Never Forget 69

A Bad Time To Be A Mets Fan

Lou Di Falco — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:07:00 -0400

I would imagine it must be pretty quiet in the Mets management offices today. All the talk in town is surrounding the Yankees, the Mets' intercity rival. And of course the Yankees will be playing the Phillies, the Mets divisional rival. While the new Yankee Stadium continues to beam with action, the new Citi Field sits quietly waiting for April.

As for Mets fans, the debate continues, root for the Yankees or root for the Phillies. Here’s an idea, root for neither.

Who says it is imperative to root for a team when watching a ballgame? Why can’t we watch baseball without rooting for either club? If you attend an out of town game to take in a ballpark you have never been to, do you really pick a team to root for? I don’t. I often attend minor league games. I enjoy the atmosphere and the price. I don’t root for either team. I just quietly observe hoping to see some good ball played.

So when it comes to the 2009 World Series, I will also quietly observe, not caring who wins or loses. Why bother? For Mets fans, it’s a no win situation. The Phillies and Yankees in the World Series punctuate an already disastrous season for the Mets. If you thought it couldn’t get worse when the season finally concluded, it did.

The fact is I can’t root for either team. How can I possible root for the Yankees? I have been a Mets fan my whole life. I have loathed the Yankees. No matter how hard I might try, I just cannot root for that team. I can’t root for the Phillies either. They have trashed the Mets for a few years now and continue to back it up with great play. They are a true rival for the Mets. There is no way I want them to win.

But alas unfortunately, one team must win. For the Mets and their fans it is a no win/no lose situation. If the Phillies lose, then we can mock their fans. If the Yankees lose, we can mock the Yankee fans. But whoever wins or loses can continue to mock us so what’s the point?

I will not root for either team but I will root for bad weather. A nice icy cold rain storm might make me feel good as I watch the two teams in baseball I hate the most. I’ll sip a hot coco watching the Yankees wear those silly baseball caps with the ear flaps. They remind me of a hat my mother use to make me wear to school when I was a kid. I was so embarrassed to wear it I would take it off and put it in my book bag when I got far enough away for her not to see me.

I’ll laugh at Jimmy Rollins in that goofy ski mask. At least I can enjoy the game of baseball, the summer game, played in likely miserable conditions. As long as TV controls baseball, and make no mistake, they do, the World Series will continue to be played later in the year in the worst possible weather conditions.

But I digress. I guess my bitterness is showing. I’m sure if the Mets were in the World Series I would have no qualms about the conditions. Let’s face it. It’s a bad time to be a Mets fan.

What I'm Rooting For

Lou Di Falco — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Obviously with the Mets out of it I have to decide what to root for in the post season. I have the answer. No, it’s not whether to root for the Phillies over the Yankees or the Yankees over the Phillies. It’s not rooting for Joe Torre over the Yankees, although that is intriguing. No, no. For me, I’m rooting for Mother Nature. That’s right, the weather.

This is not a new rant for me. Usually, once or twice a year, I write about the absurdity of Major League Baseball extending the season later and later each year. This year, the World Series will end in November, no ifs ands or buts. Game four is scheduled for November 1st unless it has to be pushed back further due to bad weather. If the Series goes seven games, it will end on November 5th, likely at Yankee Stadium…at night. Perfect!

Forty years ago, the Mets won the World Series on October 16th, the same date the ALCS will begin this season. This year, the World Series will not even start for another two weeks.

That’s why I am rooting for cold, windy, wet weather. What better way to spend an evening than freezing to death catching the Swine Flu while rooting for your beloved Yankees or Phillies.

Now, before you think I’m being cynical, here me out.

What is it going to take for the lords of baseball to come to their senses? If you are going to tell me the love of the game is first and foremost in the minds of the owners, you are crazy and downright wrong. Like everything else in America, baseball is only about the money, the almighty buck. The powers that be know there are enough of us morons tuning in every evening to pedel their dopey products. To them, it justifies the horrendous conditions the national pastime’s championship season is played in.

Baseball sells the rights to broadcast games to the highest bidder. Why? Because, the owners want the most money they can get. Do you honestly think the question “What will you do to enhance the game of baseball?” is ever uttered from those from baseball when negotiating these deals? I doubt it. If that were true, TBS would have never gotten the opportunity to broadcast games.

The networks pay top dollar because they in turn charge the most they can to advertisers who know they will have a large audience. In the mean time, the game suffers. Last season, the Phillies won the World Series in awful conditions at Philadelphia. Was it as fair as it could have been for Tampa Bay if it had been played earlier in the month of October during the day time?

I am a fan of the game. I don’t care how much money changes hands. But I do care about the conditions in which these games are played. Remember, it’s the summer game, a game that requires decent weather conditions so players can use their skills to the best of their abilities. The post season of baseball should be a celebration of the best of play from the game. How can that be in the worst of conditions? Even football’s Super Bowl, a game designed for cold weather, is played in a warm weather location every year.

Are there things that baseball can do to improve the condition of the post season? Why of course there are. Shorten the regular season or start the season earlier in warm weather locations. Why not play more doubleheaders during the regular season so the post season can start sooner. Shorten the playoffs to 2 of 3 in the first round, 3 of 5 in the second. Play in a warm weather, neutral location (personally, I’m not a fan of this idea). Don’t have so many days off during the playoffs. Play the games during the day when the weather is at least warmer.

But my (and others) solutions have a common problem. They all benefit the good of the game. None of them increase revenue. That’s why they will never be employed. And that’s why I hope a monsoon hits New York or Philadelphia on November 1st.

Observing The Races

Lou Di Falco — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:00:00 -0400

Recall how the last two seasons the Mets struggled down the stretch. Night after night, it was an excruciating loss as the Mets just could not get to the finish line for the division in ’07 and the wild card of ’08.

Of course, this season the Mets are completely irrelevant. But if you take a look at the races, there are a number of teams having difficulty closing the deal.

