2019 MLB Season
I guess it's time to start this thread, since the 2019 HOF inductees were announced.
https://www.mlb.com/news/hall-of-fame-class-of-2019/c-302988924
Mariano Rivera was voted in unanimously. Roy Halladay (posthumously), Edgar Martinez and Mike Mussina round out the class.
I'm so glad to hear that Moose got in. I was wondering if he was going to be one of those players that just sat on the list until time ran out.
Calico696 
Lonesome Dove Pete Rose and Barry Bonds aren't in, but Edgar "I can't field a baseball to save my life" Martinez is? The Baseball HOF is almost as big a joke as the Rock and Roll HOF at this point...
ianimal Thanks for starting this thread, Calico. It gives me hope that Spring and baseball WILL arrive!
3wbdwnj 
Metsman A really nice tribute to Mo by Derek Jeter.
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/derek-jeter-mariano-rivera-baseball-hall-of-fame
"Who were the idiots that voted for Placido Polanco"
I'm still trying to figure out how he was even on the ballot.
Whip It's less than 2 weeks until pitchers and catchers report!
I see that the Yankees and Mets are both playing at 1:00 this year on opening day. I'm hoping we will be having our annual get together again.
What is going on with Bryce Harper and Mike Trout? What are the chances they'd both get signed with the Phillies?
Who wants to pay over $300 million for Harper... He's hit .240 something 2 of the last 3 years.
I'm all for Pete Rose getting in. The gambling stuff was after his playing career and he was punished by being banned from employment by MLB.
Is Moose getting in as an Oriole or Yankee? He actually won more games as an Oriole and was an All Star and the ace on some contending O's teams early in his career, after they drafted him out of Stanford and put him on the MLB roster quite quickly in 1991. He was part of the last team to play in good old Memorial Stadium (which means nothing to people who were not O's fans pre-Camden Yards).
Andy Loigu Wrong ! Pete Rose bet on the Reds while he was player/manager for them in the late 80s at least over 50 times . His memorabilia is in the Cooperstown baseball HOF , but he will never be inducted . And Mike Trout is not a free agent , probably thinking of Manny Machado , a slacker on the basepaths who the free spending buy themselves a championship Yankees don't even want !
Investigation
Dowd interviewed many of Rose's associates, including alleged bookies and bet runners. He delivered a summary of his findings to the Commissioner in May. In it, Dowd documented Rose's alleged gambling activities in 1985 and 1986 and compiled a day-by-day account of Rose's alleged betting on baseball games in 1987. The Dowd Report documented his alleged bets on 52 Reds games in 1987, where Rose wagered a minimum of $10,000 a day. Others alleged to have been involved in the activities claim that number was actually $2,000 a day.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Rose
97XBAM In an era where PED users have probably been inducted, I think it's time to let it go and let Pete in. It's ridiculous to keep out the all time hits leader. The HOF is hardly full of people of integrity.
"Is Moose getting in as an Oriole or Yankee?"
he's going as team neutral. it's all the rage now.
In agreement with Mr. Met on THIS thread … perhaps the hardest thing to learn in our lives is the art of forgiveness, and when to understand that something was so long ago that it is time to let bitter feelings subside. Pete has been punished and been through a lot!
Wrong.
Pete Rose was a player/manager, remember? Remember when he refused to give up playing first base and managing at the same time? He was a real jerk when asked about it too.
He was in a unique position to throw games that he was betting on, and he did.
There is no way that this bum should be allowed in the HoF.
Reggie Voter His defenders say he bet on the Reds to win, although I understand the argument that if he's betting on a game, he may be making decisions such as using an overworked reliever, that would negatively impact his team a couple of days later. The issue is, he has been punished, removed from working in the sport forever, and for two decades he was great for the game of baseball.
Many would argue that compulsive gambling is an illness, similar to alcoholism and other addictions, and is to be treated in a way that mental illnesses such as schizophrenia or bipolar illness need to be treated -- not in a punitive way that you'd handle a common criminal with a violence problem.
The guy has the most hits of all time. I could see keeping him from working in baseball, but he belongs in the HOF for the great career he had.
Lets put Pete and Shoeless Joe in, the same year. Wouldn't that be cool? Think that ceremony wouldn't get some big time media coverage? Kevin Costner would be there :-D
Especially now that gambling is ok in baseball, why keep anyone banned from the HOF... It's idiotic.
With the contracts they have now, who needs to gamble, throw games? The better you perform, the more you make. Charlie Comiskey isn't an owner anymore -- thank God.
The thing with Pete Rose is, Pete HIMSELF signed the paper stating that he accepted a lifetime ban from baseball/ HOF. I think he thought he was bigger than the game itself, and with his accomplishments he thought there was no way baseball would keep him out of the HOF. Do I think he should be in YES, but he is the one who signed the document stating that he accepts a lifetime ban from HOF. So be it.
https://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/24/sports/rose-in-deal-is-said-to-accept-lifetime-ban-for-betting-on-reds.html
Clyde Potts Thanks for the link. As far as I know, the Hall of Fame is not officially joined to the MLB as a corporate entity. Like a newspaper selecting an all-star team, the HOF is not bound to the dictates of MLB. A lifetime ban from working for MLB is not a lifetime ban on being chosen for the Hall of Fame.
So sorry to hear that. A great one for sure. RIP Frank.
https://www.wbaltv.com/article/frank-robinson-died/26238631
https://www.facebook.com/607130192808673/posts/1105269629661391/
Jake Hall made it on this video as the second batter. Might be some future major leaguers on here.
As far as Pete Rose, how can any Mets fan forgive him? Bud H lives in my home town (Hauppauge) and I chat with his son on Facebook once in a while. Unfortunately he (Bud) isn’t well.
Davey Johnson gave some heartfelt tributes to Frank Robinson on WFAN this morning as Ed Randall's Talking Baseball started another season. MASN's Orioles hot-stove shows had plenty of tributes and memories all weekend, from old teammates Brooks Robinson, Jim Palmer, Boog Powell ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OinURXkmwqw
A good video about the only guy to be MVP in each league and the first black manager in each league … look at his career numbers and you'll be amazed at how few times he struck out … a far, far better ratio than today's sluggers … Frank had great baserunning instincts as to when to take an extra base … so many of the little things that make a big difference. RIP to the man who transformed the Orioles from a good contending team into World Champions.
Roywhite The Bryce is right for the Phillies :-D Funny thing is, when Bryce has collected his final paycheck as a Phillie 13 years from now, Bobby Bonilla will still have four years worth of checks coming from the Mets!
For the baseball gamers among us, which MLB game is better on the PS4 platform, RBI or The Show?
I've always bought The Show in previous seasons, but RBI is out now whereas The Show doesn't come out for another 3 weeks. Is it worth it to wait?
The Show is developed by Sony and is only available on the PS4... so I decided to get a copy of RBI for the Xbox One in my bedroom.
If it turns out to be disappointing, I'll get The Show for the PS4 downstairs...
Word on the street (that would be Facebook LOL) is that Clyde Potts is down in FL to take in a Mutt's spring training game.
I figured that, too, Metsman... but they publish roster updates for online download every single week anyway, so what's the big deal?
I haven’t gamed much last few years but never went online for anything. Guess I’m old school I expect everything on the game itself.
very sad he won't be able to remember how great he was:
HOFer Tom Seaver diagnosed with dementia
https://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/1730856/hofer-tom-seaver-diagnosed-with-dementia
He's been ill for a long time. A year or two ago it seemed as though he couldn't remember things or speak very well. Plus they have kept him off camera for a long time. It's very sad. The family probably felt forced into making an announcement because of the upcoming 50 year celebration of the '69 Mets.
Check out this box score, pretty sure it still is the longest 1-0 game ever played and Seaver pitched 10 scoreless innings without a decision!
www.baseball-almanac.com/box-scores/boxscore.php?boxid=196804150HOU
jd2 That's how baseball is - not too many guys are going to go 3 for 4 against Seaver or Glavine or Scherzer unless they (pitchers) are having a really bad day. Thankfully there aren't too many of those guys, so you make it up against the others, and work toward a decent average.
So let's talk meet-up. Yankees and Mets are both playing at 1 on opening day. Location suggestions?
What day is it? And who gives a flying fig about when the Skanks and Mutts are playing? (-;
I've got dinner plans that night... if I go, it's gonna have to be Sharky's for me. Anyone is free to join me or obviously you're free to carry on without me somewhere else. Maybe we can FaceTime (-;
I can make it wherever. I polished off my last bottle of Hop Juju ianimal. Have to hit up the BiL for the next release....
MeisterNJ The Juju should be a lot more available this year. They used to only release it in February, but will also be producing/releasing it in June, September and December this year.
Good to know ianimal.
So, other than driving up to VT, how does one get their hands on some Heady Topper?
Make your brother-in-law drive up to Vermont? AFAIK, it's not distributed outside of VT...
Re: the RBI versus The Show comparison... I've spent an hour or so playing RBI... I'm not sure what was a bigger waste of $30, this game or the first bag of weed I ever bought that turned out to be oregano, lol.
Don't worry... I'll get The Show too. I'll let my 5 year old play the RBI. It's pretty simplistic...
Yeah, that's my understanding ianimal. My last boss had a VT house and was going to pick me up some, but then he had to go and get another job. The nerve.
Interesting rule change for 2020. Relief pitchers will be required to face a minimum of three hitters barring injury or the end of the inning.
No more bringing in a lefty just to face a big left-handed bat (unless there are two outs, I suppose...)
