Frayed Knot

I suppose that depends on how interested you are in him. It's quite comprehensive, or 'long' if you prefer that term, dealing with everything from childhood to the present. It does get a little repetitive at times, as in, What's Billy depressed about now? [father abandonment, bad record deals, life on the road, failed marriage(s), bad reviews, dishonest financial manager/brother-in-law, etc.]. But it's not a total inside job. The film makers appear to be free to discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly. All four wives chime in, as does his adult daughter, some ex-bandmates (even the one whose wife he stole and the one that sued him), plus thoughts from Bruce, Sting, Jackson Browne, and others in the industry. So I probably wouldn't recommend trying to pull it off in one sitting, if you're interested in the subject you'll probably find it worthwhile.

I hope you realize KC that you just schooled an Irishman about potatoes! This is true! We were looking to retain the name of our college team and come up with a mascot. I met with consultants who worked with us on ideas. I have to imagine that actually changing the names has about five more layers of complexities. The food things are all "alternate" identities. Some are neat, lots not so much. Then they all have the "Cupa de Diversion" latino identities, also with some neat, and lots not so much. I think Rumble Ponies is not a great name, but the Brooklyn Cyclones is brilliant! Almost all of those cutesy two word names for minor league sports teams emanated from the same marketing firm. I forget the name but, IIRC, they were based in San Diego. So, yeah, they'd find something 'unique' about the location and hunt around for a name off of that: 'Hey, I hear horsey carousals are big in Binghamton ... I've got it, Rumble Ponies!!!!' And the Jacksonville Suns abandoned their longtime name in favor of Jumbo Shrimp, and then there's the Yard Goats, Iron Pigs, etc. There's nothing like acting like everyone else in an attempt to be unique.

This two-part (Some 4 hrs+) docu on Joel is currently running on HBO

In Baltimore if you order breakfast cereal you might be asked if you want Old Bay on it.

You wouldn't know there were ANY problems from watching/listening to Davis & Smoltz in today's intro. One the one hand they were likely shuttled to and from their 5* Hotel and may not even know about logistical issues. On the other hand, if they do know they're probably under strict orders not to mention them.

I'm not sure they're getting the game in today either.

It means you're a Foreigner as far as he was concerned.

Where does everyone park when there's a race there? There are certainly more fans in the stands on a race day than today with the stands cut in half, no?

Not bad fielding but some less than ideal routes after balls.

I thought of Willard (not really) mlb.com, which listed the Mets as one of the six "winners" at the trade deadline*, had this to say about Mullins: The highlight move is trading for Cedric Mullins, who is going to look strange in a uniform that doesn’t have an orange bird on it, but otherwise should fit in snugly in Queens, doing just about everything well enough (if nothing spectacularly anymore) at a position of obvious need. He also is a free agent at the end of the year, which eliminates any real long-term risk. (And they’re going to love him there. Who doesn’t love Cedric Mullins?) * also Phils, Mariners, Astros, Padres, A's (for getting a top 5 overall prospect)

Bullpen arms seemed to be the theme of the deadline all over the league.

I don't remember a HoF claim specifically although I do remember him being referred to as a 'once in a generation' talent. But he was never that either. The problem with dealing Kelenic was the same as with PC-A, both were drafted high (JK = 6th overall, PCA 18th) and then traded the very same year* before the Mets had a chance to see even what each might become. Both then immediately flourished in their new teams' system to where Kelenic was a top-15 prospect by age 20 and top-10 by age 21. PCA was top 30 then top 20 by ages 21/22. So if the Mets had held on to either just one more season they either wouldn't have traded them away or, if they did, they would have been able to land a much better player(s) in return. Sometimes those things work out in your favor, Syndergaard took off only after joining the NYM system so, unless you're buying the idea that he flourished because of being in the NYM system, we couldn't have gotten him in a trade just a few months after we did. Remember that it was TdA who was the main bait in that deal. Thor was merely the sweetener. I suppose dealing guys that early is the baseball equivalent of trading draft picks, only instead of trading the pick before it happens you make the pick first and then make the trade. Arizona traded Dansby Swanson just six months after they made him the 1/1 pick. That didn't work out so well for the Snakes either. * PCA was actually traded the year after he was drafted (2020) but didn't play the first year due to Covid so had just 24 ABs in the NYM system when dealt.

Suarez to the Mariners for three prospects. He had previously played for Seattle in 2022 & '23

I'll go with 'Like' as well even if that wasn't my initial knee-jerk reaction. Look, it's tough to know how to evaluate minor leaguers. We rarely see them, their stats are sometimes subject to the oddities of minor league parks, and guys progress at different rates. It's also easy to hear about a 'good prospect' and have it take hold in your mind that he is going to be good one day, something that's often true right up until it's not. Most prospects, even some of the better ones, never become anything special. Plus Gilbert will be 25 in September and while he was on the pre-season 2024 prospect lists it was mostly on the back half of those lists [#93, #53, #29 / BA, MLB, BP] and he didn't repeat on any of them in '25. So while I don't want to say that he had become expendable, the key to managing prospects is in choosing which ones to bet on and maybe they simply decided that he wasn't the best one to retain. This isn't the same as dealing PCA just one year and 24 minor league ABs after drafting him in the 1st round (19th). Butto had a bunch of big contributions in the last year and a half, getting a replacement with not only a different look but a low walk rate, something that may continue to keep Butto from ever being consistent enough. Tidwell I know even less about but, again, several other starters in line seem to clearly be ahead of him. He seems like maybe a higher floor/lower ceiling type which is fine but not necessarily special. High price for a rental? Yeah, but also a needed piece and, with 1/3 of the season still to go, it gives him plenty of opportunities to make his time here worthwhile. Plus the team is in position for this type of move right now. btw, I never heard Gary say anything like 'Gilbert won't be ready for a ML roster until 2027'. That doesn't even make sense.

