SI tries cloning

No shit. The most puzzling thing about the cover is that the Mets are tanking. They're not deserving of the same cover a year ago when they were red-hot. If you're going to blow an NL East team, shoulda been the Phillies. They're the hottest right now.

 

Would that really have made it inarguable? I can't make a strong argument for any one just because I've never given it much thought, but I'd think the Indians Thome-Alomar-Vizquel-Fryman would at least offer an argument. I'd even offer the Red Sox of Youkilis-Loretta-Gonzalez-Lowell from last year.

 

Kevin Elster was a better shortstop.

 

Wouldn't their current infield be more deserving of that status. Oh, SI, always up to hyperbole

 

Sports Illustrated has obviously never read Franklin Pierce Adams. Who besides Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers and Frank Chance has a poem written after them?

These are the saddest of possible words:
"Tinker to Evers to Chance."
Trio of bear cubs, and fleeter than birds,
Tinker and Evers and Chance.
Ruthlessly pricking our gonfalon bubble,
Making a Giant hit into a double --
Words that are heavy with nothing but trouble:
"Tinker to Evers to Chance."

 

The best. infield. ever. was the $100,000 Infield of Baker, Collins, McInnis and Barry.

 

Haven't finished the story yet, but not loving it. It all seems like he's trying too hard to make it a wonderful story. "... but not in O's circle ..." "... Not a big enough O ..." "... He needed a new O ..." "He blew out his O-ring on the can ..." Enough with "O"!

 

Gary Smith often has a hook. The "O" is just the one for this story. Whether it works or not...

 

I read the Smith article on the plane this weekend. I thought it was a pretty great read. I found myself a big fan of Omar by the end of it.

But, I'll also agree that I thought the use of Smith on this subject was a little strange.

Still worth the time to read, IMO.

 

Pudge Rodriguez, Derrek Lee, Luis Castillo, Alex Gonzalez, Mike Lowell were about as good as I have seen for the Marlins at the beginning of this decade.

 

First, if I remember correctly, they mean defensive.

Smith did not mention that he butchered the Colon & Floyd trades, ruining a franchise for a decade in the process. Just that he made life exciting by bringing the "stars" in. Surprising, major flaw in the story. I didn't like the O hook, but the story had the typical Smith feel of urgency and stayed compelling, even though the underlying Minaya story was nothing particularly unique. Seems like a good guy though. I still think he's highly overrated - he gets credit for the fringe pickups - Maine, Chavez, Valentin, Perez etc. But the core guys on that team - Pedro, Reyes, Wright, Glavine, Wagner, Beltran, Delgado - were either already there, or wooed by offering way more money & years than anyone else - hardly a skill.

I must have misremembered - it said he turned down the offer to be co-GM with Duquette - I had thought that they worked together at some point.

 

Christ, another Party of Five cover.



Did their sports photographers quit en masse?