Ken Davidoff's baseball insider

Ken, I've never met Castillo. But from the way he acts on my TV, not diving for balls, not running out grounders I got the impression that he didn't care. Then after he had a monsther Game 1 vs. the Yanks he begged out of the lineup. Jerry Manuel seems to agree with me more than you since he has publicly said he doesn't plan on giving Castillo a chance to get his job back.

Now I know you dont think hustling wins or loses games, but Billy Wagner does. When the Mets won the Fox Game of the Week the Saturday before the All-Star break, he was asked why the Mets started winning. This is what Billy Wagner said, "The guys are playing with a lot more grit, their not just going through the motions, their playing with a lot more grit and we're playing hard."

Castillo is the anti-grit. Lastly, you say the Mets owe it to themselves to get something out of his contract. Do the Yankees owe it to themselves to get something out of Igawas contract?

Richie, I'm gonna write this for the last time, ever:

Not once have I said that hustling isn't important. It's very important.

BUT, it is not the most important component. Not even close. It comes after pitching, hitting and defense, for starters. There's a reason Andy Fox couldn't get a regular job. There's a reason your boy John Stearns was loathed by Joe Torre.

I agree with Billy, the Mets are hustling more this season, and it's helping. But the number one reason the Mets are playing better is improved starting pitching. The number two reason is Carlos Delgado awoke from his coma. The number three reason is Fernando Tatis' hitting (and his hustle helps). And so on.

So I'm going to ask you to please not mischaracterize my position. I never said that hustle is unimporatnt. I said that you overrated it - which you exemplified for me when you failed to come up with two instances in which hustle cost the Mets a game last year (whereas I could give you 30 instances where bad pitching hurt the Mets last year).

As for Igawa...he is in Year Two of his contract. AND he carried less of a body of work than did Castillo. For all of your rips of Castillo, the guy has accomplished a good amount in the major leagues.

Ken, I am going to say this for as many times as necasary. Stop saying I exemplified your point by failing to come up with two examples. I probably only watched one full 9-inning game last season, and that was the game I went to (Second to last game of season, where Maine almost threw a no-hitter). I never watch a full game anymore. I try to catch it later on in the game if I am not doing anything else. So of course I was going to fail! I had no chance to succeed. Now if you truly want me to succeed, I will gladly watch any tape you send me. So please send me all the tapes of the Mets losing from last year. Then I'll have a chance to succeed.

Also, I never once said hustling is the most important facet of baseball. Its my most important facet based on if I root for you or not. But I understand the Red Sox are better with a loafing Manny than a hustling Bay. Manny is just that much better. And of course the Mets are better off with Santan (who stood at the batters box when he hit a ball down the line causing a sure double into a single) then they would be with some other pitcher that hustles.

But you cant tell me you think hustling is important, when you dont think not hustling cost the Mets one game last season! How is it important if it doesn't win or lose you any games over the course of 162 games?? Frankly, just as important as Fernando Tatis bat has been the way he approaches the game. I'd love for you to ask his teammates about being rejuvinated by the way he plays the game, not just his results. And I'm curious if he always played the game this hard when he was with the Cards.

As for Castillo, I never said he hasn't accomplished any good. So has Pudge!!!! But that doesn't mean the Pudge trade was a good one, and that doesn't mean Castillo is a good fit for these Mets. Their own manager has basically said as much. The Mets have so much money invested into this season, they cant afford to toss any games away experimenting with Castillo. He hasn't accomplished much as a Met in 2008. Easly has.

As for Stearns, Torre wasn't God Torre back then. He was young and inexperienced. I'd love for you to talk to Stearns about it. Maybe he hated Torre because Torre didn't ask the Mets to try their hardest. Maybe Stearns wasn't the cancer but the cure and Torre didn't see it? Maybe Stearns thought the Mets would win more games if everyone gave their all every time out like he did? For as much as you publicly bring up the Stearns story, you owe him a chance to hear his side. Afterall, he's still in the game I believe.

RG - Now you are being ridiculous. Ken made many excellent points in his response to you. When I was a kid I made the point of thinking Mickey Rivers could beat out every ground ball if he only ran full speed. Of course, it was ridiculous and he probably would have been on the DL pretty quickly. It might appear the players aren't hustling, but I think it is pretty rare in actuality and in any case it isn't what cost the Mets. A lack of good pitching and timely hitting was the culprit.

John Stearns is a big bag of hot air. He often looked insane during the Bobby V. years, yelling like a madman from the dugout, often at umpires, frequently at opposing players and managers. The guy is somewhat of a nutcase. Ken shouldn't waste his time with Stearns. The Mets are fortunate to have him out of their employ.

The Castillo deal is terrible, but he is here and has successful MLB experience, something that Igawa lacks. The two cannot be compared. A better comparison would be Castillo and Farnsworth. Farnsworth was also horrible during his first 2 1/2 years and had a terrible contract. But, the Yankees stuck with him, determined to get something out of him. The Mets should do the same with LC.

Jim, check yourself. Ken made has taken quite a few liberties with my statements. I have no problem with him saying I overrate hustle. What I do have a problem with is him inferring that I think its more important than hitting, fielding, and pitching. I never once insinuated that.

OK, you dont like John Stearns. Neither does Torre. So that means that Ken shouldn't talk to him?? I'm not saying he journalistically should. If he rips Willie Randolph then yes, he journalistically should. This was in a comment section of a blog. But that doesn't mean he shouldn't reach out to him man to man.

