FOUR POINTS FLUSHING.

Four Points Flushing. The Official Hotel of the Queens Baseball Convention and The MediaGoon.com

Tuesday, July 31, 2018

METS CLAIM INFIELDER JACK REINHEIMER OFF WAIVERS



FLUSHING, N.Y., July 31, 2018 – The New York Mets today announced they have claimed infielder Jack Reinheimer off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks and optioned him to Las Vegas (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League. Reinheimer was designated for assignment by Arizona on July 27. To make room on the 40-man roster for Reinheimer, outfielder Yoenis Céspedes has been transferred to the 60-Day Disabled List.

Reinheimer, 26, was batting .237 (45-190) with nine doubles, two triples, three home runs, 21 RBI and 26 runs scored in 50 games for Reno (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League. A versatile defender, Reinheimer appeared in 16 games at shortstop, 12 games at second base and 21 games at third base during his time with the Aces this season.

The Charlotte, N.C. native spent most of the 2017 season with Reno, hitting .278 (134-482) with 19 doubles, four home runs, 56 RBI, 87 runs scored, a .341 OBP and 12 stolen bases. He also appeared in two games for the Diamondbacks in 2017, making his major league debut on August 1 at the Cubs. In the two games with Arizona, Reinheimer went 0-5.

He was originally drafted by Seattle in the fifth round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of East Carolina University. On June 3, 2015, Reinheimer was acquired by Arizona along with catcher Wellington Castillo, righthanded pitcher Dominic Leone and outfielder Gabriel Guerrero in exchange for outfielder Mark Trumbo and lefthanded pitcher Vidal Nuño.

In 634 career minor league games, Reinheimer has hit .274 (668-2439) with 108 doubles, 20 triples, 19 home runs, 255 RBI, 116 steals and 366 runs scored. Over his six minor league seasons, he’s played 490 games at shortstop, 72 games at second base and 57 at third base. He was named a minor league midseason All-Star with Everett (A) of the Northwest League in 2013, Clinton (A) of the Midwest League in 2014 and Reno in 2016.

NBA signs with an official betting sponsor.



I wonder how fast the rest of the Professional leagues partner up. It’s going to be interesting in the future.
From ESPN.com

The NBA has become the first major U.S. sports league to sign an official betting sponsor.

On Tuesday, commissioner Adam Silver announced that the league struck a deal with MGM that will give the gaming company rights to use league highlights, names, logos and its direct data feed, as well as exclusively market itself as the official gaming partner of the NBA and WNBA.

Industry sources pegged the deal to be for three years and at least $25 million.

The pioneering move comes as no surprise since Silver has been the most progressive of all U.S. sports leaders in talking about how the NBA could interact in the gambling space.

The NBA believed that gaming partners should compensate the league for the commercial value of its intellectual property, and sources said that MGM did that in this deal.
Allowing use of league logos and team names on boards at MGM casinos is a first for a major American sports league. The logos and league highlights will also appear on an MGM sports betting app, which will be available to states that approve online sports betting. As of now, only Nevada offers legal mobile sports betting, but sports betting operators in New Jersey are expected to launch mobile apps at some point in August.
Read the whole story here

Mets Game Notes 7/31/18

Mets at the Trade deadline

The Trade deadline hits today at 4pm and who do we think will no longer be a Met after today? Wheeler? Matz? deGrom? Flores? Blevins? Who are the Mets going to get back? Will it be enough? Will they eat a contract to get a better player back? What if they don’t make a trade today and wait until they make waiver trades like last season when Bruce, Granderson, etc were moved?
What if, what if, what if?
Mets just make this team better. Whether it’s now with prospects for next season or during the offseason, just make it better.
I still think the Mets should ask Cespedes if he wants to get traded to the AL next season as. DH. I also wonder if any team will take him. And David Wright, please retire. Let that money come off the books and go to the team and hopefully they can use it to sing a healthy player.

