Misery Loves Company: Two Guys Watch Baseball

Tidying Up

A couple of things I had meant to throw in last week . . .

1. In my rebuttal regarding my ineligibility for Red Sox Nation membership, I forgot to call out Rob Russell. Brother, you are missing one whale of a season. If you don't make the call and lay down the cash for the baseball package by COB today, I must thereafter regard you as a moderate, when-it's-convenient Red Sox fan. And in the face of all of the incontrovertible evidence you'll throw my way, I will simply say that money talks and . . . Nomar doesn't take walks. Take advantage of the available technology, enjoy the season like you can, and thank me later. At season's end, you'll know it was worth enduring the wrath of wife, child, etc. Of course, in light of your last posting, you'll contend that this move might jinx the team. Spoken like a true cheapskate.

2. Last week ESPN.com's Rob Neyer issued his take on the best all-time lineups for each franchise. Of course, despite his wealth of statistical analyses, this is a subjective argument all the way. Here is his list:

C - Mike Piazza
1B - Keith Hernandez
2B - Edgardo Alfonzo
SS - Bud Harrelson
3B - Howard Johnson
LF - Kevin McReynolds
CF - Lee Mazzilli
RF - Darryl Strawberry
SP1 - Tom Seaver
SP2 - Dwight Gooden
SP3 - Jerry Koosman
SP4 - Al Leiter
RP - John Franco

I guess my problem with this lineup is that it leans towards local boy fan favorites in some cases (Leiter, Franco, Mazzilli as opposed to Jon Matlack, Jesse Orosco, Mookie Wilson) and toward one-dimensional, stat-friendly types in others (HoJo, McReynolds, Piazza as opposed to Robin Ventura, Cleon Jones, Gary Carter / Jerry Grote). So if it's not entirely consistent, it might as well just be a My Favorite Mets lineup, and that's better coming from a fan. Like me. And while I might work up my own lineup for this forum on a rainy day, I will tell you that Whitney Lester's all-time Mets team will undoubtedly begin with a man completely ignored by Rob Neyer: Dave "Kong" Kingman.