Edgy MD

Bullpen blue.

MFS62 wrote: 4-3 Nats. Familia gave up all four. Still half a game to pull this one out. Later Two homers in that Familia eruption. Mets get one back against Bryan Harper, Bryce Harper's brother and a feel-good story that we just HAVE to rob from them.

I used to be a Met. But now? Now I'm a Met! Again! I can't explain it, but that's how it works sometimes. Five years back I was going to break camp as a ballhawk par excellence. "Would instantly be the best defensive outfielder in the division," somebody said. I dunno. Somebody. But I got hurt, and Lagares stepped up and became the ball-catching guy. Me, I futzed around for two partial seasons before becoming Jerry Blevins trade bait. Don't get me wrong. That's a thing that's worth being. But once you go slipping a notch or two down on a depth chart, it becomes harder to climb back up. Not with all the younger guys trying to climb right past you. With Washington ... Detroit ... Miami ... . I just got caught in depth chart hell, damn it. But now I'm a Met again. The Three Little d's are reunited. And while I'm no lock to make the roster, I'm getting as much PT as anybody. That's got to mean an avenue is opening up for me in 2018, right? Right? But sometimes when you've been through what I've been through, the little d stands for doubt. It's a savage thing. But it's 2018, and say what you will about me, but Ryan Howard has 382 homers, tied with Frank Howard for 67th all time, one behind Larry Walker. The reason he's not tied with Walker? Me. Me and my nimble little hands. That's what I take with me when I head out there. How's it all going to play out. [fimg=313]http://metsmerizedonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/matt-den-dekker1.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=387]http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/files/2014/05/Matt-den-Dekker.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=325]http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1814818.1401763501!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_750/495359185.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=375]https://cbsnewyork.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/495477181.jpg?w=640&h=360&crop=1[/fimg] GqEtTpu8R5A zSZf6o7rM58 9U3PMOFK1Jc CRnrO0ckgDE

He's looking like a lock to get that Oustanding Rookie in Camp thingie. Nimmo, meanwhile, is 2-3 with a double and a triple. I hope we can agree that he has 2/3 of the centerfield job and 2/3 of the leadoff job locked down from opening day until further notice.

My mother-in-law loved Larry Gatlin.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Yes, but could she swim without having to refer to the manual? That's her Good Times script. She's multi-tasking!

And Esther Rolle could swim!

Syndergaard on the mound looking to go four or maybe five, with some combination of Jerry Blevins, Kyle Regnault, Jeurys Familia, AJ Ramos, Gerson Bautista, and Andrew Gagnon to follow. Benchies include Matt den Dekker, Zach Borenstein, Jeff McNeil, Andres Gimenez (top prospect who looked overwhelmed in his one inning on defense thus far), Patrick Biondi, Gavin Cecchini, Peter Alonso, Tomas Nido, Matt Oberste, Jeff Glenn, Luis Carpio, and Ian Strom.

Yeah, Metly orange filling for home games works better, it would, in the square centimeter boxes of pocket schedules than on those 2"x3" table cells. It might work better if you used a universal color, or alternated two neutrals, and just included a small orange or white box within the cells in the top corner, with "HOME" or "AWAY" printed inside the box.

I think the world of Ben, but I can't make myself hate Esther Williams.

Yeah, I think the key to the notion is the word "altogether." They've certainly been in some bad films—perhaps a lot of them—but not necessarily altogether bad ones. It's not just that their performances alone modestly redeem lousy films, but their presence indicates somebody on the production gave a crap, and perhaps that small amount of crap-giving bled over into other areas, if only a little. I think Bill Nighy is probably a latter day example. Maybe J.K. Simmons. If a movie starred Nicholas Cage, but had Harry Dean Stanton in a supporting role, that might one of those irresistible-force-meets-immovable-object conundrums.

