Limerick Friday #620: Summer's Over Way Too Early For The Metsies -- Day 1,536

Found their scapegoat

Threw him off the boat

Jorge Lopez pitched a fit

But at least gave a shit

Another Mets embarrassment, he wrote

Of laughs he was rife

And wit like a knife

A gentle big man

We'll never see again

Bill Walton, what a freaking life

College baseball postseason time

Throw up that Wolfie sign

The regionals are here

So grab me a beer

And root on that ol' Pack 9

No one made whole

Can't fire a soul

Demotions ignored

"Do more" implored

Can I also abdicate my role?

When they pitch, they can't hit

When they hit, they can't throw it

Plus errors for fun

Do they have anyone

Who is even worth a shit?

Last time ...

Day 1,535, Quasi-Quarantine: Ireland Backdrops Hidden Identities, Stagnant Lives, Looming Regrets, and Misunderstood Loves In "The Bee Sting"

“They were racing above the town, away from their own stories, away from everyone who wanted to remember them; they were no one, they were together, and they were alive alive alive alive.”

A dizzying collection of storylines and perspectives (and punctuation), "The Bee Sting" coalesces into an intense, emotional commentary on moments missed, decisions made, and roads taken. Ireland is a central, unifying character in the work.

“Drive out to the edge of town and beyond it into the country the yellow hills sloping up to meet the blue sky Oak trees on the crest At the crossroads a shuttered pub a blackened sign Guinness Time the country gazes back at you like a mirror with nothing in it”

Paul Murray balances sly hilarity with terror, covering ground ranging from sexuality to physical and mental abuse to environmentalism.

“If poems were true they’d just be about walking through a giant graveyard or a garbage dump … Even the sensitive people are fucking liars, you say.”

“How can a drought cause a flood? PJ whispers. How can everything that happens just make something worse happen?”

The denouement will be controversial to many, as the convergence is a bit convenient and the lack of clarifying closure can be frustrating. However, hints at the various possibilities of the ending abound throughout the book.

“But he was very clever and very complicated and you can’t be clever and complicated and have everyone like you That is just now how it works”

Few novels are capable of the moving magnetism of "The Bee Sting," a worthy feat considering its length and the difficulty of the subject matter. Murray's characters and world are sure to stay with you for a long time.

“Put his hands on your hands on your belly and tell him again This is the world now It will be how we make it”

Day 1,528, Quasi-Quarantine: Gripping "Zone One" Brings Poignancy To The Challenging Zombie-Apocalypse Genre

“Fuck it, he thought. You have to learn how to swim sometime. He opened the door and walked into the sea of the dead.”

One of world's most accomplished novelists took a swing at the zombie-apocalypse genre, and the result is an intense, emotional, and thoughtful look at who we are and who we become when it matters most. "Zone One" shows Colson Whitehead having legitimate fun in putting his trademark twists on a well-worn genre.

“The new buildings in wave upon wave drew themselves out of rubble, shaking off the past like immigrants. The addresses remained the same and so did the flawed philosophies. It wasn't anyplace else. It was New York City.”

“The city as ghost ship on the last ocean at the rim of the world. It was a gorgeous and intricate delusion, Manhattan, and from crooked angles on overcast days you saw it disintegrate, were forced to consider this tenuous creature in its true nature.”

The novel moves at a dizzying pace, with the resulting jumps in chronology being difficult to follow. However, this feels intentional, as Whitehead may be trying to represent the manic rhythms of life in a new reality through these jumps.

“He stopped hooking up with other people once he realized the first thing he did was calculate whether or not he could outrun them.”

“Everything was either a weapon or a wall, to be quantified and sorted in its utility as such.”

The author certainly likes complicated words -- and he has clearly earned the right to use them, whether he is referencing Raleigh (!) or portraying Mim in (for this reader) bittersweet and nostalgic ways. Overall, I felt the novel shared some similarities with Richard Matheson's iconic "I Am Legend."

“Affront was a luxury, like shampoo and affection.”

“The faint residue of humanity stuck to the sides of the world.”

