Happy 50th Birthday, Jamie Moyer!

At Studious Metsimus, we tend to make fun of Jamie Moyer.  We've written posts about him such as "Senior Citizens Appreciation Day" and "Rip Van Winkle Not Coming Back To The Phillies".  Our fav'rit AARP member has been attacked because of his age quite a bit on this site, but today we'd like to be serious for a change and wish him a happy birthday.

You see, Jamie Moyer was born on November 18, 1962, meaning that today he is celebrating his 50th birthday.

Most middle-aged men spend their time watching reruns of Matlock.  Jamie Moyer spends his time trying to hook up with a major league team.  That has to commended.  He also runs wild while raising the 12th Man flag for this blogger's fav'rit football team in the Pacific Northwest.  Pretty cool for a non-Matlock watcher.

So even though it would be easy to make fun of a man who was the elder statesman of a team Mets fans love to hate (the Phillies when they were actually good a few years ago), today is the day to celebrate him on his birthday.

From this Mets fan, I'd like to wish Jamie Moyer a happy 50th birthday.  I just hope he remembers to put his dentures in before he eats his cake.

Gettin' Iggy With It: The Iggy Beartran Experience

Hi!  This is Iggy Beartran.  You may know me as the younger sister of Joey Beartran, who recently wrote a recap of our tours of Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field in Seattle.  (If you didn’t read it yet, shame on you!  You’re either way behind in your Studious Metsimus reading or you’re a relative of the Safeco Field tour guide that Joey trashed because of her inability to share accurate Seattle Mariner facts.)   In today’s edition of Gettin’ Iggy With It, I’d like to share my thoughts on the Seattle trip.  In particular, I’d like to discuss why I couldn’t help but think of the Mets and a certain other “fishy” division rival while I was touring the stadiums and the city in which they were located.

As far as the tours went, I actually didn’t have a problem with the Safeco Field tour.  I’m not into the history of the Seattle Mariners so I didn’t mind the mistakes made by our tour guide.  The Safeco Field tour reminded me of the Mets tour at Citi Field, where I spent an hour visiting things I didn’t care about (suites I can’t afford to sit in, the press box I’ll never write stories from because bloggers such as myself don’t get the love we deserve, etc.) and a minute or two on the field.  As with the tour at Citi Field, I was told that security wouldn’t be very pleased with me if I touched the grass because apparently, billionaire owners can’t spend a few bucks on replacing a blade of grass that might have been damaged by my eight-ounce furry body.  Then again, what would you expect from the Mariners and the Mets?  They need to spend their money on better things, like Oliver Perez.

The CenturyLink Field tour guide actually allowed us to stand on the turf, albeit just one corner of it, but at least she had a good reason not to let us frolic on the field.  The Washington Huskies were going to play a game on that same field just four hours after we placed our paws on it, so they couldn’t let us claim it for ourselves.  No worries.  We found other places to frolic!

The city itself was lots of fun!  We went to many places in Seattle, such as the Public Market (where guys throw expensive fish around like the Marlins toss around their high-priced players –  I mean, Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson to Toronto?  Great googly moogly!) and the iconic Space Needle, which looks quite a bit like the big syringe Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria must be using on himself before making these head-scratching trades.

The food in Seattle was even better than the food at Citi Field.  I never got to try the Ichi-roll (apparently, the Mariners don’t open their food courts during the off-season – bad business move in my opinion), but in downtown Seattle, I had the tastiest New England Clam Chowder ever made!!  Unfortunately, I ate it so fast that I don’t have photographic proof of this tasty meal so all I can give you is this photo from my breakfast trip to Denny’s.

So to recap this … uh … recap, I had great food in places other than Denny’s, the Marlins are selling off their players faster than you can say “the roof, the roof, the roof is on fire”, CenturyLink Field is pretty cool and bear-friendly, and Safeco Field wasn’t as bad as my brother described it, even if the team that plays there gladly employs Oliver Perez.  At least they’re not proud of the fact that they once had Rip Van Winkle himself on the team.  Oh wait, never mind.

