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BMF Sez No Bonds or Sosa on Mets
BMF is sensing a surprising groundswell of support for what I’d call a bizarre move to sign either Barry Bonds or Sosa. This is pure nonsense and I can virtually guarantee you will never happen.
The answer to the Met ills is certainly NOT signing another half broken down old slugger. Nor do the Mets want any part of the circus that follows Bonds around. Although interestingly Bonds might be slightly less of a distraction than last year now that Roger the ‘Roider has taken most of the heat off him.
Slammin’ Sammy Sosa may be a little more athletic, and of course will always be Omar’s boy, but this is another ex-steroid clown who we don’t need soiling our uniform. Quite frankly I can’t see either Wilpon approving the signing of either of these two disgraces to the game.
Let’s just hold the fort right now. Pagan looks like he can at least fill in while Alou recovers and there’s good news around Church .
Saturday’s telecast saw Ryan Church scald a couple of balls to the right side which is VERY reassuring. He said here were still a few cobwebs up there, how could there not be when your brain is jarred loose, but I’ve regained confidence that the collision will not rob Ryan of his big chance to start in the majors.
Moises is making noise too. A day off hernia surgery and he’s already vowing to come back and declaring he’s gonna work harder than ever to do so.
That’s great, I’m happy to hear that Alou is on the warpath but we still need to find someone else to play the 80-100 games he’s unavailable for.
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The below has nothing whatsoever to do with baseball or the Mets but check out Jaguars defensive tackle John Henderson’s pre-game routine. Strikes me as something Ray Knight might’ve tried.
![[Buy the Go Big Pelf T-shirt]](images/BigPelf/BigPelf Tile.jpg "Buy the Go Big Pelf T-shirt")
Mojo Kitty rocks the batting helmet for luck!
March 9th, 2008 at 9:38 am
It’s amazing to the Lip that so much “yankee” has found its way into the Mets. I always pictured the Skanks getting a Bonds or Sosa. Now WE sign the big names for record settign prices and empty the farm of talent. I think Minaya has been follwoing the Yankees too much. he should have looed back furhter to see what BUILT tthe dyanasty - Bob Watson and Gene Michael. The again nobody talks about those guys - they only talk abut Cashman.
To be honest, w/out a cleanup hitter, we can’t win. Bonds OBP is sick - the Mets have already taken the genie out of th ebottle - maybe they just go for it. This is it for the Mets. They need to win it ALL this year. I think it’s disgraceful to be in this position. I’d love to see someone other than Bonds in there and if there is someone out there, let’s get him; but once again, the Mets will NOT win a WS wioth Beltran as the 4 hitter. they just will not. He needs to hit 3, 5, 6 or EIGHT not 4. The Mets need a big bat. It’s not good.
March 9th, 2008 at 10:05 am
What’s amazing is the Lip calling this organization the new yank-theze but as far as I know the only people talking about this are the talking-heads. Nobody on the Mets has even hinted at this. The Wilpon’s are old school, this will never happen.
Pretty much the same squad was one curve ball away from the WS in ‘06, 11 games up in Sept. last year and now we have the best pitcher in baseball BUT Lippy will not endorse his team. Sigh, so sad.
Is there something else going on your life Lip that makes you so untrusting? Are you a lover scorned? Did your parents say your dog went away to camp but you found him buried in the back yard? Talk to me, Let Me, Help You…, Let Me, Help You!
March 9th, 2008 at 10:23 am
Bonds and Sosa???? Can Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage be far behind??? Aat least Savage can back up Schneider and Castro
March 9th, 2008 at 11:07 am
From a baseball standpoint I’m not sure you can argue with the idea of signing Bonds, but it could turn out to be a PR fiasco if it comes to fruition, which it almost certainly will not.
Bonds is still a productive hitter in this league with the ability to hit around 30 HRs and get on base at a high rate. The question is: Is Barry Bonds worth the headache? My answer would be no.
March 9th, 2008 at 11:37 am
Please no Barry Bonds. There are more important things than winning. Such as dignity and self respect. Didn’t you all hate his guts for the last ten years? Didn’t we all call him Barroid? Now you’re going to root for him because he changed his shirt? Who’s next? Roger Clemens as a midseason shot in the arm?! Or should I say as a midseason shot in the butt?