“This is what he had learned: If you weren’t concentrating on how to survive the next five minutes, you wouldn’t survive them.”

While "Zone One" is not likely to rank among Whitehead's most important works, his ability to ascribe meaning and deep insights in the midst of an apocalypse serves to reinforce and prove his far-reaching talents.

“Best to let the broken glass be broken glass, let it splinter into smaller pieces and dust and scatter. Let the cracks between things widen until they are no longer cracks but the new places for things. That was where they were now. The world wasn’t ending: it had ended and now they were in the new place. They could not recognize it because they had never seen it before.”

Day 1,525, Quasi-Quarantine:"Handle Hard Better" Is A Lesson No One Seems To Want To Hear Anymore

I'm not normally someone who derives much inspiration or many meaningful concepts from motivational speeches, just by virtue of being, well, me.

So imagine my own surprise at myself when I allowed myself to be immersed fully into Duke coach Kara Lawson's address to her team a couple of weeks ago. There aren't a ton of days that go by when I don't think of her message.

[old-man thought to follow]:

Much of it is earned and a lot of it is understandable, but there's a lot of fragility out there -- and I'm not sure we're doing anyone any good by trying to make things easier for them.

Thanks, Coach. Good on ya.

Limerick Friday #619: What Does Leadership Mean? And Other Existential Questions -- Day 1,522

Value should be the goal

And not a black hole

How do you hire for that?

And not stand pat

In filling a haunted role

They walk everyone

And allow steals -- a ton

But hits are rare

And runs? Not on a dare

Just hoping the Mets aren't done

Time goes on

The thrill is gone

Years loom

Hope there's room

To come to terms with a con

Denver was cool

Now I feel like a fool

Things have crumbled since

You can't convince

Me things won't continue to unspool

Work is crushin'

My foot ain't hushin'

Soreness astounds

Idiocy abounds

Just give me a goddam White Russian

Last time ...

Day 1,521, Quasi-Quarantine: "Arrowsmith" Documents The Clash Of Greed And Scientific Rigor In The Roaring 'Twenties

 

"He reflected (it was an international debate in which he was joined by a few and damned by many) that half a dozen generations nearly free from epidemics would produce a race so low in natural immunity that when a great plague, suddenly springing from almost-zero to a world-smothering cloud, appeared again, it might wipe out the world entire, so that the measures to save lives to which he lent his genius might in the end be the destruction of all human life."

"Arrowsmith" succeeds despite the relative unlikeability of its protagonist and namesake, Martin Arrowsmith. Sinclair Lewis follows Martin as he fumbles his way through medical school and attempts to find his place in a society obsessed with upward mobility and finding the measure of a man through his bank account.

" … He could never understand that esoteric phenomenon, the dinner-party – the painful entertainment of people whom one neither likes nor finds interesting."

Written in 1925 and earning the Pulitzer Price (Lewis declined the award), the novel is occasionally weighed down by problematic language and a dearth of action, but the character-sketching is top notch. "Arrowsmith" works best as a condemnation of publicity and a celebration of the value of hard work, and is capable of balancing pedantic, scientific language with the ability to evoke real, earned emotion.

"He meditated that if science and public hygiene did remove tuberculosis and the other major plagues, the world was grimly certain to become so overcrowded, to become such a universal slave-packed shambles, that all beauty and ease and wisdom would disappear in a famine-driven scamper for existence."

"Years after, in a tropic noon, he remembered the freshness of her wind-cooled cheeks."

A meandering end features a clever recap element, and we are left to wonder whether Martin will be capable of living up to his lofty ideals of research or whether the lure of his family -- and fame -- will ultimately win out in the end.

" ... Wandering on improbable trains between impossible towns."

" ... He saw no one clear path to Truth but a thousand paths to a thousand truths far-off and doubtful."

Day 1,520, Quasi-Quarantine: Mark Vientos Has A Role To Play In Salvaging Mets Offense -- But What Is It?

