gotham baseball issue 1 (summer 2005)

Gotham Baseball,Summer 2005$5.95US $7.95 eN

1III11

PASTTIME

The Old-Time Game

Unbreakable: JackC

THE Buu.PEN

PuBLISHER: . ..EDITOR IN CHIEF:

EXECUTIVE EDITOR:

FROM THETop STEP

And now, a word of welcome from theEditor In Chief of Gotham Baseball magazine.

so, what makes three arguably sane people start a magazine devoted to baseball ingreater New York?

A few things actually. All of us, and many of our baseball fan friends and family, weretired of the mile-wide, inch-deep kind of coverage we've seen elsewhere - baseball doesn'teasily fit into the modern idea of media, there's too much to explain beyond "En Fuego"that doesn't fit in a 3D-second piece on the nightly recap or as a passing mention in anotes column somewhere.

So that's where we come in. We wanted Gotham Baseball to become a window back to aslower time, when you could pause for a moment and get to know your favorite team orplayer - or maybe find out about some kid coming up from the minors, or the real storybehind some tall tale your grandfather told you about the players of his youth.

At the same time, thanks to modern technology, the electronic companion to this maga-zine, www.gothambaseball.com. has all the latest news, scores, pictures and a thrivingcommunity of people who want to talk about baseball with you on our message boards.

And only one town - the game's birthplace - really has the kind of baseball passionthat makes a magazine like this rewarding - New York. Listen to sports talk radio inDecember and it's almost non-stop Hot Stove talk, despite three other professional leaguesbeing in-season. No city has the relationship with baseball that New York has - love-hatesometimes - but deep and abiding with an incredible history, three leagues and six differ-ent franchises have called the city home in the last 150 years.

And while we all happen to be baseball fans, we're not just fans who woke up one day andsaid, "hey's let's start a magazine." Obviously, a quick look those these pages tell you it'sput together by professionals. Gotham Baseball is the fifth magazine on which I've held asenior editorial management role (with some of the world's largest publishing companies),and my third as Editor-In-Chief. My partner and GB's Executive Editor, Mark Healey, haswritten and reported for a major wire service, covering sports, primarily baseball. MattStolper, our patient publisher who keeps the editorial guys from getting out of hand, hasbeen around the game forever - while becoming a successful health care executive.

That having been said, don't expect the same old style over substance drivel cranked outby the mainstream publishing world these days on these pages. We have a lot to say - anda wildly irreverent sense of humor - and we're going to share that. Unlike a lot of publi-cations, we're going to be accountable to the people who read us and the people we writeabout. Got a beef? Complain about it in our forums and the writer or editor in questionwill respond.

We look forward to being a part of New York baseball for its second 150 years and hopeyou'll want to come along for the ride.

- Mike McGann

Gotham Baseball-Summer, 2005 3

THE ~OJj:QECK CIRCLE~~... - - -

A Closer Look At The Yankees' DraftContinuing the process of rebuilding the

farm system, the Yankees went with ahigh-ceiling, high-risk player in the firstround, then switched to advanced collegeplayers. Eight of their first ten picks werecollege guys. However, the two high school-ers (C.]. Henry and Austin Jackson) havegreat physical ceilings. If they both sign,they will provide a nice boost of athleticismfor the system.The ETAs to the Majors should be regard-

ed as highly preliminary, more of a guide to incredible rise to the Majors, but he shouldreadiness than anything else. still be one of the first players drafted this1. C.J. Henry, SS, Putnam City HS, year to reach the Show. ETA: late 2006-

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma-A pure 2007.athlete, c.j. Henry held off from commit- 3. Brett Gardner, OF, College ofting to college basketball due to his love for Charleston-possibly the fastest man inbaseball. Word is that he will end up at the college baseball, Gardner has blazing speed,University of Kansas to play hoops and base- and unlike many young players, he knowsball if he doesn't sign with the Yankees. But how to use it. He doesn't have much rawmoney is not expected to be an object, and power, but he makes contact, doesn't strikegetting him signed should not be a problem, out much, and will take walks often enoughespecially for a big-pocket team. Henry may to keep his on-base percentage at a high lev-be the best overall athlete in the draft, and el. He is also a reliable defensive outfielder.is at least equivalent to guys like Cameron Gardner hit .447 with 38 steals in 43 at-Maybin or Andrew Mc- tempts this year.Cutchen. However, He'll have to showHenry is raw compared he can hit ad-to some of the other vanced pitchingplayers available, and with some mea-will need time to refine sure of author-his game. If everything ity, but at a mini-pans out, he could be a mum his speed25-homer, 25-steal guy, will be useful onbut he will not advance the bench. ETA:as quickly as most of 2008-2009.the other first-rounders. 4. Lance Pend-His selection represents leton, RHP-OF,significant risk as well Rice Uni-as significant upside. ve r sit Y- AHe could be a huge two-way playerstar, but he could also at Rice, Pend-be a huge bust. ETA: leton prob-2010+ •..•.•---"'--'-- __ "'"'-...•..•• """'--.....!:l.. ~.-I ably suffered

2. J. Brent Cox, RHP, University of to some extent from his flexibility, failingTexaS-The successor to Huston Street as to live up to his potential both with the batthe Longhorns closer, Cox is a notch behind and on the mound this spring. He struggledStreet in most respects, but is still a fine offensively, hitting just .263 though he didpitcher and a worthy second-round choice. knock 8 homers. He was more effective onHe works with an 88-92 MPH fastball and the mound, and the Yankees intend to usean excellent breaking ball, described as a him as a pitcher. Pendleton throws in theslider but resembling a very hard curve more low 90s already, and further concentrationoften than not. His command is solid, and on his mound work will help him refine hishe has a lot of experience pitching under breaking ball and changeup. He could be apressure. Cox is unlikely to duplicate Street's bargain at this point in the draft if he de-

4 Gotham Baseball-Summer, 2005

velops as the Yankees expect. ETA: 2008-2009.5. Zach Kroenke, LHP, University of

Nebraska-Kroenke went 7-2 with a 2.61ERA through June 8, with an 83/25 K/BBratio for the Cornhuskers. He works with asinking fastball at 88-90 MPH, sometimes anotch higher, and mixes it effectively with apower slider. He usually throws strikes, butneeds to use his changeup more often, as hesometimes gets into a pitch-pattern rut. Al-though used as a starter in college, he maybe better-suited for relief in the long run,even if the Yankees use him as a starter ini-tially. ETA: 2008.6) Doug Fister, RHP, Fresno State

University-Tall, thin, and lanky at 6-8,195, Fister has an 88-89 MPH fastball andcould throw harder as he fills out and refineshis mechanics. His control is already prettygood (77127 K/BB ratio in 94 innings thisyear), but he needs to be more consistentwith his breaking ball. If his velocity im-proves as expected, he's another potentialbargain, having more upside than mostcollege juniors available at this point in thedraft. ETA: 2008-2009.7. Garrett Patterson, LHP, Univer-

sity of Oklahoma-A power lefthander,Patterson throws in the low-to-mid-90s andstruck out 73 men in 63 innings for the Uni-versity of Oklahoma this spring. He lasteduntil the seventh round due to his injury

. history (two elbow operations) and erraticcommand (42 walks). However, his upsideis high, and ifhe can sharpen his control andstay healthy, he could be very effective in thepro ranks. ETA: 2008.8. Austin Jackson, OF, Ryan HS,

Denton, Texas-A tremendous athlete,Jackson was considered a definite first-roundpick at various points in his amateur base-ball career. But a basketball commitment toGeorgia Tech, and erratic performance in2005, dimmed his star, knocking him downmost draft charts. The Yankees took a stabin the eighth round, and as I write this thereare strong rumors that Jackson will signwith New York. If true, he offers both powerand speed potential, and would make a finecombination with C.]. Henry. Like Henry,he is rather raw and will need time to adjustto pro ball, but the physical upside is impres-sive. ETA: 2010+.9. James Cooper, OF, Loyola Mary-

THE NEW YORK GAMEwww.gothambaseball.com

mount University-Hit .342 with a .425 an interesting minorleague slugger.OBP and .469 SLG for Loyola Marymount. 18) Joe Burke, C, St. John'sA left-handed hitter, Cooper offers a line-drive Hit .348 with a .420 OBP and .421 SLG fur SLhitting stroke and was consistent and success- JohnS this year, benefiting from the exposure in frontful in college. He is a bit undersized at 5-lO, of scours coming in to see teammate Craig Hansen190, and he could be a "tweener," lacking (first-round pick of the Red Sox). Burke is a native ofthe power for an outfield corner but without Brooklyn, and is very reliable behind the plate, butenough speed for center field. ETA: 2009. doubts about his bat (notably a lack of power) kept him

10) Kyle Anson, 3B, Texas State out of the early rounds. At this point he is just anUniversity-Anson hit .353 with a .465 organization player,albeit one with intriguing localOBP and .514 SLG for Texas State, show- connections.ing excellent strike zone judgment with 4119) Joe Conroy, RHP, University ofwalks and just 24 strikeouts in 218 at-bats. IllinoisHe also has a reputation for good gl6vework One of the better pitchers in the Big 10 thisat third base, and posted a solid .970 fielding •.••.•.-.....•..•..•.••••"--'''_--""_ .....•••"'---=---' •••...••..•••=-.........•;........;i=..---... year, lllini senior Jim Conroy went 8-3 with a 3.10percentage this year. He looks like a small ended up at Florida, where he flashed his old potential ERA and 63/17 KlBB ratio in 93 innings. Hecollege sleeper. ETA: 2009. but has not been consistent, struggling with his com- throws his 90 MPH f.tst:bal\for strikes,complementing

mand. He certainly has a lot of natural potential, but it with a good changeup and curveball. Doubts about aconsiderable risk aswell given his control issues. 2004 elbow injury hurt his stock somewhat, but he has

13) Karl Amonite, 1B, Auburn U. been healthy this year and represents good value at thisSwinging a power stick from the lefi:side,Amonite point in the draft.

was hampered by injuries in college,but hit .365 with a.469 OBP and .654 SLG this year. He has plus powerand good strike zone judgment, but fellin the drafi dueto his age (23) and lack of speed. At the least he will be

OTHER DRAFTEES OF NOTE:11) Alan Horne, RHP,Universityof Florida

A first-round pick out of high school by Cleve-land back in 2001, Home blew out his dbowat theUniversity of Mississippi and had to haveTommy Johnsurgery.He transferred to junior college,was drafi:edbythe Angels but turned down another large bonus, then

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THE ON-DECK CIRCLE~ s ~ ,"t ~ ~

25 Years Later, It's Deja New AllOver Again"'\VJhen Carlos Beltran took to the podium at his

W introductory p= conference and declared the

team that had just made him rich was The New Mets,

a buzz was born. The moniker stuck so quickly that itbecame an instant marketing theme.

