Matt Harvey Retires

Matt "Dark Knight" Harvey was going to be the leader of a new generation of Mets starters. Well, this being the Mets, it was a rocky road.  On and off the field.

The Mets had various problems (as they continue to have) with their starters, including Matt Harvey being out because of an injury.  Then, like David Cone back in the day for the Yankees, he came back and shined some more.  But, we had the probably misguided attempt to stretch into the ninth during the deciding World Series game, and it went downhill from there.  

Harvey never really came back to form though he gutted it out with the Mets and various other teams.  He was credible for the Reds. Then, the Angels (with that Disney money) dubiously gave him 11M for a year.  Not so credible.  The struggle then was to find a few innings here and there where he looked good.  Harvey finished off on a nice note with some good innings representing Italy for World Baseball Classic.

That would be after a suspension when he admitted to drug use.  He has now retired from baseball and I wish him well.  Pitching asks people to do unnatural things.  Some pitchers more than others.  Baseball generally has a dark side too, the things that make you a celebrity superstar having the possibility of giving the bitter with the sweet.  

[Mets managed to win tonight vs. the Rockies, a 1-0 win with some nail-biting in the last two innings.  They were swept by the lowly Tigers though Verlander finally did pitch, two early homers and no offense (he faced the true ace of the staff, but the other two losses were less respectable) burnt them.]

I am not a Sports Illustrated swimsuit guy myself.  More power to Padma Lakshmi, a fifty-something "culinary personality" who was a model in her younger days.  I'm not sure about the quality of that bikini but it does celebrate her body pretty well.  

I'm middle-aged myself though at times do not feel it.  But, yeah, watching Friends, I'm more the age of Richard and Monica/Ross' parents than the friends.  People age.  I do think there are a variety of people in their 40s, 50s, and yes even 60s, who look pretty good.  On air and off.  

I do think the women on that show started to look ... well weird ... toward the end.  Courtney Cox definitely had some bad plastic surgery (she also was pregnant the last season, rather obviously so at some point).  Other actresses from the era still look pretty darn good.  Those three do make me wonder.

[Christiana Applegate is my age and she's always Kelly Bundy for me though she also was great as Rachel's sister.  She has MS and is gutting it out with her usual guts and gumption.  Or something.]

How about that cover model?  Well, nice butt, but a bit skinny on the top.  Nice hair.  There are sports where bathing suits make sense but are not quite "sports" related.  On the other hand, she does seem like someone who might be very athletic.  I can see her at the gym or at a swim meet.  Impressive too with someone around all that food.  Congrats again.