Through my eyes: A day on the backfields with the New York Mets

                                                                         
Spring training is a magical time for me. It's nothing like going to a regular season game where thousands of fans pack into a giant stadium, and unless you have great seats you aren't getting close enough to the players to where you can actually hear their conversations. That's the great thing about spring in Port St. Lucie, Florida with the Mets. All the guys that you live and die with during the regular season are right there in front of you to watch. Whether you're an autograph seeker or someone like me who just loves the purity of baseball, a spring training workout is something every baseball fan should experience.

Workouts usually start up around 9:30 a.m. I arrived a little early this warm, sunny morning and snapped a few pictures with my smartphone before ambling up to one of the fields where four young minor leaguers (Rafael Montero, Hansel Robles, Gabriel Ynoa and Dario Alvarez) sat stretching and just joking around with each other. I'd tell you what they were talking about, but it was in Spanish. Still, it stirred memories of when my childhood friends and I would get up early on a day off from school and hit the local park. Playing ball all day and goofing on each other, while pretending to be some major leaguer. Darryl Strawberry or Dwight Gooden were my go-to guys.

                                                                            Time to get those gloves in a row.

More players began to trickle out of the clubhouse and the hundred or so spectators made their way to the fence to get a look at the young pitchers that are expected to lead this current Mets renaissance. The relief corps of Jennry Mejia, Jeurys Familia, and the very bearded threesome of Vic Black, Bobby Parnell and Josh Edgin. Then appeared Zack Wheeler. Last year's NL Rookie of the Year Jacob deGrom. The Dark Knight himself, Matt Harvey, alongside Jonathan Niese and Dillon Gee. The two top prospects looking to break into the majors some time in the near future Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz. All the arms that the Mets and their fans hope can return them to the playoffs this year. All standing just 30 feet away and once again I transform into a 12-year old. Oh, and did I mention World Champions Wally Backman and Frank Viola are also a stone's throw away, now serving as coaches in the organization.

Following 15-20 minutes of stretching and conditioning drills, the pitchers break up into smaller groups to go work on various fundamental drills. As a spectator, you have free run over the back fields and can watch anyone you choose. The guys work on fielding grounders back to the mound, pick off moves, covering first and what to do during a run down. They even step in against the pitching machine to take some hacks and lay down bunts. All the while, they're all having fun.

                                                                                  The Dark Knight returns.

At this point, I notice who else is watching nearby. Special assistant to the general manager, J.P. Ricciardi walks past me and happily returns the "hello" I extend to him. I wonder to myself  how many fans here actually recognize Ricciardi, or am I the lone baseball super freak. I notice a couple of the Mets newspaper beat writers talking making small talk. Mike Puma of the New York Post expresses his current state of boredom while watching drills and then went on to elaborate on his dinner adventures from the prior evening - the Ale House in nearby Jensen Beach. By the way, Mr. Puma, I'll gladly trade jobs with you if you find it that boring.

Two older gentlemen are looking over the roster and one of them remarks that "This guy here was born in 1973." The other exclaims, "I thought this one a young team?" Well, that's Bartolo Colon, of course. Big Bart is one of the few elder statesmen on this team at the age of 42, but no less effective. He won 15 games last year, leading the staff. Fans fascinate me since I'm so involved in this team. Some know so little about the roster, but nonetheless love the team as much as someone like myself who could recite all of the minor league affiliates to you in a moments notice. Others just love certain players. David Wright and Matt Harvey clearly being the crowd favorites, and backup catcher Anthony Recker also being mentioned by many of the women in attendance. Hmmm, must be dat ass, eh  #MetsTwitter?

                                                                                Mr. Anthony Recker, ladies.

By now the position players have joined the workout. Wright and Wilmer Flores are fielding grounders at third and shortstop, respectively. Both look strong as both have much to prove this season. Wright tries to rebound from his worst season in the pros that was ruined mostly by a shoulder injury he suffered in June. Flores is young and has the bat to stay in the majors, but his ability to field well enough at shortstop remains a question mark. Harvey, Niese and deGrom walk past as Wright is fielding, and The Captain remarks that his arm is "a cannon" now as he rifles a throw across the diamond. the offseason rehab and strength training work for his shoulder looks like it has paid off at least early in camp from my perspective. Flores also looks good. Yes, to all the doubters, I know it's just practice, but the alternative right now is Ruben Tejada and we've seen over the last few years that he does not hit nearly enough to deserve a starting job. Flores has hit at every level. He's only 23. Let's see what he can do over a full year.

                                                                 Noah Syndergaard. Another ace in the Mets deck?

