Monday Morning, April 15h, 2002
It's April 15th - make sure that your tax return is in the mail and postmarked by midnight tonight!
The Mets' homestand continues with a three game series against the Braves. Then the team travels north of the border for a four game set in Montreal starting on Thursday.
Relax, Dude! - Mike Piazza's back stiffened up on him during last Tuesday's game in the chilly confines of Wrigley Field. The All Star catcher had to take a muscle relaxant so that he could keep playing.
Piazza's week improved, and prior to Friday's game he was presented with the 2001 Louisville Silver Slugger Award. The award is given to the best hitter at each position, and this is Piazza's 9th consecutive Silver Slugger as a catcher.
Mo Better Blues - Mo Vaughn, who will be on the 15 day disabled list until April 21st, was disappointed to have missed his one chance this season to play in Wrigley Field for the first time in his career. But Vaughn was philosophical about the situation. "I can be a cheerleader for this team for 10 days. This is no time to get down."
Roster Changes - McKay Christensen, who was claimed off of waivers from Los Angeles on April 3rd, was sent to AAA Norfolk one week later. Tony Tarasco was called up to replace Christensen on the roster. Tarasco will always be known for his role as an Oriole outfielder in the Jeffrey Maier incident during the eighth-inning of Game 1 of the 1996 ALCS at Yankee Stadium. Maier, a fan, reached over the right-field wall and caught a ball Tarasco was prepared to catch. It was ruled a game-tying home run for Derek Jeter, and the Yankees eventually won in extra innings. The pitcher who was charged with the home run, by the way, was current Mets closer Armando Benitez.
Benitez, by the way, is now second on the Mets all-time saves list, having surpassed Jesse Orosco when he earned his 108th save last Wednesday. Number one on the list is John Franco with 272.
Millennium Milestone - Edgardo Alfonzo's seventh inning single on Saturday was his 1,000th career hit.
Favoritism? - There are some grumblings around the league that Expos GM Omar Minaya did a favor for former boss Steve Phillips with the Scott Strickland deal. Minaya and Phillips vehemently deny the charge, noting that the Expos received three players (Bruce Chen, Dicky Gonzalez and Luis Figueroa) who can help on the major league level this season.
The Super Joe Show - Starting tomorrow, Joe McEwing will host his own weekly show on MLB radio. You can e-mail your questions to radio@mlb.com with Super Joe in the subject line. If you miss the show live, catch the replay at your leisure here.
Buying a Vowel, and Dinner - Last Monday, in Chicago, Bobby Valentine had dinner with friend Pat Sajak. Sajak was in attendance for Wednesday's game, and was able to watch "Wheel of Fortune" costar Vanna White sing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch.
Family Dinner - Last Wednesday, Roberto Alomar had dinner with his father, Cubs' coach Sandy Alomar, Sr., and his brother, Sandy Alomar, Jr., whose Chicago White Sox returned home that day.
Hitting the Spot - After Jeromy Burnitz's home run Friday night cleared the new "Hit This Sign. Win Acela Tickets" sign in front of the bleachers in left-center, Burnitz had two questions: "Do I still get the tickets?" and "What's an Acela?" No one in the vicinity could answer the first, though the suspicion was no. Told the Acela was an Amtrak high-speed train, the Southern California resident asked, "Does it go to San Diego?"
Futuristic - In the April 7th episode of the animated Fox series Futurama, Leela was the first female Major League player for the New New York Mets.
Saying No to YES, Part II - Last week I provided information for Comcast customers so that they can complain about their cable rates going up so that the Yankees' YES network can be provided as a basic channel. This week, it's Cablevision.
As you are probably aware, Cablevision is not currently airing the YES network. In a nutshell, it is because Cablevision wishes to air YES as a premium network, meaning that only subscribers paying an extra fee will receive it, while YES insists on being shown as a basic channel that every subscriber will receive (thus requiring the rates of all subscribers to go up in order to finance this network). Some Yankee fans have even instituted a lawsuit seeking Cablevision to air YES while the issue is in dispute.
Cablevision customers wishing to see Mets games have paid a premium for years in order to receive FSNY, and this year are paying a premium for FSNY and MSG. Customers already paying premium rates to see the team of their choice are likely not amused at the prospect of their cable bills going up in order to subsidize Yankee fans who want to watch YES.
This is the time for action. Mets fans who subscribe to Cablevision need to contact the cable provider and make it clear that they do not want YES to be a basic channel. The more Mets fans who make their voices heard, the stronger Cablevision's case becomes. Alternatively, silence now will be interpreted by the Yankees' PR machine as apathy and acquiescence to the concept that YES is somehow so special that every Cablevision subscriber should be required to pay for it.
The following link has a list of Cablevision phone numbers, as well as a "Contact Us" link on the left that will allow you to register your opinions through the Internet - click here. If you are a Cablevision customer, this is your opportunity to make your voice heard. Say no to YES! But, as always, be polite - remember that you are representing all Mets fans with your calls or letters.
Fun and Prizes at Bobby V's - Every Tuesday at 8:00 PM check out Tuesday Night Trivia at Bobby V's Sports Bar & Restaurant. For every 10 points earned, teams are entered into a drawing for the grand prize of airline and game tickets to see the Mets play in Colorado in September. For more information about this and other events, be sure to check out www.bobbyvs.com.
Rant Redux - The New York Daily News reports that Shea Stadium has fired its ladies room attendants in a cost-cutting measure. This goes a long way in explaining the substandard condition of the restrooms that was the subject of last week's Rant of the Week. Monday Morning Mets advocates reinstatement of the matrons - the condition of the ballpark is a factor that people consider when they are deciding whether to bring their families to ballgames, and unclean restrooms dissuade people from coming back later in the season.
The opinions stated in this column are those of the author and are not necessarily those of kcmets.com.
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.
