Edgy MD

seawolf17 wrote: Edgy MD wrote: stumbling across his daughter's college athlete bio How on earth does someone just stumble across that? You're hilarious. Say Wally gets promoted to the big league coaching staff (if only just as a September addition, as he has once or twice in the past), well, that Wifey Watch thread isn't going to update itself.

Things that made me sad: stumbling across his daughter's college athlete bio and seeing that she included "Personal: Daughter of Margie Backman… ," but nothing mentioning her little big-shot dad.

Margie ditched his tobacco-stained ass. Margie liked me.

Centerfield wrote: Not sure why the draw. I get that he's an 86 Met, but no one writes about Teufel. Scrappy and fiery. Soily and foul-mouthed. Hero of the people. There are still people out there willing to begin sentences with, "If Pete Rose was managing this team ... ."

Yeah, I don't think the Mets have any reason to panic. They likely have deGrom or Matz returning, and if not, they have Gilly, Gabey, and Logey. I guess they thought he was close enough to effective thus far to try and give him one more shot. Failure happens, and they're blessed to have other options to turn to. As noted, the one early run and the lack of a will/ability to punch themselves back into the game concerns me more. If you want to be a post-season team, you can't just take the lickings from the best and console yourself that Minnesota is still on your schedule.

It is, however, a reality of his career that he'd been stalled in the Mets organization. He'd spent eight years in the system, four in Vegas. He may have honestly reasoned that it was time to shop his qualifications elsewhere. Paul Molitor may certainly lose that Twins job, and maybe his old buddy Gardenhire will endorse him there. Certainly will be a handful of teams shopping this offseason. MAYBE ARIZONA!

It's certainly a matter of curiosity that both parties deny he was fired, neither is throwing dirt on the other (yet, anyhow) and multiple outlets (frequently citing unnamed sources) are reporting him as fired and that animosity carried the day. Tune in tomorrow.

Marc Carig wrote: Heard Mets cited a pattern of defiance in firing Wally Backman. Yup, that's that name of my new band. Pattern of Defiance.

Well, he was sent from Bingo, rather than Vegas, and he ain't going back, because the season is over. /pedant I'm thinking the problem isn't Montero. It's taking the foot off the gas.

I honestly don't know what we've got in Montero. I may know better today than yesterday. But it's folly to think things are cast definitively. We have a Bruce hit in captivity.

So who was for pinch-hitting for him in the top of the second. I wasn't paying attention at the time, but that would have been cool, decisiveness-wise. Washington getting some pitcher attrition of their own.

I'm pretty sure we'll see him again.

This is a variation on that diabolical Duda-vs.-Davis conundrum you kept posing ... until just that scenario eventually came to pass!

On the other hand, as little as one may value homeopathic-field advantage, getting out of a cross-country flight to play in San Francisco, after a late afternoon game in Philadelphia, is not without value. That would be, assuming the play-in game does occur one day after the season ends. But it appears that the Mets would have two days off. Heck, pitch Syndergaard in both.

Frayed Knot wrote: Winning the WC play-in game is MUCH!! more important than the simply determining where that game will be played and the gap from Thor to whoever (at least as described in this scenario) is larger than the small (if any) advantage you'd get from being the home team in that one game ... Bump him! Home field/court/ice advantage is the single most over-rated sports topic of the 21st century. I'm a bumper too. BUT ... for whatever reason, data suggests home-whatever advantage seems to carry a lot more weight in other sports. Pitching matchup advantage, on the other hand, is an edge that has almost no parallel in other major team sports. You WANT Syndergaard in that play-in game.

IF they get to a division series. I'm surprised to see the early vote break this way.

Pretend for a moment that [*:212jqn0g]It is the last game of the season. [/*:m:212jqn0g] [*:212jqn0g]The Mets have already clinched the second Wild Card spot. [/*:m:212jqn0g] [*:212jqn0g]But the first Wild Card slot is within reach. [/*:m:212jqn0g] [*:212jqn0g]If the Mets win this last game, and the other first place contender loses at the same time, the Mets gain that first Wild Card slot and the home field that comes with it. [/*:m:212jqn0g] [*:212jqn0g]deGrom has returned, but it is unclear if he has yet returned to form. [/*:m:212jqn0g] [*:212jqn0g]Matz, similarly, is expected back for the playoffs, but his current level of effectiveness is unclear. [/*:m:212jqn0g] [*:212jqn0g]Syndergaard is scheduled to pitch this last game.[/*:m:212jqn0g][/list:o:212jqn0g] Do you ... [*:212jqn0g]... bump Syndergaard, letting Seth Lugo pitch that last game, hoping the team can win that first Wild Card Slot behind Sethy, but otherwise save Syndergaard for the big play-in game, whether it be at home, or (it is that much more likely) on the road? Or ... [/*:m:212jqn0g] [*:212jqn0g]Pitch Syndergaard as scheduled, so as to make the best effort to secure that first place spot and the home field advantage that comes with it, and schedule Colón (or possibly Question Mark-deGrom or Question Mark-Matz) to pitch the play-in game, which is hopefully more likely to be at home?[/*:m:212jqn0g][/list:o:212jqn0g]

Still and all, I expect if the Mets finish just out of the money, that second game with Atlanta will be the first lost opportunity to come to mind.

All I care about Cousin Brucie right now is that he comes ready to contribute tomorrow. Fortunately, the Mets currently have a lot of redundancy with 5+ left handed-hitting outfielders.

Sheriff Bart Mongo's friend!

The morning odds report at Baseball Prospectus give the Mets &3.3% chance at post-season money., including a 73% shot a wild card, and a 0.3% chance at NL East title. The World Series championship likelihood is 1.7%.

#moredistractions

Lucas Duda taking live batting practice for the team tomorrow. #distractions

METS UNDEFEATED IN THE TEBOW ERA!!

Gulp. Don't you lose heart, Mets.