glavine. A sad and weird evening at Shea. - 09/25/2003 82) - Mets forge unlikely as hell comeback versus Phillies, from down 8-4 after blowing 4-0 lead. David wins it 10-9 on two-out homer in top of ninth at CBP. Nice antidote to unassisted triple play game, 8/23/09 (whoops, I just mentioned another one). - 09/12/2009 83) - Tom Glavine wins #300 on Sunday Night Baseball against the Cubs in Chicago - Tom goes 6.1 , gives up 6 hits with 2 runs 1 walk and 1 SO - Glavine had an RBI single to help himself. - Amit over the UMDB gets carried away with his memory. Glavine Gets # 300!!! Glavine was awesome as usual and the offense and bullpen backed him up this time. As a Mets fan I am glad I was able to watch the game from beginning to end. No doubt Glavine is a first ballot hall of famer. BRING ON THE BRAVES Heady times indeed - 08/05/2007 84) - Mike breaks catcher longball record, 5/5/04. 85) - Not a milestone, but plenty dramatic: Mike comes off DL after three months with a resounding blast, 8/13/03 (next day the lights went out in NYC). Same pitcher -- Jerome Williams of the Giants -- gave up both. - 08/13/2003 86) - And no discussion of the decade's homers could be complete without acknowledging Mo Vaughn's 505-foot detonation off the Budweiser sign, 6/26/02. 87) - Plus latter day horror show of note: Phillies 11 Mets 10, 8/30/07 after we had a 5-0 lead, trailed 8-5 and led 10-8. Yet we were still stunned one month later - 08/30/2007 88) - Another milestone: Lenny Harris breaks all-time career pinch-hit record, 10/6/01. I swear they treated it like it was Cal Ripken Night (which was going on some 200 miles to the south). - 10/06/2001 89) - Lastings high-fives the fans following first ML home run (such a contretemps). - 06/04/2006 90) -Pratt slam beats L.A. in ninth (longest ninth-inning game in N.L. history to that point, 4:09 - 05/30/2000 91) - Mets clinch playoff berth for second consecutive year for first time ever. - 09/27/2000 92) The Chip Ambres Game. Every decade needs one of these. - 07/22/2007 93) Joe McEwing takes ownership of Randy Johnson (Mike takes him very deep, too) - 5/21/00 94) -(N): Ryan Church second concussion, beginning of end - 5/20/08 95) - Water main break delays start, Pirates wallop Ollie 13-1, Billy rags on Ollie thereafter - 4/30/08 96) - 9/25/08: Shea's last walkoff win: Beltran gets one past the lethal Micah Hoffpauir in the rain, scoring Reyes. Featured big hits by Robinson Cancel and Ramon Martinez, plus Pedro's farewell. 97) - : Delgado goes 5-for-5, his fifth hit one Omar Infante falls down on, scoring Wright in the bottom on the ninth to beat the Braves 5-4. - 08/21/2008 98) - : Delgado goes the other way, to left, scoring Cancel and Wright (David captured inadvertently posing like Captain Morgan after crossing home plate, one knee in the air), beats Phillies 3-1 to take series in which the two rivals came in tied for first...first time since September 1985 Mets entered a three-game series tied for first to play the team with whom they were tied. - 7/24/08 99) - : Damion Easley's inside-the-park home run breaks tie, keys Brian Lawrence (!) to victory over the Brewers, 12-4. - 08/02/2007 100) - Mets win longest game of the decade, 17 innings, 5-3 over the Astros. Marked by Beltran's diving catch onto Tal's Hill in the sixteenth; he drives in winning run in the seventeenth. - 07/07/2007