All-Star second baseman Daniel Murphy talks to outfielder Matt den Dekker while warming up. The pair discuss heading down I-95 to Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter later in the day to watch the University of Florida baseball team battle Florida Atlantic. Den Dekker is a UF alum and Murphy is a big Gator fan who grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. Inside my brain, I say I'd like to join them, seeing as how I went to college at both of those schools. Of course, I keep my trap shut and smile. Murphy comes over the the fence and signs a ball for a little kid at this point. Both sides smiling the whole time. Seeing this type of thing warms my heart and I think back to every autograph I ever got. I still have every one of them because they remind me of those players, whether they were stars or not. They made a little kid smile and that's what counts.

                                                                         Daniel Murphy signs for a young fan.

A couple of young minor league sluggers jump into the batting cage to take some cuts. Much maligned Cesar Puello hits some absolute bombs. Sweet swinging lefty Brandon Nimmo also shows off the lumber with a couple of long balls. This kid is the goods. I really believe Mets fans will be enjoying his smooth stroke at the plate for many years to come when he's ready for prime time in a year or two.

A few minutes later on the adjacent field Wright, Gold Glove center fielder Juan Lagares and new acquisition Michael Cuddyer enter the cage. Cuddyer's swing  looks healthy as he strokes would-be doubles into the left-center field gap. Lagares is next, but the main event is to follow. Wright hits the cage and immediately starts ripping shots opposite field into right-center field, his usual power spot. Cuddyer is doing commentary at this juncture. Every opposite field rope that Wright hits, Cuddyer exclaims just one word. "Sexy." I couldn't agree more. Cuddyer then says, "How about pulling one?" to which Wright answers by hammering the next pitch over the left field fence. The Captain is back.

                                                           The engine driving the machine. Captain David Wright.

The workout goes on and slowly winds down. Fans line the fences for autographs and the players oblige. It's a great day and didn't cost me a penny.

There's no other place where you can really just enjoy the sights and sounds of baseball like a spring training workout. No scoreboard. No stats being tracked. No feeling bad if your team happened to lose.

Simple and fun like those days on the sandlot.

Just baseball.

Sherman bringing the Boom

By now everyone has heard the post game rant from Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman. The word "classless" has been thrown around to describe his reactions and obvious disdain for 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree.

Here's the thing, if you have ever played sports, you should know that there is a competitive fire that is driving the bus for those few hours. On the field of play you take on a warrior-like persona and your emotions can get the best of you. He was locked up defending Crabtree all game and I can guarantee that there was of barrage of trash talk tossed around by both. Sherman had just leaped up and tipped a Colin Kaepernick pass intended for Crabtree in the end zone that was subsequently intercepted by teammate Malcolm Smith, preserving a 23-17 victory that sent the Seahawks to the Super Bowl. While many would have thought Sherman might have shown a little more joy in his interview with Erin Andrews after securing a trip to the big game, I don't see anything wrong with his reaction.

He said he's the best corner in the league and if you check the statistics, he's correct. He has allowed the lowest passer rating against when thrown at, and no one has more interceptions than Sherman's 20 since he entered the league in 2011.

There is nothing classless about Richard Sherman. The Andrews' interview showed an emotional, reactionary on-field warrior, much more than the man. The man who has a communications degree from Stanford. The man who does charitable work through his Blanket Coverage foundation providing clothing and school supplies for children.

Sherman and the rest of the Seahawks' Legion of Boom have one more test ahead of them to prove they are the best.  Peyton Manning and the high-octane offense of the Denver Broncos will look to prove them wrong in Super Bowl 48.

Three get in, many deserving others left out

Following up on yesterday's entry, the Baseball Writers' Association of America voted in three new members to the Baseball Hall of Fame: Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas.

Maddux led the way receiving 555 of a possible 571 votes, that's 97.2% of the necessary 75% needed for election. I'd like to say that those sixteen members that didn't vote for Maddux clearly should have their voting rights revoked. I'd love to hear your explain why you didn't vote for him. Of course, only 157 writers made their ballot public, so all those cowards that didn't choose Maddux can continue to hide and do their judging from their own private soap box.

Craig Biggio missed election by two votes. I guess enough voters lumped him in with the Steroid Era. Biggio should get in next year, thankfully. Another guy getting lumped in that tainted era is Mike Piazza. Statistically the greatest catcher ever to play the game, Piazza only received 62.2% of the vote. There has never been any hard evidence that Piazza used during his playing days. Only rumors and innuendo. Oh, and that he had back acne. I ask all the baseball writers this. If you wrote a story based on rumors and innuendo, what kind of credibility would you have? Not very much in my opinion. Shame on these writers for forgetting what journalism is supposed to be based upon. The facts are the key to reporting news. Not heresay. Not what an unnamed source whispers about from the shadows. The facts. Piazza's statistics are facts. He's a Hall of Famer.