Whether it was Beltran or, as has been widely reported,

his agent Scott Boras who came up with the phrase, its

unlikely anybody repeating it realized The New Mets

were not so new. In bct, The New Mets are a quarter-

century old this season.

Meet the New Mets, circa 1980 - not necessarily the

same as these New Mets, but a dub of some significance

both then and now.

The circumstances that link 1980 and 2005 lie some-where between coincidental and eerie. Then as now, the

Mets were a team trying to put a torturous past behind

them. Then as now, the Mets brought a new sheritfinro

town to dean up an old mess. Then as now, genuine

hope materialized on the field And then as now, the

product was sold to the public as, yes, The New Mets,

Consider:

*The 1980 Metswere trying to erase a wretched three-

year stretch under Gram/de Rouler management. The

played the season with a veritable FORSALE sign hang-

ing in their window. Their big acquisition was Richie

Hebner, a veteran third baseman who waved at ground

balls and "saluted" unappreciative fans. Their feature at-

traction was Mettle the Mule, ownership's short-lived

attempt to cultivate a lovable, four-legged mascot.

First they were laughed at. Then theywere ignored As

the '70s wound down, the Mets barely existed in any

meaningful fashion.

With a new decade came new owners, Fred Wilpon

and Nelson Doubleday (Doubleday & Co. held the

majority stake). They were determined to

polish the image of a damaged franchise.

After buying the Mets in January for $21.1

'million, their plan was two-pronged. First,

get somebody who knew what he was do-

ing to run the show. That turned out to

be respected furmer Orioles GM Frank

Cashen. With a wan Major League roster

and a mostly bare minor league cupboard, manage-

ment understood rebuilding would be a project. Thus,

the second prong: Market the Mets.

It was a dillerent era, pre-1980. You opened the gates

and people came. Or they didn't. GAME TONITE

was about it. Advertising a tearn as a concept or like

a detergent wasn't generally done. True, the Mets had

dabbled in the fine art of the ad with "Bting Your Kids

To See Our Kids" in 1977, but that was a desperation

ploy to cover up the PR fallour that followed the Tom

Seaver trade (it didn't work). What the 1980 Mets did

was create an image.

And that image was, well, New! The cover of the 1980

yearbook says it all: "The New NEWYORK METS ...the People's Team". Come-ons for a "new era" featuring

''NEW OWNERS FOR NEW METS" are sprinkled

among the opening pages. It was an implicit admission,

then as now, that what was here before wasn't working,

Bur give us another try. You won't be sotry.

The Mers' marketing reached beyond mere Newness

in 1980. The owners hired the famed ad wiz Jerry Della

Femina to extend the brand into the realm of the occult.

'The Magic Is Back" became those New Mets' rallying

cry, one intended to conjure memories of better times as

well as hope for a brighter future.

2005 Mets want us to forget Art Howe slept here.

*The 1980 Mets, led by skipper Joe Torre, fought for

a scintilla of recognition in a city that was doing just fine

with one sentient baseball organization. The 2005 Mets

entered the season trying to overcome similar competi-

tive perceptions against a team led by skipper Joe Torre.

"The 1980 Mets brought in a big-name general man-

ager to shake things up. The 2005 Mets have their own

version of Frank Cashen in Omar Minaya.

* The 1980 Mets relied on stat power and sex appeal

to pump up the box office, albeit with Lee Mazzilli, The

2005 Mets were ballyhooed around Beltran and Pedro

Martinez.

* The 1980 Mets confounded expectations by win-ning quite a few games in the late innings, gaining be-

lievers along the way. Early in 2005, the Mets showed a

similar knack fur theatrics as well as converting herero-

fore agnostic fans to their cause.

To appreciate what the New York Mets were trying

to do 25 years ago, you have to understand how deeply

they were buried 26 years ago. In 1979, the Mets wereas irrelevant as the final choice in the NFL draft (a player

annually tabbed Mr. Irrelevant). Think the Art How-e

epoch was bad? Consider that in '79, the Mets losr 99

games, drew £ewer than 800,000 paying customers and


If an advertising tagline is measured by how memo-

table it is, then Della Femina hit the mark. Memorable?

With a 9-18 start to 1980, the media wouldn't ler the

Mets furget how silly "The Magic Is Back" sounded.

The New Mets were playing very much like the old

Mets, no Magic in sight. More embarrassing in the

face of the ad campaign, they weren't attracting fans to

Shea. If anything, they were repelling them. Opening

the season at home, the Mets announced a paid atten-

dance of 43,992 - fur the entire six-garne homestand, A

transit strike didn't help matters, but nobody was exactly

hitching a ride to the old ballpark either. After the Mets

finished their first week with an afternoon game against

the Expos that drew 2,052 souls, the back page of the

Posr hooted that Shea, with its sea of empty wooden

seats, was THE MAGIC GARDEN.

Then a funny thing happened The Mets - the down-

trodden, solitary, mercilessly mocked Mets - began to

win. A few here, a few there ...they weren't so bad any-

more. Starters like Craig Swan, Pete Falcone and the pre-

viously unknown Mark Bomback got batters out. Neil

Allen, Jeff Reardon and Tom Hausman represenred the

foundation of a legitimate bullpen. Lee Mazzilli, the

focus of another Della Femina ad ("Come See What

A Kid From Brooklyn Can Do In Queens") started hit-

ting. Second baseman Doug Flynn, to use a Bob Mur-

phyism of the time, looked balls into his glove. Frank

Taveras wasn't half-bad at shortstop. Third base was

solved by Elliott Maddox. John Stearns never stopped

grinding behind the plate. There were still no big stars,

but all of a sudden, everybody was contributing and

some people were even buying tickers to watch.

In other words, the Magic was kinda, sorra Back.

The trademark of the 1980 Mets during those heady

months of apparent resurrection was a flair for the dra-

marie, the pulsating and the surprising. It's not out of

line to borrow from Bull Durhams Annie Savoyon this

count For one extraordinary June and July; the New

York Mets, for whatever perverse reason, began playing

baseball with joy and verve and poetry.

The signature moment of the '80 uprising was un-

doubtedly June 14. On a Sarurday night at home

against the Giants, the Mets trailed San Francisco 6-0 in

the eighth, 6-1 entering the ninth. The 1979 (and 1978

and 1977) Mets would've turned out the lights and

thanked you fur coming. But the 1980 Mets played a

full nine. The score reached 6-4 with two on and two

out when Steve Henderson stepped up against Allen

Ripley. If anybody had been a symbol of Met malaise

in the late '70s, it was Henderson. He was one of the

kids who you were urged to bring your kids to see but

somehow resisted. He was part of the Seaver trade,

the part that had prospect written all over him. But

through June 13, the lefi:fielder hadn't homered once

in 1980. It was dearer than ever that he was not going

Continued on page 24.

~ -

THE LEADOFF SPOT"W ~ ~ m 0'" ~S-"" gu 1~1Fq~#1:~A - ~=

A New Era Dawns In New York BaseballIs ntis~fI\eaven?No ... t sBy Bryan HochSpecial to Gotham Baseball

Looking at the blueprints and sketchesfor the new Yankee Stadium, there was

a sudden reminder of the scene in "Back tothe Future", where Michael J. Fox'scharacterspins his head around the 1950s town square,magically returned to all of its past glory.Perhaps we'll soon relate to Marty McFly

and that moment of astonishment, takinga spin in a time machine of our own. TheBronx Bombers' new cathedral promises justthat, bringing us all a little bit closer back tothe golden era of Gotham baseball.We have seen the future image of the South

Bronx, and the future looks bright.In an age where factory-fresh ballparks

evoke black-and-white memories of long-forgotten stadiums and everyone is lookingfor the next Camden Yards, the new YankeeStadium plows through the mumbo jumbowith the image of the stadium from yearspast.Behind the $800 million price tag, the

2009-esque seating bowl, the four-star res-taurant rising over center field and the 60-plus luxury suites George Steinbrenner oncethreatened to move the team to New Jerseyover, the original House that Ruth Built shallstand again. Its majestic limestone and con-crete entrance, its copper frieze and all therest.If you time-transported Ruth to the front

doorstep of this 2009 facility, he would~ after bursting a blood vessel over a $7.50

be~ almost certainly recognize the place as atime-warped, jazzed up, high-tech version ofhis own."We lost many of the great characteristics

of the original house," said YankeespresidentRandy Levine. "The new stadium will takeus back to our origins. This isn't the end ofthe legacy,but a continuation."''As we enter our second century as a ball-

club, we will have the finest stadium in theworld," general partner Steve Swindal said.With the June announcement, confirming

earlier rumors, the present-day Yankee Sta-dium suddenly hears the clock ticking onwhat had long been inconceivable: baseball'spinnacle stage facing retirement.But it's been a great run for the old girl,

who'll be 86 years young when Derek Jeterand Alex Rodriguez (the only two Yankeesunder contract through the new yard's ex-pected maiden voyage)are slated to take theirfirst swings at the new Stadium in 2009. The1973 renovations squeezed many more yearsof life and countless terrific memories out ofthe last three decades.Still, as r-~~-'"

Levine re-marked,"This build-ing, as greatand gloriousas it is, un-fortunatelyis becomingnonfunc-tional. It

Yankee Stadium II, set to open in 2009, willcombine the classic looks of the original pre-reno-vation stadium - including the facade - withmodern amenities, better sightlines and a greaterpercentage of seating downstairs.


