Frayed Knot

Or maybe not so safe sez Adam Rubin: ... sources have indicated to the Daily News that Wilpon's view of Minaya clearly has shifted. A source recently told The News that Minaya's three-year extension, which runs through 2012 and is believed to be annually worth $1.1 million, would not be an impediment to jettisoning the GM after the season.

Kevin Goldstein - Baseball Prospectus: It's easy to forget that [Wilmer] Flores is younger than most high school players who got drafted last month. How many of them do you think could hit .287 in a full-season [so Atl] league? It's a short list, and Flores has been especially hot of late, going 4-for-4 on Sunday while batting .320 in his last 40 games. He's not a shortstop in the end, but the bat could end up really special.

Of course part of this depends on what the theoretical extension would look like -- which in turn assumes that Halladay will demand one in return for his agreeing to the trade. I think everyone assumes that he'll do just that (it's not like his leverage is likely to go up from where it is now) but I don't know that he's outright stated it's a prerequisite.

Now had I been either smart or well-organized (0-for-two so far) I would have looked ahead and seen that it was a dumb idea to start this little project the day before 1969's three-day All-Star break. But since I'm not and I'm not, the relative lateness of that year's ASG means that on this date 40 years ago the 1969 Mets did ... absolutely nothing, or at least nothing that meant anything to their first-ever pennant race. So, assuming that this doesn't slip off the front page over the next three days causing me to forget about it, we'll pick this up again on July 24.

OK that's probably overstating it, but it was pretty bad. And the worst part about it is that it came against the Twins after they had already blown a 12-2 lead!! Down 12-2 in the 3rd, the A's rallied back to not only tie the game but take a 13-12 lead. Then, with 2 outs in the Twins' 9th and runners on 1st & 2nd, a wild pitch allows the runners to move up -- except the catcher can't find the ball so Michael Cuddyer races around 3rd and heads home. Catcher finds the ball, pitcher covering gets the throw, Cuddyer slides feet-first and gets his entire foot not just to the plate but entirely across it before the tag ... and is called out. Game over.

I think it's certainly a fair deal (even as its accuracy is questioned) and one that I could pull the trigger on and not have to swallow too hard. But I'm not too sure that the Mets are in a position where packaging and unloading prospects for post-30 players is the way to go right now.

At least it is if you put any stock in these sort of 'vote of confidence' announcements. AP: Mets general manager Omar Minaya gave manager Jerry Manuel the vote of confidence during the fourth inning of New York's game against the Washington Nationals on Monday night, Minaya said that he recently spoke with Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon, and Wilpon was supportive. "I want you to be our general manager, and I want Jerry to be our manager," Minaya said he was told by Wilpon. Minaya, who's in his fifth season as Mets' GM, said the conversation occurred "a couple of weeks ago." Minaya said he told Wilpon: "Jeff, thank you for that vote. I don't think about those things, and Jerry [doesn't] either." Minaya said he understood there would be talk about firings since the injury-ravaged Mets entered Monday five games under .500 (43-48) and nine games back of Philadelphia in the NL East. "When you lose, people are going to come up with those things," Minaya said..

And now the Os serve up a walk-off to Matsui. Yanx win getting 4 hits -- 2 are HRs So what else is new. In other O-o-T-S news: SF's Jonathan Sanchez follows up his no-hitter by giving up 3 runs to the Braves in the first 2 innings (and now the pen has given up 6 more) And the Phils score 9 runs off Ted Lilly early and they cruise. Marlins are in SD later.

Hernandez - 3.7 Francouer - 1.9 Castillo - 1.0 Pagan - 1.5 Murphy - 1.5 Green - 0.2 Rodriguez - 0.2

Fman99 wrote: What do I do now? I barely started my drink here! I know. Not used to 2:10 games these days. And, btw, where'd you get the pics of my prom date?

Nats might not even be the worst team on the Mid-Atlantic seaboard. Os are tied w/the Yanx in the 8th - runner on 1st w/1out Runner is going on the pitch as a double is hit into the RF corner - but said runner loses sight of the ball and actually retreats towards 1st briefly before reversing course and barely getting to 3rd (scores easily otherwise). Same runner is then thrown out at home on a chopper to 1st (still 1st & 3rd, now 2 outs) And then the next runner is thrown out at the plate on a (very short) wild pitch. I swear sometimes teams playing against the Yanx put 'BE REALLY STUPID' on the chalkboard in their clubhouse.

