Vic Sage

Team Leaders 1) Games - Wright 2) Hits - Reyes 3) Doubles - Wright 4) Triples - Reyes 5) Home runs - Delgado 6) RBI - Delgado 7) Stolen Bases - Reyes 8) Caught stealing - Reyes 9) Runs scored - Beltran 10) Batting average - Alou 11) On base percentage - Beltran 12) Slugging percentage - Beltran 13) OPS - Beltran 14) Strikeouts (most by a batter) - Delgado 15) Walks (most by a batter) - Beltran 16) Wins - Glavine 17) Losses - Maine 18) Strikeouts - O.Perez 19) Walks - O.Perez 20) ERA (low) - Wagner 21) ERA (high) - J.Sosa 22) Saves - Wagner 23) BAA (low) - P.Martinez 24) BAA (high) - Sosa 25) Games started - Maine 26) Games pitched - Heilman 27) Innings Pitched - Maine Player-Specific Predictions 28) Jose Reyes: OBP = .350 29) Jose Reyes: SB = 60 30) Paul LoDuca: BA = .285 31) Paul LoDuca: Games = 120 32) Carlos Beltran: HR = 35 33) Carlos Beltran: SB = 25 34) Carlos Delgado: HR = 40 35) Carlos Delgado: K = 125 36) David Wright: RBI = 110 37) David Wright: OPS = .900 38) Moises Alou: Games = 100 39) Moises Alou: BA = .315 40) Shawn Green: Games = 100 41) Shawn Green: HR = 15 42) Jose Valentin: K = 75 43) Jose Valentin: BA = .245 44) Endy Chavez: Games = 135 45) Endy Chavez: OBP = .350 46) Julio Franco: BA = .270 47) Tom Glavine: IP = 180 48) Tom Glavine: W = 15 49) Orlando Hernandez: Games Started = 20 50) Orlando Hernandez: ERA = 4.10 51) Oliver Perez: K = 180 52) Oliver Perez: ERA = 3.85 53) John Maine: W = 10 54) John Maine: ERA = 4.20 55) Billy Wagner: Saves = 40 56) Aaron Heilman: ERA = 3.25 57) Duaner Sanchez: IP = 25 58) Scott Schoenweis: ERA = 3.65 59) Chan Ho Park: Games Started = 5 60) Mike Pelfrey: IP = 20 61) Phillip Humber: IP = 20 62) Pedro Martinez: Games Started = 10 Game starts: 63) Maine = 32 64) Glavine = 29 65) O.Perez = 27 66) El Duque = 20 67) Pedro = 10 Team Categories 68)Total runs scored = 850 69)Total runs against = 750 70)Team ERA = 4.20 71)Team batting average = .265 standings 72)Record = 93 - 69 73)NL East Finish (1st, 2nd, etc.) = 2nd 74)Games behind NL East Winner = 3 games back 75)NL Division/WC winners: NL East = Phils / NL Central = Cubs / NL West = L.A./ WC = Mets 76)Playoff finish: NLDS = Mets v Dodgers (Mets win in 7) / WS = Yanks v Mets (Mets win in 4!)

thats what i use in some other leagues, and i think it works well to prevent "streaming".

Burgos is young and has options, i think. So, unless he shows he's overcome his control problems and Sanchez and Padilla are both unable to start the season, he could well be sent down.

