Fman99

="Ashie62":2t5ssjz6]Anyone for Varitek via trade and a pay raise?[/quote:2t5ssjz6] .220 metirish Feb 02 2009 07:43 PM Is that his weight or his average? , sucks either way though. metirish Feb 04 2009 11:35 AM ]Left-hander Chase Wright was traded by the New York Yankees to the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday for outfielder-catcher Eric Fryer. metirish Feb 07 2009 02:23 PM Andruw Jones turns down non-roster spring training invite from the MFY's. Rockin' Doc Feb 07 2009 05:10 PM metirish - "Andruw Jones turns down non-roster spring training invite from the MFY's." Good to see that Jones has his pride. Better to go unsigned than sell one's soul by possibly donning a Yankee uniform. I suddenly have a new sense of respect for Jones. MFS62 Feb 08 2009 07:35 AM ="Rockin' Doc":2e2xwbch]metirish - "Andruw Jones turns down non-roster spring training invite from the MFY's." Good to see that Jones has his pride. Better to go unsigned than sell one's soul by possibly donning a Yankee uniform. I suddenly have a new sense of respect for Jones.[/quote:2e2xwbch] B'sides, they couldn't have the signing photo op soon anyhow. They'd first have to send out Cecil Fielder's uni to have the seams let out to fit Jones. Later Frayed Knot Feb 08 2009 08:45 PM Andruw to the Rangers - apparently gets a ML deal for low-end money (500K) plus incentives. 15mil to practically minimum wage in one year is tough to do. Fman99 Feb 09 2009 06:44 AM ="Frayed Knot":1zv55w66]Andruw to the Rangers - apparently gets a ML deal for low-end money (500K) plus incentives. 15mil to practically minimum wage in one year is tough to do.[/quote:1zv55w66] Yeah, poor guy. My heart breaks for him. /sarcasm Edgy DC Feb 09 2009 07:07 AM It's not like he doesn't get to keep the 15 miills. Vic Sage Feb 09 2009 09:08 AM yeah, i mean basically he just got a raise! Frayed Knot Feb 09 2009 09:26 AM Sure, it just shows a helluva difference between what someone thought he was worth last year vs what they think he's worth barely a year later. How the mighty (and fat) have fallen.

8) When I pass gas, my sphincter sounds like an orchestral triangle being struck. It's hauntingly beautiful, I'm told.

I hope to watch some of these games. My cable company says that MLB Network in HD is on their "Coming Soon..." list. So that's good.

Eh. Fmeat is indifferent, I would say flying at half mast.

He also stole A-Rod's heart, I purport.

I attended that game. Took my wife (girlfriend at the time) and this was her first ever trip to Shea Stadium. We sat field level up the right field line and it was a comfortable night game. Good times.

A great read.

="Centerfield"]Many reports have Texas being concerned about Sheets' medicals, but still in negotiations, meaning they can't be all that concerned. I'd still like to know if that torn flexor tendon is healed, and they suspect it might go again, or if the torn flexor tendon is not healed, but the Sheets people claim it is something he can pitch with. They can just mend it with a Mets authentic "Inaugural Season 2009" patch.

