Monday Morning, February 25th, 2002
With all of the position players in camp and intrasquad games beginning today, Mets baseball is back in swing!
See You at Shea! - Single game tickets went on sale at Shea on February 17th. A record 130,000 tickets were sold as of 5:30 PM that day, which is a 25% increase over last year's first day sales. Opening Day (April 1) and the Yankee Subway Series (June 14-16) are already sold out! There were roughly 500 fans waiting to purchase tickets by 5:30 am, and 2,500 gathered when tickets went on sale at 9:00 am. Fans were treated to coffee and donuts and greeted by Met alumni Keith Hernandez, Tug McGraw and Lenny Dykstra.
The high ticket sales should help the Mets afford this year's increased payroll. It's estimated to be around $102-103 million, but with bonus incentives could be potentially as high as $108 million!
See You At Spring Training, Too! - An unofficial record of 2,500 fans showed up last Thursday to watch the Mets' first full-squad workout of the year.
Helping Kids Back Home - This past offseason, Armando Benitez had a $40,000 "Field of Dreams" baseball field constructed for indigent kids in his native Dominican Republic. The children call it Field 49, in honor of the number that Benitez wears as a Met.
Cold and Flu Season - Jeromy Burnitz arrived in Port St. Lucie with flu-like symptoms - congestion, an earache and a headache.
Burnitz needs to get better soon - his wife, Krissy, is expecting the couple's second child around March 15th. Burnitz plans to go home for the birth.
Keeping in Shape - Jay Payton took up pilate this winter in order to increase his flexibility. He also worked with White Sox hitting instructor Mike Lum this winter in order to retool his swing.
Rey Ordonez sculpted his body into shape this winter by working out five days a week with former teammate Alex Ochoa.
What's My Age Again? - When he defected from Cuba, Rey Ordonez has said that his birthdate as November 11, 1972. However, this year's Media Guide lists his real birthdate - January 11, 1971. Not only is Ordonez 22 months older than previously claimed, but he has gone from being a Scorpio to a Capricorn. Mets Vice President of Media Relations, Jay Horwitz, says that Ordonez admitted his real age to the team years ago, but that Horwitz never bothered to change the date in the book until now.
Similarly, Timo Perez has recently fessed up that he is 26 instead of 24 years old, with a birthdate of April 8, 1975. The age discrepancy reportedly caused his visa problems that were discussed in last week's column. Perez made it to camp in time for last Saturday's workout and apologized for previously lying about his age - "I just did it because I was so desperate and I wanted to help my family."
Welcome Aboard - Last Thursday, the Mets acquired right-handed reliever Kane Davis from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for minor leaguer Corey Brittan.
Bye, Bye, Bro - The Montreal Expos claimed outfielder Endy Chavez off of waivers from the Mets. Younger brother Ender Chavez remains in the Mets organization.
Give Me an "A" - When Roberto Alomar arrived in Port St. Lucie, he discovered that his shipment of bats misspelled his last name "Alomr". The second baseman was a good sport about the mistake, saying "that's OK - I'll use anything that works."
Trendy Digs - Mo Vaughn is going to make his home in the Tribeca area of Manhattan this season. His apartment has a private elevator, and Vaughn has an entire floor to himself.
Vaughn also has prime real estate in the Mets Port St. Lucie clubhouse - his Number 42 is hanging in Robin Ventura's old locker.
Learning from a Master - Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax was in camp on Friday, giving pointers to Al Leiter, John Franco and Shawn Estes. Koufax regularly visits the Mets in spring training, which gives him the chance to see his Lafayette High School teammate, Fred Wilpon.
Mourning a Loss - New Met Gary Matthews, Jr., whose father is former major leaguer Gary Matthews, is mourning the loss of close friend Mike Darr. Darr, who was killed in a SUV accident on February 15th, has known Matthews since the two were minor league roommates in the San Diego Padres organization.
Letting Chemistry Work Itself Out - Manager Bobby Valentine told the Bergen Record that he leaves the players to themselves in the clubhouse and tries not to enmesh himself in their personal matters. "I have enough to do without being a matchmaker," he explained.
Check Your Local Listings - The Newark Star Ledger reports that the MSG cable network, which used to air Yankees games, will show approximately 50 Mets games this season. The WB11 will also show 50 games, with the rest being broadcast on FSNY.
On the Road to Good Health - Last year, Mike Piazza's father, Vince, offered Mets equipment manager and traveling secretary Charlie Samuels a new Lexus sedan if Samuels lost 100 pounds. Jack Lang reports that Samuels is three quarters of the way there, with 75 pounds gone, 25 to go!
John Rocker is a Murderer! - Or at least he's playing one in the film "The Greenskeeper," which has the slogan "It's par for the corpse." The film, starring the New York-hating Texas Rangers reliever, is seeking a distributor so that it can avoid the straight-to-video route.
For a Good Cause - Gary at QSAC (Quality Services for the Autistic Community) writes that there will be a charity silent auction and dinner dance on Friday, June 21st. Former Met Tug McGraw will be the emcee and will autograph baseballs for attendees, and the honorary chairperson of the event is Senator Hilary Rodham Clinton. Write to QSACMets@aol.com for more details or call 1-718-7-AUTISM, ext. 20.
A Special Hi - To Harry, who reads my column every week despite the fact that he's a born and bred Philly fan.
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.
