The Mets are a very generous organization. For example, they gave Tom Glavine a jet ski in an elaborate ceremony for his 300th win — a pitcher who earned 242 of them (up to that point) for another team.
They gave $46 million to a man who played 166 baseball games for them, Mo Vaughn. To be fair, though, he had a WAR of -1.5, so it might have been worth it.
They have paid, thus far, $52 million to a player, Jason Bay, who in 276 games actually has a positive 1.3 WAR. (Much to my surprise.)
But they aren’t only generous to players. They have employed doctors whose diagnostic credentials are slightly less lofty than Dr. Gregory House. Ask Jose Reyes, or JJ Putz, or Billy Wagner, or Ike Davis.
And of course, there’s Bernie Madoff, whom owners helped out to the tune of $162 million, depending on your accounting. The Mets’ generosity is legendary.
And of course there are the Phillies, whose string of NL East Championships would be fairly meager without the outstanding aid the Mets gave them in 2007 and 2008.
It’s true that their generosity is not unlimited – they broke a 13 year old’s heart in 1969, but that was a long time ago.
Tonight they will honor Chipper Jones, and why not? It’s of a piece with their outstanding record of generosity outlined above. But what should they give him? A few posts have mentioned some worthy candidates, but I have one more suggestion.
In my little town about 15 miles north of Citi Field, we have an annual event in which small children paint the windows of stores on the main street in honor of Halloween. Since the painting takes place a couple of weeks or so before the event, there are often baseball/Halloween-themed windows, usually featuring the Yankees, unfortunately.
But in 1999, just after the Braves disposed of the Mets in 6 games, some 8 year old painted a Braves player stuffing a Mets player into a box which was spurting blood out the other side with the legend, in a childish scrawl: Woodchipper Jones. I’ve thought of him as Woodchipper ever since.
If the Mets had a sense of humor to go with their generosity, a woodchipper to destroy the bats which have destroyed them would, IMHO, be appropriate.
(From previous thread) Simmons is in Rome, not Lynchburg. So everyone root real hard for Asheville these next two nights.
Man — that is one creative eight-year-old.
Awesome, Jonathan.
I guess that kid saw “Fargo.” So if the Mets represent the Steve Buscemi character, do we get to shoot them in the face, too? (Metaphorically, of course)
You going this weekend?
That is funny. There are some good writers on this board.
You forgot one other thing. They took Jeffy off of our hands.
I think they should give Chipper Mr. Mets head, as he IS the true Mr. Met.
Will Chipper sign over his minority ownership role of the Mets while he is there?
Deus Ex Krakena.
LOL. Brilliant, Stu.
Great recap, JoanathanF!
Oh no, did I break the italics?!
Whew.
Brian J.
TC says this of Simmons:
“The deciding Game 3 will take place Friday night in Lynchburg, with Aaron Northcraft scheduled to face Wilmington’s Leondy Perez. Andrelton Simmons will continue his rehab, starting at shortstop.”
I assume he’ll head to NY from Lynchbug after the game.
Post All Star Numbers – lets see if this copy/past job will work
Werth .354/.425/.496 Bourn .233/.333/.327
Harper .232/.301/.428 Prado .263/.313/.408
Zimmer .338/.405/.552 JHey .279/.351/.485
Laroche .291/.348/.532 CJ .288/.364/.516
Morse .288/.325/.460 FF .271/.395/.475
Desmond .301/.363/.482 Bmac .195/.282/.323
Espinosa .296/.346/.488 Uggla .179/.308/.327
Suzuki .266/.319/.431 Janish .189/.269/.238
And dont forget this great Met investment
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703426004575339013108198050.html
Yep, you’re right. My apologies. Makes no sense, though. Why have Simmons make one start for Rome and then two for Lynchburg?
We’re the free game today on mlb.com.
@10 I heard on the radio awhile back in Boston that that reason the Mets gave Bonilla that ridiculous contract was because of the pyramid scheme their owner was involved with, and he was getting such an insane return that it made more sense to take the money they would have given him normally and spread it out for several years. The return from the “investment” was higher than the interest rate Bonilla got.