e Bronx!cannot go on for another 40 years.To rebuildit or extensively renovate it is cost-prohibi-tive.""It fails to, I think, reflect the glamour of

the club," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.Some would argue; after all, even the Red

Sox have eventually started to realize thatpasting cute additions onto Fenway Park istheir destiny for the next few decades.But one trip to the next generation of sta-

diums revealswhat visiting players and per-sonnel have mumbled for years: New York,which bills itself as the greatest city in theworld, does not have the greatest stages uponwhich to perform.Shea Stadium is a given; not one person

should voice a word of complaint when thedilapidated wreck in Queens meets its fi-nal days. But even as visiting players speakof Yankee Stadium reverentially, as thoughRuth and Gehrig themselves were peeringover their shoulders, some of those spoiledby the luxuries of new parks in Baltimore,Seattle and Philadelphia had viewed a trip to

Continued on Page 10

www.gothambaseball.com THE NEW YORK GAMEIn Queens

Don't Get Too Attached to That Outfield, KidsBy Mike McGannGotham BaseballWhile we know a great deal about Yankee

Stadium II, a lot less is known about the de-tails of the new Mets ballpark planned forFlushing, to open the same year.There's two reasons for that: although an-

nounced first, the Mets deal was throwntogether at the 11th hour as a last ditch ef-fort to preserve the city's bid for the 2012Olympics, while New York City and theYankees had the details of their deal for anew stadium locked down some six weeksbefore formally announcing its plans to thepublic, and some of the details of the Mets'new stadium deal were still being workedout as of press time (complete details willbe reported as they emerge on our websitehttp://www.gothambaseball.com) .The working plan is as follows: the Mets

had about 10 different designs, contingenton the type of deal they were able to strikewith the city, including, sources tell us, aplan for an Olympic stadium. When theproposed West Side Stadium deal collapsedwithout state funding, the Mets were able tostep in save the Olympic bid.And while that drove the deal between

the city and ballclub, it also creates some ofthe uncertainty both in terms of design andeven where the Mets will play in 2012. TheMets will pay about $400 million to buildthe v-shaped portion of the ballpark ex-pected to remain in service throughout thelifetime of the building. That number willalso pay for the first version of the stadiumsoutfield seating and amenities. The city will

kick in about $175 million to pay for infra-structure in and around the Flushing site,improved connections with the Grand Cen-tral Parkway, Van Wyck, as well as upgradesto surface roads in the area and renovationsto the Flushing/Willets Point subway sta-tion on the No.7 line.It all gets trickier if the city wins it's bid for

the Olympics in either 2012 or 2016.NYC2012, the organizing committee, will

pay to demolish theoutfield of the newpark and build anoval-shaped tem-porary stadium tohouse track andfield, as well as theOpening and Clos-ing ceremonies forthe Olympics. Basi-cally, it's a plan tak-ing things one step _further than whatwas done in Atlantain 1996 in what isnow Turner Field.NYC2012 will thenrebuild the outfieldseating and ameni-

ties areas - includ- 1#t=;:~~::'=*==~#!I-~~ing presumably the ~ •••••:...."""••••..u_~__"'-...II:""-"'':'"scoreboards, afterthe games. During construction, the Metsare expected to play at Yankee Stadium II,sharing that park, as the Mets and Yankeesdid Shea Stadium in 1974 and 1975.What we know about the design of the sta-

dium is this: adapted from the 1998 designfor an Ebbets Field-like, enclosed stadiumwith both a retractable roof and retractablefield-the new Mets ballpark will have nei-ther, but retain the design nods to EbbetsField. When completed, it is expected tohave 45,000 seats, primarily located in foulterritory as is the case with Shea Stadium.Unlike Shea, the new park will have justthree decks, in a tighter "V" shape, putting

most of the seats closer to the field. A lowerpercentage of the seats in the new park willbe in the upper deck, and even that deckwill be lower and closer to the playing fieldthan the current Shea upper deck.

Winners and LosersLosers:The Jets: No new West Side Manhattan stadium. Not even their own digsout in Queens as many suggested was the best solution. Nowlikelyto agreeto continue sharing Giants Stadium - and its replacement for the next 20·plus years, meaning two more decades of "road" home games for the Jets.WoodyJohnson may be the only sports team owner in America less capableof runninga team than Paris Hilton. .Mayor Michael Bloomberg: Yeah, he managed to save the Olympicbid atthe last minute but lost the West Side Stadium deal and all of the develop-ment plans. Last minute chaos probably doomed 2012 Olympicbid that wason life-supportbefore stadium deal collapsed.Queens Junk Yard Dealers: Kiss 'em goodbye. What may be the biggestupgrade around the Shea neighborhood means the end of the collection ofeye sores - and likelya ton of city-paidenvironmentalcleanup costs.The Mets: Yeah,they're getting a new stadium. But unlikethe Yankees, a:they're payingfor it out of pocket, since they don't have luxurytax (unlessWilpon& Co. go on a free-agent player signing binge) rebates to fund it likethe Yankees; b: three years after they move in, they have to move out andsee half of the park torn down. c: Yankees' planned cathedral will likelyovershadow new Mets' park in the eyes of fans and the media, furthercementing the team's status as second-class citizens.-MM

Winners:The Yankees: George Steinbrenner managed to figure out how toget the Royals and Devils Rays to basically pay for the building ofan $800 million baseball cathedral - combining old-school designwith a number of. cool features that should advance state-of-the-art inbaseball stadiums by a couple of notches.The Bronx: An area in needs of major revitalization effort gets someserious help with new parks - and likely retail/commercial develop-ment in the immeEliate neighborhood, which had become one of theworst in the city.New York baseball fans: Most cities are happy to celebrate theopening of one new ballpark in any given year. New York is goingto have two brand-new baseball stadiums in 2009 - with a ton ofamenities - and most shockingly - clean bathrooms.The Mets: Getting out of Shea into a new building - however itturns out - is a positive. With the passing of Philly's Vet, Shea maybe the worst balilpark in the majors. Getting rid of it once and for allmakes the Mets a winner on some level. 1Mayor Michael Bloomberg: Last-minute deal saves the Olympic bidhe's put so much of his prestige and effort behind. Managed to cut abetter deal for the city than one agreed to by his predecessor RudyGuiliani.


THE LEADOFF SPOT

A New Era Is This Heaven? No ... It's $800M in The Bronx!

The proposed new stadium reverses the seat-ing arrangements of the current facility, with30,000 of an estimated 50,800 seats set in thepark's lower bowl, featuring the intimate seat-ing and improved sighclines fans expect dur-ing baseball's new stadium era. No longer willa ticket to the upper deck at Yankee Stadiumbe a free pass to vertigo.New Yankee Stadium will have the same

playing field dimensions as the existing facil-ity, meaning thatA-Rod - whojust might behasing a certainome run recordy 2009 - won'tave to deal withhe cavernous

center field of theold Stadium (''A-

od doesn't needy help," Stein-

brenner said athe press confer-nee).

",,,,.,11"'" The

New York as a downgrade. '"I was a little disappointed, to tell the truth,"

one veteran American League player said, re-calling his first trip to the Bronx. "The fieldand Monument Park [were] great, don't getme wrong. But you get behind the scenes andit's like, 'This is it?'""Things change, times change," Bernie Wil-

liams said. "I guess it was time for a change."Just weeks .... ,,_

after the'Jets' West

Side Stadi-um projectflopped,killed bythe city'srefusal tohold the ~~~football' 1<= •• "'"

team'shand inbuildingtheir newfacility,the Yan-kees havepl~dged torarse a newhouse-thefirst shov-els are tohit soil in 'MacombsDam Park

'in April2006 - entirely ontheir own.Selling tax-exempt

bonds to fund theestimated $800 mil-lion stadium project,the new Yankee Sta-dium has been rep-resented as perhapsSteinbrenner's mostenduring gift to NewYork, just a little over L...- .,.,.".~~~~~iE~_~;;:;~'!"r'~ •••.••••.••••.••••.••.•.•-....I

a decade after the Boss claimed people weren't bullpen will return to right field in thecoming to the South Bronx anymore. new model, while the famously dingy andFour World Series titles and millions in at- cramped concourses of the current Stadium

tendance later, the Yankees have committed will be replaced by wide, welcoming path-to their old neighborhood for life, building ways with full views of the game.what will be only the third stadium in the "You'll never miss an inning, you'll nevermajor leagues completely financed by the miss a pitch," Levine said. "You'll be able toclub - San Francisco's SBC Park and Sr. Lou- see the playing field from wherever you are."is' new Busch Stadium are the others. While Monument Park will be uprooted and"We decided we want to stay in the Bronx. relocated to center field of the new Stadium,

We want to do the job here," Steinbrenner the same plot of land where Mickey Mantlesaid. "We wanted to do something for the and Joe DiMaggio made their greatest stridespeople who have always supported this will be preserved as a functional sort of base-team." .' ball museum, with the playing field, dugouts

and sections of the seating area left for use byGotham Baseball-Summer, 2005

'The new stadium will take us backto our origins. This isn't the end ofthe legacy, but a continuation.'•

-Yankees presidentRandy Levine

10

city high schools and amateur leagues, main-tained by the city.Keeping the entire building of the stadium

would be financially wasteful and difficult tomaintain, so much of the area currently oc-cupied by the stadium's structure will developinto Little League and softball fields, ten-nis courts, a 10-story hotel, a new area highschool, a proposed Metro-North railroadstop and more.Rodriguez was a member of the Seattle

Mariners when the club imploded the worn-down Kingdome, and no one batted an eyein the move to Safeco Field. But Yankee Sta-dium is not exactly the baseball tradition ofAlvin Davis and Gaylord Perry.The player with the Yankees' longest-term

contract - who said that every major leaguerworth his salt treasures his first at-bat at Yan-kee Stadium - was pleased to hear the currentpatch of land would be preserved for futuregenerations."You can't take away what's happened here,"

