Frayed Knot

From the, it's probably nothing file; Chan Ho Park was unable to pitch in today's exhibition game because ... he's having some kind of visa problem. Apparently he's not in danger of being deported or anything, but this is denying him a work permit which, in turn, means he can't pitch in any game where there is admission being charged -- which I guess is the definition of 'work'. So, instead, he pitched in the morning in some intra-squad deal (looked good according to Eddie C on WFAN) and will need to confine his throwing to spots like that until this mess gets cleaned up. It wasn't apparent to EC why this hadn't been taken care of earlier.

"Mets won today. Reyes hit a home run" No he didn't ... he hit a FUCKIN' BOMB!!!! There's a grassy knoll beyond the RCF fence which leads uphill to a concession area and that shot just about beaned some peeps waiting in line for drinks. No bout a doubt it.

[u:330eea2550]Baseball America[/u:330eea2550] is out with their Top 100 Prospects List Not a whole lot different from the [u:330eea2550]Baseball Prospectus[/u:330eea2550] list (above) except that BA keeps with their tradition of listing foreign professionals and not only includes 'Dice-K' but puts him right at the top. 1 - Daisuke Matsuzaka - RHP, Boston 2 - Alex Gordon - 3B, Kansas City 3 - Delmon Young - OF, Tampa Bay 4 - Phillip Hughes - RHP, NYY 5 - Homer Bailey - RHP, Cincinnati 6 - Cameron Maybin - OF, Detroit 7 - Evan Longoria - 3B, Tampa Bay 8 - Brandon Wood - SS/3B, Anaheim 9 - Justin Upton - OF, Arizona 10 - Andrew Miller - LHP, Detroit Home Boys: 20 - Mike Pelfrey 22 - Fernando Martinez 60 - Carlos Gomez 73 - Philip Humber They also had an on-line Q&A session with only a few Met-related questions: ** Q: Peter from San Diego asks: I'm assuming that Lasting Milledge's omission is because he had too many major league ABs last year? A: Jim Callis: You are correct. He would have been in the 15-30 range otherwise. ** Q: Mike from Cali asks: Why is Pelfrey listed so much higher than Humber? Is it purely injury concerns? What separates them so much for you? A: Jim Callis: That's part of it. I also just like Pelfrey better. I think he can be a frontline guy, while Humber is more of a No. 3 to me.

From various sources over the last day or two: * Duaner Sanchez sounds increasingly unlikely to be ready for opening day. He's mostly long-tossing at this point to re-build the strength in his arm but I don't think we'll see him in a game situation for a while * Sidewinder Joe Smith (aka: the Mormon) is opening some eyes. He's a righty like Bradford - more a sidearm than the totally underneath deal of Chad - but throws much harder (into the 90s) and apparently made a few batters he faced during inter-squad look silly and the ones just watching mutter; 'Damn'! * Juan Padilla - the 2005 refugee who underwent surgery just about a year ago this time IIRC - is throwing but not yet at 100% by his own admission. Also probably not a great bet for April 1. So this all leaves us with "locks" of Heilman and three southpaws: Wagner, Feliciano & Schoenweis The others (three? four?) will come out of some combo of: Burgos, Smith, Adkins, plus maybe one or two from the losers in the starting fight (Sosa, Vargas, Soler, and maybe even Park and/or Sele - but almost certainly not Pelfrey & Humber) with Sosa in particular mentioned as maybe filling the long-man role.

and up from the ground comes a bubblin' crude ...

Seaver miffed at Miller Omission The shock was audible from 3,000 miles away. Tom Seaver answered his phone, listened and was aghast. Marvin Miller had been rejected again by the Hall of Famers. Seaver, convinced the former executive director of the players union, is worthy of the honor, was surprised, a tad miffed and even embarrassed. "I can't believe we did that again," he said. Seaver had considered Miller a "no brainer the other time he was eligible [four years ago]" and almost assumed Miller would gain the 75 percent of the vote required for election — 61 votes in his case. And though Miller received 15 more votes than he did in 2003, he was named on only 51 ballots (63 percent) and finished second. "The Hall of Fame, to me," Seaver said from California, "is a repository for people who have had historical impact on the game. On that ballot, I can't see anyone who has done more for the game. Even if you disliked him, you can't deny him. Look at the value of franchises now. He helped more than the players." I heard some comments attributed to Joe Morgan suggesting that some of the players weren't comfortable passing judgement on non-players. I think giving the HoFers a say in this new vets committee was a good idea but perhaps for the non-playing possibilities they need to come up with a different idea.

SNY will bump something from its regular hot February programming lineup and re-run the game tonight.

Santo - 57 votes (of 82 -- 60 votes needed) - 70% Kaat - 52 votes -- 63% Umpire Doug Harvey - also 52 votes Marvin Miller - 51 votes -- 62% Hodges - 50 votes -- 61% Tony Oliva - 49 votes -- 60%

So am I actually. But things like this are usually spun as (and this is exactly how I heard it); the committee failed to elect anyone ... as if a 'No' vote is, by definition, the same as no action at all.

