Six up with six to play. Not even the Mets, well-accustomed to late-season collapses in recent years, could possibly succumb to such a freefall. Fortunately, either a New York win or a loss by the Los Angeles Dodgers would ensure a second consecutive trip to the postseason. But the Mets — specifically their general manager — had no interest in settling for a wild card berth, even if...
From 2009 through the 2012 season, left-handed reliever Eric O’Flaherty was one of the most effective and heavily used pitchers in the game. O’Flaherty, 35, appeared in 276 games in that stretch, good for a four-way tie for the seventh-most appearances in baseball. Among qualified relievers, O’Flaherty’s 1.95 ERA was the fourth-lowest behind Craig Kimbrel, Mariano Rivera...
Before the Atlanta Braves became a perennial playoff team, in which the organization won 14-consecutive division championships from 1991-2005 (the lone exception coming in 1994 due to the players’ strike), the club dealt with many lean and frustrating seasons. From 1966 (the first season the Braves moved to Atlanta) through the 1990 season, the Braves only made the postseason twice;...
Good morning Mets fans! The New York Mets (70-67) took down the Washington Nationals (77-59) 7-3 on Labor Day in the first game of the two teams’ three-game series. Now a pair of Cy Young Award winners will face off as Jacob deGrom (8-8, 2.66 ERA) and Max Scherzer (9-5, 2.46 ERA) will take the mound in the second game of the series. Latest Mets News The Mets are set to take on the Nats at...
According to David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Atlanta Braves have fired manager Fredi Gonzalez this morning. The Braves were mired in one of the worst half-seasons in the franchise’s 140-year history last year, and that was followed by its worst-ever start to a season. They have the worst record in the majors at 7-28. An official announcement is expected later today....
Joe Torre hoped it would happen, but he never dared think it would. The former New York Mets player and manager, who later carved his legacy as four-time World Series manager of the Yankees, was selected to the Hall of Fame today by the veteran’s committee. The announcement was made at the Walt Disney Swan resort hotel in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Torre will go in with fellow managers Tony La Russa...
As one of Terry Collins’ most ardent supporters, I’m having a slight case of the “hindsight blues” today. Let me first start by saying, I think Terry Collins is a good manager for this team. You’ve heard it said before, and you’ll likely hear it again – “Baseball Managers don’t matter all that much.” It’s a statement spoken by fans who subscribe to a more sabermetric philosophy than an old...
Here is a story I wrote for The Tablet newspaper of the Diocese of Brooklyn, N.Y. We will always remember Mike Piazza’s “Healing Power of a Swing,” but it turns out the Braves’ pitcher that surrendered the home run, Steve Karsay, grew up just 15 minutes from Shea Stadium. Here’s what Karsay had to say about that whole experience. Originally published in The Tablet...
Yesterday John Heyman of SI reported that Stan Kasten resigned as President of the Washington Nationals. Kasten along with John Schuerholz and Bobby Cox were hired by Ted Turner and in the late 80’s began to rebuild the Atlanta Braves, turning it into the franchise which from 1991 to 2005 won an unprecedented 14 consecutive division titles. Officially Kasten stated he’s resigning for “personal...
The Mets and the Braves are currently battling it out atop the NL East this year, evoking memories of classic Mets-Braves rivalries of yesteryear. The final pages of the script for the year 2010 have yet to be written, but the Mets gave their fans a memorable chapter in the Mets-Braves rivalry ten years ago today in a game played at Shea Stadium. It was the year 2000. The Y2K scare had come...
It was the year 2000. The Y2K scare had come and gone. Music fans were wondering who let the dogs out. Mets fans were still cursing out Kenny Rogers for ball four. The nemesis of the day wore a tomahawk on his chest. The Braves were the Mets’ chief rivals in 1999 and 2000. The Mets’ mojo was rising in 1999 and it took them all the way to the sixth game of the National League...
The most predominant question in my mind has been if the Mets have the fire within them to succeed. For whatever reason, to me, it seems like the Mets of September have simply just carried over into 2008. They’re not playing with the same zest and enthusiasm that they played with in 2006 and most of 2007.Obviously, the Mets do have a fire and a passion. If they didn’t, they...