Brooklyn Cyclones Bagel Jerseys





Monday, July 30, 2018

Brooklyn Cyclones: Clubhouse Manager and what the job entails



This is a pretty cool story about what a Minor League Clubhouse/Operations Manager deals with. Really cool that its about the Brooklyn Cyclones.
From realclearlife.com 
Colten fell into this career by chance. He had aspired to be a professional player, then quickly realized that he lacked the requisite talent. He knew only that he wanted to work in baseball, and that he wasn’t cut out to be a “sales guy,” when the Cyclones’ then-GM, a hometown acquaintance, offered him a hybrid grounds crew-stadium operations gig out of high school in 2009, which led to his getting the clubhouse manager position at just 21.After a year in that job he took a two-year detour up the Mets’ affiliate ladder that included work in clubhouse or equipment managing capacities for the high-single-A Savannah Sand Gnats (since relocated to Columbia, S.C. and rechristened the Fireflies) and the double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies (logo: a snarling pony in boxing gloves and a championship belt, standing upright and wielding a staff). As the Binghamton job drew to a close in 2016, the Cyclones’ head groundskeeper and head clubhouse manager jobs opened concurrently, and, after negotiations, Colten accepted them both. He knows of no equivalent arrangement anywhere else in professional baseball.As clubhouse manager, he functions as a self-described “mom” to the players. Many of them are fresh out of college, some are still in high school, and none are over the age of 25—but all of them are confronting some harsh realities about their future in the sport. In single-A short season, the number to remember is two—as in, two percent of players make it to the majors from here, effectively answering the question, what is the most likely endgame of a collegiate baseball career? “For the most part,” Colten says, “if you’re above the age of 23 or 24 in this league, your prospects aren’t looking great.”
While Colten says the players are “generally pretty good about checking their surroundings before they let out some aggression,” a close loss may end up with him dodging helmets in the locker room. But he has a strategy. “Because I’m running the clubhouse and the grounds crew,” he says, “I kinda guilt the guys into not doing stuff like that. Even if they do something, they instantly realize that I’m dealing with it.” Often, after these tempests have blown over, offending Cyclones return to help Colten clean up.
When he isn’t dealing with tempers, he’s dealing with temperatures. This day is a balmy 83 degrees—“ideal,” Colten says. “You’ve got nice weather, you’ve got a nice little breeze, you’ve got full sun, but it’s not strong sun,” he says. “This is pretty much what I want.” The worst game-day scenario for him is scattered thunderstorms, widespread and unpredictable storms that are harder to combat than the more concentrated isolated ones, and which are exacerbated by the park’s proximity to the water.
Read more here.

Mets Catchers and more Catchers.


From the NY POST
Mesoraco, an impending free agent who was acquired in the May 8 trade for Matt Harvey, knows if he is dealt before the Mets return to the field in Washington Tuesday night, he’d likely be joining a playoff contender, as Jeurys Familia and Asdrubal Cabrera recently did.
“I would be super excited to go to a team that is in playoff contention. No doubt about it,” Mesoraco told The Post following Sunday’s 1-0 win over the Pirates. “That’s the goal, to get to the playoffs, and win a lot of games. I’m not tied here through next year or anything like that, but I am very grateful to the Mets for taking a chance on me because that’s what they did.”
Read more here.

MG-I find it funny that this article comes out today. That he might be moved and hopes to go to a contender. Now let us look at the next article.



From the NY POST

Callaway was asked if Plawecki could eventually become a No. 1 catcher — Devin Mesoraco, with whom Plawecki is sharing catching duties is a free agent after the season.
“[Plawecki] has got all the potential,” Callaway said. “He can lay off the tough pitches and he’s got some pop. He’s got the ability to prepare well, I think Devin has really showed him the way in that regard and he’s a smart kid. There is no reason why he can’t be somebody’s No. 1.”
Read more here.
MG- Why else would you be talking about this in the papers? Who leaked about a potential deal from the team about a catcher? Come on guys... We can see you trying to put the writing on the wall...

DHAPShow: Episode 610 - "I Called Him Larry At One Point..."







I don't think my buddy Dennis Holden and his podcast get enough shine at times. He is great at what he does and the fact that he doesn't have more followers on twitter or that he isn't more well known irks me. Check out his stuff. DHAPSHOW.com

Brooklyn Cyclones: Legends of the Hidden Temple Jersey






Saturday, July 28, 2018

eBay:Game Used 1978 Butch Benton Jersey


1978 New York Mets professional model jersey . Rawlings size 42 Mets #15 jersey with "42 78 15" strip tag (Butch Benton wore #15 in 1978);

Game Used TATC KC Royals Lucas Duda Jersey and Cap

You guys know my obsession with all things Turn Ahead the Clock. I picked up this GU Duda Jersey and cap from the MLB auction. Btw, notice the cap protector they sent the hat in. Mets don’t do that.

