I hope that whoever designed the Shawn Green "Yom Kippur Clipper" t-shirts that were being hawked in Grand Central prior to Game 7 of the NLCS have the capability for another artistic creation.
With utility man David Newhan in the fold, the Mets now have two Jewish players on the roster. T-shirt designers want to make note than Newhan's nickname is "Son of Scribe."
Newhan is the son of a Hall of Fame honoree, Los Angeles Times baseball writer Ross Newhan. The elder Newhan has been known to get rather emotional when following his son. When in 2004, the younger Newhan homered in his first at bat back in the majors after nearly three years and two shoulder surgeries, the elder Newhan let out a yelp that columnist Bill Plaschke described as "Howard Dean-esque" (Ross was following his son's Orioles-Rockies game on the internet while covering the Dodgers)
That hit was part of a magical 2004 campaign for Newhan, one that the Mets hope he can duplicate after recovering from the broken foot that hampered him last season. It was one that he capped on September 29th against the Blue Jays. With the score tied and the bases loaded with nobody out in the last of the 9th, Baltimore got three chances to end the game. Javy Lopez failed to come through, popping out to first. Rafael Palmeiro, who had already homered twice, struck out. That left it to Newhan, who took a called strike, than lined a single to plate the game-winning run.
Another thing that happened in 2004 that may have influenced his baseball future. On five different occasions, Newhan had at least four hits in a game. Among American Leaguers that season, only Ichiro (with 10) had more. Two of those happened to come against the Yankees, whose bench coach then is the current Mets manager. Willie Randolph might also like that Newhan used to have a license plate reading "LV2TRN2."
T-shirt designers shouldn't be the only ones taking advantage of the situation that might unfold this April. I'm looking forward to seeing "Learning Yiddish with Professor Reyes" on the Diamond Vision screen between innings this season.
First up, what we should all be wishing Mr. Newhan. Mazal Tov.
True Methans know...That if both Green and Newhan make the team, it would mark the first time in Mets history that 2 Jewish players were on the roster at the same time.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Buzzing about Boise
We've had a couple of walk-off finishes in these meaningless exhibitions known as college football bowl games and the one that really seems to have this country buzzing is Boise State's crazy victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.
I had an inkling to write something about walk-off trickery, like the kind used by Boise State to tie late in regulation and then win in overtime, but I haven't been able to find an example of such to provide a worthy story
If you want to talk about the gutsiest decision made in a Mets walk-off win, you should probably read this posting, about the daring nature of Tommie Agee, who would have been a perfect fit for that Boise squad.
http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2005/07/should-i-stay-or-should-i-go.html
My tribute to Boise State comes in talking about it's most noteworthy baseball alumnus (there have only been two to make the majors. That would be Larry Jackson.
Larry Jackson plays an important role in Mets history, that of Mets-killer. Forget about Greg Maddux or Dontrelle Willis- The Mets have never had as tough a time beating a pitcher over the course of his entire body of work as they did Jackson and no pitcher took better advantage of the club's ineptitude from 1962-68. Jackson beat the Mets in the team's first game, on April 11, 1962, and kept right on winning. It was like going up against Sandy Koufax, whose final record of 17-2 against the Mets was almost as good as Jackson's, or Juan Marichal, who once recorded 19 consecutive wins against the Mets .
In his major league career, Jackson went 21-2 against the Mets and 162-165 versus everbody else. He timed retirement right, quitting prior to the Mets championship season of 1969 after being sought by the expansion Montreal Expos, went on to become a sportswriter and member of the Idaho State House of Representatives before his death in 1990.
In Jackson's first 21 starts against the Mets, he went 18-0 and his team only lost once. That one win was by walk-off, of course, and was referenced once on this blog here:
http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2005/08/marvelous-one.html
As for the Mets beating Jackson and not just his team, that didn't happen until August 14, 1967, by which time Jackson was with the Phillies (traded by the Cubs for Ferguson Jenkins). Jack Fisher, who according to Gerald Eskenazi's fine reporting in the New York Times, also ended the win streaks of Marichal and Bob Friend (12 straight triumphs vs New York), got the win, with the key hit being Ed Kranepool's 2-run chalk-hugging double as part of a 4-run fourth inning.
