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July 15, 2008 Around the Blogs Joe Janish

Good Guy Bad Guy

Around the Blogs at the All-Star Break

Andrew Vazzano over at ‘Ropolitans rants about the Sign Guys — in particular, “Bad Sign Guy” and “Good Sign Guy”. Also have to agree with Andrew on his opinion of the two bald guys who walk around the stadium in orange suits. There’s only one Cow-BellMan … all the rest are pretenders.

Personally, I miss the “original” sign guy, the one you always see on the old Mets highlight reels from 1969 and 1973, the one who held up the “Ya Gotta Believe” placard. I don’t *think* Andrew’s “Good Sign Guy” is that guy.

By the way I’d have no idea what a “placard” is if not for Casey Stengel (anyone else remember that vintage interview of Casey, talking about ” … children carrying placards and yelling ‘Metsie Metsie’ …” ?).

Speaking of good guys and bad guys, Joel Sherman says the Mets are no longer pursuing Raul Ibanez while USS Mariner is rooting for such a deal. You can decide for yourself who’s good, and who’s bad.

Dana Brand’s “All Star Break” post includes a fitting passage that may apply to many of us:

“The last nine games have altered everything. … What’s most fun is having what we had in ’73 and ’01: that sense, that although we were heading for the exits, we have to get back to our seats. We were, as you may remember, just about ready to turn our attention to the other things is our lives and worlds. Now the Mets are back, better than ever …”

Finally, “Coop” writes a lovely, moving tribute to Derek Jeter, in honor of the last All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium.

Meanwhile, please expect to continue to see some weird things here at MetsToday as I continue with technical upgrades.

Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
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  1. David W. July 15, 2008 at 12:28 pm
    The original sign man was Karl Eberhard, who passed away earlier this year. The one that sticks in my head most was “14-Carat Garrett.” I’m glad to see some new sign guys….
  2. Andrew Vazzano July 15, 2008 at 12:47 pm
    I don’t think we’re talking about the same sign guy either.

    Me being a mere 20 year old, the guy I remember most, and talk about, is out in right field in a the corner seat inside fair territory. The original was somewhere in the field level, I believe.

    Those bald guys are the worssssssssst. COW BELL MAN FOREVER!

    Thanks, Joe.
    -AV

  3. isuzudude July 15, 2008 at 2:38 pm
    Speaking of other blogs, I decided to check out philliesnation.com (reference http://www.philliesnation.com/archives/2008/07/at-the-half-looking-good-for-now/) to catch their reaction to the current state of affairs in the NL East and the Mets hot streak. Commenters’ opinions range from believing the Phillies are unbeatable to urging management to be sellers at the deadline. The author, though, is surprisingly optimistic for a guy whose favorite team hasn’t won any of 3 series against the Mets yet this year and is barely clinging to the division lead. If you want a good laugh, check out a few of his ridiculous reasons why he thinks the Phillies will outlast the Mets:
    1. “[The Mets] bullpen is in much worse shape [than the Phillies].” Um, I’d say the only reliable components of the Phillies bullpen are Lidge (= to Wagner), Romero (their only lefty), and Durbin, who will wind up in the rotation in short while with the way Eaton and Myers are pitching this season. Now with Heilman corrected, are there even ANY weaknesses in our bullpen? I’m certainly much more comfortable handing the ball to Joe Smith or Scott Schoeneweis than RJ Swindle or Joe Bisenius.
    2. “…the Phils are the most complete team in the division.” Forget the division…only looking head to head, the Mets hold the defensive and pitching edges. How so, then, are the Phillies the most complete team?
    3. “So how many pieces are the Phillies from being a top club? Probably three. One real solid starter; one good bat; one insurance reliever.” Ok, not only does this statement contradict his statement in #2, but is also pretty faulty in and of itself. They do need a solid starter, but AJ Burnett is probably the best available and I don’t know if the Phils have what it takes to win that sweepstakes. A good bat? I’m scratching my head wondering how a lineup with Rollins, Utley, Howard, Burrell, Victorino, Werth, Feliz, etc isn’t good enough to get it done. Also, what position would this “good bat” occupy? Earth to Phillies phans – there’s no DH in the NL. They do desperately need a reliever, though, and are likely to pay through the nose for one (see Brian Fuentes).

    Man, I hate the Phillies and their stupid fans. I’m hoping so hard we can return the favor of the 2007 collapse.

  4. sincekindergarten July 15, 2008 at 6:09 pm
    ID, Ken Rosenthal addressed the Phillthies’ desire for Burnett by noting that the Phillthies are one of the 15 teams in his no-trade clause.

    As long as they lose at least one of their starters, and a big name prospect, I hope they overpay for Greg Maddux.

  5. Coop July 16, 2008 at 4:21 pm
    Joe, I had no idea you gave me a shout out. thanks bud!!