metirish

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

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 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. 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 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 .... How about we rustle up 5 more games to make it 50 then close this and figure out the polling....I would like to strive for an ultimate Top 10. I have a feeling we are missing a few games , a few one hitters perhaps...D'Amico...a Glavine gem in there somewhere.....Pedro in the rain...

Bobby Jones - 10/08/00-NLDS - Game 4 versus the Giants , Jones one hits the Giants. Endy Chavez - "The Catch" - Game 7, 2006 NLCS - 10/19/06 Benny Agbayani's game-winning homer in the 2000 NLDS.- 10/07/2000 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 Piazza in the first baseball game played in New York after September 11. - 09/21/2001 Clemens tries to kill Piazza in public, 2000. - 07/08/2000 Clemens tries to kill Piazza in public again, - 10/22/2000? Game One of the 2006 NLDS was October 4, 2006. Estes vs. Clemens - 06/15/2002 Glavine shits the bed in 40 degree weather on opening day - 03/31/2003 The Victor Diaz Game : 9/25/04 8/8/06 - Mike Piazza's return to Shea as a member of the Padres. 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. Welcome Abordick - 07/29/2000 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. The 16-inning win over the Phillies - 05/23/2006 The John Maine one-hitter on September 29 that got them there was also pretty memorable - 10/29/2007 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 The Mr. Koo game. - 5/21/05 two HRs from The Moustache(J Valentin) - 09/18/2006 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

It would be nice if actual game dates were given. The Diaz game was from 04? September 25, 2004 would be the game?

I would like to do a little project to nominate the most memorable Mets games of the Noughties then get a fancy poll up and we can vote on it. I'll start by nominating a few obvious ones. Bobby Jones - 10/08/00-NLDS - Game 4 versus the Giants , Jones one hits the Giants. Endy Chavez - "The Catch" - Game 7, 2006 NLCS - 10/19/06 On , and I would like your input on this.

Ball-hogging correction = never heard of it.....an interesting read even if it went over my head ofr the most part.

I'm in good company at least.

From the link So, while there has been a sense that sabermetrics is now part of MLB, some are using it only sparingly, while two clubs have yet to get on-board with the objective analysis world, at all. Guesses?

2. Ryan Church will play more baseball games. And in those games, he is a much better bet to be a better player than Jeff Francoeur. Come now , you don't kow that. Church 2004 - 30 Games 2005 - 102 2006 - 71 2007 - 144 2008 - 90 2009 - 111 Total = 548 Francouer 2005 - 70 2006 - 162 2007 - 162 2008 - 155 2009 - 157 Total - 706 From what saw with Church and his time with the Mets was not much , I like the guy and it was very unfortunate that he was injured for some time. I do wonder where on the list of things to do for the Mets is having a solid backup plan for RF...I don't disagree with you on that but I have a feeling Minaya thinks he made out like a king with the trade.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: metirish wrote: From the link Molina two-year deal, in the $12-million range..... I don't mind that deal one bit........ I think it's smelly. That smell you are smelling might be the anus that LFWS is going to eat.

From the link Molina two-year deal, in the $12-million range..... I don't mind that deal one bit........

No idea what that really means, I do think though that Francoeur is all but guarenteed to be the Mets right fielder on opening day while Church is looking for a new team. I'd say this deal worked out in the Mets favour.

metirish wrote: Heyman saying it looks like the Mets "came up short" on Wolf....to the Brewers for $9 million....I assume that's not $9M per..... WOW, apparently it would be for $9M per year in a three year deal......that's bloody crazy money for a guy who to me screams " .500 pitcher here".....

