John From Albany – Mets Breakfast Links 4/21/2020

Good morning.  Happy Birthday Jesse Orosco, another plan emerges to play Major League Baseball, Alex Rodriguez and Jessica Lopez try to find partners to buy the Mets, and the Korean Baseball Organization resumes the pre-season.

CBS Sports: MLB discussing three-state plan with one hub in Texas as possible solution to start 2020 season. In this arrangement, the league would have teams stationed in one of three hubs: Florida, Arizona or Texas. Ballparks in St. Petersburg (Florida), Phoenix (Arizona), and Arlington (Texas) each have roofs, retractable or otherwise, that would safeguard against rainouts and other extreme weather, allowing for multiple games to be hosted at those sites per day.

NY Post: Anthony Fauci: MLB could play with fans in stands. Fauci reiterated that MLB’s idea of having a shortened season with games played in one or a handful of cities without any fans and with strict guidelines is a more feasible way to play during the coronavirus pandemic. But another version of the plan could limit the number of fans in a stadium, seat them spread out to observe social distancing rules and make sure they are wearing masks, Fauci said.

NY Post: Yankees fan, Mets fan team up to sue MLB over coronavirus-canceled games. “Baseball fans are stuck with expensive and unusable tickets for unplayable games in the midst of this economic crisis,” the lawsuit said. “Under the pretext of `postponing’ games, at the directive of MLB, teams and ticket merchants are refusing to issue refunds for games which are not going to be played as scheduled — if ever.”

Mets Links:

Yahoo Sports: Report: Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez looking for partners to buy the Mets.

SNY.TV: The power couple retained JPMorgan Chase to raise capital.

Jon Hetman Via Twitter: While Jeter came up w/the $ to buy the Marlins, and A-Rod has a rich partner (J-Lo), a baseball exec/A-Rod skeptic pointed to differences: 1. The Marlins aren’t the Mets (at 1.2B they cost about half as much) 2. The timing for raising $ isn’t good, and 3. Jeter’s rep is pristine.

Mike’s Mets: Monday Musings, Pandemic Edition.

Joe Vasilie Mets 360.com: More than a footnote: The underappreciated Steve Trachsel. 

Centerfield Maz: Jesse Orosco: World Champion Mets Relief Pitcher (1979-1987).

Centerfield Maz: Remembering Mets History (1979): Mets Score Ten Runs On Opening Day '79 In Jesse Orosco's Debut.

Mets.com: Here are 10 fun Mets games to watch right now. David Wright’s last game, Dominic Smith’s end of 2019 Walk off are included. 

Elite Sports NY: New York Mets 1B Pete Alonso has his own vision for the 2020 season. “For me, I would like it because you would have all of us in the same area,” Alonso said of the idea of playing games in Arizona. “You would cut down on travel which would limit outside exposure.”

You Tube Mets Videos: Mets Pitchers Who Rake. Video includes homers by Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom, and Steven Matz.

Metsmerized Online: Marcus Stroman Well-Equipped To Replace Syndergaard In Mets’ Rotation.

Mets.com: Which NL East players could be future skippers?  For the Mets, they suggest Robinson Cano.

LoHud: State of the Mets: How J.D. Davis inserted himself into organization's young core.

NY Post: Mets mailbag: Coronavirus complicating Noah Syndergaard, Michael Conforto’s futures.

Reflections on Baseball: MLB: No more extra-inning games – winner gets decided by a HR Derby.

Metsmerized Online: Mets’ 2017 Rotation Was The Decade’s Worst Outlier. The 2017 staff had the lowest fWar of the decade, 7.9.

The Mets Police: Best Mets By Number: 21 Carlos Delgado.  IMO, Cleon Jones was not too shabby either.

AP News: Stepping up: Mets PA announcer offers kind voice amid virus. The grandson of famed sportscaster Howard Cosell, Colin Cosell, …is crafting audio clips for everyone who asks…has recorded nearly 600 introductions since he began a month ago. They’re about a half-minute each and all done for free.

Metsmerized Online: Mets One Year Wonders: Rickey Henderson’s Last Dynamic Season. Rickey’s 1999 Mets stats: “In 526 plate appearances, Henderson ranked seventh in the league with a .423 on base percentage. He also stole 37 bases and batted .315.”

