John From Albany – Mets Breakfast Links 4/14/2020

Good Morning.  Jacob deGrom talks about the suspended season, Mike’s Mets is not a fan of simulated games and on this day in Mets’ History, Nolan Ryan records his first win.  

Mike’s Mets talked about “Mets After Coronavirus” and had this observation: “No offense to anyone who finds the simulated baseball season some sort of diversion, I have zero interest in that. I say that as someone who loved and indulged in countless games of Strat-O-Matic as a kid. While a fall tournament wouldn't crown a true champion it would be infinitely more fun to watch than fake baseball.  It would be real baseball.”

Syracuse.com looked at “Who might have taken the field for the Syracuse Mets’ home opener?” Left field: Tim Tebow; Center field: Ryan Cordell; Right field: Jarrett Parker; Third base: Eduardo Nunez; Shortstop: Andres Gimenez; Second base: Max Moroff; First base: Matt Adams; Catcher: Rene Rivera; Starting pitcher: Corey Oswalt.

David Groveman Mets 360.com: Mets Minors: Thomas Szapucki and the impact prospects. David looks at minor league players that could possibly make an impact in 2021 including David Peterson, Andres Gimenez, and Kevin Smith.

NY Post: How Mets are using technology to connect with their players.  This past off-season the Mets hired R. L’Heureux Lewis-McCoy, an associate professor of sociology of education at NYU, to conduct “classes with Mets staff members on how to best communicate with the group of (primarily) millennials that comprises the franchise’s most important asset: Its playing talent.”

Centerfield Maz: Remembering Mets History: (2000) Mike Piazza Has A Career High Five Hit Night. Friday April 14th 2000. 

Centerfield Maz: Remembering Mets History (1972): Mets Remember Gil Hodges- Yogi Berra's Managerial Debut & Shea Wecome Rusty Staub, Saturday April 15th, 1972.

MLB.COM: deGrom on baseball prime, family time and more.  “We miss the game as much as the biggest fans,” deGrom said. “That’s why we play this. We want to be out there competing in front of the fans. That’s what we do this for. I just hope that everybody stays safe, and hopefully things get back to normal and we’re back out there doing what we love, and competing in front of the best fans in baseball.”

NY Post: Mets’ Jacob deGrom is aware of daunting task ahead of him. At the age of 31, Mets ace Jacob deGrom knows the clock is ticking on his so-far brilliant career and the suspended season, due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, isn’t helping.

NY Daily News: When he’s not checking in with Mets pitchers on Zoom these days, Jeremy Hefner takes the hard math problems and comes up with the recreational activities.

You Tube: Tom Seaver talks about his 4/13/67 Major League Baseball debut in the second game of the 1967 season as the Mets faced the Pittsburgh Pirates at Shea Stadium. 

Metsmerized Online: On This Date in 1967, Tom Seaver Makes His Major League Debut.

Elite Sports NY Remember the New York Met: Mike Baxter, ‘The Pride of Whitestone’.

Metsmerized Online: Mets Recent Shortstops Have Mostly Been Homegrown.

Call to the Pen: If MLB plays the season divided into Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues, you can start throwing dirt on the Miami Marlins and New York Mets hopes for 2020. The Grapefruit League East is slated to feature the Washington Nationals, Houston Astros, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, Miami Marlins.

Steve Contursi Reflections On Baseball thinks the division would play out like this: Mets, Nationals, Cardinals, Astros, Marlins.

Metsmerized Online: Mets One Year Wonders: Moises Alou’s Streak Sets Franchise Record. “While the [2007] Mets collapsed that September, Alou’s incredible hitting shouldn’t be forgotten. From Aug. 23 to Sept. 26, Alou slashed .403/.455/.588 with four home runs and 17 RBI. He recorded a hit in 30 straight games, setting the franchise record.”

Mets.com: Mets' Top 5 third basemen: DiComo's take.  1) David Wright; 2) Howard Johnson; 3) Robin Ventura; 4) Wayne Garrett; 5) Hubie Brooks.

MiLB.com: Dave Hoskins broke barriers in Texas League. Right-hander continued integration of Minor League Baseball.

NY Post: Mets hold virtual moment of silence for Post photographer Anthony Causi.

NY Post: 40 of Post sports photographer Anthony Causi's best shots.

Forbs: New Willie Mays Book Gives Much Insight To His Life And Times. The new book is entitled “24: Life Stories and Lessons From the Say Hey Kid.” John Shea, long-time baseball writer at the San Francisco Chronicle co-authored the book along with Mays.

