Frayed Knot

Yup, 'bout a week ago.

The "unusual" theme of this thread reminded me of this from a day or two ago: http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/pedro-feliz-and-the-golden-zapatos/ I love this kind of shit.

I saw one live which was pretty cool - especially since it wasn't the usual TP (if there even is such a thing). Giants had runners on 1st & 3rd - no outs (duh!). Bonds was the guy on 3rd and he froze briefly while seeming unsure of whether to break on a standard ground ball. So while the Mets were turning a conventional 6-4-3 (or maybe 4-6-3, I forget) Bonds breaks late for the plate where he's tagged out on a throw from the 1st baseman after the DP was in the bag. Crowd loved it, even more so I think because it was Barry.

Hernandez - 4.0 Beltran - 1.5 Wright - 1.2 Castillo - 0.8

Maine - 3.5 Green - 0.5 Rodriguez - 0.5 Wright - 1.5 Beltran - 1.0

And David Ortiz hit a homer. Now THAT'S unusual!

Tough day for Murphy w/the bat. Maybe he can't hit as a first-baseman.

I woulda preferred a hit there, but I'll take it. Nice that Beltran tagged to take away the GiDP possibility. And here comes the LHP, let's see if Murphy is still around when the commercial's over.

Gotta do something this inning.

... for his regular weekly chat w/Francesa - says there's no rift with Church ... "none what-so-ever". Claims he's actually tougher on other players such as Beltran or Reyes - Says not only did Razor tell him Church missed the base but even Sandy Sr. on the bench saw him miss it. That's why he didn't contest the call - concerned about the overall defense. Will go back to 'taking infield' at the beginning of each series - PH-ing for Murphy (the Pagan AB): He was taking extra-BP that day and Jerry felt those ABs and the ones leading up to that PH showed he wasn't comfortable and therefore had a better shot [u:3ekjmmvs]at that moment[/u:3ekjmmvs] w/someone else. - will use Muffy at 1st base (starting tonight) ... needs to see if/how well he can handle it. At this point isn't sure how he'll do and, if he can't hack it there, won't necc go back into the regular OF mix. Will be mostly Church & Sheffield going forward w/others slotted in. - More upset with the execution of Castillo's bunt than the fact that he tried it. IOW, Castillo did that on his own which Jerry doesn't ordinarily mind because "it's part of his game"

From BA: ... Fernando Martinez closed April on a 1-for-18 skid, but he�s opened May as one of the International League�s hotter hitters. After belting a pair of solo home runs yesterday against Pawtucket righthander Clay Buchholz, he was batting .343/.395/.700 for the month, with six home runs, five doubles and 15 RBIs in 19 games. And with a 6-to-9 walk-to-strikeout ratio in 70 at-bats, it appears that the 20-year-old Martinez has caught up with the speed of the Triple-A game. He leads the IL with 22 extra-base hits.

]Keith brings life to the booth, ... Yeah, I'm just afraid he wouldn't if stuck with a team going nowhere. There's a difference to going off the tracks every once in a while during a dull game or long pitching-change filled innings, it's another if it's all game every game. But that's just my speculation and am getting ahead of myself here. Hope we don't find out anytime soon.

="Ashie62":1y5sbx17]10 weeks in metspeak..I hesitate to say this, but Nick Johnson anyone, [u:1y5sbx17]he crushes the Mets[/u:1y5sbx17][/quote:1y5sbx17] If by "crushes" you mean, 'hits worse than usual' well then, sure. .248/.380/.431 vs Mets (153 ABs) .273/.398/.457 overall career Swan Swan H May 20 2009 09:09 AM ="Edgy DC":nctew171]About four people have already invoked Johnson.[/quote:nctew171] I think Irish invoked Johnson in the David Wright thread. metirish May 20 2009 09:20 AM ="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.

My only reservations about Keith concern what he'd be like with a bad team in front of him. I'm afraid he'd get bored rather easily and would slip into full Phil Rizzutto mode except that his occasional bouts of 'I'd rather be in Sag Harbor' disinterest wouldn't be as cute. Other than that for the high-school jock sandwiched between two Ivy Leaguers he plays the role well enough without overdoing the stereotype.

