http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7597-2004Jun26.html

interesting article about how selig got miller park built and also about the expos. if the link doesn't work then it's in sunday's wash. post.

just goes to show that mets management has more or less no idea what they're doing when it comes to talent.

Matsui needs to be locked in a dark video room, strapped to a chair with his eyelids taped open clockwork orange-style, and forced to watch:

a) physics lessons, to be able to tell when someone has no chance of catching a fly ball
b) tape of zeile and timo's antics in the 2000 world series, to learn how NOT to run the bases
c) all 88 games in which elster did not make an error

I hate matsui.

well they're really only paying 1 mil since hidalgo is making 8, weathers was making 3, and houston kicked in 4. and his buyout is only 2 mil, so i don't think it's that bad a deal.

Just looked through my ticket stubs and noticed something amazing - since I've lived here, I've paid to go to nine Mets games at Shea (in 2002 I covered them and didn't have tickets), and they are 8-1, losing only to Randy Johnson last year in the back end of a doubleheader. Those games include the incredible post September 11th Piazza home run game, a Mo Vaughn 8th inning homer against the Yankees to win it on Sunday night baseball (at which Wayne Housie subsequently got a flat tire), and a walkoff shot by Piazza in extra innings against the Padres last year. This year alone, they are 3-0 and have outscored their opponents 19-6, with four of those runs coming off Braden Looper, who sucks. So bring me to games and pay for me. Thank you.

unless someone can convince me otherwise (ryan) i'm not down with the hidalgo trade, who hit .185 in june, .202 in april and no homers since april 13th. while no one appreciated seeing weathers fat face every day, still, he was there every day, our workhorse. plus we're paying half hidalgo's salary and plus the cost of not exercising his dumb option.
as saro says, karim garcia has now lost the right to pee where he pleases.

In case you hadn't noticed, Bonds is way ahead of his own OPS and OBP records, and in line for 3rd all time in SLG for a season.

1985 Draft:
1 B.J. Surhoff C Brewers U of North Carolina
2 Will Clark 1B Giants Mississippi State U
3 Bobby Witt RHP Rangers U of Oklahoma
4 Barry Larkin SS Reds U of Michigan
5 Kurt Brown C White Sox Glendora, CA
6 Barry Bonds OF Pirates Arizona State U

I guess things worked out pretty well for the Giants, anyway.

I think I like Don Baylor better than Walling as hitting coach. For whatever it's worth, the announcers sounded very excited about the work Baylor did with Matsui earlier in the day.

Here's an interesting stat from CameronSucksProspectus that shows how many times he's struck out with runners in scoring position:

85,000,000

My calculations show that they're correct.

I know it's in vogue to bash Mike Cameron, and I'm obviously disappointed in his performance, but here's an interesting stat from Baseball Prospectus showing how many extra base hits the Mariners and Mets OF are giving up (this may not format too well):

Mariners
opposing 2B+3B & as apx % of AB
2003 234 2.3%
2004 390* 6.8%*

Mets
opposing 2B+3B & as apx % of AB
2003 348 6.1%
2004 267* 4.4%*

* Projected over a full season

You gotta love this:

"At least for now, Mets officials are opposed to trading top prospects for a potential free agent like Beltran when they can sign him this offseason and lose only a draft pick. Then again, a former Mets employee says of owner Fred Wilpon, 'He's going to do something stupid. I can just feel it.'"

Next year, Ravi? Shit, I'll take it back right now.

I think Ryan has had 150-minute at-bats in stickball.