="Fman99":3rtexa93]Hundley?[/quote:3rtexa93] I peeked. Hundley was #4 so I give myself kudos for being close. Gilkey was #6, Johnson #8, Franco #9. seawolf17 Jan 28 2009 09:15 AM ="Centerfield":15o6noox]1984 was when I first noticed the Mets. I was just a kid, didn't know a heck of a lot, I just knew I was experiencing a new set of emotions. Things never got serious in 1984, but there was definitely interest, and the flirting was undeniable. In 1985, the flirting turned into full out dating. We were seeing each other more often. I would think about them when I wasn't with them. Unfortunately, I was too young to really appreciate how great that summer was, but I was in love for the first time. In 1986, our relationship was riding sky high. I never realized things could be so good. And I don't have to tell you what happened that October. 1987: Things just weren't the same. It was still good, but we were having trouble for the first time and we didn't really know how to handle it. In 1988, everything seemed to be getting back to normal. Lots of transgressions were forgiven, and it looked like we had passed the troubled times. Then in October, they ripped out my heart. I found love letters from some guy named Mike in LA. The next spring they traded away Lenny Dykstra, and to be honest, things were really never the same after that. There was bitterness on both sides, and we both decided to let things cool off for a while. We kept in touch during the early 90's, but by 93, we hardly saw each other at all. In '94, I heard they ran into some trouble but I was too busy seeing other hobbies to really care. I didn't see the Mets again until after college. In 1997, I heard (though I didn't watch) that they beat the Yankees in the first ever matchup between those teams, and I realized I still wished them well. In 1998, I started seeing the Mets out more and more. I heard they got Mike Piazza. They had this guy Olerud that you couldn't help but root for. Before long, I started remembering what I liked about them in the first place. Alot of the old wounds were gone. The Mets were different now. I was different now. We had both gone our own way but circled back to where we started. In 1999, it was love rediscovered. It was as great as '85 and '86. Except we were older and better able to handle adversity. '99 ended in the worst way you could imagine, but our relationship was strong. We knew were in this together for good. We've been together since then. Through thick and thin. Through Art Howe and Roberto Alomar. I had one little transgression with the 2004 Red Sox, but the Mets understood and took me back. Our's is not a perfect relationship, but it works.[/quote:15o6noox] CF=Seawolf G-Fafif Jan 28 2009 11:01 AM Mel Rojas? Edgy DC Jan 28 2009 11:10 AM Gotta be. batmagadanleadoff Jan 28 2009 11:11 AM ="G-Fafif"]Mel Rojas? Yes. Bullpen's Failures Underscore Need for Rojas By BUSTER OLNEY Published: August 11, 1997 Until he shuts a team down, until he holds a lead, Mel Rojas will be treated as the Mets' version of Hideki Irabu. Months of talk about the Mets' need for a late-inning reliever preceded Rojas's arrival to fill that crucial role. And, like Irabu, Rojas needed only one poor outing before earning long and loud jeers from the home crowd. Mets Manager Bobby Valentine said he is sure Rojas, who was the losing pitcher Saturday night in his first game for the Mets, will rebound to pitch well. Yesterday, in a sloppy 11-8 loss to the Houston Astros, the Mets learned again why they needed Rojas in the first place. The Mets, slipping three games behind the Florida Marlins in the race for the National League wild card berth, committed three errors and received seven generally awful innings from their bullpen, which allowed six runs, nine hits and six walks. Juan Acevedo allowed a homer in two innings -- before being optioned to Class AAA Norfolk -- and Cory Lidle gave up five runs in three innings. Rojas merely watched from the bullpen on the other side of the right-field fence at Shea Stadium and, in his mind, reviewed his performance Saturday night, when he gave up five runs in the ninth inning in an 8-3 defeat. Unlike the Yankees' Irabu, Rojas, who was obtained Friday in a six-player trade with the Chicago Cubs, was still in the big leagues. When he strolled into the Mets' clubhouse and began pulling on his uniform before yesterday's game, Valentine walked over and shook his hand. ''You're back,'' Valentine said, jokingly, as if the fans' unfriendly greeting Saturday night might have driven Rojas away. Given his first chance to see Rojas firsthand Saturday night, the bullpen coach Randy Niemann was impressed: big upper body, long arms, good fastball, great split-fingered fastball. Rojas retired the Astros in order in the eighth inning. But Bob Apodaca, the pitching coach, had the same concerns about Rojas as he did about Pete Harnisch last week: that he might get a little too excited and try too hard. Harnisch handled his emotions in pitching six solid innings; Rojas did not, Apodaca thought. ''The trouble wasn't mechanical,'' Apodaca said. ''He was up for the game. He's with a new team, trying to do too much. It's not that uncommon, and it's something that you have to guard against. He was trying to impress, and that's human nature.'' Rojas said he felt comfortable in his first inning. ''And then I lost my concentration,'' he admitted. Apodaca chatted with Rojas about this briefly yesterday, though he felt his advice was almost unnecessary. ''He's aware of it,'' Apodaca said. ''He's a veteran.'' Important to the Mets' hopes for the playoffs, Rojas is bearing a great deal of pressure. Like Irabu. The bullpen was pivotal again yesterday in a game the Mets never led. The Astros pounded Mets starter Rick Reed -- who had been wearing an electrical stimulation apparatus on his right biceps and forearm in recent days and seems to be going through a dead-arm period -- for five runs in the first inning before Reed was taken out for a pinch-hitter in the second. Fighting back against the Houston right-hander Darryl Kile and his vicious curveball, the Mets scored three runs in the second inning and reduced the lead to 5-4 in the third inning on John Olerud's first homer since July 16. Acevedo and Lidle surrendered six runs over the next four innings; Houston's lead was 11-4. Olerud hit his second homer as part of a four-run rally in the seventh. The Mets had a couple of more chances, but all in all, it was the sort of game which, after the first inning, they never really gave themselves a chance to win. ''A real sloppy game, there's no doubt about it,'' Valentine said. INSIDE PITCH Before yesterday's game, CARL EVERETT visited his children SHAWNA, 5, and CARL, 4, who are in the custody of the city child welfare agency because of allegations of child abuse against Everett. A fact-finding hearing in Family Court is scheduled for today. . . . After the game, BOBBY VALENTINE and the Houston hitting coach, TOM McCRAW, engaged in a brief and heated argument over a comment one allegedly made about the other. ''It's dead,'' McCraw said, declining to elaborate. McCraw used to be the hitting coach for the Mets, until Valentine became manager. . . . BERNARD GILKEY's last hit came on July 30. He has no hits in his last 22 at-bats and his average has shriveled to .210. Ashie62 Jan 28 2009 11:17 AM Yup Rojas 4.58 Mill I was 14 and the 1973 Mets were big for me...Transistor radio every night in September checking out of towns Watched one playoff game against the Red in my orthodontists chair 83-84 Were fun in that I could see the light at the end of tunnel and the gathering of real talent..It was exciting! John Cougar Lunchbucket Jan 28 2009 11:17 AM ]After the game, BOBBY VALENTINE and the Houston hitting coach, TOM McCRAW, engaged in a brief and heated argument over a comment one allegedly made about the other. ''It's dead,'' McCraw said, declining to elaborate. McCraw used to be the hitting coach for the Mets, until Valentine became manager Love this stuff. Bobby fought with everyone back in 97 G-Fafif Jan 28 2009 11:20 AM I was at that game, a birthday present to a friend who was born on August 10, fittingly enough. The Mets gave away, besides eleven runs, the strangest of premiums: a Miller Lite can belt, adults only. It fit three cans of beer (beer not included) inside it and you could strap it around your waist, lest you forget where you put 75% of your four-pack. They actually ran out of them and provided rainchecks. My friend was late in showing up, so I picked his up for him on the final day of the season. I think it was the following year the Mets instituted "first 25,000" and such, as ordering up extra Miller Lite can belts must have struck somebody in promotions as something less than the best use of resources. Edgy DC Jan 28 2009 11:29 AM I never understood the limited resources angle, unless it's to encourage advance ordering. Aren't the giveaways 100% underwritten by the sponsor, and doesn't the sponsor want 100% of the fans adorned in their crap? Or is it all about Ralph Kiner saying their name during the broadcast? batmagadanleadoff Jan 28 2009 11:32 AM ="Edgy DC":342gxm8d]I never understood the limited resources angle ....?