As Gang Green Turns: Jets Sanchez Extension Means Manning Turned Rex Down

Article first published as As Gang Green Turns: Jets Sanchez Extension Means Manning Turned Rex Down on Blogcritics.

In my previous article I indicated that Jets head coach Rex Ryan had to change his spots if the Jets had any chance of landing superstar quarterback Peyton Manning. One day later we learn the Jets have given current quarterback Mark Sanchez a three-year extension worth $40.5 million, meaning now we have five years more of the Ryan-Sanchez era. Excuse me, but the silence in New York is deafening this morning.

We Jets fans have to know what this means: we are stuck with King Rex and his brand of football, kind of the way we Mets fans are stuck with the 2012 team that is already beaten up and destined for .500 ball or less. I guess we should be kind of used to this by now, but it gets old pretty fast always waiting for next year.

Now don't get me wrong, there is a snowstorm's chance in July of me ever switching to Giant blue or Yankee pinstripes. I have Jets green and Mets orange and blue in my blood, born from losing and the hope that once sprang eternal from the mists over Ebbetts Field, the Polo Grounds, and Shea Stadium. Still, I think we Jets fans all woke up this morning, saw this headline about Sanchez, and wondered how things can go this way.

Quickly clicking on the radio to listen to my favorite sports stations (WINS, WFAN, and ESPN here in New York), I switched back and forth to get more details. One thing I heard really hit me hard: Jet icon Joe Namath advised Manning not to get into the Jets soap opera. If good old Willie Joe thinks Ryan and company are toxic, the prospects for the future (as long as Ryan reigns) are dismal to say the least.

You can imagine that Peyton was seriously considering the Jets chances for a trip to the Super Bowl, but with Namath's advice and his legacy to consider (no doubt also realizing how well things worked out for Brett Farve here) he decided it was not worth it. This is what Rex Ryan has done to the Jets; instead of attracting the best players the way he thinks, he is turning them away.

Some may feel that this extension confirms the Jets belief that Sanchez is their man for now and the future, but don't be fooled: this is strictly damage control. They are saying "Sanchez is our man; and this is Ryan's team." In reality this is pure desperation because the team was backed into the corner by Manning's decision to say no to Rex.

So Jets fans you know what we're in for now and for the next five years: more of the same, mediocrity disguised as a game plan. Better get used to it because Rex and Sanchez are here for there long haul on the road leading to nowhere.

Photo Credits - Daily News

Gary Carter Dies - Remembering One of the Good Guys

Article first published as Gary Carter Dies - Remembering One of the Good Guys on Blogcritics.

As a Mets fan I am mourning the loss of Hall of Famer Gary Carter as many others are, and they are not just Mets fans. Gary was one of those great players you just had to admire even when he was on the other team. I can remember when he was a Montreal Expo, and I always appreciated the way he played the game, the obvious excitement for the game itself, and an enthusiasm that transcended the sport and seemed to just be part of his daily life.

Gary Carter was one of the good guys. On the World Series Champion 1986 New York Mets, a great team with many demons hidden and otherwise, Gary stood out as just a good man. It seems implausible now that the most important player on that team was not the hardest partying, not the meanest one, or perhaps even the most talented. What Gary represented was a moral compass in a clubhouse sometimes lost at sea. You had bad influences all around in those days, and it was hard most of all for the young players, but in the center of it all was the rock that was Gary Carter.

During his career his good guy-white hat stuff annoyed some people. Carter was also extremely genial with the press, always ready for the microphone or the reporter, prompting some of his teammates to razz him for seeking out the question before it was even asked, but Gary was always Gary: honest, unapologetic for being so, and ready to accept blame when the fault was his own for losing.

As I look back at those 1986 Mets (and now it seems like a more and more distant dream for me and my fellow Mets fans), everything seemed to click into place, and most of us know that only happened when Gary Carter and Keith Hernandez came into town. Keith was sort of an urban legend, the guy with the black hat and the cigarette dangling from his mouth (sometimes inadvertently caught by a dugout camera). Gary was the opposite, with the white hat with the silver spurs and the golden smile. Together, something like the sheriff and the former gunslinger who becomes his deputy, they brought order to the clubhouse and started the team on its winning trajectory.

If you hear the former Mets now, even those who were the "bad" boys to be sure, they all had a great respect for Gary Carter. They admire him as a player and a family man. Those seemingly trite descriptions of "Kid" living a clean life and loving his wife and children do not seem that way to his former mates or to most of his fans either. So we remember Gary Carter for everything he was and the things he was not - and maybe that is what hurts most of all now.

Gary Carter is gone at 57. He left us much too quickly, but he will always be remembered as one of the great New York players, and I can picture him up there in heaven shaking hands with Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Roy Campenella, Jackie Robinson, Gil Hodges, and so many others welcoming him to the club. It is just hard to accept that he has to be a member so soon.

Rest in peace, Gary Carter!

Photo Credit- NY Daily News

Mets Mess: Short and Tweet - GM Alderson Hints at Grim 2012

Article first published as Mets Mess: Short and Tweet - GM Alderson Hints at Grim 2012 on Blogcritics.

In a story featured in the New York Post, we learned that Mets GM Sandy Alderson has discovered the joys of Twitter. Unfortunately, this does not equate with any joy for fans of the New York Mets. Of course, at this point, any joy in Metsville seems to be unexpected for the upcoming season.

In the tweet Alderson writes: “Getting ready for Spring Training-Driving to FL but haven’t left yet.” He goes on making things even more dismal. “Big fundraiser tonight for gas money. Also exploring PAC contribution.”

After this was revealed in the Post in all its inglorious splendor, Alderson contacted the newspaper to say he was driving because he had to get his dog to Florida and needed a car while there, but this helped light up the phones on sports talk radio here in New York. The general feeling of the fans calling in was that the first tweet was not meant to be funny as the damage control is trying to spin it. The reasoning is that Alderson has to drive to Florida because with the Mets' financial woes he cannot afford a plane ticket.

This leads to the even bigger fear that the Mets are done before they even get started in 2012. The way it seems is that the team will be back mostly intact, which should send ticket sales at Citi Field down into the black hole that has been created with the Bernie Madoff scandal that is still sucking the life out of the team ownership. We start to get the picture that Fred Wilpon doesn't have two cents to rub together, meaning a dismal 2012 for fans of the New York Mets.