An excerpt from G-FaFiF's outstanding rundown of Mets right fielders. Wonders didn’t cease when, around the same time, I was directed by my funny friend Jeff to the blog of comedian Elayne Boosler. She was addressing the mounting (not to mention highly unfortunate) revelations of aggressively sexist behavior infecting show business. Her point was it hardly should have rated as news, considering it had been going on too long. Boosler remembered an episode that took her to Louisiana to represent HBO and accept a check on behalf of the long-running charitable endeavor Comic Relief. The site was a basketball arena. She showed up for the gig, during a game, and was told, “No women in the booth.” This happened in the latter stages of the 20th as opposed to the 17th century. The presence of a hero shouldn’t have been required, but a hero in Boosler’s tale emerged. “Real men often ride to the rescue, and who just happened to be present (and stopped the heart of his lifelong baseball fan)? Only the gentleman who made ‘The Catch’ in the 1969 World Series, Ron Swoboda. You never know who’s a fan. Mr. Swoboda first apologized to me (he had nothing to do with any of it; he just apologized as a human being). He then went into that booth and read those shit kickers the riot act, letting them know exactly who I was, forcing them to hand over the check, was for charity, for fuck’s sake.” Great job, Jeff and Greg. When Ron Swoboda's story is completed, let this excerpt not be omitted.

There's reportedly some concern that neither Rosario nor Smith will be ready for opening day. It could be like 2010, when vets Mike Jacobs and Gary Matthews, Jr. appeared in the opening day lineup, but cleared out for younger players shortly after. I think Smith has already sunk to darkhorse status for opening day.

While Mickey Callaway praised most of the pitchers vying for a spot, he also noted that Rafael Montero was the exception. The right-hander, who is out of options and had been having a decent spring, gave up five runs in a third of an inning. — Puma

It's certainly going to be a long night for Rafael.

Offensive substitution: Pinch-runner Wilmer Flores replaces Adrian Gonazalez. Man, that's a dis' right there.

Two-run error by Yankee centerfielder Estevan Florial.

Mets: 2 runs on 1 hit. Yankees: 1 run on 6 hits Let's go, dumb guys!

Everything went south last year. Well, almost everything. I didn't. I mean, there were two or three starts in the middle when I couldn't get anybody out, including one where I literally went south, to Arlington, Texas. But it was a damn good year. Maybe it's because I've already had my surgical adventures in the minors, or maybe it's because I'm not trying to put muscles on my muscles, but for most of the past four seasons, things have gone just about as good as you can hope. And now, unless my luck runs out, I'm set to become the ninth opening day starting pitcher for the Mets in nine years. So, is this the good news, or is this just the bad news waiting to happen? Let me know! I need to know if I have to put my Stetson U. education to use. [fimg=126:1mksebr4]http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.3009051.1490469471!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_750/degrom26s-1-web.jpg[/fimg:1mksebr4] [fimg=298:1mksebr4]https://content.sny.tv/assets/images/8/5/2/236159852/cuts/AP_17097810157784_37r8g28q_rw5mh2l2.jpg[/fimg:1mksebr4] [fimg=276:1mksebr4]http://dailystache.net/wp-content/uploads/102715-mlb-Jacob-deGrom-pi-mp.vresize.1200.675.high_.60-660x400.jpg[/fimg:1mksebr4] [fimg=261:1mksebr4]https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTH8Dn2p8UbboycIzpc2Fwn61dcjO0xtz8YgUHR72bARqWYXndC[/fimg:1mksebr4] [fimg=129:1mksebr4]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Jacob_deGrom_on_May_6%2C_2015.jpg[/fimg:1mksebr4] [fimg=310:1mksebr4]https://cdn.newsday.com/polopoly_fs/1.14089779.1503672395!/httpImage/image.jpeg_gen/derivatives/landscape_768/image.jpeg[/fimg:1mksebr4] [fimg=289:1mksebr4]https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xRLXk9m6AUstMwaImBEF6yqr1D0=/218x115:1857x1272/1200x800/filters:focal(909x174:1253x518)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/54395829/usa_today_10015873.0.jpg[/fimg:1mksebr4] [fimg=282:1mksebr4]https://media.spokesman.com/photos/2016/04/10/Phillies_Mets_Baseball.JPG.jpg[/fimg:1mksebr4] [fimg=129:1mksebr4]https://scoutsaysweitersisabust.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/hair_degrom_main1a.jpg[/fimg:1mksebr4] If nothing else, let's keep one thing going this year. Let it be me. [youtube:1mksebr4]TSWRapwSeX0[/youtube:1mksebr4]