]I thought all of this too. He was at 97 pitches and CRUISED through the 7th And I had no idea he was as few as 97 pitches. I would have left him in at 127. And now Frankie is in because ... ?

So we needed to yank Livan because, what, we're protecting his arm for his future or something? Dude retires something like the last 12 straight - including Ks in the 7th - but he can't pitch the 8th? Pedro dances (more of the way) out of things w/a nifty GiDP as I'm typing ... but it's like there's this 8th inning alarm that goes off in the bullpen and no one knows how to shut it off. I have no problem putting Livan on a pitch count ... it's just that my count for him is 193 per/game.

... and now he can't get his number from Jeff Francoeur-y

And, by the way, why doesn't Teddy ever win?

Thought it might be fun to follow along with a season now 40 years in the rearview mirror. Anyone or everyone is invited to play along. Turns out that on moon landing day the Mets weren't even in the country [u:5c1a633f]Sunday July 20 at Montreal -- Mets 2 - Expos 3[/u:5c1a633f] - Agee�s single knocks in 2 runs in the 2nd off Expo starter Gary Waslewski - but Gentry serves up 3 solo HRs in the 4th (Mack Jones, Bob Bailey, Bobby Wine) and the Mets get just one hit the rest of the way. - Both pitchers go the distance on 5 hits despite adding in a total of 12 walks!! (Gentry = 4, Waslewski = 8) Game 2 -- (remember double-headers?) Mets 4 - Expos 3 (10 innings) - Mets get 2 in the 1st off starter Mike Wegener - Expos nick Met starter Cardwell for 1 in the 3rd and then for an unearned run in the 8th. - Mets load the bases with 1 out in the 9th but get only 1 run (bases-loaded walk) out of it. - But then Ron Taylor gives up a leadoff HR in the bottom of the 9th (Coco LaBoy) to send it into extras. (Taylor was good, but when it really counted ...) - In the 10th, Swoboda�s 2-out doulbe (took 3rd on an error) and a PH infield-single by Bobby Pfeil plates a run and Jack DiLauro shuts the door (1 hit) for the save. Record at the end of the day 53 - 39; 2 Place; 5.0 Games out of 1st

]J. D. Martin is 26 and ... a former first round pick [with an] injury plagued career. A 1st round supplemental pick by the Cleveland Indians to be specific, the #35 pick overall from out of a California HS back in 2001. Three picks later the Mets looked to a Virginia HS and selected 3B David Wright. As mentioned, this will be John Dale Martin's ML debut.

"rambling and unfocused" = understatement

Santana - 4.5 Green - 0.25 Stokes - 0.5 Rodriguez - 0.75 Pagan - 1.8 Castillo - 1.2 Francoeur - 0.8 Cora - 0.2

Nieve - 0.4 Stokes - 0.4 Parnell - 0.4 Castillo - 1.2 Pagan - 0.6 Francoeur - 1.0

metsguyinmichigan wrote: Is this the first time we've had two Angels on the team at the same time? Too bad Beroera doesn't play left, then he and Pagan could be.... ... Angels in the Outfield!! And then we could replace Francoeur with Greg Allman so he could sing ...

Hey I got a good idea; it's the last time around the lineup so let's walk Greg Norton who CAN'T hit and then Nate McLouth who's oh-fer-the-week four fuckin times!!

metsguyinmichigan wrote: And is that the last we see of him, or does the injury buy him some more time? Well, who are your TWO replacements: Niese and .... ?

Redding got beat by a bunch of shit hits plus that error - but he was also going to too many deep counts and walking McLouth there is what killed him

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Hey-- where's my ESPY red-carpet special? Fuck this noise. Dammit! I turn on the TV to see a 4 day old film of ESPN celebrating itself and so I could watch their "reporters" suck up to the athletes they're supposed to impartially cover plus a roving pack of 3rd rate celebs and hangers-on ... and, instead, they're feeding me a fuckin' baseball game!?! What kind of sports network is this anyway?