One is the Philadelphia Phillies who are blowing games late in pure Mets fashion. With a magic number of three, the Phillies should win the division but didn’t we say that about the Mets two seasons ago? Yesterday, with another chance to reduce their magic number, the Phillies lost to the under .500 Astros by a score of 8-2. With six games left, the Phillies have a four game lead over Atlanta.

While the Phillies are limping to the finish line, the Braves are winning. Atlanta has won seven in a row putting pressure on both the Phillies and the Rockies who lead the wild card.

The Los Angeles Dodgers who are assured a playoff appearance of at least a wild card, need one to clinch the division. The Pirates did not give LA the chance to celebrate in Pittsburgh as they pummeled the Dodgers 11-1 yesterday. Regardless, like the Yankees and Cardinals, the Dodgers will be one of the elite eight.

The Detroit Tigers led the AL Central for most of the summer. But the Minnesota Twins, who always seem to get themselves in a race, are breathing down the Tigers neck only two games back. The Twins have a series in Detroit starting today with a day-night doubleheader because of a rain out last evening.

Then there is the Red Sox who backed into a tie for the AL wild card. Returning to Boston having watched the Yankees clinch the division on Sunday, the Sox were humiliated at Fenway when the Toronto Blue Jays spanked them for their fourth loss in a row. Had the Sox won, they could have waited around the clubhouse and celebrated after the Angels defeated the Rangers. The Sox lead the Rangers by six games in the AL wild card and will try to finish it off this evening.

While all of these teams have been feeling the heat, some have thrived down the wire. One is the Yankees who had no difficulty getting it done, assuring themselves of a playoff appearance a week ago.

The Rockies have played incredible ball for the second half of the season and should win the NL wild card but Atlanta is in hot pursuit only two games back now.

The Cardinals are in, having defeated the Rockies on Saturday night. Tony La Russa worked his magic again getting the Cardinals to the post season for the fourth time in six years.

And late last night, the Angels clinched by crushing the Rangers 11-0. If the Red Sox fail again this evening, the Angels can put an end to it with another win against Texas.

So what does all this prove? While the Mets collapses of 2007 and 2008 are still painful, there are many teams that struggle to get the job done. It doesn’t mean the Phillies, Red Sox, or Rockies will blow it but it does show that when the pressure is on, players feel the heat and begin to press. That behavior forces players out of their rhythm, making it hard to relax and just take the same approach as if it were the end of May instead of September.

The big candidate to cough it up is Detroit. They have struggled in September while the Twins have been very hot. The Rockies could blow the wild card too but they have continued to play well. There is an outside shot the Phillies could blow it with their very ineffective bullpen. Wouldn't that be wonderful. But with a magic number of three and that tremendous offense, the Phillies should get it done.

All in all, I wish the Mets were in the position to blow it again on the final weekend. The feeling of your team being in the race, fully aware they could lose at the end is better than watching them lose their 90th game, don’t you think?

College Baseball

Lou Di Falco — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:26:00 -0400

On a day after a Mets game that we desperately need to forget, maybe it's best to consider what else is going on in the baseball world.

Although in the New York area where college baseball is not that popular, the College World Series has begun, at least the regionals. Last weekend the regionals were held throughout the country. And like its basketball counterpart, (admittedly no where near as popular) the NCAA picks a field of 64 teams at the outset.

Each regional is made up of four teams that battle in a weekend round robin that concludes on a Sunday or Monday depending on the number of games required. This year, none of the local colleges made the tournament.

Over this past weekend, the teams were whittled down to sixteen teams that will play in the Super Regionals to be held this weekend. Unlike the first round, the Super Regionals pit pairs of teams in a two of three playoff this weekend. The eight winners of the Super Regionals will play in the final round known as the College World Series (CWS).

The CWS is made up of two brackets of four teams that compete in a round robin format. The winners of each bracket play a championship two of three final round.

The CWS starts on June 13 and concluded on June 23 or 24 depending on the championship round. This weekend's Super Regionals games and the CWS can be seen on ESPN, ESPN2, or ESPNU.

Click here for bracket

Culture of Drugs

Lou Di Falco — Fri, 08 May 2009 14:21:00 -0400

Manny Ramirez is just the next player to fail Major League Baseball's drug policy. For his crime, he will miss the next 50 games and forfeit the pay from those game. Are you shocked? I'm not.

First off let me point out I do not condone the use of performance enhancing drugs (PED). Nor do I approve of any drug, illegal or otherwise, that impairs judgment or can make driving an automobile dangerous. What I find so ironic is we, as a culture, seem to have more tolerance for drugs that effect behavior and judgment than we do for drugs that enhance performance. Last I checked, no one was killed by a ballplayer hitting balls farther but across the country last evening, people died because of a few who drove under the influence of alcohol.

I get all the arguments in regards to steroids. The stats have been inflated unfairly, it’s a bad role model for the kids, and it’s just plain not nice. I get it. But what in the world are we so shocked about? Am I the only one noticing the double standard in this country?

We pass judgment on the use of PED but it seems okay for ball clubs major sponsor to be a brewery. Don’t tell me alcohol is not a drug because it is. It can even enhance performance. Haven’t you ever heard anyone say have a drink to take the edge off.

The point is that drugs and booze have been used for a very long time to alter perception, reality, and now performance. Again, not good but why the shock? Why are we so surprised especially when it comes to athletes and why are we more upset about our athletes than we are with the abusers who hurt other people. The answer is that steroids have upset the sanctity of the game. Apparently this is why we are more preoccupied with the abuse of steroids than we are with heroine, LSD, or Jack Daniels.