@9 – Bourn better not get “all the money” – at least not from us.
Thanks, all. (And thanks to AAR for the edits.) ububba: I’m not going tonight, and the weather forecast for tomorrow is so lousy that I’m not waiting for Rick Camp to hit a homer at 4 AM. So if I go, it’ll be Sunday — and maybe get that pinch-hit appearance by Larry, Jr.
Good stuff. Jonathan, I really think if Chipper sits a game out it will be Saturday. I just can’t imagine him riding the pine on his last day in NY.
I was surprised to see how bad Vaughn was with the Mets — I thought he just couldn’t stay on the field. Then I checked BBRef, and he was -2.5 WAR defensively in his one full season. And again I find myself wondering about these defensive stats — is it even possible to attribute two and a half games to the difference between Mo Vaughn’s glove and that of, say, Freddie Freeman (who I think we think of as an average fielding 1B)? I maintain that there’s something in the dynamics of team defense that is being mistranslated in the attempt to individualize it.
Just got a bit of a jolt. From Bill James’ “Ask Bill” feature this morning:
I just saw that Bob Creamer died last month. Any thoughts?
Asked by: macthomason
Answered: 9/7/2012
Oh, I missed that; I’m very sorry to hear. He was a marvellous writer, obviously, and a great gentleman. I met him in ’82, had lunch with him in New York, and met him about six or eight times after that. He was one of those people who didn’t have a mean bone in his body. I’m sorry to hear that he has gone on.
Hahaha this is classic. That would be awesome but I doubt the Mets are that witty. I’m expecting something good though.
who I think we think of as an average fielding 1B
I don’t know about “we”, but “I” think of Freeman as an elite fielding 1B who should win some GG in his career, while some fancy stats think of him as a lousy fielding 1B with no range.
I don’t think he’s nimble enough to be elite. I think he’s among the best big, slow guys who play the position, but it matters that he’s a big slow guy.
11- Brian – It was convenient to start Simmons just North of Atlanta, but Rome had last night off. Apparently Low-A does the same goofy scheduling for the playoffs that MLB does. Prime time TV, you know.
Anyway, they moved him to Lynchburg to get some more PAs before rejoining the big club Saturday.
Lost amidst this torrent of brilliance was Rusty’s “Tommy John Doe” surgery (@30 previous thread).
Clapclapclapclap.
#15
If you head to Flushing on Sunday (if the weather allows, of course), hit me up. Pretty sure I’ll be there.
@22, Thanks justhank. Whenever I have a random thought, I run straight to Braves Journal first.
It’s hard not to think about Mac doing this kind of stuff day in and day out. It’s great to see so many people stepping up to keep it going.
Just a note for music fans to remember Joe South and the “Games People Play” today.
•That’s not good. “@iDrumZ: @ajcbraves So Hudson has a higher BA than Janish, Uggla, and McCann right now.”
#25
You know, that guy played on a lotta great records & wrote a lotta hits for other people, too.
Here’s King Curtis (playing with a few folks you might’ve heard of) doing his instrumental throw-down version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIErVdrBX0o
@27 Wow! Thanks!
Heading for a Cincinnati game tonight, may get rain.
Will have a full scouting report on Votto later.
Did not realize this from Richard Justice:
“Lowest NL ERAs since All-Star Break, minimum 10 starts: 1. Mike Minor 2.56. 2. Lucas Harrell 2.59. 3. Clayton Kershaw 2.62.”
Are innings or pitch count more important after Tommy John Doe surgery? Medlin much more efficient than Strasberg who has 100 pitches or so in 6 innimgs.
#30 – No one really knows.
In Strasburg’s case, some argue that his “inverted W” when he pitches puts additional stress on his elbow and shoulder. Also, he throws harder than Medlen although I don’t know if that makes any difference. So the Nats may feel more need to be more conservative with Strasburg than the Braves do with Medlin. But, let’s face it, the Nats have a lot more invested in Strasburg-both financially and emotionally-than the Braves do with Medlen. Not saying the Braves are just willing to use Medlen up but he isn’t a symbol of the franchise the way Strasburg is.