That's fine by me. Do they really have a professional marketing staff sit down and shoot ideas to come up with what they do? [list:2b84ftzo]"Terry, what do you think we can do to add to the ballpark experience." [list:2b84ftzo]"I was thinking we could be the 14th team to add black jerseys."[/list:u:2b84ftzo] "I LIKE! That's the kind of thinking we hired you for, Terry! How about you, Orin?" [list:2b84ftzo]"We can be the 17th team to add a costumed character race."[/list:u:2b84ftzo] "How do you genius kids come up with this stuff?!!" [list:2b84ftzo]"I'd like to note that Orin also is the one who suggested we play 'Sweet Caroline' during the seventh-inning stretch."[/list:u:2b84ftzo] "And I'll remember that when bonus time comes around!"[/list:u:2b84ftzo]

Yeah, but if peoples can get, like, 12% creative, he can climb into a cart worthy of the here-comes-a-badass "Hell's Bells" factor. [list:qzlmw8f2][fimg=500:qzlmw8f2]https://www.legendaryspeed.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/pimp-my-golf-kart.jpg[/fimg:qzlmw8f2] [fimg=500:qzlmw8f2]https://www.ford-trucks.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Raptor-Golf-Cart-29T9772-Copy.jpg[/fimg:qzlmw8f2] [fimg=500:qzlmw8f2]https://static.streetsource.com/photos/2015/214/69701/l.jpg[/fimg:qzlmw8f2] [fimg=500:qzlmw8f2]http://nerdreactor.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/tumbler-cart-2.jpg[/fimg:qzlmw8f2] [fimg=500:qzlmw8f2]http://www.9carthai.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Batmobile-Tumbler-Stroller.jpg[/fimg:qzlmw8f2] [fimg=500:qzlmw8f2]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C0GGC8IUAAArliR.jpg[/fimg:qzlmw8f2][/list:u:qzlmw8f2] The real problem with cultural changes in the league is not that they get sponsored. At least not necessarily. It's that the whole league copycats each other. Or agrees to add something collectively at the same time. Put a few hours into brainstorming an original thought, and this could be a lot of fun. Try a flanking maneuver! Veeck the whole thing up! You're supposed to be competitors, for Pete's sake!

Conforto taking regular BP. Heck yeah.

They tended to take the ride to the dugout, and then took a vigorous trot from there to the mound to get the juices flowing.

Reese Havens, top pick of 2008, 2017 inductee into the Charleston Baseball Hall of Fame, and probably a name Omar Minaya didn't want bring up when the Mets interviewed him about returning to the organization. Never officially retired but totally out of baseball is 2007 top pick Eddie Kunz and 2008 supplemental first rounder Brad Holt. The first of the three first-round 2008 picks, Ike Davis, spent 2017 with the Dodgers organization, and got to head to the Arizona Fall League to begin an attempt to switch to pitching. While he allowed no runs in 5 2/3 innings, striking out six and walking four, surrendering only three hits, he currently remains unsigned for 2018.

Fman99 wrote: Donning a Newman University practice jersey is Mike Pelfrey, who's hanging up his MLB cleats and is off to become a college pitching coach. This is more a "Mets in Retirement" post. Pelfrey, the Mets' top pick in the 2005 amateur draft, becomes the latest Mets top pick to ride into the sunset. While three post-Pelfrey top Mets picks are currently free agents, only one top pick more recent than Mike has hung it up. Name that pick.