Craig Mitchell - Mitchell's Musings

 

Mitchell’s Musings

TWICE IN A LIFETIME….

The Franchise

deGrom 2014

Who’d a thunk it? In my years as a Met fan, I have had the privilege to have front row seats to witness the reigns of “The Franchise” Tom Seaver and the phenomenon that is Jacob deGrom. The Mets have always been gifted with some extraordinary pitching. Any Met fan worth his salt can mention a roster of exceptional pitchers. They include: Jerry Koosman, Nolan Ryan, Doc Gooden, David Cone, Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard and I could name more. But Seaver and deGrom stand high above them all. Yes, Gooden had the most impressive splash for a young pitcher in recent memory going 41-13 in his first two seasons, but Doc couldn’t sustain his elite status despite that super-human start so he falls short of the rare air occupied by Seaver and deGrom. As a pre-teen I remember the excitement I felt all day in school when I knew Tom Terrific was on the hill. I knew the Mets had a great shot at winning and thanks to his.615 lifetime winning percentage with the Amazins, that trust was well kept.

Watching Seaver was a clinic each and every time. The ultimate professional. He was the surgeon, the mound was his operating room and precision was his mastery. The wind up, the right knee with the scuff of mound dirt and the ball exploding out of his right hand. Images etched in my mind forever. Enter Jake. A tall and lanky ex-shortstop from Stetson University. He came up in 2014 and I just thought he was a random AAA spot starter. I was blindsided. So was baseball. From day one deGrom was exceptional. The novelty with deGrom is that he continues to build and get better and better. Every pitcher has his apex, but Jake is still ascending.

 

deGrom 2019

For me it’s deja-vu watching Jake go out there every 5^th day. “It’s Jake Day” is a common exclamation on social media. Met fans get jacked cause they know Jake is gonna bring something special. It’s impossible not to compare pitchers, but for me I’m comparing experiences too. If Seaver was the surgeon, then deGrom is the Machine. deGrom is the model of perfectly repeated mechanics that flow with ease and the results continue to be consistently amazing. I am soaking this up. For me, this is very much like a second coming. I am well aware that just seeing one of these amazing athletes pitch every 5^th day was a gift. Experiencing this twice, is just...words escape me. How about very, very special?

 FOR PETE’S SAKE….

I did something this past weekend that I want to share. To re-state the obvious I have bled the Mets orange and blue for 51 years and counting. If anyone asks me who my favorite Met is right now I’ll answer Pete Alonso. All time? Tom Seaver. However, if they ask this jaded life-long Met fan who his favorite player of all time is…I answer without hesitation Pete Rose. This weekend on a whim, perhaps

Rose on Cameo

out of a little bit of insanity, I ordered a “Cameo” video from Pete Rose. There was no special occasion. No special reason for spending the money. When you order a “Cameo” you give “instructions” to the celebrity. You click a check box for what occasion (if any) and you type a limited note to the person. I took that opportunity to tell Pete what was in my heart. I’ve always wanted to meet him and with the pandemic that’s probably not going to happen anytime soon. Pete’s 80 now and I wanted to reach out and share with him my admiration. I told him, to me, he is baseball. Growing up, I was built like Pete, I became a switch-hitter like Pete and I played like him. I ran all my walks out to first base. I never gave up an at bat and I always hustled. I believe Pete should be in the Hall of Fame as a player. I also believe what he did was terrible. Gambling on baseball can not be condoned or ignored. But as time has gone on, I still think Pete should be inducted as a player! Give him a plaque and slap a whole paragraph on how he was banned from baseball for his infraction. I’m not even saying to unban him! His excellence as a player. As teammate. As the All-Time Major League leader in base hits should be formally acknowledged. He deserves to be in. No ceremony, no speech. Just put the man in. He’s in his twilight years. Give Pete at least that much. I know many who are absolutely 1000% against this. His crime is unforgivable and irredeemable. To those I say this. Baseball is run by hypocrites. Just look at how many signs for DRAFT KINGS you see on broadcasts, ballparks and their commercials on the MLB Network (I haven’t had that network in a while, but their presence was over-whelming a couple of years ago.) Baseball seems to be getting cozy with gamblers. Say what you will, but that’s what Draft Kings is….A gambling site. Fine. Pete broke the sacred rule. Baseball seems to be bending that same rule. Bend a little more and give Pete a plaque. Before it’s too late. Before Pete’s gone.  

WHAT ARE THE ODDS?

Courtesy of Gary Axelbank

As I was writing this piece, the Mets were taking on the Red Sox at Citi Field. Now while the Mets flagship network, SNY isn’t the MLB. They seem to have no problem in accommodating sports gamblers. You can see that clearly in a screen capture (on the right) that was shared on the Fans of GKR Facebook group page by Gary Axelbank. There it is. Right under Todd Zeile’s chin. The bookmaker odds of David Peterson getting the win in the game. No hemming and hawing. Right out there boldly in the open. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not a prude and now and then in my past I absolutely gambled on sports. And not just 13 run pools or those weekly football tickets. I actually called a bookmaker and bet on all the big four sports. I don’t anymore. Not because it’s illegal or immoral. But to be honest, I sucked at it. That’s neither here nor there. There will always be sports gambling, legally endorsed or under the table. Only now MLB seems to have no problem getting into bed with sports gambling these days. Hey, there’s money to be had and that pandemic probably took a big bite out of the games bank accounts. Even so, I just find it so hypocritical. Not only for the reasons I pointed out above with Pete Rose, but baseball seems to have done a very quiet and sneaky 180 on sports gambling and it gets under my craw. I remember in 1983 when two legends Willie Mays

Ueberroth, Mays & Mantle

and Mickey Mantle, just looking to supplement their incomes, (both played many years before the age of the huge contracts), took jobs being “greeters” for Atlantic City Casinos. Well, then commissioner Bowie Kuhn had himself a conniption. He demanded both of them to quit their jobs because working in a Casino was NOT the image that baseball wanted to portray. If they didn’t, he would ban them from baseball. Well Mantle and Mays needed the money and ignored Kuhn and true to his word, he banned them. Two of the biggest legends of baseball banned from the game they helped make great. Not for gambling, mind you. But for working in casinos. Pretty damn harsh. Kuhn was gone in 1984 and replaced by Peter Ueberroth who, in 1985, reinstated both Micky and Willie. However, Mr. Rose actually bet on baseball while an active manager. That is much more egregious and 

The Black Sox

I believe his ban was justified as I stated above. I just feel that with baseball embracing the streams of revenue from companies like Draft Kings, that to act all holier than thou and sanctimonious on this topic just reeks of having your cake and eating it too. I wonder what the banned members of the 1919 White Sox would say if they saw baseball supporting and profiting off of sports gambling. It’s too late for them. But baseball should squat or get off the pot. If they are going to continue to support gambling put Pete Rose in the hall. Don’t let him be another Shoe-less Joe Jackson wandering the cornfield in Iowa for eternity without that honor. Do the right thing. Ueberroth did it with Mays and Mantle. Do it with Pete. Oh by the by. If you bet on Peterson….you lost.