Alderson is disappointed with the team’s performance this season, particularly with some of the players he acquired for this transition year who did not perform to his expectation.

He no doubt was referring to Collin Cowgill, who he expected to become the team’s leadoff hitter and regular center fielder. Cowgill batted .157/.173/.294 before being demoted to Triple-A after only 19 games.

Andrew Brown failed to make the opening day roster and batted .200 during a brief call-up.

Shaun Marcum, who was signed to a guaranteed $4 million dollar deal, was supposed to replace R.A. Dickey. But the right-hander started the season on the DL, missed nearly a month, and has a 6.59 ERA in five starts since being activated.

Left-hander Aaron Laffey was released after posting a 7.20 ERA in four appearances including two spot starts, and relievers Greg Burke and Scott Atchison have struggled, each with 4.50 ERAs on the season.

Sandy is also concerned with some of the players whom he considered to be part of the future core. When asked to explain who he was talking about, he declined to comment saying only, “I think Met fans know who I’m talking about.”

He left off saying that it’s very tough to watch the team play and not be able to do something to help. However, he will remain patient, but not too patient. Alderson said he would look to some of the younger players in their system to improve the major league roster and named Rafael Montero, Zack Wheeler and Travis d’Arnaud as those who could help.

After the game, SNY analyst Bobby Ojeda pointed out that Alderson looked like a man who is very dejected and very disappointed with some of the moves he’s made in putting this team together. He certainly was different than what we’re used to seeing. There were no jokes this time. I think Sandy realizes that it’s time for him to stop talking about the future and deliver on it already. It’s time to produce something tangible. I believe a lot will be riding on how Wheeler and d’Arnaud produce once they are promoted – especially Wheeler.

It will be interesting to see how this drama unfolds… My gut tells me that by the end of this season, Sandy Alderson will either be on very solid footing or a very slippery slope and I’m leaning toward the latter. His fate will be tied to Wheeler’s immediate performance. Stay tuned…

From his key double in his first at-bat in blue and orange, to his crucial catch in Johan Santana‘s no-hitter, to last night’s tenth inning walk-off knock against the White Sox, Mike Baxter has already found his place in Mets history and into the hearts of the Flushing Faithful. For Baxter however, he is always looking to improve and perform to the best of his ability.

Baxter started off the year having difficulties at the plate, but has apparently found some consistency coming off the bench sporting a .444 OBP when called on to pinch-hit. I spoke with Baxter outside the Irish Circle Tavern luncheon to benefit the Hurricane Sandy rebuilding efforts yesterday, and he says he still has plenty of room for improvement.

“I need to be more consistent with recognizing the pitch that I’m looking for, the pitch I’m waiting for and square it up.” said Baxter.

“In this season compared to last year, I’ve been missing that pitch. With the approach we try to employ with the Mets, that’s a problem. You need to recognize and hit that pitch, that’s what good hitters do. I have been a little frustrated with the way I’ve played and I have got to do better.”

The Mets’ hitting approach under the Alderson regime is commonly understood as trying to wait out the pitcher in order to both draw walks and knock the starter out of the game early. However, Baxter says there is much more to the approach than simply taking a high number of pitches.

“The key to the approach, is not necessarily trying to see a lot of pitches per-se.” said Baxter “It’s wait until you get that one. If it happens to be the first pitch you see and that’s the one you want, then that’s the one you’ve got to swing at.”

“You tend to see more pitches to hit because you’re laying off that 0-1 sinker away that’s a borderline pitch or that 0-0 pitch that’s a borderline strike. It might end up a strike but you’re still in the at-bat rather than putting it in play weakly somewhere and the at-bats over. It helps the chance to get to the good pitch.”

While the Mets continue to apply their selective approach at the plate, one of the more free-swinging bats in the lineup has had trouble with consistent good at-bats, however when it matters most, he always seems to come through this year. Jordany Valdespin has been a spark and a source of excitement on this 13-16 Mets ballclub. Baxter says his teammate is an exciting player to watch.

“He’s a dynamic player, he’s someone that brings a lot to the table as a player and he has a flare for the dramatic in those big spots, proven by his track record.” said Baxter, almost yelling over an airplane howling a few thousand feet above. “His skills as a player are dynamic; he can hit a ball deep to the shortstop and beat it out. He can lay a bunt down and beat it out and he can hit a home run.”…”He’s a good ballpayer and he’s a big part of what we do and why we win.”

Baxter says he hopes to improve all aspects of his game and get “consistent, good at-bats” as he did last night in the bottom of the tenth. He didn’t go deep into the count. He took that ’0-0 pitch that’s a borderline strike’, he fouled off the second and then finally on a 95-mph two-seam fastball, put a solid drive into it to bring home Ike Davis and take the opener against the White Sox. If he continues to do just that, he will fulfill his goal of “getting his pitch and hitting it.”

In the meantime  Baxter will enjoy watching his New York Rangers continue their run towards the Stanley Cup. Something that he says has become the “big thing in the clubhouse right now.”

Special thanks to Ron Darling and Mike Baxter for taking the time to speak with me on Tuesday. It was a pleasure to meet and speak to a couple of classy individuals like them.

Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler headline a handful of budding young pitchers who hope to one day bring the New York Mets organization back to relevance again. Harvey,  in his first full season, is doing his best to do just that–as exemplified by his near-perfect, nine shutout frames in Tuesday night’s walk-off victory by the Whitestone kid, Mike Baxter–and Wheeler is knocking on the door to crack the big-league rotation soon enough. As both develop, the pair continuously leads a youth movement in the organization that look to achieve what this franchise has yet to celebrate in 27 years; a world championship.

Not only someone who was a key cog of a dominant Mets rotation and an integral part of that champion 1986 club, but also someone who interacts and analyzes the likes of Harvey and the team on a daily basis, Ron Darling offers intricate insight on these young arms and his thoughts on their first months of the 2013 season thus far.

Sitting on the back patio of the Irish Circle Tavern in Rockaway Park, Queens — who hosted a luncheon for Hurricane Sandy Relief in which he was a guest of honor with Mike Baxter – -Darling describes to me the way in which he goes about evaluating a pitcher.

“The three things that I benchmark, that I judge pitchers by.” said Darling as jets from the nearby JFK International Airport fly loudly overhead, giving the conversation a true Citi Field vibe. “Their ability to throw fastballs on the corner and both sides of the plate, they can throw a breaking ball over the plate behind in the count, and they have a bulldog and a competitive mentality.”

After explaining his methods of evaluation, Darling goes on to explain how Harvey and Wheeler fit into his equation.

“Harvey has all three.” said Darling. “Wheeler has all three now but not at the major league level. You can’t judge minor league pitchers until they pitch on this stage because it’s just such a big jump. You’re pitching now against people that used to be on your video games. Until that happens I think it is tough to judge guys.”

