Zvon

Make of it what you will, but if it weren't for the lame wild card format, their season would've died about a month before it actually did. When did you think the Mets' season died? They were four games under .500 at the all-star break and haven't been any closer to .500 since. I'm the wrong guy to ask that question. I wasn't as optimistic about this squad as you guys appeared to be. Because I'd tell you that for me, the 2014 season died in 2013, as soon as it was announced that Matt Harvey would miss this entire season due to surgery. And still, a year after the Harvey announcement, I never, not even for one game, ever got my hopes up this year that the Mets would be in meaningful contention -- not even while the Mets played their best ball of the season around the all-star break, and not even after deGrom broke out as a rookie sensation and as a star player worth watching. This season played out, more or less exactly as I thought it would: they'd never be in it, and their outfield would suck a big collective suck, and the big position player free agents, Young and Granderson, would suck. They were without Harvey. And whatever they gained, or recouped from deGrom, they more than gave back again when their star franchise player Wright delivered the worst season of his career -- a terrible season not just by his personal standards, but in comparison to every other MLB third baseman. I thought the Mets improved over the course of the season, but the games in April count just as much as the ones now, and they had a very bad team on the field for far too long to make up the ground, I thought. If they morphed into the '86 Mets, or the Big Red Machine during the course of the season, then maybe they could've overcome their first half. But they morphed into, perhaps, a .500 team -- a notable accomplishment, but not enough to contend, I figured. I wouldn't count them out for next year, though, at least not this early. I could see meaningful improvement for next year -- and the kind you could reasonably hope for -- not the kind where Lucas Duda and David Wright have to hit like MVP's and three Mets pitchers contend for the Cy Young award. This was a tedious season for me, waiting in place for the cavalry to arrive, killing time over what I see as futile and pointless comparisons between dead ends like den Dekker and Nieuwenhuis. I felt the same way when Harvey went down. I figured this season was a filler (didn't we all?). And considering that, I've enjoyed the season, pretty much. But only because I allowed myself to hope and I allowed myself to enjoy it. I feel we came out ahead of my expectations by a bit with deGrom, Familia, Lagares, Herrera. I thought this season really would suck (wishful predictions aside) and it really didn't.

Frayed Knot wrote: Y'know what's good on that one is that the UN building actually looks like the UN Building. I think part of the reason I was having trouble getting all bent out of shape over the change is that I had no idea it was supposed to be the UN in the first place as, edge-on like it is on the logo, it just looks like any other square-ish structure. If you look on the first two versions I had the side view. But I also never liked the way that is, that extreme side view. It didn't represent IMO. I understand why it was done that way. Mostly for balance and the fact it's a silhouette type of deal. It works, but I did make an extra effort to show more of the UN building since you can see some dimension in the backdrop. Here's a bunch of different tests look-sees. The blue one has some additions to the cityscape and should be the final version. I made them first and then did the tint work. The last one kinda antiquates all the B&W ones.

Duda: .3 Granderson: .3 Nieuwenhuis: .4 Recker: 5 Tejada: 1 deGrom: 2.7 Carlyle: .1 Matsuzaka: .1 Goeddel: .1

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Looks great. I'd try it with a blue tint on the buildings and increased brightness on the sky behind them. Agreed & ty. I'll test a few different ways to lay that out. A color version is a must. I'll post some alts later tonight.

Edgy MD wrote: Time to get some Josh Satin action into the game. He doesn't need sunglasses. He's got those flip down brows.

Niiiice. Recker put a good swing on that drooper. 10-2 Team with Rookie Of The Year

Frayed Knot wrote: Zvon wrote: That Upton guy in center is worth shit. Don't run to first. Don't even try to track down Dudas gapper with any expediency. Glad he's not on my team. He's an anchor that pulls that team dooooown. Psychologically speaking, of course. He's always been like that. Or at least has always had bouts of being like that. The only difference now is that he's doing it AND hitting like shit at the same time. Even when he makes a nice play in the field, as he has these last few, he looks like he's being forced to step it up a gear. If I was a fan of that team I'd be all over his shit. These days, I'd probably be tossed from the stadium, lol. Did you here about that? Some fan was tossed from the stadium for heckling a player (Bryce Harper IIRC). What?! You can't heckle players now? I have a friend - that's all he goes to games for. To heckle players. Oy, I could tell you stories.

6-2 in the 8th. No way we give this back, right? If we do I'll be a sad panda. Keith knows his birds.

The work is based on Gallo's original contest winning entree. Still needs some work. I'll whip up some alts and even try a color version.

That Upton guy in center is worth shit. Don't run to first. Don't even try to track down Dudas gapper with any expediency. Glad he's not on my team. He's an anchor that pulls that team dooooown. Psychologically speaking, of course.

Edgy MD wrote: Great stuff. I think the bridge may need to contrast with the cityscape to a meaningful degree, maybe by placing the skyline in shade and the bridge in daylight. Yes. Bridge needs to be lighter. Maybe sharper. Cityscape has to stand out more. Good eye. Another set of eyes is always helpful, thank you.

Ha. How about that. TC pulls a squeeze. 6-2, The Hair

If that high fastball to Terdo was only 91mph then deG is deceptively fast cause that looked like 98 on a string.

Frayed Knot wrote: THAT's an error (on MdD) but not the ones on Murphy or Bonifacio earlier this series?!?!?!? That was a bad bounce on denD. No fair. But the T error is big & real.

This might come out kool. It's gotta be in black & white tho. That's a twist. The base pic is B&W. This pic kinda inspired me to try this:

Offensively, we suddenly we have a well oiled machine.

This was the card they used during the '69 playoff talk, and that was a trip to see.

Shit. I had to step off and make some calls. Missed that half. Did Newy have his sunglasses on at the plate with that double? Some small ball and T homers? We've been doing the small ball well lately. 5-0 MeGroms

WOW!! one of my cards!!!! WOOT!

This pic is in the thread already but I don't think the story was linked. This was an official change that occurred in 2012. Did we touch on it here? I don't recall. http://toddradom.com/the-mets-lose-williamsburg/ The change is the small circled building (the Williamsburg Savings Bank). No big whup, but they can go ahead and change that back. I'm going to try and make a version of the logo using pictures of the actual buildings.

Newy, did you really need to be wearing sunglasses at the plate?

deGrom K's the side in the first. Boooooring. Ha, I kid. This is wacky stuff.

All the players I want to see are going down one by one. I suppose that Herrera ending strong with a HR can be seen as a good thing. Newy's in.Yay! denD Doubles and scores on Murphs ground out. 1-0 deGroms.