Please Vote for 10 51) - Cameron hits walk-off HR vs. Tigers; the night Piazza was honored for setting a new HR record for catchers - 06/18/2004 52) - Day after the Mets clinch; all-scrub lineup still defeats Marlins - 09/19/2006(good one) 53) - Mets 2, Rockies 1. Easley hits tying HR with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th; Endy's walk-off drag bunt wins it. - 04/24/2007 54) - Mets 2, MFYs 0. Final time that Clemens faces Mets; Reyes parks one and shows him up well. 7 1/3 shutout innings from Perez. - 06/15/2007 55) - Reyes dances off third and scores a 12th-inning game-tying run on an Armando Benitez balk. Moments later, the Mets win 5-4 on Carlos Delgado's second homerun of the game. - versus Giants - 06/29/2007 56) - The only time the Mets ever faced Dwight Gooden - 07/08/2000 - Grim the game memories have the wrong memories .... 57) - Opening day 2005 brought out every emotion in the book. Pedro coughs up three in the first, and his debut is looking for all the world like the recent opening day trainwrecks of Mike Hampton and Tom Glavine --- that the Mets had again gone for the wrong ace at the wrong time to start another joyless chilly opening day in the noughts. And then something crazy happens. Pedro recovers. He more than recovers, he becomes PEDRO MARTINEZ. He strikes out 12 hapless Reds in six innings with dancing changeups that has us (me, anyhow) thinking, "Wait a minute, we really got this guy? There's not going to be a recall or anything?" Kaz Matsui opens his second of three consecutive seasons with a homer, and Pedro's fellow NewMet Carlos Beltran goes deep for three runs later, giving the Mets, old and new, a 6-4 lead in the ninth. It's almost perfect when Looper blows it in the ninth, as it leaves Met fans to suddenly absorb the reality that scapegoating Benitez can't make it all go away. But even as the notion of scapegoating is shattered, the notion of redemptors is not, as that start by Pedro is so inspiring that the very thought of it keeps Met fans modestly warm through what should have been a soul-crushing 0-5 start for the season and for Willie's career - 04/04/2005 58) - August 23, 2009. The Mets spot the pennant winning Phillies six first inning runs in Pedro Martinez's first start against his ex-teammates, but battle back. Comeback highlights include an Angel Pagan inside the park Home Run gimme when Phils centerfielder Shane Victorino stops chasing the line drive, incorrectly assuming that the umps would call a ground rule double. Pagan's drive ends up wedged in the outfield wall padding but the umps rule that the ball is nevertheless playable. In the bottom of the ninth, down 9-7, the Mets first two batters reach base. Jeff Francouer steps up to the plate, representing the winning run with nobody out. You know the rest. - 08/23/2009 59) -the 2 HR game by Piazza as a member of the Padres 08/09/06 60) - Pedro takes a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Astros....I remember someone here linked a thread from the SOSH , they had a thread going on it....I guess they missed Petey ...he went 9 innings , gave up 2 hits ,1 run , 1 walk and SO 12 06/07/2005 61) - Benny's pinch slam in the Tokyo Dome - 03/30/2000 62) - Pedro flirts with a no-hitter in LA.......Pedro coughs up two in the eighth as Williams can't catch up with the drive, and they get only one run in support of Martinez, despite four doubles...Penny went 9. - 08/14/2005 63) - Trachsel vs. the Rox, broken up opposing pitcher Chin-Hui Tsao in the sixth (one-hitter) - 08/18/2003 64) - Glavine vs. the Rox, broken up by Kit Pellow in the eighth (one-hitter) - 05/23/2004 65) - Seo, Weathers, Benitez pitch to the minimum 27 batters vs. the Marlins, 6/17/03 66) - Trachsel vs. Angels, notable for just-called-up rookie SS Jose Reyes' first HR, a grand slam -06/15/2003 67) - Final game at Shea, 9/28/08 68) - First game at Citi Field, 4/13/09 69)- Carlos Delgado, who was batting .235 at the time and sucking so badly that there was serious talk of cutting him and trading for Richie Sexson (?!?), sets a Met record with 9 RBIs to help beat the Yankees 15-6 at MFYSII. He then goes on to have possibly the best three month stretch of any position player in Met history, and had a real shot at being named MVP if the Mets had managed to win the division. - 06/27/2008 70) - Speaking of Matt Franco, the middle game of the first Subway Series sweep was a 10-9 thriller won a dribbler by Shane Spencer. 07/03/2004 71) - The next day in which Ty Wigginton dominated, was pretty great, too - 07/04/2004 72) - The first game after that losing streak is the game I remember the second-most from that year (the game I mention below is my favorite). This time our two new studs Pedro and Beltran won the game and the Mets held on. Pedro and Smoltz were dueling, Braves led 1-0 in the top of the eighth. The 0-5 start combined with some general pessimism had me thinking this was another 1 run game against the Braves that we couldn't win. Then Beltran hit a two run home run in the eighth with one out to get Smoltz out of there, and Floyd and Wright opened it up on the bullpen with home runs of their own in the inning. Got us going to win 7 in a row after the disappointing start from the new free agents and manager. I still like to think that that game, and specifically that Beltran homer, got the franchise turned around. - 04/10/2005 73) - I also attended Piazza's last game as Met and am convinced he was blowing all those kisses directly at me. Not sure if anyone else brought that one up. - 11/02/2005 74) - A come-from-behind victory by the B-team Mets caps a three-game sweep in a 126-degree day-camp special afternoon, in which at least 50% of the attendees at the game are picnickers from the Mets Online Forum. Bobby Valentine, appreciating the MOFo support, treats us all to three seperate leftfielders (one of whom, Mike Marshall, executes a pull-back) and ice cream. The sweep is the first peep of hope that what seemed like a lost season may include a helluva run after all. - 08/08/2001 75 ) - On the downer side of memorable, 9/23/01 9/29/01, the two Brian Jordan games. Super sigh