[/quote:342gxm8d] I'm still trying to figure out this beer-belt thing. G-Fafif Jan 28 2009 11:33 AM They used to, I gather, order enough to satisfy what they believed the crowd would be. Then along would come a game where the sale outpaced the forecast and it was raincheck time. The "first 25,000" bit took care of that. I'd have to delve into yearbooks and pocket schedule archives to figure out when these things began to become routinely sponsored. In ye olde days, Batting Helmet Day was just Batting Helmet Day, not Investors Consolidated Batting Helmet Day. I remember reading an article about sponsored giveaways in the WSJ a long time ago that said even something that seemed kinda ritzy (like a transistor radio that the MFYs gave out) was pretty cheap and the sponsor picked up the cost. seawolf17 Jan 28 2009 11:34 AM I think it's advance ordering and advance showing up, so you can buy more concessions once you're there. G-Fafif Jan 28 2009 11:36 AM ="batmagadanleadoff":3h29wbsh]I'm still trying to figure out this beer-belt thing.[/quote:3h29wbsh] It may have been more of a flexible tube than a belt. It was white and canvassy, Lite logo on one side, Mets script on the other. And it had a zipper. I've yet to figure its real world utility. When offered a beer, is it like, "No thanks, brought my own!"? Edgy DC Jan 28 2009 11:40 AM I'm guessing 83-88 as when spornsorship of giveaway days took over. Around that time that every Sunday became a giveaway day. I got a Mets sports bag around 83 that was really a cheap Glad logoed thingie. Tee shirt day around 1985 was a fugly v-neck with "Mets" in script on the left breast and "All-Channel Satellite" in print on the right. Since satellite dishes were prohibitively expensive then, I imagine if the promotion netted three or four sales, they covered their nut. John Cougar Lunchbucket Jan 28 2009 11:44 AM Gotta love the SI Vault: July 18, 1977 ] Beer Is Out, Halters In Larry Keith Take me out to the ball game, Take me out to the crowd. Give me some jackets and baseball caps, Free photo albums and sweatbands and bats. Yes, it's step right up for the freebies. If they run out it's a shame. For it's one, two, three giveaways At the new ball game. There was a time when the only pleasures baseball offered were its modest own. Dodgers vs. Reds, Yankees vs. Red Sox. It was all in the game itself. In recent years, though, baseball has decided that the marketplace demands more than hits, runs and errors. Management feels compelled to give you something else. It wants you to leave the stadium with a smile on your face, a song in your heart and a souvenir sweatband on your wrist. Baseball promotions are a means of winning at the gate even if the home team is losing on the field. At times they have all the taste and sophistication of a TV game show. But whether what is offered is a free gift or a cheap thrill, promotions are good business. The payoff comes in increased revenues from attendance, concessions and parking, plus thousands of people walking around town showing off the team logo. "Financially speaking, we just about have to have giveaway days if we're going to make it," says Baltimore Promotions Director Don Shaver. Bill Veeck's Chicago White Sox had 25 promotion or giveaway dates last season. Business Manager Rudie Schaffer says, "The thing you're trying to accomplish is to bring a fresh person into the ball park. Once you get him there, you give him a good show." Most teams enjoy the benefits of giveaway days without having to pay the full cost of the items they are handing out. Because 25,000 bats and jackets at 75? and $1.50 each add up, the expense is often shared by local cosponsors. Businesses also participate by buying up blocks of tickets for their employees. Boeing Aircraft set a major league group-sales record this year by purchasing 65,432 tickets for Seattle's two-game Boeing Weekend. The key to a successful promotion is to turn a profit even while giving something away. Philadelphia was outsmarted a few years ago when cagey Little Leaguers entered Veterans Stadium for the kids' cut-rate 50?, collected a jacket, went outside, returned with another four-bit ticket, collected another jacket, went outside.... "They were starting their own sporting goods store," says the Phillies' executive vice-president. Bill Giles. "Our policy now is that kids have to pay a normal $2.25 for a ticket on special promotion days." But at that price, a ball club better deliver. A team caught short of advertised items usually hands out IOUs. In many ball parks, you have to be 14 or under to get, say, a free jacket. In Kansas City members of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes make the age decisions. No team is foolish enough to give sticky chewing gum to the masses, and most take special precautions when handing out bats to kids and beer to adults. Three years ago, a sudsed-up crowd in Cleveland stormed onto the field during a game with Texas, forcing a forfeit, only the eighth in major league history. But it is the Rangers, not the Indians, who have plugged up the keg. Texas discontinued its beer promotions at the request of the Arlington city fathers, who objected to fights in the stands and automobile accidents around the park after the game. The Dodgers do not give away bats because they noticed that constant pounding on the cement stands was creating a potential "structural problem." Montreal discontinued Bat Day after incidents in 1969 and 1974. The first involved empty-handed (and headed) customers who tried to overturn the depleted supply truck. Five years later bat swingers took aim at the windshields of parked cars. Local custom and interest dictate the nature of some promotions. Toronto and Montreal hand out ski caps. Cincinnati schedules a Farmers' Night (farmer/Pitcher Woodie Fryman is favored to win this year's cow-milking contest) and Texas has a combination Farm and Ranch Night. The egg-throwing contest is a messy highlight of both events. Houston attracts thousands for its Louisiana Weekend, which includes a gumbo-cooking contest. On Texas Weekend the featured events are beer-can crushing and cow-chip throwing. Philadelphia and Atlanta lead the majors in all-round originality and sophomoric high jinks. The Phillies set the mood on Opening Day when someone arrives by kite, parachute or cannon to throw out the first ball. Fans cannot wait for Halter Top Night on Aug. 19 when halters will be given away. "If they can fill 'em. they can have 'em." reports SI Correspondent Charlie Frush. Each halter will sport the slogan of the cosponsor Tastykake: ALL THE GOOD THINGS WRAPPED UP IN ONE. Slightly more sophisticated is Music Night, when anyone bringing a musical instrument can join in the playing of Take Me Out to the Ball Game and will receive a certificate authenticating his or her performance in the "world's largest orchestra." Atlanta schedules a promotion of some sort for every game. On Wedlock and Headlock Day 15 couples will be married at home plate before the game, and five professional wrestling matches will take place afterward. The Braves have already held their version of Ladies Night, in which every woman received a cigar (You've come a long way, baby, since the first Ladies Day in 1876). The big winner in the team's $25,000 cash scramble picked up $4,000 in 90 seconds of scurrying after bills scattered all over the field. Which proved once again that in baseball, promotion really does pay. Frayed Knot Jan 28 2009 01:53 PM I remember when Imus used to say that 'Hand-gun Night' was coming up a Yankee Stadium. All those over 15 got a freebie but only if accompanied by their parole officer. Funny how give-away promotions have increased during a time when stadiums are closer to their capacity than ever in many cases, theoretically making the need for a come-on less necessary. Benjamin Grimm Jan 28 2009 01:55 PM It's probably less about filling empty seats than it is about promoting the sponsor. Frayed Knot Jan 28 2009 02:13 PM Egg-zactly In the old days it was about selling tickets so they figured that having them too often would spoil the novelty and fans would no longer plan their ticket buying around them. Now they don't need them to fill seats so it's all about making money via the underwriting. They'd probably have them 81 times a year if they could find enough gizmos and sponsors. Ashie62 Jan 28 2009 02:46 PM I've still got my blond Ron Swoboda model Bat Day Bat from a late sixties promo where they ask everyone to wave their bats at the same time. Quite a sight! batmagadanleadoff Jan 28 2009 03:27 PM ="G-Fafif":s111v9tq]="batmagadanleadoff":s111v9tq]I'm still trying to figure out this beer-belt thing.[/quote:s111v9tq] It may have been more of a flexible tube than a belt....[/quote:s111v9tq] I was about to question the whole wholesomeness of that promotion, especially given Baseball's traditional connection with children of all ages. But then I remembered the huge Budweiser ads that have been swallowing up Shea's scoreboard for the past 20 years or so. Maybe the Mets'll give one of those away for borscht in 2009.