And if hte Castillo deal is terrible, why make it worse?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? OK, we win more with Easly than Castillo. But we pay Castillo more. So lets bench Easly and play Castillo??? I'm sorry, maybe Bill James can teach me but I dont understand the logic. And yesterday I even heard Howie Rose say Jerry Manuel is a breath of fresh air because he's going to play the guy who deserves to play rather than the guy who makes more money. By all means lets bench Easly and play Castillo.

You have to know when to cut your losses.

As for Farnsworth, under that strategy then by all means the Yanks should have stuck with Tartabull, Irabu and Igawa. They should never give up on anyone because you never know when the player is going to turn it around.

And Jim, that also means the Mets should stick with Castillo all of next season too. All of next season! Throw two years away until he finally proves he is back to where he was when he was with the Twins.

RG - I think most players do hustle. I think the Mets didn't execute in 2007 and paid the price. Even if you are right that a lack of hustle cost them two games, what's to say that a lack of hustle by other teams didn't result in the Mets winning two other games they wouldn't have otherwise won?

Usually when a guy loafs, his teammates or coaches take care of it pretty quickly. I just don't think it's an issue and when it does occur it is usually due to the manager losing his team or a contract/money issue.

Because of the Castillo contract the Mets HAVE TO figure out a way to get some return. I wouldn't play him if he is hurting the team. I just wouldn't write him completely off.

The Yankees can never be compared to any other team with their ability to absorb horrible contracts. They didn't do it with Farnsworth because there was a need for a pitcher to fill the role he was in. Farnsworth has above average/nasty stuff. His problem is his head. I don't know enough about Castillo to say what his problem is. I just don't think the Mets should DFA the guy and he has no trade value unless the Mets pay the freight. So, they have to work with him. Plain and simple.

OK, Richie, fine. You don't think hustle is the most important issue. But you've written here that you'd rather have a team full of John Stearnses, Andy Foxes and Rex Hudlers than a team full of superstars. So my confusion is justified.

Re: the 2 games that hustle cost the Mets in '07, it sounds to me like the lesson learned is that you shouldn't sing it unless you can bring it. I'm not doing your homework for you. You're the one who accused me of gross incompetence. Perhaps you shouldn't have done that without being able to back it up.

Re: Stearns, I think he's managing in the minor leagues somewhere. Why do you think he can't get a big-league coaching job anywhere? As Jim said, it's common knowledge that he is a loose cannon. It's not like Joe Torre blackballed him. Come to grips with the reality that your childhood idol is far from perfect.

Re: Tatis, so you're telling me that Tatis' attitude is just as important as his .302/.348/.500? Really? You're gonna go with that?

Re: Castillo, Bill James would teach you the value of sample size. Luis Castillo has a large body of work. He entered the year coming off two surgeries and was clearly not at 100%. Perhaps his attitude was a problem, although it's quite a leap from there to you proclaiming that he "doesn't care." Damion Easley has performed well in reserve, but he's at .267/.317/.362 this year. Castillo, as awful as he has been this year, is at .261/.365/.331. He has an OPS+ of 88 compared to Easley's 81.

Re: You and me, congrats, Richie. You get my goat like no one else on this blog. Not even Dennis can come close. ;)

Ken, I get your goat because I do bring it. And how many times are you going to throw that gross incopmetance in my face? You should never have accepted my apology since you obviously dont. If you did, you'd stop bringing it up. Oh, and I never accused you of that either. I said you're not paying attention. That to me is a lot different and you took it in a way that I didn't intend for it to be taken. I've apologized at least six times for the misunderstanding and my wording. I apologize again, but please dont accept it since like I said, you dont.

Ken, your livelihood is baseball. Its your job. Its a hobby of mine. Doesn't mean I cant discuss it. As a matter of fact, with that attitude you sound like a lot like Boomer Essiason. He always talks about how Mike and the Mad Dog know nothing about football because they haven't played the game. You know I'm not a fan of those two but I'm also not a fan of Boomer saying they know nothing about the sport.

I wonder why Stearns is still employed by someone?? I mean if everyone hates the guy so much. And again, you have a major problem with inferring people's thoughts. When did I say Stearns was perfect?? When????? I said he hustled all the time. Thats it. I also said Torre could have been wrong.

Jim, I agree the Mets probably won some games because other teams didn't hustle. But that has nothing to do with the Mets not winning two games because they didn't. And last year, if you tell Gary Cohen, Keither Hernandez and Ron Darling if the Mets busted it as much as other teams, they'd laugh in your face.

Ken, your marriage to #'s is dissappointing. Stats are a usefull tool, but thats it. A very useful tool actually. But if you honestly think Fernando Tatis hasn't brought an energy that cant be quantified by #'s, you are missing it. Thats not saying you're stupid or that you're goofing off at work or that you're playing weboggle. Thats saying you're missing it.

You're not perfect either brother. But congrats, because it appears you have my goat as well.

And what I meant as I'd rather have a team full of Stearns and Foxes is that they would be easy people to root for. One of the reasons I'm not a fan of any team really is I cant root for the bums. Like Manny.
But if I was a GM I wouldn't rule with my heart. Though I wouldn't ignore it either.

RG, I just don't buy the statement "the Mets lost two games because they didn't hustle." I don't care what any announcer says to the contrary. I don't think it is true. Period.

