Master Index of Archived Threads


Name That Catalyst

Johnny Lunchbucket Aug 07 2021 06:46 AM

Pretend by some miracle the SHaMs get their shit together and retake 1st place. What's the one thing we'll look back on as the thing it'll take? I was gonna make this a poll but it got stupid, so maybe a discussion is better. Best I can see is, Lindor returns and he and Baez create some chemistry. I mean, Conforto could get hot and be a kind of superspreader too but I'm having a hard time even imagining that now. Trevor Williams?

bmfc1 Aug 07 2021 08:00 AM Re: Name That Catalyst

I agree with "Lindor returns and he and Baez create some chemistry". Maybe he'll be back in 2 weeks rather than a month.

Edgy MD Aug 07 2021 08:21 AM Re: Name That Catalyst

They've been strangely fortunate in that odd catalysts have come at opportune moments — the Pillar saga, the Mazeika walkoffs, the six-hop throw to first by Stroman, Du-Rag-Gate ... . In fact, looking at those last two items, it would be foolish to sleep on Stroman's catalytic potential, even after that farce of a trip to the plate last night.

MFS62 Aug 07 2021 08:26 AM Re: Name That Catalyst

Alonso starting a hot power streak, and hitting homers with people on base. Later

ashie62 Aug 07 2021 11:03 AM Re: Name That Catalyst

Alonso goes on a tear and carries the team like Piazza used to do.

Johnny Lunchbucket Aug 07 2021 11:14 AM Re: Name That Catalyst

Alonso is a good HR hitter but also, a .260-kinda hitter. I don't see him getting Piazza-level hot, where he's you know hitting .344 and also ripping homers in bunches

kcmets Aug 07 2021 11:41 AM Re: Name That Catalyst

Catalyst = plant electrodes in each batter's neck and if they swing at a 57 footer or a pitch 1 1/2 feet off the plate they get zapped with two seconds of near household current. That'll cure that, and quick! (of course that's probably illegal and I'm sure the player's union might object, but tough times sometimes require tough desperate measures)

kcmets Aug 07 2021 11:57 AM Re: Name That Catalyst

Oh and nuttiness aside, put me in Camp Lindor/Baez Gel for one hundred cranebucks.

smg58 Aug 07 2021 12:49 PM Re: Name That Catalyst

McNeil goes 5 for 5.

G-Fafif Aug 07 2021 01:04 PM Re: Name That Catalyst

Conforto: bound to get hot.

Chad ochoseis Aug 07 2021 07:58 PM Re: Name That Catalyst

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Alonso is a good HR hitter but also, a .260-kinda hitter. I don't see him getting Piazza-level hot, where he's you know hitting .344 and also ripping homers in bunches You know who can do that? Dom Smith, that's who. Or the .344 part with a few HRs and lots of doubles, anyhow.

Fman99 Aug 08 2021 05:31 AM Re: Name That Catalyst

Surprised no one has mentioned yet the inevitable, triumphant return of JdG to the mound. There's your catalyst.

MFS62 Aug 08 2021 08:58 AM Re: Name That Catalyst

I looked through a Chemistry book to come up with an appropriate catalyst analogy and realized this entire team is inert. Later

Willets Point Aug 08 2021 11:28 AM Re: Name That Catalyst

I'm thinking 20 years ago the Mets had a hot streak where they went 25-4 starting in mid-August. I can totally see the 2021 team doing something like that. Now it's not the best example of course, because we don't want to replicate the 2001 Mets fizzling out after the hot streak and missing the playoffs and certainly don't want to have another national tragedy in the middle of the hot streak. But I think this year's team is in a better starting position right now where a hot streak can launch them right into a playoff spot, and I also think the players on this year's team are better overall despite their inconsistent performance thus far this season.

ashie62 Aug 08 2021 11:30 AM Re: Name That Catalyst

How about Steve Cohen.

The Hot Corner Aug 08 2021 12:46 PM Re: Name That Catalyst

=Fman99 post_id=73861 time=1628422277 user_id=86] Surprised no one has mentioned yet the inevitable, triumphant return of JdG to the mound. There's your catalyst.

