a relief and a small concern

Santana isn't playing in the World Baseball Classic (officially) because he's still rehabbing his knee and needs to be extra careful. I hope the latter is more an excuse than the truth, but I'm relieved that our ace pitcher won't be risking any of his season by playing in the Classic. Never the less, it does not instill confidence to hear that your star pitcher is still rehabbing a knee when he's already at training camp and the decision was made after a session on the mound.

Gogle Analytics, This Fan's Goals

though the analytics program that blogger uses can tell me a lot abut the overall trends of where people who visit this site are visiting from, and how they found themselves here. since it doesn't get any more specific than the cities from which folks visit (and how many from each place), it's fun to play the game of "who is that visitor from a place where I don't know a lot of people?" in my head. Some of them I'm pretty sure about (Danny in Ft. Lauderdale, SJ and Trevor in St. Paul, Tommy in LA, Sophie in Melbourne, probably Cierin in Louisville and Rica in Wilmington... though do correct me if I'm wrong!) but the ones I really love are the hits from places where I know no one, where people don't generally consider baseball a national pastime. Two summers ago, when I blogged as regularly as I plan to this season, I ended up with hits from all over the globe, which was both gratifying and exciting and frankly somewhat mystifying. This seems to be starting again--today, there were two hits from Hyderabad, in the central south of India. This is among the most interesting and exciting parts of blogging for me; seeing where the randomest of hits have come from, how long those folks have stayed on the site, trying to imagine (beyond what analytics can tell me) what brought them to an American girl's baseball-lover website. The world is a vast and interesting place, huh?

My goal for this blog this year is to have people comment more. I love comments! I love responding to comments! I love knowing what you think about what I have to say! So leave comments, people!

oh, and did I menion?

Two days until pitchers and catchers. Yay!

True Love

I've always hated Valentine's day, even when I've been coupled; it felt so artificial, like it was for amateurs who couldn't pull off being romantic an any particular day of the year, so they focused so much energy on this silly Hallmark Holiday. So, I generally ignore the holiday, and love my friend D's husband's response when asked by his sister how they'd be spending the V day: "We're boycotting it. We're in solidarity with the single people."

All those caveats rendered, I couldn't resist this new offering from the awesome folks who brought you the fabulous and endlessly entertaining omanicon me. Because that's the beauty of fandom; if you're really in it, you're in it when times are bad as well as when times are good, and being around your team brings out the endorphins like little else. So there's an argument to be made that baseball is one of the True Loves of my life.

Trader Joe's loves the Mets

The Trader Joe's that Alexis and I go to was clearly designed by a big Mets fan. Here are the three references I found:



the home run apple on what looks a bit like Citi Field.



a family hanging out in the park, with Mets cap.



The theme is just too obvious on this one to say anything.

When we got to the checkout, I was told that there were actually FIVE Mets references in the store... so on our next trip, I'm on a mission to find the other two.

posting habits

sometimes (often), I plan post titles and ideas in advance of actually writing the post. But the way blogger works, once I've saved those titles and notes, they seem to be permanently in line as I thought of them, rather than as I publish them.

Which is just to say, there's a new post a bit further down the page. And, if there's a more blogger-savvy reader out there who can explain how to move posts around, I'd be grateful!

Yet more to celebrate

Alexis just bought a 15-pack for Citi Field this season. Yipee!! Though I won't get to go to all of them with her, I'm so excited to spend time at Citi with her at all this summer as well as to watch games at home; my plan is to teach her not only how to score, but also how to love good pitching.

I've lived with someone who found my bodily excitement at the game-- the fist pumping and cheering when something good happened onscreen-- really annoying. I'm no shrink, but because he had a hard time feeling anything deeply, I think he was annoyed by how deeply I was able to feel about a simple* baseball game-- to care about something over which I have no control. To me-- and to my friends and family who are real fans-- that's the beauty of it. It's a romantic notion, really, to invest in something over which you have no control.

Alexis cheers and pumps fists and slaps hands and generally gets excited by what happens in a baseball game we're watching at the stadium or on television. So matter what happens on the field in 2009, I'm going to enjoy this season with Alexis a great deal.

*"Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona."
--George F. Will, Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball, 1990

a question for Mr. Shor and anyone else with an opinion on this matter.

would you consider either Maine or Pelfrey a known quantity in the Mets starting lineup?

