John From Albany – Mets Breakfast Links 5/21/2020

Good Morning, Happy Birthday Copiague’s own Hank Webb, it is the Anniversary of the Dae-Sung Koo game,  and Joel Sherman opines about the Baseball return negotiations.

Section Links: Mets Links, MLB Links, Minor League Links, Asian Baseball Links, and This Day in Mets History.         

Joel Sherman NY Post: MLB’s intensifying feud with union can’t end like this. “There are owners who would rather not play than add to their 2020 losses. If MLB doesn’t blink, then the staredown becomes mutual suicide. Should the sport somehow receive the governmental and medical blessings to play and then doesn’t due to a financial stalemate, then the reputations of leadership on both sides will be destroyed forever and the damage to the game will register between immense and irreparable, a result ruinous to both sides.”

Mets Links:

NY Post: Darryl Strawberry: Leaving Mets ‘biggest mistake’ of my career.

SNY.TV: Mets' Dominic Smith details unique way that Luis Rojas helped motivate him as a minor leaguer. “Rojas told Dominic Smith he needed to bring more energy to him game, since the level of competition was only going to increase as Smith rose through the system. But the left-handed slugger needed a little extra motivation, and Rojas came up with a plan.  "I didn't know this, but they had an intern film me the whole time," said Smith. "Just me, like me walking around the dugout, me walking on the field, me running out ground balls. And I kid you not, it was pretty embarrassing to see.”

Mike Puma NY Post: Short season could help Mets’ oft-injured Michael Wacha.

Mets 360.com: Bartolo Colon wants the Mets to go down memory lane.

Mike’s Mets talks “About Time” and “Fun with Numbers”.

Faith and Fear in Flushing: Mora in America: Melvinnium Approaches.

Centerfield Maz: Remembering Mets History (5/212015) Jacob deGrom One Hits Cards & Ks Season High 11 Batters.

Centerfield Maz: Remembering Mets History (5/21/2000): Super Joe McEwing's Big Day.

Rising Apple: Former New York Mets Matt Harvey, Bartolo Colon, and Francisco Rodriguez are all free agents hoping to pitch in 2020. Will any get a shot?

Rising Apple: Mets could consider trading Matt Adams to an NL team in need of a DH.

Metsmerized Online: MMO Exclusive: Mets Relievers Jeurys Familia and Dellin Betances.

MLB LINKS:

Bob Nightengale USA Today: Opinion: MLB and players must play ball and immediately settle economic dispute.

CBS Sports: Tom Glavine: MLB players could take the blame if 2020 season doesn't happen.

AP News: An unusual ring to it: Nats opt for virtual Series ceremony.

AP News: Rangers prefer new home over Arizona for 2nd spring training.

MLB Trade Rumors: The First Five No. 1 Picks. 1966 – Steve Chilcott, C, Mets; 1968 – Tim Foli, SS, Mets.

CBS Spots: Every NL team's biggest 'what if' of the 21st century: Steve Bartman, A-Rod as a Met and more. “Had the Mets signed A-Rod, they may have traded shortstop prospect Jose Reyes for help elsewhere on the roster. Or maybe they keep Reyes and never sign Kaz Matsui. Do they sign Carlos Beltran a few years later or avoid another big contract? Given how crummy the Mets were from 2001-04, it's entirely possible A-Rod's time there would've played out like his time in Texas. Great player on a bad team who eventually forced his way out”.

Minor League Links:

Milb.com: Did you know? Eastern League edition.  Binghamton Rumble Ponies – “Rod Serling grew up in Binghamton, and a memorial plaque in the city's downtown honors him as an "award-winning dramatist, playwright and lecturer" as well as, of course, "creator of The Twilight Zone." Over the years, Binghamton's baseball team has paid tribute to Serling with a variety of promotions. In 2017, the Rumble Ponies took the field in The Twilight Zone theme jerseys, paying homage to a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity”.

Newsday.com: Ducks president says Bethpage Ballpark is likely to have a reduced capacity if fans are allowed this year.

Centre Daily.com: State College community comes together to ‘Light Up the Night’ for seniors, COVID-19 heroes.

In March at the @Mets #SpringTraining camp, prospect Ryder Ryan joined @AlyssaRose to discuss his “leave it all on the field” mindset that his dad instilled in him. #Mets #LGM pic.twitter.com/DaPOQIafNp

— Mets Farm Report (@MetsFarmReport) May 19, 2020

Asian Baseball:

Good game yesterday for Chris Flexen, 8 innings, 1 run, 10Ks, 4 hits and he helped Doosan beat the NC Dinos 2-1 in 11 innings.  (Box score).

Drew Gagnon, also had a good game yesterday,  6 shutout innings, 2 hits, 9 Ks in the 6-0 Kia Tigers win over the Lotte Giants.  (Box Score). 

Aaron Altherr is back in CF today for the NC Dinos, 1 for 2 so far. (Box score).

Here is KBO’s Scoreboard.

The games in the CPBL were rained out today.

Yesterday at Mack’s Mets:

Reese Kaplan -- 3 Shutdown Season Mets All-Stars.

Mack – Draft News – Max Meyer, Andy Thomas, Carmen Mlodzinski, Nick Lofton, Drew Romo.

Syracuse Mets Partner with Dunkin’ to Bring Coffee and Donuts to Workers at COVID-19 Testing Sites in Syracuse.

Mack’s Blast From The Past from 5/21/14: Morning Report – May 21st - Stephen Drew, Greg Peavey, CitiField, Matt Harvey. ”

Today in Mets History Per Ultimatemets.com:

Born on this date:

• Hank Webb (1950)
• Tom Martin (1970)

Died on this date:

• Grover Powell (1985)

Transactions:

New York Mets released Bartolome Fortunato on May 21, 2006.

New York Yankees signed Rene Rivera of the New York Mets as a free agent on May 21, 2010.

National Pastime.com: 

1969

The Mets are at .500 at the latest point of the season in team history. The 18-18 record is reached when Tom Seaver blanks the Braves at Atlanta Stadium, 5-0.

2005

When Dae-Sung Koo bats against Randy Johnson, Mike Piazza confides to David Wright in the dugout, "If he gets a hit, I'll donate a million dollars to charity." The Korean reliever, batting lefty off the Yankee fire-balling southpaw and who was afraid to stand in the batter's box in a previous game, promptly hits a 91-mph fastball to the wall in center for a double, causing the Mets catcher to remark he'll be making a significant donation to a charity over the next 20 years.

2008

"It's been a lot of negative stuff going on around here and I've been feeling some of that and I was just expressing how I felt at the time, but it wasn't anything to do with race. I wasn't trying to bring race into it. I probably should have thought more about what I was going to say." - Mets manager Willie Randolph Willie Randolph apologizes for his negative remarks concerning SNY's coverage of him as the Mets skipper. The first black major league manager hired in New York had brought up race when asked about the way he is being portrayed by the team's TV network.

Baseball Reference:

1975 - The Reds, entering the game with a 20-20 record, five games behind the first-place Dodgers, come from behind to beat Tom Seaver and the Mets, 11 - 4. Cincinnati will go on to win 41 of 50 games and run away with the National League West title.

2012 - Brandon Morrow pitches a three-hit shutout for the Blue Jays, who beat the Mets, 2 - 0. Morrow is now 5-2 with a pair of shutouts and a 2.63 ERA after signing a long-term contract in the off-season.

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