The Out Of Context quote of this week is brought to you by the letter T as in Trin:

Trin: i suggest also writing from the heart first
Trin: just vomit all over the cover letter

And this isn't the context, but it is similar to what I'm currently plotting; Did I tell any of you here on LJ that I emailed the Sports Legacy Institute with a general, hey I'm very interested in concussion research and stuff and are there any volunteer openings up and such? And I got an ACTUAL~! email~! from Chris Nowinski himself (saying no! but still~!)? If I didn't say that, I did now. And if I did say it, I think it bares repeating.

Anyway, I was kind of a bitch last night -- I sent a columnist from the Boston Herald a very cranky 5 AM email saying that even as a person who doesn't live in Boston, I know that the Herald is a pretty okay newspaper and that you should do some GODDAMNED FUCKING RESEARCH if you are going to be writing a baseball column. Jeff is NOT Jered Weaver. I mean it's one thing if a blog gets the two confused but this isn't a fucking blog. And then someone commented to the guy and said, hey that wasn't Jeff, that was Jared, so now the columinist still has it misspelt. I mean, come on. Even if I didn't stalk the Weaver brothers like I do, much like how I know there are two i's in Torii Hunter's name, it's just a thing, you know? Ugh.

Also, in regards to baseball, even though I think Amy is the only (other) one who would remember Phil Coke on my f-list -- but, caruso made a Phil Coke playlist that is AMAZING and just ugggh. Makes me shake my fist at Detroit for having him because he's so far away.

( Dontrelle Willis, Josh Beckett, and AJ Burnett walk into a bar -- and the bar burns down )


Anyway, that's where I stopped a couple days ago. Which is cool because yesterday AJ Burnett and Josh Beckett both pitched and were awesome. Beckett came back from his "injury" (both mental and shoulder/arm related I'm sure) and AJ just finally had a good game (because I didn't watch any baseball just to give him the extra cosmic boost yesterday -- the things I do for you AJ).


Instructor: Those people outside are crazy, wearing big ol' leather boots in this kind of heat!
Student: Maybe they're from Texas?
Instructor: Nah, they looked pretty American to me.

--Beauty School, 35th & 8th

Final baseball thing;

MLB.com has an article about how the Mets are failures. .. .... ...... in regards to never having a no-hitter, perfect game or anything else that would be awesome for a pitcher.

The topic in the Mets' clubhouse that day was no-hitters, a topic Mets pitchers discuss from time to time without firsthand knowledge of the phenomenon. It was in the summer of 2005 when Steve Trachsel recalled the six-man no-hitter the Astros had dropped on the Yankees two years earlier. "Is that allowed?" Trachsel asked. Then he answered his own rhetorical question. "Probably not; at least not for us. I don't think we are allowed."

[............]

The Mets, born seven years earlier, were guilty of a greater transgression, turning their backs on the patron saint of the no-no; they traded Nolan Ryan. "It's the Curse of Nolie," David Cone said in 1991 after he had flirted with a Mets no-hitter. "You can't trade that man and not expect some ramifications."

So, you may have heard that David Wright suffered a concussion this weekend after being beaned in the head with a ball. Usually this is where I have a link or photo link of some sort -- but, yeah. So far I've been good with not seeing it (my cable was out for 2 days) in anything but pictures and that's the way I want to keep it. Well, of course, you know that something like this would catch my attention. Not only because there are moments (fleeting moments) where I understand why so many girls fangirl over D. Wright -- but because of the concussion part. I was so worried for him, not because his brains have been permentaly damanged --- but because he plays for the mother fuckijng Mets - who as you've heard me bitch for a year and a half now -- constantly found new ways to fuck Ryan Church up after his concussion through such means as not shutting him down after getting two within a span of a week (not good) or putting him on a plane ..... to Colorado..... and then bitching when he gets so sick he pukes and is light headed. No shit.

So, with all that as context for those of you who weren't privy to my bitching .... let me tell you -- I almost threw my fist through the wall this morning while reading the morning paper during breakfast.

They didn’t put Wright on the DL. They didn’t call up a player to take his place. They did take on the Giants with 23 available men – Alex Cora was out with a hand injury – after their manager, Jerry Manuel, said he wanted to give Wright “every benefit of the doubt.”

The same benefit of the doubt the Mets gave Ryan Church last year while imperiling his career.

Manuel used a pregame news conference to give the not-so-dearly-departed Church some deferred parting gifts, and to remind his audience that “some people like to get back in there.”