Safeco, Citi and the New Yankee Stadium

I have to admit it; I'm really looking forward to the new stadium. I'm a bit (ok, a big bit, a bit large enough to be called a lot) disgusted that it's being financed in large part by a bank that's received an enormous amount of taxpayer dollars to be bailed out of their financial mess. That aside-- and I will leave it aside, because I'm not going to let it cloud my enjoyment of going to a ballgame-- I'm really excited to go to games at Citi Field. A while back, I went to Seattle and saw a Mariners game. The Mariners play in one of the first of the new-style stadiums, and the architects on Citi Field were the same ones who worked on Safeco. I loved Safeco. There wasn't a bad seat in the house, and the food options were plentiful and-- best of all-- afforded a view of the field while waiting on line for beer or other refreshments. And as a personal favorite feature, they piped in the radio coverage of the game into the restrooms, meaning that one didn't have to gamble on missing what happened while standing on line for the loo. In short, I loved Safeco.

And that got me excited about Citi. It's going to be a great place to watch a ballgame, and there really will be no bad seats in the house. Moreover, there's going to be a Shake Shack at the park. Does it get better than that?! It's also just going to be a beautiful stadium, a place designed for the enjoyment of watching a baseball game. Though I don't expect to get to as many games as I've been able to in the last couple of years (there are nearly 15,000 fewer seats a Citi than there were at Shea, and they'll definitely be more expensive, and I've just moved to Brooklyn, so my disposable income may be a prohibitive factor), I know I'll really dig the experience every time I go tot a game. I just hope that they pipe the radio coverage of the game into the restrooms at Citi.




Interestingly, I haven't heard nearly as much excitement about the New Yankee Stadium from my friends who are fans of the team from the Bronx. I'm not actually sure why this is, and it may be a flaw of sampling; I talk to a lot more Mets fans than Yanks fans, though I do talk to Yanks fans, too (Hi, Rica!). So, people who route for the team in the Bronx: how do you feel about the new stadium? Am I wrong that y'all don't seem all that pumped about your new stadium? Does anyone else find it bordering on obsessive to re-create a stadium in exactly the same dimensions, just newer? Are Yankees against progress?

Shea Demolition

Though there's almost nothing left inside the stadium, it still hasn't been demolished. There's a great site documenting the demolition that's worth checking out. The picture above is from January 31, and there are some pretty good ones of the site in the snow two days ago.

an unofficial Shea Goodbye

I was out of town this weekend, and so missed this informal gathering to say goodbye to what's left of Shea, though many thanks go to Mr. Rosen for passing along the link. The last time I took a good look at what's left of Shea, it was merely a TADIUM, as the letters for SHEA and the S at the beginning of "stadium" had already been dismantled. It was a pretty funny sight, as you can see on the right.

Was anyone reading this blog at the event on Saturday? How was it?

who would have been a better choice?

Once Derek Lowe signed with the Braves*, Omar's choices for a starter were essentially Oliver Perez, Ben Sheets, Randy Wolf, and Mark Mulder.

A number of my friends (Hi, Dave!) were all about Sheets, but his big problem has always been injury, and today's news makes it pretty clear the Mets dodged a bullet by not signing him. In truth, because I don't play fantasy baseball and as a result don't have a lot of knowledge about players not on the Mets or their big rivals, I don't know much about Wolf and Mulder. What I do know is that Marty Noble would have gone for Wolf, and I almost always agree with Marty.

However, Mary Noble is a baseball beat reporter, and I'm a Mets fan. So my approach is more emotional than his, and the Gd's honest truth is that I just *like* Oliver Perez. I feel about him the way Omar Minaya seems to feel about him-- with the right instruction and guidance, he could be not just good but great. And Ollie is so much fun to watch on the mound when he's got his good stuff, I would miss him if we hadn't re-signed him. Moreover, he's a known quantity. We know he can perform in the pressure of New York, and we know that he responded extremely well to the coaching of Dan Warthen in the second half of the season. If I were Minaya, I would want to believe that more time with Warthen as his coach, Ollie will really blossom into the star we know he can be.

So go ahead, argue with me. I'd love to hear your opinions.


*I can't stand Derek Lowe, never could. The man strikes me as a bully and a jerk. Which just makes it that much more appropriate that he's going to be an Atlanta Brave now. It would have been hard for me to cheer for him in NY.

and thank goodness for that.

