In December, we fantasize about the cold weather and the snow. It’s all part of the magic and wonder that is part of the Christmas season. You dream of sleigh rides, curling up in front of the fire, and of course, the White Christmases. By the time January rolls around, the cold weather and snow is nothing more than anything that keeps you locked inside the house. If you have a toddler, you’re locked inside the house without a real outlet to let your child burn off all of that energy they have.
With that in mind, my wife and I made a concerted effort to make sure we signed our son up for something this winter. In the past, we had done Gymboree. However, at three my son is way too old for it. Frankly, around two years old, you are really at the point of diminishing returns. So, it was time for something new.
We debated on a number of different options. Swimming lessons in the winter are much too expensive. Gymnastics seemed like a good outlet to run around and burn off some energy. There were a few more options we inquired about, but ultimately, we decided to go with ice skating lessons.
There are a few good reasons for it. The first is the ice skating lessons near us was reasonably priced, and it included free ice time so the children can practice what they learned in their lessons. Second, ice skating is great exercise, and it is something more apt to tire our son out and lead to him taking a nap on the weekends. Third, it is a unique skill set that is easier to teach now when he has no fear that when he is older and may have some fear of falling on the ice. Fourth, unlike gymnastics, this is an activity he can do throughout his life. Fifth, and perhaps most importantly, this is something I can do with him.
Two notes on that. First, there is no way I’m ever going to try the rings. Second, and this is important, ice skating is not like riding a bike. I hadn’t skated in about 20 years, and when I hit the ice, it felt like it was my first time skating.
One added benefit we had in the ice skating experience was we spoke with one of our son’s friends, and his parents signed him up for the same class. As with anything in life, it is better to have a friend go with you than to try something alone. The lessons are going great.
The first lesson took place off the ice. The children were taught by the instructors how to fall. While off the ice, the children were also taught how they should get up should they fall. Lastly, they were taught how to balance themselves while on the ice. After that, it was time for them to hit the ice.
This is where an added benefit came into focus. The children were out there on their own. In fact, the parents were told to sit in the stands rather than hang out by the glass. The reasoning was they wanted the children to be focused on ice skating and not distracted by their parents. It is a good rule, but it was still odd to find yourself in the position of not being out there or being too close to your son. Ultimately, that is a very good thing. When my son fell, which was quite often, he didn’t look for me or my wife. Rather, he just got up, and tried again.
That brings up another benefit. Your child is going to learn how to do something without you. Your child not only is becoming more independent, but they are also getting a sense of accomplishment. This isn’t daddy holding his hands and skating him around the rink. It is him going out there on his own, falling down, picking himself up again, and then trying again. This builds character. It builds confidence. Utlimately, this is the exact reason why we want our children playing sports.
There is also the pride you feel in seeing your child succeed out there. Certainly, it was great seeing how well he did in his first class, and how well he’s doing:
I have to admit, part of me got way ahead of myself, and I was imagining him skating on the Garden Ice for the Rangers.
Overall, whether you have a boy or girl, ice skating lessons have tremendous benefits for both the child and the parent. I know this is something we will continue in the future.
I have my Hall of Fame vote scattered through a few posts detailing why I voted for those still on the ballot, who I reconsidered, and who among the the first time candidates I voted. I also explained why I would vote for players already inducted by the IBWAA. Pulling those lists together, here is my ballot:
- Tim Raines
- Jeff Bagwell
- Jeff Kent
- Mike Mussina
- Curt Schilling
- Larry Walker
- Fred McGriff
- Vladimir Guerrero
Also, here is the reason I did not vote for Ivan Rodriguez. In addition to Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, Jason Varitek, Billy Wagner, and Trevor Hoffman ultimately fall short in my book.
Over the past week, I have reviewed the Hall of Fame cases for players like Edgardo Alfonzo, Al Leiter, and former manger Bobby Valentine. If the Mets were to add these individuals into the Mets Hall of Fame, that would bring the total number of Mets Hall of Famers to 30. Can you name the other 26? Good luck!
Tommie Agee Gary Carter, John Franco Dwight Gooden Jerry Grote Keith Hernandez Gil Hodges Davey Johnson Cleon Jones Ralph Kiner Jerry Koosman Ed Kranepool Tug McGraw Mike Piazza Tom Seaver Rusty Staub Casey Stengel Darryl Strawberry Mookie Wilson
It has been almost 15 years since Bobby Valentine has managed the Mets, and because of how history works, the enduring image we have of Bobby V is the time he came back into the dugout with sunglasses and a fake mustache made with eye back after he had been thrown out of a game. Bobby V was much more than that.