PH-ing for Murphy again on account of there being a LHP on the mound.

Might have gotten Billingsley out of there a bit earlier had they not handed him two of his first 8 outs (Murphy & Wright). 15 batters in he had only retired 6 of them while 3 had scored, but had 8 outs and we haven't scored since.

That's one, now they just need nine more. OK maybe seven, but that includes an entire bullpen. btw, Peavy is already signed thru 2012 (2013 if you count the option) at pretty big bucks. I'm not sure he could finagle more money out of whatever team he holds no-trades against. In his case he's a southern boy who just may be one of the few to put NYC on his no-trade because he really doesn't want to be here. Most just simply put big-market teams on there figuring the small market won't deal for him anyway - effectively giving them a near complete N-T clause. Johnson, to my surprise, is only signed thru this season at $5.5 and will be a FA after that. Would make for a crowded 1B bag come August (he was barely competent in the OF before he snapped his leg in two) however I think Washington would be eager to move him ... but for a price Ugarte, for a price.

The Braves reportedly balked over the Pads insistence that they include pitching uber-prospect Tommy Hansen in any deal for Peavy. Hansen is really good and nearly ready -- a description that doesn't really fit anyone in the Met system. Natonals need pitching, pitching, and more pitching.

="HahnSolo":3r9ecv1y]="Edgy DC":3r9ecv1y]In fairness, that doesn't mean that the second-base guy wasn't following the play.[/quote:3r9ecv1y] True, but on an appeal, can the ump ask for help? I was under the assumption that on an appeal play that base's ump had to make the call.[/quote:3r9ecv1y] If the umps had "rotated" on the play and the 3rd base ump's attention was diverted elsewhere as a result (ie. a hit into the LF corner where he runs out to check on fan interference while home ump covers 3rd) he simply would have deferred to his fellow ump once the appeal was made. Edgy DC May 20 2009 06:16 AM "When I asked my third-base coach if he missed the bag, he said he missed the bag," Manuel said. So what's Shines' responsiblity there? Should he be stopping his hourse in full gallop and making him turn back and retouch, or should he look away and hope he was the only one who noticed? Other Church bulletins: ="David Lennon"]Manuel denied Tuesday that there is a rift between him and Church - "I like Ryan" he said - and the outfielder played along. As for getting thrown under the bus after the game, Church shrugged. As for the perceived rift, which Church hears about from fans as well as media, he insists that's not the case. "People read too much into it,"Church said. "They're not in here. [Manuel] cares, he's got a good heart and he wants me to succeed." That doesn't mean Manuel can't get angry. And he explained away his skewering of Church by chalking it up to emotion. It's too early to know if they will be exchanging birthday gifts this year or following each other on Twitter. Neither Manuel nor Church used the term BFF to describe the other, in case you were wondering. "You're doggone right I was mad at him," Manuel said, smiling. "If he was my son, I would have strangled him." Anthony Manuel: "Errrr..."