That’s all for now, Mets fans.  I hope you enjoyed this edition of Gettin’ Iggy With It.  Till next time, keep your feet on the bases and keep an eye out for flying fish.  After all, you don’t want to get hit by a former Miami Marlin.

Senior Citizen Appreciation Day (Starring Jamie Moyer)

Today, the Mets will close out their three-game series with the Colorado Rockies.  Johan Santana will take the mound trying to secure his first win of the season and hoping the Mets will finally score a run for him, as he has become the first Mets pitcher to receive a big fat zero in the run support department over his first four starts since Kaz Ishii in 2005.

Opposing Santana will be Jamie Moyer, the soon-to-be AARP member who is making a comeback with the Rockies after not having pitched in the major leagues since July 20, 2010 prior to this season.  Moyer was originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1984 and made his major league debut on June 16, 1986, or a time when the Mets still had only won one World Series championship.

So would you like to know more interesting things about Jamie Moyer, considering he's older than history itself?  Here goes.

No, that's not Jamie Moyer in the photo above.  We would never stoop so low to make that claim at his expense.  That's actually his son, Jimmy Moyer, on the day his father signed his first pro contract.

Jamie Moyer won his major league debut for the Chicago Cubs on June 16, 1986, defeating the Phillies, 7-5.  Who took the loss in that game?  None other than Steve Carlton, a pitcher who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1994 - 18 years ago!

The first time he faced the Mets, on July 29, 1986, Jamie Moyer got the win in a 2-1 Cubs victory.  The only run scored by the Mets was driven in by George Foster.  It was Foster's last RBI as a Met.  A week later, Moyer faced the Mets again and got a no-decision in the Cubs' 8-5 victory, a game won on pinch-hitter Jerry Mumphrey's three-run homer.  (Mumphrey has been out of baseball for 24 years now.)  That loss would become Foster's last start as a Met.

Jamie Moyer has started 27 games against the Mets over his never-ending career, going 10-6 with a 3.94 ERA.  The only National League team he has defeated more is the Florida/Miami Marlins, with 13 wins against them.  The Marlins did not exist until Moyer's eighth season in the major leagues.  By the time the Florida Marlins played their first game in 1993, Moyer had already pitched in 141 games (111 starts) for three teams (Cubs, Rangers, Cardinals) and had compiled a 34-54 won-loss record.

In 2007, when Tom Glavine was finished not being devastated over his one-third of an inning performance against the Florida Marlins in the Mets' season finale, it was Jamie Moyer who pitched the Phillies to victory and their first of five consecutive division titles.  Moyer got the win against the Washington Nationals in Game No. 162, allowing an unearned run in 5⅓ innings of work.

Seven players currently on the Mets' 25-man roster had not been born when Jamie Moyer made his major league debut.  By the time the youngest Met on the roster, Ruben Tejada, was born, Moyer had already won 32 games in the major leagues.  He had already surpassed 150 wins before Tejada's 12th birthday.  Today, Tejada will bat second, trying to prevent Moyer from getting his 269th career victory.

We've poked fun at Jamie Moyer on this site may times in the past, but we can't help but respect his drive and commitment to the game.  We'd say "break a leg" to wish him luck in today's start against the Mets, but at his age, he might take it literally.

Good luck to Jamie Moyer for the rest of career, however long it may last.  We now leave you with a video of Moyer, a die-hard Seattle Seahawks fan (as is yours truly), raising the 12th man flag at a recent Seahawks playoff game.  You can watch the video by clicking here. 

Should the Rockies' get 12th man insurance for their starting pitcher?

Joey's Soapbox: Las Vegas Gives The Mets No Respect

Last night, I wrote a special Valentine's Day piece on why I love the Mets.  Apparently, Las Vegas oddsmakers don't feel the same love.  Allow me to explain.

This morning, as I was reading the morning paper in bed (see photo below), I was pawing my way through the sports section when I happened upon America's Line, the section where the point spreads and odds are listed.

In addition to the lines for tonight's games, the 2012 World Series odds were also listed for each team.  Now I'm a realist, so just as I don't expect Jason Bay to become the second consecutive Mets' batting champion or Mike Pelfrey to toss the team's first no-hitter, I also didn't expect the Mets to be near the top of the World Series odds list.