When are both leagues going to have the DH? I've heard that's part of the bargain to increase the number of jobs in MLB … I've heard talk of rosters being expanded to have a 26th man as part of all this.
The Buccos have an extremely similar one... albeit with a "P" on it. You can be the proud owner of one for the low, low price of $39.99.
Who the hell is going to pay $40 for a ball cap? Especially one that probably doesn't go with anything you have in your closet?
What's your pick for minor league stadiums?
Has anyone tried Skylands last year for those Canadian Miners?
How about Allentown or Scranton?
I love baseball live; hate it on TV. Did not go last year, but would like to resume this year. Looking for family fare, not drunken nightmare (poetry, eh?). Like places with "special" seating, willing to pay for the spiff.
strangerdanger I've only ever been to Allentown out of those three (I think Calico has been to SWB for Yankees MiLB games, though)... highly recommend. Not a bad seat in the house, fans are friendly and respectful. Ticket and concession prices are more than reasonable.
Been to Skylands, fans behind us were obnoxious, seats were good but really dirty. Had to literally wipe the cobwebs and dirt away. Food was meh.
Coca Cola Stadium is great. No complaints.
TD Bank in Bridgewater is my favorite. Best prices and crowd.
Would love to get to a Trenton Thunder game one day.
We've been to many Trenton Thunder games. Nice stadium and crowds. Fun ride as well.
I have yet to go to the TD Stadium in Bridgewater. I always hear from all who have been there that it is a nice venue. Fairly close too.
Greg All the minor league stadiums discussed above are lots of fun, been to them all. If you get a chance, check out the Lakewood Blue Claws at the Jersey Shore (Phillies - A) and Harbor Park in Norfolk, Va. … where the Mets had their Triple-A affiliate for many years, now the Orioles are there. Norfolk is my favorite, with all those Navy ships nearby.
When I lived in Mass, I had season tickets at Wahconah Park for a few years when the Mets NY-Penn League team was there - old time but fun stadium!
Then I had season tickets to the Skylands for ten years when the Cardinals were there. That stadium was good when they had the affiliated team there. I knew Phil Pepe - funny thing is, my son played for his grandson (who was in the Cubs system) years later in summer ball.
Coca-Cola Park is my local favorite (maybe because my son played there twice.)
This summer TD park is on my list.
All that said, how can you have a bad day at a ball park?
I’ve been to all them in NJ (don’t forget Montclair) and Allentown in PA, which is probably the best. If your a “ball fan only” skip Skylands that level is barely college ball.
I forgot about the Jackals in Montclair! I haven’t seen a game there yet but the Yogi Berra Museum that overlooks it is great!
I agree that the level of play at Skylands in the Can-Am League is not great. I really do miss seeing the Cardinals' prospects and the New York-Penn League… even tho the Miners won the Can-Am playoffs last year. Well, I'm glad the stadium is still in use, it's got that "field of dreams in a cornfield" feel ... I saw a game in which the shortstop made five errors and the Miners still won. But the post-game fireworks were good :-D
… people will come, Ray, they will come … maybe they'll get another Class A franchise one of these years … we can hope,
I saw a Jackel game, met Yogi, got his autograph on a ball, toured the museum, watched the game with nasty lightning in the distance on a otherwise beautiful night. That was a grest minor league experience.
BTW George Scott was one of the managers.
Thanks to minor league baseball (Arizona Fall League) Alex Ochoa is the answer to this trivia question … what professional athlete was a teammate of Michael Jordan, Deion Sanders and Ken Griffey Junior?
Over 20 years ago I saw Alex go five-for-five, with five RBI including the walk-off-RBI in the 11th, and that's after he threw a runner out at the plate with a sizzling (you could hear it) throw from right field. He hit a homer that disappeared into the trees beyond all the advertising … most of the homers bounce off those billboards. You remember a game like that. He was an International League All Star (along with some guy named Jeter) but was a journeyman in the majors, mostly a pinch runner and late inning defensive replacement … I saw Alex make a nice catch in Trenton to preserve a perfect game for Rick Forney (who never made the majors) … that's the point … a lot of these guys become "good old whatshisname."
One more and then I promise I'll go away for awhile. The first minor league game I ever attended was in Miami, when the Marlins were an Orioles' farm club in 1969. Don "Groove" Baylor was a 20-year old at the time and hit a double and triple while playing a great centerfield. He was the Minor League Player of The Year in 1970, but still had to go back and play another full season in Triple-A because the Orioles did not have a spot for him. His Orioles days ended in April of 76 when he got traded for Reggie Jackson.
Nice. It'll be good to see everyone... and get away from this damn desk for a few hours, lol.
I'll be watching the CCM Titans take on Lackawanna at home as much as I'd like to see my Mets play tomorrow.
Weird terms (for anyone but the Mets, I guess) for Jacob deGrom's contract where he's going to be getting deferred payments of $57.5M or more in the 2030s... Jacob deGrom Day anyone? I think they might have made their last payment to Bobby Bonilla by then, lol...
https://nypost.com/2019/03/27/jacob-degrom-will-be-next-bobby-bonilla-with-mets-contract/
Had a great time meeting up with my fellow HLers at Sharky's for opening day. Glad the tradition is still going!
Lisa turner I had a blast too, Calico.... might be your last one in Jersey.
Next year, maybe we'll meet halfway... somewhere off of I-70 in Ohio. Should be interesting, lol.
I recall people hating the O's after they won three consecutive pennants and over 300 games in the process between 69 and 71, but there ain't no reason to hate them now … it would be like hating the children at the orphanage.
I'm sure somebody has shown this video to this year's Orioles for inspiration … if nothing else, it's a tribute to the kind of manager Frank Robinson was :-D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI3W1qnROKk
Stanton placed on the 10 day DL with a bicep strain.
http://web.yesnetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20190401&content_id=305837976&oid=36019
Stanton was hurt quite a bit when he was a Marlin , now Yankee fans get to see what Clint Frazier has . I'm glad that old Mets players Todd Frazier and Lowrie started out the season hurt to see how Pete Alonso and Jeff NcNeil would hit in the bigs , which is very well so far . So glad they didn't trade McNeil (nicknamed the Squirrel) in the Cano deal no matter how much Seattle wanted him .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unNsaaCJSC4
Mets are off to a 3-1 start. Pete Alonso is a beast. You know at the crack of the bat when it is crushed.
They've been the kings of April for a long time, an 11-1 start last year and the best record in openers of any team ever … Tom Seaver has a lot to do with that … they've certainly had ace pitchers … Gooden, remember R.A. Dickey? Now deGrom at a time when it seemed a foregone conclusion that Matt Harvey would be baseball's dominator.
By the way, where is Ike Davis these days? I see Lucas Duda is with the Twins now.
Ike retired back in November. That hitch in his swing was awful. Pitchers learned how to get him out.
O's also are 3-1, but it is too early to start bragging. After all, they had three games with the Yankees, who looked like my grandmother could strike them out :-D
Yes, I see the Royals picked Luke up on March 22, two days after the Twins released him.
A rookie first baseman who really impressed me learned to switch hit in Double-A back in 1976. A roster spot opened up for him in 1977 because Reggie Jackson left the Orioles for the bright lights and spotlight of Yankee Stadium … first time I saw Eddie Murray come to bat on opening day, I said to the guys I was with, "this man looks like he's up there to HIT" … I mean, he had malicious intent and purpose and a taciturn "game face" going on there … now he's in the Hall of Fame :-D
My Mets are leading the NL East right now , but manager Mickey Callahan looks like he won't last the season with some of the bonehead moves he made last night . Not taking Familia out when he was walking the park and later putting in a player who can't bunt , Travis d'Arnaud to bunt was beyond mind boggling clueless - I'm guessing bench coach Jim Riggleman will be the manager before season's end . Probably the reason he was put on the team in the first place .
The Yankees have so many injuries now with Greg Bird now going down with a foot injury it looks like they have hired the Mets' conditioning coach . Do they really have to mention that Ellsbury is on the injury list ? By now it should be a given that is his natural position LOL !
https://nypost.com/2019/04/16/greg-bird-with-worrying-foot-injury-in-another-yankees-blow/
The O’s have allowed an incredible 69 dingers in the month of April alone, absolutely demolishing the record (57) set by the Oakland Athletics in May of 1964.
wow
CBGB A lot of hanging curves in a bandbox ballpark will do that :-D
You guys may not remember that Memorial Stadium in Baltimore was considered a pitcher's park … that and four gold glovers produced four 20-game winners for the O's back in 71 … glad I'm old enough to remember going there in those days … 2-1 wins in games that took under two hours … the season ended in a 2-1 loss in game 7 against Clemente, Blass and the Pirates in the World Series. I still have the scorecard (autographed by Paul Blair) from their comeback win against Vida Blue in the playoffs … Vida had a really special season that year.
memories.
By the way, the Athletics played in Kansas City in 1964 … their first season in Oakland was in 1968 and their fortunes improved in a hurry .. the A's of the 70's were a legendary team!
The arrival of free agency led to the departure of so many great Oakland players in the last part of that decade … a turbulent decade in the sport's history …
but baseball has gone on and grown on … and on and on ...
Yanks announced today the famous interlocking NY logo has a pulled muscle, moved to the 10 day IR.
LOL Roywhite.
Well, here we go again with the rain outs. Last year was atrocious! Let's hope it's not the same this year.
Man, when the Pirates decide to lose a game, they don't mess around...
They're two games ABOVE .500, but they have a run differential of NEGATIVE 47 in 40 games, lol.