                                                          Biggio struggle face after missing the Hall by two votes.

                                                                               Soon, Mike. If not, we riot.

It was also revealed that ESPN personality and Miami Herald columnist, Dan Le Batard, allowed Deadspin.com to vote on his behalf. Deadspin put the vote in the hands of its the readers. The ten players receiving the most votes were Maddux, Thomas, Glavine, Piazza, Biggio, Edgar Martinez, Jeff Bagwell, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds and Curt Schilling. I approve of Le Batard's actions. He allowed the masses to speak out on this issue. I think it proves that the majority of fans are fairly intelligent on who deserves to be in the Hall of Fame and I believe it allows shows that fans don't care so much about who was using steroids and who wasn't.  We'll never know exactly who used what. None of these substances were even illegal by baseball rules at the time. It's time to stop the argument, and it's time to admit the greatest players of that era into the Hall. So say the fans.

The Hall calls

Today, the results of the Baseball Hall of Fame voting will be released. Here's the ten guys that would get my vote if I actually had one.

Last year, no one got the call.

1.Greg Maddux. 355 wins. 3371 strikeouts. 18 Gold Gloves. Four straight Cy Young Awards during one of the most dominant pitching stretches in baseball history from 1992-1995. Anyone not voting for him should lose their vote forever.

2. Frank Thomas. Two-time MVP. Career .301 hitter with 521 homers and 1704 RBI. Also walked more than he struck out. Quite rare for a big slugger. Reached base 41.9% of the time. 11 seasons over 100 RBI. Mickey Mantle only did that four times if you would like a frame of reference. Big Hurt is a big lock.

3. Mike Piazza. Greatest offensive catcher ever. 427 homers and a .308 career average, mostly while playing the most difficult position on the field. All from a 62nd round draft pick. Never struck out more than 93 times in a single season, which is truly amazing for a power guy.

4. Lee Smith. When he retired he was the all time leader in saves with 478. It's time to stop disrespecting the closer position and put more of these guys in the Hall. Like punters in the NFL, they are a big part of the game, and Smith was one of the best closers in the game.

5. Mike Mussina. Tremendously consistent workhorse pitcher who spent his entire career in the hard-hitting AL East. Posted his first and only 20-win season in his final season at the age of 39. Compiled a 270-153 career record for a winning percentage of 63.8%.

6. Edgar Martinez. Much like the closer position, the designated hitter spot also gets little respect from the Hall of Fame voters. Martinez was a hitting machine. Career average of .312, 309 homers and 1261 RBI. From 1995-2001 he drove in over a 100 runs in all but one of those season. It's time for a DH to get in.

7. Tom Glavine. Crafty lefty that won two Cy Young awards and posted five, 20-win seasons as part of the Braves decade of dominance in the 90s. Finished with 305 wins and could always be counted on...unless he was pitching for the Mets on the final day of the season against the Marlins when a playoff spot was on the line. Yes, I'm still bitter, but at least I'm not holding back my vote for Tommy.

8. Jack Morris. 254 regular season wins on the mound, but really shined in the post season where he anchored the pitching staff for World Series winners in Detroit, Minnesota and Toronto. His ten inning, 1-0 shutout victory over Atlanta in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series is one of the greatest performances ever under pressure.

9. Craig Biggio. Spent all 20 years as a member of the Houston Astros collecting 3060 hits along the way. Came up as a catcher and was All Star. Then made the move to second base where he was also an All Star. His 668 doubles ranks fifth all-time and he stole 414 bases along the way.

10. Mark McGwire. Yes, he did steroids, but he also hit 49 homers as a skinny rookie in 1987, so I'm one to believe that his power was very legitimate. He was injury prone and the steroids clearly extended his career and enhanced his power numbers later in his career to monstrous levels. His home run journey to break Roger Maris' single season record in 1998 also helped baseball regain all lot of popularity that was lost following the prolonged strike that canceled a World Series in 1994. He admitted his misdeeds, so baseball needs to admit he was a legend of the game.

I'd also vote in Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, but they continue to deny their use of steroids. Both guys were Hall of Fame talent before they started using. Just admit it and people might forgive you one day.

See ya later, BCS

The college football season came to an end last night with a thrilling, final seconds victory by the Florida State Seminoles over the Auburn Tigers, 34-31, ending the Southeastern Conference's seven year reign of hoisting the BCS trophy. The game also marked the end of the BCS, as next year we will finally be treated to a four team playoff to decide college's best football team.

