As Sure As Kilimanjaro Rises Like A Dickey Above the Serengeti Applesauce: Mets Warn Dickey About Mountain Climbing Risks, Dickey Will Do It Anyway, Sickels' Top 20 Prospects

by Steve Schreiber on Dec 28, 2011 8:01 AM EST in Applesauce

Meet the Mets

As R.A. Dickey continues to prepare for his mountain-climbing endeavor, the Mets decided to send a letter to the knuckleballer in order to try to dissuade him from scaling Mount Kilimanjaro next month. The letter basically stated that Dickey could have his contract voided should he get injured while hiking but it looks as if Dickey will go through with it despite that. At least he's climbing for a good cause, as it will help to raise money and awareness for the Bombay Teen Challenge, a campaign against human trafficking in Mumbai, India.

Over at Minor League Ball, John Sickels has released his Top 20 Mets Prospect list. While the farm system is still a ways away from being near the top of the league, the talent level has certainly taken a leap forward from where it was a few years ago.

Toby Hyde reached into the Mets minor league mailbag to answer some fan questions.

They may not have always been rosy (actually, far from it), but the Mets certainly made plenty of headlines in 2011.

Around the Majors

Despite reports that the A's will be given the okay to begin planning a move to San Jose, the team is remaining tight-lipped.

Jeff Passan took a look at the top five stories of the 2011 season. Number one on the list is pretty obvious and likely a night of baseball I'll remember for a very long time.

There are still plenty of relievers on the market, which means there will likely be some bargains. The Mets pen seems to be pretty full now and I assume at his age he'll probably be looking to hook on with a contender, but Darren Oliver would be a nice fit as the second lefty and long man and could end up as decent trade bait. Who would've thought he'd still be pitching this well after 2006?

You want more Hall of Fame debate? You've got it. Dave Cameron compares Alan Trammell to Robin Yount in an effort to show how career longevity can make or break a Cooperstown bid. And at NotGraphs, here are some other reasons, aside from potential steroid use, to not vote Jeff Bagwell into the Hall.

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I wonder who will play R.A.D.

In the Lifetime Original Movie, “Knuckle Up: A Story of Redemption”?

Proud to root for the Jets, Mets, and Islanders!!!
Twitter: cmauceri524
Bart Scott: "I’m sure now there will be something written about how the Jets are back, and we won’t listen to that either, because at the end of the day we know that you guys don’t know what the hell you’re talking about."

by CharlieIsles on Dec 28, 2011 8:05 AM EST reply actions

I vote for

A bearded Timothy Hutton.

Amazin Avenue News Guru
http://metropolitantales.com
@jeffpaternostro

by Jeffrey Paternostro on Dec 28, 2011 8:35 AM EST up reply actions

Me.

My interpretation of the Southern accented, literary wizard will involve a NJ accent and tons of cursing intertwined with semi coherent sentences.

I will model my acting like that of Tom Cruise in Valkyrie with complete disregard for authenticity.

I typed your symptoms into this thing up here and it says you could have network connectivity problems.

by TKFJ on Dec 28, 2011 8:56 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs

Clearly the man himself will

Will most likely be written, directed and produced by Dickey as well. I believe he will redefine the genre a la Orsen Wells.

Am I doing this right?

by brooklynberger on Dec 28, 2011 9:24 AM EST up reply actions

This

"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf. "

– Tug McGraw when asked about his preference for grass or astroturf

by Terry_is_God on Dec 28, 2011 4:39 PM EST up reply actions

A skinnier

Zach Galifianakis

Rey-sign Rey-ass
Logic Your Sense Makes None.

by JoeBighead on Dec 28, 2011 9:56 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs

The role of a lifetime

We need someone ruggedly masculine, yet with the nuance and subtlety required to capture RAD’s relaxed confidence and his Zenlike insight into all human consciousness and beyond.

Vincent Diesel?
Sir Jason Statham?
Chris Bale is a tempting thought, but none of these are hairy enough.

If George Peppard were still alive, I would insist on him.

Viggo Mortenson is my choice.

by hotspur on Dec 28, 2011 11:29 AM EST via mobile up reply actions

hugh jackman?

by brodeur hearts avery on Dec 28, 2011 12:58 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

Go Dickey

hey enjoy yourself. you have the means and ability to climb a mountain like that. go fo rit, be careful, awesome. I wish I had the time to train and take trips like that

Any task BIG or small, Do it well or not at all

by Rickfansince76 on Dec 28, 2011 9:29 AM EST reply actions

Nice job, Steve

I always wanted an Applesauce post that worked in a ridiculously overwrought Toto lyric.

On another note, does anyone understand why the San Francisco Giants would be up in arms over a team that already plays in the same media market potentially moving to yet another location in said media market, albeit slightly further away from downtown San Francisco? Are the Giants afraid of losing the tech zillionaire luxury suite market to a team a short jog from Palo Alto/Mountain View/Cupertino?

Mark Cuban for owner! Save us from the Wilpons!

by Greenpoint Ian on Dec 28, 2011 9:42 AM EST reply actions

Well

They have the territorial rights, so they can leverage it for money. So however outraged they actually are, they are going to act way more outraged so they get bribed to shut up.

Amazin Avenue News Guru
http://metropolitantales.com
@jeffpaternostro

by Jeffrey Paternostro on Dec 28, 2011 10:39 AM EST up reply actions

The Giants left the Polo Grounds

Without which the Dodgers would never have left Ebbets Field
Without which the Mets would never have come into being
Without which Fred Wilpon would never have become the owner of the Mets
Without which we would never have had to look at Jeff Wilpon’s stupid face
So f*ck the Giants.

by Ownbey4Mex on Dec 28, 2011 11:13 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs

Minor League System

Gives me hope, it sucks that alot of the good tools are in the lower minors but it’s still a big positive

ESPN, Mike Francesa, NY Post, NY Daily News, Fox Sports = Propaganda

by BlueChill on Dec 28, 2011 11:16 AM EST reply actions

Steve, when I read "Number one on the list is pretty obvious and likely a night of baseball I'll remember for a very long time."

My first thought was, ‘he must be talking about the night they got bin Laden’.

Game 162 never entered my mind. Less than three months later, and I’d already forgotten the drama with which the season ended, but the political act from much longer ago came to mind instantly. I guess the real world really is more important than baseball (to me).

Sad.

by Curtis3331 on Dec 28, 2011 12:33 PM EST reply actions