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Posts Tagged Mets

“Mets Yearbook” A Treat For All Baseball Fans

Aug 5

Posted by Jerry Milani in Movies, New York Mets, Sports on TV | No Comments

A few weeks back I stumbled upon a Mets Yearbook film on SNY.  It was from the late 70s, chronicling one mediocre-or-worse Mets squad, but with an optimism and hopefulness that the coming year would be better.

I immediately went to the search function on my DVR and programmed in dates and times for future airings of other years’ films.

I don’t remember these in their original run — and though I’m more a Mets hater than fan, I just love these films.  The 1963 film has great footage of the last breaths of the Polo Grounds, and ‘64 touted the opening of the marvelous Shea Stadium, universally hailed as the great modern multi-purpose park.

The films are a treasure trove of footage, from stars like Seaver and Mays all the way to “the next big things” like Mike Vail, Steve Henderson and John Milner.

Opening Day always got a disproportionate amount of screen time devoted to it, probably because even in their worst years, the Mets managed to win their lid-lifter.  Events like Banner Day, Helmet Day and Old Timer’s Day — yes, the Mets had them then, and there were even Yankees (gasp!) invited

The films were always forward-looking, even though they recounted the title year — so guys who didn’t figure in the 1979 plans were nowhere to be found in the ‘78 video.

I particularly enjoyed a featurette in one of the shows on Dave Kingman, trying to humanize the famously surly slugger, showing him talking to camp kids in addition to his prodigious homers.

It’s not really fair to have BaseballReference.com open, clicking on players as they are mentioned in the series, but it certainly is fun to look back 40+ years in some cases and see what happened to those guys.

If the Yankees did such a video series, I’ve seen only a ‘77 season recap and a WPIX feature called “It Don’t Come Easy” reviewing 1978.  I think films of those mediocre and poor CBS Yanks teams would be great as well, and I hope that if YES Network has those somewhere, and rights to use them, that they’d consider putting them on.

But that might be a bit to ask for the Undefeated Yankees Classics network.

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TTT July 6 – and some other links

Jul 6

Posted by Jerry Milani in New York Mets, Tracking The Transactions | 1 Comment

Fernando Tatis

Been a busy couple of weeks, and haven’t been particularly inspired by the transactions, though I have been interviewing some author and Hall of Fame shortstop and TV executive types for some stories on BaseballDigest.com and NewJerseyNewsroom.com, so feel free to check those out if you wish… My favorite was the author of a new book about Joe Black, it’s a quick and easy read from a guy with a unique perspective on Mr. Black.  Highly recommended.

METS – Placed INF/OF Fernando Tatis on the 15-day DL.

Tatis reminds me, in a way, of Ruben Sierra.  Sierra all but disappeared from the baseball scene, then re-emerged in the Independent Leagues before hooking back up with Texas and eventually re-inventing his image as a “good guy” after some years of a selfish persona.

Tatis’s first dismissal from the game was, by all accounts, not related to attitude issues, but strictly performance.  He also emerged with revived pep after a three-year hiatus in 2006 with Baltimore — it only seemed like it was longer than that because his last three MLB seasons were in Montreal from ‘01-’03.

But even after it seemed the Baltimore experiment was to fail (Tatis went .250/.313/.500 in 64 AB’s with the O’s), Tatis didn’t give up, signing with the Mets and playing the whole ‘07 season in the minors before coming back up for good in ‘08, playing a much larger role the past two seasons than most Met fans (and maybe Tatis himself) could imagine.

Hitting just .185 so far this year, the D.L. assignment could be a precursor to release, especially if the Mets, as expected, get aggressive at the end of the month and try to add a bat or two to the lineup.  This kind of fade-away season, not uncommon for 35-year-old players living on borrowed time, would be a sad end, if that’s the case.

I, for one, am rooting for Tatis to find his way, against all the odds, back to a Major League field.

He’s done it before.

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Skipping Vazquez a Panic Move

May 3

Posted by Jerry Milani in Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, News | No Comments

Amidst the Yankees’ terrific start — wins of all but one series and a 16-8 mark with 15 road games (including six against Boston and Tampa Bay) and one West Coast swing in the books — comes the first panic move of the year.  Javier Vazquez, it was announced today, will be held back three days, pitching at Detroit next Monday instead of in Boston this Friday.  With an off day this Thursday following a three-game home series with Baltimore, the move keeps Phil Hughes, C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett on regular four-day rest for the games at Fenway.

I still hate the move.

Vazquez is a 13-year veteran, having thrown 200 or more innings in the past 10, except for 2004, when he threw 198.  He’s coming off his best year (15-10, 2.87 ERA, 238 K, 181 H in 219.1 IP).  He’s had five starts, all of them mediocre or worse, and has incurred the wrath of fans and talking heads who remember that 2004 season in Pinstripes, which was among his worst as a pro.