Friday, July 27, 2018

Mets send Cabrera to the Phillies


From the NY Post

The Mets are shipping Asdrubal Cabrera to the Phillies, pending physicals, The Post’s Joel Sherman confirms.

The Mets are getting Double-A right-hander Franklyn Kilomé and the Phillies are taking the rest of Cabrera’s salary.
Read more here
MG- We all knew it was coming and I think a lot of folks were hoping that the Mets could have packaged him with Wheeler to somewhere for a decent return.

Mets game Notes 7/27/18



 ALLEGIANT AND MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ANNOUNCE MULTIYEAR NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP

Check out the San Diego Padres LOSING Ticket Plan


From Yahoo Sports
If the team keeps losing games you attend, you get a better bang for your buck. You could conceivably see 10 games before experiencing that fifth win, which would make a tickets a much more affordable $10 per game.
Fans could even try to plan out which games they attend based on whether they feel the team will lose. Maybe fans won’t go when the Padres play the Marlins, fearing the team will win. Instead, they’ll try to go when the Padres play the Dodgers, knowing there’s a better chance they’ll lose.
That’s a depressing way to look at fandom.
The team has actually hosted a similar promotion in the past, but it went month-to-month. By opening up the promotion for the rest of the season, the team is giving fans more games to attend.
Read more here. 


MG- This is very interesting. Could you imagine if the Mets did something like this? I can see some fans loving this idea, other fans cursing the Mets out for trying to make money on the team losing. It is definitely a different idea.

OABT: S2 E29: See Yo Later, Noah has a disease, Familia is gone, and more Mets talk




What a week. Darren Meenan and guest co-host Tim Reilly chat about the latest sad state of affairs in Mets land. Jeurys Familia has been traded, Yoenis Cespedes is having season ending surgery, Noah Syndergaard has hand, foot and mouth disease, Michael Conforto hits home runs whenever The 7 Line Army is there, live calls, and more. 

Part time T7L blogger and our go to trade deadline guy, Joe DeMayo calls in to give us his 2 cents on the latest rumblings around the Mets. Who's gonna be next out the door? He's thinking Wilmer Flores, Zack Wheeler, and Asdrubal Cabera are goners. Who else? 

Hosted by Darren Meenan, our episodes are usually taped live each Thursday at 6pm Eastern (it occasionally varies). We're a pretty visual show, so if you can, try to catch the live stream (or replay) on Facebook.com/The7Line or Twitter.com/The7Line. For now give a listen and if you're in to it, share with your friends, subscribe and leave a review.
Hit the entire archive on www.orangeandbluething.com






Thursday, July 26, 2018

Mets Game Notes 7/26/18

Cespedes: Revisionist history from Media 


From Bleacher Report
Cespedes inked a four-year, $110 million contract with the Mets prior to the 2017 campaign. At the time, it was a bold move by a franchise looking to reascend the October stage.
Today, it's an unmitigated albatross and a payroll fail that should spark a full-scale, everything-must-go sell-off.
The Mets won the NL pennant in 2015 and grabbed a wild-card berth in 2016. Backed by their stable of stud pitchers and an offense fronted by Cespedes, they were a rising force in the Senior Circuit.

Read more here
Guys, you all, AAAAAAAALLL told the Mets to resign him. You all said this what they had to do. Don't change your perspective now. I wanted them to keep Murphy.



2008 Shea Stadium Pitching Rubber

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Tampa Bay Rays twitter taking shots at Yankees Fan Jerseys


you can see the thread here.

From SI.com

Well, not a bull's-eye, but it might as well be.
During the contest between New York and Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field, the Rays Twitter account decided to play a game with the visiting fans.
For those who don't know, in addition to the famous pinstripes, one of the other most notable characteristics of Yankees jerseys is that there are no last names on the backs for the players.

Read more here.

MG- This is hilarious that the Rays twitter took this tactic. It's a pet peeve of jersey aficionados when they seem the names on the Yankees replica jerseys for sure.. BTW who tuck their jerseys in? I guess Yankees fans!

Cespedes to have surgery


FLUSHING, N.Y., July 25, 2018 – The New York Mets today announced that outfielder Yoenis Céspedes will undergo surgery to remove bone calcifications in both his right and left heels later this week. The surgery will be performed by Dr. Robert Anderson in Green Bay, WI. Céspedes is currently on the 10-Day Disabled List.



