Edgy MD

Nelson Doubleday.

And Howard and Polanco, also. Unless you believe Chief Wiggum can still fake it in the middle of the diamond, the new backup at short and second is Michael Martinez, who hit .196 last year as a 28-year-old rookie.

Phillies ship former Mets scrubbie subbie Wilson Valdez to Cincy for relief help. It won't be much longer that Valdez has any trade value at all, so I guess it's a good time to move him, but I'm glad to see any depth taken away from the Phils' infield.

Post says not bloody likely.

Here's one. But somebody inked in some big crazy eyes. http://www.ebay.com/itm/NY-Mets-Mr-Met-Figure-Stuffed-Doll-Plush-00-RARE-/390380673205?pt=US_Baseball_Fan_Shop&hash=item5ae48058b5#ht_2653wt_906

Ugh. I just came in to the Mister and the m.e.t.b.o.t. from our household talking this over. m.e.t.b.o.t. is ready to pack him up and send him over. Mister is trying to laugh at that suggestion but really seems a little worried. m.e.t.b.o.t. is heartless.

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Yeah, that's being paraphrased as "get over it" all over the place.

Get Smart Jim Henson's Storyteller Simpsons, natch.

Life goes on for Ken Oberkfell in Newark, where he will join the Bears' staff.

Come on.

The problem with the Tralfazzes (I always thought of it as "Trowlfazz") is that they'd be the Astros again in 30 minutes. Sugar Daddies could work.

BC Houston.

You know, without playing for the last 125 games of last season, Ike Davis has still moved up two slots in the first base rankings in the National League.

But he's certainly nobody's idea of an everyday player.

Centerfield wrote: I made fun of Gary Carter too. But, let's face it, he gave the world plenty of material. Certainly, and the soap commercial I posted above is a great example. I think a more grown up and self-aware Pearlman maybe realizes it was too easy to title a chapter "Gary Carter Is a Geek." Just give the facts and let it roll out as it will. We're mostly all more nuanced than that. It is, after all, Carter's own lack of self-awareness that has made him such an easy target, and a small tragedy among the greater tragedies that were the downfalls of so many of his teammates. So I'll give Pearlman a manly heteronormative hug for wanting to shed some smug and grow some self-awareness himself. (As the Cosell fabrication above shows, he certainly could have used some back then.) It doesn't change the facts about Carter, only the perspective of those facts. It doesn't have to be about Gary vs. Jeff and I think Jeff realizes it. Reading The Last Icon, you realize the same thing sort of happened with Tom Seaver. He was a decent, honorable sort, which his teammates initially could respect even if they were sometimes a little less decent and less honorable. It was when he realized and exploited the marketability of that image that they saw it as a little less honorable and a little more worthy of eye-rolling. It didn't make him a phony asshole --- like, say, Steve Garvey --- just maybe a little bit of a tool. But the Crowmarties and the Swobodas who resent it usually come back decades later saying something like, "You know, I was more than a little bit of a tool, myself."

That should be a public service ad.

I think maybe he does. Not for Carter, but for himself. He's a rare gift as a sports reporter who is willing to do investigative reporting. But his rooting interest in guys to be more colorful, even if that means more self-destructive, has turned him into a bitter pill, and he acknowledges that he has come to hate baseball at times. It's not all baseball's fault.

Jeff Pearlman turns in his cynic card.

Prince's last spring training with the Tigers. His first tour of duty with the Tiggs. Cecil walks up on the roof where his victims ended up.

Yeah, it might be interesting to see how many wins Verlander can salamander.

This is among Boras' shiniest moments. Got to hand it to him. Prince's mansion should have a special shrine room devoted to Scott Boras

There are as many nominations for John Williams scores as there are total for Best Original Song. Musicals (all animated) from 2011 that couldn't manage to garner a nomination: Happy Feet 2 Rio Winnie the Pooh I'm certain I heard a closing credits song or two in 2011 that must have been worth a crap.

Among Mets, Ordonez has to win this one going away over contenders like Flynn, given the offensive context in which he was putting up these numbers, doesn't he? Plus, there's plenty like him-- the Belliards and Cedenos and Santanas and Folis and such. But, of course, we can standardize for that. Career OPS+ Flynn: 57 Ord��ez: 59 Do we give guys like Alex Rios (.227/.265/.348 over 570 PA last year) or Vernon Wells (.218/.248/.412 over 529 PA) "extra credit" for being corner outfielders? It feels like we should. Sure, but they're not career-long strugglers.