Random Thoughts...

Some parting thoughts on Tony Bernazard for starters...

His actions were laughable most of the time, but downright egregious on many occassions. A big deal has been made about his shirtless locker room tirade and infantile temper tantrum behind home plate. Personally, I think his history of overt preferential treatment towards Latin American players and overall unprofessional manner in which he handled himself did alot more damage to the Mets franchise than his most recent misgivings. Needless to say, dozens of minor leaguers (and a handful of big leaguers if what I've read is true) have a little spring in their step today now that Tony is gone.
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I read Mack's snippet on Josh Appell and just wanted to pass on my congratulations to Josh for making the transition from baseball to the "real world" as seamlessly as he has. An Ivy-Leaguer with a nasty slider and great work ethic, Josh was a great teammate and damn fine ballplayer and I'm happy to see that his success in life has transcended sport. All the best Josh
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I got an email from Wally Murphy who wanted to know about Minor Leaguers' preference for bats, specifically how a player chose what to use and what was available to us through the Mets Equipment managers.
Wally, when I was playing, the Mets had contracts with Louisville Slugger and BWP, and we had a choice of all different sizes and models, ranging from 33 - 34 inches in length and usually between a 2 and 3 ounce differential in weight. All the most popular models (C271, C243, R161, etc) in maple and in ash were available and I'll give credit to the Mets Clubhouse staff because wood was always something we had access to. I've heard horror stories about former teammates in the Tigers, Royals, and Devil Rays organization who told me getting new lumber was like pulling teeth, and you had to prove that the bats were broken in a game situation to be allowed to have a new one. The Mets were much more liberal and we could swap lumber in and out as we needed. This didn't stop us clever vets from pulling out the old stool trick (placing a bat handle on the club house stool and snapping the bat in order to obtain a fresh one) to get what we needed. Gear was always one of the perks of playing in a big market franchise.

That's just what the organization provided for us, but since alot of the wood we got wasn't top quality, most players would establish equipment contracts through their agents to get better quality wood. Old Hickory, Marucci and Max Bats were personal favorites of alot of my teammates because of how solid the maple was. A shout out to Carlos Guzman and DJ Wabick who always had the sickest maples around. Purists will stick with the Ash bats, but it always seemed like the ball jumped a little harder off of the maple bats and in my final years, the trend towards maple was in full swing.

The best time of year to stock up on lumber was definitely spring training because the minor league clubhouse in St. Lucie had all the leftovers from what the big leaguers didn't take up north. Slipping past the watchful eye of Kevin Kierst, the Mets equipment manager down in Florida, to snag a souvenir for the family back home was a common practice amongst us Extended Camp indentured servants. I still have my Paul LoDuca and Cliff Floyd pro grade maples hanging up on the wall of my new home

Thanks for the question Wally
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