John Stearns is an incredibly annoying guy. I wouldn't want to play for him and wouldn't want to coach like him. Just because he has a job means nothing. A lot of politicians are terrible, too, and they are still employed.

I can be a fan but I don't start acting like I know baseball from the inside or have any particular expertise. That's why I have reached out to Bob Tufts from time to time and frequently ask Ken for his professional analysis. He studies the game for a living, doing a tremendous amount of reading and talking to those covering all walks. He also attends more games than the rest of us. I read about the game for enjoyment and watch for fun.

You are making absolute statement that cannot be supported with facts.

We'll if we're going to devote today to John Stearns, my favorite John Stearns moments: (1) his chanting "the Monster is Ouf of the Cage" after Piazza had a big game; and (2) in the late 70's a fan ran on the field and the police were slow to get him -- Stearns ran out there and just leveled the guy. The rap on Stearns was that he had a "football player's menatality"; I now see that it is baseball code for psycho.

Good call Matt T.

Why didn't Bobby V take Stearns to Japan with him? I doubt his act would have played well there.

Hello, everybody! Sorry for being a little late to the party, not that I can stay long anyway.... :-(

So ... Dallas Buck and two players-to-be-named-later are all it took to acquire Dunn? (Naturally, it will be interesting to see the names of the other prospects.) I salute Josh Byrnes for the acquisition. And the Mets couldn't target the big guy before the deadline? Uy, uy, uy!

Hey, I forgot to add this little juicy morsel that highlights a Richard Justice posting on Cecil Cooper's recent resignation threat:

http://www.baseballmusings.com/archives/028339.php

Whadduya think, guys?

I think Cooper should keep his mouth shut and win more games. Why these guys think anyone cares what they say is beyond me. Just win games.

Ah, I see Heilman just melted down. The Mets just can't trust this guy. I wonder how many times Manuel will allow himself to get burned?

This one wasn't pretty at all, Jim, but just about everyone in the bullpen deserves blame for this loss. Smith, Feliciano, Heillman, and Schoenweis all disappointed.

You can't trust the Mets against under .500 teams. Today they have a 5-1 lead heading into the 7th ininng aginst a Pirates teams that stinks and they still lose 7-5 because the bullpen blew it. Heilman and Schoeneweis spit the bit and were the culpuits in the 9th ininng giving a combined 3 runs. The Mets have some games left with under .500 teams. But the way the Mets have play against under .500 teams the last 2 years, you can't
trust them.

I think the Mets bullpen stinks. The Yankees bullpen is superior IMHO. This was a really bad loss for the Mets.

JE, what is the food situation at the stadium in D.C. or in the immediate area surrounding it?

Jim so are you saying because I dont attend games like Ken and have never played in the big leagues that I know nothing about baseball?? If so join the club and tell everyone else on this blog the same thing.

OK so you dont buy the fact that hustling helps win baseball games. That's your peragative. I do. I think trying your hardest is the easiest way to help yourself win ballgames. All you have to do is be all you can be. I'd hate for you to be in a foxhole with me Jim.

And why haven't they arrested this psycho named John Stearns?!?!? How does GWB let this guy run amok in our country!!!

Fact is he's been retired for more than 20 years and still in the game. Somebody somewhere must think he's alright. I'm not saying he's God Torre, but 20 years is 20 years.

And I suggest if you dont want to hear anyone's opinions besides Bob's and Ken's, get their personal email. It will be easier on the rest of us!

Have a nice day. ;)

Jim how can you say the Yankees have a better bulpen than the Mets? You never played. Do you have season tickets to both teams???

See my point??
PS. And not for nothing...not to be rude but duh. Yes it was a bad loss, yes the Mets bullpen stinks and yes teams with Mariano Rivera tend to have better bullpens than teams that dont. Great insight.

The food inside the ballpark is fine but nothing grand. One of the most popular food kiosks is the legendary Ben's Chili Bowl out on the left-center field promenade.

I would recommend eating away from the stadium. Try Cantina Marina at 600 Water Street, SW. (The zip code is 20024, in case you use Mapquest.) A really good local hamburger joint is Five Guys on 1100 New Jersey Avenue, SE (20003). And if you want to have authentic Capitol Hill bar food (whatever the hell that means!), go to Hawk n' Dove at 329 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE (20003).

If you are not familiar with the streets on the House side of the Capitol, then ditch the car and just take the Green Line train to the Navy Yard station. (That's two stops south of L'Enfant Plaza and four away from Gallery Place-Chinatown.) Enter the stadium anywhere along South Capitol Street, as that is the third-base side.

Richie, I am not a baseball expert and neither are you. I don't pretend to be one. I am a fan. When I want a professional opinion I ask Bob Tufts. When I want analysis I ask Ken, who has made a career out of providing it. I thought I made this clear in my earlier posting.

You seem to hear only what you want to hear. No one is denying that hustling helps to win games. I just don't think a lack of it cost the Mets the pennant and you have never been able to come up with even one example to support your contention.

John Stearns looked angry every time I saw him in the dugout. I wouldn't want to play for him. I wouldn't want to act like him as a coach. I didn't say he belonged in prison or a psycho ward. It's great that he hustled, but in the major leagues you also need talent and must be able to execute to win. It's not high school.

