On May 25th, George Floyd was murdered in the streets of Minneapolis after being suspected of using a forged $20 bill. Officer Derek Chauvin placed his knee on the back of Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and forty-six seconds, some of which Floyd wasn’t even conscious. Two other officers mounted themselves on Floyd’s body, pinning him to the ground, while one stood beside them and did nothing.

The country has erupted since the event, with protests and riots taking place in every major city, demanding a change to the system and an end to police brutality.

As a country, we need to value all human lives, which we can not do until we value all black lives. The sports world has responded accordingly, especially the NBA. Players such as Jaylen Brown and Malcom Brogdon have taken to the streets to protest in Atlanta and use their platform to advocate for racial justice.

Baseball has a long standing reputation of being one of the least political sports in the country. It has been known as our National Pastime for generations, and pays a great deal of respect to our country and what it stands for. On September 23, 2017 A’s catcher Bruce Maxwell took a knee during the National Anthem, becoming the first MLB player to kneel during the Anthem.

Maxwell is the product of a military family, and has gone on the record to say that he supports the military, respects the National Anthem, and supports the constitution. Regardless of what he said, Maxwell was never seen the same again. Maxwell told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2019 that he received death threats, despite the fact that he took a knee more than two years before the article was published.

Maxwell is an unfortunate example of an underlying issue within baseball: a sport with a shrinking African American population and fan base and a growing number of racial incidents. In 2016, Steve Clevenger of the Mariners called the Black Lives Matter movement “pathetic” and stated that “Everyone involved should be locked behind bars like animals”

In 2017, then Oriole Adam Jones told reporters that he had peanuts thrown at him and was called racial slurs by a crowd in Boston. Umpire Rob Drake tweeted during the presidential impeachment process, calling for a “second civil war”. Cubs’ reliever Carl Edwards Jr. dealt with racist messages being sent to him in 2019 during a rough stretch for the reliever. The list of incidents continues to grow by the year, and unfortunately, there appears to be no action by MLB to slow it down.

There have been incidents even as recent as this week where a fan on twitter related the Houston Astros to the KKK in response to an Alex Bregman tweet regarding the KKK. The tweet from the fan has since been deleted due to the user deleting their account.

Baseball has struggled with the African American community for some time now. According to USA Today, as of 2019’s Jackie Robinson Day (April 15th), MLB had a 7.7% African-American population, a total of 68 players out of 882 on Opening Day rosters, players that are restricted/suspended, or on injured lists. Eleven teams did not have a single African-American player on their roster at this point.

The rate of black players in MLB continues to drop over the years, going from 18.7% in 1981 to less than 8% in 2019. This has not always been an issue for baseball. The 1989 All-Star Rosters alone featured 15 African-Americans, including the likes of Darryl Strawberry, Kevin Mitchell, Barry Larkin, Tony Gwynn Jr.,Willie Randolph, Andre Dawson, and Bo Jackson, among others.

Even as far as front offices show a lack of diversity. There is only one black general manager in baseball, Mike Hill of the Miami Marlins. The issue for MLB runs deeper than just their league and into the college game. According to NPR, there are 10,500 Division I baseball players, only 6% of which are black.

Multi-National athletic companies such as Nike and Reebok have spoken out in support for the African-American community, and Reebok powerfully stated on their website “Without the black community, Reebok would not exist. America would not exist.”

Sports leagues such as the NFL and NBA, through the Coaches Association, have released statements regarding the death of Floyd and offered support for their players who are protesting and have committed to working towards change. MLB has said nothing.

The Miami Marlins were the first team to release a statement regarding the state of the country, and did so through the voice of Derek Jeter. Jeter’s father is African-American, and the former Yankee is one of the few African-American owners in American professional sports.

Jeter’s statement was powerful and well worded, and he included the fear he has for the younger generation, saying “I hope that my children and nephews don’t have to live in a society where people are unjustly treated because of the color of their skin”.

The Mets released a short statement on Sunday, saying “Queens, NY is one of the most diverse areas in our country. We take pride on our diversity, it is our strength. This is why we denounce all forms of racism and discrimination. We stand with our state, our city, and community. We hope to be part of change in our society.”

The Mets’ statement is full of empty words, and offers no real consolation or comfort for the African-American community. The Mets followed the format of  “We at *Enter Brand Here* stand with *Enter Community Here*. We denounce all forms of *Enter Injustice Here*. We strive to work with *Enter Aforementioned Community Here* to make our community, city, country, and world a better place”.

The statement does not once mention the name George Floyd, the terms “Black”, “African-American”, “Protests”, or “Black Lives Matter”, or the city of Minneapolis. That is shameful.

Mets players such as Pete Alonso and Marcus Stroman, who has been very active on his personal twitter account, have made statements on their own.

Even Bobby Valentine released a stronger statement than his former employer via his twitter account, saying: “I am 70. I walked in protests. I have smelled the smoke from riots! I am saddened and angered my generation and others have not solved this problem. I am ready to give it another shot! Let s do it right together THIS time.”

The MLB has not made any form of statement regarding the death of George Floyd, the protests sweeping the nation, police brutality, racial injustice, or anything of the sort. Players and organizations have made statements on their own, but Rob Manfred and the MLB continue to be silent. In times like these, silence is compliance.

The country is fighting for the lives of innocent black men, women, and kids from coast to coast. In times of turmoil and injustice, those with the platform to do so should speak up for the right cause and for justice. It’s imperative that those with a platform should speak up for racial justice, an end to police brutality, and to honor the life of not only George Floyd, but every innocent and unarmed black person who has been murdered on the streets of our towns and cities. A statement is the start. Pledge your support. Then, go into the communities and be the hands and feet of change.

Baseball has several African-American superstars, such as Tim Anderson, Mookie Betts, Aaron Judge, Mike Stanton, Marcus Stroman, Andrew McCutchen, and prospects who are destined to be impact players at the highest levels, including Jo Adell and Justin Dunn.

MLB has had a long standing relationship with the military, police departments, and has been one of the more patriotic sports leagues. With that sort of platform, they can work to bring communities together, and mend the divide in our country.

