I preloaded some stuff for today so I could hit the beach....here's something from earlier in the week about a cool 1972 video.
Cool 1972 video
I got the chance to watch a few innings of a July 9, 1972 game between the Dodgers and Mets at Shea Stadium. It was quite a pitching matchup with Tom Seaver facing Claude Osteen, both of whom would be 20-game winners that season.
The great prophet of our time has some wise words about the 8:05 start on September 21st and the absurd Yankees ticket prices. I hate a link for links sake, but Mushnick is the man.
Mushnick
Mets Police mentioned how mind numbingly bad the Reds announcers were last night. Made me think of how lucky we are as Met fans to have high quality announcers on TV and radio.
TV
Gary Cohen was probably one of the best radio play by play guys in the business before he moved to TV for SNY. Is a total pro, gets fired up when both teams make great plays yet can absolutely hammer the Mets when they eff up even though we know he wants them to win every night. PLUS - he went over a live mic on air and ripped Victor Zambrano a few years back. He only apologized for saying something over the air that wasn't meant to be heard - he didn't apologize to Zambrano. Zambrano sucked, we all knew it and Gary voiced what we all wanted to hear. Here's a transcript http://miraclemets.net/?p=172
And he absoultely nuked Roberto Alomar when he was traded calling him a disgrace. Go Gary go.
Darling and Hernandez - do a good job breaking the pitching and hitting down. They know what they are talking about and tell you what is happening without being condescending (see McCarver). Plus the 2 of them absolutely regret having to wear cheeseball Mets road and home uniforms from the 1980's. They have both gone on air with their gripes about the 1987 script 'New York' disaster. Don't know what their position is on the black hats and trim but the both of them seem to be tradition minded so they should be blue supporters.
Radio
Howie Rose is great - a face made for radio if there ever was one but Howie is a worthy successor to Bob Murphy. He hates when the Mets lose, will rip them if they deserve it and HATES the Yankees. Plus the guy has the Mets history book memorized. If a 1978 Bruce Boisclair reference is needed Howie is the man to deliver it.
Wayne Hagin - new guy, is growing on me. Little bit folksy, little bit wordy but he knows the game. He has to be from somewhere in the midwest. He sounds like a genuinely polite and nice person and loves his job, it carries over on the air. Did a little google on him, he followed Jack Buck in St. Louis (no win situation) and was replaced by John Rooney who is no slouch - no shame in that. His primary work has been with the Rockies - he put Todd Helton and steroids in a sentence together and caught some heat for that and had to apologize but it probably was true so I can't fault him for that.
Eddie Coleman - Eddie - the man. Pre and post game shows plus subs in for the guys when they take some time off. I think Eddie must have ticked off someone in Mets management because he didn't get the radio job for the 2 most recent openings (Tom McCarthy and Hagin). If anyone could be a bit bitter it's Eddie but he doesn't bring that on the air. Plus he also hates the Yankees as he is from New England which rocks.
To sum up - Mets fans have a good thing going. There is no contest comparing the Mets crew with the crap the Yanks throw out there each night. Sterling and Kay are an embarassment and are all about putting themselves above the broadcast. YES analysts are ok.
'The Giambino', and 'A-Bomb for A-Rod', 'Cano don't you know', etc. are painful to hear and no fun to even type. It's so forced, so contrived.
And Susan??? Woman is a pioneer in the business and has taken a lot of crap but I don't think she brings that much to the broadcast. Let her do some PBP - being an alayst for 9 innings per night has to be tough. Let Sterling sit there and break some stuff down.
Entirely too long of a post so MOSFU if you don't like it. Mets Police needs guest writers.
I hereby release Tom Seaver from any and all obligations to anything related to the New York Mets or their fans.
Keith Hernandez is hereby given all rights and responsibilities related to being the Greatest Hero Of Them All.
Let us have a ceremony, cheer The Captain, and retire #17 once and for all.
When Tom is done with his new vineyard he can go to Reds games.
Finally some noise is being made about this travesty. Heard Carton starting in about it and the papers seem to have it.
Aside from banging long time ticket holders with big big big checks to write, they've also managed to sneak in a significant increase in the individual tickets.
Meanwhile in the Bronx, I read an article that I haven't gotten to post yet that says that the Yankees are eliminating many of the miniplans, even the upper deck, and telling people its 81 games or none. Hopefully I have my facts wrong here. I never claimed this was a newspaper.
If you're stumbling across this blog because of a random google search, click the 'archives' on the left and find 'an open letter' to the Giants ownership from a family who has had tickets for 50 years. By my math they need to come up with nearly $24,000 quickly.
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Has it really been only a month since Willie? I must admit, I fell asleep down 8-5 in the 8th and had chalked this one off. That's the Willie part of my brian, but Jerry's Gangstas donKt quit.
All of a sudden this is my kind of team, a clutch hit from a callup (UnderReyes), a homegrown pitcher starting to look like a future ace (Pelfrey, now slotted for sunday), no cylons from atlanta (Glavine) and now Four Inning Pedro is out of the rotation and free to be nice to 70 year old Irish ladies (scroll down about 15 posts). Might we get to see my next-favorite-Met Jon Niese?