The tone of the questioning by semi-incredulous reporters likely made its way upstairs, and voila, five hours later, the Mets dispatched Omar Minaya to announce Wright had been placed on the 15-day DL after team doctors conferred with a mystery specialist in a conversation that likely went like this:

Doctors: Do you think we should put our third baseman on the DL?

Specialist: You’re kidding me, right? Aren’t you guys watching the same SportsCenter highlights I’m watching?

The sight of Matt Cain’s fastball exploding against Wright’s helmet was the most disturbing Mets scene since Roger Clemens crashed his own vile heat against Mike Piazza’s skull. There should’ve been no delay here. No discussion. No debate.

The choice should’ve been clear the very second the diagnosis was in. Only it wasn’t.

“Let’s just say we take the route of the disabled list,” Manuel said before Sunday’s 3-2 victory, “which could be a safe route, but you have a guy that wants to get back at the plate.”

A guy like David Wright and, apparently, Jerry Manuel, who told of the time he was “hit in the head” and “knocked out” in Class AAA ball. “The whole thing with me was, ‘I’ve got to get back to the plate,’” Manuel said.

No, this conversation wasn’t heading for a happy ending. So with columnists loading up in the press box, aiming their laptops toward the easiest of targets, the story changed the way most Mets stories do.

A nervous Minaya appeared in the postgame interview room with two marching orders:

1) Keep it simple.

2) While keeping it simple, don’t even think of saying the words Adam Rubin.

Actually, Minaya was given a third play to run. He needed to emphasize that Wright was pressing to remain on the active roster, and that the Mets chose a player’s well-being over their own game-day designs.

“He really wants to be out there with the guys,” Minaya said, “and we decided to take it away from him….He tried to fight me. He said, ‘Come on, man, I want to play. Give me a chance.’…I said, ‘David, no, we’re not going to let you do that.’”

So the franchise was saving the face of the franchise from himself, a curveball on a fastball count. If the Mets don’t lead the league in anything else, they’re the reigning champions of rushing injured players out of the tub.

[.........]

The Mets are in dire need of outside medical opinions like the one they solicited from the specialist they refused to identify. In case the team needs a quick concussion refresher, it should check with the good people at the Mayo Clinic, who define such injuries as those that “temporarily interfere with the way your brain works. They can affect memory, judgment, reflexes, speech, balance and coordination.”

Every concussion, according to the Mayo Clinic, “no matter how mild, injures your brain.”

So David Wright -- team spokesman, clubhouse leader, All-Star third baseman – has an injured brain. Not a calf, or a quad, or an ankle, or a hamstring.

A brain.

The Mets apparently haven’t done much homework since Church injured his.

“I think when it was going on we talked about it,” Manuel said, “but in going forward we never had any session on what to look for or what might be different.”

All in all, Manuel showed bad form when he used his pregame forum to compare Church unfavorably to Wright. The manager said Wright “is made up a little different than, say, Ryan Church.”

If Manuel wasn’t trying to belittle Church, never one of his favorites, he had the funniest way of showing it.

“I would have to go back and say that, as [Church] was saying that he wanted to play,” Manuel said, “there was still some complaints about other things. Those other things are kind of what made it difficult.

“Some people can say, ‘I want to play, but I’m a little queasy.’ You can say, ‘Well, you don’t really, you can’t play.’…I think with Ryan there was always something thrown from left field – we needed to check that. And that made it somewhat difficult to evaluate that particular situation.”

Church could’ve performed better as a Met. But by treating his two concussions as mild head colds, putting him in the outfield and flying him all over creation, the Mets wronged Church far more than Church wronged them.

On Sunday, Wright was dealing with headaches and other post-concussion symptoms after his release from an overnight stay at the Hospital for Special Surgery. The Mets won a ballgame without him, then did the right thing by putting the last star standing on the DL.

Too bad their first instinct didn’t look as good in the box score.

The Ian O’Connor Show is every Sunday, 8-10 a.m., ESPN-AM 1050

My mother, who knows that I practice at the feet of the Tao Of Nowinski, had the response of: "Well, this is why you are a Yankees fan" when I was telling her all of this. Which, while comforting ... isn't really as helpful as one would think -- because I don't trust the Yankees to be that much better at something like this either (even though when Damon got his Yankees!concussion (different, thank god than the one he suffered as a Red Sox), the Yankees didn't pussy foot around and put him on the 15-day DL. Of course, that's assuming two weeks and a day is enough time to keep the swelling down enough).