This guy gave away more piss than a dominatrix.

I now Own the Vomit�.

Hundley?

I've come all the way around on the OF, and Church and Murphy. I don't even want to see Tatis up there except as a PH and occasional start. Give both Churchie and Murph 550 ABs to see what they can do. But I don't like our starters at 2B and C. Blerch. I'd rather see Castro get more ABs and Orlando Hudson also (at a reasonable price). And they absolutely need Sheets or Ollie. I don't care which. While your at it, trade away Feliciano and Sanchez also. They both sucked wind last year. In other words, Mr. Minaya, as Mark Twain said, "Shit or get off the pot."

="Rockin' Doc":s1qvc1yu]Lunchbucket - "Orioles' ticket sales are also open now,, Mets visit there in June" Roadtrip![/quote:s1qvc1yu] Saw a game there in 2004. It's a beautiful park. Willets Point Jan 27 2009 03:01 PM ="Fman99":18r2hix0]="Rockin' Doc":18r2hix0]Lunchbucket - "Orioles' ticket sales are also open now,, Mets visit there in June" Roadtrip![/quote:18r2hix0] Saw a game there in 2004. It's a beautiful park.[/quote:18r2hix0] I attended the first interleague Mets-Orioles games there in 1997. I agree that it's a beautiful park and nicely integrated into the city. All these retro-parks that sit in parking lots kind of miss the point. BTW, the Orioles fans were among the most obnoxious and downright mean that I've encountered as a traveling fan (although they seemed to be conflating the Mets fans with Yankees fans). Edgy DC Jan 27 2009 04:59 PM I conflate! themetfairy Jan 27 2009 05:04 PM I know that I'm in the minority, but I don't love Camden Yards. I give it credit for being the first of the new breed retro parks, but I think that some of the subsequent parks (Jacobs Field, Turner Field, Coors Field, PNC) are much nicer.

Apparently I conflate Claudio Vargas and Nelson Figueroa. I am a dope.

I did a search and found some non-licensed site, I forget which, selling single game Mets tickets. I assume they are from package/season ticket holders selling off seats for games they could not attend. They looked legit to me, anyway.

