There were seven work stoppages in Major League Baseball from 1972 through 1995. Since the disaster of the 94-95 strike ended, the sport has seen a 26-year window of peace, unprecedented in the times of unionized athletes. As profits surged throughout the late 90s and into the 2000s both players and owners were happy with [...]
Heading into 2005, Mets GM Omar Minaya made big strides toward turning the team into a true contender. Perhaps the move that signaled that more than any other was his signing of Carlos Beltran to a seven-year, $119 million contract to patrol center field. In the years since, the world learned who Bernard Madoff was, [...]
Since his call up in the 2017 season, Jeff McNeil has quickly made his mark on the New York Mets. Even as he has garnered headlinesnfor his strong hitting, knobless bat and defensive adventures around the diamond, it almost feels like he still is one of the more underrated players in the game. In only [...]
Since coming over in a trade with the Seattle Mariners before 2019, Edwin Diaz has been the most-maligned member of the Mets pitching staff. After a dreadful first season in New York, the flame-throwing righty had a 7.71 ERA through three appearances in 2020 and was demoted from the closer’s role. Entering Monday, Diaz is [...]
After a rough stretch in the early 1990s, the 1996 season was a transitional season for the New York Mets. The team finished with a dreadful 71-91 record, good for fourth-place in the NL East, but gave fans a foreshadowing of the success which followed in the later part of the decade. Generation K was [...]
In a season that has already featured its share of frustrations for the New York Mets, one of the most positive developments has been the play of Dominic Smith. More than any player on the roster, Smith has benefited from Yoenis Cespedes’ opt-out and the addition of the DH to the National League. Even though [...]
With baseball finally back in the form of exhibition games between the Mets and Yankees over the weekend, it is feels nice to get to nit-pick manager’s lineup decisions again. First year manager Luis Rojas has the luxury of a talented and deep set of hitters to draw from, but already he has raised some [...]
The MLB lockout of 1990 is one of the seven work stoppages between 1972 and 1994 that has been mostly forgotten about. It lasted about a month at the start of spring training, no games were lost, and at the end, MLBPA Executive Director Donald Fehr and Commissioner Fay Vincent expressed feelings of mutual respect [...]
May 15 was the six-year anniversary of Jacob deGrom’s major league debut, where he allowed one run in seven innings to the New York Yankees and took the loss – owing to a lack of run support which has become the hallmark of his career in Flushing. But while deGrom has blossomed into the two-time [...]
Steve Trachsel allowed 348 home runs in his 16-year career in Major League Baseball. But the one he allowed to Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals on September 8, 1998 cemented his spot as a footnote in baseball history. The right-hander served Big Mac an 88 MPH fastball and with a quick, short stroke [...]
You would be hard-pressed to find a Mets fan who has never criticized the Wilpon Family for one thing or another in their tenure as primary owners of the ball club. Just a few weeks ago they attracted a ton of negative publicity for the new MLB clubhouse at Clover Field, which they won’t allow [...]
With pitchers and catchers having reported to spring training in Port St. Lucie, Florida last week, the time-honored tradition of minor league players wearing numbers in the 70s and 80s showing up in Grapefruit League Exhibition games is right around the corner. As a baseball-starved kid growing up in the early-2000s, my favorite early-February tradition [...]