Colorado Rockies 1976

He was always way up there for me, but never my absolute "favorite". All-time it's John MacLean, and I'm not sure what would change that (Dano was up there too). After Mac it was Rafalski for a while, and then I'd have to say Parise for a stretch. Right now it's clearly Palms (not that I haven't made that one obvious), followed by Zajac. Zajac is just one of those players I root hard for to do well...I'd love to see the team make a nice playoff run while he's still here.

Yeah, Buckner did get a lot of hate for that one, and like you said, it was just ONE thing that helped to contribute to a series loss for the Red Sox...but there were a hell of a lot of others that had NOTHING to do with Buckner. But unfortunately he became the lightning rod everyone pointed to as to why the 1986 Red Sox lost the World Series.

Yep and that...ugh.

I'm not even so sure he was the best of his era...Hasek was a better puck-stopper, Roy was a bit more clutch (in spite of the fact that he was a bit of a loon and a little too tightly wound at time) and still had something left in the tank when he called it quits. I've always considered Marty among the best of all time though. I think those GOAT arguments are really hard to make definitively. As for Marty the person, in his book he does seem to acknowledge that he has some flaws and even called himself a model idiot at one point. I'm not saying that I can't see why some people don't find him to be some swell guy, but more that I'm surprised that even to this day, the full package is as polarizing as it seems to be, given everything. So many other franchises would've killed for a goalie like him...I'm not knocking our fanbase, but I guess I wonder if some others would have been more "forgiving"?

With Tebow, his stories usually straddle that very fine line of endearing and annoying...for me it's usually more annoying, mostly because for a guy who really hasn't been very good at the professional level in TWO sports, he gets way more attention and fanfare than he really deserves, and there's always too many moving parts when it comes to how he's handled. I fully get why a team like the Mets would take a flyer on him...he's obviously a genuinely good person (or sure as hell tries his very hardest to be one), and you know he'll give it his all on and off the field. He'll represent your franchise in an incredibly positive manner (multiply by a factor of 10 for anyone who's as devoutly religious as he is)...and of course, mostly importantly for the Mets, he'll sell minor-league tickets and plenty of #15 T-shirts and jerseys, regardless of where he's actually playing. But of course, then the "moving parts" factor comes into play. Tebow has flat-out gotten multiple promotions that he hasn't earned. in 2017 he put up a slash line of .193/.295/.307 (with 40K) over his last 36 GP in A ball...you could really make the argument that this "experiment" could have been ended right there, but nope, he moves right up to A+. Amazingly he got off to a good start there (.315/.400/.522 in his first 28 GP there, with a respectable 20 K), but it got plenty ugly after that...he slashed .169/.235/.234 over his final 33 GP in A+...so naturally, he gets promoted to AA to start 2018. Now of course, in spite of everything (and that kind of sums up Tebow as a pro athlete, really), he did enjoy an overall respectable year in AA (though his peripherals heavily suggest that his success there was flukey...he struck out 103 times in 298 PA, and put up a .417 BABIP), and sick as it may sound, the best thing that happened to him was his getting injured, because regression never got a chance to rear its ugly head...had he kept playing, his quicker-glance AA numbers would very likely have dropped...but since that didn't happen, onto AAA he goes. Now the guy who seemingly pulls endless miracles out of his ass seems to be fresh out of them. And what's funny is if the Mets demoted him (he won't enjoy the same level of success at AA that he did in 2018, count on it) or outright released him, his disciples (as they always do) would lose their collective sh!t...the problem with his fans is they are incapable of taking a forensic look at his numbers and results and strictly looking at his performance as an athlete. They'd be all over the Mets for not sticking with him longer. They'd jump up and down about how Tebow's a proven winner everywhere he goes, and how any minor league team should be thrilled to have him playing for them, and how he could absolutely make the majors someday if only someone would give him a fair chance (of course fully ignoring that the Mets have now given him almost TWO AND A HALF YEARS ACROSS MULTIPLE LEVELS OF THE MINOR LEAGUES, EVEN THOUGH HIS OVERALL NUMBERS ARE VERY LACKLUSTER AT BEST). And it's his disciples that make what could be an endearing story so much more annoying. Tebow should be cut. This really should be over now. And it won't be.

