High School Athletes

Teaching Public Speaking at a Community College has led to some interesting conversations and experiences. As students think of topics for speeches, I suggest that they stick with things the know and enjoy. As a result, I hear a lot of speeches about sports, especially since many of my students play college sports and/or played high school sports.


I have heard speeches about baseball, rugby, lacrosse, swimming, football, hockey and basketball (I am sure some others as well that just do not come to mind right now). The community colleges are competitive when it comes to sports programs and they often times look to bring in star high school athletes.


The Takkle Website. (which is sponsoring this post and is a strategic partner with Sports Illustrated) helps student athletes get various information they may need and it helps coaches as students can post profiles on this website. It is always helpful for high school athletes to be able to gain some exposure.


You can find High School Basketball Rankings. You can sort by position, get information about the players height and weight, as well as the school the athlete is attending, and you can click on the player and get a profile as well. This allows you to view a video of the athlete playing, a video of an interview and to read and leave comments.


So who knows, maybe the next Johan Santana is out there (or in this case, the basketball equivelant) and you can find out about him by checking out the website.

Santana-- Almost A Done Deal!

It is almost final—Johan Santana in a New York Met’s uniform. Give Omar Minaya credit, who for a while, may have been the only to believe that Santana could land in Queens. Yes Santana has to pass a physical and yes, the Mets need to work out an extension with Santana over the next few days, but it looks like Johan Santana will be pitching for the Mets.

It is amazing how this one deal changes the balance in the NL East and makes the Mets the clear favorites. I think the Mets should now look to sign Livan Hernandez. With Santana a done deal, signing Livan Hernandez looks good, as opposed to looking like it is a last ditch effort. A rotation of Johan, Pedro, John Maine, Oliver Perez and Livan Hernandez, with El Duque in the bullpen and ready to fill in if a pitcher goes down, and Mike Pelfrey (not used to acquire Santana), doing a full year in AAA and then coming up to the team next year, is huge.

First Santana is the ace the Mets needed. Then, with Pedro coming back from injury and having another pitcher at the top, it should allow him to truly be effective. Maine and Perez than get a chance to develop without being looked at as the top pitchers on the staff, and Hernandez, if nothing else, eats innings for you.

The fact that they got Santana truly helps out in a number of different areas. And, while I am sorry to see Carlos Gomez go (although of course you have to give up good players or top prospects to get a Johan Santana), the fact that they were able to keep Pelfrey (who of the young pitchers has the most major league experience) and Fernando Martinez, is amazing.

It feels good to beat out the Yankees and the Redsox and obtain the biggest prize of the offseason. With this one move, I have become excited about the start of the season again.

Longevity

In this day and age it is amazing the longevity of various baseball players. Tom Glavine, who was 41 when he pitched for the Mets last season, led the team in innings pitched. I found this amazing. A pitcher over 40 is giving you more innings than any of the young kids.

Right now the Mets appear close to picking up Livan Hernandez, the half brother of Mets current starter, Orlando, El Duque, Hernandez. El Duque is older, although no one knows for sure exactly how old he is. While his body does get injured, unlike that of Livan, it is amazing that El Duque is still able to give you quality innings as a starter. Livan, though younger, is expected to pick up the work load, in terms of innings, that Glavine leaves behind.

Certainly physical training and care help. Advances in modern medicine also help increase a pitchers longevity. I also wonder if the fact that we are now concerned with being ergonomically correct makes a difference. Some of the products that are now being manufactured, do to technological advances probably also help.

My son, who has not even reached double digits, likes the Massage Chairs and is saving his allowance to get one. He likes it because it is fun and feels good (he tried one or two that were on display). I wonder,however, if such products, available at Human Touch (which is sponsoring this post), help pitchers, baseball players and sports players in general, play for longer periods of time.

