Edgy MD

"Do you want to trade places?" Howard asked the media after Sunday's game. "Do you want to see what it�s like? No, you don�t." Umm...

Let's start by saying that John McGraw at his best would have had a hard time keeping his head above water with the hand Torre was dealt in Queens. Good: Loyally and faithfully stuck with the vestiges of Gil Hodges' old coaching staff. Even rehired them when he took over in Atlanta. After Willie Mays was banned from holding an MLB job, he hired his old batterymate Bob Gibson, because he believed in the power of a legend on the bench. As with Jeter years later, he tried to develop Mazzilli into a captain in training. It didn't work, but there's a long history of good managers identifying a young player and infusing him with all the manager's philosophy, making him the embodiment of the manager and his expectations on the field and in the clubhouse, allowing the manager to stay out of folks' hair. Stengel did it with Berra. Hodges/Seaver. Valentine/Alfonzo. Was a willing and able face of a franchise, if a listing one. Bad: Consistently chose defense over offense up the middle, leaving the team with gaping holes in the lineup. Gaping. And I'm a Doug Flynn fan. Had too much faith in Alex Trevi�o's bat. Liked Trevi�o so much, in fact, that during a team slump, he tried to inject the lineup with offense by putting Alex behind the dish for a few days and moving Stearns to third. Probably unrelated, but Stearns hurt his elbow and was never the same. Allowed Gibson's assessment of Roger Clemens to be passed up the chain, leading the team to lowball him, and him to go to college. Was an early adopter of the designated-closer mentality, pitching Allen in late innings with a lead, and pitching Reardon when behind. Among other things, it probably led to the team selling Reardon below value.

Well, the best way to hurt Hamilton's campaign is to catch and pass his currently tanking team in the standings. Gotta get deGrom's fraction of an offensive WAR into the arithmetic when we measure him, though.

Wow. Who knew Ray Liotta was a world-class dick? Going from bar to bar shaming folks into ordering the top-shelf stuff.

Well, Rube Waddell really was old school. Biff Pocaroba. Chipper Jones/Chip Hale.

First the bad news: While we may be happy to get away with a split against the top team that is Milwaukee, the Marlins were beating the snot out of the Astros, so they took this happy time to pull a game and a half ahead of the Mets. Even Philadelphia, who I fully expect to struggle for the next several years, has been closing ground. Time to put a stop to that. Then the not-so-bad news: The Mets have held steady in the Wild Card race, maintaining their seven-game defecit, while losing only one game of ground in the NGB column. Still not heading in the right direction, though. A glorious time to be free right now. Let's express that joyous freedom with a romp over Philadelphia. Miami heads to Washington, so if the Mets TCB, they'll gain on somebody. TeamWLPCTGBNGBWashington5745.559��Atlanta5748.5431.51.5Miami5153.4907.012.5YOUR New York Mets 5055.4768.517.0Philadelphia4659.43812.533.0 TeamWLPCTGBNGBSan Francisco5748.5430.00.0Atlanta5748.543��St. Louis5648.5380.50.5Pittsburgh5549.5291.52.5Cincinnati5252.5004.511.5Miami5153.4905.515.5YOUR New York Mets 5055.4767.023.0San Diego4658.44210.544.0Philadelphia4659.43811.047.5Arizona4560.42912.055.5Colorado5361.4658.524.0Chicago5261.4609.029.0

Rusty Staub Doc Ellis Goose Gozzo Woody Williams

Documentary film telling the story of veteran character actor Bing Russell (grandfather of a future Met hero), and his quixotic mid-career move to walk away from Holllywood and establish a mid-seventies independent minor league baseball team --- at that time the only indy team in the country, clashing with the powers of baseball and giving exactly zero shits. Now streaming as a Netflix exclusive.

Strong case for Tyler Ross as well.

NL Rookie of the Year for 2014?

He's got to commit on his beard, one way or the other.

We certainly didn't put on a clinic, but splitting with the best team in the league in their own park is nothing to be ashamed of.

That was unsettling. Overbay, don't be a hero. Don't be a fool with your life.

And two. Does it look like Mejia is dropping his arm slot?

One pitch, one out.

I totally would have had Young bunting. One guy on the right side of the field? And it's Overbay? Positioned as a secondbaseman? Punish people for that sort of shit.

They want more offense, maybe they can stop calling almost every flinch of a checked swing a strike.

That ain't no swing.

I'd like to thank Verizon for bringing me this call to the bullpen.

After Scooter failed in his PH-ing attempt, I was wondering if Roenicke was going to call next on Buster, Whitey, Corky, Spike, Butchie, or Skipper? He crossed you up and called on Aramis. Gutsy work by Blacksmith.

Good job, hairball.

Feeling very hooky myself.

Nice to see Recker recover his popup-catching skills.

It's a Doody Bomb!