3-31 Ex-Mets: - Clem Labine, Joe Torre, Scott Strickland, Lastings Milledge... and Kris Benson

Clem LabineOn April 16, 1957, Pat Rispole tuned in Albany radio station WOKO, threaded a tape onto his reel-to-reel tape recorder, and pushed the record button before the Phillies Robin Roberts delivered the first pitch of the game and season to Brooklyn Dodger lead-off hitter Jim Gilliam. Twelve innings later, after a 7-6 Dodger victory, Pat had a complete-game broadcast preserved on tape. Clem Labine got the win that night, but Pat Rispole deserves credit for the save. -   link:

Joe Torre:

He is just 33 losses behind McGraw. Of the three obvious managerial career stats - games, losses, and wins - losses are obviously the least impressive, but no current manager is going to last 30 years with a better winning percentage than McGraw had. McGraw is still No. 2 in wins. Cox won't catch him because he's retiring after this year. Torre would have to keep managing another six or seven years, until he's in his mid-70s. That's asking a lot. LaRussa, however, should top McGraw during the 2012 season. -  HBT

Scott Strickland:

Former Mets relief pitcher, Scott Strickland, was just released by the Florida Marlins. Strickland, 34 in April, is now beginning the rest of his life...after baseball. Strickland, who hasn't pitched in the pros since 2005, was told he hadn't made the Marlin squad. He has decided it is time to start the second part of his life...as a REPO MAN. - link

Lastings Milledge:

Milledge finally began flashing his ability after the Pirates acquired him and reliever Joel Hanrahan for left fielder Nyjer Morgan and reliever Sean Burnett. His average jumped from .167 to .279 and he had four homers and 20 RBIs in 220 at-bats with Pittsburgh, showing enough talent to settle in as the starting left fielder almost without competition. First, though, the Pirates kept him in the minors until they felt he was ready for the majors again. “Coming to Pittsburgh, it’s kind of changed my life a little bit, changed the way I carry myself and changed the way I go about my business,” said Milledge, who turns 25 on the day of the Pirates’ opener Monday. -  link

Kris Benson:


Arizona Diamondbacks - signed: RHP Kris Benson -Signing a minor league deal with the Rangers last year resulted in Benson making eight big league appearances in the first half. A similar situation did not yield a callup to the Phillies in ’08. A third minor league deal in three years establishes Benson's status as journeyman, but that won't stop the first overall pick in the ’96 draft from trying for another bite at the apple with the Diamondbacks. If it doesn't work out, then the 35-year-old Benson certainly won't be the worst role model for the young Triple-A Reno hurlers—Bryan Augenstein, Barry Enright, Wes Roemer, Cesar Valdez, et al.—to follow. - BA