Considering that Jackson had tossed a one-hit shutout in his previous effort against the Mets, and his stature as Mets-killer, this victory was an upset of historic proportions...though not quite as historic as that which we saw in football a couple of nights ago.
True Metsons know...Two pitchers who were born in Idaho have suffered walk-off defeats at the hands of the Mets: Mike Garman (twice) and Ken Dayley (3 times).
I had an inkling to write something about walk-off trickery, like the kind used by Boise State to tie late in regulation and then win in overtime, but I haven't been able to find an example of such to provide a worthy story
If you want to talk about the gutsiest decision made in a Mets walk-off win, you should probably read this posting, about the daring nature of Tommie Agee, who would have been a perfect fit for that Boise squad.
http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2005/07/should-i-stay-or-should-i-go.html
My tribute to Boise State comes in talking about it's most noteworthy baseball alumnus (there have only been two to make the majors. That would be Larry Jackson.
Larry Jackson plays an important role in Mets history, that of Mets-killer. Forget about Greg Maddux or Dontrelle Willis- The Mets have never had as tough a time beating a pitcher over the course of his entire body of work as they did Jackson and no pitcher took better advantage of the club's ineptitude from 1962-68. Jackson beat the Mets in the team's first game, on April 11, 1962, and kept right on winning. It was like going up against Sandy Koufax, whose final record of 17-2 against the Mets was almost as good as Jackson's, or Juan Marichal, who once recorded 19 consecutive wins against the Mets .
In his major league career, Jackson went 21-2 against the Mets and 162-165 versus everbody else. He timed retirement right, quitting prior to the Mets championship season of 1969 after being sought by the expansion Montreal Expos, went on to become a sportswriter and member of the Idaho State House of Representatives before his death in 1990.
In Jackson's first 21 starts against the Mets, he went 18-0 and his team only lost once. That one win was by walk-off, of course, and was referenced once on this blog here:
http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/2005/08/marvelous-one.html
As for the Mets beating Jackson and not just his team, that didn't happen until August 14, 1967, by which time Jackson was with the Phillies (traded by the Cubs for Ferguson Jenkins). Jack Fisher, who according to Gerald Eskenazi's fine reporting in the New York Times, also ended the win streaks of Marichal and Bob Friend (12 straight triumphs vs New York), got the win, with the key hit being Ed Kranepool's 2-run chalk-hugging double as part of a 4-run fourth inning.
Considering that Jackson had tossed a one-hit shutout in his previous effort against the Mets, and his stature as Mets-killer, this victory was an upset of historic proportions...though not quite as historic as that which we saw in football a couple of nights ago.
True Metsons know...Two pitchers who were born in Idaho have suffered walk-off defeats at the hands of the Mets: Mike Garman (twice) and Ken Dayley (3 times).
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Dida ever notice: A different kind of Metmorable Moment
Part of a continuing series of essays within this blog related to Game 6 of the 1986 World Series
There was a brief discussion the other day, when I told the story of a Mets loss on the night of Richard Nixon's resignation announcement, of other significant events to take place on the date of momentous Mets victories.
Loyal reader Barry Federovitch pointed out that the famous "Ball on the Wall" victory over the Pirates took place the same day as the "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. Fellow blogger Greg from "Faith and Fear in Flushing" noted how Matt Franco's game-winning hit against Mariano Rivera in 1999 took place the same day of Brandi Chastain's goal that gave the United States women's soccer team victory in the championship game of the World Cup.
While I haven't been able to find many events of historical or sporting significance, I did come across one of particular importance to some.
If you've ever watched the video "An Amazin' Era," which celebrates the history of the Mets, you're familiar with the voice of Tony-award winning stage and screen actor Len Cariou, who narrated that documentary in 1986. You might also be familiar with him from his work singing the National Anthem at Shea Stadium. More likely you've either seen him on Broadway (his Tony came for "Sweeney Todd") in a movie (such as "About Schmidt"), or one of many TV guest-starring roles (including "Law & Order," "The West Wing," and "Murder She Wrote."). He was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 2004.
Len Cariou also happens to be a big Mets fan, dating back to 1969, according to an article that ran in the New York Times in August of 1989. In that story (penned by Cariou), the author tells of how the 1986 squad holds a special place in his heart and memory for more than one reason.
