Farmer Ted

I was in Scranton recently (no, not a Dundler Mifflin meeting) and the papers were reporting that the team may be up for sale, just like the Tides' situation. The local government controls the stadium and has some weird oversight over the mangement group. It's a Phillies/Yankees area. It would be close to NYC but I'm not sure the fans would take. Newark perhaps?

From today's NYDN.. ...The Norfolk Tides, the Mets' Triple-A affiliate since 1969, have notified the parent club that they intend to explore other affiliation options. The Mets hope Norfolk management ultimately opts to remain with the Mets... Actually, they were known as the Tidewater Tides for many years. A move would certainly upset hometown boy David Wright.

Bayside High, alma mater of Vincent Chase and his entourage.

David Wright is bubblicious..

The Teds/Sponges are betting on a Sept. 17th clincher in Pittsburgh. We'll be in the upper deck for that game. Section 314, Row P. Lovely views of the downtown. Stop on by.

I'm ineligible to enter because I'm not in the tri-state area. Elitist bastards. Apparently, when others say no, Champion does, too.

This is from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Albert vs. The Babe - Scientifically speaking By Tina Hesman Saey ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH It's a matchup Cardinals fans could only dream about: Albert Pujols versus Babe Ruth. This spring, scientists at Washington University answered a call from GQ magazine to pit the St. Louis slugger against the Sultan of Swat. Could science measure El Hombre's greatness? Does it match the Bambino's? Researchers put Pujols through a range of tests, from finger tapping to visual responses to bat speed. He smoked them. And while the comparison has limitations, his results were strikingly similar to the Babe's. Advertisement In 1921, psychologists at Columbia University put the Hall of Fame hitter and pitcher through scientific tests to try to determine what made him so great. The New York Times heralded the results, proclaiming George Herman "Babe" Ruth "supernormal." He had faster than average reflexes, steady nerves, and superior sight and hearing. At Washington University, clinical neuropsychologist Desiree White and cognitive psychologist Richard Abrams and their colleagues gave Pujols tests resembling the ones Ruth took. Both men were 26 years old and top hitters when they were tested. And both demonstrated they were above average - way above average. For one test, White put a piece of paper in front of Pujols. Capital letters were strewn about the page. White told Pujols to locate and cross out all of the A's. White realized she'd never seen anyone scan the page the way Pujols did. Most people scan a page left to right, the way they do when they read, she said. Pujols visually divided the page into sectors and searched each one briefly for the letters before moving on to the next sector. When he'd searched all sectors, he returned to the first and started over. It took him four rounds and a minute to complete the task. "I've never seen anyone scan that way, but it would be important on the baseball field," White said. The skill would allow Pujols to scan a baseball field and know where everyone is without missing any action. GQ features some of the results of the Pujols tests in its September issue. GQ writer Nate Penn took the tests the day before Pujols did. Penn thought that some of the skills he has developed as writer would give him an edge over the baseball player on certain tasks. He did manage to get the better of Pujols on one test, in which the men had to convert a series of numbers into symbols. But when asked simply to copy the symbols, Pujols left everyone in the dust. He replicated 133 symbols in a minute. It's a testament to his excellent hand-eye coordination. No one else performs at that level. Literally no one. The test makers don't even list a score that high. Penn should have been warned, but he thought he would surely be the victor in a test of finger-tapping speed. "People my whole life have been awed by my typing speed," Penn said. (He types 120 words per minute.) But when Pujols laid his finger to the tapping counter, Penn didn't have a prayer. Pujols' speed was 2.4 standard deviations faster than average. That means he would be faster than 99 of every 100 people who take the test. "That's in the 'very superior range.' It just doesn't get any better than that," White said. When mighty Pujols popped the screw right out of the finger tapper, he was contrite. He even fixed the machine, tightening the screw with his fingernail. White says she is retiring the tapper and peg board Pujols used during the tests. She is hoping he'll autograph the equipment someday. Pujols declined to talk to the Post-Dispatch about the test results. He was on the road, padding his sterling statistics. White says Pujols' performance on any one test doesn't explain his abilities; it's the whole package that probably counts. "My hypothesis would be that there's something special about how he puts it all together" on the field, she said.

I sent a comment to Uni-Watch that El Duque, although in his throwback '86 uni on Sunday, wore the modern cap with the orange button while his teammates correctly wore the blue-buttoned caps. Who knew Glen Close could sing?

Guy Conti rocks. He gives good interview.

Goofy guys with a microphone, camera, and sleek website. Funny videos. http://www.meetthematts.com/

As many players from the DR and PR will say, you hit your way off the island, you don't walk. Let's start playing baseball the Gene Mauch way. Leadoff bunt for a single, bunt him over to second, bunt him over third, RBI single.

We sent Kaz away to the Rockies for essentially nothing now. Hmm.

Ricky Ledee is coming to town to give you a big 'ol LH bat. AP beat ESPN in announcing it...and I'm not sure this is the big bopper bat many of you are looking for. He can play the outfield when Milledge starts to hiccup. He was hurt for most of the first half of the season. The dreaded groin injury.

They wouldn't be on together unless 1. Thy deny everything, 2. They admit marital problems but are working through it, 3. Paul is in that video with his wife, or 4. Floyd Landis is the father of thier child.

I'm watching the MLB telecast on TV which shows the Marlins' feed...and Tommy Hutton is killing Milledge. From attitude to hair to the oversized elbow pad ("You haven't earned the right to an oversized pad"). Lastings needs a full-time PR rep.

Milledge is a poor man's Jay Payton. Fuck.

"On a wide run I got blocked into a stone walk next to the field." MEAN MACHINE, MEAN MACHINE, MEAN MACHINE!

I would have rather seen Milledge go for a starting arm than X-Man for two bullpen arms. The Mets are going to take the division so you need three starters for the playoffs. Pedro, Glavine and Schmidt/Oswalt. El Duque goes to the pen to take the Sanchez spot.

I said this in the x-man gone thread, I would have rather seen Milledge go for a starting arm than X-Man for two bullpen arms. The Mets are going to take the division so you need three starters for the playoffs. Pedro, Glavine and Schmidt/Oswalt. El Duque goes to the pen to take the Sanchez spot in the playoffs.

Rob Neyer on the espn trade chat says "hey Omar, pull the trigger on Lastings for Oswalt." Or as Costanza would say, "those sonsabitches in Houston!"

Rumor from years ago was that Mike Tirico was taken off the air for a while after an alleged sex harrassment thing. Now he's heading up MNF.

His foundation is located in an apartment in Harlem? 279 West 117th Street, #6N New York, NY 10026 Weird.

Those multi-colored undershirts are stupid. Boy Bands wouldn't wear those goofy things.

This f-ing guy kills me. According to a team official who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the Mets are seriously considering a call-up of their top pick from the 2005 amateur draft.

Paulie