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Jan 11

The Absolutely Nothing Worth Talking About Post

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(Ah the life of a Mets blog these days in the offseason.  Just talk amongst yourselves)

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103 comments

  1. TRS86

    Lol, you happy now TX?

    1. TX

      As a clam.

    2. Hazmet

      Great post. This was basically my lament earlier this week in a post. I’ve had nothing to talk about since the team’s going to continue doing nothing. Much like our team I got nuttin’.

      Have a great weekend. Hopefully I’ll stop muttering ‘fin Giants around the house. Just ridiculous they couldn’t get in. Trying to kick a 50 something yard field goal on 3rd down against Philly in their first matchup after throwing it deep twice on 1st and 2nd when all you needed was to sneak a run in up the middle, pick up 10 yards, clock it, kick the FG, game over and your in the playoffs a sweep of Philly instead of a split. And with one of the streakiest winning QB’s in the business with a feel for the big moment you never know what could have happened.. Alright, I feel better now. Not. I’ll have to root for Seattle with my sister living out there.

      1. Stick

        now you got me going again. I had just about gotten over that foldo job.

        1. Hazmet

          lol, sorry. Just to stir the pot further: Green Bay and San Fran both of whom we destroyed still playing….

  2. TX

    So, happy Friday everyone.

    Plans for the weekend?

    What’s everyone having for dinner?

    Should the Mets target Fowler?

    Most hated chore?

    Was Lincoln the movie that good?

    Did the Lincoln family profit at all for Lincoln Logs?

    1. Prismo

      1. I’m going out tonight in DC for a friend’s birthday. Also bringing along a new girl for my friends to meet. Tomorrow I’m meeting her brothers to watch the Packers game (EEK!). I also need to get my vehicles emission test done (a requirement in Maryland) on my car.

      2. Not sure yet! I need to cater to vegetarian needs, which makes things tougher. Probably something in the Chinatown area of the city (not all food is Chinese).

      3. Yes, if the Rockies are actually trading him. However, they’d probably want a Wheeler/Harvey/D’Arnaud so…no thanks.

      4. Toilet cleaning.

      5. I haven’t seen it, but I’ve only heard good things. Daniel-Day Lewis is amazing.

      6. I doubt it, but I used to looove Lincoln Logs when I was a kid. My brother and I would have a designated time period (~30 minutes) to each make our own fort complete with catapults to launch the little logs. We would set up like 10 army men in each fort. Then we would alternate taking turns firing cannon shots at each other’s fortress – the first one to knock down all the opponent’s army men won! (Actually this STILL sounds awesome. Anyone want to play?)

      1. TX

        # 6 sounds awesome, actually.

        1. SaltyGary

          My son is technically Zach the Lego Maniac, so we set up grand battles using “Lego Star Wars”, it’s a lot of fun. I am actually ordering a bunch of white pieces (you can custom order pieces from lego) to better re-create the Hoth battle. The LL battle does sound like fun.

          1. TX

            The lego store in Manhattan I could spend hours in.

          2. SaltyGary

            The one in Disney FL is better and even better than Lego Land outside of Disney. There is just so much real estate to let everyone do cool stuff. My boy always gets stuck at the entrance where they have a race track and open bins of bricks. The kids construct all these cool cars and race each other. There are also the wall of pieces that you can just get what you want. You can make your own lego dude. It’s awesome.

          3. Stick

            A few years ago Volvo made a life size SUV out of legos. I saw it at the auto show. Now that was impressive. From a distance, it looked real. And you definitely knew which model it was.

      2. srt

        New girl….ah, to be young again. Have fun.

        1. Prismo

          Not THAT young, I need to settle down!

          1. Stick

            my sister live right over in Herndon and is single. Want me to have her get in touch?

          2. kingman 26

            Give that sh*t a rest Prismo.

            I plan to settle down by age 50—almost 4 years left.

          3. Prismo

            Kingman, to each their own. I’m ready now!

