Mets

[BBGiovanni]

Originally Posted by tejdog1

Steve Cohen is a Mets fan. He bought the team to win.

Yes, and Daniel Snyder bought the Redskins to win too. I'm Team Anybody But Jeff, but I'll wait to see what his idea of success is.

[Westheim]

Well, we had a chance to hang the Yanks with their first 8-game losing streak in 25 years. But you gotta land some hits for that...

[Westheim]

Going back to Thursday; hey Bru, any chance we can trade you Cano's dead contract for Jomboy??

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Well, we had a chance to hang the Yanks with their first 8-game losing streak in 25 years. But you gotta land some hits for that...

Yes, thanks for letting us win that last game. It seemed like nobody wanted to win it.

Originally Posted by Westheim

Going back to Thursday; hey Bru, any chance we can trade you Cano's dead contract for Jomboy??

If you'll take Stanton's dead contract, deal.

[Déjà Bru]

When talking about the Wilpon Era Mets, it’s best to take nothing for granted. Which is why we could understand another round of cautious optimism regarding Steve Cohen’s now-exclusive window to purchase the franchise.

Just look what happened a day earlier in Flushing. All the Mets had to do Thursday to take a unified, teamwide stand on racial injustice was not play that night’s game against the Marlins.

Stay home, see you tomorrow.

But as we’ve seen too often from this current ownership group, the most honorable of intentions end up getting twisted somehow, adding senseless obstacles where none need exist. Ultimately, it was the players — aided by general manager Brodie Van Wagenen’s pushback on his own boss, chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon — who made sure to do the right thing: a unique, powerful on-field tribute with the Marlins.

Even then, the Wilpons couldn’t just let the moment shine. Hours after the day’s narrative had shifted in the Mets’ favor, from Brodie’s hot-mic video to the perfectly executed Citi Field ceremony, both Fred and Jeff released joint statements that not only scolded Van Wagenen, but incorrectly spelled his name, “Brody.”

We bring this up again in light of Cohen’s winning bid for a few reasons. One, to be wary of the Wilpons finally completing the sale of a team they’ve had control of since buying out Nelson Doubleday Jr. in 2002. Their reluctance to ease that grip over a built-in five-year transition period is what led to Cohen backing out of his $2.6 billion purchase attempt earlier this year.

The good news? There is no such clause this time around. And for people familiar with Cohen’s business acumen — he’s now worth an estimated $13 billion — you can expect a far different vibe around the Mets than the circus atmosphere that tends to set up its Big Top in Flushing far too often.

The two adjectives that seem to come up the most about Cohen?

“Smart and competitive,” one friend said.

That’s a great baseline. As is ultra-wealthy, and the Mets, should this sale go through, will be piloted by the richest owner in Major League Baseball. This would be a total paradigm shift for the franchise, even beyond the pre-Madoff years when the Wilpons were consistently among the sport’s top bidders for free-agent talent.

But those days have been over for a while. And if Cohen can finally navigate through the Wilpons this time around, the last roadblock would be approval by 75 percent of MLB’s owners (23 out of 30). Back in December, Manfred sounded welcome to the idea of Cohen buying an 80% stake, at $2.6 billion, and it was impossible to imagine the other owners balking at a price that would significantly raise the value of their clubs.

[CBeisbol]

Cano - 5th home run

Currently hitting .370/.402/.617 for a 178 wRC+

[Westheim]

I hate Edwin Diaz more than words can say.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Westheim

I hate Edwin Diaz more than words can say.

Brooks "Rice" Kriske does not hate him. Who? Exactly. What is he doing in an major league game?

[Déjà Bru]

Well, well. Victory snatched from jaws.

Wait, Westheim. Let me distract you with this tidbit that I read this morning which made me think of you:

Did You Know?

In Germany, raccoons are known as “waschbär” or “waschbären” (literally, “wash-bear” or “washing bear”) due to their habit of washing their food in water before eating it.

[Déjà Bru]

I'll add this, which I was going to say whichever way the game went: I am starting to get used to this runner on second tiebreaker idea. Sure, I am always a traditionalist in this game but I can see how it may be good for the game given the criticisms it endures. Game length being one of them.

[Déjà Bru]

You know, seriously, better days are coming for you guys.

I am a firm believer that the single most important factor in producing consistent success in professional sports, over time, is team ownership. There must be some reason why some teams are consistently competitive and some consistently underachieve and it's NOT market size. The New York Knickerbockers attest to this mightily.

So hang in there; this guy Cohen, who seems to have the bucks and the inside track, may be what you have been waiting for. I will be watching with interest.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Well, well. Victory snatched from jaws.

Wait, Westheim. Let me distract you with this tidbit that I read this morning which made me think of you:

Did You Know?

In Germany, raccoons are known as “waschbär” or “waschbären” (literally, “wash-bear” or “washing bear”) due to their habit of washing their food in water before eating it.

But you knew I already knew that, right?

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

I'll add this, which I was going to say whichever way the game went: I am starting to get used to this runner on second tiebreaker idea. Sure, I am always a traditionalist in this game but I can see how it may be good for the game given the criticisms it endures. Game length being one of them.

No. It's fake. I don't like fake things.

The DH is also fake btw.

+++

And yes, I just unclenched my jaws from the top of my desk. I am in mild pain. That comes with being a Mets fan.