Please vote for 10 26) - ast game ever played by Montreal Expos - 10/03/2004 27) - Santana's gem from 2008 that temporarily saved the season (actually put off the inevitable) - 09/27/2008 28) - Mets clinch NL East - Various Mets parade around with booze and cigars - 09/18/2006 29) - NLDS Game 1, two runners cut down at home on one play - 10/04/2006 30) - Marlon Anderson's inside-the-park homer - as remembered on the UMDB.....lets not forget Floyd 1 out in the bottom of the 9th at Shea and the Angels have electric Francisco Rodriguez closing. Anderson, pinch hitting, drives one just shy of the track in right center, with RF Vladimir Guerrero running towards center and CF Steve Finley sliding while running toward RF to make the catch; he can't and it bounces off his leg and rolls into a vacant RF; he gets up and tracks the ball down, all the while Anderson is busting it around the basepaths, and despite a perfect relay throw, Anderson just beats the throw home to tie the game at 2. His face slammed into the catcher; he's there laying in pain, but when he gets up, oh what an ovation. And the capper: Cliff Floyd hit a 3-run walkoff homer in the 10th. - 06/11/2005 31) - Geremi Gonzalez gives up 4 in the 1st to the Yanx, Mets come back with 3 in their half off Sour Unit ... Wright wins it w/a walk-off double off Mariano in the 9th following a 3-K top of the 9th from Wagner - 05/19/2006 32) - 2004 also gave us the "I Love Todd Zeile" game: - Todd Zeile hit a 3 Run Home Run to tie the game and hit a go ahead Home Run in the 10th to account for all 5 of the Mets runs in this 5-3 win over the Phillies. UMDB - 06/02/2004 33) - Jorge Sosa's finest hour, staving off the doom that would eventually catch them anyhow. Well who would have thought that Mike Pelfrey would have been the stopper? It's the future of the Mets that saves them in the present. Coupled with Phillies loss (thanks to last years NLCS villian Yadier Molina) Mets shave 2 more games off of their Magic number. We are still a long ways away from a division title but there is no doubt the Mets needed this one. Credit Sosa for coming in and putting out a fire in the 6th and credit Alou for playing hurt and producing at the same time. Mets are off to Florida for 4 and then back home to end the season against the Nats, Cards, and Marlins. Hopefully things go well and we can capture a second straight division crown. - UMDB - 09/19/2007 34) - The best game of 2005 was probably August 30, 2005. Late 3-run come-from-behind homer by Ramon Castro over the Phillies. - 08/30/2005 35) - NLCS Game 6 in 2006 (Reyes lead-off homer, Maine betters Chris Carpenter in an elimination game) as pretty memorable. - 10/18/2006 36) - Benny Agbayani hands a kid in the stands a live ball. That the Mets won in spite of Benny's boner makes it charming - 08/12/2000 37) - After the first Brian Jordan Game and before the second Brian Jordan Game the Mets sucked it up one final time and swept the eternally pesky Expos after trailing 6-2. There was no margin for error post-9/11 and the Mets just kept fighting back in this one. The five in the ninth that put it away took, I swear, about half an hour. The inning started as I was leaving work and continued throughout an uptown subway ride and a block's walk to Penn Station to finding a seat on the train. Let out many whoops along the way. - 09/27/2001 38) - A pounding of the crosstown rivals that I can truly say I needed, for reasons that had little to do with the standings or anti-MFY self-esteem. We lost our cat Casey the night before and took him to Bide-a-Wee to arrange his cremation. Sadly and absently, we turned the game on not particularly concerned with the outcome. Felt uncommonly lifted by the proceedings that followed, including Roger Cedeno's straight steal of home, a spectacular misplay by Enrique Wilson and a homer to the heavens by Mo Vaughn. It's a long story, but Mo hitting one for Casey (and maybe to Casey) couldn't have been more appropriate. - 06/29/2002 39) - Worst Met year of the decade, so sure it's a loss. It was a loss of more than a game, though. Murph announces his retirement in the sixth inning. Me, like a schmuck, left after five in an effort to execute a Mets-Cyclones doubleheader. A comedy of errors ensued, so I never got to Brooklyn and missed the announcement and ensuing ovation. I learned about it on the train home and went into shock. No more Bob Murphy? I think I'm still in shock. - 07/23/2003 40) - The greatest game I'm certain nobody remembers. Bonds and Wright both explosive. Glavine comes back from cab ride. Looper pitches bravely. Howe even manages pretty well. Game is won on a fly ball lost by the other guys in the San Francisco sun. - 08/21/2004 41) - Pedro vs. Leiter, true beginning of the new era. New era didn't necessarily last as long as it should have, but everything felt different that sold out Saturday. Chris Woodward made a sensational catch in the outfield. Castro drives home Diaz in the ninth. As I'm leaving Shea amid a jubilant throng, a 7 train rolls west and everybody, without provocation, shouts and points at them. I don't know why we did it, but it felt great. - 04/16/2005 42) - By my calibration, the high point of the decade. Mets 35 games over .500, 16-1/2 in first place. Jose Jose!s his way around the bases for an inside-the-parker. Slides home, calls himself safe. Damn, I think, there's no way we're not winning the World Series. - 09/07/2006 43) - This was the five-run ninth. Shea could not have been deader for this pre-Subway Series day game. First eight innings had almost no regulars in action. Then the Cubs' pen sprung a leak, Willie -- in his finest hour -- juggled star pinch-hitters and Delgado snuck one to right field for the win. High-fiving strangers, screaming Let's Go Mets all the way to subway, the whole bit. And I was by myself. - 05/17/2007 44) - David's first and only walkoff homer, off Heath Bell. Went with my three best friends from high school, two of whom came to town special for the occasion of our final game at Shea together. In a season notoriously lacking happy endings, this was the real deal. - 08/07/2008 45) - In a year best appreciated for the pleasures one could glean from it personally, this Nelson Figueroa shutout tied a bow on a strange phenomenon. The Mets won a lot when I went and were otherwise pathetic. Home record with me in attendance, 26-10; without me, 15-30; on the road, 29-52. A lovely day to end an unlovely year in a memorable if ultimately unrewarding Met decade. - 10/04/2009 46) - Mets win Game 3 of the 2000 WS - Benitez gets the Save 47) - Eric Valent hits for the cycle in Montreal , and the UMDB reminds in the memory section about the guy in the stands that was riding Cameron and made the bet with him that if he(Cam) hit a HR he would leave his seat....Cameron obliged but the fan didn't....07/29/2004 48) - Game 4 of the 2000 NLCS - Mets are down 2 and rally big for the win Perez 2B Alfonzo 2B Piazza 2B Ventura 2B Zeile groundout Agbayani 2B and the Mets are up 4-2. 49) - Hampton 3-hit shutout and the Mets clinch their only pennant of the '00s - NLCS - Game 5 - 10/11/2000 50) - Tom Glavine "wasn't good" -A. Pujols but still managed 7 IP, 0 H, 2 BB to start the series off right. - NLCS Game 1 - 10/12/2006

