Frayed Knot

This has gotten Ug Lee

Round 16: Tobi Stoner - RHP, Davis & Elkins (WVA) College Round 17: Stephen Puhl - C, St. Edwards (Tx) (Son of Terry?) Round 18: Richie Price - SS, Kansas

Between high pitch counts (both pitchers), injury delays, and now an ump mask problem, this game isn't moving too fast.

I knew he was friends with Chi-Chi. I suspect Grady was out there arguing that Beltran intentionally got hit with that grounder and therefore it should have been ruled a DP. The umps have the discretion to do that (otherwise runners would intentionally interfere all the time to make sure only 1 out was recorded) but Beltran clearly didn't plan that. It was temporarily a good break for us but ultimately to no avail.

Helluva catch - especially for a guy who couldn't snag a pop-up last year. The disgusting part about that game was the way the Yanx scored the winning run: 2 out/nobody on in the 7th and an easy comebacker dribbling about 1/2 mile/hour gets by both the pitcher and then the 2nd baseman. The Sox then serve up - consecutively - a single, then walk & walk to "drive" in a run.

1944 to 2006 is 62 years Or at least it was when I went to school, although admittedly that was a while ago. Things may have changed since then.

BA Blog: The Mets drafted righthander Steve Holmes in the fifth round. He led the nation with a 1.30 ERA in 104 innings at Rhode Island and has the best feel for pitching of any player in the Northeast this year. Position players anyone? Anyone?, Anyone? Bueller?

BA's Blog Notes: Round 4: The Mets took a flier on a high risk pitcher in the fourth round when they took John Holdzkom. This is what we wrote about John Holdzkom a year ago: "While Jason Neighborgall went in the third round, his high school equivalent did not go until much later. With their 15th round selection, the Mariners took Jonathan Holdzkom, a righthander out of Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) HS. A 6-foot-7 righthander, Holdzkom can already hit 93 mph, but was so wild he hardly got a chance to pitch when he was available. Holdzkom, whose older brother Lincoln is a pitcher in the Marlins system, was academically ineligible for the first few weeks of the season so he only threw a handful of innings. It was essentially a lost season for the flame throwing high schooler." Holdzkom never signed with the Mariners and went to Salt Lake CC but dropped out after an argument with his coach during a game.

"Hey! He's Lee Smith's kid!" Ummm, not according to that picture he isn't.

"is 6' 8", 230 lb. righty John Holdzkom out of Salt Lake CC" And now a bigger Mormon.

Or maybe just; 'The Mormon'

Joe Smith, the Mets third-round pick, had shoulder surgery as a senior in high school and couldn't make the Wright State roster as a freshman. When he walked on in 2004, he dropped his arm slot to sidearm his velocity shot into the low 90s and began to dominate. He posted a 0.75 ERA this season and would have led Division I, but he was five innings short of qualifying. P.S. Last I read on Jeffrey Maier is that he's a 2nd day guy at best: i.e. rounds 26-50. He's a major longshot to ever play in MLB

The Phils use "our" pick to select Kyle (son of Dave) Drabek, a two way (NTTAWWT) player (SS/RHP) out of a Texas HS - considered one of the more talented players but with "makeup problems" (bad eyeliner?) Met draft-and-not-followed Pedro Beato not selected in Round 1

Preacher Roe

Washington's Ryan Church

Jim Gott (God in German) and Tim Tuefel (Devil)

Omar's BIG deadline deal while in Montreal was getting Bartolo Colon for a package of Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore, and Brandon Phillips. Oddly it was Phillips who was expected to be the gem of the three but has had the worst time of it since. But you have to look at the Montreal situation as unique. He was told that the team had no future so there was no reason for him not to burn all his bridges and go for the brass ring (mixed metaphor alert!!). I don't think we can judge there to be a "trend" to his methods solely from that trade.

Covering the media's coverage is Raissman's beat so he's got every right to keep on this story, especially as it was a major topic of conversation yesterday - including nationally. I just didn't agree with his earlier column where he claimed - while offering little in the was of backing - that the media is bending to some sort of team pressure to lay off the young player even as several reporters from his own paper were addressing it at that moment.

I was thinking of that last night too. It could buy Milledge an extra two weeks of major league play. Or, if Nady isn't back yet, maybe Diaz wakes up and is called up for a spell.

I believe Nady is expected back long before Milledge could get 45 games in. But in any case, if Milledge is hitting well - however long it is - two things can happen: 1) He stays up and together with Nady & Cliff fit into 2 positions (plus the occasional Beltran day off and even Delgado by slotting Nady at 1st). 2) He gets sent back down so as to get regular ABs and is back by September (or earlier if something else pops up) Not a nightmare at all.

From the crew at [u:dcae68f7aa]The Hardball Times[/u:dcae68f7aa] Infield pop-ups are virtually as good as strike-outs for a pitcher since 99+% of them are turned into outs and runners can't advance. The average number of fly-balls kept in the infield is 11%. Currently the Mets lead the majors with 17% and Steve Trachsel leads all pitchers with 21.7%. Glavine is 4th at 18.2%

Soler - 5.0 Delgado - 1.4 Reyes - 1.2 Milledge - 0.8 Bradford - 1.0 Beltran - 0.4

A newspaper report out of Texas has the stRangers about to DFA D'Angelo Jiminez (they just traded for Jerry Hairston Jr.). He's not hitting now but has had decent OBAs in the past. He's also reportedly a PiTA who isn't always given to working all that hard. He's not someone I'd simply hand the 2nd base job over to but it's possible they'd see him as a platoon - or maybe just as a better bench player than Kazoo.

Died tonight at age 55.

I'd be willing to bet that the Met game ends before the MFY/Box game except that the Sawx have already given up tonight. And from the file of: 'you knew those NYY togs are mostly status': I was at the gym for the hour and change it took these two squads to play the 2nd & 3rd innings - and there were the usual assortment of characters there who I regularly see in their NYY caps/shirts/sweats whatever. Now keep in mind that this is in the middle of a Yanx/Sox fighting-for-1st-place game and NOT ONE OF THEM was making any attempt to find out a score. I know this because none of the gym's TVs were tuned to the game for some reason and none of the supposed fans ever asked that the game be turned on. Hell, *I* was going to ask just so I could follow along (it was 2-1 Boston when I left). But such a request apparently never occured to Mr. Brand-New Looking Sheffield shirt; or to either the two guys who I always see in NYY regalia; or to the guy I didn't recognize who was in his NYY 19XX Championship Shirt. Heck, I even hear one of them turn to his buddy and say; they're playing Boston tonight right?'. Jeez, how da fuck can you not know that? Nice to know they're real fans though, huh?!?