At Least it's Not 2011 Anymore Applesauce: Resolutions for Better Spelling, Writing Like Joe Pos, and Learning to Love Kevin Millwood

by Jeffrey Paternostro on Jan 2, 2012 11:22 AM EST in Applesauce

Faith and Fear in Flushing welcomes us all to 2012. One of my resolutions for 2012 is to stop accidentally typing it as Fear and Faith in Flushing, like I do about 40% of the time.

Tom Tango talks about the worst closer in baseball history. Surprisingly it is not Braden Looper!

Joe Posnanski sets the pace for all sportswriters in 2012 with this piece on sportswriter FC Lane. I think I linked the original FanGraphs piece a while back, which was also awesome, but Pos of course takes it to another level.

The White Sox continued their half-assed rebuild by trading Carlos Quentin to the Padres for a couple of minor leaguers. Fangraphs tries to make sense of the trade, while John Sickels takes a look at the prospects the pale hose acquired. The Sox then moved Jason Frasor to the Blue Jays for a couple of live arms.

MLBTR takes a look at the current free agent market for starting pitching and tries to narrow down the one year deal candidates. It's not exactly a beauty pageant out there right now. I bet Chris Young will be back on a minor league deal, but I don't know that any of those other names really excite me. Maybe Kevin Millwood, but 'excite' is way too strong a word to be used for Kevin Millwood.

The Phillies get some positive ink for letting the NHL turn their stadium into a hockey rink. If only they would just leave it that way.

And finally, as we are only a week away from the 2012 Hall of Fame announcemnt, you can track the early returns on balloting here. Good news for Tim Raines, bad news for Bernie Williams.

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F.C. Lane

Wow. He’s like the Sabermetric version of Epicurus figuring out that all matter is made out of atoms about 2300 years ago.

Mark Cuban for owner! Save us from the Wilpons!

by Greenpoint Ian on Jan 2, 2012 11:49 AM EST reply actions

Jets = Mets: Discuss

Big free agent singings of older established stars — Plaxico, Holmes — who just disappeared.

Lots of money going to a few big stars, including a home grown “core” of Revis, Nick Mangold, D’Brickashaw Ferguson, and Mark Sanchez.

The rest of the team, however, is weak, with no pass rush from the line and weak ground game. They have little depth. They were actually lucky this year — no major injuries other than the loss of their safety Leonhard near the end of the season — and they just finished 8-8.

If this year for the Jets = 2007 for the Mets, it could be ugly. They might think they are a player away, but I’d say they need a running back, receiver, pass rusher, and linebacker. They don’t have the $ to meet all those needs through free agency.

by WT Economist on Jan 2, 2012 1:00 PM EST reply actions

I feel bad for Mets/Jets fans

As a Giants fan, I can at least know that as another soul-crushing Mets season comes to an end, at least football season has started, and while the Giants have kicked me in the junk on many occasions, I still have the 1990 and 2007 seasons and their associated magical runs to a Superbowl championship. When DeSean Jackson ran that touchdown back to end the Giants season last year, I went to my happy place and remembered Leonard Marshall sacking Joe Montana and Corey Webster intercepting Brett Favre and the like.

The Jets, on the other hand, are so eerily similar to the Mets: periods of comic futility mixed with periods of greatness that end just short of the ultimate goal mixed with periods of massive disappointment (like this season). I don’t know how Jets/Mets fans do it, short of spending thousands of dollars on psychotherapy.

Mark Cuban for owner! Save us from the Wilpons!

by Greenpoint Ian on Jan 2, 2012 2:48 PM EST up reply actions

I'm a Mets/Niners fan

So this whole year has been bizarre for a variety of reasons.

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

by Jeffrey Paternostro on Jan 2, 2012 3:24 PM EST up reply actions

Eh

The knicks will be good enough for me not to spend the whole winter moping and bitching about the Mets/Jets

"Let them be stud muffins"
-Tom Seaver
Proud Mets, Jets, Knicks, Islanders fan.

by piazza62 on Jan 2, 2012 3:46 PM EST up reply actions

I Guess to Be Consistent...

I’ll have to cheer for the Nets when they move to Brooklyn.

The history is similar. The rise to an early championship. Losing their greatest player (Julius Erving) for financial reasons. Throwing together good teams every now and then, none of whom win it all. Players will personal issues.

Finally, they were the hip young team in contrast with the team of traditionalists back when. But now that was decades ago, and the teams of the traditionalists are still the teams of the traditionalists, while the Mets, Jets and Nets aren’t that hip and young anymore.

But hey, perhaps they can at least be amusing.

by WT Economist on Jan 2, 2012 3:49 PM EST up reply actions

How do we Mets/Jets fans get through it?

One thing: Drugs. Massive amounts of drugs. And a good sense of humor. Two things, drugs and a good sense of humor and a profound appreciation for the absurd. Three things.

"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf. "

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

by Terry_is_God on Jan 2, 2012 4:26 PM EST up reply actions

"When DeSean Jackson..."

