Please use this thread all week to discuss any Mets-specific topic you wish.
When I was a kid, I didn’t much care for Old Timers Day. It was sad to watch on TV these once-great athletes waddling around on the field. Plus, that meant the real game started later.
Now, I have mixed feelings about it returning. Who doesn’t want to see Mike Piazza hit again? It’s fair to wonder if in what would be his age-53 season, Piazza could surpass the .643 OPS that James McCann turned in last year. It would be great to see Darryl Strawberry‘s majestic swing again. Still, I can’t get the old fart angle out of my mind.
Maybe they can have the guys on the field in their uniform but do away with the game. Let the hitter’s take batting practice but let’s not make them run the bases. If guys wanted to field they could but no one would have to do that if they can no longer bend over to field a ball. And those that do choose could go out with a current member, kind of like the “baseball buddies” that they do at minor league games. And the pitchers would throw BP.
Perhaps they could do an All-Star game skills test rather than play. Which retired pitcher can throw the hardest? Who can throw the biggest breaking ball? Which player could win a sprint to first base? You could probably think of a dozen more categories the seniors could do rather than play a game.
But, I’m sad to say, Lenny Dykstra‘s idea of blowing off the ceremony and partying with the fans in the parking lot is a pretty good idea, too, even if he didn’t mention Ron Darling or Keith Hernandez among the teammates who could join him celebrating directly with the fans. Wouldn’t a Darling-Dykstra fight be so apropos for a reunion of the 86 Mets? Get Gregg Jefferies in there too, even if he wasn’t on the ’86 squad.
I love that it’s back. Kudos to Cohen and the Mets for making it happen.
As a kid, I really enjoyed watching those games — the humor, the friendships, the respect, the joy, along with a few surprising flashes of ability.
People bitch and moan about the Mets not doing enough to honor their past. Well, here you go. Now you want to bitch and moan about this?
Again: I love it.
Did you see the comments from 92-year-old Frank Thomas? So great.
This will be a joyful weekend for the media, too.
Great move, Mets.
You must be right up there with my wife’s grandmother for nicest person on the planet if you think what was written above is bitching and moaning.
I enjoyed it as a kid mostly because the announcers were so jazzed about it. Lindsey and Bob made me feel like I had to enjoy it (and what did I know as a ten year old?)… but looking back, it feels exploitive of these older gentlemen, and often undignified. If a player looks good out there, we’re supposed to be amazed that he does. In other words, thanks for not being as old as the rest… I dunno… feels like trained monkeys, even intrusive… it’s really no fun getting old.
Sure, I can see honoring past players… bring them out, let the fans cheer for them, get a well-deserved applause, even post 30-second videos on the big screen of their heyday… but don’t have them display their age at a young man’s game.
In my community, there’s a thriving 62-up hardball league. And down in FLA and AZ, there are national tournaments for teams 70-up.
I think people confuse MLB with the sport of baseball (which is why I’m a big fan of indie leagues and the old models of semi-pro ball). The sport is great. MLB has some problems (and, yes, the finest players in the world).
No one is being exploited here. It’s just good fun. Mookie, Felix, Howard, Murphy, Ojeda, Matlack — on and on. Just lighten up and smile. There’s no shame in growing old.
Wife’s grandmother?
Brian, I had the impression that you were roughly the same age as I am, that is, I’m not old enough to remember the 1969 WS champs, or even the 1973 NL champs. And it’s true that my mom was born when her mother was already 42 years old. But if my granny was still alive (and not a zombie), she’d be looking forward to her 122nd birthday this June 5th
Great move by the Mets. I’ll be watching and rooting for my favorite Met of all time, Mookie Wilson.
If the Old Timers play it’s because they want to, so it must be fun for them. I suspect it is a special pleasure to be out on the field with fans cheering for them. It’s got to be difficult to retire and not have that. So let those of us, players and fans, who want to revel in our memories do so without criticism.
side topic – where does Matt Harvey’s career fall in the pantheon of crash and burn sports superstars? This evolving story about his involvement in the Tyler Skaggs drug case is…sheesh.
As a big Matt Harvey fan, it’s hard not to be saddened to hear about him potentially contributing to a teammate’s death. But we should also keep in mind that it’s the defense team that’s alleging Harvey’s involvement. Tyler Skaggs was a relevant unknown, as is the defendant, Eric Kay. Matt Harvey is a name. It’s good to have a name to focus attention on.
Still, most of us wouldn’t be shocked if what’s alleged – that Harvey gave Skaggs Percocet – turned out to be true. Man, 2013 was a lifetime ago.
Why wasn’t Yoenis Cespedes on a team in 2021? I’d sign the guy. If Albert Pujols has a team, Cespedes deserves to be on one. Puig on the other hand…. I don’t know about that. But, he had a contract and then got Covid, so that was withdrawn and then?? I know the Mets don’t need them, but if I were the Tigers that are looking to be competitive, I’d sign both to a cheap deal and give it a shot.