Rodriguez said. "You think about the UnitedStates of America, and this is one of the ma-jor landmarks .... But when you start a new

stadium, it's electric. It brin!?,sso much energyto the franchise, to the city. '"The atmosphere of this place is what makes

it special," Jeter said. "There's going to be anew stadium, but it'll be the same atmo-sphere. We'll have the same fans and sometouches that will be similar to this one."With the new stadium moving north to Ma-

combs Dam and Mullaly parks, the city haspledged $135 million to develop a 28-acrepark along the Harlem River, with athleticfields and new shopping areas rising abovethe Bronx Terminal Marker. Five additionalparking garages will also be built along 164thStreet, with a $70 million price tag on an es-timated 5,000 new spaces."This is an excellent-rinvestment for the

people of the South Bronx and the people ofNew York," Bloomberg said.Standing in his familiar row of box seats

along the left side of the Yankees dugout, for-mer New York mayor Rudy Giuliani spoke

www.gothambaseball.com THE NEW YORK GAME

longingly of the beauty of Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park, and theopportunities that Baltimore's Camden Yards presents for fans at therestaurants and bars of adjacent Eutaw Street.Facility architect Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum (HOK) Sport-Veri-

ue-Event plans on incorporating that same kind of intimate neighbor-hood around the new Yankee Stadium (sure, Stan's Sports Bar is great,bur do you really want to walk the streets after midnight?). The citywill pony up the estimated $300 million it will take to build the newconnecting roads and infrastructure, and Bloomberg went as far to callit the first step in the "incredible renaissance in the South Bronx.""It helps bring people in," Giuliani said. "It creates a tremendous

amount of economic development.""We want people to spend a lot of time, not just coming to the Yankee

games, bur enjoying this whole aspect," Levine said. "This is all goingto change."If all goes according to plan, as Bloomberg said, through the next

four years, New Yorkers "will be seeing the most exciting doubleheaderimaginable," with two new stadiums rising above the ground in theBronx and in Queens.Perhaps the new Subway Series, circa 2009, won't make the annual

interleague tiffs quite so insufferable, assuming baseball is still runningthe six-game dog-and-pony show by then. Either way, in four years, thefuture of New York baseball will be perhaps its brightest chapter yet, abrief wait for the riches of tomorrow."For a franchise like this that's been around, four years is pretty shorr

anyways," Rodriguez said.

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He'sdone it again.Another manager is convinced that pitcher Yusmeiro Petit is

just another one-trick pitcher - who uses a gimmick, instead ofreal stuff, to make batters swing and miss his pitches - one whocan be beaten if you figure out the trick. Petit's reputation precedeshim ro the Eastern League (beyond two starts he made there lastseason, as the capstone of a meteoric rise from low-A to AA in oneyear) and since he doesn't throw 95 MPH, there has to be someexplanation of how he racked up 200 strikeouts in 139 innings atthree levels.It's Opening Day, 2005, and New Hampshire manager Mike Basso

is convinced he's broken the Petit code. The skipper of the TorontoBlue Jays AA affiliate tells his bench "he's tipping his change-up,"and makes a flicking motion with his wrist. Coincidence or not,Petit starts flicking his wrist - and bam, out comes a 92-MPHfastball, leaving the Fisher Cats' hitter hopelessly behind the pitch.Through a translator, he says he wasn't aware of Basso's claim about

tipping pitches and pleads innocent to doing anything to change hisdelivery mid-game."I'm not trying to fool anyone, I'm trying to get them out," he

said.12 Gotham Baseball-Summer, 2005

But there is a hint of a smile from the stocky, 6-foot, 230-pound20-year-old, who speaks and understands English better than he letson - and seems to understand the value of having opposing man-agers and hitters worry about finding the trick to hit him, instead offocusing on his 92-MPH fastball that moves allover the place or hiscollection of breaking pitches and change up.And so it goes with Petit, who's gone from an unknown kid from

Venezuela to the Mets' no. 1 prospect - a pitcher coveted by manyand now, almost daily, mentioned in trade rumors. Petit is a quiet,shy kid - and some have questioned whether he has the lion's heartneeded to be a successful pitcher in the Majors, but no one whoknows him at all."He's a tough kid," said Jack Lind, his manager this year in Bing-

hamton, and for a large portion of 2004 at Capital City. "He's gota real competitive streak - and when hes out there on the moundit's all business." , ,"Winning is all the kid has ever done," said Mets' Minor League

Field Coordinator Tony Tijerina. "Out on the mound, he's as coolas ice...he has great competitiveness. His quiet demeanor - it's justpure confidence and he knows what's he's doing out there."Still, after putting up big numbers last year, 2005 has been a bit of

struggle. The Mets limited Petit's pitch counts, because of worries


about his having pitchednings in the U.S.,

a full season,for the Ma-

"He's frustrated,"official who'sPetit. "It's

said an organizationalkeeping close tabs on

hard for him tothere and knowno chance toWin. Obviously,

you haveto pro-1:eet thearm, butit's tough

tfor him,he's com-petitive'and he

139 in-followed by50 inningsgallanes Navi-(against a numberof Major Leaguers,he had an ERA of 2.15with 53 strikeouts, despitea 4-3 record) of winter ball inhis native Venezuela. 190 in-nings is a lot higher than theMets would prefer any of theirpitchers to throw in the minors- hence, a lot of caution.For the first four starts of the

year, he was limited to just 65pitches a start - no more thanthree or four innings for a high-pitch count, high-strikeoutpitcher like Petit. The next four,he was limited to 75 and so on,as the Mets wanted to makesure his workload was limited- and protect his arm, painfullessons learned from the likes ofPaul Wilson, Bill Pulsipher andJason Isringhausen back in the1990s.So, on paper, it might look like Petit

is struggling, with only a 1-2 recordby mid-june. True also, he missed twoweeks, returning home to Venezuelafor the birth of his daughter and some minorshoulder issues. He did manage to strikeout40 in 37.1 innings in nine starts, but somehave suggested he's been a little stymied bythe short stints.

go outhe has

'wants towin and,he's beengo i n gout thereknowinghe can't."

bers aside, watching him throw, it becomeevident how off-balance he keeps hitters- especially in a league where he is one ofthe younger pitchers - without much morethan an average fastball. The movement on

Tradeability - 8. Almost every time Omar Minaya's phone rings these days,someone is asking about trading for Petit. With Brian Bannister, Phil Humber andGaby Hernandez in the- pipeline - and a surplus of pitching at the Major Leaguelevel, Petit is thought to be available in the right deal.

Upside: Dec ptive delivery, good ability to change speeds. A lot of late move-ment on his pitches and ability to make hitters swing and miss.

Downside: Concerns Major League hitters will have less trouble picking up theball out of his hand. Stocky body prompts worries about weight gain later. Quiet,shy personality might be a concern in New York.

ETA: 2007

the ball, his ability to change speeds and setup batters marks him at his young age as apitcher, rather than a thrower. His ball is dif-ficult to pick up and has late, nasty move-ment - especiallyhis out pitch, his fastball.Finally, it seems like people are beginning

to get past the idea that he's a gimmick pitch-er, though, and his continued success in AAshows he's not just a A-ball fluke. The Metsare very high on him, but not hyping him- another lesson learned by the debacle ofGeneration K.Perhaps the biggest question is not whether

Petit makes it to the Majors - it's prettymuch a foregone conclusion he'll be there byat least 2007 - but whether it will be withthe Mets. After last year's Scott Kazmir trade- still likely to cause teeth-gnashing whenmentioned to the team's fans - other teamsare asking about Petit, and dangling piecesthe big club needs for this year's pennantrace. While Mets' general manager OmarMinaya might listen to those offers, many

in the organization who;;have worked with andcoached Petit think itwould be a mistake todeal him.One thing is clear:

Pitchers who make bat-ters swing and miss don'tgrow on trees, and evenat this stage of his de-

velopment, Petit has already shown the po-tential to join the great names -. and arms- that have gone down in team lore.For a 20-year-old, that's a pretty exciting

future to look forward to enjoying. m

Gotham Baseball'sTop 10 Mets Prospects

1. Yusmeiro Petit

2 Lastings Milledge3 Brian Bannister

4 Phillip Humber5 Gaby Hernandez

6 Jeff Keppinger

7 Mike Jacobs

8 Aarom Baldiris9 Jesus Flores

lO Ambiorix Concepcion


I

By Mark HealeyGotham Baseball

For the first time in nearly a decade, the New York Yankees aregetting significant contributions from players within their mi-

nor league system.In Eric Duncan, who has yet to reach the big leagues, they just

might have a player who can accomplish even more.The Florham Park, N.J. native and Seton Hall Prep graduate has

impressed everyone in the organization with his ability, but there'sother aspects to his game that stand out. It's an intangible calledpresence, which many of the new school baseball analysts seem toforget when assessing talent, and this kid has it in spades.This reporter first saw Duncan in uniform shortly after his first

round selection by the Yankees in the first round (27th overall) ofthe 2003 amateur draft.For the teenager that led his high school team to a state title and a

16-1 record, getting drafted by the team he grew up rooting for wasa boyhood dream realized. Even this jaded reporter was thinking thisa tad corny before he was informed that Duncan passed up a fullride to perennial baseball power Louisiana State University."It was a tough call," Duncan said. "But my dream was to be a

major leaguer, not a college baseball player. The Yankees were alwaysmy favorite team and I was very excited when we found out that


they were drafting me. I mean, Paul O' Neill was my favorite player,and now I was going to wear the same uniform." .Duncan, who actually resembles O'Neill, and possesses a lot of the

qualities that made him a Yankee favorite - the smooth left-handedswing, the ability to hit line drives in the gaps and over the wall andthe single-minded need to win.He demonstrated all of those qualities almost immediately, even as

an 18 year old.During his 18-game stint for the Staten Island Yankees, he imme-

diately made an impact, hitting .373 with 13 RBIs. However, for allhis skill as a player, it was the way in which he carried himself whichimpressed everyone around him."You have to have a certain quality to play in the Yankee

atmosphere",said Mark Newman, the Yankees' Senior Vice Presi-dent of Baseball Operations. "A presence that allows you to under-stand the tradition and be tested by the pressure that comes with it.We saw that quality in Eric when we drafted him, and he's provedus right."That maturity served him well in 2004, when as a 19-year old

playing in the South Atlantic League and the pitching-rich FloridaState League, he struggled early before finishing the season with arespectable .258 batting average (119-for-461) with 16 home runsand 83 RBIs in 129 games.