Some say that asterisks should appear all over the record books for the last twenty years. Why, is there an asterisk next to the 1919 Cincinnati Reds? They won the World Series that year but only because the White Sox threw it. Shouldn't we have asterisks next to Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Cy Young, and others because they did not compete against Blacks or Hispanics? What about ballplayers from the 1980's snorting cocaine in the clubhouse between innings? Where is the asterisk for them? The writer Ken Burns, who produced the PBS series "Baseball" has made these arguments more eloquently than I have. Burns also makes the point that steroids will be discussed in the future when reviewing this era just as we wonder how good Ruth would have been if he had to face Satchel Paige.

There is such a dichotomy when discussing drug abuse. How do we, as a country, get the point across that taking drugs are bad when the result of steroids have helped athletes perform better. How does the point get across when nightly, we are bombarded with commercial after commercial for drugs that will improve everything from our sinuses to our erections. What kind of message do we send when commercials depict the beer you drink will help you attract beautiful women or the scent you wear (isn't perfumes and colognes a type of drug) will help attract more handsome men?

There is a double standard in this country. Drugs are okay as long as the companies that produce them have a lobby in Washington. Don't kid yourself, drugs are huge business that create extreme revenues. Statin drugs alone account for about ten percent of all drug company revenues. But the legal drugs are safe right? Not if you listen carefully to the disclaimers at the end of each commercial.

All drugs can have a negative effect and all drugs can have a positive effect too. No one can argue that the Polio vaccine was a huge breakthrough in modern medicine. But an argument can be made that we are way over medicated today. Everyone that goes to the doctor for the sniffles expects an antibiotic when they leave the office.

The point is America has become a culture of drugs. Drugs is the answer to everything. It's easier to take a pill than it is to eat right and to exercise. If America is really upset that our athletes take steroids and other performance enhancing drugs then we must change the paradigm. Perhaps baseball should consider a less grueling schedule. Reduce the number of games and shorten the season. One of the reasons athletes use steroids is to make them recover faster. Amphetamines are also illegal now. Ballplayers popped these like candy just to stay alert and awake.

If we want our athletes to live up to some idealistic non drug world view we imagine, than America must look to more natural ways to making us healthy and to perform better. Until that happens, don't be so shocked when you find out your favorite player is juicing.

To Some Degree, Are We to Blame Too?

Lou Di Falco — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 12:56:00 -0500

We were inundated over the weekend with the news that Alex Rodriguez took two anabolic steroids in 2003. MLB Network interrupted their regular programming and handled the crises as CNN would if a national emergency occurred. Bob Costas was there to interview the author from SI who wrote the story. All and all, MLBN did a great job.

But as I watched and listened to the accusations, I thought crossed my mind. There is a lot of blame to go around. The players, who are most responsible, the player's union, and ownership all have contributed to this mess. Is it fair to exonerate the fans? How much of our expectations has helped contribute to the use of performance enhancing drugs?

Clearly the buck must stop with the players. No one is putting guns to their heads forcing them to juice. But baseball, like all sports, has become a huge business. There is much money to be made. It is a clear case of supply and demand. The better a player is, the more money that player will make. Careers are relatively short in baseball. Most ballplayers have no other skill. If they don't earn the predominate amount of money over their lifetime during their playing years, there is little opportunity to make it elsewhere.

We, the fans, have become more insatiable than ever. A good competitive team is no longer enough. From the winter meetings on, our team better win the World Series or else. Anything short of a World Championship is a failure, a disgrace. I have heard Derek Jeter, on more than one occasion, state as much further feeding our frenzy. The 2008 Tampa Bay Rays had a storybook season but became irrelevant as soon as the Phillies defeated them in the World Series. David Wright had another great season in '08 but went 0 for 4 on the last day and everyone wanted to trade him. The Yankees did not make the playoffs for a 14th consecutive year and Yankee fans screamed bloody murder. What kind of pressure do we put on these athletes when all of us expect them to perform flawlessly every time they step on the field?

Years ago, it was enough that our athletes gave their best effort. But as salaries went up, so did expectations. Suddenly it was okay, and even encouraged, to bash a ballplayer if they did not perform to the level we felt they should. In fairness, fans have the right to complain. We pay the ticket prices. We pay the cable bills. We deserve the right to demand much from the teams we support. Seriously, the fans could never be held accountable for the cheating ways of athletes. All I'm saying is that at some small percentage, we the fans have contributed to the culture of sports in America today. After all, it is money from our pockets that have made owners, players, and union leaders filthy rich.

The truth is, baseball players have cheated for years. Pitchers scuffed and applied foreign substances to baseballs . Hitters have corked bats or used excessive amounts of pine tar. The 1951 New York Giants devised an elaborate scheme of stealing signs from the opposition ultimately winning the NL Pennant as a result. Doc Ellis pitched a no-hitter while tripping on LSD. Dwight Gooden's early performances may have been the result, in part, to the invincibility one feels while high on coke. What makes the steroid issue so different is that these drugs allow the body to heal faster. They make the athlete stronger in turn enabling balls to be hit further or pitches to be thrown faster. Those things inflate statistics and that's what has everyone in a fervor.

Who deserves to be in the Hall of Fame is what it comes down to. Is A-Rod's entire career a fake because he failed a drug test once in 2003. Don't forget, at the time, there were no penalties in the game for failing these tests. The big story is A-Rod. But do not forget there are 103 additional players on that list.

And what about the player's union. What kind of union is it that protects some of it's members who cheat while the rule abiding ones end up earning less dollars? The fact that Gene Orza tipped off certain players when drug tests was about to happen speaks volumes. It is a system of corruption. One in which we fans looked away as long as the performances on the field captured our imagination. The owners looked away too as home runs left the yard at a phenomenal rate and padded their pockets with the result from the ticket booths and TV revenue.

When it will change? When the owners and the unions can seriously come up with a system that severely punishes those that cheat the system. To some degree it has started already. In the past year and a half we have seen a number of players suspended for being caught with performance enhancing drugs. As I mentioned earlier, we the fans foot the bill. If we want to see steroids go away, then we need to act by not attending games and following so intently from our couches. But as long as we continue to support baseball, than we must conclude that we, at the very least, are a small part of the problem.

