January 7, 2021
Here we are welcoming in a new year with the expectations
that this will be a better year f0r all of us.
As an original Mets fan, it’s the first time since the Cashen years that
I truly feel optimistic about the team’s future.
Thought I would start the year off by getting a few
things off my chest.
MLB
status granted to Negro Leagues. The decision to recognize
the Negro Leagues as a Major League has been met with almost universal
acclaim. Without question, some of the
best players all time played in the Negro Leagues and were sadly prevented from
displaying their wares in the majors.
Thirty five former Negro League players are enshrined in the Hall of
Fame. I have no doubt that a team of
barnstorming all-star Negro players was very competitive with their all-white
major league counterparts. In my view,
the Negro Leagues were at best equivalent to Double A. Seven leagues with a handful of stars generally
dominating inferior competition. Maybe
the next move should be to elevate the Japanese League to major league status
as well.
Under
the Grapefruit Tree - Watched this documentary about the trials
and tribulations faced by CC Sabathia over his long and storied career. Being the sports fanatic that I am, I felt
compelled to watch this film. However,
I’m not certain what Sabathia was hoping to accomplish by baring his soul. Without question, he is a future hall of
famer – his statistics support a first ballot selection. What I see is a 6’6” 300 pound athlete who
earned in excess of $200 million during his playing days. He traces his addiction to alcohol to
traumatic events during his lifetime.
According to him he needed a drink to celebrate good fortune and another
drink when misfortune fell. Growing up
in Brooklyn in the 40’s and 50’s I was surrounded by family and friends whose
main entertainment was visiting the local bar – there was one on every
corner. I’m no stranger to alcoholism.
And those who were addicted would periodically go cold turkey before reverting
back.
For Sabathia to be called courageous for
entering a re-hab facility and a hero for completing the program is a
sham. There was nothing courageous about
doing something that he should have done decades earlier. I do not applaud him and do not consider him
a hero. Leaving his team just before the
ACL series was not a courageous act. It had to be evident to those familiar
with him that Sabathia had a long-term problem.
Where was his support team ranging from ownership, managers and coaches,
team-mates and family?
Tom Seaver – A Terrific Life by Bill Madden – One of my sons gifted this
book to me as a Christmas present. After
reading the first 100 pages I th0ught Madden should have titled the book “St. George Thomas”. Once past the opening pages, Madden gives us
a fair portrait of a complex individual who became known as “The
Franchise”. It’s a vivid trip down
memory lane. Seaver was the product of a
privileged background and he was elitist, arrogant, self-centered, etc. –
generally not the nicest guy in the locker-room. But he clearly was one of the
best pitchers of all time. A true
student of the game as demonstrated by his ability to control a game. The more I read about Seaver the more I can
appreciate Jacob deGrom. Jake is the
true heir apparent – a thinking man’s pitcher who can dominate the opposition
even when he doesn’t have his best stuff.
I recommend this book to all Mets fans. It’s a reminder that, with few exceptions,
ownership has allowed a toxic atmosphere to permeate the clubhouse. Thankfully, the future looks bright.
By the way, has anyone sampled the Cabernet from GTS
Vineyards?
Ray
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