            Tell me of your sister, Stick. ;) [guessing she's much older than I am...]

          4. kingman 26

            Just joking around Prismo. And unlike me, you seem mature enough to be ready to be a husband and a dad now…me at 27? Uh, no.

            I promised my family I’d be fully grown up by age 50, and I really feel like I am on schedule!

          5. Stick

            Well, she has her own house. And nice clothes.

            does the term Cougar mean anything to you? Since she is older than me, and I am older than you. And Knog. Not Gate though, he’s way older than all of us!

          6. darknova306

            Settling down is for chumps and old farts! :) Your 20s are a magical time of drinking and not giving a shit. Enjoy it while it lasts, Prismo!

          7. Prismo

            Stick I wish your sister good luck in finding her dream man. I do not, however, believe that dream man to be myself. With all due respect of course.

            I’m not ready to be a dad yet! Give me at least a couple years after marriage on that one.

            But…I like the ladies. For several reasons, some of which are not to be discussed in this venue.

          8. Stick

            Pris, NP. She has a 6’6″ retired pilot BF anyway (guy looks like the model from an old TWA commercial).

            Nova, news flash: marry the right women, and that fun can continue!

          9. gategem

            Prismo, you can follow my lead and settle down, then once more, then once more again, then again and finally(?) again if you can afford it. Polygamy would have been a lot simpler but the lawyers need the work.

            Kong, I’m sure (don’t know why) you possess a distinctive physiognomy. :-)

          10. srt

            Find the right one, and it doesn’t matter how old you are when you settle down. Of course finding that right one is a challenge. I’ve got some experience with that.
            Married, divorced and remarried before I hit the quarter century mark. Coming up to 30 years of marriage now so second time was the charm for me.

            I think there should be a law that no one can marry before they’re 25. How the hell can anyone be expected to know what they want much before that? I know I certainly didn’t…hence the divorce. LOL

    2. SaltyGary

      1. I still have to take down the Xmas tree. Might do some ice skating or snow shoeing with my boy. I have put my self on the wagon until I can kick this mild cough I’ve had since Thanksgiving. I don’t want the flu so I am trying to get my immune system stronger. So unfortunately nothing good to drink.

      2. Friday night is usually Roto-Chicken night. we all just pick on the beast and watch movies. Sunday is usually my foodie day. Last Sunday I made homemade ravioli with porcine mushroom, ground bison, red wine, shallots and reggiano cheese. No recipe just started playing and they were awesome. Also made for our lunches rice noodles with shrimp various hot/sweet peppers, snap peas, and green onions with a sesame oil soy dressing. Don’t know what I will tackle this weekend yet.

      3. Sure

      4. Shower. Toilet is up there but shower takes way longer and is messier.

      5. Gonna have to wait for DVD on that one. Getting my wife to watch that is like her trying to get me to watch some English love story movie. Not happening. Can’t wait though, and please don’t spoil the ending for me.

      6. No they did not. according to the LL wiki page they were invented by John Lloyd Wright son of archtitect Frank Lloyd Wright. in 1916. And according to the page “K’nex, the toy’s current distributor, states the product was named after Abraham Lincoln, who was born in a log cabin. However, President Lincoln was not the inspiration for the name. The toy was named after Frank Lloyd Wright’s original middle name, Lincoln, which he changed to Lloyd to honor his mother’s family – the Lloyd Jones’ – after his parents divorced in 1885″.

      1. Stick

        #5 – if anyone tells you that he gets shot, don’t believe them. They are just yanking your chain.

        1. SaltyGary

          Thank you, that’s what I figured. People are such jerks.

          1. gategem

            There is a fascinating story surrounding the multiple burial plots for honest Abe. After death his body traveled more than some of the living have traveled in their lifetime.

      2. Prismo

        I thought it was off the wagon!

        1. SaltyGary

          Isn’t off the wagon when you fail at quitting?