They can also promote their African-American stars, create more interest within the African-American community, and prove to be a league of diversity. Until the MLB can do that, there will always be a shadow cast over the league, and the sport as a whole. They can change this narrative, and it starts with supporting African-Americans who are protesting for their lives.

If Nickelodeon can take an eight minute and forty-six second break from their programming to project a black screen that read and declared that all children have the right to live their life, regardless of skin color, the least MLB can do is release a statement supporting those who are protesting to make sure they aren’t the next innocent African-Americans murdered for no reason.

But they haven’t. They continue to stay silent, and their silence is deafening, The protests aren’t going to end over night. MLB will have many opportunities in the coming weeks, months, and years, to make a difference in African-American communities, and make real progress in society. Until then, silence is all we have to attribute to the league.

We were all taught in grade school that if we saw someone getting bullied, we were supposed to tell the teacher, because no one should get bullied. If we don’t, we got in trouble. Why? Because we let it happen when we could have done something to stop it. Did you bully them? No. But did you do anything to stop it? No. You let it continue happen. This is the foundation of the lesson that silence is compliance.

You don’t have to be black to support the Black Lives Matter movement. One cannot say that “All Lives Matter” until Black Lives Matter. The best metaphor I’ve heard on the subject goes as follows: If San Francisco is hit by an earthquake, a natural response would be to pray for the city of San Francisco. To this sentiment, someone retorts “well, shouldn’t we pray for ALL cities?”. The answer to this is yes, pray for all cities, but right now, San Francisco was destroyed in an earthquake, and needs our prayers more. There are prayers for every city, and you don’t need to stop praying for your city in order to pray for San Francisco. Black Lives Matter does not mean that only black lives matter, but that black lives need to matter the same as all other lives.

Major League Baseball has a chance to help the country move forward in the fight to end systemic racism and support the Black Lives Matter movement, just as the NBA is doing and has done for years. The difference between the NBA and the MLB is that the MLB has said and done nothing. They have stayed silent. The MLB needs to offer their support to the African-American community and the Black Lives Matter movement. Baseball is a game for everyone, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. MLB needs to prove this point, and prove that baseball is a game of inclusion. They have been given another chance to do so starting on May 25th. I can only hope that they take advantage of this opportunity.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu is attributed with the quote “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” These words have never rung more true. MLB owes it to themselves, their players both past and present, and the African-American community to speak up. MLB needs to do better.

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As the clock keeps ticking, Major League Baseball is no closer to a cohesive strategy or plan to begin the National Pastime.

The battle has been reportedly contentious on both sides with the owners and players association lobbying offers and counter offers at each other like molotov cocktails.

But late on Thursday night, one of the game’s biggest stars Max Scherzer, drew the proverbial red line in the sand on behalf of the players’ association, and much like E.F. Hutton before him, when Max Scherzer talks, people listen.

“After discussing the latest developments with the rest of the players there’s no reason to engage with MLB in any further compensation reductions. We have previously negotiated a pay cut in the version of prorated salaries, and there’s no justification to accept a second pay cut based upon the current information the union has received. I’m glad to hear other players voicing the same viewpoint and believe MLB’s economic strategy would completely change if all documentation were to become public information.”

In short, Scherzer is telling the owners to open up their books – something ownership has been resisting for the better part of a century. In essence, the players have flatly rejected the latest proposal from owners which wanted to impose drastic pay cuts based on this sliding scale that made little to no sense to anyone. This proposal would have paid Mike Trout $6 million instead of his $19 million salary.

Back on March 26, owners had agreed to a prorated salary system with the understanding terms could change if games were held without fans.

However, the owners never passed this by the players association which only created a level of mistrust before any real negotiations could begin. Or what is commonly referred to as the typical ownership playbook.

It’s not clear where things progress from here, but according to a report by The Athletic, the union might have an ace up their sleeve and could suggest a season longer than the 82 games proposed by MLB as a bargaining chip.

Under that plan the players would hope to get the prorated salaries they have been seeking all along, but with some of the money deferred with interest. The players’ proposal would extend the season to 110 games instead of 82.

While both sides battle things out, I’m wondering what this is doing to the fan enthusiasm, as I’m noticing a lot of tension with some fans just giving up on a 2020 season altogether. However, that’s mostly a minority point of view and many of the fans I speak to do want to see baseball played in some format this summer.

The post Max Scherzer Throws Down The Gauntlet appeared first on Metsmerized.

Photo by Ed Delany/MMO

It would have been totally normal if not expected that the 2020 New York Mets showed up to spring training a confused and confounded bunch. After losing a manager that was hired in November and let go three months later due to a burgeoning cheating scandal, and after a failed sale of the team in the off-season, uncertainty and misdirection could have been the order of the day.

But new Mets manager Luis Rojas is working hard to make sure the focus is on baseball and only baseball. And his efforts are already resonating with several Mets players.

On Wednesday, Rojas met with pitchers and catchers in Port St. Lucie and the results coming out the gathering were all positive. “I think that he speaks the truth,” veteran reliever Justin Wilson told USA Today Sports. “He feels like this team is built to win. And we do, too.”

“Luis is a very open-minded guy,” Michael Conforto told the NY Post. “He’s really big on the back-and-forth. He’s really big on the communication and always has been that way since I first played with him in the playoffs in Low-A the first year I got drafted.”

Rick Porcello added, “Everyone was pretty fired up after he spoke.”

As for Rojas, he too seemed pleased, telling the media, “It was a lot of fun for me this morning to address them and have an engaging conversation. We all participated, the other coaches got involved. It was a working collaboration, so that was fun for me.”

The tenor that was set steered clear of recent issues regarding the team most notably it’s hiring of Carlos Beltran in November. He was implicated strongly in the sign-stealing scandal that seems to be infecting our National Pastime with more bad revelations coming out nearly daily.

Two Mets were part of the Houston Astros during the time of the cheating: third baseman J.D. Davis was briefly an Astro in the 2017 season and reserve outfielder Jake Marisnick filled a similar role with Houston from 2014-2019.