="Centerfield":3glgv0y9]Come on Omar. At least make a fucking offer.[/quote:3glgv0y9] Do something. Jeez, pitchers and catchers report in what, 3 weeks? metirish Jan 24 2009 08:44 PM Watch the MFY's come in a sign him. Frayed Knot Jan 25 2009 06:34 PM Just a few warning signs via the Ft Worth Star-Telegram: Lingering concerns over the status of Ben Sheets� right elbow could ultimately prevent the Texas Rangers from signing the free-agent All-Star pitcher to an incentive-laden contract. The Rangers have examined Sheets� medical reports, but sources said the club wants the most recent information on his torn flexor tendon. It�s an injury the Rangers know too well. Jason Jennings lasted only six starts last season before suffering a second torn flexor tendon in nine months. In both instances � August 2007 and May 2008 � Jennings had surgery. Sheets� tear did not require surgery, and he has resumed his normal preseason throwing program. He threw twice last week at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. However, the Highland Park resident has not undergone a physical and would have to pass one performed by Rangers doctors before a deal could be completed. The likelihood that an agreement will be reached by Monday, if at all this week, is waning. Centerfield Jan 26 2009 10:16 AM Is a torn flexor tendon what knocked out Wagner? The article doesn't make it clear whether the Rangers are concerned because he had a torn flexor tendon, or whether they feel he still has a torn flexor tendon. Edgy DC Jan 26 2009 10:26 AM I'm a fan of Ben Sheets and want the Mets in the mix, but I think the fans are being too hard here on poor ol' Omar. 1) Yeah, Sheets numbers from last year make him look pretty healthy, but that's because his injury took place at the end of the season, after he logged those numbers, but it shut him down for the playoffs. And the nature of an injury at the end of your season and your contract means that nobody knows the extent of the damage or what they're getting until you take the mound somewhere and log some time. 2) Isn't Omar getting somewhat hammered for the lost gamble he took on Moises Alou? If you pressure your GM to roll the dice, be a little more forgiving when he craps out once in a while. A Texas Ranger blogger takes a close look at this injury history here: http://rangersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/01/the-ben-sheets-medical-file.html Maybe Sheets and Nolan can talk blister cures. batmagadanleadoff Jan 26 2009 10:53 AM ="Centerfield":11j9ihkf]Is a torn flexor tendon what knocked out Wagner? The article doesn't make it clear whether the Rangers are concerned because he had a torn flexor tendon, or whether they feel he still has a torn flexor tendon.[/quote:11j9ihkf] Flexor Shmexor. I'm worried that Johan Santana might've sustained some permanent and irreversible diminishment of his abilities as a result of the surgery to repair his torn left meniscus. I realize that his injury is considered minor but still, it's Johan's rear pitching leg. On the other hand, no one else seems to be making a big deal about the surgery. And Santana did pitch his best game of last season while injured. So maybe there's not much to this. Frayed Knot Jan 26 2009 10:58 AM ="Centerfield":11erg5gp]Is a torn flexor tendon what knocked out Wagner? The article doesn't make it clear whether the Rangers are concerned because he had a torn flexor tendon, or whether they feel he still has a torn flexor tendon.[/quote:11erg5gp] Wagner's was a ligament tear. That's what TJ surgery is needed to fix. Sheets' flexor tendon tear did not have surgery - probably meaning it isn't thought to be severe enough and he can still pitch with it while it heals or remains strong enough on its own. Maybe it can but that's a risk whoever signs him is going to need to consider. Edgy DC Jan 26 2009 11:17 AM He may want to pull an Astacio and do some showcase pitching in the Caribbean. smg58 Feb 05 2009 11:56 AM [url:2ctckaya]http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090205&content_id=3801488&vkey=hotstove2008&fext=.jsp[/url:2ctckaya] The poor guy just can't buy a break. Nymr83 Feb 05 2009 12:47 PM sounds like a good time to sign him for cheap and hope he can help out in the second half or even for 2010 seawolf17 Feb 05 2009 01:36 PM ="Nymr83":3bzpskk2]sounds like a good time to sign him for cheap and hope he can help out in the second half or even for 2010[/quote:3bzpskk2] Bingo! Two-year, backloaded deal. Didn't the Yankees do that with Jon Lieber? Frayed Knot Feb 05 2009 02:38 PM Re: Leiber; yes, but I think it was post-surgery and not pre. Plus you don't want to do this at a time when it'll cost you a draft pick. So maybe after the cut-n-slice sounds like it worked and after the draft is done in June and you're off the hook for compensation it may be time to look into a rehab signing. Nymr83 Feb 05 2009 02:40 PM its strange that Sheets, if he knew he might need surgery, didn't accept arbitration from the Brewers. attgig Feb 05 2009 03:03 PM perhaps he had differing opinion vs the rangers doctors. him/his doctors didn't think he needed surgery, but the rangers docs did. and once ONE team's docs blackball you, it's gonna be impossible to get anything from any other team. Ashie62 Feb 05 2009 03:50 PM Sheets out 4-6 months for partially torn flexor tendon That answers that DocTee Feb 05 2009 04:20 PM Tough break. You know who I'd like to see the Mets take a flyer on: Mark Mulder. Centerfield Feb 06 2009 08:00 AM ="Ashie62":k5uv0414]Sheets out 4-6 months for partially torn flexor tendon That answers that[/quote:k5uv0414] That makes no sense. If that was the prognosis, why not have the surgery back in October? John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 06 2009 08:28 AM ="Centerfield":125azak8]="Ashie62":125azak8]Sheets out 4-6 months for partially torn flexor tendon That answers that[/quote:125azak8] That makes no sense. If that was the prognosis, why not have the surgery back in October?[/quote:125azak8] Apparently the injury was revealed as part of a physical examination the Rangers required as a condition of a 2-year contract offer, now revoked. There is a question as to whether the Brewers will pay the doctor bills, paper sez. Nymr83 Feb 06 2009 08:38 AM thats going to be a question for the collective bargaining agreement, his last contract, and/or worker's comp laws. this is probably a good opportunity for the brewers to sign him for 2 years backloaded for cheap, maybe with a semi-expensive option for 2011 that kicks in with 200 innings in 2010. they'll probably be paying for his rehab anyway so they might as well be able to direct it and benefit from it

="Edgy DC":3tufl6p4]New York also announced the signings of INF Argenis Reyes, INF Mark Kiger, C Salvador Paniagua, and RHP Julio De La Cruz. Kiger was the one whose party-doll wife got in the awesome online fight with a blogger. OE: Still online! http://natnotes.com/2007/05/27/mark-kiger-is-the-greatest-ball-player-to-have-ever-lived-and-hes-totally-hot-and-i-want-to-have-his-babies/[/quote:3tufl6p4] Fascinating, Captain.

Jeez. I thought I was looking at a Snausages giveaway.