I'm afraid it will be too late by then.

ashie62 Aug 08 2021 02:08 PM Re: Name That Catalyst

Pete trying to blow smoke up our asses on the postgame And Todd Zeile calling him out.

batmagadanleadoff Aug 08 2021 03:32 PM Re: Name That Catalyst

=ashie62 post_id=73900 time=1628453325 user_id=90] Pete trying to blow smoke up our asses on the postgame And Todd Zeile calling him out.

Details?

G-Fafif Aug 08 2021 03:36 PM Re: Name That Catalyst

“Disingenuous” was the word Zeile used for Pete being a little too positive after such a disastrous stretch.

G-Fafif Aug 08 2021 03:38 PM Re: Name That Catalyst

[tweet]https://twitter.com/fromero715/status/1424464447540797442[/tweet]

Ceetar Aug 08 2021 05:40 PM Re: Name That Catalyst

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Best I can see is, Lindor returns and he and Baez create some chemistry. This was the rumored plot to Breaking Bad 2. Sounds like it's not likely now anyway, also the way the offense is going you can't play Baez over McNeil and Davis. (though Rojas would) I think the best bet these days is an injury to Wheeler.

Ceetar Aug 08 2021 05:42 PM Re: Name That Catalyst

Todd Zieile is full of hot take nonsense, I don't now how anyone listens to these post games. I don't really have a problem with Alonso/the players acting confident and hopeful, but maybe Rojas and Cohen should be a little less "thoughts and prayers!"

Frayed Knot Aug 08 2021 06:07 PM Re: Name That Catalyst

Maybe Lindor & Squirrel need to duke it out in the tunnel again. Other than that I got nothing. And, yeah, I know you're never really as bad as you look when you're blah blah, nor as good as you look when yadda yadda, but the rest of this season has the whiff of 10-40 to it with maybe an upside of 15-35 if both Lindor and JdG get green-lighted sometime before Turkey Day. I know that sounds almost impossibly negative but at this point I could make at least as many arguments for it as against.

Edgy MD Aug 08 2021 06:43 PM Re: Name That Catalyst

I have to think they have one more run in them, but whether that will be enough or in time is a much more open question. The decision to go for Baez remains ever-puzzling to me. Everybody insists they bring the latest science to developing and deploying their teams, but Baez is the epitome of a guy that art loves and science hates.

ashie62 Aug 08 2021 06:58 PM Re: Name That Catalyst

Same with Lindor

Lefty Specialist Aug 08 2021 06:58 PM Re: Name That Catalyst

Frayed Knot wrote: Maybe Lindor & Squirrel need to duke it out in the tunnel again. Other than that I got nothing. And, yeah, I know you're never really as bad as you look when you're blah blah, nor as good as you look when yadda yadda, but the rest of this season has the whiff of 10-40 to it with maybe an upside of 15-35 if both Lindor and JdG get green-lighted sometime before Turkey Day. I know that sounds almost impossibly negative but at this point I could make at least as many arguments for it as against. They've got those 13 games against the Giants and Dodgers coming up shortly and I could see them losing 11 of them. There'll be no help on the way by then, and they're just not competitive right now. What might be a catalyst is firing Luis Rojas.

Frayed Knot Aug 08 2021 07:22 PM Re: Name That Catalyst

Lefty Specialist wrote: What might be a catalyst is firing Luis Rojas. And that'll make them hit?!?

ashie62 Aug 08 2021 08:06 PM Re: Name That Catalyst

Luis is a likely a goner. He wrote his own epitath on the second tweet. No one is performing, it's on me and I'm ready to step away

Edgy MD Aug 08 2021 09:08 PM Re: Name That Catalyst

=ashie62 post_id=73918 time=1628470688 user_id=90]Same with Lindor

No, while I'm not endorsing his trade either, I think Lindor has demonstrated his value scientifically in ways that Baez never has.

ashie62 Aug 09 2021 05:17 AM Re: Name That Catalyst

Lindor is the more complete player, by a lot. We are polishing turds somewhat.

Johnny Lunchbucket Aug 09 2021 06:11 AM Re: Name That Catalyst

I have to say, there was a whiff of something not right with this group going back to that McNeil-Lindor punchup. I'm only speculating here but I imagine the Lindor acquisition interfered somehow with the Cookie Club wholesomeness of the core Mets, and getting Baez only exacerbated it because it further burned the fuse on McNeil or Davis's departure.