Right now I believe we have to wait and see what takes place, but don't be surprised that the team will be out of contention well before the July trading deadline. Which means get ready to say "Hasta la vista" to David Wright and Mike Pelfrey and whoever else can bring some young players to a team that has no choice but to look toward the future, no matter how many years from now that may be.

As Mr. Potter asked George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life (one of my favorite films) "Do I paint a grim picture, or do I exaggerate?" In this case no exaggeration is necessary. It is going to be a grim 2012 for Mets fans and we had better get used to it.

Photo Credit: ESPN.com

Bobby Valentine Hates the Yankees - Join the Club

Article first published as Bobby Valentine Hates the Yankees - Join the Club on Blogcritics.


Bobby Valentine, the new manager of the Boston Red Sox, is already making headlines with his "I hate the Yankees" quotation. As if the winter meetings in Dallas haven't been exciting enough, you can always count on Bobby V to get things interesting. If Reggie Jackson was the straw that stirred the drink, consider Valentine to be the ladle that pours out the gravy.

Like him or not, Valentine is someone who has an energy that makes things happen. When he was manager of the Mets you could always count on him for some kind of quip or reaction that would make over the top seem low. Once, when he had been thrown out of the game by an umpire, he sat in the corner of the dugout wearing a disguise (sunglasses and a mustache) and was caught by the cameras. It is an unforgettable moment and I can still laugh about it.

Of course, there is a serious side to Valentine, and this was never more evident than after September 11, 2001. Valentine honored the families of the victims and handled himself well as the Mets played the first professional sports game held in the city after the attacks. Whatever else people think about him, at that time he and his players gave New York just what it needed most. It too is unforgettable and I will always respect Valentine for the way he spoke and acted at that time.

Now, of course, he wears a different uniform and manages the Boston Red Sox. People calling into the sports shows on talk radio here in New York were getting crazy today. It was kind of like "How dare Valentine say that about our Yankees?"

These people have to be kidding themselves. I have no illusions; Yankees fans hate the Red Sox just as much if not more. They broke the Curse of the Bambino and things haven't been the same ever since in the American League East. Yankees fans know it and everyone else does too.

Beside, unless you are a Yankees fan, you probably hate the Yankees. Valentine was being honest (a rarity in sports these days) and saying what most fans of other teams think: we all hate the Yankees. As a Mets fan I can say I like Bobby V even better today than I did before. That will last until the Mets are facing the Red Sox in the World Series again, and the way the Mets are going, that probably won't be until sometime after 2020.

So this Mets fan wishes Bobby Valentine well in Beantown. I hope the Red Sox and their fans will appreciate the man for his many talents, and forgive him when he says the wrong thing. Like Rex Ryan, that probably will be more often than not, but Valentine is entertaining and knows how to run a baseball team. You can bet Joe Girardi and his players are a little worried about that.

Photo Credit: bleacherreport.com

Hurricane Irene Is A Spoiled Sport

Article first published as Hurricane Irene Is A Spoiled Sport on Blogcritics.

Well, if you spent your hard earned money to visit New York City this week, you probably are grumbling right about now. It's not bad enough that you had to experience our earthquake, but now we are throwing a hurricane your way. What's a tourist to do but stay in the hotel room and watch CNN, at least until the power goes out?

This weekend is especially bad news for local sports fans. The New York Mets have cancelled today and tomorrow's games against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field, so if you came into town for this and have to be back at work on Monday, you are out of luck.

The Yankees did not escape Irene's wrath even though they are out of town. Their doubleheader against Baltimore is postponed today, and the games will definitely not be rescheduled in any way that is good for the Yankees since they will lose one of their two remaining days off to make them up.

Irene also postponed the New York Giants and Jets showdown at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. This game was perfectly scheduled for 7 PM tonight, but now it will be played on Monday night. Too many viewing parties were disrupted because of this, and if the power goes out, all those six-foot heroes and other party snacks are not going to last until Monday. Many dejected hosts and hostesses will no doubt have their knives and forks working overtime this weekend to take care of that.

Irene has also disrupted the action at the Barclays at the Plainfield Country Club in Edison, New Jersey. It seems like Sunday's final round will be washed out, and conditions are not likely to improve enough to do anything on Monday.

Other sports events that have been canceled or postponed include the Red Bulls game against the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday, The Staten Island Yankees Sunday home game, the Brooklyn Cyclones Sunday home game, and racing at Monmouth Park and Yonkers Raceway.

Finally, and probably the saddest thing to report is from the US Open, where Arthur Ashe's Kids' Day had to be cancelled. This includes all activities and the stadium show. This is a great day that promotes the sport and also gives children opportunities to meet the players and see some of their favorite musical artists perform.

Hurricane Irene is turning millions of people's lives upside down this weekend, and she has obliterated the sports schedule. Oh, and don't think you're going to be able to sit down and watch games being played out of Irene's reach, because in all likelihood Irene is going to knock down trees and cut out power.

I have already planned to do what good old Abe Lincoln used to do: read some good books by candlelight. Hey, I wanted to catch up on my reading anyway.

Photo Credits-
Harrison Frazar - AP
Arthur Ashe Kids' Day - Getty Images

NFL Free Agency, MLB Trading Deadline, and Tiger Back in the Saddle: It's Christmas in July for Sports Fans

Article first published as NFL Free Agency, MLB Trading Deadline, and Tiger Back in the Saddle: It's Christmas in July for Sports Fans on Blogcritics.


As I was watching Sports Center on ESPN today I felt like my head was spinning. Not only am I trying to keep an eye on the "Bottom Line" for everything up to the minute, but I am also watching the action concerning NFL free agents, MLB trades, and the news about Tiger Woods coming back after three months on the shelf with a bad leg. I couldn't help thinking this was like Christmas in July for sports fans.
Yes, so much is happening and it is sometimes tough to process it all at once. For me as a New York Mets and Jets fan, I am watching what the Mets did with the Beltran trade, how he is doing in San Francisco, when pitcher Zack Wheeler is heading to Port St. Lucie, and how the Mets keep winning despite losing their best hitter.