          1. TX

            correct. On the wagon is abstaining. Off the wagon is probably relating to getting hammered and actually falling off the wagon.

          2. SaltyGary

            Alright back to wiki again…

          3. SaltyGary

            Back in the wild west days, people used to transport wine and liqueur in barrells by horses. One guy would be handeling the horses who is now known as the driver, and another guy would be sitting next to him with a shot gun protecting the goods, (hence, the expression “shotgun”) when somebody sitts in the front passenger seat. However, due to the long roads the protector ends up drinking the whole time to make time go by faster. Subsequently, the guy who’s been drinking for the last 1700 miles or so gets drunk and fall off the wagon. Hence, the expression:”Falling off the wagon.”
            So, when somebody says: “i fell off the wagon”, it doesn’t mean he just started drinking again, it simply means he HAS BEEN drinking for a while. and getting back on the wagon means that he’s ok and in a position to be the protector again.

          4. TX

            proof that booze and guns were made for each other.

          5. gategem

            One of my colleagues was an alcoholic that was on the wagon until another employee convinced him to consume a cheap beer. Next thing we know the poor guy is dancing on top of the bar with his wooden leg as a dance partner. He disappeared for a week and then was fired from his job. We never found out what happened to the wooden leg.

          6. gategem

            Salty a major advantage is that the horse also knows the route so if both driver and protector are drunk the horse will still get them to their destination. My dad once told me of a job he got replacing a milkman. The delivery was made by horse and wagon and when my dad protested that he didn’t know the route he was assured that the horse did. After the delivery was made the horse stopped at every bar in town for a half hour each and my dad could not get that horse to move for that half hour.

    3. TX

      1. Brewing. 6 oz. of Citra goodness.
      2. Pasta, home made sauce.
      3. No, because he’ll cost to much, though I’d love him to be in CF, fo’ sho’.
      4. washing dishes
      5. I’m with Gary in that I will unfortunately have to wait for the DVD. As for not spoiling the ending, he gets shot in the head. check you social studies book from yester-year!
      6. Ah Lincoln Logs… so fun to play with and almost as painful as legos should you be walking around and inadvertently step on one while barefoot.

      1. SaltyGary

        Wanna swap sauce recipes? I always like to compare to update. I’m Italian, and my current version is based off this old school heart attack gravy that my family used to make. I made it less complicated and heart wrenching and it’s pretty killer.

        1. TX

          Mine is just a simple sauce, no meat.

          1/2 cup olive oil
          1 onion
          carrots
          celery
          couple cloves of garlic
          red pepper flakes
          salt
          pepper
          thyme
          chopped rosemary
          a little parsley
          2x28oz crushed tomatoes
          1x28oz can diced tomatoes
          3 bay leaves

          once done and bay leaves are out, i use a stick blender a little bit to thin it out.

          Then, if i add meatballs or sausage, i do that separately.

          1. TX

            occasionally i add some red vino or mix up some spices, but that’s the flagship USS boring sauce, though it tastes good.

          2. SaltyGary

            Sauce –
            2 tbsp Olive Oil
            3 cloves of chopped garlic
            2 28oz cans of whole peeled tomatoes (I’ve been using Cento “San Marzano” w/out basil)
            56oz of water (Just fill each can with water once and add)
            2 tsp salt
            1 tsp Garlic Powder
            1 tsp Onion Powder
            2 tsp Dried Parsley flakes
            2 tsp Dried Oregano flakes

            In a sauce pan add olive oil and chopped garlic Before the barlic browns add in tomatoes and all other ingredients. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Once at a simmer take a potato masher and break up the whole tomatoes (before adding meatballs) until chunky. They will eventually break down completely. While simmering make the meatballs.

