Vic Sage

As a rule, I try not to indulge in shadenfreude, but the hole Clemens is digging for himself makes me positively giddy.

I'd like to see Pelfrey actually succeed as a SPer at AAA before slotting him in as the 5th starter in our rotation. I'm fine having El Duque start as the #5, with Pelfrey in AAA waiting for the inevitable call up. I don't like using the kid in the bullpen. Its not a role he's used to, nor is it likely to be where we want to end up, so what's the point? We have a number of long reliever/spot starter types available without imposing that kind of role on a kid we're hoping turns into a quality starter. I'd much rather he get a regular start in a rotation then run the risk of him either (i) sitting doing nothing in our bullpen for long stretches (if the starters stay healthy and perform well) or (ii) have him throw on a daily basis (if the starters are going into the tank, like they did in August/Sept last season). There are, of course, other possible ways he'd be used out of the pen but neither of the scenarios I posited are farfetched, nor do they do much for his development. [u:b9988f0dcc]Bullpen:[/u:b9988f0dcc] -Wagner -Heilman -Feliciano -schoenweis -Sosa -Sanchez (if healthy), and/or: -Wise / Register / Joe Smith / Juan Padilla / Carlos Muniz / Ruddy Lugo / Willie Collazo / Vargas / Armas

So far, i'd say none of them are of "historical" importance... I'm just leaving open the possibility that there were, are or could be guys who aren't HOFers, but left an impressive legacy (what if Mookie gets elected President? how about Senator Fernandez of Hawaii? What if Doc Taylor descovered a cure for cancer?) But what I'm also talking about is discussing such players in terms of the Franchise's history, rather than just societal history. For example, a career player like Kranepool, who was there from the inception of the organization, and leads the franchise in all longevity categories could be considered ... if he was a better player. If he was a Rusty Staub-type player (a really good but not HOF player) who had that kind of Kranepoolian signficance to the franchise, i'd think such a player should be considered. What if David Wright has an excellent but not HOF career, but spends nearly his entire career in NY, and ends up leading the franchise in numerous stats, as well as being the face of the organization for 10-15 years, doing charity and outreach, and generally being a team leader and standup guy? What if he also ends up a coach or manager here? I'd say that type of Mets career would warrant having his number retired, even if he doesn't end up in the HOF or win a WS ring. I don't want enshrinement in the HOF or a WS ring to be an absolute necessity for such an honor. But neither do i want numbers all over the outfield wall, making them less special.

I think the only players who should have their numbers retired are those HOFers who have spent most of their careers, and have had their most productive seasons, with the Mets, or players who have otherwise had a unique historical impact on the franchise. Based on this criteria, i don't see retiring any of the numbers suggested here (Piazza, Carter, Hernandez), as all those players had their most productive seasons elsewhere, nor did any of them spend the majority of their careers in NY (on edit: except for Piazza, who played slightly more of his games here, but still had his most productive seasons and more awards in LA), nor did any of them have any particular historical importance for the Mets, beyond playing on winning teams.Carter had his best years and spent most of his career as a Montreal Expo. Hernandez's career was primarily as a Cardinal, where he won an MVP. Carter and Hernandez certainly were key players on the 80s teams, but so were alot of other guys. Ditto for Piazza on the 1998-2000 teams. Mike was also part of the subsequent downfall of that era, with his huge contract, defensive deficiencies and inability to transition to 1b. Also, I don't like retiring numbers of coaches, owners and administrative personnel, by and large. But I give Casey and Gil a pass because of their historic importance to the franchise. I also think we could retire #62 for Mrs Payson and Mr. Shea, as a symbolic gesture for their roles in bringing NL baseball back to NY in 1962.

i vote 24, then 48. 72 hours is too long for both waivers and trades. If you can't check your site at least once every 2 days, then you deserve to be at a disadvantage.

she's ok but she's definitely no Mrs. Kucinich.

Do either Easley or Anderson play shortstop? Gotay does. Right now, Easley is our only RHed OF bat off the bench. If Wilson shows something in ST, i think that's the job he takes.