Conforto said Tuesday that there will be “conversations about it. But there’s not going to be any animosity toward them. When you’re in a team setting, any of these guys that are in here now, they’re our guys. That’s the way winning teams are.”

Rojas will no doubt deal with this and other issues as he meets with the full-team for the first time later this week. He inherits a team that won 86 games last season and had a strong second half. He has one of the best pitching staffs in the league led by two-time reigning Cy Young Award winner Jacob DeGrom and a core of young players led by Rookie of the Year, Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil.

“I’m very comfortable where we are as a team,” Rojas said to reporters. “I am very comfortable leading the guys and the main reason for that is the coaching staff. They are such a great coaching staff and they have been working in collaboration almost the entire off-season. You almost feel like we were attached. It’s up to speed because of the great coaching staff we have. The relationship with the guys and knowing the guys is real helpful.”

The coaching staff that Rojas mentioned is a combination of the old and the new. It includes new additions Jeremy Hefner (pitching coach), Hensley Meulens (bench coach), Tony DeFrancesco (first-base coach) and Brian Schneider (quality control). Returning coaches include hitting coach Chili Davis, third-base coach Gary DiSarcina and bullpen coach Ricky Bones.

Rojas is not coming in as a stranger, as he managed for the Mets minor league system for eight years and coached such players as pitchers Steven Matz, Seth Lugo, Robert Gsellman and Paul Sewald, and outfielder Brandon Nimmo to name a few. He won a championship in 2013 with the Savannah Sand Gnats in the South Atlantic League. He has the pedigree to be a proficient manager and so far the players are impressed.

“Absolutely,” says Porcello. “I’m always of the school that everything has a path and happens for a reason. Maybe that’s why that stuff happened, to give Luis this opportunity.”

The stuff that Porcello mentioned also included a failed attempt by financier Steve Cohen to buy the Mets. The eight percent owner of the team was not happy with some of the conditions of the sale and dropped out. None of this was brought up, however, on Wednesday as the team seems ready to begin the 2020 season. Rojas seems ready as he told the Post:

The post Luis Rojas Setting Positive Tone as Spring Training Begins appeared first on Metsmerized.

Get your paid time-off requests in right now, Mets fans — We’re going to Puerto Rico!

In an official press release sent out by Major League Baseball on Monday afternoon, we learned that the New York Mets and Miami Marlins will be playing a three-game series at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The three-game set is scheduled for April 28-30 in 2020, just as we are all getting back into the swing of the regular baseball season. A great excuse to warm up from that rainy, somewhat cold April weather, too.

Both Marlins CEO Derek Jeter and Mets COO Jeff Wilpon were on hand at a press conference to announce their respective team’s participation in the Puerto Rico series.

“Puerto Rico has a rich baseball history and passionate baseball fans,” said Wilpon. “We are honored to represent the Mets, and Major League Baseball, and are looking forward to returning to Puerto Rico to play the Marlins in 2020.”

“It is an honor for the Marlins to represent Major League Baseball in this special series against the Mets,” Jeter added.  “Miami serves as the gateway to the Caribbean and Latin America, and we are grateful for the chance to showcase the new Miami Marlins organization to our neighbors in Puerto Rico.”

“We are looking forward to the opportunity of celebrating Puerto Rico’s rich baseball heritage and passion for the game and continue our mission to grow the game of baseball in our community while fostering the shared love for our National Pastime.”

This is not the first time the Mets are playing internationally. Back in 1996, they played against the San Diego Padres in the first-ever MLB regular season games played in Monterrey Mexico. The Mets unfortunately lost that series.

Four years later, they opened the season by playing against the Chicago Cubs in Japan, which was the first ever official MLB games to ever be played outside of North America. This was a two-game series, and the Mets and Cubs split it.

This is the Mets’ fourth trip to Puerto Rico, and last played there in 2010. And who did they play then? You guessed it, the Marlins, who swept the three-game series against the Amazins. The Marlins will be the designated home team for the series.

The post Mets and Marlins to Face-Off in Puerto Rico Next Season appeared first on Metsmerized.

There has been so much chatter the last two offseasons about how MLB Free Agency has evolved and some even suggest a work stoppage could occur if this trend continues–the notion that big-time free agents are getting fewer and fewer market value deals while free agency lasts until spring training. That time frame is not only for “marginal free agents” but also for the superstars in the sport.

This is a huge problem with players, teams, agents, and baseball senior management paying close attention to the second straight off-season the market for free agents has become so disjointed. Analytics has a little to do with it, but the real reason is ownership wants all of their personnel moves to fit into their budgets which is totally understandable. However, all budgets should be built with wiggle room to adapt to the changing marketplace which I think few teams actually do.

The other issue is when agents promise players the world giving their clients unrealistic expectations which complicates the process. They need to be upfront with their players eligible for free agency (even the top names in the game) that this process is very complicated and there are times to be patient but also time to pounce on the right offers as soon as they become available. I also think arbitration has set a higher premium on star players setting a market which becomes the expectation for players of similar age and ability in the free agent marketplace.

I do think a salary cap is long overdue in baseball but simply will NEVER help if a salary floor does not exist. In the current setting I would set a salary cap of $210 million with a salary floor of $100 million. Anyone over $210 million would still pay luxury tax but teams below the floor would pay a tax as well. All monies would be distributed in following manner: 50% would go to paying minor league players better and providing health assistance for retired players while the other 50% would go into a pool that all teams that are between the floor and cap would equally share.

You’re paying teams for having monetary responsibility while providing a bigger war chest for players to use as this will lift the money all teams possess.  I would add the regulation that any team that becomes a multiple year offender would also forfeit draft picks which would be given to the teams who adhere to this policy in a draft lottery drawing.

I would also stipulate that the minimum salaries in both the minors and majors increase by 8% per year for the next 5 years helping players to keep chasing the dream of playing big league baseball. In addition, should you sign a free agent from within your own division you need to forfeit more draft picks than any other free agent pickup. The trading deadline is another issue that needs to be changed–make the official deadline August 31 giving teams on the fringes of the playoff race more time to decide whether they were buyers or sellers.