Interesting to read David Lennon today, he has starting pitching as Minaya's top priority, I like it. INDIANAPOLIS - After another long day in the Mets' hotel suite, Omar Minaya and his front-office staff began seriously crunching the numbers last night on free-agent pitchers, from John Lackey to Joel Pi�eiro to Jason Marquis. With that as the top priority, once the Mets add another front-line starter the team expects to pull the trigger on a trade, and there remains the possibility it could be the John Maine-for-Corey Hart deal with the Brewers that first surfaced late Monday. Despite the club's disturbing lack of power last season, Minaya has repeatedly suggested during the first two days of the winter meetings that improving the rotation is his most pressing concern. He also was not ready to close the door on any of the free-agent options, including Lackey, who is believed to be seeking a deal that surpasses the five-year, $82.5-million contract that A.J. Burnett scored from the Yankees last winter. When asked if the Mets were still in pursuit of the big-ticket free agents, a group that also includes Matt Holliday and Jason Bay, Minaya nodded, though Lackey figures to be atop that list. "I think we have a chance to be a player with most of the guys," Minaya said. "We're in discussions with them. There might be a team or two that has an offer out there. But I think a lot of clubs are kind of similar to us. We're kind of just having dialogue and at some point in time, somebody's going to step out and there's going to be a domino effect." Minaya said Randy Wolf was still "on the board" late Tuesday afternoon amid continuing reports that he was closing fast on a three-year deal with the Brewers. Milwaukee appeared to have an agreement with Wolf on Monday night and it was unclear if the Mets had been able to wedge themselves back into the running for the lefthander. The sticking point, as always with the Mets, is length of contract, and they seemed unwilling to go to three years with Wolf or four for Pi�eiro. For Lackey, the top free-agent pitcher on the market, getting him for under five years would be virtually impossible. "Right now they're [length of contract discussions] a little bit longer than what we thought," Minaya said. "But that's usually the case at this stage of the negotiations." After a relatively uneventful two days, however, Minaya sounded optimistic that the activity could pick up during the backstretch of the winter meetings. The Mets needed to look no further than the Yankees' three-team swap for Curtis Granderson if they required any additional motivation to boost their sagging franchise. "My experience is when you get to the last 24 hours, things can happen," Minaya said. "But some of the free agents that are out there are going to take a little bit longer, past the meetings." On the catching front, Minaya met with the agent for Yorvit Torrealba Tuesday morning as a short-term alternative to Bengie Molina, who is seeking a three-year deal. But with the Giants saying they had no intention of re-signing Molina, the Mets seemed confident that he would fall back to them, perhaps with a two-year contract and option for a third. The Denver Post also reported late Tuesday that the Rockies had offered Torrealba a two-year deal worth $5 million, which is likely to exceed any offer by the Mets. Torrealba still has a grievance pending against the Mets - for roughly $7 million - after they backed out of their three-year, $14.4-million agreement with him in 2007. But Torrealba's camp said that would not be a problem if the two sides agreed to another deal this time. Braves DFA Church. In a surprising move, Atlanta designated Ryan Church for assignment. The Mets sent Church to the Braves for Jeff Francoeur last July in a swap with their longtime rival that actually worked out in their favor. When told that he earned a 'W' for that trade, Minaya laughed. "I haven't had too many 'W's' so I'll take it," he said.

A certain Tiger runs to the top of the line for the ass eating from LWFS.

Great find Edgy, really ties in with the article....

