Getting your kids to brush their teeth can sometimes be pain. They don’t want to do it, and even the best kids give you push back every now and then. There are a myriad of different reasons, but when you boil it down, the biggest reason seems to be the toothpaste.
Typically speaking, kids palates are more sensitive and bothered by mint flavors. The flavored toothpastes tend to taste a bit off, and as a parent, when you look at them, you see a toothpaste full of artificial ingredients you don’t necessarily want your children to have.
As a parent, it leaves you constantly looking for different types of toothpaste in the hopes you make the teeth brushing experience better for your child, and by extension, life all the more easier for you. Recently, my family has discovered Hello toothpaste, and we have yet to receive any pushback.
Our son genuinely likes the Watermelon flavor of the toothpaste, and each night and morning, he has brushed his teeth without being prompted by my wife or I. Looking at it from that standpoint alone, the toothpaste has promoted healthy habits, which is honestly, the biggest hurdle you need to overcome.
Digging deeper, there are other positives. As noted on The Strategist, it is an SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) free toothpaste which reduces both canker sores and irritation. As noted by the Hello website, it is natural meaning it is without artificial sweeteners, synthetic dyes, or artificial flavors. It should also be noted it is not tested on animals.
Now, it should be noted it is not perfect as some of their toothpaste flavors are fluoride free. The ADA, “Topical fluorides strengthen teeth already present in the mouth, making them more decay resistant, while systemic fluorides are those that are ingested and become incorporated into forming tooth structures.”
On that front, it should be noted they do have toothpaste options with fluoride. Aside from that, there are bound to be other issues, including but not limited to it being a higher price point.
Ultimately, when it comes to your child brushing their teeth, the goal is to promote healthy habits. Hello toothpaste does that, and since it does that, it is exactly the type of toothpaste you want to purchase for your children.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is not a paid advertisement, and this is not being offered as a medical opinion.
When it comes to Yoenis Cespedes, we have long since learned to never be surprised.
This is a man who put on a car show during the 2016 Spring Training. He’d give the keys to a clubhouse attendant one day to drive to the store because the clubhouse had the wrong waffle iron, and Cespedes wanted to make waffles.
We’d also see Cespedes purchase a farm, a $7,000 pig, and ride horses with Noah Syndergaard to Spring Training.
He’s as fun and eccentric a player the Mets have ever had. One day, he’s riding a horse to the ballpark, and the next, he’s hitting a homer against the Yankees despite needing double heel surgery.
That’s why, when he broke his ankle at his farm, you knew the story, if it ever broke was a doozy. Due to the exceptional reporting of Joel Sherman, Ken Davidoff, and Mike Puma of the New York Post, we have confirmation that it was even wilder than we ever anticipated:
According to multiple people who were informed of the incident, Cespedes has traps on his ranch for a variety of reasons, including to keep boars away from people. But one boar was removed from a trap — perhaps by Cespedes — and either charged toward Cespedes or startled him, causing Cespedes to step into a hole. Cespedes suffered the fractured ankle at a time when he was recovering from surgery to both heels that already was jeopardizing his playing status in 2019.
Yes, the same player who once opted music from the Lion King as his at-bat walk-up song potentially fought off a wild boar. At a minimum, he at least had to avoid them because that’s exactly what you expect to hear about a player rehabbing from double heel surgery.
Perhaps more remarkable than the story is the fact a Cespedes in two bum heels faced off in some fashion against a wild boar, and he lived to tell about it. Really, when you think about it, escaping with just a broken ankle is a near miracle.
For any other player, this would be a shocking story. Yet, with respect to Cespedes, it’s quite more bemusing. With this being the Mets, you absolutely have some to expect these things.
While we may not be entirely shocked Cespedes faced down a boar, we should also not be shocked when he hits a big homer in his return. After all, this is Cespedes, and he has never been boaring.
Just look at the names: Edwin Diaz, Jeurys Familia, Seth Lugo, and now Dellin Betances. That is a list of names which is the envy of each and every Major League team, and when you break it down, it has the makings of being an all-time great bullpen.
In 2018, Diaz was as dominant as we have seen any closer be. In 73 appearances, he recorded a Major League leading 57 saves with a 1.96 ERA, 0.791 WHIP, and a 15.2 K/9.
Familia is the best right-handed closer in Mets history. From 2015 – 2016, he was second in the Majors in saves while having the third most innings pitched and ninth best ERA.
Lugo has been as dominant a reliever as the Mets have ever had, and really he has emerged to be as dominant as any reliever in the game. To put it in perspective of just how dominant and overlooked he has been, over the past two years, he has a better FIP while throwing more innings than two time All-Star Josh Hader.
As great as this group is, you can argue none of them are anywhere near as good as Betances has been. From 2014-2018, he was quite possibly the best reliever in all of baseball. In fact, his 11.2 fWAR was second best. He was best in innings pitched, third in K/9, fourth in fWAR, and fifth in appearances.
