tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88585087162100001592024-03-12T21:03:10.978-05:00Third Coast Mets FanUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858508716210000159.post-74817749089317992312014-03-31T06:00:00.000-05:002014-03-31T06:00:13.504-05:00Opening Day: All I Really Need to Know I Learned from the New York MetsNever abandon a good plan out of panic.<br />
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It ain't over 'till it's over.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgq6zlfupy7BdS5BSLlPmE_b1qbIfWh6BXT2v9pnMqJt5RL2uIrE390m8uIbhAoahUZSSg2OEvbnHwPg-JrT_8kkxvNncry0ukdETrCFns9owQISQ3Bs_ikGGuqQVFVN3925jqfraD1jYx/s1600/series61-300x253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
Disappointment is proportionate to potential.<br />
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Never run your mouth the night before it's your turn to pitch.<br />
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When it's over, it's over.<br />
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Timing is EVERYTHING.<br />
<br />
You can't "stay pat and stay on top," but "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."<br />
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If you CAN handle the heat, you'll be great in the kitchen.<br />
<br />
If they're gonna beat you, make 'em earn it--no intentional walks.<br />
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Numbers are far less important than personalities.<br />
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You can't buy a pennant, but you can darned sure trade one away.<br />
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Use caution when doing yard work.<br />
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Loyalty always means more in hindsight.<br />
<br />
The truth hurts sometimes, but lies always do.<br />
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Enthusiasm is contagious. So is stupidity.<br />
<br />
The most important thing is knowing what's actually important.<br />
<br />
If you can beat no one else, at least beat the Cubs.<br />
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If at first you don't succeed, moving to third won't help.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858508716210000159.post-48682158216363280312014-03-30T18:16:00.002-05:002014-03-30T18:16:24.846-05:00The more things change...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Top Ten Reasons the New York Mets will be better in 1996:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwhEHyhaQOIuUdGwFcNvloicrykBwW5n1l_cxZEge9V95hc7P6dQ0ECv7CWJul45w8rpAIhXS0kq4OOinSJfQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0CGyPl0Sc4">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0CGyPl0Sc4</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858508716210000159.post-42628210589260318192014-02-26T11:27:00.003-06:002014-02-26T11:27:54.002-06:00Ladies and gentlemen, your Scandal o' the Day:<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgljX4o3FiKRaJnhf8e284nQ4ap9dYew6Ho1whCT_Wt_QGZc5JAGSFsjjTmeoq0Y8lTLO1FAfbGQOL49Gq0x00GH8pY5erSS6JcAAcMPrlImZ6Gc4NvxN__xIPmpge3Pu5vlbBp990rw6s1/s1600/harveywright.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgljX4o3FiKRaJnhf8e284nQ4ap9dYew6Ho1whCT_Wt_QGZc5JAGSFsjjTmeoq0Y8lTLO1FAfbGQOL49Gq0x00GH8pY5erSS6JcAAcMPrlImZ6Gc4NvxN__xIPmpge3Pu5vlbBp990rw6s1/s1600/harveywright.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo credit: @mets via @AmazinAvenue via @jquadddddd</td></tr>
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Why is Matt Harvey goofing off in front of a photographer instead with the rehab staff getting his arm stronger?<br />
<br />
And you think it's a coincidence he's latching himself on to David Wright in the middle of the <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/awards/y2014/faceofmlb/" target="_blank">#FaceofMLB</a> semifinals? Please. He'll probably be dating a Kardashian by the end of the season.<br />
<br />
Unbelievable.... Who does this guy think he is?!?!?!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858508716210000159.post-20255176386094821102014-02-22T18:36:00.000-06:002014-02-22T18:36:20.748-06:00Sounding the conspiracy alertI was kinda half-joking yesterday about my comments getting yanked off of MetsBlog, but...<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Matt Harvey threw for the first time since his surgery this morning.</li>
<li>MetsBlog <a href="http://metsblog.com/metsblog/here-is-audio-of-matt-harvey-who-says-today-was-awesome/#comments" target="_blank">posted an entry about it</a> timestamped 12:44pm Eastern.</li>
<li>As of roughly 7 pm Eastern, only one comment on said entry existed, and it wasn't even on-topic.</li>
</ul>
Now, you know good and well there's no way only one person left a comment on that story all day. It's also pretty freaking unlikely that of everyone whom you can safely assume left a comment, only one passed muster when applying the usual criteria of whether or not it crossed the line of civility and decency.<br />
<br />
Clearly, a unique level of hyper-sensitivity is being applied when it comes to what fans are allowed to say on an SNY-owned forum regarding Harvey's situation. Why is this?<br />