Fascinating article here on the Dodgers retooling for the 1991 season....Strawberry, Butler , Kevin Gross, Ojeda. They finished 2nd with a 93-69 record. What I find really interesting is to read with hindsight about the players on that team....a real mix of veteran players and young ones , more than a few with issues. Tommy's Team Manager Tommy Lasorda has an L.A. squad rich in talent. Or is it just rich? In the afternoon sunshine of Vero Beach, Fla., on the second day of spring training last week, Tommy Lasorda cruised around Dodgertown in his golf cart. When he reached the grassy area behind home plate at Homan Stadium, he stopped to watch a kid named Hershiser fill the mitt of coach Joe Ferguson with strikes. Lasorda leaped from the cart and called his three catchers over to watch. "Look at that follow-through!" Lasorda yelled. "Look at those mechanics!" Before long a large group of fans had gathered, and Lasorda had them cheering each pitch. Only Lasorda could make an instant star out of a two-year-old. The young pitcher was Jordan Hershiser, the exceptionally advanced son of Los Angeles Dodger ace Orel Hershiser. And only Lasorda could be so upbeat, so fired up, so downright giddy with excitement just hours into spring training. But then, this is the dawn of a Dodger season that inspires high hopes�and may require all the positive energy Lasorda has to give. In his 15th season as manager of the Dodgers, Lasorda faces his ultimate challenge: What to do with the most talented team he's ever had. In the mystifying science of team chemistry, Lasorda has long been considered a wizard. But with $37 million worth of new ballplayers now coursing through his clubhouse, he must mix a volatile blend of rookies, rehabs, recalcitrants and the ridiculously rich under pressurized expectations: to win the strongest division in baseball. Will it all come together in a gorgeous pyrotechnical display, or will it just blow up in his hands? If the master chemist is even the least bit worried about the task before him, it certainly doesn't show. As in every spring, as in every day of Lasorda's life, he is a hand-clapping, back-slapping, butt-patting bundle of optimism. On the face of it, his exuberance is justified. The Dodgers, who last season finished second in the National League West, five games behind the Cincinnati Reds, turned to the free-agent market and added one of the game's best power hitters, Darryl Strawberry (the only player to hit more than 25 homers in each of the last eight years), and one of its best leadoff men, Brett Butler (one of only five players to reach base more than 200 times in each of the last eight years). They signed free-agent pitcher Kevin Gross, traded for pitcher Bob Ojeda and are encouraged by Hershiser's return from shoulder surgery. "We could have competed with the Reds if we hadn't done anything except get healthy," says Hershiser. "But [Dodger general manager] Fred Claire didn't sit on his hands. He got more. This is the first Dodger team I've been on in my eight years here that, on paper, looks very good. It reminds me of the Mets and A's of the last three or four years, teams you pencil in as the team to beat." Says Strawberry, "On paper, this team is better than the [world champion] '86 Mets. But that team was very determined. Only time will tell what type of determination this team has." And only time will tell if the diverse personalities on this roster can coexist. "They have a problem, no doubt," says Al Rosen, general manager of the division-rival San Francisco Giants. "When you have guys who have been cantankerous�like Kal Daniels, Darryl Strawberry, Eddie Murray�you wonder what will happen when they're all together. I'm a big believer in chemistry. We have great chemistry. But Tommy is a great motivator. I think he can handle any mix." Predictably, there was controversy the first day at Dodgertown. Top reliever Jay Howell and 1990 ace Ramon Martinez didn't report to camp because they were unhappy with their contracts. Martinez had been offered a one-year deal worth $400,000�which would be the highest salary ever given to a pitcher with less than two years of major league service. He wants more. Howell, the closer, will make $1.05 million in 1991, while his setup man, Jim Gott, will make $1.75 million. Howell wants an extension of his contract. There are other questions to be answered. Is shortstop Alfredo Griffin's back ailment serious? Is highly touted 22-year-old rookie Jose Offerman ready to take over at short? Will starter Tim Belcher bounce back from shoulder surgery? Can 30-year-old lefty Fernando Valenzuela still win? Can the lineup survive its shortage of righthanded hitting? ("Teams will call up lefties from the minors just to face us," says one doubting Dodger.) Is the LA. defense good enough? ("It can't compare with ours," says the Giants' Rosen.) So. Dr. Lasorda, how do you feel about that load of uncertainty? "I'm thankful to have all these good players," he says. Most of all, it seems, he's grateful for his new rightfielder. "Darryl Strawberry is the most talented player in baseball," says Lasorda. Not to mention one of the most tempestuous. During his eight roller-coaster years with the Mets, Strawberry's bouts with alcohol, his wife, Lisa, and his teammates were well documented, but Lasorda shrugs all that off. "I know one thing," Lasorda says, losing count. "Darryl's a good guy, he's a friend of mine and he's a tremendous player." The sentiment is mutual. Strawberry adores Lasorda, so much so that he made a commercial for Lasorda's spaghetti sauce. He did it for free, and, according to Lasorda, he did it last