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My point isn't that long games can't be enjoyable or that shorter is always better. There's nothing wrong with a three-hour baseball game or even, in some cases, longer than that. Where you start to run into problems is when three hour games become the average even though there's nothing extra in them as compared to when the average was close to 20% quicker, and we're not talking about games from some ancient grainy black and white video times but in the memory of many current fans. When a sport is competing for viewer eyeballs and asses-in-seats it makes a difference to a lot of people whether their 7:10 local start has a good chance of ending prior to 10PM or is just as likely to still be going at 10:30-10:45 especially on school/work nights and/or in questionable weather. In the case of the example cited above, when a 2-run, 8-1/2 inning game with just 13 total base-runners is busting past the three-hour mark it's tough to come up with an explanation other than that there was a ton of dead time in there somewhere and that's not a good sign for the overall health of the sport. And we haven't even gotten into the post-season games where the times are routinely headed up towards four hours and the TV ratings are (not so coincidentally) headed in the opposite direction. All good points.

We should spend this entire game ASG/voting for Wright and Murphy.

I respect you and what you're sayin. I feel they should do that kind of thing in the minors unless the guy is being groomed to be just a utility man. If the idea is to get PT while learning to hit major league pitching, then doing it in the minors is something beside the point. There are plenty of examples of guys playing around the diamond initially as major leaguers --- Andy Van Slyke, Kevin Mitchell, Albert Pujols, Honus F. Wagner. Lot of MVP votes there. Don Mattingly came up as an outfielder/infielder. Gary Carter came up as an outfielder/catcher. Why bench some poor shlub if he's not going to hit? Why let a defensive assignment undercut his development as a hitter if it turns out to be a mismatch? Look at this way: If you give him a job in right, and he sucks defensively, he ends up losing the job and his career returning to limbo no matter how he's hitting. But if you give him a super utility job, and he sucks at one position, you play him a little less there, and a little more elsewhere and tell him to just keep hitting. This essentially is how we failed with Murphy. They assigned him to left fulltime, and he failed defensively and lost almost all his opportunities offensively. Not only did he lose confidence in himself, but Jerry stupidly did also --- explicitly, declaring that he didn't want to play Murphy in the infield, because that put him "closer to the ball," as if nobody who couldn't play outfield could play infield. It was only in a domino crisis that Jerry allowed Murphy to play first. And even that was after he first tried Jeremy Reed --- a no-bat outfielder who had no firstbasing experience and was on the roster as a ballhawk. Jerry chose to deliberately ignore all Murphy's minor league experience as an infielder. Had Murphy simply been allowed to roam the diamond as a firstbaseman/secondbaseman/thirdbaseman/leftfielder/maybe rightfielder too, his difficulties at one position would never have turned into the existential crisis for his career that it became, and his settling in eventually at first would have come far more quickly and comfortably than it did. His eventual transfer to second as well. I think Gregg Jefferies would have been helped by an "unspecified duties" assignment on defense as well. Just hit, baby. @ italics: Is Valde as good as any of those guys? Right now who knows. @ bold: Almost sold. That's a form of direction with an underlying hope. If they want to spread him thin and water him down and he rises above that, great. My view is that we should address the outfield problem ASAP and he is a possible answer.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: That WAS me! I'm surprised it took you so long to figure it out! What an awesome board twist! Doug, you should have saved that for the season finale.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: So, what you're telling me is, you could have used a two-hour rain delay, say, in the middle of yesterday's Mets-Fish game, and a few more pitching changes? Not every 4-hour-plus game is the Rick Camp game. Most aren't, in fact. Only time spent watching baseball being played should be counted. A boring extra inning game? I love em. One way or the other it's not gonna stay boring.

Edgy MD wrote: I'm a big believer in playing young and athletic guys all over the diamond. Treat them like their first job is to hit major league hitting. If that works out, they can work on the refinements to cement them at one position. It also underscores that they haven't replaced anybody and keeps them striving while still getting them work. I respect you and what you're sayin. I feel they should do that kind of thing in the minors unless the guy is being groomed to be just a utility man. They have pretty much been doing that, grooming him in that direction. Then continue. Pick a direction. Stick with it. Its harder at the MLB level for a young inexperienced player when they play shuffleboard with you all over the field. All over the infield, sure. All over the outfield, sure. Both? I'm not a fan of putting a player in that position. Gotta say tho, if the player is successful he's gotta be good. Seeing Newys name above I also would like to see him get a shot, more than Valde. Both even. Maybe we will end up putting together a decent outfield just like the Mets want to anyway. On the cheap.