            Meatballs –
            In a mixer with paddle attachment mix together until well blended:

            2 lb of 90% lean ground beef (I’ve played with adding ground veal and pork and I personally like the texture of beef and Amber gets pissed if I buy dead baby cows).
            4 Slices of thick “country white” bread (5 -6 slices of wimpy white). Soak quickly in water and squeeze out as much as possible.
            3 Cloves of minced garlic
            2 Eggs
            2 Tbsp of fresh grated Parmesan cheese.
            2 tsp Salt
            2 tsp Dried Parsley flakes
            1 tsp Pepper
            1 tsp Dried Oregano flakes

            Once mixed roll by hand into size desired. In a non-stick skillet brown meatballs on all sides as much as possible (keep very raw in middle) and add to sauce.

            Also add one 2 oz tin (8 filets) of Anchovies (optional) chopped finely.

            Once in the sauce is back to a simmer cook for 1.5 hours. Stir occasionally. At the 1 hour mark, start to skim the fat and oil off the top.

            Once 1.5 hours has passed add:
            2 12oz Cans Tomato Paste (I use either Cento or Pastene)
            24oz water

            Simmer for one more hour. At the half hour mark add
            2 tbsp sugar
            1 tbsp Fresh Basil
            1 tbsp Fresh Oregano

            Start tasting it. If there is still too much of a salty and acidic edge add a little more sugar to taste. If I do add more sugar I add a little more time to keep tasting and adding. Adding an additional half hour won’t hurt a thing. Let it cool down and pack in the freezer into a couple containers. I feel it always tastes better the next day.

          3. SaltyGary

            As long as it taste good, that is all that counts. My only suggestion is reduce the olive oil. Since tomatoes are so acidic it will always separate and not incorporate into the sauce. Olive oil is expensive and I go threw so much so If I can find a way to reduce usage I pass it on.

          4. TX

            a family fav is just nice bread to dip in olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme. so we luv us some olive oil. I’ll try that suggestion, see how it works. Your sauce looks intense. Will have to try it out.

          5. srt

            O.K., now you guys are making me hungry…..

          6. Stick

            My wife makes a fantastic sauce. I asked permission to share her recipe, and she said OK.

            1) get out a big pot.
            2) make some meatballs.
            3) open up a bunch of cans and take stuff out of the spice cabinet and the veggie drawer.
            4) put it all in that pot at various times when it seems to be the thing to do.
            5) cook it until it is done.
            6) eat it.

          7. Prismo

            I have a fantastic family red sauce recipe as well.

            What you do is…
            1. Write the following down on a slip of paper: “Pasta sauce”
            2. Send your loved one (or in my case, myself) to the local grocer with the slip of paper.
            3. They will return an hour later with Ragu Tomato and Basil pasta sauce.
            4. Enjoy!

          8. kingman 26

            Muir Glen canned organic roma tomatoes from Washington state—the BEST.

            The best.

            I LOVE pasta sauce and make it with and without meat all the time.

            I make a damned good eggplant parm too…the key is using Italian eggplants.

            And drinking a nice combo of bourbon and tequila in alternate shots while cooking.

          9. gategem

            My mom used to prepare a fantastic pasta sauce using a recipe that she received from the Sicilian part of my family. It was a sweet sauce and I have the proverbial sweet tooth. Unfortunately, I lost the recipe. If anyone could prepare that sauce for me they could be my next wife. ;-)

      2. darknova306

        Mmm, Citra. Is that gonna be an all Citra IPA?

        1. TX

          yeah. 1 oz. at each of 60, 15, 10, 5, 1 and then 1 oz in the dryhop.

          1. darknova306

            Beautiful. Staying with a simple malt bill to let the hops shine through?

          2. TX

            7 lb Extra Light Dry Extract
            1 lb Munich Malt – 10L
            1 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt – 60L

            Then using safale S-05 dry year. pitching 2 packs to make sure.

    4. darknova306

      1. I’ll be taking down the Xmas tree with dad and will be sifting through brewhouse quotes as we try to nail down which system to get.

