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Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

Edgy MD Jan 06 2017 01:42 PM

Doug Mientkiewicz, a pretty damn solid analog for Rico Brogna if I do say so myself, has been named manager of the FSL Fort Myers Miracle. He's a Miracle Met!

Edgy MD Jan 18 2017 12:52 AM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

And if you're in Biloxi, say hi to Barry Lyons. Barry, seen earlier in the forerunners to this thread as a minor league manager, minor league broadcaster, and a Hurricane Katrina survivor, has been named team ambassador for the Biloxi Shuckers.

Ashie62 Jan 18 2017 12:58 AM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

Jeremy Hefner retires at 31. [url]http://www.rotoworld.com/player/mlb/5801/jeremy-hefner

Ashie62 Jan 21 2017 12:06 AM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

Ashie62 wrote: Jeremy Hefner retires at 31. [url]http://www.rotoworld.com/player/mlb/5801/jeremy-hefner I put this up a few days ago. Kinda goes with the Hef quiz.

Edgy MD Jan 21 2017 05:52 AM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

The new manager for Miami-affiliated Batavia Muckdogs is Mike F. Jacobs. We're going to get a little Jakemonster in the New York-Penn League this summer. That's a man who was ALWAYS thinking upper deck.

Benjamin Grimm Jan 21 2017 11:15 AM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

Please explain your nickname methodology.

G-Fafif Jan 21 2017 04:01 PM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

Meet Todd Pratt, Grasshoppers. Todd Pratt, a former catcher who played 14 big-league seasons, will be the new manager of the Greensboro Grasshoppers this season. It is Pratt's first season in the Miami Marlins organization, and he starts in the Class A South Atlantic League, where he played as a 19-year-old with the 1986 Greensboro Hornets. A career backup in the big leagues, Pratt batted .251 in 662 games with the Phillies, Mets, Braves and Cubs from 1992 through 2006. He played in the 1993 and 2000 World Series.

MFS62 Jan 26 2017 11:03 PM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

Randy Jones - ailing. https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/aa05ad74-d ... inner.html Later

SteveJRogers Feb 07 2017 02:39 PM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

A's rename their field for Rickey Henderson: [url]http://www.csnbayarea.com/athletics/name-oakland-coliseum-playing-surface-rickey-henderson-field When I first saw the headline, my assumption was some Bay Area park diamond had been purchased by the organization!

Edgy MD Feb 07 2017 02:44 PM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

“Rickey Henderson is the greatest Athletic of all time. It is fitting we honor and recognize his impact on our franchise by naming our playing field after him,” said Oakland A’s President Dave Kaval. Well, if you credit him for his non-Athletic athletic feats, then, sure, but measuring A's-only achievements, there's a strong case for Eddie Plank.

SteveJRogers Feb 07 2017 02:59 PM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

Edgy MD wrote: “Rickey Henderson is the greatest Athletic of all time. It is fitting we honor and recognize his impact on our franchise by naming our playing field after him,” said Oakland A’s President Dave Kaval. Well, if you credit him for his non-Athletic athletic feats, then, sure, but measuring A's-only achievements, there's a strong case for Eddie Plank. I was thinking along the likes of Grove and Foxx if you want to go back to Philly. But its a big shot across the bow of an Oaklander of a generation earlier who also referred to himself in the third person.

Edgy MD Feb 07 2017 03:18 PM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

Yeah, good point. Ricky gets a few points for being an Oaklander (albeit Chicago-born). Reggie and Joe Morgan, to a lesser degree, also. Although Plank scored a bit back in the old times for being a Gettysburgian.

SteveJRogers Feb 14 2017 10:30 PM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

Ron Gardenhire battling prostrate cancer.

Frayed Knot Mar 04 2017 08:42 PM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

[fimg=160:32bu76ye]http://static.nfl.com/static/content/static/img/combine/headshots/2558125.jpg[/fimg:32bu76ye] [fimg=135:32bu76ye]http://d3k2oh6evki4b7.cloudfront.net/req/201602120/images/headshots/7/7bc3f19c_davis.jpg[/fimg:32bu76ye] The article I read this in mentions him more as a possible backup QB for the Giants than for the Jets (mainly, I assume, because the Jets don't know who their starter is yet) but a possible 2nd or 3rd round pick in this year's NFL draft is Texas Tech QB [u:32bu76ye]Patrick (son of Pat) Mahomes[/u:32bu76ye], the 1999-2000 NYM hurler perhaps best know for his unique "ability" to vulture up wins as a reliever despite some pretty mediocre secondary stats. Patrick Sr. wound up 13-3 in 92 NYM appearances (5 starts) with a 4.74 ERA and 1.54 WHiP although, to be fair, his '99 season was a lot better than his 2000 campaign and he was a major contributor that year. I also remember him as a pretty good all-around athlete (9 for 33 as a NYM incl. 4 doubles -- .273/.293/.374) so that the kid is also should be no surprise, he was also drafted by the Tigers in the 37th round coming out of HS despite not playing as a senior. The other NYM connection is that Latroy Hawkins is the kid's godfather. The two pitchers came up through the Twins system and were ML teammates for two seasons.

