Daily Archives: January 5, 2010

Mets add tons of International League experience

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In addition to rolling out Jason Bay today, the Mets announced that they signed Russ Adams, Mike Cervenak and Mike Hessman to Minor League contracts and invited them to Spring Training, according to a press release that I actually got during the Bay news conference.

Hessman’s name, I believe, surfaced earlier this offseason. I hadn’t heard Adams’ or Cervenak’s thus far this year, but maybe I wasn’t listening closely enough, or something.

Hessman is a big, right-handed three-true-outcomes masher in the Val Pascucci mold, only probably not as good a hitter as Pascucci. Adams was actually the Blue Jays’ starting shortstop in 2005 but has been mostly a Triple-A second baseman for the past three seasons, and Cervenak could probably best be described as the Ty Wigginton of the International League.

What’s most interesting about the three acquisitions, I think, is that all three bring lengthy International League resumes to their (presumed) new club in Buffalo.

Check this out: In the past three years, Cervenak has played a total of 374 games in the International League. In the past four, Adams has played 404 games in the International League. And over the past eight years — eight seasons — Hessman has played 899 games in the International League.

That means that today, the Mets added 1677 games of International League experience.

I imagine this is part of that whole “do better by the city of Buffalo” effort they spoke to last summer, when the Bisons (yeah, it’s plural) were trotting out one of the most embarrassing clubs imaginable. And pretty clearly the Mets have determined that the city of Buffalo wants to see familiar International League heroes prowling Coca-Cola Field.

I mean, far be it for me to understand the mind of the Triple-A fan. But hey, Buffalo: I hope you like Mike Hessman, because that’s what you’re getting.

Does anyone have a free car to give me?

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You know what? Living in Brooklyn was the balls. There was a ton of cool stuff around, and you could walk to all of it. Plus you could walk to the subway, and from there, you could walk to all sorts of other cool stuff.

In the suburbs, up in Westchester, no matter where you go, the first stop is your car. Out the door, to the car.

And so your car becomes like a weird extension of your body, kind of how I imagine a turtle feels about its shell. And you start keeping stuff in the car that you know you’re going to need when you’re outside of your home, because anytime you’re outside of your home you’re going to have your car. That’s suburban living.

Some parts of it are good. With my car, I can get to Taco Bell and 7-11, and they don’t have those things in Brooklyn. Those places are awesome because they have Volcano Tacos and Slurpees. I missed them so. Plus, like I said, I can use my car for storage, so I don’t have to carry around a backpack or a manbag or anything like that.

But a car is also a giant, resource-sucking pain in the ass, especially when things start going wrong. Matt Cerrone pointed out to me not too long ago that a car is basically the only major investment we ever make that starts losing value as soon as we buy it, but at least the first couple of years are fun.

My current car is pretty clearly hitting the breaking point at which all the little minor repairs required for its upkeep start adding up to more than the value of the car itself, and at some time soon it will no longer be worth spending any more money on.

I realize I should probably suck it up and invest in a new or newer car, but I, like the Mets, tend to hang on to my things for too long, trying to coax every last bit of value out of it before I move on. So I’m driving around in the Luis Castillo of automobiles, thinking, “oh, but it got me to DC and back just fine a month ago, it’s got to be good for at least another road trip, even if all the red flags are there.”

Is cash for clunkers still going on? Did I just miss that? Crap. If anyone has any suggestions for a good, inexpensive car, I’m all ears. I’m still trying to figure out how to make a Segway work for Westchester, but those things are unreasonably expensive, even if they’re also completely hilarious.

The Jason Bay article you must read

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If you only read one article about Jason Bay, ever, let it be this one, by Mark Herrmann in Newsday. And if you can’t use your one free Newsday article per day or figure out a way around Newsday’s paywall to read this, I feel for you. It’s so amazing and Canadian.

Herrmann catches up with former Islander Ray Ferraro, who used to hang out with Bay’s mother’s sister in tiny Trail, British Columbia. Check it out:

Folks in Trail realize the value of earning your way. It is an earnest hardscrabble village less than 10 miles north of the U.S. border. People think nothing of working seven days a week in a family owned cement plant, as Ferraro’s father did. Or working at Teck Cominco, a zinc smelting firm that also handled gold mining. That is where Bay’s father Dave worked.

Readers of this blog know I usually have little patience for praise lavished upon players for their “blue-collar” mentalities, which is exactly what this piece does for Bay.

But what separates Bay from Alex Cora is the actual ability to play baseball, so that’s good, plus — and this must not be understated — once the verb “smelting” comes in to play, all bets are off. His father is a zinc smelter? That’s badass.

Jason Bay: Officially a blue-collar, badass, hockey-loving Canadian who’d probably be smelting zinc if he wasn’t playing Major League Baseball.

Items of note

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Minor rumors are swirling of a Luis Castillo for Mike Lowell deal. What I want to know is this: Better ESPN mustache — Jerry Crasnick or Jayson Stark in his heyday?

Aditi posts some pretty awesome off-field video at the Big East Sports Blog. The only problem with back handsprings is that I’m not sure they necessarily make you a good football player. I’m sure Vernon Gholston can do plenty of ’em.

Howard’s got a nice piece about the nature of Mets fandom, and the recent trend toward blanket negativity.

The Indians have signed Shelley Duncan, ruining my plan to have the Mets unite pitching coach Dave Duncan with the army of meatheaded sluggers he sired.