Mets

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Amazin69

So we watched the whole game between us, is that what you're saying?

We've got the teamwork that makes the dream work, let's do it, Let's Go Mets!

The magic of a relay run!

"I need to zzz for a couple of innings. Please keep watching for me so they don't lose direction and lose"

[Déjà Bru]

Another lazy Saturday afternoon. What's on the old telly in sports?

Premier Lacrosse League; maybe. I never. AKC Agility Premier Cup (followed by the Corgi Races); this is a possibility. I love dogs. Cornhole; ah, no. I'm not that bored. Major League Pickleball; are you kidding me? Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog-Eating Contest (rerun); I just got done ranting someplace else about that guy stuffing 70 hot dogs in his face, so definitely not. Indy NXT Series (followed by NHRA highlights from 2024); I'll try that. (3:00 EST)

But what's this? Later on, a baseball game! Yankees versus Mets at CitiField. Baseball always wins, even if I have no particular feelings about the teams involved.

Oh, another baseball game, but it's the same game on a different channel. What the heck? How utterly wasteful. You would think one of those networks would volunteer to show their minor league team game instead. What happens if there is a rainout at CitiField? Then BOTH games are gone and so is baseball on TV!

[Westheim]

I ain't got no TV anymore. All the entertainment I need is on MLB.tv and wherever else I pick my motorsports together.

Yes, in the winter I'm always a very sad boy...

[Amazin69]

Actually, it's THREE channels; some of us need the FSN feed down here in Palmetto-ville.

Sorry to hear about Clarke Schmidt's Tommy John, Bru.

(And you forgot the Women's Euros! Also the John Deere Cassic, which I should hope has the best grass on the Tour.

Guy on the next block over was riding his Deere at 7.06 AM today. You gotta be kidding me…)

ETA: Hey, it's Kenny Albert on the FSN call! And, meh, Verducci, but considering whom I could've been stuck with from FOX, I can't complain. (Much.)

[Westheim]

Hey, look who it is - Grandon "Slam" Nimmo!

[Westheim]

Pete goes yard again after what felt like another 2-week drought.

He ties Deron Johnson, Nick Swisher, and Mickey Tettleton with 245 career homers. Those three were all on some form of Athletics at some time. He also passes Mike Piazza for 3rd place in Mets RBI's.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Westheim

He ties Deron Johnson, Nick Swisher, and Mickey Tettleton with 245 career homers. Those three were all on some form of Athletics at some time.

On second thought, screw those guys. How about briefly-a-Met Ken Singleton and V-Mart, who I saw with the Tigers when I started watching.

Peeeete...!!

[Amazin69]

Yonkers's Own Ken Singleton; I enjoyed having prime Rusty, but we would have been better off if that trade was never made, IMO.

Yankees have now allowed 66 runs in their 8 most recent games, a RA/9 of 8.25. Pardon my second-guessing a rival team, but that doesn't seem sustainable.

With his first inning granny, Nimmo ties the club record for salamis in a season at 3, along with Voltron (2006), Rockin' Robin Ventura (1999) and John "The Hammer" Milner in 1976. And it's barely July.

Zachary Pop? When did he wash up in the bullpen? And are Snap and Krackle coming, too?

[Westheim]

I have given up trying to follow who is in that doomed bullpen of ours. I just fully expect to get hurt by the sudden appearance of random faces I may or may not vaguely remember from being on the Marlins, from the fifth inning onwards.

[Amazin69]

A little over 2 hours to game time, and the looming question: with MLBN having given us GKR on Friday (not that I saw most of it), will they feel obliged to be "fair" and thus subject me to…(shudders)…Michael Kay today???

