Daily Archives: October 1, 2008
According to the Daily News, the Mets will announce Omar Minaya’s three-year contract extension on Thursday morning.
…Update…9:16 pm…
In a report for SI.com, Jon Heyman reports that the deal will pay Minaya $5–6 million through 2013.
…Update…7:00 am…
According to the Associated Press, the Mets will hold a conference call with reporters at 11 am on Thursday.
Tagged Omar Minaya |
Mets RHP Ambiorix Burgos was allegedly involved in a hit and run in the Dominican Republic, which resulted in the death of two women.
The Mets later released the following statement, which read:
“We are extremely disturbed by the reports regarding the player’s potential involvement in the hit and run accident that unfortunately killed two women in the Dominican Republic. We take this matter very seriously and have begun an internal investigation to ascertain the facts. Our thoughts and sympathies are with the families of the victims.”
In early September, Burgos was arrested for beating up his girlfriend at a hotel near Shea Stadium.
According to the New York Post, there is an ad for post-season coverage on TBS that features a picture of David Wright, located downtown on 7th Avenue in New York.
…thanks for rubbing it in, tbs…much appreciated…
Following Sunday’s season-ending loss to the Marlins, the Mets honored Shea Stadium with a post-game ceremony that included more than 40 of team’s most revered players.
To check out video clips from the post-game ceremonies, go 
to the video pages for the Daily News, Newsday and MLB.com.
For some outstanding photographs, check out John Delcos’s NY Mets Report.
…from what i can gather, SNY will likely re-air the post-game celebration at some point this weekend, though they have yet to make that official…
For me, a few specific things stood out…
By giving Mike Piazza such a prominent role, having him catch the stadium’s final pitch from Tom Seaver, then walking off the field with Seaver, just the two of them, with no other players in sight, it suggests the team finally values Piazza in a proper way. It’s Seaver, the team’s best pitcher from their first era, and Piazza, the team’s best hitter from their second era, and then hundreds of other players behind 
them. In other words, I am now confident the Mets will eventually retire Piazza’s number, as they should, in Citi Field – and they should do it sooner than later.
There are a small group of people who seem to think the ceremony should have occurred before the game. From what I can tell, most people, including the city’s most stern media critics, all seem to agree that doing it afterwards was a good thing. I loved the image of Piazza and Seaver making one final pitch, which would have made no sense had it been done beforehand. The fireworks and the shutting down of the light towers, among other elements, all carried an poignant relevance that would not have been the case had it taken place earlier in the day.
The image of Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry shaking hands on the infield gave me goosebumps, and 
brought a tear to my eye. Like I have written before, in a way, the excitement these two men provided in the 80s was like a friend to me, and to see them together again was very special.
Earlier in the day, I was given the amazing opportunity to spend time in the Player’s Suite in Shea Stadium, which is like a small banquet hall overlooking left field, where all of the players gathered during the game, before the post-game celebration. It was amazing and yet weird to see all of these men who I grew up idolizing, all within arm’s reach, just acting as normal people. Robin Ventura was not in uniform hitting a grand-slam single, instead he was in street clothes filling up his plate with Chicken Parm. John Franco was not warming up in the bullpen, he was in line for his third hot dog. Edgardo Alfonzo and his wife sat alone at a round table, moving their drinks around in silence, looking like the guests at a wedding who only know the groom through work. Todd Ziele’s hair was a mess, he was wearing a t-shirt and looked like he just rolled out of bed. Jesse Orosco was sporting a goatee, but looked like a jewel thief wearing black pants, black shoes and a black turtle neck. Like I said, amazing, but awkward.
Lastly, the game ended, the celebration ended, and I walked down the ramp with my dad for the final time. I’m excited 
about Citi Field, but there is something painful about knowing you can’t go home again…ever.
The ramp spiraled down to the press gate. I used my credential to walk through the tunnel and on to the field for the final time. It was amazing. There was a delicate hush in the air, as wide-eyed police officers, players, reporters, team employees and others wandered around the infield taking pictures, scooping up dirt and just spending one last moment in their home away from home.
Unable to help myself, I walked up the pitcher’s mound, stood on the rubber, set, and made a pretend pitch to the plate, pausing to look up at the lights, clinging to a sensation that will be as close as I ever come to being a major-league pitcher, on the mound I grew up dreaming about. Similarly, I nuzzled my feet in to the dirt in the batter’s box on the right-side of home plate. In my best mock batting stance, I took a swing, then kneeled down, touched home plate, and scooped up a hand-full of dirt that will help make these and 30 years of memories a bit more tangible.
I left through the tunnel, but not before stopping, turning around, and taking in one last look before saying goodbye.