Caribbean Series Set

Lou Di Falco — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 09:47:00 -0500

This article is for the complete baseball junkies out there. The wait for live baseball is over. The teams are set for the Caribbean World Series starting Monday and airing live on the MLB Network, two games a day for six consective days.

The qualifying teams from the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela are TIGRES de LICEY, VENADOS de MAZATLAN, LEONES de PONCE, and TIGRES de ARAGUA respectively. The format used is a round robin. Each team will play six games, an away game and a home game for a total of six games each. The tournament has a total of 12 games. All games will be played in Mexicali, Mexico, the site of this year's series.

The TV schedule is as follows -

Monday 2/2 5:00PM EST/2:00PM PST - Tigres de Aragua (VN) vs. Tigres de Licey (DR)

Monday 2/2 10:00PM EST/7:00PM PST - Leones de Ponce (PR) vs. Venados de Mazatlan (MX)

Tuesday 2/3 5:00PM EST/2:00PM PST - Tigres de Licey (DR) vs. Leones de Ponce (PR)

Tuesday 2/3 9:00PM EST/6:00PM PST - Venados de Mazatlan (MX) vs. Tigres de Aragua (VN)

Wednesday 2/4 5:00PM EST/2:00PM PST - Tigres de Aragua (VN) vs. Leones de Ponce (PR)

Wednesday 2/4 9:00PM EST/6:00PM PST - Venados de Mazatlan (MX) vs. Tigres de Licey (DR)

Thursday 2/5 5:00PM EST/2:00PM PST - Tigres de Licey (DR) vs. Tigres de Aragua (VN)

Thursday 2/5 9:00PM EST/6:00PM PST - Venados de Mazatlan (MX) vs. Leones de Ponce (PR)

Friday 2/6 5:00PM EST/2:00PM PST - Leones de Ponce (PR) vs. Tigres de Licey (DR)

Friday 2/6 9:00PM EST/6:00PM PST - Tigres de Aragua (VN) vs. Venados de Mazatlan (MX)

Saturday 2/7 5:00PM EST/2:00PM PST - Leones de Ponce (PR) vs. Tigres de Aragua (VN)

Saturday 2/7 9:00PM EST/6:00PM PST - Tigres de Licey (DR) vs. Venados de Mazatlan (MX)

The MLB Network will also reapeat games. Check times and channel number for local listings.

The Dead of Winter

Lou Di Falco — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 11:17:00 -0500

Is there a time of year worse for the diehard baseball fan than the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl? The airways will be filled with over analysis and over reporting on the most over hyped game in all of sports. Had the Giants or Jets (yeah, right) made it, I would have some interest but to be honest, I could not care less who wins.

For me, and I’m sure for many of you, the focus remains on baseball, specifically the Mets. So what do we do to occupy what little free time we have on our favorite past time?

Here’s a list of baseball related things to keep an eye on.

The MLB Network – thankfully, we now have a 24 hour baseball channel, for those of us lucky enough to get it. Each weeknight, the MLB Network airs a one hour hot stove show. It’s a great way to keep current on what is happening with player movement. And if you miss the live broadcast at 7:00PM Eastern, you can catch a replay later in the evening or the next morning. Tonight at 9:00PM, the MLB Network will air a brand new show on the Negro Leagues narrated by Dave Winfield.

Mets Hot Stove – SNY will continue to telecast their weekly Mets off season show on Thursday evenings at 7:00PM. The show, hosted by Kevin Burkhart, features many interesting guests and segments. SNY also airs many classic Mets games from the past. You can catch about four to five games a week to get you through when the baseball shakes become to horrible to bear.

Citi Field/Shea Stadium – The website Stadiumpage.com continues to provide many great photos of Citi Field’s construction and Shea Stadium’s destruction. There is also a photographer who goes by the moniker of citi_field on WebShots.com who has provided a ton of slide shows of the Flushing sites. The latest one is posted below.

Caribbean - Live baseball is currently being played in the Caribbean. The Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico, and Puerto Rican winter leagues are currently in their respective post seasons. The champions of these four countries will compete in the Caribbean World Series the first week of February. This year, all games will be televised live on the MLB Network. MLB.com has a site devoted to Caribbean Baseball. There are many major league players competing.

The World Baseball Classic – beings in March. This year, the US looks to rebound after being bounced out in the semi-finals in 2006. And if you think the WBC is a glorified exhibition, guess again. It has been reported by many that players on the US squad are already working out and are taking the series very seriously. MLB Network has a WBC roster special this evening and they will carry many of the Classic’s games. Sixteen countries will be competing. Japan won the first WBC in 2006. David Wright will play third base for the American team and Carlos Beltran will play on the Puerto Rican squad. Johan Santana would like to play for his native Venezuela but his knew recuperation may not allow it. Other Mets are involved in the Classic as well.

And if none of this stuff can hold you over, you only have to wait 24 days till Mets’ pitchers and catchers report to Port St. Lucie.

The latest slide show from Shea Stadium…

Shea Demolition/Citi Field 1/17/09

Mets and Baseball Stuff

Lou Di Falco — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:10:00 -0500

Free Agency -

Met killer Pat Burrell is out of the division and out of the league. Yesterday, Burrell signed a two year deal with the Tampa Bay Rays. It’s kind of weird when you think about it. He was on the team that defeated the Rays in the World Series. So he has gone from the World Champion Phillies to the team that lost the series. Ah, the era of free agency. Burrell will get a chance to beat up on his old nemesis the weekend of June 19-21 when the Rays come to Shea…err Citi Field.

