Edgy MD

He won two World Series. That's two more than TC. That's good enough for me. If I believed he could by his managerial skills alone make Ike Davis hit like old-school David Oritiz, Chris Young pitch like Curt Schilling, and Jason Bay hit like... well, Jason Bay, I might agree with you. I don't. If Francona had presided over a $164-million-payroll Mets team through 7-20 September (far worse than the 2007 or 2008 Mets, by the way) in blowing a nine-game lead, wouldn't you be calling him Baldy and deriding the Mets for keeping him employed, past championships be damned? He didn't win two World Series. The Red Sox did. He was part of it.

I don't know, but I'm pretty sure however they did, the odd team out wouldn't have been the Yankees.

I don't know. What's he asking and what does he offer that Terry Collins doesn't?

Yes, I think he does.

Looks like it'll be a pretty uneventful offseason --- once we get past the Bobby Valentine drama.

Ripped, quite literally, from the pages of Lucky magazine. I'm sorry my office only offers me a b/w scanner --- and I've done some pretty grainy work with it --- because you can't see how spectacular Michelle's office ensemble truly is.

He's about 1,000 plate appearances behind Wright, but a pretty good analog for David is his homeboy Ryan Zimmerman. He's been on the cover of the media guide for years, he's reliable in the middle of the order but can get his swing out of whack for four weeks at a time, he's capable of top-level defense but not can have bad years in the field too. Each has one Gold Glove, each has projected a squeaky clean image more or less convincingly, each has shown himself willing to fill at shortstop, and each has weathered some tough times with his team more or less stoically. Zimmeran signed for six years and $100 million with an option for a seventh year, plus a five-year, $10 million personal services contract when his career ends. This is also comparable to what Reyes got on the open market. Wright knows he's usually better than Zimmerman and usually better than Reyes. A lifetime or two ago, Yogi Berra turned down his bonus offer because Joe Garagiola got more and he had grown up with Garagiola and he knew he was the better player. Where you stand among your friends is important. Offer him 20% more --- say, six years and $118-120 million and I think they'll come to an agreement quickly enough.

Which manager and coaches you get is rarely a question of how cheap or how generous you are with their salaries.

Teuf may get transferred to batting coach if there's a mid-season axe of Hudgey. I imagine that retaining Hudgens and Warthan was based at least in part on what they thought would be most pleasing to Wright and Dickey.

Not pleased with the second half offensive collapse certainly, but at some level, I'm happy the coaches weren't necessarily made scapegoats. Canning them can sometimes bee way too easy a choice to make.

Three and two, runner going. Just need a double. But no. LEEEEEE!!!!

Ike Davis against a sidearming righty is as good a number to put your chit on as we could hope for.

I heard him goofing on Derek Bell's pitching. Meanwhile the Fish gain the lead. Hard to win without throwing strikes. Bunt double play follows for Miami.

Yeah, how about Mateo? Seems like the undervalued resources the Mets want to corner the market on is guys who've been devalued due to indiscretions or injuries.

Oh yeah, I think we're all agreed. This one-day rough survey gives us meaningful information, just not as definitive as we might likey.,

Stil leading, but only his RBI title is looking safe. Batting Average: 1. Cabrera (DET) .325 2. Mauer (MIN) .323 3. Trout (LAA) .321 4. Beltre (TEX) .319 5. Jeter (NYY) .318 Home Runs T1. Hamilton (TEX) 43 T1. Cabrera (DET) 43 3. Encarnacion (TOR) 42 4. Dunn (CHW) 41 5. Granderson (NYY) 40 Runs Batted In 1. Cabrera (DET) 136 2. Hamilton (TEX) 127

Terry Collins says the whole coaching staff will return. Seems a little premature. Has Sandy Alderson yet said that Terry Collins will return? Has Jeff Wilpon yet said that Alderson will return?

We've got a problem? Get over yourself, Homer McPoster. Yeah, that's a little overbroad. That's why I described the criteria as "binary." I would suggest a 10-point scale, where "we," "us," and "our" get a 2 and an enthusastic "Let's go, Mets." gets an 8. Ten, of course, would be, "Rawja Clemens is in Jawj's box and Rawja is coming back! Oh my goodness gracious of all the dramatic things!!"

I'll get mad if he doesn't bail out of the third game.

New York=#00BFFF]MiamiTejada, ssMurphy, 2bWright, 3bHairston, rfDavis, 1bShoppach, cBay, lfTorres, cfFamilia, spPetersen, lfHernandez, cfReyes, ssStanton, rfLee, 1bBrantly, cSolano, 2bVelazquez, 3bLeBlanc, sp

Wall Street Journal looks at the question, comes up with their criteria (small-sampled and binary, certainly), and the Mets booth comes out on top, or bottom or something. Tied with YES? Seriously? How do you brag about that?

Howard Megdal on the death of optimism sort of breaks the irony meter.

I can't speak to Chipper, but the Jankees let Jeter get "close" (at least by the definition that describes Wright as close) and they are doing so again.

Hundley, Hodges, and... Dyer? Trevino? Vance Wilson?

Third-best homegrown lefty starter in Mets' history? Jon Niese, sez Studious Metsimus, in a compelling argument.