Edgy MD

I was misreading and thinking Hamels somehow signed on a minor league deal. No huh-way.

It killed me trying to figure out who "Garcia" was. I had "Karim" in my head like an earworm and I couldn't come up with anybody else, but I was pretty sure Karim didn't wear 12, so I pulled out my phone to dig up MbtN, and AHA! it was Danny. I just love the thought of a Russian craft artist in Novosibirsk or Omsk hand-painting a face and turning to his or her friend, "Hey, Konstantin! Does this look like Danny Garcia?"

Solid white.

What the heck. Just go view them at the crane pool Facebook page.

I am at a vintage knickknack shop in Ellicott city Maryland, and what to my wondering eyes should appear, put Russian nesting dolls featuring the New York Mets circa 2004. Yes, is that murderers row: Mike Piazza Roger Cedeno Danny Garcia Timo Perez Heath Bell. They are made in Russia, where everybody knows, the 2004 Mets never go out of style. They can be yours for $23 firm plus whatever shipping will cost me. Let me know. Photos to follow if I can execute.

Edgy MD wrote: Well, the Mets probably have a co-plaintiff in the insurance carrier, and those guys investigate the hell out of multi-million-dollar payoffs. They probably have strong medical evidence that Yoenis could not have possibly reinjured himself the way he claims he did. Not likely that the Mets have eyewitness evidence. Yeah, I mean to suggest medical investigation as much as or more than the gumshoe kind. What did I miss? Does Yoenis Céspedes have cancer or not?

It's been a bad week for Chris Mazza. Having been the nominal number five starter — at least in theory — for the Mets last weekend, the signings of Michael Wacha and Rick Porcello had bumped him down to seventh. And now, with the Wacha deal official, he gets bumped off the roster entirely, and presumably a few more notches down the depth chart — if he survives waivers. Look for a similar bad trip to occur for Tyler Bashlor or Paul Sewald once the Porcello deal is finalized. Transactions, 12/13 [td90]Direction[/td90][td90]GOING[/td90][td90]Transaction[/td90][td90][PTEXT=9]Designated For Assignment[/PTEXT][/td90][th]Position Group[/th][th]Starting Pitcher[/th][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90]Name[/td90][td90]Chris Mazza https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/us-flag.png>[/td90][td90]DoB[/td90][td90]1/17/89[/td90][td90]B/T[/td90][td90]R/R[/td90] YOUR 2020 Mets Coaching Staff [th]Position[/th][th]=#FF4000] Manager[/th][th]=#FF4000]Bench Coach[/th][th]=#FF4000] Pitching Coach[/th][th]=#FF4000]Hitting Coach[/th][th]=#FF4000]Third Base Coach[/th][th]=#FF4000]First Base Coach[/th][td90][/td90][td90][fimg=90]https://d3k2oh6evki4b7.cloudfront.net/req/201908010/images/headshots/f/fa0f9b5c_sabr_nym.jpg[/fimg][/td90][td90][fimg=90]http://mlb.mlb.com/images/coaches/mugshots/119004.jpg[/fimg][/td90][td90][/td90][td90]http://mlb.mlb.com/images/coaches/mugshots/113099.jpghttp://mlb.mlb.com/images/coaches/mugshots/113099.jpg[/td90][td90]http://mlb.mlb.com/images/coaches/mugshots/427468.jpghttp://mlb.mlb.com/images/coaches/mugshots/427468.jpg[/td90][td90]http://mlb.mlb.com/images/coaches/mugshots/113387.jpghttp://mlb.mlb.com/images/coaches/mugshots/113387.jpg[/td90][td90]Name[/td90][td90]Carlos Beltrán https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/puerto_rico.png>[/td90][td90]Hensley Meulens https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/curacao-flag.jpg>[/td90][td90]Jeremy Hefner https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/us-flag.png>[/td90][td90]Chili Davis https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/jamaica-flag_ml.jpg>[/td90][td90]Glenn Sherlock https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/us-flag.png>[/td90][td90]Gary DiSarcina https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/us-flag.png>[/td90][td90]DoB[/td90][td90]4/24/77[/td90][td90]6/23/67[/td90][td90]3/11/86[/td90][td90]1/17/60[/td90][td90]7/7/58[/td90][td90]11/19/67[/td90][td90][PTEXT=8]Originally Acquired[/PTEXT][/td90][td90][PTEXT=8]Hired November 1, 2019.[/PTEXT][/td90][td90][PTEXT=8]Hired November 25, 2019.[/PTEXT][/td90][td90][PTEXT=8]Hired November 26, 2019.[/PTEXT][/td90][td90][PTEXT=8]Hired December 10, 2018.[/PTEXT][/td90][td90][PTEXT=8]Hired November 15, 2016.[/PTEXT][/td90][td90][PTEXT=8]Hired November 5, 2017.[/PTEXT][/td90]