Close To Getting Livan Hernandez

It looks like the Mets are going to get Livan Hernanadez. I have mixed reactions. Certainly the Mets need pitching and they cannot wait to see what happens with Johan Santana before making other moves. The fact the Hernandez is an innings eater is a good thing. I was surprised to find out that last year, Tom Glavine led the Mets in innings pitched, despite his age. With Glavine gone, Hernandez can fill that void. It is also pleasing to know that he is not injury prone.

Still, I have my doubts about the move. Last year he was 11-11 and finished with an ERA just under 5 (4.93). The Mets need pitching help and I do not know that this gives them the help. The thinking is he can give you innings, but giving up that many runs, he could easily be pulled before he gets deep into a game. If the offense can put up some runs, he could stay in longer, but that would be true of almost any pitcher. The bottom line is, it still is important to hold the lead.

Considering what is out there, and the need the Mets have, I guess it makes sense to sign him. Still, it is depressing that he is the best of what is currently on the market in terms of free agency. It is also depressing that this maybe the biggest move the Mets can make, pitchingwise, during the offseason.

I guess I’ll be glad to see them sign him but I wish I weren’t, I wish they would be able to obtain the type of pitcher they truly need. They need an ace of the staff and Livan Hernandez is not the answer to that need.

Good Or Lucky

It is amazing. The public is gearing up for the Super Bowl. There are all sorts of questions about Tom Brady’s Leg. Is it better to be good or lucky? Will luck play a part in the Super Bowl?

I am looking forward to the game and hope it is a good one. Still the majority of my “sports time” is still spent following the Mets. Still no deal on Santana. Still no trades by the Mets. Yes, the Mets did make an important move signing Endy Chavez to a contract as he is a very talented ballplayer.

I know this is a football country. Baseball no longer is the sport that interests the majority of sports fans in this country. I am in the minority. I wish I could find that I was not so heavily addicted to checking the last moves by the Mets, hoping that they have picked up that pitcher we need so desperately, or getting another bat.

Unfortunately, so far it has just been hope on my end. Each time I check I see that the Mets still have the same team in tact. Yes, I know that Omar Minaya has made some moves, but for the most part, the team is the same team as it was last year, and probably a little weaker.

Perhaps it is better to be good than lucky!

Valentin's Back

The Mets have signed Jose Valentin as a free agent. They have signed him to a minor league contract and invited him to Spring Training. This 38 year old individual who missed most of last season due to injuries and who plays a position which four other people played for them last year and are returning this year (Luis Castillo, Ruben Gotay, Daimon Easley, Anderson Hernandez ), has been signed.

The truth is, I think this is a good move on the part of the Mets. I am not sure if Valentin will make it back to the Mets but he has pop in his bat and did a great job hitting in the eight spot in the order. More importantly, Jose Reyes seemed to mature and greatly improve when he played along side Valentin.

I am not suggesting that he would play worse if someone else was playing second base and I like the idea of Castillo and Reyes up the middle, still I think Valentin improves Reyes’ game. Also, considering LoDuca is no longer with the Mets, I don’t know, if Valentin is playing second base, that he can hit eighth because someone needs to be moved into the number two slot and that probably moves most of the other players up a notch. In addition, probably Brian Schneider ends up hitting eighth.

Still, I think Valentin can help the team and if he can’t, certainly the Mets have enough options of other people who can play second base and help out. So, good move Omar Minaya and NY Mets. Lets hope Valentin still has some magic in his bat and his body.

Arbitration

The Mets have come to terms with Aaron Heilmann, thus avoiding salary arbitration. It looks like a number of other players, however, are headed to arbitration. These include Endy Chavez, Jorge Sosa, newly acquired Ryan Church, Pedro Feliciano and Oliver Perez.

I understand that in today’s market players want to get what they can and they determine their value by what they earn. Still, like many fans, I think the salaries have gotten out of hand. Take a look at Chavez, for instance, and I certainly am not looking to pick on him, just using him to make my point. He made over 1.5 million dollars last year but is looking for $2,075,000 this year. Players and not satisfied with one million dollars anymore. And, while he is an excellent player, he is a reserve and was out for a lot of last year due to injuries.