As shown by his bloody-nose inning and simply his pure demeanor on the mound, the competitive prowess of Harvey is rarely questioned. When it comes to Wheeler however, his “bulldog” isn’t always quite as outwardly apparent. The intangible “bulldog” factor of Darling’s evaluation, he says, comes in all types and varieties.

“A bulldog comes in many shapes and forms. said Darling. “In my day, Dave Stewart was considered a bulldog with the stare, but so was Orel Hershiser without the stare. It comes in a lot of different ways. A lot of guys try to fake it, you can see through it. Zack might have a different way of doing it; he might be quieter about it, as opposed to Matt who may be a bit more overt about it. Matt’s from the East Coast, and East coast kids tend to be a little more overt anyway, and Zack might be a little quieter. It doesn’t mean that they both can’t be pitching assassins in their own way.”

Wheeler’s toughness in-game had begun to come into question, to an extent due, to his rough first month of the season in which he allowed 18 runs in 23.1 innings. Since then, the 22-year old has put together back-to-back dominant efforts and appears to be getting his season on track. Darling, who says he has seen Wheeler pitch live on roughly six occasions or so, believes the slow start was due to his lack of innings in Port St. Lucie after being sidelined with an oblique strain.

“What happened to Zack is that he had a shortened Spring Training, he was playing catch up, and that’s why he had the first bad outings.” said Darling. “Terry Collins said if you want to come up here you’ve got to throw strikes and he has, so sometimes you just need some gentle prodding and I think that was the best thing that happened to him.”

While Collins and the Mets await the proper time to give Wheeler that call to come up, they have been able to revel in the incredible season so far from the Amazin’s other distinguished young arm in Harvey, who has continued to draw up a significant stir across baseball that hasn’t been seen for a rookie arm in Flushing in some time. His career is merely 16 starts long between 2012 and 2013, however Darling explains that the praise for Harvey is well-deserved.

“If he continues the way he’s going, we’re talking about a young man in his first full season having the chance to pitch or start in his home ballpark at the All-Star Game.” tells Darling. “That’s a pretty amazing feat.”

Of the attention in particular,  the now weekly Met holiday known as Harvey Day has become one of the most popular celebrations of the young workhorse.

“You say Harvey Day, I was thinking about Paul Harvey, the great radio icon who used to say ‘good day’ to end his broadcasts.” said Darling, in reference to his chuckle when I mentioned the term Harvey Day in my question. “That’s what Matt Harvey does with his innings when he ends with strikeouts: ‘Good day.’”

Both Harvey and Wheeler will look to have more ‘good days’ than bad as they continue their respective journeys towards making their presence known and leaving those such as Darling “so impressed” in what hopes to be two long, successful major-league Met careers.

I just wanted to thank the Mets, Citigroup and the Irish Circle Tavern for putting together a wonderful luncheon to benefit the continued effort to rebuild following Hurricane Sandy. I would also like to thank Ron Darling who amid a room of fans, reporters and officials not only took time out to  speak privately with me, but gave exceptional insight on two of the Mets greatest young talents.

The left fielder’s .417 on-base percentage was 11th in the majors entering play Saturday and his .538 slugging percentage ranked in the top 30.

But his remarkable selectivity could also be detrimental on a team that relies on the slugger to drive in runs from the middle of the order.

In 24 plate appearances with runners in scoring position this season, Lucas Duda has walked 33.3 percent of the time, tied for the highest rate in the league. But he has just two hits, both singles, and two runs batted in. He has struck out twice. His slugging percentage in those circumstances is just .133, the 12th-worst in the majors with runners in scoring position.

“You don’t want to change a guy’s approach too much, but there’s certain times — his swing percentage on first pitch is like seven percent or something — I’d like to see him swing,” Mets hitting coach Dave Hudgens said this week.

During one of the games in the Marlins series, SNY analyst Keith Hernandez sounded frustrated with Duda during one at-bat where he took a first pitch strike down the middle, and then a second fastball for another strike. “What the heck is he doing up there? What’s he waiting for? There’s a runner on second and he should be looking fastball and swinging – I don’t understand any of this.” Duda popped up on a changeup leaving Wright stranded at second.

Then in Wednesday’s win against the Marlins and right after a John Buck two-run double, Duda took a couple of fat ones before working out a walk when Ron Darling sarcastically said, “big walk.” The Mets barely hung on to win the game 7-6, but an extra insurance run would have been nice to have after a six-game losing streak going into the game.

Duda did hit a solo home run on Friday night when the Mets beat the Braves 7-5., but he has been very passive as a middle of the order hitter and the Mets have him batting 4th or 5th in the past week.

Manager Terry Collins hinted at that after the game. ”He’s trying to be more selective, which is going to ultimately get him better pitches to hit,” Collins said. “Now, do damage.”

The Los Angeles Dodgers were in town this week, taking 2 out of 3 games against the Mets. This was a fun series, that pictured two well pitched games on Wednesday and Thursday. I’ll even go so far as to say Wednesday night’s game was one of the most enjoyable ball games I’ve watched in a while.

Where’s The Spin: No doubt about who would lead of this edition. Jordany Valdespin wins the only game the Mets took in the series and then tells reporters afterward that the team won the game because of Mike Baxter‘s hustle. Nice. But, how come he was not in the lineup after hitting a dramatic game winning grand slam home run in the tenth inning the previous night?

Wright On: Wright gets a nod for his game tying hit in the ninth inning on Wednesday night. Wright did exactly what a captain should do. The Dodgers had some mojo going after Jerry Hairston‘s great catch on Daniel Murphy. Wright stepped up, two out Baxter on third and promptly laces a single to center. So much for the non-clutch label.

Heff Deserved Better: Jeremy Hefner pitched a gem on Thursday afternoon, going seven innings, giving up one run, three hits, and four strikeouts. Job well done, Jeremy. Unfortunately, he got no run support. Let’s hope he can string some back to back quality starts together.

Mattingly’s Moves: In the ninth inning of Wednesday night’s game, Donny Baseball decide to use an extra infielder, and play with only two outfielders. The problem I have with this, is it took way too long for the Dodgers to get set on defense. As Ron Darling mentioned on SNY, Terry should be out complaining about the delay. Second head-scratcher from Mattingly was using his ace pitcher Clayton Kershaw as a pinch hitter to bunt. I get it, Kershaw is a very good bunter. But, the Dodgers pitching staff has been hit hard with injuries, so why risk getting your ace injured on a bunt play? Is Donny that desperate to save his job?