After a disappointing player career that included two forgettable seasons with the Mets, Valentine became a coach. In 1983, he was named the third base coach for the George Bamberger led Mets. Despite Bamberger not lasting the season, and General Manager Frank Cashen cleaning house, the Mets decided to keep Valentine when Davey Johnson was hired. From 1983 – 1985, Valentine was generally regarded as a very good third base coach, who helped in the development of a young Mets team from cellar dwellers to contenders. He would be hired as the Texas Rangers manager, and he would miss all of the 1986 season.
After his stint in Texas, a brief stop in Norfolk, and one in Japan, the Mets brought Bobby V back to the organization for the 1996 season. Initially, he was named as the manager of the Tides. However, after Dallas Green had finally run through all of the young arms on the team, Valentine was named the interim manager for the final 31 games of the season. In the offseason, the interim tag would be removed, and he would start the 1997 season as the Mets manager.
The 1997 Mets were THE surprise team in all of baseball. Despite a starting rotation that was comprised of Rick Reed, Dave Mlicki, Bobby Jones, Mark Clark, Brian Bohanon, and Armando Reynoso, the Mets would go from a 71 win team to an 88 win team. Now, there were good seasons for the turnaround. There was the acquisition of John Olerud. There was also another strong season from Lance Johnson, and Todd Hundley proved his record setting 41 home run 1996 season was no fluke. However, there were other factors at play, and they were directly related to the manger.
First, Edgardo Alfonzo was made the everyday third baseman instead of the utility player he was under Green. Also, while Reed had started the season coming out of the bullpen, Bobby V moved him into the rotation. Additionally, whereas Green’s calling card was to abuse his starters’ arms, Valentine protected his starters’ arms (his starters averaged six innings per start and less), and he used the bullpen to his advantage. On a more subjective note, this was a team that played harder and was more sound fundamentally. It was a team that probably played over their heads for much of the season.
One important note from this season, Mlicki threw a complete game shut-out against the Yankees in the first ever Subway Series game. While the Mets were overmatched in terms of talent in that three game series, Bobby V had that group ready to play, and they very nearly took the three game set from the Yankees.
With the Mets having overachieved, the front office led by General Manager Steve Phillips gave his manager some reinforcements. The team would acquire Al Leiter and Dennis Cook from the Marlins. The Mets would also add Japanese pitcher Masato Yoshii from Japan. However, this team was struggling due to Hundley’s elbow injury and Bernard Gilkey and Carlos Baerga having yet another disappointing season. Bobby V and the Mets kept the team above .500 and competitive long enough to allow the front office to make the bold move to add Mike Piazza.
From there, the Mets took off, and they would actually be in the thick of the Wild Card race. They were in it despite the Hundley LF experiment not working. They were in it despite getting nothing offensively from left field and their middle infield. They were in it despite the fact the Mets effectively had a three man bullpen. The latter (I’m looking at you Mel Rojas) coupled with the Braves dominance of the Mets led to a late season collapse and the team barely missing out on the Wild Card.
The Mets re-loaded in 1999 with Rickey Henderson, Robin Ventura, Roger Cedeno, Armando Benitez, and Orel Hershiser (no, Bobby Bonilla is not getting lumped in here). Things do not initially go as planned. After blowing a late lead, the Yankees beat the Mets, and the Mets found themselves a game under .500. Phillips responded by firing almost all of Bobby V’s coaching staff.
The Mets and Bobby V responded by becoming the hottest team in baseball. From that point forward, the Mets were 70-37. At points during the season, they even held onto first place for a few days. The Mets were helped by Bobby V being judicious with Henderson’s playing time to help keep him fresh. Like in year’s past, Bobby V moved on from a veteran not performing to give Cedeno a chance to play everyday, and he was rewarded. Again, like in previous seasons, Bobby V had to handle a less than stellar starting rotation.
In what was a fun and tumultuous season, the Mets won 97 games. The team nearly avoided disaster again by forcing a one game playoff against the Reds for the Wild Card. Not only did the Mets take that game, but they upset the Diamondbacks in the NLDS. The NLDS performance is all the more impressive when you consider Piazza was forced to miss the last two games due to injury. In the NLCS, they just met a Braves team that had their number for the past three seasons. Still, even with the Braves jumping all over the Mets and getting a 3-0 series lead, we saw the Mets fight back.