="John Cougar Lunchbucket":2vnfd2jw]="batmagadanleadoff":2vnfd2jw] I could be wrong, but I would imagine that the team owns the audio and video rights to every single Met game ever played, no matter how it was broadcast.[/quote:2vnfd2jw] I asked a SNY guy about this and he said MLB owns the whole shebang these days -- or at least what of that shebang still exists. My brilliant idea of replaying Random Crappy Met Games from the past as cheap SNY programming seems like a pipe dream.[/quote:2vnfd2jw] I would love that. Monday-Thursday, 7 PM, put on random Mets games from last year. Did they win or lose? I don't remember, let's watch! Their original content is still just a lot of blather meant to distract from the fact that, yes, it is still winter outside and no, you are not watching baseball right now. Benjamin Grimm Jan 23 2009 08:24 AM I'd rather see a random game from 20 or 30 years ago than one from last season, but maybe that's just me. metirish Jan 23 2009 08:33 AM I like the random recent game idea , I don't tune into SNY much these days as I get my baseball information from MLB Network. G-Fafif Feb 09 2009 12:02 PM The 1969 World Series returns to SNY tonight through Thursday night at 7:30, Games Two through Five. Mets in four...those four. John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 09 2009 12:22 PM Longest. Offseason. Ever. Gwreck Feb 16 2009 10:39 PM MLB Network is showing a game that SNY hasn't aired: Opening Day '85. This Saturday at 11:00 AM. batmagadanleadoff Mar 02 2009 03:31 PM Grab some popcorn and fire up the ol� DeLorean Time Machine because tonight, SNY and the Mets dig deep into yesteryear�s archives to shake the cobwebs from your memories. Does anyone still remember the iPhone? How about the Iraqi war? Tonight, it�s another Mets Classic from 2007 -way way back when the uniforms were black and the President was white. It�s the Mets vs. the Rockies tonight, all over again. Don�t bother looking for Jane Jarvis. Also starring Willie �I Will Sac Bunt for Food� Randolph as the manager and Burt Mustin as the batboy Gwreck Mar 02 2009 04:35 PM I believe that game was won on a bunt, actually. batmagadanleadoff Mar 02 2009 04:45 PM ="Gwreck":2ktjqog1]I believe that game was won on a bunt, actually.[/quote:2ktjqog1] But was it a base-hit bunt, or the out-making kind of bunt that Willie loved? LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 02 2009 05:47 PM Walk-off bunt single. Endy's second finest moment in blue y orange. batmagadanleadoff Mar 02 2009 06:09 PM I knew that. John Cougar Lunchbucket Mar 02 2009 06:10 PM I was at this game. I have to say, Easley's HR was a much bigger thrill. It was the absolute last thing I expected. Guy on 3rd, tie game in the home 12th, you're gonna win somehow. Edgy DC Mar 02 2009 06:42 PM Damion Easley, still jobless. Gwreck Mar 02 2009 07:13 PM ="John Cougar Lunchbucket":3g7r2yy9]I was at this game. I have to say, Easley's HR was a much bigger thrill. It was the absolute last thing I expected.[/quote:3g7r2yy9] So was I. My recollection was that Easley was down to his final strike with 2 outs as well, with Fuentes pitching. We were packing up to go home when he hit it out. John Cougar Lunchbucket Mar 02 2009 07:50 PM Just turned this on only to find they're showing Game 1 of the 06 NLCS instead. Gwreck Mar 02 2009 08:51 PM I can't remember them ever showing that before. One of Glavine's finest pitching performances as a Met. John Cougar Lunchbucket Mar 02 2009 09:34 PM Oh, sorry. I meant the Dodgers series. I think that's the one where John Maine gets his butt saved by the Dodgers' 3rd base coach. themetfairy Mar 02 2009 09:42 PM Yes - the double play at home plate was a thing of beauty. batmagadanleadoff Mar 03 2009 01:15 AM ="John Cougar Lunchbucket":38thmw2y]Just turned this on only to find they're showing Game 1 of the 06 NL[D]S instead.[/quote:38thmw2y] It's obvious that SNY read my post and decided to get with it and show some older games.

="seawolf17"]Looking at ESPN's top 25 prospects today -- #8 is Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner, accompanied by an unfortunate photo: Looks like the face I make when I make cumsies.

="Edgy DC":4ugvvgtc]Much more important, though less tabloidy because it doesn't involve bringing down a hero, is Kirk Radomski's assertion that MLB was warning players who failed "anonymous tests" in order to minimize the numbers when the following year's figures would go public. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/sports/baseball/22radomski.html?ref=sports Radomski also claims to have given pee to Dwight Gooden.[/quote:4ugvvgtc] Sleazy Kirk: "Hey Doc, here's some pee!" Doc: "Who are you again? Take your weird ass and your mason jar and scram."