Lip you are actually right about the Mets taking on some “Yankeeness” under Omar’s reign - his biggest moves have consisted of paying more for a player than anyone else was willing to pay. However you of all people shouldn’t complain about that as you exhibit the main trait of all Yankee fans by setting the only acceptable goal as winning the World Series. All that does is lead to the miserable existence under which the Yankee fan base has been operating for the past seven years. We all want to win the World Series but personally I’d like to enjoy the journey a bit just in case we don’t reach the final destination. Give me a competitive team that can make the postseason (barring epic collapses) year in and year out and I’ll take it day by day from there.
March 9th, 2008 at 11:58 am
Stunning how much support you see posted for the Bonds concept. Forget it. The only way people justify bringing Bonds in is to reel off his titanic numbers. But, this year you’ll be getting a post-juice Barry. What is that going to translate into, especially as far as injury?
The Pelfry implosion aside, there were some encouraging things to see yesterday: Church back on the field with a couple of rips, Damion Easley back with a HR, Endy Chavez back, Duaner Sanchez looking sharp, Schneider back on the field (with a wind-assisted HR).
Hey Lip, once you get past the absurd panic, complete irrationality and lack of knowledge of baseball and the English language, your posts are pretty good.
March 9th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
I guess I’ll be one of the few voices to say the Mets should sign Barry Bonds. You may not like my reasoning, but here goes:
1. I have never bashed Bonds for steroids/hgh more than any other player. I know he did it, but they all did it. Singling him out is a joke. And to say this would be the first season he’s off the juice and so therefore we don’t know what to expect is laughable.
I have bashed him for the lying, and will be happy if he goes to jail for that. But it won’t be this year, and it probably won’t happen at all, because the Feds have a much better case against Clemens, and the Feds like to keep their winning record intact.
2. Bonds has something to prove. He was the best before he took steroids, and now he wants to prove he can still play. There’s no doubt in my mind a 30 HRs, 90 RBIs, 100 Runs season will happen if he signs anywhere.
3. Bonds is a jerk. Bonds is an ass. But he’ll be coming to a new team that won’t cater to him. Plus, the media circus will be small compared to what it was, because he’s not chasing a HR record at this point. And since NY teams already deal with the media circus, it won’t be a whole lot different. Did the yankees suddenly struggle because Giambi and Sheffield were in the middle of the steroids/hgh scandal? Um, no.
4. Every team has jerks. If you want choir boys, enjoy a losing team. I don’t like it, but that’s the way it is because our society lets the inmates run the asylum in most cases, and coddles anybody that shows athletic prowess from the time they are in grade school.
NOW, some are worse than others, and Bonds appears to be one of them because he makes it impossible to like him with his surly demeanor to the media. But this guy wants a ring. Anybody notice how well Randy Moss behaved this year going to a contender with some solid leadership in the hopes of getting a ring? And believe me, I dislike Moss more than Bonds, because Bonds doesn’t dog it like Moss did when his teams stunk.
5. The Mets have spent money recently because it has made sense to spend money. The team was more yankee-like when they got Mo Vaughn and some of that crew, buying old has-beens. This time around, the management is spending big bucks, but on young superstar talent. There’s a big difference. In this case, adding a veteran part makes sense.
6. If it doesn’t work, they can always release him. It’s not like the team doesn’t have money to spend. It’s not like he’d be blocking all the youngsters that need playing time. If ‘Stings and Gomez were still around, I’d say ABSOLUTELY DO NOT SIGN BONDS! But they’re not, and FMart may or may not be ready and it can’t hurt him to get some more seasoning, so what’s the major drawback?
I know this view will be ridiculed, but that’s the way I feel.
LET’S GO METS!
SIGN BONDS!
THE ROTATION WILL CURE THE ILLS!
March 9th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
P.S. BMF will be on my talk show this Thursday at approximately 1030am ET as I do my NL East preview. We’ll discuss this and lots more. Tune in and enjoy at www.thereitisjake.com (Editor’s Note: That concludes the shameless plug for the day)
March 9th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
BlondiesJake -
I don’t think being unsure what to expect from a 44-year-old body that was already breaking down coming off the juice is laughable. If he managed to stay healthy, I don’t think his numbers would drop off the table, and I didn’t mean to imply that. I don’t think your argument should be ridiculed, I just think IrishMike is right on this. I think you’re being a little optimistic about Barry’s personality too.