Centerfield wrote: I can't believe there is any question about retiring Piazza's number. In 1998, over 109 games, he hit .348, hit 23 HR's, and drove in 76. Those are great numbers. In '99 and '00 he had MVP-caliber years. In 2001 and 2002, he had very good numbers for any hitter, great numbers for a catcher (averages out to .290, 34.5 HR's, 96 RBI). He was hurt in 2003, and remained a productive player, albeit not a star, in 2004 and 2005. He was a perennial all-star, led the team to a World Series, and almost single-handedly rescued them from what had been nearly a decade of mediocrity. No one on this current team, or the 80's Mets or the '69 Mets had as much pressure to carry the team as Piazza did during '98 to '01. Take Piazza out of the picture and that team doesn't even come close to being in a pennant race...meaning there is no contender playing at Shea from 1990 to 2006. And of course it would continue the tradition of the Mets retiring the numbers of players whose greatest days were as Dodgers.

beisbol bin berry berry good to me. I'm in, mi amigos.

fun with Mets names here's a fellatio-related list: Orel Hirshiser, Bob Moorhead, Dave Mlicki, Jason Hardtke Carl Willey, and all the Dicks (Stuart, Tidrow, Schofield, Selma, Smith and Rusteck) and the Johnsons (Ben, Howard, Lance, Mark and both Bobs) for the musically inclined: Frank Viola Lute Barnes Paul Gibson Kenny Rogers and the Bells (Gus, Derek, Heath and Jay) for thosw with a more literary, artistic or cinematic bent: James Baldwin Ben Johnson Randy Niemann Wayne Kirby Buzz Capra George Altman Jeremy Griffiths For those who like to travel: Daryl Boston Don Florence Mike Hampton John Maine Dave West Claudell Washington Miguel Cairo Jesse Hudson - also - Choo Choo Coleman Chuck Carr Dan Wheeler Animals: Kevin Bass Paul Byrd Pete Falcone Shawn Hare David Lamb Terry Leach Barry Lyons Jason Roach Craig Swan Hawk Taylor George "the stork" Theodore other food-related names: Bill Almon Chip Ambres Billy Beane Duke Carmel David Cone Cliff & Dennis Cook Vinegar Bend Mizell Norm Sherry Daryl Strawberry Marv Throneberry how about some nice folks? Ron Darling Bob Friend Damion Easley Dwight Gooden Randy Sterling Greg Harts Rick Sweet John and Jose Valentin Bobby & Ellis Valentine David Wright Todd Zeile and some folks who are less pleasant? Jack Aker Darren Bragg Jerry Cram Brent Gaff Jonn DeMerit Andy Hassler Clint Hurdle Joe Moock Todd Pratt Mac Scarce Larry Stahl Pat Strange and some who are downright deadly: Dannty Graves Dennis Misgraves Tom Grieve Mark Carreon Ron Hunt Ed Lynch some big names: Butch Huskey Terrence Long Jeff Musselman and some small ones: Blas Minor Anthony Young Junior Naboa Junior Ortiz Mark Little Bill Short the names of some powerful leaders: Danny Napolean Tito Navarro and the Franco family (Matt, John, Julio) Ike Hampton Jeff Kaiser Dave Kingman and those with less powerful jobs: Jack Fisher Tome Filer Duffy Dyer Mike Draper Jeff Gardner Roger MAson -and alot of Parkers, Millers, and Taylors the religious: Kurt Abbott Jesus Alou Moises Alou Mike Bishop Jose Cardenal Christensen (John&McCay) Tom Edens Wade & Bill Graham Bobby Klaus Tom Parsons Gary Templeton Jon Nunnally those found in nature: George Stone Cliff Floyd Brent Hinchcliffe Chuck Hiller Jason Middlebrook Brook Fordyce Hubie Brooks Dean Chance David Weathers Hank Webb and those made by man: Donne Wall Brian Bannister Tom Hall Bill Speiers Ron Locke Bobby PFeil Royce Ring Tim Spehr Jay Hook here's a colorful bunch: Kevin & Leon Brown Rick White Wally Whitehurst Prentice Redman Rusty Staub (+ Tillman) and the Greens (Dallas, Pumpsie, Shawn, Charlie)