Amidst the entire bowl season there was one thing that bugged me. The constant which conference is the best argument. Chants of S-E-C, A-C-C, PAC 12, BIG 10 all rang out loudly at bowl games across the country, but why? As a fan of the Florida Gators, should I really be cheering for teams like Alabama and Auburn to win because they represent the same conference as my team? Hell, no. I despise the other SEC teams. They are the enemy. No true fans of the Miami Hurricanes were cheering for the Noles last night and if they were, they should probably just cease living. Can you imagine Yankee fans cheering for the Red Sox in the World Series because they represent the AL East? Michigan fans cheering for Ohio State to bring home the title and do their conference proud? Americans cheering for Mexico to bring home the World Cup title in 2014 for CONCACAF? Something is very wrong with people like this. You can't always root for the winner. Pick your team and ride it out. You can't live vicariously through some other team's triumphs.

 

                                                   FSU won the championship. Fans of Duke should not celebrate.

There's no real way to determine which conference is the best. You can say that this conference puts the most players into the NFL, or that conference had the team that won the national title, or this conference had the best record in bowl game. The SEC went 7-3 in bowls this year, Pac-12 went 6-3, ACC went 5-6, Big 12 went 3-3, and the Big 10 went 2-5. It truly does not matter. All that matters is the team that raises the trophy in the end and if it's not the team you are a fan of, then you do not have any bragging rights. Tip your caps to Florida State. Undefeated. Champions. Period.

Get hyped for Game 25!

Here we are, a mere 24 games into the marathon 82 game NBA season, and the ESPN hype wagon is already in overkill mode. Tim Legler, Sage Steele and Chris Broussard all reporting live this morning from sunny, South Florida about how Lebron James sat out practice yesterday with a sprained ankle last and how the Heat might slow down Roy Hibbert (Hmmm...they did this enough to beat them in two consecutive playoff series...I wonder). You would think this was the postseason with all that exposure, but no, it's just another regular season game

Tonight, the best two teams in the Eastern Conference, the Indiana Pacers (20-4) and the Miami Heat (18-6), meet again. They'll be meeting up again in the Eastern Conference Finals a few months from now, barring major injury to either of the teams' big stars. You can write that down now. The East is garbage other than these two squads.

                                                                                               Too soon?

The NBA's season is too long to care this much about a regular season game in December. I know it's all about the money, as it is about in all sports now, but cutting the season down to say 60 games wouldn't hurt. Start the season around Christmas Day or give the players more days off between games.

Call me back in late May when these two teams are playing important games. Thanks, ESPN.

Make football, not war

It's always fun to shock people. Football fans, especially. I've been a New York Jets fan all my life. Why? I don't know. Maybe I like the abuse. The constant frustration. The feeling that I'm going to throw up even after they win a game, like they did today. They beat the Buffalo Bills 27-20, in a game they dominated from a statistical standpoint. Yet they committed a team record 20 penalties that helped keep the Bills in the game until the end.

I was coming home from the sports bar and decided to stop for Wendy's. I'm wearing my Jets #80 Wayne Chrebet jersey, as always, and I get up to the window and the guy inside smiles and says, "Jets fan, huh?' Well, yes, that's fairly clear, I reply. Let me go out on a limb and guess that you are a Dolphins fan, right? This is South Florida after all. He nods. I jump back in and say, "Congratulations, that was a big win today for you guys, Tannehill really pulled through there." He looks at me with this stunned look on his face and just says, "Yeaaah, it was awesome....thanks?"

A good rivalry should be about mocking each other with funny pics.

I used the question mark there since I don't think he expected a Jets fan to be so complimentary. To be honest, I was quite glad he didn't drop my food in shock. Many fans of the Jets can be a little caustic, which may or may not have to do with not making it to the Super Bowl in the last 44 years or knowing that we'll being hearing about the "Butt fumble" for the rest of our lives. You see, I am a Jets fan, but I'm not an asshole. I'm an intelligent sports fan and I take pride in knowing more about the game than most people. The Dolphins proved they are a team to be reckoned with today by rallying late to beat the Atlanta Falcons, a popular Super Bowl by many experts, 27-23. I applaud their success today. I won't if they beat the Jets later in the season, but at least I won't be that typical, angry fan that goes down in defeat by saying that your team sucks right after they beat my team.

It's football. It's supposed to be fun. It gives you a few hours to escape all of life's realities.

Cherish the wins and the people you celebrate them with. Never forget the defeats and your pals who suffered right there with you. Most of all, enjoy the beer and wings.