Still, with what ballplayers make, it is amazing that after they retire, some still end up going broke. Obviously they have not been disciplined and well trained when it comes to managing money. Perhaps, like the rest of us, they should look for tips on saving money.

Whether it is looking for information about cars, or wanting to get an Extended Auto Warranty, there are ways to save money.

The truth is ballplayers should not have to do this, and with the money they make, they should be generous. Still, if at some point after they have retired they see that they did not take care of their money carefully enough, it is nice to know that there are tips which are available.

More On Santana

The Mets have now offered something like five or six of their top prospects, willing to empty out the farm, in order to bring Johan Santana into New York. Of course, if they do, they will still have to sign him to a deal to keep him here. The Twins, however, are asking for more. In addition to all the prospects, they want Jose Reyes.

I have to admit, I am confused. Now, I know I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer and I know Santana is certainly worthy of Major League talent, but the Twins request makes no sense to me. Why are the Twins looking to get rid of Santana? Is it because they feel he is past him prime? Not worth the money that he will be getting? Overrated?

The answer to all those questions are “No!” They are looking to trade him because they know next year, as a small market team, they will not be able to sign him as a free agent because they do not have the money to compete with the larger market clubs. Therefore, smaller market teams trade the players before they get the unreasonable contracts, for younger talent that can fill the void and in a few years will be just as good, if not better than what was traded away.

With that in mind, why would a team look to acquire a player the likes of Jose Reyes? It is true that he won’t get the same money as Santana, but the Mets signed him to a hefty contract a couple of years ago. If they have the money to keep Reyes, then, nothing against Jose, they should use it to sign Santana.

I am beginning to think it is not the Mets who are playing games with their fans, dangling the carrot of Santana in front of them. I think it is the Twins who are playing games with the Mets (and maybe all the other teams as well). If the Mets can get him, great, if not, they need to find another pitcher.

Playing Golf

It is amazing to me the number of professional athletes that like to play golf. I always read about, or hear about, Met players, past and current (and I am sure future) playing golf. I too played a little golf, when I was in college. It was fun, but nothing I would go out of my way to do and nothing I have done since college.

I do, however, know a lot of people who enjoy golf, who are addicted to it. They tell me they enjoy it because it is seemingly timeless. When you are out on the golf course, all your problems go away. At least that is what they tell me. Still, I do hear them complain about (or at least talk about) the expense of golf balls. They are easily lost and the cost does add up.

I recently learned of Callaway golf balls (sponsoring this post). They actually sell used golf balls, but golf balls that are in excellent condition. They can actually be purchased for as little as $7.99 for a dozen, which from what I understand is an excellent price.

Various name brands and accessories are also available from Callaway golf balls. They also have new golf balls available for those who are looking.

The next time the topic of golf comes up among my friends, I can’t wait to tell them about Callaway golf balls and what I have learned.

Santana Rumors

It looks like the Mets are back in the offseason sweepstakes. The one that will determine where Johan Santana will be next year. According to the rumors, Santana has told the Twins, if they don’t plan on resigning him, he would like them to find him a new home before the start of Spring Training. Considering Pitchers and catchers report in February, that does not leave the Twins much time.

The rumors further state that if both the Yankees and Redsox know the other team won’t pick him up, they may not press so hard for Santana. In addition, the Mets are said to be offering a number of prospects with Omar Minaya saying it depends on whether the Twins want just one prospect (presumably exceptional prospect) or a number of them (presumably good, but not exceptional).

The Mets now need to decide how many of their prospects they are willing to give up. Should they give them all away and hope that a one-two punch of Santana and Pedro, with Maine, Perez and someone else does the trick? If they do not get Santana, or any other high quality starter, do they start losing fans?

Then there are the cynical fans who feel these rumors have been started to prevent season ticket sales from going down. The thinking goes that people will buy season tickets if they think Santana will be in a Met uniform. Once they sell those tickets, the Mets will announce, or it will be learned, they lost out on Santana.

