Is Cano godfather to one of his kids? Because Hanley Ramirez is. That one didn’t work out so well.

I think the whole “they are buddies” thing is over stated. For starters, you really don’t know if that is true or not. It may just be the media seeing 2 guys from the DR being i nthe same place and joking around and running with a story. Jeter and Rodriguez used to be BFFs too.

Second, it’s 2012. You don’t need to be next door to a guy to hang out with him.

Reyes STILL has a recording studio in the Bronx..
Reyes STILL has the house in Long Island…

This is why the first few years are 10, 12, 16, before the contract goes up to 22 mil for the next 3 years…

If the Marlins eat 18 mil of that 66 mil remaining…the team acquiring Reyes would be paying him 16 mil per season for 3 years…

Given the fact that the Yankees have not drafted an all-star infielder in 18 years…have absolutely no SS prospects….and with a dry market for SS in the near future…they will have little choice but to trade for Reyes…

…now combine that with the fact that Reyes and Cano are good friends…well I can see them forming a pretty nice double-play combo in the Bronx…and as long as the Yanks are winning…their fans wont care too much about the handshakes…unlike the sorry ass met fans who bashed Reyes for smiling too much and Beltran for not smiling enough…

The issue is who should be shot…the messenger or the TEAM SOURCE who started it all?

I can’t blame the reporter for reporting what he was told by a team source.
Yes it’s much different than what Young did as Young was left to write his own OPINION piece regarding Seaver using all the tlking points provided to him by Grant.

The difference is in the fact that Rubin wasn’t writing an opinion piece or expressing himself.
Most writers today could never get away with what Young did unless they were the sports editor (which dick young was at the time of Seaver).

All he did was report what he was told and you can’t blame him for reporting that.

I blame the team source who was willing to put his opinion into the press without being named so he could deny it.

Which is what happens when you hire a bunch of Yes men who when they disagree are afraid to speak thier minds and just follow the other lemmings.

Lucas Duda Career .243 55 to 150 hr’s 343 obp in 4 TO 7 year career. Lucas is a mope and a head case. He is the Mike Pelfrey of batters. Talented but will never fullfil his promise…Duda will have one solid to good season where everyone goes see I told you and then he will collapse like a house of cards in a tornado.

Besides that, my query has more to do with saying one thing today and something entirely contradictory tomorrow, then posturing as if those words were never written. But, you’re right.
I might have misinterpreted. There might not be contradiction here if “Whisper Campaigns” are OK, perfectly legit, fair game, above board with this blog, and Adam Rubin is only guilty of being the messenger (no journalistic malfeasance there!!) then, if this is the case, I stand corrected.

Sandy again referred to players not going after the second pitch and his approach.

Actually, the game logs show the Mets were seeing a lot more curve balls early in the count and swinging through them.

In fact, Ike’s first half troubles seemed to be rooted in this and his change in mechanics. Even Keith Hernandez pointed this out.

The Mets second half offensive problems didn’t stem from any perceived plate discipline, but rather from lack of talent, especially pitch recognition (which might be an even bigger problem that the “approach” a lot of you invented).

“as Hudgins supposedly said, if your 1st pitch is the best one you get then swing at it, as Ike did; good for him.”

Except, when you go back and look at the logs, Ike wasn’t getting good hitting pitches early.

Besides, your claim here kind of negates your mythical “approach” doesn’t it?

First pitch hitting moves the game along.

So painting RA as greedy from no comment he made makes him dis-gruntled? Really?

The “Approach” doesn’t work regardless of what player buys into it when, as happened in 2nd half other team just started throwing 1st pitch strikes and most of the younger players buying into this found themselves in the hole and making easy outs; not Ike who figured, as Hudgins supposedly said, if your 1st pitch is the best one you get then swing at it, as Ike did; good for him.

I am still getting the feeling that this FO is not telling fans the whole story and are just putting out myths, gossip, 3rd party comments to make what players they might not want look bad so they get no criticism when they are moved.
I don’t trust this FO at all.

Lastly, RA deserves what he gets after his option year, because knuckle ball pitcher pitch for a long time plus he is a good fielder, great pick off move, keeps steals down and is a good bunter/hitter AND a great inspiration to his team mates.

Wagering whether accusations you make about me are true

and

Wagering on a baseball or football game.

I’m not here to create an online gambling site Alex. If I want to bet on a baseball or football game – I certainly do not need MMO to find an opponent.

My only desire to wager here is in the case of clearing my name from the accusations you throw around this site. Namely the one where you say 2 days ago I had something to do with you getting banned.

See that? That’s the difference.

The approach only works against Pitchers who can’t or won’t throw strikes or in games where the Ump has a Strikezone the sizeof a thimble.

Great vs Oliver perez not so good vs Cliff Lee who quickly gets you 0-2 and easily dispatched on the next pitch.

The batter can not force the Pitcher to do anything he doesn’t want to!
Taking pitches can’t FORCE him to throw strikes if he is already throwing them and you have let them go by…

The patient approach has NO EFFECT on the Pitcher…
Protecting the plate with 2 Strikes extends a plate appearance much better than any amount of taking or patience you can muster!
Because the focus is on looking for the strike and doing something with it, not waiting for the perfect hittable pitch that may never come. It’s the Pitcher’s job to NEVER GIVE YOU the pitch you like to hit!

And if he doesn’t this “APPROACH” fails miserably, does not extand a PA merely shortens it because your 0-2 and one pitch from being called out.

Glad to see that it appears to be both ya good guys starting to bury the hatchet – but does that agreement change with the point spread changing?

I expect the a fire sale this winter. I expect a payroll under 75 million in 2013. Including money sent to other teams.