dinosaur jesus

One of the many reasons this is an interesting and surprising choice: there are very few successful managers who were star outfielders. The only one in the top fifty in wins is Dusty Baker, at 19th; Frank Robinson is 56th. It's pretty rare, in fact, for stars at any position to make it as managers. I'm curious why the Mets think Beltran can be an exception.

At the meet-and-greet before the Interplanetary Trade Conference, where you show off your traditional tribal regalia and sample the cocktails of many worlds. Then it's time to change and put the finishing touches on your paper about the effect of Mercurian tariffs on Vermont maple syrup production.

Deadspin was never "just sports." That was the point. The new owners don't care about that. Their only interest is in making money off the name. Which makes no sense, because the name means something only to readers who don't want "just sports." I enjoyed Deadspin. The snark could get pretty rote. But there were good writers there. Magary, of course. And David Roth, their resident Mets fan. I can't take complaints about profanity seriously. Really creative profanity is a glorious thing, and the Deadspin guys could get creative.

As usual in these things, it comes down to my own perverse dislikes. I'm from Texas, with roots in Austin and San Antonio, so of course I despise the rest of the state, especially Houston and Dallas. I can't help it; it's how I was brought up. But I've never disliked the Astros, even when they wore those rainbow clown suits that people are so nostalgic about now. I hated them for a week in 1986, but they seemed like good guys. Mike Scott was a big cheater, though. And have nothing at all against DC. What happened to Montreal was wrong, but I was actually happy to see a team in Washington. And I love the name they chose--so retro, so plain, and so appropriate (though the Washington Feds would be even better). But somewhere along the line they started to rub me wrong. Partly it's just because they got good while the Mets were bad. When Davey was the manager I didn't hold it against them. But then they stayed good, despite the string of doofuses that succeeded him. And Harper was their star. That was too much, and I'm not going to forgive them just because Harper's with a team I dislike ever more now. Also, their announcers are the worst. Go 'Stros!

Frayed Knot wrote: FFF has actually had a rough run of it since about September 1st (possibly due to an elbow problem); he had just 5 XBHs all month and only two singles in 10 ABs in the final series vs the Mets So I don't think it's a matter of discovering how to pitch to him as much as it's catching him when he's off. The game this one most reminds me of was one that the Cards were on the opposite side of: the Royals 11-0 win to close out the '85 World Series Saberhagen went all the way on a 5-hitter while StL went through seven pitchers including John Tudor stinking up the start [5 ER in 2.1 IP] and Joaquin Andujar getting tossed out of the game following an on-field meltdown over a 'Ball 4' call while relieving in the 5th The Cardinals were still peeved about the Denkinger call the game before. I was on their side at that point; it was monstrous. But they lost my sympathy completely with that petulant bullshit in game 7. And they've never gotten it back.

Lefty Specialist wrote: So they have to win five in a row and Milwaukee has to lose five in a row. Simple. Have at 'em, boys. It's only about a one in a thousand shot. I'm okay with that.

I like it, and I don't have any problem with Koosman being honored before some arguably better players. Here's a list of the numbers retired by every major league team. It is mostly Hall of Famers, but I see a lot of local legends too: Randy Jones, Jim Gilliam, Ken Boyer, Dale Murphy, Jim Fregosi, Jose Cruz, Mel Harder, Rusty Staub, Willie Horton, Kent Hrbek, Bernie Williams. Those seem like good company for our guy Koosman. https://www.mlb.com/news/every-mlb-team-s-retired-numbers-c300753386https://www.mlb.com/news/every-mlb-team-s-retired-numbers-c300753386

Edgy MD wrote: The record-breaking moment occurred Thursday evening, August 15, at SunTrust Park in Cobb County, outside Atlanta. Alonso strode to the plate in the first inning, with no outs and Amed Rosario and Joe Panik having started off the game nicely with a double and a single. One-time star Julio Teheran was on his heels, but he couldn't find enough youth in his fastball. He made his 0-1 offering to Alonso and his face fell almost upon the release, as Alonso crushed the ball to deep straightaway center, so far beyond the centerfield wall that Atlanta centerfielder Ender Inciarte made only the most symbolic gesture of pursuit. As Rosario and Panik scored, Alonso accepted a congratulatory butt-slap from third-base coach Glenn Sherlock as he turned toward home in time to see his teammates streaming out of the dugout to meet him at the plate. Players, coaches, and trainers all wanted a piece of this historic occasion, and to salute Alonso for breaking a record many thought un-breakable. And then, the sea of Metropolitans parted. But rather than Moses, it was Cleon Jones stepping into the gap, wearing a convincing replica of his 1966 Mets road jersey, and doing a pretty good job filling it out despite his 77 summers. Alonso smiled like a little boy as he crossed the plate, hugging the Mets legend like a long-lost great uncle. Tears filled the young firstbaseman's eyes as the two shook hands and Jones pointed the rookie toward the awaiting photographer pool. Flashes exploded as the SunTrust crowd, in no mood to root for enemy, nonetheless realized how fortunate they were to witness such history, and rose to their feet as one. SunTrust grounds crew members began prying up home plate to send home with Pete to add to a quickly growing collection of milestone memorabilia, as ballpark organist Matthew Kaminski cycled through a medley of tribute songs: "Peter Piper," "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead," "Peter Gunn's Theme." Braves manager Brian Snitker placed the plate in Pete's hand along with a check from the home team for Pete's favorite charity, The Tunnels to Towers Foundation, which raises money for families of first responders. As much as time seemed to stand still, the game had to continue, so his teammates led the young hero back to the dugout, with even the Braves defenders still on the field clapping. Teheran tried to quickly regain his composure while staring in at Michael Conforto, when one more roar rose up out of the SunTrust crowd, as the crowd cried out for a curtain call from the visiting colossus. An embarrassed Alonso demurred as he sought to catch his breath by the water cooler. But Mets catcher Wilson Ramos would have none of it, wrapping his muscular arms around the rookie and playfully dragging him up the dugout steps. "Ahora puedo decir que he visto a un búfalo luchar con un oso polar!" laughed Juan Alicea, announcing on ESPN Deportes Nueva York, "Now I can say I've seen a buffalo wrestle a polar bear!" Alonso tipped his cap, took a moment to take it all in, his eyes scanning the crowd, suddenly spotting his tearful parents, Peter and Michelle Alonso, accepting congratulations from the SunTrust denizens around them. Pete exhaled and tossed his hat to a cheering boy behind the dugout. And rather than fight him for it, all those around the lucky young fan congratulated him with slaps on the back. Talking to Justine Ward in the next half inning, Cleon Jones talked about how important it was to be there at this particular moment. "I drove up 65 from Mobile," the Alabama native said, "and then I spent the night with a friend in Montgomery before getting an early start this morning down 85 into Atlanta. Everybody's been great, and Pete's everything you want to see in a ballplayer wearing your old uniform. I was fortunate enough to have a pretty good career, and I even set a few records along the way. This — THIS — was the record I was most proud of. But I'm an old man. My legacy is secure, and this is just one more thing you can't take with you. So it's truly an honor to pass this one on to Piss-Mi- ... — to Peter Alonso." That's how I remember it, anyhow. I read this and then decided any career you picked besides writing about baseball was a shameful waste of talent. Yeah, that's great stuff. I'm taking my hat off right now.