Seemingly every other day, the Mets are being no-hit for extended stretches. Without slugging catcher Francisco Alvarez, the lineup is way too top-heavy -- even with the top of the order hitting really poorly. Francisco Lindor (.205), Pete Alonso (.226), and Brandon Nimmo (.221) are also struggling mightily, but at least showing signs of life lately.

There are simply not enough viable offensive threats, especially in the bottom half of the lineup. In particular, third baseman Brett Baty, second baseman Jeff McNeill, and center fielder Harrison Bader have combined for 17 extra-base hits between them in 379 at-bats. The trio is hitting a collective .243 with 27 RBIs.

Compounding the problem, pinch-hitting for Baty as often as New York does puts utility guy Joey Wendle on the field entirely too often. He's hitting .222 with a single RBI on the campaign, and he's been surprisingly shaky in the field too boot.

While Tyrone Taylor (.272, 13 RBIs) has shown more than Bader with the bat, both he and Bader are fourth outfielders. Unfortunately, one has to play every day at this point for New York.

It says here that the Mets simply cannot progress through the season with half the infield comprising Baty at third and McNeill at second. It's high time that New York explores alternative options for how to handle third base and second base -- and potentially center field.

OPTION 1: Package infield prospect Mark Vientos and either Taylor or Bader to a team in need of outfield help due to injury (thinking the Giants here), and hope to get a viable second baseman or outfielder in return. New York could explore Thairo Estrada and a low-level prospect in this scenario.

Pros: The Mets would be dealing from a position of strength and depth. Right now, New York has four highly regarded prospects (Vientos, Baty, Ronnie Mauricio, and Luisangel Acuna) for two available positions -- and that doesn't include Jett Williams, a tremendous prospect who primarily plays shortstop.

Cons: While this would help clean up the infield logjam, does New York's value on Vientos match other teams' value for him? Would the Mets feel comfortable for what they might get in return? 

OPTION 2: Promote Vientos and have him platoon with Baty at third and spell Alonso at first on occasion.

Pros: This plays to the strengths of each player and creates a quasi-competition to see if either might be the franchise's third baseman of the future.

Cons: Platooning likely stymies the development of both Vientos and Baty at the same time. Also, how do the Mets feel about Vientos defensively at third?

OPTION 3: Promote Vientos and have him play the rest of the season at third.

Pros: It's arguably past time to give the 24-year-old Vientos a full-time role and 400 at-bats to determine exactly what he can do on the big-league level. 

Cons: What do you do with Baty in this scenario? You can send him back to AAA, but this would seemingly be viewed as the end of his status as a big-time prospect for the organization.

OPTION 4: Move McNeill back to left field, shift Nimmo back to center, and promote a minor-leaguer -- yes, probably Acuna -- to handle second base full time.

Pros: There is value in seeing what Acuna can do in the bigs. He brings speed and potential in bunches, and the team could use a dose of both.

Cons: This is likely the riskiest approach, as most indications are that Acuna's simply not ready. He's hitting .233 with a .287 OBP so far this year at AAA Syracuse. Also, can he play second well enough? He has spending some time playing center field in the minors.

OPTION 5: Trade cheaply for another utility player to replace Wendle and potentially platoon with McNeill. Wilmer Flores, anyone?

Pros: In limited action, Wendle has made a number of mistakes both in the field and at the plate -- and he's literally on the roster as a guy who doesn't do that. Bringing in another versatile player with a stronger bat feels cost-effective and doable.

Cons: I don't see many cons with this approach, though I guess the main one would have to be the limited impact this would have on the Mets' biggest problem -- production at the plate.

The bottom line is that New York is wasting shockingly good pitching game after game. Despite injuries to a number of top pitchers -- Kodai Senga, Brooks Raley, Drew Smith, Tylor Megill, David Peterson -- the staff has delivered consistently.

It's time for the Mets to do something to complement the outstanding mound performances and show they're invested in turning this season into something real.

Day 1,519, Quasi-Quarantine: Take Me Out To The Rockies

 

On a recent visit to Denver, Colorado, I was thrilled to find out that my hotel was just a few blocks from Coors Field. Having never been to the area, I had to swing by early one morning to take a few pics.