<br />
Are the Mets desperately trying to control the narrative and shape public opinion of Matt Harvey, thusly trying to control his perceived value among fans when it's time to craft his next contract? As <a href="http://thirdcoastmetsfan.blogspot.com/2014/02/a-thing-to-make-you-go-hmmm.html" target="_blank">I mentioned yesterday</a>, anti-Harvey comments were allowed to stand while my indirectly derogatory thoughts re: the state of the franchise got the ax.<br />
<br />
Are the Mets so insistent on Harvey not distracting from the rest of the season, they're squashing any visible hints of how much fans are really interested in him?<br />
<br />
It's just bizarre.<br />
<br />
Anyway, let's see how long this comment of mine lasts:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGm42aWrao2dhJK5yuBSp5foLI8DPfn4h-7fo9-PVn920BBBFktE5NQTTkr2gmoGwsxKqv0mfT-uRc6OSI2CBZdkzVW_C8_w8ONLRVLHTNqib7ErXeuqzeWY_oCg8bdwBv4Ez3r-46INfg/s1600/photo+-+Copy.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGm42aWrao2dhJK5yuBSp5foLI8DPfn4h-7fo9-PVn920BBBFktE5NQTTkr2gmoGwsxKqv0mfT-uRc6OSI2CBZdkzVW_C8_w8ONLRVLHTNqib7ErXeuqzeWY_oCg8bdwBv4Ez3r-46INfg/s1600/photo+-+Copy.PNG" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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So far, it's made it past the 30-minute mark.<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858508716210000159.post-46032942512811109482014-02-21T20:52:00.000-06:002014-02-21T20:52:26.518-06:00A thing to make you go, "Hmmm...."Twice today, some hours apart, I made a comment under <a href="http://metsblog.com/metsblog/matt-harvey-to-toss-20-pitches-saturday-in-psl/" target="_blank">this entry</a> over at <a href="http://metsblog.com/" target="_blank">MetsBlog</a> about why everybody seems to be wigging out about Matt Harvey all of a sudden. Every armchair manager on the internet thinks he's rushing his rehab because--get this--he expected to start throwing when his surgeon told him he'd be able to start throwing. Also, that <a href="http://metsblog.com/metsblog/harvey-may-throw-in-next-few-days-team-not-happy-he-talked/" target="_blank">little incident</a> in which he spoke before spoken to has made a lot of fans (at least the more internet-vocal ones) look at him as more and more of a renegade. To be fair, others defend him and say that the Mets could use a little more of Harvey's fire.<br />
<br />
In both of my comments, I discussed this conflict and made the case that the Mets have been so sanitized for so long--they've gone <i>so</i> long without a player who projects the same swagger that Harvey does--that nobody really knows what to make of him. The way he embraces the spotlight and so aggressively desires to be "the man" is quite simply making the Metsiverse as a whole uncomfortable because it's become a foreign concept. <br />
<br />
Here's the interesting part. Both of those comments were deleted. I've no idea how long the first one lasted, but the second one was pulled down in the time it took me to microwave a bowl of leftover casserole.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, comments accusing Harvey of trying to play Superman and lacking restraint in his rehab schedule still stand.<br />
<br />
Apparently, either the Mets are still <i>really</i> touchy about the whole "don't have an edge" thing or are already making an effort to control any Mets vs. Harvey narratives.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858508716210000159.post-69644921363721704722014-02-16T15:09:00.000-06:002014-02-16T15:09:00.775-06:00Putting right what once went wrong...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmB5VhxydYvYH5Rzro6A-eCwZApQ24Dxh4jjzlzHl7_Z-8jWUebcu5rC6ssHenBgNuxluD0GtkufMK6OUoGJw19l3lQcmFQOuu8H0ouCWfD6VRh33qbmK53T5Y6zygUX5cKTmjQhyphenhyphenVN5oN/s1600/quantum-leap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmB5VhxydYvYH5Rzro6A-eCwZApQ24Dxh4jjzlzHl7_Z-8jWUebcu5rC6ssHenBgNuxluD0GtkufMK6OUoGJw19l3lQcmFQOuu8H0ouCWfD6VRh33qbmK53T5Y6zygUX5cKTmjQhyphenhyphenVN5oN/s1600/quantum-leap.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
A couple of nights ago, MLB Network ran the 2000 episode of <i>Baseball's Seasons</i>. I watched the first 20 minutes or so with a sense of dread, as I knew what was coming: the single incident in my history of Mets fandom that makes my blood boil the most.<br />
<br />
When it comes to fan-driven emotion, I've never been as steamed as when Roger McDowell and Lenny Dykstra were traded, but to be fair, I was only about 16 years old at the time. I've gotten over that.<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_National_League_Championship_Series#Game_7" target="_blank">bottom of the 2nd</a> inning of Game 7 of the 1988 NLCS pissed me off so badly, I didn't even watch the middle innings. I think I turned the game back on around the 7th or 8th inning. Seriously, how do you play somewhere in the neighborhood of 1400 defensive innings and save your absolute worst one for Game 7 of the LCS? But there again, I was subject to the jacked-up emotions of a teenager, and the sting subsided with time.<br />
<br />
