Category Archives: Baseball

Don’t go into that room

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The Yankees earned the nickname “The Bronx Zoo” with their brawling teams of the late seventies. But in 1990, outfielder Mel Hall gave the term a new twist.

“That was the year he was bringing exotic animals into the clubhouse—a cheetah or a panther,” recalled pitcher Dave LaPoint, who went 7-10 that season. “It’s weird when you come into the clubhouse and they say, ‘Don’t go into that room.’ “

“I think it was a tiger,” said Buck Showalter, then a young coach with the team.

– Sophia Hollander, Wall Street Journal.

Awesome read from Hollander about a very, very strange season for the Yankees.

I remember a lot of the details from that season. Not the tigers-in-the-clubhouse thing, but Pascual Perez showing up to camp late in an absurdly long stretch limo, Andy Hawkins’ 4-0 loss in a no-hitter, the manager firings, George Steinbrenner’s suspension and all that.

I was nine so I didn’t realize how weird it all was. When you’re young, you don’t have much perspective on strange events because you don’t have a big enough sample size of non-strange events for comparison. That’s pretty much how middle schools get away with it, I think. There was a small zoo in the basement of my middle school, and I never thought it was odd until I went back and subbed there and they were making plans to get rid of the alligator.

Anyway the big thing I remember about the Yankees in 1990 is that they sucked, and they had kinda sucked for a while. When I was coming into consciousness as a baseball fan, it seemed like the Mets were competitive every year and the Yankees were mostly an afterthought or a punchline.

And again, at the time I had no idea how strange it was.

Seems like things are going well for ol’ Harvey the alligator, FWIW.

(Apropos of nothing other than the middle-school zoo stuff: There were also two goats in the school courtyard as part of the same program. One time after football practice my friend set them loose. They roamed the halls all night and ate an entire art project that was hanging on the wall.)

More on Alex Cora’s departure

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I got so excited by the news of Alex Cora’s departure on Saturday that I didn’t spend a whole lot of time assessing the other roster moves involved. Eric Simon did a nice job of it here and I agree with mostly everything he wrote there: Fernando Martinez and Ruben Tejada likely aren’t ready to hit in the Majors, but if the Mets aren’t going to contend anyway I’d rather watch them than Luis Castillo and Jeff Francoeur.

One additional note: I’ve seen some bristling about Cora’s departure because Castillo is still with the Mets. And while I don’t doubt that the money the Mets owe their hobbled second baseman is keeping him on the team as much as any other factor, Castillo still has one baseball skill. He can’t play great defense or hit for any power, but he can get on base a bit.

If the Mets are committed to putting Tejada in their lineup, Castillo’s on-base ability makes him more valuable to the current club than Cora. Tejada offers the team defensive flexibility, so if the Mets are going to have one backup middle infielder they might as well choose the one that might actually avoid making an out if called upon to pinch-hit.

Yes, the Mets are probably only keeping Castillo around because of the $6 million left on his contract for 2011. And yes, they should have signed Felipe Lopez or Orlando Hudson on the cheap this offseason and cut bait on sunk costs. And yes, based on everything we’ve seen for the past year or so, it’s fair to guess that the Mets cut Cora more because of his looming vesting option than his inability to contribute anything tangible to a baseball team.

But all that said, if they were choosing between Castillo and Cora to back up Tejada and Reyes for the remainder of the season, the Mets made the right call.

Goodnight, sweet prince

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The Mets released Alex Cora today.

His option will not vest.

Instead of firing their manager, the Mets fired their manager-on-the-field.

Goodbye, Alex Cora. The Mets went 45-63 in games you started over the past two seasons, but we can only imagine how much worse they would have fared without your intangible contributions.

!

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The Savannah Sand Gnats are truly bringing the heat with a first-ever fire promotion at a minor league baseball game on Saturday, August 14 with Guinness World Record Holder, Ted Batchelor. After the Sand Gnats’ game against the Kannapolis Intimidators, which will begin at 6:05, and before the evening’s fireworks show, one lucky fan will light Batchelor on fire; he will then circle the bases at Historic Grayson Stadium.

Batchelor, 51, owns the Guinness World Record for the “Longest full-body burn without supplied oxygen” at 2 minutes, 57 seconds, set in Rome, Italy on February 25th, 2010. He and his crew also set the World Record for the “most people on fire simultaneously” at 17, on Pizak Farm in South Russell, OH, on September 20, 2009.

– Savannah Sand Gnats press release.

Wow, OK. A lot of stuff here. First of all, apparently people should now be considered “lucky” to light one another on fire. Second, even though this guy is practically begging for a Darwin Award, he’s probably awesome.

Guest poster/former roommate Ted Burke and I used to name worthy people named Ted to Team Ted, and banish people named Ted who we deemed unworthy to Team Melvin. Clearly Ted Batchelor makes Team Ted with flying colors. He appreciates fire.

Also — and excuse me if this is glib — I’m almost positive 17 is not the record for most people simultaneously on fire. Maybe it’s the record for most people simultaneously on fire on purpose, but I have a feeling the unfortunate women of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory would take issue with the benchmark.

And furthermore, good luck following “Dude running the bases while engulfed in flames,” Savannah-area pyrotechnics outfit. I have a feeling the fireworks show is going to be a bit of a letdown after they spark up Ted Batchelor.

Finally a visit to Mr. Batchelor’s website reveals that this is pretty much what he does for a living, and also this:

Ted Batchelor, a freshman radio-film major enjoys being dragged by trucks, setting himself on fire, sleeping in front of cars, eating glasses in bars and other unusual extracurricular activities.

Ahh… whatever you’re into, bro.

Hat tip to @mikexdavis for the tipoff.

Martino: Mets are too nice

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This is what characterizes the Phillies of this era, and what separates them from the Mets:

Swagger. Arrogance. Condescension toward opponents…

The collective personalities of both clubs are clear, and in direct contrast with one another. Wounded by divisional collapses in 2007 and 2008, the Mets lack a cocky culture of winning. This weekend, they will field a team comparable in talent to the Phillies, and filled with people you might rather have dinner with. And, sadly for the Mets, that is part of their problem.

– Andy Martino, N.Y. Daily News.

GAL:SJKHASD:KLJSDAL:JKASD.

OK, first of all, a column about the Mets’ attitude that doesn’t mention Jeff Francoeur even once. That’s somehow notable.

The players Martino singles out? Well, Jesus Feliciano and Chris Carter, of course — because, you know, there’s not a single nice guy on the Phillies bench. Ross Gload? Massive a**hole. Wilson Valdez? Shanked Greg Dobbs in the clubhouse after he struck out twice earlier this week.

Potshots are also directed at “kindly giant” Mike Pelfrey and “pleasantly spacey” Jose Reyes.

Meanwhile, this part gets one line. One line:

While the roster is not the deepest, the Mets have never wanted for championship-level talent.

Emphasis mine.

And look: Maybe the Mets’ attitude is not a winning one. What do I know? Sure, everyone cited JUST THAT a month ago, back when the Mets were winning, but now that Carlos Beltran’s back it’s making the rest of the Mets too nice or something. Not Beltran himself — he’s too focused, too serious. But that’s different from wanting to win like the Phillies do.