metirish

Well if Willie should be thankful for the job then the Mets should be thankful they have him...

Ooops,sorry,got my leagues mixed up....I voted daily and for a cap...

What concerns me more than Willie getting a big pay day is a possible distraction it would be if he went into the season without a new one,and it would be a big distraction I would think...maybe he's bolt to the Bronx after the season...

I didn't take offence at all, and yeah Wally is an asshole,IIRC he had less than flattering things to say about Willie after the NLCS, still I would like to see Willie get a deal done before the season.

No thanks,I'm having some coffee instead.

I had an old thread about this months ago but I can't find it..must say I agree with Wally and Klapisch on this,maybe not the way they express themselves but the main point is valid. ] What's the deal? Mets spend on everyone but Willie January 24, 2007 Perhaps if Willie Randolph were still a player, and not the manager who led them to within a victory of the World Series, the Mets would show him a little more respect and a lot more money. Over the past month, the Mets have managed to scrape together $10.8 million for three years of Scott Schoeneweis, rustled up another $1.25 million for Jorge Sosa, more than doubled the yearly salary of Endy Chavez, from $800,000 to $1.725 million. And bought a plane ticket to Port St. Lucie for 41-year-old Ruben Sierra. In the month previous, they rewarded Guillermo Mota for his drug suspension with a two-year, $5-million deal, even though he won't start earning his pay until Memorial Day; threw $10 million at Tom Glavine without another serious bidder in the hunt, and found $7.5 million for 40-year-old Moises Alou. And yet they haven't been able to find the time or the money to make a deal with Randolph. At his age, 52, it seems as if Randolph is better suited to play for these Mets than to manage them. As of last night, the two sides were still apart on money and length of contract. How far, neither side will say - both Randolph's agent, Ron Shapiro, and Mets general manager Omar Minaya declined to return calls yesterday - but it is easy to figure out what it would take to make a deal. Clearly, Randolph is not expecting Joe Torre's paycheck or Lou Piniella's or Tony La Russa's. Neither should he be expected to work for less money than the likes of Ned Yost or Clint Hurdle or Eric Wedge. Randolph's $700,000 a year is good money if you are a cop, a fireman, a teacher or a newspaperman, but in baseball it doesn't even buy you a backup shortstop. After being rejected by 12 teams in his quest for a manager's job, the Mets got him on the cheap. Now, they are treating him as if he should just be thankful to have a job. In truth, it is they who should be thankful. Randolph won his division last year, in his second season, and with a little help from the front office, might have taken the Mets at least one step further and maybe all the way. It is easy to quibble, and I have, with individual in-game decisions made by Randolph, such as sending gimpy Cliff Floyd up to try to hit a series-winning three-run homer in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the NLCS rather than have someone else bunt the runners over. But it is impossible to argue the fact that having been forced to work the entire postseason with an injury-ravaged starting rotation, caused by a lack of foresight in the front office, Randolph actually did a remarkable job to get his team as far as he did. And yet, incredible as it may seem, it appears as if the Mets are holding Randolph responsible for the NLCS failure against the Cardinals, as if he could have breathed new life into Glavine's 40-year-old arm, or kept Billy Wagner from blowing the key save in Game 2, or forced Carlos Beltran to lift the bat off his shoulder in Game 7. There can be no other explanation for why this is not getting done. Clearly, Minaya has no problem asking his owners for money to spend on players, no matter how old, and just as clearly, the Wilpons have no problem saying yes. So there must be something else at work here, some lingering doubt about Randolph's capabilities or some festering resentment about the way the season ended and who was to blame. And no matter how it turns out, it is the Mets who are looking bad. Throwing money at aging players while hanging the manager out to dry is the stuff of bullies, the kind of thing the Yankees do, the kind of thing the Mets were supposed to be better than. When they hired Randolph two years ago, it was a popular move for all the right reasons. Randolph is a local guy, a winner, a role model from an area better known for producing rap sheets, and a man of color in a position that is still far too lily-white. Now, they run the risk of sending a good manager and good man into the season as a lame duck, a situation he may not recover from if the Mets should get off to a slow start. Randolph, who has changed the culture of the Mets' clubhouse every bit as much as Mike Piazza did with his arrival nine years ago, deserves better. Now maybe if he offered to play second base ... ] Mets' skipper deserves better Sunday, January 14, 2007 By BOB KLAPISCH RECORD COLUMNIST This was early December, after the gloomy haze of the Mets' playoff loss to the Cardinals had evaporated. The organization was compiling its 2007 to-do list, which included signing Willie Randolph to a multiyear contract extension. One senior executive predicted a new deal would be finalized "very soon" as both parties agreed on a basic premise: Randolph, going into the final year of a three-season, $1.8 million pact, had earned a raise and greater job security after leading the Mets to a National League-best 97 wins. More than a month later, however, no deal is in place and none seems likely anytime soon. Despite the goodwill between Randolph and the Wilpon family, there's been a significant philosophical difference over � what else � money and how to quantify the difficulty of managing in New York. Although everyone is still friendly (and talking to each other), it's possible Randolph will go into the regular season without a safety net. If so, the Mets would be exposing Randolph to a needless summer of questions about his return or, as unlikely as it seems, his departure. Crazy, isn't it, that a team that's been willing to annually overspend for Pedro Martinez, Carlos Beltran and Billy Wagner is now fighting its manager down to the last dollar. Among the market barometers ownership has used is the $1.75 million Buck Showalter earned last season, despite his 11 years of experience. That's the Mets' way of telling Randolph: Don't expect to be paid like Joe Torre. Randolph, who would only say, "This is a private issue" when reached by telephone Saturday, has a much stronger counterargument. He's working in baseball's toughest market, and while he's obviously not looking for Torre's $6 million per, the Mets have been getting off cheap paying Randolph just $600,000 a year. Put it this way: Randolph inherited the lethargy and indifference Art Howe left behind � or to be more precise, he had to clean up after Fred Wilpon's mistake. Thanks to Howe, the self-loathing Mets had turned into the NL's most expensive joke by 2004 and were desperate not just for better talent, but for leadership as well. Despite his rookie status, Randolph pulled off a small miracle in his clubhouse: He induced major-leaguers, including some of the game's biggest stars, to raise their level of play simply because the manager demanded it. Today, no one in the Mets' clubhouse harpoons Randolph, on or off the record. While the players often mocked Howe behind his back, Randolph has their respect, and it showed in how far they went in October, coming within one pitch of the World Series. Of course, Randolph's Game 7 decisions will forever be dissected. Should he have bunted with runners on first and second in the ninth inning, down, 3-1, instead of sending Cliff Floyd to the plate as a pinch-hitter? Randolph isn't a perfect tactician (Floyd struck out, dooming the rally), but his in-game strategy isn't what's holding up the talks. The Mets simply don't believe Randolph deserves to triple his salary after just two years on the job � even if, as Randolph's representatives correctly point out, he successfully turned around the Mets in those two summers. In any case, it's a profit-less exercise for the Wilpons. If they expect Randolph to keep control of the clubhouse, it's counterintuitive to beat him down over a new deal. It's ownership's money, of course, but it's anyone's guess what lesson the Mets are trying to teach Randolph after he turned them into an NL power broker.

