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Patchy's All-Inclusive Guest Thread

PatchyFogg Jun 09 2005 04:31 PM

Tonight on my totally commercial-free, no one makes a dime from it, Sports Talk Radio Show (Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9PM to 11PM, Long Island's 90.3FM): Bruce Markusen at 9:05PM. He is the author of the new book Tales From The Mets Dugout. Has anyone here read it yet? Here's a little more info on the book and author: One of the most colorful franchises in Major League Baseball is that of the New York Mets. From their years as "lovable losers" under Casey Stengel to the "Miracle Mets" of 1969 to the World Series champs of 1986, the Mets have been on a wild roller-coaster ride of success and failure. In nearly every one of their 43 seasons of National League existence, they have captured the interest of their loyal fandom. Author Bruce Markusen tells tales about these fascinating teams as well as stories about such Mets personalities as Gil Hodges, Bud Harrelson, Tom Seaver, Tug McGraw, Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter, Mike Piazza and a plethora of others. About the Author Bruce Markusen has worked at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum since 1995. In September of 2000, he became the Hall of Fame’s Manager of Program Presentations, after having worked as a Senior Researcher in the Hall's Library. Tales from the Mets Dugout is Markusen’s fifth book. He also authored Roberto Clemente: The Great One for Sports Publishing. Bruce and his wife, Sue, reside in Cooperstown, NY. Here are his upcoming Book Signings: Wednesday, June 15 7:30-9:00pm Barnes & Noble Booksellers 2380 Bell Blvd Flushing, NY 11360 718-224-1083 Thursday, June 30 6:30pm Mid-Manhattan Library 455 5th Ave. New York, NY 10016 Friday, July 8 1:30pm National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum 25 Main St Cooperstown, NY 13326 607-547-0329

MFS62 Jun 09 2005 04:35 PM

As I posted on the old board, not only did I read it but I'm in it. I'm thanked in the acknowledgements and mentioned again on page 175. Too bad I can't get your station up in Connecticut. LAter

PatchyFogg Jun 09 2005 04:38 PM

That's great. I will mention you in the interview, and send you a CD. Just PM me your name, or I suppose that I can look for it on page 175.

MFS62 Jun 09 2005 04:49 PM

Thanks, check your PMs. Ron

Johnny Dickshot Jun 09 2005 11:04 PM

Reading it now. Some interesting stuff: Light & tight.

PatchyFogg Jun 23 2005 03:59 PM

Newsday's Baseball Columnist Ken Davidoff at 9:15 and The Journal-News' Mets Beat Writer Peter Abraham at 10:15. I'll be sure to ask Mr. Abraham about the "Kaz being OK with a trade" story that he wrote the other day. MFS62: I will be sending out the Bruce M. interview to you this weekend.

Johnny Dickshot Jun 23 2005 04:48 PM

Hey PF -- What I'd like to understand is what the real dynamics are regarding communication beytween Kazoo and team management and the press. This "trade" story is just the latest in a long series of misunderstandings as relates to Matsui. Glasses, positioning, injuries, batting order.... nothing seems to translate. WHY

MFS62 Jun 23 2005 04:54 PM

Didn't he have two translators last year? Now he only has one (MLB rule?) Maybe that's the reason? Later

Rotblatt Jun 23 2005 04:54 PM

Good question, Wide! Can you ask that twice, Fogg?

PatchyFogg Jun 24 2005 01:57 AM

I didn't see that question until the interview was over. Mr. Abraham said that Kaz's English is actually pretty good, but he prefers to use the translator lest there be some misunderstanding.

PatchyFogg Jul 05 2005 12:51 PM

Tonight from 9PM to 10PM, ESPN's Buster Olney.

PatchyFogg Jul 13 2005 01:26 PM

The 2 hour Adam Rubin show is finally on the net. Hopefully, it will inspire you to call in the next time that he is on. Thanks. Part 1 www.nysportsday.com/rubin/1.mp3 Part 2 www.nysportsday.com/rubin/2.mp3 Before I let the rest of the Mets-speaking world know about this, please let me know if you have any problems getting them to work. Thanks.

MFS62 Jul 13 2005 01:31 PM

PatchyFogg wrote: MFS62: I will be sending out the Bruce M. interview to you this weekend. Haven't received it yet. Later

PatchyFogg Jul 13 2005 02:47 PM

MFS: I'll send it out tomorrow. No more delegating for me, I'll send it out myself.