In conclusion, I miss the days when I could make fun of Eric Lindros and not feel any consquences (which is not to say that I still don't -- because I do, it brings great joy to my black little heart -- but sometimes I do feel bad when I think about everything he's lost from his 15 concussions).

I dislike mocking online Mets fans. Why? Because I feel like the really stupid ones would be what my father would say if he could work the internet. However. I do enjoy mocking Yankees fans. Mainly because 90% of us are bitchy dumb, drunk assoholic fans. And the other 5% are snarky bitches who mock the other 95%, so the bitch factor is still there.

Anyway, this one is pretty damn bad. From the MLB fanhouse (the two Mets fans on my f-list would like the article though. It's very well done).

1111-14-2008 @ 2:16PM

fritz said...
Heilman is not a bad pitcher, when you are around garbage
you just become a garbage, Pedro Feliciano is not good
Schoeinweis another garbage, Smith samething, why Derek Jeter
is good because he has Alex rodriguez, Giambi, Petite,Mussina,
Mariano, who the Mets Have Reyes, Wright, Beltran, every times
the Mets Collapse they put the blame on reyes, Wright is not hitting
well with runners on base so are Beltran, Delgado, Mets should of try to bring Max Txeichira to NY young Powerful hitter with great glove, left field and right field are terrible, second base stinks
Castillo money wasted, think about all the money Omar Minaya has wasted, Julio Franco, Kelly Stinnett, Valentin, Moses Alou, Sandy Alomar Jr, Andre Galaraga, Jose Lima, Ryan Church, a lot more I cant even recalled, to me Omar Minaya is the worst ever GM
that still have a job even worst than Isaha Thomas, this is very sad for us the NY Mets fans Viva George Steinbrener the best Owner
in Baseball that cares about winning

Let's go through this.

Heilman is not a bad pitcher, when you are around garbage you just become a garbage
"a garbage" would be how I would seriously describe the bullpen, yes.

Schoeinweis another garbage, Smith samething
It might be the small soft spot (on the back of my babies head), but, I actually liked Schoeiweiss ("liked" because there's no way he's coming back). And Joe Smith is a baby. Not literally in the A-Rod sense, but, in the fact that he's very young and still needs time to grow and learn what he can and cannot pitch.

why Derek Jeter is good because he has Alex rodriguez

Wow. Woah. Back that train up. We all know I hate A-Rod and never give him credit when he does good things. But. He's only been on the team for a long 4 years. Those 4 years, Derek's been on a slight decline (okay, it's worse than "slight" but I love the man, leave me alone, I still defend Chuck Knoblauch), but, also, Derek's been a Yankee for 13 years. A-Rod's only been for 4. Do you see how "Derek is good because A-Rod is his right hand man" theory is fucked up? I mean, maybe this dude means Derek is good because he was compared to A-Rod and Nomar and Miguel Tejada in 1997, but, besides that, I don't know man. What the hell.

why Derek Jeter is good because he has Alex rodriguez, Giambi, Petite,Mussina, Mariano
Please see the above rant. A-Rod = Yankee in 2004. Giambi came to us either in 03 or 04. Moooooooose was an '01 steal and like Mo & Pettite are pitchers... which, what does that have to do with Derek as a shortstop?? (I can see it, but, I can't see it counting)

who the Mets Have Reyes, Wright, Beltran
I just want to state here and now, that while I might have problems with D. Wright, honestly, I get more annoyed with people claiming the Carlos' are the cornerstones of the Mets. Maybe the 02 Mets? Both men are old and not the same sorts of players they used to be (re: they are now old and shitty, but would really like you to come to Puerto Rico).

every times the Mets Collapse they put the blame on reyes, Wright is not hitting well with runners on base so are Beltran, Delgado
I agree! But, with better english, I would hope when I do agree.

Mets should of try to bring Max Txeichira to NY
......................... Max Txeichira? Wow. I love it.

