Mookie Applesauce - Wilson back in Met organization, Melvin as well, lower Citi walls

by Joe Budd on Feb 9, 2010 8:18 AM EST in Applesauce Comment 50 comments

Meet the Mets

In general, a good day for the Mets organization. Mookie Wilson is back. Bob Melvin is in as well. I can't see how either of these additions can be a bad thing. Metsradamus agrees, but goes the karma route in doing so.

More 1986 Met news: players from the World Series winning squad will play a little softball at Tradition Field this month.

The Mets have decided to lower the Citi Field center field wall by 8 feet. Not really sure if center field was the cause of the home run situation.

Does John Maine need to become more than just a thrower?

NY Sports Dog compiles a handy list of celebrities you should like.

Oliver Perez is on the list of pitchers who lost the most off their fastball last season. In case you're curious, here's the list of pitchers who gained the most.

Joe Janish looks back on the Ed Hearn for David Cone trade.

Around MLB

The White Sox are unretiring Luis Aparicio's No. 11 so that Omar Vizquel can use it. The move is done with Aparicio's blessing and approval.

Baltimore could be moving Ty Wigginton.

No matter what most Philadelphia fans thought, Cole Hamels was very much the same pitcher in 2009.

The Brewer organization is building a statue of Bud Selig outside Miller Park. Ewwwww...

Brent Mayne admits to giving a pitch away to his friend JT Snow that allowed him to get his first big league hit. I wonder if the sanctimony police are going to jump at this.

And, finally, a former Washington Times beat reporter is asking for donations to travel to Florida to cover the Nationals spring training.

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Comments

Matthew Broderick should be crossed off the Mets celebrities list. And when I read Ed Burns, I thought they were talking about Mr. Burns.

by Michkin on Feb 9, 2010 8:25 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Forgot to add Chris Christie (NJ Gov.) on that list. He's a Met fan too.

The 2010 New York Mets: Maybe it's the Phillies' turn to have 95% of its roster on the DL

The 2009 New England Patriots: At least we got our division title back

The 2009-10 New Jersey Devils: It's Kovy Time!

by R_Adragna on Feb 9, 2010 8:37 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Speaking as a NJ resident,

ugh.

Oh, the butcher and the baker and the people on the street: wheredotheygo?!?!?

by CharlieH on Feb 9, 2010 11:57 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree, except I didn't care much for Corzine either.

The 2010 New York Mets: Maybe it's the Phillies' turn to have 95% of its roster on the DL

The 2009 New England Patriots: At least we got our division title back

The 2009-10 New Jersey Devils: It's Kovy Time!

by R_Adragna on Feb 9, 2010 12:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Harper Lee?

That’s cool.

Nothing can make me like Lars Ullrich, though. Dude may have been a part of some great music a long time ago, but he is a total douche for the way he went after Napster.

"He's definitely mixing it into his repertoire. That's French for 'repertoire' " - Keith Hernandez

by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright on Feb 9, 2010 9:07 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Although I should say that I'm not entirely confident of that celebrity list.

Adam Sandler is on it, and he’s a huge Yankees fan.

"He's definitely mixing it into his repertoire. That's French for 'repertoire' " - Keith Hernandez

by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright on Feb 9, 2010 10:16 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Not suprising

To Kill a Mockingbird has some familiar Mets tropes: an injured player, a fictional overachiever named Finch, and a loss because people went with their gut over the facts.

phliadelphoe ite domum!

by Doc Manhattan on Feb 9, 2010 11:23 AM EST up reply actions 4 recs

Rec'd

Thanks for that.

"He's definitely mixing it into his repertoire. That's French for 'repertoire' " - Keith Hernandez

by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright on Feb 9, 2010 11:24 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Gary Bettman

Ugh.

by Nystrom on Feb 9, 2010 9:24 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Wow, Gary Cohen is a Mets fan?

by pologroundling on Feb 9, 2010 10:03 AM EST reply actions 1 recs

Not all announcers are.

You think Don Drysdale became an Expos fan, when he did their broadcasts?

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Feb 9, 2010 1:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I know, right? Never would've guessed.

Same goes for Steve Somers.

MICK FOLEY!

I can’t figure out for the life of me how or why George H.W. Bush became a Mets fan.

by JoshNY on Feb 9, 2010 1:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Family ties

Bushie 41 uncle GH Walker was a minority owner and club VP from the club’s inception until 1977. Also, he’s a Wilpon friend.

by LeiterMilnerFasterStronger on Feb 9, 2010 9:33 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It's also Mookie Wilson's birthday today.

54 years young. Mentioned it on the air this morning.

We are gonna shock them with 5,000 mega watts of raw ROO POWER.

by psuwxman on Feb 9, 2010 10:08 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Phil Hoffman

One of the great actors of my generation.

Also, Viggo Mortensen is pretty badass.

