Farewell Carlos Delgado

by James Kannengieser on Nov 10, 2009 6:00 AM EST Comment 46 comments

Note: I have enjoyed making small tributes/eulogies for various Mets when they leave - Marlon Anderson, Ramon Castro and Billy Wagner are some examples. Carlos Delgado filed for free agency and it seems unlikely, but not totally out of the question, that he will return to the Mets for a variety of reasons. What better way to "eulogize" Delgado than by channeling Sergeant Jay Landsman from "The Wire" and his patented Irish wake tributes? If you aren't familiar with the show or the scene, check out the video at the bottom of this post for some context (NSFW - language) and then add Seasons 1-5 of "The Wire" to your Netflix queue.

Carlos Del-ga-do. Power hittin' first baseman, borderline Hall of Famer and all it cost was Mike Jacobs. Delgado wasn't the greatest defensive first baseman and he wasn't the worst. He had some memorable hits and he let us down in some big spots. But the son-of-a-gun had his moments, yes he did. You remember that walk-off homer against Benitez in early '07? 416 feet, he crushed it. How about the 2 bombs off Hollywood Hamels that Sunday night in '08? That was Carlos Delgado at his best. And in the playoffs in 2006? He caught fire when a lot of his mates were cooling down. Yes indeed. He won as much as he lost, much as any of them.

Did he piss off a manager and maybe some fans in the process? No freaking doubt! I think the last manager actually got kinda used to him thank God. Did he say the wrong thing every so often? Did he bust balls and swing for the fences and boot the occasional grounder every now and then? Who doesn't!? Was he as upset about 2007 and 2008 as every other Mets player wearin' the blue and orange in that Flushing clubhouse? Ab-so-lutely. Let us not forget his off the field contributions - we're looking at the 2006 Roberto Clemente Award winner. Carlos Delgado stood with his teammates, doing his best to crush the ball as he entered his late 30's. His body let him down in 2009 but he hardly ever took a day off until then. He was called; he played; he is counted. Farewell.

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The Wire FTW

"We're investigating the investigative procedure of the investigation of Tony Bernazard"---Omar Minaya (he really didn't say it but he would"

by firejerrynow on Nov 10, 2009 6:27 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Watched the first disk of the first season and didn't like it. Maybe I'll give it another try.

by lstorie1971 on Nov 10, 2009 8:14 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

best TV show ever

by LCT on Nov 10, 2009 9:21 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yes Yes Yes

Second chance. At least give it a chance until end of Season One. You should be hooked by then.

by deadspy3 on Nov 10, 2009 10:03 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

You're crazy

I saw season 4 and 5 when they aired first and then bought the complete series, but I thought that opening scene with McNulty talking to that guy about Snot Boogie was the first of plenty memorable scenes from the first few episodes.

Calling it the best television series ever is an understatement.

"We must win and we must know how to win rather than win because we have statistical people."

by Evan_S on Nov 10, 2009 12:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I submit that it is TOO good

It makes all other TV look terrible. Other shows are offensive to me now because their plots are obvious, acting wooden, exposition ham-handed, dialogue unbelievable, production values laughable. Where’s the subtlety? Where are the deep, important issues handled by truly human characters? You really forget they’re actors, esp. the kids in S4. Everyone involved with the show absolutely crushed their part. I am ruined for other TV. In fact, it should be reclassified as something other than TV, because it’s unfair to the medium to have other shows compared to it. Other TV producers are simply wasting my time if they don’t do everything in their power to tell their story using the same techniques that Simon and co. used on this show.

I haven’t seen S5 yet, so I don’t know if the rumors of decline are true. BSG can barely keep its head above water and others aren’t even in the same league. I’ve heard Mad Men is good though. That’s next in the queue…

Oh yeah, Delgado’s a good guy. I’ll miss him.

by hotspur on Nov 10, 2009 12:59 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Season 4 is in another world itself

The show is unbelievable, perfect, yet somehow season 4 is better than perfect. The kids were great, Marlo really becomes the antagonist that Stringer and Avon never were, I can go on and on. I still get chills thinking about that last scene of one of the episodes with Randy in the burn ward screaming down the hall to Carver ’You got my back, huh?"