DO NOT NAME HE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED.

There is no hope.... there is no future....there is only BLUE WALLS.

The 2012 Mets: Fortune cookie says come back in 2015

by Syler on Jan 2, 2012 4:49 PM EST up reply actions

I thank you for your pity

At least I also like the Giants. I’m a Jets fan, so I’m more disappointed at their losing than the happy about the Giants making the playoffs, but at least I have something to look forward once the playoffs start.

by Evan_S on Jan 2, 2012 8:34 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

This

Ralph Kiner: You've gotta change the script, I don't like the script.
Gary Cohen: What's wrong with the script?
Ralph Kiner: Well the script should be the Mets win every day.

by StorkFan on Jan 2, 2012 9:37 PM EST up reply actions

it's been hell in the FX household

All are Mets fans……..Jr. is a Jets fan………older bro is a Giants fan

Mrs FX roots for all 3.

I am looking for a friendlier basement to live in

One day, this team is going to kill me.

by fxcarden on Jan 2, 2012 7:30 PM EST up reply actions

Sounds like

you need to replace “team” in your sig with “family.”

Ralph Kiner: You've gotta change the script, I don't like the script.
Gary Cohen: What's wrong with the script?
Ralph Kiner: Well the script should be the Mets win every day.

by StorkFan on Jan 2, 2012 9:39 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs

Yeah, I made this compariosn on GGN

One defense, you have Revis, Harris and Pouha who are great, top guys at their positions, and Cro who is good, and then a bunch of averageness. Scott isn’t that good anymore, the safeties suck, Pace is okay, Wilkerson was a rookie, and DeVito is a good run stopper, but a non factor in the pass rush. Oh, and that’s only ten guys because we don’t even have a capable fourth linebacker in a four linebacker system.

On offense, Mangold and Brick are excellent, Slauson and Moore are good, Hunter is sometimes okay, sometimes terrible. Keller is inconsistent, as are Plax and Santonio, Greene is not an every down back and Sanchez is average and wildly inconsistent. He’ll either look like he’s solid and making progress or he’ll be abysmal for stretches. I think Conner will be a good fullback.

They have a lot of wholes on that team and have been supported by their stars who have been some of the best in the NFL. But really, if you take away Revis, I doubt we win more than 5 games.

by Evan_S on Jan 2, 2012 8:33 PM EST up reply actions

As a Mets-Jets fan all I gotta say is Thank God for the Rangers

by graves9 on Jan 2, 2012 6:47 PM EST reply actions

thisthisthisthisthisthisthishisthisthisthisthisthisthisthisthisthisthisthisthisthisthisthisthisthisthisthisthisthisthisthis

p.s. Hank

by Shinjo Is God on Jan 2, 2012 8:24 PM EST up reply actions

ditto this

Hoping the Wilpons become the Will-pawns

by exbrooklynite on Jan 2, 2012 10:10 PM EST up reply actions

Only 58 for Bagwell?

That just seems wrong

Down 2 in the bottom of the ninth?
Lets Bring in Willie Harris!

by ShaqKazaam on Jan 2, 2012 8:49 PM EST reply actions

He definitely did steroids, so the morality clause forbids his entrance.

I of course mean that in the sense that he hit a bunch of homers and was really in great shape during a period when other guys used steroids, a substance that he has not been linked to, and one that was not explicitly against the rules. Here’s an article on the subject.

by Evan_S on Jan 2, 2012 9:49 PM EST up reply actions

Hall of Fame voting trends baffle me

Bernie Williams is not a Hall of Famer, but he should be a Hall of Very Good-er. From 1995-2002 (a period in which his team won 4 World Series and made the playoffs every year), he hit .321/.406/.531/.937(a 142 OPS+), and played a passable center field (though certainly undeserving of the 4 Gold Gloves he won). He was worth 40.6 rWAR during that 8 year stretch, an average of 5.1 WAR/season.

For comparison’s sake, St. Derek of Jeter hit .318/.390/.462/.853 (a 121 OPS+) during that same span (actually 1996-2003, since Jetes barely played in ‘95). Jeter also played a passable shortstop, and his rWAR was 38 (an average of 4.8). So, if you’ve been following along, Bernie was more valuable than Jeter during the most recent period of time when the Yankees were truly a dynasty. Jeter has longevity over Bernie, which is why Jetes is gonna cruise into the HOF and Bernie isn’t, but that’s not my point. Bernie doesn’t belong IN the Hall of Fame, but he certainly deserves to stay on the ballot for a few years. Then again, this is a ballot that didn’t even INCLUDE Edgardo Alfonzo, so what the hell do I know.

Also, if Jack Morris gets in over Bagwell/McGwire/et al, I might have to stop going to Cooperstown.

Time to update this: 2009 Did Not Happen. Neither did 2010. Or 2011. Sports suck.

by cjmulrain on Jan 3, 2012 5:52 AM EST reply actions