Post Game Celebrations: Joe D. had a post here on Thursday about the pie in Valdespin’s face on Wednesday night being a cheap shot. Looking at it live, I didn’t realize it, but then saw Joe was 100% correct upon further review. There was more behind the pie incident than we fans will ever know about. Joe called for an apology, was criticized for it, but that’s exactly what Valdespin and the team got. Buck assembled them all before yesterday’s game and apologized to the team and then turned to Valdespin and said he was sorry in Spanish. Valdespin accepted, shook hands with Buck, and the matter is over. I don’t like the pie in the face, and I also don’t like the entire team crowding around home plate after a walk off home run like a bunch of little leaguers.

Where’s His Edge: On Tuesday, sophomore reliever Josh Edgin worked 1/3 of an inning, giving up four hits and two runs. On the season Edgin is 0-1 with a 10.80 ERA. Not good enough. His fastball has no life, his slider is flat, and it may be time to consider a trip to Vegas because he is not helping the team right now.

The Phillies are in town this weekend. Chase, Ryan, Cole, J-Roll….all our old friends enemies . Lets hope for the best, and Let’s Go Mets.

The pre-game buzz was Matt Harvey being a growing hot property and Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay on a downhill slide. Both bandwagons got a little more crowded Monday night as Harvey was superb as his Mets pounded Halladay, 7-2. The Mets also received big nights from John Buck and Ruben Tejada in winning their third straight game.

ON THE MOUND: Harvey gave up a run in seven innings, giving up three hits and striking out nine to win his second start and lower his ERA to 0.64. With bullpen worked hard for 4.2 innings Sunday, the Mets received the innings they needed from Harvey. Harvey has struck out 89 in his first 12 starts.

AT THE PLATE:  Buck hit a three-run homer in the second and the Mets never looked back. … Tejada hit a two-run single in the fifth when the Mets broke the game open. … David Wright and Lucas Duda also drove in droves. … Daniel Murphy doubled twice.

METS MUSINGS: Manager Terry Collins said Aaron Laffey could be in the rotation indefinitely. His next start will be a week from Tuesday at Colorado. … Shaun Marcum threw today in Port St. Lucie, but Collins said he’s not close to pitching in a game. … Also not close is reliever Frank Francisco. Collins said he must twice throw in consecutive games to prove he’s ready.

Thoughts from Joe D.

Wow, what a game and what a start to Matt Harvey‘s season – he’s already 2-0. We have something very special here and even guys like Ron Darling and Bobby Ojeda are amazed. Tonight, Bobby-O said, “Harvey has everyone that has seen him pitch in awe.”

Harvey now has a 0.64 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 14 innings this season.

John Buck has been a revelation and now has a mind boggling 12 RBIs in seven games – that is an incredible pace. Obviously it won’t last, but at this point is it a stretch that he’ll have a 20 home run season with 80 RBIs? That begs the question, what about Travis d’Arnaud  Honestly, I have no idea. Buck is the second highest paid player on the team after David Wright, and if he keeps getting great starts out of our rotation and continues to hit like this, d’Arnaud will not push him to the bench this season.

Daniel Murphy is going to have a breakthrough season with his new focus on driving the ball and not hitting everything to the opposite field. Collins told him he wants him to pull the ball more and so far it’s looking like a stroke of genius.

Crazy thought of the day? The Mets have beaten Halladay and got a win against him for the first time since 2001. Umm.. That’s sick….

Hey, the Mets are 5-2. Yes it’s April, but who cares, they are playing fun and exciting baseball and anything can happen.

A pair of Chicago Cubs centerfielders, Jimmy Qualls (1969) and Joe Wallis (1975), stole two of Tom Seaver’s early bids for a no-hitter. One year after being traded from New York to Cincinnati, Seaver threw a no-hitter for the Reds. Nolan Ryan never pitched a no-hitter – as a New York Met – but after being traded to the California Angels in 1971 he nudged Mets fans every couple years, throwing seven no-hitters.

“Every time he pitched you expected a no-hitter – or 15 strikeouts,” said Jay Horwitz, Mets VP/Public Relations, referring to Dwight Gooden.

In May 1996, Gooden tossed the only no-hitter of his career – as a member of the New York Yankees. Even Duffy Dyer had to leave the New York Mets to catch his first no-hitter (John Candelaria, Pittsburgh, 1975), 11 years before Josh Thole was born.

Four years later, in 2000, amidst a slow start and turmoil over comments Mets manager Bobby Valentine made during a speech at Penn’s Wharton School of Business, Mets ace Al Leiter attempted to lighten the mood. “I think I’m going to have to throw a no-hitter today to get the back page in New York with all the stuff going on,” he said. Starting against the Pittsburgh Pirates on the road, Leiter surrendered a second-inning lead-off home run to Wil Cordero, crushing the hopes and promise of the first-ever Mets no-hitter.

John Maine was on the brink, again, in 2007, until Florida Marlins catcher light-hitting catcher Paul Hoover reached on an infield single with two outs in the eighth inning. Maine settled for a one-hit, complete game shutout but, again, hopes of a no-hitter were dashed.

There were other close calls before, after and in between those chronicled here, but you get the idea. The New York Mets avoided no-hitters for a half-century. It was baffling at times. How could the pitching-rich Mets not have a no-hitter?

Seaver, Ryan, Gooden, Leiter, Jerry Koosman, Jon Matlack, Craig Swan, Ron Darling, Sid Fernandez, David Cone, Mike Hampton, Bret Saberhagen, Frank Viola, Bob Ojeda, Pedro Martinez, Tom Glavine; over 50 years of baseball the stars never aligned, not for a single summer’s night, for Steve Trachsel, George Stone, Rick Reed, Bobby Jones, Orlando Hernandez, Dave Mlicki, Pete Harnisch, Pete Falcone or Pat Zachry? No, no and no. Game after game, season after season the Mets were denied.

To blunt the pain and frustration, Mets fans turned the no-hit quest into a punchline. On any given night during the season a Mets fan could grab their smartphone, tap the Twitter icon and wait for [insert pitcher’s name here] to give up the first hit of the game which, inevitably, led to a tweet along the lines of:

Well, not tonight #Mets fans. That’s 7,952 games without a no-hitter.

So, on June 1, 2012, when Johan Santana became the first pitcher in Mets team history to throw a no-hitter, fans celebrated. I celebrated. In fact, the New York Daily News and New York Post back pages hang on my office wall. It was a big deal. But that’s where the road forks for me and many Mets fans.

Last week, amidst controversy over Santana’s health, Mets blogger Ted Berg tweeted:

Johan Santana returned from career-threatening surgery and pitched the first Mets no-hitter. He could show up 300 lbs. and he’d still be my hero.