      2. Dinner’s probably gonna be pizza and beer tonight. Ithaca Ale House has some nice flat bread pizzas and a great beer selection…

      3. I’d take Fowler for the OF. He’s probably too expensive, and I’d rather get someone with more power.

      4. I loathe laundry. Especially cause I usually don’t live in a place with laundry machines. I hate going to laundromats. The one in Cooperstown (next to Doubleday Field) was crazy expensive. Eff that nonsense!

      5. Haven’t seen it. It’s on my list for the future, as is Django Unchained. Heard nothing but great things about those movies.

      6. Lincoln Logs, according to Wikipedia, were invented by John Lloyd Wright, Frank Lloyd Wright’s son. They were named after Frank’s original middle name of Lincoln that he later changed to honor his mother’s family. There’s your learning for the day, folks! Happy Friday! :)

    5. srt

      1. We eat later than most. We’ll start talking about what we’re doing for dinner sometime around 7pm tonight.

      2. Weekend plans: cleaning out my office and getting ready to redo it – paint, carpet, etc. Santa Claus brought me a super-duper high speed desktop with dual monitors just so I can watch the game and blog at the same time. Santa knows me well…..

      3. I would kick the tires on Fowler.

      4. Cooking – hate it. Which is probably why I haven’t done it in over 20 years and consider it a chore.

      5. Haven’t seen Lincoln yet but want to.

      1. TRS86

        Man, I need that Santa’s number.

        1. Prismo

          Does he accept solicitations from Jews?

          1. kingman 26

            HAHAHA!

            Yeah, it’s like that line in Caddyshack when the Bishop is telling Danny Noonan about their boys’ club, and then Danny tells the Bishop he often thought of joining the Priesthood, and then the Bishop says “Oh, you’re Roman Catholic? I’m sorry, but I’m afraid you can’t come.”

        2. Stick

          I think Mr. MF thinks of Met games a “me time”

          1. TX

            yup, almost ruined my monitor on that one. napkins, meet spilled coffee…

          2. srt

            Ha! He’s very much into movies – from old black and white up to new releases. Me…not so much as I don’t care for horror, suspense, all special effects, blood and guts – just like movies that tell a good story.

            Sometimes, I’ll be watching the game upstairs and the walls are shaking from the movie on downstairs coming through loud and clear on the surround sound. LOL.

          3. Mr North Jersey

            You definitely do not want to watch Quentin Tarantino’s latest film then “Django Unchained”. I can’t remember a movie where more blood was splattered from gunshot wounds than this one. The closest thing similar to this was this film from a few years back called “Ninja Assassin” but that was the most blood splattered I’ve seen using swords.

  3. darknova306

    Praise Omar! *drops mic* :)

  4. Stick

    Chores? isn’t that why men get married? (better hide from MF now…)

    random thoughts:

    1) this FO is wildly overpaid for the amazingly small amount of work they do. JP must be that classic WFH guy that checks email occasionally on his BlackBerry, while either working another job or living the retired life. Honest.y, how much time can these guys be spending a day turning up misc. Mil invite signings?

    2) Time really to finish out the year. Sign Alvarez, pick up a guy like Capps, maybe Stauffer, and be done with the off season.

    3) I am still amazed they are not making any moves (unless you count Cowgill) that seem to be adding any blocks to the foundatin. I understand not going crazy on 1 year dudes for 2013, but are there absolutelly no players available that can get a head start on 2014?

    4) Being broke sucks. But they have to have some amount of budget to use now for 2013 to try and field something passing for a ML caliber team, not just random stiffs that can sorta kinda play the game.

    1. SaltyGary

      Dead on Stick and why this will be my last post for a while about this garbage. I am really trying to abstain from wasting my time on such discussions. You got 3 GM’s in there. I don’t care how little money they have, they have shown to be as creative as TRS was when creating this new post.

    2. srt

      hahahaha
      We have a good trade off. I do all the cleaning, he does all the cooking (see my selection of most hated chore).

    3. srt

      Saw the article with SAs comments on having some money but not willing to spend it on pieces that don’t fit and/or are way too expensive.