Omar Minaya has made it clear that he's not planning on making any more blockbuster free-agent deals before spring training, and in particular that he's not interested in bringing Manny Ramirez to Citi Field. Yet another reason I like the Omar. Of course, another reason I like Minaya is that he was so gracious about signing Johanna's jersey at the spring training game we went to in Ft. Lauderdale during spring training in 2008.

All the reasons I don't want Manny on the Mets are many, and given my level of exhaustion, will have to be another post.

Three more years of Ollie

Though I know there are those who feel differently, I'm thrilled that Oliver Perez signed a three-year contract with the Mets today. I know he's inconsistent, but when he's on, Ollie is the kind of pitcher that people who love pitching (as I do) love to watch. I'm happy he'll be a part of the '09 rotation... and even happier if he keeps the facial hair.

And since Oliver is a pitcher, he'll be reporting to spring training in just nine days. It's almost spring!

spring is in the air

ok, not so much in New York, but having spent the last three days in Los Angeles, I can just feel the coming of spring, which is really the coming of baseball season. And what's better than that?!

Why I love the Superbowl

When the superbowl is played, we're no more than two weeks from when pitchers and catchers report to camp.

I've tried to get into football, I really have. My motivation is clear: I want a sport to care about during the months that baseball isn't being played. But no matter how I try, I just can't get into it.

So, I'm issuing a challenge to anyone reading who is both a baseball fan and a football fan: convince me that I can find football as interesting as baseball.

an old friend and a new meme

Thanks to the magic of facebook, I've recently been back in touch with a friend from elementary school who loves baseball the way I do (hi, Danny!!). He sent me a couple of links to baseball-themed sites last night, and of course I jumped all over them. After a while, I found myself searching for a fun baseball meme... and found the selection I was able to search out on the internet rather disappointing. Never the less, here's the most decent one I found, with my answers. If you can find another, more interesting meme, I'd be psyched.

How did you become a baseball fan?
The simple answer: I was born into my family. The more detailed answer: I was raised by my father.

How long have you been a baseball fan?
Though I haven’t always paid the kind of attention to the day-to-day of the game as I did as a child and do now, there has never been a time in my life when I wasn’t a baseball fan.

What's your favorite team?
The answer to that question should be blazingly obvious: The New York Mets. Never the less, I enjoy rooting for the Cubs, and before they became the kind of team who wins world championships, the Red Sox. Also, though I wasn’t alive while they played there, I am a Brooklyn Dodgers fan by familial inheritance.

Least favorite baseball team?
The answer to this question should also be excessively obvious: The New York Yankees. That said, I have plenty of hatred for the Phillies and Braves, too.

Favorite players?
Hard to say: are we talking favorite players of all time? Living or dead? Current players I like but are clearly not hall-of-fame material?
I’m going with all of the above, and off the top of my head (meaning this is probably an incomplete list):
Jackie Robinson
Hank Greenberg
Pee Wee Reese
Warren Cromarte
Keith Hernandez
Dwight Gooden
Darryl Strawberry
Howard Johnson
Ozzie Smith
Mike Schmidt
David Wright
Jose Reyes
Johan Santana
Oliver Perez
Mike Pelfrey
Joe Smith

Players you respect, but can’t call a favorite:
Big Papi
Jason Varitek
Albert Pujols
Cole Hammels
Scott Kasimir
John Smoltz
Greg Maddux
Derek Jeter

Any baseball players you dislike?
A-Rod.
A-Rod.
A-Rod.
Manny Rivera
Derek Lowe
Barry Bonds
Jose Canceco
Mark McGuire
Roger Clemens

Ever meet a baseball player?
Sure, but mostly while they were minor-leaguers, primarily with the Pittsfield Mets. Though John Maine did look at me, smile, and say thank you when I wished him a good game. That counts, right?!

Favorite Baseball Movies?
Bull Durham. No other baseball movie comes close, imho, though I do also love Field of Dreams. Ever notice how many baseball films Kevin Costner is in?

MLB/minor league/spring training stadiums I've visited:
MLB: Shea Stadium, Yankee Stadium, Dodger Stadium, Wrigley Field, Camden Yards, Jacobs Field, whatever they’re callig the stadium the Giants play in these days, Safeco Park, Petco Park, whatever they're calling the park where the Angels play.
Minor League: Pittsfield Mets (Western Mass), Brooklyn Cyclones, Staten Island Yankees.
Spring Training: Tradition Field (where the Mets play), Ft. Lauderdale stadium (where the Orioles play).

