Monday Morning, July 22, 2002
The Mets are back home and start a three game series against the Montreal Expos tonight. Then after an off day Thursday the Cincinnati Reds will be in town for the weekend.
Scheduling News - The Mets' June 27th rainout against Atlanta at Shea will be made up as part of a twi-night doubleheader on September 27th. This is not to be confused with the June 4th rainout at Turner Field that will be made up in Atlanta as part of a doubleheader on September 11th.
Los Mets en Español - Fans of the Spanish Language Mets broadcasts should tune into FSNY for Tuesday night's game.
Health Notes - Steve Trachsel, on the disabled list with a strained back, pitched a rehab start for the Binghamton Mets against Altoona last Tuesday. Trachsel gave up one unearned run in 5.2 innings, with four walks and five strikeouts, and was the winning pitcher in Binghamton's 2-1 victory. Trachsel also went 2-2 at the plate and scored a run. Trachsel is scheduled to come off of the disabled list and pitch today against the Expos.
Mike Piazza has been hampered by back spasms, and did not catch in the final game against Philadelphia last weekend or in the two game Marlins series. However, Piazza was back behind the plate Wednesday in Montreal, and homered in his return.
Grant Roberts, who is on the disabled list with tendinitis in his right shoulder, will be examined in Alabama by Dr. James Andrews. Roberts trusts the Mets' team doctor Andrew Rokito's diagnosis, but is nonetheless going for a second opinion at his agent's urging.
Joe McEwing strained his rib cage in batting practice last Monday.
Roster Moves - Last Thursday the Mets claimed right-handed reliever Ryan Jamison off waivers from Houston. Jamison was optioned to Double-A Binghamton.
On Friday, Joe McEwing was placed on the disabled list for the first time in his career, retroactive to July 14th. Marco Scutaro was called up from Norfolk. Scutaro had been claimed off waivers from Milwaukee in April - he was named the International League Player of the Week on May 21st, and was 1-2 with a double in the Triple-A All Star Game.
On Sunday, Mike Bacsik was sent back to Norfolk, and reliever Jae Sao was called up in his place.
Reading is Fundamental - Last Monday, Bobby Valentine, Scott Strickland and David Weathers read to approximately 300 children at Shea Stadium as part of a reading rally for the Summer Reading Clubs of Queens Borough, Brooklyn and New York Public Libraries. This is the eighth year that the Mets have been involved with this program, and the first year that the reading rally has been held at Shea.
Spittin' or Blowin'? - With thanks to Michelle for pointing this out to me. When the camera zooms in on the Mets dugout during game, a good indicator of Bobby Valentine's mood is what he's chewing. If he's blowing bubble gum bubbles, he's generally in a calm mood. However, if he's spitting out the sesame seed shells, he's on edge!
And Yet More Bobby Valentine News - Tomorrow Bobby Valentine will be honored by the YAI/National Institute for People with Disabilities when the "Bobby Valentine Residence" group home in Jackson Heights is dedicated.
All in the Family - The Mets have signed 17-year-old left-handed pitcher Edgar Alexander Alfonzo to a minor league contract and have assigned him to Kingsport. Alfonzo is the nephew of Met Edgardo Alfonzo and the son of St. Lucie hitting coach Edgar Alfonzo.
In the Booth - Phillies announcer Harry Kalas will be this year's recipient of the National Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award. In honor of this upcoming event, celebrities have been joining Kalas in the broadcasting booth each Sunday this season. When the Phillies were at Shea last week, the special Sunday celebrity on hand for the third inning was none other than the Mets' own Hall of Famer and WB11 broadcaster Tom Seaver.
Late Payment - The Tampa Bay Devil Rays were reportedly over two weeks late with a deferred payment to Steve Trachsel in the amount of $432,571.43 that was owed him from his contract from two years ago. Better late than never...
Fine Dining - The Mets starting pitchers have a tradition - after every turn around the rotation, the one with the best record picks the restaurant and the one with the worst record pays for dinner. Last Tuesday Al Leiter chose an expensive steakhouse in Montreal, and Shawn Estes picked up the tab. "It was Canadian money," Estes said. "But it was still expensive. It gives me incentive to pitch better." Last week's dinner became a tutorial by Leiter on the mental approach to pitching. Whatever he said must have been good, because Estes and Jeff D'Amico had their best outings in a month after that meal.
Meanwhile, in Cincinnati on Friday, Bobby Valentine was having lunch in the hotel restaurant and watching television when a young man came up to him and introduced himself. Valentine responded politely, but didn't make a connection. A few minutes later, during a commercial, Valentine asked the stranger, "What are you doing here? Do you live here?" Marco Scutaro responded, "No, I just got called up."
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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.