When you can line-up this level of relievers in a row, you’re making every game a 5-6 inning game for a starting staff which includes Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, and Marcus Stroman. That is not only a recipe for success, it is a recipe for pure dominance.
However, it is important to note next year is 2020, and based on the last few years, only Lugo has been pitching at this high a level.
Last year, Diaz had a career worst year. After the offseason, he talked about how he struggled handling New York, and as reported by Laura Albanese of Newsday, the Mets finally admitted he had been dealing with some health issues.
Familia also had a career worst year. With his having an arterial clot removed in 2017 and his dealing with shoulder issues again last year, you wonder if he can ever get back to the pitcher he was in 2018 (3.13 ERA) let alone his dominant form of 2014 – 2016.
Finally, there is Betances. Before partially tearing his Achilles last year, Betances had been shut down at the beginning of the 2019 season due to a bone spur issue in his shoulder, inflammation in the joint, and a strain to his his right latissimus dorsi muscle. When he finally came back, he had lost velocity on his pitches.
That was also before partially tearing his Achillies. The good news on that front is it did not require surgery, and he is expected to be ready for Spring Training. The downside is no one can quite be sure what type of pitcher he will be in 2020.
Long story, short, this all means Jeremy Hefner has his work cut out for him. He has been handed an incredibly gifted bullpen which needs a lot of help getting back to their respective levels of dominance. If he is able to get this group at or near their apex, this Mets bullpen will be the best in the game, and when you factor in the talent and potential of relievers like Justin Wilson and Robert Gsellman, you could have an all-time great bullpen.
On the other hand, it is difficult to coach away injuries and diminution in stuff. To that end, no one can be quite sure how this bullpen will perform. As such, this “boom or bust” bullpen will be one of the key reasons why the Mets succeed or fail in 2020.
With the Mets officially signing and introducing Dellin Betances, the team has not only acquired one of the best relievers in the game (when healthy), but with Betances standing at 6’8″, they have also obtained one of the tallest players in Major League history.
Of the 10 tallest, four of them have played with the Mets. That includes the tallest Major League player in history. Can you name all 10 players? Good luck!
Jon Rauch Randy Johnson Eric Hillman Chris Young Mark Hendrickson Richie Sexson Tyler Glasnow Logan Ondrusek Doug Fister
Looking at the Mets offseason thus far, they didn’t do much of anything to address the needs they have. The lineup is effectively the same. That means a team who had a National League worst -93 DRS will have to hope the defense improves and improves drastically with the talent already on the roster getting significantly better.
That puts the focus directly on Amed Rosario.
Right before he was called up to the Majors, John Sickels, then of Minor League Ball, noted Rosario was a gifted defender noting he is a “superior defender with plus arm strength, range, instincts.” The anticipation was while he may struggle a bit offensively, he was going to be a plus defender who could one day win a Gold Glove.
So far, that has not happened. In each of his two full Major League seasons, he has posted a -16 DRS. Since his Major League debut on August 1, 2017, he has a career -31 DRS. That makes him the second worst defensive shortstop in the majors, and he is also just the third worst defender in all of basball.
It is of no small coincidence that over that time frame Mets pitchers have yielded the ninth highest BABIP in the majors despite their inducing the softest contact. It is one of the reasons why the Mets have a 4.13 FIP (ninth best) while having a 4.32 ERA (16th best) over that stretch.
This is an issue which appears like it is poised to be exacerbated. In 2020, the Mets will have a full season of Marcus Stroman who has a career 2.61 GB/FB. Replacing Zack Wheeler in the rotation will be sinkerball pitcher Rick Porcello with his 1.48 GB/FB. This is going to put a premium on infield defense, which is problematic given Rosario’s early career defensive struggles.
The good news is Rosario took a significant step forward in 2019. The -16 DRS he amassed last year was all from the first half of the season. After the All-Star Break, the eye test said Rosario was much better than that, and the numbers bore that out with his having a 0 DRS.
While not entirely Rosario dependent and the issues with small sample sizes at play, we saw a real impact on the pitching staff. In the first half, Mets pitchers had a .311 BABIP, which was the third worst in the Majors. In the second half, the BABIP dropped to .296, which was the 13th best in the Majors. That had a significant impact the pitching staff which went from a 4.88 ERA to a 3.48.
That’s part of the reason the Mets went from 10 games under .500 to a 46-26 (.639) record in the second half. Another reason was Rosario’s breakout offensively. After an 88 wRC+ in the first half, which was on par with his then career 84 wRC+, he had a 114 wRC+ in the second half.
Again, while many factors were at play, Rosario’s emergence on both side of the ball played a key role in the Mets resurgence. With his hitting, the Mets had more than just Pete Alonso to provide balance to a lineup who counts on production from mostly left-handed hitters. And again, the defense really helped turn hits into outs.