Ryan Dalton Helsley: 31 y/o (two weeks ago); R/R; 6'2"/235 Been with the Cards org his entire BB life, drafted in 2015/5th round out of Northeastern State U (Tahlequah, OK) 5+ year player so eligible for FA this winter. Got good starting in 2022. His combined stats from '22-'25 = 2.03 ERA; 1.03 WHIP; 6.0 H/9; 3.3 BB/9 (meh); 11.8 K/9; 0.6 HR/9 (14 in 204 IP) But a bit less good this season: 3.00 ERA / 1.39 WHIP!! mostly on account of a pretty bad month of June [8G, 8 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, 2 HR]. Better since.

Tyler: 1.80 ERA / 0.86 WHIP Taylor (just dealt from CIN to PIT): 2.45 / 1.46 You choose. Besides, we got the younger one!

For that price we should get Tyler AND Taylor!

But there's a big gap between a "mid grade prospect" and a "very high price" (whatever that means) as the speculative cost for Robert. THAT's what I'm questioning!

Siri was acquired to be a part-time defensive CF w/some pop and cost the Mets a 27 y/o reliever with 2 ML games under his belt. He also makes 1/5 of what Roberts does now and more like 1/8 of what he's scheduled to earn going forward. Not even remotely a good comparison. If Luis Robert is obtainable for a 27 y/o reliever with no ML track record, count me in.

Reds deal for Pitt's Ke'Bryan Hayes The son of ex-ML'er Charlie brings a great glove with him but just has never hit the way folks hoped: a career OPS+ of 86 (and 56! this year) despite being top-10 in the pre-2021 season prospect lists MLB's Mark Feinsand opines that the Phils, Mariners, Cubs, and Tigers are considered the primary suitors for Eugenio Suarez

Aah, I didn't read the fine print over at BB-Ref. OK so we might be buying his theoretical prime years. [$20M x 2 or $2M buyouts for each '26 & '27] The downside is that his cost is escalating just as his production is declining. Makes one wonder what justifies the optimism is going forward considering recent trends. 2024 & '25 combined: 187 games played (out of 271); .216/.286/.366 // 651; OPS+ = 83

Yeah, I don't get a high level of interest in Robert BA last five seasons: .338, .284, .264, .224, .206 ... I think that's what they tend to call a 'negative trend' He's also always hurt -- 2023 was his only season in six with with 100+ games played. He should pass it this season even though he's missed 20% to date (87/108) And, yeah, he's still just 27 y/o, but he's also a FA at the end of the year so it's not like we'd be 'buying' his prime years.

Look, the Mets should be willing to consider trading any of their young players, those already in the majors and those not yet there. There are a mere handful of Bobby Witt Jr-type of young players upon whom you slap an 'Untouchable' sign, the rest are fair game. The key is to decide which ones to keep and which to move on from, and just as important is the timing of those decisions. The stupid way to deal with it is to cling to a dichotomy where young players/prospects are either future stars or forever busts, especially when most are far from being either. And the part about describing them as they suck now and are only going to get worse so we should trade them for someone really good or else I'll whine about it like I do each time Stearns fails to grab stud relievers off the waiver wire is really stupid. Do I want to trade Vientos? No. But the fact that he (at least theoretically) has the higher ceiling and a great (mostly full) season under his belt means that other teams are going to consider that too and maybe he is the only one who nets you what the team really needs, especially seeing as how there are several already in the system who can step into his role and position. Keeping him and dealing someone else is fine too but the return is likely to be lower. I don't think you understand trades. The goal is to get the better of the other team. -- I do understand them and no it's not.

Perhaps more a spin-off than a sequel, but Brad Pitt's character from ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD, Cliff Booth, will be the subject of a forthcoming movie, apparently to be called THE ADVENTURES OF CLIFF BOOTH. Annnnd Brad Pitt will reprise his Oscar winning (Best Supporting) role so there will be a degree of continuity. Leonardo DiCaprio and his Rick Dalton character are said to not be part of the movie. Quentin Tarantino, the writer and director of Once Upon ... is writing the script.

Not precisely. But "they're all duds" (or so I've heard) so do we keep and play them anyway even though we already know this apparently irreversible fact? I suppose we could trade them all but wouldn't we just be getting different duds in return? Or is this one of those make believe scenarios where we get really good players in return because only WE know they're duds ... so don't tell anyone ? Or there's acknowledging their collective dud-ness and releasing them en masse so as to not fall into the trap of chasing sunk costs?