I also think it is absolutely the right time for divisional realignment and I would try the following:

Condense the sport into four Overall Divisions: (East, South, Central, West) with the following set up:

East: Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, Phils, Nats, Orioles, Montreal Expansion Team, Blue Jays

South: Marlins, Rays, Braves, Astros, Rangers, Brewers, Royals, D’backs

Central: Cards, Cubs, White Sox, Tigers, Indians, Reds, Twins, Pirates

West: Dodgers, Giants, Padres, Rockies, Mariners, A’s, Angels, Las Vegas Expansion

Four division winners get playoff spots plus four Wild Cards –Wild Cards Play each other to comprise two teams that would complete the Final eight. We cut season to 154 games to get the extra playoff games in and we make all rosters expand come Sept 1–to a possible 40–but you must name 25 players on your active roster every night that are the only players available to use for that game. The 154 game schedule will consist of 12 games vs each team in your division for a total of 84 games and one series vs every non-divisional team for a total of 70 games.

There are a few little things that must be decided–like the DH (which I was against for years but would be willing to entertain here) and generate more off days by scheduling all teams to play doubleheaders on Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day as well four other Sundays of their choice. This would enhance existing rivalries that Yanks-Mets and Cubs- White Sox while hopefully creating some new ones as well. It will also generate more income for players as well as enhancing gate returns for the teams.

In my humble opinion, the sport needs these changes to keep the title of National Pastime. I know this is a not a perfect solution and likely needs tweaking, but I firmly believe is a great starting point for meaningful discussions.

The post Changes That Could Help The Game Of Baseball appeared first on Metsmerized.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”

When you think about freedom, you think about being able to walk down the street and enjoy the sights and the sounds; take a drive to anywhere across this great nation of ours and enjoy every aspect of it; go to a ball game with friends and family and join thousands of others that might be from different walks of life but have the same interest in common; to root for the home team, or maybe even the visiting team, depending on their preference.

But if you really look at the opportunity we all share to live in harmony, one of the greatest men who helped to make this a reality and someone that I am forever grateful to is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, for paving the way for all of us to equally enjoy such freedoms.

Now, we can not take away the many sacrifices that our armed forces and veterans have made to protect us all from the people that want to destroy the way we live, but for the purpose of this post I wanted to honor a man that stood up to adversity and fought for civil rights between whites, blacks and people from all races, ethnicities, and walks of life. That they may be equal, and grow and live together without discrimination in the greatest democracy the world has ever known. Dr. King knew that this great nation of ours was missing something, and when he made that march to Washington, he changed not only a Nation, but a World.

We see that evidence in our own backyard, in other nations, and especially in our National Pastime.  In Baseball, you see that right away, with players coming from all over the world, to join and compete with fellow athletes for a common goal.

No longer are teams segregated like they were prior to the late 1940′s when Jackie Robinson became the first African-American to break the color barrier in the major leagues.  Robinson’s courage also paved the way for players like Roberto Clemente, who was the first Latin American superstar in Major League Baseball and lived his life giving back to others and becoming a symbol of Latin American pride. Masanori Murakami, who made his debut in 1964 with the San Francisco Giants, was the first ever Japanese baseball player to make his mark on the game.

The sacrifices that these and many men and women have made, and the willingness of one man to push back the norm, changed the way most if not all of us look at each other.

We have come a long way as a nation and as a sport, and as we continue to move forward, the greatest gift that we can share with the next generation is the life and courage of all the brave men and women that have fought for our freedoms especially Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Happy Birthday to a Great American and a man that forever changed the landscape of our great nation: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The post MMO Honors The Spirit Of Martin Luther King Jr. appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets. The Braves. Late September. This is what a pennant race is all about. It was the 148^th game that season and the defending NL Champion Mets were surging. We’d cut the lead from 13 ½ to just 5 ½ and now the first place Braves were coming to town. At least, that’s what a pennant race should be about.

But on this September night there was not the usual electricity in the air that accompanies a crucial ballgame. Instead there was a sadness. A feeling of fear, uncertainty, confusion. Tears were mixed with anger. Disbelief intertwined with vulnerability. As the Mets took the field, just eight miles away, in what was becoming known as Ground Zero, rescue workers were sifting through debris and clearing away rubble through the still billowing smoke.

For the first time in our nation’s history our mainland was attacked. For the first time in our nation’s history American citizens, regular people, were targeted by a cold hearted enemy. For the first time in our nation’s history, the game of Baseball was put on hold due to terrorism.

The Mets/Braves game on September 21, 2001 was the first sporting event that would ever be held in NY in a Post 9/11 America. From this point forward everything would be different. President Bush and others urged us to go back to our everyday life. The best way to show these gutless terrorists that a few planes could not destroy America or alter democracy was to get back to our daily routine. But how could we? Everything was different.

During the pre-game memorial, PA announcer Roger Luce exclaimed, “We now return to our National Pastime.” Easier said then done.

In spite of the Mets fighting long time rivals Atlanta in a huge series at Shea, there was a calmness in the air. Mets and Braves players exchanged hugs on the field before the game. The expression on the faces of Mets players was not one of determination to defeat Atlanta but instead, eyes were glossy, teary. Swallowing was a little harder. Diana Ross sung God Bless America before the game and Liza Minelli brought the Shea faithful to their collective feet with a powerful rendition of New York, New York. Even our mayor, avid Yankee fan Rudy Giuliani, was cheered at Shea.

For years, going to a Mets game meant hearing planes. We fans grew so accustomed to that familiar roar the sound of the jet engines didn’t even faze us anymore. This night, however, we glanced skyward when we heard planes overhead.

The game on the field seemed almost unimportant. We all questioned our own importance, our own place in life and for the first time realized that our shores were not impenetrable. These things only happen somewhere else, in a foreign country thousands of miles away. This only happens to strangers, not to family and friends, not to New York’s finest.