="metsguyinmichigan":3vmlfqei]Seemed to have issues telling the truth. The whole "got hurt while washing my monster truck" fib is classic.[/quote:3vmlfqei] That was what I thought of also. What a load of crap. I'll miss him and his porntastic moustache and tendency towards Bonds punching. John Cougar Lunchbucket Jan 21 2009 09:01 PM ]September 15, 1992 BASEBALL; Mets Pull a Little Prank, But Kent Pulls a Big Fit By JOE SEXTON, In another season, the incident might have died without a remark. It might not have escalated to the heated moment it did in the clubhouse in Montreal on Sunday night. On another club, the issue of clubhouse politics might not be such a volatile one. But these are the Mets, the bad, jinxed and endlessly controversial club for whom everything goes wrong. Always. Thus, Jeff Kent, a player with undetermined ability and the scantiest of reputations, found himself at the center of the latest clubhouse storm. Kent, the second baseman acquired in the trade for David Cone last month, effectively squared off with the rest of the Mets Sunday night, refusing to submit to a clubhouse prank and wear the ridiculous outfit the players had substituted for his street clothes in his locker. Not Kent's Style Kent's stand -- the second baseman pitched the clothes onto the floor of the clubhouse before Sunday night's game against the Expos and then again challenged the Mets to produce his regular clothes after the 7-5 loss -- ultimately required the intervention of Manager Jeff Torborg. The manager, in an explosion filled with expletives, ordered an end to the scene. "It wasn't an attempt to air out the club or to protect anyone," said Torborg. "I wanted to get the heck out of there." It appeared today that it was going to be difficult for Kent to extricate himself from his isolated clubhouse position, and, in fact, the 24-year-old, who doesn't bother to disguise his temper or arrogance, appeared determined not to soften his stance. "I paid my rookie dues in Toronto," said Kent, who maintained that he had willingly gone along with similar stunts as a member of the Blue Jays. "I feel I have endured my embarrassments, my punishment." "I felt I was being taken advantage of," Kent added. "They wanted to go overboard. I stuck up for myself. I won't be pushed around." Kent was most emphatic in clarifying that, contrary to the way it might have appeared to the veterans on the club, he did not go to Torborg for help. And Torborg went out of his way to confirm Kent's claim, saying he had been informed of the problem by the club's traveling secretary. "I'm not out to protect Jeff Kent," Torborg said. "He'll have to deal with it all himself." Kent, who struck out twice with the bases loaded during the Mets' 10-8 victory over the Cubs tonight, appears eager to have his hands full, and the specter of problems with umpires and in the clubhouse recalls the experience of Gregg Jefferies, who never found happiness in New York. Kent, barely 72 hours after pledging to reporters that he would be at his locker regardless of his personal fortunes in any game, evacuated the clubhouse in Cincinnati after his misplay of a ninth-inning grounder led to a defeat. "Not tonight," Kent told reporters as he raced to the team bus. Kent argued vehemently with Umpire Bruce Froemming in his first game with the Mets. And Sunday night after being called out on strikes by Jerry Crawford, Kent flung his helmet and bat near the umpire and complained all the way out to second base. He was quoted in a Toronto Globe and Mail article last weekend as saying New York was worse than he had imagined, and was reported to have taken verbal swipes at Toronto third baseman Kelly Gruber, the man he had filled in for in 1992. While standing by his claim that he had lost some respect for Gruber, Kent today again insisted "80 percent of the quotes were misprinted." "He was not well liked in his own clubhouse," a former official with the Blue Jays said of Kent's experience with Toronto's Class AA club. "He's totally oblivious to what it takes to fit in with a team. And he had problems with the umpires within the first month of the season last year." Kent clearly has imperiled his position in the clubhouse. He was savagely ridiculed after Sunday night's episode by the club's veterans, who thought the rookie had deemed himself above standard hazing rituals and who resented the fact that the manager had been drawn into the scene. But Kent remained defiant. "I won't hold it against them," said Kent of his teammates. "What they do, I don't know. Maybe they'll know next time. I'm going to play the game the best I can, good reputation or bad. It was an incident. That's all." Edgy DC Jan 22 2009 07:44 AM That was a pretty balanced article by Sexton. Is he the one that became the metropolitan editor at The Times? I think it's the Kent IncidentTM that has led all clubs to officially haze their rookies at the same time (in the same stupid way), to keep Kents of the future from getting traded and getting hazed twice. Frayed Knot Jan 22 2009 09:52 AM Kent was always a bit of an odd duck in MLB in that he admittedly was never a big fan of the sport of baseball. He played it because he was good at it and could make a lot of money doing so, but otherwise it wasn't a big priority in his life and his friends and interests remained outside the game. Now I've never had a problem with those who admit that they're in it for the money and there's certainly nothing wrong with refusing to let being a pro athlete define everything you are. Plus hunting, ranching, and declaring your wife to be your best friend beats the hell out of what a lot of athletes do in their down-time. But it does tend to keep you from being one of the guys and I'm sure his sometimes prickly personality didn't help there either. Vic Sage Jan 23 2009 11:46 AM is he a HOFer? Borderline-No, to me. He was more Joe Gordon than Ryne Sandberg. Other than those few great seasons hitting behind Bonds (and who wouldnt have great numbers hitting behind Ole Big Head?), he was a very-good-(not great) hitting, less-than-good fielding 2bman. But unlike Gordon, i don't think he'll have many friends on the Veterans committee to vote him in. Nymr83 Jan 23 2009 12:17 PM I'm still on the fence with Kent, perhaps the 5 year wait will give me some beter perspective. Is Roberto Alomar a HOFer to you guys? if Roberto's defense (compared to Kent's) is worth 10 points of OPS+ then he's slightly better than Kent. I think I'd be willing to take that leap. A Boy Named Seo Jan 23 2009 12:32 PM Seems hitting in front of Bonds would be the better place to be. Hitting behind him, you always have someone one base, but you still have to hit well and stuff. Kent's a douche, but a great hitting second baseman. I think he and