It all comes down to "putting it together" at the right time … the best example that comes to my mind is the 1960 World Series in which the Yankees outscored the Pirates by a lot, but the Pirates won the World Series. The Pirates won the close ones.
There have been teams that have made the playoffs, even though they were on the negative side in run differential.
Fat old lazy Mets PED user 36 year old Robby Cano didn't run out another hit that resulted in a double play and did his usual fly out to the warning track for the third straight loss to the Marlins - baseball's worst team . For what a cheap closer(Edwin Diaz) made of glass they never use for more than 3 outs ? Mannequin look alike GM snake oil salesman Brodie Van Wagenen sold the Wilponzi moron owners a story they were eager to hear - "We'll win with cheaper 35 year old players giving run support to the young starting pitchers ." A formula that has always resulted in disaster for the Mets !
Thanks for saying the Marlins are baseball's worst team … some say it is my dear Orioles :-(
97XBAM would you rather have Jay Bruce and his .187 batting average? That deal got rid of him and a mediocre reliever. I'll take a .250 hitter over that. Cano isn't the reason they're losing. It's a collective effort and it isn't because of the closer. Diaz is one of the best closers in the game. He has 10 saves and has yet to blow one... They need to fire Calloway and get a competent manager. I never thought I'd say I miss Terry Collins.
Cano was supposed to be a mentor for Rosario - sorry he's got 11 errors and has stopped hitting . Steroid Boy Cano is now even falling out of favor with fat Mike Francesa who sung his praises at the trade . Sorry , but both you and him are dumbos who were okay with trading McNeil for a shot loser load of crap has -been !
I was never a fan of Rosario. I wanted them to get Machado. I would have rather had him and then McNeil at 2B. At least they were smart enough not to include McNeil in any deal. But you are funny. Cano has been a great player every year of his career and then he comes here and doesn't start out that well and you call him a has been... LOL... Nimmo and Frazier are doing far worse than him.
Now it has been reported a rehabbing Yoenis Cespedes has fractured his right ankle on his farm , I doubt he ever plays for the team again . What else could possibly go wrong ? Whoops I forgot Seth Lugo hurt too !
https://nypost.com/2019/05/20/yoenis-cespedes-has-ankle-fractures-after-ranch-accident/
https://nypost.com/2019/05/20/seth-lugo-to-injured-list-as-mets-problems-only-get-worse/
Mickey is gone by next Monday. The only question is if the Mets make him travel to LA and then fire him, or have the courtesy to do it before they leave for the west coast.
Good news, the O’s have yet to give up a dinger today.
But the game starts soon...
I'm comparing this year's O's to the 1962 Mets, who they may "challenge" for the all-time worst MLB record. On May 20, 1962, the Mets were 12-19 and began a 17-game losing streak.
Roywhite … I don't see anybody from Hackettstown on the O's major or minor league rosters … if you think you can help them, go ahead and try … but you may have to go further south than Baltimore … like to Bowie (Double A) or Norfolk (Triple A) … best wishes … they are the "team of opportunity" for anyone with big league dreams :-D
Hey Andy if the O's need outfielders I know a 19 year old kid who belted a record breaking 18 homers for County College of Morris who is draft eligible.
Yes, Mets, we've talked about that. I'd love to see Jake rake at the yard.
I'm old enough to remember when the O's had a backsliding ugly season in 1962 … they drafted an outfielder named Paul Blair … the guy won seven gold gloves and played in four World Series with the O's … hit over 100 homers, too, batting mostly leadoff or number two .. played in two more WS with the Yankees to finish off a marvelous career.... mostly replacing Reggie in the OF when the Yanks had a late lead.
Those draft picks can raise up a sinking ship in a hurry. By the way, in 62 they did not have the same kind of amateur draft they have today … you could only draft players who were not on 40-man rosters … the O's drafted Blair from the Mets' Syracuse roster … ironic, after all these years the Mets' Triple-A affiliation has returned to Syracuse.
P.S. In 63 the O's drafted a Jersey native named Curt Blefary who had been left off the Yankees 40-man … from 65 to 68 he had amazing numbers against the Yankees (you can look it up if you care) … the Orioles' regular outfield when they swept the LA Dodgers in the 66 series was Blefary, Blair, and a guy named Frank Robinson you may have heard of... they made a pretty good trade to get HIM.
O's go to Colorado for the weekend, Coors Field … that thin mountain air … boom, boom, boom … bring your glove and wear a helmet if you're sitting in the outfield bleachers ... what has befallen this same franchise that once had four 20-game winners on the same pitching staff?
Even gold glove winners can't help a team if the ball keeps flyin outta here!
Mets have always done relatively poorly versus the Marlins when considering the talent levels of both teams... only 232-203 against them all-time, which includes several historically bad Marlins teams.
That stat doesn't mean anything. I can remember some years where they beat up on the Marlins.
https://www.nj.com/sports/2019/05/an-amazin-story-former-mets-player-rescued-after-boat-capsizes.html
No word if rescuers are on way to Queens
kb2755 Games within your division can be really tough for anybody -- you play a team so many times they really get familiar with you -- a guy like Chase Utley knew what the veteran pitchers in his division were going to throw to him just about all the time. He had trouble with the minor league callups, didn't have a "book" on them yet.
By the way, Al Leiter's son is a hot shot pitcher at Delbarton this spring … and the buzz is that he's going to get drafted in one of the early rounds.
I just can't believe that the high school coach lets Al Leiter into the dugout during the game, as reported. It's bad enough when fathers yell at the coach at the games and criticize them on the internet, but to actually allow that is nuts!
Al probably told the coach if he isn't allowed into the dugout, he'll transfer the kid to Seton Hall Prep. That's called leverage, the American Way, LOL
Maybe Al helps out with giving tips to the kids. What coach is going to tell a former major leaguer who was a very good pitcher in his prime to take a hike.
No coach should let a parent into the dugout between innings when his son is pitching.
My son played for Mike Shepard and John Bravette in summer and fall leagues for three years - they are better coaches, and it's a better program, the kid should have been there anyway.
Mike Sheppard was one of the best coaches ever. RIP.
https://www.app.com/story/sports/college/2019/04/07/seton-hall-baseball-mike-sheppard/3394122002/
I'm basically in agreement with Metsman here … Delbarton has been awesome all season, winning, winning, winning … the coach obviously knows what he's doing … Al Leiter certainly seems like a sensible and very smart guy.
Reggie do you even realize Bruce Shatel has won a lot? Before he was at Delbarton he won 2 or 3 Morris County Tournaments with Roxbury.
Yes I do know that. I was kind of poking fun. I still can't get past a coach letting a parent, no matter how famous, come into the dugout during a game.
What do you mean I've seen Coach Poyer let certain people including past players into the dugout. It's up to the coach.
What I mean is unless you’re of course invited by the coach, stay out of the dugout.
Who said he was in dugout? Article I read said he stood behind the backstop.
Most sports and leagues are pretty strict when it comes to whos on the sidelines, dugout, etc.
But then your right, who would turn his advice down?
The article on NJ.com did say that, and the author, Politi, has since changed it.
Oh, and back to MLB - fire Mickey. Staying up until 2am all week to watch him mis-manage, ugh.
Terry Collins looks a lot better in retrospect … he usually got them off to good starts in April … had them overachieving and dangling the mirage of contention before the length of the season, injuries, curses, whatever … started to catch up with them.
Is it me or is it almost impossible to watch a game anymore with all the bs these so called announcers/analysts throw around. Watching the Yankees-Red Sox game on ESPN with Arod, Jessica Mendoza and Matt somebody. Just STFU and let me watch the game. Most sports are becoming this way, analyze it to death. I don’t give a rats ass what someone’s batting average is with less than two out and a runner on first. Sorry for the rant.
Mets are going into their annual June swoon . Bearable with Ron Darling at the mike , but Todd Zeile is just such a doofus lisping homer refusing to criticize the team the way the fans are used to I can't stand watching much anymore . At least Met fans could brag we had the best broadcast team . Todd Zeile is the worst since can-o-corn Fran Ryan !
The ESPN Sunday night baseball telecast has become a very bad joke. They have to know it too.
Todd Zeile is horrible for the reasons that you stated, plus he doesn't have the voice for a broadcaster. That leaves Gary Cohen to read even MORE stats. It's bad enough that the team is horrible and the manager worse and the owners much, much worse.
ESPN "steals" so many Yankee/Red Sox games, and I just want to pull my hair out listening to them. Can't stand A-Roid, never could, Jessica is always telling us what a player is thinking, how does she know. They never shut up, too many stats constantly, forces me to listen to radio broadcast, which is not sync'ed up with the TV broadcast, aarrrggg.
The O's go for the best catcher on the board with the first pick. Reminds me of 1962 when the Mets first expansion draft pick was a catcher.
Casey Stengel said, 'if you don't have a catcher, you'd have all passed balls.'
Hopefully Jake Hall gets picked. He’s on the list of eligible players. First NJ kid Anthony Volpe got picked by the Yankees with the 30th pick.
Bob Uecker was very proud about leading the National League in passed balls one year in the 60's … he said that the greatest accomplishment about it was that he only played in 40 games.
In 1967 he had a wild night in Philadelphia and had to appear before a judge. He told the media that he was fined fifty bucks for being drunk and disorderly and fifty bucks for being a Phillie.
Hey Andy, that quote almost seemed to be something Yogi would have said. (The one about the passed balls).
One big difference between Yogi and Uecker … Yogi was a Hall of Famer, one of the best catchers who ever lived!
Yogi said things like … "nobody ever goes to that restaurant because it's too crowded."