No, the Mets moment that still sticks in my craw more than any other is the infamous Piazza-Clemens incident from Game 2 of the 2000 World Series. Roger Clemens THREW A FREAKIN' BAT SHARD at a baserunner and got away with it. And not just any baserunner, either: Mike Piazza, the guy who absolutely owned Clemens prior to Clemens <a href="http://assets.espn.go.com/mlb/news/2000/0708/625215.html" target="_blank">throwing a fastball at his head</a> earlier in the summer.<br />
<br />
I started to put my thoughts on this to the (now only proverbial) page right after I watched <i>Seasons</i> and relived the rage yet again, but quickly found something else to do. However, having just read <a href="http://www.faithandfearinflushing.com/2014/02/11/giving-the-mets-their-historical-do-over/" target="_blank"><i>Faith and Fear</i>'s venture into alternate history</a>, I just can't help myself from venting a bit.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJMK7x_mnggLwepROZ1ydoagm95MkrGzDUyopiUFS7Q3wQp125Dx-bLsRaD4oRWqtKinfZ1eWOs2k5AZMsN2bekRiQIMCKrbrGOLyviQAXbbXpNXM1yYEKdoqUi6LQ0xjJFp_c4uEa3MSk/s1600/pvzmmNr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJMK7x_mnggLwepROZ1ydoagm95MkrGzDUyopiUFS7Q3wQp125Dx-bLsRaD4oRWqtKinfZ1eWOs2k5AZMsN2bekRiQIMCKrbrGOLyviQAXbbXpNXM1yYEKdoqUi6LQ0xjJFp_c4uEa3MSk/s1600/pvzmmNr.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Above: Bat-Sh*t Crazy Mother-F***er</td></tr>
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First off, why in Hades was Clemens not ejected? Was it because his aim was off? Had the bat actually struck Piazza, would it have been handled differently? And what's up with his lame "I instinctively thought it was the ball" explanation Since when in MLB is throwing the ball at the baserunner a thing? Was Clemens also simultaneously having a flashback to playing schoolyard wiffleball?<br />
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But let's put those questions aside for a moment. For whatever reason, no umpire darted over to Clemens and tossed him. So now we have the face-off between Clemens and Piazza.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWj-peI7eetw_jX0DtwGXy_5HK0C1OyvxY2Xt4Vyt3q_d9khPEUnafoldp_9QjfylIB-zKEfAl_9I-vWrbB485hXhSp0LRlh6nw6Q-J3diKhfKArQadRnf350q1HEHkCX2IDzVeO52Vc9/s1600/piazzaclemens0215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWj-peI7eetw_jX0DtwGXy_5HK0C1OyvxY2Xt4Vyt3q_d9khPEUnafoldp_9QjfylIB-zKEfAl_9I-vWrbB485hXhSp0LRlh6nw6Q-J3diKhfKArQadRnf350q1HEHkCX2IDzVeO52Vc9/s1600/piazzaclemens0215.jpg" height="215" width="320" /></a></div>
Right here is where at least some small measure of satisfaction could have been achieved. Never mind changing the outcome of the game or the Series, I'd give anything to go back in time and see Mike Piazza knock the hell out of Clemens with a right hook to the jaw. Would the Mets still have lost the Series? Probably, but I wouldn't be nearly as mad about it 14 years later knowing at least some justice had been served that night, rather than Clemens going down in history forever as the winning pitcher on the night he acted like the 'roided up jackass he was.<br />
<br />
I'm not saying Piazza didn't do the right thing. By all standards of decency and sportsmanship, he did. He was the bigger man and walked away. However, the "right" thing isn't always the "necessary" thing. I still maintain to this day that moment--Clemens committing an atrocious act toward the Mets' franchise player and getting away with it--firmly and permanently established the Yankees as the all-powerful bully in that Series and left the Mets intimidated beyond repair.<br />
<br />
Piazza did the right thing, and the Mets lost in 5 games anyway. Suppose he doesn't do the right thing, and for one brief moment in time, Roger Clemens is lying on the Yankee Stadium turf with the Mets star standing over him like Muhammad Ali over Sonny Liston. The message is definitively sent that the Mets aren't taking any crap. Of course a brawl would have immediately ensued, resulting in multiple suspensions. Maybe Bobby Valentine even pulls a Tommy <a href="http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1988-10-11/sports/8802290364_1_giamatti-ends-suspension-crucial-game-jay-howell" target="_blank">Lasorda/Jay Howell move</a> and gets Piazza's own suspension reduced to nothing, and the invigorated Mets make the most of the chaos for the remainder of the Series.<br />
<br />
Eh, probably not. But again, the Mets lost in 5 anyway. It sure would've been nice to at least have had that one glorious moment of satisfaction.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMgbUJi6M1AHi7dM8Wv5IBKN8H2QiwEKNzUkbrX892pyqzM4WYmrSGf8g3xsv5YBGDbiXxNjoUNGg8F_tHsfF97w0EtPyFTghSLLd5CwRi4LW9lwpLjfW6Fu9NtAxrEJfzHH6iAggYHpw/s1600/piazza-clemens-ali-liston.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMgbUJi6M1AHi7dM8Wv5IBKN8H2QiwEKNzUkbrX892pyqzM4WYmrSGf8g3xsv5YBGDbiXxNjoUNGg8F_tHsfF97w0EtPyFTghSLLd5CwRi4LW9lwpLjfW6Fu9NtAxrEJfzHH6iAggYHpw/s1600/piazza-clemens-ali-liston.jpg" height="367" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A guy can dream....</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858508716210000159.post-24669044824996024142013-07-06T00:58:00.000-05:002013-07-06T00:58:52.380-05:00Oh, how I hate the #$%@ing Braves...So there I am, about to log off of Twitter for the night after yet another marathon Mets game, and I come across a re-tweet via <a href="http://t.co/0cwz24VkwT" target="_blank">Metszilla</a> from none other than one Larry "Chipper" Jones, who had this stream of consciousness happening:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio0XnV8uYtePiOXeHDQu6Y0AhY_Kmboa6fVy9YxYIrusrOz5u1h9WFwa0YSjkPPCbn0l_T6buYVXN0Nq0OUwF4LexghsLIdpdhub0IzkQCrYSDVUKh93fhiCzKG-s1aV2aPqPFwpmV4_EO/s1600/ChipperBitch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio0XnV8uYtePiOXeHDQu6Y0AhY_Kmboa6fVy9YxYIrusrOz5u1h9WFwa0YSjkPPCbn0l_T6buYVXN0Nq0OUwF4LexghsLIdpdhub0IzkQCrYSDVUKh93fhiCzKG-s1aV2aPqPFwpmV4_EO/s1600/ChipperBitch.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />Really? REALLY?<br />
