The Oakland Athletics have made their desire to move to Las Vegas well-known. Major League Baseball’s owners have to vote on the move for it to be approved, and that vote may take place at an owners’ meeting set for mid-June in New York. Before that vote can occur, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal by Lindsay Adler, the state of Nevada has to approve a...
It had been 124 straight games in which the New York Yankees won after taking a lead into the eighth inning. But that wasn’t going to stop the Mets, nor were six home runs. Even if it took facing Mariano Rivera at the end. Matt Franco defied the odds and defeated the defending champions with a single to right field that brought in Rickey Henderson and Edgardo Alfonso to put an exclamation...
Last weekend, MLB presented the Major League Baseball Players’ Association (MLBPA) with a proposal to delay the start of spring training and the upcoming season by one month. The stated reasons were to allow for an easing in the rise in COVID cases in both spring training sites, Florida and Arizona. Then, with the season starting in late April, according to many experts COVID cases should...
The 1999 season was one of ups and downs for the Mets. They started well, posting an April record of 14-9, but followed that with a 13-15 record in May. They were taking on water in late May, losing eight in a row from May 28th through June 5th. After a Sunday Night Baseball 7-2 win at Yankee Stadium on June 6th, the Mets were able turn their season around. By the end of July, they were just a...
The Mets had made the postseason for the first time in 11 years, but didn’t make it easy. Over a span of about two weeks, Bobby Valentine’s team went from being comfortably in the postseason to perilously being on the outside — only to stare elimination in the face and overcome it. New York needed to win two of three final regular-season games just to have a chance at the...
As the team made Pittsburgh their fourth and final stop on a 14-day, 13-game road trip which covered roughly 7,300 miles, the Mets had also yet right a steady course when it came to on-field performance. A couple of wins were followed with a string of losses. A solid victory was countered by a discouraging defeat. New York’s frustration exemplified itself in the Steel City on May 10, with...
A full week after their 18-hour flight from halfway around the world, the Mets still showed symptoms of jet lag. They dropped two of three to the Padres and only managed to scrape together two hits in the opener against Los Angeles. The Mets actually won that night in spite of their anemic offense — and have Rick Reed to thank for it. Reed augmented his solid start in Japan with 7.2...
Edgardo Alfonzo remains one of the most beloved Mets alumni, both for his post-season heroics (e.g. 3 HR’s including a ninth inning grand slam in the space of two vital 1999 playoff games against the Reds and Diamondbacks), and his role as part of the “Best Infield Ever” as dubbed by Sports Illustrated. His flexibility as a player made him an invaluable asset to the team which moved him from his...
We’re all hoping that Mike Piazza will get the call when the Hall of Fame voting results are announced on January 8th. This year is a very crowded field with newcomers Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Frank Thomas, Mike Mussina, and Jeff Kent among the top first timers along with strong holdovers Craig Biggio, Jack Morris, Jeff Bagwell, Lee Smith, Curt Schilling, Edgar Martinez, and Fred McGriff....
A couple of nights ago I’m on Facebook checking out a page for fellow Mets fans. We’re all rejoicing in the Yankees misery. I, too, add a few comments and threw in a joke about ‘A-Roid.’ Someone else commented about us playing spoiler and knocking the Nats further back. Then, it hit me. This is what we’ve become. We have nothing hopeful to cheer for, so yet again this season, we are reduced to...
AUGUST 25: 1922: Leading 25-6 after 4 innings, the Cubs hold on to beat the Phillies, 26-23. The Phillies left the bases loaded in the ninth. The 49 total runs is the most ever scored in a single game. 1956: The Yankees pick up Enos Slaughter off waivers and in turn give an unconditional release to fan favorite Phil Rizzuto. 1983: The Louisville Redbirds (AAA-Cardinals) become the first minor...
AGBAYANI: THE METS’ “BENNY-FACTOR” SLAMS THE CUBS Did you ever notice that certain players that have toiled in the minors for a while tend to exhibit surges in production when they finally get a crack at the big time? It’s as if they had those hits stockpiled for the Show and can’t wait to get them out of their systems once fortune and the front office permits. So it seemed to be with Benny...
