Jan 12
AndrewSports baseball, MLB, New York Mets
To celebrate the first season in Citi Field, the new home of the New York Mets, the organization has designed a whopper of a logo. The patch will appear on uniforms throughout the season and already has fans and foes alike making derisive comparisons to the domino’s pizza logo. If nothing else, the new logo seems to lack any punch, and is so overly simplistic, it’s hard not to be embarrassed for the guy that designed it.
What were the Mets thinking when they adopted an ugly and amateurish design that could have been put together from a Windows Paint application? Even stranger, there’s no mention of the word “Mets” “New York” or “Citi Field” anywhere on the patch itself. The sole indicator of its purpose is the year 2009. It could literally be the inaugural patch for the debut season of Kara DioGuardi on American Idol.
Knowing that comparisons to the New York Yankees’ inaugural season logo were inevitable, maybe the Mets’ management was trying to distance themselves from seeming to follow in the Yankees’ footfalls. But I don’t think “laughingstock” was the message they were hoping to convey. Here’s hoping this is all a feint and the real logo debuts on uniforms before the start of spring training. 
Nov 26
JonathanSports baseball, MLB, Red Sox
Question: Who is the team to beat in Major League Baseball next season? Any chance we see Tampa Bay and/or the Phillies back in the playoffs?
Answer: The team to beat in Major League Baseball is, at this moment, the Philadelphia Phillies. But, the good news for those of us outside Pennsylvania is that the label applies to the World Series champion only during the time between the final out of the Series and first major player acquisition of the winter hot stove season. It’s like the title “Most Powerful Man in the World.” It only applies to the President of the United States while in office. After that, all bets are off.
And here’s the real story -- We’ll get a real and true “team to beat” for 2009 over the next 6 weeks. By the time the ball drops on Times Square, most trades and signings of significance will be done and we’ll have a sense of which rosters got better, which got worse, and which don’t matter at all.
But, if I could look into my crystal ball, I’d say that by spring training we’ll be talking about the New York Yankees having completely restocked their big league roster with trades and signings. Going into their new stadium, they’ll spare no expense. So, just like every year since the mid-1990′s, experts will predict the Yankees to return to form and claim the AL East -- and trendy followers will believe the Rays will duplicate their magical 2008 and either take the East or get the Wild Card.
Realistically, as the season actually gets played, we’ll also be talking about the Red Sox, Angels, and Cubs. In short -- the “teams to beat” will really be the same ones we always think are the teams to beat. Those teams will have the most impressive rosters on paper and the most experience navigating the treacherous attrition of the 162 game season. Them and one or two shocking teams that made a big signing or two (Kansas City Royals in ’09!!!).
And when it all shakes out, the Rays will be a big disappointment, the Red Sox and Angels will irritate everyone by continuing to win, and the Mets will lose their final 25 games in a row and finish one game out of the Wild Card, with newly signed outfielder Manny Ramirez tripping on his shoelace in the 9th inning, allowing both the tying and winning runs to score.
Oct 23
AndrewBusiness baseball, MLB, Taco Bell, Tacos
When a base was stolen in last night’s MLB World Series game by Rays short stop Jason Bartlett, the nation earned a free taco. The crunchy taco offer is valid between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. next Tuesday, October 28 at participating Taco Bell locations.
Bartlett wasn’t the only player to attempt a stolen base in the game last night, just the first. Rays first baseman Carlos Pena was caught stealing second in the bottom of the 6th inning. Phillies second baseman Chase Utley had two stolen bases in the 7th and the 9th, and Phillies rightfielder Jayson Werth also had one in the 9th.
The Philadelphia Phillies and the Tampa Rays faced off in game one last night, with the Phillies walking away with a 3-2 win behind Cole Hamels’ pitching. Hamels kept the Rays’ bats to 2 earned runs and 1 home run for an ERA of 2.57. Game two is tonight in Tampa.
Mar 01
JonathanSports baseball, MLB, Spring Training
Remember when you were a kid with a big snow storm coming and you went to bed so excited because you were going to wake up to 10 inches of snow and a school cancellation? You could barely fall asleep. You’d wake up at 3 in the morning just to make sure it was still snowing. Sometimes it worked out just like you planned. But, sometimes you ripped open the curtains and, despite those confident projections on TV, there was nothing on the ground. Remember that sinking feeling? How could his happen? How could the experts be so wrong? It was a sure thing!
Well, anyone over the age of fifteen who follows baseball can probably see where I’m going with this metaphor.