In the overall scheme of things, in the big picture, with the future of our country being questioned, did it really matter who won a meaningless baseball game in Flushing? Did anyone really care if Barry Bonds would break McGwire’s HR record? Was the farewell tour of Cal Ripken jr truly that important?

For seven and half innings Shea was eerily quiet. Sure, there were a couple chants of ‘Lets Go Mets’ that broke out but clearly, New York was not ready to cheer. All of that, however, ended in the bottom of the eighth.

Trailing 2-1 and with pinch runner Desi Relaford on first, Mike Piazza stepped to the plate.

Piazza hammered an 0-1 offering from Steve Karsay into the night. A monstrous blast that reached the camera platform beyond the wall in straight away center field. Hollywood couldn’t have scripted this stuff. Like Roy Hobbs, Piazza circled the bases. The only thing missing was the fireworks from the blown out light tower.

The Mets won 3-2 and cut the Braves lead to 4 ½. But the game meant more then that.

Americans had been urged to return to their every day life. It seemed a daunting task—until Piazza hit that shot. Cheers were heard in New York for the first time in over a week. Joyous screams filled the air from Flushing to downtown Manhattan. Things would now return to normal—slowly, but at least the days of darkness were ending. There was a light on the horizon. Once again, Barry Bonds’ HR chase DID matter. Cal Ripken’s farewell DID mean something.

But more important, the simple fact that a guy hit a baseball 400+ feet signified that New York was back. Baseball was back. And yes, America was on its way back.

Although one can argue there’s never been a bigger Home Run in team history, Piazza’s blast reached far beyond the box score of one game. It carried with it a significance that extended beyond Shea. It meant something, not just to a team, but to an entire city. An entire city now began to heal. And Mike Piazza gave us the medicine we needed.

In lower Manhattan rescue workers worked feverishly to clear the rubble of what had once been the most significant part of our world famous skyline. The symbols of American capitalism and the most symbolic office buildings in our city had been destroyed. Two buildings, 110 stories each that reached to the heavens, now lay in a smoldering pile of twisted metal and broken glass and within it, almost 3000 Americans.

A few miles to the north of where the WTC once stood another monument of a different kind also once stood. This one was called The Polo Grounds. Just 12 days after Piazza brought a city back from its knees, October 3, 2001 marked the 50 year anniversary of Bobby Thomson’s famous HR that handed the pennant to the NY Giants over the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Unlike Thomson the hit by Piazza did not clinch the pennant and send a team to the World Series. However, in the same tradition of Thomson, Piazza’s HR carried great meaning, both on and off the field. In more ways then one, it was yet another ‘Shot Heard ‘Round The World.’

The post Mike Piazza and the Return of Our National Pastime appeared first on Metsmerized.

Am I talking about Charlie Hustle or Shoeless Joe?

On Sept 11, 1985, Pete Rose became Baseball’s all-time hit leader, shattering a record many experts believed would stand forever. By the time he retired he was first in hits, singles, games played, AB and had appeared in 17 All-Star Games. But despite being perhaps the greatest hitter to walk onto a diamond Pete Rose is not in the Hall of Fame.

Days ago, in the face of growing support to have Rose’s lifetime ban lifted, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred upheld the 1989 decision in the Dowd Report. Manfred stated Rose was “misleading” in a recent meeting.

“Rose initially denied betting on baseball currently and only later in the interview did he ‘clarify’ his response to admit such betting,” Manfred wrote in his decision.

I applaud the Commissioner’s verdict to not be swayed. In the face of growing pressure, Manfred put the integrity of the National Pastime first.

In 1989, Rose agreed to a permanent inclusion on Baseball’s Ineligibility List, claiming there is “a factual reason for the ban.” In 2010, at a function attended by several former teammates, the hard-edged Rose openly wept, acknowledging he had “disrespected baseball” and promised to never do it again.

In 2004, he confessed to gambling on baseball. Attorney John Dowd who’d been retained by Commissioner Bart Giamatti revealed that Rose bet anywhere from $2000 to $10000 per game from 1985 through 1987 while managing Cincinnati. In ‘87 alone he bet on nearly one-third of all Reds games, games that as manager he had a direct impact on. Although Rose maintained he only bet on his team, never against them, there is no discrepancy in Rule 21 section D:

Any player, umpire, or club, or league official, or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform shall be declared permanently ineligible.

Men enshrined in Cooperstown’s hallowed halls are there for what they did on the field, not off the field. The Hall of Fame includes racists, bigots, anti-Semites. If character was a judge of baseball brilliance there’d be plenty more wall space.

Granted, we are a forgiving society. But Baseball has always governed itself. And Pete Rose broke those rules.

Like Reggie Jackson or Pedro Martinez or Bryce Harper, Rose was one of those guys you loved to hate. Still, for us fans who witnessed the legends’ fall from grace in 1989, it was damn heartbreaking. Twenty five years ago the thought of Rose even being considered for eligibility was inconceivable, especially when you recall Commissioner Giamatti died only eight days after handing down his decision.

If Rose was to be enshrined does this open the door for more rule breakers to receive the same honor? A generation from now, as time passes, will the public be clamoring for others to be immortalized? Will people look back on the 90’s and laugh at the overreaction to steroids?

How would you feel bringing your children or grandchildren to Cooperstown one day and seeing Roger Clemens’ plaque alongside Tom Seaver’s? Or seeing Alex Rodriguez a few feet from Ralph Kiner? Would you be able to explain why Rafael Palmeiro is enshrined and Gil Hodges is not?

The tide is turning. More than 60% now feel Rose’s ban should be lifted. He worked as an analyst during the post-season on FOX and was granted permission to participate in All-Star Game activities this past year in Cincinnati.

Personally, I’m against Rose being respected alongside iconic heroes like Mickey Mantle and Cal Ripken and Willie Mays. However, if Rose is one day included in this elite brotherhood I feel that another player must be enshrined first.

Rose was found guilty of betting on Baseball for at least three full seasons. Joe Jackson was accused of accepting bribe money for 8 games and subsequently banned for life.

Life. He died more than 60 years ago.