In Game 4, it was an eighth inning two run go-ahead Olerud RBI single off John Rocker. In Game 5, it was a 15 inning game that was waiting for the other team to blink first. While, the Mets blinked in the top of the 15th with a Keith Lockhart RBI triple, the Mets responded in the bottom of the 15th with Ventura’s Grand Slam single to send the series back to Atlanta. The Mets would be ever so close in Game 6. They fought back from a 5-0 and 7-3 deficit. Unforutnately, neither John Franco nor Benitez could hold a lead to force a Game 7. Then Kenny Rogers couldn’t navigate his way around a lead-off double and bases loaded one out situation in the 11th.
In 2000, Bobby V finally got the rotation he needed with the trade acquiring Mike Hampton and the emergence of Glendon Rusch. However, even with the much improved rotation, it still was not an easy year for the Mets. It rarely ever was during Bobby V’s tenure.
First, the Mets had to deal with the Henderson and Darryl Hamilton situations. Henderson became a malcontent that wanted a new contract. Hamilton lost his starting job due to a toe injury and had become a part time player. The result was the complete transformation of the outfield with Benny Agbayani and Jay Payton becoming everyday players. In the infield, the Mets lost Olerud to free agency and had to convert free agent third baseman Todd Zeile into a first baseman. Additionally, the Mets lost Gold Glove shortstop Rey Ordonez to injury leading the team to have to rely on Melvin Mora as their shortstop for much of the season. In what was perhaps Bobby V’s finest managing job with the Mets, the team made the postseason for the second straight year. It was the first time in Mets history they had gone to consecutive playoff games.
In the postseason, the team showed the same toughness and grit as they had in prior years. In the first game of the NLDS, they overcame an injury to Derek Bell and saw Timo Perez become a folk hero. The Mets outlasted the Giants in Game 2 despite a Benitez blown save. In Game 3, Agbayani hit a walk-off homer in the 13th, and Game 4 saw the Jones one-hitter. With the Mets not having to face the Braves in the NLCS, they steamrolled through the Cardinals en route to their first World Series since 1986. While the team never gave in, the balls did not bounce in their favor. That was no more apparent than when Zeile’s fly ball hit the top of the left field wall and bounced back into play.
From there, Phillips lost his magic touch. The team started to get old in 2001, and by 2002, everything fell apart. After what was his first season under .500 with the Mets, Bobby V was fired after the 2002 season. With one exception, it was the end of a forgettable and disappointing two seasons for the Mets.
One thing that cannot be lost with the 2001 season was how the Mets dealt with the aftermath of 9/11. Every player did their part. So did their manager. After 9/11 happened, Bobby V was a visible face of the Mets franchise visiting firehouses and helping relief aid at Shea Stadium. When it was time to return to playing games, he was able to get his players in a mindset to play baseball games. That is no small feat when your captain was a local guy who lost a friend on 9/11. Also, while it was the players who spearheaded wearing the First Responders’ caps, it was their manager who stood by their side and encouraged them to wear them despite requests to take them off from the Commissioner’s Office.
Through the roller coaster ride that was the 1,003 games of the Bobby V Era, the Mets were 536-437. During that span, Bobby V managed the second most games in Mets history while earning the second most wins in Mets history. His .534 winning percentage is the third best in Mets history just behind Johnson and Willie Randolph. In all but his final season as Mets manager, the Mets either met or exceed their expected (Pythagorean) record.
Bobby V stands as just one of two managers to go to consecutive postseasons. His 13 postseason wins are the most by any manager in Mets history. He’s the only Mets manager to win a postseason series in consecutive postseasons. He’s managed in more postseason series than any other Mets manager.
Overall, Bobby V is an important part of Mets history. Out of all the managers in Mets history, it is fair to say the Bobby V consistently did more with the talent given to him by his front office. For some, he is the best manager in Mets history. Most will certainly agree he is at least the third best manager in Mets history. For all of this, and how he represented the Mets organization during 9/11 and the aftermath, Bobby V should be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame.
In 2000, the New York Mets made the postseason in consecutive years for the first time in their history. It was a two year run that produced some of the most memorable moments in Mets history.