Please vote for 10 games 1) -Bobby Jones - 10/08/00-NLDS - Game 4 versus the Giants , Jones one hits the Giants. 2) - Endy Chavez - "The Catch" - Game 7, 2006 NLCS - 10/19/06 3) - Benny Agbayani's game-winning homer in the 2000 NLDS.- 10/07/2000 4) - Another game from the 2000 NLDS: J.T. Snow hits a demoralizing homer off Armando Benitez, but the Mets come back and win on a Darryl Hamilton RBI, with the game ending on John Franco's top moment as a Met, his strikeout of Barry Bonds. - 10/05/2000 5) - Piazza in the first baseball game played in New York after September 11. - 09/21/2001 6) - Clemens beans Piazza, split Shea-Yankee Stadium doubleheader. - 07/08/2000 7) - Clemens tries to kill Piazza in public again, - 10/22/2000? 8) - Game One of the 2006 NLDS was October 4, 2006. 9) - Estes vs. Clemens - 06/15/2002 10) - Glavine shits the bed in 40 degree weather on opening day - 03/31/2003 11) - The Victor Diaz Game : 9/25/04 12) - 8/8/06 - Mike Piazza's return to Shea as a member of the Padres. 13) - June 17, 2001 (Father's Day). Sunday night baseball, Subway Series. The Mets come back to beat the MFYs with a dramatic 6-run 8th inning rally, capped by a Mike Piazza home run. 14) - Welcome Abordick - 07/29/2000 15) - Tom Glavine gives up seven earned runs in a third of an inning, thereby ending his Mets career - 10/30/2007 - now this was a memorable game. 16) - The 16-inning win over the Phillies - 05/23/2006 17) - The John Maine one-hitter on September 29 that got them there was also pretty memorable - 10/29/2007 18) - Omir Santos hits a disputed go-ahead homer at Fenway in the top of the ninth, and an angry Jonathan Papelbon leaps out of the dugout. Plus, a save by J.J. Putz - 05/23/2009 19) - The Mr. Koo game. - 5/21/05 20) - two HRs from The Moustache(J Valentin) - Mets 4 - Marlins 0 - 09/18/2006 21) - The four-game sweep at the Phils that kicked off the collapse in earnest, including the Marlon Anderson baseline call and the 11-10 fall-back/comeback/Wagner choke job to end it. - 08/27/2007 22) - Pujols hits two home runs and knocks in seven runs. Delgado hits two home runs and knocks in five. Beltran wins it with a walk-off off Isringhausen. Michael Tucker (!) starts in left for the Amazin's, goes 1-2 with a walk and a HBP. It's the first game that popped into my head outside of those mentioned above. - 08/22/2006 23) - Miserable final game of the 2007 collapse - 09/30/2007 24) - Mets win NLCS - 10/16/2000 25) - Mets score 10 runs in the 8th to beat Atlanta 11-8 - 06/30/2000

Jason Bay remains the Mets' primary target this offseason, and the Mets remain in communication with the outfielder, who doesn't appear to have any other serious suitors. But the Mets' patience does have a limit, Omar Minaya said yesterday. "Jason Bay isn't the only free-agent [outfielder] we're looking at," Minaya told Newsday in a telephone interview. " . . . At some point, we have to consider other plans." Minaya declined to identify those other plans, but the market features a good number of free-agent outfielders. On the high end, there's Matt Holliday, with whom the Mets have stayed in regular communication (via agent Scott Boras) but haven't displayed any serious interest. On the lower end, Marlon Byrd, Johnny Damon, Mark DeRosa, Xavier Nady and Randy Winn top the list of everyday outfielders. The Mets have a greater need for a lefthanded hitter; Damon hits lefty, while Winn is a switch-hitter who hits slightly better from the left side. On Dec. 10, the Mets extended Bay a four-year offer for about $65 million. Bay wants at least a five-year deal, and the Mets have indicated to Bay that they'd be willing to go a fifth year for fewer dollars per season. When Newsday asked Minaya whether he believes Bay has a sincere interest in playing for the Mets, Minaya said, "Yes." The Boston-based radio station WEEI reported on its Web site yesterday that the Red Sox have held "internal discussions" about bringing back Bay, who rejected the team's four-year, $60-million offer. In order to act upon those discussions, the Red Sox surely would have to make another move, as they currently have three starting outfielders (newcomer Mike Cameron and holdovers J.D. Drew and Jacoby Ellsbury) as well as two designated hitters (Mike Lowell and David Ortiz). The Mets also remain at a standstill with free-agent catcher Bengie Molina, who wants a three-year deal for about $20 million while the Mets have offered two years for about $10 million. Moreover, the Mets are examining the markets for both starting pitchers and relievers, and they intend to add another starter, with pitchers like Jon Garland and Joel Pi�eiro on their radar. Free-agent second baseman Orlando Hudson has interested the Mets each of the last two offseasons, yet the team failed to find a taker for current second baseman Luis Castillo. Hudson, therefore, doesn't top the team's priority list. Minaya acknowledged that the slow pace of the Mets' winter had upset many fans, and that he understood why. "There are years when our winters were easy and quick," he said. "This has been different." The Mets' office will be open for a half-day today, and no matter where he is physically, Minaya said, he'll be pressing to move forward on the Mets' offseason moves. "I'll be working on Christmas Day and New Year's Day," he said, and every day in between, too

Fernando Rodney has reached an agreement with the Angels, SI.com has confirmed. Pending a physical, the deal is expected to pay Rodney $11 million over two years. The agreement was first reported by ESPN.com. Rodney spent the past seven seasons in the Tigers' bullpen, including the past two as their closer. The hard-throwing right-hander had 37 saves last season with a 4.40 ERA and just one blown save. With the Angels, Rodney would likely set up Brian Fuentes, who led the majors with 48 saves last season.

I've been checking on Google News archives for Rodney articles , there may well be many there but unfortunatly most sites are pay per view. I did stumble across a Vic Ziegel article from 2005 on Rodney http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/2005/07/24/2005-07-24_the_score__the_honor_of_a_li.html Keith Olbermann blogged on him http://keitholbermann.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/12/lester_rodney_has_died.html

Good link, thanks Oldmole. RIP Lester Rodney

Yes , sorry. I think yoiu maybe correct on this FK http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/12/23/top.prospects/index.html Manuel Baseball America's Prospect Handbook is going to press, and it's hard to describe the book to my non-baseball friends (a short list, but I have had a few such discussions). It's a book of 900 scouting reports on the game's top minor league players: 30 for each of the 30 major league organizations. To give you a taste of the Handbook, I presented my own ranking of the farm systems earlier this month, and that proved prescient, as the Phillies showed their system's strength by using it (and Cliff Lee) to deal for Roy Halladay. The Phils won't be in our top five when the book comes out, not after dealing one of the game's top 20 prospects. In another example of what you'll find in the Handbook, here are my personal top 20 prospects in baseball

I agree with Ben Grim , there is some chatter about Seattle looking to clear some payroll and then take a run at Bay, Foxsports has Seattle, San Fran, Angels and Mets as the four teams.