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7891440/Bonds-isn’t-answer-for-what-ails-the-Mets
March 9th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
GF, I agree we don’t know what to expect, but where’s the downside in seeing if he comes back strong. Yes, post-juice he’s had some injuries, but even with that and an awful team where he got pitched around constantly, he went 26/77 in 2006 and 28/66 (HRs/RBIs).
As for his personality, my point is there are plenty of jerks in baseball, and I’m sure there are some on the Mets as they are currently constituted. But the only way you could sign him is if you laid down rules and had the team and the other leaders back them. If you do that, is it so hard to believe Bonds wouldn’t play nice for a shot at a ring like Moss did?
Regardless of what I believe, my main point is, why not take the chance because all he costs is money, not players or draft picks or anything else. If he sucks or is a problem, release him. There’s no salary cap, so the downside is minimal. It’s not like Bonds being around the clubhouse will suddenly turn David Wright into a total jerk. The risk is small, the reward could be huge.
March 9th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Irish Mike - I feel that if the Mets do not win the WS, they will never be legitimate in the eyes of the world. What happned the last 2 years was beyond imagination. I will still be a fan and so will everyoen here. My repeated calling for the crown is to wipe the egg off of our collective face. This is a long time coming. I’m with you on a competitive team and excitement. however, we all know the Mets are gunning for the gold. Everyone knows it. Most importantly, the other teams know it and it makes them want to beat the liing sh-t out of the Mets every time they take the field. Everyoen knows this except the squad that in my opinion, minus the pitching staff, Wright and Reyes - SUCKS. It leaves much to be desired. If Minanya thinks hs Johan trophy will do it and that are no other NEEDS (as he likes to say) which need addressing, I don’t know what. The lineup is a joke. The pitcher bats 5 times. The Mets are already the biggest joke in the workld of sports (maybe excepting the Knickerbockers) at least in the big market sports. Barry Bonds won;t make them mor eof a joke. He won;t hurt them - they’ve already hurt themsleves more than anyone else can. I’d sign him if there’s no one else out there who can hit for power, average, and most of all OBP. Oh wait a minute, isn’t this what we were sold in the fomr of one Carlos Beltran? What happened?
And giuseppe - what woould you do? You critique everyone else’s theories - I’m guessing you’ll be out oat the park wearing your In Omar I Trust t-shirt?
March 9th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
I think the downside is putting one of he worst people in sports in a Mets uniform even if he gives us the 30/90/100 you projected. That’s where I think IrishMike made the right argument.
You’re a west coast guy. Aren’t all the reports out of Giants’ camp indicating an incredibly relieved clubhouse?
Randy Moss walked into the locker room of a dynastic team lead by a HOF quarterback and HOF head coach with multiple rings. Not quite Shea in 2008.
March 9th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Lip -
Here’s what I would do: not panic on March 9th.
March 9th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
GF, I’m a New Yorker living on the west coast for the past two years. Yes, the clubhouse is relieved of the stress and strain of Bonds the past couple of years, but that’s because it was all about him and a record and steroids. Prior to that, it was all about Bonds carrying a team to the 7th game of the World Series and having a sick series and being the MVP until his bullpen blew it.
And the Giants fans LOVED HIM AND STILL LOVE HIM! What exactly is it about him that makes him, as you say, “one of the worst people in sports”? Is it steroids, because they all did it? Is it because he’s a jerk, like so many are? Is it because they catered to him, but that’s management’s mistake? Or is it something else (and I hate to put it out there, but you know what I’m talking about)?
And no, I’m not putting words in your mouth, I’m just asking the questions.
LET’S GO METS!
SIGN BONDS!
THE LIP AGREES WITH ME, I’M HAPPY AND TERRIFIED AT THE SAME TIME!
March 9th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
BlondiesJake -
Do you really want to debate whether Bonds is actually a bad guy? How about Roger Clemens? I think he’s one of the worst people in sports too. I don’t want him within a mile of the Mets roster either even though you could make an argument for him as the 5th starter similar to the one you’re making for Bonds in the OF.
The stress and strain Bonds brought to that clubhouse was not just about the HR record and the steroids the past couple of seasons. Those factors just increased the kind of nightmare presence he always was.
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/cs-080216-phil-rogers-barry-bonds,1,7773745.column
Here’s where we disagree: you think the ends justify the means, and I don’t. You’re also saying everybody did it, so that makes it okay. That’s the worst kind relativism. I’m not saying you need a roster full of choir boys (even though the Rockies have done pretty well using that as a strategy). At a minimum, let’s try to avoid employing arch villains with impending court dates.