Favorite baseball announcers?
I know I’m in the minority here, but I love Tim McCarver, and I loved him even more as a kid when he broadcast with Ralph Kiner. I like Gary Cohen, but thought he was better on radio than he is on TV. I love the team of Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling, but I’m sure that has more to do with their being the Mets of my childhood than with any actual skill on their part. But hands down, the best baseball announcers ever are Vin Scully and Red Barber.

Least favorite baseball announcers?
Anyone who broadcasts for ESPN or FOX. They pretty much universally suck, with the exception of McCarver. But the tools he has to broadcast with bring him down.

Favorite baseball quote?
Too many to count, but here are a few, in no particular order, and I could go on for days with this one:

Rooting for the Yankees is like rooting for the house in blackjack.
--Adam Morrow, quoted in Bill Simmons, "Letters from the Nation," 20 October 2003

Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona.
--George F. Will, Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball, 1990

I see great things in baseball. It's our game - the American game. It will take our people out-of-doors, fill them with oxygen, give them a larger physical stoicism. Tend to relieve us from being a nervous, dyspeptic set. Repair these losses, and be a blessing to us.
--Walt Whitman

The World Baseball Classic

I'm of two minds with respect to the World Baseball Classic (WBC).



Reasons I like/love it:

1. Because of the timing of the summer olympics, the best baseball players in the world have little chance to play for their own countries. The WBC offers all MLB players a chance to play for their country, which is an honor and an opportunity that I think world class payers should have the opportinity to do, should they so choose.
2. Professional ballplayers playing competitive ball in the beginning of March, a full month before we normally get to see professional ballplayers playing competitive ball.
   
3. I'm all for spreading the popularity of baseball all over the globe, and I think the WBC is a good first step towards that goal.
   

Reasons I'm frightened by the WBC:

1. There is a very long list of Mets who currently plan to play in the Classic.
2. The classic takes place during March, when these players would normally be in spring training. Since it's the beginning of the season, the risk of injury is great.
   
3. That list of Mets playing in the tournament include our best pitcher, as well as a bullpen that actually features two closers.three quearters of our infield, and our most gifted outfielder. If a single one of these guys gets injured, it will have seriously deleterious effects on the team once the season starts:
   

Santana, Johan

Feliciano, Pedro

Figueroa, Nelson

Delgado, Carlos

Beltran, Carlos

Wright, David

Rodriguez, Francisco

Putz, J.J.

Ollie

I understand the arguments against giving Oliver Perez a large contract to be with the Mets for three years. I've seen him blow games against inferior teams, which is just sloppy and somewhat unprofessional play.

At the same time, I've seen Ollie dominate the Braves and other foes at exactly the time they needed to be shut down. If only Ollie can grow up enough to treat every game as though it were as important as a Mets-Braves or Mets-Yanks game, we'd have a true phenom in our starting rotation. It's for this reason that I agree with Omar Minaya in his desire to sign Perez rather than some of the other free agents this year (Ben Sheets at the top of the list these days). Minaya believes, as I do, that Oliver has yet to reach his full potential, and he no doubt noticed how Perez blossomed under the tutelage of Dan Wherthen once the latter became pitching coach.

The problem, as it so often is in baseball these days, is Scott Boras, who seems to believe that if he behaves as though everyone has as much money as they did last year, teams will throw around money like they have for the last couple of years. I'm hoping that the reality of the economy, combined with Minaya's desire to sign him and the unmistakable pleasure Ollie seems to feel in the spotlight of New York, will have this all end in a fair contract for Oliver Perez to continue pitching for the Mets.

And I'll be especially pleased if he rocks a goatee or beard this season.

My Maine Man

It's no secret I have a big crush on John Maine, so I was happy to hear that he and the Mets avoided arbitration when he signed a one year, $2.6 million contract this week. Still, I loved John's comment when he had his contract renewed last year for $450,000, which of course is a huge salary except when you're a talented starting pitcher with the New York Mets. Never the less, his reaction to his contract last year was telling about his personality. When asked for his reaction, Maine said, "It's still a lot of money. I don't have to worry about paying my cell phone bill."