I'm excited about seeing some of these players next season , a few in the Mets division too. A few weeks ago this same guy ranked the farm systems viewtopic.php?f=1&t=12888&start=0&hilit=john+manuel By John Manuel, Baseball America 1. Stephen Strasburg, RHP, Nationals Why he's here: The No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft showed why he has all that hype, showing three premium pitches in the Arizona Fall League. His fastball reaches 100 mph, his slider has devastating power and movement, and his changeup has flashes of brilliance, even at 90 mph. What he'll be: The face of the Nationals and a No. 1 starter. When he arrives: The Nats will be tempted to push their best arm to the majors quickly but should be able to resist until the second half of 2010 at the least. If he's not in the majors on Opening Day 2011, it will be a major upset. 2. Jason Heyward, OF, Braves Why he's here: The 2009 Minor League Player of the Year has exceptional hitting skills, making consistent, hard contact and showing impressive power. He's evoked comparisons to Dave Parker with his overall athleticism and long, powerful frame. What he'll be: The Atlanta native is poised to take Chipper Jones' mantle as the Braves' franchise player, starting with hitting in the No. 3 hole. When he arrives: Unless Atlanta brings in a corner outfielder this offseason, Heyward should hit his way into the lineup in 2010. 3. Mike Stanton, OF, Marlins Why he's here: No one in the minors combines Stanton's athletic ability and physicality with his sheer power. What he'll be: Stanton is a bigger, stronger version of Marlins special assistant Andre Dawson. He has 40-homer potential and fits the right-field profile perfectly. When he arrives: The Marlins haven't been shy about promoting prospects aggressively, but Stanton struggled a bit in Double-A last season. If he struggles at first in his first big league action in 2010, don't give up on him. 4. Desmond Jennings, OF, Rays Why he's here: Once he stayed healthy for a full season, Jennings showed true five-tool talent. He has size, speed, strength, explosiveness and skills. What he'll be: Jennings has many similarities to current Rays center fielder B.J. Upton, but his hitting track record is more consistent. When he arrives: The Rays have an outfield spot open presently for 2010, and Jennings should be a big league-ready, inexpensive solution. 5. Jesus Montero, C/DH, Yankees Why he's here: The minors' best hitter, Montero gets compared to Mike Piazza as a catcher whose hitting tools far outstrip his defense. The Yankees don't see him as Jorge Posada's heir because his defense is on par with Piazza's or worse. What he'll be: Because he's likely to move out from behind the plate, Montero should be a first baseman or DH primarily. Other ex-catchers with premium bats such as Paul Konerko and Carlos Delgado leap to mind. When he arrives: New York's offseason moves will dictate whether Montero spends all season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre or moves up to the big leagues as a part-time catcher and DH. 6. Brian Matusz, LHP, Orioles Why he's here: The minors' most polished pitching prospect threw 40-plus innings in the majors and showed impressive secondary stuff and a feel for changing speeds. What he'll be: If Matusz keeps hitters honest enough with his fastball, he could give the Orioles their best starting pitcher since Mike Mussina's departure. When he arrives: He already did last year, but in 2010 Matusz will get to play a support role to veteran Kevin Millwood. 7. Pedro Alvarez, 3B, Pirates Why he's here: When Alvarez gets hot, he goes nuclear. He has impressive power and can go on home run binges, and he still is athletic enough to play a capable third base early in his career. What he'll be: Alvarez has a chance to follow the Jim Thome career path as an early-career power-hitting third baseman who eventually settles in as a mashing first baseman. When he arrives: Not soon enough for the Pirates, who could use some pizzazz. Alvarez looked capable in Double-A but might have his arbitration clock delay his big league debut until midway through 2010. 8. Neftali Feliz, RHP, Rangers Why he's here: Feliz has one of baseball's quickest, most electric arms, and showed it off when he first was called up to the major leagues last August. What he'll be: The big question with Feliz is his ultimate role. Before tiring down the stretch last year, Feliz showed he could be an impact relief arm, and his feel for his secondary stuff comes and goes. The Rangers see that easy upper-90s gas, though, and see a starter. When he arrives: Feliz is expected to break camp in 2010 in Texas' rotation. It might take a while for him to truly arrive as a starter, as was the case for flamethrowers such as Edwin Jackson and A.J. Burnett. 9. Buster Posey, C, Giants Why he's here: The 2008 College Player of the Year, Posey combines athletic ability and hitting prowess with playing a premium position. What he'll be: Remember Russell Martin before Joe Torre played him 150 games a year? Posey may not have Martin's fiery leadership, but he'll be a similar catcher with better hitting ability. When he arrives: As soon as he shows he can receive effectively for pitchers such as Brian Wilson and Matt Cain, who have premium velocity. Then he'll have to take it up another notch to handle Tim Lincecum. 10. Madison Bumgarner, LHP, Giants Why he's here: No pitcher has had Bumgarner's sheer results the last two seasons, when he went 27-5. He did it in 2009 with diminished velocity but it didn't seem to matter as he mowed down Double-A competition at 19. What he'll be: Bumgarner's mound presence and ability to pitch off his fastball evokes Cliff Lee. He has similar mound presence and could match Lee if he regains some of his slider's lost bite. When he arrives: The Giants have enough other rotation options to keep Bumgarner on the farm for at least part of 2010, and perhaps until late in the season, when he could get another bullpen cameo. 11. Carlos Santana, C, Indians Why he's here: The Indians just got rid of a switch-hitting, offensive-minded catcher with offensive upside in Victor Martinez. Santana is nowhere near the polished hitter that Martinez was in Cleveland, but his patient, powerful approach should prove there's more than one way to get it done. What he'll be:: A catcher with 20-homer ability who draws plenty of walks and can control the running game usually makes a few All-Star games. When he arrives: Lou Marson, acquired from the Phillies in the Cliff Lee trade, should hold down the fort for most of 2010, but Santana could hit his way past Marson sooner than later. 