Frayed Knot

Not just first strikes, Luis swings at a smaller pct of total pitches thrown to him than anyone in the league. I forgot the exact numbers but I heard/read this stat just recently at it wasn't even all that close between him and the rest of the pack.

I'm always wary about the objectivity of bios penned by former insider pr guys. Maybe it'll be fine, but I'm not going to put this one high up on my list of things to read.

I trust that that's an accurate stat, although I first heard it on ESPN (always questionable) and then while checking BB-Ref I see his page's sponsor repeats the claim (maybe that's where ESPN got it?) Yesterday it just looked like Cora decided to stop on his own even though Razor was waving him - and it looked to me that it might have been a good move. The Snakes would have needed a proper relay throw to get him but, with no outs, I don't want to chance that they would have pulled it off. That Pagan smacked the next pitch over the fence made it all a moot question but also an even more sucky reason to have a base-runner erased. In general most fans have a tendency to think their 3rd base coach is the worst the same way they then to jump on their closer. But, even given that caveat, I'm starting to get on the anti-Razor bandwagon myself.

Castillo's always drawn a higher than average number of walks - although this is looking like his walking-est year ever.

Saturday, August 2 - Shea Stadium: Mets 1 - Braves 0 -- Ron Reed vs Jim McAndrew The starters trade zeros for 6 innings, but the Mets break through in the 7th when the temporarily banished Cleon Jones came up to PH for McAndrew and delivered a 2-out single to knock in Swoboda who had led off with a walk. Seaver then came in to run for Jones (I guess Hodges figured if Jones was going to run like he was injured then he�s going to get treated like it) but Harrelson grounded out to end the inning. McGraw came in for the 8th and put two on w/2-out but struck out Aaron to end the threat. He then put two more on in the 9th but got PH-er Tony Gonzalez to end the game with a ground out Met offense consisted of 4 singles and 3 walks. Game Time = 2:23 57 - 44; 2nd place; 6.5 Games out of 1st , 2.5 games ahead of 3rd place StL (Cubs beat Padres 4 - 1) Forty years later on this same date the �09 Mets are playing the Diamondbacks. They of course didn�t exist in 1969, mainly because of the fact that Phoenix was a small cow town at the time not the nation's 5th largest city. Phoenix population 1950: 108,000 Phoenix population 1970: 584,000 Phoenix population 2009: 1,568,000

Q: Most ML games played in a career (by a non-pitcher) never to have scored a run? A: Anthony Razor Shines - 68 games, 88 PAs, 81 ABs, 15 H, 1 BB, 0 R Maybe some of his decisions can be explained by the fact that he's unsure of exactly how far away the plate is.

="Edgy DC":1iqz33ny]Lou got his win back in the 10th and the Cubs held on.[/quote:1iqz33ny] But not without some more fun first. Derek Lee HR'd to lead off the 10th - but Aramis Ramirez got injured before the inning was out and Lou was out of infielders. So the final position player came in and went to LF while Soriano was pulled into the IF for the first time in years. But, not entirely trusting him, Lou alternated him between 2nd & 3rd base depending on whether a righty or lefty was up, a la Davey & Rusty. Turned out that none of it mattered as Aaron Heilman got the heart of the Marlin lineup 1-2-3 w/o any balls hit to his roving infielders. Lincecum (8 innings) shut out the Phils Frayed Knot Aug 02 2009 07:55 PM Today the Cubs take a 1-run lead into the 9th and give closer Kevin Gregg another try. He gets the first out and then goes HR - HR (Uggla & Ross) and the Marlins win.

Cubs locked in a tense game with the Marlins (and an even longer one than ours) take a 1-run lead into the 9th and then tack on 2 insurance runs. So closer Kevin Gregg gets the rock w/a 3-run lead and immediately gets the first two outs ... and then the roof caves in: HR - 1B - 1B (that last one by Nick Johnson making his Marlins debut) and then a booming 2RBI-3B by Emilio Freakin' Bonafacio ties the game. He got out with the tie and they're going to extras but that's gotta be a real kick in the nads. Bonafacio is essentially the guy who's losing his spot on account of Johnson (Cantu's moving back to 3rd) but was hitting in Hanley's spot who left during the game for some reason. Phils losing 2-0 in the 8th to Lincecum and the Giants.

