metirish

Oritz finally hit a home run last night , his first in 149 ab's , really hoping he doesn't explode this weekend.

The Mets lose but these late night IGT's are winners , love reading over them the next morning....

On Murphy's reaction to playing first base ] "His reaction, it surprised me," Manuel said. "He just lit up, had a big smile. I spoke with (outfield coach) Razor (Shines) about it and he said, 'Oh yeah, he's like a kid with a new toy.' Whereas I'm like, 'I'm scared to death. If he can't catch it out there, how's he going to catch it in here?'"

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: ="Swan Swan H"]West coast IGTs need all the lubrication they can get. I bought some Pabst Blue Ribbon tonight. It is my recession beer. OMG , JCL is a Recessionista...

Weaver couldn't handle NY you know....had to move as far away as possible....

Fman99 wrote: The great thing about baseball is that you get a fresh slate every game. Put yesterday in the rearview mirror and start over, 0-0. Brand new game. Are you OK?

Jeez I think Sheffield should start every night these days . That's pretty cool Swanie

So , Jerry is full of shit?

Absolutely terrible , I recall when he was here last year that one of their kids was very sick...poor guy.

Happens to me all the time Swanie..... I'll try this..... The Ballad of Big Balls John Hate To Feel Big Balls John My pecker is a stirring for Wright again Dropped line drives always seem to score I'm just going to ask this question In a nut shell what were the screw ups? Pierre scores and the Dodgers are on the board Strange things happen when the Mets are out West Hate To Feel Big Balls John

] By DAVID WALDSTEIN Published: May 20, 2009 CHIBA, Japan � After nine innings of sustained chanting and singing, about 150 of the most loyal fans remained behind in silence with their banners raised over their heads, the Japanese characters on the 70-foot signs shouting out in protest from the right-field bleachers. �We would rather fight with Bobby, who says we�re the world�s best fans,� one sign read, �than with a front office who calls us worthless.� �Bobby stands behind us. We stand behind Bobby,� read another. It was the third consecutive game that the fans had staged this unusual protest, all part of a campaign to force the Chiba Lotte Marines to reverse course and keep Bobby Valentine, a baseball lifer from America, as their manager beyond the current season. For six weeks, the fans of the Marines have been engaged in a battle with the front office over the fate of Valentine, who was told over the winter that his contract would not be renewed for financial reasons, despite his success with the team. With over 50,000 signatures on a petition to keep Valentine, this is a struggle, the fans believe, that goes to the heart of Japanese baseball. They see Valentine as a positive influence who is leading the team and the sport toward a more viable future by promoting more access to players and more fan-friendly marketing concepts. At the same time, they view the current front office, led by the team president, Ryuzo Setoyama, as more interested in the old status quo, when, they contend, fans were treated less as coveted customers and more as people expected to attend games out of a sense of duty. Although the team insists that Valentine simply makes too much money to be retained in 2010, the fans believe other factors may be in play. �This problem is more than Japanese baseball itself; it�s about the Japanese society,� Kazuhiro Yasuzumi, a 39-year-old Marines fan and leader of the protest, said through an interpreter. He said that people with power and influence in Japan did not necessarily appreciate someone like Valentine, who has never been bashful about offering his opinion. Valentine is indeed paid a lot of money: $3.9 million per season. When, and if, he goes, he will take with him some significant accomplishments, starting with the championship he won in 2005, the Marines� first in 31 years. It was after that feat that he became the only foreigner to win the prestigious Shoriki Award for contributions to Japanese baseball. During his six seasons in Chiba (Valentine also managed here for one season in 1995 before returning to the United States to manage the Mets), membership in the team�s fan club has grown by 600 percent to 140,000 card-carrying members and team revenues have increased by 400 percent. The street where he lives in Chiba has been renamed Valentine�s Way. Still, Setoyama announced over the winter that the team could no longer afford Valentine and that he would not be retained after the 2009 season, angering some fans and mobilizing others. In 1995, when Valentine was fired after one season, fans attempted to generate a petition on his behalf, but the effort was too late. This time they vowed to be better organized. So, when Valentine returned to Japan in January to begin to prepare for the season, the protests began. Two hundred fans greeted him at the airport when he arrived. On opening day in early April, Marines fans unfurled a 200-foot banner that read, �Marines Is My Life,� but then quickly rolled it up to reveal more than a dozen flags, pennants and banners proclaiming support for Valentine. Some of the banners displayed Valentine�s likeness or the No. 2 he wears on his jersey. Some read, �Bobby 2010�; others stated, �Respect Bobby,� in English. Valentine said the protest left him in tears. He was not the only one affected. �I got chills,� said Hiram Bocachica, a former major leaguer now with the Lions. �You don�t expect that for a manager.� The fans also took their protest beyond the stands, going directly to the acting team owner, Akio Shigemitsu, in the stadium parking lot after one game and asking him to reconsider. Then came a front-office meeting. The minutes of that meeting were leaked to the Japanese press and portrayed Setoyama, the team president, speaking derisively about the team�s fans and discussing the possibility of moving the team out of Chiba. In response, the team held a news conference in which Shigemitsu declared his support for Valentine through the end of the season and denied the team might be moved. Setoyama disputed the comments attributed to him in the news media reports; he did not respond to a request by The New York Times for an interview. Meanwhile, Lotte, the team�s multinational parent company, is conducting an internal review of the circumstances surrounding Valentine and the club. And as it does, the protests continue. At every home game fans are greeted by supporters of Valentine asking for more petition signatures. The banners supporting him are unfurled every time a Marine batter reaches base. There are even rumblings of a silent protest in the right-field stands, where the loudest cheering section is traditionally situated. �It�s an ugly battle taking place, but I think it�s only a blip on the screen,� said Jim Small, Major League Baseball�s top executive in Asia, when asked about the Valentine controversy. �For the most part, I think the trend is toward the new way of thinking, and that started with the Marines.� And more particularly with Valentine, who took such steps as opening the windows of his office to give out autographs to surprised patrons and having some of the protective netting around the field removed so players could sign for fans. Normally loquacious, he has tried to keep a distance from the protests. But he did salute the fans for their support, and what he termed the magic show, when the banners supporting him appear �out of nowhere.� Valentine also knows there is talk that he will be back managing in the major leagues before long but says any speculation about next year is insulting to those who have taken up his cause. �I always talk about passion and commitment, but they have one-upped me,� he said of those fans. �They have committed themselves to the team, and whether it�s 1-1 in the 12th or 19-1 in the ninth, they always have incredible passion for the team. It�s inspiring. It�s a great life lesson for anybody.� New York Times