PatchyFogg Jul 14 2005 04:13 PM

Tonight's 9PM Guest: ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick, author of the bestseller [u:c28dbfb88a]License To Deal: A Season On The Run With A Maverick Baseball Agent[/u:c28dbfb88a]. That's the book on Dontrelle's agent. Has anyone read it yet? Then at 10:15, hockey talk with Alan Hahn.

TheOldMole Jul 14 2005 06:35 PM

And now there's actually hockey to talk about.

Johnny Dickshot Jul 14 2005 07:29 PM

That's the book on Dontrelle's agent. Has anyone read it yet? Yeah. It was interesting as a look inside the world of agents, but I barely bought the book's premise: That is, that this Sosnick guy is any different than all the other hanger-on scuzzbags who make up that profession. Sosnick, the agent who Crasnick tails, collects prospects as clients at the draft (Jeff Duncan was one) does nothing for them that any other agent could do, then whines and cries as the Borases and Moorads and SFXes steal them away when they become big-leaguers. The thing that bothered me about this book is that Crasnick gives us almost nothing to support the idea that this guy ought to be some kind of hero. I mean, he tells us a hundred times how honest he is, but doesn't bother investigating when other agents suggest he pays scouts to get clients in the first place. There's no explanation of how he bankrolls his business (he's evidently a reformed gambler) and no evidence that he's anything more than a good buddy to Dontrelle. I had almost no sympathy when his guys leave because what his clients say when they go is accurate: Sosnick's not a player, he doesn't have experience negotiating, he's too cozy with the teams, and now that there's something on the line, it's a good idea to go. It will be very interesting to see Willis approaching a real payday with this guy still in tow. I found the chapter on Scott Boras, the Beverly Hills Group and the other big agents interesting and fun; and the Sosnick stuff a big so-the-fuck-what (which is the opposite of the Amazon.com review); and Boras a far more principled crusader and interesting guy than Sosnick. Recommended for a rare look inside the world of agents but not too highly as a "story."

PatchyFogg Jul 15 2005 01:10 AM

When I asked if he would let his kids be agents, Mr. Crasnick said "I'd rather they be serial killers."

PatchyFogg Jul 18 2005 11:43 PM

I've discovered a way to upload our interviews to the web for your listening pleasure. I'll try to add new ones every night. For now, here are the Buster Olney and Bruce Markusen interviews. Both of them were solo efforts on my part, as my co-hosts were off both nights. http://hosted.filefront.com/patchyfogg P.S. MFS62, your CD was put in the mail over the weekend.

PatchyFogg Jul 21 2005 04:53 PM

Tonight, we have Adam Rubin. And, I'll have the interview up soon thereafter. http://hosted.filefront.com/patchyfogg

PatchyFogg Jul 22 2005 01:02 PM

I think you're gonna like this one.... Last night’s phone guest was supposed to be Daily News Mets beat writer Adam Rubin. Well, he surprised us by showing up at the studio and doing a 2-hour All Mets show with us. As I expected him to be a phone guest, I didn’t promote our call-in number beforehand. Had I done so, you could have called in and asked your questions of him—though as it was, we had several callers. But, here’s the best part: This week, I discovered a way to upload our interviews to the web (we’re not webcast yet). So, here is the interview for your listening pleasure. http://hosted.filefront.com/patchyfogg Part 1 is 63 minutes. Part 2 is 57 minutes. Where else are you going to hear 120 commercial-free minutes of Mets talk on the radio? I hope you enjoy! Please take a listen of some of the other recent interviews that I’ve posted this week. Thanks.

PatchyFogg Jul 23 2005 04:24 PM

Did anyone listen to the Rubin show? I've added some more interviews, too.

PatchyFogg Jul 25 2005 07:34 PM

We've gotten 115 downloads of the Rubin interview, so if you've listened or told a friend, thanks.

MFS62 Jul 26 2005 12:11 PM

Patchy, Picked up my vacation mail yesterday and saw the CD. Haven't had a chence to even open it yet, Thanks in advance. Later edit; typos

PatchyFogg Aug 04 2005 09:50 AM Bissinger and Wadler

Tonight's Live Guests: In the first hour, at 9:15, Buzz Bissinger--Pulitzer Prize-winning author of [u:bdd868c7f0]Friday Night Lights[/u:bdd868c7f0] and the new[u:bdd868c7f0] 3 Nights in August[/u:bdd868c7f0] (Tony LaRussa book) In the second hour, steroids expert Dr. Gary Wadler of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency I'll post the interviews soon. Thanks.