We've got ourselves a ball club, the Mets of New York town!

by kingcritical on Feb 9, 2010 10:08 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Viggo Mortensen vs. Clemens

Who wins?

by Mount17 on Feb 9, 2010 10:17 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Aragorn is a Mets fan? Awesome

Nas, Chuck D, Colbert, and a lot of other guys I like a lot.

by Evan_S on Feb 9, 2010 2:14 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I just can't believe Colbert.

He’s from SC, and he spent years living in Chicago. Wonder when/how he would have become attached to the Mets.

by BobbyV_Incognito on Feb 9, 2010 8:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Wright

definitely had at least a few go off the the top of the center field wall, including one off that ridiculous extension in front of the apple.

by Mount17 on Feb 9, 2010 10:13 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

That's true

but if they really wanted to help Wright out, they’d bring right center in a little. He hit that fence in right center about 4 or 5 times.

by Mackey Sasser on Feb 9, 2010 11:22 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

"The Brewer organization is building a statue of Bud Selig outside Miller Park."

They should build it in the men’s room so all fans can show it their due respect. But then again someone would have to clean it up.

"Wait till Biggus Dickus hears about this!"

by scott from peekskill on Feb 9, 2010 10:20 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Wisconsin has a fairly high porcupine population.

That could lead to a very short life for the statue…

"We're just as bad as the old Mets, but this time nobody's laughing"
-Dallas Green

by Schmidtxc on Feb 9, 2010 10:32 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Oh man, Freeney too?

Now I feel sort of bad rooting for the Saints. Suppose I’ll just have to remind myself of my distaste for Pey-Pey.

Good to see Aaron Cook’s blazing fastball has died down a little bit.

by Jamesir Bensonmum on Feb 9, 2010 10:54 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

That Hamels article was actually really good.

"We're just as bad as the old Mets, but this time nobody's laughing"
-Dallas Green

by Schmidtxc on Feb 9, 2010 11:08 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

In regards to the fans, I already loved Nas and now even moreso. People always say I look like Jon Stewart and him being a met fan makes it even better. Then theres people like Nixon who I just don’t understand, the guy grew up in like Temecula California (or some other Meth-infested desert town), Bush who I figure had to have grown up in Texas also and Lars. Wasn’t he born in Sweden or something? I am a 49ers fan, but that is only because pass 2 was unstoppable in Tecmo Bowl. I am sure most of these guys saw the 69 team or tore up their noses with the 86 team and became fans. Stewart, Nas and Horowitz are real local fans at least IMO.

by MetsKnicksRutgers on Feb 9, 2010 12:18 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

well

Nixon spent the final years of his life in Upper Saddle River and Bush grew up in Connecticut. Lars was born in Denmark.

President of the Ramses Barden Fan Club

Fact on Villanova Sports

by Hoyadestroya85 on Feb 9, 2010 4:43 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Hmm.

Never realized how far back the Bush family went. Damn dynasties. Lars and Nixon are still pretty unexplainable though.

by MetsKnicksRutgers on Feb 9, 2010 8:59 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Adam Sandler

is a Yankee fan.

And really? Nell Carter? Gimme a break…

Oh, the butcher and the baker and the people on the street: wheredotheygo?!?!?

by CharlieH on Feb 9, 2010 11:56 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

A lot of these guys

are “fans of both teams”, which is in quotation marks because it’s not really possible. Chris Rock and Nas both wear Yankee hats all the time.

Didn’t know Colbert was a Mets fan, though. That’s pretty awesome.

by Prince on Feb 9, 2010 1:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

A lot of people wear the hat just cause the navy blue matches

I, however, am disgusted by them.

by Evan_S on Feb 9, 2010 2:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I think the funniest form of that

is around here a lot of people like these specific purple shoes (god only knows why) so they wear Colorado Rockies gear to “match their kicks” as a few of them have explained to me. Most of the time they know nothing of baseball whatsoever. This both saddens and amuses me simultaneously.

by KeithsMoustache on Feb 9, 2010 2:44 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Same here.

My friend is this skater guy who doesn’t even watch sports. Around the time the Yankees were in the world series, he got a grey Yankees hat. I asked him if he was really one of those ridiculously annoying kids in my school who are acting like they like the Yankees just because they’re in the world series, and he said no. He told me he got it because it matched his shoes and to piss me off. I hate my school.

by wrightttxgirlllx3 on Feb 9, 2010 3:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

yeah yankees stuff is everywhere, although you don't see many people buying it just to spite their friends.

but i thought the Rockies thing was even funnier because the don’t really have what you’d call a huge fan base, and one of my good friends is a Rockies fan, and saw one of these guys wearing the hat and commented, thinking he had found another actual Rockies fan here in NY. The guy with the hat just looked at him like he was crazy, then explained it matched his shoes and continued on his way, and then we started seeing these hats popping up everywhere.

by KeithsMoustache on Feb 9, 2010 3:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Haha aw, that's sad.