12. Justin Smoak, 1B, Rangers Why he's here: A switch-hitter from the South, Smoak looks a bit like Chipper Jones at the plate with his stance and mannerisms. He has a chance to hit like Jones, too, with consistency, polish and power. What he'll be: Smoak doesn't quite have Mark Teixeira's explosive power, but he's a similar-caliber hitter and defender. He just needs to add a bit of polish and figure out how to turn on inside pitches. When he arrives: With Hank Blalock out of the picture, the first-base job is open in Texas. While Smoak has competition, he should become the full-time first sacker by 2011. 13. Domonic Brown, OF, Phillies Why he's here: The last man standing, at least at Double-A or better, in the Phillies farm system has a body that evokes Darryl Strawberry, with similar speed and defensive tools. He lacks the explosive wrists and power of Strawberry but should hit his share of homers eventually. What he'll be: Some scouts actually see Brown, who has surprising plate discipline for such a raw player, as more of a top-of-the-order factor than as a middle-of-the-order presence. He's the greenest hitter on this list, but his talent is undeniable. When he arrives: Raul Ibanez and Jayson Werth are ensconced on the corners in Philadelphia, and Brown needs to polish up his defense anyway. He'll be a minor leaguer in 2010 but could ease Ibanez out by 2011, the last year of the veteran's contract. 14. Casey Kelly, RHP, Red Sox Why he's here: Kelly actually hit and pitched in 2009, as he had ability as a shortstop and wanted to hit. His hitting lagged behind his pitching prowess, and after a trip to the Arizona Fall League, Kelly realized his future is on the mound. What he'll be: Kelly has a knack for adding and subtracting from his fastball and excellent curveball, sometimes toying with hitters. His athletic ability and innate pitchability evoke some comparisons to Zack Greinke, though his arm isn't quite in Greinke's class. When he arrives: Kelly first needs to prove he can handle a full-season workload as a pitcher. If he proves that in 2010, he should be ready by 2011. 15. Jeremy Hellickson, RHP, Rays Why he's here: A 6-foot righty from Iowa, Hellickson has surprising stuff and feel for pitching. His changeup has been his best pitch, but his fastball command took a huge step forward in 2009, allowing him to be the ace for Durham's Triple-A championship team. What he'll be: Yet another homegrown Rays pitcher for a franchise that couldn't develop any pitching in its first six or seven years. Hellickson's curve gives him a third quality pitch, and he gives the rotation another different look to play off Jeff Niemann's size, David Price's electric arm, James Shields' premium changeup and Matt Garza's power. When he arrives: Wade Davis beat him to the majors, so Hellickson may have to bide his time back at Durham in 2010. His time may have to come after a trade. 16. Kyle Drabek, RHP, Blue Jays Why he's here: The son of 1990 Cy Young Award winner Doug Drabek was the key piece in the Roy Halladay trade and instantly became Toronto's top prospect. His stuff wasn't always consistent in 2009, but at his best he has an excellent curveball, a plus fastball and a decent changeup. What he'll be: If his changeup gets better, Drabek can be a No. 2 starter on a championship team. If not, he could become a Tom Gordon clone as a closer, bringing mid-90s heat and finishing off hitters with his curve. When he arrives: Drabek was vulnerable to left-handed hitters last year, and the Blue Jays have pitching depth, so Drabek should be able to move up to Triple-A and hone his changeup in 2010 without having to immediately deal with the burden of being the Player Traded for Roy Halladay. 17. Alcides Escobar, SS, Brewers Why he's here: The Brewers brought up Escobar in August but he didn't surpass 130 at-bats, leaving him prospect-eligible. Then Milwaukee traded J.J. Hardy to the Twins, handing the job to the best defensive player among prospects. What he'll be: Escobar has the arm, infield actions, hands and range to win Gold Gloves at shortstop. He makes the routine plays and the tough ones, too. Plus, he has speed that impacts the game offensively, and his swing's not so bad either. When he arrives: Escobar is more prepared than Rangers shortstop Elvis Adrus was last year and should have a bigger impact in 2010. 18. Aaron Hicks, OF, Twins Why he's here: Five-tool ability to go with the ability to take a walk and premium defensive tools make Hicks an exciting prospect, even if he's never played above Class A. What he'll be: Hicks has some similarities to the Phillies' Domonic Brown, though he might actually have more speed and a bit less power. He's a tremendous athlete who was a scratch golfer as a teen, so it's hard to put a limit on his talent. When he arrives: The Twins know what they're doing with raw, toolsy center fielders, having developed Torii Hunter and Denard Span in succession. HIcks is next in line and has more offensive polish at a similar stage. 19. Dustin Ackley, OF/1B, Mariners Why he's here: The No. 2 overall pick in the 2009 draft isn't as explosive as Strasburg, but he was a steady .400 hitter in college who added power as a junior. He was far from overmatched in the AFL, batting .315 while adjusting to a relatively new position, center field. What he'll be: Ackley has some similarities to Johnny Damon with his athletic ability (though he's not as explosive as Damon was in his prime), plus-plus speed and poor throwing arm, but he might be a better pure hitter than Damon. When he arrives: Ackley has the bat to move quickly, but a position change could slow him down. Primarily a first baseman in college, he could play center field, left field or even second base. 20. Martin Perez, LHP, Rangers Why he's here: The third Ranger on the list, Perez has a delivery and repertoire that draw comparisons to Johan Santana. That may not be fair to Perez, but as an 18-year-old, he was the best pitcher in the South Atlantic League, and his compact delivery is a near-duplicate of Santana's. What he'll be: Well, have we mentioned Santana? There's just a long way for Perez to go from A-ball to the majors, and his workload has been handled very carefully so far. When he arrives: Let's give Perez a couple of years to let his low-90s fastball that touches 96, plus changeup and plus curveball time to incubate. He should be on this list at least two more times.