PatchyFogg Aug 16 2005 04:23 PM

Tonight's Guests: Bob Nightengale, National Baseball Columnist for USA Today's Sports Weekly Howard Bryant from The Boston Herald and author of brand new Juicing The Game: Drugs, Power and the Fight for the Soul of Major League Baseball. Thursday's Guest: Ken Davidoff, Newsday's baseball columnist

seawolf17 Aug 16 2005 04:25 PM

Ah. Thanks for reminding me to call Baseball Weekly, as they've been really slow with their most recent issues, and I'm starting to get irritated.

PatchyFogg Aug 16 2005 04:31 PM

For what it's worth, all the newstands in Penn Station get Sports Weekly (nee Baseball Weekly, which is what I still call it) on Tuesday afternoons, rather than the usual Wednesday.

PatchyFogg Aug 29 2005 12:39 PM

I just added some more: http://hosted.filefront.com/patchyfogg Bob Nightengale from Sports Weekly (Baseball) Ken Davidoff from Newsday (Baseball) Buzz Bissinger, author of Friday Night Lights and the new Three Nights in August with Tony LaRussa. He also criticizes Money Ball during the interview. Pat Forde, ESPN's college sports columnist discussing Bob Huggins, the NCAA ban on Native American mascots and Charlie Weis at Notre Dame. Wayne Coffey, on his book Boys of Winter about the 1980 Miracle on Ice team. Towards the end of the interview, we also talk about his anniversary article (in the Daily News) on the death of Thurman Munson. I believe that this is the best interview that we have ever done.

PatchyFogg Aug 31 2005 10:58 PM

We had Newsday's Sports Business/Media Columnist Steve Zipay on last night to discuss whether there will be an OLN Blackout on Cablevision. That naturally led to a discussion of the upcoming Mets Network. If you get a chance, please listen to it at http://hosted.filefront.com/patchyfogg Some points discussed by Mr. Zipay: --They've hired 3 executives (1 of whom is Curt Gowdy Jr.), but the bulk of the production staff will be freelancers. --They've got Time Warner and Comcast on board, and are selling ads. But, 3 million Cablevision subscribers might not get it so the salesmen in a holding pattern. --YES had a basketball team to use for leverage. As presently constituted, the Mets could only offer summer programming and would have to buy programming to fill it. --Cablevision is spinning off its stock, and may not want to risk losing another 50,000 subscribers to satellite. --Dave O'Brien and Keith Hernandez should be there.

PatchyFogg Oct 09 2005 02:15 AM

We had Newsday’s Neil Best on with us on Thursday night. He is now writing their “Sports Watch” column focusing on sports media, sports business and being an advocate for sports fans. For the last 10 years, he was Newsday’s Giants beat writer. We had a nice discussion on the new Mets Network. Mr. Best kicked off his initial Sports Watch column by getting dueling quotes from Jeremy Shockey and Mike Francesa last week (in one of them, Shockey said that “Francesa will die of a heart attack soon.”). Mr. Best also broke the DirecTV not showing local hockey games on Tuesday’s Opening Night. This came after listeners called into Newsday’s offices that night. The interview is divided into 2 parts (because it was on 2 different minidisks). Part I is 19+ minutes, and Part II is 17+ minutes. You can find the interview here: http://hosted.filefront.com/patchyfogg Here’s what is covered: Part I --Shockey and Francesa --Why not all CBS and Fox NFL games are not yet shown in HD --The DirecTV Opening Night fiasco --Why some NY newspapers (News and Times) are not initially covering road hockey games --OLN’s coverage of the NHL --The New Mets Network--The announced Jets/Giants Stadium --The Jets’ future at Hofstra --Neil’s farewell to being a beat writer --Dave Brown (some funny lines there) Part II --A discussion of all things Eli Manning --Baseball Playoff Ratings, and the teams involved --Covering football vs. baseball --Plaxico Burress --The relationship between Strahan and Coughlin --A discussion of all things Tom Coughlin --Being there for Jim Fassel’s famous “on the table” speech --Sid Rosenberg’s status --A discussion of whether or not the Meadowlands is too far from Long Island --Why the Jets could never have gone to Queens --The relationship between Mara and Tisch

