Ceetar

Edgy DC wrote: I'm fine with what he gave us last year (.268/.345/.344) maybe occasionally he learns to take big cuts in the right situations. I might agree if he was regularly bringing value on defense. But progress comes in fits and starts. Todd Hundley came up in 1990. It wasn't until they were ready to open the 1996 season with Brent Mayne that Todd became a dude. I think he's up'd his value defensively. somewhat. I think he at least made progress, in a way Lucas Duda didn't. Too much I don't know about game-calling and that stuff though. Edgy DC wrote: The lesson? Don't just trust development to happen, but push your players in their development by always bringing in threatening alternatives. That, and to take lots and lots of steroids. How's that for a twist to the Shoppach trade? Wonder where Santana would be if he juiced a little this season.

hmm... how about Ryan Doumit? He's a free agent. He's making 3 million this year as a DH/C/1B even some RF as a 1 year deal with the Twins after making 5 mill in his last arb year with the Pirates. He's actually taken a tick down from his 2011 numbers, so maybe he wouldn't be that expensive, although I don't know why with those numbers as a catcher he didn't get a multi-year deal. He turns 32 in April, so not old. Hits righty. long career of very good catcher numbers. big slugger, .448 career. only a .335 OBP but that's better than Thole's doing this year.. And maybe with a little with Hudgens he bumps it up a tick. he's 6th in OPS in the majors of anybody who qualifies for the batting title and has at least 10% of his games at catcher. .815

Thole was picking up the pace too. I'm fine with a singles hitter with a high OBP, especially the guy probably most likely to be bunted over anyway. I'm fine with what he gave us last year (.268/.345/.344) maybe occasionally he learns to take big cuts in the right situations. but I'm tiring of looking for progress too, and I suspect the Mets are too, despite valuing the ability to have a catcher that doesn't make out as much as most. Problem is there aren't a lot of options. Thole's been given no meaningful sample against lefties, even career wise 152 AB. that's like one AB every other game he plays. over 4 years, but if you want to platoon him Shoppach or another lefty-masher with power type catcher, that's probably what we're headed towards. Guys like Yadier Molina (who was Really bad in in 2006) took more time than Thole to become good hitting catchers. Maybe there's something to just all the different things they need to work on?

I think you missed (or, rather, I missed landing) my primary thrust: soccer games during the baseball games. 'Cause the ballgames alone are depressing. oh. I'm good with that..but.. pansy soccer players. Let's have a "Summer Classic" and get a hockey game going in left field. or hell, football.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Ecuador-Chile sold out in driving rain, and the other two soccer matches before this year were also big sellers. As I'd like to be able to sign more than one non-minor-league FA per offseason, let's put more money in the coffers. Let's schedule as many international/club friendlies as possible, whether the Mets are out-of- OR in-town. It's not like they're using the field for anything important or interesting during those home dates, anyway; I'm sure Met fans would appreciate the visual distraction. this is probably irrelevant though. If they're not raising the payroll, it's not because they don't have the money, it's because they don't want to continue to lose the money. They want the Mets revenue to pay for the payroll. That's where the 70 million dollar loss thing comes in, which is only technically true. Sandy said they've looked at plans with different numbers in mind, and I suspect part of his upcoming discussions with the Wilpons is convincing them they need to raise it at least a little. He actually said some interesting stuff, when Francesa let him get a word in, and i know it's all GM spin anyway, but I found it helpful.

the Yankees Ivan Nova 'got hurt' on his last pitch of the game the other night. So they're going to DL him. awfully convenient.

Zvon wrote: Zvon wrote: Whats Tejada's at bat music? I can never make it out. Almost sounds like Echo And The Bunnymen. Na De Na Angel y Khriz f. Gocho & John Eric Cripes I'm getting old. Never heard of it or them. &ty Never heard of them either. I'd wager it's probably a Spanish and/or Panamanian band.

The Second Spitter wrote: This team's a fucking disgrace. I wonder if Ceetar still thinks that signing Bay was a better idea than signing Holliday? Did I ever think that? I even took this bad picture and thought about buying it

Zvon wrote: Whats Tejada's at bat music? I can never make it out. Almost sounds like Echo And The Bunnymen. Na De Na Angel y Khriz f. Gocho & John Eric

Fman99 wrote: Which Ramirez is this, the shitty one? Or the other shitty one? I hat you, relief corps. Whither goest thou, Cookie and Turk? the shitty one that used to be good, not the shitty one that we don't know if he can be good yet.