In the world of Gang Green, we have the signing of Santonio Holmes to a new five year deal. This makes lots of sense to me, and as Mark Sanchez continues to develop and get better at the passing game, Holmes is without a doubt going to be his go-to guy. There is also the exciting prospect of the Jets obtaining Nnamdi Asomugha, but as they were courting him the valuable Brad Smith, who will be greatly missed as a wide receiver and kick returner, was signed by the Bills.

The Jets had better do something more because the New England Patriots picked up Albert Haynesworth and Chad Ochocinco (which is like saying Donald Trump got more money playing Lotto). The Jets need to get moving on Asomugha and fast, considering they have also lost Braylon Edwards and Kellen Clemens and are looking to restrucure deals with other players.

We also get the news that Tiger Woods (now 21 in world rankings) will participate in Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio, next week. Tiger is even tweeting about it, saying he is "Excited to get back out there!" This is good news for golf fans who have missed his presence. This is Tiger's time to rise above the personal problems and the injuries and rebuild his career and image.

Besides all this happening, we are hearing about Plaxico Burress and Tiki Barber trying to get back into action. It would be amazing to see what would happen if they both got offers from a team (maybe the NY Giants?). We also have Rory McIlroy getting his Irish up at the Irish Open in Killarney, telling a commentator "Your opinion means nothing." And what about NBA stars getting offers from foreign countries like Japan, Germany, and Russia? You would think what happened with NFL would have shaken things up a bit, but if guys like Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony start signing contracts, you know it's going to be a long winter for basketball fans.

With all that is going on right now, these are indeed exciting days for sports fans; it's sort of like Christmas in July if you like surprises and finding presents under your barbecue grill. The Jets could make many fans happy by wrapping up Asomugha with a big red bow and getting him to sign on the dotted line. So kids, mail out those letters to Rex Ryan (I mean Santa) ASAP and let him know how you feel.

Photo Credits:
Nnamdi Asomugha - raidersgab.com
Tiger Woods - Getty Images

Mets Mess: K-Rod Goes to Brewers With Lots of Baggage

Article first published as Mets Mess: K-Rod Goes to Brewers With Lots of Baggage on Blogcritics.

Right after the end of last night's All-Star Game, The New York Mets traded "slugging" relief pitcher Francisco Rodriguez to the Milwaukee Brewers for cash and two players to be named later. It could have been two turtle doves and a partridge in a pair tree as far as Mets fans are concerned; good-bye and good riddance to TKO Rod. Let's hope he took all his baggage with him on the way out the door.

The importance of the K-Rod trade is not just the fact that the team cut out a toxic element in the clubhouse, or saved lots of money on the payroll; it also says something about where GM Sandy Alderson thinks his 46-45 team is headed in the NL East: nowhere! That bodes well for impending trades of Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes by the July 31 trading deadline.

Now yes, by all accounts, K-Rod was trying to be a model citizen this year, and Beltran has never looked so thrilled to be in Flushing as he has in 2011. Also, even though now injured, Reyes was a lightning rod and had the team and its fans channeling Tug McGraw's "You Gotta Believe"  as they made their way to Citi Field. I'd hate to see his beaming smile gone from the Mets dugout, but that appears more likely now.

Alas Mets fans, reality has reared its ugly head. No matter how much little General Terry Collins has sparked this team, and no matter how well the AAA boys of Turner, Pridie, Evans, and company have played, the truth is it is going to be another "wait until next year" for the boys in blue and orange.

Sad for the team and sad for the fans, but this trade signals that mentality. Maybe now we can just sit back and enjoy the show, but there should be no illusions of a run for the wild card or even more bizarre delusions of catching the the Phillies. This trade put an end to all that.

Good bye to K-Rod and the 2011 season. Ah, just another day in the never ending Mets mess.

Photo Credit: AP

NY Mets on the Road - To Live and Cry in LA

Article first published as NY Mets on the Road - To Live and Cry in LA on Blogcritics.


There is no doubt about it (or as beloved NY Mets announcer Ralph Kiner used to say "No bout a doubt it") the New York Mets are Amazin’s once again - at least on the road.

The Mets look lost at Citi Field, and I can admit I do feel that way myself sometimes. It seemed like I knew every nook and cranny of good old dilapidated Shea Stadium, and I remembered where Cleon squeezed that last ball in 1969 or Rusty hit the outfield wall in 1973 or where Mookie hit the ball between Buckner's legs in 1986. These were great Mets memories, not to mention the Beatles trying to out scream the fans on a stage out near second base. Those were the days.

But Mets fans have tried to warm up to Citi Field, and it is designed way better than Shea right down to more plentiful - and clean - bathrooms. The food courts are wonderful and plentiful space is available to drink, eat, and be merry.

Still the team struggles at Citi as it did in the last home series against the Yankees, although that last game when the Mets beat Mariano Rivera was pure gold. You could bottle that and Mets fans would buy it again and again. The Mets beat Rivera - what a moment!

Now out on the road they are warriors again, taking the first two in LA. Last night Mike Pelfrey seemed like an ace who never lost a case - no, that's Perry Mason, another LA story -  but I digress.
There is a good deal to be happy about right now as manager Terry Collins has his team believing in themselves as much as he does. They have lots of guts and determination as they strike out on this last road trip before the All-Star break without Reyes and Santana and Davis and Wright.

In another universe we would be crying out there on the West Coast, where many Mets teams went 0 for 9 and came home whipped. This team seems different and they keep finding ways to win. That will definitely keep Mets fans watching and wanting to go to the ballpark. Now, if the team could just find a way to win more games at home, but that's another story.

Photo Credit: NY Daily News

Goodbye to Good Neighbor Carl

Article first published as Goodbye to Good Neighbor Carl on Blogcritics.