In the annals of forgotten eighties teen films Seven Minutes in Heaven isn't exactly one that demands to be remembered. The 1985 five-sided love triangle film stars BFFs played by Jennifer Connolly (in one of her first film roles) and Maddie Corman (who killed it as Keith's younger sister Laura in Some Kind of Wonderful). If that pairing makes you curious, you'd mostly do well to get over your curiosity. The pacing, the editing, the titles and cheesy music are more in keeping with made-for-TV fare of the time. And by "made-for-TV," I mean "after-school special." I'd probably sooner recommend The Day My Kid Went Punk 10 times out of 10. It uses internal voices all over the place too, like cut-rate Eugene O'Neill. Really cut rate. O'Neill's usually funnier too. But why do I mention it here? Because Maddie Corman's character (Jill? Tami? Honore?) develops a thing for a ballplayer, and runs off to see him play in New York, and so it earns a place in the Shea Stadium on Celluloid Film Festival. Thrill to the players dressed in fake Expos uniforms, so they can cut together narrative parts together with actual game footage. Groan as the object of affection crushes Dwight Gooden's first pitch like Tuffy Rhodes in disguise. Mostly, be glad that you live in a time where you can cue up the Shea Stadium shots on YouTube rather than sit through this malodorous eighties cinematic relic. https://youtu.be/cyUYcJFRBLs?t=3645https://youtu.be/cyUYcJFRBLs?t=3645 Any clips you'd like to share of Shea or Citi or Al Lang Field appearing in cinema, please post 'em here.

Well, the Mets probably have a co-plaintiff in the insurance carrier, and those guys investigate the hell out of multi-million-dollar payoffs.

I'll be plenty happy if he's better than Vince Velasquez, Jordan Montgomery, and Aníbal Sánchez.

it's not every day I get to imagine a guy named "Anthony Di Como" using the word "y'all."

Interestingly, Fangraphs actually projects them as something of a first place team right now. I don't want to make too much of that, because there's a lot that can improved on or fucked up between now and then. And hey, please use the F-bomb neutrally around here, Ceets, rather than pointed at fellow posters.

While the regular Rule V Draft passed without event for the Mets, they went swinging at least once in the minor league phase, plucking righthanded starting pitcher https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=oller-000adaAdam Oller from the Giants. Adam a protypical big Texas righty, started the season in the Frontier League, which is pretty small potatoes for a 24-year-old, even by Indy Ball standards, rating somewhere around low A. He had a 0.67 ERA through four starts, before rejoining affiliated ball with the San Francisco organization. Placed in the Sally League, he started 17 games, putting up a 4.02 ERA striking out 93 and walking 26 in 87 1/3 innings. He should have no problem getting an assignment to St. Lucie to open the season. Between three seasons at Northwestern and three more in the Pittsburgh organization, he's thrown a lot of minor league innings, and if he's any good, could come fast at this point. https://dbukjj6eu5tsf.cloudfront.net/sidearm.sites/nsudemons.com/images/2016/4/13/_DSC5129.jpg> The draft also taketh away, however, and that is what has happened in the case of https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=krizan000jasJason Krizan, super-utility guy that split last season between Bingo (97 games) and Syracuse (20 games, hitting .365). Krizan has shown good bat-to-ball skills and a solid batting eye, but probably not enough power to break through as an outfielder, which is where he's seen his most time of late. The lefty hitter knocked 14 homers in 2019, but who knows whether that's a breakthrough or more 2019 noise. [fimg=550]https://milb.bamcontent.com/assets/images/7/3/4/309994734/cuts/1280x720/cut.png[/fimg] While J/K's departure is good news perhaps for Will Toffey, still trying to crack that Syracuse roster, it's probably mixed emotions for Krizan himself, but you've got to give him credit, as he was ready with the Twitter profile photo swap: https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1075102375063490563/ruQSDGYl_400x400.jpg> https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ELn4rXJWwAENTuE?format=jpg&name=small>