Céspedes complained of severe pain in both heels following Friday night’s game at Yankee Stadium. He underwent an MRI Monday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan along with seeing a foot specialist.  



Yesterday’s MRI and subsequent testing showed bone calcifications in both the right and left heels. The pain, as a result of the calcifications, has caused him to alter his gait in an attempt to manage the discomfort, which has resulted in stress and injury to other parts of his legs.



The consensus among the team doctors and specialists is that all conservative treatment options to manage the pain have been exhausted and that surgery is now recommended.



“This is something Yoenis has dealt with for a number of years and it was a matter of managing the pain with anti-inflammatories and preventative treatment,” Mets Senior Vice President and Assistant General Manager John Ricco said. “It has now progressed to the point that he felt he could not manage the pain despite all the measures taken to help him prepare to play.



“Yoenis did everything in his power to be on the field as he wants to play and be out there with his team. The health of Yoenis and his return to the field is our primary objective.”



“I have worked hard to manage the pain and fight through it, but it got worse and worse,” Céspedes said. “The doctors are confident nothing else but surgery can address this injury and allow me to return to full strength.”



# # #


Mets Game Notes 7/25/18

On eBay: Jay Bell orange Mets BP Jersey



OFFERED IS A WORN METS BATTING PRACTICE JERSEY WORN BY JAY BELL.  IT IS A SIZE 46 AND MADE OF HEAVY DOUBLE KNIT MATERIAL.  EVERYTHING SEWN ON.  THE JERSEY DOES HAVE A FEW PULLS ON THE KNIT FABRIC BUT THEY ARE BARELY NOTICEABLE AND ARE NOT TORN THROUGH THE MATERIAL.  RARE STYLE.  NO SHIPPING OUTSIDE THE U.S.

Mets Post Game Notes 7/24/18

Tuesday, July 24, 2018
San Diego Padres (42-62) vs. New York Mets (41-57)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB Padres 002000001 3602 Mets 30210000x 6906
Win: Zack Wheeler (4-6) Loss: Eric Lauer (5-7) Save: None Time: 2:31 Attendance: 21,925
Mets: New York is 9-9 in July...The Mets are 16-36 in their last 52 games.
• The Mets are 3-2 vs. the Padres this season and are 12-9 in their last 21 meetings at Citi Field.
• New York is 4-3 in their last seven home contests...Follows a stretch during which they won four of their previous 23 games at Citi Field. • The Mets scored six runs off southpaw Eric Lauer tonight, tied for their most off any lefthanded pitcher they have faced this season (also plated six runs off Jaime Garcia on May 15).

Zack Wheeler (7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R/2 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO): Won his second-straight start...Last won consecutive outings from August 15-20, 2014...The Mets have triumphed in each of his last three starts (last occurred from July 25-August 5, 2014).
• Retired the final 12 batters he faced.
• Has pitched at least 7.0 innings in five of his last six starts at Citi Field...Prior to his last six home starts, had completed 7.0 innings at Citi Field three times in his career.
• In his last eight starts at home, Wheeler has posted a 2.75 ERA (16 earned runs/52.1 innings)
• Over his last seven starts, Wheeler is 2-1 with a 3.35 ERA (17 earned runs/45.2 innings).

Michael Conforto (2-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R): In four games since the All-Star break, Conforto is 7-14 (.500) with one double, two homers, six RBI and five runs scored..Over his last eight games, Conforto is hitting .385 (10-26) with three homers.
• Has nine RBI in his last six games.
• Went 2-2 off lefthander Eric Lauer...Since June 16, Conforto is hitting .425 (17-40) off lefthanders...From the beginning of the season-June 15, Conforto was 9-54 vs. lefthanders (.167).