In his amazing poem “Mending Wall,” Robert Frost wrote “Good fences make good neighbors.” The whole poem is about how the narrator and his neighbor walk along the length of their adjoining properties, fixing the wall between them as they go along. The narrator wonders why the wall is necessary and even sees his neighbor as “an old-stone savage armed” as the neighbor brings new rocks to support the wall. It is a delightful poem and captures all the nuances of that most odd and sometimes difficult of relationships – being neighbors.
We don’t get to choose neighbors the way we do friends or spouses. They are more or less inherited when we move in or when they move in, sort of like siblings and cousins from Poughkeepsie that you are happy never come down to the city. Still, being a good neighbor or being neighborly all connote a pleasant and rather collegial existence. This calls to mind the great movie Good Neighbor Sam starring Jack Lemmon who plays Sam, a neighbor who goes above and beyond expectations to help out the person next door with hilarious results.

I am thinking about this now as my neighbor Carl has all the boxes out on the front lawn and the moving truck in front of his house. I don’t recall how many years Carl has been here, but I do remember his son being in Kindergarten (I believe) when they moved in, and I think Jack just finished 8th grade now, so the years have gone by for sure.

Early this morning we spoke briefly, and Carl revealed that he has been reading my stuff and plans to continue doing so. I was sort of surprised that he even knew I wrote anything, and then I felt great joy in that he would even have interest in my work. After we said goodbye and I went inside, I felt motivated to write about Carl and his time spent as my neighbor.

Carl has certainly been a good neighbor in many ways. He has always been friendly, outgoing, willing to assist with his snowplow during a blizzard or helping to put up a tent for the annual block party. Carl is a very social person and has friends times ten, which is wonderful because people are drawn to his gregarious personality. His wife and he had many parties, but never anything that ever caused a disturbance. They are well liked and will be greatly missed.

I admire Carl very much for his outgoing personality and also because he was a member of the local volunteer fire department. You have to give credit to a person who works all day and then spends evenings running to the fire house for emergency calls. I give my donation every year to what I know is a good cause, but Carl went above and beyond by getting on those trucks and doing a job most people cannot or will not do.

His wife used to organize the annual block party, and with them leaving there will be no block party this year. My daughter wants us to get involved, but my wife and I are just too busy with everything. In fact, we say that all the time. Carl and his wife worked too but seemed to find the time for these things. Again, that is a credit to them and this year the block will be very quiet and lonely especially during the last weekend in July when the party used to take place.

As it is in life we always wish we had done things differently. I do wish I had been able to make more time to get to know Carl better, but that is nothing I can change. I have been busy and he was busy in his way. I blame myself for not extending an offer to do something or to just hang out, have a beer, and talk, but such is the nature of modern life.

We do indeed have a fence between our properties, and Carl’s kids would lose balls on our side often enough. They were always respectful of the fence, as was their dog Molly (a black Lab). Molly used to bark when they let her outside and reminded me of my old Lab who died earlier this year. I used to always reach over that fence and pet Molly, who greeted me like I was her long lost master. I am going to miss that dog.

I also want to say that Carl taught me something about being a good father – one of the best lessons I could ever learn. Carl was a huge Yankees fan when I first met him. He bled pinstripes like I did Mets orange and blue. We would have genial talks about the teams and, of course, his team was a good deal more successful than mine. When his son got older and became a Mets fan, Carl did what I think is the most amazing thing ever – he became a Mets fan for his son. I was so impressed by this and (though I have never told him in person) I admire that so much. Carl is not just a good man but a great father and person because his love is obviously unconditional to give up the team for Jack.

To be honest, I must say that I am not certain that I can live up to that with my son. If he should grow up and start loving the Yankees, I don’t think I could be as big a guy as Carl and drop the Mets. I think I would be devastated personally, and Carl didn’t let that happen. He just turned around and started wearing a Mets cap and supported his son. I am hoping my boy will love the Mets, but if he doesn’t, I am going to try to follow Carl’s lead but it will be difficult.

The last of the boxes is getting put on the truck as I look out the window. Soon it will rumble down the block and the family car will follow it with Molly sticking her head out the window. They are off to a new life elsewhere, and we will continue to live ours here and wait to see who will move in. I doubt the new tenants will ever be such good neighbors, so after Carl is gone I will frequently walk the fence along the property line and make sure all is secure. As Frost wrote, “Something there is that doesn't love a wall” and I understand it more than ever on this day.

So, goodbye, good neighbor Carl. You will be missed. Thanks most of all for the lesson you taught me about being a good father. Now excuse me while I go put a Mets cap on my son’s head and hope for the best.

Photo Credit: newyorktimes.com

Interleague Play Should End This Year

Article first published as Interleague Play Should End This Year on Blogcritics.

I don't know about you, but I am tired of interleague ballgames in Major League Baseball. As the Mets play the Los Angeles Angels this weekend at Citi Field, I feel no compulsion to go to a game. Even a matchup against the Oakland A's (long ago opponents in the 1973 World Series) does little to attract my attention. There is simply no reason for me to want to see these games and I think many people feel the same way.

Yes, I can see that regional rivalries could attract interest - St. Louis and Kansas City, Cleveland and Cincinnati and so on - but this would be limited at best to one three-game series a year. Here in New York City the luster of Mets-Yankees games has long worn off, making me long for the old Mayor's Trophy Game that was played once a year.

Let's look at the reality of it: American League teams are asked to lose the DH in a National League park and have their pitchers hit. This really highlights the incongruity of the two leagues (and reasons why people want to get rid of the DH). Conversely, National League teams have to find a guy to DH - which may be easier, but it is unnatural in the scheme of things for those teams.

In general, I think interleague play should be reserved for when it really counts - the World Series. Otherwise, let's get back to baseball the way it used to be played within the leagues for more games that really matter during the season. That is what puts this fan (and I'd say many more) in a seat at the park, and that should be what is most important to MLB rather than games that have as much appeal as hot chocolate during a heat wave.

Photo Credit: Daily News

Mets Mess: 2011 Mets Are Reminiscent of the 1973 Team

Article first published as 2011 Mets Are Reminiscent of the 1973 Team on Blogcritics.

The more I watch these Mets, I think of what legendary team announcer Lindsey Nelson used to say. As the team started winning in 1969, he called them "A new breed of Mets." Well, this 2011 team has still lost more games than it has won (31-32), but things are starting to remind me of 1973 - that NY Mets team went all the way to the World Series and lost to the Oakland A's in seven games.