For the Mets to once again be the team they were in the second half, they will need Rosario to be that player. Considering the team not adding a center fielder, and their new focus on ground ball pitching, this makes Rosario the key to the season. Fortunately, we have seen Rosario is capable of being that type of player, and more than that, with his being just 24, we know he is capable of doing more.
Back in the days before SNY, way back to the WWOR days, rain delays and rain outs didn’t mean Mets Yearbooks or Rain Delay Theatres. No, it meant Oscar Madison and Felix Unger:
Growing up, there was always a sense of disappointment when you turned on the TV to see The Odd Couple because it meant no Mets baseball. And yet, you got over it because The Odd Couple was a good show.
No, as I get older, I do yearn for the days of The Odd Couple. That goes double when you consider the Mets made shows completely tone deaf shows like Amazin’ Finishes highlighting, amongst others, the 2007 and 2008 seasons.
There was something so uniquely Mets about The Odd Couple, and it stretched farther than Oscar Madison’s Mets cap.
In some ways, Oscar was the old Brooklyn Dodgers and Felix was the New York Giants. They were sent away from their homes, and somehow they came together and somehow had to find a way to co-exist and attract a new wife (new fans) in New York.
It wasn’t always easy, but underneath there was hope. Mostly, there was a life after well worth living. That’s the New York Mets.
They didn’t have Willie, Mickey, or The Duke. Well, at least they wouldn’t have Willie or The Duke from their hey day. However, the Mets did have Tom Seaver.
In many ways, The Odd Couple was the perfect show to air during Mets delays, and now, according to the TV Guide, it’s gone from the airways.
On a day where we see marathons for classic shows like The Honeymooners and The Twilight Zone, there could be room for SNY to have a marathon for The Odd Couple. More than that, they should have room to bring the show back and once again make it part of the quintessential Mets experience.
As this decade closes out at midnight today, the Mets will actually enter their seventh decade of baseball. Before proceeding forward, let’s take a look at the best moments from each year of this decade:
2010
We didn’t realize it at the time, but the best moment of the year was the Mets drafting Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom.
On the field, it was Angel Pagan hitting an inside-the-park home run and starting a triple play in the same game.
2011
In a moment no one saw coming, Chris Capuano had a two hit shutout where he struck out 13:
2012
Johan Santana pitches first no-hitter in Mets history with a little help from Mike Baxter.
2013
This was the year of Harvey, and there was a lot to choose from with his near perfect game, bloody nose game, Harvey’s Better game, and others, but it’s hard to top him and David Wright starting the All Star Game at Citi Field.
2014
Every single defensive play made by Gold Glove winner Juan Lagares:
2015
With this being the fifth pennant in Mets history, there are many moments, but perhaps the biggest is Daniel Murphy‘s postseason heroics:
2016
The Mets would need to make a late charge to make the postseason in consecutive seasons for the second time in team history. The lasting image from that run was Asdrubal Cabrera‘s walk-off homer:
2017
After an injury plagued 2016, Michael Conforto would emerge as an All-Star, and his season was highlighted by an impressive homecoming:
2018
It was melancholy, but we got to see Wright play one final game as a member of the New York Mets:
2019
This was Pete Alonso‘s year, and the biggest moment of the season was his breaking Aaron Judge‘s rookie home run record:
Well, they say those who can’t do, teach. In that vein, an article from The Real Deal says Jeff Wilpon “has been running a separate company that develops stadiums, complexes, and other related real estate for a fee from sports teams and leagues, according to Bloomberg.”
Some things to keep in mind here.
First, it was Fred Wilpon and his brother-in-law, Saul Katz, who built what became the real estate empire. Like most children, Jeff Wilpon had no involvement in that.
Second, at the moment, according to Forbes, Sterling Equities (the Wilpons real estate arm) has yet to provide their share of the financing for the Islanders Belmont Arena.
Third, post construction of Citi Field and post-Madoff, according to New York Business Journal, shares in the Mets have seen a diminution in fair market value.
Last, and perhaps most important, the reason the Mets are being sold is because of Jeff Wilpon.
This is the same Jeff Wilpon who subjected the team to a lawsuit due to his firing an unwed pregnant woman. He’s forced players like Pedro Martinez to pitch against medical and manager advice. He also tried to intercede with Carlos Beltran getting career saving surgery. That’s all part of his meddling in medical decisions despite his lack of a college degree, let alone a medical one.
These behaviors and others is why Mets fans have been begging him to be gone. It’s not just fans. It’s his family which felt the same way with brother no longer being involved with the Mets due to the treatment of Kazuo Matsui, and eventually, the family, as reported by The New York Times, was “increasingly wary of having Jeff Wilpon, their aggressive, short-tempered relative, in charge of the family’s most valuable heirloom.”
