You guys are great. Only hours after the below inquiry on Steve Simpson, the pitcher received from San Diego in the 1973 Jim McAndrew trade and who may have been called up to the big-league roster in 1974, I'd received all kinds of info about him.

To the pertinent question of whether he should be listed among 1974 Mets players, the answer is no. As you might see on the accompanying graphic -- what passed for the "official" transaction record as kept by the Baseball Hall of Fame -- Simpson's 1974 recall by the Mets (highlighted in yellow) is designated "not to rep" meaning "not to report" or "NTR." A million thanks to Jason for the record -- he reports he's also looking to get his hands on the official record for Greg Harts, the outfielder recalled along Simpson that day. Click the image for a larger look. Those are exactly the kinds of records I keep: Scribbled on paper!

Anyhow, as Jason explains, all players on the 40-man roster are recalled automatically when rosters expand but not all of them necessarily report to the team: That's the technical distinction that led to Charlie's initial question.

Others of you were quick to point out addtional facts. Although he'd been assigned a number -- the same 43 worn by McAndrew in fact -- he wasn't long for the Mets, or anyone else. The New York Times reports Simpson retired on the first day of training camp in 1975. And the Sporting News says he died of a heart attack at age 41 in 1989.

Just as we suspected, Brian Stokes appeared tonight, wearing No. 43, and in place of Ruddy Lugo, who returns to AAA without having made an appearance. And Stokes, though not charged with a decision and guilty of surrendering two 2-run home runs, evidently pitched well enough, by Met standards, to remain with the club even after John Maine returns. Which probably means that Carlos Muniz would return to AAA when Maine comes back, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

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Quick note to let you in on a great opportunity to see the Mets from a unique perspective before they dismantle Big Shea. Matt Silverman, my co-author for the Mets by the Numbers book and writer of a bunch of other great Mets-related books (Mets Essential, 100 Things, Total Mets, etc), has purchased a bunch of Picnic Area seats for the Sept. 24 game -- that's a Wednesday night vs. the Cubs -- and is selling a limited number at his website, MetSilverman.com. Details including pricing etc. are there. I'm here to tell you I will be there, and that Matt's a trustworthy guy who is likely to draw a crowd of knowledgeable and enthusiastic fans: If I were you, I'd be making plans to go. And do it quick -- prices go up Sept. 1.

After lots of speculation looks like it will be Brian Stokes making the start and his Mets debut Saturday evening when the Mets host the Marlins. Stokes, who struggled as a reliever in the Rays' system, has spent the entire season at AAA New Orleans, where he's gone 10-8 with a 4.41 ERA in 23 games and 22 starts.

Stokes wore No. 43 back when he nearly made the Mets as a short reliever this spring and despite being poised to be the 46th player and 21st pitcher the Mets have employed this year 43 still hasn't been issued.

Unclear at this point who gets sent down to make room for Stokes. While Ruddy Lugo makes sense, Ramon Castro's injury could change things.

So the Mets along with introducing Johan Santana to the press today updated their 40-man roster so as to provide uni numbers for several players for the first time. From the bottom, it's

9 Marlon Anderson (switching from 23 for Brian Schneider)

16 Angel Pagan

19 Ryan Church

38 Matt Wise (Carlos Muniz is now listed in 32)

39 Jason Vargas (Vargas was 43 last season, we may see a flip with Stokes, below)

43 Brian Stokes

49 Ruddy Lugo (Phillip Humber, we barely miss ye)

61 Steven Register(likely to be the lowest of the high-numbered invitees)

Also worth noting is pitcher Adam Bostick in 72, giving him the highest number among the 40 men invited to camp. Among non-roster invitees, the deck is clear for Jose Valentin to take 22 and Ricardo Rincon to assume his usual 73.

Our post below guessed a few of these correctly at least. Keep in mind as always these numbers don't "count" until the games do, so nothing is official yet.