After beating the Yankees last night, the Orioles are now 16-9 and a game behind Tampa in the AL East. The team that most pundits picked to finish a distant last has a better record than the Yanks on May 3rd. To date, they are hands down the biggest surprise of the 2012 baseball season. […]
On the second night of Passover, a simple dinner discussion that evolved into an argument between the Matzo Ball Soup and the Brisket was the impetus for this list. Going through the Internet to find any definitive list, this wonderful piece by the ubiquitous Jonah Keri from 2007 was discovered listing the Top 18 Jewish […]
I have travelled to an opposing ballpark to watch the Mets play. I purchased Red Sox tickets in 2006 when the Mets were in Beantown. In 1999 and 2002 I went to the old Veterans Stadium for a Phillies/Mets series; I did the same in 2006 for an August series against the Nationals at the old RFK. […]
More than a week ago, New York Mets GM Sandy Alderson finished his long drive down to Port St. Lucie, FL for spring training. A week ago Saturday he held a gathering with reporters, answering questions on the state of the Mets organization. There was no truth to the rumor that Alderson was late for […]
“I think that his future is independent of club performance,” Alderson said of Wright at the Mets’ spring-training complex yesterday. “There are certain decisions that one takes that are a function of where a team is at a particular time and so forth, but if there’s anybody on the team whose performance and future is independent […]
I have always been a proponent of a championship team having two left-handers in the bullpen. The Yankees have largely gotten by with Boone Logan the last three years. Former Met, Pedro Feliciano, was supposed to solve that problem last year, but it’s unlikely he will ever throw a pitch as a Yankee due to shoulder problems. Brian […]
You know the story about the Mets and their inability to add much, if any, payroll. What once was supposed to be about $120 million dollar budget has slide all the way down to around $90 million. That’s why it came as no surprise that one of their rumored targets- Rick Ankiel- signed as minor league […]
New York and Manny Ramirez has been talked about for years. Omar Minaya nearly acquired Ramirez a few times when he ran the Mets. The Yankees flirted with the idea as late as last season, but elected to pass. It appeared that Ramirez’s career was over after he elected to retire instead of serve his […]
The terms “Cincinnati legend” and “lifetime Cincinnati Red” were used to describe Barry Larkin yesterday after his election into the Hall of Fame. He also became the 48th member of the Hall to spend his entire career with one team. Born in Cincinnati, Larkin won the 1990 World Series, MVP in 1995, and become the first shortstop […]
How often does a late season call-up make an impact on a team in the postseason? Some names that come up off the top of my head are Shane Spencer with the Yankees in 1998, K-Rod in Anaheim in 2002, and Francisco Cabrera with the Braves in 1992. The Mets had two such players under […]
We are a little over a week away from the Baseball Hall of Fame announcing its 2012 selection. Each year, I give the readers of NYBD an opportunity to cast their own BBWAA-style ballot. Last year Bert Blyleven and Roberto Alomar garnered the most fan support, but not the requisite 75% needed for induction. In December, Gil Hodges received the most […]
Back in the 40s and 50s the United States was facing a huge threat - communism. During this era, thousands of Americans were accused of being Communists or communist sympathizers and became the subject of aggressive investigations and questioning before government. Wisconsin Senator Joe McCarthy led the brigade with the “Hollywood Blacklist” and investigations by the House […]
It’s been nearly 15 years since the BBWAA elected to not enshrine someone in Cooperstown. During the 1996 election, Phil Niekro received 68.3% of the vote, followed by Tony Perez (65.7%), and Don Sutton (63.8%). Ironically, all three would be enshrined by 2000. I believe there is a good chance no one will be inducted by the […]
I will be keeping this up as a sticky until our January 8th Hall of Fame show where we will announce the fan selections. Remember, the actual Hall of Fame announcement will be on January 9th. Here is my Hall of Fame ballot - you can weigh in on the conversation by voting here.
It’s been a while since Anna Benson was relevant around these parts. Mrs. Kris Benson has been off the radar since her husband’s career was derailed after 2006 due to injury. We all know that Anna wasn’t too pleased when the Mets traded Kris after the 2005 season. It was mainly because of her, due […]