Almost as sad as the fact that you could find ANY type of baseball hat here to match the shoes, or because the symbol just looks “cool.” My friend was just the one who actually made me realize that’s what it was all about. Here I am thinking this kid in the hallway is showing me there’s an actual Indians fan in New York, let alone the world, but no. The red matched his shirt. Which makes it even sadder, considering all the teams he could have chosen that wore red that weren’t terrible. He clearly is just an idiot. I’ve seen only two kids who wear Mets hats and they wear them everyday, even if it clashes with their clothing. I give them friendly looks everyday. They think I’m weird. That’s okay.

by wrightttxgirlllx3 on Feb 9, 2010 4:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I for one am of the opinion that, before one can purchase sports "gear", they need to pass a basic team "literacy" test.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Feb 9, 2010 7:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Not a bad idea.

It drives me crazy when people in my school try to act like they like sports. Especially girls. Like when the Yankees were in the world series and all the girls would make their facebook status “go yankeeees! love themmm<3” Like shut up. You don’t watch baseball. The only Yankees you know are Derek Jeter and A-Rod. And you don’t even know why they call him A-Rod. Sorry. Just need to vent to people who ACTUALLY know what they’re talking about. Thus, I found AA.

by wrightttxgirlllx3 on Feb 9, 2010 9:38 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Very akin to that SNY show "Beer Money".

How many of those real gung-ho fans who claim to know so much don’t make it past the first or second question? Hell, I know more about Yankees history and Yankees baseball than half of the Yankees fans I know. That’s saying something, you know?

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Feb 9, 2010 11:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I so badly just wish I could bump into Chris Carlin one day and win all that money I can't legally spend for 7 years.

I always know every answer. Ocassionally a Yankees one. And I get it. They’re just on TV so Chris Carlin can make them into idiots and you could actually answer every question. These kids make themselves into idiots, I actually know what I’m talking about. Reminds me of how a few weeks ago when the Colts beat the Jets this ditzy girl in my italian class wore some bizarre cut up version of an ELI Manning jersey and was like “Oh yeah suck it Jets fans, Manning beat Sanchez!” Sorry sweetie, wrong Manning.

by wrightttxgirlllx3 on Feb 9, 2010 11:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Sandler's been pretty vocal about rooting for the Mets.

He’s done a few scoreboard videos for them. Don’t know if he’s got any allegiance to the Yankees, though.

by BobbyV_Incognito on Feb 9, 2010 8:32 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

His website actually says he's a life-long Yankees fan.

So, there’s that.

"He's definitely mixing it into his repertoire. That's French for 'repertoire' " - Keith Hernandez

by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright on Feb 9, 2010 10:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Whoops.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Feb 9, 2010 11:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Well, then there's another reason he can screw off.

Let the Yankees claim him. We don’t need any of those “I just root for NY teams” people. If you follow sports at all, you can’t have it both ways.

by BobbyV_Incognito on Feb 9, 2010 11:16 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Lowering the walls eh

you know who else can hit home runs better with a lower CF wall? Everyone else! I think if they were going to lower a wall anywhere it should have been in Wrights power alley and leave the CF wall alone. All this does is take away some of the pitcher friendliness of the park without giving the Mets any sort of distinct advantage.

by KeithsMoustache on Feb 9, 2010 1:30 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Applesauce

Very happy about lowering the walls. I don’t know why it’s in center, but it’s a start, and shows that the team isn’t stubborn about things of that nature, which can have an impact on how the team plays on the field.

I started thinking about that John Maine article, and then saw it was from Metsmerized. So, I concluded that whatever it said was wrong.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Feb 9, 2010 1:34 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

well to be accurate

the article linked above is from Fonzie Forever … and it disagrees with the Metsmerized article … so that means it’s right! awesome!

also, are you the same as BMF?

by Brian Mangan on Feb 9, 2010 3:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The rebuttal was from FF. The actual article, about how he needed to become a pitcher, and not a thrower, that I started reading, and then realized it was written by/for/from MM.

I’m not sure what that acronym stands for, so I’m going to say that I am not one and the same. Unless I have a second personality. I don’t think I do, though.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Feb 9, 2010 7:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Kobe Bryant supposedly grew up rooting for the Mets

If that means anything

by Syler on Feb 9, 2010 2:56 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Lowering the walls may actually HURT the Mets

Last season, the Mets were last in the league in HRs, both at home and on the road. If it had been easier to hit home runs at CitiField, the Mets would have had a few more HRs, but their opponents would have hit even more. In other words, until the Mets are above league average in number of HRs hit, making it easier to hit them will, on average, benefit their opponents more than the Mets. [Whether this costs games can only be known after the fact, due to the timing of when the HRs are hit.]

If you think not hitting enough HRs is a problem, GET PLAYERS WHO HIT MORE HOME RUNS.

I feel like I am being Captain Obvious saying this, but one assumes the Mets ownership thinks lowering the fences will help the team…

by erich10031 on Feb 9, 2010 3:52 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I agree with you 100% on this

if they were going to lower a wall, lower it specifically in Wrights power alley and then use it to your advantage, lowering center field so anybody can hit more out is stupid, especially in what is supposed to be a pitchers park.

by KeithsMoustache on Feb 9, 2010 3:59 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs