It’s March, and baseball is officially back with the first Intrasquad game. The weather has even been Spring-like since this weekend.
My family took advantage of the opportunity, and we went to the zoo on Sunday. My son loves riding the train, seeing the monkeys and other animals, and he loves feeding the goats. Speaking of goats, I reiterate the Mets may regret having a Murphy to prevent the Cubs from winning a World Series.
Aside from having a fun day with my family, there were two things I enjoyed about the visit to the zoo. As a Ranger fan, I always relish an opportunity to boo a Penguin taking a dive and looking for a call.
The other thing I enjoyed was seeing all the Mets caps out at the zoo. For the past eight plus years, whenever I went anywhere I was usually the only person with a Mets hat on. Typically, someone would come up to me and share their frustrations, or someone would tell me how I was brave being a Mets fan.
Now, as my wife pointed out, everyone was wearing a Mets cap. Taking a quick non-scientific observation, the ratio of people wearing Mets gear to the people wearing Yankees gear was about 10:1. This past Sunday was yet another example of how the Mets have taken back New York.
It’s a great time to be a Mets fan. It’s nice to see so many more people realizing it.
If you’ve got young kids, you find yourself singing the same songs over and over again. They’re inane songs your kids love like BINGO and Old McDonald. Seeing Yoenis Cespedes‘ recent activity, I decided to update it so that it may be more tolerable. Enjoy.
Old Yoenis bought a farm
E-I-E-I-O
And on that farm, there was a pig
E-I-E-I-O
With a homerun here
And a homerun there
Here a home, there a run
Everywhere a homerun
Old Yoenis bought a farm
E-I-E-I-O
Old Yoenis bought a farm
E-I-E-I-O
And on that farm, there was a horse
E-I-E-I-O
With a homerun here
And a homerun there
Here a home, there a run
Everywhere a homerun
Old Yoenis bought a farm
E-I-E-I-O
OLD YOENIS BOUGHT A FARM
E-I-E-I-O
I don’t care what is happening. The Mets could be coming off a World Series appearance. The Mets could have traded everyone away in Marlins fashion. It doesn’t matter. It’s always good to see Mike Piazza with the Mets.
He’s back as a special instructor. He is there to work with Travis d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki. It makes sense to have a Hall of Fame catcher work with a budding All Star and prospect. Terry Collins intends gave Piazza more latitude than just working with the catchers. For example, Piazza took the time and the initiative to talk with Yoenis Cespedes about being a superstar in New York.
With his appearance at Spring Training, it did get me thinking about when and if Piazza would ever manage in the big leagues.
Right now, the Mets manager is Terry Collins, and there is no reason to believe that’s going to change soon. Collins received a two year extension. He supposedly wants to manage these next two years and then retire. The question them arises as to who the next Mets manager will be.
One trend that never seems to go away is hiring a former star to lead the team. Robin Ventura manages the White Sox. Paul Molitor manages the Twins. Ventura had no managing experience. Molitor had experience as a minor league instructor.
Piazza only has experience as the hitting coach for Team Italy. He has been well regarded in his work as the hitting coach. He has also worked with catchers and ran instructional clinics. This year has been his first year back at Spring Training with the Mets in two years. Most likely, this stint is the Mets inviting their Hall of Famer to spend time with the team. Who’s to say it can’t be more.
At one point in time, Piazza stated he envisioned returning to baseball in some capacity. He has always kept in touch with the Mets. As of right now, he’s enjoying his time, but he wants to let this team get ready for the season. He’s not overstaying his welcome. He seems content with a few days in Spring Training for now. Maybe with young children that’s all Piazza will ever want.
Two years is a long time. If Piazza wants to return to the Mets in a full time capacity, the door should always be open. No, they shouldn’t hand him a manager job. Still, there’s always room for a person with Piazza’s baseball acumen and ability to handle New York. He may just want to be a special instructor.
No matter what that future role may be, it’ll be great to see Piazza in a Mets uniform imparting his wisdom to the next generation of Mets players.
