bmfc1

I saw a Mets mano-a-mano (I hope that's right) match-up in the early game yesterday as De Los Santos faced Jesus Feliciano http://mlb.mlb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?n=Feliciano%2C%20J%20%20CF&pos=&sid=l162&t=p_pbp&pid=440351 in the 8th inning with De Los Santos trying to protect a one-run lead (F-Mart hit a 2 run homer). DLS got the first batter, went 3-0 on the next (pitching away the whole time), threw ball 4 but the batter swung and missed (Cookie Rojas, doing color, got mad at that), and the batter lined out. Then Feliciano (lefty-lefty matchup) hit a double that just missed going out. DLS was replaced and the run didn't score. It's hard following these games because the players don't have their names on the unis (unless they are all named "Orange"). A graphic appears when the player comes to the plate but if you miss it, you're lost.

Mets management seems to operate with a plan of "if all goes well, we'll win." We know, sadly, that not everything goes well. After '07, the feeling was that if they had one more good starter, they would have won, so they got Johan. After last year, the feeling was that if the bullpen was better, they would have won, so they got Felix and J.J. In both cases, they didn't change much else. I agree that this team is better than the last one because of the vast improvement to the bullpen, but they haven't factored in any unexpected problems. There are no guarantees that anybody, not even David Wright, will put up the same numbers as last year. Does managment think that Manny, or even Nady, would give the team too much hitting? In '07, we saw Dave Williams and Brian Lawrence start key games at the end of the season. In '08, we saw Luis Ayala pitch the end of key games at the end of the season. This is because of a lack of depth that leaves management scrambling for reinforcements at critical times. Wouldn't Ty Wigginton have been a good insurance policy for injuries at any number of positions? Wouldn't Kevin Millar have been a good insurance policy for a slumping Carlos Delgado? Management does a lot--the third highest payroll in the game--but they don't go as far as they should. Perhaps, in the best case scenario, they'll be right. I hope so.

15) I nailed Jessica, Jessica and Scarlett. That's better than Marilyn, right Joe?

I reviewed the rosters of the four teams (as posted by mlb.com) to find Mets and this is what I found: [u:2uogoey8]Dominican Republic:[/u:2uogoey8] Valerio De Los Santos (LHP) Salvador Paniagua © Fernando Martinez (OF) [u:2uogoey8]Mexico[/u:2uogoey8] Nada [u:2uogoey8] Puerto Rico[/u:2uogoey8] Robinson Cancel © Jesus Feliciano (OF) [u:2uogoey8] Venezuela[/u:2uogoey8] Nada

Below are the preliminary schedules for FOX's Saturday afternoon games and ESPN's Sunday and Monday games. The Mets home opener will be an ESPN game: ESPN Sunday Night Baseball: Atlanta at Philadelphia (April 5th, ESPN2) Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee (April 12th) St. Louis at Chicago Cubs (April 19th) New York Yankees at Boston (April 26th) Chicago White Sox at Texas (May 3rd) Tampa Bay at Boston (May 10th) New York Mets at San Francisco (May 17th) Milwaukee at Minnesota (May 24th) Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago Cubs (May 31st) St. Louis at Chicago Cubs (July 12th) New York Mets at Atlanta (July 19th) (6 PM) FOX Saturday Baseball (4:10, except as noted): April 11th Boston @ LA Angels Minnesota @ Chicago White Sox Houston @ St. Louis April 18th (3:40) Cleveland @ NY Yankees St. Louis @ Chicago Cubs LA Angels @ Minnesota April 25th NY Yankees @ Boston Chicago Cubs @ St. Louis May 2nd (3:40) NY Mets @ Philadelphia Houston @ Atlanta Cleveland @ Detroit May 9th (3:40) Tampa Bay @ Boston San Francisco @ LA Dodgers Atlanta @ Philadelphia May 16th NY Mets @ San Francisco Cleveland @ Tampa Bay LA Angels @ Texas May 23rd Philadelphia @ NY Yankees Houston @ Texas May 30th LA Dodgers @ Chicago Cubs Atlanta @ Arizona Minnesota @ Tampa Bay June 6th Philadelphia @ LA Dodgers Cleveland @ Chicago White Sox Minnesota @ Seattle June 13th NY Mets @ NY Yankees St. Louis @ Cleveland Chicago White Sox @ Milwaukee June 20th Tampa Bay @ New York Mets LA Dodgers @ LA Angels Milwaukee @ Detroit June 27th Boston @ Atlanta LA Angels @ Arizona Chicago Cubs @ Chicago White Sox July 4th New York Mets @ Philadelphia Oakland @ Cleveland Detroit @ Minnesota July 11th NY Yankees @ LA Angels St. Louis @ Chicago Cubs July 18th NY Mets @ Atlanta Houston @ LA Dodgers Baltimore @ Chicago White Sox July 25th St. Louis @ Philadelphia Minnesota @ LA Angels Chicago White Sox @ Detroit August 1st Chicago White Sox @ NY Yankees LA Dodgers @ Atlanta Houston @ St Louis August 8th Boston @ NY Yankees Texas @ LA Angels August 15th Philadelphia @ Atlanta LA Dodgers @ Arizona Cleveland @ Minnesota August 22nd NY Yankees @ Boston Chicago Cubs @ LA Dodgers August 29th NY Mets @ Chicago Cubs Houston @ Arizona Tampa Bay @ Detroit September 5th Boston @ Chicago White Sox San Francisco @ Milwaukee Minnesota @ Cleveland September 12th NY Mets @ Philadelphia Chicago White Sox @ LA Angels Atlanta @ St. Louis September 19th Chicago Cubs @ St. Louis San Francisco @ LA Dodgers Detroit @ Minnesota September 26th TBD October 3rd TBD ESPN Monday Night (7:05) 4/13: SD/Mets 4/20: OAK/NYY 4/27: STL/ATL 5/4: BOS/NYY 5/11: ATL/Mets 5/18: MIN/NYY 5/26: STL/MIL (Tuesday night-- to avoid conflict with NBA conference final)

Thanks everyone. The best part was the surprise appearance by this forums namesake. I will try and tell him about us. Doug Flynn was with a gorgeous woman. More later on FAFIF.