Yeah, I remember that the head was noted in the http://archives.thecranepool.net/27100/f14_t27135.shtmlIGT of that game, not without controversy.

Well, let's then hope that's not their top guy. And HEY, they've since signed Porky! So they've already topped Wacha! PSYCHED!

=Gwreck post_id=28335 time=1576189284 user_id=56] As you are aware, that not what I wrote.

And that's pretty cool, seeing as they seemed prepared to lose Patrick Mazeika and Shervyn Newton. Looks like they protected the right guys. And the Yankees got pickpocketed on the first pick.

Of course if the Mets wanted to be a REAL big market team they'd sign Cole. Then they'd go sign a guy like Wacha or Porcello for depth anyway, because they are good depth signings, just not a good "Plan A" I get bored quickly talking about markets, but I like talking about logic. And logic makes it difficult to argue that "if the Mets wanted to be a REAL big market team they'd sign Cole." No matter how much they wanted to sign Gerritt Cole, there are still a half dozen or more major market teams and only one of him. Each of those teams would have a point at which they'd pull out and realize their money was better invested elsewhere. And one would not.

I'm certain that nothing I wrote suggested you were unclear. So why the problem?

Fun Payano Stuff: He came out of the Dominican but he was born in New York. Despite his American nativity, he signed with Texas as an international amateur free agent, which usually beats getting drafted. Transactions, Back in September [td90]Direction[/td90][td90]GOING[/td90][td90]Transaction[/td90][td90][PTEXT=9]Retired[/PTEXT][/td90][th]Position Group[/th][th]=#4080FF] Outfielder[/th][td90][/td90][td90]http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/images/players/head_shot/664842.jpghttp://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/images/players/head_shot/664842.jpg[/td90][td90]Name[/td90][td90]Kevin Kaczmarski https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/us-flag.png>[/td90][td90]DoB[/td90][td90]12/31/91[/td90][td90]B/T[/td90][td90]L/R[/td90] Transactions, 12/11 [td90]Direction[/td90][td90]GOING[/td90][td90]=#00BF00]COMING[/td90][td90]Transaction[/td90][td90][PTEXT=9]Removed From Projected Roster[/PTEXT][/td90][td90][PTEXT=9]Signed Away From St. Louis[/PTEXT][/td90][th]Position Group[/th][th]Starting Pitcher[/th][th]Starting Pitcher[/th][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90]Name[/td90][td90]Chris Mazza https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/us-flag.png>[/td90][td90]Michael Wacha https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/us-flag.png>[/td90][td90]DoB[/td90][td90]1/17/89[/td90][td90]7/1/91[/td90][td90]B/T[/td90][td90]R/R[/td90][td90]R/R[/td90] Transactions, 12/12 [td90]Direction[/td90][td90]GOING[/td90][td90]NEUTRAL[/td90][td90]=#00BF00]COMING[/td90][td90]=#00BF00]COMING[/td90][td90]Transaction[/td90][td90][PTEXT=9] Removed From Projected Roster[/PTEXT][/td90][td90][PTEXT=9] Transferred From Rotation[/PTEXT][/td90][td90][PTEXT=9]Signed Away From Texas To Minor League Deal, Projected For Binghamton[/PTEXT][/td90][td90][PTEXT=9] Signed Away From Boston[/PTEXT][/td90][th]Position Group[/th][th]=#FF8000]Relief Pitcher[/th][th]=#FF8000]Relief Pitcher[/th][th]Starting Pitcher[/th][th]Starting Pitcher[/th][td90][/td90][td90]http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/images/players/head_shot/641341.jpghttp://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/images/players/head_shot/641341.jpg[/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90]Name[/td90][td90]Tyler Bashlor https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/us-flag.png>[/td90][td90]Michael Wacha https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/us-flag.png>[/td90][td90]Pedro