Edgy MD

I dunno about DC but the weather broke in Baltimore and everything is beautiful this morning.

seawolf17 wrote: 1. The Mets are so pitching deep -- at all levels of their organization -- that XXX should be the pitcher to be traded should any offensive need arise. A very good pitcher who'll get better. $10. Aguilera. seawolf17 wrote: 2. It's truly awesome how few hits he allows per nine innings. His walk ratio is also maturing with time. In the end, he may prove as good as Gooden, though be careful: he became erratic late in the '86 season, and the Mets may have soured on him. $20-25. Fernandez seawolf17 wrote: 3. OF: He may never hit for average, but he walks often enough to get a lot of base-stealing opportunities (which he usually converts), and his power is undeniable. You may have to shell out $33 for him. McReynolds seawolf17 wrote: 4. Bright lights, big city time for XXX, who, depending on how he handles things -- and how he hits in the #6 spot -- could be as popular as Reggie Jackson, or, alternatively, as George Foster. $16. Claudell Washington seawolf17 wrote: 5. OF: One of these years, he'll be the $40 player everyone thought he'd be. For the moment, $33. Von Hayes. seawolf17 wrote: 6. He can't go on forever, unless they grant a major league franchise to Cos Cob, Connecticut. Still worth a shot, if only to see him get his knee dirty. $5. Seaver. seawolf17 wrote: 7. He may turn out to be the best SS of the 1980s, which is going some. Imagine Ozzie Smith winning the batting crown and hitting 15 home runs -- beacuse that's what XXX is going to do before the decade is over. $15. Tony Fernandez. seawolf17 wrote: 8. What's a nice guy like him doing in a rough game like this? He'll go for a song -- always does -- because half the owners in your league wouldn't have him on their team at any price. If you're in the other half, you'll only have to pay a fraction of what his numbers are worth -- say $15 for Mr. Warmth. Kevin Mitchell.

Orange sherbert "Los Mets" jerseys tonight.

Is it me or are half of these Braves sharing the same beard?

Edgy got all the Mets who became Sox All Stars. Among the Sox All-Stars who became Mets, I got the three 21st Century guys. The older three had me licked. I actually thought of the guy who was an All Star in the nineties, but I conflated him with Manny Alexander.

I got six. So one isn't easy enough!

Jon Niese. Last I heard, he was "nearing mound work" on July 22. How ambiguous is that? According to that report, he wasn't expected back until well into August. What's he tweeting? Lucas Duda has made all of one appearance with the GCL Mets, walking in his lone trip to the plate and scoring a run. Suck it, intercostal strain. You don't own me!

It's relevant to last night which is what we're talking about. And it's not like Duda has made a case to be a fixture either. Steve Garvey had a book that was his recipe for getting 200 hits per year. He wanted to be sure he had a certain number of hits each month that went to the opposite field, a certain number that he would get by bunting, a certain number for extra bases, etc. If it was a few weeks into the month and he was short in one department, he'd focus on that. Now Garvey was a tool and all, but the logic is sound. By broadening the scope of the number of ways he could get you, he kept the pitcher and defense honest, and didn't allow them to get away with one way of going after him.

Unfortunately, with all the stats available to us, we don't have any readily available data on the success rate of folks bunting for a hit, or much on the success rate of guys bunting for a sacrifice even. So the argument is largely framed for all sides within the realm of speculation.

I like to think he's being flip as a way of being provocative and having fun. Last year, as his early season slump wore on, he provoked some of the writers --- "When are you going to write that I suck? When are you going to demand I be sent to Buffalo?" Strange but... whatever works for you. Keeps you centered and stuff. Aside from the comments, I have no problems with sluggos who bunt for hits.

I'd like to see teams remain responsible for the salaries of suspended players --- it can go toward a general fund or toward charity --- rather than be relieved of the burden and suddenly have all this money freed up to invest in some other bum. It would give them a real incentive into doing due diligence and keeping their own standards in their own clubhouse, rather than claiming they were duped. And that would give the players increase incentive also. Right now, the team's incentive with A-Rod is to give him enough rope to hang himself.

Basketball used to have a lifetime ban for recidivist drug abusers, but it was in name only, as they were still allowed to apply for reinstatement after a year. I guess a similar case is the lifetime ban George Steinbrenner got.

But what does he say?! On his way to and up the wall he says: "....with a double dose of confidence like that......" And then CJ finishes the sentence. No, it's some question CJ asks the woman.

Cool bean salad. Hope to do SaturMets as well.

What's the deal with Pedro Felicano? What happened to Tim Byrdak? Is Frank Francisco still in the organization? The answers are 1) He's done scoreless work in his last four appearances, covering five innings, with Bingo. He now heads to Vegas and wishes there were more than 24 hours in a day. 2) He's got a 2.70 ERA in 10 innings for St. Lue, striking out 10 and walking two. Perhaps he'll get called to Bingo to replace his fellow LOOGy. 3) Yabbut, he appeared in five games with St. Lucie, allowing only one un-earned run, and then appeared in his last two for the GCL Mets. Oh, well, it's probably because they didn't want him to get on the bus. He's probably had to take turns with Byrdak buying food for the A-ballers, and now he's home with the rookie leaguers, who have a bigger appetite and bigger roster. Anyhow, it's nice when your team is playing well enough that the progress of rehabbing players is, like, not an issue at all. Somebody tell the Yankees how nice it is.

Nice job, Parnell. For a scruffy-looking nerfherder.

I love when they're talking about what a great bench player Reed Johnson is and he has an utterly hapless at-bat.

I hope the old man got that tractor beam out if commission, or this is going to be a real short trip.

If Young was in center, that ball bounces three times.

Star Wars delay was nice, but Keith's whining that kids shouldn't be in the clubhouse because it's a place of work is the great moment of the broadcast. "It's a place of work!" Keep digging, Keith.

Frayed Knot wrote: Gary on Carpenter: 'The Braves picked him up on waivers and he's come in and done a nice job for them' Seems like we've heard some version of that sentence a lot over the years concerning the Braves ... Cardinals too. Considering we signed Aardsma as an in-season free agent after a release by the last-place Marlins, and got Young in a DFA trade for a McHugh, I envy no man with regard to finding diamonds on the street.

Hit so hard up the middle Ike couldn't score with Byrd. Come on. Ike's been going bad, but he's not that desperate. This is the pounding of which I speak.

Too bad they don't have a lefthanded contact hitter to send up here. Mike Baxter, I cry out for you.

First low curve I've seen him hit all year I think. Feels like the first curve of any variety.

Quick, somebody set McDowell's foot on fire.