Perez - 0.8 Feliciano - 1.7 Pagan - 3.0 Cora - 1.2 Sullivan - 0.8 Schneider - 0.8 Francoeur - 0.5 Rodriguez - 0.2 Wright - 0.5 Santos - 0.5

Back to the Pirates for a sec; 3 HRs for McCutcheon today (and power is supposed to be his weakest suit). Would have been nice to see him in an OF [u:3uw4r55j]WITH[/u:3uw4r55j] McLouth and a few of the others. btw, they brought up Milledge as one of the guys tying to fill all these newly created spots.

metsguyinmichigan wrote: Save situation for Frankie? Yup, tying run on deck. It's the cheapest save situation you can get - some call it 'The Mariano'.

Fman99 wrote: ="John Cougar Lunchbucket"]Timmy Chinpubes is in there ... WTF now they get Feliciano? I am guessing (as did Cohen) that Figueroa may be called up to start Monday, what with Redding pitching in relief tonight. Or, Redding was held back for his throwing today and was on tap to go for a batter or two tonight instead. If so he could still be the Monday pitcher (although I think I'd rather see us get Figgy with it)

metsguyinmichigan wrote: ="Fman99"]Players openly ignoring Razor Shines, who'd wave the Titanic right into the iceberg if you let him. Bad ass line from F-man got lost in the grannie celebration! And the August list begins.

I'd like to see Jerry use someone other than Frankie with the 4 run lead and the short turn-around to the day game tomorrow. The GS (again) screwed him out of a save situation anyway. He hasn't had one since the AS break. Good that Pedro's gonna get the win out of this, he deserves it tonight.

The bloop double was unlucky. The 4-pitch walk which started all this off was his own damn fault.

Of course there was also the story about Reyes suffering a set-back yesterday, or, as they put it, "had a bad day". Come to think of it, "had a bad day" is the same sort of thing they say about the other kind of rehab too.

You kinda knew going in that this game was going to be a bit of a chore to watch on account of Scherzer & Ollie But that doesn't mean Parnell needs to get into the act.

