Edgy MD

G-Fafif wrote: "I don't know why they always take my picture batting here. They should really see what I can do with a glove at Shea." Why did we always need to know what a guy looked like hitting setting up to hit line drives into the dugout (and presumbly terrorizing his opponents), or pitching into the box seats? Was the budget so tight that they couldn't set up a photo shoot a little early and get some shots on the mound or at home plate? Buckner kind of looks like a righthanded hitter screwing around batting lefty there.

I'll add a note about the signature. He seems to be forsaking one of the r's in Larry, like Lary Sorenson. He also added an extra hump to the M in Milbourne, because a dude like him always had time for one more hump.

That's like the point of view of the victim. Great contribution. Lot's of subtext there. The noodle bat thing is what got me. I'm thinking "This is the Yankees just-passing-through reserve infielder." But everything about the stance says, "I'm fucking cleanup-hitting rightfielder... when I'm not under suspension for fucking some motherfucker up."

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Edgy DC wrote: Oh, I accept that is Shea, in her more-chewed-up, tuftier days. Perhaps a wrestling event had just come through. What other cards are great for ten reasons? It's all good. That Roric's at Shea should enhance your opinion of his card. Absolutely, even if I didn't recognize it as such. Look at all that foul territory. No wonder Yogi Berra re-retired after four games. A ball went to the backstop at old Shea, you needed to hail a cab to go get it.

Oh, I accept that is Shea, in her more-chewed-up, tuftier days. Perhaps a wrestling event had just come through. What other cards are great for ten reasons?

I figured a variation of Rory, or Ruari. Looks like the same almost white on the road as at home for the '74 Bravos. That sure can be Shea, I guess. What a dump.

That would look bad for me. The lighting tower and blackout screen in center suggest shea, but the lack of any cityscape beyond and the Brave in home whites says spring training to me.

1. The condidtion of the spring training practice field --- no better than your standard 1970s Little League field. 2. The moustache --- so neatly trimmed, but pointless --- yielding an effect no more impressive than that of a milquetoaste high school chemistry teacher (no insult meant to chem teachers). You will never be a Swingin' Oakland A, Mr. Harrison. 3. The apparently lower-case a, telegraphing just how modest the ambitions of the 1970s Braves were. 4. The squinty sad eyes, crying "defeat" even before the pitch is thrown --- or even before the non-pitch of this posed photo. 5. The two-tone hat, another seventies leftover that will forever cry "bush league," even when retro-revitalized for the 2011 MLB patriotism hat. 6. The prominent adam's apple, the telltale sign of a hapless Braves pitcher --- or sometimes even a good one, actually. 7. Everything about the 1974 set, part one: The font is some 1974 version of calibri --- the font of a designer who has been crushed by the world. 8. Everything about the 1974 set, part two: The utter lack of variety in the font, all a similar face, all in all-caps. 9. Everything about the 1974 set, part three: The pennant/arrow frames boxing in the names of the teams above and below, the colors almost but not quite matching the secondary color of the team, but smokier, and more repressed. Those flag arrow frames cling for security to the sides of the curved frame --- the signature design element on cards humbly designed to deliver to a humbed nation. 10. "Roric"?

Carlos beltrans two homers for a total of 300. Definitely avoiding the Gary Carter of spending a few months at 299.

Flam!

The behavior of ballplayers on charter flights is probably a world too sordid to fully envision. This definitely hurts his chances for the 200/400 Club, too.

Sure as the sun's gon' shine.

We're here talking with DC-based Cranepooler Valadius. Val, that was only your second post since July. It was the bicycle thread that brought you out of hiding. Is there something about cycling that caused you to surface, so to speak?

Alderson lost out by not coming harder after him before the season, but then Reyes lost out when his agent rebuffed the team when they tried to negotiate mid-season.

To his credit, he stuck with what worked for him. Making minor adjustments through and beyond a lousy year rather than working over his whole repetoire. Put a good defense behind him and maybe CitiField can work for him. We don't currently have a good defense.

"Shelly" is Joan Cusack, isn't she?

As posted at Facebook by Fman.

Eh, sort of a Seth Rogen movie taking over a Simon Pegg movie. Ends up being neither fish nor fowl.

Good stuff in this film.

Viewing this eve.

I agree they were totally foreseeable, but just undervalued as a consequence.

Well, I agree, but I would imagine the league countering that such readjustment is called "refinement," and that the products of previous "fixes" --- wild card races, designated inter-league rivals, 75% of the schedule played in the time zone of the home fan --- are wild successes, and teasing out the accidental byproducts is all just a natural part of the process. (As Frankensteinian as the process may look to you and me.)

The DH rule is a monstrosity that has thrown the universe out of balance.

Brainy Rainy worked out of the pen for the DSL Mets this season, compiling 24 1/3 innings, walking seven and striking out 18 with a 2.22 ERA. I predict he gets most of the first half off next year, gets into a few games with Savannah, but sees a lot of work in Brooklyn or Kingsport.

It's nice to put Joe Robbie to bed with a winning record, but I'll always remember it as a stadium where a lot of deep drives died at the warning track, and a few seasons did as well. Lot of errors there also. I'll guess the obvious for our all-time leaders there: Piazza for homers, Alfonzo for hits, Leiter for wins, Benitez for saves. I picture a lot of Mike Stanton at Joe Robbie, pitching every chance he got for both sides.