If they have faith in their assessment that he's little more than a bench player at this point, then playing him beyond that level: Do they? On a MLB level would that assessment be fair? They might have an idea of what he is on paper and/or in the minors but at this level they've been using him like a secret weapon that misfires a lot. Does this not display shortcomings? (1) puts him in a position to (in their judgment) hurt the team, demoralize his teammates and the fan base; Team sucks. Teammates are demoralizing themselves nicely without any help from him. I wish they gave a shit about us fans. and (2) markets to potential suitors his shortcomings. Aside from a few real nice clutch pinch hits, that's all we've been doing with him. I could further add that : (3) it could rob him of any confidence that with a couple of adjustments, he could be so much more, but he has to work on that, and demonstrate that he's made some adjustments before gaining their confidence for further playing time; and I agree about adjustments, work ethic, others faith (or confidence) in him. I seriously think it's impossible to undermine the confidence he has in himself. (4) cut into playing time that some other would-be comer could be getting. Who? Get him up. Lets look at all possible outfielders. This is what we need most (aside from pitching). It's all speculative, and number (4) is not how it would play out up front. Initially, he'd be taking playing time away from Ankiel. Course its speculative and that makes for good off day chats. Ankiels a placeholder. Lets explore all possible and find out who he is saving a place for. In saying all that crap, that's not how I lean. I think if he's on the roster, he'd do well to get some PT --- and I mean at short and second also, even though I know he's been a disaster as an infielder. But I think there's a value in not giving a player a job, but challenging him to take it --- saying, "That's Ankiel and his best days are behind him and he's not getting better; prove to me you're the better choice." You have a point in that he can be a regular infielder. Maybe. But pick one, infield or outfield, and work him in that direction. And I think there's a value in supporting young players not just in playing them through their fuckups, but also in supporting the likes of Harvey and Wheeler by putting the best lineup you can muster that day behind them. Tell you what Ed, if the Mets don't immediately build this team up around Harvey and his time with us is wasted in the way I feel we wasted the Reyes/Wright years they are cruisin for a bruisin. Again, I want him playing more, but I think the case for spot-starting him until his play forces the issue is there. It's not the first time around the track for any of the Mets' braintrust. They may be wrong, but I'm sure they've considered these issues and are aware of the case for starting him. I feel it must be awful hard to get rolling in any one direction without some consistent time given to one of those directions. Warren pulls off a reverse breakdown! YESSSS!

I know in todays fast forward world everyone wants everything to be fast, faster, fastest, but I'm an old school fan who can't get enough baseball. I had no problem with the length of a game. As a matter of fact, if a game was long in time, or extra innings, I always felt KOOL! I'm getting more than my moneys worth! More baseball! I understand why they are trying to speed up games but I don't give a shit. That game? Dunno, but I might fire it up and take a look see on MLB.TV since theres no Met game today.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: The rotation often gets jumbled after Opening Day, because of skipped starts, doubleheaders, etc. There is no longer a "head" of the rotation. And Harvey is clearly the ace of the staff. Was just on the phone with one of my brothers and he said this same exact thing.

If they don't want to mess with Ankiel and Byrd I wouldn't be against Valde getting his grooming at a lesser level. I would imagine messing with Ankiel and Byrd isn't a concern. But if we are 15-20 games out at the break why not. He might just be a bench player but let US find out. Not some other team. Or, if he is just a bench player, there's a double value to not making a public display of him failing to be more. Maybe the Mets have decided they know exactly what they have in Jordany. Maybe you have too. I can't say that I have yet. I certainly can't say I know. Edgy breakin it down. Or, if he is just a bench player, there's a double value to not making a public display of him failing to be more. Expand on this.

I envy this guy. Imagine making money doing Metly stuff. OE: lol, just realized that a number of you guys do.

