it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive

And we all know how well that has gone for the past 40 years.

David Wright Is Also the Mets’ Best Bowler
2/21/11 at 3:00 PM Comment

As if playing baseball in sunny Florida wasn't already enough fun, baseball clubs sometimes organize teamwide outings during spring training so that players can bond. Sometimes they shoot pool. Last year, the Yankees went to an arcade, where A.J. Burnett schooled his teammates at an Indy Car racing game. (Incidentally, this would prove to be the highlight of Burnett's 2010 season.) And yesterday, more than 40 Mets players and coaches went bowling. The star of the night? David Wright, whose impressive high game of 259 was tops on the team by some margin. The next best game? Mike Pelfrey, who rolled a 188. Said Wright to a reporter who suggested he must have been practicing all winter: "Pure athleticism."

an AJ Burnett burrrrrrrrrn in the middle of a "there is nothing to do in Port St. Lucie but bowl?" post? Everything about that is awesome, including Mr. 34 bowling 188.



Look! Jose has new tattoos, that ass <3.

( moar Mets and misc. other spring training pictures  )

So, the Mets got rid of Luis Castillo and Ollie Perez. Both of them were examples for (shitty) Mets fans of how horrible the former GM was in regards to paying people money in regards to their actual talents. Castillo would've been fine, except the Mets couldn't give him a paycut and too many Mets fans are racist assholes and would've still bitched that he was on the team. Ignoring of course that for a very long time the longest tenured Met prior to Omar as GM was; David Wright (fine), Jose Reyes (fine), and Steve god-fucking-damn Trachsel (but that was fine, all of his crappy years as a Met -- because he's white and thusly... awesome? maybe?)

Well, from the "Goodbye Ollie" article that I loved;

“You might know before,” Perez said. “But when they tell you, you don’t feel great. I think when you get fired anywhere, you feel sad. It’s not a good moment.
“But you have to be stronger. My life is not done.”
His voice cracked. The words trailed off. The end. After months of speculation — fans howling, the front office observing, Perez trying in vain to recapture his 92-mph fastball — it was over.
[......]

The fan base detested him. They jeered him on Opening Day last season. They mocked him when he walked in the final run of the 2010 season. They roared with delight on Saturday, when he surrendered a pair of homers in a relief appearance and sealed his fate with his own ineffectiveness.
“I think I can be better than that,” Perez said. “That’s why I don’t want to quit. I want to get better, for my family, and for me.”
It was 8:25 a.m. Perez thanked a group of reporters and headed for the clubhouse exit. The gray Camry idled in the players’ parking lot. Oliver Perez entered the passenger side and the car pulled away underneath a rising sun.
Inside the clubhouse, Reyes laughed. Niese thumbed his iPhone. David Wright sipped from a Styrofoam cup of coffee, grinning with R.A. Dickey about a clubhouse prank.
The game would carry on for those still capable of playing it.

And then let's talk about Jose Reyes some more because Lord knows I do not do enough of that once the actual season actually starts.

Reyes "surprised" by Castillo's release -- Here is Luis Castillo’s close friend Jose Reyes, speaking about the Mets decision to release Castillo today. The always ebullient Reyes was as sullen as I’ve seen him, speaking softly and looking at the ground:

"He’s a very good friend of mine. He’s close to me. When you see somebody go, it’s going to hurt. He was playing good. It’s not like he was playing terrible. I didn’t even have the chance to say goodbye.

I’m surprised a little bit, because he was playing good baseball. But I don’t make that decision. Everybody loves Castillo in the clubhouse. I’m very close to him, so it’s hard to see him go.

It’s going to be good for him probably. Last year was kind of difficult for him.

He just went home. He felt bad. I talked to him every single day. I go to his house and we talk about stuff. The energy level was kind of down, because of all the speculation about what was going to happen to him. It got in his head. I wanted to help him out, because it’s tough on the field when all that stuff is in your head."

Goddamned heartbreaking. But, luckily, Castillo got a minor league deal with Philly and already got to see a future The Dugout moment with Manny hitting (Little) Roy Oswalt in the neck with a hit.

The prospect of former teammate Luis Castillo playing for division rival Philadelphia made Jose Reyes chuckle Monday. "Crazy, right?" he said. "Same division, bro.

"Hopefully, they give Castillo an opportunity there. He can still play. If they give him the chance, he's going to do his job. I'm sure of that."

Even the light-hitting Castillo could get a power surge from Citizens Bank Park, a notorious hitters' park. "He might hit 30 home runs at that place," said Mike Pelfrey, clearly joking.

The Mets could face Castillo in the second series of the regular season in Philadelphia after opening up at Florida. Castillo could earn playing time as a replacement for the injured Chase Utley at second.

Reyes said he spoke to Castillo daily while Castillo was a Met. "I went to his house, he came to mine," Reyes said. "He had a lot of pressure on his head because he didn't know what's going to happen to him, if he's going to play too much or not. He (brought) that to the field, so it's tough to perform like that. In one way, I felt happy for him so he could find a job with another team and get some pressure off his back."

Love. <3.

And finally, concussions! Justin Morneau urges players to opt for safer helmet. Some of what he's saying is incorrect but I don't fucking care as long as he gets more information out to the players so that there is not another "My name is Ryan Church, I am going to get on an airplane after having two concussions in a week period -- and we are going to Colorado and WHY AM I PUKING SO MUCH -- OH GOD I AM DYING -- AND NOW I WILL BE OUT OF COMMISION FOR MONTHS INSTEAD OF WEEKS, ;.;" episode with the players. Because while that shit drives me closer and closer to Chris Nowinski -- it also drives me closer and closer to fucking madness.