Edgy MD Aug 09 2021 08:10 AM Re: Name That Catalyst

That's a workable thesis. A critical divide between Team 'Murica and Team Puerto Rico, exacerbated by who is healthy and on the field at a given time, with neither of the young, first-time managers able to get a lid on it. I don't know that I'm ready to put my chips on it, but it's worth exploring.

kcmets Aug 09 2021 08:32 AM Re: Name That Catalyst

Did it ever come out what that Lindor/McNeil thing was really about? I forget if it did, seems so long ago even though it's not. I can see how some of this could turn a clubhouse into a personalities pickle. Lindor was slow out of the gate. The Baez thing of sure I'll play second with Lindor but only with Lindor. One's here until 2032 with no opt outs (and makes a gazzilion/year) and one is a rental.

TransMonk Aug 09 2021 08:54 AM Re: Name That Catalyst

It's really hard to imagine an impetus right now. The injuries have been tough, but most teams have been battling numerous injuries this season. Save Nimmo and Pete, I'm not sure any of the bats are playing up to their potential when healthy. With nearly two-thirds of the season gone, I'm not sure how they right that ship.

batmagadanleadoff Aug 09 2021 09:08 AM Re: Name That Catalyst Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Aug 09 2021 09:10 AM

I can go anyway I want to with this post because who knows what'll happen in the future? I'm not as worried as youse but still, I'll pile on a little and remind youse that the Mets sucked big time last year, too, even before Lindor and Baez got here, missing the playoffs when more than half the teams qualified.

Benjamin Grimm Aug 09 2021 09:10 AM Re: Name That Catalyst

It's now a 51-game sprint. Anything can happen. I'm not expecting October baseball this year, but I would love to be pleasantly surprised. It's definitely something that could happen.

kcmets Aug 09 2021 09:17 AM Re: Name That Catalyst

What's Philly's win streak up to? Nine games? Are they gonna go nine-ten more? Probably not.

G-Fafif Aug 09 2021 09:38 AM Re: Name That Catalyst

The 2021 Phillies at the moment are playing like the 2015 Mets at the same time of year. The 2021 Mets are either in the role of the 2015 Nats (swept from the top of the division by their rivals for the crown) or the 2015 Marlins (roadkill for the rampaging 2015 Mets after sweeping the Nats). You're also welcome to cite the 1973 Cardinals who had taken first place, lost Bob Gibson to injury and eventually faded.

TransMonk Aug 09 2021 09:45 AM Re: Name That Catalyst

=G-Fafif post_id=73939 time=1628523493 user_id=55] The 2021 Phillies at the moment are playing like the 2015 Mets at the same time of year. The 2021 Mets are either in the role of the 2015 Nats (swept from the top of the division by their rivals for the crown) or the 2015 Marlins (roadkill for the rampaging 2015 Mets after sweeping the Nats).

I thought this same thing over the weekend.

Edgy MD Aug 09 2021 09:53 AM Re: Name That Catalyst

=TransMonk post_id=73933 time=1628520842 user_id=71] It's really hard to imagine an impetus right now.

It's not hard for me to imagine an impetus. It's just hard to be right about who or what the impetus will be, when it will arrive, and how substantial the impact will be.



I can imagine all sorts of impeti, with varying degrees of likelihood, but the season is going to play out in any number of a billion ways.



Some moron ran on the field at Dodger Stadium yesterday, was completely surrounded by security, but managed to squeeze through the perimeter making a break for the low wall in foul territory in rightfield. With a full head of steam, he tried to hurdle the fence, but just as he got aloft, he was closelined by a ballgirl protecting her territory, and went down like a ton of bricks.



Impetus? Catalyst! WHO KNOWS?!

batmagadanleadoff Aug 09 2021 09:56 AM Re: Name That Catalyst

Edgy MD wrote: =TransMonk post_id=73933 time=1628520842 user_id=71] It's really hard to imagine an impetus right now. It's not hard for me to imagine an impetus. It's just hard to be right about who or what the impetus will be, when it will arrive, and how substantial the impact will be. I can imagine all sorts of impeti, with varying degrees of likelihood, but the season is going to play out in any number of a billion ways.