      That’s fine but….our projected OF sucks. Quite possibly the worst in the league. Even Philly has that Ruf rookie.
      I want to see them bring in a real OF, even if he doesn’t figure into future plans. I’ll even take Hairston at this point.

      Really hope though they’ll be attending Alvarez’s audition later this month and if they like what they see, get in on that bidding war.

  5. TRS86

    Plans for the weekend?
    Basketball

    What’s everyone having for dinner?
    No time for dinner, only basketball

    Should the Mets target Fowler?
    Sure but they will miss the target completely .

    Most hated chore?

    Chore? I am married (god I hope my wife doesn’t read this)
    Was Lincoln the movie that good?
    See #2

    Did the Lincoln family profit at all for Lincoln Logs?
    “Lincoln Logs were invented in 1916, by John Lloyd Wright, son of Frank Lloyd Wright.[1] In 1918, the toy was marketed by the Red Square Toy Company and by John Lloyd Wright, Incorporated of Chicago, Illinois.[citation needed]
    The mold for the toy was based on the architecture of the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, designed by the inventor’s father. The foundation of the hotel was designed with interlocking beams, which made the structure “earthquake proof”. This feature assisted in the design of the toy logs, ensuring stability of the miniature buildings created with the toy set.[3]
    K’nex, the toy’s current distributor, states the product was named after Abraham Lincoln, who was born in a log cabin.[4] However, President Lincoln was not the inspiration for the name. The toy was named after Frank Lloyd Wright’s original middle name, Lincoln, which he changed to Lloyd to honor his mother’s family – the Lloyd Jones’ – after his parents divorced in 1885.”

    And now you know and knowing is half the battle.

  6. srt

    Scott Boras on his players still being unsigned: “It really doesn’t matter what time dinner is when you’re the steak.”

    LOL…I think Boras misread the market for a couple of his clients – like R. Soriano. Word is he went to the Yankees a few weeks ago and asked them to consider signing him for 1 year. Yankees said no. In hindsight, he probably should have taken that qualifying offer from the Yankees .

    1. TX

      yeah, i think the qualifying offer isn’t helping much with the almost good FAs. people aren’t willing to lose their picks these days.

    2. Stick

      yeah, Boras must hate the qualifying offer concept for his big name guys. though frankly, I expect in the future, more of these non-elite guys are just going to say screw it, and accept the qualifying offer. That will certainly cut down on the # that get extended!

  7. kingman 26

    Plans for the weekend?

    Been out of town 3 of the last 4 weekends, worked 12 hour days this week catching up, so plan a LOT of cleaning of the neglected apt., and a lot of football watching, aside from a date Sat night with the new and increasingly promising Lady Kingman.

    What’s everyone having for dinner?

    Tonight, prior to cleaning while watching the Nets continue their climb back to the top, will be Asian chicken, in a Hoisin sauce over organic brown rice, with peanuts, green peppers, green onions, and broccoli if I have some left. Yes, single men can be the best cooks.

    Should the Mets target Fowler?

    Sure, if the price is not too high, which reports say it is. Young, cannot be an FA for a few years…and a real outfielder would be so cool.

    Most hated chore?

    Washing dishes! I f***ing HATE that, even just rinsing them for the dishwasher. I would rather cook a 10-course meal than wash 10 dishes.

    Was Lincoln the movie that good?

    Have not seen it, but Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood is one of my favorite performances of all time.

    Did the Lincoln family profit at all for Lincoln Logs?

    No, they LOST money after suing the Frank Lloyd Wright family. After the Wright family could prove the name’s origin was NOT from Honest Abe, they countersued the Lincolns and won court costs, and 25 cents from every admission charged to enter Ford’s Theater in perpetuity.

    ————————————–

    Football picks:

    Balt +9.5 at Denver. Denver wins a close one.
    GB +2.5 at SF. The better QB wins this one.
    Sea +2.5 at ATL. The better and hotter team wins this one.
    NE -9.5 vs HOU. Houston gets smashed again in NE.