<br />
Someone who spent his career in a Braves uniform is complaining about an umpire, specifically, said umpires inaccurate strike zone?<br />
<br />
Well, let me be the first to welcome you to our world. You know, the one where for about 5 years, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/23/sports/23chass.html?_r=0" target="_blank">could get a strike call so long as the ball was within about 6 inches of the plate in either direction</a>? Glavine became so accustomed to friendly calls, that when an automated system to judge pitch locations was being implemented to keep umpires honest, his career <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/23/sports/23chass.html?_r=0" target="_blank">went to crap</a> until he figured out how to pitch honestly again.<br />
<br />
Even if Angel Hernandez isn't the best umpire, so what? Heaven knows other teams (ahem) have <a href="http://t.co/XRFOwxwlhH" target="_blank">had their issues with him</a> (hat tip to <a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="17956487" href="https://twitter.com/LaurieInQueens"><span class="username js-action-profile-name"><s>@</s><b>LaurieInQueens</b></span></a>). It's not like he has a special strike zone dedicated to screwing over the Atlanta Braves, but that's pretty much been the standard mentality of the Bravesiverse since the team found success 20 years ago: entitled and paranoid. By gum, the Braves winning is a birthright proclaimed from the heavens, and if it doesn't happen, it's obviously due to some <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/braves/2012/10/05/braves-cardinals-playoff-infield-fly-rule-trash-turner-field/1616359/" target="_blank">meddling shenanigans on the part of someone else</a> or some other unfairness of inexplicable cosmic origin. I have to listen to that crap for at least 9 innings every time the Mets play the Braves and those stupid territorial broadcast rules force me to listen to a couple of chuckleheads who describe no-doubters hit by the opposition as weak fly balls aided at the last moment by a hurricane wind and lame ground balls to the other team's shortstop as screaming line drives that would surely have been a hit were it not for a Gold Glove-worthy robbery.<br />
<br />
For criminiy's sake, get over yourselves.<br />
<br />
BTW, it still blows my mind that an pitcher could somehow be <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/news/2000/03/01/rocker_suspension_ap/" target="_blank">suspended for racial insensitivity</a> while playing on a team that <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGuChxSvuh8" target="_blank">encourages fans to wave their foam tommyhawks while doing an Injun war chant</a>, but I guess I need to take that one up with Bud Selig.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858508716210000159.post-89247570300953392802013-06-09T15:30:00.003-05:002013-06-09T15:31:56.851-05:00Collins: "I have no explanation." Nieuwenhuis: "AAA coaches fixed me."Just sayin', people....<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1988834186"><br /></a>
<a href="http://metsblog.com/metsblog/in-20-innings-mets-were-hitless-with-runners-in-scoring-position-yesterday/" target="_blank">MetsBlog: In 20 innings, Mets were hitless with runners in scoring position yesterday</a><br />
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<a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/69002/kirk-discusses-return-to-mets" target="_blank">ESPN New York: Kirk discusses return to Mets </a><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858508716210000159.post-14440832505354853772013-06-01T23:42:00.000-05:002013-06-01T23:43:47.916-05:00My Rebuttal to MetsPolice's (and everyone else's) Hand-Wringing:My home internet has been on the fritz for a couple of days and didn't get fixed until a couple of hours ago, so maybe I'm a little late on this by web standards, but it seems that Shannon over at <a href="http://metspolice.com/2013/06/01/one-year-ago-terry-collins-let-santana-throw-134-pitches/#respond" target="_blank">MetsPolice</a>--whose work I otherwise adore, of course--is still playing a defeatist game of "What if?" in regards to Johan Santana's no-hitter one year ago tonight.<br />
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I began typing this response in the MetsPolice comment section, but as I realized a) it was getting a little long-winded, and b) sadly, I haven't been this fired up about anything Mets-related for a while, I decided it belonged better here. So without any further ado, here's my response:<br />
