Monday Morning, April 1st, 2002
Opening Day is FINALLY here! The Mets open the season at Shea with day games against the Pirates today, Wednesday and Thursday. Then they travel to Atlanta for a three game series against the Braves.
In case you missed it, check out my special feature on singer/songrwriter Terry Cashman here: Talkin' Baseball with Terry Cashman
Opening Day Festivities - Before and after the game, there will be a tailgate party at Bobby V's Sports Bar and Restaurant, located across the Grand Central Parkway from Shea Stadium. Admission is free, and food and beverages will be available for purchase. Come by whether you have tickets to the game or not!
At Shea, Lisa Beamer, widow of Flight 93 hero Todd Beamer, will accept a donation to the children's' fund named in her husband's memory. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game. Art Garfunkel will perform "God Bless America" during the seventh inning stretch.
Continuing to Remember - To commemorate the events of September 11th, there will be a minute of silence at 9:11 p.m. at every major league team's first night game this season. In addition, "God Bless America" will continue to be sung during the seventh-inning stretch of all games until further notice.
In the Line Ball of Duty - While near the Mets clubhouse during last Monday's exhibition game, Mets Vice President of Media Relations Jay Horwitz was struck on the left foot by a foul ball. The foot had to be wrapped, although luckily the injury is nothing more than a bruise.
Trash Talking - Mo Vaughn was not happy to hear that former Angels teammate Troy Percival criticized Vaughn's leadership abilities in an interview in last Sunday's Los Angeles Times. Vaughn reacted in a profanity laced tirade, basically saying that Percival hasn't done anything that would give him the right to make such statements. "He hasn't done [bleep] to lead them anywhere. I got hardware, I got playoff appearances, I got an MVP. I've been to the playoffs twice. What the hell has he done? Who the hell is he?" Too bad that the Mets don't play the Angels this season - the fireworks would have been interesting!
Hot Under the Collar! - Last Thursday, Guillermo Mota of the Dodgers hit Mike Piazza with a pitch, in almost the same spot where he had been hit the previous Saturday. That marked the fourth time this spring that Piazza was hit by a pitch. Piazza, who had been taken out of the game for a pinch runner, waited for Mota to finish pitching and then walked with him towards the clubhouse area. Words quickly turned to shoves, however, and before you could blink Piazza was holding Mota by the collar! Pitchers beware - it appears that the formerly mild mannered Piazza has finally reached his limit, and is going to start hitting back!
Bobby V's is Online! - Check out Bobby V's Sports Bar and Restaurant's new website at www.bobbyvs.com for up to date news about the restaurant and coupons. The site currently features news about today's Opening Day party, tomorrow's meet and greet with Bobby Valentine and several members of the Mets, and the start of Tuesday Night Trivia.
Meanwhile, while in Texas last Friday, Valentine brought his coaching staff to visit his Bobby V's restaurant in Arlington. The group stayed a while and chatted with fans in attendance.
Lou, We Hardly Knew You - Last Tuesday, the Mets traded Lou Collier to the Expos for minor leaguers Jason Bay and Jim Serrano. Collier had come to the Mets from Milwaukee in January as part of the Jeromy Burnitz deal.
Spring Training in Bloom - Actor Matthew Broderick, who recently finished his successful run as Leo Bloom in Broadway's The Producers, joined the Mets in Port St. Lucie last week for two days.
Moonlighting - In addition to his $91 million/7 year contract, Mike Piazza earns a pretty penny from endorsements. Keep an eye out this year for national commercials featuring Piazza for MCI Communications, Claritin, the Callaway Golf Company, and Nerf's children's hitting machine. Piazza is slated to earn about $3 million from these endorsements this year!
More for a Good Cause - Ty, Inc., the maker of Beanie Babies, recently presented a check for $1.5 million to Rusty Staub's charity, the New York Police and Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund. Ty has earmarked all profits from two of its styles - Rescue the German Shepherd and Courage the Dalmatian - for this fund.
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 , www.metsonline.net, www.mets.com reports.