You can probably list a dozen sure things who completely disappeared. The guys who no one’s ever heard of except you because they were “can’t miss” stars. In 1999, Rick Ankiel was the greatest pitcher to come along since Nolan Ryan. So was Kerry Wood in 1998. But wait, in 1992, Brien Taylor was, too. And, come to think of it, so was Todd Van Poppel in 1991. Even though the experts miss a lot more than they hit, I’ll cut them some slack. Of the four major sports, Major League Baseball has the fewest high round picks who ever really succeed. Who could have predicted that Josh Hamilton, a top prospect in 1999, would wash out of baseball entirely thanks to constant drug use? He’s only now resurfacing for a seventeenth chance thanks to the Cincinnati Reds.
And that’s part of what makes spring training so much fun to watch. No, not the drug addicts, but the fact that even though there are always young hotshots in camp, it’s players like David Ortiz, Albert Pujols, Travis Hafner, even Chien Ming Wang (damn you, Yankees!) who come out of the blue, drafted in lower rounds, and rise through the ranks with less fanfare. They provide some hope for the little guy (though, ironically, most of them are very big guys) and help make baseball special. Of course there will always be Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez, and more recently, Joe Mauer, who are taken at the very top of the draft and live up to the hype, but there are far more stories of top picks flaming out and disappearing. Fans in Boston remember the late 1990′s when we salivated in breathless anticipation of the arrival of future legend, Brian Rose.
For 2007, there are endless stories about the incomparable Philip Hughes, a 20 year-old pitcher for the Yankees (again with the Yankees?), Matt Garza, Twins fireballer, and of course Alex Gordon of the Royals is the next Alex Rodriguez. But, in spring training, I try to forget about the absurd expectations and boundless greed, and sickening stories like the tale of new Red Sox right fielder J.D. Drew. In 1997, he was such a surefire Hall of Famer that he sat out the entire professional season after being drafted in the first round by the Phillies. The reason? He wouldn’t sign for less than $10 million, a figure the Phillies wouldn’t pony up. Unfortunately, he was selected in the first round again in 1998 by the Cardinals, who paid his price.
So for me, instead of allowing the national media to limit my preseason attention to a few cocky bonus babies, I focus on the players that don’t always get the same bright spotlight. There are plenty of down to earth people you can root for, you just have to look a little closer. Because while the hype and the noise are endlessly repetitive, if you get past the headlines you’ll find a bunch of stories that you really can’t miss.
Notes from the Cheap Seats
Gabe Kapler recently retired from the Red Sox at age 31, leaving his playing days behind to become a minor league manager. He’ll be remembered as one of the smartest and most decent players of the past decade. Though between the lines he ended up as a backup outfielder, he was actually a former hyped prospect himself. Kapler was the 1998 Minor League Player of the year. He even had his own Reebok commercials (the guy is really good looking and absolutely jacked, so I’m sure that didn’t hurt). This winter, Gabe made a proactive decision to forgo more than $1 million a year to keep playing, which he certainly could have, for “the opportunity to make an impact in the lives of young men, not only to help them develop as baseball players, but also more importantly, as human beings.” And he means it. Unbelievable. Watching him get his feet wet as a manager in Class-A Greenville will be a blast. One of the greats.
Julio Franco is back in camp in 2007 with the New York Mets. According to his official stats, he’s 48 years old. And he might very well be over 50 with the way Dominican players have fudged their ages over the years. He’s a marvel and he can actually still hit. He has the face of a middle aged man but the body of a 29 year old. Actually, way better than most 29 year olds I know. He made his major league debut 25 years ago in 1982! 25 years ago! More than a dozen other players at Mets camp weren’t even born. Find a way to watch a few Mets games to see an inspiring story of hard work and love of the game.
You probably have never heard of Chris Coste. But, you might next year. Chris played 11 seasons in the minor leagues, including several in low grade independent ball. He was the feel good story in the Phillies spring training last year, looking like he had a real shot to make the team. But, he didn’t make it out of camp. He got sent down, but was finally recalled in May. He made his major league debut on May 27th last year, at 33 years old. And he proceeded to hit .328 with 7 home runs in 46 games. So much a fairy tale, he had even told his wife he would retire if he didn’t make it to the big leagues in 2006. Random House has bought the rights to his autobiography which may come out next year. But, Chris might not make the Phillies this spring either. So, if you missed Jim Morris a few years back (the real life guy who is portrayed by a dramatically more handsome Dennis Quaid in The Rookie), check out some Phillies games this spring to see another fairy tale story of drive and perseverance.
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