Edgy MD

Taken with the 14th overall pick by a cash-strapped Texas organization in 2009, Matt turned down a (generous, to many minds) $4 million bonus and followed through on his plans to go to Texas Christian U. The Purker then had a dream of a freshman season with the Horned Frogs. Yeah, you may think that a 3.09 ERA is good, but not exactly a dream, but in the Big 12 it was a ticket to a 16-0 record. Now, I would have tossed my hat right back into the draft that summer, but most guys, if they turn down a big 'ol bonus and head for college, they give it at least two years. Matt did this too, and his sophomore season was going even better, starting 5-1, with a 1.71 ERA, but arm trouble ended his season after 11 starts. That's a sucky break, because he did declare for the draft, and perhaps that uncertainty undid him as he fell to the third round and the 96th overall pick by the Nats. He had shoulder debridement surgery ending his 2012 season, and then the TJ in 2014. He joined the White Sox and pitched 12 times out of the pen in 2016, spending all of 2017 laboring for Charlotte. His control has never been sparkling, but has been a real issue since the surgery, but he seems to be adapting to a new life as a reliever, and the Mets may be grabbing him just as he's ready for the specialist role, and in a position to invest less and get more than his previous organizations. The Rangers wasted the pick on him, the Nats endured two surgeries with him, and the Sox took the pain of his first big league exposure. Now it's on the Mets to cash in everybody else's chips and make something of this guy.

Maybe the last-ever Harvey Weinstein film, although I imagine there are couple in the can or in post-production.

2012: Adam LaRoche, Washington Nationals

2012: R.A. Dickey, New York Mets

2002: Vladimir Guerrero Our second member of the extended Guerrero family.

1994: Moisés Alou, Montreal Expos

2013: Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves

1989 was the year of Kevin Mitchell that Mets fans agonize over, but part of the reason he was expendable was the team's depth at third. 1989: Howard Johnson, New York Mets

That handsome 165-pounder David Wright, has been inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame: Wright went .341 / .427 / .489 // .916 in the AFL back in 2003, with two homers in 26 games

Nobody's taking the layup. 2017: Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins

2016: Daniel Murphy, Washington Nationals

1987: Andre Dawson, Chicago Cubs

1985: Willie McGee

1969: Tom Seaver

I love how it's four different persons, but all so authentically Tom. Each of them, in his own way, somehow seems to feel a little superior to the other three.

Svenglalis are the worst. Sure, he may help Lagares up his game, but then he'll seduce, dominate, and exploit, and ultimately destroy him.

Jimmy Rollins keeps his MVP Award where he can't see it, because like a visual version of the tell-tale heart, he can't look upon it without seeing David Wright's name there, the letters growing bigger every time his eyes are cast upon it, ALWAYS BIGGER!

Lawyers.

JC Lunchbucket shared his SABR bio of one of the Metliest Mets in Metstory, and it put me in mind of the guy who went to Miami Law on the strength of a letter of recommendation from President Richard Nixon. I'd list ten facts about him, but most all of them would be in that far superior bio you just clicked. Instead, I'll offer this Hot Stove Report interview. NLonLby08rM

The point is getting two days of publicity and site clicks and ad view spikes instead of one.

Slater joins Mickey Callaway as one of the rare birds who makes it to a major league coaching staff after starting his career in the NCAA. Once you are on a professional vs. amateur coaching staff, you tend to stay on one or the other. The pros give you the high profile but the colleges give you more job security. Slater is even more of an oddity as he joined the pro ranks after three seasons as head coach at Auburn, though it looks like the vultures were circling when he resigned. He then put in nine years managing and coaching in the Yankee system, first climbing from the GCL up to Trenton, before becoming a rover for a while and then bouncing around. He has no experience as a pro player, majors or minors. Slater coached at his prep alma mater St. Christopher's (Richmond, VA) and his college alma mater VMI. Maybe he spent his minor league years in the military.

Slater joins Mickey Callaway as one of the rare birds who makes it to a major league coaching staff after starting his career in the NCAA. Once you are on a professional vs. amateur coaching staff, you tend to stay on one or the other. The pros give you the high profile but the colleges give you more job security. Slater is even more of an oddity as he joined the pro ranks after three seasons as head coach at Auburn, though it looks like the vultures were circling when he resigned. He then put in nine years managing and coaching in the Yankee system, first climbing from the GCL up to Trenton, before becoming a rover for a while and then bouncing around. He has no experience as a pro player, majors or minors. Slater coached at his prep alma mater St. Christopher's (Richmond, VA) and his college alma mater VMI. Maybe he spent his minor league years in the military.

Numbers identify a player. They are part of the brand that signifies him. For many players, they are as intimately as much a part of the story as the guy's name. They don't know the number NOT because it isn't important to them (they were talking about numbers!), but because they've forgotten or never knew much of the Koosman story. If they knew Koosman like they knew (say) Piazza or Leiter, they'd know his number.

Probably about as often as Glenn goes with the deerstalker and magnifying glass.

I didn't think there's anything sinister there. I just thought it was funny. What sportswriter really could be expected to meaningfully understand the nuances of medical reports, even though their beats are full of them? And, of course, Conforto could be raring to go, with the Mets cautiously riding the brakes, like they were with Syndergaard all through September. And the team doesn't even have a full training staff yet, so where can a reporter realistically plant his flag with regard to Conforto's return? The question overshadowing the whole enterprise is Can or should the Mets be recruiting a third starting-quality outfielder limited to the corners? I don't know, and I imagine opinion varies in the Mets' braintrust, too.