Nymr83 wrote: thats a self-serving argument if i ever heard one. besides, the intial balloting is done by writers, what the heck would be the point of then passing the failures onto another group of writers? if anything, the veterans committee serves the purpose of letting the players put into the hall those guys who they consider hall-worthy that for whatever reason arent in the thought process of a writer. Madden wasn't arguing that the writers would be able to vote on players again. Only that the "composite ballot" (the umps, owners, managers, etc) be considered by the writers, since they were never considered by them to begin with. as an example, he sighted Dick Williams, one of only 2 managers to take 3 different franchises to the WS (winning 2 out of 4). But Williams was widely hated by his players, some of whom are HOFers sitting on that committee, and so are unlikely to ever vote for him.

why do we need to open it up to outsiders?

i considered those moments, but I don't rate those things as amongst the most "disappointing" in Mets history (other than the Seaver trade, which i did list). Those are personal tragedies, with a public dimension. They are disturbing, upsetting, ire-enducing, and sad, but "disappointing" is just too weak and trivial an emotion to cover such real-life events. Thats why its an appropriate word for a game 7 loss to the Cards, and not for the death of Gil Hodges.

putting the "Mo" contraversy aside for a mo-ment, i think he's right about the disappointment. The Mets were the best team in the NL last year. We were playing a .500 team for the pennant, had the tying runs on in the 9th inning of the 7th game... and we struck out looking. twice. Now certainly, in retrospect, we can look at the progress the franchise made last year, and be happy that we appear to be a team on the rise. But at that mo-ment... watching Beltran look at strike 3, seeing the Cards dance on the Shea grass, knowing the season was over and we would not be winning a WS for the 20th straight year... my pain and disappointment was genuine. And i don't believe for a SECOND that i'm the only one on this forum who felt that way. As to whether it was one of the most disappointing mo-ments in the annals of Mets history... well sure it was. 1) Loss of game 7 in `73 WS; 2) Sciosia hr off Gooden in 88 playoffs; 3) loss of game 2 to Yanks in 00 WS; 4) Pendleton HR off McDowell in `85; 5) Tim Leary blowing out his elbow in his first ML start; 6) Trade of Seaver for a bag of nothing; and 7) loss of game 7 to Cards in 06 WS... yep, there it is. What ever other mo-ments you may want to add to that list, certainly the loss of a game 7 of NL pennant series to an inferior opponent, for a franchise that has only been in such a situation 4 times before in its 44 year history, has to be listed among them.

here's the thread where we discussed our top prospects back in November: http://cybermessageboard.ehost.com/getalife/viewtopic.php?t=5101&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=40 with my projected rankings at that time: ]top 15: Pelfrey, RHP Humber, RHP F.Martinez, OF C.Gomez, OF Bannister, RHP Owens, RHRP J.Flores, C Carp, 1B Coles, OF Guerra, RHP Neise, LHP Soler, RHP Mulvey, RHP J.Smith, RHRP M.Abreu, 1B next 20 (in no particular order): Wylie,RHRP B.Harper, 1b Parnell, RHP D.Martin, OF G.Marte, RHRP S.Henry, OF M.Garcia, 2b T.Stoner, RHP N.Evans, 3b J.Holden, OF Nall, RHRP Tomasiewicz, RHRP M.Perez, RHRP Devaney, RHP C.Stewart, of Collazo, RHP Lindstrom, RHRP Cullen, RHRP Privett, LHP Maldonado, RHRP It looks like the Mets prospects are mostly RHPs, OFs and some 1Bs, with very few middle infield or LHP prospects. 20 kids from 2006 draft were signed and played in the Mets system last year, and the productive ones were almost exclusively RHPs. Dustin Martin (of) was the only non-pitcher to show promise, and Duane Privett the only LHP to make progress.

finally saw it. I was a little disappointed. Perhaps my expectations were too high. I wanted less of WWII fascist Italy and more of pan's labrynth. But it was definitely worth seeing. The ending is quite moving.

Johnny Dickshot wrote: Screw ugly stadiums. Let's hear more about Debbie. not on a public board, JD.