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<i>Stuff happens.</i><br />
<br />
The greatest orthopaedic surgeon on the planet <a href="http://sportsreports.org/mets-santana-to-have-shoulder-surgery-tuesday-11/" target="_blank">said the injury was of a degenerative nature</a>. Given that, it didn't matter if Santana made those 134 pitches all on one night or spread them out over 4 different starts. They were going to be thrown, and the injury was going to happen eventually, sooner rather than later, at that. The clock was honestly ticking before he even threw his first bullpen at Spring Training. <br />
<br />
To that same end, he suffered the very same injury <a href="http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/story/2010-09-10/johan-santana-to-have-shoulder-surgery" target="_blank">the first time around</a> without any complete-game no-hitter around to take the blame. It's kinda hard to say "a" leads to "b" when "b" has already occurred once before without "a." Clearly, something about the way Johan Santana throws just isn't conducive to a healthy anterior capsule over time. For all we know, it may be the very same thing that made him a two-time Cy Young Award winner, albeit one with a somewhat disappointingly early expiration date.<br />
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You can't say Collins left him in too long and let him throw beyond a reasonable point of fatigue--thus contributing to more stress on the capsule--either. Santana's <a href="http://sports-kings.com/readingbetweentheseams/johan-santana-no-hits-the-st-louis-cardinals-wins-8-0/" target="_blank">fastball during the last out </a>was only a whopping <a href="http://www.nj.com/mets/index.ssf/2012/06/johan_santana_on_his_no-hitter.html" target="_blank">1 mph slower than the one Beltran hit down the line in the 6th</a>. That is in no way indicative of someone whose rotator cuff has run out of gas.<br />
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All that out of the way, let me make a more general and more raw statement as a fan. Let's assume just for kicks that the no-hitter is what caused the injury and quite likely ended Santana's career (which it wasn't, btw). <br />
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<b>Give me a choice between a) watching Johan Santana or any other pitcher throw a complete game no-hitter at age 33 or b) watching him hope to make it through the 5th inning on a good day as he continues to stay "healthy" into his 40s, and I will without hesitation choose the no-hitter. Every. Single. Time.</b><br />
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Nobody is going to pitch (or play any other position, for that matter) forever. The nature of professional sports is that careers are fleeting, and as a fan, it's all about quality, not quantity. If anyone honestly believes there is a single start Johan Santana could've possibly made this season that would have a prayer of being bigger than the one he already made a year ago, they're nuts. If his time with the Mets ending one year earlier was the price of the first no-hitter in the history of the team (which it wasn't, btw), then so be it. It was totally worth it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858508716210000159.post-32472101949350962642013-05-15T22:45:00.000-05:002013-05-15T22:45:21.992-05:00Is it just me, or......has listening to Bobby Ojeda in the post-game show ripping on the team's shoddy play and second-guessing Terry Collins' decisions become infinitely more entertaining than watching the games themselves?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858508716210000159.post-69443869665593791352013-04-28T22:58:00.000-05:002013-04-28T22:58:21.283-05:00Insight from the Mrs.: Did the All-Star break come early?I just read MetsPolice <a href="http://metspolice.com/2013/04/28/i-have-a-bad-feeling-about-this-3/" target="_blank">asking the question</a>, "Hey is anyone else feeling like it’s right after the All Star Break?"<br />
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He's not the first person to make that comparison. He's actually a couple of days behind my lovely wife on that one. <br />
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Let me tell you something about my wife. She may ask me about the same player "Who's that? Is he new?" three times a week, and she still hasn't quite grasped how to determine which team is home and away, but somehow, she still manages by osmosis to have her finger on the pulse of this team I follow daily, and her insight about the general state of the club never ceases to amaze me. <br />
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Given that context, let me share Mrs. Sparks theory about the Mets recent woes: the consecutive game postponements in Minnesota and Colorado essentially became an early All-Star break. As I've <a href="http://thirdcoastmetsfan.blogspot.com/2012/07/post-all-star-swoons-arent-just-your.html" target="_blank">explored here before</a>, it's not just in our heads: the Mets actually DO tend to suck coming out of the break. Similarly, the Mets went into the Minneapolis snow-out with a record of 7-4. Since the snow-out the next day in Denver, they are 3-9.<br />