The BOCA is the [u:f1m3ibta]Bullet of Cool Awards[/u:f1m3ibta] of course. I'll try, but I make no promises ... * I will attempt to refrain from bisexual turdistry... somehow. -- Edgy DC Anyone got the hide-a-key? ... * Given the way the Mets have been playing [if they did have a closed-door meeting] they probably accidentally locked themselves in -- GFaFiF Lock the doors and hide the kids ... * Elijah Dukes sent down by the Nats to their local AAA affiliate here in Syracuse. In other news, my home insurance premiums just doubled. -- FMan99 Keep on rockin� me baby (or not) ... * Groups such as a capella are declarations of independence from music's tyranny of cool. -- Edgy DC Does this tent make me look fat? ... * Being so large, I might get a neck down shot posted on the internet. I better iron a nice crease in my jeans so I look good -- KC This downsizing trend is getting out of hand ... * Duke�s [restaurant at CitiField] is Jim Duquette place, he's flippin' burgers there now. -- KC Just following Bud�s new dress code ... * I'll watch the All-Star Game casually- no tie. -- bmfc1 Ever since I can remember I always wanted to be a conductor ... * At first my mother loved the fact that I got a job at the Shining Time Station across the street. And she loved that the family who ran it came from the same part of Sicily as she did. But before long I was skipping school to hang around there and my parents weren't happy, my old man knew what went on at that shining station. But how could I go to school and listen to good government bullshit when, at Shining Time Station, I was important, I was a bigshot. I mean here I was, this twelve year old kid barely tall enough to see over the tiller and these wiseguys are having me park their engines for them. -- Frayed Knot Damn that new health care plan ... * Mets' medical staff estimate that death [via complications of hip surgery] could keep him out of action for 2-3 weeks. -- Centerfield I'll take blatantly obvious for $200 Alex ... * I know hindsight's always 20/20 and all, but in retrospect, I think [Castillo] dropping that ball was probably a bad idea. -- LWFS Maybe we should add Grizzly Adams to the rotation instead ... * the only thing thinner than Ollie's beard is his margin for error. -- FMan99 And then we�ll need a press conference to explain the press conference ... * The Mets are going to hold a press conference for the rainout. Omar will blame it on Al Roker -- bmfc1 At least then there�ll be something to look forward to ... * Its supposed to rain for the rest of the week [so] if the Rockies are still in the hunt, the Mets will be playing meaningful games in October. -- MFS62 Does the rinse girl get a multi-year deal too? ... * the team also handed out extensions like a Bushwick hairdresser - LWFS Maybe we�ll just start reading the Enquirer ... * 'The Onion' could replace Bob Klapisch and accuracy would benefit -- GFaFiF Thanks for coming to the CPF in July and don�t forget to tip your waitresses ... * The only joke Jerry makes that I don't like is writing C-O-R-A on the lineup card everyday ... (buh-dum ching!) * No seriously folks. It was Pelfrey's best game in a while. No balks! ... (buh-dum ching!) * Tough start for the newest Met. When David Wright extended his hand to shake, Jeff Francoeur swung at it. ... (buh-dum ching!) * It was hard to see Ryan Church go. So just before he left to catch up with the Braves in Colorado, Jerry Manuel bashed him once in the skull, then insulted him to reporters. ... (buh-dum ching!) * Did you hear Billy Wagner is making progress? After a simulated game, he trashed his teammates in a simulated interview. ... (buh-dum ching!) * I mean, it's tough out there. Omar Minaya saw Jose Reyes the other day. He said "This isn't what we meant when we said you needed help walking." (buh-dum ching!) * Tim Redding, ladies and gentlemen. Showed up injured, pitched his way out of the rotation, now sucks in the bullpen. ... Is this a guy a born Met or what? ... (buh-dum ching!) * CitiField is really something isn't it? Here's something you might not know: The jagged contours of the outfield fence were modeled after Carlos Beltran's knee cartilage. ... (buh-dum ching!) * No really, just ask the Dodgers: They were just there for a three-game homestand. ... (buh-dum ching!) * The line at the Shake Shack is longer than an Oliver Perez inning. I mean, Daniel Murphy had an easier time playing left field than fans do getting something to eat. ... (buh-dum ching!) -- John Cougar Lunchbucket

Hernandez - 3.0 Wright - 2.0 Murphy - 2.0 Rodriguez - 0.5 Tatis - 0.25 Cora - 0.25

Friday, August 1 - Shea Stadium: Mets 5 - Braves 4 -- Phil Neikro vs Don Cardwell The 1st place (West) Braves come into town and immediately thump Met starter Cardwell for 3 runs in 1/3 of an inning, opening the game with Single - HBP - Walk - Walk - Foul out - 2RBI single (F. Alou, T. Gonzalez, Aaron, Cepeda, C Boyer, Millan) before Hodges decides he�s seen enough. So out goes Cardwell and in comes Koonce who gets out of the inning without further damage and goes on to toss 6-1/3 of 1 run/4-hit ball, which is followed by 2-1/3 innings of 1-hit relief from Ron Taylor Meanwhile the Mets (with leading hitter Cleon Jones still in the doghouse and on the bench) answer with 4 runs of their own in the 1st on 3 singles, a walk, a 2-RBI single by Rod Gaspar, and a passed balll (live by the knuckleball, die by the knuckleball) Grote adds a solo shot in the 4th Taylor ends the game by getting Cepeda to ground out w/2 on in the 9th (after IW-ing Aaron) Game Time = 2:39 56 - 44; 2nd place; 6.5 Games out of 1st , 2.5 games ahead of 3rd place StL (Cubs beat Padres 5 - 2) Note: 4 of Atlanta�s starting 9 this night had big-league brothers; 6 in total including 5 who were active in 1969: Aaron & Neikro, plus 2 each for Alou & Boyer

="metirish"]="Frayed Knot"]="Valadius"]Hairston deal apparently sends the vaunted Austin Jackson to Cincy. Wow! That was posted and then I posted it here but apparently it's not true. Well then never mind my above rant. The truth apparently: The Reds received minor league catcher Chase Weems in the deal. The 20-year-old Weems was batting .260 with a homer and 14 RBIs in 55 games with Class-A Charleston this season. He was picked in the sixth round of the 2007 draft.