AP News: Game off: Youth baseball leagues scrambling amid pandemic.

Wrigley Wax: RIP Glenn Beckert.

1960’s Baseball: RIP Glen Beckert.

Cards That Never Were: Glenn Beckert.

Yahoo Sports: Braves commit to paying team employees through the end of May.

Yahoo Sports: David Ortiz, John Krasinski surprise Boston hospital workers with free Red Sox tickets for life.

Yahoo Sports: Joe Maddon urges Latinos to heed coronavirus limits through MLB friends.            

The Korea Times: Ex-MLB pitcher Aaron Brooks wants to stick to strengths in 1st KBO season.

Taiwan News: World’s first pro baseball game of 2020 takes place in Taiwan, gets mistaken as China.

Yesterday at Mack’s Mets:

Reese Kaplan -- Mets History, Starting Pitcher Edition.

Mack – First Two Weeks Mets Recap.

Mack’s Blast From The Past comes from April 14, 2012.  R.I.P. - 12-yr.old Eric Lederman.  “A 12-year-old sports fanatic has died in Illinois after being hit in the neck by a baseball while warming up for a game this week…leaving his local community in shock.”

Today in Mets History Per Ultimatemets.com:

Born on this date:

• Mark Bomback (1953)
• Kyle Farnsworth (1976)
• Samuel Taveras (1989) DSL Coach
• Zak Whalin (1995)

Died on this date:

• Tommy Holmes (2008)

Transactions:

New York Mets sold Duke Snider to the San Francisco Giants on April 14, 1964.

New York Mets released Grant Roberts on April 14, 2005.

National Pastime.com:

1976	On the north side of Chicago, Dave Kingman launches a homer down the left field line that hits a house 530 feet from home plate. The Cubs, as well as the home, survive the right-fielder's blast, defeating the Mets in the Wrigley Field contest, 6-5.
2001	The Reds beat Al Leiter and the Mets, 1-0, to set the modern National League mark for not being shut out by an opponent, scoring in their 175th consecutive game. Ironically, the record-breaking contest comes against the last team and pitcher to blank the franchise, a 5-0 defeat at Cinergy Field in a playoff game to determine the NL Wild Card.

2006	At the Mets Team Store beginning today through the April 17 tax deadline, fans can have their taxes done for free by Gilman Ciocia. The Shea TAX-TEAM will also prepare an automatic extension for those who are not ready to file.

Baseball Reference:

1968: At the Astrodome, New York Mets pitcher Nolan Ryan earns the first of his 324 major league victories. The 21-year-old right-hander hurls six and two-thirds innings of three-hit, shutout baseball to lead the Mets over the Houston Astros, 4 - 0. Danny Frisella takes the save in 2 1/3 innings of relief. Tommie Agee goes 2 for 3 with two runs and Art Shamsky 2 for 3 with two RBI. Larry Dierker is the losing pitcher.

1976 - In the 6th inning of today's 6 - 5 loss to Chicago, the Mets' Dave Kingman hits what will become widely regarded as the longest home run ever hit in Wrigley Field, estimated at 600 feet in many of the next day's press accounts, with the putative "paper of record" going as high as 630. Some cold water is applied to these claims by longtime Cubs' broadcaster Jack Brickhouse, speaking in 1982 with Paul Susman of Baseball Digest: "Brickhouse revealed that the ball was greatly helped by a strong wind of about 35 miles per hour. Brickhouse estimated Kingman's blast in reality went about 500 feet." To be fair to Kingman, the Cubs' own scoresheet for this game estimates "530 to 550 feet," which in conjunction with researcher Bill Jenkinson's assertion of 530 feet as the distance between home plate and the point of obstruction, would suggest a typo or simple misreading as the culprit in the inflated Times estimate.

1999: John Franco strikes out the side in the 9th inning of the New York Mets' 4 - 1 win over the Florida Marlins, becoming the second relief pitcher in major league history to reach 400 career saves.

2001: By scoring in their 175th consecutive game, the Cincinnati Reds set a modern National League record for not being shut out by an opponent. Coincidentally, to break the record, Cincinnati beats Al Leiter and the New York Mets, 1 - 0, the last pitcher and team to shut out the franchise.

2011: The Rockies complete a four-game sweep of the Mets by taking both ends of a doubleheader at Citi Field, 5 - 4 and 9 - 4. Troy Tulowitzki leads Colorado's offense by homering in all four games and going 10 for 16 with 8 RBI in the series.

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