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

Judge Declares a Mistrial in Clemens Perjury Case - Rocket's Red Glare?

Article first published as Judge Declares a Mistrial in Clemens Perjury Case  - Rocket's Red Glare? on Blogcritics.

As soon as Judge Reggie Walton declared a mistrial due to prosecutorial misconduct in the Roger Clemens' perjury case on Thursday, I pictured the headlines that it would create. There would also be pictures of Clemens outside the Washington courthouse looking like a free man. Of course, all of this came to be as Clemens looked relieved if not jumping for joy. Actually, he should be ecstatic because he is "free" for now, but the case will probably be tried again.

Prosecutors mishandled the case. The judge chided them that the errors made wouldn't be committed by law students. It is mind-boggling that after so much time to prepare that the prosecutors could make such obvious mistakes. They showed jurors a video of Laura Posado (wife of Yankees catcher Jorge) and they weren't supposed to do that. "Mr. Clemens has to get a fair trial," Walton said. "In my view, he can't get it now."

So Clemens walked outside with lawyer Rusty Hardin, signed some baseballs, said nothing better than Sgt. Schultz on Hogan's Heroes, and looked like a guy who just removed a two-ton albatross from around his neck. Of course, Clemens cannot shoot rockets in the air and have a party just yet, since it is very likely that the prosecution will get its act together by September 2, when Judge Walton will have to decide if there should be a retrial.

Some of you may be shaking your heads; some of you are probably happy Rocket got to walk, but it's not a funny thing happening here. we're talking about perjury and Congress and justice; this is a serious issue, and maybe Clemens will still face a trial and get jail time. We'll have to wait and see, but as with the Casey Anthony case, we can't always get what we want or even what we need.

Happy trials (or is that trails?), Roger.

Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated

Derek Jeter, Tiger Woods, and Roger Federer: Time Is Not On Their Side

Article first published as Derek Jeter, Tiger Woods, and Roger Federer: Time Is Not On Their Side on Blogcritics.

In sports, the emphasis is always on youth. Great players are shooting stars  across the sky of their respective sports. Alas, like those shooting stars their path is all too brief, and then they flame out and disappear from view.

Today Roger Federer won the first two sets at Wimbledon in London in the quarterfinals. Anytime he has done this before in his career - 178 times to be exact - Federer has won the match. Today was a different story.  Jo-Wilfried Tsonga came back and won the next three sets. There is no question that the Federer of the past  is no longer out there on the court. Tsonga (26) simply overcame Federer (29) with power and resilience and broke his serves the way it would not have happened a few years ago. Federer has to face the facts about his game, just as all the tennis greats like Boris Becker, Andre Agassi, and Pete Sampras have had to do.

Last week Tiger Woods (35) announced that he would not compete in the AT&T National. In golf older men have had much success, but one has to remain healthy and in shape. There is no question that Woods has always been into training, but his body is not "healthy" enough to compete. Again, as with Federer, reality rears its ugly head. Tiger is feeling all too human these days, and even with that sex scandal behind him and a lucrative endorsement for a Japanese company announced, Woods is realizing he is only human.

And then there is Derek Jeter, the perennial All Star shortstop for the New York Yankees. Jeter (37) has struggled this season (as he did last year), and now he is on the disabled list. The Yankee captain has been a great player for many years, but his body is starting to send signals to him that he may not want to receive. His hitting and fielding have been substantially compromised by the calendar, and whether or not the fans want to accept it, Jeter has to know that he better not turn around, because Father Time is gaining on him.

These three great sports figures have given fans many years of excellence, but the truth is that no one can expect to see their stars play forever. In each of these cases, we must appreciate their contributions to their respective sports but also know that attrition hits everyone. Even Jeter's teammate, the great closer Mariano Rivera, will someday see his powers diminish. It is just a fact of life.

The question one can ask is when do these guys throw in the proverbial towel? How long do they continue to push themselves to perform? While we expect that they must obviously see that their production is diminishing, perhaps they overestimate their contribution to the game. Whatever the case, don't expect any of these gentlemen to retire any time soon.

