Edgy MD

Jared Diamond wrote: Alderson on whether the Mets could award a $100 million contract: "That�s more of a strategic question than a resource question." Fantastic. Part answer, part deflection. He'd make a great evil genius.

I don't know if Rising Apple just didn't go with it, but a statement on the coaches would have been nice. Maybe Sandy's quote about commitment to philosophy and/or Terry's statement about strikeouts and lack o' power were in response to questions about coaching.

Rising Apple reporting from the news conference. Main takeaways: Alderson sees going .500 over the last 100 games as meaningful. End of season and the commitments it represents is a "significant demarcation" for Sandy. Offensively, the team hasn't done the things they've philosophically committed to. Not enough, anyhow. Terry: "We cannot possibly lead the National League in strikeouts without having power�we�ve got some challenges ahead, we know that." (Reality is harsh.) Sandy: Terry had team playing hard through adversity and high turnover.

Interesting that EY scored using a hook slide with his feet --- what Hernandez called the Maury Wills slide. The two guys thrown out were hook sliding with their hands --- which made Keith go absolutely nutso.

Frank Francisco would kindly like to inquire if you can see his cherubic face now.

Well really, the artificial marketplace is always going to be there as long as MLB has controlling power of what is and isn't authentic professional American baseball. It would be great if cities allowed indy league teams to use MLB ballparks while the MLB team is out of town.

You have me up until that last paragraph. The third party knows what they're doing and have compooters minimizing their risk. Every dollar they lose selling you a discounted Mets ticket, I'm sure they gain back ten times over selling a seat to U2/My Morning Jacket at $285. A charitable thought for them is nice, but I don't think they need it.

Well, there's your VRAM image. I'll try another hosting strategy.

In my 10:02 am post above, there's nothing? Nothing here?

But, while all that's true, what's the real complaint? If you want that ticket, and you get it legally and priced down on Stubhub, hasn't the marketplace come down to meet you at the level of demand? Or do you feel Stubhub's price is artificially high also?

Surely you see the image in the latter post. seawolf17 wrote: seawolf17 wrote: Images okay here. Satin over either Q or Turner, I'd think. Maybe, but somebody's got to play shortstop. Tejada's on your roster. You don't need two backup shortstops. In fact, you can take Satin over Q, Turner or Tejada. SOMEONE needs to be able to hit on the bench. Well, sure, but (a) it's really not going to shake out this way, ( Turner remains a very poor shortstop, and © Q is on the roster and out of options. Tovar could pass 'em all by opening day. Most likely, you end up with two backup infielders --- one who can field and one who can hit. This look is hardly ideal, but I think an accurate representation of where they line up. If and when Q gets non-rostered, that'll clear up a lot. A lot of guys eligible to get removed from the 40 before they add minor leaguers in anticipation of the Rule V: Baxter Brown Carson Centeno Edgin Hefner (can he be removed while injured?) Henn Quintanilla Recker Rice Torres Neiuwenhuis, Lutzy, Tejada --- you guys aren't safe either!

Notable is that there is a huge amount of leverage in the bullpen and no small amount in the rotation. Only two relievers don't have options, and Henn is the type that you feel comfortable removing from from the 40, and move on quickly from if he gets claimed on waivers. Even before hitting the marketplace, the team has a handful of guys not yet on the 40 who could end up making the team. The real drama is on offense, where few have been quite productive enough to commit to, but fewer have options, and many are about to start qualifying for decent money. Pre-Free Agency Arbitration-Eligible 2014 Mets Fist-Timers Dillon Gee Justin Turner Eric Young Jr. Lucas Duda Second Timers Ike Davis Daniel Murphy Omar Quintanilla Bobby Parnell

seawolf17 wrote: Images okay here. Satin over either Q or Turner, I'd think. Maybe, but somebody's got to play shortstop.