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Perhaps the team's reaction to a couple of days off isn't exclusive to July.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858508716210000159.post-16665709690567637852013-04-20T13:07:00.004-05:002013-04-20T13:07:23.619-05:00Link: Tee Ball SabermetricsThis is good stuff, right here:<br />
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<a href="http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/45045154/" target="_blank">Sports on Earth: The Tee Ball Sabermetrics Glossary</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858508716210000159.post-73740955670053539622013-04-12T23:00:00.000-05:002013-04-12T23:00:29.656-05:00Geez, guys, save some runs for after the All-Star break.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho1oaHta63scxkty70Mg0TlVLonDkvifL1qg1PjyaEdKLWGq9cyTpJdZegaRTo9Rd4beFop3NumRks0tJ4lYUAD_xRYZVtLplRKXvbtg7PNNTfCkhyphenhyphenVw95H1o_3BQK7X58_nNbhYtqF1uH/s1600/metsbox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho1oaHta63scxkty70Mg0TlVLonDkvifL1qg1PjyaEdKLWGq9cyTpJdZegaRTo9Rd4beFop3NumRks0tJ4lYUAD_xRYZVtLplRKXvbtg7PNNTfCkhyphenhyphenVw95H1o_3BQK7X58_nNbhYtqF1uH/s1600/metsbox.jpg" /></a></div>
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Experience tells me you'll be needing some then.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858508716210000159.post-69219595551360742132013-04-10T18:50:00.000-05:002013-04-10T18:50:49.693-05:00Regarding the use of the alternate cap...The original Mr. Met wore his orange-billed cap with his all-white uni.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz7x7rdWzDNrVPu8PP1vrPLktx4BjVl_byQFgCEwfufVr3jXtXjMlHB4E0ZjJVY3ToEjJQLATlKfFDSLrtjNrE-_WYDLnYg3_hyphenhyphen7ZrZwlSWlPXc0IZUfib8V-aaZaRkcn4BXdpwy9dBmRL/s1600/Mr.Met1960s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz7x7rdWzDNrVPu8PP1vrPLktx4BjVl_byQFgCEwfufVr3jXtXjMlHB4E0ZjJVY3ToEjJQLATlKfFDSLrtjNrE-_WYDLnYg3_hyphenhyphen7ZrZwlSWlPXc0IZUfib8V-aaZaRkcn4BXdpwy9dBmRL/s320/Mr.Met1960s.jpg" width="241" /></a></div>
Just sayin'...<br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858508716210000159.post-44213697172398159482013-04-08T22:04:00.000-05:002013-04-08T22:04:06.207-05:00Blue MondayYeah, it's another uniform post, but come on. How awesome does this look?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHKsa6bDD4neptpqXvG7f_zpmRY3rfTSDmp7iZmPbGnWMb8Dkmcp_BX770u617aNjSPBobZbFCd_h7qy5wyJOfcYDIM5CpNhSJTRNgG8kKnVfmrjmYsla711vQnp9ciDkjldSBRvg1HLiu/s1600/harveyjersey.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHKsa6bDD4neptpqXvG7f_zpmRY3rfTSDmp7iZmPbGnWMb8Dkmcp_BX770u617aNjSPBobZbFCd_h7qy5wyJOfcYDIM5CpNhSJTRNgG8kKnVfmrjmYsla711vQnp9ciDkjldSBRvg1HLiu/s400/harveyjersey.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Of course, the Metsiverse is still <a href="http://metspolice.com/2013/04/08/mets-unveil-new-blue-road-jerseys/#comment-96369" target="_blank">debating the cap choices</a>, but whatchagonnado?<br />
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On a more personal note, I think this is the first time since Russell was making MLB unis in the early '00s (and certainly the first time in the Cool Base era) that I was wearing the exact same on-field jersey as the team during a regular-season game. <br />
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(Photo credits: top via <a href="http://metsblog.com/metsblog/the-new-blue-road-uniforms/" target="_blank">MetsBlog</a>, bottom two via <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/" target="_blank">Yahoo! Sports</a>)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858508716210000159.post-10003035633243019462013-04-05T22:21:00.001-05:002013-04-05T22:26:16.650-05:00Don't the blue jerseys just look awesome?It's too bad somebody didn't suggest that to the team years ago. Oh, wait, what's this on <a href="http://www.silverscreentest.com/koala/uniforms.htm" target="_blank">some obscure web site dated 1997</a>? Some guy named "Sparks" with a set of prototype blue Mets jerseys. Interesting.<br />
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<i>199-freaking-7</i>, people. How does that link even still work? Anyway, thanks, Kevin Kierst for restoring some sanity to my favorite pro sports franchise's appearance.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858508716210000159.post-38795338374445391542013-04-01T14:08:00.000-05:002013-04-01T14:11:22.228-05:00#jerseypornRemember when I said <a href="http://thirdcoastmetsfan.blogspot.com/2012/11/hubba-hubba_15.html" target="_blank">there was a 70% chance of me wearing the new blue road alt on Opening Day</a>? Check out what arrived at my house during the 4th inning:<br />
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Name & number by <a href="http://stitchesny.com/" target="_blank">Stitches</a>. Thanks, Russ!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858508716210000159.post-56418480178398417342013-03-10T11:47:00.000-05:002013-03-10T11:51:17.639-05:00Oh, son of a %!#@*....I have GOT to start reading the newspaper more. I had no clue this was happening:<br />
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<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.sunherald.com/2013/03/09/4518206/hall-of-famer-darryl-strawberry.html" target="_blank">Hall of Famer Darryl Strawberry speaks in Ocean Springs</a></span></b></div>