DocTee Mar 10 2017 04:45 PM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

Jeremy Heffner now an advanced scout with the Minnesota Twins, per MLBTRADERUMORS.

Benjamin Grimm Apr 10 2017 05:17 PM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

You know, I barely remember Rico Brogna. Anyway, Lenny Dykstra thinks that Conforto should play ahead of Granderson, and he supports his argument with this compelling graph: It seems we've reached the point in our public discourse where a chart or graph doesn't have to actually have any meaning. The fact that you present a chart or a graph is considered sufficient evidence that you've done your homework and you know what you're talking about.

Frayed Knot Apr 10 2017 05:33 PM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

I assume those are player ages across the X-axis which would put Conforto squarely on the upside of the graph with Grandy on the downslope. It's less obvious what the Y-axis would be in this case or whether Lenny has any idea what a Y-axis is. It also leads to speculation about how Conforto's two months worth of 450-ish OPS last summer leading to his banishment to the minors would play into Dykstra's conclusion. I suspect it would be a case of simply ignoring "data" that doesn't fit the pre-determined conclusion which he reached following exhaustive research involving watching last night's HR then reaching for his Twitter phone.

Edgy MD Apr 10 2017 05:50 PM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

Lenny Dykstra's moral blindness is advanced to the point where he is unable to even perceive light. Somehow, in our search for leadership, the media finds more value in stories that begin with "We talked to this D-List trainwreck to find out what he thinks."

Rockin' Doc Apr 12 2017 02:45 AM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

Frayed Knot wrote: I assume those are player ages across the X-axis which would put Conforto squarely on the upside of the graph with Grandy on the downslope. It's less obvious what the Y-axis would be in this case or whether Lenny has any idea what a Y-axis is. I doubt Lenny can identify the 2 colors used to draw the lines on his graph (unless the crayons were labeled).

Fman99 Apr 12 2017 11:35 AM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

Brian Daubach, hitting coach for my local AAA Syracuse Chiefs squad (he's in his 2nd year in that post, I have learned).

Benjamin Grimm Apr 18 2017 03:14 PM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

Rico Brogna: 47 years old today.

G-Fafif Jun 06 2017 04:50 PM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

Nice Q&A here with Ray Knight, who is still the king of the extended A in these types of exchanges. MMO: In 1986 you had one of your best seasons of your career, and certainly your best with the Mets. What clicked for you in that special season, other than staying healthy? Ray: Well I never stopped being able to hit. I hit .295 and .305 the two years I played every day previous, and then 1984 I got hurt, I pulled a rib cage muscle and then a quad muscle. I had six cortisone shots that year and didn’t tell anybody I was hurt, even when I got to New York I was hurt. But I just kept playing and in ’85 I had my shoulder operated on and my elbow, so I just wasn’t healthy. I just wasn’t healthy; it’s a lot like Ryan Zimmerman this year in that he has struggled the last couple of years after being a really great player all those years before. You can’t play if you’re hurt, not up to your capabilities and they were seeing a player that wasn’t hitting on all cylinders. So that winter of ’85 I always started working out early and I usually wait until after Thanksgiving, and then the next day after Thanksgiving I would go nonstop from then to spring training. Running, lifting, plyometrics, swimming and all kinds of things to be strong. But I was 32 and approaching my 33rd birthday and I knew that I could still hit, my arm wasn’t what it was, and I continued to have this reoccurring problem with my right quad where I had torn it and never really got it repaired. But I got in such good shape that through lifting and dieting and everything when I went to spring training I was strong. Davey pulls me aside and says man, you look better than you’ve looked since the early ‘80s, and I said Davey I’m strong, I feel good. And he says are you ready to play every day? And I said I am. So we have HoJo there who had hit home runs but wasn’t hitting for average and was a little bit of a liability at third. So Davey told me you’re going to be platooning with HoJo and I said you know, I’m not a good player playing part time. If you want me to hit .300 I need to play every day. And he said well let’s just see how this plays out. The next thing I know about two weeks later there’s a big article in the St. Petersburg Times that says that the Mets were going to release me. I was shocked. I was making almost $700K, and to eat that kind of money I said, I’m pretty bad. (Laughs) I sit down with my wife at that time over dinner and she said Ray, I’ve never seen you fail at anything, you’re healthy, block all that out of your mind and just go play. And I said hey, that’s exactly what I intend to do. So we were having games and I kept hearing these rumors and then one day Marty Noble came up to me and said Ray, Davey’s in your corner. I’ll just be honest with you, there’s people that want to move you and give Mitchell that shot to platoon at third. But he said Davey’s in your corner. And then I talked to Davey and he said you’re not going anywhere, he said no; you’re not going anywhere. You’re a heart and soul of this team, I know what you mean to the team, you’re here. We were playing in Orlando that night, and I hit a home run. The next day I hit a home run, I was hitting about .350 in spring. Catching everything, fielding like I was 20-years-old and then the season opens. We’re in Pittsburgh and we get rained out and HoJo was scheduled to play against the right-hander. Fast-forward a couple of days later we faced a left-hander and I hit a home run. Fast forward we faced three more left-handers in the next four or five days and I hit home runs in every game and I had six home runs by the first ten days. We were playing the Pirates at home, and we were down by two runs. Strawberry walks with two-outs in the ninth and I turn around and I look and they brought in Cecilio Guante to face me and he threw about 95 mph. And I looked thinking Davey was going to pinch-hit for me, and he pointed and said you go ahead. You go ahead, I want you to hit. So I go up there and I don’t know that I ever felt more exhilarated, excited, pumped, and he threw me a 2-1 fastball and I hit a ball out of Shea Stadium, and from that day on Davey told me that I was the every day player. So, just a culmination of working hard and getting healthy, Davey having a lot of faith in me, and luck. I got really lucky that first ten-days that everything that I swung at I hit real far and I wasn’t a home run hitter. I was a power hitter but a doubles-type hitter, and here I go I hit six home runs in 10-12 games. They said this kid’s hot let’s play him, so I just kept playing.

