Monday Morning — March 31st, 2003
The big day has FINALLY arrived -- the Mets open at home against the Cubs this afternoon. After the long, cold winter and the months of orange spring training jerseys, it's now time to experience Mets baseball as it oughta be!
Baylor Diagnosed With Cancer - First year bench coach Don Baylor has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow. Baylor will undergo chemotherapy this week, but does not anticipate missing any games. Monday Morning Mets and the entire staff of kcmets.com wish Baylor all the best in his fight against his illness.
Get Well Tug! - Fans showing up at Shea today are encouraged to sign the gigantic get well card for Mets Hall of Famer Tug McGraw in front of Gate C. The card will be sent to McGraw in Florida.
If you can't make it to Shea, you may continue to send greetings to:
The Tug McGraw Company
217 Parkside Lane
Glenside, PA 19038
or via e-mail to info@tugmcgraw.com.
In the meantime, McGraw had been scheduled to throw out one of the ceremonial first pitches prior to today's game. Because he cannot be present, his son Mark will stand in for his dad.
Mike's Day of Decision - After today's season opener, baseball's chief operating officer Bob DuPuy will hear the appeal of Mike Piazza's five game suspension that arose from his fight with Guillermo Mota on March 12.
Major League Baseball Returns to Brooklyn! - Well, for one day, anyway. Yesterday afternoon's Mets workout at KeySpan Park was the first gathering of Major Leaguers on a Brooklyn baseball field since the Dodgers left the borough after the 1957 season.
The Super Joe Show Returns! - Check out the season premier of The Super Joe Show on MLB Radio on Tuesday at 11:30 am.
A Rookie Pitcher Who Can Throw 168 Miles Per Hour! - No, not really. But for those who remember the April 1, 1985 Sports Illustrated April Fool's story about Mets phenom Sidd Finch, here's the link to the article.
Special Feature: Baseball as America
Special Feature: Talkin' Baseball with Terry Cashman
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 , and www.mets.com reports.