I enjoy the exchanges between those that frequent this blog, including Dennis. I did communicate privately with Ken last fall about Joe Torre. I didn't want that to play out in public. I have met Ken at the BBWAA annual dinner and I respect him. In retrospect, I was too emotional in writing some of my Torre comments and I misinterpreted what Ken had been writing. In the end I agreed with him that the Yankees could have handled the divorce better by simply saying it was time for a change, instead of making him an offer they knew he would reject.

I'm glad we aren't together in a foxhole either. It takes skill to aim and fire a weapon and a level head to stay in one piece. A gung-ho attitude usually leads to mistakes.

Enjoy the game, Jim! Stay away from strange foxholes! Nitey-nite!

JE, consider yourself lucky. Russian planes aren't flying over your hotel - yet.

Yeah, at this rate, the bombers are likely to be overhead in a few short years. How pathetic.

Years? I was thinking days. Cheney was a lot stronger than Bush. It seems like he and McCain share a similar philosophy. I can't believe this isn't dominating the news. People really have no idea how dangerous it is to let the Russians get away with this.

I don't know how this possible war can get any airtime in America when CNN and Fox are wall-to-wall disecting John Edwards and the skank and MSNBC and NBC are wall-to-wall Olympics. Then there's the girl over in Orlando who no doubt killed her daughter.
I decided I was hungry and made the mistake of leaving the house after the mets batted in the bottom of the 8th today. I must have missed a doozy, but I did see the top of the 8th, so I can only imagine.

Jim...it also takes passion to be in a foxhole. And it also helps to have passion to play baseball.

I respect and like Ken too. Its obvious that I do becaue I frequent his blog first everytime and stay late. But he has a problem inferring my words instead of taking them at face value sometimes. And when he does I'm going to call him out everytime. Its not that I dont respect him when I do this, but its that I dont need anyone inferring what I'm saying. I think I'm pretty clear and say what I mean.

And no, I dont claim to be an expert in baseball. But I know the game.

Here's some examples of how hustling has changed the course of history in baseball.
Timo Perez?? Had he hustled the Mets may have won Game 1 instead of losing Game 1 of the 2000 World Series. Who knows how the season would have turned out.

Derek Jeter is standing where no shortstop has ever stood before. Why is he where he was to flip the ball to Posada? Just in case the throw was a little offline. It was. He hustled, Jeremy Giambi not so much. That was in 2001. Did the A's learn their lesson?? Nope!

How about the A's in 2003. A's up 2 games to 0 against the Red Sox ALDS. They're winning Game 3.
They twice didn't hustle from 3rd to home in the 5th or 6th inning and instead of taking a commanding lead in the game, they scored no runs and had two more outs. Had they hustled home, they surely would have won that game and swept the Red Sox. Instead Aaron Boome becomes a hero.

And though I'm certainly no expert...there's degrees of hustle that you dont see but do matter. Earlier this year Tatis hit a grounder to Jeter...Jeter looked up to see where Tatis was and booted the ball. Had Delgado or Castillo been running, Jeter may have looked the ball into his glove and thrown him out. But because he knew Tatis is a known hustler, he booted that ball. Now no one probably went to Tatis and mentioned this...but its true. Its not a reach. Anytime you put pressure on the defense in any sport, the defense is prone to make mistakes. Sean Avery had some clutch goals for the Rangers, but its his hustle they will miss most.

As for Stearns...have you ever met him? I have. And a couple of times. He's been nothing but a gentleman everytime I met the guy. He called me a liar and dind't believe he was my favorite player, so he has some form of modesty as well. I'm not saying he'd make a great manager. I have no idea. But I know I'd play for the Dude anytime.

And one last thing. I dont appreciate you blindly taking Ken's side. How bout you saying its ridiculous to keep inferring my feelings?? Ken's a great guy, but unlike Joe Torre, he's not perfect.

OK Ken, I'll be nice for the next few days.

Richie:

You really don't bring it. You are the king of making accusations you choose not to back up. That's why you get my goat.

You told me I "didn't pay attention" last year, for me to think that hustle didn't cost the Mets two games. It's my job to pay attention. So yes, as you know, I considered that a very serious accusation of gross incompetence. I don't consider it a leap, especially since you routinely accuse people here (Marvin Miller, Carlos Delgado, Luis Castillo) of very serious wrongdoings.

You apologized, and I accepted. But a) you still don't think you're wrong, as evidenced by your asking me to get game tapes and b) you're still making outrageous accusations you can't back up, like accusing Luis Castillo of not caring.

Of course your opinions are welcome here. It has nothing to do with how much baseball you watch. But you know by now that you're going to get called out on stuff.

I clearly don't mind having fierce debates here, but you gotta back it up. Everyone else does. You ask me to get you game tapes, and to talk to Howie Rose and Gary Cohen. I'm telling you to do your own work like everyone else does.

Obviously I'm not perfect. I crush myself every time I report something wrong, or make a bad prediction. But you better believe I'm going to call you out for some of the stuff you put in here.

Re: Stearns, I'm very comfortable relying on Joe Torre's character testimony. Torre has very few enemies out there. I think even Jim would agree with that.

Re: Tatis, I specifically said that his hustle was a nice attribute. But if he had only the hustle and couldn't hit, he'd be a distant memory by now.

All right, I'm ready to play nice, too, Richie. But every time you make accusations you can't back up, you will get called on it. You know that.