Troy Glaus to the Braves for one year, to play first base says Jon Heyam DeRosa has a two year $12 million deal from the Giants, he has yet to accept it.

I'm not an Insider anymore but Metsblog(WTF am I doing there so much today) has this I agree with Buster Olney, who wrote today on his blog for ESPN.com, that the Mets should try to: Sign free-agent 2B Orlando Hudson, and figure out what to do with Luis Castillo later. Sign a low-cost veteran outfielder, like Randy Winn. Consider a strong two-year offer to Mark DeRosa. Make solid one-year offers to the best �strike-throwing relief specialists on the market,� such as Bob Howry and Chan Ho Park. Take a look at Jarrod Washburn, and, �If you like Joel Pineiro, make an offer that you�re comfortable with.�

Ashie62 wrote: Fox.com..has the Nationals now targeting Matt Capps, Eddie Guardado & John Smoltz Omar should see if the Nats have any interest in Oliver Perez The Nationals are nearing a one-year deal with left-handed reliever Eddie Guardado, multiple major league sources told FOXSports.com.

They didn't mess this up

Thanks FK. I think your post might have been around the time they drafted Pedro Alvarez , he got a huge minor league ocntract but didn't sign it right away IIRC.

Nice job Greg, still we'll not hold our breath waiting for random Mets classics/games.

What happened here? Chuckles emanated from the gallery when the fourth and fifth Pirates players were drafted away. A few picks later, the volume increased when the Pirates decided to pass on their chance to make a selection. 'I heard the laughs coming from back there,' Pirates farm director Brian Graham said. 'Realistically, it's a compliment. You don't want to lose players, and it's not a positive for us, but it is a compliment.' " � Joe Rutter, reporting on reaction by MLB executives as the Pirates' farm system is picked apart during the 2003 Rule 5 draft.