Season 5 is a huge drop off from 4 but I liked it better than 2. It’s still brilliant, but it pales in comparison to the previous season. There are really some outstanding moments and it ends the way it has to, so yes there is a decline, but the worst episode of The Wire is still better than anything else. Right now, I’d put BSG second behind The Wire. The first season was really good, but unlike The Wire there were plenty of down moments. In fairness, it’s hard for a show that sets itself up in such a grandiose premise as BSG did to match it as it moves along. The Wire on the other hand was so grounded in reality, it didn’t have to worry about anything other than telling the story of Baltimore.

I never saw Mad Men, but I’ll watch it one day. I also have to see The Sopranos, I saw the last 3 seasons, but not the first 3 which which everyone assures me is excellent. I’m also looking forward to Caprica, hopefully that can be at least as half as good as BSG. There are some good shows out there still, but you have to take yourself away from the mentality of The Wire, or else you’ll never enjoy anything.

"We must win and we must know how to win rather than win because we have statistical people."

by Evan_S on Nov 10, 2009 1:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

4 is probably the best

You didn’t like 2?

"We're investigating the investigative procedure of the investigation of Tony Bernazard"---Omar Minaya (he really didn't say it but he would"

by firejerrynow on Nov 10, 2009 4:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I loved 2

Just not as much as the other four. I like it 4,1,3,5,2. Loved them all.

"We must win and we must know how to win rather than win because we have statistical people."

by Evan_S on Nov 10, 2009 8:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Man, I hate not being able to post during the day.

Sucks being late to the party. I’ve never seen BSG, but for my money, the 2nd-best show ever is The Shield. The last 2 seasons were just stunning, and it had perhaps the finest series finale I’ve ever seen.

Interesting fact: Cole was played by Robert Colesberry, one of The Wire’s producers. He died of cancer before Season 3 aired.

by BobbyV_Incognito on Nov 11, 2009 12:17 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah

I remember that from the Commentary on that episode I believe. I’ve watched almost all the commentaries on The Wire, I think that’s the only time I wanted to hear what the creators/writer/actors had to say. Battlestar is great and highly recommend it, there are some crappy episodes here and there but it’s mostly excellent. The Sheild is another show I want to see. Deadwood is one I have recorded on my DVR, and just haven’t gotten around to watch yet. I think Dexter, True Blood, Friday Night Lights and Lost are probably the best shows still on. For anybody who cares, on Friday Night Lights one of the new characters this year is a grown up Wallace from The Wire. Glad to see him get some more work, he was brilliant in the first season and has been real good so far this season on FNL.

"We must win and we must know how to win rather than win because we have statistical people."

by Evan_S on Nov 11, 2009 1:05 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

FNL & Lost

are the only two serious shows I still watch. I just got into FNL this summer and plowed through the first 3 seasons in like a month.

Another show I love: Chuck. It’s cheesy/campy, but it usually makes me laugh, has fantastic pop culture references, and the female lead is smoking hot (and they sneak a gratuitous lingerie scene into most episodes).

"[The Giants] beat us down. We were beat by a grown-man team, a team we want to be like one day. They came in here and took it to us. Out-manned us, out-gunned us. ... It wasn't even close." - Raheem Morris, 9/27/09

by cjmulrain on Nov 11, 2009 3:20 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Chuck is awesome

I hope they extend it another season. It is cheesy and campy, but it’s done extremely well. The only other dramas I watch and really care about are Law & Order SVU and Fringe. SVU is always pretty good and Fringe would be great if they made it serialized instead of episodic. When ever they focus on the main storyline it’s as good as anything else out there right now, but the standalone episodes are just okay. Wow, I watch way too much TV.

"We must win and we must know how to win rather than win because we have statistical people."

by Evan_S on Nov 11, 2009 3:45 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Lost has gotten worse each season

I still watch it because I want to know what happens after all the time I invested in it, but I kind of hate it now and want it to die quickly.

by Joamiq on Nov 11, 2009 4:07 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The last two seasons were great I thought

Season three sucked.

"We must win and we must know how to win rather than win because we have statistical people."

by Evan_S on Nov 11, 2009 5:11 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I agree.

Once they decided on a specific point to end it, the quality jumped back up to very, very good almost immediately. Sad thing is, now I don’t want it to end.

