7/16/09

Gary, Keith and Ron catch tons of praise in the Observer

There is a gem of article in The New York Observer on everyone’s favorite broadcasting trio.  Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling are fawned over in a must read for any Mets fan.

Here’s an excerpt…

The old adage for a good broadcast is that when things are going well, it’s like you’re having a conversation with the viewer at home.

Keith and Gary and Ron have done just that over the past four years, for 60 games a season, and about another 90 games using some combination of two of them. But the viewer they’re talking to is jaded, and cosmopolitan, and, not infrequently, a little bored with the Mets.

Keith and Gary and Ron don’t pull for their team. They remark, cruelly and accurately, on the Mets’ poor play. They voluntarily discuss the Mets’ horrific collapses of the last two Septembers. They digress.

This wouldn’t work in St. Louis, where approximately 100 percent of the supposed best fans in baseball wear red to the games, or on the North Side of Chicago, where there is a rich tradition of homerism in the booth. Nor would it work in the Bronx or in Boston, where the fans crave reinforcement of a smug certainty that their organization is different, and special, and superior.

What Keith and Gary and Ron do is something less obvious, and more difficult.

For the full article, head over to The New York Observer.

7/15/09

Angel Berroa to join Mets tomorrow in Atlanta

Tonight, Angel Berroa is playing shortstop and batting third for the Brooklyn Cyclones.  Tomorrow, Berroa will join the Mets in Atlanta.

Berroa will take the roster spot of Argenis Reyes, who was demoted on Sunday.  Berroa was signed on Saturday after the Yankees released the former Rookie of the Year earlier last week.

Through six innings in Brooklyn, Berroa is 1-4 with a strikeout, a run scored and an RBI.

Photo: Paul McCartney’s stage in Citi Field

The stage is in place for Paul McCartney’s concerts at Citi Field.

For more photos, head over to WBCS880.com.

Thanks, Tom!

Citi Field for All-Star Game in 2013

Way back in July of 2008, Ken Davidoff had a note that the Mets and Citi Field were in line to host the All-Star Game in 2013.

Here’s what he wrote way back when…

Baseball has announced the sites for the 2009 and 2010 Midsummer Classics, with next year's at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, followed by Angel Stadium in Anaheim.

The 2011 game is expected to be at Arizona's Chase Field, then Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City in 2012. Then it will be the Mets' turn.

And here’s what Kevin Kernan wrote for the Post today…

The next two All-Star Games are set, Anaheim next season and Arizona in 2011. Then it shifts back to an AL club the following year, most likely in Kansas City. That leaves 2013 all set for Citi Field and the Mets.

Well done by Davidoff.

The Home Run Derby in Citi Field? That should be quite fun.

And here’s what I wrote a year ago…

Shea Stadium held the 1964 All Star Game, and saw the National League actually win a game (shocker!) by a score of 7-4. Ron Hunt was the only Mets player elected to the game that year.

According to Baseball Almanac, Shea was host to over 50,000 fans that day. Unfortunately, Citi won't hold that many, but I'm sure they'll find a way to squeeze more and more people in.

Still rings true.

Poll Results: Mets fans not counting on October in 2009

Will the Mets make the playoffs in 2009?image Mets fans don’t seem very optimistic about their teams playoff chances in 2009.

Next poll: How many games will Johan Santana win in 2009?

Pedro to play phor Philly

Pedro Martinez and the Philadelphia Phillies agreed to a one-year deal, worth $1 million.  There is also a chance for Pedro to earn up to $1.5 million in incentives.

After signing the contract, Martinez was placed on the Phillies 15-day DL with a mild shoulder strain.  This is to allow him to rehab in the minor leagues before making his first start in the majors.

I wrote this the other day and I still stand by it:

Frankly, I don’t care. Mets fans know how he has pitched in the last few years, battling injuries and a fizzling career. Plopping him down in Citizens Bank Park, where he gave up eight home runs in 18 innings is going to be a joy to watch from the Mets perspective.

Sure, I bet Pedro still has something left in the tank. And of course, he’ll outduel Johan Santana if they match up down the stretch, but I’m not going to lose any sleep over this.

7/14/09

All-Star Game Chat

A little late, but here we go…

(Chat removed, as usual.)

The State of the Mets: Me on Mets Weekly [Video]

I finally got my segment from Mets Weekly up on YouTube. Thanks to everyone at SNY who had a hand in this. It came out very well.

The interview focuses on me and my blog and how I keep up with everything. I talk a lot about Twitter, Game Chats and connecting with fans. All the different aspects of "blogging."

The audio is extremely low, so crank it up all the way to get a good listen.

Manuel’s Musing

Philosophical Jerry Manuel “It was very encouraging to watch him move as freely as he was moving and to be able to not have a noticeable limp or anything.”

-Jerry Manuel on Jose Reyes

7/13/09

Home Run Derby Chat

Join in for a fun little discussion while watching the Home Run Derby from St. Louis.

(Chat removed, as usual.)

Tune in tomorrow for an All-Star Game Chat.