As for your last question about it possibly being “something else,” I may be missing something obvious, but I don’t know what you’re talking about. Racism?
March 9th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
hahahaaaa! Barry Bonds in LF! ROTFLMAOWTTFME!!!!
please.
Unless by Bonds you mean Pagan.
March 9th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
GF, there’s no need to debate whether Bonds is a “bad guy”… we agree he is. There’s a big difference with him and Clemens, though.
Clemens was a bully and a mercenary his entire career, and doesn’t understand what the truth is, having never spoken it in his entire life Plus, he consistently came up small in the biggest spots. Bonds has always been a jerk, but played for only two teams, leaving the Pirates only because knowing they could only pay one guy, they chose to pay Andy Van Slyke big bucks and let Bonds go, and he went to where he grew up watching his Dad and godfather in SF.
Despite him being an arrogant prick, he played the game hard, well and drug-free by all acounts until baseball decided to let others pass him in stature by using steroids/hgh, so he joined in on it. Had baseball been policing everybody and Bonds still been considered the best in the game, it seems likely he wouldn’t have gone down the road he did.
That’s not to say it was ok, as you mentioned above with the relativism comment. He was jealous of Sosa and McGwire and others getting all the attention. But it does give a much different context to the conversation, no? And I don’t think it was ok, but he doesn’t deserve any more scorn than the next guy for doing what they all did. Punish them all or punish none.
Yes, the “something else” is a question about racism. Again, I was in no way, shape or form accusing you of that, but merely asking if why the perception of him is so much worse than McGwire and Sosa and others is due to more than just his surly attitude.
As for the end justifying the means, it’s naive to think there aren’t Mets players who are arrogant jerks and treat those in the media or below them as ballplayers or financially like crap. So it’s not like Bonds would be the first or only player like that. So you can’t say the Mets shouldn’t take Bonds if they accept similar attitude from others, because that’s hypocritical.
I accept that there are bad apples everywhere, or I wouldn’t be able to root for sports teams at all. In a bunch of cases, I stopped rooting for teams because of who they acquired… when the Knicks brought in Sprewell, I was done with them. When the Rangers added Lindros and others, I stopped paying attention to them as well.
I’ll leave you with another thought… ever hear anything bad about Michael Jordan? By all off-the-record accounts (and I’ve been part of the media for 15 years now) he’s a demanding, demeaning, arrogant SOB who is cheap, has made more money than he can ever use in 10 lifetimes, yet still allows his sneakers to be sold for obscene prices and knew that kids were killing one another for them way back when yet said nothing.
He refused to speak to any media members who said anything negative about him, and has essentially ignored an incredible platform afforded him through his athletic abilities. He forced out coaches and belittled teammates, and nobody said anything because he was so good.
Michael Jordan is cast as a hero, Bonds is cast as a villian. Are they so far apart?
March 9th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
The biggest difference in my mind is MJ has that million dollar smile and was more than happy to keep making millions and worked to keep his image as he wanted it, whereas Bonds has been trucculent with the media and you see a scowl all the time and he never cared whether he made millions more in endorsements.
March 9th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
I have heard some bad things about Jordan’s personality and conduct, especially during his stint with the Wizards. Let’s agree to disagree that there’s a huge difference between whatever arrogance MJ is guilty of and what Bonds is guilty of. Let’s also agree that Bonds’ motivation and decision to start juicing was tragic. That said, I think we’ve beaten this issue to death.
I thought John Maine looked awesome today.
March 9th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
Bonds has every right to be pissed at the world. He was made the scape goat while 60% of all players did what he did except they didn’t / don’t have 1/10 of his talent. It’s a shame. Bonds is the greatest offensive player to take the field in the last 70 years and maybe ever.
it’s not as though the Mets are squeaky clean, nor have they been. The truth is we just don;t know who juiced and who didn’t. I have su****ions which are based on perfermance decline’ but I don;t think we really wnat to know who did and who didn’t.
At this point, the Mets need a bat. they’re damned if they sign him and are damned if they don’t. what hig road can they take? Mota/ LoDuca? ScSc? I won’t say who else I think; but there are more.
It’s a dirty business and there are worse things than signing a guy who did roids. find me a power hitter who didn’t and I’ll be behind it 100%. It’s sad that Bonds shoulders the blame for this debacle.