ExWNYer

@Gugny @Another Fan Nice analysis. Thanks for the insight. This has been death by a thousand paper cuts since mid-June. I was honestly ready for them to be euthanized. I'm done with baseball this year, thankfully. I might peek in at some point but there's a good chance I won't. Just don't let it be the Phils, Dodgers, or Skanks...please, baseball gods. You can throw the Cubs into that mix, as well. I have oddly always had a weird hatred for them. I think it stems from the Harry Carey homerism, but I digress. Stearns announced today that Mendy is staying. There were reports that there would be a shakeup with the coaching staff. Okay, whatever. That's just "lipstick on a pig" to me. I'm fine with Mendoza staying, I would have been just as fine had they fired him. I'm ambivalent and I have been squarely in his corner from the get go. I think he made a lot of head scratching moves down the stretch and his handling of the bullpen was bush league, IMO. I hope he learns from his numerous mistakes this year and grows because he is out of rope with me. Stearns needs to learn and grow, as well. Almost every deadline move he made was horrendous. In fairness to him, a lot of those moves looked like they would be good at the time. Still, they almost all failed so I'm less inclined to give him partial credit. He is largely responsible for the current build in Milwaukee so he knows how to properly construct a club but there is a lot to be done with this squad. This core is just not working. A new approach is needed. I can't wait for the Hot Stove season. IMO, Stearns can take this roster down to the studs, save for Soto, Lindor, and Torrens. Hopefully McLean, Sproat, & Tong (still not convinced he's quite ready for the big show) can comprise the top of the rotation next year at some point, if not at the start of the year. They need an ace in the worst way but I don't know how they can go about that. Figure it out, Stearns. Here is who I would like to "Definitely" keep, "Definitely/Maybe" keep (a "tweener"...not a "Definite" but more than a "Maybe"), "Maybe" keep, "Not sure" (insufficient data), and say "Buh-bye". This is keeping in mind that some of these guys are already FAs and not coming back or may end up in the minors because they were stop-gap measures. Pitchers Huascar Brazoban - Maybe Edwin Diaz - Definitely (may lose him to the opt out) Justin Hagenman - Not sure (insufficient data) Ryan Helsley - Buh-bye Clay Holmes - Definitely (possible late inning pen) Sean Manaea - Maybe Nolan McLean - Definitely (future ace?) David Peterson - Definitely/Maybe (he has a lot to prove after a disastrous second half) Jonathan Pintaro - Not sure (insufficient data) Brooks Raley - Definitely Tyler Rogers - Maybe Dylan Ross - Not sure (insufficient data) Kodai Senga - Maybe Gregory Soto - Maybe Brandon Sproat - Definitely Ryne Stanek - Maybe Jonah Tong - Definitely (might have to start the year at AAA) Brandon Wadell - Maybe Austin Warren - Not sure (insufficient data) Catchers Francisco Alvarez - Definitely/Maybe (if he could bring back some crucial pieces in a trade, I'd be willing to listen) Hayden Senger - Not sure (insufficient data)...probably in the minors Luis Torrens - Definitely Infielders - Next to the pitching staff, it's crucial that they sort out the IF and settle on some guys whether they are here now or acquire them via acquisition Luisangel Acuna - Definitely/Maybe (possible trade bait) Pete Alonso - Definitely Brett Baty - Definitely/Maybe (possible trade bait) Francisco Lindor - Definitely Ronny Mauricio - Definitely/Maybe (possible trade bait) Jeff McNeil - Buh-bye (get what you can in a trade) Mark Vientos - Definitely/Maybe (possible trade bait)...as the season wore on, I resorted to calling him 'Swaggy K' for his constant, awful strikeouts Outfielders - They need a true CFer who can hit Starling Marte - Buh-bye Cedric Mullins - Buh-bye Brandon Nimmo - Definitely/Maybe (would be willing to flip him in the right deal) Juan Soto - Definitely Tyrone Taylor - Definitely Jared Young - Buh-bye Injured List (IL) SP Griffin Canning - Maybe (possible long relief) RP Reed Garrett (probable Tommy John surgery so not giving a designation) RP Max Kranick - Definitely/Maybe SP Tylor Megill (probable Tommy John surgery so not giving a designation) RP A.J. Minter - Definitely (might be the closer if Diaz walks after opting out) SP Frankie Montas - Buh-bye (probable Tommy John surgery) RP Dedniel Nunez - Definitely SP Christian Scott - Definitely RP Drew Smith - Definitely/Maybe RP Danny Young - Definitely/Maybe IF Nick Magrigal - Buh-bye DH/OF Jessie Winker - Definitely Anyway, that's my take fellas. Sorry for the long post. As always, your feedback is welcome. LGM! and LET'S GO BILLS!!!

@SinceThe70s @Gugny @Another Fan It all comes down to today. Need a win with awful Manaea on the bump coupled with a Reds loss. Not feeling great but this is where they find themselves, sadly. Regardless of whether or not they make it into the playoffs, this has been the least fun "winning" season in Mets history, IMO. LGM... GO BILLS!!!!!

I get all that, but it doesn't mean I have to like it. I know they are catering to their Gen Z/Gen Alpha crowd who are into social media, influencers, and mostly have the attention span of a gnat. I also know that I'm not the demographic they're looking to grab, which is fine. I like the '30 For 30' pieces and things of that nature and I watch live sports like football, hockey, baseball (for now), & college basketball but that's it. Most of the other dreck and screaming from the mountain top is not my cup of tea. It's probably just as well because I already watch too many live sporting events and streaming shows as it is. lol

The "hot take" formula is the route everyone is going now. I guess it's partly because that's not my nature and partly (mostly?) because I'm old but I hate it and find it a big turn off. It's why ESPN sucks, IMO. I can't stand the Screamin' A. Smith's of the world. It's an immediate change the station/turn off the device for me. It's mind boggling to me that they pay these loudmouths millions of dollars per year for their dopey, uninformed opinions.