I agree with everything here...I never had a problem with Marty (even on the very rare occasions when I was frustrated with his play), or ever really thought of him as a "me me me" guy...I was acknowledging that there are Devils fans who feel that way about him though. He's really more polarizing than he should be, given the obvious (having an insanely long peak and plenty of hardware to go with it), even if he hung on too long.

In case you needed a clear sign that it's truly time for Tebow's AAA Fantasy Camp to end: http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/tim-tebow-struck-out-against-a-position-player-who-had-never-pitched-in-minors-before/ar-AAC3uUJ?li=BBnba9I&ocid=iehp

Got that jersey pamphlet with my last name on the back of the "jersey" too...I thought my daughter might think it was cool, but she actually didn't think much of it. She's more into bobbleheads, pucks, and all of the stuff in my basement. Re: Marty, yeah, for some reason there's a group of Devils fans who never really fully took to him...I think some thought he was a little too "me me me" (especially when it came to playing so many games), even though he always made his contract extensions pretty painless. I remember only being truly aggravated with him two times in particular throughout his career...in 2001, when he had some frustratingly meh stretches, and was so up and down during the playoffs...a couple of times out of just being pissed I started calling him "Mediocre Marty" that season. And his last season, some of his borderline delusional quotes were both impossible to take and defend (and for those who thought he was too "me me me", Marty really have them some ammo during his final Devils season). There were some that thought he could've stuck around as a backup, but I wanted no part of that. Sadly it simply felt like it was 110% time for him to go, even if it meant playing a handful of games for another team. Or saying "Michael J Fox was a-ight, but they should've stuck with Eric Stoltz..."

Ordinarily I'd take a 3-4 trip, but it feels like the Mets have to go at least 4-3. But at least this trip isn't already getting away from them in the early going. Good news is that Mets have actually been pretty good against the East in the first third of the season...18-13 against them to date. They're 5-3 vs the Marlins, 8-5 vs the Nats, 2-2 vs the Braves, and 3-3 against the Phils. Obviously they're really going to have to find some way to do well against the Braves and Phils...don't know if they have that in them, really. Would've been nice to have gone, say, 16-5 against the Marlins and Nats as opposed to 13-8, but the Mets are a heavily flawed team that's been beat up to boot. No one can really expect them to dominate against anyone. There's a tough 11-game road trip coming up near the end of June (no off-days)...3 against the Braves, 4 against the Cubbies, and 4 against the Phils. I'm guessing we'll know pretty conclusively by the end of that trip whether or not the whole idea of this Met team being an actual contender was a complete farce. I bring this up because if the Mets are under .500 at that point, no BS, no talk of fighting back in 2019...not that I trust Jeffy and his assistant GM BVW not to completely screw up the deadline and the weeks leading up to it, but at least start moving some bodies for some pieces...I don't need to see Wheeler pitch well in garbage time and then leave for nothing. I don't need to see the Mets play fairly well over the last two months just to struggle to 80 wins.

They really hung him out in that game...he gave up 5 goals in a 6:20 stretch in the third (6 goals total in that third period alone). Makes me think of that brutal game poor Blackwood was made to endure, against the Flames...I don't get on Hynes nearly as much as some people do, but that was one game where I kept thinking "Geez, will you just get him out of there already?!" Amazing how that one game really beat up Mac's save% and GAA...take that game out, and his save% with the big club goes from .918 to .927...and his GAA drops from 2.61 to 2.29. Truly a case of one horrific game tainting a relatively short sample. I could tolerate Valiquette more if he didn't have his face pressed up so hard against the window...the guy so badly wishes he was "one of them" (as in a memorable Ranger), and in the club, and he just isn't.