Got this from Metsblog. An interesting look back at a horrible decade for the Pirates Sports writer Joe Starkey and the Tribune-Review staff break down the best and worst moments of the decade for the Pirates. SIGNATURE MOMENTS 1. April 9, 2001: Pirates christen new home, PNC Park, only hours after franchise icon Willie Stargell dies of complications from stroke. An emotional sellout crowd turns moment of silence and video tribute into loud and lengthy salute before 8-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. 2. July 22, 2003: Pirates provoke fan outrage by trading 25-year-old, homegrown slugger Aramis Ramirez and center fielder Kenny Lofton to Cubs for package of nobodies. 3. Sept. 7, 2009: On a drizzly day at PNC Park, Pirates lose to Cubs, 4-2, to clinch 17th consecutive losing season, a record for professional sports teams in North America. 4. June 7, 2007: Pirates confound baseball world by bypassing consensus best player on board, catcher Matt Wieters, to take relief pitcher Daniel Moskos fourth overall. Team press release says "(Moskos) was ranked by Baseball America as the fifth-best pitcher available in the draft." 5. Jan. 12, 2007: Kevin McClatchy, long-time face of the franchise, steps aside as principal owner, cedes control to Bob Nutting. ALL-DECADE TEAM Catcher � Jason Kendall ('00-04): Franchise leader in games caught. First base � Adam LaRoche ('07-09): Got a better idea? Second base � Freddy Sanchez ('04-09): Surged from backup to batting champ in '06. Shortstop � Jack Wilson ('01-09): Sparkling glovework, boundless optimism. Third base � Aramis Ramirez ('00-03): Kind of player Pirates needed to keep. Outfield � Jason Bay ('04-08): Quiet guy whose stats shouted for attention. Outfield � Nate McLouth ('05-09): Breakout year included Gold Glove, All-Star berth. Outfield � Brian Giles ('00-03): Mashed 38 homers in '02. LH Pitcher � Oliver Perez ('03-06): Had one great full season, which is one more than anyone else had. RH Pitcher � Josh Fogg ('02-05): Winningest righty at PNC Park, which is saying something. Closer � Mike Williams ('00-03): 140 saves in two nail-biting stints in Pittsburgh. Manager � Lloyd McClendon ('01-05): Gets major points for stealing first. BEST PLAYER Jason Bay, LF. After coming to Pirates in '03 trade with Padres, won NL Rookie of the Year and twice represented Pittsburgh in the All-Star Game. Left Pirates in top 10 in slugging pct. (.515, 4th), OPS (.890, 8th) and home runs (139, 8th). BEST GAME Giles grand slam shocks Astros, July 28, 2001. With two out and nobody on in the bottom of the ninth, the Pirates rally from an 8-2 deficit to beat the Houston Astros on Brian Giles' grand slam off Billy Wagner. Houston's Vinny Castilla hits three home runs and is robbed of a fourth by Giles, who isn't sure what kind of a pitch Wagner threw him. "When a guy throws that hard, it's hard to tell," he said. (July 28, 2001). BEST PLAY Delwyn Young makes miracle catch, July 28, 2009, at San Francisco. OK, so the umps missed it. We don't have to. Right fielder Garrett Jones bobbled, then kicked Randy Winn's fly ball into the air. Second baseman Young dived into the picture and snagged the ball with his right hand. Umps' ruling? A hit. Our ruling? Best play of the decade. FEEL-GOOD GAMES June 20-21, 2003: Pirates beat pennant-chasing Indians in two raucous, 15-inning games at sold-out PNC Park. � May 28, 2004: Hours after wife Jennifer gives birth to first son, Rob Mackowiak hits walkoff grand slam to beat Cubs in first game of doubleheader and game-tying homer in ninth inning of nightcap. "It's just hard to imagine ever having a better day than this," he says. � Trailing 9-3 in seventh, 10-4 in eighth and 11-10 in 10th, Pirates rally for 12-11 victory over visiting Cardinals on Jason Michaels' two-out, two-run homer (July 12, 2008). � Trailing Rockies, 11-6, with one out and nobody on in bottom of ninth, Pirates rally to win when Jason Kendall singles home Tike Redman (Aug. 1, 2003). � July 11, 2006: American League rallies past National League, 3-2, in the 77th MLB All-Star Game, at PNC Park. � Carrick High School grad John Wehner homers in final game at Three Rivers Stadium, a 10-9 loss to Cubs (Oct. 1, 2000). WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? Pitching coach Jim Colborn berates shortstop Jack Wilson in dugout during game. � Pitching coach Jim Colborn tinkers with Zach Duke's mechanics in spring following Duke's magical rookie season. � Manager John Russell removes Duke from 2009 home finale with two out, nobody on in ninth. � Pirates put Tike Redman in three-hole because computer tells them to after simulating thousands of games (presumably all Pirates losses). � Kevin McClatchy predicts Pirates will win 90 games in 2000 (they lose 93). PRETEND IT NEVER HAPPENED Red vests � Doug the Camel � "We Will" � Pedro Alvarez signing saga � Chris Stynes STRANGE BUT TRUE Pitcher Oliver Perez heads to DL after injuring foot by kicking laundry cart in clubhouse (June 28, 2005). � First baseman Randall Simon is arrested for clubbing a racing sausage at Miller Park and is fined $432.10 for disorderly conduct (July 10, 2003). � Pitcher Ian Snell requests and is granted demotion to minors, saying, "I think the team is better off without me." (2009). � Outfielder Raul Mondesi, saying he fears for family's safety in Dominican Republic, leaves team on May 7, 2004. He signs with Angels on May 29. MOVES THAT MADE PEOPLE VERY ANGRY McClatchy raises ticket prices after 100-loss season (2001). � Littlefield/McClatchy trade Aramis Ramirez (2003) � Huntington/Coonelly trade Jason Bay (2008) � Littlefield/Nutting bypass Matt Wieters (2007) � Adam LaRoche walks to on-deck circle in April or May (2007-09) ROOKIE STARS Jason Bay becomes first Pirates player to win Rookie of the Year (2004). � Andrew McCutchen, 11th overall pick from 2005, finishes fourth in Rookie-of-the-Year voting, despite playing only 108 games (2009). � Zach Duke becomes second Pirate to win first five decisions, posts 1.81 ERA in 14 starts (2005). DATES Nov. 18, 2000: Catcher Jason Kendall signs richest contract in team's 114-year history, a six-year, $60 million extension. May 29, 2004: Latest date all decade Pirates were over .500, at 23-22. Aug. 14, 2009: Pirates drop 17-2 squeaker at Wrigley Field, marking fourth-worst beating in team history. DIGITS 18 � Strikeouts in brutal 25-at-bat stretch for shortstop Brian Bixler in 2009 .462 � Winning pct. of interim manager Pete Mackanin in 2005 (12-14), best of any Pirates manager this decade. .173 � Derek Bell's average in 2001, year of "Operation Shutdown." 3 � Players left from Littlefield era: Doumit, Duke, Maholm. 33 � Years calling games for broadcaster Lanny Frattare, who stepped down after the 2008 season. WE WROTE IT Chuckles emanated from the gallery when the fourth and fifth Pirates players were drafted away. A few picks later, the volume increased when the Pirates decided to pass on their chance to make a selection. 'I heard the laughs coming from back there,' Pirates farm director Brian Graham said. 'Realistically, it's a compliment. You don't want to lose players, and it's not a positive for us, but it is a compliment.' " � Joe Rutter, reporting on reaction by MLB executives as the Pirates' farm system is picked apart during the 2003 Rule 5 draft. THEY SAID IT "We feel comfortable projecting him as a No. 3 starter." � Dave Littlefield, on the day he drafts Bryan Bullington first overall, ahead of B.J. Upton. "This story is bigger than Israel-Palestine. It's amazing. We're talking about bottled water." � Pirates owner Kevin McClatchy, at a news conference to reverse policy that bans fans from bringing bottled water into PNC Park. "I fear they will take advantage of the good will of the people who continue to show up. For my money, that's disrespectful. At some point, you have to write the check." � Pittsburgh-born actor Michael Keaton, at team-arranged news conference on day Pirates invited him to throw out first pitch at 2006 home opener. "Did you think he was going to be safe?" � Manager Jim Tracy, responding to question about why Jeromy Burnitz dogged it to first on a grounder. "Dave, I can't thank you enough." � Jeromy Burnitz, to then-GM Dave Littlefield, on the final day of the 2006 season, a season in which Burnitz was paid $6.7 million and hit .230. "I think it surprised a lot of people, but I was like, 'If they want to pay me that much ($2.4 million signing bonus), I'll do anything.' " � John Van Benschoten, looking back to when Pirates converted him into a pitcher upon drafting him, even though he led the nation in home runs at Kent State http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/pirates/s_658484.html

Jack Higgins should be on that list, yes?

I tried one of the new Bourne books written by Eric Van Lustbader , the author approved by the Ludlum Estate , IIRC that's how it was worded.....it was terrible.....Bourne was a professor and some long lost son comes back to kill him....it was awful

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: metirish wrote: The Bourne Trilogy Hey. We're talking best, not stupidest. low blow mate, low blow

I'm rooting for Delgado too. What does it say about Murphy that a lot of people are rooting for an oft injured Delgado to come good?