At MetsBlog, Anthony DeRosa provides a link and an excerpt of an article about former Met and current Indians pitcher Roberto Hernandez, who apparently grew up as a Mets fan.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Transplanted Ex-Mets Update: Wally Backman
Newsday has a story in today's paper about 1986 Mets second baseman Wally Backman, who's taking his first step back into the game since being fired before he was hired as manager of the D'Backs two and a half years ago. He'll be manager of the independent minor league squad, the South Georgia Peanuts. The team is part of a new league called the South Coast League. It's a nice story about a guy whose name invokes nice memories from all of us who remember the 1986 World Champion Mets.
SNY has a story about Backman's return to baseball as well.
SNY has a story about Backman's return to baseball as well.
Goldfingers Delivers!
Toasty Joe, Jason, Dan at Hot Foot and of course the incomparable MetsBlog all do great jobs at capturing the Mets 8-1 conquest over the last place Phillies. Goldfingers hit two bombs, Wright extended his hitting streak, and Mr. Glavine reached win #29something. More newsworthy was Charlie Manuel's meltdown after the game. This guy has to get his psyche together, man. Not good. Not good at all. More telling to me was Aaron Rowand's post game quote. In less than a month, the team has gone from a player proclaiming themselves the team to beat, to another player saying he guarantees they'll be better than the 1997 Phillies, who went 68-94.
Mets (8-4) Over Phillies (3-9), score: 8-1
ESPN Recap
Mike V's Met Of The Game: Moises Alou
Tonight we'll see John Maine face the Florida team that plays in Dolphin Stadium. Unfortunately he'll have to match Dontrelle Willis pitch for pitch if he wants to get a win. Willis is on fire, looking to tie Babe Ruth's all-time April record tonight.
Transplanted ex-Mets to watch out for: Mike Jacobs, Jorge Julio, Henry Owens.
Options for out-of-market fans: Unless you live in Flordia, you're pretty much screwed for this two-game series. I don't have XM Radio, which boasts "every team, every game" in their ads, but ESPN's schedule says neither game is carried. Can someone out there shed some light on this? Try channel 185. If you have Extra Innings on DirecTV, tonight's game is carried on channel 740. Tomorrow night's affair is also on 740, and in HD on channel 741. If you don't have access to Extra Innings, you'll have to stick with Gameday Audio or MLB TV on the internets.
Mets (8-4) Over Phillies (3-9), score: 8-1
ESPN Recap
Mike V's Met Of The Game: Moises Alou
Tonight we'll see John Maine face the Florida team that plays in Dolphin Stadium. Unfortunately he'll have to match Dontrelle Willis pitch for pitch if he wants to get a win. Willis is on fire, looking to tie Babe Ruth's all-time April record tonight.
Transplanted ex-Mets to watch out for: Mike Jacobs, Jorge Julio, Henry Owens.
Options for out-of-market fans: Unless you live in Flordia, you're pretty much screwed for this two-game series. I don't have XM Radio, which boasts "every team, every game" in their ads, but ESPN's schedule says neither game is carried. Can someone out there shed some light on this? Try channel 185. If you have Extra Innings on DirecTV, tonight's game is carried on channel 740. Tomorrow night's affair is also on 740, and in HD on channel 741. If you don't have access to Extra Innings, you'll have to stick with Gameday Audio or MLB TV on the internets.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Back To What Matters - Actual Game Tonight! (Maybe)
Those of us hoping to see an O'Perez vs. Adam Eaton rematch won't get our wish, due to the back to back rainouts, and instead tonight's matchup is Mr. Thomas Glavine against the 2007 debut of Freddy Garcia. Garcia, who was 17-9 for the White Sox last season, was acquired over the winter in a trade, but found himself on the DL with bicep tendinitis before his season could get started. Depending on how healthy Garcia is, tonight could be a good matchup of pitchers. However, the game is being played in Citizens Bandbox Park, so hopefully the Mets can find their homerun stroke, get Garcia out early, and have a crack against the Wiphbeaters pitipful 'pen.
Of course there's still the minor issue of rain once again. Please oh please get this game in tonight! Debating the merits and history of Neil Diamond has gotten old...
Of course there's still the minor issue of rain once again. Please oh please get this game in tonight! Debating the merits and history of Neil Diamond has gotten old...
The Red Sox "Stole" Sweet Caroline From A Canadian Beer Ad!