Later that day, a few colleagues let me know that they were planning on attending the Rockies-Giants game that night. For $16, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to check out another MLB stadium.

After a rather bizarre and convoluted ticket-purchasing process, we found our way to the upper deck, where we were afforded a beautiful view of the field, with the Rockies in the distance.

Colorado (8-26 at game time) and San Francisco (15-21) are last and next to last in the National League West standings, so the baseball itself was ... challenging. Featuring former Metsies Michael Conforto and Wilmer Flores, the Giants won easily, 5-0.

After a horrid hot dog and a large Coors (what else would they serve?), we somehow made it through seven innings. At that point, the temperature was 42 degrees and the wind was kicking in big, so we elected to call it an evening.

A beautiful park in a beautiful setting in a friendly city. I hope they eventually get the team they deserve.

Day 1,518, Quasi-Quarantine: Day 2 Of The Draft Brings Another Potentially Problematic Project Prospect

Perhaps as a result of coming on the heels of a perceived reach in Chop Robinson in the first round, the selection of offensive tackle Patrick Paul seemed to generate the most angst and frustration within Dolphin Nation.

The 6-7, 331-pounder out of Houston was selected in the second round with the 55th overall pick, which for many didn't jibe with his status as a "project" by many. However, analyst Dane Brugler rated him the No. 59 overall player in the draft and a second- or third-rounder, lending credence to the idea that this was an appropriate selection.

The pluses: Well, Paul certainly has the size (he "looks the part" in scouting lingo) and prototype size and length (36-inch arms and 86-inch wingspan). He's described as aggressive and difficult to disengage with, featuring good lateral mobility. Scouts credit him with recognizing stunts quickly, and as a two-time captain, he has strong leadership qualities.

Paul also has the strength (30 reps in the bench press) and durability (44 starts at left tackle, including 39 straight) needed to give him the best chance of developing relatively quickly.

The minuses: The glaring issue seems to be an overall struggle with leverage and technique that allows him to be beaten inside (due to a wide kick-slide) and by bull rushers (due to poor hand usage and placement). 

In the run game, his tendency to get out of balance and rhythm make it difficult to sustain blocks. Paul has a reputation as someone who plays too high and holds too often, which is likely to make him a target of officials on the next level.

The bottom line: Brugler had Paul rated as the No. 8 offensive tackle in the draft, but there are few analysts I trust more on Dolphins-related issues than Simon Clancy, and his assessment of Paul was troubling to read. 

Clancy wrote that Paul's technique is "all over the place, and he'll need significant coaching before you could let him on an island in the NFL." If you're considering the rookie to be an eventual replacement for aging veteran Terron Armstead, Clancy's next comment is even more problematic.

"There is a tool-box, and he has some things you can't teach -- he's tough, smart, and nasty -- but I wouldn't touch him until the fourth round, and I wouldn't expect him to see the field for a year or two in any sort of starting capacity."

Even this scenario assumes competent position coaching, which has been a massive weakness of the 'Fins for decades. While Butch Barry had a promising start in the job last year, viewing Paul as a potential two-year project is daunting for a coach of any capacity.

Also, while the value of this pick may be in line according to some rankings, you have to keep in mind who else was available at this spot. A number of highly regarded cornerbacks were still on the board at this spot, and one wonders whether taking one of those or trading back was ever in the conversation for Miami.

In many quarters, the view is that the Dolphins took developmental prospects with each of its first two selections, which is out of kilter with what many perceive to be a rapidly closing window of contention for the franchise. Paul could be under significant pressure to escalate that timeline and mature more quickly, which may be unfair in the kindest interpretation -- and damaging in the harshest.

Limerick Friday #618: Blue Bears, Fake Fedoras, & Demos In The Desert -- Day 1,515

The air was thin

The vibe was chillin'

The Rockies loomed

The scooters zoomed

I would hit Denver again

Posturing on display

These are the games they play

Importance feigned

Teamwork deigned

What more's there to say?