Pete's taking a big hit for his defense. If you gave him Ike's defensive numbers, I suspect he'd be into Koosman/Matlack/Seaver territory on Baseball Reference and a solid second on FanGraphs. And if you made him a shortstop who fielded like Ordonez and ran like Esix Snead, I guess it wouldn't even be a contest.

This is unwatchable. I can't look at these uniforms.

That was terrific by Alonso. Do you guys really think Davis made a great play? It looked to me like he didn't get a good read, got a little lost, and was as surprised as anyone when the ball landed in his glove. Keith and Ron think it was great, so what do I know.

Bob Miller Huggins

Edgy MD wrote: I'm the only pitcher in big league history with the first name of Walker, but that's because God is an ironist. God forgot about Walker Buehler.

I was waiting for a plane a few years ago, and there were two guys near me who discovered that they had the same Atlanta Rhythm Section tattoo. It was pretty exciting at first, but soon it was down to awkward silence and an occasional "What are the chances?" and "Wow."

=G-Fafif post_id=8553 time=1556546209 user_id=55] I learned from the Athletic's Tim Britton that the Reds have never had a Cy Young winner, which makes sense if you stop to think about it, but still. Closest to hardware? No. 41 in strike-sundered 1981.

Edgy MD wrote: When Dwight Gooden was a Met, he famously consented to the Mets' directon that he bat righty, even though he insisted he was a lefthanded hitter. Not only were the Mets trying to protect his arm, but Ralph and Tim in the booth seemed to feel like every team in the league would do the same to protect a young star pitcher like Dwight — not that there had ever been a young star pitcher like Dwight. That's strange. Koufax batted righthanded to protect his hand. It seems like you'd be more likely to get hurt getting hit on your top hand than on your arm. For what it's worth, Koufax got hit by a pitch once in his career, Gooden three times. Probably not worth worrying about either way.

This made me cry. He's still my favorite player.

For maybe a couple of weeks in 1978: Doug Flynn.

Love the guy. Good luck to him.

Gonna have to abstain. If I voted, I'd have to include Curt Schilling, and I don't want to vote for Curt Schilling. That gets me out of voting for Mussina and Pettitte too. Wish I could vote for Manny. Halladay too, but he probably won't need my help.

Centerfield wrote: Is that true? 3.5 sounds much too high. I thought I read something like if the Mets had just scored 3 runs each start, he would have won 48 games or something. The 3.49 is according to BaseballReference. If the Mets had scored exactly 3 runs each time he pitched, he would have gone 22-1 with 9 no-decisions. But it never actually works that way. And that also assumes that the bullpen didn't give up any runs at all.

Centerfield wrote: Does anyone have the run support numbers? I'm sure there was some difference between Jake and the other pitchers, but it's not like the team hit like the Red Sox in the other games. 23rd ranked offense isn't going to provide much run support all the way around. 3.5 runs a game. That's bad, and it's well below what the Mets scored overall, but it's not historically bad. Nola got 3.8, didn't pitch nearly as well, and had a much better W-L. I think Jake had bad luck on when the runs were scored. Scherzer got 5.4.

Edgy MD wrote: “I think he is a Hall of Famer," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Monday. "Whether he has been inducted or not.” They misspelled "indicted." Don't newspapers use proofreaders anymore?

I like Boston because Ted Williams played for them and they have great uniforms and I still feel bad about 1975 and 1986 and I lived in Boston for a year and it was fine, though I didn't get out of the house much. I don't dislike the Dodgers. Sandy Koufax played for them and they have nice uniforms too and 1988 was awful but that was the Mets' fault and Utley's a shithead, but shitheads come and go. But I don't especially like them either. So Boston.

Yankees. And it's not hate, exactly. Hate's a tribal thing--your people vs. not your people. And I'm not a New Yorker, so I don't have a strong sense of Yankee fans being another tribe (or of Mets fans being my tribe). Mostly the Yankees just annoy me, the way a lot of teams do. But more so, because they're better, and you have to hear more crap about them. There are other hates, but they don't last. I used to hate the Pirates, but twenty years of losing took the edge off.