When his son Dale made the majors, he said, "the similarities between me and my dad are very different."
When Casey Stengel and Yogi were both with the Yankees, that must have been a really funny clubhouse … and they sure did a lot of winning!
Article on Anthony Veneziano.
http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/-8639156749750562754/baseball-warren-hills-grad-anthony-veneziano-taken-in-10th-round-of-mlb-draft-by-royals/?src=rss
Metsman, hoping to see Jake's name called!
Besides him, there are at least four other guys that my son played with on the list: Beardsley and Montero from Point Park Univ.; Yanni from Pitt and high school; and Declan Cronin now at Holy Cross but they played summer and fall together for three years with the NJ Nationals.
We're hoping to see at least one and hopefully more selected!
Jake is committing to Siena today. They are a D1 program, so either way he's going into a good situation. He hit .397 18HR and 61RBI for CCM this year. Blew away the old homerun record by 5. So if he isn't picked this year, a year or two at the D1 level will raise his stock.
Well that was disappointing... Not that he would have signed at a late round after his Sophomore year, but would have been nice to get picked. Guess Jake will have to show he's the real deal at the D1 baseball level.
Yes, sorry. You would have been buying the beers.
Just to be on that list is a great accomplishment. He's got this though!
2 players from the 2017 CCM team were drafted. Shayne Fontana and Tyler Poulin. Both Seniors. So it's only the beginning for Jake. Having a HS and College HR record is a pretty good resume.
The Yankees have until next spring to sign Leiter … he goes back into the open pool if the Yanks don't sign him by then.
Jake just needs to keep playing … ACBL D-1 … just keep playing and showing people he's capable of moving up, progressing to the next level.
Wouldnt it be fun that since the Mets are still paying Bonilla that he shows up 1x a year for an at bat?
DannyZuko http://www.njcaa.org/sports/bsb/2018-19/div2/all-americans/index?fbclid=IwAR18FVf150qZlWK4h-2Y7qtSqiJQ9-UxSlmEQB5ZrvuUC50srz1gi8joqH4
Jake was named 2nd team All-American. Hopefully more MLB teams will be in on him next year.
The Mets Cano-Diaz trade with the Mariners is now officially a bust ! Cano is an old man whose best years are behind him which is why he took PEDs last year . Even worse the gem in that trade closer Diaz looks just as bad as Familia . He can't pitch more than 1 inning and often can't even do that without walking the park . And where in the world is Jed Lowrie ? The new GM is just another used car salesman phony who totally sucks as a talent evaluator !
Can't really fault him for Lowrie. There's no crystal ball that says a player will get hurt. Meanwhile Jarred Kelenic is tearing it up in the Mariners farm system. I guess we'll see how Diaz adjusts in NY. If he goes back to being dominant then it was a good trade. He's under team control through the 2022 season.
Diaz might be one of those small market players who can't handle the pressure of playing in NYC . Even if the pitching was hitting on all cylinders the team has no really good outfielders besides Conforto and even his defense is spotty at best . Lagares still can't hit steadily and J.D. Davis or Dom Smith in leftfield are nightmares waiting to happen . And they can expect lazy broken leg in 2 places Cespedes to return like NEVER ! I will guarantee you right now the lazy golfing cabron Cespedes will never play for this team ever again !
Mets fire pitching coach Dave Eiland and replace him with 82 year old Phil Regan . That's right 82 years old - the season is saved LOL !
https://nypost.com/2019/06/20/struggling-mets-fire-pitching-coach-dave-eiland/
Regan is nicknamed the Vulture . I guess the Mets are officially roadkill . The only reasons to watch now are Alonso , McNeil , and deGrom . Hiring an agent for a GM ain't working out so well . I'm guessing BVW told the Pons what they wanted to hear , that they can win now , and Tampa Bay's young executive Chaim Bloom told them the truth about their team and entire organization . Once again the season will end in June because of the idiot ownership's short term approach of surrounding the young pitching staff with over the hill geezers
Or BVW is Jeff's puppet and Jeff is pulling the strings. Surprised a sniper hasn't taken Jeff out by now. LOL...
Hiring an 82 year old former teammate of Sandy Koufax looks more like Fred Wilpon's move , since he played on a team with Koufax in high school . BVW was just on WFAN and said while Regan will be the pitching coach there will also be a pitching strategist , whatever that is .Only the Mets .
The best thing Phil Regan ever did as a manager was write Cal Ripken's name into the lineup 162 times in 1995.
As the Orioles considered building with youth, Regan argued the team can "win now" and wanted a thumper in the lineup … he wanted Bobby Bonilla and they got him …
The Orioles' "performance" over the next two decades speaks for itself.
Correction, since the start of the season was delayed by a players' strike in 95, Regan only wrote Ripken's name into the lineup 144 times in 1995.
That was the year we almost had "replacement players" foisted upon us :-D
What are people's thoughts on the Yankees and Red Sox playing in London this weekend?
Early Sunday morning baseball is as enticing as early Sunday morning football IMO. Which is not enticing at all.
"What are people's thoughts on the Yankees and Red Sox playing in London this weekend?"
they'll show up, play a couple games, then go home. :)
I’ll watch, reminds me of the outdoor games in nhl, a novelty, the field is on the small side so that will be interesting to see the dynamics. Plus its the Yanks I’ll be watchin anyway.
Just something to create buzz in the news media … the fact we're chatting about it means they have succeeded.
Now, the Mets bullpen … there's a topic … no lead is safe!
I mentioned before that Edwin Diaz might be a small market player who can't handle the pressure of pitching in a big market . It sure looks that way after today .
"Now, the Mets bullpen … there's a topic … no lead is safe!"
I'm sure it's just because of all the lead in the water scares lately.
I sure do remember Yankee reliever Ed Whitson . It got to the point where the fans hated him so much the team would only use him on road games . But this was a road game and Diaz imploded . So far that trade is a total disaster with old man Cano playing the role of Robbie Alomar on the Mets and Mets' prospect Kelenic shining in the Mariner's minor league system . But the Mets' ownership is dog dumb hiring a pitching coach to manage and an agent to be a GM . Apparently just tell the dumbo Wilponzis what they want to hear and you are hired !
Before Robbie Alomar they had Carlos Baerga, who was a hitting machine with Cleveland but struggled something awful when he became a Met. The Mets also had Jeff Kent, who became an awesome hitting second baseman after he left for San Francisco.
The last second baseman to do well with the Mets was Davey Johnson, as the manager … by the way, Davey's fly to left was the last out of the 1969 series, something we'll surely hear about when they celebrate the anniversary soon.
Ed Whitson was a starter for most of his career until the Yankees finally moved him to the bullpen. Agree, the Mets are a mess all around.
Mets are towards the bottom in team ERA. Certainly not where anyone expected them to be with the kind of starting pitching they were expecting to get. The pitching staff as a whole has been terrible. Time to get rid of Calloway and change the culture. He has no hold on this team.
Yankees in London?? Not necessary to "grow the game" in Europe. MLB already makes billions of dollars. Don't feel the need for teams to add further exhausting trips to the long season. It will be interesting to see how these two teams deal with that, from this point on. Those trips to Japan a few years ago had season-long effects. But, of course, I will watch. I always watch. LOL.
At least people in Japan are real baseball fans. London? Not so much.
Agree the Mets need to make some changes, to bring about a different culture.
The Mets are very weighted toward corner players … you win with defense up the middle.
An example of being built to win was those O's teams that went to the WS four times in six years from 66 to 71 … sluggers on the corners and consistent defense at short, second and center … with backups who also played great up the middle defense when needed.
Also lots of complete games from the starting pitchers, but baseball just does not do that anymore. They used to joke about NBA games, just watch the last two minutes, now, regarding baseball … just watch the last two innings to see who wins.
Flying first class or on a private charter I would hardly say is exhausting. Not feeling sorry.
I think it's neat to play games overseas. If a business isn't growing what's it doing? I applaud it.
RIP Tyler Skaggs. What a terrible shame. Way too young.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/27099081/angels-pitcher-tyler-skaggs-27-dies-texas
This is very sad. Way too young!
Now, I am not saying that this was drugs. Just that we should hold off on the canonization until we know the facts.
Remember when the Marlins guy killed himself and two others, and they held all kinds of mourning ceremonies? Then Bartolo threw the next game to the Marlins because he felt bad for a fellow Hispanic? Then we found out after all of the tributes and stuff that the guy was drunk and on drugs and it was him at the wheel when he crashed. Plus, that greasy snake donny baseball actually was a part of it all, he moved the guy's start to Monday to try to stop the Mets from making the playoffs - if he hadn't done that, the guy wouldn't have been out drinking and doing drugs and driving his boat at full speed into the rocks on a Saturday night.
Donnies to blame because his choice of pitchers caused an accident resulting in deaths. Thats a stretch, pretty dumb accusation.
It isn't stretch at all. Mattingly did that to zing the Mets, being the jerk that he is.
Being a Yan fan, everything I’ve watched, read or seen has made Donnie baseball a top flight, borderline hall of famer. Doubt many would disagree, doing what u can to win every game would fall in line with that. From where I sit can anybody disagree? Beside RV of course, a bit of a-tool.
Having said that, bet Mutts win a game this series, 7:10 start
Mattingly might have been a HOFer if he didn't hurt his back, but 6 great years don't equal a ticket to Cooperstown. Sorry....
A longer career, a couple more real good years, Donnie woulda been a Hall of Famer.