The Mets laid another turd

Bordering on the absurd

At .500 they sit

And even though they won't quit

Mediocre's definitely the word

Favoritism abounded

Alarms were sounded

To be expected, sadly

Departure came gladly

Concerns were well-founded

So much hidden

You gotta be shittin'

Politics at every turn

When will we learn

This is what leads to quittin'

Last time ...

Limerick Friday #617: Clone Force 99 Fades Like A Shooting Star -- Day 1,508

They always had a plan to hatch

And special skills to match

An approach for every defense

A family in every sense

Boy, will I miss the "Bad Batch"

In the pocket he stood tall

Of defenders he took on each and all

Roman Gabriel led the Pack

And put the Rams on his back

It's past time to put him in the Hall

Most days are a blast

So many memories have passed

Loss and blessing

The love isn't lessening

15 years go so fast

The bats are still cold

The injuries continue to unfold

But they're treading water

And staying out of the gutter

This Mets team has a story to be told

"Will I know where to go?"

And every other travel woe

Planes, cabs, and trains

To go with foot pains

Remind me to go with the flow

Last time ...

Day 1,507, Quasi-Quarantine: Shed A Happy Tear For The Much-Deserved Retirement Of "The Bad Batch"

I knew the series finale of "Star Wars: The Bad Batch" was going to be super emotional, but I perhaps wasn't prepared for the 20-ish-year flashforward at the end.

Omega, Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, Crosshair, and Echo have been mainstays for us since the Covid days. Clone Force 99 has overcome losses (Tech's absence permeates the entire final season, though it a beautiful touch to show his goggles in the last moments), setbacks, and defeats -- all without sacrificing their commitment to no brother left behind.

We've learned more than a few things over the past three seasons, including:

• Definitions can be fluid.
• Families have no blueprint.
• Different can be better.
• Broken can defeat whole.

And perhaps most importantly:

• Outcasts can be cast as heroes.

All hail Dave Filoni. And all hail the Batch.

Day 1,506, Quasi-Quarantine: Chopping It Up On The First Day Of The Draft

By the time Miami picked at the 21st slot in the first round, just four defensive players had been chosen. The 'Fins had their pick of back-seven defenders, but opted for Penn State edge Chop Robinson with their choice.

Draft analyst Dane Brugler had tabbed Robinson as his No. 4 edge rusher in the draft and the No. 26 overall player in the draft, with a first- or second-round grade. So this was not necessarily a big reach for the Dolphins, but his selection must be considered in the context of who else was (surprisingly) available on the board.

The pluses: At 6-2, 254 pounds, Robinson ran a 4.48-second 40-yard dash, so it's safe to say that elite athletic ability and agility are among his strengths. Scouts lauded the Maryland transfer's ability to flatten his pass rush -- maintaining his balance while simultaneously turning the corner and ducking under a blocker -- and his potential when dropping into coverage. 

Active hands, good reach, and tremendous change of direction were also noted, allowing Robinson to check off just about everything in the "physical gifts" category.

The minuses: The overwhelming negative is a simple and undeniable lack of production: Robinson posted just 11.5 career sacks, including four sacks (and 7.5 tackles for losses) in his final college season. 

The inability to finish is mostly attributed to what scouts consider to be average body strength and a lack of refined counter moves. He also struggled in the run game, which may be why he played 30.3 snaps as part of a rotation even in his final campaign.

The bottom line: The reality is that Miami had a golden opportunity due to the unexpected run of offensive players -- the first 14 players off the board played on that side of the ball -- so taking a one-year starter without a documented history of impact plays feels problematic.

Listen, the need is certainly there: Both Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips are coming off season-ending injuries, and the 'Fins lost Andrew Van Ginkel and Emmanuel Ogbah in free agency. However, most observers agreed that more polished players capable of making an immediate impact were available, meaning at least a trade down should have been considered.

Robinson can certainly make the discussion moot by emerging as at least a situational pass rusher as a rookie. But making a projection while simultaneously prioritizing need over talent is a road to head-shaking that the Dolphins have traveled far too often over the years.

Here's hoping that's not the case this time around. Go get 'em, Chop.