Monday Morning, August 5, 2002
Today the Mets finish up their homestand with an afternoon game against the Diamondbacks. Then they hit the road for three game series in Milwaukee and St. Louis.
For my part, I'll be joining the Mets on the road. Not in any official capacity, but in order to spend my son's 6th birthday watching a Mets game in Milwaukee. I'll do my best to keep up with Mets news while away, but if I miss an item or two please know that I have a good excuse.
Trading Day - Shortly before last Wednesday's nonwaiver trading deadline, the Mets acquired pitchers Steve Reed and Jason Middlebrook from the San Diego Padres in exchange for Bobby M. Jones, Josh Reynolds and Jason Bay. Reed is a 36-year-old veteran with postseason experience for Colorado, Cleveland and Atlanta. Middlebrook, currently on the disabled list with a strained right groin, was assigned to Norfolk to continue a rehabilitation assignment.
This deal reunites Jones with Bobby J. Jones - the two were Mets teammates in 2000.
Shortly afterwards, another trade was announced - Jay Payton, Mark Corey and Rob Stratton were traded to Colorado for starting pitcher John Thomson and outfielder Mark Little.
In other action, the Mets claimed Oscar Salazar off waivers from the Detroit Tigers and assigned him to Binghamton.
kcmets.com bids a fond and grateful farewell to those who donned the blue & orange, and whatever other uniforms the Mets had on a given day, and we wish the newcomers great success in New York!
Roster Moves - Joe McEwing was activated from the disabled list on Wednesday. McEwing put in some miles while preparing to get off of the disabled list. Last Monday he played with Class A Brooklyn, Tuesday he was with the Double-A Binghamton Mets, and Wednesday he was back with the Cyclones. However, he was pulled from batting practice at Keyspan Park and told that the major league club needed him back that night. It took McEwing 55 minutes to make it to Shea - "The Belt (Parkway) was fine, but I hit traffic once I got to the Van Wyck (Expressway)." As was once said on Seinfeld, "Nobody beats the Van Wyck!" On Sunday, the Mets designated Mark Little for assignment and called up Ty Wigginton from Norfolk.
Mike Bacsik was called up from Norfolk on Wednesday, to fill the spot left when Mark Corey was traded. That same day the Mets transferred John Franco and Kane Davis to the 60-day disabled list, and recalled Jorge Toca from Norfolk in order to put him on the 60-day disabled list as well.
After Wednesday's game, Bacsik, Satoru Komiyama and Marco Scutaro were optioned to Norfolk to make way for newcomers John Thomson, Steve Reed and Mark Little.
New on the Farm - The Mets signed their first round draft pick, Scott Kazmir, last week, for a $2.15 million signing bonus. Kazmir was introduced to the New York media on Friday, and then he reported to the Brooklyn Cyclones to begin his professional career the next day.
Before Friday's game, which was ultimately rained out, Kazmir had a bullpen session and was then introduced to the Shea faithful. Unfortunately, the scoreboard incorrectly spelled his name "Kasmir". On the brighter side, the PA system played the Led Zeppelin song "Kashmir".
Met Milestones - Last Wednesday, Mike Piazza had his 1,600th career hit and Edgardo Alfonzo had his 1,100th base hit.
Kudos to the Captain - John Franco was awarded Phi Delta Theta's prestigious Lou Gehrig award prior to last Tuesday's game. The award goes to the player who best exemplifies the giving character of Lou Gehrig, who was a member of the fraternity's Columbia University chapter. Franco is the first Met to be honored with this award. Franco's name is now inscribed on the permanent Gehrig Award plaque, which hangs in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
In other news, on Thursday Franco is scheduled to throw for the first time since undergoing "Tommy John" surgery in May. Good luck to the team captain on his recovery and rehabilitation!
Man of the Month - Just before he was traded, Jay Payton was named the John J. Gerald Mets player of the month for the month of July.
From the Land of the Rising Sun - On Wednesday Satoru Komiyama's father, Mamoru, the pitcher's wife, Tomoko, and the couple's three children arrived in the United States. The family was at Shea that night to watch Komiyama pitch as a Met for the first time.
Golfing for Dollars - The second annual Bobby Valentine Summer Golf Classic, held last Monday at the Darien Country Club, raised approximately $150,000 for the Mickey Lione Jr. Foundation for youth excellence!
In the Community - Timo Perez was the latest Met to pay a visit to the NYU Medical Center as part of the hospital's "Going Home" program. Perez was greeting patients at the hospital last Monday. As part of the program, each pediatric patient discharged this spring and summer receive a gift pack that includes two tickets to a Mets game, a Mets cap and player cards.
Bobby Valentine and John Franco hosted a baseball clinic at Keyspan Park on Friday for the Neighborhood All-Star Team, a Police Athletic League (PAL) program originally envisioned by Fred Wilpon.
Calling a Dangerous Bluff - Last week, David Weathers was kidding with bullpen catcher Vinnie Valinotti and told him that his aim was so good that the catcher should close his eyes and Weathers would hit his glove. Valinotti complied, not believing that the pitcher would really throw at him, and was promptly hit in the chest by a fastball. Luckily, Valinotti was not hurt by the errant throw.
Blast From the Past - Former Met Gary Carter was one of six retired sluggers who took part in a Legends Night competition prior to the Binghamton Mets/Norwich Navigators game last Tuesday. The event was designed to promote The Mike Schmidt Mohegan Sun New England Celebrity Players Tour Team Championship golf tournament held on September 4-8 at the Fox Hopyard in East Haddam, Connecticut. (Thanks to David G. Whitham for the story.)
Happy Birthday Wishes - To my son Ross. Happy 6th birthday, honey!
Also, a very happy birthday to kcmets.com columnist Joe Pendal!
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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.