Maybe they should leave when they can still make that decision, or perhaps there will come a time when each one of these guys will face the inevitable after failing. Today Roger Federer had to see the truth in what Tsonga did to him. We television viewers certainly saw it and everyone in that stadium did too. Tiger has put himself on the shelf, and Jeter is on the disabled list. It's obvious that time is not on their side; in fact, it's not on anyone's side whether he or she is a player or a fan in the stands. Perhaps that's the toughest truth of all.

photo credit- BBC sports

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: 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

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 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

A Fond Farewell to the Duke of Flatbush

Article first published as A Fond Farewell to the Duke of Flatbush on Blogcritics.

I never had the privilege of seeing Duke Snider play in person, but I mourn his loss because of what he meant to old Dodgers fans like my grandfather and uncles, who then became Mets fans like I am today. Of all the players they talked about, none seemed to loom as large as Edwin Donald Snider.


The Duke played during what many baseball fans still see as the golden era, and that is especially true for fans here in New York City. While Boston may have had Ted Williams and St. Louis had Stan Musial, NYC was blessed with three superstar players: Willie Mays of the Giants, Mickey Mantle of the Yankees, and Duke Snider of the Dodgers. Can you imagine being a fan at that time with this amazing competition going on?

Of course, I was told of the ongoing debate among New York fans about which team had the best center fielder. It is without question that my family felt that in no uncertain terms that it was the Duke, though they seemed to acknowledge that the other two were pretty fine players too.

Pop mentioned that there were always rumors of a trade: Mantle for Mays, or Snider for Mays, and so on. The one thing he and my uncles dreaded most was the prospect of the Duke going to the Bronx for Mantle. He said that it wasn't even the thought of Mantle as a Dodger that bothered him as much as the Duke becoming a Yankee: that was blasphemy.

Besides hearing about the old Dodger stories as a kid, the thing that brought Duke Snider into my world was Terry Cashman's iconic song, "Talkin' Baseball" and it's famous line "Especially Willie, Mickey, and the Duke." That song came out in 1981 and hit a chord with many baseball fans, and though it is dated now, there is still the resonance in its reflection of the impact of baseball on American life.

Duke Snider played one season for the Mets (1963), seventeen seasons overall, and played in six postseasons. He had 407 career homers and 11 in the postseason. His greatest year was 1955 when he led his Dodgers 42 homers, 136 RBI, and a .309 average. This would be the one and only time that the Dodgers beat the hated Yankees in the World Series, with the Duke hitting 4 homers and knocking in 7 runs.

There is no understanding the euphoria Dodgers fans felt that year they beat the Yankees, and Duke Snider was an integral part of that victory. He and the rest of those Boys of Summer managed to do the unbelievable, endearing themselves forever in the hearts of their fans because this time the Bums beat the Yanks. According to Pop, the party went on for days (at least what he could remember of it after "closing all the bars in Brooklyn").

So we can mourn the loss of Duke Snider at 84, but we can also see it as the final piece of the reunion of those Boys of Summer in that great baseball park somewhere on the other side. I can picture him walking onto the field and seeing Gil Hodges taking balls at first base, Jackie Robinson flipping the ball to Pee Wee Reese to turn a double play, and they and all the rest of the starting players on that the team who have passed on walk over to greet him. Catcher Roy Campenella comes up to him, hands him a ball, and they all decide to play nine. Talk about a field of dreams!

Duke Snider passed away on Sunday, Hall of Famer and, as Pop used to say, "an all around good guy." Rest in peace, Duke!

Photo Credit: espn.go.com

NY Mets & Madoff Mess: Wilpons Considers Selling a Stake in the Club

First published in Blogcritics

NY Mets & Madoff Mess: Wilpons Are Selling More Than a Stake in the Club

The long reach of ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff included Fred Wilpon, owner of the New York Mets. The numbers here are insignificant because they are so astronomical, but let's suffice it to say that Wilpon's former pal is still affecting the man and the team he owns. Those bilked out of their savings are seeking to get assets from Wilpon because he invested money with Madoff and actually made a profit. Can he still be considered a victim? Apparently not by those injured parties who seek justice anywhere they can get it.