G-Fafif Jun 27 2017 06:58 PM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

Lenny Harris reports some sad news regarding his fellow fantasy camp coach Anthony Young. My friend A[n]thony Young went into coma last night I wish all my friends can reach out and say I pray for A[n]thony Young

themetfairy Jun 27 2017 06:59 PM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

G-Fafif wrote: Lenny Harris reports some sad news regarding his fellow fantasy camp coach Anthony Young. My friend A[n]thony Young went into coma last night I wish all my friends can reach out and say I pray for A[n]thony Young OMG - that's horrible!

G-Fafif Jun 30 2017 02:51 PM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

Lenny Dykstra pauses to reflect. While he said he no longer treats women disrespectfully, he can be breathtakingly demeaning in conversations with or about them. He still peppers almost every sentence with obscenities. He can be selfish, tactless, and money-obsessed. “Yeah, I ain’t perfect,” Dykstra admitted, a cigarette between his lips. “I still [screw] around. But I’m not the person you knew in that clubhouse. That person walked in there like there was a new … sheriff in town. That was all the drugs I was on. I’m not running people down anymore.”

G-Fafif Sep 14 2017 01:44 PM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

If you've got the time, Warner Wolf has a lovely chat with Rusty Staub. http://710wor.iheart.com/featured/the-w ... rner-wolf/

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 16 2017 01:01 AM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

Wally Backman: When the Mets fired me as a minor league manager, I ripped them good! Doug Meintkiewicz: Hold my beer http://strib.mn/2h8zN0S

Edgy MD Sep 16 2017 01:06 AM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

He should have held on to that championship ball until the Sawx gave him an organizational job.

themetfairy Sep 16 2017 01:38 AM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

Jeff Francoeur is now an announcer for the Braves.

d'Kong76 Sep 16 2017 01:43 AM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

That's who they were talking about! I missed the first part and then they were showing a guy in the booth and I was like who the heck is he? (I can't even pick out current Mets on a tarmac in silly clothing)

themetfairy Sep 16 2017 01:52 AM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

Yes - they were discussing how delightful a person Francoeur is, totally forgetting his passive-aggressive choice of walk-up music during his Mets days - [youtube:3lc035ea]uelHwf8o7_U[/youtube:3lc035ea]

SteveJRogers Sep 30 2017 11:43 PM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

WS MVP Award renamed for Willie Mays

MFS62 Oct 01 2017 01:38 AM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

SteveJRogers wrote: WS MVP Award renamed for Willie Mays I hope they show "The catch" and the throw that followed every year when the award is given. Later

d'Kong76 Oct 19 2017 10:51 PM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

Gregg Jefferies in BA.

Edgy MD Dec 05 2017 11:55 AM Re: Autumn Closing In: Rico Brogna and Retired Mets in 2017

Al Pedrique, fresh off two International League championships, including one AAA World Series title, was unable to parlay that success into the Yankees managerial job. Seeing the Bomber organization for the dead end it is (he didn't even get an interview!), he's off to greener pastures, taking the first base coach's job in Oakland.