On January 16, original Met Frank Thomas passed away. Thomas was acquired by the Mets before their inaugural season 1962 in a trade with the Milwaukee Braves. Thomas played for the Mets from 1962 until August 1964, when he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. As a Met, Thomas hit 52 home runs over two and two-thirds seasons, while posting a .262 batting average and driving in 173 runs. He...
In February 1961, the expansion Mets were putting together a front office in preparation for their first season, roughly 14 months in the future. Chairman of the Board, M. Donald Grant, was seeking a GM, and reached out to legendary Branch Rickey, who on February 15, 1961, turned down the job offer. George Weiss, former GM of the Yankees, would accept the role as first GM in franchise history in...
Good morning Mets fans! Former Mets radio play-by-play announcer Josh Lewin will be a part of the Boston Red Sox’s radio play-by-play rotation, in addition to his new job as the San Diego Padres’ radio pregame and postgame host. Lewin confirmed the recent news about both jobs in a letter to Mets fans. Lewin will also continue to call basketball and football games for UCLA. Latest...
Well, the temperature was in the single digits for me last night. Hopefully the Hot Stove heats up the winter soon. Happy Veterans Day to all the Vets today. Thanks for your service. Latest MLB News Eric Wedge interviewed for the Yankees managerial job. Wedge was a former manager in Cleveland and Seattle. Wedge, Rob Thomson, and Aaron Boone are the known candidates for the job. Latest Mets News...
Baseball has always been pioneered by forward-thinkers. These visionary minds have paired their knowledge of the game with foresight to developed ways of staying one step ahead of their competition. However, now with every aspect of the game dissected by experts, media and fans it has become harder to be original. In 1919 Branch Rickey took the reins in St. Louis and began transforming the...
Mexican Baseball has been dwindling as of late due to the factor of Soccer being the more popular sport. As of April 1st, 2013, 14 different players from Mexico were on Major League Rosters. However, while Soccer is the national pastime of Mexico, they have a deep history in baseball as well. Some claim that Mexico’s baseball history started in Mazatlan in 1847, while others claim it was in...
It was on this day in 1972, that baseball great Roberto Clemente died in a plane crash while delivering food and water to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. He has canceled all plans to celebrate the new year, opting instead to be a ray of hope for victims in need and in desperation. He was already a baseball legend before that tragic day, but now he was an immortal. Please enjoy this post from...
The new GM was cool and manipulative in his transactions, meticulous with his records, formal in his speech, stingy with his money, interested equally in a player’s psychological disposition and his ability to learn an elusive hook slide. This GM’s world could be studied, categorized, and explained. Good things did not fall upon people, or baseball clubs, by accident. Worthwhile doesn’t...
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...
If you paid $10 to see 42, and you expected to see the story of anyone other than Jackie Robinson, one of two things likely happened: You went to the right movie, but for the wrong reason You missed a great movie … and that’s a shame Maybe, both. Coincidentally, sports media reporter Ed Sherman fell victim to both of those circumstances. In a column for the National Sports Journalism Center at...
I just finished reading Michael Shapiro’s very good baseball book, Bottom of the Ninth. This book focuses on the efforts of Branch Rickey, William Shea, and other would be baseball owners, and their efforts to get major league baseball (the owners) to allow major league expansion. A secondary, and probably unneeded storyline focuses on Yankee manager Casey Stengel’s final years with...
Please enjoy this interview I recently conducted with Michael Shapiro, author of the new book, “Bottom of the Ninth”. Will Sommer Your book, Bottom of the Ninth, what inspired you to write it? Michael Shapiro I guess the thing that really inspired me to write Bottom of the Ninth was the idea that… What baseball became over the 1960s, when I really became a fan, was not necessarily...
