ExWNYer

Yeah, exactly. And you could see them pat each other afterwards. Josh patted the ref's waist )like, "Message received...we're good". It was not adversarial, more like the ref giving him a courtesy warning out of respect rather than a flag. I had no issue with it.

Why do they need to hand out a "rally towel"? Do they plan on trailing? You don't need to rally when you're ahead. As 8.5 point home favorites, they shouldn't need a rally towel for their fans. Nice keepsake, I guess, but whatever. Leave 'The Terrible Toilet Paper Towel' to the Stillers. I'd rather have an 'I spent a sh*tload on these playoff tickets and all I got was this lousy t-shirt' keepsake slung over every seat. All in extra small, courtesy of Pegs, of course.

That was my thought, as well. As the #2 Seed, the Bills should have been scheduled to play on Saturday. But, as always, it's only about the league's bottom-line. 💰

R.I.P., Bill. I remember having his Eagles football card as a kid in the '70s. Great linebacker.

As I said above, I think they like Pete but they're going to wait and see if the market comes back to them. If somebody blows him out of the water with dollars and term, I think the Mets will let him walk. If Boras can get him a big contract, more power to them both but I don't believe the market is there for Alonso that they'd hoped. He didn't have a good walk year which hurt his value. I'd like to have him back because he has a chance to break the all-time Mets HR mark (until Soto more than likely passes him) but I will not be devastated if he leaves and I really don't hope they gove him more than $150M-$160M max. That's about in tGreat guy, loves NY, can mash, but is a so-so 1st baseman and can't hit for average. I'd rather see him eventually become the DH, if he re-signs. He's heading into his 30s and guys like him don't typically age well. We'll see. Like you said, they do need another bat though to protect Soto, especially if Pete walks. The Soto signing was great but they still have work to do , especially with the staff. I do want Manaea re-signed. All indications are that he loved his time with the Mets. Again, if somebody offers him 5 years or more, I think the Mets will pass. It's not Stearns' m.o. to hand out long-term contracts to pitchers. It's a strategy I'm onboard with because there is just so much volatility and injury risk with these pitchers today. FWIW, I think the Yanks did a nice job pivoting after losing Soto. I think Fried was a slight overpay, especially with his injury history, but I like him and am glad he's out of the NL East. They may be trying to out pitch teams this year rather than out slug them.

David Stearns was interviewed at the Winter Meetings in Dallas about some of the peripheral UFAs from last year's team like Iglesias and Winker. He said he's been in contact with with every one of their guys who is not under contract and there is interest in bringing some back but FA goes into January, February, & March. I think he views them both as "back burner" types because there are bigger fish to fry at the moment. I would love to have both Iglesias and Winker back. They are both terrific culture and glue guys. I also think they're going to wait and see if the market for Pete comes back to them. If somebody blows him out of the water with dollars and term, I think the Mets will let him walk. I'd like him back but I don't want to break the bank for him. If he walks, I'm okay with that, as well. I don't think he'll age well. Power hitters like him usually don't and there is no position flexibility with him. He may also eventually end up as a DH only. Crochet, as you know by now, was traded to the Red Sox. Apparently, the Chisox wanted the Mets top two prospects in Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat. Sproat is their top pitching prospect who may see time with the big club before 2025 is over so the Mets balked. I don't have an issue with it. If they could have put together another package without him that, would have been great. Unfortunately, the White Sox insisted on Sproat being included. I am on record as saying I loved the Mendoza hiring from the start and I openly wanted them to hire Stearns. I really believe that Cohen is assembling a great front office and management team. You don't become a billionaire 20 times over by not knowing how to hire. LGM!

All true except that Pete & Iglesias are UFAs. I'd love to have Iglesias back but he may get more money elsewhere. I think when all is said and done, 'The Polar Bear' will be back with the Mets. I don't think he and Boras get as much as they had hoped. I may be wrong...just my two cents. BTW, I like the Clay Holmes signing but the Jose Siri signing as the CF replacement for Bader doesn't float my boat. He's a plus defender but has a weak stick. If Pete is not back, we need another thumper in the lineup to protect Soto.

@SinceThe70s @Gugny @Another Fan Wow! Juan Soto is a Met, boys. 15 years for $765 million. Insane. LFGM!!! https://nypost.com/2024/12/08/sports/juan-soto-signing-with-mets-on-15-year-765-million-contract/

Thanks for sharing with the board. I love Steve Hartman's feel good stories. They restore my faith in humanity. This would have been a cool and uplifting story even if Ray Davis wasn't playing for the Bills.