@Gugny Skanks fans so upset at Soto is hilarious and hypocritical to me. He wasn't some lifelong team player like Jeter or Judge who decided to bolt for his bag. Judge flirted with that with the Giants but ultimately stayed in the Bronx for more money. How would they have reacted to him leaving for San Francisco? Cripes...lol Soto was a rental, plain and simple. He didn't ask to be traded to the Bronx, he was moved by San Diego because they knew they couldn't re-sign him, just like the Natalies before them. Soto made it clear he was going to test free agency and maximize his value. The Skanks had a chance to land him and they failed. Their fans should be upset at Steinbrenner's spawn, not Soto. Whatever. He's gone, get over it. And get used to not getting everyone you want. There is a new world order being led by the newest 'Evil Empire' (the Dodgers), Uncle Steve, and a couple of other big market franchises. Mega stars looking for mega bucks have options now. It's not just the Skanks. The pinstripe phonies have competition now. Speaking of NYC sports radio, I agree. The Jest horrible post-game coverage on SNY is must watch after they lose. Willie Colon is bad but Bart Scott is the absolute worst. He's a delusional, angry as$h0le who should not be on TV. I'm embarrassed for Steve Gelbs that he hosts that crap show. Gelbs seems like a genuinely nice guy but the fact that he is a Jest and Rags fan makes him seem somehow less likable (j/k 😁). I don't know if any of you ever listen to 'Evan & Tiki' on WFAN but I'm pretty sure Skank fan Tiki Barber suggested that their fans turn their back on Soto rather than booing him. Um, okay...I guess. Whatever helps you sour grapers cope. I generally like the levelheaded Tiki but more and more I have grown to dislike Roberts. The fact that he is a Met fan is his only redeeming quality. He's dopey, annoying, and a hater. I have heard him trash Josh Allen on more than one occasion for no reason other than the fact that Evan is a bitter and broken Jest fan. Overweight, disheveled Skank fan Sean Morash ads to the dopey takes. I find NYC sports radio in general to be full of in your face, boorish hosts and mouth breathing callers. I listen to hear Met takes when they are going well and after the Bills have bested one of their tire fire franchises, especially the J-E-S-T, JEST! JEST!! JEST!!! So, to answer your original question, @Another Fan, I despise the Jest. Really only because of their idiot owner and fans like Evan Roberts and former WFAN host Joe Benigno who act like they are somehow a relevant franchise simply because they are a big market team. It is odd to me sometimes that I dislike a moribund franchise like that so much but, if they never have a winning season ever again, it will be too soon in my eyes. I did like Joe Namath as a kid and semi-sorta liked (tolerated?) the Jest in the '70s but that soon changed in the '80s with the onset of the nauseating 'New York Sack Exchange' and 'Gang Green' monikers. Most NYC sports fans, like Boston fans, are insufferable, IMO. If I hadn't grown up a Met fan, I probably would dislike them, too. My younger son is a big Knicks fan so I have started getting back into them a little. I'm not thrilled when they win or crushed when they lose like the Bills, Sabres, and Mets but I pull for them because of my son. It was the same for me with the '90s Patrick Ewing teams but I never lived or died with them. I'm not a huge NBA fan (don't like the product that much) but I probably watched more this year than I have in the last 10 or 15 years. LGM!!!

He should try horizontal stripes... 😉

Their dynasty with Jeter was in the '90s. The had some good years in the '80s but they weren't anything special.

I think the Mets are definitely the more exciting team and, when they are on par with or better than NY AL, the Mets tend to takeover the town. It's a NL city at at its core, IMO. Outside of Judge, there is nobody in the Bronx I'm even remotely interested in watching. Volpe could be one eventually but, to this point in his career, he is an overhyped and underperforming young player. I remember the Mets Clubhouse Store from ads during games but I never lived near NYC so I never actually saw one or stepped foot in one. What little baseball gear you can find in Jamestown, NY (where my aunt & uncle I visit every year live) is mostly Skanks or Pirates although I did buy a couple of Mets caps there several years ago.

It was a great day other than the final result. Beautiful weather...sunny and 70 degrees...and the crowd of 30,000+ was comprised of at least 10,000 Met fans or more. It was nice spending the day with the whole family. I was wearing a Lee Mazzilli #16 jersey and got a compliment on it which was cool. Monday's 19-5 win eased the sting of the loss and it was awesome seeing Nimmo tie the franchise record with 9 RBI. It's too bad we weren't at that game. That would have been one for the ages. Today's 8-2 win over the D-bags was great to watch, too. This team is rolling right now and is a lot of fun to watch. LGM!

It's 2025 in a passing league. He needs to get with the times. They have one of the better O-lines in football and addressed the defensive trenches earlier in the draft. They were horrendous against the pass last season.

He is and the team didn't have a TE 3 with Quintin Morris a UFA. Zach Davidson is the other TE at the moment.

Athletic, blocking TE 3.

Some of these guys are going to have to play on special teams, as well.

Ohio St CB Jordan Hancock.

He didn't seem too upset to be picked by Cleveland in the 5th Round. That poor dog didn't understand what the hell was going on though. 😂