[Amazin69]

Whompin' Wilmer Flores is now up to 11 dingers on the year, on pace for 20 or so, and at 164 for his career, he is tied with…

Hank Bauer, who won many a World Series for the Yanks and one managing the O's

Eduardo Escobar, who gave us a cycle and a PotM for September '22

Chick Hafey, a Hall of Famer despite being so near-sighted he "couldn't read the signs in the train station without his glasses"

Jim Lemon, who snuck more than a few out of the park when pitchers facing the SenaTwins were tired of dealing with Killer and Bob Allison

Miguel Sanó, who got off to a hot start (a 40+ season early on, IIRC)

Andy Seminick, catcher for the Whiz Kids

B.J. Upton, former #2 overall pick, the 2nd best hitter ever actually named "Melvin", and big brother of Justin, who sent the Mets to their historic choke in the "God Cries for Wilmer Flores" game that was #2 of the Five Days in Flushing.

Andy Van Slyke, who beat the Mets a good amount of time, as both Cardinal and Bucco

And Claudell Washington, who had a 3-homer game with the Mets in 1980 (at Dodger Stadium) and who was on the other bench when the Mets had their famous July 4th Marathon in Atlanta, 40 years ago.

(Yes, I forgot to mark the anniversary on Friday. Sorry!)

More importantly, Wilmer is now only one dinger behind the other story of the Five Days, Yoenis "Man on Horseback" Cespedes!

(And only two behind Josh Gibson, who despite hundreds of stories of hundreds of possibly-apocryphal home runs, apparently only ever hit 166 HRs in official Negro National League games. Huh.)

[Amazin69]

Crikes, the Mets are starting Devenski. Probably as an "opener" for Waddell.

Cut that **** out, Mendoza!

After this is over, MLBN will head west for whatever remains of the White Sux-Rockies Battle of the Battered. Hope I'm in a good mood, lol

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Amazin69

Crikes, the Mets are starting Devenski. Probably as an "opener" for Waddell.

Looks like the Army of Northern Virginia, about three days' march away from Appomattox Court House...

[Amazin69]

(Book recommendation: I Rode With Stonewall [1903] by Henry Kyd Douglas)

I took some time to track my grocery order and then put it away when it arrived, but nothing like coming off of Pause to discover GKR, not YES (which is a NOO for me)

Bad News for the Andres Gimenez Fan Club: he's on the Impaired List with a sprained foot.

The MLBN pregame quotes Anthony Di Como claiming that Senga may pitch this weekend in KC and there may even be a Manaea spotting. We'll see.

[Déjà Bru]

The team from New York won today. Which one? Oh, um, I wasn't watching that closely. Let me look . . .

The Yankees. And it says here that they broke a six-game losing streak. I hadn't noticed. How nice for them.

I can just catch the end of Cornhole.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Amazin69

(Book recommendation: I Rode With Stonewall [1903] by Henry Kyd Douglas)

I have about 20 pounds of Civil War books stacked up. My favorite probably is Battle Cry of Freedom. Although I read that in the German translation; that was before I had enough English to dare and tackle an 800-pager.

+++

I don't know who Rico Garcia is, and when the Mets started to accept volunteers in the pen, but he pitched two scoreless innings in an otherwise forgettable game, and we should keep him. The rest of the tossers that were paraded out and invariably got beaten around can go back to where the pepper grows...

[Westheim]

When Boom-Boom goes to the All Star Game, but Mr.765 doesn't, you know you done great this winter.

[Amazin69]

Not even as a reserve? I know I said they should throw his PotM plaque back, but come on? How many men on that team won PotM? TWO, I'd guess. You'd think there should be room.

Speaking of throwing things back, yesterday's failure shows the Mets need to fire both base coaches and NOW.

Yes, yes, Antuan Richardson's ****ty coaching was partially to blame for Frankie getting doubled off of 1B in the 7th, when Bellinger made that great catch. Yes, Richardson needed to be yelling "Halfway!" when it started to look that Bellinger might make a play so Frankie didn't go as far as he did (from halfway, Frankie could still make 2B if Cody trapped it) and yes, Richardson needed to be screaming "Slide!" as Lindor tried to tip-toe his way back to 1B. And while Frankie really should know after all his time in the Show that he can step right on Goldschmidt's foot and be safe since the baselane belongs to the runner, apparently he needs the team's baserunning coach to remind him of such basic facts regularly, so that's on Richardson, too.