metsmarathon wrote: i'm starting to wonder if there's an inherent flaw, or perhaps if we're just uncovering an inehrent truth, that trading away cheap production for more expensive, albeit potentially greater, production doesn't seem like the way to "win" a trade... well, i think this is the inherent flaw in this line of thinking. GMs aren't trying to "win a trade"... they're trying to win championships. Yes, the Mets "lost" the dotel/Hampton trade... but as a direct consequence of that trade, Hampton led the 2000 Mets pitching staff to the world series. So was it really a bad trade? Depends on how you define "bad", i guess. But would the Mets have gone to the WS with Dotel in the rotation in 2000? He put up an ERA over 5 for Houston in 2000. How about more starts for Pat Mahomes? Would that have given us the 15 wins /200+IP /142 era+ that Hampton gave us that year? And considering his performance since 2000, did the failure to re-sign Hampton for the mega-dollars he wanted (and got) really hurt the deal's value further, or does it help it? Yes, Dotel has had a few good major league seasons, but not that many. And considering Hampton was a frontline SP coming off a career year in Houston, I'd say we paid remarkably little for him, and were able to do so exactly BECAUSE he was unsigned beyond 2000. The deal accomplished precisely what it was intended to. It got us to the post-season. The Yankees were simply better that year. And any formula that considers the acquisition of Hampton in the winter of 1999 a "bad deal" needs to be reconsidered. Furthermore, in establishing whether trades, in general, help more or hurt more, you need to look at each GM's record separately. Lumping Cashen in with Joe McDonald, with Jim McIlvaine, with Steve Phillips, together with Minaya is meaningless. they were operating in different environments, with different assets, and with different philosophies, and different owners. I'd be interested in evaluating the moves made by Frank Cashen from 1980, when Doubleday/Wilpon bought the team until he left in 1990. The best team in Mets history was built with 1st round picks Gooden & Strawberry, and was impacted by the following trades (some bad, mostly good): 1981: - Reardon > Ellis Valentine 1982: - Greg Harris > George Foster - Mike Scott > Danny Heep - Mazzilli > Darling + Terrell 1983: - Neil Allen + Ownby > Keith Hernandez - Carlos diaz + Bailor > Sid Fernandez 1984: - G.Young, M.Lee, M.Cook > Ray Knight - Terrell > Hojo - Hubie Brooks +Winningham,Youmans,Fitzgerald > G.Carter 1985: - Jose Oquendo > Salazar, J.Young - Schiraldi +Gardner,Christensen,Tarver > Ojeda 1986: - Beane + Latham,Clink > Teufel after that year, Cashen's deals included: 1986: - Kevin Mitchell+abner,Jefferson > McReynolds 1987: - Hearn+Anderson, Gozzo > Cone - Orosco > Tapani, Whitehurst 1989: - Aguilera +Tapani, West,Drummond > Viola - Dykstra + McDowell > Juan Samuel - Samuel > A.Pena + M.Marshall

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: And you should post more reviews here. don't have as much time these days.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Most critics savaged 300. Why should I go?. Because, first of all, I think it is a foundation-shifting film that may well alter the basic paradigm of filmmaking the way that JAZZ SINGER, GONE WITH THE WIND, EASY RIDER, THE GODFATHER, BLADERUNNER and THE MATRIX did. Secondly, most critics who DID savage it did so more for thematic (i.e., political) reasons than aesthetic ones. There were also a core of critics who praised it highly.

if you talk contract with a player who is under contract with another team, that is "tampering", i believe. Mets couldn't officially negotiate until Twins OKed a trade. There was likely some unofficial, carefully worded, backchannel discussions however, for the Mets to assess whether Santana was signable before they made the trade.

I think they'll end up in the 7-year / 150M range (including 2008), with the 7th year as an option. Somthing like: 2008 = 13.5M (current contract) + $7.5m bonus 2009 = 21.5M 2010 = 21.5M 2011 = 21.5M 2012 = 21.5M 2013 = 21.5M 2014 = 21.5M (vesting based on IP)