I hope that if these rumors are true and it is not just a plot. Certainly I am not thrilled at the thought of literally having to give away the farm. Still, if they can get him AND sign him to a contract extension, it could make things interesting and exciting in Queens.

With a new stadium in the works, the Mets probably need to do something to put rear ends in the seats and Santana will do that. So hopefully, they get him, hopefully the fans come out to see him and hopefully he puts us over the top.

Heckling

I know when it comes to attending a baseball game, heckling has become part of the game. Most players take this in stride, and some even thrive off of it. Still, I wonder what really goes through the minds of the players and they hear comments from fans, most of whom could not even come close to doing what ball players do (even the ones who are not considered very good).

It reminds me a little bit of playing a board game, winning, and still having the loser tell you the mistakes you made. My wife does this fairly frequently and it can be annoying. I remember the first time we played backgammon. I won, but she still told me every time I made a bad move, or every time I could have made a better move. I know how frustrated I was. I felt like yelling, “why don’t you take your own advice, I am winning”. I wonder if ballplayers every feel like yelling something back to the fans along the same lines, like, “Let’s see you do better”.

The scary thing is, for as much as I hate to admit it, my wife is a better backgammon player than I am. Still, I have taken the time to learn some Backgammon strategy, so I have gotten better. Maybe if ballplayers stop and listen to what some fans have to say, they might become better as well (Probably not).

Bifocals

I recently needed to get a pair of bifocals . It is the first time in my life I have needed them and I guess a sign that I am getting older. The bifocals are not the kind that my father wore, with the line in the middle, these are no line bifocals.

Still, I am not going to discuss how umpires may need glasses or how glasses help improve the way certain players see, and ultimately hit, the ball. For me, the bifocals represent all the changes I have seen in baseball over the years. Just like bifocals have changed from when my dad wore them to the present day, the game of baseball has changed.

Some of these changes have been for the better, some for the worse and some are changes it has taken time for me to get used to, just like it is taking time for me to get use to the bifocals. Among the key changes are the addition of a wild card, expanding one round of playoffs to seven games, home field advantage to the winner of the All-Star game and the designated hitter.

I will probably talk about some of those in subsequent posts, but this one will focus on one change that I just have never gotten used to. I do not like the designated hitter rule. I still enjoy a well pitched game. I enjoy the strategy of managers deciding if they should leave a starting pitcher in who is pitching well or take him out for a pinch hitter. Of course, with the way managers have changed the game in terms of going to relief pitchers, that is no longer as much of a concern.

I enjoy watching pitchers hit. I like see which ones take it seriously. The fact that Tom Seaver broke up some no hitters being pitched against the Mets and the fact that some one-hitters pitched by the Mets have been as the result of the opposing pitcher, makes the game more fun.

A couple of season ago, it was fun to see a Met pitcher (I believe his name was Koo), who had only been up to the plate once or twice, and was a left-handed hitter, come up against Randy Johnson and hit a double off of him. These are the things I really enjoy.

I will admit, it is stupid to have the National League play with one set of rules and the American League play with the other. I do not know how we fix that. I am not big on following the rules of the home team. I think we need a universal set of rules, but for me, that set of rules should be to let the pitcher hit.

Ink Jet Deals

Like so many other bloggers, I like voicing my opinions. You might even say I am opinionated. That was one of the reasons I set up a blog in the first place. It gave me a place (and a chance) to voice my thoughts. When it comes to the Mets, I have no shortage of opinions.

While the blog is nice, and I can constantly refer back to posts on the blog, sometimes I want to have a hard copy of my words, my thoughts, my post. Sometimes, I want to have a hard copy of the comments others have left for me (which are always read and always appreciated). Since I am doing more printing, it is always nice if I can find ways to save ink.