I saw the safe bets on top (Phillies, Yankees, Angels, Rangers) and was surprised to see that six of the top seven teams called the American League home, despite the fact that the NL has won four of the last six Fall Classics.  But the one thing I didn't see was the Mets.

I finally did find them, but not until I saw the names of the 23 teams ahead of them.

That's right.  That bold-faced name you see near the bottom of the list is our beloved team.  Now the thing that upsets me is not that at 80-1 odds, the Mets rank 24th out of 30 teams.  It's far more than that.

First, the only National League teams with longer odds than the Mets to win the World Series are the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres and Houston Astros.  The Pirates hold the all-time record in sports for most consecutive losing seasons, with 19.  The Padres have finished higher than third place in the NL West only seven times in their 43 years of existence.  And the Astros are coming off their worst season (56-106) in franchise history.

Second, the other teams in the NL East not only have more favorable odds to win the World Series, they're far more favorable.  The Phillies (4-1 odds) are no surprise here.  The Braves (20-1 odds) came within one choke job of repeating as wild card winners in 2011.  The Marlins (also 20-1) apparently still had money left over after fattening the wallets of Jose Reyes, Heath Bell and Mark Buehrle, giving some of it to the Las Vegas oddsmakers to "earn" their high ranking.  And the Washington Nationals, a team that is still seeking its first winning season since saying au revoir to Montreal, is at 25-1.  Somewhere in the next time zone, you'll find the Mets at 80-1.  No respect.

But if you think the Washington Nationals ranking so much higher than the Mets is the ultimate lack of respect, you've got another "think" coming.

The Kansas City Royals, whose sole finish above third place over the past 22 seasons came in 1995, when they finished four games UNDER .500, rank higher the Mets.  But the one team that caught my eye is ranked even higher than the Royals.  That team is the Chicago Cubs.  The same Chicago Cubs team that hasn't won a World Series since 1908, the year Jamie Moyer was just getting the courage to ask his sweetheart to the prom.  At 35-1 odds, the oddsmakers believe the Cubs are more than twice as likely to win the World Series than the Mets.

The Mets haven't won the World Series since 1986, the same year a film called Back To School was released.  Perhaps you might remember it.  It starred an actor/comedian who knew a thing or two about not getting any respect.

 I respect a man who proudly wears the Mets' racing pinstripes.

Rodney Dangerfield made a living on not getting respect.  Now it looks as if the Mets are following in his footsteps.  In Back To School, Dangerfield's character comforted his son, who had just told him about his C average, by saying "A, B, C, you're in the top three, what's the difference?"

For the Mets, there is a difference.  They can forget about the top three.  They're not even in the top TWENTY-three, as far as World Series odds are concerned.

As everyone knows, the games are played on the field, not on paper.  It's too bad my paper felt the need to play a game with me.  I'm telling you, the Mets just get no respect.  Even Rodney Dangerfield would feel sorry for us.

Rip Van Winkle Not Coming Back To The Phillies

According to several published reports, including this one, 85-year-old Jamie Moyer will not be returning to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2011. Despite the news, the octogenarian will not be retiring from baseball even though he is already collecting money from Social Security.

In what some might consider a surprise, Moyer will be pitching in the Dominican League this winter, as he attempts to come back from shoulder surgery that ended his final season with the Phillies in July.

Although pitching in winter ball might be a good way to attract attention from scouts in an attempt to continue his quest for 300 wins (Moyer has 267), there may be another reason for his choice of country to showcase himself.

Is it possible that Moyer is going to the Dominican Republic to obtain a falsified birth certificate? Adrian Beltre did it. So did Miguel Tejada and former Little League "legend" Danny Almonte.

If Moyer can convince scouts that the reason he's been able to pitch effectively for so long is because he's really 37 and not 47, he'll stand a better chance to be signed and continue to approach 300 wins. Of course, since he made his major league debut in 1986 with the Chicago Cubs, he'd have to explain how a 14-year-old was able to get a job in the big leagues.