In the Mets first ever NLDS game, Edgardo Alfonzo hit two home runs, including a grand slam. The Mets would win that NLDS against the Arizona Diamondbacks with a 10th inning walk-off home run from Todd Pratt in a moment dubbed Pratt’s All Folks. The NLCS featured Robin Ventura‘s Grand Slam Single, and Mike Piazza‘s opposite field home run against John Smoltz which capped the Mets rallying from an early 5-0 and 7-3 deficits in what was a heart wrenching game.
In the 2000 NLDS, John Franco froze Barry Bonds to get a 10th inning strikeout to rescue the Mets from an Armando Benitez blown save. In Game 3, Benny Agbayani would hit a walk-off 13th inning home run giving the Mets a 2-1 lead in the series setting the stage for Bobby Jones‘ brilliant one-hitter to cap the series. In the NLCS, Timo Perez became a folk hero as the Mets swept the hated Cardinals to return to the World Series for the first time since 1986.
None of this . . . not one single moment would have been possible without Al Leiter.
Starting on September 21st, the Mets lost seven games in a row and eight of nine. The losing streak saw the Mets four game lead in the Wild Card turn into a two game deficit. It appeared that for the second season in a row, the Mets were going to blow a fairly sizeable lead in the Wild Card race and miss the postseason all together. Fortunately, the Mets would win out and force a one game playoff against the Cincinnati Reds for the Wild Card and the right to face the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 1999 NLDS.
After Rickey Henderson and Alfonzo hit back-to-back home runs to open the game, Leiter would do the rest. Leiter was simply brilliant in a complete game two-hit seven strikeout shutout. This start came off the heels of Leiter’s last start of the season where he out-dueled Greg Maddux to snap the the Mets eight game losing streak and put the team back in position to make a run at the Wild Card.
Typically, that was the type of pitcher Leiter was in a Mets uniform. He rose to the occasion in some when the Mets needed him. He was the guy who helped pitch the Mets into the 1999 postseason. He was the guy who helped turn around the 2000 NLDS by shutting down the San Francisco Giants over eight plus innings. He was the pitcher who gave everything he had in Game 5 of the 2000 World Series. Much like the Mets in that two year time frame, he was terrific, but time and again, he came up just short. In seven postseason starts for the Mets, he was 0-2 with a 3.57 ERA and a 1.080 WHIP. Taking out the 1999 NLCS Game 6 start against the Braves he made on three days rest and couldn’t record an out, his Mets postseason ERA and WHIP respectively drops to 2.58 and 1.015.
Leiter’s greatness as a Met extend far beyond the superlatives of his moments in big games and how well he pitched in the postseason. He was also very good in the regular season.
Leiter first came to the Mets in a February 1998 trade that featured the Mets sending prized prospect A.J. Burnett to a Florida Marlins team that was dismantling their World Series winning club. The trade was a sign the Mets were interested in moving on from a team that was rebuilding to a team that was ready to start competing. Adding a pitcher like Leiter, while a risk, certainly paid dividends.
In 1998, Leiter would arguably post the best year of his career going 17-6 with a 2.47 ERA and a 1.150 WHIP. That season Leiter was unquestionably the ace for a Mets team that surprised everyone by competing for a Wild Card spot deep into the season. For much of Leiter’s seven year career he served as either the Mets ace, 1A, or number two starter.
In his entire Mets career, Leiter was 95-67 with a 3.42 ERA, 1,360.0 innings pitched, 1,106 strikeouts, and a 1.300 WHIP. In that seven year span, Leiter posted a very good 124 ERA+ and a 28.0 WAR. He would make an All Star team and he would have one Top 10 Cy Young Award finish. With strong numbers like these, it should be no surprise Leiter’s name is scattered across the Mets record books:
- Wins (95) – sixth
- Games Started (213) – sixth
- Innings Pitched (1,360.0) – seventh
- Strikeouts (1,106) – seventh
- WAR (28.0) – 11th
In terms of all-time Mets pitchers, Leiter’s WAR ranks him as the sixth best pitcher in Mets history behind Tom Seaver, Dwight Gooden, Jerry Koosman, Sid Fernandez, and Jon Matlack. In terms of left-handed starters, Leiter ranks third in wins, seventh in ERA, third in starts, fourth in innings pitched, and third in strikeouts.
