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Aanamnesis of Aardsma

Edgy MD Jan 23 2014 09:56 AM

David Aardsma, first man in baseball history alphabetically — if not chronologically and sadly, not qualitatively — is now an Indian (a minor-tribe Indian, anyhow). Pause now and recall him as he was.

themetfairy Jan 23 2014 10:01 AM Re: Aanamnesis of Aardsma

Reasonably reliable. [fimg=600:rwftze4u]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7416/9369132786_52692db728_b.jpg[/fimg:rwftze4u] And bald. [fimg=600:rwftze4u]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7407/9369133204_7ddb07f085_b.jpg[/fimg:rwftze4u]

Edgy MD Jan 23 2014 10:10 AM Re: Aanamnesis of Aardsma

I liked him. I like guys who are just passing through, bounce between the bigs and AAA, have passed through a waiver or two, but don't give a shit about decorum, and speak and carry themselves and demand respect like big leaguers, even if the back of their baseball card says, "Well, sometimes."

Edgy MD Jan 23 2014 10:20 AM Re: Aanamnesis of Aardsma

Also, has any Met ever had a shorter run as closer. Fired after one day!

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jan 23 2014 10:33 AM Re: Aanamnesis of Aardsma

I guess he was a'ight. The thing about these surface big/minor league relievers is to keep cycling them through, not sign them to three-year deals like Steve Phillips used to.

Edgy MD Jan 23 2014 10:43 AM Re: Aanamnesis of Aardsma

Certainly don't want to be married to your bullpen extras. Know what would be a classy gesture? For him to legally change his name to "Ardsma" before he retires, and so restore alphabetic supremacy to Hank Aaron.

smg58 Jan 23 2014 10:54 AM Re: Aanamnesis of Aardsma

Did well for somebody coming off an extended injury-related holiday. He struck me as the kind of guy who'd do better his second year back, but I guess that's for the Indians to find out.

Ashie62 Jan 23 2014 11:12 AM Re: Aanamnesis of Aardsma

He was pretty good before the injury hopefully he can get it back...

G-Fafif Jan 23 2014 11:18 AM Re: Aanamnesis of Aardsma

When he entered the third-longest home loss in Mets history on June 8 (pitching a perfect twelfth), David Aardsma forced his way into The Happiest Recap entry No. 278, Opening Day 1989: “Move over, Tommie Agee” might be a strange sentiment to attribute to a veteran relief pitcher who probably never said any such thing, but when Don Aase entered the first game of the 1989 season, he took on a distinction hard for any Mets historian to miss. Between circumstance of birth and the club’s desire to shore up its bullpen, Aase and his last name of A-A-S-E moved to the head of the Metropolitan class whenever and wherever New York Mets were arranged by alphabetical order. Righthanded journeyman Aase supplanted World Series hero Agee in that regard the moment he was summoned in the bottom of the eighth on Opening Day to bail out a tiring Dwight Gooden. Sure enough, Aase gave an A-Number-One effort in his Met debut, as he stranded both of Gooden’s baserunners and pitched the final two frames of the Mets’ 8-4 win over the Cardinals. Aase earned not just alphabetical glory along with a save but also won a bit of instant allegiance as a portion of the Shea weather-reduced crowd of 38,539 chanted “Ah-SEE!” in support. “I think the key guy today was Don Aase,” Howard Johnson said afterwards, despite being the man who gave the Mets a homer, three hits and three RBIs. “He gave us a big lift.” St. Louis skipper and erstwhile HoJo nemesis White Herzog agreed: “The rich get richer,” the White Rat sneered at Davey Johnson’s newest toy. If 34-year-old Don Aase making an unexpected impression after making the Mets as a non-roster invitee didn’t exactly measure up to Tommie Agee’s sensational catches from October of 1969, the emergence of the new first entry on the Mets all-time roster represented some kind of Met history. So did the game Aase saved: it was their fifth consecutive Opening Day victory and 18th of 20 since 1970, Amazin’ stuff for a franchise that lost its first seven Openers. [...] Don Aase was a small, provisional part of the next step forward. That the transient reliever would be listed first in the club media guide for decades to come was ultimately trivial (and a distinction, alas, that went by the boards with the 2013 Met debut of another well-traveled righty reliever, David Aardsma). It was the Mets’ determination to be listed first year after year in the National League East Standings that was paramount.

Lefty Specialist Jan 23 2014 01:15 PM Re: Aanamnesis of Aardsma

He was aallright. But guys like him aare aa dime aa dozen.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jan 23 2014 05:21 PM Re: Aanamnesis of Aardsma

As Mr. Lukas might point out, the sock-wearing force was strong with this one.