2007 films that i have seen (with # of nominations): ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS - ** not good, but not as bad as the reviews ARE WE DONE YET? - * awful BECAUSE I SAID SO - ** mediocre chick flick BEOWULF - *** visually stunning but sterile BLADES OF GLORY - ** a few laughs THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM (3) - *** best of series BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA - *** touching DAN IN REAL LIFE - *** nice EVAN ALMIGHTY - * awful FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER - **1/2 add a * if you're a geek THE GAME PLAN - ** treacly crap GHOST RIDER - **1/2 cool effects, incomprensible story THE GOLDEN COMPASS (2) - **1/2 stunning, dull GRINDHOUSE - *** for Rodriguez's PLANET TERROR, ** for Tarentino's DEATH PROOF HAIRSPRAY - **** one of the best films of the year got zero nominations! HAPPILY N'EVER AFTER - * awful animation I AM LEGEND - ** 1/2 impressive visuals, mood; flawed storytelling JUNO (4) - *** 1/2 one of my faves this year KNOCKED UP - **1//2 strange combo of stupid and sweet LICENSE TO WED - ** flat romantic comedy LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD - *** good entry in series MEET THE ROBINSONS - *** solid MICHAEL CLAYTON (7) - **** best film of the year MR. MAGORIUM'S WONDER EMPORIUM - ** floundering fantasy MUSIC AND LYRICS - *** sweet romantic comedy OCEAN'S THIRTEEN - * unwatchable ONCE (1) - *** simple, pure, moving PATHFINDER - * edited with pruning sheers PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END (2) - ** enough already SHREK THE THIRD - ** ditto THE SIMPSONS MOVIE - **1/2 solid tv episode SPIDER-MAN 3 - **1/2 going downhill STARDUST - *** underrated fantasy SUPERBAD - * i couldn't get through it SURF'S UP (1) - **1/2 just ok SWEENEY TODD THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET (3) - ***1/2 dark musical adaptation works well TMNT - ** feh 300 - **** my favorite movie of the year 3:10 TO YUMA (2) - **1/2 some good action, some good perfs, lame remake TRANSFORMERS (3) - *** very solid action pic 28 WEEKS LATER - **1/2 more zombie fun UNDERDOG - ** like ALVIN; bad, but not terrible WILD HOGS - ** the boys need another hobby ZODIAC - **1/2 dull thriller Other films with Oscar nominations: ACROSS THE UNIVERSE - (1) AMERICAN GANGSTER - (2) ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES - (2) ATONEMENT - (7) AUGUST RUSH - (1) AWAY FROM HER - (2) CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR - (1) THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY - (4) EASTERN PROMISES - (1) ELIZABETH: GOLDEN AGE - (2) ENCHANTED - (3) GONE BABY GONE - (1) I'M NOT THERE - (1) IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH - (1) INTO THE WILD - (2) THE KITE RUNNER - (1) LA VIE EN ROSE - (3) LARS AND THE REAL GIRL - (1) NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN - (8) NORBIT - (1) PERSEPOLIS - (1) RATATOUILLE - (5) THE SAVAGES - (2) SICKO (1) THERE WILL BE BLOOD - (8) Well-reviewed films with no nominations: BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD THE BRAVE ONE BREACH THE DARJEELING LIMITED THE HOAX THE LOOKOUT LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA MAN IN THE CHAIR A MIGHTY HEART RENDITION WAITRESS THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY YEAR OF THE DOG This year's most egregiously overlooked film: (tie) HAIRSPRAY, 300

AG/DC wrote: There wasn't anybody hip or ironic in Fast Times, though. I thought it was the film's saving grace that nobody was superior. No real first-person stuff. No real protagonist, either. Judge Rheinhold's character comes the closest to standing out ("Hope you had a nice piss, Arnold!"), but they're a bunch of mini-protaginoists who we don't get close enough to engage with their angst. agreed about FAST TIMES' lack of irony. That's why it was on the 2nd list of titles that suffered from an "irony deficiency", thus not really fitting into the genre as i defined it.

Pregnancy isn't a required element of the genre. Just a young protagonist or two through whose eyes we get to see their angst (either due to dysfunctional family dynamic, school or peer pressures, etc), but done with ironic humor and low key, off-beat characters.

The evolution of a sub-genre: The Quirky / American / Coming-of-age / Indie-style / Dramedy �Juno� represents a style of �off beat comedy� that features at least 1 teen protagonist coming of age in a dysfunctional situation, punctuated with humorously ironic observation and post-modern cinematic style and (sometimes) a cool soundtrack. Other examples of the genre: Harold & Maude � the granddaddy of the genre. Dazed & Confused Heathers Pump up the Volume American Beauty Ghost World Donnie Darko Rushmore Squid & the Whale What�s eating Gilbert Grape Welcome to the Doll�s House Slums of Beverly Hills Virgin Suicides Igby Goes Down Palindromes Tadpole Running With Scissors Angus Outside Providence Mystic Pizza Art School Confidential Little Miss Sunshine Opposite of Sex The following titles are good movies that DO NOT FIT THE GENRE due to an irony deficiency: Night of the Comet Better Off Dead One Crazy Summer Pretty In Pink Breakfast Club American Pie Valley Girl Clueless Ferris Beuhller Fast Times at Ridgemont High Flamingo Kid Cooley High American Graffitti Stand By Me some UK examples: If... Wish You Were Here Gregory's Girl

I've only seen 9 of the nominated films, and I'd rank them as follows: Michael Clayton - solid legal thriller - *** Juno - *** Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - *** --- Once - ** 1/2 The Bourne Ultimatum - ** 1/2 Transformers - ** 1/2 --- 3:10 to Yuma - ** Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - ** The Golden Compass - *1/2