Last night the Mets got another fantastic start from Dillon Gee (7-0), who pitches like a young Gary Gentry. Jose Reyes keeps hitting like he thinks he is Rod Carew, and the "little leaguers" - Justin Turner, Reuben Tejada, Jason Pridie, and Jon Niese - are starting to forget AAA Buffalo and look like they belong. They also seem to keep finding a way to win.

Credit has to be given to manager Terry Collins who, despite all signs to the contrary, never has given up on this team. They won 2 of 3 in Milwaukee, won again last night in Pittsburgh, and have a chance to come home from this trip at or above .500. After that dismal 4-13 start, the team is 27-19 and that's not bad baseball at all (despite all the injuries and Jason Bay acting like he forgot how to hit and play this game).

So as a Mets fan I am not walking around shouting how great the team is - at least not yet - but there is a strange feeling that the team (just six and a half games behind Philadelphia) is still in it. The great Yogi Berra, manager of the 1973 Amazin's, is a kindred spirit to Terry Collins. He never gave up that year either, and with a few remaining stars from 1969 (Cleon Jones, Ed Kranepool, Tom Seaver, etc.) and new guys like Jon Milner, Rusty Staub, and Jon Matlack, Yogi got his Mets into the playoffs and beat the Cincinnati Reds - the legendary Big Red Machine. They took the A's to seven games in the Series too - not bad for a team that finished 82-79.


Keep the faith, Mets fans. Everyone else who has counted us out should wait to make the call. The late great Tug McGraw coined the phrase "You gotta believe!" for the 1973 team, and somewhere I think he is pulling for his old team to keep on going and make a run. No matter what, the Mets are fun to watch again and are starting to live up to that old Amazin' name once again. A new breed of Mets indeed!

Photo Credits: Terry Collins - NY Daily News
Tug McGraw - flickr.com

Mets Mess: Miles to Go Before I Weep

Article first published as Mets Mess: Miles to Go Before I Weep on Blogcritics.

With apologies to the great poet Robert Frost, as a New York Mets fan I feel like I am in that snowy wood watching it fill up with snow. Of course, that is a metaphor for death, and this 2011 Mets' season seems like it has every reason to sleep with the fishes. Still, I keep telling myself, "I'm a Met fan; the Mets are born from losing." Yes, we are, but there has to be some point when we all give up, right? I'm not there yet, but it is truly a struggle these days.

Current manager Terry Collins went wild this week, ranting and raving to the team in a closed door meeting. We can imagine what was said about them being pathetic, finding every way to lose, looking worse than kids playing T-ball at the park. You get the idea. While I understand what made Collins rant, I question the logic of going that route. It seems like half the locker room must be called up from AAA Buffalo these days with all the injuries, and yelling at these kids may not be the best way to handle things.

I recall that my grandfather always called his old Brooklyn Dodgers "bums" (so did half of New York back in those days). I never saw the Brooklyn Dodgers play because they left town before I was born, but I am told that Pop used to sit in front of the TV and get upset as the Dodgers found another way to lose a game. "They're nothing but a bunch of bums!" he would holler, shaking his fist at the TV set. Now, as a Mets fan, I more than understand his feelings.

When the Mets were new in this town, they were always losing. With their Dodgers pedigree, I always say they were born from losing. That Dodger "blue" certainly manifested and maintained at Shea Stadium what had been wrought in Ebbets Field, and Dodgers fans became Mets fans even with old Casey Stengel (former manager of their arch enemies the New York Yankees) as their new skipper. I can only imagine how Pop and my uncles must have felt seeing Stengel in a Mets uniform, but they went with what they had and endured because they were National League fans and could never root for the team with the straight NY on the baseball cap.

Terry Collins should really become a student of Mets history, particularly of old Stengel. I think all the ranting and raving in the world will only get you so far, but why Stengel became beloved by Mets fans was because he never lost his temper or his sense of humor. Today if you visit the Mets museum in Citi Field, one of the highlights is the Casey Stengel statue. The image of the stooped and broken Stengel, looking almost like the statue of Winston Churchill in London overlooking the disintegrating British Empire, is a reminder that the Mets struggles in the past were made easier by the right guy at the helm. Collins needs to take a page from Stengel's book and fast.

As for many Mets fans, they are starting to lose patience with the 2011 Mets. Getting tickets to a Mets game (and I was only offered them the other day) is kind of like getting tickets to sail on the Titanic - after you already know it has hit an iceberg. Many people are going to decline the offer, but some of us might just slip on life jackets and take a chance. There is a good possibility (like in last night's game) that the team will find a way to lose, but it's hard to stay afloat with all that seawater rushing in.

I am not ready to give up on the Mets; in fact, I will never give up on the Mets. I will not - like many fans did in the mid-1990s - turn away from the team and become a Yankees fan. That mentality has nothing to do with being a fan but rather with being what Thomas Paine called a "summer soldier" or "sunshine patriot." Fans who gravitate to teams simply because they are winning do miss the whole concept of loyalty and fraternity, but that's another story.

So I am in no way giving up on the 2011 Mets, even if most of the time it seems they have given up on themselves. I will not shed any tears because that will not change anything; I will continue to watch the games and root for them because that's what real fans do. Sometimes it will be painful to watch, and I may switch the channels and watch golf, tennis, or even old episodes of M*A*S*H to give myself a break, but I'll go back and check on them soon enough.

Hang in there, true Mets fans, things will get better. Wright, Davis, and Santana are coming; yeah, I know, so is Christmas. I just hope we don't have to wait that long until they return.

Photo Credit: Collins-Daily News; Stengel- Sports Illustrated

Mets Mess: New Owner Einhorn Has Work to Do

Article first published as Mets Mess: New Owner Einhorn Has Work to Do on Blogcritics.

The New York Mets have a potential new owner - of a minority stake in the team - and he has visited Citi Field to meet the Mets. Keeping in the tradition of the old team song ("Bring the kiddies; bring the wife; guaranteed to have the time of your life"), Einhorn brought his children to the game but perhaps wisely left the missus at home. The Mets lost that one against the Phillies, so it probably was for the best.