PatchyFogg Nov 25 2005 01:10 AM Buster Olney on the Mets

Just as we did in July, we had Buster Olney on with us again on my 100% commercial-free, no one makes a dime from it, Long Island Sports Talk radio show last week. Close to 50% of it (you do have to tread through some Yankee talk at the beginning) is Mets-related. It's 18 commercial-free minutes long. I hope you enjoy! Olney thinks that Omar "panicked" in the Nady deal--calling it "stupid," among other things. It was recorded before the Delgado deal, but he alludes to it, as well. He does think that they will wind up with the best Winter of any team, though. http://hosted.filefront.com/patchyfogg As always, thanks. P.S. Daily News Mets beat writer Adam Rubin will be in-studio with us in a week or two taking your calls. I'll let you know either way.

PatchyFogg Dec 22 2005 09:06 AM Adam Rubin In-Studio Tonight

As a little holiday gift to my fellow Mets fans, we’re having New York Daily News Mets beat writer Adam Rubin live in-studio tonight for our entire show taking your calls and discussing all things Mets. As you know, my radio show is 100% commercial-free and no one makes a dime from it. While we’re not yet webcast, I do post the interviews as soon as humanly possible at http://hosted.filefront.com/patchyfogg The show runs from 9PM to 11PM Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9PM to 11PM on Nassau County’s public radio station 90.3FM. Adam will be on for the entire show tonight. Given that a lot of you have started to download our past interviews (much appreciated, by the way), I hope that you’ll all call in. Adam is the writer who Anna Benson threw under the bus last week in denying her recent inflammatory quotes, so that will make for good conversation. Plus, he’s got a book on the 2005 Mets coming out in the Spring. The call-in # from 9PM to 11PM is 516-572-7440. If you should get a busy signal, just call back (there’s only 1 line in). As always, thanks. And, I hope to hear from you tonight. P.S. If you call in, feel free to mention CPF.

PatchyFogg Dec 23 2005 02:25 AM

Part 1 is now up. It's 74 minutes long. Great for your long holiday trips! http://hosted.filefront.com/patchyfogg

Frayed Knot Dec 23 2005 08:56 AM

Boiling down Rubin's take: * Team is holding the line on payroll for now - mainly as a result of the big deals to Wagner/Delgado, etc. - something that'll affect the pen more than anything. The fear of getting stuck with a steep tab is essentially the reason for no arbi-offers to Looper & Hernandez and also for staying away from multi-year or high-priced offers to the likes of Tavarez/Dotel. The back end of the pen will likely be filled with vet scrap-heap pickups or camp invitees. Royce Ring is rapidly falling off the team's radar ... may not even get a ML camp invite in ST. * Nady seems to be the team choice to get the majority of the time in RF, he's much higher on their priority list right now than Diaz * Yates & Lydon - the recently released minor leaguers - almost certain to look for work in a new org. * Matsui will be the starter at 2nd (assuming he's still here on opening day) but be on a shorter leash with Woodward & Valentin in the wings * Pedro's toe issue could be being played up a bit in order to be used as an excuse to get out of the WBC. An injury reason for not pitching for your home boys would be a face saving mechanism over saying you don't want to or that your daddy (team) won't let you. Remember, the recent comments about it still hurting were said during a dinner [u:1d9affed2e]in the DR[/u:1d9affed2e]. * Manny almost certainly not in the cards for all the usual reasons: money, lack of match up w/Boston, etc. It's too big a ri$k to add to the ones we already have for '07-'08. see also [url=http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/story/377165p-320419c.html]today's article[/url] * Touched a bit on the future Reyes arbitration issue. Doesn't think Omar & co will be automatically as arbi-adverse as previous admins neccesarily. May deal with Reyes one year at a time when that time comes depending on how things go, yyybbb.

Bret Sabermetric Dec 23 2005 09:34 AM

Frayed Knot wrote: May deal with Reyes one year at a time when that time comes depending on how things go, yyybbb. B-b-b-but I thought you said--oh, never mind.

PatchyFogg Dec 23 2005 10:35 AM

And, Part 2 (45 commercial-free minutes) is now up. Happy Holidays, I hope you enjoy. Please let me know what you thought. Thanks.

Johnny Dickshot Dec 23 2005 10:37 AM

While a pile of blank checks might be preferable, in a way we're sorta lucky that Omar spent himself into a position where he'll have to work harder and more creatively to find solutions in the bullpen. This is where "Whatever The F Happened To" Ben Baumer earns his paltry paychexx. Go Ben, Go!

