I posted this question to The ‘Ropolitans page on Facebook and got quite a few responses, so I figured I would share it on the blog.
I asked: Which Mets player, past or present, would you want to be friends with on Facebook?
Here are the responses…
Who would you want to be friends with on Facebook?
On December 14, when the initial offer was made to Kelvim Escobar, I wrote…
“As a bullpen arm, Escobar could be a good low-risk, high-reward player, something the Mets will probably see a lot of in spring training.”
Two months later, when we found out he had a “sore shoulder,” on February 17, I wrote…
“And so signals the beginning of joke cracking and rehashing last season’s injuries from everyone and their mother.”
On February 19, when Hardball Talk reported that Escobar could not pick up a baseball, I wrote…
“Did the Mets work him out? Let him pitch for someone, anyone from the organization? Is there any way they could have gotten away with the “no physical” route, a la J.J. Putz?”
And now today, in a story in El Nacional (Spanish), via MLBTR, Escobar says that he is waiting until April 1 to begin throwing and if he still feels pain that day, he will make his decision then.
“If I wanted to retire, I would have done it already,” Escobar said.
Yeah, and take the $1.25 million guaranteed from the contract Omar Minaya inked you to and run for it.
My father and I just shook hands, sealing the bet.
The stakes: Ten whole dollars.
What we wagered on: Whether or not the Mets will finish the season in last place.
He has them in the cellar, I do not.
Last year, the Mets finished a full 11 games ahead of the Washington Nationals for last place in the NL East.
Obviously, this looks to be a two-horse race. All the Mets need to do is finish ahead of the Nationals, and I’m the winner. My dad needs the Nats to eek out any sort of lead over the Mets when the two teams finish their end-of-the-season series on October 3.
$10 is on the line. Let’s go Mets!
This list was culled from MLBTR. Their ages are (in parentheses).
Starting pitchers
Brandon Backe (32)
Cha Seung Baek (30)
Kris Benson (34)
Paul Byrd (39)
Bartolo Colon (37)
Adam Eaton (32)
Mike Hampton (37)
Braden Looper (35) - Type B, not offered arb
Noah Lowry (29)
Pedro Martinez (38)
Eric Milton (34)
Odalis Perez (33)
Sidney Ponson (33)
Mark Prior (29)
Jason Schmidt (37)
John Smoltz (43)
Jarrod Washburn (35)
My question: Would you sign any of them?
(Aside: Seinfeld is, undoubtedly, one of the greatest shows of all time. But if the characters had cell phones, the show would have been completely different. Just think about it next time you’re watching the show.)
Watch a master at work and stand in awe. Before each start Johan Santana, the Mets' ace, struts past his teammates, smacking and fist-bumping and shimmying, as if performing a dugout Macarena, personalizing shakes for each teammate while throwing fake pitches. The innovation is ongoing (his shakes often change from week to week) and the complexity staggering—Santana is a veritable Baryshnikov of the hands, a choreographer of camaraderie.
-Chris Ballard, The Metaphysical Significance, Staggering Ubiquity
and Sheer Joy of High Fives
Read this article. (For the lazy, the Santana part pulls from here.)
It’s funny because it’s true.
Here’s the second installment of Jeff Wilpon’s video blog from 12 Angry Mascots…
From the Mets…
The additional blood tests confirmed that Jose Reyes's thyroid hormone blood levels are elevated and he is hyperthyroid. Mets Medical Director Dr. David Altchek last night spoke with Jose and his representatives. As prescribed by the doctors and specialists, Jose’s treatment plan is to rest, refrain from athletic activity and make changes in his diet. The doctors will monitor Jose's thyroid levels through regular blood tests. Once Jose’s thyroid levels return to normal, he will be cleared to resume baseball activities.
The waiting game begins.
Reyes’ thyroid could return to normal in a few weeks (mine were out of whack after my stint in the hospital at the beginning of February and were back to normal three weeks later), or it could be a lot longer.
Andy McCullough at NJ.com says it could be two weeks, or eight.
Update: Here’s why Reyes won’t be treated with medication, which I guess is a good thing.
For Reyes and for Mets fans, this sucks.
Just when he thought he would be returning to lead the team and when fans are itching to watch him play again, he’s sidelined once more.
Strangely, Reyes will not be receiving treatment (usually, a radioactive chemical, taken orally, to knock out some of the function from the thyroid), but will rather wait and see. The bad part about this is, if in a few weeks, nothing is changed, he’ll have to go the medicinal route, likely keeping him out even longer.
The mad minds behind 12 Angry Mascots are launching a Jeff Wilpon video blog called The WilVlog.
Below is the first installment.
They plan to post every Tuesday and Thursday for the next few weeks.
This should be fun.
(Driving to Atlantic City for the next few days. Might have Internet, might not. If not, talk to you on Friday!)