For other experiences from Sunday, check out Brooklyn Met Fan, Faith and Fear in Flushing and Hot Foot.
Tagged Shea Stadium |
The blow of Sunday’s loss was softened after the game by a parade of players from every era in Mets history who helped honor Shea Stadium.
As horrible a day as it was, the post-game ceremony was probably the only thing that could have made me smile.
So, here is a slideshow I put together from Sunday.
Some of the images are a bit fuzzy, but what do you expect from Mezzanine, section 15.
Goodbye Shea, you meant a lot to me, and always will.
Tagged Regis Courtemanche, Shea Stadium |The Mets have announced that Johan Santana underwent successful surgery today on his left knee to treat a torn meniscus.
According to the team, Santana had torn his meniscus prior to his final start of the season, but was able to work through the injury.
…umm, i’d say…
Santana is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for Spring Training.
Yesterday, on WFAN, Mike Francesa said he has been told that Ryan Church ‘hated it here,’ while adding, ‘I know for a fact that he didn’t like the team, he didn’t like the city and he was not a happy guy here.’
However, just five weeks ago, Adam Rubin wrote the following on his blog for Daily News:
“Church revealed that his wife Tina was driven to tears by the standing ovation the Shea faithful gave before his first at-bat (after returning from the disabled list). The hard-nosed Church said the fans’ embrace cemented his desire to spend the rest of his career in Flushing. He’s even open to signing a long-term contract now to wipe away his arbitration years.”
…thanks to Franco S for the link…
Francesa returns to the airwaves today at 1 pm. To listen live, click here. If you’d like to call in to his show and let him know of Church’s comments, call 718-937-6666.
Lastly, speaking of Rubin, he will be running a live chat with readers on his blog today starting at noon.
…Update…1:22 pm…
During today’s chat, Rubin was asked about Francesa’s comments, which he responded by writing, “Ryan Church really enjoyed playing in New York. How do I know? We talked several times during the year about it. Not with a notepad and tape recorder out. Just casual one-on-one conversations, when he talked about how much more he liked New York than Washington.”
…great work, adam…thanks…
Tagged Ryan Church |
Last Wednesday, I started making posts about my Five Favorite Moments at Shea Stadium, from games that I attended.
In addition, each post will be followed by a quick video segment of me talking about the specific moment.
I hope you enjoy them, and feel free to share your favorite memories in each post as well.
To see Number 5, click here, to see Number 4, click here, and to see Number 3, click here.
On October 18, 2006, John Maine picked up the baseball to start Game 6 of the NLCS against the Cardinals in Shea Stadium, while I was sitting in Section 30 of the Upper Deck.
The thing that stands out to me, and what made this game so special for me, was how unified, pumped up and persistent the fans were during all nine innings. It was relentless positivity and support, especially in the several moments when St. Louis threatened with men on base.
Yes, there are other player-achievements that are probably more worthy of greatness, but, as a fan, Game 6 of the NLCS was one our best moments, which is why it’s among my favorites.
Tagged Shea Stadium |
In an emotional, must-read column for SNY, Ted Berg talks open and honestly about his brother, his love for Shea Stadium and the summer of 1995, and what he’ll miss about the three, while adding about Citi Field:
Tagged Shea Stadium |“I understand that shaving 10,000 seats in capacity is a sound business decision, and that luxury boxes and high ticket prices at Citi Field will pay for Johan Santana…But Shea’s charm, to me, always rested in how two kids could show up on any given day, pick up a pair of upper-deck tickets on the cheap, and take in a Mets game…Because to me, being a fan has nothing to do with sitting in cushy seats with reasonable legroom and cupholders and many fine dining options. And it has nothing to do with showing up to see a competitive team, as the Mets seem to field every year nowadays. Being a fan is sticking through the summer of 1995, trying to see promise in failure, finding the purity in a game with no postseason implications, and maintaining hope and passion and faith in a team that’s just not very good.”
Last Wednesday, Steve Serby conducted his Sunday Q&A with Johan Santana, which ran in the New York Post on Sunday, prior to the team’s final game of the season.
In the interview, Santana gives his thoughts on booing, his temperament on the mound, and says he would rather win a World Championship than another Cy Young Award.
Also, Serby asks how crushing it would be if the Mets do not make the playoffs, to which Santana responds:
“A lot of people talk about what happened last year and stuff; I wasn’t here last year, but I guarantee you that these guys don’t think about what happened last year. Things sometimes don’t work out the way you want it to, or the people want it to, and then you just gotta take it like a man.”
To read the entire Q&A, click here, and to watch clips from their discussion, courtesy of SNY, click play below:
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