Yancy Street Gang Dec 23 2005 10:37 AM

Bret Sabermetric wrote: B-b-b-but I thought you said--oh, never mind. I don't understand this comment.

Bret Sabermetric Dec 23 2005 10:53 AM

Frayed Knot has been patronizingly assuring me that the Mets will do almost anything rather than take a player to arbitration, and I'm overracting outrageously by suggesting that's a likely outcome with Reyes. Now that Omar's making noises suggesting otherwise, I'm sure Frayed Knot has no memory of implying any such thing. Pay attention, Yancy.

Yancy Street Gang Dec 23 2005 10:57 AM

All we've seen is that Adam Rubin and Frayed disagree.

PatchyFogg Dec 23 2005 11:14 AM

These are my interpretations, not Adam's quotes at all: On the arbitration front, Adam said that the Mets would like to avoid arbitration as is their wont. He added though, that as we've seen with Omar, he might be doing things differently than has been done in the past. Adam said that the current 3 guys will probably avoid arbitration as their market value is fairly easy to peg. He also added that only about 4 different agents represent the bulk of the Mets roster, so they're constantly talking anyway.

Johnny Dickshot Dec 23 2005 11:14 AM

The argument doesn't appear to be with Rubin, who acknowledges FK's statement the Mets have been averse to arbitration in the past. Not ffor nothing, but they also have yet to go there since Omar took over.

Bret Sabermetric Dec 23 2005 12:17 PM

I agree with FK's bold assertion about the Mets avoiding arbitration in the past. Also that water is wet. I agree there too. And that up is higher than down. Now, whether the Mets' policy has, in the main, helped them or hurt them, there is where we have room for disagreement, and where FK and others don't like to commit themselves. For my money, there's very little difference, monetarily, between an arbitrated one-year contract and a negotiated one. Both sides come up with a figure that they believe represents the player's true market value, and usually each side gives in and they reach an agreement, rather than risk the other side's fugure being chosen. If one or both are being unrealistic, they arbitrate. The real distinction is between those two routes and a LT term contract. I think what FK's arguing is that there are three separate and distinct routes, of which I'm overlooking the Mets' preferred choice.

Frayed Knot Dec 23 2005 01:04 PM

"All we've seen is that Adam Rubin and Frayed disagree" I don't see where I'm disagreeing with him at all. I've never said that an arbitration buy-out deal is the only route to take so to avoid the arbitration process, only that it's an option that has several advantages as long as it involves a player where there's confindence in steady growth. I have no problem if they decide to take things a year at a time and Rubin thinks they might go that route and simply added that he doesn't think the current administration would eliminate taking things to arbitration as an option.

Frayed Knot Dec 23 2005 01:45 PM

"Adam said that the current 3 guys will probably avoid arbitration as their market value is fairly easy to peg. " Those current 3 eligibles being Castro, Zambrano & Woodward. There's not really going to be a whole lot of salary range for those 3 nor any reasons to offer anything more than 1 year, meaning that the '06 numbers will probably be some easily reached agreed upon figure. "Now, whether the Mets' policy has, in the main, helped them or hurt them, there is where we have room for disagreement, and where FK and others don't like to commit themselves." Meaning what ... that I'm required to commit myself *Right Now* to being squarely behind one strategy to the exclusion of all others even though it's a year before any such decision needs to be made and having no idea what next year will look like and what numbers the other side will or won't accept or I'm doomed to be labeled forever as some sort of waffling milquetoast? OK Fine, I'm guilty!

