Right Down Broadway: The Sunday Edition

Yes, yes, this column floats around from day to day, sometimes on Fridays, sometimes on Sundays, but there's so much to get to that I won't let the first "wise-guy" comment from Mack be the first to point this out- although I WILL point out, for those who don't know, the term "right down broadway" in baseball parlance means "a pitch that is delivered right in the middle of the strike zone." So, from now on, whenever I post one of my "rambling" columns, it'll be called "Right Down Broadway." See, Mack- I FINALLY have a suitable name after only 4 years!!! Now on with the important stuff- BASEBALL!!!

~Tomorrow is the Amateur Draft, and that means we may have another Matt Harvey to dream about on the mound...or another David Wright...or, perish the thought, another Kirk Presley, Steve Chilcott, Butch Benton, Eddie Williams, Shawn Abner, Lee May, Chris Donnels, Alan Zinter, Al Shirley, Ryan Jaroncyk, Robert Stratton, Geoff Goetz or Lastings Milledge (although Milledge is really the only one who even had a small slice of the bigs) - all first round picks of the Mets during the past 45+ years. Why, you might ask, did I only list 1 successful pick and 1 potentially successful pick versus listing 13 first round busts? Well, as you are probably aware, 90% of all players picked in the Amateur Draft will never make it to the big leagues. Therefore, the chances of grabbing a "bust" in the first round (or second, third, etc) is greater than anyone would like to think possible. Under Sandy Alderson, Paul DePodesto & company, the chances of drafting more players who "make it" are, I believe, far greater than they have been in recent years. Again, Omar Minaya deserves credit for a lot of the players who are currently successful in the organization; he also deserves blame for the plethora of players who never made it during his tenure, and they are legion. As I stated in my post a few days ago, this is one of the most exciting times of the baseball season for me, because it truly IS a crap-shoot, with the outcome still years away, and sometimes the thought of what "could be" is more exciting then the reality on the field, each day...although this season, with a team so full of heart and grit, that's not as true this year as it was in season's past.

***One last note about tomorrow's draft- many of us have thought about and speculated about potential "loop-holes" in the new draft regulations. We even thought that it might be possible to sign lesser-talents in various rounds in order to pay larger bonuses to later round picks. Well, the following info comes right from today's NY Times:

The agreement has a protection plan in case a team tries to pull a fast one when the next Harper or Strasburg does come along by choosing to not sign some of the players to increase the amount of the top bonus. If a player fails to sign, his allotment of money is taken out of the team’s pool.

MLB was on top of this before we even got a chance to look at the new regulations, so we're going to have to get used to not grabbing the likes of Philip Evans in the later rounds or lumping all the bonus money into a Strasburg or Harper-type player at the top of the draft.





~I KNEW I loved Gold's Horseradish NOT just because it's so damn good! In today's New York Times, the companies' executive, Marc Gold, is profiled, and he is a rabid Mets fan!! He published a newsletter back in '62, entitled "Met Maze" which he distributed to about 100 fans, before the days of the internet, high-speed copiers, high-quality paper or cellphones, making it that much harder not only to get it into the hands of fans but to actually make it. Gold used his dad's mimeograph machine (look it up if you don't know what it is- it's worth it) to run the copies, and it lasted 7 issues before it started interfering too much with his schoolwork and his mom put the kibosh on it. Gold remains a huge fan and his family's company is a sponsor of the team (including bobbleheads) and, as you can see by the accompanying photo in the article, his office includes many trophies to his fandom. Make sure you give the article a read- it can be found by clicking here.

~I REFUSE to think about the David Wright contract situation any more this season after this post. I am enjoying the actual games so much that I don't want to think about what this team would be like without the third baseman and "defacto captain."  When Wright homered in yesterday's second straight shut-out vs. the World Champion Cards, I jumped up from my chair and screamed. He's the player on this team who represents everything that is great about this game, and whenever he does well, it's an extra special feeling for me, as it is for most long-time Met fans. I truly can't imagine this team without him, and I only pray that he hasn't soured on the organization after so many ups and (mostly) downs. I've posted about this many times, and I'm sure many of you are sick of it by now, but I can't state this enough- DAVID WRIGHT MUST RETIRE A MET- PERIOD!! Okay, that's out of my system, once and for all (OR until it becomes an issue in the media yet again, lol...)