Best motion picture of the year "Atonement" "Juno" "Michael Clayton" "No Country for Old Men" "There Will Be Blood" Performance by an actor in a leading role George Clooney in "Michael Clayton" Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood" Johnny Depp in "Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" Tommy Lee Jones in "In the Valley of Elah" Viggo Mortensen in "Eastern Promises" Performance by an actor in a supporting role Casey Affleck in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" Javier Bardem in "No Country for Old Men" Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Charlie Wilson's War" Hal Holbrook in "Into the Wild" Tom Wilkinson in "Michael Clayton" Performance by an actress in a leading role Cate Blanchett in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" Julie Christie in "Away from Her" Marion Cotillard in "La Vie en Rose" Laura Linney in "The Savages" Ellen Page in "Juno" Performance by an actress in a supporting role Cate Blanchett in "I'm Not There" Ruby Dee in "American Gangster" Saoirse Ronan in "Atonement" Amy Ryan in "Gone Baby Gone" Tilda Swinton in "Michael Clayton" Achievement in directing Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" Jason Reitman, "Juno" Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton" Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men" Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood" Adapted screenplay "Atonement", Screenplay by Christopher Hampton "Away from Her", Written by Sarah Polley "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly", Screenplay by Ronald Harwood "No Country for Old Men", Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen "There Will Be Blood", Written for the screen by Paul Thomas Anderson Original screenplay "Juno", Written by Diablo Cody "Lars and the Real Girl", Written by Nancy Oliver "Michael Clayton", Written by Tony Gilroy "Ratatouille", Screenplay by Brad Bird "The Savages", Written by Tamara Jenkins Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score) "Atonement", Dario Marianelli "The Kite Runner", Alberto Iglesias "Michael Clayton", James Newton Howard "Ratatouille", Michael Giacchino "3:10 to Yuma", Marco Beltrami Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song) "Falling Slowly" from "Once" (Music and Lyric by Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova) "Raise It Up" from "August Rush" "Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted" (Music/Alan Menken; Lyric/ Stephen Schwartz) "So Close" from "Enchanted" (Music/Alan Menken; Lyric/ Stephen Schwartz) "That's How You Know" from "Enchanted" (Music/Alan Menken; Lyric/ Stephen Schwartz) Best animated feature film of the year "Persepolis" "Ratatouille" "Surf's Up" Best documentary feature "No End in Sight" "Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience" "Sicko" "Taxi to the Dark Side" "War/Dance" Best foreign language film of the year "Beaufort" - Israel "The Counterfeiters" - Austria "Katyn" - Poland "Mongol" - Kazakhstan "12" - Russia Achievement in art direction "American Gangster" "Atonement" "The Golden Compass" "Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" "There Will Be Blood" Achievement in cinematography "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" "Atonement" "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" "No Country for Old Men" "There Will Be Blood" Achievement in costume design "Across the Universe" "Atonement" "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" "La Vie en Rose" "Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" Achievement in film editing "The Bourne Ultimatum" "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" "Into the Wild" "No Country for Old Men" "There Will Be Blood" Achievement in makeup "La Vie en Rose" "Norbit" "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" Achievement in sound editing "The Bourne Ultimatum" "No Country for Old Men" "Ratatouille" "There Will Be Blood" "Transformers" Achievement in sound mixing "The Bourne Ultimatum" "No Country for Old Men" "Ratatouille" "3:10 to Yuma" "Transformers" Achievement in visual effects "The Golden Compass" "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" "Transformers" Best documentary short subject "Freeheld" "La Corona (The Crown)" "Salim Baba" "Sari's Mother" Best animated short film "I Met the Walrus" "Madame Tutli-Putli" "M�me Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)" "My Love (Moya Lyubov)" "Peter & the Wolf" Best live action short film "At Night" "Il Supplente (The Substitute)" "Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)" "Tanghi Argentini" "The Tonto Woman"

]If Popper and Klapisch were truly interested in seeing a better team instead of just running their mouths off, they'd know this sort of thing. Putting pressure on Minyana only means he's going to get a worse deal. Chuck, you are proceeding from a false assumption. The media has no vested interest in a seeing the local team get better. Their only interest is in having a story to tell. They sell stories. To tell compelling stories, they need conflict. So, if they've reported a rumor of a trade as fact, then the trade either has to happen or fall apart for the story to continue. This waiting around stuff is a story killer. The outcome of the trade, similarly, is not important either. If its great or a disaster, it furthers the story. Even if it turns out a good trade for both sides, their is some mileage to be gained. But they don't care who wins. They just don't want a rain delay, as Mr. Noble aptly said.

liked it alot. Never heard of the Frames, but i absolutely loved the songs and will be picking up the soundtrack. There's an honesty and purity about this film that i found touching and profound.

nice date movie for me and the missus.

loved the original the remake... not so much.