Shes prettier with no makeup. I've hear Harvey called our ACE by the media quite a few times now. I know he's been pitching like an ACE for the most part, but I never thought of him as our ACE. As long as Niese heads the rotation I consider him to be the ACE. I just read this: The Mets plan to give Jon Niese an extra day to rest his balky left shoulder, starting Matt Harvey on regular rest Friday at Citi Field and Niese the following day. Niese, who missed Saturday's start with a bout of left shoulder tendinitis, will test his arm for the first time in a bullpen session Tuesday. Will it stay that way? Is this the Mets way of attempting to change that status?

If M.Cabrera wins another triple crown I am gonna have to sit up & take notice. That would be historic. Him getting the one was but no one seemed to notice much. If he leads in Avg., hits, runs, &RBIs (like he is now), what does he get? The Quadruple Headband?

Shit on a shingle. Looks like both are the same documentary under different names. Well, duh! Maybe the name change is just so they could get it up on youtube. OE: Maybe not. Just the first few minutes are the same. I'll just return with my list after I play out this Nilsson kick I'm on.

So I got Who Is Harry and another doc., Harry:The Missing Beatle. Burned the first and now burning the second. Will watch em both asap. Last few nights Ive taken a half hour or so to listen to HarryTunes and as I do I have word pad open and I work on my list, making notes about songs and whatnot. My list is going to be long and wordy. I'm thinking about setting up a widget player (or a link to one) here for a limited time to make it so anyone can give them a listen. It might be an infringment of copyright and allAdat (I would not allow the songs to be downloaded tho, only heard). If I share these songs for a few days and someone here discovers Harrys music and buys some I'm working for the greater good. I believe it would be just like lending a friend an album to check out. And that's what I'll say in court. Here is the entire Harry:The Missing Beatle on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Zu51mCD5H0 I wish I knew how to make the player show up here.

From metsingaround on Tumblr: Silver Lining: Although he had an unimpressive start against the Marlins today, Matt Harvey becomes the first pitcher in Mets history to remain undefeated after his first 12 starts on the season. 5 wins, 0 losses, 7 no-decisions.

dinosaur jesus wrote: I remember someone trying to tell me that Jack Morris knew how to pitch just well enough to win. This was in that year when he won twenty games for Toronto. If his team scored two, he gave up one. If they scored eight, he gave up four or five. So when he was getting beaten up in the second inning, it was only because his magical powers told him the Blue Jays were going to pull it out for him in the seventh. Obviously Matt Harvey has the same gift, only it's for no-decisions. Or a gift for another team to use to its advantage. My biggest fear is Harvey wishing he was somewhere else. And if the no decisions pile up, how could this not pass his mind? Has any one heard any post game press from Shorty as to why Rice was left to blow in the wind?

Quintanella 2 Duda 1.5 Byrd 2 Davis 4 Harvey 0.5

Lol. Saw this on FB. Thnx EthanS. Needed a laff.

School bus downgraded to wagon train. I'm thinking of getting them a bunch of old Schwinns and making them pedal. Have the Marlins even scored 11 runs this season? I don't mean in one game, I mean in all their games combined prior to this weekend. Make em walk in their cleats. Terry lost: 11-6

Edgy MD wrote: I don't think the idea is to "give" him to anyone. And the Mets have certainly had a better look at him than anybody else. They've had a front-row seat and a backstage pass for five-plus years. I want to see exclusively what he can do at this level given consistent time. Like more than a few games. At least a few weeks. If they don't want to mess with Ankiel and Byrd I wouldn't be against Valde getting his grooming at a lesser level. But if we are 15-20 games out at the break why not. He might just be a bench player but let US find out. Not some other team. Maybe the Mets have decided they know exactly what they have in Jordany. Maybe you have too. I can't say that I have yet.

Frayed Knot wrote: The Mets have got to be the only pitching staff that was hurt by the absence of Giancarlo Stanton. He was 3 for 18 before going out and all his replacements since then, Ozuna in particular, are killing us. Isn't that always the case? ...life of a Met fan. I'm still fuming about the edible grain performance.

real nice time to hang Rice out to dry. real nice.

Meh, even with a good jump Duds dont catch that. And Harveys win, down the tubes. Terry, I'm really pissed.