="Swan Swan H":3dc1g4jv]="Edgy DC":3dc1g4jv]About four people have already invoked Johnson.[/quote:3dc1g4jv] I think Irish invoked Johnson in the David Wright thread.[/quote:3dc1g4jv] LOL Has Helton been mentioned yet? , it's an annual rite of passage that he does. Edgy DC May 20 2009 09:27 AM When Darryl Strawberry went down in 1985, did everybody try to imagine trades for Dave Parker or Glenn Wilson or Gary Ward? LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr May 20 2009 11:23 AM ="Edgy DC":1t1tj5go]When Darryl Strawberry went down in 1985, did everybody try to imagine trades for Dave Parker or Glenn Wilson or Gary Ward?[/quote:1t1tj5go] Strawberry wasn't 36-going-on-37, and was signed for another 4 years. (Also, the fanbase/media corps wasn't quite as touchy, no?) Edgy DC May 20 2009 11:31 AM On one hand, I'm pretty sure two more weeks of Darryl Strawberry being available could have been the difference in 1985. On the other hand, I still wish folks would cool it with trade talk and the Mets would put Murphy and Tatis at first and re-stock at AAA. metsguyinmichigan May 20 2009 12:02 PM Nick Johnson has Yankee taint. Ick. So does Redding, but he logged more innings in his first start with us than he did in his entire Yankee career. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr May 20 2009 02:08 PM ="metsguyinmichigan":2ujf6l3z]So does Redding, but he logged more innings in his first start with us than he did in his entire Yankee career.[/quote:2ujf6l3z] ZZ Tim has the additional Yankee taint of growing up a Rochester MFY fan. Benjamin Grimm May 20 2009 02:13 PM I don't see the point of worrying too much about "taint." (I was really surprised about how so many Mets fans couldn't forgive Tom Glavine for having once been a Brave. I could see not liking a guy who's proven to be a jerk or a thug. I'm glad Roger Clemens never became a Met, and I hope that Michael Vick never does. (That would be pretty darn unlikely, anyway.) But to not want a guy just because he was once a Yankee or a Brave or a Phillie just doesn't make sense to me. Centerfield May 20 2009 02:56 PM joelmon > CPF posters LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr May 22 2009 01:01 PM Pertinent to our conversation in terms of market-gauging, Gammons on trade rumors regarding a few potential trade targets: ]The Nats have few chips to move. Nick Johnson and Austin Kearns should get action, although there has been little thus far. Boston wants to wait on David Ortiz and tabled a proposal of Johnson for Manny Delcarmen. and ]Indians GM Mark Shapiro says he spends "40 percent of my time denying false reports." ... Yes, with Jhonny Peralta's move to third base, he would deal Mark DeRosa for major league-ready pitching but otherwise will hold onto DeRosa into June. Something like Parnell for Johnson seems about right. Would you pull that trigger? And DeRosa almost certainly would require at least Jon Niese (along with something-- or somethings-- like Kunz or Gee as a deal-sweetener). metirish May 22 2009 01:11 PM I'd pull the trigger on Johnson, what would Boston do with Johnson? smg58 May 22 2009 01:52 PM The Indians got DeRosa for three prospects not on their top-20 list. If they get somebody like Niese or more than that, they will have gotten a very nice return on their investment -- especially since DeRosa has paid rather tepid dividends up to this point. My interest in Johnson depends on Delgado's status. Although, if Delgado is back before the deadline, we would be in a position to trade one of them and get back at least the equivalent of what we first gave up. (Assuming we don't overpay, that is.) But the combination of Murphy at first and Sheffield, Beltran, and Church in the outfield (with Tatis playing somewhere against lefties) isn't so bad that I'd compromise our bullpen. Frayed Knot May 22 2009 02:37 PM Remember that whatever trade goes down will be only for [u:21jaadak]4 months of Nick Johnson[/u:21jaadak] (and that's only if he stays healthy). We'd have to either extend him or bid on the open market for him after that. Not sure how baseball people would view Parnell or Neise in comparison to Delcarman Ashie62 May 22 2009 03:38 PM Nick Johnson is worth lower level prospects at best. Would never trade Parnell for a guy who could easily miss 2 months breaking his wrist falling out of bed.. Kearns does nothing for me. An expensive Michael Young was moved to 3rd and peddled in the off season. Maybe Texas would take Castillo as part of something.