It's not unheard of - especially in this town- for first round "bonus babies" to be tempt-ed by their status as blue chippers to big-timeteammates, their managers, the media andeven the fans.

ot this kid.His work habits are impeccable, his relation-

ship with the fans is friendly and outgoing,and he's extremely polished and comfortablewith the press.Even more impressive is the

way he handles adversity, ofwhich, he's had plenty.

First, New York acquiredAlex Rodriguez to play thirdbase shortly before the 2004season, apparently buryingDuncan in the organizationaldepth chart for years to come.Then came an off-season oftrade rumors - which hadhim going to Los Angeles orArizona in the Randy John-son deal - which might havemade any player despondentor sulkyNot Duncan. Even an early

season slump in his first yearat Double-A never sappedany of his confidence orperspective."I can't control any of

that," Duncan said. "Iunderstand baseballis a business. (But)I just go out and do myjob."The first 15 games or the season certainly

weren't pretty, as he failed to collect a single

extra base hit and was hitting just .. 164 dur-ing that slump."Obviously, you never like to start the sea-

son slow, but you have a 142- game total,we've got a long way to go and I'm going tohave more slumps throughout the year", said

Since then, he's raised his av-erage to a more acceptable.244 and at press time, had

driven in32 runs in42 games."Er ic 's

,been morepatient asthe season'has comealong,"Thunder

showingeventually,will."Masse knows all about expectations, as he

was the Yankees' Organizational Player of the

it right now, butthink they

Year in 1993. It's one of the reasons he waschosen to manage at the all-important Dou-ble-A level, which every year becomes moreand more the most difficult level a prospectmust make the jump to."Bill's been through this process personally."

says Newman. "He knows what's expected ofthese players and can help them understandthe club's way of doing things. We want ourplayers to take each at-bat, each game on aday-to-day basis, focus in on the here andnow."Anyone who follow's the minor leagues on

a regular basis knows how hard that is to ac-complish, but Duncan seems to go about hisbusiness as ifhe were just one of the guys."I want to be the best player I can be." Dun-

can said. "My dream is to play for the NewYork Yankees, and I'll do whatever need I todo to make that happen."Not that he's in a rush, mind you. Duncan

knows very well that a trade to another orga-nization would accelerate his journey to themajor leagues. Patience actually is a virtue, he

says."(Senior Vice

President ofPlayer Person-nel) GordonBlakely told,~~~~~(rWr~wrrtrl~11me something~ J I once that has

~..;.;.;;,;,;.;.~~~~ __ ~ •••••stuck withme ever Since

says Duncan. "It's not about how fast you getto the major leagues, it's how long you staythere."Based on what we've seen so far, it's going to

be worth the wait. Q;

Gotham Baseball'sTop IO,Yankee Prospects

1 Eric Duncan2 Phil Hughes

3 Melky Cabrera

4 Sean Henn5 Christian Garcia

6 Matt DeSalvo

7 Tyler Clippard

8 Kevin Thompson9 Shelly Duncan10 Mitch Jones

Upside: Very nigh ceiling, hits for power and average, runs well, very high base-balllQ.

Downside: Defense at third is average to below average, though he works tre-mendously hard at improving, which should be noted. The quicker he goes acrossthe diamond or out to the OF, the better.

ETA: 2007

Tradeability - 5. Duncan is the Organizations top positional prospect for a rea-son, and he's coveted. However, he's two years away, and with the Yankees strug-gling with the .500 mark, it's doubtful he'll get dealt at this point and time.


~ Columbus Clippers~ International League (AAA)

Columbus is enjoying a solid season, despite the promo-tions of second baseman Robinson Cano and staff aceChien-Ming Wang to the Yankees. Picking up the slackin the pitching department are left-handers Alex Graman(4-5, 3.31 ERA) and Sean Henn (4-2, 3.20 ERA), eachof whom have regained prospect status after injuriesstalled their respective careers. Though both Gramanand Henn have had brief looks at the major leaguelevel, each appears focused at AAA this season, and arepoised to contribute. The offense has been paced allseason by Mitch Jones, who despite his age, remains aplayer that also might get a look later on this year. Forthe first time since being drafted by the Yankees in theseventh round of 2000 amateur draft, the 27-year oldoutfielder/first baseman is finally showing the plate dis-cipline the organization has been waiting to see. Alwaysa power hitter with the ability to drive in runs, prior tothis season with the Clippers, Jones struggled in boththe batting average and strikeout departments, hittingjust .242 with 614 strikeouts in his 606 career gamesp-riot to this season. However, this season, despite thestill-too many 81 strikeouts in 244 at-bats, Jones is hit-ting a team-high .316 with 15 homers and 43 RBis, goodenough tom place him among the league leaders in eachof those categories.

"UI,.,~ Tampa Yankees~ , Florida State League (A)

Pitching has been the story for most of the 2005season, evidenced by the selection of Tampa pitch-ers Tyler Clippard, Abel Gomez and closer PaulThorp to the Florida State League All-Star game.Clippard (6-5, 3.75 ERA) is the standout of thethree, second in the FSL in strikeouts with 78 - buthe was sent down to Charleston in the South AtlanticLeague just before the All-Star, keeping him out ofthe game. Gomez (2-1, 2.86 ERA) has solidified thebest 1-2 combo in the West, while closer Thorp hasposted 15 saves with a 2.49 ERA and 25 strikeoutsin 25.1 innings.Offensively, one player of note to prospect watchers

is second baseman Justin Christian. He hasn't beenin the FSL very long, but has made an immediateimpact in the pitching-dominant league, as since hispromotion from Charleston on May 19th, he's hitting.365 with a .441 on base percentage, and a .442slugging percentage. He also has five stolen bases,sixRal's and seven runs scored. At press time,Christian had hit safely in twelve of his first thirteengames, building off what he did in the Sally League(.290,17 SB).

Trenton ThunderEastern League (AA)

Though Eric Duncan (see cover)remains the top prospect in the or-ganization, it's been Shelly Duncan(no relation) that has paced theThunder attack, improving his sta-tus in the organization from sus-pect to the ninth-rated prospect,according to the Gotham Baseballstaff. With 16 home runs, 47 runsbatted in, 42 runs scored, and 135total bases, Duncan has placedhimself in the top five in each in the Shelly DuncanEastern League. The 20-year olds,Melky Cabrera and Eric Duncan are finding things alittle more difficult as they make the transition fromA to AA, but have still managed to drive in runs, with36 and 32 RBis respectively, to round out Trenton'stop three run producers. Setting the pace atop thelineup has been outfielder Kevin Thompson, hitting ateam-high .320 with 19 stolen bases. Twenty-two yearold right-hander Jeffrey Karstens (6-5, 3.79 ERA) and23-year old righty Matt DeSalvo (4-1, 3.42 ERA) havesolidified the rotation, while 24-year old closer JustinPope (12 saves) has paced the bullpen all year long.

Charleston River-dogsSouth Atlantic League (A)


It's been a banner year for toppitching prospect Phil Hughes, whohas dominated the Sally League.So much so, he was tabbed to startthe All-Star game. Hughes, a 19-year old right-hander has posted a7-1 record with a 1.97 ERA, struckout 72 batters in 68 2-3 innings,given up just 46 hits and walkedjust 12 batters all season. His ac-complishments this season have •been even more impressive consid- Phil Hughesering that he's not even using hisentire pitching arsenal, as his hard-biting slider hasbeen kept out of his repertoire by the organization sohe can work on his developing curve and changeup. Ithasn't been a one-man show however, asCharlestonplaced the most players on the Southern Division AII-Star squad with six players representing the River-Dogs, including pitchers T.J. Beam and Mike Martinez,center fielder Tim Battle, DH Ben Jones and utility manCody Ehlers.

1

Norfolk TidesInternational League (AAA)

Binghamton MetsEastern League (AA)

It's been a very up and down year sofar for Binghamton, which has seenstellar performances from a numberof players - but has struggled to getabove .500.The pitching staff has been anchoredby Brian Bannister (8-1, 1.67 ERA)who has had his coming-out partyand emerged as one of the Mets topprospects. Yusmeiro Petit, alreadyheralded as a prospect, has pitchedbetter than his 2-2, 2.74 ERA mightindicate - in part because of pitch count limits andtrip home for the birth of his daughter. But all of Petit'snumbers, including 52 Ks in 46 innings (with just 6walks) show he remains on target to continue his rapidrise through the minors. For the most part, the rest of thestaff has struggled.In terms of bats, after the promotion of Chase Lambin toAAA Norfolk, it's been up to the big three, Mike Jacobs(.308, 12 HR, 48 RBI), Anderson Hernandez (.322, 7HR,22 RBI, 11 SB) and David Bacani (.311, 3HR, 22RBI,.400 OBP) to fuel the Binghamton offense.

Jason Scobie has emerged as one of the few solid pros-pects on a veteran, first place Tides squad. The Mets'15th round pick from 2001 is building on his solid num-bers in Binghamton last year, going 8-3 with a 3.24 ERAin 13 starts. Jae Seo seems unfazed by his return toNorfolk after opening eyes up in New York, posting a 4-2record and 3.20 ERA - and 75 strikeouts in 76 innings.In terms of bats, 2B Jeff Keppinger had been Norfolk'sbest hitter not named Brian Daubach - until he brokehis knee cap and now will be out until at least July- hitting .337 with an on-base percentage of .377. INFRodney Nye, like a cat with nine lives, looked to be onthe verge getting released in April - but since has beenon a hitting tear, boosting his average to .314.OF Prentice Redman appears to be making the mostof his second shot at Norfolk after his May promotionfrom Binghamton. Redman is hitting .309 in his first 14games back in AAA. INF Chris Basak has also hit wellwhen given the chance to play, hitting .305 playing onlyabout half the time. OF Angel Pagan has struggled a bitof late, seeing his average drop to .267.