This.

TransMonk Aug 09 2021 10:13 AM Re: Name That Catalyst

https://media0.giphy.com/media/ToMjGpKniGqRNLGBrhu/200.gif> I'm still here. I'm still watching games even though I want to bang my head against the wall. These guys aren't hitting to the back of their baseball cards. If they were, I'd feel better. I guess maybe getting swept by a surging team and falling out of first place for the first time in months should be a wake up call. IMO, these guys are good enough that they shouldn't need a one-in-a-billion catalyst to collectively get going.

MFS62 Aug 09 2021 10:32 AM Re: Name That Catalyst

Edgy MD wrote: =TransMonk post_id=73933 time=1628520842 user_id=71] It's really hard to imagine an impetus right now. It's not hard for me to imagine an impetus. It's just hard to be right about who or what the impetus will be, when it will arrive, and how substantial the impact will be. I can imagine all sorts of impeti, with varying degrees of likelihood, but the season is going to play out in any number of a billion ways. Some moron ran on the field at Dodger Stadium yesterday, was completely surrounded by security, but managed to squeeze through the perimeter making a break for the low wall in foul territory in rightfield. With a full head of steam, he tried to hurdle the fence, but just as he got aloft, he was closelined by a ballgirl protecting her territory, and went down like a ton of bricks. Impetus? Catalyst! WHO KNOWS?!

Y'mean like the black cat on the field during a game against the Cubs in 1969?

I'll take it.

Later

Edgy MD Aug 09 2021 10:53 AM Re: Name That Catalyst

Well, that would be a catalyst for the Dodgers, but sure.

MFS62 Aug 09 2021 11:11 AM Re: Name That Catalyst

Edgy MD wrote: Well, that would be a catalyst for the Dodgers, but sure. That black cat game "helped" the Mets surge toward first place in the year they won it all. I meant I'll be glad for something like that happen for the Mets again, not for THAT (ptui) team. Later

batmagadanleadoff Aug 09 2021 11:49 AM Re: Name That Catalyst

Edgy MD wrote: The decision to go for Baez remains ever-puzzling to me. Everybody insists they bring the latest science to developing and deploying their teams, but Baez is the epitome of a guy that art loves and science hates. I'm not nearly as down on Baez as you are. He has overall value. He's an asset at the end of the day. It's just that a big chunk of his value is on the run preventing side. He can play Gold Glove caliber defense at the toughest positions in the field - second, short and center. On offense though, he's a power hitter who makes way, way, way too many outs. I wouldn't bat him higher than 6th on this team. Rojas is batting him in the sweet spot middle of the order.

Edgy MD Aug 09 2021 12:59 PM Re: Name That Catalyst

All that's true. He's not valueless, but the Pete-Crow Armstrong ticket might have purchased the team something they need. I just don't didn't believe that he brought anything that Guillorme and Villar and the exected return of Lindor had already showed the Mets to be wealthier in. He added to their depth but he didn't raise the bar anywhere. They're a well oiled out-making machine right now, hoping against hope that the places they are strong could make up for that. But instead of improving where they are weakest, they doubled down on what they are. I just think, philosophically, that it's cheaper, easier and smarter, to improve in the areas where you are below the mean.

Johnny Lunchbucket Aug 22 2021 08:12 AM Re: Name That Catalyst

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Pretend by some miracle the SHaMs get their shit together and retake 1st place. What's the one thing we'll look back on as the thing it'll take? I was gonna make this a poll but it got stupid, so maybe a discussion is better. Best I can see is, Lindor returns and he and Baez create some chemistry. I mean, Conforto could get hot and be a kind of superspreader too but I'm having a hard time even imagining that now. Trevor Williams? Bumping this thread after 2 weeks of a cataclysmic lack of catylii. Twitter seems to think Lindor and Baez might return together as soon as today?? I'll set my expectations for the next meeting of the Tuesday Night Mets Club tho.

Edgy MD Aug 22 2021 05:35 PM Re: Name That Catalyst

Gary and Zeile used the word "catalyst" in conjunction with Baez about a half a dozen times this afternoon. It was more aspirational than descriptive, but that's something.