The video said that the Mets signed Jason Cooper to a minor league contract. He appears to be Buffalo's version of Crash Davis: http://minors.baseball-reference.com/players.cgi?pid=3072

Heyman seems to be the first to report any news about Boras's clients. Peter Gammons, on January 07, said: "A lot of general managers and those of us in the business kid about a couple of sites referred to as ScottBoras.com, and Scott will float things out there and throw it out there and people will report it...." http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2009/01/gammonss_take.html I wonder if he was referring to Heyman.

I agree w/Edgy. On the ex-Mets front, besides Rickey: David Cone--21 votes Mo Vaughn--6 votes Jay Bell-2 votes Jesse Orosco--1 vote. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090112&content_id=3740171&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Outstanding! Thanks!!!

You mean I get a razor AND the Baseball Encyclopedia for only a buck?

Ugh. This was meant to be a thread to wish our friend G-Fafif a happy birthday. My post was extending this wish in the form of a tribute/parody of the fine work on FAFIF. I was inviting others to do the same.

I changed the name of the thread, for some reason.

It's G-Fafif's Birthday on Wednesday... let's wish him a happy birthday, Faith & Fear style, such as... It was my birthday and I went to the place that I love best, Shea Stadium. There are only two seats left so I climbed to the upper deck, sat in one of them, and sighed. A wrecking ball was swinging below me, unlike Beltran when Wainwright's ultimate pitch arrived, but I didn't care. I was in Shea Stadium; even if it became a Ballroom Blitz of destruction, it would still be sweet. And I still couldn't get a blintz, or a good knish, at Shea, right up until the end. So I sat in one of the two remaining seats, alone, thinking that I was the only one in the park, when a voice called out, "Happy Bird-day!" I looked around, and some shmuck (not a putz) was in the only other available seat. "Happy Bird-day!", he called out again. I stewed as the wrecking ball went back and forth, until I looked at him and said "it's BIRTHDAY you fool, my birthday!" And then he said "that's what I said, it's just how I talk." And I felt badly, even if he was lying, because he was a Mets fan. We walked out of Shea Stadium together, toward the LIRR, and smiled. All in all, it's not bad being a Mets fan. Sometimes it's even better than a random episode of The West Wing.

Sheets is injury-prone... remember when he was shutting out the Mets but then felt "something" and left? http://www.leaptoad.com/mets/gamedetail.php?gameno=7532 Lowe is fine with me--he's clutch. And there's this guy, who might be a Met: http://www.japaneseballplayers.com/en/player.php?id=ktakahashi

That guy has a lot of friends from Alabama which is where our new guy is from. One of his friends is a baseball player. That's all I've got.

I'm serious. He's on Facebook, the picture of the guys with the dead deers: http://www.facebook.com/s.php?src=os&q=connor+robertson&sid=1edb7a69706903c1e3a0c4df5e1ad787#/s.php?src=os&q=connor%20robertson&sid=1edb7a69706903c1e3a0c4df5e1ad787&n=-1&o=4&s=10&hash=d0641c5d2cad489f20058625f7caa5f0&sf=p I sent him a message--"on behalf of the Crane Pool Forum, a great message board for Mets fans, I wanted to say that we're psyched about the trade and we welcome you to New York." Excuse me for speaking for everybody. Let's do it!

Good point. He wasn't the greatest but he gave a darn.

This looks like a) addition by subtraction and a salary dump. Oh yeah, maybe Connor will pan out, too. He has some good minor league numbers and a high K ratio.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connor_Robertson http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/R/connor-robertson.shtml

Marquis is a fine #5 pitcher, perhaps a 4, but nothing more than that. He's a SOB which might be good at stretch time. We (sadly) know that he can hit. (For what it's worth, he's also a NYker and a M.O.T.) I hope this gets done. Phillies got Ibanez which means that Burrell goes elsewhere.

Cherry... Strawberry...?

From Toby Hyde: 9:30 - The Mets pick up Braves OF Carl Loadenthal, just a few weeks shy of his 27th birthday. Loadenthal hit .261/.326/.291 split between AA and AAA in 306 AB between the two levels in 2008. 9:35 - The Mets pick up John Madden from San Diego�s AA roster. The 26-year old stands 6′4″ 230 lbs. He was 2-3 with a 3.88 ERA and 24 BB against 45 SO in 72 innings for the advanced-A Lake Elsinore Storm in the Cal League in �08.

Darren O'Day: http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/O/Darren-ODay.shtml http://www.baseball-reference.com/o/odayda01.shtml Injury Report Shoulder - Might be out for the 2009 season (Updated - 10/22/08) Fantasy Analysis O'Day has a torn labrum, which can ruin a pitcher's career. He is nothing more than organizational depth at this point. Ignore him in all Fantasy leagues right now. Rocky Cherry: http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/C/Rocky-Cherry.shtml http://www.baseball-reference.com/c/cherrro01.shtml http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Cherry

More on the trade here: http://www.metsminorleagueblog.com/2008/12/11/on-putz-and-friends/ Hyde also has it that Reed is a younger version of Endy. Thanks for the link, JCF.