(God, Lindor looked so ****ing stupid on that play. It looked as though he slowed up and waited for Goldie to complete the DP before making his pro forma return to the bag. Total brain crap.)

But that was only one run. Mike Sarbaugh, aka FIRE MIKE SARBAUGH! NOW!!!, had already cost the Mets two runs by then.

In the 5th, when McNeil mistakenly thought that Grisham was going to catch Marte's shot, Sarbaugh needs to scream "Halfway!", because Jeff will still have time to get back and tag if Grisham makes the catch, but he needs to GTFO of Senger's way if the ball drops in, Hayden running like a catcher and all. McNeil should have scored, with Senger going to 3B and Marte taking 2B, so they could both score on Lindor's hit, rather than Marte ending up LOB. That's one run, right there.

And then in 6th, when Yanks were butchering Squirrel's squirt, Sarbaugh needs to be telling Mauricio "GO!!" instead of watching Ronnie pull up once the ball hit the ump's foot. Yes, Mauricio will need to go full steam rather than just trotting home as he would had the ball rolled to the fence…but come on, Loaisiga had no chance of getting him at the plate.

Loaisiga would have to run over, pick up the bouncing ball, spin around (Loaisiga is an RHP, he can't just throw home in one motion) and make a throw of over 90', not the 60' 6" he's used to tossing. No way is he nailing a speedy Mauricio at the plate. Which means Baty can take 3B, and Baty can score on Senger's GIDP, as Mauricio actually did. Which would have tied the game, if Sarbaugh hadn't botched the 5th inning, too.

Heck, if Loaisiga does throw home in a failed attempt to get Mauricio, McNeil might take 2B and then there's no DP for Senger to GI, at all.

(In fact, given that Mauricio is presumably filled with "the restless dreams of youth", to quote Rush, the problem was probably less Ronnie stopping because Sarbaugh didn't yell "GO!" and more likely Mauricio heading home and stopping short when Sarbaugh yelled "STOP!!". Thanks for nothing, Mike.)

So FIRE MIKE SARBAUGH NOW! and Richardson, too. Idgaf if they're Mendoza's drinking buddies; there are lots of unemployed drunks out there. I don't care if they're Carlos's sex buddies; he can hire rent-bois.

They're paid to be base coaches and they suck at that job. Fire them now!!

[Amazin69]

[QUOTE=Westheim;5199832]I have about 20 pounds of Civil War books stacked up. My favorite probably is Battle Cry of Freedom. Although I read that in the German translation; that was before I had enough English to dare and tackle an 800-pager.
/QUOTE]

McPherson's is a classic, but a little gem my dad (RIP) had was Ordeal by Fire: a Short History of the Civil War by Fletcher Pratt. Pratt's background in fiction helps him create a real sense of being in the middle of the action, and since it was science fiction, specifically (Pratt was a collaborator of L. Sprague de Camp), that perhaps explains why my dad, who owned enough Robert Heinlein paperbacks to choke an entire Martian colony, chose that particular history for aid in his studies. Enjoy! [/OT]

************

For those who are dependent on regular TV, I note the Wednesday game is on ESPN. Which is pretty much 3rd-choice for broadcast team, behind GKR and the chance of Thorne and Palmer (if they're still doing Orioles games), but beggars ≠ choosers, as usual.

[Westheim]

Peeeeete gets even with Justin Morneau and another slugger-died-too-soon, Vern Stephens, with a game-tying bopper in the eighth against the O-Birds. Also, Marcus Semien, who's of course active and a moving target. (Altuve coming from behind again, too!)

Mets win in ten, which A69 won't have seen

By the way, Gary Thorne was let go from O's broadcasts before the 2020 season. He actually did Mets games more recently than Orioles games, as he once filled in for Gary Cohen during a series the Mets played against the Pirates in 2021. The Thorne/O's parting of ways was a bit of a **** show, simillarly to when the O's then temporarily removed his (reasonably beloved) replacement Kevin Brown from the booth a few years ago for largely imagined reasons.