left field and right field are terrible
Center field isn't the best either. Beltran's still got a good eye for the ball out there, but, he's not really the best at throwing them in (of course, compared to my love Johnny Damon, Beltan is Speedy)

think about all the money Omar Minaya has wasted, Julio Franco, Kelly Stinnett, Valentin, Moses Alou, Sandy Alomar Jr, Andre Galaraga, Jose Lima, Ryan Church
- Did this guy not get the memo? Julio Franco is leading the Latino Revolution now. Don't fuck with him. (Also, when he was healthy, it was pretty bad how much better the old guy was than some of the rookies. He's one of the few older players I wouldn't bitch that much about).
- Alomar Jr. is from a family of amazing catchers. If someone is going to know beisbol, it's going to be him. Shit man, it's not like Sandy was playing for the Mets this year (he was still trying last year and it was good to have him as a backup at the time), just an instructor
- I forgot The Big Cat even played with the Mets. Wow. Okay. Had this been 1995, it would've been okay to have Andre.
- Lima was shit (loved his hair though. But, he should've asked Metsui what happens to infielders with shitty hair). I never thought Valentin was good. Alou probably could've played another year, baring injuries, but, when you already have Julio Franco, that many old men will just make the clubhouse smell like Bengay.
- Ryan Church. Oh Ryan Church. How I hated you last year at this time and yet how I grew to love you (I think there is a Ryan Adams song in that. So many Ryan's in my life, so little room for spelling). But, Church had an amazing year. Before he got "teh concussions" and before the Mets and Omar and Willie and God and Jesus and everyone INCLUDING Ryan Church himself mishandled his concussions. So, he ended the year (with a pop-up fly) with a shitty average. But, I'm hopeful with the offseason off and not doing anything to fuck his head up anymore, he'll come back okay. I don't see him being a "waste" unless he suddenly ends up like my other favorite baseball player ever, and gets a sudden case of the yips from the trauma.

a lot more I cant even recalled, to me Omar Minaya is the worst ever GM
Seattle and a zillion other teams would beg to differ.

that still have a job even worst than Isaha Thomas
HA. HAAH. DO YOU HEAR THIS? Waaaaaaah Omar bought us a bunch of old broken down (latino, ohhh such a bad word!) baseball players~!! THATS SO MUCH WORSE THAN SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND CALLING WOMEN BITCHES AND COVERING UP TRYING TO KILL YOURSELF. zomgzzzzzzz

I can't even properly mock that without caps lock. Wow.

this is very sad for us the NY Mets fans Viva George Steinbrener the best Owner in Baseball that cares about winning
Listen, I straddle the fence between being a half Mets half Yankees fan like crazy. But. But. You honestly can't call yourself a Mets fan and then in the next breath, call Steinbrener the best owner in baseball. I'm a fucking Yankees fan and I don't even like George (or Hank and Hal is slightly more tolerable only because he's not constantly in the news being a douche). Wow.

Ahh. I feel good now that I've let that out. And now I can go to bed, because tomorrow is going to be a rough "let's go to NYC, in the rain, with an electric wheelchair, in subway stations that have power failures"~! sort of day.

So. Sure, I'm probably going to fail my midterm tomorrow because, yeah, I kinda got distracted looking for John Maine's brother. And sure, stuffity, FAILURE. But! I had to share this (with people who aren't my poor Rya):

I was looking stuff up through B.A.T. (Baseball Assistance Team)'s site. Pretty much they help former baseball players who might have fallen on bad times. I found out about this because of David Cone helping out former Met, Barry Lyons after Hurricane Katrina. Kind of like what Coach Mike Ditka is doing for football players (see paying attention to the news is important, ha), but, I think B.A.T. has slightly less empthasis on players being hurt because of baseball ... since, you know. It's sponsered through MLB, ha. But, as long as Dusty Baker isn't on the committee of people, it should be okay for the soon-to-be-broken pitchers.

Anyway, the history out of the way ... for more history? I think so! The official B.A.T. page: Advisory Board: Sandy Koufax.

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! hehheheh! The enigma lives, kinda like Bruce Wayne in a way. <3.

Okay, back to failing!

LOLOL. So. Now. As some of you know, I'm not a big fan of the fact that after sports stars win games, they dance around in alcohol and smoke cigars because I don't like either of those two things. But, I do love pictures of them doing so because a) alcohol is wet and b) cigars involve throats and I have a strange fascination with Shawn Green's adam's apple ...... throats.

Well, I guess hoity toity places don't like cigars either. Case in point: ( A tale of two David Wright & Jose Reyes pictures.  )

Also, for offspeed, Mets Rookies including baby!Vance Wilson and for me, baby!Jose Reyes, heh. Also, I don't remember who Jason Phillips is, but he's purty. And everyone knows Ty <3333.

Also, this website is freaking anti-semantic, because there are no picture/posters of Koufax!!!!!! ...Okay, I just wanted to see some hot old school pictures, leave me alone and let me be sad that it's not 1961 anymore =/

Patrik Elias & UNICEF pictures.