Thirty-five people re-tweeted the post. I am not sure if the reaction was a symbol of support or fans just wanted to share his message with the baseball world. Either way, I disagree. Yes, I was amazed by Santana’s drive to come back and perform like the two-time Cy Young Award winner he once was with the Minnesota Twins. No, Santana should not be labeled a hero for one game.

SNY’s Chris Carlin dished out a portion of these stats on Twitter, to which another Mets fan replied:

Fair, for first no-hitter in Mets history.

Fair? Really? This is a sad – and misguided – statement.

When the Mets traded six players for Santana in 2008 they also agreed to sign him to a six-year, $101.5 million contract. Since then, he’s made 109 regular season starts, winning 46 games. He’s earned over $900,000/start in New York, or, $2.2 million per win. He missed all of the 2011 season and one-half of the 2012 season (because of the wear and tear he put on his arm pitching the no-hitter).

Remember the day you heard the news that the Mets had finally acquired Santana from the Twins? I do. Expectations were high. After the crushing collapse at the end of the 2007 season, Santana symbolized a renewed hope that 2008 would be different. Of course, it wasn’t. The point is: Santana was going to help the Mets win; a division, a league championship, maybe a World Series. You did believe that, then, right?

Hypothetically, would you give back the no-hitter if the Mets could have had a healthy Johan Santana in July, August and September? I would. I am of the mindset that winning baseball games, not pitching no-hitters or breaking records, is the goal. I am most happy when the Mets are winning. It doesn’t matter how, but if the Mets win.

Let’s face it, Santana’s not coming back after the 2013 season (if he’s not traded earlier). Over five seasons in New York he’s been closer to a disappointment than hero. Call me naive, but I expected more than one no-hitter from Santana, but thanks for the memory (singular).

Read more of my thoughts on baseball at JohnStrubel.com.

Danny Frisella and Tug McGraw were in heated competition for fame and fortune from the outset of the 1972 season. The late Gil Hodges remembers both pitchers begging for their manager to pick them when he signaled to the bullpen. If Frisella was selected, and won the game, McGraw would give Frisella the “cold shoulder.” If McGraw got the nod (and won) Frisella would mimic the gesture.

There is no evidence whether or not the Mets clubhouse manager made an intentional effort to put Frisella and McGraw side-by-side in the locker room, but their adjoining lockers created more fun and competition. The two Mets pitchers would sometimes switch the locker nameplates to appear that the other won the game.

While Frisella and McGraw jockeyed for their manager’s affection, that same season a rookie named Jon Matlack was granted locker space between Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman. Matlack was named 1972 Rookie of the Year, winning 15 of his 32 starts. He compiled 244 innings pitched, eight complete games and a skinny 2.32 ERA. Coincidence? Possibly. Seaver will tell you, for certain, it meant nothing then and means nothing now.

“Where you lockered really wasn’t that important,” Seaver told the New York Times in 2008. “It didn’t make any difference. Just your own little space; it could have been anywhere.”

For Seaver, locker space was irrelevant. It was a place – and space – where he took out his frustrations after a poor start. “When I make a mistake and beat myself with a bad pitch, then I get kicking mad and go after stools and water buckets,” Seaver told People Magazine.

Other times, Seaver used his locker as a prop. After getting off to a slow start in 1974, a Mets beat writer asked him if he had lost his fastball. Seaver paused, then started rummaging in his locker muttering, “Where are you, fastball? Are you in there somewhere?”

Seaver didn’t need sabermetrics to figure out the 1975 New York Mets were in for a long year. The Mets, a team renowned for their pitching stock, found themselves lacking. That spring, Seaver sat on a stool in front of his locker and looked up at the adjoining lockers. SEAVER. KOOSMAN, MATLACK.

Who are the rest of these guys? Seaver thought. “That’s Nos. 1, 2 and 3. Where are 4 and 5?” He rolled his eyes in frustration.

He knew, if something doesn’t change (and it didn’t), the Mets would not compete. The Mets were within four games of the lead in the National League East on September 1, 1975; then the bottom fell out on the season. They finished in third place 10 ½ games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Seaver’s real estate at Shea Stadium was the site where many of the organizations proudest moments were celebrated. He sprayed champagne over the heads of his teammates in 1969 from that “little space.” Seaver helped the Mets win another National League title from that hole in the wall. He encouraged and mentored Matlack, Jackson Todd, Bob Myrick, George Stone and many others within earshot.

In one respect Seaver is right; a locker isn’t important. There’s nothing glamorous about an athlete’s locker. It’s literally a hole in the wall. For the common man, a locker is a lot like an office cubicle, a place to store your personal effects while you go take care of business. But, location is valuable, sometimes educational.

“I learned an awful lot from having my locker room stuck between Koosman and Seaver,” said Matlack. “”It was a very, very good location to be in.”

Seaver’s locker was physically unique, well, maybe for its modesty. Former Mets beat writer Marty Noble described the space this way: “there was no locker to the immediate left, just a three-foot-wide panel. A trash can was placed there.” Seaver’s “little space” was nondescript. Seaver, himself, was so Seaver was so impervious to his surroundings that, to this day, he is unsure whether he had the now famous locker space his rookie year of 1967.

Over time, Seaver’s locker took on a life of its own. After he we traded in June 1977, Bud Harrelson asked if he could move in. Not happening, said Mets equipment manager Herb Norman. The locker would be assigned to Seaver’s successor, Pat Zachry.

Seaver returned home, and to his “little space” in 1983, then, Ron Darling assumed the space from 1984-1991, followed by David Cone (July 1991-August 1992), John Franco (1992-2003), Steve Trachsel (2004-2006) and Aaron Heilman (2007).

“That locker did have history; more than any other in that place,” said Franco. “Nobody made the kind of history here that Tom Seaver made. It doesn’t matter how long anyone had it, it was always Seaver’s.”

“It doesn’t matter [who preceded Seaver],” added Darling. “It’s his.”

In some ballparks, because of some professional athletes, lockers can become hallowed ground. When Lou Gehrig died, his locker was sealed and sent to Cooperstown. Before Shea Stadium was demolished after the 2008 season, Seaver’s locker was preserved and put on the block for a cool $41,000.

That’s some valuable real estate.

In 1984, the New York Mets were on the rise. Jesse Orosco and Doug Sisk anchored the Mets bullpen on the field, roommates off the field and lived out of adjoining lockers during the team’s championship run in the 80s.

“We’re just a couple of ordinary guys who get along, and have no professional jealousy,” said Sisk. “We’re both fairly serious, but we have different personalities. But we’re not rivals. You can’t be rivals. It won’t work.”

When it does work, the team benefits – at least that’s what Mets manager Terry Collins hopes will happen by placing Zack Wheeler and Matt Harvey side-by-side in Port St. Lucie. Collins told the media he intentionally put Harvey, 23, and Wheeler, 22, at adjoining lockers to give Wheeler the opportunity to ask questions and “soak up” the experience like Harvey did last season.

“Having lockers next to each other, we’re both baseball players who have the same mindset,” said Harvey. “Getting along, I don’t think, is going to be very tough.”

Wheeler has prime real estate in Port St. Lucie. Like Harvey in 2012, he will receive a valuable education a lot by watching and listening. Harvey described the experience as “eye-opening.” Last spring he watched Johan Santana, R.A. Dickey, Jonathon Niese and Dillon Gee prepare for a major league baseball season.

“That’s something that I’ve never seen,” Harvey told ESPN.com. “Watching the preparation that those guys had in order to throw 200 innings … Sometimes it’s stepping back and realizing, ‘Hey, this is a long process. Throwing until the end of September is a long time from now.’”

Let’s be honest here, Harvey is still learning too. Collins hopes the location will be the seed to a long-term successful relationship between his two future stars.

Spring Training, which officially starts today, is always an intriguing place for reporters to take stock in how and where players are positioned. The nameplates begin to disappear as February turns to March and the minor league players are dispatched for reassignment. The last days of March mark the time for final cuts. The veteran invited to spring training is playing his heart out and biting their nails in one corner of the clubhouse while the fresh-faced 20-something is bouncing off the walls hoping this will be his year.

As Opening Day creeps closer, locker room real estate values will increase.

However, there are a number of reasons why fans should continue to keep up with the Mets into September.

1) September Call-Ups

The New York Mets September call-ups will feature a number of players that could play a big role for the team in 2011. This could be your first chance to see pitchers who could be a part of the rotation or a player who could take over a spot in the outfield next year.

One of the more exciting players that the Mets will likely call up is Jordany Valdespin. He has been having a great year in the minors and should be in the running for the Mets second base position next year.

2) This Could Be the Last Time Jose Reyes Wears a Mets Uniform

Jose Reyes is obviously a fan favorite at Citi Field. Luckily for Mets fans the team did not trade Reyes at the trade deadline. However, that does not mean that he will still be a Met next season.

Reyes is a free agent after the year and there is no guarantee that the Mets will be able to bring him back. He is one of the most exciting players in the MLB and Reyes will draw a lot of attention once he hits free agency.

3) A Possible Johan Santana Sighting

It is very evident that the New York Mets felt the loss of Johan Santana this season. Their rotation had no clear ace and the pitching staff struggled throughout the year.

There is a chance, the key word here is chance, that Santana makes it back to the majors this year. Although the timetable is tight, the Mets have not yet ruled out Santana for the rest of the year. He could make one start for the team in late September.

4) Watch the Development of Young Players

The New York Mets have a number of young players on their roster who are still developing. While there is only a month left in the season, this time could be important as ending the season on a good note will  help with a player’s confidence.

Pedro Beato could be used in some more high pressure situations to see if he can handle it. Lucas Duda, Nick Evans and Ruben Tejada will all be able to add to the progress that they made this season in September.

5) Gary, Keith and Ron

Even if the Mets performance on the field is not entertaining, you can be certain that the comments from the Mets broadcast booth will be. Gary, Keith and Ron make up one of the best booths in baseball.

The group not only adds fantastic insight and commentary to the game, but they also tell great stories. Keith and Ron have some hilarious stories from their playing days that fans love to hear when there is a lull in the action.

We live in interesting times where we tend to take so much for granted. We always seem to want what we don’t have whether we have a pressing need for it or not. Most of us are lucky enough to come home, kick off our shoes, hug the kids, put on one of our 1000 channels, surf the web, have a bluetooth conversation on the smartphone that we hardly ever surf the web with all the while complaining how we just don’t have enough time to do anything meaningful. Georgette Lee knows exactly what is and isn’t meaningful in her life.

On July 15th the New York Mets Alumni Association partnered with Citi to team up with Habitat For Humanity to build affordable homes in the Ocean Hill – Brownsville section of Brooklyn. The project is part of the Mets and Citi’s “Teammates in the Community” initiative, reflecting their ongoing commitment to be active in the community.

Both Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling were on hand along with 18 Citi volunteers to help build Habitat-NYC’s four story affordable condominiums.

Georgette Lee, humbled by the outpouring of assistance from Habitat and the volunteers, was presented a ceremonial home plate signed by Hernandez and Darling. Lee will be one the first new homeowners when the project is completed in 2012.

Darling a Brooklyn native himself, spoke along with Hernandez, about the benefits the partnership the Mets and Citi have with Habitat for Humanity and how it’s had such a positive impact on the surrounding neighborhoods. Darling in fact mentioned how he along with his family, traveled to the Katrina ravaged areas of New Orleans to build homes for those in need. Darling made it a point to say that while it’s important to help areas such as storm damaged New Orleans, it’s the local surrounding neighborhoods that tend to be forgotten and need help just the same.

I had a chance to talk to Ron for just a few moments amidst all the hustle and bustle of the construction work surrounding us. I assumed most of the questions were going to be realted to how the team was doing so I tried to be original and asked Ron what his thoughts were on the state of umpiring in Major League Baseball today. This is what he had to say:

“First off Major League Baseball has the highest overall caliber of umpiring in all professional sports, in my opinion. They are given the very best training and in order to keep them at the highest caliber there has to be constant evaluations and transparency in those evaluations. What concerns me isn’t when a particular umpire commits an error; they’re just as human as the rest of us.

What concerns me is the unwillingness to consult their fellow umpires or worse, when some umpires cross the line and become argumentative. There has to be accountability no only for players or coaches in uniform who cross that line but the men in blue as well. Hopefully MLB can address this.”

Unfortunately that was all I could ask Ron and similarly Keith who left before I could get a chance to interview him as well. Perhaps its best that way since the real stars of the day deserved the spotlight; the volunteers who gave so much of themselves to help people like Georgette and others so that perhaps someday they too will be shown that good does still exist because there are people out there who understand what is meaningful in this world and what isn’t.

For more information on how you can help in your neighborhood, head over to Habitat For Humanity’s website at Habitat.org.

In a candid interview with former Mets pitcher and current broadcaster Ron Darling, Stuart Miller of the NY Times asked him a couple of questions on the state of the Mets.

Q. What happened to the Mets this year?

In June they were 11 games up [over .500] and they were so good to watch. The fans were really enjoying the team. And then it went away. I don’t quite know why. So this year seemed to some like an utter disaster. But in spring training, Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and I felt they were a .500 team. If you don’t put them under the microscope where they play in this town and try to stay relevant compared to the Yankees, there were some successes.

Jon Niese certainly showed he was a major league starter who will get better. R.A. Dickey was one of the great stories of the year. Angel Pagan became a player that almost every team would want as their center fielder. And Ike Davis had the second-best season as a rookie in Mets history behind Darryl Strawberry. Jason Bay had a tough year even before the concussion, but he played the game the right way and the energy he brought was so evident.

Q. What about next year and beyond?

I think they’re handcuffed for next season because of the salaries on the books. They can’t give young players like Nick Evans and Lucas Duda that much time because they’re set in the outfield. What they need is a game plan. The Mets play in one of the few ballparks where you have to account for it when planning your team. You need pitchers who throw strikes and guys who can catch the ball and play smart.

When was the last time you head someone say: “I know what it means to wear a Mets uniform. I know how to play the Mets way”? They need to teach smart baseball and good defense so when you get to the big leagues, you know what is expected of you. Right now the Mets can look at the players you have as they move up to each level and try to build a perennial winner in a few years, or you can try to piecemeal it together, trying to find the elixir in the free-agent market.

They’re not going to pay Cliff Lee. And starting pitching is not one of their problem areas. They’re set in the infield, except at second base; Luis Castillo’s salary is the one I think they’ll have to eat. Another question is whether Josh Thole is ready. I think they need to get a veteran who can help teach him but also who can play 50 games. And they need middle-relief help and to figure out what is happening with [Francisco] Rodriguez.

Hopefully, after what has happened in the last four years — can you believe it has been four years? — they are trending toward having a game plan. If you told the fans what you were doing and communicated with them, you could revitalize and energize the fan base.

How perfect were his responses…

Darling certainly has his finger on the pulse of this team and I only wish he had a substantial and significant role in our front office because clearly, Rod Darling is a guy who gets it. It’s no wonder why so many networks are clawing and scratching to get him into their broadcast booths. Darling is as knowledgeable about the game as anyone, he understands the game from a fundamental level, and the insights he treats us to during a Mets telecast is a virtual window into the finer nuances of the game.

I think it’s ironic that these same two guys have a lot of nerve calling the team out now.  Certainly, there are issues, but for a guy who slammed his pitching hand in a door after drinking too much one night and used a sorry “hedge clipper” cover up story, and a dude who sadly battled many demons only to leave his best years in New York behind him, well, let’s just say I won’t take what they say to heart easily.

Lately, with the Mets lackluster second-half coupled with a less-than-impressive West Coast road trip, everyone is talking “leadership.”  Who is the leader of the team?  Is Jerry Manuel the right guy to lead this team?  Who is the go-to person in the clubhouse when a player is having problems at the plate? Can the pitchers talk to a fellow pitcher to ask about their game approach?

Let’s start with Jerry Manuel.  Let me state for the record that I don’t necessarily have a problem with Manuel’s type of managing.  He’s the quintessential “player’s manager.”  He puts out the lineup and let’s the guys play.  Unfortunately, his style of managing does not translate well into the team he has today.  A good manager makes adjustments, and it’s clear to me that Manuel does not have a clue how to make those adjustments.

We may never see a team like the 1986 team play again, ever.  Not just the Mets but in baseball in general.  Players today have been coddled since they’ve been in Little League.  They’ve played on teams where they get trophies simply for “showing up” as opposed to being the “best” at something.  While that has worked wonders in building up the self-esteem of some youngsters, the fact is, there is no attitude, there is no hustle because they know at the end of the day, they get paid and that’s that.

I’m certain some players care about winning.  However, they are not TAUGHT how to win.  Manuel puts out a lineup and expects everyone to go out and do their jobs.  Unfortunately, like the MBA in the old FedEx commercials, they need to be shown how.  When Keith Hernandez was traded to the Mets on June 15, 1983, he came with a chip on his shoulder, an MVP award under his belt and years of participating on winning teams in St. Louis.  He brought that attitude to the young players who were being cultivated on the Mets farm system.  In fact, he said himself when he saw Dwight Gooden, Ron Darling and Darryl Strawberry being brought up through the ranks, he knew the Mets were going to be something special.  When they added Gary Carter to solidify calling the game and his rough-and-tumble style of play helped round-out Hernandez’s field generalship, magic happened.  Hernandez’s respect amongst his peers and managerial staff made him the first captain in Mets history, and Gary Carter was named co-Captain.

Of course, Mets manager Davey Johnson had a lot to do with the so-called “swagger” of those teams.  However, he was smart to understand what and who he was working with.  He told them, famously, after not winning anything in 1984 to falling short in 1985, that they would not only win but they would DOMINATE.  Can you imagine saying that not just to the Mets but to ANY team these days?

My problem with the suggestion that, for instance, David Wright should be elevated to some figure head status in that he’d hopefully make the team his “own,” is this:  He is far too young…heck, he hasn’t even had that many years in the majors, let alone even won a championship, save the NL East pennant in 2006.  He could always walk after his contract is up.  I don’t think he would, however. I’m not saying if the Mets were to give a Captain’s “C” to someone, he could be the figure head someday, he could be good at it, just not now.  Let’s allow him to mature and BE a leader simply by doing, and not just because the management said, “This is your team, do what you want.”

He needs to be taught how to win.  None of these guys know how to do that.  Not Carlos Beltran, not Jose Reyes, not Luis Castillo.  Maybe Johan Santana.  That is evident after the team tends to win his starts these days.

This team needs to lead by doing.  I am not one to suggest a change in management will do anything tangible but in this case I highly endorse getting rid of Jerry Manuel immediately.  It’s clear that this team needs a manager who will LEAD, set a game plan, understand the roles of each player and not just hope for the best.

Hope is not a plan.

If Bud Selig ever leaves his job as Commissioner of Major League Baseball, I wish that the powers that are behind that throne would send out a contract to Ron Darling offering him the job.

A bit of history about Ron – born in Honolulu, Hawaii to a French Canadian Father and a Hawaiian Chinese Mother – he was raised in Massachusetts, is the eldest of four brothers and studied at Yale with a dual major of French and Southeast Asian History. He was also a four sport athlete at Yale and as a baseball pitcher in a game against Frank Viola of St. John’s, Ronnie made history when he tossed 11 no-hit innings on May 21, 1981. The game was chronicled in The New Yorker by noted baseball writer, Roger Angell, and still remains the longest no-hitter in NCAA history.

Ron was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the first round of the ’81 draft, made his debut on September 6, 1983 and went on to play for the Mets, Athletics and Expos. He pitched in the Post Season in 1986 and 1988 for the Mets and in 1992 for Oakland. Lately he has become a commentator for SNY and other baseball media and has done some post season work as well.

He has also written a fine baseball book Titled “THE COMPLETE GAME – Reflections on Baseball, Pitching and Life on the Mound”. If you love the game I recommend it. Here’s an excerpt about Tom Seaver.

