Monday Morning — May 26th, 2003
Happy Memorial Day. Remember to take some time away from barbecues and the pool to remember the men and women who gave their lives while serving our country!
After today's off day, the Mets will finish their road trip with a three game series in Philadelphia. Then they will return home to face the Braves at Shea.
Roster Notes - Jay Bell has gone on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right groin. Taking his place on the roster is reliever Pedro Feliciano. To make room for Feliciano on the 40-man roster, the injured Mo Vaughn has been transferred to the 60-day disabled list.
On Friday, Jeromy Burnitz was activated from the disabled list, and Jeff Duncan was sent back to AA Binghamton.
Welcome Back Jerrod! - The Mets have signed pitcher Jerrod Riggan to a minor league contract and have assigned him to Norfolk. Riggan had been with the Mets, but was traded to Cleveland in the deal that brought Roberto Alomar to New York. When Cleveland recently outrighted Riggan, the reliever opted to declare himself a free agent instead of accepting the minor league assignment.
Health Notes - Mike Piazza has been diagnosed as having a tear in his right groin -- an injury much more common to hockey and soccer players than baseball players. The All Star catcher will miss at least six weeks of play, and could potentially be out for the entire season.
Mo Vaughn has received approximately six second opinions from experts around the country about how to treat his injured left knee. He spent last weekend at the Newport Beach, California home of his agent, Jeff Moorad, to go over his options.
Scott Strickland, who is on the disabled list for a groin injury, discovered that he has a 50% tear of the ligament in his pitching elbow. The reliever will miss at least the rest of the first half of the season.
Mike Stanton is day-to-day with fluid on his left knee.
Rusty's Annual Dinner - Last Tuesday, Rusty Staub hosted the 19th annual picnic for the New York Police and Fire Widows' & Children's Benefit Fund. Over 800 family members of police officers and firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty attended the dinner, and were visited by Mets players and coaches. Since starting the Fund in 1985, Staub has raised over $130 million to assist such families.
Those wishing to make donations to the Fund may call 631-544-4616 or visit their web-site at www.nypfwc.org/.
Stalker Arrested - Last Tuesday, 27-year-old Matthew Barnes was arrested and charged with stalking Mets general manager Steve Phillips. Since early January, Barnes has shown up at Shea several times and has yelled, cursed and demanded to see Phillips. Although Barnes has not had direct contact, prosecutors concluded that his behavior caused Phillips to be concerned for his safety. This is Barnes' second arrest this year for having outbursts at Shea.
Man of the Week - Jason Phillips was named the International League Batter of the Week for the week of May 12-18.
A Death in the Family - Condolences to the family of Jean Coen, who passed away last Tuesday at the age of 60. Coen was the Executive Assistant to the General Manager of the Mets from 1980-1993, and she also worked for Nelson Doubleday and in the Commissioner's office.
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.