Since I started blogging about the Mets, I find that I am printing out more and more of these entries. I also find that I go through cartridges quicker than I did in the past. Perhaps you find the same thing? You have just printed a 400 word article about Mookie Wilson, or Tom Seaver, or others of your favorites and in the middle of printing, the cartridge runs out.

There are websites where you can go to order cartridge and check out various deals, perhaps deals that they may have about canon inkjet cartridge. You can even save money as you can find coupons.

So, the next time you leave me a comment, feel free to print it out and save a hard copy for yourself.

Congrats To The Goose

Congratulations are in order for Goose Gossage. Despite being a Yankee, I enjoyed watching Gossage pitch. To me, Gossage was the start of the way relief pitching changed in baseball (for good or for bad). Before the Goose came to New York (when he was still pitching in Pittsburgh and Chicago), the Yankees premier reliever was Sparky Lyle. Lyle was good but he is what I think of in terms of the old school relievers; someone who could give you three innings if necessary and came in when a starter was in trouble. Gossage seemed to come in not only when the starter was in trouble but when the team had a lead as well and he was more of a one inning (possibly two inning) pitcher. Still he was dominant and deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.

What bothers me is not who made it into the hall of fame but rather who did not. Both Jim Rice and Dave Parker were on the ballot. Both were feared hitters. Both were considered yardsticks against whom other players would compare themselves. Both deserve to be in the Hall.

There is another person who I believe should be there but probably will not get in, that is Cincinnati Red’s shortstop Dave Concepcion. Concepcion had good numbers, although never great numbers. Still, during the time he played, he was the shortstop all others were compared against. When it comes to shortstops of the 1960’2 and 1970’s, they were not the offensive type hitters they are today. They need to be viewed in the context of what they meant to the team, what their numbers were in the proper context, how they played defensively and if they were the players others were compared against. If we use that standard than Concepcion is a lock.

Hypnosis

The world of hypnosis is fascinating to me. I am not talking about from the perspective of being able to control someone’s mind so you can get them to do things you want. I am more interested with how it works in terms of trying to help people.

I know I read stories about baseball players who try hypnosis to help get them out of a slump or see the ball better. There are actually a number of different things for which you can use hypnosis , for which hypnosis can help.

In fact, if you visit http://www.instant-hypnosis.com/ (who is sponsoring this post) you will see a number of different topics for which you can download professionally produced hypnosis series. These are listed in three broad categories. Those are Self Improvement, Fears and Phobias, and Body Image.

If self hypnosis, is something in which you are interested, then you should check out the website.

Baseball And The Primaries

I realize they do not have a major league baseball team in New Hampshire (or Iowa for that matter) but yesterday’s primary reminded me how much the Presidential Primary process resembles baseball. Let me first put in the disclaimer that I am a political junkie. I enjoy watching election coverage, I enjoy watching the political conventions of the parties and stay up late just to watch the call of the states, which most Americans nowadays find boring. So it probably comes as no surprise when I say that I was watching the television last night very closely, watching the returns from New Hampshire.

This, in and of itself, reminded me of watching baseball; staying up late to watch an important game; hanging on each pitch and holding my breath to see the outcome. That is just the start, however. While I do not care for this fact, the primary process is a long and drawn out process. Just like you have to pace yourself in baseball for a 162 game season, you have to pace yourself in the primary for the long haul. Just like some teams get knocked out of the race earlier than others, some candidates get knocked out earlier than others. Just like there are stories of comebacks and chokes in baseball, you have them in the primaries as well.

In addition, candidates need to be able to use two different strategies. The primary process is long and drawn out. The general election is over in one day. It is true that candidates get a number of days to campaign from the point they became the standard bearer for their party until the general election but things change significantly once the candidate secures the nomination. In baseball, you need to be able to finish in first place (or second if you are the wildcard) to get to postseason. That is a long, drawn out process and teams need to be put together to handle that. Then when you are in postseason, teams need to be put together to handle short series. It takes two different styles.