    1. Stick

      the GB – SF game is the one that interests me. i think a couple of the others are going to be boring mismatches.

      1. kingman 26

        Sea-Atl is going to potentially be very good too…

        1. Stick

          I’m down on Atl, and think Seattle is going to abuse them. But admittadly, I did not really spend any time researching it, so am pretty much just shooting from my arse on that one.

        2. Prismo

          Go Seattle! Love Russell Wilson since I’m a Big 10 guy (excluding, of course, Ohio State and Michigan).

    2. srt

      ‘…date Sat night with the new and increasingly promising Lady Kingman.’
      Ooooh, nice. Hope she’s a Met fan.

      1. kingman 26

        She H-A-T-E-S baseball.

        I mean hates it.

        She is not into sports, but rolls her eyes when I mention the Mets: “Aren’t they just kind of like New York’s second rate team that is never as good as the Yankees?”

        A direct quote.

        But, thus far, about the only serious flaw I have found.

        And I have looked a lot. All over.

        :-)

        1. SaltyGary

          Don’t worry my wife of 11 years next week hates sports as well. If she is in a good mood she will ask a baseball question just to be nice, but she is all set. She will/has gone to games with me and will get into it but she can care less. And frankly she is really tired of the Mets sucking because of how moody it gets me. At least with the G-men winning a couple super bowls along with some NCAA wins by UCONN, it hasn’t been so bad for her.

          If the Mets are doing well she will hang out and watch a little but other than that we are usually in seperate rooms when I am watching sports.

          1. TRS86

            Mine keeps the book for my games and has even had to coach some in AAU when my uh…. ” over zealous ” coaching perturbed some refs a little too much. Can you believe some of the refs think I am a little sarcastic at times?

          2. srt

            Ha, Salty! Works well for me too. Hence the brandy new PC set up he got me. He’s no dummy. Got me all set up so I don’t bother him about watching the game on our big flat screen. LOL.

          3. gategem

            The first wife hated all sports and was deliriously happy when I blew my arm out and had to quit baseball. She loved the ballet and did perform as an amateur. Thank goodness there are no pictures of me in those tights that the male ballet performers’ wear. My present gf was an award winning gymnast in high school but generally hates all professional sports (although she loves a show about basketball wives or something like that). In between its all one big blur although my second wife was also a gymnast in college located somewhere in Québec.

          4. SaltyGary

            TRS you should see my shocked face right now…

            SRT you are going to love the dual monitors. I’ve had them at work for a long time. I behave during regular season but when it’s playoffs or NCAA tournament I got one going as a full TV. And they are actually great for work productivity especially with the things that I do. I generally will have over 10 programs running at any time.

          5. SaltyGary

            I anyone questioned Gate’s wisdom, never again after hearing he went out with 2 former gymnasts.

  8. Stick

    so, putting aside sauce and beer recipes for a moment.

    Seem to be rumors circulating that Sandy is talking to AZ again, and even about Upton. Anyone think there could be anything to it?

    and given a choice, would you want it to be Upton coming back, or one of the young guys (eaton/Parra?)

    not Kubel though. Please no.

    Who knows, maybe Sandy has been laying back, trading places on us all along, and one day the dam will actually burst and they will make some moves?

    No, I don’t think so either, but need something to keep me interested!

    1. Prismo

      Here’s what they can have for Upton:

      Syndergaard, Parnell, Flores, Mejia, Familia, Fulmer, Tapia

      Arizona can pick 4.

      Honestly I think Upton is overvalued coming off a mediocre season and the Mets would be giving up a fair bit for him. Arizona probably says no, but I think it’s relatively fair.

    2. greggofboken

      Upton gets pricey after next year ($14M for both ’14 and ’15) and his erraticness and his erraticness and road splits (.307/.389/.548 home vs. .250/.325/.406 road) would make me leery given the price tag. (Lower the price tag and I’m all for it.)