Which leaves the question, who's starting for us guys on Monday?

So LaRoche goes from Atlanta to Pittsburgh in 2007, and then from Pitt to Boston then back to Atlanta in the span of the last 3 weeks. He amassed all of 19 ABs w/Boston.

I propose we trade Sullivan and/or Reed, plus Berroa and Cancel for Reyes, Beltran & Delgado sometime in the next few weeks. That'll improve the team.

="Valadius":nlpyoup8]Hairston deal apparently sends the vaunted Austin Jackson to Cincy.[/quote:nlpyoup8] Wow! Not a sure-fire future star but is potentially one and he's a guy they spent a decent signing bonus on in order to wrest him away from a hoops scholarship (Arizona I think) --- sounds like a lot to spend for essentially a good utility man. Essentially this is the price paid for Brent Gardener breaking his hand (finger?) last week. Ceetar Jul 31 2009 02:16 PM metsblog mentioned it earlier, and I noticed it last night, but apparently the Yankees are having money concerns? Supposedly they balked at the idea of paying Bannister's 650k salary. Edgy DC Jul 31 2009 02:16 PM ="bmfc1":1ihptp6l]Do you think that Omar is incapable of making a good trade so any trade would be bad?[/quote:1ihptp6l] No. I don't think he or anybody is incapable of making a good trade. I'm still trying to figure out the last question. Nymr83 Jul 31 2009 02:17 PM Scott Rolen has reportedly waived his no trade clause and escaped hockey loving Canada to play baseball in Cincinatti. metirish Jul 31 2009 02:18 PM ="Frayed Knot":11hlah5p]="Valadius":11hlah5p]Hairston deal apparently sends the vaunted Austin Jackson to Cincy.[/quote:11hlah5p] Wow![/quote:11hlah5p] That was posted and then I posted it here but apparently it's not true. bmfc1 Jul 31 2009 02:19 PM And I'm trying to figure out why the GM of a team under .500 with hopes of making the playoffs couldn't make a trade. Edgy--I'm not going to continue this but congrats to you that nothing was done. If they make the playoffs, I'll eat crow and buy you a drink. Nymr83 Jul 31 2009 02:24 PM ="bmfc1":pmjfgign]And I'm trying to figure out why the GM of a team under .500 with hopes of making the playoffs couldn't make a trade. Edgy--I'm not going to continue this but congrats to you that nothing was done. If they make the playoffs, I'll eat crow and buy you a drink.[/quote:pmjfgign] even if they don't make the playoffs they've done fine not making a trade unless they miss the playoffs by a number of games that the potentially traded-for player would have won them. trading for Nick Johnson and missing the playoffs by 2 games instead of missing it by 4 without him only hurts the team's farm system. I look at net games back and i don't see a team that should trade even a small part of the future for help in 2009. if the guy you were acquiring would still be under contract for 2010 thats another issue, but this shouldnt be treated as a 'win now' team Nymr83 Jul 31 2009 02:26 PM Heyman is reporting that Peavy has been dealt to the White Sox again, no word on if he has agreed to it this time. Frayed Knot Jul 31 2009 02:27 PM I propose we trade Sullivan and/or Reed, plus Berroa and Cancel for Reyes, Beltran & Delgado sometime in the next few weeks. That'll improve the team. Edgy DC Jul 31 2009 02:28 PM ="bmfc1":488nciud]And I'm trying to figure out why the GM of a team under .500 with hopes of making the playoffs couldn't make a trade.