Mark Berman Blogging Mets: THE List: Top 10* Embarrassing Mets Moments. At first I thought, there’s only ten?  Mark went above ten for good measure. 

Empire Sports Media: New York Mets: Should the Black Jerseys Return? Writer Daniel Marcillo suggests moderation: “The time when teams involved black in their jerseys have passed, but it is always good for a throwback game in the schedule.” 

LoHud.com: Jacob deGrom the ... basketball player? Yes, the Mets ace also starred on the hardwood.

MLB LINKS:

ESPN.com: Louisville Slugger furloughs staff, closes factory and museum.

ESPN.com: Source: Marlins CEO Derek Jeter forgoing $5M salary.

ESPN.com: Michael Jordan's heroics remind Marlins manager Don Mattingly a lot of his boss, Derek Jeter.

AP News: MLB players say pay shouldn’t be cut if empty ballparks.

AP News: MLB can cut pay, lay off managers, coaches starting May 1.

ESPN: Sources: Majority of MLB teams to pay baseball ops staff through May. “The teams that informed baseball operations employees that they will receive paychecks through May include the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays, according to sources.”

Yahoo Sports: A coach's mentorship prepares young baseball players for life, with or without the game.

NY Daily News: MLB return will be 'really tricky' for pitchers: Dave Eiland.

MLB Trade Rumors:

Union, League Spar Over Interpretation Of Agreement On Resumption Of Play.

2020-21 MLB Free Agent Class: Corner Outfielders. Mookie Betts, George Springer lead the list.

Baseball Mexico Blog: LMB PRESIDENT SAYS LIGA MAY PLAY UP TO 84 GAMES.  “There are scenarios to be able to have an 84-game season, 64 games and possibly much shorter scenarios,” [LMB president Horacio] de la Vega stated. “Possibly we will have a single round. Instead of 102 games, we'd do half the season, which is 51 games.”

Asian Baseball:

Joel Sherman NY Post: Inside look at Korean baseball restart that offers hope for MLB. “Exhibition games begin Tuesday — in South Korea.  There will be no spectators. Umpires will be wearing masks. Players will have their temperatures taken as they enter the stadiums. There even are supposed to be rules forbidding spitting and licking fingers…But the third-best league in the world…will take a huge step toward starting a regular season...with all 10 teams graduating from intrasquad games to contests against other teams for the first time since play was shut down by the coronavirus pandemic.”

The Korea Times: S. Korean baseball to return with preseason action this week.

Today in Taiwan’s CBPL –

The Uni Lions take on the Fubon Guardians.  Game starts at 6:30 this morning.  You can stream the game (not in english) here at cpbltv.com or here at Firststage LIVE SPORTS (says free registration required).

Yesterday at Mack’s Mets:

Reese Kaplan -- It's Not the First Season Without Baseball.

Tom Brennan: Re-Run of My Top Prospects Series. Today? 11-15.

Mack’s Blast From The Past: The Morning Report – 4-21-14:  Mack talks about Cesar Puello, the future of Mets Shortstops Luis Guillorme and Amed Rosario and the current SS Ruben Tejada. 

Born on this date:

• Greg Harts (1950)
• Randy Sterling (1951)
• Jesse Orosco (1957)
• Chris Donnels (1966)
• Jeff Keppinger (1980)
• Ronny Paulino (1981)

Transactions:

New York Mets sold Brad Emaus to the Toronto Blue Jays on April 21, 2011.

National Pastime.com:

2010

In a nationally televised afternoon game at Busch Stadium, it takes the Mets 20 innings to beat the Cardinals, 2-1. The six hours and 53 minutes contest ends when Jose Reyes plates the eventual winning run with a sacrifice fly off outfielder-turned-hurler Joe Mather in the top of the inning, and Mike Pelfrey, usually a starting pitcher, gets the final three outs in the bottom of the frame to record his first career save.

2014

Although he breaks his bat on the swing, Ike Davis becomes the first major leaguer to hit a grand slam for two different teams in April when he homers off Mike Leake, helping the Pirates defeat the Reds, 6-5, at PNC Park. Before being traded by the Mets to Pittsburgh earlier in the month, the 27 year-old first baseman went deep against another Cincinnati hurler, J.J. Hoover, for a walk-off slam in the bottom of the ninth at Citi Field.

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