That's because Cariou and his wife, best-selling author Heather Summerhayes, had the distinction of getting married in Los Angeles on the favorite date of this blogger, October 25, 1986. (How appropriate that this blog "rings" in the New Year with a story involving a wedding). Cariou writes how he frequently sent someone to another room, while at the reception, to update him on the score of Game 6 of the World Series. Upon finding out that the Mets were trailing the Red Sox late in the game, Heather decided to make her baseball allegiance known too. She announced to the room that the "something blue" that she brought to the ceremony was a blue and orange garter, commemorating the Mets team colors.
"Perhaps it was just coincidence, but the Amazin's rallied from that moment on," Cariou wrote. "...My wife said it was a good omen for our marriage."
Heather was kind enough to send me a link to this story after I got in touch with her, and she was kind enough to answer one query for me. The one thing that was not made clear within the piece was whether or not Len Cariou got to see the end of the game that night. I appreciated Heather's reply:
"What do you think? He was getting married!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
True Metleyweds know... The three "Len's" to get a walk-off RBI for the Mets are Lenny Randle, Lenny Harris, and Len Dykstra.
Also of note: Len Cariou also narrated Major League Baseball's World Series highlight films from 1992-1997. That would mean he told the stories of four walk-off hits, including the World Series-clinching hits by Joe Carter (HR vs Phillies in 1993) and Edgar Renteria.
There was a brief discussion the other day, when I told the story of a Mets loss on the night of Richard Nixon's resignation announcement, of other significant events to take place on the date of momentous Mets victories.
Loyal reader Barry Federovitch pointed out that the famous "Ball on the Wall" victory over the Pirates took place the same day as the "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. Fellow blogger Greg from "Faith and Fear in Flushing" noted how Matt Franco's game-winning hit against Mariano Rivera in 1999 took place the same day of Brandi Chastain's goal that gave the United States women's soccer team victory in the championship game of the World Cup.
While I haven't been able to find many events of historical or sporting significance, I did come across one of particular importance to some.
If you've ever watched the video "An Amazin' Era," which celebrates the history of the Mets, you're familiar with the voice of Tony-award winning stage and screen actor Len Cariou, who narrated that documentary in 1986. You might also be familiar with him from his work singing the National Anthem at Shea Stadium. More likely you've either seen him on Broadway (his Tony came for "Sweeney Todd") in a movie (such as "About Schmidt"), or one of many TV guest-starring roles (including "Law & Order," "The West Wing," and "Murder She Wrote."). He was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 2004.
Len Cariou also happens to be a big Mets fan, dating back to 1969, according to an article that ran in the New York Times in August of 1989. In that story (penned by Cariou), the author tells of how the 1986 squad holds a special place in his heart and memory for more than one reason.
That's because Cariou and his wife, best-selling author Heather Summerhayes, had the distinction of getting married in Los Angeles on the favorite date of this blogger, October 25, 1986. (How appropriate that this blog "rings" in the New Year with a story involving a wedding). Cariou writes how he frequently sent someone to another room, while at the reception, to update him on the score of Game 6 of the World Series. Upon finding out that the Mets were trailing the Red Sox late in the game, Heather decided to make her baseball allegiance known too. She announced to the room that the "something blue" that she brought to the ceremony was a blue and orange garter, commemorating the Mets team colors.
"Perhaps it was just coincidence, but the Amazin's rallied from that moment on," Cariou wrote. "...My wife said it was a good omen for our marriage."
Heather was kind enough to send me a link to this story after I got in touch with her, and she was kind enough to answer one query for me. The one thing that was not made clear within the piece was whether or not Len Cariou got to see the end of the game that night. I appreciated Heather's reply:
"What do you think? He was getting married!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
True Metleyweds know... The three "Len's" to get a walk-off RBI for the Mets are Lenny Randle, Lenny Harris, and Len Dykstra.
Also of note: Len Cariou also narrated Major League Baseball's World Series highlight films from 1992-1997. That would mean he told the stories of four walk-off hits, including the World Series-clinching hits by Joe Carter (HR vs Phillies in 1993) and Edgar Renteria.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