That's simple enough. All he'd have to do is say that he used to be known as Henry Rowengartner before legally changing his name to Jamie Moyer when he turned 21. Here's a photo of Jamie Moyer when he was known as Henry Rowengartner as a Cubs rookie.

Assuming Jamie Moyer remembers to wear his adult diaper under his jock strap, perhaps he can make a successful return to the major leagues. Teams are always on the lookout for southpaws to stymie left-handed hitters.

However, if Jamie Moyer fails to hook up with another team, he might still be able to have a job in baseball. The Florida Senior Leagues are always looking for a few good men.

Mets Might Have The Solution To Stopping The Phillies' Supermen

After taking the first round of the Subway Series this past weekend at Citi Field, the Mets will look to continue their winning ways tonight when the division-leading Phillies come to town, fresh off an interleague series loss to the Boston Red Sox. The Mets were able to stifle the powerful Yankee bats over the weekend. How will they be able to stop the potent Phillies' offense? A trip to the local comic book shop might provide them with the answer.

Superman's powers come from the yellow sun of Earth's solar system, as opposed to the red sun that the planet Krypton revolved around; a red sun whose radiation inhibits the development of these powers and takes them away once a Kryptonian has them.

Red Sox starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka hails from Japan, the land of the rising sun. Have you ever seen the Japanese flag? There's a RED SUN smack-dab in the middle of it!

Matsuzaka must have used the radiation of Japan's red sun to zap the Phillies of their power on Saturday. How else would you explain the Phillies only managing one bloop hit against the Red Sox in their hitters' haven of a ballpark?

Another item that causes Superman and his powers to go berserk is red kryptonite. From changes in his personality to losing his invulnerability, red K's effects, although unpredictable, can neutralize Superman and reduce him to a jelly-legged fool.

Tim Wakefield's knuckleball was red kryptonite to the Phillies on Sunday. They flailed away at it, hitting the ball weakly if they hit it at all. No batter knew what the effect of Wakefield's knuckleball would do to their hitting ability, similar to our fav'rit Kryptonian not having a clue what red K will do to his superhuman abilities.

So how will this information help the Mets as they begin their three-game series against the Phillies tonight at Citi Field? A quick check of the Mets' starting pitchers for the series should provide the answer.

In tonight's series opener, R.A. Dickey will take the hill for the Mets. What's his pitching specialty? The knuckleball! That's the same pitch that served as red kryptonite to the Phillies on Sunday. The kind of Kryptonite that caused Superman to turn into a giant ant has already started to affect Phillies' starter Cole Hamels, as seen by these before and after pictures of the southpaw.

In tomorrow's middle game of the series, the Mets will trot out Hisanori Takahashi, who is a fellow countryman of Daisuke Matsuzaka. That's right, SMFs. Takahashi hails from the Land of The Rising Sun. That means he'll be firing the power of the red sun at the Phillies. As we witnessed last Friday, Lefty Luthor was able to use his ability to take the power away from the Yankees' bats. Now he'll try to use his gift to rob the Phillies of their superhuman abilities at the plate.

The series finale on Thursday will feature Mike Pelfrey and his 6-1 record. What state is Big Pelf from? Kansas! Where did Kal-El's rocket crash land when his parents, Jor-El and Lara, sent him away to Earth before Krypton exploded? You guessed it. The baby who became Clark Kent, who later became Superman, began his time on Earth in the town of Smallville in the state of Kansas! Clark Kent spent his formative years in Kansas, developing his superheroic craft there before moving to the big city of Metropolis, just like Pelfrey learned to pitch in Kansas before taking his talent to the big city of New York to pitch for the Metropolitans.

Now that the Mets know the Phillies' weakness, they'll need to exploit it if they want to move up, up and away in the NL East standings. They'll get their first crack against them tonight at Citi Field when R.A. Dickey opposes octogenarian Jamie Moyer.

The Mets were able to thwart the bats of the Evil Empire. Now they must face their arch-enemies for three games. Do the Mets have enough red kryptonite left in the tank for their division rivals? Tune in throughout the three-game series to see the Mets continue their never-ending battle for truth, justice and the Metsian way.