Daily Archives: February 17, 2009
Free-agent OF Ken Griffey Jr. is telling friends he will choose the Braves over the Mariners, writes Jon Heyman at SI.com.
In 142 games last season, for the Reds and White Sox, the 39–year-old Griffey hit .249 with 18 HR and 71 RBI.
Earlier today, at FoxSports.com, Ken Rosenthal said the Braves were also close to re-signing free-agent LHP Tom Glavine.
Over at Twitter, user Bluenautica has posted several pictures of the last remaining piece of Shea Stadium.
To see the rest of his photos, click here.
According people on the job site, the last remaining piece of Shea Stadium may come down around noon tomorrow.
Tagged Mike Nichols, Shea Stadium |If you are interested, the Phillies are currently holding an exclusive pre-sale for single game tickets.
You can purchase tickets during this exclusive sale until 11:59 pm EST on Wednesday, February 18, by clicking here.
…last april i had the opportunity to meet up with cerrone, ted berg, and several readers from the blog at a Mets-Phillies game in philly and it was pure entertainment…it’s nice seeing a visitor’s stadium full of Mets fans, especially in philly, even if you’re fearing for your life…
Tagged Mike Nichols, Phillies |With Jerry Manuel running his first full Spring Training as manager of the Mets, Marty Noble of MLB.com takes a look at an unusual hitting drill Manuel is putting his players through.
According to Noble, Manuel’s drill, which has yet to earn a name, has players continuously swing at 80 pitches within a six minute period, forcing them to make contact each time.
The idea behind the drill, writes Noble, who equates it to ‘sports bar free throw game “Pop-a-Shot,”is to increase stamina and fight off fatigue at the plate while the season progresses by forcing his hitters to use their hands more.
…this is a must read, as noble does an excellent job describing the drill and even follows one of the Mets prospects through the drill on a minute-by-minute basis..
Angel Pagan arrived to Tradition Field today and took batting with Carlos Beltran, Nick Evans, Daniel Murphy, and others.
Later, Beltran talked with reporters and said he agrees with Francisco Rodriguez’s statements about how the Mets have improved since last season, saying, “He said that? I agree with him… Hopefully we do everything right and accomplish our goals.”
Beltran was asked about Cole Hamels’s comment about the Mets being ‘choke artists,’ to which he said, “All I know is that he’ll be watched every time we face him. Hopefully we kill him… I think their team is also better, but I also feel like (we are) better.”
He says he feels 200 percent better, in terms of his health, than he did at any point last season, when he was mostly plagued by bruised knees, which are totally pain free today.
Speaking about the last two seasons, he said, “Being a part of a team like that is frustrating. You work so hard to accomplish your goals. It’s very difficult, and hard to let it go. You just have to be able to learn to not take anything for granted.”
Beltran says the Mets must do a better job of beating the weaker teams in the league, saying, he feels, they lost focus against that level of competition last season.
Beltran noted that every player leads in a different way, adding, “We have three, four, five leaders… One guy can’t do it all.”
Lastly, when asked of talk about Luis Castillo batting lead-off, him batting second and Jose Reyes batting third, he said, “If things aren’t working, I believe in moving the lineup around… We believe in Jerry.”
In the end, he said he doesn’t believe in the idea of having set spots in the batting order, adding, “I believe that you hit in a part of the line up once. Other than that I don’t care… when you’re good, you can hit anywhere.”
Don’t forget, Kevin Burkhardt will be hosting SNY’s Mets Hot Stove at 7 pm LIVE from Duffy’s in St. Lucie on Thursday.
Ben Shpigel of the New York Times profiles Sean Green who the Mets acquired in the trade for J.J. Putz.
Shpigel writes, “Green projected as a more polished version of Joe Smith, who they sent to Cleveland in the three-team trade. Green’s sinker helped produce the eighth-best ground ball percentage among relievers who pitched in at least 50 games last season, [and] did not allow a home run to a right-handed hitter in 172 at-bats”
Mike Steffanos of Mike’s Mets is eager to see what Green can do, noting, “perhaps he can combine with [Pedro] Feliciano and give the Mets something close to what they had in 2006 when the southpaw combined effectively with Chad Bradford.”
…i actually think he looks a bit like bradford, but that’s just me…
Also, check out MLB.com for a video of Duaner Sanchez‘s thoughts on this season, his health, and how he hopes the fans will perceive him.
Tagged Regis Courtemanche, Sean Green |Tom Kaminski’s Chopper 880 took pictures of the final remains of Shea Stadium which you can see at WCBS880.com.
A rumor has it that the stadium will be completely down by tomorrow, but this has not yet been confirmed.
Tagged Regis Courtemanche, Shea Stadium |
According to a text message from SNY’s Kevin Burkhardt, Carlos Beltran is in camp, he’s taking batting practice and will talk to reporters later today.
Luis Castillo is in town, but will not report to camp until later this afternoon.
Burkhardt will be hosting SNY’s Mets Hot Stove at 7 pm LIVE from Duffy’s in St. Lucie on Thursday.
The AP, via the Journal News, details Johan Santana‘s new comfort level in New York, which stems from “just being himself”.
According to the NY Post, Daniel Murphy, who is all business all the time, worked all winter on his defense, in addition to the hours a day he put in in the batting cages to make Mets fans forget about Manny Ramirez.
Mike Pelfrey, writes Steve Popper of the Bergen Record, is secure in the rotation for the first time during spring training. He isn’t worried about breaking down from an increase in innings last year, though he was freaking out when he couldn’t find his wedding ring after his golf cart crash.
Toby Hyde of Mets Minor League Blog profiles LHP John Niese, whom he ranks as the team’s 4th best prospect.
According to Marty Noble of MLB.com, there could be many more lineup machinations than just pushing Jose Reyes down to the middle of the order.
Gotham Baseball discusses the Mets’ fifth starter options.
New Stadium Insider has a photo up of a section of seats in Citi Field that have an obstructed view.
To me, it looks like it’s just those last few rows – but, still, it appears any one sitting in these seats will lose the ball on a high pop up.
By the way, I have been told by a few people that the New York Post will soon release a story exposing all sorts of flaws in Citi Field, which, considering the source, is not at all surprising.
To check out the latest photos from inside Citi Field, check out Island Extreme’s photo gallery, here, on Webshots.
The image in this post is of the giant Pepsi Cola sign that has been installed above the right-field porch.
My friends at Pepsi tell me the entire right-field porch will actually be sponsored and called The Pepsi Porch. The sign in this picture is inspired by the one in Long Island City. The area will have tables and chairs above the seated section and will serve antique Pepsi products, whatever that means.
Speaking of Island Extreme, who I’m starting to think lives inside Citi Field, he took the following pictures, here, and video, here, from inside the cement cannister that will house the new Home Run Apple.
Lastly, I keep getting questions about where the original Home Run Apple will be. According to the team, eyewitnesses and pictures, the original Apple has been installed in the Bullpen Plaza, which is open to the public behind the bullpens, at Citi Field.
← Older posts
