2011 Mets Calendar

So, for Christmas, I got a 2011 Mets Calendar. Nice gift, you know, kinda thoughtful. Anyway, it's endorsed by the MLBPA and such, seems legit. Probably one of the few licensed full sized twelve month calendars with Mets on it. But here's the amazing part -- you have to see what players are on it.

And I must emphasize -- this calendar is for 2011:

January- Daniel Murphy
Okay, a little unexpected to see Murph here since he didn't play last season and isn't projected for a starting role in 2011 (yet). But he is recognizable and fans like him, so fine.

February- Ike Davis
Now we're talking

March- Luis Castillo
Seriously, LUIS CASTILLO. What's April going to be, Oliver Perez in a swimsuit?

April- John Maine
Already non-tendered.

May- Jose Reyes
Alright, back to reality. There are definitely seven more Mets who won't make you want to vomit, so this calendar looks like a success.

June- Johan Santana
Now we're clicking on all cylinders. What could possibly go wrong?

July- Jeff Francoeur
WHAT?!?! He was traded LAST SEASON! Not to mention he's terrible -- but more importantly, he wasn't even a Met in September of last year.

August- Francisco Rodriguez
Eh. I guess you have to include him.

September- Carlos Beltran
So damn cool.

October- Jason Bay
Yes, he of the six home runs.

November- Mike Pelfrey
'Atta boy.

December- David Wright
He's good.

My question for you is this: Was this calendar done by someone who knows nothing about the Mets? Or are there just SO FEW players on the team worthy of even putting on a calendar? Who would you have included? Here are my big-time oversights:

- Angel Pagan, because he's awesome
- R.A. Dickey, who by the way, would make an EXCELLENT candidate for this in general because of his insane facial expressions
- Pedro Feliciano, because it's forgivable to have thought late last year that he would be returning
- Bobby Parnell, young, throws 100 mph, and definitely a Met

I could understand that a guy like Josh Thole or Jon Niese, despite being personal favorites, probably wouldn't sell too many calendars -- but some of these choices, my goodness.

Incredible Rain Delay Skits

I am not sure if this has made the rounds on the inter-tubes yet, but I figured it was worth posting here. Players from Florida Atlantic and Western Kentucky each took turns putting on hilarious sketches during a rain delay before their game. My favorite is also the "shake weight" ... a product so bizarre I am amazed it was ever invented. But anyway, here's the clip of the rain delay:



And here is the bizarre, amazing Shake Weight:



I am ashamed to admit that I can't tell whether this is real or fake.

Heath Bell Is Awesome

We at Fonzie Forever have always liked Heath Bell. He's one of my favorite Mets of all time. We once had a great conversation with Heath Bell, which can be the subject of one of our future posts.

Today however, I am going to post an excerpt from an interview that Heath did with Yahoo Sports yesterday. In it, he sounds suspiciously like one of my favorite fictional characters of all time, Crash Davis from the movie Bull Durham.

Major League Baseball's Working Poor, Feat. Fernando Perez

The below clip is absolutely hilarious. It sounds a lot like a Colbert Report interview, except Fernando Perez is the one in-character.



Great lines from my new favorite non-Met:

-You know where I got this s***? Modells. Modells!

-I want to make it rain... in the club.

-Denard Span, Twins guy? He's interning - unpaid intern at the WNBA

Catching Up With: Lastings Milledge

It feels like it's been ages since we last saw Lastings Milledge in a Mets uniform, but believe it or not, he suited up for our team as recently as 2007. He is now entering his age-25 season, and many believe that it is going to be a make-or-break year for the young outfielder.

Lastings had a productive year for the Nationals in 2008, posting a 731 OPS with 14 homers and 24 steals. Although his hitting and fielding didn't meet expectations, it could be considered a successful year for any 23 year old to have done what he did. But with Lastings, for some reason, people expect more.

It goes without saying that last year was a struggle. After going 4-for-24 to start the year and getting demoted to the minor leagues, Lastings broke his hand and was traded from Washington to Pittsburgh. After stinging AAA to the tune of a .333/.425/.433 batting line, he was called up to the Pirates for good on July 31st.

Another Example Why Baseball Think Factory Rules

Baseball Think Factory, a site which I link to all the time and from where I get a very large portion of my baseball news, really made me laugh today.

Earlier today, they linked to an article from the SB Nation Blog "True Blue LA," the title of which was "Is Felix Hernandez Heading for Surgery?" The first line of the article, however, reads "....or greatness?" It was obviously a cheap trick to get people flustered and to read the article. I got a little chuckle out of it, but I was mostly annoyed at the gimmick.

Instead of being annoyed, the community over at BBTF decided to have a little fun with it. After two comments chastising True Blue LA for the trick headline, the following exchange ensued:

Spring Training Parking Lot Pecking Order

The Mets are so ridiculous. According to the Star-Ledger, the following Mets were given assigned spots in the player's parking lot:

Johan Santana, Jose Reyes, David Wright, Jeff Francoeur, Jason Bay, Mike Pelfrey, Kelvim Escobar, Carlos Beltran, Francisco Rodriguez, Luis Castillo, Oliver Perez, Alex Cora and Henry Blanco

This is silly. Take a look at the pitchers:

Santana, Pelfrey, Escobar, K-Rod, and Ollie. Oliver Perez and Pelfrey get spots - but John Maine does not?

What Johan Santana's Pick-Up Line Might Sound Like

Since he is so boringly reliable and awesome, Johan Santana hasn't gotten much press this off-season. That said, I imagine that if Johan Santana were to go out and try to pick up women, his pick up line would go something like this:



I wouldn't bet against him being able to turn tickets into diamonds either, because the guy is just about good at everything. He even had a .255 OBP last season (watch your back, Omir Santos).