Happy birthday, Ruben Mateo
by Adam J. Morris on Feb 10, 2010 2:30 PM CST
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PrintHappy birthday to Ruben Mateo, who turns 32 today.
One of the all-time disappointing prospect stories. As a 21 year old, he had a .336/.385/.597 line in AAA in 1999, before getting called up to fill in in centerfield for the Rangers' last playoff team. Then he broke his leg the next season, was never the same, ultimately got traded (along with throw-in Edwin Encarnacion, in one of Doug Melvin's dumber moves) for Rob Bell and his Loch Ness Curve, and basically never got his career back on track.
And I know I normally only do one birthday, but I can't let this other one slide...happy birthday to Nails, who turns 47 today.
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Tripped over the bag, didn't he?
"Drinks are on me if Lewis posts >168IP and an era lower than 3.86." by RangerMad on Jan 20, 2010 12:36 PM PST
IIRC
he overextended and his leg bent the other way. Truly gruesome.
"JD gets complete blame or credit for what happens in 2010 and I think Nolan wants it that way. JD is paid to be a real GM and needs to start performing like one." - Josey Wales
by Michael Cave on Feb 10, 2010 2:35 PM CST up reply actions
Nice!
Ruben Amaurys Mateo (born February 10, 1978 in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic) is a professional baseball outfielder for the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League.
That means he plays against the Bridgeport Bluefish, who are 15 minutes down the road from me. I’ll have to go see him this summer. Nice.
Remember that catch he made against the Red Sox at Fenway?
He sold the shit out of it to make it look like he caught it.
Wasn’t Bill Jones still the play by play guy?
by TooLegitToQuit on Feb 10, 2010 2:49 PM CST via mobile reply actions
Also Berkman's B-day today
I don’t why it seems odd that Berkman’s two years older. Is it because 1999 seems so long ago?
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
WTF, wait a sec...
I thought Melvin never did any wrong…
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"When you have a weapon on your shoulder like he has, you can be cool." RW on Perez
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
When I was 14, I use to sit around and think about how great Mateo was going to be.
Also: we had Edwin Encarnacion?!
Yes, we had Edwin
I remember when that went down and didn’t know anything about Encarnacion. Nice trade, huh?
"If this video was an ice cream flavor, it'd be pralines and dick." Clark
re: Matthew Wilder-Break My Stride, 4/17/09
I did
I think he was hitting something like .350 in Low A at the time.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"When you have a weapon on your shoulder like he has, you can be cool." RW on Perez
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
Bob Sturm
just had a shout out to Adam concerning Dykstra on Why Today Doen’t Suck.
by Randy Richardson on Feb 10, 2010 3:16 PM CST reply actions
just commenting on the curiosity and humor of Dykstra having a site like that
"Drinks are on me if Lewis posts >168IP and an era lower than 3.86." by RangerMad on Jan 20, 2010 12:36 PM PST
x
They were doing birthdays, mentioned Dykstra, Sturm said “on his blog, Adam Morris, had a post the other day about Lenny’s subscription only website for stock tips.” Or something very similar to that.
by Randy Richardson on Feb 10, 2010 5:48 PM CST up reply actions
I'm not a publicity whore
I’m narcissitic and self-centered.
by Adam J. Morris on Feb 10, 2010 9:42 PM CST up reply actions
Who only corrals links and threads.
I will try to bring more to the table on here so you can look better. I apologize.
"grilled cheese punches like a bitch" -Gdawg
"i feel like k-rod after a save." -by reagan on Jan 23, 2010, that glorious day Hicks was out of our lives.
Rob Bell
was Ol’ #6. Pitchers with single digit numbers are unstable.
"If this video was an ice cream flavor, it'd be pralines and dick." Clark
re: Matthew Wilder-Break My Stride, 4/17/09
So sad
that Ruben Mateo’s greatest legacy with the Texas Rangers is being good friends with Michael Young, so much that MY named his first child Mateo.
Ruben was/is one of my favorite Rangers of all-time. He was probably the first Rangers prospect I ever truly got excited to see (in a Feliz sort of way now). That injury was a massive let down.
RIP Mateo’s career.
the Mateo/Young thing
you know that is completely incorrect, right? Mateo is just a family name in Young’s wife’s family. I don’t even think they ever played on the same team together.
Yah I know
However, it is more fun to view it as a legendary friendship between the two. Two Rangers greats, one who’s career ended right around the time another started.
That's fun for you?
So if I pretended that Chris Davis was Miles Davis’s son that would be entertaining too? Or that Michael Young is Cy Young’s brother? Matt Harrison is George Harrison’s widow?
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
by WyoRanger on Feb 10, 2010 3:59 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
I wanted to say something smart ass too...
But was trying to get back into the love-more-hate-less mood that we’re trying to foster around here more. But you made me fall back into the negativeness.
I always like to say that Nolan and Ivan were such good friends that Nolan named his penis Pudge.
That’s one of my greatest memories…….That never happened.
"grilled cheese punches like a bitch" -Gdawg
"i feel like k-rod after a save." -by reagan on Jan 23, 2010, that glorious day Hicks was out of our lives.
Just think what Nolan would have called old one eye
if he and Barajas were really good friends.
Who gives a shit what Josey says.............................
by Lil' Jonny Donuts on Feb 10, 2010 5:22 PM CST up reply actions
and what about ol' "Five Tools" Laird?
It practically writes itself.
"grilled cheese punches like a bitch" -Gdawg
"i feel like k-rod after a save." -by reagan on Jan 23, 2010, that glorious day Hicks was out of our lives.
Or if Nolan was close friends to all the them,
when Salty throws out a base stealer, Pudge would Popup and become a tool worthy of a legend.