      Given the circumstances, I’d go for Eaton. Love the speed. Won’t mortgage the future to get him. But it doesn’t sound like he’s on the table.

    3. darknova306

      If given the choice, I’d take younger and cheaper over the expensive and erratic veteran.

  9. srt

    Lot of talk about an Upton trade today.
    You know we’re not getting him….right?
    Based on what the Mariners were willing to give up, I predict there’s no way SA gives up an equivalent type package.

    Now if he can pull off that trade for lesser prospects, I’ll be impressed.

  10. srt

    Blue Jays just signed Henry Blanco.
    Jeeze…how many catchers do they want?

    1. TRS86

      Well this one comes with mold so there’s that.

    2. gategem

      Perhaps they have some open minor league positions to fill.
      .

    3. srt

      Someone in the comments section of that MLBTR post quoted RA as saying Blanco was the best catcher he had at catching his knuckleball.

      So that’s Thole, Nickeas, Blanco. Sounds like AA is stock piling any and all catchers that ever had experience with Dickey’s knuckle ball. He wants The Edge.

      1. gategem

        They’ll all have something in common. As Bob Ucker said they’ll pick it up after it stops rolling.

  11. srt

    Reading an article over on Beerleaguer on the state of the Phillies OF going into ST. They addressed CF, but right now are going with a double platoon for the two corner OF positions. The article talks about Hairston and if he’s worth it, especially since they only have 7 MIL to play with – instead of the double platoon.

    Not sure how they conclude Hairston is an everyday starting OF when we pretty much see him as more of a platoon player given his splits.

    It was Amaro’s comments I found amusing:

    ‘… the alternative option of going with the double platoon is frightening — even Amaro admitted as much Tuesday.’

    “I’m just as scared as everybody else,” he said Tuesday on 97.3 ESPN-FM. “Other than Ben Revere being kind of a young centerfielder, we don’t have a proven everyday guy out there.”

    Can you imagine if Sandy said something like this to the media? Oh boy…..

    1. SaltyGary

      IF you can’t get a good starter, then Hairston would be a good hit for that situation because he can play in the different spots.

    2. Stick

      rather have a hungry platoon than settling on a part-time guy like Hairston trying to be shoe horned into a FT job just to say you have a starter.

      and yes, if Sandy said that, the nut jobs would have their heads explode. Though he pretty much did, in his own sarcastic, snide crack way (something I happen to love about him, since I am the same way!)

      1. srt

        Oh yeah, that ‘What OF?’ comment he made. LOL.

        1. Stick

          I would like to see Sandy arguing with the buffoons on that other site that think they know so much more than he does.

  12. srt

    JonHeymanCBS: Stanton is huge addition to US team that includes Braun, Wright, Mauer. (plus gets him away from marlins for couple weeks)

    I knew Wright wouldn’t pass on the opportunity to play in the WBC. I wonder if any of our pitchers will be going. I hope not.

    And MarLOLins on that Stanton comment.

    1. greggofboken

      I believe Wright is the lone Met. Tejada had been playing for Panama, but they were eliminated.

      Dickey had been slated, though that’s now Toronto’s concern.

      If one of our guys has to go, at least it’s someone who can reasonably be depended upon to keep himself in shape and who would appear to be low-maintennance. I understand the marketing value of it and the greater good and all the rest of it….but I’ve come to loathe it. At least as far as Met participation in it.

      1. Stick

        I don’t worry about a position guy, especially one that seems to do a good job preparing. But I really hate when any of the pitchers go.

      2. srt

        Must be why Wright’s already down in PSL getting in shape.

  13. Stick

    OT (though I guess technically we don’t have a topic here…) but went to the movies tonight, and ended up seeing Argo (which I wanted to see when it first came out, but never got to, but it happened to still be there).

    Excellent movie. really enjoyed it.

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