ExWNYer

L'il s'Harty

"Horrible"? He was 86 not 36...but condolences to his family nonetheless. This is pretty much where I land with him, as well. I listened but he wasn't particularly my cup of tea and I realized he was just perpetuating a schtick which worked for him and the station. He was an early version of these modern day 'hot takers' like Skip Clueless and Screamin' A. Smith.

@Gugny @SinceThe70s @Another Fan First Spring Training game of the year for our Mets! At Port St. Lucie vs. St. Louis 1:10 PM EST. An official NY Mets podcast dropped for the first time today. It's called 'Meet At The Apple'. First episode is hosted by Mets play-by-play man Gary Cohen and he interviews owner Steve Cohen on a number of topics including Pete Alonso. This is a good listen and I would recommend it, fellas. Here are the details of the podcast going forward: "Meet at the Apple with your hosts Vito Calise (@VitoFCalise) and Jonathan Baron (@JMB9191) every Monday and Thursday with exclusive access to the Mets! This is not your everyday baseball podcast; you can get the stats anywhere… Here you’ll get an inside look into the players you love to watch beyond the diamond highlighted by a weekly appearance by Mets manager, Carlos Mendoza!" https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meet-at-the-apple-new-york-mets-official-podcast/id1732076793 LGM!!!

As does Stefon Diggs. I'm sure that Kyle Williams and Stevie Johnson would be glad to chime in, as well.

If so, the NFL brought it on themselves in their infinite greed. They made their bed and now they'll have to lie in it.

Your convictions are just that, yours. They are neither right nor wrong.

Correct. While I was in the "take the ball second" camp, there simply isn't enough live data yet to support either position. It was said somewhere today that 120,000 simulations were run and taking the ball first, I believe, resulted in a win 50.2% of the time. Statistically, it is 50/50.

He isn't much of a human being either. He is an All-Pro narcissist though, so there's that.

GTFO

Don't forget to add a Pepsi with Buffalo sauce, a celery garnish, on a blue cheese rimmed glass for only 99 cents more!

I still think they are just doing their due diligence and nothing will come of it but we'll see. I just think that they need someone like that, if they really want to vie for a WC spot. If they're really willing to punt on the playoffs in 2024 then I'm fine rolling with Vientos, Alvarez (on non-catching days), Marte (if he's ever healthy), & whomever else. I am good with your rotating preference, as well, I just want another stick in the lineup to provide some much needed pop. I apologize, if I was not clear...I was not trying to be argumentative. BTW, look at Martinez' stats for the last couple of years. He is still playing at a very high level, despite an off year a few seasons ago. I would be happy if they signed him but not crestfallen if they didn't. Who knows, if they sign him, he may continue the long legacy of hyped FA acquisitions who don't live up to their billing and turn into a Met 'JAG'. In any event, pitchers and catchers report this coming Monday! LGM!

"...unless the Chiefs agree to trade his son to the Texans or Cowboys. Then all will be forgiven under Texas law."

He was a decent MLB reliever back in the day. Sounds like he needs help. Hopefully, he realizes that before it's too late.

My dad never forced the Buffalo teams on us, we were just born into it like most WNYers. Likewise, I never forced my sons to follow my teams but I am thankful that they chose to cheer for the Bills, Sabres, & Mets. They have never lived a day in WNY...born and bred in VA...but they are forever tethered to WNY and the familial roots on my side of the family. It is great to have something that will always bond us no matter where life takes them. They have been to several Bills games at the stadium and this past season we went to see them at FedEx for the beat down of the Washington FootballCommanderSkins. Last hockey season. my younger son & I went to Raleigh to see the Sabres play the Hurricanes (his idea). This year, we will all take in our first Mets game together at PNC Park in Pittsburgh over the 4th of July when we make our annual pilgrimage to Jamestown to visit my aunt (Dad's sis) & uncle. While I love that we all root for the same teams. I also feel bad/guilty sometimes knowing that they are in for a lifetime of heartache like their old man and late grandpa...then I tell myself that it builds character. 😉