Obviously it is not all the same. It amazes me that in the primaries if a candidate takes Iowa and New Hampshire by decent margins (as John Kerry did four years ago), then become the favorite to win and a lot of candidates start bowing out. In baseball, it takes more than two wins or two losses at the beginning of the season to determine which teams are pretenders and which ones are contenders.

Still, perhaps by love of baseball and of the game of politics and the primary process can be understood based on the similarities.

Web Hosting

It probably comes as no surprise to readers that I enjoy blogging. It gives me a chance to speak my mind, discuss my thoughts about baseball and allows other people to read these thoughts and comment if they will. Like many bloggers, I set my blog up through Google. Blogger (or blogspot) is run by Google.

It is great that you can find sites that host blogs for free. There are out there and I am glad they are. Still, sometimes you may need to have some additional freedoms if you want to blog. More and more people are finding it necessary to find a web host for personal reasons (such as wanting to comment about Met games). Certainly more and more people are looking for a web host for professional or business purposes.

How do you know the right host to use? One thing you can do is check out http://www.webhostingchoice.com (who is sponsoring this post). What I like about this site is it allows you to enter specific parameters, including bandwidth, disk space, setup fees and monthly fees. You input this information and it will provide you with a list of hosts.

In addition, if you are not sure about what some of the terms mean, http://www.webhostingchoice.com, can help. They have a “learning center” on their website. This is a list on the left side of the page that not only includes FAQ’s, but also various terms such as ‘Domain’, ‘Bandwidth’, and ‘Dedicated Server’. Just click on one of the various words to learn more about the terms.

If you are looking at setting up a site and need someone to handle web hosting, it is worth a look.

Picking Up Pagan

The Mets have acquired, or actually reacquired Angel Pagan, an outfielder from the Cubs. I would love to tell you I thought this move was to free up Carlos Gomez so we could trade him for a pitcher. I don’t see that as the case.

Yes, Pagan is a backup outfielder. He is good defensively and he won’t embarrass you offensively. Still, if Minaya could have traded Gomez before he brought in Pagan, for a pitcher, that deal would have been made. So, while Pagan could fill a void created by trading Gomez, I don’t think it makes Minaya more likely to make a deal.

So, the question is, will the deal help the Mets. I certainly hope so. It is not a blockbuster move or a household name but I am hoping it can be a little like the Endy Chavez move. No one knew the name but he come to New York and truly blossomed and was a great pickup for the Mets.

The Mets gave away relatively little for Pagan, a couple of young minor leaguers, not the big names people have talked about. Pagan can be sent to the minor leagues, so it is not as though the Mets are out of options or need to keep him in the bigs for the year.

Hopefully Minaya will be able to get the pitcher we all know the Mets need. Hopefully Pagan will be a good pickup for the Mets and make them a better team. If the move does that, I will be happy.

The Mets' Hammer

As you can see, I am reliving some of my early days as a Met fan. I talked previously about Rusty Staub and that got me to thinking about the “Murderer’s Row,” the Mets had when I first started watching. They had Rusty batting third (#4), Cleon Jones batting cleanup (#21) and John Milner batting fifth (#28).

I was thinking about this and noticed a comment on a previous post of mine about John Milner. Well this really got me thinking about the Met’s Hammer. Yes, at the time, “The Hammer” was the nickname used to refer to “Hammerin” Hank Aaron, but the Mets had their own hammer as well, John Milner.

I always liked Milner and though he was a class act and a good ballplayer, not great, not Cooperstown material, but good. One of my favorite John Milner stories actually occurred after the Mets had traded him away. I believe he finished his career with the Montreal Expos.

Well, I was at a game where the Met were playing the Expos. Late in the game, Milner was introduced as a pinch hitter for the Expos. Sitting a few rows in front of me were a father and son and the father started booing Milner as he was introduced (because he was coming up for the opposing team), turned to his son with a big smile and said, “That’s how you treat them”.