"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf"
-Tug McGraw

by squid92 on Nov 11, 2009 11:34 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I disagree with both of the above comments

Season 2 sucked. Hard. Season 3 started out really bad, but I thought the last 5 or 6 episodes were the best stretch in the show’s entire run, capped off by the Season 3 finale which remains the best hour of television I’ve ever watched.

The last two seasons have been up and down – mostly good, and being a sci fi fan I’ve had no problem with most of it, but I can see why some people haven’t liked it. And I have absolutely no clue what the hell is going to happen this upcoming season – they could restart time, land in LA, and turn it into a medical drama like ER and it wouldn’t surprise me at all. So, kudos to the producers for that – they’ve officially reset the bar.

by cjmulrain on Nov 11, 2009 11:39 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I liked 2

I never saw one so 2 was my starting point. And yeah, there were great moments in three including the awesome finale (by the way, virtually all 60 hours of The Wire are better than “Through the Looking Glass,” and that is in no way a knock on “Through the Looking Glass”) but there were too many pointless episodes, Nikki and Paulo were terrible, I though three was overall the worst, but it’s a great series.

"We must win and we must know how to win rather than win because we have statistical people."

by Evan_S on Nov 11, 2009 2:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Walt? Waaaaaalt?

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf"
-Tug McGraw

by squid92 on Nov 11, 2009 4:44 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I <3 Chuck

"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf"
-Tug McGraw

by squid92 on Nov 11, 2009 11:33 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I can't wait for it to come back

"We must win and we must know how to win rather than win because we have statistical people."

by Evan_S on Nov 11, 2009 2:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree

When I finished the last episode, as it ended, I thought, “Well, it’s been a nice run, television. You were a wonderfully entertaining medium. But I have just finished watching the best thing you will ever display. You have reached your peak. Nothing will ever match up. Time to say goodbye.”

Season 5 was the worst and it was still head and shoulders above every other show. The season was just a bit too rushed so the media players couldn’t properly be fleshed out, and the storyline got a bit ridiculous at times. Still excellent though. And season 4 is the finest season of television in the medium’s history.

by Joamiq on Nov 11, 2009 4:06 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I watch TV now and find things that I know The Wire would have done differently (which means better)

Actually, I just remembered, it’s obviously not the same, but next year David Simon is doing a show Treme about the working class in post Katrina in Louisiana town with Wendell Pierce (Bunk) and Clarke Peters (Freamon), so I can’t see it being bad.

"We must win and we must know how to win rather than win because we have statistical people."

by Evan_S on Nov 11, 2009 5:15 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

you have to watch it

I have all 5 seasons. Watch them again from time to time

"We're investigating the investigative procedure of the investigation of Tony Bernazard"---Omar Minaya (he really didn't say it but he would"

by firejerrynow on Nov 10, 2009 4:03 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I see a video from The Wire

and I rec the piece. I haven’t even read it yet. I could seriously watch that series a 1000 times and not get bored. Perfect television, ain’t nothing better.

"We must win and we must know how to win rather than win because we have statistical people."

by Evan_S on Nov 10, 2009 6:59 AM EST reply actions 1 recs

agreed 100%.

What you fail to understand in your joyless myopia is that baseball is the key to life-- the Rosetta Stone, if you will. If you just understood baseball better all your other questions your, your... the, uh... the aliens, the conspiracies they would all, in their way be answered by the baseball gods.

by winchester5 on Nov 10, 2009 10:44 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I just hope one of the Met players

don’t owe Delgado anything like McNulty did to Cole

"We're investigating the investigative procedure of the investigation of Tony Bernazard"---Omar Minaya (he really didn't say it but he would"

by firejerrynow on Nov 10, 2009 7:08 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Anyone

who is a fan of The Wire should give “Cop in the Hood” a read by Peter Moskos. Non-fiction bout an ivy leaguer who policed in East Baltimore for 2-3 years for the research of the book. Embellishes on how hopeless the situation in B-more is, and you’ll see how accurate David Simon’s portrayal of the corner is.

by MetsKnicksRutgers on Nov 10, 2009 8:08 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Saw the first disk of the first season and didn't like it. Maybe I'll give it another try.

by lstorie1971 on Nov 10, 2009 8:11 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

It moves very slowly at first

but stick with it, and you’ll get hooked

by MetsKnicksRutgers on Nov 10, 2009 8:23 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It hits its stride about the 5th or 6th episode

After that, at the end of every episode, I’d just sit back and shake my head. It’s astounding.

by Joamiq on Nov 11, 2009 4:08 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

well said!!