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I had to work late last night at a softball tournament, but drove within a few hundred yards of this place on my way home.</div>
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DOH!</div>
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Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2013/03/09/4518206/hall-of-famer-darryl-strawberry.html#storylink=cpy</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858508716210000159.post-6572283663362465032012-12-17T22:02:00.001-06:002012-12-17T22:04:18.653-06:00The Dickey Deal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm sorry, but the fans who view their baseball team as a boy band and insist on sulking in their rooms for 3 days when their favorite member leaves to pursue a solo career cannot be more wrong about this one. <br />
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Yes, R.A. Dickey is a remarkable human being. Yes, the story that is the arc of his professional baseball career is a fantastic one. Yes, he put up good years with the Mets and won the Cy Young.<br />
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Nonetheless, this trade was a good move for the <i><b>baseball club</b></i>. Quite frankly, after decades of Vince Coleman, Eddie Murray, Bobby Bonilla, Roberto Alomar, Luis Castillo, Moises Alou, Jason Bay, and countless other trades and signings that still make even the biggest Dickey fans cringe, it's refreshing to see the Mets finally grasp the concept of "Buy low, sell high." Personally, I've dreamed of the day that the Mets would trade someone at the peak of their value as opposed of their historic pattern of paying huge prices, whether it be in money or prospects, for someone on the downhill side of his career.<br />
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I've got nothing but good things to day about R.A. Dickey, but the fact remains he's 38-year-old journeyman knuckleballer. More power to him if he can keep riding his streak of success a few more years. More power to the Blue Jays if they get it out of him. The reality, though, is that Dickey's carriage is due to revert back to a pumpkin any moment now. If you're planning on contending for a title in 2013 and one more solid pitcher could be the difference between making the post-season and not, that's a risk-reward ratio you can live with. If you're not, you get while the getting's good.<br />
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For Mets fans who for some reason keep believing that the Mets have been just one or two pieces away from contention every season since they last won the division, trading the Cy Young winner makes no sense. I get that, but it's wrong. For someone like me, who realized long ago that the team needed to be blown up and rebuilt from the bottom, this trade is one more step in the right direction.<br />
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Best of luck to R.A. Dickey, but even better luck to the youngsters the Mets are getting in return.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858508716210000159.post-37575996474015237062012-11-15T07:00:00.001-06:002012-11-15T07:00:13.998-06:00Hubba! Hubba!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LMstMWQxQsoxPIZc2SgeE_OCE04u4qz49vFUDCHureaA4mpYsxoy3EPxRs_Mt8zkbCDJF2D6zFxxPgV8nyS3av-DWyolGLM5W-5jDp-waAnKC5dmT6Cxgg3dVI0MCu33tjzhjT1BIYr3/s1600/mets+road+alt+sized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LMstMWQxQsoxPIZc2SgeE_OCE04u4qz49vFUDCHureaA4mpYsxoy3EPxRs_Mt8zkbCDJF2D6zFxxPgV8nyS3av-DWyolGLM5W-5jDp-waAnKC5dmT6Cxgg3dVI0MCu33tjzhjT1BIYr3/s320/mets+road+alt+sized.jpg" width="311" /></a></div>
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If this jersey were a woman, I'd offer to buy it a drink.*<br />
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For some reason, I tend to gravitate towards road jerseys anyway, but this baby is absolutely gorgeous.<br />
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Don't get me wrong, the homes are nice, too, and were it not for a year of nearly-identical blue BPs, I'd have also greeted that unveiling with boundless enthusiasm. I kinda already figuratively fired all those bullets, though.<br />
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This, though...wow. I'd say there's about a 70% chance I'm wearing one of these come Opening Day.<br />
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*Hypothetical situation also assumes either I were still single or the wife was down with it, neither of which is going happen any time soon. <br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858508716210000159.post-88499424757972654112012-11-14T20:53:00.000-06:002012-11-14T20:54:20.883-06:00Congratulations, R.A. DickeyAnyone who's found there way to this blog already understands the many levels of awesome Dickey winning the Cy Young entails, so I'll just add that it's a good thing nobody broke the consecutive scoreless innings record this year. Yeah, I still hold <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/1988_National_League_Cy_Young_Award" target="_blank">a grudge about that</a>.<br />