This is clearly a different team since Willie left. Spunky. I like em.
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Wow I just suffered through 45 minutes of the Reds radiocast. It was the most boring baseball announcing I have ever heard. Absolutely no excitement. I was so bored I cut the dog's walk short.
You've probably never heard of Jocko, but here's a great article.
Jocko
He was the first African-American sportscaster -- ever. On WHOM in Jersey City, on WAAT in Newark on WNJR in Newark, starting in the 1930s, Jocko's voice was a "dinner guest" at African-American homes all over North Jersey.
He doubled as a sportswriter with publications like the Newark Afro-Americans. He was the public address announcer for Eagles games at old Ruppert Stadium in Newark. He was the Eagles' unofficial "Lord High Chancellor of Communication" with the world beyond the foul lines. He did much the same for all of Negro League Baseball at a time when, if you couldn't get to the game and you wanted to know if the Eagles won, Jocko's familiar voice told you.
Which is more than the Newark newspapers did most of the time in that era.
I'm still recovering from last night - left the Stadium at 2 am and got home at 3:30. But a quick snapshot of the last several days.
From Saturday through Tuesday, the tally for me is:
(And last night's 15 inning adventure was my SECOND 15 inning game this month. I saw one at SafeCo a few weeks ago too.)
I think I need a few days for everything to sink in but man, did I enjoy this weekend.
Made it to the 14th inning and passed out - gimme a break. Went to the HR Derby the night before - I have a job and am old so sue me.
Lot of chatter about the game today around the water cooler - I guess that is mission accomplished for MLB.
Comments:
Willie Mays - why so angry Say Hey?? Are you bitter the Giants left NY and only 3% of the people in the stands realized you are one of the top 5 players of all time?
Is it a Barry thing?? He is the godfather of the guy, maybe he is carrying a grudge.
Willie McCovey - sad to see 'Stretch' in that state. He's only 70. Loved that he pulled himself up for the introductions. Mind over matter Willie. Thanks for the effort coming out to NY for the event, it was appreciated by anyone who loves baseball. That guy must have made pitchers crap the bed, friggin guy was a monster in a day when hitting wasn't the joke it is today.
Ralph Kiner!! It was great seeing him out there in left field. Ralph to Met fans is beloved, glad to have him with us. Still love to hear him on the air. The guy knows the game and can still whip off a quick story between pitches.
Robin Roberts - still alive! I thought he was dead to tell you the truth. 286 wins! Look up his innings pitched and your shoulder will actually ache.
Missing guys! Bench, Seaver, Morgan, Koufax. Heard Joe Morgan was at the parade in midtown yesterday afternoon. Joe, take the D train at 47-50th and you're there in a half-hour.
Loved seeing Hank Aaron and Frank Robinson together - I think Frank Robinson is the most underrated player of all time. That he wasn't on that All Century team in 1999 confirmed that the whole thing was a joke. Pete Rose makes it and Frank doesn't ?? We won't even get into Tom Seaver not making it.
I will take 586 home runs over Pete's Punch and Judy business every day. Interesting contrast - Frank Robinson retires 14 short of 600 HR's so he can manage - Pete Rose manages and plays himself just so he can get the all-time hits record. Frank recognized he was past his prime - Pete didn't and played for the record. The only team that would have run Pete Rose and his 3HR, 42rbi averages from 1982-1985 would be a team managed by Pete Rose.
Billy Wagner - any Met fan who isn't on the Kool Aid knows this guy will give it up in a game that counts - so why not in a game that technically doesnt count in the standings?? Way to make us look good Billy Boy.
Check out www.uniwatchblog.com for some All Star uniform tidbits. The greatest site ever for those pathetic lot of us who obsess over what they wear on the field. And the owner hates the fact Black uni's and hats on our NY Mets so I love him.
Nice touch mentioning Bob Sheppard last night.
With all this talk of putting George in the hall...how about Bob!
A little late this morning, stayed up late and have this whole job thing etc...
As always I loved the All Star Game.
I hear some chirping on WFAN about A-Rod leaving early. As a fan of leaving work early and days off, I am not going to begrudge the man for leaving - assuming he even did leave. Maybe he just wants to spend today and tomorrow, full days, with his kids.
WHERE WAS SEAVER? In the interest of fairness maybe he had a family emergency or something.
Wright would have pitched next? Cool! I would have loved to see that, and a pitcher playing a position.
I suspect that's the last we will see of George Steinbrenner.
Poor Yogi is getting up there too. He'll soon need to stay out of the spotlight the way Scooter did.
Kinda cool that FOX didn't bombard us with "and look who is in the second row, the stars of Fringe!" nonsense. Unless they did it at midnight when maybe I nodded off for a pitch or two.
I was surprised there were/are only four living Yankee Hall of Famers.
Quiet day. See ya tomorrow.
