For the third straight year there are many, many more qualified players for the Hall of Fame than there are spots on a Hall of Fame ballot. Even if you are a steroids hardliner and don’t want to show support for anyone who ever failed a drug test or old sportswriter crackpot theory, you could [...]
The Mets called up Michael Conforto in the middle of a pennant race, gave him extended playing time and were rewarded with a player who turned in a 132 OPS+ over 194 PA. It was reminiscent of another rookie that the Mets called up in the middle of a pennant race to be a platoon [...]
This off-season hasn't gone quite as most Mets fans had hoped, obviously. Many had hoped for an outfielder like Yoenis Cespedes or Jason Heyward, though they knew in their hearts that wouldn't happen. They assumed someone like Denard Span was in the cards. It was an internal compromise of sorts, aiming high yet expecting a [...]
A good bench is essential to any team’s success over a long season. Aside from providing pinch hitting and running, late-inning defensive replacements and needed days off, bench players are often thrust into every day duty following an injury to a starter. For the latter purposes, the Mets will rely on their bench more than [...]
I wish my eyes could only see Everything, exactly as it used to be
1999 AMAZIN' METS FROSTED FLAKES CEREAL BOX Can a cereal box be a collector’s item? Well, collectors are an odd lot so we shouldn’t rule it out. And, hey, it’s in my collection so that means something, right? Let me state for the record – this box was given to me. It was on the [...]
New York State and Illinois politics are infamous for the corruption there has been among their legislators and highest elected officials. On rare occasions the voters can rid themselves of the worst of the worst by voting them out or indicting them so they can have some alone time in prison. Major League Baseball has [...]
Rafael Montero broke out in the minor leagues in 2012 and 2013 with impressive seasons. He was considered to be one of the strong starters the Mets had in their back pocket, as the organization had many prospects working their way to the major leagues. Since the Mets have called up those prospects, Montero has [...]
I used to cover North Carolina A&T basketball games. A&T is an HBCU team and a low-level Division I squad. At the time they were coached by Jerry Eaves. There could be two reasons that name sounds familiar to you. If you’re a graybeard, you might remember him as a starter for the 1980 Louisville [...]
Over the last few months many, including myself, have tried to predict what kind of contract Daniel Murphy would land once he became a free agent. During the regular season my predictions were for something like three years, $36 million. Then Murph became Babe Ruth (Barry Bonds?) for two playoff rounds. At that point three [...]
We were very good this year. We came out to Citi Field in increasing numbers and spent our hard-earned money on $10 cans of Budweiser and $6 hot dogs. We boosted TV ratings on SNY and purchased every playoff round’s unique $30 t-shirt. Yet instead of getting the speedy leadoff hitter (Denard Span or Dexter [...]
A really quick hitter today… It’s a pretty special day today. It’s Christmas Eve, the most wonderful time of the year, as it says in the song. For Mets fans, the most wonderful time was October 5 through November 1. That’s when the team breezed through the NL playoffs and came up just a few [...]