Sometimes Spring Training stories can be mundane, but we read them anyway because we’re desperate for anything baseball related this time of year. Other times, as Adam Rubin reports, Yoenis Cespedes buys a pig for $7,000.
It’s not as strange as it sounds. Cespedes was wearing a cowboy outfit when he purchased it.
Cespedes rules.
It’s at the point where nothing Cespedes does now will surprise me. He spent the beginning of Spring Training showing off his car collection. Now that he’s out of cars to premiere, Cespedes is now purchasing livestock. Today was a big. Tomorrow may be a cow. Hopefully, he will purchase a goat as there is a Murphy missing from this Spring Training.
I wouldn’t be shocked if Cespedes buys more animals and creates a petting zoo. Maybe he will have a luau. I can see him naming the pig Babe and taking him to New York City. Cespedes’ quirky behavior has been a lot of fun in what is usually a boring time of the year. So far, year two of Cespedes has been fantastic.
Hopefully, this year Cespedes winds up a champion like the pig he just purchased.
(Photo from the Cut4 Twitter account)
When Mike Piazza first came to the Mets, he was treated as the rock star he was. With him finally came the dreams of postseason berths and World Series titles.
Then something bizarre happened. He struggled, and he was booed. I still don’t understand it, but it happened. Piazza was incredible when he came to the Mets. With the Mets floundering, Piazza took his play to another level carrying the Mets ever so close to the Wild Card. With the treatment he received, Piazza had every reason to walk, but he didn’t he stayed. He wanted to be a superstar in the biggest market.
This is why he’s the perfect person to give advice to Yoenis Cespedes.
Cespedes came to the Mets, and he was a rock star. His coming to the Mets coincided with them taking control of the NL East. Unlike Piazza, Cespedes never received the boos. To that extent, he was a bit lucky. After Cespedes was hit on the hand, his play declined. He went from Babe Ruth to Mario Mendoza. In the final 18 games of the 2015 season, he only hit .220/.288/.373 with one homerun and four RBI. However, the NL East was sown up. He wasn’t going to receive boos.
The closest anyone would come was in the World Series. He missed player introductions before Game Three. After an uneven postseason, he fell apart in the World Series. He misplayed Alcides Escobar‘s flyball into an inside-the-park homerun. He hit .150/.143/.150 with six strikeouts in the series. Perhaps it was the shoulder injury. Maybe it was the moment.
No one would boo. Fans don’t boo you in the postseason unless you’re Bobby Bonilla. However, his play was poor enough that fans were initially ready to let Cespedes walk.
However, with an initially less than optimal offseason, Mets fans wanted Cespedes back. He wanted to come back too. All of what drove Mets fans crazy has been forgotten. Fans are re-embracing him. They love the cars. They love his little quirks. It’s a second honeymoon. That doesn’t mean that the fans won’t boo him this upcoming season.
Cespedes is notoriously streaky. As far as fans are concerned, he’s the face of the team. One long cold streak coinciding with a struggling Mets team could bring out the boo birds instead of the parakeets. It’s exactly what Piazza had to deal with 18 years ago. It’s the reason why Cespedes and Piazza need to talk.
Piazza can walk him through what it means to be a superstar in New York. He can tell him how to deal with the booing. He can share how the fans lifted him up when he needed it. He knows the ins and outs of being the a superstar on the Mets. That’s what Cespedes is now.
Fortunately, Cespedes has a Hall of Famer he can lean on to prepare for it.
It is surreal to think it was only 12 years ago that David Wright was walking into Mike Piazza‘s clubhouse. Now, with Piazza being retired, it’s now Piazza’s turn to walk into Wright’s clubhouse:
For the Twitter folks: David Wright welcomes Mike Piazza to #Mets camp on Sunday morning: pic.twitter.com/Yq9k7jLkxz
— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinMedia) February 28, 2016
Back then, everyone on the team knew how good Wright was going to be. They saw him as their best chance of ever winning a World Series. They all took him under their wing.