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Official mlb.com release <a href="http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121114&content_id=40283280&vkey=news_nym&c_id=nym" target="_blank">here</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858508716210000159.post-12046447867646865762012-11-08T11:24:00.000-06:002012-11-08T11:24:08.265-06:00Fare ye well, Jason Bay.Well, it happened. The Mets negotiated a release with Jason Bay. I'm sure I'm just echoing the sentiments of every other fan on the internet, but what a shame this is. Not on anyone in particular, mind you, just a shame in general.<br />
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It's not like Bay is anywhere close to the first big free-agent flop in Mets history--or even recent history--but he's the only one I recall feeling sympathy toward. As much as his production may have stunk, there's nothing else negative to say about him. He played hard, he wasn't a pox upon the clubhouse. He struggled mightily, but never packed it in. He was at least once outright mistreated (seriously, I'd love to have a chat with whoever decided to put him on a plane from Atlanta to Denver mere hours after he was knocked senseless on the infield). He was subjected to the criticism and boos and whatnot that come when one's performance is wholly disproportionate to one's contract, but he never once complained, never once gave an excuse, never once said something derogatory about anyone else or otherwise put his foot in his mouth.<br />
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Now, I'm not going to lie. There were times I groaned when he came up to bat in a key situation. I even kinda groaned a little when he came back to a lineup that was otherwise clicking right before the All-Star break. Even so, the man was all class during his time with the Mets, and no matter how badly he may have been doing at any given time, all you could do was root for the guy and hope he somehow snapped out it.<br />
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Hopefully, this will be one of those "right time, right place" deals from which both Bay and the Mets benefit. Why he struggled as he did in New York will forever remain a mystery, but I know more than a few Mets fans will keep an eye out and hope Jason Bay finds his groove with a change of scenery.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858508716210000159.post-21953239236668001842012-09-20T23:14:00.003-05:002012-09-20T23:14:59.881-05:00Somebody's not paying attention.From <a href="http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120920&content_id=38737832&notebook_id=38738906&vkey=notebook_nym&c_id=nym" target="_blank">mlb.com</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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The Mets continue to do whatever they can to smooth the road between
R.A. Dickey and a 20-win season, moving up Dickey's next start so he can
pitch twice more at home.</blockquote>
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Uh, yeah. Because as we know, nothing helps a Mets pitcher's cause more than a home game, right?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858508716210000159.post-70969864248740400682012-09-09T14:18:00.000-05:002012-09-09T14:20:35.965-05:00Hey Bill Beaman......would you mind toning it down a bit? The stadium's empty and <a href="http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/cutfour/article.jsp?content_id=34766166&c_id=nym" target="_blank">your call</a> is coming over the TV really clearly. It's confusing the hell out of my dog. She keeps running to the front window looking for you.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858508716210000159.post-54419165571258614642012-09-02T17:15:00.000-05:002012-09-02T17:15:40.279-05:00What the fudge is THIS?Spotted in the ebay section of the <a href="http://metspolice.com/" target="_blank">Mets Police</a> Capitalism Sidebar:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Mitchell & Ness Cooperstown Collection Daryl Strawberry Home Jersey</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzCK3RUegxMuYIJjMnIwHp7fk2EwFlgW8aWvDTN6mbM08x_rX9ssf6W9ks_jlRmaRTmzgBr65L5DMCW0yHf4ppaomBDqivDBxdXU_FjaQZiArvewko6eqoq0x6AWChiqk7CXukt7gDwKzH/s1600/WTF.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzCK3RUegxMuYIJjMnIwHp7fk2EwFlgW8aWvDTN6mbM08x_rX9ssf6W9ks_jlRmaRTmzgBr65L5DMCW0yHf4ppaomBDqivDBxdXU_FjaQZiArvewko6eqoq0x6AWChiqk7CXukt7gDwKzH/s1600/WTF.JPG" /></a></div>
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If, by "Cooperstown Collection," you mean a 1991-92 home jersey top with a 1987 road letting crest, or course.<br />
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Unfortunately, <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mitchell-Ness-Cooperstown-Collection-Daryl-Strawberry-Home-Jersey-Sz-4XL-/360483187552?pt=US_Baseball_Fan_Shop&hash=item53ee78eb60&autorefresh=true" target="_blank">this particular auction</a> expired just as I was posting this, but fear not, <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-York-Mets-Darryl-Strawberry-Mitchell-Ness-Jersey-/160642755509?pt=US_Baseball_Fan_Shop&hash=item25670debb5" target="_blank">there is another</a>. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0