I just saw the interview that SNY had today with Eric Chavez and his thinking on hitting. The last question had to deal with analytics and the information overload the hitters were presented with. Chavez said some nice things about wanting the hitters to be reactive and not be thinking in the box, and if he would have stopped right there, I would be satisfied. But, he kept talking. He said that he and Jeremy Barnes will want as much information as possible and will give the player as much as they want. Well, if you are overflowing with analysis, aren’t you going to give it to the player? Will you really keep something from a player that can be useful? Isn’t all of it useful, technically? Is anything really going to be changing? Maybe I just took it the wrong way…
Something clearly wasn’t right last year and it wasn’t right from the very start of the season, even when Chili Davis was around. None of us know why that is although we all have theories – some of them the conspiracy sort. The easiest thing to do is blame the guy who’s no longer around. It was Davis’ fault that they didn’t get off to a good start and Quattlebaum’s fault they didn’t improve enough. Maybe there’s some truth in both of those statements. And maybe the players need to look in the mirror and take accountability for their performance.
Why was Lindor able to turn things around after two months and Conforto after four months but McCann, McNeil and Smith struggled all season? Do MLB clubs at the end of the season do exit interviews? That’s certainly a question that should have been asked by the team in late September/early October. At the latest.
Sandy said a really smart thing about a year ago. He was asked, more or less, “What are the hot new stats you’ll be looking at this year?”
He replied that the frontier was not in new stats, but in how best to deliver that information to players in a way that helps them succeed.
That’s the challenge, that’s the balancing act.
To jump on Gus’s point: Chavez should absolutely be aware of all the information from the analytics department. But that does not mean he should then immediately dump all that on the hitters.
To me, it comes down to the individual. A case-by-case basis. Some guys are naturally analytical, technical; others are more reflexive, reactive in the box. You have to adjust your teaching strategy to each individual hitter.
Edit: No capitals
I just saw this article from SIS that discusses the woes of Jared Kelenick as a centerfielder. We always note how terrible the trade was for Cano/Diaz, and dont get me wrong I think it was a terrible trade, this story and accompanying video clips does show that a young Kelenick has a way to go before a legit major leaguer.
December 3, 2018
Traded Gerson Bautista, Jay Bruce, Justin Dunn, Jarred Kelenic and Anthony Swarzak to the Seattle Mariners. Received Robinson Cano, Edwin Diaz and cash.
The bWAR is calculated for the time that the player was on the team.
For Seattle;
Gerson Bautista , -0.3 WAR, November 2, 2020: Granted Free Agency
Anthony Swarzak, -0.3 WAR, then May 20, 2019: Traded by the Seattle Mariners with cash to the Atlanta Braves for Jesse Biddle and Arodys Vizcaino.
Arodys Vizcaino, did not pitch for Seattle, October 31, 2019: Granted Free Agency.
Jesse Biddle, -0.5 WAR, waived by Seattle June 28, 2019
Jay Bruce, + 0.3 WAR then June 2, 2019: Traded by the Seattle Mariners with cash to the Philadelphia Phillies for Jake Scheiner (minors).
Jake Scheiner ,who still is in the minors for Seattle and isn’t a Top 30 prospect.
Justin Dunn, +1.5 WAR, will be a FA 2026
Jarred Kelenic, -1.8 WAR, will be a FA 2028
For the Mets
Robinson Cano, +1.7 WAR, will be a FA in 2024
Edwin Diaz, 2.0 WAR, will be a FA in 2023
At this point:
Seattle accumulation is -1.4 WAR and have 10 years of MLB control of their players with a possible 6 years more if Scheiner makes the majors.
Mets accumulation is +3.7 WAR and have 3 years of MLB control of their players.
I like Billy Eppler.
How can you not like Billy Eppler?
He’s smart, personable, charming, articulate, experienced.
He’s also the guy who signed Matt Harvey to a one-year, $11 million contract after we all knew he was toast. It was an insane overpay.
And I guess that’s thing with all these guys. Buck Showalter leaves Britton on the pen in a game when the entire season is being decided. They all might huge mistakes; it’s the nature of the business.
In the end, you have to take the whole person. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
I hope Charming Billy does a good job for the Mets. He’s been handed the opportunity of a lifetime. Nobody’s perfect.
While we’d all like to see Eppler win 100% of the time, we should be ecstatic if he bats .750. If he wins on three moves out of four, wow. Ecstatic.
The very nature of chance is that it lives around 50-50. Good players push it toward 55-45. Bad players slide toward 45-55. Greatness resides around 60-40.
All I want from Buck and Billy is 60-40. And I want Sandy to retire.
rs
Although it seemed likely, it now is clear the NL has been neutered. Universal DH, the infected wound of baseball is here.
🙁