But, frankly, if the Braves thought at the beginning of the year that Medlen should only pitch X innings, they should not change that just because they are in a pennant race. IMO, they have some obligation to protect Medlen’s career even if they don’t think he will be a dominant pitcher.
The player should have some say in the decision. How often do you hear retired players lament never having won a ring? Players often say it’s the team success, not individual honors they play for.
Look at the Braves as an example. Would Glavine or Maddux give up the World Series win for another Cy Young?
Chipper won the World Series his first year, but so far he nor any other Brave has won another. No Cub since forever played in, let alone won a World Series. There’s no guarantee the Braves or the Nats won’t fall off the edge of the baseball world after this year and fare the same as the Cubs.
It’s Strasburg’s career. I think he should have some say even considering the bucks the Nats have invested. I’m sure there are actuarial tables somewhere to point out the foolishness of my opinion, but I’m strongly on the carpe diem side.
Finally succumbing and reading a little about the Strasburg thing, I got the sense that the Nats are being coerced, to some degree, by Scott Boras to stick to the innings limit.
Oh.
They’ve got us right where they want us.
Come on, Larry.
D’oh! Get ’em next time, Chipper!
That wasn’t good
This team is just comical.
Putrid.
Right now guys aren’t picking up their teammates either, thus the constant doughnut after getting the bases loaded with less than 2 outs
It’s Strasburg’s career. I think he should have some say even considering the bucks the Nats have invested. I’m sure there are actuarial tables somewhere to point out the foolishness of my opinion, but I’m strongly on the carpe diem side.
Publicly, he supports the decision. Practically, there is virtually no way that they could pull this off effectively without getting buy-in from Strasburg — and, of course, Boras.
Yeah, based on what Adam posted, I’m willing to concede that what Boras wants probably carries a lot of weight with both his client and the Nats. Still …
jason!!!
JASON!! OUR FIRST RBI SINCE MONDAY!!
Strasburg is out after 3 with 5 runs and 67 pitches tonight. 6 hits and 3 walks.
Nice, Jason.
We’re so much better at hitting when the bases aren’t loaded.
Man that ball hung for him
Could do with a little less walks, Paul, but so far so good.
Maholm’s walking a fine line tonight. It would be nice to score more than one run a game to give our pitchers some leeway.
52- Yeah, and it’d be nice if I grew wings and flew, but that ain’t gonna happen either.
Another sign of their generosity is Bobby Bonilla’s contract. Google that if you want a good lesson in how to do retirement planning. Bonilla now teaches financial planning to current MLB players.
Bleagh.
No team, going back to 1918, has ever won three straight 1-0 games.
@54 Mets were getting 15%/year from Madoff, it was no brainer.
Chipper is choking.
Oh, dear, Chipper.
The idea was for THEM to make the errors. At least Heyward backed up the play quickly to keep the runner at second.
Chipper, Mets fans aren’t going to love you because you gifted them a couple of wins as a final impression.
I still loathe Chad Durbin. Just in case you were wondering.
Fredi’s pulling every string he can.
“Fredi’s pulling every string he can.”
http://bravedecisions.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/frediot2.jpg
David, that would be a bad time for a passed ball.
We can’t hit lately, but we do get lucky.
Huzzay!
Wonderful, Dan. I’d forgotten that flowchart.
Another Dan does good.
There’s the error!
Uggla’s stupidity fails to top the Mets’ ineptitude.
WOOOO SAC FLY
And there’s another run! We’re apparently allowed two a game now.
@56: And the record is safe.
thanks for the free run
Get ’em on, get ’em over by getting picked off yet inducing an error, get ’em in with a pop-up to right.
Get’em on, Get’em over, Get’em to make an error.
Wait, the score just changed. It was 1-0 a moment ago. I’m not sure what it is now. There’s something weird in the upper left corner of my screen… it looks like a “2.” But that obviously can’t be right.
