Author: John Delcos

Good Memories Of Covering Robin Ventura On The Beat

One of the players I most enjoyed covering was Robin Ventura for those two years he played for the Yankees. In that clubhouse full of stars and egos, Ventura was a voice of calm, reason and humorous relief. I enjoyed stopping by his locker to shoot the breeze for a minute or two, talking about things other than baseball. Very smart, clever and possessing an insight on numerous issues. When there...

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Featured Post: Keith Hernandez Needs To Lay Off Duda’s Approach

Ever since Lucas Duda burst into our consciousness in 2010, nobody has been satisfied with his plate approach. Too many strikeouts and not enough walks, I frequently wrote. He gives away too many at-bats. He tries to pull too much and doesn’t use the entire field. All valid in the early Duda critique. Now, unbelievably, he’s become too selective, too patient at the plate. No matter how hard I...

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Terry Collins Says Jon Niese Was “Too Strong” In Yesterday’s Loss

There will be days like Sunday, where the meltdown is complete in all phases, beginning with Jon Niese, who had an inability to get hitters out, an offense that offered little resistance to Tim Hudson, and a porous defense. It’s not alarming the Mets couldn’t do anything against Hudson, but what should be a source of concern is Niese, who was hit hard in his fourth straight start – all lost by...

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The Summer of 1973: Tom Seaver Outduels Bob Gibson

In today’s installment of “The Summer of 1973; The Forgotten Championship,’’ I chose a game from the month of April and will analyze it through the box score. My pick is the fourth game of the season, April 12, at St. Louis, with Tom Seaver outdueling Bob Gibson, 2-1, to give the Mets a 4-0 start. It was Seaver’s second start, with his first being a shutout over Philadelphia’s Steve Carlton. His...

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The MMO Grind: Terry Collins Is Safe At Home, But His Foot Missed The Plate

As of now, Terry Collins’ job is safe and deservedly so. Based on getting the most out of what he has been given and basic fairness, there’s nothing justifying Collins’ job being in question. However, fairness is irrelevant in sports. A manager’s job security always becomes an issue when he has lame duck contractual status and his team has lost six straight games.Losing streaks get everybody...

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