Piazza mentored Wright how to handle New York and how he should listen to his body. In he following Spring Training, Carlos Beltran took Wright with him for extra workouts to show him the type of off-the-field work is needed to succeed in the major leagues. Cliff Floyd took him under his wing. Not only did he have Wright carry his luggage, he also showed him how to be a big leaguer.
It’s now Wright’s turn to return the favor. Seeing the Noah Syndergaard lunch incident last Spring, he appears ready, willing, and able. Now, it worked with Syndergaard because he was a player that wanted to get better.
There are still plenty of young Mets players who could learn a lot from Wright. Each of these players should be glued to Wright’s hip learning as much as they possibly can from him. Like Piazza, Beltran, and Floyd, Wright can teach these players how to handle New York, how to listen to your body, how to prepare for a season, and how to be a big leaguer. The one player who j think can most benefit right now from Wright’s wisdom is Michael Conforto.
Conforto is in the same spot Wright once was. He’s on a team with great players. Success in the majors seemingly came easy to him in his first half season. If the Mets do anything going forward, it’s going to be his bat that’s going to be a big part of it. He’s also still young with a lot to learn.
Like David Wright all those years ago, we all see greatness in Michael Conforto. Wright should be helping Conforto prepare himself not just for this season, but for his entire career. Helping Conforto could be the key to Wright getting that elusive World Series ring. Listening to Wright could be the key to Conforto having a long and successful Mets career. They need each other.
Who knows? Maybe 12 years from now, we will get to see Conforto welcoming a retired Wright into his clubhouse.
Last night, my son wanted to watch baseball. Fortunately, YouTube has about every game you could want to watch. For various reasons, I picked Game Three of the 2015 World Series.
What was interesting is that I never saw the telecast because I was at the game. It would not only be the first time I watched the game on TV, it would also be the first time I got to watch it with my son. From what my wife told me, he loved that game. It was great to watch it with him.
My favorite moment wasn’t him celebrating the David Wright or Curtis Granderson homeruns. It wasn’t even his the game inspired him to take out his teeball set. Surprisingly, it wasn’t even when he hit a line drive clear across the living room with him screaming “HOMERUN!” No, it was sinpler than that. It was when Lucas Duda came to bat.
My son looked up at the TV, waived and said, “Hi Duda!”
When I confirmed it was Duda by waving and saying hi to him as well, my son began saying hi to the players he remembered. At one point, I got him to scream:
I was impressed when he recognized Michael Conforto (his new favorite player) and told me he played leftfield. When I called over to my wife to let her know, her response was, “Of course he knows, you’ve been drilling it into his head.”
In any event, on what was a beautiful Spring-like day, I was never more prepared for baseball. My son is prepared too. Hopefully, he will get the chance to say, “Hi Duda” to him at Citi Field this year.
If you’re getting your child’s first haircut, yes, go to a place like Snip-its. They will give you a certificate for the first haircut along with a lock of your child’s hair. After that, never go back there again.
The next few times we went there with my son, it was a disaster. First, they put the toys they sell at the kid’s eye level. While you wait for your turn (they don’t take appointments), they keep wanting to play with the toys. To a certain extent, it’s mean to put toys right within the sight of a toddler and not let them play with them. When you finally get to your turn, the experience is less than pleasant.
For all the times we have been there, we have yet to find someone who actually listens to you when you say how you want the hair cut. Their goal is to cut the hair as quickly as possible and get to the next kid. Look, I understand. They make money with quick turnover. It just doesn’t make for the best experience.
To make matters worse, they give your child toys to play with during the haircut to help keep them quiet. Then, they have to take the toys back. Again, I understand. However, as a parent, it’s hard to take toys away from a child after they tried their best to be good and cooperate. We learned our lesson and brought him his own toys, but then we go back to the aforementioned problems in the preceding paragraph.
For this experience, you get to pay $22 plus tip. I don’t spend that much for my own haircuts.
Yesterday, we took a shot at taking him to Sport Clips. I needed my haircut as well, so my wife and I figured it was worth a shot for the two of us to try it. We figured it had to be better than another Snip-its experience. It was.