The 1919 Chicago White Sox were one of the greatest teams in baseball’s young history and were expected to crush the NL Champion Reds. As we all know The Black Sox lost 5 games to 3.  Eight players were in on the fix. However, unlike Rose, who admitted his guilt in gambling, Jackson’s involvement is cloudier.

His .375 BA in the Fall Classic was the highest of any player on either team. He hit the Series’ only home run. He handled 30 chances in the OF without incident or making an “error.” He threw to the correct cut-off man every time. The film Eight Men Out argued the point that Jackson, who was illiterate, did not comprehend what he was getting involved in, going so far as to argue he only consented after teammate Swede Risberg threatened Jackson’s family.

Jackson himself asserted that on two occasions he refused to accept the $5,000 bribe, despite the fact it was more than double his annual salary. Teammate Lefty Williams, who was in on the fix, flung the cash onto Jackson’s bed in a hotel room and walked out just prior to the first pitch of Game One. Shoeless Joe tried to contact Sox owner Charlie Comiskey to advise him what was going down. Comiskey refused to speak with his star player.

It seems unlikely that Jackson, who rivaled Ty Cobb in prominence, would tarnish his own legacy. This was a man who averaged an unheard of 397 over his first three seasons in the majors. By Game One of the 1919 World Series he was just 32 years old and had averaged 331 over his previous 3 seasons. Unlike co-conspirator Chick Gandil this was not an aging player with diminishing talent in the twilight of his career. Jackson’s lifetime BA of 356 is third best in history, behind only Cobb and Rogers Hornsby.

The eight men in question were acquitted of any wrongdoing. Yet, Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis overruled the courts and banned the players for life.

Years later, the seven men out disclosed Jackson was never present in a single meeting with gambler Arnold Rothstein. In 1951, Jackson had agreed to “finally set the record straight” in an exclusive interview. Sadly, as arrangements for the tell-all were being ironed out, Shoeless Joe died of a heart attack. He was just 61.

If Rose, who admitted his mistake, is granted access to the game’s Holy Land, then shouldn’t Joe Jackson, whose guilt is questionable, be honored first?

In 1920 eight men were forever excoriated with fixing the World Series. Commissioner Landis wrote the following:

Regardless of the verdict of juries…no player who sits in confidence with a bunch of crooked ballplayers and gamblers, where the ways and means of throwing a game are discussed and does not promptly tell his club about it, will never play professional baseball.

If Landis’s statement was good enough for Shoeless Joe, isn’t it good enough for Charlie Hustle?

The post Commissioner Manfred Needs to Lift the Ban, But Not on Pete Rose appeared first on Metsmerized.

I don’t know about you – but I’m excited about this year. Okay, so I’m excited about the start of every baseball season, but this year is different. This year there is that nervousness that’s been missing. This year there is that “what if?” factor. This year there are higher expectations.

The past few seasons of Mets baseball have been like going to the local high school production of “Guys and Dolls” – heading in, you have absolutely no expectations, you’re just getting out of the house, you’re hoping that you’ll see something you can sincerely cheer and clap for, but you know that you may see something pretty painful and awful, and you know that the odds of seeing Broadway is a fleeting dream at best.

But this year is different.

We have some big names on the marquee. We have bright lights on the stage. We’ve seen some of the performers in some pretty darn good roles and we’re hopeful that this cast of characters has what it takes to put together a great ensemble cast that will put together a long run instead of having the curtain close prematurely.

So yes, I’m excited. I’m nervous, too. The last few seasons haven’t disappointed me. After all, if you don’t have any expectations, you can’t be disappointed. I haven’t been disappointed by my Mets since 2008 when they were eliminated by postseason play on the final day of the season.

After two straight season ending failures, I didn’t have any expectations for 2009 when Citi Field opened. Not only were we coming off two epic collapses, we just got kicked in the balls by Bernie Madoff. The Mets lived up to my serious lack of expectations by finishing with a 70-92 record. Sure, they teased a bit that year and were three games over .500 as late as June 25th before getting swept by the Yankees at home, but any real hope was already long gone with Jose Reyes mired on the disabled list. Luis Castillo’s dropped ball on June 12th pretty much summed up what it was like to be a Mets fan.

Come 2010, even Obi-Wan Kenobi couldn’t provide any hope, but by then I was OK with it and coming to grips with it. I mean, c’mon – when your opening day lineup included Alex Cora leading off and playing shortstop, Gary Matthews, Jr. in center field and Jeff Francoeur in right, did you really expect me to have any expectations?

But like I said, I was OK with it by then – I was beginning to indoctrinate my oldest one into Mets fandom and began taking her to games (which I know she will someday curse my name for doing it) and my goal was to just get out of the house and enjoy time with my kid. The team actually improved that year to 79-83, but still finished a distant fourth, 18 games out of first and 12 out of the wildcard. They were never really in it and no one believed, even when the team was 10 games over .500 and in second place as late as July 6th.

The team stumbled going into the All-Star Break and collapsed afterward. All this collapse did was confirm to the fan base that the team would couldn’t keep it up to the end, just like they couldn’t in 2007 and 2008. No need to get excited, nothing to see here, folks. Ya Gotta Believe it wasn’t. Actually, we did believe – we believed the inevitable would happen, which it did. We believed Jason Bay would collect a paycheck, which he did. Oh, and we had the Oliver Perez nonsense.

After 2010, Omar Minaya was ushered out and Sandy Alderson was brought in to clear payroll and save the Wilpons from themselves. The glory days of 2006 were in the rear view mirror and entering 2011 we were now four seasons away from that last  playoff appearance,  and expectations were lower than ever. The team stumbled out of the gate and was 4-11 by April 16th after dropping 7 straight and getting swept in two straight doubleheaders against the Rockies and Braves. It was the same old Mets. Yes, R.A. Dickey got us back to .500 after beating the Yankees on May 20th, but we were never in it.

Then came 2012 and the Payroll Purge. Nearly $50 million in payroll came off the books as Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, and Francisco Rodriguez were gone. We found some good performances in our own high school version of “West Side Story” as Johan Santana threw the first no-hitter in franchise history,  R.A. Dickey won 20 games and won the Cy Young, and top prospect Matt Harvey made his debut. But once again, there were no expectations. Attendance dropped to 2.2 million good for only 11th in the National League as disgruntled fans stayed away.