According to the New York Times, Andy Pettitte has rejected the Yankees offer of ten million for one year. What’s with this guy? He’s 36 years old and his better pitching days are behind him. He loves playing for the Yankees and wants to pitch in the new Yankee Stadium. But ten million is not enough? Randy Johnson took that amount to pitch in San Francisco and he was a far more dominating pitcher than Pettitte. I guess Andy wants some respect. When did ten million dollars become a non respectable income to play baseball?

According to Newsday, the Mets will stand pat on Derek Lowe since no other team has made a serious offer. As I wrote yesterday, this is the smart thing to do. Why should the Mets bid against themselves? The Newsday article also hinted that the Mets are negotiating with Randy Wolf and Oliver Perez, another Scott Boris client. Boris was a guest on MLB Hot Stove Live last evening.

MLB Network -

Speaking of the MLB Network, what I have seen I like except there is an awful lot of repeated content. If you miss Hot Stove, don’t fret. It will be repeated about five times before the next episode airs. And how many times are they going to run the Red Sox highlights from the 2004 post season? I’m sure Yankee fans are enjoying that just about as much as Mets fans are enjoying replays of the Phillies 2008 World Series win.

Teixeira Intro -

Today the Yankees will introduce Mark Teixeira as their new first baseman at the old Yankee Stadium. What’s with that? Why not at the new Yankee Stadium? The Mets introduced J.J. Putz at Citi Field. How come the old Yankee Stadium has not begun to be torn down? Is it possible the new Yankee Stadium will not be ready by opening day? Just asking…

Citi Tickets -

Mets ticket plans are going fast, even in this awful economy. There are still eight 40 game plans available. All 15 game Friday plans are available with the cheapest seat at $285 in the promenade reserved section. There is only promenade reserved left for the Saturday and Sunday 15 game plans. All 15 game weekday plans are still available. There is no word yet on six pack plans or individual game tickets.

Since every seat at Citi Field will be theoretically better than at Shea, a cheap fifteen game plan is not out of the question especially if you go in on one with some friends. For example, the cheapest seat, as mentioned above is $285 for the 15 game Friday or Saturday plan. Two seats would cost $570. If three friends went in on the deal together (five games each), it would only cost $190 for two tickets. That’s 38 bucks for two tickets per game. I may do that myself. It’s not a bad price to see five games at brand new Citi Field.

A Special New Year's Day

Lou Di Falco — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 22:05:00 -0500

New Year’s Day, sports wise, for years was dedicated to college football. In years gone by, there were four bowl games, the Cotton Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Rose Bowl, and the Orange Bowl. Today, there are more bowl games on the days leading up to the new year, New Year’s Day, and the days after, than you can count on two hands.

But New Year’s Day is changing. For the second year in a row, a hockey game will be played outdoors on the first day of the year. Last year’s game played in the Buffalo Bill’s stadium was a whopping success. This year, the game will be played in a baseball park. Wrigley Field will open its doors on the year’s first day for a hockey game. I’m not a big hockey fan, but that will be cool to watch.

There is also another event that is occurring this New Year’s Day and it relates to baseball. Major League Baseball will launch the MLB Network in fifty-million homes, the largest role out of a cable television station ever. The big players like Cablevision and Comcast will be aboard as well as others. The stations content is baseball, 24-7. The new channel will turn their cameras on at 6:00PM Eastern Standard Time with a hot stove program. Following the panel show will be a ballgame. That’s right, on New Year’s night you can watch a major league ballgame. It will not be live of course but it will be baseball. The MLB Network will air the Don Larsen perfect game from the 1956 World Series.

The Network will include All-Time Games, Hot Stove, shows that focus on individual teams and players. Plus there will be historical documentaries including Ken Burn’s “Baseball”. The new network will also broadcast World Baseball Classic games and 26 regular season games. It’s baseball, everyday on the new MLB Network.

Al Leiter from Yes and Harold Reynolds, who was on SNY briefly last season, will be hosts on the new channel as well as Matt Vasgersian, Victor Rojas, and others. The station will also air a nightly recap show similar to Baseball Tonight on ESPN during the regular season.

More good news is that the station will be placed on the basic digital tier and will not cost a dime more in your cable bill. This is a smart move in contrast to the NFL channel that locked them into Direct TV limiting their exposure. In addition to Cablevision and Comcast, the MLB Network will be carried on Cox, Direct TV, Time Warner, Charter, and Verizon FIOS. It is unclear if they intend to offer programming in high definition. Regardless, baseball now has a home 365 days a year. There is no off season anymore.

Notes: Today, Jeff Wilpon emphatically stated that the Mets are not for sale. The Mets finances are fine and nothing that happened in regards to the assets lost from being swindled by Bernard Madoff will effect baseball operations.

Baseball in Winter

Lou Di Falco — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 09:35:00 -0500

Winter baseball—no, no, not the Puerto Rican league, I’m talking about the practice of baseball related activity in the off season. You know, that’s the process of scouring newspapers and now, the Internet for anything related to baseball.

Speaking of the Internet, years ago, when I was a kid, there was no such thing. There were no TV channels dedicated to baseball teams. There were no channels dedicated to sports for that matter. Once the season ended, the diehards suffered through the cold months (at least in the northeast) hoping for something, anything, in the daily papers reporting on baseball.

If you were lucky, you might find a single paragraph devoted to the sport. More often than not however, there would be nothing earth shattering in the article. Baseball articles in the winter were generally found in the Sunday papers. There might be one devoted to the Mets and one for the Yankees. But other than that, there were not many sources of information.

Back then, during the sixties and seventies, I think I watched football just for the chance to see the ball fields where the game I love so dearly, baseball, was played. Unlike today, most baseball stadiums were used for football too. And the infield dirt was not covered up. I always thought it was cool when the NFL warriors were doing battle with the ball marked on the pitchers mound or a tackle was made at home plate. There was nothing like the traditional Lions game at Tiger Stadium on Thanksgiving. The game was usually played in horrendous condition but it was played on a baseball field. That’s all changed now.