In terms of advanced statistics, Leiter’s 1998 season was the seventh best by a Mets pitcher by ERA+. In fact, his Mets career ERA+ ranks him as the eighth best pitcher in Mets history. Among pitchers that have thrown more than a thousand innings, his ERA+ is second all-time to just Seaver. Adjusted pitching runs ranks him as the third best pitcher in Mets history just behind Seaver and Gooden, and adjusted pitching wins ranks him fourth. In terms of WPA, he ranks fourth all time, third among starters, and second among left-handed pitchers.
Simply put, Leiter had a terrific career in a Mets uniform. His 1998 season was one of the best by a Mets starter. By most measures, he’s a top 10 or top 5 pitcher in Mets history. He has came up big in big moments time and time again. He was also part of a group of Mets players that welcomed Piazza after the trade with the Marlins and made him feel welcome enough for Piazza to re-sign with the Mets.
More than any of the aforementioned stats, there is another factor. There is no way you can adequately tell the history of the Mets franchise without discussing Leiter. Leiter was an important member of two Mets teams that made the postseason. He is a major part of one of the best eras in Mets baseball, and he’s a part of one of the most beloved teams in Mets history. Moreover, he is a part of a core group of Mets that have been long overlooked for the Mets Hall of Fame. Despite 1997 – 2001 being one of the better stretches in Mets history, Piazza and Franco remain the only Mets from those teams to be represented in the Mets Hall of Fame. They were not the only contributors to this run.
This era of Mets baseball has been long overlooked by this team. It is time some of those important Mets get inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame. Leiter is one of the Mets that deserve induction.
Back in 2012, the New York Mets announced their 50th Anniversary Team. Reviewing the list none of the players named should come as a surprise. It should come as even less of a surprise that of all the players named to the team, all the retired players have been inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame. Well, all but one player has.
The greatest second baseman in Mets history, Edgardo Alfonzo, still has not been inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame. He has not been inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame despite his being retired since 2006 and despite his presence in the Mets organization for the past few seasons. Put another way, this is not a player who has poor ties with the organization and that would be hard to bring back to honor him. Looking at it from that perspective, it is shocking to say the least that Alfonzo is not in the Mets Hall of Fame.
Judging by WAR alone, Alfonzo is the best middle infielder in Mets history posting a career 29.5 WAR as a Met. That 29.5 WAR ranks him as the seventh best Met in history. That puts him ahead of players like Keith Hernandez, Mike Piazza, and Bud Harrelson, all of whom have already been inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame. With that said, WAR only tells part of the story of the impact Alfonzo has had on Mets history.
In eight seasons as a New York Met, Alfonzo hit .292/.367/.445 with 120 homers and 538 RBI. In those eight years, Alfonzo was one of the best Mets to ever put on a uniform. It’s why he was named as the best second baseman in Mets history. Naturally, Alfonzo ranks high in the Top 10 in many offensive categories:
- Games (1,086) – 10th
- PA (4,449) – 8th
- AB (3,897) – 9th
- Runs (614) – 5th
- Hits (1,136) – 5th
- Doubles (212) – 6th
- Homers (120) – 9th
- XBH (346) – 8th
- RBI (538) – 7th
- Average (.292) – tied 5th
- OBP (.367) – 7th
The advanced numbers paint a number better picture of Alfonzo. His WAR is fourth best for a Mets position player, second for a Mets infielder, and the best for a Mets middle infielder. His 2000 6.4 WAR ranks as the fifth best season by a Mets position player. His defensive WAR is the sixth best in Mets history, third best by a Mets infielder, and best by a Mets second baseman. He ranks fifth in runs created, eighth in adjusted batting runs, and eighth in WPA.
Alfonzo led the Mets in runs, hits, and doubles in the 1990s. In that same decade, he also had the finished second in games played, at bats, total bases, and RBI. In the decade he was also fourth in triples, seventh in homers, eighth in stolen bases, third in walks, and third in batting average. Arguably, he was the Mets best player of the decade.
In addition to these numbers, Alfonzo was named to an All Star team (should have been more than the one), won a Silver Slugger, and had three top 15 MVP finishes. He finished second in Gold Glove voting in 1999 and 2001 as a second baseman. In 1997, he finished second in Gold Glove voting as a third baseman. Still, Alfonzo was much more than all of this.