Bret Sabermetric Dec 24 2005 07:59 AM

="Frayed Knot"]"Now, whether the Mets' policy has, in the main, helped them or hurt them, there is where we have room for disagreement, and where FK and others don't like to commit themselves." Meaning what ... that I'm required to commit myself *Right Now* to being squarely behind one strategy to the exclusion of all others even though it's a year before any such decision needs to be made and having no idea what next year will look like and what numbers the other side will or won't accept or I'm doomed to be labeled forever as some sort of waffling milquetoast? OK Fine, I'm guilty! Not what you're being charged with. I was expressing mild irritation with your all-purpose response "I don't know that for sure, you don't know that for sure, and we'll never know what's going on." That's kind of a given, in baseball and in life, and while no one ever has the kind of certainty you enjoy shooting down, people express their beliefs on message boards, and the reasons for those beliefs, without necessarily needing to satisfy your never-ending quest for categorical certainty. In the Reyes thread, for example I'm asking a fairly straightforward question: If Reyes has the kind of year JD is speculating is likely, do we want to offer him a one-year deal or do we want to make him some kind of LT contract? Among your contributions to this thread is the somewhat redundant point that not all one-year deals are arbitrated (yes, yes, but all arbitrated deals are one-year deals and fairly insignificant in terms of money differences). One point you make is that the Mets have a policy of avoiding arbitration (again, no big deal, except in cases where they've offered LT contracts as a negotiating tool, which I'm not sure they've done so much and which is not so wise, IMO). Another point you make is that all LT contracts don't necessarily equal superstar money, which is technically true, but most of them do, and all of them represent a gamble on the club's part that the player will be productive for the long term, which is far from true. I'm looking to gather opinions, well before the crisis is here, to try to evaluate coolly how we feel about offering a player (without a whole lot of evidence that he's a big star) the kind of contract that a big star warrants, based on not much more than hopes and dreams. I'm somewhat irritably pointing out that you keep quibbling, in ways that I'll try to answer point-by-point, but which I think most of us already understand, on issues apart from my question: how to avoid a very similar problem that the Mets got into with Rey Ordonez (and do we WANT to avoid that fix)? My underlying theme is that we may not want to avoid that problem, because it's so comforting to tell ourselves that our young talented shortstop is a future star, and you keep answering in effect, "We don't KNOW if Reyes is going to be a star or not," which is kinda my point, and kinda deflective. You don't want to answer definitively until more evidence is in, but since I'm supplying (or Dickshot is) an example of what the evidence may well prove to be, and asking for your position on what the Mets should do given that evidence, why is it so hard to answer whether a LT contract is better than a series of one-year deals? Could it be that you're uncomfortable stating flatly what you think the Mets should do? I think you enjoy being able to state, whatever the outcome, that you understood the situation all along, when in reality you're as clueless as, or more clueless than, most of us are most of the time, and I hope you don't mind too much that I point out that rhetorical tendancy of yours from time to time.

Frayed Knot Dec 24 2005 08:24 AM

]I'm looking to gather opinions, well before the crisis is here, to try to evaluate coolly how we feel about offering a player (without a whole lot of evidence that he's a big star) the kind of contract that a big star warrants, based on not much more than hopes and dreams. I'm somewhat irritably pointing out that you keep quibbling Not quibbling at all. In fact I've been about as specific as the assumptions we've allowed for here can let us be about the size and type of deal I think would be worthwhile to both sides given a young player's desire for "security" and the club's want of "cost certainty" for budget planning purposes plus this team's historical reluctance towards arbitration. Not that I'm saying they HAVE TO go that route, only that I think it's one both sides would be agreeable to either after this coming year or maybe after the next. And - contrary to what you keep repeating - there IS a middle ground between a 1-year deal and a deal commensurate with being "a big star". Now, if you want to insist that such a deal needs to extend into the FA/major bucks years then that's a much bigger risk and one I wouldn't want to take with this player at this time.

Bret Sabermetric Dec 24 2005 09:08 AM

Can we go back into the Reyes-arb thread and stop messing up Patchy's thread? Meet you there.

Frayed Knot Dec 27 2005 11:33 PM

Yo Patchy, I sent you a PM. Get back to me when you get a minute.

PatchyFogg Dec 28 2005 11:58 AM

Frayed: I have passed along the info to the Falcon that flies at Midnight.

seawolf17 Jan 25 2006 03:32 PM

Patchy- Just downloaded the Neil Best interview. Haven't listened to it (I'll pop it in the car on the way home), but here's a suggestion: rip it to mp3 at a lower bitrate. 160 is fine, and I'm sure the sound is excellent; but considering it's talk radio, you could definitely go down to 128 (CD quality), or probably even lower (96 kbps), save a ton of file space, and not lose any quality. Just a thought.

seawolf17 Jan 26 2006 09:02 AM

Gave it a listen... two quick thoughts: one, Neil Best is a little dry. His insight was okay, but he was a mite boring. Two, you sound eerily like me. I jumped when I heard your voice; it sounded like I was listening to one of my old news broadcasts.