="Edgy DC":1yt9vzvj]In fairness, that doesn't mean that the second-base guy wasn't following the play.[/quote:1yt9vzvj] No, the 3rd base ump was right there and it was he who made the call. Couldn't tell from the brief replay I saw whether he was looking directly at the foot and base at that moment but essentially it's his only job there so I suspect he was. In any case, I'd certainly believe he did before taking Boomer & Carton's word for it that he wasn't. That's generally not a call umps make when they only suspect a guy goofed. HahnSolo May 19 2009 10:24 AM ="Edgy DC":28jn3asd]In fairness, that doesn't mean that the second-base guy wasn't following the play.[/quote:28jn3asd] True, but on an appeal, can the ump ask for help? I was under the assumption that on an appeal play that base's ump had to make the call. Rotblatt May 19 2009 10:36 AM I haven't even seen the replay yet, but just given our penchant for mental errors so far this season, I'm willing to buy that he missed it. I'd be curious to know when the last time a call like that decided a game, and what that manager's reaction was: did he stick up for his player, or throw him under the bus? IIRC, Manuel never liked Church. Didn't he refuse to say that Church had the starting job this spring, even though he was hitting the cover off the ball? I like Church. He hit well pre-concussion for us, as well as this April (.845 OPS) and he's stellar defensively. I was really hoping that we'd be the first team to give him a full-time job, but obviously that's not gonna happen. If we're not going to use him, we might as well trade him, and we could certainly use a first baseman. Johnson would be expensive right now, though--he's hitting .336 with 24 RBIs--and like Edgy said, the Nats have more outfielders than they know what to do with. Benjamin Grimm May 19 2009 11:09 AM When you have outfielders, you play them in the infield. Rockin' Doc May 19 2009 11:25 AM The MLB website clip of Church running the bases is totally inconclusive. You can't really tell anything from that video. I think the most conclusive evidence (circumstantial as it may be) that he missed the bag is the immediate reaction of the Dodger players pointing to third base and calling for the appeal and the total lack of an argument by Church, Manuel, or any of the Mets coaches. I'm sure there must be better footage of the play than what is posted on MLB's website. Benjamin Grimm May 19 2009 11:26 AM I'm waiting to hear what Cookie Lavagetto has to say about it. gerrard00 May 19 2009 11:48 AM I really feel bad for Church, I don't think he was given a fair chance to succeed. Admittedly, missing third in that situation is inexcusable...but I'm not sure it's much worse than the new team wide aversion to sliding. Edgy DC May 19 2009 12:00 PM Yeah, it does hurt that one of the guys to express his open flabbergastment was Beltran. Frayed Knot May 19 2009 01:39 PM ="HahnSolo":3r9ecv1y]="Edgy DC":3r9ecv1y]In fairness, that doesn't mean that the second-base guy wasn't following the play.[/quote:3r9ecv1y] True, but on an appeal, can the ump ask for help? I was under the assumption that on an appeal play that base's ump had to make the call.[/quote:3r9ecv1y] If the umps had "rotated" on the play and the 3rd base ump's attention was diverted elsewhere as a result (ie. a hit into the LF corner where he runs out to check on fan interference while home ump covers 3rd) he simply would have deferred to his fellow ump once the appeal was made. Edgy DC May 20 2009 06:16 AM "When I asked my third-base coach if he missed the bag, he said he missed the bag," Manuel said. So what's Shines' responsiblity there? Should he be stopping his hourse in full gallop and making him turn back and retouch, or should he look away and hope he was the only one who noticed? Other Church bulletins: ="David Lennon"]Manuel denied Tuesday that there is a rift between him and Church - "I like Ryan" he said - and the outfielder played along. As for getting thrown under the bus after the game, Church shrugged. As for the perceived rift, which Church hears about from fans as well as media, he insists that's not the case. "People read too much into it,"Church said. "They're not in here. [Manuel] cares, he's got a good heart and he wants me to succeed." That doesn't mean Manuel can't get angry. And he explained away his skewering of Church by chalking it up to emotion. It's too early to know if they will be exchanging birthday gifts this year or following each other on Twitter. Neither Manuel nor Church used the term BFF to describe the other, in case you were wondering. "You're doggone right I was mad at him," Manuel said, smiling. "If he was my son, I would have strangled him." Anthony Manuel: "Errrr..."

metirish wrote: In a nut shell what were the screw ups? Let's put it this way ... you got yourself one big muthafuckin' nutshell.

Redding - 3.0 Pagan - 3.0 Parnell - 0.5 Putz - 0.5 Feliciano - 0.25 Stokes - 0.25 Wright - 1.5 Sheffield - 1.0

Pelfrey - 2.7 Takahashi - 0.5 Green - 0.5 Wright - 1.2 Beltran - 1.0 Cora - 0.5

Torn ligaments, 15-Day DL (but probably longer). Ramon Martinez called up and will start tonight.

Guestimates of 6 weeks or 8 weeks are essentially the same thing at this point. The problem with labrums - the cushioning inside the ball and socket joint that joins the top of the femur and the bottom of the pelvis - is that they're tough to get at and hence tough to initially diagnose.