fall, before he signed a five-year, $20.25 million contract with the Dodgers in November. "I really respect him," Strawberry says of his new boss. "I really admire him. Tommy never launders a player in the press or puts down a player. When you see that in a manager, you can't help but have a good time." What's more, Strawberry loves L.A., his hometown. "The people in New York never knew me," he says. "They never sat down and had a conversation with me. They didn't know the person. The people in LA. are very friendly. Here they know who you really are. They know your heart. This year will be different." The difference is more than one of geography. The new Darryl became a born-again Christian in January and spent much of the winter living in a room at the Sherman Oaks home of Bill Payne, who is an uncle of Strawberry's wife. Payne has served as a kind of spiritual adviser to Strawberry; during their time together, Strawberry read the Bible daily, went to bed early, got up early and worked out regularly. (He also regularly visited Lisa and their two children at their house in nearby Encino.) On Feb. 14, his uniform's number, 8, was retired by his alma mater, Crenshaw High, in Los Angeles. Strawberry wept during the ceremony and said, "I'm so happy the Lord saved my life." Only hours after his arrival in Vero Beach on Sunday, Strawberry unveiled the new man: "I've been set free. Jealousy, bitterness, anger, I've been removed from that. It's a totally different experience. But most people can't see it because they're blinded by sin. My life is at peace now. It's not a bunch of confusion like before. I'm not worried now about what is written by the media, or how to prepare for a game, or what the response will be when I go to New York. I'm going in a straight direction. I have nothing but faith and blessings. There will be a lot of glory for the Lord, and glory for the Dodgers." Strawberry, though, isn't the only Dodger who comes to camp with a history of conflict. Daniels, L.A.'s fragile left-fielder, has offended his teammates before, allegedly by showing more concern about his hitting than about winning. Murray, the first baseman, cares greatly about winning, but can be moody and incommunicative, especially when his team is losing. Even Butler, who has a three-year, $10 million deal and will take over centerfield, was recently described by a rival manager as "weird." Butler created a stir in the San Francisco clubhouse last year when he intimated that the Giants' losing had something to do with Satan. "I don't see the diverse personalities being a problem at all," says Butler, who was born in Los Angeles. "Take Darryl. It's always been his dream to play in L.A. Me, it's always been my dream, too. Kevin Gross says to me, 'I can't believe I'm home.' He lives right down the street. We have a bunch of homeboys on this club. So many of these guys are happy. The first time I put on the uniform, I sat down, felt my chest and legs and said, 'Am I here? Is this real?' I thought, 'Golly, can it get any better than this?' " Golly, it actually could�if Hershiser proves capable of pitching anywhere near his old Cy Young form. Hershiser claims that at the very least he's stronger after a winter of weights. "I have a chest now," he says. "I used to be able to palm a basketball with my shoulders." Hershiser feels just as good about the rest of the team. "It's like a puzzle," he says. "We don't know where everyone will fit, but we have some fantastic pieces." Most of the pieces have been gathered by Claire, who became general manager in April 1987. Only Hershiser, Valenzuela, catcher Mike Scioscia and infielder Jeff Hamilton remain from the team that Claire inherited. Moreover, entering spring training, only 18 players on the 40-man roster are products of the Dodger organization, and there's little to pick from on the farms below. The front office likes to brag about prospects such as outfielder Henry Rodriguez, but the truth is that recent Dodger drafts have bordered on the disastrous. So instead of promoting from within, Claire and his staff have pieced this puzzle together with trades and free-agent buys. This wouldn't be so noteworthy if the Dodgers had not been such a model organization for so long. The Dodgers of the 1940s and '50s were known for their constancy. Every pitcher on the 1960 staff was a Dodger product. In the 1970s, Los Angeles was anchored by the homegrown infield of Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell and Ron Cey. Now, the Dodgers are an aggregation of players from other organizations. "Every team in modern baseball is going this way," Hershiser says. "Organization-bred teams are few and far between now. Since we acquired [Kirk] Gibson before the '88 season, we've been a free-agent team as a way to fill our holes." Says one Dodger official, "I have a theory: We should get rid of our farm system. I'm serious. We don't need one. Who are free agents after this year? Gooden, Viola? We'll sign one of them. We're able to do that. And think about how much money we can save on instructors, minor league costs, all that. I don't think it would be a bad idea." Claire, however, insists that the Dodger farm system will come back into play. He claims that the team won't be spending a great deal of money on free agents next winter and says that the recent signings were required to fill gaps. He's hoping that there won't be any big gaps to fill next year, maybe even for a few years. "You have to bond a team together for a year, or a period of time," Claire says. "It probably won't last three years, it won't last five years. We can't change that. It's just the