You've gotta draw the line somewhere for it to be meaningful… there are guys like Gil Hodges, Tony Oliva, … Boog Powell is one of my old Orioles heroes who is pretty well known even today … Earl Weaver said two things kept Boog out of the Hall of Fame … his knife and fork.
His numbers from 64 to 71 were really, really good.
Metsman, are we going to say the same for David Wright?
Roywhite, gfy with the personal attack. If you can't figure out that those three guys would still be alive if Donny Baseball didn't move that druggie's start to stick it to the Mets...
Ultimately we are responsible for our own actions . Young Jose Fernandez is responsible for his own actions when not on the field , not Don Mattingly . In 2006 when the Mets best bullpen reliever Duaner Sanchez went out at 2 in the morning to supposedly eat in Miami and the cab he was in was hit by a drunk driver who crossed lanes was it Mets' manager Willie Randolph's fault ? Most likely that cost the Mets a world series appearance as Sanchez was lost for the season and was never the same pitcher again . It's fate , nothing more than fate and and rotten luck .
97X, Jose F was completely responsible for killing those two guys and himself. All I said was that Donnie was a contributing factor. He moved the kid's start from Sunday to Monday to try to beat the Mets. That freed him up to go out partying on Saturday night.
The Sanchez accident was completely different. He was a relief pitcher, and was not drunk or if he was, he at least was in a cab and not driving. Nobody believed that he was going out for "food" at that hour. But the Mets manager had nothing to do with it, unlike the Fernandez case.
BTW, in Jose's case, they pretty much knew what happened right away but kept it under wraps until all of the tributes and moments of silence had occurred. The saddest part of that is that he left a young girlfriend either expecting or with a baby.
No discussion about the All Star Game? Mets and Yankees well represented … Nationals really miss Bryce Harper, don't they? LOL
I'll see those Nationals in Baltimore in a few days, the "Beltway Series."
I'm also impressed by how he's become a good defensive first baseman … he did not have that reputation in the minors, but he's worked to improve.
As a team, the Mets' lack of attention to defense continues to cost them games. Last night was a case in point. They keep playing people out of position, as if the game plan is for the pitcher to strike everybody out.
They need to trade Dom Smith while he has some value. He's swinging a good bat but he isn't an outfielder. I'm sure someone out there would like him at first base or DH.
6 teams on pace to lose 100 games. Top payroll teams again leading in wins. Baseball is not in good shape. Long boring games. Football is almost here!!!!
There is no discussion about the All Star game because there is no discussion about baseball. It's dead. Move on.
Animal_Lover_AlwaysIt is getting increasingly difficult to watch these days. The announcers take over every aspect of the game with meaninglus stats and never shut up. I just want to watch a game and not be bombarded with non-stop dribble.
It's been that way for some time. I enjoy the Mets guys. They are the best in the game as far as I'm concerned. The ESPN crew is horrendous when I have to watch a game with them running the show.
I enjoy the Mets guys … which is why I watch them a lot even though they are not my big rooting interest … I also enjoy former Orioles heroes Jim Palmer and Rick Dempsey on their MASN telecasts … they make watching that horrible team bearable and I give them credit for NOT talking about past glories all the time.
I guess guys who have won the World Series make for good broadcasters covering the team they once played for … they are like the fatherly figure watching the growing pains of their children.
If you don't like baseball, "go back to where you came from" LOL … it's an American game :-D … I hope the moderators see the humor in this :-D people enjoy what they enjoy, just like music.
You could say some football games are horrible to watch too. Who wants to watch a superbowl game when it's a blow out.
The only Super Bowl blowout I ever enjoyed was when the Ravens beat the Giants 34-7 … because my team won, of course.
"Mad Dog" Russo called that one on WFAN … he waited until he signed off his show and then just said
"RAVENS DOUBLE THREE … Giants GOOSE EGG … enjoy the game, Giants' fans!"
So many Giants' fans thought they were going to win against one of the best defenses in history … OK enough football :-D
Trade deadline is looming. Hopefully the Mets deal some of their upcoming free agents and get some value back.
I think even baseball fans (I am one) agree there are problems - games last too long, too many 3-2 counts and strikeouts, too many home runs resulting in too little action on the bases. I could go on. A pet peeve of mine is the guys that can and do hit one foul ball after another. This is usually called "a great at-bat" by the announcers. Don't like it.
jd2 it's a great at bat in today's game because pitchers are held to pitch counts. Back in the old days you threw till your arm fell off. And power guys have always struck out. Look at Babe Ruth.
I agree it's a great at-bat in today's game, as far as trying to win a game, but ....while it is good for the batter and his team, it is not good for the game of baseball. Takes too long; not interesting.
And there have always been strikeouts, sure, but not at today's level.
Pete Rose was the best at fouling off pitches until he got one he could line up the middle for a hit … the All-Time Hit King.
I was at a game in which Brooks Robinson fouled off seven straight two-strike pitches and then hit a walk-off homer, Birds win 6-5. The post-game quote "he finally put one in the wrong spot."
Yeah, all the O's fans went home happy … great at bat :-D
That was the game back then, too, in the 70s … and despite those "great at bats" the average time of game was considerably shorter. I think the time between innings is longer now because they pack in one TV ad after another. Also, the batter used to stay in the box and hit … today there is a lot more time between each pitch.
Something I don't care for in today's game … they take so long to review so many plays, and the announcers comment on that.
I'm all for replay review after that Jeffrey Mayer playoff fiasco in 96 … back then fans were calling for review of plays an umpire obviously blew.
Now, they are splitting hairs over whether a runner was off the bag for a fraction of a mini-second, after he'd obviously beaten the throw and tag.
jd2 you didn't have as many guys who could hit the ball over the fence back in the old days. You had more line drive hitters. There are also more guys throwing 95+ mph fastballs and multiple pitchers enter games which makes it harder to figure out a pitchers strategy against a batter when you only face a reliever once. Usually against a starter by the 3rd at bat, the hitters have a much better batting average.
Most of the shortstops, back in the day, were guys who could not hit a lick. When the AL initiated the DH in the early 70s, most of the ninth batters were shortstops. That all changed in the 80s with Ripken. I remember an announcer on a 'game of the week' broadcast saying Ripken was the first shortstop to bat third since Ernie Banks.
Doc arrested again. Sigh....
https://nj1015.com/former-mets-star-dwight-gooden-arrested-again-in-nj/
How things have changed in 50 years regarding baseball's popularity. Funny story from 50 years ago. Our basketball team had an end-of-the season "pasta party" and after stuffing our faces, we sat around, looking forward to opening day and talking baseball.
I was saying the Orioles are the team to beat this year, another guy said, no, Denny McLain and the Tigers are going to repeat, another said watch out for Cincinnati and Pete Rose, another said Bob Gibson and the Cardinals. Also getting support were Clemente and the Pirates and Mays, McCovey and those Frisco Giants.
Our assistant coach, Rich Gelbstein says, "Guys, whoever puts it together is the team that will win. Why, if they put it together, even the Mets … THE METS … could …" And we all just laughed, the Mets?
Guess who won it that year? Rich Gelbstein deserves to be remembered for his historic prophecy :-D
What's going on with the Mets being 2 games out of the wild card all of a sudden ? Did somebody say okay it's time now GO !
Yankees and White Sox to play at Field of Dreams next year. Very cool.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/27345869/yankees-white-sox-play-field-dreams
Recently the Mets have been beating Pittsburgh, the Marlins, Chicago White Sox … a soft part of the schedule against struggling teams … you've gotta beat those bad teams, the way the Yankees do against the Orioles :-(
The O's had a cycle but still lost the other night.
The Iowa presents an interesting challenge for MLB … Field of Dreams paid a lot of respect toward Shoeless Joe Jackson, who got dragged into that 1919 fix by his teammates … those eight guys got banned from baseball same way Pete Rose did seven decades later … Shoeless Joe was the first guy to walk onto the Field of Dreams … how will the MLB folks handle a game at a field that was created to honor a "disgraced" hero of the game?
I'm going to the Mets game tomorrow night. Should be a packed house. Big series against the Nats.
Sure is. A couple of the game's best pitching rotations …
Rendon and Soto have done so much to fill the void left by Harper's departure.
Soto and Alonso are two of the future stars of the sport.
I went to the doubleheader on Monday knowing that they had a good chance to break .500 - the place was going nuts. It should be rocking this weekend too!
Nobody panic , but the Mets signed Joe Panik off waivers to replace torn hamstring Cano who's probably out for the season . I hate to wish injury on anyone , but without Cano hitting behind him Alonso is finally seeing good pitches to drive instead of being pitched around .
https://nypost.com/2019/08/09/mets-sign-joe-panik-to-fill-infield-opening/
McNeil should be playing second base, which is his position. The Mets need a natural center fielder and then Conforto can play the corner outfield. Typical Mets, they sign a guy for the wrong position.
Next year I want free agent Anthony Rendon for third and McNeil on second base . Just get the old awful mistake Cano to run fast in spring training / get hurt and carry him on the injury insurance policy . He is our Jacoby Ellsbury ! Trade Diaz -a small market closer who can't handle the pressure of playing in NYC .
What is that smell?
https://deadspin.com/yordan-alvarez-and-the-astros-made-a-strong-case-for-re-1837145659
The Mets did not get booted out of MLB after this atrocity -- they happen.
https://www.baseball-almanac.com/box-scores/boxscore.php?boxid=201807310WS0
Hackettstown, NJ getting air time during the Mets game tonight! Gary and Ron discussing Centenary.
I saw that but they said Centenary in Louisiana. Looked it up and there is a Centenary in Shreveport, LA.