“Tom came over to me one day and asked where I went to school – I was certain he already knew the answer, but he was Tom Seaver and I was just a nothing rookie, so I finally caved. When I said “Yale”, Seaver just nodded, and then he stepped away, toward his locker apparently to get something. He came back a beat or two later with a copy of the New York Times, folded and quartered in the manner of an experienced New Yorker. He handed it to me and I could see it was open to the crossword puzzle. He said, “Finish this”.

“I’d never done the puzzle in my life, but someone must have been smiling down on me that day because I finished it straightaway. Some people have an aptitude for crossword puzzles. Some people don’t. Happily, it turned out, it came easily to me, so I left the completed puzzle on the chair in front of Seaver’s locker and waited for whatever would come next.”

“The next day, I arrived at my locker to find a fresh copy of that day’s New York Times, again open to the crossword. Every day for the rest of the season, that’s how it went, and every day I sat down and dutifully completed the puzzle….It became our thing. Keith Hernandez, too and like Tom Seaver, he was one of the more cerebral players in our clubhouse. Before long, these great veterans seemed to accept me. Not because I could pitch, but because I could do the New York Times crossword puzzle.”

“This, too , was baseball. It wasn’t just what you put out on the field that counted with your teammates. It was how you carried yourself, how you stood up to the razzing…It was in these clubhouse-related ways that you earned your stripes as a ballplayer. The stuff on the field came later.”

I’m not going to go on and on about what Ron knows about the game because I suspect most of you have heard him in the booth with Gary and Keith. Those who have run into him around the ball park or in the city know what a gentleman he is and a great guy, too. Once in a while he’ll answer some phone calls for WFAN listeners and always knows the answer to a baseball history question.

I know that Ron enjoys his work these days and perhaps has never thought about replacing Selig.

Maybe he will now…

Raissman, who always does a stellar job covering the network, reveals that there are some rumblings going around that Keith Hernandez may not be back in the booth next season. This speculation is fueled by comments made by the former All-Star first baseman following Sunday’s game win against the Houston Astros.

Following the game as Gary Cohen was addressing Mets fans one last time before the off-season, Hernandez stated that:

“I’ve enjoyed the four years and, hopefully, I’m in the middle of negotiating my new contract, hopefully I’ll be back. If not, it’s been a great four years.”

To me that sounds more like a final farewell then just a simple goodbye for a few months.

The news, according to Raissman, also seemed to take his broadcast colleagues by surprise, especially Ron Darling, who was dumbfounded that Keith would publicly discuss his contract situation on-air.

When approached by Raissman, SNY executives stated that they it is corporate policy “not to comment on contract status or negotiations”. It seems to indicate to me that the door is being left open for the possibility that Hernandez will not be back in 2010.

He did, however uncover that Darling has multiple years remaining on his contract and that Gary Cohen “ain’t going nowhere”.

The often quirky, Hernandez is no stranger to notable on-air moments. In 2006, he drew the ire of then-San Diego Padres manager, Bruce Bochy, for stating that women do not belong in the dugout. It was later revealed that the woman he was referring to was actually one of the team’s trainers.

Still though he comprises one third of arguably one of the best MLB broadcast teams in the game today. He brings a great sense of humor, but at the same time outstanding knowledge of the game, which cannot be said for many announcers in the game today.

This is certainly something to watch over the next few months or so. It would be hard to imagine SNY not making a great effort to retain Hernandez, who is quiet the most popular broadcaster not only in the booth, but on the network as a whole.

Raissman theorizes that the negotiations over the contract maybe over the number of games called for next season, but acknowledges that in the end it all comes down to money.

The network couldn’t have been too thrilled that Keith took his grievances to the airwaves Sunday afternoon. In the end though, I doubt that will have an effect on whether or not the beloved, Keith Hernandez, will be back.

There’s one reason why I’m tuning in.  It’s all because of my new favorite comedians, the blue (and orange) collar comedy team of Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling.

Just as Bob Murphy, Ralph Kiner and Lindsey Nelson were the favorite Mets broadcasters of yesteryear, Gary, Keith and Ron are becoming the voice of this generation.  However, other than Ralph Kiner’s malapropisms, the only thing funny about the original trio was Lindsey Nelson’s wardrobe.  Gary, Keith and Ron are not only informative (as they should be), but they keep things interesting when the play on the field is not.

From the recent discussions on Gary Cohen’s long hair as a youth to Keith talking about losing weight so he can drink beer over the holidays to Ronnie’s impeccable timing after one of his partner’s quips, I never want to change the channel when I watch a game, regardless of what the score is.  Also, I’ll never get tired of Keith’s non-sequiturs and Gary calling him out on them.  They make embarrassing losses more tolerable, if such a thing is possible.

There are impromptu “What’s Keith Eating?” segments (see photo above) for us to enjoy as well as Gary and Ronnie giving the traffic and weather reports so that Keith can plan his quick escape from the stadium.  Also, you can’t watch a game now without an obligatory Seinfeld reference.  Sometimes the games being played in the booth are more entertaining than the game being played on the field.

Of course, if they didn’t have perfect chemistry, fans would unleash their venom on them, similar to the way I do for the ESPN team of Jon Miller, Joe “I created the second base position” Morgan and Steve Phillips.  Gary, Keith and Ron make it easy to believe that in addition to being colleagues, they’re also great friends.  Every chuckle they share in the booth is natural and unforced, making it easy for us to laugh along with them.

Losses to teams out of contention such as the Nationals can make a Mets fan question why he or she continues to tune in.  At least Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling (and don’t forget roving reporter and food sampler Kevin Burkhardt) give us a reason to watch.  I’ll miss not being able to laugh with them for another six months.  Somehow I don’t think Mandeep and Sharvarish (the owners of the NY NY Sports Sports store in the SNY commercials) will be able to fill the void left by our broadcasting trio over the winter.

Even though there is no cover charge and no drink minimum, the broadcast team of Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling is all I need to keep coming back to the SNY comedy club night after night.  Too bad it’s just a limited engagement.

The starters for the game were Ron Darling for the Mets and a pitcher for the Cubs who had just been recalled from the minors after being sent down two weeks earlier due to a poor 6-10 start for the big club.  You may have heard of him.  It was a scrawny kid by the name of Greg Maddux.

The Mets came out of the box quickly, scoring three runs in the first inning to take the early lead.  The lead had extended to 7-0 when the Cubs came up to bat in the bottom of the fourth inning.  However, Ron Darling struggled in the fourth, giving up a grand slam to catcher Jody Davis.  That was followed up by a home run from the next batter, a rookie who was pinch-hitting for Cubs’ reliever (and former Met) Ed Lynch.  That rookie was Rafael Palmeiro, who hit the tenth of his 569 career home runs to cut the Mets lead to 7-5.