Now it is reported that Wilpon is considering selling up to a quarter stake in the team. This is because of the lawsuits that could come from Madoff's victims (most of whom did not make money with Madoff the way Wilpon did). There are lots of people interested in buying into the Mets, but therein lies the biggest problem. Up to this point the Mets have been owned exclusively by the Wilpons (since 2002). Not even the Steinbrenner family can say that about the Yankees (they own less than 50% of the team).

Some Mets fans might argue that the Wilpons haven't done such a great job lately, so maybe some new blood is needed. They could argue that the Steinbrenners built a winner with lots of other fingers in the pie, but we also know that old George (and now his sons) controlled that team anyway. So maybe we Mets fans shouldn't worry all that much.

Still, I am worried because Wilpon has deep Mets roots: they go all the way down and curl around the carcass of Ebbetts Field. Wilpon is a dear friend of Sandy Koufax, the Dodger pitching legend. The Brooklyn Dodger's blue blood and the New York Giant's orange blood were the transfusion that gave life to the Mets, a hodgepodge team that was the Frankenstein monster of baseball for a while. Still, despite the sewn up parts of other teams that made up the limbs of that early franchise, those fans came along and stayed loyal - most of them all these years.

So in essence Wilpon is the keeper of the flame. He's the gotta in "You gotta believe!" He's the go in "Let's Go Mets." We know what we get with him, even if it is not an awful lot at times, and we know he loves the team as much as we do (when we're not hating them too).

What is at stake here is not just selling off a piece of the pie, but the legacy of this franchise. If some "investors" come in and buy up a quarter of the team, what's that going to do to the Mets? What will happen could be something most of us dread: they might become something like those arch enemies across the river, and don't go thinking that will be a good thing.

I think the worst fear of a Mets fan is not the Yankees beating the Mets so much as the Mets becoming like the Yankees. I don't mean in terms of winning; I mean in everything else. We don't want that corporate nightmare where winning at all costs means people-very good people-like Bernie Williams, Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, and many others get pushed out the door like damaged goods. Hey, that's like Popeye becoming Bluto, or Batman becoming the Joker. Mets fans would never stand for that.

So my idea is that we, the fans, should start putting money up to buy that quarter of a stake. I've got my twenty-five dollars ready to throw in the pot. Anyone else in?

Cliff Lee Signs with Phillies - Good News for Bosox; Bad News For Mets

Article first published as Cliff Lee Signs with Phillies - Good News for Bosox; Bad News For Mets on Blogcritics.

There is an old saying in baseball about the best trades being the ones you never make. If team owners really believed in this one, then Cliff Lee (and many other players) would have never left their teams in the first place.

Now we get word that Lee has turned down offers by the New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers for a deal that pays less money with the Phillies. Can it be possible that in this world someone would turn down more money? Apparently, Mr. Lee has gone with what makes him more happy rather than what will make him more rich.

The real losers here are the Yanks, Rangers, and Mets; the winners are the Phillies and the Red Sox. The deck is now stacked in the National League East for the Phillies to take that division again. The Mets have nothing to show so far this winter except signings of a few minor players that make George "The Stork" Theodore look like Willie Mays.

The deck is also stacked in the American League East now. The Red Sox have made great moves, and maybe the best move of all was to make a play for Lee, knowing they didn't want him, but confusing the Yankees' brass enough that they let Carl Crawford slip through their fingers. Steinbrenner must be rolling over in his grave.

Cliff Lee took poet Robert Frost's advice and went down the road less traveled by signing with the Phillies; in doing so, that may make all the difference, not only in Mr. Lee's life, but also in the outcome of two division races and eventually the 2011 World Series.

Joe Torre To Leave Dodgers: Will He Return to Manage the Mets?

Article first published as Joe Torre To Leave Dodgers: Will He Return to Manage the Mets? on Blogcritics.




As it was announced yesterday, LA Dodgers manager Joe Torre will leave the Dodgers at the end of the season to be replaced by hitting coach Don Mattingly. This may come as a surprise to some people, but those who know Torre are not so surprised by the news at all. The question is this: does Joe miss home or is he just tired of La-La Land?