Einhorn is the latest entry into the Mets mess, and one has to wonder what he will be able to do to change the misfortunes of the organization. Yes, he is a wildly successful businessman, President of Greenlight Capital, which is sort of a complete opposite of the Bernie Madoff nightmare of an investment firm. Einhorn makes big money and is ready and willing to plunk down $200 million on the Mets, and there is a distinct possibility that he will be able to buy up more of the team, eventually making him the principal owner. So the stakes are high and, since he is such a smart fellow, we have to think that he has a lot more up his sleeve than he is showing in the cards right now.

Mets fans welcomed him at Citi Field on Wednesday night, and the cheers may be for something intangible as hope. Having gone to many games at old Shea over the years, I can tell you that Mets fans will cheer for the simplest possibilities of better things. They also look at what has happened in the past five years to this organization, how it has tanked so miserably since Carlos Beltran was a bystander on a third strike from Adam Wainwright in the NLCS in 2006. Ever since that bat never left Beltran's shoulder, the team has fallen and it can't get up, and all the things that have happened since have driven more and more nails into the team coffin.


Einhorn has a Mets pedigree, and fans always like that. Take a look at this picture of him as a kid. He is wearing a Mets cap and a jersey that he made himself with number 42 on it - the number of Dave Kingman, the big bopper at Shea at the time. It makes me like him right away because he was a fan when it was very hard to be a Mets fan, when "Sky King" (as Mets announcer Bob Murphy called Kingman) struck out and popped up towering fly balls a lot more than he hit homers. If he could be a fan in those dark times, he is probably the right man for the job here and now.

Make no mistake - these are extremely dark times for Mets fans. If you can imagine the team existing within the Star Wars saga, I would say right now we are stuck in the Empire Strikes Back with everything going against us. All the injured players are like Han Solo getting freeze-dried, and the fans are sort of like Princess Leia being a prisoner of Jabba the Hut. We have chains around our necks and things are looking mighty grim, so we have to hope that Einhorn is approved by Major League Baseball soon. This way we can speed things all the way up to Return of the Jedi, and he can be like Luke Skywalker and swoop in and save the day.

There are many things wrong with the Mets, and the truth is most fans know the team has been run poorly for years. Whatever happened between Fred Wilpon and Madoff notwithstanding, we need an infusion of new blood fast. Einhorn may not have much of a baseball background, but he certainly has a great track record in the business world. I hope that he gets involved, rolls up his sleeves, and starts taking the Mets machine apart. When he is all done - and if we are lucky - the Wilpons will let him buy them out and he can start building a winner again.

It seems to me it is time to shake off the ghost of Beltran watching that third strike. The way to do this is to have Einhorn pull a Moses. "Let my people go," he can say to Pharaoh Wilpon. He can let Beltran walk, perhaps Jose Reyes too, and take the team toward a new start with new blood. Hopefully Einhorn will recognize Mike Pelfrey is no ace and get into the market and bring someone here who is, and maybe after a few years the Mets can get back to where they were in the late 1980s, and the Yankees with Posada, Jeter, and Rivera gone will be the second bananas in town again.

We have a long way to go to accomplish that, David Einhorn, but you have to start somewhere, so please get in there and get to work. Mets fans need you to do something and quickly, and if you do then you will have more people in those seats and the chants of "Let’s go Mets" will resound through the new park the way they once did at old Shea. Please do it for the fans, for the city, and for yourself too. Come on, some kid is waiting to make his favorite player’s jersey just like you did. Don't keep him waiting!

Photo Credits- Daily News and SNY.com

Former Mets Catcher Gary Carter Has Cancer Scare

Article first published as Former Mets Catcher Gary Carter Has Cancer Scare on Blogcritics.

It was reported this weekend that former New York Mets catcher Gary "Kid" Carter has been diagnosed with four small brain tumors. Carter released a statement in which he bravely discussed the situation and asked for respect for his family as he waited to learn more about how he will handle the situation.


This is sad news indeed for Mets fans - and all baseball fans - for Carter surely epitomized the type of play we would want all players to embrace in sports. He was always a very positive influence in the clubhouse during his five years with the Mets (and his overall 19 year career), and his effervescent smile and "we can win" attitude was certainly an important part of Carter's appeal.

As one of the central figures of the 1986 Championship Mets, Carter loomed as a strong and stable personality. In a turbulent clubhouse with many larger than life players, Carter's steady nature was needed and the other players knew that. He hit 24 homers, drove in 105 runs, but it was his handling of the pitching staff (and sometimes other personal clubhouse matters) that made him a leader on that team.

People may remember some big moments from the 1986 Series, and one image usually stands out (the ball that went through Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner's wickets). Still, it was Carter who knocked in 11 runs in that seven game series and provided a key hit against Boston's closer Calvin Schiraldi when the game was down to the final strike. No Carter hit - no championship. It's that simple.

Carter was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003, and he has always been respected by Mets fans (and other fans of the game too) for his "Kid" persona. He has seemed eternally youthful in his attitude about the game and loved playing it in a way just like his nickname suggests. Major League Baseball is a man's game, but Carter always made it look like he was having fun. Maybe that's his greatest legacy of all.

So while we wait and hope to hear good news about this baseball legend's condition, let's all remember what kind of player Carter was: he never gave up, even down to the last strike in the World Series. That should tell us something about how the "Kid" will handle what lies ahead.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Another Subway Series - Mets Verses Yankees Not the Same Anymore

Article first published as Another Subway Series - Mets Verses Yankees Not the Same Anymore on Blogcritics.

Think of this unforgettable memory: Mike Piazza at the plate against Roger Clemens. Piazza's bat shatters, and Clemens throws a fragment of the bat toward Piazza. All hell was ready to break loose. If Bartolo Colon shattered David Wright's bat today, there would probably be no emotion let alone the possibility of a fight, and that's the problem with this whole Subway Series thing: the fire is gone.


Why? Well, the old rivalry is about as dead as Old Marley in A Christmas Carol - dead as a door nail! What has happened to the emotional and confrontational times of old? Why doesn't the Subway Series create the near hysteria it used to here in New York?

For one thing, the old guard is gone at the Mets and is severely depleted on the Yankees. Piazza, Franco, Leiter, and company are happily retired and watching games from home. The Yanks have some of the old guys - Jeter, Posada, and Rivera (with emphasis on old) - still on board, but it's just not the same. No one can compare these players to their former selves; the caliber of their play has greatly diminished.