Things are finally starting to look up for the Mets, whogot off to awful start and saw some their highly-toutedprospects struggle.OF Lastings Milledge is growing into his top-prospectreputation, having caught fire and raised his averageto .305, with 3 HR, 13 RBI and 14 SB. Andy Wilson hasbeen a monster - posting a .311 average, 14 HR and 47RBI - the team's best offensive player of the first half.1B Brett Harper hopes to put off-the-field problems be-hind him - despite a suspension by the team in June,he leads the organization with 17 HR, as well as 47 RBI,with a .272 average.Phil Humber (1-6,5.61 ERA) was expected to be theace of the staff, but suffered through minor injuries andinconsistency, but has pitched much better his last fewoutings and looks to be back on track.Evan MacLane has been the Mest' best starter, postinga 5-3 record with 3.17 ERA. Reliever Kole Strayhorn(2-3, 3.52) looks to be putting shoulder injuries behindand could be eying a return to Binghamton by the timeyou read this.

17

Hagerstown Suns'South Atlantic League (A)

The Mets' newest affiliate is offto a flying start, having won theSouth Atlantic League North firsthalf title with a number of stand-out performances.First and foremost, Gaby Hernan-dez punctuated a great first halfby throwing a no-hitter in his finalstart before the break, running upa 5-1 record with a 2.32 ERA and81 Kin 77.1 innings. Jose S~n- Gaby Hernandezchez posted a 10-2 record With a3.18 ERA, while Michael Devany put up a 4-1 recordwith 3.39 ERA.In terms of bats, OF Dante Brinkley has put on ashow, hitting .369 with 9HR and 37 RBI, while 3BGrant Psomas has hit .315 with 14 HR and 37 RBI.1B Mike Carp has put up big power numbers, 16HR,48 RBI, but struggled a bit making contact with 71 Ksin 208 first-half at-bats. Carlos Gomez appears to beover his early-season wrist injury, and has his aver-age up to .264, with 5HR and 26 RBI, and an impres-sive 33 SB.

Gotham Baseball-Summer, 2005

•

TheNew--York Gothams

are still playing the

game like it ought to

be... in 1864.By Mike McGannGotham Baseball

The lads were counting on me.Two hands and runners on - and our be-

loved Gothams down by an ace in the 10th,truly a tight scratch.So far, my efforts as a muffin striker were

subpar, and I was unable to even make my first in five trips, sent to thegrass each time. Then providence smiled on me. The pitcher unleashed theball- and miracle of miracles - I hit a corker over the head of the short stop.Not exactly a ripping ball over the ring of carriages, but enough to showthis portly old scribe has a bit of sand.Okay, ESPN SportsCenter it's not. But it's pretty close to how an account

on my foray into the past of baseball might have appeared back in the 60s- the 1860s. For those of you chronologically challenged, let me translate:

Trailing 17-16 in the l Oth, two on and two out, I carne to the plate.Looking at an O-for-5 day already, as a rookie hitter, I got lucky and theElizabeth pitcher threw one in my wheelhouse, I turned on it and lined ashot into left-center field. Not exactly a homer, but enough to show this fat,old writer still has a bit of stuff.Instead of just writing a story about the New York Gothams - and with

all due respect to all of the other old-style baseball teams out there, almosta dozen in the metro-NY area and hundreds more around the U.S., therewasn't any other choice for this magazine to write about - team captain KenSchlapp and his Gothams let me be a member of the team for a day as they

- we - played the Elizabeth (NJ) Resolutes.


The original New York Gothams (batground) started play in the 1850 buare kept alive in spirit by a hardy grof New Yorkers who show people hethe game was played in the old day(above) who were foolish enough tolow the author to ioin them for a da'

The first thing I needed to play, I was iformed, was a nickname. Ballplayers wererheld in the highest regard in those days (ifact, the only McGann to play in the ill

jars - wasn't one. Dan McGann's real narrwas Dennis Lawrence), so Ken - Trolley C

- christened me "Chadwick" after Henry Chadwick, the 19th centursportswriter who did so much to shape the game (for example, the K useto note strikeouts was picked by Chadwick because it was the last letter I

his name).Then, I needed to learn the rules. Normally, the Gothams play 1864 ruk

(hence the long pants), but the Resolutes play 1873 style and get knicers, which carne into base ball fashion in 1867) and they were the horrteam, complete with portable back stop adorned with a U.S. Flag, circ1867-1875.

Unlike recent years - the game changed radically, almost yearly, betwee1860 and 1887, so less than a decade makes for a lot of difference - tl:Gothams usually can get an out by catching a fair ball on one hop, but ncon the day I played, as only foul balls could be caught that way. No ov,running first base, underhanded pitching, and three balls (but a strike zorthe size of an aircraft carrier) are a walk are among the rules of the day th,differ from today's game.Still, in many ways the game is closer to modern baseball than say, softba

Stealing is allowed (and rampant) and the good pitchers - and Elizabethad one - throw hard, albeit underhand, and change speeds well. In otlu


h~r'rlp'r t~l~n a the cover is cut asingle piece of leather. While' easier to catchbarehanded than a modern baseball, it carriesbetter than a softball when hit.Of course, anything is going to carry if you

hit it with a 40-ounce bat. To get a goodsense of it, imagine swinging a leg of yourdining room table. The handle is thick, butthe barrel is much smaller than a modernbat, so you have more weight and less surfacearea. Note that this sort ofbat stayed in

Plays at home are anything butroutine without a glove - old stylebase ball (left) has unique crossstitch, with single piece of leather,while hand-turned bats are onlyslightly thicker at the barrel than atthe handle.

that could be - and was - played in just aboutany cow pasture.After an afternoon of playing this old game,

though, you begin to seewhy the game explod-ed across a young America - despite the differ-ences, it isvery much baseball. If you find awayto block out the modern elements of life, anafternoon on a lush, green field can transportyou can to a simpler time.For me, watching and playing, it was a re-

minder of everything that makes me love base-ball - the game in a pure, honest way, unclut-tered by designated hitters, home-run derbyinnings - and window back to my youth andthe sandlot games played in an empty fieldwhen I was 10 or II.For an afternoon, I was back in my youth. It

didn't matter that now, at age 41, I run like apiece of furniture. The grasssmelled green andfresh and the specter of possibility was every-where.And that is the beauty of the game, of this

game. ~

words, this ain't nobeer league. Bothteams take it deadlyserious - but, inanother differencefrom today's game,gentlemanly con-duct is expectedat all times. Somekicking, or argu-ing, is permitted,but rough behav-ior by players - orfans - is subject tofine: Imagine try-ing to fine an un-ruly Phillies' fan atCitizens Bank Park.This game is gentle-manly - the umpire,dressed in a fullsuit, even in the90-degree-plus heat,kindly informs youof the number ofhands (outs) as you come to bat, everygame is concluded by a series of cheers andthanks for the fans, the umpire and each of theteams.Maybe the most compelling thing: because of

the small-ball nature of the game, one must al-ways be thinking - more even than in modernbaseball - and certainly more than in sofrball,where the majority of thinking involvesworry-ing about the number of beers lefr in the coolerbetween innings. Swing too hard at the balland you'll do what I did - either tip the ball

.-- -=~~~-----, back to the

well intothe 1920s - and was a

key component in "small ball" thestation-to-station style offense popular beforeBabe Ruth changed the game with his volumi-nous home runs.And the field is a bit different, too. No mound.

No dirt cutouts, just a few lines drawn in chalkon the grass for a pitchers' box and batters' box

- and maybe, lines for the basepaths. A game

pop out.The equipment - what little there is - is a lot

different. First, the ball. Slightly larger andsofrer than a modern baseball, but smaller and

GothamBaseball-Summer, 2005 19

"Highlandersat Hilltop" by William Feldman, CourtesyBill Gofflgoodsportsart.co

By Mark HealeyGotham Baseball

"He was either steady or wild as a hawk; with no middle ground. Healways had some trick up his sleeve,feeding the visitors on tender little'dew drops' with slight curves, but awful drops."

- New York Freeman's Journal, July, 1896 on Jack Chesbro

• The question - Name the Hall of Fame pitcher that owns thegreatest season in baseball history.

The answer is rarely correct, even in the town where it happened.Walk into any corner bar in New York City. No, not the trendy

hangouts, the real bars. Places like the Molly Wee Pub, Mug Shots,Connolly's (all of them) or Martell's on the Upper East Side. Thenlook for the fans watching baseball, and ask them which records theythink will never be broken "DiMaggio's streak," is a usual first reply."Cy Young's 511 wins" is another popular response. When the offerof "Jack Chesbro's 41 wins in a season," the all-too-familiar refrain of"Who?"always follows.Hence, the reason for this story, and quite honestly, one of the inspira-

tions of this very magazine."Only the die-hard baseball fans know about Chesbro," Baseball

America's Executive Editor Jim Callis told Gotham Baseball. "Tomany, his achievements were attained too long ago, and they have fadedin memory."


"He shouldn't be anonymous."John D. "Jack" also known as "Happy Jack" Chesbro was born c

June 5, 1874 in North Adams, Massachusetts. As a boy, he learned hoto play the game of baseball with teams like the Houghtonville Nine, ;well as other sandlot teams in the locale.

