dinosaur jesus

That's a great question. Here's what I would do. I'd have awkward conversations with the players, and worry about whether they really respected me. When my general manager wanted my approval to make a trade, I'd go over and over the pros and cons until he sighed and said the hell with it, and I'd be secretly relieved, because I felt bad for the guy we were going to trade, and maybe this was the year he'd finally put it all together. At press conferences, the reporters would keep asking me to talk more into the mike, and I'd get annoyed, because if they really cared what I was saying they'd listen more closely. I'd ask my marketing people if we could go back to one home uniform, one road uniform, no alternates, no camo, and they'd say that was definitely an idea worth studying, but we'd have to be attentive to sensitive demographics and the Mets tradition of continuity through nuanced change, and I'd just let it go, because I didn't want to turn into Steinbrenner and insist on having everything my way. And after a month or so, I'd start to wonder if I was really as interested in baseball as I'd thought, or if I should have spent my money on first editions or endowing orphanages or something. And if any of you guys, who of course really are that interested, wanted to make me an offer to take the Mets off my hands, I'd definitely consider it.

One more from the post-9/11 game. For some reason, all I actually remember about that game is Liza and the kick line. Sorry, Mike.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Is it really January 1976? I'm confused. If I'm twelve years old, why do I see grey hairs in my beard when I look in the mirror? Tell me about it. As long as there's baseball, though, I'll always be twelve years old at heart.

I'm bullish. This is probably a minority opinion here, but I really like the Staub-for-Lolich trade. As great as the Mets pitching has been, they've always missed that strong fourth starter. Lolich may be fat and old, but he was never exactly a track star. At worst, he fills that spot capably until the kids--Swan, Espinosa, and my guy Jackson Todd--get up to speed. Sure, I'll miss Rusty. But when you've got Dave Kingman, John Milner, Bruce Boisclair, Mike Vail, Del Unser, and Billy Baldwin manning your outfield, with Lee Mazzilli and Leo Foster knocking at the door, I think those big shoes will be filled and then some. It's an embarrassment of riches, really.

The Commissar's left town.

I remember him as a nine-foot-tall robot. Torborg the Great. The kids loved him.

TransMonk wrote: At least Ty Cobb never did this.* *That I know of. You asked for it.

Centerfield wrote: Let's also remember that Shoeless Joe refused to allow him to come play on Kevin Costner's field. I think that has to enter into the equation. Oh, but that was the righthanded Joe Jackson, who was a hell of a guy (and always wore shoes). He's had to take the rap all these years for what the lefthanded Shoeless Joe did, and it's not fair. He also never abused little Michael or sang "Steppin' Out." I remember liking the Al Stump biography, but it's been a while. His magazine piece on Cobb was terrific--driving around with that crazy, dying old man. I imagine that experience colored his view of what the young Cobb was like. The movie was shit. Tommy Lee Jones was all wrong, and Shelton didn't care at all about the details. Cobb getting shut out of the party in Rogers Hornsby's room? If there was one player that everyone hated, it was Hornsby, not Cobb. I definitely want to read the new biography.

I don't feel like dumping on him, so here's something positive. For a guy with bad wheels, he was a surprisingly good baserunner. He had a great sense of when to be aggressive, when to hold back, and once he got in gear he actually moved pretty fast, in a knees-up Jose Valentin sort of way. I wish we could have seen him when he wasn't a physical wreck.

Stan Musial, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Mike Schmidt, and Tom Seaver. Greg Maddux would be deserving too, but screw him.

I'd be hesitant to add any Jeff Wilpon in History pictures to that Wikipedia page. A lot of the images they're created from are under copyright, and things could get nasty if someone (like, say, Jeff Wilpon) complained.

The Piazza Piazza?

Darrell Ceciliani means Blind Wormlike Thing from Huckleberryville. Not a Met (thank God), but Papelbon is Norman French for Nice Tits.

I wanted to pick Duda, but I don't want to put too much pressure on him. He seems to do best when you've kind of forgotten about him. So I went with Travis d'Arnaud, because I really like Travis d'Arnaud. He's going to make everyone forget about Alex Trevino.

soupcan wrote: dinosaur jesus wrote: I feel like crap. I just want all this to be over. Then I can either remember it happily the rest of my life or shut it away with all the other disappointments. All I remember from 2000, for instance, is Clemens and the bat, and Benitez refusing to throw strikes to lefthanded batters. If this is really how you feel then why bother? Be a fan!! Enjoy it all!! the tension! The drama!! THIS is what its all about! Bask in it! Because the before and the after (hopefully) are where the fun is. The during is the hard part.

I feel like crap. I just want all this to be over. Then I can either remember it happily the rest of my life or shut it away with all the other disappointments. All I remember from 2000, for instance, is Clemens and the bat, and Benitez refusing to throw strikes to lefthanded batters.

Al Jackson

Doug Flynn

Neil Allen.

Pedro Feliciano

John Stearns

That mascot is the ugliest goddamn thing. It looks like the top of his skull just exploded. Why do you have to morph the lion head and the crown? Just take a lion head and stick a damn crown on it. He also shoots people in the face with hot dogs when they aren't looking.

It's not Hampton's fault the schools are better in Denver. A man has to look out for his family.

I was wrong about Curtis Granderson last year, so I'll have a little bite of that crow. Tastes like chicken to me.