Oh this fvcking guy...my favorite Steve Valiquette NHL "moment": https://www.hockey-reference.com/boxscores/200902060DAL.html 10...count 'em, 10 goals against, heh heh. But hey, he did win a whopping 16 games at the NHL level. Must be some reason why he carries himself as though he's Ranger fvcking royalty. You could've taken a still shot of him at any time and he'd look just as douchey as he does in this pic. Hate that dude.

Pretty much where I am. Wouldn't surprise me that much if Kakko gets off to the quicker start, but yeah, I think Hughes will ultimately have the better career. Of course that will mean Ranger fans will be declaring victory at about the 25-game mark next year, but so be it. I'd expect nothing less.

About what we should’ve expected, really...against legit contenders, this is how the Mets will often look. And yeah, deGrom definitely doesn’t look like the 2018 version at all...or the guy who came flying out of the gate in his first two starts this year. The real irony is that as we all knew, the Mets were under no obligation to extend deGrom...and though they initially would’ve been labeled the cheap tone-deaf same ol’ Mets had they not given deGrom a new deal, the fact is people right now would’ve been lauding them for waiting, based on Jake’s season to date. What is just goes to show is that is truly feels like the Mets are destined to be screwed no matter what they do. Even when they actually go and do something that makes a hell of a lot of sense...they literally cannot fvcking win.

He’s been allowing more baserunners than one would expect...his numbers aren’t terrible by any stretch, but not that many Clean innings as of late. On one hand, the Mets did what they needed to (we ALL would’ve signed up for a 6-1 homestand), but yeah, it was far from awe-inspriring. I don’t see any magic coming, that’s for sure.

Nice MD2020...my father-in-law knew someone who had season tix on that side of the field, but much closer to the field....at Shea, he had front row (as in the field was only a few feet away), and at Citi, he was maybe 7-8 rows back. He'd just give us tix 1-3 times year for free. I haven't been to a game in about 4 years (getting in and out of that area can be such a nosebleed), but I think I may go to one this season...my daughter has no interest in baseball, but I'll probably go to a game with my best friend, and a couple of others. Wouldn't mind one of those 4:00 Saturday games...plenty of time to tailgate, and still getting out at not-too-late an hour. Of course the Wilpons fvck everything up initially and can't figure out how to do anything properly until people tell them, but Citi has come a long way since it opened. Shea still felt more home (in spite of the fact it clearly wasn't a particularly NICE ballpark), but at least Citi feels more like the Mets actually play there, as opposed to being some shrine to the fvcking Brooklyn Dodgers.

Nido with the GW HR. Would’ve been a killer had they lost...still obviously not in great shape, but they’re hanging on for the moment.

Cespedes officially out for the season...I’m sure he’s really crushed by that. Just be honest and admit you don’t want to play Yoenis. Not saying your injury isn’t legit...but congrats, you conned a cheap organization into playing big money (for them) for a guy who put on a good act. Well done.

Yeah I’m really sick of his act. Just fed up.

Not so easy is it Brodie? Because you clearly thought it was.

And of course the complete turd on the mount can’t cough up the lead fast enough.

Damn...the misfit toys are finding a way.

Well done Noah...a fvcking AL PITCHER is 2-for-2 against you tonight. Loser.

And so far this game is a blatant reminder about how hard it was to feel much excitement about sweeping the dead-in-the-water Nats. A blip. Nothing more.

Noah is a fvcking joke. Absolutely 100% overrated and simply mediocre. A gutless tease.

Think they hit 14 HR during the series. Yeah was a slaughter. Think Bobby Jones was one of the victims...god that guy was so hittable and ordinary. And yeah, he gave up four dingers in that start...he had somehow gotten off to a 12-3 start that season (with an ERA well under 2.50) before the bottom fell out...that start in Detroit was the second of a string of a bunch of bad starts that derailed his year (though overall 1997 would up being one of his better seasons).