Cowtipper

Traffic is bad when the big races are happening but it still moves. This was stop and go for miles and miles. People park everywhere for the races... locals and businesses open up their lawns and parking lots and there is speedway parking too. I prepaid parking for the game but just ended up parking at a campground anyway, shuttled part of the way to the venue and walked the rest. I've seen Taylor Swift live (don't judge) and this was worse that Taylor Swift chaos.

Y'all I live 1/2 hour away from the Speedway and didn't even get to my parking spot until 5:20. At one point I had to re-center myself due to the chaos so I went to my work, which is just 10 minutes from the place (usually) and just to get from there to my parking spot took probably 1.5 hours. And just to get from my parking to the actual gate took another hour or so. These little tricities cities can't handle all the traffic.

Well, when one takes a step back and earnestly considers the broader picture — not just the obvious elements on the surface but also the more subtle, intangible, often-overlooked aspects that constitute the entirety of a person’s performance or presence or overall vibe, if you will — it becomes apparent, or at least somewhat apparent, depending on one's perspective and internal criteria for evaluation, that while there was certainly something there, something that can’t and shouldn’t be dismissed outright, something that perhaps even had flashes of potential or, at the very least, instances of competence or adequacy (and adequacy, mind you, is far too often undervalued in today’s climate of relentless excellence), one must also contend with the fact — or rather, the impression, which can sometimes feel like a fact, depending on how it's framed and received — that in this particular instance, when placed alongside the other party in question, whose own merits deserve a separate and equally nuanced discussion in their own right, the original subject did not quite evoke the same response, or ignite the same resonance, or occupy the same energetic bandwidth, as it were, and while it would be patently unfair — and frankly a little reductive — to say that he was somehow lacking, or that he failed in any categorical or empirical sense, there remains, floating gently but persistently in the atmosphere, a vague yet undeniable sense that, despite his efforts (and they were, by all indications, earnest and respectable efforts), the other individual simply landed in a way that he did not, not because of any glaring fault or deficiency on his part, but more as a matter of alignment, chemistry, timing, or some ineffable quality that resists easy articulation but is felt nonetheless — a kind of quiet gravity, if you will, drawing attention just a bit more forcefully, and thus, in the grand constellation of performances or impressions or however one wishes to define such things, it’s not that he failed, but rather that someone else, in that same shared space, will succeed just a little more.

By his face alone he looked chromosomally challenged, that's my memory.

He is a what-could-have-been who has yet to be.

My spongy tissue can only expand so much. To David Stearns:

I love it. 12/10. And we still have a couple days left 'til the deadline!

Name doesn't ring a bell. But it sounds Cuban, and Randy Arozarena is a decent Cuban ballplayer who might help. I'd give up former top prospects Mark Vientos and Brett Baty for him.

? I think it's pretty tame. People are in disagreement, but we erudites have reasonably and cogently defended our points well in this intellectual exercise of Socratic dialecticism.

He inspires the short-season hope in me Tyler Clippard did (before Clippard fell apart). It was bringing on late-season relief help that helped catapult the Mets in 2015; I hope it happens here.

I use Pressureze and also a thing called Eustachi.

Are you new to the Internet?

So an injured player doesn't have it, because health is part of 'it.' Every player ever has it if you make excuses for why they're not good.

Whatever it does, it helps clear up the prospect backlog. I was getting worried the Verlander trade was going to be a dud, as Gilbert—the big name in the deal—hasn't wowed in the minors these past two years and he's pushing 25 and out of prospect territory. Tidwell on feel alone gives me Thomas Szapucki vibes—a reasonably high pick who gets mentioned as a prospect, but really doesn't quite have it. So really, all we gave up of any true value right now is Butto, but even he's not been stellar (106 ERA+) this year.

An actually truly good pitching move. This ain't no Huascar Brazoban, this is a David Robertson. He's really good. If he pitches as well as Chad Bradford, I'll give him three thumbs up. Only one I don't like to see go is Butto. The others, adios!

No, what I'm saying is a team doesn't go into a trade to lose on it. They want to get more and spend less. Which translates to, whether in the short term or long term...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................getting the better of the other team.

Well, when is it time to throw in the towel? When they're 26 and struggling and worth less on the trade market? Or 27 and worth even less? Or 28 and worth even less? Right now they could still get something meaningful in a a deal. It's a matter of weighing how much it costs to keep them around, what they've cost us and what we could possibly get in return. They're still young enough to kind of have a prospect feel to them. But next year two of them will be 27 years old or close to it and should be entering their primes—and neither of them look anywhere close to having a good prime. I don't think you understand trades. The goal is to get the better of the other team. So no, optimally, we wouldn't be getting other duds in return. The goal is to get better players in return, while shedding duds, and there are no doubt teams out there who think they can fix them or who will suffer less from having a .220-.230 hitter in their lineup (eg the currently struggling clubs). For those teams, Vientos, Baty etc. would fill the role of "holding down the fort," not the role of "holding up the potential of winning more games," which they're currently doing for New York. All three have spent time in the minors this year, so clearly the Mets are also kind of wishy washy on them still. Time to stop being wishy washy and start making final decisions. Limbo is not a good place to be with three of what are supposed to have been solid contributors to a team that was anticipated to, and is trying to, be a playoff team. And it's not that they're just struggling this year, it's that—outside of flashes of potential—they have consistently struggled since joining the Mets.

Did I say that?

Harper has actually matured A LOT over the past few years.

How long should they be willing to wait? The book I guess never closes until the person calls it quits. Every once in a while you'll get that guy that turns it on late -- Nelson Cruz, Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista. And sometimes the Mets hold onto guys long enough for them to actually put it all together. Peterson took until his sixth season to have what looks like a good full year. But when the goal is to win and your team is hardly keeping a 1st place lead, how many more gambles are you willing to take? Granted, the Mets used to ditch top prospects way too early, so I guess you could say we are witnessing the herMETic principle of polarity in action.

I agree! This is a 130 win team without that dingleberry in charge. I sent my resume but they never responded.

People who are expected to be good should actually be good. Otherwise, the powers that be gotta stop hyping them so much. Jett Williams == dud (calling it now) On the other hand, David Stearns seems opposed to ever actually calling up any of the top prospects to figure out whether they'll do halfway well, anyway. Probably saving them all for a blockbuster trade to acquire three relief pitchers with WHIPS near 1.500, career ERAs over 6 and BB/9 rates over 4 (but with really good velo and K rates!!).

Ha! Shows you. I usually hate all top prospects thinking they'll suck until they prove me otherwise, that way I'm never disappointed.

I honestly thought Jarred Kelenic would be one of those, but we've gotten lucky so far. Actually, outside of PCA, a lot of the top prospects we've traded in recent years haven't panned out elsewhere. Kelenic - no JT Ginn - decent, not great Isaiah Greene - no Josh Wolf - no Andres Gimenez - decent but not the star people expected Amed Rosario - decent but not great Justin Dunn - no Anthony Kay - no

They've each been in the league since 2022. Average age is about 25 years old. Combined, they've hit .229/~.292/.402 with a .694 OPS and 96 OPS+. Both Vientos and Baty are a couple months from being 26. Right now, Mauricio is the one who looks like he has the most actual potential, and he wasn't even a "Baby Met" as far as I'm aware. Perhaps it's time to ditch 'em and start over (again). More "surefire" "phenoms" that were "supposed" to be "saviors" for this team that didn't "pan" "out."