I'll play if it's daily..I just hated the weekly thing last season, thus I had little interest after a while.

]But Mr. Leli pleaded guilty yesterday to a lesser charge, second-degree criminal impersonation, and was released � on condition that he stay away for three years from Mets home games and from KeySpan Park in Coney Island, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones, a minor league team owned by the owners of the Mets, as well as the team�s spring training camp at Port St. Lucie, Fla. He was also fined $1,000. Back in time for the new stadium...

Peter O'Toole was on Charlie rose last week,he can still tell a great yarn about past exploits with Richard Harris and Richard Burton,he also told Rose that for the past 40+ years he has done theater work every one of those years.....

So the J.D. Drew deal is still not completed,WTF is going on with that? Murray Chass on Drew and Bonds

a backyard somewhere in Canada......

Oh so now the Mets had a good season they don't feel like they have to hold the winter caravan?......

Yes that is true,I'll miss Erin Woodward....

Jesus,is it that time already?....time to flog those season ticket plans with the help of bench players....come meet Newhan and Easley at the Mets store.....

I enjoyed this IIRC...Baldwin can be a brillaint actor...

This sucks donkey balls....

Barclay's has been the long time sponsor of the english premier league,but I was surprised at the money they are shelling out for the Nets naming rights.

By top of the rotation starter I hope you don't mean Joe fucking Blanton.

Except for minor-league contracts and spring training invites, we have the 2007 Mets before us. I voted this one...

Brian Jordan would make my list of Braves that stick in my craw(love that word)

