Monday Morning — May 19th, 2003
After today's off day, the Mets are home for a quick midweek series against the Phillies before heading down to Atlanta to play the Braves this weekend.
Piazza News - After awkwardly getting out of the way of a pitch in San Francisco on Friday night, Mike Piazza dropped to the ground in agony and had to be helped from the field. He was diagnosed with a severe right groin strain, and has been placed on the 15-day disabled list. Preliminary estimates are that he will be out for at least a month, and perhaps for as long as 8-10 weeks. The Mets should be able to make a better estimate this week, after Piazza is examined by team physician Dr. Andrew Rokito in New York.
Piazza had been in the news this week prior to his injury. On Monday, for the first time in a Mets uniform, Piazza took grounders at first base. He borrowed a glove for the 10-minute session, but by Tuesday Rawlings had equipped him with a first baseman's mitt of his own.
Meanwhile, in the June issue of Playboy, Piazza mentioned that he thought that Ripped Fuel, a supplement that contains ephedra, was "kind of cool." However, the All Star catcher recently told the Daily News that he has now stopped taking it. "Obviously, that interview happened before [Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler died]. Once I heard about that, I was like 'Whoa.' I stopped taking it. You've got to be careful." A tangential thought -- one has to wonder whether ephedra withdrawal might have been a contributing factor to Piazza's extreme reaction to Guillermo Mota during the infamous March 12 exhibition game? Perhaps this could explain why the always-in-control Piazza was so uncontrollable that fateful night. (Thanks to my kcmets.com colleague David G. Whitham for his contributions about this matter)
Other Health News - Roger Cedeño left during the third inning Friday's game with dizziness. The outfielder felt this was the result of sinus problems that he developed during the previous series in Colorado. Cedeño had also left a game last September in Montreal with similar symptoms.
Roster News - Scott Strickland, who has a strained right groin, was placed on the 15-day disabled list just prior to the Mets' trip to Colorado. Jaime Cerda was called up to take Strickland's place in the bullpen.
On Wednesday, Rey Sanchez was placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 10, with an injured left thumb. Marco Scutaro was brought up from Norfolk to replace him. To make room for Scutaro on the 40-man roster, injured reliever Grant Roberts was moved to the 60-day disabled list.
Catcher Jason Phillips is up from Norfolk for the fourth time, replacing the injured Piazza on the roster.
After Saturday's game, Jason Middlebrook was sent back to Norfolk and outfielder Jeff Duncan was called up from AA Binghamton.
Rehab Notes - Last Monday, three days before the one-year anniversary of his Tommy John surgery, John Franco threw in a game. The team captain pitched a scoreless inning for the Mets Class A affiliate in Port St. Lucie, giving up two hits and striking out two. Franco went on to pitch scoreless innings on Thursday and Saturday.
David Cone is also with the Port St. Lucie team. He threw four innings last Sunday, and five on Thursday.
Jeromy Burnitz will join the AA Binghamton Mets in Akron on Tuesday to begin a three-game rehabilitation assignment.
One Less Coach - Not only did the Mets dismiss "mental skills coach" Dr. Fran Pirozzolo last week, but the team went so far as to distribute his photo to Shea security guards with instructions not to let him enter the stadium. Pirozzolo, who would wear a Mets uniform on the field and shag flies during batting practice, had drawn attention for being in the Mets dugout during games despite warnings that his presence was a violation of MLB rules. Assistant general manager Jim Duquette commented, "It was one of those things that didn't work out on both sides."
The Best Things In Life Are Free - Before last Thursday's game in San Francisco, former Giant Tsuyoshi Shinjo received his 2002 National League Championship ring. Through an interpreter, Shinjo remarked, "I'm still asking myself if I can have it, should I keep it? It looks so expensive. Can I really have this for free?"
Get Well Wishes - To longtime Mets broadcaster Ralph Kiner. The Hall of Fame slugger took ill in Denver last week, and spent the better part of last Wednesday at a hospital. It was determined that Kiner was suffering from an adverse reaction to medication. He was released, and sent home to California to recuperate before returning to New York this week.
Happy Anniversary Wishes to my husband, Kevin. Thank you for so many wonderful years.
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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.