Fortunately for Darling, manager Davey Johnson did not remove him from the game despite the poor inning.  He was allowed to put out the fire he started and pitch the minimum five innings required to qualify for the victory.  Because of that, Darling was able to stick around to reap the benefits of the additional fireworks displayed by his teammates as they continued to ride the jet stream out of Wrigley Field.

The Mets immediately responded to the Cubs’ five-run fourth inning by scoring three runs in the fifth inning and seven additional runs in the sixth inning.  They now had a commanding 17-5 lead, but the Cubbie carnage continued.  Not satisfied with a lead of a dozen runs, they scored three more in the seventh and eighth innings.  Jesse Orosco relieved Darling in the seventh inning and gave up four runs in his inning of work, but by then, the Mets had already put the game away.  A run by Chicago in the ninth inning off Jeff Innis produced the final tally in the Mets’ 23-10 shellacking of the Cubs.

The offense was powered by Lenny Dykstra and Darryl Strawberry.  Eights were wild for the two Met outfielders, as they combined for eight hits, eight runs scored and eight runs batted in.  Strawberry in particular smoked the Cubs’ pitchers, as all four of his hits were for extra bases (two doubles, a triple and a home run).

Greg Maddux collected almost 10% of his 355 career victories against the Mets, as his 35 victories (against 19 losses) are the most by any pitcher against New York.  However, one of his worst pitching performances against the Mets took place 22 years ago on this day.

Throughout his major league career, which will surely result in a much-deserved call to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, Maddux was always known as a control pitcher, as he walked fewer than 1,000 batters in over 5,000 innings.  On August 16, 1987, Maddux pitched 3.2 innings and was charged with seven earned runs allowed.  He gave up six hits and a very un-Maddux-like five bases on balls.

The Mets were in a hitting slump and got out of it in a major way.  They scored more runs in that one game than they did in their previous eight contests.  By doing so, they established a new franchise record with their 23-run outburst in Chicago and were able to use that game as a stepping stone that carried them all the way until the last week of the season, when they were eliminated from playoff contention by the Cardinals.  It all took place 22 years ago on August 16, 1987.

As Met fans we are very lucky to have what I consider to be the best broadcast crew around, both on the SNY/WPIX side, and on WFAN. Gary, Keith, Ron and Kevin do a great job not only describing what is happening on the field, but they take a broadcast to next level. Ron & Keith can you insight as former players as to what is happening within the game, its almost as if they are describing the game within the game. Gary brings a fan’s enthusiasm and historical knowledge of the game to the booth. Kevin Burkhardt is great whether on the field, or calling play by play. You’ve heard it here first, Burkhardt is going to be a huge star someday. Over on WFAN Howie Rose, Wayne Hagin, and Eddie Coleman, are guys who never played the game, but are nevertheless knowledgeable about it. Much like Cohen, Rose brings the fan’s knowledge to the game. Hagin has been around a long time and has worked in a few big league markets, he can tell some entertaining stories. Eddie C. is a versatile as Burkhardt.

Mets fans aren’t the only fans who have good broadcaster teams, but the best broadcaster around works solo. I’m talking about Vin Scully, the voice of the L.A. Dodgers. Scully followed the Dodgers to Los Angeles, and has been there ever since.Scully has cut down on his travel, rarely working a game east of the Rocky Mountains, but there is no one better than him. The unique thing about Scully is that he works his games solo. He does a fully nine innings of play by play and color. For those of you who never heard Scully call a game, pay the $32 for MLB.tv and treat yourself.

Last Thursday Padres radio announcer Jerry Coleman stopped by the SNY booth. Coleman is another jewel of the game. Coleman only works Padres radio, so unfortunately I don’t get to listen to him too much. Coleman is know for saying a ball player has earned the golden sombrero if he strikes out four times in game.

Any article about baseball broadcasters would be incomplete without mentioning Mr. Baseball himself, Bob Uecker, radio voice of the Brewers. Uecker had a less than stellar baseball career, which he jokes about all the time. His career as a baseball broadcaster, or baseball funny man has been outstanding. Uecker starred in the television series Mr. Belvedere. He was a frequent guest of Johnny Carson’s on the old Tonight Show. He was the baseball broadcaster in the movie Major League (“just a bit outside”), and he starred in a series of commercials for Miller beer. Lets face it, when we go to a sporting event and have horrible seats, don’t we all call them the Uecker seats? Uecker is a legend up in Milwaukee. His love for the Brewers has made him such a huge part of their team. His home run call “get up, get out, gone!” is on the scoreboard at Miller Park.

This is just a small sample of some the the really good baseball voices out there. We Met fans are lucky though, we’ve always had the best. From day one with Bob Murphy, Lindsay Nelson, and Ralph Kiner to today. I hope that for a few seconds, you were able to forget about the on field problems the Mets are currently having.

The book is a wonderful look into the life of a major league pitcher. Darling includes his own trials and tribulations as well as his triumphs and accomplishments.

One of the things you’ll notice right away is the way the chapters are laid out over ten innings, nine plus one extra inning! It even has a “pre game” and a “warm up” in place of the introduction. Very clever indeed…

The book is very captivating and not because it is filled with drama, or name calling or finger pointing. You won’t find any tabloid stuff here. What makes the book so enjoyable is it’s simplicity.

It’s so refreshing to read of the real life struggles that Darling faced early on and how he dealt with those adversities. He does an excellent job of drawing us in with that same sincere honesty that makes him so beloved in Mets circles today.

Darling does a great job bring the reader into the psyche of a pitcher in various unique pitching situations throughout his career, but he also delves into some of the concerns of the current Mets as well including Mike Pelfrey, the Willie Randolph years, etc.

It’s a personal journey with many interesting stops along the way, and I love the continuity that is contained within the story-telling.

I consider “The Complete Game” to be essential reading for any Mets fan.

The publisher was kind enough to give me a second copy of “The Complete Game”, so I decided to give the first person to answer the following five questions correctly a free brand new copy of the book.

For those of you not so lucky, have no fear. You can get your own copy at Amazon.com right now.

The Complete Game: Reflections on Baseball, Pitching, and Life on the Mound

1. Darling pitched 10 shutouts for the Mets. In his last one he beat the Dodgers 8-0. What Met homered twice in that game?

2. What former Met hit the first homerun off of Ron Darling?

3. Ron Darling was selected for one All Star game in his career. Who were the winning and losing pitchers in that mid-summer classic?

4. Who were Ron Darling’s first and last strikeout victims?

5.  In Ron Darling’s first start as a Met, who was his catcher?

The first one to correctly answer all five questions wins the book. Make sure you have your correct email when commenting so that I can contact you. Good luck!