I think I'm offering you the ultimate justification: Rather than blathering on about which one is better, I'm willing to allow Church's bat do the talking for me.

I can't understand why you're so afraid of allowing Milledge's bat do the talking for you.

Surely, if it's a bad deal you'll win the bet easily, right?

If you feel this was such a lousy trade, I can't understand why you're not taking me up on this bet. I mean, if Milledge is the real deal—and Church is as bad as you say he is—you have nothing to lose, right?

If, the Mets traded Milledge on 31 July because he wasn't ready for the big time, everyone who played OF in the system was hurt and you really thought RF was going to put you over the top for that season and this guy was enough to do it, then it would have been a fine trade, but that's not the case. Last 31 July we needed a stady arm in the pen to put us over the top and Omar didn't want to give up a prospect. Starting a season and going after a 29 year old journeyman who has never been good enoguh to play full time for a 23 year kid with enthusiasm and potential and with 2 other outfielders sitting behind him if he failed and a catcher who has no value on the market is just poor dealing. If, as it is written, that Minaya has been trying to get an ace, then he should have kept every kid so that he would have as much as possible to bargain with. One never knows what the other team might settle for. But if you don't have a piece you ain't dealing it are you? He could have made this trade with DC at any time.

Now you may not like any point that criticizes this trade but that's life….. because i think you haven't made any point to justify this trade.

Now, do you want to back up your convictions and make the bet—or would you just prefer to continue with the empty name-calling?

I'll await your response.

a.) The cheesecake in LA where I live sucks and so is not worth betting.

b.) As you are dealing in Bizarro-speak, I have no idea what the opposite of cheesecake is so that I can not-send not-cheesecake to the Bizarro Superman.

Point is… saying that a guy who hit his ceiling as a platoonist for the Expos is worth more than a five-tool prospect whose development was held back by the shambling likes of Shawn Green and Cliff Floyd is… its so out of the realm of reality that you could only be saying it to pick an internet fight.

Yes, there is a slight chance that Milledge could go down to a freak injury or something and Church could collect more stats next year.

Yes, if Milledge is at his floor and Church is at his ceiling in 2008, his numbers might look slightly better, in that limited timeframe.

But it wouldn't mean a thing.

It wouldn't make trading your best positional prospect for a platoon rightfielder and a no-hit catcher a sane move, ever, no way, no how… even if you hate that your best positional prospect pulls in negative coverage in The Post because he is young, black and enthusiastic about the game.

It wouldn't mean a thing.

Oh man.

Oh man, good to see the Bizarro Superman posting here.

Bizarro Superman, ladies and gentlemen. Good Lord.

Do you really believe Milledge is still a top prospect and that Omar could have gotten more than Church and Schneider? I think his value was dropping and Omar moved him before it hit rock bottom.

But if you really feel this way, why not cut out the Clemens comparisons and put your money where your mouth is: Bet me a cheesecake on Church vs. Milledge in 2008.

I remember as well them shutting Pelfrey down in arizona but he never had TJ like Humber did.
I see we picked up another bum for the pen. I guess we have our 2008 Mota or Sele now! Rincon. WOW!!!

These moves would be ok if they were back up to big moves, but they are the only moves this winter. My cuz has a better chance of helping this club then Rincon does and he hasn't pitched in two years.

If they pick pick up bum starters like Odalis and Colon, and use them instead of kids I think I'll give up on the season early and save my aggravation…..... I think we're folowing our history of a little peak and a deep valley.

I cannot find a record of Pelf being injured also. I looked. I remember last year they shut him and Humber down in the AFL after short stints because of soreness and believed the reason was both had come off injuries and they wanted to protect them. Perhaps I was mistaken.

As for Gomez/Milledge, I bring Carlos up as a simple comparison of young OF's and they way both handled their time in the bigs. I think Gomez was relatively more successful and did not generate the bad feelings that Milledge did in his short time here.

As for Gotay – I like him too and think he can be a good player. I think he made Omar nervous for a team going into the post season so they went and got Castillo who played a better 2b and settled the #2 slot. I think Castillo makes them better at the expense of allowing a promising young player to develop.