Vazquez is even getting the label as someone who can’t “handle the pressure” in New York, and some feel that pitching in the cauldron of Fenway Park on Friday would do more harm than good.

Not that Detroit on Monday will be a picnic; the Tigers are fourth in the league in runs scored (averaging about a run per game more than the Sox).  But Yanks-Red Sox is a different animal, and along with Yankees-Mets is the closest thing to a playoff atmosphere there is.

Which is exactly why I think Vazquez should pitch Friday.

The Yankees’ starting staff is shaping up to be as good as anyone’s in baseball, top to bottom, if Vazquez can veer back towards his 2009 numbers.  But he’s going to have to pitch in big games somewhere along the line; he’s one of the team’s five starters, he should go in regular rotation, particularly after just five appearances.  A great outing on Friday at Fenway would do more for his confidence — and that of the team and fans in him — than the same in Detroit.

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“We’re gonna shout when ya powder the ball.”

Apr 26

Posted by Jerry Milani in History, New York Mets, New York Yankees | No Comments

The excellent New York Times BATS blog has a piece today intended to be interactive regarding the Yankees and Mets “signature songs,” following up on a story in the paper by Richard Sandomir on Sunday.  “Meet the Mets,” the more popular (and in the opinion of most the better) of the two, helped introduce the nascent franchise to the city.  “Here Come the Yankees,” which is still used on Yankees radio broadcasts, but in instrumental form, was, in effect, an “answer” to the catchy Mets tune.

Sandomir’s light-hearted piece gives a bit of the history of both and catches up with the original writers, and the BATS post asks fans to submit their own, updated lyrics in the comments.

Written out, the original lyrics — especially those of the Bombers’ song — seem a bit comical nearly a half-century later.  (“We’re gonna scream, ‘Put it over the wall,’” “Oh, the butcher and the baker and the people on the streets, Where did they go?”).  They probably seemed a bit comical in the 1960s as well…

But, then, so do college fight song lyrics written in the early 1900s.  Like fight songs, the Yankees tune is more timeless than the lyrics.   The “Meet the Mets” lyrics have proven to be more enduring, even if “…step right up and BEAT the Mets” probably followed minutes after the first Yankees fan heard the famed first line.

When I used to hear the Yankees tune before and after broadcasts in the 1970s, they were already using the instrumental version.  I just assumed that the song had been around for many years, and it wasn’t until years later that I found out that it had lyrics and that it was actually written during the team’s dry spell, which lasted more than a decade from the mid-60s through the mid-70s.

I have the full version of “Here Come the Yankees” on my iPod, and it shuffles in every so often.  For both songs, their corniness is part of the charm.  They don’t need updated lyrics or new versions, as “unofficial anthems” like Sinatra’s “New York, New York” or Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ “Empire State of Mind” finding their own place in Yankees lore, the latter helping the team keep up with the times.

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The 3.7 Percent Solution

Apr 11

Posted by Jerry Milani in New York Mets, New York Yankees | No Comments

The Yankees and Mets have each played six games to date, which equates to roughly 3.7 percent of the season.  That’s the equivalent of:

  • the first half of the first game of an NFL season
  • the third quarter of the second game of an NBA season
  • the first two minutes of the third game of the NHL season

Which basically means, no one in their right mind would base an entire season outlook on that small a sample size.

But we’re not talking about people in their right mind, we’re talking about baseball fans.  Worse, New York baseball fans and media, who Brian Cashman colorfully described as “forensic scientists” in their dissection of every decision in every game.

I had to listen as Seth Everett complained on 1050 ESPN Radio that Marcus Thames played left field instead of Brett Gardner or Randy Winn against Jon Lester.

Just imagine the uproar if C.C. Sabathia had entered the ninth inning yesterday with a no-hitter intact and Joe Girardi had taken him out.  Some have already questioned Javier Vazquez’s ability to pitch in New York (never mind that the game was in Tampa) and don’t even visit any Mets forums or comment pages, it’s not a pretty sight.

Here are my takeaways from the first week of the New York baseball season.

* Winning four of six on the road against your biggest division rivals is a great start, but more important is that Curtis Granderson and Nick Johnson have made contributions right away.  Granderson is going to be a huge fan favorite, and even though Johnson doesn’t have the hitting stroke down yet, he’s been keeping the line moving with walks.

  • The Yankees relievers are a big improvement over this time last year.  David Robertson, Chan Ho Park and/or Damaso Marte, to Joba Chamberlain to Mo Rivera might be the best sixth-inning-on combo in the game (Jose Veras, Jonathan Albaladejo and Brett Tomko filled three of those roles to begin 2009).
  • Mets fans have been in a panic since pitchers and catcher reported, and losing four of six at home didn’t help.  But they showed they can hit home runs at CitiField, and when Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran – and even Daniel Murphy — return full-time the lineup will suddenly look a lot better.
  • Joe West might not like it, but those Yankees – Red Sox games were a great way to start the season.  More on that here.