Ken, the injury bug has hit baseball big time. Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria are the DL for the Rays. Tim Wakefield is on the DL for the Red Sox. Joba is on the DL for the Yanks. Jose Contreras and CJ Wilson are out for the rest of the season. Michael Cuddyer gets hurt on a rehab assignment. Chris Carpenter left his start against the Cubs last night with a injury. Players got hurt left and right this week.
Sounds like the D'Backs put a claim on Adam Dunn when the Reds put Dunn on the wavier wire. Ken what's your take on the Dunn deal?

I like John Stearns. He was very attentive to the needs of a mutual friend who was having personal problems. He raided $ 2 million dollars in order to try to keep the Colorado baseball program alive.

I cannot vouch for his locker and dugout presence personally, however. He's' currently the AA manager in Harrisburg, PA for the Nationals, and is far more sane than the immortal Doug Rader.

As for grit, It's amazing how players hustle more and play the game hard and right when they are winning.

Richie G. you wrote: "And one last thing. I dont appreciate you blindly taking Ken's side."

I don't know whether to laugh out loud or to take umbragen with you taking me to task for exercising my right to agree with someone. Who are you to tell me who I choose to support and what I choose to say? You have a lot of nerve. You take yourself much too seriously. People that only hear themselves talk are operating at their own peril.

Richie G. you wrote: "How bout you saying its ridiculous to keep inferring my feelings??" There certainly is no need to infer anything when it comes to your opinion. You have staked out a claim but can't back it up with FACTS.

When it comes to Stearns I know what I saw with my own eyes and I know what I read about his antics. I think he was way over the top yelling and screaming at people from the dugout. I'm not even going to get into the other stuff.

I'm a pretty educated guy but I'm modest enough to know that I'm not THAT smart. I always listen to what others have to say. Isn't that a measure of maturity?
Why do you get so angry when someone disagrees with you?

Joe Torre got it right when he said that every current player should read Marvin Miller's book to understand what it took to get where they are today. Torre understood Miller's importance in the history of the game.

Gene Collier wrote a great article in The Sporting News issue of 9.5.94 titled A Unique Perspective. In the article Torre tells an insightful story about John Stearns. Here's the link: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_n10_v218/ai_15787362/pg_1?tag=artBody;col1

Bob T. - Thanks for the info. Interesting stuff.

Wow! Jim, that was an amazing find! You managed to both confirm Torre's contempt for Stearns and Stearns' ignorance of baseball's labor history in one fell swoop! If I did "Comment of the Week" like Best, you'd have just wrapped it up.

Oh, and thanks for taking my side and never challenging me on anything, Jim. Well, besides Torre, the Wilpons, Cashman and Selig. LOL.

Ken you do not accept my apology otherwise you wouldn't throw it in my face 10 or so times. And in my apology I never said my opinion was wrong. I said I was wrong for saying you didn't pay attention. So no, I dont think my opinion was wrong. My apology was pretty clear about that. I will no longer apologize for that remark. You took it in a way it wasn't meant to be taken. And you're still taking it that way. Its a shame you cant move on from it. But obviously you cant.

And give me a break Ken. Like I really wanted you to get game tapes. You're a freaking New Yorker. Take a sarcasm course.

Jim, you can blindly agree with Ken and agree with him twisting my words to mean something they dont. Unfortunately he's getting really good at it.

And though you take God Torre at his word, I really have to ask you Ken to stop bringing him calling Stearns a cancer up unless you have the stones to talk to him face to face. I know as a reporter I would. And I know as a man I would too. There's always two sides to every story. At least. I know when I worked at cardplayer magazine everyone hated me because I refused to lie and wanted to report the truth. I was the cancer. And I'm proud to be that cancer. My current and former co-workers love me. But at cardplayer I would be considered John Stearns.

As for Carlos Delgado, I'm not going to reveal my source that says he takes losing very well. You shouldn't ask me to. And its funny how the current Mets manager backs me up with Castillo. And so does probably 99.99% of Mets fans not named Jim.

As for you Jim, you need to chill. Your great insight of Mariano Rivera is better than Aaron Heillman would be missed if you ever left.

And I have to agree with Bob Tufts. He said, "As for grit, It's amazing how players hustle more and play the game hard and right when they are winning." I couldn't agree with that more. I think winning makes you play harder yet playing harder makes you win more. Maybe its the chicken and the egg...

Richie if you really believe that I blindly agree on Ken with everything you haven't been paying attention. Ken and I mix it up plenty good. But, we also aren't above nodding to each other from time to time when the other makes a good point that undermines the other's position.

No one is more "chilled out" than I am this summer. Why are you "inferring" what I said about the Yankee BULLPEN being better than the Mets? Who said anything about Rivera? Again, you aren't paying attention.

I'm not a Mets fan so you can leave me out of the .01 percent that doesn't agree with you. But, in any case, I have never had a problem standing up for what I believe in, even I'm the only one in the room standing.

But, in the interest of this blog, I am done commenting on what you say. I don't want this space to lose the good people who come here to share their ideas and opinions who help educate me every day.

I also want to publicly thank JE for sending me two tickets to next Sunday's game at Nationals Park in Washington, DC. It is very generous of him and I appreciate it very much.

Richie, I originally brought up Stearns to you to exemplify to you that hustle wasn't the be-all, end-all that you perceived it to be. During Stearns' prime, his manager loathed him. I apologize for using the word "cancer" but I stand by my greater point, that no player is defined primarily by his "hustle." You can't cite Jerry Manuel to back you up on Castillo and then dismiss Torre on Stearns. You can't have it both ways.