How sad to know a picture Anthony Recker has been posted but you can't see it.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: The org has gotten just what it deserves in terms of attendance. In addition to the overall results being poor, the trajectories of each year have begun to resemble one another (OKish start, horrible second half) and the home team has played terribly there in all but one year since it opened. I also think that pricing tickets way too high for a recession, and then, introducing hasty in-season promotions on top of a complex tiered/variable pricing scheme has created a general sense of distrust in the value of anything the team has to sell. I think they'd do well to reduce that complexity and institute a true, no-bullshit "everyday low price" type offering until they can re-establish credibility with ticket buyers. But you know the Mets. The second the team's performance improves they'll make you pay for it. I was thinking (as I am often doing these days) about the Eagles and the first $100 rock ticket. Around the same time --- Eagles or no --- venues, promoters, and sports franchising were getting wise to how successfully the secondary market had been gouging people for the longest time, and so why not gouge them at the source. If that meant that an embarrassingly large block of tickets covering a whole section of Jones Beach Theaters went unsold for the Loggins & Messina reunion tour, so be it. You make it up with the increased revenues from larger ticket sales, and you can cut staff and amenities for the small crowd. You try and ignore the PR hit from the embarrassment of Kenny singing "Angry Eyes" to a half-empty arena. When a junior exec tries to show you a spreadsheet demonstrating that there's a real cost in future revenues to treating your audience tat way, you fire and possibly kill that troublemaker before he shows that spreadsheet to anyone over your head. An interesting effect to introducing dynamic pricing is the reality that it's almost impossible to imitate constantly shifting marketplace of scalpers outside the venue, with tickets instantly spiking as demand increases, and nosediving below cover price the moment the event started. I mean, I hate scalpers, but the Who show always sold out when scalpers controlled the market The price would shift toward the seller or toward the buyer, but eventually the market would settle where it would settle and the crowd size was a fair reflection of the demand for the event. And you would never have the scandal of the front section sparsely filled with a handful of swells who are embarrassed (if they have any soul at all --- at their lack of neighbors. Anyhow, it's certainly not just the Mets. The pricing scheme on the Nats is mostly miserable. You seem to find a ticket that's reasonable and you show up at the ballpark and realized you're a mile from the field. But it sure is a pleasure to shop for tickets for the Orioles. And they have a good team. Sometimes I visit their site just to stare at teh prices, even if I haven't got time to see the game. I'm sure the cold comfort with the organization (and more likely with their creditors) is that, while the team's record has flatlined and attendance has receded, the cost-cutting has outpaced both. Such are the Pyrrhic victories in times of recession and the collapse of fraudulent financial schemes.

Anybody else having trouble seeing the image?

I tend to disagree with the notion that Hudgens is an Alderson hire that doesn't have the support of Terry Collins. For one, he pre-dates Alderson's tenure. For two, Terry worked with him in the minors. Lastly, the team has let go of coaches (Oberkfell, Wilson, Debus) during Terry's tenure. It would make little sense that the team would resign him to a fourth and fifth season and still be foisting a batting coach on him that he doesn't stand by. If they are divided all this time, Alderson could have easily resolved that by not renewing Collins' contract yesterday.

Depends on what you mean by "under Hudgens' coaching," as what happens on his watch may or may not be attributable to him. But if you look hard enough, there are certainly veterans (Marlon Byrd), rookies (Juan Lagares), and players in between (Cedeno) who have defied their career trajectories offensively after joining the Mets.

HahnSolo wrote: Fonzie and Johnny probably could have spent a little more time working on what they wanted to say. Yeah, I always come away from these wondering if history could have been marked a little more momentously by these guys' agents having them sit down with a professional speech writer for a bit.

Thank you, Al Oliver, for the boot. The Pirates of the time, known for their hitting, also had decent pitching. The defense, not so much.

Hadn't realized Francisco had an option.

Hard to imagine an opening day as much shrowded in mystery as the Mets are looking at for 2014. The team has a lot of questions, but a lot of leverage as well. An unusually large percentage of the team has options. Only two (two!) have commitments beyond next season. Heck, almost as few have commitments beyond this season (counting the likes of Santana's buyout as a commitment). So I post the roster, knowing projecting now will get us a picture very different from where they are going. Duda and Davis, for instance, remain until/unless the Mets make a change, even though it's considered unlikely both survive the offseason.

Satisfying way to close out the season. If I could change one thing, well, there was a certain Sean Henn factor that the game was somewhat short on. MORE HENN IN 14!!

Oh dear God, it's great to hear "Let's Go, Mets!" from a sellout crowd again.

M=#FF8000]ET=#FF8000]S! Keith being scandalized by sloppy defense is great TV. Keep bunting, Mets.