seawolf17

Danny Graves, back to Vietnam. (Yes, that is allegedly Danny Graves.) edit: front shot...

I play the overpaid vet, at least one more year. Sure, the kid'll be frustrated, but since the vet's still producing numbers, then all those VET 36 t-shirts will still be sprinkled liberally through the crowd and flying off the shelves in my local Modell's, so I'll stick with him through this season and then see what happens.

I would say "fight ham." Otherwise, they'd be the Ham Defenders.

What an unimpressive logo.

Therefore, all Japanese baseball teams fight ham. And apparently, all Japanese Ham Fighting baseball mascots feel up cheerleaders.

That implies that "The Plan" exists somewhere outside of Jeff Wilpon's Starting Lineup action figures.

Seems shifty to me. The logo seems too hand-painted.

Hey! Is this the abuse Julio Franco thread, or the "Milestone Watch" thread? Leave the old man alone.

Julio Franco is moving up the all-time lists: HITS -- 78th at 2521. Another season like 2005 (64) puts him at 2585, one ahead of Reggie Jackson for 72nd. STRIKEOUTS -- 97th at 1269. 57 more (like he had in '05) would put him at 1326, which puts him 79th... but other guys (Burnitz, A-Rod) will likely pass him this year. DOUBLES -- he's six away from 400. GIDP -- At 299, he's seventh all time: Ripken 350 Aaron 328 Yaz 323 Winfield 319 Murray 316 Rice 315 Franco 299 No other active player is close (Pudge is 31st at 239).

Not only that, but June's been his best month as a Met by far. All three years, he's been healthy and whacking the crap out of the ball.

The five-man was Pedro-Glavine-Ishii-Zambrano-Heilman, so I don't know where the "Boy" came from. All I know is that I didn't make this up.

I don't remember how it started... I wish the old site were still around. We were trying to come up with a mnemonic to remember the order of the rotation, and someone suggested something ending in Vagina (for Victor) and Boy (for Benson?). Or maybe it was just that Victor was vagina. I don't remember.

Vagina Boy. A great nickname from the ill-fated "Let's Give The Starting Rotation A Mnemonic Device" from last April.

I don't know where this goes any more, but Vagina Boy avoids arbitration, signing a $3,000,000 deal for '06. Only Woody is left.

And the Wifey Watch thread expands yet again.

And Danys Baez will not be a Met, as he goes to LA: ]LA gets Baez from Rays for prospects By Ken Gurnick / MLB.com LOS ANGELES -- With Eric Gagne returning from elbow surgery and eligible for free agency after 2006, the Dodgers reinforced their bullpen on Saturday for the near-term -- and maybe longer -- by acquiring 2005 All-Star closer Danys Baez, 2003 All-Star reliever Lance Carter and cash considerations from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for young pitchers Edwin Jackson and Chuck Tiffany. The 28-year-old Baez, a Cuban-born right-hander, saved 41 games -- fifth in the American League -- with a 2.86 ERA for Tampa Bay in 2005, and has 102 saves in four seasons. He started his career with Cleveland, was released after the 2003 season and signed with Tampa Bay. Baez pitched for Cleveland in 2001, when new Dodgers manager Grady Little was an Indians coach, and made his only postseason appearance that year. Baez is under contract for 2006 with a $4 million salary and is eligible for free agency after the 2006 season. The Dodgers are paying Gagne $10 million this year and the club has a 2007 option for $12 million, but Gagne can void the option, receive a buyout of $250,000 ($650,000 if he finishes 50 games this year) and also declare free agency. The 31-year-old Carter logged 57 innings in 39 games with a 4.89 ERA in 2005. He is expected to pick up some of the innings lost by the departures of Duaner Sanchez and Giovanni Carrara. Carter underwent Tommy John elbow reconstruction twice, in 1996 and 2000. "The opportunity to add two relievers of this caliber to our bullpen fills a big need for us," said Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti. "Danys is one of the top closers in the American League, and Lance has had success in the Major Leagues as well." The 22-year-old Jackson, once the top prospect in the Dodgers' farm system, has been a disappointment the past two seasons, plagued by a sore forearm in 2004 and continued inconsistency in 2005, when he was briefly demoted to Double-A. In 19 games with the Dodgers over three seasons, he is 6-4 with a 5.50 ERA. The left-handed Tiffany, who turns 21 this month, was taken in the second round of the 2003 First-Year Player Draft. Some in the organization believe he has been passed by 20-year-old left-hander Scott Elbert, who was selected in the first round of the 2004 draft. Tiffany went 11-7 with a 3.93 ERA at Class A Vero Beach last year. Jackson and Tiffany are the first top prospects Colletti has traded during his extreme makeover of the Dodgers' roster. The Dodgers now have $95 million committed in 2006 payroll to 18 players. Colletti, on the job less than two months, has moved off the roster 17 of the 39 players he inherited. In addition to Baez and Carter, he has acquired veterans Rafael Furcal, Bill Mueller, Nomar Garciaparra, Kenny Lofton, Brett Tomko and Sandy Alomar Jr. The two Florida teams are amassing quite a stockpile of pitching prospects.

Hey! We used to play Statis Pro! Mid-80s? Green board, tiny player cards? Numbered cards that determined actions? I definitely remember it. My best friend at the time was a Yankee fan, and for some reason, I remember Jay Howell being especially dominant out of the bullpen, which means I'm assuming we played the 1984 version of the game.

Big enough Jerry Martin? And a floating-headed Don Rowe?

A clearer Alejandro Pena

Just kidding about the "ass" comment. Let me run around b-r.com and I'll hazard a guess.

A blue-hatted Mike Bordick

Ass.

Can we get the hint as to which of those teams was the Mets (the WS, pennant, or division winner)?

Willets Point wrote: Ugh, five pages that should be in the Rico Brogna thread. Change the title! Make it 2006! (Or else stop whining about it.)

Yet another reason why the UMDB is the Greatest. Site. Ever.