Mr. Resident Yes they said that at first. That is where the pitcher Lugo went to school. They then came back and talked about our Centenary and that it is in Hackettstown, NJ. didn't you see and hear that?
If not for injuries, Cole Kimball of both Hackettstown and our local Centenary, would still be an important part of the Nationals' bullpen, and everyone in the world (baseball fans anyway) would know about Htown and Centenary NJ ..
that was some crazy game!
Reggie Voter. I believe that you need a little more fiber in your diet. Think about it.
Real1 What a disgraceful game by the Mets bullpen last night.... That game pretty much ruined their chance at a wild card spot. How do you give up 7 runs in the 9th inning.... 5 games out now. It would take a miracle at this point....
Different game today, I grew up watching Jim Palmer and Dave McNally pitching complete game shutouts … also, on nationally televised games, watched guys like Whitey Ford, Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax, Denny McLain (a total knucklehead as a person but still the last guy to win 30), Mickey Lolich, Steve Carlton, Tom Seaver … on and on.
Overuse of the bullpens today … a game could blow up on you any time.
By the way, go look up what the Orioles did from Sept. 1 to Sept. 6 in 1974 … that's how you get back into a race and we'll probably never see anything like it ever again.
Real1, people come on here to sharpshoot and they're most often wrong and/or uninformed.
Love them Pinstripes. Congrats to NY Yankees, AL East Champs. World Series 2019, I hope.
justwondering Great season for the NY Yankees despite all of the injuries. Here's to the post-season!
Aaron Boone certainly deserves Manager of the Year! Having a loaded minor league system didn't hurt things, either :-D
Not a Mets fan by any means, but I'm pulling for Alonso to hit 3 more home runs...the sooner Judge is out of the record books, the better!
Congrats to Pete Alonso for breaking Aaron Judge's rookie home run record, hitting #53 last night. What a season this guy is having for the ever-mediocre Mets...
Mets aren't mediocre. Their closer sucked and screwed them out of a playoff spot. The starting pitching and lineup are very good.
Correct about the bullpen. The manager is an on-field knucklehead though; he didn't help at all. He has absolutely no feel for the game and the GM knew it too and was sending him messages during the games on what to do. Hopefully he is gone by Wednesday. Then they need to take the insurance money and send Cespedes back to his ranch; do something with that lazy slug Cano who they shouldn't even let around the core of young, hustling kids; get a real center fielder and a catcher that can actually throw someone out (yes it's on the pitchers a lot but four stolen bases in an inning?)
Make Wheeler a QO, he's a good #5 and it'll be worth it.
Then we'll be talking playoffs.
They only needed to convert half of the blown saves and they'd have the first wild card spot by a large margin. When you're blowing close to 30 saves as a team that's ridiculous.
Happy for Alonso, he impresses me as a good guy. The way he worked on his defense and went the opposite way for singles on tough pitches showed me he's a guy who plays for the team.
Good luck with that bullpen.
https://thesportsdaily.com/2019/09/29/orioles-of-steve-wilkerson-makes-catch-of-the-year-in-final-2019-game-video/
Check this one out, catch of the year in game 162?
Even Paul Blair, who made so many amazing home run robbing gems in the 60s and 70s, didn't pull one off that was quite like THIS :-o
Yes, great catch, to bad he blew the last play of the game by nonchalantly tossing the ball back to the infield allowing Mookie Betts to score the winning run.
With the win-loss record what it is for the two teams, hardly seemed to matter.
Blair and Al Bumbry are still the best centerfielders the franchise ever had, Adam Jones is also right up there. Not coincidentally, they were on O's teams that went to the post season.
A game between the O's and Red Sox in which BOTH teams were not in the race seems odd to me … once upon a time that was always a big, meaningful game.
Anyhow, looking forward to some great post season games, not having a strong rooting interest in anyone involved just makes it less stressful :-D
Andy, Aaron Boone manager of the year? He had 230 million dollars worth of players. Other teams get injuries and they have 50 million dollar payroll. He was still fielding an expensive team night in and night out. He also got to play the orioles and blue jays, two of the worst teams in baseball.
All those high paid players Boone has spent countless days on the Injured list. So what he did, with the 3rd string player at some positions was win the east and come in 3rd overall. Same payroll and schedule as Bosox.
Maybe he doesn’t deserve it but the routine “yanks have the highest payroll” isn’t the whole story this year.
Cash for GM of year perhaps...
So much for DannyZuko putting aside his enmity for the Yankees to disregard the facts as below:
Baseball Reference puts the Yankees ‘ guaranteed payroll for 2019 at $88.3 million, with most of that eaten up by Giancarlo Stanton, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Masahiro Tanaka. They estimate further that the Yankees will pay out about $32.8 million in arbitration salaries, bringing the total payroll to about $129 million.
So his managing was exceptional this year with a new lineup almost every week. Isn't that the manager's job to get the best out of the players he has available? I think he did a fine job of that. An yes I am a stalwart Yankee fan almost since birth LOL.
MK Whoever you may root for, you have to be able to see actual facts and appreciate achievement.
Buck Showalter, who has managed both the Yanks and O's, said something nice about Baltimore fans … "they care as much as anybody else, there just isn't the meanness you see in other cities."
He said it on WFAN.
The issue is, to paraphrase what they say about Atlanta: once you leave the Inner Harbor, you're in Baltimore.
“Meanness you see in other cities” like Philly, the fans and Bryce watchin’ the playoffs on tv.
A curly W in the books for the Nats … Cole Kimball and his dad always had nice things to say about that organization … in particular I remember his dad saying the Nationals never abused his son … brought him along with patience.
I expect a seesaw playoffs with Washington and Milwaukie as both their bullpens are suspect. Why stay with a closer type reliever who can't find the plate and let him load the bases?
That was just a one-game playoff … they added the second wild card a few years back so we could have the drama (and TV ratings) of a one-and-done game.
The Nats have a tough task with the Dodgers coming up because LA has lots of good lefty hitting and the Washington bullpen (very limited) will have trouble matching up.
The answer is complete games from the starters … these days all you can hope for is seven real good innings... and they needed Strasburg in relief yesterday.
The Red Sox did real well using starters in the pen last October … will be fun to see what happens.
2019 is the year of the home run. All sorts of records in 2019.
The previous record for home runs in a season by the league as a whole was 6,105. This season, there were 6,770 home runs.
Before this season, the record number of home runs allowed by a team was 258 (2016 Reds). The Orioles have set the new standard at a ridiculous 305. The Rockies (270), Angels (267) and Mariners (260) also surpassed the old record.
https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-homer-records-breaking-down-the-many-ways-2019-was-the-year-of-the-home-run/
Homeruns put people in the seats. A lot of people don't want to watch 2-1 games. I personally enjoy a pitchers duel, but I'm a baseball purist. Everyone enjoys homeruns. Having watched my son break a high school and college homerun record I can attest to how exciting it is. Pete Alonso probably put a lot of people in the seats even when the Mets were finally seemingly out of it.
As Big Mac used to say... "Chicks dig the long ball..."
Big night for sports fans... two NLDS games with the Braves-Cardinals game starting at 5:05, the Rags' NHL season opener against Winnipeg at 7:00, Rams-Seahawks at 8:20 in the NFL and Nats-Dodgers at 8:37.
I might need to pick up a couple more TVs on my way home tonight, lol.
"I might need to pick up a couple more TVs on my way home tonight, lol"
Too funny. Just do like I do, go to the bar and watch.
Tomorrow is great! Baseball at 2:05, 4:37, 7:07 and 9:37!
Go Yankees and Go Cards!!!!
2019 team payrolls
Yankees - $218 million
Rays - $63 million
$155 million difference and you people think the Yankees manager is manager of the year? What are you people smoking?
A huge portion of that Yankees payroll was sidelined … I'm no Yankees fan, just trying to be "fair and balanced."
A bad pitching staff and bandbox ballpark combined for that obscene homer total at Camden Yards … the place looked like a pinball machine this summer.
I long for the days they played in spacious Memorial Stadium, which was known as a pitcher's park … particularly on days the wind was blowing in ... Frank and Boog's homers in that place were legit and the visitors rarely hit them, with the exception of people with names like Mantle, Maris, Killebrew …
Maris saw a couple of tries at his 60th home run get caught at Memorial Stadium in Sept. 1961, bringing about that old (*) which, fortunately, has been all but forgotten by now. The movie 61* did a good job of telling that tale … I loved the scene when Mantle, pulling for his teammate to get that number 60 in game number 154 in Babe's old hometown, called out, "it's the ghost of the Babe, blowing them back."
https://www.baseball-almanac.com/box-scores/boxscore.php?boxid=196109200BAL
The box score of the game which gave the Yankees a 104-50 record which clinched them the 1961 AL pennant (no divisions or wild cards in those days) … the "big story" was Maris being denied homer number 60 in game 154, meaning he didn't hit 60 in the number of games the 1927 Yankees played... prompting the commissioner giving it an asterisk when Roger hit numbers 60 and 61 at Yankee Stadium the following week.
Success is a result of performance not expenses. Boone can’t be dismissed because of a high payroll, a large portion if which did not play, only results. Someone do better?, give it to him.
FYI, CC not on roster for this round...
Lets go Yanks!
The Mets fired manager Mickey Callaway today , but are keeping Syndergaard and unfortunately imploding closer Diaz . IMO Diaz is a small market pitcher who can't pitch in high pressure NYC like the Yankees' Ed Whitson , Randy Johnson , and Sonny Gray . If he kills the 2020 season for them Wilpon and the GM will only have themselves to blame .
https://nypost.com/2019/10/03/mets-fire-mickey-callaway/
You never know. I hope Diaz can turn it around. They gave up a great prospect for him. Had he been decent the Mets would be in the playoffs. What's your problem with Syndergaard?
