Vic Sage

i just rewatched this last night on cable. i still like it, despite its obvious (and significant) problems, which i noted above. And i once again have to do a mea culpa in my premature criticism of Affleck's Batman. It's the best version of Batman after Bales (and Kevin Conroy). He offers an older Bruce Wayne, but with a prep school obnoxiousness that is spot on, and his Batman is truly a deadly monster. They've gone back to both the roots of the character, where he carried a pistol and had no problems killing bad guys, while updating it with Frank Miller's version of an older Wayne. But that "Martha" twist... it's just awful, practically destroying the movie (along with Eisenberg and Doomsday).

I'm voting for 10, all of whom put up numbers over the average HOFers at their positions, without consideration of accused steroid use: 1. Barry Bonds 2. Roger Clemens ___________ 3. Jeff Bagwell ---------- 4. Edgar Martinez 5. Manny Ramirez 6. Curt Schilling 7. Mike Mussina 8. Ivan Rodriguez 9. Tim Raines 10. Vladimir Guerrero --------- 10a. Larry Walker [ranked a drop below Guerrero, only because of injuries and Coors factor. I would vote for him next year, if slot were available]

has anybody else seen it?

send me a photo.

The New York Mets have added top prospect Amed Rosario, outfielder Wuilmer Becerra, catcher Tomas Nido, and right-handed pitchers Chris Flexen, and Marcos Molina to the 40-man roster http://metsmerizedonline.com/2016/11/mets-add-rosario-nido-becerra-flexen-molina-to-40-man-roster.html/

the gamble is always on whether you protect guys like Nido and Becerra, who have big upside but clearly arent' ready to play in the majors yet (so you figure they won't stay on anybody's 25-man roster), or guys with more limited potential but who are in AA and AAA, and may be able to contribute to a team now. I like a guy like Taijeron, and would've liked to see him get some ABs at CitiField last year, or at least work at 1b in Vegas. But i doubt he's going to get protected, because of his age, high K rate, and a lackluster glove. Yet he may well get picked off over a guy like Becerra who is more potential than production so far, and is still quite young. Still, some team may be able to pick him and just red shirt him at the end of their bench for a year. Then, if Taijeron is the AAAA player he seems, and if Becerra becomes what he can, we'll be kicking ourselves for years. So you have to protect Becerra over Taijeron in that scenario

power, speed, defense, albeit with a shit ton of Ks. Now they just need some more pitching.

i mostly enjoyed this one. Cumberbatch was perfect, and they nailed all the elements of the Dr. Strange universe, from the cape, to the eye of agamatto, to the Ditko-esque universe of Dormammu. I didn't love the INCEPTION-like visual effects, but other than that, it was spot on.

Tomorrow is the deadline for setting the 40-man roster. The Mets currently have 34 players on the 40-man roster, leaving 6 open spots. The following players are eligible for Rule V draft. Which ones do they protect? Do they leave slots open for free agents? prediction (4): Rosario, Molina, Becerra, Nido AAA --- Las Vegas 51s Chasen Bradford Kyle Johnson L.J. Mazzilli Tyler Pill *Paul Sewald [maybe] Travis Taijeron Beck Wheeler AA --- Binghamton Mets Jayce Boyd Xorge Carrillo *Phillip Evans [maybe] *Ricky Knapp [maybe] Luis Mateo Kevin McGowan Jeff McNeil Matt Oberste Paul Paez Tim Peterson Colton Plaia *Amed Rosario[definitely] *Champ Stuart[maybe] Logan Taylor A+ --- St. Lucie Mets *Wuilmer Becerra[probably] Patrick Biondi Chris Flexen[maybe] Marcos Molina[probably] John Mora Tomas Nido[probably] *Corey Oswalt[maybe] Scarlyn Reyes *Jhoan Urena[maybe] A --- Columbia Fireflies Tyler Bashlor Kevin Canelon Nabil Crismatt Jeff Diehl Jose Garcia Cameron Griffin Johnny Magliozzi Craig Missigman Christian Montgomery Natanael Ramos Joe Tuschak A- --- Brooklyn Cyclones Gabriel Feliz Ty Williams R --- Kingsport Mets Adrian Almeida Franklin Correa Ronald Guedez Jose Maria Jose Carlos Medina Dionis Rodriguez R --- GCL Mets Nicolas Debora Jose Geraldo Luis Montero Aneury Olivo Miguel Patino Pedro Perez Richard Reina Carlos Sanchez

i'll take that Votto deal, WATP or no. With our projected rotation over the next 3 years, he'd be the perfect fit to get us over the hump (with Cespedes). After that, its a rebuild anyway.