The truth is that Joe looked good in Dodger blue, but he would look even better in orange and blue, the colors he once wore as manager of the New York Mets. During his first managerial job that covered four seasons, Joe didn't do much winning, but he was well liked and handled those tough down years for the Mets with his characteristic good grace and humor.

Though a report in the NY Daily News claims that Torre would never come back to New York to work in "the shadow of the Yankees," I have a feeling that Joe is not done at seventy years old by any means. Since that other Joe is over in the Bronx managing the Bombers, it seems that it would be fitting to have the old Joe back in a Mets uniform.

What better way to slap some sense into the Mets players than to bring in an icon, one with a Mets pedigree to boot? Torre brings with him instant credibility, a New York savvy, and the legacy of being a winner.

It seems to me that the Mets have nothing to lose by bringing back Torre and everything to gain. Besides, his sister is a nun, and the Mets, who haven't had a prayer in recent years, could use all the help they can get.

 

A-Rod Hits 600: Put It in the Books with an Asterisk

Article first published as A-Rod Hits 600: Put It in the Books with an Asterisk on Blogcritics.

"Damaged goods." That is what my friend and Yankee fan Frank (he prefers for me not to use his last name) said when I asked him what he thought about Alex Rodriguez's 600th home run against the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium yesterday. I was glad that Frank qualified it this way. When pressed about the number 600, he said, "Put it in the books with an asterisk."

Rodriguez hit a ball to straight away center field, ending his pursuit with of number 600 against Toronto's Shaun Marcum. As A-Rod rounded the bases, getting cheered all the way, it was as if the fans and he believed that this moment was special. Later on he confessed to being glad it was all over, but for his team and their fans it is never over with A-Rod. Now he and they can set their sights on number 700, right?

Okay, I am a New York Mets fan, but I am also a fan of baseball. I had to check with Frank (with whom I have had lots of heated discussions in the past about our two teams) because he bleeds pinstripes as much as I bleed Mets orange and blue. I can appreciate great Yankees players like Derek Jeter, Thurman Munson, and Mickey Mantle for what they have meant to baseball. But the question invariably with A-Rod is what has he done to baseball?

I know there are those who don't care about steroids. They didn't care when Mark McGwire walked around like the Incredible Hulk and hit all those homeruns. Chalk that up for Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds too. They only cared about all the dingers and how it was good for baseball. Good for baseball? Saying these tainted players were or are good for baseball is like saying the Gulf oil spill was good for tourism. Give me a break.

The great sports columnist Mike Lupica, writing in today's issue of the New York Daily News, says that Bobby Bonds put a message to A-Rod on his website: "Welcome to the club." As Lupica notes, "Yeah. They're in the same club." As always Lupica hits the salient nail on the head: A-Rod is part of the Bonds, McGwire, and Sosa club, and not the Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Babe Ruth club. Pure and simple: A-Rod's accomplishment has the whiff of something foul to it.

Make no mistake, A-Rod is a great player. He has enormous natural talent, but the problem is that he sought to enhance that talent in ways that are not in keeping with the fundamental, natural beauty of the game. He is a bad influence on other players who see his success and think, "Why not me too?" Furthermore, he is a terrible role model for kids who aspire to be baseball players, who may think they need to do something even at a young age to enhance their natural abilities in order to perform better, to get noticed, and maybe make it to the big show.

So in the Bronx in New York City yesterday, A-Rod hit is 600th career home run. I kept thinking, "Thank God he is not a New York Met." I have always thought that was, as the legendary Mets broadcaster Ralph Kiner used to say, "One of the best deals never made." I know a lot of Mets fans wanted A-Rod back then, but we can breathe easier because all his talent and all his problems are on the other side of town. Let Yankees fans try to sort out how they feel about his legacy and his place in Yankee history; we can be honest with ourselves that it's better this way.

What about A-Rod's legacy? As my friend Frank says, "Damaged goods." So let baseball put A-Rod and his 600 in the books with a big fat asterisk. Bonds said that A-Rod is part of the club now. I guess it depends on how you look at it, but I keep thinking about that great Groucho Marx line: "I don't care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as members." Damaged goods, indeed!