Okay, now that the Braves know they’re not playing for a record, maybe they’ll loosen up and score some runs.
What a pathetic throw by Hairston.
Good job, Jonny.
Lynchburg won 2-1 tonight, and Simmons homered for their first run. Now let’s get him up to New York tomorrow.
79 — They must have agreed on playing a one game doubleheader, there’s no other reasonable explanation I can think of.
Once you have two runs, of course, there’s no more need for offense: cue Janish.
Janish is someone who plays shortstop for a living, rather than a supersub who had barely played it professionally before this year. That feels like a good thing to do in the late innings.
Yep.
I don’t disagree, AAR, but does he come in to a 1-0 game before the ninth?
Probably. I just don’t really feel comfortable with Prado playing all 9 innings at short in a game that close.
“@ajcbraves So Hudson has a higher BA than Janish, Uggla, and McCann right now.”
Simmons’ return will take care of one-third of the Axis of Suck.
Oh great, it’s one of those “lousy catchers can do some damage to us in the late innings” moments.
Look, Simmons was never supposed to be an offensive force. There’s a really, really low probability that he continues to flirt with .300 after he comes back.
91- Still more likely that he hits than Janish, who doesn’t even flirt with .200.
Fine work by O’Flaherty. Time for the Desu ex Kimbrelia.
Sweet! Nice job, EOF.
Damn, that was a nice changeup. O’Failurety is such a luxury.
I’m pretty confident though that he’ll hit for more than Jason Bay.
You’re definitely right about that, Brian.
@ 91: But he has hit for average in the minors. He should provide as much offense as Alex G did last year or Janish does now, and it will shore up the offense wherever Prado plays. (Glass half full syndrome)
“Look, Simmons was never supposed to be an offensive force. There’s a really, really low probability that he continues to flirt with .300 after he comes back.”
That may be true, but Simmons is going to be better than .507 OPS, 39 OPS+ Janish.
UGGLA!!!!
Maybe Uggla really is figuring out this hitting thing.
Tripleheader!
The pessimist’s take: he’s played exactly 44 games above High-A, and his minor league ISO is under .100: in other words, he’s a guy who’s managed to hit a fair number of singles in the low minors, but that isn’t exactly a guarantee of major league success.
OH MY GOD DAN UGGLA JUST HIT A HOME RUN
Lordy, Lordy! A double and a homer in the same game! What hath Dan wrought!
sometimes the fly balls go far enough. usually not though…
100: That fly Uggla hit earlier was tagged to deep left center.
Okay, Craig, seal the deal for VentO’Brel.
105: I meant to say that “fly out” he hit earlier…in addition to the double and the homer.
It looks like Janish will not even get to bat.
No drama, please, Craig.
This ump rang up Overbay on a pitch that was further out than one or two of those balls to Fred Lewis.
Sometimes, life isn’t fair. Kimbrel in the 9th inning is one of those times. I love it.
Deus Ex Krakena.
(And, having watched the play while not on Braves Journal, scanning this thread and seeing 80 had me laughing aloud.)
Kimbrel things were done.
zero runs allowed through November, let’s do it.
Honestly, is there anything better than beating the Mets? I’m drawing a blank.
That’s a win, y’all!
@114
Beating the Phillies and eliminating them from the playoff race.
@114 Something about Keystone light and Penn State football.
Number of runs given = zero.
Bethany, taking us back to my favorite thread of all time…
PSU is dominate.
Bless you, Bethany.
Ah, beautiful job Alex ^_^
Man, that was a looong time ago. Dix was the resident perv? When did sdp show up?
Recapped.
I was at least resident. Baseball is slowly losing its grip on me. I even cut back from three softball leagues to two this year, and plan to whittle that down to one just as soon as one of my teams fails to defend its title (5 years running so far).
Tonight I watched the Braves on TV for the first time since May, second time overall this season AND I did not participate in any fantasy baseball league. Somehow, none of this is the result of an existential crisis as far as I can tell.