]What sucked about the Mets in 1979 was that they were 66-96 and run on an austere budget. I'm sure the Vet would have been no more pleaseant.had the Mets played there. i agree. my preamble about 79 was not intended to be the source of my thoughts about shea. only to put a date (as JD asked) as to when i personally started thinking of the place as a dump. My list of shea shortcomings are thoughts that occur to me NOW, about Shea in its current situation (which shortcomings started accumulating as other stadia passed it over the last 10-20 or so years). Nothing you've said contradicts any of my observations, beyond saying they may not have been valid in 1979, which i concede. On the other hand the mythology of Shea exists in this thread, with so many of you investing this crap hole with emotional resonance that belongs only to the team and to your memory, both of which will continue on in a new home. They could blow the place up tomorrow and i'd smile.

i remember sitting behind home plate in 1979. I had taken the train in from SUNY Stony Brook to catch an afternnoon game with my then-girlfriend, Debbie (she was a Phillies fan, and the Phils were in for a series). the Mets, as you'll recall, were in the 6th year of that cycle of suckitude and we were able to walk into the parking lot 1/2 hour before gametime and scalp seats right behind home plate for HALF price. So, we're sitting there with what seemed like a total attendance of 300 people, watching them lose again. Debbie had never been to Shea and, as she looked around, said "its not much, is it?" At first i got defensive but, as i looker around, i had to agree. "No", i said. "its pretty much a dump." That was 1979. My view of the stadium hasn't changed much since. Location: the stadium is located in a shithole area, surrounded by chop shops and highways, and under LaGuardia's airspace. Parking: The parking is spread out for miles; for a sold-out game you need to take a bus from distant lots to the LIRR platform which is still a hike from the stadium. After a game, trying to get back through the bottleneck of the single stairway up to the LIRR platform to cross over to the bus area is dangerous and frustrating. Exterior: Shea's symmetrical dimensions are dull. The corrugated orange and blue steel plates have been replaced by neon sculptures, but its still ugly. It lacks even the slightest hint of grace, or pastoral touches, or baseball history or nostalgia. Its not even ironically, post-modernistically hip. Seating: The seats are hard and narrow (unless you're sitting in the luxury field boxes behind the dugouts); many face in the wrong direction; rear loge and mezz have horriblely obstructed sightlines; the upper deck is in another time zone. Interior: A concrete bunker with ramps, it evokes a Soviet-style apartment complex-version of the guggenheim. It has no hub, no promenade, no open areas. It is dank, claustrophobic and ugly. Amenities: In yearly polls, Shea is consistently voted amongst the worst ballpark food and food value in the majors. The bathroom issues have been discussed, but standing in 2 inches of standing water (of unknown origin) while waiting online to pee is a situation that bears mention. There are no views of the game from the promenade areas or any restaurants. In fact, there are no sitdown restaurants available at all, unless you have season tix or box seats, and the "Diamond Club" isn't a gem to begin with. There are no activites or areas for kids (all of whom get bored at some point). "Fanfest" is a bad carny joke. The Mets "museum" is a trophy case in the Diamond Club lobby. Look, i've been to a bunch of ballparks in other cities... majors and minors. Some new, some old. And i've enjoyed every single one of them more than Shea. Every. Single. One. I'm not saying i've seen them all or even alot, but Shea pales in comparison, and becomes more pathetic with each passing year. Yes, i've had some amazing times there. But that was created by the team and the crowd, not by the stadium. I'm perfectly happy for them to build me a more compfortable, cozy, enjoyable ballpark to watch a game in. Memories are forever, but concrete crumbles.

that saturday is not going to work for me, unless you do it late (after 10pm). i guess i'm stuck with another autodraft. i hate autodrafts.

one of the best of an admittedly weak movie year. Sharp, well drawn, touching. Eckart pulls off an amazing trick of making that character sympathetic. But Katie Holmes is almost always a bad idea. And what was that JD said about "incredible tits"? Where? When? Was I napping? shoot. I really hate missing incredible tits.