Edgy DC wrote: Somebody track a Braves forum and see what the reaction on the street is. I've been reading a Braves blog on ajc.com ,reaction seems split,no surprise there...what I found even more interesting is that the blogger David O'Brien listed his top ten Braves ever and his top ten bands ever....here they are ] By Dave O'Brien | Monday, January 8, 2007, 04:01 PM The Atlanta Journal-Constitution On the day of football�s national championship and the announcement of Bobby Petrino as new Falcons coach, the biggest story nonetheless, at least to me, was R.E.M.�s election into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Damn straight. And so, I�m devoting this Braves/Man in Black blog to two favorite topics: The Braves and rock �n roll. Feel free to talk pigskin if you want, but this blog, should you choose to take part, is going to require undivided attention. And this exercise is undoubtedly going to raise some arguments. It better, or you folks aren�t nearly opinionated enough. Here�s what we�re going to do. What we�ve done. Ranked the top 10 Atlanta Braves players � repeat, ATLANTA Braves � and top 10 rock bands of the past 25 years (bands are eligible for the Hall 25 years after their first record, and R.E.M.�s going in on the first ballot). Keep in mind, this eliminates some great Braves who played all or most of their career with the Milwaukee Braves or with other teams, and eliminates a lot of rock bands who were already big before 1982, bands such as The Clash, Allman Brothers, X, Ramones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Pretenders, Talking Heads, Van Halen, Kiss � or Led Zep and the Stones, obviously. And also Husker Du, one of my personal faves. (LATE EDITED CHANGE TO MY LIST: I dropped U2 after determining they were sufficiently big following pre-1982 releases of Boy and October albums, though they obviously got far bigger in the past 25 years. That�s why there�s going to be confusion when you read some posts before the change was made. Anyway, back to our blog, as filed earlier today.) It also eliminates Bon Jovi and Journey, because I said GOOD bands, not cheesy bands that sold a lot of albums. Oh, that ought to get a couple responses right there. And for these purposes, we�ll consider Elvis Costello, Prince and others as solo artists, though they released plenty of sensational CDs in this era with bands (the Attractions, the Revolution). Now, this is just my list, and I�m certain that very few of you are probably going to agree with all or most of my bands. That�s fine. This is about personal tastes, and, personally, I don�t care how many albums a band sells. Also, a few of my very favorite bands, like Drive-By Truckers, Black Keys and Calexico, haven�t been around quite long enough or made quite a big enough impact to make my list, not like these 10 have. I cheated on Wilco and combined them with the band they stemmed from, Uncle Tupelo. I though of including Public Enemy, but in the end I decided we needed to confine this to rock bands or it just gets unwieldy. Though I could argue Public Enemy rocked harder than some bands on my list, and have had a bigger impact. Radiohead, Pearl Jam, Social Distortion, Pavement, Blur, Morphine, Oasis, Metallica, Flaming Lips, Red Hot Chili Peppers � a lot of great bands got left off my list. But I wanted to keep it to 10 to make it tougher to pick. Now, as for the Braves list, I think we�ll probably agree on most of the guys on the list, but the hard part of that was ranking them. Unlike the bands, we�re ranking the players by their greatness, their impact while with the Braves. To me, guys like Andres Galarraga, Terry Pendleton, Denny Neagle, Mark Wohlers and � OK, I�ll say it � John Rocker weren�t with the team long enough to make this list, though they may have had a few spectacular seasons in Atlanta. And I admit, it�s splitting hairs on some of these guys. A year or two ago, I would still have had Dale Murphy ahead of Chipper, but as Hoss has passed Murph in a few major club records, I�ve gotta go with Chipper. Also, though some may say it�s obvious because Niekro�s in the Hall of Fame, I really debated whether to rank him ahead of Glavine. If you look at their career numbers with Atlanta, it�d be easy to go with Glavine. And how to rank, say, Andruw compared to Chipper and Smoltz? Javy Lopez was the toughest call, and he got the nod from me only because he was around twice as long as Terry Pendleton and a bit longer than Rafael Furcal. I wouldn�t argue strongly with anyone who chose two ahead of Javy, though. It�s highly subjective and I might have a different opinion by the end of the season. Or the week. Who knows? But it�s fun, I think you�ll agree, to go through and try to rank them. Get out your reference books, or get ready to go back and forth to Baseball Reference or your favorite website for comparisons. And if you want to skip either list, feel free. No worries. Top 10 Atlanta Braves (in order) 1) Hank Aaron 2) Greg Maddux 3) Phil Niekro 4) Tom Glavine 5) Chipper Jones 6) Dale Murphy 7) Andruw Jones 8) John Smoltz 9) David Justice 10) Javy Lopez Top 10 Bands of 25 years (no particular order) Jane�s Addiction The Replacements The Waterboys The Pogues The Smiths R.E.M. Nirvana Guns & Roses Pixies Wilco/Uncle Tupelo

All I see is a red x...stupid work computer.

IIRC Billy Beane and his stat lads hated that Elias were the keepers of stats and such things for MLB.

seawolf17 wrote: CPF road trip! Hell Yeah..I'm up for that...