Ceetar wrote: I want no part of Bruce starting for the Mets because he's not good so he's the obvious choice. But I'd probably look to sell high on Granderson even though I really like him. Cespedes, Lagares, and some other guy you sign for RF with Conforto trying to earn a spot and a lefty CF type to backup so we don't have Cespedes playing there. (sign Cespedes obviously) Bruce and Conforto haven't hit enough to be starters out of the gate, so only trading Curtis if we're filling the outfield with others. first of all, trading Granderson wouldn't be "selling high". Trading him last off-season would've been selling high. While Grandy certainly salvaged this past year with his HR outbreak late in the season, he did end up below most of his career averages. And he's 35. Trading him instead of Bruce would also leave CF to a platoon of Lagares & Conforto (or Nimmo), unless we were getting a CFer back. With hist strong finish, Bruce has pretty much the same value he had when he acquired him. And at $13m, he's not greatly overpaid. So if we gave up one of our system's top 10 prospects for him, i think we might get something similar now. And it wouldn't have to be a CFer; it could be a catcher.

i think they're definitely going to try and move Bruce's contract now.

Canadian director Denis Villeneuve (Sicario, Prisoners) has adapted a great SF short story (“Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang) into a great film. A dozen alien ships land in random places around the world, but the aliens remain unseen, within their stone-like monoliths. Countries bring teams of linguists and scientists in to try and communicate with them, as people start to panic. In the US, the military (Forrest Whitaker) bring in a team (Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner) and they may yet uncover a truth that will change humanity forever. It’s a thoughtful, dreamlike film about causality and free will, and, despite its intellectual conceits, it is deeply moving. It is a contemplative film, not an action movie, and its deliberate pacing can put some people off. But i found it emotionally satisfying and I recommend it. I also recommend Ted Chiang's short story collection where i originally found the story, called "Stories of Your Life and others" https://www.amazon.com/Stories-Your-Life-Others-Chiang/dp/B00BQ1TZDA/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

yup

Centerfield wrote: I hear the Reds have a pretty good second base prospect. Little guy, but he's hit at every level and has surprising power. We are going to have a hole if Walker leaves. Maybe they can swing a trade there. Long shot though. Not sure any club would want to give up a hitterish 2B prospect for a one-dimensional outfielder. yup

i am chafed by the chaff!

Otis?

Dick who?

well, Wheeler isn't going to counted on to be an ace. He'll be asked to hold down the #5 spot in the rotation. His stuff clearly makes this a job well within his reach. If he surpasses those expectations, then great. If he can't, then hopefully Big Sexy is there to step into the breach once more

forget it Jake... it's Chinatown.

I think it IS good baseball sense to bring him back. He's either a reliable back of the rotation starter (on a roster stuffed with health issues), or at worst, a spot-starter/long-man/middle-inning guy i'd trust more than Robles, Goeddel, Henderson, Verrett, Gilmartin or any other suspects they currently have. The only decision to be made is about $$. But that's not a baseball decision, that's a decision about expenses. The real baseball decision is for Bartolo, who wants to be in a starting rotation so he can get those wins. If he is offered the exact same money from the Mets and some other team, it would be HIS option to choose heart over head, to choose staying with guys and a team in a city where he's a folk hero, or to leave as a mercenary to fill out his resume.

According to Adam Rubin, with Cespedes opting out, the Mets payroll for next year projects to be around $106.7M, as follows (with non-arbitration minimums calculated at $500k): Rotation: 1. Noah Syndergaard 2. Jacob deGrom ($4.225M) 3. Matt Harvey ($5.325M) 4. Steven Matz 5. Zack Wheeler ($1.0M) Bullpen: 6. Jeurys Familia ($7.375M) [less if he is suspended] 7. Addison Reed ($7.9M) 8. Josh Edgin ($725K) 9. Hansel Robles 10. Josh Smoker 11. Seth Lugo 12. Erik Goeddel Starters: 13. Travis d'Arnaud ($1.9M) 14. Lucas Duda ($7.315M) 15. TJ Rivera 16. David Wright ($20M) [insurance will cover 75% if he can't play] 17. Asdrubal Cabrera ($8.25M) 18. Michael Conforto 19. Curtis Granderson ($15M) 20. Jay Bruce ($13M) Bench 21. Wilmer Flores ($2.9M) 22. Juan Lagares ($4.5M) 23. Jose Reyes 24. Brandon Nimmo 25. Rene Rivera ($2.3M) If we bring back Cespedes and Colon, and we don't trade away any salary (like Bruce), then Nimmo and Lugo go down (probably) and we'll be closer to $130-$135M. Also, i doubt they're bringing RRivera back as the backup catcher at that price. Plawecki is more likely, or a FA. And there will probably be some other bullpen arms brought in.

Rumble Pony is a character from the "My Little Pony" universe. So, many kids and pedophiles are happy about this new name!

time for the angst to warm us and the mead to flow. Death to the wilponian infidel!

thanks for playing, Ash. Next!