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Over/Under a Fun Preseason Game

Feb 16

Posted by Jerry Milani in Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Nationals | No Comments

I’m not much of a gambler, as my results in various pools would attest, and baseball is an especially difficult sport to handicap on a day-to-day basis.  But I do think it’s interesting to look at the pre-season over/unders for teams, even more so than the straight odds on winning the pennant.

Just like other gambling lines, the numbers don’t necessarily represent the win total that the oddsmaker thinks each team will hit, but what number can entice action on both sides.

I checked out SportsInteraction.com, which listed their preseason odds here.

Not surprisingly, the Yankees, at 96.5, and Red Sox, at 94.5, are the two highest listed.

I found it interesting that the next team is the Cubs, at 91.5, the only other team listed over 90.  The Phillies and Mets are both at 89.5, which seems to be completely against what their respective off-season moves would indicate.  Philadelphia won 93 games in 2009, added Roy Halladay and Placido Polanco, kept the rest of the lineup intact and still have the best offensive team in the National League.   The Mets won 70 games, and added Jason Bay and… well… Henry Blanco. I just can’t see the Phils and Mets battling it out for the NL East crown.

Here are a few over/unders that stand out for me, and my thoughts:

Orioles OVER 70.5 – I think this could be the surprise team in the A.L.  They won’t have enough to challenge the top three in the division, and it won’t help that they have to play 60 games against the Sox, Yanks and Rays, but 71 wins is very doable.

Reds UNDER 79.5 – The Reds have gotten a lot of notice among baseball circles for some strong off-season moves, and they’d only need to improve by 2 games from last year to hit this number, but their top-to-bottom pitching and inexperienced outfield make me think around .500 might be ambitious.

Royals UNDER 74.5 – That’s a low number to come under, and even with Zack Greinke going every fifth day and probably winning 15 to 17, the Royals would still need 60 or so wins in the other 130 games.  But Jason Kendall is the starting catcher, Yunieski Betancourt is the shortstop, and Luke Hochevar, Kyle Davies and Brian Bannister are pitching three of the other four games.  Or Kyle Farnsworth, who may be tried out as a starter.  No, thanks.

Dodgers OVER 84.5 – I feel like they’re really teasing me here.  After all, the Dodgers won 95 games last year, and it’s basically the same team, with a couple of exceptions, albeit in what I think will be a stronger division across the board.  Still, I don’t see this team being 11 games worse than last year, with Kershaw, Billingsley, Kuroda and Padilla going four of every five games.

Mets UNDER 89.5 – This could be a trap. But I don’t think it is.

Phillies OVER 89.5 – Ditto.

Pirates OVER 68.5 – Maybe I just want this once proud franchise to break through, and there isn’t a whole lot to be optomistic about, except some good young talent and a so-so division that could maybe just lead to about 70 wins.  If God drops everything.

Nationals OVER 65.5 – The division is going to be tougher, but there’s some hope, and 66 wins is still a pretty low bar, so I’ll take the over, especially if Stephen Strasburg gets some innings beginning mid-year and Ryan Zimmerman gets some help from young guys like Nyjer Morgan and Elijah Dukes.

As for the Yankees, 97 is a lot of wins, with Boston and Tampa fielding strong teams and the Orioles improved.  But they won 103 last year, pretty much coasting to the finish, so I think the number is set at an interesting spot.  I’d reluctantly take the over, even not knowing how the outfield situation will settle, especially since the rotation is so strong.

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Cohen, Hernandez, Darling Team Up for ‘Pitch In’ Foundation

Jan 6

Posted by Jerry Milani in New York Mets, Sports on TV | No Comments

I did a charity event with Ron Darling this summer at Gallagher’s Steak House in N.Y., which was quite well received.  Darling and Bobby Ojeda had great stories to tell and were in good spirits despite the Mets’ struggles.

So it’s not surprising to read that Darling and his broadcast teammates Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez have formed the Pitch in for a Good Cause Foundation, which according to its Website is a non-profit organization that sells tickets to special Mets events, T-shirts, baseball caps, bears and mugs with one objective in mind: to give back to those who are less fortunate.  Cohen’s wife Lynn spearheaded the efforts to get the Foundation started and has been integral in its success.

This week, the Foundation announced that its 2010 recipient would be The Nourishing Kitchen of New York City, which provides free meals and cooking classes for low income families in East Harlem.

Congratulations to the SNY team on their efforts — along with the Yankees Hope Week program, it’s good to read about the New York teams and their personnel giving back.

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