[/quote:488nciud] Because, in theory, the only available trades may have hurt them in the long term more than helped them in the short term. Or hurt them flat out. John Cougar Lunchbucket Jul 31 2009 02:33 PM Jake PV to the White Sox: This time it's for real. Edgy DC Jul 31 2009 02:33 PM Fo nucking way! metirish Jul 31 2009 02:34 PM Big guns that didn't go Halladay and Gonzalez duan Jul 31 2009 02:37 PM as everyone else has rightly pointed out, the pieces that this team needs are the ones that are on the DL, if heaven forbid, we're back IN a race over the next two weeks, there's plenty of time then to get an Aubrey Huff type power bat who'll float through waivers cause of salary. I don't see anyone out there who got traded that I think would have helped a healthy mets team bar Victor Martinez, Jake Peavy & Cliff Lee.I don't think we were really in the race to get them and they all have plenty of limitations. Frayed Knot Jul 31 2009 03:05 PM ="metirish"]="Frayed Knot"]="Valadius"]Hairston deal apparently sends the vaunted Austin Jackson to Cincy. Wow! That was posted and then I posted it here but apparently it's not true. Well then never mind my above rant. The truth apparently: The Reds received minor league catcher Chase Weems in the deal. The 20-year-old Weems was batting .260 with a homer and 14 RBIs in 55 games with Class-A Charleston this season. He was picked in the sixth round of the 2007 draft. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jul 31 2009 03:11 PM ="Edgy DC"]="bmfc1"]Edgy's happy but I'm not. Omar confirms my opinion that he is an awful in-season GM. He can wine, dine, schmooze, and attract big name FAs but for the second year in a row, he failed to make a deadline deal to help the team. Awful GMs make deals that hurt teams. "You've gotta know when to hold." --- K. Rogers Hear, hear. I'm in Edge's corner on this. They moved the Peavy? Those crazy bastards! (A LOT of good young arms on the Pods now.) Nymr83 Jul 31 2009 03:22 PM Peavy was a good young arm, and under contract a few more years, I don't know who they got yet but its hard to believe its worth it for a guy you're not about to lose. Farmer Ted Jul 31 2009 03:55 PM Which of the three...Washburn, Peavy, or Halladay...will be with the Mets next year? MFS62 Jul 31 2009 04:13 PM Omar's like the ugly girl - all alone by the telephone - waiting for a call inviting her to the dance. Later smg58 Jul 31 2009 05:01 PM Minaya could very easily have been told not to take on more payroll for this season, so I wouldn't point the finger too quickly. I actually think the fact that Halladay is still a Jay is a good thing -- assuming you can wait until the offseason to obtain him. Peavy is guaranteed $52M over the next 3 seasons and is now an established injury risk who'll fail to reach 175 IP for the second straight year. I'm perfectly OK with passing on him. I wouldn't have minded V-Mart, though. metirish Jul 31 2009 05:51 PM I just don't get the Minaya bashing today , if he had traded for Francouer today would the people who are unhappy be happy with that? I read in one of the rags the other day.....Madden I think it was proclaiming that Minaya NEEDED to get Halladay to change the subject around the team. Could you blame the guy if he did that , make a splash trade for the sake of it? , I'd love to have a Halladay or a Peavey but would have preferred V Martinez. At what cost though would they have come for? I'm not upset that we didn't get middle of the road players and never expected top tier players so i am not disappointed. MFS62 Jul 31 2009 06:14 PM Not bashing. Just saying. Add me to the group who didn't want to see a deal that drained the farm of key prospects. As Edgy said, no news = good news. Later seawolf17 Jul 31 2009 06:19 PM I actually would have liked to see them move some guys, like Livan or Schneider, even if just for middling prospects. But I'm okay with inaction too. Let's get healthy, fellas! Nymr83 Aug 01 2009 12:53 AM ESPN had the Pirates deals put together for convenience ]IN: RHP Nathan Adcock, RHP Tim Alderson, RHP Jose Ascanio, SS Ronny Cedeno, 1B Jeff Clement, SS Argenis Diaz, RHP Joel Hanrahan, RHP Kevin Hart, OF Gorkys Hernandez, RHP Jeff Locke, RHP Brett Lorin, OF Lastings Milledge, RHP Charlie Morton, RHP Aaron Pribanic, RHP Hunter Strickland OUT: RHP Sean Burnett, LHP Tom Gorzelanny, LHP John Grabow, OF Eric Hinske, 1B Adam LaRoche, OF Nate McLouth, OF Nyjer Morgan, INF Freddy Sanchez, RHP Ian Snell, SS Jack Wilson