I couldn’t help but think to myself, “You moron, do you know who this is. This is John Milner who always gave his all when playing with the Mets.” I don’t know if this father did not know Milner from his Mets days, or just did not care. Either way, I was thinking it was wrong.

My father, when taking me to ballgames, always taught me to appreciate the players on the opposing team. I did not have to cheer them, or like them. Certainly I did not have to rout for them, but I had to respect them.

Maybe growing up I would have wished that my father would have been more like the father of this little boy and taught me to boo and give opposing players a hard time. Now, however, I am very glad I was taught differently. I still get frustrated when opposing players make nice plays against my team or do things that hurt the chances of the Mets to win a ballgame, but I have learned to appreciate and enjoy the game on a different level, quite possibly a level that the little boy sitting in front of me never will. And, certainly, I always try to show my appreciation for former Met players, even though they are no longer wearing the blue and orange.

Shopping For The Sports Fan

This past holiday season, I was looking to buy some Mets gear for some fellow fans. I went to the store and picked up the jackets and shirts I wanted, complete with the Mets logo. I then handed the cashier a credit card, only she was not aware it was a

Let me explain. I have one of those odd shaped credit cards.
that fits on a keychain. It may not be full size but it has the magnetic strip on the back and it works. If I am using a machine where I can swipe the card myself, I do. Sometimes, however, I need to hand the card to the cashier. When this happens, I just hand them the card, with the rest of the keys on my chain.

Most of the time the other individual is able to figure it out, even if s/he has never worked with such a credit card before. This particular instance, the cashier did not get it.

“How are you paying,” she asked.

“With a credit card,” I replied and I just stood there since I had already given her the card.

“Can I have the credit card,” she asked.

“You already do,” came my reply.

It still took her awhile before realizing what I had given her was the card, but eventually, she figured it out.

Fortunately, nowadays, you can do almost all of your shopping on line and not have to worry about such situations occurring. As much as I like people, sometimes shopping on-line and also being able to compare loans (who is sponsoring this post), can make things much easier.

So sports fans, you can still get that person the sports related present you want and avoid all the hassle as well.

In Praise Of The Koos

In a recent post, I mentioned that I would like to see Jerry Koosman’s #36 retired. Now part of that happens to be that Koosman has been a personal favorite of mine. In fact, taking nothing away from Tom Seaver, when everyone was big on Tom Terrific, I found myself praising Koosman more than Seaver.

Recently, looking on the Mets website, I felt some credence was given to my feelings about Koosman and his deserving to have his number retired. The conversation actually did not deal with his number but whether or not he should be in the Hall of Fame. A reader wrote in to Marty Noble (who does the mailbag column for the Mets) about Koosman deserving to be in the Hall (especially with what we are witnessing today).

Noble responded by saying Koosman was a personal favorite of his and he wished there was a spot for Jerry in the Hallof Fame (although he indicated he felt it unlikely that Koosman would get in). He went on to say that since he has been covering the game since the early 70’s, Koosman is one of the pitchers he feels should be enshrined in Cooperstown. Others he mentioned included Ron Guidry, Jack Morris and Mel Stottlemyer.

He even goes on to say that he has previously stated that Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax and Morris are popular answers to the question, "Which pitcher would you choose to start a MUST WIN game”. And he then adds, “Koosman wouldn’t be a bad choice either.

Click here to see that article (It’s about two-thirds of the way down).

So, now I feel even more convinced that considering the teams he played on, his ability to win big games and his overall makeup as a pitcher, #36 should be retired. To me, there will never be another 36, even when I see people like Mark Bombeck given that uniform number.

Ballgames And Diet Plans

The first time I went to a Met game, I was a young boy and I went with my father. That certainly is not surprising, or should not be. My dad taught me that in order to truly enjoy the game, one needs a bag of peanuts. Growing up watching the Brooklyn Dodgers play, he always had a bag of peanuts. So, now, to this day, when I go to a game, I always get a bag of peanuts.