No problem with Syndergaard , the only reason they are keeping him is because they decided to let Wheeler walk . They also tried to trade Noah and Diaz in July and got no takers . Laughably they tried to trade Cano too . They should hire Joe Girardi , but they won't - read some of the threads on Mets Refugees about the things that came out about the team this week , as long as Jeffie boy Wilpon runs the team it will continue be a dysfunctional mess .
http://www.metsrefugees.com/forum/index.php?forums/new-york-mets.2/
For Yankee fans who don't have the MLB network for the playoff games it's free until October 11th . On Comcast channel 738 in SD , I imagine 859 in HD .
I read Mutts had the 4th best mlb record post all star game.
Soo you got that goin for ya
The Mets always make a critical boo boo whenever they are in a position to be great. This time it is letting Callaway go … the Mets were 21 games over .500 in the stretch run, pretty darn good, apparently getting things straightened out after playing 11 games under in the first part of the season.
Once they got it together, they played with "New York attitude" in the words of JD Davis. Apparently they got some inspiration from the 50th anniversary of the 69 Mets, who put on a stretch drive for the ages that year, and carried it through the "amazing" post season.
All that was missing this time around was the black cat.
All that was missing was a closer who could finish games. They blew around 30 games this season.
Don't worry Pedro Martinez is going to work with Diaz . I didn't know he was a psychiatrist since the problem is in the head of Diaz .They better have a plan B for closer since Lugo can't pitch more than 2 games in a row before needing 2 or 3 days off and Familia can't pitch in high pressure situations . It was stupid to bring back Familia with all the other options there were out there .The only smart things the GM did were to not trade McNeil , start Alonso from day one , and pick up J.D. Davis .I wouldn't call Ramos a good move since he's horrible defensively and can't crouch low enough at the plate to frame the ball for a low ball pitcher .
Every game, night after night, comes down to late-inning relievers today … much different than the major league baseball games I grew up watching.
Perhaps they should shorten the games to seven innings, or reduce the schedule and have more off days between games.
Teams have too much invested in top pitchers to have them throw a million pitches and risk injury to throw a complete game.
Guys like Nolan Ryan, Jim Palmer, Warren Spahn, Tom Seaver, Steve Carlton, Robin Roberts would throw over 300 innings per season, and they had careers that lasted two decades.
Perhaps they were freaks of nature.
On the other side of the coin, Koufax called it a career at age 30 … a year after throwing two WS complete-game shutouts within four days, in games 5 and 7 of the 1965 classic.
Fortunately the Orioles swept the Dodgers in 66, so Koufax didn't have to do the short rest thing again :-D
Ex-Bucco Gerrit Cole versus ex-Bucco Tyler Glasnow in Game 5 tomorrow night. But Clint Hurdle was the problem and Neil Huntington still has a job as GM.... pthbbbbbt.
WTH Cards? Glad they have such a big lead, but was looking for really competitive Game 5.
After the Cards broke that game open so early, I watched the Flintstones (YABBA DABBA DOO) and M.A.S.H. for entertainment. Flaherty reminds me of Jim Palmer (same windup and same number too) And another curly W for the Nationals ... looking forward to a fun NLCS.
Ugh, my beloved Yankees will not have a home field advantage in the ALCS. Oh well.
Beloved? The Yankees are the worst. How many wife/girlfriend abusers they have on the team? German? How about your closer, Chapman? Real class organization, not!!!!
Sports fans are tribal, just like politicians … they will accept the absolute worst behavior from somebody, as long as he shares their ideology.
I'm guilty of it myself … I can't say with a straight face that all the Baltimore Ravens' players through many winning seasons have been models of decorum and civility.
Just like any organization there will be some people with bad behavior on their personal time. That does not make any organization the worst at anything. If you have not been found guilty of anything yet the sensational side of the news feed will still trash you. But that is the player's situation to deal with. But some people will use anything to trash the whole Yankee organization. It won't stop their winning ways or the great job the manager has done this year. You are trashing some of the other great people working for the organization with the taint from a few.
Unfortunately, professional athletes are signed for their talent … it would be nice if he was a Dale Murphy or Cal Ripken … but nice guys only get somewhere if they have talent and produce results …
as long as someone is not serving a jail sentence... yet … he will play!
Great game yesterday! Let’s see how the yanks do against Verlander today. Two Great teams and exciting baseball .
I wouldn’t mind celebrating another “Gleybor day”!
Htown newbie So many wild stats they come up with these days.
Neither Sanchez nor Scherzer allowed a hit in the first five innings for Washington. Only once before in post-season history has it happened that two pitchers did not allow any hits in the first five innings in consecutive games.
This happened back in 2013, when two guys did it for Detroit - Sanchez and Scherzer - same two guys!
Your right, they come up with so many meaningless stats in my opinion. Like I give a hoot what someone has done with men at first and third after the 6th inning. Just shut up an let me watch the game. It is getting very hard to watch sports anymore because of these non-stop stats and blowhard announcers. Just my opinion of course.
They’re relegated to spewing obscure data to fill the dead time between any action.
Pitcher throws the ball.....batters swings...or not.
Batter exits the batters box....
Walks around a bit....
Tightens their batting gloves...
Batter takes a couple of practice swings....
Batter puts one foot in the batter’s box.....
Batter holds one hand up for time.....
Batter puts both feet into the batter’s box....
Pitcher checks signs...
Pitcher throws the ball....
Batter swings or not.......
Rinse and repeat,
(BUT I STILL LOVE THE GAME)
Stymie Agreed tired of the bs stats and announcers - I’ve been watching the game on mute .
There are full-length playoff and WS games from 40-50 years ago on You Tube. You can see and hear for yourself how people like Vin Scully and Curt Gowdy used to do it … before today's TMI craziness.
Went to bed when the 10th inning ended.
Why use so many pitchers in a low scoring game, particularly taking out guys who were effective? Then they ended up with Happ pitching in an unfamiliar role out of the pen.
If the Yanks beat Cole tomorrow, they are in great shape.
Otherwise, it goes back to Houston to finish up.
My most guilty-pleasured schadenfreude moment just came to fruition. F the Yankees.
If the Yankees can just get that team payroll up to 300 million they could win the world series.
An oddball thing about the Yankees … they have not won the World Series during a Republican administration since 1958 (the days of Ike) … they've been under the curse of Nixon, Ford, Reagan, two Bushes and now Trump.
Tough weekend, Calico … that Eagles' game was hard to watch, but I hung in.
The Ravens seem to do well whenever my expectations are low … they went to Seattle and WON … I'm surprised. Happy, but still surprised.
The last time a Washington team went to the World Series, their shortstop was a future Hall of Famer named Joe Cronin … who married the owner's niece named Mildred … after the team went downhill, the owner officially traded Cronin AND Mildred to the Red Sox.
Washington (first in war, first in peace and last in the American League East for so many years) has been under the curse of Mildred LOL
Obviously nobody is watching the World Series. Bad match-up for MLB. I'm sure the ratings are low.
Mrs.Ward My love of the Yankees does not prevent me loving all of baseball. I have watched every playoff game and I am enjoying it all. No one thought at the beginning of the year this Yankee team would go far. I appreciate the valiant effort the players made to get as far as they did. Kudos to the manager and front office for making it all work with all the injured players this year.
Nats certainly did not miss Bryce Harper in the second half of the season and the playoffs … Mad Max Scherzer is definitely an "old-school" type of guy I can root for … Baby Shark doo doo doo doo doo doo … that schtick reminds me of the 2002 Angels with The Rally Monkey :-D …. in seven games, it worked against Baroid Bonds and those SF Giants.
This is a great World Series for baseball...Nats let a "Star" walk and are all the better for it. Astros hands down were the AL's best team...even if Houstin swept, it would be fine, but if the Nationals win, it would be great!
It really doesn't matter to me who wins. The games are entertaining and both story lines hold my interest. Go AstroNats…..LOL
Cole TRAIN!!!!
Next stop... CyYoungburg and then on to Ka-Chingville.
Think the Skanks will offer him $40M per year?
Funny, to me at least, is that baseball is slanted toward the home team so that the fans have a better than even chance of going home happy. Yet so far in this series, neither team has won a home game!
It comes down to who does the best job on the mound … home or away does not matter much to a good pitcher who's got everything working … who is in the happy zone.
All sports have a home field advantage but baseball is among the least percentage wise. SI had an interesting article years ago if you can find it. Soccer and football with the most advantage. Baseball has a major part of the team (pitcher) different each game thats a bigger factor than anything.
Not to brag, but I was a letter winner on a high school basketball team that won 33 consecutive home games … during that stretch we lost five close games on the road, all by one or two points.
The difference between home and road, by my vantage point, was that we got the calls from the referees at home, got bad calls made on us on the road.
The study I recall had the ref’s being influenced by the home crowd. Nothing new to those of us who follow or play sports.
Zoolander's pitch count is getting up there. The Astros better plate some runs or the Nats are going to pound their bullpen in the late innings and send it to Game 7 with the ball in Scherzer's hand.
That may be true but they haven’t pounded their bullpen over the last three games. Oops, 3-2 Nats.
And a curly W is in the books for the Nats! Wasn't that FUN? About the road thing, Strasburg's two starts have been on the road and Max has only had one start so far in this series, the opener on the road.