And speaking of Manuel, find me the quote in which Manuel said that Castillo doesn't care.

I am entitled to make whatever inferences I want to make, Richie. And considering the shots you take here at people, perhaps you should contemplate your words for another moment before hitting "send."

I like you, Richie, I really do. I think you are funny and passionate. But you make more outrageous statements than pretty much everyone else combined on this blog. You can't expect to get away with those without scrutiny - and without people inferring it differently than you implied it. It's called "Intent vs. Impact."

hustle - to play a game or sport in an alert aggressive manner

Can we go back and whale on Boiwe Kuhn again?

Did Ken ever meet or interview Bowie? I just read a book that included a chapter on Bowie talking about religion. He was a very religious guy, believe it or not.

Bob, I was a Vida Blue fan as a kid. You played with him later on. What kind of guy was he? What kind of teammate?

I never met Bowie, Jim. And yes, Bob, maybe you missed it - I apologized for urging you to move on and opened the gates wide open for Bowie bashing. LOL.

I'm over Bowie, but happy we can talk about it if we want. I just don't see the need to get nasty or insulting with anyone here. This blog is quite unique in the industry in so far as people take time to express their thoughts instead of descending into the gutter. I appreciate that and I know that others do, too.

Ken you love to infer. You're the Infer King. Well infer this. My words should be taken as they are.

When in the world did I say John Stearns was a better player than Babe Ruth?? I said hustle would have bought the Mets at least two games. I think 60 home runs by Endy Chavez would have brought the Mets more than two games. So yes, power hitting players that never run out a ball like Barry Bonds are better and more important to a team than John Stearns is. But if Melky Cabrera played as "hard" as Barry Bonds, I doubt he'd be in the bigs.

Ken I like you too. But sometimes you are very child like. You whine about bad predictions and pout. You brag about getting something right. Its endearing, but its also child like.

Ken, there is an expression. Actions speak louder than words. So yes, if I did my homework and broke into the Mets lockeroom and asked Castillo if he cared, I bet he'd say of course he does! But the fact that he routinely takes plays off proves to me that he doesn't care as much as Easley. And you know what??? Castillo dont gots the #'s that big ol' Barry does to do that. That's why he doesn't automatically get his starting job back.

If I feel like it I'll try to google some quotes on what Manuel feels about Castillo. But his actions of benching Castillo despite his contract tends to validate my point, that Manuel doesn't think he's very good and that he doesn't try as hard as Easley.

Oh and as for that great article that proves what a jerk Stearns is and how he was a clubhouse cancer...well maybe if the author learned to spell Garner right (instead of Gamer) and the greatest player ever Marvin Muller then I'd take him a little more seriously!

Saw the BK comment, Ken - I thought changing the subject was wise at the moment.

Jim - Vida was an odd character, he was funny and outgoing but in an unusual way. I believe he was mentally destroyed by quick fame and salary battles with Charlie Finley. I don't know which led more to his drug and alcohol problems. Before he was traded by the Giants, Frank Robinson sat with Vida in the bullpen during battging practice and had some heart to heart conversations about Vida's behavior and attitude before the trade that sent us both to KC.

"My words should be taken as they are," you write, Richie.

OK:

1) Marvin MIller doesn't like baseball.
2) Luis Castillo doesn't care.
3) I didn't pay attention to the 2007 Mets.

Good enough for you?

And you're HUGE on having things "validate" your point, when you can't directly validate your point. You accuse Castillo of not caring - a very strong accusation - and the fact that Manuel might not play him full-time validates your point.

I agree, I am child-like. I always bring up things I've written in the past, good and bad. I'd rather be accused of that than of writing stuff and not taking accountability for it.

Richie G, you just don't know when to stop and the further you go the less sense you are making. It's nice that you admire Stearns so much but why are you so angry when others don't have the same opinion? Ken gave you the stats on Castillo v. Easley. The stats don't lie. I wonder if you hate Castillo because of his contract? I know you don't like the players and resent them for making so much money and you don't like the union for what they've done to advance player rights and compensation. Why all the name calling? This is Ken's blog. He doesn't even get paid for it. Show some respect. We are all fortunate he is even taking the time to do it.

Thanks for the info and insight Bob. I thought Vida was going to win 30 games in 1971. He turned 59 two weeks ago. Hard to believe. He won 209 games - more than people realize. His career ERA (3.27), WHIP (1.223) and shutout total (37) are all impressive.

There you go again Ken. Unfortunately, I have a new found disrespect for you. I respected you a lot more before this last line. Did I write anything else before and after the Marvin Miller and Osama Bin Laden are similar?? Did I??? Do you miss other lines when you quote baseball players??

And since I publicly apologized, can you at least admit publicly that you will never let it go and do not accept my apology.

I know you like me to do my own homework, but do you have a link or the thread that the Marvin Miller line was?

As we discussed, Richie, the "well-paid slave" line was voiced by Curt Flood, an eminently respected former player. You decided that comparing owners to slave-owners was like comparing Marvin MIller to Osama bin Laden. And then Bob gave you the dictionary definition of "slavery" and wanted to know why you were comparing Marvin Miller to someone who had killed many of Bob's friends.

I guess I'll publicly admit that I don't accept your apology, if you'd like. I did accept it. I didn't mean I had forgotten what you said.

Sorry to hear that you have a newfound disrespect for you. Given your widespread hatred of players, their representatives, the owners, too (since you always emphasize that you're not a pro-owner guy), I think I'm in some pretty good company.