The second thing is that these games have lost any novelty that they once had. When the Mets and Yankees first met in these interleague games, there was an excitement generated by the prospect of the cross river rivals playing games that mattered (as opposed to the old Mayor's Trophy Game that was merely an exhibition). Now, the fans on both sides of town are a bit removed from the whole thing. To put it in the words of my neighbor's ten-year old son: "It just ain't fun anymore."

Finally, who is excited about a Subway Series these days? Apparently not ESPN. The network has rejected showing the Sunday game this weekend and the one the following month at Citi Field. I think that more than anything shows how far the star of the Subway Series has fallen from the firmament.

Here in New York City, instead of inspiring yelling in the stadium and the streets, the prospect of the games inspires mostly yawning.  It is merely a distraction. The games count in the standings, but they are not as critical as say a game between Boston and the Yanks or Philadelphia and the Mets. These days those are the games that give fans the most bang for their buck.

Years ago, I was as excited as anyone about the Subway Series. I went to a few of the games at old Shea, and the place was packed and the crowd was shaking the rafters. I don't know if that will happen this year. Most of the Mets main guys are on the disabled list: Wright, Santana, Davis, Pagan, and the list goes on and on. The Yankees have stars who have lost their luster. Posada is hitting a buck something, Jeter and A-Rod are struggling, and even the most sacred cow - Mariano Rivera - is starting to look all too human.

I'll probably wear my Mets shirt and watch the games on TV, but I'm not saying I won't be tempted to change the channel a few times. Years ago I would never have done that, but now I can because what used to be at stake - who has bragging rights - doesn't seem to matter much anymore.

Mets Play the Giants and Dodgers at Home: One Big Dysfunctional Family

Article first published as Mets Play the Giants and Dodgers at Home: Just One Big Dysfunctional Family on Blogcritics.

This week the New York Mets lost two out of three games to the San Francisco Giants at Citi Field. Tonight they start a three game series at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers. These games are sure to stir passions, bring back memories, and are clearly proof that these three teams form a National League baseball family that rivals the feuding Hatfields and McCoys back in the days of old.

Some Mets fans were up in arms because, during Wednesday night's loss to the Giants, there seemed to be more Giants fans in the stadium than the home crowd. Decked out in Giants gear, these fans were boisterous and certainly annoyed the Mets faithful.



Now tonight the Dodgers begin a three game series at Citi Field. There has to be even more tension in this case. Anyone who has visited Citi Field knows that the Jackie Robinson Rotunda (named in honor of the legendary Brooklyn Dodger) is the gateway to the stadium. The Mets celebrate their Dodger roots in this magnificent hall, but the conflicting feelings abound for former Brooklyn Dodgers fans who still believe in the Bums that once occupied Brooklyn’s Ebbetts Field.



In fact, Citi Field itself is an homage to Brooklyn baseball, with the exterior design inspired by the old Ebbetts Field architecture. Clearly the Mets were tipping their caps to the senior members of the New York National League family here, but they also do that every game of the year - wearing Dodger blue and Giant orange on their uniforms.

I have heard old Dodgers fans say, "I'm a Mets fan except when the Dodgers are in town." Fifty-four years later they still have not given up the faith, hoping somehow or some way that their beloved team will find its way home again. Some Giants fans will say similar things. Until that unlikely time occurs, when these teams play in Queens it brings back fond memories and causes some misty eyes still after all this time.

The young gun Mets have played forty-nine seasons now, so they are not exactly little anymore, still they are the junior members of the New York National League club, and it seems sometimes that they are always fighting ghosts, and that is usually a no-win situation to be sure.

Tonight the Dodgers take their place in the visitor's dugout, but one thing could help those old Dodger fans root for the Mets this time: former Yankee Don Mattingly is now the team's skipper. Unlike Joe Torre, who had a Mets pedigree, Mattingly can only be associated with the Yanks. If that is not enough to push an old Dodgers fan to root against his team for the Mets, I don't know what will work.

The Mets, Giants, and Dodgers and their fans are all part of a big dysfunctional baseball family. So there may be bickering, but in the end they will settle down, the players will run onto the field, and the fans will pass the Crackerjacks. In between a few elbows and jabs, they will get to what is most important: playing baseball and knowing that they are all part of the same bloodline. As my grandpa used to say, “Mets orange and blue blood is thicker than Yankee blueblood any day.”

Let’s go Mets!

Photo Credits:

Citi Field - NY Daily News
Ebbets Field - nyc.gov

Mets Mess: The Forecast for 2011 Is Cloudy With Plenty of Meatballs

Article first published as Mets Mess: The Forecast for 2011 Is Cloudy With Plenty of Meatballs on Blogcritics.

I have been a fan of the New York Mets all my life, sometimes causing myself much pain and anxiety. I can't help but to tell you the truth; just like Lady Gaga, I was born this way. I like lots of Mets fans emerged from the womb, born of the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers. With orange and blue blood coursing through my veins, I have gone through life loving the team but cursing my lot, and this season isn't going to make life any easier for any of us. Who besides me has thought that this year Flushing will not only be the name of our team's home but also what we can do with the season?

Most fans of baseball teams are excited now. Opening Day should be "Anything Can Happen Day," but this year it's a Friday for the Mets and not a Wednesday. As fans of the old Mickey Mouse Club show know, "Talent Roundup Day" was on Friday, and that is about the best description of the Mets roster this year.

Now we get the latest of the "Good News from Mets Camp" in today's paper: Jason Bay will likely land on the disabled list to start the season. Sore ribs? Man, this is enough to make a guy want Ed Kranepool to come back, even now, and take a few swings.

We have Carlos Beltran hopping along worse than Cassidy; Angel Pagan has a bad back; Jason is now in Sick Bay; Johan Santana will probably miss most or all of the year, and the starting lineup and pitching rotation have more holes in it than that piece of Swiss cheese on your ham and rye. People used to laugh about the old Mets; well pull up a chair folks and get your handkerchiefs ready, because this season is going to be a cross between a tearjerker and a knee slapper.

