Ceetar

Do we know who these people are? They appeared to be important. Besides Collins, there was someone who I think is a higher up Mets employee named Jim (I think) talking to them as well.

Edgy DC wrote: But there's a certain degree of a race issue in there, isn't there? If you have a job to do, and a story to get, that should mean going into more challenging situations, talking to guys who you are less comfortable with, who are less comfortable with English, who perhaps trust you less, workng hard to suss out the nuance in their meaning when they perhaps can only express themselves broadly in English, and presenting the work they do in an equal (if more elusive) light. That goes into all sorts of subtle things like unintentional racism and gets all gray area like. But yeah, I imagine there's some measure of these guys taking the easy way out and trying to fill stories and quotes from guys they're more comfortable with. I'm not trying to be accusatory here (certainly not, as i'm mono-lingual myself) but how many of these beat writers have even a rudimentary understanding of spanish? Rubin? Lennon? Martino? anyone? You watch some of the low-A guys working out on the back fields, and it's _all_ spanish.

Edgy DC wrote: Ceetar wrote: But he should look around that press box a little because plenty of the guys in there clamor for David Eckstein and Jeff Francoeur. Whoah, you went there. I should've gone up to the press box on Saturday and said it to his face, but I'm rather non-confrontational. Only people I talked to were two bloggers. I'm just in a foul mood, cause yesterday I was in Florida watching baseball and today i'm at work. I actually think too much is made of race in general, on both ends. Guys like Orlando Hudson and Jermaine Dye claiming it's why they didn't get signed, and the fans who think the people that love Francoeur but hate Beltran are racist and not just lazy writers that like a good quote.

Frayed Knot wrote: The problem with comments about race usually isn't the comment itself but the over-reactions to the comment. So when Martino says race may have played a role many fans read it as being told that any anti-Luis sentiment can only be the result of racism and that they're incapable of making a baseball thought outside of that prism. First WFAN Castillo-related call I heard the other day was from a guy who said that because these Latin ballplayers come from nothing they tend to get lazy as soon as they get a big contract. I'm sure he doesn't think his comments had anything to do with race. Guy behind me at the Friday game was spouting off about Omar's latin agenda and all that, and make some crack about Jose. So yeah, there is racism involved and in probably just about everything in the world. But he should look around that press box a little because plenty of the guys in there clamor for David Eckstein and Jeff Francoeur.

At least Rubin words things with a bit more tact (and better syntax) than does Puma over at the Post: The Mets� long, national nightmare is over. Oliver Perez is history with the Mets, after Monday morning receiving word from general manager Sandy Alderson and manager Terry Collins that he would be released. The putrid lefty appeared in the team�s clubhouse at 8:15 a.m. and began shaking hands with players ... Working it like that is what most fans want to hear, so it sells better. also explains their attitudes and jokes regarding them.

[youtube:290611yk]2WNrx2jq184[/youtube:290611yk] This is what plays when Byrdak (Who the beat guys actually only refer to as Spaceman) gets into a game. At least, in PSL it does.

Willets Point wrote: If I were a Met, I wouldn't tweet. Wouldn't be any good for my confidence to go online and see 1000 tweets that say "@WilletsPoint35 YOU SUCK!" Nah, that's not much different than booing. It's the 1000 tweets that have a different solution on how to fix your swing that would get tiresome.

Ashie62 wrote: I hope the Mets gave a seminar on what to and to not to tweet. Not as far as I know.

Willets Point wrote: John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: He's totally going to terrorize us. He'll bunt us into submission. I forsee a lot of "Ryan Howard strikes out, Castillo stranded at second" in the Phillies future.

at least two minor leaguers that I know of. i follow all of those but Misch, and i'm not sure I want to follow him. edit: Misch Not real. Josh Thole was apparently tricked. Ball in the dirt or something.

MFS62 wrote: Sounds like you have a good view of the action, both on and off the field. Nice reports, some stuff we never read about (a top pitching prospect running balls out to the umps). Thanks, Later yeah, the casual nature of it all is pretty cool. I almost didn't notice that he was acting as ball boy either, but every once in a while a coach would yell "Mejia!" and fling more balls over to him. There was also an incident with a little snake at home plate on one of the fields. I couldn't determine if it was a prank or not, but everyone started laughing at one point and rushed over from the other field to stare until Sean Ratiff rescued the snake and tossed it in the grass.

99% sure this is Cohoon. (When you're surrounded by hundreds of players, many you've never heard of and all sorts of things going on ,sometimes you forget who you took a picture of. at least, I do. ) But this is him, He was warming up before his minor league game.

