Tuesday, June 28, 2011

VOTE EARLY, VOTE OFTEN, VOTE REYES.

Why are you not voting 20 times a day for Jose Bernabe Reyes? Even non-Mets fans love Jose Reyes:

• In Pittsburgh, the Pirates fan sitting next to me got up and yelled, “JOSE I HATE YOU” every time Jose was at bat. After he’d had a few beers, he confessed to me that he actually owned a Jose Reyes player number shirt.
• Mike Petriello, of Dodgers blog Mike Scioscia’s Tragic Illness, stated, “Is there even a question? Hanley’s been awful, Tulo’s been good but not as good as usual, Starlin’s fine. Reyes is class of NL SS.” (Click through to see his awesome Twitter wallpaper that a Mets fan can definitely get behind.
• Ben Kabak, of Yankees blog River Avenue Blues, even said, “Jose Reyes >>>> Derek Jeter.”

The Mets even have a pretty decent contest going to encourage you further:

Vote for your METS All-Stars today and win an opportunity to meet Jose Reyes! Winners will receive two (2) tickets to an upcoming game in 2011 where they will meet Jose Reyes before the game. You must vote at least 20 times and select the METS as a “favorite” or “other favorite” Club to be entered to win.

Vote early, vote often…

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS.

My favorite minor league mascot, Ballapeno, welcomes Mets fans to Texas.

Ballapeno is the mascot for the San Antonio Missions, the AA affiliate of the San Diego Padres - and has nothing to do with the impending road trip to Arlington except that they happen to be located in Texas. I have just been waiting for an opportunity to openly proclaim my love for Ballapeno. (Look at him dancing to Mr. Roboto!)  I’ll stop now.

Here’s my report on my trip to The Ballpark At Arlington from 2008. I am a big, big, big fan of this ballpark. But, read more about it in the link.

p.s. There is now an In-N-Out burger about 30 minutes away.

Monday, June 20, 2011

6/20 BASEBALL BOOK & BLOG EVENT IN FT. GREENE.

Tonight at 7:30pm, I’ll be at fine independent bookseller Greenlight Books in Ft. Greene participating in their Bloggers & Author’s series:

Our ongoing Blogger/Author Pairings series features conversations between authors and bloggers who share territories, passions, and preoccupations. With baseball season upon us, a Brooklynite’s fancy turns to the diamond. The Cambridge Companion to Baseball provides a comprehensive look at the sport’s history and important figures, as well as the contrast between baseball’s massive, big-business present with its romanticized origins and its evolution against the backdrop of American and world history. The book’s editor Leonard Cassuto is an award-winning writer and a professor of English at Fordham University; his sportswriting has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and elsewhere. He’ll talk about the book and the game with Caryn Rose, a Brooklyn-based writer and photographer who covers the ups and downs of the New York Mets at metsgrrl.com. The event will be hosted by series curator Ron Hogan, creator of the seminal literary blog Beatrice.com.

C’mon out if you’re in the area. The Mets are off, at least we can’t lose tonight.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

LOVE TO THE BIG MAN.

As many of you know, when I’m not writing about baseball, I write about Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band for Backstreets Magazine. My obituary for Clarence is on that site right now.

You can read some of my many years of Springsteen writing at my other website, jukeboxgraduate.com. And if you’re a brother or sister member of E Street Nation, my heart is with you tonight.

Friday, June 17, 2011

THE ANGELS REJOICED LAST NIGHT. [6-17-11]

Mets v Angels
6-17-11

It wasn’t a terrible game but everyone was acting like it was the worst game ever. Sure, there were errors but there were also just plain old balls that poor Justin Turner could not get to. Repeatedly screaming things like “DAVID WRIGHT WOULD’VE HAD THAT” if you’re wearing red and have a A on your hat with a halo around it, fair enough. If you’re wearing blue and orange, you’re just an idiot.

I don’t know if it was the full moon or the rain delay but this crowd was cranky and impatient. The team was coming off a good roadtrip. I know last night’s loss was beyond brutal - I didn’t even want to talk about it with the guy at work who comes over to talk to the dude in the adjacent cube, and they at least talk Mets - but this is not where anyone thought this team would be at this point in the season. I’m not exactly clearing my calendar for the fall but things could be so much worse.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

MR. MET’S STATEMENT ON THE END OF THE METS-BRAVES GAME.

OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM THE METS ORGANIZATION ON ‘IT GETS BETTER’.

“The Mets place a high priority on supporting our children in our community. For 18 years, the Mets have been a proud sponsor of the Student Athlete Leadership Conference Series, a mentoring program that has trained thousands of high school athletes to promote positive activities to more than half a million elementary school students across Long Island.  As part of the program, the mentors deliver an antibullying and civility message with particular attention paid to language and behavior that is derogatory and offensive based on racial, sexual and ethnic biases.

“The Mets have been exploring a number of ways to expand our reach and how best to deliver an antibullying message to a broader audience.  We are actively working with organizations to determine the appropriate message.  Bullying is a serious issue that affects all youth and we are pleased that a number of our players are ready to help.”

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

THE METS AND “IT GETS BETTER”.

It was with dismay I read about a story in the Daily News today, about the Mets and the “It Gets Better” project. The Giants have already made a video, and the Red Sox have recently stated that they plan to as well. The Giants video specifically says the words “LGBT youth” and the Red Sox said in their press release “We are currently producing an ‘It Gets Better’ video to support the It Gets Better campaign to stop bullying of LGBT youth and teen suicides.” The Mariners have also announced their intention to get involved with the project. 

When I read that this project was spreading to MLB, my immediate thought was that the Mets would never, ever get involved, because the same fan base who called WFAN to complain about the Minaya Latino Baseball Conspiracy, whine about reggaeton at Shea Stadium and want more “American” players (said usually about players from Puerto Rico) would blow a gasket at anything the Mets did that had the word “gay” in it.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

LOVE’S SO TOUGH. [6-12-11]

Mets v Pirates,
6-12-11

I am sure I am not alone when I tell you that this game made me nervous, early on. I mean, Jose is out there in the on-deck circle before the lineup cards are even exchanged (the background music for this is the Law & Order theme in Pittsburgh) and our seats are just off the Pirates on-deck circle and you think, you know, let’s get ‘em today.

BATTING PRACTICE PHOTOS, 6-11-11.

What’s the best thing about road games, aside from better tickets and nicer security? Better BP access!

[We wished Jose happy birthday when he came out on the field. Chip Hale says, “It’s your birthday?” “Twenty-five, baby,” was Jose’s response.]

More after the jump.