Frayed Knot wrote: GAME OVER this is incorrect.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Geez, how predictable and boring. Is he saying anything else? not listening, at work. But 6 and a half billion people posted about that so i'm pretty confident in it. I presume he announced McHugh but I haven't seen it confrimed.

minor back inflammation. needs rest. DL'd. not going to be reactivated. best case I guess.

metirish wrote: Hey, he hits the cut off man at least..........or tires to anyway.... that's because the cut off man isn't a pitched ball.

Edgy DC wrote: That's NOW!!!! well Now!!!!* apparently. Beat writers seems up in arms about the delay.

Lefty Specialist wrote: Ceetar wrote: how about Satin or Lutz at second base before Valdespin? I have more faith in either of them being worthwhile major leaguers at this point. Reese Havens? Reese Havens, he of the .730 OPS at Binghamton? Um, no. That'd be better than we can expect from Valdespin. (and he looks like he's been better than that lately) I agree on Torres. We've got 39 games left. That's a lot of time and a lot of time to fix a statline.

how about Satin or Lutz at second base before Valdespin? I have more faith in either of them being worthwhile major leaguers at this point. Reese Havens?

speaking of suppliers, former Yankee Bartolo Colon: also taking HGH. Pitched to a 4 ERA in the AL East last season, did pretty well, worked out of the bullpen early. seemed pretty versatile, but they didn't bring him back.

I'd like to see Ike's lefty splits since July first actually.

What's with this down on Ike stuff? last 7 days OPS: 1.118 last 14 days OPS: .866 last 28 days OPS: .886 second half OPS: .858 August: .844 July: .794 (poor July really, only .257 OBP but 9 HR) If anything he's been pretty consistent since his original slump. This is extremely valuable imo since the Mets seem very feast or famine sometimes. So guys that can sorta fake it even when they're not hitting that well can be extremely valuable. You'd like Ike to take more walks when he's scuffing a bit like in July, but hopefully that comes with experience. My real knock is that he seems to me to press in some pressure spots. both fielding and at the plate. Tejada too. I'm hoping this is just an experience/youth thing.

Edgy DC wrote: I don't see the wisdom in dumping Torres as he's not being pushed in centerfield by anybody. Since Kirk went down and Torres hasn't been 'pushed' I feel like he's gone from league average to replacement level again. (again, everyone else is still worse. Kirk hasn't played in three weeks. den Dekker's hot again right?.. hmm..) I worry a little about bringing up guys like dD though. gives other teams video to look at him next year and they might get the book on him earlier. Seems like what happened with Nieuwenhuis. If he's only going to be a 2 month flash in the pan jolt, rather it happen mid-season?

Gotta play Kelly during Dickey starts too, that's part of evaluating if he's goingto be viable next year. because just like with the other free-agents but maybe re-sign guys Cedeno, Rauch?, Hairston, etc you've got all of October and a week after the WS as an exclusive window. Figure Frank Frank is the suckiest guy that's here next year that needs 'fixing'. granted you can just release him, but you're doing that in favor of like..Acosta or other random guys we'll bring in to fail next year. So let him close. Subject him to the hateful boos of Mets fans so he's enamored to it next year. Or just pitch Parnell more.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Ditch Jason Bay (there's no point even pretending that he'll ever contribute anything meaningful) and spend the rest of 2012 trying to figure out what the 2013 outfield is going to be. I realize that at least one or two, and possibly three, of next year's starting outfielders may not currently be in the organization, but at least try to get a better sense of what the current internal options are. I don't know if it's at all reasonable to expect that the Mets will contend in 2013, but if they have any hopes, they'll need more than zero outfielders. problem with this imo is that it rewards Valdespin. but yeah, get Duda back up here. is Kirk feeling better? bring up den Dekker too. why not?

I don't know. something stupid. play everyone out of position to make them really think about defense? start pitchers in the outfield? Ike in centerfield? Thole at Shortstop. Make Valdespin catch. Give an entire postgame meeting with circus music paying in the background? Spike the coffee with Bailey's. Ban batting practice and pregame drills for a day, have 'em stretch and get out there, no time to overthink and plan? Ask Adam Rubin what to do?

Hefner will be back in time to make his start on...Sunday? won't he? they're even talking about a different person to replace Santana if that comes to pass. This works in the Mets favor even, extra pitcher for one they can't use right now. of course..well..never mind.