I was walking around the mall yesterday with my wife, trying to get her to go into labor with our second child (first son). They say walking is good for kick-starting the labor process at this point, and as we were walking around, I decided to duck into the sports memorabilia store. I was pacing through the store, looking at the autographs of all the great players hanging on the wall, and I came across a beautiful autographed picture of Gary Carter. [...]

I am so excited to receive my copy of Mike Piazza’s autobiography, Long Shot, which I pre-ordered several weeks ago. But of course, I can’t control myself in reading all the news stories about what is actually in the book before I read it for myself. So that leads me to a very intriguing discussion. Piazza admitted in his book to using androstenedione and Ephedra before the substances were banned, according to the New York [...]

As I was driving home the other night, I was listening to Casey Stern and Jim Bowden on the MLB Network Radio channel on XM. They were discussing with Jill Painter, the L.A. Daily News sports columnist, the Baseball Hall of Fame vote which took place Wednesday. This is the same Jill Painter, member of the Baseball Writers Association of America who thought it made perfect sense to cast one of her Hall of Fame [...]

To turn attention away from Mike Piazza and the Hall of Fame vote for just a minute, let’s discuss the future Mike Piazza, or so we hope. The Mets acquired Travis d’Arnaud, their catcher of the future, in the trade that sent R.A. Dickey to the Toronto Blue Jays. But why can’t the future be right now? d’Arnaud said he’s ready to play and recovered from a knee injury that ended his minor league season [...]

With the dust settled from this year’s Hall of Fame voting, the attention turns to a loaded 2013 ballot. Prominent names such as Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Roger Clemens and Craig Biggio will be on the ballot for the first time, but so will one close to all of our hearts here at MMO: Mike Piazza. Naturally, Mets fans have an enduring love for Piazza. He revolutionized this franchise in the late 1990s-early 2000s, and [...]

January 10th, 1928: The Giants trade Rogers Hornsby to the Boston Braves for Shanty Hogan and Jimmy Welsh. It’s the Rajah’s third team in three years. Why exactly is this trade monumental? Mostly because I find it hard to believe that any team would want to trade one of the best second basemen in the history of the game, especially when he is still in the prime of his career. In 1927 for the Giants, [...]

As we all know, Gil Hodges will be on the Veterans’ Committee Hall of Fame ballot for 2012. So expect to hear plenty of discussion over the next few months about whether or not he should be enshrined. I personally was not around when Gil played or managed, but I consider myself lucky to have heard the great stories of the Brooklyn Dodgers and the 1969 Miracle Mets. I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. [...]

As the class in 1945, the Hall of Fame class of 1946 is another loaded one, with a total of ten players getting enshrined. Obviously, Cooperstown made for the lost time during WWII. There are a couple of familiar names in this year’s class, but more unfamiliar ones. Let’s get into it. Jesse Burkett: Left Fielder, Cleveland Spiders .342 average, 1,708 runs scored, 2,872 hits, 75 home runs, 952 RBI, 392 stolen bases During his [...]

Earlier this season we all heard the gut-wrenching news that our beloved Gary Carter was diagnosed with a brain tumor. As the tears dried and the reality began to settle in, a discussion ensued. The Mets need to retire #8 for Gary. Others countered that if #8 is retired, then #17 for Keith must be retired as well. The debate raged on about who had more of an impact on the Mets: Keith or Gary? [...]