Vinny Cartiglia
Follow Vinny Cartiglia on Twitter
I’ll never forget where I was on that October night; with the Mets trailing by two, down to their last out, and ‘The Kid’ Gary Carter stepping to the plate. I was only eight then. But the memory is engraved in my mind. It all started with a Carter single. A line drive single into left field that ignited the greatest rally of my lifetime; and possibly baseball history. Back to back singles, a wild pitch and an error followed the Carter hit, and the Mets won Game 6. In that moment I realized in sports, the impossible is sometimes possible.
I didn’t know Carter as a person, but after reading all the things that people who did know him had to say, I wish I did.
A piece of my childhood died today. And, although I didn’t know Carter, he still taught me how the game — that I love so dearly — is supposed to be played. R.I.P ‘Kid’…
Yesterday afternoon, it was reported by Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com that the Mets are diligently monitoring the left-handed hitting outfield market; which includes names such as Johnny Damon, Kosuke Fukudome, Rick Ankiel, Raul Ibanez and Juan Pierre.
All things considered, the name that intrigues me the most is Rick Ankiel. Ankiel may never hit for a high average, but he could provide some pop off the bench. His real value, however, would be defensively; which was described to me as “jaw-dropping” by one Nationals fan. He can play all three outfield positions and the former pitcher has, arguable, the best outfield arm in baseball; as Mets fans may remember from last season when he gunned Josh Thole out at the plate. And so, in my opinion, he would make the perfect fourth outfielder/left handed hitter off the bench.
Adam Kilgore, who covers the Nationals for the Washington Post, had the following to say about Ankiel back in November:
Well-liked by teammates, Ankiel became part of the clubhouse’s bedrock. He played frequently exhilarating defense, changing several games with his arm, perhaps the strongest outfield arm in baseball. Fighting injuries and sometimes inconsistent playing time, Ankiel endured some dismal stretches at the plate. But he could also get hot – from the start of July through mid-August, Ankiel hit .320 and blasted a home run once every 17 at-bats”
The 32-year-old free agent hit .239 with nine home runs and 37 runs batted in over 380 at-bats for the Washington Nationals in 2011. Ankiel made $1.5 million on a one-year deal last season.
To read Kilgore’s entire post on Ankiel, click here.
Andrew Baggerly, who covers the Giants for the Mercury News, referred to newly acquired Mets OF Andres Torres as, “a fan favorite,” and, “one of the most valuable center fielders in baseball in 2010, when his terrific defense and surprising production from the leadoff spot helped the Giants surge to a World Series championship.”
Torres talked to Baggerly in the moments after the trade was completed and said, while he will miss the Giants and the San Francisco fans, he is looking forward to playing in New York, where he has lots of family and friends who live in the area.
Here are four Giants fans from that post’s comment section reacting to the trade:
JKGiants: “Thank you, Andres. I will always remember you as inspiring, humble, and a wonderful human being. Thank you for helping this 57 year old Giants fan experience his first world series victory.”
SueBak: “I will miss you Andres. You were a great Giant with a huge heart and will always be someone I cheer for, no matter the team. Best wishes to you in NY!! Thank you for always leaving it all on the field. You’re one of the good ones.”
StgPosey24: “This is what put me over the edge. I started crying when I saw this. Torres is a class act, and was one of my favorite Giants, and still is one of my favorite baseball players. Good luck in the rest of your career, Andres, because you deserve only the best.”
Napacat: “Torres was my favorite Giant. He played an amazing center field, and watching him go into his track-star motion around the bases was always thrilling. But above all, I loved the genuine joy he brought to the game. … Thank you for everything Andres. I will always love you, and I hope New York is good to you.”
In addition, Torres told Baggerly that he knows people think his 2010 season was a fluke. So, he’s determined to change that perception by working on his hitting this off-season in Puerto Rico with former American League MVP Juan Gonzalez.
To read more quotes from Torres, as well as Baggerly’s thoughts on the deal, and more fan reaction, check out his entire post here.
Here are some fan reactions on Twitter to the news of losing Jose Reyes to the Miami Marlins:
Hat tip to Greg from Snapfilms.com for the video.
Sure, the 2011 season was not overtly successful. The Mets lost more games than they won. But, it also gave me every reason to believe that Alderson knows exactly what he is doing and has a vision to bring this team to a point of long term sustainable success. And, just because he is not making headlines by being the most aggressive pursuer of Reyes, there is difference between being the aggressor and the winner.”
sweepstakes does not mean he will not be the winner of this sweepstakes when all is said and done.
While I was starting to believe the Mets were the underdog in this race, with reports of the Brewers not likely to sign Jose and the Marlins looking to offer a three year high annual salary deal, I am starting to gain more confidence that things are playing right into Alderson’s hands.
If nothing else, Alderson showed us this past season that he has a great understanding of how to play the market, and you need to look no further than the Francisco Rodriguez and Carlos Beltran trades. As Andrew states in his post, “What has Sandy Alderson done wrong to warrant the Hatorade cooler being dumped on his head? He has done nothing but sit down and let the market develop, without blindly calling before he sees the flop.”
Yesterday on Twitter, MrMetKevC asked, “Would you retain Reyes as a building block and go after more next winter?”
To read Vinny Cartiglia’s response to this question, click here.
During the month of November, Shannon Shark over at MetPolice.com is growing a mustache in an effort to raise funds for men’s health initiatives (such as prostate cancer research). During ‘Movember,’ Shannon and his contributors have been posting pictures of Mets players who sported pretty slick staches during their tenure with the Mets; and I thought this pic of former Mets starter — and one of my favorite Mets — Frank Viola was simple awesome.
If you would like, you can donate at Mets Bloggers For A Cure.
← Older posts