Come 2013, all we had to hang our hat on was the All-Star Game and getting David Wright to start in front of his home crowd… oh, and there was a ton of electricity when the Dark Knight took the mound. But we knew the season was all about some sizzle, but no substance. Sandy Alderson declared “What outfield?” during the Hot Stove season and once the All-Star excitement was gone, we were left to dream about 2014, the season where we were finally expected to move towards contention. Then the news came… Matt Harvey. Elbow. Devastation. So much for 2014.

So last year became another year where the goal was to go to Citifield, have a good time with your kids, and just enjoy the National Pastime. But this year is different. We have Harvey, Wheeler and deGrom. We have a healthy David Wright. We have our own version of the Nasty Boys in the bullpen. We’re ready to believe. We need to believe. I want to believe.

I’m hoping for a blockbuster. I don’t want Howard the Duck. Damn those dreaded expectations.

The post This Year is Different… Or Is It? appeared first on Metsmerized.

The date is Tuesday, October 6, 2015 and we made it. Finally. After 8 draining tedious seasons, the Mets have returned to the post-season. 90 wins netted us the second wildcard spot. In order to face St. Louis in the LDS and avenge 2006 all we must do is win a one-game wild card elimination. Jacob deGrom (18-9 3.25 ERA) vs. Clayton Kershaw (21-5, 2.73 ERA).

Kershaw seems to have finally shaken his post-season woes. That is, until the top of the 7th when Lucas Duda plants one beyond the RF wall knocking in Lagares and Wright. The Mets need just 9 more outs. But the 7th inning stretch galvanizes the capacity crowd. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins (of all people) notices the corner infielders playing back and legs out a perfectly executed bunt for a lead-off single. The fans get loud. Carl Crawford clobbers deGrom’s next offering. Curtis Granderson turns and runs, snagging the high fly against the wall for the first out. 27 year-old deGrom is rattled. He takes a deep breath, paces, tries to regroup and wipes the sweat from his brow as Yasiel Puig digs in. Puig splits two outfielders. A double. The Dodgers, trailing 3-0, have runners on second and third. The tying run, represented by Adrian Gonzalez (.279-32-118) steps to the plate.

Eight more stinkin’ outs. Mets fans are growing restless, anticipating the worst. 56,238 Dodgers fans rise to their feet in an attempt to unnerve the Mets starter. It’s all happened so quick that Terry Collins hasn’t had a chance to get someone loose. The Mets need to stall. DeGrom needs to calm down. Mets fans scream at the TV for Collins to go the mound and buy some time for the bullpen. Why isn’t Duda sharing some words of encouragement??? Why is David Wright, our captain, just standing there??? How come Travis d’Arnaud isn’t calling time and walking to the mound to calm down the young pitcher the way Gary Carter did with Doc Gooden? DeGrom, nervous, losing composure and about to blow it, is left all alone. What the hell is going on??? Is this the Twilight Zone??? Where’s Rod Serling???

Then we remember. “Oh, yea. We’ve used up our allotted time-outs.” Welcome to the Rob Manfred version of Major League Baseball. You know, the version where games took too darn long and needed to be sped up.

One of the countless aspects that make baseball the greatest game ever devised is the link from generation to generation. For well over a century the National Pastime has remained relatively unchanged. A .300 hitter means something, no matter if it’s me cheering Jose Reyes, my father cheering Jackie Robinson or my grandfather cheering Babe Herman. A 20-game winner is a 20-game winner, be it Doc Gooden, Tom Seaver or Christy Mathewson. 200 K’s means the same to Randy Johnson as it did to Walter Johnson. The only significant alteration to the rules occurred in 1973. And more than 40 years after one league installed the DH, fans are still divided.

The powers-that-be began tinkering with the Holy Grail of the game, the rule book, because of what transpired in Florida on May 25, 2011. On a play at home, Scott Cousins collided with Giants catcher Buster Posey. The defending Rookie of the Year suffered torn ligaments and a fractured fibula. For all intents and purposes, the Giants season was finished before Memorial Day. MLB felt, for whatever reason, changes needed to be made. And so began the descent down a perilous slope that could have a long lasting impact on the game we cherish.

There is nothing more exciting than witnessing a player rounding third and heading for home as the catcher plants his feet waiting for the relay throw. Nothing can bring an entire stadium to their feet quicker than anticipating a play at the plate. Both at the ballpark and watching from home our stomachs tighten. We hold our collective breath. Can the runner knock the ball free? Can the catcher apply the tag?

Beginning last year that thrilling aspect was removed. You could clearly see the confusion all season long. Runners were uncertain where their lane was. Catchers were tentative about where they were permitted to stand. Protecting a run became secondary to abiding to some silly rule. (As a side note, how many knew that the rule was amended during the season where catchers could NOT block the plate but position players COULD?)

Was Posey’s injury catastrophic? Absolutely. The 2011 Giants still managed to win 86 games, falling just 4 short of the wildcard. Surely, had Posey not been injured, he himself is worth 4 wins. However, MLB overreacted. Yes, catchers do get hurt. But that’s part of the game. And think about it. How often does that really occur? We see more injuries on routine plays. If MLB feels compelled to prevent injuries, what’s next?

More common is a batter pulling a hamstring sprinting down the 1B line trying to beat out a slow roller. How about a player rounding 2^nd and turning on the afterburners. (Jose Reyes anyone?) We see players jamming thumbs stealing a base. Perhaps MLB should create a Designated Runner. We have a Designated Hitter so why not? Every player could have one DR assigned to them. Rosters would increase to 50, the union would be happy and star players we pay admission to see would never get hurt.

Another way to prevent injuries could be prohibiting outfielders from crashing into the wall. Hey, we already have a warning track. Let’s put it to good use. If the outfielder can’t catch the ball before trespassing onto the warning track, that’s just too darn bad. (If such a rule existed twenty years ago, think of all those extra games Ken Griffey Jr. would not have missed. He’d probably be the HR King, not Barry Bonds.)