~We are almost at the next "season" in baseball, "trading season." Unlike in year's past, there aren't many GM's licking their chops, waiting to complete deals right now for another team's over-paid stars. Simply put, with the addition of one new Wild Card team in each league, more teams are still "in it" and so there are more "buyers" then "sellers" right now. In the NL & AL East, each of the 10 teams are either at or above .500. Each of them (including the still cash-strapped Mets) can be considered "buyers" as, being bunched so closely together means a key acquisition could be just the thing to put them over the top. I'd love to think the Mets might be in play for another arm for the rotation or bullpen, or another bat off the bench, but finances dictate that probably won't happen. That brings me to my next point:

~Don't expect the Mets to be big spenders any time soon- as in, not before 2014, at the very least. With the Wright contract hanging heavily over their heads, the team's brain-trust has to resolve that issue before moving ahead with any potential deal that might add to their already heavy (for them) payroll. The team is still losing money- just look at all the empty seats still in Citi Field. Remember- those empty seats, whether they are vacant because of season ticket holders who couldn't give the tix away or because they're just not sold, represent not just seat revenue lost, but also parking, food and merchandise revenue that won't be added to their coffers. It's not like the lines at Shake Shack are getting smaller, but it's also not like the team's bank accounts are getting bigger, either. 


The other side of that coin is this- with so many talented pitchers coming through the system, and a number of position players ready soon, too, it behooves Alderson & company to wait it out a bit longer in order to see what they truly have on their hands, from the more "known" quantities of Harvey & Wheeler to the lesser known quantities, like Vaughn, Havens and Tovar, to name but three. They've come very far in a very short time, and I can't see anything changing Alderson's long-term plan for rebuilding this organization the right way, from the ground-up. Keep hanging in there, as I'm sure this will all play out well...


~RA DICKEY IS THE MAN!!! I just have to say that- he's so much fun to watch, and I've always enjoyed watching knucklers pitch. Knuckleballs always make me think about the "Gashouse Gorillas/Bugs Bunny" cartoon, when Bugs makes his "all-purpose pitch" along the likes of Satchel Paige. For those who have never seen the cartoon, here's the best copy I could find. Along with "Who's on First" this is a classic that ALL baseball fans MUST watch!! Enjoy!! (apologies in advance for the skipping in the cartoon- I couldn't find another complete version on fast notice.)

 

~Calling the Santana No-Hitter just reminds us, once again, how lucky Met fans are to have the Cohen-Darling-Hernandez trio in the booth and Howie Rose on the radio. I've said it before, many times, and I'll say it again, many more- this is the best announcing team in baseball- period!!

~Congrats to long-time Met reliever, New York (Brooklyn) native, and former St. John's Redmen great, John Franco, who is to be inducted into the NY Mets Hall-of-Fame this evening. 276 of Franco's 424 career saves came with the Mets, and he will always be known for his embracing Police Officers and Firemen in the wake of the 9/11 tragedy. Congrats, John, and welcome to the hall!!

~Finally, on a personal note, I want to wish former Mets' GM and current MLB on XM Host, Jim Duquette, great success tomorrow as this hero donates a kidney to his 10-year old daughter,  Lindsey. The surgery will take place at Johns Hopkins tomorrow, and as the husband of a kidney-donation recipient, I know all too well the stress leading up to the operation, the angst of the operation itself, and the challenges faced after the surgery is finished. We at Mack's Mets wish the Duquette family nothing but GREAT SUCCESS tomorrow- our thoughts and prayers will be with you - and Jim has already hit a "home run" in the dad department!!!!

Have a great Sunday and, as always, LET'S GO METS!!!! 

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OOPS- forgot to add one more thing-  Phil Taylor's columns in Sports Illustrated have become my favorite part of the magazine. He's also a long-suffering Met-fan, and he wrote a great piece on Johan's No-Hitter on SI.com. You can read the whole article by clicking here.

Two great excerpts from Taylor's column:

After 50 years and 8,019 games, the great Johan Santana finally gave Mets fans a birthday of their own, throwing a gutty no-hitter against the Cardinals in an 8-0 Mets' win. I can tell you that Santana's masterpiece goes right up there with the Mets' World Series titles in 1969 and '86 as the greatest moments in franchise history, and that's because of the wait. The next one -- if there ever is another one -- won't feel as grand as this.

 and

We have proof that sometimes the roulette wheel stops on blue-and-orange, that we're as likely as anyone else to stumble into good fortune. We've always said "Ya Gotta Believe." After Friday night, we really do.

That, fittingly, is the "Final Word" on Santana's no-hitter for today...