Sport Illustrated just came out with its Major League Baseball preview. In the article the Mets are rightly picked to finish fifth in the National League East. Hey, I'll go them one better: I'll bet they will have the worst record in the National League this year. That's right: they will be worse than the Diamondbacks, the Astros, and probably that little league team up at the park.


Hey, I'm a Mets fan, but I'm also honest. All I can say is the Mets are back home - in the basement - which is right back where they started so many years ago. So I'll watch the games, go to a few, and have no expectations. I'll yell at the bums, just like my grandfather and uncles did with the Dodgers all those years ago, but I'll never stop loving them. That's the lot of the Mets fan and I'm sort of used to it by now. Good night Basement Bertha, wherever you are!

Photo Credits:
Jason Bay - espn.com
Basement Bertha - nydailynews.com

Mets Mess: Oliver Perez Released - Thumbs Up or Down?

Article first published as Mets Mess: Oliver Perez Released - Thumbs Up or Down? on Blogcritics.

In the old Roman Coliseum days, the crowd got what it wanted based on thumbs up or down. Some say the gladiator spared his opponent if the thumb was down rather than up; whatever the case was in those days, now we know thumbs down means a bad rating. For former Mets pitcher Oliver Perez, he got a resounding thumbs down from the fans and has been finally shown the door.


There were lots of reasons to keep Perez and Luis Castillo - about 18 million of them. The team gave up on both players, exorcising at least some of the ghosts left behind by former GM Omar Minaya. In doing so they were giving the fans what they wanted, but it also will look pretty bad if both guys get picked up as cheap players by other teams and do well (the Mets will be on the hook for most of their salaries either way).

While Castillo never really had success here in New York, for a while Perez flirted with greatness. I can remember going to a Suway Series game back at Old Shea a few years ago on a rainy night, and Perez kept the Yankees scoreless for seven plus innings. What happened to him since then no one can tell, but some say he has just lost it; others thought it was a mental block of some kind. Maybe we will never know.

On this day the Mets parted ways with Oliver Perez, and in this move new GM Sandy Alderson is making a statement that goes beyond payroll and fiscal worries. Perhaps the Mets are no better now than they were before, but as was the rule back in the old coliseum days, the fans got what they wanted. At least Perez gets to leave town with his head on his shoulders.

Photo Credit: Metsblog.com

Mets Mess: Castillo and Perez Should Be Gone By Opening Day

Article first published as Mets Mess: Castillo and Perez Should Be Gone By Opening Day on Blogcritics.

It's not like Mets fans have not had enough to worry about this spring training. After a dismal time of it last season, the team squandered the off season by taking on no new players of note, and then the Bernie Madoff scandal became big news and seemed to shake the team and its fans to its core. With a pending sale of a significant percentage of the team in the works, there is nothing much for Mets fans to look forward to except maybe the 2012 season.

There is a bright note from spring training though: the Mets seem finally willing and able to part ways with two of the worst acquisitions since Bobby Bonilla: pitcher Oliver Perez and second baseman Luis Castillo. I think I hear cheering all the way from Citi Field to Central Park.


Both Perez and Castillo have shown no signs this spring of being any better than last year. With Daniel Murphy making a concerted effort to make the roster as a second baseman, it is clear that Castillo has run out of options. Perez also has little or no juice left. According to reports, his velocity is down to the low 80s and he looks inexplicably lost on the mound. There's a possibility he could be used in the bullpen, but that didn't work out too well last year.

So it seems both Perez and Castillo will be released sometime before Opening Day (unless some team wants to take them on). The team mired in its financial muck and mire will have to eat their contracts (Perez is owed $12 million and Castillo about $6 million), but this is stll something positive for the club. Finally this spring Mets fans do have something to be happy about!
Photo Credit: Simmons/Daily News

Knicks Knack: Anthony Debuts in 114-108 Win Over Bucks

Article first published as Knicks Knack: Anthony Debuts in 114-108 Win Over Bucks on Blogcritics.


There are magic moments in sports; sometimes we get to experience them, and sometimes we wish that we did. Can you imagine seeing Don Larsen's perfect game during the World Series? My father saw that one. What about being there when Lou Gehrig said he was the luckiest guy in the world? My great moments include when Cleon Jones caught that last ball of the 1969 World Series. Another was when Bill Buckner of the Boston Red Sox let a ball hit by Mookie Wilson roll through his legs. Those were the days.

Last night such a moment happened: Brooklyn-born Carmelo Anthony came home, and what a homecoming it was. He scored 27 points, had ten rebounds, and helped lead the New York Knicks to a 114-108 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. This was not a blowout, but that was not necessary. The Knicks are now 1-0 in the Carmelo Anthony era; let's hope there are many more wins to come in the weeks ahead.

Even if the Knicks win 20 of those last 27 games, they aren't going to catch the Celtics, but that is not why Anthony stepped on that court last night. It is all about perception and intention: team owner James Dolan wanted to let the fans know that he is committed to win, and nothing makes that more clear than seeing the new forward wearing that number 7 in a Knicks uniform.

Anthony got the welcome we would expect from New York fans. Madison Square Garden was rocking last night, and many fans have not heard that kind of thing for too long at MSG. I remember one other time in my life when a sports arena rocked like that; it was when Mike Piazza came to Shea Stadium for the first time. Old Shea rocked like it hadn't since the Beatles played their songs on a stage erected over second base. It was that wild and that loud and Piazza brought the same kind of hope to New York that Anthony brings now.

In the end we fans all want the same thing: a championship. It almost happened for Piazza in 2000, but the Yankees got in the way. Now it's Anthony's turn. He needs to do a lot more of what he did last night, but his stature and the confidence that he brings to the team is immeasurably important. Now the Apostrophe Boys ('Melo and Amar'e) can work together for the cause. We believe because in essence we see something that makes us do so.

This 114-108 victory is a great start. There are more wins coming, and fans can feel it. We know the playoffs are coming too, and that's something Knicks fans haven't been able to feel sure about for a long time now. Stoudemire started this whole thing. If he were not here, Anthony wouldn't be either. Now things have changed dramatically, and next year the Celtics will be on notice just as the Patriots will be. The Jets are for real and now so are the Knicks. That gives New York fans something to smile about this morning.

Photo Credit:
Theodorakis/News