Did this change over the years? It was WOR back in the day. My dad was from Dunkirk and I grew up in WNY as a kid. My dad is the reason my brother & I grew up as Bills and Sabres fans. He wasn't really into baseball but became a Mets fan in the '80s because of my brother and me. We were in Virginia by then (his job took us here). That was the infancy of cable and we had WOR for the Mets games and could also see them play the Cubs on WGN and the Braves on TBS. Those games were all televised over cable, if your subscription included those channels. Those were the days. In any event, I always thought it was cool that not only did our dad influence our choice in sports teams but we also influenced his. RIP, Dad.

I still have some of those old Bells football cards. They were better than a lot of the pro cards released, IMO. Nothing is more embarrassing than the Fish stealing the Houston Oilers old 'Love Ya Blue' song and playing it as their own. Frauds.

There is a draft coming so it makes sense that the window is still open... <Brrrrrrrrrrr>

Noted. We disagree on how to handle DH and that's fine.

As Met fans, you know this has happened to us on more than one occasion.

I loved Bobby V. I'm not debating his managerial skills.

And he did it over 20 years ago. For better or worse, the game has changed. Rotations and bullpens weren't handled the same as they are now either.

I actually said, "Go out and at least sign a one or two year stop gap." This year would be the one year. Two would have more than likely been a team or player option to get someone like Turner or Martinez to sign. One year would have been my preference and then reset/reassess for 2025. It's not realistic to think that they will just constantly rotate and decide on game day. Nobody has it every day but it's standard for a guy to more or less hold it down like any other position. They plan on that guy being Vientos this year whether or not we like or agree with it and I'm sure Alvarez will get some ABs there on days he's not catching, as he should.

"Signing an aging proven vet hitter to a high end contract" is exactly the opposite of what I meant by properly addressing the position. That is a stop gap, as were Ruf and Vogelbach. There was absolutely no excuse to have those two at DH last year on what was billed as a WS contender. None. That was a travesty and they were negligent in addressing the position. So, yeah, it was ignored. Maybe we don't actually disagree and it's just a matter of semantics, I don't know. Right now, Vientos is just Ruf and Vogelbach with position flexibility. If he turns in another near .205 year, then he is obviously not the solution. If he rakes then great, the problem may be solved. If not, it had better be fixed one way or another in 2025, if that really is the year they plan to "go all in". I said I'm fine with them using him this year, if they are retooling and don't really plan to compete but they've sent mixed messages. They don't want to go all in but they want to be competitive, whatever that means. As currently constituted, they are set up to be no more than the last WC at best if everything breaks their way. Not likely but hopefully the journey turns out to be an entertaining one. I said in my original post that my preference was Soler, a younger guy with power and the capability to hit for some average. At least someone of that ilk who can provide some lineup protection for Alonso. They are still woefully short on power.

So, literally...no more 'Saint Doug'.

It doesn't really matter how any of us feel about the DH position because it's obvious that they are going to ride or die with Vientos this year to see whether he will be part of the core going forward or whether they should move on from him. In the micro, I can live with that since this year will be about finding out what they have in the kids. This is not a 'throw away' year to me...more like a let's assess what we have and 'retool' before diving back into the expensive free agent market next year. I can live with that since they seem to be emphasizing doing things the right way. Going in with that acceptance upfront is easier, knowing that not much is expected of them and a Wild Card run would be exciting versus what they presented last year as a supposed WS run with two graybeards anchoring the rotation and disappointing everyone. Unlike in years past when they sucked, there is still plenty of talent on this team and in the organization. Getting back to the DH topic...in the macro, I do expect them to address it properly next year, if Vientos flames out and is not the answer. He hit .205 last year so I'm not holding my breath that simply getting more ABs will be the cure all. I hope I'm wrong because I want to like him. In any event, the position is just as important as any other and has been ignored far too long.