Amed Rosario (1-3, 3B, 2 R): Hit his sixth triple of the season and fourth in his last 10 games...His six triples are tied for the team lead with Brandon Nimmo.
• Since his major league debut on August 1, 2017, Rosario has 10 triples, tied for third-most in the majors in that time with Chris Taylor...Only the White Sox’ Yolmer Sanchez (11) and Arizona’s Ketel Marte (11) have more.
Jeff McNeil (1-1): Lined a pinch-hit single in the eighth inning for his first-career hit on the first pitch of his first MLB at-bat.
Padres: San Diego is 5-14 in July...Have lost eight of their last 10 games.
Manuel Margot (2-4, 2 R): Extended his hitting streak to six games with his single in the third inning...Is hitting .400 (8-20) with two dou- bles and a triple.
• More specifically against the Mets, Margot his hit in eight-straight games dating to July 24, 2017...Has hit .500 (17-34) with three doubles, three triples and two homers in those eight games, seven of which have been multi-hit efforts.
Wil Myers (2-4, 2B, 3 RBI): Drove in all three Padres runs tonight...Has reached base safely in 12 of his last 13 games, batting .327 (18-55) with 12 extra-base hits (five doubles, seven homers) and 15 RBI in that stretch.
Robert Stock (3.0 IP, 1 H, 5 SO): Pitched a career-best 3.0 shutout innings and fanned a career-high five batters...Entering today, had 3.2 innings pitched and six strikeouts in his career (five games).
Eric Lauer (4.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R/6 ER, 3 BB, 5 K): Has allowed 11 runs over his last two starts spanning 6.0 innings (16.50 ERA). • In the first two innings of his outings this season, Lauer owns a 6.88 ERA (26 earned runs/34.0 innings).
Upcoming Pitching vs. San Diego
Wed., July 25 LHP Clayton Richard (7-9, 4.82) vs. RHP Corey Oswalt (0-2, 5.64) 12:10 p.m. (SNY, WOR 710 AM, 104.3 FM HD, ESPN 1050 AM)

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Mets Roster Moves




FLUSHING, N.Y., July 24, 2018 – The New York Mets today announced that they have selected the contracts of infielder Jeff McNeil and infielder/outfielder Phillip Evans from Las Vegas (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League, placed outfielder Yoenis Céspedes on the 10-Day Disabled List and designated infielder/outfielder Ty Kelly for assignment. McNeil will wear #68 and Evans will wear #28. McNeil’s first appearance will be his major league debut.



McNeil, 26, was batting .342 (116-339) with 26 doubles, five triples, 19 home runs, 71 RBI, 72 runs scored, a .411 OBP, a 617 slugging percentage and a 1.028 OPS in 88 combined games between Binghamton (AA) of the Eastern League and Las Vegas. His 1.028 OPS was fifth-highest among all full-season minor league players while his .617 slugging percentage was third-best among full-season minor leaguers. His 71 RBI were 15th-most in the minors.



The California native began the season with Binghamton and hit .327 (70-214) with 16 doubles, 14 home runs and 43 RBI in 57 games for the Rumble Ponies. At the time of his promotion, McNeil ranked among the Eastern League leaders in home runs (14, second), RBI (43, sixth), average (.327, fifth), slugging percentage (.626, second), on-base percentage (.402, sixth), runs (49, second) and doubles (16, tied for sixth).



After being promoted to Las Vegas, McNeil hit .368 (46-125) with 10 doubles, two triples, five homers, 28 RBI and a 1.027 OPS in 31 games for the 51s. His run with Vegas included an 18-game hitting streak from June 18-July 6 during which he batted .421 (32-76) with 13 extra-base hits, 20 RBI and 15 runs scored. McNeil had hit safely in each of his last seven games with Vegas prior to his promotion and in 28 of 31 games overall with Vegas.



The 6-1, 195-pound McNeil was the Mets’ 12th-round pick in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of Long Beach State University.



In six minor league seasons, McNeil hit .311 (502-1513) with 94 doubles, 17 triples, 28 home runs, 203 RBI, a .380 OBP, a .443 slugging percentage and an .823 OPS.



Evans, 25, joins the Mets for a fourth time this season after making the club’s Opening Day roster out of Spring Training. He was with the Mets from Opening Day-April 5, May 16-22, and May 28-30. In seven games with the Mets this season, Evans is hitting .111 (1-9). In 26 career major league games, all with the Mets, Evans is hitting .262 (11-42).



In 62 games with Las Vegas this year, Evans was hitting .256 (56-219) with eight doubles, a career-best 14 home runs and 39 RBI. In 10 games this month, Evans hit .325 (13-40) with two home runs and nine RBI.



Céspedes is hitting .262 (37-141) with nine home runs, 29 RBI and 20 runs scored in 38 games for the Mets this season. Kelly appeared in nine games with the Mets this year and went 1-11.


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Mets Game Notes 7/24/18