The lack of baseball information during the winter made the arrival of ballplayers and the articles telling about them that much more anticipated. There was nothing like opening up the New York Daily News in the middle of February and seeing Mets players in their uniforms with palm trees in the background. At that point you knew the summer game wasn’t that far away.

Those days are gone. Today, at least in New York and some other cities, baseball has become a twelve month a year sport. I now take Mets Classics on SNY for granted. If there was something like that on the TV when I was fourteen years old, I would have been ecstatic. We have hot stove shows for both the Mets and Yankees on their respective networks. Sports nightly highlight shows always have a story or two on baseball. And of course we have the Internet.

The web has given fans access to baseball 24-7, 365 days a year. There are countless web sites and blogs to peruse and keep your baseball fix going through the holiday season and the winter months that follow. With the internet, you can actually follow baseball played in the Caribbean. Why, it has even helped me improve my Spanish.

Then of course there are the winter meetings that begin this Sunday evening in Las Vegas, Nevada. This coming week will be baseball’s biggest of the off season. We will hear stories and rumors daily about what free agent is signing with whom and who is being traded where. Most of what we hear will be rumor and hearsay. Some will predict a busy week but nothing will happen. Others will predict quiet meetings then block busters will prevail. The point is, the winter meetings are very unpredictable.

Whether the Mets sign K-Rod, Orlando Hudson, or Manny Ramirez is not that important. The real exciting thing is that for four days next week, baseball will dominate the sports headlines. And for that, all of us diehard baseball fans should be grateful. Play ball! (or at least talk about it)

Pro Ball November Style

Lou Di Falco — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:00:00 -0500

It's November in the northeast and it's getting cold. But in other parts of the world it's still warm, even hot. Professional Baseball is played almost the entire year and to prove it, here are links to six professional leagues currently in action.

Two of the leagues are in the United States and four are in the Caribbean. To access winter baseball information, use the following links.

Arizona Fall League http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/winterleagues/?league=afl

Hawaiian Winter Baseball League http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/winterleagues/?league=hwb

Caribbean Winter Leagues http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/winterleagues/?league=car

En Espanol

Liga Dominicana http://www.lidom.com/

Liga Mexicana http://www.ligadelpacifico.com.mx/cms/content.asp?company=180

Liga Venezolana http://www.lvbp.com/scripts/home/index.asp

Liga Puerto Rico http://www.hitboricua.com/

The AFL and HWBL will conclude before Thanksgiving. The Caribbean leagues will play through December, have their playoffs in January and then play the Caribbean World Series in February.

Mets players can be found on the rosters of the Peo Saguaros and Honolulu Sharks of the Arizona Fall League and the Hawaiian Winter Baseball League respectively. Mets players can be found throughout the Caribbean during the winter months. Click here to find the winter Mets.

It's Hard to Win the World Series

Lou Di Falco — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 07:00:00 -0500

I was impressed with a fan’s remarks in Marty Noble’s latest Mailbag feature at Mets.com. The fan was defending the idea of not forgetting the 2008 season because to him, there were many memorable moments. This fan has a good outlook and is getting more out of the baseball season than many of us.

I share this fan’s attitude and am often puzzled by so many fans anger and frustration with the Mets. Something has changed drastically since the 1960’s in terms of rooting for a baseball team. It used to be that if your team was playing above .500 and in the mix, fans were happy. Perhaps it has a lot to do with the never ending banter on sports talk radio and the myriad of baseball blogs on the internet. But one thing is certain, unless the Mets (or the team you root for) win the World Series, the season is now thought of as a complete failure.

This attitude is complicated by the fact that players often say the same thing. I have heard Derek Jeter claim many times that the season was a failure because the Yankees did not win the Series. This was during seasons when the Yankees were in the playoffs. If the Yankees were a failure for getting to the playoffs, what does that make all the other teams that did not?

What gets lost in all this is that it is very hard to get to the playoffs. It is even more difficult to get to the World Series much less win it. If a fan can only obtain satisfaction from their team winning the World Series, why even bother rooting? The odds are always against. Even the favored team is given good odds at the season’s outset to win the Series but no team ever gets one to one odds.

A friend of mine who is a numbers wizard ran some stats. He compiled a list of every team to play in the Major Leagues since 1903, the year the World Series began (except 1904 and 1994). He discovered that the average number of times a team wins a World Series is once every 20 years. The results compare the anticipated number of Series wins to the actual. For example, if a team has been in existence for 100 years, they should have won the World Series five times, once every 20 years. Obviously some teams, like the Yankees, are ahead of that curve while some are behind. But most fall smack in the middle or are off by one actual win either way.

Based on this formula, the Mets have won the number of World Series that is expected. In 47 seasons, they have won the Series twice. Because 1986 is now twenty-two years ago, the Mets are starting to fall below the curve. However, at least by average, they have won their fare share of World Series. In comparison, the recently crowned Philadelphia Phillies lag behind the curve because they have only won two World Series since 1903. The expectation is they should have won five championships by now. The point being, it is very difficult to win a championship. Again, if winning it all is the only thing a fan can find gratification in, why not find another pastime?

I often wonder if Cubs fans have as bad an attitude as many Mets fans. After all, the Cubs have not won a World Series in 101 years. Up until recently, a Red Sox fan was in the same boat. But now that Boston has won a couple of World Series in the last few years, do their fans start expecting a championship every season too?

The goal of any organization should be to put the best team on the field with the goal of winning the World Series. That is all we, as fans, can really ask for. However, that effort is no guarantee it will happen. Realistically, the Mets have fielded a winning team for the past four years. Yet because of disappointments by not getting to the Series in ’06, the collapse in ’07, and falling short in ’08, based on fan reaction, you would think these Mets are the same team led by Art Howe. I have been tough on Omar Minaya the last year and a half but in fairness, he turned the team around and made it competitive immediately after taking over the club. The best laid plans are often thwarted by injury, unanticipated poor performance from key players, and even bad luck.