This thread has hilarious possabilities . Anywho I think there was quite a bit of frustration talking right there and I don't mean with Ashie

Orlando Hudson talking with Burlhardt on the pre-game saying how he's a huge Mets fan even though where he grew up they were all Braves fans....but I think we knew this information

Swan Swan H wrote: ="metirish"]I can lip read and coming of the mound he was uttering...." that's the real deal right there , yes sir , I'm the real deal"..... What was he saying when Murphy dropped the fly ball in the 1st? " I'm not the boss , just say nothing John......I hope Dan doesn't want to chat now"

That was Big Balls John dealing right there , I can lip read and coming of the mound he was uttering...." that's the real deal right there , yes sir , I'm the real deal".....

My pecker is a stirring for Wright again.

Pierre scores and the Dodgers are on the board. Dropped line drives always seem to score

And he drops the line drive......for fucks sake

Damn , that's a weak looking lineup after the four spot.

Castillo looks a bit like Ortiz , yes/no?

I should note that I didn't fall of the wagon or anything......just waiting for the Mets is all.

I would have hoped that Manuel was above such nonsense and that this team had moved past this silly crap.

I'm just going to ask this question....... What has Church done to deserve playing time every day?

Gwreck wrote: ="metirish"]In a nut shell what were the screw ups? Church misses third while scoring go-ahead run in top of 11th. Becomes third out of inning instead of up one run with runner at second base. Pagan and Beltran fail to call each other off and ball drops in bottom of 11th, runners to second and third with nobody out. After getting first out, groundball to Jeremy Reed is fielded and thrown home but he misses plate by 10 feet and game ends. Just saw the whole mess , wow......give some credit to Stokes for showing some big balls....Reed with the outfielders throw...