In Response To Predicting Two Days Ago That The Phillies Would Continue to Talk About the Mets

Wherein We Reveal Our Baseball Loyalties

This guy ranks the top 50 baseball free agents, and thinks the Mets are the best place for the following: 

1. Oliver Perez, Mets starter

2. Bobby Abreu, Yankees right fielder

3. Juan Cruz, Diamondbacks reliever

4. Orlando Hudson, Diamondbacks 2B

I agree with Perez. While he really is a coin-flip proposition, I think it's probably better for the Mets to bear with the starting pitching ills they have than fly to others they know not of. Sabathia threw a LOT of innings this year, I don't trust AJ Burnett, Ben Sheets gets hurt if he blinks too hard, and the other guys on the list are either old guys unlikely to leave their current homes (Jamie Moyer, Andy Pettite, Randy Johnson) or don't represent that much of an upgrade (Paul Byrd, Braden Looper, Jon Garland).  As for the other three guys, I think Abreu would be sort of expensive and extraneous (I'm not giving up on Nick Evans or Daniel Murphy in the outfield yet). I freely admit to not having seen the Diamondbacks play this season, so I can't comment on Hudson (certainly would represent an upgrade over the creaky-kneed Castillo, though) or Cruz (whom I'd never heard of before reading this article, but this writer proposes as a closer candidate). 

This article also suggests that Manny stay a Dodger AND that the Dodgers sign Sabathia (spending other people's imaginary money is fun, hmm?), the Yankees get Teixeira, and that the Angels keep K-rod. I have come out in favor of the Mets *NOT* breaking the bank for K-rod before, because I think they could come up with someone reliable who doesn't like to play the current Mets Bullpen Game ("three outs in a row are boring, let's put a couple guys on base to spice it up") quite so much. (This season might have gone better for all of us if we'd invented a Mets Bullpen Drinking Game. If Aaron Heilman is still a Met in '09, I will sit down and write some rules for that one.) 

Stop It. Just Stop.

Does anybody remember the SNL bit featuring Ben Stiller (I think) and Mark McKinney(I think) as two men running against each other for congress? After Stiller wins, he continues to air commercials insulting McKinney, bragging incessantly that he won. McKinley and his family are hounded constantly and he pleads to be left alone. It's kind of funny.

The Phillies acting like Ben Stiller's character isn't very funny. it's just plain weird. They are obsessed with the Mets, even after winning THE WORLD SERIES. The latest example of this is the following:

Speaking of Reyes, during today’s broadcast on Comcast SportsNet of the Phillies World Championship parade through Philadelphia, host Michael Barkann asked his co-host, Mitch Williams, “I wonder if Jose Reyes is watching,” continuing, “Do you have anything to say to Reyes.”

Williams responded by saying, “This is what happens when you shut up and play.”

Let. It. Go! YOU WON! SHUT UP!

Best Headline Possible

Singletary dropped pants at halftime when 49ers trailed Seattle

Do you even need to read the rest of the article? Of course you do.

Mike Singletary's motivational message to the 49ers last Sunday in his inaugural game as head coach also included a visual aid.

When his team hit the Candlestick Park locker room at halftime trailing the Seahawks 20-3, Singletary called everyone to attention, dropped his pants and pointed to his rear end, to fully illustrate what the coach thought of his players' performance.

According to a report that first aired on Phoenix-area radio XTRA-910, Singletary then berated the team for three to four minutes with his pants around his ankles. He was wearing boxers.

Singletary did not deny the stunt, which clearly didn't work: The 49ers lost, 34-14.

"I used my pants to illustrate that we were getting our tails whipped on Sunday and how humiliating that should feel for all of us," Singletary confirmed in a blog post on the 49ers' Web site. "I needed to do something to dramatize my point; there were other ways I could have done it but I think this got the message across.

"I am excited about having the team back at practice on Monday so we can get back to work."

Despite his 0-1 record as the 49ers interim coach, Singletary has gained fame for publicly ordering a defiant Vernon Davis off the field and sending him to the showers after the tight end committed a fourth-quarter personal foul. After the game, Singletary's fiery analysis and ranthas become an Internet hit.