The complaining in regards to 2009 has already started. At the GM meetings in southern California, not much has happened and we are starting to hear criticism from the media that the Mets will not do enough to change their fortunes for next season. It’s as if we need a guarantee in writing today that the Mets will win it all in ‘09. I would hope that someone who could give that guarantee could write down some lottery numbers for me too.

The fan in Marty Nobel’s article was simply pointing out that the journey was exciting. And indeed it was. In 2008, the Mets floundered in the beginning, changed managers and found themselves becoming competitive again reaching and occupying first place for quite some time. Injuries and poor relief pitching took their toll and the dream of winning a World Series was not fulfilled. Shall we return to the days or the Roman Empire and feed the team to the lions or should we be more civilized and relish the fact that our team was competitive and came close. Or would we prefer that the Mets become a basement dweller as they were for so many years of their existence when they were out of the race by Memorial Day?

The ending of the last two seasons were disappointing, make no mistake about it. But when the Mets finally get back to the playoffs and win it all, and I believe they will soon, the gratification will be that much more enjoyable. Wild ideas of breaking up the core by sports talk loud mouths is reactionary and would only serve to take steps backward. Fixing the obvious is what is needed and that is what Omar and company seem prepared to do as they look for pitching.

As the Mets get ready to move into beautiful Citi Field, they will do so with a chance to win the World Series. Whether the Mets do or not is why we follow them. The journey is long and many things can happen along the way. If we continue to spew our disapproval of a team that spends more money than most, tries hard to win at all costs, and keep their product competitive, then our griping says more about us, the fans, than it does about the Mets.

Season Over

Lou Di Falco — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:28:00 -0400

The 2008 baseball season is finally over. The Philadelphia Phillies are the world champions. The wackos on the radio will soon begin to spew the garbage. Craig Carton already started this morning on WFAN radio. He was ranting that the Mets should sign Manny Ramirez, Orlando Hudson, and Derek Lowe.

Did Craig not recognize that the Phillies strength was their bullpen? They won with a closer, Brad Lidge, that did not blow a save the entire season? They had strong setup men who were able to protect leads, getting the game to Lidge. Yet, in his wish list for the Mets, he never mentions any solution for the bullpen. I promise this is the last time I will write this. The Mets must improve their bullpen and find a closer. That’s it. Any other moves they make will be gravy. If the Mets bullpen was able to save games instead of blowing so many, the talk of guts and having a Shane Victorino type of player would never have been uttered. If the Mets had a bullpen rivaling the Phillies, they would have won the division. What needs to be fixed is what caused them not to win, not bringing in more high priced aging free agents.

The good news is that with Omar Minaya’s contract extension, he will not feel it necessary to make rash decisions and blowup a team that simply needs some tweaking. Not that rebuilding the bullpen is an easy task but spending absurd amounts of money on Manny Ramirez is not the approach the Mets should take. The Phillies won the World Series last night and interestingly enough, they did so without Manny Ramirez.

The Mets do not need Manny, they need bullpen help, perhaps a corner outfielder, and depending on what happens with Oliver Perez, possibly a starting pitcher. Fifteen days from now, eligible players will be able to file for free agency. The general managers meeting will start next week and I’m sure the trade rumors will begin. The hot stove league is about to start.

Major League Baseball ended last night but the baseball season never ends. As I mentioned above, the hot stove will warm up. Plus, the Arizona Fall League, the Hawaiian Winter Baseball League, and the Caribbean Leagues are in full swing (the Puerto Rico League starts up next week). The AFL and HWBL will end before Thanksgiving but the Caribbean leagues will play through the end of December. They will have their league playoffs in January followed by the Caribbean World Series at the beginning of February. Pitchers and catchers will report in the middle of February then in March, the second World Baseball Classic will begin.

Following the WBC, spring training continues and will be extended one week. The 2009 season will start on April 6th for the Mets at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati followed by the Citi Field opener on April 13th. It will be here before you know it.

Killing The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg

Lou Di Falco — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:10:00 -0400

Last week I wrote about how cold and wet weather can affect the outcome of the World Series. Unfortunately, we got a first hand account last night as the weather in Philadelphia was simply horrible.

When all is said and done, the right things will be said about how baseball can improve the situation, or how they have handled bad weather appropriately. They may even talk of modifying the schedule so the post season can be played in better conditions. Don’t bet on it. Baseball is a business and the business rules will come first. Nothing will likely be done to change where or when the World Series can be played.

In some years, the weather will not matter when teams playing in the NLCS, ALCS, and World Series are from warm weather climates or whose homes are in ballparks with roofs. But when you have good teams in the northeast, on the Great Lakes, and Minnesota come 2010, chances are one or two teams will find themselves in the same position as the Phillies and Rays found themselves last evening.

Frankly last night’s game should have been stopped earlier. It was a travesty watching players stumbling, almost dropping balls, and sliding in the wet conditions at Citizens’ Bank Park. This was a crucial game for both clubs. For the Phillies, it was a chance to win the World Series and not have to return to Tampa. For the Rays, it was a must win game or their storybook season would be over. The most important game of the year for a sport that proclaims to be the greatest game, to be played in such conditions can only be described as a disgrace.

I realize there is not much MLB can do. The games must be played. There are three levels of playoffs forcing baseball to play almost into November. Fox and TBS are paying huge dollars to televise these games and need maximum return on their dollar. That requires the games be played during prime time. Is there a solution or do we just accept that a sport requiring good weather conditions, that allows its athletes to play at the best of their ability, simply will not be able to in the most crucial games that matter most?

Baseball athleticism requires finesse. The feel of the baseball to a pitcher, who throws two to three different pitches, is extremely important and is compromised greatly when pitching in cold and windy weather. Fly balls can become problematic adventures when ballplayers have to track down in cold stiff wind, especially with rain blowing all over the place. These are not sights we typically think of when enjoying the summer game.