I think he's resigned to seeing you suffer...

Yes, I definitely remember him being a devoted Mets fan and enjoyed his posts. I hope your fears are proven wrong. 🤞 RIP, sir. I hate hearing these things, especially when a fellow Bills fan passes without experiencing a Lombardi Trophy for Buffalo. Too many in my own family fall into that sad category, as well. Peace, brothers & sisters.

I get all that and I agree...but 3 missed FGs doesn't necessarily have anything to do with being a bad team. Carlson has been a decent kicker his entire career. That's some flat out luck for KC.

Close enough. You win.

Unreal. Another bs Chiefs Houdini act. Who other than these jokers wins a two point game with the other team missing three FGs AND enacting a Keystone Kops routine while driving for the game winning FG. No matter, it would have been miss number four, I'm sure.

No es bueno.

Bills will win this game Fish will be Tua and six Division is ours

Fish are food not friends Squish them, cook them, eat them, too Fish are food not friends

@Gugny I don't understand the bolded comment. He is universally recognized as one of the really good, young baseball minds in MLB today. He has done a phenomenal job over the years assembling pitching staffs for a budget conscious team in Milwaukee and he pieced together a staff this year for the Mets that got them all the way to the NLCS. They have a ton of money coming off the books and I fully expect him to go big game hunting with Uncle Steve's checkbook and I expect some good value/budget signings, as well. He is also savvy with the minor leagues and is working to build a robust farm system. They are off to a good start there, IMO. He also grew up a Met fan in NYC and knows what kind of player it takes to make it in Queens. I said I was excited when they got him and I stand by that. I was also onboard with the Mendoza signing and I am more than happy with him now. I don't think there are any young, 'up and coming' managers at the moment better than Mendy. They've tried new, they've tried experienced, and nothing has worked. I think this one ultimately will. He's a knowledgeable baseball guy through and through with good situational awareness and feel for the game. I have more genuine hope with Cohen, Stearns, & Mendoza than I have had in decades. But, as always, time will tell. It was a great year, no doubt. It was easier to let go after losing in the NLCS because of the many magical moments we got to experience but there is still a small piece of me that was disappointed and wonders "what if". So many runners left on base in that series. A few timely knocks here and there and it may have turned out differently. We will never know now, obviously, but I honestly believe we would have handled the Skanks and been World Series Champions. How sweet would that have been to win it AND take down the 'Evil Empire' in a a year that seemed doomed from the start? They would have been the modern day 'Miracle Mets' (although it's hard to say that based on payroll). I was pulling for the Dodgers 100% in the WS although I threw up in my mouth a little doing so. In any event, I really enjoyed this season when all was said and done and I am really looking forward to the 'Hot Stove' season. The Soto sweepstakes should be interesting. BTW, the Dodgers said they're interested in Soto if he is interested in them. WTF? How much more do they need?? If they land him, baseball is truly broken. Soto said he would listen to everyone and is not taking any deferred money like Ohtani did. He's not giving the Skanks a 'hometown' discount so it will be interesting to see if Steinbrenner is all in on bringing him back or if Soto grabs his bag elsewhere. Also, I will always love Pete Alonso for that HR in Milwaukee but I am ambivalent about bringing him back. I didn't think I would feel that way coming into his last season but I do. If he comes back, cool. If he leaves, I'm good. Just don't break the bank for him if it costs you a chance at Juan Soto and an ace like Corbin Burnes. If I had my way, I'd get Willy Adames (Brewers UFA), stick him at 3B, move Vientos to 1B, and let Pete walk. As always gents...LGM!

The worst part of life is having to say goodbye to friends, loved ones,and those we have encountered along the way who brought some measure of happiness to our lives, even if fleeting. Losing a fellow Bills fan and longtime member of the community is never easy. It's a sobering reminder of our own mortality. Thoughts and prayers to John's family. A final farewell...RIP, John. And...'Go Bills!'

FWIW, he also said the roughing call on Josh was not right either. He doubled down on his criticism of the refs.

Looks like the Dodgers were the ones to administer last rites...

Bad news for the Bills. The Jest will likely get the "one game bump" teams seem to get after a firing.

@SinceThe70s @Gugny @Another Fan Kodai Senga is starting game one against the Phil-thies this afternoon. Let's hope this is a pleasant surprise and not a nightmare (only one start this year makes me nervous). LGM!

Sounded like he said Logue would be active. I may have missed that nuanced difference. Thanks for pointing it out.