As it stands now (including ST invitees): Lineup (8) 1) Reyes (ss) ** 2) LoDuca 3) Beltran (cf) ** 4) Delgado (1b) * 5) Wright 6) Alou (lf) 7) Green (rf) * 8) Valentin (2b) ** Bench (5) 1) Castro © 2) Franco (1b/3b) 3) Easley (IF) 4) Chavez (Of) * 5) Newhan (Ut) * 40-man = - (IF): Hernandez ** - (OF): Johnson / Milledge / Gomez NR invitees = - (IF): Abreu / Carp* / Gotay** - (OF): Ambres / Martinez* / Sierra** / Mendez** - ©: DiFelice / Butera / Hietpas / Nickeas / Pena / Alomar,jr / JA Reyes** Rotation (5) 1) Glavine * 2) Maine 3) O.Perez * 4) Hernandez 5) Park Bullpen (7) 1) Wagner *- (closer) 2) Burgos - (set-up / closer) 3) Heilman - (set-up / MI) 4) Schoenweiss* - (MI / Loogy) 5) Feliciano* - (MI / Loogy) 6) Adkins - (MI / Roogy) 7) Sosa - (long relief / 6th starter) 40-man = - SP: Pelfrey / Humber / Soler / Bostick / Vargas* - DL: Martinez / Williams* - RP: Carvajal - DL: Sanchez / Padilla - Suspension: Mota NR invitees = - SP: Sele / Mulvey / D.Lee* / Collazo* - RP: Nageotte / Urdaneta / J.Vasquez/ Smith / Camacho* / Schmoll / Bynum / Santiago --------------------------------------- * = Lefty hitter / pitcher ** = switch-hitter

i'd vote for the previous Sunday nite, then.

i agree with abogie. Sunday nite seems ideal... the night before the season starts, with the kids in bed. i vote for 9pm on sunday.

plus there's no reason to have 2 backup SSs on the bench, so if A.H. makes it, it'll have to be over Easley's dead body. which would be fine by me, by the way.

if he's actually learned to hit, i'd be happy for him to dismiss Easley from the 25-man roster. Valentin's defense was better than sound last year, so we should only replace him with a clearly superior hitter. The only way Anderson fits that bill is if Valentin pops a hammy.

The Golem's Mighty Swing http://www.amazon.com/Golems-Mighty-Swing-James-Sturm/dp/1896597459/sr=1-3/qid=1170265585/ref=sr_1_3/102-2781182-7010568?ie=UTF8&s=books

had a date with the missus last night. SInce i picked the last movie (Bond... James Bond), she picked this one. i was hoping for Pan's Labrynth, Iwo Jima, or Departed... but they're all too violent for her. So she picked this Will Smith movie. Now, i usually like Will Smith, but that's the last movie she gets to pick for a lonnnnnnnnnng time.

McReyn..?... DOH! How much longer, lord? how much longer?

Glavine El Duque Maine O.Perez Williams The current leading veteran candidates are: - Sele / Sosa / Williams / Soler / Vargas + rookies: Pelfrey / Humber / Collazo I think Willie will go with a veteran initially, wanting the young guns to get regular work early in the season and be ready if/when the old arms go down or are ineffective. I think it'll come down to Sele, Williams and Sosa, in that order, and whichever one sucks least in ST will get the nod. I'm guessing Sele is finished, but Williams will show enough to start the season as the 5th SPer over Sosa.