Payano https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/us-flag.png>[/td90][td90]Rick Porcello https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/us-flag.png>[/td90][td90]DoB[/td90][td90]4/16/93[/td90][td90]7/1/91[/td90][td90]12/27/88[/td90][td90]12/27/88[/td90][td90]B/T[/td90][td90]R/R[/td90][td90]R/R[/td90][td90]R/R[/td90][td90]R/R[/td90] YOUR 2020 Mets Coaching Staff [th]Position[/th][th]=#FF4000] Manager[/th][th]=#FF4000]Bench Coach[/th][th]=#FF4000] Pitching Coach[/th][th]=#FF4000]Hitting Coach[/th][th]=#FF4000]Third Base Coach[/th][th]=#FF4000]First Base Coach[/th][td90][/td90][td90][fimg=90]https://d3k2oh6evki4b7.cloudfront.net/req/201908010/images/headshots/f/fa0f9b5c_sabr_nym.jpg[/fimg][/td90][td90][fimg=90]http://mlb.mlb.com/images/coaches/mugshots/119004.jpg[/fimg][/td90][td90][/td90][td90]http://mlb.mlb.com/images/coaches/mugshots/113099.jpghttp://mlb.mlb.com/images/coaches/mugshots/113099.jpg[/td90][td90]http://mlb.mlb.com/images/coaches/mugshots/427468.jpghttp://mlb.mlb.com/images/coaches/mugshots/427468.jpg[/td90][td90]http://mlb.mlb.com/images/coaches/mugshots/113387.jpghttp://mlb.mlb.com/images/coaches/mugshots/113387.jpg[/td90][td90]Name[/td90][td90]Carlos Beltrán https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/puerto_rico.png>[/td90][td90]Hensley Meulens https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/curacao-flag.jpg>[/td90][td90]Jeremy Hefner https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/us-flag.png>[/td90][td90]Chili Davis https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/jamaica-flag_ml.jpg>[/td90][td90]Glenn Sherlock https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/us-flag.png>[/td90][td90]Gary DiSarcina https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/us-flag.png>[/td90][td90]DoB[/td90][td90]4/24/77[/td90][td90]6/23/67[/td90][td90]3/11/86[/td90][td90]1/17/60[/td90][td90]7/7/58[/td90][td90]11/19/67[/td90][td90][PTEXT=8]Originally Acquired[/PTEXT][/td90][td90][PTEXT=8]Hired November 1, 2019.[/PTEXT][/td90][td90][PTEXT=8]Hired November 25, 2019.[/PTEXT][/td90][td90][PTEXT=8]Hired November 26, 2019.[/PTEXT][/td90][td90][PTEXT=8]Hired December 10, 2018.[/PTEXT][/td90][td90][PTEXT=8]Hired November 15, 2016.[/PTEXT][/td90][td90][PTEXT=8]Hired November 5, 2017.[/PTEXT][/td90]

There you go. You can't get realer than a Typewriter Chewing Gum card from their LIFE magazine-themed set.

Edgy MD wrote: Images? Even for billionaires, there are good investments and bad ones. This investment is in fact good for their image, no? That they're willing to spend money necessary to compete? If you think the alleged image boost along with the production they get is worth the value of the contract, then you do. I sure have my doubts.

Yeah, Wacha fell for the freshman recruiting trick. One day, it's all "The program really thinks highly of you. One of our key starters has graduated, and everybody is agreed that you'll fit right into the system." And the very next day they recruit somebody better than you at the same position and you get ready to buy some splinter cream because you ain't getting off the bench.

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Are you like me though? I've seen Rendon enough to understand he is a truly great player --probably better than most people understand--but I can't help by now to assume everything the Angels do as an organization will ultimately fail despite being good. I've always felt this way. It's the uniforms, I think. It's always been such a softball look to me.

=Centerfield post_id=28301 time=1576179645 user_id=65]Point is, both guys were worse than Vargas 2019. And that's total 2019, not NYM Vargas. It's a stupidly low bar to clear, and I'm not sure that either guy does it.