Edgy MD

It's petty sobering to see how every pitcher on the Mets is suddenly better with the outfielders they've had behind them.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: You left off the other part: "And there's the potential that he won't be pitching as well." He might be pitching better. And/or the team could be playing better and we might really really need him.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I think the point of these "trade Parnell" articles is that now really may be the time of his peak value, exactly because of his age and his distance from free agency. A year from now he'll be a year older, paid a bit more, and a year closer to free agency. And there's the potential that he won't be pitching as well. If that happens, everyone will be saying, "Stupid Wilpons! Stupid Sandy! Why didn't they trade Parnell in July 2013?" . I won't. Benjamin Grimm wrote: I at least give credit to the writers who are saying it now, instead of to those who might start saying it once they have hindsight. Yeah, but... a year from now he'll be more expensive and closer to free-agency is true of... just about everybody. There's no insight there.

If they must deal him, they probably want a guy currently on the roster to replace him so the transition goes smoothly. If Familia was on the roster, in place, and excelling, that would be one thing. He's not, and nobody under contract for the forseeable future is. If they trade him, they either have to sign a more expensive guy to replace him or waste good time transitioning. They've got two more years of control. There is no urgency except the manufactured urgency of the bored columnist. If he is to be dangled as bait, they'd better land a big-assed fish. Murphy and Duda seem much more dealable, and I'm not advocating.

Trade speculation /= excitement, much as columnists would wish it did, since it's a rare type of story they can generate ex nihilo. The best way the Mets can scrod the Phillies would be to pass them and have them looking at their asses in the standings by the All-Star break.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR The Thing Is, Bob Gibson Actually DID Knock Down His Mother

Teddy Martinez. Nice. CHAPTER Twenty-Four When Pigs Fly: Fishing Your Bullpen Coach Out of the Monogahela

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN What Makes a Giant Cry: Keeping Kingman Away from Kathy Rigby

CHAPTER TWELVE "I Can't Apologize ENOUGH": The Night Ron Hodges Messed the Bed

One wonders how many lawyers the Mets had to roll out to bury this thing before it hit the shelves. If only...

I would have instantly said We Won Today. Then I would have mentioned the title of a book that exists only in my mind, like Lou Niss: Travelling Secretary of the WORLD. And then I would have fessed up that I was messing with their minds, living in the world as I would have it, not as it is, and then they'd lead me gently from the podium as I wept for my ever-slipping grasp of reality.

That's what I go to Faith and Fear for.

G-Fafif wrote: Said declaration made by my FAFIF partner, Mr. Fry. I won't argue his point too strenuously, however. It obviously isn't the Golden Age of reading comprehension for me.

This is what G-FaFiF has declared our time to be, according to his blog. And I'm prone to agree, in large part because of his blog. Greg notes Fan Interference, an anthology from a paper fanzine (really? really!) And that just looks like a great place to crawl into a corner and forget to eat for a few weeks. I've been deeply enjoying Class A Baseball in the Middle of Everywhere, reflections from a young minor league mascot, who seems to share my belief that the health of minor league baseball is sort of symbiotic with the health of the American small town, the city, the Republic, and it's culture and economy. I highly commend and recommend. G-FaFiF is largely right, as the death of old media has brought received but disposable old wisdoms crashing down, but the nu meritocracy takes a long time to sort through, and a lot of poseurs out there --- old guard in new clothes, new guard who only know to imitate the old --- may obscure the new angles and new understandings that can shine a gorgeous new light on the gorgeous old game, or old but neglected truths that might rise again. Share the gold you recover in the mine-shaft of contemporary baseball writing here.

We need Fmatz updates.

Well, Sandy would certainly know more than most. The notion being pushed by Megdal, and now sort of by Cerrone, is that Sandy is strategically making promises to the fans as a way of manipulating the owners into backing him up.

MFS62 wrote: There have been a lot of things A-Rod has done to confirm that he is not too bright. And I think he keeps trying to put those things behind him. And he could do that by performing well for the MFYs and getting some cheers from the fans. So I chalk this one up to being happy that he was told he finally will be able to start playing soon, and wanting to let his fans know that. If anything it was an error of enthusiasm. Maybe it was premature, but Cashman wayyyyy over reacted. Later There really is nothing innocent about it. There are tens of millions at stake if he gets back on the field --- perhaps hundreds. He opened up his Twitter account two weeks ago, and there's no purpose to it (because almost everybody in the world dislikes him) except to undermine the Yankees' position that he's not ready. To essentially put out his own independent statements without calling a press conference. Alex Rodriguez's contract is essentially the worthless warehouse the Yankees are trying to burn down for the insurance money. And he's calling them on it.

smg58 wrote: Cerrone saying he'll bolt if the Wilpons don't open their wallets right now strikes me as projecting his own opinions onto Alderson, which is a good way to start rumors without actually saying anything meaningful. I'd say that's it. Let's see if he gets slapped down for going off the ranch. This notion that Alderson is using his public statements not to represent the 'Pons, but to send coded messages to them is getting kinda goofy.

Think they like Satin?

Jeremy Hefner goes up against Tyler Chatwood in a game that's about 80 degrees Farenheit warmer than the cancelled game it is making up for.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: We need to offer Quintanilla to the White Sox, like, tonight. Nobody will EVER think higher of him, Haha, was thinking the same. I luv Omar Q Can you find the same love for Brandon Hicks and his Hot Lixx? Because he's next on the depth chart.

Shaun Marcum = Winner.

Rey Quintanilla!!

He's got three-run pad. You can lift him as soon as anybody gets on. Meanwhile, Recker's got to get some more PT. Meaning, NotBuck's got to get some more PT.

Man, let him go out there for the ninth.