And pitchers? They are both the highest paid AND most often injured. Maybe MLB should outlaw the curve ball. And while they’re at it, they can outlaw the fast ball, too. After all, more batters are injured getting hit by a pitch than runners colliding at the plate. Perhaps we should reduce a strikeout to two strikes, a walk to three balls? How about extending the base paths from 90 feet to 110 feet. C’mon, let’s get the baseball thing over with in a hurry so we can all go back to seeing which Kardashian is pregnant this week.

Of course I’m being sarcastic. But based on recent changes, I’m not ruling out anything. In the Arizona Fall League MLB looked into methods to speed up the game. Some of the changes tested include:

• Batter’s box rule: Hitter required to keep at least one foot in the batter’s box throughout at-bat unless there is foul ball, wild pitch or passed ball — or if a pitch forces him out or the umpire grants “time.”

• No-pitch intentional walks

• 20-second rule: 20-second clock will be posted in each dugout, behind home plate and in outfield to prevent pitchers from taking too much time.

• 2:05 inning-break clock: Maximum time allowed between innings, and batters must be in box at 1:45 mark or umpire can call automatic strike. If pitcher throws pitch after 2:05, umpire may call ball.

• 2:30 pitching-change-break clock: Maximum amount of time allowed for pitching change.

• Three “timeout” limit: Teams limited to three trips to the mound by managers, coaches and catchers during game, except pitching changes.

Commissioner Manfred is also looking into outlawing defensive shifts, removing strategy from the most strategic game there is. That in and of itself is a mixed signal and demonstrates MLB is utterly clueless. On one hand they install policies to make games shorter. On the other hand, recent changes do just the opposite.

With the advent of a ‘challenge’ or ‘play under review,’ the game that supposedly already moves too slowly now comes to a grinding halt. Players on the field, fans in the stands and viewers at home now watch with baited breath as umpires stand in a circle wearing headsets conversing with some guy in a darkened chamber high above Manhattan like the mysterious shadowy “banker” in that Howie Mandel game show. During the course of a game this alone could add anywhere from 8-12 minutes. If they’re willing to delay a game to make sure the call is correct, isn’t it equally important to honor the history of the game itself and not mess around with lunacy such as pitch clocks?

Another contradiction from the incoming commissioner is his desire to bring offense back to the game. Outlawing defensive shifts will see the return of 9-7 slugfests instead of well-played 3-2 pitching duels. Yet, we all know a 9-7 game takes longer to play than a 3-2 game.

Making games shorter will not help ratings. Those who find Baseball “boring” and “slow-moving” will not suddenly become fans and purchase Mike Trout jerseys. And those of us who are purists will take umbrage to tinkering with the very essence of the game we treasure, the game taught to us by our dad or older brother. They need to stop mucking up the beauty of Baseball with hare-brained attempts to outdraw Football. Yes, 112 million TV sets were tuned into the Super Bowl last weekend while an average of just 13.8 million viewers watched the World Series last October.  But so what? Kanye West has sold more records than Jimi Hendrix. That doesn’t mean he’s better.

For more than 100 years Baseball has survived every conceivable transgression imaginable. Racists, bigots and anti-Semites have worn the uniform. But the game endured. Games have been fixed, an entire World Series was thrown. But the game endured. Some of the greatest players to ever walk on the field have been shamed and may never be enshrined in Cooperstown. But the game endured. Alcoholics, cocaine addicts and steroid users have played. But the game endured. Free agency, collusion, teams relocating, some franchises completely folded. But the game endured. Two World Wars and conflicts from Southeast Asia to Central America have taken place. But the game endured. On a Tuesday morning, terror came to New York City, Washington DC and western Pennsylvania. The game stopped. But after ten days, endured. Hopefully the game will be able to endure these potentially catastrophic changes.

“Baseball must be a great game. The owners haven’t found a way to kill it yet.”  — Bill Veeck

The date is Tuesday, October 6, 2015 and we made it. Finally. After 8 draining tedious seasons, the Mets have returned to the post-season.

It’s the top of the 9^th in Los Angeles. The Mets squandered a 3-0 lead and now trail 4-3. Closer Kenley Jansen is on the hill to close it out and send the Mets home on a long cross-country flight. After retiring the first 2 batters, 56,238 Dodgers fans are on their feet. They smell blood. Juan Lagares keeps  our hopes alive and bloops one over the outstretched glove of Jimmy Rollins. Daniel Murphy fights off a wicked 0-2 cut fastball and shoots one down the first base line, just beyond the reach of Adrian Gonzalez. Lagares motors around to 3B.

Trailing 4-3, tying run on third and potential winning run at first. David Wright, candidate for Comeback Player of the Year (302-26-107) digs in. After falling behind 0-2, he fights off pitch after pitch after pitch. He fouls off close pitches, lays off others just off the black and works the count to 3-2. The capacity crowd is going crazy. Fans in New York are pacing in their living rooms.

Don Mattingly on the top step of the Dodger dugout. Terry Collins and various Mets on the top step of the visiting dugout. The camera, shaking due to vibration of chaotic screaming fans, scans the crowd. There’s Tommy LaSorda in the owner’s box staring wide-eyed at the field. We catch a glimpse of Jerry Seinfeld sitting behind the Mets dugout, cap pulled down over his eyes, too nervous to watch. We get a quick shot of Keith Hernandez in the broadcast booth, his hands clutching an imaginary bat, willing himself on the field as if its 1986 all over again. Catcher A.J. Ellis puts down one finger, pats his left thigh. Fast Ball inside. Jensen checks the runners and sets. Wright grips the bat.

Suddenly, as the fire-balling closer is ready to deliver, a slight breeze kicks up and blows something into Wright’s eye. The entire season is on the line. But David isn’t allowed to step out or ask for time because the rules now prohibit that since we need to get done quickly. Jensen fires a 98 MPH heater. And our entire season comes down to a one-eyed David Wright.

Thanks a lot Rob Manfred.

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