dgwphotography Aug 01 2009 05:17 AM Personally, I'm glad Omar didn't make any deals. This team is too many players away from contending right now, and I just didn't want him to do any more damage.... As FK said, trading Sullivan, Reed, plus Berroa and Cancel for Reyes, Beltran & Delgado sometime in the next few weeks would be the best trade possible... metirish Aug 01 2009 07:52 AM Minaya ] �As a general manager, I�ve been six games out before, and it�s kind of hard to go out and make a trade,� Minaya said. �And you guys know our situation. The situation is not one player. Our situation is a couple players.� In the clubhouse, no one seemed concerned that he might be traded � or, for that matter, that anyone else would be. Only a few players lounged on couches watching updates on the MLB Network, as many more bolted outside to fly a remote-controlled helicopter Wright ] �I don�t think the reason for our record being what it is is that we needed one more piece,� David Wright said. �It�s that we played poorly at times and we�re pretty banged up. We�re not one piece away that�s going to put us over the top at the trade deadline. It�s not like we�re not going to get more than that when we get these guys healthy.� Rockin' Doc Aug 01 2009 09:04 AM No one player was going to suddenly put this team over the top. Injuries have been the story of this season. All teams get hit with injuries and must work to overcome them, the Mets have unfortunately been with a rash of long term injuries to a multitiude of their key players. I'm more disappointed at the lost opportunity to see how good this team could have been this season had they not been decimated with injuries, than I am over the absence of any desperate trades in hopes of miraculously putting this team into contention. Vince Coleman Firecracker Aug 01 2009 10:41 AM I'm with Seawolf. Would have liked to see Omar sell off a few players. Valadius Aug 01 2009 11:25 AM I would have liked to see another lefty for the bullpen, at least. Edgy DC Aug 01 2009 11:51 AM We have Misch, and we're getting Wagner, and I'm uncertain anybody else will have made a difference worth giving somebody up for, except that maybe Manuel may trust an import more than he does Misch. Valadius Aug 01 2009 12:33 PM Honestly, I don't think Misch knows how to get Jerry to trust him enough to get him in a meaningful game. Edgy DC Aug 01 2009 01:44 PM And if our issue is that it takes a trade for Manuel to give somebody a chance who may or may not be better than a pitcher he's got rotting in the back of the bullpen, its' not a trade we should be clamoring for. metirish Aug 01 2009 04:33 PM ="Valadius":oqm0lk9w]Honestly, I don't think Misch knows how to get Jerry to trust him enough to get him in a meaningful game.[/quote:oqm0lk9w] What is this " Days of our Lives"? Frayed Knot Aug 01 2009 08:37 PM Back to the Pirates for a sec; 3 HRs for McCutcheon today (and power is supposed to be his weakest suit). Would have been nice to see him in an OF [u:3uw4r55j]WITH[/u:3uw4r55j] McLouth and a few of the others. btw, they brought up Milledge as one of the guys tying to fill all these newly created spots. Fman99 Aug 01 2009 09:15 PM ="Frayed Knot":qeskhzrl]Back to the Pirates for a sec; 3 HRs for McCutcheon today (and power is supposed to be his weakest suit). Would have been nice to see him in an OF [u:qeskhzrl]WITH[/u:qeskhzrl] McLouth and a few of the others. btw, they brought up Milledge as one of the guys tying to fill all these newly created spots.[/quote:qeskhzrl] Good, I am still rooting for LMillz and his gangsta ass. Valadius Aug 02 2009 07:55 AM My most lasting memory of Lastings: Nymr83 Aug 02 2009 08:07 AM ="Valadius":narzpqw5]My most lasting memory of Lastings[/quote:narzpqw5] first drink my ass. Valadius Aug 02 2009 08:23 AM ="Nymr83":1zjqc8zc]="Valadius":1zjqc8zc]My most lasting memory of Lastings[/quote:1zjqc8zc] first drink my ass.[/quote:1zjqc8zc] Exactly.