Who gives a shit what Josey says.............................
by Lil' Jonny Donuts on Feb 10, 2010 6:01 PM CST up reply actions
I was going to go with...
Nolan had a great time last night, using his One Eye’d Pudge to dole out all Five Tools for a Salty surprise.
"grilled cheese punches like a bitch" -Gdawg
"i feel like k-rod after a save." -by reagan on Jan 23, 2010, that glorious day Hicks was out of our lives.
I like your rendition better.
I’m done. All petered out.
Who gives a shit what Josey says.............................
by Lil' Jonny Donuts on Feb 10, 2010 6:54 PM CST up reply actions
Well actually...
sure why not. It isn’t funny because of its randomness. It is fun/funny because that was actually hypothesized at the time that the child was born. As well there is an obvious connection between the two and the time periods tend to match-up.
The suggestions you are making are simply random, no connection other than the name.
Besides, it is simply for grins, no harm done. Michael Young and Ruben Mateo are two of my favorite Rangers, two who’s careers took very different paths.
Mateo was the first I ever got excited about.
I didn’t really even understand farm systems at that point. I never really followed another prospect after him until Tex, who was the first guy I ever followed from draft to Majors.
Really, not until Tex was being talked about in trades did I start following farms the way I do now.
Sounds about right...
used to wait on him at El Chicos off Collins. I still have about 10 receipts that I stole just hoping his autograpgh would make me $1000 in the future. Damn.
"Big whoop, wanna fight about it?"
by lost in space on Feb 10, 2010 5:16 PM CST up reply actions
x
I started reading the NMLR right around the time Mateo was starting to gain a lot of attention. So sad that his career turned out the way it did…
I'd be interested in hearing your opinions...
Name some comps for what Ruben was suppposed to have been.
David Eckstein minus the grit, plus the roids
We need to not always make hard work out of sex- Rick Carlisle.
Juan Gon with speed
And the ability to play CF would be close, I think.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"When you have a weapon on your shoulder like he has, you can be cool." RW on Perez
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
So Willie Mays, but better
"Dying ain't hard. It’s living in the wake of a thorough public humiliation that’s hard.--JDT217
Internet greatness http://www.lonestarball.com/2009/11/10/1125340/will-carroll-calls-out-josey-wales
Is Juan Gone with the ability to play CF. . .
. . . like Juan Gone with the “ability” to play right field?
I remember Rob Bell
and the Bell Curve, which, if it was thrown at all, invariably bounced in the dirt before getting to the plate.
"I don't condone steroids or any other type of growth hormones or anything else, but I could care less, and, for the most part, I don't think the fans give a (bleep). The people that care about it are the people that probably don't like baseball," - Jim Leyland
I googled +"rob bell" +"loch ness curve"
It returned four results, all of them posts by AJM. One was at his old blog and the other three were here.
Thanks for the link
While scanning the page, we see when Melissa Lima got AJM’s, ahem, attention.
Jose Lima’s wife
Wow…
It’s Lima Time.
It's baseball. You don't always get what you want, and you don't always want what you get. --Ed Coffin
Just think
if Josey Wales was photo shopped in place of Jose, we could talk at length about three enormous boobs.
Who gives a shit what Josey says.............................
by Lil' Jonny Donuts on Feb 10, 2010 7:00 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Get away from you gf first,
then let the fun begin!
"Big whoop, wanna fight about it?"
by lost in space on Feb 10, 2010 6:51 PM CST up reply actions
Go to the Bellagio Sports Book...
Bet on $1 – $2 races, and sit back and have some drinks. I’m a nice reprieve from the slots sounds that are everywhere, and it’s fun to root for the horses. Plus, worse case scenario, you’re out the $10 from the races, and whatever you spent on drinks. Whenever I go to Vegas, we head there every morning to chill before heading out for the day
The ol' 8-ball / Hooker combo never fails.
"Sometimes you just want to sit back and watch somebody throw 100." - Jeff Passan on Neftali Feliz
"Baseball's all that's real" - JB
Shame on you,
drugs and prostitutes are not the answer for everything.
"Big whoop, wanna fight about it?"
by lost in space on Feb 10, 2010 7:11 PM CST up reply actions
Then I'd say
you’ve got the wrong damn question.
Who gives a shit what Josey says.............................
by Lil' Jonny Donuts on Feb 10, 2010 7:15 PM CST up reply actions
Just
most things.
"I don't condone steroids or any other type of growth hormones or anything else, but I could care less, and, for the most part, I don't think the fans give a (bleep). The people that care about it are the people that probably don't like baseball," - Jim Leyland
Go to Fremont Street
I always have fun there. Limits are lower and people are less uptight. There’s a great restaurant in the Four Queens called Hugo’s Cellar. Old school Vegas there – great butter poached lobster tail and it used to be one of higher rated restaurants in town. Also, the Plaza Hotel at the end of Fremont Street has a glass dome. There is a restaurant in there where they filmed part of Casino. Good food there and you can sit there and watch the light show.
On the strip Bellagio Sports Book is always good. NYNY’s 9 Fine Irishman is a good place to go for a drink and get away from the noise of slots and they have live music and decent beer. MGM has a Bobby Flay restaurant which is good.
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
I've come to like Bobby Flay more and more.
Since his strategy towards food is like mine: take something good, make it different, and douse it with spicy flavors.
Plus, apparently he’s not the arrogant douche IRL he seems to be on Food Network.
I second the Fremont St. suggestion
and depending on your tastes:
Hoover Dam tour and the new bridge being built
The Palms, Rio, Hard Rock
Coyote Ugly or Piano Bar at New York, New York
Forum Shops at Caesars
Red Rock Canyon
I remember when he broke his femur crossing first
Sad.
Greetings from the Humungus, the Ruler of the Wasteland, the Ayatollah of Rock and Roll-A. I laugh at your puny plans.
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