PatchyFogg Jan 26 2006 09:24 AM

Yes, he was very dry though his columns do bear out his wonderful sense of humor. And, one thing that he does--unlike any other guest that we've ever had--is make a point, stop and wait for a question. So, I had to have a segue/transition ready waaay before I was ready. Plus, my co-host literally said 2 words during the interview. And those 2 words were "Thank God" when he learned that Fran Healy would not be on SNY. Dr.Z from Sports Illustrated was even more subdued--surprising given his columns, as well. Thanks for listening, and for the MP3 conversion tips.

PatchyFogg Feb 07 2006 11:30 AM Adam Rubin In-Studio Tonight

Tonight before he leaves for Spring Training, we've got Adam Rubin live and in-studio again from 9PM to 11PM on Nassau County's 90.3FM. Call-in # is 516-572-7440. For what it’s worth, Adam should be a popular figure on TV and radio next month, as his book [u:41e79e3006]Pedro, Carlos, and Omar: The Story of a Season in the Big Apple and the Pursuit of Baseball's Top Latino Stars[/u:41e79e3006] comes out on March 1st. I will post the audio to http://hosted.filefront.com/patchyfogg immediately after the show. If you're phone shy, feel free to post topics that you would like to be discussed. As always, thanks. As always, thanks.

Johnny Dickshot Feb 07 2006 11:40 AM

What have they done to Ben Baumer? Can we prove he still exists? With the introduction of still more special assistants to Omar, what becomes of the Livesey/Goldis alleged Axis of Evil? Was that ever really an Axis of Evil? Diaz or Nady and why? Inside track to LOOGY: Who gots it?

Edgy DC Feb 07 2006 12:48 PM Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Feb 07 2006 01:07 PM

How good are Jeff and Fred Wilopon with their Spanish? When it comes time to fly out to the Dominican and Puerto Rico and Venezuela to talk heart-to-heart with these guys, have the Wilpons really been assets? And, in a similar vein, is there anything to that "Tony Bernazard spoke Street Spanish to me" or is that just smoke? Has Bernazard rubbed anyone else the wrong way?

Yancy Street Gang Feb 07 2006 01:05 PM

I'm curious about the "street Spanish" too. It rings true to me somehow, but I'd be interested in seeing if it could be confirmed to be true or false.

PatchyFogg Feb 08 2006 09:36 AM

As soon as the site where I upload the files comes back from "routine maintenance," I'll post the link. But some answers to your questions, in no particular order: Mr. Baumer is still there, but they have a lot of statistical guys. Adam did see Ben at the Winter Meetings, fwiw. The idea of Street Spanish was overblown. Bernazard was the first Met exec to call him after the trade. He doesn't think that the Wilpons are that versed in Spanish. Livesey and Goldis are still there for another year, but several other execs have been bumped up. Nady is the expected RF, because 1) he was traded for Cameron; 2) his defense is better than that of Diaz; 3) there is a thought on the part of Omar and others that he never got a real chance in SD; and, 4) the Mets would trade Diaz in a heartbeat if they got anything resembling value back. The lefty will be some subset of Venafro/Perisho/Feliciano, etc.

PatchyFogg Feb 10 2006 05:58 PM A "Blizzard" of Mets Talk

The latest Adam Rubin interview is now up. Part 1 is 63 commercial-free minutes, and Part 2 is 58 commercial-free minutes. 2 hours of nothing but Mets talk that should get you ready for Pitchers and Catchers. Happy listening! http://hosted.filefront.com/patchyfogg

PatchyFogg Feb 12 2006 09:49 PM

We just broke the 200 downloads barrier--our most for a Mets interview. So, thanks again. You'll notice that a lot of this interview wound up playing a role in Adam's 5 Questions article today.

Zvon Feb 12 2006 10:27 PM

Bret Sabermetric wrote: [........based on not much more than hopes and dreams.] When it comes to baseball, Bret, thats really all I got. Hopes and dreams. And thats really all I need.

PatchyFogg Feb 14 2006 11:30 AM

Just an FYI-- If any of you are in the Long Island listening area, we're replaying the whole show over the air tonight (90.3FM, 9PM to 11PM). We even got a mention in David Hinckley's Daily News radio column today. Thanks again.

Frayed Knot Feb 14 2006 03:51 PM

You're running a taped show tonight?!?!?! Now where am I going to call when I want to discuss luge?

PatchyFogg Feb 15 2006 01:00 PM

Frayed Knot wrote: You're running a taped show tonight?!?!?! Now where am I going to call when I want to discuss luge? I'm boycotting the luge, it's become a skeleton of its former self.