When thinking of Alfonzo it is near impossible to choose just one moment that highlights his career. You can start with him being part of the greatest defensive infield ever assembled. In the 1999 Wild Card play-in game, he followed Rickey Henderson‘s leadoff home run with a home run of his own to give Al Leiter all the cushion he needed for the Mets to claim the Wild Card and head to the NLDS. In Game One of the NLDS, he would homer off Randy Johnson in the first inning to give the Mets a 1-0 lead, and then he would hit a grand slam off of Bobby Chouinard in the ninth to break the 4-4 tie. In the clinching Game 4, he got the Mets on the board with a fourth inning homer off of Brian Anderson.
Alfonzo would come up similarly big in the 2000 NLDS. In Game 2, with the Mets already down 1-o in the series, and with Armando Benitez having blown the save, Alfonzo ripped a double down the left field line scoring Lenny Harris. Lost in the shuffle of that inning was the fact that he had hit a home run in the ninth giving the Mets some much needed insurance runs. In any event, the RBI double allowed the Mets to tie the series and return to the NLCS for a second consecutive year. In the 2000 NLCS, Alfonzo was one of a few Mets that probably should have been named the NLCS MVP. In the five game series, Alfonzo hit an incredible .444/.565/.611 with five runs, a double, a triple, and four RBI.
Unsurprisingly, Alfonzo is the Mets all-time leader in postseason hits, games played, and g0-ahead hits. In fact, four of those hits were in the 7th inning or later. That is the second best mark in postseason history – not Mets postseason history – all of baseball history.
Speaking of hits, Alfonzo became the first ever Met to go 6/6 in a game. In what ranks as the most impressive hitting display in Mets history, Alfonzo hit three home runs and a double while recording five RBI. There have been no Mets and only one National League player that has posted a higher game score since 1999.
Somehow, some way none of this has garnered Alfonzo enough support to be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame. It’s wrong because Alfonzo is not just the best second baseman in Mets history, he is the best middle infielder in Mets history. He was a pivotal member of two teams that went to the postseason, and he had huge hits on those postseasons. He has set a number of Mets records. Overall, there is absolutely no way you can deny that Alfonzo is one of the best players in Mets history. Accordingly, he deserves enshrinement into the Mets Hall of Fame.
Generally speaking, my wife and I are loathe to allow our son to use a tablet such as an iPad. However, there are times we permit it. For example, when he is being watched by one of his grandparents, we allow it. The main reason why we allow it is because he is more likely to sit still for our parents who have difficulty keeping up with him if he is running around the house playing games like he typically likes to do. With that caveat aside, we do not like our son to use an iPad.
There are a couple of reasons for it. The first is that it is near impossible to pull a toddler away from an iPad. For some reason or another, toddlers just love iPads. Pulling them away from the iPad is like asking a smoker to quit cold turkey mid-cigarette. They’re not giving it up without a fight.
The next reason is it is somewhat hard to control what exactly they are watching. It really is.
If you are going on the internet, the safest choice site to go to is You Tube. On You Tube, there are any number to great educational videos for children. When my son was younger, he would watch any number of videos from ABC Kid TV. They were great in helping him learn numbers, the alphabet, and even some phonics. Of course, as a parent, the videos were so mind numbing, you wanted to tear your own hair out. There were also some Sesame Street videos and the like. Basically, there are any number of quality educational videos for toddlers.
However, there was the occasional problem with the ads. Every so often an ad appears for these videos, but You Tube does not do a good job in filtering those ads. While watching the aforementioned educational videos, Thomas and Friends videos, or really any videos clearly created for children, there have been ads for beer, underwear, and any number of things not quite fit for children. I’m not sure even Larry Flynt believed half naked women and men partying and/or in risque situations is the type of thing you want to be showing a toddler. Certainly, I am not one of those people. Even better, many of these videos are the type you are not permitted to skip.
Then there’s the next issue: the recommended video.
After watching one video, You Tube loads the next video and the next one and the next one and the next one . . . . Sooner or later, it moves from actual videos of say Thomas and Friends to people playing with the toys. This normally doesn’t end well.
The first issue here is not everyone is just showing their kids playing fun games with their trains. Eventually, a video will load of someone destroying the toys:
Granted, as a parent sick and tired of Thomas over and over again, a video like this is cathartic. However, this type of video will only serve to make your child upset. That’s a problem.
