Monday Morning, April 29nd, 2002
After today's off day, the Mets are on the road with series in Arizona and Houston.
Baseball as America - The Hall of Fame Tours the Nation! - check out my new Special Feature on the Baseball as America exhibit that is currently on exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Thanks and kudos to David G. Whitham on the great photography job and for the page layout!
That's Major Met To You! - The New York Post reports that Lee Reynolds, a major in the U.S. Army Reserves who has shared the role of Mr. Met for the past three years, is now stationed in Cuba for the next six months as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. Reynolds is serving in the public affairs office at Guantanamo Bay's Camp X-Ray, which oversees Taliban and al-Quaeda detainees. With the kind of sense of humor you would expect from Mr. Met, Reynolds quips that Bat Day at Shea is more harrowing than anything he has encountered to date in his military career. The Mets have assured Reynolds that the door is always open for him at Shea when he returns from active duty.
The Crack of the Back - Shawn Estes, who has been bothered by back spasms recently and throughout his career, visited a chiropractor in New York for treatment last week, and also underwent deep tissue massage therapy in order to treat this ailment. Whatever they did, it worked - Estes was masterful against the Brewers on Friday night, pitching a one-hitter after taking a perfect game into the seventh inning. Jeers go out to the Shea scoreboard operator who flashed a message that Estes pitched four no-hitters in high school during the fifth inning of that game - whether you are superstitious or not, it's simply poor form to discuss no-hitters while it one in progress!
Following Estes' lead, the next day Pedro Astacio took a no-hitter into the 7th inning, before ultimately winning the game 2-1.
Mando Milestone - Armando Benitez's save on Saturday was his 150th in his career.
Super Joe is Flying High - Joe McEwing has completed two installments of The Super Joe Show for MLB Radio, and is doing very well with it. Fans can e-mail questions to him at radio@mlb.com and listen for Joe to answer their letters on the air. The show is live on Tuesdays at 11:30 am, and available in the archive later that same day. To listen to the first two shows, go here - and click the archived shows link under McEwing's picture.
Fan Appreciation at Bobby V's - Friday, May 3rd and Saturday, May 4th will be Fan Appreciation Days at Bobby V's Sports Bar & Restaurant. There will be drink specials and raffle prizes, plus the Mets/Astros games will be televised. Go to www.bobbyvs.com for more details and for coupons, or call 718-672-1200!
They Might Be Giants - If they make the cut. But in the meantime, the New York Giants' seven draft picks were on hand at Shea last Friday night to throw out the ceremonial first pitches prior to the game.
Get Well Wishes - To Mets Clubhouse Assistant Nick Priore, who took ill on Thursday night. Priore is being treated for chronic ulcers at Booth Memorial Hospital.
Hey Dude, How's My Car? - Some fans at Shea had an unwelcome surprise after Saturday's game - approximately eight cars in the parking lot behind center field burned during the sixth inning of the game!
Condolences - To former Met Melvin Mora, on the loss of his older brother. Jose Mora was shot to death by a hired gunman in Venezuela. Mora attended his brother's funeral and burial, and returned to play for the Baltimore Orioles last Wednesday. Monday Morning Mets extends sympathy to the Mora family on its loss.
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.
