Monday Morning, September 9, 2002
Today the Mets finish up their trip to Philadelphia. After that, they play three games in two days against the Braves before traveling north of the border to face the Expos.
September 11th Memorials - Last Thursday, prior to the Mets' final home game before the first anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, a moving ceremony commemorated the event. Governor George Pataki addressed the crowd, Ralph Branca performed "God Bless America," and Detective Ann Marie Maloney of the NYPD sang the National Anthem.
On Wednesday, at 9:11 PM, all games in progress will pause for a moment of silence to commemorate this sad anniversary.
"Service Above Self" - Bobby Valentine is the first non-player to be awarded baseball's Branch Rickey Award, for "service above self." The award has been given by Denver's Rotary Club since 1992, and will be presented to Valentine at a banquet in Denver on November 15th. Over 300 sportswriters, as well as past recipients, voted on this award, and Valentine was chosen for his Herculean efforts in the wake of September 11th - the manager has raised close to $500,000 for September 11 charities and has given of himself tirelessly to helping the cause, as well as families of people who perished in the World Trade Center attack.
Valentine is not the first Met to win the Branch Rickey Award - pitcher Al Leiter was the recipient in 1999.
Met Milestone - Last Thursday, Armando Benitez became the first Mets reliever to notch 30 saves in three consecutive seasons.
Health News - Mike Piazza had his sore left wrist examined by hand specialist Dr. Martin Posner last Thursday. Dr. Posner confirmed Mets team physician Dr. Andrew Rokito's diagnosis of tendinitis, and assured the catcher that there is no further risk if he continues to play.
Roberto Alomar had an MRI performed on his left knee on Thursday. He was diagnosed with bursitis. Although he was initially listed as day-to-day, Alomar was back in action on Friday night.
Esix Snead was also checked out at the hospital on Thursday, for what Bobby Valentine described as an "intestinal situation."
Mo Vaughn sprained his left middle finger returning to first base on Friday night, but the injury is reportedly not serious.
Mark Guthrie has missed several games this month because of back spasms, but is reportedly feeling better.
Grant Roberts continues throwing, and hopes to be activated from the disabled list this week.
Expanding the Roster - The Mets' September call-ups continued last Tuesday when Ty Wigginton was recalled from Norfolk.
Jason Middlebrook was called up from Nofolk on Sunday. Middlebrook, the International League Player of the week August 19-25, was acquired from San Diego along with Steve Reed in July in exchange for Bobby M. Jones and two minor leaguers
Roster Move - To make room for Pedro Feliciano and Esix Snead on the 40 man roster, the Mets designated Oscar Salazar for assignment. Salazar had been claimed off waivers by the Mets from the Tigers on July 31st.
New Faces - Norfolk Pitching Coach Rick Waits and St. Lucie trainer Mike Lopriore have joined the big club for the remainder of the season. Waits will throw batting practice before games and Lopriore will assist Head Trainer Scott Lawrenson and Assistant Trainer Mike Herbst.
Jeff Wilpon, the son of Mets' owner Fred Wilpon, has been named the team's new executive vice president and chief operating officer.
Checking Out The Government in Action - New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg invited Mike Piazza and Al Leiter to attend the ceremonial joint session of Congress in New York last Friday. Leiter had to decline, however, because he had to prepare to pitch in Philadelphia that night.
Helping His Replacement - Ty Wigginton made his first major league start at first base Saturday, subbing for Mo Vaughn. The rookie, who did not have the proper mitt for the position, had to borrow one from Vaughn.
Sweating it Out - Bobby Valentine referred to pitchers Tyler Walker and John Thomson, who are known for their voluminous perspiration, as "two of the great sweaters of all time."
Tempers Flare - Armando Benitez sounded off to reporters last Wednesday, expressing his frustration with his perception that the fans are too willing to blame him for what's wrong with the Mets and fail to appreciate his overall consistency. "When did the Mets ever have a closer like me? When did they ever have a closer, for two years in a row, [with] 40 saves? Why do you [the press] have to all the time bring up the bad [stuff]?" the frustrated reliever asked.
When asked for his reaction to the tirade, General Manager Steve Phillips responded that Benitez was simply frustrated, pointing out that "you have to give the guys some time to vent a little," and indicated that he was not inclined to trade "one of the better closers in the game."
Meanwhile, after Saturday's game, Mike Piazza launched into a tirade about former Met and current broadcaster Keith Hernandez. In a column for msgnetwork.com last week, Hernandez criticized the 2002 team for, among other things, not having heart. Piazza interpreted the comments as a personal attack on the team and said, "Be part of the solution. Don't be part of the problem....It's easy to dogpile, it's easy to kick somebody when he's down. Personally, I'm not going to come back five years [after retirement] and rip guys. That shows me envy and jealousy." Afterwards, Mets owner Fred Wilpon, while commenting that he partially agrees with some of Hernandez's statements, supported Piazza. "My guys don't feel it was right. I stand by my guys. And we've got some pretty damn good guys!"
Hey Now, You're an All Star! - Marco Scutaro and Raul Gonzalez were named as postseason All Stars by the International League. Additionally, Gonzalez was named the International League's Most Valuable Player for the season.
The Stars of Tomorrow - The Mets honored the Harlem Little League team prior to last Tuesday's doubleheader at Shea.
Weight Watcher - Tyler Walker has lost 30 pounds in the last two years on the Duke University diet.
A Time for Reflection - On Wednesday, I am sure that all of us will take time to think about the tragic events of last September 11th. I'm at a loss for words about the unconscionable attacks upon our nation's innocent civilian population, and can only offer my prayers and condolences to everyone who perished that day, as well as those who survived them.
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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.