An even bigger issue is the toys that are either hard to find or are not readily available in the United States. Like most children, when you toddler sees a shiny new toy in a video, he/she is going to say that they want that toy. If your child is anything like my child, they don’t let it go. They remind you of that time and again. If this was August, no big deal – just tell him to wait for his birthday or Christmas. When he tells you that he wants Santa to bring him THAT TOY a week before Christmas, it’s an issue. It’s an even bigger deal when you ask what is the one toy he wants Santa to bring him most, and the response is invariably THAT TOY!
Next thing you know, you are scouring the internet looking for that toy and paying a premium for that toy. Speaking with different parents, I have heard stories of them ordering toy school buses from Hong Kong to paying ungodly shipping fees not just for a specific toy from England but also for the toy to arrive on time. For me this Christmas?
Well, I had to go to four or five different places to make sure I got each and every train from the Great Railway Show. By the way, there is a special place in hell for the person who created the Great Railway Show movie and for the people in charge of the creation of the toys for the Great Railway Show. Not all of them were made in the same sets, which meant I had to get some Trackmaster, some wooden, some Take ‘N Play, and some from another set of Thomas trains I never even knew existed. The best yet was Rajiv, Etienne, and Carlos have yet to be made into toys. I thank God each day that my son was happy with the trains I was able to get him and that he didn’t dwell at all on those three trains.
But that was the danger I faced due to You Tube. It is one of many dangers. Overall, like anything else in parenting, you just need to be vigilant when your child is around an iPad or You Tube.
Since becoming a parent, one thing that continues to bewilder me is the line of demarcation between movies Rated G and movies Rated PG. For example, the movie Finding Nemo is Rated G despite the opening scene alluding to Nemo’s mother along with many of her eggs being killed. Later on in the movie, we have a shark chase as well as Nemo pretending to play dead. Honestly, when you see a movie like this it at least gives you pause before bringing your three year old to see a movie Rated PG. Honestly, based upon the Rated G baseline set by Finding Nemo, you are led to believe a PG movie would include war and famine.
Thankfully, none of these were issues with the movie Sing.
When I bring my son to a movie, I typically have one eye on the movie and one eye on him. I can assure you he had no emotional reactions to anything in Sing like he had to those aforementioned death scenes in Finding Nemo. Overall, I had no issue taking him to see the movie, and we would watch it again. If you are looking for issues, they are as follows:
- Some scenes of stealing – there is an ape gang and the protagonist uses long extension cords to steal power from nearby businesses
- Animals crying – one was afraid of auditioning and one had a breakup with her boyfriend
- Bears threatening to harm a mouse and almost eating him
- There is a flood and a building collapse with the threat of animals drowning (they don’t)
- A minor jail break
There are some other potential issues that you will see elsewhere that aren’t real issues unless you think your toddler saying “Holy Moly!” One characters false eye keeps popping out, but it is funny. There are parents that are tough/domineering with their children, but that’s really just life. There are animals that dress up in speedos and leotards. If they were on people, it may be sexual in nature, but on the animated animals, it was amusing.
Overall, it was a funny movie with enough in it to keep the parents entertained. There was a wide spectrum of songs from Katy Perry to Elton John to Frank Sinatra. There were a number of moments with the mother pig that gave you an extra chuckle or two. Speaking of the mother, she created an ingenious way to care for her kids while she was auditioning that is going to make you go home and try to figure out how to put all of your child’s toys to good use.
Mainly, this was a really good movie to bring your toddler to see. The over-riding themes of the movie were to: (1) never give up on your dreams; (2) it takes hard work to accomplish your goals; and (3) overcoming your fears is a worthwhile endeavor. These are all things you want to instill in your children.
One interesting side note is since we saw the movie, my son has become re-focused in his love of music. He is now much more prone to play his piano or pick up his guitar at home and sing a song.
In the end, I am happy we saw the movie as a family. I hope that you get the time to go out and see this movie as a family as well.
With the Mets entering the 2017 season with an infield of Lucas Duda, Neil Walker, David Wright, and Asdrubal Cabrera along with Travis d’Arnaud behind the plate, it is safe to assume the Mets are going to be one of the first teams that will need to call up a player from the minors. Can you name the first player the Mets have called-up from the minors since the start of the 2010 season? Good luck!
Ruben Tejada Jason Isringhausen Ryota Igarashi Kirk Nieuwenhuis Aaron Laffey Wilmer Flores Kyle Farnsworth Eric Campbell Rafael Montero