Nats overcame a horrible call tonight (they protested the game even) … how about Mister Cool Rendon … in his home town no less?
It's all hands on deck for the Nats tomorrow night.
Now, if Gerrit Cole has any Sandy Koufax in him, he'll start tomorrow night. Back in 65, in one of the great pitching performances off all time, Koufax pitched a shutout in game five, and then on two days rest in Minnesota, shutout the Twins in game seven while the bullpen just sat and watched. Yeah, a year later he retired at age 30 because his elbow was killing him... after winning 27 games that year.
no other game has the home advantage built into the rules.
Pitchers and refs come and go but the home team always bats last, if needed.
The Nats used a lot of the money they saved by not signing Harper, to get Corbin. What a big contribution he made.
That series was a great one to watch … Nats are such a gritty team.
Wonder if Cole Kimball was watching … he played with some of those guys! He could have been the guy on the mound getting the last three outs … he's only 34 … if not for the injury he could have had a spectacular career.
Hinch should have brought in the Cole Train to get the last eight outs rather than that parade of losers that ran out to the mound in the last three innings. Hell, leaving Greinke in there would have been a much better decision than the ones he made.
Great series though... one of the better ones of recent memory. Congrats to the Nationals.
Houston's bullpen was rated better in ERA , holds, and saves than any other team in baseball. Houston was first, Yankees second in bullpen efficiency. Apparently that was not a factor as the Houston bullpen was mostly ineffective. Maybe they should have spoken to Bobby Cox why things that work well all year do not seem to work in the post season. He experienced that 12 times LOL.
Same reason Jeryus Familia sucked for the Mets in the 2015 world series after having a great regular season.... you need to have balls in the post-season. Mo Rivera had the biggest of them all. Even when he blew a save in the post season it was a jam shot usually. We'll never see anyone that good in a big spot ever again.
Me thinks that Astros pen was worn out … Greinke was dealing, he had his good stuff, and was at less than 80 pitches … taking him out was one of the dumbest moves I've ever seen in a game 7 and I've seen a lot of game sevens over the last five decades... two of them in person at the ballpark.
Managers have never wavered at bringing in starters in game 7, when it is all hands on deck … Earl Weaver used three 20-game winners in game 7 in 1971 … a 2-1 loss to Clemente and the Buccos… Blass went all the way for Pittsburgh.
If Greinke was on a pitch count … Cole Train definitely shoulda pitched the eighth and ninth.
Andy that's because front offices meddle too much and don't let managers manage anymore. They want a puppet that does what they want done. If a starter only has 80 pitches and is shutting a team down, you don't take them out. A bullpen is meant to be there when the starter starts to lose it.
You're right, Mets. I remember in 1978, Earl Weaver quit because management made a trade for an Expos player without consulting him. They pleaded with Earl to come back
and Earl did … and won another pennant in 79 (a year in which EVERYBODY picked the Yankees) … to Earl's credit, he never took anything out on the player he didn't want, held no grudge, and while the guy never became a regular starter, he did contribute to the team's success as a platoon player and pinch hitter. As I've had opportunities to meet former players at things like charity dinner events, etc. former players have told me, when asked, "Earl Weaver was all about winning, no politics, no bullcrap. If you could help him win, you played."
Shocker - Carlos Beltran named new Mets manager . Loved him as a player , but a quiet guy who now needs to deal with the massively intrusive NYC media . I wish him well , but it seems to be a strange choice - even for the Mets .
https://nypost.com/2019/11/01/mets-carlos-beltran-history-shows-how-surprising-this-hire-really-his/
He was a "special adviser" to the Yankees this year, but I'm not aware of any minor league managerial experience. Did he do any managing in the Puerto Rico Winter League? That's where Frank Robinson got his managerial experience before Cleveland made him the first-ever black manager.
Beltran is a good guy and everybody has to respect his accomplishments as a player, Hall of Fame worthy ... wish him well.
Gil Hodges also was known as a "quiet man" but he did what was necessary and managed the Mets to a world series championship in 1969 that is celebrated to this day. The only other Mets manager to win a world series was the guy who made the final out of the 69 series (irony).
Beltran was such a great player it looked like he wasn't even trying sometimes because he made plays look so effortless . In 2006 I remember Chris"Mad Dog" Russo saying he wasn't that good of a fielder . Six weeks later Beltran won the Gold Glove for center field . But I'm expecting many dumbo callers to WFAN calling him Bell-Tran instead of Bell-Tron . It's inevitable as fans blaming him for not swinging at that curve ball in the 2006 NLCS instead of the lousy bullpen which cost them that series and failed in 07-08 September as well !
He dogged it a lot. But if you say that on any baseball or sports web page, it's as if you insulted Tom Cruise and Scientology - a whole barrage of "people" jump all over you saying that he wasn't dogging it, he was just so graceful that it looked as if he was going slowly. It was as if his agent had people checking the internet for his name and refuting the claims of what all of us fans could plainly see.
That pitch by Wainright was nasty in the 2006 NLCS. I was pissed he didn't swing and I threw a shoe at the TV, but in hindsight realized anyone could have buckled on that 12-6 curveball.
Most fans are over that non-swing by now, hopefully. The mind boggling part is that they are going with another inexperienced manager - we just got done with two years of batting out of order, changing pitchers before the pinch hitter is announced, bullpen misuse, strange in-game calls, taking calls from the GM during the game, bizarre post game explanations, etc. Why don't they make the managerial candidates come up thru the system as the players do? Or at least do some time as a minor league manager?
Relatedly, they fired Edgardo Alfonzo, he had experience and he just won a championship for them in the minors.
The reason is these managers are puppets. These front offices think their analytics is the only way to manage. It's a joke.
In 14 seasons with the Cardinals Wainright has struck out 1,776 batters (nice, patriotic number). Beltran is Hall of Fame worthy as a player. Most of the really good managers were mediocre players in the bigs; things often come easy to talented players and they don't have the patience to understand why some players may struggle … guys who had minimal talent had to work hard to get anywhere in the game and learned as much from what went wrong as they did from what went right … the ability to teach and get the best out of his players is what it takes to be a manager.
For his bench coach Beltran wants - Terry Collins ? So bizarre and way out there it must be true . It will be interesting to see if not getting the more experienced Joe Girardi blows up in their faces like a cheap Acme dynamite stick .
https://nypost.com/2019/11/02/terry-collins-could-resurface-with-carlos-beltrans-mets/
I always thought the Mets overachieved under Collins … he got them off to good starts in April year after year and they stayed in the hunt into the summer … before reality set in. When he had some players, he won a pennant. Yeah, he did leave Matt Harvey in too long in WS game 5.
So, will it be another Cy for deGrom? Certainly a Rookie of the Year for The Polar Bear. My choice for NL MVP is Anthony Rendon.
In the AL, who had a better year than Cole Train? The other awards, I'm open to suggestion.
Gabe Kapler got another managerial job... I'm surprised... he seemed rather clueless in Philly.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/28068740/giants-name-gabe-kapler-bruce-bochy-replacement
and we got another first year, never even managed in the minors, Beltraaaaannn - but as Mushnick said, which one?
Kapler could not go out on the mound and pitch … he didn't have many options. How many 10-9 games are you going to win? Since the Phils are one of the teams that have committed themselves to "analytics" I wonder how many of Kapler's moves were sent down from some Ivy League "brainiac."
Trying to be open minded, I watched a show on MASN (the cable station the O's and Nats share down there in the land of Natty Boh) which was all about analytics … it was like trying to pay attention in high school algebra class … ugh .. this is what the game has become now?
The batting your power hitter in the 2 spot is stupid to me. What happened to your top 2 guys being high on base players, 3 hitter is your best all around hitter, and 4 hitter is a power hitter? You see so many lineup configurations nowadays its crazy. I just don't see how they are productive. Now they look at garbage where there is a stat for a player on how they did against lefties in the month of April during a day game. LOL....
I am probably wrong as usual, but it seemed that they were giving him every opportunity to max out his at bats to set the HR record. They didn't seem to care about RBIs or about winning. Analytics or not, the power hitter should be batting fourth.
Boone came a close 2nd for mgr of year, a deserving Baldelli and Twins, a surprise season. Savage.
Hey! a another Mutt with a cy young, amazing...
Oh snap, he won last year too
I meant Another, like Tom, Doc, someone else, anybody ‘member?
Mets cheapskate owners are in negotiations to sell 80% of the team to billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen , who will be the majority owner in 5 years . Hopefully the Shillpons waste no time spending his money to take away the sting of letting Zack Wheeler get signed by division rival Phillies !
https://nypost.com/2019/12/04/mets-fans-cant-stop-celebrating-possible-wilpon-sale/
The Phillies have been "wheeler dealers" the last couple of years … sorry 'bout the bad pun :-(
Gerrit Cole signs 9 year deal with the Yankees!
Didi Gregorius signs a 1 year deal with the Phillies.
When the Mets let Wheeler walk, I thought, maybe they are going to shoot for Rendon, an everyday player and as good and consistent as they come … I'm old enough to remember the difference Frank Robinson made in the fortunes of the Orioles after the Reds were dumb enough to deal him away ….
But no, Rendon is off to sunny Southern Cal …
I'm not an Angels fan, but I'd like to see them build a good team around Trout, which it seems they're trying to do...gotta do something with the pitching though.
Back in 2002 the Angels went all the way with one of the shakiest starting rotations to ever get into a World Series … they won with lots of come-from-behind rallies and good fundamentals and defense, and Frankie Rodriguez and Troy Percival as their eighth and ninth inning guys out of the pen.
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