[BBGiovanni]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

In Germany, raccoons are known as “waschbär” or “waschbären” (literally, “wash-bear” or “washing bear”) due to their habit of washing their food in water before eating it.

It's exactly the same in Italian, "orsetto lavatore". Or "procione", which is a reference to their genus, procyon.


That washing is part of the reason we planted mint in our fountain; between the ravens and raccoons using it as a soup bowl and the local rats/mice drinking out of it, it was impossible to keep clean.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Westheim

But you knew I already knew that, right?

Yes, I had an inkling. I was desperate to take your mind off things (and get your teeth removed from your desk trim).

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by BBGiovanni

That washing is part of the reason we planted mint in our fountain; between the ravens and raccoons using it as a soup bowl and the local rats/mice drinking out of it, it was impossible to keep clean.

Paraphrasing the Geico commercial:

Raccoon: Whoa, this is awful, try it.
Raccoon: Oh no, that looks gross what is that?
Raccoon: You gotta try it, it’s terrible.
Raccoon: I don’t wanna try it if it’s terrible.
Raccoon: It’s like fragrant and minty fresh!
Raccoon: No thank you, I have a very sensitive palate.
Raccoon: Just try it!
Raccoon: Guys, I think we should hurry up.
Voiceover: If you taste something bad, you want someone else to try it. It’s what you do.
Raccoon: I can’t get the taste out of my mouth!
Voiceover: If you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to GEICO. It’s what you do.
Raccoon: Yuck! Mint, mint, mint.

[BBGiovanni]

Well, Gary may be scary, and Hicks might hit them to the sticks, but Diaz sucks.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Paraphrasing the Geico commercial:

Raccoon: Whoa, this is awful, try it.
Raccoon: Oh no, that looks gross what is that?
Raccoon: You gotta try it, it’s terrible.
Raccoon: I don’t wanna try it if it’s terrible.
Raccoon: It’s like fragrant and minty fresh!
Raccoon: No thank you, I have a very sensitive palate.
Raccoon: Just try it!
Raccoon: Guys, I think we should hurry up.
Voiceover: If you taste something bad, you want someone else to try it. It’s what you do.
Raccoon: I can’t get the taste out of my mouth!
Voiceover: If you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to GEICO. It’s what you do.
Raccoon: Yuck! Mint, mint, mint.

Fun fact: My Raccoons have not done food commercials in decades. They always gobble up the foodstuff well before the cameras are rolling.

Originally Posted by BBGiovanni

Well, Gary may be scary, and Hicks might hit them to the sticks, but Diaz sucks.

That he wears Jonny Toner's number drives me up the wall. (tries really hard to see a funny side...)

Result #39 when you google pics for Diaz, a man-sized vacuum cleaner:

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Well, well. Victory snatched from jaws.

Wait, Westheim. Let me distract you with this tidbit that I read this morning which made me think of you:

Did You Know?

In Germany, raccoons are known as “waschbär” or “waschbären” (literally, “wash-bear” or “washing bear”) due to their habit of washing their food in water before eating it.

Going back to this again; this is the nicest quality of German in my humble opinion, the ability to create new words out of thin air just by cramming existing words together as you see fit. Word order is usually from specific to general, but if in doubt, anything goes.

This is how you get words like "Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän" - the captain of one of the steamers operated by a shipping company on the River Danube. A thing of beauty - unlike the Mets.

You can have any sort of bear, too, much like with the Mets, who have Polar Bear and Sun Bear, and who knows who else. A decade and small change ago a wild bear wandered from Italy across the Alps into Bavaria and became that summer's main media sensation, while politicians were scrambling trying to navigate the thin line between letting the beast live as long as it ate only sheep and no children and giving in to demands of locals to shoot the bear.

And so the bear, named JJ1 by Italian officials, and Bruno by German media, became first a Problembär (a bear that is a problem), then a Störbär (a bear that causes disturbance), then a Schadbär (a bear that causes damages).

And finally a dead bear.

Mets are also dead if they lose to the Fish tonight.

[BBGiovanni]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Mets are also dead if they lose to the Fish tonight.

I can't ever actively root for the Metsies to lose, but honestly I'd rather they not be able to pretend they're "in this thing" to the point Bro-dy thinks he needs to trade prospects for a 5th outfielder or Kelly Johnson. And maybe if another outbreak happens, instead of playing 5,000 more doubleheaders and ruin Lugo and Jake they'd just cancel the rest, or if they happen too close to the end of the "season" they will just forget it.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Going back to this again

Good story with a bad ending. It's universal, so you should not think that I am insulting Bavarian officials but what kind of bureaucratic mindset could not find a better solution than extermination? Tranquilizer darts instead of live bullets? (This is one of the reasons why I like this thread; it deviates into interesting territory before always returning to the equally interesting story of Mets futility. )

Originally Posted by BBGiovanni

I can't ever actively root for the Metsies to lose, but honestly I'd rather they not be able to pretend they're "in this thing" to the point Bro-dy thinks he needs to trade prospects for a 5th outfielder or Kelly Johnson. And maybe if another outbreak happens, instead of playing 5,000 more doubleheaders and ruin Lugo and Jake they'd just cancel the rest, or if they happen too close to the end of the "season" they will just forget it.

I have to think that your GM is out on his rear end if and when Cohen takes over. Anything even remotely related to the Wilpons would need to be cleaned out in order to have a new beginning.