Willets Point wrote: I'm wondering if that's the real French Quarter or the inside of a theme mall. Something about the street doesn't look like real pavement to me. It's New Orleans.....this article from the New York Times has that picture. ] By LEE JENKINS Published: January 19, 2007 NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 18 — A woman wearing a pink cowboy hat covered in rhinestones walked down Bourbon Street on Wednesday night and spotted a character with equally outrageous headgear. Mets “Hey there,” the woman shouted. “Who are you?” Mr. Met froze on a balcony above the street. Usually, he does not leave New York and therefore does not require an introduction. But in New Orleans, a city known for its costume parties, he just looked like some guy who decided to dress up as a baseball. Eager to make the woman’s acquaintance, Mr. Met tossed her a string of beads from the balcony, keeping with local tradition. So began the improbable relationship between New Orleans and the Mets. One year ago, professional sports franchises in this city were threatening to move out in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. This season, the Mets are moving in. For at least the next two years, their Class AAA affiliate will be the New Orleans Zephyrs. The Mets did not initially want to be here. For 38 years, their Class AAA affiliate was in Norfolk, Va. They helped Norfolk build a stadium. They cultivated Norfolk as a fan base. Their star third baseman, David Wright, grew up going to games in Norfolk. But after last season, Norfolk dumped the Mets for the Baltimore Orioles. With 10 major-league teams switching Class AAA affiliates, the Mets at least hoped to remain in the International League. They looked at Columbus, Ohio, and Scranton, Pa, but those vacancies were filled. New Orleans plays in the Pacific Coast League, famous for its far-flung cities and brutal road trips. Many big-league teams considering New Orleans for minor-league operations were concerned about the travel, the temptations on Bourbon Street and the post-Katrina logistics. “I’m not going to tell you it was our first choice,” said Jeff Wilpon, the Mets’ senior executive vice president. “But in the end, I think we’ll look back and see that it was the best choice.” The Zephyrs have been in the New Orleans area for 14 years, playing their home games in the suburb of Metairie. Zephyr Field needed a $2 million renovation after the hurricane, but the team still managed to play a full schedule last season. “It’s not that much different here than anywhere else,” said Mike Schline, the club’s general manager. Zephyr Field sits across the street from the headquarters of the New Orleans Saints, where running back Reggie Bush hones his spin moves. The proximity of the Zephyrs and the Saints is somewhat significant, considering that the Mets are handling their entry into New Orleans the same way Bush did. It is hard to remember now, with the Saints playing in the National Football Conference championship game Sunday, but Bush wanted no part of New Orleans at this time last year. He hoped to be drafted first over all, by the Houston Texans. Bush was disappointed when the Saints selected him, but he did not mope. He realized that he had to embrace his role for a greater good. Bush immediately started donating money. He scheduled community events. He saved a school. Before the season began, he was nicknamed Saint Reginald. “It’s been so special,” Bush said Wednesday. “I really couldn’t ask for a better situation than the one I got in New Orleans.” The Mets seem to be copying Bush’s playbook. They have donated $650,000 to causes in New Orleans since the hurricane. They wrote a check last week for $20,000 to the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation for Little League fields. They are planning for Zephyrs players to work regularly with Habitat for Humanity. This is not altogether unique. The Mets donate to every community where they have an affiliate and they strongly encourage players to get involved with charities. But in New Orleans, the expectations for philanthropy are much higher. “They are doing everything right so far,” said Tony Ruda, 57, a Mets fan from New Orleans. “Giving all that money before you step on the field goes a long way here.” Ruda and his son Vincent were among a crowd of 200 at a “Meet the Mets” cocktail party Wednesday night in the courtyard of Pat O’Brien’s Bar. The master of ceremonies of the event was Ron Swoboda — known in New York for his diving, game-saving catch with the Mets in the 1969 World Series, and known in New Orleans as a Zephyrs broadcaster. Swoboda, who has lived here for the past 25 years, may be the only recognizable link between the Mets and New Orleans. When the Mets signed a two-year player-development agreement with the Zephyrs in September, Swoboda was flown to New York as an ambassador. “Can you spell window dressing,” Swoboda said. Ken Oberkfell, the Zephyrs’ manager, goes back even further in New Orleans than Swoboda. He was a member of the 1977 New Orleans Pelicans, a minor-league team that played its home games in the Superdome, filling about 5 percent of the stadium. Louisiana is a football state, but it knows a little hardball. Louisiana State, Tulane, the University of New Orleans and the University of Louisiana-Lafayette have all taken turns as college baseball powers. Although the Mets stock many of their top prospects at Class AA Binghamton, outfielder Lastings Milledge could start this season in New Orleans, and they could send the injured pitcher Pedro Martínez here for a rehabilitation start as he prepares to return to the majors. Putting Martínez on Bourbon Street is a recipe for excitement. For other prospects, it will be an interesting proving ground. “If a young player can’t handle New Orleans, maybe he’s not ready to handle New York,” said Adam Wogan, director of minor league operations. Mr. Met needed only one night of minor-league seasoning. The Zephyrs have their own mascot, a semiaquatic rodent with orange teeth named Boudreaux. This breed of rodent, a nutria, is rarely found in the United States outside Louisiana. “They’re actually edible,” Swoboda said. “People down here like to chop them up and put them in their gumbo. “Welcome to New Orleans.”