Your intrepid columnist likes to think long thoughts, sometimes. Jenrry Mejia was mowing down Dodger after Dodger for six innings until he was betrayed by some bad defense -- “Oh, Murph…” goes the Twitter lament when Daniel Murphy makes a gaffe like last night’s – and atrocious umpiring. A graphic on SNY told the columnist [...]
At the 2013 Baseball Writers Association of America dinner, when New York Mets GM Sandy Alderson was asked about the state of his outfield, he quipped, “What outfield?” On April 23, the Mets promoted Juan Lagares from AAA Las Vegas. On June 18, the Mets acquired Eric Young, Jr. from the Colorado Rockies. Until June [...]
OK, so the Mets lost in Miami. Again. That drops their record against the Fish – Bob Ojeda was annoyingly cute with this nickname on the postgame – to 5-9 overall, 3-6 in Magic City. In a vacuum, this record looks horrible -- and it is –- but context is key. That loss last night [...]
In the classic Hollywood storytelling arc, the formula is “boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl.” This basic structure has worked since anybody figured out that you could tell a story with some celluloid and a screen. It’s worked for Gable and Lombard, Hepburn and Tracy, Funicello and Avalon, Hanks and Ryan. It’s [...]
Sometimes it’s tough to tell what the outlier is. Jeremy Hefner is coming off a recent eight-start run that raised a few eyebrows. From June 4 through the All-Star break, his stretch comprised 51 IP and a scant 10 ER – good for an ERA of 1.77. That’s an “ace”- type number. For comparison’s sake, [...]
Can you feel the shift? Your intrepid columnist can, despite what some of his colleagues think. Citi Field is looking noticeably fuller and those there noticeably louder than in recent weeks. At least that’s how it played on SNY during last night’s ultimately frustrating loss to Atlanta. Maybe the crowd size was a bit of [...]
You gotta admit: when the Mets throw a big party, they do a pretty decent job. The 84th Major League All-Star game is tonight. You may have heard. If you’re local to Citi Field, the build-up and giddy excitement have been inescapable. From the minute 35 All-Star Apples were sprinkled around town, the anticipation surrounding [...]
The Mets went out to San Francisco and swept the Giants for the first time in forever. This is on the heels of taking two-of-three from the Brewers in Milwaukee. That came after a seven-game homestand which saw the team go 3-4. And before that was the thought-to-be-grueling 11-game swing through Atlanta, Philadelphia, Chicago and [...]
When it comes to major league baseball, there are no demigods anymore. The hulking, spectral players of the past – the immortals whose tales were told down through the ages – exist only in fading memory and faulty story. Your intrepid columnist heard them from his Dad. He was there when Babe Ruth said his [...]
Everybody out of the pool! That’s the cry from the Mets’ fan base, directed at their training facility in Port St. Lucie. That’s where Travis d’Arnaud is running in water, strengthening his rehabbing foot and balky knee. That’s because John Buck has reverted to his regular old self. That’s not good for the team, the [...]
It seems like the only one that can slow down Matt Harvey is Mother Nature. Harvey took the mound on Sunday afternoon (6/23), threw six innings, struck out six batters, allowed two hits and one walk. It was a passing Philadelphia monsoon – a game delay of twenty-odd minutes – that kept him from lasting [...]
You may or may not have heard: Zack Wheeler was pretty good in his debut. That was on top of Matt Harvey being otherworldly earlier that same day. On what was clearly the best day of this benighted 2013 season, Mets fan and Mets player alike got a personal jolt from these two electrifying performances. [...]