Of course, now it is not just peanuts. Beer, pizza, and ice cream have become some of my staples when I go to the game. If you stop, however, to add up the calories, it can get downright depressing. I certainly put on some weight attending ball games.

There is some good news, however. It should come as no surprise that there are various diet plans out there. A number of these plans allow you to plan such feasts or binges into your diet. The important thing is to pick an eating plan that is right for you. The Weight Loss Diet Help website(Sponsoring this post), does a nice job of providing information to consumers.

What I like about this site is it does not recommend one plan over the other. It gives the reader information about the different programs and allows the individual to decide for him or herself. Personally, I have had good luck with Weight Watchers, and that is one of the links on the site. There, are of course numerous other links on the site. For example, e-diets has a link.

Another aspect that I like about this site is, it has a section for articles. Among the articles you can find here are ones about why diets fail and diet plans for diabetics.

So, the next time you are at a ballgame, eating a hotdog and drinking a beer, don’t feel guilty about what you are eating. Just make sure you are involved with an eating plan that allows you to enjoy these foods when you are there. They do exist.

Le Grand Orange

Today I was thinking about Met hitters. I have been discussing pitching, both past and present, as well as some teams of the past. Well, today I was thinking how the Mets offense for this coming year will compare to last year. I have seen some stuff written on this and honestly, I do not think their offense will be as potent next year as it was this year and this year it was not as strong as it was last season.

Still, thinking about the offense situation got me thinking about hitters of the past. I think, perhaps, one of my favorite hitters to watch growing up was Rusty Staub (Le Grand Orange). Rusty was a throw back. He was a student of the game. By watching pitchers, he would pick up on tip offs and know what pitch was coming. Stuab was a master. He was fun to watch as an everyday hitter and when he came back to the Mets and became a pinch hitter at the end of his career, he was a pinch hitter extraordinaire.

Of course Rusty was not great in every aspect of the game. Staub was perhaps the slowest runner the Mets have ever had. Still, in between stints with the Mets, Staub played with the Detroit Tigers. During that time I remember reading a quote from Ron Leflore, the Tigers speedy outfielder. Leflore said he learned more about stealing bases from Rusty Staub then from anyone else.

Leflore was not being sarcastic or obnoxious. He indicated that Rusty learned to read the pitchers on the base paths as well, just as he did at the plate. Stuab knew when a pitcher was going to throw over, when you could get a jump off him and when you should stay close.

In a previous post, I talked about numbers the Mets should have retired. Perhaps they should have retired either #4 (the uniform number he wore during his first stint with the Mets) or #10 (The uniform number he switched to and the number he wore in Montreal) in honor of Rusty Staub.

Greatest Disappointment

The Mets website refers to this past year as the “Greatest disappointment” in their history. This led me to think if that is the way I feel. I still am not sure.

Certainly the Mets have had worse years. As mentioned in recent posts, suffering with them through the late 70’s and early 80’s, the Mets had terrible years. The thing is, at the time, they were never expected to do something. So, is the disappointment greater when you expect to do something, come close but fall short, or is it greater when you are just terrible?

The later years of Steve Phillips, when the Mets were expected to do something and nothing happened, were those greater disappointments. The days of Mo Vaughn at first and Roberto Alomar at second and Jeromy Burnitz in the outfield, those were years when people thought the Mets had a good team, but they fell short.

Of course, the years following 1986 were disappointing. We, as fans, were looking towards a dynasty but it never happened. Sure, we came close in 1988, but we could not even get back in the World Series. That was disappointing.

Honestly, let’s not forget 2006. The Mets were clearly the best team in the NL but we could not even get to the World Series. Game Seven against the Cards, with Beltran striking out, maybe the single greatest disappointment I suffered as a Met fan. Still that was one game.

Don’t expect me to answer the question. I cannot tell you what year was the greatest disappointment I faced as a Met fan. I guess, though, if you stay a Met fan long enough, you deal with disappointment. Still, we pull for them because we love them.

So, what do you think was your greatest disappointment as a Met fan?