Monday Morning, February 18th, 2002
Spring training has FINALLY arrived, and with it Monday Morning Mets resumes as a weekly column. No matter how much snow we get the rest of the season, at least we have the Mets in uniform to keep us warm now!
Welcome Ticket Buyers - Single game tickets to games at Shea for the 2002 season went on sale yesterday. In past years, current Mets would show up to greet the fans die-hard enough to stand on line at Shea to be the first to buy tickets, but because tickets went on sale late this year the fans were greeted by alumni instead. Scheduled to be on hand from 9:00 until noon were Keith Hernandez, Lenny Dykstra and Tug McGraw. McGraw is pulling double duty this week - the former Met and Phillies reliever is working as a Phillies pitching instructor during spring training this year.
Goodbye, Old Friend - Omar Minaya, Mets Assistant General Manager since September 1997 and Senior Assistant General Manager since November 1978, as well as the overseer of the Mets International Scouting Department, has been named Vice-president and General Manager of the Montreal Expos. Minaya, 42, an excellent judge of talent, is credited with having discovered Sammy Sosa and Juan Gonzalez when he was in the Texas Rangers organization. Minaya becomes the first Hispanic general manager in the major leagues, and the fourth minority GM in major league baseball history. kcmets.com wishes Minaya the best as he navigates the Expos through some tumultuous times.
In the Community - Al Leiter and his wife, Lori, were on hand at the Rusk Institute for the ribbon cutting ceremony opening a playroom on the 5th floor of the facility on February 7th. Al's Leiter's Landing charity has donated $200,000 in order to build the playroom. John Franco was also present for the ceremony before heading downstairs to visit Dr. Andrew Rokito for a progress report on his elbow. Franco had a calcium deposit removed one month after the season, and expects to be ready to pitch by opening day, April 1 at Shea Stadium.
As if Leiter wasn't keeping himself busy enough, he was recently appointed to the board of the directors of former Mayor Giuliani's Twin Towers Fund.
Ty, Inc., the creator of Beanie Babies, reports that its Courage Dalmatian and Rescue German Shepherd styles have raised $1,000,000 to date for Rusty Staub's New York Police and Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund.
QSAC (Quality Services for the Autism Community) held a fundraising dinner at Bobby V's Sports Bar and Restaurant last Wednesday night. Those in attendance included Bobby Valentine, Rusty Staub, Fred Wilpon, and Queens Borough President Helen Marshall. Approximately 200-250 guests at the event were treated to a special showing of the touching video A Night to Remember - September 21, 2001. There was also a silent auction at the dinner, and the proceeds from some items benefited the New York Police and Fire Widow's and Children's Benefit Fund as well as QSAC. A raffle for two Subway Series tickets and a silent auction for Wilpon's box seats for a game and the opportunity to meet with Valentine on the field prior to the game were among the more popular fundraising items at the dinner. For more information about QSAC visit www.qsac.com or call 1-718-7-AUTISM, ext. 16.
Last Friday, Mo Vaughn stopped by City Hall to chat with Mayor Bloomberg and give him two tickets to the June 15th Subway Series game against the Yankees. Then Vaughn went to a mobile unit belonging to the Children's Health Fund, a health care provider for homeless kids, where he chatted with children and posed for photos with them.
Mo-Licious! - On February 12th, Mo Vaughn was at the Carnegie Deli to christen the "Mo-Licious Sandwich". Not for the faint of heart, this consists of spiced pastrami, corned beef, turkey and cheese on rye bread!
Sign 'Em Up - The Mets avoided arbitration with Shawn Estes by coming to agreement on a one year contract worth $6.2 million plus incentives. The Mets have not gone to arbitration since their 1992 hearing with David Cone.
Where's Mando? - While most Mets pitchers and catchers reported to Port St. Lucie last Friday, Armando Benitez won't be in camp until Tuesday morning. His agent, Mark Powers, reports that Armando is taking care of personal business in New York.
MasterCard Won't Help Here - Timo Perez, who is recovering from offseason surgery to remove broken hamate bone that he broke in a winter league game, was assigned to work out with players who are rehabilitating. However, Perez won't be able to report to spring training until Tuesday due to visa problems.
Craig, We Hardly Knew You! - Minor league pitcher Craig House was acquired from the Rockies in January, in the 11-player deal that brought Jeromy Burnitz, among others, to New York. The Mets dropped House from the 40 man roster to make room for Endy Chavez, and on February 5th House was claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Some Things Change, Some Things Remain the Same - Ken Iwamoto was a familiar figure at Shea last year because he served as Tsuyoshi Shinjo's translator. Iwamoto is back this season, translating for Satoru Komiyama.
Join Bobby V's Mailing List - Bobby Valentine's Sports Bar and Restaurant, located in the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Corona, Queens, is accepting e-mail addresses for those who wish to receive notices about the restaurant including private parties, events, appearances, and discounts. It costs nothing to join, you will not be spammed, and e-mail addresses will remain private. To join the list, send a BLANK email with the word 'subscribe' in the subject to: BobbyVs-request@mbernarddesigns.com . You can also check out the restaurant's new website at www.bobbyvs.com.
Can't Make It to Cooperstown? Then The HOF Will Make It To You - Baseball as America, the first major exhibition to examine the relationship between baseball and American culture, will premiere at the American Museum of Natural History on March 16, 2002, and, after it closes on August 18, 2002, will travel to several leading museums across the U.S. Organized by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, and culled from its unparalleled collections, this unprecedented exhibition marks the first time that these Hall of Fame treasures will leave their legendary home in Cooperstown, New York. Tickets to see the show at the Museum of Natural History are $15 for adults, $11 for students and seniors, and $9 for children age 2-12. For more information about seeing the exhibit in New York or to order tickets visit this link, or call 212-769-5200. For the rest of the touring schedule, check here.
Chump Change - Although not a Met, Sammy Sosa is a favorite of many baseball fans. According to published reports, on February 2nd Sosa and his brother, who were in Venezuela to watch the Caribbean Series, left a bag containing $20,000 behind in the lobby of the Caracas Hilton hotel. If true, I don't know what astounds me more - that Sosa was walking around with $20,000 in cash, or that he could be so blase about that amount of money that he could just forget about it!
At the Movies - If you're taking your kids to see Big Fat Liar, keep an eye out for the adult lead, Paul Giamatti. Giamatti is the son of former Baseball Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti.
Rant of the Week - I don't expect this to be a weekly feature, but just in case "The Powers That Be" are reading this, I want to express something. I take a fair number of road trips during the baseball season, often outside of WFAN's broadcast range. Many years ago, the Mets yearbook would publish a list of affiliated radio stations. Presumably the Mets Radio Network still exists, because WFAN regularly takes time out to allow the stations to identify themselves. I would like to know why the Mets don't make this information more known? It would be easy to include the information in the yearbook, in the media guide, or on the www.mets.com website. Fans WANT to listen to the games - management should make it easier for us to be able to find them!
On a Personal Note - Happy Birthday to my son, who was born the day that Mets pitchers and catchers reported to spring training in 1993.
Unless otherwise stated, these stories have been extracted from reports on www.nydailynews.com, www.nypost.com, www.nytimes.com, www.njo.com, www.newsday.com, www.bergenrecord.com, AP , www.metsonline.net, www.mets.com reports.