The solution is simple but requires a change in business philosophy and compromise. It’s not feasible to move the season forward. Starting in the middle of March will only move the problem of bad weather to the beginning of the season instead of the end.

However, the best solution, I believe, is to shorten the season, with the playoffs starting in the middle of September.

Prior to 1961, the regular season schedule was 154 games. With eight teams in both the American and National Leagues, each team played the others 22 times. The season started in mid April and concluded at the end of September, typically before October began. The World Series was completed the first week of October. There were no playoffs then. The pennant winners immediately advanced to the World Series.

After expansion in ’61 and ’62 in the AL and NL respectively, the schedules were expanded to 162 games. The 10 teams in each league played each other 18 times. Prior to divisional play, each team played each other an equal number of times with equal numbers of games home and away. It made sense for the number of games on the schedule to increase when more teams were added.

When divisional play began in 1969, two more teams were added to each league. However, the number of games on the schedule did not change. Initially both leagues adopted an unbalanced schedule. Teams played each other 18 times within each division but outside the division, teams played each other 12 times.

Through two additional expansions over time by both leagues, the number of games has not changed. They tried balanced and unbalanced schedules to enhance competition but as if it were handed down on stone tablets, the number of games for the season did not budge. Plus, due to revenue, doubleheaders, a common occurrence on Sundays in the old days, went the way of the dinosaur.

Today, a doubleheader is only played when a rainout forces the issue. And even then, the games are usually day-night affairs so revenue can be maximized. Combine the 162 game schedule, with no doubleheaders, and the expanded playoff format and you have the mess we saw last night. A crucial game played in the worst conditions. Rainouts can happen any time of the year but the cold and windy conditions destroys the integrity of the game. And that’s what needs to be focused on, the integrity of baseball.

The success of the playoff format and the wild card should not be changed. It is a formula that works well and insures more interest down the stretch of the regular season. What should be changed, and will have the least impact on the game itself, is the number of regular season games played. A 148 game schedule would allow the baseball season to end in mid September. The first and second rounds would be played during the final two weeks of the month with the Worlds Series completed by the end of the first week of October. In the northern regions, even during the first week of October, temperatures are reasonable for baseball.

Revenue would suffer to some degree by removing 14 games from the schedule. That’s only seven home games per ownership but the game’s integrity would greatly benefit. Major League Baseball is the highest level of the sport in the world. For that status to remain, something must be done to insure that the sport’s most important games are played in an environment that allows its athletes to perform at their best.

At some point, Major League Baseball must consider reducing the number of regular season games for the longevity of the sport. Otherwise they may kill the goose that laid the golden egg.

With Boras, it's all about money

Lou Di Falco — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 09:45:00 -0500

Very likely, Barry Zito will be toiling that brilliant curve ball of his next year and for several years after that in Arlington, Texas. It’s a simple matter of money.

The World Series is Not What It Used to Be

Lou Di Falco — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 00:10:00 -0400

Consider that the St. Louis Cardinals are on the verge of winning their first World Series since 1982 and are doing so with the worst regular season winning percentage for a world championship team in baseball history.

Resolving Cold and Wet Weather in the Post Season

Lou Di Falco — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 11:57:00 -0400

The idea of playing the World Series in a neutral site has come up before and like the SuperBowl, a warm weather city or stadium with a roof would be chosen. It makes sense until you begin to look at all the intangibles.

A Winter’s Guide for the Baseball Junky

Lou Di Falco — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 09:59:00 -0400

Sure the World Series is still going on but my heart is not into watching this year.

Change the Wild Card to Wild Cards

Lou Di Falco — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 10:02:00 -0400

Before the first round even begins I have a beef and it’s with the first round and the wild card in particular. The Mets won 97 games this year and could easily get bounced out in the first round. Anything can happen but it’s the “easily” part that bothers me.

Steve Phillips knew this about A-Rod

Lou Di Falco — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 11:37:00 -0400

From the Department of Fairness comes the following. After the World Series in 2000 you know that one, don’t you, the Mets had the opportunity to sign Alex Rodriguez as their short stop.

Are you ready for some football…no, not really

Lou Di Falco — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 12:06:00 -0400

...Tonight of course is the opening of the NFL season as the Miami Dolphins take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Lots and lots of people will be watching but not me. I for one will be watching the Mets take on the Dodgers at Shea Stadium

Please just show me the game!

Lou Di Falco — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 14:14:00 -0400

Oh joy, Major League Baseball has extended their TV contract with FOX for another seven years.

What’s wrong with the All Star Game? Answer: Everything

Lou Di Falco — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 16:06:00 -0400

Tonight’s All Star game in Pittsburgh almost seems anti-climatic after last night’s Home Run Derby contest where David Wright almost won hitting a total of 22 home runs. When I was a kid the All Star Game was huge.

Gets by Buckner, no it got by Shiraldi and Stanley

Lou Di Falco — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 07:18:00 -0400

For once and for all, can the Boston fans forgive Bill Buckner? As a long time Mets fan and a baseball fan it always bothered me as to how the baseball world has treated Bill Buckner.

Arena Baseball

Lou Di Falco — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 09:32:00 -0400

Here's an idea for a new sport, Arena Baseball. It's baseball, right, except instead of playing in a regular size stadium, the game will be played in a park with real short fences.

The Future of MLB

Lou Di Falco — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 10:12:00 -0400

Since it was an off day, I would like to go off on a bit of a tangent and discuss something that interests me and it has nothing to do with the circus that has come to town.

Scheduling

Lou Di Falco — Fri, 26 May 2006 11:58:00 -0400

The Mets take four of six in their recent home stand. That's good enough for me. That ratio of wins to losses will get them to the playoffs. So what's in store next for the Mets. Let's look at the schedule.