..did he single handedly rip apart old yankee stadium one Friday like no guy named arod has ever done with 9 rbis and a shot off of “delgado’s pole” in left field that was taken back…most amazing hitting performance i’ve seen…that game set him on fire and set a mets club record….he will be missed!!!

by nynjmetsfan on Nov 10, 2009 9:23 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

My favorite Delgado moment

Was the 9 RBI’s in Yankee stadium. The dude absolutely crushed the ball that day!

by MJ20 on Nov 10, 2009 10:00 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I was in the process of writing a "Keep Carlos Delgado" fanpost the other day

but I’ve just been too busy with other stuff to devote the necessary time to it. Now it looks like I’m too late. Oh, well. Unless we get a better bat than Murphy to play first, I have a bad feeling we’re gonna regret letting Carlos go.

by cjmulrain on Nov 10, 2009 11:17 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Post it anyway

I secretly want him back.

by James Kannengieser on Nov 10, 2009 12:43 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

maybe I'll incorporate it into my

2010 offseason plan entry

by cjmulrain on Nov 10, 2009 1:56 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

If he's willing to take an incentive-laden contract at a lower price, and not go to the AL as a DH

as long as his body can still take the field every day, I’d have no major problems with Delgado at first for another year. His performance last season, in that limited time, he demonstrated that he could still hit home runs out of Citi Field, with 4 in 20 games, or something like that.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Nov 10, 2009 4:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

my favorite moment

This game:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN200608220.shtml

I was there, and after St. Louis took the 7-1 lead in the top of the 5th, I briefly considered leaving, but I said to my friend (a Cardinals fan), “let’s see if the Mets can do anything in the bottom of the 5th.”

Delgado’s grand slam was absolutely CRUSHED. Sitting in RF in the upper deck, I didn’t even see where it landed. I just saw it zoom past to my right and disappear.

I’m going to miss Carlos.

Somehow, a chain of events unfolded that put Steve Phillips in a professional broadcast booth Sunday night so he could rip Carlos Beltran. Try to explain that in any other terms.

by Greenpoint Ian on Nov 10, 2009 12:17 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I was there too

Great game. Delgado’s 400th, Beltran’s walkoff and, the best part, they announced we got Green. I also remember Duncan making a diving catch in the gap that looked like was gonna be a leadoff triple for Reyes.

"We must win and we must know how to win rather than win because we have statistical people."

by Evan_S on Nov 10, 2009 12:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I was there too

What a game. A Mets walkoff win and we got to see 2 homers from Albert Pujols. Those no-doubter Delgado homers are the best.

by James Kannengieser on Nov 10, 2009 9:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

one more thing

The 2005 Mets had a pythagorean record of 89-73. They were a good team, and one of the great “what ifs” of that team is what they might have done with a 1B who could hit protecting Wright and Floyd. You know, someone like Carlos Delgado……

Thank you, Tony Bernazard for all your monumental screw-ups, the most monumental of which was your insulting Delgado and driving him to the Marlins. Well done!

Somehow, a chain of events unfolded that put Steve Phillips in a professional broadcast booth Sunday night so he could rip Carlos Beltran. Try to explain that in any other terms.

by Greenpoint Ian on Nov 10, 2009 12:22 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Nooooooooo

Don’t let this happen. Omar, don’t turn your back on one of “your guys.” Are you really going to let some white guys play 1st base?

If Overbay-Luis-Crazy dude trade goes through I retract this statement.

by boom_roasted on Nov 10, 2009 12:23 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I've gotta watch the Wire

I bought season 1 for my dad like two or three years ago (he’s a cop so I figured he’d love it), and I’ve been waiting for him to watch it so I can take the DVD’s down to DC with me, but he never gets around to it. I think I’m about to say tough luck for him and just take them – I can probably plow through them between Thanksgiving and Christmas – I won’t let finals get in the way

by cjmulrain on Nov 10, 2009 11:56 PM EST reply actions 0 recs