nature of the game today. The great Dodger teams with Pee Wee, Campy, Gil, Jackie...if they played like it is today, with free agency hanging over them, there's no way that team would have stayed together. We added people, but we added quality people. It's the obligation of 25 men to build chemistry or attitude. Brett and Darryl add to that. They bring chemistry to the team by their desire to play every day." To help with possible conflicts, the Dodgers employ the only full-time psychiatrist in baseball. Dr. Herndon Harding Jr., 35, the great great grand-nephew of President Harding, was hired by the Dodgers in November (he was previously the director of the State of Ohio Department of Mental Health). On a confidential basis, he will work with the Dodgers' major and minor league players. "I was skeptical at first. People cautioned me," Harding says when asked about dealing with highly paid and often-egotistical ballplayers. "But I've dealt with judges, politicians and people who make a lot of money in private practice. When you get down to brass tacks, most emotional makeups are the same. I've gotten all kinds of ribbing in my profession, like 'What are you doing in baseball?' It's not that the Dodgers are in trouble. They're not. This is just another progressive benefit that has made them the cream of the crop." Harding may find that the Dodgers already have a good shrink: Lasorda. "He's unbelievable," says Hershiser. "Tommy can kick you in the pants one day, but the next day he's your best friend. He wants to be everyone's friend, but he lets everyone know he's boss. He's so kinetic. His energy level brings people together. He's a magnet. You know, you have a group of eight or 10 friends, but if one of them isn't there, the others don't have any fun. It's like that with Tommy. Take him to a dinner party and the whole group lights up." Lasorda often defends his players�publicly. Privately, however, he will blast them face-to-face as he sees fit. He has an amazing ability to quickly dispose of negative situations. He strokes the egos of his players with little props, such as the celebrities he brings to the clubhouse. He tells his players whatever they want to hear, whatever makes them play their best. A Dodger scout says, "The first time I met him I thought he was full of it. But he believes half the things he says. Players think he's crazy, but they believe in him." Butler believes. Lasorda has worn number 2 since he became manager. When Butler, who has worn number 2 most his career, joined the Dodgers, Lasorda told Butler he could have 2. An appreciative Butler took 22 instead. Strawberry believes. When it is suggested that he and his new teammates may have trouble melding their personalities, Strawberry retorts, "The people who say that have wishy-washy minds. They should be focusing on what's going on in their lives, in their minds, instead of what's going on here. Anyway, with Tommy Lasorda around, you don't have to worry about chemistry." Says Lasorda, "It's my job to get them to put forth all the effort they have. To do that, you have to let them know they're appreciated. They want to know that. When I took over with four games left in the '76 season, I called [outfielder] Reggie Smith in my office and told him, 'I just got this job as manager. It's a dream come true for me. I want to do good. I need your help.' He looked at me and said, 'No one ever told me that before, that they needed me.' The next year, he hit 32 homers." Lasorda's greatest managing performance may have occurred last year, when he won 86 games with an injury-riddled team. "I made them believe, even when we were 14 games out," he says. He achieved more with less. This season, he has a lot, but must achieve it all. "Every year is a big challenge. This year is no different," Lasorda says. "I've had great clubs before. So we've got some guys from other organizations. It's my job to band them together, to build up togetherness, spirit and that family attitude. I have to make them proud to wear that uniform." If he can, the L.A. Story could run well into October. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1118918/1/index.htm It's a long read but worth it I think. Look at the roster here, more than a few played for the Mets too.

Heyman saying it looks like the Mets "came up short" on Wolf....to the Brewers for $9 million....I assume that's not $9M per.....

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Speaking of celebratory MFY Moments, where's Rogers been? Doing research for Madden on his new steinbrenner book.

I just can't see him back with the Mets......for the reasons pointed out by Grim.....his time here was a mess and I'm sure he thinks he was treated badly by management.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Apparently the MFYs held back Dunn as a matter of principal (I'm sure it's to inflate his value for some other deal). What you have to hope here is that Granderson's propensity to whiff increases and his split differentials widen, making the MFYs really pay the price for the 10+ Mills he'll be owed in 2010 and 2011. Until just now I kinda thought he was pretty good. Yeah looking at some of his numbers he's not the big shit I thought.....terrible against lefties , lots of SO....I guess in his new home park they think he will hit more home runs.

Some of the others are Ian Kennedy and Phil Choke but not Hughes which seems like a good deal for the yankees.......wankers

I'd say he's an old 30 with all his recent maladies , but yeah it does seem like a waste to not even give him a shot through ST....

How good can he be if I never heard of him?...seriously