Alomar both make it. John Cougar Lunchbucket Jan 23 2009 12:45 PM 75 more HRs than the next second baseman. I think there will be some softening of his image in years to come as a sort-of "anti-athlete" who didn't seek the spotlight and deliberately stood apart from those who cheated and mugged and goofed off. Benjamin Grimm Jan 23 2009 12:49 PM I remember when the Mets got Roberto Alomar, he was considered as a sure-thing. One article I remember reading said he'd be in the "inner circle" of the all-time greats. Whoever said that must have been assuming that he'd maintain his level of production for a few more years. Instead he fizzled out earlier than expected, which will hurt his chances, as will flopping in New York when the spotlight was brightest. The most-homers thing will probably get Kent in. I'm not sure about Alomar, though. Vince Coleman Firecracker Jan 23 2009 02:01 PM Alomar is a Hall of Famer, easy. According to Jay Jaffe's JAWS, he's the fifth best second baseman of all time: WARP PEAK JAWS 1. Eddie Collins 174.0 57.2 115.6 2. Nap Lajoie 164.5 56.7 110.6 3. Joe Morgan 157.7 61.9 109.8 4. Rogers Hornsby 150.7 63.2 107.0 5. Charlie Gehringer 126.7 54.2 90.5 X. Roberto Alomar 126.8 47.3 87.1 6. Rod Carew 111.8 49.4 80.6 7. Frankie Frisch 113.4 40.9 77.2 8. Billy Herman 98.3 47.9 73.1 9. Bobby Doerr 100.8 44.3 72.6 10. Jackie Robinson 84.8 55.0 69.9 11. Bid McPhee 95.0 38.0 66.5 12. Bill Mazeroski 89.2 37.5 63.4 13. Nellie Fox 86.2 38.7 62.5 14. Red Schoendienst 85.8 38.9 62.4 15. Tony Lazzeri 77.8 37.8 57.8 16. Johnny Evers 65.7 31.8 48.8 Not sure if he's that high up on my list, but I'd vote for him if I could. Edgy DC Jan 23 2009 02:05 PM What do those number thingies indicate? Edgy DC Jan 23 2009 02:17 PM Holy crap. Brother choked up. The report said the announcement was accompanied by congratulatory messages from his former teams --- the Giants, Astros, and Mets. Where are the Indians and Blue Jays? Do the Dodgers only have NL teams in thier rolodex? Benjamin Grimm Jan 23 2009 02:22 PM They're all making nice now because they want their team's cap on his HOF plaque. My hunch is that he'll have an SF. Vince Coleman Firecracker Jan 23 2009 02:31 PM ="Edgy DC":2bo27oq0]What do those number thingies indicate?[/quote:2bo27oq0] Here's the link[/url:2bo27oq0]. It's based off of WARP3[/url:2bo27oq0], which attempts to factor in all contributions a player makes. Frayed Knot Jan 23 2009 02:32 PM Kent & Alomar had almost opposite careers Alomar was the phenom who was so consistently good so early that by age 32 there was no way he could play his way out of it - and yet he almost managed to do exactly that. Kent, a little older coming in to begin with after going the college route, was fairly pedestrian through about age 29 before exploding with an MVP season and a string of 100+ RBI years to the point where it took folks almost until he retired before they realized that the guy put together a 17-year career with HoF-type numbers. I still Alomar is more a lock than Kent. Both will eventually get in IMO and, with time, I think Kent's anti-jock image might cancel out his otherwise prickly self and could even work in his favor over time. I found it surprising that Kent even had a press conference much less an emotional and thoughtful one. Not that I think he's a rock-head, just thought he'd ride off into the Texas sunset barely taking the time to even wave. DocTee Jan 24 2009 10:02 AM A persepective from Bay Area columnist Bruce Jenkins: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/23/SPP215FUV9.DTL Expecting the worst, I sat down for an interview with Jeff Kent in the spring of 1997, his first season with the Giants. I was amazed at his candor, his utterly forthright nature. We'd never met before, but he told me about the harsh lessons delivered by his father, an Orange County cop, and how they shaped his life. "My father watched everything I did, and whatever it was, I had to do it right," he said, gazing intensely into the distance. "He'd let me know if I did something half-ass, and then I'd feel that I let him down. I had two younger brothers, but as the oldest by six, seven years, I was more roughed up, if you will. "So if I went 3-for-4, I'd criticize that fourth at-bat. If I hit .350, I could have hit .400. I could go out and pitch a one-hitter, and he'd say, 'You could have gotten that guy on a curveball.' That's the way it was with my father, and I'm still that way. I have a tremendous fear of failure. I'm afraid of letting even one guy down." After about an hour's conversation that day, I felt I understood Kent, or at least his basic nature. From that moment on, I knew him a little bit less each day. The next time I saw Kent, he brushed past me without making eye contact, as if he'd never seen me in his life. He had no problem with the column I'd written in The Chronicle, or so I heard, but he was done with me until further notice. No hello, no small talk. I was just another face on the baseball landscape, like every teammate he ever had. I'd seen some grouchy guys in my time - Dave Kingman, John Denny, Mike LaCoss - but no one so completely removed from everyone in his profession as Kent. He doesn't have one friend on the team. That's what I heard from sources along every stop in Kent's career, including the last one, Los Angeles. But there was an interesting comment from Bob Milano, his coach at Cal, where Kent helped lead the Bears to the 1988 College World Series. "If something goes wrong with this guy, it's not a team problem," he said. "It's just a problem for Jeff. He always found a way to beat you on the field." I'd like to think that's how Kent will be remembered, along with his genuine display of emotion during Thursday's news conference. He was an exceptional player, solid in the clutch, a winner, the greatest slugging second baseman in history. He played the game with unrelenting desire, and he played hurt. Those attributes should earn him a place in the Hall of Fame (he'll have my vote). Turns out the man has a heart, as well. That was no phony at the podium, trying to win over critics who had ripped him for years. That was the real person inside Kent's uniform, a man only his family and friends (all of them outside the game) recognized. There were times in his career when Kent's brutal honesty served him well, especially after a tough loss, when he'd come out to give reporters his perspective while the rest of his teammates were nowhere to be found. But that hard-line persona never cracked. He had taken it upon himself never to show emotion, vulnerability or weakness. We see those things now, as he walks away. I'm thinking there will be more tears from Kent in the coming days. And here's a nod of admiration to someone who truly gave his life to the game.