Mack’s Morning Report – 2-3-14 – Beat Reporter, Tracy McGrady, Emilio Bonifacio, Astrodome, LAD TXs

Coming Up Later Today –

            11am – Christopher Soto - MM's Top 25- The Not Quite Top 25

             2pm –  Craig Mitchell - The Legacy of the Lost 1st Baseman

Ex-Mets –

            IF Josh Rodriguez (2013 AA-Bing: .272/.371/.390) signs with Miami

            C Lucas May (2012 AAA-Buf: .215/.245/.348) signs with Milwaukee

Beat Reporter –

So you say you want to be a beat reporter. Do you know what the life is really like? Are you ready to travel? You’ll have to travel like you never have. Prepare to spend more than 120 nights in a hotel in your average work year. Prepare to get really used to sleeping in an unfamiliar bed in each of those nights. The Cincinnati Enquirer’s C. Trent Rosecrans was surprised to find he sleeps better in a double on the road despite having a king at home, and the San Francisco Chronicle’s Hank Schulman has always had insomnia issues, but “they get worse on the road because of sleeping in different beds.” http://www.hardballtimes.com/so-you-want-to-be-a-beat-writer.../

Tracy McGrady –

The Katy Rocket has been working with a former Rocket on the art of pitching, but it’s unclear if Tracy McGrady is ready to take the mound for the Sugar Land Skeeters. Seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens, who is a special assistant with the Astros, has worked with McGrady on his pitching.Former Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy told a television audience on Friday night that his “sources” tell him McGrady is throwing 90-mph and is likely to pitch for an independent team. http://blog.chron.com/ultimateastros/2014/02/01/rocket-works-with-former-rocket-mcgrady-on-pitching/

Emilio Bonifacio –

I probably owe most of you an apology. I think I was the first one to post up the fact that Bonifacio was assigned outright. I made no reference to the Mets and suggested nothing about picking him up. I just wanted everyone else to know he was available either through a trade or a simple pickup. Well, the Mets word went bonkers maining because there really isn’t anything more excitied to write about these days Do me a favor… don’ give me credit if the Mets sgn him Just remember I posted the original release.

My opinion – wouldn’t couldn’t, shoulda… (do you really think I’d be writing about this if I had something new about the Mets?).

Larry Dierker -

           The first time I saw the Astrodome crouched ignominiously in the shadow of Reliant Stadium, I was deflated. It looked so puny. Then, as I drove into the parking lot, up near what Astros owner Judge Roy Hofheinz modestly called the Eighth Wonder of the World, I was even more disappointed. It was filthy. Over the years, the iconic building has changed a lot. I was 18 when I first laid eyes on it in 1965. We decamped spring training and flew to Houston for an exhibition game with the Yankees in that inaugural season. The sun had set, but the lights were on, creating a soft glow on the flat horizon. Before Reliant, that part of Houston was all Dome. I remember crossing the concourse, passing through a tunnel leading to the field-box seats. The interior of the stadium was breathtakingly beautiful, like a huge flying saucer. I thought I had just walked into the next century. http://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/article/Dierker-Astrodome-deserved-better-than-sharing-5197447.php?t=7a5405c2fbcba496f0&t=7a5405c2fbd8ff4dd2

Toby Hyde on Phil Regan –

Part of Regan’s program are daily meeting with his pitchers and catchers to discuss the hitting habits of the batter’s on the opposing team. Working together Regan and his young battery mates formulate a game plan then massage it with adjustments along the way. To my way of thinking, it was the Mets good fortune when Phil Regan swooped into Port St. Lucie and took the reins of their High Single-A pitching destiny. Regan’s baseball wisdom, courageous patience, and propensity to help young pitchers develop a mental approach on the mound are the perfect mix for young students. Phil Regan is a sage pitching mentor, the perfect teacher to help young Met prospects climb the minor league ladder toward Citi Field. http://metsminors.net/phil-regan-mentoring-and-teaching-the-mets-pitching-prospects/


LA TX Sales –

           When the Dodgers announced late Friday that they had put an "extremely limited" number of season tickets on sale, they did not say they had imposed significant price increases on nearly every one of those tickets.The Dodgers now are charging as much as 140% more than the season price set last fall. They increased the price in each of the 20 ticket categories made available Friday, and by at least 50% in 10 of them. While it is common for a pro sports team to raise prices on season tickets each year, it is highly unusual for a team to raise those prices twice within a year. Among the price hikes: field box MVP from $75 per game/$6,150 for the season to $100/$8,200; infield loge box value from $26/$2,132 to $40/$3,280; and preferred reserve value from $5/$410 to $12/$984. - www.latimes.com/sports/dodgersnow/la-sp-dn-dodgers-raise-season-ticket-prices-140-percent-20140201,0,5118954.story#ixzz2s8Gmj0ub

Mind you, we don’t think that buying a championship is always the answer to finding success — nor the only one. But a team with the image of being cheap, particularly in the league’s biggest market, is usually not going to come close to fulfilling its potential on the field. How else can you explain the Mets being outbid by a team near the bottom of the salary scale, not once but twice (the Tampa Bay Rays on James Loney and Grant Balfour)? Even in the dark days of M. Donald Grant, the team hasn’t had such a prolonged period of marketing inferiority, bordering on invisibility. http://www.nj.com/times-sports/index.ssf/2014/02/federovitch_mets_still_coming.html

Juan Lagares –

           Another Mets rumor that seems to have gotten it’s legs in the blog world is that last year’s centerfield wonder, Juan Lagares, may now be odd man out and could return to AAA-Las Vegas for the 2014 season. For him, that would sure suck. He had the best defensive season of his life and then hit the snot off the ball in the winter leagues. I can’t think of much more he could do at this point to impress the brass, but it looks like Lagares has come up with one more. He now has joined his good buddy, Ruben Tejada, at the Michigan fat camp that also is babysitting Lucas Duda and Wilmer Flores.

           We all know the secret of success for Lagares’ game… hit big in spring training.