No vets reach the mandatory 75% level: Ron Santo fell just short Hodges next, followed by Kaat

I think 'Moneyball' told the story that it was Bradford's HS coach - not father - who doubled as his local minister and later as minor league team chaplain.

The Wil-Son Fam-i-Lee (snap, snap): - Prior to being married to Mookie, Mookie's wife Rosa was married to one of Mookie's brothers - That marriage didn't last long, but it did last long enough to produce young Preston - Once the marriage broke-up, she then married Mookie (hey, we're talking small town South Carolina here) who raised Preston as his own son since as long as Preston can remember So; From a personal standpoint - they are father and son From a legal one - they are step-father and step-son From a biological one - they are uncle and nephew Got it now? -- there'll be a quiz later.

Which at least partly explains why I don't think Cashman ever really wanted Bernie in camp to begin with: every February hangnail would lead to a media frenzy both around Bernie's locker and Torre's office.

One of the papers (NYDN, I think) confirmed today that Wright is the one about to be waxed. It'll help with that underexposure problem he's been having.

A few sample dishes from a Met cookbook: * Eggs Reyes -- Made with runny eggs and a sprinkling of shredded ham * Pork a la Beltran -- Pork chops served with mole on the side * Chicken LoDuca -- Made from very young chicks * David's Brownies -- Lots and lots of sugary sweetness * Julio's Steak Tartare -- When both the dish and the chef pre-date the invention of fire * Chicken Zambrano -- Only takes 10 minutes to prepare but comes with a broken wing

That one was a gimme. The mistake people make in trying to predict these things is that they actually see the movies and then base their guesses on who they think did the best job. WRONG!! The sentimental choice, the politically correct one, or the whose-turn-it-is method always work better. btw, How do you suppose all the privite jets that were used to bring the stars to the show fits in with the "Greening of the Oscars" campaign?

Future snide headline and/or banner during losing streak: Your Season has Come ... and Gone

From Bob Raissman: SportsNet New York brass will again call on Ralph Kiner as a "contributing analyst" to join Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling in the Mets' TV booth for a schedule of Friday night games throughout the season. One change: Kiner, in his 45th season as a Mets broadcaster, will work some SNY Mets spring training tilts. Kiner's first appearance is scheduled for March 5

"Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy goots and say that" -- Steve Earle Perhaps a bit of hyperbole, but it's a quote on the DVD cover of Be Here to Love Me, a interesting and well-done documentary on the work and troubled life of singer/songwriter Townes Van Zandt. Townes had various mental problems even going back to his childhood, conditions that were quite possibly exacerbated later on by ill-advised shock-treatments and most definitely by years of drug and alcohol abuse plus the trials of a life spent largely on the road. But, despite all his troubles and frequent lone-wolf status, he had no shortage of admirers (or wives for that matter) and, particularly within the music community, his popularity far exceeded his otherwise stunted career. Townes remains, now 7+ years after his death, a kind of godfather emeritus to that largely Texas-based country/folk/blues music scene.

Xavier Nady to be tested for Crohn's disease Nady, hospitalized earlier in the week for an inflamed intestine ... will be tested for Crohn's disease, a lifelong condition that can cause pain in the digestive area and weight loss. The risk of having the disease is greater if it runs in the family and Nady informed doctors that he has a cousin with the condition.

I was so much older then, I'm younger (or at least claim to be) than that now -- O. Hernandez

"Isn't three million to the Yankees six million, because they're over the luxury tax threshold? " The lux tax (at the rate the Yanx are paying it anyway) is more like 40% so $3mil becomes akin to about $4.2. Plus, they only paid Bernie $1.5 last year and could probably get away with even less this season. "I'd be shocked if A-Rod doesn't invoke his out clause after the season and end up with the Cubs with a nice new fat contract and back at SS" Most of the news hounds seem to think that A-Rod opting out is almost a certainty but I'm not so sure. What he would get is the the ability to nail down a longer deal that takes care of him into his mid/late 30's and to do it at a time when he's still semi-young and when money is running hot. Plus he gets to wave the spectre of hitting his 800th HR in front of some greedy owner's eyes. On the other hand the remaining 3 years he'd be giving up are at the highest level (about $27/yr) and there's no way he'd get anywhere near that rate in a new deal and it's not like Boras to leave guaranteed money on the table. I also don't buy the idea that he's so spooked by NYC that he's ready to turn tail and run.

Or, more accurately, El Duque HAS a pain in the neck. he "has been sent to New York for an examination, suffering from neck discomfort" according to GM Omar Minaya

And who says that Beltran can't be moved to a corner spot by the 6th or 7th year of his deal? Yeah, I know, it's never an easy thing with those big contract guys in glamour positions - although even Griffey is likely moving this year - but I think they view Gomez as the best bet to be a true CFer down the road out of the three young OFers.

]It is a little-known fact that a number of music scholars consider Hattiesburg to be the historic birthplace of rock and roll. "I'm standing here by the banks of the Mississippi ..."