So, there you have it. Despite no one wanting him to run things, and despite the inability to yet provide financing for the Islanders project, Jeff Wilpon is taking his show on the road to tell you exactly how it should be done.
Perhaps, there’s value there in that you can learn exactly what not to do. Mostly, this is something which would be hilarious if it wasn’t so real.
In his Medium article, Ryan Holiday writes about how the eternal search for quality time leads to disappointment. In reality, it’s that search which not only builds up these moments to live up to impossible lofty expectations, but it also has you missing the everyday magic.
It is an article well worth the time. In it, he discusses Jerry Seinfeld’s love of the mundane and how Holiday has loved his time just waiting.
Reading it brought me back to different moments. There are those times I’m driving in my car, and my son innocently begins a conversation by saying, “Daddy?” in that one tone where I know he has something important he wants to say.
It’s those moments my youngest just randomly starts singing a song and gets all excited when you start singing with him.
Honestly, Holiday is right. With your family, the best things happen everyday, and the moments don’t need to be manufactured. They’re already there, and they’re coming when you least expect it.
For example, yesterday, I was making macaroni and cheese for lunch. Next thing I know, my oldest wants to help. So while the pasta is boiling, I have him measuring out the milk and butter.
As is usually the case, when my oldest is doing something, the youngest needs to do it too. Suddenly, after I drain the pasta, the two of them, not me, are stirring the ingredients together.
This was a completely organic moment which happened for no other reason than the family was spending time together. To me, this was Holiday’s point. From the seemingly mundane came the real magic.
One of the best parts of the Mets organization this past decade was how they drafted. In fact, the only first round draft picks to not make the majors were in the past three years, and all three of those players appear on their way to be Major Leaguers.
It’s difficult picking out who was the best pick.
Matt Harvey started the 2013 All-Star Game and had big starts in the 2015 postseason. Brandon Nimmo has a career .387 OBP, and he was the second best hitter in the National League in 2018. Michael Fulmer won a Rookie of the Year and was an All-Star. There’s also Jarred Kelenic who has quickly made his way through top 100 rankings.
Keep in mind, these are some of the impressive draft picks who didn’t make the top five. Here are those who did:
5. Pete Alonso
In one year, Alonso set the all-time rookie home run record and the Mets single season record. He’d be the first Mets position player named an All-Star in his rookie season, and he’d win the Home Run Derby.
Alonso was more than just the outlandish numbers. He emerged as a young leader. He responded to MLB’s absurd First Responder caps by getting cleats for the entire team.
More than being a great player, he is someone who truly gets it. The fact he was a second round pick makes him an absolute steal of a pick.
4. Seth Lugo
No, Lugo is not the best player on this list, but it’s important to remember he was just a 34th round draft pick.
Players picked in that round are not expected to make it to the majors let alone have a significant impact at the Major League level.
In 2016, he helped save the season pitching to 2.67 ERA as a reliever and starter helping the Mets reach consecutive postseason for the second time in team history.
Over the past two years, he’s emerged as arguably the biggest bullpen weapon in the game. For instance, he was the only reliever last year to finish in the top four in the league in innings pitched and FIP.
3. Jeff McNeil
In short order, McNeil went from “just a second baseman” to a jack of all trades akin to Ben Zobrist in his prime.
On top of that, his 141 wRC+ since his MLB debut is 13th best in the sport. It’s one of the reasons he was an All-Star this year.
When you get a player who is a good defender at multiple positions and is one of the better hitters in the sport with a first round pick, you’re thrilled. Getting that from your 12th round pick in the 2013 draft is the stuff of legends.
2. Michael Conforto
Very rarely is a player ready for the Majors one year after being drafted, but Conforto isn’t most players.
Conforto was a godsend in 2015 providing an offensively starved team with a potent bat. More than that, in the 2015 World Series, he was actually led all players in OPS. That was highlighted by his hitting two homers in Game Four.
While he had some injury issues, he’d be a 2017 All-Star, and he’s now all the way back from his shoulder injury. His value goes beyond his bat as he has played all three outfield positions to help the team with their needs.
So far, he has the ninth best wRC+ among Mets with at least 500 games played. He’s top 20 in WAR among position players, and he’s on the cusp of the top 10 in a number of categories including homers.
So far, he’s been a key figure in a pennant winning team, and he’s already a top 10 offensive player. That’s all before he’s reached his prime.
1. Jacob deGrom
The 2014 Rookie of the Year. Struck out the side on 10 pitches in the 2015 All-Star Game. Beat Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke in the NLDS. Won back-to-back Cy Young’s.
Not only has deGrom emerged as a top three pitcher in Mets history, but with him being drafted in the ninth round of the 2009 draft, he’s not only the top draft pick of the decade, he’s also the best draft pick the Mets organization has ever made.