It was at the age of twenty, when working for the state mental hospitin Middletown, NY, when his baseball career really started to take olHis pleasant disposition with patients and fellow workers earned hihis "Happy Jack" moniker, and while playing for the hospital basebateam, coach Pat McGreehy told Jack he felt he could pitch professioially.So, for the next three years (1895-1897), Chesbro tried to catch (

with several teams, all but fruitlessly. It wasn't until 1898-99, when Ifashioned a 17-4 mark for Richmond through July 1899 that he cauglthe eye of the major leagues.Paying the then-princely sum of $1,500, the Pittsburgh Pirates sigm

Chesbro for the remainder of the season.It would take until 1901 for that initial investment to payoff, as Che

bro enjoyed his first 20-win season (21-10, 2.37 ERA) leading the Frates to their first-ever NL pennant in 1901.Chesbro followed that year up with an even better season in 190

posting a 28-6 record with a 2.17 ERA, the year in which he is believeto have first started throwing the spitball.Seeking to make the most money he could, Chesbro jumped to the!

manager Clark Griffith's New York Highlanders for their first AL se

IDe Baseball HalldIF:nni"_ \{'ewere playingU~ianli. He had a tough

- ~ They hit himruns. He came

IDe bench and said,- - I haven't got my nat-

today. I m going'em the spirter the- u if it s all right. I told him to go

- and you know what?He f.mned fourteen. They

'r get another run andw-ewon the game 4 to 3."

irh three straight 20-win seasons - and an

nnhirrable pitch - under- belr. Chesbro would put

mgcrher the best single sea-son by any starting pitcher. major league history in

- - - ClC _ nes-:: ==~=-•All during e u. - e Highland-

ers were pan of a five-war fight for the pen-nant with the Red Sox, White Sox, Indians

HigWanders had to sweep in order to over-take Boston .In the ninth inning, Boston's Lou Criger

singled, then went to second on a sacrificeand advanced to third ona wild pitch. On the nextpitch Chesbro's spittersailed over the catchershead. Criger came in toscore the eventual win-ning run, giving the RedSox the pennantAt the time, it over-

shadowed Chesbro's bril-liant season, and thoughhe went 19-13 with a2.20 ERA in 1905 anda 24-16 record with a2.96 ERA in 1906, thespecter of that wild pitchstayed with him until heleft baseball.He was 10-10 in 1907,

14-20 in 1908, and NewYork released him dur-ing the 1909 season.He finished his careerby pitching one game, aloss, for the Boston RedSox later that season.In 1911, Chesbro

coached baseball atAmherst College inMassachusetts, brieflyreturned to the majorsto coach for the Wash-ington Senators in 1924,and passed away on No-vember 6, 1931.

Seventeen years after.his death, he was electedto the Hall of Fame in1946, and he is the onlyplayer among the Coo-perstown greats whopitched for a Cooper-stown team, the semi-pro Cooperstown Ath-

...

CHESBRO, NEW YORK, AMERICAN LEAGUE.

'He shouldn't be anonymous.'Jim Callis, Executive Editor,

Baseball America, on Jack Chesbro.

and Philadelphia !\s. As is more commonnow, more than 100 years later, the seasonwas decided with a five-game series betweenNew York and Boston that ended the season.The Highlanders won the first game, tak-

ing a half-game lead. Boston swept a double-header the following day and went ahead bya game and a half, leaving a doubleheader the

letics in 1896.Of all the players enshrined in the Hall of

Fame that have worn a New York uniform,he is easily the least known and least appreci-ated.However, when all is said and done, his 41

wins in a single season remains, and will re-main, unbreakable. PJI


He starred 51 games,completed 48 and tossed- innings. He threw six

ours, walked just 88ers and posted a bril-

41-12 record with a_ERA ..

"Yes, I believe Chesbro's-11 wins will never bematched," Callis said, whenGotham Baseball askedhim if Chesbro's feats willever be felled in this mod-ern era of five-man rota-tions, pitch counts, glorified middle relieversand the ill-named "quality start. "Even if, asBill James believes, that four-man rotationsmay be back in vogue in the foreseeable fu-ture, I can't see anyone coming close."However, as little known as Chesbro's ac-

complishments are, it is the last game hepitched in that season - quite unfortunately

BuddyBall: A Success on Long Is andAfter winning the Atlantic LeagueChampionship last season, Long Is-land Ducks' owner Buddy Harrel-son now has rings as a player, coachand owner. But, only one champi-onship has true meaning to him.

"It's nothing like winning whenyou play," the former Met short-stop said. "It's nice to win as anowner, but I haven't got any con-trol. And sin ce, I haven't had a hitin 25 years; it's nice as an owner,because that's all I can be now."

As owner, Harrel-son oversees theLong Island

baseball oper-ations, whichbesides put-

ting a competi-tive product on the field,

also p rcvi des an outlet for formerMajor Leaguers and AAA playerswhen none is available.

"We have been taking players thatdon't have jobs and make a hold-ing tank for them," Harrelson said."They can show teams that theyare healthy and they can prove thatthey can play again."

Harrelson's success stories in-clude Washington Nationals' in-fielder Carlos Baerga, who played53 games for the Ducks in 2001and former Generation 'K' pitcherBill Pulsipher, who after leadingLong Island to the title last season,made the St. Louis Cardinals out ofSpring Training.

This season, Harrelson's Duckshave former big leaguers JohnRocker, Donovan Osborne andPaxton Crawford trying to getanother chance to get back to"The Show."

And to the owner's credit, LongIslanders have flocked to' CentralIslip to see his team, as they aver-aged 6,155 fans per game over theirfive seasons, which is better than asellout a game.

But at 61, Harrelson may eventu-ally take a more of a backseat roleon the team.

"Soon I will have to just watchand not throw batting practice,"he said. "Baseball is in my blood. Iwasn't happy when I got a real job

and my wife en-couraged me todo somethinglike this."

* * *

This just maybe Butch Hob-S01'1'S final sea-son as Nashu'aPride manager.The 55 year-old may justpack it in tospend timewith family.

"It's quitepossible thatthis might beit," a reflectiveHo bso n said."I have twoyoung sonswho are play-ing baseball.They are goodballplayers and I want to see themplay more. I also have a baby girlwho is 15 months."

Hobson took over the Pride in2000 and won the Atlantic LeagueChampionship that year and hasbeen in the playoffs four of his fi rstfive seasons.

Around the LeagueOzzie Timmons rejoined the At-

lantic City Surf after beginning theseason in Mexico. The 34 year-

old outfielder said hewas planning on play-ing at the Jersey Shore

all along, but the op-portunity was toogood to pass up.After a conversa-

t ion with Duck officials,John Rocker has decided to let hispitching do the talking. The chattyreliever has stopped talking to thepress and has gotten his pitchingunder control with numerous dom-inate outings under his belt.New Newark manager Chris Jones

has brought a changed attitude tothe Bears. He is stressing funda-mentals and the team had respond-


Steven DrewWeaver

ing withR i v-when

Buddy Harrelsoned with an over .500 record.The most accomplished name

in the. Atlantic Leaguet his season isout - fielder TomGood- , 'win. Theformer II 'j Dodger andCub ' ' has brought apro - fessional attitudeto the Atlantic City Surf, whowas referred to the team by hisbrother Hugh. Manager Jeff Ballsaid Goodwin has been a good in-fluence.Number One picks

and Jaredwere play-the Camdenersharksthey weresigned by theArizona Di- a m o n d -back and Los Angeles An-gels of Anaheim, respectively atthe deadline on May 30. Drew wasleading the league in batting at.427 when he inked his contract.Joe McDonald is Publisher of NYS-

portsDay.com and a regular contrib-utor to Gotham Baseball.

~.. ~"'-;'>-t",

.'e

~JN :: .._

Pr inee, continuedjium Page 6

to be the equivalent of Tom Seaver. Yet on the night

of June 14, nobody was worried about Tom Terrific,

because Steve Henderson connected with an Allen

Ripley fastball and sent it over the rightfield fence and

into the Mets' bullpen.

Final score: Mets 7 Giants 6.

All at once, Henderson's homer triggered a coming-

out party. His ebullient teammates came out of the

dugout to mob him at home plate. A long-missing

sellout crowd, 44,910 strong, came out to Shea the

next day, filling every available plastic seat of the reno-

vating stadium; June 15 outdrew the entire first week

of the season. And the team's record came out to a

game under .500, just six behind first-place Montreal.

1969 was no longer a black & white image in one of

Della Feminas ads. It was a precedent chat instandy

seemed matchable.

For that generation ofMets and Mets diehards, Steve

Henderson became, with the final swing of June 14,

Bobby Thomson and Kirk Gibson rolled into one. "It

was a day I'll never forget," the Mets manager, a fella

named Torre, reflected a few months later.

The Magic appeared to be truly Back. Energized by

Henderson and his teammates, funs began to frequent

rwo places they'd srudiously avoided for years: Shea

and the standings. As June tumed to July and July

turned to August, the Mets wouldn't go away. Over a

three-month stretch, the team went 47-39. As late as

August 13, they were 56-57 overall (.500 was touched

if not topped) and part of a dogfight with the Expos,

Pirates and Phillies for the N.L. East lead. The Mets

were as vital to New York baseball talk in the summer

of 1980 as any other team in town.

Then, just as quickly as it was conjured, the Magic

went poof Philly swept an injury-depleted squad five

straight at Shea. It was the beginning of an 11-38

stumble to the finish.

When the last out was recorded, the 1980 Mets

hadn't much exceeded the 1979 Mets on paper.

Instead of losing 99 games, they lost 95. Instead of

finishing sixth, they seeded in fi&h. And though atten-

dance for the season jumped by some 400,000, only

1,754 showed up for the penultimate home game of

the year. There were no mocking headlines this time

because, alas, almost everybody had stopped paying

attention to the Mets again.

In a sense, the 1980 season lived up to its Magical

billing because it tumed out to be one of illusion.

The stretch of "scintillating" (as announcer Steve Al-

bert hyped it) baseball witnessed at mid-year wasn't

indicative of anything to come. The fans who had

been teased with a taste of success in 1980 couldn't be

blamed for growing a litrle bitter in the immediately

succeeding seasons when the Mets continued to lose

at will and finish last or close to it. The players who

defined the brief run of '80 excitement were all gone

by the time the Mets became serious contenders in


the summer of'84.

Once the Magic was inarguably Back at Shea, Fal-

cone, Flynn and friends were nowhere to be found,

their exploits shoved deep into the closet of the base-

ball subconscious. A glance at their record wouldn't

distinguish the 1980 Mets from any edition of the

team berween 1977 and 1983. You had to be there to

appreciate how uplifting 47-39 felt.

But there was more to 1980 than a bad start, a nice

middle and a horrific end. It really was the beginning

of something greater. For one thing, there was June's

amateur dra& when the Mets had the No. 1 selection

in the nation. They used it to pick a Strawberry named

Darryl; he was anything but irrelevant to their plans.

