Edgy MD

I realized that some of things that always came easily to me and were always fun had stared to become a struggele. The one thing I always said to myself was that when baseball started to feel more like a job, it would be time to move forward. --- Derek Jeter So I guess we can officially put Tom Verducci's ridiculous "Sportsman of the Year" writeup in the bullshit file. The first time Jeter found himself one win away from his fifth world championship was on Nov. 3, 2001, in Game 6 of the World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The night went horribly wrong for the Yankees, to the point that manager Joe Torre, with his team losing 15--0, pulled Jeter, catcher Jorge Posada and first baseman Tino Martinez from the game in the fifth inning as an act of surrender. Jeter walked into the clubhouse to change out of his spikes and into a pair of more comfortable turf shoes. In the training room he saw Jay Witasick, a journeyman reliever for the Yankees who in 1 1/3 innings had given up nine runs, eight of them earned, a Series record for a reliever. As Jeter walked by, he heard Witasick say, "Well, at least I had fun." "Derek just jumped all over him," Posada says. "Derek couldn't believe what he was saying. He was really, really hot. That was the angriest I've ever seen him." Last week, sitting in an airport hangar in Long Beach, Calif., surrounded by a small army of people to shoot a commercial for Gillette, Jeter nodded when he was asked about the episode with Witasick. "I remember," Jeter said. Slowly, he began to get agitated again. "Fun? I can't relate to it. I really can't relate to it. I'll never forget that. At least you had fun? I'll never understand it. I don't want to understand it."

That's some real cheese.

Veteran relievers signed to minor league contracts --- done by every team every year regardless of financial situation.

I remember someone, maybe even George Brett, being asked in the locker room right after the improbable championship of the 1984 Royals if this was the beginning of a dynasty. He had the good sense to laugh. Not so Randy Johnson, who was asked something similar on the field after the 2001 Diamondbacks championship. With the simulcast feeding the crowd through the scoreboard, he promised, "This will not be the last championship the Diamondbacks win." I imagine it won't say "Foolish liar" on his Hall of Fame plaque, but still, but the whole notion that the first order of business of a championship is to throw down the gauntlet for next season and brashly call for a new dynasty is silly to the last. The first order of business is to act like a champ, visit the hospitals, help build/restore civic pride, and then to report to camp in shape. History will judge you soon enough, and despite your best efforts, the moment may never come again.

Calls Washington Heights home and sure seems to have skinny arms for a beefy reliever: Yeah, he put about 10 years on Leyland's life and the life of anybody else with a stake in the Tigercats.

That guy scores some mighty points on the Lunkhead Meter. Tricks out his strikeouts and saves with body english. Lots o' walks. Three teams. San Pedro de Macoris pedigree. Serious gut. And the coup d'grace? The two-tone goatee: [fimg=300]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/IMG_0676_Jos%C3%A9_Valverde.jpg[/fimg]

The dino jesus standard feels more charitable (naturally) and less Yankee-drunk. The Yankee dynasty, if we're honest, goes from like 1921 to 1964. Does the Duck Dynasty thing qualify? There's a standard to meet.

How many teams have pulled off three championships in five years? Aside from the Yankees, I only seee [list:10fe1snl][*:10fe1snl]the Swingin' A's from 1970 to 1976, [/*:m:10fe1snl] [*:10fe1snl]the pre-curse Red Sox from 1911 to 1919, [/*:m:10fe1snl] [*:10fe1snl]Connie Mack's Elephants from 1909 to 1914[/*:m:10fe1snl][/list:u:10fe1snl],

When did John Franco walk into the picture?

Satinic eyebrows, too.

It's all relative. The Byrds were a dynasty in West Virginia, even if they rarely made a big crack on the national political scene. Similarly, I think in some cases, league-wide dominance is dynastic, even if a team rarely breaks through for the big one. So the Braves of the 90s, the Dodgers of the 50s, and yes, the Mets of the eighties, count. Neyer and Epstein thought so, anyhow.

If true, Megdal left holding the bag again.

ESPN.com reporter Addy Rubey is reporting that according to a source, WOR radio, after carefully considering an e-mail they received from a lone Baltimore-based fan, have decided to retain the services of Howie Rose and Josh Lewin as the Mets radio broadcast announcing team.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Yes, but then the Grand Slam Single isn't just important-to-Met-fans weirdness, it's the nationally-famous keystone of a Met comeback, Kirk Gibson and Dave Roberts in '04 wrapped into one. Fonzie's slam in NLDS Game 1, Pratt's in Game 4... these are Moments now. And, more to the point: who's to say '00 ends the same way if you roll the bones on '99? Who's to say the MFYs don't make some more ill-advised spending than they did? Who's to say Joe Torre is a Hall of Famer now? Who's to say 1999 isn't a magic bullet for BOTH years? This of course, speaks to any year, but yes, winning in 1999 perhaps means Olerud and Phillips find enough common ground for him to return. It perhaps means the Mets' purse swells to the point where they sign A-Rod after 2000. It might mean they not only trade for Hampton in 2000, but foolishly retain him afterwits. Maybe Rickey gets an extension. And maybe they ride out Bonilla's contract to the bitter end rather than jumping in on that foolhardy bailout. It's so hard to unscramble the eggs. Maybe at the private owner's party after the win, Bernie Madoff gets drunk and comes clean, but it is safe to assume that winning in 1999 puts the team in a better position to win in 2000. Whether they'd take advantage of that better position or go all stupid, it's hard to say.

Duncan.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: But I think the poll might be unkind to deserving and just as close teams of 84 and 85. I thought so too. You know, 2001, too.

It would snatch a... CRIMINALLY REPUGNANT championship from the Yankees. Dawn of a new century and sunset on the cheating-assed Yankees and sunrise on the Mets? Where do I sign?

My gut says 2000, because the city would have been won back. In 1973 and 1988, that wasn't an issue. In 2006, well, it wouldn't have been an issue had they won in 2000.

Jose Cristobal.

Mazzy Star.

Oh, my mistake. I thought you were looking for a guy who led the team in fabulous at more than one position.

Tsuyoshi Shinjo.

Foster-Wilson-Strawberry '84. There, I said it.

With regards to the first question: Carl Everett '97.