Ken, at the very bottom is what I actually wrote. Not just the one line that you put in. Context is kinda important in your job. Do you agree with that?

And hate. You keep saying I hate the players. I do hate. But I hate Osama Bin Laden. I hate a few people that have wronged me and my family.
I dont hate Marvin Miller. I never said I hated him. And I never said I hated you. Please send me the link to where I said I hate you. Or did you infer again?

And I dont have Websters dictionary, but my definition of accepting an apology is not throwing it at my face every time it suits your needs. I'm sure Bob will come up with the accurate definition that will benefit Curt Flood (Joking Bob). But do you see where it would be annoying to have to publicly apologize for the same thing because you keep bringing it back up everytime?? Do you??

And my newfound disrespect for you is because you decided to take a quote from one line and feed it to your readers as the only line I said. Its like the time Rodman said Larry Bird was overrated because he was white. Then when the reporters came to Isiah Thomas locker he laughed and sarcastically repeated the line. In the newspapers Thomas got killed. Because they somehow forgot to put that laugh in. The radio report proved Isiah didn't really mean those words that came out of his mouth. Just like you know I really wasn't comparing the two. But since it fit your needs, you left it out. Classless. And surprising. I'm the one owed an apology for that. Lets see if you're man enough to give it. And smart enough to realize you were wrong to do it.

And Billy Wagner actually complained about a reporter doing a similar thing last week. As a former reporter, I never would have done that. And no, I'm not inferring it was you, but now I know you cant be ruled out. Which is sad.
Below is what was actually said by me.

But do you really think the players were actual slaves back in the day?? I'm pretty sure they could up and walk away to another profession.

If you and others keep referring to the players as slaves, I will from now on refer to Marvin Miller as Osama Bin Laden. Osama changed the way airport security acts forever.

Comparing the players to slaves is just as assinine and insensitive an anology as the one I just made.

Jim I do know when to stop. When Ken apologizes for his classless attempt to say I compare Marvin Miller to the worlds biggest terrorist, I will stop.

But the thing with Stearns is, I'm not upset that we dont share the same opinion. And I admit I was frustrated with you inferring my words, so I started over-exagerrating with you. I really didn't think you wanted GWB to arrest Stearns. So I apologize for that. But I dont apologize for telling you to stop inferring what I say. I'm pretty clear. Sometimes I use sarcasm, so when I do that, realize I'm being sarcastic.

Here's what my take on John Stearns is. He played the game the right way. He played it hard. He played it like a man. He played it like it should be played. He was good. He wasn't Johnny Bench. He wasn't Babe Ruth. He wasn't Carlton Fisk. But I wish all my current teammates played hockey the way Stearns played baseball.

I wasn't in the clubhouse and neither were you or Ken. Joe Torre was a young and inexperienced manager on some horrible Mets teams. Maybe he has bad memories and didn't realize that Stearns was the solution and not the cancer. Maybe Stearns stirred up too many problems in the clubhouse. Its possible. But I dont know, and I'd like his take on it. I know if I ripped him as many times as Ken has, I'd have at least tried to find out his side. But that's just how I roll. As a reporter, and as a man.

Now you can infer that anyway you want to. You can infer that to mean that I think he was better than Mike Piazza since I didn't include Piazza as being better than Stearns. But you should infer it the way I said it. That he was a good baseball player, but a HOF ball player. Just like Rex Hudler and Andy Fox. None of them belong in Cooperstown, but all three knew what Abner Doubleday was thinking when he created this game.

All right, Richie, I apologize, and just deleted the Miller-bin Laden line from my comment.

I have no idea what you're talking about with Wagner, but I can assure you it wasn't me.

I'm sorry, but I'm just not gonna lose any sleep being called "classless" by the person who kicked off this lengthy argument by asserting that Luis Castillo doesn't care about his job.

Richie, you spend all of your time here crushing Marvin Miller and Don Fehr and players who don't hustle. Absolutely crushing them. Yes, I inferred hatred. Not "hatred" like Osama bin Laden, but strong contempt.How could I infer anything else? Those are your pet causes.

I never wrote that you hated me. I wrote that, if you disrespected me, then I'm in good company, given some of the people you hate (in other words, also disrespect).

Re: accepting your apology, you brought up the hustle thing again. What better example of how overrated hustle is than the fact that you couldn't back up what you said? That you couldn't come up with two examples? I can still accept your apology but bring up the substance of our argument. I can forgive, but I don't have to forget.

I'll stop on Stearns. I kept ripping him because you kept writing, over and over and over again, about hustle like it was the only thing that mattered. And clearly there's more to the game than hustle - as you conveniently point out whenever you've decided I've made a wrong inference.

All right, I'm going to sleep. I hope you keep coming here, but I hope you take more time to think about what you write here. I promise you that I will do the same.

Ken I accept your apology. I think you were pretty hot when you wrote it and I hope you treat this blog differently than you would a public figure.

I'm not asking that you stop on Stearns at all. I just wanted you to get his side since you bring it up a lot.

Of course you dont have to forget. But bringing up what someone did wrong over and over again doesn't seem like you forgive.

I do despise the way certain players play, but I dont wish death on them. I wish death on people I hate. I just want those players to lose their jobs.

And I never said Luis Castillo doesn't care about his job. I think he very much cares about his job. I just dont think he cares about doing it with effort. But I think he'll be very upset when Easley is given the spot. Unfortunately, I think Castillo has way more talent so will be eventually given an opportunity to get his job back.