By September, with pennant fever having proved psy-

chosomatic, the Mets brought up some kids: Mookie

Wilson, Hubie Brooks, Wally Backman. Those guyswould stick.

More important than the players whose names first

bubbled to the surface 25 years ago was the spirit chat

revealed itself to Messrs. Wilpon and Doubleday.

Their goal was to rescue National League baseball in

New York They learned chat a decent team chat gave

fans half a chance to dream could spark interest and

sell tickets.

While they gave Cashen time to build a farm system,

they were also open with their checkbook (fur more so

than the previous regime of Lorinda de Roulet and

M. Donald Grant).

In consecutive calendar years, the Mets would trade

for and then re-sign George Foster, Keith Hernandez

and Gary Carter - rwo former MVPs and a future

Hall of'Famer. Those investments seem unimaginable

without 1980 having served as a platform from which

the owners could envision an eventual champion-

ship.

Whatever the fortunes of the ream in any given year

since, 1980 ensured the Mees would never be allowed

to fall into the utter disrepair it wallowed in during the

late '70s. Things may have looked bad from time to

time since Doubleday and Wilpon took the reins, but

bad is relative to anybody who recalls the de Roulets,

let alone Mettle the Mule.

While The NEW New YOlk Mets, let alone The

People's Team, didn't become household words in

1980 the way "Who Shot lR?" did, "The Magic Is

Back" resonates a quarter-century later in ways no-body could've imagined. In very literal terms, take

a look beyond the right-center wall the next time

you're at Shea. See that top hat with the apple? It says

"HOME RUN" now. It used to say "Mets Magic".

It was erected in 1981 to continue the Magic theme

(though the sequel "The Magic Is Real. Catch It

Here." didn't really catch on). Look, too, to the panels

that ring the press level at Shea, the ones with the col-

lages of great Mets moments and characters. They are

accented with four words: Amazing, Miracle, Believe

- all self-explanatory - and Magic. Magic didn't

magically appear there by itself

In a broader sense, 1980's Magical campaign con-

vinced Mets ownership, and perhaps the industry

as a whole, that no matrer the quality of the team,

marketing baseball was now essential. Barely an

off-season has gone by since 1980 when a new slo-

gan hasn't been unveiled, whether it's been inspiring

(1984's "Catch The Rising Stars"), definitive (2000's

"Always Amazin'''), fraudulenr (1992's "Hardball Is

Back"), debatable (1983's "Now The Fun Starts") or

legitimately tantalizing (2005's "The New Mers" and

"Next Year Is Now").

For a 67-95 team, the 1980 Mets did very well in-

deed. m

-Full details on the Mets' new ballpark-The Kids are All Right: A look at theYankees'rookies-Dem Bums at 50: The 50th Anniversaryof Brooklyn's World Series winPlus: columns, player updates and more!

www.gothambaseball.com

The Gotham Baseball Quiz1. Since 1900, which New York team haswon the most National League pennants?2. The Brooklyn Dodgers had three othernicknames in franchise history. Name two ofthem.3. Who did Don Larsen strike out to com-

, plete his perfect game in the 1956 WorldSeries?4. Match the major league players with theNew York City public high school he at-tended.

a) Sandy Koufax 1. George Washingtonb) Lee Mazzilli 2. Lafayettec) Manny Ramirez 3. Tildend) Willie Randolph 4. Lincoln

5. Leo Durocher managed both the Giantsand Dodgers. Which team did he managelonger?6. Before Shea Stadium was built, where didthe Mets play their home games? .7. Before Yankee Stadium was built, wheredid the Yankees play their home games?8. Match the major league player with thecollege he attended.

a) Mo Vaughn 1. Yale

b) Gene Larkin 2. St. John'sc) Frank Viola 3. Columbiad) Ron Darling 4. Seton Hall

9. Who were the Brooklyn Robins namedafter?10. The Mets selected right-handed pitcherPaul Wilson with the number one pick in theamateur draft of 1994. Who was selectedthe first time the Mets had the top pick?11. The Yankees selected left-handed pitcherBrien Taylor with the number one pick in theamateur draft of 1991. Who was selectedthe first time the Yankees had the top pick?12. Who is the last National League player tohit .400?

a) Zack Wheat, Dodgers.b) Mel Ott, Giants.c) Bill Terry, Giants.d) Lefty O'Doul, Dodgers.

13. Four men have managed both the Yan-kees and the Mets. Name them.14. Willie Randolph is the ninth Met managerwho also have played for the franchise. Whowas the first Met manager to have played forthe team?

THE NEW YORK GAME

15. The Yankees have retired 15 uniformnumbers to honor 16 players and managers.Who was the first to be honored?16. The Mets have retired three uniformnumbers. Name the honorees.17. There were three future major leaguemanagers in the Mets 1962 opening daystarting lineup. Name two of them.18. Prior to the start of the 2005 season, 89players have played for both the Mets andYankees. Named the two former Yankeeswho played for the 1962 Mets.19. Jackie Robinson broke the color barrierwith the Dodgers in 1947. Who was the firstAfrican-American to pitch in the majorleagues?20. Which Yankee has hit for the cycle themost times?

a) Lou Gerhig.b) Tony Lazzeri.c) Joe DiMaggio.d) Bob Meuse!.

Answers on Page 29

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The Name of this Ex-GM is Talking Head"(Steve) Phillips is huge on availability, mi- ager is only part of the story, as the real kick in

nuscule on accountability, having long agomastered the art of saying nothing" - DaveBuscema, Times Herald-Record.

"What is it that evokessuch negative emo-tion? I'm not that controversial." - StevePhillips.

"Steve Phillips is an oily, self-promoting,do .r: ld ""G W. P . "estroyer-orwor s - reg . nnce,Faith and Fear in Flushing.

'\VJhen one is a baseballwriter, one isproneW to watch a lot of baseball. During the

course of what I like to tell my beautiful wife is"research", I come across a lot of play-by-playguys and analysts.So I askyou, what is it exactly that complelled

ESPN to hire Steve Phillips as an analyst?Could it be the way he completely sold out

Bobby Valentine - who was ironically thebest baseball analyst ESPN has ever had -the only manager in NY Mets history to makethe playoffs in successiveyears? Or could it behow he determined from a batting practicesession that Mo Vaughn was the way to ad-dress the Mets' offense?Savvy decison-making, that what it must

have been. Like signing Kevin Appier to a 44

the pants is that ESPN actually pays him forhis opinions on what other GMs in baseballare doing!It's like hiring Art Howe to run your baseball

team instead of Buck Showalter...oh, wait.There has to be some cruel joke here some-

where, right? Like ESPN charging people toread Phillip's Insider column? It's almost asbad as websites charging people to read "origi-nal content" by 15-year olds.People, do yourself a favor, buy pet rocks in-

stead, you'll get a better bang for your buck.How is it that a man that perennially mis-

read the market place, undervalued his ownfarm system, and made poor judgement callson talent and personnel possibly be an expertanalyst?

Maybe iswas thiskeen insight?"We're going tout a competitive

team on the field,a playoff-caliberteam that will giveus a chance to go(0 the World Se-ries, I think whenthe time comes,the fans are going

to like our product." - SP to the Daily News,11-29-01Next on ESPN Insider: How to sign a third

baseman to play first base, move your secondbaseman back to third - whom you asked togo from third to second when you signed an-other third baseman. Next week, How to re-acquire the worst free-agent bust in team his-tory, allowing him to shatter an already frayedclubhouse for the second time in a decade, andhave the organization pay him until he's 50.During the time Steve Phillips was running

the Mets, he was easily one of the most dis-

million, four-year contract? Or trading JasonIsringhausen, Melvin Mora, and Jason Bay,and not parting with Jay Payton in a packagefor Gary Sheffield?It must be how he turned an interesting team

in the first years of his tenure to a bloatedmonstrosity, which only now climbing its wayback into the hearts of Mets fans. Thanks toPedro Martinez, no less, who, according toESPN Insider Steve Phillips had a "90-percenttorn labrum".Another brilliant piece of talent evaluation.Phillip's comical tenure as Mets general man-


liked people in baseball. fm not talking aboutthe fans, here. Their feelings for good old SPare allover the internet, and fairly easy to find.Just search for the Phillips., the f-word and theMets.So let me get this straight, Steve Phillips, we

are losing Mike Hampton and you add Kevin&*%$ Appier? For four years? %$&"% you,SP, Appier is a piece of &"%$# and so areyou. - "strawrnan l S"BillyBeane isn't a well-liked individual either,

but at least the guy has (or had) an eye for tal-ent and a consistent track record -- some ofwhich he achieved by taking advantage of thebuffoonery of his "pal" Phillips, I might add."Billy Beane is a great salesman and Steve

Phillips is a bad shopper" - Jon Heyman, NYNewsdayIn many ways he's an Outsider instead of an

Insider, brings nothing to the table except bi-ased rhetoric and completely devoid of a senseof humor about how badly he ran a baseballteam.Regardless of what I think, and let's face it, I

thought "Cop Rock" was a great show, whenwas the last time you heard someone say,"Steve Philips would be a great GM for (fillin a team)."? Of course, Phillips recently saidsomething along the lines of "I wouldn't takea GM job for any amount of money" or somesuch nonsense.As Sydney Pollock's character says to the

oblivious Dustin Hoffman's character inTootsie "No one will hire you!"Except ESPN.Then again, this is the company that puts

Colin "New York is only a baseball town be-cause the other teams stink" Cowherd on inmiddays in NYc, thinks Stephen A. Smith istalented (yes I know he can write" but GoodLord, is he bad on the air), and thought WallyMatthews - who his listeners quickly realizeddidn't really like sports - would be an inter-esting listen.My personal favorite Steve Philiips moments

this season were at the winter meetings, whenhe was throwing around trade rumors likea seasoned- espn.com message poster. Sadlyironic, as he used to go ballistic in his officedaily when being informed of the various ru-mors (and leaks) that were coming from hiswreck of a front office.

Steve Phillips, ESPN Insider.Somewhere in the Pacific Rim, Valentine is

laughing his ass off. mMark Healey is Executive Editor

of Gotham Baseball

gotham baseball issue 1 (summer 2005)

Documents

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