Edgy DC wrote: Jordany Valdespin, coming off his successful AFL campaign, was Rule V eligiible. So said Toby Hyde, and the Mets musta been reading, because BAM! they added him to the 40-man roster. This post could use an update. Valdespin played around with the big club early on this spring and looked good doing it. He's obviously not ready, but the early success will likely prompt some people, beat writers, etc, to mention him a lot. There are things he needs to work on in the minors, patience at the plate, properly tossing his manager baseballs to hit..

Going down to Spring Training is always so much fun. I love watching all the workouts and stuff before hand, and you get to see all sorts of interesting things and your seats are closer and it's just cool. I saw the starters (and Carrasco..hmm, long man favorite?) working on bunting, and then also pitchers working on wild pitches. They'd fake throw home, and then dash towards the plate yelling "One One One!!" field a throw from the catcher and swipe at the plate. Minor leaguers rotating doing turns at second, or pitchers practicing backing up home or backing up third. Minor leaguers practicing baserunning instincts, Teufel hits a ball, and they have to judge whether to advance or not from second. Valdespin acting as the guy that has to lug the basket of baseballs around and hand them to coaches to hit. Meija acting as the ball boy in a minor league game (literally going out to the umpire to hand him balls and picking up the balls that got by the catcher) I saw Mets all over Port. St Lucie too, at Duffy's, and Vine and Barley. Kai Gronauer, Scott Hairston, Justin Turner, Kirk Nieuwenhuis and unnamed players with him (Duda, Russ Adams?) not to mention the ones that I didn't notice/recognize.

Kai was last seen sporting his green st. Patricks Day hat in Vine and Barley (great place btw) last night around 8:30. Him, Justin Turner, and Scott Hairston were in there for a half hour or so and then left. My wife asked him where he got the hat (she wants one) and he, somewhat sheepishly, said "actually, I play there." or something to that effect.

G-Fafif wrote: As I watched those homers interfere with traffic over Cape Canaveral, I hoped I heard the sound of a bandage being ripped off in one quick swipe. Ollie will be better off, the Mets will be better off. This is going on three years of utter ineffectiveness. I was entertaining notions, in my post-Castillo satisfaction, that Ollie still has talent, potential, a track record. The Nationals' pinch-hitting of righties against our potential lefty specialist dashed all that. Give me Byrdak. Give me O'Connor. Give me Misch. Whoever emerges as a lefty in the pen looms as a better option. I'm not sure that I'd be the over on Misch being better than Perez, but he's run out of time to make/recover that potential and talent to be effective here.

metirish wrote: Willets Point wrote: I am a big Ollie fan and am saddened and disappointed by his evident inability to be an effective big league pitcher. I wish for his sake and the team's sake he could get his stuff back. Yeah, he should be cut, but I'm not going to be snarky and ****y about it like so many Mets "fans" who take such glee in trashing one of their own. this Yeah, he's sucking, can't get it together, and isn't effective, but releasing Ollie(or anyone) makes the Mets 0% better for 2011, and that's the ultimate goal.

Kong76 wrote: Felt bad for Ollie there, I know that puts me in like a .073% group of Mets' fans. They need to cut bait next roster cut, like they did with Castillo the other day. I'm with you. He probably won't pitch again unless in some odd twist he accepts a minor league assignment though, so maybe people can stop hating and start rooting for this team.

I wonder what they were talking about at 10am this morning...

smg58 wrote: Ollie has a decent inning as well. Still 1-0, mid 6th. walked the righty on 4 easy quick pitches. I suspect that was intentional. spiked the ball after getting a soft popup to himself to end the inning. Had a "screw you, Igot 'em all out!" and jumped the line.

underrated as a Met, wasn't as bad (by even close) defensively as people make him out to be. Seemed to care and tried hard, and was one of the more 'clutch' Mets in his time (just because it's not a three run bomb doesn't mean his RBI singles and not making outs were worthless) In at least two occasions was probably the better option as a steady player versus a 'hope this guy has a hot week or two' option that Manuel didn't utilize. Once due to his rehab in 2008 and coming back on the tail end of some family crisis that prevented him from being up to speed when the maximum rehab days time elapsed and later in 2010 when they rushed him back midseason and then benched him just as he started performing. Seems like he probably still harbored a grudge from that, despite new guys here this year. Not sad to see him go, please cut Luis Hernandez as well ,btw, who sucks.

cropped it for the misplay. here's the full shot.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Turner, unfortunately, is the only one with minor-league options remaining. And with an ax coming tomorrow... But at least he was enjoying his last meal with friends (like Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who's name i now know how to spell, meaning he'll get demoted too) at Duffy's when he returned to Port St. Lucie. Also, I'm told (by a random waiter who saw our Mets stuff) That all the Wilpons ate their earlier. They tipped _very_ well, but not as well as in years past.

Niese Looks good, and Lester giving up a lot of hard hit fly outs, ball not carrying