Sloppy:

I don't think Church is the answer. I stand on record as saying I do not like the trade of LM. I give Omar the benefit of the doubt on this, but disagree with him and think we would be better if we filled RF and C a different way.

As for the Gints and QB. To me we went and paid a lot for the starting QB and they were willing to deal with the growing pains. For a QB you have to give several years up to let them develop. As in baseball or any sport the player needs playing time. My original point was that in baseball you have more options to give the players experience. You do not have to let them do it at the major league level.

With LM i feel that he still should be in the minors learning game situations and how to actually play OF before he gets a shot at the majors. I do not feel he has good basics. In contrast to Gomez who plays a better OF and whose fundamentals in that area seem better. Gomez is less developed at the plate but seemed to be able to slap the ball around a bit and get on base which hid his issues at the plate. That said Gomez should start in AAA and learn how to hit the pitching there.

At this point I don't care about Lastings. For better or worse he is no longer on the team. As I said before I think his emotional make up will interfere with his physical ability to play the game. I know many here disagree with me, but I have moved on with him. I wish he were still here as he can help this team but he is not.

Go Mets.

Will Church make the all-star team? I don't know, but I'd guess he's got a better shot at doing so than Milledge.

Will Church's anti-Semitism play in NY? What he allegedly said—that he was told by the team chaplain that his Jewish girlfriend wouldn't make it to heaven because she didn't believe in Christ—is a very popular belief in this country, particularly for those living outside of big cities. I think the idea that he shared this conversation with the media makes him more ignorant than consciously anti-Semitic.

I don't think Church is "nothing but question marks." Wright and Beltran were the only Mets to collect more extrabase hits than Church last year.

In terms of their respective off-the-field scandals, I think Milledge's is far worse. In addition to those ugly statutory rape allegations from high school, you now have a rap album that is, at least in part, devoted to the wonders to the fellatio. Not exactly the kind of thing you want to be promoting all the wives and kids at the ballpark.

Why did the Nats trade Church? For one thing, Bowden has always loved Milledge, even from his Cincy days. Church is soon to be arbitration-eligible, which is more of a consideration for a team like Washington. Beyond that, they probably believe Milledge will be the better player down the road.

Are you in or out on the cheesecake bet?

PS: Will Church make the All Star team this year? Will he get 500 ABs to show he's an everyday player? Will he wear Bobby Bonilla earplugs to drown out the boos if he gets off to a bad start? Can he handle pressure in the big apple? Can he survive the cultural diversity of NYC which he had a hard time with in DC? Will the Jewish community give him a chance, kind of odd an anti Semite replacing Green isn't it? Did the community accept his apology? Will he be the home grown version of John Rocker or will he be left alone?Kind of odd Omar trying to get a proven vet with nothing but question marks and a bunch of doubles in a cavernous outfield, don't you think? Character… You guys pan Milledge's acrion and ignore Church's. Why did DC give Church away (according to you) when they usually holds team's hostage for any talent they have like they supposedly did last summer?

And my only point to that was what GM have the Mets had that held on to prospects before Omar?

I am not arguing the point that he has made some bad trades, I am not arguing that he has not gotten value for Milledge. Only saying that Duquette, Steve Phillips, and even Cashen, were no more patient with the "kids"

If we still had Milledge we could use him, or have him involved in the Santana talks. Personally I thought the kid got a bad wrap. Hell, he's young and immature? Who isn't at that age?

Church vs. Milledge in OPS for 2008. One cheesecake from Junior's.

Are you in or not?

Guys like Ayala make an almost valid point about why not trade Miledge when you think you got better kids coming? The failue there is then why trade one of them for a journeyman at the same position? And why didn't you trade any of them last July when your pen was shot, your starters couldn't go deep. When we really needed help we didn't get it. We can fight all we want about whether Church or Milledge is better but when push comes to shove, where they'd bat wouldn't have much differene, not nearly as much as a decent set up man would have made the last 2 months last year.

On everything else we are agreed!!!