I've evaluated his trades based on my judgment as to whether: - a player obtained either contributed meaningfully for the Mets, and at what cost, and/or - value-for-value talent evaluation (degree to which players obtained had significant remaining value, relative to what was given up for them (if anything), and vice versa (for players given up). on the whole, i'd say his moves were a net positive for the Mets. GOOD -November 22, 1993:New York Mets signed free agent Mike Remlinger. (he had a substantial career) -Mets drafted Kelly Stinnett from the Cleveland Indians (ML contributor) -March 27, 1994: New York Mets traded Kevin Baez and Tom Wegmann to the Baltimore Orioles for David Segui. (gave up nothing for player with significant career) -New York Mets traded Anthony Young and Ottis Smith to the Chicago Cubs for Jos� Vizcaino. (gave up nothing for solid contributor) -March 31, 1994: New York Mets traded Alan Zinter to the Detroit Tigers for Rico Brogna. (gave up nothing for significant - if shorterm- career) -November 28, 1994: New York Mets traded Juan Castillo and Andy Beckerman to the Houston Astros for Pete Harnisch. (gave up nothing for contribution to Mets season) -November 29, 1994: New York Mets traded Quilvio Veras to the Florida Marlins for Carl Everett. (borderline player for significant career) -April 11, 1995: New York Mets signed free agent Brett Butler. (solid contribution to that Mets season) -November 7, 1995: New York Mets signed free agent Rick Reed. (significant career) -December 14, 1995: New York Mets signed free agent Lance Johnson of the Chicago White Sox. (huge contribution for that season) -December 19, 1995: New York Mets traded Al Shirley to the Kansas City Royals for Brent Mayne.(nothing for a solid backup catcher) -January 17, 1996: New York Mets traded Kelly Stinnett to the Milwaukee Brewers for Cory Lidle. (backup catcher for a solid SP) -January 22, 1996: New York Mets traded Yudith Ozorio, Erik Hiljus and Eric Ludwick to the St. Louis Cardinals for Bernard Gilkey. (nothing for one of the best mets seasons ever) -March 31, 1996: New York Mets traded Ryan Thompson and Reid Cornelius to the Cleveland Indians for Mark Clark. (He made a contribution that season) -April 8, 1996: New York Mets traded Chris DeWitt to the Chicago Cubs for Matt Franco. (solid backup) -April 29, 1996: New York Mets signed free agent Endy Chavez.(turned out to be a solid backup) -December 20, 1996: New York Mets traded Robert Person to the Toronto Blue Jays for John Olerud. (best trade) -December 23, 1996: New York Mets signed free agent Todd Pratt. (solid backup catcher) BAD -April 7, 1994: Cincinnati Reds claimed Pete Schourek of the New York Mets on waivers (young pitcher played well for a few years). -June 2, 1994: New York Mets selected Paul Wilson in first round (first pick overall) of free agent draft. (bust) -New York Mets selected Terrence Long in first round (20th pick overall) of free agent draft. (bust) -November 18, 1994: New York Mets traded Jeromy Burnitz and Joe Roa to the Cleveland Indians for Dave Mlicki, Paul Byrd, Jerry Dipoto and Jesus Azuaje. (Burnitz went on to a much bigger career than any of the players given up for him) -November 30, 1994: New York Mets traded Fernando Vina and Javier Gonzales to the Milwaukee Brewers for Doug Henry. (Vina had a decent career; Henry didn't do much) -May 11, 1995: New York Mets traded Mike Remlinger to the Cincinnati Reds for Cobi Cradle. (Remlinger ended up a solid RP) -June 8, 1995: New York Mets traded David Segui to the Montreal Expos for Reid Cornelius. (Segui had some good years for other teams) -July 28, 1995: New York Mets traded Bobby Bonilla and Jimmy Williams to the Baltimore Orioles for Alex Ochoa and Damon Buford. (Bonilla had solid years left, and the 2 prospects were busts) -July 31, 1995: New York Mets traded Bret Saberhagen and David Swanson to the Colorado Rockies for Juan Acevedo and Arnold Gooch.(Saberhagen had a few good years left; we got nothing) -July 29, 1996: New York Mets traded Jeff Kent and Jos� Vizcaino to the Cleveland Indians for Carlos Baerga and Alvaro Espinoza. (worst trade he ever made for Mets) -November 25, 1996: New York Mets traded Paul Byrd to the Atlanta Braves for Greg McMichael. (Byrd went on to solid career) -New York Mets traded Rico Brogna to the Philadelphia Phillies for Ricardo Jordan and Toby Borland. (Brogna had strong years for Philly)

me too