Ken...you're wrong again on the 2007 Mets Richie G. hustle debate. I cant prove to you that pitching or hitting played a role in 5 games last year. Why?? Because I dont have the tapes or remember six specific games. So under that theory then since Richie G. cant prove that hitting or pitching matters, that is overrated as well.

Just because I dont have the tapes, doesn't mean my point isnt proven. It just means I cant prove it.

And never did I insinuate I wouldn't come back. I enjoy your blog and wasn't planning on leaving. And everytime you bring up Miller, Stearns, Fehr, Orza, hustle, there is a chance I will have a passionate response. I regret nothing I wrote tonight.

And for the record, I dont know if I called you classless or what you said, but I dont think your classless. I think what you did was classless, not you. There's a major difference. So if I called you classless, I would regret that.

Also I dont respect what you did, but I do respect you. So when I said my newfound disrespect...I do regret that. I was dissappointed by what you did, but disrespect was too strong since you followed it up with an apology.

I'm going to give you a free lesson Davidoff...you seem like one of those peaceful loving hipsters. So always remember this. When you dance with the Devil (Richie G. Lynbrook) you don't change the Devil, the Devil changes you.

You and Jim may have been a little exasperated, but I had fun ;)

One thing I can say for sure, if only Luis Castillo had as much passion as us...

LOL! You get major points for resilience.

Here's what you wrote in the chat:

Ken I believe you said that Castillo deserves a chance to get his job back. Why?? The guy is the epitme of the 1998 Willie Randolph Mets. Lazy, non-caring, and oh yeah, he sucks!

Richie, that is highly inflammatory! "Lazy and non-caring," and all you've got to back it up is some vague criticisms from Manuel. I've gotta clobber you for that. I clobber Dennis for comments that are nowhere near as controversial.

I watched probably 80% of the Mets' 2007 season, either live or on TV. I can't come up with two examples of hustle causing losses. If I could have, whenever the hell this argument began, then you and I would be blood brothers by now! LOL. But I can come up with 30 examples of poor pitching. So that's why I disagree with you about hustle. Note that all of the examples you cited (Timo, Jeter, Jeremy Giambi) were from the postseason, when all of the elements are magnified. I agreed with you recently that hustle is more important during the postseason, because there's less margin for error.

You're right, you didn't call me "classless," you called my action classless. So right back at ya. You are not classless. But your words are, too often. So be careful, please.

OK Ken...its all good. And please, I'm not sensitive so I love a good battle. If I write something that you feel needs calling out, then by all means. Truthfully, I wouldn't be here if you didn't.

But we're going to have to agree to disagree about Castillo. I think he is all that I said. Except maybe the sucks part because he has the talent to not suck. But I still dont think he has the desire. Maybe its his contract. And I bet if Newsday.com put up a poll on who is your least favorite Met...Luis Castillo would win in a landslide. I'm not the only one that feels this way.

And to be honest, I cite more from the postseason because I watch more postseason games than regular season games.

And lastly, I also will disagree with my words being classless too often. I normally re-read before I press send and there's not too many posts I wish I had back. A few, (yes that one) but not too many others.

Also, I am attempting to do some home work like you've asked. Thanks to Bob Tufts, telling me where he's at, I've contacted the PR man for the AA Sternsies, and wrote an email. I told him what's been going on in this blog and I wanted his side of the story. I will send you his response.

Wow. Fair enough. I was just about to tell you that I promised to talk to Stearns if I crossed his path, but you beat me to it.

I will not let anyyone take Marvin Miller's name hostage by tying it to OBL in any way, shape or form wirhout a response.

Now off to Laqkewood to see the Phils' minor league pitching director and an old friend.

Decaf for all!

Richie you are really something to be publicly questioning a professional baseball player's desire. How dare you. You must be really talented to be able to get into the mind of someone. You trash the rest of us for "inferring" wrongly what you say, and then you go around writing that pro players don't care, don't hustle, don't display any effort, have no desire, etc.

Through a close friend who has a relationship with the Mets VP for media relations, I am attempting to get your quotes to the various players involved. I'd like to learn what they think of your professional assassination of their work ethic and habits.

You have an incredible amount of gall to come to this space and attack Ken like you did. You are the one acting in a childlike manner. I have never even had a young student talk to me like you have and you are an adult. You should really think long and hard before you publish your comments.

You have relentlessly trashing Marvin Miller and Don Fehr and by extension the players they serve. Most people would say you "hate" these people. Maybe you don't see the need for a player's union, but history proves you wrong.

Concerning John Stearns, it's nice that he hustled and busted his butt. That's what all players are supposed to do and must do just that. But, then you have to make more absolute statements, as if what you say is carved in stone and you are descending from Mount Doubleday with it like Moses.

Here's some of what you wrote about Stearns: "He played the game the right way. He played it hard. He played it like a man. He played it like it should be played." These are all absolute statements. What does it mean that he played the game "the right way?" How does someone play the game "like a man." Do others play it like a woman? You make these sweeping statements that in the end mean nothing. You come across as some that likes hearing himself talk.

You come here and say you have a "newfound disrespect" for Ken. That's a terrible statement to make. Even if it's true, why you find it necessary to write it is beyond comprehension. If you don't like Ken, go elsewhere. I always thought that one of the marks of a man was knowing when to shut-up.