Beautiful Girls came out in 1996.
Wedding DJ's conducted Bum Bum Bum sing-a-longs as early as 1997.
This beer commercial is from 2001.
The Red Sox started playing the song nightly in 2002.
The Mets, as do the Rangers, have every right to play it, for the simple reason that it's fun, as pointed out by Fafif's Greg in the comments section.
I Was Going To Go With The Theory That His Quotes Were Probably Taken Out Of Context...
...but now I'm just going to pretend I didn't read this.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Transplanted ex-Mets Update: DL Comings and Goings
You just knew it would happen. Off to a hot start with the Rockies, hitting .361 with 5 stolen bases in 11 games, Kaz Matsui is headed to the disabled list with back spasms.
Over in the American League, Jim Duquette's attempt to re-form the 2001 Mets takes a step forward as Jay Payton may be ready to join the Orioles lineup as soon as Friday. Payton had been out with a strained hamstring.
Over in the American League, Jim Duquette's attempt to re-form the 2001 Mets takes a step forward as Jay Payton may be ready to join the Orioles lineup as soon as Friday. Payton had been out with a strained hamstring.
Hot Foot: Transplanted ex-Mets Update
Over at Hot Foot, Devon Edwards posts an update on the whereabouts of nine members of the 2003 Mets, including Timo Perez, Vance Wilson, and Jason Phillips.
Boston Doesn't Own Neil Diamond
A lot has been made around the blogosphere about the Mets "ripping off" the Red Sox "tradition" of having a Sweet Caroline sing-a-long late in the game. Matt Cerrone is embarrassed by it. Mets Grrl created a banner to protest it. Brooklyn Met Fan says it's horrendous.
Personally, I think this is much ado about nothing.
First of all, the Red Sox did not invent this tradition. Yes, it was made a little bit more famous in the movie Fever Pitch, but they only started playing the song at Fenway in 1998, so it's not like this is something Ted Williams used to lead the crowd in between innings or something. In fact, it's only since 2002 that playing the song became a nightly affair. I really think the craze of screaming BUMP BUMP BUM SO GOOD! SO GOOD! became really popular after the 1996 movie Beautiful Girls. That's when wedding DJ's around the country started playing it during parties. My buddy and I used to have a DJ business in the late 90's and we played that song all the time. So maybe the Red Sox ripped off me and Tubby !
Look I wish the Mets would bring back Curly Shuffle too. I'm permanently scarred from any music that reminds me of my wedding DJ days, so I don't care if I ever hear Sweet Caroline ever again, or the Electric Slide or the Macarena or the god-forsaken Chicken Dance for that matter.
But to worry about which team came up with the idea of playing a song from 1969 by Neil Friggin Diamond in a stadium is just silly. And by the way, Neil Diamond is from Brooklyn. So there. Don't fret for a minute about taking the Jackie Robinson Expressway up to Shea and singing Sweet Caroline to your heart's content, OK? But if you want to sing Paradise By The Dashboard Light, I'll catch you in the parking lot.
Personally, I think this is much ado about nothing.
First of all, the Red Sox did not invent this tradition. Yes, it was made a little bit more famous in the movie Fever Pitch, but they only started playing the song at Fenway in 1998, so it's not like this is something Ted Williams used to lead the crowd in between innings or something. In fact, it's only since 2002 that playing the song became a nightly affair. I really think the craze of screaming BUMP BUMP BUM SO GOOD! SO GOOD! became really popular after the 1996 movie Beautiful Girls. That's when wedding DJ's around the country started playing it during parties. My buddy and I used to have a DJ business in the late 90's and we played that song all the time. So maybe the Red Sox ripped off me and Tubby !
Look I wish the Mets would bring back Curly Shuffle too. I'm permanently scarred from any music that reminds me of my wedding DJ days, so I don't care if I ever hear Sweet Caroline ever again, or the Electric Slide or the Macarena or the god-forsaken Chicken Dance for that matter.
But to worry about which team came up with the idea of playing a song from 1969 by Neil Friggin Diamond in a stadium is just silly. And by the way, Neil Diamond is from Brooklyn. So there. Don't fret for a minute about taking the Jackie Robinson Expressway up to Shea and singing Sweet Caroline to your heart's content, OK? But if you want to sing Paradise By The Dashboard Light, I'll catch you in the parking lot.
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