A 49ers spokesman clarified how far Singletary actually went with the halftime show, confirming the coach kept his boxers on during the demonstration.

E-mail Nancy Gay at ngay@sfchronicle.com.

It's better to burn out than to fade away...we thought maybe the Raiders would be the first team in NFL history to fire an interim coach during a season, but watch out Al Davis, you might even lose in this contest too!

Our First Insider Intelligence

Cliff Floyd, while staying in the team hotel with the Tampa Bay Rays, ordered waffles and pancakes three times.

I don't blame him. I love me some waffles as well.

Update: Hey it's Roger. I literally phoned this in. (Via text) My friend's sister works at a Delaware hotel, and since there's only one hotel in that "state", the Rays ended up there the night before the postponed fifth game of the World Series. In charge of the room service sis noticed Cliff Floyd ordered in three times, each time for waffles and pancakes. It should be pointed out though that he was with his family. Nonetheless...that factoid is way too interesting.

Stranger Than Fiction

Roger will begrudgingly allow the Phillies to win the World Series in exchange for a Barack Obama victory -my facebook status

Fifty hours after it began, Game 5 of the World Series went to the Phillies. Unfortunately they won three games before tonight in the series, so technically, they are the champions. And I bet they'll still talk about the Mets and their lack of "respect" during the postgame celebration.

But enough of that...unlike the Phillies I don't have a singular focus. The second Brad Lidge (who is the only person I'm happy for) got Hinske to strike out I changed the channel to the Knicks, who, get this...won! 1-0 baby! Sure it was to the Heat and yeah, they almost blew it in the end, but they won. You can say with a straight face the Knicks have a winning record.

And guess what? The Rangers are doing pretty damn well right now. Maybe new york fans will have a decent winter to quell the pain of the fall.

Or not :)

Inappropriate Comments Made During Game 5

On Iwamura's drop in the 6th: "That went right between his glove and his chest. If he were a woman, he'd have had that!" 

If I have any more brain-keyboard filter failures, I'll edit them in. 

Stupid Radio Guys, Vegas, and the Seventies

Driving into work this morning, I had Mike & Mike in the morning on. Naturally, given what's going on, they are chatting and complaining about the this suspended game situation. Mostly, the fact that Vegas still thinks it's the 1970's and paid out bets that the Phillies would win game 5.

Now, Mike (not Gorrick or whatever) was insistent, insistent I say, that this would not be the case in the regular season. And I say he's dead wrong!

Now, everyone take out your text books (or Acrobat reader as the case may be). In section 2, just to start out with, we can find the definition of a called game - one that is terminated for any reason. I am paraphrasing here, I'm sure anyone reading this can look up the rest themselves.

Now, the meat. Section 4.10-4.12. How is an official game decided?

4.10(c) defines an official game. Nothing you probably don't know here if you're still reading :)

4.11 defines the final score of a game as the score when the game ends. Section (d), since at least 1980, not that a called game terminates at the very moment the umpires stopped play...unless it's suspended. That's where Selig came in during the press conference and brought up 4.12(a)6, tied games are suspended games.

Baseball's web site has a nice little FAQ up to clarify things a little more right now. Apparently, the rule for rolling back the score to the last full inning was eliminated in 1980. WHY IS VEGAS TAKING BETS BASED ON 1980 RULES? Ah well. The "tie games are suspended" part came about in 2007.

Ah well...what can you expect from ESPN anyway? Ratings and controversy I guess.

Carry on.

NBA Jam Is Haunted

And other fun facts about the game

(My head keeps saying AWWW HIT THE STEAL BOOMCHAKALAKALAKA)

Everyone Loves Domes

Howard Bryant, on ESPN.com, suggests a way to have this weather situation NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN: Put a roof on every stadium. 

"Not stretching the World Series into November next year" has not yet been suggested. Maybe it'll take a Fenway Park snow-out for that one. 

Link to article

Of Pressing Concern

If the Rayvolution continues, a World Series Game 7 would take place on Halloween. Sorry Philly kids, no trick or treating this year. Go run with Rocky or something.