First, my son was mesmerized by the giant big screen TV playing college basketball when we entered. There was a wait, but while he was waiting, he got to watch the game. They also gave him a lollipop.
I went first while he waited with my wife. They had no problem with him coming over to take a look and talking to me.
Then it was his turn. The hairstylist talked with my wife to find out specifically how she wanted my son’s haircut. If you have children, you know by now it’s what your wife wants that matters most. The hairstylist cut his hair exactly how my wife wanted.
While the haircut was happening, my son alternated between watching the game and playing with Mater and Percy. He liked sitting in the chair like a big boy instead of being strapped in the way they do it at Snip-its. Overall, the only thing my son didn’t like was getting his hair sprayed with water:
Overall, it was a good haircut and a good experience. Furthermore, I liked the $15 price a lot better than the $22 Snip-its price. I also liked the punch card I received. After six haircuts, his next one is half-price.
On the way our the door, my son received another lollipop and was given a pencil. He said good bye to everyone. It’s difficult getting a haircut for a toddler. You’re asking them to sit still for a long time between waiting for your turn and then getting the actual haircut. Sports Clips made it a pleasant experience for my family.
With that said, if you need to get a haircut for your toddler, go to Sports Clips. It’s cheaper and a better experience.
Editor’s Note: this is not a paid advertisement. However, anytime Sports Clips, or anyone else wants to advertise, their money is welcome.
Foetunately for all of baseball, David Ortiz is retiring. Next to the Mets hopefully winning the World Series, this will be the best part of the 2016 season.
For all the “loveable” persona he has tried to create, the truth is Ortiz has always tried to be bigger than the game. No one is allowed to criticize him. Despite being given more rope and benefit of the doubt by everyone, he shows up and disrespects umpires:
It’s not just umpires. He shows up other players on the field with his antics. Look, there is a fine line between fun and showing up a pitcher. With that said, when you engage in the histrionics Ortiz engages in, he should expect and accept retaliation. Each and every homerun involves a pose, a bat flip, and a slow trot around the bases. In response, pitchers will call him out on his behavior by either speaking to the press or plunking him. Invariably, his response is either that such a player doesn’t have the right to question him or that he’s great so you have to deal with it.
If you have the audacity to call him out for his on the field behavior, which other players feel disrespects the game, he’ll attack you:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=gxzx3ty4Y2w
To hear Ortiz talk about it, he’s a protector of the game. He previously stated that steroid users should be suspended for a full year. There’s only one problem. Ortiz is as much the cheater as any other steroid user.
In 2009, it was revealed he tested positive for steroids under the 2003 survey testing. Ortiz was shocked . . . SHOCKED . . . that he tested positive. He was going to demand to find out what he tested positive for because he didn’t take anything impermissible. It was one of those phantom supplements that created the positive test. Ortiz was going to get to the bottom of things.
He’ll deny everything, but he has still yet to inform everyone what he took. Instead, he pleads ignorance. He says he has never tested positive since that time. By the way, neither did Alex Rodriguez, the player Ortiz wanted suspended for a year.
For all this nonsense, Ortiz, a career DH, tells everyone he should be elected to the Hall of Fame. Of course, he would say that. He’s spent his entire career letting everyone know how great he is and belittling those who disagree.
Fact is Ortiz has had a good career with many memorable moments. Moments that will forever be played. He is also a cheater. He has also shown up and disrespected his fellow players. He has shown up umpires. He has let everyone know he is bigger than the game. Thankfully, he’s leaving the game.
I’m tired of the act. I’m glad it’s almost over.
Whether you thought Major League Baseball needed a new slide rule or not, after Ruben Tejada‘s leg was broken by Chase Utley in the NLDS, a new slide rule was enacted. It specifically eliminated Utley’s previously impermissible tackle.
Actually, Utley disagrees with the notion he had anything to do with it. When questioned about the genesis of the new rule, Utley said, “From my understanding, I think we have been trying to work on this for a few years now, trying to get on the same page, and now we obviously are. I don’t think that one instance really determined anything.”
That pretty much sums it up right there.